Doctor Who News, Articles, Cast and Crew Interviews

[Alan]

BBC Books: The Legends of River Song
Friday, 13 May, 2016 - Reported by Chuck Foster

http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2016/05...516093008.html

BBC Books will be releasing their latest fiction book set in the worlds of Doctor Who, The Legends Of River Song on 2nd June 2016:

The Legends of River Song
Written by Jenny T Colgan, Jacqueline Rayner, Steve Lyons, Guy Adams and Andrew Lane
Published by BBC Books in hardback on 2nd June 2016 [preorder from Amazon in United Kingdom or North America]


'Hello sweetie!'

With those words, the indominitable River Song crashed into the Doctor's life, and has stayed there ever since. Archaeologist, time-traveller, thief, and murderer, River Song has had more adventures (and got into much more trouble) than most other people in the universe. And she's written a lot of it down. Well, when you're (possibly) married to a Time Lord, it's important to keep track of what you've done and when. Especially as it may not have happened to both of you yet. Sometimes she's with the Doctor, and sometimes she's on her own. But wherever and whenever she may be, she's never far from danger ... and excitement!

From an eventful Picnic at Asgard with the Eleventh Doctor, to a solo escapade Death in New Venice, these are just a few tales from River Song's impossible lifr, recounted by bestselling Doctor Who writers including Jenny T Colgan and Guy Adams.

Competition
To be in with a chance to win a copy of The Legends of River Song courtesy of BBC Books, answer the following question:

What is the first thing that River (as played by Alex Kingston) says to the Doctor, from the perspective of her time line?

Please send your answer along with your name, address and where you heard about the competition (news site, news app, other website, etc.) to [email protected] with the subject "Blue Box Journal". The competition is to residents of the United Kingdom only, closing date: 1st June 2016. Only one entry per household will be accepted.

[Alan]

The New Sonic Screwdriver Toy - Doctor Who: The Fan Show
Published on 13 May 2016

[Alan]

Big Finish: The War Doctor 3: Agents of Chaos


Saturday, 14 May, 2016 - Reported by Mark Pattison


Agents of Chaos Big Finish has announced further details for the third release in its War Doctor series, starring John Hurt and Jacqueline Pearce.

This Autumn, the Time War rages on with the War Doctor set to face Sontarans, an invasion of Earth and the Dalek Time Strategist.

John Hurt returns as the War Doctor in September 2016, in three full cast audio plays from Big Finish productions. Doctor Who - The War Doctor 3: Agents of Chaos is the third volume in the ongoing saga, in which the War Doctor and Cardinal Ollistra (Jacqueline Pearce) are thrown deeper into the Time War.

The set opens with The Shadow Vortex by David Llewellyn, in which the Time Lords have detected that their quantum shield protecting Earth has been breached by the Daleks, and the War Doctor is sent to Berlin 1961, at the height of the Cold War, to investigate. There he finds that the Daleks have their own agent on the scene… That agent is played by Neve McIntosh, best known to Doctor Who fans as Madame Vastra of the Paternoster Gang, while the cast also includes Honeysuckle Weeks as Heleyna.

‘I was given a very open brief: Send the War Doctor to Earth,’ says David. ‘So then I started thinking, "Where on Earth (literally) can I picture the War Doctor?" and the first image that came to mind was Berlin's Brandenburg Gate in the early '60s - checkpoints in place, the boundary between East and West. Time War meets Cold War. Then I pictured a Dalek saucer landing right in front of it. Then I pictured the skies above Berlin swarming with Daleks. Then I got really, really excited and I started to write.’

In The Eternity Cage by Andrew Smith, the Sontarans continue their campaign to join the Time War - while the Time Lords and the Daleks refuse to allow them to join in. This may change, however, when the Sontarans score a victory over both sides…

The story will be Andrew's second set in Time War after the upcoming release of The Sontaran Ordeal in Doctor Who: Classic Doctors, New Monsters Volume 1.

Dan Starkey (also known for playing the Paternoster Gang’s butler Strax) is the Sontarans, while Josh Bolt (Last Tango in Halifax, Benidorm) plays Kalan.

