Bookmark and Share Big Finish Offers Free Doctor Who

7/27/2020 04:34:00 pm - Reported by Marcus

The Worlds of Doctor Who (Credit: Big Finish)Following the wildly successful series of free downloadable audio dramas made available during lockdown, Big Finish today begins a new series of weekly freebies and discounts.

Since the coronavirus pandemic shut down a huge part of the British entertainment industry, Big Finish has continued to produce and release brand new full-cast audio dramas on a weekly basis.

Using remote recording techniques and employing actors with (often self-made) home studios, plus a dedicated team of engineers, sound designers and musicians, the company’s output during the crisis is unparalleled.

In addition, Big Finish has given away over 100,000 free downloads of stories from its various ranges, including Doctor Who, Blake’s 7, Sherlock Holmes, and Dorian Gray.

Now, a new selection of giveaways, entitled Weekly Freebies, will be made available to download exclusively from the Big Finish web site’s Weekly Deals page.

These stories can be unlocked by anyone who has registered for a Big Finish account (which is free to create) and played on the Big Finish listening app (which is free to install).

Each download will be available for one week only and comes accompanied by a special discount offer on related titles, available as either downloads or collector’s edition CDs or box sets.

This week’s Weekly Freebie is:

Jago & Litefoot: Mind Games, written by Justin Richards.

This complete, full-cast audio adventure is the first story in The Worlds of Doctor Who audio anthology, originally released in 2014. It stars Christopher Benjamin and the late Trevor Baxter recreating the “infernal investigators” double act they first established in the TV Doctor Who story, The Talons of Weng-Chiang. In this exciting tale, they are joined by Lisa Bowerman as the popular character of Ellie Higson, a London barmaid with a dark secret...
In Victorian England, Henry Gordon Jago and Professor Litefoot investigate worrying events on the streets of London – which seem to be linked to the New Regency Theatre's resident act, the mesmerist Mr Rees.
Big Finish listeners can also get up to 55% OFF Doctor Who: The Worlds of Doctor Who (Limited Edition), available as a 5-disc CD deluxe slipcover book, or as a digital download, while stocks last, at the Weekly Deals page.

All offers end at 23:59 (UK time) on 02 August 2020.

Please note that Big Finish has now re-opened its warehouse and commenced the shipping of backorders. The mailout of collector’s edition CDs will still be delayed, but all purchases of these CD titles unlock a digital copy that can be downloaded or played on the Big Finish app immediately.

Bookmark and Share New Independent Comics set in the Doctor Who Universe

7/26/2020 08:06:00 am - Reported by Marcus

Cutaway ComicsCutaway Comics, an independent comic imprint based in Manchester is launching a new comic series featuring worlds and characters from Doctor Who.

Mixing writers new to comics with experienced artists, Cutaway Comics will bring a new perspective to characters using fresh British creatives.

Publisher Gareth Kavanagh, one half of the publishing duo behind Vworp Vworp, the acclaimed fanzine chronicling the history of Doctor Who comics, explains
I was always fascinated by strips in the back of ​Doctor Who Weekly that didn’t feature the Doctor. Instead, the monsters took centre stage - and the stories were terrifying. Those strips launched the careers of Alan (​Watchmen) Moore and David (​V For Vendetta) Lloyd amongst others, and this is our homage to those unpredictable and wild stories with the next generation of talent.
Cutaway Comics has been working with writers, artists and rights holders to deliver an ambitious chapter of storytelling with villains, aliens, and planets from the worlds of Doctor Who and beyond. The first chapter of Cutaway Comics includes a visit to the giant tower block of Paradise Towers, the rogue god Omega attempting to free himself of his black hole prison and a dimension-hopping trip to 1970’s Soho in Lytton.

Lytton features the intergalactic soldier seen in Doctor Who’s Resurrection of the Daleks. It is a brand new story written by his creator Eric Saward and featuring art from Barry Renshaw.
Intergalactic soldier Lytton has swapped the battlefields for a jazz club in 1970's Soho. If only it wasn’t for the strange noises in the sewers, rumours of vicious aliens in the dark alleyways, and a terrible sense of murder in the air, then everything might be perfect.
Eric Saward is a name familiar to Doctor Who fans for being the script editor for Peter Davison and Colin Baker’s Doctors, as well as writing many fan favourite stories. Saward says:
It has been an adventure pushing one of my own characters into this visual medium. I’ve very much enjoyed seeing my characters take on a life of their own after all this time!
Further stories to come from Cutaway Comics include Omega: Vengeance, which sees rogue god Omega pulling the strings to escape his black hole prison. Omega also features art by the legendary John Ridgway.

