Christian Cawley's Blog, page 56

Character Options Launches Online Exclusive 5.5″ Figures! [UPDATED]

Christian Cawley 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.

Character Options has just announced its first online exclusive, a pair of 5.5 inch figures of Missy (black outfit and purple), limited to 4000 figures each and priced at £19.99!

Alasdair Dewar, Product Development Director at Character Options, explains all in the video above.

The Missy Figure will be available in two variants; a purple outfitted version with hat from the series finale episodes; and alternatively in her ‘Heaven’ outfit, hatless with black jacket and manic grin. The Missy figures each have 18 points of articulation and are highly detailed and decorated. Each figure head can also be swapped so that both heads can be incorporated with either outfit, and they both come with accessories. The bespoke UK Collector Series packs are perfect for display and for the first time are re-sealable, so that the figures can be

enjoyed in or out of packaging without losing their collectability.

Dewar states: “Character Options has been designing, manufacturing and marketing Doctor Who toys since 2005, so as true fans of the brand we wanted to tell collectors the latest news in the most direct, if informal way, which is why I made the announcement in person on the website. Missy is the first of a potential new line of highly sought after 5.5-inch action figures so we expect interest to be high and we are all very excited to share this with fans and collectors alike.

“Working with Michelle Gomez was great fun and she was the best subject we ever 3D scanned, patiently holding her facial expressions including her trademark Missy “sneer” for long periods of time. We know that many collectors have been eagerly waiting to see if Missy would at some point be included within our figure range, and at last, here she is.”

You can order from www.character-online.co.uk. Total fan support for this will no doubt mean future online exclusives for the 5 1/2 inch range, so let’s get behind this!

The post Character Options Launches Online Exclusive 5.5″ Figures! [UPDATED] appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Isn’t 8.25pm a Bit Late for Doctor Who?

Katie Gribble 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 air time for the third episode of series 9 of Doctor Who has been confirmed for BBC One on 3 October at 8.25pm to 9.10pm.

Written by Toby Whithouse, Under The Lake, promises darkness and depth near the beginning of the series. When an Underwater Base comes under attack, the Doctor and Clara must save the frightened crew and defeat an impossible threat. But what is behind these terrifying events? And can they really be haunted by ghosts?

However, the late scheduling of the programme has raised a few eyebrows. Programmed to start after Strictly Come Dancing, this episode of Doctor Who will be starting the latest since the start of the new series in 2005. It will also face stiff competition against the England vs Australia Rugby match on at the same time and will continue to face similar problems until the end of the Rugby World Cup.

Also, as it will be following Strictly, will there be a drop off as the audience finish watching another of the BBC’s most popular shows?

Is this scheduling choice the right one or is it just too late for family viewing?

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Pertwee, Tennant, Mackems in the TARDIS and More!

Andrew Reynolds 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.

What does Sunderland, a purple man, the 1977 Burton Regatta, an assortment of fan art, the musing of a Labour backbencher, the passing of talented polymath, and a writers year profits have in common?

They’re all part of today’s far-reaching News Blast!

The TARDIS and Sunderland

There’s William Russell – who was born in Sunderland in 1924, Karen Gillan whose father was born in Sunderland – but moved to Inverness before she was born and then there’s Sir John Hurt, whose father served as vicar of St John’s parish, Sunderland. If there’s a cast member with links to Sunderland and the series, the Sunderland Echo have found it.

Check out six actors who have connections with the Doctor and the North East.

Tennant’s Jessica Jones Launches on Netflix in November

Netflix has confirmed the launch date for Marvel’s Jessica Jones. The series, which features the Tenth Doctor himself, David Tennant, will premiere on at 8:01am GMT on 20 November.

Staring Krysten Ritter as the titular Jessica Jones, the show follows Jones as she attempts to rebuild her life after a short-lived superhero stint ends in tragedy.

Tennant will appear as Kilgrave aka The Purple Man, who possess mind-control powers and a dark past with Jessica Jones.

The series is the second of four planned series between Marvel and the online streaming service after the hugely successful Daredevil. The thirteen one-hour episodes will be followed by Marvel’s Luke Cage and Marvel’s Iron Fist, leading up to the teaming of the main characters in Marvel’s The Defenders.

The cast includes Mike Colter as Luke Cage and Rachael Taylor as Trish Walker, alongside Carrie-Anne Moss, Eka Darville, Erin Moriarty and Wil Traval.