‘I was asked to write a story taking for its inspiration Alistair MacLean’s Where Eagles Dare,’ says Andrew. ‘So we have an apparently impenetrable fortress on a mountaintop, and the Doctor leading an elite group on a rescue mission. But instead of the German army trying to stop them, it’s Sontarans! With the Daleks not far away either.’

The fate of Gallifrey hangs in the balance in Eye of Harmony by Ken Bentley, in which the Daleks gain the upper hand, while the Doctor and his allies fight to stay alive against all odds.

‘I grew up watching war films,’ says Ken. ‘They were a staple of weekend viewing when I was a boy, so it was great to have the opportunity to explore the genre in Doctor Who, where we generally avoid anything too dark. But even more exciting is that fact that I've written a play for John Hurt. JOHN HURT!! If you'd told me that might happen when I first started working for Big Finish I wouldn't have believed you.’

The box-set also introduces a new player into the Time War - the Dalek Time Strategist, who is voiced, as with the Daleks, by Nicholas Briggs

‘At the end of Dark Eyes, and the defeat of the Dalek Time Controller, it was hinted that a new 'Time Strategist' would be created in its wake…’ explains script editor Matt Fitton.

‘Daleks never go to war without a plan, and a Time War needs a special kind of planner, capable of viewing the field of conflict through four dimensions and beyond. This is the Dalek Time Strategist: a time-sensitive war-leader, utterly dedicated to achieving Dalek victory over the Time Lords by any means it can.’



You can pre-order Doctor Who - The War Doctor 3: Agents of Chaos from the Big Finish website.

[Alan]

Big Finish: Eighth Doctor 20th Anniversary Special Offer
Saturday, 14 May, 2016 - Reported by Mark Pattison

http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2016/05...516190008.html

As Paul McGann's Eighth incarnation marks 20 years since waking up on a mortuary slab in San Franciso, Big Finish is running a series of special offers this weekend in celebration.


In the Doctor Who Main Range, starting with Doctor Who: Storm Warning, the first eleven titles are permanently reduced at £2.99 each to download, including the 40th Anniversary spectacular Doctor Who: Zagreus. You can even get the behind-the-scenes CD release on how these early stories were made with Big Finish Talks Back: The Eighth Doctor Authors, for only £5 this weekend.

The Eighth Doctor's further Main Range adventures continue with the Doctor and Charlotte teaming up with alien C'rizz (Conrad Westmaas) in the Divergent Universe. These are just £5 each on both CD and download this weekend, with selected bundles of stories also reduced.

The Eighth Doctor Adventures are hour-long audio dramas that see the Doctor travel with the feisty Lucie 'bleedin' Miller (Sheridan Smith) across four series. All 34 adventures are £5 each on CD and to download, with discounted series bundles also available.

The critically acclaimed Doctor Who: Dark Eyes series, sees the Doctor meet volunteer nurse Molly O'Sullivan (Ruth Bradley) in the trenches of the First World War. All four boxsets in the Dark Eyes saga can be enjoyed for just £20 each this weekend, or together in a bundle with free UK postage.

The Eighth Doctor's latest release is Doctor Who: Doom Coalition. The first two box-sets have been reduced back to their pre-order price of £20 each. All four box-sets can be purchased in one Doomwood Coalition bundle, which as with the majority of Big Finish releases, contains complimentary digital copies with all CD orders.

Paul McGann returns to the Main Range in Doctor Who: The Company of Friends, a special anthology teaming him with New Adventures companion Bernice Summerfield (Lisa Bowerman), BBC Books' Fitz Kreiner (Matt di Angelo), Doctor Who Magazine's Izzy Sinclair (Jemima Rooper) and Frankenstein author Mary Shelley (Julie Cox), who then joins the Doctor for a Main Range trilogy. These are all £5 on CD and download.

The Doctor unites with old friends Romana (Lalla Ward) and K9 (John Leeson) in Doctor Who: Shada, discovers new family members in Doctor Who: An Earthly Child, almost meets his future love in The Diary of River Song: Series 1 and unites with his former incarnations in Doctor Who: The Light at the End (available in both standard and Limited Edition).

