October 2020

Time and Doctors: A Story For The NHS

31 October 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

A wide variety of actors from Doctor Who and its spin-off Class, along with Doctor voice impressionists, narrated Time and Doctors, a short unofficial, non-canonical Doctor Who ‘storybook’ audio story – about time, chaos and all those who go by the title of doctor.

Recorded during lockdown, the confirmed contributors are: Colin Baker, David Bradley, Carole Ann Ford, William Russell, Jemma Powell, Maureen O’Brien, Peter Purves, Ajjaz Awad, Elliot Chapman, Chris Walker-Thomson, Wendy Padbury, Marshall Tankersley, Katy Manning, Daisy Ashford, Jon Culshaw, Siobhan Gallichan, Bart Suavek, Ian Sears, Joanna McGibbon, Sophie Iles, Josh Snares, Mark Strickson, Nicola Bryant, Bonnie Langford, Wink Taylor, Sophie Aldred, Lisa Bowerman, Matthew Toffolo, Yee Jee Tso, Iain Cameron, Athena Stamos, Ben Tedds, Ryan Aplin, Pete Walsh, Elliott Crossley, Catherine Tate, Jonathon Carley, Jacqueline King, Robert Moloney, Harry Draper, Arthur Darvill, Alex Kingston, Joivan Wade, Jessica Martin, Greg Austin, Sophie Hopkins, Jordan Renzo, Fady Elsayed, Ellie Chapman and Seylan Baxter.

The story was written, directed and produced by Jamie H. Cowen with efforts from Jeffrey Princeton (Producer), Harry McDowell (Theme Composer), Charlie Ling (Opening & Closing Visual Designer & Creator) and Benji Clifford, Paul Crispino, Christopher Eden & Hayden Powell (Music).

Cowen issued this statement about the fundraiser:

The NHS is not only integral to so many, it has played some part in my own personal life (not least ensuring my own stability when I was born premature) and my mother works as an operating department practitioner, so I know all too well the difficulties of their work. Now, more so than ever – as we find ourselves continuing through this unusual and hard time – they need our help. And I hope this story can both help raise money for them, and give Whovian listeners a nice boost of hope.

You can contribute to the Time and Doctors fundraiser here.

Coming soon, the Twelfth Doctor and Davros, plus Ace and Dalek action figures!

30 October 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

Character Options has announced their next batch of Doctor Who products, with two new sets going on sale in November 2020.

The Witch’s Familiar Set

This action figure set is inspired by the Twelfth Doctor story The Witch’s Familiar, first broadcast in September 2015.

On Skaro the Twelfth Doctor confronts a dying Davros who is using living Daleks as life-support. Can the Doctor intercept Davros’ evil plan before it is too late?

The set comprises of the Twelfth Doctor and Davros figures and recognises the face-to-face moment when Davros and the Doctor lock horns.

The Coal Hill School Set

This action figure set is inspired by the Seventh Doctor story Remembrance of the Daleks, first broadcast in October 1988.

The TARDIS arrives in London in 1963, where the Doctor and Ace discover that two rival factions of Daleks – one loyal to the Dalek Emperor and one to the Dalek Supreme – are seeking the Hand of Omega, a powerful Time Lord device that the first Doctor hid there during an earlier sojourn on Earth.

The Daleks are focusing their search around Coal Hill School – the school that the Doctor’s grand-daughter Susan attended – while a military unit led by Group Captain Gilmore is attempting to resist their incursions.

The figures in this set feature an Imperial Dalek and Ace as well as accessories like Ace’s backpack and an RPG launcher.

Al Dewar, Character Options’ Creative Director, said.

“This year has seen a cascade of new sets for collectors and fans and these latest two sets are favourites of mine because they represent unique moments in Doctor Who that many fans including myself remember… wonderful stuff!’

These action figures are available from B&M in the UK from late November 2020, and from The Official North America Doctor Who Store, Amazon and the BBC Shop in the US.

The Eleventh Doctor’s final series to be released as Blu-ray steelbook

30 October 2020 admin Comments 1 Comment

Meet the Impossible girl and say goodbye to the Ponds! The Blu-ray steelbook of series 7 will be released Monday 14th December, featuring new and exclusive artwork.

Series 7 is the final full series of adventures with Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor. This series also said farewell to Amy Pond and Rory Williams, played by Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill, and introduced Clara Oswald, played by Jenna Coleman.

Doctor Who The Steelbook Seventh Series

As well as a brand-new companion, this series saw the return of Alex Kingston as River Song, and the Paternoster Gang, made up of Neve McIntosh as Madame Vastra, Catrin Stewart a Jenny Flint and Dan Starkey as the Sontaran Strax. It also has the introduction of Kate Stewart, played by Jemma Redgrave.

There is an illustrious number of guest stars in series 7, including Mark Williams, Rupert Graves, Riann Steele, David Bradley, Adrian Scarborough, Ben Browder, Steven Berkoff, Richard E Grant, Ian McKellen, Celia Imrie, David Warner, Tobias Menzies, Ashley Walters, Mark Oliver, Jahvel Hall, Rachael Stirling, Jason Watkins, Warwick Davis, Tamzin Outhwaite, and the late Sir John Hurt and Dame Diana Rigg.

This limited edition steelbook features bespoke artwork created by illustrator Sophie Cowdrey. Bonus features include six prequels, fifteen behind the scenes featurettes, four commentary tracks, three additional scenes, three documentaries, three pieces of exclusive content, a feature on The Making of the Gunslinger, the additional scene Pond Life and the comic-con panel.

The 15 episodes are:

The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe
Asylum of the Daleks
Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
A Town Called Mercy
The Power of Three
The Angels Take Manhattan
The Snowmen
The Bells of Saint John
The Rings of Akhaten
Cold War
Hide
Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS
The Crimson Horror
Nightmare in Silver
The Name of the Doctor

Doctor Who: The Complete Seventh Series on Steelbook Blu-Ray is available to pre-order now on Amazon, HMV, Zavvi and Zoom and is being released on Monday 14th December.

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DOCTOR WHO TO FEATURE ON CHILDREN IN NEED 2020

30 October 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

This year BBC Children in Need will be celebrating its 40th anniversary, culminating in an evening of programming live from BBC Elstree Studios on Friday 13 November.

The BBC tease: “From Strictly Come Dancing, to EastEnders and Doctor Who, the fundraising spectacular will be jam-packed with exclusive sketches, exciting performances, music, dance and a few surprises!”

This year the show will be hosted by Mel Giedroyc, Stephen Mangan, Alex Scott MBE and Chris Ramsey, as the hosts come together to help disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.

BBC Children In Need airs on Friday 13th November on BBC One.

Composer with dementia whose piano-playing went viral meets students he inspired!

26 October 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

Paul Harvey has dementia — but his musical memory remains ... — Paul Harvey has dementia — but his musical memory remains …

Despite being diagnosed with dementia late last year, 80-year-old Paul Harvey, a composer and teacher, has continued to be able to play piano pieces from memory.

After a clip filmed by his son Nick went viral, BBC Breakfast reunited Paul with some of his former students and colleagues whose lives he impacted during his time as a music teacher, one of which was former Doctor Who theme arranger Dominic Glynn.

Coming soon: The Third Doctor and friends, the Melkur and Dalek figurines

23 October 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

Figurine versions of some classic Doctor Who characters will be coming soon from Hero Collector. Read on for more!

The Third Doctor, Jo Grant, Brigadier & Benton

Doctor Who Eaglemoss October 2020 reveals

Exiled to Earth by his fellow Time Lords, the Third Doctor (played by Jon Pertwee) worked as a scientific advisor to the Unified Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT) to defend Earth from alien invasion. A dapper “secret agent” stranded in space and time, the Third Doctor had a love of cars and gadgets, and a deep mistrust of authority – for all that he wanted others to listen to him! His figurine is posed with both hands raised, ready to unleash his formidable Venusian Aikido!

The Third Doctor is joined here by outspoken lab assistant Jo Grant (Katy Manning), whose pluck and loyalty saw her through countless clashes with outlandish enemies – the first appearances of The Master among them. The box set also includes the ever-reliable Sergeant Benton (John Levene), and the aggressive and aristocratic Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney), who seldom had the patience for a scientific solution, but learned to trust his Gallifreyan advisor in all matters extraterrestrial.

