The cover and content details for the forthcoming UK DVD release of Death To The Daleks have been finalised.


The British Board of Film Classification classified the features on 30th March, revealing that a textless version of the title sequence will be included as an Easter egg:

26:44:24  BENEATH THE CITY OF THE EXXILONS - MAKING DEATH TO THE DALEKS
23:33:11  STUDIO RECORDING - 4 DECEMBER 1973
05:49:04  PHOTO GALLERY
01:26:05  (EASTER EGG) (TEXTLESS TITLE SEQUENCE)
07:47:22  ON THE SET OF DR WHO AND THE DALEKS

Feature Previews:

BBC Worldwide has released a number of clips from the recently released stories Nightmare of Eden and The Daemons on its Classic Doctor Who YouTube channel:

THE DAEMONS

• The Daemons on location - The BBC is shooting classic Doctor Who series 'The Daemons' in Aldbourne in 1971, in this rare clip of archive film.
• Aldbourne - Doctor Who cast members including Katy Manning and Damaris Hayman discuss their experience of filming The Daemons in Aldbourne in the classic 1971 series.
• A great working relationship - Often cited as one of the best of the Third Doctor's storylines, The Daemons owes much of its success to the great working relationship between producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks. In this DVD extra, cast and crew explain the friendship.
• A stormy night's sky - Boasting some impressive location filming, the village of Aldbourne was the perfect setting for The Daemons. As the crew reveals, however, attempting a stormy night scene can be quite problematic on a calm night. Journey behind the scenes to find out how the crew managed to ratchet up the atmosphere.
• Exit Lines - Actors Richard Franklin and Katy Manning reveal the influence the cast had on the script, and how open Barry Letts was to adding extra dimensions to the characters.

NIGHTMARE OF EDEN

• Alan Bromly - Crew members recount their experiences of director Alan Bromly and his old-school techniques.
• Drug-smuggling storyline - Bob Baker reveals how his research of drug abuse for the production of BBC police drama series Target, which featured Katy Manning in the role of a drug addict, was to prove invaluable to the writing of the drug-smuggling storyline of Nightmare of Eden. (Target was created by Graham Williams, produced by Philip Hinchcliffe, and written by Baker and Dave Martin, with David Wickes. The theme music was by Dudley Simpson.)
  

Looking ahead:

• The Krotons: Ed Stradling commented on Twitter: "here's an image from my recent feature for The Krotons DVD. It's another long one!«"
• The Mind of Evil - Steve Roberts spoke to Radio Free Skaro, during which he indicated that all of the episodes for this story should be released in colour. Episode One (which does not have a print containing the chromadot information used for the recent colour recovery process) will be colourised by Babelcolour, using motion-estimation techniques to aid the process.

AudioGo:

The Doctor is well and truly in the dark in two May releases from AudioGO.

The classic-era audio release Doctor Who: The Sensorites, which was novelised by Nigel Robinson, is read by William Russell, who played Ian Chesterton in the original TV serial.
Written specially for audio by Steve Lyons, Day of the Cockroach features the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, and Rory and is read by Arthur Darvill.

Both Doctor Who: The Sensorites and Day of the Cockroach are released on 1st May in download form and on 3rd May as CDs. The Sensorites CD release can be pre-ordered here and the Day of the Cockroach CD release pre-ordered here.

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From stories to sound effects, and AudioGO has teamed up with Discovery Records for a limited-edition reissue of two 1970s vinyl LPs featuring the work of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

Out of This World and Doctor Who Sound Effects have been digitally remastered for re-release on coloured vinyl on 21st April to coincide with Record Store Day.

Both albums are being reissued with their original sleeve artwork and notes.

Martin Cobb, of Discovery Records, told Doctor Who News:

The Scarifyers:

Philip Madoc can be heard in his last acting role in the forthcoming new Scarifyers audio play The Horror of Loch Ness.

The Cosmic Hobo Productions drama, to be released on June 4th as a double CD and download, also stars David Warner and Terry Molloy.

Simon Barnard, of Cosmic Hobo Productions, said:

Planet Skaro:

Planet Skaro Audios has released its Season Four finale, The Next Universe - a three-part adventure by Si Hunt and Simon Hart.

A trailer for the story is available here.

Episode 1: Why is the Doctor disappearing out of all his time streams? And what is wrong with time?

Episode 2: Can the two Doctors and his companions survive the deadly game of Rassilon?

Episode 3: Far in the future a deadly trap waits for the Doctor, but who's really behind it?

Planet Skaro Audios was started six years ago, and spokesman Richard Brinck-Johnsen said:

Episode One of the new production of Power of the Daleks has now been released online. Created by the team behind the stage versions of Evil of the Daleks and The Dalek Masterplan, the production has been made with support from TNT Films with music by composer Martin Johnson, and featuring Nick Scovell once again assuming the role of The Doctor.


Episode two of the three-part reimagining will be made available on Saturday 14th July, with the final part scheduled for release on an as-yet-unspecified date.

You can find out more about the project from the Power of the Daleks Facebook Page and discussions on their Facebook Group.

A charity convention, Power: Reimagined, will be taking place in September to celebrate the production, with special guests including star of the original television production Anneke Wills. Proceeds from the event will be donated to Cancer Research UK and Children in Need.

The BBC have released a series of photographs marking the anniversary of the formation of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in April 1958.

 The Workshop was heavily involved in the creation of sounds and music for the classic series of Doctor Who. It is best known for the realisation of Ron Grainer's opening music to the series. Delia Derbyshire, one of the Workshop's composers, took the score and created the unique sound by creating every note on quarter inch tape and then splicing the whole lot together to achieve one of the most iconic theme tunes on British Television.

The workshop provided most of the sound effects used on the series, including the sound of the TARDIS materialising, which was achieved by scraping a key along the strings of an old piano.

The Workshop closed in 1998.

This week saw the cast and crew 'go west' as they travelled to New York to continue filming scenes for episode five in the new series of Doctor Who; during the course of the week, the Doctor, Amy and Rory were seen to visit a number of recognisable landmarks, such as Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Tudor City Plaza and Times Square.

The BBC have published some images of the cast and crew during the shoot:



Talking about choosing the location for the episode to BBC America, Steven Moffat said:

A number of other photos of cast and crew on location were published on Twitter by Arthur Darvill (@rattyburvil), playing a "peg game" with his photographs! The week saw Karen Gillan finally join the social networking tool (@KarenGillan2) too, publishing her first photograph on location!

A profile and airdates guide to Australia has been added to BroaDWcast - the website documenting foreign screenings of 20th-century Doctor Who - helping to make the project nearly complete.

Jon Preddle, team member and brainchild behind the comprehensive and exhaustive project, said:

Matt Smith has talked about his approach to choosing roles. "Well, I guess I choose whatever the best role is but it's very hard to find a part like the Doctor. But I suppose I wouldn't go and play a really clever scientist who's mad next - unless it was a really dark one. I think acting's about variety, so you're constantly trying to find a variety of identities to explore because that's what makes it interesting." [Independent, 5 Apr 2012]

While we await his reappearance on TV as the Doctor, Smith can be seen in his first major film, Clone, when it gets its UK release on 4th May. In it, he plays a man who dies in a car accident but whose girlfriend gives birth to a genetic copy of him. Production on the film, which originally had the title Womb, started in March 2009. A special preview will take place on 1st May at the Sci-Fi-London Film Festival. [Digital Spy, 11 Apr 2012]

David Tennant has also spoken about taking on roles, this time for children and with regard to his voiceover for the CBeebies animated series Tree Fu Tom: "I haven't done anything for this age of children before, but they are formative years and it's really important we create television of a high quality for that audience. Generally speaking we don't have vivid memories from when we were pre-school age but the programmes you watch when you are that young, when you’re still learning about how the world works, are very important. Television, more than any other medium, is what influenced me as a child and formed my response to literature, storytelling and, therefore, the world around me." [Daily Mail, 6 Apr 2012]

