Big Finish: August Releases

Wednesday, 28 August 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster

This month's Doctor releases from Big Finish feature the continuation of the Seventh Doctor's travels with Klein and Will, an adventure for the First Doctor and Susan, plus an interview with the two actors that brought the popular Victorian investigators - aka Jago and Litefoot - to life.

Starlight Robbery (available to order)
Starring Sylvester McCoy as The Doctor, with Tracey Childs as Dr Elizabeth Klein

Sick of the same-old slaughter-appliances? In need of a killer new killing-machine? Then look no further than Garundel Galactic's secret arms auction. Blasters, tanks, missiles and bombs – no bang too big or micro-laser too small. If you’ve got the credits, Garundel's got the kill-sticks. (Cash buyers get preferential rates.)

In search of the key to a sinister alien technology, the Doctor, Klein and Will set their sights on an illicit intergalactic arms fair run by an old acquaintance – the slippery Urodelian crook, Garundel. But what are their chances of pulling off a particularly audacious heist from under the noses of Garundel and his alien clients, the ever-belligerent Sontarans...?

The Companion Chronicles: The Alchemists (Credit: Big Finish)

The Alchemists (available to order)
Starring Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman

The TARDIS lands in Berlin in the 1930s, where Hitler and his National Socialist party are in the ascendant.

Some of the greatest scientific minds are gathering here: Einstein, Heisenberg, Planck, Schrödinger, Wigner. The people who will build the future of planet Earth.

But the Doctor and Susan have brought something with them. Something apparently harmless, something quite common. Yet something that could threaten the course of history...

Benjamin and Baxter (Credit: Big Finish)

Benjamin and Baxter (available to order)

The stars of Jago & Litefoot, Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter, prove immensely endearing raconteurs as they chat with Nicholas Briggs about their long and varied careers, covering their first appearance as Jago & Litefoot in Doctor Who: The Talons of Weng-Chiang and a rich tapestry of other tales from their lives...

NOTE: Benjamin & Baxter contains some adult material and is not suitable for younger listeners.

Win a copy of The Alchemists

This month's competition thanks to Big Finish is to win one of five copies of The Alchemists. To be in with a chance to win, please answer the following question:

Name one of the televised stories in which the Doctor meets Einstein.

Send your answer to comp-alchemists@doctorwhonews.net with the subject line "I'm a Genius!", along with your name, address, and where you saw the competition (the news website, twitter, facebook, etc.). Only one entry per postal address will be accepted. The competition is open worldwide, and the closing date is 5th September 2013.

FILTER: - Merchandise - Audio - Seventh Doctor - Competitions - Big Finish

Big Finish reduce price of their first 50 adventures

Sunday, 4 August 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster

As part of the 50th Anniversary year celebrations, Big Finish have announced that they have made the first 50 of the Doctor's adventures on CD available at a new permanent low price whilst stocks last.

"The number 50 seemed like a special number this year," says executive producer Nick Briggs, "so we thought it would be fun to do something a bit celebratory and game-changing for the coming anniversary of Doctor Who."

From this month, the first fifty main range Doctor Who releases will have their prices reduced to £5/£2.99 each. There will be corresponding cuts in the price of subscriptions within the first fifty main range releases too.

A subscription for 12 main range releases within the first 1-50 will now cost a mere £50 for CDs and £32 for download-only. A subscription for 6 main range releases within the first 1-50 will now cost £25 for CDs and £16 for download-only.

But hurry to get them while stocks of the CDs last, because we won’t be repressing the first fifty CDs of the main range. When they’re gone, they’re gone.

"Of course," explains Nick, "those releases will always be available as downloads. But we’ve decided that after having them constantly available on CD, since 1999 in some cases, it’s time to free up some space in our warehouse and stop repressing them.

"Most other CD publishers we’re aware of delete titles from their catalogues within months,’ continues Nick. ‘We’ve had a policy of constantly repressing and keeping everything available on CD. But with the option of being able to keep everything available as downloads, we felt it was time to give these titles a last hurrah as shiny discs."

This doesn’t mean that Big Finish is moving over to a download-only policy.

"Our loyal listeners are mostly very traditional," says Nick. ‘Most of our sales are still on CD, but for these much older releases the CD sales have trickled down to almost nothing, so it makes sense not to keep large amounts of stock of items that sell at a very low rate.

