The Life and Legacy of Verity Lambert

Friday, 3 September 2021 - Reported by Marcus

Drama And Delight: The Life And Legacy Of Verity Lambert has been reprinted by Ten Acre Films.

Richard Marson's acclaimed biography of Doctor Who's first producer has had a limited reprint.

For five decades, the name Verity Lambert appeared on the end credits of many of Britain’s most celebrated and talked about television dramas, among them Adam Adamant Lives!, Budgie, The Naked Civil Servant, Minder, Edward and Mrs Simpson, Eldorado, G.B.H. and Jonathan Creek.

She was the very first producer of Doctor Who, which she nurtured through its formative years at a time when there were few women in positions of power in the television industry. Later, she worked within the troubled British film business and became a pioneering independent producer, founding her own highly-successful company, Cinema Verity.

Within her profession, she was hugely respected as an intensely driven, sometimes formidable but always stylish exponent of her craft, with the stamina and ability to combine quantity with quality. Many of her productions have had a lasting cultural and emotional impact on their audiences and continue to be enjoyed to this day.

But who was the woman behind all these television triumphs and what was the price she paid to achieve them?

Combining painstaking research and interviews with many of Lambert’s closest friends and colleagues, Drama and Delight captures the energy and spirit of this remarkable woman and explore her phenomenal and lasting legacy.

The book can be ordered here

FILTER: - Books

Blackpool Revisited

Wednesday, 1 September 2021 - Reported by Marcus

A new ebook looking at the history of the famous Doctor Who Exhibitions at Blackpool. has just been released.

Blackpool Revisited is the follow-up to the hugely popular Blackpool Remembered, which was released last year.

This new book charts the history of Doctor Who exhibitions in Blackpool – the original exhibition which ran from 1974 to 1985 and David Boyle’s Doctor Who Museum, which ran from 2004 to 2009.

With an exclusive foreword by Lorne Martin, this ebook is available to download for free.

The reaction to the first book inspired us to do another – this time even bigger, at over 600 pages, with content from over 90 contributors. As well as more memories and nostalgia from the original exhibition, we take a detailed journey through the Doctor Who Museum, alongside a look at the life of its curator (and Dapol founder), the late David Boyle. We also look at the Blackpool Illuminations, Edwin Hall Dalek rides, Sevans Models, Dapol toys, the Whomobile, interviews with artists Andrew Skilleter, Rod Vass and Graham Potts plus much more!

The book and its predecessor can be downloaded from here

FILTER: - Exhibitions

UNIT - The Benton Files

Sunday, 29 August 2021 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Candy Jar Books is pleased to announce a very special book for 2021, the first of its standalone UNIT books:

The Benton Files

Written by Tim Gambrell and John Peel

Cover by Richard Young

Rifleman John Benton finds himself summoned to London, to the HQ of a brand-new organisation – UNIT – under Waterloo Station. There, he meets an old barrack room buddy, Major Bill Bishop, and UNIT’s Commanding Officer, one Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.

The young rifleman is about to learn that not everything is as innocuous as it appears. Major Bishop has specially selected Benton to assist him on a mission – a mission that could change Rifleman John Benton’s life forever.

Featuring two UNIT stories…

Into the fire by Tim Gambrell

Car Wars by John Peel

The book features the very first meeting of the Brigadier and Benton, followed by Benton’s very first ever UNIT adventure.

Taking over as range editor from the hard working and very talented Andy Frankham-Allen is the equally assiduous Tim Gambrell. Tim said::

The Brigadier and Benton meeting for the first time seems such a momentous occasion in the Doctor Who universe. And we never saw it on screen. Of course, the Brigadier has a history of meeting much-loved characters off-screen. We never see the moment he first meets the Doctor in The Web of Fear, for example. And Benton is already a UNIT corporal when he shows up in The Invasion. But how did Benton join UNIT? The first story Into the Fire helps bridge that gap.

UNIT: The Bention Files (Credit: Candy Jar Books) To mark this occasion, Candy Jar recorded an audiobook version with John Levene. This will be released simultaneously with the paperback

The second story has been written by popular Doctor Who author John Peel, and is quite literally a race against time around the streets of Birmingham. Shaun Russell, head of publishing at Candy Jar, said:

As we approach 2022, we will soon be wrapping up the Lethbridge-Stewart range of novels. It’s been a great journey, but it’s time to move on to our planned next phase.

