November 2023

The Doctor lands on Christmas Day in The Church on Ruby Road

30 November 2023 admin Comments 0 Comment

Long ago on Christmas Eve, a baby was abandoned in the snow. Today, Ruby Sunday meets the Doctor, stolen babies, goblins and perhaps the secret of her birth…

Christmas has come early as brand new images are released from the Doctor Who Christmas special – The Church on Ruby Road. As the Fifteenth Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, takes over the TARDIS for his first epic adventure he will be joined by Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson, as she makes her debut as the Doctor’s companion.

Airing on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, the episode sees the Doctor come face-to-face with the mythical and mysterious goblins as his life collides with Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson.

Little is known about Ruby Sunday as she was abandoned on Christmas Eve as a baby. Now living with her mum, Carla and grandmother, Cherry her world is about to be turned upside when she encounters the Doctor and the two set off on their first adventure together…

Alongside Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson is Davina McCall who will be playing herself as she joins the cast alongside Michelle Greenidge as Ruby’s mum Carla, Angela Wynter as Ruby’s grandmother Cherry and Anita Dobson as Mrs Flood.

Davina says:

“It is beyond an honour to be asked to appear in not only Doctor Who but also Ncuti’s first episode as the new Doctor. It was such an extraordinary experience and Russell has written you all a Christmas delight! Now I just can’t wait for everyone to see it!”

Russell T Davies, Showrunner adds:

“From Day One in this job, I wanted Doctor Who back on Christmas Day! And with Ncuti, Millie, Davina and the Goblin King, I hope it’s a feast for all the family!”

Doctor Who returns on Saturday 2 December at 6.30pm on BBC One and iPlayer with Special Two: Wild Blue Yonder featuring David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble.

ADVENTURES IN TIME AND SPACE – 60 YEARS OF DOCTOR WHO ART EXHIBITION – Photo Report

30 November 2023 admin Comments 0 Comment

A piece of artwork based on the darlek

Today (30th November 2023) my wife and I travelled down to Weston super Mare in North Somerset to take a look at the Doctor Who art exhibition which is currently running at the Weston Museum. There was a wonderful selection of original art works, ranging from the classic Target books to VHS covers to comic strip artwork and a whole variety of magazine materials. It’s well worth a visit and here below is a slide show with a selection of images I took for your enjoyment.

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ADVENTURES IN TIME AND SPACE – 60 YEARS OF DOCTOR WHO ART EXHIBITION
Weston Museum
21 October 2023 – 27 January 2024

Allons-y, time travellers and art aficionados! Weston Museum is all set to take you on a nostalgia-filled ride with “Adventures in Time and Space – 60 Years of Doctor Who Art.” Celebrating the show’s whopping six decades of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey greatness in November 2023. This exhibition promises to be a treat for all those who’ve shared an adventure with the Doctor.

Hold onto your sonic screwdrivers as we journey back to the roots of the longest-running Sci-Fi extravaganza known to humanity. From the classic era that graced our screens from 1963 to 1989, to the modern reboot that’s been stealing our hearts since 2005, this exhibition is a heartwarming journey for Whovians of all generations.

This is the largest collection of original and digital art from and about the programme ever shown in one location.

Expect to be greeted by the images of familiar faces of the Doctors we’ve cherished through the years – from the stern charm of William Hartnell to the iconic scarf-swirling of Tom Baker, the cheeky charm of David Tennant, the ground-breaking brilliance of Jodie Whittaker, and with the excitement of the new Ncuti Gatwa. And of course, it wouldn’t be a Doctor Who affair without our favourite villains – the Daleks, Cybermen, and a host of creatures that have given the Doctor a run for their money across time and space.

The exhibition unfolds like the pages of a well-worn book, displaying iconic book covers, a blast from the past with those VHS video covers we all remember (oh, the nostalgia!), annuals, comics, and graphic novels that have kept us hooked. To add a sprinkle of that quintessential Doctor Who magic, there’s even a painting that made its debut on the show itself.

We’ve dived into the TARDIS of artistic archives, rounding up an exceptional collection from private art collectors and dedicated fans who’ve lovingly held onto these visual treasures. Marvel at the original cover art of the very first Doctor Who Annual from way back in 1965 – the colours as vivid as a freshly regenerated Time Lord. We’ve joined forces with Doctor Who’s very own artistic time-travellers, securing their prized works from their dusty vaults and bringing them to life with high-resolution digital wizardry.

This artistic ensemble features legends like Andrew Skilleter, whose art has become as timeless as the Doctor’s adventures, and Chris Achilleos, the genius behind the iconic covers of the Target Doctor Who novels. There’s also Colin Howard, the artist responsible for those captivating video covers, the legendary Dave Gibbons of Marvel comics fame, pop culture chronicler Jeff Cummins, and storyboard extraordinaire Mike Collins from Bad Wolf Studios. The line-up continues with Jessica Martin, Bill Donohoe, David McAllister, Lee Binding, Lee Sullivan, Sophie Leong, Gwen Burns, Eren Angiolini, and the dynamic duo Anthony Dry & Stuart Crouch.

