BBC brings Doctor Who to your mobile

Published Friday 31 March 2006 at 13:55 by Liz Thomas

Doctor Who fans will be able to watch bite-size episodes of the show on their mobile phones as part of new BBC trials.

Viewers will be given the opportunity to download 13 one-minute mini-shows - to be known as Tardisodes - via their mobile phones, or stream them on broadband.

They aim to offer the audience an exclusive insight into what’s going on in the Doctor Who universe that week and will be available on Saturdays after the main show has gone out.

The shows will include footage that will not be seen on TV, as well as back story about the characters and adventures coming up in the next episode - from meeting the Cat Women who can cure all illnesses, joining Mickey as he discovers some alien activity in a local school, to witnessing the Cybermen upgrade process. The move could provide fresh opportunities for upcoming actors and writers to be involved in a high profile show.

Jana Bennett, BBC director of television, said: “The Tardisodes are an exciting development, delivering mini-episodes which will let viewers access the vortex and explore new worlds before the Doctor arrives himself. We know that there is a huge appetite for Doctor Who and we want to make the whole experience bigger and better for viewers. These TV Plus trials will continue to help us understand more about the different ways in which viewers want to enjoy Doctor Who.”

Created by the team behind Attack of the Graske, the highly successful Christmas interactive mission, the mini-episodes will have the same high quality elements as the main show.

Co-producer Jo Pearce said: “Our aim, when planning the development of all these projects, is to make the interactive content around Doctor Who series two compelling, exciting and intriguing as well as enticing a broader audience to Doctor Who by positioning it on different platforms.”

The Tardisodes have been written by Gareth Roberts and directed by Ashley Way. Executive producers are Russell T Davies and BBC Wales’ head of drama Julie Gardner.