Friday 29 May 2015

The Fan Show - Doctor Who is Invading The World!


Doctor Who is Invading The World! - Doctor Who: The Fan Show
 
In this week's episode we take a what-if look at series eight with our trailer for The Princess and The Doctor (in cinemas never!), we speak to some fans at the Mumbai Comic-Con and we launch our first ever competition!! Presented by Christel Dee.

Minecraft Competition:
We are looking for someone to recreate the Fan Show’s opening titles in Minecraft, and the most creative submission will be used in a future episode of the show. If you fancy taking up the challenge, please send links to your creations to dwthefanshow@bbc.com before 1.59pm (BST) on 12 June 2015. Full terms and conditions are here: http://www.doctorwho.tv/the-fan-show/... Good luck!

Doctor Who: The Dangerous Book of Monsters

In his travels across time and space, the Doctor has met hundreds of monsters - now, he's created this handy spotter's guide to the biggest, smallest, tallest, hungriest, smelliest, and most dangerous creatures in the Whoniverse! 

In this fantastic companion guide to How To Be A Time Lord, the Twelfth Doctor reveals, in tips and doodles, everything you need to know about each dangerous monster, advice for battling them, and how and when to make a speedy escape.

Order from Amazon UK

Thursday 28 May 2015

Doctor Who: The Eye of Torment by Scott Gray, Mike Collins, Martin Geraghty, Jacqueline Rayner

By popular demand! A brand new collection of classic comic strips, collecting the adventures of the Twelfth Doctor and Clara, from the pages of Doctor Who Magazine. 

The collection contains four adventures: The Eye Of Torment by Scott Gray, illustrated by Martin Geraghty; Instruments Of War written and illustrated by Mike Collins; Blood And Ice written by Jacqueline Rayner and illustrated by Martin Geraghty; and The Crystal Throne (an adventure starring The Paternoster Gang - Vastra, Jenny and Strax) by Scott Gray, illustrated by Mike Collins.

Order from Amazon UK

Doctor Who Magazine 487 - Cover and details

THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF EARTH, FROM ITS BIRTH
TO ITS DESTRUCTION, IS REVEALED IN DWM 487!

Planet Earth! It’s been attacked, invaded – even moved across the galaxy! Bu thanks to the Doctor, our world endures. Doctor Who Magazine tells the remarkable story of our planet and the many challenges it has faced…

ALSO INSIDE ISSUE 487…
  • AN INTERVIEW WITH JOHN NATHAN-TURNER
    A revealing and previously unpublished interview with 1980s producer John-Nathan Turner, conducted during 1989 – the last year of Doctor Who‘s original run.
  • THE DALEK INVASION OF EARTH
    Discover fascinating new facts about the classic 1964 First Doctor adventure The Dalek Invasion of Earth.
  • VERITY LAMBERT’S SCRAPBOOKS
    DWM chats to Carole Ann Ford, who played the Doctor’s very first companion, Susan, as she continues her look through the scrapbooks of Doctor Who‘s original producer, Verity Lambert.
  • BLOOD AND ICE!
    Clara and the Doctor uncover a sinister secret below Antarctica as Blood and Ice – the brand new comic strip written by Jacqueline Rayner and illustrated by Martin Geraghty – continues…
  • STEVEN MOFFAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS!
    Showrunner Steven Moffat answers readers’ questions, and explains just why the Doctor can never seem to remember what happens when he meets himself…
  • PLUS! Reviews and previews; Relative Dimensions; Wotcha!; The DWM Crossword, prize-winning competitions, official news and much more!
Doctor Who Magazine 487 – with a special wraparound cover! – is on sale from Thursday 28 May 2015, price £4.99.

DWM487_COVER FULL

Doctor Who Comics Day - Four Doctors - Six art pages revealed

FOUR DOCTORS: SIX ART PAGES REVEALED! 

The 5-part weekly series is penned by Paul Cornell (Wolverine) and illustrated by Neil Edwards!
The weekly event, running through August and September 2015​ ​features the Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors and their comics companions! This epic event is the thrilling next chapter in Titan Comics’ bombastic Doctor Who publishing saga!

