Fantom Publishing have released details on the next two releases in their Who Talk range of alternative audio commmentaries.

First up is the original television adventure, An Unearthly Child. Producer Paul W T Ballard explains:

The commentary features William Russell (Ian Chesterton), Jeremy Young (Kal), Waris Hussein (Director), Brian Hodgson (Special Sound) and Clive Doig (Vision Mixer), and is moderated by the omnipresent Toby Hadoke.

The second release celebrates the Cyber 60s, with Paul saying:

The set contains commentaries for the Patrick Troughton serials The Tomb of the Cybermen, The Wheel in Space and The Invasion. Moderated by both Paul and Toby, this release features Wendy Padbury (Zoe), Michael Kilgarriff (Cyber Controller), Sally Faulkner (Isobel), Sylvia James (Make-Up), Roger Bunce (Cameraman) and Marcia Wheeler (Assistant Floor Manager).


The company are also offering a special edition bundle featuring both commentaries: each set will be signed by an actor from each release as well as a both disc featuring additional commentaries on The Tenth Planet and The Moonbase. These CDs are very limited, and exclusively available via the Who Talk website.

Who Talk will return in 2017 with a full of schedule of alternative DVD Commentaries.

It was fifty years ago today, on Saturday 17th December 1966, that the Second Doctor met a young highland piper, James Robert McCrimmon, someone who would stay with him through the rest of his incarnation, becoming the longest serving companion in the history of the series.

Frazer Hines has, so far, appeared in 116 episodes of Doctor Who. Only four actors, the first four Doctors, have appeared in more episodes. However, when Frazer Hines joined the company in November 1966, he had been contracted for one story only and was only expecting to feature in four episodes.

He would play the young piper Jamie in The Highlanders, set in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden. During the production, the producers spotted something in the young actor and the chemistry he had with rest of the TARDIS crew, so after three weeks he was offered the chance to join the series as a regular character.

Scripts were hastily rewritten and a guide to the character of Jamie produced for potential writers.

Frazer Hines was just 22 when he joined Doctor Who. However, even at that age, he was a veteran of film and television acting.

He had studied at the Corona Theatre School and before he became a teenager he had already appeared in a number of films. At 13 he appeared in Charlie Chaplin's A King in New York. He made his TV debut in 1957 playing Mickey Day in an episode of London Playhouse. He joined the series Huntingtower playing Napoleon alongside Roger Delgado a future Doctor Who director Graeme Harper.. Appearances followed in the war drama The Silver Sword, Queen's Champion and Run to Earth as well as a number of small roles in classics such as Z-Cars, Dr Finleys Casebook, Compact, Emergency-Ward 10, Coronation Street and King of the River.

He first worked with Patrick Troughton when he was cast in Smuggler’s Bay based on the J. Meade Falkner novel, Moonfleet. The two instantly hit it off and when Hines joined Doctor Who three years later it was apparent how well they worked together. Talking in 2009 Hines explained how he was told he would be continuing in the series after being offered a lift home by Producer Innes Lloyd.
Frazer Hines would stay with Doctor Who for three series, leaving, along with Troughton in the summer of 1969.

ABC Australia has announced that both the Doctor Who Christmas special The Return of Doctor Mysterio and the animated series Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks will be fast-tracked to ABC iview early on Boxing Day morning, immediately after the BBC’s broadcast of the Christmas special.

The Return of Doctor Mysterio will then screen on ABC and ABC ME at 7.30pm on Boxing Day evening.

Written by Steven Moffat, The Return of Doctor Mysterio sees the Doctor team up with an investigative journalist, played by Charity Wakefield (Wolf Hall, The Player) and a superhero to save New York from a deadly alien threat.

The one-hour special also features Matt Lucas as Nardole, Justin Chatwin as Grant (the superhero), Adetomiwa Edun (Lucifer), Aleksandar Jovanovic and Logan Hoffman.

Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks animated series is one of the most celebrated Doctor Who adventures, and yet no complete film recordings are known to have survived. The master negatives were destroyed in an archive purge in 1974. This brand new animation, being released 50 years after its only UK broadcast, is based on the program’s original audio recordings, surviving photographs, and film clips. The six-part adventure features the regeneration – or as it was then called “renewal” – of First Doctor, William Hartnell, into Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton, and follows the Time Lord and his companions Polly (Anneke Wills) and Ben (Michael Craze) as they do battle with the Daleks on the planet Vulcan.

Power of the Daleks was brought to life using modern animation techniques and was produced and directed by Charles Norton, with character designs from acclaimed comic book artists Martin Geraghty and Adrian Salmon.

We are delighted to be able to offer readers in the United States a chance to win tickets to see the new animation of The Power of The Daleks at a participating theatre on Monday 14th November, courtesy of Fathom Events.

The competition is free to enter; all you need to do is send us the following details to comp-fathom@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "Power Giveaway":

• Your full name
• Your preferred email address (to receive the ticket from Fathom Events)
• Your preferred theatre location (enter your zip code here to find your nearest participating theatre)
• How many tickets you require (one or two)

Please note this competition is open to readers in the United States only, and ends at
MIDDAY Pacific Time/3PM Eastern Time tomorrow (11th November).




Full details of the event can be found on via the Fathom website.

BBC Audio have released details of the audio adaptions taking them up to the end of the year, with two further Target novelisations and a collection of previously released readings:
December also sees the release of an adaptation of Gary Russell's Scales of Injustice, originally published by Virgin Books as part of their Missing Adventures series in 1996:


It is still possible to enter competitions to win September and October's audiobooks here, closing date 13th November.

Episode One of the animated Power of the Daleks has been released on the BBC Store, exactly 50 years after it was first seen in the UK.

Viewers in the UK can download the episode for £1.89SD or £2.49HD or buy a season pass which gives access to all six episodes for £9.99SD and 12.99HD. Episodes are being released on a daily basis, although some BBC Store users have reported they already have access to all six.

The first three minutes of the episode were live streamed on the Periscope service earlier today. Viewers who missed it can unlock the video by going to the BBC Store twitter account



The first three episodes of the story were premiered at the National Film Theatre in London on Saturday afternoon, although disappointingly in mono rather than the remixed 5.1 sound so lovingly created by Mark Ayres. A packed audience included many who worked on the animation as well as members of the original production team from 1966, including designer Derek Dodd, actress Anneke Wills and runner and future Doctor Who director Graeme Harper, who at the time he worked on Power of the Daleks was just three weeks into his BBC Career.

Actor Frazer Hines, superfan and comedian Frank Skinner and current showrunner Steven Moffat all shared their memories of working with and watching Patrick Troughton.

Also in the audience was Grahame Strong, the man who made the recreation possible, by recording the sound from his TV on his domestic tape recorder as the story was being broadcast, thereby preserving the soundtrack when the rest of the episode was destroyed.

Some of the process of the animation was explained by project Director Charles Norton. The team had roughly 6 months to complete all six episodes, an incredibly tight framework, with the final episodes only completed last Wednesday. He decided to make the story in 16:9 rather than the original 4:3 as most people now watch on widescreen TV's and if it had been made in 4:3 most would be watching the animation stretched to fit the screen.

Norton said he had fought hard for the animation to be made in Black and White as he felt it enhanced the story and gave a far more accurate rendition of the original product, something accepted by BBC Worldwide. The idea to colour the episodes came later from BBC America and is being done in Canada by a completely separate team. As far as BBC Worldwide is concerned the definitive edition for the UK market is the Black and White edition.

Those who do wish to see the Colour version can download it from the BBC Store at the end of the year, or buy the Blu-Ray in February, which will contain both versions.

In the USA the story will be screened weekly on BBC America starting on November 19. This is in addition to a number of movie theatre screenings on November 14. BBC America will make the colour version available exclusively on their digital platforms towards the end of November. and from January 24, 2017 both versions of the story will be available on DVD.

The story will also be screened at selected theatres in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

It was fifty years ago today, on Saturday 5th November 1966, that we welcomed Patrick Troughton to the role of The Doctor.

