2001 UK Releases: "Delta and the Bannermen," originally scheduled for early March, is now due for release on March 26. Tenth Planethas arranged for a special pre-release on March 10; videos will be in stores on the regular date after that. A re-release of "City of Death"(Tom Baker) is planned for May 7, 2001. July 9, 2001 is the new confirmed release date for "The Sunmakers", the Tom Baker season 15 story. After that, the final unreleased Peter Davison story "Four to Doomsday" is on the schedule for September 3, 2001. The BBC's official website is now confirming our earlier report that "Colony in Space" and "The Time Monster," both Jon Pertwee serials, will be released in a package together on November 5, 2001 as "The Master Box Set". A possible Patrick Troughton clips tape and a compilation of episodes from missing stories remastered in better format is rumored to be planned for 2002. (Thanks to Doctor Who Magazine and the BBC Official Website for much of this info.)

North American Release Update: "Time-Flight" starring Peter Davison was released on March 6 and is already being sighted in video stores across North America. May 8 sees the launch of "The Tenth Planet" (instead of being part of a twin release with "Attack of the Cybermen," it is being released separately here.) However, with the release of "Tenth Planet," BBC Worldwide Americas has officially put its VHS video releases for the remainder of 2001 on hold while they concentrate more fully on DVD (see section below), and so the planned releases of "The Daleks: Remastered" and "Attack of the Cybermen" have been held. They may be released in late 2001, but at this point are not on the 2001 schedule. (Thanks to our contact at BBC Worldwide Americas for the release information.)

Edge of Destruction - North America Re-release: The "Edge of Destruction, Original Pilot & Missing Years" tape has been re-released by BBC Worldwide in America; it is being spotted across North America at retail shops. Warner Home Video has reclassified this new release as E1578 (the older release # being E1497); to avoid the cost of printing new sleeves, the new catalog number is stickered on the back of the sleeves. The original version was released with substantial errors, including the broadcast version of "An Unearthly Child" and the syndicated master of "Edge of Destruction" rather than the home video master. (A good way to tell from the tape: the second episode of "Edge" on bad tapes is missing the lead-in to "Marco Polo".) (Thanks to Graeme Burk, Matt O'Grady, Steve Roberts, Steve Manfred and BBCWA.)

Australia Video Update: See "Doctor Who 1960's Films on DVD and Video" in the DVD section below.

US/Canada Video Purge: BBC Direct will be deleting a handful of Doctor Who titles from its North American release stocks in the near future, BBC Worldwide Americas told Outpost Gallifrey. The majority of Doctor Who videos in the US and Canada (96 current releases) will remain in production; however, 17 weaker-selling titles will be cut from the line. The titles being deleted are: Carnival of Monsters; The Claws of Axos; The Curse of Peladon; Dragonfire; The Five Doctors (the single, not enhanced version); Ghost Light; The Green Death; Kinda; The Mark of the Rani; The Monster of Peladon; Paradise Towers; The Rescue/The Romans; The Sea Devils; Snakedance; Time and the Rani; Vengeance on Varos; The Visitation/Black Orchid; and Warriors of the Deep. BBC Direct (www.bbcproducts.com or 1-800-216-1BBC) will sell these soon-to-be-deleted tapes as supplies last.

K-9 Unleashed: Reeltime Pictures has announced a new video called "K-9 Unleashed," due out in the UK on November 6. The video reatures current and past interviews with Tom Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Louise Jameson, Sophie Aldred and Elisabeth Sladen, as well as the voices of K-9, David Brierly and John Leeson, who discuss the popular robot dog and its influence on the series. Clips from the series along with animated footage (including a "K-9 Versus the Daleks" clip) are a part of the video.

