Extra tickets to the BBC's 50th Celebration at the ExCeL Centre in London have been made available, with a ballot opening today for applications to buy them.

The convention - which takes place from 22nd to 24th November inclusive - will have a range of activities, including panels with key cast members from 50 years of the programme, special-effects shows, stunt workshops, quizzes, and games.

In a statement, BBC Worldwide said: Applications can be made online or by phone on 0844 693 0780 (charges will vary depending on the provider). Applicants with disability access requirements can discuss these with a team member by calling the dedicated CrowdSurge helpline on 0843 459 4939 (again, charges will vary depending on the provider).

The ballot will be open until 10am BST on Monday 30th September.

One entry is being allowed per person and names will be drawn at random from all of the applications that have been submitted by the closing date and time. Successful and unsuccessful applicants in the first ballot will be notified via e-mail on Tuesday 1st October. If successful applicants do not have a valid e-mail address they will be contacted by telephone. Unsuccessful applicants without an e-mail address will not be contacted.

Those who are successful will receive a unique code to be used by 10am BST on Thursday 3rd October to buy tickets to the convention. The code can only be used once, and up to four tickets can be bought but they must be in the same transaction. The code is only valid for the date and entry group originally chosen in the application.

Should any tickets remain from the first ballot, a second ballot will be opened and all applicants who were unsuccessful in the first ballot will be automatically entered into the second ballot. Ballot rounds will continue to be held until all the tickets have been sold.

The tickets being balloted and sold are the standard ones, with the price remaining at £45 for adults, £20 for children, and £104 for a family ticket (two adults and two children). Please note that these prices exclude any booking fees.

No additional merchandise, photos, autographs, or T-shirts will be available to buy at this stage. The limited-edition TARDIS tickets are sold out and will not be included in the ballot. Full terms and conditions can be found here.

The BFI will be premiering An Adventure In Space And Time - the drama about the genesis of Doctor Who - on Tuesday 12th November.

The 90-minute production for BBC Two has been written by Mark Gatiss, directed by Terry McDonough, and stars David Bradley as William Hartnell. Before it airs on TV screens, though, it is being shown first on the big screen as part of the BFI's Doctor Who At 50 season.

The event will start at 8.20pm and a question-and-answer session with a special guest panel will also be held, with the names of those taking part still to be confirmed.

Tickets will be allocated by two separate ballots via the members' section, with one ballot for BFI Champions, opening on Monday 30th September, and another ballot for members, which will open on Tuesday 1st October. Champions can enter both ballots. The ballots will close at midday on Friday 4th October and will be run over the weekend of 5th and 6th October, with all entrants being notified on Monday 7th October as to whether or not they have been successful. All tickets reserved for Champions and members via the ballots will be held for claiming by them until 8.30pm on Friday 11th October, and any that are unclaimed by then will be released for public sale on Saturday 12th October.

Although it will undoubtedly sell out to Champions and members, as has been the case with all previous events in the season, returns and stand-bys will be a strong possibility, so keep checking with the BFI.

A broadcast date for the drama is yet to be announced.

October sees the broadcast of nine episodes featuring David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor on Australian and New Zealand television. These screenings are part of the 50th Anniversary season of Doctor Who on the UKTV Australia and UKTV New Zealand channels.

The selection includes four episodes each from the 2006 and 2008 series, with the 2007 series represented by just one episode. All four of Steven Moffat's Tenth Doctor episodes are included.

The schedule for the month in both countries is as follows:

6 October
School Reunion - AU: 4:35pm; NZ: 4:45pm (NZ repeat 7 Oct, 4:20am)
The Girl in the Fireplace - AU: 5:30pm; NZ: 5:35pm (NZ repeat 7 Oct, 5:05am)

13 October
The Impossible Planet - AU: 3:35pm; NZ: 3:50pm (NZ repeat 14 Oct, 3:25am)
The Satan Pit - 4:30pm; NZ 4:45pm (NZ repeat 14 Oct, 4:15am)
Blink - AU: 5:30pm: NZ: 5:35pm (NZ repeat 14 Oct, 5:05am)

20 October
Silence In The Library - AU: 2:25pm; NZ: 4:45pm (NZ repeat 21 Oct, 4:10am)
Forest Of The Dead - AU: 3:25pm; NZ: 5:40pm (NZ repeat 21 Oct, 4:55am)

27 October
The Stolen Earth - AU: 2:25pm; NZ: 4:30pm (NZ repeat 28 Oct, 3:50am)
Journey's End - AU: 3:25pm; NZ: 5:20pm (NZ repeat 28 Oct, 4:40am)

Episodes featuring other Doctors also scheduled to screen on UKTV during October include in Australia, a screening of Series One (2005), weekdays at 9:20am beginning Thursday 17 October, and Series Seven (2012-13) Sunday evenings at 5:30pm from 20 October. New Zealand has The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe at 6:30pm on Sunday 6 October, followed by Series Seven, also on Sunday evenings at 6:30pm from 13 October.

Upcoming broadcasts can be found on UKTV's Doctor Who guide for Australia and New Zealand.

This week's Radio Times celebrates 90 years, featuring an article summarising a number of the striking portraits that have graced the cover of the nonagenarian magazine. Doctor Who gets to feature three times in the list, represented in the 1960s with the Daleks' first appearance on the cover for The Dalek Invasion of Earth, the first full week of the 1970s with Jon Pertwee becoming the Doctor in Spearhead from Space, and in the 2000s with the TARDIS proclaiming the return of a much-missed favourite ...


Meanwhile, the results of a recent poll undertaken by the online site to find out the "ultimate evening of British Television" have now been revealed, with Doctor Who taking the crown for drama series. The evening was, perhaps unsurprisingly, dominated by BBC programmes: 5:30pm - Blue Peter; 6:00pm - Only Fools and Horses; 7:15pm - Doctor Who; 8:00pm - Morecambe and Wise; 9:00pm - Around The World In 80 Days; 10:00pm - The News At Ten with Trevor McDonald.

BBC Books have announced the release of their three tie-in e-novellas in a new paperback edition, including a new introduction and interview with 'author' Amelia Williams. The book is due out on 24th October 2013.

A new game based around Doctor Who would appear to be in the works, as least as suggested in the latest official Doctor Who Consumer Panel survey to be undertaken by fans.

Having been asked about interests in Doctors, companions and monsters, and thoughts on gaming platforms, a section of the survey is then dedicated to questions about how participants felt about a new game that could be played on smartphones and other media:


Some provisional "mock up" images were also presented for opinion:


Participants are then invited to suggest a name for the game from the following possibilities, and also to provide their own!

• Legends of the Doctor
• Legacy of Monsters
• Adventures with Monsters
• Puzzle War
• Friends and Monsters
• Puzzle Battle
• Doctor Who: Legacy.

The inclusion of the word "when" in the statement certainly suggests that a game is planned and may have already entered development, but there is no indication as to when it is likely to be released, however. More news as and when it becomes available.

The twentieth in our series of features telling the story of the creation of Doctor Who, and the people who made it happen.

With the first scripts now complete and work well under way on the titles and music for the new series, the cast and crew began the start of the long process of turning the thoughts and ideas of the production team into a television play.

It was on Thursday 19th September, exactly 50 years ago today, that the first dramatic filming for an episode of Doctor Who took place.

In the days before video editing, complicated sequences, or items that required a lot of setting up, would always be recorded on to film. Film was a much more flexible medium than video tape, primarily because it could be easily edited.

Film was also used for sequences that needed a large set, one that would not be practical in the confines of a television studio. It was used for sequences that would not be allowed in an electronic studio, such as those involving fire or water.

The downside of film production was the cost. It was more expensive than video recording and took much longer to produce. Camera set-ups and lighting took time and sequences had to be repeated many times to get the required shots. Film then had to be developed and edited before it was transmittable.

Any film sequences needed to be complete before the studio session took place in the electronic studio, as film insets needed to be played through the studio, in real time, to become part of the complete recording. For the first episode of Doctor Who just one film sequence was needed: the shot at the very end of the episode when the TARDIS is seen having landed in prehistoric times, being overlooked by the shadow of a human.

One actor was required for this, and Leslie Bates provided the shadow of the caveman overlooking the TARDIS after it had landed, thus becoming the first actor to have his image recorded for Doctor Who, albeit only as a shadow and uncredited.

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The following day, the four principal cast members met at BBC Television Centre at 3pm to take part in a photocall for Radio Times. A small mock-up of the junkyard set and the classroom had been rigged, and it was hoped by the production team that the series would be awarded the cover of the relevant Radio Times, but this was not confirmed.


It was the first time the four cast members had met, and Carole Ann Ford remembers her feelings on the day:

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The next day, on Saturday 21st September 1963, that first TARDIS team met in a West London hall, where they would begin the very first rehearsals for the very first episode of Doctor Who.

The location was the Drill Hall at 117 Walmer Road, London, W2. The part of Walmer Road where the local Territorial Army base once stood no longer exists. The street was split in half during the late-1960s to allow a new housing project to be built, and the location where those first tentative rehearsals took place - and where Doctor Who was first brought to life - now lies in Kingsdown Close, the site occupied by a block of flats sandwiched between the Hammersmith and City Underground Line and the Westway.

