The War Master: Hearts of Darkness

Wednesday, 28 October 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Hearts of Darkness (Credit: Big Finish)
It’s a tale of two Time Lords in a swashbuckling new box set of full-cast audio dramas from Big Finish Productions as The War Master: Hearts of Darkness is released today.
 
This single epic adventure told across four hour-long episodes sees Sir Derek Jacobi reprise the role of the Master first seen on screen in the 2007 Doctor Who story, Utopia.
 
In The War Master: Hearts of Darkness, he is pitted once again against Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor, in a quest to take down his mortal enemy, and take over the universe.
 
Joining the crew of rogue pilots and mercenary pirates on this perilous mission are actors Colin McFarlane (The Dark Knight), Tanya Moodie (Motherland), George Fletcher (EastEnders), Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo (Devs), and Sandra Huggett (Casualty).
 
Plus, there’s the return of fan-favourite, Narvin, played once again by Séan Carlsen.
 
The War Master: Hearts of Darkness is available now at £24.99 for the collector's edition CD box set or £19.99 for the digital download, at www.bigfinish.com.
 
Find the Doctor... stop the Doctor... and, if necessary, kill the Doctor!”

Recruited by the Celestial Intervention Agency to track down his oldest enemy, the Master finds himself thrown into a mission that will take him into deepest Dalek territory.

Abandoned on the planet Redemption, he assembles a crew and acquires a ship –the journey that follows is certain to test them all... and not everyone will survive.

But space pirates and living corpses are the least of their worries. Their biggest threat remains at large: a Time Lord who likes to call himself ‘the Doctor’.
Hearts of Darkness: Paul McGann, Lisa McMullin, Amanda Shodeko, Colin McFarlane, Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo, Henry Nott, Derek Jacobi, Scott Handcock, Toby Hrycek-Robinson (Credit: Big Finish)
Producer Scott Handcock said:
I love these box sets. There’s something fascinating about stories that focus on anti-heroes and villains. Creatively it is more challenging because you have to find an angle that makes the audience engage with the Master –and sort of root for him –even when he’s doing the most despicable things! “It’s a nice examination of what makes the Master and the Doctor the people they are, and the unique relationship that ties them together. We veer from futuristic cities to spaceships, gothic castles to jungle planets. Each of the four episodes feels different tonally –we go from heist film to action movie, then Universal horror to race-against-time thriller. It moves along at a fair old lick
 
Actor Derek Jacobi said:
It’s been great! It’s a very complicated plotline so I’ve found it interesting and fascinating. Baddies are the best parts. The Master and the Doctor are two halves of the same coin really –like Jekyll and Hyde.
 
The War Master: Hearts of Darkness is available now at £24.99 for the collector's edition CD box set or £19.99 for the digital download, exclusively from the Big Finish website. Big Finish listeners can save money by ordering a bundle of volumes in The War Master range from as little as £39.

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FILTER: - Big Finish - Audio

Doctor Who: Adventures in Lockdown

Monday, 19 October 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Adventures in Lockdown (Credit: Penguin Random House)

Penguin Random House has announced the release of  Doctor Who: Adventures in Lockdown, a collection of stories written by Doctor Who writers in response to COVID-19.

During challenging months of global uncertainty and isolation, the Doctor and the TARDIS have remained a dream that drew many -allowing them to roam the cosmos in search of distraction, reassurance and adventure.

This very special short story collection brings these epic tales together, along with three brand new stories and beautiful illustrations in support of BBC Children in Need.

Current showrunner Chris Chibnall, and former showrunners Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat, present exciting adventures, alongside work from Chris Riddell, Joy Wilkinson, Paul Cornell, PeteMcTighe, Sonia Leong, Sophie Cowdrey and Mike Collins.

Also featuring three brand new stories from Neil Gaiman, Mark Gatiss and Vinay Patel, Adventures in Lockdown is a book for any DoctorWho fan in your life, stories that will send your heart spinning wildly through space and time...

 

Full list of stories:

  1. A Message from the Doctor
  2. Things She Thought While Falling by Chris Chibnall
  3. The Terror of the Umpty Ums by Steven Moffat
  4. Doctor Who and the Time War by Russell T Davies
  5. Revenge of the Nestene by Russell T Davies
  6. Rory’s Story by Neil Gaiman
  7. One Virtue, and a Thousand Crimes by Neil Gaiman
  8. The Simple Things by Joy Wilkinson
  9. The Tourist by Vinay Patel
  10. Fellow Traveller by Mark Gatiss
  11. The Shadow Passes by Paul Cornell
  12. Shadow of a Doubt by Paul Cornell
  13. The Shadow in the Mirror by Paul Cornell
  14. Press Play by Pete McTighe
  15. Listen by Steven Moffat
  16. The Secret of Novice Hame by Russell T Davies

Doctor Who: Adventures in Lockdown will be available to purchase from UK retailers only, with £2.25 from every copy going to BBC Children in Need

BBC Books Publishing Director, Albert DePetrillo, says:

Since I first mentioned the idea for this collection to the Doctor Who and BBC Children in Need teams, the response has been amazing. We’ve gathered a truly stellar list of writers and illustrators, who have contributed their time and creativity for a wonderful cause. Doctor Who and BBC Children in Need are a powerful combination, and Adventures in Lockdown is a book that celebrates the best of the Whoniverse – which is to say,the best in all of us.

The book will be released on November 5, 2020.and can be ordered on Amazon





FILTER: -

Michelle Ryan returns as Lady Christina

Sunday, 18 October 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Lady Christina series 2 (Credit: Big Finish)
Aristocratic adventurer Lady Christina de Souza is back in a brand new, full-cast audio drama series due for release in July 2021 from Big Finish
 
The character, played by Michelle Ryan, was last seen on television in the 2009’s Easter Special episode of Doctor Who, Planet of the Dead,
 
Lady Christina series 2 comprises three new stories, as the jetsetting action heroine travels to a land down under, discovers historical treasures and grapples with difficult family decisions.
 
Actor Michelle Ryan said:
Lady Christina is someone who's very capable and independent. Like a cat, she does have nine lives, I really think. People seem to really respond to her.

It's so great to put her boots back on, and get back in the studio and have a little play. Everyone's bringing their A-game. The writing's really good. I've really had a brilliant time.
 
Lady Christina 2 is now available to pre-order as a collector’s edition box set or download, from just £16.99, exclusively at www.bigfinish.com.
Jetsetter, adventurer, and owner of a very unusual London bus, Lady Christina de Souza is travelling the globe and catching up with the rellies.

First, a treasure hunt with her reprobate father in the Indian Ocean. Then, a flying visit to the Australian outback in search of a lost Great Aunt...

But Sam Bishop and Jacqui McGee of UNIT are on her trail. As one reunion takes a dangerous turn, Christina has a hard decision to make –for the good of the family!
 
The three new tales in this series are:
  • The Wreck by James Goss
  • Walkabout by Sarah Grochala
  • Long Shot by John Dorney
 
Director Helen Goldwyn said:
These scripts and these characters are fantastic; really capturing the spirit of the first series but also adding new twists and dimensions. These new stories also do real justice to the multi-layered character of Lady Christina. There’s so much comedy but then there’s also lots of dark, gruesome moments!
The series also features guest appearances from Warren Brown (Luther, Good Cop), Tracy Wiles (Intrigo: Samaria) and William Gaminara (Silent Witness).
 
Lady Christina 2 is now available to pre-order as a collector’s edition box set or download, exclusively from the Big Finish website, from just £16.99.
 
Plus, for one week only, Big Finish listeners can save money by ordering Lady Christina series 1-2 in a bundle from just £35.00. This discount expires at 23:59 (UK time) on 22 October 2020




FILTER: - Big Finish - Audio

Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 557

Thursday, 15 October 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 557 (Credit: Panini)

The latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine included an exclusive preview of the new animated series Daleks!

 

Highlights include:

  • An exclusive look at the new animated YouTube series Daleks!, featuring interviews with the cast and crew members.
  • Voice artist Nicholas Briggs explains how he brought the Emperor Dalek to life.
  • Doctor Who’s 50 scariest moments, with comments from Maxine Alderton, Chris Chibnall, Frazer Hines, Steven Moffat and more.
  • Ray Holman’s guide to the creatures he designed and dressed for Series 12 – with never-before-seen sketches from the Doctor Who Costume Department.
  • The second part of Time Lord Victorious: Monstrous Beauty, a new comic-strip adventure for the Ninth Doctor and Rose.
  • A new regular feature on memorabilia looks at how to collect the Doctor Who Annual.
  • The Fact of Fiction continues its exploration of the 1964 story Marco Polo, plus interviews with Carole Ann Ford, Philip Voss and production assistant Penny Joy.
  • Apocrypha rediscovers the 1987 comic-strip The World Shapers
  • Reviews of new books The Monster Vault and The Knight, the Fool and the Dead.

·        

Also includes previews and reviews, news, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser, The Blogs of Doom and more.

 

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 557 is on sale from Thursday 15 October £5.99 (UK)





FILTER: - DWM

Doctor Who Gaming - 2 New Adventures

Monday, 12 October 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality (Credit: BBC Studios)

 

The world of Doctor Who is expanding with the planned release of two brand new adventures

Join Thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker and Tenth Doctor David Tennant on a quest to save reality in a new console and PC game

Dive back into Blink and explore the hidden past of the Weeping Angels in a groundbreaking ‘found phone’ handheld and mobile game

Digital entertainment studio, Maze Theory, in partnership with BBC Studios, has today reveals the expansion of the Doctor Who interactive universe with two brand-new video games launching in Spring 2021. 

Coming to consoles and PC, Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality reimagines, and builds upon, last year’s VR experience, Doctor Who: The Edge of Time, with a new and compelling first-person adventure. 

With brand-new gameplay, new monsters and new worlds to explore, players will wield the Thirteenth Doctor’s sonic screwdriver on a quest to save the universe.

Players will be guided by the Thirteenth Doctor, voiced by Jodie Whittaker, and joined by the Tenth Doctor, voiced by David Tennant.

Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality (Credit: BBC Studios)

 

Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality features:

  • A Console and PC adventure across Space and Time  - built with current and next-generation consoles in mind, Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality features new worlds to explore, new puzzles, new challenges and new gameplay.
  •  
  • An Original Doctor Who story - uncover a universe-spanning threat as you seek to  save reality from a series of time-breaking glitches. Continue the story that began in The Edge of Time and partner with the Doctor to unearth a greater mystery.
  •  
  • New Enemies and AI - come face-to-face with classic Doctor Who monsters including the Daleks and Weeping Angels. Experience the metal-clad terror of the Cybermen and more foes yet to be revealed…
 
 

Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality (Credit: BBC Studios)Also revealed today is Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins, coming to iOS and Android mobile devices as well as Nintendo Switch. 

The game is being developed by award-winning Malaysian studio Kaigan Games, renowned for pushing the boundaries of storytelling within mobile. 

 

The game will see players uncover and decipher the mystery of a ‘found phone’, unravelling a sinister series of events taking place at Wester Drumlins, the iconic ‘uninhabited’ home featured in the legendary Doctor Who episode Blink.

Someone is missing and a menacing new nemesis has emerged. Players will work with Petronella Osgood and other classic characters as they get steadily closer to the truth.

There is only one rule: don't turn your back, don't look away and don't blink!

 

Ian Hambleton, CEO of Maze Theory said: 

With our partners at BBC Studios, we are expanding the Doctor Who universe through a ground-breaking trilogy of experiences, now delivered across multiple devices and platforms.

The uniting of The Thirteenth Doctor and The Tenth in Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality is set to be an epic moment in a game that completely re-imagines last year’s VR experience. While The Lonely Assassins tells a brand new story exploring the legend of one of the most iconic episodes ever. As part of Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious, we have also delivered an amazing fan-centric update to the VR game Doctor Who: The Edge of Time.

These launches reaffirm the studio’s commitment to take players on exciting and unexpected narrative journeys.

Kevin Jorge, Senior Producer – Games & Interactive, BBC Studios said 

The Edge of Reality and The Lonely Assassins bring Doctor Who to life on console and mobile in a new and thrilling way. From saving the universe with the Thirteenth and Tenth Doctors, to bringing back the Weeping Angels, it’s going to be an exciting year and we can’t wait to reveal more!

 

Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins (Credit: BBC Studios)Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins (Credit: BBC Studios)Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins (Credit: BBC Studios)

 

 

Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality will launch on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Steam in Spring 2021. 

Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins will launch on iOS, Android & Nintendo Switch in Spring 2021.

 Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality is a Maze Theory production for BBC Studios in partnership with Just Add Water

Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins is a Maze Theory production for BBC Studios in partnership with Kaigan Games 

 





FILTER: - Games

Doctor Who: A Tale of Two Time Lords

Friday, 9 October 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who: A Tale of Two Time Lords (Credit: Titan)

The Thirteenth Doctor meets the Tenth in the latest paperback release from Titan Comics. 

Doctor Who: A Tale of Two Time Lords is due for release later this month.
 
This deluxe edition collects #1 - 4 of the Eisner-nominated writer Jody Houser and artist Roberta Ingranata's return for Year Two of the critically acclaimed Doctor Who comics.
 
Volume 1 ties into the fan-favorite season 3 episode "Blink", written by former showrunner Steven Moffat.
 

The book can be ordered from Amazon

  • Doctor Who: A Tale Of Two Time Lords

 

  • Writer: Jody Houser
  • Artist: Roberta Ingranata
  • Colourist: Colourist

The 13th Doctor is back! This time she faces the horrific Weeping Angels - who else can help her out but one of her previous incarnations: the Tenth Doctor himself? Landing in the swinging 60s, Thirteen and fam are stranded in the middle of a territorial battle between the Angels and the creepy autons, all the while having to avoid her former self and causing the universe to implode. What could go wrong?
 
Doctor Who: A Tale of Two Time Lords - Page 1 (Credit: Titan ) Doctor Who: A Tale of Two Time Lords - Page 2 (Credit: Titan ) Doctor Who: A Tale of Two Time Lords - Page 3 (Credit: Titan ) Doctor Who: A Tale of Two Time Lords - Page 4 (Credit: Titan ) Doctor Who: A Tale of Two Time Lords - Page 5 (Credit: Titan ) Doctor Who: A Tale of Two Time Lords - Page 6 (Credit: Titan )




FILTER: - Thirteenth Doctor - Tenth Doctor

First Look Images - Revolution of the Daleks

Thursday, 8 October 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Revolution of the Daleks. (Credit: BBC Studios)Revolution of the Daleks. (Credit: BBC Studios)

The BBC has released two new images from the upcoming Doctor Who episode Revolution of the Daleks

The images were released today as part of New York Comic Con


The upcoming festive special will see the return of one of the Doctor’s biggest and most feared enemies – the Daleks. 

The Doctor is locked away in a high-security alien prison. Isolated, alone, with no hope of escape. Far away, on Earth, her best friends, Yaz, Ryan and Graham have to pick up their lives without her.

But it’s not easy. Old habits die hard. Especially when they discover a disturbing plan forming.

A plan which involves a Dalek. How can you fight a Dalek, without the Doctor?

Revolution of the Daleks will air during the upcoming festive period on BBC One and BBC America.

 





FILTER: - BBC - Thirteenth Doctor

Doctor Who – Short Trips: The Meaning of Red

Tuesday, 6 October 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Short Trips: The Meaning of Red (Credit: Big Finish)

This month's Short Trip Audio release from Big Finish, The Meaning of Red, is performed by Nicola Bryant

All alone on a desolate, alien world, Peri Brown must fight for survival on her own. Can she succeed without the Doctor’s help?

Available as a download only, Doctor Who –Short Trips: The Meaning of Red Is the debut Big Finish audio adventure by writer Rod Brown.

It is a story that explores friendship, survival and self-discovery. Nicola Bryant reprises the role of Peri, a companion to the Fifth Doctor (as originally seen on television in 1984); this time showing how she takes matters into her own hands when the Time Lord isn’t present.
Doctor Who –Short Trips: TheMeaning of Redis now available to download exclusively from the Big Finish website for just £2.99
 

The TARDIS accidentally strands Peri alone on the inhospitable world of Calleto. Taking refuge with the planet’s only colonists, she waits and waits, but the Doctor doesn’t return. Her only hope lies in discovering the secrets of this planet.

It’s that, or she dies.

Doctor Who –Short Trips are short stories, many written by some of Doctor Who’s most popular authors from the worlds of television, print, comics and audio, and read by a host of favourite Big Finish actors.

Writer Rod Brown said:

The Doctor has been my best friend and companion since I was aged two; I was therefore so grateful for the opportunity to write for Peri and the Fifth Doctor. Peri had grown significantly between her two TV appearances with Peter Davison; from the somewhat rebellious hothead in Planet of Fire to the more mature and sympathetic character we saw on Androzani Minor.I thought it would be interesting to explore the reasons why and how she had grown up during this period –hence her predicament in The Meaning of Red.

Producer Alfie Shaw said:

The Meaning of Red takes a post-2005 Doctor Who television series staple (the ‘Doctor Lite’ episode) and applies it to a classic TARDIS team. Rod's done a fantastic job of highlighting the strengths of Peri as a character. Even though she's separated from the Doctor, we see all the traits that make her a perfect match for him. Nicola's a fantastic reader and has brought the whole thing to life wonderfully.

 

Doctor Who –Short Trips: The Meaning of Redis now available to download exclusively from the Big Finish website for just £2.99. 





FILTER: - Big Finish - Audio

Frank Windsor 1928 - 2020

Friday, 2 October 2020 - Reported by Marcus


Frank Windsor as Inspector Mackenzie (Credit: BBC)The actor Frank Windsor has died at the age of 92

 

Frank Windsor appeared in two Doctor Who stories in the 1980s. In 1983 he played Ranulf Fitzwilliam in the Fifth Doctor story The King's Demons. In 1989 he returned opposite the seventh Doctor playing Inspector Mackenzie in the story Ghost Light.

Windsor was best known for his regular role in the early Police series Z-Cars.

Frank Windsor studied speech training and drama at the Central School of Speech and Drama. He regularly appeared on television from the mid-1950s mostly playing historical characters in series such as An Age of Kings.

His big break came in 1962 when he was cast as Detective Sergeant John Watt in the gritty police series Z-Cars. The series was set in Liverpool and dealt with the realities of policing a large city. In tone it was very different to anything that had gone before and made stars of many of its regular cast, including Brian Blessed, James Ellis, Stratford Johns, Jeremy Kemp and Colin Welland. He played the role for three years before moving onto the spin-off series Softly, Softly and Softly, Softly: Taskforce from 1966 to 1976.

Other roles included a part in the pilot episode of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and a role in The Avengers. His lighter side came out in the pilot episode of the situation comedy The Dustbinmen in 1968, and as Scoutfinder General in an episode of The Goodies. other TV credits included 1960s sci-fi A for Andromeda, and a 1985 adaptation of Charles Dickens' Bleak House. From 1987 to 1989 he starred in the comedy-drama, Flying Lady. 

He had regular roles in the BBC drama Casualty; the ITV drama Peak Practice; he played Major Charlie Grace in EastEnders

In  later years appeared in a number of television commercials advertising life-assurance policies for people over 50

Windsor died at his home in London on 30 September 2020. He is survived by his wife Mary. 

His death was announced by his agent. 

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our much-loved client, Frank Windsor, at the age of 92. As per Frank's wishes and in keeping with Covid restrictions, there will be no funeral or memorial service, just a private cremation with his ashes being laid to rest with his beloved son David.

Windsor's son was killed in a car crash in 1987 at the age of 29. 

 

 

 

 





FILTER: - Obituary

Peladon

Friday, 2 October 2020 - Reported by Marcus
Peladon
The latest edition of the Fanzine Peladon has just been released. 
 
Issue 10 looks at the criticism received by recent series of Doctor Who and asks why it has become so toxic. 
 
The fanzine also talks to writer Andrew Harrison about his memories of growing up with Who while Steve O'Brien explores some of the many Wha-Ifs in Doctor Who’s 57-year history,
 
The first issue of Peladon was published in Jan 1985 and so it's been going, on and off, for 35 years now. It is believed to be the UK's longest-running fanzine outside of those published by the DWAS.
 
The A5 fanzine is available for £2 by emailing stevemarkobrien@gmail.com
 




FILTER: - Fanzine