Specials Titles RevealedBookmark and Share

Saturday, 13 May 2023 - Reported by Marcus
2023 Logo (Credit: BBC Studios)

The BBC has released a new trailer for Doctor Who revealing the titles of the three specials to be screened later this year.

Moments before the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final came live from Liverpool, viewers were treated an explosive new trailer which gave viewers a glimpse of what to expect later this year when the TARDIS lands in time to celebrate its 60th anniversary, and it exclusively revealed the titles of the three special episodes.

In the weeks leading up to the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final, three mysterious coded teasers were scattered through the BBC One schedule. Each teaser included a binary code which gave eagle-eyed fans clues to one of the three special episode titles. The teasers all pointed to a big reveal on the night of the Eurovision Grand Final when the new trailer announced the titles as: 

·                   Special One: THE STAR BEAST

·                   Special Two: WILD BLUE YONDER

·                   Special Three: THE GIGGLE

The exclusive trailer also gave a look of what’s to come with David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor, alongside Catherine Tate who has reprised her role as Donna Noble, with further teasers of other epic moments which include leading stars Neil Patrick Harris and Yasmin Finney who step into the world of Doctor Who for the 60thanniversary special episodes.

Russell T Davies, Showrunner said:

The titles are just the beginning of the Doctor’s biggest adventure yet.  Autumn is coming, with three hours of danger, Donna and disaster about to be unleashed!

 

        

Doctor Who 2023 - 60th Anniversary Specials Trailer | BBC
Doctor Who returns with three special episodes ❤️❤️➕🔷





FILTER: - Series 14/40 - production

New Picture ReleasedBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 10 May 2023 - Reported by Marcus
Jonathan Groff with Ruby Sunday (MILLIE GIBSON), The Doctor (NCUTI GATWA) (Credit: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf)

The BBC has released a new image from the next series of Doctor Who.

The image shows Hollywood star Jonathan Groff who has landed in Wales and has begun filming on Doctor Who.

It gives a first look at him in character in his mysterious key role alongside Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor and Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday.

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 then air over the festive period. 

Doctor Who will premiere exclusively on the BBC for the UK and Ireland. Disney+ will be the exclusive home for new seasons of Doctor Who outside of the UK and Ireland.

 





FILTER: - Production - Series 14/40

Jonathan Groff Joins Doctor WhoBookmark and Share

Friday, 5 May 2023 - Reported by Marcus
Jonathan Groff  (Credit: BBC)

Award-winning star of stage and screen Jonathan Groff is set to appear in the new series of Doctor Who.

The casting was announced today by BBC Studios who said the actor will have a "key role" in the series. 

Groff shot to fame when he landed the role of Jessie in the musical comedy drama Glee. He has since been internationally celebrated for his work on-screen, from starring as Eric in the box-office hit Knock at the Cabin, to playing Holden Ford in the critically acclaimed series ‘Mindhunter’. As well as having a leading role as the new Agent Smith in The Matrix Resurrections, Groff is renowned for his major voice acting roles in the ‘Frozen’ films

Groff has also made his mark on Broadway, dazzling audiences with his performance as King George III in Hamilton, where he was nominated for not only a Tony Award, but also a Primetime Emmy Award for the live stage recording. 

On joining Doctor Who, Jonathan Groff said:

I am so thrilled to jump into the extraordinary mind of Russell T Davies and watch the incredible Ncuti Gatwa soar in this iconic role!

Showrunner, Russell T Davies said:

This is an incredible coup, and a great honour, to get such a huge star striding onto our set. So strap on your space boots, this is going to be a blast!

 





FILTER: - Production - Series 14/40

Murray Gold returns to Doctor WhoBookmark and Share

Monday, 24 April 2023 - Reported by Marcus
Murray Gold (Credit: Richard Ecclestone (Navymaroon) )

The award-winning composer Murray Gold is returning to Doctor Who this Autumn. 

Murray Gold originally joined Doctor Who when Russell T Davies first revived the show in 2005. He composed the music for Doctor Who for over 12 years, throughout the eras of the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Doctors, scoring some of the most iconic moments in Doctor Who’s history.

From revamping the theme tune to creating the music for the Dalek and Cybermen to name just a few, Gold has been widely celebrated for his role in forging a new musical identity for the show.

Murray Gold will once again work with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, with his musical scores appearing when Doctor Who returns in November for three special episodes celebrating the show's 60th anniversary and starring David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor

He will score the fortieth season of Doctor Who when Ncuti Gatwa takes control of the TARDIS as the Fifteenth Doctor with his first episode airing over the festive period.

