A company specialising in merchandise for female fans have been granted a licence by BBC Worldwide to produce a range of official t-shirts themed around Doctor Who. Her Universe aims to feature images, characters and phrases from the Doctor Who universe all with fashion-forward designs for girls to look "Geek Chic", and launches the range on 11th July with three designs themed around River Song's high heels, Amy's experience with the TARDIS, and Van Gogh's painting of the 'cracked' TARDIS.

Ashley Eckstein, founder of Her Universe, said:

Items from the Doctor Who Fangirl Fashion Collection can be ordered from the Her Universe website, and will also be available from US national retail outlets.

The new issue of Doctor Who Magazine - published tomorrow - looks at the growing pains of a TV legend in a major feature on the development of the programme at seven-year intervals, as it approaches 49 Up.

It examines the moments that defined the show, including the adolescence that brought major format changes, the teenage years with Doctor Who in rude health, its incredibly successful return to television in 2005 – and asks what the next seven years may hold in store . . .

Also in this issue:

• Chibnall's Choice: Scriptwriter Chris Chibnall drops hints about his two new scripts for the next series of Doctor Who – and how writing for the show is unlike writing anything else – in Production Notes.
  
• You're Hired! Long-serving Doctor Who casting director Andy Pryor talks exclusively to DWM about his hand in casting three different Doctors, the joy of working on every single episode of Doctor Who since 2005 – and whom he has cast for the next series . . .
  
• Echoes of the Past: Doctor Who celebrated a landmark birthday but the monsters were conspicuous by their absence. Was that necessarily a bad thing? Find out as Countdown To 50 revisits 1983 and Series 20.
  
• Honour Amongst Thieves: Amy's been hijacked by the best thief in town, while the Doctor and Rory have fallen in with the wrong crowd. But what is the secret of the Ziggurat hanging above Cornucopia? Find out in the second part of The Cornucopia Caper, the latest comic strip adventure written by Scott Gray with art by Dan McDaid.
  
• Genesis of Dalek: The Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler encounter a lone Dalek deep within a Utah bunker – but Skaro's finest very nearly didn't make the party. Dalek, 2005's triumphant return for the Doctor's deadliest enemy, is given The Fact of Fiction treatment, with detailed commentary on all 11 drafts of writer Robert Shearman's script and exclusive new revelations from the writer himself!
  
• Details, Details: If you don't read the Production Subtitles on the Doctor Who DVDs then now is the time to start! Subtitles writer and TV Dalek Nicholas Pegg reveals the arcane secrets of compiling a treasure trove of Doctor Who facts and figures in Infomania.
  
• Monster vs Monster: Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, Silurians, and Macra – they've all returned to battle the Doctor since Doctor Who's comeback in 2005. But what classic creatures are we desperate to see next? Toby Hadoke wants a return for those green giants the Ice Warriors, while Johnny Candon goes Underground to shout out for the Great Intelligence's Yeti. Who will triumph in this monster Battle of Wits ?
  
• Sympathy For The Devil? The Time Team – Chris, Emma, Michael, and Will – have a devil of a time while watching The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit. But what will the Team make of this terrifying adventure for the Tenth Doctor and Rose?
  
• And The Winners Are: The votes are in! See which books, audios, and DVDs are hits with the readers of DWM in the results of the latest Merchandise Poll, and discover how your favourites fared.
  
• Suited And Booted! The Watcher takes another flick through the pages of the Stockbridge English Dictionary, stares down The Six Faces of Delusion, highlights another masterclass in the dramatic art from a Supporting Artist of the Month, and reaches number 20 in A History of Doctor Who in 100 Objects – the Doctor's Impact Suit. It might not be as implausible as it seems . . . as Wotcha explains!
  

Plus all the latest official news, TV and merchandise reviews, previews, competitions, and a prize-winning crossword.

A Dalek graphic novel plus a non-fiction title looking at the Doctor Who universe are to be brought out by BBC Books later this year.

The Dalek Project by Justin Richards and Mike Collins will be published on Thursday 6th September, and Albert DePetrillo, senior editorial director for BBC Books, said:
Three weeks later, on Thursday 27th September, A History of the Universe in 100 Objects by James Goss and Steve Tribe hits the bookstores, and DePetrillo commented:

New York City's The Paley Center for Media, in conjunction with BBC Home Entertainment, has announced that it will begin monthly Saturday afternoon screenings of four select serials from the classic series.

Just What the Doctor Ordered will give fans a rare opportunity to see special digitally remastered episodes on the big screen and with superior sound. In addition, trivia competitions will be held with the chance to win DVDs and more.

Screenings begin at 1pm, and are as follows:

• Saturday, June 30th - Resurrection of the Daleks
• Saturday, July 28th - Death to the Daleks
• Saturday, August 25th - Spearhead from Space
• Saturday, September 29th - To be announced

More information regarding these events can be found here.

A guide to the first 15 years of Doctor Who in comic-strip form is to be published later this year.

Written by Paul Scoones and published by Telos, The Comic Strip Companion: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Doctor Who in Comics: 1964 - 1979 will chronicle the format from its origin in TV Comic to just before the ongoing strip was launched as a regular feature in Doctor Who Weekly. During this time, more than 200 stories were published in TV Comic, Countdown, TV Action, TV Century 21, the Doctor Who annuals, and the Dalek books.
The A5 book will be approximately 500 pages long, including an eight-page colour section.

Scheduled for publication on Sunday 30th September 2012, it is available to pre-order.

At the moment, it is only being offered in paperback. However, David J Howe, of Telos Publishing, has said that a hardback run may be produced if there is enough demand for it - equating to roughly 100 people interested in buying one - in which case purchasers will be given the opportunity to upgrade pre-orders.

Scoones said that this book was the first of what would most likely be a number of volumes covering the comic-strip history of Doctor Who.

Karen Gillan won the award for Scottish Fashion Icon of the Year at this year's Scottish Fashion Awards. On the red carpet beforehand the actress had said: "It would be a huge honour to win an award like that and really unexpected. I honestly didn’t think I would be nominated for anything wearing the clothes I wear." Talking about her departure from Doctor Who she said: "It was so sad. It was this bittersweet thing 'cause I'm really excited to move onto other things, I'm actually going on to do a film in Glasgow which I'm really excited about, but yeah it was so sad 'cause I'm leaving my best friends in a weird way." [STV, 14 June 2012]

The actress also made an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival in order to promote her forthcoming film, Not Another Happy Ending.

Arthur Darvill is to star in the West End production of Jonathan Lewis's award-winning play Our Boys alongside Laurence Fox (aka the husband of Billie Piper) and Cian Barry. The play's synopsis: A candid account of the tedium, terror and tribulations suffered by five young soldiers recovering from injuries incurred in the line of duty. But when their daily routine of TV, lonely hearts ads and banter is interrupted by the arrival of an unwelcome authority figure, their unlikely camaraderie gives way to betrayal, accusations and all-out war. The play opens at the Duchess Theatre on 3rd October, with previews from 26th September. [Whats On Stage, 15 June 2012]

Neil Gaiman, John Challis, Jon Culshaw, and Andrew Sachs are among the star names providing the Voice of the Book for The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Radio Show Live! which is currently on tour in the UK. The show re-creates the masterwork by Douglas Adams. Celebrity Doctor Who fan Culshaw is renowned for his impressions of Tom Baker, while Sachs has appeared in Doctor Who audio dramas and was the voice of Skagra in the webcast of Adams's Shada. For more details on where and when the different voices are appearing, see the Hitchhiker's Live! website.

Steven Moffat explains how he approaches writing: "I never make a note of anything, I never even write a plot down. I have a terrible superstition of writing things down. I have to write in sequence and only in sequence." [Entertainmentwise, The Sun, 28 May 2012]

John Barrowman will once again take on a role of Jack this coming Christmas - alongside his faithful 'companions' Ian and Janette Krankie in the pantomine Jack and the Beanstalk! The trio return to the Glasgow SECC for their third 'adventure' together, with managing director of QDos Michael Harrison saying: "We are thrilled that John, Ian and Janette are returning to Glasgow, where they have received huge audience acclaim. Over the past few years, together with our colleagues at the SECC, we have staged Glasgow’s biggest and most spectacular pantomime and I can promise that Jack and the Beanstalk will be another giant and unmissable show!" The show will run between 15th December and 6th January. Playbill, 11 Jun 2012]

Peter Purves will also be appearing in panto later this year, playing Alderman Fitzwarren in Dick Whittington at Harpenden Public Halls from 15th to 22nd December.

Noel Clarke has revealed his favourite Doctor: "Matt. He just brought something different to it that I like. No disrespect to the others. I'm not going to say them just because I worked with them. Also when Matt got on, the budgets were larger and the show was more ambitious.". Appearing on Channel 4's Sunday Brunch on 17th June, the actor added that his actual favourite was Peter Davison who was the Doctor as he grew up. [Radio Times, 15 June 2012]

Janet Fielding handed a petition to Thanet council as part of a No Night Flights campaign to stop plans to allow night flights to take place at Manston airport. The actress said: "Along with the health and environmental issues surrounding night flights, there are potentially disastrous consequences for Ramsgate's recovering tourism industry which needs to be protected. Who will want to stay in a hotel with planes flying over all night? This needs to be investigated in full." [Thanet Times, 22 May 2012]

Bill Nighy revealed how he could have become the Doctor: "I was offered the role once, I won't tell you when because the rule is that you're not allowed to say you turned that job down because it's disrespectful to whoever did it. I will say that I was approached. But I didn't want to be the Doctor. No disrespect to Doctor Who or anything. I just think that it comes with too much baggage." [People, 3 June 2012]

Catherine Tate is to return in the next series of the US version of The Office, with her character Nellie Bertram from the previous series finale set to be a regular. [Contact Music, 4 Jun 2012]

Lara Pulver commented on recent gossip about her potentially becoming the first female Doctor: Steven and I have both said we thoroughly enjoyed working together, and then there was me being in Wales so the media put two and two together. (and would it have been amazing?) Yes and no. Not if it meant the end of the Doctor Who franchise because the fans aren’t keen on it. [Standard, 15 June 2012]

Veteran cameraman Jules Greenway has been awarded the The Guild of Television Cameramen's top award for his work over the last few decades. The recently retired 68-year-old worked on a number of shows in his career, including Doctor Who, Z-Cars, Top of the Pops and Blue Peter at the BBC, and Tales of the Unexpected at Anglia. His production team also won a BAFTA for their coverage of the 1998 Derby. He reflected: "I always favoured the dramas as they were the opportunity to shoot complicated shots. Sports events were exciting to do but very repetitive, the shots are very similar, while with drama you are constantly looking to do something different. Most cameramen’s pleasure is in executing a good shot, doing it well and being pleased with the end result.". [Eastern Daily Press, 19 May 2012]

Concern has been raised over Richard Gent, who disappeared a number of weeks ago leaving his phone and wallet at home after cancelling plans to meet friends. The actor has appeared in shows such as Casualty, Being Human and Torchwood. Police have asked anyone who has knowledge of his whereabouts to contact them on the missing persons helpline: freephone 116 000.

In Memoriam:

The actor George Murdock passed away on 30th April. He played a Preacher in the recent Torchwood series Miracle Day and has appeared in a number of sci-fi shows including Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and The X Files - he is perhaps best known as playing "God" in the film Star Trek V - The Final Frontier.

Brian Hibbard passed away on 17th June after suffering from prostate cancer. The actor played the assassin Keillor in the Sylvester McCoy story Delta and the Bannermen, and appeared in a number of soaps including Coronation Street, Emmerdale, and last year EastEnders. For a different generation, however, he will be remembered as the former lead singer of The Flying Pickets! [BBC News, 18 Jun 2012]

The annual Portal Awards have been announced by Airlock Alpha, and sees Doctor Who represented in a number of categories:

• Matt Smith is once again nominated as Best Actor - as with last year he faces Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead) and Eddie McClintock (Warehouse 13), plus this year's nominees Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) and Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones).
• Similarly, Karen Gillan is nominated in the Best Actress - she again faces last year's winner Anna Torv (Fringe) and runner-up Lena Headey (Game of Thrones), plus Joanne Kelly (Warehouse 13) and Amanda Tapping (Sanctuary).
• The third member of TARDIS crew, Arthur Darvill, also gets a look-in this year as he is nominated in the Best Supporting Actor; he'll face Robert Carlyle (Once Upon a Time), Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones), last year's winner John Noble (Fringe), and Saul Rubinek (Warehouse 13).
• Series regular Alex Kingston is also nominated again in the Best Special Guest(TV) category for her appearance in Let's Kill Hitler - she out last year to Leonard Nimoy, who's in the list again this year for Fringe. The other nominees are Misha Collins (Supernatural), Jaime Murray (Warehouse 13) and Zachary Quinto (American Horror Story).
• The representative for Best Episode this year is taken up by A Good Man Goes To War, which will face Brave New World from Fringe, Emily Lake from Warehouse 13, Ghost of Harrenhal from Game of Thrones, and Slash Fiction from Supernatural. (Last year's nomination was also from the sixth series, The Doctor's Wife, with the nomination criteria for this year being shows broadcast since 1st June 2011!)
• This year's Best Series include Doctor Who, last year's winner Game of Thrones, Fringe, Supernatural and Warehouse 13.
• Elisabeth Sladen was nominated for the Gene Roddenberry Award last year, but lost out to J.J. Abrams; the late actress is nominated again this year and faces Doctor Who/Sherlock maestro Steven Moffat, as well as Edgar Rice Burroughs, DeForest Kelly, and George R.R. Martin.

The full list of categories are available from Airlock Alpha, and fans will be able to vote once a day between 25th June and 25th July.

Big Finish continues its month of special offers this weekend with a celebration of the popular duo Jago and Litefoot; both their first audio appearance in The Companion Chronicles: The Mahogany Murderers and the first complete series of adventures are available at a reduced price between now and 8:00am 18th June.

This is followed by a celebration of The Celestial Toymaker, with the character featuring in The Lost Stories: The Nightmare Fair, The Magic Mousetrap, and The Companion Chronicles: Solitaire; the three stories are available to purchase separately or in a special bundle deal between 6:00pm 17th June and 8:00am 20th June.

Sara Kingdom (as played by Jean Marsh) is the focus of the next offer, with Home Truths, The Drowned World and The Guardian of the Solar System available on offer between 6:00pm 19th June and 8:00am 22nd June.

Finally, Doctor Who: Short Trips volumes one, two, three and four will be on special offer between 6:00pm 25th June and 8:00am 28th June. The series features tales read by William Russell, David Troughton, Katy Manning, Louise Jameson, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sophie Aldred and India Fisher.


Note: All times are cited in BST

Planet of Giants:

The British Board of Film Classification has passed the special features for the forthcoming DVD release of the final complete William Hartnell story to be released, Planet of Giants:

00:28:01:16 DOCTOR WHO - CRISIS
00:24:31:18 DOCTOR WHO - THE URGE TO LIVE
00:08:27:11 REDISCOVERING THE URGE TO LIVE
00:15:17:10 SUDDENLY SUSAN
00:13:58:23 THE LAMBERT TAPES - THE DOCTOR
00:03:20:22 PLANET OF GIANTS - PHOTO GALLERY

As previously reported, the release will feature a recreation of the original four-part story based on the original scripts and featuring newly recorded dialogue and animation. The commentary by Clive Doig, Brian Hodgson, Sonia Markham and David Tilley was also passed on 6th June.

A clean version of the cover art by Lee Binding for the DVD has been published via the Tea-Lady Design Facebook page.

Future Release Updates:

Lee Binding has reported that an announcement about The Ambassadors Of Death will be made in the next week or so. The graphic designer recently completed the DVD cover, saying: "Ambassadors sleeve submitted to @classicdw. No Liz Shaw on the front, sadly. No decent pics. Rest: kinda classy, which is nice. « I'm sure the usual #doctorwho ming-mongs will complain anyway. 'It's not GREEN. Ambassadors is a GREEN story!' *rolls eyes* «" Meanwhile, an image of the colourisation process for the story undertaken by Richard Russell was shared on Twitter by Stuart Humphryes (aka @Babelcolour), who himself is working on episode one of The Mind of Evil.

Brian Hodgson recently mentioned that he had recorded a commentary for the incomplete Patrick Troughton adventure The Moonbase. It is currently unknown if this is for a Revisitations makeover of the 2004 Lost In Time collection of existing, isolated episodes, or if it will form part of a special release of the story with an animated reconstruction of the missing episodes one and three. The Special Sound Designer also mentioned a commentary for Fury From The Deep, though this seems more likely to be for The Underwater Menace, of which episode two was recovered last year - again, the context of such a release is currently unknown.

Behind The Scenes:

Producer Chris Chapman tantalised the Twitter community this week with updates on extras being made for the series: "Heading back to London after a day of exciting Doctor Who stuff - storyboard complete! « About to start the edit proper on Secret Project 5 (our 31st Who doco) - this one's a bit mad, a bit Louis Theroux and a bit golf-y.. « SP5 is presented by Toby Hadoke and is intended for the same DVD release as SP6 (which hits the edit next week)! «"

Finally, a small event in the history of the range was marked on 29th May, reported by the BBC's Classic Series Twitter feed: "Many thanks to Ed Stradling for all his hard work, as he delivers his final documentary. Hope to persuade him back for the odd special!"

The BBC has released two clips featuring Matt Smith talking about his role in the new BBC One drama Bert and Dickie.

Smith plays Bertram Bushnell in the drama about two rowers who were thrown together just five weeks before the final of the 1948 Olympics, the last games to be held in London. Their personal battle reflects a much greater struggle as London prepares to host the post war Games in a London that is half-destroyed.

The UK transmission date has not been confirmed, but the drama is expected to be shown shortly before the start of the 2012 games towards the end of July. BBC America has confirmed it will show the drama on Wednesday 25 July at 8/7C