Michelle Gomez and Ingrid Oliver confirmed for DW Festival

Monday, 13 July 2015 - Reported by Marcus
BBC Worldwide has announced that Michelle Gomez and Ingrid Oliver will be joining Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat at the official Doctor Who Festival, which will take place at ExCeL, London, on the 13th, 14th and 15th November 2015. The Festival will offer fans an exclusive and interactive glimpse into how the inimitable world of Doctor Who is created.

The BBC have also confirmed that photo opportunities* will be available with Peter Capaldi, Ingrid Oliver and Michelle Gomez, plus the opportunity to have a photo taken on the set from Series 9. NB: Photos opportunities are subject to availability and will need to be purchased in advance of the Festival via the website.
In a weekend event like no other, television fans of all ages will be invited to see how one of the UK’s most-loved television programmes is created. Ticket holders will be able to discover the inspiration behind the Doctor’s recent adversaries, the imagination required to create whole new worlds and the ingenuity that goes into designing and making the beautiful backdrops that give Doctor Who its unique look. This Festival is a must-attend event for die-hard Doctor Who fans and for those who want to learn more about television production, with many, many more exciting announcements to come.
Included in the ticket price price
  • THEATRE SHOWS –see the writers and cast from the series as they talk about how to make an idea become reality on a series as big and bold as Doctor Who.
  • WARDROBE DEPARTMENT – a display of costumes and props from the series.
  • COSPLAYERS SHOWCASE - fans can showcase their impressive Doctor Who-themed outfits.
  • THE FAN CHALLENGE! –fans young and old can test their knowledge of Doctor Who.
  • DRAMA SCHOOL - the techniques and secrets that the cast learn when filming Doctor Who.
  • OFFICIAL MERCHANDISE - the official fan shopping area.
  • PRODUCTION VILLAGE – a chance for fans to understand what it takes to film a scene in Doctor Who.
  • PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES - an opportunity for fans to purchase an individual photograph with the current cast members appearing.
Further information and monthly newsletters are available from doctorwhofestival.com

As announced last week Doctor Who Festival will also be coming to Australia a week after on 21st-22nd November 2015. Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat will also be attending the Australian event.




FILTER: - Festival - Special Events

Doctor Who Adventures #4

Monday, 13 July 2015 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Adventures #4Doctor Who Adventures #4Doctor Who Adventures #4 is set to materialise on UK newsstands on 16th July and promises a summer holiday in Ancient Greece, a Sontaran Extravaganza and more excitement than most Time Lords can cope with in seven lifetimes

When Clara asks the Doctor to introduce her to Homer, he whisks her off to Ancient Greece where our heroes soon find themselves on the menu for a tribe of hungry Cyclopes. Doctor on the Menu is drawn by Russ Leach, written by Jason Quinn and coloured by John Burns.

LIVING LEGENDS
The Cyclopes aren’t the only legendary creatures the Doctor has met in his travels, here we take a look at Vampires, Werewolves, Ghosts and Sirens.

CLARA’S CRAFT STUDIO
Ideal for all messy humans; Clara shows you how to make a TARDIS shelf to help keep your bedroom tidy. It may not be really bigger on the inside but it’s the coolest bookshelf ever.

UNIT ALIEN ARCHIVES
We then sneak into the UNIT ALIEN ARCHIVE to uncover the raging truth about yet another so-called mythological creature… the Minotaur, last seen in the Doctor Who episode The God Complex.

STRAX’S HISTORY OF PLANET EARTH
This month, Strax takes a break from his guide to the galaxy and takes you into Earth’s past where he gives you his views on Alexander the Great, Zeus, Heracles and Mount Olympus.

THE PATERNOSTER GANG INVESTIGATES
Strax seems to have taken over this issue and this time we are treated to a Sontaran Field Report as Strax relates the case of the House of Sorrows, in which he comes face to face with an alien threat in the heart of Victorian Yorkshire.

Doctor Who Adventures #4 contains features, posters, games and puzzle activities. Issue 4 comes with a Free Doctor Who Stationery Set and a collection of glow in the dark stickers. On sale 16th July 2015, price £3.99




FILTER: - DWA

Terrance Dicks awarded 2015 Faust Award

Friday, 10 July 2015 - Reported by Marcus
The International Association of Media Tie-In Writers is to honour Doctor Who's former script editor Terrance Dicks with the 2015 Faust Award

The association is made up of writers of original tie-in novels, comic books and short stories based on existing characters from movie, TV series, books, games, and cartoons, and of novelisations based on screenplays for movies and TV shows.

The award is for a lifetime achievement in the genre and to mark the extensive contribution to the industry Dicks has made during his long career. He was Script Editor on Doctor Who for five years, as well as the writer of many episodes on the series. In the 1970's and 1980's he was one of the main contributors to the Target range of Doctor Who novelisations.

The citation reads
A driving force behind Target Books’ Doctor Who novels, he wrote over sixty titles, edited and recruited other authors as well. He wrote for the soap opera Crossroads, and co-created and wrote for the series Moonbase 3. He also worked as a producer on Sunday Classics. He authored several children’s series, including about a cat call Magnificent Max and, his longest running, another about a golden retriever The Adventures of Goliath.
The award will be presented at a ceremony later today at Comic-Con in San Diego, where it will be accepted, on behalf of Terrance Dicks, by Doctor Who writer Paul Cornell.




FILTER: - People

Doctor Who Comic Con 2015 Panel

Friday, 10 July 2015 - Reported by Marcus




FILTER: - Series 9/35

Doctor Who Returns Saturday 19th September

Thursday, 9 July 2015 - Reported by Marcus
BBC One has confirmed Doctor Who will be back on UK screens on Saturday 19th Sepetember

The news was announced via the channel's twitter feed, along with the release of the first trailer for the upcoming series. BBC America has confirmed that Series 9, the 35th Season of Doctor Who, will also première in the United States on the same day.



The news was announced at San Diego Comic-Con where the stars of the show were appearing along with the Doctor Who lead Writer and Executive Producer Steven Moffat.
Series 9

The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) is joined by Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) for time travel on a cinematic scale. Having the time of their lives, the pair meet new and old monsters, and go on a journey that takes them to deadly alien planets, creepy underwater bases, Vikings villages, a global Zygon uprising, and leads them through hidden alien dens, to the very end of time itself.

Meeting monsters old and new the Doctor will come face to face with Missy (Michelle Gomez), a city of Daleks, deadly mercenaries called the Mire, terrifying ghosts and more.
Having been filming in Cardiff since January, Peter Capaldi said:
Soaring through all of time and space, series nine sees the Doctor throw himself into life with a new hunger for adventure. The Cosmos is there for the taking, thrilling, epic and enticing, and his to play in. But he’s almost reckless in his abandon. It’s almost like he’s running from something, something that if it ever catches him will turn his life upside down.
Previously announced and taking up a guest role in the new season will be Maisie Williams, having already achieved global success for her role as Arya Stark in the fantasy drama series Game of Thrones. Michelle Gomez (Missy) returns to plague the Doctor and Clara in the season opener, and UNIT are back with Jemma Redgrave and Ingrid Oliver (Osgood) returning to season nine following their popular entrance in season eight. Also confirmed as guest cast in the new series are Rebecca Front, Rufus Hound, Paul Kaye, Joivan Wade and Sophie Stone.

Series 9 Trailer Images. Credit: BBCSeries 9 Trailer Images. Credit: BBCSeries 9 Trailer Images. Credit: BBCSeries 9 Trailer Images. Credit: BBCSeries 9 Trailer Images. Credit: BBCSeries 9 Trailer Images. Credit: BBCSeries 9 Trailer Images. Credit: BBCSeries 9 Trailer Images. Credit: BBCSeries 9 Trailer Images. Credit: BBC

The show’s ninth season has been written by lead writer Steven Moffat, Toby Whithouse, Jamie Mathieson, Peter Harness, Mark Gatiss, and new writers to Doctor Who - Sarah Dollard and Catherine Tregenna; directed by Hettie Macdonald, Daniel O’Hara, Ed Bazalgette, Daniel Nettheim, Justin Molotnikov, Rachel Talalay; and produced by Tracie Simpson, Derek Ritchie, Nikki Wilson and Peter Bennett.

The team continue to shoot in Roath Lock studios, Cardiff Bay, Wales, having filmed in Tenerife, and South Wales locations, Caerwent, Caerphilly Castle, Cardiff Castle, St Athans and Margam Park.




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Leading News - Series 9/35

Doctor Who in LEGO Dimensions

Thursday, 9 July 2015 - Reported by Marcus
More details on the incorporation of the Doctor Who Universe into the new world of Lego Dimensions, along with a preview video, have been revealed at the San Diego Comic Con currently being held in California.



As revealed earlier this week Peter Capaldi will be voicing the Twelfth Doctor in the game, due to be released on 27th September. He will be joined in the game by Jenna Coleman and Michelle Gomez playing Clara and Missy respectively. The game pits characters from Doctor Who up against characters from other franchises including Back to the Future, Lord of the Rings, Scooby-Doo and The Simpsons.

The basic LEGO Dimensions Starter Pack will include a Doctor Who level featuring Daleks and Cybermen alongside other monsters from the series. The Doctor Who Level pack add-on will include a LEGO minifigure of the 12th Doctor, LEGO models of the TARDIS and K-9 (both playable), and an additional mission-based Doctor Who level. The Doctor will regenerate through all his incarnations if he is defeated, with the TARDIS interior changing to match. A jukebox in the TARDIS offers your choice of Doctor Who theme music, and the TARDIS and K-9 models can each be physically built and then rebuilt twice “to do entirely different things”.

Peter Capaldi has given an interview to GameSpot where he talks about his excitement at seeing the game series brought to life.
The demands and the ambition that the game makers have imposed upon themselves are very high; they've given themselves the task of creating something that's very entertaining, very exciting, and dramatic.
LEGO Dimensions will be available for Xbox One, the all-in one games and entertainment system from Microsoft and the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation4 and PlayStation3 computer entertainment systems and the Wii U system from Nintendo.




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Games - Twelfth Doctor

The return of Erimem

Tuesday, 7 July 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Thebes Publishing have announced a new range of books, based around the fifth Doctor's travelling companion Erimem, first introduced in the Big Finish Doctor Who adventure The Eye of the Scorpion in 2001.

Erimem's creator and Editor-in-Chief at Thebes Publishing, Iain McLaughlin told us:
Originally I wrote the last scene (in The Eye Of The Scorpion) as a bit of cheek in the hope I might get to bring her back maybe with a different Doctor. I had a story called Valley of the Dying Sun in mind with the Sixth Doctor. However, that went out of the window when Gary (Russell, then-producer of the Big Finish audios) asked if I had any objection to Erimem staying aboard for a while. Gary was brilliant to work for, I am forever grateful to him for giving me the chance he did.

Erimem is a character who is always going to be looking for adventure and her biggest challenges are still ahead of her. I'm glad to be tagging along. It's exciting to be taking her off on these adventures where she doesn't have the safety net of the Doctor backing her up. I have to admit I'm hugely excited about Jim Mortimore's novel, A Pharaoh of Mars. I've admired his work for years and I'm so looking forward to this one. The next novel after Jim's... I know who I want to write it and we've discussed it... we just need to sign things off, I'm really buzzed by the possibilities of the series.


The first book in the series, The Last Pharoah, is written by Iain and Claire Bartlett, and also features an introduction by the original voice of the character, Caroline Morris:
Erimem - The Last Pharoah (Credit: Thebes Publishing)The Last Pharoah
Written by Iain McLaughlin and Claire Bartlett
Foreword by Caroline Morris
Cover artwork by Paul Mudie
Published June 2015

After a freak electrical storm that seems to happen indoors, a young woman is found in the Egyptian exhibit of a London museum, and she seems to look exactly like the face on the death-mask of the uncrowned Pharaoh Erimem...

What is she doing inside the exhibit? How did she get there? Is she really a Pharaoh from 1400BC? And just who is willing to search time and space to find and assassinate her?

THE LAST PHARAOH is the first in a series of novels, novellas and short story anthologies taking Erimem, a former companion of the 5th Doctor, on a new set of adventures travelling to the past, the future and into deep space. THE LAST PHARAOH takes Erimem and a group of 21st century students far into the past, to Actium in Greece where Erimem meets the famed Cleopatra VII on the eve of a vital battle which could end Egypt’s existence as a free country and condemn it to life as a Roman province. Two great rulers of Egypt come into conflict over what Egypt needs to do in order to survive, and both Erimem and Cleopatra face their own personal battles for survival.
The book is available to purchase either in digital or physical format from the Thebes Publishing website.



Looking ahead, the second publication in the series will be a novella, also written by Iain:
Erimem - The Beast of Stalingrad (Credit: Thebes Publishing)The Beast of Stalingrad
Written by Iain McLaughlin
Cover by Dorina Petco
Published August 2015

In 1942, with German forces relentlessly bombarding Stalingrad, the people are freezing and starving... and worse, there are stories of a demon or a beast, stalking the ruined streets of the besieged city, devouring anyone it meets. When Erimem arrives she finds a city under attack both from the invading German armies and from a dark force in the shadows.

Submissions are currently being solicited for the third publication, Into The Unknown, which will form an anthology of twelve adventures. If you wish to pitch a story for the collection you can contact the publishers for further details (closing date 31st July).

Into 2016, and two further publications are currently scheduled: Prime Imperative, a novella by Julianne Todd; and the previously-mentioned A Pharoah Of Mars from Jim Mortimore.

Competition

We are able to offer a subscription to the first five publications in the series to three winners, courtesy of Thebes Publishing. In order to be in with a chance to win, please answer the following question:
In the Big Finish series, Erimem parted company with the Doctor when she remained on Peladon to marry King Pelleas - but which historical character did she very nearly marry during her travels in the TARDIS?
Send your answers along with your name, address and where you heard about the competition (news site, news app, other website, etc.) to comp-erimem@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "Travel broadens the mind" - please also state whether you'd prefer to have a physical or digital subscription to the publications. The competition is open world-wide, closing date: 31st July 2015. Only one entry per household will be accepted.




FILTER: - Books - Competitions - Merchandise - Thebes Publishing

Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor #14

Tuesday, 7 July 2015 - Reported by Marcus
Wednesday, July 8th sees the release of Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor #14 by Al Ewing, Rob Williams and art by Simon Fraser.

PART 1 OF THE 2-PART SEASON FINALE.
  • A year's worth of stories come to a head
  • Can the Doctor save his new friends from their time-twisting fates?
  • Will Alice find peace – or be marooned far from Earth?
  • Will ARC finally discover the truth about itself – or be reduced to atoms?
  • Will Jones fulfill his cosmic rock god destiny – or die among the stars?
  • And who will be left to join the Doctor as we head into Year Two?
The Eleventh Doctor #14 (Credit: Titan)The Eleventh Doctor #14 (Credit: Titan)The Eleventh Doctor #14 (Credit: Titan)The Eleventh Doctor #14 (Credit: Titan)The Eleventh Doctor #14 (Credit: Titan)




FILTER: - Comics - Eleventh Doctor

Peter Capaldi in Lego Dimensions

Monday, 6 July 2015 - Reported by Marcus

Lego have confirmed Peter Capaldi will reprise his role as the Twelfth Doctor in the upcoming Lego action-adventure video game, Lego Dimensions.

The interactive game, which follows multiple characters from various Lego sets in a virtual adventure, is due to launch this Autumn.

Capaldi's involvement in the project was announced by Lego on Twitter.

More details will be announced on Wednesday at the San Diego Comic Con, where Peter Capaldi is appearing alongside Jenna Coleman, Michelle Gomez, lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat and executive producer Brian Minchin.




FILTER: - Games

The Temporal Logbook

Saturday, 4 July 2015 - Reported by Marcus
The Temporal Logbook is a collection of short stories being released for charity by Pencil Tip Publishing

The Temporal Logbook

A Charity Short Story Collection

Twelve Doctors.

Twelve windows onto the universe. And the Doctor's life is the history of the universe.

The Temporal Logbook is the telling of that history.

From the myths of Ancient Greece to the depths of unknown space, from the life of Lewis Carroll to the horrors of the Black Death, The Temporal Logbook recounts some of the Doctor's most enthralling journeys during his first eleven incarnations, as told by a selection of Doctor Who fandom's best writers.

The TEMPORAL LOGBOOK features stories from Michael Baxter, J.E. Remy, Benjamin Pocock, Craig Charlesworth, Hannah Parry, Ian Larkin, Sarah Parry, Nick Mellish, Hamish Crawford, Paul Silvester, Michael Itig and Meg MacDonald.

Edited by Robert Mammone, Jez Strickley & Bob Furnell.

Cover designed by John Gordon.
All proceeds from this publication will be donated in support of the Positive Living Society of British Columbia which is dedicated to empowering persons living with HIV/AIDS through mutual support and collective action.

The Temporal Logbook will retail at $16.95 CAD + postage and will be available for purchase from 15th July at Lulu.com




FILTER: - Books - Charities