Happy New Year's Eve! - from The Ultimate Doctor Who Site

Another year is nearly done and dusted, as 2014 draws to a close. The main highlights for the year was the eighth series of Doctor Who, which properly introduced Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth incarnation of the last of the Time Lords. Travelling on with Clara Oswald, the pair took on clockwork droids in Victorian London, ventured inside a Dalek, encountered Robin Hood and even broke into the biggest bank in the universe, before coming face to face with an old enemy who planned to raise an army out of the dead. Enjoy your new year celebrations tonight, as 2015 is just around the corner...

Series 9 - Jenna Colemen Confirmed

Steven Moffat has confirmed that Jenna Coleman will continue her role as Clara Oswald for the whole of series nine of Doctor Who, Moffat, Coleman and Peter Capaldi had the following to say:

Steven Moffat confirmed that "Jenna is in all of the next series. There was a certain amount of to-ing and fro-ing. I always think I’m quite good at winding up people on this but Jenna completely outplayed me when she said in an interview ‘I’m not telling you if I’m staying or going because it’s just more exciting’. And it occurred to us all that we don’t start shooting until January so we could actually keep it a secret."

Jenna Coleman said: "It’s wonderful - a whole other series of stories with the Doctor. I couldn’t walk away with the story being unresolved, there’s so much more to do and I think Clara and the Doctor have finally just reached a point where they really understand each other."

Capaldi said: "I think Jenna’s been just fantastic and it’s been such a pleasure to work with her - and especially for me as the new person onto the show, she’s just been fantastic - and so I was so excited and delighted when she finally [agreed to stay]."

Filming for the new series will begin in January and will broadcast in late 2015 on BBC One and BBC One HD.

Merry Christmas! - from The Ultimate Doctor Who Site

It's that time of year again to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and enjoy a day of opening presents, joining family and friends for Christmas dinner, and of course, watching the annual Doctor Who Christmas special, which broadcasts tonight at 6:15pm on BBC One and BBC One HD, read on for the synopsis:

LAST CHRISTMAS - by Steven Moffat
The Doctor and Clara face their last Christmas together! Trapped on an Arctic base under attack from terrifying creatures, who are you going to call? Santa Claus!

The episode will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer soon after broadcast. Doctor Who will return next year with its ninth series, more details coming soon.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Happy Christmas Eve! - from The Ultimate Doctor Who Site

It's December 24th - Christmas Eve, with only one day to go until the big day! So enjoy tonight's pre-celebrations and get ready for Christmas Day and the annual Doctor Who Christmas special, as Last Christmas is to broadcast tomorrow at 6:15pm on BBC One and BBC One HD.

Doctor Who Magazine - The 2015 Yearbook

The cover and details of a special edition of Doctor Who magazine:

The latest special edition of Doctor Who magazine reviews an incredible year for the programme, its spin-offs and licensed merchandise. Highlights include the magazine's first major interview with the show’s executive producer, Brian Minchin, in which he reflects on Peter Capaldi’s first year as the Doctor and looks forward to further adventures with the twelfth Doctor.

Editor Marcus Hearn said: "This is the Doctor Who magazine almanac. We’ve taken a fresh look at every episode from Peter Capaldi’s first series, but we’ve also explored many other corners of the Doctor Who universe. For many fans, the television series is just part of a world that includes DVDs, Blu-rays, books, soundtrack albums, audio dramas and action figures. We’ve tried to reflect the last 12 months in all those different areas."

Also inside the 100 page issue:

• Features on every episode in Peter Capaldi’s first series.
• We speak to the team that accompanied Capaldi and Jenna Coleman on the Doctor Who World Tour.
• Fourth Doctor Tom Baker discusses his return to television and audio Doctor Who.
• Eighth Doctor Paul McGann reveals what he thinks about Capaldi’s Doctor.
• Orchestrator and conductor Ben Foster previews the 2015 Symphonic Spectacular.
• Inside the new ‘making of’ show, Doctor Who Extra.
• Behind the scenes at the new Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff.
• Interviews with some of the key players behind recent books, soundtracks, audio dramas, DVDs, Blu-rays and action figures.
• Highlights from the year’s newspaper and magazine reviews of Doctor Who.
• A round up of Doctor Who’s awards and honours from the last 12 months.
• Detailed tributes to the Doctor Who luminaries who passed away in 2014.
• ...and much more!

Doctor Who Magazine: The 2015 Yearbook is on sale from tomorrow at all good newsagents priced £5.99 per copy. In other news: the title of the first episode of series nine of Doctor Who has recently been revealed as The Magician's Apprentice.

Last Christmas - New Clip

The BBC have released  a new clip from the upcoming 2014 Doctor Who Christmas special - Last Christmas - you can watch it above. Doctor Who: Last Christmas will broadcast Christmas Day at 6:15pm on BBC One and BBC One HD.

Last Christmas - New Trailer

The TV trailer for the 2014 Doctor Who Christmas special - Last Christmas - is currently broadcasting in between programmes on various BBC channels, you can watch it above. Doctor Who:  Last Christmas will broadcast Christmas Day at 6:15pm on BBC One and BBC One HD.

Doctor Who Magazine - Issue 481

The cover and details of the current edition of Doctor Who magazine:

LAST CHRISTMAS IS PREVIEWED IN THE BUMPER 100-PAGE DWM 481!

Head writer Steven Moffat unwraps this year’s Christmas Special, Last Christmas, and gives Doctor Who magazine the lowdown on the Doctor’s face-off with Santa…

"I think I’m being pretty open that it’s Santa meets Alien meets The Thing from Another World meets Miracle on 34th Street," Steven laughs. "It’s a weird mash up! There’s a base under siege, there are scary monsters. It’s one of the scariest Christmas Specials we’ve made, actually…"

ALSO INSIDE THIS GIANT CHRISTMAS-SIZED ISSUE…

• DWM talks exclusively to Santa himself, Nick Frost, along with his elf helpers, the Wolf and Ian, played by Nathan McMullen and Dan Starkey. Meanwhile, Michael Troughton, who plays Professor Albert, talks about making his television Doctor Who début, and his close family connection to the series.
• Rachel Talalay, director of this year’s phenomenal two-part finale, Dark Water and Death in Heaven, talks to DWM about the challenges of bringing this masterful Cyber-story to our screens.
• DWM comic strip artist Mike Collins goes back to the drawing board and reveals all about his new role as a storyboard artist for the latest television series of Doctor Who.
• Former showrunner Russell T Davies reveals new facts about 2007’s Voyage of the Damned in The Fact of Fiction!
• 2014 gave us a new series and a fantastic new Doctor, and DWM looks over the past 12 months with the Review of 2014!
• The first part of a brand-new comic strip for the Twelfth Doctor and Clara as they embark on a wartime desert adventure in The Instruments of War, written and illustrated by Mike Collins.
• The intrepid Time Team passes comment on 2008’s festive Cyber-Special The Next Doctor.
• It may be Christmas, but Steven Moffat still has time to answer readers’ questions in his exclusive column.
• Jaqueline Rayner compiles her Christmas wish-list for Relative Dimensions.
• The Watcher presents his annual Fiendishly Festive Christmas Quiz!
• Have your say on Peter Capaldi’s first series as the Doctor in the DWM Season Survey.
• Dark Water and Death in Heaven are put under the spotlight in The DWM Review.
• The Watcher goes back to the early days of Doctor Who merchandise in Wotcha!
• The DWM Crossword, competitions, and much more!

Issue 481 of Doctor Who magazine is on sale from today at all good newsagents until 7th January 2015 priced £5.99 per copy.

BBC Theme Park Featuring Doctor Who to Open!

BBC Worldwide have announced plans to construct a £2 billion theme park and holiday resort in Kent, UK in 2020, read on for further details:

The attractions are planned to include the broadcaster’s most popular shows including Doctor Who, Sherlock and Top Gear.

Stephen Davies, director of live events at BBC Worldwide, said: "We’re always looking for opportunities to extend fans’ enjoyment of their favourite shows and the idea behind the resort is a really exciting way of celebrating the very special place the BBC has in British culture."

David Testa, director of London Resort Company Holdings (LRCH), said: "We are delighted to bring the world’s leading public service broadcaster on board this project."

"The BBC has played an instrumental role in shaping the British entertainment industry for nearly a century, creating some of the most iconic and cherished characters on TV and radio."

"It seems only right therefore that its programmes will be present at the new London Paramount Entertainment Resort, which will combine the glamour of Hollywood with the best of British culture."

Further details, including what kinds of rides and featured would be constructed, are to be confirmed.

Doctor Who Adventures - Issue 359

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

Jenna Coleman tells Doctor Who Adventures magazine what she thinks the Doctor would get Clara for Christmas...
Inside the magazine you’ll find the first pictures from the Christmas episode plus we’ve got an exclusive interview with actress Jenna Coleman who talks about the upcoming episode.

"It’s about what’s real and what isn’t and about dreams," she says. "And Father Christmas is in it - with elves! It’s not your traditional Christmas but there are definitely some traditional elements in there."

Jenna also tells us what she likes about Christmas Day, the first Christmas she remembers and what present she thinks the Doctor would get her. "A mask - because he’s always commenting how she looks tired. A mask with his own face on it probably!"

The issue comes with a free monster kit, which includes four brilliant characters to build.

ALSO:

• 25 awesome facts for every day until Christmas.
• What would the Doctor’s enemies get him for Christmas?
• A seasonal adventure for the Doctor and Clara in an exciting comic strip.
• Race Against Time with a cool board game.
• Cut out a scary Snowman mask!
• Read a guide to Christmas monster invasions.
• Make Monster gift tags for your presents.
• Read a festive behind-the-scenes feature.
• Mega prize page, puzzles and four posters - including a stunning image from the Christmas special. 
• You can win The Complete David Tennant Years and loads of Doctor Who books, too.

Issue 359 of Doctor Who Adventures magazine is on sale now at all good newsagents until 30th December priced £3.99 per copy.

Radio Times - New Doctor Who-Themed Cover

Doctor Who as once again made it onto the cover of the latest edition of Radio Times magazine - this time promoting the upcoming 2014 Christmas special Last Christmas. Read on for further details:

Doctor Who has previously featured such concepts as killer mannequins, flying sharks and the revelation that the moon is, in fact, a giant egg. Yet even by the sci-fi show's standards, the Doctor coming face-to-face with Santa Claus, and some Alien-like monsters, in the Christmas special is a bit out there.

Fortunately, showrunner Steven Moffat is more than aware of the apparent absurdity, and has assured fans in the latest issue of Radio Times that he hasn't, "completely lose my marbles here."

"I sense that the very people who think they might hate this," he says, "won't hate it at all. Of all the Christmas specials I've done, it's the one most like the paradigm Doctor Who episode."

Last Christmas, which features guest star Nick Frost as Santa himself, will continue from his surprise cameo in the finale of series eight, placing him in a story about a group of scientists that are beset by monsters at the North Pole. 

"It does look like the most insane moment when Santa turns up [at the end of Death in Heaven," continues Moffat, "but we haven't gone off our rockers. No, Santa is written in properly, in a science fiction way, into Doctor Who."

He also adds that while the episode does bundle up its festive content in a "big lump of goodness," the rest of the special is, "actually a scary, tense and claustrophobic adventure. It's The Thing meets Miracle on 34th Street - the movie we've all been waiting for. It's certainly the strangest bloody thing I've ever written."

Elsewhere in the interview, Moffat talks about how he came to cast Nick Frost ("how perfect is his name!"), whether the Master is really dead ("she's entirely unzappable!") and the biggest challenge that the show faced after the casting of Peter Capaldi's older Twelfth Doctor.

"[The big challenge] was people freaking out in America about casting an older Doctor because it's simply not part of their tradition. It isn't here either anymore. But there was an increase in ratings, so hooray for the stern older man. We've been thrilled by it." 

This issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale from today at all good newsagents priced £1.99 per copy.

Action Figures - Wave 3B

Character Options have revealed their next assortment of Doctor Who 3.75" action figures, read on for further details:

A great gift for fans of any age, these highly detailed, realistic and poseable action figures include some iconic characters from the hit TV show Doctor Who.

Re-enact scenes from your favourite storylines or simply create your own adventures across space and time. Battle against some famous foes like the supreme beings that are the Daleks and the Skovox Blitzer, which are also included in this exciting collection of Doctor Who 3.75" action figures.

WAVE 3B INCLUDES:
Tenth Doctor in Blue Suit (with Sonic Screwdriver)
Tenth Doctor in Blue Suit & Long Coat (with Sonic Screwdriver)
Eleventh Doctor in Green Coat (with Sonic Screwdriver)
Twelfth Doctor (with Sonic Screwdriver)
Amy Pond in Brown Jacket
Skovok Blitzer
Gold Supreme Dalek
Dalek with Mutant Scoop

Each character has its own red Doctor Who display base (Dalek action figures do not include display base). 

The wave is on sale from 31st January 2015 at all good toy stores priced £6.99 each. In other news: The BBC have confirmed that the 2014 Doctor Who Christmas special Last Christmas will broadcast on Christmas Day at 6:15pm on BBC One and BBC One HD.