Star Cutouts have launched a new range of licensed cut-out face masks based on characters from Doctor Who; the first releases include the Eleventh Doctor and Amy, alongside a Cyberman, Weeping Angel, a Silent, plus the Empty Child!

The 11th Doctor order	Amy Pond order	Weeping Angel order
Cyberman order	Silent order	The Empty Child

The cut-out face masks join the existing range of full life-sized cut-outs from the company.

In the run-up to the 50th Anniversary the company plan to release a wider range of life-sized cut-outs encompassing both the 21st and 20th Century series; this kicks off with one of Rory which is hoped to be released in January, followed by a 'classic' Doctor cut-out for February.

Matt Smith talks about an incident with the police: "I was running for a train, on my way to film in Bristol, when I was stopped by anti-terrorist police for a routine check. I ended up missing my train and being late for my call. I must have been looking particularly dodgy." And on his best present at Christmas? "A snooker table - although my SEGA Mega Drive comes close. I also used to love getting pyjamas and wearing them all day." [Standard, 16 Dec 2011]

Praise was also heaped upon the actor by Daventry's MP, Chris Heaton-Harris, who having seen the Christmas Special at the press preview, said: "I’m very much a Doctor Who geek, so I loved it. It was a perfect show for Christmas Day and I’ll look forward to watching it again then. It was also nice to hear Matt speaking about the show, he came across as a really nice, pleasant guy with a lovely sense of humour. I think he’s a great representative of Northamptonshire." [Northamptonshire Chronicle, 18 Dec 2011]

Jane Espenson (writer) talks about the differences in the creative process in writing for Torchwood and Once Upon A Time: "Torchwood was a very different process from everything else, since it functioned as a sort of hybrid version of the UK system – less room time, more one-on-one with the showrunner. Once is more similar to Buffy – we work in a writers' room figuring out the story, and then we take turns writing complete drafts that are then polished by Eddy and Adam. And, also like Buffy, we're being allowed to make the show that the guys envisioned. It's a very smooth and very productive process." [Blogcritics, 16 Dec 2011]

Sarah Smart (Jennifer, The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People) talks about being broody after meeting Billie Piper (Fast Freddie, The Widow and Me co-star Laurence Fox's wife), and also on her time in Doctor Who: "We will of course be watching the Doctor Who Christmas special, but I will see it in a completely different light now I’ve been in it. Matt Smith is absolutely brilliant, but my favourite Doctor will always be Peter Davison, because he was my dad in At Home With The Braithwaites." [Sunday Mercury, 18 Dec 2011]

Robin Squire ("main Auton", Spearhead from Space) has written a new 'reality novel' entitled The Making of Britflick and is described as all about the vicissitudes of being a writer on a feature film that manages to get made despite all the odds. It is currently available as an e-book from Amazon, with a hardcopy available next spring. [with thanks to Richard Bignell, 17 Dec 2011]

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Meanwhile, the announcement by Steven Moffat that Amy and Rory would be departing has set the bookies off on their predictions of who might assume the vacancy in the TARDIS, though predictably lacking the imagination to consider a male as the Doctor's next sidekick.

Downton Abbey's Jessica Brown Findlay is considered the favourite by Ladbrokes at 4/1, with The Curse of the Black Spot's Lily Cole at 6/1, Matt Smith's close friend Daisy Lowe at 10/1, and Strictly Come Dancing runner up Chelsee Healey at 12/1.

The Doctor Who "massively multiplayer online" (MMO) game Worlds in Time moves a stage closer with the platform having now been made open to invited users in order to test and give feedback upon the initial gameplay.


Having been "invited" to join the Doctor in the TARDIS, initial registration for the game enables players to select their character name and race, choosing from four different races, Human, Silurian, Cat-person and Tree-person. Character avatars can then be adjusted to suit player preference before the final registration page.

Please note that in order to proceed into the game itself, those participating in the trial must agree to the terms and conditions; in particular:

United Kingdom

A Dalek lent its aid towards 'exterminating' prejudice and inequalities at Sunderland College. Joe Leggett, director of learning support, said: "We were trying to think of a creative way of explaining diversity and engaging with the students. In Dr Who, the Daleks have a very hierarchical society, with prejudices within their ranks based on their colour." [Sunderland Echo, 13 Dec 2011]

Meanwhile, another Dalek has been immortalised in Lego by the Addis family in Huntingdon. The seven foot Christmas-themed creation was constructed from over 100,000 bricks as part of a eighteen year personalised Christmas card tradition. Catherine Addis said: "'We thought we'd have a bit of fun this year and build something a bit out of the ordinary - but obviously, we want to keep it quite festive. You get a great feeling of satisfaction once the model it complete - all our friends are so complimentary of it, it really makes all the hard work worthwhile." [Daily Mail, BBC News, 15/16 Dec 2011]

A Cyberman went on patrol at the Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells, as part of a promotion for the forthcoming Big Blue Box convention being held there on 14th January. The event is raising money for the local charity which helps disabled people, Compaid, and will see a number of Doctor Who names appearing including Louise Jameson (Leela), Paul Magrs and Jonathan Morris (writers). Compaid's chief executive Stephen Elsden said: "Big Blue Box marks the first ever fan convention for Doctor Who in Tunbridge Wells, which has a long history of associations with the show. From a screening of a classic Peter Cushing Dalek movie to more recent fan films, we will be taking full advantage of Trinity’s superb theatre." [Stephen Elsden/Compaid, Kent News, 14 Dec 2011]

Basil Brush is appearing at the Royal & Derngate, Northampton in Aladdin, and imparted a joke from his co-star: "I like Bobby Davro. I collect jokes and he told me a good one. What is Dr Who’s favourite food? Dalek bread. He is my friend for life now." [Northampton Chronicle, 16 Dec 2011]

United States

Rory Williams aka Arthur Darvill has made it through the first round of Chicago Redeye's Best TV Character Tournament. The Doctor Who character was up against True Blood's Eric Northman and won the face-off with 50%/49%. Round two has started with Rory facing Breaking Bad's Walter White and continues until the end of the week. [Chicago Redeye, 14 Dec 2011]

Update: Rory made it through round two, easily beating Walter White with 63% to 36%. The quarter final sees him against Sons of Anarchy's Clay Morrow, which at the time of writing sees the Doctor's travelling companion way ahead with 71% to 28%. Voting ends on Tuesday.

Skokie resident Allegra Rosenburg is a local Doctor Who fan celebrity thanks to her love of "Trock Rock" aka "Time Lord Rock", a sub-genre of pop that celebrates the show. The teenager is popular at conventions, and has even been praised by writer Neil Gaiman who said: "Took me 3 years of scribbling and rewrites to make 45 minutes of Dr. Who, summed up in 2:29 by a smart girl with a ukulele." [Chicago Tribune, 14 Dec 2011]

Australia

Cultureshock Events have announced two special evenings with sci-fi actor Mark Sheppard (Canton, The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon), taking place in February. The actor will be the guest for Q&As in Sydney (7th) and Brisbane (8th), following on from hosting the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular in Melbourne on the 4th February. [Dallas Jones/Cultureshock Events, 17 Dec 2011]

The BBC have released new promotional images for the forthcoming Christmas Special, The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe.

The ten new images are made up of screen captures depicting a number of scenes and effects from the story.

Yesterday saw Bonham's Entertainment Memorabilia auction take place, in which a range of costumes from 21st Century Doctor Who were available to bid upon, originating from Angels The Costumiers, plus the preliminary artwork for the 1964 The Dalek Book and a spaceship prop from Battlefield.

The Battlefield spaceship (#154a) reached its estimate of £5000, but the surprise sale of the auction turned out to be the Clockwork Droid costume (#162), estimated at £400 but also going for £5000!

Unsurprisingly the Doctor's costumes all performed well at the auction, well in excess of their estimates: John Smith's teacher costume (#173/£1500/£2125); John Smith's suit (#174/£600/£938); John Smith's pyjamas (#175/£600/£1125); John Smith's coat/hat/scarf (#176/£400/£1250); and the Doctor's wedding outfit from The Big Bang (#191/£1800/£2625).

Other items that far exceeded their original estimates include: The Dalek Book artwork (#154/£700/£1500), William Shakespeare's costume (#166/£500/£1625), Martha's maid costume (#167/£400/£1000), Rosita's costume (#184/£350/£1375), Van Gogh's costume (#188/£450/£1250), and Dorium's costume (#185/£350/£1375).


The final prices of the items are listed below, which is inclusive of the Buyer's premium.

Lot	Description	Estimate (£)	Final Price
154	Preliminary artwork for The Dalek Book (1964)	500-700	1500
154a	Spaceship model from Battlefield	4500-5000	5000
155	Doctor Constantine costume from The Empty Child	400-500	813
156	Adherent of the Repeated Meme costume from The End of the World	250-300	750
157	Partial Sycorax costume from The Christmas Invasion	350-400	563
158	Sisters of Plenitude tunic from New Earth	200-300	875
159	Maid's costume from Tooth and Claw	100-150	400
160	The Host cloak from Tooth and Claw	150-200	475
161	Guardian monk's robes from Tooth and Claw	200-300	438
162	Clockwork Droid costume from The Girl in the Fireplace	300-400	5000
163	Two Roboform costumes (one pos worn by Tennant) from The Runaway Bride	400-500	437
164	A Slab guard costume from Smith and Jones	300-400	225
165	Lilith's nightdress and slippers from The Shakespeare Code	150-250	325
166	William Shakespeare's costume from The Shakespeare Code	400-500	1625
167	Frank's costume from Daleks in Manhattan	500-600	400
168	Tallulah's costume from Daleks in Manhattan	150-200	688
169	Laszlo's human and pig slave costumes from Daleks in Manhattan	300-400	475
170	Two Pig Slave costumes from Daleks in Manhattan	250-300	500
171	Mr. Diagoras's costume from Daleks in Manhattan	200-300	438
172	Solomon's costume from Daleks in Manhattan	250-300	250
173	John Smith's Teacher costume from Human Nature	1000-1500	2125
174	John Smith's suit from Human Nature	500-600	938
175	John Smith's pyjamas from Human Nature	400-600	1125
176	John Smith's overcoat/hat/scarf from Human Nature	300-400	1250
177	Martha's maid costume from Human Nature	300-400	1000
178	Baines's costume from Human Nature	200-300	625
179	Lucy/Jenny/Rocastle costumes from Human Nature	300-400	1063
180	Futurekind Chieftain costume from Utopia	400-500	600
181	Lucius Petrus Dextrus's costume from The Fire of Pompeii	300-400	375
182	Quintus and Lucius costumes from The Fires of Pompeii	400-500	688
183	UNIT Trooper part costume from The Sontaran Strategum	200-300	563
184	Rosita's costume from The Next Doctor	250-350	1375
185	Four Smilers costumes from The Beast Below	400-500	1500
186	Four Winders part costumes from The Beast Below	250-350	813
187	Guido's costume from The Vampires of Venice	600-700	unsold
188	Vincent Van Gogh's costume from Vincent and the Doctor	350-450	1250
189	Dorium Maldovar's costume from The Pandorica Opens	250-350	1375
190	Rory's Wedding outfit from The Big Bang	400-600	688
191	The Doctor's Wedding Guest outfit from The Big Bang	1200-1800	2625

We have three copies of the CD up for grabs courtesy of Silva Screen Records. To be in for a chance of winning the competition, simply complete the following verse from the nursery rhyme which was played during the final seconds of Closing Time:

Tick, tock, goes the clock, he cradled and he rocked her.
Tick, tock, goes the clock, ________________________.

Send your answer with your name and address to us at s6cd-competition@doctorwhonews.net, with the subject line Series 6 CD Competition.

This competition closed on the 23rd December 2011

This week has seen Doctor Who become the favourite with bookies for being the Top Show on Christmas Day, as speculation continues over the impact of Downton Abbey and Eastenders going head-to-head later in the evening...

                                           William Hill   Betfair   Oddsbet    SkyBet    Bet365
comb  3:00 The Queens Speech                 100/1                   100/1       80/1     100/1
ITV1  6:00 Emmerdale                          80/1                   100/1       66/1     100/1
BBC1  6:30 The Gruffalo's Child               14/1          16/1      16/1       12/1      16/1
BBC1  7:00 Doctor Who                          5/4           5/4       7/4        6/4       5/4
ITV1  7:00 All Stars Family Fortunes         100/1                   150/1      100/1     150/1
BBC1  8:00 Strictly Come Dancing              20/1                    16/1       25/1      16/1
ITV1  8:00 Coronation Street                  16/1          55/1      20/1       16/1      20/1
BBC1  9:00 Eastenders                          5/4          13/5       5/4        7/4       5/4
ITV1  9:00 Downton Abbey                       5/1          27/5       5/1        4/1       5/1
BBC1 10:00 Absolutely Fabulous                25/1                    25/1       33/1      25/1

The winning programme will be the one that achieves the highest BARB overnight rating.

The BBC have now confirmed the dates for the first five DVD releases of 2012, along with the Region 2 cover art.

The U.N.I.T. Files 9th January 2012 pre-order

The Sensorites 23rd January 2012 pre-order

Revisitations 3 13th February 2012 pre-order

The Face of Evil 5th March 2012 pre-order

The Dæmons 26th March 2012 pre-order

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Since our last update, the extras for Tomb of the Cybermen have now been classified by the BBFC: The Lost Giants - Making of Tomb of the Cybermen (26m51s), The Curse of the Cybermen's Tomb (14m24s), The Magic of Vidfire (5m56s), Cybermen - Extended Edition (32m25s), Sky Ray Advert (30s), Photo Gallery (3m23s), plus an easter egg (1m8s).

In addition, three intriguing items have also been classified as additional material for a future release: Best of the Doctor (43m29s), Best of the Companions (43m21s), and Best of the Monsters (43m31s). A recent press statement from Warner Home Video indicated that these three titles would appear as extras on the Region One release of The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe (due 14th February), and were previously broadcast by BBC America in the run-up to Let's Kill Hitler, so it is possible the BBFC classification is for the UK release as well.

Doctor Who Showrunner Steven Moffat has announced that the next series of Doctor Who will see the departure of Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill when the story of Amy and Rory comes to an end.

Speaking at the press screening of the Christmas Episode, The Doctor The Widow and The Wardrobe, Moffat confirmed that the duo will rejoin the Doctor in the TARDIS for the next series of the show, but that sometime during the series the couple's story will come to a heartbreaking end.

Moffat teased that he wouldn't say when, and certainly not how, the couple would leave, but that it would happen during the series and then their story would be over.

Matt Smith was asked if he would be sad to see Gillan leave. A new companion, who has yet to be cast, will be joining the Doctor.

The press launch was held in Studio One at Television Centre in London, where many episodes of the classic series of Doctor Who were recorded. It was attended by a specially invited audience, including several MPs including Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls and, reportedly, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne.

For a full report, including an audio clip of the announcement, see Life of Wylie.