The BBC wants you to help decide which figure from history the Doctor should meet next.

Over the years the Doctor has met some of the most influential figures in the history of the planet Earth. He has travelled with Marco Polo, flirted with Madame de Pompadour, had his tooth extracted by Doc Holiday and played Hide and Seek with the Emperor Nero. He has met the authors HG Wells, Agatha Christie and Charles Dickens, and even helped William Shakespeare with some of his ideas. He has debated with Winston Churchill, helped out Richard Nixon and rescued Queen Victoria from a werewolf.

Recently the BBC Website asked which real person the Doctor should meet next and Doctor Who's Executive Producer Caroline Skinner was so delighted with the response and imagination in the replies that she decided to commission a Doctor Who writer to write a short story based on the best suggestion.

The story will appear on the BBC website where suggestions for the character involved can still be made.

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Last week saw the final scenes recorded on location for the characters Amy and Rory, aka Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill - the latter who comes 'full circle' as the location at St. Cadoc's Hospital in Caerleon was where he filmed his first day on location back in 2009!

Their last scenes to be filmed come from the penultimate episode for the Ponds, the fourth of the next series. Their departure on screen will be in the following episode, the fifth, which was recorded last month. After the final shots were completed Karen Gillan tweeted "And that's a wrap! Bye bye from the ponds. We love you."

The final scenes were observed by several of the production team past and present, including lead writer Steven Moffat and former executive producers Piers Wenger and Beth Willis, with a party taking place afterwards to celebrate.

Another 'closure' took place on Friday, with the final day's production at Upper Boat. The studios, located in Pontypridd just outside Cardiff, have been home to Doctor Who since the third series and have also been the base for Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. The complex was the first BBC studio centre totally dedicated to drama, and was set up in the wake of the success of Doctor Who following the series' revival in 2005. Production will now continue in full at the new purpose-built studios at Roath Lock in Cardiff Bay.

Photos: BBC Doctor Who / Facebook, 11th May 2012

With Karen and Arthur's final scenes recorded, the "handover" to new girl Jenna-Louise Coleman will begin filming shortly, though as with previous introductions her first story to be recorded may not be her first story on screen!

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Doctor Who has returned to Finland, with all episodes from the first appearance of the Ninth Doctor in Rose through to the 2011 Christmas Special, The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe, scheduled for transmission.

The revived series was first shown in 2005 but was not successful despite acquiring a dedicated fan base in the country, and the show was dropped from the schedules after The Christmas Invasion.

The series is now being shown with Finnish subtitles on the YLE TV2 channel, airing at 8pm on weekday evenings. Following transmission, each episode will be available online, but only inside Finland.

(with thanks to Jouni Lahtinen )

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The Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff is to open its doors to the public on Friday 20th July, it was announced today. Tickets for the attraction will go on sale at 10am on Thursday 14th June.

Originally based at the Olympia Two exhibition, conference, and event centre in West Kensington, London, it has been moved next to the Roath Lock drama studios at Porth Teigr, where Doctor Who is now made. With the construction having finished, internal fitting can now take place, moving in props, sets, and memorabilia from the show.

Items going on display for the first time in Cardiff will include the Doctor's cradle from A Good Man Goes to War, the Silence spaceship, and the Doctor's sonic cane from Let's Kill Hitler. Many more items are being kept under wraps until the attraction opens.

Philip Murphy, the managing director of BBC Worldwide Live Events, said:

The Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff is going to be just minutes away from where the BBC Wales television series is made, which I'm incredibly excited about. The Experience sets out to engage visitors' imaginations from the outset, immersing them in the world of Doctor Who, and what better place to do this than in Cardiff, the home of the show?

The interactive exhibition ran for a year in London, closing in February this year. It was originally planned to open in Cardiff this spring, but that date got pushed back and instead the Official Doctor Who Convention was held in the Millennium Centre. The Cardiff "incarnation" of the Experience, which is in a 3,000 sq m building, is scheduled to be in situ for five years.

The attraction covers the entire history of the series, with exhibits changing as new episodes are shown, and Paula Al-Lach, BBC Worldwide's head of exhibitions and events, said:

I'm thrilled to be formally accepting the keys to the building . . . and can't wait to start moving in. We've worked hard to create an outstanding visitor attraction with the Doctor Who Experience. It's the first-ever interactive Doctor Who exhibition and for our Cardiff opening we have some exciting new exhibits to be displayed in public for the very first time.

