Black Archive #23: The Curse of Fenric

Saturday, 25 August 2018 - Reported by Marcus
Curse of Fenric (Credit: Obverse Books)
The latest in the series of Black Archive books, detailing the seventh Doctor story, The Curse of Fenric will be released on 3 September 2018.

The Curse of Fenric is one of the last stories of Doctor Who’s original 26-year run and the first to make use of a Second World War setting.

Complex and thoughtful, the story and its various extended editions draw on a range of sources and responds to a variety of social and cultural contexts. It explores themes of history, maturation, progress and collective action

The story is detailed by Dr. Una McCormack, a New York Times bestselling author of novels based on Star Trek and Doctor Who and who teaches creative writing at the Angela Ruskin University.

The Dark Archive is available from Obverse Books.




FILTER: - Books - season 26 - Seventh Doctor

Update for Season 12 Collection replacement disc process

Thursday, 23 August 2018 - Reported by Chuck Foster
BBC Worldwide have provided clarification on how to get replacements for the faulty discs within the recently released Season Twelve Collection can be requested.

Doctor Who Collection - Season 12 - cover (Credit: BBC Worldwide)We will be offering replacements for the errors on Disc 3 (The Sontaran Experiment) and Disc 5 (Revenge of the Cybermen) in the Doctor Who The Collection Season 12 Blu-ray release.

In order to obtain a replacement, please email your name and address and proof of purchase to the appropriate DVD Support line in the form of a receipt from the retailer. If you do not have a receipt from the retailer, then please email a picture of the product with your full name and postal address in view in the picture. This is for fraud prevention reasons.
The estimated time frame for the replacement to be available is 2-3 weeks.
Please allow some time for the replacement disc to reach you.
We have a high volume of emails and customers to deal with, please bear with us.

Replacement requests and proof of purchase emails should only be sent to these email addresses and not the DVD Enquiry line.

If you have sent your proof of purchase already we will not respond to your email unless there is an issue with your proof. Please await the replacements as outlined above.

Please be assured that we have logged every proof and will get around to replacing all customers discs.

Owing to an administrative issue, some customers erroneously did not receive the correct replacement of Revenge of the Cybermen; DVD Support have apologised for the error, and advise:
If you have received the incorrect Disc 5, we will re-send it when available please re-email the DVD Support line only once with your postal address only. You do not need to resend your proof of purchase.




FILTER: - Australia - BBC Worldwide - Blu-ray/DVD - Doctor Who - Season 12 - UK - USA

Big Finish Celebrates Twenty Years of Audio Adventures

Monday, 13 August 2018 - Reported by Marcus
The Seventh Doctor - The New Adventures (Credit: Big Finish)Big Finish Productions has announced its first wave of special releases to celebrate 20 years of Doctor Who audio adventures

As part of the anniversary celebrations, Big Finish is releasing a number of special titles in 2019 and 2020, each focused on an incarnation of the Time Lord. And today they unveil the first two titles.

Coming out this November, Sylvester McCoy’s calculating and comic Doctor returns with two companions from the Virgin Books’ New Adventures of Doctor Who: Yasmin Bannerman plays Roz Forrester and Travis Oliver plays Chris Cwej in Doctor Who – The New New Adventures.

The Virgin Books’ New Adventures of Doctor Who took the reigns of Doctor Who after the television series finished after its 26th season back in 1989. The novels took a darker, deeper approach to Doctor Who, using longer storylines and ideas that wouldn’t have made it to the television screen.

This new box set includes four stories:
  1. The Trial of a Time Machine by Andy Lane
  2. Vanguard by Steve Jordan
  3. The Jabari Countdown by Alan Flanagan
  4. The Dread of Night by Tim Foley
Producer and director Scott Handcock explains
Yasmin Bannerman, Sylvester McCoy, Travis Oliver (Credit: Big Finish)As a fan who grew up in the era of the New Adventures novels, I was thrilled when David Richardson offered me the opportunity to tackle a new box set featuring the Seventh Doctor, Roz Forrester and Chris Cwej. The feedback to the novel adaptations was fantastic, and getting the chance to tell completely new stories with this TARDIS team has been a joy!

