Gallifrey One's Network 23, the twenty-third annual North American Doctor Who Celebration convention, will take place February 17-19, 2012 at the Marriott Hotel at Los Angeles Airport.

Featured guests from the Whoniverse at this year's annual installment of the long-running fan convention -- blending both classic and new series guests -- are Paul McGann (the eighth Doctor), Camille Coduri (Jackie Tyler), Mark Sheppard (Canton Everett Delaware III), William Russell (Ian Chesterton), Louise Jameson (Leela), Caitlin Blackwood (Young Amelia Pond), Maureen O'Brien (Vicki), Richard Franklin (Captain Mike Yates), Tony Curran (Vincent van Gogh), Eric Roberts (the TV Movie Master), Daphne Ashbrook (Grace Holloway), Yee Jee Tso (Chang Lee), Simon Fisher-Becker (Dorium Maldovar), Philip Segal (TV Movie Producer), John de Lancie (Torchwood's Agent Shapiro), Toby Haynes (director of five Series 5-6 episodes), Richard Senior (director of "Let's Kill Hitler"), Nicholas Briggs (the voice of the Daleks), W. Morgan Sheppard (Old Canton), Daniele Favilli (Torchwood's Angelo Colasanto), Waris Hussein (director of "An Unearthly Child"), Barnaby Edwards (new series Dalek operator), Michael Troughton (author & son of Patrick Troughton), Gary Russell (Sarah Jane Adventures script editor), Phil Ford (Sarah Jane producer), Simon Guerrier (Graceless), Richard Dinnick (The Big Finish Companion), Jason Haigh-Ellery (Big Finish Productions), "Torchwood" writers Jane Espenson, Doris Egan and John Shiban, IDW Doctor Who comics editor Denton Tipton, writer Joshua Hale Fialkov, colorist Charlie Kirchoff and illustrators Matthew Dow Smith & Blair Shedd, comedian Charlie Ross (who brings his famous UK Doctor Who themed comedy show to America for the first time), and many other guests from the science fiction media, comics and literary community.

Gallifrey One is the world's longest-running annual Doctor Who convention, with three days of events including a weekend-long tribute to actors Nicholas Courtney and Elisabeth Sladen; a live Friday night performance of Louise Jameson's one-woman stage show Pulling Faces; a full Saturday masquerade/costume show and performance of Charlie Ross's legendary Doctor Who comedy show; previews from Big Finish Productions, IDW Comics, the Doctor Who Restoration Team and Hirst Publishing; a dealers room, art show, an annual charity benefit auction this year benefitting Students Run L.A., cosplay program and costuming hall, an exhibits area this year featuring the fully restored 1996 TV Movie TARDIS console, science programming, the North American debut of the Guerrier Brothers' short film Cleaning Up starring Jameson and Mark Gatiss, Q&A sessions, interviews, autographs and much more.

Online convention pre-registration closes on January 31 (with at-door registration open as the convention begins). For more information visit www.gallifreyone.com/ or check out the Facebook page at facebook.com/gallifreyone

BBC Worldwide have announced that Arthur Darvill will be joining Matt Smith and Steven Moffat at the Official Doctor Who Convention, taking place at Cardiff in March.

Other guests at the weekend include actors Stuart Milligan (President Nixon, The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon) and Simon Fisher-Becker (Dorium, The Pandorica Opens/Let's Kill Hitler/The Wedding of River Song.

Also joining the previously announced behind-the-scenes crew Danny Hargreaves (special effects supervisor), Michael Pickwoad (production designer), and Marcus Wilson (producer) are Andy Pryor (casting director), Tom MacRae (author and writer of last year's The Girl Who Waited), Stephan Pehrsson (director of photography), and Caroline Henry (script editor).


See the Official Convention website for full details of the event.

BBC Worldwide have responded to criticism of some of the charges associated with the official Doctor Who Convention being held next march in Cardiff.

The event costs £99 per day and originally attendees were also asked to book a separate £25 ticket for a picture or autograph with either Matt Smith or Steven Moffat.

After consultation with Moffat the convention has now agreed that the guaranteed autograph signing and photography opportunities with him will now be offered on a complimentary basis. Anyone who has already purchased a ticket for a session with Moffat via the website will be immediately refunded.

Instead the event will be holding a competition in the next few weeks offering Doctor Who Convention attendees the chance to be selected for a photograph or autograph with Steven Moffat.

The charges for a photograph or autograph with Matt Smith will remain. BBC Worldwide justify this by saying the photographs will be taken by a professional photographer and will be studio quality prints. They confirm that conference attendees will have other opportunities to see Matt Smith in person but the ticket will guarantee the opportunity to have a photograph or autograph with him.

