Who Talk: The Green Death

Wednesday, 31 May 2017 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Fantom Audio have released the latest in their line of alternative Doctor Who commentaries, Who Talk, which this month focuses on the third Doctor tale The Green Death.

Producer Paul W.T. Ballard said:

This was an important story for us to revisit as we were able to bring a variety of new voices and combinations of guests to a much loved classic.

This is the first time Katy Manning and Stewart Bevan have been brought together to record a commentary for The Green Death, and the experience of hearing the life long friends discuss the series was magical.

Who Talk: The Green Death (Richard Franklin, Mitzi MciKenzie, John Levene and Toby Hadoke) (Credit: Fantom Audio)

Katy and Stewart are joined for the commentary by UNIT regulars Richard Franklin and John Levene, plus Mitzi McKenzie (who played Nancy in the story) and director Michael E. Briant. The commentary is hosted by the stalwart Toby Hadoke.

In addition to the regular release, a special signed edition is also available, which as well as the commentary also includes a signature from a member of the cast, plus a free pack of four postcards featuring artwork from the Who Talk series.

Full details and how to order can be found at the Who Talk website.

Please note: these commentaries contain no BBC copyrighted elements and do not feature audio from the episodes themselves - these are designed to be played alongside the official DVD releases.

FILTER: - Audio - Fantom - Third Doctor

Daddy's Girl: 50th Anniversary edition of Deborah Watling's autobiography

Tuesday, 30 May 2017 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Fantom Publishing have announced the re-release of actress Deborah Watling's autobiography, Daddy's Girl, to mark the fiftieth anniversary of her appearance in Doctor Who as Victoria.

Daddy's Girl (50th Anniversary edition) (Credit: Fantom Publishing)

Daddy's Girl (50th Anniversary edition)
Written by Deborah Watling, with Paul W.T. Ballard
Published by Fantom Publishing

Daughter of renowned star of stage and screen Jack Watling, Deborah has entertained millions in a career which spans over fifty years.

From her early successes in series such as The Invisible Man, The Power Game and Out of the Unknown, through to her iconic role as the scream queen Victoria Waterfield in Doctor Who, film roles opposite Cliff Richard and David Essex, and as the notorious ‘Naughty’ Norma in Danger UXB, Deborah has endeared herself to a broad spectrum of fans.

For the first time, in her own words, Deborah recalls the highs and lows of working on stage and in front of the camera along with the behind-the-scenes personal struggles, and reminisces about working with a whole variety of famous acting names including the late and much-missed Patrick Troughton.

This edition, published to celebrate Deborah's fiftieth anniversary in Doctor Who has a special cover taken from the private collection of Alexandra Tynan (Sandra Reid) on location for The Evil of the Daleks.

Daddy's Girl (50th Anniversary edition) alretnative cover (Credit: Fantom Publishing)

Daddy's Girl: In Pictures (Credit: Fantom Publishing)

The fiftieth anniversary edition is also available to purchase with an alternative cover in a bundle alongside sister book Daddy's Girl: In Pictures, and a set of five The Abominable Snowmen Location postcards - full details on the Fantom website.

FILTER: - Auto/Biography - Books - Fantom

Win tickets to TV Utopia

Friday, 6 January 2017 - Reported by Chuck Foster

We have a pair of tickets up for grabs for the TV Utopia convention which takes place on the weekend 20th-22nd January, courtesy of organisers Fantom Films. To be in with a chance to win the tickets, simply answer the following question:

Name the autobiography of TV Utopia guest Derek Fowlds, recently released by Fantom Publishing.

Please send your answers along with your name, address and where you heard about the competition (news site, news app, other website, etc.) to comp-fantom@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "Tuning In". The competition is open to UK readers only, closing date 13th January 2017. Only one entry per household will be accepted.

Come and enjoy a weekend in the gorgeous Eynsham Hall in Oxfordshire with likeminded fans, for what is set to be an unmissable weekend looking at the best in drama, light entertainment, children's television, science fiction and fantasy!

Over the weekend you will be able to watch interviews, collect autographs, pose for photos and meet some of your television favourites.

Friday night entertainment will include on stage activities and a classic TV pub quiz, plus rarely seen television treats courtesy of Talking Pictures, whilst on the Saturday evening teams led by two celebrity captains will be taking to the stage in Fantom's version of Telly Addicts! Plus vintage TV treats courtesy of Kaleidoscope.