New Subscription Service: With the March 2001 BBC Doctor Who novels, BBC Books will begin offering a new subscription service for both ranges. Eleven books (there are no books printed in December) for the price of nine, both series will be available worldwide and UK subscribers are guaranteed to receive their books by the publication date. The deadline for subscription is February 20. The cost is Ј53.91 for one of the two series (either Past or Eighth Doctor series), or Ј107.82 for both series; additional prices for postage & handling are required. The telephone # in the UK is 01795 414737; foreign orders are requested to fill out the coupon in Doctor Who Magazine, though it is not likely that most overseas buyers of DWM will have the issue before February 20 so you should still call the number to place your order.

Story Arcs Continue: BBC editor Justin Richards revealed to DWM that "a shocking new series of twists and turns" is part of the current commission series of Eighth Doctor books for the latter half of 2001, leading up to the BBC's 100th DW novel released in January 2002.

Cover Redesign?: A redesign of the BBC books' covers in the near future is now inevitable. BBC Worldwide wants to revamp the covers to bring them more in line with the DVD covers (which, by reactions elsewhere on the web, are almost universally hated). This report is confirmed in Doctor Who Magazine #299, which states that the covers will be changing beginning with the April books, though we have received word that this is not the case, and instead will be featured later in the year. "Eater of Wasps" was supposed to feature the new book design, however, the regular artwork has been seen for it. It's now likely for June or July. We can also tell you that editor Justin Richards and associate editor Jacqueline Rayner have no input on this, so emails of complaint to BBC Books apparently will do nothing, sorry! Though other pages have stated that their sources claim that this is not happening, we have been informed by BBC Books that it is. Stay tuned.

The Five Missing Books: Five Doctor Who novels from BBC Books went unreleased in 2000 due to computer glitches at the North American distributors, London Bridge: "The Ancestor Cell," "The Burning," "Heart of TARDIS," "The Banquo Legacy" and "Prime Time". After repeated delays, London Bridge assured retailers that these books would be released in 2001. The impasse seems to be subsiding as "The Banquo Legacy" is now available to retailers and is being seen in shops across the US. Further rumors of delays -- including an error on Amazon.com that suggests that "The Quantum Archangel" is not available until December 2001 in the US and Canada -- are incorrect, as all BBC books to the February installments ("Escape Velocity" and "Archangel") have been released. 

     Meanwhile, author Dave Stone has taken the ball, so to speak. "Free the Fatal Five" T-shirts and other merchandise are now available via the CafePress website, with a logo created by Stone (the author of one of the five books in question, "Heart of TARDIS").

The Monthly Telepress: Jac Rayner of BBC Books has created The Monthly Telepress, a new email newsletter designed to keep readers updated with developments in the world of Doctor Who fiction. To subscribe, send a blank email to telepress-subscribe@onelist.com.

New BBC Submissions Guidelines Online: BBC Books has shared with Outpost Gallifrey the latest version of the submission guidelines for prospective Doctor Who fiction. Check it out by clicking here. (Thanks to Jac Rayner.)

BBC Book Release Notes (Fiction) (Some information thanks to Justin Richards and Jac Rayner of BBC Books):

Author Updates: Some of the more interesting things happening with some of your favorite Doctor Who authors nowadays (some courtesy Henry Potts and other correspondents):

Forthcoming Who Audio Releases: BBC Audio has released "The Myth Makers," the audio track of the lost William Hartnell Season 3 story narrated by Peter Purves; and a CD rerelease of "Slipback," the Eric Saward-penned BBC Radio play from the 1980's starring Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Valentine Dyall and Jane Carr. "The Celestial Toymaker" starring William Hartnell and narrated by Peter Purves (linking narration written by Michael Stevens), and "The Moonbase" starring Patrick Troughton and narrated by Frazer Hines (linking narration written by Sue Cowley) are slated for release in April 2001. Then in July 2001, "The Abominable Snowmen" starring Patrick Troughton, narrated by Frazer Hines from linking narration by Michael Stevens, will be released, as will a double set, "Genesis of the Daleks/Exploration Earth: The Time Machine", containing both the 1979 abridged version narrated by Tom Baker as well as the 1976 radio documentary about the origins of Earth starring Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen. Neither were expected to be released on CD. Then, the big one: October 2001 will see the release of "The Daleks' Master Plan" a five-CD box set including all 12 episodes of the William Hartnell classic as well as the one-episode story "Mission to the Unknown," fully remastered with linking narration by Sue Cowley and read by Peter Purves. Finally, January 2002 will see the release of "The Savages" starring William Hartnell, likely narrated by Peter Purves, and "The Faceless Ones" starring Patrick Troughton, likely narrated by Frazer Hines. (Thanks to Michael Stevens, Stephen James Walker, Doctor Who Magazine, David Brunt and Mark Ayres)

