Doctor Who: Tales from the TARDIS comic issue #20 is out now, with three stunning stories from the Twelfth, Eleventh and Tenth Doctors!
Check out the details and cover art below.
Tales From The TARDIS #20
This issue, the Tenth Doctor conclusion to the War of Gods! Then, the Eleventh Doctor and Alice face a rogue Silent out to steal their memories!
And, finally, a brand new year for the Twelfth Doctor begins!
Tales From The TARDIS #20 is out now
Tom Baker has made a surprise appearance on camera as Doctor Who, donning his trademark stripy scarf in a newly-released episode.
The 83-year-old actor has returned to complete the unfinished story Shada, filmed in Cambridge, 38 years after it was abandoned.
The parts not filmed in 1979 will be completed with animation and Baker’s voice, but he has also filmed a scene.
It will be his first return to the role since a brief Children in Need cameo.
Baker, the fourth Doctor, played the Time Lord between 1974 and 1981 and is seen by fans of the show as one of the best actors in the role.
Filming for Shada, which was written by Douglas Adams at the same time as he was creating The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, was started in 1979.
But strike action at the BBC meant studio scenes were never completed and the episodes were abandoned.
It has now been released by BBC Worldwide, with the original footage combined with new colour animations and voiceovers to complete the story.
In the new scene, Baker was filmed at BBC Television Centre in London on the set of the original Tardis from 1979.
Speaking about returning to the role, Baker said the Doctor “probably never left me”.
“That’s why I can’t stay away from it, it was a lovely time of my life,” he added.
“I loved doing Doctor Who, it was life to me. I used to dread the end of rehearsal because then real life would impinge on me. Doctor Who… when I was in full flight, then I was happy.”
Of his time filming Shada in Cambridge in 1979, Baker said: “Mostly I remember being mocked by the students on the [River] Cam because I wasn’t very good at punting, I kept losing the pole.”
The newly-recorded lines from Baker as the Doctor and Lalla Ward as his companion Romana follow the original script by Douglas Adams.
The story finds the Doctor in Cambridge working alongside Romana and a retired Time Lord, Professor Chronotis, to defeat the evil alien Skagra who is attempting to steal the secrets to the prison planet Shada.
Jem Roberts, author of The Frood: The Authorised and Very Official History of Douglas Adams, said Adams later used the character Chronotis and parts of the plot in his novel Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.
“Adams was probably glad that Shada was not finished, so he could use it for the backbone of his novel. He was a great believer in recycling,” he said.
Shada is available to buy now as a digital download and will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on 4 December.
The TV star will take over the Tardis from exiting Time Lord Peter Capaldi during the annual Christmas Day edition of the sci-fi show, and she’ll get set for her big moment as a BBC DJ.
The actress will appear as part of BBC 6 Music’s Christmas Eve programming, during which she’ll chat to fans and play some of her favourite music.
The evening will be part of the network’s Wise Women series, which will also feature a show hosted by Gossip singer Beth Ditto on Christmas Day.
As well as the Doctor Who Christmas special, Twice Upon A Time, that’s going out on Christmas day, the BBC has another treat for Who fans lined up.
A one-off Radio 2 show, hosted by Jo Whiley, went behind the scenes of filming of the episode. It’s an Access All Areas Doctor Who special, and the programme will feature interviews with Peter Capaldi, David Bradley, Pearl Mackie and Steven Moffat.
The episode is going to be on Radio 2 on Thursday 21st December, and here’s the synopsis…
As Peter Capaldi calls time on his adventures in the Tardis, Jo has exclusive access to the Doctor Who team. She catches up with the stars of the series on the set including Pearl Mackie, David Bradley, exec producer extraordinaire Steven Moffat, and the Doctor himself. Plus, Jo hears from outgoing companion, Matt Lucas, and digs into the BBC Doctor Who archive.
There will be stories from behind the scenes including how Matt approaches being recognised by fans, the radical ways in which Pearl’s life has changed, Pele’s reaction to signing a Brazil shirt for the Doctor and how Doctor Who has always been with Peter Capaldi – from dressing up as a Dalek as a child, to karaoke singalongs to The Killers all in the name of getting into character…
Plus, Radio 2 listeners will find out which member of the team has a penchant for Chas and Dave!
It had us at Chas & Dave. The show will be on from 8pm to 10pm.
“I just wanted to wish you a happy Doctor Who Day here, from Tom Baker,” the Fourth Doctor declares with a smile.
Tom Baker, who is currently helping bring “lost” episode Shada back to life by voicing his own animated character, dropped by the official Doctor Who YouTube channel to celebrate the sci-fi show’s 54th birthday.
“I think of myself as the happiest of all the Doctor Whos,” he adds, chuckling. “They might not agree with that, but then – pfft – let them disagree!”
It was on 23rd November 1963 that we first met this “mysterious exile from another world”, played by William Hartnell.
The Doctor made his debut at 5.15pm on BBC1. Baker came along more than a decade later to star as the Fourth Doctor, beginning in 1974 and staying in the role all the way through until 1981.
But once a Doctor, always a Doctor…
“I’m Rose Tyler. He’s the Doctor. One question: what the hell’s going on?” demands Billie Piper.
The answer is that she and David Tennant have reunited – and it feels like they’ve never been apart as they dive straight back in to the world of Doctor Who for audio series The Tenth Doctor Adventures.
The Doctor and his companion Rose are back on board the Tardis for three more episodes which will see them take on the infamous Zaross, save Earth from invasion, meet the enigmatic Chevalier d’Eon and visit the colony world of Coldstar. Oh, and lurking in the depths is the Doctor’s old enemy the Ice Warrior.
Have a listen to the trailer, which also features a familiar voice: “Hello Rose, it’s your mum. Sorry to call. We’ve sort of been invaded…”
Written by John Dorney, Guy Adams and Matt Fitton and directed by Nicholas Briggs, this Big Finish production brings back the characters we know and love for even more adventures.
Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Adventures Volume Two is available now
The BBC is to give viewers in the north of England early access to its Christmas Day schedule, including Peter Capaldi’s final outing as Doctor Who.
The Doctor Who Christmas special, usually a closely guarded secret until transmission, will be shown on big screens at venues in Hartlepool, York, Hull, Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Salford, Durham and Bradford between December 14 and December 22.
Children in Newcastle and Hull will also be able to see The Highway Rat, BBC One’s adaptation of the Julia Donaldson book, which will be shown on Christmas Day afternoon.
York and Hull will also be given a preview of The League of Gentleman, the BBC Two comedy series returning with new episodes after a 15-year hiatus.
Tickets will be allocated via ballot, with 45 per cent going to local postcodes, 45 per cent to the surrounding county and 10 per cent to the rest of the UK.
Demand for the Doctor Who episodes is likely to be high, although the screening will not include the last few moments in which Capaldi regenerates and Jodie Whittaker makes her first appearances. That will be kept as a surprise for the BBC One broadcast on Christmas Day.
Viewers elsewhere in the country might feel put out, but a BBC spokesman explained: “We work hard to serve audiences across the UK and have a long-term commitment to doing more in northern England.
“People in the region are being given the chance to see some key content before its broadcast this Christmas.”
According to the BBC, a quarter of all licence fee payers live in the north of England, and the director-general, Lord Hall, is at pains to make the corporation feel less London-centric.
Venues for the screenings are Hartlepool Town Hall, The Guild Hall in York, Jubilee Church in Hull, St Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle, The Middlesbrough Empire, MediaCityUK in Salford, Durham School and the old Odeon in Bradford.
Adrian Mills, general manager of BBC North, said: “We can’t wait to bring this wonderful seasonal programming direct to our audiences in the North and we’re sure they’ll enjoy this exclusive BBC content.”
Entry to the ballot is via the link below:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/bbc_north_preview_screening_tour
The news that former Doctor Who star Paul McGann was coming to popular BBC hospital drama Holby City was already pretty exciting news, with the erstwhile Eighth Doctor set to make his debut in a two-part special next month.
But now things are even more exciting, because a new trailer has now been unveiled introducing McGann’s character Professor John Gaskell – and a few fans can’t help but see Doctor Who’s influence in the footage, which features McGann as a mysterious hero bursting through the doors to save the day.
