Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 601Bookmark and Share

Thursday, 29 February 2024 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Magazine:  Issue 601 (Credit: Panini)

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 601 is released today

 

Inside the issue

  • Costume designer Pam Downe discusses dressing the stylish new Doctor, as well as how she created looks for the Toymaker and the Goblin army.

  • Script to screen: An in-depth look at how the Goblin army developed, from the original concept to the finished product – blending masks and animatronics with digital effects.

  • A tribute to Michael Jayston who played the Doctor’s evil alter-ego the Valeyard.

  • Louise Jameson is among the interviewees in a special preview of the Season 15 Blu-ray collection.

  • Abdoul Ceesay – director’s assistant on Doctor Who – talks to DWM about his role and future aspirations!

  • Get cooking! A deep dive into the part food has played in the series over the years, with some recipes you can try at home!

  • A look at how other TV shows have found their way into episodes of Doctor Who.

  • Letter from the Showrunner – Russell T Davies sings in praise of companions of yesteryear as he recalls a week making Tales of the TARDIS!

  • Time-Space Visualiser – learn how fandom went mad for the Sixth Doctor! Rightly so! 

  • The Fact of Fiction – we examine the closing episodes of 1973’s Planet of the Daleks.

  • The adventures of the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday continue in the comic strip!

PLUS!

  • Gallifrey Guardian – new cast and directors revealed and an update on the Christmas ratings.

  • Reviews – covering books, audio dramas and the Fugitive Doctor action figure!

  • Other Worlds – the essential guide to new stories in Doctor Who’s expanded universe.

  • Win Season 17 on Blu-ray, plus books and CDs!

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 601 is on sale Thursday 29 February  from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £7.99 (UK). 

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £6.99.

 




FILTER: - DWM

Pamela Salem 1944-2024Bookmark and Share

Friday, 23 February 2024 - Reported by Marcus
Pamela Salem (Credit: BBC)

The actress Pamela Salem has died at the age of 80.

Pamela Salem appeared in three Doctor Who stories. In 1977 she played Toos in the acclaimed Fourth Doctor story The Robots of Death. Her voice was used as one of the voices of Xoanon in the previous story, The Face of Evil.   She returned to the series in 1988 playing Rachel Jensen alongside the Seventh Doctor in Remembrance of the Daleks. She later reprised her role as Jensen in the Big Finish audio spin-off series Counter-Measures and 1963: The Assassination Games. 

Pamela Salem was born in Bombay, India, and educated at Heidelberg University in Germany and later at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England.

Film work included the role of Miss Moneypenny in the 1983 James Bond film Never Say Never Again, starring Sean Connery. 

Other television appearances included parts in EastEnders, where she played mafia affiliate Joanne Francis, and as the evil witch Belor in ITV's Into the Labyrinth.

Other television guest appearances have included roles in the third episode of  Blake's 7, The Onedin Line, The Professionals, Howards' Way, Ever Decreasing Circles, Tripods and All Creatures Great and Small

She later moved to the United States where she continued her career in series such as Magnum, P.I., Party of Five, ER and The West Wing where she played a British prime minister.

 





FILTER: - Obituary

Doctor Who: Chronicles 1971Bookmark and Share

Tuesday, 20 February 2024 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who: Chronicles 1971 (Credit: Panini)

The new 116-page bookazine from the makers of Doctor Who Magazine celebrates an unforgettable era in the show’s history.

 

The success of the first episodes starring Jon Pertwee saved the series from the threat of cancellation. A year later, the next phase of its reinvention introduced a new assistant for the Doctor and a debonair adversary to threaten him during his exile on Earth. The colourful formula for some of Doctor Who’s best-loved adventures was complete. 

This issue covers all the stories from 1971: Terror of the Autons, The Mind of Evil, The Claws of Axos, Colony in Space and The Dæmons. All-new content includes exclusive features, insightful commentary and rare behind-the-scenes images.

Contents include articles on:

  • The year’s most significant events in the Doctor Who universe (both on and off screen)

  • Stars Roger Delgado, Richard Franklin and Katy Manning

  • Writers Don Houghton, Bob Baker and Dave Martin

  • Doctor Who in the popular press

  • Special effects and production techniques

  • Classic Doctor Who comic strips and merchandise

  • … plus much more!

Doctor Who: Chronicles 1971 is on sale now, RRP £11.99 from panini.co.uk 

and selected branches of WH Smith while stocks last. 

It’s also available digitally from pocketmags.com priced £10.99.