The first issue hits comic stores on Wednesday August 12, supported by the global Doctor Who Comics Day on Saturday August 15​!​

Writer Paul Cornell has penned classic episodes from the Doctor Who TV series (‘Father’s Day’, 'Human Nature/Family of Blood’, both Hugo-nominated), classic Doctor Who novels, as well as successful comic book runs on titles such as Wolverine, Action Comics, Demon Knights, and Captain Britain and MI:13.

The event follows straight on from the issue #15 conclusions of Year One, with the second years of the Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors beginning after the event’s blistering finale!

Four Doctors, three companions, one action-packed mystery!
Order now from your local comic book store! Visit Comic Shop Locator to find your local store​!

Wednesday 27 May 2015

TARDIS Arrives In Youngster's Garden

AN autistic boy's dream of having a full-size replica Doctor Who Tardis in his garden has come true.

The youngster, who has Asperger's Syndrome, is obsessed with the BBC TV character Doctor Who and his mum launched an online crowd-funder appeal last month to pay for the unusual play house. After Inverclyde Now featured the appeal page, readers and local business Cardwell Garden Centre helped her reach the target.

Now the replica of the iconic time travel machine has been completed at the boy's home in Greenock. His mum Tanya Robertson said: "The tardis has arrived. Kai is over the moon. He's already planning more adventures in space and time."

Tanya thanked local builder Alec Kane who constructed the tardis. When she launched the appeal, Tanya wrote on the appeal webpage: "My little Doctor Who fan is desperate for a replica Tardis in the garden. Someone has volunteered to build one for him but we need £400 for the materials. I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing but it would mean so much to him and we'd never be able to afford it ourselves.

"My son loves everything about Doctor Who, right back to the very first Doctor 51 years ago. Having a Tardis in the garden to escape to when the stresses of the world get too much would mean the world to him. (It doesn't actually have to be bigger on the inside!)"

Doctor Who series 9 has hired Justin Molotnikov to take charge of two episodes.

Doctor Who 2014 Christmas special This won't be the first time Molotnikov has tackled a BBC fantasy series, having helmed episodes of Merlin and Atlantis.

His involvement in the new series of Doctor Who was revealed by his client page on The Agency website.

It is currently unclear which two episodes he will direct, with two slots - episodes 9 and 10, and episodes 11 and 12 - still thought to be open.

Doctor Who's lead writer Steven Moffat has confirmed that series 9 will feature more two-parters, though some pairs of episodes may only be loosely linked.

Scottish filmmaker Molotnikov directed eight episodes of Merlin between 2011 and 2012, eight episodes of Atlantis between 2013 and 2015, and has also worked on Da Vinci's Demons.

Doctor Who - starring Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman - will return to BBC One this autumn.

Via DigitalSpy

Heros and Monsters Collection

A new story collection featuring 26 adventures across time and space! 

The Heroes and Monsters Collection brings together our favourite short stories from the last ten years of Doctor Who - in these tales the Doctor and his companions face the Daleks, the Cybermen, and many more terrifying foes.

It also includes three brand-new stories for 2015, featuring the War Doctor, Clara, and the Twelfth Doctor.

Order from Amazon UK

Engines Of War by George Mann



The Great Time War has raged for centuries, ravaging the universe. Scores of human colony planets are now overrun by Dalek occupation forces. A weary, angry Doctor leads a flotilla of Battle TARDISes against the Dalek stronghold but in the midst of the carnage, the Doctor’s TARDIS crashes to a planet below: Moldox.

As the Doctor is trapped in an apocalyptic landscape, Dalek patrols roam amongst the wreckage, rounding up the remaining civilians. But why haven’t the Daleks simply killed the humans?

Searching for answers the Doctor meets 'Cinder', a young Dalek hunter. Their struggles to discover the Dalek plan take them from the ruins of Moldox to the halls of Gallifrey, and set in motion a chain of events that will change everything. And everyone.

An epic novel of the Great Time War featuring the War Doctor as played by John Hurt.

Order from Forbidden Planet
Order from Amazon UK 

Karen Gillan is interviewed by a nine-year old about Doctor Who...

