Side Shows, Part One

Well! Excuse the long silence, but there have been Whovian circumstances interrupting my episode blogging.

First--there is the pair of Doctor Who Proms scheduled for late July. (Translation for fellow Americans: it's a British concert series, not about high school dances.)

There was a Doctor Who Prom in 2008. It was fantastic (yes I was there--but the video's on the Specials-year boxset, so you can see for yourself). Despite being part of a 115-year-old classical music series, it was a daytime family-friendly event--including lots of 'monsters' and guest appearances.

This time around, the National Orchestra of Wales gets its proper chance to play the Doctor Who incidental music in concert. It's only fair, since it lovingly records those cues for the show's broadcast series. And there are two shows (planned to have the same content)--Saturday evening July 24, and Sunday morning/noon July 25.

These Doctor Who Proms will have the show's current stars Matt Smith and Karen Gillan as hosts, which never hurts the audience draw. Like the 2008 Prom, there will be a mix of music; about 2/3 Murray Gold's music for the show, and 1/3 works of other composers... deemed compatible with fantastic/intergalactic themes.

The Big Caveat: No, you can't get tickets now. Both shows sold out instantly. (Well, in a tense hour or so of online queueing; same difference.) Sorry. As regular "prommers" know, there are a few standing-room-only tickets on the day. But not a lot.