FILTER: - DWM - Third Doctor

The Edge Of Destruction On Zoetrope Picture DiscBookmark and Share

Friday, 16 February 2024 - Reported by Marcus
 Doctor Who: The Edge Of Destruction (Credit: Demon Music Group)

To mark Record Store Day 2024, Demon Records are releasing the complete narrated TV soundtrack of the Doctor Who story ‘The Edge Of Destruction’.

This brand new audio presentation, making its debut in any format with this vinyl release, features unique linking narration by Carole Ann Ford.

There’s also a bonus interview with Ford herself, in which she recalls playing Susan, the Doctor’s granddaughter, in the original TV episodes.

The vinyl boasts a picture disc Side A, showing the Ship’s melting ormolu clock from a pivotal scene in the story, and an exclusive Zoetrope Side B, depicting the TARDIS swirling across space and time (best experienced using a smartphone running a third-party stroboscope app).

The 12” disc is presented in a stunning die-cut artwork outer sleeve.

Escaping from their previous adventure, the Doctor, Susan, Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and BarbaraWright (Jacqueline Hill) are inside the TARDIS when it appears to be taken over by an outside force.

2024 is the 60th anniversary of this two-episode story starring William Hartnell as the Doctor. First broadcast on the 8th & 15th February 1964

The disc will be released on 20 April 2024 on Record Store Day, the day when over 260 independent record shops all across the UK come together to celebrate their unique culture.





FILTER: - season 1 - First Doctor - Vinyl

Michael Jayston 1935 - 2024Bookmark and Share

Monday, 5 February 2024 - Reported by Marcus
Michael Jayston

The actor Michael Jayston has died at the age of 88.

Michael Jayston is best known to Doctor Who fans for playing the Valeyard in all fourteen episodes of the 23rd season The Trial of a Timelord. The script describes the character as an amalgamation of the Doctor's darker sides between his twelfth and final incarnations.

Jayston played the character opposite the Sixth Doctor as played by Colin Baker in the series that aired in the autumn of 1986. He later recreated the character in many Big Finish audios. 

Colin Baker today paid tribute to his old colleague

My dear dear friend, Michael Jayston has left us today. I am absolutely devastated. He was warm witty, clever naughty and a very fine actor & wonderful man. My thoughts and love go to his wife Ann and daughter Katie. Heartbroken Goodbye my friend

Michael Jayston was born in the town of West Bridgeford in the English Midlands. He trained as an accountant before switching careers and enrolling in the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

One of his best-known movie appearances was as Tzar Nicholas II in the film Nicholas and Alexander, the film that featured an unknown Tom Baker as the monk Rasputin, a role that helped Baker to win the role of The Doctor. 

He was a familiar face on television throughout the last 60 years. His first appearance was in 1962 in the series Suspence.  By 1970 he was taking leading roles playing Macbeth alongside Barbara Leigh-Hunt. He played Mr Rochester in the 1973 version of Jane Eyre and Peter Guillam in the acclaimed 1979 version of the spy novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

In 1975 he headed the cast of a detective series playing the title character Quiller. 

He has appeared in a number of long-running series including Coronation Street, EastEnders, Only Fools and Horses, The Bill, Heartbeat Casualty and Midsomer Murders. 

Michael Jayston's death was announced earlier today. A statement on behalf of his family said:

Michael Jayston sadly passed away this morning after a short illness.

Those who knew Michael will know he was full of love, laughs and happiness. He adored meeting his fans all over the world.

 





FILTER: - Obituary

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 600Bookmark and Share

Thursday, 1 February 2024 - Reported by Marcus

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 600 (Credit: Panini)Doctor Who Magazine marks its 600th issue this month with a celebratory issue which includes a 16-page supplement, an exclusive art card, a specially commissioned diorama featuring figures from the recent series and a four-hour-long Sixth Doctor audio drama for every reader.Doctor Who Magazine Issue 600 (Credit: Panini)

The Magazine, which started as Doctor Who Weekly in 1979, has been covering the ups and downs of Doctor Who for over 40 years, ever since the era of the fourth Doctor.

Inside this issue

  • Millie Gibson checks in with DWM following the debut of companion Ruby Sunday in The Church on Ruby Road.

  • UNIT regulars Jemma Redgrave (Kate Lethbridge-Stewart), Alexander Devrient (Colonel Ibrahim) and Ruth Madeley (Shirley Anne Bingham) face questions from the TARDIS Tin.

  • Production designer Phil Sims takes us on a guided tour of UNIT’s central London HQ!

