The Prison in Space

Monday, 31 October 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Nothing at the End of the Lane have announced the release of their new scriptbook, The Prison in Space, a 268-page illustrated softcover book about a 'lost' tale of the Second Doctor from 1968 by Dick Sharples.

"You leave this to me. There’s a special technique required in handling women..." - The Doctor

When the TARDIS lands on the rooftop garden belonging to Chairman Babs, the travellers find themselves on a planet ruled by women. Tried and condemned to serve a sentence on an orbiting space prison, the Doctor and Jamie must use their ingenuity to break free and rescue Zoe, who has been conditioned to unquestioningly accept the rule of Chairman Babs...

Eager to inject some humour into the series, producer Innes Lloyd called upon experienced scriptwriter, Dick Sharples, to come up with a story that would inject a lighter tone into Doctor Who. That adventure was The Prison in Space, originally envisioned to write out the character of Jamie and introduce a new companion called Nik - and it's a story that was just a hair's-breadth away from being made.

Contents include:

» Facsimiles of Dick Sharples' original scene breakdown along with all four of his second draft scripts for The Prison in Space, reproduced directly from the original script pages.

» A look at the history, development and cancellation of The Prison in Space by Richard Bignell.

» Reviews of the story by Doctor Who Magazine's original Time Team, Jonathan Morris and Paul Scoones.

» Copies of the original outline, scene breakdown and revised scene breakdown for the story originally intended to follow The Prison in Space, Brian Hayles' second Ice Warrior story, The Lords of the Red Planet.

» Andrew Pixley looks back at the production of Season Six in Winds of Change and tries to make some sense of what we currently understand happened during Troughton's turbulent final series.

» Artwork by Jason Fletcher, Westley Smith and Adrian Salmon.

The book costs £16.50 and orders can be placed through the new Nothing at the End of the Lane website.

(with thanks to Richard Bignell)

FILTER: - Fan Productions - Books - Classic Series

Save Doctor Who Confidential - Petition Day

Friday, 28 October 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Today marks a month since the announcement that Doctor Who Confidential was to be cancelled, and also when the SaveDWC campaign kicked off to help persuade the BBC that the series was still worth producing.

The online petition has now passed 50,000 signatories, and the site reports the importance of today for the campaign:

Important News
Petition Count will be taken shortly after TODAY: Friday 28th October 2011

A COUNT will be taken shortly after this date and we will send this to the BBC Trust.

The petition will REMAIN OPEN after this time, we are simply taking account of all signatures shortly after this day so we can send a figure to the BBC. The BBC themselves may check for an updated amount so it is still very important to sign after this date even though the letter will have been sent to the BBC.

As well as signing the petition, people interested in the campaign can also follow and discuss issues via Twitter and Facebook.

Doctor Who's Head Writer Steven Moffat recently expressed his personal view of the cancellation in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, commenting on how the exploration of behind-the-scenes inspired him and many others (not least of which the 'next generation' of writers/producers/etc. as demonstrated by this year's Script to Screen initiative):

... Matt, Marcus and I went to a school to meet the winners of the Script to Screen competition, and see them watch their own work on screen. ... for once we weren't visitors from the impossible, unattainable world of television - because they'd been told they could be part of it too, and they'd even seen it happen. Out there, among all those children who took part in Script to Screen, possibilities opened and futures changed. Tell me what is more important than that?

...

When I was a kid, Doctor Who made me want to see behind the scenes. Seeing behind the scenes made me never want to leave, and one day, incredibly, got me the job of a lifetime. It did the same for Russell and David. And Mark and Gareth, and Neil, and Paul, and Toby, and Other Toby, and Chris, and Tom and Tom and Marcus and Piers and many more than I can count and it is going to keep doing that for as long as it is allowed.

His views were also picked up in the media, including Digital Journal, the Sun, and Unreality TV.

FILTER: - Fan Productions - Online

The Wonderful Book of Doctor Who - 1965

Wednesday, 26 October 2011 - Reported by Marcus

A new book looking at the world of Doctor Who at the conclusion of the first season in 1964, is now available online.

The Wonderful Book of Doctor Who 1965 is a homage to Clayton Hickman's Brilliant Book of Doctor Who 2011 published last year.

The new fan produced book looks back at the very first season of Doctor Who and imagines how such a book would have looked should it have been published for the Christmas 1964 market. It contains episode guides, interviews and fact files.

It has been written and produced by Paul Smith based on the original designs by Paul Lang, with a cover and story illustrations by Joe Cannon from Velvet Jacket

The book can be viewed via the Wonderful Book website.

FILTER: - Fan Productions - William Hartnell - Classic Series

Fan Production Roundup

Monday, 24 October 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

A roundup of some of the fan productions that have recently been released.

MythMakers 16 - Pseudoscope

The Doctor Who Information Network presents the 20th anniversary issue of its official fiction anthology, Myth Makers.

What happens when events unfold before our eyes that defy our conscious understanding? Is it a dream? An hallucination? An optical illusion? What hidden truths would our subconscious mind perceive? Myth Makers 16: Pseudoscope features stories written around the theme of altered perception. In making sense of these distorted realities, the Doctor, his companions and his enemies make new discoveries about the world outside - and within.

Stories by Short Trips alumni Dale Smith, Richard Salter, David N. Smith, Violet Addison, Stephen Hatcher, J.R. Loflin and Mike Amberry, plus Myth Makers alumni J.F. Keeping and Chris Heffernan.

Artwork by Carolyn Edwards, Rachel Roach, Iain Robertson, Michael Leis, Pat Degan and Denise Rajauski.

The Terrible Zodin #12

The Fall edition of The Terrible Zodin is now available for free download.

This issue we take a look at Doctor Who in the 1970s and pay tribute to Nicholas Courtney and Elisabeth Sladen. We've Axons and Mandrels galore and the Master pops up too (of course!)

Also this issue we visit the exhibition at the Cartoon Museum, take a look at the Graceless spin-off series and compare A Christmas Carol to Inception. Vincent and the Doctor gets the No! Not the Mind Probe! treatment and we follow up on our recommendations of New Adventure novels. All this plus the usual fun and games and a gorgeous front cover by Marc D. Lewis.

Fish Fingers And Custard #7

The seventh edition of the fanzine is available to buy from the Fish Fingers and Custard website.

Despite our legal battles with Steven Moffat (we're trying to get more mentions of Fish Fingers and Custard in Doctor Who) we have been busy with a new issue of the fanzine.

We can't believed we've reached 7, and neither can you probably.

Issue 7 contains the following:

Whooverville Review and interview with convention organiser Steve Hatcher
What Does Doctor Who Mean To Kids?
Torchwood: Miracle Day
I Love Who: Harry Sedgewick previews a chapter of his new Doctor Who book, exclusively for the fanzine
31 Things Less Painful Than Watching Journey's End

And Much More!

Adventures in Time Space and Music #30

Further episodes of Adventures in Time Space and Music can be found via their website, and you also follow them on Facebook.

In this segment we’ll be looking at the music of the Doctor’s composer Dudley Simpson focusing on his work on Series 16, the Key to Time. We will examine his work on Serial 5A – Story 98 – The Ribos Operation, a 4-part story which originally aired between the 2nd of September and the 23rd of September 1978 on BBC One.

This episode aired as a segment on the HOO ON WHO PODCAST on Monday, 13 December, 2010.

The Scarifyers - Magic Circle

The next episode of The Scarifyers is the first to feel the loss of its lead actor Nicholas Courtney; producer Simon Barnard says:

This one brings in David Warner as a new lead character, replacing Nick Courtney. The whole story serves as a kind of farewell to Nick – it’s about what happens to his character, Lionheart, and his friend Stephen Thorne takes an important part. There’s also a documentary about Nick on the end of the CD.

It is due to be released on 1st November, and will available on CD and download from the Cosmic Hobo website.

The Magic Circle
Starring David Warner and Terry Molloy

Professor Dunning (Terry Molloy) is finding the business of single-handedly saving Great Britain from the forces of darkness rather taxing.

And Lionheart? Lionheart is missing.

When the only clue to his disappearance seems to lie in a twenty-year-old murder investigation, Dunning turns to the one man who might have the answers: Lionheart’s erstwhile colleague Harry ‘Thumper’ Crow (David Warner).

Harry doesn’t hold with supernaturalism, but over the next few days he’s going to see some very strange things indeed: a string of murdered magicians, a dead music-hall star come back to life, and a pensioner from the depths of hell.

Can Crow and Dunning find Lionheart? A terrible truth awaits, as they unearth the long-buried secrets of THE MAGIC CIRCLE.

This is the sixth adventure of THE SCARIFYERS.

Fight for the Remote

Fight for the Remote is a new comedy series from Fantom Films, starring Andrew Hayden Smith (Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel/Doomsday) and Ayesha Antoine (Midnight). Episode one is available to download for free from the Fantom Films website.

Fighting for the remote are Jon and Alice, a twenty-something couple living together in London. Alice enjoys socialising; Jon hates meeting people. While Alice is climbing her career ladder, Jon is quite content on the bottom rung of his. They are constantly caught in the middle ground between settling for what they have and wanting more, and wondering whether what they have together is worth fighting for.

FILTER: - Fan Productions

Panic Moon - October 2011

Friday, 21 October 2011 - Reported by Marcus

October’s issue of the fanzine Panic Moon is now available.

In this issue:

Reviews of each episode from the second half of series six, plus Torchwood: Miracle Day
The latest from Big Finish and recent Doctor Who fanzines.
New perspectives on the stories Colony in Space and The Sun Makers.
Articles exploring the Pathfinders legacy for Doctor Who; the Hartnell factor
Evolution in Doctor Who
The Day of the Daleks ‘Special Edition’; and what that Dalek was doing in the Thames.
Plus the letters page

The fanzine is A6 format, 32 pages, monochrome and fully illustrated. It can be ordered from the Panic Moon Website.

FILTER: - Fan Productions

Save Doctor Who Confidential - Campaign update

Thursday, 6 October 2011 - Reported by Harry Ward

As news broke last week of the cancellation of Doctor Who Confidential, a campaign was immediately set up to try and save the show from being axed.

The Save Doctor Who Confidential campaign has now gained over 30,000 signatures in an online petition. The campaign has been supported by various people in the media, including writer of The Doctor's Wife, Neil Gaiman. He said via his Twitter account: "I think Doctor Who Confidential is one of the best shows about television out there, even eating aside the Dr Who...". Ben Foster, conductor for Doctor Who and composer for Torchwood said: "this show educated and thrilled kids and adults alike - hope someone sees sense and reverses this decision."

We asked Save Doctor Who Confidential a few questions about their campaign. You can read the interview below.

If Doctor Who Confidential was to return, do you think it should continue in the same 45 minute format?

If Doctor Who Confidential was to return, it would have to return as a shorter episode. I think by now it's quite clear to everyone that a 45 minute episode of Doctor Who Confidential doesn't work.

It needs to be no more than 20-30 minutes.

Would you be happy if it was to return as a much shorter internet only show?

Yes, I would be very happy for it to return in any form, however, I think it's important to show it on TV also. I think if we can come to a compromise with the BBC and meet each other half way then we will be very happy.

Does the BBC need a behind the scenes companion show to Doctor Who? What are the benefits of keeping it alive?

Doctor Who absolutely does need a behind the scenes show. Of course Doctor Who survived for a long time without Doctor Who Confidential in the classic series. But then again, we didn't have BBC3 and we also didn't have a thing called CGI or the scale to which the show is being made today. A show like this helps the main show along.

As we seen last Saturday, There were many people confused by the River Song story and then when they watched DWC they were shown her story and they understood it.

There is also the important argument, that it is educational and the reason we keep saying this is just because everyone keeps telling us that it has gave them a good insight into how television is made and from this, they can decide which area they want to pursue. They can decide whether they want to be a writer or a director, or a stuntman or even an actor. Who knows, these people could be making the show in the future, thanks to Confidential.

Have you had any negative feedback about the campaign?

I've never really had any negative feedback about the campaign. I think most people think we are doing good things for the viewers' and the kids. That is why we made it, there was alot of parents very unhappy as well as the whovians.

You get some people who say there is no point, it's rubbish, you shouldn't bother. But most of these are people who do not watch the show and they just think it's a show like "The X Factor's Xtra Factor". Some other's say that Confidential will eat Doctor Who's budget. I really can't see how and I also can't see it being a dramatic cost. It really doesn't make sense to me or the viewer's plus, they will be missing a trick for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who in 2013 by having Confidential. If Confidential sold DVD's for the 50th, I think they would sell really well and make the BBC money. I'm of course not not telling anyone how to do their job, it is just a suggestion.

People also have to remember, I am just a fan like they are, I don't do campaign's for a living, I am dedicating my own time into this. I am doing this to help these people get their views across so I really hope they appreciate that fully.