Following Omega: Vengeance will be a return to the world of Paradise Towers, a giant tower block with teenage gangs, murderous old ‘rezzies’, and underground whispers that might topple the tower block once and for all. Written by Sean Mason, who has previously adapted Halo Jones and V for Vendetta for the stage, the artist will be announced shortly.

Cutaway Comics has launched a Kickstarter to raise awareness of the project, offering exclusive perks such as digital copies and the chance for you to appear in a future ​Lytton comic.

Beyond the comics, each issue ordered directly from the Cutaway Comics website will include an exclusive bonus DVD with the following content planned
  • Video commentaries on the comic featuring artist Barry Renshaw and writer Eric Saward
  • An introduction to the series from Eric Saward
  • New interviews with Eric Saward and Barry Renshaw
  • Newly recorded audio commentaries for ‘Gangsters’, the series that shot Lytton actor Maurice Colbourne to fame featuring series creator Philip Martin and BFI Historian Dick Fiddy
  • A newly recorded audio commentary for ‘The Caves of Androzani’ featuring Salateen actor Robert Glenister
  • Deleted pages, and concept art
You can order Lytton #1 directly from Cutaway Comics​.

Bookmark and Share Doctor Who Time Lord Victorious Panel at Comic Con

7/24/2020 09:18:00 pm - Reported by Marcus

Comic-con 2020It has been announced that there will be a Doctor Who Time Lord Victorious panel at San Diego Comic Con, taking place online.

Hosted by Titan Comic’s Andrew Sumner, the panel will go behind the scenes with BBC producer James Goss, writer Jody Houser, artist Roberta Ingranata, colourist Enrica Eren Angiolini, editor Jake Devine and senior creative editor David Leach to discuss the new Time Lord Victorious comic series.

The panel will go live on Saturday, July 25 from 2:00pm - 3:00pm BST.

You can sign up here 

Or watch it on YouTube 

Bookmark and Share Hero Collector Joins Time Lord Victorious

7/24/2020 08:37:00 am - Reported by Marcus

Time Lord Victorious (Credit: Hero Collector) Hero Collector – designers, manufacturers, and publishers of high-quality collectibles from across the worlds of pop culture – has announced its part in Time Lord Victorious, a multi-platform Doctor Who adventure launching in September.

Each of the four Time Lord Victorious box sets will contain two hand-painted polyresin figurines at 1:21 scale (approximately 3.5 inches tall), along with an in-depth companion magazine, highlighting the huge range of creative talent involved across the entire Time Lord Victorious adventure and packed with behind the scenes details about this untold story.

The first three Hero Collector box sets will feature brand new Dalek designs created specifically for the series, such as the Dalek Time Commander and the new Dalek Emperor. The fourth and final box, however, will include the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant), clad in ornate and war-torn Gallifreyan robes.

The first of these box sets, featuring the Dalek Emperor and Dalek Drone, will be available in late October at £19.99/$34.95 RRP. You can find them for sale at all good specialist retailers, Hot Topic and comic shops, or online from the Eaglemoss shop. Fans in the US can pre-order the first set now from Entertainment Earth or in the UK from Forbidden Planet.

Hero Collector joins partners including Penguin Random House, Doctor Who Magazine, Titan Comics, Escape Hunt, Big Finish Productions, Immersive Everywhere, Maze Theory, Demon Records, BBC Books and BBC Audio in an epic story told across several platforms.

Bookmark and Share Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 554

7/22/2020 10:25:00 am - Reported by Marcus

Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 554 (Credit: Panini)The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine mounts an in-depth investigation into the areas of the Doctor Who universe where our fragments of knowledge don’t quite add up, with sections devoted to the Doctor, the TARDIS, Gallifrey, the Daleks and the Cybermen.

