Fan Magazines

Thursday, 15 November 2012 - Reported by John Bowman

Plaything of Sutekh - Issue Two

The new edition of Plaything of Sutekh, edited by Richard Farrell, is now available to order. Featured in the 40-page A5 fanzine are:

Five Star! A look at 2012's new episodes, which saw the return of the Weeping Angels and the departure of Amy and Rory. There is also a short Q&A with director Saul Metzstein.
Coming Of Age: A look at Season 18 when Doctor Who got told to grow up by new producer John Nathan-Turner.
Opening The Gate: David Rolinson dodges a few Gundans to unravel one of Season 18's finest stories, Warriors' Gate.
Tardis Radio: Oliver Wake looks at the untransmitted pilot radio episode featuring Peter Cushing.
Strip For The Doctor: The Doctor materialised in the pages of Countdown in the early '70s. Richard Farrell looks at the work of Harry Lindfield and Gerry Haylock on the Doctor Who comic strip and examines their influences and source of reference.
Secret Who: Time to dust off the oil lamp as a fresh look is taken at 1974's Death To The Daleks.
DWDVD: John Connors reviews the recent DVD releases Ace Adventures, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, and The Ambassadors of Death.
Are You A Good Doctor Who Villain? Take this test to see if you're really up to subjugating entire universes.

Inferno Fiction - Issue 12

The online Doctor Who fiction magazine, edited by Colin-John Rodgers, features the following in its latest edition:

Fimbulvinter, by Meg MacDonald: "I should have killed him straight away. It would have been a mercy. I'm capable of mercy. But . . . he smelled of starlight."
Employees - Wash Hands Before Returning To The Invasion, by Thomas Ahearn: When the Doctor pays Madame Vastra and Jenny a visit he gets much more than he bargained for: a trip to another universe. Only this time, the stakes are so much higher than anyone realises . . .
The Fountain of Maturity, by Shams Uddin: The Doctor, Amy, and Rory race against time to find the eponymous fountain, while the Doctor's mind is regressing through his previous regenerations. Why are the colonists being so unhelpful? What plans has Dishi cooked up for the future of his society? And will he go to any lengths to fulfil his lofty ambitions?
A Brush With Death, by Francis Cave: Part One: The Brigadier enlists the help of the Doctor to investigate the mysterious deaths of transport workers.
The Circles of Truth, by Nathan Mullins: Disappearances throughout time in Earth's recorded history turn out to be something more sinister . . .
The Larks, Still Singing Bravely, Fly, by Julie Kay: Ypres, Christmas Day 1914, the war to end all wars . . .

FILTER: - Merchandise - Fan Productions

SJA And Moffat Win At Writers' Guild Awards

Wednesday, 14 November 2012 - Reported by John Bowman

Both The Sarah Jane Adventures and Steven Moffat were winners at The Writers' Guild Of Great Britain Awards today.

The Curse of Clyde Langer, which was written by Phil Ford and featured in the final series of The Sarah Jane Adventures, was named Best Children's TV Script, beating fellow nominees 4 O'Clock Club: Maths and Horrible Histories.

And although Sherlock lost out to Appropriate Adult in the Best Short-Form TV Drama category, co-creator Steven Moffat, who was cited alongside Mark Gatiss and Stephen Thompson for the reimagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective classic, was given the Writers' Guild Special Award For Outstanding Writing.

Today's event took place at The Tabernacle in London.

FILTER: - Steven Moffat - Awards/Nominations - Sarah Jane

Doctor Who Magazine 454

Wednesday, 14 November 2012 - Reported by John Bowman

Paul McGann is the cover star of the new edition of Doctor Who Magazine, and with the return of the Eighth Doctor next month in the new audio adventure Dark Eyes he talks about how his incarnation has changed:

There's a sombreness and self-doubt and guilt . . . I'm not sure it's guilt, but he's lost hope. He needs a shot in the arm . . . But of course, you don't want him too heavy either. We want the hope. We talk about hope a lot in the story; it's all about hope . . .

Also in this issue:

The Final End: Arthur Darvill speaks exclusively about playing Rory Williams, his work on stage and screen, and recording his last scenes for Doctor Who.
Fantastic Journey: Writer Stephen Thompson reveals his inner fan, endures a grilling from a tough crowd, and drops hints about his next script for the TV series, Journey To The Centre Of The TARDIS, in Production Notes.
Monsters Direct: He's directed Sontarans and Shakri and he's back to oversee one of the episodes in the anniversary year. DWM interviews Douglas Mackinnon and discovers the secrets of successfully directing a Doctor Who monster.
Golden Wonder: DWM takes a close look at one of the most memorable monsters ever to appear in Doctor Who, and interviews the actor who played their spokesman, Bernard Holley, in The Watcher's Guide To Axos.
There's Gonna Be A Lynchin'! The Fact of Fiction looks back to the first time the TARDIS took the Doctor and his companions to the wild, wild West, as DWM unearths new facts and rare photographs from 1966's The Gunfighters.
Seven-Up! The spotlight falls on the season that featured the début of the Seventh Doctor, a cornucopia of crazy characters, and a bold new direction for the TV series, as Countdown To 50 continues.
Turn To Stone: The Doctor uncovers the incredible truth about the Golem of Prague and encounters the Queen of the Mavora, as the comic strip The Broken Man - written by Scott Gray and illustrated by Martin Geraghty - concludes.
That Loo In Tooting Bec . . . Is Doctor Who more exciting when the monsters come to Earth or is it more thrilling when the adventure is in outer space? Toby Hadoke and Johnny Candon discuss the pros and cons in another heated Battle Of Wits.
Everything Changes: For one issue only, The Time Team takes a sideways step to look at Captain Jack's adventures in the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood. What will Emma, Chris, Michael, and Will make of this very different series?
Nice Weather For It: The mysterious Watcher examines the curious phenomenon of 'Wrong-Time-Of-Year' syndrome, challenges readers with The Six Faces of Delusion, and champions another Supporting Artist of the Month, in Wotcha!

In addition, issue 454 - out tomorrow - has all the latest official news, latest episodes, DVDs, books, and CDs reviewed, sneak previews of forthcoming merchandise, a prize-winning crossword, and five competitions.

FILTER: - Merchandise - Arthur Darvill - Magazines - DWM - Paul McGann

The Collectable Art Company: Seventh Doctor design print released

Monday, 12 November 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

After a slight delay The Collectable Art Company has announced that the second of its Limited Edition Fine Art prints, featuring the Seventh Doctor's original costume, has finally been released.

Grahame Flynn, Managing Director of The Collectable Art Company, explains:

7th Doctor Costume (1987) - Sylvester McCoy with print

We originally intended this print to be available sooner but Sylvester was filming The Hobbit in New Zealand. A good result of the delay was that we were able to spend more time on the From Script to Screen booklet that is included with the print. Sylvester sent me his introduction between filming his scenes.

Ken Trew takes us through his career at the BBC and about his early experiences on Doctor Who. We look in detail at the costume design process with all of Ken's concept designs reproduced for the first time.

Chris Pocock and John Walker have kindly allowed their original costumes to be photographed in studio and former BBC Vis-FX designer Mike Tucker has given us access to Sylvester's pocket watch and original TARDIS key.

Many of the photographs are exclusive and have never been seen before.

The officially-licensed print, based on Trew's original production drawing from 1987, is available worldwide in a limited edition of 750.

FILTER: - Merchandise - Sylvester McCoy

The Barry Newbery Signature Collection

Monday, 12 November 2012 - Reported by John Bowman

A book celebrating the work of Doctor Who set designer Barry Newbery has been brought out by Telos Publishing.

