Latest News from Doctor Who...

The latest news from the universe of Doctor Who:

DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE - ISSUE 436

The cover and info on the next edition of Doctor Who magazine:

Doctor Who Magazine celebrates the life of Nicholas Courtney in a special 100-page bumper issue, packed with rare and never-before-published photos, dedicated to the man who played Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart for over 40 years. Among those paying tribute to the actor who played the Doctor’s most trusted friend are former Doctors Tom Baker, David Tennant, Sylvester McCoy and Colin Backer

“Once you got to know Nick, you loved everything about him,” Tom explains to DWM. “We were a double act. I loved everything he did. I would have loved him as Othello. All other critical faculties were abandoned. You just couldn’t explain yourself. It was almost like someone saying, ‘What an Earth do you see in her?’ or ‘What on Earth do you see in him?’ Once you actually love someone, you just love being with them - and I loved being with Nick.”

ALSO THIS ISSUE:

SALUTING THE BRIG

Nicholas Pegg sets the scene as friends and colleagues remember the life and times of Nicholas Courtney. The tributes include contributions from Frazer Hines, Wendy Padbury, Peter Purves, John Levene, Richard Franklin, Katy Manning, Russell T Davies, Derrick SherwinE, Terrance Dicks, Philip Hinchliffe, Graeme Harper and many more.

NICHOLAS COURNEY - A LIFE IN ACTING

DWM looks back at Nick’s long career, from his early days in rep through to his most famous role as Lethbridge-Stewart in Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

THE ONE WITH THE EYEPATCH

Nicholas Courtney’s favourite Doctor Who story, 1970’s Inferno, is put under the spotlight as The Fact of Fiction witnesses the end of the world…

SEVENTH HEAVEN

It was the season in which the Brig came into his own - the Third Doctor’s first series from 1970. DWM looks back to discover what made the season so special as Countdown to 50 continues.

THE BRIG VS THE DOCTOR

The Brigadier’s decision to blow up the reptile people in 1970’s Doctor Who and the Silurians shocked the Third Doctor. But was Lethbridge-Stewart right to do what he did? Toby Hadoke and Johnny Candon  discuss the pros and cons of the Brig’s most controversial action in A Battle of Wits…

NUNS WITH GUNS!

The Doctor and Amy are shocked to find that the Tardis has been harbouring a terrifying secret in the latest comic strip adventure! And there are more surprises in store in Part Two of Apotheosis, written by Jonathan Morris with art by Dan McDaid…

GAME ON!

The Time Team continues its mission to watch every episode of Doctor Who in order, and visit the year 200,000 - but what will Chris, Emma, Michael and Will make of the Ninth Doctor adventure, The Long Game?

ARE YOU MY MUMMY?

The secret’s out! In an exclusive interview, actor Alex Kingstontalks about the revelation of just who River Song really is - and what the astonishing news means for her character in future episodes of Doctor Who…

IT’S A MIRACLE!

Torchwood, the popular spin-off from Doctor Who, returns to TV in July with a 10-part story, Miracle Day. DWM catches with writer Russell T Davies and stars John Barrowman, Eve Myles and Kai Owen to find out more abut the new series…

SPLENDID CHAP…

An ancient power makes an unexpected return from the depths of the void and discovers a world very different to the one it left some time ago… Whatever you do, don’t miss Production Notes!

WOTCHA, BRIG!

The Watcher dons his eyepatch and reveals some of the surprising lesser-known facts about everyone’s favourite UNIT commander in Wotcha!

PLUS!

All the latest official news, reviews of TV and merchandise reviews, previews, competitions, a prize-winning crossword and much, much more!

Issue 436 of Doctor Who magazine is on sale from tomorraw at all good newsagents until 27th July priced £4.99 per copy.

DOCTOR WHO ADVENTURES - ISSUE 224

The cover and info on the next edition of Doctor Who Adventures magazine:

ATTENTION, DOCTOR WHO ADVENTURES READERS!

You must obey, and read this week's issue… as it's being run by the Daleks! They've taken over and filled the magazine with everything Dalek. There's a guide to all the different Daleks, a fact file about how the Daleks are built, and an interview with the Supreme Dalek himself!

