Asylum Screening For Convention Attendees

Sunday, 26 August 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
With just under a week to go to the Power: Reimagined convention in Fareham and with the event date unfortunately clashing with Asylum of the Daleks, attendees - and potential attendees - will be relieved to know that they won't miss out on seeing the Series 7 opening episode.

The convention is being held on Saturday 1st September to celebrate the fan film Power of the Daleks, based on Patrick Troughton's inaugural story as the Doctor, and the event was, of course, arranged long before the BBC decided when to show Asylum of the Daleks.

The convention organisers won't be screening the episode but event attendee Jeremy Bentham has - independently and with the organisers' blessing - found a nearby pub with two 53-inch plasma screens on which the manager has said he is happy to show Doctor Who that evening.

The pub is The Lord Arthur Lee, in West Street, Fareham, which is just a short walk away from where the convention is being held, at Ferneham Hall in Osborn Road.

Please note that the screening of the episode is not connected with the convention, nor is it a launch party as held by Bentham in London in the past, so there is not exclusive use of the pub. It is simply an informal arrangement to ensure that those attending the convention who also want to see the episode "live" that evening can do so.

The first two parts of the fan film, which stars Nick Scovell as the Doctor and features Lisa Bowerman, Nicholas Briggs, and Barnaby Edwards in the cast, have been released via YouTube, with the third and final part due to be webcast at some point next month. The charity convention will see the first showing of the fan reimagining in full on the big screen and in high definition.

Guests at the convention will include Christopher Barry, who directed the original story, and Anneke Wills, who played companion Polly in the six-part adventure. Michael Troughton - son of Patrick and younger brother of David - was also to have been a guest but has had to pull out, citing personal reasons and commitments, say the organisers.

Money raised by the convention will go to Children In Need and Cancer Research UK.





FILTER: - Special Events - Fan Productions - UK - Conventions - Charities

Part Two Of Power Of The Daleks Fan Film Released

Saturday, 14 July 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
The second part of the fan-made reimagining of Power of the Daleks went online this evening.

Directed by Nick Scovell, who also plays the Doctor, the film is an adaptation of Patrick Troughton's first story and also features Nicholas Briggs, Lisa Bowerman, and Barnaby Edwards in the cast.


The third and final instalment will be webcast at some point in September, and with some post-production work remaining to be done the "movie" is currently being billed as a "work in progress".

However, the completed film will be shown in full and in high definition on the big screen at a charity convention to celebrate its making. Power: Reimagined is being held on Saturday 1st September at Ferneham Hall in Fareham, where the production was partially filmed. The organisers stress that entry tickets pay for the convention, while the screening is free and non-profit-making.

Guests currently scheduled to appear at the event (subject to work commitments) are Christopher Barry, the director of the original six-part story, Anneke Wills, who played companion Polly in the TV version, Michael Troughton, who has written a biography about his father, Nicholas Briggs, Barnaby Edwards, and the Doctor Who Restoration Team. Also taking place will be photo and autograph sessions. Props from the remake will be on display too, and money raised by the event will go to Children In Need and Cancer Research UK.

Produced by Rob Thrush, the film has been made by the Doctor Who enthusiasts behind the highly successful Portsmouth stage productions of The Web of Fear, Fury From The Deep, The Evil of the Daleks, and The Dalek Masterplan (the latter renamed from the original), with support from TNT Films and music by Martin Johnson. Although the full version cannot be sold for legal reasons, the film's makers say that it might be uploaded to its YouTube channel at some point.

The Power of the Daleks Facebook page has more details about the film project, with discussions on the Facebook group.





