Radio Times Retro Poster

Saturday, 4 October 2014 - Reported by Marcus

Radio Times' gallery of free downloadable retro posters for the current series of Doctor Who continues to grow with the creation by designer Stuart Manning for Kill The Moon which airs tonight.

Manning told Radio Times:

This one came to me pretty much the moment I read the episode title, Astronauts and moon landings feel very 1970s to me and, combined with the colour scheme of Doctor Who's standard-issue orange spacesuits, just somehow felt right

This is less of a pastiche of a specific style and more a mash-up of creepy old visuals – a bit of 2001, some '70s bleakness and a touch of those odd, abstract thriller novel covers of the era. Think of it thoroughly foxed and creased

Kill the Moon will be broadcast at 8.30pm on BBC One.

Kill the Moon (Credit: Radio Times/Stuart Manning)

I think we've found your alien - 'Kill the Moon' PreviewWhat scuttles around in the darkness of the powerless moon base?.....

FILTER: - Radio Times - Series 8/34

Who stars’ Paddington Bear statues to appear in London

Friday, 3 October 2014 - Reviewed by Nathan Brown

Statue designs by (from left to right) Sheen, Michael Bond and Frankie Bridge. Photo: Joe Pepler.

The Twelfth Doctor, Peter Capaldi, is one of several Doctor Who stars whose designs for Paddington Bear statues are due to feature in a new London trail.

Hugh Bonneville (Avery in The Curse of the Black Spot and A Good Man Goes to War) and Michael Sheen (the voice of House in The Doctor’s Wife) are also involved in the project.

TV presenter Davina McCall, who can be heard in the Big Brother-inspired sequences of 2005 episode Bad Wolf, will be designing a Paddington too.

Statues featuring the creative work of the four Who stars - and a long list of other celebrities, artists and designers - will appear in a trail around the UK capital’s landmarks and attractions between November 4th and December 30th this year.

The trail is tied to upcoming film ‘Paddington’, in which both Capaldi and Bonneville appear.

Michael Sheen’s statue design, Paddington Shakesbear, has already been unveiled.

3DEye, a design company, is helping with the statues’ creation. Once the trail has closed, the pieces are set to be auctioned for the NSPCC and Action Medical Research For Children.

For more information about the trail, VisitLondon.com.

FILTER: - Special Events

Doctor Who Experience - Reopens October 24th

Thursday, 2 October 2014 - Reported by Marcus

BBC Worldwide has announced that the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff will reopen on October 24th.

The exhibition closed in August to allow for a regeneration which will see the addition of a new interactive adventure staring Peter Capaldi as the twelfth Doctor.

Follow the Doctor on a spectacular, interactive adventure through time and space. Beginning in the Gallifrey Museum and journeying to the heart of the TARDIS, visitors will have to grapple with a threat which could destroy the universe...

The exclusive adventure has been specially written for the experience by Joseph Lidster (Torchwood, Sarah Jane Adventures) and directed by Doctor Who director Paul Wilmshurst

The Doctor Who Experience boasts the world's most extensive collection of original Doctor Who props and artefacts. Highlights include a complete collection of the Doctor's iconic costumes from 1963 to the present day, three full TARDIS sets (including the Ninth and Tenth Doctor's console room), 50th anniversary collection of Doctor Who stars handprints and a whole host of costumes from evil monsters to loyal companions.

Tickets will go on general sale from October 7.

I Speak to You From the Final Days of Gallifrey

FILTER: - Exhibitions

Time Heist - Chart Placing

Thursday, 2 October 2014 - Reported by Marcus

Time Heist has now been confirmed as being the 14th most watched programme on British Television for the week ending 21st September 2014.

The episode, which just slipped below the 7 million mark, with 6.99 million viewers, was the fifth most watched programme on BBC Television, where The Great British Bake Off took top place with 10.28 million watching.

The return of Downton Abbey on ITV, topped the chart with 10.71 million watching, while The X Factor had 9.94 million viewers. The drama based on the life of Cilla Black, Cilla took fifth place with 8.6 million viewers.

Figures include those watching within 1 week of transmission in HD, SD and via the +1 service. They don't include iPlayer.

FILTER: - Ratings - Series 8/34 - UK

Mummy On The Orient Express - TX Time

Wednesday, 1 October 2014 - Reported by Marcus

The BBC have confirmed that the eight episode in the current run of Doctor Who, Mummy On The Orient Express, will broadcast in the UK on 11th October at the slightly later time of 8:35pm.

The programme will once more follow Strictly Come Dancing and will be followed by Casualty. On the other main UK channels the episode is scheduled against ITV's The X Factor (which airs from 8:00pm to 9:20pm), a repeat of Dad's Army, on BBC2, Grand Designs on Channel 4, and JFK's Secret Killer: The Evidence on Channel Five.

The Doctor and Clara are on the most beautiful train in history, speeding among the stars of the future - but they are unaware that a deadly creature is stalking the passengers.

Once you see the horrifying Mummy you only have 66 seconds to live. No exceptions, no reprieve. As the Doctor races against the clock Clara sees him at his deadliest and most ruthless. Will he work out how to defeat the Mummy? Start the clock!

FILTER: - Broadcasting - Series 8/34

Titan at New York Comic Con

Wednesday, 1 October 2014 - Reported by Marcus

The brand-new Doctor Who comic - Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #1 is to be released to comic stores on October 15, but will be exclusively previewed at New York Comic Con which takes place on October 9-12.

Offering shocks, surprises, and galaxy-shaking revelations, seasoned TARDIS pilot Robbie Morrison (Drowntown, The Authority, 2000AD, Nikolai Dante) and New York Times-bestselling artist Dave Taylor (Batman: Death by Design; 2000AD) mark the start of their first five-issue run by diving headfirst into the console room and pulling all the levers they can – spinning the new Doctor off to his most challenging destination yet!

New Face! New Doctor! New Beginning! Get in on the ground floor of this amazing ongoing series.

Also available at Comic Con will be reprints of Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #1 and Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor #1 with special NYCC covers. All three will only be available at the Titan Booth #2142.

A series of Titan events are also planed for the convention.

NYCC PANEL

DOCTOR WHO COMICS
Date: Thursday, October 9 / Time: 2PM / Room: 1A10
Join a host of Creators from the new Doctor Who Comics who'll reveal exclusive secrets from the brand-new Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctor storylines and show never-before-seen art!

Panel Guests: Writer Nick Abadzis (Tenth Doctor Comic), Artist Elena Casagrande (Tenth Doctor Comic), Writer Al Ewing (Eleventh Doctor Comic), Artist Simon Fraser (Eleventh Doctor Comic),Cover Artist Alice X. Zhang (Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctor Comic), Andrew James (Doctor Who Comics Editor) Host: Steve White, Senior Editor, Titan Comics

NYCC SIGNINGS

Thursday October 9
GROUP SIGNING: THE TENTH DOCTOR COMIC TEAM & THE ELEVENTH DOCTOR COMIC TEAM
Time: 3.30pm – 4.30PM / Location: Titan Booth #2142
Signing: Writer Nick Abadzis (Tenth Doctor Comic), Artist Elena Casagrande (Tenth Doctor Comic), Colorist Ariana Floren (Tenth Doctor Comic), Writer Al Ewing (Eleventh Doctor Comic),Artist Simon Fraser (Eleventh Doctor Comic) and Cover Artist Alice X. Zhang (Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctor Comic).

Friday October 10

THE TENTH DOCTOR COMIC TEAM
Time: 12PM – 1PM / Location: Titan Booth #2142
Signing: Writer Nick Abadzis, Artist Elena Casagrande, Colorist Ariana Floren and Cover Artist Alice X. Zhang.

THE ELEVENTH DOCTOR COMIC TEAM
Time: 3.30PM – 4.30PM / Location: Titan Booth #2142
Signing: Writer Al Ewing, Artist Simon Fraser and Cover Artist Alice X. Zhang.

Saturday 11 October
THE ELEVENTH DOCTOR COMIC TEAM
Time: 12.30PM – 1.30PM / Location: Titan Booth #2142
Signing: Writer Al Ewing, Artist Simon Fraser and Cover Artist Alice X. Zhang.

