Showing posts with label Fifth Doctor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fifth Doctor. Show all posts

Bookmark and Share From the Doctors... to all doctors

4/23/2020 08:59:00 pm - Reported by Marcus

From the Doctors... to all doctors. A thank you to the NHS and all frontline workers.

As seen on the BBC One programme The Big Night In

The Doctors Say Thank You | #TheBigNightIn

Bookmark and Share Big Finish: The Fifth Doctor Adventures – Wicked Sisters

4/07/2020 05:00:00 pm - Reported by Chuck Foster

The Fifth Doctor Adventures - Wicked Sisters, with Peter Davison, Louise Jameson, Ciara Janson and Laura Doddington (Credit: Big Finish)Big Finish have released details on a new boxed set to be released in November 2020: The Fifth Doctor Adventures – Wicked Sisters sees the fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) reunited with an earlier companion Leela (Louise Jameson) as he reencounters Grace sisters Abby (Ciara Janson) and Zara (Laura Doddington).

The Doctor is recruited by Leela for a vital mission on behalf of the Time Lords. Together, they must track down and destroy two god-like beings whose extraordinary powers now threaten all of space and time. Their names are Abby and Zara...

The characters Abby and Zara were created by pan-dimensional beings the Grace to assist – and sometimes hinder – the Doctor in the Key2Time Trilogy, and then went on to their own time-spanning adventures in the spin-off series, Graceless. After centuries of their own wanderings through time and space, Abby and Zara are about to meet the Time Lord again...

The new full-cast Doctor Who audio drama box set will feature three linked adventures: The Garden of Storms, The Moonrakers, The People Made of Smoke. The stories are all written by Graceless’ creator and writer, Simon Guerrier, who wrote the very first appearance of Abby and Zara in Doctor Who: The Judgment of Iskaar.

Producer Mark Wright said:
It’s been ten years since we first took Abby and Zara off on their own adventures, and it’s fun to get the team that’s worked on every episode of Graceless together every couple of years.

Simon Guerrier’s scripts always take us into unexpected territory, and Ciara Janson and Laura Doddington bring something new to their performances each time Abby and Zara are back together. As it’s been a decade since the first series of Graceless, we thought it was time to bring things full circle and take the sisters back to where it all began – with the Fifth Doctor.

Simon added:
It’s been a thrill to write for the Fifth Doctor and Leela, and put them up against Abby and Zara. You don’t need to know anything about Graceless - that was part of the brief from my masters - but they’re sisters with extraordinary powers that threaten all of time and space.”

They’re very different from the women the Doctor first met all those years ago when we did the Key2Time series. Back then, he wasn't required to kill them...

The three days we had in studio just before Christmas were the highlight of my working year. A dream cast, a lot of laughter, and Lisa Bowerman ably marshalling everyone as we faced the collapse of the universe.

Doctor Who: The Fifth Doctor Adventures – Wicked Sisters is available for pre-order exclusively from the Big Finish website.

Please note that Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mailout of collector’s edition CDs will be delayed, but all purchases of this release unlock a digital copy that can be immediately downloaded or played on the Big Finish app from the release date.

Bookmark and Share Soundtrack releases for The Sun Makers and The Visitation

3/14/2020 10:00:00 am - Reported by Chuck Foster

Silva Screen Records have now released details on the forthcoming CD releases of the soundtracks for the fourth Doctor adventure The Sun Makers by Dudley Simpson, and fifth Doctor tale The Visitation by Paddy Kingsland.

The Sun Makers - soundtrack (Credit: Silva Screen)The Sun Makers
Music by Dudley Simpson

1. Doctor Who Opening Title Theme
2. Death and Taxes
3. Mahogany
4. One Thousand Metres
5. Six Suns
6. The Others
7. Subway 13
8. Subway 13 (Continued)
9. A Heart as Big as your Mouth
10. A Little Hop
11. Jelly Babies
12. Something in the Air
13. K9, Bite!
14. Humbug
15. The P45 Return Route
16. The P45 Return Route (Reprise)
17. Morton's Fork
18. I’ve Heard That One, Too
19. The Rebellion Begins
20. Static Loop
21. The Steaming
22. The Steaming Continued
23. Gentlemen, Good Luck
24. Nobody Works Today
25. The Gatherer Excised
26. Doctor Who Closing Title Theme (53" Version)

The Visitation - soundtrack (Credit: Silva Screen)The Visitation
Music by Paddy Kingsland


1. Doctor Who 1980 (Opening Titles)
2. Have you Seen the Sky?
3. Heathrow, 1666
4. Richard Mace & The Miller
5. A Fascinating Wall
6. An Incredible Illusion
7. Death in the Cellar
8. Activation
9. Grim
10. The Poacher and his Friends
11. Looking for the Miller / Not Again!
12. Trouble at the Mill
13. Laying a Trap

14. More Trouble at the Mill
15. Oh for a Proper Key
16. The End for us All
17. A Final Visitation
18. Almost Your Old Self
19. Eureka!
20. The Sonic Booster
21. Almost as if we were Expected
22. The Great Fire
23. Doctor Who Closing Title Theme
24. Activation (Unused Version 1)
25. Not Again! (Unused Version 1)
Paddy Kingsland reminisces about the process for the score:
We decided early on that the music should have a period flavour together with the usual high tech (at the time!) synthesiser sounds. Peter was my favourite Doctor Who director and was always enormously encouraging and positive... he generously gave me the freedom to do my own thing, but always knew if something needed to be adjusted. I had about a week to put together the music for an episode before going to the dub… the score is quite sombre although there are elements of “yea verily” type music to set some scenes, which have a lighter texture. I played all the parts, using the synthesisers of the day, Oberheim, Roland and ARP, adding bass guitar plus drums and cymbals… not to mention my trusty Fender Mustang guitar.

Both CDs are due to be released on 1st May 2020.

Bookmark and Share Big Finish - Fifth Doctor meets Cicero

4/05/2019 11:13:00 am - Reported by Marcus

Samuel Barnett, Peter Davison (Credit: Big Finish) Peter Davison’s Fifth Doctor meets Samuel Barnett’s Cicero this September in a Doctor Who audio drama from Big Finish Productions as the Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa travel back to ancient Naples and the town of Cumae by the base of Mount Vesuvius.

The Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) resumes his travels in space and time this September with companions Tegan (Janet Fielding) and Nyssa (Sarah Sutton). But instead of exploring the far reaches of space he’s taking a little trip back in time to meet an icon of classical philosophy.

Cicero was a Roman politician, lawyer and orator living in a time when the Roman Empire was in a turbulent position due to the rise of Caeser. Cicero’s impact on Latin languages is immeasurable, which makes him a worthy candidate to meet the hero of space and time, the Doctor!

Samuel Barnett, the star of Cicero – a Big Finish Originals range – reprises his role to join the world of Doctor Who in Tartarus by David Llewellyn.

Peter Davison, who first played the Doctor on television in 1981, told us more about recording this new audio story
I love an adventure where we interfere with history, especially when we completely destroy the reputation of a historical character! My Doctor travelled to The Great Fire of London, then the destruction of the dinosaurs… everything in history is handed down to us.

I think all our heroes of history would be disappointments if we actually met them! Plus, I was ‘fanboying’ over Dirk Gently which Samuel starred in.
Samuel Barnett also told us more about bringing his portrayal of the classic orator to the world of science fiction
There is a precedent in Doctor Who of the Doctor visiting real life occasions, locations and people that are familiar to us in history. The Doctor meeting Cicero lets us see Cicero’s skills as an orator that will hopefully help to save the day… Peter Davison’s portrayal of the Doctor was my Doctor on television when I was growing up, so I’m absolutely thrilled.
October’s release of The Monthly Adventures is Interstitital / Feast of Fear by Carl Rowens / Martyn Waites and in November, Warzone / Conversion by Chris Chapman / Guy Adams.

All three Fifth Doctor adventures can be pre-ordered ahead of their release in September, October and November 2019 at £14.99 on CD or £12.99 on download. All CD purchases unlock a download option via the Big Finish app and the Big Finish website.

Bookmark and Share Final Dalek Novelisations Out This Year

1/21/2019 01:01:00 pm - Reported by Marcus

BBC Books is to publish novelisations of the only two classic Doctor Who stories never to have been released.

The fifth Doctor story Resurrection of the Daleks and the sixth Doctor story Revelation of the Daleks will both be released later this year priced £12.99.

The release comes after the success of the new-era Target novelisations in 2018, which included books by Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat.

The two Doctor Who adventure will be novelised by the original scriptwriter Eric Saward, one of the series longest-serving script editors. These novels are the only two classic-era Doctor Who adventures yet to be novelised, and their publication more than three decades after their first TV transmission will fill a long-held gap in fans’ collections the world over.

Albert DePetrillo, Publishing Director at BBC Books, acquired world rights in both titles from the author directly. Each book will be published as a £12.99 hardback in 2019, with paperback editions, as part of the Target range, to follow in 2020.

Resurrection of the Daleks (Credit: BBC Books) Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks

The universe is at war.
Action takes courage…

The TARDIS is ensnared in a time corridor, catapulting it into derelict docklands on 20th century Earth.

The Doctor and his companions, Tegan and Turlough, stumble on a warehouse harbouring fugitives from the future at the far end of the corridor – and are soon under attack from a Dalek assault force.

The Doctor’s oldest enemies have set in motion an intricate and sinister plot to resurrect their race from the ashes of an interstellar war.

For the Daleks’ plans to succeed, they must set free their creator, Davros, from a galactic prison – and force the Doctor to help them achieve total control over time and space.

But the embittered Davros has ideas of his own.
Revelation of the Daleks (Credit: BBC Books) Doctor Who: Revelation of the Daleks

Beware the hands that heal…

The Doctor and Peri land on the planet Necros to visit the funerary home Tranquil Repose – where the dead are interred and the near-dead placed in suspended animation until such time as their conditions can be cured.

But the Great Healer of Tranquil Repose is far from benign.

Under his command, Daleks guard the catacombs where sickening experiments are conducted on human bodies.

The new life he offers the dying comes at a terrible cost – and the Doctor and Peri are being lured into a trap that will change them forever.
Of the two novelisations, Eric Saward says “’Resurrecting’ these tales may turn out to be a greater ‘Revelation’ than you’d expect!”

Eric Saward has written for both radio and television, script edited Doctor Who for five years and also written four original stories for the show. During this time he also novelised four scripts and wrote the first ever Doctor Who radio serial. Recently he has completed a graphic novel based around the adventures of Lytton.

Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks will publish on 18 July 2019 in hardback priced £12.99
Doctor Who: Revelation of the Daleks will publish on 14 November 2019 in hardback priced £12.99

Bookmark and Share The Lost Dimension #3 - Tenth Doctor Special

9/15/2017 11:29:00 am - Reported by Marcus

This week sees Titan release the latest in The Lost Dimension series, with the Tenth Doctor special - featuring a meeting between Ten and Three, and also a previous Doctor who makes his Titan Comics debut.

The Lost Dimension #3 - Tenth Doctor Special

Writer: Nick Abadzis
Artist: ​Mariano Laclaustra, Carlos Cabrera
Cover A: Tazio Bettin Cover B: Photo

The Tenth Doctor, Gabby, and Cindy investigate a mysterious black hole - out of which white light is spilling - and which has drawn the attention of an ancient foe of The Doctor!
The Lost Dimension #3 - Tenth Doctor Special Cover A (Credit: Titan) The Lost Dimension #3 - Tenth Doctor Special Cover B (Credit: Titan) The Lost Dimension #3 - Tenth Doctor Special  (Credit: Titan) The Lost Dimension #3 - Tenth Doctor Special  (Credit: Titan) The Lost Dimension #3 - Tenth Doctor Special  (Credit: Titan) The Lost Dimension #3 - Tenth Doctor Special  (Credit: Titan)

Bookmark and Share RiffTrax present The Five Doctors

8/17/2017 07:05:00 am - Reported by Chuck Foster

RiffTrax Live: Doctor Who (Credit: Fathom Events)A special presentation of The Five Doctors will be taking place in the United States over the next couple of weeks:

The Doctor is in the house! The RiffTrax house, that is! The stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000®, Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett, are back on the big screen for a legendary riffing of the 1983 Doctor Who film "The Five Doctors." Someone is taking the Doctor's past selves out of time and space, placing them in a vast wilderness - a battle arena with a sinister tower at its center. As the various incarnations of the Doctor join forces, they learn they are in the Death Zone on their home world of Gallifrey, fighting Daleks, Cybermen, Yeti and a devious Time Lord Traitor who is using the Doctor and his companions to discover the ancient secrets of Rassilon, the first and most powerful ruler of Gallifrey.

Join Mike, Kevin and Bill as they join the Five Doctors for one of the most thrilling Doctor Who adventures ever!

The special showing will be presented in cinemas around the USA on the 17th and 24th August - see the Fathom Events page for more details.

Bookmark and Share Caves of Androzani to get a German DVD release

5/11/2017 12:13:00 pm - Reported by Pascal Salzmann

German Mediabook DVD cover to "Caves of Androzani" (Credit: Pandastorm Pictures)Die Höhlen von Androzani DVD (Credit: Pandastorm Pictures) German DVD distributer Pandastorm Pictures announced on their Facebook page the release of The Caves of Androzani ("Die Höhlen von Androzani") for the German market. The serial will be dubbed to German specifically for this release, as no German dub exists for any story before The Twin Dilemma, with the exception of The Five Doctors.

The Caves of Androzani has never been broadcasted on German television. In the late 80's and early 90's German TV channel RTL Plus transmitted all serials featuring the seventh Doctor. In 1995 the channel VOX aired The Five Doctors and all serials featuring the sixth Doctor. All those stories have been released by Pandastorm Pictures on DVD boxed sets in the past few years.

There will be two different versions of Die Höhlen von Androzani:

  • Collectors Edition Mediabook: Limited and numbered to 1,500 copies. This edition looks like a book and will feature an extensive booklet and the English- and German-language soundtracks and subtitles. Also includes all special features that can be found on the UK Special Edition DVD. Release date: 25th August 2017
  • Regular Edition: Will be the same as the Mediabook, only in a standart DVD slip case. Release date: 13th October 2017
All Doctor Who DVD's by Pandastorm Pictures are usually code-free. The DVD is not available for pre-order yet.

Bookmark and Share Big Finish main range during 2017

12/07/2016 04:24:00 pm - Reported by Chuck Foster

Big Finish have announced details for their main range of Doctor Who adventures over the course of next year.

January sees a new trilogy featuring the fifth Doctor and companions, which as well as Tegan and Nyssa will also see them joined with Adric, as played by Matthew Waterhouse. Having first returned to the Doctor Who fold in 2014's Fifth Doctor Box Set, the character now arrives in the main range, with Matthew commenting:
I took a long time to get around to the idea of doing the audios – and now I just absolutely love it, I think the character's beautifully written. Everything we're doing at Big Finish is stuff that's already in the character, in the stories, they're just being extended a bit. Having said I don't want to do them, now I think “when's next week's one going to arrive?”. This is proper Doctor Who, they're really carefully written, they're witty and funny, they're highly inventive.
Range editor Alan Barnes said:
It's been great to at last bring Adric into the monthly range – well, before his tragic death, at least! Andrew Smith wrote the character's introductory story on TV, so I was determined to get Andrew to write his re-introduction. Andrew's The Star Men, full of far-out cosmic science, is the first story of the trilogy, in which an astronomical base at the fringes of Earth's galaxy finds itself on the frontline of a war with an unimaginably alien force...
Matthew added:
Adric's quite heroic in this, and a young woman finds him rather hot because she's a bit brainy like he is: there's some genuine, character work going on with a great concept and there's some really nice moments between him and a young woman called Autumn (played by Sophie Wu).
The characters continue their journeys over the next two months, with Alan adding:
Phil Mulryne's The Contingency Club comes next, in which the TARDIS lands inside the most exclusive gentlemen's club in all of Victorian London – a club where all the waiters are identical clones! The final instalment of the trilogy is Zaltys by Matthew J Elliott, which brings the TARDIS to a world just hours from catastrophe, while Tegan is stranded in space... where she comes face to face with a very particular sort of horror, one she thought existed only in nightmares...
Additional cast members include Sue Holderness (Only Fools And Horses) in The Star Men, Philip Jackson (Inspector Japp in ITV's Poirot) and Clive Merrison (The Tomb of the Cybermen, Paradise Towers) in The Contingency Club, and Rebecca Root (Boy Meets Girl), Niamh Cusack (Heartbeat), Philip Franks (The Darling Buds of May, Heartbeat) and Carol Sloman – daughter of Doctor Who writer Robert Sloman - in Zaltys. The trilogy has covers from designer Tom Webster.

The Star Men (Credit: Big Finish) The Contingency Club (Credit: Big Finish) Zaltys (Credit: Big Finish)

April sees a change in style for the regular range, as Big Finish embarks on the first of three special two-disc collections of two stories. The first stars Peter Davison as the fifth Doctor in Alien Heart by Steve Cole, and Dalek Soul by Guy Adams. This is followed in May by Colin Baker's sixth Doctor starring in Vortex Ice by Jonathan Morris, and Cortex Fire by Ian Potter, and then in June Sylvester McCoy brings the trilogy to a close with Shadow Planet by AK Benedict and World Apart by Scott Handcock.

Alan commmented:
The double-bills in April to June came about because, er... well, we all quite liked the idea of double-bills, really! Each consists of two two-part adventures, each by a different author, one on each of the two discs; each, hopefully, has a very different style and tone to its companion piece – there should be a nice contrast between the two. Alien Heart is about a species of weird spider-like monsters linked to the systematic destruction of planets, and Dalek Soul is a particularly bleak piece set on the Dalek-occupied world of Mojoxalli.

May features Lisa Greenwood as Flip – hurrah! – reunited with the sixth Doctor, in two adventures set before her (apparent) exit in Scavenger. Vortex Ice is a brain-scrambling conundrum of a story set in a diamond mine; then Cortex Fire, like its title sort-of suggests, is about an epidemic of spontaneous human combustion on a distant planet. Finally, in June, there's the return of the seventh Doctor and Ace in Shadow Planet/World Apart. The first has them at a far-out therapy centre, getting some very alternative medicine; then the second the TARDIS travellers are found marooned somewhere very inhospitable indeed...

Looking a little further into 2017, July sees the award-winning John Dorney back writing for the main range with The High Price of Parking starring the seventh Doctor, Mel and Ace. August's title has yet to be confirmed, but September will see two releases, with Matthew J Elliott's The Silurian Candidate for the seventh Doctor and Eddie Robson's Time in Office featuring the fifth Doctor, Tegan and another Doctor's one-time companion. The end of the year sees a full trilogy of adventures featuring the sixth Doctor, Constance and Flip, following on from this month's release, Quicksilver.


The main range can be bought individually, or subscribed to in both six- and 12-episode runs, at money-saving prices as well as special exclusives such as PDF scripts, extended extras and up to four Doctor Who - Subscriber Short Trips a year. Full details can be found via the Big Finish website.

Bookmark and Share BBC Audio: audiobook / competition updates

11/08/2016 09:57:00 pm - Reported by Chuck Foster

BBC Audio have released details of the audio adaptions taking them up to the end of the year, with two further Target novelisations and a collection of previously released readings:
Doctor Who and The Day of The Daleks (Credit: BBC Audio)Doctor Who and The Day of The Daleks
Written by Terrance Dicks, read by Richard Franklin
Published by BBC Audio, 10th November 2016 [order from Amazon UK]

An unabridged reading of this classic novelisation of a 1972 TV story featuring the Third Doctor, as played on TV by Jon Pertwee.

Mysterious humans from 22nd Century Earth 'time-jump' back into the 20th Century, so as to assassinate a high-ranking diplomat on whom the peace of the world depends. The Doctor, Jo Grant and the Brigadier are soon called in to investigate. Jo is accidentally transported to the future; the Doctor follows, eventually to be captured by his oldest and deadliest enemies: the Daleks.

