The next Doctor Who watch-along happens tonight (26th May 2020) and features a controversial Series 7 episode which I personally think is one of the most beautiful in the show’s history: The Rings of Akhaten!
Composer, Murray Gold, will be tweeting along, as will director, Farren Blackburn, and Kate Walsh, the Head of special effects department, Millennium FX. This is the first watch-along that all three of these individuals have taken part in, so it should be especially interesting to learn more about the behind-the-scenes goings-on.
This Eleventh Doctor serial, written by Hide scribe, Neil Cross (Luther), was the second to star Clara Oswald, played by Jenna (then-Louise) Coleman, so was the companion’s first proper trip in the TARDIS (bar some contemporary jaunts in The Bells of St. John). It saw the pair visit the Festival of Offerings at the titular Rings of Akhaten – just in time for the Old God, a giant burning planet that feeds off the psychic energy of others, to wake up.
The serial features a very prominent score, with music playing a key part in the narrative, so Gold’s tweets should certainly be enlightening.
Cross acknowledged the mixed reception the story garnered in an interview with Doctor Who Magazine in 2013, but then recalled hearing from fans who gained solace from The Rings of Akhaten – including one girl who changed her mind about committing suicide after watching it.
I find it a heart-warming and uplifting episode, so it’s an absolute joy to see the next tweet-along will focus on it.
This watch-along will also see the release of the Lockdown Long Song cover, by composer, Borna Matosic, plus fans around the world, in an effort to make the biggest Doctor Who cover ever.
Take part tonight (Tuesday 26th May) at 8pm (BST), using the hashtag #FestivalOfOfferings.