Also in the magazine
  • Arthur Darvill, who played Rory, answers questions from the TARDIS Tin.
  • Hair and make-up designer Claire Pritchard discusses her work on Series 12.
  • The writers and artists behind Cutaway Comics explain how the imprint is expanding the worlds of Doctor Who.
  • An at-a-glance guide to the ‘Lockdown Season’ of Doctor Who, with contributions from Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat.
  • The Fact of Fiction explores the1968-69 serial The Krotons.
  • A look at the animated version of Shada released in 2003.
  • A review of Character Options’ latest range of action figures.
  • Big Finish previews and reviews, news, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser, The Blogs of Doom and much more.


 Doctor Who Magazine Issue 554 is on sale from Thursday 23 July

Bookmark and Share Maurice Roëves 1937 - 2020

7/15/2020 09:52:00 pm - Reported by Marcus

The actor Maurice Roëves has died at the age of 83

Maurice Roëves appeared in the acclaimed 1984 Doctor Who story The Caves of Androzani, playing Stotz the mercenary hired by Morgus to smuggle arms.

Roëves was born in Sunderland in the North of England and brought up in Glasgow. In his twenties, while working in a flour mill, he became interested in amateur dramatics, leading to a course at Glasgow College of Dramatic Art.

Three months after getting a job as an assistant stage manager at Glasgow's Citizen Theatre he was playing lead roles such as Lorenzo in The Merchant of Venice. In 1966 he was cast as Martin in the film The Fighting Prince of Donegal which led to the television play Cock, Hen and Courting Pit

Many television roles followed including in Danger UXB, The Nightmare Man, Days of our Lives, Tutti Frutti, Rab C. Nesbitt, The New Statesman, Spender, Star Trek: The Next Generation where he played a Romulan captain, Vanity Fair and EastEnders.

He played Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield in the 1996 television film Hillsborough, in which his character patrolled the FA Cup semi-final in the Liverpool F.C. game where a crush led to the deaths of 96 fans.

In 2006 he starred in the BBC docudrama Surviving Disasters, portraying Sir Matt Busby in the story of the Munich air disaster.

He starred as Robert Henderson in BBC Scotland's drama River City.

His film roles include Oh! What a Lovely War, Ulysses, Hidden Agenda, the 1992 version of The Last of the Mohicans, the Judge Dredd movie and Beautiful Creatures .

Maurice Roëves death was confirmed by his agents Lovett Logan earlier today. He is survived by his wife Vanessa.

Bookmark and Share Davison vs Daleks

7/15/2020 01:41:00 pm - Reported by Marcus

Doctor Who: Shadow of the Daleks (Credit: Big Finish)Doctor Who: Shadow of the Daleks (Credit: Big Finish)Big Finish have announced that Fifth Doctor Peter Davison will battle the Daleks in Shadow of the Daleks, a new set of audio adventures for Big Finish.

Due in late 2020 as part of Big Finish’s Monthly Adventures range, these eight Doctor Who stories, split across two releases, star Davison chasing the Daleks through time and space on a journey of ultimate terror.

Each of the stories was recorded remotely during lockdown with a small “rep company” of brilliant actors including Nicholas Briggs, Dervla Kirwan, Anjli Mohindra and Olivier Award winner Jamie Parker.

Doctor Who: Shadow of the Daleks Parts 1 and 2 are now available to pre-order as collector's edition box sets (on CD at £14.99 each) and as digital downloads (at £12.99 each) exclusively from www.bigfinish.com.

Part 1, due for release in October 2020, contains four one-episode adventures:
  • Aimed at the Body by James Kettle
  • An encounter with a notorious cricketing legend should be right up the Doctor’s street. But the unexpected appearance of an old enemy is about to send the Doctor on a quest.
  • Lightspeed by Jonathan Morris
  • The trail has led the Doctor to a spaceship in the far future - where he finds himself trapped in the middle of a terrifying revenge plot.
  • The Bookshop at the End of the World by Simon Guerrier
  • It’s very easy to forget yourself and get lost in a bookshop. But in some bookshops more than most...
  • Interlude by Dan Starkey
  • The play’s the thing! Or is it? The Doctor is roped into a theatrical spectacular - but who is he really performing to?
Part 2, due for release in November 2020, contains four more exciting episodes:
  • The Echo Chamber by Jonathan Barnes
  • It’s the radio talk show where everyone’s free to call in with their opinions. Time to welcome its host - the Doctor!
  • Towards Zero by Roland Moore
  • The Doctor finds himself in an old country house where he has to solve a very unusual murder - his own!
  • Castle Hydra by Lizzie Hopley
  • Nearing the end of his journey, the Doctor enters a jail filled with familiar faces. But who are the prisoners and who are the wardens?
  • Effect and Cause by John Dorney
  • A crash in the vortex leads the Doctor to the source of his all his troubles, and to the Daleks. The answers are here. If he can live long enough to find them.
Producer David Richardson said:
Necessity really is the mother of invention. In the very early days of lockdown, we knew we would have to adapt some of our plans for the Monthly Adventures range. What we needed were two releases that could be achieved with one Doctor and four guest cast members, recording remotely in a block. When you have a brief like that, it’s not at all restricting - it forces you to do something different, something bold, something fun.

