NASA have released plans for the naming of areas of Pluto's moon Charon, based upon the International Astronomical Union's recommendations that these would relate to "destinations and milestones of fictional space and other exploration; fictional and mythological vessels of space and other exploration; fictional and mythological voyagers, travellers and explorers."

This has led to proposals of names from a number of sci-fi shows including Doctor Who, which sees a large crater on the surface named "Gallifrey Macula", with a nearby rift named "TARDIS Chasma". Star Trek is honoured with a plain named the "Vulcan Planum", containing craters such as "Spock" and "Sulu" and mons like "Kirk" and "Uhura" - there are also features named after Star Wars characters, and also sci-fi writers/directors such as Arthur C Clarke and Stanley Kubrick (2001: A Space Odyssey).


The names are to be submitted to the IAU for final approval.

There are still tickets available to see Peter Capaldi live in conversation at The Civic, Auckland, New Zealand, taking place on the 24th November 2015.

Doctor Who fans in the United States will get a chance to relive the climax of series 8 with a special 3D screening, in selected movie theatres, of last year's two part finale, Dark Water / Death in Heaven.

The event, organised by BBC Worldwide North America and Fathom Events will see the return of Doctor Who to the big screen for just two nights in a special theatrical event. In the two-part finale, the Doctor comes face-to-face with the mysterious Missy, and an impossible choice looms. With Cybermen on the streets of London, old friends unite against old enemies, and the Doctor takes to the air in a startling new role.

Doctor Who: Dark Water/Death in Heaven, will be presented in RealD™ 3D and Dolby Atmos sound (where available) on September 15 and 16 at 7:30 p.m. (local time), just before the launch of Series Nine on BBC America the following Saturday.

The event will feature The Doctor’s Meditation — a special prequel scene to the first episode of Season 9 — and an exclusive interview with Doctor Who stars Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman, hosted by Wil Wheaton (Big Bang Theory, Star Trek: Nemesis).

At present there are no plans for the event to be screened in UK Cinemas. BBC Worldwide told Sci-Fi Bulletin It is expected that the two episodes will be released on Blu-ray in 3D at the end of September.

Tickets for Doctor Who: Dark Water/Death in Heaven in 3D can be purchased online starting Friday, July 31 by visiting FathomEvents.com, or participating theatre box offices. The event will be shown throughout the U.S. in approximately 700 movie theatres through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network.

This Wednesday sees the release of three Doctor Who comics, featuring the Ninth, Tenth and Twelfth Doctors.

The Ninth Doctor, Jack and Rose are caught between a heavily-armed intergalactic standoff, while The Tenth and Twelfth Doctors are Earthbound, Stateside. The Tenth Doctor is challenged with protecting New York city from an ominous looming pyramid and the Twelfth Doctor and Clara take on a toxic mix of mobsters and invading aliens in 60's Vegas!

The actor and director Robin Phillips has died at the age of 73.

Robin Phillips played Altos in five episodes of the 1964 story The Keys of Marinus, accompanying the Doctor and his companions in their quest for the Conscience's keys.

Phillips was born in Haslemere, in 1942. He studied acting at the Bristol Old Vic and went on to appear in many well known TV series including Compact, The Forsyte Saga, The Avengers and The Saint. In 1969 he played the title character in the star studded TV version of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield.

In 1975 he was hired as artistic director at the Stratford Festival in Canada. He spent six seasons directing many productions starring such actors as Maggie Smith, Richard Monette, Martha Henry, and Brian Bedford, directing 40 productions. He made Canada his home, becoming a Canadian citizen and developing a wide-ranging career in the country, including a period as artistic director at The Grand Theatre in London, Ontario, and as director general of Edmonton's Citadel Theatre.

Phillips's directing credits included a London production of Long Day's Journey into Night starring Jessica Lange, the Broadway musical Jekyll and Hyde, and a Canadian Opera Company performance of The Marriage of Figaro.

In 1983 he was given an honorary degree by the University of Western Ontario and was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2005. He was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at The Governor General's Performing Arts Awards in 2010.

Robin Phillips died peacefully at his Stratford home, after a prolonged illness. He is survived by his long-time partner Joe Mandel.

The Broadcasters' Audience Research Board, BARB, is, for the first time, to release official figures showing the level of UK viewing through on-demand and live-streamed content through online TV Player apps.

BARB provides the official ratings for the UK TV Industry. The final figures currently reflect those who watch live or on catch up within one week of broadcast. They do not include those watching on their computers via the iPlayer. The BBC's own research, Live +7, shows up to 10% of the audience for Doctor Who currently watches online and is not counted in the official figures.

The first BARB TV Player Report will to be released in September and will be the first set of BARB data to focus on viewing that takes place on computer devices such as laptops, desktops, tablets and smartphones. It will report on viewing activity at a device level, rather than a person level, and rely on data that is generated from software code that has been developed by Kantar Media and implemented by broadcasters.

This solution is one of the most advanced audience measurement systems for online TV viewing in the world. The data will be an important building block for the delivery of Project Dovetail, the hybrid measurement system that will that is intended to deliver full cross-platform reporting of audiences.

Justin Sampson, Chief Executive at BARB, said:

Mark Gatiss has joined the team appearing at the Austrailan version of the Doctor Who Festival taking place this November.

The actor and writer will join current Doctor Peter Capaldi and writer and executive producer Steven Moffat at the Festival in Sydney on the 21st & 22nd November. At the event Gatiss will host a special writers’ master class, where fans will be given the opportunity to ask questions about how a Doctor Who script is crafted, as well as hearing the techniques behind the art of dramatic scriptwriting and how to get work published.

The BAFTA award-winning Real SFX team, led by Danny Hargreaves, will also be appearing, offering festival attendees the chance to witness first hand some of the spectacular effects seen in Doctor Who such as explosions and fireballs, elemental and atmospheric effects, mechanical rigs and pyrotechnics. Interactive sections of the demonstration will also offer audiences the chance to participate in the action.

Mark Gatiss, like Steven Moffat, is one of the few writers to have written for all four Doctors in the modern revival of Doctor Who (Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi). Gatiss was also the writer and executive producer of An Adventure in Space and Time, a 90-minute dramatisation of the genesis of the series.

Gatiss is the co-creator and executive producer of Sherlock, which he stars in as Sherlock’s brother Mycroft Holmes. Audiences will also recognise him from his recent acting roles as Stephen Gardiner in the critically acclaimed Wolf Hall and as Tycho Nestoris in Game of Thrones. He was also part of the comedy troupe The League of Gentlemen, where he both wrote and appeared on screen.

Mark Gatiss says: Along with Mark Gatiss and the special effects team, festival attendees will be given the opportunity to show off their best Doctor Who-themed outfits with a Cosplayers’ Showcase. A Doctor Who expert will judge the costumes, with a special prize awarded to the best-dressed fan.

Fans can also test their knowledge in two separate quizzes, with the chance to win an array of prizes. The fan challenge offers fans of all ages a chance to test their knowledge of the series, whilst the Doctor Who Quiz provides the ultimate challenge, with in-depth questions on the Doctor, his adversaries and the many adventures he’s had through space and time.

To date the festival includes the following, with more talent and activities to be announced shortly:

• Q&AS -see the writers and cast from the series as they talk about how to make an idea become reality on a series as big and bold as Doctor Who.
• PHOTO AND AUTOGRAPH OPPORTUNITIES – A limited number of opportunities for photos and autographs with selected talent.
• WRITERS’ MASTERCLASS – ask Mark Gatiss how a Doctor Who script is crafted and discover the techniques behind the art of dramatic scriptwriting and how to get work published.
• SFX DISPLAY - witness first-hand some of the spectacular effects seen in the series such as explosions and fireballs, elemental and atmospheric effects, mechanical rigs and pyrotechnics.
• WARDROBE DEPARTMENT – a fantastic exhibition of costumes and props.
• COSPLAYERS’ SHOWCASE- fans can showcase their impressive Doctor Who-themed outfits with a special prize awarded to the best dressed.
• DOCTOR WHO QUIZ – this is the ultimate Doctor Who quiz, where fans can show off their in-depth knowledge of the Doctor, his adversaries and the many adventures he’s had through space and time.
• THE FAN CHALLENGE - Fans young and old can battle it out and test their Doctor Who knowledge.

The Doctor Who Festival will be held at the Hordern Pavilion and the Royal Hall of Industries on the 21st and 22nd November. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketek

A screening of the first episode of the new series, The Magician's Apprentice, will be taking place at the Filmhouse Cinema in Edinburgh as part of the Guardian's Edinburgh International Television Festival on 27th August 2015.


The event has sold out, but details can be found via the cinema website.

The next issue of Doctor Who Magazine is published tomorrow (23rd July), and features an interview with sixth Doctor Colin Baker, the Doctor who never had a proper regeneration story - until now! Talking about recording The Last Adventure for Big Finish, he said:
Commenting on why he needed a little persuasion to record the story, and why he changed his mind:

Also in this issue:

• UNDER SURVEILLANCE! DWM tells the remarkable story of writer Malcolm Hulke, the creator of the Time Lords, Silurians and Sea Devils – and why he came under under scrutiny by MI5...
• TROUBLED TEEN: Ellis George, the actress who plays cheeky schoolgirl Courtney Woods talks to DWM about travelling in the TARDIS, and what its like to be a teenager starring in Doctor Who.
• TOP OF THE POPS! The much-anticipated results of the 2014 DWM Season Survey are in! Discover which story from Peter Capaldi's début season topped the poll, and who won the accolade for best writer, what was the favourite monster, and more...
• THE MONSTER OF PELADON! The Fact of Fiction takes a close look at the 1974 serial The Monster of Peladon, and digs deep to unearth fascinating new facts about this Third Doctor adventure.
• JUNGLE TERROR! There's ghostly goings-on for the Doctor and Clara in a brand-new comic strip adventure, Spirits of the Jungle by Jonathan Morris, illustrated by John Ross.
• HELLO, YOUNG MAN! Doctor Who's showrunner Steven Moffat answers readers' questions – and comes face-to-face with his 10-year-old self!
• TIS THE SEASON? Jacqueline Rayner considers what time of year it's traditional – and best – to watch Doctor Who – and comes to a surprising conclusion...
• THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES: The Time Team fight for space behind the sofa as they watch David Tennant's penultimate, chilling story: The Waters of Mars.
• ON THEIR WAY... DWM talks to the people involved in the latest Doctor Who CD releases, including Bonnie Langford, Nicholas Briggs, Lisa Bowerman and Mike Tucker.

PLUS! All the latest official news, reviews, competitions and The DWM Crossword.

The last week has seen the cast of Doctor Who visiting Berlin, in a country where the show has grown in popularity for the last few years. Here is a news update on current and upcoming developments in Germany:

• FOX announced that Series 9 will premiere in December, almost three months after the UK. This is a departure from the near simulcast broadcasts from recent years. Last year, problems with the BBC's delivery of the material needed to dub Series 8 in time, resulted in near simulcast airings of the episodes in English with German subtitles.

• Books publisher Cross Cult announced the release of a monthly e-books series called Zeitreisen (Time Trips). Book 1 Die Todesgrube ("The Death Pit") by A.L. Kennedy will be released on 26th October 2015. It can be pre-ordered at Amazon Germany.
  More upcoming printed titles include the eighth Doctor novels Silhouette by Justin Richard on 24th August 2015 and Der Kriechende Terror ("The Crawling Terror") by Mike Tucker on 8th February 2016. November will see the release of the novelisation of City of Death, written by James Goss, with the German title Die Stadt des Todes.

• German online audio books platform Audible has announced the release of Gareth Robert's Shada novelisation. It will be unabridged and read by Michael Schwarzmaier, who dubbed Tom Baker in the German versions of The Five Doctors and in Day of the Doctor. The audio book can be pre-ordered on Amazon Germany.

• The first German convention for fans of Doctor Who, the TimeLash Event, has now sold out. Guests include Paul McGann, Nicholas Briggs, Catrin Stewart, Nicola Bryant, Terry Molloy, Toby Hadoke, Nev Fountain, Terrance Dicks, Andrew Cartmel and many more. It takes place in Kassel on the 24th to 25th October 2015.

• DVD distributer Pandastorm Pictures has released a trailer for the upcoming German DVD boxed set of Die Fünf Doktoren (20th anniversary special The Five Doctors). The 3-disc-set will contain the 90 minute TV-version, the three-parter that was shown in Germany in 1995 and the 100 minute special edition. The set will be released on 28th August 2015. The trailer can be viewed below.