Tonight will see the first of two Doctor Who concerts to be performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London as part of this year's 2013 BBC Proms. The prom will be broadcast live from 7:30pm on BBC Radio 3 (with a second prom tomorrow morning at 10:30am), and recorded for broadcast on television at a later date.

The concert will feature the premiere of a special song to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the show. Speaking to Mark Lawson on BBC Radio 4's Front Row on Tuesday, series composer Murray Gold discussed writing Song For 50:

Talking about the huge success of the Doctor Who on BBC Breakfast on Tuesday, Proms presenter Katie Derham said:

A report from the rehearsals of the prom was broadcast on Breakfast Saturday morning, during which Matt Smith said:
The rehearsals have been taking place all with, with Murray Gold observing:

Earlier in the week, he spoke about the proms experience to Suzy Klein on BBC Radio 3's In Tune:

The Proms isn't all about the music of Murray Gold, however; there will be a selection of other classical pieces from composers such as Bach, Bizet and Debussy, whose music has also appeared in the series, and specially composed music soundtracks created by winners of the BBC's Create a Soundtrack competition. Plus, the concert will also hear music hailing back to the earlier era of the show, with David Jackson, director of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales explaining on BBC Radio Wales:

Finally, speaking to BBC London Thursday evening conductor Ben Foster said:

---

Next Thursday's Blue Peter on CBBC will include an item on presenter Barney Harwood's appearance at the Proms - having learnt how to play the trombone in three weeks during May for a Brass Band Challenge on the show, presenter Helen Skelton then presented him with a new challenge to play with the National Orchestra of Wales during the Doctor Who Prom (her challenge can be watched via the CBBC website, from 2:25).

The annual Maize Maze from YorkMazes Ltd has been unveiled this weekend, with sixth Doctor Colin Baker on hand to open the special Doctor Who-themed maze, which this year celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the series. The maze, shaped in the form of a Dalek and featuring the likenesses of William Hartnell and Matt Smith is over 1,000 feet long, and contains some 6 miles of pathways.

Baker, who had just encountered the Daleks in the field upon his 'arrival', wrly observed:

There will also be a special sci-fi day at the site on the 27th July - see the website for more details.


A report and video of the opening with Colin can be found on the BBC News website.

Sunday 14th July sees the broadcast of the 1988 Sylvester McCoy story, Remembrance of the Daleks on Australian and New Zealand television. The story is presented as part of the 50th Anniversary season of Doctor Who on the UKTV channel.

The story screens at 4:20pm in Australia, and 4:40pm in New Zealand. The latter country has an additional screening on Monday 15th July at 4:05am.

The UKTV billing describes the story as follows:

Unusual events are unfolding at Coal Hill School & the Doctor discovers that the Daleks are on the trail of Time Lord technology which he left on Earth centuries ago.

Remembrance of the Daleks was first broadcast in Australia in 1988 (the last episode screened on 23rd November, marking the 25th anniversary). New Zealand did not get to see the story until February 1990.

UKTV is showing stories throughout the year in the lead-up to the anniversary in November. In July the focus is on Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor. The rest of the month's schedule includes: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (21 July); The Curse of Fenric and Survival (both 28 July).

Up-and-coming broadcasts from both 20th and 21st Century series of Doctor Who can be found via UKTV's Doctor Who sections for Australia and New Zealand.

The actress Anna Wing has died at the age of 98.

Anna Wing had a small but memorable part in the 1982 Doctor Who story Kinda, playing Anatta, a manifestation of the Mara who appeared to Tegan in a dream.

However, it was the creation of the character of Lou Beale, in the BBC soap EastEnders, for which she will be long remembered. She played the matriarch of the Fowler/Beale families from the show's first episode in 1985 until the character was killed off in 1988.

Wing had a long career before EastEnders, appearing in small character roles on television as long ago as 1938 and appearing in some of the most iconic dramas such as Z-Cars, Dixon of Dock Green and Anna Karenina.

She is survived by her two sons, including the actor Mark Wing-Davey, and five grandchildren. At the age of 98, she was believed to be the second longest-lived actress to have had a credited role in Doctor Who.

Character have announced a special edition 12" Dalek to celebrate Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary.

A special edition of Doctor Who Magazine has been published today featuring telesnaps from missing Second Doctor episodes.

Although a total of 106 Doctor Who episodes no longer exist in the BBC archives, there are pictorial records of most of them in the form of photos taken of TV screens at the time of broadcast, and The Missing Episodes – The Second Doctor Volume 1 contains images from six Patrick Troughton stories across its 116 pages.

The adventures covered are The Power of the Daleks, The Highlanders, The Underwater Menace, The Moonbase, The Macra Terror, and The Faceless Ones.

The special publication also has a feature by researcher and author Richard Molesworth, which reveals how some missing episodes of Doctor Who have miraculously been found and returned to the archives over the years. Molesworth wrote the book Wiped! Doctor Who's Missing Episodes, which was updated this year for a second edition.

It is unknown as yet when Volume 2 will be published or which stories it will cover.

Matt Smith is selling his first car for charity.

The X-reg Vauxhall Corsa Club is being auctioned off on eBay in aid of Starlight - an organisation that grants wishes to children who are seriously and terminally ill and entertains youngsters in hospitals and hospices in the UK.

Also affectionately known as "The Shed", the silver three-door manual vehicle, which was first registered on 30th November 2000, has approximately 60,000 miles on the clock. It has been owned by Smith since he was 18, but has ended up parked on his parents' driveway because of his work commitments. In addition, the MoT expired last November, but the 12V 973cc petrol-fuelled car is taxed until August.

The eBay listing states: Smith, who is an ambassador for Starlight, commented: The auction closes on Thursday 18th July at 2.11pm BST. At the time of posting this news item, the top bid was £560.

Smith can be seen discussing the car, among other topics, in the following excerpt from an edition of the BBC TV series Top Gear, which was broadcast on 26th February 2012 and uploaded to the show's YouTube channel at the beginning of this year. (NB: May not play outside the UK.)


UPDATE - THURSDAY 18th JULY, 3.40pm BST: The car eventually went for £6,300 after 64 bids.

The BBC have released a publicity photo of David Bradley as William Hartnell in costume as the first Doctor, taken from the forthcoming drama An Adventure in Space and Time, which will be broadcast in the Autumn as part of the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary celebrations.

---

A panel took place last weekend at Comic Con France featuring writer and executive producer Mark Gatiss, during which a special minute-long trailer was shown to the audience highlighting Bradley's Hartnell, plus clips of the production of Doctor Who including those featuring Daleks and Cybermen. Talking about the drama, Gatiss said:
As previously reported, the drama's recreation of the TARDIS console was on display over the weekend. Gatiss commented:

DWAS 50th Anniversary Poll:

The Doctor Who Appreciation Society's 50th Anniversary Poll is now underway. Voting is open to all, with a closing date of 7th August. Full details may be found at the DWAS website.

(with thanks to Tony Jordan)

Fourth Dimension - a Doctor Who charity book:

FOURTH DIMENSION, by British Who fan Steven Miscandlon, collects twelve of his short stories and thirty-one reviews that were first published in various Doctor Who fan magazines between 1992 and 1996. The stories, which feature five of the original seven Doctors, range from short, fun pieces to darker and more thought-provoking tales, while the reviews cover not only a selection of televised Doctor Who stories, but also novels and other spin-off media released in the early nineties. Also included is “The Gallifrey Incursion”, a previously unpublished novelette-length story written in 1995.

The author was a regular contributor of fiction, articles and illustrations to well-respected fanzines such as Capitol Spires, Mandria, Silver Carrier, Metamorph and Shadowsphere, and also had pieces published in a handful of others, including Game of Rassilon, Club Tropicana, Circus and Borusa’s Trousers.

Perfectly tying in with the show’s 50th anniversary, the book will appeal to fans of the classic series, but Steven believes it also provides an interesting snapshot of what Who fans got up to in the lengthy hiatus between the cancellation of the original series in 1989, and the broadcast of the Paul McGann TV Movie in 1996.

He said:
The book is available as both a paperback and a PDF ebook from Lulu.com, and other ebook formats are also available directly from the author. All profits from sales of the book will be donated to UK charity Unite Against Cancer, which was set up in 2012 to fund research into new cancer treatments.

(with thanks to Steven Miscandlon)

More of the Best Poems in the Universe:

Are you suffering from end of series blues?
Are you twiddling your thumbs waiting for the 50th anniversary?
Are you more poetic than Clara’s leaf?

Then put your writing skills to good use. Volume 2 needs your contributions right now because everything has gone a bit wibbly wobbly, timey rhymey! They can be about any Who related subject, your own work and must be previously unpublished.

We would also welcome any artwork from budding Doctor Who artists out there. Please supply as a 300dpi jpeg. Pictures should be portrait in orientation. Send your entries to whoems@GJBpublishing.co.uk. Deadline for all entries is 31st July 2013.

Those successful will be notified by email and will have the chance to pre-order the book before it goes on general release later this year. The editor’s decision is final. Geronimo!

(with thanks to Garry Vaux)

The Doctor & I - a celebration of a fandom 50 years in the making:

We've all got a "The Doctor & I" story. It's time to tell yours.

23rd November 2013 will mark 50 years of Doctor Who as well as 50 years of its accompanying fandom that continues to be a big part of all of our lives. Although all of our journeys with the Doctor start at different times, his ongoing adventures continue to bring millions of fans around the world together as we discuss, debate and share in his epic voyage through through time and space.

As part of WhovianNet's 50th anniversary celebrations, we want to how and when your story began.

We're inviting you to submit your own essays (but they're not really essays - essays are NOT cool!) which detail your personal introduction to the Doctor Who fandom. How did it all begin for you? What initially got you so hooked? How has your life been affected since? We are particularly looking for stories that are special, moving and, most importantly, unique to you.

In a nutshell, we want to know what being a Doctor Who fan means to YOU - whether you've been following the Doctor since Day 1 or accidentally stumbled upon his recent adventures at 4 in the morning on Netflix, we want to hear from you, in essay/report/diary/story style.

And here comes the really cool bit - the stories will be collated into a special commemorative book which will go on sale later this year. The book will serve as a celebration of the fandom that's been 50 years in the making with - we hope - stories from fans worldwide young and old, as we come together to mark the Doctor's 50th birthday. We also hope to include contributions from those who have worked on the series who will reflect on their own experiences with the Doctor, both on and off screen.

Full details about the project can be found on our website.

(with thanks to Dan @ Whovian Net)

DDWRPG Fanzine Issue #020:

This issue of the Diary of Doctor Who Role Playing Games (DDWRPG) features the amazing discovery of lost Doctor Who RPG materials, such as the original proposals for FASA modules and the summary of the never released Gallifrey supplement! Also featured in the issue is an interview with FASA writer Ray Winninger, as well as many new articles! Reviews, adventure modules, and all of our standard features are in this Super-sized 172 page issue!!

The issue is available from the DDWRPG website.

Our next issue has lots of goodies planned including a look at the “Time Meddlers” Doctor Who RPG Fanzine from the 1980s, an interview with editor Steven Dieter, and many more good items as well! We welcome your submissions.

(with thanks to Nick Seidler)

Celebrate Regenerate - Out Now:

Lewis Christian reports on the release of his book, Celebrate, Regenerate:

(with thanks to Lewis Christian)

BBC Worldwide have announced the release of a limited edition set to celebrate the Fourth Doctor, as played by Tom Baker. The Fourth Doctor Time Capsule will contain exclusive merchandise and memorabilia:

• An Interview with the Time Lord - a newly commissioned interview with Tom Baker.
• Terror of the Zygons - an advance "vanilla" release of the restored story, which is due out later in the year.
• Fourth Doctor Action Figure - an exclusive post-regenerative Fourth Doctor, wearing Jon Pertwee’s trademark frill-fronted shirt.
• Fourth Doctor sonic screwdriver.
• Genesis of the Daleks - an audio version of the classic Dalek "origin" story.
• Tomb of Valdemar - a novel by Simon Messingham, set during the Doctor’s search for the Key to Time.
• Art cards - featuring all the Fourth Doctor’s companions.
• A letter from Tom Baker.

The Fourth Doctor Time Capsule is limited to 5000 copies, and is due to be released in the UK only on 29th July.

---

The set was subject to a Twitter campaign over the last week using the #thefourth hashtag, which also saw a couple of intriguing teaser trailers released to promote interest: