It was announced today that the next Doctor Who animation will be the completely missing 1966 adventure “The Savages” starring William Hartnell as The Doctor.
In this serial, the Doctor (William Hartnell) and his travelling companions Steven (Peter Purves) and Dodo (Jackie Lane) arrive on an unnamed planet where they encounter two distinct people – the Elders and the Savages. They soon discover the Elders are the evil ones, draining the primitive Savages for their life source to remain young and powerful forever. This serial marks the final appearance of Purves as Steven.
To date, the serial is missing from the BBC archives. Although audio recordings, still photographs, and 8mm clips of the story exist, no episodes of this serial are known to have survived.
There was a listing on Amazon earlier today, however that has since been removed, but we can confirm that this title has been slated for release on 24th March 2025, stay tuned for further details!
You can pre order Doctor Who: The Savages DVD or Blu-ray here NOW.
Russell T Davies Says He “Kind Of Hopes” The Streaming Bubble Will “Pop”
Doctor Who: Joy to the World starring Ncuti Gatwa and Nicola Coughlan
“The streamers are heading for a South Sea bubble.”
That is the verdict of Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies, whose long-running BBC series was given a mega cash injection from Disney in 2022.
Pondering the future of the industry on the BBC’s Today, Davies said he “kind of hopes it does pop” in reference to the streaming revolution, which has experienced serious teething problems since Disney invested in Doctor Who.
Davies, who has mostly created shows for British broadcasters, longed for the industry to “go back to making 8 p.m. dramas about lawyers or health centres, or shows that teach people how to make television.”
“There are too many streamers, too much money and not everyone is watching so it can’t be financially viable,” he said.
Although Doctor Who is now made with U.S. money, he reiterated previous remarks that the sci-fi smash is still not as lavishly invested in as rival American shows. For a recent scene in the currently-filming Doctor Who season, Davies said he demanded 200 extras for the first time in his career, only to turn on the first episode of The Day of the Jackal and see that, in his mind, there were 500 extras. “I just think, ‘How do you keep up with this?’,” said Davies.
While Davies stressed that he wanted Doctor Who to “look like Stranger Things,” hence the attraction of the Disney money, he said it “would have found a different shape, a different form,” had the Mouse House not jumped aboard. As we revealed recently, the future of the BBC-Disney deal hangs in the balance and Davies said no decision has yet been made over Season 3 of the regenerated version, which stars Ncuti Gatwa as the 14th Doctor.
He was speaking a day after the Christmas special trailer was unveiled, which features Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan as she and Gatwa take on dinosaurs after opening a secret doorway to a time hotel. Davies’ long-time collaborator Steven Moffat has written the episode.
“I was once told by a magazine editor that if there is snow in it we will print the pictures so [making it Christmas-y] is quite obviously a marketing technique but it is Christmas and it’s what you want,” said Davies on the Christmas-y slant. “It’s a picture book Christmas and I think Doctor Who is at its best when it does that.”
Ham and cheese toastie and a pumpkin latte? The Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, returns this Christmas for a time-hopping trip through the history of Earth. The special, Joy To The World is written by Steven Moffat and airs Christmas Day at 17:10 on BBC One.
The episode introduces Joy, starring Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton, Derry Girls), who checks into a London hotel in 2024, only to discover that her quiet stay is anything but ordinary. When Joy opens a secret doorway to the Time Hotel, she discovers danger, dinosaurs and the Doctor. But a deadly plan is unfolding across the Earth, just in time for Christmas.
Where has the Doctor been? What is going on in Joy’s hotel room? An old enemy of the Doctor’s is lurking in the wings and all of human history hangs in the balance. Can the Doctor save Christmas, everywhere, all at once?
Joining Ncuti Gatwa and Nicola Coughlan is a cast of exciting guest stars, including Steph de Whalley as Anita, Jonathan Aris as Melnak, Joel Fry as Trev, Peter Benedict as Basil, Julia Watson as Hilda, and Niamh Marie Smith as Sylvia.