On returning to Doctor Who, Murray Gold says:

I’m so happy to be invited back for another joyful ride in the TARDIS. I didn’t think twice. Working with Russell and his team is just a pleasure.

 





FILTER: - Production - Music - Murray Gold

New Images of the Fifteenth Doctor ReleasedBookmark and Share

Thursday, 20 April 2023 - Reported by Marcus
The Doctor (NCUTI GATWA), Ruby Sunday (MILLIE GIBSON) (Credit: BBC/Bad Wolf/Disney)The Doctor (NCUTI GATWA), Ruby Sunday (MILLIE GIBSON) (Credit: BBC/Bad Wolf/Disney)

The BBC has released new images featuring Ncuti Gatwa as the fifteenth Doctor.

The images are from the story currently being filmed for the series that will air in 2024.

Alongside Gatwa as The Doctor is Millie Gibson who plays Ruby Sunday, the companion in the story. 

It’s official, the TARDIS has landed in the 60’s!

A first look at the Doctor and Ruby as they arrive in the swinging 60’s, as filming continues for the new series.

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 then air over the festive period.

Doctor Who will premiere exclusively on the BBC for the UK and Ireland. Disney+ will be the exclusive home for new seasons of Doctor Who outside of the UK and Ireland.





FILTER: - Fifteenth Doctor - Production - series 14/40

Jinkx Monsoon joins Doctor WhoBookmark and Share

Monday, 3 April 2023 - Reported by Marcus
Jinkx Monsoon  (Credit: Alec White Photography)

The award-winning actress and singer Jinkx Monsoon is to join the cast of Doctor Who. 

Monsoon is a winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race and has recently completed a sell-out run in Chicago on Broadway. 

She has cultivated an international fanbase after winning two seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race including an All-Stars season where she was crowned “Queen of Queens”, competing against other winners of the show.

Monsoon joins Doctor Who after completing her sell-out run on Broadway, where she made her highly-anticipated debut as Matron ‘Mama’ Morton in Broadway’s longest-running show, Chicago. Her run on Broadway was a historic moment for the LGBTQIA+ community, as she became the first drag queen to play the role of Mama Morton, breaking box office records in her extended 8-week run.

Russell T Davies, Showrunner said:

In a galaxy of comets and supernovas, here comes the biggest star of all. Jinkx Monsoon is on a collision course with the TARDIS, and Doctor Who will never be the same again!

Jinkx Monsoon, said:

I’m honoured, thrilled, and utterly excited to join Doctor Who! Russell T Davies is a visionary and a brilliant writer - I can’t wait to get into the weeds with him and the crew! I hope there’s room in the TARDIS for my luggage.

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 then air over the festive period.

Doctor Who will premiere exclusively on the BBC for the UK and Ireland.

Disney+ will be the exclusive home for new seasons of Doctor Who outside of the UK and Ireland.





FILTER: - Production

Anita Dobson and Michelle Greenidge in Series 14Bookmark and Share

Friday, 20 January 2023 - Reported by Marcus
Michelle Greenidge (Credit: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf)Anita Dobson (Credit: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf)

The BBC has confirmed that Anita Dobson and Michelle Greenidge will be starring in the next series of Doctor Who.

Anita Dobson is best known as the neurotic pub Landlady Angie Watts in the BBC soap EastEnders, playing the role from the series launch in 1985 until 1988. Other television roles include the 1989 ITV sitcom Split Ends.

In 2003, she was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Actress for the National Theatre production of Frozen. She has also starred in the West End as Mama Morton in the musical Chicago (2003) and Gertrude in Hamlet (2005), and made her RSC debut in the 2012 revival of The Merry Wives of Windsor. Her film appearances include Darkness Falls (1999) and London Road (2015).

Michelle Greenidge is best known for her portrayal of Valarie in the Netflix series After Life. She played Lola Okonedo Akimbo in the BBC Two comedy Mandy, PC Williams in the police comedy-drama Code 404 and Rosa Babatunde in the Russel T Davies television drama It's a Sin.

She has also worked in theatre with some of her credits including Ear for Eye, At the Feet of Jesus, Super Skinny Bitches, House, All Saints, Stopcock, Do You Pray?, The Distance Between Us, People Who Need People, The House They Grew Up In and Omega Time

Both actresses will join Doctor Who for its fortieth season, the 14th series since the show returned in 2005. The series will star Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor and will screen in 2024. 