Tennant's image is to turn up in a new comic, America's Got Powers, written by Jonathan Ross. The chat show host said: "He agreed to let us use his likeness in one of the characters and it looks great. His character is kind of the mastermind behind a brutal reality show where kids with super powers slug it out to join the only Government-sanctioned super team." [The Sun, 10 Apr 2012]

A tweet by Laurence Fox on 5th April announced to the world that wife Billie Piper had given birth to their second child that day. He wrote: "One born every minute. We had our minute today. Couldn't be happier. Beautiful boy. Everything fine." Yesterday, Fox tweeted that the baby, who is a brother to three-year-old Winston, had been named Eugene Pip.

Derek Jacobi is to have a long-held wish come true when he appears in Coronation Street - but viewers may not recognise him. The renowned actor will only be seen at the back of a Rovers Return shot, which was filmed during a private visit last week to the set of the Phil Collinson-produced soap. In an interview five years ago, Jacobi told how he had always wanted to be in the ITV programme. It is not known when the episode will air. [BBC News, 11 Apr 2012]

Robert Glenister has less-than-fond memories of his time on Doctor Who. The actor, who played Salateen in Peter Davison's swansong The Caves of Androzani, tells Radio Times: "I still get people outside the stage door with that picture of me looking about 12 and I am appalled at myself every time I see it. I looked like a complete berk and wish I never had to see it again." Ironically, Glenister says that his favourite television role was in the Davison-starring BBC1 comedy series Sink or Swim, which ran from 1980 to 1982 and gave him his TV break playing the younger brother of Davison's character. [Radio Times, 12 Apr 2012]

John de Lancie provides the voice of Professor Fitz Quadwrangle in a new video puzzle game, Quantum Conundrum, to be released for PSN, XBLA and Windows platforms. [The Sixth Axis, 4 Apr 2012]

Production:

The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine has reported that the fourth episode of the series will be produced on its own as Block Three, to be directed by Douglas Mackinnon, who previously filmed The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky; the episode will also be the second script written by Chris Chibnall for this series.

This will then be followed by Block Four, due to commence production in May, and of course introduces us to a new traveller in the TARDIS in the form Jenna-Louise Coleman in the 2012 Christmas Special. This will also be the first story to be totally produced at the new BBC Roath Lock studios in Cardiff Bay.

Steven Moffat described the audition process for the new arrival: "I sat down and wrote a scene, from a pretend story, that I thought covered everything a Doctor Who co-star might have to do. And that one scene ended up being three scenes, and two of them I liked so much, they snuck themselves into real eposodes, and one I liked even better because during it we all realised Jenna was our one and only choice. We all sat and watched this - me, Caro Skinner, Marcus Wilson and Andy Pryor - and I'm sure you could hear our heart rates soaring. Because there it was, right in front of us, the new team and the new show." This scene is included in DWM Issue 446.

Casting director Andy Pryor described the process of short-listing for roles to DWM: "My original list was probably a couple of hundred names, which I whittled down to around fifty. Then I began auditioning in earnest - in the intake stages, I'll audition maybe twenty people at a time for a role like this - and showing the best of them to Steven, Caro and Marcus. For smaller roles and guest parts we usually audition somewhere between three and five people, but for such an enormous part it's a bigger deal. Between us we shortlisted further and recalled a small selection to read with Matt. We met some brilliant actresses for the part, but when Jenna auditioned with Matt, we all knew instantly that she was the one."

