Hugh Walters 1939-2015

Saturday, 7 March 2015 - Reported by Marcus

The actor Hugh Walters has died at the age of 75.

Hugh Walters had three roles in Doctor Who. In 1965 he first made a cameo appearance as William Shakespeare in the First Doctor story The Chase, appearing on the Doctor's newly acquired Time and Space Visualiser.

He returned to the series in 1976 playing Commentator Runcible alongside Tom Baker, in two episodes of The Deadly Assassin. His final performance in the series came in 1985 when he played Vogal, the secretary and assistant to Eleanor Bron's Kara, in the Colin Baker story Revelation of the Daleks.

Walters had a long career in British television. His first major role was as Georgie in the fifth series of the ATV situation comedy The Larkins, appearing alongside David Kossoff and Peggy Mount. He played Smike in the 1968 BBC production of Nicholas Nickleby which starred Martin Jarvis in the title role.

In 1970 he played Wamba in the mini series Ivanhoe as well as regular roles in Sentimental Education and Never Say Die. He played Mr Winters in The Fenn Street Gang and Peter Pringle in The Train Now Standing. He played Vic Thatcher in two episodes of the original production of Terry Nation's Survivors.

In 1976 he took the role of Stifford in the ATV adaptation of Arnold Bennett's Clayhanger. He played Mr Little in the Channel 4 comedy drama Chance in a Million and Theo in Gems. In 2000 he portrayed Charles Hawtrey in the Carry On Docu-Drama Cor Blimey.

Other credits included Heartbeat, Rumpole of the Bailey, Z Cars, The Brittas Empire, The House of Eliott and regular appearances in The Russ Abbot Show.

Hugh Walters was born in 1939 in Mexborough in Yorkshire. He died in London last month.
Thanks to Chris Winwood




FILTER: - Classic Series - Obituary

Doctor Who Magazine 484

Thursday, 5 March 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Doctor Who Magazine Issue 484 (Credit: DWM)The new edition of Doctor Who Magazine is out today, in which series lead writer Steven Moffat reflects on last year's series and tells DWM how the Doctor might change in the next season...

We're not bringing him back exactly as we left him, at all, I think that was already evident at Christmas. He's left some of the burden of being a superhero of the universe behind. So I'm pushing him – I'm writing quite funny this year – I'm pushing him the other way...

Also inside this issue:
  • Paul McGann, the eighth Doctor, gives his opinion on Peter Capaldi's incarnation, and how it's changed how he thinks about the Doctor. Plus, an exclusive preview of the new Doctor Who audio series, Dark Eyes 4, including contributions from Alex Macqueen (the Master).
  • Bonnie Langford, who played Mel – companion to the sixth and seventh Doctors – in the 1980s, recalls her turbulent time on the show.
  • Doctor Who's very first director, Waris Hussein, continues his guide to the making of the classic 1964 adventure Marco Polo, with the help of unique documents unseen for more than 50 years.
  • Discover fascinating new facts about the 1972 third Doctor adventure The Time Monster in The Fact of Fiction.
  • In a special feature, the Watcher solves the mystery of when the Doctor was first revealed not to be human.
  • There's trouble in storage for Doctor and Clara in Space Invaders!, a brand-new comic strip written by Mark Wright and illustrated by Mike Collins.
  • Steven Moffat answer readers’ questions – and speculates about the return of the CyberBrig!
  • The Time Team take a side-step to watch Peter Capaldi star in the dark Doctor Who spin-off, Torchwood: Children of Earth.
  • Jacqueline Rayner reflects on fear and terror in Doctor Who in Relative Dimensions.
  • The DWM Review assesses the very latest Doctor Who audio and book releases.
  • The Watcher celebrates the man who played the Doctor, William Hartnell, in the latest Wotcha!
  • The DWM Crossword, prize-winning competitions, official news and much more!




FILTER: - DWM - Steven Moffat

Saturn Award Nominations 2015

Wednesday, 4 March 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The 41st Annual Saturn Award nominations have been announced, and sees Doctor Who up for two awards for this year.