FILTER: - Fan Productions - UK - Online - Conventions - Charities

Fan Publications Update

Monday, 25 June 2012 - Reported by Marcus

Fish Fingers and Custard - Issue 10

Issue 10 of the Doctor Who Fanzine, Fish Fingers and Custard, is out now and can be purchased from the website. In the latest Issue
  • The casting of Jenna-Louise Coleman
  • In Conversation With A Blue Man - An Interview with Simon Fisher-Becker aka Dorium Maldovar
  • Six Appeal - what one Doctor means to a young boy
  • Season 18 - A Breath of Life, or A Strangulation?
  • Which Fan Group Are You?
  • Monster In The Bathroom - A brand new comic
The 44 page issue costs £2 in the UK and £4 for the rest of the world.

VWORP!1

VWORP!1 is a new, unofficial guide to Doctor Who, written from the perspective of an American fan.

Every story from 1963-2011 is summarized, reviewed, and there's an "icon" system throughout the book to help readers spot such things as Dalek stories at a glance. There are also numerous essay pieces and asides which don't cover specific episodes or seasons.

Also covered are the two Peter Cushing movies from the 1960s and the two charity specials from the 1990s (Dimensions In Time, The Curse Of Fatal Death)

The author has two aims for the book: one is to find the good side to every adventure, and the other is to creatively interpret the stories so everything fits in a single timeline with as little use of the "alternate universe"/"unbound" escape hatch as possible.

A sequel, VWORP!2, is planned for 2013 and will cover the 2012-2013 seasons of Doctor Who, the various spinoffs (Torchwood, SJA, K-9), and Big Finish audios.

The official page for the book can be found here




FILTER: - Fan Productions

Fan Round-Up

Sunday, 10 June 2012 - Reported by Marcus

Inferno Fiction - Issue Eleven

The latest issue of Inferno Fiction is now available on the Inferno Fiction Website.
  • DUST by the bunny in the tardis
    While buried beneath the rubble and dust of a collapsed building, the Doctor meets bel-Keegan who yearns to escape her home world and visit the planet Earth. Is the Doctor the answer to her desires?
  • A NIGHT AT THE OPERA by Jonathan Whitelaw Having taken Ace to see the premier of Wagner's Ring Cycle, the Doctor finds himself reflecting on mankind's place in the fabric of the universe itself.
  • THE FOUNTAIN OF MATURITY by Shams Uddin
    The Doctor is intrigued to discover a future Earth colony, where the adults go to school and the youngest are the wisest. But why are Amy and Rory suddenly behaving like children?
  • SETTING STONES by Alasdair I. Shaw
    On the ancient world of Gallifrey one of it's sons has a decision to make before the sun set.
  • PRICELESS JUNK by Stellar Explorer
    Bessie breaks down while en route to aide the Brigadier and his men but a chance find in a junk shop sends the Doctor on a trip across the universe.
  • THE CULT OF VARTAX by Will Barber
    The Doctor's arrival aboard a prison ship reactivates The Cult of Vartax from their cryogenic sleep, the leader of which holds a deadly secret.

The Doctor Who Fan Orchestra

The Doctor Who Fan Orchestra are proud to present their fourth collaboration: "Dalek Suite".

The suite contains all of the main Dalek themes by Murray Gold from Series One to Five and is available on YouTube

The Doctor Who Fan Orchestra invites musical fans of Doctor Who to take part in an online collaborative celebration of Murray Gold's music. Participants submitted recordings for this work from February to May 2012. The final mix includes a total of 196 submissions from 174 individual participants, ranging in age from 10 to 60, and who are located in at least 20 different countries across the world.

Eleventh Hour

A new fanzine based on Matt Smith's first season is now available.

Eleventh Hour, published by Reverse the Polarity Productions, features interviews with Toby Haynes, Ian McNeice, Andrew Gunn, Phil Ford, Simon Fisher Becker, Oli Smith, Ray Holman, Tony Lee, Justin Richards, and Barnaby Edwards who all discuss their time on Series Five.

Whovians Matt Powell and Tom Shearsmith examine the series with reviews and tales from around the viewing of the show alongside readers opinions.

Plus a series of reviews and features and in depth profiles of the lead characters of the season. .

