Doctor Who Marks 60th Anniversary

Thursday, 23 November 2023 - Reported by Marcus

Doctor Who 60 Years (Credit: BBC Studios)

Today, 23rd November 2023, marks 60 years since the first episode of Doctor Who was transmitted.

That first episode, An Unearthly Child, was broadcast at 5.16 pm on BBC Television where it was watched by 4.4 million viewers.

Radio Times - 23rd November 1963

DR. WHO? That is just the point. Nobody knows precisely who he is, this mysterious exile from another world and a distant future whose adventures begin today. But this much is known: he has a ship in which he can travel through space and time although, owing to a defect in its instruments he can never be sure where and when his ' landings ' may take place. And he has a granddaughter Susan, a strange amalgam of teenage normality and uncanny intelligence.

Playing the Doctor is the well-known film actor, William Hartnell, who has not appeared before on BBC-TV. Each adventure in the series will cover several weekly episodes, and the first is by the Australian author Anthony Coburn. It begins by telling how the Doctor finds himself visiting the Britain of today: Susan (played by Carole Ann Ford) has become a pupil at an ordinary British school, where her incredible breadth of knowledge has whetted the curiosity of two of her teachers. These are the history teacher Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill), and the science master Ian Chesterton (William Russell), and their curiosity leads them to become inextricably involved in the Doctor.'s strange travels.

Because of the imperfections in the ship's navigation aids, the four travellers are liable in subsequent stories to find themselves absolutely anywhere in time-past, present, or future. They may visit a distant galaxy where civilisation has been devastated by the blast of a neutron bomb or they may find themselves journeying to far Cathay in the caravan of Marco

Since that first episode was screened the series has become a global success, holding a number of Guinness World Records and becoming one of the BBC's best-known brands.

Overall 871 episodes of the series have been broadcast, not including spin-offs and special celebrity episodes. To watch every single episode back to back would take 17 days, 23 hours, and 54 minutes. Unfortunately, 97 episodes are currently missing from the BBC archive although the audio exists from all episodes.

13 people have taken on the lead role in the series, William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi and Jodie Whittaker.

Today we pay tribute to the thousands of people who have worked on Doctor Who and made it the success it has become, as well as the millions of fans around the world who follow and support the adventures of the excentric Time Lord.

And we look forward to the future, with three special episodes and a brand-new Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, taking us into Doctor Who's 7th decade.

FILTER: - Doctor Who

Radio 2 Celebrates Doctor Who @60

Tuesday, 21 November 2023 - Reported by Marcus

BBC Radio 2 is marking Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary with a number of special programmes available worldwide on BBC Sounds.

Over two new shows, Jo Whiley takes a trip through the Whoniverse to discover the amazing stories behind the rise, fall, and subsequent resurrection of a British institution.

The Classic Years

Whiley hears how the changing attitudes of Britain have been reflected through the TARDIS in a tale that features Dalekmania, Dad’s Army, Mary Whitehouse, Ridley Scott, the Cybermen, Hans Zimmer, the Beatles and the JFK assassination.
With new and archive interviews from Doctors and companions past and present, including Peter Capaldi, Patrick Troughton, William Hartnell, Tom Baker, Jon Pertwee, Sophie Aldred, Bonnie Langford, Peter Davison, Sylvester McCoy, Louise Jameson and showrunner Russell T Davies

The Modern Era

In the concluding part of this documentary, Whiley finds out how despite being cancelled by the BBC, the combination of its fan base, a drinks party and a forgotten BBC sitcom combined to help bring one of Britain's greatest cultural institutions back to our screens. Along the way we hear never before heard tales from the teams behind the hugely successful reboot including Russell T Davies, Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall, plus Doctors and companions past and present including Matt Smith, David Tennant, Jodie Whittaker, Christopher Eccleston, Peter Capaldi, Sophie Aldred, Bonnie Langford, Ncuti Gatwa, Sylvester McCoy, Matt Lucas, John Simm, Billie Piper and Kylie Minogue.

Meanwhile, former Doctors, companions, and alumni of the series, introduce the music that has soundtracked their lives and careers, and talk about their involvement with Doctor Who in a series of 9x My Life In A Mixtapes, featuring:

Peter Davison (the fifth Doctor)
Sylvester McCoy (the seventh Doctor)
Janet Fielding (Tegan)
Bonnie Langford (Mel)
Sophie Aldred (Ace)
Nicholas Briggs (Voice of the Daleks, Cybermen and numerous other monsters)
Segun Akinola (Doctor Who composer during the Jodie Whittaker era)
Ruth Madeley (Doctor Who newcomer)
Plus from the archives, Spiderman star Andrew Garfield (who guest starred in Doctor Who in 2007).

The music of Doctor Who is celebrated in a special concert, recorded at Hoddinott Hall in Cardiff, featuring the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Singers conducted by Alastair King.

The music includes composer Murray Gold's best-known Doctor Who themes, the classic years of Doctor Who are also featured by the Radiophonic Workshop's Mark Ayres and Peter Howell. And there are brand new works premiered including The Woman Who Fell to Earth, a full-length suite composed by Segun Akinola and three of Murray Gold's new works, heard here for the very first time before making their debut in the new season of Doctor Who in 2024.

All episodes of Radio 2 Celebrates Doctor Who at 60 can be found here

And in a bonus episode of the ‘Zoe Ball and Friends’ podcast, David Tennant and Russell T Davies join Zoe to look ahead to the show’s 60th anniversary celebrations

FILTER: - Music - Production

UNIT: A Legacy in Doctor Who / Down in the London Underground

Sunday, 19 November 2023 - Reported by Chuck Foster

"We deal with the odd... the unexplained. Anything on Earth... or beyond.”

Candy Jar Books is pleased to announce details of its second and third books celebrating 60 Years of Doctor Who.

UNIT: A Legacy in Doctor Who explores the rich history of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce – and later Unified Intelligence Taskforce – from its inception under producer and writer Derrick Sherwin, through the UNIT family days of Jon Pertwee’s Doctor, all the way to the Kate and Osgood era of recent years. With UNIT featuring in numerous other media like Reeltime Productions, Big Finish audio, and the Lethbridge-Stewart range from Candy Jar Books, the legacy of UNIT – and its importance to Doctor Who extends beyond its television appearances.UNIT is as much a part of the tapestry of Doctor Who as the Doctor, the TARDIS, or the Daleks. The organisation has been part of the show since the Cybermen first marched down the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral in 1968’s The Invasion, and continue to be one of the Doctor’s closest allies in the battle to save humanity from the galaxy’s greatest threats.

Author, Baz Greenland, believes that the UNIT stories really get to heart of what makes good Doctor Who:

I’ve had the honour to write stories in the Lethbridge-Stewart and Lucy Wilson ranges, but this was something quite special. I’m a huge fan of the Jon Pertwee era and UNIT is a key ingredient in that. Jon Pertwee, Roger Delgado, Nicholas Courtney, Caroline John, Katy Manning, Elisabeth Sladen, Richard Franklin and John Levene all bring such warmth and energy to the show and feature in some absolutely terrific episodes – not just Pertwee’s; The Invasion, Terror of the Zygons and Battlefield are all classics in my eye and UNIT are at the heart of that.

Featuring a retro cover by 100 Objects of Dr Who artist Martin Baines, the book features exclusive interviews with writers and actors John Levene and Sophie Aldred, and explores the development of UNIT, its importance in the Doctor Who mythos and the actors that brought these iconic characters to life – from Nicholas Courtney’s stalwart Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart to Jemma Redgrave’s courageous Kate Stewart.

Baz continued:

It was quite a daunting task to delve into the mythos and creation of UNIT, but it’s been such a treat too. As a big Doctor Who fan, I feel I’ve learned more about the stories, the characters, and the actors that played them and I hope readers of the book will find something new too, that will only strengthen an appreciate for the Brig and UNIT – from 1968, all the way to the modern era as we head into the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who!

Candy Jar’s other release propels the reader right back to the Brig’s first appearance in Doctor Who. Written by popular Lethbridge-Stewart, Lucy Wilson and children’s author George Ivanoff, Down in the London Underground takes a sidestep look at the Brig’s first story, The Web of Fear

George explained:

The idea struck me when I was browsing a copy of Darth Vader and Son, a Star Wars picture book. And I suddenly thought... Candy Jar could do something like this with the Doctor Who characters and creatures they have the rights to use. So, I wrote a pitch. And Shaun jumped at the chance. The book does not feature the Brig, but instead focuses on the Army as it battles the Yeti in the London Underground.

Although aimed at young people, this picture book tries not to dodge the realities shown in The Web of Fear. Head of Candy Jar, Shaun Russell, said:

I am a big fan of the Doctor Who/Mr Men books by Adam Hargreaves and felt that this would be a great way to celebrate Doctor Who’s 60th birthday. This book, however, has a slightly darker side. Death is always present in Doctor Who, and just like Grimms’ Fairy Tales, this story attempts to be a true reflection of the world in which it is set. The Yeti are here to invade, and they take no prisoners.

Down in the London Underground has been also been illustrated by Martin Baines:

I’ve always loved illustrating the Yeti, but this assignment was slightly different. I thought it was very important for my cartoon-like artwork to offset the dark nature of the book. I added a few touches of my own and I hope children and adults will enjoy this chilling adventure.

Both UNIT: A Legacy in Doctor Who and Down in the London Underground are available to pre-order from Csndy Jar Books.