"This will be a chance for those who’ve still yet to come aboard with Big Finish to find out what all the fuss about, and for others to catch up with gaps in their collections."

There are no plans for this to happen with other ranges, and Big Finish remains committed to CD production and sales for the foreseeable future.

The First Adventure: The Sirens of Time (Credit: Big Finish)

The Fiftieth Adventure: Zagreus (Credit: Big Finish)

FILTER: - WHO50 - Big Finish

Big Finish: July releases

Friday, 19 July 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Big Finish have released details about the latest adventures for the Doctor and his companions in July.

Doctor Who: Persuasion returns former Nazi scientist Klein to the Seventh Doctor's life as the pair become embroiled in a quest for a very dangerous object. And this time there's room for another person in the TARDIS: Klein's assistant Will Arrowsmith. It stars Sylvester McCoy and sees Tracey Childs reprise her role as Klein, with Christian Edwards playing Will. It has been written by Jonathan Barnes, author of Sherlock Holmes story The Adventure of the Perfidious Mariner, and the upcoming The Ordeals of Sherlock Holmes box set.

Persuasion (available to order)
Starring Sylvester McCoy as The Doctor, with Tracey Childs as Dr Elizabeth Klein

The Umbrella Man is back. But when the Doctor recruits UNIT's Scientific Adviser Elizabeth Klein for an off-the-books mission to the apocalyptic final days of Hitler's Germany, he isn't expecting Klein's hapless young assistant, Will Arrowsmith, to be joining them too.

The Doctor isn't the only alien creature seeking to loot a very particular secret from a Nazi base in Dusseldorf, however. Strange and sinister beings are converging on the same time/space location in search of the scientist Schalk, whose experiments are the key to a devastating power...

The power of Persuasion.

Producer David Richardson says:

We love working with Tracey Childs at Big Finish, and in Klein – originally created by Steve Lyons – we have found the most wonderfully complex and nuanced character to play with. If you think you knew it all about Elizabeth, then you’re in for a few shocks in this new trilogy, which continues with Starlight Robbery in August (with features the Sontarans) and Daleks Among Us in September (with the return of Davros).

Doctor Who - The Companion Chronicles: Mastermind takes us back to the UNIT Vault and the lives of Ruth Matheson (Daphne Ashbrook) and Charlie Sato (Yee Jee Tso), guardians of its secrets. Alongside all the artefacts, though, is a highly deadly prisoner: the Master (Geoffrey Beevers). And he has a story to tell which is certainly not guaranteed to have a happy ending. Writer Jonathan Morris locks himself back into the Vault for an in-depth look at quite possibly the Doctor's most dangerous foe...

The Companion Chronicles: Mastermind (Credit: Big Finish)

Mastermind (available to order)
Starring Daphne Ashbrook as Ruth Matheson, Yee Jee Tso as Charlie Sato, with Geoffrey Beevers as The Master

The Vault – an archive of alien artefacts securely stored deep beneath the Angel of the North.

There's also a prisoner in the Vault. An extraterrestrial known as the Master. He has been on Earth for some time, but now he's under lock and key.

This is his story.

Or, as Captain Ruth Matheson and Warrant Officer Charlie Sato discover… perhaps it is theirs.

David Richardson says:

After the success of Tales from the Vault, which introduced Ruth and Charlie, we were determined to revisit the Vault – and Jonny Morris has found the most fascinating way to do so. I’m thrilled that already it has been so well received, as people are responding to a labyrinthine script that reveals a lot of new information about the Doctor’s arch enemy. And Geoffrey Beevers is, of course, magnificent.

The Fourth Doctor’s second season ends with The Final Phase, in which the mysterious Cuthbert's plan for the Proxima System is reaching its climax. The Doctor and Romana have been separated. The Doctor is aiding the Proximan fight-back. Romana and K9 are prisoners of the Daleks. And as the countdown to the opening of the Quantum Gateway begins, the Daleks reveal their true intentions.

Starring Tom Baker as the Doctor, John Leeson as K9 and, sadly, for the final time Mary Tamm as the first Romana, Doctor Who: The Final Phase brings the second series of The Fourth Doctor Adventures to a shattering conclusion. It also stars David Warner and Toby Hadoke as Cuthbert and his ever-faithful sidekick Mr Dorrick, and the incomparable Nicholas Briggs as the ever-malevolent Daleks.

Fourth Doctor Adventures: The Final Phase (Credit: Big Finish)

The Final Phase (available to order)
Starring Tom Baker as the Doctor and Mary Tamm as Romana, with David Warner as Cuthbert

'The raw power of the very fabric of reality itself. And you dare to think you can conquer it?'

Cuthbert's plan for the Proxima System is reaching its final phase.

The Doctor and Romana have been separated. The Doctor is aiding the Proximan fight-back. Romana and K9 are prisoners of the Daleks.

And as the countdown to the opening of the Quantum Gateway begins, the Daleks reveal their true intentions.

David Richardson says:

Mary loved this script. And when we recorded it, she specifically asked to record the final scene again – just because she felt it was a pivotal moment for Romana, and she wanted to get it exactly right. It’s heartbreaking to think that would be the last time we saw her. But we’re all so grateful to Mary for driving this second season of The Fourth Doctor Adventures through, despite her illness. A remarkable lady.

Finally, the second season of Counter-Measures stars Simon Williams, Pamela Salem and Karen Gledhill reprising their Doctor Who Remembrance of the Daleks roles of Gilmore, Rachel and Allison, Counter-Measures - Series Two brings four more tales of Sixties-set 'black and white' espionage, conspiracy and derring-do. It also stars Hugh Ross as the team's mysterious boss, Sir Toby Kinsella.

UNIT: Counter Measures 2 (Credit: Big Finish)

UNIT: Counter Measures 2 (available to order)
Starring Pamela Salem as Rachel Jensen, Simon Williams as Group Captain Gilmore, and Karen Gledhill as Allison Williams

The British government has created the Counter-Measures group, a specialist team that investigates strange phenomena and dangerous technology. This box set contains four of their adventures plus a behind-the-scenes documentary.

Manhunt by Matt Fitton
Group Captain Gilmore is on the run for murder; Sir Toby is dealing with his unctuous new assistant, Templeton; and Allison and Rachel are investigating a bizarre series of deaths across the country. A maniac is on the loose, but for Counter-Measures it's business as usual.

The Fifth Citadel by James Goss
People are falling ill near Holborn and displaying a sickness with all the hallmarks of radiation poisoning. While Gilmore and Allison look into a graveyard, Sir Toby and Rachel venture underground to meet an old friend with a desperate scheme.

Peshka by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright
A visit to an international chess tournament isn't quite the relaxing experience the Counter-Measures team might have hoped for. With a defection to arrange and violence erupting on the streets it's time for a dangerous gambit. What pieces will be left on the table when the Endgame approaches?

Sins of the Fathers by John Dorney
When a massacre results from the ruins of an old case, it poses more questions than it answers. But with Sir Toby stonewalling, Gilmore and Rachel are forced to investigate alone. The past is catching up with Counter-Measures. With decades old secrets about to be revealed, can anyone survive the fallout?

David Richardson says:

I’m hugely proud of this series, which I think has really hit its stride now. The first series went down a storm, so we're delighted to be able to release the five-disc box set early.

These four tales take the Counter-Measures group into some dangerous new situations – in which the biggest threat is humanity itself... You can experience Gilmore's brush with the wrong side of the law, an illness that looks like radiation sickness, a chess match that leads to defection and the revelation of a long-kept secret - can the team stay together in the face of adversity?

Win a copy of Mastermind!

This month's competition thanks to Big Finish is to win one of five copies of Mastermind. To be in with a chance to win, please answer the following question:

Mastermind features both the Master and UNIT personnel - and on television Geoffrey Beevers has played both! Name the role he played within UNIT.

Send your answer to comp-mastermind@doctorwhonews.net with the subject line "You Will Obey!", along with your name, address, and where you saw the competition (the news website, twitter, facebook, etc.). Only one entry per postal address will be accepted. The competition is open worldwide, and the closing date is 31st July 2013.

FILTER: - Merchandise - Audio - Seventh Doctor - Competitions - Fourth Doctor - Big Finish

Hinchcliffe Era Revived

Friday, 28 June 2013 - Reported by Marcus

Big Finish are to produce a couple of Doctor Who stories in association with former producer Philip Hinchcliffe, the man who led Doctor Who through one of its most successful and best remembered eras.

Starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Louise Jameson as Leela, the two audio plays will evoke the spirit and feel of the period when Hinchcliffe was in charge of production. Philip Hinchcliffe produced Doctor Who from 1975’s The Ark in Space through to the 1977 story The Talons of Weng-Chiang. He was responsible for a series of stories which regularly top fan polls of favourite titles and which include some of the episodes with the highest ratings in Doctor Who’s history.

The idea for revisiting the era came after Hinchcliffe visited the Big Finish studios to watch the recording of series three of The Fourth Doctor Adventures. Big Finish Producer David Richardson said

I know that Tom Baker and Louise Jameson were thrilled to have him there, and they both enthused to him about what a great time they were having working for Big Finish. After the recording ended, Philip took me and executive producer Nicholas Briggs aside, and pitched the idea of doing a set of stories of the kind he would have hoped to have done, had he stayed on to produce the series for longer. We just said ‘yes’ instantly!

The first story in the set will be an epic six-parter set in Victorian London, adapted by Marc Platt, who wrote the TV story Ghost Light, which will be paired with a four-parter.

Hinchcliffe said he wanted to create stories that felt as if they could belong to his second or third season

They are not designed to follow on from my era, more to re-evoke it for fans who enjoyed the originals: and so the Doctor and Leela in these new stories are the same as they were then, in the glorious seventies! That's the beauty of radio - they look and sound the same.

Doctor Who: Philip Hinchcliffe Presents will be released in August 2014, and is available for pre-order.

FILTER: - Audio - Tom Baker - Big Finish

Big Finish: June Releases

Saturday, 15 June 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Big Finish have released details on the latest adventures for the Doctor and his companions in June ...

Prisoners of Fate (available to order)
Starring Peter Davison as The Doctor, Janet Fielding as Tegan, Mark Strickson as Turlough, and Sarah Sutton as Nyssa.

Twenty-five years ago, with Richter's Syndrome running rampant throughout the galaxy, the brilliant biochemist Nyssa, formerly of Traken, bade a painful farewell to her young family... and set off into the space, in search of a cure for this deadly disease.

She never returned.

Now, her grown-up son continues her work on the penal colony of Valderon, still desperate to make the breakthrough that eluded his presumed-dead mother.

So when the TARDIS lands on Valderon, bringing the Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and Nyssa to its fortress prison, the scene is set for a painful reunion... but not only for Nyssa. The Doctor's past is about to catch up with him too...

Prisoners of Fate ends the current trilogy of Fifth Doctor adventures with a twisty tale from the pen of Jonathan Morris as the Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and Nyssa are forced to confront head-on the consequences of Nyssa's travels in the TARDIS since Helheim, begun in Doctor Who: Cobwebs. The story guest stars Sarah Douglas (Superman, V) as Sibor and Alistair Mackenzie (Monarch of the Glen, Borgen) as Galen.

Producer David Richardson commented:

This story presents a huge dilemma for Nyssa, and there are no easy answers for the Doctor. Plus we get to meet something significant from the Doctorls past we never knew about before...

The Companion Chronicles: Council of War (Credit: Big Finish)

Council of War (available to order)
Starring John Levene as Benton, with Sinead Keenan as Margery Phipps

At the Doctor's request, Sergeant Benton is investigating ghosts and missing people in Kettering, while undercover as a local councillor

And that's how he comes to meet Margery Phipps.

An alien incursion in the town hall leads them on a journey to a terrible future – where Margery discovers how she changed a world, and the life of a whole civilisation hangs in the balance...

Council of War, by Scarifyers creators Simon Barnard and Paul Morris, Sergeant Benton finds an undercover job taking on a life of its own when he gets involved in the life of Margery Phipps and the affairs of Kettering.

David:

Yes, John Levene has joined The Companion Chronicles. It's great to have him aboard – ably supported here by the brilliant Sinead Keenan (Nina from Being Human).

Fourth Doctor Adventures: The Dalek Contract (Credit: Big Finish)

The Dalek Contract (available to order)
Starring Tom Baker as the Doctor, Mary Tamm as Romana, and John Leeson as K9

'These creatures have ravaged half the cosmos. They're experts at this kind of thing. Nothing can stand in their way.'

