Dame Harriet Jones MP

Saturday, 11 June 2016 - Reported by Marcus

Actress Penelope Wilton has been created a Dame in the 2016 Queen's Birthday honours list.

Wilton played Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North, and sometime Prime Minister, in four episodes of Doctor Who. She is best known for playing Isobel Crawley in the ITV period drama, Downton Abbey and for playing Ann Bryce in the 1980's situation comedy Ever Decreasing Circles.

Wilton has had a long career on the stage and screen receiving six Olivier Award nominations for West End appearances. Her film roles include parts in The French Lieutenant's Woman, Cry Freedom, Iris, Calendar Girls, Shaun of the Dead, Pride and Prejudice, Woody Allen's Match Point and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

Wilton is made a Dame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire in the honours list, which is published today to mark the official 90th birthday of the monarch.

The citation reads

Penelope Wilton is one of Britain’s most popular and sought-after actresses, whose career has spanned acclaimed performances on stage, screen and television. A household name for her comedic performances starting with 1980s sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles, she has subsequently starred in a diverse range of roles in works including Five Days, Half Broken Things and The Passion for television and Calendar Girls and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel on film. Her celebrated stage work is varied and she has won numerous awards including Critics Circle Awards for Much Ado About Nothing (1981) and The Deep Blue Sea (1993); an Evening Standard Theatre Award for The Chalk Garden (2008); and a Best Actress Olivier for Taken at Midnight (2015)

Also honoured is actor Brian Blessed who is made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the Arts and charity, and Janet Ellis who is made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to charity and broadcasting.

The awards are made by Queen Elizabeth on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.

FILTER: - Awards/Nominations - People

BBC Audio: Target Adaptations Update

Thursday, 9 June 2016 - Reported by Chuck Foster

BBC Audio have released details of the audio adaptions of Target novelisations due to be published for the rest of the year, including the confirmation of Richard Franklin reading this month's Doctor Who and The Claws Of Axos, and Jon Culshaw reading next month's Doctor Who and The Sontaran Experiment.

Doctor Who and The Claws Of Axos (Credit: BBC Audio)

Doctor Who and The Claws Of Axos
Written by Terrance Dicks, read by Richard Franklin
Published by BBC Audio 2nd June 2016 [order from Amazon UK]

An unabridged reading of this classic novelisation of an adventure featuring the Third Doctor, as played on TV by Jon Pertwee.

'Axos calling Earth, Axos calling Earth...’

The creatures stood before them, offering friendship and their priceless Axonite, in return for - what? Only the Doctor remains suspicious. What is the real reason for the Axon’s sudden arrival on Earth? And why is the evil Master a passenger on their spaceship? He very soon finds out...

Duration: 3 hours 40 mins

Doctor Who and The Sontaran Experiment (Credit: BBC Audio)

Doctor Who and The Sontaran Experiment
Written by Ian Marter, read by Jon Culshaw
Published by BBC Audio 7th July 2016 [pre-order from Amazon UK]

An unabridged reading of this classic novelisation of a Fourth Doctor TV adventure from 1975.

Landing on Earth - now a barren, desolate planet - Sarah, Harry and the Doctor are unaware of a large, watching robot. The robot is the work of Styre, a Sontaran warrior, who uses all humans landing here for his experimental programmes. What has happened to the other space explorers who have come here? Why is Styre so interested in Earth, and in brutally torturing humans, including Sarah Jane? Will the Doctor be able to prevent an invasion, and save both Earth and his companions?

Duration: 4 hours approx

Doctor Who: The Macra Terror
Written by Ian Stuart Black, read by Anneke Wills
Published by BBC Audio 4th August 2016 [pre-order from Amazon UK]

An unabridged reading of this novelisation of a classic 1967 TV adventure featuring the Second Doctor, as played by Patrick Troughton.

In the far future a group of humans is living an idyllic existence on a distant planet. Their colony is run like a gigantic holiday camp, and nothing seems to trouble their carefree existence. When one of them claims that the colony is being invaded by hideous monsters, no-one takes him seriously. But the Doctor's suspicions are immediately
aroused. What is the terrible menace that lurks at the heart of this apparent paradise? Why are the colonists unaw are of the danger that lies before their very eyes? And what is the Macra Terror?

Duration: 3 hours 5 mins

Doctor Who and The Invasion Of Time (no reader announced) (Credit: BBC Audio)

Doctor Who and The Invasion Of Time
Written by Terrance Dicks, read by John Leeson
Published by BBC Books 1st September 2016 [pre-order from Amazon UK]

John Leeson reads this exciting novelisation of a classic Fourth Doctor adventure, set on Gallifrey and featuring the Sontarans.

