Press Release
“To an all-but packed Plenary Hall…the whole experience brought unalloyed pleasure that in some cases amounted to a religious rite.” The Age
Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular – 2014 Tour
Melbourne shows: January 31 and February 1, 2014 with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Queensland show: February 8, 2014 with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra
As the legendary television series celebrates its 50th anniversary, the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular is coming back to Australia bigger and better than before with a new show based on the recent Doctor Who 50TH Anniversary Proms in the UK.
Following sold-out shows in 2012, the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular will return to Melbourne on January 31 and February 1 2014 for performances with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (Plenary Hall, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre) before getting its Queensland premiere on February 8 with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra (Brisbane Entertainment Centre). Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular is being presented in association with BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand.
Helen Pendlebury, Head of Commercial, Entertainment and Children’s Brands, BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand said, “With Doctor Who celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, all eyes are on the Doctor. We are thrilled to work with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra to bring this unique event back to Melbourne following its huge success last year, and to give fans in Queensland the chance to experience it for the first time. We hope to announce dates in New Zealand shortly.”
“Doctor Who is a landmark in the history of TV and has a passionate fan base; most importantly for us at the MSO, music has been a key component of the show’s success and durability; it is spine-tingling and inimitable,” said André Gremillet, MSO Managing Director.
“The MSO is excited to be able to share this unique concert experience with Melbourne Doctor Who fans. We’re also looking forward to the opportunity this concert presents to reach out to new audiences who may not have experienced the power of a live symphony orchestra before,” he continued.
“We are very excited to bring this international orchestral spectacular to Queensland with our own orchestra,” Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s CEO, Sophie Galaise, said. “I’ve worked on some major productions overseas including events with the Quebec Symphony Orchestra and over 1000 performers on stage at the Coliseum of Quebec; these are truly moving, memorable events, that should be shared and experienced by all. I anticipate Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular to be a monumental musical moment that we look forward to sharing with Queensland audiences,” Ms Galaise added.
A musical celebration of the iconic BBC series, the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular features Murray Gold’s captivating music from the Doctor Who series, accompanied by a big screen featuring specially edited sequences of Matt Smith’s performance as the Eleventh Doctor. A host of monsters including the spine-chilling Silence and the awe-inspiring Daleks and Cybermen will add to the electric atmosphere. Inspired by the Doctor Who Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, the 2014 show will feature all-new content – including a look back at some of the previous Doctors and also some of the music from the last five decades – as well as performances of some audience favourites from the 2012 show.
Composer Murray Gold has worked on the series since it was re-invented in 2005 and won its way into the hearts of a whole new generation of Doctor Who fans. “It’s really special to be able to offer audiences the chance to experience this music as it was originally recorded,” he says “We worked with a symphonic orchestra on both the iconic theme tune and the rest of the series score and to hear the music performed by such world-class orchestras as the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra is a fantastic opportunity for music lovers and Doctor Who fans alike.”
Doctor Who will celebrate its 50th anniversary on November 23rd in the UK with an epic 3D adventure starring Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman with David Tennant, John Hurt and Billie Piper. Australian viewers will be able to see it on ABC 1. After much speculation, the identity of the twelfth doctor who will take over from Matt Smith in the following series has finally been revealed today as Peter Capaldi. The series is watched by an estimated 80 million viewers in 206 countries around the world and has been honoured by Guinness World Records as both the longest running and most successful science-fiction series in the world.
Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular – 2014 Tour
Melbourne concerts
Date: Friday 31 January at 7:30 and Saturday 1 February at 2pm
Venue: Plenary Hall, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
Tickets: Adult tickets from $49 – concession tickets available
Bookings: 03 9929 9600 or visit www.mso.com.au
Queensland concerts
Date: Saturday 8 February at 7.30pm
Venue: Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Tickets: Adult tickets from $76.80
Bookings: 132 849 or visit ticketek.com.au/doctorwho