Adventures Through Time and Space

Review: Radio Times - Doctor Who Collectors' Edition

2010-02-14T23:08:00.001Z

Radio Times and Doctor Who. Two inseparable phenomena held together by the power of a magnificent television series and the best TV Guide at this moment in time. I could write more about how great both of these are, but I’m only, for my own sanity, reviewing a particular souvenir book marking the end of David Tennant’s era as the Doctor.

In fact, Radio Times is one of the main reasons why I first watched the new series way back in 2005 (only that long?!). Yes, more than I’d thought. If I hadn’t had that particular Radio Times on the first weekend of the first series, I may never have watched it on that spring evening. It could have been one of the biggest mistakes I’d never have known about. I can’t particularly remember that first cover of the Tardis, but I can’t say I didn’t notice it at all. I assume it’s what first showed me that bright, spectacular, ‘coral’ interior of the famous time machine. I remember most definitely the 16-page guide to the series. I loved that, and was most upset that it wasn’t a pull-out guide again the next year. I’ll never forget highlighting/colouring the episode titles and guides on the back page. I didn’t know much about the series, so I doubt that there was even a simple key to the colours. But certainly, if it weren’t for that Radio Times it would have been very different.

Of course, I don’t want to necessarily give my whole life story here, so I should take a look at the book itself. Just from the cover, you just know that you have something special in front of you, sporting an exclusive image of the Tenth Doctor taken before ‘The End of Time’. But that is NOT the only exclusive image presented before you once you venture inside. Oh No! Nothing is more eye-catching than the first page with every cover of Doctor Who Radio Times for the past five years. I’m sure you’d look at each one and see if you remember it or wonder if you still have it, at the top of your dusty cupboard. I can’t say that the creators of this book haven’t worked hard at all, it’s just so perfect, attractive to look at and exclusive filled. There is even a foreword from ex-executive producer and head writer Russell T. Davies, with a very old picture of him from 2005. I remember that! I hadn’t a clue who he was then, nor the fact that in a few years I’d meet him in person! There are occasional inputs from the cast and producers for more relevance to the show, rather than it just being written by Radio Times.

I literally could talk for days about all the features in book, but I’d rather not, so straight on. The main layout is episode guides in order for each series, from ‘Rose’ to ‘The End Of Time’, so we’re all up-to-date (for now, at least). Although, I don’t think I could really call them episode guides. They wouldn’t fare well for any reader who is not really a fan. I can confidently say that this is predominantly a ‘fan’s’ souvenir, because any ‘fan’ should be ashamed if they don’t look through it and jump for joy at least once. Any Doctor Who ‘muggles’ would look at the pictures and think they’re pretty, probably. There is a short guide for each episode, which is just enough to be satisfying and so to not make the layout too complex. Next to most of the pictures are extended captions to provide us with great facts for each topic of picture. It does also include transmission dates, writers and directors for each episode. But then there’s also a rating. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to have a rating and I was pleasantly surprised to see them, but I can’t help but notice that a lot of them are very subjective. I don’t know who’s rated the episodes, or if it was a joint effort, but I hope to god that nobody takes these as official ratings, which you should bide by or die. They could have gone in the direction of having readers vote, I suppose, but this is pretty minor. I’ve probably gone and made a fool of myself though, as they probably have done this or something of the sort. I can’t help but pull a face at the ‘Love & Monsters’ rating of 5/5! I thought it was somewhat unpopular. Anyway…

I’ve always had Radio Times while Doctor Who’s been on the telly, and on a lot of weeks I’ve gone to the Doctor Who section and seen outstanding and stunning pictures to go with theweek’s episode, and been hugely impressed that Radio Times have done all these exclusive photo shoots and have things that the internet doesn’t. I honestly thought a couple of years ago, ‘wouldn’t it be so fantastic having all these together, a memory and something to enjoy looking at?’. Radio Times, you answered my prayers. Thank You! They’re all here, in this book of wonders, in their rightful place. Also included are many behind the scenes pictures as well as episode photos showing how they did filming, creating sets like the Tardis, prosthetics like Dalek Sec Hybrid and more. It’s full of these marvellous images and they’re more special than ever. I’ve looked through it and thought ‘I remember that!’ or ‘Wow, that’s new!’. So don’t think you can get by just having the Radio Times magazines. I’ve even had some of these pictures up on my bedroom wall thanks to the exclusive posters and that’s special in itself, but this is the ultimate collection!

One of the best and most memorable things about the book it the sheer simplicity and colours used throughout. The layout, the colours. It all works, all looks spacious and appealing to any person with a crafted mind. In whatever mood you’re in, it’s so easy to look at, and this honestly cannot be said of a lot of things. The black background on every picture and page is a real advantage for this. It’s a very unique thing in the Doctor Who universe because I think it’s the first real thing like this I’ve ever seen. The pictures released in places such as the Doctor Who site would never work in this form.
I never thought I’d write this much already, but I’m nearing the end, so I have to say this. You have to get this if you like Doctor Who even in the slightest, as there’s a lot to enjoy. Is it worth £6.99? Yes! In fact, for the effort and content of 164 pages, it’s absolutely amazing value, so don’t miss out as there’s nothing like it! In fact, I bet, apart from tiny words, ‘exclusive’ has been one of my most used words, so that may just tell you something…

This is such a good book for keeping around (as long as no one spoils it) to just pick up and look at, by yourself or with others. There’s enough in it to keep you satisfied for at least a couple of months. It’s an absolute treasure and if you purchase it I’m sure it will be something you’ll keep very safe for at least the rest of your life. You may never think that, but it’s just one of those things!

I must admit, there really isn’t much bad about it, that the only truly major downfall is that it doesn’t include anything exclusive on Series 5! Or am I pushing my luck?

Price: RRP £6.99 (Free P&P)

Where From: Call 0844 543 9822 (Limited!)

Pages: 164

Journey's End...

2009-01-05T22:49:00.001Z

I'm still finding this very difficult, seeing as it is the last thing that I will be writing for the site. I, the owner, have had a wonderful and amazing time over the last nine months, but I had originally thought that it would last longer. For some of you, this might be completely new information, others hints, and a select few heard the story from behind-the-scenes. I don't know how much I'm going to write here, but I am not aiming for it to be very long at all.

If you didn't already know, I put a very large amount of time and effort into the site, and look at what has become over this time. Now, you may think that all this hard work would be silly to just leave behind me. The truth is, that if I did carry on, I would have to put that same amount of work into it, and there is a lot of pressure to keep on going. Of course, I could do less, but I don't really want to continue if it isn't as good as it used to be.

The Christmas break made me realise. When I first stopped for the short amount of time, I still wanted to carry on. I kind of still do now, but I picture a life without it, and it seems so free. I enjoyed that break so much that it is actually very hard to get into it again. The break gave me an opportunity to end. Of course, no updates, like they said they would, occured just before the new year and into 2009, and I just left it. Now, I change my mind every ten minutes "Yes, I want to do it" ... "No, I can't do it".

This closure of the site is not an easy decision, but, at the moment, is a final decision. What has kept me crawling back are the many positive comments about the site. Thanks You so much to absolutely everyone who evryone who did this. It's also very hard to do this because it's so popular! I'm amazed at the number of visitors we had each day, and that just makes it all the more disappointing to stop. Oh, how do I thank everyone! Should I list the main people? Oh, this is hard, there are so many. Here goes (in no particular order);

Brad
Mark
Kyle
Lee
Bex (TOCS)
Axlart
Zobles
Ro Lean
Aryton
thedoctorwho07
Patar
Redevil 987
Miss Gallifrey
The Powerful Boy
Toys
Jamie
Luke
deicario
TA
Alex (Whovian Rift)
Alexander (DWDU)
Ash (MDWM)
SJA
Dave (The Doctor)
Cybershade/Cyberking
Life-On-Gallifrey
Bigwhofan
Ryane
Will and Seb
Combom
The oncoming storm

I know you will all hate me, because I know you couldn't think of the internet without this site ;). And, wow, first ever smiley! Please, anyone, if there is anything you would like to say, put it in the cbox. I should respond.

But, the good news... The chat page is still open! And a page that was never completed, Classic Series, can be found here!

Well, hasn't it been fun! I hope you have had a brilliant time. I will still be around, so don't think you're rid of me. But the site may come back in the future. (And before you ask, TA, no you cannot have the site) We will have to see...

Thank You, Everyone! It's not goodbye really, but anyway!
Have a fantastic life...

Alex (Adv)

The Last Post of 2008...

2008-12-20T21:00:00.006Z

I told you about this yesterday, and yes, it is still going to happen. Adventures Through Time and Space will be closed until 2009, with no updates. Christmas is a big thing in the year, and, to be honest, the least thing I would like to be doing is sitting in front of a computer on the day, rather than having all these festive things I want to do. I don't want the site to spoil my day, but not that it will of course. You may have thought that it would be a better idea to close it from 24th to the 26th, but now I will tell you why not. Early tomorrow morning, I will be going away to London for two days, and so obviously I won't be able to update. Then, on 23rd, I'm sure I won't want to, but just have a really fun day, two days before the day. Then, the 24th is a big day, as well as the 26th, and of course the 25th is too, not saying why. The 27th will probably be a bit like the 23rd. And then, on the 28th, the site will be closed with no access at all. This means that you will not be able to view anything, as I want to make it ready to re-open for 2009, all tidied up, and fresh for a new year. I hope you feel that this is the right thing to do, as I certainly do! I do need that long-awaited break!

With this temporary closure, it means no more Competitions until the New Year, no site reviews, nothing updated, apart from one thing, that would be silly to close. The Advent Calendar will be running as normal, but don't expect a big thing on Christmas Day. It will probably just be a 'Merry Christmas!' message, but I doubt you'll want to visit the site on that day, and you should have too many other things to be doing! So a thing you might quite enjoy will be on the 24th. There isn't really much else to say really. I may still be able to talk a little bit on the chat page and so on, but not much really. I will still read comments, and please, please vote on the awards. And if you can vote on every section, that would be great!

I hope you all do have a wonderful, jolly Christmas! Get lots of presents from Santa, enjoy your Christmas Lunch, sing carols and whatever else you may do. And, of course, don't forget the Christmas special at 6:00pm on the day. Don't miss it! Thank You for a wonderful eight months with the site, and I will see you in 11 and a bit days!

Oh, and one last thing, there are so many other sites to visit over Christmas which will be having all the news you need, and so here is a list of some of the great sites for news, in no order, and sorry if I have missed anyone out!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Until 2009...

~ Adv (Owner and Editor)

Dervla Kirwan Interview

2008-12-20T20:38:00.002Z

Yesterday, the evil Miss Hartigan was interviewed on Paul O'Grady's chat show. If you didn't already know, behind the female villian that will star in this year's Christmas special, The Next Doctor, is an actress known as Dervla Kirwan. The video of it is now on Youtube for you all to watch, and has an extra-special, brand spanking new clip from The Next Doctor. On top of that, Derval does her M&S voice! Exciting? Then watch it below!

Site Awards and Articles

2008-12-20T20:02:00.003Z

A couple of things about the site here, that have just recently happened. We have just won another two awards on two different sites! How splendid! The first is from Tardis Updates, as it is now called, which used to be Doctor Who - The Blog. We won the award for 'Most Up To Date Blog'. Thank you very much Sylar for this, and you can see the site's award page, here! The other award is from the site called 'Whovian World'. For that we won 'Magnificent Blog of 2008'. Well, that is... Magnificent! You can see this site's award page, here! Thank you so much to both owners, Sylar and The Powerful Boy, and you can see the actual awards made here and here. The second thing is that ATTS is in Via the Void Magazine! For the magazine, I, the owner, answered some quick fire questions, and the site was 'Site of the Month', and there is a little article of the site in the magazine. It is a lovely piece of writing, and left me feeling really happy after reading it. You can read the latest issue of Via the Void magazine, the online magazine of The-Oncoming Storm, here.

More Pictures!

2008-12-20T18:37:00.003Z

Even more promotional pictures have surfaced online. Radio Times have got thirty-two images, some new and some ones that we have already seen. I'm not going to put them on here, because there are quite a few of them, but you can see them all on the Radio Times website, here. There are images of the Doctors, Rosita, Miss Hartigan, the Cybermen and many other characters appearing in the Christmas special. There are also a few other images. The first is from The Next Doctor's press screening, and has the stars Dervla Kirwan (Miss Hartigan), Velile Tshabalala (Rosita), Russell T. Davies and a Cyberman with a Doctor Who logo background. The second is an alternate image to one of the standar promotional pictures, and has both Doctors, Miss Hartigan, Rosita and the Cyber Leader. The last one is a picture of just the Cyber Leader. You can see all three below, and click to enlarge. There may be more pictures leading up to Christmas Day, but, unfortunately they will not appear here.

The Next Doctor First Reviews

2008-12-20T16:44:00.003Z

Carrying on with more Christmas news, two reviews have already been posted online for The Next Doctor. The special is due to air on Christmas Day, but there was a press screening event held very recently, but we actually did not hear any news about. But here they are, and thankfully in these reviews, nothing much 'spoilery' is told. The first is from SFX, which you can see here, or view a short snippet below;

Morrissey is great, and there's a lot more to his role than just pastiching the Doctor. The Cybershades are also surprisingly effective - they may look a bit naff in the trailers, but they prove worthy successors to the Cybermats. The Cybermen themselves aren't exactly on top form; they're more like Ciphermen much of the time, and come across a bit stupid. They also seem a lot weaker than usual. What happened to their super strength? And if you've heard that there's an Oliver Twist element involving lots of kids, well, there is, but don't worry - it's more Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom than the Baker Street Kids.

The second is from the Guardian, which you can see here, or again, view a short snippet below;

I would say The Next Doctor is pared down, but it would be difficult for it not to be after the frustratingly busy finale of the last series, which featured Rose, Martha, Donna, Sarah Jane, Captain Jack, Mickey and Jackie (and is surely available in a special And the Kitchen Sink box set). Indeed, the restraint of The Next Doctor – I realise that restraint isn't really a word you'd readily associate with the big, bold visions of Russell T Davies, so let me remind you that context is everything – could perhaps be a sign of things to come in 2009. Davies has said that in the next special the Doctor will be without a companion and without the Tardis – though how David Tennant's back injury will affect filming, which is supposed to begin next month, is anyone's guess.

All this looks pretty exciting already, but you'll be glad to know nothing is spoiled in these reviews. What do you think?

The Next Doctor Guide

2008-12-20T08:22:00.002Z

The BBC Doctor Who Advent Calendar has opened its twentieth door today, marking the date, the 20th December. Today's feature is the site's guide to the Christmas special, The Next Doctor. The guide has not been up at all until now, and with it comes many new wallpapers, a fear forecast, and all the trailers laid out to get to them easily. There are twelve wallpapers at the moment of the page, and all show many scenes of the special, including some promotional pictures. There are two trailers up at the moment, and the fear forecast you can read below;

0 min - This looks familiar. "Perhaps XXXXXX is behind the TARDIS," grins Adam.
1 min - The family cheer!
2 min - Harry: "Cool!" Samuel: "How?"
3 min - Amy's suddenly concerned.
4 min - Rosita springs into action. Harry demands an explanation.
5 min - Amy whispers to Dad, "Why doesn't he... ?"
6 min - Harry's delighted with a vision.
8 min - Amy clutches Dad's leg.
9 min - Mum harrumphs significantly. Samuel announces that he is a fish.
10 min - The kids have never seen the sonic screwdriver used like that before.
11 min - Watch and learn. The kids are agog.
13 min - The Doctor recalls the night he regenerated. "It makes sense now!" says Samuel gleefully.
14 min - A sudden appearance alarms Amy. Adam has his doubts.
16 min - Amy feels quite sorry for the Doctor.
17 min - The Lady in Red outrages Samuel.
18 min - Amy's eyes widen in apprehension. Harry groans in dismay.
20 min - Why is Dad talking about his nice cardigan?
23 min - The Doctor reveals his favourite personal technology for the very first time.
26 min - Samuel's initial reaction reveals something about last week.
27 min - Samuel is delighted to see a very familiar face.
29 min - Mum and Dad are horrified.
31 min - Amy feels musical.
34 min - What is the racy nightmare?
35 min - Samuel slaps his forehead. "Why did the Doctor do that?"
36 min - The kids cheer!
38 min - Samuel is impressed.
40 min - What makes Amy wriggle in her seat?
41 min - The kids debate royal nomenclature.
42 min - Samuel whoops. Harry grins.
43 min - Harry's advice to the XXXXXXXX is: "Run!" So why are they slowing down?
45 min - "He's called what?" asks Adam.
46 min - Gasps and cheers. The watching parents are misty-eyed.
47 min - The boys are hugely impressed.
49 min - "It's like XXXXXXXX!" says Samuel. "It's a scary XXXX with XXXXX-XXXXXX!" says Harry.
51 min - Samuel realises something about the Doctor... but which one?
53 min - "Wooaaahh!" gasp the kids.
55 min - "The cloister bell!"
56 min - "This is even better than last year!" decides Adam.
57 min - The Doctors have an appointment to keep.
60 min - "Very good show!" declares Harry, and the whole family agree.