BBC Worldwide have also answered criticism that the event is not child friendly. They say:

BBC Worldwide have announced the first official Doctor Who convention to be staged since the series return in 2005. Billed as the "Ultimate Doctor Who Fan Event", it will feature guests Matt Smith and Steven Moffat, plus many others from the cast and crew including Danny Hargreaves (special effects supervisor), Michael Pickwoad (production designer), Marcus Wilson (producer) and the team behind Millennium FX.

The convention will held twice, taking place at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff; 1500 tickets are to be made available for each of the days on the 24th and 25th March 2011:

Matt Smith commented on the announcement:
Steven Moffat said:

Tickets for the convention go on sale from the 14th November, and are priced at £99 for the day; autographs and photo opportunities with Matt Smith and Steven Moffat are also to be made available on a limited basis for an additional charge.

For more information and to book see the official convention website at www.dwconvention.com.

The organisers of the Doctor Who convention Hurricane Who have contacted the Doctor Who News Page with details of their forthcoming "Category Two" convention in Orlando, Florida, USA. The event takes place at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel at Sea World from the 4th to 6th of November this year.

Among the Doctor Who-related guests attending the convention will be:

• Arthur Darvill (Rory), making his first North American convention appearance
• Naoko Mori (Toshiko Sato, Torchwood)
• Terry Molloy (Davros)
• Paul Marc Davis (The Trickster, The Sarah Jane Adventures)

 Full details are available from the convention website: HurricaneWho.com.

This January sees the release of Invasion of the Dinosaurs on DVD, a story which has the dubious fame of including the final casualty of the old BBC process of destroying prints, with episode one only existing as a black and white print in the BBC Archive.

The episode, like other 'monochrome' Pertwee episodes, has been a focus as to whether a colour version could be recreated; speaking in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, DVD executive producer Dan Hall said:

As a result, the episode will be presented in the story in its 'clean' black and white version, with the partial colour restoration available as an alternative.

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The colour episode will be shown in the form of a special preview for attendees at the forthcoming DWAS convention, Time 5, taking place at Riverside Studios on Saturday 29th October 2011:

The trailer for the forthcoming The Reign of Terror - recently seen in Australia - will also be screened during the convention.
(with thanks to Paul Winter)

A number of conventions featuring actors from Doctor Who and its spin-offs will be taking place over the next few months. David Tennant will be attending his first convention since taking on the role of the tenth Doctor while Alexa Havins and Arlene Tur from Torchwood: Miracle Day make their first appearance at a UK convention.

This is a list of confirmed guests for some of the bigger events taking place in the UK and US.

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The Entertainment Media Show (London) — 1-2 October

David Tennant (the tenth Doctor), Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper), Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams), Alex Kingston (River Song), Ian McNeice (Winston Churchill), Nina Toussaint-White (Mels), Albert Welling (Adolf Hitler), Frances Barber (Eye Patch Lady / Madame Kovarian), Miranda Raison (Tallulah), Caitlin Blackwood (Amelia Pond), Dan Starkey (Skorr, Strax), Anneke Wills (Polly), David Gooderson (Davros, Destiny of the Daleks), Philip Rham (Zimmerman), Leslie Schofield (Leroy, Calib), Kate O'Mara (the Rani), Georgia Moffett (Jenny, The Doctor's Daughter).

Autographica (London) — 14-16 October

Honor Blackman (Professor Lasky), Rodney Bewes (Stien), Michael Jayston (the Valeyard), Michael Cochrane (Lord Cranleigh, Redvers Fenn-Cooper), Philip Madoc (Eelek, War Lord, Solon, Fenner), Stephen Greif (Gurney, The Infinite Quest).

London MCM Expo — 28-30 October

Alexa Havins (Esther Drummand) and Arlene Tur (Dr. Vera Juarez), Torchwood: Miracle Day.

Memorabilia London — 29-30 October

Catherine Schell (Countess), Andrew Hayden-Smith (Jake Simmonds), Ayesha Antoine (Dee Dee Blasco), Daniel King (Davenport), Anna Barry (Anat), Sheila Steafel and Ray Brooks (Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.).

Memorabilia Birmingham — 19-20 November

Colin Baker (the sixth Doctor), Arthur Darvill, Kai Owen (Rhys Williams), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Derek Jacobi (Professor Yana / The Master), Marshall Lancaster (Buzzer), Frances Barber, Fiona Walker (Kala, Lady Peinforte), Isla Blair (Isabella), John Challis (Scorby), Roger Lloyd-Pack (John Lumic), Danny Horn (Adult Kazran).

