Ghost Light soundtrack to be released on Vinyl

Thursday, 18 September 2014 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Ghost Light (vinyl) (Credit: Silva Screen)Silva Screen have announced that a double LP version of the soundtrack from Ghost Light, the final recorded story from the series' original run. (Re)Released on CD last year, the soundtrack is presented more closely to the original broadcast. Composer Mark Ayres says:
This newly-remastered release presents the score in story order and is compiled from new transfers of the original analogue stereo master tapes. Consecutive cues have been combined into longer tracks. It is a particular delight to hear this music on vinyl. It was some of the last work I mixed to analogue 1/4” tape before digital took over, and suits the medium well. It also allows me to dedicate a side to each episode, keeping the cliff-hangers and reprises intact…plus the original demo version of Episode 1 on side 4.
The soundtrack is due out on the 13th October, and can be purchased from Silva Screen's website.





FILTER: - Audio - Classic Series - Merchandise

Silva Screen August sale

Friday, 1 August 2014 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The 50th Anniversary Collection (Credit: Silva Screen)Silva Screen are running a special offer on their catalogue of Doctor Who related albums during August, which includes their recent releases of The 50th Anniversary Collection and An Adventure in Space and Time.

See their website for full details of pricing and availability.




FILTER: - Audio - Merchandise - Special Offers

Big Finish: Fourth Doctor novel adaptations for January

Thursday, 17 July 2014 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Big Finish have released the covers for two upcoming Fourth Doctor adventures that have been adapted from original novels written for the Virgin Missing Adventures range by Gareth Roberts. The two stories are set during the Graham Williams era of the television show, featuring Tom Baker as the Doctor, Lalla Ward as Romana, and John Leeson as the voice of K-9.

The Romance of Crime (Credit: Big Finish)The Romance of Crime
Written by Gareth Roberts, adapted by John Dorney
Directed by Nicholas Briggs


The TARDIS brings the Doctor, Romana and K9 to the Rock of Judgement; a court, prison and place of execution built into a rocket-powered asteroid. When involved in an investigation by the system's finest lawman, they begin to seek answers to some disturbing questions.

Cast: Tom Baker (The Doctor), Lalla Ward (Romana), John Leeson (K9), Graham Seed (Pyerpoint), Miranda Raison (Margo/Xais), Phil Mulryne (Shom, Hogan, Ogron 6), Marcus Garvey (Frank Spiggot), Michael Troughton (Stokes), James Joyce (Zy, Ogron 5, Barman), Joshua Silver (Charlie Nisbett), John Dorney (Eddie Nisbett/Ogrons), Jane Slavin (Blakemore, Bailiff, LIbrarian)
The English Way of Death (Credit: Big Finish)The English Way of Death
Written by Gareth Roberts, adapted by John Dorney
Directed by Nicholas Briggs


The Doctor, Romana and K9 arrive in 1930s London to return some overdue library books. They plan to take a rest after their recent adventures, but Romana detects a distress signal from the future and the Doctor is attacked by a suffocating green mist.

Cast: Tom Baker (The Doctor), Lalla Ward (Romana), John Leeson (K9), Terrence Hardiman (Stackhouse), Derek Carlyle (Orlick), Richard Braine (Percy Closed), Abigail McKern (Felicia), Annabel Mullion (Julia), Mark Bonnar (Porteus), Tim Bentinck (Colonel Radlett), Andrew Bone (Woodrow), Jane Slavin (Harriet)

The adventures are due to be released in January 2015 as both standard editions and also in a limited edition that comes in special packaging and a bonus behind-the-scenes disc.





FILTER: - Audio - Big Finish - Fourth Doctor - Merchandise

An Adventure In Space And Time soundtrack previews released

Saturday, 15 February 2014 - Reported by John Bowman
A selection of preview clips from the forthcoming soundtrack release of An Adventure In Space And Time has been made available by BBC Worldwide.

The score, written by Edmund Butt, was performed by the Chamber Orchestra of London, and Mark Gatiss, who wrote the BBC Two 50th-anniversary drama about the genesis of the programme, has said:
Making Adventure was a wonderful experience. The whole team were absolutely dedicated to the project, going the extra mile (or parsec) to create that smoggy early '60s world where so much seemed (and was) suddenly possible. And none more so than Edmund Butt whose gorgeous score is one of the highlights of the film. I've been completely overwhelmed by the response to the film. It was a very special project from the outset and I know Ed's soundtrack will continue to thrill and delight for, well, the rest of space and time.
The 25-track disc, which will be released on the Silva Screen label on Monday 3rd March, can be pre-ordered, and excerpts from five of the tracks are available to listen to below.

I've Got An Idea - Drama boss Sydney Newman explains about the programme to producer Verity Lambert.



What Dimension? - Verity Lambert sees designer Peter Brachacki's rapidly-cobbled-together vision of the TARDIS control room in model form.



The Daleks - The soon-to-be-iconic monsters make their dramatic first appearance.



This Is My Show - The start of William Hartnell's decline in health, with the actor beginning to suffer from memory loss. This piece - a version of earlier track The Right Man (not previewed) - accompanies the scene where Hartnell leaves the set while giving a speech.



The New Doctor - Patrick Troughton is on set to take over the lead role, and as the regeneration scene is set up William Hartnell notices a young man with a warm smile looking back at him across the TARDIS console room . . .






FILTER: - Music - Audio - WHO50

Philip Hinchcliffe Presents ...

Tuesday, 11 February 2014 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Big Finish have announced a new set of adventures featuring Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor with Louise Jameson as Leela, written by the pair's original producer Philip Hinchcliffe alongside Ghost Light writer Marc Platt.

Philip Hinchcliffe Presents (Credit: Big Finish)Philip Hinchcliffe Presents
Starring Tom Baker and Louise Jameson
Written by Philip Hinchcliffe and Marc Platt
Released September 2014

Former Doctor Who producer Philip Hinchcliffe has been reunited with his stars, Tom Baker and Louise Jameson, for ten brand new episodes of Doctor Who made for audio at Big Finish.

Doctor Who: Philip Hinchcliffe Presents will consist of two epic full-cast stories, filled with all the drama and chills that marked Hinchcliffe’s era of the TV show.


The Ghosts of Gralstead is a six-part adventure, and it finds the Doctor and Leela returning to Victorian London, in the year 1860:
At St Clarence’s Hospital, respected surgeon Sir Edward Scrivener requires the bodies of the dead… At Doctor McDivett’s Exhibition of Living Wonders and Curiosities, miracles are afoot… And in Gralstead House, the ghost will walk again. Mordrega has come to Earth...
Carolyn Seymour – who is known for Quantum Leap, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager and, notably, for playing Abby Grant in the original Survivors – plays Mordrega. Sir Edward is played by Gethin Anthony (Game of Thrones).


The second, four-part adventure is called The Devil’s Armada:
The TARDIS materialise in Sissenden Village in the sixteenth century. Catholic priests are hunted, so-called witches are drowned in the ducking stool, and in the shadows the Vituperon are watching… and waiting...

Doctor Who: Philip Hinchcliffe Presents also includes a special hour-long documentary featuring interviews with Tom, Louise, Philip and the cast, and is released in September.

The CD boxed set will be launched at Big Finish Day 5 in Slough on Saturday 13th September, which Tom, Philip and Carolyn are attending.




FILTER: - Merchandise - Audio - Tom Baker - Fourth Doctor - Big Finish

12 Days of Big Finish-mas

Thursday, 26 December 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Big Finish are running a number of special offers over the twelve days of Christmas as part of the festive celebrations, selected from a many of their range of series.

Today's offering is the The Butcher of Brisbane, a Fifth Doctor tale that acts as a "prequel" to The Talons of Weng-Chiang, and is available to download from the Big Finish website at a special price for the next couple of days.

The Butcher of Brisbane (Credit: Big Finish)The Butcher of Brisbane
Starring Peter Davison as The Doctor, Janet Fielding as Tegan, Mark Strickson as Turlough, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, and Angus Wright as Magnus Greel

Adopting the alias of Weng-Chiang, the 51st century war criminal Magnus Greel will one day arrive in Victorian London by Time Cabinet – only to meet his doom, his plans undone by the Time Lord known as the Doctor.

The Doctor never believed he'd meet Greel again. But when a TARDIS trip to companion Tegan's home town goes wrong, the Doctor ends up in the younger Greel's heyday – in a world on the brink of all-out war.

With the Doctor at the mercy of Greel's alien associate Findecker and his army of mutations, Tegan is about to learn just why they called Greel 'The Butcher of Brisbane'...





FILTER: - Audio - Special Offers - Fifth Doctor - Big Finish

Big Finish: December releases

Wednesday, 25 December 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Afterlife (Credit: Big Finish)Afterlife
Starring Sylvester McCoy as The Doctor, with Sophie Aldred as Ace and Philip Olivier as Hex

Hex is dead. And a distraught Ace holds the Doctor responsible.

