The Magician's Apprentice has debuted in Australia, averaging 653,000 viewers in the five major capital cities. It was the top-rating ABC drama of the day and the eighth highest rating program of the day overall. These ratings do not include regional or time-shifted viewers.

The new series of Doctor Who will be available in Australia as soon as it has started broadcasting in the United Kingdom, via iView

Unlike last year, when the series was transmitted in the early hours on ABC One, this year the station has returned to releasing each episode on the streaming service iView, as it is transmitted in the UK. The first episode, The Magician's Apprentice, will be released on Sunday 20th September at 5.30am Sydney time. The episode will be available to view throughout the day, before it is broadcast on ABC at 7.40pm.

The broadcast time in the UK has yet to be confirmed, but the ABC time implies it will be broadcast in the UK at 7.30pm on Saturday evening.

Each episode of the series will be released as it is broadcast, with the time changing due to the varying UK broadcast schedule and daylight saving changes during the series.

Meanwhile Prime in New Zealand has announced that it will première the series on Sunday 20th at 7:30pm.

Mark Gatiss has joined the team appearing at the Austrailan version of the Doctor Who Festival taking place this November.

The actor and writer will join current Doctor Peter Capaldi and writer and executive producer Steven Moffat at the Festival in Sydney on the 21st & 22nd November. At the event Gatiss will host a special writers’ master class, where fans will be given the opportunity to ask questions about how a Doctor Who script is crafted, as well as hearing the techniques behind the art of dramatic scriptwriting and how to get work published.

The BAFTA award-winning Real SFX team, led by Danny Hargreaves, will also be appearing, offering festival attendees the chance to witness first hand some of the spectacular effects seen in Doctor Who such as explosions and fireballs, elemental and atmospheric effects, mechanical rigs and pyrotechnics. Interactive sections of the demonstration will also offer audiences the chance to participate in the action.

Mark Gatiss, like Steven Moffat, is one of the few writers to have written for all four Doctors in the modern revival of Doctor Who (Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi). Gatiss was also the writer and executive producer of An Adventure in Space and Time, a 90-minute dramatisation of the genesis of the series.

Gatiss is the co-creator and executive producer of Sherlock, which he stars in as Sherlock’s brother Mycroft Holmes. Audiences will also recognise him from his recent acting roles as Stephen Gardiner in the critically acclaimed Wolf Hall and as Tycho Nestoris in Game of Thrones. He was also part of the comedy troupe The League of Gentlemen, where he both wrote and appeared on screen.

Mark Gatiss says: Along with Mark Gatiss and the special effects team, festival attendees will be given the opportunity to show off their best Doctor Who-themed outfits with a Cosplayers’ Showcase. A Doctor Who expert will judge the costumes, with a special prize awarded to the best-dressed fan.

Fans can also test their knowledge in two separate quizzes, with the chance to win an array of prizes. The fan challenge offers fans of all ages a chance to test their knowledge of the series, whilst the Doctor Who Quiz provides the ultimate challenge, with in-depth questions on the Doctor, his adversaries and the many adventures he’s had through space and time.

To date the festival includes the following, with more talent and activities to be announced shortly:

• Q&AS -see the writers and cast from the series as they talk about how to make an idea become reality on a series as big and bold as Doctor Who.
• PHOTO AND AUTOGRAPH OPPORTUNITIES – A limited number of opportunities for photos and autographs with selected talent.
• WRITERS’ MASTERCLASS – ask Mark Gatiss how a Doctor Who script is crafted and discover the techniques behind the art of dramatic scriptwriting and how to get work published.
• SFX DISPLAY - witness first-hand some of the spectacular effects seen in the series such as explosions and fireballs, elemental and atmospheric effects, mechanical rigs and pyrotechnics.
• WARDROBE DEPARTMENT – a fantastic exhibition of costumes and props.
• COSPLAYERS’ SHOWCASE- fans can showcase their impressive Doctor Who-themed outfits with a special prize awarded to the best dressed.
• DOCTOR WHO QUIZ – this is the ultimate Doctor Who quiz, where fans can show off their in-depth knowledge of the Doctor, his adversaries and the many adventures he’s had through space and time.
• THE FAN CHALLENGE - Fans young and old can battle it out and test their Doctor Who knowledge.

The Doctor Who Festival will be held at the Hordern Pavilion and the Royal Hall of Industries on the 21st and 22nd November. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketek

Hot on the heels of the Doctor Who Festival in London comes another for Sydney, Australia:

Monday marks the 50th Anniversary of the first screening of Doctor Who in Australia.

Although New Zealand first saw the series in September 1964, the series didn't reach Australia until 1965. The series had been purchased from the BBC in March 1964 and initially planned for premiere in May. However the Australian Film Censorship Board (AFCB) classified the series' first thirteen episodes 'A', meaning they were only suitable for an adult audience, thus preventing the ABC from showing the series in the 6:30pm Sunday timeslot they'd intended to use.

The series was therefore first screened in Perth, capital of Western Australia, by ABC station, ABW-2 on Tuesday 12 January 1965.

It was the days before satellite links, so the 16mm film print of the story had to be flown around the country for broadcasts to the different states. Sydney was the second city to screen the series, three days later on January 15th along with various New South Wales Country stations and the Australian Capital Territory. This was followed by screenings on 22nd January for Brisbane and Toowoomba in Queensland. The series reached Victoria on 20th February when Melbourne and various Victorian country stations screened the series. On the 4th March it was back in Queensland in Townsville before flying South to Adelaide where it was screened on 15th March. On the 18th March it was transmitted from Rockhampton before crossing the Bass Strait for broadcast on 11th June to viewers in Hobart and Launceston.

Many ABC stations had not been opened by January 1965, 10 opened in 1965 and a further 14 in 1966. The staggered launch dates of the stations that opened after 1965 meant that viewers in the country were introduced to Doctor Who well into the run, and often part way through a story. Some areas did not even have an ABC transmitter, so missed out altogether.

Last Christmas has debuted in Australia, averaging 563,000 viewers in the five major capital cities. It was the top-rating drama of the day and the thirteenth highest rating programme of the day overall.  These ratings do not include regional or time-shifted viewers.

ABC Australia has confirmed the Christmas episode of Doctor Who, Last Christmas, will be broadcast on ABC 1 on Friday 26th December at 7.30pm

Transmission times have now been confirmed for the UK, Christmas Day at 6,15pm, the USA and Canada, Christmas Day at 9pm ET and Germany, Christmas Day at 9.30pm

Other broadcasts follow during the week with full details listed here.

The Doctor Who pop-up shop will materialise in Melbourne from November 20th at 9am, BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand has announced.

The pop-up shop, which follows the overwhelming popularity of previous stores in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, will be open until after Christmas. To celebrate, special Doctor Who prize packs will be awarded to the first 20 fans to arrive at the shop on opening day wearing Doctor Who costume.

The shop will stock a host of Doctor Who products, including a brand new TARDIS print fashion range, exclusive to Australia and New Zealand, which includes a skirt, shirt and skater dress. There will be a range of Christmas gifts for Doctor Who fans, including K-9 & Cyberman or Dalek & Sontaran cookie cutters, as well as all things TARDIS, with products such as TARDIS toothbrush holders, teapots, creamers and sugar bowls.

In addition to Doctor Who merchandise, the pop-up shop will have a ‘Sherlock Corner’, with a range of Sherlock goods including ‘Consulting Detective’ and ‘High Functioning Sociopath’ mugs, and ‘I’m not a Psychopath...’ t-shirts.

Fans also have the chance to step inside the famous blue box with the TARDIS photo booth, where they can have their photo taken on a choice of three backgrounds to share with friends via social media.

The Doctor Who pop-up shop is open from 20th November to 4th January at: Shop E09/10, Galleria, 343 Little Collins Street (Corner of Little Collins Street and Elizabeth Street), Melbourne.

Death in Heaven averaged an excellent 995,000 national viewers in Australia (these figures include the five major capital cities and regional and rural viewers). It was the highest rating drama of the day and the seventh highest rating program of the day overall. Excluding regional and rural viewers, this story averaged 620,000 viewers in the five major Australian capital cities and was also the highest rating drama of the day and the eighth highest rating program of the day overall in the big cities. These ratings do not include time shifted viewers.