The Five(ish) Doctors RebootBookmark and Share

Sunday, 24 November 2013 - Reported by Marcus
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot - a star-studded special written and directed by Peter Davison and starring Davison alongside Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy, with Paul McGann appearing too - is now available on the BBC iPlayer.


It is also scheduled to be broadcast again tonight via the Red Button service, between 9.25pm and 10.35pm.




FILTER: - Steven Moffat - Peter Davison - Sylvester McCoy - Colin Baker

The Five Doctors(ish)Bookmark and Share

Friday, 22 November 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have revealed a new Red Button video this coming Saturday evening:

The Five Doctors(ish)
BBC Red Button, Saturday 23rd November, 10:05pm
Duration 30 minutes

A star studded special written and directed by Peter Davison. With the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who about to film, the 'Classic' Doctors are keen to be involved. But do they manage it?

The project, as noted above, has been driven by Peter Davison, and also has an associated Twitter account to follow, DayOfTheFishDr.

The Five Doctors(ish) (Credit: Day Of The Fish Dr/Twitter) The Five Doctors(ish) (Credit: Day Of The Fish Dr/Twitter) The Five Doctors(ish) (Credit: Day Of The Fish Dr/Twitter)

Davison, Sylvester McCoy and Colin Baker were spotted filming a "protest" outside BBC Television Centre during the summer, sporting signs such as "No Classics? No 50th!!" and "Have A Heart. Classic Doctors Want A Part". As Conor Keegan observed on Twitter at the time: "Sylvester McCoy and Peter Davison outside TVC right now! Protesting that they aren't in the 50th ann Doctor Who! Mental."; and "Colin Baker has arrived. Outside BBC Television Centre right now, protesting.". Other names associated with the spoof drama include Sean Pertwee, who tweeted an apparent call sheet with his, Paul McGann and Olivia Colman's names listed.




FILTER: - Online - Peter Davison - Sylvester McCoy - Colin Baker

The Light at the End released earlyBookmark and Share

Thursday, 24 October 2013 - Reported by Josiah Rowe
Big Finish Productions have released The Light at the End, their 50th anniversary Doctor Who story, one month before the programme's actual anniversary:
Light at the End special edition cover (Credit: Big Finish) We’re very pleased to announce that today is the day we’re beginning the release of our 50th anniversary Doctor Who story The Light at the End. We’re beginning with the Limited Edition CD box set.

It's the 23rd of October, one month ahead of the anniversary of Doctor Who on the 23rd of November, and as of today, the digital download releases for all versions of Doctor Who: The Light at the End will be made available. This includes the Limited Edition, the Standard Edition and the Vinyl Edition.

Mailing out of the Limited Edition CD version has begun today.

Nick Briggs, executive producer: ‘The Standard Edition CDs should start to be mailed out this coming Friday, and the Vinyl Edition will start mailing on November 2nd.

‘With the anniversary of Doctor Who imminent,’ continues Nick, ‘and everyone champing at the bit for the celebrations to begin, we thought it only right and proper that our special anniversary full-cast audio should be released a tiny bit early. Our plans for this very nearly went awry when the company responsible for the physical production of our CDs (and LPs!), Key Productions, experienced a series of unforeseeable problems beyond their control. This is what has caused the slight delay on the Standard Edition and the slightly longer delay of the Vinyl Edition. But for all our customers who can access the digital versions of all these releases, they can listen straight away.

‘We know that those customers who favour listening to the CD or the LP rather than downloading a digital version, might find this a little frustrating, but we thought this course of action would benefit the vast majority of our loyal listeners. We offer our sincerest apologies to any customers who find this decision doesn’t suit them, and hope they will understand our reasons for going ahead with the releases now.’

So, for Big Finish Productions, the 50th anniversary has started early. And for any of you who haven't yet ordered your copy of Doctor Who: The Light at the End, it will be on sale at the Dimensions 2013 convention (all tickets now sold) in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Doctors (Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann) will be making guest appearances.

