Target Novelisations For 2023 Specials

Sunday, 16 July 2023 - Reported by Marcus

BBC Books has announced that Target novelisations of the 2023 Doctor Who Specials will published early next year.

The three specials will be broadcast in the upcoming Autumn season, marking 60 years of Doctor Who. They all feature David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor and Catherine Tate returning to the series as Donna Noble.

The scripts have been written by returning showrunner Russell T Davies and each book will be written by a different author.

Special One: The Star Beast novelised by Gary Russell
Special Two: Wild Blue Yonder novelised by Mark Morris
Special Three: The Giggle novelised by James Goss

Each book will have specially commissioned cover artwork by Anthony Dry.

Launched in 1973, Target Books published novelisations of almost every Doctor Who serial aired between 1963 and 1989.

In 2012 BBC Books began reissuing these classic paperbacks and in 2018 expanded the Target range to include all-new novelisations of modern-era Doctor Who episodes. This year, Target Books celebrates its 50th year publishing Doctor Who.

All three books will be published on the 11th of January 2024 and are available to preorder.

FILTER: - Target - Fourteenth Doctor

John Nettleton 1929-2023

Friday, 14 July 2023 - Reported by Marcus

The actor John Nettleton has died at the age of 94.

In 1989 John Nettleton played the Reverend Ernest Matthews in the Seventh Doctor story Ghost Light.

He was best known for his portrayal of the Whitehall Mandarin Sir Arnold Robinson in the comedy series Yes Minister and its successor Yes, Prime Minister.

Born in South London in 1929, John Nettleton graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1951, the same year as Joan Collins and Jacqueline Hill.

As a successful character actor, he had a 40-year career in British Television appearing in some of the best-known series of the time such as Softly Softly, Armchair Theatre, The Avengers, Please Sir!, Elizabeth R, Black Beauty, Upstairs Downstairs, The Pallisers, All Creatures Large and Small, The Professionals, Tales of the Unexpected, Brideshead Revisited, Crown Court, Minder, Rumpole of the Bailey, Midsomer Murders, and The Bill.

Nettleton’s film work included A Man for All Seasons in the 1960s and a 2005 adaptation of Oliver Twist

His voice is very familiar to a generation who grew up in the 1970s thanks to his frequent use as a narrator for illustrated stories told on the BBC Children's programme Blue Peter,

His work at the National Theatre included Alan Bennett’s adaptation of The Wind in the Willows in 1990 and The Voysey Inheritance in 2006. He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and London's Old Vic.

A statement from the theatrical agency Scott Marshall Partners said:

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our beloved client and much-loved stage and screen actor John Nettleton at the age of 94.

He is survived by his wife the actress Deirdre Doone, who he married in 1954, their three children and five grandchildren.

FILTER: - Obituary - Classic Series

Season 20 Gets Blu-ray Release

Thursday, 13 July 2023 - Reported by Marcus

Season 20 - Bluray (Credit: BBC Studios)

The BBC has confirmed that Season 20 of Doctor Who will be the next season released as a box set on Blu-ray.

The season, starring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor, was originally broadcast in 1983. It will be released as a limited edition 9-disc box set, containing each story from season 20 as well as the 20th Anniversary story The Five Doctors.

Doctor Who – The Collection: Season 20

ARC OF INFINITY
SNAKEDANCE
MAWDRYN UNDEAD
TERMINUS
ENLIGHTENMENT
THE KING’S DEMONS
THE FIVE DOCTORS

Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the programme, these stories feature the return of old friends, enemies, and even past Doctors! Over seven stories, the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa (Sarah Sutton), Tegan (Janet Fielding) and Turlough (Mark Strickson) face off against the Black Guardian, Omega, the Mara, the Master, Cybermen and the Time Lords themselves!

All episodes have been newly remastered from the best available sources including original film elements for The Five Doctors – these classic adventures have never looked or sounded so good on home media.

The Collection: Season 20 Blu-ray box set also includes extensive Special Features including:

THE FIVE DOCTORS – 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
A brand new version of the 90-minute anniversary special, with updated special effects, Dolby Atmos & surround sound, plus an exclusive new commentary with Peter Davison, Janet Fielding and Mark Strickson.

UPDATED 2023 SPECIAL EFFECTS
Exclusive to Blu-ray, on Snakedance and Enlightenment.

BEHIND THE SOFA
Seven new episodes with Peter Davison, Colin Baker (The Doctor), Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Sarah Sutton, Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson, Katy Maning (Jo) and Sophie Aldred (Ace).

BLU-RAY TRAILER
A brand new episode of classic Doctor Who.

IN CONVERSATION
Interviewer Matthew Sweet chats to Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton.

LET’S GO DUTCH!
The TARDIS crew travel to Amsterdam to revisit locations and reminisce about Season 20 and their time on the programme.

LOOK WHO’S DRIVING
Join Peter Davison, Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton on an hilarious European Road Trip.

WHEN JANET MET MARTIN
Janet Fielding chats to Martin Clunes, 40 years on from his appearance in Snakedance.

MAKING THE KING’S DEMONS
The regular cast return to the castle location and reminisce.

MAKING THE SEASON 20 TRAILER
A look behind the scenes

LONGLEAT CELEBRATION FOOTAGE
A previously-unreleased look at the iconic 1983 convention, plus panels featuring Peter Davison, Tom Baker, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and many more.

STUDIO FOOTAGE
Hours of material going behind-the-scenes on production of Arc Of Infinity, Snakedance and The Five Doctors.

LOCATION FILM RUSHES
From The Five Doctors.

RARE CONVENTION FOOTAGE
Including Australian interviews with Peter Davison and Janet Fielding shot during production of this season.

ONCE UPON A TIME LORD
A rare US documentary from the 1980s.

NEW 5.1 SURROUND SOUND MIXES
On Snakedance and The Five Doctors. Plus Dolby Atmos mixes on The Five Doctors.

ARCHIVE TREATS
Hours of rare and previously unreleased material from the BBC Archives.

HD PHOTO GALLERIES
Including many previously unseen images.

INFO TEXT
Behind-the-scenes information and trivia on every episode.

PDF ARCHIVE
including scripts, exclusive unseen BBC production files, the Radio Times 20th Anniversary Special and other rarities.

This nine-disc box set also includes hours of special features previously released on DVD including Documentaries, Featurettes, Audio Commentaries, The Five Doctors Special Edition and more.

The box-set is available for pre-order on Amazon

Tegan's Surprise Reunion! | The Collection: Season 20 Announcement Trailer
Tegan Jovanka's adventures continue... but not in the way she expected!

FILTER: - Blu-ray/DVD - Season 20 - Fifth Doctor

Counter Measures: Birds of Prey

Saturday, 8 July 2023 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Candy Jar Books ihave announce details of the second of its Counter Measures:

Birds of Prey

If the people of Britain thought the energy crisis was over, they were very wrong. Power cuts are returning, spreading from London and focusing on particularly vulnerable targets, almost as if by intention.

The Association has risen again and is stepping up its campaign to take power and enact its supremist ideology. Ian Gilmore, Rachel Jensen and even their son Dillon become embroiled in a plan to survive a plot for revenge. They must stand against old enemies as the spectres of past conflicts are raised and a new battle starts to spread through the streets of the capital.

For there are others who stand ready to face the Association too. But how far will they go and what weapons will they deploy? Gilmore, Jensen and their allies find that the monsters of the human race may be far more terrifying than anything from beyond it, and that this time, humanity will need saving from its own worst instincts.

Birds of Prey is the second book in a two-novel event, following up book one Birds of Passage.

Counter Measures, featuring characters Group Captain Gilmore, Professor Rachel Jensen and Dr Allison Williams, was created by Ben Aaronovitch for Doctor Who back in 1988. The characters were expanded on in Aaronovitch’s later novelisation of their debut story, Remembrance of the Daleks, and made the odd appearance in Doctor Who prose fiction throughout the 1990s. The team has enjoyed a long life in audio dramas from Big Finish Productions since 2012, and Gilmore made a cameo in one of Candy Jar’s Lethbridge-Stewart short stories. They even appeared in a comic written by Andrew Cartmel.

Birds of Passage was written by Robert Mammone, who had hoped to write the follow up too. Alas, life intervened, as range editor Andy Frankham-Allen explained:

Due to a change in circumstances, Robert felt he would be unable to commit the time needed. However, we agreed to look at it again a few months later, and sadly little had changed by time it came to move forward. Robert allowed me to use his outline and ideas for book two as a jumping on point for his replacement, but in the event I decided it was better to let whoever that was to just read the first book and take it in their own direction.

The chosen author was James Middleditch, who has written a couple of Lethbridge-Stewart novels, plus short stories for the UNIT series:

The prospect of writing for the Counter Measures series felt quite different to my prior work on the Lethbridge-Stewart range. I would say the tone is a bit darker and more morally complex, with the threats emerging from the behaviour of humans as much as anything from elsewhere, although influences of past invasions continue to play a big role in awakening our own worst instincts. Like Robert before me, the thought of following the narrative threads and themes of Remembrance of the Daleks was a jaw-dropping one. Robert produced such a thrilling follow-up in Birds of Passage, which itself left some intriguing strands dangling, that I had not one but two great stories to do justice to. The Remembrance novelisation, rightly heralded as a late highpoint for the Target range, contains such depth in its depiction of ’60s Britain and its racial landscape. I also revisited Andrew Cartmel’s Cat’s Cradle: Warhead and found a shockingly prescient and familiar dystopia in what had been his speculation about the early twenty-first century. Without wanting to be too negative, it’s worth remembering how close we all are to such breakdowns in order and certainty, so I tried to channel both of their concerns and the reflective moods of their novels in writing Birds of Prey.

Andy continued:

James jumped at the chance before any sense of trepidation could set in, and once he’d finished his reading and research, he soon had an outline to me. There were only a few changes I wanted, in keeping with the goals Andrew Cartmel and I had set out for the series.

James concluded:

Storyline guidance from Andy was invaluable as always, in particular in providing the geographical focus of London and a core group of characters there. Real history and locations have been interwoven into this dark parallel past, and may change the way you see the parts of the capital on your next visit; a Birds of Prey Walking Tour is certainly possible! To move further into the London-based thriller genre, I also took inspiration from the original television version of Edge of Darkness with its rain-soaked pavements and its uncanny way of suggesting an impending apocalypse in otherwise very small scale events and moments. I hope all these ingredients have come together to be a testament to some of the best writers, their characters and themes. None of us really write in isolation, and to have been in their literary company for a while has been a privilege.

Ordering details can be found on the Candy Jar website.

FILTER: - books - Candy Jar

The Grandfather Infestation - illustrated edition

Saturday, 1 July 2023 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Candy Jar Books has announced a very special book for 2023, the hardback illustrated edition of The Grandfather Infestation by John Peel.

Like the illustrated edition of Beast of Fang Rock, this book has been inspired by the illustrated Doctor Who Target books from the early 1970s, combined with the popularity of the Lethbridge-Stewart Colouring Book, which was made available via Amazon and good retailers last month with four brand new images.

In 2016 Range Editor Andy Frankham-Allen compared The Grandfather Infestation with the work of John Wyndham in 2016. He said:

I’ve always been a huge fan of his work, and I knew I wanted something in a similar vein. I asked John to give us something Triffid-esque and he did exactly that. He’s created a nice blend of genres, mixing the best elements of storytelling that you’d find in the works of Robert Banks Stewart and Wyndham, giving it Peel’s own distinctive twist. And John is no stranger to twisting tales, make no mistake. He’s been writing prose fiction beyond Doctor Who continuously for over twenty-five years, and you don’t do that without being good.

The book has a brand new cover, but the actual look of the Grandfathers has not been changed. Martin Baines opted to keep Colin Howard’s original design:

Colin is a Doctor Who demi-god and I wouldn’t have felt comfortable changing his work. His realisation of the Grandfathers was perfect. Like all his Doctor Who artwork, Colin really understand what makes a good monster.

Martin has also provided internal illustrations for the book. He continued:

Like the Beast of Fang Rock, I read the book and choose my favourite scenes. I was excited to discover that The Grandfather Infestation is a jam-packed full of action, so it made illustrating it very fun indeed.

This release comes with a free postcard, as well as a brand new Lucy Wilson Mysteries book The Grandfather Club written by John Peel. Shaun Russell, head of publishing at Candy Jar, felt that the time was right return to the Grandfathers. He said:

John’s first ever Lethbridge-Stewart book was The Grandfather Infestation. And what a book it is! And, over the years we’ve always tremendous feedback about it, receiving so many requests to release a new edition. But instead of doing a paperback with a new cover, we decided to do something a little more special. Like Beast of Fang Rock, Martin’s artwork really helps to bring this exciting book alive. And the Lucy story is the cherry on the cake, allowing us to introduce the alien Grandfathers to a new audience.

