October 5, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

BBC America and Warner Home Video have just released The Talons of Weng-Chiangand The Dalek Invasion of Earth on DVD. Both are two-disc sets and match their UK counterparts in features, except "Talons" includes more of the Howard DaSilva narrative introductions as an extra.
      Also just out: The End of the Universe Collection (seen at right). As Outpost Gallifrey previously reported, this eleven-story video collection is a set of the final VHS Doctor Who releases that will be issued in North America! Included in the package areThe Reign of Terror Collectors Edition (which includes "The Web of Fear" episode 1 and "The Faceless Ones" episodes 1 and 3), The Sensorites, The Time Meddler, The Gunfighters, The Ambassadors of Death, The Mutants, Invasion of the Dinosaurs, The Invisible Enemy, The Creature From the Pit, The Horns of Nimon and Meglos. This pricey set (but well worth it) will complete American and Canadian VHS video collections.

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October 5, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

Today's Sunday Times weighs in on the debate over who the next Doctor is with a startling announcement: they say that it's Bill Nighy -- previously said to be Russell T Davies favourite -- to be the Doctor in the new series. Says the article by Arts Editor Richard Brooks, "The BBC is to approach Bill Nighy, one of BritainÆs most sought after character actors, to become the new Dr Who. Nighy, who played the crusading newspaper editor in the BBCÆs hit political thriller State of Play, is said by friends to be very interested in the role." The article does go on to mention other actors: "Other names mentioned include Alan Cumming, Jonathan Pryce, Paul McGann, the black actor Chiwetel Ejiofor ["Dirty Pretty Things"], Eddie Izzard and Mark Gatiss, from BBC2Æs The League of Gentlemen." You can read the full article by clicking here. Please note that we haven't heard whether this is the real thing or not, but apparently a lot of people read this article and let us know!

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October 4, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

Australian journalist, writer and actor Chris Thomas has his sights on travelling through time in the TARDIS and taking on the Daleks, after launching a campaign to become the next Doctor Who, according to local papers in Australia. The eclectic Thomas, age 31, lives in Perth, Western Australia, and has a string of stage credits to his name; he says he is determined to be considered for the coveted role. "I know it's a long shot but when you get one chance to fulfil your ultimate ambition, then surely it's worth doing all you can to pursue it?" he says. "There are bound to be howls of protest from some quarters when they hear an Australian wants to take on the part but it's simply a matter of doing it with a British accent. Besides, Sylvester McCoy had a notable Scottish lilt when he played the role." Thomas is asking fans to write to the BBC to suggest his name. Innnnteresting.... (Thanks to Rick Hughes)

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October 4, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

BBC-1 Controller Lorraine Heggessey earlier this week confirmed to various UK listings magazines that when Doctor Who returns to television, it'll be running in the traditional Saturday evening time slot. But, more interestingly, before the new series kicks-off, Heggessey is proposing to run polls in the UK TV listings magazines to find out which Doctor Who stories are the public's favourite (on a Doctor, by Doctor basis). The BBC will then run a repeat of each of the favourites in that Saturday night slot to drum up publicity for the new series. (Thanks to our friends at tv.cream.org)

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October 4, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

BBC Worldwide has issued full press releases for two forthcoming, previously announced, releases: the UK DVD release of The Three Doctors and the UK VHS release of The Reign of Terror Boxed Set. The press releases are below.

Doctor Who 40th Anniversary DVD & VHS Releases

Sunday 23rd November 2003 will be the 40th Anniversary of Doctor Who, the longest running science fiction series in the world. To mark this milestone, BBC Worldwide are releasing a very special video box set and DVD on Monday 24th November...

Doctor Who: The Three Doctors DVD
Written to celebrate Doctor Who's 10th anniversary, this four-part story starring the first three Doctors (William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee) is the perfect story to release in the week of the 40th anniversary. Omega, the creator of time travel technology is trapped in a black hole. He wants to escape and destroy the universe. Even with his two earlier selves helping him, can the Doctor defeat this powerful enemy? Special Edition added value packaging will also feature a CORGI model of the Doctors car 'Bessie'. Special Features include:

Commentary by Katy Manning, Barry Letts and Nicholas Courtney

Pebble Mill at One - Interviews with Patrick Troughton and Robert Wilkie from Christmas 1972

Blue Peter - Jon Pertwee and the Whomobile in studio, plus a look back at the first ten years of Doctor Who

BSB Highlights - Excerpts from the BSB '31Who' weekend, including the trail for The Three Doctors, interviews with Jon Pertwee, Nicholas Courtney, script editor Terrance Dicks and writers Bob Baker and Dave Martin

TARDIS-cam no.5 - The fifth of BBCi's new TARDIS features. This is a CGI sequence featuring the TARDIS traversing a pod of space whales

'Five Faces of Doctor Who' trailer - BBC2 trailer for the 1981 repeat season, in which The Three Doctors was repeated

BBC1 Trailer - An off-air audio recording of the original 1972 BBC1 trailer combined with re-mastered pictures

PanoptiCon '93 - Jon Pertwee, Katy Manning and Nicholas Courtney on stage at the 30th anniversary PanoptiCon convention in 1993

Doctor Who: The Reign of Terror Boxed Set
This limited edition two-video box set includes the final episodes from the original television series to be released on VHS. Each box also includes an exclusive Doctor Who 40th Anniversary metal pin badge. There are three stories, each one being incomplete due to the original tapes being lost or disposed of. Due for release the day after the 40th Anniversary and limited to only 8000 copies, this set is a must-have for every fan to complete their collection. The stories included in this collector's box set are:
* Tape One - starring William Hartnell as the First Doctor
THE REIGN OF TERROR (Four surviving episodes: 1, 2, 3 and 6)
The TARDIS materialises not far from Paris in 1794 - one of the bloodiest years following the French revolution of 1789. Rescued from prison after being sentenced to death by guillotine, the travellers and other freed prisoners get involved with the mysterious English undercover spy, James Stirling. But as treachery and double-dealing abound, who can be trustedà?
* Tape Two - starring Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor
THE FACELESS ONES (Two surviving episodes: 1 and 3)
The TARDIS lands at Gatwick airport in 1966, and the Doctor and Jamie are separated from Ben and Polly. Polly sees a man murdered, but she goes missing soon after. What is the mystery behind Chameleon Tours?
THE WEB OF FEAR (One surviving episode: episode 1)
Many years after he returned from Tibet with a robot Yeti, Professor Travers is concerned that the Great Intelligence may strike again. London falls to a mysterious web that invades the streets - and the Underground tube systemà

DOCTOR WHO: THE THREE DOCTORS DVD
RELEASE DATE: 24 NOVEMBER 2003
CAT NO: BBCDVD1144
RRP: ú19.99
DURATION: 100 MINUTES APPROX
GENRE: SCI FI
CERTIFICATE: PG

DOCTOR WHO: THE REIGN OF TERROR VIDEO BOX SET
RELEASE DATE: 24 NOVEMBER 2003
CAT NO: BBCV7335
RRP: ú19.99
DURATION: 174 MINUTES APPROX
GENRE: SCI FI
CERTIFICATE: PG

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October 4, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

Issue 68 of Time Space Visualizer, the journal of the New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club (NZDWFC) has been released. TSV 68 features a rare interview with Janet Fielding (recorded during her New Zealand visit earlier this year) in which she talks about life before, during and after Doctor Who, provides a Snakedance commentary and tells how she was asked to do Big Finish and what her response was. The packed, 100 page issue also features Robert Shearman's views on Season 20, a history of Target Books distribution in New Zealand, Andrew Pixley's guide to script cuts from Day of the Daleks, reviews of the latest books, DVDs, CDs and more. TSV is available by mail order - details available atwww.doctorwho.org.nz. (Thanks to Paul Scoones)

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October 4, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