She forces him to take a trip to 21st century Liverpool to break the news to Hex's beloved nan and, to pay tribute to Thomas Hector Schofield, the pair seek out his family and friends to tell them of his adventures. They're helped by Private Sally Morgan, who has her own peace to find.

The Doctor, Ace and Sally must each face the fallout of the loss of their friend - to commemorate him, remember him, and finally to move on. But can they do it together, or will their attempts drive them apart?

Producer David Richardson says:
It’s the end of one era, and the beginning of another as the Doctor must face the consequences of his own actions, and mourn a fallen friend. I think, in this story, Sylvester McCoy delivers his best performance at Big Finish - in fact,it’s one of THE very best performances I’ve ever heard at Big Finish. So delicate, and powerful and memorable… it will break your heart.
The Dying Light (Credit: Big Finish)The Dying Light (available to order)
Starring Frazer Hines as Jamie, Wendy Padbury as Zoe, with Terry Molloy as Quadrigger Stoyn

The TARDIS materialises on a dying world circling a dying sun, where the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe are welcomed to Sanctuary - an entire monastery carved out of a mountain.

But little here is quite what it seems.

Quadrigger Stoyn has waited through the centuries. And it is time for the Doctor to pay for his first terrible mistake.

David Richardson says:
The second in the Stoyn Trilogy, which tells the story of an abandoned Time Lord from key points in the Doctor’s lives. This time we are directly before The War Games, as the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe find Stoyn on a dying world. With Frazer playing both the Doctor and Jamie, and with Wendy Padbury and Terry Molloy with him, this feels very much like an authentic story from the late 1960s.
Night of the StormcrowNight of the Stormcrow (available to order)
Starring Tom Baker as The Doctor, Louise Jameson as Leela

High atop Mount McKerry sits the observatory. For years now it's been watching the skies. Now something's watching back. Something dark and huge that blots out the stars. Something with giant wings. Something that kills.

When the TARDIS is struck mid-flight, the Doctor and Leela crash-land on the mountain to find they are not the only aliens to be visiting. Beings of nothing infest the complex, staff members are dead or mad. As the survivors argue amongst themselves and attempt to take advantage of the situation, a creature vast and terrible is coming ever closer.

A creature called... Stormcrow.

David Richardson says:
We asked writer Marc Platt to give us a scary story and that’s precisely what he did, as the Doctor and Leela arrive at a remote observatory that has discovered a creature that appears in the early hours of the morning. Gothic and doom-laden, this is one to listen to with the lights off.
The Lost Stories: The Mega (Credit: Big Finish)The Mega (available to order)
Starring Katy Manning as Jo Grant and Richard Franklin as Mike Yates

"This is a warning. Your aggression cannot go unchecked. The West must disarm. We will make you disarm."

When an assassination follows the first demonstration of a deadly new weapon, it appears that an alien race has fired the opening salvo in a new war – a war… for peace.

But is that truly their intent? The Doctor is unsure. The answer lies deep in the heart of a distant country. A place where a man might be a hero or a traitor. Where a man has to face the menace… of the Mega.

David Richardson says:
The end of The Lost Stories, which has been close to my heart for four years. The Mega is our sole Third Doctor outing, as Katy Manning and Richard Franklin tell a story full of action, suspense… and hideous alien monsters that would have been made with CSO. Earthbound 1970s Who revisited!

In addition, subscribers to the main range will also received the bonus story below:

Trial of the Valeyard (Credit: Big Finish)The Trial of the Valeyard
Starring Colin Baker as The Doctor), Michael Jayston as The Valeyard, and Lynda Bellingham as The Inquisitor

There is some evil in all of us – even the Doctor. Transported aboard the Time Lords' orbiting courtroom, the Doctor once again encounters the Valeyard, an amalgamation of the darker sides of his nature. This time, however, the Doctor isn't in the dock. This time, the Valeyard is the defendant, accused of a crime so terrible that the presiding Inquisitor is forbidden to reveal it even to the court, nor even to his counsel for the defence… the Doctor.

If the Valeyard is found guilty, he'll be executed. Execute the Valeyard, and the secret of his origins dies with him. A secret that the Doctor is desperate to know… and which the Time Lords will stop at nothing to protect.

David Richardson says:
This one plays almost like part 15 of The Trial of the Time Lord, as the Sixth Doctor is reunited with the Valeyard and the Inquisitor in the Time Lord courtroom, to unravel some mysteries of the Valeyard’s existence. This one is a very contained drama that allows Colin Baker, Lynda Bellingham and Michael Jayston to fly - and it was wonderful to see them back together again.




FILTER: - Merchandise - Audio - Tom Baker - Sylvester McCoy - Colin Baker - Big Finish

Random House Audio to continue Doctor Who range

Friday, 20 December 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The future of Doctor Who on audio was revealed today as BBC Worldwide announced a new partnership with Random House Audio to maintain the range alongside some 3,500 other titles including BBC Radio Comedy shows and drama such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

The company will have sole responsibility for sales, stock management and distribution of BBC-branded physical CDs in the UK and the rest of the world (excluding North America, Australia and New Zealand). It will also take on global responsibility for download sales with leading digital retailers, including Audible.

From next year, the company is also expected to produce new releases developed and co-published alongside BBC Worldwide.

Nicholas Brett, Director of Publishing, BBC Worldwide UK, said:
Our principal aim has been to ensure an uninterrupted flow of the BBC’s brilliant spoken word content both on high streets around the world and through downloads. And we’re delighted that this new partnership with Random House Audio will do that.

Hannah Telfer, Director, Digital Marketing and New Product Development at Random House, said:
At Random House we have long admired the BBC’s audio programme, sharing their passion for publishing the highest quality content. We’re very pleased to be working together to grow the BBC list and are committed to reaching the largest possible audience for their titles.

The continuing availability of Doctor Who on audio had been in question since AudioGo entered administration in November.





FILTER: - Audio - UK

The Adventures of K9 - audio book

Thursday, 21 November 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The Adventures of K9, read by John Leeson (audiobook) (Credit: Explore Multimedia)Back in 1980, four books were published from K9 co-creator David Martin which continued the adventures of the Doctor's second best-friend, who was now undertaking missions on behalf of the Time Lords. All four books have now been released as an audio recording by Explore Multimedia, read by the original voice of K9 himself, John Leeson.
  1. K9 AND THE MISSING PLANET
    An entire planet vanishes — a planet that was owned by Tellac Inc., a galactic company that turns whole worlds into mines and factories for their own profit. K9 is sent to find the missing planet. He finds instead a new universe and a very strange new breed of men...
  2. K9 AND THE BEASTS OF VEGA
    Outside, the space ship was surrounded by hordes of evil beasts -- a mass of fangs, jaws and lashing tails. The shadowy monsters loom over the ship, attacking from all sides. Sounds of panic and screaming ring out everywhere. Only K9 keeps his usual calm.
  3. K9 AND THE TIME TRAP
    The entire Seventh Fleet has disappeared. The Commander says it is impossible. K-9 says that is only because the human mind cannot understand it. At just under the speed of light, he takes off across the deep starless gulf between the galaxies on another dangerous mission. He uses a battlecruiser as his bait — but first he must find the trap...
  4. K9 AND THE ZETA RESCUE
    There have been great explosions in the galaxy. There is danger that the whole galaxy will be blown apart. The situation is too dangerous for even the Time Lords to handle. And so they call K9 to their aid. It is he who must save their world.
The collection is available to buy both on CD and for download.







FILTER: - Audio - Books

Big Finish release The Time Machine

Monday, 18 November 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The status of the last part of the Destiny of the Doctor series, The Time Machine, had been uncertain since the series publisher AudioGo entered administration last month; however, the series producers Big Finish have now announced that they will be releasing the final adventure on CD and download, completing the collection which kicked off in January with Hunters of Earth.

Destiny of the Doctor: The Time Machine (Credit: AudioGo)Destiny of the Doctor: The Time Machine
Starring Jenna Coleman, Michael Cochrane (Chivers), and Nicholas Briggs (The Creevix) (pre-order)

23 November 2013. In an Oxford laboratory, graduate Alice Watson helps Professor Chivers assemble the final pieces of an impossible machine. A time machine.

The scientist and his assistant believe they are making history, little suspecting that the project’s completion will threaten the existence of the entire universe. But someone has sensed the danger, and when the mysterious Doctor arrives, Alice is taken on a desperate race from libraries and dreaming spires all the way to the nightmare world of Earth’s future. The monstrous Creevix are coming. They seek control of time itself and are certain that the Doctor is already too late to stop them. But can the key to saving the future lie in the Time Lord’s past lives?

For more details, see the Big Finish website.





FILTER: - Audio - Eleventh Doctor - WHO50 - Big Finish