Christian Cawley's Blog, page 100

June 15, 2015

McCoy, Molloy, and Levene Entertain Crowds at Ka-Pow!

Josh Maxton is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.


It’s Monday everyone!


I know, I know. There’s nothing we can do to change that. Since we as humans haven’t perfected TARDIS technology (yet), we’ll all have to travel through time the regular way.


Very… Slowly.


On a positive note, for some of our readers (like those in the UK), Monday is much further along than for others. We can’t change what day it is, but we can give you good news to make you as happy as the Eleventh Doctor with a new fez!


Here’s a simple Whovian bucket list:



Meet any (or all of the living) of the Doctors
Step on-board the TARDIS
Be present during filming
Be in the cast or crew
(Part of the last one) BE the Doctor
Many more things

About a week ago, fans who went to the Ka-Pow! sci-fi market and family fun day were able to meet the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) himself. The good Doctor arrived on the scene in a blue police box, complete with TARDIS noises and all the proper hype. His arrival sequence is seen in this vlog video (at 7:12 roughly). Guests also included Terry Molloy (one of the men who’ve portrayed Davros) and UNIT’s very own Sergeant Benton (portrayed by John Levene). Brian Burr of Who-Ray!, organisers of the event, said:


“It’s been a very hectic day and it’s been very successful. I think we have definitely underestimated how busy this was going to be. Thousands of people must have come along.”


Since the shop opened in 2010, Who-Ray! has run a few sci-fi events with Doctor Who celebrity guests. But they’ve never had a Doctor in the house before. This was exciting for both Who-Ray! and fans.


Ever wanted to have tea with the Doctor? Later that day, fans were invited to the Silver Street coffee shop to have afternoon with the celebrity guests!


Councillor Bob Cook, Leader of Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, said:


“Ka-Pow [brought] something very different to the heart of the High Street and is the latest addition to Stockton’s growing specialist markets programme. The specialist markets really do attract more visitors and shoppers into the town and build on what the popular weekly market has to offer.”


The Ka-Pow sci-fi market and family fun day was held in the High Street and Wellington Square in Stockton Town Centre on Saturday, June 6th. And our editor was there, with his son…





#starwars in Stockton


A photo posted by Kasterborous (@kasterborousdw) on Jun 6, 2015 at 3:41am PDT





Now, you rubbish robots from the dawn of time… Go out there and finish the day with a… KA-POW!


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Published on June 15, 2015 14:34

Titan Comics Promises Exciting San Diego Comic Con Exclusives!

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.


The San Diego Comic Con is just around the corner, and Titan Comics have previewed some very special merchandise coming our way.


An exclusive Twelfth Doctor comic will be available, pitting Peter Capaldi’s Time Lord and Jenna Coleman’s Clara Oswald against monster – actually at the SDCC! Written by Cavan Scott (The Ninth Doctor comics) and George Mann (Engines of War), with art by the amazingly-talented Rachael Stott (Star Trek/ Planet of the Apes), this sure-to-be-a-collector’s-item issue is complete with stunning covers by Alice X. Zhang.


When the Twelfth Doctor and Clara turn up at San Diego Comic Con, a quick selfie outside the TARDIS reveals an alien threat among the con-goers and cosplayers! The green-skinned Lady of Neverness can only be viewed through mirrors, photos and quantum snapshots, and has turned up in the background of photos all over the convention! But if enough people view her at the same time, she’ll gain the power to breach into our dimension… to feed on the life-force of the whole planet! Can the Doctor and Clara defeat her and save the day?


As if that’s not enough already, it features a glimpse at Titan’s upcoming Doctor Who event, teaming up Doctors Ten, Eleven, and Twelfth – with a bit of the War Doctor thrown in too!


SDCC Titan Comics Exclusives


There will also be exclusive variant covers of three regular Who comics, forming an awesome triptych:


The Tenth Doctor  #14


Just one issue away from this year’s season finale, and things have never looked more dangerous for the Doctor and Gabby!


Separated by an ancient force from the centre of the galaxy, the Doctor takes a cosmic trip into the history of the universe, while Gabby must negotiate with an unearthly intelligence for the sake of the planet!


