Lost In Time Update

Thursday, 15 July 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
On the Restoration Team Forum today, details for the "Lost In Time" DVD set have been released (BBC Worldwide apparently confirming it and allowing the topic to be discussed there.) The full feature list is as follows, confirming some of the details but discounting others (notably, despite reports on OG and elsewhere, telesnap photo sessions and the "Making of Fury From the Deep" documentary are not included.) According to Steve Roberts of the RT, "With the exception of 'The Lion' [episode 1 of 'The Crusade'], which is the original 1999 transfer, albeit with some additional cleanup, all the remaining episodes are new Spirit transfers from the best surviving materials, cleaned up and VidFIREd to our usual standard" while, according to Mark Ayres, "All episodes have been newly-remastered - pictures and sound. (With the honourable exception of some we'd done relatively recently - Web 1, and the Faceless eps)." As for the updated "Missing Years" documentary, says Paul Vanezis, "The Missing Years is being kept intact as was, not changes have been made to the body of the programme. The additional material consists of a short feature in the style of 'Since this programme was made...'." It also appears that it may be released simultaneously in the UK and North America. The list of features is below (with thanks to the Restoration Team).
LOST IN TIME COLLECTION

Disc 1 (Hartnell Years disc in North America)
Episodes: "The Crusade" 1; "The Crusade" 3 (with commentary by Julian Glover, Gary Russell); "The DaleksÆ Master Plan" 2 (commentary by Peter Purves, Kevin Stoney, Ray Cusick); "The DaleksÆ Master Plan" 5 & 10; "The Celestial Toymaker" 4
Audio Only: "The Crusade" 2, 4
Special Features: Surviving clips from "The Daleks' Master Plan," "The Smugglers," "The Tenth Planet"; location film from "The Smugglers"; introductions to episodes 1, 3 of "The Crusade" plus afterword; 8mm off-screen footage from the Hartnell Era - various clips; Easter Egg no.1.

Disc 2 (Troughton Years #1 disc in North America)
Episodes: "The Underwater Menace" 3; "The Moonbase" 2, 4; "The Faceless Ones" 1, 3; "The Evil of the Daleks" 2 (with commentary by Deborah Watling, Gary Russell)
Audio Only: "The Moonbase" 1, 3
Special Features: "The Power of the Daleks" BBC1 trail; surviving clips from "The Power of the Daleks," "The Highlanders," "The Underwater Menace," "The Macra Terror"; 8mm film of "The Evil of the Daleks" in studio, with commentary (as "The Last Dalek"); 8mm off-screen footage from the Troughton era - various clips; Easter Egg no.2.

Disc 3 (Troughton Years #2 disc in North America)
Episodes: "The Abominable Snowmen" 2 (with commentary by Deborah Watling, Gary Russell); "The Enemy of the World" 3; "The Web of Fear" 1 (with commentary by Deborah Watling, Derrick Sherwin, Gary Russell); "The Wheel in Space" 3; "The Wheel in Space" 6 (with commentary by Derrick Sherwin, Tristan deVere Cole); "The Space Pirates" 2.
Special Features: Location film from "The Abominable Snowmen"; surviving clips from "The Abominable Snowmen," "The Web of Fear," "Fury From the Deep," "The Wheel in Space"; film inserts from "The Space Pirates"; 8mm colour film shot in the studio from "Fury From the Deep"; raw film trims from "Fury From the Deep" battle in episode 6; "The Missing Years" updated version of the 1998 BBC Video documentary.

Note: The North American discs also include a "Who's Who" biography option like all others in the series.




FILTER: - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD

Big Finish Update

Wednesday, 14 July 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Big Finish has announced a small change to their schedules: the previously scheduled Dead Man's Hand by John Ostrander, which was originally due this year and then pushed back to March 2005, has been delayed again. In its stead will be Dreamtime by Simon A. Forward ("The Sandman"), also featuring the seventh Doctor, Ace and new companion Hex. Meanwhile, for Big Finish's Bernice Summerfield series, the planned anthology now has a name: The Purpura Pawn and features novellas by Dave Stone ("Heart of TARDIS"), Paul Sutton ("Arrangements for War") and Joseph Lidster ("Master") and is due in October.




FILTER: - Audio

BBC Books: Ninth Doctor Novels clarification

Wednesday, 14 July 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
To expand upon the announcement last week about the forthcoming young adult Doctor Who novels based on the new television series, Justin Richards of BBC Books has contacted us with a statement that should clear up some confusion. "The 'blurbs' are taken from the BBCW internal project management system and intended to describe each of the projects. They aren't real back cover blurbs or marketing copy, they're just placeholder text. Similarly, the titles are working titles only. The schedule is provisional - and actually has been typed in wrong anyway! The order of the novels' release has already changed, for example. And the storylines have not yet been agreed in detail, so everything in these could turn out to be wrong. For the record, the audience we are aiming for is 'family' - exactly the same as the TV show. It would be rather silly to aim the books at a different audience, after all. That basically means the books will be every bit as sophisticated as the current range of novesl, but written with an awareness that children from about age 12 (rather than about 15 as now) will likely read them - so no graphic sex scenes or over the top violence or sadism etc." (Thanks to Justin Richards)




FILTER: - Books

DWM 346

Wednesday, 14 July 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Issue #346 of Doctor Who Magazine will be released on July 22. "Hot from the offices of BBC Wales," says the press release, "DWM meets the folks in charge of Visual Effects, Special Make-Up and Prosthetics, and Models and Miniatures for the new series! Plus there's an exclusive chat with new Doctor Who director Keith Boak, while the show's executive producer Russell T Davies spoils fans rotten with a double-length Production Notes column. He may even tackle the thorny issue of what every episode of the new series is called. Which would be nice. Then people would stop emailing us. There's also an interview with Doctor Who's elusive former script editor, Eric (continuity) Saward, and a purring chat with Oxo-mum and Gallifrey's guardian, Lynda Bellingham. You can also see the rediscovered telesnaps of part six of Marco Polo, discover how Winston Churchill is involved in the length of Doctor Who seasons, and gasp with double Dalek delight as Nicholas Briggs reveals all about the Dalek Empire and The Time Team watch Genesis of the Daleks. Space Applause! Meanwhile, in the comic strip, The Doctor and Destrii arrive in Camden in the first part of epic new serial The Flood. Editor Clayton Hickman promises it's 'sooooooooo brilliant!'" The cover is at right.