The Doctor and Romana find themselves in the Proxima System, where enigmatic Conglomerate CEO Cuthbert has been conducting his infamous 'experiment'. An experiment which might accidentally rip the universe apart.

Meanwhile, living conditions on Proxima Major have become harsh and hostile. Climate change has turned the landscape into a freezing wasteland and an alien power has condemned much of the population to life inside internment camps. For those still clinging to their freedom, the struggle for survival is now beyond desperate and outsiders such as the Doctor and Romana are only seen as a threat.

What is Cuthbert really up to in the Proxima System, and just how does he expect the dreaded Daleks to fit into his plan?

David:

A few firsts in this one. It's the first Romana's only meeting with the Daleks. It's K9's first fight against the Daleks (at least in a full cast medium). And it's also the return of David Warner as Cuthbert and Toby Hadoke as Mr Dorrick, as we head for a big season finale with high stakes...

Competition:

This month's competition thanks to Big Finish is to win one of five copies of Council of War. To be in with a chance, please answer the following question:

John Levene has been long associated with the role of Benton, but name his only credited monstrous role and relevant story from the television series.

Send your answer to comp-council@doctorwhonews.net with the subject line "beneath the mask", along with your name, address, and where you saw the competition (the news website, twitter, facebook, etc.). Only one entry per postal address will be accepted. The competition is open worldwide, and the closing date is 30th June 2013.

FILTER: - Merchandise - Audio - Competitions - Fourth Doctor - Fifth Doctor - Big Finish

Big Finish's licence renewed to cover 2016

Monday, 10 June 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Big Finish have announced that their licence to make Doctor Who audio adventures has been extended to December 2016.

Executive producer Jason Haigh-Ellery said:

It’s an absolute privilege to be entrusted with making audio adventures for Doctor Who for at least another three years, and it’s wonderful that we will be able to continue our excellent working relationships with our friends and colleagues at AudioGO and Cardiff.

Fellow executive producer Nicholas Briggs observed:

This year will mark my seventh anniversary as executive producer at Big Finish. For me, it's a clear indication of how much fun I've been having with the work and the people I'm privileged to work with that I am looking forward to the possibilities opening up with this latest extension of our licence so much. And by that time, I'll have been in the role for ten years! Bring it on, I say. We have a great relationship with AudioGo and there will be exciting developments ahead.

Line producer David Richardson added:

We have so many more tales to tell with the first eight Doctors and their companions. We can promise that 2016 will see more of your favourite ranges – plus maybe a brand new range or two that will surprise and delight. Certainly, as a team, we could not be happier that we will continue to be able to make our Doctor Who dreams a reality.

FILTER: - Big Finish

Big Finish: May update

Friday, 10 May 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Big Finish have released details on the latest adventures for the Doctor and his companions in May ...

The Lady of Mercia (available to order)
Starring Peter Davison as The Doctor, Janet Fielding as Tegan, Mark Strickson as Turlough, and Sarah Sutton as Nyssa.

The TARDIS brings the Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and Nyssa to the University of Frodsham, close to where the warrior queen Æthelfrid fought a desperate and bloody rearguard action against the savage Danes. Over a thousand years later, in 1983, battle is still being raged, with student activists taking on savage funding cuts… and disrupting a conference about Æthelfrid convened by history professor John Bleak.

Meanwhile, over in the Physics Department, Dr Philippa Stone is working night and day on a top-secret project – but can her theoretical time machine really be the solution to the university's problems?

Present and past are about to collide – and the results, as the TARDIS crew is about to discover, will be far from academic!

Producer David Richardson says:

For me, personally, there’s something very special about this TARDIS team. They are just such clearly defined characters with an interesting dynamic. And this story proves that even the Dark Ages aren’t read for Tegan Jovanka...

The Companion Chronicles: The Apocalypse Mirror (Credit: Big Finish)

The Apocalypse Mirror (available to order)
Starring Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury

The TARDIS lands in the city of Tromesis on Earth – but it’s a world far from the one that the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe recognize.

The buildings are ruined, the streets deserted. And against the devastation they see a ghostly mirror image of another place – the city as it was before disaster hit.

People vanish here, and huge metal birds attack from the sky.

