Series 8 - Michelle Gomez to Guest Star

The BBC have revealed another guest star that will feature in the next series of Doctor Who, read on for further details:

Michelle Gomez (Bad Education, Green Wing) will join the cast of Doctor Who playing the Gatekeeper of the Nethersphere when the series returns on 23rd August. 

Speaking about the role, Michelle Gomez said: "Well of course Peter Capaldi is our next Doctor, which makes complete sense. I'm thrilled to join him. Well, you would be, wouldn't you?" 

Lead writer and executive producer, Steven Moffat, added: “I've known Michelle for years, and I'm thrilled to welcome her to Doctor Who. She's everything we need - brilliant, Scottish, and a tiny bit satanic.” 

Filming is well underway for Series 8 of Doctor Who. Guest stars confirmed to join Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman in the new series, which will air on BBC One this Autumn include Frank Skinner, Ben Miller, Tom Riley, Keeley Hawes and Hermione Norris.

Recent filming in Cardiff has also confirmed that the Cybermen, UNIT, Kate Stewart and Osgood from the 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor are to return in the new series. Doctor Who returns on Saturday 23rd August on BBC One and BBC One HD.

Official Doctor Who 2015 Annual - Cover & Details

BBC Books have revealed the cover and details of the official Doctor Who annual for 2015, read on for further details:

The official 2015 Doctor Who annual is packed with essential info on the brand-new Twelfth Doctor, secrets from series eight, terrifying monster fact files, spooky stories, comic action, activities and puzzles.

It’s the perfect Christmas gift for all Whovians!

The official 2015 Doctor Who annual is on sale from 25th September at all good book stores priced £7.99 per copy.

Series 8 - Premiere Details

The BBC have confirmed that the new series of Doctor Who will commence on Saturday 23rd August! They have also announced the title of the first episode as:

DEEP BREATH

A new teaser trailer has also been released which you can watch below. After, read on for further details:

The BBC has today confirmed the much-anticipated eighth series of the hit sci-fi drama Doctor Who will land on BBC One on Saturday 23rd August, 2014.

The feature-length premiere episode entitled Deep Breath will see Peter Capaldi take on one of TV’s most iconic roles as the Twelfth Doctor, alongside Jenna Coleman as his companion Clara.

An exclusive 15-second TV teaser showing a first-look glimpse of the new Doctor and Clara aired this evening on BBC One at 8:00pm confirming the date, and can be seen above.

Doctor Who: Deep Breath will broadcast Saturday 23rd August on BBC One and BBC One HD, a time is yet to be confirmed.

Doctor Who Magazine - Issue 475

The cover and details of this month's edition of Doctor Who magazine:

Vastra, Jenny and Strax all take centre stage in the new issue of Doctor Who magazine
Inside this months issue is an exclusive interview to the actors who have brought the paternoster gang to life: Neve Mcintosh, Catrin Stewart and Dan Starkey.

"It’s crazy, how everyone knows where we’re going to be filming, when we were doing Peter Capaldi’s first one, we went out nice and early in the morning, and there was one person there. And then you turned around and suddenly there was a whole load of people."

Also in this issue: 

• The magazine pays tribute to the life and times of the Kate O'Mara, the actress who played the Rani during the 1980s.
• Former script editor Andrew Cartmel talks to the writers he employed on doctor who's silver anniversary season back in 1988: Ben Aaronovitch, Graeme Curry and Stephen Wyatt.
• Terrance Dicks - script editor, writer and novelist supreme - talks about his work on Doctor Who in the 60s and 70s.
• Showrunner Steven Moffat answers readers’ questions in his regular column.
• The Fact of Fiction takes a detailed look at the 1977 fourth doctor adventure, The Talons of Weng-Chiang.
• The Crystal Throne ­- a brand new comic strip adventure starring Vastra, Jenny and Strax.
• The Time Team watch the Tenth Doctor and Donna meet Agatha Christie in 2008's The Unicorn and the Wasp.
• Jacqueline Rayner and her family take a trip to see a new police box in relative dimensions.
• The watcher poses more questions and reveals dubious secrets from the archives in wotcha.
• Reviews and previews of the latest cds and books.
• The DWM crossword and prize-winning competitions.

Issue 475 of Doctor Who magazine is on sale from today at all good newsagent until 23rd July priced £4.99 per copy. In other news: BBC America have confirmed that there will be no Doctor Who panel at the San-Diego Comic Con this year.

Doctor Who Adventures - Issue 348

The cover and details of this fortnight's edition of Doctor Who Adventures magazine:

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST SCARE IN DOCTOR WHO?
The latest issue of Doctor Who Adventures magazine is out now and this time the magazine takes a look at the biggest and scariest scares in Doctor Who. The team has uncovered the grossest and yuckiest things from the series - and they want to see if readers agree with their Top 10 choice. The magazine also comes with a cool stationery set featuring the Alien Babies.

Plus there's:

• A guide to the Eleventh Doctor’s episodes.
• Fact file about the Alien Babies.
• Essential cut-out-and-keep Dalek info.
• Make a Vortex Manipulator.
• Strax’s Guide to Ood.
• Danger and surprises for the Doctor and Clara in the comic strip - and watch the story come alive with the free app Blippar.
• Fantastic posters!
• Win a bike, Pokémon goodies and an iPad!
• Plus puzzles and loads of the usual monster fun…

Issue 348 of Doctor Who Adventures magazine is on sale now at all good newsagents until 1st July priced £2.99 per copy. In other news: SFX magazine have revealed that in their poll of Greatest Sci-Fi Moments, the farewell scene between the Tenth Doctor and Rose in Doomsday from series two has come out as number one!

New Action Figures & Playsets

Character Options and Underground Toys have announced the releases of a dozen new Doctor Who action figures and sets, the majority of which fit into their 5" figure range, read on for further details:

THE TIME OF THE DOCTOR REGENERATION SET
Orbiting a quiet backwater planet, the massed forces of the universe’s deadliest species gather, drawn to a mysterious message that echoes out to the stars. When the signal is finally revealed as the Time Lords waiting to enter into the Universe once more, the Doctor sees no choice to to defend the planet from the massed forces of his enemies. Presented here is the eleventh Doctor in his iconic final long frock coat. The set is presented in a Tardis inspired gift box with opening front panels.

Accessories
Swappable Young & Aged Eleventh Doctor & Twelfth Doctor Heads
2 Swappable Waistcoat Pieces
Sonic Screwdriver
Walking Cane
Handles

The Time of the Doctor Regeneration set is on sale from 30th October exclusively at Forbidden Planet stores priced £29.99 per purchase.

ASYLUM OF THE DALEKS FIGURE SET
Exterminate! Go on an adventure to a place even the Daleks fear to enter, the Dalek Asylum! Doctor Who fans and collectors alike will love this 5" Dalek Asylum Set. This exclusive set features the Paradigm Drone, Supreme Dalek and the Sound FX Bronze Dalek.

The Daleks were created by the Kaled scientist, Davros as travel machines. He had deduced that the years of radiation and chemical poisoning from an ongoing war would lead his race to mutate into immobile organisms. With their ability to feel pity or compassion removed, they became to view themselves as the supreme race of the universe and set out to conquer it! Only one person can stop them - the Doctor! 

The Asylum of the Daleks figure set is on sale from early October exclusively at Toys R Us stores priced £29.99 per purchase.

SILVER NEMESIS ACE
Ace, companion to the Seventh Doctor from the 1988 story Silver Nemesis, is represented in here in her iconic black jacket with sleeves rolled up, signature ponytail hair, and comes with Boombox portable radio cassette and “Ace” framed portrait. The figure has removable/ replaceable outer jacket with alternate T-shirt arms to display the jacket on or off.

Accessories
Removable Jacket
Swappable Jacket & T-Shirt Arms
Boombox Radio Cassette
'Ace' Framed Portrait

The Ace figure is on sale from 30th September exclusively at Forbidden Planet stores priced £19.99 per purchase.

SERIES 4, 5 & 6 FIGURE SETS
Three assorted sets featuring figures from Series 4, 5 and 6.

Series 4
Professor River Song (with Future Sonic Screwdriver & Squareness Blaster)
The Narrator / Time Lord President (with Staff)
Donna Noble

Series 5
Prisoner Zero
Eleventh Doctor in Raggedy Clothes
Rory Williams

Series 6
Corroded Cyberman (with Face Damage)
Eleventh Doctor in Stetson (with Sonic Screwdriver)
Silent with Open Mouth

All three figure sets are on sale from mid-August exclusively at B&M stores priced £12.99 each.

DALEK PATROL SHIP & PILOT
Exterminate!  Exterminate!  EXTERMINATE!  This highly detailed deluxe Dalek battle vehicle features a real working cannon; lock onto your target press the button and fire! Also includes pop-off armoured flight panels and an exclusive 3.75-inch Dalek action figure.

In the midst of the Time War, the Daleks surround the planet Gallifrey with their saucer ships and battle hardened Patrol Ships pummelling the surface. The War Doctor - an hitherto - unknown “hidden” incarnation of the Doctor, decides to trigger an ancient weapon of mass destruction called “The Moment”, which will destroy both the Time Lord and the Dalek races completely.

The Eleventh Doctor advises of plans to place Gallifrey in stasis and hide it outside of regular time and space. As the Daleks surround the planet ready to obliterate it, the three Doctors reveal they have recruited their past selves, and as well as a future incarnation, the planet is dematerialised to safety as the Daleks annihilate themselves in their own crossfire.

The Dalek Patrol Ship playset is on sale from 30th July at all good toystores priced £19.99 per purchase.

Julie Gardner & John Barrowman Awarded MBEs

Former excutieve producer of Doctor Who Julie Gardner and John Barrowman who played Captain Jack Harkness have both been awarded MBEs by Her Majesty the Queen, read on for further details:

As we reported over the weekend, one of Doctor Who’s former executive producers, Julie Gardner and John Barrowman (Captain Jack in Doctor Who and Torchwood) have both been awarded MBEs in the 2014 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Julie said she was honoured by the award and commented, "I have filmed all over the world. But the talent, stamina and sheer fun of the writers, cast and crews I’ve worked with in Wales is beyond compare. I am lucky; I get to keep this award. But I am accepting it for all those brilliant people who have made my job such an absolute joy, and for my dad who will be the talk of Glynneath. My proudest achievement has been to successfully bring Doctor Who to Wales. From there, through Torchwood, Casualty and Da Vinci's Demons, Wales' position in the global television industry goes from strength to strength. I am hugely proud to have been a part of that journey and will work hard so that this is just the beginning."

John said, "I can’t tell you how honoured I am to get this MBE, to be recognised by Her Majesty and also by the United Kingdom because that’s where I can consider my home." He added, "I am chuffed… thank you very much, everybody! And to the fans: this is also for you guys. It’s amazing! Thank you!"

The awards were handed out during the Queen's Birthday Honours last week.

Doctor Who Experience - Walk-Through to be Reconstructed

The walk-through feature from the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff is to undergo construction after the Summer and will be refreshed with a new style, read on for further details:

Doctor Who Experience Regenerates - Last Chance to Rescue the Eleventh Doctor from the Pandorica

As with the Doctor himself, regeneration at the Doctor Who Experience is inevitable. From the 1st September, 2014, visitors to the attraction in Cardiff Bay will no longer have the opportunity to rescue the Eleventh Doctor - played by Matt Smith - from the Pandorica, as the existing storyline in the immersive adventure of the Doctor Who Experience is to be refreshed. More details will be announced about the updated storyline later this year.

Fans wishing to take part in the current adventure - flying the Tardis with the Eleventh Doctor and facing some of his most famous foes in the process.

The entire Experience including the free-flow exhibition will then close on the 1st September for approximately six weeks with the aim of re-opening in time for the school holidays at the end of October. When the attraction re-opens it will also welcome props from Doctor Who series eight, the highly anticipated debut series of the Twelfth Doctor played by Peter Capaldi.

As in previous years to celebrate the start of summer the Doctor Who Experience reopens the popular walking tours of Cardiff Bay, starting tomorrow (14th June). The tours will run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday between tomorrow and 20th July, and more regularly throughout the summer holidays. Check the website for availability.

Tickets for the Doctor Who Experience featuring your last chance to fly the Tardis with the Eleventh Doctor can still be booked up until the 1st September here at the Doctor Who Experience website. In other news: New Doctor Peter Capaldi has received an award from the first Royal Television Scotland Awards for his work as an actor, writer and director.

The Essential Doctor Who - The Tardis

Panini, publishers of Doctor Who magazine, have released details of the second edition of their new Essential Doctor Who magazine series, read on for further details:

Panini’s new series of Doctor Who bookazines continues with an issue dedicated to the Tardis. The Essential Doctor Who: The Tardis is a lavish 116-page guide featuring details of every major Tardis story.

There are exclusive new interviews with scriptwriters Steve Thompson (Journey to the Centre of the Tardis) and Christopher H Bidmead (Logopolis, Castrovalva, Frontios), guest star Suranne Jones (Idris in The Doctor’s Wife), the show’s current production designer Michael Pickwoad and the Radiophonic Workshop’s Brian Hodgson, Dick Mills and Mark Ayres. The publication also includes articles on Tardis collectables, a history of the original police boxes by a retired superintendent, maps of the ship’s interior and a three-part guide on how to operate the console.

"The Tardis is an essential part of Doctor Who, so we had to feature it in this series of bookazines," says editor Marcus Hearn. "We’ve taken a fresh look at one of the show’s most familiar icons, and I’m pleased that we’ve been able to include so much previously unpublished material."

The Essential Doctor Who: The Tardis is on sale now at all good newsagents priced £9.99 per copy. In other news: Doctor Who has won yet two more awards;  the 2014 Rockie Award for Best Science Fiction and Action programme and one from the Best Scripted category.

Series 8 - to be Promoted in Worldwide Tour

The cast and crew Doctor Who are to voyage on a world tour in preparation for the new series, read on for further details:

Following on from the huge success of The Day of The Doctor, the 50th anniversary special that was watched by over 12 million viewers across BBC One and BBC iPlayer, anticipation is building for the arrival of the new Doctor, Peter Capaldi, who will touchdown in the Tardis this August on BBC One.

Fans in the United Kingdom will have a chance to see Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman in exclusive events in Cardiff and London on the 7th August before they jet off on a world tour to promote the show.

Peter Capaldi, speaking ahead of the tour said: "It’s fantastic that so many people across the world love Doctor Who. After 8 months solid filming deep in the world of monsters, Jenna and I are thrilled to be heading for the Planet of Fans."

Executive producer and lead writer Steven Moffat added: "I’ve always thought we'd all be a lot safer if the Doctor conquered the world, instead of the Daleks. Now with Jenna and Peter leading the charge, it looks like it's going to happen. I'll be bringing up the rear to handle the exposition scenes, and maybe carry some bags."

Rhodri Talfan Davies, director of BBC Cymru Wales said: "Where better to start the World Tour than the Doctor's home for the last decade? The sight of the Tardis and marauding aliens is now a familiar part of Welsh life - though they still scare the life out of the traffic wardens. There is a real sense of excitement and anticipation about the new series – and I know Peter and Jenna are going to be a breath-taking new team. Roll on August!"

Filming for the eighth series of Doctor Who is still progressing and will premier this August on BBC One and BBC One HD.

Doctor Who Experience - Walking Tours Return

The Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff are bringing back their Walking Tours for the summer holidays, read on for further details:

The popular Doctor Who Walking Tours are back!
Operating every Friday/Saturday/Sunday from Saturday 14th June 2014 until Sunday 20th July 2014, let our expert tour guides take you on a journey back through time where you get to see and Experience the very locations where Doctor Who was filmed in Cardiff!

Created by Doctor Who novelist Gary Russell, this amazing opportunity allows you to get even closer to your favourite show this summer.

Lasting up to an hour, the official tours will visit over thirty-one locations featured in the filming of the show, including: the building where the Weeping Angels watched Sally Sparrow and the Police Station in the Blink episode; the American diner River Song, Amy and Rory met the Doctor inside within The Impossible Astronaut episode, and the Wales Millennium Centre, where episodes including: The Girl Who Waited, The Sound of Drums, and Vincent and the Doctor were all filmed.

Tickets for the tour will be on sale from 11th June at 12:00pm, while students can get a 20% discount from the Doctor Who Experience. Prices are still to be confirmed.

50th Anniversary - 10th Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver Toy

Character Options have revealed details on an exclusive edition of the toy of the Tenth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver from the 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor, read on for more details:

New version of the Tenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver from the 50th anniversary special, presented in a foil embellished gift pack.

This special set makes a handsome companion piece to 'The Other Doctor action figure' and 'Other Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver' also from the 50th.

The toy is on sale from 4th July at all good toystores priced £10.99 per purchase.

Doctor Who Adventures - Issue 347

The cover and details of this fortnight's edition of Doctor Who Adventures magazine:

The latest issue of Doctor Who Adventures magazine is out now and comes with a free glow-in-the-dark Slitheen. 

Inside the magazine there’s a Top 10 of Cyber scares - readers can relive their most shocking moments in Doctor Who so far. Dalek fans can find out their secrets in The Dalek Files - and there’s a chance to win a Talking Plush Dalek, too.

Also, there's:

• Alien Babies comic fun.
• An interview with the Doctor’s Cyberhead friend Handles.
• Strax’s Guide to Davros.
• Behind-the-scenes info from Series 7.
• More trouble for the Eleventh Doctor and Clara in the comic strip.
• Posters - including one of the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctor.
• Plus puzzles and loads of monster fun…

Issue 347 of Doctor Who Adventures is on sale now at all good newsagent until 17th June priced £2.99 per copy.

2 New 2015 Calendars

DayDream have revealed two new Doctor Who calendars for 2015, read on for further details:

16-Month Calendar - priced £10.61
Featuring images of the 10th, 11th, and now the new 12th Doctor! Spend the year with the Doctor, his companions, and enemies with this 2015 calendar. Calendar features a full-sized planning grid and is printed on a glossy paper stock suitable for pen and pencil note taking. 12″ wide x 11″ tall when closed and 12″ wide x 22″ tall when open.

Special Edition Calendar - priced £12.74
This calendar follows the Doctors in chronological order from the first to the introduction of the twelfth. A true collector’s edition! Calendar features reference grids and is printed on a linen textured paper stock. This spiral-bound calendar is 13″ wide x 15″ tall.

Both calendars are on sale from next month at all good novelty stores.