As we approach the 60th Anniversary of Doctor Who, revisit the story of Doctor Who, the occasional series written for the 50th Anniversary, explaining the origins of the programme.

Episode 7 - An Unearthly Series - The Origins of a TV Legend: First published 31 Jan 2013

New Trailer ReleasedBookmark and Share

Sunday, 25 December 2022 - Reported by Marcus

There may be no Doctor Who festive story this year. but the BBC has released a trailer looking forward to the 60th Anniversary specials out next November. 

 

 

Teaser Trailer | 60th Anniversary Specials





FILTER: - 60th Anniversary - Fourteenth Doctor

Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 585Bookmark and Share

Thursday, 8 December 2022 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 585 (Credit: Panini)

The latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine is now available.

The adventures of the Fourteenth Doctor, as played by David Tennant on TV, continue in Doctor Who Magazine issue 585. Part Two of the epic new comic-strip adventure Liberation of the Daleks, written by Alan Barnes and illustrated by Lee Sullivan, sees the Doctor’s greatest enemies invade the pitch during the 1966 World Cup Final…

Other highlights of the new issue include:

  • A giant double-sided poster!

  • Letter from the Showrunner – Russell T Davies presents his Christmas Countdown, packed full of teasers for the stories to come.

  • Production Diary – script editor Scott Handcock provides exclusive updates about forthcoming episodes, direct from Doctor Who’s HQ.

  • Gallifrey Guardian – all the latest official news, including an exclusive chat with Millie Gibson about her casting as companion Ruby Sunday.

  • Meet the New Team – Doctor Who crew members tell us what they’re looking forward to in the 2023 Specials and beyond.

  • All I Want For Christmas is Who – seasonal highlights from the past are recalled, including festive memories from Nadia Albina, Sophie Aldred, Nicholas Briggs, Nicola Bryant, Peter Davison, Barnaby Edwards, Philip Hinchcliffe, Louise Jameson, John Leeson, Katy Manning, Peter Purves, Dan Starkey, Mark Strickson and Matthew Waterhouse.

  • Talk of the Town – in his first-ever interview for DWM, actor Cy Town talks candidly about being a Dalek operator and shares previously unpublished pictures from his photo albums.

  • Brushed by Greatness – acclaimed artists Colin Howard and Andrew Skilleter, and Kit Bevan (brother of the late Phil Bevan), discuss new books showcasing some of best Doctor Who illustrations from the pre-digital era.

  • The Watchers – fans who were lucky enough to be granted studio visits in the 1970s and early 80s recall the thrill of watching Doctor Who being made.

  • Christmas in Another Dimension – what if Doctor Who had enjoyed Christmas Specials during its first 26 years? DWM imagines what could have been…

  • The DWM Christmas Quiz – the traditional seasonal challenge! 

  • Other Worlds – the essential guide to forthcoming stories in the expanded Doctor Who universe.

  • Previews, reviews, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser, Public Image and more.

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 585 is on sale Thursday 8 December from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £7.99 (UK).

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £6.99.

 




FILTER: - DWM - Fourteenth Doctor

Production Team ConfirmedBookmark and Share

Friday, 11 November 2022 - Reported by Marcus
Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) (Credit: BBC Studios)

The latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine has confirmed details of the production teams working on Doctor Who as it reaches its 60th Anniversary.

The Anniversary will be marked by three specials, all scheduled to be broadcast in November 2023, the anniversary month of the series. They will star David Tennant and Catherine Tate as the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna Noble. 

Directing the first special will be Rachel Talalay, a name well-known to Doctor Who fans, She directed several stories in the Peter Capaldi era including the conclusions to all three of his series. She directed Twice Upon A Time, the final Capaldi story where the Twelfth Doctor met the First Doctor played by David Bradley.

Special Two will be directed by Tom Kingsley. New to Doctor Who, Kingsley is best known for directing two series of the BBC sitcom Ghosts and the Channel 4 sitcom Stath Lets Flats.

