Caves of Androzani to get a German DVD release

Thursday, 11 May 2017 - Reported by Pascal Salzmann
German Mediabook DVD cover to "Caves of Androzani" (Credit: Pandastorm Pictures)Die Höhlen von Androzani DVD (Credit: Pandastorm Pictures) German DVD distributer Pandastorm Pictures announced on their Facebook page the release of The Caves of Androzani ("Die Höhlen von Androzani") for the German market. The serial will be dubbed to German specifically for this release, as no German dub exists for any story before The Twin Dilemma, with the exception of The Five Doctors.

The Caves of Androzani has never been broadcasted on German television. In the late 80's and early 90's German TV channel RTL Plus transmitted all serials featuring the seventh Doctor. In 1995 the channel VOX aired The Five Doctors and all serials featuring the sixth Doctor. All those stories have been released by Pandastorm Pictures on DVD boxed sets in the past few years.

There will be two different versions of Die Höhlen von Androzani:

  • Collectors Edition Mediabook: Limited and numbered to 1,500 copies. This edition looks like a book and will feature an extensive booklet and the English- and German-language soundtracks and subtitles. Also includes all special features that can be found on the UK Special Edition DVD. Release date: 25th August 2017
  • Regular Edition: Will be the same as the Mediabook, only in a standart DVD slip case. Release date: 13th October 2017
All Doctor Who DVD's by Pandastorm Pictures are usually code-free. The DVD is not available for pre-order yet.




FILTER: - Blu-ray/DVD - Fifth Doctor - Germany - Pandastorm - Peter Davison

Thin Ice: Official Ratings

Tuesday, 9 May 2017 - Reported by Marcus


Official figures released by the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board or BARB, give Doctor Who - Thin Ice an official rating of 5.51 million viewers.

The rating includes all those who recorded the programme and watched it within 7 days.

Doctor Who is the 25th most watched programme for the week, and 10th most watched on BBC One

Top for the week was ITV's Britain's Got Talent with 10.60 million watching. Drama's doing well include BBC One's Line of Duty with 9.92 million and ITV's Little Boy Blue with 7.17 million. Doctor Who sliped behind the soaps EastEnders and Emmerdale as well as Coronation Street.

Doctor Who was the second highest BBC One programme for Saturday night, just behind of the entertainment show All Round to Mrs Brown's




FILTER: - Ratings - Series 10/36 - UK

Oxygen - New Images

Tuesday, 9 May 2017 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have released a number of new publicity images to promote this week's episode of Doctor Who, Oxygen
Oxygen

Writer: Jamie Mathieson
Director: Charles Palmer

The Doctor, Bill and Nardole answer a distress call in deep space, and find themselves trapped on board space station Chasm Forge. All but four of the crew have been murdered - and the dead are still walking!
In a future where oxygen is sold by the breath, and space suits are valued more highly than their occupants, the TARDIS crew battle for survival against the darkest evil of all…
Oxygen: The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Des Willie))Oxygen: The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Des Willie))Oxygen: Nardole (Matt Lucas), The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen: Nardole (Matt Lucas), Bill (Pearl Mackie), The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen: The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen: Bill (Pearl Mackie) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen: The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen:  (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen: The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen: The Doctor (Peter Capaldi), Bill (Pearl Mackie) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen: The Doctor (Peter Capaldi), Bill (Pearl Mackie) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen: Nardole (Matt Lucas), The Doctor (Peter Capaldi), Bill (Pearl Mackie) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen: Nardole (Matt Lucas), Bill (Pearl Mackie) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen: Bill (Pearl Mackie), Ivan (Kieran Bew) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen: Bill (Pearl Mackie), Ivan (Kieran Bew) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen: The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen: The Doctor (Peter Capaldi), Abby (Mimi Ndiweni) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen: Ivan (Kieran Bew), Tasker (Justin Salinger) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen: Dahh-ren (Peter Caulfield), Nardole (Matt Lucas) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen: Ivan (Kieran Bew), Tasker (Justin Salinger) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen: Bill (Pearl Mackie), Tasker (Justin Salinger) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen: Abby (Mimi Ndiweni), The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))Oxygen: Tasker (Justin Salinger) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Jon Hall))Oxygen: Tasker (Justin Salinger) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Jon Hall))Oxygen: Dahh-ren (Peter Caulfield) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Jon Hall))Oxygen: Dahh-ren (Peter Caulfield) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Jon Hall))Oxygen: Abby (Mimi Ndiweni) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Jon Hall))Oxygen: Abby (Mimi Ndiweni) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Jon Hall))Oxygen: Dahh-ren (Peter Caulfield) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Jon Hall))

This week BBC One will show Doctor Who five minutes earlier than usual, at 7.15pm, in order to accomadate the Eurovision Song Contest which starts at 8pm.

Oxygen: Main Broadcast Details
United KingdomBBC OneSat 13 May 20177:15pm BST
Middle EastBBC FirstSat 13 May 20179:20pm AST(Sat 7:20pm BST)
United States of AmericaBBC AmericaSat 13 May 20179:00pm EDT(Sun 2:00am BST)
CanadaSPACESat 13 May 20179:00pm EDT(Sun 2:00am BST)
FinlandYLE2Sun 14 May 201711:30am EEST(Sun 9:30am BST)
AustraliaABCSun 14 May 20177:40pm AEST(Sun 10:40am BST, also on ABC ME)
BrazilSyFySun 14 May 20178:00pm BRT(Sun 11:00pm BST)
Latin AmericaSyFySun 14 May 201710:00pm CDT(Mon 4:00am BST)
New ZealandPRIMESun 14 May 20177:30pm NZST(Mon 7:30am BST)

Full listings here




FILTER: - Books - Candy Jar Books - Lethbridge-Stewart

Knock Knock - AI:83

Monday, 8 May 2017 - Reported by Marcus
Knock Knock: Monster (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (screen grabs))
Doctor Who - Knock Knock had an Audience Appreciation or Ai figure of 83

The Appreciation Index in an indication of how much viewers enjoyed the episode. It is based to the reactions of a selected panel of viewers, who rate the episode shortly after transmission.

83 is considered a good score, roughly similar to the scores achieved by the last series of the show,

The highest score for the evening on the two main channels was achieved by Casualty on BBC One which scored 85.




FILTER: - Ratings - Series 10/36 - UK

New Eleventh Doctor Comic

Monday, 8 May 2017 - Reported by Marcus
This week sees the latest release in the Titan series featuring the Eleventh Doctor

Doctor Who : The Eleventh Doctor Year Three #5

Writer: James Peaty
Artist: I.N.J Culbard
Cover A: Arianna Florean Cover B: Photo Cover C: LINKED SET OF FOUR By Ryan Hall Cover D: Leandro Casco

The Ood return in this special issue entitled "Time of The Ood!"
Eleventh Doctor 3_5 Cover A (Credit: Titan / Arianna Florean) Eleventh Doctor 3_5 Cover B (Credit: Titan) Eleventh Doctor 3_5 Cover C (Credit: Titan / Ryan Hall) Eleventh Doctor 3_5 Cover D (Credit: Titan / Leandro Casco) Eleventh Doctor 3_5 Preview 1 (Credit: Titan) Eleventh Doctor 3_5 Preview 2 (Credit: Titan) Eleventh Doctor 3_5 Preview 3 (Credit: Titan) Eleventh Doctor 3_5 Preview 4 (Credit: Titan)





FILTER: - Comics - Eleventh Doctor

Australian overnight ratings for Knock Knock & final ratings for Smile

Monday, 8 May 2017 - Reported by Adam Kirk
Knock Knock has debuted in Australia, averaging 417,000 viewers in the five major capital cities. The story was the second highest rating ABC drama of the day and the twelfth highest rating program of the day overallThese ratings do not include iview, regional or time-shifted viewers. The binaural edition of Knock Knock, with enhanced sound, is also now available on ABC iview.

Meanwhile, including time-shifted viewers, Smile averaged 574,000 consolidated viewers in the five major capital cities. With 110,000 extra viewers it was the highest time-shifted program of the day (the second highest time-shifted program had 104,000 extra viewers) and the eighth highest rating program of the day overallThese ratings do not include iview or regional viewers.




FILTER: - Australia - Broadcasting - Ratings - Series 10/36

New Audio Torchwood Series from Big Finish

Sunday, 7 May 2017 - Reported by Marcus
Torchwood Series 5 (Credit: Big Finish) Big Finish has announced that Torchwood will be back for a brand new series of audio adventures with Torchwood: Aliens Among Us...

