Official Doctor Who Twitter feed reaches one million mark

Friday, 25 July 2014 - Reported by John Bowman
The official Doctor Who Twitter feed has reached the figure of one million followers - and to mark the milestone a special thank-you message has been released.

In the brief video, the character Osgood - as played by Ingrid Oliver in The Day of the Doctor, but sporting a bow tie this time instead of a long, multi-coloured scarf - delivers the message, which incorporates three clips from the series featuring the Doctor expressing his gratitude.



Earlier this month, Doctor Who News welcomed the 100,000th follower to its Twitter feed.





FILTER: - Doctor Who - Online

Verity Lambert Plaque Unveiled

Thursday, 24 July 2014 - Reported by Marcus
A plaque honouring the first producer of Doctor Who, Verity Lambert, has been unveiled at London's Riverside studios, by the Doctor Who Appreciation Society

The plaque, which marks the achievements of Lambert as a Film and Television producer, will be on display at Riverside Studios until the venue closes for development in the autumn, when it will be placed into storage and then permanently mounted at the new Riverside media centre when completed.

Verity Lambert was Doctor Who's first producer and the first female drama producer at BBC Television. She oversaw Doctor Who from her appointment in June 1963 until the autumn of 1965, guiding the series to a successful launch and laying down the framework of the series which still running today. After she left Doctor Who her credits and reputation continued to rise and she became one of the best known players in the industry. She oversaw such iconic productions as Adam Adamant Lives, Budgie, The Naked Civil Servant, Rock Follies, Rumpole of the Bailey, Edward and Mrs Simpson, Reilly: Ace of Spies, Minder, GBH and Jonathan Creek.

The plaque honouring Lambert was unveiled by Doctor Who's first director Waris Hussein, in a ceremony attended by the two surviving members of the original TARDIS team, William Russell and Carole Ann Ford. The event included a screening of the drama based on the creation of Doctor Who, An Adventure in Space and Time and a compilation of interview material, previously unseen.

Riverside studios in Hammersmith London, were used by the BBC from 1954-1974. Although the first Doctor Who stories were recorded at the nearby Lime Grove complex, the series used Riverside Studio 1 for a number of stories between 1964 and 1969. Verity Lambert produced stories recorded at the site include The Dalek Invasion of Earth, The Rescue, The Romans, The Web Planet, The Crusade and The Chase.

Waris Hussein unveils the Verity Lambert Plaque (Credit: DWAS) William Russell, Waris Hussein and Carole Ann Ford with the Verity Lambert Plaque (Credit: DWAS)


Update: DWAS have released a video of the plaque unveiling by Waris Hussein.





FILTER: - Doctor Who - Events

Tenth and Eleventh Doctor Comics Released

Wednesday, 23 July 2014 - Reported by Marcus
Today sees the launch of two new comic series from Titan, featuring the adventures of the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors
Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #1

The Eisner Award-winning Nick Abadzis (Laika) and fan-favorite Elena Casagrande (Angel, Suicide Risk, Doctor Who, Star Trek) take control of the TARDIS for their first five-issue arc with the Tenth Doctor, as played by David Tennant.

Titan Comics' Doctor Who series for the 10th Doctor Titan Comics' Doctor Who series for the 10th Doctor Titan Comics' Doctor Who series for the 10th Doctor Titan Comics' Doctor Who series for the 10th Doctor

Gabriella Gonzalez is stuck in a dead-end job in her family’s New York Laundromat, dreaming of college and bigger, better and brighter things.

So when a strange man with an even stranger big blue box barges into her life on the eve of the Day of the Dead celebrations – talking about an infestation of psychic aliens – she seizes her chance for adventure with both hands.

After Donna’s tragic exit, the Doctor thought he was done with new companions. But Gabby Gonzalez is going to prove him wrong… if she survives the night!

On-sale in comic stores and available to read on your digital device via Comixology
Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor #1

A stunning new era begins for the Eleventh Doctor, as played by Matt Smith.

Titan Comics' Doctor Who series for the 11th Doctor Titan Comics' Doctor Who series for the 11th Doctor Titan Comics' Doctor Who series for the 11th Doctor Titan Comics' Doctor Who series for the 11th Doctor
Alice Obiefune has just lost her mother when the Doctor explodes into her life.

But what does this grieving young woman have to do with the career of a 70s musician, an amnesiac alien, and a terrifying cosmic threat?

In the wake of the second Big Bang, find out what the Doctor gets up to when Amy and Rory aren’t around!

Series architects Al Ewing (Loki: Agent of Asgard, Mighty Avengers, Trifecta) and Rob Williams (Revolutionary War, Ordinary, Miss Fury, The Royals: Masters of War, Trifecta) kick off a whirlwind adventure through eternity with artist Simon Fraser (Nikolai Dante, Grindhouse, Doctor Who)!