Jon Pertwee at Burton Regatta

Take a look back in time to 1977 when the Third Doctor himself, Jon Pertwee attended the Burton Regatta.

Alongside an estimate 12,000 attendees, Pertwee signed autographs, took part in the highlight of the arena events – the Kamakazi motorcycle rodeo and presented the rowing trophies to the winners of the days numerous events.

What’s more, Pertwee was presented with a tankard and a special bottle of Jubilee Lager by president of the Burton Amateur Regatta Mr Osborne.

Check out the gallery of the day’s events over at the Burton Mail.

Art Inspiration

Whether you’re a Disney-fied Twelfth Doctor fan, a Shia LaBoeuf as the Fifth Doctor supporter, or even a Tim Burton style Eighth Doctor aficionado; whatever your opinion of each piece, there’s no denying the breadth of imagination possessed by fans of the show – so much so, the Radio times have cobbled together 13 examples of how the Time Lord has inspired artists online.

Personally, I love the War Dogtor but check out the full 13 images of alternative Doctors over at the Radio Times.

Failed Leadership Candidate wants Female Doctor

Labour leadership candidate turned back-bencher Yvette Cooper has told the Huffington Post that she wants to see a female Doctor and has pencilled in Olivia Colman to play the part.

Cooper said that she was enjoying Peter Capaldi in the role but added that he was ‘sad’ and added that “we do need a woman Dr Who at some point, don’t we?”

She later tweeted a link to the finished article saying that Olivia Colman would be ‘ace’. She also made a mocking reference to her fellow candidate Andy Burnham’s comment when asked if his party should have a female leader.

The comments drew a range of responses; from the incredulous to the amused.

Press Publishes Olaf Pooley Obituary

As you may recall, Inferno actor Olaf Pooley has passed away aged 101. The versatile performer, painter and director played Professor Stahlman in the classic serial, where he brought a steely intensity to the role of the leader of the ultimately fatal attempt to drill into the earth’s crust.

Described by his daughter, the actress Kirstie Pooley, as “a very special force, an extraordinary man who lived his life the way he wanted right to the very end” the life of Olaf Pooley is filled with accounts of extraordinary courage, charismatic performances, tireless self-expression  and under-appreciated written works both deeply personal and coveted by Hollywood producers.

Drinks Are On Chibnall

And finally, proving that crime does indeed pay, Doctor Who writer Chris Chibnll has earned a cool million pounds from ITV’s Broadchurch.

Latest figures for his firm Imagineering Friends Productions Ltd covering last year have been posted with Companies House and show he has £1,340,659 in cash in the coffers.

A source who spoke to The Mirror said: “Chris is now a very wealthy man. He has made good money from his previous telly work but Broadchurch has made him financially secure for life.

“It takes a while for the cash to start coming in but that is just starting for Chris and next year’s accounts will be even healthier.”

Clearly the source didn’t see Broadchurch Series 2…

The post Pertwee, Tennant, Mackems in the TARDIS and More! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

What You Thought of The Magician’s Apprentice: Reaktion Roundup

Christian Cawley 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 results are in. Doctor Who is back – but was it really all that good? Did The Magician’s Apprentice feel like a season opener, or was it more of an acquired taste?

We’ll get the bad stuff out of the way first: the show pulled in a disappointing 4.8 million viewers. In the age of delayed viewing and BBC iPlayer, this may not seem a problem, and consolidated figures may well show that around 10 million viewed in the UK. The problem is, that a figure like 4.8 million is a nice one for the press to latch hold of. They love overnights, regardless of whether they have become an outmoded measure or not, and can use this figure to humiliate Doctor Who and the BBC.

Perhaps we’ll come back to this later in the week. Let’s stick to the point, and take a look at the AI, the audience appreciation index, for which The Magician’s Apprentice scored 84, which isn’t bad for Doctor Who. Meanwhile on BBC America, the Series 9 opener was Doctor Who‘s biggest US premiere for the key 18-49 demographic, with 2 million watching in total.

