John Levene Autobiography ReleasedBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 27 February 2019 - Reported by Marcus
Run the Shadows, Walk the Sun (Credit: Fantom Publishing)Fantom Publishing have released the much-anticipated autobiography from John Levene, best known for playing Sgt. Benton in Doctor Who.

He has had a few names during his many lives, but the one for which he is best known is John Levene, the self-taught actor who brought to life the much-loved Benton in Doctor Who. Yet, his journey to our TV screens was hard and frequently painful, and what came afterwards was just as traumatic.

This is the emotional and truthful account of a life that should not have been lived. We follow the pure highs and brutal lows of a working-class Salisbury lad, and his struggle to get away from his origins as an ill, under-educated and misunderstood boy with no genuine prospects in a world in which he did not fit. His journey takes him to places like London’s West End as a private detective; Paris, Spain and Africa where he organised spectacular events. Then crossing the globe to South America to witness the enormous gulf between rich and poor, before moving to Hollywood and daring to dream of success.

Run the Shadows, Walk the Sun demonstrates that your life is not automatically set out for you when you are born. There are opportunities to be grasped if only you have the courage to take them.
The autobiography, written with Michael Seely, is printed in hardback priced £19.99. The book is available exclusively from Fantom Publishing until it's trade release in April.

All website orders will be signed by the author.




FILTER: - Books - Classic Series

Trap StreetBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 26 February 2019 - Reported by Marcus
The third edition of the Fan Publication Trap Street is now available.

Co-Edited by Dallas Jones and Roger Reynolds, Trap Street is a free Doctor Who e-zine.

In this edition a major interview with Dr Niall Doran, the "Scientific Advisor" for Series 11.

Other articles include:
  • The Bard and the Blue Box
  • an article on Shakespeare his influences and appearance in Doctor Who;
  • Whostorical
  • an article on History in Doctor Who;
  • Sonic Screwdriver
  • an article that analyses of the use of the Sonic Screwdriver in Series 11;
  • “Extinction Day
  • the concluding part of Daniel Worsley’s short story;
plus much more.

Trap Street Three can be viewed online or as a downloadable PDF. To obtain information on how to access both / either of these options then send an email to: editors@drproductionsaus.org.




FILTER: - Fan Productions

Graeme Curry 1957-2019Bookmark and Share

Monday, 25 February 2019 - Reported by Marcus

The writer Graeme Curry has died at the age of 61.

Graeme Curry wrote the 1988 Doctor Who story The Happiness Patrol, starring Sylvester McCoy as The Doctor and Sophie Aldred as Ace.

The story featured Sheila Hancock as Helen A, a character now acknowledged to be based on the then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. The story is unique in Doctor Who stories for being mentioned in the Archbishop of Canterbury's Easter Sermon when Dr Rowan Williams referenced the story in his 2011 message.

The Happiness Patrol was the first television commission for Graeme Curry after he pitched an idea to script editor Andrew Cartmel about a planet where it was a crime to be unhappy. He went on to write for EastEnders as well as The Bill and the Radio 4 drama Citizens.

Cartmel paid tribute on twitter
My dear friend the wonderful writer Graeme Curry died yesterday after a serious illness. He’s left a huge hole in the world. I miss him already.




FILTER: - Obituary

DWAS Charity AuctionBookmark and Share

Sunday, 24 February 2019 - Reported by Marcus
The Doctor Who Appreciation Society, DWAS is pleased to auction prints of three pieces of artwork by Alister Pearson.

The artwork was originally drawn for the Titan Script Books range in the early 1990s.

Only two prints of each picture will be available - one to be auctioned at the next DWAS event - The Capitol - in April 2019 and the other open for bids at the eBay site now.

There are three pictures - The Talons of Weng-Chiang and The Daemons are both sold in aid of Cystic Fibrosis Research and The Abominable Snowmen is sold in aid of The Royal Theatrical Fund, a charity supported by Deborah Watling.

Pictures can be signed and dedicated by Alister Pearson for the winning bidders on request.

For more details and to place a bid please visit the eBay site

The Daemons (Credit: DWAS / Alister Pearson)The Talons of Weng-Chiang (Credit: DWAS / Alister Pearson)The Abominable Snowmen (Credit: DWAS / Alister Pearson)




FILTER: - Auctions - DWAS

Win breakfast with Jodie Whittaker and Mandip GillBookmark and Share

Friday, 22 February 2019 - Reported by Marcus
Comic Relief is offering one lucky winner the chance to have a special private breakfast with Jodie Whittaker on the set of Doctor Who.

