Doctor Who Celebration: The Regenerations panel full video

Wednesday, 16 April 2014 - Reported by Melad Moshiri

An extended video collating three of the Regenerations panels at the Doctor Who Celebration has been uploaded onto the BBC's 50 Years of Doctor Who website.

Recorded at the Excel arena in London on the 22nd and 23rd November and moderated by Nicholas Briggs, the panel brought together former doctors Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy before the celebratory simulcast broadcast of The Day of the Doctor.

Discussed were the series' 2005 revival, the current TARDIS set, an anecdote from Tom about improvising in The Face of Evil, what Doctor each of them would play discounting themselves and the actors' reactions to regeneration scenes. (also available in a separate YouTube video).

In a string of three days from November 22nd to the 24th at the Excel, the event saw fans from across the globe visiting the celebration, alongside cast and crew, in honour of the show as part of the anniversary weekend.

Acknowledgements: With Thanks to Ed Stradling

FILTER: - UK - Tom Baker - Nicholas Briggs - Peter Davison - Sylvester McCoy - Colin Baker

Horror Channel 'Who on Horror' Full Spring Schedule

Tuesday, 15 April 2014 - Reported by Melad Moshiri

Horror Channel's Who on Horror schedule in the UK has been released with classic Doctor Who episodes airing from Good Friday. The run will commence with the very first episode of Who in its original four parts on the Friday at 7pm before the Who on Horror themed weekend featuring stories from each of the first seven Doctors begins.

11am - An Unearthly Child (Four Parts, Repeat)
From the misty November nights of London 1963 to the arid caves of Earth 100,000 BC, this is our very first encounter with the mysterious time traveller (William Hartnell), who kidnaps teachers Ian (William Russell) and Barbara (Jacqueline Hill), and, along with his granddaughter Susan (Carole Ann Ford), travels back in the distant past to confront caveman as they discover the power of fire.

1:20pm - The Mind Robber (Four Parts)
Trapped in a world outside of space and time, the second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) along with his companions, Jamie (Frazer Hines) and Zoe (Wendy Padbury), find themselves facing a world of fiction inhabited by unicorns, Medusa, and Gulliver. They seem to be writing their own story but will the mysterious storytelling Master of the realm allow them a happy ending?

3:45pm - Terror of the Autons (Four Parts)
If the 70s was an age of plastic then what would happen if it turned against us? The Doctor (Jon Pertwee), now exiled to Earth in his third incarnation, confronts killer dolls, deadly daffodils, telephone cables that strangle and inflatable chairs that suffocate. A second appearance for the returning enemy the Autons, this also introduces new assistant Jo Grant (Katy Manning) and rogue Time Lord, The Master (Roger Delgado). It also finds a new nemesis in Mary Whitehouse.

6pm - The Brain of Morbius (Parts One and Two)
Our jellybaby-loving Time Lord ventures into Frankenstein territory as The fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) and Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) arrive on the stormy planet of Karn where they find themselves caught between the immortal Sisterhood, who are guardians of the precious elixir of life and the fanatical surgeon, Solon, who’s trying to create new life from dead aliens to house the brain of criminal Time Lord, Morbius.

11am - The Brain of Morbius (Parts Three and Four)
Continuation from Saturday night, the last two episodes of this ‘Frankenstein’ story as The Doctor (Tom Baker) and Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) find themselves caught between the immortal Sisterhood and the fanatical surgeon, Solon, who’s trying to create new life from dead aliens to house the brain of criminal Time Lord, Morbius.

12:10pm - The Caves of Androzani (Four Parts)
Frequently voted by fans as the best story of the whole classic series, this also marks the end of Peter Davison’s time as he regenerates into Colin Baker. A real actioner which finds the Fifth Doctor and Peri (Nicola Bryant) caught up in a war between a corrupt corporation, smugglers and masked outlaw Sharaz Jek , all fighting for control of spectrox, an invaluable but toxic substance mined on Androzani Minor that when refined, can slow ageing.

2:30pm - Attack of the Cybermen (Four Parts)
Travelling from their own future, the Cybermen stalk London in 1985 to perfect a plan for Halley’s Comet to crash into the Earth, saving their own planet Mondas from destruction. The Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) and Peri colourfully attempt to thwart their plans, save the cold-thriving Cryons, natives of Cyber-controlled Telos and maybe finally fix the TARDIS’s chameleon circuits.

4:50pm - Remembrance of the Daleks (Four Parts)
It’s back to November 1963 as the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) returns with Ace (Sophie Aldred) to Coal Hill School, He’s determined to complete unfinished business but if he hadn’t forgotten the Hand of Omega, then it’s inevitable the Daleks would remember too and they’re determined to outwit their greatest enemy and proved that they can climb stairs.

After the special weekend, episodes settle into a weekday showing from Monday after, with a story each from the First, Second and Third Doctor for the rest of April.

Monday 21st April

10am - The Daleks (Parts One and Two)
Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
Having survived their first adventure together, the TARDIS team land on Skaro, a planet devastated by nuclear war. Is anyone left alive? Contaminated by radioactive poisoning, they encounter the pacifist race of Thals and a number of hidden perils, but the greatest threat waits in the impressive citadel. They’re set to come face to eye-stalk for the first time with those exterminating pepperpots, the Daleks. A legend is born and our Saturday nights will never be the same again.

Tuesday 22nd April

10am - The Daleks (Parts Three and Four)
Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
Continuation of adventure in which the TARDIS team come face-to-face with the Daleks for the first time.

Wednesday 23rd April

10am - The Daleks - (Parts Five and Six)
Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
Continuation of adventure in which the TARDIS team come face-to-face with the Daleks for the first time.

Thursday 24th April

10am - The Daleks (Part Seven)
Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
Finale to adventure in which the TARDIS team come face-to-face with the Daleks for the first time.

10:35am - The Seeds of Death (Part One)
Repeated at 3:45pm and 7:50pm
Earth in the 21st Century and instantaneous travel is now possible thanks to the T-Mat based on the Moon. However, when the Doctor arrives with Jamie and Zoe, the machine has broken down and strange alien seeds have been discovered which explode with a lethal fungus threatening to wipe out life. It’s all part of the plan to take over the planet by the Martian reptilian race, the Ice Warriors.

Friday 25th April

10am - The Seeds of Death - (Parts Two and Three)
Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
Continuation of adventure where the Ice Warriors are threatening to wipe out life with a lethal fungus.

Monday 28th April

10am - The Seeds of Death - (Parts Four and Five)
Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
Continuation of adventure where the Ice Warriors are threatening to wipe out life with a lethal fungus.

Tuesday 29th April

10am - The Seeds of Death (Part Six)
Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
Finale to adventure where the Ice Warriors are threatening to wipe out life with a lethal fungus.
10:35am - The Daemons (Part One)
Repeated at 3:45pm and 8:45pm
Excavations at an ancient burial mound unleash an ancient evil. There’s darker magic at work in the quiet village of Devil’s End, and the new vicar seems to have a Master plan under his cassock as rogue Time Lord joins forces with Azal, last of the star-spanning Daemons. With the help of UNIT and Jo Grant, The Doctor fights to stop May Day from becoming the last day for mankind.

Wednesday 30th April

10am - The Daemons - (Parts Two and Three)
Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
Continuation of adventure where The Doctor (Jon Pertwee) fights to stop May Day becoming the last day for mankind.

Thursday 1st May

10am - The Daemons - (Parts Four and Five)
Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
Continuation of adventure where The Doctor (Jon Pertwee) fights to stop May Day becoming the last day for mankind.

Friday 2nd May

10am - The Sea Devils - (Parts One and Two)
Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
The Doctor pays the Master a visit in an island prison around which a number of ships have mysteriously sunk. While the Doctor and Jo are trapped on the fort by a Sea Devil, the Master steals some electronic components.

Monday 5th May

10am - The Sea Devils - (Parts Three and Four)
Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
Trenchard holds the Doctor captive while the Master attempts to make contact with the Sea Devils. After the Sea Devils attack the island prison and rescue the Master, the Doctor must venture underwater in pursuit.

