A New Doctor Who Film Report: Over the November 25-26 weekend, the Sunday Times in the UK broke a new film-related story. Entitled "Dyke calls up Daleks to take on Hollywood," the article by media editor Nicholas Hellen suggested (erroneously, as we have been able to confirm) that a new Doctor Who film is imminent. "MOVE over Darth Vader, here come the Daleks," says the article. "The BBC is to compete head-on with Hollywood under plans by Greg Dyke, the director-general, to revolutionise British film-making. The £250m venture, to be announced next month, will lead to the corporation's first foray into big-budget movies after years of small-scale costume dramas. Dyke's blueprint for a full-scale Hollywood-style film studio at the BBC is intended to reverse the talent drain which has seen generations of actors and directors leave Britain for Hollywood. ... The Daleks will lead the assault on the international box office as the BBC devises a movie version of Dr Who, the science-fiction series first screened in 1963 in black and white. Sequels are already being prepared." The full article can be found at the Sunday Times website.

Since the article ran -- and the Outpost has been inundated with emails pointing us in this direction -- we have been able to confirm that the article is merely a retread of old news. While the news about Dyke and the British film plans are true, the BBC's film plans for Doctor Who are currently only in early planning stages, and no appropriation, financing or production schedule is on the horizon for the near future. Indeed, the BBC's own official Doctor Who website posted on November 27 that the article merely highlights long-standing possibilities, and that a Doctor Who film is no further along than it was when stories started to break in 1999 (see the news archive page for related stories). When and if the situation changes, Outpost Gallifrey will keep you updated.

We are delighted to confirm that Bonnie Langford, and her husband Paul Grunert, are the proud parents of a baby girl, born on October 19. A spokeswoman for Bonnie said: "Bonnie and Paul are overjoyed. Both mother and baby are fine." The baby, weighing 7lb 11oz, was born at a London hospital. Our best wishes to the happy couple.

Daphne Dare, Doctor Who's most prolific costume designer died in London on September 27. She worked uninterrupted on every story from "The Daleks" to "The Smugglers" (though sometimes alongside another credited designer Tony Pearce on costume heavy stories such as "The Dalek Invasion of Earth.") She subsequently assisted Sandra Reid on stories from "The Moonbase" to "The Faceless Ones" and was a BBC staff costume designer for mant years. In recent times she had been associated with the films of Ken Loach making notable contributions to "Land and Freedom (1995)" and "Carla's Song (1996)" Working on the program at a time when the historical stories were prominent, Daphne Dare had to come up with suitable designs for Mongols from 12th century China, Aztecs of the middle ages and gunslingers from the wild west not to mention Monoids, Voord, Sensorites and other alien creations. Arguably her most notable work was on "The Celestial Toymaker" designing a range of colorful original costumes including Mandarins robes for Michael Gough and doll outfits for some of the other characters. (Thanks to Scott Sherritt)

Mary Ridge, known for directing many episodes of Blake's 7 and the Doctor Who episode "Terminus" died in late September. Mary worked for many years as one of the BBC's Staff Directors.

Nicola Bryant recently suffered a back injury while taping a segment of a series she was working on. While attending the recording session for the audio commentary of "The Caves of Androzani," Bryant was only able to stand, as she was unable to sit for the taping. Our good wishes to Nicola for a speedy recovery!

Colin Baker & Nicholas Courtney join India Fisher ("Charley" of Big Finish fame) and actor Leon Parris in James Follett's prequel to his classic 80's SF radio drama "Earthsearch." Entitled "Earthsearch: Mindwarp," this audio series was recorded by Big Finish Productions in early September and will be released in May 2001. The original Earthsearch series was the second most successful BBC radio serial ever (after The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy) winning many awards and being translated into over 30 different languages.

Doctor Who Continues on Audio: Big Finish Productions is currently releasing monthly Doctor Who stories starring members of the series' original cast. The BBC has renewed Big Finish's current contract for an additional year, through 2002.

David Arnold to Compose Music: Film composer David Arnold, whose numerous scores include the films "The World is Not Enough," "StarGate," "Independence Day," "Shaft," "Godzilla" and television scores for "Stargate SG-1," "The Visitor" and "Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)," will be remixing the Doctor Who theme in an all-new arrangement (based on the Delia Derbyshire themes from the early days of the series) for the four 2001 Paul McGann Doctor Who stories from Big Finish. Arnold, who will also be composing the film score for the next James Bond film, is said to have gone back into the series' past to the Derbyshire recordings to give the McGann audios a new, haunting feel.

The Eighth Doctor Returns to Doctor Who: Actor Paul McGann, who played the Eighth Doctor in the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie (and whose only subsequent return to the Who fold was to read stories for an audio release, "Earth and Beyond") has taped four audio plays for Big Finish, reprising his role as the Doctor. McGann taped the four stories on 15-19 May in sequence after extensive negotiations with Big Finish and did so in secrecy until the story was sent to Doctor Who Magazine for their exclusive release in the June issue. Joining McGann for his return visit is actress India Fisher (who has a guest shot in the upcoming "Winter for the Adept"), playing the new role of companion Charlotte "Charley" Pollard, a 1930's teenager teenager from 1930 who stows away aboard the R101 airship on its maiden voyage, seeking a life of adventure away from the humdrum society world of her rich stockbroker father. Says Gary Russell: "Her only soapbox is that she's a Mrs. Pankhurst fan, but she isn't obsessive about it. And although she thinks the Doctor is a wonderful, funny, dear man, she has no romantic feelings for him!" Also making a return visit is Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Meanwhile, McGann has agreed (in principle) to a second season of audios for 2002, which will be comprised of six CD sets. One of these six stories may be set on Gallifrey and may feature Lalla Ward as Romana again. (Photo at right: Paul McGann and India Fisher; photo courtesy Big Finish Productions.)

Audio Production Updates:

Forthcoming Releases: Confirmed upcoming stories from Big Finish include:

Big Finish Audio Online Ordering: Big Finish has opened its online store, allowing secure ordering from its website. Big Finish's website can be found at http://www.doctorwho.co.uk.

CD Distribution: Big Finish has announced that a number of the CD copies of "The Apocalypse Element" are defective and, in some cases, missing altogether. "These problems occurred in the latter stages of production at the CD pressing plant. The company used for The Apocalypse Element is not the one normally used by Big Finish and consequently we will not be using them again. If you have received a defective Apocalypse Element, Big Finish apologize for the inconvenience and disappointment and would ask you to return the play as purchased (the case and all enclosed CDs) to: Big Finish, PO Box 1127, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 3LW. A new, fully playable, Apocalypse Element will be sent back to you."

Changes to Distribution: Says Big Finish, "The final three releases of this year, The Shadow of the Scourge, The Holy Terror and The Mutant Phase are all set to be issued towards the end of their respective release months, so please be patient. Sorry about this but production constraints and the availability of the leading actors have made this necessary."

Doctor Who Returns to the Radio: Doctor Who Magazine and several British newspapers recently reported that BBC Radio was in the advanced planning stages of a new Doctor Who project for Radio 4, for debut in early 2001. Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred were touted as being considered to reprise their roles as the Seventh Doctor and Ace for the serial. An article in The Guardian, a UK newspaper, on March 27, indicated that the script is written by Dan Freedman and Colin Meake of Radio 4's Loose Ends comedy show. Freedman told Doctor Who Magazine that "This will not be a comedy. I'm keen to develop a new take, to bring forward darker aspects of the character." The Guardian story goes on to mention that Sylvester McCoy is considering the role, but that a BBC spokesman would not promise a series, being quoted as saying "We don't want to build up fans' hopes." Recent information suggests that the radio drama bears the provisional title "Doctor Who: Death Comes to Time". 

Actor Stephen Fry has apparently signed on to play a role in the production. Sylvester McCoy commented that the Radio 4 chief who commissioned the production has recently been replaced and this could affect the show, which is currently slated to be taped in October 2000 and aired in February 2001.

In early June, in the popular UK movie magazine Empire, Stephen Fry answered questions sent in by readers; he confirmed his involvement in a Doctor Who project for radio. "It is true. It's extraordinarily clever of him to know that. I've been sworn to the utmost secrecy by the BBC because there is such a huge contingency of Whovians, I think they call them. So it is true, but I can't tell you what part I play or what happens in it because I would be assassinated if I did." However, on June 7, Outpost Gallifrey was contacted by Dan Freedman, who sent us the following clarification: "The facts are: At least one episode is definitely being made, series is likely but not officially definite. Sylvester, Sophie and Stephen Fry are confirmed in it. Its called Dr Who: Death Comes to Time and is set after Survival. I write comedy when I'm writing, but I'm just producing this, not writing. Colin Meek (SF writer, not comedy) is writing it. Next week we should have an info page about how fans can be involved in it on the Online page. The departure of James Boyle (ex controller of Radio 4) doesn't mean anything bad, it took me 5 months to persuade him to have it..."

The BBC's official Doctor Who website has confirmed that the BBC has commissioned a pilot episode only ("This means that they have asked and paid for the production of one episode for Radio 4. If they like it, they will commission a series. Until then, there is no date for anything to be broadcast. At the moment, recording is scheduled for October.") Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Leonard Fenton (Dr. Legge in "Eastenders") and Stephen Fry are confirmed by the site, and we have received word that actress Jacqueline Pearce ("Blake's 7") and actor John Sessions have both been confirmed for the production.

It looks almost certain that the pilot will be released on BBC Audio, eventually. Meanwhile, the BBC Symphony Orchestra won't be doing the pilot because of the new date, but they will be doing the series, if and when it happens, according to the BBC's official site; neither will David Bowie, who isn't in the drama's pilot because of time concerns -- but who apparently has expressed interest in doing the series itself if the pilot proves to be successful (as a character called the Duke of White). However, William Hartnell does appear in the pilot (after all, this is a series about time travel...)

On Thursday June 29, BBC Online completed a live interview with Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, producer Dan Freedman and actor Kevin Eldon this week, all of whom are all taking part in "Death Comes to Time". The production will feature a new version of Ron Grainer's theme music. Eldon says he will not be playing the Master, but instead "a gay Cyberman triumphing in the homophobic world of evil robots" (he was, of course, joking).

As of November 8, the pilot for this proposed series is complete. In addition to the above, actor Huw Thomas (coincidentally the brother of early Dalek director Richard Martin) is among the many cast members. If BBC Radio decides to go ahead with an audio series -- commissioning editors likley to make a decision in early January -- the series would likely not be out before June, according to our highly-placed sources.

(With thanks to Peter Anghelides, David Whitten and Gareth Fenton...)

These releases are only currently in PAL format (for UK, Australia and New Zealand & compatible DVD players); NTSC format (US/Canada) are expected from BBC Worldwide in late 2001. Special thanks to Steve Roberts of the Restoration Team and our other correspondents for this information.