Bedford Charity Con 4

Saturday, 3 March 2018 - Reported by Marcus
Bedford Charity Con 4Bedford Who Charity Con 4 is offering readers of Doctor Who News a 10% Discount off tickets to the charity event.

The Convention takes place on Saturday 7th April with a mixture of panel interviews, signings, photo sessions.

Once costs are paid, everything made at the convention goes to Bedford Foodbank, who provide emergency food for 600 local children and adults every month.

Bedford Who Charity Cons are a fairly recent addition to the convention scene, but they've established themselves a niche for being friendly, informal and relaxed events. With around 200 people in the audience, their relatively small scale gives them an intimate atmosphere.

Guests this year are Colin Baker, Sophie Aldred, John Leeson, Angela Douglas (Doris Lethbridge-Stewart), Elen Thomas (who played a large number of the aliens in Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant stories) and Mike Tucker, the BAFTA award-winning special effects designer.

The normal ticket prices are £42.50 for adults, £22.50 for 14-18-year-olds, and £15 for under 14s. Readers of Doctor Who News can, though, receive 10% off their tickets.

To take advantage of this offer, please email Simon Danes on info@bedfordwhocharitycon.co.uk , saying that you read about the event on Doctor Who News

For more details about the day, please go to the official Website or the Facebook page.




FILTER: - Charities - Conventions

#Who Against Guns

Friday, 2 March 2018 - Reported by Marcus
Who Against GunsA group of Doctor Who fans have got together to raise money for organizations committed to ending gun violence, using the hashtag #WhoAgainstGuns

The campaign follows the murder of 17 high school students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. the latest in a number of mass shooting incidents in the United States.

To raise money representatives of over 40 Doctor Who podcasters, writers and fans will be taking part in a special podcast commentary of the 1969 Patrick Troughton story The War Games.

Supporters of the project, which has already raised neary $4,000, include writers Paul Cornell (Human Nature, Father’s Day), Jamie Mathieson (Oxygen, Flatline) Andrew Smith (Full Circle) and Peter Harness (The Zygon Invasion, Kill The Moon). They will be joining comic artists Rachael Stott (Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor) and Simon Fraser (Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor) along with representatives of the popular Doctor Who podcasts Radio Free Skaro, Verity!, Reality Bomb, Coal Hill AV Club, Mutter’s Spiral, Gallifrey Public Radio, TARBIS, Web of Queer, Who and Company, bloggers and fans.

Former showrunner Steven Moffat has also offered his support, and will record an additional commentary if the amount raised exceeds $7,000 by 12th March.

The podcast will be released to listeners who provide a donation of at least $10 to an organization committed to ending gun violence.

Recomended organisations include Once you’ve made your donation, send a copy of your receipt to gallifreystands@realitybombpodcast.com and you’ll get information on how to download your special commentary podcast later in March.




FILTER: - Charities - Fan Productions

Roger Delgado - Born 100 Years Ago Today

Thursday, 1 March 2018 - Reported by Marcus
Roger Delgado (Credit: BBC)Moments in Time
Today marks the 100th aniversary of the birth of one of the greatest of all Doctor Who villains, the original Master, Roger Delgado.

Roger Delgado was a mainstay of the series during the early 1970's, first appearing in the 1971 Robert Holmes story Terror of the Autons.

The character was created by producer Barry Letts and Script Editor Terrance Dicks to act as a foil to the Third Doctor as played by Jon Pertwee, a Moriarty to the Doctor's Sherlock Holmes

He appeared in every story of Season 8, even at times eclipsing the Doctor, much to Pertwee's annoyance. With Jo Grant played by Katy Manning aiding the Doctor, and the team of UNIT fully established, the series settled into the pattern of The Master plotting to bring about the downfall of the human race only to be thwarted by the Doctor at the last minute.