Certainly you, our own readers, enjoyed the episode overall. In our post-broadcast poll, 781 people voted, with the results as follows:

Great, really enjoyed it. 50.32% (393 votes)
Best opener ever! 30.22% (236 votes)
Okay. Was expecting more. 9.09% (71 votes)
Didn’t work for me. Move on, Moffat! 5.38% (42 votes)
Hope it improves next week. 4.99% (39 votes)

But despite the resounding positivity of the vote, the comments tell a different story.

bonobobananas: I do fear that the program I love I disappearing up it’s own behind. Just take a step away from your keyboard and consider: How many new fans do you think that episode will have generated? Could anyone who wasn’t a fan understand any of that?

Doctor Who is becoming so obsessed with clever ‘Who history’ that it has forgotten the simplicity of the idea. A man in a box with all of time and space to play in. Let’s get back to that eh?

BrittlePacker: I ought to have disliked Twelve’s mad party behaviour ( smacked a bit of Eleven, who I never got to appreciate) but Capaldi pulled it off with great aplomb. I’m not a fan of the companion becoming Ms Supercompetent, deferred to by the highest authorities between lessons, but I’ll let it pass, because overall the episode had me gripped.

Of course I knew who the boy was, but my heart still skipped a beat on his name. Of course the cliffhanger Isn’t what it seems, but you know what? As a very small girl I knew the Doctor wasn’t really going to have his head chopped off in The Masque of Mandragora. Didn’t stop me gasping then, didn’t stop me tonight either. When the show enables me to suspend disbelief like that, I would say it’s done it’s job.

Capaldi – superb. Coleman – terrific. Gomez – a thoroughly nasty hoot. The main guest star – fabulous. I look forward to more exchanges between him and the Doctor, they’re spectacular together. Moffat – doing what he always does, winding people up. I loved it, and I have only one major complaint. Next week is an awfully long time away!

Edward Delingford: Capaldi totally owns it. Been great reading so many comments tonight about people who admired but didn’t love his doctor last year absolutely loving him tonight. It’s a pitch perfect performance and reminds us again that this show stands shoulder to shoulder with the best things on television anywhere. I am really speechless to describe Capaldi’s performance tonight but will urge my drama students to look at it to see a master craftsman can convey so many different emotions so effectively. The almost cocky way he made that rock God moment awesome showed me that we are just on another level in terms of acting now.

As you can see, The Magician’s Apprentice has inspired some amazingly strong opinions. But then, it’s Doctor Who, right?

The post What You Thought of The Magician’s Apprentice: Reaktion Roundup appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Are Clara & Missy Really Dead? The Witch’s Familiar Trailers & Synopsis

Christian Cawley 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 Saturday night, the story continues as the events of The Magician’s Apprentice are continued and concluded in The Witch’s Familiar. To give you a taste of what’s in store, the BBC has released the clip above of the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) threatening the ancient creator of the Daleks, Davros (the remarkable Julian Bleach).

Here’s a reminder of the synopsis:

Trapped and alone in a terrifying Dalek city, the Doctor is at the heart of an evil Empire: no sonic, no TARDIS, nobody to help. With his greatest temptation before him, can the Doctor resist? And will there be mercy?

The BBC are keeping a very tight lid on photos from the coming episode, but have released a lot more images of Daleks on Skaro.

In addition to the clip above, the following trailers have been released:

And this one…

And while we’re on the topic, we wonder – just what is going on here?

We’ll leave that up to you… The Witch’s Familiar hits screens this Saturday night (26th September) at 7.45pm to 8.35pm on BBC One, and 9/8c on BBC America.

The post Are Clara & Missy Really Dead? The Witch’s Familiar Trailers & Synopsis appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Why There Won’t Be a Doctor Who/Sherlock Crossover

Katie Gribble 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.

Doctor Who and Sherlock will never have an official crossover episode says show runner and writer for both series Steven Moffat, but why?

For many fans, the opportunity to have a canon Doctor Who/Sherlock episode would certainly be a dream come true and there is a lot of support and enthusiasm for the idea.If we take into consideration the popularity of the WHOLOCK – Sherlock meets The Doctor! video posted on YouTube by the rather amazing John Smith. Fans praised it and it continues to garner a great deal of attention from fans around the world, clocking up over 4.5 million views in the two years since its release. So if it’s popularity, at least on announcement and broadcast, is guaranteed, why will this never happen?

In an interview in Metro, Steven Moffat explains how both shows, focussing more specifically on Doctor Who, have their own ideas to explore. With series 8 focussing on rather large and serious concepts, from the Doctor’s personal sense of morality to what happens when we die, Moffat explains how Doctor Who has its own central issues to investigate before adding another hugely successful and complex show to the mix.

