The BBC has announced that Doctor Who's Executive producer Caroline Skinner is leaving the show to join BBC Drama Production in London.

Skinner will leave at the end of the current series. She took over the executive role for the production of the 2011 Christmas episode, The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe and has been responsible for 15 episodes of the series.

Speaking about her departure Skinner said The current Head of Drama at BBC Wales, Faith Penhale, will be undertaking the role of executive producer on the 50th Anniversary episode of Doctor Who, due to be screened in the Autumn. Penhale paid tribute to Skinner's work on Doctor Who: Skinner will continue working on BBC Two's one-off drama An Adventure In Space and Time which forms part of the BBC's celebrations to mark the 50th Anniversary.

The recruitment process for a new executive producer for the 34th series of the show will start shortly.

The Dr Who 8th Anniversary Special is a follow-up to 2011's The Wonderful Book of Dr Who 1965, this time paying homage to the iconic Radio Times 10th Anniversary Special. Produced by Paul Smith, this volume takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the current series over its eight years, with contributions from a variety of fan writers.


The Special is a 36 page, full colour fanzine which includes a wraparound cover from the toy photographer "Tomfan". Contributors include Andrew Blair, Johnny Candon, Frank Collins, Martin Day, Philip Sandifer, JR Southall, Keith Topping and Alex Wilcock, with artists Jason Fletcher & Westley Smith, Jon Pinto, M Jason Reed, James Taylor, Will Thompson and more.

For more details visit the Wonderful Book Anniversary Special website.

As previously reported, Splendid Chaps is a year-long performance/podcast project to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who hosted by comedian Ben McKenzie (Dungeon Crawl, Melbourne Museum Comedy Tour) and writer John Richards (ABC1 sitcom Outland, Boxcutters podcast).

Described by its creators as part intellectual panel discussion, part nerdy Tonight Show, Splendid Chaps is a combination of analysis, enthusiasm and irreverence. The first episode went to number 1 on the iTunes TV & Film Podcast chart in Australia, and to number 4 in the UK.  The podcasts to the first two episodes are now available at www.splendidchaps.com or at  iTunes.

Tickets are now on sale for their March show, in which the Splendid Chaps TARDIS will be visiting Adelaide. They'll be discussing the frill-fronted velveteen Time Lord Jon Pertwee, and looking at the notion of Family in Doctor Who - why are there so few families in the early years of the show? What’s with all the distant aunts? How did it change the show when companions’ families started to appear after Rose?

Hosts Ben McKenzie, John Richards and Petra Elliott are joined by New York Times best-selling author Sean Williams plus other guests poached from the Adelaide Fringe Festival as Splendid Chaps makes the exciting move into colour and corduroy.

Splendid Chaps: A Year Of Doctor Who: "Three/Family"
Space: The Tuxedo Cat – The Yellow Room, 199-200 North Terrace, Adelaide.
Time: Sunday, March 10; show starts 2 PM (note that as we will be recording, latecomers will not be admitted until interval).
Tickets: All tickets $15 (plus booking fee where applicable).
Bookings: trybooking.com, tickets also sold at the door (subject to availability).
Podcast: not yet available; released 23 March 2013.
Accessibility: This venue is wheelchair accessible.

Another early Doctor Who regular during the William Hartnell years has now been confirmed, with actress and dancer Sophie Holt to play Jackie Lane, aka Dodo.

Graduating from the Masters Performing Arts College in 2010, she has undertaken a number of theatrical roles, including productions for M&M Theatrical Productions, and also touring in Italy in Circus for the Smile Theatre Company. Breaking into television, as well as An Adventure in Space and Time, she has just played a supporting actress in the series premiere of this year's Poirot - Elephants Can Remember.

Holt joins Jamie Glover (William Russell/Ian), Jemma Powell (Jacqueline Hill/Barbara) and Claudia Grant (Carole Ann Ford/Susan) in portraying the actors who accompanied the First Doctor on his adventures. As previously reported, Peter Purves (Steven) has indicated that he would be represented in the drama, too, and that an actress playing Maureen O'Brien (Vicki) was believed to have been spotted during filming at BBC Television Centre.

Also joining the family of supporting actors is John Foreman, who plays a "passerby/interviewee".

Filming Update:

As Friday evening arrives, producer Matt Strevens sums up: The end of week 3 filming. Only a week left. Where did it go? As Sydney Newman might say 'what a picture!'". The cast and crew have been huddled away in studio for the week, with Sacha Dhawan (Waris Hussein) summarising his wait between takes: "Dressing room boredom..."

Filming is expected to wrap next week.

One person with some free time next week will be Brian Cox (Sydney Newman); the actor is due to be a guest on Wednesday's edition of The Wright Stuff next week. The show is broadcast weekday mornings on Channel 5.

A new voice encounters the old as Nicholas Briggs confirmed last night that he had taken on the mantle of one of the original voices of the Daleks! Making the announcement on Twitter, the man who has voiced the Daleks since their return in 2005 commented: "Just did my Peter Hawkins cameo today. Beyond exciting..." He later added: "Well, you can never tell what will make the edit... But I had a costume and a wig and everything! :-)".

Speaking to Doctor Who Magazine back in 2006, the actor/voice artist/producer for Big Finish paid tribute to Hawkins: "All of us who've provided Dalek voices over the last 40 years owe him a massive debt. None of us have been as good as Peter, but he supplied our inspiration. He was truly the Emperor of the Daleks."

Filming Update:

A number of classic series moments are being "captured" for the drama. As well as filming of Daleks across Westminster Bridge from The Dalek Invasion of Earth filmed last weekend, iconic moments from the pilot episode have also been recorded as photos released but subsequently removed had revealed, including recreations of the junkyard where the TARDIS is first encountered, and the interior itself (credited to Peter Brachacki, who we reported last night as being played by David Annen).

The look and feel of the 1963 studio environment has been provided by Golden Age Television Recreations, which reported on its site: "Dr Who- An Adventure In Space And Time. GA-TV is supplying all the 1960s vintage tv studio and gallery equipment for a movie-length drama from the BBC, about the early days of the Dr Who tv programme."

Issue 13 of the free online Doctor Who fiction magazine Inferno Fiction has been published. Edited by Colin-John Rodgers, it features the following:
The stories can be read here.

As previously reported, Splendid Chaps is a year-long performance/podcast project to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who hosted by comedian Ben McKenzie (Dungeon Crawl, Melbourne Museum Comedy Tour) and writer John Richards (ABC1 sitcom Outland, Boxcutters podcast).

Described by its creators as part intellectual panel discussion, part nerdy Tonight Show, Splendid Chaps is a combination of analysis, enthusiasm and irreverence. The first episode went to number 1 on the iTunes TV & Film Podcast chart in Australia, and to number 4 in the UK.  The podcast is available  at www.splendidchaps.com or at  iTunes.

Tickets are now on sale for the second live recording, which features actor Toby Truslove (ABC's Laid, Outland, The Strange Calls) and cultural theorist Dr Djoymi Baker discussing the second Doctor, Patrick Troughton, and the notion of “evil” in Doctor Who. Is it absolute? Are there cosmic forces of right and wrong? And is the Doctor always on the right side? Plus performance guest, cabaret comedian Dean Acuri – performing a song written especially for the show.


Splendid Chaps: A Year Of Doctor Who: "Two/Evil"
Space: 303, 303 High Street, Northcote
Time: Sunday, February 17; bar open from 4 PM, show starts 5 PM (note that as event is recorded, latecomers will not be admitted until intermission)
Tickets: $15 full price, $12 concession (plus booking fee)
Bookings: via TryBooking; tickets also sold at the door (subject to availability)

"One/Authority" event shows (from left to right) Ben McKenzie, John Richards, Lee Zachariah, Nerida Haycock, Alexandra Tynan (nee Sandra Reid), Petra Elliot. Photographer Robert Young.

The Splendid Chaps podcast is now available on its website.  As previously reported, to celebrate 50 years of Doctor Who,  John Richards (creator/writer of the ABC1 sitcom Outland, Boxcutters podcast) and Ben McKenzie (Channel 31′s Planet Nerd, Dungeon Crawl, ‘patron saint of geek comedy’ – T-Squat magazine) have joined forces to host a year-long performance/podcast project, entitled "Splendid Chaps", in Melbourne, Australia.
Each month, from January to November 2013, John and Ben will record a live Doctor Who panel discussion – one for each of the eleven Doctors – with a different theme, special guests, musical and comedy performances and loveliness. These will also be edited into podcast episodes, released on the 23rd of each month.

The highlight of the first podcast, featuring the first doctor, includes Alexandra Tynan (nee Sandra Reid) talking about her designs for the Cybermen, in both The Tenth Planet and The Moonbase, and also the filming of the first doctor's regeneration scene. The podcast is also available at iTunes.

The producer for Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary celebratory drama An Adventure in Space and Time has been revealed to be Matt Strevens. Initially a script editor for EastEnders and The Bill, he then became producer for the latter show until 2009, before turning his hand to the shows Raw, Skins and most recently producer of the science fiction comedy drama Misfits.

Speaking on Twitter, he also confirmed that the production, written by Mark Gatiss and based at the Wimbledon Studios in London, is expected to commence from the beginning of February.

To celebrate 50 years of Doctor Who,  John Richards (creator/writer of the ABC1 sitcom Outland, Boxcutters podcast) and Ben McKenzie (Channel 31′s Planet Nerd, Dungeon Crawl, ‘patron saint of geek comedy’ – T-Squat magazine) have joined forces to host a year-long performance/podcast project, entitled "Splendid Chaps", in Melbourne, Australia.

Each month from January to November 2013 John and Ben will record a live Doctor Who panel discussion – one for each of the eleven Doctors – with a different theme, special guests, musical and comedy performances and loveliness. These will also be edited into podcast episodes, released on the 23rd of each month.

The first event on 13 January will discuss the first doctor and features special guest Alexandra Tynan (nee Sandra Reid), the woman who designed the Cybermen back in 1966. She’ll be joined by writer and filmmaker Lee Zachariah (ABC2′s The Bazura Project, Hell Is For Hyphenates podcast); broadcaster and host of 3RRR FM’s LiveWire, Nerida Haycock; announcer Petra Elliot and Ben and John as hosts. The musical guest (singing a Who-related number) will be comedian and cabaret artiste Geraldine Quinn.

The forum will be held on Sunday 13 January 2012 at 5pm at the Annexe, Bella Union, Trades Hall, corner of Victoria and Lygon Streets, Melbourne.  Tickets will be available at the door (subject to availability) or on the web.