Brace yourself, because this is both truly adorable and will also make you feel like you were a severely inadequate child.

The following video shows nine year-old YouTuber Presley interview Karen Gillan with such confidence and insight, that it makes you wonder why you were mucking around in the park at that age instead of doing amazing things like this...

"I really loved your story arc on Doctor Who," begins Presley, as the pair sit down to chat on a Comic Con sofa in Denver, "it was some of the best storytelling on the show."

When asked about her storyline with Rory, Gillan responds, "I had no idea that the story would take such a twist and become this epic love story between Amy and Rory..."

Karen Gillan Interview at Denver Comic Con | ActOutGames

The highlight of the interview is when the pair discuss how Amy Pond met her tragic fate. Presley, who makes videos on Cosplay, science and Japanese Anime, tells Gillan, "the ending of your time of the show was really sad, I cried myself to sleep that night" and Gillan apologises before they both start laughing.

Gillan adds, "we didn't know what the ending was going to be...and we were coming up with with all sorts of theories and nobody guessed that we would go the way we went. But I'm so glad that we did because we got displaced in time so we actually had our happy ending in a weird way."

Via Radio Times 

Peter Capaldi to make his First Comic-Con Appearance in Doctor Who Panel


Doctor Who returns to San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday, July 9. Following his record-breaking debut season as the Doctor, Peter Capaldi will make his first ever appearance at the event with Jenna Coleman (Clara), Michelle Gomez (Missy), lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat and executive producer Brian Minchin.

Peter Capaldi commented, ‘Tales of San Diego Comic-Con are told in awe on every set around the known fantasy/sci-fi production world. It's become a fabled kingdom. One I am thrilled to find myself heading for. And to appear in the legendary Hall H is a further twist to the cosplay and comic madness I may never recover from.’

The new season of Doctor Who premieres later this year, opening with a two-part adventure, The Magician’s Apprentice and The Witch’s Familiar, written by Steven Moffat, produced by Peter Bennett and directed by Hettie Macdonald (Blink - the Hugo Award-winning episode that introduced the Weeping Angels). The adventure will, of course, see the return of Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman as the Doctor and Clara but it will also see Michelle Gomez back as the evil Missy…

We Need YOU! - San Diego Comic-Con - Doctor Who: The Fan Show
Via BBC

Friday 22 May 2015

Doctor Who: The Fan Show - The Universal Song Contest & Symphonic Spectacular!



The Universal Song Contest & Symphonic Spectacular! - Doctor Who: The Fan Show
This week we take a look at music from the world of Doctor Who, from fan orchestras to 8-bit renditions of the theme tune.

We also sent Crispy Pro to find out what he thought of the Symphonic Spectacular! Presented by Christel Dee.

Series nine penultimate episode sets up "a ludicrous challenge" says Steven Moffat

The finale of Doctor Who series nine looks set to pose a serious challenge – not just for the Doctor but for writer Steven Moffat too.

Moffat suggests he may have written himself – and presumably the Time Lord – into a tight space in the previous episode, admitting he's currently "in a state of panic" over it.

"I've got a script where I've set myself a ludicrous challenge," Moffat told interviewer Jaci Stephens during a Bafta talk in New York earlier this month. "When episode 11 comes up in the next series of Doctor Who, you'll see just how ludicrous the challenge I've set myself is. I'm in a state of panic about it."
If episode 11 does indeed form part of a story with the series finale it would lend weight to the idea that the whole of series nine could consist of two-part adventures.

We already know that it will kick-off with The Magician’s Apprentice/The Witch’s Familiar, featuring a returning Michelle Gomez as Missy, which will be immediately followed be another as yet unnamed two-parter penned by Being Human’s Toby Whithouse.

Episodes five and six, The Girl Who Died and The Woman Who Lived, come next and star Game of Thrones's Maisie Williams. And after that are two episodes both directed by Peter Harness and directed by Daniel Nettheim, suggesting they form a complete story too.

If parts 11 and 12 also come as a package, that would leave only nine and ten that we don't yet know about.
Moffat said viewers had been getting "too acquainted with the rhythm" of single episodes and that penning series eight's two-part finale Dark Water/Death in Heaven had convinced him it was time to mix things up a bit.

"Writing the first two-parter that I had done in years I just thought, ‘I’m liking this. This feels more unpredictable.’ Because you don’t know how far you’re going to get through the story…”

“The rule I’ve got is that you won’t be absolutely certain [from the story and tone] whether a show is going to be a two-parter or not," he told Doctor Who magazine. "And with each of the two-parters we’re doing, there’s a substantial difference between the two halves.”

Via The Radio Times

Wednesday 20 May 2015

Steven Moffat: At some point I'll be lured away from Doctor Who and Sherlock



Steven Moffat: At some point I'll be lured away from Doctor Who and Sherlock


As a TV writer and fanboy working on Doctor Who and Sherlock, Steven Moffat is living the dream. Which is probably why he finds it so hard to leave the shows behind...
"I keep signing on for another year all the time," Moffat said. "I haven't really figured out what I'm going to do after this."

As showrunner on Doctor Who and co-creator of Sherlock, Moffat has creative control over two of British TV's biggest and best-loved properties, yet he admits there's a part of him that yearns to do something less high profile and says there will come a day when he'll bid farewell to both the Time Lord and the detective and turn his attention to other projects.

"At some point the lure of doing something else that isn't either of those shows will be too strong – I'll have to," Moffat told interviewer Jaci Stephens during a Bafta talk in New York earlier this month.
"There are moments – and this is the most ungrateful remark you're ever gonna hear from a white straight man, this is the supremacy of privilege here – I sometimes wish everything wasn't so high profile all the time."
"Oh all the success love, it's such a pressure!" he joked.
"But in a weird way I do, and it would be nice to do a stage play that nobody saw. I know that is the most ludicrous thing to complain about..."

Fans hoping to see that play (that nobody sees) shouldn't hold their breath – Moffat is currently working on series nine of Doctor Who and has just revealed that the fourth run of Sherlock will begin filming next spring...

By

Tuesday 19 May 2015

On sale the 21st May: Doctor Who Comic UK Number 4


ISSUE #4
ON SALE 21ST MAY!

SUBSCRIPTION OFFER!
Subscribe to Doctor Who Comic UK and get a free Top Trumps Collectors Tin, plus: save up to 20%! Pay just £41.50 every 13 issues by Direct Debit or
get 13 issues for only £46.99!
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE!

THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE IN...

THE TWELFTH DOCTOR
A call from old friend prompted the Doctor and Clara to head to Mumbai, 2315 - only to find him dead! While exploring an ancient fortress, the Doctor was thrown back to 1825, where renegade amazon Rani Jhulka saved him! Meanwhile, Clara and Priyanka are trapped in 2315, facing a horde of Thuggees!
THE ELEVENTH DOCTOR
Alice Obiefune and the Doctor have seen wonder and terror together - from a rainbow alien dog loose in the streets of London, to Rokhandi,
a verdant paradise turned creepy theme park. Last time, they faced
a SERVEYOUinc agent in the 1930s Bayou, and picked up a
new travelling companion, Jones
.
THE TENTH DOCTOR
After helping to defeat the monstrous Cerebravores - weaponized, mood-altering parasites that feed on fear - Gabby Gonzalez has convinced the Doctor to take her with him...for just one trip!

Thanks to our friends at The Wand Company, four lucky winners will be the first in the world to receive the brand-new universal remote, a hero prop replica of the Twelfth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver!

This superb recreation of the Twelfth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver is compatible with almost all audio-visual devices, perfect for both play and display! A must-have for any Doctor Who fan!

Wednesday 13 May 2015

Couple stage unique wedding themed on Doctor Who

An Aldershot couple didn’t just travel down the aisle together but also attempted to go through time and space with their Doctor Who-themed wedding.
Peter and Becky Strachan-Buckley held their sci-fi ceremony on Saturday April 25 at Shalford Village Hall, south of Guildford.

The couple and their guests dressed as beloved and recognisable characters from the series.
In top hat and tails, Mr Strachan-Buckley dressed as the 11th doctor, portrayed by Matt Smith, and his wife dressed as Clara, the Doctor’s companion, in outfits from their favourite episode set in Victorian London.
 
