The Prison in Space

Monday, 31 October 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Nothing at the End of the Lane have announced the release of their new scriptbook, The Prison in Space, a 268-page illustrated softcover book about a 'lost' tale of the Second Doctor from 1968 by Dick Sharples.

"You leave this to me. There’s a special technique required in handling women..." - The Doctor

When the TARDIS lands on the rooftop garden belonging to Chairman Babs, the travellers find themselves on a planet ruled by women. Tried and condemned to serve a sentence on an orbiting space prison, the Doctor and Jamie must use their ingenuity to break free and rescue Zoe, who has been conditioned to unquestioningly accept the rule of Chairman Babs...


Eager to inject some humour into the series, producer Innes Lloyd called upon experienced scriptwriter, Dick Sharples, to come up with a story that would inject a lighter tone into Doctor Who. That adventure was The Prison in Space, originally envisioned to write out the character of Jamie and introduce a new companion called Nik - and it's a story that was just a hair's-breadth away from being made.

Contents include:
» Facsimiles of Dick Sharples' original scene breakdown along with all four of his second draft scripts for The Prison in Space, reproduced directly from the original script pages.
» A look at the history, development and cancellation of The Prison in Space by Richard Bignell.
» Reviews of the story by Doctor Who Magazine's original Time Team, Jonathan Morris and Paul Scoones.
» Copies of the original outline, scene breakdown and revised scene breakdown for the story originally intended to follow The Prison in Space, Brian Hayles' second Ice Warrior story, The Lords of the Red Planet.
» Andrew Pixley looks back at the production of Season Six in Winds of Change and tries to make some sense of what we currently understand happened during Troughton's turbulent final series.
» Artwork by Jason Fletcher, Westley Smith and Adrian Salmon.
The book costs £16.50 and orders can be placed through the new Nothing at the End of the Lane website.

(with thanks to Richard Bignell)





FILTER: - Fan Productions - Books - Classic Series

Series 6 Soundtrack

Friday, 28 October 2011 - Reported by Marcus
The soundtrack to Doctor Who Series 6 will be released in the UK on 5th December 2011.

The 2 Disc set from Sliva Screen features music composed by Murray Gold to accompany the sixth full Doctor Who series since the programme returned in 2005.

Final details of the release including the track list are still to be confirmed. The CD is now available to pre-order on Amazon.




FILTER: - Music - Series 6/32

Potential Shada DVD release for 2012

Wednesday, 26 October 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

2|Entertain, via @ClassicDW
2|Entertain have revealed plans for the DVD release of the incomplete Fourth Doctor adventure Shada, which would have been the finale to the seventeenth season back in 1980; commenting on Twitter via ClassicDW:
Plans are to release the SHADA fragments together with MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS in a box filled with other content goodies! Likely 2012.

Development for this DVD includes the usual making-of feature (as illustrated), with Chris Chapman reporting: "To further whet your appetites, our Shada doco is called Death Comes to Time and was shot (mostly) on location in Cambridge!"


The Restoration Team have also continued to reveal tantalising glimpses of DVD development via Twitter; news snippets include:
  • The Sensorites will contain a feature entitles Looking for Peter, a "Who Do You Think You Are?" style documentary on the writer of the story, Peter R. Newman.
  • The Nicholas Courtney documentary will be presented by Michael McManus, friend and co-writer for the actor's auto-biography Still Getting Away With It.
  • Terror of the Zygons is not expected to be released during 2012.

THE REIGN OF TERROR

10 Oct Chris Chapman Editing our Reign of Terror doco today - a particularly
gripping behind the scenes story to tell! Poor old Henric...
10 Oct Chris Chapman Reign of Terror making-of (aka Don't Lose Your Head) coming
together nicely. Now if only I can find a photo of Henric Hirsch!
11 Oct Chris Chapman Back into the Reign of Terror edit - Tim Combe always
fantastic value as an interviewee!
11 Oct Chris Chapman Off-off-line edit of doco 'Don't Lose Your Head' is all done
and now winging its way to my editor Richard Alderson in Newcastle!
18 Oct Chris Chapman My notes on our rough cut of the Reign of Terror doco
include "MORE GUILLOTINE!"
21 Oct Chris Chapman Our Reign of Terror making-of is looking lovely! Really happy
with the story on this one - and all the chopping. :-)
24 Oct Chris Chapman Reign of Terror doco 'Don't Lose Your Head' will go over to ClassicDW
tomorrow - it's turned out a lot better than I thought it would!
26 Oct ClassicDW Further rough cuts to view. This one is from Chris Chapman.
For what revolutionary title it might be for. :) http://t.co/l8w8VtAR
26 Oct Chris Chapman Lovely notes back from ClassicDW for our Reign of Terror doco
'Don't Lose Your Head' - all signed off! :-)

VENGEANCE ON VAROS SE

26 Oct ClassicDW Viewing rough-cut of main VAM for Vengeance on Varos SE, made by
Thomas and Simon Guerrier. http://t.co/gme51Rv2

THE SENSORITES

21 Oct Chris Chapman The Sensorites contents has been announced - including our
new doco 'Looking for Peter' - presented by Toby Hadoke.
21 Oct Chris Chapman It's not a making of... more of a Doctor Who Do You Think You Are!
21 Oct Ed Stradling "Looking for Peter", just announced for The Sensorites
is one of the best DVD docs yet. So Buy it!
25 Oct ClassicDW Moving menus for SENSORITES looking great and signed-off. Oh, no!
Region 4 test discs for UNIT won't play in DVD player. :-)
25 Oct ClassicDW Here's a quick look at one of the menus for THE SENSORITES! http://t.co/Yp4u7HXF

UNIT

25 Oct ClassicDW Crikey! UNIT box test discs arrived today. :) http://t.co/7ylukdbq

THE DÆMONS

8 Oct Restoration Team Grading 'The Daemons' at TV Centre, looks fantastic in
its VidFIREd glory!
8 Oct Restoration Team Jonathan Wood is valiantly struggling with poor quality film inserts
as he fights to make The Daemons look magnificent!
8 Oct Restoration Team http://t.co/kUuDyfr8 Grading The Daemons, Mr Pertwee in
all his Technicolor glory!
8 Oct Restoration Team http://t.co/FJNbFB30 Delgado becomes Marty Feldman, split-screening
real VT against restoration during grade.
8 Oct ClassicDW Restoration Team report that restored DAEMONS looks fantastic.
Can't wait to take a look and report back. Hope to post a screen grab or two!
9 Oct Restoration Team Fantastic wobbly set about 11 mins into ep5 of Daemons
when Doctor slams church door! :)
9 Oct Restoration Team Just finishing off Barry Letts obit doc amends and noted he died
exactly two years ago today. A great loss.
11 Oct Mark Ayres Audio restoration for The Daemons complete. Tricky, particularly ep5's
noisy 16mm optical. Look forward to seeing final master.
11 Oct ClassicDW DAEMONS commentaries from Mark Ayres ready for review.
Looking forward to signing this one off. Fabulous story!
15 Oct Restoration Team Potential Daemons disaster averted at the expense of my weekend
lie-in. Now heading to Peter Crocker for coffee.
15 Oct ClassicDW Early restoration test disc looking lovely! http://t.co/J0EttWIT
18 Oct Chris Chapman My Daemons doco features Katy Manning, Christopher Barry,
Richard Franklin, Terrance Dicks, Sue Hedden, Damaris Hayman and Barry Letts!
18 Oct Chris Chapman And it's called The Devil Rides Out.
18 Oct ClassicDW Great early artwork samplers from Lee Binding for THE DÆMONS and
THE FACE OF EVIL. Looking good!
18 Oct ClassicDW A quick look at today's work screen! :-) http://t.co/5j434rau
18 Oct ClassicDW "Return to Devils End" will not be on the DVD release.
20 Oct ClassicDW Screen grab from the restored edition of The Daemons! http://t.co/WUVPmpHJ

THE GREATEST SHOW IN THE GALAXY

18 Oct Chris Chapman Greatest Show in the Galaxy line-up is (at least) Sophie Aldred,
Alan Wareing, Ian Reddington, David Laskey, Mike Tucker and Andrew Cartmel.

MISC

11 Oct Chris Chapman Now starting content cut on my next doco - this one
not quite announced yet. Great interviewees on this and a great story to tell!
12 Oct Chris Chapman Currently working on three Doctor Who edits at the same time!
Have a good feeling about all three - proper meaty stories to tell!
12 Oct Chris Chapman Just editing one AMAZING interviewee for a doco - this gentleman
is a massively impressive 94 years old!
12 Oct Chris Chapman here's a clue: none of them are Delta and the Bannermen.
I can also confirm that they all feature a human cast.
12 Oct Chris Chapman we've done Death to the Daleks already.:-)
13 Oct Chris Chapman A fun day ahead! I'm off to the BBC's written archives at Caversham
to examine old production documents and memos for two docos.
13 Oct Chris Chapman The fact that the BBC kept so much paperwork is AMAZING -
but odd as they junked the episodes themselves!
13 Oct Chris Chapman both docos are for previously unreleased DVDs - not Revisitations.
And they're both 1960s adventures.
13 Oct Chris Chapman Trip to the archives concluded - one story particularly well-served,
the other not so much. Still, always a worthwhile trip!
13 Oct Chris Chapman Did I mention that classic Doctor Who production goddess Margot Hayhoe
is now on Twitter? Follow her!
13 Oct ClassicDW To stop the rumour here and now, Zygons is not scheduled for 2012.
Too much other great content to fit it in that year!
13 Oct Chris Chapman Are we going to reveal the year's schedule in DWM again this year?
14 Oct Ed Stradling Off for a run and then it's back to editing the Nick Courtney
tribute doc, presented by Michael McManus
14 Oct Restoration Team lunch with ClassicDW - forward planning!
14 Oct ClassicDW Working lunch with the Restoration Team to discuss 2012 and 2013.
If you're sitting behind us, sssssh! Don't tell. :-)
15 Oct ClassicDW Home of 5 Docs, City of Death, 3 Docs, Genesis... TC6!!! http://t.co/GupjkJPk
15 Oct Ed Stradling Terror of the Zygons DVD taking shape, Main work due early 2012.
It will be my last work on the range after 9 years.
15 Oct Ed Stradling no plans for a CGI Skarasen at this stage I'm afraid
15 Oct Ed Stradling the DVD range comes to an end soon and Zygons is my last commission.
Then it's time for me to do something else!
17 Oct Chris Chapman Back on the edit for our new doco (a secret one for now) -
coming together nicely and it now has a title!
17 Oct ClassicDW Signed off sleeve text for Special Editions of TOMB OF THE CYBERMEN
and THE THREE DOCTORS
17 Oct Chris Chapman So our three docos continue through the edit! Secret number 1
nearly done, Reign of Terror looking good and Secret 2 shaping up!
18 Oct Chris Chapman I'm all done on the Secret 2 rough cut now - running to
around 33 minutes at present, quite a story to tell! :-)
19 Oct ClassicDW Just found in the DVD archives whilst having a clear-out.
Thought you'd enjoy! http://t.co/zPpcZh4d
20 Oct Chris Chapman I reckon I'll be starting work on the edit tomorrow for our
25th doco... Mental!
25 Oct Chris Chapman Today's ClassicDW titbits... Reign of Terror doc's grade is rendering,
Dan Hall is viewing SecretProject1 and archive is capturing for SP2!
25 Oct Chris Chapman I wonder if ClassicDW has watched our new doco yet... (SP1)
what happens if he hates it...? I guess I could redo it with puppets...
25 Oct Chris Chapman Busy Who day tomorrow - hoping to master SP-1, upload Reign of Terror
doco to the boss, sound mix SP-0 and begin the main edit on SP-2!
26 Oct Chris Chapman So with Reign and Shada done, our remaining production slate
for Doctor Who is Secret Project 2, SP3 and Greatest Show in the Galaxy!






