Fan Production Roundup

Saturday, 10 December 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

TARDIS Base - Issue 2

The second issue of the free online fanzine TARDIS Base is now available to either view online, or offline via a PDF version.

In this issue:
  • DECK THE TARDIS - With Christmas just around the corner, we take a look at the up-comming special, along with a countdown of our favourite Christmas specials from the past 6 years. There is also going to be a special festive edition of Off The Shelf with all the perfect gifts for us Whovians.
  • RIVERS AND PONDS - With Series 6 over, we look at the second half of the series, as well as all the revelations regarding River Song.
  • JUSTIN RICHARDS - We interview the amazingly talented author, Justin Richards.
  • I THINK WE NEED A MIRACLE! - With the fourth series of Torchwood over, we take a look back at the 10 episodes and give you our official verdict. Hit or miss? Find out. (We also take a look at the web-based app spin-off, Web of Lies)
  • THE END OF SJA - After the recent series of The Sarah Jane Adventures ended, we thought it was only right to say goodbye to Doctor Who's much loved spin-off.
  • WHO'S IN THE APP STORE? - We give you the low-down on what apps are out there for Whovians in the appstore!
  • THE BEAST'S DICTIONARY - In this exclusive feature, Guy Lancaster gives you a humorous look at the alphabet, according to the world of Doctor Who.
  • FANDAMONIUM - In this BRAND NEW FEATURE, it's your chance to have your fandom seen by the Whoniverse. We're kicking off the feature with a special look at never-before-seen pictures of conventions from the 80s (featuring Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Patrick Troughton and many more), as well as your costumes, drawings and creations.
PLUS!
All the latest news, The Notes, Planet of the Spiders in the The Vault, the Cybermen in the Monster Mash, and much more!

(with thanks to Ashley Mcloughlin)


Bandril and TOMTIT Issue 1

Two new fanzines are released together this weekend, and are available to pre-order from the Bandril blogsite.

BANDRIL Issue 1 (28 A4 Colour pages) features a brand new exclusive comic strip "Top of the Ponds" written and illustrated by David Carey, a review of Torchwood: Miracle Day, a review of Series 6 of Doctor Who, a "true-life" story called Looking for a chicken dinner, The Keys of Marinus comic strip by Paul Hanley, A look at the story of Regeneration, Love at first sight and Do you remember the first time? and all your latest communication in our Letterbox and much much less...

TOMTIT Issue 1 (24 A4 Colour pages) has an exclusive Ben Chatham story written by the legendary Sparacus called The Ghosts of Peversham Station, "All your planet are belong to us" is a story presented in the classic Doctor Who Annual format by Paul Hanley, an interview of UFO investigator Nick Pope by Richard Thomas, Are the right episodes lost? looking at the still missing 108 episodes of classic Doctor Who, A Love Letter to Character Options, TARDIS TV and much much less...

Both Issues will ship with a mystery FREE gift.
(with thanks to Scott Burditt)


FANWNAK Issue 2 - now free to read

FANWNAK has now been made available to read for free online - visit this link for more details.

(with thanks to Scott Burditt)


Panic Moon December Sale


During December the July and October editions of Panic Moon are available to buy at a reduced price, plus a discount on the next issue for January too - see the website for full details.


TARDIS Eruditorum


The acclaimed blog TARDIS Eruditorum, written by Philip Sandifer, has released a book version of its first set of essays, covering the William Hartnell era of Doctor Who story by story. TARDIS Eruditorum provides a comprehensive critical overview of Doctor Who that moves beyond received fan wisdom to tell the evolving story of one of the most important and remarkable pieces of popular culture ever created.

TARDIS Eruditorum has been hailed as “absolutely fascinating and hugely persuasive” by Robert Shearman, described as having “really serious and fascinating points to make about how television was made and viewed back in the 1960s” by Adventures with the Wife in Space, and characterized as “demented rubbish” by a random guy on the Internet.

The author, Philip Sandifer, holds a PhD in English focusing on film and media studies, and uses the blog to provide a complete reconceptualization of Doctor Who that acknowledges and takes seriously strands of thought and themes that have been marginalized by the fan orthodoxy represented in existing publications, revealing a show with startling and intriguing implications. Under his critical knife, Doctor Who becomes more than just a classic sci-fi show but a show that tells the story of an entire strain of mystical, avant-garde, and radical culture in Great Britain - a show that is quite literally about all of time and space, everything that ever happened, and everything that ever will.

This first volume covers every television story from An Unearthly Child to The Tenth Planet, and also includes fifteen essays on later books and audios set in the Hartnell era, other cultural events and television shows from the period, and on a variety of major topics raised by the Hartnell era. Among the topics raised in this volume are:
  • Whether The Celestial Toymaker - long one of the most beloved of Hartnell-era stories - is in fact an irredeemably racist mess.
  • How the epic The Daleks’ Masterplan is not, as often assumed, one twelve-part story but a sequence of four distinct stories that includes the preceding The Myth-Makers.
  • The way in which the Cybermen, as originally conceived, are not the clanking robots of later years but a terrifying challenge to the nature of humanity and society inspired as much by mysticism as by science.
  • The way in which the Daleks are not only brilliant monsters, but an outright attack on the very structure of the show.
The book is available to buy through Amazon.

(with thanks to Philip Sandifer)




FILTER: - Fan Productions

Odds on a Who Christmas (2011)

Saturday, 10 December 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Christmas has always been a traditional time for betting companies, with the odds of snow on Christmas Day a perennial favourite, the Christmas Number One (the X-Factor winner again? never!), and of course which programme will be most popular on television for the turkey-fuelled captive audience!

Doctor Who has been a feature of the Christmas line-up for the last six years and has always performed well: The Christmas Invasion (2005, 9.84m, 2nd); The Runaway Bride (2006, 9.35m, 5th); Voyage of the Damned (2007, 13.31m, 2nd); The Next Doctor (2008, 13.1m, 2nd); The End of Time (pt 1) (2009, 11.57m, 3rd) [arguably, it actually won the ratings battle with a combined BBC1/BBCHD audience of 12.04m, but this doesn't count for the bookies!]; and A Christmas Carol (2010, 12.11m, 3rd).

But what are the odds for this year ...

The Top Television Show for Christmas Day

With all the recent debate over what constitutes real ratings with current television viewing patterns, the bookies are stating that their payouts are based on the BARB overnight viewing figures and not the consolidated ones that come out in the new year.

As can be seen below, at this stage the top five shows are pretty much the same throughout, with just the likelihood of which will win out of Doctor Who, Eastenders, Downton Abbey, Coronation Street and The Gruffalo's Child.

                                           William Hill   Betfair   Oddsbet
comb 3:00 The Queens Speech 100/1 100/1
ITV1 6:00 Emmerdale 66/1 100/1
BBC1 6:30 The Gruffalo's Child 16/1 12/1 20/1
BBC1 7:00 Doctor Who 11/8 2/1 7/4
ITV1 7:00 All Stars Family Fortunes 80/1 150/1
BBC1 8:00 Strictly Come Dancing 25/1 28/1
ITV1 8:00 Coronation Street 25/1 12/1 20/1
BBC1 9:00 Eastenders evens 11/5 11/10
ITV1 9:00 Downton Abbey 9/2 11/2 11/4
BBC1 10:00 Absolutely Fabulous 25/1 25/1

OLBG have also provided a Top Christmas Day TV page which indicates the best odds given for a particular programme, and also what their tipsters think is most likely.

The Top DVD at Christmas

Paddy Power have provided odds on which DVD is likely to be the best seller for Christmas week, which sees Doctor Who: The Complete Series Six at joint second favourite alongside Cars 2 at 7/2. The current favourite for Christmas is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part two).

Competition Time!

Doctor Who News is pleased to once again invite our readers to guess the final consolidated rating for Doctor Who this Christmas - visit our Competitions Page for full details!




FILTER: - Betting/Odds

Christmas Competition

Saturday, 10 December 2011 - Reported by Marcus
This competition has now closed. Doctor Who News is offering readers a chance to win the Eleven Doctors Action Figure Collector Set, in our Christmas Competition.

