Eric Roberts Returns as The Master for Big Finish

Friday, 22 May 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Call him MASTER! (Credit: Big Finish)It’s been 24 years since Eric Roberts first appeared as The Master fighting Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor. Now he’s back in a new audio adventure for Big Finish.

Roberts version of the Master was originally seen in the 1996 TV Movie, Doctor Who. Now he’s escaped the Time Vortex to wreak havoc upon the universe in his very own box set of brand new, full-cast audio adventures, due for release in March 2021.

Along the way, he’ll meet old enemies, new companions and the universe’s most glamorous and dangerous bounty hunter, Vienna Salvatori (a special guest appearance by Chase Masterson).

MASTER! is now available for pre-order as a collector’s edition three-disc box set (on CD at £19.99) and as a digital download (at £16.99).

Abandoned in the Vortex, the Master’s lost incarnation is about to be thrown a lifeline.

Earth rebuilds in the aftermath of invasion, and power rests with those who innovate. Genius Lila Kreeg makes a deal with the devil to see her dreams fulfilled.

As the Master returns, there are those – like Vienna Salvatori – who wish to hunt him, and those upon whom he wishes vengeance himself...

The Master will be doing his dastardly deeds in three thrilling new stories:
  • Faustian by Robert Valentine
  • Prey by Robert Whitelock
  • Vengeance by Matt Fitton
Director, Jamie Anderson, said
Entering this Blade Runner-esque world with the TV Movie Master was a real thrill for me, and it's been a joy to hear our brilliant cast interacting with the effortlessly evil Eric Roberts. The future this writing trio have created is a thrilling place to adventure for three one-hour stories, and listeners are in for a treat when they get to meet the future Earth's characters – both good and evil.
Producer, David Richardson added
The Master continues his cunning plan, by stealth, to take over the Big Finish release schedule – we have the War Master, we have Missy, and now the Movie Master has his own box set, reaching out for help from the Time Vortex – and finding new allies and new foes. Think Killing Eve in a dystopian future and you may just get a taster of what this new direction for the Master looks like.
MASTER! is now available for pre-order as a collector’s edition three-disc box set (on CD at £19.99) and as a digital download (at £16.99), exclusively from the Big Finish website.




FILTER: - Audio - Big Finish

Doctor Who: The Monster Vault

Wednesday, 20 May 2020 - Reported by Chuck Foster
BBC Books have announced a new hardback book that delves into the background of one of the key elements of Doctor Who:

Doctor Who: The Monster Vault (Credit: BBC Books)Doctor Who: The Monster Vault
The Doctor's Enemies Unlocked

Written by Jonathan Morris and Penny CS Andrews
Edited by Paul Lang
Illustrated by Lee Johnson and Ben Morris


Doctor Who's biggest and most comprehensive monster guide yet, The Monster Vault takes you on the ultimate tour of the Whoniverse, discovering and cataloguing every wonderful and terrifying creature the Doctor has ever encountered.

From the notorious Daleks, to the evil Stenza warrior T’zim-Sha and the ancient Thijarians, The Monster Vault features in-depth profiles on each monster, showing the Doctor's most dangerous enemies in their natural habitat and unveiling their secret histories. You will also discover how monsters were created and designed, through exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews, anecdotes, case studies and unseen artwork.

This lavish and visually stunning book provides an unrivalled wealth of information, allowing you to explore the rich history of Doctor Who and expand your knowledge and understanding of monsters old and new.

Doctor Who: The Monster Vault is now available to preorder, and is due to be published on 22nd October 2020.




FILTER: - BBC Books - Books - Merchandise

The Unsung Heroes of Doctor Who

Tuesday, 19 May 2020 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The Unsung Heroes of Doctor Who (Credit: Fantom Events)Fantom Events have announced a brand-new lockdown project celebrating the “unsung heroes” of Doctor Who.

Hosted by Alex Moore, this series of YouTube videos aims to tell the behind the scenes story of those members of the cast and crew whose perspective might normally go untold.

The series will be launched with a special live stream from 8pm BST on 20th May with four episodes featuring Lee Sheward (stunt co-ordinator for Doctor Who and Torchwood); Shaunna Harrison (provided the make-up for Terror of the Vervoids, The Ultimate Foe and Paradise Towers); Philip Brown (who played the Seventh Doctor double in The Day of the Doctor) and Gareth Milne (who played George Cranleigh in Black Orchid and stunt doubled for both Michael Cochrane and Peter Davison. Other credits include Warriors of the Deep, The Caves of Androzani and Vengeance on Varos).

Each subsequent episode will go live weeknights at 18:00 from 25th May and will occasionally feature as part of our regular virtual conventions Time Space Visualiser.

Series highlights include:
  • Nick Joseph (Supporting Artist on The Creature from the Pit, The Leisure Hive, Black Orchid, Terminus and The Mark of the Rani)
  • Ralph Wilton (Production Assistant for Shada and Production Manager on Arc of Infinity)
  • Jim Dowdall (Stunt Performer on Day of the Daleks, The Sea Devils, The Time Monster, Genesis of the Daleks, Frontios)
  • Rocky Taylor (Stunt Performer on The Idiot’s Lantern. He also has uncredited roles in The Daleks’ Master Plan and The Curse of Peladon)
  • Alan Spalding (Designer for Revelation of the Daleks)
  • Damon Jeffery (The Curse of Fenric and Survival)
  • Matthew Savage (Design assistant for series 1 and 2 of Doctor Who. He was also an associate designer and assistant art director for series 1 of Torchwood)
  • Mickey Lewis (Dalek Operator in Asylum of the Daleks and Into the Dalek, an alien in The Rings of Akhaten, the Third Doctor’s body double in The Day of the Doctor and a cyberman in The Doctor Falls, Ascension of the Cybermen and The Timeless Children)

Host Alex Moore said:
It is wonderful to speak to so many people about the making of Doctor Who and their wider careers. We can bring new perspectives from different voices.

The interviews will be available for free at the Fantom Events website, where you can also find all of their weekend online Time Space Visualiser events and a host of other new and archive material created during the pandemic.




FILTER: - Fantom - Online Events

Black Archive #43 - Robots of Death

Sunday, 17 May 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Black Archive #43 - Robots of Death (Credit:  Obverse Books)The latest release in the Black Archive series looks at the Fourth Doctor story Robots of Death.

The series, from Obverse Books, explores in detail the making of the story first shown in 1977.

That's impossible. Robots can't kill.

A literate science-fiction mystery set in an elegant, multicultural future society, The Robots of Death (1977) represents a synthesis of a witty script, beautiful design and clever, sympathetic casting.

This Black Archive examines these elements contributing to the story’s alchemical brilliance, alongside the themes of artificial intelligence, class and power in the works of scriptwriter Chris Boucher, and the titular robots’ legacy, including their reinterpretation in audio and stage plays.

Asked why she chose Robots, Fiona said

I have been fascinated by it since I first saw it during the late 1980s. At a time when even the best of 1970’s TV appeared “dated” rather than “retro,” The Robots of Death stood out because it looked, and sounded, fresh and timeless. Many of my interests as a SF historian and critic may well owe their inspiration to The Robots of Death: the influence of Expressionism; the representation of women and ethnic minorities in SF television; the ambivalence humans feel about robots; and how SF deals allegorically with class, power, and capitalism.

I’m delighted to have the opportunity to explore these concepts in more detail through writing for The Black Archive.

Fiona Moore is a writer and academic who has written guides to Blake’s 7, The Prisoner and Battlestar Galactica.
Order on Amazon




FILTER: - Black Archive - Books

Time Lord Victorious BBC Books Release

Tuesday, 12 May 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Time Lord Victorious (Credit: BBC Books)BBC Books to publish two new novels for the multi-platform Doctor Who project Time Lord Victorious.

Time Lord Victorious will tell a new and untold story, set within the Dark Times at the start of the universe when even the Eternals were young. Following several Doctors across space and time as they defend their home planet from a terrible race, this is a story like no other.

Time Lord Victorious will feature the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Doctor characters, companion Rose Tyler and monsters including the Daleks and the Ood, with more to be revealed over the coming months as products are announced.

Credit: BBC BooksDoctor Who: The Knight, The Fool and The Dead
by Steve Cole

We live forever, barring accidents. Just like everyone else in the universe.

The Doctor travels back to the Dark Times, an era where life flourishes and death is barely known...

Then come the Kotturuh – creatures who spread through the cosmos dispensing mortality. They judge each and every species and decree its allotted time to live. For the first time, living things know the fear of ending. And they will go to any lengths to escape this grim new spectre, death.

The Doctor is an old hand at cheating death. Now, at last, he can stop it at the source. He is coming for the Kotturuh, ready to change everything so that life wins from the start. Not just the last of the Time Lords. The Time Lord Victorious.

Doctor Who: The Knight, The Fool and The Dead is published on 1ST October 2020 by BBC Books, priced £9.99
Doctor Who: All Flesh Is Grass (Credit: BBC Books)Doctor Who: All Flesh Is Grass
by Una McCormack

Even a Time Lord can’t change the past.

A wasteland. A dead world… No, there is a biodome rising from the ashes. Here, life teems and flourishes, with strange, lush plants and many-winged insects with bright carapaces – and one solitary sentient creature, who spends its days talking to the insects and tending this lonely garden. This is Inyit, the Last of the Kotturuh.

In All Flesh is Grass we are transported back to The Dark Times. The Tenth Doctor has sworn to stop the Kotturuh, ending death and bringing life to the universe. But his plan is unravelling – instead of bringing life, nothing has changed and all around him people are dying. Death is everywhere. Now he must confront his former selves – one in league with their greatest nemesis and the other manning a ship of the undead

Doctor Who: All Flesh Is Grass is published on 10th December 2020 by BBC Books, priced £9.99




FILTER: - BBC Books - Time Lord Victorious

Doctor Who Collection range discussion

Monday, 11 May 2020 - Reported by Chuck Foster
An interview has been released online featuring Chris Chapman, one of the main contributors to the ongoing range of Doctor Who seasons being released on Blu-ray. The producer/director chatted about the challenges of creating fresh features and insights for the stories previously released on DVD, including those on the latest release, Season 14, and hinted about existing/potential developments planned for the future of the range.

The interview is available courtesy of Fantom Events.





FILTER: - Blu-ray/DVD - Fantom - Online

Homemade Who

Friday, 8 May 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Homemade WhoDoctor Who fans around the world united in April 2020 to recreate their favourite moments during the lockdown.

The Homemade Who project was launched last month to give the Doctor Who community something creative and fun to do while everyone’s been stuck at home.

With Doctor Who celebrating 15 years since its revival, fans were asked to recreate some of their favourite scenes from 2005 onwards using whatever they could find in their house.

A compilation video featuring every clip sent in so far can be found here

Entries were sent in from England, Australia, France, Luxembourg, Argentina, Wales, Germany, Italy, the Philippines, the USA, and New Zealand!

You can watch all the complete clips on Instagram:

Due to its success, the project has been extended for another month. If you would like to take part you can find all the details here.

Homemade WhoHomemade WhoHomemade WhoHomemade WhoHomemade Whoc




FILTER: - Fan Productions

Power Of The Daleks: special edition details discussed

Monday, 4 May 2020 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Animation director and producer Charles Norton appeared as a guest on last weekend's Time Space Visualiser convention organised by Fantom Events online, during which he discussed the new special edition of The Power of The Daleks with Toby Hadoke. The interview is available to watch online from the Fantom Events YouTube channel.


The Power of the Daleks: Special Edition is due to be released in July.





FILTER: - Animation - Blu-ray/DVD - Fantom - Online

Jodie Whittaker Joins Charity Appeal

Friday, 1 May 2020 - Reported by Marcus

Jodie Whittaker has joined Brian Cox and Ewan McGregor to support the Geeky T-Shirt awareness drive and fundraiser for a charity helping terminally children in Scotland.

The current Doctor is helping launch a nationwide appeal for Children’s Hospices Across Scotland – better known as CHAS, a charity which provides vital hospice care services throughout Scotland to support the whole family.

