The Sensorites On Vinyl

Thursday, 19 May 2022 - Reported by Marcus

A narrated version of the First Doctor story, The Sensorites, is to be released by Demon Records.

The story, starring William Hartnell as the Doctor, was first broadcast during the summer of 1964 as part of Doctor Who's first season.

The TARDIS lands onboard a spaceship, in orbit around a planet known as the Sense-Sphere. TheDoctor and his companions learn that the human crew have been imprisoned on their craft by the Sensorites, who blame them for the introduction of a fatal disease. When the Sensorites steal the TARDIS lock, the travellers are forced to go with the aliens to their planet and attempt to broker peace between the races. But many dangers lie ahead…

Presented across 3 x 140g Sense-Sphere marble vinyl discs, this 1964 TV adventure is narrated by William Russell, who also plays Ian Chesterton. The supporting cast includes Jacqueline Hill as Barbara and Carole Ann Ford as Susan, with Stephen Dartnell, Ilona Rodgers and Lorne Cossette.

Incidental music is composed by Norman Kay, and the familiar strains of the Doctor Who theme are courtesy of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop

.An embossed, frameable art print accompanies the coloured vinyl LPs, presented in individual pockets which, when placed in order, reveal a double-sided composite illustration.

An accompanying booklet supplies cast and credits, and inner bags featuring complete episode billings.

The discs will be released on 22 July 2022 and are available for pre-order from Amazon

FILTER: - Vinyl - First Doctor

Ncuti Gatwa is the Fourteenth Doctor

Sunday, 8 May 2022 - Reported by Marcus

The BBC has named Ncuti Gatwa as the Fourteenth Doctor, taking over from Jodie Whittaker at the end of the Autumn 2022 episode.

The 29-year-old actor will be the first non-white performer to take the lead role in the series's 59-year history.

Gatwa is best known for his award-winning performance as Eric Effiong on the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education.

There aren’t quite the words to describe how I’m feeling.

A mix of deeply honoured, beyond excited and of course a little bit scared.

This role and show means so much to so many around the world, including myself, and each one of my incredibly talented predecessors has handled that unique responsibility and privilege with the utmost care.

I will endeavour my utmost to do the same

Gatwa is the third actor to be cast as The Doctor by returning Showrunner Russell T Davies who said the actor dazzled the casting team.

The future is here and it’s Ncuti!

Sometimes talent walks through the door and it’s so bright and bold and brilliant, I just stand back in awe and thank my lucky stars.

Ncuti dazzled us, seized hold of the Doctor and owned those TARDIS keys in seconds. It’s an honour to work with him, and a hoot, I can’t wait to get started.

I’m sure you’re dying to know more, but we’re rationing ourselves for now, with the wonderful Jodie’s epic finale yet to come.

But I promise you, 2023 will be spectacular!

Ncuti Gatwa was born in Nyarugenge, Kigali, Rwanda, the son of a journalist. He grew up in Scotland where he attended Boroughmuir High School and Dunfermline High School and graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow with a BA in Acting in 2013. The announcement of his new role comes just a few hours before this year's Bafta Television Awards, where Gatwa is nominated for best male performance in a comedy programme for the third year in a row. He has already won a Scottish Bafta and a Rose d'Or Award for his role in Sex Education.

Gatwa said how much he was looking forward to working with the showrunner

Russell T Davies is almost as iconic as the Doctor himself and being able to work with him is a dream come true.

His writing is dynamic, exciting, incredibly intelligent and fizzing with danger. An actor’s metaphorical playground. The entire team have been so welcoming and truly give their hearts to the show. And so as much as it’s daunting, I’m aware I’m joining a really supportive family.

Unlike the Doctor, I may only have one heart but I am giving it all to this show

.BBC chief content officer Charlotte Moore said:

Ncuti has an incredible dynamism, he's a striking and fearless young actor whose talent and energy will set the world alight and take Doctor Who on extraordinary adventures under Russell T Davies' new era.

The last episode starring Jodie Whittaker will be broadcast this autumn as part of the BBC Centenary celebrations. Gatwa will return as the fourteenth Doctor in 2023.

FILTER: - Leading News - Fourteenth Doctor

Doctor Who: Redacted

Sunday, 10 April 2022 - Reported by Marcus

The BBC has announced a new spin-off podcast, Doctor Who: Redacted will be available on BBC Sounds.

The 10-part series will begin alongside the television Easter special on April 17th, giving fans a brand new podcast of action-packed adventures.

Listeners will be introduced to characters, Cleo Proctor (Charlie Craggs), Abby McPhail (Lois Chimimba) and Shawna Thompson (Holly Quin-Ankrah) – alongside some familiar faces including the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), Rani Chandra, Kate Stewart, Petronella Osgood and Madame Vastra.

Doctor Who: Redacted follows Cleo, Abby and Shawna - three broke university drop-outs from different cities across the UK who remain connected via their paranormal conspiracy podcast, ‘The Blue Box Files’. The trio speculates over Abby’s favourite conspiracy theory – intent on finding out the truth behind the mysterious ‘Blue Box’ that keeps cropping up across history. What if this random police public call box was actually an alien ship?

They don’t know who the Doctor is, or if aliens are real, but soon find themselves caught in a supernatural conspiracy as they learn that everyone who’s ever met the Doctor is disappearing and being forgotten. Essentially, they’re being redacted from reality. The Blue Box Files is so unsuccessful that our heroes are the last ones to be affected by the redaction, making Cleo, Abby and Shawna the world’s only hope. Now it’s a race against time to uncover the truth.

Set in the Doctor Who universe, the series entangles past and current storylines, cameos from the Doctor’s friends and allies, as well as appearances from monsters and aliens, identifiable to fans and non-fans alike.

Doctor Who: Redacted is scripted by bestselling author Juno Dawson, alongside a host of new and experienced writing talent. The audio drama primarily explores the relationships between ordinary people unknowingly immersed in the Doctor Who universe.

Juno Dawson, lead writer says:

Doctor Who was my first love, and it's an absolute thrill to add to the ever-expanding mythology in podcast form for the first time ever. What a total privilege to write for something so beloved, and put my own little flag on the landscape.

The cast for Doctor Who: Redacted includes Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who), Charlie Craggs, Jacob Hawley, Lois Chimimba (Doctor Who, Vigil), Holly Quin-Ankrah (Coronation Street, Grange Hill), Ken Cheng, Jemma Redgrave (Doctor Who), Ingrid Oliver (Doctor Who), Doon Mackichan (Good Omens, Smack The Pony) and more.

Doctor Who: Redacted is available first on BBC Sounds weekly from April 17th.

Episode 1 will be available following Doctor Who’s Legend of the Sea Devils on Easter Sunday.

FILTER: - Thirteenth Doctor - Production

Legend of the Sea Devils - Trailer

Saturday, 2 April 2022 - Reported by Marcus

The BBC have released a trailer for the upcoming story Legend of the Sea Devils.

Legend of the Sea Devils: TRAILER | Doctor Who

FILTER: - Thirteenth Doctor - Production

Legend of the Sea Devils - Easter Sunday

Friday, 1 April 2022 - Reported by Marcus

Legend Of The Sea Devils (Credit: BBC/Getty Images)

Doctor Who will return to screens worldwide on Sunday 17th April with The Legend of the Sea Devils.

The story is the second in a trio of Doctor Who specials airing in 2022

UK viewers can catch the episode on BBC One or the BBC iPlayer, while in the USA the episode will screen on BBC America.

Other worldwide broadcasts follow shortly afterward.

For details check This Week in Doctor Who

In a swashbuckling special adventure, the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), Yaz (Mandip Gill), and Dan (John Bishop) come face to fin with one the Sea Devils, first seen in the 1972 Third Doctor story.

Why has legendary pirate queen Madam Ching come searching for a lost treasure? What terrifying forces lurk beneath the oceans of the nineteenth century? And did Yaz really have to dress Dan up as a pirate?

The final Doctor Who episode starring Jodie Whittaker will be screened in the Autumn as part of the celebrations making 100 years of the BBC.

FILTER: - Broadcasting - Thirteenth Doctor

Record Store Day - Dead Air

Tuesday, 1 March 2022 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Demon Records are to release the Tenth Doctor audio adventure Dead Air for the next Record Store Day event on 23 April 2022.