David Bishop's Doctor Who novel Who Killed Kennedy, which was originally published by Virgin Books as an "extra" for their line of Missing Adventures novels, will soon be revived as an e-book on the TSV New Zealand website. The book, out of print for six years, was given to TSV to make the text of the novel freely available for readers, as has been done by BBCi with their current run of Doctor Who electronic book reprints. "IÆm immensely fond of Who Killed Kennedy," the author says. "It was my first official Doctor Who novel and a true labour of love. Alas, Virgin losing the licence meant the book has been unavailable for years. But getting it republished online is the next best thing." The novel will be made available in weekly instalments, building up to a complete online novel. Bishop will also provide background information on the genesis of his novel and notes on each of the individual chapters, including explanations of the huge number of continuity references seeded throughout the text. "Fortunately IÆve got help from New ZealandÆs continuity guru Jon Preddle to annotate the many, many Who references in the story. IÆll also be writing about the genesis of the book and how it became a JFK tie-in." Additionally, Bishop plans to produce a rewritten æauthorÆs cutÆ that will appear alongside the original novel as an alternative version. This new version will remove the JFK elements of the story altogether, thus giving the novel a new climax. "I was never satisfied with the Kennedy aspects of the novel," David says. "They felt bolted on at the time and still donÆt sit well with the rest of the story, seven years later. So when the NZDWFC started talking with me about putting the book online, I suggested publishing two versions - the printed novel with the Kennedy elements and a special online version with a freshly written beginning and end. Anyone visiting the site can choose which version they prefer to read." The e-book is planned to launch on the TSV website at www.doctorwho.org.nz on 22 November 2003 - the 40th anniversary of the assassination of JFK, and of course just one day before Doctor WhoÆs own 40th anniversary. (Thanks to Paul Scoones and David Bishop)

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October 4, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

Radio Times editor Gill Hudson on BBC Radio 4's "The Message" on October 3: discussing RT's 80th anniversary and the "Doctor Who is #1" poll, Hudson mentions she had no idea DW was coming back... she thinks the news leaked and the Beeb was forced to announce the return before they'd planned!

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October 4, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

Janet Fielding to TSV on why she's not doing Big Finish audios: "If you don't shut the door behind you at some point in your life, you'll never move on... I've been there, I've done it. On to adventures new."

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October 3, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

Daily strip in the October 3 "Guardian" by Steve Bell, "Queer as Daleks"... featuring Tony Blair and his cronies as Daleks at the Labour Party conference. Bell's done Blair as a Dalek before but this must be a reference to Russell Davies & the new show... closet Who fan??

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October 2, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

BBC News responds to yesterday's claims by Tom Baker that Eddie Izzard would be the next Doctor: "The corporation says no final decision has been made on who will star in the TV show when it returns in 2005," says the report. "A BBC spokesman described Baker's comments as speculation." Read the full article here.
          Dead Ringers' Jon Culshaw was interviewed on BBC1's about the Labour Party conference. The conversation moved to Iraq & the Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon. Culshaw said he was delighted that "Dr Hoon was returning' and that he didn't feel that they would have much problem against the Ice Warriors! A bit of free series publicity there... (Thanks to Stephen Graves, Steve Jones)

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October 2, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

Telos Publishing has released details about the final two Doctor Who novellas to be produced under its license. The fifteenth novella, The Dalek Factor by Simon Clark, was previously confirmed, but new details today indicate that the one novella previously unmentioned is Blood and Hope by Iain McLaughlin, which brings the Fifth Doctor and Peri together with Erimem, the companion created for the Big Finish audios starring Peter Davison and Nicola Bryant. This is Erimem's first appearance in print. Full details of both novellas are listed below. Also noted are the second and third novels in their "Time Hunter" series, spun-off from the Doctor Who novella "The Cabinet of Light" with characters Honor? Lechasseur and Emily Blandish: they are Stefan Petrucha's "The Tunnel at the End of the Light" and "The Clockwork Woman" by Claire Bott. Meanwhile, Telos has noted that Tara Samms' Doctor Who novella "Frayed" has been delayed due to approval issues and should be released in December. (Thanks to David Howe, Roger Anderson)

Blood and Hope, by Iain McLaughlin
Foreword by John Ostrander
Deluxe Edition Frontispiece by Walter Howarth

The American Civil War à a time of great unrest, when fathers found themselves in conflict with their sons and when lawlessness and slavery were rife.