After photos with classic Daleks revealed by the BBC and Moffat last week, one owned by former head writer Russell T Davies has also been pressed into action! The arrival of 'her' at the studios were marked by brand manager Edward Russell: "Oh look. It's me and Caroline Skinner posing with Russell's Dalek on her way to the studio!« Daleks are female, right? It make so much sense. For one they have skirts....«". The executive producer herself said: "Russell's Dalek has arrived on set - I'm talking her through her part!«" Russell's partner Andrew saw it off: "Our Dalek on its way to TV stardom in Cardiff«", to which Steven Moffat replied: "We'll all look after it. Except for the Doctor, who'll probably blow it up. Sorry, he does that.«"

Filming from the current block indicates that Director of Photography for episodes one and five is Neville Kidd - previous credits include Lip Service, How To Grow A Planet and Case Histories, and he won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Photography (Factual) in 2009 for his work on A History of Scotland

Media:

Matt Smith on how things are progressing with filming: "It's really great. I think we've got some really exciting episodes. We did the read-throughs for episodes one and five and they are extremely extraordinary. Really, really pleased with them, so if we get them right, the Ponds' final hour could be incredible. We will be making some Doctor Who in New York which is incredibly exciting." [Independent, 5 Apr 2012]

Will a woman be taking over the role of the Doctor for the 50th Anniversary? According to the Express, she will, with their show insider saying: "The 50th anniversary series will end with a very big twist - the Doctor becoming a woman will give the show a new lease of life.". The newspaper cites Sherlock actress Lara Pulver as being one of the front-runners. [Express, 2 Apr 2012]

Filming Reports:

After a number of weeks hidden away in studio or abroad, the production team has finally been out and about on the public streets of Cardiff once more, with filming taking place across Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for both episodes one and five. The "Silver Cloak" were on hand to watch the exterior filming, and the following summaries of the shoots contain potential plot revelations - though the details have also been widely reported on Twitter, do not read further unless you don't mind knowing such details!

Three 2011 Doctor Who stories have been nominated for the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.

The scripts for Neil Gaiman's The Doctor's Wife and Tom MacRae's The Girl Who Waited, will compete against showrunner Steven Moffat's A Good Man Goes to War to win the award which will be presented at Chicon 7 to be held in Chicago, Illinois, at the end of August.

Doctor Who has won five previous Hugo Awards, with Steven Moffat winning for The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, The Girl in the Fireplace, Blink and The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang, while Russell T Davies and Phil Ford won for The Waters of Mars. The awards are given every year for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories.

2012 Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form - Full Nominations

• Doctor Who, The Doctor’s Wife, written by Neil Gaiman; directed by Richard Clark (BBC Wales)
• The Drink Tank’s Hugo Acceptance Speech, Christopher J Garcia and James Bacon (Renovation)
• Doctor Who, The Girl Who Waited, written by Tom MacRae; directed by Nick Hurran (BBC Wales)
• Doctor Who, A Good Man Goes to War, written by Steven Moffat; directed by Peter Hoar (BBC Wales)
• Community, Remedial Chaos Theory, written by Dan Harmon and Chris McKenna; directed by Jeff Melman (NBC)

Also nominated this year is Doctor Who writer Paul Cornell who has received two nominations. His book The Copenhagen Interpretation is nominated as Best Novelette while SF Squeecast in which he takes part is nominated for Best Fancast.

Doctor Who Night 2012 – The Final Game:

The ABC Shop Rosny Park at Eastlands shopping centre in Tasmania, Australia is to host its fourth Doctor Who night on April 14th 2012.

The event will include a theatrical play (entitled "The Final Game" based on a classic Doctor and an even more classic villain), a quiz, giveaways, specials and prizes. Daleks will be in attendance, as will K-9 and the TARDIS.

Food outlets such as Gloria Jeans, Wendys and Kebab Empire will be open and Doctor Who shaped donuts will be available from Donut King!

The night runs between 7 and 9pm on April 14th and is free attendance for all!

WHO, ME.

After sell out shows for the Melbourne and Adelaide Fringe Festivals and a full house for Armageddon Expo 2011, Rob Lloyd will be bringing ‘WHO, ME’ back to Melbourne for this years Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Investigating whether Doctor Who (the television show) is guilty of inciting in him a debilitating obsession, or whether it has shaped him into a well-rounded, mentally-sound member of society.

Built up through improvisation and storytelling techniques, this one-man show is a personal and fitting tribute to a television icon.

The event takes place at St Ali Cafe, Yarra Place from April 10th-21st at 8pm. Tickets available from the Festival Website