As part of the Share Your Joy campaign, on Monday, May the Fourth, CHAS are encouraging the public to show allegiance to their favourite science-fiction, fantasy, cartoon or musical hero and by virtue the charity itself, by digging out their favourite geeky t-shirt to wear on the day. Thousands of supporters around the country have a CHAS shirt in the cupboard from a past or postponed event; CHAS asks them to wear it with pride for the day and share it with the hashtag #MayThe4thBeWithCHAS.

In order to help support the ongoing physical and new virtual hospice services provided to CHAS families, who are dealing with the most difficult of circumstances at the most impossible of times, participants are encouraged to share their efforts online and donate just £3 by texting ‘Geeky 3’ to 70450.

Laura Campbell, Community Fundraising Development Manager at CHAS, said
We are bowled over by the attention this appeal has had so far. We’ve had support from schools, universities, workplaces, sport teams, political figures, people from the film, TV and music world, and most importantly the CHAS families this is all for.

It means a lot to have backing from Jodie, Brian and Ewan to seriously highlight our position. We hope people from all over Scotland, and perhaps even further afield, are able to join in on the day and maybe take part in our ‘Big Geeky Quiz’ at 8pm on Facebook Live, which will feature guest questions from a few famous faces. We’ve got Jedi legends, legendary X-Wing pilots, White Walkers, Disney princesses, Power Rangers… it’s about to get nerdy!
On the evening of the 4th, The Big Geeky Quiz will be hosted by CBeebies actor James Mackenzie, who has gone on a Saharan trek and been heavily involved in fundraising for the charity throughout the last year. Questions will come from Ewan McGregor and many other figures from the worlds of Star Wars, Disney and beyond.

Now in its third year, support for last year’s Geeky T-Shirt day came from a trio of Scottish greats: Peter Capaldi, Brian Cox and Billy Boyd. The funds and awareness raised by the online event will help CHAS on its mission to reach every single baby, child and young person who needs them, despite the current situation.

Like many other charities left reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, CHAS has had to dramatically transform the way in which it provides its increasingly important services. They have set up Scotland’s first-ever virtual hospice to support children and families who are having to completely self-isolate.

The virtual hospice is now four weeks in, offering families extensive support, whether it relates to clinical guidance, financial advice or bereavement support, by video and phone. CHAS family support teams are also offering an expanding range of interactive activities, art clubs, storytelling and conference calls to children and parents, with more in the pipeline.

Although stringent measures are currently in place to safeguard families, those needing urgent physical and end of life care are still welcome at the hospice, where staff work tirelessly to provide children with the palliative assistance they need.

Jodie Whittaker supports Geeky T-Shirt Day 2020




FILTER: - Charities - Jodie Whittaker

Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 551

Thursday, 30 April 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Magazine Issue 551 (Credit: Panini)Doctor Who Magazine Issue 551 features former Doctor Who showrunners Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat who interview each other.
Steven, you know full well we’re always winging it
Issue 551 also includes:
  • Extended Production Notes from current showrunner Chris Chibnall.
  • Composer Segun Akinola reveals his inspirations for the Series 12 soundtrack.
  • In the first virtual Out of the TARDIS, Neil Gaiman answers questions from the TARDIS tin.
  • The Fact of Fiction explores 1984 classic The Caves of Androzani.
  • A tribute to the late David Collings (Revenge of the Cybermen, The Robots of Death, Mawdryn Undead), including extracts from a previously unpublished interview.
  • How Doctor Who fans around the world are staying connected during the lockdown.
  • A lockdown viewing guide to Doctor Who stories that are available on DVD and streaming services.
  • A look at Birth of a Renegade, a short Doctor Who story from the Radio Times 20th Anniversary Special.
  • A review of the Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 14 Blu-ray box set.
  • Time and Space Visualiser presents a lockdown special, with contributions from former Doctors and companions.
  • Public Image presents a full round-up of how Series 12 performed in the ratings.
  • Part Three of The Piggybackers, a new comic-strip adventure featuring the Thirteenth Doctor and her friends.
  • Big Finish previews and reviews, news, prize-winning competitions, The Blogs of Doom and much more!
Doctor Who Magazine Issue 551 is on sale from Thursday 30 April 2020 price £5.99 (UK)




FILTER: - DWM - Russell T Davies - Steven Moffat