Can the Doctor really be in league with the evil Vardans, spearheading a treacherous invasion of his home planet, Gallifrey? Or is he playing a deadly double game, saving the Time Lords by appearing to betray them? But the Vardans themselves are not the only pawns in the game, and the Doctor faces and old and deadly enemy as he battles to foil the invasion of Time.

Duration: 4 hours approx

Doctor Who: The Time Meddler (no reader announced) (Credit: BBC Audio)

Doctor Who: The Time Meddler, reader tba
Written by Nigel Robinson
Published by BBC Books 6th October 2016 [pre-order from Amazon UK]

An unabridged reading of this classic novelisation featuring the First Doctor, and featuring the Meddling Monk.

When the TARDIS materialises on an apparently deserted Nothumbrian beach, Steven disputes the Doctor’s claim that they have travelled back to the eleventh century. The discovery of a modern wristwatch in a nearby forest merely reinforces his opinion.

But it is 1066, the most important date in English history, and the Doctor’s arrival has not gone unnoticed. Observing the appearance of the TARDIS is a mysterious monk, who recognises the time-machine for what it is. He also knows that the Doctor poses a serious threat to his master plan – a plan which, if successful, could alter the future of the entire world...

Duration: 4 hours approx

November sees the release of the third Doctor novelisation Doctor Who And The Day Of The Daleks, written by Terrance Dicks. Also in November comes Tales From The TARDIS Volume 1, a CD boxed set of the adaptations The Curse of Peladon (read by Jon Pertwee), Kinda (read by Peter Davison), Attack of the Cybermen (read by Colin Baker), the anthology Out Of The Darkness (read by Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant), and other short stories (read by Nicholas Courtney and Sophie Aldred), originally released on MP3-CD back in 2004.

FILTER: - BBC Audio

DWM Essentials 8 - Adventures in History

Thursday, 9 June 2016 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Panini have announced the latest in their ongoing Doctor Who Essentials series of special magazines:

The Essential Doctor Who #8 - Adventures in History (Credit: Doctor Who Magazine)

The Essential Doctor Who Issue 8: Adventures in History

Panini’s acclaimed bookazine series The Essential Doctor Who continues, with a lavish 116-page issue about the Doctor’s journeys into Earth’s past.

Adventures in History includes interviews with:

Artist Jeff Cummins (Doctor Who Discovers)
Story editor Gerry Davis (The Highlanders)
Actor Bernard Kay (The Crusade)
Costume designer Odile Dicks-Mireaux (The Visitation)
Writer John Lucarotti (The Aztecs)
Writer Jamie Mathieson (The Girl Who Died)
Actor Ian McNeice (Victory of the Daleks)
Director Saul Metzstein (Dinosaurs on a Spaceship)
Writer Marc Platt (Ghost Light)
Story editor Donald Tosh (The Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Eve)
Artist George Underwood (The Doctor Who Dinosaur Book)
Actress Anneke Wills, who played Polly in The Smugglers and numerous other stories.

Elsewhere in this packed issue, Andrew Pixley reveals Donald Cotton’s notes for the 1965 story The Myth Makers, timelines chart the Doctor’s adventures from the creation of the Earth through to 1963, and 15 trips into history are revisited, from the era of the First Doctor right through to that of the Twelfth.

Editor Marcus Hearn says:

History in Doctor Who is about much more than the purely historical stories that were made in the 1960s. We decided to follow the Doctor’s entire journey through Earth history, with some of our best writers and designer Peri Godbold as our guides. We’ve never done anything quite like this before, and some of the rare pictures we’ve uncovered are amazing.

The Essential Doctor Who: Adventures in History is on sale now at WHSmith and all good newsagents.

FILTER: - DWM - Magazines - Merchandise

Dalek sells for Record £38K

Wednesday, 8 June 2016 - Reported by Marcus

A rare 1960's Dalek has been sold at auction for a record-breaking £38,000, equivalent to $55,000.

The Dalek was originally used in the 1966 feature film Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.. It was one of 3 Daleks given away by Sugar Puffs in their promotional competition for the film. It was one of 67 items of Film and Television Memorabilia sold by a single collector, at an auction on Wednesday, organised by Bamfords in Derby.

The Dalek drew considerable attention, with around 30 bidders contesting the sale. The price of £38,000 is believed to be the highest price paid for such a prop and was much higher than the estimated sale price of £15,000. The successful bidder lives in London, defeating interest from America, Australia, New Zealand and Belgium.

The seller's wife told the BBC the collection was being sold as the couple needed to downsize

There's no way that we can accommodate all of these things. The last thing I want is a Dalek in the bedroom. Everything has to go. We don't want any of it back. I'm locking my husband in a straitjacket in the garden shed so he can't bid on any of it again.

The entire collection sold for more than £90,000. It included a Cyberman from classic story Earthshock, that sold for £2,000, and a TARDIS from the Doctor Who stage show that fetched £1,000.

FILTER: - Auctions

BBC Audio: a collection of Tales

Wednesday, 8 June 2016 - Reported by Chuck Foster

BBC Audio have released details of three collections coming later this year, collating previously released audio tales featuring the Tenth Doctor, Eleventh Doctor and Torchwood:

Tenth Doctor Tales
Published by BBC Books 4th August 2016 [pre-order from Amazon UK]

David Tennant, Catherine Tate and Michelle Ryan read this exclusive collection of original audio adventures. Join the Tenth Doctor on these seven adventures in Time and Space, written specially for audio:

Pest Control by Peter Anghelides, read by David Tennant
The Forever Trap by Dan Abnett, read by Catherine Tate
The Nemonite Invasion by David Roden, read by Catherine Tate
The Rising Night by Scott Handcock, read by Michelle Ryan.
The Day of the Troll by Simon Messingham, read by David Tennant
The Last Voyage by Dan Abnett, read by David Tennant
Dead Air by James Goss, read by David Tennant

With thrilling music and sound design, these seven adventures are based on the hit BBC TV series.

Duration: 13 hours approx

Torchwood Tales
Published by BBC Books 1st September 2016 [pre-order from Amazon UK]

Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd, Kai Owen and others read ten stories based on the hit BBC TV series. Written specially for audio, with additional sound design, the stories feature the original Torchwood line-up including Captain Jack, Gwen, Ianto, Owen and Toshiko, plus Rhys and PC Andy. The titles are:

Hidden by Steven Savile, read by Naoko Mori
Everyone Says Hello by Dan Abnett, read by Burn Gorman
In the Shadows by Joseph Lidster, read by Eve Myles
The Sin Eaters by Brian Minchin, read by Gareth David-Lloyd
Department X and Ghost Train by James Goss, read by Kai Owen
Army of One by Ian Edginton, read by Kai Owen
Fallout by David Llewellyn, read by Tom Price
Red Skies by Joseph Lidster, read by John Telfer
Mr Invincible by Mark Morris, read by Tom Price

Duration: 16 hours approx

Eleventh Doctor Tales (Credit: BBC Audio)

Eleventh Doctor Tales
Published by BBC Books 6th October 2016 [pre-order from Amazon UK]

Matt Smith, Arthur Darvill and Meera Syal are among the readers of this exclusive collection of original audio adventures. Join the Eleventh Doctor on journeys in Time and Space in the stories:

The Runaway Train by Oli Smith, read by Matt Smith
The Ring of Steel by Stephen Cole, read by Arthur Darvill
The Jade Pyramid by Martin Day, read by Matt Smith
The Hounds of Artemis by James Goss, read by Matt Smith & Clare Corbett
The Gemini Contagion by Jason Arnopp, read by Meera Syal
Eye of the Jungle by Darren Jones, read by David Troughton
Blackout by Oli Smith, read by Stuart Milligan
The Art of Death by James Goss, read by Raquel Cassidy
Darkstar Academy by Mark Morris, read by Alexander Armstrong
Day of the Cockroach by Steve Lyons, read by Arthur Darvill
The Nu-Humans by Cavan Scott & Mark Wright, read by Raquel Cassidy
The Empty House by Simon Guerrier, read by Raquel Cassidy
The Sleepers in the Dust by Darren Jones, read by Arthur Darvill
Snake Bite by Scott Handcock, read by Frances Barber

Duration: 15 hours approx.

FILTER: - BBC Audio - Eleventh Doctor - Tenth Doctor - Torchwood

Lethbridge-Stewart: The Band Of Evil

Monday, 6 June 2016 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Candy Jar Books has announced a new digital-only short story, The Band Of Evil, which is free to all subscribers to the 2016 range of Lethbridge-Stewart novels, and those who order the next novel, The Showstoppers:

Lethbridge-Stewart: The Band Of Evil (Credit: Candy Jar Books)

Candy Jar Books is pleased to announce the release of their latest free digital-only short story, The Band of Evil.

Lethbridge-Stewart editor Shaun Russell has joined forces with Candy Jar author Roger J Simmonds to pen this story of rock music aliens on the rampage in Wembley.