Any drama had to be recorded in as near to real time as possible. Although it was accepted that a drama as complex as Doctor Who would need some recording breaks, these were very limited and had to be agreed with the programme's producer. A thorough rehearsal of each episode was needed to ensure that each recording proceeded as seamlessly as possible.
While the cast were establishing their characters, decisions were being taken on the running order of the series. By mutual consent, David Whitaker and Anthony Coburn agreed that Coburn's story The Robots should swap places in the series running order with the Terry Nation story, originally planned to be fifth in the series run. The main reason was that the scripts for The Robots were still not finished, while Nation's scripts were ready. Design work needed to be started on the story.

Looking much further forward, it was now decided to complete the first year's run with two seven-part stories and one four-part story. Nation was commissioned to write one of the seven-part stories, The Red Fort, which would be set during the Indian Mutiny.

The latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine is out today, and features five Doctors as they discuss the forthcoming release of Big Finish's The Light at the End:


Also this issue:

• Start with a Bang! Doctor Who's showrunner and head writer, Steven Moffat, answers DWM readers' questions. So how and why did the TARDIS explode in The Pandorica Opens? Find out Steven’s reply in his exclusive column.
• Deep, Deep Trouble: The Third Doctor and Jo encounter creatures from the bottom of the ocean in one of the best-loved stories of the 1970s. Discover fascinating new facts and intriguing new insights into the adventure, as The Fact of Fiction digs beneath the surface of The Sea Devils!
• Blockbusters: DWM rolls back the clock to 2012 – five adventures, each of which could have been a movie! Stand by for action, as DWM takes a nostalgic look at a season filled with dinosaurs, Angels and Daleks as Countdown To 50 continues.
• The Ride of a Lifetime? The Doctor and Clara visit a futuristic amusement park – one which holds a horrifying secret beneath the veneer of fun. The terror behind the rides is revealed in a brand new comic strip, Welcome to Tickle Town, by Scott Gray with art by Adrian Salmon.
• Change, my Dear... Seasoned viewers of Doctor Who are used to the idea of the lead actor changing from time to time. But what's it like from the perspective of a child? Jacqueline Rayner shares her experience of how her kids reacted to the announcement of Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor in Relative Dimensions.
• Who's on the Stage: DWM talks to actor, comedian and dedicated fan Toby Hadoke about his candid interviews with the stars of the series, and the forthcoming West End double-bill of his acclaimed one-man shows, Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf and My Stepson Stole My Sonic Screwdriver.
• Place Of Perfection? The Time Team – Emma, Chris, Michael and Will – see the TARDIS take the Doctor, Martha and Jack into the far, far future. What will they make of the mysterious Professor Yana? And will they manage to find Utopia?
• Speaking Double Dutch: The mysterious Watcher provides an elegant explanation of rural accents, champions another Supporting Artist and challenges readers with the Six Faces of Delusion in the most unpredictable page in DWM: WOTCHA!

PLUS! All the latest official news; DVD, CD and book reviews; the latest merchandise previewed; prize-winning crossword and competitions; and much, much more!

Following on from the release of music from the seventh series of Doctor Who, Silva Screen have announced the soundtrack listing for the 2011 and 2012 Christmas Specials:

The album is due for release on 21st October 2013.

Competition:

We have three copies of the CD set as prizes courtesy of Silva Screen. To be in with a chance to win a copy please answer the following question:
Please send your answer to comp-xmasmusic@doctorwhonews.net with the subject line "Let it snow!", along with your name, address, and where you read about this competition. The competition is open worldwide, and the closing date will be 20th October 2013. Only one entry per household will be accepted.

BBC Worldwide have confirmed that The Tenth Planet has been moved forward in the release schedule and will now be released on Monday 14th October 2013. This replaces next month's originally planned DVD release of The Moonbase, which the new edition of Doctor Who Magazine has reported is now expected on 20th January 2014.

The release schedule in the United Kingdom now currently looks as follows:

• 30th September - The Monster Collection
• 30th September - Terror of the Zygons
• 14th October - The Tenth Planet
• 28th October - The Complete Series 7
• 4th November - The Complete Series 1-7 (Blu Ray)
• 2nd December - The Day of the Doctor Anniversary release (this will include the drama An Adventure in Space and Time)
• 20th January - The Moonbase

Update 18th October: An Adventure in Space and Time will no longer accompany The Day of the Doctor.

There are no details at present as to when The Underwater Menace will be released, though it is expected to be during 2014.