His appearances in Season Nine were less frequent, but he still managed to appear in twelve out of the 26 episodes. His final appearance was the following year, in the 1973 story Frontier In Space. His premature death in a car accident in Turkey robbed the series of one of its classic villains and the cast of one of their closest friends. We never got to see the final showdown between the Third Doctor and The Master and the character disappeared from the series for many years. His death contributed to Pertwee's decision to depart the series after Season 11

Roger Delgado was born Roger Caesar Marius Bernard de Delgado Torres Castillo Roberto on 1st March 1918. Although his mother was Belgian and his father was Spanish, he was born in Whitechapel, in the East End of London, and within the sound of the Bow Bells, making him a true cockney. He served in the Second World War with both the Leicestershire Regiment and the Royal Signals, attaining the rank of major

He made his theatre debut in 1939 and his first television appearance in 1948. For the next 25 years, he specialised in evil European types with roles such as the duplicitous Spanish envoy Mendoza in Sir Francis Drake and Don Jose in Queen's Champion. He appeared in The Three Musketeers, Nom-de-Plume, The Buccaneers, Huntingtower, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Hancock's Half Hour, Biggles, The Odd Man, Triton, Richard the Lionheart, Ghost Squad, Seeing and Believing, The Man in the Iron Mask and Z-Cars. He made 16 appearances in ITC produced action series, including Danger Man, The Saint, The Champions, and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased).

He was killed while on location in Turkey, whilst shooting La Cloche tibétaine a Franco/German TV mini-series when the car in which he was traveling went off the road into a ravine.

He was 55 years old.

Psychedelic Electrical Storm | The Claws of Axos




FILTER: - Classic Series - Moments in Time

Enemy of the World - Release Delayed

Wednesday, 28 February 2018 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who: The Enemy of the World (Credit: BBC Worldwide)
BBC Worldwide have delayed the release of the DVD The Enemy of the World - Special Edition by one week.

The title will now be released on the 26th March.

Full details of release here.




FILTER: - Blu-ray/DVD - Classic Series - Second Doctor

Peter Miles 1929-2018

Tuesday, 27 February 2018 - Reported by Marcus
The actor Peter Miles has died at the age of 89

Peter Miles made three memorable appearances in Doctor Who.

In 1970 he played Dr. Lawrence in the second Third Doctor story The Silurians. Lawrence was the director of the Wenley Moor nuclear research facility, who refused to cooperate with UNIT's investigations. He met a memorable death when he succumbed to the Silurian virus.

He returned to the series in 1974, playing Professor Whitaker, the scientist responsible for flooding London with Dinosaurs, in Invasion of the Dinosaurs. He again met a sticky end when he was transported back to his desired 'Golden age'.

Peter Miles as Nyder (Credit: BBC)His final appearance came just a year later in the classic story Genesis of the Daleks. His chilling performance as Nyder, second in command to Michael Wisher's Davros, helped elevate the story to classic status. Who can forget the moment he switched sides after pretending to join the rebels - "Thank you, that’s what I wanted to know”

It was a role he relished and one he returned to in the Big Finish audio play Guilt and in two versions of the stage play The Trial of Davros.
Peter Miles had a long career in British television. His first recorded appearance was in 1968 in Armchair Theatre. Appearances followed in series such as Softly Softly, Dixon of Dock Green, Paul Temple, Colditz, Moonbase 3, Within These Walls, New Scotland Yard, Survivors, Poldark, The Eagle Has Landed, Z Cars, Warship, Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic, Blake's 7, Blake's 7 and Bergerac

He also appeared in the 1993 BBC Radio Third Doctor play, The Paradise of Death, playing Tragan alongside Jon Pertwee and Elisabeth Sladen, as well as several Big Finish Productions.

The news that Peter Miles had died was released on his official Twitter page.
It is with great sadness that I have to inform you Peter passed away peaceful at home, last week at the age of 89. He didn’t suffer & was full of his usual love of life last time we spoke. Thank you all for your interest in Peter, it meant a lot to him, he was always touched.




