Big Finish have released details on the latest adventures for the Doctor and his companions in January.

Big Finish have announced a special 100-minute story starring all five surviving classic series Doctors to be released for the 50th Anniversary. The Light At The End will see their paths suddenly intersect when they face imminent destruction . . .

The story is written and directed by Nicholas Briggs, who said:
As well as the Doctors, popular companions will also be involved from each era: for Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor it's Leela as played by Louise Jameson; then for Peter Davison there's Nyssa (Sarah Sutton); for Colin Baker's era there's Peri (Nicola Bryant); Sylvester McCoy's sees Ace (Sophie Aldred); and from the Paul McGann Big Finish adventures there's Charley, as played by India Fisher.

And if that wasn't enough, producer David Richardson added:
Released in November 2013, two versions of the story will be available: a standard two-disc release comprising just the episodes, and a limited edition five-disc release that will have two additional documentaries, plus Companion Chronicles tale The Revenants (performed by William Russell, previously available as a Doctor Who Magazine download).

Where would the United Kingdom be without the traditional Christmas pantomime, and this year is no exception with a variety of Doctor Who names back on the stage to entertain during the festive season.


Other names associated with Doctor Who include: Nigel Havers (Peter Dalton, The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith) in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Southampton Mayflower; Christopher Pizzey (Eddie Smith, The Sarah Jane Adventures) in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall Theatre; Paul Lavers (Farrah, The Androids of Tara) in Mother Goose at the Gorleston Pavilion; Royce Mills (Dalek operator) in Aladdin at the Guildford Yvonne Arnaud Theatre; Marshall Lancaster (Buzzer, The Rebel Flesh) in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Leeds Carriageworks; Lynda Bellingham (The Inquisitor, The Trial of a Time Lord) in Cinderella at the Bradford Alhambra Theatre; Warwick Davis (The Last Cyberman) in Snow White at the New Wimbledon Theatre; Floella Benjamin (Professor Rivers, The Sarah Jane Adventures) and Andrew Hayden-Smith (Jake Simmonds, Rise of the Cybermen) in Cinderella at the Broadway Theatre, Catford; Bruno Langley (Adam in Dalek) in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Brindley Arts Centre, Runcorn; Eric Potts (Oliver Charles, Aliens of London) in Dick Whittington at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking; Nichola McAuliffe (Vivien Rook, The Sound of Drums) in Snow White at the Theatre Royal, Bath; Barney Harwood (Totally Doctor Who) in Peter Pan at Llandudno's Venue Cymru; Lily Savage aka Paul O'Grady (himself, The Stolen Earth) in Aladdin at the O2; Ann Widdecombe (herself, The Sound of Drums) in Snow White at the Wycombe Swan; and Christopher Biggins (The One Doctor, Big Finish) in Dick Whittington at the Plymouth Theatre Royal.

David Tennant has been talking to STV's Moviejuice about his starring roles in the new seasonal film Nativity 2: Danger In The Manger! in which he plays twins Donald and Roderick Peterson. Not only was the film improvised in its entirety, it was also shot in sequence, and Tennant said of the improvisational nature of the film: "It was terrifying. But that's why you do certain things, isn't it? 'I've never done that before, that'll be utterly terrifying – so I'll have a go.'" The film also stars Jessica Hynes as Angel Matthews, Ian McNeice as Mr Peterson senior, and Jason Watkins as Mr Shakespeare. [STV Entertainment, 26 Nov 2012]

Katy Manning will be on tour in the Agatha Christie murder-mystery A Murder Is Announced early next year. Performances are as follows: Thursday 17th to Saturday 19th January: Capitol Theatre, Horsham; Tuesday 22nd to Saturday 26th January: Buxton Opera House; Tuesday 29th January to Saturday 2nd February: The Derby Theatre; Monday 4th to Saturday 9th February: Lincoln Theatre Royal; Tuesday 12th to Saturday 16th February: The Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage; Wednesday 27th February to Saturday 2nd March: Haymarket Theatre, Basingstoke; Tuesday 5th to Saturday 9th March: Lyceum Theatre, Crewe.

