The actor Tim Pigott-Smith has died, aged 70.

Born in Rugby, Warwickshire, he trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Appearing in a number of Shakespearean stage productions and small television roles, his big break came with the role of Ronald Merrick in ITV's The Jewel in the Crown, which saw him win Best Actor in the BAFTA Awards for 1985. Other notable appearances included Chief Constable John Stafford in The Chief (1990-1993), a recurring role in ITV drama The Vice as Ken Stott's nemesis, DCI Frank Vickers, Bloody Sunday and two separate adaptations of North and South. His film career included the 2004 film Alexander, The Four Feathers, Gangs of New York, Johnny English, The Remains of the Day, V for Vendetta, and also in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace.

However, his first speaking role on television was on Doctor Who, playing Captain Harker in the 1971 story The Claws of Axos: "I have my orders, Brigadier," he announced as he puts our heroes under arrest! He returned to the show in 1976, playing Duke Giuliano's friend Marco in The Masque of Mandragora. Speaking to Doctor Who Magazine about this role in Issue 187, he said:

As well as his 1985 BAFTA, he also won the Directors' Week Award for Best Actor in 2002 for his role as
Major General Ford in Bloody Sunday. He received an OBE in 2017.

His agent said:

The actor can currently be seen in BBC One's Decline and Fall.

Titan Comics’ have announced Doctor Who Comics Day 2017 will be held on on Saturday, September 2.

Doctor Who Comics Day is a global event inspired by Titan Comics’ Doctor Who comic books. 2017 marks the fourth annual Doctor Who Comics Day, set to be bigger than ever before with new comics and collections, merchandise, variant covers, signings, and events across the world at comic shops, bookstores, retail chains, libraries, and on digital platforms. Fans can register for an event kit to hold their own reading group parties.

Last year’s event tied in with the release of the brand-new, five-part Doctor Who comics and Supremacy of the Cybermen series crossover, in celebration of the Cybermen’s 50th anniversary. Written by Doctor Who comics writers Cavan Scott and George Mann, with art by Ivan Rodriguez, Walter Geovanni, and Alessandro Vitti, this release gave readers the chance to celebrate Doctor Who Comics Day at over 2,000 locations.

This year's event will present a story crossing over all four ongoing series (Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Doctor comics), kicking off with an accessible Alpha issue, drawn by Rachael Stott (Twelfth Doctor), on Doctor Who Comics Day itself.

More details about the story and the creative teams to be revealed in the coming weeks.

Titan Comics’ Brand Manager, Chris Thompson said To sign up your store or library, or to register for a kit to host your own reading group event on Doctor Who Comics Day, click here.

The latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine is out today, and focusses on the latest sidekick to enter the TARDIS!

Speaking of her début in the show, Pearl Mackie said:


Also inside this issue...

• MEET THE TEAM FOR 2017! In his exclusive column, showrunner Steven Moffat introduces the team of writers for the 2017 series.
• NEW SERIES PREVIEWS! Exclusive previews of the first three episodes of the new series: The Pilot, Smile, and Thin Ice, including interviews with the writers.
• MEET THE PRODUCERS! We get the lowdown on the new series from Doctor Who’s two producers, Peter Bennett and Nikki Wilson.
• DOORWAY TO HELL! Our brand-new comic strip reaches its climax in Part Four of Doorway to Hell, written by Mark Wright and illustrated by Staz Johnson.
• THIS IS TERMINUS! This issue’s Fact of Fiction explores the 1983 story which sees the Doctor arrive on Terminus, where suffers from Lazar’s disease go to die...
• THE CURSE OF THE BLACK SPOT! The Doctor, Amy and Rory board a seventeenth-century pirate ship, as the Time Team continue their mission to watch every episode of Doctor Who.
• REVIEWS: DWM reviews the latest audio and DVD releases from the world of Doctor Who.
• COMING SOON: Previews of all the latest Doctor Who CD and book releases.

PLUS! All the latest official news, competitions, the DWM crossword, and a FREE MASSIVE DOUBLE-SIDED POSTER!

The BBC have issued a press release relating to the return of the Master in the new series of Doctor Who:

The BBC have released some new promotional images to accompany the 30 second trailer that is now airing on television in the UK, featuring some of the scenes to come in the new series of Doctor Who which kicks off in ten days time.


PRIME in New Zealand have now confirmed that, unlike for recent series and specials, it will instead premiere The Pilot on Monday 17th April rather than within a day of the United Kingdom - this means that cinema-goers in the country will have a chance to watch it on the big screen the day before broadcast. However, this is only the case for Easter, future episodes will be broadcast on the more traditional Sunday evening prime time slot.

The Pilot: Known Broadcast Details
United Kingdom	BBC One	Sat 15 Apr 2017	7:20pm BST
Middle East	BBC First	Sat 15 Apr 2017	10:00pm AST	(Sat 8:00pm BST)
United States of America	BBC America	Sat 15 Apr 2017	9:00pm EDT	(Sun 2:00am BST)
Canada	SPACE	Sat 15 Apr 2017	9:00pm EDT	(Sun 2:00am BST)
Australia	ABC	Sun 16 Apr 2017	7:40pm AEST	(Sun 10:40am BST, also on ABC ME)
Brazil	SyFy	Sun 16 Apr 2017	8:00pm BRT	(Sun 11:00pm BST)
Latin America	SyFy	Sun 16 Apr 2017	11:00pm CDT	(Mon 4:00am BST)
New Zealand	PRIME	Mon 17 Apr 2017	7:30pm NZST	(Mon 8:30am BST)

As well as on television, the episode can also be seen in cinemas in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. A full list of broadcasts can be found via This Week in Doctor Who.

Current indications are that Doctor Who won't be taking a week's break for the annual Eurovision Song Contest, which takes place this year on 13th May (the date for the fifth episode, Oxygen).

The latest Doctor Who Magazine (in shops tomorrow in the UK) has confirmed the titles of all episodes bar the two-part finale, with previews of the first three in this issue. The current list of known titles are as follows:

1. The Pilot*, by Steven Moffat, directed by Lawrence Gough
2. Smile, by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, directed by Lawrence Gough
3. Thin Ice, by Sarah Dollard, directed by Bill Anderson
4. Knock Knock, by Mike Bartlett, directed by Bill Anderson
5. Oxygen, by Jamie Matheson, directed by Charles Palmer
6. Extremis, by Steven Moffat, directed by Daniel Nettheim
7. The Pyramid at the End of the World, by Peter Harness, directed by Daniel Nettheim
8. The Lie Of The Land, by Toby Whithouse, directed by Wayne Che Yip
9. The Empress Of Mars, by Mark Gatiss, directed by Wayne Che Yip
10. The Eaters of Light, by Rona Munro, directed by Charles Palmer
11. tbc, by Steven Moffat, directed by Rachel Talalay
12. tbc, by Steven Moffat, directed by Rachel Talalay

* the episode was originally known as A Star In Her Eye, which is still being used in documentation by some international channels.

The BBC have released a number of images profiling the three lead characters in the new series of Doctor Who, the Doctor, Bill and Nardole.


There are also three additional images to publicise the forthcoming series:


The new series of Doctor Who kicks off on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 15th April 2017.

BBC News have released a short video interview with Pearl Mackie, during which she introduces her character of Bill Potts for the new series of Doctor Who which starts in a fortnight's time.

The BBC has released the synopsis for the first episode of the new series of Doctor Who.

The episode premieres on BBC One on Saturday 15th April, followed by screenings around the world.

BBC Books have released details about a new hardback book due to be published on 29th June 2017: