The Essential Doctor Who - The MasterBookmark and Share

Thursday, 19 March 2015 - Reported by Marcus
The Essential Doctor Who - The Master (Credit: Panini)
The latest issue of Panini’s The Essential Doctor Who is devoted to the Doctor’s most dangerous opponent: the Master.

Over 116 pages of all-new material, the latest issue of The Essential Doctor Who examines every Master story – from Terror of the Autons to Death in Heaven – and profiles the actors who have brought the villainous Time Lord to life.

Writer and co-creator Terrance Dicks, Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Richard Franklin (Captain Yates) and Matthew Waterhouse (Adric) discuss their special links to the character, and there is an exclusive new interview with Michelle Gomez, who reveals what it was like to take on one of the most famous roles in Doctor Who.

Elsewhere in this issue, Andrew Pixley applies his scrutiny to The Pandora Machine and Time Inc, early drafts of better known stories that cast the Master in a new light.

“The Master has been an essential part of Doctor Who for 45 years and is central to the current episodes,” says editor Marcus Hearn. “This issue compiles his/her complete story for the first time.”

The Essential Doctor Who: The Master is on sale now, price £9.99.




FILTER: - DWM

Preview: Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor #10Bookmark and Share

Wednesday, 18 March 2015 - Reported by Marcus
March 25 sees the release of the latest issue of Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor by Rob Williams (200​0​AD) and Simon Fraser (Nikolai Dante).

The Doctor has lost himself in a hostile takeover of SERVEYOUinc, and it's up to Alice, Jones and ARC to bring him back to his senses. And if that takes a little judicious cosplay, well, Alice is all for it!
The Eleventh Doctor #10 (Credit: Titan)The Eleventh Doctor #10 (Credit: Titan)The Eleventh Doctor #10 (Credit: Titan)The Eleventh Doctor #10 (Credit: Titan)The Eleventh Doctor #10 (Credit: Titan)The Eleventh Doctor #10 (Credit: Titan)




FILTER: - Comics - Eleventh Doctor

Space Helmet for a Cow - Exclusive ExtractBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 17 March 2015 - Reported by Marcus
This month sees the release of Space Helmet for a Cow: The Mad, True Story of Doctor Who (1963-1989), and Doctor Who News, in association with Mad Norwegian Press is pleased to offer our readers an exclusive preview of the first section of the book, dealing with the Hartnell era of the show.

In Space Helmet for a Cow, Paul Kirkley provides a sweeping, wry and warm look at the behind-the-scenes story of Doctor Who – not just the greatest TV show ever made, but frequently the most insane TV show ever made. Which other programme, for example, would attempt to sink Atlantis, wage inter-planetary war and crash Concorde – all in BBC Television Centre, on a budget that would barely cover a sitcom?

This is the story of how, over 50 years, a bunch of very clever, very dedicated and sometimes plain crazy people made Doctor Who happen, often against seemingly insuperable odds; a story of triumph and tragedy, tears and tantrums, and an awful lot of men called Donald.

Space Helmet for a Cow also answers the burning questions few have dared tackle before. Questions like: How does a talking cabbage get an Equity card? What would have been in William Hartnell’s Glastonbury set? And if you meet a Yeti coming out of a loo in Tooting Bec, how long should you give it?

Doctor Who News is able to offer a free download of the first 40 pages of the book, dealing with the creation of Doctor Who, from the first discussions led by Sydney Newman, through the production of the first three years, to the departure of the show's star William Hartnell.

The full version of Space Helmet for a Cow: The Mad, True Story of Doctor Who is published on March 24 by Mad Norwegian Press.




FILTER: - Books - First Doctor

Radio Times: Top Ten Episodes in Ten YearsBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 17 March 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The new edition of the Radio Times is out today, and features a Top 10 of episodes over the last 10 years, as voted by website readers.

Radio Times (21-27 March 2015) (Credit: Radio Times)Radiotimes.COM readers vote blink the best episode of THE MODERN DOCTOR WHO ERA
Top 10 revealed to mark 10th anniversary of the iconic show’s relaunch

Radio Times readers have voted Blink as the best episode of Doctor Who in the modern era, in a poll conducted by RadioTimes.com to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the relaunch of Doctor Who.

The poll by RadioTimes.com, which received 280,859 votes, asked fans for their favourite episode of Doctor Who since it was relaunched by Russell T Davies on 26 March 2005, 16 years since the last full series. Blink topped the poll beating 2010’s Vincent and The Doctor to second place and The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End (2008) in third position.