Meanwhile, Colin Baker will be in the touring production of the Wilkie Collins thriller The Woman In White, starting at The Lighthouse Theatre, Poole, from Tuesday 22nd to Saturday 26th January. From Monday 28th to Thursday 31st January it will be at The Grand Theatre, Blackpool; Thursday 14th to Saturday 23rd February, Lincoln Theatre Royal; Tuesday 26th February to Saturday 2nd March, Garrick Theatre, Lichfield, finishing its run at the Theatre Royal, Windsor, from Monday 4th to Saturday 9th March.

Baker was voted off I'm A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here! earlier this week. He was the fourth contestant to go. As previously reported, he joined the ITV1 reality show, based in a jungle in Australia, earlier this month.

Bernard Cribbins narrates the CBeebies panto Jack And The Beanstalk, which airs as a simulcast on the CBeebies channel and BBC One on Friday 21st December at 4.30pm. Featuring all the CBeebies presenters, it was performed at The Palace Theatre in Manchester. [BBC Media Centre, 27 Nov 2012]

Sheila Hancock will be among the new celebrity contestants on this year's Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Day special on BBC One, with previous contestant Ann Widdecombe making a guest appearance. [BBC Media Centre, 28 Nov 2012]

David Morrissey has begun filming the second series of BBC Scotland's crime drama Field Of Blood in Glasgow. He plays editor Murray Devlin. Filming will continue until late December, with the thriller to be shown next year. [BBC Media Centre, 29 Nov 2012]

Director Farren Blackburn has his first feature film released in the UK and USA next spring. Hammer Of The Gods, which stars Charlie Bewley and James Cosmo, is set in Britain of 871AD and tells the story of a young Viking warrior sent by his father, the king, on a quest to find his estranged brother, who was banished from the kingdom years earlier. [Bleeding Cool, 27 Nov 2012]

A six-part spy thriller by Toby Whithouse has been commissioned by BBC Cymru Wales for BBC One. Set in the world of 1970s espionage, The Game will tell the story of the invisible war fought by MI5 to protect the nation from the threats of the Cold War. The drama is to be executive-produced by Whithouse, Brian Minchin, and Faith Penhale (head of drama at BBC Cymru Wales). [BBC Media Centre, 30 Nov 2012]

Adam Simmonds, the newly-elected police and crime commissioner for Northamptonshire, wants to see police boxes back on the county's streets. He said: "I would like to bring a focal point back into villages. It's all about putting the police back on to the streets and I would love to be able to put Tardises back in every community." He added that he hoped to work with Northampton-born Matt Smith to launch his Blue Box Initiative. [Northampton Chronicle & Echo, 25 Nov 2012]

In Memoriam:

The actor Roger Hammond has died at the age of 76. A contemporary of Waris Hussein, Derek Jacobi, and Clive Swift at Cambridge University, he trained at RADA and had a varied and accomplished career on the stage and TV as well as in film and on radio. Hammond appeared in three episodes of Doctor Who, firstly as the Elizabethan philosopher, statesman, scientist, author, and jurist Francis Bacon in The Executioners (episode 1 of The Chase) in 1965 and then as Doctor Runciman - the resident physician at Brendon School - in the first and final parts of Mawdryn Undead in 1983. [The Stage obituary by Martin Jarvis, 23 Nov 2012]

Colin Baker is to be one of the contestants on this year's series of I'm A Celebrity - Get Me Out Of Here!, the reality television show on ITV1 that places a number of celebrities out in a jungle environment in Australia who then take on challenges in order to become the 'king' or 'queen' of the jungle!

The former Doctor said that he's doing the show because of his four daughters:

Colin is the first major Doctor Who actor to engage in jungle shenanigans, though in 2007 the series was won by "Doctor" Christopher Biggins, who appeared alongside him in Big Finish's The One Doctor.

Other celebrities competing in the jungle this year include fellow actors Charlie Brooks (EastEnders), Helen Flanagan (Coronation Street) and Linda Robson (Birds of a Feather), comedian Brian Conley, singer Ashley Roberts, sports personalities Eric Bristow (darts) and David Haye (WBA), entertainment PR Hugo Taylor and MP Nadine Dorries.

The twelfth series begins on ITV1 on 11th November at 9:00pm.

