Titan announce New Fourth Doctor Series

Tuesday, 10 November 2015 - Reported by Marcus

Titan Comics and BBC Worldwide have announced a brand-new mini series starring the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith, as played by Tom Baker and the late Elisabeth Sladen.

This series expands Titan Comics’ popular and critically acclaimed Doctor Who comics line, which already includes adventures from the Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors.

Entitled ‘Gaze Of The Medusa’, the five-part series will hit stores in March 2016 and will be penned by Gordon Rennie (Missionary Man, Judge Dredd) and Emma Beeby (Witch Hunter, Judge Dredd) with art by Brian Williamson (The Twelfth Doctor, Spider-Man, X-Men).

The all-new adventure is set in Victorian England, where a mysterious woman commands a hidden army in a house of the blind. Scryclops stalk the streets...and something alien and terrible screams from prehistory – with a hunger that cannot be satisfied!

Issue #1 will come with six covers to collect: a painted cover by fan-favorite artist Alice X. Zhang; a photo variant; art covers by artists Brian Williamson, Jay Gunn and Matt Baxter; and a blank sketch variant.

Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor #1 debuts in comic stores and on digital devices from March 2016.

Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor #1 (Credit: Titan)

FILTER: - Comics - Fourth Doctor

The Zygon Invasion: Official Rating

Monday, 9 November 2015 - Reported by Marcus

Doctor Who: The Zygon Invasion had an official consolidated rating of 5.76 million viewers.

The rating issued by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board, or BARB, includes all those who watched the programme within one week of transmission. It does not include those watching online via iPlayer

Doctor Who was the 11th most watched programme on BBC Television, and third overall on Saturday. The episode finished at 24th in the chart.

Top of the week was Strictly Come Dancing with 10.85 million watching.

FILTER: - Ratings - Series 9/35

The Zygon Inversion - AI:84

Monday, 9 November 2015 - Reported by Marcus

Doctor Who: The Zygon Inversion had an Audience Appreciation or AI score of 84.

The Appreciation Index or AI is a measure of how much the audience enjoyed the programme. The score, out of a hundred, is compiled by a specially selected panel of around 5,000 people who go online and rate and comment on programmes.

The highest score for the weekend was for the The Royal British Legion Festival Of Remembrance which scored 90

With Sunday's overnight viewing figures now available, Doctor Who finished as the 47th most watched programme of the week. Consolidated figures will be published next week.

FILTER: - Ratings - Series 9/35 - UK

Australian overnight ratings for The Zygon Inversion & final ratings for The Wom

Monday, 9 November 2015 - Reported by Adam Kirk

The Zygon Inversion has debuted in Australia, averaging 466,000 viewers in the five major capital cities. It was the highest rating ABC drama of the day and the sixteenth highest rating program of the day overall. These ratings do not include iview, regional or time-shifted viewers.

Meanwhile, including time-shifted viewers, The Woman Who Lived averaged 647,000 consolidated viewers in the five major capital cities. With 151,000 extra viewers it was the third highest time-shifted program of the day (the highest time-shifted program had an extra 168,000 viewers) and the ninth highest rating program of the day overall. These ratings do not include iview or regional viewers.

Media Links: TV Tonight (The Zygon Inversion ratings); TV Tonight (The Woman Who Lived ratings)

FILTER: - Australia - Broadcasting - Ratings - Series 9/35

The Zygon Inversion - Press Reaction

Sunday, 8 November 2015 - Reported by Marcus

This item Contains Plot Spoilers

Press reaction for the The Zygon Inversion is mostly positive with many reviewers picking up on the performance of the lead actor. Peter Capaldi's finest hour is how The Express describes the episode. "Peter gives a powerful performance as a Doctor trying to maintain a fragile ceasefire, opting for diplomacy over militancy. Throughout his speech, he never loses his flow or passion. At times it feels as if the television screen falls away and we're watching a stage production, such is the strength of his acting."

The Guardian felt the episode finally cemented Capaldi as The Doctor. "As he delivered his passionate, eloquent takedown of Zygon rebel Bonnie, this version of the Doctor was comprehensively nailed, skewering perfectly who this man is.....This Doctor has never been written better, Capaldi has never channelled Tom Baker more, that sequence is cemented instantly as the “Capaldi moment” in clip shows for the rest of time."

Digital Spy agreed. "Peter Capaldi is absolutely spectacular.His emotional, grandiose confrontation with both Kate and 'Zygella' is spellbinding. A breathless, breathtaking lecture on the futility of war, this sequence is easily Capaldi's finest moment as the Doctor since he took up the reins last year."

Radio Times thought the bunker scenes between The Doctor and the two protagonists were spectacular. "An incredible piece of writing and acting. The scene lasts a full ten minutes as the Doctor runs the gamut of emotions in his effort to make Clara/Bonnie/Zygella stand down and “break the cycle” of cruelty and war. The Time Lord and the writers (Peter Harness and Steven Moffat) are wearing their hearts and political colours on their sleeves. It’s wonderful to watch and absorb."

The Metro also loved the Doctor's speech. "The use of the Osgood boxes – mere McGuffins to force both sides to think and talk for long enough to defuse the conflict – is a typically elegant Doctor-style resolution. They are no more than empty vessels that allow him to channel his preferred weapon: the power of words." The paper felt the episode so nearly a classic. "The story lacked the visible large-scale threat – it was all implied and never seen – and an iconic moment that, say, an army of Zygons marching across London would have provided."

The Telegraph thought the episode over complicated "Putting paid to the threat involved negotiating over an "Osgood Box" which would either do away with all the humans on Earth or all the Zygons. But the box turned out to be two boxes… and each box contained two buttons. In other hands this might have been a deft sequence of plot switcheroos, but here it felt like stage business to pad out a slightly threadbare symposium on terrorist ideology"

Online Den Of Geek joined in the praise for the show's lead actor and the themes pursued in the story. "Doctor Who has just blasted a 45 minute lesson in tolerance, the state of the world, war and the futility of conflict straight into people's living rooms while The X-Factor was on the other side."

The themes of conflict were picked up by AV Club. "The climax of The Zygon Inversion makes explicit something that the best anti-war Doctor Who stories have always understood. Depicting the madness of war doesn’t require an epic scale. If anything, narrowing the focus to a single conflict or moral dilemma clarifies the essential futility of violent conflict."

IGN concurred "It takes the Doctor’s painful recollection of the war he fought in -- the ultimate war -- to convince Evil Clara, to get her to start to see things his way. “When I close my eyes, I hear more screams than anyone could ever be able to count,” he says. And suddenly Evil Clara isn’t so evil anymore, as she realizes her and the Doctor are more alike than they are different."

TV.com enjoyed the darker tone of the episode. "The magic of Doctor Who is that it's constantly able to reinvent itself, and so it has. I wish that I could sit back and just enjoy the innate silliness of some of the show's lighter episodes, but given the darkness that permeates much of the Capaldi era, I find myself drawn to the episodes that have deeper meanings, that touch on the more serious subject matter at hand."

gamesRadar felt the highlight of the story, and even the series, was the interaction between Clara and Bonnie. "Jenna Coleman manages to make them feel like subtly distinct characters, and has a blast playing against herself in one (or should that be two?) of her best performances of the series" Mashable also praised the performance of both of the lead actors. "Jenna Coleman manages to thoroughly convince as both sides in the Clara-Bonnie battle of wits. A showdown conducted over a television could have easily looked laughable, and Coleman deserves the credit for making it work."