The new series, revealed at the DWAS convention The Capitol II, will follow the events of Miracle Day, and will see the Torchwood team reunited. Captain Jack, Gwen and Rhys will be joined by new characters co-created and overseen by series creator Russell T Davies.

In this series, Captain Jack and Gwen Cooper have restarted Torchwood in Cardiff, home of the original Torchwood Three. But it's in a very different Cardiff. Something terrible's happened to the city. With every day getting darker, will Torchwood need to adopt a whole new approach?

Producer of Torchwood Season 5, James Goss, talked about the new Torchwood team and Russell T Davies’ involvement.
Russell's been wonderfully involved in the continuation of Torchwood. We came up with some characters and ideas and he very kindly, very politely said 'Marvellous, but no. Howabout...?'. And that's what lead to Jack and Gwen being joined by Mr Colchester (Paul Clayton), Ng (Alexandria Riley), Tyler (Jonny Green) and the enigmatic Orr (Sam Béart). Who are they? What part do they have to play in the future of Torchwood? And can they save Cardiff from an invasion that's already been lost?

This is an ambitious series for Big Finish - an entire season of Torchwood! There are some great scripts by some new writers, but there are also some familiar old faces - of course Rhys and Andy are in it, but there'll be a few other surprises, including an appearance by someone who just has to be, has to be dead...
This new series of Torchwood will be released in three boxsets, the first being out in August. Torchwood Series 5.2 will follow in October and 5.3 will complete the season in the new year.




FILTER: - Big Finish - Torchwood

Knock Knock - Press Reaction

Sunday, 7 May 2017 - Reported by Marcus
Knock Knock: Shireen (Mandeep Dhillon), Paul (Ben Presley), The Landlord (David Suchet), Bill (Pearl Mackie), Harry (Colin Ryan) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (screen grab))Press reaction to this week's Doctor Who episode Knock Knock is mixed. While many reviewers disagree about the strength of the writing, most are agreed on the quality of the performances in the story.

The Telegraph thought the acting plaudits belonged to the main guest star. "David Suchet playing the Landlord was brilliant casting. Just menacing enough as he mysteriously appeared without warning, smiling evilly in corners. Grey-haired and brown-suited, Suchet even looked ghostly. Never before has a tuning fork seemed so sinister."

Radio Times relished the creepy nature of the episode, but was disappointed by the ending. "For the first 35 minutes or so of Knock Knock I’m enthralled. Unfortunately, it showed signs of collapsing like a soufflé during the denouement...... I’d have been far happier with an unhappy ending. And yet I’m dismayed that, as the house crumbles, Bill loses all her knick-knacks, including the treasured photos of her mum that the Doctor sourced for her only weeks ago.

Den of Geek takes the opposite view, preferring the last third of the story. "Appreciating that some aren’t happy when Doctor Who goes emotional in its story wrap-ups, the fact that David Suchet’s mysterious landlord is actually the son of the woman we assumed to be his daughter is a very well earned, impactful piece of storytelling. I like that it works as a twist, but mostly, that it works because it adds real tenderness to the story."

The Mirror felt the episode to be the weekest of the season so far, feeling the character of The landlord was confusing. "Rather than allowing the bad guy of the week to be wonderfully creepy, he gets a 180 in the last few minutes to try and make us sympathise with him. But again, you can’t go killer madman to poor boy trying to save his mother in 3 minutes flat. Frankly, if you bag an actor of such calibre you can't waste him on a character that chops and changes."

Games Radar felt the writing was disapointing after last week's triumph. "The flat story is elevated slightly by David Suchet’s masterful acting, and Bill coming out as bluntly as possible does provide an air-punch moment. But even those stand-outs can’t redeem the overall limp writing. "

Flickering Myth disagreed. "When Doctor Who aims to frighten you, it really knows where those dark corners are in your mind, where you keep those little things you don’t like in your own cozy home, and brings them into light for everyone to see and to watch you leap two foot off your sofa. In this latest episode of Series 10, written by Mike Bartlett, you’re seriously going to be considering screwing down that creaking floorboard outside your bathroom by the end of it."

