The BBC has confirmed that the new series of Doctor Who will debut in the UK and the US on Sunday 7th October.

The move to Sunday evenings is a radical change for the series, which has been seen in the UK on Saturday nights since its return in 2005. The only previous times the series has been shown on a Sunday was for three episodes shown on Christmas Day and the autumn special, The Waters of Mars.

The switch means that Doctor Who will avoid direct competition with the ITV talent show The X Factor. No timeslot has been confirmed but the series is likely to be shown early evening along with the Strictly Come Dancing Results show.

BBC America has confirmed the first episode will be screened in the United States at the same time it is shown in the UK, meaning the series will debut in the early afternoon. The rest of the series will be seen in the usual prime-time evening slot.

Chris Chibnall, Showrunner said Charlotte Moore, Director of BBC Content said: Showrunner Chris Chibnall has written the first episode of the brand new series which is titled “The Woman Who Fell to Earth”.

The actress Jacqueline Pearce, best known for her role as the main villain, Servalan, in the science fiction series Blakes 7, has died at the age of 74.

Born in Woking in the south of England, Jacqueline Pearce trained at the British stage school RADA and at Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio in Los Angeles.

Her TV career began in the 1960's with regular roles in the ITV Play of the Week as well as appearances in shows such as The Avengers and Armchair Theatre

She starred in two Hammer horror films, The Plague of the Zombies and The Reptile, filmed simultaneously in 1966. Other film roles include Sky West and Crooked, Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River and How to Get Ahead in Advertising.

Roles in the 1970's included Rosa Dartle in David Copperfield, Claudia Haswell in Couples, and Anna Rupius in Vienna 1900. But it was in 1978 that she was cast in the role for which she would be ever known.

Servalan was the Supreme Commander of the Terran Federation in Blakes 7, the TV drama devised by Dalek creator Terry Nation. The character was only expected to appear in one episode of the saga, but Pearce's electrifying performance ensured the character would survive far longer than the title character, appearing in all four series.

A cold, calculating, ruthless sociopath Servalan's main aim was to destroy the crew of the Liberator and the relish with which Pearce played the character ensured she would remain a fan favourite for the series duration.

Her Doctor Who appearance came in 1985, playing Chessene of the Franzine Grig in the Colin Baker story The Two Doctors. She later appeared in Audio productions for Big Finish.

In 1991 she played Miss Pendragon in the Russell T. Davies series Dark Season.

She also appeared in series such as Casualty, Doctors, Daniel Deronda and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles

Jacqueline Pearce relocated to South Africa for several years, initially to care for orphaned monkeys. Her autobiography, From Byfleet to the Bush, was published in 2012.

Alliance Agents who worked with the actress paid tribute. Jacqueline Pearce died at her home in Lancashire, shortly after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

Sheridan Smith is returning to the role of Lucie Miller in four new audio adventures with the Eighth Doctor played by, Paul McGann.

The character returns in a brand new box set from Big Finish, out for release in July 2019.

Brash, northern lass Lucie started her journey with the Eighth Doctor back in 2007 in a series simultaneously released by Big Finish and digitally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra (then known as Radio 7). She went on to feature in three more series alongside Paul McGann, culminating in her shattering departure in the 2011 story, To The Death.

Big Finish executive producer Nicholas Briggs revealed Producer Scott Handcock says Nicholas Briggs continues The Further Adventures of Lucie Miller is set between the first and second series of her adventures.

Lucie Miller’s further adventures are…

• The Dalek Trap by Nicholas Briggs
• The Revolution Game by Alice Cavender
• The House on the Edge of Chaos by Eddie Robson
• Island of the Fendahl by Alan Barnes

The Dalek Trap sees the Doctor behaving distinctly out of character, and Lucie having to take control to thwart the Daleks and a mysterious force of ‘Darkness’. In The Revolution Game, there’s something sinister happening in a far-flung future Earth colony – and Lucie is forced to partake in a perilous rollerskating contest! The House on the Edge of Chaos finds the Doctor and Lucie trapped in a bizarre building, packed with eccentric, social-class-obsessed characters and an emerging alien foe like no other. And in the final adventure, Island of the Fendahl, the classic Doctor Who creature the Fendahl makes its first appearance on audio since the original TV story Image of the Fendahl (1977, starring Tom Baker and Louise Jameson).

This box set forms part of a celebration of 20 years of Doctor Who on audio from Big Finish Productions, alongside box sets of adventures for each incarnation of the Time Lord – more news on each Doctor’s tale will be revealed next year.

The Further Adventures of Lucie Miller, which includes four adventures and a disc of extended extras, will also be released in July 2019 and can be pre-ordered now for £25 on CD or £20 on download, available from Big Finish.

BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide) have announced that it will be hosting a special Doctor Who experience at South Africa's first Comic Con to tie in with the next series due to air in the country later this year.

The event is taking place in Johannesburg between 14th and 16th September, and will feature VR experiences, video games, trivia and fan giveaways, plus a special showing of Peter Capaldi's finale and the arrival of a new Doctor!

The series itself will be shown in South Africa as a Showmax exclusive, and has been described as:

BBC Studios can be found at Stand B113 in the Exhibition Hall.

Titan Comics and BBC Studios have revealed launch details for Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #1

The new comic featuring the Thirteenth Doctor will feature variants from leading artists including Babs Tarr (Batgirl, Motor Crush), Sarah Graley (Rick and Morty), Katie Cook (Adventure Time), Ariela Kristantina (Mata Hari), and Paulina Ganucheau (Zodiac Starforce).