FILTER: - Classic Series - Obituary

Black Archive Announces new Range Editor

Monday, 26 February 2018 - Reported by Marcus
Obverse Books have announced the appointment of Paul Simpson as a new Range Editor for the Black Archive, the series of critical monographs on individual Doctor Who stories

Simpson is currently managing editor of Sci-Fi Bulletin and has been helping out behind the scenes with the Black Archive. He joins the team as the range expands to a monthly schedule and gains a sister series, the Silver Archive, covering shows other than Doctor Who.

Simpson is an experienced editor and author, with over 30 books to his credit, and editorial experience with Titan, BBC and Virgin Books, as well as DreamWatch and Star Trek Magazine.

Stuart Douglas, publisher of the Black Archive, said:
When we realised that we would need to take on a third Range Editor to cope with our new schedule, Phil and I both immediately thought of Paul. His wide and detailed knowledge of genre television has already proven invaluable on previous Archives, and I'm very much looking forward to see what he can bring out of our authors as editor.
Phil Purser-Hallard, the Black Archive’s founding Range Editor, said:
I’m delighted that Paul’s stepping up his involvement in the Black Archive – he’s an excellent editor, and a wise and knowledgeable Doctor Who fan. With our increased output of titles this year and into 2019, we will be relying on him to help us maintain the high standards our readers have come to expect.
Paul Simpson himself is delighted to be joining the team.
Even for someone who's been a fan of Doctor Who since the late 1960s, the Black Archive has been a constant source of new ways of looking at the show, and I'm looking forward to working with Stuart, Jim, Phil and the writers on the forthcoming Archives.




FILTER: - Books

Doctor Who Experience leaves Cardiff with £1 Million Bill

Friday, 23 February 2018 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Experience Logo - 2014Cardiff council taxpayers have been left with a 1.1 million pound bill following the closure of the Doctor Who Experience, which ran in the city for five years.

The building housing the experience was built by Cardiff City Council, using money from the Welsh Government's Invest to Save Fund, which provides financial support, on a competitive and repayable basis, to public service organisations across Wales. The cost of £2.4 million, was intended to be repaid by receiving a percentage of the exhibition ticket sales. However, it appears that ticket sales were not sufficient for the council to cover its costs, leaving ratepayers to pick up the shortfall.

Councillor Russell Goodway, Cardiff's cabinet member for investment and development, said
In 2011 when the deal was done to subsidise the Doctor Who attraction in order to bring it to Cardiff, the then-administration worked on the basis of ambitious projections for visitor numbers. Unfortunately the projected visitor numbers failed to materialise leaving the shortfall which should have been made up in ticket sales. This has left the council having to make up the £1.1m which will have to be absorbed by the council's budget. We are, however, working on plans for the building with the Welsh Government although nothing has yet been finalised.
The building, next door to the BBC Studios at Cardiff Bay, has been empty since the exhibition closed last September.

A spokeswoman for BBC Worldwide said:
The Doctor Who Experience was enjoyed by fans for five years in Cardiff Bay during its lease with Cardiff Council.The lease ran for its full, five year term and there was no additional loan agreement. We cannot comment on Cardiff Council's own business plan in relation to the site.
Adrian Robson, leader of the Conservative opposition on Cardiff Council said:
I still don't know how we managed to lose over a million pounds on Doctor Who. Somewhere the council and [BBC Worldwide] have not got their projections right for visitor numbers. It's very strange because this is a global brand.
Thanks to Laura Clements




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Exhibitions

New Target Novalisations

Friday, 23 February 2018 - Reported by Marcus
The BBC has announced the first Target novelisations of episodes from the revived post-2005 series of Doctor Who.

Both former showrunners, Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat, will be writing novelisations of their own episodes to be published by BBC Books, under the Target imprint, to be published on the 5th April 2018.

The series will also see the first Target novelisation of a Douglas Adams story.

In the 1970's and 1980's Target books were published for most Doctor Who stories, and were the only way most fans of the series could relive the television adventures. Many came to the series through the novelisations, often written by the original script writer.

