Competition Roundup

Thursday, 3 December 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The following Doctor Who News competitions are currently available to enter, check each one for their closing date.


DWAS Membership

Christmas Card for 2015 (Credit: Doctor Who Appreciation Society)The Doctor Who Appreciation Society are currently selling Doctor Who themed Christmas cards, and from now until the 10th December any readers of Doctor Who News who order cards from their website will be in with a chance to win a twelve month membership/renewal to the society.

You can order cards from DWAS here.

Festive Jumper

This festive season sees a number of official Doctor Who jumpers to keep warm: Numskull present a cyber-theme:
The Cybermen have deemed the deletion of Christmas necessary for the subjugation of the planet Earth. Now you can join the festive fight for the deletion with the Cybermen, or against with the Doctor with this Official BBC Doctor Who Cyberman knitted Christmas Jumper.
Cyberman Jumper from Numskull (Credit: Numskull)To be in with a chance of winning a jumper courtest of Numskull, simply answer the following question:
In which year did the BBC run a festive campaign that featured a Cyberman playing Twister alongside the actors then portraying the Doctor assistant?
Please send your answers along with your name, address and where you heard about the competition (news site, news app, other website, etc.) to comp-jumper@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "A cosy Cyberman?" - don't forget to include the size you'd like to receive (dimensions can be found via the Numskull website). The competition is open worldwide, closing date 13th December 2015. Only one entry per household will be accepted.

Torchwood: Forgotten Lives

The third in Big Finish's new range of Torchwood adventures stars Eve Myles and Kai Owen:
It has been four years since the Miracle, and Gwen and Rhys's lives have gone back to normal, very normal. They're raising their daughter (they've got pictures they'd be only too happy to show you), they're living in a nice house, and they're almost on top of the laundry. Captain Jack Harkness has been missing from the world and their lives for a long time. But late one night the phone rings, and they're summoned to an isolated part of North Wales. The Bryn Offa Nursing Home contains a dark secret, an alien threat, and someone who really shouldn't be there. Gwen and Rhys are about to discover that Torchwood stays with you for the rest of your life.
Torchwood - Forgotten Lives (Credit: Big Finish)To be in with a chance to win a digital download of the Torchwood audio adventure courtesy of Big Finish, simply answer the following question:
Eve Myles appeared in Doctor Who before her lead role in Torchwood: which story did she appear in and what was her character name?
Please send your answer along with your name and the email address you have registered with Big Finish, plus where you heard about the competition (news site, news app, other website, etc.) to comp-forgottenlives@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "Did anybody order pizza?". The competition is open worldwide, closing date 6th December. Note: entrants must have an active registration with Big Finish in order to be eligible to receive the prize - new registrations can be easily created on the website for free and with no financial obligation.

BBC Audio: K9 & Company

The final classic novelisation adaptation for 2015 from BBC Audio is the spin-off adventure, K9 and Company:
In the sleepy village of Hazelbury Abbas, the Winter Solstice is fast drawing near. It is a time of deep mystery an ancient evil. Sarah Jane Smith, journalist and former companion to the Doctor, comes to the village to write her new book. For company she has Brendan, the young ward of Sarah's missing Aunt Lavinia. The Brendan too disappears, possible kidnapped by practitioners of Black Magic. Is he to be sacrificed to the goddess Hecate on the Solstice? Sarah is not alone in her search for Brendan, for the Doctor has sent her a very special companion: a robotic dog by the name of K9 ...
K9 & Company (audiobook) (Credit: BBC Audio)To be in with a chance to win the audiobook courtesy of BBC Audio, simply answer the following question:
Though the series would have been known as K9 & Company, what was the individual title used for the single Christmas episode that was broadcast?
Please send your answers along with your name, address and where you heard about the competition (news site, news app, other website, etc.) to comp-affirmative@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "Affirmative, Mistress". The competition is open worldwide, closing date 13th December 2015. Only one entry per household will be accepted.

BBC Audio: The Winter Collection

The Sins of Winter (Credit: BBC Audio)To be in with a chance to win a set of the three audiobooks of "The Winter Collection" so far (The Gods of Winter, The House of Winter, The Sins of Winter), courtesy of BBC Audio, simply answer the following question:
The reader of the latest audiobook, Robin Soans, is one of the growing list of actors who have played roles in both the 20th and 21st Century versions of Doctor Who - name the stories/roles he has played (so far!)
Please send your answers along with your name, address and where you heard about the competition (news site, news app, other website, etc.) to comp-winter@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "A Winter's Tale". The competition is open worldwide, closing date 13th December 2015. Only one entry per household will be accepted.

Pop Vinyl figures

Funko: Pop Vinyl Tenth Doctor (Credit: fun.com)To be in with a chance to win a Funko Pop Vinyl figure courtesy of fun.com, simply answer the following question:
Name a story in which the Doctor is shrunken down to a much smaller size.
Please send your answers along with your name, address and where you heard about the competition (news site, news app, other website, etc.) to comp-vinyl@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "Don't get too big-headed" - don't forget to specify which figure you'd like to receive from the list below. The competition is open to readers in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand only, closing date 13th December 2015. Only one entry per household will be accepted.