TVFanatic preferred the first episode of this double parter. "Bonnie forcing that Zygon out of his human form was freaky, but the morphing was not smooth at all. It would have been preferable for the man to stay in that inbetween state, which was fairly disturbing. True, the point was for the alien footage to go viral. Still, I'm just not a fan of the Zygons" The Register also felt the episode to slow "The Zygon Inversion feels a little too laboured, overly-wordy and lacking in action, and that's despite a tremendous performance from Peter Capaldi. A pity, too, to see such a brisk demise of the excellent Bonnie."

Finally Radio Times loved the past references in the story. "A punch-the-air moment for the Doctor Who fan. In case you don’t know, Kate’s dad, the Brigadier, issued the command “Chap with the wings there. Five rounds rapid!” in the 1971 classic The Dæmons"

You can read the Doctor Who News review in our reviews section.

FILTER: - Press - Series 9/35

The Zygon Inversion - Overnight Viewing Figures

Sunday, 8 November 2015 - Reported by Marcus

4.13 million viewers watched Doctor Who: The Zygon Inversion, according to unofficial overnight viewing figures.

Doctor Who had a share of 19.9% of the total TV audience for the day.

Top once more was the BBC celebrity dance show, Strictly Come Dancing, which had 9.17 million watching. The X Factor on ITV was second with 6.42 million viewers.

The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance, live from the Royal Albert Hall had 5.39 million watching with gameshow Pointless Celebraties gewtting 4.57 million. Two editions of BBC News pushed Doctor Who into seventh place for the day. It currently stands at 40th for the week.

Final figures, including those who recorded the programme and who watch it within one week, will be published next week.

FILTER: - Ratings - Series 9/35 - UK

Doctor Who Extra - The Zygon Inversion

Sunday, 8 November 2015 - Reported by Marcus

The BBC have released clips looking behind the scenes of this week's episode of Doctor Who, The Zygon Inversion.

Jenna Coleman on being Bonnie a.k.a. Bad Clara Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman share their delight of Zygon-Clara!
Why wouldn't you go in the TARDIS? Ingrid Oliver explains why Osgood turns down the chance of a lifetime.
Human or ZygonWhich is Osgood - Human or Zygon? Ingrid Oliver and Steven Moffat reveal all - or do they?
Will Osgood be back?With two of them out there, does Steven Moffat think we'll see Osgood again?

A full review of the episode can be found on Doctor Who Reviews

FILTER: - Series 9/35

Magician's Apprentice / Witch's Familiar Scripts Online

Saturday, 7 November 2015 - Reported by Marcus

The first two scripts of the current series of Doctor Who have been made available online, courtesy of the BBC Writer's Room.

The Magician's Apprentice and The Witch's Familiar, both written by Steven Moffat, are available to download, as part of the BBC's commitment to support and develop writers across the whole of BBC drama, comedy and children's departments.

Link to writers room

FILTER: - Series 9/35 - Steven Moffat

Downtime update

Friday, 6 November 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster

KochMedia have now released a trailer for their forthcoming release of the unofficial Doctor Who spin-off from 1995, Downtime.

FIND THE LOCUS! ON DVD 16TH NOVEMBER (pre-order from Amazon)

Downtime Trailer

Downtime is a unique British 1995 sci-fi movie from the Doctor Who universe (but unofficial) featuring treasured characters and talent from the franchise and only now released on DVD - it's a must see for fans of the Time Lord.

We follow The Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney - Doctor Who) and Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen - Doctor Who, The Sarah Jane Adventures) of UNIT who investigate New World University; a sinister school run by Victoria Waterfield and Professor Travers. The technology obsessed University holds a gateway to Earth made by classic foe the 'Great Intelligence'. Fighting alone this time - without their famous time-travelling scientific advisor - The Brigadier and Sarah Jane are hard pressed to decide who is friend or foe as they search for a missing Locus, which binds the Intelligence's power. The battle is broadened when the Brigadier's own family is threatened and UNIT faces a powerful new breed of Yeti!

Downtime is an unofficial sequel to the Second Doctor serials The Abominable Snowmen and The Web of Fear written by celebrated Doctor Who author Marc Platt.

Downtime - New World University (Credit: Koch Media)

Starring Nicholas Courtney, Deborah Watling, Jack Watling and Elisabeth Sladen reprising their roles as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Victoria Waterfield, Professor Edward Travers and Sarah Jane Smith, respectively. Written by Mark Platt and Directed by Christopher Barry and Keith Barnfather.

Competition

To be in with a chance to win a copy of the DVD of Downtime courtesy of Koch Media, simply answer the following question:

Downtime also features roles for John Leeson and Geoffrey Beevers, but which characters are they better known for playing in Doctor Who itself?

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-downtime@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "The Internet is virally infected!". The competition is open to UK residents only, and closes on 23rd November 2015. Only one entry per household will be accepted.

(with thanks to Koch Media)

FILTER: - Blu-ray/DVD

Steven Moffat addresses Rumours of Short Series 10

Friday, 6 November 2015 - Reported by Marcus

Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat, has responded to tabloid rumours stating that next years series of Doctor Who would be cut down to allow Peter Capaldi to pursue other projects.

Talking to RadioTimes.com Moffat confirmed that Series 10 of Doctor Who would consist of 12 episodes plus a Christmas Special.

It’s not being reduced in size. We’re not making fewer episodes. That’s all complete bunk. I can confirm that absolutely.

The comment came after today's Mirror Newspaper reported that the next series would consist of only 6 episodes due to Capaldi's work on other projects, and follows speculation in other papers that the series would be cut due to Moffat's commitment to the Sherlock series.

Peter Capaldi also addressed rumours of the cut when asked by the BBC Entertainment correspondent Lizo Mzimba if the reports of a half season next year were accurate.

Not as far as I know. That's not what I've been told. That's not what I'm contracted for.

The actor told The Guardian that he was disappointed by the scheduling of this years series, with episodes currently following the dancing series Strictly Come Dancing.

I feel it’s slightly used as a pawn in a Saturday night warfare. I feel as if it should go out at 7.30pm or around that time.

I see a lot of kids and a lot of families and these families who all love Doctor Who want to sit down and watch it together. Once you get past 8.15pm, you’re getting yourself into adult territory and although a lot of adults really like it, at its heart, it’s designed to do a lot of entertaining of children as well. So I think it begins to move into a zone it doesn’t quite belong in.

The timeslot was also addressed by the Showrunner, when asked about reports of falling viewing figures.

I don’t think 8.25pm is brilliant for Doctor Who. If there’s a slight, and it’s only a slight, drop off, it’s I think, that’s not where Doctor Who’s meant to be. Doctor Who’s not designed and built to go out at 8.25pm. It’s for earlier in the evening. We’re doing fine, once you put the consolidated and then if you do the wicked thing that you’re not supposed to do of adding on iPlayer as well, we’re doing fine

The transmission date of the series 10 has not been confirmed, but production is not likely to begin until May next year, meaning the start date would be pushed back beyond Autumn 2016. A new Doctor Who spin off series Class is also due to enter production at BBC Wales next year using capacity currently occupied by the Doctor Who team.

Steven Moffat told Radio Times

I don’t know when it goes out. That’s up to someone else. And even if I did know – which I genuinely don’t – I wouldn’t be allowed to say so as I have absolutely no say in it whatsoever.

FILTER: - Production - Series 10/36

Previous 10 Stories

Titan announce New Fourth Doctor Series

The Zygon Invasion: Official Rating

The Zygon Inversion - AI:84

Australian overnight ratings for The Zygon Inversion & final ratings for The Wom

The Zygon Inversion - Press Reaction

The Zygon Inversion - Overnight Viewing Figures

Doctor Who Extra - The Zygon Inversion

Magician's Apprentice / Witch's Familiar Scripts Online

Downtime update

Competition

Steven Moffat addresses Rumours of Short Series 10

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