We’ve tried to make the most of the box set format, so we have four original hour-long stories reuniting the Doctor, Roz and Chris – and, of course, Sylvester, Yasmin and Travis, who struck up such a brilliant rapport on the adaptations. The four new tales tackle very different genres, in very different settings and times, with Chris and Roz creator Andy Lane kicking off the box set with his story, The Trial of a Time Machine. There really is something for everyone!
The New New Adventures will be released in November 2018, available as a CD box set for £23 or on download at £20 from www.bigfinish.com

Tom Baker, Nicholas Briggs (Credit: Big Finish)Two new adventures are also being released for the bohemian Fourth Doctor adapted from the comic strip by Pat Mills and Dave Gibbons that featured in Doctor Who Magazine (when it was Doctor Who Weekly).

Doctor Who: The Comic Strip Adaptations will be released in March 2019 comprising of:
  1. Doctor Who and the Iron Legion adapted by Alan Barnes
  2. Doctor Who and the Star Beast adapted by Alan Barnes
In these two adventures, we find the Fourth Doctor travelling with his famed elongated technicolour scarf for company. He’ll encounter the Iron Legion, an army of robotic Roman legionnaires, and in Doctor Who and the Star Beast, the Fourth Doctor encounters one of the deadliest and most adorable villains ever – Beep the Meep!

Nicholas Briggs, director of the Fourth Doctor audio adventures, explains
These Fourth Doctor comic strip adaptations have a whole different feel to them. It’s like they’re from a parallel universe vision of Doctor Who. Tom Baker spotted it straight away, emailing me the moment he’d read The Iron Legion, commenting that this was ‘a bit DIFFERENT’ – actually typing ‘different’ in capitals! But he rose manfully to the challenge and entered into the spirit of it all wonderfully. And that spirit is that they are, essentially, wackier.

There’s a feeling of ‘we could do anything because there are no budget restrictions’ in the original comic strips, and our adaptor, Alan Barnes, has captured this perfectly. Crazy characters, extravagant action sequences. And Alistair Lock has done a superb job with his sound design and music.

The Star Beast has a slightly different feel. The alien monster craziness is contrasted sharply with a dash of kitchen sink drama and a touch of Grange Hill, which predated the TV series exploring more domestic settings. It’s interesting how the brilliant comics writer of these strips, Pat Mills, kind of anticipated this. Alan has a great love for Pat’s work, and he was absolutely the right fit to adapt these beautiful, bonkers adventures of an extra-eccentric Fourth Doctor.
These two epic stories will be released in March 2019 as a 5-disc CD box set for £23 or on download at £20 from www.bigfinish.com. Or you can get both sets together as a pre-order bundle, at £46 on CD or £40 on download.




FILTER: - Big Finish - Fourth Doctor - Seventh Doctor

New Fourth Doctor Audio Adventures

Monday, 6 August 2018 - Reported by Marcus
John Leeson, Lalla Ward, Matthew Waterhouse Tom Baker (Credit: Big Finish)Big Finish have confirmed that the Fourth Doctor, as played by Tom Baker, will be continuing his audio adventures until at least 2021.

Two new audio series featuring the enigmatic time-traveling bohemian have been confirmed, out for release in 2020 and 2021 with the Fourth Doctor being joined by some old friends.

In series nine of The Fourth Doctor Adventures, Tom Baker’s Doctor is reunited with Time-Lady Romanadvoratrelundar II, played by Lalla Ward. And joining them will be Adric, played by Matthew Waterhouse, in his first adventures back with Tom since his regeneration in 1981. John Leeson also reprises K9, the Doctor’s faithful robo-canine companion.

These stories are set in the beginning of Tom Baker’s last television series as the Doctor, season 18, in between the stories State of Decay and Warrior’s Gate. Trapped in E-Space, a pocket universe next to our own (N-Space), the Doctor acquires a new companion Adric, a 15 year old mathematical genius, who begins to travel with the Doctor and Romana.

