BBC AMERICA’S DOCTOR WHO ANNOUNCES DETAILS FOR ALL-NEW CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

Announced today, the title of this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special is The Snowmen. A new companion, a new look for the Doctor, plus a new monster will all be introduced in this movie-scale episode. Starring Matt Smith as the Doctor and introducing Jenna-Louise Coleman as new companion Clara, The Snowmen follows their adventures as they embark on a mission to save Christmas from the villainous Doctor Simeon (Richard E Grant, The Iron Lady, Dracula) and his army of icy snowmen. This year’s Doctor Who Christmas special premieres Tuesday, December 25, 9:00pm ET/PT on BBC AMERICA.

A sneak peek was released earlier today, during the broadcast of the BBC Children in Need special, revealing a new costume for the Doctor. Additionally, a special prequel was released showing the impact of the loss of the Ponds, with old friends Vastra, Strax and Jenny trying to persuade the Doctor not to give up his adventures.

Steven Moffat, Lead Writer and Executive Producer, said: "The Doctor at Christmas is one of my favorite things - but this year it's different. He's lost Amy and Rory to the Weeping Angels, and he's not in a good place: in fact, he's Scrooge. He's withdrawn from the world and no longer cares what happens to it. So when all of humanity hangs in the balance, can anyone persuade a tired and heartbroken Doctor that it's time to return to the good fight. Enter Jenna-Louise Coleman..."

Matt Smith, who plays the Doctor, commented: "For this year’s Christmas special we have the wonderfully villainous Richard E Grant as Doctor Simeon. As well as lizards, Victorian assassins and deranged warriors from the future, who all return to convince the Doctor that he should board the TARDIS again and save the world. Add to that Jenna-Louise Coleman and so begins the Christmas Special 2012. I hope everyone enjoys it!"

The BBC Cymru Wales produced series will return to BBC AMERICA on December 25 and an additional eight epic episodes will premiere in the spring.

"We have a long history of adventures with the Eighth Doctor," says writer/director Nicholas Briggs, "and we'd just got to the end of four years' worth of adventures with Sheridan Smith as Lucie Miller. So, I wanted to create a fresh start for Paul McGann and our listeners. It's a real jumping-on point where the Doctor is embroiled in a whole new, gigantic adventure. You can listen to this without ever having heard an Eighth Doctor audio drama before and understand every word and nuance. Of course, if you want to go back and find out what happened before, you can always do that too."

Dark Eyes introduces a new companion for the Eighth Doctor in the form of Molly O’Sullivan, played by Ruth Bradley, a volunteer nurse who he meets in France during the First World War. "I wanted there to be a new companion who had something different to offer," Nick continues. "Someone mentioned that there'd never been an Irish companion in the TARDIS and I was already thinking of making her someone who was involved in the First World War, so the two things came together to make something rather unique in the form of Molly O'Sullivan. She's a girl who's seen and experienced the most terrible, harrowing things, so she's no innocent and she's not really a willing participant in the Doctor's adventures. Also, she is the 'Dark Eyes' of the title, so the adventure is all about her relationship with the Doctor."

Dark Eyes also showcases a new costume for Paul McGann’s Doctor, which was designed and made by WETA Workshop. "That's something that Paul McGann worked out with an great Australian guy called William Geradts who organises conventions Down Under," Nick explains. "He and Paul got chatting about creating a new image for the Eighth Doctor and Bill got WETA to make it for him. Paul loved it and came to us, asking if we'd be prepared to use it. Since the Eighth Doctor had had so many adventures with us, and it seemed odd that he'd keep that Wild Bill Hickok costume on for so long, we thought it was high time for a change. Our Doctors show so much loyalty, continuing to work with us over the years, so we're always happy to incorporate their ideas and this was one we were very keen to embrace. We sent the images to the BBC, they approved them, so off we went! It's a brave new era with a great new look."

Dark Eyes (available to order)
by Nicholas Briggs
starring Paul McGann, Ruth Bradley and Peter Egan

'I really hoped it would be a wonderful view... to look back from the end of everything... to see how things finally turned out.'