On-sale in comic stores and available to read on your digital device via Comixology
NB: This Saturday July 26 has been designated Doctor Who Comics Day - with signings, events and promotions happening in stores and shows around the world.

More information here.




FILTER: - Comics - Eleventh Doctor - Tenth Doctor

SFX 251 Doctor Who Covers

Wednesday, 23 July 2014 - Reported by Marcus
The new edition of SFX, out today, celebrates the return of Doctor Who to our screens this autumn with an exclusive selection of five limited edition covers and a revealing behind-the-scenes interview.

Issue 251 features access to the man behind Doctor Who, Steven Moffat, in which he exclusively reveals his hopes for the new Doctor, Peter Capaldi, the direction he hopes the show will go in, and his episode-by-episode insight into the 2014 series.

SFX SFX SFX SFX SFX


To celebrate the return of Doctor Who to our screens, the magazine features five limited edition collectable covers: Peter Capaldi as the Doctor and his four ​companions Clara, Strax, Jenny and Madame Vastra. These will be randomly distributed around the UK.

Dave Bradley, Editor-in-Chief of SFX, says:
We’re thrilled to have this first cover with Peter Capaldi - and bonus covers with all his gang! Doctor Who remains a favourite with all our readers. A month ahead of the show's return to our screens, this is a great chance to chat with the head writer and executive producer Steven Moffat about what's in store for the new Doctor.


Issue 251 also goes behind the scenes on Sin City: A Dame To Kill For and analyses the future of superheroes on TV with a complete guide to the upcoming shows Gotham, Constantine, The Flash, Agent Carter and more. The issue also features interviews with geek icon Felicia Day, director Luc Besson, and top fantasy author Robin Hobb.

The issue goes on sale on Wednesday 23 July, priced £4.99.




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Magazines - Peter Capaldi - Steven Moffat

New Titan Companions in Legacy

Monday, 21 July 2014 - Reported by Marcus
When the first issues of Titan Comics' all-new ongoing comics series, Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #1 and Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor #1 are released, readers will discover at last how new companions Gabriella Gonzalez and Alice Obiefune enter the Doctors' lives.

Titan have now announced that these first issues will also each include an exclusive link to a code that readers can use to bring these new comics companions into their Doctor Who: Legacy games.
Players will also be able to pit these new companions against thrilling new levels and enemies ripped from the pages of the comics – for free.

Susan and Lee Cummings of Tiny Rebel Games said:
We're very excited to be working with Titan to add the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors' newest companions to the world of Legacy. Seeing them fight alongside other fan-favorite companions like Amy, Clara and River Song, and go up against the amazing new enemies introduced in the comics, is pretty thrilling.
Doctor Who comics editor Andrew James added:
Doctor Who fans from all over the world have already flocked to Legacy – and with good reason. So collaborating with the Legacy team to bring our comics companions into the game was a perfect opportunity. It’s a real delight for us that Gabby and Alice can now go on new adventures with the Doctor in between issues – and we look forward to sharing more comics-driven content through Legacy in the future.
Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor and Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor are ongoing comics series published by Titan Comics. The first issues of both titles are released on July 23. with July 26 being designated Doctor Who Comics Day.




FILTER: - Comics - Eleventh Doctor - Games - Tenth Doctor

Doctor Who - BBC Annual Report

Monday, 21 July 2014 - Reported by Marcus
The Day of the Doctor was the most-watched drama on BBC Television last year, with an average of 12.8 million viewing.

The figures are confirmed in the BBC Annual Report published today, which also reveals that 3.2 million requested the 50th-anniversary episode on iPlayer.

Doctor Who is listed as one of the global highlights of the year, with the Doctor Who special being shown on TV in 98 countries, with 3D screenings in 23 countries, broadcast in 15 languages, and selling 649,138 cinema tickets in 25 countries. Following transmission, the episode went straight to the top of the iTunes US and Amazon charts, illustrating appetite for the Doctor Who brand, which has 4.3m fans on Facebook.

BBC Worldwide, the BBC's commercial arm, also reported on how well the series performs for the Corporation. The Day Of The Doctor sold more DVD copies in its first week than any previous Doctor Who title. Additionally, the returned classic Doctor Who episodes, The Enemy of the World and The Web of Fear, topped the iTunes TV chart in October. By offering fans exclusive products, such as limited edition box sets and branded apparel, the e-commerce business at BBCShop.com has increased by 30.4%.

In North America the Doctor Who 50th-anniversary episode reached almost 4.5m viewers on the day and set a record for activity related to a televised event on Tumblr, surpassing the Super Bowl and MTV VMAs. The Doctor Who Christmas special premiere was BBC America's first-ever audience over 3m.

BBC Worldwide reported that although revenue from consumer products in the US as a whole was marginally down, it outperformed the declining US DVD market. This was aided by Doctor Who 50th-anniversary programming, which also fuelled an 80.1% uplift in licensing, with total licensing revenue equating to over US$100m in retail sales. The one-day theatrical release of The Day of the Doctor delivered the equivalent of US$4.8m at the box office, making it the second-highest US box office hit on the night.

In Australia the Doctor Who 50th-anniversary broadcast reached 1.7m viewers, while the sales of Doctor Who DVDs increased by 59.6%. Live events included the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular touring three cities, and the 50th-anniversary episode screening was seen by more than 95,000 cinema-goers in 131 cinemas. BBC Worldwide Australia launched four Doctor Who pop-up shops and an online store.

In Latin America The Day of the Doctor was seen by 24,000 people in cinemas across the region.

Overall, BBC Worldwide made a headline profit of £157.4 million.




FILTER: - BBC - Day of the Doctor

Morris coy on future missing episode returns

Sunday, 20 July 2014 - Reported by Anthony Weight
Missing episode hunter Philip Morris, who was responsible for last year's discovery of 9 previously missing episodes from The Enemy of the World and The Web of Fear at a Nigerian television station, has today declined to confirm whether or not he has found any further episodes of Doctor Who.

Morris has been taking part in an online question-and-answer session at the Doctor Who Missing Episodes Discussion Group on Facebook. Since 9pm UK time, Morris has been answering questions submitted by members of the group earlier in the day.

Asked to say whether or not he had found any further episodes, Morris told the group:
A tricky one to answer

And fans will just want a yes or no haven't you or have you. But it's complex all I can say is the wind is blowing the right way be patient. I don't wish to jeopardise the ongoing project in any way .And feel the fans of all lost tv will be very happy with the outcome.
Morris told the group of the dangers inherent in searching unstable areas of the world for vintage television programmes, including encounters with bandits and armed militia and narrowly being missed by a mortar shell in Syria. But he said he had also been inspired by countries such as India, and Ethiopia, which are "nations of very innovative people who find the most amazing ways of doing things with little funding".

Morris defended the statement issued last year, before the return of The Web of Fear and Enemy of the World, which declared the episodes "all gone"
It was a statement of fact. All the original video recordings were wiped, all the known negatives were junked and all out of contract film copies sent to landfill. They are the facts sadly. However moving on from that you have non returned prints audition films. And things which people thankfully thought to take home.
Morris said that the two stories he would most like to see returned are The Tenth Planet, Episode 4 and Power of the Daleks, as these are such key episodes.

However he said fans should not expect any news in the near future.
There are no announcements in the pipeline at present.It can sometimes be the wrong thing with ongoing work and investigation. An example would be during the last announcement I was in a very hostile part of the world and suddenly I was everywhere on tv my anonymity was compromised. Which made the team a target .So we must plan these things carefully for the greater good of the project and the safety of the personnel involved.
BBC Worldwide has previously stated to Doctor Who Magazine earlier this year that "BBC Worldwide does not have any of the 97 missing episodes of Doctor Who, and none of them have been - or are being - restored for release... We're aware of these rumours, and are keen to set the record straight... as we don't want fans' hopes to be falsely raised."




FILTER: - Classic Series - Doctor Who

Series 8 launch party to be held in London

Friday, 18 July 2014 - Reported by John Bowman
A party celebrating the start of Series 8 of Doctor Who and the arrival of the 12th Doctor is to take place in London on Saturday 23rd August.

The first episode, Deep Breath, will be shown live on a giant screen with a top-notch sound system. So too will any additional Doctor Who programming being broadcast that afternoon and evening. Food and drink will be available to buy throughout the party.

Organised by Jeremy and Paula Bentham together with Tony Clark, the Twelfth Knight Party will be free to attend and is open to all people aged 18 and over. However, admission is by allocated ticket only.

Jeremy told Doctor Who News:
Launch parties are tremendous fun for everyone, but a launch party for a new Doctor is something very special indeed. Sharing and joining in the gasps of surprise, the laughter, the sudden intakes of breath, those little nods to past history as we prepare to venture " . . . into darkness." It's an amazing experience that only a live audience really gets.
Capacity at the Twelfth Knight Party is strictly limited to 800 places. To apply for tickets, e-mail Jeremy at jjbentham@aol.com no later than Sunday 10th August, using the subject line Twelfth Knight ticket applications and stating your name as well as how many people will be in your group. Before applying, though, people are urged to consider their transport options for getting home afterwards, as the party will finish late.

Successful applicants will be contacted on or before Sunday 17th August, when they will be told the exact location of the party and will be sent their group or individual tickets.

Since the show's return to TV in 2005, the organisers have held a series of highly popular event parties in London.




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Series 8/34 - Special Events - UK

Big Finish: Fourth Doctor novel adaptations for January

Thursday, 17 July 2014 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Big Finish have released the covers for two upcoming Fourth Doctor adventures that have been adapted from original novels written for the Virgin Missing Adventures range by Gareth Roberts. The two stories are set during the Graham Williams era of the television show, featuring Tom Baker as the Doctor, Lalla Ward as Romana, and John Leeson as the voice of K-9.

The Romance of Crime (Credit: Big Finish)The Romance of Crime
Written by Gareth Roberts, adapted by John Dorney
Directed by Nicholas Briggs


The TARDIS brings the Doctor, Romana and K9 to the Rock of Judgement; a court, prison and place of execution built into a rocket-powered asteroid. When involved in an investigation by the system's finest lawman, they begin to seek answers to some disturbing questions.

Cast: Tom Baker (The Doctor), Lalla Ward (Romana), John Leeson (K9), Graham Seed (Pyerpoint), Miranda Raison (Margo/Xais), Phil Mulryne (Shom, Hogan, Ogron 6), Marcus Garvey (Frank Spiggot), Michael Troughton (Stokes), James Joyce (Zy, Ogron 5, Barman), Joshua Silver (Charlie Nisbett), John Dorney (Eddie Nisbett/Ogrons), Jane Slavin (Blakemore, Bailiff, LIbrarian)
The English Way of Death (Credit: Big Finish)The English Way of Death
Written by Gareth Roberts, adapted by John Dorney
Directed by Nicholas Briggs


The Doctor, Romana and K9 arrive in 1930s London to return some overdue library books. They plan to take a rest after their recent adventures, but Romana detects a distress signal from the future and the Doctor is attacked by a suffocating green mist.

Cast: Tom Baker (The Doctor), Lalla Ward (Romana), John Leeson (K9), Terrence Hardiman (Stackhouse), Derek Carlyle (Orlick), Richard Braine (Percy Closed), Abigail McKern (Felicia), Annabel Mullion (Julia), Mark Bonnar (Porteus), Tim Bentinck (Colonel Radlett), Andrew Bone (Woodrow), Jane Slavin (Harriet)

The adventures are due to be released in January 2015 as both standard editions and also in a limited edition that comes in special packaging and a bonus behind-the-scenes disc.





FILTER: - Audio - Big Finish - Fourth Doctor - Merchandise

Titan to launch comics at San Diego Comic Con

Monday, 14 July 2014 - Reported by Marcus
Titan Comics have revealed plans to launch their two brand-new ongoing Doctor Who comic series - Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor and Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor – at San Diego Comic Con.

To mark the event four special variant covers of Doctor Who: The Tenth #1 and The Eleventh Doctor #1 will be available from Titan Comics (booth #5537), the BBC Shop (booth #4129) and Diamond (booth #2401) plus a Comickaze one is available for an offsite event.

SDCC Titan Comics Variant (Credit: Titan) Diamond Variant (Credit: Titan) BBC Shop Variant (Credit: Titan) Comickaze Store Variant (Credit: Titan)
Events are scheduled throughout the weekend.
FRIDAY JULY 25
Writer Nick Abadzis, artist Elena Casagrande and cover artist Alice X Zhang will be signing copies of the comics at the Titan Booth #5537 from 12:00pm – 1:00pm

SATURDAY JULY 26 – DOCTOR WHO COMICS DAY
Artist Des Taylor will be signing copies of the Forbidden Planet store variants of the comics at the Titan Booth #5537 between 12:00pm – 1:00pm

Writer Nick Abadzis, artist Elena Casagrande, cover artist Alice X. Zhang and Doctor Who comics editor, Andrew James will reveal exclusive secrets from the upcoming Tenth and Eleventh Doctor storylines and show never-before-seen art and concept designs at a special panel. Plus, a first look at interior art from the upcoming Twelfth Doctor ongoing series.

Attendees will get to watch an exclusive video surprise, while every person who attends the panel will receive a special Doctor Who Comics Day pack. The event takes place in Room 23ABC between 3:00pm – 4:00pm.

Writer Nick Abadzis, artist Elena Casagrande and cover artist Alice X Zhang will be signing copies of the comics at the Titan Booth #5537 from 4:30pm – 5:30pm.
The offsite event is being held at the Comickaze Comic Store on Clairemont Mesa Blvd on Saturday July 26. Writer Nick Abadzis, artist Elena Casagrande, cover artist Alice X. Zhang and Doctor Who comics editor, Andrew James will be available for a Doctor Who signing and Doctor Who quiz.

Attendees are invited to come dressed as their favourite Doctor Who character for a chance to win exclusive Doctor Who merchandise.




FILTER: - Comics - Eleventh Doctor - Tenth Doctor