Possible 2002 Audio Releases: According to the BBC's official website, the following stories are under consideration for possible release in 2002: "The Smugglers," "The Underwater Menace," "The Space Pirates," "Enemy of the World," "The Evil of the Daleks," "The Wheel in Space" and "Marco Polo" (which may be on the schedule for later in 2002; no official confirmation has been forthcoming).

A History of the Doctor Who Theme: Ayres has also presented a hefty research article on his website devoted to the history of the theme music. You can visit it at ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Mark_Ayres/DWTheme.htm.

Cyberon: BBV has returned to the video fold with "Cyberon". As noted on BBV's website: "We’ve made contact with something better than us. They are stronger, they don’t die. They’ll cast off their human bodies and spread to the stars, nothing will stop them." Doctor Lauren Anderson is understandably sceptical when research scientist Tom Mordley arrives to perform clinical trials of a new wonder drug. But not only does the drug work... it works miracles. It is only when the side effects begin to manifest themselves that Doctor Anderson must take matters into her own hands and find out the truth behind a drug called... CYBERON." Principal photography on this new production has been completed. The video stars Jo Castleton as Dr. Lauren Anderson and P.J. Ochlan ("Space: Above and Beyond - Toy Soldiers") as Tom Mordley, and is wrtitten by Lance Parkin. "Cyberon" was released in November 2000 (bumped from October due to special effects requirements) and is now available in the UK, with other release planned shortly.

BBV Production Calendar: Details on current and forthcoming BBV productions are as follows:

Additional scripts are in the pipeline from Pip and Jane Baker, Jon Blum, Paul Ebbs, Lance Parkin, David A. McIntee and Dave Stone.

Video on the Web: BBV has put several video clips on the web. Says the BBV press release: "With the imminent release of the latest Audio Adventure in Time and Space, the latest Sontaran epic, Conduct Unbecoming, BBV Online presents "For Battle and Glory" an exclusive download in VQF format featuring writer Gareth Preston and actors John Wadmore and Anthony Keetch. Also now available is BBV Online's first ever video download (in RealMedia format) with a look back to the recording of Ghosts, a Season 2 adventure featuring Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred as The Dominie and Alice."

BBV has moved its website location! They can now be found at www.www.bbvonline.co.uk.

Radio 4 Refuses Doctor Who Drama: Despite a finished pilot starring Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred, Radio 4 have turned down the pilot for "Doctor Who: Death Comes to Time," including both an initial broadcast and the option to create a full series. Dan Freedman, the producer, contacted Outpost Gallifrey, letting us know that "True to form Radio 4 have turned down the pilot, despite it being called 'terrific' by Stephen Fry and 'brilliant' and 'Epic' by Sylvester McCoy... We tried everything to get it on the air, but Radio 4 have turned it down flat. You can guess how disappointed we all are. Everyone who heard it loved it, but there we are. Luckily, BBC Worldwide like it a lot and may give us enough to make the series, and online too." Freedman told us he is negotiating a release with BBC Worldwide (expected to be released under their BBC Radio Collection label, the same group that releases the Doctor Who episode soundtracks) and other radio avenues. Radio 2 is considered to be the likeliest option. Freedman confirmed that negotiations had been taking place in January which would see the six episodes being co-funded by BBC Online and BBC Worldwide, with first run of the episodes coming via the BBC's own Dr Who website. "It's going well," said Freedman. "We've got to see how things go now with (Worldwide) but it's looking promising... Right at the start I offered to show them the script, before we had started, but they turned that down," he revealed. "There was never any feeling that we were anything other than a disease (to them). There was nobody there saying 'Yay, let's go and make some new stuff here.'" Freedman also told the official BBC Doctor Who website, in response to whether it will likely be released on CD: "Very likely .... and I think it will probably be webcast too, as a series. I'm having loads of meetings to finalize it at the mo." Doctor Who Magazine recently said, however, that BBC Spoken Word have no intention of releasing the story as a BBC Radio Collection release alongside the missing stories.