The signing of Patrick Troughton was a major coup for the production team. At the time he was one of the best-known actors on British Television, having worked in the medium ever since it restarted after the second World War.

Troughton was born in North London in 1920, the son of a solicitor. His first acting role was at Mill Hill school, later attending the Embassy School of Acting studying under Eileen Thorndike. He won a scholarship to the Leighton Rallius Studios at the John Drew Memorial Theatre on Long Island in New York City.

His acting career was interrupted by war and the ship returning him to England sunk after hitting a mine in the English channel, forcing him to escape by lifeboat. Not put off by the sea he joined the Royal Navy serving with Royal Naval Reserve, earning the 1939-45 Star and the Atlantic Star as well as being mentioned in dispatches. Troughton made his Television debut in 1947, playing the young Thomas Culpepper in the play The Rose Without a Thorn, a production which starred Richard Hurndall, another actor who would inherit the role of the First Doctor. He found himself particularly suited to Television, where all drama was transmitted live. He relished the large audience the medium could reach, and the majority of his career would now focus on Television and to a lesser extent movies.

He was prolific in the medium appearing The Invisible Man, The Old Curiosity Shop, Kidnapped, The Count of Monte Cristo, Ivanhoe, Dial 999, Danger Man, Maigret, Compact, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Third Man, Crane, Detective, Sherlock Holmes, No Hiding Place, The Saint, Armchair Theatre, The Wednesday Play, Z-Cars, Adam Adamant Lives!, A Tale of Two Cities, Smuggler's Bay, The Splendid Spur, The Naked Lady, The Scarf, The Rebel Heiress, Benbow and the Angels, Clementina, The Royalty and Softly, Softly. In 1953 he became Television's first Robin Hood, becoming a tea-time favorite for the nation's children and in 1960 made a huge impression on Sunday afternoons as Paul of Tarsus.

Dispite his huge body of work, Troughton was not the only choice, or indeed the first choice to take over from Hartnell. Brian Blessed, fresh from a leading role in police drama Z-Cars was offered the role, but declined because of scheduling conflicts. Rupert Davies, Valentine Dyall and Michael Hordern were all approached but none wanted to commit to a long-running series.

Troughton was offered the role in June 1966, while working on the Hammer film The Viking Queen. He had doubts about accepting. He himself was a fan of Doctor Who, and had watched every single Hartnell episode. But he thought the series had probably run its course. Troughton was eventually persuaded to take the role and signed the contract for 22 episodes on 2nd August. He initially had the idea of playing the character in heavy make-up, in order to prevent being type-cast, but the look eventually settled on was that of the cosmic hobo. The characterisation was worked out between Troughton and script editor Gerry Davis, who explained. Troughton would hold the role for three years. His success would guarantee the series longevity, and Troughtons place in the Television hall of fame.

The BBC have announced that a colour version of the animated story The Power of the Daleks is to be released at the end of the year.

The Black and White version is being released this weekend on BBC Store, with a DVD release coming on 21 November. It is now confirmed that a colour version will be released on BBC Store on 31st December followed by a Special Edition Bluray, containing both the Black and White and Colour versions, from 6th February 2017.

BBC America is screening the Black and White version weekly from November 19, and will make the colour version available exclusively on their digital platforms towards the end of November. From January 24, 2017 both versions of the story will be available on a Region 1 DVD, exclusively at Barnes & Noble.

BBC Worldwide has confirmed the additional material that will be included on the release of the animated version of The Power of the Daleks.

This highly anticipated adventure will be released on BBC Store on Saturday 5th November, exactly 50 years to the minute after it was first transmitted on BBC One at 5.50pm. The UK release of the DVD will follow on Monday 21st November. A wealth of extra material will be available with both the BBC Store and DVD releases.

Extra treats fans can look forward to include commentaries and surviving footage, together with a documentary feature which stars the original cast and crew. Other bonus features include a gallery of artwork from the animation, and original shooting script. There’s even a rare chance to hear the original Dalek recordings from the show.

Power of the Daleks is one of the Doctor’s most celebrated adventures and yet no complete film recordings of The Power of the Daleks are known to have survived. The master negatives were destroyed in an archive purge in 1974.