How much has she learned from her brief travels with the Doctor… and will it be enough to save her?!


The Eleventh Doctor  #14


PART 1 OF THE 2-PART SEASON FINALE!


Series co-writers Al Ewing and Rob Williams team up for an unmissable mini-epic, as a year’s worth of stories come to a head!


– Can the Doctor save his new friends from their time-twisting fates?


– Will Alice find peace – or be marooned far from Earth?!


– Will ARC finally discover the truth about itself – or be reduced to atoms?!


– Will Jones fulfill his cosmic rock god destiny – or die among the stars?!


– And who will be left to join the Doctor as we head into Year Two?!


The Twelfth Doctor  #11


Fresh from their adventures in Las Vegas, the Doctor and Clara are eager for a change of scenery, but their next destination aboard the TARDIS will prove a SHOCKING change of pace!


SDCC Titan Vinyl


But Titan don’t just do comics, oh no! They also do those squat, ever-popular vinyl figures, and so they’re bringing two exclusives to San Diego.


Firstly, there’s the 3″ Tenth Doctor with Fez, a look briefly seen after the Eleventh Doctor threw his fez through the hole in space-time in The Day of the Doctor. If you’re looking for a more substantial figure, Titan’s last offering is the 4.5″ Tenth Doctor in Tuxedo. It’s quite a famous design, seen throughout his tenure, but notably in The Lazarus Experiment and Voyage of the Damned.


All these exclusives can be nabbed up at booth #5537 at the San Diego Comic Con!


Are you going? Do you plan on picking these specials up? Or are you, like me, just jealous of those able to attend?


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Published on June 15, 2015 07:00

Out Now: The Triumph of Sutekh

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.


This month, an ancient evil returns to the universe: Sutekh is back. And Professor Bernice Summerfield has a message to us all.


Big Finish are bringing back the Pyramids of Mars villain, voiced by the ever-brilliant Gabriel Woolf, in a special set which pairs Lisa Bowerman’s popular character with Sylvester McCoy’s Seventh Doctor and Sophie Aldred’s Ace. The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield Volume 2: The Triumph of Sutekh is a four-disc adventures written by Una McCormack, James Goss, Guy Adams, and Justin Richards:


Deep below the sand of Mars, an ancient horror stirs. Sutekh, Last of the Osirans, has been reborn, and all humanity trembles at his feet!


The Doctor is powerless, the Time Lords are helpless, and the only hope for the universe is Bernice Summerfield, archaeologist extraordinaire; and it will take everything she has to face the Egyptian God of Death.


Robot Mummies, insane cultists, lost treasures and a chase across time and space await…


1) The Pyramid of Sutekh by Guy Adams


Professor Bernice Summerfield, archaeologist and adventurer, has discovered a Pyramid on Mars. Inside she finds her old friend the Doctor is fighting a battle with the Osiran God Sutekh. One he is losing.


The Triumph of Sutekh full set


2) The Vaults of Osiris by Justin Richards


Egypt in 2015 is an unsettled place. The trade in stolen antiquities is a murky one, and it’s about to get a whole lot worse, as an ancient and terrible force enters the market.


3) The Eye of Horus by James Goss


Ancient Egypt is enjoying a golden age – peace, prosperity and a powerful Pharaoh. But something is moving through the sands. A forgotten god requests an invite to the feast.


4) The Tears of Isis by Una McCormack


Russell Courtland prophesied the world would end on Tuesday. No-one was more surprised than he was when it did.


Anyone with chilling memories of the original 1975 serial will surely be thrilled with this boxset.


And what’s more, it’s available right now from Big Finish for just £20!


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Published on June 15, 2015 03:03

June 14, 2015

Blake’s 7 – Lucifer: Genesis By Paul Darrow Reviewed!

James McLean is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.


As a fan of any concept, story, product, event, franchise, and/or beyond, there’s something quite invoking when those players of the piece are invested in sums greater than their parts. When you see that roles on the stage mean more to the actors than the motions they articulate, you truly feel the power of that concept, story, product, event, franchise, and/or beyond. No more so do I find this in Blake’s 7 actor Paul Darrow’s continual involvement in the said franchise.


For years Darrow has been enjoying fleshing out the character he personified, and thereby to some degree, created. Alongside Blake’s 7 creator Terry Nation and script editor Chris Boucher, Darrow made anti-hero Kerr Avon into the iconic memory he is today. Since Darrow’s role on Blake’s 7 ended with its legendary cliffhanger, he’s written about Avon’s past in Avon: A Terrible Aspect, he’s performed Avon’s future in the fan generated (but no less canon worthy) Logic of the Empire, and of late, even took on the reins of Blake’s 7 itself in a short-lived attempt to revitalise the franchise around the turn of the millennium. So here he is again, having completed a trilogy of books about Avon himself, group titled, Lucifer, whilst performing Avon on audio for the current bastion of the sci-fi dystopian narrative, Big Finish.


Perversely titled, Lucifer: Genesis is the last book of Darrow’s trilogy. I must confess I’ve not read the second book, though I did enjoy his first foray into Avon’s resurrection. You do not really need to have read the second to enjoy the third, and it is that: enjoyable.


While Lucifer sets up Avon’s future, post-television, Genesis integrates the rich politics Darrow sets up in his trilogy directly into the television canon. The rivalling factions of Earth so imbued with life in his first book are now inter-twined with the history of Kerr Avon and Servalan. The final chapter of Genesis looks at Avon’s future-present and ends up with a tense showdown between the ageing rebel and the forces of Earth.


There will be many who’ll be resistant to this curdling of canon, but personally speaking, I find after three decades of memories, I welcome new frameworks to consider one of my favourite past shows. Darrow looks to embellish Servalan as much as he does Avon. Darrow doesn’t just position her more realistically within the Federation’s political framework, but generates a much-needed backstory to really define what makes this villain such a powerful character.


Blake's 7


Are there issues with the book? This becomes an interesting question, and Darrow is as wily as his fictional counterpart on this score. A caveat can be located at the beginning of the tale that notes that with some vaguarity that the third person narrative is “Avon reminiscing. A sort of diary.” This neatly avoids any direct issues of contradiction in continuity (and there are some), personality (there are moments where the characters make comments not quite in keeping with the show), and reflection (Avon is very much the hero of the piece). How Avon reminisces on events beyond his knowledge, such as Servalan’s rise to power, is questionable, but ultimately Darrow sets his cards out straight off: don’t question, just enjoy it. In this sense, Darrow allows himself to truly indulge in the character. William Shatner’s books on Captain Kirk very much pedestal the Star Trek hero to a stature only best compared to Red Dwarf’s hero parody of ‘Ace Rimmer’, but arguably so does Darrow with Avon. However with Darrow’s opening declaration, he gives himself the position to do so without appearing short-sighted to the larger universe. This is the world of Avon as seen through Avon. Perhaps not literally in terms of continuity, but how Avon – or Darrow – sees himself as Avon. Once again, there are good arguments against this approach; many will see it as less a conceptual technique, but a get-out-of-jail-free card for mistakes and indulgences. If that’s the case, is that so bad? I point you back to my original outline: seeing the players enjoy the mythology of Blake’s 7 so much is a joy in itself.


I would like to see Darrow write a book on current Avon that does not have the comfort of indulgence. He adds some fascinating new concepts and some ideas I rather like to existing canon. I enjoyed Servalan’s backstory a great deal, I like the idea of Orac’s casing being as much for show as utilitarian, and the idea of Ensor’s booby traps.


I’m not entirely sure if I personally see Avon as consistent a personality as Darrow does. For me, the series had Avon’s personality darken as it progressed with him becoming paranoid, and even to some degree, a fighter against the Federation, albeit for different reasons to Blake. Perhaps that’s because those people don’t see the turning points as clearly as others; we never see the changes in ourselves. Even there, Darrow’s caveat serves him well.


In any regards, this is a book worth reading by any Blake’s 7 fans. The more you know of the show, the more you will enjoy it. It is an indulgence, on part of the author and the audience, but given both are clearly fans of Blake’s 7, is that necessarily a bad thing?


Blake’s 7 – Lucifer: Genesis is out now, and is available from Big Finish as an ebook or a physical copy.