Jodie Whittaker and companion Mandip Gill would like to share a coffee and breakfast with you and a friend - to discuss the show, explore some theories, revisit some highlights. After breakfast, you will go on a tour of the Doctor Who set, watch the filming and meet the stars, and get to speak to the crew who make the show.

The offer is a prize in a special draw to raise money for comic relief. Entries can be made online and cost £10 each. To enter you need to be over 18. The guest may be under the age of 18 provided they are over 14 years old and the winner is their parent or guardian.

Other offers available include a private breakfast with Sir David Attenborough at the Natural History Museum, Afternoon Tea with the Queen and the rest of the Royal Family from The Crown and a fry-up with Louis Tomlinson in his favourite London cafe.

Emma Freud, Executive Producer of Red Nose Day, has curated these once in a lifetime experiences. She said:
I’m SO proud of this year's Prizeathon. It’s the best list of unique, cheeky and daring prizes we were able to compile. Every one of them has been given by the celebrity themselves - and we're absolutely delighted to have Sir David Attenborough on board for breakfast at the Natural History Museum and a wander with him through his favourite exhibition before the museum opens
Money raised through bids and prize draw entries will go to Red Nose Day, which is back on Friday 15th March. Comic Relief is a UK charity with an aim to create a just world, free from poverty by funding and investing in organisations across the UK and around the world to tackle some of the key issues of our time.

Since 1985, Comic Relief has raised over £1.25 billion.

To enter click here




FILTER: - Jodie Whittaker

Lethbridge-Stewart: The HAVOC Files 2 special editionBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 20 February 2019 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Candy Jar Books has announced a special edition of The HAVOC Files 2 to be released at the beginning of March:

Lethbridge-Stewart: The HAVOC Files 2 Special Edition (Credit: Candy Jar Books)The HAVOC Files 2 - Special Edition
Cover by Adrian Salmon

Ghosts in Cornwall, zombies in Australia, aliens at Wembley, trouble in Egypt, a siege on the Kent coast, and an investigation into the strange goings on in a small house in Mevagissey, which sees Lethbridge-Stewart and Anne Travers cut down to size. And, much later, the ashes from a destroyed Earth fall on Lethbridge-Stewart and his family.

Just a few things our heroes have to face in this volume of collected short stories.

This new revised version of The HAVOC Files 2 contains the original six short stories, plus a new version of Ashes of the Inferno, and two new stories exclusively published in print for the first time.
  • Piece of Mind by James Middleditch. Lethbridge-Stewart and Sally are sent on a retreat with a difference.
  • Vampires of the Night by Chris Thomas. World War II and Professor Travers is called in to help with a deadly experiment on British soldiers.
Includes:
  • Vampires of the Night by Chris Thomas
  • In His Kiss by Sue Hampton
  • House of Giants by Rick Cross
  • The Black Eggs of Khufu by Tom Dexter
  • The Band of Evil by Roger J Simmonds & Shaun Russell (updated version of the story)
  • Piece of Mind by James Middleditch
  • The Playing Dead by Adrian Sherlock (updated version of the story)
  • Ashes of the Inferno by Andy Frankham-Allen (new version of the story)
  • The Lock-In by Sarah Groenewegen BEM
  • Schädengeist’s Lot by Jonathan Cooper (interludes from The Showstoppers)
  • Exodus from Venus by John Peel (original prologue from The Grandfather Infestation)

Originally published in 2016 as a limited print-run, The HAVOC Files 2: Special Edition is a reprint with a difference, containing as it does new editions of previous stories, and two short stories available for the first time in print. Head of Publishing Shaun Russell explained:
We have often been asked by those who missed The HAVOC Files 2 the first time around if we’d ever reprint it. After much discussion, we decided doing so would present us with a couple of challenges and opportunities. One, at least one story in the original collection was set in the ‘future’ (Ashes of the Inferno), with information that, at the time, hadn’t been locked down. The author of the story in question, Andy Frankham-Allen, realised it would be the perfect chance to update that story so it better fit the narrative revealed since early 2016. Two, another story has since been released as part of a full-length novella, and thus it seemed redundant to print it again in this format. So, faced with this, I made the decision to instead replace it with a couple of short stories only previously available in digital format.
Range Editor Andy Frankham-Allen continued:
We have a few digital-only stories, plus some still unreleased short stories, so we had a fair few to pick from. We decided on James Middleditch’s Piece of Mind, and Chris Thomas’ Vampires of the Night (both originally planned for the cancelled HAVOC Files 5), two vastly different stories, one dealing with Professor Edward Travers, and one dealing with the Brigadier and Sally Wright. Coupled with the chance to fix previous errors that crept into the other stories, The HAVOC Files 2 is quite a different experience now. Still contains everything in the original, but with bonus material for those wishing to double-dip, and loads of fresh material for those who missed the original version. All wrapped up in the wonderful new cover design, with, once again, Adrian Salmon’s brilliant artwork!

