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After our endless discussions about the new Who, I thought this might be of interest :

"Doctor Who Live
News Dated: 17/5/2010

BBC Worldwide has announced a series of arena dates for the very first production of Doctor Who Live.

The new stage show, based upon the BBC’s smash-hit, award-winning series Doctor Who, promises to deliver a spectacular audio/visual experience featuring live music, special effects and appearances from the show’s most popular monsters.

Taking in nine cities and 25 dates, Doctor Who Live kicks off in London at Wembley Arena on 8th October, and will visit Sheffield, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Cardiff and Liverpool, culminating in Belfast on the 7th November.

Developed in association with Doctor Who’s Executive Producer and show runner, Steven Moffat, Doctor Who Live promises the same excitement, adventure and suspense that viewers have come to expect from the TV programme and will feature specially filmed new video scenes.

Steven Moffat said: "This is everything I ever wanted since I was eleven. A live show, with all the coolest Doctor Who monsters, a proper story, and brand new screen material for Matt Smith's Doctor! I'll be writing scenes for it, and probably attending every single night!"

Opening in wartime London and concluding in an epic onstage battle, audiences should expect the unexpected as the The Doctor’s arch-enemies the Daleks are joined by some of the best-loved and most terrifying monsters from the TV series including the Cybermen, Weeping Angels, Judoon and Oods to name but a few.

With an out-of-this-world set, Doctor Who Live will feature special FX, optical illusions and spectacular pyrotechnics building to an epic finale. Specially edited video clips, drawn from the TV Programme will be shown on a massive screen and accompanied by the music of longtime Doctor Who composer Murray Gold. These iconic scores will be brought to life by a 16 piece orchestra live on stage.

Murray Gold said: "The live element always adds something extra, but these will also be brand new arrangements for a new band of very talented musicians. It's very exciting."

Doctor Who Live has been conceived as a fully immersive music and monsters spectacular. Please note that actors from the TV series will not be appearing live on stage.

Tour Dates:
8th, 9th and 10th October - London - Wembley Arena
12th and 13th October - Sheffield - Sheffield Arena
14th, 15th, 16th and 17th October - Glasgow - Glasgow SECC
18th, 19th and 20th October - Birmingham - Birmingham NIA
22nd, 23rd and 24th October - Manchester - Manchester Evening News Arena
25th and 26th October - Nottingham - Nottingham Trent FM Arena
28th, 29th, 30th, 31st October - Cardiff - Cardiff International Arena
2nd, 3rd November - Liverpool - Liverpool Echo Arena
6th and 7th November - Belfast - Belfast Odyssey Arena"

I don't just want to watch it... I want to be in it!!!!!!!

Sounds fantastic, just a shame that the Birmingham NIA has awful seating arrangements with virtually no leg room.....

For those thinking of booking to see the Doctor Who Live Show at Birmingham’s NIA, you should bear the following in mind.

The seats are usually quite close together and, last time I was there, there were kick boards which prevent stretching your legs out under the seat in front, as such it can be rather uncomfortable.

Booking on line with Ticketfactory attracts a 10% surcharge; in this case up to £3.85 – I’m sure the credit card companies don’t charge 10% so you’re paying over the odds this way. As I was going near the NIA this morning I thought I’d call in at the Box Office and pay cash but I discovered it’s only open when a show or event is on, despite the ticket windows being set in the outside of the building so it wouldn’t take a great deal to have one or two open for sales, no need to open the entire building. Notices on the windows announce that tickets are available from the Ticketfactory shop under the Rotunda.

Having trekked to the shop I was told that they didn’t accept cash for tickets (despite souvenirs etc being on sale for cash) therefore only a card transaction was possible which, of course attracted that 10% surcharge. Muttering under my breath I decided that just this once I’d pay over the odds and selected a suitable seat. At the end of the booking process I noticed that the surcharge had mysteriously increased to £5.80. When I queried this I was told there was also a booking fee. At that point I said I refused to be ripped off especially as they’d told me the surcharge was ‘only’ 10%.

Plan B, which I suggest others try, get down to the Visitor Bureau at the NEC where they sell the same tickets, still via Ticketfactory, but accept cash and not only is there no card surcharge, there’s no booking fee either so the price of the ticket is all you pay. At the end of all this faffing around, I booked exactly the same ticket for £38.50 which was going to cost £44.30. Several blocks of seats were unavailable for sale as apparently the NIA hold tickets back for later sales so it’s not a case of first come first served.

According to the seating plan, there are two stage areas, one at the front and one towards the rear of the auditorium and performers fly on wires over the heads of the audience from one to the other – sounds like fun!

Gahhhh!! I want to go to this.... but so do the rest of my family!!

4 x forty-something plus quid (plus any booking fees - Mandrake's advice notwithstanding!) and you're looking at almost £200 just to get in....

I do love me some Doctor Who though.... and now Mandrake's mentioned 'flying', I'm wondering if the Daleks might be using that mode of transport.....

Must....resist.....Must... resist.....

...Resistance is useless...you will obey....YOU WILL OBEY!!!

And just in case it helps, there's a very nice young lady at the Visitor Bureau who has just the right sense of lunacy regarding old far..., er aged males booking tickets to see Doctor Who !