And Series Five cosplayers discuss their work in detail including comments from renowned 11th Doctor lookalike Matt Elliot and much more.

Order details can also be found on the website.

The Doctor Who Fan Group Map

A map of regional fan groups celebrating Doctor Who has been posted by Alan McWhan of Glasgow Who.




FILTER: - Fan Productions

Fanz Discount

Sunday, 10 June 2012 - Reported by Marcus

The Fanz team are offering readers of Doctor Who News a 10% discount on their first Fanz release.

The geek based sitcom, with adult themes was released last month, and is the story of a Doctor Who, sci-fi fan group. Cool, progressive, sophisticated, calm and collected - these are just some of the things they wish they were.

To claim the discount visit the site at comedypunkz.bandcamp.com, and choose between a download or CD version. Simply enter the discount code on the checkout page gboffer01. This offer is available for one week, expiring on the 17th June.




FILTER: - Fan Productions

Fan Round-up

Sunday, 20 May 2012 - Reported by Marcus

The Finished Product - Issue Nine

The latest issue of the unofficial Big Finish fanzine, The Finished Product, has now been released, with a cover by Vworp Vworp's Colin Brockhurst.
Issue nine concentrates on the second run of adventures for the Doctor and Charley, from Invaders From Mars to Neverland, plus the 40th anniversary special Zagreus.

The magazine has exclusive interviews with the producers, directors, writers and actors who appeared in this much-loved run of stories. Plus, Mark Gatiss looks back on Invaders From Mars 10 years after its release, Justin Richards reconciles The Time of the Daleks with The Shakespeare Code, and there's the full story on how THAT voice appeared in Zagreus.

Issue 10, due out next month, will feature the Divergent Universe series, from Scherzo to The Next Life. Purchasers have the chance to enter a charity raffle to support Pancreatic Cancer Scotland to win a signed copy of the part one script for The Natural History of Fear!

Contact thefinishedproduct@hotmail.co.uk for more information.

Fanz

A new geek based sitcom, Fanz has been released on audio CD from ComedyPunkz.

Before "Big Bang Theory", before "Outland", at the same sort of time as "Spaced" and before any other geek based comedy you can think of after 1999, Fanz, the original and best geek sitcom returns with the first episode in a brand new series, Fanz 1.1 Episode 3.

Johnathan, Tom, Cindy, Graham, Kate and Kris. Collectively known as Fanz, they are a Dr Who, sci-fi fan group. Cool, progressive, sophisticated, calm and collected - these are just some of the things they wish they were. This is their story.....

The town is rocked by a mysterious boat rocking epidemic as rejects from the Portuguese police force roam the streets, brutally failing to arrest anybody. But worse than that – the brewery has decided to shut down Fanz’s pub. . .and even a stiff letter of mild complaint won’t change their mind. But Graham has an idea that can fix everything.

NB: (This is an adult comedy and contains strong language and general naughtiness from the start)
To accompany the release of this story, ComedyPunkz are running two competitions, one each on Twitter and Facebook. See website for details.

Possibilities

The short fan-film Possibilities, which was mentioned in the Doctor Who Fanz documentary, is to be shown at Phoenix Comicon this coming memorial day weekend. The film will be shown as part of the fan-film presentation between 10.30 and 1.30 on the Friday of the event.

The 15-minute film was filmed at familiar locations around London in late summer 2004 and is a collaborative effort featuring the students from Realtime Pictures Megeve Experiment and directed by award-winner Neil Oseman, also principal photographer on Daemos Rising.

The full film has been viewable on YouTube for a while and an accompanying making-of feature is now available.

The Television Movie

The co-executive producer of the 1996 Television Movie Philip Segal has passed on several items from his collection to fan Paul Salamoff, the owner of the 1996 TARDIS console. Salamoff was part of the team behind the recent restoration of the Paul McGann TARDIS which was visited by Segal at the Gallifrey One Convention in February.

Items passed on include the Doctor’s bag (with props), an original sonic screwdriver prop, one of the staffs from the Eye of Harmony and a stunningly beautiful Doctor Who chess set made in 1993 by the Danbury Mint.





FILTER: - Fan Productions

Fan Productions

Sunday, 29 April 2012 - Reported by Marcus

Plaything of Sutekh - Issue One

Plaything of Sutekh is a new A5 Doctor Who fanzine covering all eras of the series with 40 pages and colour covers with artwork throughout. The magazine can be ordered from the website

  • What Did the Sixties Do For Who? – a look at how the Troughton era of Doctor Who reflected the changes facing Britain in the late 60s
  • Franks’s Who – the lasting influence of Frank Bellamy’s Radio Times art on Doctor Who illustration.
  • Secret Who – we re-evaluate a clutch of less popular stories and find there’s more to them than meets the eye: Underworld, The Krotons and The Android Invasion. They're better than you may think!
  • Accidental Art – while Nation and Adams were pulling in opposite directions, Ken Grieve’s innovative approach raised Destiny of the Daleks above the norm.
  • A New Direction? – a look at the evolution of Doctor Who under Steven Moffat
  • DWDVD – recent DVD releases Invasion of the Dinosaurs and The Daemons
  • Return of the King – a look at (or a listen to) Tom Baker’s return as the Doctor in Big Finish audios


Time Leech Charity Edition

Time Leech Charity Edition Featuring the tenth incarnation of the Doctor, Time Leech is a compilation of a three-part web comic originating on the Kasterborous Doctor Who news and reviews website.

This compilation is being released as a non-profit project, with all proceeds being split 50-50 between the annual Children in Need event and the Association for International Cancer Research (AICR), of which David Tennant is patron.

Created by Christian Cawley and Brian Terranova, Justin Abbot and Rick Lundeen, cover art is Martin MacIntosh, with additional credits to Colin Brockhurst and former Doctor Who Magazine editor John Freeman, who advised on the project.

A 30 page adventure through time and space, the comic strip originated as a project to find a new comic book artist.

Time Leech will be available for £4.99 plus p&p, or £7.99 plus p&p for overseas readers.

The ebook version is available CBR and PDF and can be purchased for 99p. The electronic version is available now from the website; the printed comic will be available to purchase from mid-May 2012.

Well At Least It's Free

Well At Least It's Free
Well At Least It's Free is a book compiling fanzine and website articles by fan writer Tim Worthington.

Including
  • An overview of the sixties historicals
  • A robust defence of The Underwater Menace
  • An epic-length look at The Daleks' Master Plan
  • Thoughts on the Russell T. Davies era.
Also articles on The Tripods, The Box Of Delights, and Barry Letts' adaptation of Pinocchio.

Well At Least It's Free is available in print and eBook form, and you can read more about it at Tim Worthington's blog.

Clips

Dave Clipson has sent us his animation featuring a Dalek and a Cyberman transforming into R2-D2 and C-3PO.




FILTER: - Fan Productions

Audio Roundup

Sunday, 15 April 2012 - Reported by John Bowman

AudioGo:

The Doctor is well and truly in the dark in two May releases from AudioGO.

The classic-era audio release Doctor Who: The Sensorites, which was novelised by Nigel Robinson, is read by William Russell, who played Ian Chesterton in the original TV serial.
sensorites150The TARDIS materialises on board a dark and silent spaceship. As the Doctor, Susan, Ian, and Barbara penetrate the craft's eerie gloom they come across what appear to be the bodies of two dead astronauts.

But the astronauts are far from dead - they are living in mortal fear of the Sensorites, a race of telepathic creatures from the Sense-Sphere.

When the lock of the TARDIS is stolen, the Doctor is forced into an uneasy alliance with the aliens. And when he arrives on the Sensorites' planet he discovers that it is not only the humans who have cause to be afraid ...
 