Blink was first shown in June 2007 and was the tenth episode of the third series of the relaunched show. Starring David Tennant as the Doctor, alongside Freema Agyeman, as his companion Martha Jones, the episode also featured Carey Mulligan as Sally Sparrow, who thwarted the Weeping Angels in their terrifying, Bafta-winning debut. The episode was written by the current series showrunner Steven Moffat, directed by Hettie MacDonald, with Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner exec producers.

Speaking in the new issue of Radio Times, Steven Moffat says:
You know, when I wrote it, I thought Blink was a perfectly serviceable script. Nothing special, did the job – which, back then, was to have a Doctor Who story needing only two days’ shooting from David Tennant. I haven’t read the script in a long time, but I’m pretty sure I’d think the same now. What made it a little bit magical was, of course, the work of others…Some days everything just works. Sometimes you just stand in the right spot, all the windows align and the sunshine reaches you. I don’t think I can take a lot of the credit, but I’m very glad I was there when it happened.


Over the next ten days RadioTimes.com will be marking the 10th anniversary of the modern Doctor Who with a special mini-site celebrating the Doctors and companions from the last ten years, starting with the 9th Doctor Christopher Eccleston and his companion Billie Piper. There will also be rarely seen Doctor Who content from the Radio Times archive, quizzes and a very special surprise for Doctor Who fans on the actual anniversary, Thursday 26 March.

Tim Glanfield, Editor RadioTimes.com & Digital Products, says:
Doctor Who is unique in the world of television in its ability to regenerate and continually produce fresh and exciting adventures in space and time that appeal to old and young alike. But no such regeneration was as significant as the 2005 revival which has seen the show under the stewardship of first Russell T Davies and now Steven Moffat grow into a world beating powerhouse of quality British drama with an army of fans who will surely be celebrating many significant birthdays with the Doctor for (re)generations to come.


Top 10 Doctor Who Reboot episodes (2005-2015) as voted by readers of Radio Times.com
  1. BLINK (2007)
    DOCTOR: David Tennant / WRITER: Steven Moffat
  2. VINCENT & THE DOCTOR (2010)
    DOCTOR: Matt Smith / WRITER: Richard Curtis
  3. THE STOLEN EARTH / JOURNEY’S END (2008)
    DOCTOR: David Tennant / WRITER: Russell T Davies
  4. THE DAY OF THE DOCTOR (2013)
    DOCTORS: Matt Smith, David Tennant, John Hurt / WRITER: Steven Moffat
  5. THE EMPTY CHILD / THE DOCTOR DANCES (2005)
    DOCTOR: Christopher Eccleston / WRITER: Steven Moffat
  6. ARMY OF GHOSTS / DOOMSDAY (2006)
    DOCTOR: David Tennant / WRITER: Russell T Davies
  7. THE GIRL IN THE FIREPLACE (2006)
    DOCTOR: David Tennant / WRITER: Steven Moffat
  8. BAD WOLF / THE PARTING OF THE WAYS (2005)
    DOCTOR: Christopher Eccleston / WRITER: Russell T Davies
  9. SILENCE IN THE LIBRARY / FOREST OF THE DEAD (2008)
    DOCTOR: David Tennant / WRITER: Steven Moffat
  10. THE END OF TIME (2009/10)
    DOCTOR: David Tennant WRITER: Russell T Davies

Read Steven Moffat’s full comments on Blink in the latest issue of Radio Times, on sale now.




FILTER: - Polls - Radio Times

Mark Gatiss to write for Series NineBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 17 March 2015 - Reported by Marcus

Mark Gatiss has confirmed he has just finished writing an episode for Season 35 of Doctor Who.

The actor and writer told The Daily Telegraph, the script had been difficult to finish.
It has been a tough nut to crack, but I’m delighted with how scary it is. I can’t say any more than that.
The script will be Gatiss's eighth story for the series, his most recent one being last year's Robot of Sherwood

Season 35 - Series 9 Guide




FILTER: - Production - Series 9/35

Character Options New RangeBookmark and Share

Monday, 16 March 2015 - Reported by Marcus
Character Options have released details of their latest range of Doctor Who Action Figures along with details of a new collection of electronic moving Daleks.


Available late March and a great gift for fans of any age, Wave 4 of the Doctor Who 3.75-inch scale action figures are highly detailed, realistic and fully poseable!

Included in the series are some iconic characters from the hit TV show making it easy to regenerate your collection of Doctors, companions and elusive Enemies. With these four new figures you can battle against some famous foes such as; The Foretold and the Skovox Blitzer and at just £6.99 you really can collect them all!

Exterminate! Exterminate! EXTERMINATE! And move over for new Daleks!

As all true followers of Gallifrey know, the Daleks were created by the Kaled scientist, Davros as travel machines. He deduced that the years of radiation and chemical poisoning from an ongoing war would lead his race to mutate into immobile organisms. The Dalek travel machines would house these creatures and allow the Kaleds to survive. However, in the course of his experiments, Davros deliberately removed what he considered to be debilitating emotions from the mutants and a force of evil was spawned!

With this new collection of four highly detailed Moving Electronic Daleks you can recreate classic scenes from Doctor Who. Each Dalek glides on a wave of sound giving them that eerie presence that everyone fears. At just £7.99 and with four to collect there really is a Dalek for every occasion, whether it’s the Bronze Dalek, the Emperor’s Guard Dalek, Dalek Sec or the dreaded Asylum Dalek.




FILTER: - Merchandise

Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor #1 PreviewBookmark and Share

Saturday, 14 March 2015 - Reported by Marcus
Titan have released a preview of the artwork for the new Comic set based on the adventures of the Ninth Doctor, as played by Christopher Eccleston.

The five part series, released on 1st April, is written by the co-author of the bestselling 'Who-ology', Cavan Scott, and illustrated by artist Blair Shedd, this 5-part mini-series also features characters Rose as played by Billie Piper, and Captain Jack, played by John Barrowman.

The Ninth Doctor is BACK with a brand-new miniseries: WEAPONS OF PAST DESTRUCTION!

Leaving World War II behind, The Ninth Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack discover that Time Lord technology, lost in the wake of the Time War, is being sold on the intergalactic black market!

Now the threat of a NEW temporal war brews on the horizon. Can the Doctor stop history repeating itself?
The first issue comes with four covers to collect including a brand-new painted cover by fan-favorite artist Alice X. Zhang.

In addition a number of Comic store variants are available with special editions created for BBC Doctor Who Shop, Barnes & Noble, Newbury Comics, Gifts For The Geek, Happy Harbor Comics​, Comics To Astonish, Comics On The Green, More Fun Comics and Games, Books-A-Million and two versions for Buy Me Toys.

 Ninth Doctor #1 (Credit: Titan) Ninth Doctor #1 (Credit: Titan) Ninth Doctor #1 (Credit: Titan) Ninth Doctor #1 (Credit: Titan)

 Ninth Doctor #1 (Credit: Titan) Ninth Doctor #1 (Credit: Titan) Ninth Doctor #1 (Credit: Titan)

Ninth Doctor #1 BBC Doctor Who Shop variant  (Credit: Titan)Ninth Doctor #1 Barnes & Noble variant  (Credit: Titan)Newbury Comics store variant coverNinth Doctor #1 Gifts For The Geek store variant (Credit: Titan)Ninth Doctor #1 Happy Harbor Comics variant  (Credit: Titan)Ninth Doctor #1 Comics To Astonish store variant (Credit: Titan)
Ninth Doctor #1 Comics On The Green variant (Credit: Titan)Ninth Doctor #1 More Fun Comics and Games (Credit: Titan)Ninth Doctor #1 Books-A-Million Store Variant  (Credit: Titan)Ninth Doctor #1 Buy Me Toys Store Variant (Credit: Titan)Ninth Doctor #1 Buy Me Toys Store Variant (Credit: Titan)




FILTER: - Comics - Ninth Doctor

Horror comes to FreeviewBookmark and Share

Monday, 9 March 2015 - Reported by Marcus
The Horror Channel in the UK is to be broadcast on Freeview, allowing the majority of UK viewers to watch classic Doctor Who, without a subscription.

The Horror Channel has been showing old Doctor Who episodes since last Easter, but until now the channel has only been available on Sky, Virgin and Freesat. The new deal means that from Friday 13th March it will be available on channel number 70 on Freeview, available to over 90% of the population in 17 million homes.

Tanya Gugenheim, Chief Business Development Officer, AMC Networks International – Zone said:
Horror Channel has become the third channel in the CBS AMC Channel portfolio to launch on Freeview within a year, joining CBS Reality and CBS Action and underscoring the demand for our content offering. The channel already boasts a loyal fan base, and we’re pleased to introduce it to a broader audience through Freeview.
The first story to be shown on Freeview will be the 1978 story The Stones of Blood.

A full list of stories can be found on our sister site This Week in Doctor Who.




FILTER: - Broadcasting - Classic Series

Preview: Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor issue #6Bookmark and Share

Monday, 9 March 2015 - Reported by Marcus
Wednesday March 18 sees the release of Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor issue #6 by Robbie Morrison and art by Brian Williamson .

WHO OR WHAT ARE THE FRACTURES?

Molly’s father was killed in a terrible accident. UNIT scientist John Foster suffered the same fate. But are they really gone? Both play a part in the universe-hopping new arc! The Doctor and Clara race against time to both stop a dreaded new peril – The Fractures – in a bid to stop reality unraveling around them.
The Twelfth Doctor issue #6  (Credit: Titan)The Twelfth Doctor issue #6  (Credit: Titan)The Twelfth Doctor issue #6  (Credit: Titan)The Twelfth Doctor issue #6  (Credit: Titan)The Twelfth Doctor issue #6  (Credit: Titan)




FILTER: - Comics - Twelfth Doctor

Moments in Time: Genesis of a GeniusBookmark and Share

Sunday, 8 March 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Time Lord: Daleks.
The Doctor: Daleks? Tell me more.
Time Lord: We foresee a time when they will have destroyed all other lifeforms and become the dominant creature in the universe.
The Doctor: That's possible. Tell on.
Time Lord: We'd like you to return to Skaro at a point in time before the Daleks evolved.
The Doctor: Do you mean avert their creation?
Time Lord: Or affect their genetic development so that they evolve into less aggressive creatures.
The Doctor : Hmm. That's feasible.
Time Lord: Alternatively, if you learn enough about their very beginnings, you might discover some inherent weakness.

It was forty years today that the Doctor, Sarah and Harry were 'hijacked' from their return transmat to the Ark, pitched headlong into a 'final' battle between the inhabitants of Skaro, and discover exactly how the Doctor's most formidable foe came to be ...

Script editor Terrance Dicks often recounts the tale of how, faced with another "by-the-numbers" Dalek tale from Terry Nation, he and producer Barry Letts instead asked the writer to come up with a new storyline, suggesting an exploration of the origins of the Daleks. Taken on by the incoming team of Robert Holmes and Philip Hinchcliffe, the story was to become a darker tale in keeping with their new "house-style", and also a showcase story for new Doctor Tom Baker. Although criticised as overtly violent at the time by the National Viewers and Listeners Association ("tea-time brutality for tots"), Genesis of the Daleks is these days considered a great success and highly regarded in fandom - often topping polls as a favourite - and has been repeated some four times on the main BBC "terrestrial" television channels, more than any other Doctor Who story.

The first episode establishes that the Thals and Kaleds (which as the Doctor notes, is an anagram of ...) have been at war for so long that neither side remembers how it started, but both sides want it to end, with the Kaleds relying on the inventions of their scientific elite and its head, Davros. As the story progresses it transpires that the Daleks are mutants, a genetic experiment to determine the ultimate form of the Kaled race, and are used as weapons to wipe out the Thal enemy. But Davros's manipulation of emotions within the mutants and their conditioning to not accept any other as equal led to them wiping out the remaining Kaleds and ultimately their creator before he could stop them himself ...

Or did they? Over the last forty years we've seen Davros become a dominant part of Dalek history, from being 'resurrected' during their ongoing war against the Movellans, and again 'rescued' as they break him out of confinement. He's then seen to be engaged in creating a new race of Daleks on Necros, captured by the Daleks to be put on trial, and then revealed to have become the Emperor to a renegade Dalek faction. Through Big Finish we learned more about his own origins. Then, some twenty years after his previous appearance on television, he was back, now a veteran of the Great Time War between the Daleks and the Time Lords, and confronting the Doctor and indeed Sarah again. But as he and his creations were once again defeated, it looked as if he had finally perished in flames ... but did he? Time will tell ...


However, our Moment in Time for today occurs at the finale to Genesis of the Daleks episode one, where through the eyes of Sarah we first get to see this scientific genius, and discover what it is that he's created ...

Davros: Observe the test closely, my friend. This will be a moment that will live in history. (as a switch is flicked on the console a Dalek begins to stir) Halt. Turn right. Halt. (the Dalek obeys) Now, exterminate! (as the Dalek destroys three targets) Perfect. The weaponry is perfect. Now we can begin...

The Dalek comes to life ... (Credit: BBC)




FILTER: - Moments in Time