Karen Gillan has moved back to Scotland and back home with her parents: "It's a really funny thought having all these crazy experiences on Doctor Who, then always seeming to end up back in my old childhood bedroom, with my childhood posters. I've got a Muse one, from when I was like an angsty teen. And I've got a Daniel O'Donnell calendar, which I thought would be really funny when I was younger, from 2004 or something. I lie there and I am like, has all that just really happened? Or did I just imagine it?" [Daily Record, 24 Sep 2012]

Arthur Darvill, currently appearing in Our Boys at The Duchess Theatre in London, recalls his first theatre appearance: "I was confronted with 1,000 people. I thought, 'Oh my God, what am I doing?' I've been so nervous during shows that I've walked offstage at the end and immediately forgotten everything that I've just done. You hear stories about stage fright, but if you know that someone's experienced it, you don't mention it – just in case. You never know what can set it off. It is a terrifying thing walking out for the first time, but it's funny how quickly that fades. Later, you start to crave that fear." [Guardian, 21 Sep 2012]

Colin Baker is to appear as Nurse Nellie in this year's Sleeping Beauty pantomime at Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre: "Nurse Nellie is a dame, and dames do what dames do which is to be 'mumsy', and inept, and funny, and hopefully create a few laughs along the way. I did dame three or four times before they asked me to do villain again, which I've been doing for the last six or seven years. I've been asking Martin Dodd (of UK Productions) if I can do dame again, and he said how do you fancy doing it in Bournemouth? I said, yes please!" He also commented on how much he likes the current Doctor: "I love Matt Smith. When I heard they were casting a 12-year-old I got very depressed as I like my old Doctors. He may only be 12, but inside there is a 900-year-old Time Lord and I absolutely believe it. I think he's fantastic and I love watching it." [What's On Stage, 24 Sep 2012]

Former actor Michael Cashman received the Lifetime Achievement honour at the European Diversity Awards 2012, held at The Savoy in London. Cashman, now a Labour MEP for the West Midlands and the party's human-rights spokesman in the European Parliament, said he was "very happy and humbled" to accept it.

Hugh Bonneville is to play the title role of Mr Stink in a BBC One adaptation of the children's novel by David Walliams. The one-hour family comedy, adapted by Walliams and Simon Nye, begins filming in October and is set to be transmitted later this year. Bonneville said: "I'm delighted to be adding my own whiff to the odour that emanates from David Walliams... and his very funny, touching, and thought-provoking story." Walliams, who will play the Prime Minister in it, added: "I am thrilled that Hugh is playing Mr Stink. He is one of the most popular and talented actors around, and is the perfect person to bring out the character's humour and sadness." [BBC Media Centre, 21 Sep 2012]

Make-up designer Neill Gorton explains what led him to take up the career of creating prosthetics: "We used to do family trips to Blackpool where they had a Doctor Who exhibition. Now, when, as a kid, I saw Davros on the TV, I remember thinking, 'Where did they get this incredibly ugly old man?' Then, at the exhibition, they had a Davros mask on display. That was when it dawned on me... it was a mask! Then it sank in that someone had to make it, and that is my earliest recollection of wanting to do what I do." [Scotsman, 27 Sep 2012]

With the imminent return of cult sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf to our TV screens, two of its stars have spoken of their wish for a Doctor Who crossover. Craig Charles, aka Dave Lister, said: "I think it'd be great if, for one scene, we could be beaming somewhere and suddenly we'd be on the Tardis with the Doctor. Then we could shake our heads, say 'nah', and just beam back out again." Fellow Dwarfer Danny John-Jules, who plays The Cat, added: "I think Doug Naylor should write in one of the old Doctors. Sylvester McCoy or someone. And then we could have an episode with one of those guys in it. It would be funny." [Radio Times, 25 Sep 2012]

Imelda Staunton and Tim Pigott-Smith are up for gongs in this year's Theatre Awards UK. Staunton is nominated for Best Performance In A Musical (Sweeney Todd) and Pigott-Smith is in the running for Best Performance In A Play (King Lear). The awards ceremony takes place on Sunday 28th October at the Guildhall in London. [The Stage, 27 Sep 2012]