Doctor Who will return in November 2023 with three special episodes to coincide with the 60th anniversary with David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor.

 





FILTER: - Series 14/20 - Production

Vworp Vworp! Issue 5Bookmark and Share

Thursday, 29 December 2022 - Reported by Marcus
Vworp Vworp 5 - Cover A

The acclaimed Doctor Who comics and artwork fanzine Vworp Vworp! returns with its fifth issue in January 2023. 

The 148-page issue kicks off with an in-depth series of articles and script reviews focusing on the many Doctor Who animation projects that have, for a variety of reasons, been abandoned over the years.

The Canadian company Nelvana might be the best known, but as researcher Richard Bignell has uncovered for Vworp Vworp!, through a wealth of interviews, documentation, scripts and design drawings, there’s so much more to learn, including the real reason it was aborted. But what of Ruby-Spears, the company behind Scooby-Doo? Interest from a Japanese anime studio? Terry Nation’s Daleks? The BBC itself, in 2001? And who can forget Karen McCoy and her Doctor Who: The Animated Series?

Elsewhere in the issue:

  • Interviews with artist JOHN RIDGWAY and writer/artist STEVE PARKHOUSE, as we go behind the scenes of their magnum opus, the Voyager saga.
  • PHIL BEVAN remembered, with personal recollections of his brother Kit and those he worked with, offering a unique insight into this much-loved artist, who illuminated the vibrant fanzine scene in the 80s and 90s.
  • Packaging beauty! Graphic and packaging designer ANDREW PREWETT, who designed the beloved Doctor Who Sound Effects LP, reveals unused designs for a number of Doctor Who DVD boxsets.
  • ABSOLUTE DAAK: A REVENGER’S TRAGEDY – The Dalek Killer deconstructed by Alan Stevens ahead of his return in our comic strip, Paper Tiger.
  • New features on TERRY NATION and DAVID WHITAKER’s work on the TV Century 21 DALEKS strip and the stage play THE CURSE OF THE DALEKS.

    Also, issue 5 includes several brand new comic strips and fiction:
  • The truly epic 22-page THE IRON EMPIRE, written by Lance Parkin and drawn by Steve Andrew. What happened to the Empire during the reign of Emperor Vesuvius? Find out in this much anticipated sequel to the Mills/Wagner great that launched Doctor Who Weekly.
  • Ever pondered the fate of the Thals in the TV Century 21 Dalek strips? Find out in YEAR ZERO, a new instalment in the adventures of outer space robot people, imagined by Alan Stevens, Matthew Kilburn and artist Andy Walker.
  • Abslom Daak gets a bittersweet coda in PAPER TIGER, written by Alan Stevens with crisp black and white art by the legendary John Ridgway.
  • We’re also treated to three thrilling pages of DALEK KILLERS! – an intriguing reboot (of sorts) pitched to Titan by Richard Starkings and Lee Sullivan.
  • Thrill to Sam Gingell's debut strip NEWTON'S SLEEP, a thought-provoking examination of the Cybermen as a reaction to societal decay and decadence. Sam crashed onto the scene in 2022 and we're sure this won't be the last we see of him.
  • Sixties script editor Donald Tosh’s final piece of fiction, JOURNEY TO NOWHEN, a whimsical tale of competing realities and the power of nostalgia.
  • Finally, we take a visit back to the scene of one of the Doctor’s lesser-discussed small-screen adventures in Graham Kibble-White’s ENCOUNTER AT CRINKLEY BOTTOM!

Vworp Vworp 5Plus, an exciting FREE GIFT this issue:

DOCTOR WHO: ROWEN – a full-cast audio adaptation of the 1992 initial script for the cancelled Nelvana series. Presented on CD, directed and adapted by Sean Mason and introducing ARTHUR BOSTROM as the Nelvana Doctor, this brand new drama is intended to give an authentic taste of what this new era might have been like.

Order Vworp Vworp! issue 5, price £10.99, from vworpvworp.co.uk now. Pre-orders open on New Year’s Day with shipping scheduled for early February 2023.





FILTER: - Fan Production

Whotopia: Issue 41Bookmark and Share

Monday, 5 December 2022 - Reported by Marcus
Whotopia (Credit: Jon Huff / Robert Carpenter)

The latest issue of the fan magazine Whotopia is now available

 

Whotopia Issue 41 Includes:

 

  • UNRAVELLING A CLASSIC: THE EDGE OF DESTRUCTION
    Ian McLachlan examines the Hartnell-era story, "The Edge of Destruction"
  • POWER OF THE DOCTOR REVIEWED
  • Daniel Tessier reviews Jodie Whittaker’s swan song finale
  • KEEPING THE EIGHTH: A HISTORY OF THE EIGHTH DOCTOR NOVELS 
  • Reecy Pontiff delves into the history of the BBC Eighth Doctor novels
  • OH BRILLIANT! OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE THIRTEENTH DOCTOR ERA
  • Tony J Fyler discovers there is much more to the Thirteenth Doctor's era
  • THE WHITTAKER YEARS: JUST THE GOOD BITS
  • The best bits of the Thirteenth Doctor's era as picked by Greg Maughan
  • ON CHARACTER: KATE LETHBRIDGE-STEWART
  • Aidan C Matear gets to know the character of Kate Lethbridge-Stewart
  • TEMPORAL LOGBOOK 3 EDITOR JAMES SILVESTER INTERVIEWED
  • Bob Furnell sits down with "Temporal Logbook 3's" editor James Silvester to talk about the recently released short-story collection
  • COLUMN: THE VAULT
  • Jez Strickley continues his look into the metaphysical worlds of Time Lords and TARDISes in search of all things curious, puzzling and perplexing.
  • WHAT THE FANS THINK: TORCHWOOD: GREEKS BEARING GIFTS
  • Aidan C Matear reviews this episode from Torchwood's first season
  • WHO YOU BUILD #9
  • Dave Etches returns for another installment of prop construction
  • WHO WERE THE FAMILY OF BLOOD?
  • Aidan C Matear examines who exactly were the Family of Blood
  • WHAT THE FANS THINK: THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES: THE MAD WOMAN IN THE ATTIC
  • Stacey Smith reviews this unique story from 'The Sarah Jane Adventures
  • THE CYBERMEN: DESTINY PART 5
  • Another new installment of our ongoing strip by John Swogger

 

WHOTOPIA ISSUE 41 | 56 PAGES

Available free in downloadable PDF format

 

TO DOWNLOAD A COPY VISIT whotopia.ca





FILTER: - Fan Production

Production Team ConfirmedBookmark and Share

Friday, 11 November 2022 - Reported by Marcus
Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) (Credit: BBC Studios)

The latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine has confirmed details of the production teams working on Doctor Who as it reaches its 60th Anniversary.

The Anniversary will be marked by three specials, all scheduled to be broadcast in November 2023, the anniversary month of the series. They will star David Tennant and Catherine Tate as the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna Noble. 

Directing the first special will be Rachel Talalay, a name well-known to Doctor Who fans, She directed several stories in the Peter Capaldi era including the conclusions to all three of his series. She directed Twice Upon A Time, the final Capaldi story where the Twelfth Doctor met the First Doctor played by David Bradley.

Special Two will be directed by Tom Kingsley. New to Doctor Who, Kingsley is best known for directing two series of the BBC sitcom Ghosts and the Channel 4 sitcom Stath Lets Flats.

The final special will be directed by Chanya Button. Also new to Who, Button started work in the theatre working at The Globe on London's south bank. Her first feature film was Burn Burn Burn. She directed episodes of Starz drama about Katherine of Aragon, The Spanish Princess as well as Acorn TV's The Whitstable Pearl.

The next full series of Doctor Who will be screened in 2024 and will star Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. Filming begins this December and directing the first block of the series will be another newcomer Dylan Holmes Williams. Williams's short film The Devil's Harmony won the jury prize at Sundance 2020. He directed two episodes of the Apple TV series Servant. 

Many familiar faces will be involved with the series as it moves into the future. As well as Russell T Davies acting as showrunner,  Julie Gardner, Phil Collinson and Jane Tranter will all act as Executive producers. Att three were behind the return of Doctor Who in 2005. Joel Collins will also act as an Executive Producer. Collins has recently been working for Bad Wolf on Industry and His Dark Materials

Looking after the look of the show will be Production Designer Philip Sims. Sims was the supervising Art Director on the sixth and seventh Mission Impossible films as well as Episode IX of Star Wars, Guardians of the Galaxy 9  Avengers:Age of Ultron. The Script Editor will be Scott Hancock, who worked on The Sarah Jane Adventures as well as many scripts for Big Finish. 

Our full guide to Doctor Who can be found here





FILTER: - Fourteenth Doctor - David Tennant - Production