Ken Poole, Cardiff council's head of economic development, said:

Doctor Who is a global brand and is something that has really helped boost the profile of Cardiff internationally. This attraction will bring millions of pounds into the economy and the benefits to Cardiff will be immense in terms of tourism.

Up to a quarter of a million people are expected to pass through its doors every year.

 

[BBC News and BBC Media Centre, 14 May 2012]

Related Articles: Experience Opens In London (21 Feb 2011); Experience To Stay Until February 2012 (7 Oct 2011); Five Years In Cardiff (14 Mar 2012)

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The third in our occasional series marking the 50th anniversary of events leading to the creation of a true TV legend.
 
The initial seed had been sown with the suggestion by Eric Maschwitz, Assistant and Adviser to the Controller of Programmes, that the literary merits of science fiction be looked into for short, single adaptations.

BBC Head of Script Department Donald Wilson, who had set up a Survey Group to keep an eye on other media and to look for ideas that the department could develop for television, gave this task to drama script editors Donald Bull and Alice Frick. They reported back that there was just a small number of suitable works and writers but were unable to recommend any particular stories.

Bull and Frick also stated that any adaptations should be written by TV dramatists and not SF writers. One copy of the report was sent to Wilson, to be duplicated and circulated with the next minutes for the Survey Group, and another was sent to Maschwitz.

On 14th May 1962 - exactly 50 years ago today - a memo was sent to Maschwitz by Donald Baverstock, the Assistant Controller of Programmes for BBC TV, thanking him for the Survey Group report, which he had seen. Baverstock wrote:

You describe it as interesting and intelligent. I would go further and say that it seems to me exactly the kind of hard thinking over a whole vein of dramatic material that is most useful to us.

I gather that Donald Bull and Alice Frick were responsible for it and I hope HSDTel will thank them.

"HSDTel" stood for "Head of Script Department, Television", ie, Donald Wilson. The next day - 15th May 1962 - Maschwitz sent Baverstock's memo to Wilson, including with it a hand-written note expressing his own "admiring thanks".

Just days later, Frick and her colleague John Braybon, pictured right, were tasked with putting together another report specifying sci-fi stories that would suit being adapted for television. This follow-up would be presented to Wilson on 25th July 1962.

Earlier in the month, on 1st May 1962, Bull had sent a letter to SF author John Christopher's agent, Jean LeRoy, to express his gratitude for the stories by Christopher that she had sent him. He said there were "considerable immediate opportunities . . . for using John Christopher's specialised knowledge and talent in conjunction with our future schemes, possibly in collaboration with a skilled TV dramatist" but he also stated that TV audiences were generally unready yet for "the more fanciful flights of SF" as displayed in such stories as Christopher's Christmas Roses.

In the meantime, rival channel ITV was preparing to broadcast the sci-fi anthology series Out of this World - the first of its kind on British TV and a programme greenlit by ABC drama supervisor and sci-fi fan Sydney Newman, who was working out his notice at the commercial network before joining the BBC as its Head of Drama later in the year. This 13-part series would start airing on 30th June 1962.

Related Articles: Part I (27 Mar 2012); Part II (25 Apr 2012)

SOURCES: The Handbook (Howe, Walker, Stammers; 2005)

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Actress Katy Manning is seeking sponsors for a 10-kilometre charity walk in London later this month.

She will be part of the Gay Times team aiming to raise cash for the Terrence Higgins Trust to support people living with HIV in poverty.

Walk For Life takes place on Sunday 20th May, starting and ending at Potters Field Park in Tooley Street. The theme is Kings and Queens and the route will take in some of the capital's most iconic and regal landmarks. The walkers will be checking in at the park from 9.30am, heading off at 11am, and arriving back about 2pm.

It is not the first time the actress - who played companion Jo Grant from 1971 to 1973 and was a guest star as the married Jo Jones in spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures in 2010 - has lent her support this way. In June 2010, she and the Gay Times team raised more than £1,100 on the Crusaid Walk For Life.

Her sponsorship page for this year's walk can be found here.

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The two recovered Doctor Who episodes Galaxy 4 - Air Lock and The Underwater Menace episode 2 were shown to an appreciative audience in Cardiff on Wednesday evening.

Both episodes were recovered from a collector last year and their existence was revealed at a screening at the BFI in London last December. The episode of The Underwater Menace was shown in full at the Missing Believed Wiped event but only an excerpt of about 10 minutes from Galaxy 4 was played, making the Cardiff screening the first time the whole episode had been seen in the UK since its initial transmission in September 1965.

The event was attended by Peter Purves, who played Steven in Galaxy 4, along with Anneke Wills and Frazer Hines, who played Polly and Jamie in The Underwater Menace. Following the screening, all three joined current show-runner Steven Moffat to answer questions about their time on the programme.

The panel was hosted by Gary Russell, and the event was attended by many other luminaries from the Doctor Who world, including some of the Restoration Team, who were greeted with much applause.

There is no news as to when the episodes will be released on DVD, although the BBC has said it is considering releasing them on iTunes.

Related Articles: Two Doctor Who episodes recovered (11 Dec 2011)

With thanks to Greg James

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By John Bowman and Chuck Foster

United Kingdom:

Nick Briggs, Simon Guerrier, Peter Anghelides, and J T Colgan will be lending their authorial talents to Doctor Who creative writing workshops at this year's Winchester Festival. Aimed at youngsters, the workshops will be held at the city's Discovery Centre on Saturday 7th July from 9.30am to 4pm.

Daleks invaded Yeovil as part of the 10th-anniversary celebrations for Yeo Leisure Park. As well as full-size Daleks on show, the charity event also included remote-control Dalek racing. In addition, visitors could see a Cyberman, Scarecrow, Sontaran, K-9, and a TARDIS. [This Is Somerset and The Mary Sue, 19 Apr 2012]

A Dalek had to be manhandled by four people over a roof to get it into a house in Shrewsbury. It was bought by fan Andrew Morris from a children's hospice in Barry Island but when it arrived it proved too big to get through the front door so an alternative entrance had to be figured out – needing extra manpower and some levitation! [Shropshire Star, 25 Apr 2012]

A group of pupils in Guildford who entered the Script To Screen competition may not have won the contest but Steven Moffat was so impressed by their work that he decided to send them goodie bags of Doctor Who items anyway. The entry by the trio from Holy Trinity Pewley Down made it to the final ten. All scripts had to have an Olympic theme, and the one from Holy Trinity Pewley Down saw the Doctor, Amy, and Rory on an alien planet resembling ancient Greece but where the statues turned out to be Weeping Angels. The overall winning school is yet to be named. [Get Surrey, 26 Apr 2012]

The newly-opened Wales Coastal Path gives people the chance to see famous filming locations along its 870 miles, including Portmeirion, which was used for The Masque of Mandragora, and a number of south Wales settings for the revived series. The BBC has uploaded a slideshow of various locations along the route.

Clothes and personal belongings donated by John Barrowman to the Dogs Trust have raised more than £200. We reported in March on the gift to the charity following a spring-clean by the actor, and when the items went on sale at its Cowbridge branch they attracted huge interest, with one fan even travelling some 180 miles from Nottingham to spend £600. [Barry and District News, 18 Apr 2012]

Genuine police boxes have gone on sale in Edinburgh. A total of 22 of the two-tonne constructions are available and no price has been set on them, with offers being accepted until midday on Thursday 31st May. A sales fee of £100 will, however, apply to each box. Designed by Ebenezer MacRae in the 1930s, they differ in appearance to the TARDIS ones, which were designed by Gilbert MacKenzie Trench for the Metropolitan Police in 1929. Buyers will have to remove them or get planning permission and change their colour if they want them to stay in situ. [BBC News, 30 Apr 2012]

CBS TV host Craig Ferguson has taken his Late Late Show to his native country of Scotland. A week of programmes, which see Ferguson exploring Edinburgh, his birth city of Glasgow, and his home town of Cumbernauld, were recorded in March - pictured right - and will start airing on Monday 14th May. [Associated Press via Yahoo! News, 16 Apr 2012]

The Big Lit Day book festival in Gatehouse of Fleet on Saturday 26th May will see Annette Badland make a special guest appearance. She will be giving a reading from The World's Wife, a collection of poems by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy that imagine wives' perspectives of famous men. The event is part of the Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival. [Dumfries & Galloway Standard, 27 Apr 2012]

USA :

A Dalek popped up on the roof of MIT's Stata Center, housing the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The appearance follows in the footsteps of the TARDIS a couple of years ago! [Lezgetreal, The Daily What, 28 Apr 2012]

In March we told of an appeal made by Tashi King for a TARDIS urn for the ashes of her terminally-ill husband, Kevin Pratt, when he dies. They have now received just such an urn and have uploaded a video thank-you message. (NB: The video contains Battlestar Galactica-style expletives and one other expletive.) [washandtashiblogspot, 24 Apr 2012]

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The 2012 MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival takes place from 23rd to 25th August, and will include an exclusive screening of the premier episode of the seventh full series of modern Doctor Who for delegates at the event.

The festival will also include a masterclass on the BBC1 series Sherlock, with appearances from Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss and producer Sue Vertue.

As part of the weekend, the festival also holds a Channel of the Year award ceremony, and this year the nominations include Richard Senior in the Producer or Director Debut of the Year category for his work on Let's Kill Hitler (which premiered at last year's festival). He'll be up against Grace Reynolds for Educating Essex and Dan Albion for Dynamo: Magician Impossible. Voting is open to festival delegates, and takes place on 24th August.

You can keep up to date with the festival via the official website and blog.

Newslink: Guardian (9 May 2012)

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By Chuck Foster and John Bowman

Phil Davis talks about what roles interest him the most: "I like films and plays that are about real life, I'm not interested in superheroes or things going to the moon and all that. What I like is films about real people, dealing with real problems and what it's like to be alive in London in 2012 – well, not just in London, in this country. Those are the things that interest me, things that are genuine." [Independent, 29 Apr 2012]

Frances Barber found herself involved in a hostage situation in Tottenham Court Road, with the actress reporting: "am in middle of hostage sitch in Tott. ct. Road. Can't get out. We are all hostage inside.« Tott ct rd deserted. All shops, cafes, etc evacuated.police everywhere.we are not allowed out. «" Later, she said: "For what it's worth I think the Police were ace today in Tottenham Court Rd. They had it sorted they get a rough time. But I only saw good. «" (Footnote: A man has been charged with various offences and remanded in custody following the incident. [BBC News, 30 Apr 2012])

Georgia Moffett is listed as "one to watch" by The Independent. [Independent, 28 Apr 2012]

Former co-executive producer Piers Wenger has been made head of drama at Channel 4. He became a Film4 senior commissioning executive after leaving Doctor Who and said of his impending move to Channel 4: "It's a hugely exciting time to be taking on this role and I can't wait to start work . . . on developing a new generation of drama for Channel 4. I'm also greatly indebted to Tessa Ross and all at Film4 for the expertise they have shared in the last six months and it's a dream come true to be able to continue those relationships into my new role." [Radio Times, 1 May 2012]

Bernard Cribbins has given an interview to The Guardian in which he talks about his novelty records of the 1960s. [The Guardian, 2 May 2012]

Outgoing Doctor Who co-star Karen Gillan is Scotland's "sexiest woman" in a poll by FHM Magazine, which ranks her in 36th place overall (six places up from last year). Meanwhile, incoming co-star Jenna-Louise Coleman has entered the chart for the first time at number 91. [STV, Easier, 2 May 2012]

John Barrowman talks about his confidence: "I'm a good actor! [Laughs] No, I'm passionate about what I do, I'm very opinionated, I'm very driven, I have an ambition -- I have a healthy ambition. I'm not rude to people, I know what I want, I'm generous -- these are things I'm saying I feel I am that I've also been told I am. I don't want it to sound in any way egotistical. But there's a fine line between ego and confidence. When confidence becomes ego and egotistical, you can tell it right away. I've always said to people around me if ever that verge goes across, smack me." [Comic Book Resources, 3 May 2012]