FILTER: - Merchandise - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD

The Wonderful Book of Doctor Who - 1965

Wednesday, 26 October 2011 - Reported by Marcus
The Wonderful Book - 1965A new book looking at the world of Doctor Who at the conclusion of the first season in 1964, is now available online.

The Wonderful Book of Doctor Who 1965 is a homage to Clayton Hickman's Brilliant Book of Doctor Who 2011 published last year.

The new fan produced book looks back at the very first season of Doctor Who and imagines how such a book would have looked should it have been published for the Christmas 1964 market. It contains episode guides, interviews and fact files.

It has been written and produced by Paul Smith based on the original designs by Paul Lang, with a cover and story illustrations by Joe Cannon from Velvet Jacket

The book can be viewed via the Wonderful Book website.




FILTER: - Fan Productions - William Hartnell - Classic Series

Doctor Who: Series Six in Spain

Monday, 24 October 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The sixth series of Doctor Who has arrived in Spain, with Syfy España broadcasting episodes on Monday evenings, dubbed into Spanish; the series kicked off last Monday with El astronauta imposible and continues tonight with El dia de la Luna at 9:30pm (CEST), repeated tomorrow at 5:00pm and Saturday at 11:00am.

More details can be found from SyFy's Doctor Who page, and channel information is also available via Facebook.


(Series Six Trailer, Syfy-España, via their Doctor Who website)
Series Description:

El Doctor Who es un extravagante aventurero capaz de viajar a través del tiempo y el espacio. En cada uno de sus viajes, Who y su compañera Amy vivirán fascinantes aventuras que les llevarán a enfrentarse a todo tipo de alienígenas y monstruos.

Doctor Who is a flamboyant adventurer able to travel through time and space. In each of his travels he and his partner Amy will go through exciting adventures that lead them to face all kinds of aliens and monsters.

Vuelve la serie más longeva de la television con todos sus protagonistas. En esta sexta temporada, tras la boda de Amy y Rory, recibirán 3 misteriosos mensajes que les urgen a congregarse en una localización en el desierto de Utah. Allí descubrirán un secreto que marcará sus destinos. Las nuevas aventuras del Dr. Who les llevarán a conocer al presidente Nixon, viajarán en un barco pirata, descubrirán que en el futuro la humanidad hace uso de la clonación y vivirán uno de los momentos clave del siglo XX en la Europa previa a la segunda guerra mundial.

La sexta temporada conmemorará el 50° aniversario de la primera emisión de Doctor Who, una serie de culto que ha entretenido a generaciones con una mezcla de fantasía, ciencia, historia y aventura. En esta temporada, Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) y Mark Sheppard (Battlestar Galactica, Warehouse 13), serán dos de las estrellas invitadas. Además, el escritor Neil Gaiman, ha sido el encargado de escribir el cuarto capítulo de la temporada, que se emitirá en España el día 7 de noviembre y será uno de los momentos más esperados por los fans de la serie.

The longest running series returns to television with all its players. In this sixth season, after the wedding of Amy and Rory, they will receive 3 mysterious messages that urge them to congregate at a location in the Utah desert. There they will discover a secret that will make their destinies. The new adventures of Dr. Who will lead them to meet President Nixon, travel on a pirate ship, discover that in the future mankind makes use of cloning, and live through one of the key moments of the twentieth century in Europe prior to the second world war.

The sixth season will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first broadcast of Doctor Who, a cult series that has entertained generations with a mixture of fantasy, science, history and adventure. In this season, Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) and Mark Sheppard (Battlestar Galactica, Warehouse 13) will be among the guest stars. In addition, the writer Neil Gaiman has been commissioned to write the fourth chapter of the season to be broadcast in Spain on 7th November, and will be one of the most anticipated moments for fans of the series.