Figures available Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth Doctors, Adipose, Cyberman or Dalek.

Lethbridge-Stewart Books

Lethbridge-Stewart: Mutually Assured Domination (Credit: Candy Jar Books)In celebration of the success of the Lethbridge-Stewart series of books, we are delighted to be able to offer the set of four books published this year (The Forgotten Son, The Schizoid Earth, Beast of Fang Rock, and Mutually Assured Domination) plus associated short stories, courtesy of Candy Jar Books. To be in with a chance to win, simply answer the following question:
In relation to this series of books, what is the significance of the closing date of this competition?
Please send your answers along with your name, address and where you heard about the competition (news site, news app, other website, etc.) to comp-ls15@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "what happened next?". The competition is open worldwide, closing date: 16th December 2015. Only one entry per household will be accepted.

Predict the Ratings of Hell Bent

Predict how many viewers will watch this year's series finale! Full details here.




FILTER: - Competitions

Advent Calendar - Day Three

Thursday, 3 December 2015 - Reported by Willy Phantom


Clara's finished all her shopping but she cannot believe her eyes,
I don't think she was expecting to receive this Christmas surprise!

Willy Phantom, 3rd December 2015





FILTER: - Advent

The Husbands of River Song: new publicity images

Thursday, 3 December 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have released some promotional profile photos of characters who appear in this year's Christmas Special, The Husbands of River Song. The images portray Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, Alex Kingston as River Song, Rowan Polonski as Remming and Phillip Rhys as Ramone.

The Husbands of River Song Profile Images (BBC/Ray Burmiston/Simon Ridgway)The Husbands of River Song Profile Images (BBC/Ray Burmiston/Simon Ridgway)The Husbands of River Song Profile Images (BBC/Ray Burmiston/Simon Ridgway)The Husbands of River Song Profile Images (BBC/Ray Burmiston/Simon Ridgway)The Husbands of River Song Profile Images (BBC/Ray Burmiston/Simon Ridgway)The Husbands of River Song Profile Images (BBC/Ray Burmiston/Simon Ridgway)The Husbands of River Song Profile Images (BBC/Ray Burmiston/Simon Ridgway)The Husbands of River Song Profile Images (BBC/Ray Burmiston/Simon Ridgway)The Husbands of River Song Profile Images (BBC/Ray Burmiston/Simon Ridgway)




FILTER: - Peter Capaldi - Publicity - Series Specials

Predict the Ratings for Hell Bent

Wednesday, 2 December 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Doctor Who: The Ten Christmas Specials (Credit: BBC Worldwide)The series finale is almost upon us, and Doctor Who News is offering one lucky reader the chance to win a copy of The 10 Christmas Specials, a limited edition DVD boxed set featuring the ten previous Christmas Day specials of the modern series (sadly The Feast of Steven is not included!).

All you need to do is to guess the final consolidated viewing figure for Hell Bent, as reported by BARB to the nearest 10,000 viewers (i.e. two decimal places). This figure includes all those watching the episode within a week of broadcast.

Hell Bent is being broadcast in the UK on BBC One on Saturday at 8:00pm. As with most episodes this year, it will follow Strictly Come Dancing, and will be followed by Casualty. In opposition, ITV have The X Factor, whilst BBC Two is showing Snooker, Channel 4 is showing The World's Weirdest Weather, and Channel 5 has Can't Pay, We'll Take It Away.

To help place in perspective, the average consolidated rating this series so far has been 5.84 million viewers - all the the known consolidated figures can be found in the Related Articles below. At the time of writing the figure for last week's Heaven Sent has yet to be confirmed, but its overnight was reported as 4.51m, up 90,000 from the previous episode's overnight.

Entering The Competition


The Doctor counts how many are watching ... (Photo credit: BBC/Simon Ridgway)The prize is number 20 in the limited edition run of The 10 Christmas Specials.

To enter the competition, please send the following details to comp-ratings@doctorwhonews.net:

  • Your name and email address
  • Your country (full address will only be requested if you are a winner)
  • Your guess for the final consolidated viewing figure

The BARB figure is expected to be announced on Monday 14th December; the winner will be informed once the figure has been confirmed, and the prize dispatched to arrive before Christmas Day* so you can binge-watch all previous specials in anticipation of The Husbands of River Song!

[* in the UK, postage to other countries cannot be guaranteed to arrive beforehand]


  • The competition closes at 7.59pm (GMT), 5th December 2015
  • Only one entry will be accepted per person.
  • The competition is open worldwide but PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A REGION TWO DVD only






FILTER: - Competitions - Ratings

Media Guardian 100

Wednesday, 2 December 2015 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat continues his steady rise up through the ranks of the Media Guardian's top 100 most powerful people in UK Media.

