another day, another series rumor...

Sunday, 16 March 2003 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

It's been a while, so it's about time someone ran another "Doctor Who is returning" article. The March 16 edition of the Sunday Mirror ran an article entitled "Time For Dr. Who To Return" by Ben Dowell, mentioning that the folks behind "The League of Gentlemen" (specifically, actor/author Mark Gatiss, who has written Doctor Who novels and audios for Big Finish) are in talks with the BBC. This is all based on old news and speculation, and shouldn't be taken as further progress on a new series at this time. The full article can be read by clicking here. (Thanks to Nigel Potter, Adam Bradley, Rob Davis, Christian Morris)

FILTER: - Press

saturday night: made for who

Sunday, 16 March 2003 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

An article on the dearth of watchable Saturday evening television in the UK that ran in the Observer on March 16 includes comments from Jane Tranter, the Head of Drama for the BBC, who has a horror of "relentlessly pretentious middle-class wank, drama all about people having writer's block, that absolutely nobody watched." Tranter goes on to note that her fantasy Saturday television line-up is as follows: "I'd like to do a modern version of Doctor Who starring someone like Judi Dench, go into an entertainment show like Pop Idol, then Casualty at 8pm, and at 9pm, I'd like to run a made-for-television Saturday-night movie of the week. Maybe like Edge of Darkness, but run over two nights." You can read the article online by clicking here. (Thanks to Steve Tribe, Neil Feist, Paul Kirkley)

FILTER: - Production - Press

wolfsbane & deadly reunion

Friday, 14 March 2003 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

BBC Books has released the cover blurb for the forthcoming Wolfsbane by Jacqueline Rayner, a Fourth Doctor and Eighth Doctor crossover novel with Sarah Jane and Harry Sullivan, as previously announced. They've also confirmed the title of the November book written by Terrance Dicks and Barry Letts which we announced some months ago -- it'sDeadly Reunion and features the Third Doctor, Jo and UNIT. The blurb for "Wolfsbane" is as follows:

WOLFSBANE by Jacqueline Rayner

Harry is dead. Having left him abandoned and alone in pre-war Britain, the Doctor and Sarah try to solve the mystery of his death. But the only witness is in a lunatic asylum, driven mad by what he has seen. He tells of murder and mutilation, of living trees and long-dead legends, of wolfmen and war... And of a mysterious stranger known only as the Doctor.

Can it be true that Harry discovered the last resting-place of the Holy Grail? Why are the flowers and trees in a Somerset village in full bloom at Christmas? And is it just a coincidence that Harry died under a full moon?

FILTER: - Books

bbc calls the doctor

Sunday, 9 March 2003 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

British toy trade magazine "Toy News" reports in its newest (March 19) issue, in a news item headlined "BBC calls the Doctor," that "Doctor Who is a focus for BBC Worldwide this year..." Says the article, "Doctor Who celebrates his 40th anniversary in 2003 and the BBC is searching for new licensees to commemorate the milestone. The brand's first new style guide has been put together, with a core target of ages 18 - 34 with an interest in retro style. 'We have streamlined the existing licensee base to ensure a unity of design and the highest standards of quality and accessibility, and we're now looking for new licensees to get involved,' explained Siobhan Williamson, head of global adult licensing at BBC Worldwide." (Thanks to Mark Murphy, David Harold)

FILTER: - Merchandise

updates from invasion 3 convention

Monday, 3 March 2003 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

Two items of note that came out of the Invasion 3 convention yesterday held by the Tenth Planet store in the UK. First, actor William Russell (Ian Chesterton), in his appearance, noted to the group that he had recently recorded a commentary for The Dalek Invasion of Earth DVD release, which he did not specify as to a release date (though several retailers and TV Zone Magazine, as we previously noted, report this as a rumored June 2003 release, but nothing official has yet come out of the BBC.) Also, Gary Russell of Big Finish confirmed that, following the release this November of "Zagreus," their 40th anniversary special, actor Paul McGann has agreed to participate in four new Eighth Doctor audios which he stated would be released from December 2003 through March 2004. (Thanks to Kris Stevens, Phillip Madeley, Doug Holguin, James Hadwen, James van-der Heiden)

FILTER: - Conventions

updates from dwm 327

Thursday, 6 February 2003 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

Issue #327 of Doctor Who Magazine is now on shelves and has several bits of Doctor Who news. First -- BBC Books has confirmed the September 2003 novel release as beingWolfsbane by Jacqueline Rayner, a Fourth Doctor, Sarah and Harry novel... with the Eighth Doctor as well. The novel concerns lycanthrophy in the sleepy west country of 1935: "Even a book which is pure of heart, and says its prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms, and the moon is full and bright." Next, the issue states that the next out-of-print novel to be released on the BBCi site will be The Well Mannered War by Gareth Roberts. The final Missing Adventures release from the days of Virgin Publishing's license, the electronic version of the book should be available on the site in late February. Finally, yet another note about the still unconfirmed by the BBC Press Office DVD release of The Talons of Weng-Chiang (which now bears the catalogue # BBCDVD1152 according to several sources): the commentaries on the disc are by Louise Jameson (Leela), John Bennett (Li H'sen Chang), Christopher Benjamin (Henry Gordon Jago), producer Philip Hinchcliffe and director David Maloney. (Thanks to Phillip Madeley, Daniel Hirsch, themaster120 and DWM)

