Here’s a breakdown of the latest seven-day consolidated ratings for week 25-31 October 2021. Figures are courtesy of BARB, and include those who watched live and those who watched within a seven-day period on catch-up.
EXCLUSIVE SERIES 13 PREVIEW AND THE LATEST FROM CHRIS CHIBNALL
Highlights of the new issue include:
Three variant covers to collect – Swarm, Azure and Skaak.
The latest Production Notes from showrunner Chris Chibnall.
An exclusive preview of the final episodes of Series 13, with contributions from Chris Chibnall, Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill and John Bishop.
Interviews with Sam Spruell and Rochenda Sandall, who play Flux supervillains Swarm and Azure.
Production designer Dafydd Shurmer discusses the sets he created for Series 13, with previously unseen concept art and other exclusive images.
Writer and director Pete McTighe describes the making of the trailer for the new Season 17 Blu-ray box set.
A look back at The Five Faces of Doctor Who repeat season, on the 40th anniversary of its BBC2 screening.
The second instalment of a two-part feature looking at Doctor Who’s most successful, and not so successful, relaunches.
The Fact of Fiction analyses the 1984 story Planet of Fire.
The second part of The Forest Bride, a brand-new comic-strip adventure for the Doctor and Yaz.
Sufficient Data explores Doctor Who’s big ideas.
An exclusive preview of the Season 17 Blu-ray box set, complete with a disc-by-disc guide of special features.
Previews, reviews, news, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser and more.
Doctor Who Magazine Issue 571 is on sale from panini.co.uk and WH Smith from Thursday 11 November priced £5.99 (UK). Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £4.99.
Lizo Mzimba of the BBC has just reported that Doctor Who Ep 1’s 7-day consolidated is 5.79 million. Week’s 9th most watched show, 3rd most watched drama after Shetland and The Long Call In line with prev catch-up figs. So far, six ep arc hasn’t had impact on catch-up – most of its audience still watch on night it’s transmitted.
Doctor Who Ep 1's 7-day consolidated is 5.79 million. Week's 9th most watched show, 3rd most watched drama after Shetland and The Long Call In line with prev catchup figs. So far, six ep arc hasn't had impact on catchup – most of its audience still watch on night it's transmitted https://t.co/mwOvv1xnCB
The BBC’s Lizo Mzimba has reported that the second episode of Doctor Who was watched by an overnight audience of 3.96 million. A slip of almost half a million from Ep 1. So far the 6 episode arc doesn’t seem to have reversed previous viewing patterns. But consolidated figs will be the true test. Ep 1’s out later today
Laura Rawlings of BBC Radio Bristol with Bob Baker
The sad news was confirmed on Friday.
Bob Baker, Doctor Who writer and co-creator of robotic canine K9, has died aged 82.
Dear Friends. It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our dear friend and business partner, the iconic BOB BAKER. pic.twitter.com/4Quj7zWbqJ
K9 Official’s Twitter account posted the news today (5th November) alongside a statement.
“Bob was a prolific Film and Television writer,” it reads. “Alongside his late writing partner, Dave Martin, they were stalwarts of children’s Television in the 1970s, with a well-earned reputation for bizarre and spine-tingling adventure. They wrote many of what have become to be regarded by fans worldwide as true classic BBC TV Doctor Who stories; creating many well-remembered enemies for the time lord during the Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker years.”
As well as being responsible for a wealth of fan favourite Doctor Who stories, Baker and his partner Martin were also the minds behind the Doctor’s robot dog companion, K9, who made his first appearance in The Invisible Enemy.
The official Doctor Who Twitter account also posted a tribute to the writer, saying: “We’re sad to hear that Bob Baker has passed away, who wrote many of the Doctor’s adventures, and was the co-creator of K9.”
We’re sad to hear that Bob Baker has passed away, who wrote many of the Doctor's adventures, and was the co-creator of K9 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/eq7kpkOx2K
Baker wrote for Doctor Who between 1971 and 1979. For all but the last of his contributions to this series (Nightmare of Eden), Baker collaborated with Dave Martin, together, they were nicknamed “The Bristol Boys” by the Doctor Who production teams with whom they worked on stories such as…
The Claws of Axos (1971)
The Mutants (1972)
The Three Doctors (1972–1973)
The Sontaran Experiment (1975)
The Hand of Fear (1976)
The Invisible Enemy (1977)
Underworld (1978)
The Armageddon Factor (1979)
In addition to their work for Doctor Who, Baker and Martin also wrote cult TV series SKY and King of the Castle. He went on to work on the Wallace & Gromit films alongside creator Nick Park.
Fellow Doctor Who writer Eddie Robson paid tribute to Baker on Twitter, writing:
“RIP Bob Baker, who once wrote his own murder into a Wallace & Gromit film.”
Robson also shared two pictures of said scene, with Baker himself in classic Aardman style.
Before he became a writer, Baker was a monumental stonemason and an animator. He also wrote an autobiography, K9 Stole My Trousers, which takes a look at his more than five-decades-long career in entertainment.
Later in life, Baker also set up a production company which “created a new audience for K9 with a TV series shown worldwide via Disney, Cartoon Network and BBC Kids”.
Baker had recently written scripts for a new K9 film and TV series which will “continue in tribute to Bob and his legacy”.
Doctor Who: Time Fracture returns after bouncing back from flood damage
The immersive experience will reopen its doors on Friday 26th November.
Doctor Who: Time Fracture is set to reopen its doors later this month – with repairs having been made following flood damage earlier in the year.
The immersive experience was forced to close in July when heavy flooding hit the Mayfair building where it is located, leading to extensive damage.
But now various measures have been put in place – including the installation of a flood defence system – that will allow Whovians to visit the exhibit once again.
The repairs themselves had been affected by further flooding when rainstorms in September and October led to severe setbacks, but the work is now complete and the adventure will open again from Friday 26th November.
Several new cast members will also join the Unit HQ team for the reopening – with the new faces including Amber Blease, Myles Devonte, Harrie Dobby, Barry McStay, Khadija Sallet, Megan Shandley, Patrick Strain, Tom Telford and Simon Victor.
To celebrate the good news, a four-minute featurette has been released that gives fans a glimpse into some of the worlds experienced in the exhibit, offering a whirlwind tour of Unit HQ – check it out below:
Doctor Who: Time Fracture originally opened in May this year, promising to put “fans at the heart of the story, plunged into a journey across space and time”.
The show features pre-filmed cameo appearances from a number of Doctor Who stars and alumni, including Doctors Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Jo Martin and Jodie Whittaker and companions such as Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, Jon Culshaw as the Brigadier and Alex Kingston as River Song
Doctor Who: Time Fracture runs until April 2022 and tickets are on sale now.
The Ninth Doctor faces Cybermen, Jenny returns, UNIT faces new foes and more..
The Ninth Doctor faces Cybermen, Jenny returns, UNIT faces new foes and more!
November sees the release of a range of brand-new audio adventures from Big Finish. Here’s a roundup of what’s available to buy on CD and download this month.
The Ninth Doctor takes on the Cybermen
Three new adventures for the Ninth Doctor as he encounters Cybermen, Lady Macbeth and more: The Hunting Season by James Kettle, The Curse of Lady Macbeth by Lizzie Hopley and Monsters in Metropolis by John Dorney.
Get The Ninth Doctor Adventures – Lost Warriorshere
Jenny heads to the Maldovarium
Jenny was made as a soldier but has a Time Lord’s heritage – and that Time Lord is the Doctor. Exploring the universe, Jenny found a friend – Noah, a mystery boy from nowhere. Together they’re ready to save planets, fight monsters, and save the day with nothing but wit and instinct – and an awful lot of running.
An ancient artefact, a stone arch anachronistically imbedded with electronic circuitry, is recovered following a rupture in an undersea stretch of the Mull lava group in North West Scotland, a geological feature dating from tens of millions of years ago.
The Doctor’s been timejacked! Rookie Time Agent Keira Sanstrom needs the Doctor’s help, and she’s prepared to go to extreme measures to get it. Unwillingly whisked away from St Luke’s University, the Doctor quickly discovers that being forced off Earth is only the start of his problems…
Get The Doctor Chronicles: The Twelfth Doctor – Timejacked!here
All stories are initially available exclusively from the Big Finish website in November. Check back here next month for a roundup of next month’s releases!
BBC’s Lizo Mzimba has reported that, The Doctor Who series opener was watched by an overnight audience of 4.43 million. Higher than most of S12’s overnights It’s not as high as S12 opener Spyfall (4.88m). Interesting to see if the one story for 6 eps means figures rise rather than the usual fall over the series
