Doctor Who Magazine Special EditionBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 30 September 2020 - Reported by Marcus
DWM Special 55 - Production Design (Credit: Panini)

The Doctor Who Magazine Special Editions return with a lavish new issue devoted to the series’ production design.

Production designers are some of the unsung heroes of Doctor Who, bringing outlandish script concepts to life and recreating historical settings for one of the BBC’s most demanding productions. Initially responsible for creating alien creatures as well as bizarre planets and other exotic destinations, designers have played a central role in the series’ production since it began in 1963.

This richly illustrated Special Edition examines the production designer's craft in unprecedented detail.

Exclusive interviews and rarely seen images provide a fascinating insight into the artistry behind a television legend.

Highlights include numerous rare images and exclusive interviews with the key players, including:

  • Jeremy Bear (The Mutants)
  • Nigel Curzon (Terror of the Zygons)
  • Arwel Wyn Jones (production designer on the 2018 series)
  • Michael Pickwoad (production designer on the 2010-17 series)
  • Jon Pusey (The Pirate Planet) Stephen Scott (Mawdryn Undead)
  • Dafydd Shurmer (production designer from the 2020 series)
  • Edward Thomas (production designer on the 2005-10 series) Tom Yardley-Jones (The Leisure Hive)

 Other highlights include:

  • Features on the design of Doctor Who in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and2010s
  • Bill Constable’s previously unpublished designs for the 1965 movie Dr. Who and the Daleks
  • Barry Newbery’s designs for The Aztecs
  • Recreating sets for The Evil of the Daleks with its designer, Chris Thompson

 

Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition 55: Production Design is sale at WH Smith, selected supermarkets and online from store.panini.co.uk from Wednesday 30 September 2020 priced £6.99.

It’s also available as a digital edition, priced £5.99, from pocketmags.com





FILTER: - DWM

New Time Lord Victorious Figurine SetsBookmark and Share

Friday, 25 September 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Dalek Executioner (Credit: BBC Studios)

Hero Collector – designers, manufacturers, and publishers of high-quality collectables from across the worlds of pop culture – has today revealed the latest figurine sets in Time Lord Victorious, the multi-platform Doctor Who adventure.

 

The latest Time Lord Victorious box set features the menacing, black-armoured Dalek Executioner, and the ingenious, battle-worn Dalek Strategist! These new Dalek designs were created specifically for the multi-platform story, and are accompanied by an in-depth magazine, packed with special details and an exclusive prose story which forms part of the Time Lord Victorious narrative.

 

Time Lord Victorious officially launched earlier this month, with products and experiences dropping until early 2021. The multi-platform story brings partners and platforms for the first time ever to tell a brand new Doctor Who adventure for fans across the world. Fans can enjoy as much or as little of the adventure as they choose, exploring the animation as well as novels, magazines, comics, escape rooms, audios, games, immersive theatre, vinyl, figurines and t-shirts. 

 

Fans and collectors should stay tuned for further information about Hero Collector Doctor Who merchandise, including the reveal of the final Time Lord Victorious box set!

 

Pre-order your Dalek Executioner and Dalek Strategist box set on Forbidden Planet or Big Bad Toy Store for £19.99/$34.95.

 

 

Find out more about Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious on BBC Studios: timelordvictorious.com.





FILTER: - Time LOrd Victorious - Hero Collector

The Wintertime ParadoxBookmark and Share

Friday, 25 September 2020 - Reported by Marcus

The Wintertime Paradox (Credit: Penguin Random House,)

The Wintertime Paradox, a new book by Dave Rudden, will be published in October.


The book will feature incredible stories of Doctor Who Christmases past, present and future..

Did you know Davros and the Doctor met for three Christmases, on different planets, across time and space?

Have you heard the one about the time the Plasmavores came to pay a festive visit?

This thrilling anthology presents a fantastic collection of adventures through time and space, featuring the best-loved characters and places from the Doctor Who world.

The perfect stories for the bleakest - and sometimes brightest - time of the year, these festive, thrilling and often moving tales make the ideal gift for Doctor Who fans and young sci-fi lovers alike.

The book will be published on October 15th in hardback, RRP £12.99

.Dave Rudden is a former actor, teacher and time-displaced Viking currently living in Dublin. He is the author of the award-winning Knights of the Borrowed Dark trilogy and enjoys cats, adventure and being cruel to fictional children. A lifelong Doctor Who fan, Dave is also the author of Twelve Angels Weeping.

The book is available for pre-order on Amazon





FILTER: - Books

Black Archive UpdateBookmark and Share

Thursday, 24 September 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Obverse Books

Obverse Books have announced that the Black Archive series will revert to a bi-monthly schedule after the 50th release in the series. 

Since its launch in early 2016, the award-winning Black Archive series from Obverse Books has established itself as a key critical work on the history of televised Doctor Who and In 2018 the series moved to a monthly schedule in 2018 in response to reader feedback. 

However, while the books remain hugely popular and widely praised, the publisher has decided that the volume of work required to keep up the high standards for a new book every four weeks is too great. It has therefore been decided to move the books back to their original bi-monthly schedule after Archive #50.

The editorial team will be joined by a fourth editor, Paul Driscoll, who joins Stuart Douglas, Phil Purser-Hallard and Paul Simpson.

Driscoll is an editor and author, and the co-founder of Altrix Books, the publishers of the Chronosmith Chronicles book series. He has written two Black Archives and one Silver Archive and has most recently published the novel After Vincent, and editedArmy of Ghosts, a collection of essays on Doctor Who’s sometimes forgotten stories.

Stuart Douglas, the publisher of the Black Archive, said:

It’s been a bit of a high wire act publishing a Black Archive every month – both exciting and hugely satisfying as we released a new, high-quality book every few weeks – but now, as we head into our second set of fifty Archives, seemed a good point to free up some time for the editorial team to work on their many other projects. Paul Driscoll was the only person we considered when we decided we also wanted to bring another editor on board. The various Archives he has written have all been of the very highest quality, and his editorial experience with Altrix will undoubtedly prove invaluable. We’re all looking forward very much to putting together the next half-century of Black Archives!

Further information on the Black Archive schedule and current titles can be found at www.blackarchive.co.uk.





FILTER: - Books

Lethbridge-Stewart/Lucy Wilson updatesBookmark and Share

Sunday, 20 September 2020 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Lethbridge-Stewart: Kiss of the Ice Maiden (Credit: Candy Jar Books)Candy Jar Books has announced the second of its standalone Lethbridge-Stewart hardback novels for 2020, Kiss of the Ice Maiden by Michael Sloan:
Lethbridge-Stewart moved through the overlapping shadows in the cemetery with his heart pounding in his chest. The coffin was shrouded by rain that sheeted across the ground. He knew what would be waiting for him, but he could not turn away from it. He approached the grave carefully, aware that one of the shadows could manifest itself into the shape of the creatures. Vines had wrapped their tentacles around the coffin. Lethbridge-Stewart stepped up alongside it, holding onto his revolver, and lifted the lid. He shoved it to one side, revealing the creature lying beneath. She was a scarecrow of the vision he had in his mind. Her skin was dry and flaked off when he touched it. She was a husk, wasting away as if ravaged by a deadly disease. Her eyes were obsidian, her long eyelashes a mockery of the once beautiful face. Its texture repelled him. It was his worst nightmare.

Michael Sloan has hundreds of TV credits to his name, including Battlestar Galactica, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Six Million Dollar Man, The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Mysteries, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. However, he is perhaps best known as the creator of the original The Equalizer TV series, which has subsequently been adapted into a billion-dollar franchise starring Denzel Washington.

In the late ‘60s, early ‘70s Michael spent a great deal of time in the UK and fell in love with Doctor Who, particularly the Jon Pertwee era. Michael said:

I have been a fan of Doctor Who for as long as I can remember. I wanted my Lethbridge-Stewart book to be a distinctive departure for his character. So, in my book the Brigadier falls in love!  This is a thriller and, as you would imagine, the course of true love does not run smooth. Despite this, I thought it would make a change for the readers to see Lethbridge-Stewart wrestling with his emotions. He is vulnerable and his normal stalwart persona has been emotionally comprised.

Kiss of the Ice Maiden is reminiscent of the early 1970s Hammer Horror films set in present day such as Dracula A.D. 1972. It has supernatural and horrific overtones, and is the kind of book that would expect from the creator of The Equalizer.

Shaun Russell, head of publishing at Candy Jar, said

A few years ago I worked together with Michael on Lost in Christmas, a children’s book about a family who become trapped inside Christmas cards and have to find a way to escape. While working on this, I sent Michael some Lethbridge-Stewart books and he devoured them. It wasn’t long before he pitched his own idea and I jumped at it. His story is certainly a different perspective on our hero. It also takes us right back to the 1970s, and picks up where we left off after A Very Private Haunting.

The Kiss of the Ice Maiden delves deeper into the Brig’s past to find out what makes him tick. Alongside this, Anne Travers has lost her father to the Great Intelligence, and has turned her back on HAVOC. Michael’s story is an emotional punch-up and is reminiscent of The Equalizer. Michael continues:

The book does echo some of my screenplays I have written over the years, where the hero is flawed, but still very much a hero.  I did this with some effect in the three Equalizer books. The Robert McCall character is tough, edgy and mercurial, all qualities that he shares with Lethbridge-Stewart. Particularly when he has been played with such strength and vision by Denzel Washington in the two Equalizer movies that have been shot by Sony/Columbia.

The striking cover art is by artist Martin Baines, who created artwork for the Downtime hardback. Martin said:

For me book covers need to convey the feel and mood inside a book. I don't think you are treating the reader well if every cover looks the same with a generic photoshopped face of the hero on the cover and is often short sighted. When I was briefed by Candy Jar I instantly thought of the brilliant painted covers for Pan's paperbacks in the sixties and posters for Hammer Horror. I do not normally use this type of palette so it was a bit of experiment but I really liked the poster of Hammer's The Gorgan and thought it was a good starting point. I think it makes this cover slightly different and more special for the readers. The empty fairground also brought great images in my head.

 

There will be two editions of The Kiss of the Ice Maiden, both now available for pre-order from Candy Jar Books, a standard paperback edition limited to 200 copies, and a limited edition hardback, which also includes a postcard and free book featuring stories from the Lethbridge-Stewart universe.

Please note that this special is not covered by any subscription offer.

 



Lucy Wilson: The Phantom of Tucker Road (Credit: Candy Jar Books)The latest instalment of The Lucy Wilson Mysteries will be The Phantoms of Tusker Rock by Christopher Bryant:

Lucy Wilson might be the scourge of all things extra-terrestrial, but her latest opponent is a little closer to home. Try as Lucy might, her dad just doesn’t get it. Earth’s last line of defence doesn’t get to take days off, even if it means staying out on a school night!

Particularly when those nights are broken by the sound of supernatural howling. And ghostly Vikings stalking the streets. And a mysterious coven of druids, led by someone who looks awfully like the little old woman down the road…

Whatever her dad says, Lucy’s got a job to do. But with night falling, and the waters rising, soon she finds herself cut off from everyone she loves.

Like several of Lucy’s previous adventures, the latest mystery is rooted in the area’s ancient legends. It was a concept that appealed to author Christopher, whose Welsh heritage has always informed his life and work. In The Phantoms of Tusker Rock we find Lucy and her superbrain sidekick Hobo encountering the ghostly cyhyraeth – a disembodied howl portending the death of the listener, which, legends say, can be heard emanating from Ogmore’s Tusker Rock to this day. The Rock has long been a source of legend, the ruin of unwary ships for centuries. And where myths collide, and the supernatural threatens, Lucy Wilson is sure to be found.

Christopher said:

One of the things I’ve always loved about Doctor Who is how it opens a portal – sometimes literally – between the everyday and the fantastic. In particular I’ve always liked the episodes that take the viewer into history. Whether it’s the Doctor’s flirting with Elizabeth I, or taking a jaunt around Dickensian London, it’s such a cool way of giving young viewers a sense of connection to their heritage. When Candy Jar approached me, I saw the opportunity to root around in that rich trove of folklore and myth and, hopefully, introduce it to a new generation.

South Wales, of course, has been a hotspot of all things extraterrestrial, extratemporal and extraordinary ever since the BBC established the home of Doctor Who in Cardiff. As the capital of not only (unquestionably) the world’s most beautiful country, but also one of its most loved and enduring franchises, in recent years the city has drawn in tourists from all over the world, keen to see the real-life home of the Doctor’s adventures. As Candy Jar’s Head of Publishing, Shaun Russell, put it:

You can go anywhere in the world and people know Wales because of the Doctor. When we started the Lucy Wilson series, we knew we wanted to build on this connection; not only did basing our stories in Wales help establish an internal logic within the wider universe, but being a Cardiff company built up Lucy’s adventures. Lucy is a mixed-race character, who moved to the area from London. Using her character as the means to explore Wales’ folklore, we hope to paint a picture of Wales in the modern day – a country proud of its traditions yet cosmopolitan, diverse, and entirely at home in the twenty-first century.

 

The Phantoms of Tusker Rock is available to pre--order from the Candy Jar website.

 


 

Candy Jar Books currently have a sale on for their range of books, and have also made an additional free story available to listen to, Edge of Glory.





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

Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 556Bookmark and Share

Thursday, 17 September 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 556 (Credit: Panini)

 

 

Issue 556 of Doctor Who Magazine heralds the start of Time Lord Victorious the Multi-format Doctor Who series launching this Autumn. 

 

Highlights of the new issue include

  • A bonus 20-page supplement featuring the first part of Time Lord Victorious: Monstrous Beauty, an exclusive new comic-strip adventure for the Ninth Doctor and Rose
  • A detailed guide to Time Lord Victorious and an interview with producer James Goss
  • Tracy-Ann Oberman answers questions from the TARDIS tin.
  • A celebration of Virgin Publishing’s New Adventures novels, including contributions from authors including Russell T Davies, Paul Cornell and Mark Gatiss.
  • The Fact of Fiction explores the 1964 story Marco Polo, plus interviews with Waris Hussein, Brian Hodgson and Derek Ware
  • The untold story behind a proposed season of Doctor Who repeats in the late 1970s
  • Apocrypha looks at Doctor Who Fights Masterplan “Q”
  • A review of the new animated version of Fury from the Deep.

Previews and reviews, news, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser and The Blogs of Doom…PLUS!

  • A giant double-sided poster.
  • A diorama of the Ninth Doctor’s TARDIS control room.
  • A download code for a complete, six-part audio adventure from Big Finish.

 

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 556 is on sale from Thursday 17 September £9.99 (UK)





FILTER: - DWM - Ninth Doctor

Doctor Who @ Comic ConBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 16 September 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who’s Time Lord Victorious and Maze Theory (Credit: BBC Studios)

Doctor Who will have a strong presence at this year’s New York Comic Con X MCM Comic Con Metaverse

BBC Studios have announced that two panels will join the already announced Doctor Who Spotlight panel from BBC America featuring Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill and Bradley Walsh.

 

New York Comic Con and MCM Comic Con’s Metaverse is a multi-faceted digital event with a focus on the fan experience. From October 8-11, Metaverse will exclusively live stream free panels on the New York Comic Con YouTube channel from leading entertainment brands.

 

‘The Making of Time Lord Victorious’ will see producer and writer James Goss talk about how this ambitious multi-platform project came together, and he will be joined by Joe Sugg, Nicholas Briggs and Ayesha Antoine for a sneak peek of the animated series Daleks! due to launch in November. Hear more from the cast about what fans can expect, who they play, and how they filmed their voiceovers during the global pandemic.

 

Also joining the Comic-Con line-up is Maze Theory’s ‘Exclusive: New Doctor Who games launching soon’ which will see Ingrid Oliver (Doctor Who), Maze Theory’s Studio Director Russ Harding, writer Gavin Collinson and CEO of Kaigan Games, Azmi Shah, reveal exclusive new Doctor Who adventures that form a trilogy of experiences across multiple gaming platforms.

 

The Time Lord Victorious panel will premiere on the New York Comic Con YouTube channel on Saturday 10th October, and the Maze Theory panel will premiere on Sunday 11th October. Check the Doctor Who Facebook page and www.findthemetaverse.com for updates to the premiere time.





FILTER: - Conventions

Diana Rigg 1938 - 2020Bookmark and Share

Thursday, 10 September 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Diana Rigg

The actress Dame Diana Rigg has died at the age of 82

During her long career, Diana Rigg had starring roles in The Avengers and Game of Thrones as well as appearing in the James Bond franchise. 

She played Mrs Gillyflower in the 2013 story The Crimson Horror alongside Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith.and her daughter Rachael Stirling. The episode had been specially written for her by Mark Gatiss who paid tribute to the actress.  

It was my great joy and privilege to have known Diana Rigg. From three slightly hysterical months at the Old Vic in ‘All About Mother’ to writing The Crimson Horror for Diana and her wonderful daughter Rachael. Flinty, fearless, fabulous. There will never be another. RIP

Diana Rigg was born in Doncaster, then in the West Riding of Yorkshire. She grew up in India where her father worked on the Railways before returning to England for her education. She studied at the Royal Acadamy of Dramatic Art alongside the likes of  Glenda Jackson and Siân Phillips.

Her first roles were on stage and for eight years she was a member of the  Royal Shakespeare Company.

After small roles on Television, her big break came when she joined the 1960's adventure series The Avengers playing Emma Peel. She was not the first choice for the role replacing Elizabeth Shepherd after two episodes, but she made the role her own and stayed for 51 episodes. A dispute with the producers over pay equality with Patrick Macnee, the male star of the show, meant she left the series after two years. 