FILTER: - Candy Jar - Books

Classic Doctor Who Now Streaming On Tubi

Thursday, 16 November 2023 - Reported by Marcus

Viewers in the United States and Canada can from today stream over 600 episodes of classic Doctor Who via Tubi.

Audiences will now have access to episodes from the original series as well as the recreated animated versions of stories missing from the BBC archive.

The episodes will be available for free via On-Demand and a dedicated FAST Channel.

Fans can dive into the legacy series by Doctor, as well as through the “New to Who” collection which is a great entry point for new viewers to gently climb into the Tardis.

Doctor Who is the longest-running action-adventure television series in the world spanning 60 years and winning over 100 awards. This quintessentially British show has a huge global following, with 9.6m fans across social platforms/channels and 100m video views on YouTube in the last year alone.

Tubi is the most-watched free TV and movie streaming service in the U.S. As an ad-supported video-on-demand service, the company offers audiences a personalized experience and offers the world’s largest content library of over 200,000 movies and TV episodes, a growing collection of Tubi Originals, and nearly 250 FAST channels. Tubi is part of the Tubi Media Group, a division of Fox Corporation that oversees the company’s digital businesses.

FILTER: - Classic Series - Tubi

The Daleks in Colour - First Look

Tuesday, 14 November 2023 - Reported by Marcus

The BBC has released images from the colourised version of the second Doctor Who story, The Daleks, due to be screened on BBC Four on the 23rd of November 2023.

The story follows the very first crew of the TARDIS as they land in a petrified forest on an alien planet. Determined to explore, the Doctor (William Hartnell) leads his companions into the metal city, where they discover danger at every corner and what will become his deadliest enemy, the mutant Daleks.

Originally broadcast as seven 25-minute episodes, the Terry Nation story has now been edited down to 75 minutes by Benjamin Cook and the result colourised.

With brand new sound and a new score - created by Mark Ayres - The Daleks has been gloriously updated, whilst ensuring the original classic story remains as thrilling as it was when it was first seen back in 1963.

The colorised version will be released on DVD, Blu-ray, and as a Steelbook next February.

This DVD release also includes the original seven episodes in black & white, as they were first broadcast plus a 15-minute exclusive featurette and all special features from the previous release.

The set can be pre-ordered from Amazon.

William Hartnell as The Doctor, Jaqueline Hill as Barbara Wright, William Russell as Ian Chesterton and Carole Ann Ford as Susan (Credit: BBC)

Susan (Carole Ann Ford) and Alydon (John Lee) (Credit: BBC)

Two Daleks plotting the destruction of their enemies the Thals (Credit: BBC)

Jaqueline Hill as Barbara Wright (Credit: BBC)

FILTER: - First Doctor - Season 1

Doctor Who Press Launch

Tuesday, 14 November 2023 - Reported by Marcus

Sylvester McCoy, Russell T Davies and Colin Baker (Credit: Jeff Spicer/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios)

The BBC has published images taken from the Press launch of the three upcoming specials starring David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor.

The launch took place at the refurbished Battersea Power station on the south bank of London's River Thames. The former power station was left as a ruin in the 1964 story The Dalek Invasion of Earth but in this time zone has been repurposed as an entertainment and housing centre with high-end apartments for sale.

The screening was attended by many of the cast and crew of the three specials made by Bad Wolf for the BBC and for Disney +

The event was attended by several stars from the classic series of Doctor Who including Doctors number 6 and 7, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy

Carole Ann Ford, who played the Doctor's Granddaughter Susan in the first series of Doctor Who was there along with Wendy Padbury, Janet Fielding, Nicola Bryant and Sophie Aldred.

The first of the three specials will be shown on BBC One on Saturday 25th November 2023 with the following two specials being seen over the following two weeks.

The specials are expected to be made available outside the UK on Disney Plus shortly after they have been seen in the UK.

FILTER: - Publicity

Nicola Coughlan Joins Doctor Who

Monday, 13 November 2023 - Reported by Marcus

NICOLA COUGHLAN (Credit: James Pardon/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios)

Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan is set to trade the ballroom for the TARDIS, as she joins the cast of Doctor Who.

The Galway-born actress has made a huge impact in film and television having starred in roles such as Clare Devlin in the award-winning drama comedy series Derry Girls, Penelope Featherington in the regency-era international sensation Bridgerton, and not to forget one of the Barbies in mega-blockbuster Barbie, alongside the Fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa.

Coughlan is now set to make a big impact when she takes a trip through time and space in this undisclosed role.

On joining Doctor Who, Nicola Coughlan says:

I’m excited to join the Whoniverse under the leadership of the inimitable Russell T Davies. I’ve been a fan of Ncuti Gatwa for some time and getting to share the screen with him as the Doctor has been an absolute joy

Showrunner, Russell T Davies says:

This has been the most brilliant shoot, with Nicola lighting up the set and bringing joy. From Derry, via Bridgerton, to the TARDIS, it’s the trip of a lifetime.

