August 2020

The Evil of the Daleks and The Abominable Snowmen to be recreated in animation

29 August 2020 admin Comments 5 Comments

The Evil of the Daleks ★★★★★ - Radio Times

There has been much reported over the last week about future animated Doctor Who releases, with both The Mirror and Radio Times making mention that The Evil of the Daleks and The Abominable Snowmen are set to be released in 2021.

Originally planned to be the last appearance of the Doctor’s greatest foe, The Evil of the Daleks is also notable for featuring the first appearance of Second Doctor companion Victoria Waterfield (played by Deborah Watling), with only the episode that she first appears in (discovered in a car boot sale years later) surviving to be returned to the BBC Archive.

On This Day… In 1967 The Yeti First Appeared - Blogtor Who

The Abominable Snowmen, meanwhile, also has just one episode left standing, with the other five – featuring a story where the Doctor first meets recurring robot foes the Yeti – all still missing.

Both starring Patrick Troughton, these stories were lost during an archive purge at the BBC, with only scraps of footage of the missing episodes remaining – however, as with previously recreated lost stories, original soundtrack recordings and set photos will be used to accurately recreate the on-screen action as much as possible.

GNR understands more information about the animation teams working on the episodes and details about the release will be unveiled in due course – for now, though, fans can just get excited that more missing Doctor Who will, in some way, be returning to the canon for fans to enjoy watching.

Online multiplayer game Nightfall adds Doctor Who for a limited time!

26 August 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

Young UK gamers can now transport themselves inside the iconic world of Doctor Who for a limited time in Nightfall, the BBC’s online multiplayer game.

Nightfall’s REM Zone 2 has been transformed until 29th September, and it’s up to Nightfallers to work together and keep the Doctor’s most infamous villains – the Daleks – at bay.

Doctor Who Nightfall

The free-to-play game gives players the chance to claim new outfits and style their Nightfaller as the Thirteenth Doctor, or as one of the Doctor’s long-standing enemies, the Cybermen. Once they’ve unlocked the outfits, they’ll be able to keep them forever.

In Nightfall, players control a version of themselves that exists in their dreams – a Nightfaller. Their purpose: to work with other Nightfallers and defend the Dream from Nightmares, made up of worries from the waking world.

The Doctor Who takeover of REM Zone 2 is one of five REM zones available within the game, hosting up to 20 players across them at a time. Nightfall is being continuously updated and this time-limited feature is the latest in a series of collaborations with BBC brands, with more coming soon.

Rachel Bardill, executive editor, BBC Children’s says:

“Nightfall puts collaboration before competition, and this new Doctor Who zone is an exciting addition, transporting children inside the world of the Doctor to unite and take on the Daleks together. It’s especially important now for kids to connect when they’re apart from friends and classmates, and Nightfall is bringing them together in an online dream world to help defeat Nightmares.”

The Doctor Who zone is only available in the UK, until 29th September, so allons-y!

UK gamers can download Nightfall now for iOS, Android and Amazon devices, or play online here.

Character Options Announces Exclusive Dalek Twin Pack

26 August 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

Character Options have announced an exclusive new Dalek set, featuring the Daleks from the 1965 First Doctor adventure, The Chase

Doctor Who

Way back in 1965, a six-part First Doctor story entitled The Chase became famous in the eyes of Doctor Who fans for being special in many ways. It featured some unique guest Daleks seen in Episode Three and Five. In creating this exclusive ‘Jungles of Mechanus’ set, the team at Character have followed up on their original Daleks release for The Chase with something unique to delight, fans and collectors and to pay homage to the unique Daleks seen onscreen.

Al Dewar, Character Options’ Head of Product Development, went on to explain why these Daleks are a special collectible for Doctor Who fans:

“Firstly it’s the final adventure for the last of the original TARDIS companions, Ian and Barbara, but it also features the first and last appearance of a race of robotic creatures the Mechanoids.

“Dalek aficionados will also know that it marks the appearance of some rather special guest Dalek props that were seen in Episodes 3 and 5. At the time of filming the BBC were short of Dalek props having only three left. New Daleks were commissioned, but to fill the gap, they hired three Dalek props from the ‘Doctor Who and The Daleks’ movie.”