Big Screen stardom came in 1969 playing Mrs James Bond opposite George Lazenby in the On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Many memorable TV appearances followed including playing Regan in a Granada Television production of King Lear opposite Laurence Olivier and playing Lady Dedlock in the BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens' Bleak House

In 1989 she played Helena Vesey in Mother Love for the BBC as role which gained her the 1990 BAFTA award for Best Television Actress.

In 2013 she joined Game of Thrones portraying Lady Olenna Tyrell, a witty and sarcastic political mastermind popularly known as the Queen of Thorns. Her performance earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. 

She appeares in the new series of All Creatures Great and Small, currently being shown on Channel Five. Last year she  appeared on Broadway in the Musical My Fair Lady, earning her fourth Tony nomination. 

Diana Rigg Rigg died earler today at her home in London after a short illness. 





FILTER: - Obituary

Time Lord Victorious - Dalek! animationBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 9 September 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Time Lord Victorious (Credit: BBC Studios)

BBC Studios today announced the final, missing piece in Doctor Who Time Lord Victorious with a five-part CGI animation launching in November this year.

 

Daleks! will be available for fans to watch for free, weekly on the Doctor Who YouTube channel.

 

Daleks! is a 5x10 min animation and will feature a star-studded voiceover cast with Nicholas Briggs (voice of the Daleks in Doctor Who) Joe Sugg (YouTube, Strictly Come Dancing), Anjli Mohindra (BodyguardThe Sarah Jane Adventure) and Ayesha Antoine (Holby City).

 

Nicholas Briggs said:

This latest, fantastic, thrill-packed venture into the world of animation, with the Daleks as the stars of the show, is something so many of us have been craving for years. And for me it’s been a marvellous challenge, as usual playing every single Dalek in action, but with the added excitement of portraying some beautifully written, leading Dalek characters. It’s been a blast, and I can’t wait to see the finished production.

 

Joe Sugg said:

I’m super excited and thankful to have been invited to play a role in this new animation. I’ve been a fan of Doctor Who from a young age so to be a part of it is a dream come true.

Anjli Mohindra said: 

When I saw that this series was about THOSE iconic villains I knew it was going to be one hell of a ride and I couldn’t wait to sign up!! I had so much fun being thrown into the wonderfully weird world of remote recording and so thrilled that I was able to be part of something that feel so special!

 

Ayesha Antoine said:

I have never been more fascinated to see the final product of a show. To be a part of the animated story of these iconic baddies is really special. The recording session was a whole new adventure - another surreal moment to add to the growing list from 2020”.

Written by James Goss and created by Salford-based animators Studio Liddell, Daleks! is a BBC Studios Digital production.

 

Time Lord Victorious (Credit: BBC Studios) Time Lord Victorious (Credit: BBC Studios) Time Lord Victorious (Credit: BBC Studios) Time Lord Victorious (Credit: BBC Studios) Time Lord Victorious (Credit: BBC Studios)

 

Time Lord Victorious officially launched earlier this month, with products and experiences dropping every week until early 2021. The multi-platform story brings together eleven partners across ten platforms for the first time ever to tell a brand new Doctor Who adventure for fans across the world. Fans can enjoy as much or as little of the adventure as they choose, exploring the animation as well as novels, magazines, comics, escape rooms, audios, games, immersive theatre, vinyl, figurines and t-shirts. 

 

More information about Daleks! will be announced soon. Details about Time Lord Victorious along with a full timeline of product launches can be found on the Time Lord Victorious website. 





FILTER: - Time Lord Victorious

Blackpool RememberedBookmark and Share

Monday, 7 September 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Blackpool Remembered (Credit: Alex Storer)

A free ebook celebrating Blackpool's Doctor Who exhibition, has been released. 

 

Blackpool Remembered is a FREE digital publication, collated and edited by John Collier. It celebrates the original Doctor Who Exhibition on Blackpool’s Golden Mile, which ran from 1974 to 1985.

Hot on the heels of the latest series of Doctor Who, every year fans would travel the length and breadth of the country to visit the TARDIS and defy the Daleks – no other television show had its own permanent exhibition, and this was a chance to get up close and personal!

Blackpool Remembered charts the history of the exhibition, bringing together special memories, stories and photographs from the fans who visited it, as well as documenting the ever-changing exhibits which, like the series itself, regenerated every year to bring new thrills and excitement. Alongside this, are detailed recollections from some of the people who made it happen. 

Travel back in time through a feast of nostalgia, with many previously unseen photographs, exclusive interviews and illustrations. Contributors include Steve Cambden, Julie Jones, Bob Richardson and Mike Tucker.

 

The ebook can be downloaded here 

 





FILTER: - Fan Productions