The set includes 5-inch action figures of each of the Eleven Doctors.

Five Gift sets are up for grabs.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply tell us your prediction for the total BBC One audience, to the nearest 10,000 viewers, for the Christmas Day showing of The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe.

Just to clarify, we are looking for the final confirmed audience as published by BARB in January. This figure includes those who record the programme and watch it within one week and it includes those watching on BBC One HD. It does not include those watching on iPlayer.

To help you estimate the figure, ratings for the previous episodes of Doctor Who transmitted on Christmas Day were:

1965 - 5.50pm - The Feast of Steven - 7.90 million
2005 - 7.00pm - The Christmas Invasion - 9.84 million
2006 - 7.00pm - The Runaway Bride - 9.30 million
2007 - 6.50pm - Voyage of the Damned - 13.31 million
2008 - 6.00pm - The Next Doctor - 13.10 million
2009 - 6.00pm - The End of Time Part One - 12.04 million
2010 - 6.00pm - A Christmas Carol - 12.11 million


This year's story is broadcast at 7:00pm and faces opposition on ITV1 from All Star Family Fortunes Christmas Special.

Entries should be sent to us at xmas-competition@doctorwhonews.net - please include your answer, name, address and daytime contact number.

Only one entry is allowed per person.

Entries must be received by 7:00pm, 25th December 2011 UK Time.
(posted by Marcus)




FILTER: - Competitions - Doctor Who News

The Doctor Who Gift Guide

Friday, 9 December 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The official Doctor Who Facebook page has launched a new application to highlight some of the many Doctor Who gifts that are available to buy in this festive period:
The Doctor Who Gift Guide app is here to help you find the perfect Doctor Who gift for friends, family or even yourself! Simply search by category where you can click through to buy, or ‘Like’ a product for it to appear on your Facebook page and leave subtle hints to your friends!





FILTER: - Merchandise - Online - BBC

Doctor Who Tops iTunes Chart

Friday, 9 December 2011 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who TOP-SELLING SEASONS:

  1. Doctor Who
  2. Modern Family 
  3. Dexter 
  4. Breaking Bad 
  5. True Blood 
  6. Top Gear 
  7. Glee 
  8. Entourage 
  9. Archer 
  10. The Walking Dead 
Doctor Who has topped the list as the most purchased TV Series from iTunes, according to figures released by Apple in the US.

Doctor Who outranked US hits including the Emmy-winning sitcom Modern Family and Glee to become the most downloaded series of the year.

In the UK the current series is more usually watched on the BBC iPlayer, where The Impossible Astronaut is currently the 2nd most requested episode of the year.

In the UK iTunes store David Tennant's swan song as The Doctor, The End of Time Part 2, was the 6th most purchased TV episode of the year.

Twitter have also been reviewing the year and revealed that Elisabeth Sladen, who died in April, was the one of Twitter’s most talked-about people in 2011.

As the news of the unexpected death of the much loved actress spread around the world, fans took to the blogging site to discuss the news and to pay their tributes to the star, making the Sladen the 6th most discussed actress on Twitter in 2011.




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Online

Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock

Friday, 9 December 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
BBC Worldwide have announced the first in a new range of console games:
Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock will immerse gamers in the universe of Doctor Who, allowing them to take on the role of the Doctor and River Song as they travel across time and space to save the Earth. Gamers must learn to master the complexities of time travel with exceptional time based game play, changes made in one time will impact another creating multiple possibilities and challenging players to solve puzzles across the centuries.

The game will be released early next year, initially for Sony's Playstation 3 and Vita platforms and a PC version, and is being developed by Supermassive Games for BBC Worldwide Digital Entertainment and Games, and is written in collaboration with BBC Wales.

Both Matt Smith and Alex Kingston have reprised their roles of the Doctor and River Song respectively for the brand new storyline, which is to be presented in high definition, using photo-real graphics, television quality scenes and motion capture to create in-game characters.

