Doctor Who: first four episodes confirmed

Monday, 18 March 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The BBC have now formally announced details for the return of Doctor Who to television on BBC One on 30th March 2013 (time still be confirmed), along with interviews with the stars Matt Smith and Jenna-Louse Coleman, and lead writer/executive producer Steven Moffat.

Having run down corridors from every monster imaginable, Matt Smith returns as the Doctor to face old and new foe. But he’s not alone. Along for the ride in his brand new TARDIS is the Doctor’s latest companion, Clara Oswald. Here Matt talks about what he is looking forward to from the epic new series.

I think it is going to be very exciting to introduce Clara to the world and Steven has hit a real vein of form, explains Matt as he chats enthusiastically about the new series.

Along with a new costume this series, the Doctor has a new TARDIS to travel through space and time. Walking on to the new TARDIS was like the first day at school, explains Matt. I actually found it quite difficult as I had got so used to the rhythm of acting on the old one, where I used to slide about on the glass floor, but Michael Pickwoad has done a fabulous job, he continues. This one is more like a machine.

Having lost his first companions, the Ponds, at the hands of the Weeping Angels in New York last year and after a period of mourning the Doctor is joined by a new companion this series, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman, she’s done brilliantly well, says Matt. She’s kind, charming, thoroughly prepared and very brave as an actress. And most importantly of all we get on, which is vital on a show like this. I’m so proud of what she has achieved in the last year, he concludes.

So what do fans have to look forward to this series? An urban thriller, ‘The Bells of Saint John’, brings the series back with a bang as the Doctor’s search for Clara Oswald takes him to modern day London, where wifi is everywhere. But something dangerous is lurking in the signals, picking off minds and imprisoning them. Filming for this James Bond-esque thriller took Matt to Westminster Bridge, the Southbank and St Pauls, amazing, I loved shooting in London, says Matt, there is something so brilliant about having the locations there rather than just adding them in.

Following on from this the second episode, ‘The Rings of Akhaten’, take the Doctor and Clara away from earth and on their first proper adventure… in outer space. Featuring an alien market Matt remarks, it was very ‘Whoey’. We had between 50 to 60 prosthetic aliens, which is something that only really this show can offer, he continues, making it a very unique experience as an actor.

As well as introducing some new monsters, the new series brings back a couple of old monsters in the form of the Ice Warriors and Cybermen, I think it’s good to pay homage to the classic series, says Matt, especially for the fans. This series we have modernised some of the monsters for a whole new generation.

Soggy, like drowned rats, Matt is explaining the shooting experience for the third episode ‘Cold War’, written by Mark Gatiss. Set on a Russian submarine spiralling out of control in 1983 an alien creature is loose on board, having escaped from a block of Arctic ice. They built a submarine and the five-year old in me was like “yeah it’s a submarine!”, says Matt. I loved getting sprayed down at the beginning of the shoot, Matt continues, and it wasn’t a chore as it does so much of the acting for you, making it really authentic. Mark Gatiss has delivered one of the best episodes of the series, he concludes.

The new series will mark the official introduction of the Doctor’s latest companion, Clara Oswald. Having already appeared in the series opener ‘Asylum of the Daleks’ in September and as Clara in the Christmas special, ‘The Snowmen’, here Jenna explains a little bit about her character and working with monsters.

Very excited, Jenna is talking animatedly about her first series as the Doctor’s companion. It will be fantastic to see the final version with all of the elements put together.

Having made a surprise appearance as one of the Doctor’s most notorious of enemies, a Dalek, in last year’s series opener, audiences have been treated to two different versions of the latest companion.

We’ve had one introduction to Clara in the Christmas special, but not necessarily the same Clara we will see in this series, explains Jenna. But the essence of all the different versions is the same, Jenna continues, she’s very brave and resourceful, a match for the Doctor and an explorer in her own right. She dreams of travelling and seeing the world and wants more than what’s on offer.

So how has Jenna found working with Matt Smith? Just a joy, it really is. He is the most perfect leading man and sets such a lovely tone on set, making the atmosphere so wonderful. There’s not much more you could ask for in your co-star, she says.

The series opener ‘The Bells of Saint John’ is a modern day urban thriller, which sees the Doctor and Clara face a monster in the wi-fi, as minds are uploaded by an organisation run by Miss Kizlet (Celia Imrie). Set in London, Jenna was thrown in to the deep end as she was asked to get on a motorbike… driven by the notoriously clumsy Matt Smith.

I loved shooting in London, says Jenna, it was so much fun. It was one of those moments where I thought “I’m filming Doctor Who, on a motorbike, riding across Westminster Bridge with the Houses of Parliament in the background.” So would Jenna trust Matt to drive her on a motorbike in real life? Well on screen it looks very exciting, but both of us were being very silly as we were so tightly strapped in. I just clung on!