One of the things I find interesting about [The Doctor] is what he’s really like compared to what everybody thinks he is. He has this great aspiration to be this man known as the Doctor who does the right thing and is never cruel and never cowardly — but we watch the show…It’s all the frailties that make him interesting. People view him either as a great hero or a great avenger or a mighty warrior, and we know he isn’t. He’s a man who’s got a time machine, and he wants to go everywhere and see everything; he just wants to have fun… He’s just somebody whose compassion is so boundless that when he encounters cruelty or tyranny, he can’t help but fight it. But he’s always a passer-by, and he always becomes the last man standing. But that’s not his agenda, he’s not in his head a hero.

There is so much to be explored in the Doctor Who universe just focussing on the central character and I think that has a much wider scope than constricting the story for the purpose of a one off special with another show whose style is so vastly different. The great thing about Doctor Who is that it can look into anything and go anywhere with the characters meeting who they want. But another great thing about that freedom is that you don’t have to. The Doctor may be all about gallivanting around the universe, but he’s also about having tea with the Queen and watching history just happen in front of him.

Whereas with Sherlock, the introduction of the Doctor and all that he brings with him into the show would totally dominate because as Moffat says, it would completely change the parameters in which Sherlock operates.

The problem with crossing over “Doctor Who” is the impact you have on the other show. [With Sherlock]…where’s Sherlock at the end of that? He’s just learned there is intelligent life in the universe, and time travel is possible — he must now factor this into any deduction he makes in the future. Did Sherlock live through those Dalek invasions? Why doesn’t he consider the possibility that the murderer might have had a TARDIS?

Indeed, if Sherlock had been a part of the same universe, don’t you think Sherlock would have noticed the significant number of alien invasions and then not done anything about it?

Sadly for fans of both shows, it appears that they will be remaining separate, at least for the foreseeable future. For now at least, our imaginations can run wild!

The post Why There Won’t Be a Doctor Who/Sherlock Crossover appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

The Answer Phone

Alasdair Shaw 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.

At first glance the room was empty, artificial twilight disturbed only by the occasional flickering light of a console that stood in the centre of the room. A low hum filled the room, coming from advanced Gallifreyan technology which had gone to great lengths to disguise itself as Victorian Steampunk. An inhumanly sensitive ear had painstakingly arranged every last detail of the room, making it acoustically perfect. So much so that every little noise could be heard from any part of the room with utter clarity.

And it was driving the Master mad.

Standing at the console all the Master could hear was the whirring and clicking of gears and cogs within his chest cavity that were doing their utmost to imitate the double heartbeat of a Time Lord. Speech synthesisers droned in a constant state of readiness, artificial joints in his arms and legs scraped quietly against each other and his small internal matrix screamed with painful memories of his prior regenerations. But all he could hear, all that his audio receptors could perceive, was the clockwork heartbeat, taunting him with its pale imitation of life.

It recurred each time the Doctor and Miss Cheney left him all alone in the TARDIS on monitor duty. Little better than that little metal dog the Doctor used to keep, even if he wasn’t as remotely loyal.

These familiar, bitter subroutines were interrupted as the console room sprang suddenly into life. A single blue light on the other side of the console indicated that some as yet unknown force was attempting to gain entry to his, that is the Doctor’s, TARDIS. Had he been present rather than gallivanting with young Terran females, the Doctor would no doubt have flounced his way around to the light, pressing as many random buttons as he could on the way.

Even with the accumulated memories of all his previous incarnations the Master’s current body was little more than an extension of the TARDIS console and never flounced. Laying his hand flat on the console he accessed the exterior monitor feed.

Ah. Sontarans.

He was about to disconnect from the outside feed when a small detail caused him to raise an eyebrow. The Sontaran’s equipment bore the seal of Rassilon.

An electrical impulse worked its way from the console to the usually decorative phone and caused it to ring. After several confused moments the squadron’s leader picked up the phone and after a handful of false starts placed it next to what might have been his ear.

“May I be of assistance to you gentlemen?”

“This is Commander Sryx of the Glorious Sontaran Empire!” snapped the militant response before the Master could properly finish his initial enquiry.

“Yes. Of course you are.” Soothed the Master. “But just what is the Glorious Sontaran Empire doing on my doorstep?”