You can order The Third Doctor companion set from Hero Collector

The Official Figurine Collection Special #26 – The Melkur

An ominous statue found on the harmonious planet of Traken, the Melkur was said to be a source of great evil, kept sealed in a sacred grove. In truth, it was a camouflaged form for the Master’s TARDIS, which he used to manipulate the entire planet. His desperate search for immortality came to a climax when he claimed the body of Tremas – played by the iconic Anthony Ainley!

You can order The Melkur from Hero Collector

Time Lord Victorious – Dalek Sets

As war rages across time and space, the Daleks return to the cosmos – led by the genius of their battleworn Strategists, and enforced by the terrifying firepower of the Dalek Executioner! The accompanying magazine includes exclusive story content for Time Lord Victorious, an all-new multi-platform Doctor Who story! Hero Collector is joining countless licensors to deliver this epic Doctor Who crossover event.

You can order the Time Lord Victorious Daleks from Hero Collector here

You can order these Doctor Who figurines and much more from Hero Collector.

Know your enemy with the Dalek Combat Training Manual

22 October 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

As one of the Time Lords’ most notorious enemy returns to Doctor Who this festive season, BBC Books announces an all-new comprehensive user’s guide to the Daleks, with technical information and drawings, case histories, and more.

Doctor Who The Dalek Combat Training Manual

The Daleks are the most evil creatures ever created – genetically engineered mutants encased in a machine that is optimised to kill. They hate all other life forms and will stop at nothing to destroy those who stand in their way – their single-minded imperative? To become the dominant species in the universe.

The Dalek Combat Training Manual collates intelligence gathered by Time Lords over centuries of raging wars through space and time and is invaluable to anyone engaging the Daleks in battle. It offers the user an in-depth guide to their construction, their strategies and how they can be defeated.

Readers can discover diagrams of Dalek spacecraft, insights into the many Dalek factions, a history of the Time War, detailed analysis of their creator Davros, and much more.

This manual is the definitive guide to one of the most feared races in the Whoniverse, written by Richard Atkinson and Mike Tucker, and illustrated by Gavin Rymill.

Doctor Who The Dalek Combat Training Manual

Pre-order your copy of the Dalek Combat Training Manual now, ahead of its release on the 18th February 2021.

A collection of Doctor Who adventures in lockdown is coming!

17 October 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

Penguin Random House will be publishing Doctor Who: Adventures in Lockdown, a collection of stories written by Doctor Who writers in response to COVID-19, in aid of BBC Children in Need.

During challenging months of global uncertainty and isolation, the Doctor and the TARDIS has remained a dream that drew many – allowing them to roam the cosmos in search of distraction, reassurance and adventure. This very special short story collection brings these epic tales together, along with three brand new stories and beautiful illustrations in support of BBC Children in Need.

Current showrunner Chris Chibnall, and former show runners Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat, present exciting adventures, alongside work from Chris Riddell, Joy Wilkinson, Paul Cornell, Pete McTighe, Sonia Leong, Sophie Cowdrey and Mike Collins. Also featuring three brand new stories from Neil Gaiman, Mark Gatiss and Vinay Patel, Adventures in Lockdown is a book for any Doctor Who fan in your life, stories that will send your heart spinning wildly through space and time…

The full list of stories included are:

A Message from the Doctor
Things She Thought While Falling by Chris Chibnall
The Terror of the Umpty Ums by Steven Moffat
Doctor Who and the Time War by Russell T Davies
Revenge of the Nestene by Russell T Davies
Rory’s Story by Neil Gaiman
One Virtue, and a Thousand Crimes by Neil Gaiman
The Simple Things by Joy Wilkinson
The Tourist by Vinay Patel
Fellow Traveller by Mark Gatiss
The Shadow Passes by Paul Cornell
Shadow of a Doubt by Paul Cornell
The Shadow in the Mirror by Paul Cornell
Press Play by Pete McTighe
Listen by Steven Moffat
The Secret of Novice Hame by Russell T Davies

And there is also new work by illustrators:

Lee Binding
Mike Collins
Sophie Cowdrey
Sonia Leong
Valentina Mozzo
Chris Riddell
Adrian Salmon
David Wardle
Richard Wells

BBC Books Publishing Director, Albert DePetrillo, says:

“Since I first mentioned the idea for this collection to the Doctor Who and BBC Children in Need teams, the response has been amazing. We’ve gathered a truly stellar list of writers and illustrators, who have contributed their time and creativity for a wonderful cause. Doctor Who and BBC Children in Need are a powerful combination, and Adventures in Lockdown is a book that celebrates the best of the Whoniverse – which is to say, the best in all of us.”

£2.25 from every copy sold in the UK of Doctor Who: Adventures in Lockdown will benefit BBC Children in Need

You can pre-order Adventures in Lockdown now from UK retailers ahead of its release in on 5th November 2020.

Two brand new Doctor Who games launching in Spring 2021

15 October 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

Announced today are two brand-new video games launching in Spring 2021. These two games, made in partnership with Maze Theory and BBC Studios will expand the Doctor Who interactive universe.

Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality:

Coming to consoles and PC, Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality reimagines, and builds upon, last year’s VR experience, Doctor Who: The Edge of Time, with a new and compelling first-person adventure.

With brand-new gameplay, new monsters and new worlds to explore, players will wield the Thirteenth Doctor’s sonic screwdriver on a quest to save the universe. Players will be guided by the Thirteenth Doctor, voiced by Jodie Whittaker, and joined by the Tenth Doctor, voiced by David Tennant.

The Edge of Reality features a console and PC adventure across Space and Time, built with current and next generation consoles in mind, it contains new worlds to explore, new puzzles, new challenges and new gameplay. With an original Doctor Who story, you will uncover a universe-spanning threat as you seek to save reality from a series of time-breaking glitches. Continue the story that began in The Edge of Time and partner with the Doctor to unearth a greater mystery.

In The Edge of Reality you’ll also come face-to-face with classic Doctor Who monsters including the Daleks and Weeping Angels, experience the metal-clad terror of the Cybermen and more foes yet to be revealed…

Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins:

Coming to iOS, Android and Nintendo Switch, The Lonely Assassins is being developed by award-winning Malaysian studio Kaigan Games, renowned for pushing the boundaries of storytelling within mobile.

The Lonely Assassins will see players uncover and decipher the mystery of a ‘found phone’, unravelling a sinister series of events taking place at Wester Drumlins, the iconic ‘uninhabited’ home featured in the legendary Doctor Who episode Blink.

Someone is missing, and a menacing new nemesis has emerged. Players will work with Petronella Osgood and other classic characters as they get steadily closer to the truth.

There is only one rule: don’t turn your back, don’t look away and don’t blink!

Fire up your consoles and get your mobiles ready! Vist the The Edge of Reality and The Lonely Assassins websites to register your interest before their launch in Spring 2021.

DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE 557

15 October 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

Highlights of the new issue include:

An exclusive look at the new animated YouTube series Daleks!, featuring interviews with the cast and crew members.
Voice artist Nicholas Briggs explains how he brought the Emperor Dalek to life.
Doctor Who’s 50 scariest moments, with comments from Maxine Alderton, Chris Chibnall, Frazer Hines, Steven Moffat and more.
Ray Holman’s guide to the creatures he designed and dressed for Series 12 – with never-before-seen sketches from the Doctor Who Costume Department.
The second part of Time Lord Victorious: Monstrous Beauty, a new comic-strip adventure for the Ninth Doctor and Rose.
A new regular feature on memorabilia looks at how to collect the Doctor Who Annual.
The Fact of Fiction continues its exploration of the 1964 story Marco Polo, plus interviews with Carole Ann Ford, Philip Voss and production assistant Penny Joy.
Apocrypha rediscovers the 1987 comic-strip The World Shapers.
Reviews of new books The Monster Vault and The Knight, the Fool and the Dead.
Previews and reviews, news, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser, The Blogs of Doom and more!

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 557 is on sale from Thursday 15 October £5.99 (UK)