The Two Doctors on UKTV

Friday, 21 June 2013 - Reported by Paul Scoones

UKTV

Sunday 23rd June sees the broadcast of the 1985 Colin Baker story, The Two Doctors 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 3:25pm in Australia, and 3:35pm in New Zealand. The latter country has an additional screening on Monday 24th June at 3:30am.
The Two Doctors (Credit: BBC)
The UKTV billing describes The Two Doctors as follows:
Time & time again, the Doctor has teamed up with himself to save lives. This time, he must save his past self in order to ensure his own existence in his present.
The Two Doctors was first broadcast in Australia in 1986. New Zealand did not get to see it until 1989. The story was originally screened in Britain as three 45-minute episodes, but was first broadcast in Australia and New Zealand in six parts. The UKTV transmission will feature the three-episode version of the story.

UKTV is showing stories throughout the year in the lead-up to the anniversary in November. The run of Sixth Doctor stories concludes next week with Revelation of the Daleks (30 June). Next month the focus shifts to Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor, with the following stories scheduled: Paradise Towers (7 July); Remembrance of the Daleks (14 July); 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.





FILTER: - Classic Series - WHO50 - New Zealand - Australia

Doctor Who Adventures 323

Friday, 21 June 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
The new edition of Doctor Who Adventures has plenty of food for thought.

A Cyber cress head is the free gift with the magazine, which has also been creating prehistoric parasites out of fruit and is inviting readers to send in their own fruit monster designs.

Editor Natalie Barnes said:
We had so much fun creating our own edible monsters and I know our creative readers will love coming up with their own scary lookalikes. The Cyber cress head is the perfect way to upgrade boring sandwiches and add something mean and green to their meals!
Issue 323 of DWA is on sale until Tuesday 2nd July.




FILTER: - Magazines - DWA

A Message from The Doctor

Friday, 21 June 2013 - Reported by Marcus
Matt Smith has recorded a thank-you message to Doctor Who fans.

The actor is currently filming in Detroit for a feature film, How to Catch a Monster, directed by Ryan Gosling.





FILTER: - Matt Smith

Doctor Who To Be Star Attraction At Radio Times Exhibition

Friday, 21 June 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
Doctor Who is to have its own special display at an exhibition marking the 90th anniversary of listings magazine Radio Times.

Cover Story: Radio Times At 90, to be held at the Museum of London from Friday 2nd August to Sunday 3rd November, will celebrate the history of the publication and reflect the story of broadcasting in Britain, showcasing some of its iconic covers from various programmes over the past nine decades.

It will be divided into sections covering various time frames, but as a nod to the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who and the fact that the programme has had such a lengthy relationship with the magazine - it was granted its first cover in February 1964 to publicise the start of the seven-part story Marco Polo - there will be a separate section for it that will feature covers as well as photographs from the Radio Times archive.

In addition, visitors can become cover stars themselves, posing alongside a life-size Dalek against a backdrop of Westminster Bridge to re-create the 2005 "Vote Dalek!" Radio Times cover, which promoted the episode Dalek and was voted most iconic cover of all time in the Great Cover Debate run by the Periodical Publishers Association (now called the Professional Publishers Association) in 2008. That particular cover is also currently in the running to be named Cover of the Century, with public voting open until Monday 30th September via the PPA website.

The free exhibition will take visitors from the BBC's first radio transmission to today's multi-channel offerings, through landmark broadcasts, archive clips, broadcast artefacts, and original Radio Times photography and artwork, including pieces by C R W Nevinson, John Gilroy, and influential British graphic designer Abram Games.

Radio Times editor Ben Preston said:
To flick through the covers of Radio Times over the past 90 years is to watch a popular history of Britain unfold: royal weddings, coronations, the outbreak of war and peace, moon landings, and even a victorious World Cup, household names created, and stars born - all have graced the cover of Radio Times.

No other magazine can rival Radio Times for showcasing the work of some of the nation's finest artists and photographers, creating unforgettable magazine covers that resonate today. In our 90th year, it is fantastic to work with the Museum of London to celebrate Radio Times' heritage and continued success.
Museum of London curator Jim Gledhill added:
The history of broadcasting in Britain has strong associations with London as the birthplace of the BBC. Radio Times has been an integral part of this history, so it is fitting that the Museum of London mark its 90th anniversary.
Sharon Ament, Museum of London director, stated:
Some of the most momentous moments from Radio Times' considerable canon will be on our walls. That's not only rather splendid but totally apt as this publication has been a large part of much of our culture for the past 90 years. With its roots in London there was a point when no sitting room was without this magazine. It was a weekly ritual to pore over its pages. I can't wait for the exhibition to open.
Radio Times, which was first published by the BBC in London on 28th September 1923 and is now published by Immediate Media Co, won the PPA's Consumer Magazine of the Year Award on Wednesday.




FILTER: - UK - Exhibitions - Radio Times

Charles And Camilla To Visit Doctor Who Studios

Thursday, 20 June 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are to pay an official visit to the Doctor Who studios in Cardiff next month to mark the show's 50th anniversary.

It will form part of the royal couple's annual Wales Week, in which they tour the country to publicise its positive aspects.

Their diary shows that on Wednesday 3rd July they will be meeting cast and crew members of Doctor Who during a set visit to the Roath Lock studios.

A spokesman for Clarence House, which is their official residence in London, said:
The Prince and the Duchess always enjoy their annual visit to Wales and this year they are looking forward to a varied programme of engagements including everything from Dylan Thomas's Boat House to Doctor Who's TARDIS! Their Royal Highnesses are also keen to highlight the vital work being done across Wales by some of the charities they are involved with.
While they are at Roath Lock the couple will meet Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman, and will encounter some of the Doctor's enemies as well. It is not known as yet which production team members will be presented to Charles and Camilla.

This won't be the first official brush with the world of Doctor Who for the Duchess of Cornwall. While opening the West Wilts Show in Trowbridge in July 2009 she encountered a Dalek and TARDIS at a display dedicated to the programme.

Earlier this month, Coleman was presented to the Queen when the monarch officially opened the rebuilt Broadcasting House in London.




FILTER: - Special Events - Matt Smith - WHO50 - Jenna-Louise Coleman - BBC

BBC Issues Statement Over Missing Episode Rumours

Wednesday, 19 June 2013 - Reported by John Bowman


The escalation of internet speculation over the potential discovery/recovery of Doctor Who episodes currently missing from the BBC archive has led the corporation to issue a statement about it.

Philip Fleming, the Head of Communications, Brands, Content & Digital at BBC Worldwide, said:
There are always rumours and speculation about Doctor Who missing episodes being discovered. However, we cannot confirm any new finds.
He was responding to reports of a large number of episodes having been found in Africa.

Radio Times subsequently queried what exactly the BBC meant by saying that it could not confirm any new finds, to which a BBC spokeswoman said: "We can't confirm because it's not true as far as I'm aware." Pressed further about whether or not the BBC was in talks with people about episodes, she said: "I don’t think so", while to the question "So there are no episodes?" she responded: "Not as far as we know."

Following the discoveries of the Galaxy 4 episode Air Lock and The Underwater Menace episode 2 in 2011, hopes have been high in fandom that more missing episodes are out there. However, Doctor Who News will continue its policy of reporting only on official statements.

UPDATE - THURSDAY 20th JUNE: Following the BBC's response, a company that had featured in the rumours issued the following statement on Facebook today:

T.I.E.A. does not hold any missing episodes of the long-running Dr Who series. The original videotapes were wiped [and] subsequent film copies were either returned to the BBC [or] sent to landfill. Odd fragments have surfaced - two episodes on 16mm film - but that's it. The programmes in question, like many others, were destroyed as they had no further commercial value. They are not missing but destroyed. The end.

I am sorry if this upsets some people but these are the facts.

I have also become aware of the tracking of some of our clients' shipments. These are local cultural materials sent to us for migration to a modern format as the playback equipment in the country of origin no longer exists and as such is the best road to preserve international cultural heritage.

I will be making no more statements on this subject.