The final special will be directed by Chanya Button. Also new to Who, Button started work in the theatre working at The Globe on London's south bank. Her first feature film was Burn Burn Burn. She directed episodes of Starz drama about Katherine of Aragon, The Spanish Princess as well as Acorn TV's The Whitstable Pearl.

The next full series of Doctor Who will be screened in 2024 and will star Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. Filming begins this December and directing the first block of the series will be another newcomer Dylan Holmes Williams. Williams's short film The Devil's Harmony won the jury prize at Sundance 2020. He directed two episodes of the Apple TV series Servant. 

Many familiar faces will be involved with the series as it moves into the future. As well as Russell T Davies acting as showrunner,  Julie Gardner, Phil Collinson and Jane Tranter will all act as Executive producers. Att three were behind the return of Doctor Who in 2005. Joel Collins will also act as an Executive Producer. Collins has recently been working for Bad Wolf on Industry and His Dark Materials

Looking after the look of the show will be Production Designer Philip Sims. Sims was the supervising Art Director on the sixth and seventh Mission Impossible films as well as Episode IX of Star Wars, Guardians of the Galaxy 9  Avengers:Age of Ultron. The Script Editor will be Scott Hancock, who worked on The Sarah Jane Adventures as well as many scripts for Big Finish. 

Our full guide to Doctor Who can be found here





FILTER: - Fourteenth Doctor - David Tennant - Production

Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 584Bookmark and Share

Wednesday, 9 November 2022 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Magazine  Issue 584 (Credit: Panini)

The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine begins the story of the Fourteenth Doctor, David Tennant.

Although it will be a year until we see his TV adventures, the story continues in Doctor Who Magazine issue 584

A new comic-strip adventure, written by Alan Barnes and illustrated by Lee Sullivan, picks up directly where The Power of the Doctor left off.

Editor Marcus Hearn says

Russell T Davies, our new showrunner, has long admired the DWM strip. And that’s why he’s granted us the honour of telling the Fourteenth Doctor’s first story in an adventure that dovetails with the most recent episode. For the first time in our 43-year history, the strip is now in lockstep with the television series continuity.”

Russell T Davies says

From day one, I wanted to increase ties between the show and the magazine. I love it when we’re in sync! A lot of people will be thinking, David’s not the real Doctor, he’s a trick, an illusion, a flashback. But no. He’s real. And DWM can help us underline that.”

Other highlights of the new issue include:

  • Meet the New Team – the producers, directors and other crew members of Doctor Who tell us what they’re looking forward to in the 2023 Specials and beyond.
  • Letter from the Showrunner – in the first of his new regular columns, Russell T Davies reveals what brought him back to Doctor Who.
  • Production Diary – script editor Scott Handcock provides exclusive updates about forthcoming episodes, direct from Doctor Who’s HQ.
  • Reach up for the Sunrise – David Tennant, Russell T Davies, former showrunner Chris Chibnall, directors Rachel Talalay and Jamie Magnus Stone, and CG artist Ben Pickles describe shooting The Power of the Doctor’s regeneration sequence.
  • The Strip of a Lifetime – Russell T Davies, Scott Handcock, Alan Barnes and Lee Sullivan on creating the Fourteenth Doctor’s first adventure.
  • The Watchers ­– fans who were lucky enough to be granted studio visits in the 1960s and early 70s recall the thrill of watching Doctor Who being made.
  • Hack to the Future – an interview with artist Robert Hack about the new illustrated version of David Whitaker’s seminal novel Doctor Who and the Daleks.
  • Collectivity: The TARDIS – meet the fans for whom collecting police-box merchandise has been a lifelong passion
  • Factory Records – the sets of 1966’s The Power of the Daleks are recreated, providing new insights into this mostly missing story.
  • The Fact of Fiction encounters Cybermen and Daleks as it looks back at 2006’s Army of Ghosts.
  • Other Worlds – an essential guide to forthcoming stories in the expanded Doctor Who universe.

·       Previews, reviews, news, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser, Sufficient Data and more.

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 584 is on sale Thursday 10 November from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £6.99 (UK).

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £5.99.





FILTER: - DWM - Fourteenth Doctor

Fourteenth Doctor’s Costume at MCM Comic ConBookmark and Share

Thursday, 27 October 2022 - Reported by Marcus
Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) (Credit: BBC Studios)

With the news that David Tennant has returned to the TARDIS as the Fourteenth Doctor, fans will have a chance to get a first look in person at the new Doctor’s costume at London MCM Comic Con.

Viewers to Sunday night's special saw Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor regenerate on screen into David Tennant, who returns for Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary. Tennant last appeared on screen as the Tenth Doctor in 2010.

The Fourteenth Doctor’s costume will be on show at London’s Excel between 28-30th October, where thousands of fans will come together to celebrate all things pop culture. As well as the Doctor’s outfit, fans will get a glimpse of Catherine Tate’s returning companion Donna Noble’s costume too.

Vanessa Hamilton, Director of Brand for Doctor Who, at BBC Studios, said:

The beginning of a new era is always an exciting time and what better way to celebrate than by giving fans an opportunity to see the new Doctor’s costume in person. We know thousands of Doctor Who fans attend London Comic Con and, following its first appearance on Sunday’s episode, we hope fans will be as delighted to see the Fourteenth Doctor’s costume as we are to display it.

Fans will be able to see the Fourteenth Doctor’s costume in person at the Doctor Who stand.

Exclusive items from Forbidden Planet and Titan Merchandise’s Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Collection will also be available for fans to buy. 





FILTER: - Fourteenth Doctor - David Tennant

Ncuti Gatwa is the Fourteenth DoctorBookmark and Share

Sunday, 8 May 2022 - Reported by Marcus
Ncuti Gatwa (Credit: BBC)

The BBC has named Ncuti Gatwa as the Fourteenth Doctor, taking over from Jodie Whittaker at the end of the Autumn 2022 episode. 

The 29-year-old actor will be the first non-white performer to take the lead role in the series's 59-year history. 

Gatwa is best known for his award-winning performance as Eric Effiong on the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education

There aren’t quite the words to describe how I’m feeling.

A mix of deeply honoured, beyond excited and of course a little bit scared.

This role and show means so much to so many around the world, including myself, and each one of my incredibly talented predecessors has handled that unique responsibility and privilege with the utmost care.

I will endeavour my utmost to do the same

Gatwa is the third actor to be cast as The Doctor by returning Showrunner Russell T Davies who said the actor dazzled the casting team.

The future is here and it’s Ncuti!

Sometimes talent walks through the door and it’s so bright and bold and brilliant, I just stand back in awe and thank my lucky stars.

Ncuti dazzled us, seized hold of the Doctor and owned those TARDIS keys in seconds. It’s an honour to work with him, and a hoot, I can’t wait to get started.

I’m sure you’re dying to know more, but we’re rationing ourselves for now, with the wonderful Jodie’s epic finale yet to come.

But I promise you, 2023 will be spectacular!

Ncuti Gatwa was born in Nyarugenge, Kigali, Rwanda, the son of a journalist. He grew up in Scotland where he attended Boroughmuir High School and Dunfermline High School and graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow with a BA in Acting in 2013. The announcement of his new role comes just a few hours before this year's Bafta Television Awards, where Gatwa is nominated for best male performance in a comedy programme for the third year in a row. He has already won a Scottish Bafta and a Rose d'Or Award for his role in Sex Education.

Gatwa said how much he was looking forward to working with the showrunner

Russell T Davies is almost as iconic as the Doctor himself and being able to work with him is a dream come true.

His writing is dynamic, exciting, incredibly intelligent and fizzing with danger. An actor’s metaphorical playground. The entire team have been so welcoming and truly give their hearts to the show. And so as much as it’s daunting, I’m aware I’m joining a really supportive family.

Unlike the Doctor, I may only have one heart but I am giving it all to this show

.BBC chief content officer Charlotte Moore said:

Ncuti has an incredible dynamism, he's a striking and fearless young actor whose talent and energy will set the world alight and take Doctor Who on extraordinary adventures under Russell T Davies' new era.

The last episode starring Jodie Whittaker will be broadcast this autumn as part of the BBC Centenary celebrations.  Gatwa will return as the fourteenth Doctor in 2023.





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