Radio Times Story Guide

Saturday, 29 May 2010 - Reported by Marcus
Radio TimesAfter a brief hiatus, Radio Times is resuming its online Doctor Who story guide.

Radio Times journalists Mark Braxton and Patrick Mulkern with the assistance of Radio Times historian Ralph Montagu are compiling an in-depth analysis of every transmitted Doctor Who story, from a uniquely Radio Times perspective.

There is a wealth of archive material available including links to vintage magazine covers, quirky articles, amusing and occasionally prescient readers’ letters, superb Frank Bellamy illustrations and, from 1970 onwards, every individual programme billing. You can also find some of Radio Times’s own rare photographs.

So far the project covers every story from An Unearthly Child to The Ark in Space, and the aim is to present a new entry on a roughly weekly basis.




FILTER: - Magazines - Classic Series

DVD News

Thursday, 27 May 2010 - Reported by Marcus
More details on forthcoming DVD releases has been published in the current issue of Doctor Who Magazine.

The August release of Revenge of the Cybermen will feature a commentary with Elisabeth Sladen, who played Sarah Jane Smith in the story and David Collings, who played Vorus, along with the producer at the time Philip Hinchliffe. Extras, which were first listed here, include a 'making of' documentary and archive news footage from the location.

Its companion story Silver Nemesis will have a commentary with the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy as well as Sophie Aldred who played Ace, director Chris Clough and script editor Andrew Cartmel. Other extras include a documentary looking at the making of the story and deleted and extended scenes.

The September release, Time and the Rani will have a commentary with Sylvester McCoy, this time paired with Bonnie Langford who played Melanie Bush. This will be the first Doctor Who commentary by Langford. They will be joined by the writers of the story, Pip and Jane Baker. Extras on the disc will include a documentary, Last Chance Saloon, looking at the pressures on the series at the time, as well as a look at the first CGI title sequence, interviews with Pip and Jane Baker and Kate O'Mara and archive footage from Breakfast Time and Blue Peter.

Full details on upcoming releases can be found in our Release Schedule




FILTER: - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD

DVD News

Wednesday, 19 May 2010 - Reported by Marcus
2 entertain have published pictures taken at the recording session for the commentary track on the forthcoming release of The Dominators. Two pictures have been published on the classicdw twitter account, the first featuring Wendy Padbury who played Zoe, Giles Block who played Teel, Sylvia James who did the make up for the story and Toby Hadoke who moderated. The second features Wendy Padbury who played Zoe, Frazer Hines who played Jamie, Arthur Cox who played Cully and Toby Hadoke who moderated, along with Commentary Producer John Kelly.
The Dominators is due for release in the UK on 12 July.

Tom Baker has confirmed he has now recorded the commentary track for the 2011 release of The Seeds of Doom, along with John Challis who played Scorby in the story and Philip Hinchcliffe who was producer at the time.

Also on the twitter account it has been confirmed that a tribute to former producer Barry Letts is being prepared for release on a future DVD. Tom Baker and Nicholas Courtney will both contribute to the documentary.




FILTER: - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD

Jimmy Gardner 1924 - 2010

Friday, 7 May 2010 - Reported by Marcus
Jimmy GardnerThe actor Jimmy Gardner has died at the age of 85.

Jimmy Gardner had two roles in Doctor Who. In 1964 he played the role of Chenchu, the manager of the way station at Tun-Huang, in the fourth story of the series Marco Polo. He returned to the series in 1978 to play the role of Idmon in the fourth Doctor story Underworld. Idmon was a Trog on the planet formed around the P7E, and the father of Idas. He tried to encourage the other Trogs to rebel, but was arrested by the Guards and selected for sacrifice. He was rescued by the Doctor and escaped his planet's destruction on board the R1C.

Gardner had a long eventful life. He was a war hero, a survivor of two shipwrecks and numerous escapades on land. After the war he trained as an actor at The Central School and had a long career in television, film and stage. He appeared in many classic TV series including The Forsyte Saga, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Dixon of Dock Green, Z Cars and The Onedin Line. In film he worked on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and had his most notorious role as Ernie the bus driver in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Independent Obituary




FILTER: - Obituary - Classic Series

David Myerscough-Jones 1934-2010

Wednesday, 28 April 2010 - Reported by Marcus
David Myerscough-JonesSet designer David Myerscough-Jones has died at the age of 75.

David Myerscough-Jones was Designer for three stories in the classic series. He first worked on the 1968 second Doctor story The Web of Fear. Set in a London tube station, the BBC refused to pay the high fee demanded to film in the actual location so Myerscough-Jones was given the task of replicating the London Underground system in a television studio. He achieved this so admirably, with a replica so lifelike, that the BBC recieved a letter of complaint from London Underground alleging that filming had taken place on their property without permission.

In 1970 he returned to the series working on the third Doctor story The Ambassadors of Death and two years later he worked on Day of the Daleks were he was responsible for designing rooms in a stately home as wall a a futuristic control centre.

Outside of Doctor Who, Myerscough-Jones has a long successful career. His most notable achievement was designing the sets for a television version of Britten’s opera Peter Grimes.

He died of cancer on April 21, 2010, and is survived by his wife, Pelo, to whom he was married in 1963, and their four children.

Times Obituary




FILTER: - Obituary - Classic Series

DVD schedule

Wednesday, 28 April 2010 - Reported by Marcus
2 entertain have confirmed in DWM the release date for the next three UK DVD releases
A full release schedule for all Doctor Who products can be found on our Release Guide.




FILTER: - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD

Mara Tales

Tuesday, 27 April 2010 - Reported by Chuck Foster
2entertain have announced on their offical Twitter feed that the two stories Kinda and Snakedance are to be released during 2011, in a boxed set entitled Mara Tales. The company have released a Next Time Trailer for the set, which also features a glimpse of new CGI for the Mara's manifestation as a snake.

The trailer will appear on a future, currently unspecified Doctor Who release.






FILTER: - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD - Peter Davison

Revenge Extras

Tuesday, 27 April 2010 - Reported by Marcus
Revenge of the CybermenExtras have been cleared by BBFC for the forthcoming release of the fourth Doctor story Revenge of the Cybermen.

Extras Cleared:
  • Commentary
  • Cheques Lies and Videotape - 28'15"
  • Easter Egg - 21"
  • The Tin Men and the Witch - 25'22"
  • Location Report - 5'53"
  • Photo Gallery - 4'35"
No release date for the story has yet been announced.




FILTER: - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD

The Dominators Confirmed for DVD

Thursday, 22 April 2010 - Reported by Marcus
The DominatorsThe BBFC have cleared extras for the DVD release of the Second Doctor story The Dominators.

This 1968 five-part story has been expected ever since an official promo for the story was leaked to YouTube at the end of last year. The story stars Patrick Troughton as the Doctor along with Frazer Hines as Jamie and Wendy Padbury as Zoe.

The story is set on the planet Dulkis, under threat from two alien Dominators, Rago and his subordinate Toba, who have landed in a spaceship. It features the robot Quarks.

Guest stars include Ronald Allen, who was well known at the time for his starring role in the soap opera Compact and later for his role in Crossroads and Brian Cant who was a staple of Children's television in the sixties and seventies, well known for his work on Play School and Play Away and for his narration on the popular Trumpton, Chigley and Camberwick Green puppet series.

Extras Cleared:
  • Commentary
  • Recharge and Equalise - Featurette - 22'55"
  • Easter Egg - 2'34"
  • The Dominators - Photo Gallery - 5'46"
  • Tomorrow's Times - How the media reported on the Second Doctor - 13'12"
No release date for the story has been confirmed but it is likely to be released in July or August.




FILTER: - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD - Patrick Troughton

Doctor Who Costumes to be auctioned

Thursday, 22 April 2010 - Reported by Anthony Weight

A knight's cape from the 1965 William Hartnell story The Crusade is one of a number of Doctor Who-related items going under the hammer next month.

Cameo Fine Art Auctioneers in Midgham, Berkshire, is holding a sale of costumes originating from TV, film, and theatrical costumier Angels on Sunday 23rd May.

The cape has an estimate of £400-£500. Other items from Doctor Who include a pair of brown leather shoes worn by Tom Baker throughout the series - these have an estimate of £200-£300 - and a waistcoat worn by Peter Davison in the 1984 story Planet of Fire (est £800-£1,200).





FILTER: - Classic Series - Auctions