Chicago TARDIS — 25-27 November

Peter Davison (the fifth Doctor), Alex Kingston, Nicholas Briggs (Various voices, Rick Yates), Beth Chalmers (Big Finish), Ben Aaronovitch (Writer: Remembrance of the Daleks, Battlefield), Arnold T. Blumberg (Howe's Transcendental Toybox), Benjamin Cook (The Writer's Tale, Doctor Who Magazine), Toby Hadoke (Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf)

Gallifrey One (Los Angeles) — 17-19 February 2012

Paul McGann (the eighth Doctor), Camille Coduri (Jackie Tyler), Mark Sheppard (Canton Everett Delaware III), Louise Jameson (Leela), Maureen O'Brien (Vicki), William Russell (Ian Chesterton), Tony Curran (Vincent van Gogh), Eric Roberts(The Master), Mary Tamm (Romana 1), Daphne Ashbrook (Dr. Grace Holloway), John De Lancie(Agent Shapiro from Torchwood), Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon), Richard Franklin (Mike Yates), Yee Jee Tso (Chang Lee), Toby Haynes(director), Richard Senior(director), Nicholas Briggs (Various voices), Beth Chalmers (Big Finish), Lisa Greenwood (Big Finish), Michael Troughton (son of Patrick Troughton, novelist), plus many more.

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Other events can be found on our Events page.

A new video looking into the world of Doctor Who Fandom has just been released.

The movie FANZ, by Marq English covers many facets of being a Doctor Who fan, including conventions, fan films, costumes, merchandise and the new series.


The video features contributions from J Jeremy Bentham, David J Howe, Steve O'Brien, Justin Richards, Lawrence Miles, Dan Harris, Alistair Lock, Stuart Robinson, Stephen James Walker, Erica Egertonm, Toby Hadroke, Athena Stamos, Neil Oseman, Rob Tizzard, Nick Scovell, John Paul McCrimmon, Rosie Grant, Gareth Preston, Adam Manning, Alison Manning, Steve Hatcher, John Davies, Gwyn Jeffers, Tom Golding and Louise Jameson.

It is available for free download and viewing on YouTube and also available as an mp4 for iPhone/iPad download from the FANZ Website:

Big Finish has announced a series of one-day sales called "Big Finish Week". The weeklong sale starts on 6th June and features a selection of Doctor Who CD releases which are available to buy from the Big Finish website for just £5.00 each for one day only. These one-day sales are as follows:

• 6 June – Doctor Who releases 1-10
  The Sirens of Time, Phantasmagoria, Whispers of Terror, The Land of the Dead, The Fearmonger, The Marian Conspiracy, The Genocide Machine, Red Dawn, The Spectre of Lanyon Moor and Winter for the Adept
• 7 June – Doctor Who releases 11-20
  The Apocalypse Element, The Fires of Vulcan, The Shadow of the Scourge, The Holy Terror, The Mutant Phase, Storm Warning, The Sword of Orion, The Stones of Venice, Minuet in Hell and Loups-Garoux.
• 8 June – Doctor Who releases 21-30
  Dust Breeding, Bloodtide, Project: Twilight, The Eye of the Scorpion, Colditz, Primeval, The One Doctor, Invaders from Mars, The Chimes of Midnight, Seasons of Fear.
• 9 June – Doctor Who releases 31-40
  Embrace the Darkness, The Time of the Daleks, Neverland, Spare Parts, …Ish, The Rapture, The Sandman, The Church and the Crown, Bang-Bang-A-Boom!, Jubilee
• 10 June – Doctor Who releases 41-50
  Nekromanteia, The Dark Flame, The Pirates, Creatures of Beauty, Project: Lazarus, FlipFlop, Omega, Davros, Master, Zagreus

The sale will end on 11 June, with the Big Finish Day Convention in Barking, Essex. Guests in attendance will include Colin Baker, Sophie Aldred, Katy Manning, Miles Richardson, Nicholas Briggs, Lisa Bowerman. More details on this event can be found on the 10th Planet Events website.

A number of actors from Doctor Who will be attending Collectormania in Milton Keynes over this coming weekend (Saturday 28th to Monday 30th May 2011).

Former Doctors Peter Davison and Colin Baker will join Alex Kingston (River Song), Stuart Milligan (President Richard Nixon, Colonel Stark, Tannoy), Anthony Head (Mr. Finch, School Reunion, Baltazar, The Infinite Quest) John Leeson (K-9), John Challis (Scorby, The Seeds of Doom), Roger Lloyd-Pack (John Lumic, Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel), Dean Lennox Kelly (Shakespeare, The Shakespeare Code), Nigel Planer (Vorgenson, Doctor Who Live), Christopher Ryan (General Staal / Commander Stark), Miranda Raison (Tallulah, Daleks in Manhattan / Evolution of the Daleks), Darren Morfitt (Marco, The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone), Ralph Morse (Foster Guardian, The Keeper of Traken), Les Conrad (Various - uncredited), Stephen Calcutt (Various - uncredited), Dean Mitchell (Armed Soldier, Aliens of London - uncredited) and Jill Curzon (Louise, Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.).

You can find a full list of guests and show information on the Collectormania website.