Radio Times: Top Ten Episodes in Ten YearsBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 17 March 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The new edition of the Radio Times is out today, and features a Top 10 of episodes over the last 10 years, as voted by website readers.

Radio Times (21-27 March 2015) (Credit: Radio Times)Radiotimes.COM readers vote blink the best episode of THE MODERN DOCTOR WHO ERA
Top 10 revealed to mark 10th anniversary of the iconic show’s relaunch

Radio Times readers have voted Blink as the best episode of Doctor Who in the modern era, in a poll conducted by RadioTimes.com to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the relaunch of Doctor Who.

The poll by RadioTimes.com, which received 280,859 votes, asked fans for their favourite episode of Doctor Who since it was relaunched by Russell T Davies on 26 March 2005, 16 years since the last full series. Blink topped the poll beating 2010’s Vincent and The Doctor to second place and The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End (2008) in third position.

Blink was first shown in June 2007 and was the tenth episode of the third series of the relaunched show. Starring David Tennant as the Doctor, alongside Freema Agyeman, as his companion Martha Jones, the episode also featured Carey Mulligan as Sally Sparrow, who thwarted the Weeping Angels in their terrifying, Bafta-winning debut. The episode was written by the current series showrunner Steven Moffat, directed by Hettie MacDonald, with Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner exec producers.

Speaking in the new issue of Radio Times, Steven Moffat says:
You know, when I wrote it, I thought Blink was a perfectly serviceable script. Nothing special, did the job – which, back then, was to have a Doctor Who story needing only two days’ shooting from David Tennant. I haven’t read the script in a long time, but I’m pretty sure I’d think the same now. What made it a little bit magical was, of course, the work of others…Some days everything just works. Sometimes you just stand in the right spot, all the windows align and the sunshine reaches you. I don’t think I can take a lot of the credit, but I’m very glad I was there when it happened.


Over the next ten days RadioTimes.com will be marking the 10th anniversary of the modern Doctor Who with a special mini-site celebrating the Doctors and companions from the last ten years, starting with the 9th Doctor Christopher Eccleston and his companion Billie Piper. There will also be rarely seen Doctor Who content from the Radio Times archive, quizzes and a very special surprise for Doctor Who fans on the actual anniversary, Thursday 26 March.

Tim Glanfield, Editor RadioTimes.com & Digital Products, says:
Doctor Who is unique in the world of television in its ability to regenerate and continually produce fresh and exciting adventures in space and time that appeal to old and young alike. But no such regeneration was as significant as the 2005 revival which has seen the show under the stewardship of first Russell T Davies and now Steven Moffat grow into a world beating powerhouse of quality British drama with an army of fans who will surely be celebrating many significant birthdays with the Doctor for (re)generations to come.


Top 10 Doctor Who Reboot episodes (2005-2015) as voted by readers of Radio Times.com
  1. BLINK (2007)
    DOCTOR: David Tennant / WRITER: Steven Moffat
  2. VINCENT & THE DOCTOR (2010)
    DOCTOR: Matt Smith / WRITER: Richard Curtis
  3. THE STOLEN EARTH / JOURNEY’S END (2008)
    DOCTOR: David Tennant / WRITER: Russell T Davies
  4. THE DAY OF THE DOCTOR (2013)
    DOCTORS: Matt Smith, David Tennant, John Hurt / WRITER: Steven Moffat
  5. THE EMPTY CHILD / THE DOCTOR DANCES (2005)
    DOCTOR: Christopher Eccleston / WRITER: Steven Moffat
  6. ARMY OF GHOSTS / DOOMSDAY (2006)
    DOCTOR: David Tennant / WRITER: Russell T Davies
  7. THE GIRL IN THE FIREPLACE (2006)
    DOCTOR: David Tennant / WRITER: Steven Moffat
  8. BAD WOLF / THE PARTING OF THE WAYS (2005)
    DOCTOR: Christopher Eccleston / WRITER: Russell T Davies
  9. SILENCE IN THE LIBRARY / FOREST OF THE DEAD (2008)
    DOCTOR: David Tennant / WRITER: Steven Moffat
  10. THE END OF TIME (2009/10)
    DOCTOR: David Tennant WRITER: Russell T Davies

Read Steven Moffat’s full comments on Blink in the latest issue of Radio Times, on sale now.