Authorised by the Sherwin estate, these UNIT new books will move the story onwards, to after The Invasion and beyond. Tim continues:

Launching a series of books based around UNIT, and featuring the Brigadier and Benton, is by far my biggest creative challenge yet. But what an amazing opportunity it is! When Shaun telephoned and offered me the role of range editor, I remember thinking, "If I turn this down I know I’ll always regret it." So here I am, excited, enthused, immersed and loving every minute of it.

The series will be launched in 2022, although The UNIT Files (similar to The HAVOC Files) will be released later this year.Tim, who has written for both the Lethbridge-Stewart and Lucy Wilson series, is indebted to the outgoing range editor, Andy Frankham-Allen. He continued:

UNIT owes a debt to the work of Andy, and everything he established with the Lethbridge-Stewart books. UNIT won’t be a direct continuation of these novels, largely because the cast will change, and we don’t want new readers to feel they need to have read the Lethbridge-Stewart books first, but I hope the two ranges will complement each other. And if we get new readers jumping onboard with UNIT, it would be great if they feel they want to check out what else Candy Jar has done previously. Personally, I want to tell stories that will appeal to fans of Doctor Who, but also to readers who enjoy action-adventure stories in general. Character-driven narratives, grounded in their contemporary world, but with a modern inclusive awareness.

Tim concludes:

How wonderful it is to have The Benton Files narrated by Benton himself, the fabulous John Levene.You can hear John’s love and enthusiasm for the character of Benton as he narrates Into the Fire and Car Wars. I really hope people enjoy both versions ofthis release. Also, I’d like to thank Richard Young for such a gorgeous cover. He has really done us proud this time.

The Benton Files novella and accompanying audiobook are available to pre-order from Candy Jar Books. and will be released in the next few weeks.

From the worlds of Doctor Who U.N.I.T. The Benton Files - Coming Soon!
An introduction to a brand new series of Doctor Who spin-off novels featuring the characters created by Mervyn Haisman, Henry Lincoln and Derrick Sherwin. Licensed by Hannah Haisman and Kate Sherwin.

FILTER: - Candy Jar Books - UNIT

Vworp Vworp! - Issue 4

Sunday, 22 August 2021 - Reported by Marcus

The long-awaited fourth issue of acclaimed Doctor Who comics and artwork fanzine Vworp Vworp! will be released in September.

This 172-page issue focuses on the Doctor’s strange adventures in TV Comic, Countdown and TV Action.

Trods, Daleks, Ugrakks, Quarks, The Pied Piper, Cybermen, Kleptons... For 15 years, Doctor Who fought them all with the help of his plucky grandchildren John and Gillian, and more familiar faces like Jamie, Liz, Sarah Jane, Leela and, of course, Santa Claus! We celebrate the weird and often wonderful TV Comic, Countdown and TV Action strips, and the equally colourful characters behind them.

This issue, lavishly illustrated with original artwork and never-before-seen photos, includes:

Interviews with artists Bill Mevin, Harry Lindfield and Martin Asbury
Celebrate of the lives of the late artist's John Canning, Neville Main, Gerry Haylock and Frank Langford, written with the full cooperation of their families
Scripters Roger Noel Cook and David Motton write about their Doctor Who work
Profiles of the strip’s other writers, artists and editors, including Tom Woodman, Alan Fennell, Dennis Hooper, Patrick Williams and Dick Millington
Brand new comic strips: the First Doctor, John and Gillian must avert The Trod Invasion of Earth (written by Steve Lyons and drawn by Shawn Van Briesen), the Second Doctor faces the Return of the Piper (by Tim Quinn and Paul Cowan) and there’s trouble for the Third Doctor, in the epic Revenge of the Ugrakks (by George Mann and Paul Cooke)
The creation of Doctor Who Magazine’s homage to TV Comic, The Land of Happy Endings
Memories of growing up with the comics, and designing a competition-winning monster

Also in this issue:

Two of its three artists discuss the making of the much-loved book Doctor Who and the Daleks Omnibus, released through Marks & Spencer in 1976
Collecting original Doctor Who artwork
The life of prolific illustrator John Woods, who worked on many Dalek and Doctor Who books in the 1960s
... and much more!