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Published on June 14, 2015 21:32

Catch Doctor Who Stars in New Sci-Fi Drama HUMANS

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.


Humans, a sci-fi show exploring artificial intelligences and how we could live alongside life-like robots, begins tonight – and features a bevvy of former Doctor Who stars, mainly from the Tenth Doctor era!


The series is set on a parallel Earth where the human race have servants called Synths – robots that have a startling similarity to us. The main Synth, Anita, occasionally does something that’s just “too human” – and is played by Gemma Chan, who you might know as Soo Lin from the Sherlock episode, The Blind Banker, but also appeared as Mia in 2009’s The Waters of Mars.


Joining her is Tom Goodman-Hill, whose credits include Spy, The Imitation Game, and The Office, as well as playing Reverend Golightly in 2008’s The Unicorn and the Wasp; Danny Webb (from The Impossible Planet/ The Satan Pit); Colin Morgan, aka Jethro from Midnight, but is better known as the titular character in Merlin; Ruth Bradley (Big Finish companion, Molly O’Sullivan); and Manpreet Bachu, who warned everyone not to click on a weird wi-fi symbol at the start of 2013’s The Bells of Saint John.


And then there’s Rebecca Front: it was recently announced that she’ll act opposite her The Thick of It star, Peter Capaldi, in the ninth series of Doctor Who!


Further familiar faces from Sherlock include Jonathan Aris (Anderson), and Katherine Parkinson (Kitty Riley).


The threat of AI is an interesting one, providing a seemingly-endless amount of inspiration. Right now, we have Avengers: Age of Ultron earning big bucks at the box office, but there’s also a wealth of literature, notably Isaac Asimov’s Robot series. Doctor Who‘s been chronicling the rise of the machine too; a personal favourite is WOTAN in The War Machines, but there’s also BOSS in The Green Death, Mr Smith in The Sarah Jane Adventures, the Half-Face Man in Deep Breath, and The Robots of Death.


Oh, and who can forget K9!


Written by Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent (the pair who worked on the last few series of Spooks, and wrote the film, Spooks: The Greater Good), Humans start tonight at 9pm on Channel 4, and airs in the US on AMC on 28th June.


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Published on June 14, 2015 09:08

Producer Deletes Tweet Indicating Doctor Who Series 9 Start Date

Jeremy Remy is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.


Recently, there was some brief, but interesting Twitter activity on the Doctor Who front. Doctor Who producer Nikki Wilson tweeted in excitement about the upcoming series.


Another successful day on the TARDIS! #DoctorWho is even bigger and better this year.


— Nikki Wilson (@redlushette) June 9, 2015



As exciting as it is to imagine where Series 9 will take our current TARDIS crew, the item of interest popped up when Wilson answered a response to her tweet by fan @TinaThudBump, who asked the Doctor Who producer if she knew “roughly when [Doctor Who] will be back”—a question likely on many a Whovian’s mind, with filming nearing an end.


Wilson tweeted, “We’ll be back in September.” Yet, almost as soon as her answer appeared, it was deleted.


For now, the answer can only be looked at as a rumor. Still, Series 7 and 8 both had late August/early September start dates. So, it seems likely Wilson’s unofficial statement is accurate, and we’ll have a few months before “The Magician’s Apprentice” and ”The Witch Finder” grace our screens.


How will you be getting your Doctor Who fix while waiting for the return of the televised series? Are you willing to steadfastly wait for a September return, or are you still holding out hope for a surprise early start?


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Published on June 14, 2015 03:36

Moffat & Cumberbatch Among Queen’s Birthday Honours Recipients

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.


Steven Moffat and Benedict Cumberbatch have both been honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.


Moffat has been showrunner on Doctor Who since 2010, but has been contributing to the show for over a decade now, and has been awarded an OBE for his services to drama, while Cumberbatch is best known for playing the lead role in Sherlock, and has been given a CBE. Benedict has also recently played Alan Turing in the heart-breaking film, The Imitation Game, and has urged the pardon granted posthumously to Turing to be extended to the 49,000 gay men convicted of ‘gross indecency’ simply for their sexuality.