FILTER: - Polls - Radio Times

Tennant and Piper top Radio Times pollBookmark and Share

Saturday, 16 November 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Radio Times, featuring the two poll winners together! (15-21 Apr 2006) (Credit: Radio Times)The Radio Times has revealed that David Tennant received more votes than any other Doctor combined, achieving a 56% share in their 50th Anniversary poll. The current incumbent of the TARDIS, Matt Smith came in second with 16%, whilst perennial classic favourite Tom Baker took the bronze with 10% of the votes.

Meanwhile, the poll for the Doctor's favourite sidekick revealed that the Tenth Doctor's companion Rose Tyler, as played by Billie Piper, also came out on top with a quarter of voters considering her the best. A much closer competition to those of the Doctor, his (first) best friend Sarah Jane Smith (aka Elisabeth Sladen) achieved 15% of the share to take second place, with bronze this time going to another 21st Century TARDIS occupant, Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), who received 12% of the votes.

Tim Glanfield, Editor for RadioTimes.com Editor, said:
Not even parallel dimensions can keep the Doctor and Rose apart. It’s clear from the results of our poll that they define a golden era of Doctor Who and helped introduce a whole new generation to the show – how fitting that they’ll be reunited next week for the 50th anniversary special.


The complete results are below:
Best DoctorBest Companion
56.1%David Tennant25.09%Rose Tyler (Billie Piper)
15.93%Matt Smith15.42%Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen)
10.05%Tom Baker12.32%Donna Noble (Catherine Tate)
6.59%Christopher Eccleston9.09%River Song (Alex Kingston)
2.86%Patrick Troughton4.79%Amy Pond (Karen Gillan)
2.38%Jon Pertwee4.1%Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines)
1.59%Peter Davison3.49%Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman)
1.36%Sylvester McCoy3.09%Ace (Sophie Aldred)
1.35%Paul McGann2.65%Clara Oswald (Jenna-Louise Coleman)
0.9%William Hartnell2.54%Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman)
0.88%Colin Baker2.39%Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart (Nicholas Courtney)
15.03%(Others)

There were a total of 21,384 valid votes cast in the two polls on the Radio Times website during October and November 2013.

Radio Times DiscoverTV

50th Anniversary Radio Times cover featuring The First Doctor, as revealed by DiscoverTV and RadioTimes.comRadio Times DiscoverTV is a new app designed to provide recommendations to daily television and radio, enabling users to discover new favourite programmes be they on TV, catch-up, or on-demand. The app is free to download and provides a 14 days customisable schedule for TV and radio listings, by provider and location, with basic programme information. A premium service with enhanced features is also available, with a 30 day free trial included.

As part of the launch, the app will be used to promote the twelve collectible Doctor Who Radio Times covers out next Tuesday to celebrate the 50th Anniversary. Three of the covers will be revealed within the app on Saturday, Sunday and Monday leading to all twelve being made available this coming Tuesday - the publication day of the print magazine itself.

The app is currently only available to iPad users (optimised for iOS7), with the intention to roll out to other platforms in due course.

(with thanks to RadioTimes.com




FILTER: - Billie Piper - David Tennant - Radio Times - Polls

Fandom UpdateBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 9 July 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster

DWAS 50th Anniversary Poll

DWAS 50th Anniversary PollThe Doctor Who Appreciation Society's 50th Anniversary Poll is now underway. Voting is open to all, with a closing date of 7th August. Full details may be found at the DWAS website.

(with thanks to Tony Jordan)

Fourth Dimension - a Doctor Who charity book

Fourth Dimension (Credit: Steven Miscandlon)FOURTH DIMENSION, by British Who fan Steven Miscandlon, collects twelve of his short stories and thirty-one reviews that were first published in various Doctor Who fan magazines between 1992 and 1996. The stories, which feature five of the original seven Doctors, range from short, fun pieces to darker and more thought-provoking tales, while the reviews cover not only a selection of televised Doctor Who stories, but also novels and other spin-off media released in the early nineties. Also included is “The Gallifrey Incursion”, a previously unpublished novelette-length story written in 1995.