As the newest edition to the show, Jenna explains how this series will take the viewer on the same journey of discovery she experienced when she first joined, especially for episode two ‘The Rings of Akhaten’ which is set on an alien planet. It’s one of my favourite episodes, says Jenna, it’s so weird and wonderful and something that only this show can offer. It show’s Clara for the first time what life with the Doctor will be like. It’s a complete fantasy, she continues, and it’s great for audiences as the story begins again and we get to explore all these strange new worlds together, as well as getting to know the Doctor again.

The third episode, ‘Cold War’, set on a Russian submarine marks the return of the classic Doctor Who monster the Ice Warriors. They were terrifying, exclaims Jenna, I think this is the first time Clara is really, really scared. The whole set was really realistic and built to size, which wasn’t too much of a problem for me, she jokes. So how did they make it look so realistic? Before every take they would come and spray us, the whole make-up process was reversed as they would damp us down in the morning and rub my mascara off! We were soaking wet for two weeks.

So having completed filming and watched most of the episodes, does Jenna have a favourite? I really like 'The Rings of Akhaten' as and it’s the first proper adventure for the Doctor and Clara.

So it’s back and with a James Bond-esque urban thriller. Why did you decide to kick-off the new series with a very modern day threat?

It was Marcus Wilson's idea. We were discussing how the first episode of the second run would probably be a contemporary Earth adventure, so the Doctor could meet the modern day Clara - and anyway, I wanted to do Wi-Fi monsters - and Marcus suggested we do a proper urban thriller. The Doctor can never be Bond or Bourne - but if he tried it might look a bit like this.

What else can we expect from the new series?

A haunted house, a submarine, a planet with cool rings, Victorian Yorkshire, a journey to the centre of the TARDIS, Dame Diana Rigg and her daughter Rachael Stirling together on screen for the first time, new Cybermen, and the Doctor's greatest secret revealed.

You are bringing back a couple of classic monsters with the Cybermen and Ice Warriors, are there any new ones to look out for?

Plenty of new monsters! Watch out for the Spoonheads, the Whispermen, and - my favourite - the Vigil. Oh and Neil Gaiman has done something horrible with the Cybermen!

We finally get to meet the Clara that will travel with the Doctor across the series’ eight epic adventures. Can you tell us a little bit about her character?

You've sort of met her, but you sort of haven't. The same shed load of attitude you saw before, the same rapid-fire banter with the Doctor, but this time she's living in modern London with no memory of the Time Lord!

How has the dynamic of the relationship between the Doctor and his companion changed since the introduction of Clara?

It's all new for the Doctor - this time the greatest mystery in the universe is standing right next to him.

What was it about Jenna that made you decide she would be right fit for the role of the new companion?

Casting is a funny process - the right people sort of choose themselves. It happened with Matt a long time ago, and when we saw him bantering with Jenna it happened again. Auditions start with you telling the actor about the character - sometimes they end with the actor telling you. That's what happened with Jenna!

A ghost story, a period drama to end all period dramas and an underwater siege, was it intentional to go as big as possible with this series in the year of the 50th?

We try to make every year the biggest possible, but when you see that big, glittering 50 hanging above you, you start trying even harder. I've been a fan all by my life and I know we have to deliver!

Story Synopses:

The synopses and some publicity images have been released for the first four stories, including movie-style posters continuing the theme of the 2012 episodes:

The Bells of Saint John: Publicity Poster (Credit: BBC/Adrian Rogers/Ray Burmiston)

The Bells of Saint John

The Doctor’s search for Clara Oswald brings him to modern day London, where wifi is everywhere. Humanity lives in a wifi soup. But something dangerous is lurking in the signals, picking off minds and imprisoning them. As Clara becomes the target of this insidious menace, the Doctor races to save her and the world from an ancient enemy.

Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Colm McCarthy
Produced by Denise Paul

The Rings of Akhaten: Publicity Poster (Credit: BBC/Adrian Rogers/Ray Burmiston)

The Rings of Akhaten

Clara wants to see something awesome, so the Doctor whisks her off to the inhabited rings of the planet Akhaten, where the Festival of Offerings is in full swing. Clara meets the young Queen of Years as the pilgrims and natives ready for the ceremony. But something is stirring in the pyramid, and a sacrifice will be demanded.

Written by Neil Cross
Directed by Farren Blackburn
Produced by Denise Paul

Cold War: Publicity Poster (Credit: BBC/Adrian Rogers/Ray Burmiston)

Cold War

The Doctor and Clara land on a damaged Russian Submarine in 1983 as it spirals out of control into the ocean depths. An alien creature is loose on board, having escaped from a block of Arctic ice. With tempers flaring and a cargo of nuclear weapons on board, it’s not just the crew but the whole of humanity at stake!