“Your doorstep?” Sryx’s tone brightened. “Then I am addressing the Doctor?”

“I’m afraid he’s not in just now. Might I take a message?”

“I am to bring him to the High Council.” Sryx defaulted back to orders in the face of the unexpected.

“I’m not disputing your orders, Commander, but I can’t hand the good Doctor over if he’s not here though can I?” The only complication, truth be told.

“Then you leave us no choice!”

“A relief I’m sure.”  The Master disconnected the line, there was little else to be learned from this exchange. Still the seal of Rassilon caused him enough concern to raise the shields before returning to his dormant state of bitterness. Just in case.

Exactly forty-two seconds passed before the Master was reactivated by the TARDIS. “You just can’t maintain your shields or state of Temporal Grace for less than a minute without me, old girl? Poor show.”

Begrudgingly contact was re-established with his unwelcome guests. “This is Commander Sryx of the Sontaran Empire. Is the Doctor home yet?”

“He’s not as it happens, yet I notice that you’re still attempting to enter my home.” The disdain was probably lost on the Commander.

“Yes! We are!” Silence descended as the Master waited for Sryx to elaborate. “We have orders from the High Council.” He added almost apologetically.

“Well unless it’s the High Council of Gallifrey  then I’m afraid your orders have very little relevance here.”

“Aha!” Exclaimed Sryx, his enthusiasm renewed. “These orders are indeed from the High Council on Gallifrey. From Lord President Rassilon himself!”

“Ah. I see the issue here. You’ve come to the wrong time zone. Rassilon hasn’t been the President, or alive for that matter, for a very long time.”

“Your Lord and Master…” The Master chuckled. “…has been resurrected to lead the Time Lords in what is deemed to be the Last Great Time War. A war we may be permitted to join should we succeed in our mission.”

Well that explained everything. “In that case I believe I can help you gentlemen.” The fools had arrived from a future, possibly an alternate one, armed with Time Lord technology they evidently couldn’t operate correctly.

“You can take us to the Doctor?”

“In a manner of speaking.”  He had already began to use the TARDIS scanners to pinpoint the origin of the future Gallifreyan technology. “if you gentlemen would care to step this way.”

Curiously his attempt to open a miniature time vortex in the doorway of the TARDIS was met with resistance, something that shouldn’t have been a problem to someone who had been previously absorbed by the heart of the TARDIS and granted unprecedented access to the Eye of Harmony. Not that the Doctor knew his enforced companion had such an affinity with his TARDIS, after all what the Doctor didn’t know could only be used against him later. After a moment’s conflict the portal opened and the Sontarans dutifully marched through it and were just as dutifully phased out of existence the second they set foot in the Last Great Time War.

The Master smiled as the portal closed and he began to drift back off into standby mod. His neural processors contemplating the clean shaven, familiar-yet-organic face his scanners had detected in the midst of the battle he had deposited the Sontarans in.

Perhaps the future held some promise of a life outside the TARDIS after all.

As electronic twilight once again fell on the TARDIS console room all the Master could hear was his clockwork heart counting down the seconds.

The post The Answer Phone appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Reviewed: Doctor Who – The Complete History Issue 1

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.

I’ve made no secret of this: the Doctor Who: The Complete History collection is my dream partwork. Forget figurine collections and DVDs of stories I already own; I want books. Beautifully-designed, compelling books, full of in-depth information – and focused on Doctor Who too.

But now that it’s finally happened, courtesy of Hachette, does the reality live up to the dream?

Issue 1 – actually Volume 55 in the whole series – looks at four Tenth Doctor serials, five episodes in total. You can see why they’ve started with David Tennant; he remains an ever-popular incarnation of the Time Lord. The stories chosen, however, initially seem a bizarre way to kick off the collection: my money would be on Human Nature/ The Family of Blood, and Blink, or maybe the overrated Series 4 finale, and frankly, I can only wonder when they’ll release the volume covering The Day of the Doctor (the final issue, I reckon).

No, they’ve gone with Gridlock, Daleks in Manhattan/ Evolution of the Daleks, The Lazarus Experiment, and 42. Hardly fan favourites, although I do maintain that all five are very unfairly overlooked. This volume actually perfectly illustrates my point and justifies why this partwork will continue to be a definitive, enlightening work.