Written specially for audio by Steve Lyons, Day of the Cockroach features the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, and Rory and is read by Arthur Darvill.
Cockroach
The TARDIS materialises in a pitch-dark tunnel, where the Doctor, Amy, and Rory discover the corpse of a soldier.

When they are questioned by his superior officer, Colonel Bowe, they learn that they are inside a British nuclear bunker in the middle of an atomic war – in 1982.

Amy and Rory weren't even born then but they know the bomb didn't drop that year, and so does the Doctor. The friends also know they had nothing to do with the soldier's death – so who, or what, was the killer? And why does the Doctor's psychic paper not work on the colonel?

The Doctor, Amy, and Rory soon learn that something else is lurking in the shadows. Something deadly ...
 

Both Doctor Who: The Sensorites and Day of the Cockroach are released on 1st May in download form and on 3rd May as CDs. The Sensorites CD release can be pre-ordered here and the Day of the Cockroach CD release pre-ordered here.


drwhosounds150
outofthisworld150
From stories to sound effects, and AudioGO has teamed up with Discovery Records for a limited-edition reissue of two 1970s vinyl LPs featuring the work of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

Out of This World and Doctor Who Sound Effects have been digitally remastered for re-release on coloured vinyl on 21st April to coincide with Record Store Day.

Doctor Who Sound Effects, first released in 1978, features the ambience of seven alien worlds as well as some extraordinary and extra-dimensional occurrences encountered on Earth. Add to these an audiogram of the Doctor's own mind processes, TARDIS operations, plus some weapons for self-defence and your galactic safety is ensured.

Out of This World
, first released in 1976, includes tracks of memorable sound effects created for a wide range of BBC radio and TV programmes in three categories: Outer Space, which includes elements from Doctor Who; Magic and Fantasy, and Suspense and the Supernatural. Many of them are designed to evoke supernatural soundscapes rather than specific activities or locations, with titles such as Galactic Travel, Magic Carpet Flight, and Phantoms of Darkness.
Both albums are being reissued with their original sleeve artwork and notes.

Martin Cobb, of Discovery Records, told Doctor Who News:
Record Store Day is an event where participating indie stores have access to a number of exclusive releases, mainly on vinyl.

The exclusivity lasts for about six weeks and they are only allowed to start selling on Record Store Day itself. Customers have to queue up on the day - they cannot reserve items in advance.

People will only be able to get these records from participating stores on 21st April and thereafter - if any are left. If the titles sell through the limited-edition coloured-vinyl quantity of 1,000 copies we may consider pressing them on black vinyl - it depends on interest.

The Scarifyers:

Philip Madoc can be heard in his last acting role in the forthcoming new Scarifyers audio play The Horror of Loch Ness.

The Cosmic Hobo Productions drama, to be released on June 4th as a double CD and download, also stars David Warner and Terry Molloy.

cover_front_LNCelebrated speed ace Sir Malcolm Campbell (Alex Lowe) is carrying out speed trials on Loch Ness when a bank of fog suddenly descends. When it lifts, Sir Malcolm and his boat have mysteriously vanished . . .

MI:13's Harry Crow (Warner) and Professor Dunning (Molloy) are soon shaking up the sleepy loch-side village of Inverfarigaig. Aided by kindly local GP Dr Pippin (Madoc), they discover a connection to the erstwhile Laird of Boleskine and Abertarff - occultist, bon vivant, and occasional nudist Aleister Crowley (David Benson).

Crow and Dunning swiftly realise that there's more to Inverfarigaig than meets the eye: fraudulent Nessie-hunters, demonic bed sheets, Caledonian witches, and things that go bump in the night. Joined by Crowley, their investigations into Sir Malcolm's disappearance will lead them into terrible danger, as an old foe threatens to unleash ... The Horror of Loch Ness.
 
Simon Barnard, of Cosmic Hobo Productions, said:
This is the seventh adventure of The Scarifyers and The Horror of Loch Ness is a sequel of sorts to The Devil of Denge Marsh. Recorded in late 2011, it was, sadly, the last acting role of esteemed Welsh actor Philip Madoc, who died last month. It will be broadcast as part of a special Philip Madoc tribute season by BBC Radio 4 Extra later this year.

Planet Skaro:

Planet Skaro Audios has released its Season Four finale, The Next Universe - a three-part adventure by Si Hunt and Simon Hart.
NextUniverse
The Clear Waters Appreciation Society is on the hunt for its nemesis: he who caused the society's show to be cancelled! The society has acquired a time machine and vowed to track him down but there's just one problem - the Doctor is nowhere in time and space! Has someone else beaten the society to the destruction of its oldest enemy?
 

A trailer for the story is available here.

Episode 1: Why is the Doctor disappearing out of all his time streams? And what is wrong with time?

Episode 2: Can the two Doctors and his companions survive the deadly game of Rassilon?

Episode 3: Far in the future a deadly trap waits for the Doctor, but who's really behind it?

Planet Skaro Audios was started six years ago, and spokesman Richard Brinck-Johnsen said:
It's been a long journey, from Massanicassa and Ice Warriors to Tor Garane and Father Christmas! Friends have been lost and enemies made but now, at last, the story is at an end. Featuring many returning characters, running right through all of the previous 22 Planet Skaro audio productions, this is a watershed moment for the series, but for the Doctor the end is only the beginning!

Following on from the climactic events of The Next Universe, the fifth season of Planet Skaro audios is due to begin next month. For the latest updates and to find out more about all the earlier releases visit the Planet Skaro discussion forum.




FILTER: - Merchandise - Arthur Darvill - Fan Productions - Audio

Power of the Daleks - Part One

Saturday, 14 April 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Episode One of the new production of Power of the Daleks has now been released online. Created by the team behind the stage versions of Evil of the Daleks and The Dalek Masterplan, the production has been made with support from TNT Films with music by composer Martin Johnson, and featuring Nick Scovell once again assuming the role of The Doctor.


Episode two of the three-part reimagining will be made available on Saturday 14th July, with the final part scheduled for release on an as-yet-unspecified date.

You can find out more about the project from the Power of the Daleks Facebook Page and discussions on their Facebook Group.

A charity convention, Power: Reimagined, will be taking place in September to celebrate the production, with special guests including star of the original television production Anneke Wills. Proceeds from the event will be donated to Cancer Research UK and Children in Need.





FILTER: - Fan Productions

Power Of The Daleks Fan Film Convention To Be Held

Friday, 9 March 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
A charity convention celebrating the fan film Power of the Daleks is to be held later this year.

The film, made by the Doctor Who enthusiasts behind the highly successful Portsmouth stage productions of The Web of Fear, Fury From The Deep, The Evil of the Daleks, and The Dalek Masterplan (the latter renamed from the original), adapts and reimagines Patrick Troughton's inaugural story.

Starring Nick Scovell as the Doctor and also featuring Nicholas Briggs, Lisa Bowerman and Barnaby Edwards in the cast, it is to be shown online in three mini-episodes in April, July, and September, but will receive a full showing on the big screen at the Power: Reimagined convention. Entry tickets pay for admission to the convention but the screening of the film is free and non-profit-making.

Teasers and a trailer for the film plus mini-documentaries about its making can be seen on the group's official YouTube channel. The trailer, which was released last Christmas, can also be seen below.



The convention takes place on Saturday 1st September at Ferneham Hall in Fareham and guests announced so far (work permitting) are Michael Troughton, who has recently published a biography about his father, and the Doctor Who Restoration Team, with more to come.

Also taking place during the day will be talks by cast and crew from the original series and remake, as well as photo and autograph sessions. Props from the remake will be on display too.

Money raised by the convention will go to Cancer Research UK and Children In Need.





FILTER: - Fan Productions - UK - Conventions - Charities