Written by Mark Gatiss
Directed by Douglas Mackinnon
Produced by Marcus Wilson

Hide: Publicity Poster (Credit: BBC/Adrian Rogers/Ray Burmiston)

Hide

Clara and the Doctor arrive at Caliburn House, a haunted mansion sat alone on a desolate moor. Within its walls, a ghost hunting Professor and a gifted psychic are searching for the Witch of the Well. Her apparition appears throughout the history of the building, but is she really a ghost? And what is chasing her?

Written by Neil Cross
Directed by Jamie Payne
Produced by Marcus Wilson

FILTER: - Steven Moffat - Doctor Who - Matt Smith - Press - Jenna-Louise Coleman - Series 7/33

BFI To Show The Caves Of Androzani

Thursday, 14 March 2013 - Reported by John Bowman

The Caves of Androzani is to be shown by the BFI to represent the Fifth Doctor's era in its Doctor Who At 50 season, it announced today.

Written by Robert Holmes and directed by Graeme Harper, the four-part adventure - which first aired in March 1984 - saw the final regular appearance of Peter Davison as the Doctor.

The "regeneration" adventure will be shown on the big screen at BFI Southbank on Saturday 4th May, as reported earlier this week, with the start time for the event now confirmed as 2pm. The names of the guests for the accompanying panel discussion will be announced nearer the time.

Dates for when tickets go on sale are also yet to be announced. BFI Champions get first pick, followed by standard members and then the general public. So far, all the events in the celebratory season have sold out to BFI members in advance of tickets being released to the public, but returns and stand-bys are possible.

FILTER: - Special Events - UK - BFI - WHO50 - Fifth Doctor

Inferno SE details / DVD update

Wednesday, 13 March 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster

BBC Worldwide have confirmed the special features for the forthcoming release of Inferno (Special Edition) on DVD. The two-disc set has been provisionally scheduled for release on the 27th May for R2, and on the 5th June for R4 (a R1 release date has yet to be confirmed).

Inferno - Special Edition
Release date: 27 May 2013 UK (available for pre-order)

Inferno SE - Cover (R2) (Credit: BBC Worldwide)

Starring Jon Pertwee as Doctor Who, with Caroline John as Liz Shaw, and featuring Nicholas Courtney as the Brigadier
Written by Don Houghton
Directed by Douglas Camfield and Barry Letts

Broadcast: 9 May - 20 Jun 1970

Still chafing at his exile to the planet Earth, the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) is called in to observe the Inferno drilling experiment of Professor Stahlman. Stahlman's search for a new form of energy goes horribly wrong when a green slime emitted from the drill site transforms any who come into contact with it into primeval monsters. Meanwhile, after experimenting with the TARDIS console, the Doctor finds himself transported sideways in time to a parallel version of the Earth, where the Brigadier is an eyepatch-wearing fascist and Stahlman's experiments threaten to destroy the world.

Special Features:

Commentary with actors Nicholas Courtney (The Brigadier) and John Levene (Sergeant Benton), producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks.
Production Notes
Digitally remastered picture and sound quality
Can You Hear the Earth Scream? (dur. 34'45") Actors and production team recall working on the story in this specially-shot featurette.
Hadoke versus HAVOC (dur 27’33”) – Presenter Toby Hadoke reunites surviving members of the HAVOC stunt team and trains with them to perform a stunt himself. Will he survive to become an honorary member of HAVOC? With stunt arranger Derek Ware and stunt men Roy Scammell, Derek Martin and Stuart Fell.
Doctor Forever – Lost in the Dark Dimension (dur 27’26”) - the penultimate instalment of our new five part series looking at how Doctor Who was kept alive in the years between the end of the classic series and the beginning of the new. In this episode we look at the various attempts to bring the show back during that period. With current and former Doctor Who Magazine editors Tom Spilsbury, John Freeman and Gary Russell, former BBC range editor Steve Cole, actor David Burton, writer Adrian Rigelsford, director Graeme Harper and new series executive producer Russell T Davies. Narrated by Zeb Soanes.
The UNIT Family - Part One (dur 35'35") - a featurette looking at the Earthbound Doctor's 'family' during his exile to Earth and his new role as the scientific advisor to the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce.
Visual Effects Promo Film (dur 6'00") - an excerpt from an early attempt to 'sell' the experience and facilities of the BBC Visual Effects Department to new clients. This short film features model effects filming from the Doctor Who stories The Ambassadors of Death and Inferno, a watertank sketch from Marty Amok featuring Marty Feldman, model shots from The Caves of Steel and the filming of the forced-perspective model pier for the explosive finale of the missing Doomwatch episode, Survival Code.
Deleted Scene (dur 1'56") - a short deleted scene which was never seen in the original BBC transmission of the story, featuring a rather too obvious Jon Pertwee as the voice of a radio presenter.
The Pertwee Years Intro (dur 2'43") - a short introduction to the story's final episode from Jon Pertwee, originally presented as part of BBC Video's The Pertwee Years VHS release.
Photo Gallery (dur 6'10")
Easter Egg 1 (dur 1'01") - clean opening title backgrounds including the special 'volcano' graphics used for this story.
Easter Egg 2 (dur 0'40") - VT countdown clock for episode 7.
Easter Egg 3 – Being David Burton (dur 5’20”) – actor David Burton talks at greater length about his career and casting as the Doctor.
Doctor Who Annual - an Adobe PDF version of the 1971 Doctor Who Annual, supplied as a PC-ROM feature for access by PC and Mac users.
Coming Soon - a trailer for a forthcoming DVD release.
Radio Times Listings in Adobe PDF format.
Programme subtitles.

The Mind of Evil:

Following Inferno is the last Pertwee adventure to premiere on DVD - but the first time it has been seen in colour for over three and a half decades! The Mind of Evil is currently scheduled for release in the United Kingdom on 3rd June, and the BBFC have recently classified features that will accompany the story:

Commentaries (1-3):
00:24:41:08 DOCTOR WHO - THE MIND OF EVIL - EPISODE ONE (WITH AUDIO COMMENTARY)
00:24:33:04 DOCTOR WHO - THE MIND OF EVIL - EPISODE TWO (WITH AUDIO COMMENTARY)
00:24:33:13 DOCTOR WHO - THE MIND OF EVIL - EPISODE THREE (WITH AUDIO COMMENTARY)
Commentaries (4-6):
00:24:40:21 DOCTOR WHO - THE MIND OF EVIL - EPISODE FOUR (WITH AUDIO COMMENTARY)
00:23:34:16 DOCTOR WHO - THE MIND OF EVIL - EPISODE FIVE (WITH AUDIO COMMENTARY)
00:24:39:21 DOCTOR WHO - THE MIND OF EVIL - EPISODE SIX (WITH AUDIO COMMENTARY)
00:00:23:10 THE MIND OF EVIL - RESTORATION CREDITS
DVD Extras:
00:22:41:23 THE MILITARY MIND - MAKING THE MIND OF EVIL
00:07:04:23 NOW & THEN - THE LOCATIONS OF THE MIND OF EVIL
00:04:53:21 THE MIND OF EVIL - PHOTO GALLERY
00:23:59:13 BEHIND THE SCENES

The Behind The Scenes has been reported to be a segment from an educational series, which in this episode focusses on twenty-four hours at BBC Television Centre and includes sets from The Mind of Evil.

The story was premiered last weekend at the BFI (see our review for more details), and will also be shown as part of the the Birmingham Flatpack Festival on 30th March, and at the Belfast Film Festival on 18th April. Following its release, a signing for both The Mind of Evil and Inferno will take place in London on the 8th June - see the Fantom Films website for more details.

A brief description of the colourisation process and a selection of stills by Stuart Humphryes from the first episode can be seen via his Babelcolour website.

Coming Soon:

The BBFC have classified "Coming Soon" trailers for the forthcoming stories: Inferno (1m2s); The Mind of Evil (1m12s); Terror of the Zygons (1m9s); and The Green Death (1m22s). Though scheduled for later in the year, the trailer for The Ice Warriors appeared on the just released The Aztecs Special Edition (reviewed here).

The Underwater Menace:

Frazer Hines mentions in the current issue of Doctor Who Magazine that whilst visiting BBC Television Centre for filming of Pointless Celebrities (to be broadcast on the 23rd March), the previous time he had visited the 'home' of the BBC was to record a commentary which he believes to have been for The Underwater Menace; last year special sound recordist Brian Hodgson had also suggested he'd recorded a commentary for the story.

Episode Two of the story, recovered in 2011, is the only remaining episode of classic Doctor Who yet to be formally scheduled for released on DVD (episode three was released in 2004's Lost in Time DVD boxed set).

Doctor Who: 50th Anniversary Board Game:

Whilst not strictly speaking a part of the main release range, some 100 clips from Doctor Who running to 74m28s have been passed by the BBC for the forthcoming 50th Anniversary Board Game.

FILTER: - Games - Third Doctor - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD

BFI: The Second Doctor Panel

Wednesday, 13 March 2013 - Reported by John Bowman

A video of the guest panel at last month's screening of The Tomb of the Cybermen at the BFI has been uploaded to the organisation's YouTube channel.

The event, marking the Second Doctor's era, was held on 9th February as part of the BFI's Doctor Who At 50 season, and the discussion saw director Michael Ferguson and actors Anneke Wills, Bernard Holley, Deborah Watling, Shirley Cooklin, and Michael Kilgarriff in conversation with season co-curator Justin Johnson about working with Patrick Troughton.

The guest panel at the BFI screening of The Tomb of the Cybermen (via BFI YouTube channel)

The next event takes place on Saturday 20th April, marking the Fourth Doctor's era, and will be a screening of The Robots of Death, with Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, and Philip Hinchcliffe as guests. Although it is currently sold out, returns and stand-bys are possible.

It will be followed on Saturday 4th May with a screening in honour of the Fifth Doctor, with the story title and guests for that event yet to be announced.

FILTER: - Special Events - UK - Second Doctor - BFI - WHO50

Puffin Books: Marcus Sedgewick and the Third Doctor

Wednesday, 13 March 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster

BBC Worldwide have released their latest in a series of interviews with the writers of the Puffin e-Books to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who, with the third instalment The Spear of Destiny, written by Marcus Sedgewick, due to be published on 23rd March. The author chats about his love of the Third Doctor and his fright of the Master, the influence of the Vikings on British culture, what he would do if he could travel in the TARDIS, and why he thinks the Doctor has proved so popular in the last 50 years.

BBC Worldwide interviews with Marcus Sedgewick (The Spear of Destiny, March), Michael Scott (The Nameless City, February), and Eoin Coifer (A Big Hand For The Doctor, January)

An excerpt from the e-book can be read via The Guardian.

FILTER: - Online - Third Doctor - Books - WHO50

BBC AudioGo: Babblesphere

Wednesday, 13 March 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Details are available for the fourth release in BBC AudioGo's Destiny of the Doctor series, due out in April. It stars Lalla Ward, who played the second on-screen incarnation of Romana.

Destiny of the Doctor: Babblesphere
Written by Jonathan Morris
Starring Lalla Ward, with Roger Parrott
Released 4th April 2013 (pre-order)

The violent, volcanic world of Hephastos is home to a colony of composers, painters, authors and poets, all striving to create the greatest works of art the universe has ever seen. But in pursuit of their goal, artistic collaboration has been taken a stage too far...

When the Doctor and Romana arrive, they discover the colonists have neglected their well-being and their once beautiful habitat, which has now succumbed to decay, and they are enslaved to the Babble network which occupies their every waking moment. Every thought, however trivial or insignificant , is shared with everyone else and privacy is now a crime.

The colonists are being killed and the Doctor and Romana begin to suspect that a malevolent intelligence is at work. With time running out, the two time travellers race to discover the truth before they too are absorbed into the endless trivia of the Babblesphere...

The third in the series, Vengeance of the Stones with Richard Franklin, is out now.

FILTER: - Merchandise - Audio - WHO50 - Fourth Doctor

Big Finish: March Update

Tuesday, 12 March 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Big Finish have released details on the latest adventures for the Doctor and his companions in March ...

The Seeds of War (available to pre-order)

Doctor Who: The Seeds of War is the last in the current main range trilogy of tales starring Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor (seen on TV from 1984-1986) alongside Bonnie Langford as Mel (companion on TV from 1986-1987). It finds the pair encountering a beleagured human race, recovering for a long and hard-fought war - but has the threat gone or is it merely biding its time?

Producer David Richardson says:

This is something of a pivotal release, as it introduces The Eminence and the Infinite Warriors. You’ll be hearing a lot more from them in the future – and in the past! In fact we’ve already recorded the prequel to The Seeds of War, a Fourth Doctor Adventure entitled Destroy the Infinite.

The Seeds of War is written by Matt Fitton and Nicholas Briggs, directed by Barnaby Edwards and features amongst its guest cast Ray Fearon (Julius Caesar), Ony Uhiara (Much Ado About Nothing) and Stuart Organ (Dragonfire, but perhaps best known as Grange Hill's Mr Robson!).

Humanity is emerging from a long, exhausting war. Against an enemy so powerful, so implacable, it seemed unstoppable – right up until the moment it stopped.

Now, despite its ‘victory’, the human race is on its knees. The Doctor and Mel join its struggle for survival to try to ensure it has a future.

A race against time takes them from the Great Tower of Kalsos to the Reliquaries of Earth. In an epic journey across the ten systems, their fates are intertwined with one family. The Tevelers are to feel the effects of war more than most…

The Doctor has a plan. Mel is sure he can save the day. But something is lurking. Watching. Waiting. A presence the Doctor knows of old. But just how far does its influence pervade?

The Eminence awaits...

The Companion Chronicles: The Scorchies (Credit: Big Finish)

The Scorchies (available to pre-order)

March’s Companion Chronicle sees the return of Katy Manning to the range, although it’s a very different style of Doctor Who story...

In The Scorchies Jo Grant, with the Doctor and the Brigadier, discovers an invasion by aliens who look like puppets - and really love a good showtune. Katy takes on a vast array of voices alongside the massively talented Melvyn Hayes (It Ain't Half Hot Mum) to create a Companion Chronicle unlike anything you've heard before!

David Richardson says:

I’m always looking to do something different, and you don’t get much different than we have here – a musical Doctor Who story with evil puppets.

