Embargoeduntil3October2012

MEDIARELEASE

TARDISTOURISM: WhosbeingluredtotheWhitsundays?
Killer kangaroos, cyber-crocodiles and drop-bears could join forces with the Daleks if a campaign to film an episode of Doctor Who in Australia is successful. Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, launched the campaign with a letter to the producers of the long-running science fiction television series, asking them to film a 50th anniversary special in Bowen and the Whitsundays (Queensland, Australia). The 50th anniversary of Doctor Whos first broadcast on Australian television will be marked on 12 January, 2015, the federal politician and avid Doctor Who fan said. Doctor Who has almost become as much of an institution in Australia as it has in Britain and the series is synonymous with our public broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). In fact, in 1983, the ABC co-produced Doctor Whos 20th anniversary special The Five Doctors in conjunction with the BBC. The current actor playing the role of the 11th Doctor Who, Matt Smith, said in an ABC interview this year that Doctor Who could shoot an episode in Australia with a story set in the outback. Id love to do an episode in Australia, he said. I think theres a very interesting relationship for Doctor Who in Australia. . . We are very pleased to have a following in Australia and it seems like there is a real following for Doctor Who out there and there has been for many years. Mr Christensen pointed out in his letter to the producers a list of Antipodean connections with Doctor Who, including: The very first Doctor Who story, An Unearthly Child, was written by an Aussie, Anthony Coburn; Ron Grainer, the brilliant mind behind the signature Doctor Who theme, was an Aussie; The Fifth Doctors companion, Tegan Jovanka was an Aussie (as was the actress Janet Fielding who portrayed her); Actress Katy Manning, who played the Third Doctors companion Jo Grant, is now a naturalised Aussie; and

Aussie pop star Kylie Minogue played Astrid alongside the Tenth Doctor in the 2007 Christmas Special Voyage of the Damned.

Mr Christensen represents an area that covers 400 kilometres of Queensland coastline, including a world class tourist destination the Whitsundays, which takes in resort islands such as Hayman, Hamilton, Daydream, Long, and Lindeman, as well as the mainland Airlie Beach and, at the top of the Whitsundays, Bowen. Both Bowen and the Whitsundays have seen some pretty tough times in terms of the slump in tourism and this campaign would be an immediate boost now and into the future, he said. We hope to generate immediate publicity for the region through this campaign, increased business for the region during production, and long-lasting awareness through broadcasting. Bowen, the small town at the northern end of the Whitsundays was the location for Baz Luhrmans 2008 film Australia, which starred Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. The 2008 Andy Tennant movie, Fools Gold, starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson, was filmed in and around Whitsunday Island. We have the runs on the board in this region because we have a lot to offer a production company, Mr Christensen said. It is a stunning location to film, a fantastic place to stay for the cast and crew, and the locals are welcoming and helpful - there will be plenty of support and encouragement. Mr Christensen said he would do whatever he could to entice the producers to the Whitsundays and hoped Doctor Who fans would demonstrate their support for an Australian-made anniversary special. Regions like the Bowen and the Whitsundays rely heavily on tourism and need innovative new ways to showcase what they have to offer to the world, he said. Every time someone talks about this campaign, signs the petition, or writes a comment on our Facebook page, it is another little boost to a region that many Australians love. And, if the campaign to bring Doctor Who to Australia is successful, given that the show is one of the most watched in the UK, there will be continued tourism benefits for Bowen and the Whitsundays, Queensland and Australia. Mr Christensen called on Doctor Who fans and others who want to support the campaign to show their support by downloading and filling out a petition from the www.doctorwhodownunder.com.au website. If you want to see the Tardis materialise on Australian soil, this could be your chance, he said. Mr Christensen said he would be actively lobbying the ABC and both the Queensland government and the federal government for financial support, particularly through Screen Queensland and the Film Finance Corporation, to lure Doctor Whos producers down under. Doctor Who is a long-running British science fiction television serial. The main character, a Time Lord known as the Doctor travels through time and space in his Tardis, battling evil foes such as the Daleks and Cybermen.