So what we have in Shadow of the Daleks Parts 1 and 2 are eight half-hour stories, in which the Doctor lands in different times, different places... and keeps meeting the same faces, but as different people. The mystery is heightened by the oblique appearances of Daleks. And not only that - these are Time War-era Daleks!

And so we had a lot of fun with these stories - weaving them together, pushing in different directions, and getting to play with the audacious concept. And Peter Davison really enjoyed it - we had a fantastic and esteemed guest cast, and by the end of recording it was almost like we were at the studio together, sipping coffee in the green room and chatting like old friends.
Doctor Who: Shadow of the Daleks Parts 1 and 2 are now available to pre-order as collector's edition box sets (on CD at £14.99 each) and as digital downloads (at £12.99 each) exclusively from the Big Finish website.

Bookmark and Share The Lucy Wilson Mysteries: 8.46

7/13/2020 05:00:00 pm - Reported by Chuck Foster

Lucy Wilson Mysteries: 8.46 (Credit: Candy Jar Books)Candy Jar Books has announces its latest free-for-download short story in The Lucy Wilson Mysteries:

The Lucy Wilson Mysteries: 8.46
Written by Julia Press Simmons

It's 2020 and Lucy Wilson has just witnessed the death of George Floyd, followed by the toppling of the Edward Colston statue in Bristol.

Over eight minutes and forty-six seconds, Lucy and Hobo travel through time to discover why the past still has lessons to teach us all.

Written by critically acclaimed African American author, Julia Press Simmons, 8.46 has been created in response to the death of George Floyd and protests that followed. She says:
When Shaun at Candy Jar asked me to work on this story I was so pleased. Lucy Wilson is an amazing character and I am honoured and humbled to play a small part in her universe.
Head of publishing, Shaun Russell, felt that it was very important to tackle this subject:
Lucy Wilson is a not only a lead female character (which there are very few), but also a person of colour. I felt it would be a dereliction of duty to not cover this topic. I also wanted the story to feel authentic so, through a mutual friend, I contacted the wonderful Julia Press Simmons.

Julia has written more than twenty books including The Strawberry Mansion, and the award-winning play Down There (selected by the Black Festival Emerging Playwright’s series in Nashville). 8.46 is a departure from the standard Lucy Wilson tale. Julia has written a story which is based on her real-life experiences growing up. She continued:
I must admit that initially I struggled with the tone of this project. Lucy is such a marvellous role model for children and I wanted her story to capture my personal experiences while keeping it age-appropriate. Although BAME life in the UK is different from the African American experience I felt that there was enough commonality for me to tell this tale.

Tim Gambrell, who has written Lucy Wilson & the Bledoe Cadets, as well as several short stories including the upcoming The Midwife & the Alien, was involved in the editing process of this story. He said:
8.46 is a brief and powerful story that needs to be told, in my view. It doesn’t labour the fact. It doesn’t accuse the reader of anything. It just tells a simple story and packs quite an emotional punch with it.”

To download The Lucy Wilson Mysteries: 8.46 please visit the The Candy Jar website.

Bookmark and Share 100 Objects of Dr Who

7/12/2020 07:30:00 pm - Reported by Chuck Foster

Candy Jar Books has announced a new non-ficton book collecting together facts and opinions from all fifty-seven years of the rich history of Doctor Who:

100 Objects of Dr Who (Credit: Candy Jar Books)100 Objects of Dr Who
Written by Philip Bates
Cover by Martin Baines


So, all of time and space, everything that ever happened or ever will: where do you want to start…?"

100 Objects of Doctor Who is a celebration of everyone’s favourite sci-fi show. Perfect for fans, no matter your mileage – whether you’ve just started your journey through all of time and space, or have lived through the highs, the lows, the Wildernesses, the Androzanis, and the Twin Dilemmas.

Inside, you’ll find: A terrifying army of three Daleks! Death’s Head's head! A really quite astonishingly heavy door! Dinosaur fossils! A framed piece of wall!

And much, much more!

This is a book about Doctor Who. But probably not the one you’re expecting.

Candy Jar Head of Publishing, Shaun Russell, said:
When Philip Bates submitted his piece for The Brigadier: Declassified I was blown away by the quality of writing. His take on the series was unlike anything I’ve read before. His writing reminds me of Doctor Who: The Completely Useless Encyclodpedia from 1996 by Chris Howarth and Steve Lyons. I am truly excited that we have been able expand beyond ten objects.
Philip said:
My book does feature the behind-the-scenes trivia you would expect, but I wanted to go one further. So, I’ve included sections on the live events not everyone’s been lucky enough to experience, asked the question how Christ the Redeemer relates to Doctor Who, as well as looking at the bizarre world of fake merchandise. I basically wanted to go off the beaten track, jumping backwards and forwards in Who history.
Objects of interest include the Space-Time Visualiser, the sonic screwdriver, a talking cabbage, the Revenge of the Cybermen VHS, River Song’s diary, the BBC Sound Effects No. 19: Doctor Who Sound Effects vinyl, the 1996 Series Bible, a Bubble Shock bottle, the Seal of the High Council of Gallifrey, and a mouldy old Slitheen.

The cover has been produced by Martin Baines, who recently completed the art for Candy Jar’s hardback edition of the Downtime sequel, Child of the New World:
I really enjoyed working on this book. I wanted to emulate the look of 1970s comics such as Scorcher, Valiant or TV Comic. Added to this, I’ve always loved Doctor Who Weekly and it was great to pay homage to this as well.
Philip observed:
When Shaun sent me Martin’s cover I thought, wow! You don’t need me to tell you how brilliant it is: feast your eyes! Spotting the small details is a joy, but the most impressive thing is how evocative the piece is. There's a warmth and playfulness about it. The yellowing page surrounding instantly brings to mind that wonderful smell that encompasses you when you enter a second-hand book store – a reminder that all these stories have been experienced by previous generations. Suffice to say, I love it.

100 Objects of Dr Who is available to order from the Candy Jar website.

Bookmark and Share TARDIS Magazine Released

7/11/2020 08:57:00 pm - Reported by Marcus

Tardis Magazine (Credit: DWAS)The new TARDIS Magazine has been released by The Doctor Who Appreciation Society or DWAS.

The Society announced in June the return of the original Doctor Who fanzine Tardis. The first edition of Tardis pre-dates DWAS itself and was published in 1975 with the last edition to date being released in 2003. The new magazine, with 60 colour pages, marks the start of the seventeenth volume and content includes:

  • Interviews with the two Eldrads, Judith Paris and Stephen Thorne
  • Tom Baker era producer Philip Hinchcliffe and director Michael E Briant 
  • Lord (Michael) Cashman remembers Time Flight 
  • Gareth Armstrong on playing Giuliano in The Masque of Mandragora
  • Colin Howard discusses The Hand of Fear VHS cover 
  • Jeremy Bentham remembers the Doctor Who Magazine Winter Special from 1983 in which he interviewed all nine producers, featuring unpublished photos 
  • David J. Howe discusses Season 14 
  • Building the animated Shada’s Console Room with Mark Barton Hill
  • Life on Magrs - a new column from writer Paul Magrs 
  • Archive interview with Magnus Greel actor Michael Spice with an introduction by interviewer Ian McLachlan 
  • Lockdown Who! 
  • Archive interview with Robert Holmes
  • Flashback: Season 14, the DWAS reacts to the controversial season in 1976/77 
  • Producer John Nathan-Turner’s rare convention photos DWAS and fandom in the 1970s, from one fan’s perspective 
  • An Unconventional Pilgrimage: Watching Doctor Who from the start 
  • Curiosities from the Space Museum: looking at merchandise released in 1976/77 
  • Portmeirion - A History 
  • Masters of the Land of Fiction: David Banks on Iceberg (Virgin) and Darren Jones on Cry of the Vultriss (Big Finish) 
  • Target Audience by Mark Campbell: reading into The Hand of Fear and The Ribos Operation 
  • 2020 Vision: Living in Exciting Times 
  • Remembering The Pescatons 
  • Tales of Tardis Monkey - a new column from Ellie Collins 
  • Me and Me and Me: Studying the Multi-Doctor stories Nigel Robinson’s Tardis Quiz

Sales of issue 1 support Mermaids, a UK charity for gender diverse children, young people and their families. Each future edition will support a different charity.