Newbery was one of the show's longest-serving designers, working on a large number of stories from the very beginning in 1963, with a pedigree that started with uncredited contributions to versions 1 and 2 of the pilot episode, followed by him becoming the credited designer on The Cave of Skulls, The Forest of Fear, and The Firemaker - episodes 2, 3, and 4 of the programme's first story - having taken over from Peter Brachacki. Newbery then worked on another 12 stories for five of the Doctors during the classic era, finishing with The Awakening, broadcast in 1984.

Designed by Paul Smith, who last year brought out The Wonderful Book of Doctor Who - 1965, The Barry Newbery Signature Collection is a 96-page, full-colour, coffee-table publication featuring many of Newbery's own photographs of his sets and designs. It is annotated with his descriptions and memories of his work on the series, and includes some set designs and sketches as well as many never-before-seen black-and-white and colour photographs, all of which have been cleaned up and colour-corrected.

David J Howe, of Telos Publishing, said:

Barry Newbery is one of the true unsung heroes of Doctor Who. Without him, the stories he worked on would not be so rich and memorable, and it was his role as designer on the original Sixties stories which helped to establish the show as a visual feast.

Back then, the designer did everything from the sets to the props to the monsters, and Barry's visual flair brought us the lavishness of Marco Polo, The Aztecs, and The Crusade, as well as the science-fiction stylings of The Dominators and The Invisible Enemy, and the gothic splendour of The Brain of Morbius and The Masque of Mandragora.

It's been an enormous pleasure to have worked with Barry and Paul to bring this book to fruition. We hope it's a fitting tribute to both the show and to one of its most significant contributors.

Two editions of the book are available. The standard paperback one can be bought here, and Telos Publishing has also brought out a deluxe, limited-edition hardback that comes with a limitation signature sticker signed by Newbery.

FILTER: - Merchandise - Books - Classic Series

DVD Update: The Reign of Terror BBFC Classifications

Thursday, 8 November 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The British Board of Film Classification have listed features to be included on the DVD release of William Hartnell adventure The Reign of Terror, due out on 28th January.

FEATURE LIST ONE:

00:25:02:12  DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD - 
             THE MAKING OF THE REIGN OF TERROR
00:04:09:05  THE REIGN OF TERROR - PHOTO GALLERY
00:03:36:19  THE REIGN OF TERROR - ANIMATION GALLERY

FEATURE LIST TWO:

00:01:02:00  DOCTOR WHO - THE FIRST DOCTOR RETURNS -
             THE REIGN OF TERROR (TRAILER)

Commentaries have been passed on all six episodes, including the two animated episodes four and five.

FILTER: - William Hartnell - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD

DVD Update: Legacy Box BBFC Classifications

Thursday, 8 November 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Though no formal details have been given for the UK DVD release of the Legacy Box (Region One details were released last month), the British Board of Film Classification have now passed the additional material that features in the set, plus their running times.

SHADA:

00:04:46:06 SHADA - PHOTO GALLERY
00:25:35:09 TAKEN OUT OF TIME - 
            THE MAKING AND BREAKING OF SHADA
00:12:41:20 SHADA - NOW AND THEN
00:27:46:01 STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE!
00:30:08:15 BEING A GIRL

MORE THAN 30 YEARS IN THE TARDIS:

00:25:57:14 REMEMBERING NICHOLAS COURTNEY 
00:13:29:06 DOCTOR WHO STORIES - PETER PURVES 
00:10:33:21 THE LAMBERT TAPES - SUCCESS STORY 
00:01:47:21 RICHARD MARTIN'S MEMORIES OF VERITY 
00:22:35:23 THOSE DEADLY DIVAS 
00:06:04:02 MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS IN THE TARDIS - PHOTO GALLERY

In addition, the six episodes comprising the 2003 animated version of the story, featuring Paul McGann as the Doctor, has also been passed (the final item most likely refers to the introductory 'episode' to the story that places it in context):