Philip Morris, Executive Director, T.I.E.A.
Reported by:
The Doctor Who News Team




FILTER: - Africa - Second Doctor - First Doctor - BBC

BFI Seventh, Eighth, And Ninth Doctor Screenings Update

Monday, 17 June 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
The special guests for the BFI's celebratory screening of Remembrance of the Daleks next month have been announced.

The sell-out event, part of the BFI's Doctor Who At 50 season, is being held on Saturday 27th July at BFI Southbank to mark the Seventh Doctor's era and will see Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Ben Aaronovitch, Dick Mills, and Mike Tucker taking part in the question-and-answer panel.

The BFI is running a competition to win a pair of tickets to the screening, with a copy of the BFI book 100 Science Fiction Films - to be published on Friday 28th June - also going to the winner. Enter via this link. The contest closes on Friday 19th July. Terms and conditions apply.

August's event should have seen the Eighth Doctor's solo TV venture (so far) being shown on the big screen but instead the Ninth Doctor will be honoured that month, with a story screening and guest panel being held on Saturday 24th August.

BFI spokeswoman Liz Parkinson told Doctor Who News today:
Due to guest availability, we've moved our Eighth Doctor event to a little later in the year, so our Ninth Doctor event has been brought forward.
The date for the TV movie screening is yet to be announced, while the story to be shown from the Ninth Doctor's era, and the accompanying guests, will also be confirmed in due course.

Because of the overwhelming demand to attend the monthly screenings, a ballot system is being run to allocate tickets and priority booking for the Ninth Doctor event will take place, as previously, via the members' section.

BFI Champions can enter the ballot from Monday 1st July and members can enter from Tuesday 2nd July.

The ballot will close on Friday 5th July and be run over the weekend of 6th and 7th July, with all entrants to be notified on Monday 8th July if they have been successful or not. Any tickets reserved for Champions and members through the ballot will be held until 8.30pm on Friday 12th July, and any that are unclaimed by then will be released for public sale on Saturday 13th July.

Although all the screenings in the season so far have been immediate sell-outs, returns and stand-bys are a strong possibility, so if all else fails keep checking with the BFI!




FILTER: - Ninth Doctor - Special Events - UK - Eighth Doctor - Seventh Doctor - BFI - WHO50 - Sylvester McCoy

Tennant wins Emmy

Monday, 17 June 2013 - Reported by Marcus
David Tennant has won a daytime Emmy for his voice work on the Cartoon Network’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars series.

The Tenth Doctor was named Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program at a ceremony in Los Angeles for voicing Huyang, a droid who trains Jedi on how to build lightsabers.

Clone Wars supervising director Dave Filoni said Tennant’s work as the Doctor convinced him that the actor, himself a Star Wars geek, was perfect for Huyang:
I absolutely loved what David Tennant was doing on Doctor Who. There was such a quizzical nature to his character, a sense of whimsy, but he could still get very powerful emotion out of the character — a lot of intensity, a lot of anger — just an incredible display of range.
Thanks to Cameron




FILTER: - USA - David Tennant - Awards/Nominations

Big Finish: June Releases

Saturday, 15 June 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Big Finish have released details on the latest adventures for the Doctor and his companions in June ...

Prisoners of Fate (Credit: Big Finish)Prisoners of Fate (available to order)
Starring Peter Davison as The Doctor, Janet Fielding as Tegan, Mark Strickson as Turlough, and Sarah Sutton as Nyssa.

Twenty-five years ago, with Richter's Syndrome running rampant throughout the galaxy, the brilliant biochemist Nyssa, formerly of Traken, bade a painful farewell to her young family... and set off into the space, in search of a cure for this deadly disease.

She never returned.

Now, her grown-up son continues her work on the penal colony of Valderon, still desperate to make the breakthrough that eluded his presumed-dead mother.

So when the TARDIS lands on Valderon, bringing the Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and Nyssa to its fortress prison, the scene is set for a painful reunion... but not only for Nyssa. The Doctor's past is about to catch up with him too...


Prisoners of Fate ends the current trilogy of Fifth Doctor adventures with a twisty tale from the pen of Jonathan Morris as the Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and Nyssa are forced to confront head-on the consequences of Nyssa's travels in the TARDIS since Helheim, begun in Doctor Who: Cobwebs. The story guest stars Sarah Douglas (Superman, V) as Sibor and Alistair Mackenzie (Monarch of the Glen, Borgen) as Galen.

Producer David Richardson commented:
This story presents a huge dilemma for Nyssa, and there are no easy answers for the Doctor. Plus we get to meet something significant from the Doctorls past we never knew about before...
The Companion Chronicles: Council of War (Credit: Big Finish)Council of War (available to order)
Starring John Levene as Benton, with Sinead Keenan as Margery Phipps

At the Doctor's request, Sergeant Benton is investigating ghosts and missing people in Kettering, while undercover as a local councillor

And that's how he comes to meet Margery Phipps.

An alien incursion in the town hall leads them on a journey to a terrible future – where Margery discovers how she changed a world, and the life of a whole civilisation hangs in the balance...


Council of War, by Scarifyers creators Simon Barnard and Paul Morris, Sergeant Benton finds an undercover job taking on a life of its own when he gets involved in the life of Margery Phipps and the affairs of Kettering.

David:
Yes, John Levene has joined The Companion Chronicles. It's great to have him aboard – ably supported here by the brilliant Sinead Keenan (Nina from Being Human).
Fourth Doctor Adventures: The Dalek Contract (Credit: Big Finish)The Dalek Contract (available to order)
Starring Tom Baker as the Doctor, Mary Tamm as Romana, and John Leeson as K9

'These creatures have ravaged half the cosmos. They're experts at this kind of thing. Nothing can stand in their way.'

The Doctor and Romana find themselves in the Proxima System, where enigmatic Conglomerate CEO Cuthbert has been conducting his infamous 'experiment'. An experiment which might accidentally rip the universe apart.

Meanwhile, living conditions on Proxima Major have become harsh and hostile. Climate change has turned the landscape into a freezing wasteland and an alien power has condemned much of the population to life inside internment camps. For those still clinging to their freedom, the struggle for survival is now beyond desperate and outsiders such as the Doctor and Romana are only seen as a threat.

What is Cuthbert really up to in the Proxima System, and just how does he expect the dreaded Daleks to fit into his plan?


David:
A few firsts in this one. It's the first Romana's only meeting with the Daleks. It's K9's first fight against the Daleks (at least in a full cast medium). And it's also the return of David Warner as Cuthbert and Toby Hadoke as Mr Dorrick, as we head for a big season finale with high stakes...

Competition

This month's competition thanks to Big Finish is to win one of five copies of Council of War. To be in with a chance, please answer the following question:
John Levene has been long associated with the role of Benton, but name his only credited monstrous role and relevant story from the television series.
Send your answer to comp-council@doctorwhonews.net with the subject line "beneath the mask", along with your name, address, and where you saw the competition (the news website, twitter, facebook, etc.). Only one entry per postal address will be accepted. The competition is open worldwide, and the closing date is 30th June 2013.




FILTER: - Merchandise - Audio - Competitions - Fourth Doctor - Fifth Doctor - Big Finish

The Mark of the Rani on UKTV

Saturday, 15 June 2013 - Reported by Paul Scoones
UKTV
Sunday 16th June sees the broadcast of the 1985 Colin Baker story, The Mark of the Rani 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 both countries. New Zealand has an additional screening on Monday 17th June at 4:30am.
The Mark of the Rani
The UKTV billing describes The Mark of the Rani as follows:
In 19th century England, the Doctor finds himself facing two competing enemies: his old adversary, the Master, and the Rani, another Time Lord with a sinister plan.
The Mark of the Rani was first broadcast in Australia in 1986. New Zealand did not get to see it until 1989. The story was originally screened in Britain as two 45-minute episodes, but was first broadcast in Australia and New Zealand in four parts. UKTV will screen the two-episode version of the story.

UKTV is showing stories throughout the year in the lead-up to the anniversary in November. Colin Baker's sixth Doctor is the focus of the stories screened during June. Upcoming stories include The Two Doctors (23 June) and Revelation of the Daleks (30 June).

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.





FILTER: - Classic Series - WHO50 - New Zealand - Australia