Having submitted the Doctor to the fearful Mind Analysis Machine, the Daleks plan a 'time-jump' attack on Earth in the 20th Century.

Duration: 4 hours and 30 minutes approx
Doctor Who: The Space Pirates (no narrator announced) (Credit: BBC Audio)Doctor Who: The Space Pirates
Written by Terrance Dicks, read by Terry Molloy
Published by BBC Audio, 1st December 2016 [order from Amazon UK]

An unabridged reading of this novelisation of a classic 1960s TV serial, featuring the Second Doctor.

When space beacon Alpha One disintegrates into lumps of metal, General Hermack of the Space Corps realises that space pirates have discovered a new source of precious aragonite. After witnessing further destruction, the General leaves a squad of guards on beacon Alpha Four - just as the TARDIS materialises.

Suspected by the Space Corps of being pirates, then pursued as spies by the pirates themselves, the Doctor, Zoe and Jamie attempt to unmask the mastermind behind the thefts of aragonite.

In doing so they risk execution, explosion, and asphyxiation in the vacuum of space.

Duration: 4 hours approx
Tales from the TARDIS - Volume One (Credit: BBC Audio)Tales from the TARDIS - Volume One
Published by BBC Audio, 10th November 2016 [order from Amazon UK]

Twelve stories of excitement and adventure in distant times and places including:
  • The Curse of Peladon by Brian Hayles, read by Jon Pertwee. The Doctor and Jo encounter a delegation of aliens, including the Ice Warriors, on a primitive planet.
  • Kinda by Terrance Dicks, read by Peter Davison. A serpent at the heart of paradise poses danger for the TARDIS crew and a human survey team.
  • Attack of the Cybermen by Eric Saward, read by Colin Baker. The Cybermen are intent on a plan to change history by crashing Halley’s Comet into Earth.
  • Out of the Darkness, read by Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant. The Sixth Doctor and Peri fall into danger in three gripping original short stories by Dave Stone, Guy Clapperton and Michael Collier.
  • Short Trips, read by Nicholas Courtney and Sophie Aldred. Familiar Doctor Who characters are caught up in intriguing and original situations in six short stories by Steve Lyons, Jonathan Blum, Tara Samms, David A McIntee, Robert Perry & Mike Tucker and Paul Magrs.
Duration: 9 hours 30 minutes approx
December also sees the release of an adaptation of Gary Russell's Scales of Injustice, originally published by Virgin Books as part of their Missing Adventures series in 1996:
Scales of Injustice (Credit: BBC Audio)Scales of Injustice
Written by Gary Russell, read by Dan Starkey
Published by BBC Audio, 1st December 2016 [order from Amazon UK]

An unabridged reading of this original novel featuring the Third Doctor, as played on TV by Jon Pertwee.

When a boy goes missing and a policewoman starts drawing cave paintings, the Doctor suspects the Silurians are back. With the Brigadier distracted by questions about UNIT funding and problems at home, the Doctor swears his assistant Liz Shaw to secrecy and investigates alone.

But Liz has enquiries of her own, teaming up with a journalist to track down people who don’t exist. What is the mysterious Glasshouse, and why is it so secret?

As the Silurians wake from their ancient slumber, the Doctor, Liz and the Brigadier are caught up in a conspiracy to exploit UNIT’s achievements – a conspiracy that reaches deep into the heart of the British Government.

Duration: 8 hours approx


Win Doctor Who and The Day of The Daleks

To be in with a chance to win the audiobook courtesy of BBC Audio, simply answer the following question:
Which time travel priciple was first mentioned by the Doctor during this story?
Please send your answers along with your name, address and where you heard about the competition (news site, news app, other website, etc.) to comp-day@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "No complications". The competition is open worldwide, closing date 4th December 2016. Only one entry per household will be accepted.

Win Tales from the TARDIS

To be in with a chance to win the audiobook collection courtesy of BBC Audio, simply answer the following question:
Name another audiobook based on a Target novelisation read by Jon Pertwee
Please send your answers along with your name, address and where you heard about the competition (news site, news app, other website, etc.) to comp-tardis@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "Time will tell". The competition is open worldwide, closing date 4th December 2016. Only one entry per household will be accepted.
It is still possible to enter competitions to win September and October's audiobooks here, closing date 13th November.


Bookmark and Share Big Finish: Adric returns to the TARDIS in 2017

6/15/2016 07:42:00 pm - Reported by Chuck Foster

Big Finish have announced that Matthew Waterhouse will be reprising his role as Adric in three new adventures alongside Peter Davison as the Doctor, Janet Fielding as Tegan and Sarah Sutton as Nyssa:

Matthew Waterhouse rejoins the 5th Doctor TARDIS team for 2017 (Credit: Big Finish)2017 will find the Fifth Doctor joined by Adric, Nyssa and Tegan for three new adventures set within Season 19 of the classic television series!

Thirty-five years since they parted ways on television, Matthew Waterhouse will rejoin his TV co-stars Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton and Janet Fielding for three new Big Finish releases, following an appearance together in the critically-acclaimed Doctor Who: The Fifth Doctor Box Set.

Doctor Who main range script editor Alan Barnes said:
I've got a huge amount of affection for Adric and the whole of Season 19. It's the series that was on TV when I was 11, turning 12, which is a great moment to be a Doctor Who fan, when you're madly enthusiastic but not yet so insanely critical that you can't enjoy it!

The new trilogy begins with Doctor Who: The Star Men by Andrew Smith; who made his writing debut with Adric's introductory adventure Full Circle. Barnes continues:

The first thing I wanted to do was to get Andrew writing Adric again, because he'd been such a huge part of the character's development. So with The Star Men I asked Andrew to write something significant for Adric, something to serve the character well and perhaps show him in a slightly different light. I wanted a cosmically big sort of story, too, “full of spacey stuff”. I think it's a bit of a shame that Season 18's script editor Christopher H Bidmead didn't do Season 19 as well, so that was part of the thinking: “What would Bidmead do...?

The trilogy continues with Doctor Who: The Contingency Club by Phil Mulryne – set within an exclusive Victorian gentleman's club - and Doctor Who: Zaltys by Matthew J Elliot.

Zaltys came about because it struck me that there are a few hints in Season 19 that some of the directors have been looking at pop videos of the day – in the “Tegan's mind” bits of Kinda, for example, and in the Adam Ant-like “chandelier jump” in Castrovalva – so I asked Matthew to think about the sort of story that could have been told in the language of the pop video circa 1981/2. Yes, obviously, we don't have the visuals, but every story needs a starting point, and that can be almost anything. You'll have to wait to work out which particular videos we were looking at!
The three stories will be released by Big Finish from January next year, and can be pre-ordered from their website.