Aside from co-creating Sherlock, Moffat’s television career dates back to 1989 with series like Press Gang, Joking Apart, and Jekyll under his belt. He said:


“I never thought I would get something like this; I’m astonished and more thrilled than I ever thought someone like me would be. I’m not the least bit cynical, or the least bit trying to be cool about it. I’m just really, really happy.”


Rhodri Talfan Davies, Director of BBC Cymru Wales, went on to say:


“We’re thrilled to see Steven’s creative brilliance being recognised today.


Not only has he enthralled countless millions of viewers across the world, he has helped rocket-boost the Welsh creative sector, inspiring a new generation of talent here in Wales to make their mark on the global stage.


I’m so delighted to see his remarkable achievements being honoured.”


Lesley Manville, who played William Hartnell’s wife in the 50th anniversary celebratory docudrama, An Adventure in Space and Time, has also been awarded an OBE for services to drama: she made her acting debut in the 1985 film, Dance with a Stranger, and has since starred in Vera DrakeMalificent, and Cranford – as well as many, many other credits.


Martin Clunes, too, has received an OBE for services to drama, charity, and the community in Dorset. Clunes first appeared on our screens in Snakedance (1983), but is best known for playing Doc Martin, a series based in Portwenn, actually filmed in Port Isaac, Cornwall. That series returns to ITV later this year.


Further honours were granted to Chiwetel Ejiofor (whose name was attached to the role of the Twelfth Doctor for a time before Peter Capaldi was revealed as the Time Lord), Eddie Redmayne (whose stunning turn as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything blew everyone away), and Michael Bond, creator of Paddington Bear (the recent film of which starred Capaldi as the nosy neighbour).


The full list of honours can be seen over at the BBC. And a huge congratulations to all!


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Published on June 14, 2015 03:30

June 13, 2015

Review: The Doctor Who Book Guide 2nd Edition Volume 1

Alex Skerratt is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.


Just about every Doctor Who fan has encountered a Target novelisation at some point in their lives. For example, yours truly got into the show during the wilderness years, so my predicament was different to that facing the readers of the 1970s and 1980s… It wasn’t that the BBC wouldn’t release the episodes on VHS, but that it was deleting titles from the range faster than Pamela Nash with a blowtorch. Such gems as Logopolis and The Caves of Androzani never graced my shelves until the DVDs materialised, so the Target books were a great way of filling those gaps in the space-time continuum.


For the unfamiliar among you, the Target books were truncated novelisations of the BBC TV stories, and they were typically made as pocket-sized paperbacks, providing Who fans with the perfect way of re-experiencing stories that were never likely to be repeated, long before the days of home video / DVD / shameless YouTubing. They are affectionately remembered for their stylized sleeve covers and detailed descriptions; many Target books had the ability to transform low-key serials into cinematic epics!


And now we have The Doctor Who Book Guide 2nd Edition Volume 1, which takes a detailed look at all the paperback releases of the First Doctor, from Target and beyond. It is, in essence, an illustrated reference guide compiled by Chris Stone of the appropriately-named Long Scarf Publications.


And when I say “detailed”, I really mean it – some serious research has gone into this project. For each title, the editor gives information on how many editions were struck, who wrote them, who provided the cover artwork, the ISBN number(s), the original prices, and an estimation of what the books are worth today, depending on their condition. For example, if anyone has a 1981 edition of Terrance Dicks’ An Unearthly Child with the Red Neon logo, you should either move it to the Black Archive forthwith, or post it on eBay, because those bad boys can sell for over £500!


In addition, Chris Stone provides a fascinating insight into the complications surrounding the publication process. For instance, some books were reprinted without variations, so it is hard to tell which copies came first. Then there are issues surrounding re-jacketed books, and Target’s head-scartchingly timey-wimey numbering system, (Time and the Rani is number 128, preceded by The Mysterious Planet at 127, which is also numbered 126 inside the jacket!) I genuinely find this information fascinating, and I am grateful that someone has taken the trouble to document it all – I’m not sure I’d have the patience myself!