A few details about the plot, courtesy SFX Online: The Doctor and his companion (now played by Kevin Eldon) arrive on an alien planet under siege from warmongering, bloodthirsty aliens (led by John Sessions) and set about stopping them. Meanwhile, Ace is having difficulties of her own... When asked to give an idea of a 'great moment' in the story that fans are missing out on: "There's a bit in a garden on Gallifrey where an old Timelord is explaining how the Universe works, which is actually quite moving, and when the Doc first appears it's a real back of the neck tingle!"

Originally reported by DWM and several British newspapers, the radio pilot featured Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred reprising their roles as the Seventh Doctor and Ace. The script was 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... We don't want to build up fans' hopes." The drama bore the provisional title "Doctor Who: Death Comes to Time" and also stars Stephen Fry, Leonard Fenton, Huw Thomas, Kevin Eldon, John Sessions and Jacqueline Pearce ("Blake's 7"). It was taped in October 2000. Rumors that David Bowie was involved are untrue, but it was confirmed by Freedman that he was interested in an appearance if the pilot had gone to series (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...) (With thanks to Dan Freedman, Iain Hepburn at SFX, Peter Anghelides, David Whitten, Gareth Fenton)

And Yet... It May Happen: Our best information suggests that the Doctor Who film may indeed be announced as early as this summer. A major Hollywood studio has indeed optioned a script in conjunction with BBC Films, as has been confirmed to us through our sources. While any casting or other information is jumping the gun at best, Outpost Gallifrey can indeed confirm that a film project is now closer than it has ever been to fruition. We'll keep you posted.

Even More Film Rumors... Shot Down: Britain's Sunday Telegraph paper on January 21 leads off with an article "Dr Who spearheads BBC's Ј50m bid for film success" by writer Oliver Poole. Says the article: "A LAVISH dramatisation of the early years of Mary, Queen of Scots, and a feature-length updated version of Dr Who will be among the highlights of the BBC's multi-million bid to become a big player in the film industry, The Telegraph can reveal... David Thompson, the head of BBC films, confirmed rumours that there would be a Dr Who film, with a budget expected to be Ј40 million, and said that filming would start next year. He said: 'We are talking to a famous American director and hope to announce his name in the next few months. A British actor will definitely play the Doctor but we have not decided who yet.'" However, on January 25, SFX Magazine reports that a spokesperson for the BBC's "fledgling" film department says that these reports were "optimistic at best.... The Sunday Telegraph got it wrong." The spokesperson told SFX that plans for a film version have indeed been in development, but that there has been no further progress with them. We have also been told by a correspondent who works for BBC Worldwide that there is considerable belief within the BBC that the film project has stalled beyond hope of repair, and that it is seen as the sole obstacle to reestablishment of discussions over a possible return to television. We'll keep you posted with more details soon!

Lynda Bellingham (The Inquisitor of "The Trial of a Time Lord") was featured on the explicit UK adult comedy show "So Graham Norton" on its Friday 23 March edition. The show's researcher contacted Mark Campbell the day before recording after seeing an interview with her on his website (freespace.virgin.net/mark.campbell10/lynda.htm). Norton displayed a photo of her as the Inquisitor and she talked briefly about her experiences on 'Trial of a Time Lord'. The show will be repeated in the UK on Wednesday 28 March on C4 at 11.05pm.

