Steven Moffat wins Terrance Dicks Award For Writers

Saturday, 15 April 2023 - Reported by Marcus

Steven Moffat has become the second recipient of The Terrance Dicks Award For Writers presented by the Doctor Who Appreciation Society.

The ceremony took place at the DWAS convention 'The Capitol Six Decades' being held this weekend in the Sussex town of Crawley.

Moffat was presented with the award, a statue of The Master crafted by Gary Glover of Mooncrest Models, by last year's winner Gary Russell.

The award is named after former Script Editor Terrance Dicks, who was responsible for some of Doctor Who's most admired stories during the 1960s and 1970s.

Steven Moffat was the showrunner for Doctor Who from 2010 until 2017, in charge of the eras of the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctor.

The Doctor Who Appreciation Society was founded in 1976, and is the oldest Doctor Who fan club in the world.

FILTER: - Awards/Nominations - Steven Moffat

New Guinness World Record for Doctor Who

Sunday, 27 November 2022 - Reported by Marcus

William Russell as Ian Chesterton (Credit: BBC)

Guinness World Records have confirmed that Doctor Who has earned another entry in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Since the screening of The Power of the Doctor last month, the record for the longest gap between TV appearances of an actor playing a television character is now held by William Russell, for his portrayal of First Doctor companion Ian Chesterton.

Russell played Chesterton in the first episode of Doctor Who in 1963. He stayed with the series for two years, appearing in 77 episodes. His last appearance was in The Planet of Decision, the final episode of The Chase, broadcast on the 26th June 1965.

Although the character has been mentioned in the series since then, Ian has not actually appeared in the series until he was seen in the last few minutes of The Power of the Doctor, screened on 23rd October 2022.

The gap between appearances is therefore 57 years 120 days.

The previous record holder was Philip Lowrie who returned to the role of Dennis Tanner in Coronation Street after 43 years.

Doctor Who already holds a number of Guinness World Records including the most consecutive sci-fi TV episodes ever, with 871 episodes so far.

In 2016 Peter Capaldi accepted the Guinness World Records title for the Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Doctor Who Characters, at the La Mole Comic Con in Mexico City.

In 2013 the simultaneous broadcast of The Day of the Doctor to 94 countries was named the world's largest-ever simulcast of a TV drama.

FILTER: - Awards/Nominations

Gary Russell wins The Terrance Dicks Award For Writers

Sunday, 3 April 2022 - Reported by Marcus

Gary Russell Accepting the Award (Credit: DWAS)

Gary Russell has become the inaugural recipient of The Terrance Dicks Award for Writers presented by The Doctor Who Appreciation Society.

Russell has a long connection with Doctor Who. He worked as a Script editor on The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood and has written a number of Doctor Who related novels.

The ceremony took place on Sunday, at the Society's convention The Capitol Five, held at the Crowne Plaza, London-Gatwick.

Russell received the award, a statue of The Master crafted by Gary Glover of Mooncrest Models, from Terrance's wife Elsa.

On receiving the award Russell said;

To be the recipient of this inaugural award is an honour, a pleasure and a scary responsibility I could never have expected. Terrance was an inspiration, a mentor and above all, a good friend. Thank you to the DWAS and to Elsa and the boys for this amazing award.

The award is given in memory of Terrance Dicks, who was script editor on Doctor Who from 1968 - 1974 and who wrote 45 episodes of the original series.

The Doctor Who Appreciation Society was founded in 1976, and is the oldest Doctor Who fan club in the world.

FILTER: - Awards/Nominations

The Terrance Dicks Award For Writers

Tuesday, 15 March 2022 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The Doctor Who Appreciation Society has announced a new award for writers, in memory of the much loved, and highly influential, writer Terrance Dicks, who passed away in 2019.

Terrance captured the imagination of a generation of children and young adults, many of whom are at the forefront of modern television. Mark Gatiss said:

Very hard to express what Terrance Dicks meant to a whole generation. A brilliant TV professional, a funny and generous soul. Most of all, though, an inspirational writer who took so many of us on unforgettable journeys into space and time.

The award will recognise those whose writing across screen, audio, book and magazine have contributed to, and enhanced, the worlds of Doctor Who.

The inaugural award, which is in the bequest of the Society Executive, will be presented by Elsa Dicks, Terrance's wife, at the sold out Capitol convention being staged at the Crowne Plaza, London-Gatwick across the weekend of 2nd/3rd April. Tony Jordan, organiser of the event, said:

Terrance was adored by fans across the world as well as being a great friend of the Society. In 2010 he received the Society's 'Outstanding Contribution to Doctor Who' Award, and it's lovely to now have an Award in his venerable name. Never was anyone more deserving.

Elsa added:

The hallmark of Terrance's writing was his simple dramatic story-telling. No sentences full of long words, adjectives and flourishes. He was his own critic, re-reading what he had written and paring it back if needed. He would say if you want to be a writer, be a reader first, The books you enjoy will colour your writing.

The Terrance Dicks Award For Writers takes the form of a statue of The Master, as portrayed by Roger Delgado, crafted by Gary Glover of Mooncrest Models. The character is Terrance's most famous creation, and continues to feature in Doctor Who half a century after his first appearance in the Jon Pertwee story Terror of the Autons.

FILTER: - Awards/Nominations - Conventions - DWAS

Doctor Who features in most loved BBC Shows of all time

Saturday, 29 January 2022 - Reported by Chuck Foster

As part of the BBC Centenary celebrations, The One Show conducted a viewer poll to discover the most loved BBC TV shows of all time. The results were announced live on Friday evening, revealing Doctor Who to be the second-favourite show in the Corporation's history, only beaten by the ever popular Only Fools and Horses.

The poll featured some 50 programmes showcasing a variety of genre from throughout the BBC's history, as chosen by a panel of experts which included Sara Wallis, Mirror TV Columnist, David Butcher, Radio Times’ Choices Editor, Dick Fiddy, BFI Archive TV Programmer and Hanna Flint, Freelance Critic and MTV Movies Host.

The full Top 20 programmes are:

Only Fools and Horses
Doctor Who
Strictly Come Dancing
Line of Duty
Call the Midwife
Gavin and Stacey
Fawlty Towers
Blackadder
The Morecambe and Wise Show
The Vicar of Dibley
Dad's Army
Planet Earth I and II
Killing Eve
Dinnerladiers
Yes Minister / Yes Prime Minister
Sherlock
The Good Life
Top of the Pops
The Royle Family
Blue Peter

The One Show presenter Alex Jones said:

It’s been a joy to look back and celebrate some classic TV shows from the BBC’s history as part of BBC 100. There’s been an absolutely huge response from our lovely viewers and though we couldn’t fit everything onto the list, our viewers have shown so much love for these classic shows that have connected with them across generations.

The full programme, including articles on many of the shows in the poll and guide through some of the objects illustrating the BBC's history, will be available via the BBC iPlayer for the next four weeks.

FILTER: - BBC - Doctor Who - Awards/Nominations

Big Finish Win Audie Award

Tuesday, 23 March 2021 - Reported by Marcus

Hattie Morahan, Rebecca Root, Tom Price, Paul McGann, Nicola Walker, Tony Whitmore (Credit: Big Finish)

Big Finish has won the Best Audio Drama award at the Audie Awards 2021 with the Eighth Doctor story Doctor Who: Stranded 1

The Audie Awards is the premier awards program in the United States, recognising distinction in audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment, with a prestigious annual awards ceremony which took place last night.

Big Finish Creative Director, Nicholas Briggs said:

It’s particularly gratifying that Stranded 1 has received this award, as it represents some of the most ground-breaking work produced in our Doctor Who range. It puts the Doctor in an entirely new context with a group of new and exciting characters

Producer David Richardson, script editor Matt Fitton and director Ken Bentley have done wonders with this strand of stories, with really strong sound design from Benji Clifford and great music from Jamie Robertson.

Doctor Who: Stranded 1 opens with the Eighth Doctor, Liv Chenka and Helen Sinclair seeking refuge in Baker Street after the TARDIS has gone. Stranded in one time and place, the Doctor and his friends face their greatest challenge yet: living one day after another, in 2020 London.

David Richardson, the producer of Stranded, said of the win:

I’m so absolutely thrilled to see Stranded recognised with this very prestigious award. It’s a project close to my heart – those actors! Those scripts! All magically woven together by director Ken Bentley, sound designer Benji Clifford and musician Jamie Robertson. It felt very special to me throughout the whole production process, and it feels even more special now. What an honour!

Details of all the finalists and winners at this year’s Audio Awards can be found here:

FILTER: - AWARDS/NOMINATIONS - Big Finish

RTS West of England Award for Blu-ray Feature

Saturday, 5 September 2020 - Reported by Marcus

The Doctor Who Feature - The Doctor Who Cookbook - Revisited has won the 2020 Royal Television Society's West of England Award for best production of Features and Factual Entertainment Programme/Content or Series.

The feature, produced by Moon Balloon Productions, was included in the Season 23 boxset. It featured Toby Hadoke enticing brave cast members, including Colin Baker, Janet Fielding, Nicola Bryant, Frazer Hines, Sarah Sutton and Terry Molloy, to tackle their original recipes from the 1986 cookbook, written by Gary Downie.

FACTUAL ENTERTAINMENT AND FEATURES - Nominees

Countryfile: Evacuee Special (BBC Studios Unscripted Productions)
Beat the Chef (Twofour)
Rick Stein’s Secret France (Denhams)
Doctor Who: The Doctor Who Cookbook - Revisited (Moon Balloon Production) - WINNER

The judges described the winner as

Original and clever, an intelligent and fun idea that served a niche superbly

The award was presented at an online ceremony to Chris Chapman, head of Moon Balloon Productions.

Making the Kipper of Traken

FILTER: - Awards/Nominations - Season 23

Katy Manning Named Gay Icon

Sunday, 8 December 2019 - Reported by Marcus

Katy Manning (Credit: The Sisterhood of Karn)

The Sisterhood of Karn, the Long-running social group for LGBT Doctor Who fans, has named Katy Manning a true gay Icon of Doctor Who.

On Saturday the group, founded in 1994, held a special celebratory gathering to mark 25 years celebrating Doctor Who.

They were joined by actress Katy Manning, who played companion Jo Grant opposite Jon Pertwee’s Doctor in the 1970s, and were thrilled to present her with an award recognising her status as ‘A TRUE GAY ICON OF DOCTOR WHO’.

Organiser Richard Unwin said:

Katy has been a staunch supporter of LGBT people for decades, and we are honoured to be joined by her for an evening - and to recognise her as a fabulous ally of the community. This is the first award of its kind that we have given out, but hopefully, it won’t be the last.

The Sisterhood of Karn hold regular meet-ups on the third Thursday of every month, in the upstairs bar of The Kings Arms pub in Soho, London. Newcomers are always welcome. For more information and event listings, follow them on Facebook and Twitter

FILTER: - Awards/Nominations - People

Black Archive Wins Award

Tuesday, 2 July 2019 - Reported by Marcus

The Black Archive book on the Fourth Doctor story Full Circle has won the prestigious Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Professional Publication.

The Book series, published by Obverse Books, looks in detail at the making of individual Doctor Who stories. The 16th in the series, investigating Full Circle, was written by John Toon and published last year.

Editor Philip Purser-Hallard said

Both of John's books for the Black Archive have been a joy to edit -- really sharp and clear-headed, approaching the Doctor Who stories they analyse from fascinating angles. This recognition of his work is well deserved.

This is Toon’s third SJV Award, having previously won for the award for best fan writer in 2013 and 2016, but this is his first award in a professional category. Asked about this victory, he said

This thrilling win - against strong competition! - wouldn't have been possible without Phil's editorial input, Blair and Cody's stylish cover design and Stuart's professional touch. They all deserve credit for this award, although I'm sure they'll understand that I'm totally keeping the trophy!

FILTER: - Awards/Nominations - Books

Candy Jar's The Lucy Wilson Mysteries Nominated For Scribe Awards

Wednesday, 17 April 2019 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Lucy Wilson Mysteries: Curse Of The Mirror Clowns (Credit: Candy Jar Books)

Welsh indie publisher Candy Jar Books is pleased to announce that The Lucy Wilson Mysteries: Curse of the Mirror Clowns by Chris Lynch has been nominated for the prestigious Scribe Awards.

The Scribe Awards, from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, acknowledge and celebrate excellence in licensed tie-in novels and audio dramas based on TV shows, movies, and games.

The Lucy Wilson Mysteries is a licensed Doctor Who spin-off novel and features the granddaughter of the Doctor’s best friend, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Based in Ogmore-by-Sea these YA sci-fi books tackle prejudice against differences and promote diversity, self-confidence and acceptance for young people.

Three books have already been published by Sue Hampton (Avatars of the Intelligence), Chris Lynch (Curse of the Mirror Clowns) and John Peel (The Midnight People), with two more on the way by Wink Taylor (The Bandril Invasion) and Tim Gambrell (The Brigadier and the Bledoe Cadets).

Curse of the Mirror Clowns by Cardiff-based film and comic writer Chris Lynch is fighting its corner against some of the biggest TV and film franchises in the world including Star Wars and Small Foot, as well the New York Times bestselling author, Jonathan Maberry. Chris says:

I was delighted to discover I’d been nominated for this award. I’m certainly in illustrious company! Hopefully my clowns are up to the challenge.

Originally created by Shaun Russell and Andy Frankham-Allen, the first Lucy Wilson novel was brought to life by YA author Sue Hampton. Shaun says:

Sue’s instinct with the first book Avatars of the Intelligence was spot-on. She got the characters straight away and delivered a book reminiscent of the popular Sarah Jane Adventures, also based on Doctor Who.

Sue really enjoyed working on the first book. She says:

Lucy is dauntless, loyal and whip-smart. She’s a modern girl with strong values and opinions, which means that she feels the injustices in the world even more strongly than most and always stands up for what’s right. I wish Chris good luck with the awards.

FILTER: - Awards/Nominations - Books - Candy Jar Books

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