The show itself is listed in the Best Youth-Oriented Television Series category. Other nominations include The 100, Pretty Little Liars, Supernatural, Teen Wolf and The Vampire Diaries.

Jenna Coleman has also been nominated in the Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series category. Her competition is in the form of Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones), Caroline Dhavernas (Hannibal), Lexa Doig (Continuum), Emily Kinney (The Walking Dead) and Melissa McBride (also The Walking Dead).

The Saturn Awards are presented by the The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, and will take place this year on 25th June 2015.


Previously, Doctor Who won Best Television in 1997, and Best International Series in 2008; in 2010 the spin-off series Torchwood: Children of Earth won the Best Presentation on Television category.






FILTER: - Awards/Nominations - Doctor Who - Jenna Coleman

Latest circulation figures for DWM/DWA

Wednesday, 4 March 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The latest circulation figures for publications have been released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations for the July to December 2014 period, revealing that Doctor Who Magazine has remained stable in its circulation (with only a slight dip of 0.4%), whilst Doctor Who Adventures has seen an improvement in its circulation of some 4.9%.

During the Jan-Jun period last year both publications had suffered in their circulations, with DWM decreasing by some 7% and DWA losing nearly a third of its readers - this period occured as the celebrations of the 50th Anniversary cooled off and no new Doctor Who on the horizon on television until the late Summer. However, breakdown by issues show that both publications saw a huge boost as the series returned (with August's figures for DWM and DWA showing 35,559 and 26,830 respectively). Figures dropped as the series progressed, but improved again by December for the Christmas Special. The full breakdowns can be found by clicking on the relevant linked publication certificate below.

 Jul-Dec 2009Jan-Jun 2010Jul-Dec 2010Jan-Jun 2011Jul-Dec 2011Jan-Jun 2012Jul-Dec 2012Jan-Jun 2013Jul-Dec 2013Jan-Jun 2014Jul-Dec 2014
Doctor Who Magazine29,00035,374 (+22%)33,554 (-5.1%)30,682 (-8.6%)30,614 (-0.2%)27,089 (-11.5%)28,743 (+6.1%)31,692 (+10.3%)36,151 (+14.1%)33,538 (-7.2%)33,419 (-0.4%)
Doctor Who Adventures44,66453,559 (+20%)56,648 (+5.8%)50,013 (-11.7%)48,470 (-3.1%)31,903 (-34.2%)31,935 (+0.1%)24,497 (-23.3%)28,443 (+16.1%)19,966 (-29.8%)20,944 (+4.9%)
All figures are from the Audit Bureau of Circulations apart from the Jul-Dec 2009 figure for DWM, which is an estimate provided by DWM and included for comparison purposes.
ABC figures for DWM only started being calculated in 2010. Percentages shown are the change on the previous six months.

Overall, the 2014 average for DWM shows that their readership has remained stable, with a less than 1% change; however, DWA has shorn some 22.6% of its readership compared to the previous year (the magazine has now switched from fortnightly to monthly so the next biannual report will reflect the less frequent publication).

DWM's editor, Tom Spilsbury, said:
Everyone at Panini is delighted that Doctor Who Magazine's sales have managed to hold so steady, despite overall sales for the magazine industry dropping once more. It's remarkable that our figures for 2014 were pretty much level with those for 2013, which of course coincided with the 50th anniversary. A huge thanks to all of DWM's loyal readers – we hope you'll stay with us over the coming months, as we've got lots of fascinating stuff to come, before the new series starts in the autumn.

Figures for January-June this year are expected to be released in August.





FILTER: - Circulation - DWA - DWM - Magazines

Doctor Who: Time Trips

Tuesday, 3 March 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
BBC Books are to publish an anthology of short stories on Thursday 5th March:

Time Trips (Credit: BBC Books)Doctor Who: Time Trips
Released 5th March 2015 [available to pre-order]

Time Trips is a unique and beautifully illustrated collection of Doctor Who short stories written by bestselling and award-winning authors including Joanne Harris, Cecelia Ahern, Nick Harkaway and A.L. Kennedy. At turns frightening and funny, poignant and gripping, the Time Trips stories journey from Ancient Alexandria and 16th Century England to mysterious planets in the distant future, and feature Doctors from across the history of the programme.