Carter Matt also enjoyed the story. "What was so fascinating about this story was that the more we saw of it, the more apparent that it became that this was not a story about good and evil; it was a story in some ways about a sacrifice, and what a father was able to do for his daughter. "

AV Club appreciated the style of the story. "Rarely does Doctor Who embrace another genre as completely as the first 30 minutes of “Knock Knock” does. For the first two thirds of its running time, tonight’s episode is a horror movie, with all the customary trappings. There’s the spooky haunted house with the still spookier landlord. There’s a bunch of thinly sketched young people who are all possibly idiots. There are loud noises and eerie music and windows and doors shutting all by themselves. If anything, it’s all a bit old-fashioned, in the best possible way."

Ars Technica praised the effects in the episode. "The storyline is a bit horror-by-numbers as one by one Bill's pals are bumped off by the alien woodlice. The on-screen effect is pretty grim, if thoroughly gripping, and reminds me of the carnivorous scarabs in The Mummy."

Digital Spy also felt the effects were well realised. "The episode is admirably daring when it comes to its scares, throwing up some genuinely disturbing visuals, particularly the sight of a pained Pavel (Bart Suavek) half-eaten by the house, and of a screaming Harry (Colin Ryan) being eaten alive by the Dryads."

Screen Rant looked at the themes behind the current series. "Weighing the life of one against the lives of many has been a recurring theme during Capaldi’s tenure as the Doctor, and with ‘Knock Knock’ the series places the Time Lord in a more intimate situation, almost like it’s a test to see what he’ll do when faced with a group of twentysomethings trapped in what appears to be a haunted house"

Nerdist also picked up the horror in the story. "One of the show’s main goals since the beginning was to scare people senseless. Monstrous aliens are part and parcel of the show’s success, and that often sends people “behind the sofa.” This week’s “Knock Knock” fits right in that genre…for good and ill."

IGN returned to the relationship between The Doctor and his new companion. "I enjoyed “Knock Knock” from the get-go, particularly -- as usual -- due to the Doctor’s interactions with Bill, as we see her here slightly embarrassed by the weird old fella around her new friends. This is her granddad helping her move, she insists, but no, he says, he’s her dad. Can’t we at least say I’m the dad?"

Link to Doctor Who News Review




FILTER: - Big Finish - Torchwood

Knock Knock - Overnight Viewing Figures

Sunday, 7 May 2017 - Reported by Marcus
Knock Knock The Landlord (DAVID SUCHET) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Jon Hall))Doctor Who - Knock Knock had an overnight viewing audience of 4.32 million viewers, a share of 24.9% of the total TV audience, according to unofficial figures. Doctor Who increased its audience by half a million from the previous week.

Top for the day was once more the ITV variety show Britain's Got Talent with 9.35 million viewers. Doctor Who was top for BBC One for the evening, with Pointless Celebrities getting 4.20 million watching, while Casualty managed 4.02 million.




FILTER: - Press - Series 10/36

Philip Hinchcliffe Honoured by DWAS

Saturday, 6 May 2017 - Reported by Marcus
Philip Hinchcliffe receives an award from Jeremy Bentham (Credit: Nick Salmond / News in Time and Space Ltd)Former Doctor Who producer Philip Hinchcliffe has been honoured with an award for outstanding contribution to the programme, presented by the Doctor Who Appreciation Society, or DWAS.

Hinchcliffe was the producer of Doctor Who from 1975-1977, one of its most fondly remembered periods. He was producer while the DWAS was being formed by a group of students, anxious to discuss and celebrate their favourite programme.

Presenting the award at the DWAS convention, The Capitol, being held in Crawley, one of the founder members of the society, Jeremy Bentham spoke of the support the fledgling organisation had received from the Hinchcliffe and the BBC. That support helped enable the group to grow from a small college based club, to become a national society approved by the BBC. The group had been invited to visit the production office to meet the team and to discusses the series. A mention in the Radio Times in the listing for Masque of Mandragora, brought huge numbers of new membership applications.

Accepting the award Philip Hinchcliffe said.
I cherish this from true early fans. I remember Jeremy and his companions coming into my office. think I recognised their courage and the fact they had found something special in the programme. Thank you very much.
Script writer Bob Baker was also presented with an award for outstanding contribution to Doctor Who for his work on the series, in particular his creation of K-9, who celebrates his 40th Anniversary later this year.




FILTER: - Awards/Nominations - Classic Series