Nicola Coughlan will appear in Doctor Who next year

Doctor Who returns in November 2023 with three special episodes with David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor to coincide with the 60th anniversary. Ncuti Gatwa’s first episode as the Fifteenth Doctor will air over the festive period.

FILTER: - Doctor Who - Production

Doctor Who in Children in Need

Monday, 13 November 2023 - Reported by Marcus

BBC Children In Need 2023 (Credit: Bad Wolf/BBC Studios)

Doctor Who is set to blast this year’s BBC Children in Need broadcast into outer space with an exclusive scene.

Ahead of the three specials for the 60th anniversary, the brand new exclusive scene will sees David Tennant star as the Fourteenth Doctor who shares an encounter with a mysterious new character, played by actor and comedian Mawaan Rizwan. It is then that the Doctor uncovers an age-old mystery involving one of his oldest foes…

Written by Doctor Who Showrunner Russell T Davies, this other-worldly special is made specifically for BBC Children in Need, just before viewers hop back into the TARDIS for a brand new set of adventures for three special episodes set to coincide with the show’s 60th anniversary this November.

BBC Children in Need viewers will also get a glimpse at the creation of the scene, as newly announced companion series Doctor Who: Unleashed will also feature a special treat as part of the broadcast with an exclusive behind-the-scenes clip.

David Tennant said:

Every year that I was on Doctor Who we did something for BBC Children in Need, so it only feels right to be doing something this year. Children in Need is a national tradition, it’s certainly a BBC tradition and Doctor Who is part of that. I’m so glad we’re able to give Children in Need viewers this little extra treat.

Mawaan Rizwan said

It was such an unbelievable joy to work with my Whoniverse idols David Tennant and Russell T Davies. My inner child was losing his mind on set.

Russell T Davies, Showrunner says

Doctor Who has a fine tradition of supporting BBC Children in Need, and I hope that fans and new viewers alike will be able to watch, enjoy, and contribute to this wonderful cause.

Tune in to BBC Children in Need at 7 pm on Friday 17th November to see the Fourteenth Doctor in his first adventure on BBC One and iPlayer.

Both the exclusive scene, and an extended look behind the making of it, will also be found in the Whoniverse on iPlayer.

FILTER: - Children in Need - Fourteenth Doctor

Bargain Hunt - Doctor Who Special

Friday, 10 November 2023 - Reported by Marcus

A special Doctor Who themed edition of Bargain Hunt will be screened on the 60th Anniversary of the series.

The daytime antique show, presented by Eric Knowles will be shown at 12.15 pm on the 23rd of November on BBC One.

After encountering a Dalek and escaping into a TARDIS, Knowles is transported to a Carmarthen antiques fair where he meets two teams of die-hard fans, each hoping to exterminate their competitors and find some stellar bargains. Their companions for the day are experts Richard Madley and Kate Bliss, both dressed as two well-known Doctors.

But which team will win the cosmic battle to make the biggest profit at auction?

Knowles also chats to a super-fan with an extraordinary and valuable collection of original Doctor Who props, some of which date back to the show’s early days - including alien outfits, Cybermen masks, and of course a dreaded Dalek.

FILTER: - 60th Anniversary

Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 597

Thursday, 9 November 2023 - Reported by Marcus

Issue 597 of Doctor Who Magazine is out today.

Highlights include:

Previews of the new Doctor Who Specials The Star Beast and Wild Blue Yonder.
Tête-à-Tate – Catherine Tate is interviewed (with interruptions from David Tennant!)
A preview of The Daleks in colour.
Madness in the Air – an extensive set report from the recording of The Star Beast, with contributions from cast and crew.
60th-Anniversary poll results – the top 10 revealed.
Neil Patrick Harris is the Toymaker – the man behind the returning villain.
Letter from the Showrunner – Russell T Davies on the Great Seismic Shifts in Doctor Who.
Production Diary – script editor Scott Handcock files his latest report, direct from Doctor Who’s HQ.
Taster Before the Feast – a look forward to tales of Tales of the TARDIS.
Liberation of the Daleks Part Fourteen – the adventures of the Fourteenth Doctor conclude in the epic comic-strip adventure written by Alan Barnes and illustrated by Lee Sullivan.
The Fact of Fiction unlocks the secrets of the acclaimed Twelfth Doctor episode Heaven Sent.
60 Objects, 60 Years – the final instalment of the series that tells the story of one object from every year of Doctor Who’s history.
Gallifrey Guardian – all the latest official news.
Other Worlds – the essential guide to new stories in Doctor Who’s expanded universe.
Previews, reviews, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser and more.