The Doctor, his companion Jo Grant and the Brigadier face their strangest case yet – a Saturday night TV show that has been invaded by aliens that look like puppets!

The Scorchies want to take over the world. They want to kill the Doctor. And they want to perform some outstanding showtunes. Though not necessarily in that order…

With Jo caught inside The Scorchies Show, can she save the day before the planet Earth falls victim to the dark side of light entertainment?

Fourth Doctor Adventures: War Against The Laan (Credit: Big Finish)

Fourth Doctor Adventures: The Justice of Jalxar (Credit: Big Finish)

March also sees the release of two Fourth Doctor Adventures starring Tom Baker, alongside Mary Tamm as Romana.

War Against the Laan finds Earth under threat once more, as the actions of the sinister Cuthbert have brought the planet to the brink of war with the Laan race, and the Doctor and Romana are caught between the two sides trying to avert disaster. Will new President Sheridan Moorkurk be able to make a painfully difficult decision?

Then, in The Justice of Jalxar, Victorian London is under threat from a sinister - apparently supernatural - force known only as the Pugilist. Thankfully, the foremost investigators of the land are on hand to solve the case: Henry Gordon Jago and Professor George Litefoot! The trouble is, they're going to need some help. Luckily, their old friend the Doctor and his new assistant Romana are passing by...

David Richardson explains the decision to have two releases this month:

Some people have asked why we’re running a double bill this month. We simply chose to bring Justice of Jalxar forward by one month, as it allows people who are attending Big Finish Day on March 23 to get their copies signed by Tom Baker, Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter.

War Against The Laan (available to pre-order)

"Just a taste of Armageddon, Romana. It’s what happens when acquisitive minds are left unencumbered by conscience."

The Doctor, Romana and newly elected President Sheridan Moorkurk take on the all-consuming powers of business tycoon Cuthbert and his vast Conglomerate. But the situation goes beyond a struggle for political power. Cuthbert is intent on revenge on creatures he feels have attacked his interests. But when his revenge looks like leading to inter-species war, the Doctor knows the stakes couldn't be higher.

The Laan are on the move. Is it too late to prevent the destruction of all life on Earth?

The Justice of the Jalxar (available to pre-order)

They call him The Pugilist.

It is the dawn of a new century and a vigilante is on the loose. The scourge of the criminal underclass. The saviour of the virtuous and the protector of the weak. The police are baffled, the public enamoured… but Professor George Litefoot and Henry Gordon Jago are on the case. Or at least they will be when they've finished their beer.

What is the source of The Pugilist's spectacular supernatural powers? Is he alone in his noble quest? And what is his connection to the spate of corpses discovered around London?

As they descend further into a nefarious netherworld, the infernal investigators may be out of their depth. They're going to need help if they're to get out of this alive. The help of an old friend and his new assistant. The help… of the Doctor and Romana.

Jago & Litefoot Series Five Boxed Set (available to pre-order)

Jago and Litefoot: Series 5 is also available, in a lavish five-disc box set. Picking up where their recent Voyages to Venus and The New World left them, in series five Jago & Litefoot find themselves having to get used to a whole new era - but old friends and oddly familiar faces are still there to support them as they get a new lease of life in the 1960s!

Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter are once more reunited as the characters they first played back in seminal 1977 Doctor Who story The Talons of Weng-Chiang, ably assisted by regulars Lisa Bowerman and Duncan Wisbey, and guest star Raquel Cassidy!

David Richardson said:

We’ve been thrilled by the groundswell of positive reaction to series five, and I must say it was a labour of love for us all. Of course, Jago and Litefoot are back to foggy Victorian London for series six, seven and eight – but in the meantime, enjoy this fabulous foray into the Swinging Sixties!”

After travelling through time and space with the Doctor, Henry Gordon Jago and Professor Litefoot are back in London starting brand new lives. Jago has become a huge celebrity and Litefoot the quiet owner of a bookshop, but in all other respects it is business as usual.

As they investigate a wealth of new cases – including a restaurant where the food eats the people, and a book with dangerous powers – a long game is playing out. A figure from their past is back, and this time he means to destroy them...

In addition, Tom Baker reprises the role of Long John Silver (which he previously played on stage) in a full cast audio adaptation of Treasure Island. Written and directed by Barnaby Edwards, the production also stars Nicholas Farrell (Torchwood), Edward Holtom, Tony Haygarth, Tony Millan, Gareth Armstrong (Doctor Who: The Masque of Mandragora) and a trio of Big Finish stalwarts: Nicholas Pegg, Nicholas Briggs and Barnaby Edwards! The three disc set also includes a behind the scenes documentary with an interview with Tom and the cast.

Treasure Island (available to pre-order)

Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!

When young Jim Hawkins unexpectedly inherits a treasure map, he little knows what adventures await him. Pursued by pirates, betrayed by friends and beset by skulduggery, Jim must brave high seas and low cunning before he reaches the shores of Treasure Island.