Tuesday 6th May

10am - The Sea Devils - (Parts Five and Six)
Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
While the Doctor tries to make peace with the Sea Devils in the their underwater colony, the navy launch an attack on the base! When the Sea Devils take over the naval base, the Doctor is forced to work with the Master to revive the creatures' colony.

Wednesday 7th May

10am - The Three Doctors - (Parts One and Two)
Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
Three incarnations of the Doctor join forces to face the evil Omega in a universe of antimatter. The Third Doctor and Jo find themselves on an artificial world inside a black hole.

Thursday 7th May

10am - The Three Doctors - (Parts Three and Four)
Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
The Time Lord Omega reveals himself to the third Doctor along with his plan for vengeance. The Doctors discover a secret about Omega that gives them an advantage in ending his deadly plot.

The full and future schedule can be found via This Week in Doctor Who.

Idents and commercials have been created depicting the cell animation advertised while billboards and posters promoting the campaign have been seen in London.

Long Trailer | Short Trailer | Dalek Blipvert | Cyberman Blipvert

The arrival of Doctor Who on the Horror Channel reflects the science-fiction, action and fantasy genres seen on the channel's available line-up, including Xena: Warrior Princess, Wonder Woman and The Twilight Zone.

Director of Programming Alina Florea commented on the latest signing in a press release:

Doctor Who is an iconic series and we are proud and excited to welcome this giant of British television to our channel. The line-up will include some of the most revered from seven classic Doctors – stories that terrified, thrilled and captured the imagination of children and adults through the decades. Doctor Who joins a long line of well-loved classic series we have endeavoured to showcase on Horror Channel over the last few years.

A special press launch took place yesterday at The Ivy in Leicester Square in the presence of the Fourth Doctor himself, Tom Baker. Doctor Who News was invited to the launch and a report of the day will be available soon.

UPDATE - 18th APRIL: Our report of the press launch, including pictures, can now be read here.

FILTER: - Sixth Doctor - UK - Third Doctor - Seventh Doctor - Second Doctor - First Doctor - Class

Stepson gig plus DVD double bill with Moths announced

Monday, 14 April 2014 - Reported by John Bowman

The actor, writer and comedian Toby Hadoke is to give the last performance of My Stepson Stole My Sonic Screwdriver for the foreseeable future next month, he has announced.

The show, which is as highly acclaimed as its antecedent Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf, will be staged on Monday 19th May at 7.30pm at Bollington Arts Centre, Wellington Road, Bollington, Cheshire, as part of the Bollington Festival.

My Stepson Stole My Sonic Screwdriver

Join Toby as he takes you on a heart-warming journey that begins with losing a partner, ends with gaining a stepson, and pays homage to the restorative powers of the Time Lord in between. Intimate knowledge of the TARDIS is not required to enjoy this bitter-sweet comedy of parenting through sci-fi evangelism.

Hadoke, who writes for Doctor Who Magazine and has been a moderator on classic Doctor Who DVDs, also said that work is under way on a DVD release of Moths and Stepson, both of which were filmed when he performed them as a double bill at the Garrick Theatre in the West End on 17th November last year. A release date is yet to be announced.

Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf

Get out from behind that sofa and get aboard Toby Hadoke's TARDIS on a trip through time – charting the rise, fall, and rise again of a television legend. This delightful show is a personal, satirical, and razor-sharp comic odyssey from child to man, through obsession, joy, and disappointment.

FILTER: - Special Events - UK - Theatre - Comedy - Blu-ray/DVD

DWA offers Easter egg-citement

Sunday, 13 April 2014 - Reported by John Bowman

The latest edition of Doctor Who Adventures shows readers how to make monster eggs for Easter. Examples include a Zygon, Weeping Angel, Dalek, Slitheen and Mr Sweet.