The Eighth Doctor's Companion Chronicle adventure Doctor Who: Solitaire and his Destiny of the Doctors instalment Doctor Who: Enemy Aliens are at special offer prices. Two new Doctor Who Short Trip adventures Doctor Who: Foreshadowing and Doctor Who: The Curse of the Fugue, are also permanently at £2.99 each.

The single episode adventure Doctor Who: Klein's Story can be downloaded for free, starring Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, Tracey Childs as Elizabeth Klein and Paul McGann as the mysterious Johann Schmidt. The footbal-themed Doctor Who: Living Legend is also available for free.

The Eighth Doctor's journeys will continue in Doctor Who: Doom Coalition 3 and Doom Coalition 4, Doctor Who: Classic Doctors, New Monsters Volume 1 and Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor – The Time War. Pre-orders on each box-set are £20 each on both CD and to download.

For the true collectors out there, you can pre-order the acclaimed Doctor Who: The Chimes of Midnight Limited Vinyl Edition, strictly limited to 500 copies and available for £79.99.


And for this weekend only, the ultimate Eighth Doctor 20th Anniversary Bundle, contains over 90 Eighth Doctor adventures, including those available to pre-order! The CD Bundle is £640 with free UK postage and includes downloads for those stories not available on CD. The Download bundle is £555.

Please note that both bundles contain the Limited Edition version of Doctor Who: The Light at the End instead of the standard version. Doctor Who: Shada, Big Finish Talks Back: The Eighth Doctor Authors and Doctor Who: The Chimes of Midnight Limited Vinyl Edition are not included in the download bundle.


These special offers end noon on Monday May 16th. You can explore the entire range on the Eighth Doctor Collected page.

[DigiFluid]

Friendly reminder: the first volume of Big Finish's "Tenth Doctor Adventures" audio plays releases tomorrow, exclusively on the Big Finish website!


DOCTOR WHO: THE TENTH DOCTOR ADVENTURES – COMING MAY 16TH 2016!

The wait is nearly over! The Doctor and Donna return in one month's time!

Coming Monday, May 16th 2016, Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Adventures presents three brand new stories based on the New Series of Doctor Who, starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate as the much-loved paring of the Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble.

From beneath the streets of London, to the spaceport planet Calibris, to the beautiful land of Goritania, the Doctor and Donna tumble through the Time Vortex in new adventurers recreating a beloved era of Doctor Who.

The series opens with Doctor Who – The Tenth Doctor Adventures: Technophobia by Matt Fitton, which is set in a London slightly in the future, where mankind is gradually losing its ability to use everyday technology. Could there be an evil force at work?

In Doctor Who – The Tenth Doctor Adventures: Time Reaver by Jenny T Colgan, the Doctor and Donna arrive on Calibris - ‘An entirely mechanical planet. Catch, hitch, fuel, fix, buy, pretty much any kind of transportation in existence.’ It’s also a world full of scoundrels, where a deadly black market has opened up in a device known only as the Time Reaver.

Finally, in Doctor Who – The Tenth Doctor Adventures: Death and the Queen by James Goss, Donna is swept along in a fairytale romance and meets the man of her dreams in the beautiful land of Goritania. What can possibly go wrong? And why has the Doctor never heard of Goritania?

You can pre-order all three stories today, either individually or as part of the Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Adventures Volume 1 – Limited Edition set. Limited to just 5,000 copies and available exclusively from bigfinish.com, this lavish book-sized box set includes exclusive artwork, photography, articles, a one-hour documentary featuring interviews with the stars and production team – alongside a bonus documentary examining the worlds of Doctor Who at Big Finish. Check out our video guide to the set's contents below.

You can pre-order your copy for just £30 on CD or £25 to download, with the individual stories available for just £10.99 each on CD or £8.99 to download (with bundles also available). With complimentary download copies included with all CD orders of these releases, pre-ordering gives you the perfect chance to ensure you're one of the first to listen to the new stories on May 16th!

https://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/doc...-may-16th-2016

[Alan]

Third Doctor Comic Announced
Wednesday, 18 May, 2016 - Reported by Marcus

http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2016/05...announced.html

BBC Worldwide North America and Titan Comics have announced the return of the Third Doctor, along with sidekick Jo Grant, in comic form this August.

This brand-new five-part comic series, written by fan-favorite Doctor Who scribe Paul Cornell (Wolverine, Action Comics, The Severed Streets), stars the Third Doctor, as played by Jon Pertwee, alongside companions Jo Grant (Katy Manning) and the Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) in classic Doctor Who action.

Hitting stores and digital platforms on August 31st, Doctor Who: The Third Doctor expands Titan Comics’ hugely popular and critically acclaimed Doctor Who comics, which already include adventures from the Fourth, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Doctors.

Fresh off last year’s epic smash-hit, Four Doctors, Paul Cornell teams up with artist Christopher Jones (Young Justice, Marvel’s Avengers) to bring unexpected twists and turns to the lives of the Third Doctor and his companions in an all-new story, “The Heralds Of Destruction.”

Actor Jon Pertwee starred as the Third Doctor in 128 episodes from 1970 to 1974. Pertwee's portrayal of the Doctor was a suave, dapper, and technologically oriented man of action, who spent his time stranded on Earth, working with the international military group UNIT.

When something enormous and extraterrestrial crashes into Bedfordshire, the Doctor, Jo Grant, and the forces of UNIT under Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart mobilize immediately to investigate – and find themselves in the middle of a pitched battle against a terrifying invader! But the shocking face that awaits their return to base may tip their whole world off its axis.

The debut issue comes with five variant covers to collect: three art covers by artists Josh Burns, Simon Myers, and Paul McCaffrey, a photo cover, and a blank sketch cover.

[Alan]

Jon Pertwee - Twenty Years On
Friday, 20 May, 2016 - Reported by Marcus

http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2016/05...-years-on.html

It was twenty years ago today, on Monday 20th May 1996, that we lost the irrepressible, the inspirational, the uniquely talented man that was Jon Pertwee.

John Devon Roland Pertwee was born in July 1919 in London, a few months after the end of World War One. He joined a long established theatrical family, the son of the actor and playwright Roland.

Pertwee had a varied education after being expelled from a number of minor public schools. From the start his firm convictions and refusal to bow to authority, created friction with those in power and forced his premature departure. The same happened when he trained as an actor where, at RADA, despite rave reviews from a visiting Noel Coward, he was eventually dismissed for refusing to play a Greek wind.

In 1939 War broke out and Pertwee joined the Royal Navy. He was a member of the crew of HMS Hood, escorting Russian Convoys, transferring off the ship just three days before it was sunk with the loss of all but 3 hands. Joining Navel Intelligence he was thrust into the world of espionage, working alongside James Bond creator Ian Fleming and reporting directly to the Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The full extent of His top secret work was not revealed until an interview was published long after his death.

I did all sorts. Teaching commandos how to use escapology equipment, compasses in brass buttons, secret maps in white cotton handkerchiefs, pipes you could smoke that also fired a .22 bullet. All sorts of incredible things.

Post war he began making a career as a jobbing stage actor and Radio Comedian. His talent for accents gained him a role in Waterlogged Spa playing an ancient postman. His success was rapid and by 1948 he was being billed as The Most Versatile Voice in Radio. His longest running role was as Chief Petty Officer Pertwee in The Navy Lark, which he played from 1959-1977.

Small roles in feature films followed, including parts in four Carry On films, as well as a burgeoning stage career. He appeared in the 1963 London production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and on Broadway in There's a Girl in My Soup

In 1967 he was offered the role of Captain Mainwaring in the BBC Comedy Dad's Army, a role he turned down.

The role that would define him came in 1970 when he was offered the role of the Third Doctor. He was second choice for the role, behind Oliver! actor Ron Moody, but it was a role he embraced and made his own. Initially unsure how to play the role he was advised to play it as himself. "Who the hell is that?" he exclaimed.

Pertwee's era redefined the show, with the inclusion of UNIT as a regular part of the narrative. The bond formed between the main players was obvious on screen and for many it would be regarded as the golden age of the drama. The team chemistry between Pertwee, Manning, Courtney, Franklin, Levene and Delgado, lead by the production team of Letts and Dicks, created a warm family feeling to the programme and ratings grew after declining towards the end of the second Doctor's era.