Shaun said:

Although I’ve had a hand in establishing the direction of the series it’s been my goal to write a Lethbridge-Stewart story myself, but this has always proved difficult due to health and work commitments, so when the opportunity to work with Roger on this short story presented itself I jumped at it. The story is a classic ‘base under siege’ tale with a rock ‘n’ roll twist.

The book also contains a preview chapter of Roger’s autobiography Standing on the Sidelines. Roger’s life has been a rock ’n’ rollercoaster of a journey. Highlights of his remarkable career include playing the 2is club in Soho at the height of its popularity, being part of the only Welsh group to play The Cavern Club, working alongside the influential record producer Joe Meek, getting drunk with The Krays, and being present when Tom Jones got his name.

Roger J Simmonds, who was once of touring member of The Honeycombs, said:

I met some of the most influential performers during the ‘60s including George Harrison, Brian Jones, David Bowie and Tom Jones. My autobiography captures the glamour and sleaze, the hedonism and idealism and the sights and smells of the British rock scene. It was great to transfer these experiences to the world of Lethbridge-Stewart.

Hayley Cox, senior publishing coordinator at Candy Jar Books, feels that Roger was the perfect choice to collaborate with Shaun. She said:

Currently the Lethbridge-Stewart stories are set in the tail end of the swinging ‘60s and who better to draw upon these exciting times than someone who was actually there. I believe that Roger and Shaun have captured the rock music scene perfectly.

The Band of Evil will be given free to every person who pre-orders The Showstoppers by Jonathan Cooper, which is due out at the end of June. All subscribers will receive the short story automatically, as will those who purchase any of the bundles for the 2016 series.

The Showstoppers is now available for pre-order directly from the Candy Jar Books website.

In addition Candy Jar has created a Spotify Lethbridge-Stewart and Standing on the Sidelines playlist.

FILTER: - Candy Jar Books - Lethbridge-Stewart

New Comic - Eleventh Doctor #2.10

Sunday, 5 June 2016 - Reported by Marcus

This week sees Titan release a new comic featuring The Eleventh Doctor.

ELEVENTH DOCTOR #2.10

Writers: Rob Williams
Artist: Simon Fraser
Colorist: Gary Caldwell
Letterer: Comicraft
Covers Dan Boultwood, Will Brooks, Andrew Pepoy

Badly wounded by The Then and The Now, the Squire must deal with the fallout of Alice's deadly decision, as Abslom's fury rounds on the Doctor in full force. Death, devastation, and the aftermath of the Time War... this one has it all! Can the Doctor still find the truth and save his friends?

On Sale Wednesday 8th June 2016

FILTER: - Comics - Eleventh Doctor

Classic Series Costumes Up For Sale

Wednesday, 1 June 2016 - Reported by Marcus

A number of costumes and props from the classic series of Doctor Who are up for auction in the Bamfords Film and Memorabilia Sale, taking place in Derby on Wednesday 8th June 2016.

Items include a Cyberman costume from the 1982 story Earthshock; a Thal space suit costume from the 1973 story Planet of the Daleks; a space pack worn by Peter Davison in the 1983 story Enlightenment; a Dalek Trooper costume from the 16984 story Resurrection of the Dalek; a Magma Beast costume from the 1984 story The Caves of Androzanii; a Soldeed costume from 1979 story The Horns of Nimon; an Ice Warrior costume from the 1974 story The Monster of Peladon; and a Mara Snake Effigy from the 1983 story Snakedance.

A number of small props and collectables are also available.

Full deails on the Bamfords website.

FILTER: - Auctions - Classic Series

Davison Interviewed

Tuesday, 31 May 2016 - Reported by Marcus

Fifth Doctor Peter Davison appeared at the MCM Comic Con in London this weekend, and AudioBoom has released four clips from their coverage of the event.

In the clips Davison talks about how he won the role of The Doctor, who he thinks is the best companion in the series, his thoughts on the DVD commentaries and how he made The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot.

FILTER: - Peter Davison

Bonnie Langford Wins Best Newcomer Award

Monday, 30 May 2016 - Reported by Marcus

Bonnie Langford (Credit: 2016 Soap Awards)

Bonnie Langford has been named as Best Newcomer in the 2016 British Soap Awards.

Langford has been playing Carmel Kazemi in the BBC continuing drama EastEnders since May 2015. Although she has been performing for over 45 years, this was her first role in a soap opera, making her elgible for the newcomer award.

Bonnie Langford is best known to Doctor Who fans for playing Melanie Bush alongside the Sixth and Seventh Doctors in 20 episodes of Doctor Who in the 1980's, as well as reprising the role for Big Finish.

FILTER: - Awards/Nominations - People

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