Rose (Credit: BBC Books)ROSE
RUSSELL T DAVIES


In a lair somewhere beneath central London, a malevolent alien intelligence is plotting the end of humanity. Shop window dummies that can move – and kill – are taking up key positions, ready to strike. Rose Tyler, an ordinary Londoner, is working her shift in a department store, unaware that this is the most important day of her life. She’s about to meet the only man who understands the true nature of the threat facing Earth, a stranger who will open her eyes to all the wonder and terror of the universe – a traveller in time and space known as the Doctor.



Russell T Davies is one of the UK's foremost writers of television drama, creating ground breaking shows such as Queer as Folk, Bob & Rose, Casanova, Cucumber, The Second Coming, and in 2018, A Very English Scandal for BBC One.

He was Head Writer and Executive Producer of Doctor Who when it returned to the BBC in 2005 and has written many of the new series' most memorable episodes. He was awarded an OBE in 2008 for services to drama. He divides his time between Cardiff and Manchester.
The Day of the Doctor (Credit: BBC Books)THE DAY OF THE DOCTOR
STEVEN MOFFAT


The Tenth Doctor is hunting shape-shifting Zygons in Elizabethan England. The Eleventh is investigating a rift in space-time in the present day. And one other – the man they used to be but never speak of – is fighting the Daleks in the darkest days of the Time War. Driven by demons and despair, this battle-scarred Doctor is set to take a devastating decision that will threaten the survival of the entire universe … a decision that not even a Time Lord can take alone.

On this day, the Doctor’s different incarnations will come together to save the Earth … to save the universe … and to save his soul.



Steven Moffat is best known for Press Gang, Coupling, Steven Spielberg’s movie Tintin, and for the last few years being lead writer and executive producer on Doctor Who and for cocreating, co-writing (with Mark Gatiss) and executive producing Sherlock. He has 5 BAFTAs, 2 Emmys and in 2015 was awarded an OBE for services to drama.
The Christmas Invasion (Credit: BBC Books)THE CHRISTMAS INVASION
JENNY T COLGAN


When a British space probe is intercepted by a sinister alien vessel on the eve of Christmas, it marks the beginning of an audacious invasion of the Earth by the Sycorax – horrifying marauders from beyond the stars. Within hours, a third of humanity stands on the brink of death with not a single shot fired.

Our planet needs a champion – but the Doctor is not fit for service. He’s just regenerated, delirious in a new body and a dressing gown. Forced into his battered shoes is his friend, Rose Tyler, a girl from a London council estate. Will she save the world from this nightmare before Christmas – or see it destroyed?



Jenny T Colgan has written 16 bestselling novels as Jenny Colgan, which have sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide, been translated into 25 languages, and won both the Melissa Nathan Award and Romantic Novel of the Year 2013. Aged 11, she won a national fan competition to meet the Doctor and was mistaken for a boy by Peter Davison
TWICE UPON A TIME
PAUL CORNELL


Still reeling from his encounter with the Cybermen, the First Doctor stumbles through the bitter Antarctic wind, resisting the approaching regeneration with all his strength. But as he fights his way through the snowdrifts, he comes across the familiar shape of a blue police box, and a mysterious figure who introduces himself as the Doctor …

Thrown together at their most vulnerable moments, the two Doctors must discover why the snowflakes are suspended in the sky, why a First World War Captain has been lifted from his time stream moments before his death, and who is the mysterious Glass Woman who knows their true name. The Doctor is reunited with Bill, but is she all she seems? And can he hold out against the coming regeneration?



Paul Cornell has written some of Doctor Who's best-loved TV episodes, books and comics. He’s also worked on many other TV shows. His other comics projects include his creator-owned series Saucer State and This Damned Band, and runs on Action Comics, Batman and Robin and Wolverine. He's also the author of the Lychford series of fantasy novellas and the Shadow Police novels. He’s won the British Science Fiction Association Award for his short fiction and the Eagle Award for his comics
CITY OF DEATH
JAMES GOSS


Visiting Paris in 1979, the Doctor and Romana’s hopes for a holiday are soon shattered by armed thugs, a suave and dangerous Count, a plot to steal the Mona Lisa and a world-threatening experiment with time.