Also in DWA 343:

Fun with the Alien Babies
Pictures from filming the new series
Strax's guide to the Daleks
Find out the Scarecrows' secrets
Learn how to draw the Doctor
Pull-out puzzle section
Behind the scenes on The Name of the Doctor
A comic strip featuring an unseen adventure with the Eleventh Doctor and Clara
Three posters
Three free monster bouncers and 25 stickers

The current issue is available until Tuesday 22nd April.

FILTER: - Magazines - DWA

Stories wanted for charity Doctor Who anthology

Sunday, 13 April 2014 - Reported by John Bowman

Short stories are being sought for an unofficial Doctor Who anthology that will raise money for charity.

The Vancouver-based outfit Pencil Tip Publishing is bringing out The Temporal Logbook, featuring original Doctor Who fiction by new and upcoming writers. The stories will involve the first 11 Doctors - by this it means as portrayed by William Hartnell through to Matt Smith and not including The War Doctor - in a series of adventures across space and time. All proceeds will go to the Positive Living Society of British Columbia, which is dedicated to empowering people who have HIV/Aids.

It's been said that Doctor Who has one of the most flexible formats in television drama. With the basic premise of an alien who travels throughout space and time in a box that is bigger inside than out, and which is disguised as a 1960s police public call box, it can't get much simpler than that. One week the show can be a gothic horror, the next it can be a comedic satire, while the next it could be a base-under-siege thriller – the possibilities are endless.

The deadline for submissions is midnight Pacific Daylight Time on Saturday 28th June. They should be between 3,000 and 7,500 words, in English, and not have been published elsewhere already. Stories should be sent for consideration via e-mail to penciltippublishing@shaw.ca. The same address can be used for queries as well.

Authors must submit just one story at a time, and must also include a covering letter that includes their full name, age, e-mail address, home address, story word count, and story title. In addition, people should include a brief biography about themselves as well as their publishing history plus any other relevant information.

Full submission guidelines are detailed here, and the FAQs page is here.

The Temporal Logbook will feature one story per Doctor, and the successful authors will each receive one complimentary copy of it. Pencil Tip says that it is "tentatively aiming" to publish the book in late-2014.

Yesterday, it was announced that the editors of the compendium will be Rob Mammone, Bob Furnell and Jez Strickley.

FILTER: - Canada - Books - Charities

Farewell to Matt Smith on UK channel Watch this Easter

Sunday, 13 April 2014 - Reported by Melad Moshiri

Christmas Special 2013 - Promotional Image (Credit: BBC America)

BBC America's A Farewell to Matt Smith special is to air on UK television on digital channel Watch this Easter.

The programme, initially broadcast on the US network celebrating the 11th Doctor actor's time on Doctor Who, will be shown in the UK on Good Friday at 5:00pm.

Narrated by Alex Kingston, it sees contributions from her, David Tennant, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Jenna Coleman and Steven Moffat alongside fans of Matt Smith and his incarnation of the Time Lord.

As part of the run-up, Radio Times have released a two-minute preview clip concerning the actor's relationship with his fans.

An audience of 1.54 million viewers watched the special on its original transmission before The Time of the Doctor's airing, more recently included as an extra on Time's DVD/Blu-rays.

FILTER: - BBC America - UK - Matt Smith

Subscriptions open for new Doctor Who Comics

Sunday, 13 April 2014 - Reported by Marcus

Print subscriptions are now open for the two new Doctor Who comic series Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor and Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor, which will be published on July 23, 2014.

Please note that although these titles are available in print and digital in the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, due to rights issues, only digital copies will be available in the UK and Eire.

The Tenth Doctor comic series: Early Bird Offer!

US Residents: Get 15 issues for $53.99 – saving 10% off the cover price. Plus receive a FREE Tenth Doctor Titan figure!
Canadian Residents: Get 15 issues for $63.99 – saving 10% off the cover price.
New Zealand and Australia Residents: Get 15 issues for $153.99 – saving 10% off the cover price (includes $100 shipping and handling fee!).

The Eleventh Doctor comic series: Early Bird Offer!