Caroline John (Liz Shaw) is currently appearing in a TV commercial for Swedish furniture retailer Ikea in the UK. She plays a housewife who comes home to find that three Ikea 'hitmen' have kidnapped her husband because she hasn't bought any of their products.

Colin Baker & Katy Manning were featured on the February 9 edition of 3 News on TV3 in New Zealand, while guests in Auckland for the Armageddon Pulp Culture Expo. The TV story contained comments from both Colin & Katy, together with several clips from the show including the Daleks. Our friends at Gallifrey 5 are hosting the clip (337k in length); it can be downloaded here. A video is also available at http://www.tv3.co.nz/news/index.cfm?news_category_id=3; scroll down to "Exterminate" and click "more". (Thanks to Gallifrey 5)

Paul McGann is having a street named after him... well, him and his three acting brothers. The Liverpool City Council have approved the name "McGann Street" for use in the city, in honour of the acting family. The street to bear the name has yet to be chosen. (Thanks to Mike Hall)

John Levene ("Benton") will be seen in a new film, "CanniBallistic!" directed by James Felix McKenney, also starring Don Wood and Laura Sweeney. Information on the film can be found at www.monsterpantsonline.com.

Doctor Who Novellas: As announced at the Gallifrey 2001 convention, Telos Publishing, owned by David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker ("The Handbooks") is launching a new range of Doctor Who hardcover novellas officially sanctioned by the BBC. Autumn 2001 is the touted approximate date for the launch of the range. "This is the first time that original Doctor Who fiction has ever been published in this well-recognised and popular literary format," says the press release, "tales of between 20 and 40 thousand words in length, part-way between short stories and novels, with all the advantages and none of the disadvantages of those two more familiar forms." Each novella in the range will be available both as a standard hardback and as a limited edition collectors' item featuring a leather-effect (balacron) hardback binding, foil stamped on both cover and spine, matching endpapers, a foreword, a full color art plate frontispiece and a numbered sheet signed by the author, foreword author and artist. The authors and artists contributing to the range will all be familiar and highly-regarded names, says Telos, some from the mainstream horror, fantasy and science-fiction world, some from Doctor Who publishing. No unsolicited submissions are being considered at this time. The books will be released quarterly. The deluxe editions are said to be potentially retailed at 25 to Ј30 (the regular price being substantially cheaper); Telos will offer a subscription service; and dealers worldwide will carry them including in the US, Canada and Australia. The novellas will be published under BBC Worldwide license, and edited by David Howe (general editor and publisher) and Stephen James Walker (line editor). More information can be gathered at the official website at www.telos.co.uk or by mail to Telos Publishing Ltd, 61 Elgar Avenue, Tolworth, Surrey, KT5 9JP, England.

Howe's Transcendental Toybox - The Unofficial Guide to Who Merchandise: Co-authors David J. Howe and Arnold T. Blumberg have edited this "complete collector's guide to everything that has ever been produced to tie in with the series. From hardback books, trading cards and chocolate Christmas tree decorations, to stained glass windows, underpants and metal models, this book is a fascinating and enthralling look at the world wide history, development and collectability of Doctor Who merchandise. This is the first and only reference and price guide to the entire history of Doctor Who memorabilia from 1963 to 1999. It will catalogue every kind of merchandise produced in that period, provide photos for many of the items listed, and discuss many aspects of the show's long history in light of the vast amount of collectible material produced about it. The book will document the history of the world's longest-running science fiction television show from the perspective of the marketing and merchandising juggernaut that the series spawned. Anyone who is a Doctor Who fan, science fiction enthusiast, armchair television historian, or collector of pop culture memorabilia will be fascinated by this book and the story it has to tell." The book will also feature articles on collecting, dealers, retailers and a variety of other directories. Demand for the book has been far higher than anticipated; the first edition is now sold out. There is a reprinted version now available from Telos Publishing. For more info, visit the new website atwww.tardis.tv.