Orbital's Paul Hartnoll has been talking about Matt Smith's guest appearance during their set at Glastonbury in 2010. It all started with a chance encounter at a party following the Coachella festival that year . . . "I was approaching the fridge to go and get a beer, and I thought 'That bloke in front of me looks like Doctor Who'. I tapped him, and I said, 'Excuse me, are you Doctor Who?'. He just turned round to me with the biggest grin and said, 'Well actually, yes I am'. We just had a beer together and a chat and he said 'Oh, I'd love to come on stage and introduce you one time'. Our lighting guy who was with us said, 'Why don't you come on at Glastonbury?' He sort of flipped out and said, 'Oh my god, I've never been to Glastonbury, that'd be brilliant'. So we just kept in touch. He said if you can get me and five friends into Glastonbury, I'll do it, so we did. He had a great time. That was brilliant. He was absolutely peaking." [Digital Spy, 30 Apr 2012]

James Bond director Sam Mendes likens the movie franchise's longevity with Doctor Who: "That's why I mentioned the word in the press conference, 'regeneration' rather than 'evolving', because I feel it is like, you know, we have Doctor Who ... there's a geek answer ... and I was brought up on the idea of Doctor Who, who at the end of his final episode, he dissolves and a new actor pops up and he regenerates and it's a whole other character: sometimes it's an old man, sometimes it's a young man, but he just changes. I've always loved that idea." [Collider, 1 May 2012]

David Tennant has been reported as being in talks with director Justin Lin over a role in Fast 6. [Latino Review, 3 May 2012]

In Memoriam:

The visual effects designer Peter Wragg has died following a short illness. His work on Doctor Who spanned from The Visitation to Mindwarp (the latter story being part of the Trial of a Time Lord season). As well as working on Doctor Who, he also lent his name to cult TV shows such as Red Dwarf, Thunderbirds, Joe 90, UFO, and Captain Scarlet, as well as the comedy series 'Allo, 'Allo and the harrowing documentary-style drama Threads. [reddwarf.co.uk, 20 Apr 2012]

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BBC Worldwide have released details about the forthcoming stories on DVD due out over the summer:

The Krotons
Release date: 2nd July 2012 (brought forward from 9th July) (available for pre-order)

Starring Patrick Troughton as Doctor Who, with Frazer Hines as Jamie and Wendy Padbury as Zoe
Written by Robert Holmes
Directed by David Maloney

Broadcast: 28 Dec 1968 - 18 Jan 1969

When the TARDIS arrives on the planet of the Gonds, the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe discover a world ruled and enslaved by the Krotons. The brightest Gonds are always chosen to serve as companions of the Krotons and are never seen again.

The Doctor and his companions decide to put a stop to their rule – but in doing so inadvertently unleash the true power and terror of the Krotons instead . . .

 

Special Features

• Commentary with cast members Philip Madoc (Eelek), Gilbert Wynne (Thara), Richard Ireson (Axus), production team Bobi Bartlett (costumes), Sylvia James (make-up), David Tilley (assistant floor manager), and Brian Hodgson (special sound), plus moderation by Toby Hadoke
• Second Time Around, a retrospective on the Troughton era, with contributions from Anneke Wills, Deborah Watling, Wendy Padbury, Frazer Hines, Derrick Sherwin, Terrance Dicks, Victor Pemberton, Christopher Barry, Robert Shearman and Gary Russell
• Doctor Who Stories - Frazer Hines, part one of an in-depth interview with the actor
• The Doctor's Strange Love, a look back at the story with writers Joseph Lidster and Simon Guerrier
• Radio Times Listings (DVD-ROM)
• Programme Subtitles
• Production Information Subtitles
• Photo Gallery
• Coming Soon Trailer

The Greatest Show In The Galaxy
Release date: 30th July 2012 (available for pre-order)

Starring Sylvester McCoy as The Doctor, with Sophie Aldred as Ace
Written by Stephen Wyatt
Directed by Alan Wareing

Broadcast: 14 Dec 1988 - 4 Jan 1989

Although Ace hates clowns, the Doctor decides to take his companion to the Psychic Circus on the planet Segonax. There they find a group of scared performers who live in fear of the sinister and creepy Chief Clown.

But what is so dangerous about this particular circus, why is there such a small audience and will Ace be able to overcome her fear before it's too late?