Bookmark and Share Big Finish: regular range during 2016

2/23/2016 10:06:00 am - Reported by Chuck Foster

Big Finish have released details on what to expect in their regular monthly range of adventures for the Doctor.

The first quarter of the year features the fifth Doctor and companions, with Peter Davison, Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton reprising their roles as they encounter Rembrandt, a mysterious apparently abandoned spaceship, and a bad time in Manchester's history:

Waters of Amsterdam (Credit: Big Finish)Starring Peter Davison as the Doctor, with Janet Fielding as Tegan and Sarah Sutton as Nyssa
Written by Jonathan Morris, directed by Jamie Anderson
Released January 2016 [order]

Reunited with the Doctor and Nyssa, Tegan joins them on a trip to Amsterdam's Rijkmuseum to see a new exhibition of the work of Rembrandt van Rijn, featuring his drawings of “Vessels of the Stars”. The Doctor is astonished to discover that they are designs for spaceships that would actually work, and decides to pop back to the Dutch Golden Age for a quiet word with Rembrandt – but the world-weary artist is no mood to help.

Meanwhile, strange forces are swirling in the canals, creatures from ancient myth, the watery, goblin-like Nix. What is their connection to the mysterious Countess Mach-Teldak – and to the events of Tegan’s life during her year away from the Doctor?
Aquitaine (Credit: Big Finish)Starring Peter Davison as the Doctor, with Janet Fielding as Tegan and Sarah Sutton as Nyssa
Written by Simon Barnard & Paul Morris, directed by Ken Bentley
Released February 2016 [order]

Today should be much like every other day for Hargreaves, the computer consciousness that co-ordinates daily life aboard the spaceship Aquitaine, stationed on the outer fringes of a black hole. Water the plants, run the diagnostics, cook the Captain’s breakfast; then tidy the plates away, rotate the ship, clean the windows of the observation deck. When at last the day’s work is done, Hargreaves will dim the lights in the sleeping quarters. But no-one will sleep aboard the Aquitaine tonight. Because the Aquitaine’s crew is missing.

But today will be different. Today, a space/time ship called the TARDIS will materialise in the botanical section, bringing the Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan aboard the Aquitaine. Together, they’ll seek to discover the truth of what happened to Hargreaves’ crew...

... if only the ghosts will let them.

The Peterloo Massacre (Credit: Big Finish)Starring Peter Davison as the Doctor, with Janet Fielding as Tegan and Sarah Sutton as Nyssa
Written by Paul Magrs, directed by Jamie Anderson
Released March 2016 [pre-order]

"They say there’ll be thousands pouring into Manchester tomorrow. From all over the county, north and south. It’ll be a piece of history. People will remember this!"

Lost in the smog of the Industrial Revolution, the TARDIS crashes four miles south of Manchester, in the grounds of Hurley Hall – a grand mansion belonging to a local factory owner, a proudly self-made man. But while Hurley dreams of growing richer still on the wealth of secret knowledge locked up in the Doctor’s time and space machine, his servants hope only for a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. His young maid Cathy, for instance, whom Nyssa learns is looking forward to joining the working people’s march to St Peter’s Field, in the heart of the city. There’ll be speeches and banners and music. It’ll be like one big jamboree…

Or so she thinks. For the city’s establishment have called in their own private militia, to control the crowd. One of the darkest days in Manchester’s history is about to unfold – and the Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan are right in the thick of it.

The second quarter provides a new encounter with the Masters ... with the fifth Doctor encountering an earlier incarnation (Geoffrey Beevers) in April, followed by the sixth Doctor embroiled with the recent (Alex Macqueen) in May, before the seventh Doctor finds himself recruited by both in June!

And You Will Obey Me (Credit: Big Finish)Starring Peter Davison as the Doctor, with Geoffrey Beevers as the Master
Written by Alan Barnes, directed by Jamie Anderson
Released April 2016 [pre-order]

The Master: wanted for crimes without number, across five galaxies.

The Master: escaped his pursuers. Last known location: rural Hexford, England, Earth.

The Master: dead and buried in an unmourned grave, in a lonely churchyard.

Apparently.
Vampire Of The Mind (Credit: Big Finish)Starring Colin Baker as the Doctor, with Alex Macqueen as the Master
Written by Justin Richards, directed by Jamie Anderson
Released May 2016 [pre-order]

Somewhere off the South Coast of England, there’s a lonely island. On that island stands a solitary castle, long since abandoned – haunted, they say. But the truth is, that castle houses something far worse than mere ghosts.

The castle is what lies at the end of a trail followed by the Doctor in search of several missing scientists – all of them connected to the top secret Dominus Institute and its elusive CEO, Sir Andrew Gobernar…

But the Doctor will soon discover that he’s the one being haunted, by a ghost from his past… or perhaps, his future.
The Two Masters (Credit: Big Finish)Starring Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor, with Geoffrey Beevers and Alex Macqueen as the Master
Written by John Dorney, directed by Jamie Anderson
Released June 2016 [pre-order]

The future is dying. All over the universe, gaps are beginning to appear. From the space lanes terrorised by the rag-tag remnants of the once-mighty Rocket Men, to the empire of the Gorlans, stricken by a terrible civil war. Gaps in space/time, portents of the end of everything.

Only three beings might prevent it. The Doctor, a renegade Time Lord from Gallifrey. The Master, another renegade Time Lord from Gallifrey. And another Master, yet another renegade Time Lord from Gallifrey.

One Doctor. Two Masters. What could possibly go wrong?

The summer sees Sylvester McCoy reunited with Bonnie Langford and Sophie Aldred as the seventh Doctor, Mel and Ace embark on a new trilogy of adventures, A Life of Crime, Fiesta of the Damned and Maker of Demons. Then as autumn and winter descends, the fifth Doctor returns in an anthology The Memory Bank and Other Stories, whilst Colin Baker and Miranda Raison return as the Doctor and Constance for a trilogy to round off the year, Order, Absolute Power and Quicksilver.

Bookmark and Share Target re-issues in 2016

2/13/2016 09:55:00 am - Reported by Chuck Foster

BBC NovelisationsBBC NovelisationsBBC NovelisationsBBC NovelisationsBBC NovelisationsBBC NovelisationsBBC NovelisationsBBC Books have announced that seven of the original Doctor Who Target novelisations are to be re-issued on 28th April, reflecting each of the seven Doctors from the range:
  • Doctor Who and the Zarbi by Bill Strutton
  • Doctor Who and the Web of Fear by Terrance Dicks
  • Doctor Who and the Dinosaur Invasion by Malcolm Hulke
  • Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks by Terrance Dicks
  • Doctor Who: The Visitation by Eric Saward
  • Doctor Who: Vengeance on Varos by Philip Martin
  • Doctor Who: Battlefield by Marc Platt
All of the books feature cover illustrations by Chris Achilleos, who was commissioned to create new covers for the latter books in the range. He said:
I am delighted to be back on board after so many years. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, illustrating the jackets in the original old style – it felt just the same, and I am looking forward to signing them for the fans. I'm so pleased that people still want to revisit these books.

Albert DePetrillo, senior editorial director at BBC Books, said
The Target novelisations hold a special place in the hearts of Doctor Who fans. When we published our first set of reissues in 2012, the response was overwhelming, and we’re delighted to continue bringing these classic books to a new generation of readers.


The three original novels that launched the range back in 1972, Doctor Who and The Daleks and Doctor Who and The Crusaders by David Whitaker, and Doctor Who and the Zarbi by Bill Strutton, are also set to be re-released as hardback facsimile editions on 3rd November.

Bookmark and Share TARDIS Eruditorum Volume 6

10/01/2015 10:24:00 am - Reported by Marcus

TARDIS Eruditorum
Eruditorum Press has released the latest volume of TARDIS Eruditorum covering The Peter Davison and Colin Baker Years.

Included in this edition
  • Revised editions of every TARDIS Eruditorum post from the Peter Davison and Colin Baker eras.
  • A book-exclusive Pop Between Realities, Home in Time for Tea essay on the musical Time, an oft overlooked influence on Trial of a Time Lord, and the expansion of another one to include Box of Delights and Robin of Sherwood.
  • New essays in praise of Tegan, addressing the stuff left out of the Enlightenment essay, exactly and precisely whose fault the cancellation was, and a completely rewritten essay on "A Fix With Sontarans."
  • New Time Can Be Rewritten essays on Burning Heart, Dave Stone's Doctor Who/quasi-Judge Dredd mashup, Peri and the Piscon Paradox, Nev Fountain's two-Doctor timey wimey fish farce, and The Holy Terror, Rob Shearman's first-ever Doctor Who story.
  • A pair of Now My Doctor essays looking at the Fifth and Sixth Doctor eras as wholes.
Plus a forty page long interview with Rob Shearman about his work with Colin Baker at Big Finish and his genuine love for the Eric Saward era.

THis magazine is available in the following editions at these links: US Print ($17.99); US Kindle ($4.99); UK Print (£13.99); UK Kindle (£3.99); Other eReaders/Smashwords ($4.99).

Bookmark and Share Germany News Roundup

7/20/2015 03:54:00 pm - Reported by Pascal Salzmann

Peter Capaldi in Berlin (Credit: FOX International Channels Germany)
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.


    Bookmark and Share German DVD release of The Five Doctors delayed

    5/15/2015 03:20:00 pm - Reported by Pascal Salzmann

    Pandastorm Pictures (Credit: Pandastorm Pictures) In a statement to fans on their Facebook page as well as in a newsletter, German DVD distributer Pandastorm Pictures announced that their release of The Five Doctors, originally planned for 26th June 2015, will now be released two months later, on 28th August 2015.

    The reasons for the delay are, according to the Facebook message, "problems with the material". The newsletter adds that Pandastorm believed the german dub to exist but realised too late that it had been deleted. Thankfully a fan helped out with his recording of the german dub.

    Here is the original newsletter announcement, translated from German:


    Dear Doctor Who-fans,
    we received a lot of positive feedback from you for the last few months. There were photos with you and the boxed sets, a self-made action figure of the Candyman and even Sophie Aldred (Ace) who can be seen on a picture, posing with our second 7th Doctor boxed set. WOW! We would like to send you all a big THANK YOU. Without you the making of these boxed sets would not have been possible.

    Some of you might already know that we will also release "The Five Doctors" in Germany. We planned to release it on 26th June 2015 but we sadly have to delay the release to 28th August 2015. After some misunderstandings we now know for sure that the German TV-version had been destroyed. The good news is that our appeal to fans last summer payed off after all and a Doctor Who-fan made his recording available to us. All this took us a lot of time, so that the DVD's won't be ready in time, if we want to deliver a high quality product.

    Pandastorm then continued listing all the versions of the 20th Anniversary Special that will be on the 2-Disc-Set:

    • TV version in English
    •  TV version in German (including German subtitles for the scenes edited out in Germany)
    •  Three-part TV version in German (heavily edited, some scenes arranged in a different order)
    •  Special Edition in English
    •  Special Edition in German (including German subtitles for the scenes that were not shown in Germany)
    So far Pandastorm Pictures released all three seasons of the seventh Doctor in season boxed sets in Germany. After The Five Doctors they are going to release two boxed sets for the complete sixth Doctor run and a 2-disc DVD release of The TV Movie.

    Bookmark and Share Classic DVD release schedule for Germany announced

    9/16/2014 05:06:00 pm - Reported by Pascal Salzmann

    Siebter Doktor: Volume 1 (Credit: Pandastorm)German DVD distributor Pandastorm Pictures announced today the upcoming plans for DVD releases of the classic series in a newsletter sent out to fans. As previously reported the first volume of seventh Doctor stories includes the complete Season 24 on four discs, all the bonus features of the UK DVD's and will be released on 28th November 2015.

    Additionally, Pandastorm Pictures is going to release the following sets:

    • Siebter Doktor Volume 2 (Season 25, 5 discs, release date: 27th February 2015)
    • Siebter Doktor Volume 3 (Season 26, 7 discs, release date: 24th April 2015)
    •  Die Fünf Doktoren (The Five Doctors, 2 discs, release date: tba)
    • Sechster Doktor Volume 1 (The Twin Dilemma & Season 22, 7 discs, release date: tba)
    • Sechster Doktor Volume 2 (Season 23, 4 discs, release date: tba)
    • Doctor Who - The Movie (2 discs, release date: tba)

    According to the newsletter there are currently rights issues that need to be resolved before the TV Movie can be released.

    There are no German dubs to any other episodes available, so further releases are unlikely. However, the distributor has told fans that it would consider dubbing more classic episodes if the DVD's are going to sell extremely well.

    Der Siebte Doktor Volume 1 can be pre-ordered from Amazon Germany.


    Bookmark and Share Horror Channel 'Who on Horror' Full Spring Schedule

    4/15/2014 09:16:00 pm - Reported by Melad Moshiri

    Horror Channel - Classic Doctors Logo (Credit: Horror Channel)
    Horror Channel's Who on Horror schedule in the UK has been released with classic Doctor Who episodes airing from Good Friday. The run will commence with the very first episode of Who in its original four parts on the Friday at 7pm before the Who on Horror themed weekend featuring stories from each of the first seven Doctors begins.

    11am - An Unearthly Child (Four Parts, Repeat)
    From the misty November nights of London 1963 to the arid caves of Earth 100,000 BC, this is our very first encounter with the mysterious time traveller (William Hartnell), who kidnaps teachers Ian (William Russell) and Barbara (Jacqueline Hill), and, along with his granddaughter Susan (Carole Ann Ford), travels back in the distant past to confront caveman as they discover the power of fire.

    1:20pm - The Mind Robber (Four Parts)
    Trapped in a world outside of space and time, the second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) along with his companions, Jamie (Frazer Hines) and Zoe (Wendy Padbury), find themselves facing a world of fiction inhabited by unicorns, Medusa, and Gulliver. They seem to be writing their own story but will the mysterious storytelling Master of the realm allow them a happy ending?

    3:45pm - Terror of the Autons (Four Parts)
    If the 70s was an age of plastic then what would happen if it turned against us? The Doctor (Jon Pertwee), now exiled to Earth in his third incarnation, confronts killer dolls, deadly daffodils, telephone cables that strangle and inflatable chairs that suffocate. A second appearance for the returning enemy the Autons, this also introduces new assistant Jo Grant (Katy Manning) and rogue Time Lord, The Master (Roger Delgado). It also finds a new nemesis in Mary Whitehouse.

    6pm - The Brain of Morbius (Parts One and Two)
    Our jellybaby-loving Time Lord ventures into Frankenstein territory as The fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) and Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) arrive on the stormy planet of Karn where they find themselves caught between the immortal Sisterhood, who are guardians of the precious elixir of life and the fanatical surgeon, Solon, who’s trying to create new life from dead aliens to house the brain of criminal Time Lord, Morbius.
    11am - The Brain of Morbius (Parts Three and Four)
    Continuation from Saturday night, the last two episodes of this ‘Frankenstein’ story as The Doctor (Tom Baker) and Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) find themselves caught between the immortal Sisterhood and the fanatical surgeon, Solon, who’s trying to create new life from dead aliens to house the brain of criminal Time Lord, Morbius.

    12:10pm - The Caves of Androzani (Four Parts)
    Frequently voted by fans as the best story of the whole classic series, this also marks the end of Peter Davison’s time as he regenerates into Colin Baker. A real actioner which finds the Fifth Doctor and Peri (Nicola Bryant) caught up in a war between a corrupt corporation, smugglers and masked outlaw Sharaz Jek , all fighting for control of spectrox, an invaluable but toxic substance mined on Androzani Minor that when refined, can slow ageing.

    2:30pm - Attack of the Cybermen (Four Parts)
    Travelling from their own future, the Cybermen stalk London in 1985 to perfect a plan for Halley’s Comet to crash into the Earth, saving their own planet Mondas from destruction. The Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) and Peri colourfully attempt to thwart their plans, save the cold-thriving Cryons, natives of Cyber-controlled Telos and maybe finally fix the TARDIS’s chameleon circuits.

    4:50pm - Remembrance of the Daleks (Four Parts)
    It’s back to November 1963 as the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) returns with Ace (Sophie Aldred) to Coal Hill School, He’s determined to complete unfinished business but if he hadn’t forgotten the Hand of Omega, then it’s inevitable the Daleks would remember too and they’re determined to outwit their greatest enemy and proved that they can climb stairs.

    After the special weekend, episodes settle into a weekday showing from Monday after, with a story each from the First, Second and Third Doctor for the rest of April.

    Monday 21st April

    10am - The Daleks (Parts One and Two)
    Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
    Having survived their first adventure together, the TARDIS team land on Skaro, a planet devastated by nuclear war. Is anyone left alive? Contaminated by radioactive poisoning, they encounter the pacifist race of Thals and a number of hidden perils, but the greatest threat waits in the impressive citadel. They’re set to come face to eye-stalk for the first time with those exterminating pepperpots, the Daleks. A legend is born and our Saturday nights will never be the same again.
    Tuesday 22nd April

    10am - The Daleks (Parts Three and Four)
    Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
    Continuation of adventure in which the TARDIS team come face-to-face with the Daleks for the first time.
    Wednesday 23rd April

    10am - The Daleks - (Parts Five and Six)
    Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
    Continuation of adventure in which the TARDIS team come face-to-face with the Daleks for the first time.
    Thursday 24th April

    10am - The Daleks (Part Seven)
    Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
    Finale to adventure in which the TARDIS team come face-to-face with the Daleks for the first time.

    10:35am - The Seeds of Death (Part One)
    Repeated at 3:45pm and 7:50pm
    Earth in the 21st Century and instantaneous travel is now possible thanks to the T-Mat based on the Moon. However, when the Doctor arrives with Jamie and Zoe, the machine has broken down and strange alien seeds have been discovered which explode with a lethal fungus threatening to wipe out life. It’s all part of the plan to take over the planet by the Martian reptilian race, the Ice Warriors.
    Friday 25th April

    10am - The Seeds of Death - (Parts Two and Three)
    Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
    Continuation of adventure where the Ice Warriors are threatening to wipe out life with a lethal fungus.
    Monday 28th April

    10am - The Seeds of Death - (Parts Four and Five)
    Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
    Continuation of adventure where the Ice Warriors are threatening to wipe out life with a lethal fungus.
    Tuesday 29th April

    10am - The Seeds of Death (Part Six)
    Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
    Finale to adventure where the Ice Warriors are threatening to wipe out life with a lethal fungus.
    10:35am - The Daemons (Part One)
    Repeated at 3:45pm and 8:45pm
    Excavations at an ancient burial mound unleash an ancient evil. There’s darker magic at work in the quiet village of Devil’s End, and the new vicar seems to have a Master plan under his cassock as rogue Time Lord joins forces with Azal, last of the star-spanning Daemons. With the help of UNIT and Jo Grant, The Doctor fights to stop May Day from becoming the last day for mankind.
    Wednesday 30th April

    10am - The Daemons - (Parts Two and Three)
    Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
    Continuation of adventure where The Doctor (Jon Pertwee) fights to stop May Day becoming the last day for mankind.
    Thursday 1st May

    10am - The Daemons - (Parts Four and Five)
    Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
    Continuation of adventure where The Doctor (Jon Pertwee) fights to stop May Day becoming the last day for mankind.
    Friday 2nd May

    10am - The Sea Devils - (Parts One and Two)
    Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
    The Doctor pays the Master a visit in an island prison around which a number of ships have mysteriously sunk. While the Doctor and Jo are trapped on the fort by a Sea Devil, the Master steals some electronic components.
    Monday 5th May

    10am - The Sea Devils - (Parts Three and Four)
    Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
    Trenchard holds the Doctor captive while the Master attempts to make contact with the Sea Devils. After the Sea Devils attack the island prison and rescue the Master, the Doctor must venture underwater in pursuit.
    Tuesday 6th May

    10am - The Sea Devils - (Parts Five and Six)
    Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
    While the Doctor tries to make peace with the Sea Devils in the their underwater colony, the navy launch an attack on the base! When the Sea Devils take over the naval base, the Doctor is forced to work with the Master to revive the creatures' colony.
    Wednesday 7th May

    10am - The Three Doctors - (Parts One and Two)
    Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
    Three incarnations of the Doctor join forces to face the evil Omega in a universe of antimatter. The Third Doctor and Jo find themselves on an artificial world inside a black hole.
    Thursday 7th May

    10am - The Three Doctors - (Parts Three and Four)
    Repeated at 3:10pm and 7:50pm
    The Time Lord Omega reveals himself to the third Doctor along with his plan for vengeance. The Doctors discover a secret about Omega that gives them an advantage in ending his deadly plot.