00:18:26:04 DOCTOR WHO - SHADA - EPISODE ONE
00:22:43:03 DOCTOR WHO - SHADA - EPISODE TWO
00:20:49:13 DOCTOR WHO - SHADA - EPISODE THREE
00:27:22:00 DOCTOR WHO - SHADA - EPISODE FOUR
00:24:18:21 DOCTOR WHO - SHADA - EPISODE FIVE
00:23:41:16 DOCTOR WHO - SHADA - EPISODE SIX
00:07:31:09 DOCTOR WHO - SHADA  (EPISODE LISTING)

Steve Roberts recently explained how the animated version is to be presented:

Just to clarify the reason that the McGann Shada is represented as a Flash animation rather than as DVD Video. Two reasons: Firstly, the animation was judged by all (including those who made it) to be not of sufficient quality for video. Secondly, it would have required a separate disc as there wasn't room on either of the others to include it - and that was an option that was outside of budget.

I thought it should be included however, as it's part of the official BBC canon by virtue of being broadcast (which is ironic, as the BBC Video version itself isn't!), so I worked closely with James Goss to package it into a form that could be viewed easily on an PC or Mac via a simple web interface.

The Legacy Box is due to be released on the 7th January in the UK(R2), and on the 8th January for North America(R1).

FILTER: - Tom Baker - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD - Paul McGann

Colin Baker aims to be King of the Jungle

Thursday, 8 November 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Colin Baker: I'm a Celebrity - Get Me Out Of Here! Photo: ITV

Colin Baker is to be one of the contestants on this year's series of I'm A Celebrity - Get Me Out Of Here!, the reality television show on ITV1 that places a number of celebrities out in a jungle environment in Australia who then take on challenges in order to become the 'king' or 'queen' of the jungle!

The former Doctor said that he's doing the show because of his four daughters:

My children decided I should do this. They are fans of the show and the programme is on incessantly every year. They told me I had to go on and they are so excited. My family are ridiculously delighted that I am going - "can't wait to see you chomping on a giraffe's buttock" - there's no sympathy at all, it's all "ooh can't wait, can't wait!"

Now I am about to go in the jungle, I wouldn't say I am excited. It's a mixture of intrigue, a feeling of resigned and interested to see how I am going to react. I haven't a clue as I have not done anything like this ever before. For me, this is pushing back the boundaries. I think I'll be able to deal with anything that comes up in the jungle: after all, I've met aliens from the planet Zog, and I have encountered the fans of Doctor Who conventions - all of whom are wonderful but can be a bit alien! There is one trial in particular that I'm terrified by, and I'm not going to tell you what it is - do you think I'm stupid or what?!?!

Colin is the first major Doctor Who actor to engage in jungle shenanigans, though in 2007 the series was won by "Doctor" Christopher Biggins, who appeared alongside him in Big Finish's The One Doctor.

Other celebrities competing in the jungle this year include fellow actors Charlie Brooks (EastEnders), Helen Flanagan (Coronation Street) and Linda Robson (Birds of a Feather), comedian Brian Conley, singer Ashley Roberts, sports personalities Eric Bristow (darts) and David Haye (WBA), entertainment PR Hugo Taylor and MP Nadine Dorries.

The twelfth series begins on ITV1 on 11th November at 9:00pm.

FILTER: - Miscellaneous - Colin Baker

Cybermen to return in Gaiman story

Wednesday, 7 November 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The BBC have announced that the Cybermen will feature in the second half of the current series, appearing in the penultimate episode, written by Neil Gaiman.

Tamzin Outhwaite (reported last roundup) has also now been confirmed for the episode, and will be joined by Warwick Davis, whose sci-fi/fantasy career includes playing Wicket in Return of the Jedi, the titular role in Willow and the Leprechaun films, and Professor Flitwick/Griphook in the Harry Potter films. On television he has most recently been seen as "himself" in Life's Too Short.