  • We talk to DWM writers about their experiences interviewing the stars of Doctor Who for early issues of the magazine.

  • International Who! A special report on how the series has become a hit in Spain!

  • Meet Christina Rotondo – the singer who gave voice to Janis Goblin!

  • We pay tribute to Richard Franklin who died on Christmas day – and examine the impact he had as UNIT officer Captain Mike Yates.

  • We talk to production runner Thani Subkhi about his vital work on the upcoming series.

  • Letter from the Showrunner – Russell T Davies gives us an update on the progress being made on the next two series!

  • Time-Space Visualiser – discover the secret recipe for sky-high ratings!

  • The Fact of Fiction – we examine the opening episodes of 1973’s Planet of the Daleks.

  • The adventures of the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday continue in the comic strip!

PLUS!

  • Gallifrey Guardian – all the latest official news.

  • Reviews – covering books, audio dramas and games.

  • Other Worlds – the essential guide to new stories in Doctor Who’s expanded universe.

  • Win The Daleks in colour, Blu-ray box sets, books and audio dramas!

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 600 is on sale Thursday 1 February  from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £10.99 (UK). 

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £9.99.

 




FILTER: - DWM

DWM Special - The 2024 YearbookBookmark and Share

Thursday, 25 January 2024 - Reported by Marcus
DWM Special - The 2024 Yearbook (Credit: Panini)

The latest special from Doctor Who Magazine, the 2024 Yearbook is released today.

Included in the issue

  • A year in the life of the stars of Doctor Who.

  • A look back at the 2023 Specials.

  • The producer of Tales of the TARDIS discusses this nostalgic series.

  • A summary of various instalments of the Doom’s Day multi-media event!

  • Wrarth Warrior actor Robert Strange speaks to the magazine about his role in The Star Beast.

  • A special feature on Goblin celebrity Janis!

  • A report from the Doctor Who at 60 musical celebration at Cardiff’s Millennium Centre.

  • We talk to BBC Audio, Big Finish, Silva Screen and AUK Studios about the various audio offerings over the past year.

  • Doctor Who writers discuss the last 12 months of books and comics.

  • Follow the journey of young fan Piper as she is crowned The Ultimate Whovian by Blue Peter!

  • Alan Barnes and Lee Sullivan discuss their epic Fourteenth Doctor strip, Liberation of the Daleks.

  • We visit a new exhibition of Who props and memorabilia at Gunnersbury Park Museum.

  • A look at the new version of the Daleks… in colour!

  • Archivist Helen Randle on making the BBC’s vast catalogue of information available to the public.

  • A tribute to the Doctor Who luminaries who passed away in 2023.

  • Coming soon… A look ahead to 2024!

Doctor Who Magazine Yearbook 2024 is on sale Thursday 25 January from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £8.99 (UK). 

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £7.99.

 




FILTER: - DWM -

UNIT: The Vaughn IdentityBookmark and Share

Sunday, 21 January 2024 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The Vaughn Identity (Credit: Candy Jar Books)

2024 will see the launch of Candy Jar’s UNIT range with a series of original novels.This new series of books now squarely focuses on UNIT and explores the fall-out from The Invasion, both on a personal and national level, and how the story would have been spun by the government and the press.

As the title suggests, the first book, The Vaughn Identity, looks into the background of Tobias Vaughn, picks up where the TV story The Invasion left off. It is written by the range editor, Tim Gambrell, who said:

There’s a lot left open at the end of The Invasion. Tobias Vaughn’s story – and the whole International Electromatics set-up – is very layered and detailed. We see repeatedly in Doctor Who that once the main threat is dealt with the Doctor is quick to leave.

As a character, he was in a class of his own – due very much to Kevin Stoney’s bravura performance, but also because of Derrick Sherwin’s script and Douglas Camfield’s direction. We know Vaughn was killed at the end of The Invasion, and left hanging over the railings. I wanted to find a way to get more from the character without pretending that he hadn’t really died on screen, which would have felt like a cop-out. I also wanted to work purely within the situations and concepts that Derrick Sherwin had created, to give my story the sense that it was finishing off, or tidying up any strands left hanging loose after the TV story had concluded.

But as well as looking back to The Invasion, The Vaughn Identity also looks forward to the series of books that will follow. Tim continued:

We’ve got a wider cast of UNIT regulars to take our books forward. Readers have already been introduced to many of them in the two UNIT Files short story collections (Operation Wildcat, 2022, and Operation Fall-Out, 2023) but The Vaughn Identity allows us to see how they were impacted by the events of The Invasion, making it more of a shared experience. As the first novel of the range, it’s important to introduce and involve new regular characters in the action and the storyline and not simply as an info-dump roll call.