Plus, these exciting FREE GIFTS:

‘Sugar Pats’, an authentic 1960s Doctor Who/TV Comic-themed cereal packet
A set of thrilling TV Comic stickers for your favourite cardigan

Order Vworp Vworp! issue 4, price £9.99, from vworpvworp.co.uk now.

FILTER: - Fanzine

Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 568

Friday, 20 August 2021 - Reported by Marcus

Issue 568 of Doctor Who Magazine is now available

Highlights of the new issue include:

Showrunner Chris Chibnall writes exclusively for DWM on why he and Jodie Whittaker are leaving Doctor Who.
A brand-new adventure for the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz, written by Joy Wilkinson.
The complex story behind the destruction of Doctor Who episodes – and the culture surrounding their recovery.
New insights into the First Doctor’s missing serials from fans who remember watching them.
Jonathan Morris imagines a parallel universe where the missing episodes from the 1960s existed – and vice versa!
A detailed look at the Blackpool and Longleat exhibitions in the first half of the 1980s.
Apocrypha revisits a live Doctor Who performance staged at the Goodwood Motor Circuit in 1974.
Collectivity meets the fans lucky enough to own screen-used props.
The Fact of Fiction goes underground with the 1968 story The Web of Fear.
An exclusive first look at the forthcoming animation of The Evil of the Daleks.
Sufficient Data explores Doctor Who’s big ideas.
Previews, reviews, news, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser and more.

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 568 is on sale from panini.co.uk and WH Smith from Thursday 19 August priced £5.99 (UK).

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £4.99.

FILTER: - DWM

Tom Baker to Record Two Lost Scripts

Tuesday, 10 August 2021 - Reported by Marcus

Christopher Naylor, Tom Baker, Sadie Miller (Credit: Big Finish)

Fourth Doctor Tom Baker is to record two missing stories for Audio producers Big Finish Productions

Doctor Who –The Lost Stories will take us back to the first season on the Fourth Doctor, screened by the BBC in 1975.

Several stories were commissioned for Baker's debut season including two that were abandoned or changed during the production process. These two missing stories are now completed in audio format with Tom Baker starring.

Doctor Who and the Ark is adapted from John Lucarotti’s original story of the television serial that became The Ark in Space

The audio recording stars Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, alongside Elisabeth Sladen's daughter, Sadie Miller, as Sarah Jane Smith and Christopher Naylor as Harry Sullivan.

Adapted by Jonathan Morris from the first draft scripts, this audio production of Doctor Who and the Ark highlights where Robert Holmes polished the storytelling for television, and how the team developed the character of the Doctor

Daleks! Genesis of Terror features a full-cast episode from Terry Nation’s first draft script and an enhanced dramatic reading of his original storyline for Genesis of the Daleks.

The recording features the same TARDIS team working directly from a PDF of Terry Nation's original script –complete with typos! Also featuring Nation’s initial storyline for all six episodes with additional material by Simon Guerrier, this audio adventure finds the Fourth Doctor and his friends in a Kaled-Thal war being fought by teenagers –but where are all the adults?

Producer Simon Guerrier said:

This is something very special: Doctor Whoarchaeology brought thrillingly to life. The Ark in Space and Genesis of the Dalek sare among the best-loved TV stories ever. We’ve uncovered first draft scripts by John Lucarotti and Terry Nation that are exciting, surprising and very different Genesis is a very visual script packed with striking, stark images –Nation even makes the stage directions exciting. In Doctor Who and the Ark, the directions were more functional so Jonathan Morris has carefully adapted the script for audio. Though we’ve kept the original episode titles, such as “Puffball” and “Camelias” –I think Tom Baker enjoyed recording those! Oh, and wait till you hear that cliffhanger...

These releases add to the “Season 12” Lost Stories set begun by Return of the Cybermen, which was released in March 2021.

Doctor Who and the Ark Doctor Who –The Lost Stories: Doctor Who and the Ark is now available for pre-order as a collector’s edition four-disc box set (on CD at £14.99) and as a digital download (at £12.99), exclusively at www.bigfinish.com.

Doctor Who –The Lost Stories: Daleks! Genesis of Terror Doctor Who –The Lost Stories: Daleks! Genesis of Terror is now available for pre-order as a collector’s edition box set (on CD at £12.99) and as a digital download (at £10.99), exclusively from the Big Finish website.

FILTER: -

Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition 58

Monday, 9 August 2021 - Reported by Marcus

The latest Special Edition of Doctor Who Magazine reveals the role that directors have played in bringing the series to the screen.

Looking at the series from 1963 to the present day, the Magazine Includes tributes to some of the greatest behind-the-scenes names, shot-by-shot highlights of outstanding episodes and exclusive interviews with directors from almost every decade of the show’s history.

This is the ultimate guide to some of Doctor Who’s most influential figures.

Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition 58: Directing Doctor Who is on sale from panini.co.uk and WH Smith from Thursday 5 August priced £6.99 (UK). Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £5.99.

FILTER: - DWM - Production

Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall to leave Doctor Who

Thursday, 29 July 2021 - Reported by Marcus

Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall will be leaving Doctor Who following a trio of specials ending in an epic blockbuster to air in autumn 2022 as part of the BBC’s Centenary celebrations.

The current showrunner and Thirteenth Doctor have been in charge of the TARDIS since filming for the Thirteenth Doctor began in 2017 but both have confirmed they will be leaving the series at the end of 2022

A six-part Event Serial has been announced for this autumn, and two Specials were already planned for 2022. To help mark the 100th Anniversary of the BBC, BBC One has now asked for an additional final feature-length adventure for the Thirteenth Doctor before the Doctor regenerates once more.

After taking the helm of the show, Chris Chibnall made the groundbreaking decision to cast Jodie Whittaker as the first female Doctor. He also brought in Tosin Cole (Ryan), Mandip Gill (Yaz) and Bradley Walsh (Graham), and cast the acclaimed Sacha Dhawan as the latest incarnation of The Master, plus Jo Martin as the mysterious Fugitive Doctor, adding new characters, layers and twists to the mythology of the show.

Chris Chibnall said

Jodie and I made a “three series and out” pact with each other at the start of this once-in-a-lifetime blast. So now our shift is done, and we’re handing back the TARDIS keys.

Jodie’s magnificent, iconic Doctor has exceeded all our high expectations. She’s been the gold standard leading actor, shouldering the responsibility of being the first female Doctor with style, strength, warmth, generosity and humour. She captured the public imagination and continues to inspire adoration around the world, as well as from everyone on the production. I can’t imagine working with a more inspiring Doctor – so I’m not going to!

For me, leading this exceptional team has been unrivalled creative fun, and one of the great joys of my career. I’m so proud of the people we’ve worked with and the stories we’ve told. To finish our time on the show with an additional Special, after the pandemic changed and challenged our production plans, is a lovely bonus. It’s great that the climax of the Thirteenth Doctor’s story will be at the heart(s) of the BBC’s centenary celebrations.

I wish our successors - whoever the BBC and BBC Studios choose - as much fun as we’ve had. They’re in for a treat!

Jodie Whittaker added

In 2017 I opened my glorious gift box of size 13 shoes. I could not have guessed the brilliant adventures, worlds and wonders I was to see in them. My heart is so full of love for this show, for the team who make it, for the fans who watch it and for what it has brought to my life. And I cannot thank Chris enough for entrusting me with his incredible stories. We knew that we wanted to ride this wave side by side, and pass on the baton together. So here we are, weeks away from wrapping on the best job I have ever had. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express what this role has given me. I will carry the Doctor and the lessons I’ve learnt forever.

“I know change can be scary and none of us know what’s out there. That’s why we keep looking. Travel Hopefully. The Universe will surprise you. Constantly.”

Current Director of BBC Drama Piers Wenger added

Over the last four years Chris and Jodie have made Doctor Who history and their time on the show is indelibly marked on our memories. From Rosa Parks to Ascension of the Cybermen, Chris and Jodie have given Doctor Who some of its most life-affirming and tear-jerking moments to date and we are beyond excited to see what they have in store for us in the new series this Autumn. Jodie's final adventure to mark the BBC's Centenary in 2022 is set to be a Doctor Who Special to remember. I’d like to thank them both for their incredible work on the show

With over a year of adventures to come, the Thirteenth Doctor still has plenty in store for fans.

FILTER: - Thirteenth Doctor - Production

Jacob Anderson Joins Series 13 Of Doctor Who

Sunday, 25 July 2021 - Reported by Marcus

The BBC has announced that Game of Thrones star Jacob Anderson is set to make his debut on Doctor Who later this year, playing Vinder.

As a recurring character throughout the series, Jacob’s new role will see him join forces with the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), Yaz (Mandip Gill) and Dan Lewis (John Bishop) as the Doctor faces her biggest ever adventure battling evil across time and space.

Known to millions as Grey Worm in Game of Thrones, Anderson is a star of stage and screen and has appeared in many television series including Episodes, Broadchurch and Skins as well as roles in King Lear at the Young Vic and War Horse at the National Theatre.

Anderson is also a successful music artist who goes under the name Raleigh Ritchie.

Speaking about joining Doctor Who, Jacob Anderson said

The Doctor has been a part of my life forever, from watching and rewatching the serials on VHS as a kid and being terrified, to unexpectedly finding my eyes watering when the Tenth Doctor said “I don’t want to go”, I always wanted to live in the Whoniverse. Not only has a lifelong dream of mine now been fulfilled but to be playing a character as fun, adventurous and dynamic as Vinder is the cherry on top. This is very cool.”

Jacob’s role was announced at today’s Doctor Who San Diego Comic-Con panel where Chris Chibnall, Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill and John Bishop teased what is in store for the Doctor.

Doctor Who will return later this year.

FILTER: - Series 13 - Production

Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality

Thursday, 22 July 2021 - Reported by Marcus

Thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker and Tenth Doctor David Tennant will face a new nemesis in a quest to save reality in a new videogame to be released this Autumn.

Digital entertainment studio, Maze Theory, in partnership with BBC Studios, have today announced that the brand-new videogame Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality will launch on Wednesday 30th September 2021.

Compatible with current and next-gen consoles as well as PC, Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality reimagines and expands on Doctor Who: The Edge of Time, with a completely new and compelling adventure.

With new worlds to explore and all-new modes of gameplay, players will be guided by the ThirteenthDoctor (voiced by Jodie Whittaker), and for the first time will also encounter the Tenth Doctor (voiced by David Tennant) in a new story written by Gavin Collinson (Doctor Who: The Edge of Time, Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins).

Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality will include easter eggs, new foes, and iconic monsters such as the Cybermen, the Daleks and the Weeping Angels. Players will also find themselves immersed in the ‘Chaosverse’: a corrupted alternate universe where worlds and timelines collide to create new adventures, encounters, and threats…

Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality Highlights

In this thrilling first-person adventure, a ‘reality virus’ is wreaking havoc across the universe, causing time glitches that distort the past, present and future.
Players will face an entirely new antagonist – The CyberReaper, an ominous foe with a terrifying purpose. More to be revealed….
The new story opens up multiple new environments for the player to explore, from a Cybership to the Chaosverse.
New and expanded levels include new gameplay modes, such as puzzles, shooting, collecting and stealth.

Ian Hambleton, CEO of Maze Theory said:

With our partners at BBC Studios, we are giving DoctorWho fans and gamers an incredible new experience through space and time. The appearance of both the Thirteenth and Tenth Doctors is set to be an epic event. The‘Chaosverse’ is a mind-blowing new concept, which brings a whole new dimension to the Doctor Who Experience.

This much-anticipated console/PC launch follows the incredible success of the mobile game Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins and re-affirms our commitment to take players on the most unexpected and immersive narrative journeys.

Kevin Jorge, Senior Producer – Games & Interactive for BBC Studios said

We’re really excited to bring Doctor Who back to console and to give players the chance to be the centre of a new Doctor Who adventure. We’re always striving to bring the Doctor Who universe to life in unique and interesting ways, tell new stories and give fans the chance to be part of their own adventure and I believe we’ve done that with The Edge of Reality. We really hope that fans and those new to Doctor Who alike will enjoy helping the Doctor in this epic adventure.

Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality will launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S,Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch and PC on 30th September 2021.

For more information, visit: doctorwhotheedgeofreality.com

Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality - Release Date Announcement Trailer

FILTER: - Games - Thirteenth Doctor - Tenth Doctor

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