His fellow treasure-hunters include the inflexible Captain Smollett, the indefatigable Doctor Livesey and the irrepressible Squire Trelawney. And then there's the ship's cook: a seafaring man with one leg who goes by the name of Long John Silver...

Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure is brought thrillingly to life in this brand new full-cast audiobook adaptation.

FILTER: - Merchandise - Sixth Doctor - Audio - Tom Baker - Fourth Doctor - Big Finish

The Third Doctor Revisited On BBC America

Monday, 11 March 2013 - Reported by John Bowman

Spearhead From Space has been chosen by BBC America to represent the Third Doctor in its Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited celebratory season.

A documentary entitled The Doctors Revisited: The Third Doctor will air on Sunday 31st March at 8pm Eastern/7pm Central, followed by the four-part story that ushered in the Jon Pertwee era.

The documentary will see Steven Moffat, Caroline Skinner, David Tennant, and Hugh Bonneville discussing how the Third Doctor brought action and stunts to the series. It will also feature other as-yet-unspecified contributors.

A swarm of meteorites falls in the English countryside, bringing with it a terrible new threat to mankind: the Nestene Consciousness - a disembodied alien intelligence with an affinity for plastic. The Doctor is forced to race against time in order to stop humanity from being replaced by a generation of terrifying plastic replicas.

The adventure - which originally aired in 1970 - was the first in the series to be made in colour and it saw the newly-regenerated Doctor, freshly exiled by the Time Lords, team up with new assistant Liz Shaw, played by Caroline John, and the British section of UNIT, headed by Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney). Because of industrial action at BBC TV Centre, the story ended up being made entirely on location and on 16mm film - the only time this has ever been done on the show so far.

BBC America is paying tribute to the programme's 50th anniversary by showing a story per Doctor per month.

The Doctors Revisited: The Third Doctor (via YouTube)

FILTER: - Steven Moffat - USA - BBC America - Third Doctor - David Tennant - Caroline Skinner

Fourth And Fifth Doctor BFI Screenings: Update

Monday, 11 March 2013 - Reported by John Bowman

Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, and Philip Hinchcliffe will be the special guests at next month's BFI screening of The Robots of Death.

The announcement was made at yesterday's première of the colour-restored story The Mind of Evil. Big-screen showings with guests are being staged by the BFI for each Doctor this year as part of its Doctor Who At 50 season.

The four-part adventure is being screened at BFI Southbank on Saturday 20th April at 2pm to mark the Fourth Doctor's era. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 11.30am tomorrow. They were made available to Champion members last Monday and to standard members last Tuesday. All three screenings held so far sold out to members before tickets were due to go on general release, but returns and stand-bys are possible.

It was also announced yesterday that the story marking Fifth Doctor Peter Davison's era will be shown on Saturday 4th May. The title is due to be revealed later this week.

FILTER: - Special Events - UK - Tom Baker - BFI - WHO50 - Fourth Doctor - Fifth Doctor

BBC Books re-issue eleven novels for 50th Anniversary

Friday, 8 March 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster

BBC Books Eleven Doctors Collection (Credit: BBC)

BBC Worldwide have announced the re-issue of eleven books featuring all eleven Doctors as part of the celebration of Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary, each featuring a new cover and special introduction.

The books hail from various periods in the history of Doctor Who in print, and feature a variety of well-known authors:

The First Doctor: Ten Little Aliens, by Stephen Cole (2002)
The Second Doctor: Dreams of Empire, by Justin Richards (1998)
The Third Doctor: Last of the Gaderene, by Mark Gatiss (2000)
The Fourth Doctor: Festival of Death, by Jonathan Morris (2000)
The Fifth Doctor: Fear of the Dark, by Trevor Baxendale (2003)
The Sixth Doctor: Players, by Terrance Dicks (1999)
The Seventh Doctor: Remembrance of the Daleks, by Ben Aaronovitch (1990)
The Eighth Doctor: Earthworld, by Jacqueline Rayner (2001)
The Ninth Doctor: Only Human, by Gareth Roberts (2005)
The Tenth Doctor: Beautiful Chaos, by Gary Russell (2008)
The Eleventh Doctor: The Silent Stars Go By, by Dan Abnett (2011)

Ten Little Aliens, written by Stephen Cole (Credit: BBC)

Ten Little Aliens (available to order)
Written by Stephen Cole

Deep in the heart of a hollowed-out moon the First Doctor finds a chilling secret: ten alien corpses, frozen in time at the moment of their death. They are the empire’s most wanted terrorists, and their discovery could end a war devastating the galaxy. But is the same force that killed them still lurking in the dark? And what are its plans for the people of Earth?

