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

Character Options has released details of another new item in its Doctor Who Collection – the Bill Potts Collector Figure.

this fully articulated 5-inch scale Bill Potts action figure has 13 points of articulation and depicts Bill just as shown in the series with leather trousers, hi-tops and multicoloured vest.

The new Figure is available now from Amazon

BBC Worldwide have provided clarification on how to get replacements for the faulty discs within the recently released Season Twelve Collection can be requested.


Owing to an administrative issue, some customers erroneously did not receive the correct replacement of Revenge of the Cybermen; DVD Support have apologised for the error, and advise:

John Leeson and Katy Manning are to appear at a charity event this Thursday in Coventry.

The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals, PDSA is holding a Doctor Who-themed open day later this week at the Coventry PDSA Pet Hospital. The open day will give local families, animal lovers and budding vets the chance to go behind the scenes of the busy Pet Hospital to see where life-saving pet operations are carried out.

John Leeson, who has been the main voice of the Robot Dog K-9 since his first appearance in Doctor Who in 1977, will be attending along with actress Katy Manning, who played companion Jo Grant alongside the third doctor.

The stars will be joined by a host of baddies and props from the hit sci-fi series, including a TARDIS, Dalek, Cyberman, and K9 himself, who will, of course, be given a free doggy MOT. The free family event is being held at the Pet Hospital on Barkers Butts Lane on Thursday 23 August 11am to 4pm.

Senior Vet at Coventry PDSA, Kurt Vandamme, said The event will raise funds for Coventry PDSA Pet Hospital, which costs around £850,000 annually to run and doesn’t receive any government funding. The special appearances have been arranged by Fantom Events who have donated their services to PDSA free of charge, as well as making a generous donation to Coventry PDSA.

Kurt added Coventry PDSA Pet Hospital treats sick and injured pets in need, providing a vital lifeline for local owners who are struggling to afford vet care for their beloved pets. The dedicated team can see as many as 130 pets a day and perform nearly 50,000 treatments a year, ranging from major life-saving surgery and x-rays, to routine vaccinations and treatment of long-term illnesses.

Nationally PDSA runs 48 Pet Hospitals across the UK, and treats more than 5,000 pets a day – that’s 13 pets a minute! For more information visit the website.

Please note Katy Manning and John Leeson will be signing promotional cards only with every donation.

BBC Studios have announced Doctor Who Season 19 will be the next release in the Doctor Who: The Collection range.

Season 19 is Peter Davison’s first series as the Fifth Doctor and this edition follows the success of Tom Baker’s first season on Blu-ray which sold out within days of release.

The set will be released on the 19th November 2018, as a collector’s edition limited run.

The title will be available to pre-order from HMV and Amazon from tomorrow.

The Limited Edition Blu-ray includes brand new ‘Special Features’ exclusive to this set include: Five new ‘Making-Of’ documentaries for Castrovalva, Four To Doomsday, Black Orchid, Earthshock and Time-Flight, surround sound mixes for Kinda and Earthshock, an Extended Version of Black Orchid Part One, rare studio footage from Castrovalva, Four To Doomsday, Earthshock and Time-Flight, updated special effects for Castrovalva, seven more editions of Behind The Sofa and a newly-shot one-hour interview Peter Davison In Conversation with Matthew Sweet, and much more.

The eight-disc box set also includes the Peter Davison/David Tennant mini-episode Time Crash, plus hours of extensive special features previously released on DVD.

All 26 episodes are being remastered from scratch by Peter Crocker and Mark Ayres. With this season’s original 16mm film elements still in existence, the location material can be presented in true HD, with studio material upscaled. Lee Binding is again providing stunning packaging design and Pete McTighe has written extensive booklet notes and is the content consultant for the title.

Doctor Who: The Collection is executively produced for BBC Studios by Russell Minton.

Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 19 is available in the UK from November 19, 2018 and can be pre-ordered on Amazon

Details of the international release will be available soon.

The Season 19 Safety Video with Tegan Jovanka

The BBC has announced the team behind the new series of Doctor Who, launching this autumn on BBC One and around the world.

In revealing the list, showrunner Chris Chibnall says Writers

Former Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman has written over 60 books for children and young adults including the Noughts and Crosses series of novels, and her book Pig-Heart Boy, which was adapted into a BAFTA-winning, six-part TV serial. Malorie says:

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Ed Hime was nominated for a Craft BAFTA for his first episode of Skins, and won the Prix Italia for his radio play The Incomplete Recorded Works of a Dead Body. Ed says:

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Playwright and screenwriter Vinay Patel’s television debut, Murdered By My Father, won the 2016 Royal Television Society Award for Best Single Drama and was nominated for three BAFTAs. Vinay says:

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Pete McTighe is the originating writer of Wentworth, the female prison drama that has sold to over 150 countries. He’s written over a hundred hours of TV drama and been nominated for five Writers Guild Awards. Pete says:

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Joy Wilkinson has been selected as a Screen International Star of Tomorrow and has had two screenplays featured on the Brit List. Her TV scripts include the critically-acclaimed BBC five-parter The Life and Adventures of Nick Nickleby, while her theatre work has won prizes including the Verity Bargate Award. Joy says:

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Directors

Sallie Aprahamian has been directing television for over two decades with critically acclaimed shows including: Extremely Dangerous, The Sins, Real Men, The Lakes, Teachers and This Life. Sallie’s memories of Doctor Who go right back to the 1960s, when William Hartnell created the role. She says:

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Jamie Childs, who directed Jodie Whittaker’s reveal as the Thirteenth Doctor, returns for the opening episode of the new series. Jamie says Doctor Who represents an important part of our television landscape.

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Jennifer Perrott wrote, directed, produced and executive produced her award-winning 35mm short film The Ravens. Since finishing Doctor Who she has been directing Gentleman Jack, a forthcoming BBC One/HBO historical drama series created by Sally Wainwright. Jennifer says:

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Mark Tonderai went to school in Zimbabwe and architecture school in Kingston, before landing a job at the BBC as a trainee presenter. Mark has directed the full season of The Five, Impulse, Lucifer, Gotham, Black Lightning, George RR Martin’s Nightflyers and Jennifer Lawrence thriller House at the End of the Street. Mark says: