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Month: February 2019

The autobiography of John Levene in Hardback

The autobiography of John Levene in Hardback

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John Levene: Run the Shadows, Walk the Sun

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.

You can order this book now!

Essential ‘Short Trips’ in the TARDIS from Big Finish

Essential ‘Short Trips’ in the TARDIS from Big Finish

Doctor Who

Big Finish, makers of Doctor Who audio adventures, are releasing their first story set in the Twelfth Doctor era! The Astrea Conspiracy is part of their Short Trips range, a series of new short stories read by cast members of the television series – in this case, Neve McIntosh who played Paternoster Gang member Madame Vastra.

If you have never heard a story from the range, or are in fact new to Doctor Who on audio, here are some other brilliant Short Trips to get yourself started.


All Hands on Deck

Ever wondered what happened to Susan, the Doctor’s Granddaughter? After the Doctor left her in the safe hands of David, straight after the Daleks invaded Earth in 2150 AD, Susan led an eventful life on Earth. After a life of clearing away Dalek technology and rebuilding society, what happens when she meets the Doctor in his Eighth incarnation? Find out in All Hands on Deck!

Order All Hands on Deck on CD and digital download


The Siege of Big Ben/Flight into Hull!

After Journey’s End, Rose stayed in another universe with the Metacrisis Doctor, where they lived happy ever after… or did they? And what happened to Jackie Tyler? In two stories, Jackie tells all about the Metacrisis Doctor and life in the other universe…

Order The Siege of Big Ben and Flight into Hull! on CD and digital download


A Full Life

Not all of the Doctor’s companions have left the TARDIS happily… young Adric’s travels with the Fifth Doctor tragically came to an end in the story Earthshock. But in the ‘Short Trip’ A Full Life, Adric gets the chance to visit a planet where the dead come back and live the life he could have had…

Order A Full Life on CD and digital download


This Sporting Life

A Doctor Who story about football? Madness, surely? But the First Doctor, Steven and Dodo did indeed observe the beautiful game during the World Cup final back in London 1966, and got more than they bargained for…

Order This Sporting Life on CD and digital download


I am the Master

It’s not just companions who feature in the Short Trips range… the Master (played by Geoffrey Beevers who played the Master in the television story The Keeper of Traken) tells a few of his secrets in the terrifying story, I Am The Master.

Order I am the Master on CD and digital download


How to Win Planets and Influence People

The Meddling Monk gives a full lecture on how to take over the universe with some side-notes on how to defeat (or avoid) someone almost as meddlesome as him in destroying nefarious schemes… the Doctor.

Order How to Win Planets and Influence People on CD and Digital download


Like the sound of these? You can view the entire Short Trips range from Big Finish, here and order The Astrea Conspiracy, first Twelfth Doctor story on audio, here.

Doctor Who set for massive change next series over fall in ratings?

Doctor Who set for massive change next series over fall in ratings?

According to The Daily Mail newspaper in the UK it seems Doctor Who will be taking her shortest time trip ever, from a Sunday to Saturday…

BBC bosses are planning on moving the show to its original evening slot after a steady ratings slide during Jodie ­Whittaker’s debut series.

An insider revealed:

“There is a feeling families are freer to watch on Saturdays than Sundays, when kids have homework to finish”.

“While the show rated well overall, there were concerns over the decline in audience.

“Returning to Saturdays is being discussed as a likely option.”

The series averaged a respectable 5.7 million across the 10 episodes.

Episodes for the new Doctor Who series, out early next year, are already being filmed.

Whittaker’s run had a mixed response. Some said storylines were too politically correct but others loved the joy she brought.

The Gallifreyan Newsroom would like to stress that the above story has not been confirmed by the BBC, so should be treated as rumour at this stage!.

Graeme Curry: 1965 – 2019

Graeme Curry: 1965 – 2019

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The writer Graeme Curry has died at the age of 54.

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

DWAS Charity Auction!

DWAS Charity Auction!

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

Village rallies round man’s homemade Dalek

Village rallies round man’s homemade Dalek

A family-run science fiction museum may be exterminated because a Dalek display does not comply with planning regulations.

Neil Cole made the model with his art students in Allendale in Northumberland but Northumberland County Council wants it to be removed.

In protest, residents have created their own homemade Daleks outside their homes and businesses in solidarity.

With thanks to BBC News.

OUT NOW! Tales from the TARDIS #2.3

OUT NOW! Tales from the TARDIS #2.3

Doctor WhoDoctor Who: Tales from the TARDIS comic issue #2.3 is on sale now.

In this issue, the concluding adventures through the Doctor’s many lives! Plus, the Thirteenth Doctor must find the source of a portal that holds a trapped time-traveller! And finally, Bill joins the Twelfth Doctor to battle Ice Warriors and Vikings!

Check out the details and the amazing cover art below:

Doctor Who

Doctor Who

Doctor Who

If you are considering subscribing to the Doctor Who Titan Comics, NOW is the perfect time. This is all you’ll get from your subscription:

  • A free Doctor Who Top Trumps etc
  • You save 15% off the cover price
  • Issues will be delivered to your door completely hassle-free
  • Most of all, you will enjoy some of the most captivating stories this side of the Doctor Who universe!

Doctor Who: Tales from the TARDIS comic issue ##2.3 is on sale now.

Join Jodie Whittaker For Breakfast For Comic Relief!

Join Jodie Whittaker For Breakfast For Comic Relief!

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Send a message to the fandom. Doctor Who fans, stand to attention. This is a chance to have breakfast with the Thirteenth Doctor on the set of Doctor Who in Cardiff.

Jodie Whitaker and her cast mate 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. But that’s not all. After breakfast, you’re going on a tour of the famous Doctor Who set. You’ll watch the filming and meet the stars, and get to speak to the crew who make this astonishing show. To join Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill on this remarkable morning, enter here. For a Who fan, this has got to be the best breakfast in history?

Donated by: Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill and the BBC.


Terms and Conditions

These special Terms below must be read carefully along with Givergy’s terms and conditions.

The winner will receive:

• breakfast with Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill. The meet and greet will take place at the set of Dr Who in Cardiff, Wales. The prize will be fulfilled within the next 12 months subject to filming.
• The winner will tour the set with a representative from the BBC after meeting Jodie Whittaker and will be expected to comply with all BBC policies and procedures during the visit.

The winner must be a UK resident over the age of 18 and their guest may be under the age of 18 provided they are over 14 years old and the winner is their parent or guardian. This experience is subject to Jodie Whittaker’s availability and a date will be agreed between Comic Relief and the BBC.

Unless otherwise agreed in writing or stated above, the winner is responsible for all arrangements and costs required to access the prize including but not limited to, travel and accommodation costs and general expenses including food and beverages.

The winner will be notified on 15 April 2019. If a winner does not respond within 2 days of being notified then the winner’s prize will be forfeited and Givergy will randomly select another winner (as per the Givergy Terms and Conditions for Prize Draws). The winners will be accompanied by the winner of the Comic Relief Doctor Who Auction.

Comic Relief reserves the right to hold void, cancel, suspend, or amend the promotion where it becomes necessary to do so. Comic Relief reserves the right to cancel the provision of the prize should the winner behave in an inappropriate or offensive manner. Comic Relief reserves the right to have a representative accompanying the winner during the prize. There may be a requirement for a representative from the venue, Comic Relief or the artist’s representation during the Prize.

If a winner or their guests have any accessibility or dietary requirements these must be communicated to Comic Relief at least three weeks before the prize is due to take place (or, if the winner is only notified of their win within three weeks before the prize, as soon as is possible after notification).

If a winner wishes to give the prize to another person as a gift, express consent must be obtained from Comic Relief. A winner is prohibited from offering the prize for onward sale or exchange or to make any income or profit from the prize.

The winner and guest may be required to sign a confidentiality agreement with the BBC and may be prohibited from taking photos on set.

The winner agrees to take part in promotional activity and Comic Relief reserves the right to use the name and approximate location of the winner, including their photograph. The artist’s agent will be provided with the name of the winner in advance of the prize taking place. For more information on how Comic Relief uses personal data see: www.comicrelief.com/privacy-notice

To enter for free by post please send your full name, mobile number, email address, country of residence and date of birth with the reference Dr Who – Comic Relief to:

Givergy
The Studios
Rosedale Road
Richmond
TW9 2SX

Entries must arrive within 2 days of the closing date indicated above.

Students at the University of Central Lancashire Recreate Mission To The Unknown

Students at the University of Central Lancashire Recreate Mission To The Unknown

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Doctor Who actor Peter Purves is in Preston this morning as students at the University of Central Lancashire start a project to film a lost episode. The students will spend the next three days filming Mission to the Unknown in order to bring the story back to life. Here are six facts about the missing Doctor Who episode known as Mission to the Unknown or Dalek Cutaway.

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1. It is short but sweet – It is the only single, twenty-five minute story in the programme’s history.

2. The original footage did not survive – The episode was part of the third season of Doctor Who which was first broadcast on October 9, 1965. Only audio recordings of the episode exist. The videotaped episode was wiped in July 1974.

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3. It is the only story not to feature the regular cast including the Doctor himself who was played at the time by William Hartnell. It doesn’t feature the TARDIS at all and the Doctor’s companions Vicki, played by Maureen O’Brien and Steven Taylor, played by Peter Purves do not appear either.

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4. The episode came about thanks to holiday leave – Producer Verity Lambert wanted to give the cast regulars an extra week’s holiday between the second and third production blocks, extending their break from five weeks to six, and so it was decided to make the final episode in serial T a one-off story without including any of the regular actors.

5. Both Mission to the Unknown and The Daleks’ Master Plan were the only 1960s Doctor Who stories that were offered for overseas sale but never purchased.

6. An unabridged reading of the book Daleks – Mission to the Unknown by Peter Purves and Jean Marsh, with Dalek voices supplied by Nicholas Briggs, was released by BBC Audiobooks in May 2010. The episode was also reconstructed as an animation in a project led by Ian Levine.

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Whovians flock to Doctor Who escape room at Oxford’s Westgate Centre

Whovians flock to Doctor Who escape room at Oxford’s Westgate Centre

Escape Hunt Game Masters pictured at the Westgate Centre site where a Doctor Who challenge has just launched
Escape Hunt Game Masters pictured at the Westgate Centre site where a Doctor Who challenge has just launched

Doctor Who fans can now revel in being Doctor Who’s sidekick to help defeat the Cybermen and save the world – all from inside Oxford’s Westgate Centre.

Crowds of fans have been rushing to Escape Hunt Oxford after it launched an official Doctor Who escape room where fans must solve cryptic clues against the clock.

The escape game, Worlds Collide, transports Tardis travellers into the office of eccentric billionaire Alastair Montague.

There, groups face a battle with of the Time Lord’s oldest enemies the Cybermen after a time travel mishap cause a tear in the very fabric of space and time.

Puzzlers are locked in the room for 60 minutes and challenged to find clues and objects to solve riddles which will ultimately save the world.

Organisers say the game has already been hugely popular with people keen to help Doctor Who Jodie Whitaker take on the robot hordes.

Teams of up to six people can take on the challenge of closing the tear before the Cybermen break through.

Oxford Mail:

The game has been created in partnership with BBC Studios and as such promises authentic Doctor Who-style decor and details to fully immerse any fan into another dimension.

The BBC partnership also means current Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker is on hand to with hints and tips along the way via the intercom.

The unveiling of the Doctor Who-themed room is the latest in a number of escape challenges set up at the Westgate site.

Escape Hunt Oxford now boasts a total of four different escape room challenges, the others being Blackbeard’s Treasure, The Fourth Samurai and Escape The Wild West.

Escape Hunt, which has 250 branches worldwide across six continents, first opened its site in the Westgate in October.

The Doctor Who-themed room opened on February 8 and is the third room of its kind to be launched alongside one in Bristol and Leeds.

Escape Hunt will also open in Manchester next week, plus Reading and Birmingham next month.

Tickets for the Oxford experience cost £33 per person for groups of three players.

For groups of four to six players, the price drops to £30 a person.

For tickets or for more information on how to book go to escapehunt.com/DoctorWho

With thanks to The Oxford Mail