The 34-year-old told Get Hampshire: “It took us a little while to decide on a theme. We started off thinking we would do just sci-fi but then settled on Doctor Who.

“All the wedding guests dressed up with varying degrees of dedication.

“They could come as characters from the show or just people from different time periods which the Doctor visited. This meant we had people from the wild west right up to modern times.

“We had people coming as River Song, the fourth Doctor played by Tom Baker, the 10th doctor played by David Tennant plus Captain Jack and Gwen from Torchwood.

“We chose to dress as the Doctor and Clara from the 2012 Christmas episode where she is a governess in Victorian times so Becky had the navy gown and I got to wear a top hat.”
 
A life-size dalek was also at the reception and acted as an honorary waiter, offering champagne rather than an extermination.

The couple said they instantly bonded over a love of science fiction, with Doctor Who being at the top of their lists, and the relationship sparked from there.

Mr Strachan-Buckley said: “We have been together for more than five years and leading up to the wedding our house was full of mini Tardises as they held a crucial role as table decoration.

“We got engaged on February 29 2012 and, as it was a leap year, Becky asked me.”

The couple also turned heads leaving the Guildford registry office on Saturday morning as they did so in a Tardis on the back of a trailer.

The couple’s cake was topped with sugared versions of themselves in character.
 
via GetHampshire 

The second issue of Panini’s regenerated Doctor Who Adventures is out on the 21st May 2015

Doctor Who Adventures Issue 2 - Panini

The second issue of Panini’s regenerated Doctor Who Adventures hits the newsstands on 21st May 2015, and promises more thrills, more adventures and more excitement than ever!

Opening proceedings, the Doctor and Clara find themselves rocking out at the end of the universe as they face the deadly hunger of the ‘Devourer of the Cosmos’ in this issue’s strip story “The Big Hush”, drawn by Russ Leach, written by Jason Quinn and coloured by John Burns. Here’s a sneak peek…
Doctor Who Adventures #2 - "The Big Hush"
Also in the issue…
KNOW YOUR ENEMIES
Next up, readers get to access the TARDIS Data Core to find out about some of the Doctor’s strangest and deadly enemies, including the Whisper Men, the Boneless, Prisoner Zero, the Vashta Nerada and the Smilers.

CLARA’S CRAFT STUDIO
Then we join Clara as she shows you how to make your own Foretold Desk Guard. With this on your desk, nobody will ever dare pinch your pens without permission!

UNIT ALIEN ARCHIVES
Of course, if you’re going to make the Foretold Desk Guard, then you’d do well to know more about the Foretold himself by checking out the UNIT Alien Archive on the monstrous Mummy of the Orient Express.

STRAX’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
Strax will then show us the delights of Skaro, the Asylum, San Helios and the Library. If you’re planning a trip across the cosmos then check out your destination with Strax before you book your tickets!

THE PATERNOSTER GANG INVESTIGATES
Strax and Jenny go undercover as a variety act as the Paternoster Gang investigate ghostly goings on at The Palace of Wonder music hall in The Phantom of the Music Hall, a brand new three page text story.
With prizes, activities, posters and much more on offer, Doctor Who Adventures is the hottest spot in the galaxy for all Doctor Who fans aged 3-3000!

Doctor Who Adventures Issue 2 comes with a Free Mega Monster Set! | On sale 21st May 2015, price £3.99

Via downthetubes.net

BAFTA Celebrates 10 years of Doctor Who with New York Event

 
 The British Academy of Film and Television Arts in Wales, BAFTA Cymru, has today announced a special Doctor Who screening event in New York, USA, on Thursday 14 May to celebrate 10 years since Doctor Who was revived and went into production at BBC Wales.

The event, hosted in partnership with BAFTA New York, Cardiff Business Council and BBC America, will offer 220 industry guests a big-screen showing of recent episode Listen, starring Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with showrunner and writer Steven Moffat.

Hannah Raybould, Director of BAFTA Cymru, said: “We are very excited to be co-hosting this celebratory event in New York, which will be an opportunity to showcase the talent, skills, locations and innovation of the Welsh creative industries talent working on the Doctor Who series in Wales.