Originally released in 2010, this new vinyl pressing of the story, written by James Goss and narrated by David Tennant, will be across two 140g Soundwave Green vinyl discs.

Hot on the heels of a creature that exists through sound, the Doctor lands on a pirate radio station boat in the late 1960s. The creature has already killed some of the DJs, and the Doctor befriends the survivors. But then the lights go out, and a desperate race for survival begins. Who can the Doctor trust in the dark?

FILTER: - Merchandise - Audio - Tenth Doctor - Record Store Day - Vinyl

The Pirate Planet to be released on vinyl

Thursday, 17 February 2022 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Demon Records - The Pirate Planet (vinyl)

Demon Records are to release the latest in their Vinyl Who collection of Doctor Who TV soundtracks on 18th March 2022, Season 16 adventure The Pirate Planet:

"The life force is dead! We’re all murderers!"

Demon Records presents the debut Doctor Who adventure by Douglas Adams - creator of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - starring Tom Baker as the Doctor.

On the hunt for the Key to Time, the Doctor, Romana and K9 materialise on the planet Calufrax –or do they? Entangled in local events, they are caught between the bombastic Captain – half-man,half-machine – and the sinister Mentiads. Someone is ransacking whole planets for their wealth,and just as the Doctor discovers who’s behind it another one comes under threat: Earth!

Presented across 2 x 140g Sky Demon Splatter vinyl discs, this 1978 TV soundtrack is narrated by John Leeson, the original Voice of K9. The supporting cast includes Mary Tamm as Romana with Bruce Purchase, Andrew Robertson, David Warwick and Rosalind Lloyd. Incidental music is composed by Dudley Simpson, and the familiar strains of the Doctor Who theme are courtesy ofthe BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

The coloured vinyl LPs are presented in a fully illustrated gatefold sleeve showing cast and credits, and inner bags featuring complete episode billings.

FILTER: - Merchandise - Soundtracks - Fourth Doctor - Vinyl

Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 574

Wednesday, 2 February 2022 - Reported by Marcus

In this month's Doctor Who Magazine, Colin Baker, Bonnie Langford and Russell T Davies reveal the next chapter for the sixth Doctor

Highlights of the new issue include:

An exclusive preview of Mind of the Hodiac (Russell T Davies’ first Doctor Who script) ahead of its Big Finish release, with contributions from Colin Baker, Bonnie Langford, Russell, Scott Handcock and Emily Cook.
The first installment of a two-part interview with Doctor Who’s outgoing executive producer Matt Strevens.
Visual effects designer Ben Pickles describes his contributions to the Thirteenth Doctor’s era.
Zodiak VFX’s Tamsie Thomas and Myfanwy Harris talk about their award-winning work on Doctor Who.
A tribute to Doctor Who director Michael Ferguson, who passed away in October.
The inside story of how the BBC paved the way for Doctor Who’s long-awaited return in 2005.
Pianist Jess Jurkovic discusses his YouTube project ‘Dudley Simpson IS Doctor Who’.
Collectivity investigates the increasingly sophisticated world of trading cards.
Apocrypha revisits Invasion of the Daleks, a seminal comic strip from 1964’s The Dalek Book.
The Fact of Fiction looks at the 1965 story The Romans.
Public Image analyses the ratings for Eve of the Daleks.
The first part of Hydra’s Gate, a new comic-strip story for the Doctor, Yaz and Dan.
Previews, reviews, news, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser, Sufficient Data and more.

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 574 is on sale from panini.co.uk and WH Smith from Thursday 3 February priced £6.99 (UK). Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £4.99.

FILTER: - DWM - Sixth Doctor

Doctor Who features in most loved BBC Shows of all time

Saturday, 29 January 2022 - Reported by Chuck Foster

As part of the BBC Centenary celebrations, The One Show conducted a viewer poll to discover the most loved BBC TV shows of all time. The results were announced live on Friday evening, revealing Doctor Who to be the second-favourite show in the Corporation's history, only beaten by the ever popular Only Fools and Horses.

The poll featured some 50 programmes showcasing a variety of genre from throughout the BBC's history, as chosen by a panel of experts which included Sara Wallis, Mirror TV Columnist, David Butcher, Radio Times’ Choices Editor, Dick Fiddy, BFI Archive TV Programmer and Hanna Flint, Freelance Critic and MTV Movies Host.

The full Top 20 programmes are:

Only Fools and Horses
Doctor Who
Strictly Come Dancing
Line of Duty
Call the Midwife
Gavin and Stacey
Fawlty Towers
Blackadder
The Morecambe and Wise Show
The Vicar of Dibley
Dad's Army
Planet Earth I and II
Killing Eve
Dinnerladiers
Yes Minister / Yes Prime Minister
Sherlock
The Good Life
Top of the Pops
The Royle Family
Blue Peter

The One Show presenter Alex Jones said:

It’s been a joy to look back and celebrate some classic TV shows from the BBC’s history as part of BBC 100. There’s been an absolutely huge response from our lovely viewers and though we couldn’t fit everything onto the list, our viewers have shown so much love for these classic shows that have connected with them across generations.

The full programme, including articles on many of the shows in the poll and guide through some of the objects illustrating the BBC's history, will be available via the BBC iPlayer for the next four weeks.

FILTER: - BBC - Doctor Who - Awards/Nominations

Season 22 Boxset Announced

Thursday, 20 January 2022 - Reported by Marcus

The BBC has announced that Season 22 of Doctor Who will be available on Blu-ray as the next box-set release.

Season 22 was the first full series starring the Sixth Doctor Colin Baker and companion Peri played by Nicola Bryant

The season saw them face off against a host of classic monsters and villains, including Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, Davros (Terry Molloy) and The Master (Anthony Ainley) – as well as introducing a new female nemesis The Rani (Kate O’Mara) and the villainous slug-like Sil (Nabil Shaban).

The season also featured the return of Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor, and his companion Jamie played by Frazer Hines.

With all episodes newly remastered from the best available sources, this Blu-ray box set also contains extensive and exclusive Special Features including:

Brand New Documentaries: Including a Making-Of documentary for The Two Doctors, and a nostalgic trip back for Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant to Season 22’s filming locations.
In Conversation: Not one but THREE insightful feature-length interviews, with Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant and a surprise guest.
Behind The Sofa: New episodes with actors Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Terry Molloy, Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton, Sylvester McCoy and Wendy Padbury.
Extended Episodes: Including Vengeance On Varos, The Two Doctors (Part One) and Revelation Of The Daleks (Part One).
A Fix With Sontarans: The Doctor and Tegan battle the Sontarans in this special mini-episode.
Updated Special Effects: View Timelash with optional new effects
Exclusive New Audio Commentaries: With Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Alexei Sayle & Terry Molloy on Revelation Of The Daleks and Colin Baker, Janet Fielding & Gareth Jenkins on A Fix With Sontarans.
Immersive 5.1 Surround Sound: On Attack Of The Cybermen, Vengeance On Varos and Revelation Of The Daleks.
The Eternal Mystery: A brand new mini-episode of classic Doctor Who.
Studio Footage: Rare behind-the-scenes material from Vengeance On Varos, The Two Doctors, Timelash and Revelation Of The Daleks.
Convention Footage: Featuring actors Colin Baker and Jacqueline Pearce alongside producer John Nathan-Turner.
Rare Gems From The Archives: BBC archive material including The Colin Baker Years, plus content covering the promotion of the season and the controversial hiatus.
Radio Serial: Slipback, a six-part radio adventure.
HD Photo Galleries: Including many previously unseen images.
Info Text: Behind-the-scenes information and trivia on every episode.
Scripts, Costume Designs, Rare BBC Production Files and other rarities from the PDF Archive

The eight-disc box set also includes hours of special features previously released on DVD.

A specially shot announcement trailer has debuted on the Doctor Who YouTube channel, written by new series contributor Pete McTighe (Kerblam! and Praxeus) and featuring Nicola Bryant back as Peri.

The Eternal Mystery | The Collection: Season 22 Announcement Trailer

The box-set can be pre-ordered on Amazon

FILTER: - Blu-ray/DVD - Season 22 - Sixth Doctor

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