Robert Nashak, EVP of Digital Entertainment at BBC Worldwide said:
We're creating these new games for Playstation 3 and Vita with adaptations that will bring the wonder, adventure and madness of Doctor Who to each platform. Working with a top-tier UK development partner like Supermassive Games demonstrates BBC Worldwide's commitment to create world-class Doctor Who games for fans of the show and gamers alike.

There is also a dedicated Twitter feed, @DoctorWhoTEC, where more information will be announced as the release date approaches.


Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock teaser trailer, BBC Worldwide, via YouTube




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Games

Doctor Who returns to Germany

Thursday, 8 December 2011 - Reported by Marcus
  1. FÜNF VOR ZWÖLF (Five to Twelve)
  2. DER STERNENWAL (The Star Whale)
  3. SIEG DER DALEKS (Victory of the Daleks)
  4. ZEIT DER ENGEL ( Time of the Angels)
  5. HERZ AUS STEIN (Heart of Stone)
  6. DIE VAMPIRE VON VENEDIG (The Vampires of Venice )
  7. AMYS ENTSCHEIDUNG (Amy's Decision)
  8. HUNGRIGE ERDE (Hungry Earth)
  9. KALTBLÜTIG (In Cold Blood)
  10. VINCENT UND DER DOCTOR (Vincent and the Doctor)
  11. DER UNTERMIETER (The Lodger)
  12. DIE PANDORICA (The Pandorica)
  13. DER GROSSE KNALL (The big bang)
Doctor Who returns to Germany this December when Series Five begins broadcasting on the pay TV FOX Channel.

The first episode Fünf vor zwölf, which translates as Five to Twelve will screen on the channel on 21st December at 8.15pm CET with episode two following later the same evening. The network has launched a website to tie in with the series

Series 5 will also be made available on iTunes Germany in both German and English beginning December 22nd.

German fans have yet to see broadcast the third and fourth series starring David Tennant.

serienjunkies.com has a report detailing the somewhat chequered history of Doctor Who broadcasts in Germany.



Meanwhile Televisió de Catalunya, has begun transmitting series 6 in Catalan on Canal 3XL. The series continues this Friday with La maledicció de la taca negra.


(with thanks to Aurélie Demonchaux)




FILTER: - Series 6/32 - Germany - Latin America - Europe - Series 5/31 - Spain

People Roundup

Wednesday, 7 December 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Arthur Darvill has lent his musical talent to a new play being developed at the Peterborough Key Theatre; reviewing I Heart Peterborough, Mark Pearson said: "The script is backed by music from guitarist Arthur Darvill who loops comforting sounds while strumming a backing line. It has Vampire Weekend’s African feel to it at times." [Peterborough Today, 2 Dec 2011]

6'7" actor Spencer Wilding makes his second appearance in Doctor Who this coming Christmas, having previously played the Minotaur in The God Complex. "It's great working with the likes of Matt Smith - he's such a cool Doctor Who. And it's such a great production." [Rhyl Journal, 7 Dec 2011]

TV critic, writer and fan Charlie Brooker discusses if he would write for Doctor Who: "Well if Doctor Who approached you, that's something you'd have to consider, isn't it? That's like getting an invitation to a particular party. That's an interesting one, in that part of the appeal of Doctor Who is that it's so different each week - even though you know you're going to get the Doctor and, broadly speaking, you know he's going to face a foe. But there's a lot of ideas that go on in it and the scenario changes, so there's a lot of room for creating things within it." [Digital Spy, 2 Dec 2011]

In one of those fact-meets-fiction moments, the BBC have announced that news correspondent Huw Edwards will front the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony, a role he undertook in the Tenth Doctor Olympic story Fear Her back in 2006! No news on David Tennant lighting the Flame at the Games so far ... [BBC Media Centre, 2 Dec 2011]


Russell T Davies has suspended work on his current television projects in order to look after his partner, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy. "It was a simple decision: he's more important. Showtime was lovely. They were like: your boyfriend needs to get well. The BBC was the same. I don’t know when I’ll start work again. I’ve got see how Andrew’s health goes." [Pink News, 5 Dec 2011]





FILTER: - People

Radio Times: The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe

Wednesday, 7 December 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster


For some, Christmas time starts with the appearance of the Coca-Cola "Holidays Are Coming" advert on television, for others it's the first time Slade or Wizzard are heard blaring across the supermarket, but for many it's also the publication of the 'legendary' Christmas double issue of the Radio Times!