As well as all that, there's a top moment from Victory of the Daleks, posters and puzzles, quizzes and jokes, AAAGH! and a comic strip featuring the previous design-a-monster winner's monster! There's even a free build-your-own Dalek kit with every issue.

Issue 224 of Doctor Who Adventures magazine is on sale from tomorrow at all good newsagents until 6th July priced £2.20 per copy.

RIVER SONG & PANDORICA CHAIR FIGURE SET - COMIC CON EXCLUSIVE

Underground Toys have announced their exclusive Doctor Who toy item for 2011 in collraberation with Character Options:

THE PANDORICA

Legend has it that the Pandorica is a prison, a cage to contain the most feared warrior in the universe. But it is all a lie - the Pandorica is a box created to contain just one person - the Doctor. When his Tardis exploded, all parts of time and space were wiped out, never having existed.

The massed armies of all the Doctor’s foes - Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans and others banded together and created the legends of the Pandorica, and then locked him inside it. But the Pandorica energy was a restorative, it could bring things back to life, and the Doctor piloted the Pandorica into the heart of his exploding Tardis and set off Big Bang 2, rebooting the entire universe.

RIVER SONG

Of all the people who have travelled or will travel with the Doctor, River Song is the most enigmatic of them all.

She always seems to be one step ahead of the Doctor, even when he is in her past. Nobody has been able to figure out how River knows the Doctor so well, although there have been plenty of guesses!

The set is compatable with the Doctor Who Collect N Build Pandorica CD cube case figure wave (the Pandorica CD holders can be placed around the chair piece to get a fully functioning Pandorica) and will be available at the 2011 San Diego Comic Con from Underground Toys booth 3949 and BBC America booth 3629 at a price of $30.00. It is currently unknown if the set will be released in the UK.

TORCHWOOD: MIRACLE DAY - THE NEW WORLD - SYNOPSIS

The BBC Press Office have released the synopsis for the first episode from the highly antipcipated fourth series of Torcwood, titled Miracle Day:

The New World - by Russell T Davies

One day, nobody dies. All across the world, nobody dies. And then the next day, and the next, and the next, people keep ageing - they get hurt and sick, but they never die. The result: a population boom, overnight.

With all the extra people, resources are finite. It’s said that in four month’s time, the human race will cease to be viable. But this can’t be a natural event - someone’s got to be behind it. It’s a race against time as CIA agent Rex Matheson investigates a global conspiracy. The answers lie within an old, secret British institute. As Rex keeps asking: “What is Torchwood?”, he’s drawn into a world of adventure, and a threat to change what it means to be human … for ever.

In the launch episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day, Agent Rex Matheson is impaled in a car crash and miraculously survives, while his analyst, Esther Drummond, sets out to discover what Torchwood is. Far away, in Wales, Gwen Cooper lives in hiding with her husband Rhys and daughter Anwen - she’s the last surviving Torchwood member and is determined to stay hidden. In Kentucky, convicted murderer Oswald Danes survives his own execution. And when Esther meets the mysterious Captain Jack Harkness, assassins are activated to kill them all…

Torchwood: The New World will broadcast in the US on Friday 8th July at 9:00pm/8C on Starz and in the UK on Thursday 14th July at 9:00pm on BBC One and BBC One HD. In other news: More news from the new Doctor Who live show The Crash of the Elysium has emerged, you can read about it here.

Torchwood: Miracle Day - Teaser Trailer

The first UK teaser trailer for Torchwood: Miracle Day has been released and is currently broadcasting on various BBC channels between show breaks. Torchwood: Miracle Day premieres in the US on Friday 9th July at 10:00pm/9C on Starz, while the UK gets the airdate of Thursday 14th at 9:00pm on BBC One and BBC One HD.