‘Don’t blink’ for an expedition that transcends time and space, as we celebrate the legacy of Doctor Who through a captivating display of artistry and many other Dr Who events that will take place during the run of the exhibition. The exhibition was organised by the South West Heritage Trust and Events of Wonder.

Blue Peter celebrates Doctor Who’s 60th by revealing winners of Doctor Who Competition

29 November 2023 admin Comments 0 Comment

Young superfan wins unique money-can’t-buy behind the scenes Doctor Who experience and ultra-rare Doctor Who 60th Blue Peter competition badge.

The competition, which launched on Blue Peter in April, asked viewers aged between 5 and 15 to design a poster to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who and say why they would like to go behind the scenes to see how the series is made.

Doctor Who superfan Verity, age 8, from Cardiff, was revealed as the winner in Friday’s episode of Blue Peter (available on BBC iPlayer) and will go on an exclusive VIP tour of the top-secret Doctor Who set with Blue Peter presenters Joel Mahwinney and Abby Cook.

Thousands entered and the competition finalists were judged by Executive Producer Joel Collins and by Showrunner Russell T Davies who thanked “everyone who submitted an entry because they were brilliant!”

Top runners up include Tyler, age 10, from Manchester who designed a poster featuring the number 60 and the Doctors, and Anna, age 13, from Derby, who created a three dimensional poster featuring David Tennant.

Winner and top runners up for Blue Peter Doctor Who Competition with Blue Peter presenter Abby Cook.

In the Blue Peter studio, on Friday 24 November the top three received a framed copy of their design and a rare, collectable Doctor Who 60th Blue Peter competition winner’s badge. The top 500 runners up also received a special limited edition Doctor Who 60th Birthday badge.

Verity, wanted to visit the Doctor Who set because she ‘loves everything about Doctor Who’. She drew an intricate detailed TARDIS. Verity has been watching Doctor Who since she was little and is a huge fan. She explained:

“When I found out I’d won the competition I was absolutely speechless. It was definitely the happiest moment of my life. I’m excited about everything but the thing I’m really excited about is being part of Doctor Who’s 60th birthday on Blue Peter.”

Joel Collins, Executive Producer of Doctor Who, commented that Verity’s design would make a brilliant t-shirt and Showrunner, Russell T Davies, added:

“The intricate TARDIS is so clever, I love it. All the lines of dialogue, it’s quite amazing, the circles around the edge are Gallifreyan. There’s just so much detail.” He added that he couldn’t wait to meet Verity and for her to see the TARDIS and meet the team.

Take a look at the top 30 entries from The Blue Peter Doctor Who Competition.

The winner’s experience will be shown in a special ‘Blue Peter Doctor Who Takeover’ on CBBC and iPlayer on the 15th of December 2023. Verity has ‘access all areas’ exploring the TARDIS, trying on costumes, meeting production design teams and talking to cast members Ncuti and Millie and Showrunner Russell T Davies.

New episodes of Blue Peter are on CBBC and iPlayer every Friday at 5pm. Blue Peter is the longest running kids TV show in the world and is produced by BBC Studios Kids & Family Productions.

Doctor Who: The Star Beast Overnight Ratings

26 November 2023 admin Comments 0 Comment

According to Lizo Mzimba at the BBC, Doctor Who: The Star Beast had an overnight audience of 5.08 million TV viewers on BBC One last night. Strictly won the night with 7.67m I’m a Celebrity got 4.83m. The full official rating which factors in viewers who have watched the episode via BBC iPlayer over the next week will be released next week when it’s expected to see a significant rise to this initial figure.

Doctor Who: Unleashed was watched by 373,100 viewers on BBC Three @SteffanPowell

Most watched non sports programme on ‘digital’ channels – only beaten by two Premier League matches (Manchester City v Liverpool on two channels and Brentford v Arsenal) and Formula 1 qualifying

Bristol stars in Doctor Who: The Giggle airing 9th December

24 November 2023 admin Comments 0 Comment

The TARDIS returns to BBC One and iPlayer in the UK from Saturday 25^th November with the first of three Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials, taking viewers on an otherworldly adventure in space and time each Saturday.

The third episode in the long-awaited trilogy, ‘The Giggle’, was filmed extensively in Bristol’s Old City last year with support from Bristol Film Office and will premiere on Saturday 9^th December.