The author was a regular contributor of fiction, articles and illustrations to well-respected fanzines such as Capitol Spires, Mandria, Silver Carrier, Metamorph and Shadowsphere, and also had pieces published in a handful of others, including Game of Rassilon, Club Tropicana, Circus and Borusa’s Trousers.

Perfectly tying in with the show’s 50th anniversary, the book will appeal to fans of the classic series, but Steven believes it also provides an interesting snapshot of what Who fans got up to in the lengthy hiatus between the cancellation of the original series in 1989, and the broadcast of the Paul McGann TV Movie in 1996.

He said:
It seems that the programme has never been more popular, and yet in some ways its fan base is very different to that of twenty years ago. I hope people enjoy the various writings that make up FOURTH DIMENSION, and that they will give an interesting insight into the frustrating but exciting world of Doctor Who fandom in the early nineties.
The book is available as both a paperback and a PDF ebook from Lulu.com, and other ebook formats are also available directly from the author. All profits from sales of the book will be donated to UK charity Unite Against Cancer, which was set up in 2012 to fund research into new cancer treatments.

(with thanks to Steven Miscandlon)

More of the Best Poems in the Universe

More of the Best Doctor Who Poems in the Universe (Credit: Garry Vaux)Are you suffering from end of series blues?
Are you twiddling your thumbs waiting for the 50th anniversary?
Are you more poetic than Clara’s leaf?


Then put your writing skills to good use. Volume 2 needs your contributions right now because everything has gone a bit wibbly wobbly, timey rhymey! They can be about any Who related subject, your own work and must be previously unpublished.

We would also welcome any artwork from budding Doctor Who artists out there. Please supply as a 300dpi jpeg. Pictures should be portrait in orientation. Send your entries to whoems@GJBpublishing.co.uk. Deadline for all entries is 31st July 2013.

Those successful will be notified by email and will have the chance to pre-order the book before it goes on general release later this year. The editor’s decision is final. Geronimo!

(with thanks to Garry Vaux)

The Doctor & I - a celebration of a fandom 50 years in the making

We've all got a "The Doctor & I" story. It's time to tell yours.

23rd November 2013 will mark 50 years of Doctor Who as well as 50 years of its accompanying fandom that continues to be a big part of all of our lives. Although all of our journeys with the Doctor start at different times, his ongoing adventures continue to bring millions of fans around the world together as we discuss, debate and share in his epic voyage through through time and space.

As part of WhovianNet's 50th anniversary celebrations, we want to how and when your story began.

We're inviting you to submit your own essays (but they're not really essays - essays are NOT cool!) which detail your personal introduction to the Doctor Who fandom. How did it all begin for you? What initially got you so hooked? How has your life been affected since? We are particularly looking for stories that are special, moving and, most importantly, unique to you.

In a nutshell, we want to know what being a Doctor Who fan means to YOU - whether you've been following the Doctor since Day 1 or accidentally stumbled upon his recent adventures at 4 in the morning on Netflix, we want to hear from you, in essay/report/diary/story style.

And here comes the really cool bit - the stories will be collated into a special commemorative book which will go on sale later this year. The book will serve as a celebration of the fandom that's been 50 years in the making with - we hope - stories from fans worldwide young and old, as we come together to mark the Doctor's 50th birthday. We also hope to include contributions from those who have worked on the series who will reflect on their own experiences with the Doctor, both on and off screen.

Full details about the project can be found on our website.

(with thanks to Dan @ Whovian Net)

DDWRPG Fanzine Issue #020

Diary of the Doctor Who Role Playing Games - Issue 20 (Credit: DDWRPG)This issue of the Diary of Doctor Who Role Playing Games (DDWRPG) features the amazing discovery of lost Doctor Who RPG materials, such as the original proposals for FASA modules and the summary of the never released Gallifrey supplement! Also featured in the issue is an interview with FASA writer Ray Winninger, as well as many new articles! Reviews, adventure modules, and all of our standard features are in this Super-sized 172 page issue!!