US Residents: Get 15 issues for $53.99 – saving 10% off the cover price. Plus receive a FREE Eleventh Doctor Titan figure!
Canadian Residents: Get 15 issues for $63.99 – saving 10% off the cover price.
New Zealand and Australia Residents: Get 15 issues for $153.99 – saving 10% off the cover price (includes $100 shipping and handling fee!).

FILTER: - Doctor Who - Canada - USA - Comics - New Zealand - Australia

Doctor Who nominated for Freesat Award

Friday, 11 April 2014 - Reported by Marcus

The 50th Anniversary Doctor Who episode, Day of the Doctor, has been nominated in the Best of British category at the 2014 Freesat awards.

The awards celebrate all that's great about Free TV in the UK, and are judged by a panel of industry experts.

The awards are produced in association with TV Times and the winners will be announced on the 17th June 2014.

Best of British Nominees

Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor - BBC One
Sherlock – BBC One
Strictly Come Dancing – BBC One
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway – ITV
Downton Abbey – ITV

FILTER: - Awards/Nominations

Statement from Philip Morris

Friday, 11 April 2014 - Reported by Marcus

Television International Enterprises Archives Ltd have issued a statement on their Facebook page on the recovery of missing Doctor Who episodes.

The company, led by Philip Morris, was responsible for the recovery of nine missing Troughton episodes last year. Episodes found at a relay station in the Nigerian city of Jos.

Since then there have been many rumours of more episodes being discovered, prompting much discussion on twitter and in fan forums. However, as yet, no more episodes have been confirmed as being returned to the BBC. The statement from TIEA pledges that they will endeavour to return any missing programmes while stating this is not their main purpose. Morris finishes the statement by saying Stay Tuned..

A list of current missing Doctor Who episodes can be seen on the Doctor Who Guide

Statement from Television International Enterprises Archives Ltd

T.I.E.A understands the passion felt by Doctor Who fans and that looking for missing episodes of Doctor who plus many other shows is an important but tiny part of the work that T.I.E.A does.The main aim of this organisation is to assist those archives whose own cultural heritage is under threat.If any programmes do still exist T.I.E.A will endeavor to recover them safely as with web of fear and enemy of the world.T.I.E.A are not sponsored by any organisation we are a completely independent body we work alongside many organisations such as the B.F.I.

However as much as people want specific programmes found wishing them into existence or starting rumors will not magically return them .Individuals trying to extract information which does not exist or is commercially confidential will be deleted unread any legitimate inquires for T.I.E.A LTD services are welcome.

Stay Tuned. Executive Director Philip Morris.

FILTER: - Classic Series

Derrick Sherwin autobiography to be published in April

Wednesday, 9 April 2014 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Fantom Publishing are to release the autobiography of Doctor Who producer Derrick Sherwin later this month.

Derrick Sherwin: Who's Next - A Memoir (book) (Credit: Fantom Publishing)

Derrick Sherwin: Who's Next - A Memoir

In a long and varied career, Derrick Sherwin has been an actor, writer, script editor, TV producer... and also a house builder and renovator, bar owner, restaurateur and bungee-jump proprietor!

In 1968 he joined the production team of Doctor Who as assistant story editor during the Patrick Troughton era, and went on to become the programme’s script editor and eventually its producer. During this time Sherwin commissioned Robert Holmes’ first script for the series; oversaw the transition from black-and-white to colour and the introduction of the Third Doctor, Jon Pertwee; was instrumental in conceiving the Earth-bound aspect of Pertwee’s era; and is credited with creating two of Doctor Who’s most enduring ingredients: the intelligence taskforce UNIT, and the Doctor’s own race – the Time Lords. He is now the earliest producer of Doctor Who still living.

In this candid and unflinching memoir, Sherwin discusses the pressures of writing and producing a cult science-fiction TV show for a family audience, his subsequent experience as an independent producer and creator of TV formats, and his ‘new life’ in one of the world’s most exotic countries: Thailand.

Copies of the book, which will include the author's signature, are available for pre-order via the Fantom website.

FILTER: - Auto/Biography - Books

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