The two are joined by Jason Watkins, who is also no stranger to sci-fi/fantasy, having played the vampire leader Herrick in Being Human; other credits include Lark Rise To Candleford, Little Dorrit, Psychoville, and Dirk Gently, and he can currently be seen as Gavin in Sky's Trollied.

Steven Moffat said:

Cybermen were always the monsters that scared me the most! Not just because they were an awesome military force, but because sometimes they could be sleek and silver and right behind you without you even knowing. And with one of the all-time classic monsters returning, and a script from one of our finest novelists, it's no surprise we have attracted such stellar names as Tamzin, Jason and Warwick.

The episode is directed by Stephen Woolfenden, with the guest stars described as "a band of misfits on a mysterious planet..."

The writer himself has been busy with rewrites of the script, teasing away on Twitter. As reported last week on the Wednesday he said: "Amazing hectic couple of days & stressed Doctor Who post-table-read rewrite in progress. On BBC legal advice Lampwick is no more.«". On Thursday, he continued: "back on Doctor Who script. Only 5 pages to trim before dawn.« They start shooting it on Wednesday. They need the script now.« There. It is FOUR pages shorter than it was this morning. It has been sent to the BBC. And I am going to bed.«" Finally, on Friday: "I believe that we've just locked my Dr Who script. I probably won't have to write it again until we need new ADR dialogue once it's edited.«" - to which executive producer Caroline Skinner retorted: "Ha ha!! A locked script is an alien concept on Doctor Who.... :-)«"

On this morning's announcement, he added: "I saw my first Cybermen watching Moonbase, as Jamie thought the Piper was coming for him (scary). Then Tomb of the Cybermen terrified me.«". And on his version of them being scary? "I hope so.«"

FILTER: - Steven Moffat - Series 7/33

Doctor Who Magazine: The Child of Time

Tuesday, 6 November 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Doctor Who Magazine have announced the latest in their collected comics series, with The Child of Time encompassing adventures for the Eleventh Doctor and Amy.

The Child of Time

Join the Doctor and Amy Pond on their amazing adventures in space and time, in these exceptional collected comics from the pages of Doctor Who Magazine!

Featuring nine amazing stories over 244 packed pages: Supernature, Planet Bollywood!, The Golden Ones, The Professor, The Queen and the Bookshop, The Screams of Death, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, Forever Dreaming, Apotheosis and The Child of Time!

The Doctor has a new companion – Amy Pond – and together the two of them embark on a thrilling journey through time and space. Along the way, the two friends arrive on a planet with some extraordinary plant life, encounter a society that keeps bursting into song, and enter a surreal dream world where they meet the mysterious Dark. The Doctor also faces his old enemies, the Axons, in Tokyo, and a new mystery begins: just who is the strange little girl, Chiyoko, the enigmatic ‘Child of Time’...?

PLUS! A bumper commentary section where the writers, artists and editors reveal the stories behind the strips, featuring never-before-published artwork, original story outlines and much more!

Doctor Who - The Child of Time, written by Jonathan Morris, with artwork from Martin Geraghty, Dan McDaid, Mike Collins, David A Roach, Roger Langridge, Rob Davis, James Offredi and Adrian Salmon, is published by Panini Comics and is available from book shops, comic shops and online.

FILTER: - Comics - DWM

Previous 10 Stories

Fan Magazines

Plaything of Sutekh - Issue Two

Inferno Fiction - Issue 12

SJA And Moffat Win At Writers' Guild Awards

Doctor Who Magazine 454

The Collectable Art Company: Seventh Doctor design print released

The Barry Newbery Signature Collection

DVD Update: The Reign of Terror BBFC Classifications

DVD Update: Legacy Box BBFC Classifications

Colin Baker aims to be King of the Jungle

Cybermen to return in Gaiman story

Doctor Who Magazine: The Child of Time

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