The Grandfather Infestation is now available for pre-order directly from Candy Jar Books..

All of the school clubs have been cancelled, effective immediately. All except one…

Lucy and Hobo can’t understand why everyone at school has joined the gardening club. They also can’t understand why no one is doing any gardening!

Why are the students constructing a gigantic greenhouse? And why does it need such a powerful heating system? But, more to the point, what sort of plants will this greenhouse be the home to?

Will Lucy and Hobo be able to solve this mystery or have the seeds of destruction already been sown?

FILTER: - Books - Candy Jar - Lethbridge-Stewart - Lucy Wilson Mysteries

Pull To Open

Friday, 23 June 2023 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Ten Acre Films have announced a new Doctor Who non-fiction book to be published next month. Called Pull to Open, it tells the story of the creation of Doctor Who in 1963 and is written by Paul Hayes, a regular contributor to Doctor Who Magazine whose previous Doctor Who book from Ten Acre, 2021’s The Long Game, told the story of how the programme came to be recommissioned in 2003 and was described by Starburst as an “astonishingly interesting and page-turning... an essential book for anyone interested in the arcane world of British television production.”

Speaking to Doctor Who News about the new book, Paul said:

I very much wanted to try and bring the same approach to the creation of the show in 1963 as The Long Game did for the 1996-2003 period, The idea is to try and provide the same wider background and context to the events – so not just what happened, but why it happened. To give an idea of how BBC television drama worked at that time, the world into which Doctor Who was born, and also to flesh out some of the lives of people we normally only see as names on a list – the likes of Eric Maschwitz and Alice Frick, for example. Pull to Open tells the story from Maschwitz first asking the Script Department about science-fiction in the spring of 1962, to the Daleks first appearing at the end of 1963 – so it’s a book which pretty much entirely concentrates on the creation of the show. That is the story in this book, rather than simply being the start of the story as it sometimes is when told elsewhere. It’s a period which has long fascinated me, and I hope people enjoy reading about it as much as I have enjoyed researching and writing it!

Pull to Open is due for publication on 24 July from Ten Acre Films, the company which has previously published new editions of popular Doctor Who books such as Richard Marson’s biographies of Verity Lambert and John Nathan-Turner and Andrew Cartmel’s diaries. They have also provided documentary features for the Doctor Who classic series Blu-ray range. The foreword is written by actor, comedian and Doctor Who historian Toby Hadoke, who describes Pull to Open as “fresh and compelling… as definitive an account of those early years as I have read.”

The book is available to pre-order now via Ten Acre's website.

FILTER: - Books - Non-Fiction

Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 592

Thursday, 22 June 2023 - Reported by Marcus

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 592 - Supplement (Credit: Panini)

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 592 is now available.

Highlights of the new issue include:

A 20-page supplement featuring Four Hours of Doom’s Day – a new comic-strip adventure including Autons, Cybermen and lots of surprises!
A giant double-sided poster.
Voice of Doom – Sooz Kempner, aka Doom the assassin, discusses playing the lead character in the new cross-media adventure Doom’s Day.
Day of Reckoning – the complete guide to Doom’s Day, with insights from the people who have created the stories.
Letter from the Showrunner – Russell T Davies looks forwards to the new episodes of Doctor Who, and recalls the revived series’ launch back in 2005.
The Doctor’s Wife – actor and author Elizabeth Morton on being the wife of the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison, and the mother-in-law of the Fourteenth, David Tennant!
Working Wonders – colleagues and family recall the pioneering visual effects created by the late Peter Day.
The DWM 60th Anniversary Poll – the analysis of the results continues, with this issue looking at the rankings of the Seventh and Ninth Doctor’s adventures.
Memory Worm – Dalek writer Robert Shearman puts his knowledge of his Doctor Who career to the test.
Production Diary – script editor Scott Handcock files his latest report, direct from Doctor Who’s HQ.
Quick Draw – John Erasmus reveals what it’s like to work as a storyboard artist on the new series of Doctor Who.
Liberation of the Daleks Part Nine – the adventures of the Fourteenth Doctor continue in the epic comic-strip adventure written by Alan Barnes and illustrated by Lee Sullivan.
60 Objects, 60 Years – the latest instalment of the series that tells the story of one object from every year of Doctor Who’s history.
The Fact of Fiction concludes it exploration of the Second Doctor’s encounter with the Cybermen aboard The Wheel in Space.
Gallifrey Guardian – all the latest official news, including cast announcements.
Other Worlds – the essential guide to new stories in Doctor Who’s expanded universe.
Previews, reviews, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser and more.

