Forty years ago this week, any serious Doctor Who fan was heading for the west of England and the stately home of Longleat for the BBC official event celebrating 20 years of Doctor Who.

Those who made the journey, and paid their £7 for the two-day ticket, were treated to the greatest collection of stars and memorabilia from the series ever collected together in one place. 

Not only were all four surviving Doctors in attendance but many companions and members of the production team were there to answer fans' questions and sign autographs. 

The day was incredibly popular, taking the BBC by surprise, with queues clogging up the Wiltshire lanes for miles around. 

To mark the anniversary a new download has been made available Longing for Longleat. 

The download has been created by John Collier and Alex Storer who previously created two ebooks celebrating the Doctor Who Exhibitions in Blackpool - "Blackpool Remembered" and "Blackpool Revisited"

• Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury joined by Neve McIntosh, in a rare convention appearance.
• Sadie Miller and Christopher Naylor – the new Sarah and Harry for Big Finish
• Jennie Linden (Barbara in Dr Who and the Daleks)
• David Gooderson (the second Davros)
• Christopher Ryan (Sontaran General Staal, and Lord Kiv in Mindwarp)
• Peter Roy (supporting artist from Hartnell’s to Davison’s time),
• Andrew Burford (stuntman and aliens – he was CyberBill in The Doctor Falls).

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:

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

Elsa added:

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.

• Sunday 17th Jan KATY MANNING
• Wednesday 20th Jan MARK STRICKSON
• Sunday 24th Jan TBA
• Wednesday 27th Jan ANNETTE BADLAND & ERIC POTTS
• Sunday 31st Jan BONNIE LANGFORD 

Doctor Who will have a strong presence at this year’s New York Comic Con X MCM Comic Con Metaverse

BBC Studios have announced that two panels will join the already announced Doctor Who Spotlight panel from BBC America featuring Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill and Bradley Walsh.

New York Comic Con and MCM Comic Con’s Metaverse is a multi-faceted digital event with a focus on the fan experience. From October 8-11, Metaverse will exclusively live stream free panels on the New York Comic Con YouTube channel from leading entertainment brands.

‘The Making of Time Lord Victorious’ will see producer and writer James Goss talk about how this ambitious multi-platform project came together, and he will be joined by Joe Sugg, Nicholas Briggs and Ayesha Antoine for a sneak peek of the animated series Daleks! due to launch in November. Hear more from the cast about what fans can expect, who they play, and how they filmed their voiceovers during the global pandemic.

Also joining the Comic-Con line-up is Maze Theory’s ‘Exclusive: New Doctor Who games launching soon’ which will see Ingrid Oliver (Doctor Who), Maze Theory’s Studio Director Russ Harding, writer Gavin Collinson and CEO of Kaigan Games, Azmi Shah, reveal exclusive new Doctor Who adventures that form a trilogy of experiences across multiple gaming platforms.

The Time Lord Victorious panel will premiere on the New York Comic Con YouTube channel on Saturday 10th October, and the Maze Theory panel will premiere on Sunday 11th October. Check the Doctor Who Facebook page and www.findthemetaverse.com for updates to the premiere time.