FILTER: - DWM

bbc radio collection update

Tuesday, 4 February 2003 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

audio release update	Audio • February 4

Mark Ayres of the Doctor Who Restoration Team clarified a detail in yesterday's report about the new 2003 releases from the BBC Radio Collection. Frazer Hines will be narrating the August release of The Evil of the Daleks while Anneke Wills indeed narratesPower of the Daleks, released at the same time. The press information we received yesterday stated only Frazer's name. (Thanks to Mark Ayres for clarifying!)

bbc radio collection update	Audio • February 3

Michael Stevens of BBC Audiobooks contacted Outpost Gallifrey to clarify the news about forthcoming releases from the BBC Radio Collection, which includes some new information for the first half of 2003 (until August). Just released this week on February 3 is The Space Pirates, the lost Patrick Troughton story narrated by Frazer Hines. In April, the series will diverge briefly for a new format: "In a new departure for British audio publishing," says the release, "BBC Radio Collection is releasing six titles on MP3-CD format. MP3-CDs offer the same high-quality sound as standard CDs, using a fraction of the disc space. Digitally remastered for optimal sound quality, they are able to hold more tracks than a regular CD ... all episodes contained on just one MP3-CD." This will include two Doctor Who releases on April 7: The Daleks' Master Plan and a combined CD of The Abominable Snowmen & The Web of Fear. (The other titles in the series will include "Fawlty Towers," "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy," "The Hobbit" and "Dead Ringers Series 1, 2 & 3".) On June 2, a new CD boxed set will be calledYeti Attack! featuring the existing releases of "The Abominable Snowmen" and "The Web of Fear" in a collector's box; the same treatment will be given to a second boxed set called Adventures in History on August 4 featuring The Myth Makers, The Massacre and The Highlanders. Each of these two boxed sets will be back in the standard CD format (likely the original releases encased in a new box). Finally, August 4 will also see the release of The Power of the Daleks and The Evil of the Dalekstogether in a specially-designed package; says the report: "These stories were previously issued on cassette in the early 1990s; they have now been digitally remastered from better soundtrack sources and have brand new linking narration. Long awaited by fans!" Frazer Hines will narrate both of these new releases. (Thanks to Michael Stevens)

FILTER: - Audio

doctor who unbound

Tuesday, 4 February 2003 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

Big Finish has announced plans for Doctor Who Unbound, a brand new series of CD's "that are thematically linked by the question 'What if...?'," according to their website. "In each play the Doctor will be portrayed by an actor completely new to the role. The team of six writers have been presented with a blank canvas and invited to write a story that will diverge dramatically from Doctor Who as we know it. This divergence may manifest itself as an intriguing twist on established Doctor Who continuity or as a stylistic change in the mood of the story or even in the way that it is told." The first CD will be released in May, entitled Auld Mortality by author Marc Platt ("Loups-Garoux"), posing the question "What if the Doctor and Susan never left Gallifrey?" "Marc has written a slightly surreal, melancholic tale of what might have been that draws on some of the concepts and characters that were present in his novel Lungbarrow." Actress Carole Ann Ford reprises her role as Susan, while Geoffrey Bayldon (Organon in "Creature from the Pit") plays the Doctor in the story. Additional stories are Full Fathom Five by David Bishop (June), Sympathy for the Devil by Jonathan Clements (July), Exile by Nicholas Briggs (August), He Jests at Scars by Gary Russell (September) and Deadline by Rob Shearman (October). According to a report in issue 327 of Doctor Who Magazine, one of the stories will feature a female Doctor! The mini-series is produced by John Ainsworth and Jason Haigh-Ellery, and script-edited by Nicholas Briggs. More details as they come in...

FILTER: - Big Finish

reeltime pictures update

Monday, 3 February 2003 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

Reeltime Pictures, the video documentarians with a long history of Doctor Who themed video tape releases, have announced that the entire back catalogue of video releases -- the Myth Makers series of interviews included -- will be re-released on DVD with two titles per disc starting this year. The monthly DVD schedule will begin with Nicola Bryant and Graeme Harper (director) interviews on April 3, followed by William Hartnell and Jack Pitt (May), Mary Tamm and John Leeson (June), Sophie Aldred and Andrew Cartmel (July), Jacqueline Pearce and Stephen Greif of "Blake's 7" (August) and Deborah Watling and Victor Pemberton (September). Meanwhile, newer Reeltime titles will be released simultaneously on VHS and DVD, starting with "Patrick Troughton in America" on April 30, a documentary featuring film footage of his appearances prior to his death in 1987. Most importantly, Reeltime has apparently begun work on what is only called "a Sea Devil drama" for October 2003. (Thanks to Andy Swinden at Galaxy 4)

FILTER: - Documentary

aztecs dvd wins

Monday, 3 February 2003 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

The online journal DVD Times recently posted the results of its 2002 Awards list for excellence in DVD releases. The Doctor Who DVD release of The Aztecs was given the title "Best Picture Restoration", while Tomb of the Cybermen won second prize in the "Best DVD" category. Congratulations to those responsible!

FILTER: - Awards/Nominations - Blu-ray/DVD

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