When Big Finish announced on Facebook and Twitter that The Light at the End was available for download, their website was temporarily overloaded by the sudden, strong demand. These problems were subsequently resolved, but Big Finish requested that customers wait to download the story if possible:
As you may have seen, the BF Website is back up and running again. But we would ask that if you can possibly wait a few hours to download The Light at the End, please do. The problem we have discovered is that although we have ample bandwidth to support the download of the quantity of data needed (loads of downloads of The Light at the End) another issue has emerged. The problem is being caused by the sheer number of customers visiting the site at the same time. We have to confess that this is the unforeseen circumstance we simply didn't anticipate. It is because the demand is so unprecedentedly huge that we didn't know to check this before releasing. The analogy that's been used to explain this to us is that it's a bit like having one shop assistant and thousands of customers all arriving at once. Our IT people will continuing monitoring the site and will make all efforts to correct any hold-ups as the hours pass. But, as we said, if you can possibly manage to wait to initiate your download, we would very much appreciate your patience. Huge apologies from all of us here at Big Finish.




FILTER: - Audio - Tom Baker - WHO50 - Peter Davison - Sylvester McCoy - Paul McGann - Colin Baker

New Doctor Who Range for 50th AnniversaryBookmark and Share

Friday, 30 August 2013 - Reported by Marcus
After the success of its Fourth Doctor scarf, online scarf retailer Lovarzi is releasing five more Doctor Who products in partnership with BBC Worldwide to celebrate the show's 50th anniversary.


The range includes the Seventh Doctor's jumper and a detailed silk scarf, ideal for cosplayers, complete with a 100% cotton hanky. The Seventh Doctor's costume was designed by Ken Trew in April 1987, ready for Sylvester McCoy's debut in Time and the Rani.

Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor swapped his brightly-coloured scarf in his final set of stories. Lovarzi's Season 18 Fourth Doctor Scarf in burgundy is made from acrylic chenille. It was first seen in The Leisure Hive (1980) and was designed by June Hudson under instructions from producer John Nathan-Turner. The scarf was used extensively until the Fourth Doctor's swansong serial, Logopolis, and was used in publicity shots for the 20th anniversary special, The Five Doctors, before retiring to Blackpool's Doctor Who exhibition, which operated from 1974 to 1985, and 2004 to 2009.

Lovarzi's Fourth Doctor scarf is 13ft/ 3.96m in length, including tassels, and 10" (28cm) wide.

The reversible Dalek scarf is an entirely unique design, initially available in two inter-woven colour combinations: blue and light grey; grey and charcoal. The scarf is made in Italy from finest quality wool and modal, resulting in a very fine finish.

Maninder Singh Sahota, Director of Lovarzi, says:
After the success of the Doctor Who Scarf last year, it is great to offer Doctor Who fans some other classic products. We are dedicated to providing fans with fine quality products which I'm certain they'll love.
Alex Carter-Jones, Business Development Manager from Forbidden Planet, says:
Following on from the hugely successful Fourth Doctor Replica Scarf this range of new scarves and knitwear for the Seventh Doctor looks set to be a real fan favourite. Alongside this the addition of the burgundy Fourth Doctor scarf to the range makes for a great way to continue upon the line from last year.

Last year's Fourth Doctor Scarf remains available online and in Forbidden Planet stores nationwide, as well as at the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff and various independent retailers across UK.

The Seventh Doctor jumper, silk scarf and hanky, Season 18 Fourth Doctor scarf in burgundy and exclusive Dalek scarf will all be available for pre-order from Lovarzi.co.uk, Forbidden Planet, BBCShop.com and the Doctor Who Experience from September 2013.




FILTER: - Tom Baker - Sylvester McCoy

The Eighth Doctor Revisited On BBC AmericaBookmark and Share

Thursday, 1 August 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
BBC America is to show the Eighth Doctor's sole TV outing to date on Saturday 31st August.

The adventure, starring Paul McGann as the Doctor, is being aired as part of the network's ongoing series Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited marking the show's 50th anniversary, and will be broadcast following a documentary at 8pm ET/PT in which current showrunner Steven Moffat and Daphne Ashbrook, who played Dr Grace Holloway, and Yee Jee Tso, who was Chang Lee, are among those examining what made the Eighth Doctor unique. They also discuss a new take on the Doctor's old enemy the Master, played in this story by Eric Roberts.

Co-produced by the BBC, Universal Studios, 20th Century Fox, and the American network Fox, the story, written by Matthew Jacobs and directed by Geoffrey Sax, was filmed in Canada and received its world premiere in the country on 12th May 1996, subsequently being shown in the USA two days later and in the UK on 27th May, where a dedication to Jon Pertwee was added at the end, following his death exactly a week earlier.

Intended as a pilot to revive the show after it ended in 1989, it saw the Seventh Doctor, as played by Sylvester McCoy, regenerate into the Eighth. In the story, the Master attempts to take the Doctor's remaining regenerations, plunging the Earth into chaos.

Despite impressive ratings in the UK though, the American networks didn't warm to it and options weren't taken up, with the show plunged back into the wilderness - as far as the TV version was concerned - until the BBC announced in September 2003 that it would be returning.






FILTER: - Steven Moffat - USA - BBC America - Eighth Doctor - Seventh Doctor - Sylvester McCoy -

Official 50th Anniversary Convention: Booking opens MondayBookmark and Share

Thursday, 4 July 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Doctor Who Official 50th Anniversary Convention - Logo (Credit: BBC Worldwide) Doctor Who Official 50th Anniversary Convention - Doctors (Credit: BBC Worldwide)
BBC Worldwide have announced that tickets to the official 50th Anniversary convention for Doctor Who will go on sale from 11:00am on Monday 8th July. As with the Cardiff convention last year, each of the three days over the 22nd, 23rd and 24th November will be a self-contained event running between 9:30am and 6:30pm, comprising panels, associated activities and photo opportunities.

The three main panel sessions each day are:
  • The Eleventh Hour Panel
    Ever wanted the inside scoop on the world of Doctor Who? Fancied putting a question to the current Time Lord? Well now’s your chance! The Doctor Who Celebration is hosting ‘The Eleventh Hour’ panels featuring the current cast and crew, including MATT SMITH. Take a seat in the theatre and prepare to be entertained...and you might even get to ask your question.
  • The Regenerations Panel:
    Featuring TOM BAKER (Saturday only), COLIN BAKER and SYLVESTER McCOY. These will be audience Q&A sessions, so get thinking of those questions you’ve always wanted to ask about travelling in the TARDIS, working with K-9 or what Tetrap food is really made of...
  • The Special Effects Show:
    Leave your Nitro-9 at home – we’ll make your weekend go with a bang big enough to reboot the Pandorica! Everyone attending the Doctor Who Celebration is invited to an exclusive show produced and presented by special effects supervisor Danny Hargreaves. From innocent snow (or perhaps the Great Intelligence’s killer snow) and soothing water (or maybe deadly Mars water) to Cyber bombs and destroyed Daleks – Danny's worked with them all. With his team from REAL FX, he'll put on a live show that will let you in on insider secrets, prepare you to tackle the deadliest of enemies and completely blow you away - metaphorically speaking of course! Don’t worry – the universe won’t really be restarted.
As before, there will be two ticket groups - Ice Warriors and Weeping Angels - which will enable access to the panels at different times of the day. A number of other talks and panels will take place throughout the day on two stages, schedules to be announced at a later date.

Other activities taking place include:
  • Walk like a Monster:
    If you can’t beat them – join them! This is your opportunity to learn just how to make those companions run for their lives – with workshops to teach you how to walk like a monster. This is a chance to learn from an expert – the woman who has the inside scoop on all the monsters, because she teaches them how to scare you into hiding behind the sofa! Ailsa Berk, the Movement Choreographer for Doctor Who, will be welcoming potential monsters of all ages four times daily – there’s no need to book in advance, simply turn up and join in!
  • Stunt School:
    Ever wondered how the UNIT soldiers roll with the punches? Or how the companions take a tumble? Our highly-skilled team of stunt co-ordinator, Crispin Layfield, and very own Doctor stunt double, Gordon Seed, will be on hand four times a day to put you through your paces and help you learn some easy stunts – no need to book, just turn up when you feel like a piece of the action.
  • Cast Photographs: (£20)
    Limited opportunities are available throughout the event to have an exclusive photograph taken with MATT SMITH. These photographs are taken by our in-house photographer and are printed for you to take home as a souvenir. These photographs are available via pre-booking only and these tickets are expected to sell out fast. Photographs are strictly limited to one per BOOKING, however, group shots are allowed with a maximum of 4 people on ONE photo.
  • Autographs: (£15 each)
    You’ve got that very special picture of your favourite Doctor or companion – or maybe the wonderful official celebration souvenir book – there’s nothing that could possibly make it any better, surely? Wrong! The official 50th celebration gives you the chance to get up close and personalised, with autographs from the stars of Doctor Who. Due to the popularity of this event, we need you to pre-book the autographs you’d like to buy when you arrive at the event. Why not start your own 500 Year Diary or Journal of Impossible Things, with a signature from your favourite cast member?
  • Doctor Who Adventures:
    Doctor Who Adventures has been the ultimate monster magazine for Doctor Who fans since 2006, with fact files, interviews, quizzes, comic strips, free gifts and competitions. This is your chance to design your very own monster with one of the Doctor Who Adventures artists. The Doctor Who Adventures team will be around all weekend, so there’s no need to book to start your own adventure – just turn up on the day.
A series of evening activities are also expected to be arranged.

A variety of merchandise will also be available to purchase, plus a limited edition event t-shirt that can be pre-ordered via the website once booking has opened.


Tickets can be booked via the event website from Monday. Standard tickets are priced at £45 for adults and £20 for kids, while a family ticket (two adults and two children) will cost £104 - booking fee not included.




FILTER: - Special Events - Tom Baker - Matt Smith - Conventions - Sylvester McCoy - Colin Baker

The Seventh Doctor Revisited On BBC AmericaBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 3 July 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
Remembrance of the Daleks is to be shown on BBC America this month as part of the channel's celebratory strand Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited.

Airing on Saturday 27th July in omnibus form, it will be preceded by a documentary at 7pm ET/PT entitled Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited – The Seventh Doctor, in which Sylvester McCoy, his companion actors Sophie Aldred and Bonnie Langford, plus current lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat will be among the people examining the darker side of this particular incarnation of the Doctor. They will also be viewing some of his surreal adventures and discussing The Rani.

Remembrance of the Daleks, written by Ben Aaronovitch and directed by Andrew Morgan, was originally shown over four episodes in October 1988 and saw the Doctor return to Coal Hill School as well as the Totter's Lane junkyard first seen in the show's premier episode. In addition, it continued the story arc of the Dalek civil war, and marked the last appearance of the Daleks and Davros in the original run of the show.
The Doctor and his companion Ace arrive in 1960s London, where they are caught up in a fierce battle on Earth between two violently opposing factions of Daleks, who will stop at nothing to destroy one another.
BBC America is celebrating the programme's 50th anniversary by showing a story per Doctor per month.





FILTER: - Steven Moffat - USA - BBC America - Seventh Doctor - Sylvester McCoy

Details announced of Splendid Chaps: "Seven/Religion"Bookmark and Share

Monday, 1 July 2013 - Reported by Adam Kirk
.As previously reportedSplendid Chaps is a year-long performance/podcast project to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who hosted by comedian Ben McKenzie (Dungeon CrawlMelbourne Museum Comedy Tour) and writer John Richards (ABC1 sitcom OutlandBoxcutters podcast)

Described by its creators as part intellectual panel discussion, part nerdy Tonight Show, Splendid Chaps is a combination of analysis, enthusiasm and irreverence. The first episode went to number 1 on the iTunes TV & Film Podcast chart in Australia, and to number 4 in the UK.  The podcasts to previous episodes are now available at www.splendidchaps.com or at  iTunes.

Tickets are now on sale for their 7th Doctor show! This show discusses the seventh and final Doctor of what we now call the classic era, played by variety performer and actor Sylvester McCoy. Famous for escapology, spoon playing and putting ferrets down his trousers, McCoy’s casting raised a few eyebrows, but his performance changed many doubters’ minds – especially when combined with Sophie Aldred as Ace, and under the new direction provided by the incoming production team under Andrew Cartmel. Of course, no-one knew that the program’s days were numbered…

Splendid Chaps are also looking at the theme of “religion” in Doctor Who. The Doctor has been all across space and time and encountered zealots, fanatics, kindly priests, and beings who believed themselves to be gods or demons or the devil himself. But what does the program say about religion, faith and belief? Is the Doctor Who universe truly a rational one in which the supernatural is really just advanced science, or is The Beast really the Devil? Is faith worthwhile, and if so, what does the Doctor believe?

Hosts Ben McKenzie, John Richards and Petra Elliott are joined by guests including writer and game designer Paul Callaghan, comedian and television writer Dave Bloustien, and for their discussion of religion, the Reverend Dr Avril Hannah-Jones, Uniting Church minister and founder of the Church of the Latter Day Geek (as seen on Adam Hills In Gordon Street Tonight)! Plus a very special musical performance from the one and only Lee Zachariah, and all the usual prizes and surprises!

Space: The Public Bar, 238 Victoria Street, North Melbourne (opposite Victoria Markets)
Time: Sunday 14 July; recording starts 5 PM
Accessibility: This venue is wheelchair accessible.
Tickets: $15 (plus booking fee where applicable)
Bookings: via trybooking.com or at the door (subject to availability)
Podcast: not yet available; released 23 July 2013.

With thanks to John Richards





FILTER: - Special Events - Fan Productions - Seventh Doctor - Sylvester McCoy - Australia

BFI Seventh, Eighth, And Ninth Doctor Screenings UpdateBookmark and Share

Monday, 17 June 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
The special guests for the BFI's celebratory screening of Remembrance of the Daleks next month have been announced.

The sell-out event, part of the BFI's Doctor Who At 50 season, is being held on Saturday 27th July at BFI Southbank to mark the Seventh Doctor's era and will see Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Ben Aaronovitch, Dick Mills, and Mike Tucker taking part in the question-and-answer panel.

The BFI is running a competition to win a pair of tickets to the screening, with a copy of the BFI book 100 Science Fiction Films - to be published on Friday 28th June - also going to the winner. Enter via this link. The contest closes on Friday 19th July. Terms and conditions apply.

August's event should have seen the Eighth Doctor's solo TV venture (so far) being shown on the big screen but instead the Ninth Doctor will be honoured that month, with a story screening and guest panel being held on Saturday 24th August.

BFI spokeswoman Liz Parkinson told Doctor Who News today:
Due to guest availability, we've moved our Eighth Doctor event to a little later in the year, so our Ninth Doctor event has been brought forward.
The date for the TV movie screening is yet to be announced, while the story to be shown from the Ninth Doctor's era, and the accompanying guests, will also be confirmed in due course.

Because of the overwhelming demand to attend the monthly screenings, a ballot system is being run to allocate tickets and priority booking for the Ninth Doctor event will take place, as previously, via the members' section.

BFI Champions can enter the ballot from Monday 1st July and members can enter from Tuesday 2nd July.

The ballot will close on Friday 5th July and be run over the weekend of 6th and 7th July, with all entrants to be notified on Monday 8th July if they have been successful or not. Any tickets reserved for Champions and members through the ballot will be held until 8.30pm on Friday 12th July, and any that are unclaimed by then will be released for public sale on Saturday 13th July.

Although all the screenings in the season so far have been immediate sell-outs, returns and stand-bys are a strong possibility, so if all else fails keep checking with the BFI!




FILTER: - Ninth Doctor - Special Events - UK - Eighth Doctor - Seventh Doctor - BFI - WHO50 - Sylvester McCoy

Doctor Who Stamps Go On SaleBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 26 March 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
Today sees special Royal Mail stamps going on sale to mark the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who.

Each of the 11 TV Doctors is represented on his own first-class stamp (60p), as is the TARDIS, while four enemies – Dalek, Cyberman, Ood, and a Weeping Angel – feature on second-class stamps (50p). The enemies and TARDIS are on a five-stamp miniature sheet, while the stamp design for the Doctors sees the face of each one set against relevant opening title sequences along with a relevant logo. Since the first two Doctors' eras were broadcast in monochrome, the first two stamps are also black and white.

As well as the stamps - which are being sold at more than 9,000 Post Office branches in the UK, online, and via phone (08457 641 641) - a wide variety of associated products is also available, ranging from first-day covers and postcards to stamp sets and stamp strips plus a pin badge of the TARDIS stamp. Some of the items on sale include series information penned by Doctor Who writer, director, and script editor Gary Russell.

Royal Mail - which said it had had an unprecedented number of pre-registrations for the stamps since they were unveiled in December - is also creating unique postmarks in the home towns of the actors to have played the 11 TV Doctors. All stamped mail sent from those locations will have a special postmark celebrating 50 years of Doctor Who, with the name of the actor who played the Doctor plus the length of time they were in the role.

Andrew Hammond, the managing director of the stamps and collectibles division at Royal Mail, said:
Following our launch announcement last year, we've had a fantastic response from the public who seemingly can't wait for the stamps. This shows just how much we all love Doctor Who.

The time has come and we are delighted that the stamps are now on sale, meaning fans of all ages can send their letters with one of their favourite Doctors on. This is a fitting tribute to this remarkable 50th anniversary and we hope our stamps will enable people across the UK to feel part of the celebrations of such a national treasure.

Fiona Eastwood, the product development director at BBC Worldwide Consumer Products, said:
With the second part to the latest Doctor Who series out on Saturday, these stamps are the perfect way to mark this as well as the 50th anniversary. With all the Doctors to date featured in the set, these stamps showcase the fantastic actors who have played the Time Lord over the last 50 years.

Royal Mail's Special Stamp programme has been commemorating and celebrating events and anniversaries relevant to UK heritage and life for nearly 50 years itself. All UK stamp designs are approved by the Queen before they are printed.

The stamps are available to purchase from the Post Office.

Royal Mail Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Stamps: First DoctorRoyal Mail Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Stamps: Second DoctorRoyal Mail Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Stamps: Third DoctorRoyal Mail Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Stamps: Fourth DoctorRoyal Mail Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Stamps: Fifth DoctorRoyal Mail Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Stamps: Sixth DoctorRoyal Mail Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Stamps: Seventh DoctorRoyal Mail Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Stamps: Eighth DoctorRoyal Mail Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Stamps: Ninth DoctorRoyal Mail Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Stamps: Tenth DoctorRoyal Mail Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Stamps: Eleventh DoctorRoyal Mail Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Stamps: Minisheet

Pre-issue event

A special public affairs event marking the issue of the anniversary stamps was held by Royal Mail at BAFTA in London earlier this month, with Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Paul McGann, Steven Moffat, Jenna-Louise Coleman, Jon Pertwee's son Sean Pertwee, and William Hartnell's granddaughter and biographer Jessica Carney mingling among the invited guests, who included MPs, stakeholders, and key Royal Mail customers.

Speeches in praise of the show and the stamps were given by Moya Greene, Royal Mail's chief executive, and Steven Moffat. The showrunner also introduced a video message from Matt Smith, as the actor had been unable to make it to the function, plus an extended trailer for Series 7b.

Props made by the officially-licensed company Rubbertoe Replicas were on show, as were displays of the stamps, with Daleks and a police box also adding to the atmosphere.


Competition to follow

Doctor Who News will shortly be running a competition connected with the release of the stamps and there's a fabulous prize to be won, courtesy of Royal Mail, so keep checking back for details!





FILTER: - Steven Moffat - Merchandise - Doctor Who - UK - Tom Baker - Matt Smith - WHO50 - Peter Davison - Peter Capaldi - Colin Baker - Sylvester McCoy - David Tennant - Christopher Eccleston