All orders received on or before 14th July 2020 will be entered into a draw to win one of three signed photos of Jodie Whittaker, which she has kindly donated to the society.

The magazine is available to all fans for £8-99 inc Uk delivery via the DWAS eBay shop. DWAS members can receive a 25% discount ordering via the Society’s website.

Bookmark and Share Time Scope

7/09/2020 08:00:00 am - Reported by Marcus

Time ScopeDoctor Who fans from around the world have joined forces to raise funds for Scope, the disability equality charity. 

Time Scope is an unofficial and unauthorised Doctor Who charity anthology e-book containing 50 short stories interspersed with poetry and artwork, which weaves its way through time and space visiting the Doctors and their friends. Along the way, cast and crew share their memories of working on the show and projects from the wider Whoniverse.

Compiled entirely in lockdown in 2020, all 114 contributors – who range in age from 13 to 90 – have given their work freely in order to support Scope at a time when the charity’s income has fallen dramatically owing to the necessity of having to close charity shops and cancel fundraising events during lockdown owing to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Selling for £6.99 with 100% of proceeds going to the charity Scope, Time Scope is available to purchase now

Bookmark and Share BBC Audio Announce New Doctor Who Audio Adventure

7/08/2020 09:00:00 am - Reported by Marcus

The Minds of Magnox  (Credit: BBC Studios)BBC Audio and Demon Records have today announced that they will be publishing a new Doctor Who audio story for the Tenth Doctor as part of the Time Lord Victorious multi-platform adventure.

Doctor Who: The Minds of Magnox will be released on CD and digital download by BBC Audio on 3rd December and will be released on vinyl by Demon Records on 4th December, marking the first simultaneous publication of a BBC Audio title across CD, digital and vinyl formats. The CD and digital editions will also feature a short Coda to the story.

The audio story is available to pre-order on Amazon  now and will be available to purchase globally.

In this original story, the Doctor travels with Brian, the Ood assassin, to the planet Magnox, one of the greatest receptacles of knowledge the universe will ever know, and home to the Minds of Magnox. The Doctor needs to ask a vital question, but the answer is Grade 1 Classified. In order to gain an audience with the Minds of Magnox he must take a dangerous test.

Meanwhile, Brian gets involved with a criminal group and is asked to assassinate the Minds of Magnox. However, others also have the planet within their sights…

Doctor Who: The Minds of Magnox is written by Darren Jones and narrated by Jacob Dudman.

Darren Jones has written several previous Doctor Who stories for BBC Audio, including Doctor Who: Paradise Lost, Sleepers in the Dust and The Eye of the Jungle.

Jacob Dudman has previously read Doctor Who: Paradise Lost for BBC Audio, and has recently starred in Netflix’s The Stranger alongside Richard Armitage.

Michael Stevens, Doctor Who Range Editor for BBC Audio, said
We’re delighted to tell this part of the epic Time Lord Victorious story, which is a unique and thrilling adventure for us all. Darren Jones has created the world of Magnox for the Tenth Doctor and Brian to visit, and Jacob Dudman brings it to life pitch-perfectly.
Time Lord Victorious is a multi-platform Doctor Who multi-platform adventure in which partners including Penguin Random House, Doctor Who Magazine, Titan Comics, Escape Hunt, Big Finish Productions, Eaglemoss Hero Collector, Immersive Everywhere, Maze Theory, Demon Records, BBC Books and BBC Audio, unite to tell a brand new Doctor Who story.

Launching in Autumn 2020, Time Lord Victorious will tell a new and untold story, set within the Dark Times at the start of the universe, when even the Eternals were young. Following several Doctors across space and time as they defend their home planet from a terrible race, this is a story like no other.

The story will feature the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Doctors, companion Rose Tyler and monsters including the Daleks and the Ood, with more revealed over the coming months.