The issue is available from the DDWRPG website.

Our next issue has lots of goodies planned including a look at the “Time Meddlers” Doctor Who RPG Fanzine from the 1980s, an interview with editor Steven Dieter, and many more good items as well! We welcome your submissions.

(with thanks to Nick Seidler)

Celebrate Regenerate - Out Now

Lewis Christian reports on the release of his book, Celebrate, Regenerate:
It launched at midnight (GMT) on 3rd July and it's now available on the website. There are three versions - you can read it online, you can download a free PDF, and / or you can buy a physical copy. All the links are on the homepage of the site.

Now that's all the factual stuff out of the way, here's a personal bit from me to you all:

Thankyou! One word I've said more than any other this past year. A whole year I, and we, have been at this epic project. I remember the night I first had the barmy idea and then it just grew overnight! (There's a bit more detail in my Introduction, found in the opening pages of the book.) Thankyou to all the writers, contributors, artists, companions, interviewees - just everyone, even if you've just spread the word or even just said hi and taken an interest ^_^

I really really hope everyone enjoys it, and I properly hope I haven't missed anyone out. It's been a mammoth task to keep on top with, especially when I've gone it alone at my end for the majority. I sincerely apologise if I've missed your name out or anything - I hope you still enjoy the book <3 This project, for me, sums up how awesome fandom can be when it comes together. We're only a tiny percentage of Doctor Who's *entire fandom* but I think this makes its mark on the history of the show, and I think it's a wonderful addition to the countless other celebrations going on - if I may say so myself. And, of course, this would not be possible without you guys. Yes I put it together, but you all *made* the thing, so a big collective pat on the back! (Or, if you can't reach, just give yourself a big thumbs up.) I won't go on, I'll leave it there. Just thankyou again, everyone, and I hope it's been worth it. From my POV, it's definitely been worth it. I hope many of you decide to purchase a physical copy to reside on your bookshelf and I hope you enjoy flicking through the pages (my advice is to be random, as opposed to reading cover to cover). One last thing - see how many Doctor Who in-jokes you can find :D

(with thanks to Lewis Christian)





FILTER: - Fan Productions - Books - Polls

Doctor Who to feature on TV Guide coverBookmark and Share

Monday, 3 December 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
TV Guide (10-16 Dec 2012)Back in October ten candidates were announced for the Fan Favorites Cover Poll, which enables readers to vote for their favourite television show to grace the cover of American weekly television listings magazine TV Guide.

The poll included a variety of popular American-based shows: Fringe, Grimm, Happy Endings, Parks And Recreation, Pretty Little Liars, Scandal, Spartacus, The Vampire Diaries, and The Walking Dead.

However, the country's breakfast show, Good Morning America, revealed this morning that a British show rose above the rest to top the poll - Doctor Who! TV Guide confirmed the accolade via their Facebook page:
As revealed this morning by our friends at Good Morning America, the winner of our 2012 Fan Favorites cover poll is... BBC America's Doctor Who! Congratulations to the show and to all the fans who voted!
The special double issue, covering 10th-23rd December 2012, goes on sale in the United States later this week.


This will be the first time that Doctor Who has graced the cover of TV Guide, which will celebrate sixty years of publication in 2013. The closest Doctor Who came previously was with a special insert for the Paul McGann television movie back in 1996.

The show received another American honour earlier this year, when it made the front cover of US media magazine Entertainment Weekly.





FILTER: - USA - Magazines - Polls

Doctor Who Could Be On TV Guide CoverBookmark and Share

Monday, 8 October 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
Doctor Who could make it on to the cover of the prestigious and long-running American weekly listings publication TV Guide for the first time.

The programme is among the 10 nominated shows for the magazine's third annual Fan Favorites Cover Poll, and whichever programme wins will feature on the cover of the edition for the week starting Monday 10th December.

Polling ends on Sunday 28th October at midnight Pacific Time, and people can vote as often as they want to, although they have to "Like" the publication on Facebook first.

The other programmes nominated by TV Guide are: Fringe, Grimm, Happy Endings, Parks And Recreation, Pretty Little Liars, Scandal, Spartacus, The Vampire Diaries, and The Walking Dead.