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 592 is on sale Thursday 22 June from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £10.99 (UK).

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £9.99.

FILTER: - DWM

Lenny Rush Joins Doctor Who

Thursday, 15 June 2023 - Reported by Marcus

Award winning actor Lenny Rush is to appear in the next series of Doctor Who.

Having just won a BAFTA at the age of fourteen, Rush takes on the role of Morris in the 2024 series of Doctor Who, starring alongside Ncuti Gatwa.

Lenny Rush has starred in numerous shows including ‘Dodger’ and ‘A Christmas Carol’ but it was his starring role in Daisy May Cooper’s ‘Am I Being Unreasonable’ that won him the BAFTA for Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme this year.

Now Rush is about to join the team travelling time and space as he takes on his new role as Morris.

Speaking about joining Doctor Who, Rush said:

It’s an absolute honour to be part of Doctor Who, one of the most iconic shows on television and wow what a dream come true!

Showrunner, Russell T Davies said:

This is what Doctor Who's all about, brand new talent from the next generation, and no one’s more talented than Lenny! He joins the TARDIS team just in time for the Doctor’s greatest nightmare, so hold on tight!

FILTER: - Production - Series 13/39

Doctor Who: Chronicles: 1963-64

Sunday, 11 June 2023 - Reported by Marcus

The latest issue of Doctor Who Chronicles has been published by Panini, covering the first season of the show.

This lavish 116-page publication from the makers of Doctor Who Magazine looks at the stories, people, events, and news of this formative period – a time when William Hartnell played the Doctor, and the world was introduced to the Daleks, the TARDIS, and an incredible adventure in space and time.

The bookazine covers all the stories from 1963-64: 100,000 BC (aka An Unearthly Child), The Mutants (aka The Daleks), Inside the Spaceship (aka The Edge of Destruction), Marco Polo, The Keys of Marinus, The Aztecs, The Sensorites, The Reign of Terror, Planet of Giants and The Dalek Invasion of Earth. It also includes exclusive articles and rare behind-the-scenes images.

Contents include articles on:

The year’s most significant events in the Doctor Who universe (both on and off screen)
Profiles of stars William Hartnell, William Russell, Jacqueline Hill and Carole Ann Ford
Doctor Who in the popular press
Special effects and production techniques
The very first items of Doctor Who merchandise
… and much more!

Doctor Who: Chronicles – 1963-64 is on sale now, RRP £11.99 from panini.co.uk and selected branches of WH Smith while stocks last.

It’s also available digitally from pocketmags.com priced £10.99.

FILTER: - DWM - Season 1

Mel Returns to Doctor Who

Wednesday, 7 June 2023 - Reported by Marcus

Star of stage and screen Bonnie Langford will once again reprise her role as Melanie Bush as she returns to Doctor Who, this time starring alongside Ncuti Gatwa who plays the Fifteenth Doctor in the new series.

Bonnie first entered the world of Doctor Who in 1986 as the companion to the Sixth and Seventh Doctors played by Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy, before returning in a cameo role in Jodie Whittaker’s final episode as the Thirteenth Doctor.

Making her West End debut at just seven years old in ‘Gone with the Wind’ at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Bonnie has since gone on to lead an outstanding career. From her countless performances on both Broadway and West End, such as ‘Chicago’, ‘9 to 5’ and ‘Cats’, to her award-winning role as Carmel Kazemi on EastEnders.

Now Bonnie is back, as Melanie returns for another epic adventure.

Bonnie Langford said:

I am absolutely thrilled to be bringing Melanie Bush back. To be part of the exceptional cast, crew and production team led by the force of nature that is Russell T Davies is a career highlight. I’m so privileged and proud to have been a member of the Doctor Who family since the classic era and to be included in the new generation is phenomenal.

Showrunner, Russell T Davies said:

“Open those TARDIS doors wide, because Bonnie’s back! What an honour, delight and hoot to welcome back the character of Melanie, after too long away. And this isn’t just a cameo, Bonnie is right in the thick of the action, battling monsters and chaos and cliffhangers, right at the Doctor's side, just like the old days.”

FILTER: - Production

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