The team began to break up towards the end of 1973. Katy Manning decided to move on and was replaced actress April Walker. Pertwee objected, feeling the chemistry was wrong and Walker was replaced by the more acceptable Elisabeth Sladen who developed a strong bond with Pertwee. By far the biggest loss was the death of Roger Delgado, who was killed in a car crash while filming in Turkey. The loss of his friend affected Pertwee deeply and when producer Barry Letts and Scripts Editor Terrance Dicks announced they were also leaving, he decided to call it a day. He had appeared in 128 episodes of the series, over 52 hours of television.

Post Who Pertwee charmed a new audience, playing the scarecrow Worzel Gummidge in the Southern TV series as well as educating a nations youth in the correct way to cross the road as the voice of the Green Cross Code.

In 1983 he returned to the role of the Doctor in the 20th Anniversary special The Five Doctors. In 1989 he toured the UK in the stage play Doctor Who – The Ultimate Adventure and three years later performed in two BBC Radio Drama's, The Paradise of Death and The Ghosts of N-Space.

Jon Pertwee was active on the early convention scene, appearing at events on both sides of the Atlantic. He persuaded he old friend Patrick Troughton to attend and their mock feud entertained fans around the world, although it left Terry Wogan perplexed when he tried in on Children In Need. He was the Honorary President of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society.

Pertwee died in the USA in 1996 at the age of 76. His death was shocking as he was so full of life, so irrepressible, so irreplaceable. He was survived by his wife Ingeborg Rhoesa, his son Sean Pertwee, and his daughter Dariel Pertwee.

The mark Jon Pertwee made on the series can never be over estimated and his legacy will live on as long as Doctor Who is remembered. Twenty years on we remember the wonderful, inspirational, immense talent that was Jon Pertwee and thank him for being part of our lives.

[Alan]

Alec Wheal 1935 - 2016
Sunday, 22 May, 2016 - Reported by Marcus

http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2016/05...1935-2016.html

The BBC have announced the death former Senior Camera Operator, Alec Wheal, at the age of 80

Alec Wheal worked on at least 159 episodes of Doctor Who, mainly as Senior Camerman, or as it was later known, Camera Supervisor.

The Camera Supervisor led the team of five or six camera operators, during the studio recordings of classic era Doctor Who. The role was important as Studio Camera Operators had only the studio day to absorb the director's camera script and instructions, before recording each Doctor Who episode in the evening.

They would work closely with the Director to make sure the required shots and effects could be recorded during each studio recording session. Each recording had a strict 10pm cut off and any mistakes would lead to shots being missed or expensive overruns.

Alec Wheal led the Camera teams on most Doctor Who stories from Destiny of the Daleks in 1979 right through to The Greatest Show in the Galaxy in 1988.

Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison paid tribute.

As the senior Cameraman, Alec Wheal was the rock of the studio recordings of Doctor Who, both during my time, and throughout the seventies and eighties. We developed an understanding, so that in those moments of panic as the clock ticked round to ten pm the end result was always as good as it was.

As well as Doctor Who, Wheal worked on programmes such as EastEnders, Last of the Summer Wine, Just Good Friends, The Tripods, Black Adder, Grange Hill and Fanny by Gaslight.

[Alan]

Burt Kwouk (1930-2016)
Tuesday, 24 May, 2016 - Reported by Chuck Foster

http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2016/05...516150008.html

The actor Burt Kwouk has died, aged 85.

Born in Manchester, raised in Hong Kong, and eventually graduating from Bowdoin College in the United States, the internationally travelled Burt Kwouk returned to the United Kingdom in 1954 and was soon an actor in great demand owing to his oriental appearance.

On television he worked on a range of ITC productions including The Avengers, The Saint, The Champions and Danger Man; he was a co-star in The Sentimental Agent, playing Chin Sung in 12 of its 13 episodes. He also provided English narration for both The Water Margin and Monkey Magic. On film his first big break was in Inn Of The Sixth Happiness. He later appeared in two of the Sean Connery run of James Bond, Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice, plus the independent film starring David Niven and Peter Sellars, Casino Royale. However, it was alongside Sellars that Kwouk was to achieve 'immortality', playing the kung-fu servant Cato whose ambushes against Inspector Clouseau became key scenes to look forward to!

