BBC Worldwide has announced the release of Doctor Who: The Complete Series 1-7 Box Set on Blu-ray for release in the United Kingdom on 4th November and in North America on 5th November:


In addition, the North American release will include a bonus gift in the form of the original Doctor Who Universal Remote Control Sonic Screwdriver, three artwork cards featuring the three Doctors, plus an exclusive comic book.

The 29 disc collection contains each series in its own individual Blu-ray case, and it is expected that the four remastered Eccleston/Tennant series will be available individually at a later date.

Hot on the heels of the report that Matt Smith starts filming on Sunday, the BBC reported that the read-through for this year's Christmas Special took place today, with a report on Twitter stating: "Christmas starts early for the #DoctorWho team! Here’s Matt Smith at today’s Christmas Special read through."


The BBC's Doctor Who website added:

Tweets on the read-through were also made by DWM editor Tom Spilsbury: "The Doctor Who Christmas readthrough was lovely - and rather moving. Matt Smith has been a terrific Doctor, but he's also a true gentleman." Make-up designer Claire Pritchard said: "Quite an emotional day at the doctors today he was reading a story." Having been working on Steven Moffat's other series, Sherlock, she added: "Is it rude and disloyal to leave a consulting detective for a Doctor I feel dirty!xx"

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With principal photography due to kick off on Sunday, the first indication of a filming location came from Labour councillor Dilwar Ali, who said: "Dr Who will be filming at Llandaff North next week."

Matt Smith has confirmed that he begins shooting for this year's Christmas Special from this coming Sunday.

Speaking to Daybreak's entertainment correspondent Richard Arnold at last night's GQ Men of the Year Awards, the actor responded to a question about his current hair style and on how this would impact filming:

A new Fanzine called Cygnus Alpha is now available.

Cygnus Alpha is a continuation of an old 1980s Fanzine which originally featured Paul Cornell and Gary Russell. It's been brought up to date by Simon Brett ( phonic Screwdriver radio host, Phonicon organiser, Star Burst podcaster and Star Burst illustrator), Lee Rawlings ( Phonic Screwdiver radio host, Phonicon organiser and Star Burst podcaster), and Paul Griffin ( 80s & 90s fanzine illustrator, DWM illustrator and BBC Doctor Who book cover artist for The Devil Goblins From Neptune).

It features the likes of JR Southall ( You & Who books ), the original writers George Sik, Rolo Paloma, Paul West (the original editor), John Davies ( Big Finish Short Trips) , Simon Breeze ( fantasy artist), Lee Rawlings, Simon Brett and Paul Griffin.

It's A5 and features colour artwork. This issues has articles on Peter Cushing, Gerry Anderson & Captain Scarlet, a colour comic strip, short story by JR Southall and an exclusive interview with the director of Doctor Who's Kings Demons Tony Virgo.

It is now available priced at £2.50 plus p&p.

Details from the Fanzine's Facebook page.

The original script for William Hartnell's last story, The Tenth Planet, has been found, with one key difference from the transmitted version. The Doctor does not regenerate at the end of the story.

Michael Seely, author of the forthcoming biography of Dr Kit Pedler ‘The Quest for Pedler’ unearthed the original draft script, along with draft scripts for The Moonbase, known then as The Return of the Cybermen, among a very large collection of Pedler's papers which one of his children had kept in their attic.

The relevance of this early draft, and the date it was prepared goes some way to illustrating the hasty nature of Hartnell’s departure:
Michael Seely is no stranger to the work of Dr Kit Pedler, he has previously written two books (‘Prophets of Doom’ and ‘Deadly Dangerous Tomorrow’ – both available from Miwk Publishing) on the subject of Doomwatch.
Seely’s biography of Pedler will be released in early 2014 by Miwk Publishing. Authorised by his family and produced with their assistance, the book will tell the full story of Dr C.M.H. Pedler, MB. BS., Ph.D, M.C. Path. A research scientist well known to Doctor Who fans as the co-creator of the Cybermen, but in also a leading activist and campaigner for more sociably responsible and sustainable scientific research and understanding.

Pedler’s role in Doctor Who is also clarified:
The Quest for Pedler: The Life & Ideas of Dr Kit Pedler By Michael Seely is now available for preorder.