TV Utopia promises to be a very special celebration of British Television and the actors and creatives who have made their mark on the television landscape.

Guests include: Louise Jameson, Lalla Ward, Derek Fowlds, Patricia Brake, Hugh Fraser, Pauline Moran, Ann Mitchell, Richard Dempsey, Sophie Cook, Lisa Geoghan, Cindy Shelley, Eric Richard, Sarah Phelps, Chris Perry (Kaleidoscope), and Sarah Cronin-Stanley / Neill Stanley (Talking Pictures).

FILTER: - Competitions - Conventions - Fantom

Fantom Publishing: Who Talk update

Saturday, 24 December 2016 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Who Talk: An Unearthly Child (Credit: Fantom Publishing)

Who Talk: Cyber60s (Credit: Fantom Publishing)

Fantom Publishing have released details on the next two releases in their Who Talk range of alternative audio commmentaries.

First up is the original television adventure, An Unearthly Child. Producer Paul W T Ballard explains:

"One of the first thoughts we had after the success of Web and Enemy, was to revisit the first Doctor Who story and complete the commentary for it. The original DVD release of An Unearthly Child covered only two out of four of the episodes, plus the pilot, whereas we have been able to introduce some new voices to the mix and complete all four instalments plus the pilot.

The commentary features William Russell (Ian Chesterton), Jeremy Young (Kal), Waris Hussein (Director), Brian Hodgson (Special Sound) and Clive Doig (Vision Mixer), and is moderated by the omnipresent Toby Hadoke.

The second release celebrates the Cyber 60s, with Paul saying:

Whilst we have an ongoing mission to cover episodes without any commentary at all, we are also having fun bringing new contributors to the fold to provide alternatives on some classic serials. I think Cyber60s is a fitting celebration of fifty years of one of Doctor Who's most popular monsters.

The set contains commentaries for the Patrick Troughton serials The Tomb of the Cybermen, The Wheel in Space and The Invasion. Moderated by both Paul and Toby, this release features Wendy Padbury (Zoe), Michael Kilgarriff (Cyber Controller), Sally Faulkner (Isobel), Sylvia James (Make-Up), Roger Bunce (Cameraman) and Marcia Wheeler (Assistant Floor Manager).

The company are also offering a special edition bundle featuring both commentaries: each set will be signed by an actor from each release as well as a both disc featuring additional commentaries on The Tenth Planet and The Moonbase. These CDs are very limited, and exclusively available via the Who Talk website.

Who Talk will return in 2017 with a full of schedule of alternative DVD Commentaries.

FILTER: - Audio - Fantom - First Doctor - Merchandise - Second Doctor

New commentaries for Hartnell orphan episodes and The Daemons

Friday, 20 May 2016 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Fantom Publishing have announced two new releases of Who Talk, a series of new independent commentaries for Doctor Who episodes.

Who Talk: Day Of Armageddon (Credit: Fantom Publishing)

Day of Armageddon
Moderated by Toby Hadoke

Joining Peter Purves for this release is David Graham, Donald Tosh, Clive Doig and Brian Hodgson as they discuss all three remaining episodes of The Dalek's Master Plan, Galaxy Four - Air Lock and The Celestial Toymaker - The Final Test.

Also featured on the release is a bonus interview with Jeremy Young who started in the prequel to The Daleks' Master Plan, Mission To The Unknown.

Producer Paul W T Ballard says:

Thanks to the success of the last two commentaries for The Enemy of the World and The Web of Fear, we have been able to get back into studio to start plugging the gaps on other Doctor Who stories which do not have any form of commentary on them. It made perfect sense to get Peter Purves into studio to cover his ‘orphan’ episodes, and we were delighted to get some brilliant support from a number of other key personnel from the time too, all of whom have a lot to say about these stories. We can only hope one day to be able to expand and finish the stories in their entirety...!

Who Talk: The Daemons (Credit: Fantom Publishing)

The Dæmons
Moderated by Toby Hadoke

The new commentary track for The Dæmons features actors Katy Manning, John Levene, Alec Linstead, David Simeon and John Owens together with script editor Terrance Dicks and director's assistant Sue Upton.

Paul explains:

We have also, rather excitingly, taken the move to ‘remake’ a commentary for the first time. Some of the original DVD releases, for one reason or another, didn’t explore all of the available names for the commentary track, and this was especially noticeable for The Dæmons. So we’ve assembled quite a variety of names from both sides of the camera to give their thoughts and memories, and have even given the option of an alternative version for episode two!”

The commentaries are available to pre-order individually and as a special combined offer, on CD or via download. Full details can be found at the Who Talk website.

Who Talk: Day Of Armageddon recording (Peter Purves, David Graham, Toby Hadoke) (Credit: Fantom Publishing)

Who Talk: The Daemons recording (Sue Upton, Katy Manning, Toby Hadoke, Terrance Dicks) (Credit: Fantom Publishing)

Please note: these commentaries contain no BBC copyrighted elements and do not feature audio from the episodes themselves - these are designed to be played alongside the official DVD releases.

FILTER: - Audio - Blu-ray/DVD - Fantom - First Doctor - Third Doctor

Lethbridge-Stewart arrives on audio

Monday, 1 February 2016 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Lethbridge-Stewart: The Forgotten Son (audiobook) (Credit: Fantom Films/Candy Jar Books)

Lethbridge-Stewart: The Schizoid Earth (audiobook) (Credit: Fantom Films/Candy Jar Books)

Lethbridge-Stewart: Beast of Fang Rock (audiobook) (Credit: Fantom Films/Candy Jar Books)

Lethbridge-Stewart: Mutually Assured Domination (audiobook) (Credit: Fantom Films/Candy Jar Books)

Candy Jar Books and Fantom Films have announced a partnership to release the first four adventures of Lethbridge-Stewart as audiobooks.

The unabridged stories are to be read by Terry Molloy, an actor/voice-artist well known to Doctor Who as the embodiment of Dalek creator Davros for some 32 years! Paul WT Ballard, director of the audio range at Fantom Films, said:

Terry has done a brilliant job in bringing these stories to life, adding a whole new dimension to them with his skilful renditions.

Shaun Russell, Head of Publishing at Candy Jar Books, said:

People have really been excited about the range, and have continually asked for audio versions of the titles. This was something we’ve always wanted to do, so when Fantom Films got in touch we jumped at the opportunity. It’s a great pleasure to finally be able to announce this new avenue for the series. I am thrilled that Terry Molloy’s narration/performance really reflects the vision the writers had for the characters. We couldn’t be happier with the result.

Andy Frankham-Allen, editor of the Lethbridge-Stewart range and author of the first book, The Forgotten Son, added:

The fans asked, and we listened! It’s a real delight to hear Terry Molloy bring the book, and indeed the characters, to life. Even though I wrote the first book, I found myself listening and wondering what was going to happen next. Such is the power of Terry’s rich performance.

The Forgotten Son is released in February; this will be followed by The Schizoid Earth by David A McIntee in March, with Beast of Fang Rock by Andy Frankham-Allen and Mutually Assured Domination by Nick Walters released in June and July respectively.

All audiobooks are now available for pre-order directly from Fantom Films, which can be purchased individually or as a bundle of all four titles. A sample of the first audiobook will shortly be made available from the Fantom Publishing Soundcloud page.

The original books are also still available to purchase via Candy Jar Books, with the fifth, Moon Blink by Sadie Miller, due to be published in April.

FILTER: - Audio - Books - Candy Jar Books - Fantom

Commentaries to be released for The Enemy of the World and The Web Of Fear

Friday, 9 October 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster

On the eve of the second anniversary of their publicised recovery, Fantom Films have announced a special project to provide commentaries for The Enemy of the World and The Web of Fear, the two returned Season Five stories starring Patrick Troughton that were released 'vanilla' on DVD and via iTunes. Who Talk! will see cast and crew brought together to discuss the two stories, under the guidance of commentary moderation stalwart Toby Hadoke.

Toby Hadoke with Milton Johns and Mary Peach for The Enemy of the World 5 (Credit: Fantom Films)

Toby Hadoke with John Levene and Syvlia James for The Web of Fear 6 (Credit: Fantom Films)

The commentaries will be released on both CD and download formats, and will feature Deborah Watling for both stories, with Enemy represented by Mary Peach, Milton Johns, Carmen Munroe and Bill Lyons, and Web by Ralph Watson, John Levene, and Derek Martin; production reminiscences are provided by Sylvia James and Roger Bunce. In addition, the still unaccounted for episode three of the latter story will feature former BBC Archivist Sue Malden, who gives insight into the BBC policies of wiping and archiving material, as well as missing television in general.