About the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials

Airing on 25^th November, the first episode in the trilogy – ‘The Star Beast’ – sees the Doctor and Donna Noble come face to face after all these years, but just how, and why, is about to be revealed. Joining them in the trilogy is a stellar cast including Yasmin Finney as Rose Noble, Miriam Margolyes as the voice of the Meep, Jacqueline King as Sylvia Noble, Karl Collins as Shaun Temple, Ruth Madeley as Shirley Anne-Bingham, Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Neil Patrick Harris as the Toymaker, set to cause all kinds of mayhem. It’s going to be an unmissable cosmic adventure, all before Fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa gets the keys to the TARDIS over the festive season.

Part three: ‘The Giggle’

Bristol Film Office facilitated the filming of major action scenes for the third episode in the trilogy – ‘The Giggle’ – on and around Clare Street in Bristol’s Old City in June 2022, featuring the Doctor (David Tennant), Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and Hollywood and Broadway star Neil Patrick Harris as The Toymaker. With staged explosions, tanks, soldiers, wrecked vehicles, large numbers of supporting artists and crew – and of course, the TARDIS – the elaborate shoot generated a great deal of excitement from the Bristol public.

Clare Street’s junction with St Stephen’s Avenue and Marsh Street will be recognisable to viewers thanks to the distinctive flower pattern on the road surface. Tennant and Tate also filmed scenes in and around the nearby churchyard at the historic St Stephens Church. Nearby Broad Street was also used during filming. Creperie Chez Marcel was redressed to become a toyshop called ‘Mr Emporium’. Filming also took place in a nearby alleyway connecting Broad Street to neighbouring Small Street, where the TARDIS was parked.

Neil Patrick Harris stars as The Toymaker in The Giggle (image: BBC)

As an iconic production that has been successfully made in Wales since its reboot 20 years ago, Bristol’s neighbouring locations are easily accessible, appealing and convenient to Doctor Who’s production team. Bristol Film Office has been proud to assist with locations support on many occasions over the years – but last Summer’s shoot in the busy central streets of Bristol’s Old City was by far the biggest and most ambitious Doctor Who shoot we have ever hosted.

The Film Office team did a superb job of working with the production to ensure all necessary preparations were made and filming ran smoothly. With the TARDIS, David Tennant, Catherine Tate and Neil Patrick Harris featuring in the action-paced scenes, the spectacle definitely attracted the crowds and it’s fair to say the city was buzzing! It will be a joy to see Bristol feature on screen in The Giggle when it airs on 9th December.

Bristol Film Office’s new ‘Doctor Who in Bristol’ Movie Map gives you the lowdown on every Bristol location that has been used by the show since the 70’s – a must for any Doctor Who fans living in, or visiting, our city.

LAURA AVILES, HEAD OF FILM, BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL

The Doctor Who 60^th Anniversary trilogy is produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios and Disney Branded Television. Watch ‘The Star Beast’ on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 6.30pm on Saturday 25 November. The second 60th anniversary special, ‘Wild Blue Yonder’, will follow at 6.30pm on Saturday 2 December.

‘The Giggle’ will air from 6.30pm on Saturday 9 December, completing the trio of anniversary specials. A special episode of Doctor Who Unleashed will follow, going behind the scenes of The Giggle and speaking to the Toymaker, Neil Patrick Harris.

(With Thanks to Bristol Film Office)

The 60th Anniversary Specials arrive with in-vision commentary on BBC iPlayer

24 November 2023 admin Comments 0 Comment

Phil Collinson, David Tennant and Vicki Delow, on a sofa, laughing and watching The Star Beast

DOCTOR WHO: DAVID TENNANT TO READ CBEEBIES BEDTIME STORY

23 November 2023 admin Comments 0 Comment

The Fourteenth Doctor and his TARDIS will land in the CBeebies Bedtime Story universe on Friday 24 November.

Ahead of the first 60th anniversary special episode of Doctor Who, the Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) will be reading The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers to families across the UK.

The Way Back Home is a tale all about friendship, adventure and helping others. When a boy discovers an airplane in his closet, he does what any young adventurer would do: He flies it into space! Fortunately there’s friendship to be found, and what better way of finding your way back home, than by making a friend?

The Doctor joins the stellar slate of famous faces to have read a CBeebies Bedtime Story including Tom Hardy, Harry Styles, Guz Khan, Jodi Whittaker, Kate Winslet and Rose Ayling-Ellis.

CBeebies Bedtime Story is on each weekday at 6.50pm on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer. Doctor Who’s story will air on Friday 24 November.

Coming soon – the Official Doctor Who podcast

23 November 2023 admin Comments 0 Comment

Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Poster - Blogtor Who

Showrunner Russell T Davies joins Juno Dawson, Tyrell Charles and Christel Dee for a brand-new official Doctor Who podcast.

The Official Doctor Who Podcast is a three-way panel discussion between author and columnist Juno Dawson, pop culture TikToker and movies podcaster Tyrell Charles, and cosplayer and digital creator Christel Dee, with exclusive insights from showrunner Russell T Davies. Each week the team will be reacting to the latest episode, discussing their thoughts, and diving into upcoming theories!

The 30-minute podcast will drop weekly straight after each Doctor Who episode airs on the BBC starting on Saturday 25th November.

“We were thrilled and honoured when Russell T Davies approached us to produce The Official Doctor Who Podcast,” says BBC Studios’ digital content development director, Chris Allen, “And we were even more excited when Juno, Tyrell and Christel all said yes to hosting. Publishing the podcast both in audio via all major podcast platforms, and in video on YouTube means we can reach Doctor Who viewers everywhere, and we hope you join in our conversation.”

The Official Doctor Who Podcast was produced by James Goss for BBC Studios Digital. The executive producers were Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Madi Woodstock and Chris Allen.

Doctor Who returns from November 25th with three anniversary specials on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK and Disney Plus in the rest of the world.

Subscribe to the Official Doctor Who Podcast on all major podcast platforms globally and BBC Sounds (UK only), and the video version can be found on the official Doctor Who YouTube channel. Find out where to subscribe here

Celebrate 60 years of Doctor Who with Adventures in Water and Light in Cardiff

23 November 2023 admin Comments 0 Comment

The TARDIS projected into Cardiff bay

BBC Wales celebrates 60 years of Doctor Who with Adventures in Water and Light in Cardiff Bay

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the much-loved BBC series, Doctor Who, a special after-dark water-based projection in Cardiff Bay will take audiences on the incredible journey through 60 years of the show.

With a script arranged by former Doctor Who script editor Gary Russell and featuring the brand-new version of composer Murray Gold’s iconic theme, the audio-visual spectacle, which will launch on Doctor Who Day, will feature key highlights from throughout the many iterations of the series, including the Doctor, as well as companions and foes of the Time Lord, plus an exclusive shot featuring upcoming Fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa.

The water-based projection, commissioned by BBC Wales, begins on Thursday 23rd November – Doctor Who Day – and runs until Saturday 25th November at Roath Basin in Cardiff Bay, which has a long history with the series. The after-dark showings will run every half hour from 5.30pm until 9.30pm on those days, with each lasting approximately 5 minutes. The initial switch-on, scheduled for 5.30pm on Thursday 23rd November, will be hosted by Steffan Powell, presenter of DOCTOR WHO: UNLEASHED.

In addition to the water-based projection in Cardiff Bay, the 60th anniversary celebrations will also include the opportunity for visitors to Cardiff to see the TARDIS and one of the Doctor’s most notorious villains, a Dalek, at the Senedd building from Thursday 23rd November, until Saturday 2nd December.

The company providing the water projection is LCI Productions and permission was granted to use Roath Basin by Cardiff Council and Associated British Ports. Coleridge Cymru assisted in facilitating the project.

See ADVENTURES IN WATER AND LIGHT IN CARDIFF BAY from Thursday 23rd November – Doctor Who Day – until Saturday 25th November at Roath Basin in Cardiff Bay from 5.30pm until 9.30pm.

The Tenth Doctor and Donna are coming to vinyl

21 November 2023 admin Comments 0 Comment

Doctor Who: Pest Control

“There goes my TARDIS!”

Demon Records celebrates David Tennant and Catherine Tate’s partnership as the Doctor and Donna with two audio exclusive stories on vinyl, read by the actors themselves.

In PEST CONTROL, read by David Tennant, the Doctor and Donna face monstrous insects and a ruthless robot exterminator when the TARDIS is lost in battle on a distant planet. The Doctor sets off in pursuit of his craft, while Donna finds herself accepting a commission in the Pioneer Corps. Something is transforming soldiers into monstrous beetles and she could be the next victim.

In THE FOREVER TRAP, read by Catherine Tate, the duo find themselves imprisoned in a complex of luxury apartments in space, and neighbours to a terrifying assortment of aliens. Deadly mobs wage battle in the corridors and on the stairwells, and the travellers must cross their paths as they search for the ultimate authority. Who, or what, lies at the heart of the Edifice?

Doctor Who: Pest Control

This stunning box set, with an illustrated lift off lid, features 6 x 140g vinyl LPs three in Transparent Red and three in Transparent Yellow each housed in a unique inner sleeve. A four page booklet features sleeve notes by authors Peter Anghelides and Dan Abnett, who reflect on the process of writing for the Tenth Doctor and Donna, and how they regard the stories 17 years later.

Now for the first time on vinyl, accompanied by original sound design and Murray Gold’s Series 4 arrangement of the familiar theme music, these two high octane adventures are a reminder of the excitement, humour and magical wonder of Doctor Who.

Pre-order DOCTOR WHO: PEST CONTROL from Demon Records here