The HAVOC Files 2: Special Edition is available for pre-order now from the Candy Jar website.



Candy Jar is also releasing updated versions of Mutually Assured Domination by Nick Walters and The Forgotten Son by Andy Frankham-Allen. Both books have around 3000 words of bonus material. These books can be pre-ordered from the
Candy Jar website.


Competition

Candy Jar Books are offering readers a chance to win copies of the books The Lucy Wilson Mysteries: The Midnight People by John Peel, Lethbridge-Stewart: The Danger Men by Nick Walters, and God Bless Hooky Street: A Celebration of Only Fools and Horses by Grant Bull and Richard Colleran.
To enter the competition simply answer the following question:
Who directed The Dominators?
Please send your answer along with your name, address and where you heard about the competition (news site, news app, other website, etc.) to comp-candyjar@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "Command accepted". Open to readers worldwide. Only one entry per household will be accepted. Closing date: Sunday 3rd March 2019.




FILTER: - Books - Candy Jar Books - Competitions - Lethbridge-Stewart

BBC Radiophonic Music album re-releaseBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 20 February 2019 - Reported by Chuck Foster
BBC Radiophonic Music (Credit: Silva Screen)The 1968 album BBC Radiophonic Music is to re-released in March on digital and vinyl by Silva Screen.

The album was the tenth released by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, and featured electronic works by composers John Baker, David Cain and Delia Derbyshire.

Widely regarded as a major influence on the development of electronic music worldwide, BBC Radiophonic Music is a compilation of short works, often composed as intros to various radio or television programs. Conceived in a time when analogue sampling meant hours of slicing tape with razor blades, BBC Radiophonic Music is brimming with zippy themes, unsettling atmospherics, riffs, loops, clicks and beeps. Insanely catchy yet deeply sinister, this is ‘collage music’, produced, according to Desmond Briscoe of BBC Radiophonic Workshop,"with the intention of entertaining rather than informing".

This is an essential album for analogue and TV theme obsessives, and anyone with an interest in contemporary electronica; mysterious, eccentric and celestial, it is a celebration of one of the UK's most treasured and unique institutions.


Tracklisting:

1. Radio Sheffield - David Cain
2. Radio Nottingham - John Baker
3. Boys and Girls - John Baker
4. Mattachin - Delia Derbyshire
5. Pot au Feu - Delia Derbyshire
6. Time and Tune - John Baker
7. Tomorrow’s World - John Baker
8. Reading Your Letters - John Baker
9. Blue Veils and Golden Sands - Delia Derbyshire
10. The Missing Jewel - John Baker
11. Artbeat - David Cain
12. Fresh Start - John Baker
13. Christmas Commercial - John Baker
14. Sea Sports - John Baker
15. The Delian Mode - Delia Derbyshire
16. Happy Birthday - Delia Derbyshire
17. The Frogs Wooing - John Baker

18. Milky Way - John Baker
19. Structures - John Baker
20. New Worlds - John Baker
21. Ziwzih Ziwzih OO-OO-OO - Delia Derbyshire
22. Festival Time - John Baker
23. The Chase - John Baker
24. Towards Tomorrow - Delia Derbyshire
25. Quiz Time - John Baker
26. P.I.G.S. - John Baker
27. Autumn and Winter - David Cain
28. Door to Door - Delia Derbyshire
29. Factors - John Baker
30. War of the Worlds - David Cain
31. Crossbeat - David Cain
32. Air - Delia Derbyshire
33. Time to Go - Delia Derbyshire


BBC Radiophonic Music is due to be released on 15th March 2019.