In 1982 he took on the role of the Mandarin leader Lin Futo in Four to Doomsday, acting alongside a fresh-faced Time Lord Peter Davison in his first filmed story. He was to later return to Doctor Who as Doctor Hayashi, again alongside Davison, in the Big Finish adventure Loups-Garoux

Other television roles included Major Yamauchi in the prisoner-of-war drama series Tenko, Mr Lee in Howard's Way, Philip Chen in Noble House, and Peter Lo-Ching in The House of Elliot; in film he played Mr Chen in Empire of the Sun, General Lu Soong in Air America and Fu King in I Bought A Vampire Motorcycle. He became a regular on the Harry Hill show between 1997 and 2000, provided voiceovers for Japanese spoof betting show Banzai between 2001 and 2004, and then settled into the role of Entwistle in the BBC's long-running Last of the Summer Wine between 2002 and 2010.

In 2011 he received an OBE for services to drama.


A statement issued by his agent said: "Beloved actor Burt Kwouk has sadly passed peacefully away. The family will be having a private funeral but there will be a memorial at a later date."

Herbert Kwouk, OBE. 18th July 1930 - 24th May 2016

[Alan]

Doctor Who Magazine - Issue 500
Wednesday, 25 May, 2016 - Reported by Marcus

http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2016/05...500-cover.html

The cover has been released for the 500th issue of Doctor Who Magazine.

The first issue of Doctor Who magazine was published on 11th October 1979, when The Doctor was still being played by Tom Baker and fans were enjoying the Series 17 story City of Death

It began life as a weekly publication with a cover price of just 12p. Featuring exclusive interviews with Doctors, Companions and even some monsters, the magazine included comic strips, features, news and interviews. Among the buyers of Issue 1 were an eight-year-old David Tennant, 16-year-old Russell T Davies and 17-year-old Steven Moffat. All of them have been fans of the magazine ever since.

Doctor Who Magazine celebrates its 500th issue with an exclusive interview with Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi, as well as a specially commissioned front cover where Capaldi recreates the first ever cover of the magazine.

Commenting on the magazine’s success, Peter Capaldi says

The magazine was enormously helpful to me. When I started playing the Doctor I was able to get piles of them and dive in. I went out and bought lots of Doctor Who Magazines, because I deliberately wanted to steep myself in Doctor Who and connect – reconnect – to it in a very kind of visceral way, to the affection and the heartbeat of it.

The Magazine also talks to Tom Baker in what he calls is his last ever interview with the magazine

500 is a big milestone, and I’m sure you’re right to want to mark it BIG. Your magazine has been extremely good to me, and has helped to create a warm and faithful fanbase for the programme. I am still signing first editions. After all these years

The 500th issue comes packaged in a card envelope and is a bumper 116 pages long, priced £9.99. Other highlights include an interview with Doctor Who showrunner, Steven Moffat and a special treat for fans also in the form of an exclusive letter to Doctor Who Magazine readers from Pearl Mackie, who will play new companion Bill.

Also featured in the magazine is an interview with the first Doctor William Hartnell, dating from 1965 and written by an eleven year old fan.

Doctor Who Magazine - Issue 500 is on sale 25th May 2016

Every Doctor Who Magazine Cover EVER!

[rushy]

I feel so jealous, since we don't have Doctor Who Magazines where I live...

[Flyboy]

The Torchwood Team are reunited:

https://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/tor...-november-2016

A city under siege, a virus on the loose – and Torchwood is ready! John Barrowman, Gareth David-Lloyd and Eve Myles assemble in a full-cast box-set released in November 2016

Based on the Doctor Who spin-off series created by Russell T Davies, Torchwood: Outbreak is a three-part mini-series which sees Cardiff come under attack from a deadly virus.

Featuring John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness, Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto Jones and Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper this new adventure has been written by Guy Adams, Emma Reeves and AK Benedict, taking place before the events of Torchwood: Children of Earth.

"First they know you, then you love, then you kill..."

A medical trial's gone terribly wrong, and one of the test subjects is loose on the streets of Cardiff. Within hours a virus is raging out of control and the bodies start piling up.

