Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 14, first released as a limited edition on Blu-ray in May 2020, is being re-released in the UK by BBC Studios on 27th July 2020 due to unprecedented demand

All content, extras and artwork will remain the same as the 1st edition.

The original edition sold out with copies selling for over £150 on Amazon.

The re-release can be ordered on Amazon from Friday 12th June.

The Blu-ray is released in Australia on 15 July and in the United States on 4 August

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The first full-cast, full-length Doctor Who audio drama to have been recorded entirely during lockdown will be released on 12 May.

Tom Baker, Louise Jameson and John Leeson star in Doctor Who: Shadow of the Sun, a Fourth Doctor mystery adventure written by Rob Valentine.

This is the first full-cast Doctor Who audio drama to have been produced using Big Finish’s remote recording techniques, and it boasts among its guest cast Fenella Woolgar (Inside Number 9, Call the Midwife) as a terminally bored socialite, Lady Malina Rigel-Smythe. She is one of many passengers onboard a luxury liner with a difference.

Doctor Who: Shadow of the Sun is now available to pre-order exclusively at the Big Finish website, from just £8.99.

After an accident, the TARDIS lands on a luxury star-liner. Leaving their ship to repair itself, the Doctor, Leela and K9 find themselves facing a great terror: mingling at a cocktail party.

Something seems awry behind the pleasantries however. Guests are going missing, and equipment is breaking down. When the Doctor investigates further he discovers that the star-liner is literally on course for disaster.

But no-one seems surprised by this information, still less troubled. What’s going on? And can the Doctor and his friends save everyone... when nobody wants to be saved?

Director Nicholas Briggs said

In Shadow of the Sun, we have a great, well-made script by Rob Valentine. A lovely slice of science fantasy. It has a great central idea and a cast of superb characters. At its core, there’s a fanatical belief in something that is patent nonsense, but the Doctor, Leela and K9 find themselves to be the only people who know the truth. That’s a great set-up!

And it also has a flavour of the often talked about ‘base under siege’ setting, which adds appealing claustrophobia to the storytelling. It makes the situation more extreme and therefore more of an exciting ride for the audience.

Writer Robert Valentine added

This is a story inspired by the modern trend of giving the same value to opinion as fact – including everything from climate change denial to the anti-vaccination movement – but specifically the recent (and ultimately fatal) rocket launch experiments intended to prove that the Earth is flat. The Doctor is about to find himself in a situation where the true enemy is pseudo-scientific hubris, and for once it might be an enemy he hasn't the tools to overcome.

Doctor Who: Shadow of the Sun is now available to pre-order exclusively at the Big Finish website, as a collector’s edition CD (priced at £10.99) or digital download (price at £8.99).

Please note that Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mailout of collector’s edition CDs will be delayed, but all purchases of this release unlock a digital copy that can be immediately downloaded or played on the Big Finish app from the release date.

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Big Finish have announced details about their forthcoming Lost Stories release, Return of the Cybermen, due to be released in January 2021.

The unmade story was written by Gerry Davis for the Fourth Doctor's first season, but after heavy rewriting by script editor Robert Holmes it eventually transformed into the broadcast story Revenge of the Cybermen. Now realised in its original form, the story will star Tom Baker reprise his role as the Fourth Doctor, with his faithful companions Sarah and Harry.

With both actors sadly no longer with us, the characters needed to be recast. The role of Sarah will be played by Elisabeth Sladen's own daughter Sadie Miller, who observed:

When Big Finish asked me to play Sarah Jane for this story, I was very nervous. I didn’t want to create a performance from someone else’s.

So I tried to approach it as I would with any other role. I’ve tried to find my own piece of Sarah - the part of my mum that’s in me. But I have had a quick look on YouTube for Sarah Jane Smith screams, because I wasn’t quite sure how she would want me to do those. Other than that I just tried to keep it as separate in my mind as possible from the original.

The fans of Doctor Who have always been so kind and generous to me and to my family. It was always a part of my life growing up, I was never not aware of it. People have always been very kind in letting us come along for the ride really, through conventions and now things like Big Finish and, after mum passed away, the outpouring of love for her has been lovely.

Senior Producer, David Richardson added:

How do you recast Sarah Jane Smith? Would you even want to? Those were the questions that bothered us - we love the character. We loved Lis Sladen. We worried it might be too soon and too difficult to go there. But then we realised that part of Lis lives on in Sadie, and Sadie has beautifully brought that to the role of Sarah - we all approached this carefully, and respectfully, and with love and I couldn’t be happier with Sadie’s performance. She’s done her mum proud.

The third of the trio, Harry, is played by Christopher Naylor; David continued:

Tom has actually worked many times before with Christopher Naylor, who’s played guest roles throughout different series of the Fourth Doctor Adventures. Chris is a very versatile actor, so we can cast him in so many things. But, we realised, he’s also the perfect Harry. Again, it’s very hard to follow Ian Marter, but Chris has managed to do that and Tom was full of praise for what both Sadie and Chris have done. I wonder where they could pop up next?”

Speaking on how the production came about David said:

I’d known of Return of the Cybermen for many years, but it was only relatively recently that I was able to source Gerry Davis’s script thanks to some great detective work by archivist Richard Bignell! John Dorney’s adaptation stays true to the original script and the era, though there have been some very minor changes to bring it in line with the kind of amends we believe Robert Holmes would have asked for. Little things that make it sit comfortably in season 12.

It’s rather different in tone to Revenge of the Cybermen - darker, scarier and more reminiscent of claustrophobic 1960s Cybermen tales like The Moonbase and The Invasion.

Director Nicholas Briggs added:

It was interesting working with Tom on this, because he noticed the difference in style immediately. This is Doctor Who as Gerry Davis imagined it in 1974, and it’s very much like he wrote Doctor Who in the mid-1960s. So the script didn’t quite have the same levels of emotional sophistication and wit that was present either in what Robert Holmes eventually crafted into Revenge of the Cybermen, or certainly the more recent Fourth Doctor Adventures we’ve made on audio.

I imagined what it would have been like, back in the day, if Tom had been presented with this script to rehearse and record. If you look at the script book of the first Tom Baker season, you can see masses of line changes that were added by the cast or director during rehearsals and shooting in all those stories. Some of them are the best, most memorable moments, so I reasoned that it would be a faithful process to take on board Tom’s suggestions for this production of Return of the Cybermen.

We had loads of fun, as usual, with Tom finding it particularly amusing when I was directing him with a Cyberman voice effect. At one point, he asked, 'Is he talking to me?' which made us all laugh out loud!

Return of the Cybermen: Teaser Trailer

Doctor Who: Return of the Cybermen is now available for pre-order as a collector’s edition 2-disc box set or download from the Big Finish website. Big Finish listeners can also save money by pre-ordering a bundle of forthcoming adventures from The Lost Stories range, including both Return of the Cybermen and The Doomsday Contract.

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BBC Studios have announced that Season 14 will be the next instalment in the DOCTOR WHO: THE COLLECTION Blu-ray range, now available to pre-order from Amazon:

Doctor Who fans will be delighted to hear that BBC Studios is releasing Season 14 on Blu-Ray. Tom Baker’s third series as the Doctor will debut on Monday 20th April, and is available to pre-order now.

Doctor Who – The Collection: Season 14:

• THE MASQUE OF MANDRAGORA
• THE HAND OF FEAR
• THE DEADLY ASSASSIN
• THE FACE OF EVIL
• THE ROBOTS OF DEATH
• THE TALONS OF WENG-CHIANG

In 1976, Doctor Who took a dramatic new turn, electrifying audiences with changes in format, companion and appearance of the TARDIS. Season 14 saw the departure of the Doctor’s long-term companion Sarah Jane Smith, and the introduction of Leela. The season contains some of Tom Baker’s most iconic serials, with intrepid investigations in Victorian London, deadly robots in a murderous whodunit, a return to the Doctor’s homeworld, and one of the saddest goodbyes in Doctor
Who history.

Producer Phillip Hinchliffe led Doctor Who through a creative high, joined by Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, Louise Jameson as the Doctor’s captivating new companion Leela and guests stars Tim Pigott-Smith, Stephen Thorne, Peter Pratt, Pamela Salem, David Collings, Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter.

With all episodes newly remastered from the best available sources, this Blu-ray box set also contains extensive and exclusive special features which include:

• Immersive 5.1 surround sound - The Deadly Assassin
• Brand new audio commentaries - Tom Baker and Matthew Sweet on selected episodes of The Face of Evil and The Talons of Weng-Chiang.
• Behind the Sofa - New episodes with Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, Philip Hinchcliffe, plus companions Sophie Aldred and Peter Purves.
• Our Sarah Jane – Elisabeth Sladen Tribute - A feature-length look at the life and career of Sarah Jane Smith, played by Elisabeth Sladen.
• Whose Doctor Who Revisited - Toby Hadoke meets the producers and grown-up stars of the very first Who Documentary.
• In Conversation - Matthew Sweet chats to producer Philip Hinchcliffe.
• Blu-Ray trailer - Louise Jameson has trouble with her new home assistant.
• Brand new interviews
• Rare archive material
• Convention footage
• HD photo galleries
• Scripts, costume designs, rare BBC production files and other gems from our PDF archive

The eight-disc box set also includes hours of extensive special features previously released on DVD.

Season 14 Announcement Trailer on YouTube

Related Articles: Season 26 Bluray release (3 Sep 2019)

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BBC Studios have announced the next Blu-ray release in their 'classic' season boxed sets will be Tom Baker's final year as the Doctor, the 1980/81 Season Eighteen.

As well as the seven stories from the season, the set will also include the Christmas spin-off special, K9 & Company.

As with the previous release of Season Twelve and the imminent release of Season Nineteen, this new collection will feature a host of new features to supplement the remastered high-definition upscaled episodes themselves:

• revealing new 2019 commentaries moderated by Matthew Sweet (Tom Baker on The Leisure Hive, Lalla Ward and Rachel Davies on State Of Decay)
• rare behind-the-scenes footage from The Leisure Hive, Full Circle and Logopolis
• surround sound mix for Warriors’ Gate
• new special effects for Logopolis, including new especially shot footage at the originally planned but ultimately unused University of Manchester’s Jodrell Bank Observatory for the Pharos Project location
• a new Making-Of documentary for Logopolis
• eight more editions of Behind The Sofa
• brand new documentaries The Writers Room and Weekend With Waterhouse
• a new interview with K9 & Company’s Ian Sears
• another dip into the Panopticon convention archives with Tom Baker
• HD photo galleries plus scripts, production files and rare documentation provided as PDFs
• plus extensive features previously released on DVD

The material has been remastered by Peter Crocker and Mark Ayres, with packaging/artwork by Lee Binding; the set will also feature a booklet by new series writer and content consultant Pete McTighe.

Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 18 is currently scheduled for the UK on 25th February 2019, though as with the previous volumes the date may change before its intended release.

You can pre-order the set from our Amazon Shop.

An important announcement from Galactic Glitter Package Tours regarding Season 18 (YouTube)

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BBC Books have announced the publication of a very special novelisation for January next year:

Scratchman
Written by Tom Baker
Published by BBC Books on 24th January 2019


What are you afraid of?

The Doctor, Harry and Sarah Jane Smith arrive at a remote Scottish island, when their holiday is cut short by the appearance of strange creatures – hideous scarecrows, preying on the local population. The islanders are living in fear, and the Doctor vows to save them all. But it doesn’t go to plan – the time travellers have fallen into a trap, and Scratchman is coming for them.

With the fate of the universe hanging in the balance, the Doctor must battle an ancient force from another dimension, one who claims to be the Devil.

Scratchman wants to know what the Doctor is most afraid of. And the Doctor’s worst nightmares are coming out to play...


A story so epic it was originally intended for the big screen, Scratchman is a gripping, white-knuckle thriller almost forty years in the making.

The novelisation is based on the script for an idea by Tom Baker and Ian Marter to take Doctor Who to the big screen, with them reprising their roles of the Doctor and Harry alongside Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah. Despite their enthusiasm for the project, a lack of funds to produce the project eventually led to it being abandoned.

The script itself was thought lost until a copy was discovered in 2006 at the British Film Institute where it had been donated to by former Doctor Who producer John Nathan Turner before his death in 2002. It has been adapted by James Goss, who has previously novelised fourth Doctor adventures penned by Douglas Adams for BBC Books.

Speaking about the project, Tom said:

I love the improbability of Doctor Who. Reason plays no part at all. As in religion, the overriding thing is faith. It may be improbable, but just believe in it and it’ll all come right.

When I was approached about the book, I thought, ‘Why not?’ I’m always on the lookout for a novelty. I’m very enthusiastic as I get close to darkness.

The novelisation will also be released as an audiobook by BBC Audio on the same day, read by Tom himself.

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Canadian fans will be able to join the US in seeing the "director's cut" of Genesis of the Daleks in Cineplex cinemas on the 14th June.

The Fourth Doctor and his companions Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter) are transported thousands of years into the past to the ancient planet Skaro where they are given a mission from the Time Lords to prevent the evil scientist Davros from introducing to the universe the most destructive race of killing machines ever created, the Daleks. This never-before-seen 90-minute director’s cut will be followed by a first look at “In Conversation with Tom Baker” - a newly recorded interview with the Fourth Doctor himself!

For full details on where the story can be seen see the Cineplex website.

Related Articles: US Movie Theatre Showing for Genesis of the Daleks (1 May 2018)

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BBC Worldwide has announced that Tom Baker's first season as the Doctor will be released on Blu-Ray as Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 12, on 11th June 2018 in the UK and on June 26, 2018 in the US..

For fans of Doctor Who and collectors of Classic Who seasons, the Blu-Ray has limited edition packaging with artwork by Lee Binding and has been restored and up-scaled to HD by Peter Crocker and Mark Ayres. The new release also has a wealth of new bonus content.

Russell Minton, Executive Producer at BBC Worldwide says

We are doing our very best at BBC Worldwide to restore and bring as many Classic Who titles out on Collector’s Edition Blu-ray, and this starts with being able to confirm one of my favourites, Tom Baker’s first season. We will also endeavour to include additional archive material and exciting newly-shot features where possible.

Season 12, Tom Baker’s first as the Doctor, features five stories over 20 episodes, including The Ark in Space and Genesis of the Daleks. The Doctor is accompanied in this season by Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter) and was first broadcast between December 1974 and May 1975.

Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 12 The new Blu-Ray release includes existing bonus material from the original DVDs as well as the brand new features below:

• TOM BAKER IN CONVERSATION
A candid new one-hour interview with the Fourth Doctor.
• BEHIND THE SOFA
Classic clips from Season 12, viewed by Tom Baker, Philip Hinchcliffe, Louise Jameson, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton and Sadie Miller
• NEW MAKING-OF DOCUMENTARIES
For The Sontaran Experiment and Revenge Of The Cybermen
• IMMERSIVE 5.1 SURROUND SOUND MIXES
For The Ark In Space and Genesis Of The Daleks
• OPTIONAL BRAND NEW UPDATED SPECIAL EFFECTS
For Revenge Of The Cybermen
• GENESIS OF THE DALEKS - OMNIBUS MOVIE VERSION
Unseen since broadcast in 1975
• THE TOM BAKER YEARS
The 1991 VHS release, on disc for the first time
• PRODUCTION ARCHIVE MATERIAL
PDF files from the BBC Archives

Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 12 will be released on Blu-Ray from Monday 11th June 2018.

Pre-order on Amazon.co.uk - Pre-order on Amazon.com

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River Song as played by Alex Kingston, is to meet the Fourth Doctor, played by Tom Baker, in a new set of audio adventures released by Big Finish.

Series Four of The Diary of River Song, to be released in August 2018, will see the archaeologist encounter Doctor Number Four, in a set of new adventures alongside the longest serving Doctor.

Meanwhile Series Three of the Diary of River Song will released in January 2018, and will feature the Fifth Doctor, as played by Peter Davison, battling against the most evil midwife in Doctor Who history, Madame Kovarian, played by Frances Barber.

This box set will contain four hour-long adventures where the Doctor’s wife, archaeologist, crack shot with an intoxicating kiss and time traveler will have to face the demons of her past, present, and future.

The Diary of River Song - Series Three

When River Song goes shopping for a whole load of unclaimed loyalty points, she uncovers secrets linked to her tangled past.

The Doctor arrives, and the mystery deepens. He is already exploring the universe with another companion – someone River knows nothing about.

Madame Kovarian has been busy, and this time she will not accept failure…

A fifth series is planned for release in January 2019

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BBC Worldwide is to release the Douglas Adams Doctor Who story Shada, using animation to complete the story.

Shada was planned to be the celebratory end to the seventeenth series of Doctor Who. Acclaimed writer Douglas Adams had completed the script, Tom Baker’s Doctor was at the height of his popularity, and the series had bigger audiences than ever before.

The story was also due to be the final story produced by Graham Williams, before handing over to new producer John Nathan Turner, who would introduce a new look to the series. But it was not to be. Strike action at the BBC in November 1979 meant the final studio recording sessions were cancelled, and the story was never completed.

A video was released in 1992, with Tom Baker providing linking material to camera for the missing scenes, re-released as a DVD in 2013. A web version of the story was also produced for the official Doctor Who website to mark the programme's 40th Anniversary in 2003. It used basic Flash animation alongside a new audio track produced by Big Finish and starring Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor. In 2013 an unofficial fan version, directed by Ian Levine, was completed using animation to fill in the missing scenes. In this version, although a number of original cast members revoiced their parts, the Fourth Doctor was voiced by another actor.

Now, thirty-eight years on from the planned transmission, BBC Worldwide has announced that a new official version of Shada is to be completed, combining the original, remastered footage, with new colour animation. The animation will feature the newly-recorded voices of the original cast, including Tom Baker as the Doctor and Lalla Ward as Romana, performing the original script.

Tom Baker says

Shada was one of my favourite Doctor Who stories. I have many fond memories of shooting the location scenes in Cambridge, and it was disappointing not to finish the story in studio. I’m so glad that BBC Worldwide have found a way to bring fans a complete visual version.

The new feature-length production incorporates all of the live-action scenes from 1979, together with new animated material. Shada finds the Doctor in Cambridge working alongside companion Romana and retired Time Lord, Professor Chronotis, to defeat the evil alien Skagra who is attempting to steal the secrets to the prison planet, Shada.

Doctor Who: Shada is being produced by the team behind the highly successful and critically acclaimed animation of lost Doctor Who serial The Power of the Daleks and lost Dad’s Army episode A Stripe For Frazer . The team have had access to nearly seven hours of raw footage from the original 1979 Shada shoot from which they are editing the new production from scratch, with all the original location film negatives re-scanned in full HD and digitally remastered. It will not, however, be possible to create a full HD version of the new production, as the original studio video material is locked into its original SD format, and no higher resolution is possible.

Paul Hembury, Executive Producer, BBC Worldwide says

Fans loved The Power of the Daleks, so we’re delighted to be able to complete and bring them another lost Doctor Who classic.

Shada will be released as a digital download on Friday 24th November, and on DVD and Bluray on Monday 4th December.

The release is avaiable to preorder as a Steelbook, DVD and Blu-ray.

On Saturday 2nd December there will be a special screening of Doctor Who: Shada at BFI Southbank, London. Further information will be available from the BFI from Monday 23rd October. Tickets for BFI members will be available from Tuesday 7th November, and for the public from Tuesday 14th November.

Blu Ray/DVD - Bonus Material

• Taken Out of Time (25' 39")
• Now and Then (12' 45")
• Strike, Strike, Strike! (27' 50")
• Studio Sessions - 1979 (44' 38")
• Dialogue Sessions (14' 16")
• Model Filming (04' 36")
• Deleted Scenes (01' 22")
• Title Sequence Films (TBC)
• Live Action Reference Footage (02' 48")
• 1979 Gallery (04' 50")
• 2017 Gallery (02' 52)

Shada Teaser

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Koch Media have released the third in their collection of interviews from Reeltime Pictures with stars from Doctor Who, this time focussing on the fourth Doctor, Tom Baker's era.

The Doctors: The Tom Baker Years
Produced by Keith Barnfather (order from Amazon)

A new double-DVD release in the highly regarded series exploring the world of TV’s Doctor Who in what will build into a complete work on The Doctors.

Forget any previous releases, this is the most complete collection of cast & crew interviews ever assembled from the Tom Baker era of Doctor Who, offering viewers unparalleled access into the world of the sci-fi classic.

• Includes six documentaries making it the definitive set of interviews with the team of actors who brought the TOM BAKER era of DOCTOR WHO to life.
• Presented by voice of the Daleks Nicholas Briggs.
• Quality in-depth interviews with Tom Baker (the Fourth Doctor), Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane), Ian Marter (Harry), Louise Jameson (Leela), Mary Tamm (Romana) and John Leeson (Voice of K9)
• This 2 DISC special collectors edition is 5 hours of pure nostalgia, which will give you a whole new insight into the making of Doctor Who.
• Includes special feature: Introduction by Nicholas Briggs & Producer Keith Barnfather.

Competition

To be in with a chance to win a copy of The Doctors: The Tom Baker Years courtesy of Koch Media, simply answer the following question:

Jelly babies are usually attributed to the fourth Doctor, but which incarnation was the first to be seen with them on-screen?

Please send your answers along with your name, address and where you heard about the competition (news site, news app, other website, etc.) to comp-kochmedia@doctorwhonews.net with the subject "Would you like a jelly baby?". The competition is open to UK readers only, closing date 8th October 2017. Only one entry per household will be accepted.

Related Articles: The Jon Pertwee Years (22 Feb 2017), The Pat Troughton Years (14 Jun 2017)

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Images: Star Wars/Disney XD

Former Doctor Tom Baker has been revealed to be playing a character in the latest animated spin-off series based on the Star Wars universe, Star Wars Rebels.

The actor's character, The Bendu, appeared in the trailer for the third season, launched at yesterday's Star Wars Celebration 2016 taking place at the ExCel Centre in London this weekend. The character is introduced by Baker in the trailer as:

"Jedi and Sith - the Light and the Dark - I'm the one in the middle, The Bendu."

Baker's involvement was summarised on the official Star Wars website:

The Bendu is a new character that represents the center way of the Force. A concept that originally appeared in George Lucas’s earliest drafts, the Bendu, according to Filoni is a new type of Force user in the galaxy. The Bendu on Star Wars Rebels will be played by Doctor Who alum Tom Baker. “Tom charmed everyone in the room,” according to Filoni. “My wife included.”

The series is due to be broadcast on Disney XD later in the year.

Star Wars Rebels Season Three trailer via Star Wars channel on YouTube (The Bendu from 2:43)

Tom Baker isn't the first Doctor to act in the Star Wars universe: David Tennant played Huyang in the animated series, The Clone Wars, during 2012, a role for which he won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program; and of course the alternative Doctor Peter Cushing starred in the very first Star Wars film back in 1977.

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Following the spectacular 500th issue, Doctor Who Magazine is continuing its celebrations with an issue dedicated entirely to Tom Baker and the Fourth Doctor’s era of Doctor Who.

Tom Baker: The Ultimate Interview sees Baker talks about life, death and, of course, Doctor Who…

Life is too short to be dull. Be interesting. Because not very much else matters does it? In large areas of our lives, hardly anything matters at all. I mean, nothing can beat being with loving friends, and a few wines, and a few beers, and a few lies, and a few yarns. And to still be adored after 40-odd years… yeah that’s the life.

Maybe I’m the longest-serving actor, in the whole history of actors, who’s actually still, 40-odd years later, adored for the same part and enjoying it in the same way. When I get sent messages from middle-aged men… or from the wives of middle-aged men, who say, ‘Tell Mr Baker he cannot imagine how important he was to my beloved husband when he was a boy’… it moves me deeply to think about it.

I was just going to work. I didn’t know, to begin with, how far-reaching this role would be. I was aware of the excitement, and the generosity, and the affection of the fans, but how could I ever have dreamed of all this?

The interviews are split into seven parts, The Unbreakable Tom Baker, The Insatiable Tom Baker, The Impeccable Tom Baker (with June Hudson), The Irrepressible Tom Baker, The Unstoppable Tom Baker (with Louise Jameson, John Leeson and Geoffrey Beevers), The Unforgettable Tom Baker and The Irreplaceable Tom Baker.

Also featured in the magazine is Part One of brand-new comic strip The Pestilent Heart, an extended Gallifrey Guardian reporting on the latest news from the set of the new series, and DWM’s issue 500 celebrations, competitions and the much-anticipated Cave of 500 Eyes answers.

The souvenir edition, available from 30 June and priced £5.99, comes in a polybag containing four art cards, two classic mini-posters, and a multi-Doctor poster.

Doctor Who Magazine 501 is on sale from Thursday 30 June 2016, price £5.99.

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Demon Records to re-release a special version of the 1970s vinyl soundtrack of Genesis of the Daleks - featuring linking narration by Tom Baker - as part of the this year's Record Store Day, taking place on 16th April 2016.

Doctor Who: Genesis of the Daleks

A special reissue of an audio Doctor Who adventure, which was originally released in 1978 on BBC Records. This collector’s edition is released on 180g heavy weight ‘TARDIS blue’ coloured vinyl and is a must-have for all Whovians. The recording was one of the first Doctor Who audio adventures, a condensed soundtrack version of a TV episode with Tom Baker providing bridging narration. The story unfolds as Doctor Who travels to the desolate planet Skaro to avert the creation of the Daleks.

This highly collectable reissue of one the most dramatic episodes in the show’s history has been recreated with the original BBC Records artwork and accompanying sleeve notes.

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Tom Baker has provided his distinctive voice for the TV advert for Doctor Who: The Complete History. The book series, by Hachette Partworks, launches tomorrow with Volume 55 which covers Gridlock, Daleks in Manhattan / Evolution of the Daleks, The Lazarus Experiment and 42. Issue 1 will be available in British shops tomorrow at a special introductory price of £1.99.

Doctor Who: The Complete History - Hachette Partworks

Hachette have posted a photo of Tom Baker during the recording session of the advert.

Last week we launched our competition to give readers the chance to win a subscription to the entire collection of The Complete History. The winner of this generous prize is Mark Jobson from Kirkcaldy in Scotland. Congratulations, Mark.

Related Articles: The Complete History book collection and competition (31 Aug 2015)

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A roundup of recent news relating to Doctor Who cast and crew:

• Matt Smith has begun filming for a new drama for Netflix, The Crown, due to be broadcast in 2016. The ten-part series, based on the play The Audience, will follow the relationship between Queen Elizabeth (Claire Foy) and the prime ministers who have served during her monarchy, with Smith portraying her husband, Prince Philip. [Northampton Herald and Post, 11 Aug]
  
  
• David Tennant will be portraying the character of 'baddy' Zebediah Killgrave in the television adaptation of the Marvel comic Jessica Jones. Jeff Loeb, Marvel's Head of Television, said: "In the same kind of way Vincent D’Onofrio owned his half of Daredevil, you’ll see David Tennant own his half of Jessica Jones… What you get out of Jessica is a sort of hold-your-breath tension as to what’s going to happen. When you see the dynamic between Krysten Ritter and David Tennant… that question of ‘What’s going to happen next?’ and ‘What could happen next?’ and how that’s driven by character is something that is so important to not just the scripts but also the way the show is shot, and the way that everyone reacts, and the way those two react with each other." [Science Fiction, 14 Aug]
  
  
• 
  Photo: Manchester Evening News
  Christopher Eccleston led this year's tribute in Manchester to mark the anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre, where 15 protesters were killed when troops charged a political meeting there in 1819. The actor read from a speech delivered by Henry ‘Orator’ Hunt from the day. [Manchester Evening News, 16 Aug]
  
  
• Colin Baker will be on hand to officially unveil a display of copies of the Doctor Who scripts by the show's first writer Anthony Coburn at Spoon Web (The DVD Shop) in Whitstable, Kent on Sunday 23rd August. The event also coincides with a Kickstarter campaign aimed to provide funding for the ongoing maintenance, improvement and promotion of the police box replica for Herne Bay TARDIS for Children in Need. [Facebook]
  
  
• Tom Baker may be about to take on a role in the Star Wars franchise. A guest at the recent Day of the Doctors convention, he is reported as saying: "I'm going to be in this new Star Wars thing, you know? I'm going down to record some voices for this new character they've created for me, very soon" [various, including Sci-Fi Fantasy Network, Inquistr, 15 Aug]
  
  
• Frazer Hines has been appearing in Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, which this week reaches the Leeds Grand Theatre. Talking about portraying his character, Rogers, he said: "I suppose it’s my experience of being in the show business for over forty years that many could assume that Rogers, being just a butler, could be played just as a butler. But I worked out that he was in the First World War, in the army, so he has this straight-backed walk and respects the general in the play and respects the copper. So I’ve brought those little nuances into the character."
  
  He also mentioned that the most common question he gets asked is what was it like to work with second Doctor Patrick Troughton: "A lovely man. Some of the happiest years of my show business career were working with Patrick Troughton in Doctor Who. But they all ask me that and I wish I had a pound for every time I’m asked that question. He was a lovely, lovely man and we had great fun working together. If I had an idea he wouldn’t say, “I’m the Doctor, you just shut up and be the assistant.” He’d turn and say, “Frazer, what a marvellous idea. Let’s do it.” I’d worked with him before in 1964, before Doctor Who had started and I was the star of that show, Smuggler’s Bay, and he was playing the part of an old smuggler. But a year or so later he was the star of Doctor Who and I was just joining in as Jamie for four episodes so the role was reversed. It was great, we just gelled straight away." [(Entertainment Focus, 14 Aug]
  
  
• Speaking of And Then There Were None, a new BBC One production of the play has been announced, whose cast will feature Burn Gorman as William Blore and Anna Maxwell Martin as Ethel Rogers. [BBC Media Centre, 10 Jul]
  
  
• Jenna Coleman has revealed one of the tricks of the trade employed during filming scenes with her co-star Peter Capaldi: I have to stand on an apple box when we’re filming - it’s called ‘Jenna’s Box’ and it gets brought out when I need to fit into a particular shot." [Express, 15 Aug]
  
  
• Sir John Hurt can be heard as the lead role in Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell, broadcast this weekend on BBC Radio 4; the play is described as "A dying Soho, seen through the eyes of the notorious columnist of The Spectator - plain-speaking drinker, gambler, wit and raconteur." It also features Nichola McAuliffe and Jeff Rawle. [BBC Radio 4, 15 Aug]
  
  Speaking of his recent diagnosis of having pancreatic cancer, the actor observed: I can’t say I worry about mortality, but it’s impossible to get to my age and not have a little contemplation of it. We’re all just passing time, and occupy our chair very briefly. But my treatment is going terrifically well, so I’m optimistic." [Radio Times, 15 Aug]
  
  
• Talking about his role in new film Pleasure Island, Samuel Anderson said: "I've played a lot of love interests - those kind of romantic roles, 'sweet boy' kind of thing - so it was brilliant to come in and just play an idiot. From when I read the script, I was hooked. Just the way Mike (Doxford, writer/director) had laid his characters out. You could feel it - each character was grounded and had a bit of weight to them. It was like, 'If I don't get the part, I can't wait to see the film'." [Digital Spy, 15 Aug]
  
  
• On a possible return to Doctor Who, Anderson commented: "Maybe in an alternate universe? I wouldn't mind approaching him in a different way. Or maybe just come back as Orson Pink because then it changes the dynamic between him and the Doctor. If it's Orson Pink I think the relationship would be totally different because instead of a soldier – which is the kind of person the Doctor can't bear – you've got another scientist who could be quite interesting with their relationship. And then instead of it being a love interest with Clara and Danny, it would be a family affair with grandmother and grandson but at the same age." [Radio Times, 13 Aug]
  
  
• Amidst speculation that he may be a future successor to Steven Moffat as the lead writer on Doctor Who, Toby Whithouse responded: "No-one at the BBC has ever had this conversation with me! No-one has asked me, no-one has approached me about if Steven leaves, when Steven leaves. These are conversations that happen purely among fans, not on any official level."
  
  On writing for the show in general: "There’s a reason I go back to Doctor Who every year, and that’s because I absolutely love working on it! There is something so magical, so ludicrous about that show! ... The appeal never fades: I’m 45 now, and writing: ‘Interior: TARDIS’ at the top of a scene is still really, really exciting. You also get to tell these extraordinary stories that you couldn’t write for any other show." [The London Economic, 11th Aug]
  
  
• Many media publications focussed on the casting of Bethany Black as being the first transgender actress to appear in the show. The comedian herself reflected on filming for the new series: "It is genuinely the greatest job I could ever have imagined getting. Everything about it is magical. I'm enjoying every day of filming and cherishing it, because you never know if you'll ever get to do anything like this again. I only hope that I do the role and the show justice, and that you all enjoy it. For me it's the gig of a lifetime." [Facebook]
  
  
• A new series of Who Do You Think You Are? has started on BBC One, which this year will also include the exploration of the family history for Sir Derek Jacobi, Anne Reid and writer Mark Gatiss.
  
  
• Arthur Darvill will be playing Rip Hunter in DC's Legends Of Tomorrow, with the character described as "a time-traveler tasked with assembling a group of villains and heroes together after he sees a future that could destroy everything. This unlikely squad must now stop these devastating future events from happening, but it won’t be easy." [Hollywire, 12 Aug]
  
  
• Darvill can also be seen in the forthcoming fictional account of Lenny Henry's early life, Danny And The Human Zoo, which also features Richard Wilson and Mark Benton.
  
  
• Colin Morgan will star in a new drama for BBC One, The Living And The Dead. [BBC Media Centre, 10th Aug]
  
  
• A number of names previously associated with Doctor Who have been making appearances at Roath Lock Studios of late and getting their photos taken alongside the TARDIS's current 'owner' Peter Capaldi, including Waris Hussein, Georgia Moffett, David Tennant and Russell T Davies.
  
  

  Earlier this week we were delighted that the legendary Waris Hussein - http://t.co/KxpbDk7SP7 - visited the TARDIS! pic.twitter.com/DqlCDwh4O1

  — Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) August 14, 2015

  
  

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MineCartMayhem has secured interviews with each of the surviving Doctors from the original Doctor Who Series.

MineCartMayhem is run by George, an eleven year old who styles himself as a Mini Matt Smith. George obtained interviews with Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy at EM-CON 2015 in March. Last weekend he completed the set with a interview with Tom Baker at Geek Fest held at Folkestone Academy.

 

Tom Baker Exclusive interview / Exclusive interview with Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker and Peter Davison

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Two archive interviews are to be released on DVD and are available from Galaxy 4.

An interview with Tom Baker, conducted in 1989, was originally available on Video Cassette, published by Reeltime Pictures. It is released on DVD for the first time. Also available is a brand new title, an interview with Anthony Ainley from April 2000.

Both are released on 27th February.

Myth Makers Tom Baker

The Doctor will never change. He may grow old and fade away, but he will always be the same … so the fun is – how do you colour that?

Ask Doctor Who fans who their favourite Doctor is and the majority are likely to name Tom Baker’s portrayal above all others.

Much of Baker’s popularity has been fuelled by his reticence to appear in public to discuss his time in the programme. Little is actually known about the man or his memories of being the longest running Time Lord troubleshooter!

At last this has changed. In an exclusive interview with Nicholas Briggs, at the location used for The Android Invasion, Baker discusses frankly his life and career.

First released 1989

Myth Makers Anthony Ainley

I was always surprised when he (John Nathan Turner) rang me and called me back, because an actor always thinks a job is his last job!

Anthony Ainley had carved out a successful career as an actor in the theatre, films and television before being asked to play THE MASTER in Doctor Who.

A very private man, Ainley rarely did interviews and died before recording any extensive videos about his thoughts and feelings playing the evil nemesis of THE DOCTOR.

In this special Myth Makers, we are delighted to feature a rare interview with Ainley, recorded in 2000 at an event run by the Galaxy 4 shop in Sheffield.

Together with the memories of the organisers, this Myth Makers is very revealing of the man behind the role, proving Ainley was a very different man to the character we saw on our TV screens.

Recorded 2000

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Lovarzi, the makers of officially licensed Doctor Who scarves have added the Fifth Doctor's cricket jumper to their range along with two new scarves.

Maninder Singh Sahota, Director of Lovarzi, says:

We've been overwhelmed and delighted by the reaction our Doctor Who products have garnered; the hard work and attention to detail we put into creating finest quality items is always worthwhile when we see the smiles of fans whenever we exhibit our ever-expanding range. We're extremely proud to see dedicated Whovians indulging in their favourite items, and are sure these three new products will be welcomed into the fandom just as warmly.

Danie Ware from Forbidden Planet added:

We had a huge success with the Seventh Doctor’s knitwear last year, and with the continued rise of the cult status of Doctor Who, this new range is perfect for all fans of the series. The Fourth Doctor’s scarf is one of the single most iconic Who symbols, and the additions of the TARDIS scarf, and the Fifth Doctor’s cricketing sweater will make sure everyone’s wrapped up this Christmas!

Fifth Doctor Cricket Sweater
available to order now: (Amazon UK), (Forbidden Planet)

The Only Fifth Doctor Sweater Officially Licensed by the BBC!

Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor is one of the most popular incarnations of the world's favourite Time Lord - and deservedly so! He fought the Black Guardian, Cybermen, Silurians, and Sea Devils before sacrificing himself on Androzani Minor: this fresh-faced man who came and went like a summer cloud always looked every bit the hero.

Following Davison's original cricket whites notion, our officially-licensed Fifth Doctor Sweater is based on his much-loved Season 19 and 20 look. What's more, he also wore it for the 20th anniversary special, The Five Doctors, and 2007's charity short, Time Crash, which featured both the Fifth and Tenth Doctors - the first multi-Doctor story of the revived show!

Fourth Doctor Scarf
available to order now: ((Amazon UK), ((Forbidden Planet)

The 18ft Long Fourth Doctor Scarf is warm, comfortable, and great for fans of Tom Baker!

The Doctor's worn cool bow ties, cricket jumpers, and questionably-colourful jackets, but Tom Baker's supremely long multi-coloured scarf is the quintessential Doctor Who accessory. Our replica is based on the 18ft scarf the Fourth Doctor wore throughout Seasons 16 and 17, initially made by sewing the original to the stunt double's!

It's ideal for strolling through Paris, searching for the Key to Time - or simply showing off your Whovian allegiance. Because no matter where you are, whoever you meet, everyone appreciates this iconic design.

TARDIS Scarf
available to order now: Blue & Grey - (Amazon UK), (Forbidden Planet), Blue & Red: (Amazon UK), (Forbidden Planet), Grey & White: (Amazon UK), (Forbidden Planet)

Vworp! Vworp! This exclusively-designed TARDIS Scarf looks great wherever you are in time and space!

We initially set eyes on the TARDIS in the very first episode of Doctor Who, An Unearthly Child, and discovered that it's alive. But what else do we know? Well, it's bigger on the inside, of course. The chameleon circuit allows it to blend into its environment - but it's broken, and has permanently taken on the guise of a blue police call box. The Doctor "borrowed" it.

And the most important thing: it's incredible.

Our exclusive TARDIS Scarf is a celebration of Doctor Who, presented in a beautiful box, topped off with the foil-printed BBC Doctor Who logo.

Related Articles: New Doctor Who Range for 50th Anniversary (30 Aug 2013); Fourth Doctor Scarf (31 October 2012)

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Next week's edition of the Radio Times features Peter Capaldi as the Doctor on its front cover as the magazine looks at the two-part series finale which starts this Saturday with Dark Water at 8:15pm on BBC One.

Famous fans, TV critics, children, and personalities share their thoughts on the latest incarnation, as played by Capaldi, including Professor Brian Cox, writer Armando Iannucci, singer/songwriter Marc Almond, Keeley Hawes, and even a former Doctor in the form of Tom Baker, who said:

He’s a wonderful choice to play the Doctor. Instantly one felt: this fellow comes from far far away, he’s strange. An instant frisson. And what’s the word? Yes, got it! Alien, he’s an alien. I salute him.

There is also a "Master Quiz" enabling readers to test their Doctor Who knowledge.

In addition, the digital version of the magazine includes a 30 page Monster supplement, featuring pictures of the Doctor’s greatest foes from the Radio Times archive.

The Radio Times, covering television and radio programming for 1st-7th November, is available online and in shops now.

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