The six 25 minute episodes feature the regeneration, or as it was then called ‘renewal’, of First Doctor William Hartnell into Second Doctor Patrick Troughton, as the Time Lord and his companions Polly (Anneke Wills) and Ben (Michael Craze) do battle with the Daleks on the planet Vulcan.

Animator Charles Norton says: Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks will be priced at £9.99 SD and £12.99 HD from bbcstore.com from 5th November where each episode will air on consecutive days.

The DVD will be released in the UK on 21st November priced at £20.42

A full list of extras is here, and will be available on BBC Store from 14th November and on the DVD on the 21st;

• Alternate soundtracks – DVD only
The option to listen to the story with a series of completely new digital re-masters of the original soundtrack – a stereo mix; a 5.1 surround sound mix and version of the original 1966 mono sound mix.
• Animation Test Footage
A compilation of animation tests, created during the production of the new animated series.
• Audio Commentaries on all 6 episodes – DVD only
Members of the original cast and crew are joined by members of the new animation unit to discuss the production of the story and its new animated reconstruction. Moderated by Toby Hadoke. Includes archive audio.
• Booklet with Production Notes – DVD only
An extensively researched set of production notes, written by the noted television historian Andrew Pixley, covering the behind the scenes story of how the original production was made.
• Original Camera Scripts – DVD only
Selected items of original production paperwork and a complete set of original camera scripts
• Original Title Sequence - new restoration
An unedited presentation of the full original 'Doctor Who' title sequence, prepared using an all new HD re-master of the original film elements.
• The Power of the Daleks Animation and Photo Gallery
An extended gallery of images, featuring production photographs from the original 1966 series and artwork from the latest animated production, accompanied by incidental music from the story, which has been digitally re-mastered from the original music production tapes.
• The Power of the Daleks Surviving Footage & Original Trailer – BBC Store/EST only
A compilation of short film fragments and clips from the original 1966 BBC television production - the only surviving footage to remain of the show's original BBC1 run.
• Original Dalek Voice Session Recording (1966) DVD only
Rare and previously unreleased sections from the studio recordings that were made at Maida Vale Studios in 1966 for the Dalek voices.
• Servants and Masters - The Making of The Power of the Daleks
A specially prepared documentary directed by John Kelly and featuring interviews with members of the original 1966 cast and crew.
• Telesnap reconstruction.
Around 400 individual still frames of film exist from the original 1966 television production of The Power of the Daleks. These images were kept in the programme's production files by the BBC Written Archive Centre. These images are here combined with the programme's soundtrack to present a photographic reconstruction of the original programme.

BBC Worldwide ANZ and Sharmill Films have today announced a limited-run theatrical screening of the new animation of The Power of the Daleks from Saturday 12 November for one week only, ahead of its release on DVD. The cinema event will also feature exclusive bonus content including interviews with members of the original cast.

Screenings of the story have already been announced in cinemas in the US and at the BFI in London. The lost story has been animated to mark the 50th Anniversary of the original transmission of the story, the first full adventure for the Second Doctor.

Tickets for Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks can be purchased by visiting sharmillfilms.com.au for information on participating cinemas, or at the cinema box offices.

The Power of the Daleks is one of the most celebrated Doctor Who adventures, and yet no complete film recordings are known to have survived. The master negatives were destroyed in an archive purge in 1974. This brand new animation, being released 50 years after its only UK broadcast, is based on the programme’s original audio recordings, surviving photographs, and film clips. The six-part adventure features the regeneration - or as it was then called “renewal” - of First Doctor, William Hartnell, into Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton, and follows the Time Lord and his companions Polly (Anneke Wills) and Ben (Michael Craze) as they do battle with the Daleks on the planet Vulcan.

Louise Hill, Live Entertainment Executive for BBC Worldwide ANZ said Natalie Miller AO, Sharmill Films Executive Director, added:Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks is produced and directed by Charles Norton, with character designs from acclaimed comic book artists Martin Geraghty and Adrian Salmon. It will be released on DVD in Australia by Roadshow Entertainment on 14 December 2016.