“With millions of fans around the world, and significant viewing figures in the US on BBC America, we felt the 10 year anniversary was a great occasion to toast the team behind the franchise, and offer US industry practitioners an insight into the way the series has developed, as well as an overview of the creative industries sector in Wales.”

Charles Tremayne, Chairman BAFTA New York, said: "Doctor Who is such an iconic part of British television culture that it’s always a privilege to celebrate its enduring success here in New York. The last 10 years since the re-launch in Cardiff have been among the most memorable of its many years on air. Apart from some great backstage stories, it will be great to hear from Steven how they keep Doctor Who so fresh and part of the zeitgeist around the world."

Steven Moffat said: “I loved Doctor Who on screen, long before I ever worked on it, just as I loved New York in the movies long before I ever got to go there. It will be a pleasure to combine both fantasies.”
Doctor Who is a significant part of British popular culture, and elsewhere it has become a cult television favourite. The show has influenced generations of British television professionals, many of whom grew up watching the series. The programme originally ran from 1963 to 1989 and was re-launched by BBC Wales in 2005 with Russell T Davies as showrunner and head writer for the first five years of its revival, alongside Julie Gardner as BBC Wales Head of Drama at that time. The first series of the 21st century, featuring Christopher Eccleston in the lead role, was filmed in and around Cardiff, with the South Wales area doubling for a number of other locations including London.

Doctor Who also spawned spin-offs in multiple media, including Torchwood (2006–11) and The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007–11), both created by Russell T Davies; K-9 (2009–10); and a single pilot episode of K-9 and Company (1981). The series is widely recognised as a key catalyst for the boom in drama made in Wales.

The event, which will take place in New York, USA, on 14 May, will be one of 60 events BAFTA Cymru will be hosting in 2015 as part of its year-round programme of screenings and learning events.

Tuesday 12 May 2015

Titan Comics Weekly Summer Event updated with the War Doctor

TITAN COMICS ANNOUNCE DOCTOR WHO ​COMICS ​5-PART WEEKLY SUMMER EVENT

5-part weekly event written by Paul Cornell and illustrated by Neil Edwards, stars Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors and their comics companions!
The weekly event, running through August and September 2015, in place of the ongoing series, features all three Doctors from Titan’s regular ongoings. This epic event is the thrilling next chapter in Titan Comics’ bombastic Doctor Who publishing saga.

titan-weekly-1

The first issue releases Wednesday August 12, supported by the global Doctor Who Comics Day on Saturday August 15!
Writer Paul Cornell has penned classic episodes from the Doctor Who TV series (‘Father’s Day’, ‘Human Nature/Family of Blood’, both Hugo-nominated), classic Doctor Who novels, as well as successful comic book runs on titles such as Wolverine, Action Comics, Demon Knights, and Captain Britain and MI:13.

titan-weekly-2

The ​e​vent follows straight on from the issue #15 conclusions of Year One, with the second years of the Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors beginning after the event’s blistering finale!
Three Doctors, three companions, one action-packed mystery!

titan-weekly-3

Learn the Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who signing at Forbidden Planet


https://forbiddenplanet.com/142121-the-scientific-secrets-of-doctor-who-hardcover/?affid=tardis

Thursday, 4th June, 2015 18:00 -  

London Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR


SIMON GUERRIER and DR. MAREK KUKULA will be signing THE SCIENTIFIC SECRETS OF DOCTOR WHO at the Forbidden Planet London Megastore on Thursday 4th June from 6 – 7pm.

Weaving together authoritative scientific discussion with a series of new adventures, this title explores the possibilities of time travel, life on other planets, artificial intelligence, parallel universes and more. From the dawn of astronomy and the discovery of gravity to the moon landings and string theory, the authors show how science has inspired Doctor Who, and how, on occasion, life has mirrored art, such as the 1989 discovery of ‘ice-canoes’ on Triton which were featured in the 1973 episode The Planet of the Daleks.
Simon Guerrier is the author of countless Doctor Who books, comics, audio plays and documentaries. As research for one of his Doctor Who stories, he studied GCSE astronomy at the Royal Observatory Greenwich – resulting in an A* and the plot for another Doctor Who story. Simon regularly writes for Horrible Histories Magazine and medical journal The Lancet Psychiatry. With his brother Thomas, he also makes films and documentaries – most recently The Fundamentalist Queen, about the wife of Oliver Cromwell, broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in December 2014.