Paul McGann will be attending the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, where he will be narrating Frank Hurley's documentary South on 14th July - the actor will be reading Ernest Shackleton's letters over the footage of his expedition to Antartica, accompanied by a musical score by Stephen Horne. The festival takes place between 12-15th July. [SFGate, 4 Jul 2012]

Karen Gillan is to star in the horror film Oculus in which she will play a woman who believes a haunted antique mirror was responsible for the death of her parents ten years earlier. The film is to be made in Alabama this autumn. [Deadline, 12 Jul 2012]

Broadcast's Hot 100 list this year includes writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, director James Hawes, and also Doctor Who/Torchwood guest stars Ruth Jones, Olivia Colman and Reggie Yates. Editor Lisa Campbell said: "Broadcast's Hot 100 reveals the leading lights in the worlds of TV, radio and multiplatform." [Broadcast, 5 Jul 2012]

John Barrowman has helped launch a new campaign by the Kaleidoscope Trust, which aims to draw attention to the human rights of people regardless of sexual orientation in places where it can be a crime. The Blue Eyed Freak campaign video highlights the injustice demonstrating the ridiculousness of social prejudice. [Kaleidoscope Trust, 3 Jul 2012]

The actor is also supporting the National Lottery Awards, an annual search to find the UK's favourite Lottery-funded projects: "So many lives are being changed by the unsung heroes working with National Lottery funding. The National Lottery Awards pay tribute to their selfless dedication. National Lottery players raise a massive £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. They should be proud that they are helping arts, sport, heritage and community groups near them. Now is the chance for everyone to vote for their local project so it gets national recognition." [Press Association, 10 Jul 2012]

PetNet have launched their publicly voted Celebrity Pet Owner Of The Year Awards, and its first Celebrity Dog Owner was well known canine lover Barrowman: "I'm delighted to receive this Award. My dogs play such an important role in my life and I am proud to promote responsible ownership. I will be donating my prize money to Dogs Trust. As their patron, I understand how incredibly hard they work to find new homes for stray and abandoned dogs." [PetNet, 9 Jul 2012]

Colin Baker reflected on recent comments he made about not wanting to be involved with a 50th Anniversary special: "I said it purely to irritate. ’Cos they’d all said: 'yeah yeah, I'd be interested' so to provoke a reaction I said: 'I wouldn't'. And nobody took me up on it! I thought they'd ask me why and I'd say: 'Well I might if they were nice to me', but I never got the opportunity. So it was a gag that fell like a lead lump and didn't go any further!". On an actual likelihood: "Do you know, it's not going to happen. They don't need us – the programme is doing extremely well without us. I suppose they could. And in theory, I'm neither for nor against it. There would be two big questions I would ask: The first is, is my Doctor going to get a fair crack of the whip in the story, and not be eclipsed by anybody else? Because you want parity. And the other one is, what vast fortune are you offering me? I'd be quite brutal about myself and say, if they offered me a million quid, I'd go on and say one line for them. If they offered me a tenner, I wouldn't." [Cambridge News, 6 Jul 2012]

Sue Perkins talks about childhood favourites: "Doctor Who. I'd scream and scream in terror at the brain of Morbius and Davros and all the other baddies, but I was compelled." [Radio Times, 14-20 Jul 2012]

This weekend saw the biggest collection of living Doctors for many a year as the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth all gathered at Collectormania 18 in Milton Keynes.


The event, organised by Showmasters, took place at the Don's stadium and saw Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann all meeting fans and signing autographs. The Independent has published a transcript of the Q&A session.

The Ambassadors of Death:

The British Board of Film Classification have passed the special features for the forthcoming DVD release of the Jon Pertwee adventure The Ambassadors of Death:.

00:01:27:01 (DOCTOR WHO - THE AMBASSADORS OF DEATH) (TRAILER)
00:13:05:07 TOMORROW'S TIMES - THE THIRD DOCTOR
00:04:24:15 THE AMBASSADORS OF DEATH - PHOTO GALLERY
00:25:49:16 MARS PROBE 7: MAKING THE AMBASSADORS OF DEATH

The DVD has yet to be formally scheduled, though it is believed to be due in Autumn this year.

Special Editions:

The BBFC have also passed features due to appear on September's special edition of Vengeance on Varos (tape 1 and 2):

00:01:07:01 (NEWS) (TELEVISION NEWS CLIP)
00:15:07:11 (SATURDAY SUPERSTORE) (TELEVISION CLIP)
00:05:41:15 BBC BREAKFAST TIME (TELEVISION CLIP)
00:01:37:07 (ACID BATH SCENE) (ALTERNATE MUSIC TRACK)
00:29:37:17 NICE OR NASTY? - THE MAKING OF VENGEANCE ON VAROS
00:07:29:11 THE IDIOT'S LANTERN (FEATURETTE)
00:12:54:03 TOMORROW'S TIMES - THE SIXTH DOCTOR (FEATURETTE)
00:07:31:05 (FRENCH AND SAUNDERS) (TELEVISION CLIP)
00:17:42:04 (EXTENDED & DELETED SCENES)
00:06:38:08 VENGEANCE ON VAROS - PHOTO GALLERY

Speaking at the Utopia convention, Steve Roberts confirmed that another story to get the special edition treatment will be Jon Pertwee's adventure Inferno; the episodes are to be 're-coloured' using the black and white film prints and the NTSC reverse standard conversions recordings to create a better quality image to the original 2006 release. The project will also include a 'secret project' alongside the range's commentary moderator and presenter Toby Hadoke. The DVD is expected to be released in 2013.

Actor John Levene also reported that he had recently recorded a documentary which, though unconfirmed, could feature on this DVD.

United Kingdom:

Space, Time, Machine and Monster: The Science Fiction of Doctor Who is to take place from 6pm tonight in Lacock Church. The talk with CBBC's scientist Mark Brake, rapper Jon Brake and the Bishop of Swindon is described as "a fun exploration of the universe and a chance to discuss science and faith issues". [Corsham People, 20 May 2012]

Nearby Corsham saw Doctor Who stars help raise money for charity earlier in the month, with Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, John Levene, and Julian Glover among the star names helping to raise £6,620 at the Corsham Sci-Fi Family Funday. Also there mingling with the likes of Daleks and Davros was Doctor Who Magazine artist Mike Collins. [Corsham People, 4 May 2012]

Colin Baker is to appear at a television, film, and toy collectors' fair at the River Park Leisure Centre, Winchester on 9th June (the day after his birthday!). He will be joined by Terry Molloy as Daleks are set to invade the event. [Romsey Advertiser, 21 May 2012]

A six-year-old girl from Kedington has become the envy of collectors after finding a rare item of merchandise. Jessie Spicer bought a £1.50 packet of Lego Doctor Who figures at Hamley's in London and when she opened it she found a Day of the Moon model of the Doctor, of which only 100 have been made. Her mother said: "It was a real Willy Wonka moment for her and we were all really excited about it. She is going to hold on to it as an investment for the future." The figure is currently estimated to be worth up to £600. [Haverhill Weekly News, 4 May 2012]

Meeting rooms at the newly-extended BBC Broadcasting House in London have been brightened up with some familiar faces. Images of the Doctors have been applied to the walls of the cubicles, as can be seen in the picture on the right, which can be clicked on to expand. (With thanks to Rob Fitt for the details)

The PC Support Group in Liverpool counts Doctor Who amongst the company's credits, having provided support to stunt-coordinator/performer Abbi Collins for Dalek co-ordination in the series. Co-founder Simon Albert said: "I've been a huge fan of Dr Who since I was little, so when we got the opportunity to actually work with the people behind the show we all jumped at the chance to get up close with some of its most infamous characters." [Liverpool Daily Post, 18 May 2012]

Boscombe police are hoping to re-introduce police boxes in the high street in order to help combat anti-social behaviour. PC Will Martindale told the local business forum in April: "The Inspector would like to put a 'Tardis' outside McDonald's. There are issues in that area and this would be putting our stamp back in the area." Phil Stanley-Watts, councillor for Boscombe West, has been calling for the return of police boxes in Boscombe for years, saying that updated versions could be used for reporting crime and would make the public feel safer. [Bournemouth Echo, 1 May 2012]