Dreams of Empire, written by Justin Richards (Credit: BBC)

Dreams of Empire (available to order)
Written by Justin Richards

On a barren asteroid, the once-mighty Haddron Empire is on the brink of collapse, torn apart by civil war. The one man who might have saved it languishes in prison, his enemies planning his death and his friends plotting his escape. The Second Doctor arrives as the last act of this deadly drama is being played out – and with both terrifying killers and cunning traitors to defeat, the future hangs in the balance.

Last of the Gaderene, written by Mark Gatiss (Credit: BBC)

Last of the Gaderene (available to order)
Written by Mark Gatiss

The aerodrome in Culverton has new owners, and they promise an era of prosperity for the idyllic village. But former Spitfire pilot Alex Whistler is suspicious – when black-shirted troops appear on the streets, he contacts his old friend Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart at UNIT. The Third Doctor is sent to investigate – and soon uncovers a sinister plot to colonise the Earth. The Gaderene are on their way...

Festival of Death, written by Jonathan Morris

Festival of Death (available to order)
Written by Jonathan Morris

The Beautiful Death is the ultimate theme-park ride: a sightseeing tour of the afterlife. But something has gone wrong, and when the Fourth Doctor arrives in the aftermath of the disaster, he is congratulated for saving the population from destruction – something he hasn’t actually done yet. He has no choice but to travel back in time and discover how he became a hero. And then he finds out. He did it by sacrificing his life.

Fear of the Dark, written by Trevor Baxendale

Fear of the Dark (available to order)
Written by Trevor Baxendale

On a moon of the ruined planet Akoshemon, an age-old terror is about to be reborn. Something that remembers the spiral of war, pestilence and deprivation – and rejoices in it. The Fifth Doctor joins a team of archaeologists searching for evidence of the planet’s infamous past, and uncovers more than just ancient history. Forced to confront his own worst fears, even the Doctor will be pushed to breaking point – and beyond.

Players, written by Terrance Dicks (Credit: BBC)

Players (available to order)
Written by Terrance Dicks

Arriving on the sun-baked veldt in the middle of the Boer War, the Sixth Doctor is soon involved in the adventures of struggling politician and war correspondent Winston Churchill. Of course, he knows Churchill is destined for great things, but unseen forces seem to be interfering with Winston’s historic career... The Doctor suspects the hidden hand of the Players, mysterious beings who regard human history as little more than a game. With time running out, can the Doctor find the right moves to defeat them?

Remembrance of the Daleks, written by Ben Aaronovitch (Credit: BBC)

Remembrance of the Daleks (available to order)
Written by Ben Aaronovitch

With unfinished business to attend to, the Seventh Doctor returns to where it all began: Coal Hill School in London in 1963. Last time he was here, the Doctor left something behind – a powerful Time Lord artefact that could unlock the secrets of time travel. Can the Doctor retrieve it before two rival factions of Daleks track it down? And even if he can, how will the Doctor prevent the whole of London becoming a war zone as the Daleks meet in explosive confrontation?

Earthworld, by Jacqueline Rayner (Credit: BBC)

Earthworld (available to order)
Written by Jacqueline Rayner

Anji has just had the worst week of her life. She should be back at her desk, not travelling through time and space in a police box. The Eighth Doctor is supposed to be taking her home, so why are there dinosaurs outside? The Doctor doesn’t seem to know either, or else he surely would have mentioned the homicidal princesses, teen terrorists and mad robots? One thing is certain: Anji is never going to com- plain about Monday mornings in the office again.

Only Human, written by Gareth Roberts (Credit: BBC)

Only Human (available to order)
Written by Gareth Roberts

Reports of a time disturbance lead the Ninth Doctor to modern-day London, where he discovers a Neanderthal Man, twenty-eight thousand years after his race became extinct. A trip back to the dawn of humanity only deepens the mystery: who are these strange humans from the far future now living in the distant past? The Doctor must learn the truth about the Osterberg experiment before history is changed forever.

Beautiful Chaos, written by Gary Russell (Credit: BBC)

Beautiful Chaos (available to order)
Written by Gary Russell

Wilfred Mott is very happy: his granddaughter, Donna, is back home, catching up with family and gossiping about her journeys, and he has just discovered a new star and had it named after him. He takes the Tenth Doctor with him to the naming ceremony. But the Doctor soon discovers something else new, and worryingly bright, in the heavens – something that is heading for Earth. It’s an ancient force from the Dark Times. And it is very, very angry...

The Silent Stars Go By. written by Dan Abnett (Credit: BBC)

The Silent Stars Go By (available to order)
Written by Dan Abnett

The winter festival is approaching for the hardy colony of Morphans, but no one is in the mood to celebrate. They’re trying to build a new life on a cold new world, but each year gets harder and harder. It’s almost as if some dark force is working against them. Then three mysterious travelers arrive out of the midwinter night, one of them claiming to be a doctor. Are they bringing the gift of salvation or doom? And what else might be lurking out there, about to wake up?