What is the next stage of your campaign? Do you have plans to talk to the controller of BBC Three, Zai Bennett?

The next stage of the campaign is to get as many signatures on that petition as possible as quickly as possible.

We also have been in touch with BBC One's Points of view and they seem to be interested in what people have to say. That's quite exciting because really, the BBC have to say something other than a copy and paste email.

So really, All eyes are on Sunday now and in the meantime, we need those petition signed by as many people as possible.

I am willing to speak to Zai Bennett, I really can't blame him for trying to save money however, it's up to the viewer's to tell him it was a bad decision otherwise he won't know and people will lose a good show without saying their piece which is wrong.

I think the best thing we can do for now is hear them out on BBC One this Sunday and then decide what to do next. All we can do for now is leave no stone unturned!

The BBC's official comment on the cancellation of Doctor Who Confidential:

The 'Doctor Who' spin-off series, 'Doctor Who Confidential' has been a great show for BBC Three over the years, but our priority now is to build on original British commissions, unique to the channel. We regularly have to make difficult decisions and unfortunately sometimes they will prove to be unpopular with sections of the audience.

The campaign can be followed on Twitter via @SaveDWC, and the petition can be signed here.

FILTER: - Fan Productions - Online

Doctor Who pays tribute to The Brigadier

Saturday, 1 October 2011 - Reported by Marcus

Doctor Who took time tonight to pay tribute to one of its longest-running characters.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart as played by the late Nicholas Courtney, was a stalwart of the series in the early seventies and appeared in a total of 102 episodes over the years. The actor died earlier this year after a long illness.

The 2011 series finale, The Wedding of River Song, saw the Doctor learn of the death of his former colleague in a phone call from the nursing home where the fictional brigadier spent his last days. "I'm afraid Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart passed away a few months ago," the nurse told the Doctor. "It was very peaceful. Talked a lot about you, if that's any comfort. Always made us pour an extra brandy in case you came round one of these days."

Executive producer, Steven Moffat, said of the decision to include the tribute to Courtney's character:

In a story about the Doctor going to his death, it seemed right and proper to acknowledge one of the greatest losses Doctor Who has endured.

The character of The Brigadier first appeared in 1968 as Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart, in Episode Three of the Patrick Troughton story The Web of Fear. His last appearance in Doctor Who was in the fourth episode of the 1989 story Battlefield.

After the series returned in 2005, viewers were told his character was in Peru until he was revived again for two episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures, Enemy of the Bane

The Phone Call, BBC, via the BBC Doctor Who site - may not play outside of the United Kingdom

FILTER: - Series 6/32 - Production

Strike at BBC Wales affects Doctor Who

Friday, 30 September 2011 - Reported by Marcus

Fiming on the Christmas Special of Doctor Who had been disrupted by a 24-hour strike called today to protest at compulsory redundancies at BBC Wales.

The dispute is over plans to cut four editors' posts and the failure of the BBC to offer redeployment to the four individuals involved.

In addition to the effect on Doctor Who, shooting on Casualty and Pobol y Cwm has also been suspended and the BBC Radio Wales breakfast show, Good Morning Wales, was replaced by arts programming.

FILTER: - Production - BBC

Roath Lock Opens for Business

Friday, 23 September 2011 - Reported by Marcus

The new BBC Drama Centre in Cardiff, the future home of Doctor Who, has opened for business.

The BBC's internal magazine Ariel reports that the purpose built studio complex at Roath Lock on Cardiff Bay is ready for business just fourteen months after construction started and nine months after the topping out ceremony, making it one of the quickest builds in the history of the BBC. The building is part of the BBC's desire to move 50% of its budget outside London with Cardiff being designated as a centre of excellence for drama, mostly because of the success of Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Casualty is the first programme to move in and began filming at the site today, Friday, after the programme transferred from its previous base in Bristol. It will be joined in the next few weeks by the Welsh soap opera Pobol y Cwm which will enjoy a 360 degree set with nine walk in sets. Upstairs Downstairs will also be filmed in the centre where 1930's London is currently being recreated in three studios ready for the six part series to start filming in a fortnight.

The studios will be officially opened in March when Doctor Who relocates to the centre from its current home at leased studios in Upper Boat, Pontypridd, ready for filming the 33rd series of the show. The studio complex is owned by the Welsh Goverment and leased to the BBC under a 20 year deal for around £1.35m per year. It features the biggest BBC Studio in the country and what is believed to be the largest green screen facility in Europe. In total there are nine studios and three external lots. Because of the coastal nature of the site Hawks are being employed to keep the lots free of Seagulls.