The writer and producer comes in at number 76 in this years chart, a rise of eight places from the 2014 list. Moffat entered the chart in 2011 as number 92.

The list, which has been running since 2001, attempts to quantify the people with the most influence over the British media and is complied by a team of judges drawn from across the industry.
Moffat took over the BBC’s Doctor Who from Russell T Davies six years ago. His reinvention with Mark Gatiss of Sherlock Holmes, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, will return for a Victorian special this Christmas. Moffat has said Doctor Who, which returned in its modern incarnation in 2005, has at least another five years in it, possibly many more. But Moffat, who introduced Peter Capaldi as the new doctor last year, has questioned the feasibility of the BBC’s ambition to have a big screen Doctor Who.
Other BBC personnel listed include the current controller of BBC One, Charlotte Moore, at number 21, and the current Chief Executive of the BBC, Director General Tony Hall at number 6.

The head of the BBC’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, Tim Davie, and the man ultimately responsible for selling Doctor Who around the world, was number 35.

Actor James Cordon, who played Craig Owens in Doctor Who, and who now hosts The Late Late Show on CBS, is at number 50

The top three places in the list are taken once more by the heads of Google, Facebook and Apple respectively, with Mark Zukerberg coming out top.




FILTER: - Steven Moffat

Advent Calendar - Day Two

Wednesday, 2 December 2015 - Reported by Willy Phantom


The Doctor's brought along his guitar and as you all will see,
He'll soon have everyone rockin' around the Christmas tree!

Willy Phantom, 2nd December 2015





FILTER: - Advent

Doctor Who Adventures - Issue 9

Tuesday, 1 December 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The latest edition of Doctor Who Adventures is published on Thursday 3rd December:

Christmas is coming early this year with issue 9 of Doctor Who Adventures, which is set to materialise in a newsagent near you on 3rd December!

  • AWESOME POSTER: This issue comes with a free hand painted mega poster of Skaro from Robot City’s Paul Collicutt.
  • THE MINISTRY OF TIME: Scream Street’s Tommy Donbavand scripts this issue’s comic strip, in which the TARDIS gets clamped for contravening several time and space laws as laid out by the Ministry of Time.
  • FESTIVE MAYHEM: Get ready for a look back at some of the Christmas dangers the Doctor has faced over the last ten years, before finding out if you’ve got what it takes to Save Christmas!
  • RIVER SONG’S CRAFT STUDIO: River shows you how to decorate your Christmas tree with some fiendish Snowmen Baubles.
  • UNIT ALIEN ARCHIVES: Delve into the UNIT Alien Archive and find out all about the duplicitous Leandro from Delta Leonis.
  • STRAX’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY: This month, Strax takes you to Trenzalore, Zygor, Ember and Tiaanammat for some Christmas space exploration.
  • THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS: And Christmas isn’t Christmas without a cool board game to play, and this time you can be River or the Doctor as you race through the night to Christmas morning facing all manner of dangers including the Sycorax, the Racnoss, Dream Crabs and Robot Angels.
  • THE PATERNOSTER GANG INVESTIGATES: Then get ready for a real Victorian mystery as James Peaty relates the tale of how the Paternoster Gang came up against the horrifying Dissolving Man!

Doctor Who Adventures #9 – Let the festivities begin!

Doctor Who Adventures Issue 9 - Cover (Credit: DWA) Doctor Who Adventures Issue 9 - Comic Doctor Who Adventures Issue 9 - Dalek Poster (Credit: DWA)

Issue 9 comes with a Free Dalek Blaster and mega poster!




FILTER: - DWA

BBC One Christmas Idents: Sprout Boy

Tuesday, 1 December 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
BBC One Christmas Ident: Sprout Boy meets the Doctor (Credit: BBC)This year's BBC One idents are based around a well-known icon of Christmas, the sprout. Launched after tonight's The One Show, a two minute video Sprout Boy introduces the eponymous star of the idents as he meets the characters of Christmas television - including the Doctor!

The video also features the voice of Peter Capaldi as the narrator.


In addition to Sprout Boy, a 40 second trailer for BBC One television over Christmas was also broadcast.



Full details of the Christmas season can be found on the BBC website.




FILTER: - BBC

BBC Adventure Calendar

Tuesday, 1 December 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
BBC Adventure Calendar (locked item) (Credit: BBC)The official Doctor Who page on the BBC website will once again post a selection of images, clips, games and other goodies over the days leading up to Christmas in their Adventure Calendar.

The festive treats are unlocked at around midday daily, with the first being three wallpapers reflecting this Saturday's series finale, Hell Bent.





FILTER: - BBC - Miscellaneous - Online

BBC Christmas Trailer

Tuesday, 1 December 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have released a video featuring the many highlights on television over the festive period including, of course, the Doctor and River from the Christmas Day special, The Husbands of River Song:


Full details of the festive line-up can be found via the BBC Media Centre.




FILTER: - Publicity - Series Specials