FILTER: - Music - Vinyl

Lethbridge-Stewart: Rise of the DominatorBookmark and Share

Sunday, 17 February 2019 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Candy Jar Books have announced the fourth book in its anniversary series of Lethbridge-Stewart novels, The Laughing Gnome:

Lethbridge-Stewart: The Laughing Gnome: Rise of the Dominator (Credit: Candy Jar Books)The Laughing Gnome: Rise of the Dominator
Written by Robert Mammone
Cover by Adrian Salmon

London 1973 - A man in police custody burns to death with no known cause of ignition. Anne Travers and Bill Bishop find themselves catapulted into the middle of a police investigation into the rise to power of the newest criminal godfather – the Big Man, aka, the Dominator, Dominic Vaar!

A Spanish safe cracker lands on the English coast and is whisked away to a secret meeting with none other than Vaar. His mission? To liberate a priceless sword forged when Sumer was young, a sword whose unshakeable thirst for life threatens the existence of all life.

And lurking in the background, plots a fugitive Nazi, using Vaar's rise to power and his own knowledge of the occult as cover for his plans to build a new Reich on British soil.

Lost in time and brought together by destiny, can Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, Dame Anne Travers and Brigadier Bill Bishop stop Britain being pitched into a new age of darkness?

Following on from The Laughing Gnome: The Danger Men, the new book sees the team get back together when they all arrive in 1973 and face off against the Dominator, Director Vaar! Writer Robert Mammone says:
When Lethbridge-Stewart range editor Andy Frankham-Allan reached out to me and asked if I was interested in being a part of the latest run of Lethbridge-Stewart books, I was, of course, surprised, ecstatic and to be honest, a little daunted. Writing my Travers & Wells novella had been a relatively smooth affair, but a 40,000 word novella is a different beast to a full novel. There were a few times during the writing process where I wondered whether I had bitten off more than I could chew but, thankfully, Andy talked me off the ledge and here we are!
Rise of the Dominator sees the return of Director Vaar, the Dominator behind the nuclear machinations in the 2015 novel, Mutually Assured Domination (a special edition of which is due publication to tie-in with this new release). Andy Frankham-Allan talks about why it took so long for the Dominator to return:
The Dominators, in particular Vaar, was originally planned to return in 2017 but sadly that novel fell through, and then it was planned for 2018 with a different author, but the cessation of the ongoing narrative put it on hold once again. The Dominators are, of course, the main antagonists behind the Travers & Wells range, as seen in the short story, Time and Again. But the idea of bringing Vaar back as a gangster in 1970s London has been on the backburner for a couple of years, and when it was decided that The Laughing Gnome would be set in the various decades of Lethbridge-Stewart’s association with Doctor Who, it seemed the time was right to finally do a Gangster Dominator story.
Talking more about the development of the gangster story, Mammone said:
I’d long had a story idea lurking around in the back of my head for a while about alien knowledge that looks like black magic, with Nazis thrown into the mix, which I readily adapted to this new storyline. The setting was the key for me, and early ‘70s Britain, with its Satanic rituals in cemeteries, and the tabloid coverage of it, seemed the place to be. There’s something about the grit and grime of the 1970s that is inherently appealing, against the rather slick and superficial modern day we’re forced to endure. 1970s London is set, is a case in point. I’ve strived for verisimilitude for the most part – sideburns, flares, corduroy, The Sweeney, end of empire ennui, three-day weeks, uncollected rubbish, criminal gangs, Soho are all there, but so are an alien warlord on the make and a lurking Nazi.
As well as alien warlords and Nazis, Rise of the Dominator finally reunites the Brigadier, Bill and Anne Travers, who have been separated since the end of book one, Scary Monsters. Mammone continued:
I really enjoyed writing for Anne Travers and Bill Bishop in my short story for Candy Jar, Eve of the Fomorians, so it was a pleasure to return to them in far different circumstances. And the chance to have Lethbridge-Stewart front and centre in the novel was something I could barely have thought possible. He was a lot of fun to write, in what is effectively a dual role. I hope that in my hands, the stoic, upright soldier with a twinkle in his eye still shines strongly through.
Head of Publishing Shaun Russell explained how the 1970s setting carried with it something special for fans of Doctor Who:
As this range is a journey through the Brigadier’s association with Doctor Who (each book is set in a decade that featured him on the television series), setting a book during the UNIT era was a forgone conclusion. Of course, UNIT and the Doctor do not appear, but there are plenty of fan-pleasing nods to that era.
The cover is by regular Lethbridge-Stewart artist Adrian Salmon, currently best-known for his work on the recent Doctor Who DVD animations, including the forthcoming The Macra Terror:
Illustrating Dominator Vaar as a cross between Al Capone and Reggie Kray was probably the best thing I’ve ever been asked to do by Candy Jar Books; I mean how can you go wrong? Once I’d settled on the central image, which included a menacing Golem from the story, I worked out the car chase. This being the ‘action scene’ of the cover, it needed to be dramatic and exciting, breaking out of the design template. Finally, I created a suitably seedy London street at night (think Soho), resplendent with neon lights and noir shadows. Eagle-eyed viewers might even spot that a certain film, which was doing the rounds at the time the book is set, is showing at the private cinema club.