Torchwood: The Lost Files - Synopsis

The BBC Press Office have released the synopsis for a new series of Torchwood radio plays, overall titled The Lost Files:

PART 1: The Devin and Miss Carew

When Rhys’s elderly Uncle Bryn has a heart attack while listening to the shipping forecast, it seems like another routine death at Ivyday Nursing Home. But when Rhys and Gwen go to collect the old man’s effects, Gwen’s suspicions are roused by another elderly resident. The conversation is cut short, though, by a fire alarm, one of many consequences of the mysterious power cuts that are sweeping the nation. Gwen has a hunch that something is wrong and her search leads her to Miss Carew, a suspiciously fit and strong octogenarian who, despite having supposedly terminal heart disease, has left Ivyday and gone back to work at the Computer firm she used to run. Miss Carew has been offered a deal by Fitzroy, a wandering alien with an aversion to electricity who is looking for a home. It’s a deal that Miss Carew can’t refuse. But the consequences for planet Earth are unthinkable.

PART 2: Submission

In Ryan Scott’s episode, Torchwood are chasing aliens down the M4, when Jack accidentally blows a hole in the Severn Bridge, and the SUV hits the water. Whilst submerged John, Gwen and Ianto hear a strange noise, which, back at the Hub they realise is a cry for help. They track the cry to its source which turns out to be the deepest part of the Ocean - the Mariana Trench. Ianto rings old Torchwood flame, Carlie Roberts, who’s an expert in marine geology, and Jack pulls strings with the US government to get them all on board the USS Calvin, an Arleigh Burke class destroyer, which is heading for the Trench. From there they board the Octopus Rock, the only submarine built to withstand the pressure at that depth, and follow the signal. But when the Submarine crashes, the team are left at the mercy of a hungry alien.

PART 3: The House of the Dead

The brewery have called ‘time’ and it’s the last night at The House of the Dead - the most haunted pub in Wales. Barry the barman has invited renowned psychic, Mrs Wintergreen, to hold a special seance to mark the occasion, and there’s a big crowd hoping for the chance of seeing their deceased loved ones for one last time. But when Jack arrives on the scene, he’s determined to stop them. Ianto is puzzled by Jack’s behaviour, and Gwen is suspicious. Why is Jack acting so strangely? Then the ghosts start arriving - and all hell breaks loose.

The episodes take place prior to the events of Children of Earth and will broadcast from 11th-13th July daily at 2:15pm on BBC Radio 4. Torchwood returns to TV screens next month in a brand new series titled Miracle Day. In other news: the BBC have today confirmed the UK broadcast date of the premiere of Torchwood: Miracle Day as Thursday, 14th July 2011.

Doctor Who Monster Invasion - Issue 4

The cover and info on this fortnight's edition of Doctor Who Monster Invasion magazine:

IN ISSUE 4...

Vortex Manipulator

Top 10 Plans to Destroy Earth

Kazran Sardick V The Doctor

The Doctors Wife

Where’s the Doctor - Forest of Fear

Shape up

B is for Blathereen 

Plus much more

Issue 4 of Doctor Who Monster Invasion magazine is on sale now at all good newsagents until 5th July priced £2.60 per copy.

Torchwood: Web of Lies Comic Animation - Press Release

BBC Worldwide have released the details for the new upcoming Torchwood comic animation Web of Lies:

BBC Worldwide and Starz announced today the production of an interactive app tied to Torchwood: Miracle Day. The app, titled Torchwood: Web of Lies, will feature 10, three-minute motion comic narratives providing clues to Torchwood: Miracle Day. The app and first motion comic narrative will be available for download on iTunes prior to the premiere of Torchwood: Miracle Day - produced by BBC Worldwide Productions, airing this summer in the UK on BBC One and in the US on Starz. Additional narratives and games will be available for download following each week’s broadcast transmission.

Torchwood: Web of Lies is an episodic interactive experience for iOS that fuses together motion comic and gameplay elements to tell an original and digitally exclusive Torchwood story. Players will participate in a parallel storyline to Torchwood: Miracle Day that includes lead characters Captain Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper - voiced by John Barrowman and Eve Myles.

Torchwood: Web of Lies runs alongside weekly premieres of Torchwood: Miracle Day, providing fans with a way to engage in the world of Torchwood between episodes. It reveals a past day in the lives of Captain Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper - a day they've both forgotten. The events of that day fuel a modern day conspiracy-laced treasure hunt, as Holly Mokri, voiced by Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse, Tru Calling, Buffy The Vampire Slayer), labors to uncover the secrets of Miracle Day. Each week a new episode unlocks, allowing players to access another piece of original motion comic narrative and game which ties into and extends plot developments of the show, as well as providing new twists in its own narrative.