This year's issue covers 17th-30th December, with some 294 pages dedicated to Christmas television. The highlight for us, of course, is at 7:00pm on Christmas Day when the Doctor once again provides us with our traditional festive treat in The Doctor, The Widow, and The Wardrobe!

The following is the synopsis and cast listing from the Radio Times, that might be considered a spoiler






Christmas Eve, 1938, and Madge Arwell helps an injured spaceman-angel. He promises to repay her kindness. Three years later, Madge escapes war-torn London with her children for a house in Dorset. The Arwells are greeted by a caretaker whose Christmas gift leads them into a magical wintry world.

The DoctorMatt Smith   Reg ArwellAlexander Armstrong
Madge ArwellClaire Skinner   Lily ArwellHolly Earl
DroxilBill Bailey   Cyril ArwellMaurice Cole
BillisArabella Weir   Ven-GarrPaul Bazely
Wooden KingSpencer Wilding   Wooden QueenPaul Kasey

The episode is repeated on BBC1/BBC1HD on Tuesday 27th December at 2:50pm, and on BBC3 on Wednesday 28th December at 7:00pm.

Matt Smith will also feature as a guest on The Graham Norton Show, to be broadcast on BBC1 from 10:35pm on Friday 23rd December (repeated late night on Christmas Day).


The issue also contains a three page article, with interviews with Steven Moffat, Matt Smith and Maurice Cole (Cyril). Steven considers the traditions of Christmas:
It's amazing how fast tradition is, isn't it? Christmas, as we know it, only came along with the Victorians, Santa's outfit was popularised by Coca-Cola, and I remember only a few years ago Russell T Davies pointing out all the papers referring to the traditional Doctor Who Christmas special - "It's only the second one!" he laughed. Ah, was the world ever so young? We're days away from the Doctor's seventh Christmas visit, and I'm wondering just why this feels so right. I think, when I was little, the Doctor and Father Christmas lived in the same place in my head - kind, funny lunatics, who looked like grown-up but definitely weren't.
Meanwhile, Matt reflects on his own Christmas as a boy:
Wake up, open presents, go mental for about four hours, wear and play with said presents, have food, and then watch a Christmas movie like Mary Poppins, The Goonies. I love Home Alone and the Dudley Moore Santa Claus. And Elf - that's amazing! I will definitely watch that this year. When I was a kid, there wasn't really anything we'd all watch regularly like Doctor Who, so it was mostly about films.
And Maurice says what he likes best about Christmas:
Probably the turkey. But if I could have a wish for Christmas it would be a white Christmas like in Doctor Who, so I could go sledging.
You can read the full interviews - including how the Doctor was saved by Sherlock Holmes, and what Matt considers as his favourite comedy series - in the double-issue, out nationwide from today.


The Radio Times website has published a preview for The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe, in which Patrick Mulkern calls the episode "one of the most satisfying specials yet"; in the article he also reflects upon Doctor Who Christmas Treats of the past (though perhaps not K9 and Company!).




FILTER: - Specials - Radio Times

Doctor Who Adventures 248

Tuesday, 6 December 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

15th December sees the publication of the Doctor Who Adventures bumper Christmas edition, on sale for two weeks instead of the usual one.

Celebrating a "Monster Christmas", as well as including a preview of The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe the magazine features eight free gifts: a Doctor mask, a Weeping Angel for the top of a tree, a 2012 calendar, stickers, three monster gift tags, and a Christmas card from the Doctor!

Also, in an exclusive interview with Doctor Who Adventures Magazine, Matt Smith talks about having a kid’s perspective, how a child actor saw straight through him and slipping into being Doctor Who in real life. Not to mention foxes made of jelly ...




FILTER: - DWA