The Government scrambles to control the outbreak, but isn't too keen on anyone finding out the dark history of the virus. Captain Jack Harkness has encountered the infection before and knows that something alien is hiding inside it.

With the city sealed off and murderous mobs raging through the streets, Torchwood has to save something even more important than the human race.

'This is pretty much what everyone has wanted from day one,' says producer James Goss. 'Torchwood's holy trinity reunited in a full-cast box-set. Released as part of our celebrations of Torchwood's 10th Anniversary, it sees the Institute at their very best and their very worst. We're so very grateful to John, Gareth and Eve for somehow finding the time in their impossible schedules to save the Earth once again.'

Supporting the survivors of Torchwood Three are original series stars Kai Owen as Rhys Williams and Tom Price as PC Andy Davidson; who will both find themselves fighting for their lives on the streets of Cardiff. Further cast members will be announced soon. The set has been directed by Scott Handcock.

'As soon as John walked through the door, we knew the magic was back,' admits Scott. 'We've worked so hard to reunite the cast and it's just far too much fun in the studio.'

Torchwood: Outbreak is available to pre-order today for just £20 on both CD and to download. The four-disc box-set will also include an exclusive behind-the-scenes documentary, with CD orders also containing a complimentary digital copy, available immediately upon the set's release.

Torchwood: Outbreak will be released from Big Finish in November 2016. It will be available from other retailers on January 31st 2017.

Big Finish's ongoing Torchwood adventures continue in June with Torchwood: Moving Target, starring Indira Varma as Suzie Costello. The entire second series of six audios can be subscribed to together at an additional saving, with Series 1 still available in a special bundle.

[Alan]

Doctor Who Magazine - 500th Edition
Saturday, 28 May, 2016 - Reported by Marcus

http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2016/05...h-edition.html

Doctor Who Magazine has celebrated reaching its 500th edition, launching the special edition at an event in London.

The long-running Magazine was presented with the Guinness World Record as the world's Longest Running Magazine Based on a Television Series, a record it has held since 2010.

The milestone was marked by the editorial team, past and present, who were joined by stars from the series as well as current showrunner Steven Moffat.

The magazine began life as Doctor Who Weekly in October 1979, before becoming a monthly publication the following year. Contributors have included Doctor Who’s head writers Steven Moffat and Russell T Davies, and the title has interviewed every Doctor and companion to appear in the TV series over the years.

Current Doctor Peter Capaldi paid tribute to the long running title.

When I was growing up, the same publications would print the same pictures over and over again. But then suddenly Doctor Who Magazine will produce something from the 60s that you’ve never seen. To me, that’s magic

The magazine caters to a whole range of ages and interests, and so many of your readers are so creative. It’s one of the things I love about Doctor Who, that it stimulates creativity in people. They may go off and become writers, or actors, or artists – and the magazine is part of that. As an examination of the nature of television production, it gives people a clear idea about the processes involved, both now and historically. You have very clever, very detailed articles for those who are of a scholarly bent… But also Doctor Who Magazine has a great artistic flavour to it. It’s about endeavour

Highlights of issue 500 include:

