First Director for Series 11

Saturday, 28 October 2017 - Reported by Marcus

Jamie Childs is the first Director confirmed to be working on Series 11 of Doctor Who.

Childs was responsible for directing the 13th Doctor reveal, which introduced Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor.

The news was released on the webside of Jamie Childs' agent, Independent Talent, which confirms the director will be working on the first production block of the next series. It has not yet been confired which episodes will be shot during this production block.

Childs won aclaim for his work shooting comercials wining a number of awards, including a Promax for his piece for Tuborg Brewery.

He has recently directed two episodes of Vera, the HTV crime drama series based on novels of by crime writer Ann Cleeves, and two episodes of Stan Lee's Lucky Man for Sky 1. He worked as Second Unit Director for Series 1 of Poldark

Pre-production work on series 11 began last week for transmission in Autumn 2018.

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New TARDIS team announced

Sunday, 22 October 2017 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Meet the new TARDIS crew - Mandip Gill, Bradley Walsh, Jodie Whittaker, Tosin Cole (Credit: BBC)

The BBC have revealed details of the regular cast who will feature in the next series of Doctor Who, due to be broadcast in the Autumn next year.

When Jodie Whittaker takes over as the Thirteenth Doctor she will be joined by three regular cast members, consisting of Bradley Walsh as Graham, Tosin Cole as Ryan, and Mandip Gill as Yasmin. Also joining the series in a returning role is Sharon D Clarke.

The new series will consist of a ten-week run of fifty-minute episodes, due for transmission in Autumn 2018, and kicking off with a feature-length hour for the opening launch.

New showrunner Chris Chibnall says:

The new Doctor is going to need new friends. We’re thrilled to welcome Mandip, Tosin and Bradley to the Doctor Who family. They’re three of Britain’s brightest talents and we can’t wait to see them dive into brand new adventures with Jodie’s Doctor. Alongside them, we’re delighted that Sharon D Clarke is also joining the show.

Jodie Whittaker added

I am so excited to share this huge adventure with Mandip, Tosin and Bradley. It's a dream team!

Bradley Walsh is best known in the UK for his appearances in the soap opera Coronation Street and for playing lead role of DS Ronnie Brooks in Law & Order: UK ; he also appeared in the spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures playing Odd Bob/Spellman in Day of the Clown. He currently hosts the ITV game shows The Chase and Cash Trapped. Walsh said:

I remember watching William Hartnell as the first Doctor. Black and white made it very scary for a youngster like myself. I was petrified but even though I’d watch most of it from behind the sofa through my fingers, I became a fan. I then queued up for ages to get into the Carlton picture house in Watford to watch the great Peter Cushing appear as the Doctor in a full-length feature film made in glorious colour. Am I thrilled to be part of this whole ground breaking new dawn for the Doctor?? Oh yes!

Mandip Gill is known for playing Phoebe Jackson in the soap opera Hollyoaks, as well as appearances in Cuckoo, Doctors, The Good Karma Hospital and Casualty. She said

I am over the moon to be joining the Doctor Who family. This is an iconic show with an amazing fanbase and I look forward to everything that brings. Certain roles seem unattainable and this is one of those, so much so I didn't believe it to be true for the first few weeks. To be working alongside the likes of Jodie, Bradley and my old friend Tosin is thrilling. This show is worlds away from the work I've done previously and that's the part that excites me the most.

Also joining the team is Tosin Cole, known for his roles in The Cut, EastEnders: E20 and Hollyoaks. He said

I'm grateful and excited to be a part of this journey with the team. I'm looking forward to jumping in this Doctor Who universe.

Matt Strevens, Executive Producer, BBC Studios says:

I am thrilled to welcome Bradley, Mandip and Tosin to the new Who family. Working with three such talented actors is going to be a lot of fun. The Doctor is in fine company.

Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama says

The casting of Mandip, Tosin and Bradley is a mark of the new creative ambition Chris is bringing to Doctor Who. He's already made history with the casting of Jodie. These three new characters complete a new and utterly unmissable team aboard the Tardis.

Sarah Barnet, President of BBC America, added:

Doctor Who fans in America are in for an exhilarating ride as the Thirteenth Doctor and her new friends begin a quite amazing new chapter.

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Thirteenth Doctor announced!

Sunday, 16 July 2017 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The BBC have announced the thirteenth official Doctor is to be played by:

Jodie Whittaker

Born in 1982, Jodie Auckland Whittaker is an English actress from Yorkshire who has worked in theatre and televison since the mid-2000s. Notable on-screen roles have included Izzy Huett in Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Louise Evans in Wired, Peggy Bell in Cranford, Ruth Bowen in Marchlands, Trish Tooley in The Smoke, and Sandy Grimes in The Assets

She is perhaps best known, however, for her portrayal of Beth Latimer alongside former Doctor David Tennant's Alec Hardy in the ITV drama Broadchurch, a series also penned by incoming lead writer and executive producer for Doctor Who, Chris Chibnall.

The actress said:

I’m beyond excited to begin this epic journey with Chris and with every Whovian on this planet. It’s more than an honour to play the Doctor. It means remembering everyone I used to be, while stepping forward to embrace everything the Doctor stands for: hope. I can’t wait.

Chibnall added:

I always knew I wanted the Thirteenth Doctor to be a woman and we're thrilled to have secured our number one choice. Her audition for The Doctor simply blew us all away. Jodie is an in-demand, funny, inspiring, super-smart force of nature and will bring loads of wit, strength and warmth to the role. The Thirteenth Doctor is on her way.

Outgoing Doctor Peter Capaldi observed:

Anyone who has seen Jodie Whittaker’s work will know that she is a wonderful actress of great individuality and charm. She has above all the huge heart to play this most special part. She’s going to be a fantastic Doctor.

Charlotte Moore, BBC Director of BBC Content:

Making history is what Doctor Who is all about and Chris Chibnall’s bold new take on the next Time Lord is exactly that. The nation is going to fall in love with Jodie Whittaker - and have lots of fun too!

Piers Wenger, Controller BBC Drama, said:

Jodie is not just a talented actor but she has a bold and brilliant vision for her Doctor. She aced it in her audition both technically and with the powerful female life force she brings to the role. She is destined to be an utterly iconic Doctor.

Matt Strevens, Executive Producer, said:

I'm so thrilled that Jodie Whittaker said yes to playing the Doctor. I've been a fan for years and always hoped to work with her. She is an actor of great emotional range and inhabits every role with complete passion and conviction. Just thinking about what she will bring to the Doctor makes me as excited as a kid at Christmas. It's going to be a lot of fun.

Meet the Thirteenth Doctor (via YouTube)

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Timeline to Series Eleven

Wednesday, 1 February 2017 - Reported by Marcus

BBC Sources have indicated that next year's series of Doctor Who, the first with the thirteenth Doctor, will be broadcast in the Autumn of 2018.

New showrunner Chris Chibnall is currently still working on season three of his ITV crime drama Broadchurch , which is currently being edited and will premiere in the UK on 27 February.

Chibnall told RadioTimes.com that he has not yet been able to fully dedicate himself to Doctor Who. After finishing work on Broadchurch he intends to take a holiday before launching into Doctor Who.

Chibnall will lead the team searching for the new Doctor, although the choice will need to be agreed by the BBC director of content Charlotte Moore and head of drama and former Doctor Who Executive Producer Piers Wenger. It is expected that a new Doctor will not be announced before the Autumn, with the new Doctor making their debut at the end of the 2017 Christmas Special.

Sources told RadioTimes that the first Chibnall series will begin filming at the start of 2018 for transmission in the Autumn.

Series 10 of Doctor Who, the last full series starring Peter Capaldi. is currently in production and will begin transmission on 15th April.

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Current Competitions

Tuesday, 31 January 2017 - Reported by Marcus

A roundup of competitions that readers may enter over the next couple of weeks:

BBC Audio: The Pirate Planet

Jon Culshaw reads the brand new novelisation of a classic Doctor Who adventure by Douglas Adams. The hugely powerful Key to Time has been split into six segments, all of which have been disguised and hidden throughout time and space. Now the even more powerful White Guardian wants the Doctor to find the pieces. With the first segment successfully retrieved, the Doctor, Romana and K9 trace the second segment of the Key to the planet Calufrax. But when they arrive at exactly the right point in space, they find themselves on exactly the wrong planet – Zanak. Ruled by the mysterious ‘Captain’, Zanak is a happy and prosperous planet. Mostly. If the mines run out of valuable minerals and gems then the Captain merely announces a New Golden Age and they fill up again. It’s an economic miracle – so obviously something’s very wrong...

The Pirate Planet (audiobook) (Credit: BBC Audio)

To be in with a chance to win the audiobook courtesy of BBC Audio, simply answer the following question:

Name another pirate captain encountered by the Doctor in the television series.

