Category: Doctor Who (franchise)

Doctor Who: The New Audio Adventures – The Inside Story

The New Audio Adventures - The Inside StoryBig Finish Productiions publishes the hardcover non-fiction book Doctor Who: The New Audio Adventures – The Inside Story by Benjamin Cook, a history of the series of licensed Doctor Who audio plays and audio spinoffs that the company has been producing since 1999; the book is timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Doctor Who. Read more

Doctor Who: Shada (audio drama)

Doctor Who: Real TimeBig Finish Productions releases the one-off audio drama Doctor Who: Shada, which premiered on the BBCi website as an audio series with limited Flash animation. Paul McGann, Lalla Ward, John Leeson, and Andrew Sachs (Fawlty Towers) star. Read more

Long-lost Doctor Who episode recovered

Doctor WhoThe BBC announces that a private collector has returned part two of the mostly-missing twelve-part Doctor Who story, The Daleks’ Master Plan, to its archives. Last seen in late 1965, the episode has been in the possession of the former chief engineer of the competing Yorkshire Television network ever since the early ’70s – when he snatched it from the BBC archives (where he was a trainee at the time) rather than destroying it as ordered. The 25-minute episode, subtitled Day Of Armageddon, is handed over to the Doctor Who Restoration Team, which oversees the preservation and restoration of past episodes for DVD release.

Anthony Ainley, Doctor Who actor, dies

Anthony AinleyAnthony Ainley, the actor who revived the role of the villainous Master in the BBC’s long-running series Doctor Who, dies at the age of 71. Picking up the role originally played by the late Roger Delgado during the Pertwee years, Mr. Ainley first appeared in 1981’s The Keeper Of Traken as the benevolent Consul Tremas, father to series regular Nyssa (Sarah Sutton), whose body was taken over by the Master late in the story. He was born into an acting family and got his first film role at only five years old, though he later studied to be an insurance agent. Finally returning to the family vocation, he appeared in movies such as You Only Live Twice and Inspector Clouseau, and television series ranging from the 1960s police series It’s Dark Outside to Upstairs, Downstairs.

Daleks to be absent from new Who

DalekThe Daleks are out of the running for the ninth Doctor’s adventures, according to the BBC and Doctor Who‘s new producer, Russell T. Davies. Apparently it’s not just a matter of money either – the estate of Terry Nation (the late creator of the Daleks, Blake’s 7 and other classics of British SF TV) wants editorial input into the Daleks’ use in any new stories. But fear, not, Davies says: “We’re disappointed the Daleks won’t be included but we have a number of new and exciting monsters. And I can confirm we have created a new enemy for the Doctor which will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.”

New Doctor Who filming begins

CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTONE IS THE DOCTORFilming begins on the new series of Doctor Who on location in Cardiff, Wales. Christopher Eccleston, the ninth Doctor, has yet to film his first scenes, however – the first week’s scenes focus on Billie Piper as the Doctor’s companion Rose Tyler, as well as an enemy that will be familiar to fans of the classic series in the Jon Pertwee era.Eccleston is expected to report to the set during the second week of shooting. The new series will debut in 2005 on the BBC.

U.N.I.T.: The Coup

Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Silver LiningBig Finish releases a free CD with two audio dramas, one of them a stand-alone Bernice Summerfield adventure and the other a prelude to the upcoming UNIT audio series featuring Nicholas Courtney as the Brigadier, attached to the cover of Doctor Who Magazine issue #351. Both audio stories are later made available on the Big Finish website. Read more