Can the Doctor find the future, in a place that doesn’t have one?

David Richardson:

The cast says it all - we have Frazer playing Jamie and giving his rendition of the Second Doctor, and Wendy back as Zoe. It’s wonderful to send the final TARDIS crew of the 1960s out on a rather dark new adventure.

Fourth Doctor Adventures: Phantoms of the Deep (Credit: Big Finish)

Phantoms of the Deep (available to order)
Starring Tom Baker as the Doctor, Mary Tamm as Romana and John Leeson as K-9, with Alice Krige as Dr Patricia Sawyer

On their mission to explore the Mariana Trench at the very bottom of the ocean, the deepest and most inhospitable place on Earth, the crew of the deep sea vehicle Erebus make an unusual and startling discovery.

A battered blue police box.

As the Doctor, Romana and K9 join them on their journey, the submariners soon discover that the TARDIS is not the only unusual find lurking on the sea floor.

Super-intelligent squid, long-lost submarines and their miraculous occupants are only the start of their troubles. The Goblins are coming. And they won't let anyone out alive.

David Richardson:

Jonny Morris delivered a wonderful piece of whimsy with this season’s The Auntie Matter, so I asked him to go the other way with his second story. I asked for something dark and terrifying, and he delivered in spades, as the Doctor, Romana and K9 discover something very sinister on the ocean floor… And I was thrilled that Alice Krige (The Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact) agreed to join us for the recording – she’s phenomenal in this story, and the most delightful lady to work with.

Competition:

This month's competition thanks to Big Finish is to win one of five copies of The Apocalypse Mirror. To be in with a chance to win, please answer the following question:

As well as Doctor Who, Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury also appeared together in Emmerdale Farm - what were their character names?

Send your answer to comp-apocalypse@doctorwhonews.net with the subject line "Beckindale re-union", along with your name, address, and where you saw the competition (the news website, twitter, facebook, etc.). Only one entry per postal address will be accepted. The competition is open worldwide, and the closing date is 31st May 2013.

FILTER: - Audio - Competitions - Fourth Doctor - Fifth Doctor - Big Finish

Big Finish: special one-day 10% sale

Wednesday, 1 May 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Big Finish have announced a special 10% discount across all of their ranges for one day only:

Doctor Who, Blake's 7, Stargate, Dark Shadows, Sherlock Holmes, Highlander, Vienna, Bernice Summerfield, The Confessions of Dorian Gray, Drama Showcase, Graceless, Sapphire & Steel, 2000AD - everything! And that includes all subscriptions and bundle offers too! Please note that this is the only time all subscriptions will be discounted!

Simply choose your items, head to the checkout, type in discount code mayday and your order will be reduced by 10%. Don't miss this amazing offer - today only (1st May), midnight to midnight UK time.

FILTER: - Special Offers - Big Finish

Big Finish: The Beginning

Thursday, 25 April 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Big Finish have released details on a special Companion Chronicle for the 50th Anniversary:

In November 2013, Doctor Who celebrates its 50th anniversary. As part of the celebrations, Big Finish is releasing The Companion Chronicles – The Beginning, which tells the very first Doctor Who story ever!

When the First Doctor and his grand-daughter Susan escape through the cloisters of Gallifrey to an old Type 40 Time Travel capsule, little do they realize the adventures that lie ahead… And little do they know, as the TARDIS dematerializes and they leave their home world behind, there is someone else aboard the ship. He is Quadrigger Stoyn, and he is very unhappy...

The Beginning stars Carole Ann Ford as Susan, and Terry Molloy (who also played Davros in the classic TV series) is Quadrigger Stoyn. The script is by Marc Platt, who has written many Big Finish audio plays and who also wrote Ghost Light for the Seventh Doctor and Ace on TV.

FILTER: - Merchandise - Audio - WHO50 - Big Finish

The Ice Warriors: DVD details announced / Big Finish weekend offer

Friday, 12 April 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster

BBC Worldwide have announced details for the forthcoming release of The Ice Warriors on DVD. The two-disc set has been provisionally scheduled for release on 26th August 2013 for R2 and 28th August for R4 (a R1 date has yet to be confirmed).

