Launch Date for Doctor Who on Retro TV

Friday, 11 July 2014 - Reported by Marcus

US station Retro TV has announced that the classic series of Doctor Who will launch on the channel on August 4th.

The run will see stories aired from each of the first seven Doctors, with just under 500 episodes being acquired by the channel which specialises in airing such classic TV programmes as The Lucy Show, Petticoat Junction, The Beverly Hillbillies, Highway to Heaven, Naked City and I Spy.

The Doctor Who run will begin with the very first episode of the series, An Unearthly Child, first broadcast in the UK in 1963. Two episodes will be shown back-to-back every weeknight at 8:00 PM ET/PT.

Matthew Golden, Luken’s Vice President of Production said

We’re excited to set a fixed point in time for the arrival of classic episodes of Doctor Who on Retro TV. These meticulously restored episodes will bring the history of the Doctor to the U.S. in a way that viewers have never seen before.

In addition to the weeknight schedule, a two hour encore block will air on Saturday evenings as part of Retro TV’s new Sci-Fi Saturday. Starting at 6:00 PM ET/PT, viewers can enjoy the supernatural anthology One Step Beyond, Doctor Who and Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Full listings for Doctor Who around the world can be found on This Week in Doctor Who.

FILTER: - Broadcasting - Doctor Who - USA

Does Doctor Who have the best fans?

Thursday, 10 July 2014 - Reviewed by Alex Frazer-Harrison

Doctor Who might not have a panel at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, but there's a chance its fans could steal the spotlight (twice) at the first-ever mtvU Fandom Awards.

Presented by MTV's college network spin-off, online voting is now open in several categories for the awards, which will be presented on July 27 and air in the US on both mtvU and MTV that evening at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Nominees were announced on July 9.

Doctor Who is listed among TV Dramas including Supernatural, Teen Wolf, Game of Thrones, The Vampire Diaries, Sherlock, Breaking Bad and Pretty Little Liars. According to mtvU, the awards will be handled in a "bracket" system, with the top vote-getters moving on to the next round. Doctor Who is directly competing against Breaking Bad and if it wins will move on to the next round. If it makes it past Round 3, the series will be placed head to head against top nominees in the Movies, TV Comedies and Animation categories for the final prize.

The series is also nominated in a special BFF (Best Fandom Forever) category, where its competition is Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sherlock and Batman. (What, no Star Trek?) Votes will be tallied in the form of how many "likes" and reblogs each franchise receives off the voting page.

To cast your vote (registration at MTV.com required) or to get liking and reblogging for the BFF category, click here.

FILTER: - Doctor Who - Fan Productions

Space Helmet for a Cow

Thursday, 3 July 2014 - Reported by Marcus

A new book from Mad Norwegian Press is being published to mark Doctor Who's 51st Birthday.

Space Helmet for a Cow: The Mad, True Story of Doctor Who (1963-1989)

In Space Helmet for a Cow, Paul Kirkley (SFX magazine) provides a sweeping, wry and warm look at the behind-the-scenes story of Doctor Who - not just the greatest TV show ever made, but frequently the most insane TV show ever made. Which other program, for example, would attempt to sink Atlantis, wage inter-planetary war and crash Concorde - all in BBC Television Centre, on a budget that would barely cover a sitcom?

This is the story of how, over 50 years, a bunch of very clever, very dedicated and sometimes plain crazy people made Doctor Who happen, often against seemingly insuperable odds; a story of triumph and tragedy, tears and tantrums, and an awful lot of men called Donald.

Space Helmet for a Cow also answers the burning questions few have dared tackle before. Questions like: How does a talking cabbage get an Equity card? What would have been in William Hartnell's Glastonbury set? And if you meet a Yeti coming out of a loo in Tooting Bec, how long should you give it?

Published 9 December 2014. Available to pre-order on Amazon.

FILTER: - Doctor Who - Books

Doctor Who tops poll of greatest sci-fi, horror and fantasy moments

Wednesday, 25 June 2014 - Reported by John Bowman

The Doctor's farewell to Rose in Doomsday has been voted the greatest moment in sci-fi, horror and fantasy by readers of the magazine SFX, it was revealed today.

To mark the publication of issue 250 of the monthly magazine, readers were asked to vote for a definitive list of the 250 greatest moments of sci-fi, horror and fantasy in genres covering cinema, television, books, comics and video games. A total of 96,300 votes was cast and Doctor Who came top with that emotional scene set in Bad Wolf Bay. Originally broadcast on 8th July 2006, the concluding part of the two-episode story that ended Series Two was written by Russell T Davies - who was the showrunner at the time - and directed by Graeme Harper.

In a statement, SFX said:

Revisionists would have you believe that Who was always a show with emotional impact, but barring a couple of companion departures, that didn't really become true until the advent of Russell T Davies.

His most heart-destroyingly tragic contribution was this scene, in which a holographic projection of the Doctor talks to a tearful Rose on a Norwegian beach, with the signal cutting out just before the slowcoach can declare, "I love you". It's a moment everyone can identify with because, as Davies put it, "There's an echo of every loss you've ever had."

We've all had to bid farewell to someone we care about - even if it wasn't forced upon us by the threat of universal destruction - and this eye-moistening moment perfectly encapsulates the agony of break-up.

The Doctor says goodbye to Rose at the end of Doomsday. Picture: BBC

David Tennant told SFX:

I remember worrying on the day we shot this scene that as I was actually a projection from inside the Tardis my hair shouldn't be blowing in the wind.

That seemed terribly important at the time, and although we didn't find a solution to it, it bothered me for weeks. Then I saw the finished scene and of course all that matters is the end of the Doctor and Rose's story. Russell had weaved some glorious magic for two seasons and it all came together so perfectly in this scene that people still talk to me about it with misty eyes all these years later (and I suspect they always will.)

Murray Gold created some heart-stopping music that accentuates the misery and Billie [Piper] is just breathtakingly good. I feel very lucky to be standing on that beach, with my hair flying around, in amongst all these brilliant elements. Whatever else I do and wherever else I end up, this will be a moment I will be forever proud to look back on. Thanks for having us at number one.

SFX recruited some of the biggest names in the world of sci-fi to share their favourite moments, with Buffy The Vampire Slayer star Anthony Head among those agreeing that John Hurt's chest-burst scene in the 1979 film Alien was their greatest.

He said:

The first thing that comes to mind is Alien, the great exploding John Hurt moment! You didn't hear until afterwards how they filmed it, and it was one of those moments of reality really hitting a group of actors. You believed it. So full on. It was a perfectly-formed science fiction film, and it's always stuck with me. I was very scared.

The Top 10 greatest moments in sci-fi, horror and fantasy as voted for by SFX readers are as follows:

1: Doctor Who - The Doctor and Rose say farewell at Bad Wolf Bay in Doomsday
2: Avengers Assemble - The Hulk destroys Loki
3: Alien - The chest-burst scene
4: Firefly - Mal Reynolds kicks a bad guy into Serenity's engine intake (The Train Job)
5: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - Luke discovers that Darth Vader is his father
6: Blade Runner - Roy Batty's "Tears in rain" monologue
7: Game of Thrones - "The Lannisters send their regards" (The Red Wedding)
8: The Matrix - Neo dodges bullets in the bullet-time scene
9: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (novel) - Dumbledore's death
10: Back To The Future - "Where we're going, we don't need roads."

The full list is printed in issue 250 of SFX, which is on sale as of today and also features contributions from Davies and current showrunner Steven Moffat.

UPDATE - 8.20PM: Since the result was announced, the BBC has uploaded the scene to its official Doctor Who YouTube channel. Watch it below:

The Doctor and Rose say goodbye (via the official Doctor Who YouTube channel)

FILTER: - Steven Moffat - Doctor Who - Russell T Davies - Magazines - David Tennant - Series 2/28

Titan Comics reveal the Twelfth Doctor Cover

Tuesday, 24 June 2014 - Reported by Marcus

BBC Worldwide North America and Titan Comics have revealed the first cover art and creator details for the new ongoing comic series starring the Twelfth Doctor, which hits comic stores on October 1, 2014.