Producer Paul WT Ballard says:

Commentaries have long been a favourite part of my viewing of any of the classic Who DVDs, and we thought it was a huge shame to let these two brilliant stories pass under the radar, and set about gathering quite a stellar line-up to commentate on them.

He also advised:

The only way we can make these and future releases viable is by fans supporting the project and buying copies, rather than bootlegging them. Were there to be any future returns - and I'm sure we're all hopeful of that - then we would want to be able to look at repeating the exercise because it's a hugely culturally important one.

The two releases will be published in November 2015, and will be available to pre-order at a discounted price. See the Fantom Films website for full details.

Who Talk: The Enemy of the World (Credit: Fantom Films)

Who Talk: The Web of Fear (Credit: Fantom Films)

Please note: these commentaries contain no BBC copyrighted elements and do not feature audio from the episodes themselves - these are designed to be played alongside the official DVD/iTunes releases.

FILTER: - Audio - Blu-ray/DVD - Fantom - Second Doctor

Anthony Ainley: The Man behind The Master

Monday, 25 May 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The biography of the Master to the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh Doctor, Anthony Ainley, is due to be on general release later in the year; however, it is now available to order directly from Fantom Publishing, signed by the author, Karen Louise Hollis.

The Man Behind The Master (Credit: Fantom Publishing)

Anthony Ainley: The Man behind The Master
Researched by Karen Louise Hollis

Although known to an audience of millions the world over for his portrayal of The Doctor's arch nemesis The Master in Doctor Who during the 1980's, Anthony Ainley had a prolific career which encompassed starring roles in Spyders Web and It's Dark Outside, as well as appearances in renowned dramas such as The Pallisers, Elizabeth R, Nicholas Nickleby, Upstairs, Downstairs, and cult films including Blood On Satan's Claw and The Land That Time Forgot.

But the dramas in Anthony's real life were far more fascinating than any of the many parts he played on screen. Born the illegitimate son of actor Henry Ainley, and taken into care at the Actors' Orphanage at the age of four, Fantom presents the hidden story behind one of Doctor Who's most enigmatic characters.

Karen said:

This is the first time all aspects of his life have been drawn together. I have had the pleasure of interviewing a number of friends and colleagues from every aspect of Anthony's life, and examined the archives to bring together the most complete and fascinating story.

Competition

Readers in the United Kingdom have the chance to win a copy of the book courtesy of Fantom Publishing; to enter simply answer the following question:

In The Keeper of Traken Geoffrey Beevers and Anthony Ainley both play the Master; name another television series in which both actors are credited together.

Please send your answers along with your name, address and where you heard about the competition (news site, news app, other website, etc.) to comp-fantom@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "These Thunderbolts Are Everywhere". The competition is open to UK residents only, closing date: 7th June 2015. Only one entry per household will be accepted.

FILTER: - Auto/Biography - Books - Competitions - Fantom

Anthony Ainley: The Man Behind The Master

Tuesday, 13 January 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Fantom Publishing have announced their plans to release a biography of Anthony Ainley, who played the Doctor's rival the Master in some nine full stories during the course of the 1980s, not to mention 'hosting' the computer game Destiny of the Doctors.

Anthony Ainley - The Man Behind The Master (Credit: Fantom Publishing)

The Man Behind The Master
The Biography of Anthony Ainley
By Karen Louise Hollis

Although known to an audience of millions the world over for his portrayal of The Doctor's arch nemesis The Master in Doctor Who during the 1980's, Anthony Ainley had a prolific career which encompassed starring roles in Spyders Web and It's Dark Outside, as well as appearances in renowned dramas such as The Pallisers, Elizabeth R, Nicholas Nickleby, Upstairs, Downstairs, and cult films including Blood On Satan's Claw and The Land That Time Forgot.

But the dramas in Anthony's real life were far more fascinating than any of the many parts he played on screen. Born the illegitimate son of actor Henry Ainley, and taken into care at the Actors' Orphanage at the age of four, the hidden story behind one of Doctor Who's most enigmatic characters is brought to life by author Karen Louise Hollis.

Using exhaustive interviews with friends and colleagues from every aspect of Anthony's life, including his best friend from school, fellow children from the Actors' Orphanage, cricketing friends, colleagues, and those who remained close to him until his death in 2004, this book aims to uncover the real Anthony Ainley - The Man Behind The Master.

The book is now available for pre-order from the Fantom website and will be published exclusively through them from May 2015 until its trade release later in the year.

FILTER: - Books - Fantom