There are a few minor nods to the Lethbridge-Stewart range, but nothing that would faze new readers. We want this to be a jumping-on point, a fresh start whilst also quietly acknowledging the achievement of the previous range.

 

There will be another short Benton Files book, free with the hardback of The Vaughn Identity. More details of that will be available nearer the time.

The Vaughn Identity can be pre-ordered from the Candy Jar website.





FILTER: - Books - Candy Jar - UNIT

Season Fifteen Comes to Blu-rayBookmark and Share

Thursday, 11 January 2024 - Reported by Marcus
The Collection: Season Fifteen (Credit: BBC Studios)

The BBC has announced that the next season of Doctor Who to be released on Blu-ray is Season Fifteen first broadcast in 1977. 

The seven-disc box set stars Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor alongside Louise Jameson as Leela.  

This limited-edition set contains six classic stories packed with hours of new and exclusive material.
 

Doctor Who – The Collection: Season 15

HORROR OF FANG ROCK
THE INVISIBLE ENEMY
IMAGE OF THE FENDAHL
THE SUN MAKERS
UNDERWORLD
THE INVASION OF TIME

These stories include the character of trusty robot dog K9, voiced by John Leeson and builds to an epic showdown on the Time Lords’ home planet Gallifrey with the Doctor pitted against his old adversaries the Sontarans.

All episodes have been newly remastered from the best available sources – these classic adventures have never looked or sounded so good on home media.

The Collection: Season 15 Blu-ray box set also includes extensive Special Features including:

 

  • UPDATED SPECIAL EFFECTS
    Exclusive to Blu-ray, on Horror Of Fang Rock.
  • BEHIND THE SOFA
    New episodes with Louise Jameson (Leela), Colin Baker (The Doctor), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Janet Fielding (Tegan), Matthew Waterhouse (Adric), Katy Manning (Jo Grant),  Betsan Roberts (wife of director Pennant Roberts) and comedian and presenter Toby Hadoke.
  • BLU-RAY TRAILER
    A brand-new scripted trailer to announce the Season 15 Boxset of Doctor Who.
  • DARKNESS AND LIGHT
    A look at the life and career of producer Graham Williams.
  • IN CONVERSATION
    Interviewer Matthew Sweet chats to Louise Jameson.
  • INSIDE THE LIGHTHOUSE
    Making Horror Of Fang Rock.
  • TOM TALKS
    Tom Baker muses on life, the universe and everything.
  • AUDIO COMMENTARIES
    Exclusive new Audio Commentaries from Tom Baker.
  • 5.1 SURROUND SOUND MIX
    On Horror Of Fang Rock.
  • RARE CONVENTION FOOTAGE
  • TOM BAKER BLACKPOOL EXHIBITION LINKS
  • RARE ARCHIVE TREATS
  • HD PHOTO GALLERIES
  • INFO TEXT
  • PDF ARCHIVE
  • PLUS LOTS MORE!

 

This seven-disc box set also includes hours of special features previously released on DVD including Documentaries, Updated Special Effects, Featurettes, Audio Commentaries and more.

The set is available to preorder on Amazon. 

 

Leela vs the Time War | The Collection: Season 15 Announcement Trailer
Even a warrior as brave as Leela knows when it's time to leave the battlefield... 💥 #DoctorWho: The Collection returns with Season 15, the Fourth Doctor's fourth season, as the next Blu-ray release





FILTER: - Blu-ray/DVD - Season 15

Church On Ruby Road - Official RatingsBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 9 January 2024 - Reported by Marcus
The Church on Ruby Road: Picture Shows: Goblin King (Credit: BBC Studios (James Pardon))

Doctor Who: The Church On Ruby Road.had an official 7-day rating of 7.49 million viewers. 

The episode was the third most-watched programme on British television for the week ending 31st December 2023.

The only programmes to beat Doctor Who was the New Year's Eve Fireworks and the Christmas Day edition of the drama Call the Midwife. 

ITV's highest-rated programme was the drama Vera with 5.71 million watching. The BBC had all 10 places in the weekly Top Ten. 

Doctor Who was watched by 41.4% of the total viewing public. It had an Audience appreciation figure of 82. 





FILTER: - Ratings - UK Fifteenth Doctor