Paul McGann Is very much like The Eighth Doctor in this #HolbyCity trailer don't you think? #DoctorWho I think I got away with that one! *cough*
https://t.co/SVStqhgZHs
— Cameron Yarde Jnr (@CameronYardeJnr) November 22, 2017
Very strong Doctor Who TV movie vibez off the RIDICULOUS new Holby City trailer for Paul McGann joining the cast. https://t.co/e20ibVhclV pic.twitter.com/oh93rmbBdu
— Paul Lang (@rudemrlang) November 21, 2017
SO excited for Paul McGann to finally get the TV Doctor Who series he always deserved. https://t.co/xb1ll1oD13
— mothra updates (@mothrasattorney) November 21, 2017
In fact, there are some even more direct comparisons if you look closely.
https://twitter.com/MatGreenfield/status/933102381243310080
https://twitter.com/MatGreenfield/status/933102640258355201
https://twitter.com/MatGreenfield/status/933102795305107457
https://twitter.com/MatGreenfield/status/933103151737061376
Looks like anyone sad they never got to see Paul McGann’s Doctor in a full TV series has a treat in store for them. Five quid says he whips out the sonic screwdriver during surgery…
Paul McGann will appear in Holby City in a two-part episode on 5th and 7th December on BBC1
Mark Gatiss has slammed sexism in television and film.
The Doctor Who writer shared his views on the subject in a recent interview with the Financial Times, in which he suggested a female Doctor was not written before as it would have felt “like a novelty”.
Jodie Whittaker is of course the first female to land the role of the Doctor, and we’ll first see her in action during this year’s Christmas special.
While Gatiss is proud of the progress, he does admit that there should have been a female Doctor “a long time ago”, also implicating himself – a former Doctor Who writer – as part of the problem.
“The industry is, as we know, inherently sexist,” he said.
“There is a cut-off point for actresses, which appears to be now 23 when they’re deemed too old and they have to wait until they’re playing Lady Bracknell.
“I think there should have been a female Doctor Who a long time ago…[but] up to a certain point in its history, it would have felt a bit like a novelty.”
Following these admissions, does Gatiss plan on being part of the solution?
“I would love to write more for women,” he added.
“The problem is you might feel slightly hidebound by what people demand that you do.
“I don’t want to think, ‘It should probably be a woman.”
Hmm. We’ll see.
Doctor Who returns December 25 to BBC One.
Patsy Kensit is set to join the cast of Doctor Who for an upcoming audio adventure.
The Emmerdale and Holby City star is set to star opposite Peter Davison’s Fifth Doctor and his companions in new story Kingdom of Lies, created by Doctor Who audio drama producers Big Finish.
According to Big Finish, Kensit’s character will “cross swords (or lasers)” with Davison’s Doctor alongside classic companions Adric, Tegan and Nyssa.
The series is due for release in January 2018, and while details of Kensit’s character are being kept under wraps, director Barnaby Edwards did drop one hint.
“I can tell you three things,” he said. “She’s sassy, she’s deadly and she’s partly cybernetic.”
Some exciting casting is coming to #DoctorWho in 2018… @patsy_kensit will be joining @PeterDavison5 in Kingdom Of Lies! -> https://t.co/5HhWWuldLm pic.twitter.com/r5G9SVV0Kz
— Big Finish Insider (@bigfinish) November 21, 2017
The story itself sees Davison’s Fifth Doctor and his companions mistaken for deadly assassins on a faraway planet, with all four struggling to survive.
Listen to a short preview of the action (and read the story synopsis) below
On the planet Cicero Prime, the kingdom of Cardenas is divided, with the whole population forced to swear allegiance to either the effete Duke or the fiery, hard-edged Duchess. This is a situation both parties have grown tired of.
What use is half a kingdom when, thanks to a carefully engineered murder, you could have it all?
Surely, neither of them would be rash enough to summon the deadly off-world assassin The Scorpion to help with their problem? And surely, this terrifying figure wouldn’t arrive wearing a long cream coat and striped trousers…?
“In Kingdom of Lies, written by Robert Khan and Tom Salinksy, the TARDIS team are split into pairs and mistaken for deadly assassins embroiled in a particularly spiteful divorce,” script editor Guy Adams explained.
“But will The Scorpion and his vicious colleague-in-slaughter Nyssa the Destroyer win the day? Or will Adric and Tegan from the deadly Order of Alzarius, strike first?
“Kingdom of Lies is, at heart, a bubbly farce. Albeit one with Deadly Drones of Death and psychotic killers for hire. Listeners who heard Robert and Tom’s Early Adventure The Ravelli Conspiracy will know they have previous for wringing joy from courtly intrigue.”
Such intrigue certainly sounds intriguing – and while it’s not quite as exciting as seeing Kensit join the main series, in the long wait between Jodie Whittaker’s arrival in the 2017 Doctor Who Christmas special and her first series next autumn we’ll take all the Whoniverse fun we can get.
Kingdom of Lies will be released in January 2018, and can be pre-ordered from Big Finish now