 

Special Features

• Commentary by cast members Sophie Aldred (Ace), Jessica Martin (Mags), Christopher Guard (Bellboy), with production input from Stephen Wyatt (writer), Andrew Cartmel (script editor) and Mark Ayres (composer); moderated by Toby Hadoke
• The Show Must Go On, a feature on the production of the story, which includes contributions from Aldred, Cartmel, Ian Reddington (Chief Clown), Mike Tucker (visual effects), David Laskey (designer), Alan Wareing (director), and the late producer John Nathan-Turner
• Deleted and Extended scenes
• The Psychic Circus (music video)
• music demos for Remembrance of the Daleks by Mark Ayres
• Tomorrow's Times, with Anneke Wills presenting media coverage of the Seventh Doctor
• sketch from Victoria Wood - As Seen on TV (originally released with The Curse of Fatal Death on VHS)
• Radio Times Listings (DVD-ROM)
• Programme Subtitles
• Production Information Subtitles
• Photo Gallery
• Coming Soon Trailer

Planet of Giants
Release date: 20th August 2012 (available for pre-order)

Starring William Hartnell as Doctor Who, with William Russell as Ian, Jacqueline Hill as Barbara, and Carole Ann Ford as Susan
Written by Louis Marks
Directed by Douglas Camfield and Mervyn Pinfield

Broadcast: 31 Oct - 14 Nov 1964

The TARDIS doors open by accident while the ship is still in flight. Although they have arrived back on Earth in the 1960s, a time they have been trying to return to since they all met, the travellers soon realise that something is very wrong.

The Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan discover that they have all been reduced in size and the world they are now exploring has dangers at every turn . . .

 

Special Features

• Commentary by Clive Doig (vision mixer), Brian Hodgson (special sound), Sonia Markham (make-up), and David Tilley (floor assistant); moderated by Mark Ayres
• Originally a four-part story, producer Verity Lambert decided the storyline was too drawn out so re-edited the final two episodes into one. For this DVD release, those two episodes have been recreated, based on the original scripts and featuring newly recorded dialogue and animation!
• Rediscovering The Urge To Live, a feature on the recreation of episodes three and four, including contributions from William Russell (Ian), Carole Ann Ford (Susan), John Guilor, Toby Hadoke, Ian Levine (reconstruction director) and Ed Stradling (DVD producer)
• Doctor Who Stories - Suddenly Susan, with Carole Ann Ford discussing her role as the Doctor's granddaughter
• The Verity Lambert Tapes, the second part of Verity Lambert's look back on being the first producer of the series
• Prop Design Plans (DVD-ROM)
• Radio Times Listings (DVD-ROM)
• Programme Subtitles
• Production Information Subtitles
• Photo Gallery
• Coming Soon Trailer

10th September: Vengeance on Varos - Special Edition:

The new edition of Doctor Who Magazine has revealed details of the special features on the re-release of Vengeance on Varos, starring Colin Baker as the Doctor with Nicola Bryant as Peri. Originally released on DVD in 2001, this special edition features additional material to complement the earlier version:

• 5.1 mix of the soundtrack
• mono audio track featuring raw studio sound during the recording of the episode
• isolated music score, both original and 5.1 mix
• Nice Or Nasty, a feature on the production of the story, which includes contributions from Nabil Shaban (Sil), Sheila Reid (Etta), Philip Martin (writer), Eric Saward (script editor), and Jonathan Gibbs (composer)
• The Idiot's Lantern, on how Doctor Who has used television
• Tomorrow's Times, with Sarah Sutton presenting media coverage of the Sixth Doctor
• excerpt from Saturday Superstore
• French and Saunders, unused sketch filmed on The Trial Of a Time Lord trial set (originally released with The Curse of Fatal Death on VHS)
• BBC News reporting on the casting of Colin Baker
• Breakfast Time, with Frank Bough interviewing Colin Baker
• The "acid bath" scene from episode two with alternative music

Future History ...

The number of unreleased adventures is diminishing rapidly, with three of the above stories drawing eras to a close - at least for complete serials; here are the remaining adventures of the Doctor to be seen on DVD:

• The First Doctor: The Reign Of Terror - to be released with animated episodes 4+5, currently expected for release in late 2012
• The First Doctor: Galaxy 4: Air Lock - recently recovered episode alongside The Underwater Menace to feature on a forthcoming release. Dan Hall told DWM: "There's one release that hasn't been announced yet which will provide a home for one of them. And there's a potential release that will provide a home for the other one as well. People aren't going to see them out on DVD in 2012, though. But they are on our schedule."
• The First Doctor: The Tenth Planet - missing episode four, current release status unannounced
• The Second Doctor: The Underwater Menace: Episode 2 - see Galaxy 4 above
• The Second Doctor: The Ice Warriors - missing episodes 2+3, current release status unannounced. Michael Troughton reported at GallifreyOne in February that he had recorded a commentary on the life of his father for the story
• The Third Doctor: The Ambassadors of Death - originally to be released with The Sunmakers, but delayed due to colour recovery issues for episodes 2-7. Current release status unannounced
• The Third Doctor: The Mind of Evil - originally mooted to be released with Terror of the Autons, but dropped due to colour recovery issues for episodes 1-6. In February Steve Roberts reported to Radio Free Skaro that episode one (which does not have a print containing the chromadot information used for the colour recovery process) will be colourised by Babelcolour, using motion-estimation techniques to aid the process
• The Fourth Doctor: Terror of the Zygons, currently expected for release in 2013
• The Fourth Doctor: Shada - existing footage to form part of the provisionally entitled Legacy Boxed Set alongside documentary More Than Thirty Years In The TARDIS

For other "missing" stories, the existing isolated episodes from the Hartnell and Troughton years were released in the Lost In Time boxed set back in 2004.

DVD range producer Dan Hall has also indicated that further special edition DVDs are possible in the future.

Related Articles: The Krotons (2 May 2012); Shada (26 Oct 2011)

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France 4 is to celebrate the arrival of Series 6 to the channel with with a Doctor Who Night to be held on Saturday 19th May.

As well as the first four episodes of the series, The Impossible Astronaut, Day Of The Moon, The Curse of The Black Spot and The Doctor's Wife, the channel will be showing some episodes from the classic series, the Tom Baker stories Genesis of The Daleks and City of Death and the William Hartnell story Edge of Destruction.

Alain Carrazé and Romain Nigita will present a series of reports looking at the Doctor Who phenomenon, investigating the origins of the series, profiling the Doctors and Companions and looking to see what the future holds for the Timelord.

Interviewed during the night will be Russell T Davies, Steven Moffat, Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper, John Barrowman, Freema Agyeman, Derek Jacobi and Tom Spilsbury as well as fans like François Descraques or Davy Mourier.

A visit to the Doctor Who Experience in London is also included.

The Doctor Who Night is produced by 8 Art Media and filmed partly at the Palais de la Découverte in Paris, and will be presented by Louise Ekland. A full episode listing can be found on This Week in Doctor Who.

(Thanks to Samy Kacimi of TARDIB)

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The new issue of Doctor Who Magazine is published on Thursday, and Steven Moffat talks in depth about his version of Doctor Who in an exclusive eight-page interview.

Talking about Episode One of the new series, he said:

We’re going to have the most Daleks we’ve had on screen ever – but they will be from every era, quite deliberately. We’re calling them in from everywhere! All of them! Even the Special Weapons Dalek. They'll all be there...

Also this issue:

• Conquer and Destroy! The Daleks are the most feared race of creatures in the entire universe and will stop at nothing to achieve their goal of total intergalactic domination. And they've concocted more than a few audacious schemes to achieve this aim – not all of which, it has to be said, have been entirely successful. Jonathan Morris unearths the Daleks' own assessment of their successes and failures.
• I Am Not The Moff You Are Looking For! Doctor Who's commander-in-chief, Steven Moffat, writes exclusively for DWM in Production Notes! Find out what the Moff thinks of his nickname, how he's getting along (or not) with the script for the Christmas Special and what he had for lunch in New York!
• Farewell to Philip: Philip Madoc, who played four notable roles in Doctor Who in the 60s and 70s – including the War Lord in The War Games and Doctor Mehendri Solon in The Brain of Morbius – passed away in March of this year, at the age of 77. Marcus Hearn takes a look back at the actor's distinguished career and at his contribution to Doctor Who.
• End Of An Era: Countdown to 50 continues its season-by-season analysis of Doctor Who, and the mood is sombre as we reach 1980/81 with Series 18 and bid farewell to Romana, K9 and, of course, Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor as he takes his fateful fall from the Pharos Project radio telescope.
• Lost in Translation: Shopping can be dangerous to your health as Amy and Rory have found out when the Monos menace strikes London. Meanwhile, as the capital's inhabitants succumb to Monos mania, the Doctor and his new friend Bill discover the source of the trouble. Monos! Monos! Monos! It's the second instalment of Sticks & Stones, written by Scott Gray with art by Martin Geraghty.
• Chemical Reaction! The Third Doctor, Jo Grant and UNIT become involved in a green movement – in more ways than one – in a Welsh mining village. Giant maggots, toxic chemical waste, an insane super computer, a rather tasty fungus, and angry Welshmen – 1973's The Green Death takes its turn under the microscope in The Fact Of Fiction.
• All By Myself? Johnny Candon and Toby Hadoke cross swords once again in their latest Battle Of Wits! This issue, the hot topic for debate has been inspired by the imminent departure of companions Amy and Rory: should the Doctor travel with a regular companion or is he better off alone?
• A Silver Side-Step: The Time Team has been upgraded to four pages this month as Chris, Emma, Will and Michael sit down to watch the Tenth Doctor, Rose and Mickey's battle with the Cybermen on a parallel Earth in the two-part story Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel
• Out Of Stock: A History of Doctor Who in 100 Objects reaches number 18 and finds The Watcher mourning the last use of film for a live action sequence in Doctor Who in The Serving Hatch of Rassilon. Plus the latest Top Ten Pop Acts, the challenge of The Six Faces of Delusion, the oh-so painful Stockbridge English Dictionary, the hapless Supporting Artist of the Month – all crammed onto one fabulous single page, it's Wotcha!

PLUS! All the latest official news, TV and merchandise reviews, previews, competitions, a prize-winning crossword, and more.


In celebration of the Daleks' return, this issue has a larger, folded cover featuring all of the Doctor's infamous enemies:

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The British Board of Film Classification have passed the special features that will appear on the forthcoming DVD release of the final complete Patrick Troughton adventure, The Krotons:

00:52:20:21 SECOND TIME AROUND - THE TROUGHTON YEARS
00:17:25:02 DOCTOR WHO STORIES - FRAZER HINES (PT 1)
00:07:16:08 THE DOCTOR'S STRANGE LOVE: THE KROTONS
00:05:24:24 THE KROTONS - PHOTO GALLERY

The commentary for the episode was cleared by the BBFC on 5th April, and includes cast members Philip Madoc (Eelek), Gilbert Wynne (Thara), Richard Ireson (Axus), with production represented by Bobi Bartlett (costumes), Sylvia James (make-up), David Tilley (assisant floor manager), and Brian Hodgson (special sound), plus moderation by Toby Hadoke - you can also read about commentary production in an interview with Hadoke and producer John Kelly via SFX.

A clean version of the cover art by Lee Binding for the DVD has been published via the Tea-Lady Design Facebook page (where the artwork of many of the recent releases can also be viewed).


The DVD is expected to be released in the UK on 9th July and in North America on 10th July.

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Former Head of BBC One Michael Grade had been talking about Doctor Who, discussing the reasons for puting the show on hold in 1985 and the events leading up to the return of the series in 2005.

In the BBC Radio 2 show, On The Box, Grade tells the inside story of Britain's television industry as seen from his personal viewpoint. In this week's edition, Dishing the Dirt, he talks to key players involved in the decisions about the show, including Jonathan Powell, who was Controller of BBC One when the series was axed and Lorraine Heggessey who held that role when the series came back in 2005.

Heggessey tells of the difficulties bringing the show back, with the rights being held by BBC Worldwide, but how she was determined to succeeed. "I just remembered it as an iconic show" she said, "I wanted popular drama at the heart of Saturday night."

In the programme Grade talks about the dislike he felt for the series in 1985, which he felt was dated and past its prime. He remembers how he was awarded the Horse's Ass award by Doctor Who Fans in America, an award which he still has sitting in his loo.

Also in the programme Grade talks to former showrunner Russell T Davies, BBC executive Jane Tranter and former Executive Producer Mal Young, as well as current showrunner Steven Moffat who talks about the expectations for the show as it approaches the 50th Anniversary next year. "It is a concern to stamp the word 50 on a series because it should be brand new every few years. But its great as it does give you an excuse for a party and an excuse to take over television again."

The programme can he heard Worldwide on the BBC iPlayer for the next week.

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