Next week sees the Doctor encounter La maldicion del punto negro.


As well as the most recent series, Syfy España is also currently showing Series Three episodes daily.

Meanwhile Boing has just completed a run of the fifth series (with La Pandorica se abre/El Big Bang currently available to watch online), and commence a new run of episodes next Saturday.

(with thanks to Aurélie Demonchaux)




FILTER: - Series 6/32 - International Broadcasting - Europe - Spain

The Wedding of River Song: New Zealand ratings

Saturday, 22 October 2011 - Reported by Adam Kirk
In New Zealand, The Wedding of River Song and Torchwood: Miracle Day, End of the Road (both on Prime) rated 80,490 viewers and 58,320 viewers respectively.

Thanks to Hazz.




FILTER: - Torchwood - Ratings - Series 6/32 - New Zealand - Broadcasting

Closing Time: New Zealand ratings

Sunday, 16 October 2011 - Reported by Adam Kirk

In New Zealand, both Doctor Who and Torchwood: Miracle Day have enjoyed a boost in ratings. Closing Time and Immortal Sins (both on Prime) rated 171,280 viewers and 89,710 viewers respectively. Closing Time was Prime's highest rating program of the week.

Thanks to Hazz.




FILTER: - Torchwood - Ratings - Series 6/32 - New Zealand - Broadcasting

Wedding of River Song: Chart Position

Friday, 14 October 2011 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who RatingsThe final episode in the recent series of Doctor Who, The Wedding of River Song has now been confirmed as the 16th most watched programme of the week, with a final audience share of 32.0%

Final Figures include those who record the programme and watch it within seven days, but do not include those watching on iPlayer.

ITV1 once more claimed all the top spots of the week with The X Factor, Downton Abbey and Doc Martin once again taking the top four spots. The main two soaps also did well and the start of the 2011 series of Strictly Come Dancing also scored highly. Doctor Who beat everything else during the week including all episodes of Emmerdale.




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Ratings - UK - Series 6/32

The Wedding of River Song - Official UK Ratings

Monday, 10 October 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Doctor Who's series finale, The Wedding of River Song, received a final audience figure of 7.67 million viewers, according to official statistics released by BARB this week; with 6.1 million reported for the initial broadcast, the episode's audience increased by an additional 26% over the course of the week.

The BARB ratings cover the period 26th September to 2nd October, during which Doctor Who was the seventh highest rated individual programme on BBC One and the third as a distinct series, with only episodes of Eastenders and Strictly Come Dancing achieving a higher figure.

Figures do no include those who watched the programme via the BBC iPlayer.

ITV1 programme details for this period have yet to be released; however if viewing patterns have remained consistent with previous weeks, The Wedding of River Song should fall within the Top 20 programmes of the week, and be the eighth most popular distinct series on television - Coronation Street, Emmerdale, The X Factor, Downton Abbey and Doc Martin normally claim higher figures for the commercial channel.

The consolidated chart position should be available later in the week.





FILTER: - Ratings - UK - Series 6/32

George Baker 1931-2011

Saturday, 8 October 2011 - Reported by Marcus
George BakerThe actor George Baker has died at the age of 80.

George Baker was a well known English actor who appeared is some of British Televisions most fondly remembered dramas. He appeared alongside Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker, in the 1980 story Full Circle, where he played Decider Login,

He is best known for playing Inspector Wexford in The Ruth Rendell Mysteries and the emperor Tiberius in the acclaimed BBC drama I Claudius.

Other parts included roles in the films The Dam Busters, The Ship That Died of Shame with Richard Attenborough and The Moonraker. He was the second actor to portray the role of "Number Two" in the series The Prisoner and appeared in his own TV comedy series Bowler. He was also in the first episode of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em.




FILTER: - Obituary - Classic Series