The first narrative and game will be released promotionally and the remaining nine can be purchased inside the app in packs of three, each for 59p. A special bundle for all 10 narratives and game can be purchased for £1.79

Developed by BBC Worldwide Productions and BBC Worldwide Digital Entertainment and Games, Torchwood: Web of Lies is written by Torchwood: Miracle Day writers Jane Espenson and Ryan Scott. The motion comic and app is published by BBC Worldwide, with Double Barrel (Tron: Legacy, Repo Men, Spartacus: Blood and Sand) producing the motion comic and Powerful Robot (Star Wars, Green Lantern, Scooby Doo, Total Drama) producing the app.

Torchwood returns to BBC One in the UK and Starz in the US next month in Miracle Day.

Doctor Who Adventures - Issue 223

The cover and info on the next edition of Doctor Who Adventures magazine:

"What a slimy issue this is! I’d say it’s probably one of the slimiest magazines in the galaxy. I did see a slimier one once on a planet made entirely from slime, but that was less of a magazine and more, well, just some slime, really."

"It certainly didn’t have anything brilliant in it like a design a monster competition, or an Ood scan, or an excellent comic strip all about me!"

"See you next week, when you’ve washed your slimy hands!"

Get ready for gunge in this week's issue of Doctor Who Adventures!
We've rolled up our sleeves and dived in to bring you the show's ten top slime moments and tell you some fantastically gunky jokes. We also go behind the scenes to show you how Demon's Run was designed, scan an Ood, and revisit the top moment where the Jennifer Ganger morphs and attacks everyone!

Plus, we have our usual awesome comic strip, this week with added dinosaurs, plus puzzles, posters and a hilarious edition of AAAGH. We're even giving away a Monster Slime set, and there's a new Design a Monster competition to enter!

This weeks issue comes with a monster slime set including Dalek slime, stickers and a silent sling (a gooey silent face that sticks to anything!)

Also in this issue…

Its Slime Time!

Attack of the Flesh

Tardis Scanner

Making Demon’s Run

Design a new Monster Competition

Dinosaurs in New York

Doctor Doctor

Gunkiest gags 

Plus much more

Issue 223 of Doctor Who Adventures magazine is on sale from tomorrow at all good newsagents until 29th June priced £2.20 per copy.

Doctor Who Character Building: Eleven Doctors Set

Character Options/ Building have revealed the next release from their Doctor Who constructible range; The Eleven Doctors Figure Set. The set contains all current eleven incarnations of the Doctor, some with their own accessories, with display stands. It is on sale from next at all good toystores priced £19.99 per purchase. In other news: Mark Gatiss, the writer for the ninth episode of the to-be-continued sixth series of Doctor Who has confirmed that his episode is titled (hightlight following gap to reveal spoiler) Night Terrors.

Doctor Who: Nano Gun & Recorder Toy

Character Options have revealed yet another edition to their Doctor Who novelty range:

Eleventh Doctor's Nano Gun & Recorder

Record secret messages and play them back using this replica Nano-recorder and save yourself from the Silence!

Features lights, sound effects and a ten second voice recorder.

Requires 2 x AAA Batteries (not included).

The toy is on sale from 28th June at all good toy stores priced £14.99 per purchase.

Doctor Who Adventures - Issue 222

The cover and info on this week's edition of Doctor Who Adventures magazine:

This week's issue of Doctor Who Adventures is packed with monster info!

"Are you missing me yet? I’m missing all of you, but I’ll still be here every week keeping you up-to-date with what’s going on in the Universe."

"In this issue, Find out how there ended up being two of me in our Ganger fact file. Two of me! What a brilliant idea."

"Also, there’s a rather important lesson in how to draw a Silent! That ought to come in very handy, as it’s quite tricky to remember what they look like. Until next week."

Read up on the gruesome Gangers and go behind-the-scenes to see how Jennifer's Ganger make-up was made. There's also a hilarious interview with a Graske, and you can relive on of the top Silent moments!

Plus, you can learn to draw a Silent for yourself (so you don't forget them before Doctor Who comes back later in the year!), see what AAAGH! get up to at Wimbledon, play Dalek-doku as well as other puzzles, and enjoy our usual comic strip! There's even a free Tardis target game!

Also in this issue…

A holiday for the Daleks

Double Trouble

A Silent Attacks!

Dalek Doku

Make a Ganger

Danger Flight

The Almost Quiz 

Plus much more

Issue 222 of Doctor Who Adventures magazine is on sale from today at all good newsagents until 22nd June priced £2.20 per copy.

No Full Series of Doctor Who in 2012

After the recent confirmation of fourteen new episodes of Doctor Who comissioned, BBC One controller Danny Cohen has announced that only a few of those new episodes will debut in 2012, with the rest of the series broadcasting in 2013. Rumours around this story suggest that this has been done so that the Doctor Who team can have time to work on the show's 50th anniversary special - said to have a special showing of episodes running up to the big day, a confirmed episode for 2012 though is the Christmas special.

Doctor Who: Ultimate Sonic Screwdriver Building Set

Character Options have revealed their latest edition to their Doctor Who novelty range:

Ultimate Sonic Screwdriver Building Set

Combine the sections from each of the three Sonic Screwdrivers in different ways to create your own version. With over 80 possible combinations each with light and multiple sound effects this really is the ultimate sonic screwdriver set. Requires 3x L1154 Batteries.

The Ultimate Sonic Screwdriver Building set is on sale from 15th July at all good toy stores priced £19.99 per purchase. In other news: new promo images for the new series of Torchwood, title Miracle Day, have been released - you can view them here.

Doctor Who Adventures - Issue 221

The cover and info on this week's edition of Doctor Who Adventures magazine:

"There’s been a war. A war against me. And its not over."

"But we’ve given Madame Kovarian and her ugly friends one whopping boot up the backside, haven't we, readers?"

"And it turns out the River is Melody Pond! Surprised?"

"You bet i was! I’m really not sure what’s going to happen next - ha, that’s new! Remember time isn’t in a straight line. It’s all bumby - wumpy, but i will grab the Tardis and see you next week!"

In this issue…

Mega Moments

The Rebel Quiz

Tardis Scanner

Into the Tardis

House Hunt

Doctor Doctor

Ganger Alert 

Plus much more

Issue 221 of Doctor Who Adventures magazine is on sale now at all good newsagents until 15th June priced £2.20 per copy.

Doctor Who: The Flesh Goo Pod

Character Options have revealed their latest addition to their Doctor Who range of products:

The Flesh Goo Pod

Have lots of gooey fun with the fantastically slimy Tardis shaped Doctor Who Goo Pod. Filled with lots of slimy goo you will also find random ‘The Flesh’ parts hidden inside for double the fun! 

The Doctor Who Goo Pod is on sale from 21st June at all good toy stores priced £6.99 per purchase.

Torchwood: 2011 Novels - Covers & Info

BBC Books have released the covers and synopsis on three new Torchwood novels:

LONG TIME DEAD - written by Sarah Pinborough, on sale 4th August 2011

Cardiff Bay. The government has ordered the excavation of the wreckage of a secret underground base.

DCI Tom Cutler is watching from a distance, fascinated by the process. There are people in his dreams. People he feels he should know.

The disbanded Torchwood Institute spent a century accumulating non-terrestrial artefacts and catching aliens. Who knows what - or who - might still be intact down there. But by the time they find the first body, Suzie Costello is long gone.

THE MEN WHO SOLD THE WORLD - written by Guy Adams, on sale 18th August 2011

When Oscar Lupe appears 20,000 feet up in the air, his body is frozen solid and free-falling to earth. It shatters on impact. Soon after, a CIA Special Activities Division squad goes rogue with a cargo marked ‘Torchwood’ that they’ve been escorting from somewhere called Cardiff.

A very special shipment the British government is keen to offload at almost any price. The Agency puts Rex Matheson on the case. As the strange deaths pile up, Rex realises there must be experimental tech out there, but someone is obstructing him at every turn – each time he seems to be catching up with the rogue unit, something puts him off the trail. Rex is the CIA’s golden boy - but has he met his match in the evasive Mr Wynter…?

FIRST BORN - written by James Goss, on sale 21st July 2011

Gwen and Rhys are on the run. Rhys was hoping this meant a windswept cottage on a cliff top, but he’s had to settle for a miserable caravan in the isolated village of Rawbone.

With the locals taking an unhealthy interest in their daughter, Gwen and Rhys start to realise that something is very wrong - something with echoes of a life they thought they’d left behind.

As they uncover the village’s terrible past, Gwen discovers that Torchwood will never leave them behind, and now she and Rhys stand alone in defence of the Earth. And the children of Rawbone can only bring her closer to the secret forces that want her out of the way. 

All three books cost £6.99 each. In other news: the BBC have confirmed a seventh series of Doctor Who consisting of 13 regular episodes and one Christmas special will broadcast in 2012 and that Matt Smith will stay on as the Doctor.

Doctor Who: Concludes Tonight!

The first part of the current series of Doctor Who concludes tonight in the mid-series final and continues elsewhere in the world, here's the schedule:

THE ALMOST PEOPLE

US: 9:00pm/8C - BBC America

Australia: 7:30pm - ABC 1

A GOOD MAN GOES TO WAR

UK: 6:40pm - BBC One/ BBC One HD

Canada: 9:00pm/5P - Space

CONFIDENTIAL: THE BORN IDENTITY

UK: 7:30pm - BBC Three/ BBC HD

Doctor Who returns this Autumn to BBC One and BBC HD with the second half of series six.

The Sarah Jane Adventures: Series 5 Episode Titles Revealed

The BBC have revealed the titles for each story of series five of The Sarah Jane Adventures. Highlight the gap below to reveal them, but be aware of spoilers:

5.01/02: Sky - by Phil Ford

5.03/04: The Curse of Clyde Langer - by Phil Ford

5.05/06: The Man Who Wasn't There - by Gareth Roberts

Due to the death of Elisabeth Sladen who played Sarah Jane in the show, the fifth series has been half complete and never to be fully finished. The episodes will broadcast this Autumn on CBBC.

Doctor Who Character Building: Army Building Packs

Character Options have revealed three new sets of collectible Doctor Who Character Building figures:

EXTERMINATE! Dalek Drones

The Daleks were born without any ability to feel compassion or pity and are motivated only by hate, fear and an implacable belief that they are the superior creatures in the Universe. Re-create epic battles with the Eleventh Doctor or build your own army of Daleks! Includes 5 fully articulated Dalek micro-figures.

DELETE! Cybermen

The Cybermen were originally human beings, but gradually they replaced their weak mortal flesh with metal and plastic. In the process they lost their compassion, along with all other emotions. Cybermen seek to 'delete' all who stand in their way, and can electrocute with their touch. Re-create epic battles with the Eleventh Doctor or build your own army of Cybermen. Includes 5 fully articulated Cyberman micro-figures with Doctor Who display base.

DON'T BLINK! Weeping Angels

Possessing a natural and unique defence mechanism, the Angels are quantum locked. This means that they can only move when no other living creature, including their own kind, is looking at them. As soon as they are observed, they instantly turn to stone and cannot be killed. The Angels have the ability to send other beings into the past. This allows the Angels to feed on the potential time energy of what would have been the rest of their victim's lives. Re-create epic battles with the Eleventh Doctor or build your own army of Weeping Angels. Includes 5 fully articulated Weeping Angel micro-figures with Doctor Who display base.

All three sets are on sale from 1st July at all good toy stores priced £9.99 each.

Doctor Who Adventures - Issue 220

The cover and info on the next edition of Doctor Who Adventures magazine:

There are lots of exciting secrets revealed in this week's Doctor Who Adventures!

As well as seeing the Mega Moments from The Almost People, get a sneak peek at what's coming up in this Saturday's thrilling episode, A Good Man Goes to War. Plus, there's an interview with Alex Kingston to discuss her mysterious character, River Song!

As well as all that, read up on some of the old Tardis console designs, find out what happens when AAAGH! visits Eastenders, and enjoy some great puzzles and the comic. There's even a free Time and Space planner with every issue!

Issue 220 of Doctor Who Adventures magazine is on sale from tomorrow at all good newsagents until 7th June priced £2.20 per copy.