An End Which Spells A New Beginning…
We wanted to give fans, friends and families a lovely little Christmas present – with a promise that 2023 will be a riot of Doctor Who goodness!
Doctor Who – The Look: Introducing the Doctor and Ruby Sunday
Introducing the Doctor and Ruby Sunday, played by Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson, as the first images have been released.
Doctor Who returns in November 2023 with three special episodes to coincide with the 60th anniversary with David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor.
The Fifteenth Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, will then take control of the TARDIS, with his first episode airing over the festive period in 2023.
Rani Chandra Goes Beyond Bannerman Road
Story details are today revealed for the first boxset in the brand-new Doctor Who audio spin-off range, Rani Takes on the World, due for release in April 2023 by Big Finish Productions.
Life on Bannerman Road was always an adventure for Rani Chandra and her friends. A childhood of mystery and wonder, of meeting aliens, time travellers, lost princes, intergalactic robots and so much more – all alongside Sarah Jane Smith.
Sarah Jane is gone. Childhood ends. Everyone grows up eventually. But the story doesn’t stop there. When Rani and Clyde are reunited, adventure finds them once again – ready and waiting to take on the world!
In three full-cast audio dramas, Rani (Anjli Mohindra), now an award-winning journalist, faces a mysterious alien spaceship, discovers the trust cost of a picture-perfect wedding day, and takes her podcast listeners behind-the-scenes of her most terrifying investigation yet!
The Worlds of Doctor Who – Rani Takes on the World: Beyond Bannerman Road is now available to pre-order for just £19.99 (collector’s edition CD box set + download) or £16.99 (download only), exclusively here.
The three adventures in this boxset are as follows:
Here Today by Joseph Lidster
Years after her adventures with Sarah Jane Smith and friends, Rani Chandra is a successful journalist – she’s brought down a government, and her podcast is making waves. And she’s about to be surprised by a visit from her best friend, Clyde Langer – who has an announcement of his own.
But, tonight, Clyde isn’t the only visitor to Ealing… In the skies above, a flying saucer approaches – and only one person on Earth can stop it destroying London!
Destination: Wedding by James Goss
Rani and Gita Chandra have been invited to a dream wedding on a luxury island resort. But how did Tiff from school end up marrying a film star? And why has she asked all the worst people from her life alongside the Hollywood A-listers?
While Gita samples the canapés and criticises the flower arrangements, Rani senses something amiss… The perfect wedding comes at a price – but who will be paying?
The Witching Tree by Lizzie Hopley
Chasing a podcast award, encouraged by a secret source, Rani investigates a ‘haunted’ restaurant built around a twisted tree. The owners could be faking the spooky activity, but Rani soon realises the tree is not what it seems.
As a terrifying threat to planet Earth is revealed, Clyde and Phoenix are dragged into the fight. Rani is torn between revealing the truth, or keeping a secret too terrifying to broadcast…
Script Editor Matt Fitton said: “For all those youngsters (and not-so-youngsters!) who were avid viewers of The Sarah Jane Adventures, it’s time to catch up with some old friends and see what they’ve been up to.
“Rani has of course followed in Sarah Jane‘s footsteps, with a successful journalistic career of her own. But when she and Clyde meet up for the first time in a while, there are surprises in store. Not least of which is the total destruction of Ealing!
“Then Rani and her mum are off to a wedding and Gita is most disappointed that it’s not Rani’s! An old school friend seems to have turned her life around and brought her friends to a paradise island resort, but what is it costing?
“Finally, we go behind the scenes on one of Rani’s investigative podcasts. But her friend and producer Samira is worried when Rani gets too involved in the story of a witching tree, with a malign influence over those who come into contact with it. Secrets will be revealed in an explosive finale!”
Big Finish listeners can save money by pre-ordering Rani Takes on the World: Beyond Bannerman Road and Volume 2 (title TBA) together in a bundle from just £33.
All the above prices include the special pre-order discount and are subject to change after general release.
Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mail-out of collector’s edition CDs may be delayed due to factors beyond our control, but all purchases of this release unlock a digital copy that can be immediately downloaded or played on the Big Finish app from the release date.
Chris Boucher: 1943-2022
GNR is saddend to hear of the death of the writer Chris Boucher who Doctor Who fans will be familiar as the writer of three classic Doctor Who stories from the Tom Baker ear (1977)
Chris Boucher (born 1943) was a British television screenwriter, script editor and novelist. He is known for his frequent contributions to two genres, science fiction and crime fiction, and worked on the series Doctor Who, Blake’s 7, Shoestring, Bergerac, The Bill and Star Cops.
Farewell Chris Boucher – a genius. His honest take on life and politics, and his amazing gift for character and dialogue, is really the only thing that made Blake’s 7 not just another sci-fi show. https://t.co/2pevIqnE2W pic.twitter.com/qzqkxyPfNR
— Gareth Roberts (@OldRoberts953) December 11, 2022
https://twitter.com/twilightstreets/status/1601996856854200320
Sad to hear that Chris Boucher, the last surviving writer of 1970s Doctor Who, has died. He had a gift for sharp, witty dialogue and sardonic characters, as evidenced further by his work on Blake's 7. He also did good work on Juliet Bravo, Shoestring & Bergerac. TV legend – RIP.
— Toby Hadoke (@TobyHadoke) December 11, 2022
I’m very sad to hear that #ChrisBoucher has died. What a contribution he made to UK TV sf — #Blakes7 #DoctorWho #StarCops on telly and in spin-offs.
He was also a hugely important part of my professional writing life, too.
1/2 pic.twitter.com/rjRqn2NdX6
— Peter Anghelides (@anghelides) December 11, 2022
Prior to becoming a television writer, Boucher worked at Calor Gas as a management trainee and gained a Bachelor of Arts in economics at the University of Essex.
Boucher began his work in television science fiction for the series Doctor Who, writing the serials The Face of Evil, The Robots of Death and Image of the Fendahl (all broadcast in 1977). Prior to his death in he was the last remaining living Doctor Who scriptwriter from prior to Season 18 in 1980. One of his contributions to Doctor Who was the creation of the companion Leela (Louise Jameson), the savage who featured in the series from 1977 to 1978. The character was inspired by the Palestinian terrorist Leila Khaled. Boucher was commissioned for the programme by script editor Robert Holmes, who suggested that Boucher should be appointed in that role for the science fiction series Blake’s 7 (1978–81). He served in this role for the entirety of its four-series run, and also wrote several episodes himself, including the final episode.
Boucher was the script editor of the second season of the drama series Shoestring in 1980, which followed the investigations of private detective and radio show host Eddie Shoestring (Trevor Eve). Following the end of Blake’s 7, Boucher script-edited and wrote for the third season of the police drama series Juliet Bravo in 1982. He then moved on to script-edit another detective show, Bergerac, working on the programme from 1983 to 1987.
All of the above programmes were produced in-house by the BBC and broadcast on the BBC1 network. For the ITV network, he worked on Thames Television’s police drama series The Bill as script editor in 1987. In that year he also returned to the BBC to create his own series, Star Cops, which combined the science fiction and crime genres. The series encountered several production problems and was not a ratings success, lasting only nine episodes on BBC2, but has maintained a cult following among fans of science fiction.
Later works included several Doctor Who novels for BBC Books, all featuring the character of Leela, and a series of straight-to-CD full-cast audio dramas entitled Kaldor City, which combine elements from his Doctor Who serial The Robots of Death with his Blake’s 7 work.
Writing credits
| Production | Notes | Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|
| Braden’s Week |
|
BBC1 |
| The Saturday Crowd |
|
ITV |
| That’s Life! |
|
BBC1 |
| Dave Allen at Large |
|
BBC1 |
| Romany Jones |
|
ITV |
| Slater’s Day |
|
ITV |
| Doctor Who |
|
BBC1 |
| Shoestring |
|
BBC1 |
| Blake’s 7 | Script editor for all 52 episodes (1978–1981)
Wrote:
|
BBC1 |
| Juliet Bravo |
|
BBC1 |
| Bergerac |
|
BBC1 |
| Star Cops |
|
BBC2 |
| Home James! |
|
ITV |
| The Bill |
|
ITV |
DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE 585
DALEKS’ INVASION EARTH 1966 A.D.!
The adventures of the Fourteenth Doctor, as played by David Tennant on TV, continue in Doctor Who Magazine issue 585. Part Two of the epic new comic-strip adventure Liberation of the Daleks, written by Alan Barnes and illustrated by Lee Sullivan, sees the Doctor’s greatest enemies invade the pitch during the 1966 World Cup Final…
Other highlights of the new issue include:
- A giant double-sided poster!
- Letter from the Showrunner – Russell T Davies presents his Christmas Countdown, packed full of teasers for the stories to come.
- Production Diary – script editor Scott Handcock provides exclusive updates about forthcoming episodes, direct from Doctor Who’s HQ.
- Gallifrey Guardian – all the latest official news, including an exclusive chat with Millie Gibson about her casting as companion Ruby Sunday.
- Meet the New Team – Doctor Who crew members tell us what they’re looking forward to in the 2023 Specials and beyond.
- All I Want For Christmas is Who – seasonal highlights from the past are recalled, including festive memories from Nadia Albina, Sophie Aldred, Nicholas Briggs, Nicola Bryant, Peter Davison, Barnaby Edwards, Philip Hinchcliffe, Louise Jameson, John Leeson, Katy Manning, Peter Purves, Dan Starkey, Mark Strickson and Matthew Waterhouse.
- Talk of the Town – in his first-ever interview for DWM, actor Cy Town talks candidly about being a Dalek operator and shares previously unpublished pictures from his photo albums.
- Brushed by Greatness – acclaimed artists Colin Howard and Andrew Skilleter, and Kit Bevan (brother of the late Phil Bevan), discuss new books showcasing some of best Doctor Who illustrations from the pre-digital era.
- The Watchers – fans who were lucky enough to be granted studio visits in the 1970s and early 80s recall the thrill of watching Doctor Who being made.
- Christmas in Another Dimension – what if Doctor Who had enjoyed Christmas Specials during its first 26 years? DWM imagines what could have been…
- The DWM Christmas Quiz – the traditional seasonal challenge!
- Other Worlds – the essential guide to forthcoming stories in the expanded Doctor Who universe.
- Previews, reviews, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser, Public Image and more.
Doctor Who Magazine Issue 585 is on sale Thursday 8 December from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £7.99 (UK).
Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £6.99.
PLEASE NOTE !
UK readers – we've just been told that distribution problems mean that DWM 585 may not be in shops in some areas until next Tuesday, 13 December(!!) We've no further info at the moment, but if we hear anything else, we'll post it here. Apologies for any disappointment caused.
— Doctor Who Magazine (@DWMtweets) December 8, 2022
Doctor Who confirms number of episodes for season 14 with Ncuti Gatwa
The It’s A Sin creator noted that the episode count is down on previous runs, but reassured fans by saying: “OK, that’s fewer episodes than the last full season. But give us time. We have plans, and that’s a promise!”
It definitely does sound like Davies will make up for the shorter season with other content.
Of course, there are the 60th anniversary specials starring David Tennant to look forward to before then. Plus, the return of Christmas specials.
Davies confirmed in the same interview that he’s already working on the 2024 Christmas special, so Doctor Who fans won’t be short of things to discuss despite the 13-month wait between The Power of the Doctor and the 60th anniversary specials airing.
You can read the full interview in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine – out tomorrow (Thursday 8th December).
Doctor Who season 14 begins filming with new companion Millie Gibson
Filming has officially begun on Ncuti Gatwa’s first full season of Doctor Who, with the news being announced across the sci-fi series’s social channels.
The posts featured the first clapperboard for the new season, which noted that filming began on 5th December 2022 and that the season’s first director would be Dylan Holmes Williams, known for his previous work on M Night Shyamalan’s Apple TV+ series Servant.