Furthermore, the editor has managed to source all of the individual covers, miniscule variations and all – and some of them are unforgivably bad. Who knew that the Japanese version of The Daleks featured a red telephone kiosk and egg-shaped pieces of polycarbide, (the cover artists were given no Dalek reference material to draw from.) And, bizarrely, Tom Baker appears as the incumbent Doctor on the 1975 edition of Doctor Who and the Zarbi… wearing a green cagoule, no less!


Unfortunately, this reference guide is only partly successful for me. Yes, I’m a sucker for the infinitesimal detail and quirky anecdotes, but there aren’t enough of these for my liking. I think if there is to be a volume that looks at the book world in such depth, then it needs to go all-out; tell me what typeface the publishers used, what did the blurbs say, how far did the prose stray from the TV scripts, and what was the chemical composition of The Rescue‘s dust-jacket?! Even mini reviews of each novelisation would be enough to whet my appetite… The editor drifts briefly into this territory with his introduction to Marco Polo, and he offers a very affectionate tribute to the legendary David Whitaker in the run-up to The Space Museum, but I would like to have seen more ‘cutaways’ of this ilk.


That said, there are, indeed, other cutaways, but these are mostly gratuitous. For example, the introduction to The Myth Makers is delivered in the form of a poem, telling the reader nothing of any obvious significance, although it is made up of First Doctor episode titles, so there’s a fun game to be played on a long train journey from Wigan. Whether this kind of thing belongs in a reference guide, though, is another matter. Personally, I found these introductions distracting, and rather dull, although I applaud the editor for trying to add some colour and variety to his work, even if his endeavours are not wholly successful.


So would I recommend this title to anybody? Most definitely, but with reservations. If you have any sort of interest in the Target novelisations, whether passing or fanatical, then I think you will find something to appreciate in this guide. You may have to ignore some of the pixelated illustrations, and you may find yourself scrolling past some of the story introductions, but you will be reading an impressively-researched PDF, and one that is bound to pique your interest in all-things paperback. I am curious to see what the next volumes in this series have to offer.


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Published on June 13, 2015 12:37

Forbidden Planet Signing for The Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who

Tony Jones is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.


Thursday the 4th of June saw Simon Guerrier and Dr Marek Kukula launch their new book The Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who with a book signing at London’s Forbidden Planet. The book mixes science with a range of short stories and authors Jonathan Morris, Jenny Colgan and Andrew Smith were on hand to offer support with the task of signing 180 copies of the book.


The PR company who arranged the event have kindly provided us with a few photos from the event.



Broadcasting House Dalek
Broadcasting House TARDIS
Forbidden Planet signing (3)
A Dalek and K-9 entertain fans
Dalek - Royal Observatory
Simon and Marek - Royal Observatory

Along with many eager fans were a few notables, including Nev Fountain (very busy and focussed on his next book), James Goss (who also wrote a story for the book but decline signing duties as he was both jet-lagged from a recent trip to the States and had just had his own book launch recently) and Joseph Smith from Big Finish. Inevitably the evening ended with a trip to the Fitzroy Tavern, but that’s another story!


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Published on June 13, 2015 02:26

Out Now: Short Trips – The Shadows of Serenity

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.


The latest installment of Big Finish’s Short Trips range, The Shadows of Serenity, is available now.


The story, featuring the Sixth Doctor and Peri Brown, and read by Nicola Bryant, is written by Nigel Robinson and produced by Michael Stevens.


The Guns of Malgar once defended their planetoid from any who strayed too close; just one gun could obliterate an entire star fleet.


The Malgarians are known as a vicious, belligerent species – so when the TARDIS brings the Doctor and Peri to their homeworld, they are puzzled to be greeted by a pacifistic population.


Peri assumes the Doctor has just got his facts wrong, but he is reluctant to accept the Malgarians’ uncharacteristic behaviour. What lies behind it, and what is the secret of the Sisters of Serenity?


Short Trips remained a popular series but has recently converted to being available solely as downloads – at the much cheaper price of £2.99! It would be nice to see each story for this fifth series packaged together in a physical release later this year, but who knows whether that’ll actually happen.


This Sixth Doctor tale is followed by Dark Convoy, a Seventh Doctor story, next month.


The Shadows of Serenity can be downloaded now from Big Finish for just £2.99.


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Published on June 13, 2015 00:23

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