Volume 1 of Series 9 of The Fourth Doctor Adventures is out for release in January 2020:
  • 9.1 Purgatory 12 by Marc Platt
  • 9.2 Chase the Night by Jonathan Morris
And Volume 2 of Series 9 follows in February 2020:
  • 9.3 The Planet of Witches by Alan Barnes
  • 9.4 The Quest of the Engineer by Andrew Smith
Matthew Waterhouse talked about travelling with the Fourth Doctor again
I’ve always found that when recording a Doctor Who on audio, it felt like coming home. I absolutely loved it, and this (new series) is another development of that. I love the idea of E-Space with the Fourth Doctor, Romana, Adric and K9 travelling together.
David Richardson, producer of The Fourth Doctor Adventures on audio, explains what mystical escapades this TARDIS team will encounter in a universe very different to our own
We’re returning to another much-loved era in Season 9, as the E-Space trilogy gets a massive extension on audio and we explore strange and wonderful worlds in another universe with the genius team of the Doctor, Romana, Adric and K-9.

It’s been such fun recreating the tone and high-concept style of that era, as the travellers begin the search for a CVE (Charged Vacuum Emboitment) which can take them (or at least most of them) home.
In Series 10 the Fourth Doctor will be reunited with Leela (played by Louise Jameson) in four new double-length adventures. David Richardson explains more:
For Series 10 it’s a joy to welcome back our friends Louise Jameson and John Leeson to reprise Leela and K9. The stories include a prequel to The Sun Makers, a visit to a doomed world, and a group of time-travelling tourists who make a terrible mistake.
Series 10 will be released in January and February 2021.




FILTER: - Big Finish - Fourth Doctor

Doctors Meet at London Comic Con

Monday, 30 July 2018 - Reported by Marcus

Multi-Doctor stories featuring the Ninth Doctor may be the stuff of comics and fan fiction, but but attendees at this year's London Film and Comic Con got the next best thing when the timelines of the actors crossed as they were attending the convention.

The 3-day event saw apperances by all past living Doctors bar the seventh, with Christopher Eccleston undertaking his first signing commitments at a convention event.

It was while Eccleston was being moved around the arena he passed Doctor number Eleven Matt Smith resulting in a heartfelt meeting between the two actors, captured for posterity by surrounding fans.

The Ninth Doctor also met Doctor number Twelve Peter Capaldi coming out of a lift, resulting in a hug between the two men.

Christopher Eccleston was asked to feature in the 50th anniversary story The Day of the Doctor, but the actor decided not to appear, resulting in the show runner Steven Moffat creating the character of the War Doctor.

Fans still have hopes that one day the actor will return to the series — maybe for the sixtieth anniversary?

 




FILTER: - Eleventh Doctor - Ninth Doctor - Twelfth Doctor

Comic-Con Panel With Jodie Whittaker

Tuesday, 24 July 2018 - Reported by Marcus
The BBC has released a recording of the full Doctor Who panel at this year's Comic-Con International at San Diego.

The panel featured new Doctor Jodie Whittaker alongside two of her Doctor Who co-stars Tosin Cole, and Mandip Gill as well as showrunner Chris Chibnall and Executive Producer Matt Strevens.

FULL Comic-Con Panel | Doctor Who




FILTER: - Jodie Whittaker - Thirteenth Doctor

The Women Who Lived

Tuesday, 24 July 2018 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who: The Women Who Lived (Credit: BBC Books)This September, BBC Books will publish Doctor Who: The Women Who Lived, an illustrated collection of inspiring tales of the women of Doctor Who. It will be the first official book published to accompany the new series, celebrating Jodie Whittaker’s debut as the Thirteenth Doctor.

Written by Christel Dee, former presenter of Doctor Who: The Fan Show, and Simon Guerrier, the book will feature more than 75 inspiring tales of remarkable women of the Whoniverse, both real and imagined. From historical figures such as Agatha Christie and Queen Victoria to fan favourites like Bill Potts and River Song, each woman has made a unique contribution to the world of Doctor Who. Whether they’re facing down Daleks or thwarting a Nestene invasion, these women don’t hang around waiting to be rescued – they roll their sleeves up and get stuck in. Scientists and soldiers, queens and canteen workers, women from outlandish science-fiction and those steeped in real history, they don’t let anything hold them back.

Illustrated throughout with specially-commissioned artwork by a team of female artists – including Gwen Burns, Valentina Mozzo, Sonia Leong, and more – the book also features new companion Yasmin, and an extended entry on the Doctor herself.

Albert DePetrillo, BBC Books Publishing Director, says
We thought long and hard about which book would start our publishing programme for Jodie Whittaker’s first series of Doctor Who – and Christel and Simon’s book is the perfect choice. It’s bold and fresh in its approach, it makes a strong statement, it’s beautifully written, and stunning in its design. It represents everything we love about Doctor Who, and we couldn’t be happier to be publishing The Women Who Lived on the BBC Books list.
Christel Dee says
With Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor arriving this autumn, we thought this would be the perfect time to reflect upon the wealth of incredible female characters from Doctor Who’s 55 year history – because there are so many! We hope the stories in this book will inspire a whole new generation of fans and existing fans too.
Simon Guerrier says
We hope this offers a fresh perspective on the history of Doctor Who, a chance to celebrate the richness of past episodes as well as looking forward to the series’ exciting future. I thought I knew Doctor Who backwards, but we discovered loads of new things in our research for the book.
Doctor Who: The Women Who Lived: Amazing Tales for Future Time Lords will be published on 27th September in hardback, priced £16.99.

Doctor Who: The Women Who Lived (Credit: BBC Books)Doctor Who: The Women Who Lived (Credit: BBC Books)Doctor Who: The Women Who Lived (Credit: BBC Books)




FILTER: - Books - Thirteenth Doctor

The Thirteenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver revealed

Thursday, 19 July 2018 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have released a new promotional image for the forthcoming series of Doctor Who:

Series 11 - Promotional Image (19 Jul 2018) (Credit: BBC/Elliot Wilcox)

Eleventh Doctor Sonic Screwdriver (Credit: BBC Worldwide/Seven20/Character Options)As can be seen in the above image the Doctor is sporting a new sonic screwdriver - designer Arwel Wyn Jones said:
It’s a privilege to have been asked to redesign the iconic sonic screwdriver for the Thirteenth Doctor and a new generation of audiences. I can’t wait for people to see how the Doctor acquires it!

It was revealed at today's San Diego Comic Con that it will be available to purchase in August - the can be pre-ordered shortly in the UK from Forbidden Planet/Character Options and in the USA from the BBC Shop.

The US and UK toy versions of the Sonic Screwdriver have been created by Seven20 and Character Options, respectively. The new, electronic 8” collectible is a perfect replica of the Doctor’s device, features a light crystal and haa two buttons which control the light and sound elements of the Sonic.


Eleventh Doctor Sonic Screwdriver (Credit: BBC Worldwide/Seven20/Character Options)




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Press - series 11/37

Thirteenth Doctor figurine range

Wednesday, 11 July 2018 - Reported by Marcus
Thirteenth Doctor Vinyl (Credit: Titan)BBC Studios have revealed the first of the new toy ranges for Doctor Who Season 11. Ahead of San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC), this is the first-look of the new Thirteenth Doctor figurines.

Doctor Who licensee Titan have produced two limited-edition 6.5” vinyls collectibles for S11: one 6.5" Thirteenth Doctor TITAN, and one 6.5" Thirteenth Doctor Kawaii TITAN, both of which will be debuting at SDCC 2018 at BBC AMERICA booth #4129 and Titan Entertainment booth #5537.

Remaining TITANS post-SDCC will be available to buy after the close of Comic-Con from Hot Topic & the BBC Shop in the US and from Forbidden Planet in the UK. Pre-order for these potential store purchases opens after the close of San Diego Comic-Con on Monday 23rd July 2018.

