Russell T Davies Signing

Sunday, 9 October 2005 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Russell T Davies will be signing copies of "Doctor Who: The Shooting Scripts," the new BBC Books release, on Saturday October 29 at 12.00pm at Waterstone's, The Hayes, Cardiff. The telephone number of the store is 029 2066 5606 for customer details or further information. (Thanks to Christine Jenkins/Waterstones)




FILTER: - Russell T Davies

Australia DVD Update

Sunday, 9 October 2005 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
According to DVD Bits, Roadshow has made an alteration to their release of the First Series Boxed Set of the new Doctor Who series; it's been delayed a week from December 1 to December 8. The site also notes that "City of Death" will be released as a two disc set like the UK version; this was always the likelihood but was previously reported as a single disc. (Thanks to 'Cyberman Dan')




FILTER: - Blu-ray/DVD - Australia

New Series Books

Sunday, 9 October 2005 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
October and November will see a windfall for unofficial books based on Doctor Who, including the new series, such as the following:
Back To The Vortex is now in release. Written by Outpost Gallifrey editor Shaun Lyon, the book is the quintessential guide to the first season of the new Doctor Who series, with critical analysis and detailed information on each episode and a plethora of details about the 18-month leadup to the series' broadcast. The book is available in both paperback and limited edition hardcover.
The new edition of Dimensions in Time and Space by Mark Campbell will be released on October 20 from Scificollector. This is an updated version of Campbell's book which includes the first season of the new series; Tom Baker provides the foreword. The author will be at its launch on October 20 at the Stamp Centre on the Strand. The cover illustration is below.
Back In Time: A Thinking Fan's Guide to Doctor Who by Steve Couch, Tony Watkins and Peter S. Williams, is due in late October or early November from Damaris Publishing; the book appears to be an analysis of the new series with an emphasis on religious, scientific and critical overtones. The cover illustration is also below.




FILTER: - Books

Big Finish Update

Sunday, 9 October 2005 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Big Finish have released the cover illustration for Cyberman 2: Fear, the second in the four-part limited series by Nicholas Briggs featuring the return of the metal nasties; the first chapter has already been released. Click on the thumbnail below for a larger version. Also now available is the cover and synopsis forCryptobiosis, the single-CD audio being sent to subscribers at the end of this year; and the synopsis and cast for Wildthyme at Large, the audio starring Katy Manning as the Time Lady character Iris Wildthyme. The cover for "Cryptobiosis" is below; the synopses and details are now on the Releases page.




FILTER: - Audio

Prime TV Ratings

Sunday, 9 October 2005 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Outpost Gallifrey has obtained the ratings information for Prime TV New Zealand's recent broadcast of the first series of Doctor Who. The series screened on Prime Television 7.30 Thursdays from July 7th to September 29th (mid-winter); this is the same timeslot as Coronation Street (on TVOne), consistently the highest rating programme on NZ television. The ratings are as follows:
Ep #DateAll ViewersShareViewers 25-54Share
17/7/051599.690.210.9
214/7/05140.69.2103.513.5
321/7/05139.98.882.310.5
428/7/05196.411.5108.813.3
54/8/05194.512.3108.814
611/8/05170.210.3103.813.1
718/8/05116.76.981.810.4
825/8/05154.99.381.610.8
91/9/05151.79.392.612.2
108/9/05158.69.910213.3
1115/9/05111.96.653.86.9
1222/9/05124.38.483.610.3
1329/9/05157.8108812
Note: the figures are an aggregate across 4 quarters. 'Viewers' are in 1000s; 'share' is the percentage of viewing audience. The total potential audience noted in New Zealand is currently 3,779,000.
The dip for episode 11 was caused by the fact that there was a General Election in New Zealand on September 17th, and that night the other networks carried political debates. While the numbers may look very small, Doctor Who has been a huge success for Prime TV, its second most watched programme; more importantly, its share in the 25-54 demographic equalled and surpassed that of TV3, which was forced to make several programming changes in response. Prime management apparently stated a target of 7%+, and Doctor Who has well surpassed this figure. Also, during this period, no other free-to-air networks screened sci-fi shows in prime time (TV3 played Firefly in a graveyard slot, and a pay TV network has Enterprise on Fridays).




FILTER: - Ratings - Series 1/27 - New Zealand

Doctor Who on HomeChoice

Sunday, 9 October 2005 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
UK digital TV supplier Home Choice - mainly covering the London area - is now showing Dr Who on their video-on-demand channel C1, a package called "Doctor Who Through The Ages". The stories are: 'The Three Doctors', 'The Deadly Assassin' (minus drowning sequence in Pt 3), 'The Caves of Androzani', 'Timelash' (cut up into four parts), 'The Curse of Fenric' (four part version) and the entirety of the first season of the new series (in 4:3 format). It's got rather a nice menu screen in which you first choose which Doctor you want, then choose any episode of the story (rather like on a DVD). The channel is currently trailering the series with an identikit quiz (eg Peter Davison's jumper and a Dalek's skirt!) followed by a teaser of clips from various stories. (Thanks to Mark Campbell)




FILTER: - Classic Series - Broadcasting

New Series Book and DVD Sales

Sunday, 9 October 2005 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
The second batch of three Ninth Doctor novels published by BBC Books in September seems to have followed the pattern set by the initial releases in May. The three novels all sold very strongly in their first week of release, reaching impressive chart positions, before settling down to a smaller but steady sale in the UK. They occupied the top three positions in the chart compiled by Gardners book distributors of the titles for which there was most demand from bookshops, and appeared in the top ten or twenty in various fiction charts published in the UK's press. The three novels debuted in the Top 20 Fiction Heatseeker's Chart (Bookseller/Neilson) as follows:
12 Only Human (1,797 units sold in seven days to 10 September)
14 The Deviant Strain (1,727)
15 The Stealers of Dreams (1,718)
The Bookseller commented on 16 September: "Following a long-running stint in the list earlier this year, Doctor Who makes a comeback with a second batch of three adventures from BBC Books. The new titles retain only one author, Justin Richards, from the first series." All three novels dropped just outside this Top 20 after a couple of weeks, although this is at a time of year when book sales are higher anyway - Top 20 sales in June are generally lower than in October, so broadly similar sales figures will not necessarily secure similar chart positions. With combined sales in their first four weeks at about 30,000, this is a little lower than the equivalent period in May/June, but this is, of course, without the benefit of the publicity from a prime-time television show on BBC One. Panini's Doctor Who Annual 2006 has also sold well, joining the three novels in The Bookseller's Top 20 TV Tie-ins chart, published in today's edition of the trade magazine:
11 Doctor Who Annual (4,915 units in four weeks to 24 September)
12 Only Human (4,826)
13 The Deviant Strain (4,635)
14 The Stealers of Dreams (4,619)
The Bookseller notes that "The [BBC] is also seeing another round of impressive sales for its 'Doctor Who' novelisations. Like the first three books of the regenerated series, life sales of which are nearing 30,000, the three titles in its latest batch all have remarkably similar sales figures." It's perhaps also worth noting that the three novels were in fact on sale for only two of the four weeks covered by this particular chart, and have clearly continued their established sales trend in the couple of weeks since. Meanwhile, the fourth volume of the new series on DVD debuted (and peaked) at no. 2 in the official DVD chart on 11 September, behind The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and is still in the lower reaches of various charts. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)




FILTER: - Books

Pauline Collins Returns to Doctor Who

Sunday, 2 October 2005 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Pauline Collins, who nearly 40 years ago played Samantha Briggs in the Patrick Troughton serial "The Faceless Ones" and was under consideration to become a series regular until she opted out and Deborah Watling joined the cast as Victoria, has returned to the Doctor Who fold for the new series, according to reports in tomorrow's Sunday Mirror. Collins plays the role of Queen Victoria in a forthcoming episode of the second series. Says the article, "Pauline, 65, will play Queen Victoria alongside the new Doctor David Tennant and Billie Piper as sidekick Rose. She first appeared in the series in 1967 when Patrick Troughton was the Doctor. It was before she found fame in TV drama Upstairs Downstairs and then film stardom in the romantic hit Shirley Valentine in 1989. An insider said: 'Pauline found it amusing that she played a fashionable young woman in the 60s, but now she's playing a very wrinkly Queen Victoria.'" Collins is likely appearing in the second episode, "Tooth and Claw" which according to rumor takes place in Scotland. (Thanks to William Duffy, Eric Venable)




FILTER: - Guest Stars - Series 2/28

DWAS Website Moves

Friday, 30 September 2005 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
The Doctor Who Appreciation Society, the world's largest Doctor Who organization, has a new web address... or, rather, will have very shortly as it's about to open. www.dwasonline.co.uk is the new web address, according to the Society, and the site will relaunch soon for members. Also, all enquiries can now be sent toenquiries@dwasonline.co.uk. (Thanks to Karen Davies)




FILTER: - Online

Friday Press Clips

Friday, 30 September 2005 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
The filming this week at locations in Wales attracted not only Outpost Gallifrey's eagle-eyed fans (see set reports yesterday) but also reports in the press. The South Wales Echo on September 28 said "The Doctor Who team have been spotted out and about filming one of the latest episodes for the sci-fi series. A desolate spot on the mountainside at Gelligaer Common, in between Bargoed and Merthyr, was where the stars and the film crew starting setting up from dawn yesterday. New Doctor Who star David Tenant and actress Billie Piper were reported to have been on site - and the famous Tardis could be seen in the distance. A carriage and horses were also seen from the road which was blocked off by two police officers while the cameras rolled. Traffic was stopped while action was being filmed about quarter of a mile from the narrow winding road leading to Bedlinog. Curious passersby were being discouraged from going near the film set. BBC Wales have constantly kept their filming locations a closely guarded secret as well as the plot. A BBC spokesman said: 'The film set is a closed set and we always turn down requests for interview and pictures to ensure the story line is kept secret.' A passerby at the scene, who did not wish to be named, said the director had told him they tried to keep filming locations within 45 miles of Cardiff. He also got the impression from the crew that Gelligaer Common was the perfect setting for a werewolf theme. Local firms were also being used on site as part of the filming scene." On September 29, the South Wales Evening Post discussed the other filming location. "It may be a long way from Gallafray [sic] to Gower, but that clearly hasn't put off one time-travelling tourist. Proving that the reputation of Worm's Head now reaches beyond the stars, the renowned inhabitant of the fictitious planet turned up in Rhossili. And as his famous blue police-box Tardis slowly materialised, Dr Who's latest adventure began to unravel in front of a BBC film crew and the bemused stares of bewildered sheep. Makers of the popular show revealed earlier this year that Gower would be used as one of the locations for an episode in the latest series, which has once-again been penned by Swansea-born writer Russell T Davies. But the specific location remained top-secret, so that filming wouldn't be held up by unintentional interruptions from over-enthusiastic fans. David Tennant, who plays the latest incarnation of the Timelord from Gallafray, was joined by Billie Piper, who plays companion Rose, on the cliff-tops overlooking the stunning sweep of Rhossili - to the delight of passers-by. One visitor, Viv Richards of Port Eynon, was there with her grandchildren. She said: "They are great fans of Dr Who, so they were delighted to be able to see the filming. 'It was fun for the children to see it being filmed here in Swansea. We stayed there a couple of hours watching them. They seemed really nice people.' It's not the first time that Dr Who has visited Swansea. Last year part of the marina was transformed into a scene that re-created a Dickensian Cardiff street. And thanks to Mr Davies' fondness for his home country, numerous sites across South Wales have been used for filming, including Cardiff Bay

An article at ic Sefton and West Lancs profiles a Dalek casings builder in Ainsdale. "Hidden away in an incongruous-looking shed are two of the universe's dreaded tinpot dictators - the Daleks. There's no need to worry. The long-standing Doctor Who baddies are in fact casings, lovingly fashioned by engineering whizz Andy Shaw. And it's not just the Daleks you'll find around Andy's garden. Robots based on the film Forbidden Planet and US sci-fi show Lost in Space are also dotted about the rockery. The machines reflect an interest in robots that Andy, 41, has had since childhood. ... One of his creations now stands at Spaceport, the space-age attraction at Seacombe Ferry in Wirral, and there has been interest in his work from the USA. ... Even before the successful Doctor Who revival on BBC One this spring, it was Andy's Daleks which attracted the most interest. They appear at conventions organised by Indelible, the Merseyside arm of the series' fan club, and fundraisers for the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths. Former Doctor Who Colin Baker, whose baby son Jack died suddenly, chaired the Foundation for eight years."

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg)




FILTER: - Press