The writer Chris Boucher has died at the age of 79.

Chris Boucher contributed three stories to Doctor Who, all of which were transmitted in 1977 and starred the Fourth Doctor played by Tom Baker.

His first contribution was the story which saw the introduction of a new companion Leela played by Louise Jameson. The Face of Evil.  Leela was conceived as an intelligent but uneducated savage who would be educated by the Doctor. 

This story was followed by one of the most acclaimed stories in Doctor Who's cannon, The Robots of Death a 'whodunnit' set on a futuristic mining machine. Later in the year, his final story was Image of the Fendhal. 

Although Chris Boucher never wrote for Doctor Who again his contribution to British Television is impressive. Immediately after Doctor Who he became the Script Editor for the BBC's new science fiction series Blake's 7. It was a role he was recommended for by the Doctor Who script editor Robert Holmes. 

Boucher served as Script editor for the entire run of Blake's 7 and also wrote several stories including the dramatic final story which saw the deaths of all the main characters. 

He was the Script Editor for the second series of the detective series Shoestring show in 1980 before he moved on to the police series Juliet Bravo. Staying with police series he script edited the series set on the island of Jersey, Bergerac from 1983 until 1987.

In 1987 he created his own series combining his knowledge of both Police series and Science Fiction with Star Cops, seen by some as a replacement for Doctor Who. Nine episodes were made with a tenth being canceled due to industrial relations problems. 

Other work included episodes of The Bill for Thames Television and the Jim Davidson comedy Home James. He also wrote a number of Doctor Who books featuring the character of Leela. 

The death of Chris Boucher means that no writers for Doctor Who from the 1960s or 1970s now survive. 

Shirley Coward, the woman responsible for creating the first regeneration effect in Doctor Who, has died at the age of 88.

Shirley Coward was a Vision Mixer for BBC Television for over 30 years. She worked for the Corporation in the days when most programmes were either transmitted live or recorded 'as live'. 

At the time, the role of the Vision Mixer was vital as they were the person who operated the Vision Mixing desk, the piece of equipment which controlled which camera or video source was fed to the recording machine or transmitter. It's a role that has almost disappeared in TV drama but is still vital in live television programmes, such as Strictly Come Dancing and News programmes. 

Following a Camera script written the director, it was the Vision Mixer that set much of the pace of the programme, a job that demanded absolute accuracy. Many mistakes made in live television recordings could be glossed over but it was difficult to hide a cut to the wrong camera.  

Shirley Coward worked on many productions for the BBC including many episodes of Doctor Who, and in October 1966 she found herself rostered to work in the BBC studios at Riverside on the final episode of the first Doctor's final story The Tenth Planet. 

At the end of the story, William Hartnell collapsed before regenerating into Patrick Troughton.  No clear plan had been made as to how to achieve this transformation, with one thought being that Hartnell could just cover his face with a cloak before it was removed to reveal Troughton's face. 

Coward suggested to Director Derek Martinus, that they could take advantage of a fault on the second bank of her vision mixing desk, which was causing the incoming image to break up. By using this distorted effect, and mixing between banks of the Vision Mixer,  Coward could produce a much more spectacular regeneration effect.

In an interview for the BBC DVD release of The Tenth Planet Shirley Coward explained how the effect was achieved. 

Shirley Coward worked on at least 44 episodes of Doctor Who. As the woman who created the first regeneration, it was fitting she Vision Mixed the 25th-anniversary story, The Five Doctors, which saw the return of the First Doctor, albeit played by a different actor. 

Other productions she worked on include Bomber Harris, EastEnders, The River,  All Creatures Great and Small , Talking Heads, In Sickness and in Health, Three Up Two Down, Galloping Galaxies!, Dear John, )Tenko, Juliet Bravo, Titus Andronicus, Only Fools and Horses, Last of the Summer Wine, By the Sword Divided, The Two Ronnies, Rentaghost, Ever Decreasing Circles,  Aladdin and the Forty Thieve, Don't Wait Up, Just Good Friends, Butterflies, Dombey & Son, Yes Minister, Terry and June, To the Manor Born, To Serve Them All My Days, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, The Enigma Files, Blake's 7, Secret Army, Rings on Their Fingers, Pennies from Heaven, Survivors, Blue Peter, The Tragedy of King Richard II, The Six Wives of Henry VIII and The Canterbury Tales

First Doctor Regenerates | William Hartnell to Patrick Troughton

The latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine is now available.