Please send your answers along with your name, address and where you heard about the competition (news site, news app, other website, etc.) to comp-pirateplanet@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "Howdy!". The competition is open worldwide, closing date 12th February 2017. Only one entry per household will be accepted.

BBC Audio: The Lost Angel

Kerry Shale reads an exciting original story featuring the 12th Doctor, as played on TV by Peter Capaldi, in an adventure with the Weeping Angels. All Alex Yow wants is to become a photo-journalist and break her first story. All Brandon Yow wants is for his sister to keep out of trouble and come home. But that’s not going to happen, because Alex has taken a picture of a statue. A statue that can move. A statue that makes people disappear. A statue that is hunting them down. In upstate New York, the Doctor is chasing weird energies that should not exist. Teaming up with Alex and Brandon, he discovers a powerful force enslaved to another’s will. Who controls the lonely assassin that prowls the streets? What secrets are the residence of Rickman hiding? And will Alex and Brandon survive the night of the Weeping Angels?

To be in with a chance to win the audiobook courtesy of BBC Audio, simply answer the following question:

What was an older name for the Weeping Angels?

Please send your answers along with your name, address and where you heard about the competition (news site, news app, other website, etc.) to comp-lostangel@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "This is still our planet". The competition is open worldwide, closing date 12th February 2017. Only one entry per household will be accepted.

Audio Download: The Fourth Doctor Adventures: The Beast of Kravenos

A stunning new star act is wowing the audiences of the New Regency Theatre. The modern mechanical marvel of canny canine charisma - the automated dog that can answer any question - the incomparable - the unbeatable - K9! The Doctor and Romana have returned to Victorian London and been reunited with their old friends Professor George Litefoot and Henry Gordon Jago. However this is not merely a social visit. A terrifying crime spree is sweeping the capital, and the burglaries of 'The Knave' defy all logic. Something impossibly dangerous is taking place amid the fog. Only the time travellers and their friends can stop it... but can they be sure they're all on the same side?

The Fourth Doctor Adventures: The Beast f Kravenos (Credit: Big Finish)

To be in with a chance to win a digital download of the audio adventure courtesy of Big Finish, simply answer the following question:

What was the name of the theatre Jago owned when he first met the Doctor?

Please send your answer along with your name and the email address you have registered with Big Finish, plus where you heard about the competition (news site, news app, other website, etc.) to comp-bf4d1@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "Dash me optics!". The competition is open worldwide, closing date 12th February 2017. Note: entrants must have an active registration with Big Finish in order to be eligible to receive the prize - new registrations can be easily created on the website for free and with no financial obligation.

Blu-ray: The Power of the Daleks

The Power of The Daleks (blu-ray steelbook) (Credit: BBC Worldwide)

Animated restoration of all six episodes from the 1966 serial of the BBC sci-fi show starring Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor. The Doctor has regenerated into a new, younger self and while his companions come to terms with this sudden change, they make a terrible discovery at the human colony on the planet Vulcan. What the colonists had thought mere machines reveal their sinister intentions.

To be in with a chance to win the blu-ray, simply answer the following question:

Name the first story to be released that had its missing episodes replaced by animation.

Please send your answers along with your name, address and where you heard about the competition (news site, news app, other website, etc.) to comp-powerbluray@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "Absolute Power!". The competition is open to UK readers only, closing date 12th February 2017. Only one entry per household will be accepted.

Blu-ray: Class

"Time has looked at your faces now. And time never forgets..." It's a new term at Coal Hill Academy, and students are preparing for their Autumn Prom. But when the school comes under attack from deadly monsters, four alienated students must form an unlikely alliance to defeat them. Like all teenagers, these four students have hidden secrets and desires. They are facing their own worst fears, navigating a life of friends, parents, school work, sex, sorrow - and possibly the end of existence. And this incursion is only the beginning... Charlie, April, Ram and Tanya, under the watchful eye of Physics teacher Miss Quill, are now charged with a great responsibility by the mysterious alien known as The Doctor: protect Coal Hill and guard against the creatures of nightmare that want nothing more than to find a way through to Earth and take it for their own.

To be in with a chance to win the blu-ray (or DVD if preferred), simply answer the following question:

Where is the location of another well-known "rift" in the United Kingdom?

Please send your answers along with your name, address and where you heard about the competition (news site, news app, other website, etc.) to comp-classbluray@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "Here, miss!". The competition is open to UK readers only, closing date 12th February 2017. Only one entry per household will be accepted.