John Normington

Monday, 30 July 2007 - Reported by Marcus
According to a report at WhatsOnStage.com, the actor John Normingtonhas died at the age of 70.

Normington was best known to Doctor Who fans for his highly-acclaimed role as the villain Trau Morgus in Peter Davison's final story as the Fifth Doctor, The Caves of Androzani, in 1984.

He later appeared again in the series in the Sylvester McCoy serial The Happiness Patrol in 1987, and finally guested in 2006's Ghost Machine, an episode of the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood.

Normington was a busy working actor right up until this year, appearing at the Old Vic opposite Robert Lindsay in The Entertainer. A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he also appeared in television series such as Coronation StreetYes, Prime Minister and Casualty.

Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey, the artistic director of the Old Vic, said in tribute: "We were honoured to have enjoyed John's company for as long as we had him. His spirit and influence remained throughout and now that same spirit joins the other great actors who have played the Old Vic stage, where he will always be remembered with admiration and affection.

"They don't make them like him any more. We send our love and condolences to John's partner, family and friends."




FILTER: - Obituary - Classic Series

DVD Release Information

Friday, 27 July 2007 - Reported by Jarrod Cooper

TVSHOWSONDVD.com has announced some dates on the upcoming DVD releases in North America.

November 6th sees a trio of releases in North America. Arc of Infinity and Time-Flight are the classic series releases, with The Complete Series Three of the new series rounding out the day.

Series Three is currently slated for release in the UK on November 27th, although the BBC Shop is listing a November 5th release date.

January 8th will see the DVD release of Torchwood: Series One in North America.




FILTER: - USA - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD

DW Goes Online in Canada

Thursday, 26 July 2007 - Reported by Marcus
Viewers in Canada can currently watch episodes of series three online via theCBC website.

The content is region protected and only accessible in Canada.




FILTER: - Canada - Online - Series 3/29

Return of the Ood

Wednesday, 25 July 2007 - Reported by R Alan Siler

One of the New Series' most popular monsters, the Ood, are scheduled to reappear in the Fourth Series, according to the Times Online and confirmed on the Official Site.

The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) and Donna (Catherine Tate) will encounter the fearsome aliens in an episode called "Planet of the Ood".

Show runner Russell T. Davies commented: "We're delighted the Ood are making a welcome return to Doctor Who. They were last seen falling into a black hole back in series two and we think it's only fair for the viewers to find out what the Ood have to say for themselves. Donna is certainly in for a shock."

According to the article, the episode will delve into the Oods' origins. No word yet on when in the series this episode occurs.




FILTER: - Production - Series 4/30

Time Warrior DVD Update

Monday, 23 July 2007 - Reported by DWNP Archive

The Restoration Team updated its website today with details about the release ofThe Time Warrior on DVD in the UK.

The four-part story from December 1973 to January 1974, which started the final season of Jon Pertwee as the Doctor and introduced not only Elisabeth Sladenas companion Sarah Jane Smith but also the Sontaran race, will be out on September 3.

It will be the first time it has been available unedited.




FILTER: - Jon Pertwee - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD

Key To Time DVD Extras

Monday, 23 July 2007 - Reported by DWNP Archive

The official programme website has released details of the extensive extras on the forthcoming seven-disc Key To Time DVD box set release in the UK.

The six stories that comprised the 16th season, which aired in the UK between September 1978 and February 1979 and starred Tom Baker as the Doctor andMary Tamm as Romana, will be released on September 24.

The extras will include a documentary looking at the tenure of producer Graham Williams, deleted scenes and outtakes, excerpts from Blue PeterNationwideand Pebble Mill At One, location visits, Tom Baker reading five stories from the 1978 series Late Night Story, and the festive sketch recorded on the set of season finale The Armageddon Factor for the 1978 BBC Christmas Tape.

The Restoration Team website was updated today with full details as to the work done on the stories plus more about the extras.




FILTER: - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD

Final Ratings

Thursday, 19 July 2007 - Reported by Marcus
Final data now available for Doctor Who Confidential gives the programme an average rating of 0.70 millionviewers. The average share was 4%.

Totally Doctor Who got an average rating of 0.75 million viewers which was a8% share of the audience. The highest rated show was programme 10, with 0.92 million.

Full ratings data for Season Three, including audience breakdown and Appreciation figures, is now available in theForum.




FILTER: - Ratings - Series 3/29

Rare Pictures Surface

Wednesday, 18 July 2007 - Reported by DWNP Archive

The Science and Society Picture Library has added to its site what are believed to be never-before-seen photographs of Jon PertweeKaty ManningNicholas Courtney and John Levene.

The set of seven pictures shows them at the opening of the BBC Visual Effects exhibition at the Science Museum in London in 1972.

Last month, the library made available for sale a print of the picture formed by joining together the two collectors' edition covers of Radio Times featuring the Doctor and the Master.





FILTER: - Production - Classic Series - Radio Times

Series Three Vol 4 Cover

Tuesday, 17 July 2007 - Reported by Kenny Davidson

Outpost Gallifrey has received the cover illustration for the forthcoming UK release ofSeries 3 Volume 4 on DVD. Due for release in the UK on August 20th 2007, the disc will feature the final episodes from the past season, including Utopia,The Sound of Drums and Last of the Time Lords. Click on the thumbnail for a larger version of the cover.




FILTER: - Series 3/29 - Blu-ray/DVD

Peter Tuddenham

Thursday, 12 July 2007 - Reported by DWNP Archive

Actor and voice artiste Peter Tuddenham has died at the age of 88 after a short illness.

His vocal talents were used in Doctor Who for The Ark in SpaceThe Masque of Mandragora and Time and the Rani, but he will also be well-known to cult TV fans for providing the voices of Zen, Orac and Slave in Blake's 7, which was created by Terry Nation.

In addition, Tuddenham was in the Kaldor City audio spin-offs Occam's Razor and Death's Head, which were Doctor Who/Blake's 7 crossovers produced by Magic Bullet.

(Thanks to David and Lesley McIntee.)




FILTER: - Obituary - Classic Series