The Doctor is looking for hope. But instead, he finds himself on a mission. The Time Lords have uncovered terrifying fragments of an insane plot to destroy the universe. And somehow, at the centre of that plot is one, random female in Earth’s history, Molly O’Sullivan.

Soon, the Doctor and Molly find themselves thrown headlong into a series of dangerous and terrifying adventures, with the dreaded Daleks never far behind them.

This month AudioGO have scooped an exclusive coup! River Song herself - actress Alex Kingston - has recorded Doctor Who: The Angel’s Kiss by Melody Malone for release as a download in December, with a CD release following in March. Alex Kingston (Marchlands, ER, Moll Flanders), has become a fan favourite as mysterious River Song in the Doctor Who TV series, and we are thrilled to have her on board to tell Melody Malone's story.

The Angel's Kiss
A Melody Malone Mystery
By Melody Malone

When movie star Rock Railton appears unexpectedly at Melody Malone’s Angel Detective Agency and mentions ‘the kiss of the angel’ Melody takes the case. Angels are, after all, Melody’s business. At a press party for Railton’s latest movie, Melody is invited by studio owner Max Kleiner to the film set of their next blockbuster. He’s spotted her potential and wants her to become a star. Flattered, Melody will discover the cost of fame is greater than anyone could possibly imagine.

Will she be able to escape Kleiner’s dastardly plan – before the Angels Take Manhattan?


The e-book is available now to purchase in the United Kingdom and North America.

The new edition of Plaything of Sutekh, edited by Richard Farrell, is now available to order. Featured in the 40-page A5 fanzine are:

• Five Star! A look at 2012's new episodes, which saw the return of the Weeping Angels and the departure of Amy and Rory. There is also a short Q&A with director Saul Metzstein.
• Coming Of Age: A look at Season 18 when Doctor Who got told to grow up by new producer John Nathan-Turner.
• Opening The Gate: David Rolinson dodges a few Gundans to unravel one of Season 18's finest stories, Warriors' Gate.
• Tardis Radio: Oliver Wake looks at the untransmitted pilot radio episode featuring Peter Cushing.
• Strip For The Doctor: The Doctor materialised in the pages of Countdown in the early '70s. Richard Farrell looks at the work of Harry Lindfield and Gerry Haylock on the Doctor Who comic strip and examines their influences and source of reference.
• Secret Who: Time to dust off the oil lamp as a fresh look is taken at 1974's Death To The Daleks.
• DWDVD: John Connors reviews the recent DVD releases Ace Adventures, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, and The Ambassadors of Death.
• Are You A Good Doctor Who Villain? Take this test to see if you're really up to subjugating entire universes.

The online Doctor Who fiction magazine, edited by Colin-John Rodgers, features the following in its latest edition:

• Fimbulvinter, by Meg MacDonald: "I should have killed him straight away. It would have been a mercy. I'm capable of mercy. But . . . he smelled of starlight."
• Employees - Wash Hands Before Returning To The Invasion, by Thomas Ahearn: When the Doctor pays Madame Vastra and Jenny a visit he gets much more than he bargained for: a trip to another universe. Only this time, the stakes are so much higher than anyone realises . . .
• The Fountain of Maturity, by Shams Uddin: The Doctor, Amy, and Rory race against time to find the eponymous fountain, while the Doctor's mind is regressing through his previous regenerations. Why are the colonists being so unhelpful? What plans has Dishi cooked up for the future of his society? And will he go to any lengths to fulfil his lofty ambitions?
• A Brush With Death, by Francis Cave: Part One: The Brigadier enlists the help of the Doctor to investigate the mysterious deaths of transport workers.
• The Circles of Truth, by Nathan Mullins: Disappearances throughout time in Earth's recorded history turn out to be something more sinister . . .
• The Larks, Still Singing Bravely, Fly, by Julie Kay: Ypres, Christmas Day 1914, the war to end all wars . . .