Dr Marek Kukula is the Public Astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the home of time and space. As a child, he wanted to be a Time Lord when he grew up but settled on astronomy as the next most exciting thing, going on to study quasars and distant galaxies with the Hubble Space Telescope. Marek regularly appears on BBC science shows such as The Sky at Night and Bang Goes the Theory to discuss the latest astronomical discoveries and has also made an appearance on Doctor Who Confidential, showing Karen Gillan how to view Saturn through a telescope.

Order the book
[Signed By...]
Marek Kukula
Simon Guerrier
From Forbidden Planet

Monday 11 May 2015

Comedian Lee Mack (really) wants a role in Doctor Who

Not content with writing and starring in his BBC1 sitcom Not Going Out, Lee Mack is angling for a cameo in Doctor Who. The 46-year-old comic was on the red carpet at last night's Bafta television awards and stopped to tell RadioTimes.com that he was using the event as a sneaky opportunity to get his ambition heard. 

"I'm desperate to get a part in Doctor Who. I really am. I'm using tonight as a shameless way to get into Doctor Who," he told us. "It would be literally the only time my children would be impressed by anything I've done in life."

Mack is a dedicated Doctor Who fan, and he's definitely been doing his research to prepare for a role in the show: "We've literally sat down and watched every episode back-to-back, from Christopher Eccleston to Peter Capaldi. Just finished, hence this look of tiredness. Back to back for the last four weeks."
His verdict is that current Doctor Peter Capaldi is the best ever. In fact, he was pretty disappointed that the star wasn't also on the red carpet.

"I'm rooting for someone who's not been nominated," Mack told us. "I wanted Peter Capaldi to win for Doctor Who. He's not been nominated. He's my favourite Doctor Who."
Mack also told us that he's about to start work on a Christmas special for Not Going Out, and that fans might just get another full series of the sitcom: "Perhaps. We'll see..."

Via Radio Times

Doctor Who coming to LEGO Dimensions

LEGO and Doctor Who are coming together in video game form! FINALLY!

Do to what may be a booboo or a PDF to send to the FCC or retailers for verification purposes, the LEGO company has left the file on their site for all to see.

Now, we know it’s not a full LEGO game set in the Whoniverse, but we’ll take whatever we can get. LEGO Dimensions will have several adventure-based packs to buy, and Peter Capaldi’s 12th Doctor is most definitely one of them!

Dimensions launches on September 27 for PS4, Wii U, Xbox One, Xbox 360 & PS3. No word on when the pack will arrive, but when it does you can expect us to be broke. Now, can we get the other 11 Doctors & the War Doctor, please? Watch the LEGO Dimensions reveal trailer below...

LEGO Dimensions: Official Announce Video
 
Via sidequesting

Sunday 10 May 2015

Tom Baker at Folkestone Film TV and Comic Con


iPhone footage of Fourth Doctor actor Tom Baker's Q&A at Folkestone Film TV and Comic Con on 9th May 2015

Tom Baker at Folkestone Film TV and Comic Con(iPhone footage)
Tom Baker at Folkestone Film TV and Comic Con 2015(almost uncut)  
Folkestone Film TV and Comic Con 2015


Many thanks to Tim Drury for the footage

Doctor Who 'will last indefinitely' according to former Time Lord Peter Davison


Peter Davison believes Doctor Who will last "indefinitely".

Showrunner Steven Moffat recently predicted the series - which currently stars Peter Capaldi in the titular role - will stay on air for at least another five years.

However, the 64-year-old actor - who was the Fifth Doctor for three years from 1981 to 1984 - is convinced the BBC sci-fi show can go on forever as long as the people making 'Doctor Who' treat it with the care and respect it deserves.