Teaming up with a British detective, the Time Lords discover that a ruthless alien plot hatched in Earth’s pre-history has reached its final stage. If Scaroth, last of the Jagaroth, cannot be stopped then the human race is history, along with all life on Earth …



James Goss has adapted three Doctor Who stories by Douglas Adams for BBC Books (City of Death, The Pirate Planet, and The Krikkitmen) and has also written several original Doctor Who and Torchwood books. His novel #Haterz is in development as a motion picture. He's also written for the stage and the radio.




FILTER: - BBC Books - Russell T Davies - Steven Moffat

David Tennant at Charity Premiere

Thursday, 22 February 2018 - Reported by Marcus
David Tennant is to attend the premiere of the comedy film You, Me and Him, raising money for the charity Baby Lifeline.

Tennant will be joined on the red carpet by members of the cast including Faye Marsay, Georgia E Tennant, Sally Phillips and Director Daisy Aitkens for the charity premiere on Saturday 31st March, at Cineworld, Broad Street Birmingham.

David Tennant and key cast will also introduce the film and answer questions.

You, Me & Him is a comedy-drama about a lesbian couple at different points in their lives
High-powered lawyer Olivia (Lucy Punch) is nearly 40 and wants to start a family but her free-wheeling younger partner Alex (Faye Marsay) doesn't share her urgency. What happens next involves recently-divorced neighbour John (David Tennant) and creates a tangled web of consequences, and pregnancies.
Other well-known celebrities from the music, television and radio world also confirmed are, Peter Davison, Ingrid Oliver, Tessie Orange-Turner, Christian Brassington, Jack Savoretti, Nick Owen, Jimmi Harkishin, Jack Cork and Heart West Midlands Breakfast presenters Ed James and Gemma Hill… more to be announced!

David Tennant and Sally Phillips are both Ambassadors for the charity Baby Lifeline’s £5 million Monitoring for Mums appeal to provide maternity and neonatal equipment for maternity services nationally, and the premiere will raise funds for this appeal.

Tickets are available from the website and cost £36.




FILTER: - David Tennant

New Logo Revealed

Tuesday, 20 February 2018 - Reported by Chuck Foster
BBC Worldwide have revealed the new logo to accompany Jodie Whittaker's incarnation of the Doctor.

Doctor Who 2018: Landscape (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide)

Thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker today teased the new series of Doctor Who by unveiling a new logo and insignia for the brand to over 700 of the world’s top TV buyers and international press at BBC Worldwide’s annual showcase event in Liverpool. In an evening devoted to the new incarnation of Doctor Who, Whittaker built excitement in anticipation of the new era of The Doctor, leaving global broadcasters in no doubt as to the sense of wonder, joy and mystery the forthcoming series promises audiences.

The Doctor Who logo is an iconic and powerful trademark for the franchise that is recognised all around the world. The updated logo and insignia mark a new era of WHO. BBC Worldwide commissioned creative agency Little Hawk to create the brand new designs, working closely with Showrunner Chris Chibnall and Executive Producer Matt Strevens.

BBC Worldwide Executive Creative Director, Rafaela Perera says:
The Doctor Who logo and insignia are the quintessential signifier for the brand. Our aim was to create modern and elegant designs that were anchored in the things that we love most about Doctor Who.

Doctor Who 2018: Insignia (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide)
The sound for the animated logo is created by Matthew Herbert. It will launch with a 10 second animation which features the TARDIS blazing a trail through the logo. All official Doctor Who merchandise featuring the new logo will be available at selected retailers from 20th February 2018.





FILTER: - Doctor Who - Jodie Whittaker - Leading News - Press