The BBC has announced that Game of Thrones star Jacob Anderson is set to make his debut on Doctor Who later this year, playing Vinder.

As a recurring character throughout the series, Jacob’s new role will see him join forces with the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), Yaz (Mandip Gill) and Dan Lewis (John Bishop) as the Doctor faces her biggest ever adventure battling evil across time and space.

Known to millions as Grey Worm in Game of Thrones, Anderson is a star of stage and screen and has appeared in many television series including Episodes, Broadchurch and Skins as well as roles in King Lear at the Young Vic and War Horse at the National Theatre.

Anderson is also a successful music artist who goes under the name Raleigh Ritchie.

Speaking about joining Doctor Who, Jacob Anderson said

Jacob’s role was announced at today’s Doctor Who San Diego Comic-Con panel where Chris Chibnall, Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill and John Bishop teased what is in store for the Doctor.

Doctor Who will return later this year.

Fifty years ago today a new character entered the world of Doctor Who when, in Terror of the Autons, we met the Doctor's nemesis, The Master.

Created by producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks, the character was devised as a foil to the Third Doctor as played by Jon Pertwee. Given an academic name. The Master, to counterpoint the name of The Doctor, the character was to be the Moriarty to Pertwee’s Holmes, a character very much the equal to the Doctor in terms of intelligence and background. 

The character outline was sketched out in an internal BBC document sent to the writers of Season 8 of the series, a document which also introduced the characters of Jo Grant and Captain Mike Yates, played by Richard Franklin and Katy Manning. 

Only one actor was considered for the role of the Master, Roger Delgado, an actor known for playing sinister villains and a personal friend of Jon Pertwee.

The Master would appear in every story of season 8, becoming just as much a fixture of the series as The Doctor and Jo, somewhat to the chagrin of Jon Pertwee. 

He was used less in season nine but still appeared in two of the five stories. In season ten he was used just once and it was decided to write the character out at the end of season 11 in a big final story.

That final story never happened as on the 18th June 1973 Roger Delgado was killed in a car accident in Turkey. The death stunned the production team and helped Pertwee to his decision to leave the series at the end of the eleventh series. 

The actor may have died but the character he created was so strong it would return to the series in many incarnations. A mutilated Master at the end of his regelation cycle was seen in the 1976 story The Deadly Assassin. 

In 1981 new producer John Nathan Turner decided to bring back the character as a regular with a look based on the original Delgado character. Played by Anthony Ainley, The Master would appear regularly until the cancellation of the series in 1989, appearing with the fifth, sixth and seventh Doctors. It was perhaps fitting that the last story of the classic series featured the Doctor and Ace in a battle with The Master. In the story Survival.

The TV movie in 1996 saw the arrival of the eighth Doctor and The Master was there to welcome him, this time in the body of American actor Eric Roberts. 

When Doctor Who returned in 2005 there was much talk about reprising characters from the original series and The Master was high upon most fans wish lists. They had to wait until the series 3 before show-runner Russell T Davies obliged, and the story Utopia saw the character reappear in no less a body as that of veteran actor Derek Jacobi. At the end of the episode John Simm took over the role and a mad hyperactive Master took on the mad hyperactive Tenth Doctor. In 2010 the character helped bring about to the demise of the Tenth Doctor. 

The next showrunner Steven Moffat put his own spin on the character when he created Missy, played by Michelle Gomez, in 2014 to taunt the Twelfth Doctor as played by Peter Capaldi. Much speculation about the real identity of the character was ended at the end of Series 8 when she was revealed to be a female incarnation of The Master.

Although Gomez was the incumbent Master, John Simm hadn’t quite finished with the role as he returned at the end of series ten to take part in a memorable Master v Master battle with Missy and The Doctor

The strength of the character is such that just last year another incarnation arrived when Sacha Dhawan took on the role of The Master in the 2020 Chris Chibnall story Spyfall.

The character of The Master is the most enduring in Doctor Who apart from that of the Doctor himself. Today, 50 years on, we pay tribute to all the hugely talented actors who have made the character such an essential part of Doctor Who lore. And we pay tribute to the numerous writer and Directors who have helped create such a fascinating and enduring character. 
 

The Festive Special of Doctor Who, ‘Revolution of the Daleks’, will air in the UK on New Year’s Day.

In Australia it will air on ABC & ABC iview on January 2.

The Festive Special episode will see a host of exciting guest artists including previously announced John Barrowman MBE who will be reprising his role as Captain Jack Harkness alongside Chris Noth who will be back as the disgraced Jack Robertson. Chris Noth previously appeared in the series 11 episode ‘Arachnids in the UK’ and it’s safe to say the Doctor and all those involved were less than impressed by his questionable actions. However, viewers will have to wait and see just what brings him back this time…

Star of the stage and screen Dame Harriet Walter will also be making her Doctor Who debut for the Festive Special alongside television star Nathan Stewart-Jarrett who has recently appeared in The Trial of Christine Keeler.

Viewers last saw the Thirteenth Doctor at the end of series 12 where her fate was left hanging in the balance as she was locked away in a high-security alien prison with no hope of escape. In the upcoming Festive Special, Yaz, Ryan and Graham are far away on Earth and having to carry on with their lives without her. However, they soon discover a disturbing plan forming. A plan which involves a Dalek. How can you fight a Dalek without the Doctor? Even with Captain Jack’s help, the gang are set to face one of their biggest and most frightening challenges yet… 

Chris Chibnall, the Executive Producer, said:

‘Revolution of the Daleks’ will air on New Year’s Day on BBC One.

Doctor Who is a BBC Studios Production.

 

The unofficial Dr Who annual 1989 has been released by Terraqueous Distributors

The annual is 209 pages, featuring stories and illustrations produced by fans, as well as contributions from well-known names such as Alister Pearson, Smuzz, Dominic Glynn, Jessica Martin, Mike Tucker, Andrew Skilleter, Andy Walker, Daryl Joyce, Stephen Wyatt writer of 'The Greatest Show in the Galaxy' and a foreword by Doctor Who's script editor of the time - Andrew Cartmel.

There is also a very special Beano style comic strip written by the Beano's editor John Anderson and illustrated by Beano artist Shannon Gallant. as well as an exclusive short story telling the tale of how Mags and the intergalactic explorer Captain Cook met.

A free to enter competition gives a chance to win an original piece of artwork from the 1989 annual, kindly donated by artist Richard Young. To enter the competition and for further details, please visit the Terraqueous Distributors FaceBook page

The release follows last years 'The unofficial Dr Who annual 1972, and 'The unofficial DrWho annual 1987' as well as 'The unofficial Master annual 2074. Which all featured stories and illustrations produced by fans, as well as celebrity contributions from the worlds of Doctor Who.

Discussing why the team moved onto the Seventh Doctor they said

The annual is a not-for-profit publication, and none of the money paid by purchasers goes to the publisher or to any of the contributors.

The Unofficial Dr Who Annual 1989 is published by Terraqueous Distributors and available from Lulu at the print-on-demand price of £32.08 plus shipping costs).

Also Available- The unofficial Dr Who OMNIBUS from Terraqueous Distributors

The Unofficial Dr Who Omnibus which collects the previous 1972, 1987, and the Master annuals together in one gigantic 461 paged volume.

The Unofficial Dr Who OMNIBUS is available from Lulu at the print-on-demand price of £16.22 plus shipping costs). 

Further details can be found on the Terraqueous Distributors FaceBook page.

The BBC has revealed that Captain Jack, played by John Barrowman, will return in the Festive special of Doctor Who Revolution of the Daleks

Described as one of the most loved characters in the Doctor Who Universe Captain Jack was last seen in the series 12 episode, ‘Fugitive of the Judoon’, when he made a brief surprise appearance with a stark warning for Yaz, Ryan and Graham to pass on to the Doctor before disappearing.

In the upcoming special Captain Jack will be on hand to help the Doctor and his companions as they discover a disturbing plan forming involving one of the Doctor’s most feared and dangerous enemies, the Daleks. With the Thirteenth Doctor locked away in a space prison, will Captain Jack be able to help save planet Earth?

On returning for the Festive Special, John Barrowman MBE revealed:

Chris Chibnall, Executive Producer, said:

Matt Strevens, Executive Producer BBC Studios, added:

‘Revolution of the Daleks’ will air over the festive period on BBC One and BBC America with more details to be revealed soon. 

The BBC has announced that filming has begun on Series 13 of Doctor Who, the 39th season since Doctor Who began in November 1963

The Thirteenth Doctor is on her way back with Jodie Whittaker once again reprising her role as the Doctor, but next seasons run will be curtailed to just eight episodes due to current restrictions over COVID-19

With safety protocols in place, the Doctor Who team are now filming under strict industry and government guidelines to ensure the safety of all cast and crew. Due to the added time and protocols required, the team will be completing a total of eight episodes rather than the usual eleven.

Talking about the new series, Showrunner Chris Chibnall said

Matt Strevens, Executive Producer BBC Studios, added:

Piers Wenger, Controller BBC Drama, said: 

The Thirteenth Doctor was last seen in the dramatic series 12 finale where the fate of the Doctor was seemingly left hanging in the balance after she was locked away in an eternal prison. In the upcoming festive special, titled ‘Revolution of the Daleks’, the Doctor’s best friends Yaz (played by Mandip Gill), Ryan (played by Tosin Cole) and Graham (played by Bradley Walsh) have to pick up their lives without her. However they soon discover a disturbing plan forming involving one of the Doctor’s biggest and most feared enemies – the Daleks. How do you fight the Daleks without the Doctor?

With the Doctor’s fate unknown, just what will series 13 bring?

Revolution of the Daleks will air on BBC One over the festive period. Doctor Who is a BBC Studios production.

A free ebook celebrating Blackpool's Doctor Who exhibition, has been released. 

Blackpool Remembered is a FREE digital publication, collated and edited by John Collier. It celebrates the original Doctor Who Exhibition on Blackpool’s Golden Mile, which ran from 1974 to 1985.

Hot on the heels of the latest series of Doctor Who, every year fans would travel the length and breadth of the country to visit the TARDIS and defy the Daleks – no other television show had its own permanent exhibition, and this was a chance to get up close and personal!

Blackpool Remembered charts the history of the exhibition, bringing together special memories, stories and photographs from the fans who visited it, as well as documenting the ever-changing exhibits which, like the series itself, regenerated every year to bring new thrills and excitement. Alongside this, are detailed recollections from some of the people who made it happen. 

Travel back in time through a feast of nostalgia, with many previously unseen photographs, exclusive interviews and illustrations. Contributors include Steve Cambden, Julie Jones, Bob Richardson and Mike Tucker.

The ebook can be downloaded here