When asked what he believes the time span for Doctor Who is, Davison told BANG Showbiz: "I think it will go on fairly indefinitely ... As long as there are people who are fans of the programme who keep on making the programme it will be fine. That's the reason it came back on air and has been on TV for 10 years. Russell T. Davis is a big Doctor Who fan; Steven Moffat is a big Doctor Who fan and I think those people understand the programme and understand that sometimes it has to re-invent itself and move on and do things differently and I think while those sort of people are at the helm then the show will continue."

But Davison does believe a break could refresh the series, but he wouldn't want it to be as long as the 16 years it was off air after being effectively cancelled in 1989. He said: "Whether it goes on hiatus at some point remains to be seen.

Although I was extremely disappointed when it was taken off air there's no doubt that when it came back that it came back as a hugely prestigious programme which is something it probably wouldn't have done if it had been on the air all that time."

Read the full article at The Mirror

Friday 8 May 2015

BBC National Orchestra of Wales: Trailer



BBC National Orchestra of Wales: Trailer

The Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular will make its UK debut in May 2015.

Between 23 - 29 May, the show will enjoy a limited run of thirteen performances in London, Cardiff, Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle and Glasgow. Performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Chorus of Wales, conducted by Ben Foster, the UK shows will be hosted by Peter Davison, who played the Fifth Doctor.

United Kingdom 2015 Tour - Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular

Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular - a musical monster invasion is coming to London, Cardiff, Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle and Glasgow in 2015.

Zygons & Osgood In Series 9! - Doctor Who: The Fan Show



Zygons & Osgood In Series 9! - Doctor Who: The Fan Show
 
Welcome to the first ever episode of Doctor Who: The Fan Show!
This week we look at the announcement of the return of the Zygons AND Osgood in Series 9, which takes us to The Old Doctor Who Monster's Home! Presented by Christel Dee.

Meet Christel - Doctor Who: The Fan Show

Meet Christel, the host of Doctor Who: The Fan Show and find out how she got into Doctor Who, which Doctor is her favourite and what she has been learning to play on the synth! 

Double Trouble As Osgood Takes On The Terrifying Zygons

Cruel, heartless and shocking? Having being killed by Missy (Michelle Gomez) in the show’s series eight finale ‘Death in Heaven’, the Doctor’s biggest fan and UNIT scientist Osgood, played by Ingrid Oliver, has been brought back by Steven Moffat for Doctor Who series nine.

Steven Moffat, lead writer and Executive Producer, said, “Osgood is back, fresh from her recent murder at the end of last series. We recently confirmed that Osgood was definitely dead and not returning - but in a show about time travel, anything can happen. The brilliant Ingrid Oliver is back in action. This time though, can the Doctor trust his number one fan?”

The last time we saw Osgood as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart’s assistant was with the Twelfth Doctor during an invasion of Earth by an army of Cybermen led by a new, female incarnation of the Master. This time she’s back in action and comes face-to-face with the shape-shifting extra-terrestrial Zygons, as they also return for the new series. They last appeared in ‘The Day of the Doctor’ for the show’s 50th anniversary episode.

Speaking on set, Ingrid Oliver commented on her reappearance, “As every actor who’s worked on Doctor Who will tell you, there’s always the secret hope you'll get the call asking you to come back. To actually receive that call is both unexpected and brilliant. The word ‘honour’ gets banded about a lot, but it really is, it’s an honour. Especially because I was so sure Osgood was a gonner after the last series!”

The two-part episode is currently being filmed in Cardiff and is written by Peter Harness (Doctor Who - Kill the Moon, Wallander, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell), produced by Peter Bennett and directed by Daniel Nettheim (Line of Duty, Glue).

Also joining Peter Capaldi (the Doctor) and Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswald) and confirmed for guest roles in the double episode is Jemma Redgrave, Jaye Griffiths, Cleopatra Dickens, Sasha Dickens, Abhishek Singh, Todd Kramer, Jill Winternitz, Nicholas Asbury, Jack Parker and Aidan Cook.

Doctor Who series nine will be back on BBC One in Autumn 2015 and further guest cast will be released over the coming months. Doctor Who is a BBC Cymru Wales production for BBC One.

Via BBC Media