Writer Jody Houser said Titan’s is celebrating this debut issue by launching thirteen variant covers, including art covers by Doctor Who fan-favorite artist Alice X. Zhang, series artist Rachael Stott, Babs Tarr (Batgirl, Motor Crush), Sanya Anwar (Assassin’s Creed), Paulina Ganucheau (Zodiac Starforce), Sarah Graley (Rick and Morty), Ariela Kristantina (Mata Hari) and Katie Cook (Adventure Time).

Plus, a photo cover, a cosplay variant and a Doctor Puppet variant by Alisa Stern – creator of the Doctor Puppet Youtube series.

Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #2 will feature covers by Paulina Ganucheau and Rachael Stott, as well as a photo cover.

Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #1 is part of Titan Comics' larger plans for the Thirteenth Doctor in 2018, including; Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor Vol. 0 – which sees the Doctor relive memories from her many incarnations, showcasing unseen adventures from EVERY version of the Doctor; and Doctor Who Comics Day on November 24 – where fans and stores unite to celebrate everything Doctor Who.

Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #1 is released this Autumn.

Michael Pickwoad, the man behind the look of Doctor Who for the last seven years, has died at the age of 73

As Production Designer Michael Pickwoad oversaw the look of the series from Matt Smith's first Christmas story, A Christmas Carol, until the end of the Peter Capaldi era in Twice Upon A Time. He worked on 71 episodes of the series, designing a new TARDIS interior for the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctor's, as well as several episodes of the spin off series Class.

Born in 1945, Michael Pickwoad was the son of the actor William Mervyn, who appeared in the Doctor Who story The War Machines, and the theatre designer Anne Margaret Payne Cooke. He studied Civil Engineering at Southampton University.

He began his career as an Art Director in the early 1970's, working for the Children's Film & Television Foundation on short films such as Wreck Raisers. In the 1980's he moved onto Production Designer, taking responsibility for the overall visual look of a production. One of the first films he worked on was the cult classic Withnail & I, starring Paul McGann

His work on TV included Rules of Engagement, Kavanagh QC and Murder Most Horrid, the Dawn French comedy, part of which was co-written by Steven Moffat. He worked with Moffat on his series Coupling and again on his 2007 drama Jekyll.

In 2010 he took over as Doctor Who's Production Designer, only the second person to hold the position since the series returned in 2005. His tenure saw him create sets that ranged from Victorian London to the Wild West, from the badlands of Skaro to the wilds of Sherwood Forest, from a Cold War Submarine to the Orient Express in space.

Tom Spilsbury, Editor of Doctor Who Magazine throughout his tenure, paid tribute. Former Doctor Who Showrunner Steven Moffat added Michael Pickwoad died on Monday 27th August.

Michael Pickwoad told BBC News where he got his inspiration for the new look TARDIS

This month's Doctor Who Magazine talks to Mandip Gill and Tosin Cole, who play companions Yasmin and Ryan in Series 11.

Also in this issue...

• FREE POSTER
A double-sided poster featuring the Thirteenth Doctor, Graham, Ryan and Yasmin.
• SERIES 11 NEWS
Interviews with the writers and directors of Series 11, with an introduction from showrunner Chris Chibnall.
• ROY SCAMMELL
The film and TV stuntman discusses his unforgettable contributions to the series in the 1970s.
• DON HARPER
The life and career of the composer whose score for The Invasion is about to be released.
• LISA BOWERMAN
The actress who has played Bernice Summerfield for 20 years answers questions from the TARDIS tin.
• ALAN BENNION
A tribute to the actor who played three Ice Warriors in 1960s and 70s Doctor Who.
• TIME OF THE DALEKS
Inside Gale Force 9, the company behind the latest Doctor Who board game.
• THE CLOCKWISE WAR
Part Six of this comic strip adventure featuring the Doctor and Bill.
• THE TIME TEAM
The reviewers watch three pseudo-historical stories: The Time Warrior, The Talons of Weng-Chiang and Thin Ice.
• THE FACT OF FICTION
In-depth analysis of the 2013 Eleventh Doctor story Hide.
• COSPLAY
Australian comedian Rob Lloyd explains how he creates his Third Doctor look on a budget.

PLUS... The Blogs of Doom, previews, reviews, news, prize-winning competitions and much, much more!

Doctor Who Magazine 529 is on sale now, price £5.99.

The latest DWM Special Edition explores the international appeal of Doctor Who and the way the show’s audience has evolved since the 1960s.

There have been Doctor Who fans for as long as there has been Doctor Who. And like the series itself, fandom has spent decades evolving into a global phenomenon, with enthusiasts in such far-flung territories as the United States, China and New Zealand.

If you’re new to Doctor Who, or curious about the way its viewers are inspired by the programme, then this unique guide will tell you everything you need to know about television’s most devoted fans.

Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition: The World of Doctor Who is on sale now price £5.99.

The latest in the series of Black Archive books, detailing the seventh Doctor story, The Curse of Fenric will be released on 3 September 2018.

The Curse of Fenric is one of the last stories of Doctor Who’s original 26-year run and the first to make use of a Second World War setting.

Complex and thoughtful, the story and its various extended editions draw on a range of sources and responds to a variety of social and cultural contexts. It explores themes of history, maturation, progress and collective action

The story is detailed by Dr. Una McCormack, a New York Times bestselling author of novels based on Star Trek and Doctor Who and who teaches creative writing at the Angela Ruskin University.

The Dark Archive is available from Obverse Books.

This December sees the release of the Dalek Audio Annual, a collection of vintage stories from Terry Nation’s Dalek Annuals of the 1970s, read by stars of Doctor Who

Available for preOrder on Amazon