Eagle award-winning writer Robbie Morrison (Drowntown, The Authority, 2000AD, Nikolai Dante) and New York Times-bestselling artist Dave Taylor (Batman: Death by Design, 2000AD) will be helping spin the new Doctor off to his most challenging destination yet.

As with the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor ranges, Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #1 comes with a regular cover painted by Alice X. Zhang, plus five other variants - including a "100% rebel Time Lord" photo cover and Mariano Laclaustra penned picture of Clara.

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor is available to pre-order from comic stores and will hit retailers on October 1.

NB: Due to licensing restrictions, fans in the UK and Ireland can only purchase this comic digitally.

COVER B: PHOTO COVER SUBSCRIPTION INCENTIVE VARIANT

COVER D: MARIANO LACLAUSTRA COVER FREE 10 COPY

COVER E: CLARA PHOTO COVER FREE 25 COPY VARIANT

COVER F: ALICE X. ZHANG â��STARKâ�� COVER FREE 100 COPY

As previously reported the new Tenth and Eleventh Doctor ranges will hit comic book stores on July 23, and print or digital editions are available to pre-order now.

FILTER: - Twelfth Doctor - Comics

Doctor Who wins at Banff

Thursday, 12 June 2014 - Reported by Marcus

Doctor Who has won two awards at the 35th Banff World Media Festival which took place in Canada over the last three days.

The series was awarded the Rockie Award for Best Science Fiction, Action, and Fantasy as well as getting the prize for Best Scripted Programme, just beating The Big Bang Theory.

The awards jury comprises a large number of media and television executives from around the world.

FILTER: - Doctor Who - Canada - Awards/Nominations

Seventh Doctor hat among items to be auctioned at Bonhams

Sunday, 8 June 2014 - Reported by John Bowman

Bonhams' latest entertainment memorabilia sale will once again include items from Doctor Who, with Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures also featuring.

The sale - taking place at the showroom in Montpelier Street, Knightsbridge, London, on Wednesday 25th June from midday - consists of some 367 items, with lots 94 to 121 being of particular interest to DW, TW and SJA fans.

They include an original rehearsal script for The War Machines episode 2 (which is given the story title Doctor Who and the War of the Machines on the front page) as well as sets of draft and rehearsal scripts for all six episodes of The Abominable Snowmen and a set of four camera scripts for The Time Warrior, plus a screen-used panama hat signed by Sylvester McCoy. Items from The Sarah Jane Adventures include the costume worn by Elisabeth Sladen for Invasion of the Bane and her wedding dress from The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, while the Torchwood lots include costumes worn by Eve Myles.

Full list of DW, TW and SJA auction items

Lot	Description	Estimate (£)
Doctor Who:
94	Original rehearsal script for The War Machines episode 2	250-350
95	Complete set of six rehearsal scripts for The Abominable Snowmen	1,000-2,000
96	Complete set of six draft scripts for The Abominable Snowmen	2,000-3,000
97	Set of five rehearsal scripts for The Web of Fear	1,000-1,500
98	Original handwritten postcard from Patrick Troughton to Henry Soskin (Henry Lincoln)	300-500
99	Three rehearsal scripts for The Dominators	500-700
100	Set of four camera scripts for The Time Warrior	500-600
101	A Time Lord robe from The Deadly Assassin	2,000-2,500
102	An original costume design for Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor	4,000-4,500
103	A collection of scripts from the Sylvester McCoy era plus light and floor plans	600-800
104	An original screen-used panama hat signed by Sylvester McCoy	800-1,200
105	An original control panel from Remembrance of the Daleks	300-500
106	A Haemovore head from The Curse of Fenric	250-300
Torchwood:
Lot	Description	Estimate (£)
107	James Marsters' costume from Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang	300-500
108	Bryan Dick's costume from Adam	250-300
109	Nikki Amuka-Bird's costume from Sleeper	250-300
110	Camilla Power's costume from From Out of the Rain	300-500
111	Eve Myles's costume from Adrift	250-300
112	Gareth David-Lloyd's costume from Day Two and Day Three	250-300
113	Eve Myles's costume from Day Five	250-300
The Sarah Jane Adventures:
Lot	Description	Estimate (£)
114	Elisabeth Sladen's costume from Invasion of the Bane	300-500
115	Tommy Knight's costume from Eye of the Gorgon	200-300
116	Yasmin Paige's costume from Warriors of Kudlak	250-300
117	Daniel Anthony's costume from The Last Sontaran	250-300
118	Anjli Mohindra's costume from Prisoner of the Judoon	250-300
119	Elisabeth Sladen's wedding dress costume from The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith	300-500
120	Elisabeth Sladen's costume from The Nightmare Man	300-500
121	Sinead Michael's school uniform costume from Series 5	250-300