THE TENTH DOCTOR COMIC TEAM
Time: 3.30PM – 4.30PM / Location: Titan Booth #2142
Signing: Writer Nick Abadzis, Artist Elena Casagrande, Colorist Ariana Floren and Cover Artist Alice X. Zhang.

FILTER: - Comics

Retro TV to air The Mind of Evil in colour

Tuesday, 30 September 2014 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Colouring The Mind Of Evil (Credit: Stuart Humphryes)

American broadcaster Retro TV will air third Doctor adventure The Mind of Evil in colour next month, the first television channel in the world to do so since the late 1970s!

With the original transmission tapes long-sinced erased, by the beginning of the 1980s only black and white prints of the episodes were still held by the BBC, meaning that the story has only been available to broadcasters around the world since then in that format. However, 2013 saw the story prepared for release on DVD with a newly colourised episode one by Stuart Humphryes (aka Babelcolour) and Peter Crocker, and colour-recovered episodes two to six by Richard Russell. Premiered at the British Film Institute in March last year, the story has since been shown a number of select locations, and made available on DVD and streaming services such as Hulu; Retro's broadcast will mark the first time the story can be enjoyed in colour on broadcast television once more.

Stuart Humphryes told us:

The work required to bring this classic serial back to colour was quite mind-boggling, but the fact it has been embraced so warmly by fans and now about to receive a wider audience through TV broadcast is extremely exciting and very satisfying and makes the thousands of hours worthwhile. I hope the viewers enjoy it!

More details about the colourisation process for episode one can be read via the Babelcolour website.

Episode One airs on Retro from 8:30pm on the 15th October.

FILTER: - Broadcasting - Classic Series - International Broadcasting - Third Doctor - USA

Kill the Moon - New Pictures

Tuesday, 30 September 2014 - Reported by Marcus

The BBC has released a new set of pictures from the next episode of Doctor Who - Kill the Moon, which debuts next Saturday.

In the near future, the Doctor and Clara find themselves on a space shuttle making a suicide mission to the Moon.

Crash-landing on the lunar surface, they find a mining base full of corpses, vicious spider-like creatures poised to attack, and a terrible dilemma.

When Clara turns to the Doctor for help, she gets the shock of her life.

Written by Peter Harness and directed by Paul Wilmshurst.

FILTER: - Press - Series 8/34

Maggie Stables

Monday, 29 September 2014 - Reported by Marcus

The actress Maggie Stables who had played the Sixth Doctor companion Evelyn Smythe in the Big Finish audios, has died after a long illness.

Maggie Stables turned to acting as a second career after taking early retirement from her post as a French teacher.

After some experience in musical theatre, in 1991 she acted in a production of Jane Eyre with Nicholas Briggs. This led to Briggs later casting Stables as Ruthley in Big Finish's first Doctor Who play The Sirens of Time, and as Evelyn the following year.

She played the character in twenty Big Finish productions.

Nicholas Briggs paid tribute to the actress on the Big Finish Website.

I was keen to get her involved in the Big Finish audios, casting her as the gruff Ruthley in our very first Doctor Who release, The Sirens of Time. It wasn't long before my friend and producer Gary Russell spotted her and saw her as potential 'companion' material. Evelyn Smythe made Doctor Who history. The first, dare I say it, 'elderly' companion of the Doctor's. Maggie was superb in the role and she and her Doctor, Colin Baker, immediately hit it off. And even though Maggie appeared in two 'final' adventures for Evelyn, it was always our intention to continue working with her -- such is the advantage of time travel. I was very pleased to welcome her back for another trilogy in 2011.

Maggie was such a lovely, warm person who did a fantastic job of playing Evelyn. She was extremely popular with our listeners and always a delight to work with. I have many fond and sometimes raucous memories of working with her in Doctor Who and on stage.

I shall always be grateful for the support and affection she gave to me and for all the laughs we shared along the way.'

Sixth Doctor Colin Baker also paid tribute to the actress

Devastated to hear about dear Maggie Stables. Lovely, generous, kind, wise lady and her Evelyn was the definitive companion for old Sixie

Maggie staples died in her sleep on Friday night, the 26th of September.

FILTER: - Big Finish - Obituary