Galway born actress, Couglan, has made a huge impact in film and television having starred in standout roles such as the hilarious Clare Devlin in award-winning drama comedy series Derry Girls, Penelope Featherington in the regency-era international sensation Bridgerton, and not to forget one of the Barbies in mega-blockbuster Barbie, alongside the Fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa.
The ultimate guide to the Fifteenth Doctor’s debut season… and much more!
Inside this issue:
GARY GILLATT, PAUL KIRKLEY, LISA GLEDHILL and YOMI AYENI reflect on the episodes from Ncuti Gatwa’s first season as the Doctor.
Authors BONNIE LANGFORD, GARY RUSSELL, GEORGIA COOK, UNA McCORMACK, PAUL MAGRS and LD LAPINKSI talk about their Doctor Who books.
DWM celebrates 25 years of Big Finish audio adventures with actor and director BARNABY EDWARDS, who brought Eighth Doctor Paul McGann to the stage in 2024 for The Stuff of Legend.
The writer of this year’s Christmas Special, STEVEN MOFFAT, gives us a preview of what awaits on Christmas Day…
PHIL COLLINSON and the team behind the colourisation of Second Doctor finale The War Games discuss the new edit of this landmark story.
We catch up with JANET FIELDING (Fourth/Fifth Doctor companion Tegan) and INGRID OLIVER (Osgood) at the Bath Children’s Literature festival.
Join the guests at Cardiff’s Arcadia convention including Fugitive Doctor JO MARTIN.
It’s 50 years since Doctor Who and the Daleks came to the West End in Seven Keys to Doomsday. We talk to Benedict Martin – the son of stage Doctor, Trevor Martin.
ANNEKE WILLS reflects on playing the First/Second Doctor’s companion Polly – and her fab fashions!
All you need to know about the Eleventh Doctor’s final story – The Time of the Doctor.
A look back at 1984’s Box of Delights starring Patrick Troughton.
The continuing adventures of the Doctor and Ruby in the comic strip!
RUSSELL T DAVIES’ traditional Twelve Days of Christmas!
Christmas as seen on TV, on audio and in Doctor Who Magazine itself!
Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor in The Church on Ruby Road wearing a leather jacket, with a Christmassy tree in the background.
According to a report in The Radio Times, British shows to the US hit a record high in 2023, with Doctor Who flagged as a series that performed particularly well.
The latest UK TV Exports Report from Pact showed that UK distributor revenues from the US went up by 13 per cent to £593m ($751m) during 2023, topping the £574m generated during 2020, the first year of the pandemic.
Amongst the series which were noted as performing well in the report were Doctor Who, in the first year of the BBC’s deal with Disney Plus to produce and distribute the show, as well as the likes of Boat Story, Planet Earth III and the Got Talent franchise.
Pact found that despite success in the US, British TV exports around the world fell slightly in 2023-24, down two per cent on the previous 12 months.
Scripted drama dominated the genre share of exports, although fell from 49 per cent to to 43 per cent from the previous year, while entertainment saw the biggest increase from 21 per cent to 27 per cent.
The Doctor (David Tennant) in Doctor Who standing in the TARDIS using the console.
The Disney Plus Doctor Who deal is set to continue into 2025, with a second season of the show having already been shot. Meanwhile, a spin-off series, The War Between the Land and the Sea, has also been produced.
Beyond that is less clear – the show has yet to be officially renewed by Disney for a third season under the deal, season 16, although showrunner Russell T Davies has assured fans this is nothing to worry about.
“It’s an industry decision, it’s like any business – these things take time. I think the decision will come after the transmission of season two. That’s what we’re expecting, that’s what we’ve always been heading towards.”
Before this, Doctor Who will be back at Christmas for this year’s festive special, Joy to the World, which has been written by Steven Moffat and stars Nicola Coughlan, alongside Fifteenth Doctor actor Ncuti Gatwa.