Originally published in 2014 as individual eBooks, these stories have now been brought together for the first time, and include a brand new adventure featuring the twelfth Doctor concealed within the dust jacket by Jenny T. Colgan.

  • The Death Pit by A.L. Kennedy (fourth Doctor)
  • Into the Nowhere by Jenny T. Colgan (eleventh Doctor)
  • Keeping up with the Joneses by Nick Harkaway (tenth Doctor)
  • Salt of the Earth by Trudi Canavan (third Doctor)
  • A Handful of Stardust by Jake Arnott (sixth Doctor)
  • The Bog Warrior by Cecelia Ahern (tenth Doctor)
  • The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Time Traveller by Joanne Harris (third Doctor)
  • The Anti-Hero by Stella Duffy (second Doctor)
  • A Long Way Down by Jenny T. Colgan (twelfth Doctor) new

The book will be available in hardback and via e-book.




FILTER: - Books - Merchandise

Official Doctor Who Umbrellas Released

Monday, 2 March 2015 - Reported by Marcus
Lovarzi have released two officially-licensed Doctor Who Umbrellas, available to pre-order now.

Press Release

Our best-selling Fourth Doctor Scarf keeps the winds at bay. Our Fifth Doctor Jumper will make sure you're toasty. And now, our new Doctor Who umbrellas will keep you dry whether you're on Marinus, sheltering from the siege of Trenzalore, or under the Earth's overcast skies. All of time and space; everywhere and anywhere; every star that ever was... Where do you want to start?

The Automatic Open and Close Folding Umbrella utilises Time Lord technology: it's bigger on the inside! All you have to do is push a button on the handle and the 21"/53.3cm canopy opens out. Made with a high quality fibre glass frame, aluminium shaft, and comfortable plastic and rubber-coated handle, the umbrella shows the TARDIS on an alien landscape, evocative of the Doctor's home planet, Gallifrey, and comes in a specially-made carry case.

This 1960s Police Box is an iconic, beautiful design: an instantly-recognisable image that conjures up dreams of all time and space. That's why our second exclusive umbrella displays the TARDIS with pride across its 23"/58.4cm canopy! Opening at the touch of a button, the Stick Umbrella is made from durable fibre glass, with a luxurious rubber-coated handle.

Both are ideal for keeping the rain off fans new and old – plus, of course, their companions!
The items are available from 10 March for £34.99 and can be pre-ordered now. Link to Time-Lord Umbrella. / Link to TARDIS Umbrella (UK Only)

Doctor Who UmbrellaDoctor Who UmbrellaDoctor Who UmbrellaDoctor Who Umbrella




FILTER: - Merchandise

Preview - Eleventh Doctor - Issue #9

Sunday, 1 March 2015 - Reported by Marcus
Next Wednesday (March 4) sees the release of Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor issue #9 from Al Ewing and Boo Cook.

Fresh from a bruising battle with the Amstrons, the Doctor has decided that enough is enough – if SERVEYOUinc won't stop plaguing him and his friends wherever they land, he's going to hit them where it hurts – by buying a controlling interest in the company!

But what does the Doctor's corporate career mean for Alice, ARC and Jones? Is there a place for them in the Doctor's bold new venture? And what kind of sting does SERVEYOUinc have left to deploy?
Eleventh Doctor issue #9 (Credit: Titan)Eleventh Doctor issue #9 (Credit: Titan)Eleventh Doctor issue #9 (Credit: Titan)Eleventh Doctor issue #9 (Credit: Titan)Eleventh Doctor issue #9 (Credit: Titan)Eleventh Doctor issue #9 (Credit: Titan)




FILTER: - Comics - Eleventh Doctor