The Doctor, together with his companions Peri and Erimem, arrive in the middle of the conflict. The Doctor manages to cope in his own inimitable manner, however Peri û an American û and Erimem û a dark-skinned Egyptian û find themselves faced with all the bigotry and hatred that typified the war for some.

Featuring the Fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimem.

The Dalek Factor, by Simon Clark
Foreword by Christopher Fowler
Deluxe Edition Frontispiece by Graham Humphreys

When a Thal platoon arrive on a hostile planet investigating reports that Dalek artefacts have been detected, they are unprepared for what they find. In an underground room is a stranger, a Professor, or so he claims, with no memory of who he is or why he is there.

With death and horror their only companions, the Thals make their way with the Professor into the heart of a crumbling Dalek citadel in search of answers à only to find that the Daleks are the least of the horrors they must face.

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October 1, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

Would popular transvestite comedian Eddie Izzard make a good Doctor? Tom Baker thinks so. In an interview on the Teletext website Baker notes the following: "I think Eddie would be good as he's so strange, he looks like he has secrets. There is a benevolent alien quality to him." Baker goes on to stated that former Sun Page Three girl Melinda Messenger would be a great companion: "Melinda would be good as she can scream and has bosoms. It doesn't really matter if she can act." Tom would like the opportunity to play the Master in a new production; "I want to play the villain instead of the goodie," Baker says. "Then the Doctor could say lines to me like, 'You look very familiar'."
          Update: Forget being Tom Baker's favorite... the former Fourth Doctor says that Eddie Izzard is the next Doctor, although it's more than likely to be in jest. Tom, speaking on BBC London News this evening, said in a three-minute interview that he was "sworn to secrecy" but then later outed Izzard (see next news item) as the new Doctor. In response to Richard E. Grant playing the role on TV, Tom said "Oh Christ, no, not Richard E. Grant"; then, he stated that it would be Izzard. Again, we'd like to stress that it's very likely Mr. Baker was being clever rather than legitimately announcing Izzard being the Doc. You may be able to find the video of it here.
          We've been told that one other fan news site is suggesting that it will be Paul McGann reprising the role, but Outpost Gallifrey has been told that it will likely be "a new actor" by several sources.

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October 1, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

While no official word has been released as to the content of 2004's list of DVD releases in the UK, except for the confirmation that Pyramids of Mars (the winner of the DWM poll) will be released at some point that year, a reporton the Sci-Fi Online page purports to reveal some titles under consideration, including "The Green Death" (for which Katy Manning recorded a commentary in 2002 since she was in the UK at the time) and "Ghost Light". The report also mentions a box set called "The Beginning" featuring the first three stories, "An Unearthly Child," "The Daleks" and "The Edge of Destruction" -- a report that curiously sounds like the aborted 2001 VHS release boxed set. The site also suggests that 2004 will see no Patrick Troughton story releases. We emphasize that this is ONLY a page of rumor and speculation and no confirmation of any of these titles (except "Pyramids") has been released. (Thansk to Carl Simpson)

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October 1, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

BBCi has named the forthcoming 40th anniversary of Doctor Who documentary on BBC-1: it's The Story of Doctor Who. The hour-long documentary is being produced in-house at the BBC, with Kevin Davies ("More Than Thirty Years in the TARDIS") acting as advisor. Actors and crew from the series will be interviewed and filming will take place over the next several weeks, with a target date of airing sometime in December. (Thanks to BBCi)

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General TV Series News

October 1, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

There's a brief mention of the new show in the Daily Mirror's column today by Sue Carroll, mentioning an earlier letter published in the Telegraph from DWAS coordinator Ian Wheeler defending Russell Davies against suggestions that the writer would create a Doctor who was "dressed in pink, mincing about, saying: 'Shut that TARDIS door'". Carroll notes that "he can be Graham Norton as far as I'm concerned, provided the show looks as if it's been filmed in a sandpit up the M25, the walls are wobbly and the Daleks still can't get up a flight of stairs." You can read the article here.

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