From Funko, The Thirteenth Doctor Pop! and The Thirteenth Doctor Rock Candy will be available to see at SDCC 2018 on the BBC AMERICA booth #4129 and the Funko booth #5341/5347, and in retail in both the US and UK this autumn. A new Doctor also means a new costume and Her Universe is debuting the Thirteenth Doctor’s fashionable rainbow striped top, long coat, and blue trousers, which will be available at SDCC at Her Universe booth #1321 and later in the autumn at Hot Topic stores.

Away from SDCC, UK Master Toy Licensee Character Options has unveiled its brand new Doctor Who figure, the first 10” figure of the Thirteenth Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker.

The new, highly detailed 10”/26cm fully articulated, collectible figure comes dressed in real fabric high-waisted culottes, rainbow striped dark blue shirt and coat. The figure also comes with the Doctor’s essential Sonic Screwdriver accessory.

Alasdair Dewar, Character Options’ Director of Product Development commented:
The new 10 inch Adventure Figure is a fantastic addition to the range. Made even better by the use of 3D scan data. The likeness is absolutely fantastic and along with the scaled fabric clothing kids and collectors alike will enjoy this bigger sized figure to play without display ... and ... it’s by sheer chance perfectly in scale with our 2006 12 inch Doctor Who range
Rikesh Desai, Licensing Director at BBC Studios, says;
As the UK Master Toy Licensee for Doctor Who, Character Options consistently produce great toys for the brand. The new Thirteenth Doctor figure is no exception; the attention to detail, real clothes and quality of the product make it a great collectible for fans of all ages.
The new figure will be available from August, for more information visit www.character-online.com.

BBC AMERICA will hold a panel at SDCC on Thursday, 19th July at 11:45am PT in Hall H, introducing the Thirteenth Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker. Marking a new era for the legendary Time Lord, Whittaker will be joined on the panel by two of her Doctor Who co-stars, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill, who play Ryan and Yasmin, as well as award-winning series showrunner Chris Chibnall (Broadchurch) and executive producer Matt Strevens (An Adventure In Space And Time). BBC AMERICA will also have additional exclusive Doctor Who merchandise from BBC Shop available at booth #4129.

Thirteenth Doctor Kawaii (Credit: Titan)Thirteenth Doctor figurine (Credit: Her Universe)Rock Candy (Credit: Funko)Pop Vinyl Thirteenth Doctor (Credit: Funko)Thirteenth Doctor (Credit: Character Options)




FILTER: - Character - Thirteenth Doctor

The Road to the Thirteenth Doctor - New Comic

Monday, 9 July 2018 - Reported by Marcus
The Road to the Thirteenth Doctor: The Tenth Doctor - Cover A (Credit: Titan )This week sees the release of the first in a series of Titan Comics leading up to the arrival of the Thirteenth Doctor.

The first, in a series of three, features the Tenth Doctor, as portrayed by David Tennant.

It is available from Wednesday 11 July.

The Road To The Thirteenth Doctor: The Tenth Doctor

Writer: James Peaty, Jody Houser

Artist: Iolanda Zanfardino, Rachael Stott

Colourist: Enrica Eren Angiolini

The road to the Thirteenth Doctor starts here! The first of three stand-alone stories featuring the Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctor!

The Tenth Doctor has his work cut out when he encounters a lost spaceship... Whose crew is being absorbed by mysterious ghostly creatures! Everything is not how it seems, however, especially when disturbing facts about the crew come to light!

Each issue contains a serialised short from the creative team behind the new Thirteenth Doctor ongoing series!


The Road to the Thirteenth Doctor: The Tenth Doctor - Cover B (Credit: Titan )The Road to the Thirteenth Doctor: The Tenth Doctor - Cover C (Credit: Titan )The Road to the Thirteenth Doctor: The Tenth Doctor Page 1 (Credit: Titan )The Road to the Thirteenth Doctor: The Tenth Doctor Page 2 (Credit: Titan )The Road to the Thirteenth Doctor: The Tenth Doctor Page 3 (Credit: Titan )The Road to the Thirteenth Doctor: The Tenth Doctor Page 4 (Credit: Titan )The Road to the Thirteenth Doctor: The Tenth Doctor Page 5 (Credit: Titan )





FILTER: - Comics - Tenth Doctor