September sees the broadcast of ten episodes featuring Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor on Australian and New Zealand television. These screenings are part of the 50th Anniversary season of Doctor Who on the UKTV Australia and UKTV New Zealand channels.

Each Sunday afternoon during September will see a block of two episodes screened from the 2005 series.

The schedule for the month in both countries is as follows:

1 September
Rose - AU: 4:30pm; NZ: 4:50pm (NZ repeat 2 Sep, 4:30am)
The End of the World - AU: 5:30pm; NZ: 5:40pm

8 September
Aliens of London - AU: 4:30pm; NZ: 3:00pm
World War Three - AU: 5:30pm; NZ: 4:00pm (NZ repeat 9 Sep, 4:35am)

15 September
Dalek - AU: 4:30pm; NZ: 4:45pm
The Long Game - AU: 5:30pm; NZ: 5:40pm (NZ repeat 16 Sep, 4:30am)

22 September
The Empty Child - AU: 4:30pm; NZ: 4:50pm
The Doctor Dances - AU: 5:30pm; NZ: 5:40pm (NZ repeat 23 Sep, 4:35am)

29 September
Bad Wolf - AU: 4:30pm; NZ: 3:50pm
The Parting of the Ways - AU: 5:30pm; NZ: 4:45pm (NZ repeat 30 Sep, 4:45am)

The line-up includes all but three of the entire run of Ninth Doctor episodes. The omissions are The Unquiet Dead, Father’s Day and Boom Town.

Gerard Murphy 1948-2013

The actor and director Gerard Murphy has died at the age of 64.

Gerard Murphy played Richard Maynarde, the servant of Lady Peinforte, in the 1988 Doctor Who story Silver Nemesis.

Murphy was Born in Newry, County Down, and began his professional career with the Glasgow Citizens Theatre. He returned there last year for an acclaimed Krapp’s Last Tape. He was also and was an associate artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company, appearing as Hal alongside Joss Ackland’s Falstaff in Henry IV, Part I in 1982.

For BBC Radio he narrated the 1981 adaptation of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Television work included roles in Spooks, Z Cars, Minder, Charters & Caldicott, Heartbeat, Father Ted, Dalziel and Pascoe and The Bill.

His agent Lynda Ronan said he died at home on Monday after “battling courageously with cancer for two and a half years”.

He was last seen in the West End in the 2010/11 revival of The Rivals at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket.

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Christopher Burgess 1926-2013

The actor Christopher Burgess has died at the age of 86.

Christopher Burgess had three roles in Doctor Who, appearing in eleven episodes.

He played Swann in the 1967 story The Enemy of the World. Swann was the leader of Salamander's underground community of scientists. Burgess returned to Doctor Who in 1971 playing Professor George Philips, a scientist under the control of The Master, in Terror of the Autons.

His final appearance in Doctor Who was as Barnes, a resident of the meditation centre, in the 1974 story Planet of the Spiders.

He appeared in many British Television dramas including The Bill, Jossy's Giants, David Copperfield, Two People, Danger UXB, Les Miserables, Treasure Island, The Growing Pains of PC Penrose, Z Cars, Softly Softly: Task Force, Dixon of Dock Green, Sherlock Holmes, Deadline Midnight and Who Killed Menna Lorraine?

Sunday 25th August sees the broadcast of four more instalments in the Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited series of specials on Australian and New Zealand television - and one of these episodes will be a world premiere. These specials are part of the 50th Anniversary season of Doctor Who on the UKTV Australia and UKTV New Zealand channels.

The Doctors Revisited specials will screen in a two hour block of four episodes, covering the first four Doctors. They screen in Australia at 4:25pm and in New Zealand at 4:40pm, with a New Zealand repeat screening at 3:45am on Monday 26th August.

New Zealand has the honour of being the first in the world to screen Episode 8 in this series, covering Paul McGann's eighth Doctor. Doctor Who Revisited is usually first screened on BBC America, but this particular episode is due to be broadcast in the United States on 31st August.

UKTV describes the specials as follows:

Episode 5:
The Fifth Doctor introduced viewers to a character who was fresh faced, youthful and more vulnerable than we had seen before. Doctor Who Revisited takes a close look at a TARDIS that was bursting at the seams with a range of different companions, and examines one of the most dramatic departures from the series to date. We also look at the return of two popular foes, the emotionless Cybermen and the ever-deceitful Master.

Episode 6:
As Doctor number six colourfully generated onto our screens in a patchwork blast of colour he brought with him his own sense of style and character. Featuring Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant join The Doctors Revisited as we unveil the compassionate side of the Doctor, his attempts at Tardis maintainence and introduce Sil the galaxies most slippery business man!

Episode 7:
The seventh doctor crashed onto our screens, clowned around in a question-marked tank top and juggled his way around foes. Join The Doctors Revisited as we examine the darker side of this Doctor and take a look at some of his surreal adventures. Featuring interviews with Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred, we look at the Doctor's modern day companion Ace and his most scientific foe The Rani.

Episode 8:
Celebrate the uniqueness of the Eighth Doctor, Paul McGann, who appeared in the Doctor Who TV movie in 1996 to fight a new incarnation of his oldest nemesis, the Master. Featuring Steven Moffat and Daphne Ashbrook.

The specials were originally made for BBC America, where they are presented in conjunction with screenings of stories including Earthshock, Vengeance on Varos, Remembrance of the Daleks, Doctor Who (The Movie). All four stories have previously screened on UKTV as part of the 50th Anniversary season.

The specials replace earlier scheduled Doctor Who programmes on UKTV. Australia was due to screen Doctor Who America Specials: The Destinations of Doctor Who and The Women of Doctor Who, while New Zealand was to have seen Pyramids of Mars.

Sunday 18th August sees the broadcast of the first four instalments in the Doctor Who Revisited series on Australian and New Zealand television. The screening of this specials are part of the 50th Anniversary season of Doctor Who on the UKTV channel.

This is a late change to the programming schedules in both countries, and consequently has yet to appear on UKTV's websites and electronic programme guides.

The Doctor Who Revisited specials will screen in a two hour block of four episodes, covering the first four Doctors. They are expected to screen in Australia at 4:30pm and in New Zealand at 4:40pm or 4:50pm.

UKTV describes the specials as follows:

These programmes provide an introduction to each of the previous incarnations of the Doctor, and are designed to work alongside a specially curated selection of stories. Featuring interviews with key cast and crew along with classic clips and a montage of the Doctors’ key moments, iconic lines, and monsters, these programmes are the perfect companion pieces to some of the classic and newer Doctor Who. Featuring contributions from Steven Moffat, John Barrowman, David Tennant, Caroline Skinner and Neil Gaiman, among others.

When originally seen on BBC America earlier this year, the four specials were presented in conjunction with screenings of stories including The Aztecs, The Tomb of the Cybermen, Spearhead from Space and Pyramids of Mars. All four stories have previously screened on UKTV as part of the 50th Anniversary season.

The specials replace other planned Doctor Who screenings on UKTV. Australia was due to screen Doctor Who America Specials: The Science of Doctor Who and The Timey Wimey Stuff of Doctor Who, whereas New Zealand either had The Three Doctors or Spearhead from Space (the website currently lists the first, whereas the electronic programme guide has the latter).

As previously reported, the Doctor Who Series 7 double-CD will be released on 9th September 2013.


There is no information at present as to if and when the soundtracks for the two Christmas Specials The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe and The Snowmen might be released.


Silva Screen have also reported that their limited edition vinyl release of the Doctor Who Series 1&2 soundtracks has been delayed due to a problem at the factory. Originally scheduled for next Monday, it is now expected for Monday 2nd September.

Win a copy of the Series 7 soundtrack!

Thanks to Silva Screen we have three copies of the CD for our readers to win. To be in with a chance, simply answer this question:
Please send your answer to comp-s7cd@doctorwhonews.net with the subject line "Run, you clever boy", along with your name, address, and where you read about this competition. The competition is open worldwide, and the closing date will be on 6th September 2013. Only one entry per household will be accepted.


There's still a chance to win a copy of Ghost Light, which closes on 24th August 2013. Answer the question below and send the usual details as outlined above to comp-ghostlight@doctorwhonews.net with the subject line "We all have a universe of our own terrors to face":