    The full and future schedule can be found via This Week in Doctor Who.

    Idents and commercials have been created depicting the cell animation advertised while billboards and posters promoting the campaign have been seen in London.


    The arrival of Doctor Who on the Horror Channel reflects the science-fiction, action and fantasy genres seen on the channel's available line-up, including Xena: Warrior Princess, Wonder Woman and The Twilight Zone.

    Director of Programming Alina Florea commented on the latest signing in a press release:
    Doctor Who is an iconic series and we are proud and excited to welcome this giant of British television to our channel. The line-up will include some of the most revered from seven classic Doctors – stories that terrified, thrilled and captured the imagination of children and adults through the decades. Doctor Who joins a long line of well-loved classic series we have endeavoured to showcase on Horror Channel over the last few years.
    A special press launch took place yesterday at The Ivy in Leicester Square in the presence of the Fourth Doctor himself, Tom Baker. Doctor Who News was invited to the launch and a report of the day will be available soon.

    UPDATE - 18th APRIL: Our report of the press launch, including pictures, can now be read here.

    Bookmark and Share 12 Days of Big Finish-mas

    12/26/2013 09:44:00 pm - Reported by Chuck Foster

    Big Finish are running a number of special offers over the twelve days of Christmas as part of the festive celebrations, selected from a many of their range of series.

    Today's offering is the The Butcher of Brisbane, a Fifth Doctor tale that acts as a "prequel" to The Talons of Weng-Chiang, and is available to download from the Big Finish website at a special price for the next couple of days.

    The Butcher of Brisbane (Credit: Big Finish)The Butcher of Brisbane
    Starring Peter Davison as The Doctor, Janet Fielding as Tegan, Mark Strickson as Turlough, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, and Angus Wright as Magnus Greel

    Adopting the alias of Weng-Chiang, the 51st century war criminal Magnus Greel will one day arrive in Victorian London by Time Cabinet – only to meet his doom, his plans undone by the Time Lord known as the Doctor.

    The Doctor never believed he'd meet Greel again. But when a TARDIS trip to companion Tegan's home town goes wrong, the Doctor ends up in the younger Greel's heyday – in a world on the brink of all-out war.

    With the Doctor at the mercy of Greel's alien associate Findecker and his army of mutations, Tegan is about to learn just why they called Greel 'The Butcher of Brisbane'...

    Bookmark and Share Week of Specials on Radio Four Extra

    11/16/2013 02:15:00 pm - Reported by Marcus

    Today BBC Radio Four Extra begins a week of celebrations for the fiftieth anniversary of Doctor Who with a reading of the very first Doctor Who novelisation.

    Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks was first published in 1964, adapted by the series' script editor David Whitaker from the first Dalek story written by Terry Nation. The story was republished by Target Books in 1973, kicking off the range which would introduce a generation of fans born in the sixties and seventies to the eras of the first and second Doctors.

    The story, intended to work as a standalone, is told from the viewpoint of Ian Chesterton and has a very different meeting between the Doctor and his future companions than that of the television series.

    The Audiogo recording is read by William Russell, who played Ian in the TV series. The broadcast begins at 1800 GMT on Saturday with the first two episodes. The full adaptation is broadcast between 0000 GMT and 0430 GMT on Sunday.

    The broadcast kicks off a week of Doctor Who programming on the station. Radio Four Extra can be heard worldwide via the BBC Website.
    • Sunday - Protect and Survive - 1800 GMT & 0000 GMT
    • In this drama the Seventh Doctor (played by Sylvester McCoy) and his young companions Hex and Ace are plunged into the late '80s, where history has gone terrifyingly wrong, with the world trembling on the brink of a final terrible war.
    • Monday - Fanfare for the Common Men - 1800 GMT & 0000 GMT
    • A four-part drama featuring the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison). The Doctor's young companion Nyssa is unfamiliar with the Earth's musical heritage, but in a trip back to the '60s the Beatles are nowhere to be seen and their role has been taken by the Common Men.
    • Tuesday - A Thousand Tiny Wings - 1800 GMT & 0000 GMT
    • A full-cast audio drama in which the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) arrives in a remote homestead during the period of Kenyan independence in December 1963 and is reunited with an old acquaintance – an ex-Nazi called Klein.
    • Wednesday - Farewell Great Macedon - 1800 GMT & 0000 GMT
    • Based on an unproduced television script and brought to life through a combination of performance and narration. The original team of the First Doctor and companions Ian, Barbara and Susan step out from the TARDIS into the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and meet Alexander the Great.
    • Thursday - Human Resources - 1800 GMT & 0000 GMT
    • A full-cast drama featuring the Eighth Doctor (played by Paul McGann). The two-part story explains the on-going mystery of Lucie Miller (Sheridan Smith), paired off with the Doctor in a witness protection programme.
    • Friday - The Dalek Invasion of Earth - 1800 GMT & 0000 GMT
    • A reading by William Russell (Ian Chesterton in the original TV serial on which the story is based). This is one of the classic Doctor Who stories featuring the First Doctor and set in an occupied Britain.
    • Saturday - Doctor Who special – Who Made Who - 0900 GMT & 1600 GMT
    • Tracy-Ann Oberman is the guide on a journey back to a time before Time Lords. Interviewees include Doctor Who writers Charlie Higson and Al Hennen and William Hartnell's grand-daughter Jessica Carney. Featured programmes include The Reunion, which gathers the original 1963 cast, and Whatever Happened to . . . Susan Foreman? which tries to solve the mystery of the Doctor's original travelling companion, his grand-daughter.
    • Sunday - Lucie Miller - 0000 GMT
    • An Eighth Doctor adventure starring Paul McGann, Sheridan Smith and Graeme Garden.
    • Monday - To the Death - 0000 GMT
    • The Time Lord calls on friends, family and the Monk to help overthrow the Dalek occupation of Earth. This Eighth Doctor adventure stars Paul McGann, Sheridan Smith and Graeme Garden.