Votes can be cast via this link.

TV Guide was first published on 3rd April 1953 and currently has a total paid, verified, and analysed non-paid circulation average of 2,010,879 copies a week.




FILTER: - USA - Magazines - Polls

Ultimate Sarah Jane Winner: The Man Who Never WasBookmark and Share

Monday, 31 October 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The Ultimate Sarah Jane Vote Winner, CBBC
The winner of the CBBC poll to find the Ultimate Sarah Jane Adventure has new been revealed to be The Man Who Never Was.





FILTER: - Sarah Jane - Polls

The Ultimate Sarah Jane Adventures VoteBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 25 October 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The Ultimate Sarah Jane Vote, CBBC


The Ultimate Sarah Jane Vote, BBC, via CBBC
(may not play outside of the United Kingdom)
The CBBC Channel is running a poll to see which story will be called the Ultimate Sarah Jane Adventure! Entrants can choose from stories representing each of the five series:
  1. Revenge of the Slitheen
  2. The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith
  3. The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith
  4. The Death of the Doctor
  5. The Man Who Never Was
The vote closes on Friday 28th October at 9.00am. The winning story will be shown on CBBC at 5:45pm as part of the channel's "Mega Halloween Monday".

The poll is only open to those living in the United Kingdom.




FILTER: - Online - Sarah Jane - Polls

SFX Issue 208 & Readers' PollBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 6 April 2011 - Reported by Harry Ward
This month's issue of SFX features the Doctor and Amy Pond on the front cover, plus a world exclusive preview of the new series of Doctor Who and results of the Craziest Ever Doctor Who Poll.

Doctor Who content in this issue:
  • World first TARDIS sound effect cover! If there’s a problem with magazines, it’s the not-insignificant lack of sound effects to accompany your literary journey. The good news? This is a problem of the past (for one issue at least…) thanks to the world first TARDIS soundcard tucked inside issue 208.
  • Look Who’s Back! To celebrate The Doctor’s imminent return to telly boxes across the globe we popped down to the big smoke to snap time-travelling trio Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill for our exclusive cover feature. There’s some words with that Steven Moffat bloke in there somewhere too.
See a full list of non-Doctor Who related content from this issue here.

Issue 208 of SFX is on sale from Thursday 7 April.

A few weeks ago SFX.co.uk asked fans to vote in a number of categories for their Craziest Ever Doctor Who Poll. The results have been announced today on their website. Fans thought Helena Bonham Carter would make the best first female Doctor. She received 14.79% of the nearly 2,000 fans who voted. In second place with 9.5% is Tamsin Greig, who played a nurse in The Long Game.

Dave Golder, online editor of SFX.co.uk said:
Some might argue that Helena Bonham Carter’s whole career has been one long dress rehearsal for the part. The Doctor has always been an eccentric and actresses don’t come much more eccentric than Helena. Of all the Doctors so far she is probably most like a female Tom Baker, though we can see little bits of Troughton, Tennant and Smith in there too. What should she wear? A black wedding dress probably.





FILTER: - Magazines - Polls

Greatest Screen DoctorBookmark and Share

Saturday, 13 March 2010 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Online market research site OnePoll have recently ran a poll on who is the best doctor on the screen, and The Doctor came out on top. The Time Lord beat off opposition from other well known doctors such as Doctor Watson, Doctor Dolittle, and Dr Emmett Brown (Back to the Future).

A OnePoll spokesperson said:
Doctor Who is a national treasure who has been on our screens for almost half a century now. David Tennant reinvigorated this fictional character and the show has seen huge success since.

The Top Ten Screen Doctors:
1.The DoctorDoctor Who
2.Doc BrownBack to the Future
3.Doctor KennedyNeighbours
4.Doctor EvilAustin Powers
5.Spock(!)Star Trek
6.Ross GellerFriends
7.Doctor DolittleDoctor Dolittle
8.Perry CoxScrubs
9.Douglas RossE.R.
10.Doctor WatsonSherlock Holmes




FILTER: - Polls