The adventures of the Fourteenth Doctor, as played by David Tennant on TV, continue in Doctor Who Magazine issue 585. Part Two of the epic new comic-strip adventure Liberation of the Daleks, written by Alan Barnes and illustrated by Lee Sullivan, sees the Doctor’s greatest enemies invade the pitch during the 1966 World Cup Final…

Other highlights of the new issue include:

• A giant double-sided poster!

• Letter from the Showrunner – Russell T Davies presents his Christmas Countdown, packed full of teasers for the stories to come.

• Production Diary – script editor Scott Handcock provides exclusive updates about forthcoming episodes, direct from Doctor Who’s HQ.

• Gallifrey Guardian – all the latest official news, including an exclusive chat with Millie Gibson about her casting as companion Ruby Sunday.

• Meet the New Team – Doctor Who crew members tell us what they’re looking forward to in the 2023 Specials and beyond.

• All I Want For Christmas is Who – seasonal highlights from the past are recalled, including festive memories from Nadia Albina, Sophie Aldred, Nicholas Briggs, Nicola Bryant, Peter Davison, Barnaby Edwards, Philip Hinchcliffe, Louise Jameson, John Leeson, Katy Manning, Peter Purves, Dan Starkey, Mark Strickson and Matthew Waterhouse.

• Talk of the Town – in his first-ever interview for DWM, actor Cy Town talks candidly about being a Dalek operator and shares previously unpublished pictures from his photo albums.

• Brushed by Greatness – acclaimed artists Colin Howard and Andrew Skilleter, and Kit Bevan (brother of the late Phil Bevan), discuss new books showcasing some of best Doctor Who illustrations from the pre-digital era.

• The Watchers – fans who were lucky enough to be granted studio visits in the 1970s and early 80s recall the thrill of watching Doctor Who being made.

• Christmas in Another Dimension – what if Doctor Who had enjoyed Christmas Specials during its first 26 years? DWM imagines what could have been…

• The DWM Christmas Quiz – the traditional seasonal challenge! 

• Other Worlds – the essential guide to forthcoming stories in the expanded Doctor Who universe.

• Previews, reviews, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser, Public Image and more.

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 585 is on sale Thursday 8 December from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £7.99 (UK).

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £6.99.

The latest issue of the fan magazine Whotopia is now available

Whotopia Issue 41 Includes:

• UNRAVELLING A CLASSIC: THE EDGE OF DESTRUCTION
  Ian McLachlan examines the Hartnell-era story, "The Edge of Destruction"
• POWER OF THE DOCTOR REVIEWED
• Daniel Tessier reviews Jodie Whittaker’s swan song finale
• KEEPING THE EIGHTH: A HISTORY OF THE EIGHTH DOCTOR NOVELS 
• Reecy Pontiff delves into the history of the BBC Eighth Doctor novels
• OH BRILLIANT! OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE THIRTEENTH DOCTOR ERA
• Tony J Fyler discovers there is much more to the Thirteenth Doctor's era
• THE WHITTAKER YEARS: JUST THE GOOD BITS
• The best bits of the Thirteenth Doctor's era as picked by Greg Maughan
• ON CHARACTER: KATE LETHBRIDGE-STEWART
• Aidan C Matear gets to know the character of Kate Lethbridge-Stewart
• TEMPORAL LOGBOOK 3 EDITOR JAMES SILVESTER INTERVIEWED
• Bob Furnell sits down with "Temporal Logbook 3's" editor James Silvester to talk about the recently released short-story collection
• COLUMN: THE VAULT
• Jez Strickley continues his look into the metaphysical worlds of Time Lords and TARDISes in search of all things curious, puzzling and perplexing.
• WHAT THE FANS THINK: TORCHWOOD: GREEKS BEARING GIFTS
• Aidan C Matear reviews this episode from Torchwood's first season
• WHO YOU BUILD #9
• Dave Etches returns for another installment of prop construction
• WHO WERE THE FAMILY OF BLOOD?
• Aidan C Matear examines who exactly were the Family of Blood
• WHAT THE FANS THINK: THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES: THE MAD WOMAN IN THE ATTIC
• Stacey Smith reviews this unique story from 'The Sarah Jane Adventures
• THE CYBERMEN: DESTINY PART 5
• Another new installment of our ongoing strip by John Swogger

WHOTOPIA ISSUE 41 | 56 PAGES

Available free in downloadable PDF format

TO DOWNLOAD A COPY VISIT whotopia.ca

This special issue of DWM celebrates the Thirteenth Doctor’s entire journey and looks back on an extraordinary 12 months.

The Thirteenth Doctor’s final adventures were among the most spectacular in the series’ history. This was a time of transformation in more ways than one – the return of some familiar faces and the announcement of Doctors Fourteen and Fifteen were just a few of the highlights.

And then, as outgoing showrunner Chris Chibnall handed over to Russell T Davies, production began on the episodes that will take the series into its 60th anniversary. 

Highlights include:

• Exclusive interviews with Sophie Aldred (Ace), John Bishop (Dan), Sacha Dhawan (the Master), Janet Fielding (Tegan), Mandip Gill (Yaz) and Jodie Whittaker (the Doctor) on the making of the Centenary Special, The Power of the Doctor.
• Ray Holman reveals the secrets of his costume designs for the returning Doctors and companions in The Power of the Doctor.
• Analyses of every single Thirteenth Doctor story, from The Woman Who Fell to Earth to The Power of the Doctor.
• A diary of the most significant events of 2022, both on screen and off.
• Tributes to the Doctor Who luminaries who died during 2022.

DWM Special Edition 62: The 2023 Yearbook is on sale from Thursday 1 December at WH Smith, selected supermarkets and online from panini.co.uk priced £7.99.

A digital edition is also available, priced £6.99 from pocketmags.com

Guinness World Records have confirmed that Doctor Who has earned another entry in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Since the screening of The Power of the Doctor last month, the record for the longest gap between TV appearances of an actor playing a television character is now held by William Russell, for his portrayal of First Doctor companion Ian Chesterton.

Russell played Chesterton in the first episode of Doctor Who in 1963. He stayed with the series for two years, appearing in 77 episodes. His last appearance was in The Planet of Decision, the final episode of The Chase, broadcast on the 26th June 1965.

Although the character has been mentioned in the series since then, Ian has not actually appeared in the series until he was seen in the last few minutes of The Power of the Doctor, screened on 23rd October 2022.

The gap between appearances is therefore 57 years 120 days.

The previous record holder was Philip Lowrie who returned to the role of Dennis Tanner in Coronation Street after 43 years.

Doctor Who already holds a number of Guinness World Records including the most consecutive sci-fi TV episodes ever, with 871 episodes so far.

In 2016 Peter Capaldi accepted the Guinness World Records title for the Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Doctor Who Characters, at the La Mole Comic Con in Mexico City.

In 2013 the simultaneous broadcast of The Day of the Doctor to 94 countries was named the world's largest-ever simulcast of a TV drama.

The actress Millie Gibson has been revealed to be the companion to join new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa on his travels in the TARDIS - she will be playing Ruby Sunday, and will appear in his debut festive story next year.

The actress is best known as Kellie Neelan in Coronation Street, and received the Best Young Performer Award at The British Soap Awards earlier this year. Other roles have included ITV's Butterfly, BBC's Love, Lies and Records, and CBBC series Jamie Johnson.

Speaking of her new role, Millie said:

Ncuti Gatwa added:

Returning showrunner Russell T Davies said:

The reveal took place live on this year's Children in Need telethon - you can donate to the charity via thier website.

The BBC have confirmed that the new companion to accompany Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor on his adventures will be revealed during the annual Children in Need appeal this evening on BBC One.

The latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine has confirmed details of the production teams working on Doctor Who as it reaches its 60th Anniversary.

The Anniversary will be marked by three specials, all scheduled to be broadcast in November 2023, the anniversary month of the series. They will star David Tennant and Catherine Tate as the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna Noble. 

Directing the first special will be Rachel Talalay, a name well-known to Doctor Who fans, She directed several stories in the Peter Capaldi era including the conclusions to all three of his series. She directed Twice Upon A Time, the final Capaldi story where the Twelfth Doctor met the First Doctor played by David Bradley.

Special Two will be directed by Tom Kingsley. New to Doctor Who, Kingsley is best known for directing two series of the BBC sitcom Ghosts and the Channel 4 sitcom Stath Lets Flats.

The final special will be directed by Chanya Button. Also new to Who, Button started work in the theatre working at The Globe on London's south bank. Her first feature film was Burn Burn Burn. She directed episodes of Starz drama about Katherine of Aragon, The Spanish Princess as well as Acorn TV's The Whitstable Pearl.

The next full series of Doctor Who will be screened in 2024 and will star Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. Filming begins this December and directing the first block of the series will be another newcomer Dylan Holmes Williams. Williams's short film The Devil's Harmony won the jury prize at Sundance 2020. He directed two episodes of the Apple TV series Servant. 

Many familiar faces will be involved with the series as it moves into the future. As well as Russell T Davies acting as showrunner,  Julie Gardner, Phil Collinson and Jane Tranter will all act as Executive producers. Att three were behind the return of Doctor Who in 2005. Joel Collins will also act as an Executive Producer. Collins has recently been working for Bad Wolf on Industry and His Dark Materials. 

Looking after the look of the show will be Production Designer Philip Sims. Sims was the supervising Art Director on the sixth and seventh Mission Impossible films as well as Episode IX of Star Wars, Guardians of the Galaxy 9  Avengers:Age of Ultron. The Script Editor will be Scott Hancock, who worked on The Sarah Jane Adventures as well as many scripts for Big Finish. 

Our full guide to Doctor Who can be found here

The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine begins the story of the Fourteenth Doctor, David Tennant.

Although it will be a year until we see his TV adventures, the story continues in Doctor Who Magazine issue 584

A new comic-strip adventure, written by Alan Barnes and illustrated by Lee Sullivan, picks up directly where The Power of the Doctor left off.

Editor Marcus Hearn says

Russell T Davies says

Other highlights of the new issue include:

• Meet the New Team – the producers, directors and other crew members of Doctor Who tell us what they’re looking forward to in the 2023 Specials and beyond.
• Letter from the Showrunner – in the first of his new regular columns, Russell T Davies reveals what brought him back to Doctor Who.
• Production Diary – script editor Scott Handcock provides exclusive updates about forthcoming episodes, direct from Doctor Who’s HQ.
• Reach up for the Sunrise – David Tennant, Russell T Davies, former showrunner Chris Chibnall, directors Rachel Talalay and Jamie Magnus Stone, and CG artist Ben Pickles describe shooting The Power of the Doctor’s regeneration sequence.
• The Strip of a Lifetime – Russell T Davies, Scott Handcock, Alan Barnes and Lee Sullivan on creating the Fourteenth Doctor’s first adventure.
• The Watchers ­– fans who were lucky enough to be granted studio visits in the 1960s and early 70s recall the thrill of watching Doctor Who being made.
• Hack to the Future – an interview with artist Robert Hack about the new illustrated version of David Whitaker’s seminal novel Doctor Who and the Daleks.
• Collectivity: The TARDIS – meet the fans for whom collecting police-box merchandise has been a lifelong passion
• Factory Records – the sets of 1966’s The Power of the Daleks are recreated, providing new insights into this mostly missing story.
• The Fact of Fiction encounters Cybermen and Daleks as it looks back at 2006’s Army of Ghosts.
• Other Worlds – an essential guide to forthcoming stories in the expanded Doctor Who universe.

·       Previews, reviews, news, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser, Sufficient Data and more.

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 584 is on sale Thursday 10 November from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £6.99 (UK).

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £5.99.