Bookmark and Share Earl Cameron 1917 - 2020

7/04/2020 03:05:00 am - Reported by Marcus

Earl Cameron The actor Earl Cameron, the longest-lived actor ever to appear in Doctor Who, has died at the age of 102.

Earl Cameron appeared in the 1966 Doctor Who story The Tenth Planet, the final story featuring the First Doctor. He played Glyn Williams, one of two astronauts on the Zeus IV when it conducted an orbital atmosphere survey mission. He was the first Black actor to portray an astronaut on any film or TV series in the world.

Cameron is best known for his pioneering work becoming one of the first black actors to take up a starring role in a British film. He played Johnny Lambert in Pool of London, a 1951 British noir crime film and the first film to portray an interracial relationship.

Earl Cameron was born in Pembroke, Bermuda. As a member of the Merchant Navy, he sailed the world but found himself stranded in London when World War II broke out.

A ticket to the theatre excited his interest in acting and in 1942 he talked his way into a West End production of Chu Chin Chow. Further roles followed and in 1945 he toured with the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) to play to British armed forces personnel in India.

His breakthrough acting role was in Pool of London directed by Basil Dearden and set in post-war London. It involved racial prejudice, romance and a diamond robbery. He won much critical acclaim for his role in the film, which is considered the first major role for a black actor in a British mainstream film. Over the next 50 years, he made many feature films starring with actors such as Sean Connery in the James Bond movie Thunderball, and Sidney Poitier in A Warm December.

In Television one of his earliest major roles was a starring part in the BBC 1960 TV drama The Dark Man, in which he played a West Indian cab driver. In 1956 he had a smaller part in another BBC drama exploring racism in the workplace, A Man From The Sun. He appeared in the TV series The Prisoner as the Haitian supervisor in the episode The Schizoid Man. Other television work included Emergency – Ward 10, The Zoo Gang, Crown Court, Jackanory, Dixon of Dock Green, Neverwhere, Waking the Dead, Kavanagh QC, Babyfather, EastEnders, Dalziel and Pascoe, and Lovejoy.

In 2009 he was appointed a CBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours list. In 2012 he returned to his country of birth to open the Earl Cameron Theatre in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Earlier this year he became the longest-lived credited actor to appear in Doctor Who, overtaking Zohra Sehgal who died in 2014. He is one of four Doctor Who actors to have reached the age of 100.

Earl Cameron died on 3rd July 2020

Bookmark and Share Doctor Who's Line, is it?....Anyway!!!

7/02/2020 12:49:00 pm - Reported by Marcus

Doctor Who's Line, is it?....Anyway!!!The Doctor Who/comedy improv podcast Doctor Who's Line, is it?....Anyway!!! has released a special episode to try to raise funds for the National Health Service through the nhscharitiestogether.co.uk page.

The special episode is their version of Fugitive of the Judoon & stars Sophie Aldred as Ruth/The Doctor, Nabil Shaban as Gat, professional comedian Tom Burgess as All Ears Allan, writer of the original episode Vinay Patel as Reggie the Swan, plus a host of other stars from Doctor Who

The podcast features several well-known podcasters in cameo roles, & is introduced by Toby Hadoke, who also has a role in the episode. 

 The podcast is audio-only & DWLIIA improvise new stories & dialogue to existing Doctor Who episodes so that listeners can play the original episode with the sound muted alongside their version for a new & comedic experience. 

The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts & Spotify, amongst other podcast hosts, as well as directly from Anchor FM 


A special trailer has been shot for this charity episode by Sophie Aldred

Bookmark and Share Lethbridge-Stewart: The Schizoid Earth: I, Alistair

6/28/2020 06:49:00 pm - Reported by Chuck Foster

Candy Jar has announced the nexxt novel in their ongoing Lethbridge-Stewart range of novels:

Lethbridge-Stewart: I, Alistair (Credit: Candy Jar Books)Lethbridge Stewart: The Schizoid Earth: I, Alistair
Written by Robert Mammone
Cover art by Richard Young


HAIL THE LEADER!

Under the gentle guidance of the Leader, Britain has flourished after the removal of the dead hand of democracy and the old, corrupt aristocracy. Dominant in Europe, a Great Power around the world, the Republic stands as a beacon to wise, benevolent and firm leadership.

The team led by Column Leader Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart is the best and brightest of us all, ensuring that attempts to overthrow the natural order will be stamped into submission.

Those who stand with the Leader ensure that Britain remains great, a Power to be reckoned with, and a dominant force across the globe.

UNITY IS STRENGTH!

The Schizoid Earth: I, Alastair is a semi-sequel to David A McIntee’s 2015 Lethbridge-Stewart novel The Schizoid Earth. Range Editor Andy Frankham-Allen said:
We’ve been thinking of doing a follow up to The Schizoid Earth for quite some time. Of course, some of the threads set up in that novel have played a major role in other Lethbridge-Stewart novels, through the role of the Brigadier’s brother, James Lethbridge-Stewart. Since series seven is all about parallel realities, it seemed the perfect opportunity to do a novel set entirely within the Schizoid Earth. And Robert Mammone was the first and only author I considered for the task.
Robert Mammone said:
While daunting, writing a novel set on the Schizoid Earth opened up a lot of exciting possibilities. I've long been a fan of alternative history science fiction, particularly authors like Harry Turtledove and especially the darker fiction of SM Stirling. The chance to use familiar characters, in unfamiliar ways, in a setting way worse than the timeline of 'our' Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart was one I couldn't say no to. Of course, when you're dealing with a villain, as the Column Leader clearly is, you have to ensure you're not making them the hero of the piece, even if they are the lead. There's a lot of fantasy/science-fiction writing out there today that embraces the anti-hero as being someone to admire. While that has its place, in no way is the Lethbridge-Stewart of the Schizoid Earth a hero – he’s a broken man ill used by his father and a servant of a monstrous regime intent on ensuring the last remnants of resistance are stamped out.
As one might expect, with a book set in a parallel world, much like the Doctor Who serial Inferno which inspired it, The Schizoid Earth: I, Alastair features regular faces from the Lethbridge-Stewart range. Robert continued:
Like what SM Stirling did with his Draka books, he made one small change to history, and the result was worse than anyone could imagine. The Republic is led by vile men who do vile things, and while the Resistance is admirable in their intent, their methods tend to ape that of the Party. I had a lot of fun throwing in bits and pieces that call back to events in the Doctor Who universe. Andy is as always a font of information about the setting, and was a great sounding board when I found myself lost in the weeds. His work editing The Schizoid Earth: I, Alastair has made it an even better book (he also supplied the title – it is better than my choice 'I, Brigade-Leader'!), one I hope readers, new and old, of the range, will embrace and enjoy and celebrate!

Cover artist Richard Young said:
Evil Brig, who wouldn't want to draw him. Inferno has to be in my top ten Doctor Who stories, and I love parallel universe, what if scenarios. Added to this, who doesn't want to draw Big Ben blowing up?


Originally meant to be the sixth release in this seventh series of novels, the current COVID-19 pandemic has led to delays to the fourth book, The George Kostinen Mystery, leading to the decision to bump The Schizoid Earth: I, Alistair up the schedule, owing it it not being directly connected to the five-book Bloodlines sequence and so can be read indepedently to the others.

The book can be ordered from the Candy Jar website, and is inclueded in subscriptions.


The Schizoid Earth: I, Alastair will be followed by the delayed The George Kostinen Mystery and the final in the Bloodlines series, Back to the Past. A new novel, set between A Very Private Haunting and The New Unusual will be released later in the year, written by Michael Sloan, creator of The Equaliser.

Bookmark and Share What The Fans Think: Torchwood

6/26/2020 09:42:00 pm - Reported by Marcus

What The Fans Think: Torchwood (Credit: Pencil Tip Publishing)Pencil Tip Publishing has announced the release of What The Fans Think: Torchwood, the latest in the on-going series of fan reviews and assessments.

This volume of What the Fans Think concentrates on all 41 original Torchwood episodes through original reviews, analysis, personal opinion and essays. The fans have their say on what they think are the best, worst, and merely average, episodes of the series. You just might be surprised by what they have to say.

What the Fanis Think is Pencil Tip’s series of books where the fans review and assess their favourite television series. Fan opinion can be extremely critical, often harsher than that of the meanest television critic. But when the fans love something, you know it. Praises are heaped in droves.

Each volume will concentrate on a specific series and will feature original reviews, essays and analysis of every episode of that particular series. The fans will have their say on what they think are the best, worst and merely average, episodes of a series.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each book will be donated to the Vancouver branch of the BCSPCA (British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).