The Ice Warriors
Release date: 26 Aug 2013 UK

The Ice Warriors - Cover (R2) (Credit: BBC Worldwide)

Starring Patrick Troughton as Doctor Who, Frazer Hines as Jamie, and Deborah Watling as Victoria
Written by Brian Hayles
Directed by Derek Martinus

Broadcast: Sat 11 Nov - Sat 16 Dec 1967

In the distant future, Earth faces a new Ice Age. While a dedicated team of scientists battle to hold the approaching glaciers at bay, a startling discovery is made deep within the ice… an alien warrior, frozen for millennia. When the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria arrive they soon discover Earth is under threat from the Ice Warriors – fearsome Martians intent on conquering our planet for themselves…

Special Features: Disc One

Commentary - Episodes 1, 4, 5, 6 with actors Frazer Hines, Deborah Watling and Sonny Caldinez, designer Jeremy Davies and grams operator Pat Heigham, moderated by Toby Hadoke
Commentary - Episode 2 made up of original archive recordings or readings of text written by Brian Hayles, Derek Martinus, Martin Baugh, Bernard Bresslaw, Peter Barkworth, Wendy Gifford and Sylvia James
Commentary - Episode 3 with Michael Troughton (Patrick Troughton's son)
Programme subtitles
Subtitle Production Notes

Special Features: Disc One

Cold Fusion (dur. 24’31”) – Cast and crew look back at the making of the story. With actors Frazer Hines, Deborah Watling and Sonny Caldinez, designer Jeremy Davies, and James Bresslaw (son of the late actor Bernard Bresslaw)
Beneath the Ice (dur. 10’31”) - A look behind the scenes of the animated Ice Warrior episodes. Producers Chris Chapman and Niel Bushnell, together with animation director Chris Chatterton from Qurios lift the lid on the process used to bring Varga and his Warriors back to life
VHS Links (dur. 19’19”) – the introduction to the story and linking material covering the two missing episodes, as used on the VHS release of the story in 1998. Includes the BBC Video “Adjust your tracking control” caption for a true sense of nostalgia!
Blue Peter Design-a-Monster (dur. 10’04”) – the competition launch and subsequent winners of the 1967 Design-a-Monster competition, which ran during the transmission of The Ice Warriors
Doctor Who Stories – Frazer Hines part two (dur. 13’ 48”) - the second part of this interview with Frazer Hines shot in 2004 for The Story of Doctor Who looks at his later appearances in the series
Photo Gallery (dur. 3’53”) - production, design and publicity photos from the story
Coming Soon (dur. 1 min approx) - a trailer for a forthcoming DVD release
Radio Times Listings in Adobe PDF format
Programme subtitles

A number of new stills from the animated episodes have also been published, including a recent tweet by producer Chris Chapman comparing the animation with an existing telesnap:

The Ice Warriors - animation/image comparison (Credit: Chris Chapman/BBC Worldwide)

BBC Worldwide have also released a brief video excerpt to demonstrate the animation via their YouTube channel.

Big Finish: Ice Warriors special offer:

Saturday has yet more Ice Warrior excitement, as the Martians return to television in Cold War. To celebrate their appearance Big Finish are running a special offer on their adventures in audio/download over the weekend:

The Ice Warriors are back! This weekend sees the return of everyone's favourite Martian menace to TV screens in Doctor Who's latest episode Cold War. And what better way to celebrate than to enjoy some top Ice Warrior action on CD or download audiobook, on offer until Monday morning individually or as a bundle of all ten stories!

The complete list of titles on offer are as follows:

Doctor Who: Red Dawn
Doctor Who: Frozen Time
Doctor Who: The Bride of Peladon
Doctor Who: The Judgement of Isskar
Doctor Who - The Lost Stories: Mission to Magnus
Doctor Who - The Lost Stories: Thin Ice
Doctor Who - The Companion Chronicles: The Prisoner of Peladon
Doctor Who - The Eighth Doctor Adventures: Deimos
Doctor Who - The Eighth Doctor Adventures: The Resurrection of Mars
Bernice Summerfield: Dance of the Dead

To order a bundle, just click the 'bundles' button on one of the product pages. Please note that as Bernice Summerfield: Dance of the Dead is not available for download, purchasers of the download bundle will be sent a CD of this title.

FILTER: - Second Doctor - Classic Series - Special Offers - Blu-ray/DVD - Big Finish

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