After Introductions written by editor, John Ainsworth, looking at why a story is important to Doctor Who‘s ongoing tale, and full synopses of each episode, accompanied by images, the sections are thorough and focus on all aspects of the serials, including Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production, Publicity, Broadcast, and Merchandise. This is followed by complete Cast and Crew Credits, and a Profile of a specific actor: for Gridlock, we get Anna Hope (Novice Hame); Miranda Raison (Tallulah) for the Dalek two-parter; Adjoa Andoh (Francine Jones, aka Martha’s Mum) for The Lazarus Experiment; and Michelle Collins (Kath McDonnell) for 42.

Kasterborous editor, Christian Cawley noted the other day that “nobody sets out to make a bad TV show,” and this really shines in The Complete History. The meticulous and loving detail put into every scene is exceptional, and gives you a new outlook on even stories left at the bottom of the heap in polls. The next time I watch these particular episodes (likely in the next fortnight), I’ll have an entirely different appreciation of them. It makes each tale interesting and somehow fresh.

And that’s wonderful.

Maybe another reason these stories were chosen to signpost this new partwork is because of their range in tone. You’ve a thriller in 42, and religious allegory in Gridlock and The Lazarus Experiment. Daleks in Manhattan gives historical depth and Evolution of the Dalek is all about show and the tainted glamour of 1930s America. Each tale has a different colour scheme too, so it remains engaging.

Facts and figures, trivia and detail, have the potential to seem stuffy and overwhelming; fortunately, there’s a wit and charm to the text: it, for example, notes that The Lazarus Experiment was “broadcast, rather aptly, the day after Boots started selling their much-hyped anti-ageing cream No7 Protect & Perfect Beauty Serum.”

The lavish, warm interior art also helps give a distinctly enjoyable feeling. Eye-catching and stylish compositions adorn the title pages of each serial, and this first issue comes with a full-sized poster of Daleks in Manhattan/ Evolution of the Daleks – an odd choice, perhaps, but the montage itself is glorious. The latest Doctor Who Magazine has the art for Gridlock and next issue’s The Daemons as mini-posters, and I can’t see anyone arguing that further additional prints should follow in subsequent issues of DWM (or to Complete History subscribers, even).

Elsewhere, we get high-quality images from each episode, although this reader would like to see more behind-the-scenes photos too, especially art (this volume has a sole example of concept art of the New New York motorway).

The layouts are clean and while repetitive, different enough to keep you engaged. You might primarily be buying this to get encyclopaedic knowledge of Doctor Who, but the design makes the whole package a real pleasure.

And you really do find out new things, even if you do consider yourself an expert. The list of things I learnt would be too extensive, but here are just a brief few:

In Gridlock, when the Doctor passes through the car owned by the teenage girls, the poster in Japanese and Chinese translates roughly as ‘Bad Wolf';
Alice, one of the Cassini ‘sisters’, was played by Bridget Turner (who sadly died last year), the wife of Frank Cox, director of two episodes of The Sensorites, and the concluding part of The Edge of Destruction;
The My Angel Put the Devil in Me dance routine was originally choreographed for Cole Porter’s Anything Goes… until the crew found out that it was written seven years after the episode’s setting;
The conclusion of The Lazarus Experiment was meant to take place at St. Paul’s Cathedral, and although representatives of the location were very keen, they pulled out due to nerves about someone dying after falling from the Whispering Gallery;
Chris Chibnall, writer of 42, fell down the stairs and so took a conference call from Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner while lying flat on his back at home.

The volume details tone meetings, filming schedules, locations, how characters and places were described in the scripts, when press and Doctor Who Confidential were also on set, pick-up shots, CGI additions, ratings… Oh, basically everything you need to know. Possibly most pleasingly, the Post-Production sections detail deleted scenes, whether they’re included on DVD/Blu-ray releases or not even filmed.

Not sure where a location is? Check out the Production sections, which tell you the exact filming locations, on what dates the crew were there, and what they doubled as. I didn’t quite realise before the extent to which the main cast flit between episodes, and how they really must know each script (and their character developments) inside-out. It’s massively impressive.

The Merchandise sections, unfortunately, are the most repetitive here, but that’s essentially because they note DVD boxsets and vanilla releases – which, for these serials, is the Series 3 set. There’s a distinct lack of action figures, bar a couple of odd releases in the late 2000s. Nonetheless, it’ll prove to be a fascinating section when it comes to Classic Who merchandise, so we’ll see how that works out.

All in all, I’ve no qualms at all in not only recommending the volume to all Whovians, but also in subscribing. This is a stunning book, and it’ll form an immersive and – yes – definitive collection. This first issue is £1.99, so see for yourself. You won’t regret it.

NEXT: COLONY IN SPACE, THE DAEMONS, AND DAY OF THE DALEKS!

The post Reviewed: Doctor Who – The Complete History Issue 1 appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Cast List for The Underwater Menace DVD Signing Revealed!

Nick Kitchen 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.

After much delay, the long awaited DVD release of the Second Doctor classic, The Underwater Menace, is finally set to release next month. In celebration, Fantom Events is hosting an event bringing some of the surviving members of the serial together to celebrate and sign memorabilia for fans! The Underwater Menace DVD Signing is set for Saturday 31st October 2015 at St. Michael’s Centre in Chiswick, and brings together the following former Doctor Who stars:

Anneke Wills (Second Doctor companion, Polly)
Catherine Howe
Mary McMillan
Ralph Watson
Brian Hodgson
Quentin Mann

All but Hodgson had a direct connection to the serial, so this is a good opportunity for Classic Who fans to meet and get autographs. Admission is £5 but includes a limited edition Underwater Menace print that you can have signed at the event. Fantom Events is also selling signed preorder copies of the DVD. Tickets, preorders, and information you’ll need if you plan on attending can be found here.

What do you say, dear readers? Any of you planning on attending this event? Do let us know!

The post Cast List for The Underwater Menace DVD Signing Revealed! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Big Finish: New Counter-Measures, Omega Factor and Jago & Litefoot!

Richard Forbes 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.

Here’s your latest News Blast – this one from the marvelous land of Big Finish Productions!

The New Counter-Measures

Big Finish has announced that a new series, The New Counter-Measures will launch in 2016. This new series continues the tales of the military organisation, first introduced in Remembrance of the Daleks (1988), now challenged by the resurgence of UNIT.

This new series takes place after Counter-Measures: Series 4, the last (and presumed finale) of Big Finish’s take on Counter-Measures till this newest series. The new Counter-Measures will be led by Hugh Ross (Sir Toby Kinsella).

The relaunch will begin a double-disc special in July 2016 followed by a four part boxset in December 2016.

The Omega Factor: Series 2

The Omega Factor will be returning to Big Finish with a second series hot on the heels of the success of its first series with Big Finish. The Omega Factor, a former television, follows the adventures of two investigators of paranormal activity played by Doctor Who’s Louise Jameson and John Dorney.

For producer, David Richardson, bringing The Omega Factor back for a second series is a childhood dream.

“The Omega Factor was one of my favourite TV series of the 70s, and I was so disappointed when it didn’t MAKE it to a second series,” says Richardson. “Three and a half decades later, I can help put that right, as Lou, John and Natasha Gerson come back for four more episodes.”

The new second series will launch in 2016.

Trailers Releashed

New trailers for two of Big Finish’s most anticipated new boxsets, UNIT: Extinction and Doom Coalition 1 have landed –

Doom Coalition 1 is expected to be released in October.

And… UNIT: Extinction will be released the next month in advance of the Official Doctor Who Festival, says Big Finish.

Jago & Litefoot are back!

Big Finish also delighted fans with an announcement that Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter would return to Jago & Litefoot for its Series 11 in April 2016.

Teasing fans with some juicy details, Big Finish notes that the boxset’s first story, Jago and Son, will feature Jago’s previously unknown son played by James Joyce (UNIT: Extinction). The next two stories in the boxset feature two historical characters, Maurice sees the investigators meet Maurice Ravel, the famous French composer, while Jago & Litefoot also come face-to-face with Dracula’s Bram Stoker in The Woman in White.

The finale written by script editor Justin Richards remains a bit of a mystery with Big Finish teasing the return of a foe familiar to Doctor Who fans, described as a “menace” and a “darkest force”.

While Series 11 sounds fantastic enough, don’t get too ahead of yourself, fans: Series 10 is launching in October and a special, Jago & Litefoot and Strax featuring the Sontaran nurse himself is due to arrive in November.

The post Big Finish: New Counter-Measures, Omega Factor and Jago & Litefoot! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.