The Laughing Gnome: Rise of the Dominator is available for pre-order now from the Candy Jar website, and is due for release at the end of March. The book is covered in the Laughing Gnome subscription and the six book bundle.




FILTER: - Books - Candy Jar Books - Lethbridge-Stewart

Doctor Who - Virtual Reality SpecialBookmark and Share

Friday, 15 February 2019 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who: The Runaway (Credit: BBC)Doctor Who fans will soon be able to step inside a virtual reality version of the TARDIS, in a short VR film Doctor Who: The Runaway, coming soon from the BBC.

Jodie Whittaker reprises her role as the Doctor in animated form in the interactive story, which will run for around 12 minutes and will be available on selected VR headsets in the coming months. The film will feature music from the series composer Segun Akinola.

Viewers will join the Thirteenth Doctor on board the TARDIS in this animated interactive story from the BBC and Passion Animation Studios. Fans will get the chance to be the Doctor's champion and help her on this exciting adventure, as they find themselves at the centre of the action facing a deadly threat.

Jo Pearce, creative director for the BBC's digital drama team, said
Fans will experience the TARDIS like never before in this thrilling new interactive story. As ever, the Doctor is full of warmth, wit and charm – helped by a wonderful performance from Jodie – which puts fans at the heart of the story as they immerse themselves in this beautifully animated world.
Zillah Watson, head of BBC VR Hub, said
Our team at the BBC VR Hub has been creating new experiences with the goal of helping to usher virtual reality into the mainstream, and Doctor Who is exactly the sort of series that can help more people to try this new technology. The show has been pushing boundaries for over 55 years, and VR enables Doctor Who to explore a whole new dimension of storytelling.
Doctor Who: The Runaway has been written by Victoria Asare-Archer and directed by Mathias Chelebourg, whose previous VR films include Alice, the Virtual Reality Play and The Real Thing VR. It has been produced by the BBC’s digital drama team, BBC VR Hub and Passion Animation Studios.




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Virtual Reality

Rosa Wins Visionary Arts AwardBookmark and Share

Saturday, 9 February 2019 - Reported by Marcus
Malorie Blackman / Chris ChibnallThe Doctor Who episode Rosa has been awarded the Visionary Arts Organisation Award for Television Show of the Year.

The new awarda are given to celebrate culture, media and entertainment that have made a positive social impact via film, television, music, theatre, literature, radio/online and grassroots community.

Rosa, the third Doctor Who episode starring Jodie Whittaker as the Thirtenth Doctor, featured Vinette Robinson as the American civil rights icon Rosa Parks, who changed history when she refused to relinquish her seat in the colored section of a Bus to a white passenger.

The episode, written by Malorie Blackman and Chris Chibnall won plaudits on its transmission last October. The writers were there to accept the award this evening at a ceremony at BAFTA in London.

Malorie Blackman wrote on twitter.
What a lovely birthday present! Chris Chibnall and I won a Visionary Honours award at BAFTA this evening for Doctor Who - Rosa. I love my job! Thanks to all those who voted for us.
The episode beat Save Me, Kiri, First Dates, Eastenders and There She Goes to win the award.

The Visionary Arts Organisation and Visionary Honours were founded by Adrian Grant, creator of the hit Michael Jackson musical, Thriller Live. It is his goal to see a more unified peaceful society that works together to create diverse opportunities, break down barriers, and allow young people to dream, achieve and succeed.

Grant said
The Visionary Honours are not about awarding egos or fame. They are about recognising culture, media and entertainment that has inspired, created awareness and advocated social change. Through the Visionary Arts Organisation, it is my long-term goal to inspire creatives to produce work that can make a positive difference.




FILTER: - Awards/Nominations - series 11/37 - Thirteenth Doctor