• A message to DWM readers from the Doctor’s new companion, actress Pearl Mackie.
• A letter from the Doctor himself!
• Fourth Doctor Tom Baker recalls the launch of DWM nearly 37 years ago in the first part of his self-proclaimed ‘last ever interview’.
• Peter Capaldi takes part in an exclusive photoshoot, recreating the cover for the very first issue, and explains how Doctor Who Magazine helped inform his portrayal of the Doctor.
• In an extensive interview, Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat talks candidly about why he’s decided that the next series will be his last, and reveals some details about the Doctor’s new companion.
• Writer Jonathan Morris takes a look back at how DWM has changed from its first issue, noting all the highs and lows along the way.
• A very special 20-page celebratory comic strip featuring the return of Maxwell Edison: The Stockbridge Showdown by Scott Gray, drawn by a host of guest artists including Dave Gibbons, John Ridgway, Dan McDaid, Roger Langridge, Adrian Salmon, John Ross, Martin Geraghty, David A Roach and Mike Collins.
• Back in 2001, four years before Doctor Who returned to TV, Mark Gatiss, Gareth Roberts and Clayton Hickman pitched their own version of the series to the BBC. For the first time, find out details of exactly what was planned, and see what graphic designer Bernard Lodge – creator of the iconic Doctor Who title sequences of the 1960s and 70s – would do with the show’s titles today.
• Peter Capaldi answers questions once put to the First Doctor, William Hartnell in a special ‘joint interview’!
• Gain a fascinating new insight into The Day of the Doctor, voted DWM readers’ all-time favourite Doctor Who story, in The Fact of Fiction.
• Full-page strips from the strange minds of Tim Quinn & Dicky Howett and Lew Stringer.
• A countdown of the Top 20 moments from the history of DWM’s comic strip.
• Behind the scenes of the Doctor Who mobile game Legacy – now featuring DWM characters Abslom Daak, Shayde and Frobisher!
• Author Jacqueline Rayner gets nostalgic in her regular column Relative Dimensions.
• Competitions to win HUGE prizes including hundreds of pounds’ worth of DVDs, Blu-rays, and audios, and a visit to see a Doctor Who audio drama being recorded!

PLUS

• A BONUS 116-PAGE MAGAZINE looking back at the history of DWM, featuring every single cover, an introduction by Russell T Davies and commentary from the many editors who have steered the magazine over the years.
• The first in a series of collectable art cards, inspired by The Iron Legion, DWM’s first-ever comic strip.
• A massive double-sided poster featuring alternative versions of DWM 500’s cover.

Plus a sticker sheet, a prize-winning quiz, News, Reviews, Coming Soon and the Watcher.

[Alan]

Doctor Who series 10 will finally start shooting in two weeks time
?Peter Capaldi confirmed the news.
ByMegan Davies
3 hours ago

http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/doctor-...-in-two-weeks/

© BBC Pictures Ray Burmiston

We're one step closer to Doctor Who coming back to our screens as show star Peter Capaldi confirmed on Friday (June 3) that series 10 starts filming in just two weeks.

Capaldi made the announcement while attending Dallas Comic Con in Texas alongside Michelle Gomez and Jenna Coleman.

The show's 10th series isn't set to air until 2017 and it will introduce new companion Bill, played by Pearl Mackie, after Coleman's Clara left the series to play the title role in ITV's new royal period drama Victoria.

It will also be Steven Moffat's last series as showrunner after taking up the position in 2010, before he will hand over duties to Broadchurch's Chris Chibnall.

Speculation over what - and who - we'll be seeing in Doctor Who's next season has already been running wild on the internet, with the latest rumours pitching Gomez's Missy for a returning role in Moffat's last season.

More rumours about a potential return for John Barrowman's Captain Jack Harkness have since been shot down by the man himself.

While we're waiting for Doctor Who to return to our screens, there's always young adult spinoff Class to tide us over, starring Katherine Kelly, Greg Austin, Fady Elsayed, Sophie Hopkins and Vivian Oparah.

And maybe even Peter Capaldi too, if we're lucky.

Class will air on BBC Three later this year.

[Alan]

Mark Gatiss will be writing at least one episode of Doctor Who series 10
The Sherlock co-creator will be back with his ninth episode in 2017 – could it be the sequel to Sleep No More?




By Kasia Delgado
Monday 6 June 2016 at 1:22PM

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-...-who-series-10

Mark Gatiss has revealed that he'll be one of the writers on the new series of Doctor Who.

The writer and actor's episode will air in 2017, and will be his third story for Peter Capaldi's Time Lord, he confirmed in an interview with WhoSFX.

Discussing his first Doctor Who episode, 2005’s The Unquiet Dead, Gatiss said: “It seems so natural now (as I write my ninth episode – ten if you count the un-produced one!) but the forty five minute format took some getting used to.”

To explain, Gatiss has written eight episodes of Doctor Who so far, while another episode he wrote for series four was ultimately not used by then-showrunner Russell T Davies.

That leaves at least one more Who episode from Gatiss still to come. Perhaps it could be the planned sequel to series nine episode Sleep No More which he revealed to RadioTimes.com last year?

Season 10 will begin filming in July, with Pearl Mackie joining Capaldi as new companion Bill.