The building's exterior has been designed to represent the key shows which will be occupying it. First Aid crosses for Casualty, silhouettes of hills and floral cut-outs for Pobol y Cwm, and sci-fi gothic for Doctor Who.

FILTER: - Production - BBC

Christmas Guest Stars Revealed

Wednesday, 21 September 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Outnumbered star Claire Skinner will be joining the Doctor Who team for the 2011 Christmas Special. Skinner, who was spotted last week filming for the special, will play a super-mum, Madge Arwell, in the story set in the middle of winter during World War II.

Showrunner Steven Moffat promises the episode will be the 'most Christmassy ever' with a chase through a 'Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe' type forest, complete with an ice villain. The story sees the Doctor acting as the caretaker of a creepy old house in Dorset before embarking on an adventure with Madge and her two children Lily and Cyril.

Moffat said how much he enjoyed writing the Christmas special for Matt Smith:

The Doctor at Christmas - nothing is more fun to write. Maybe because it's so his kind of day - everything's bright and shiny, everybody's having a laugh, and nobody minds if you wear a really stupid hat. Of all the Doctors, Matt Smith's is the one that was born for this time of year - so it's the best news possible that he's heading back down the chimney.

Joining Skinner will be comedian and presenter Alexander Armstrong (who also plays Mr Smith in The Sarah Jane Adventures), Fast Show veteran Arabella Weir, and comedian Bill Bailey, who said on Twitter:

Tour done, wine is on,thanks to all who came along-back to Blighty to film Doctor Who Christmas Special..Onward!

Claire Skinner

Claire Skinner is currently starring as Sue Brockman in the BBC One hit Comedy Outnumbered, which is currently in its fourth series.

She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and her first role was in Hanky Park, by Walter Greenwood at the Oldham Repertory Theatre. She later joined the Royal Shakespeare Company appearing in Measure for Measure at the Young Vic. On stage she has appeared in Charley's Aunt, Othello and most recently in Deathtrap at the Noel Coward Theatre in London. Film roles include parts in Sleepy Hollow, Bridget Jones's Diary and And When Did You Last See Your Father?

She is married to Doctor Who director Charles Palmer.

Bill Bailey

Bill Bailey is an English comedian, musician and actor.

Best known for his stand-up work, Bailey is a well known figure on many comedy panel shows, such as Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, Just a Minute and QI.

Bailey was listed by The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy in 2003. In 2007 and again in 2010, he was voted the 7th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups. He provided the voice of the sperm whale in the 2005 film The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and has had parts in Burke and Hare, Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang and Skins.

Alexander Armstrong

Alexander Armstrong is is a British comedian, actor and television presenter.

He co-starred in four series of Armstrong and Miller from 1997 to 2001 alongside his university contemporary Ben Miller. He played David Cameron in the satirical fictional documentary The Trial of Tony Blair and a sex-addicted guest in Hotel Babylon in 2007. He appeared in the 2007 Christmas Special of the classic BBC sitcom To the Manor Born playing Adam fforbes-Hamilton, the nephew of Audrey DeVere. He has provided the voice of Mr Smith, an alien computer, in The Sarah Jane Adventures since the series began in 2007.

He currently hosts the BBC daily Quiz show Pointless.

Arabella Weir

Arabella Weir is a British comedian, actress and writer.

She is best known for her roles in The Fast Show and for writing several books including the international best seller Does My Bum Look Big In This? She is a regular contributer to the BBC2 comedy series, Grumpy Old Women. She makes regular appearances in the BBC Radio 4 comedy series Smelling of Roses and "Down the Line". Weir played an alternate female version of the Doctor in the Big Finish play Exile. In the E4 teen drama/comedy Skins she appeared as as the mother of Michelle Richardson.

Production continued for the Special this week, with the cast and crew settling in for filming yesterday at Uskmouth Power Station.

Details on filming at the power station that may be considered spoilers.

The site was set up to look like a futuristic corridor. A fire engine was also in attendance, and earlier reports had indicated that a canal boat was to be "blown up", though it is believed that such an idea was dropped due to health and safety issues at the power station. Matt Smith (or stunt double) was also seen at the location.