Filming has officially begun today for the next series of #DoctorWho! pic.twitter.com/amlk9ULoCe
— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) December 5, 2022
While we know that Gatwa has already filmed some scenes for the show, expected to air as part of the 60th anniversary specials next year, this will be his Fifteenth Doctor’s first full season.
It will follow both the departure of Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor earlier this year in The Power of the Doctor, and David Tennant’s return to the TARDIS as the new Fourteenth Doctor.
Meanwhile, season 14 will also be the first to feature Millie Gibson’s new companion character Ruby Sunday, as was first announced during this year’s Children in Need appeal night in November.
Gibson posted to her social accounts a picture of flowers with a card featuring the now commonly used sequence of emojis, this time including two hearts and a diamond.
She captioned the post with: “First day… officially a Cardiff resident ;)”.
https://twitter.com/MillieGibson01/status/1599866022773022720?s=20&t=YjcneoESUKoHgGSyXMp3ow
Meanwhile, returning showrunner Russell T Davies also posted his reaction to the start of filming on his Instagram, saying: “FILMING BEGINS on the next season! So many mysteries to come. Who is the X? What is the Y? And what the hell is the spinning Z?!? You’ll find out! On BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+”.
The 14th season will be the first to stream internationally exclusively on Disney Plus, after a deal was made between the platform and the BBC earlier this year.
Richard Osman marries Doctor Who star Ingrid Oliver
Richard Osman married Ingrid Oliver in a ‘magical’ ceremony on Saturday.
The Pointless star, 52, took to Instagram today to share a picture from their big day, which showed the newlyweds beaming while walking hand in hand.
Ingrid, 44 – who is best known for her role as Petronella Osgood in Doctor Who – looked sensational in her bridal gown, which featured puffball sleeves and a mermaid hemline.
The most magical, joyful day on Saturday with my beautiful wife @ingridoliver100. Surrounded by wonderful friends and family, a day full of love and laughter. We're so, so happy
pic.twitter.com/nAoOcUPIhz
— Richard Osman (@richardosman) December 5, 2022
Richard looked dapper by her side in a fitted navy suit with a red rose fastened on his lapel.
He shared with his followers: ‘The most magical, joyful day on Saturday with my beautiful wife. Surrounded by wonderful friends and family, a day full of love and laughter. We’re so, so happy.”
The couple reportedly tied the knot at Goodwood House, the Duke of Richmond’s West Sussex seat, known for the Glorious Goodwood horse race meeting and the annual Festival of Speed.
Last month, Richard revealed his wedding would be ‘very un-showbizzy’, stating: ‘We’re getting married in December, which is lovely and it’s going to be a very un-showbizzy wedding, just all our school friends. I can’t wait,’
The couple announced their engagement in May after two years of dating, with Richard confirming the news in an interview by stating: ‘exciting, isn’t it?!’
Brand New From Candy Jar Books!
Lethbridge-Stewart – Spheres of Influence
Candy Jar Books is pleased to announce the first book in its final series of Lethbridge-Stewart novels.
Spheres of Influence is the first Lethbridge-Stewart novel by authors Violet Addison and David N Smith.
Originally planned for release early 2022, Spheres of Influence was held back due to Russian’s invasion of Ukraine.
Range Editor Andy Frankham-Allen explains:
“We were nearing the end of editing, with the final changes just arriving from Violet and David, when the invasion began. Knowing the content of Spheres of Influence (originally called The Russian Incursion) I became a tad worried that releasing it at that time might be insensitive, not knowing how many of our readers may have been personally affected by the war in Ukraine. A long conversation was held between Shaun (Russell) and I, and we decided to hold off the book for a while. I spoke to the authors, explained the situation and they agreed.”
Violet Addison says:
“This book was originally written in 2020, during the height of the pandemic, and was supposed to be published in early 2022. It was designed to be something of a warning, dressed up as science-fiction. It was all going to be jolly good fun, dealing with real-world issues, using good old-fashioned sci-fi metaphors. Then real life intervened. Suddenly real-world events were dangerously close to those in our supposedly far-fetched fiction, so we chose to delay publication, until the real world settled down. Ten months later, it now finally feels appropriate to release it. We’ve not changed a single word of the text. The parallels with the real world will now be glaringly obvious – our warning far too late – but many of the underlying messages are now more pressing, more real, than ever. We therefore like to think that it’s a book with something relevant to say.”
Violet and David are no strangers to the worlds of Doctor Who fiction, having previously written (individually) short stories for Big Finish’s Short Trips collections and the Bernice Summerfield collections, and together they penned a Faction Paradox short story for Obverse Books.
Andy says:
“Originally, the book was pitched to me as a short story for one of the HAVOC Files, but there was something in the idea I liked. And I thought it would be better served if explored as a novel. Some stories are just too big for small-form, they need more space to breathe. And so I posed the idea of making it a novel, and Violet and David jumped at the opportunity.”
David N Smith says:
“This is the first time we’ve written a novel. We’ve had over a dozen short stories published, in numerous anthologies and fanzines, but we’ve never had the confidence to complete 70,000 words before. There are at least four failed, half-written books stashed away on forgotten hard drives. So, when we were asked to write a novel by Andy, we gladly accepted, as we knew it would provide us with the structure we needed to actually get it done. Having a deadline, and knowing it would be published, is extraordinarily motivating. It gave us focus. And it taught us we could do it. As writers it’s been an incredibly useful process, as it means we now know with certainty, we can do it. So, one day we’ll be able to write another, because now we know we can.”
Violet says:
“The real joy of working on this range for us is, of course, writing for Lethbridge-Stewart. He’s such a wonderful, idiosyncratic character. A legend. An icon. In sixty years of Doctor Who, no other character has come close to making the same impact as he did, albeit in a very understated way. He never stole the show, but he always did his duty. There simply are not enough fictional characters like Lethbridge-Stewart. Reliable, dependable and professional; a good man simply trying to do the best he can. We really believe Lethbridge-Stewart will still be appearing in stories a hundred years from now. That’s what makes him important. That’s why it’s a privilege to write for him. He’s the type of person we should all aspire to be.”
The cover is by popular artist Martin Baines. Martin says:
“I really enjoyed doing the cover for this one. It’s got a monster, snow and guns – what’s not to like. Saying that, I was slightly annoyed that the Brigadier does not have a moustache. I asked Shaun if I could add one, but he said a definite no. Apparently the Brig shaves it off before this scene. I miss the moustache, but, despite this, I hope I’ve done the Brig proud.”
Blurb:
An alien presence has arrived on Earth. Lethbridge-Stewart has been dispatched to determine the nature of the new arrival.
The Fifth Operational Corps is not the only one interested in the visitor. The race is on to establish diplomatic relations with the extra-terrestrial, and a top-secret military team from the Soviet Union are one step ahead of them…
If either side can successfully form an alliance with the creature, it could turn the tide of the Cold War forever, bringing it to a sudden and unexpected end – with the victor controlling the future of mankind.
Lethbridge-Stewart must call upon the brightest and the best to ensure that Britain is successful in its negotiations, as the alternative is simply too terrifying for him to contemplate… an alien menace – allied to the Soviet Union!
Failure is not an option. Not at any price.
If you have subscription with Candy Jar Books, Spheres of Influence is covered by this.
To order, please visit HERE NOW!
THE LUCY WILSON MYSTERIES: THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!
Candy Jar Books is pleased to announce that a brand new collection of festive short stories in The Lucy Wilson Mysteries series is now up for pre-order, and will be released just in time for Christmas.
The short story collection entitled The Best Christmas Ever contains three stories by popular Lucy Wilson and Lethbridge-Stewart series author Chris Lynch.
The anthology kicks-off with short story ‘A Little Lucy Christmas’, which was given away for free to fans of the series on Christmas day 2020. This story is followed by ‘The Grey Lady of Martyr’s House’, which was also given away for free, but on Christmas day 2021.
Head of publishing at Candy Jar, Shaun Russell, says:
“We like to try and give something away for free at Christmas as a thank you to our readers for the support that they have given us throughout the year. The first two stories in the book were given away free over past Christmases, and as Chris was knees deep in a new story for this year we realised that we actually had enough Christmas adventures to bring out another festive short story collection.”
‘A Little Lucy Christmas’ is about Christmas traditions and family heirlooms that many families have and don’t typically think twice about, whereas ‘The Grey Lady of Martyr’s House’ is much more of a traditional Victorian Christmas story, as protagonist Lucy and her best friend Hobo find themselves in a haunted mansion on Christmas Eve being chased by ghosts.
Shaun continues:
“This is a book three years in the making and it’s nice to finally see Chris’ Christmas stories collected together.”
The third and final story in the collection is called ‘The Krampus Who Came to Tea’, which is a brand new story never before seen by readers. The story is set over the Christmas of 2020 and introduces the half-goat, half-demon monster from folklore called the Krampus who, it is believed, only visits when misbehaving children need to be punished at Christmastime.
Chris Lynch says:
“The yearly Lucy Wilson Christmas story has become a tradition in the Lynch house, as much a part of our festive activities as putting up the tree, wrapping the presents, or closing the curtains and pretending that we’re all out when my sister calls over.”
Chris has written four Lucy Wilson Christmas stories in total, with his first called ‘Past, Present and Yet to Come’ which was included in Candy Jar’s first Lucy Wilson Christmas collection back in 2019 entitled Christmas Crackers.
Chris continues:
“Don’t ask me why but Christmas just seems the perfect time of year for shrink rays, death beams, ghosts, monsters, and mysterious time travelling goatmen to all make their appearance. So, I hope you enjoy these very non-traditional, but still very festive, stories!”
Popular Beano artist Steve Beckett continues at the helm of the series’ artwork, providing a front cover filled with intrigue and Christmas cheer.
Blurb for The Best Christmas Ever:
Christmas is the busiest time of the year, but this never seems to be a problem for the monsters and aliens that visit Lucy Wilson over the festive period!
Alongside her best friend Hobo, Lucy discovers one of her grandad’s old secrets, investigates a creepy haunted mansion, and gets a visit from a mysterious goatman called Krampus, who takes bad children away.
This is a collection of three stories set over the Christmases of 2018, 2019 and 2020. Defending Earth doesn’t stop for anything, not even Christmas!
But which Christmas is the best one ever?
The Lucy Wilson Mysteries is a Lethbridge-Stewart spin-off adventure and featured licensed characters created for Doctor Who by Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln.
The Best Christmas Ever is available HERE.
With guaranteed delivery before Christmas if ordered before the 15th December 2022!
DWM Special Edition 62: The 2023 Yearbook
The Thirteenth Doctor’s final adventures were among the most spectacular in the series’ history. This was a time of transformation in more ways than one – the return of some familiar faces and the announcement of Doctors Fourteen and Fifteen were just a few of the highlights. And then, as outgoing showrunner Chris Chibnall handed over to Russell T Davies, production began on the episodes that will take the series into its 60th anniversary.
This special issue of DWM celebrates the Thirteenth Doctor’s entire journey and looks back on an extraordinary 12 months.
Highlights include:
- Exclusive interviews with Sophie Aldred (Ace), John Bishop (Dan), Sacha Dhawan (the Master), Janet Fielding (Tegan), Mandip Gill (Yaz) and Jodie Whittaker (the Doctor) on the making of the Centenary Special, The Power of the Doctor.
- Ray Holman reveals the secrets of his costume designs for the returning Doctors and companions in The Power of the Doctor.
- Analyses of every single Thirteenth Doctor story, from The Woman Who Fell to Earth to The Power of the Doctor.
- A diary of the most significant events of 2022, both on screen and off.
- Tributes to the Doctor Who luminaries who passed away during 2022.
DWM Special Edition 62: The 2023 Yearbook is on sale from Thursday 1 December at WH Smith, selected supermarkets and online from www.panini.co.uk priced £7.99. A digital edition is also available, priced £6.99 from www.pocketmags.com