FILTER: - Magazines - DWM

Tony Blair "Not a Fan!"

Wednesday, 14 July 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Doctor Who non-fiction author Mark Campbell ("Dimensions in Time and Space") tells Outpost Gallifrey that he recently had a chance to ask UK Prime Minister Tony Blair if he used to watch Doctor Who and whether he would be watching it when it returned. Campbell posed the question after the PM had delivered an education speech at London's Institute of Education on July 7. A slightly bemused Tony Blair replied, "No, I'm afraid I was never really a fan of it." Can't win 'em all... (Thanks to Mark Campbell)




FILTER: - Press

Museum Hosts Who Props

Wednesday, 14 July 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Visit the website of National Public Radio to see pictures of a few exhibits at the new Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle, one of which is a gun prop from The Happiness Patrol. (Thanks to Matt Chayt)




FILTER: - Press

Eastenders Joke

Wednesday, 14 July 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
BBC 1 soap opera EastEnders contained a nice Doctor Who joke on Friday July 9; character Den Watts (played by Leslie Grantham, who appeared in "Resurrection of the Daleks"), when asked by wheelchair-bound Ian Beale how he was doing, replied "better than you by the look of it Davros!"




FILTER: - Press

Dorka Nieradzik

Wednesday, 14 July 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
The handiwork of Doctor Who makeup artist Dorka Nieradzik, who worked on many of the series' later stories, can be seen in the new blockbuster film "King Arthur". (Thanks to Brent Johnson)




FILTER: - People

Radio Times Competition

Wednesday, 14 July 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
The new edition of the Radio Times published today has a competition to win a DVD player and a selection of new BBC DVDs, including The Leisure Hive (and the magnificent House of Cards trilogy). The question is tricky: there's apparently going to be a new series of something called Doctor Who - who's going to play the title role? It's a UK-only competition, entries by phone. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)




FILTER: - Magazines - Competitions - Radio Times

The Lost in Time Collection

Wednesday, 14 July 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Though BBC Worldwide for some reason won't officially confirm any sort of UK release for the forthcoming Lost in Time Collection, the collection of orphan Doctor Who episodes coming out this November (despite the fact that retailers already have an early November date for sale), BBC Worldwide America not only has confirmed it but has released cover illustrations for the North American release, also due in November, and details about the individual sets. Below are the cover illustrations for the complete North American edition, which is two DVD sets packaged together, as well as the individual versions on sale here, one with each Doctor. (We don't know if they're being offered separately in the UK, but apparently the North American edition is done so.)
Lost in Time: The William Hartnell Years
Never broadcast in the US, these episodes offer an enticing glimpse into 'lost' stories that have achieved legendary status. Fans can relish rare appearances of the Daleks as well as guest star turns by Julian Glover (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), Michael Gough (Batman) and Jean Marsh (Upstairs, Downstairs). New to video is Episode 2 of "The Daleks' Master Plan," the story that marked the series debut of Nicholas Courtney, who later returned time and again as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Includes episodes 1 and 3 of "The Crusade"; episodes 2, 5 and 10 of "The Daleks' Master Plan" and episode 4 of "The Celestial Toymaker". Featuring audio commentary by actors Julian Glover, Peter Purves, Kevin Stoney, designer Raymond P. Cusick and moderator Gary Russell; clips from episodes 1, 3 and 4 of "The Daleks' Master Plan"; a reel of 8mm off-screen clips; Who's Who actor biographies; narrative links; and photo gallery. Single CD; WHV Catalog #E2081.

Lost in Time: The Patrick Troughton Years
Never broadcast in the US, these episodes offer an enticing glimpse into 'lost' stories that have achieved legendary status. Fans can relish rare appearances of the Daleks, Cybermen and Yeti, as well as an episode from the second Doctor Who story by Robert Holmes, the series' most influential writer. Includes episode 3 of "The Underwater Menace"; episodes 2 and 4 of "The Moonbase"; episodes 1 and 3 of "The Faceless Ones"; episode 2 of "The Evil of the Daleks"; episode 2 of "The Abominable Snowmen"; episode 3 of "The Enemy of the World"; episode 1 of "The Web of Fear"; episodes 3 and 6 of "The Wheel In Space" and episode 2 of "The Space Pirates". Featuring audio commentary by actor Deborah Watling, director Tristan de Vere Cole, story editor Derrick Sherwin and moderator Gary Russell; deleted scenes from "Power of the Daleks" and "The Abominable Snowmen"; Australia and New Zealand censor clips; the fan-produced documentary special "The Making of Fury From the Deep"; audio versions of episodes 1 and 3 of "The Moonbase"; a 50-minute featurette on missing episodes; Who's Who actor biographies; and photo gallery. Double CD; WHV Catalog #E2082.

Lost in Time: The Complete Collection
Contains "Lost In Time: The William Hartnell Years" and "Lost in Time: The Patrick Troughton Years". WHV Catalog #E2083.




FILTER: - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD