Weeping Angels Scariest Monster

Wednesday, 12 September 2007 - Reported by Jarrod Cooper

The Weeping Angels from Series Three episode Blink have topped the Doctor Who Adventures scariest monster poll by receiving 55 percent of the Vote. The Master came in second with 15 percent, while The Daleks came in third with 4 percent.

Moray Laing, editor of Doctor Who Adventures says, "The Weeping Angels are a fantastic addition to the long list of scary monsters in Doctor Who. Children will definitely remember being scared by them for years to come. Also, the idea that you could possibly escape a creature by not blinking is inspired... but it's not as easy as it sounds! The Daleks usually come top of every monster poll - so the Weeping Angels should be proud of their achievement! I wonder what the Daleks would say to the news?"

The latest issue of Doctor Who Adventures will be out on September 13th and will feature a full spread on the Weeping Angels.

FILTER: - Series 3/29 - Awards/Nominations

Spring Books Announced

Tuesday, 11 September 2007 - Reported by Jarrod Cooper

The BBC have announced details on the upcoming trio of novels set to be released in May 2008. These three novels will feature the Tenth Doctor and Martha.

Martha in the Mirror by Justin Richards

Castle Extremis - whoever holds it can control the provinces either side that have been at war for centuries. Now the castle is about to play host to the signing of a peace treaty. But as the Doctor and Martha find out, not everyone wants the war to end.

Who is the strange little girl who haunts the castle? What is the secret of the book the Doctor finds, its pages made from thin, brittle glass? Who is the hooded figure that watches from the shadows? And what is the secret of the legendary Mortal Mirror?

The Doctor and Martha don't have long to find the answers - an army is on the march, and the castle will soon be under siege once more.

Snowglobe 7 by Mike Tucker

Earth, 2099. Global warming is devastating the climate. The polar ice caps are melting.

In a desperate attempt at preservation the Governments of the world have removed vast sections of the Arctic and Antarctic and set them inside huge domes across the world. The Doctor and Martha arrive in Snowglobe 7 in the Middle East, hoping for peace and relaxation. But they soon discover that it's not only ice and snow that has been preserved beneath the Dome.

While Martha struggles to help with an infection sweeping through the holidaymakers the Doctor discovers an alien threat that has lain hidden since the last ice age. A threat that is starting to thaw.

The Many Hands by Dale Smith

Edinburgh, 1759.

The Nor' Loch is being filled in. If you ask the soldiers there, they'll tell you it's a stinking cesspool that the city can do without. But that doesn't explain why the workers won't go near the place without an armed guard.

That doesn't explain why they whisper stories about the loch giving up its dead, about the minister who walked into his church twelve years after he diedå

It doesn't explain why, as they work, they whisper about a man called the Doctor. And about the many hands of Alexander Monro.

FILTER: - Books

Classic Series Toy Update

Tuesday, 11 September 2007 - Reported by Jarrod Cooper

Character Options have announced the first in the new Classic Series range of figures. The first wave will include four single releases and two twin packs. There is currently not a release date. The list is still under negotiations and approvals, but Wave 1 is currently slated to include:

The Fourth Doctor in his Red velvet jacket from the story Revenge of the Cybermen. This figure will include two interchangeable heads - one with the hat, one without.

The Fifth Doctor with short hair as seen in the story Resurrection of the Daleks.

The Sixth Doctor in his patchwork frock coat with short hair as seen in Attack of the Cybermen.

A Sea Devil complete with string vest.

A Zygon with the Skarassen control device.

Voc Robots from The Robots of Death. This twin pack will include SV-7 (Super Voc) and D-84 (Dum Class).

Magnus Greel and Mr Sin from Talons of Weng Chiang will be the second twin pack.

FILTER: - Merchandise - Character

Canada: Doctor Who pre-empted again this week

Monday, 10 September 2007 - Reported by Mike Doran

Doctor Who is being pre-empted again this week by theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)due to the live broadcast of the 2007 Canadian Country Music Awards. The live broadcast from Regina, Saskatchewan would have affected the broadcast of Doctor Who across most of the country.

Doctor Who was also pre-empted in parts of Canada last week due to Labour Day CFL Football broadcasts in some timezones. Areas that were not affected by the live football saw a repeat of the episode Gridlock.

Doctor Who will return to the CBC on Monday September 17th with the episode Utopia.

FILTER: - Canada - Broadcasting

Tate takes action

Monday, 10 September 2007 - Reported by Anthony Weight

Doctor Who star Catherine Tate is taking action against a Christian group which used catchphrases from her BBC Two sketch show without permission, reports BBC News. Tate is one of a number of British comedy stars, including Matt Lucas and Big Finish / Doctor Who Night actor David Walliams of "Little Britain" fame, taking action against the organisation.

Christian Publishing Outreach (CPO) employed slogans used by Tate's characters, such as "Am I bovvered?" and "How very dare you!", alongside excerpts from the Bible on a series of posters made commercially available to church groups for twenty-five pounds per set. The posters were aimed at attracting the attention of younger people.

Tiger Aspect Productions, the company which produces Tate's award-winning sketch show The Catherine Tate Showfor BBC Two, confirmed to BBC News that they had sought legal proceedings on her behalf. CPO has withdrawn its posters from sale.

FILTER: - People - Catherine Tate

Planet of Evil

Monday, 10 September 2007 - Reported by Jarrod Cooper

The BBC have released full information on the upcoming release of the classic Fourth Doctor story, Planet of Evil. Featuring Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen, the DVD is slated for release on October 15th, 2007.

Special Features Include -

Commentary with actors Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, Prentis Hancock (Salamar), and producer Philip Hinchcliffe.
Planetary Performance - a look at the making of the story from an actor's perspective.
Studio Scene - the only surviving behind-the-scenes footage from the story.

FILTER: - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD

SCI-FI Weekly grades Torchwood

Saturday, 8 September 2007 - Reported by DWNP Archive

Reviewer Kathy Huddleston of SCI-FI WEEKLY grades the first episode of Torchwood and gives it an A.

She writes "From Russell T. Davies comes a new series that explores the Earth-bound underbelly of the Doctor Who universe. The American premiere of Torchwood on BBC America offers up an exciting and dark series that goes places where Doctor Who can't."

She goes on to compliment the "grown up" version of Doctor Who and praises the uniqueness of Captain Jack. "The Web site promises Torchwood is a cross between The X-Files and Angel. That's true, but there's also enough Doctor Who in the mix to make us feel at home. Beyond that, we have Capt. Jack, the first bisexual character to lead a sci-fi series. Now that's what I call a new frontier."

FILTER: - Torchwood - Press

BBC7 Revisits McGann

Saturday, 8 September 2007 - Reported by Jarrod Cooper

BBC7 is currently set to begin re-running the Big Finish Eighth Doctor audios that have aired on the station over the next several weeks. BBC7 programmes can be heard either live on the internet or for seven days afterwards using BBC7'sListen Again option.

The series begins Monday, September 10th at 6pm with Shada, and continues every weeknight thereafter.

FILTER: - Radio

Revenge of the Judoon

Friday, 7 September 2007 - Reported by Jarrod Cooper

BBC Books have released details on the next Doctor Who Quick Reads novel, Revenge of the Judoon. Written byTerrance Dicks, this novel sends the Doctor and Martha to Balmoral in 1902. Revenge of the Judoon will be out on March 6th, 2008.

Here they meet Captain Harry Carruthers – friend of the new king Edward VII. Together they head for the castle to see the king – only to find that Balmoral Castle is gone, leaving just a hole in the ground. The Doctor realises it is the work of the Judoon – a race of ruthless intergalactic mercenary space police.

While Martha and Carruthers seek answers in London, the Doctor finds himself in what should be the most deserted place on Earth – and he is not alone.

With help from Arthur Conan Doyle, the Doctor and his friends discover a plot to take over the world. With time running out, who will fall victim to the revenge of the Judoon?

FILTER: - Books

Sarah Jane press release

Thursday, 6 September 2007 - Reported by Anthony Weight

September 6, 2007 • Posted By Paul Hayes

The BBC Press Office has today released a report promoting the forthcoming Doctor Who spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures, which it states will begin broadcasting at the end of September. The first story, "Revenge of the Slitheen", will feature the return of the Raxacoricofallapatorian family last seen in the 2005 series of Doctor Who. Details from the press release can be found in the box at the bottom of this article.

Executive producer Russell T Davies is quoted as saying that: "This is a wonderful opportunity, to use all our Doctor Who resources here in Cardiff for the making of a brand new drama for CBBC. We hope brand new viewers join us for ten full-blooded episodes of excitement and danger, headlined by a truly excellent cast."

Star Elisabeth Sladen adds: "It's great to be back enjoying Sarah Jane with some fantastic new adventures. There's still so much more to find out about her after all these years. I hope that viewers have as much fun watching the series as I did making it."

The BBC's Doctor Who website also has an item about Sarah Jane's upcoming encounter with the Slitheen.

The new series The Sarah Jane Adventures sees the return of some familiar alien enemies from Doctor Who as the Slitheen are back and out for revenge.

Coming to CBBC on BBC One and CBBC at the end of September 2007, The Sarah Jane Adventures stars one of Doctor Who's most famous former companions – investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith.

The series is from the same people behind Doctor Who including multi-award winning writer Russell T Davies.

Having travelled the universe with The Doctor, Sarah Jane is used to dealing with alien encounters.

But when her young friends Maria, Luke and Clyde join her they soon become embroiled in a mysterious world of chases, danger, and monsters from outer space, discovering that life on Earth can be an adventure too.

In Revenge Of The Slitheen, the first two-part story from the new series, Maria, Luke and Clyde realise that all is not as it seems on their first day at their new school.

The food keeps going off, there's a funny smell and the new technology block is hiding some dark secrets. They soon find out that the Slitheen have disguised themselves as teachers as part of their deadly plan which threatens the future of Earth.

Will Sarah Jane and the gang be able to stop them all before it's too late?

FILTER: - Sarah Jane - Press

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