The ‘Jungles of Mechanus’ Dalek set are two unaltered props glimpsed several times as part of the Dalek patrols pursuing the TARDIS crew through the Jungle. With their distinctively different light covers and skirt bases along with unique metallic colours, this set brings the fans and collectors a one-off unique TV Dalek Action Figure never produced before.

Doctor Who

The initial release will have just 5000 sets available marking its ultimate collectability.

The ‘Jungles of Mechanus Set’ is available for pre-order now from the Character Options website for a limited run.

LUCY WILSON FREE LUCY WILSON AUDIO STORY

26 August 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

Candy Jar Books is pleased to announce its latest free-for-download short story, Edge of Glory. This time it is something different! The story is an audio version of Alan Stott’s story as featured in The Lucy Wilson Mysteries book, Lockdown.

Head of publishing at Candy Jar, Shaun Russell, says:

“Alan and I were discussing ways to sell our final copies of the book, so we could raise as much money for the NHS charities as possible. I then suggested he recorded an audio version of his story.”

Alan, whose own children’s book Those Kids Next Door has been affected by the pandemic, accepted the challenge. He says:

“Shaun and I have been working closely on Those Kids Next Door, but COVID-19 has delayed its release until the autumn. So when Shaun suggested an audio version of my Lucy Wilson short story I was intrigued. However, given the difficulty of recording at the moment, we made the decision for me to record the audio at home, and Shaun’s colleague, Justin Chaloner, to add the music and sound effects separately. I must say I was pleased with the result.”

Shaun continues:

“Alan really put his heart and soul into the recording and, with a few false starts, we got there in the end. The free download is 30-minutes long and available from the Candy Jar website. If you have yet to buy the Lockdown paperback please do so before we run out. Go on, it’s for a good cause!”

The collection contains eight short stories. Aside from Alan, the other authors include Andy Frankham-Allen & Tim Gambrell (who take Lucy back to Invasion of the Dinosaurs), John Peel, Tom Dexter, Alan Stott, Cherry Cobb, Paul W Robinson, Adrian Sherlock and Shaun Russell.

For Doctor Who fans that are unaware of Lucy Wilson, she is the granddaughter of the iconic Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, one of Doctor Who’s longest running characters. “The Brigadier”, as he is known to fans, was played by the late Nicholas Courtney.

Those Kids Next Door is available from www.thosekidsnextdoor.com

Lockdown, a collection of pandemic-inspired Lucy Wilson short stories is still available. The royalties from sales will be donated to NHS charities and Candy Jar will double this amount.

To purchase The Lucy Wilson Mysteries: Lockdown please visit: http://www.candy-jar.co.uk/books/freestory.html

Doctor Who Magazine: 555

19 August 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

Highlights include:

• The story behind a long-lost 1970s photoshoot starring Tom Baker as the Doctor.

• Derek Jacobi answers questions from the TARDIS Tin.

• An exclusive preview of the new release of Fury from the Deep.

• How Doctor Who was nearly cancelled in 1970… and what saved the show.

• Doctor Who on Super Channel and UK Gold.

• The BSB Doctor Who Weekend – 30 years on.

• The Controversial Continuity of the Silurians, UNIT dating and the fourth dimension.

• The Fact of Fiction explores the 2014’s Mummy on the Orient Express.

• Apocrypha revisits Continuity Errors, Steven Moffat’s first professional Doctor Who work.

• The Power of the Daleks Special Edition reviewed.

• Previews and reviews, news, prize-winning competitions, The Blogs of Doom and much more!

Release date: 19/08/2020

Doctor Who: Time Fracture is landing February 2021!

19 August 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

Immersive Everywhere today revealed further details for Doctor Who: Time Fracture, a new immersive theatrical event starting next year!

Tickets will go on general sale from 10am (UK time) on Thursday 20th August, and priority booking access is available for Gallifreyan Coin holders from today.

Doctor Who: Time Fracture will take place in London within a former military drill hall dating back to 1890. Performances will start from 17th February 2021, with tickets available through to 11th April 2021.

Doctor Who - Immersive Theatre experience, Time Fracture

1940 – it’s the height of the Blitz. A weapon of unknown origin destroys a small corner of Mayfair, and simultaneously opens up a rift in space and time. For decades, UNIT has fought to protect the people of Earth from the dangers it poses, but they’ve been beaten back as the fracture multiplies out of control.

Earth as we know it is at stake – now is the time for you to step up and be the hero. Travelling to impossible places, confronting menacing monsters and ancient aliens along the way, it’s a journey across space and time to save our race, and our beautiful planet.

Featuring an original story arc, Doctor Who: Time Fracture will invite audiences to become immersed in the world of Doctor Who. Placed at the heart of the story, audiences will meet Daleks, Cybermen, Time Lords and many other strange and mysterious characters as they travel across space and time to discover amazingly realised worlds and undertake a mission to save the universe as we know it.

Plus, Doctor Who: Time Fracture will allow guests to meet a character from Time Lord Victorious, BBC Studios’ brand new multi-platform Doctor Who story.

Audiences may be interested in these top secret field logs from UNIT. You can follow the story so far with more to come over the coming days:

Director Tom Maller (Secret Cinema’s Casino Royale, 28 Days Later, Blade Runner), writer Daniel Dingsdale (Dark Tourism, Stardust, The Drop Off) BBC consultant James Goss (Dirk Gently, Torchwood), Production Designer Rebecca Brower and the creative team at Immersive Everywhere will bring to vivid life the worlds of Doctor Who, giving audiences a chance to experience the Doctor’s adventures like never before.

Doctor Who: Time Fracture will take place whilst adhering to the social distancing guidelines announced by the UK Government this month. Immersive Everywhere will also be operating a no-questions-asked exchange policy where customers who are no longer able to attend can exchange their ticket for an equivalent ticket on an alternative date.

Immersive Everywhere will also be offering a free preview performance of Doctor Who: Time Fracture as a special thank you to care workers at the front line of the coronavirus pandemic. Further details to follow.

Head to the Time Fracture website for more information and to book your tickets from Thursday 20th August.

The Empty Child & The Doctor Dances Tweetalong #AreYouMyMummy

14 August 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

Doc Oho Reviews...: The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances ...

This Saturday, August 15th 2020, standby for a special series 1 tweetalong, as Emily Cook hosts the two parter “The Empty Child” and “The Doctor Dances“. So, get those DVDs / BBC iplayer at the ready at 7.00pm (BST) and lets remember those glorious Saturday nights back in 2005.

On Twitter please use the hashtag #AreYouMyMummy

Do leave your comments at the bottom of this page and let us know your thoughts about this two part story?

Earlier this week I suggested a Ninth Doctor Tweetalong! Over 4,500 of you voted to decide that we should watch The Empty Child & The Doctor Dances.

So let’s do it!

Saturday 15th August.

7pm The Empty Child
8pm The Doctor Dances

Tweetalong with the hashtag #AreYouMyMummy pic.twitter.com/Tpxg6cjPyD

— Emily Cook (@Emily_Rosina) August 14, 2020

A Doctor Who digital trading card game is coming soon

13 August 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

Doctor Who: Worlds Apart, launching with Reality Gaming Group, is a brand-new Doctor Who digital trading card game, coming to PC in 2021 with a mobile version to follow.

Fans will be able to collect and trade digital versions of their favourite characters for the first time, before adventuring through the Doctor Who: Worlds Apart game as the Doctor, battling friends in turn-based contests.

Doctor Who: Worlds Apart players will own unique digital collectible items which can be used in the game or traded with other players.

Doctor Who Worlds Apart digital trading card game

As with physical trading cards, some will be rarer than others, and all will feature Doctors, companions, allies and enemies from across Doctor Who’s expansive history.

Limited edition packs containing five digital cards will be available for fans to buy from October 2020. Once these limited-edition cards have sold out, they will not be available to purchase again, except by trading with others.

The accompanying Doctor Who: Worlds Apart trading card game will be released for PC in 2021 with mobile to follow, allowing players to go head-to-head with their card collections. More cards will also be made available at launch.