A PDF of the catalogue can be downloaded here. Viewings are being held on 22nd June from 11am to 3pm, 23rd and 24th June from 9am to 4.30pm, and from 9am to 10am on the day of the sale itself.

FILTER: - Doctor Who - Torchwood - UK - Auctions - Sarah Jane - Patrick Troughton

Dual Planet to release incidental music by Eric Siday and Don Harper

Wednesday, 21 May 2014 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Dual Planet are to release two albums which include music that featured in Doctor Who during the William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton eras:

Eric Siday: The Ultra Sonic Perception (Credit: Dual Planet)

The Ultra Sonic Perception
Eric Siday

A compilation of electro-acoustic and early electronic music. Compiled from series of rare electronic 78rpm 10”s, featuring music used in the 1960s Doctor Who TV Series.

Considered to be one of the pioneers of Psychoacoustics, Eric Siday is also acknowledged as a key name in the growth of 20th century electronic music. An important figure in the development of the Moog Synthesizer, Siday’s compositions were a testing ground for Bob Moog ideas, in turn shaping the technical advancement of the instrument. An early experimenter of Musique Concrete and extended technique he inaugurated these concepts into the world of television scoring and advertising. Slightly pre-dating Ron Grainer and Delia Derbyshire’s ground-breaking composition for the Doctor Who theme, he begun experimenting with electronics in soundtracks as early as 1960 carrying through to the 1970s where he created inspired electronic ‘sound logos’ for various entertainment companies such as CBS, ABC and Columbia.

Pulling together a clutch of eerie atomic-age miniatures drawn from a series of rare 10” 78rpm library discs, this compilation explores Siday’s scientific study of sound, a concept he branded ‘The Ultra Sonic Perception’. Partially used as the soundtrack to the early 1960s Doctor Who TV series, this document is an amazing insight into the early electronic music used in television as well as a showcase of the pioneering techniques used by this forward thinking composer.

Ultimate
Moonscape
Galaxy
Suspended Animation
The Power Planet
The Machines
The Concerto To The Stars
Telecommunications
Telecommunications 2
The Laboratory
Pavane
Pizzicato Piano
Challenge Of Space
Space Drift
Meteors
Stars
Comet
Transmutations 1
Transmutations 2
Transmutations 3
Sidereal Vibrations
Plenipoteniary
Chromatic Aberration
Fallout
Fallout Aftermath
Eclipse

Don Harper: Cold Worlds (Credit: Dual Planet)

Cold Worlds
Don Harper

A previously unreleased Doctor Who score mastered from the original tapes. Includes additional electronic tracks from Don Harper’s catalogue and music featured in George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead.

A collection of Horror-Electronics, supernatural soundscapes and sinister library muzak from Australian composer Don Harper. Centring on a previously unreleased score for the 1968 Doctor Who series The Invasion (a dark otherworldly sci-fi jazz suite) Cold Worlds is also a focus on the electronic music of this largely unsung composer. Like many Australian film composers (Ron Grainer, Dudley Simpson, Don Banks) Don Harper based himself in the UK during the 1960s and subsequently found employment at the BBC and other British film and library companies.

Probably best known for his BBC scores for World of Sport, Sexton Blake and The inside Man, Harper also immersed himself in the world of electronics. Acknowledged as a virtuoso jazz violinist, he notably produced a 1974 electronic/altered jazz session for Lansdowne Studios titled Homo Electronicus (featuring Norma Winstone and other progressive UK jazz musicians). In addition to cutting a number of library sessions for Joseph Weinburger’s Impress label, in which several tracks were later famously sampled by MF Doom, he also co-wrote the music (alongside Delia Derbyshire and David Vorhaus) for the essential Radiophonic KPM recording Electrosonic. Also, featured on this compilation are his nightmarish cues used in George Romero’s cult zombie classic Dawn of the Dead.

Doctor Who Theme
Nightmare
Moving Shadows
Dank Earth
Cold Worlds
Psychosis
Sinister Stranger
Twisted Mind
Troubled Mind – Torment

Note: the tracks are a re-recording of the score made by Harper for the de Wolfe music library. Aside from the Doctor Who theme, the tracks from The Invasion included on this album are separate cues to those included in Silva Screen's 50th Anniversary Collection.

The albums will be released in both vinyl and CD formats, and can be ordered from their website. Some sample tracks can be heard via their Soundcloud page.

Thanks to Dual Planet we have five prizes up for grabs. In order to be in with a chance of winning, answer the following question:

Name a Doctor Who story which features music from Eric Siday’s "Ultra Sonic Perception".

Please send your answers along with your name, address and where you heard about the competition to comp-dual@doctorwhonews.net with the Subject "Space Age". The competition is open world-wide and the winners will be able to choose which composer and format (Vinyl or CD) to receive (please specify in your entry). Only one entry per household will be accepted. Closing date: 31st May 2014.

FILTER: - Music - Second Doctor - Competitions - First Doctor

Recovered episodes restoration video released

Sunday, 18 May 2014 - Reported by John Bowman

Restoration Team member Paul Vanezis has released a video showing some of the delicate work carried out on the Second Doctor episodes that were recovered last year.

The nine episodes - from The Enemy of the World and The Web of Fear - were returned to the BBC's archive in Perivale on Friday 31st May and the next day the film prints were taken to the Digital Media Services department of BBC Studios and Post Production in South Ruislip for transfer.

In 2013, nine lost episodes were returned to the BBC by the archive recovery organisation TIEA. This is what then happened to the films.

The film starts with the remedial work required to get the film on the film cleaner, then the film cleaner at work.

The film cleaner works by immersing the film in a bath of specially engineered inert fluid which acts as a transmission medium for the powerful ultrasonic waves which shock the dirt on the surface of the film and loosen it to allow it to be gently scrubbed off by rotating lambswool rollers submerged in the bath. Hot air knives dry the film as soon as it leaves the bath.

Then we see the first of the film watched for the very first time since it was lost.

Restoring Doctor Who

With Thanks To Tony Clark

FILTER: - Online - Missing episodes - Second Doctor

Win a Weeping Angel Costume

Tuesday, 6 May 2014 - Reported by Marcus

Doctor Who News, in association with Jokers' Masquerade, is offering you a chance to win a brand new Weeping Angel costume.

Officially endorsed by the BBC, the Weeping Angel fancy dress costume is brand new for 2014 and designed & manufactured by official license holder Rubies Masquerade.

The Doctor Who costume includes robe, soft EVA wings, EVA face mask and a pair of gloves. It's available in two sizes. We have one standard size costume to give away.

To enter answer the following question

What is the UK name for the children's game on which the Weeping Angels are based?

Entries should be sent to comp-angel@doctorwhonews.net. Please include your name and location.

Closing date is Friday 16th May 2014.

Only one entry per person. The winner will be selected at random from the correct entries. The editors decision is final.

COMPETITION CLOSED

Congratulations to Ellie Cook of Cambridge, who wins the costume. Correct answer was Grandmother's Footsteps

(with thanks to Jokers' Masquerade)

FILTER: - Doctor Who - Competitions

Previous 10 Stories