Tony Pearce, Co-Founder of Reality Gaming Group, said:

“We are tremendously excited to be working with BBC Studios to bring Doctor Who’s huge global community an exciting new digital experience based on a pastime we all know and love – trading cards. The cards used in Doctor Who: Worlds Apart are both functional and collectible, so fans can actually own a piece of the game while they play.”

John Kavanagh, Licensing Manager, Gaming and Interactive, BBC Studios, said:

“This what BBC Studios does so brilliantly, exploring new technologies and bringing our most iconic brand to an area of the gaming industry which we’re sure will engage and thrill fans.”

Keep an eye out for more information on this new Doctor Who game, coming soon. Sign up to the mailing list at the Worlds Apart website for more.

Make your own Thirteenth Doctor comic!

13 August 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

The Thirteenth Doctor makes her debut in the official Doctor Who Comic Creator app!

In a brand-new free content pack that also includes the Master and his Cyber Masters, now you can add the Thirteenth Doctor to create your own fantastic time travelling tales.

Doctor Who Comic Creator

Ever imagined creating epic battles against the Daleks on Skaro, or sending the Doctor to foil the Cybermen on a futuristic space station? How about designing your very own species of alien Monster to unleash against the Doctor! Now there’s no stopping you, with the awesome Doctor Who: Comic Creator!

Free to download, the app features a Comic Maker, a Comic Reader, a Monster Maker, Fact Files and its own Comic Store.

Doctor Who Comic Creator

Doctor Who comic creator

Comic Creator comes with one free pack featuring over 100 components to design your own comics, plus Episode 1 of the Comic Creator adventure A Stitch in Time.

Each additional purchased Pack features new Doctors, Companions, Monsters, monster parts, backgrounds, Fact Files, props and sounds for your own comics – plus a further action-packed installment of A Stitch in Time.

You can download the latest version of the Doctor Who Comic Creator app now, available on the App Store, Google Play and Amazon App Store.

Doctor Who watchalongs to return in celebration of Christopher Eccleston comeback

10 August 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper in Doctor Who (BBC)

Communal Doctor Who watchalongs were a regular feature of early lockdown – and they are set to return next weekend in celebration of Christopher Eccleston’s return to the Whoniverse.

It was revealed yesterday that Eccleston would be reprising his role as the Ninth Doctor after 15 years for a new set of audio adventures, ands the news prompted Doctor Who Magazine’s Emily Cook to revive the popular watchalong events.

Cook took to Twitter to suggest a series one watchalong next Saturday at 7pm, offering fans three options to choose from – each one a different two-parter from Eccleston’s brief spell as the iconic Time Lord.

She wrote, “As there is so much love for the Ninth Doctor (always, but especially tonight) I’m going to suggest… A SERIES 1 TWEETALONG! Anyone up for that?”

As there is so much love for the Ninth Doctor (always, but especially tonight) I’m going to suggest…

A SERIES 1 TWEETALONG!

Anyone up for that?

Next Saturday 15th August @ 7pm.

You decide what we watch!

Which of these two-parters shall we revisit together? #DoctorWho

— Emily Cook (@Emily_Rosina) August 9, 2020

She then posted a poll allowing her followers to choose between Aliens of London, The Empty Child and Bad Wolf – and with over 2,500 votes already cast The Empty Child currently holds a significant lead, commanding more than a 50 per cent share of the vote.

News of Eccleston’s return drew an extremely enthusiastic response from Whovians, and so it is no surprise that Cook’s suggestion of another watchalong was greeted with a very positive reaction.

The watchalongs proved very popular in the 10 weeks they ran following the start of lockdown, with numerous big name guests tweeting along with a range of popular new Who episodes including The Day of the Doctor and Vincent and the Doctor.

Former showrunners Steven Moffat and Russell T Davies as well as previous doctors Matt Smith and David Tenant and a slew of ex-companions all took part in the events, while there were also some new mini-episodes created specially for the watchalongs.

The events originally drew to a close at the beginning of June with a double bill of series 10 episodes World Enough and Time and The Doctor Falls marking the end, but the return of Eccleston was clearly too good an opportunity to pass up the chance of a further watchalong.

At this stage it appears this will be a one-off event but if feedback is positive (as it seems almost certain to be) then you never know…

Doctor Who returns to BBC One in late 2020/early 2021.