You can view the guide here, or the fear forecast here!
You can see all days of the advent calendar on the main page here.

Digital Spy Hints

2008-12-19T23:53:00.003Z

Well, there has been a lot of news popping up lately, all to do with the Christmas special, and I want to get as much in before I close the site for Christmas, so here are some hints. Like usually, Digital Spy have released their exciting hints for the upcoming episode. There are ten overall, but we are not actually sure yet whether any of them are false or not. You can see all of them below;

The mysterious Cybershades can jump quite high.
Neither the Doctor nor the Other Doctor recognise each other. But the latter doesn't remember much anyway.
There are two words that the Doctor never refuses.
The Other Doctor has a TARDIS - and it's magnificent.
For a while Rosita becomes the Doctor's companion
The script includes the customary line "what about the children?"
At least one previous incarnation of the Doctor makes an appearance.
Miss Hartigan is a very special lady.
The Other Doctor's fobwatch is a very important clue.
"I suppose ** *** ***, **** ***** ** *****."

Another Velile Interview

2008-12-19T23:42:00.002Z

Another source has posted an interview with Velile Tshabalala, after proviously doing one for Last Broadcast. Velile plays the characters of Rsita, the other Doctor's companion in this year's Christmas special, The Next Doctor. Velile Tshabalala's talk has been put up on Digital Spy and they talk all about her character, not delving at all into her life, apart from her early life with the show and other television roles. Below you can read a short snippet from the interview;

What are the Cybershades? They look like dogs with cyber-faces.
"They're funny little things, aren't they? They've got robotic faces and they're all covered in feathers. I didn't know what to make of them at first. I thought they were quite nice and thought I might borrow one of their outfits for Friday night! They're quite menacing but they're obviously not as strong or scary as the Cybermen. They pop up quite a lot in the episode - they're always coming out of dark corners and stuff. They're a bit of a nuisance to be honest!"

Jobsworth Judoon

2008-12-19T23:30:00.002Z

The BBC Doctor Who Advent Calendar has opened its ninteenth door today, marking the date, the 19th December. Today's feature is another fun game to play! The game is called Jobsworth Judoon. The main aim of the game is for the Doctor to use his Sonic Screwdriver to break the security codes made by the Judoon on the Tardis so that The Doctor can escape. It is a game of strategy, where you have to join a link up, and actually requires some skill, rather than just making the Doctor run around everwhere battling monsters. It is a good game, and has three settings; Easy, Medium and Hard, and each has three levels. You can play the new game here.

You can see all days of the advent calendar on the main page here.

Monster and Villain Files Is Back!

2008-12-19T00:31:00.003Z

Yes, you read correctly. The page devoted to all the creatures and maniacs the Doctor has met over the past four years has now re-opened after a long while. It closed when the site first started its complete update, which was supposed to provide the site with so much more than it used to have, with extra features and new-looks. I have been working very hard over the past month, and mainly the past week in getting as many files as I can written up. I had to re-write nearly every single one, as I did not think they were of the standard they could be. But I have not finished the page yet. I decided to open it, so you can see it, and I will keep on writing them and posting them until all of them are complete. When they are, there will be more than sixty files. They now look a whole lot better, with bigger pictures, clearer layout and more information. Plus, they are all written completely by me. Honestly, no word has been copied from anywhere else, which I hasten to add was not the case before. At this time, there are just over forty files up, ready for you to read, and I hope you enjoy them, and use it as a reference in the future. Please note that all the writing on the page is copyright to this site, and should not be used under any circumstances.

With the new page, brings along a new design of page banner. It is now clearer and looks much better than before, and I will be adding this new design to all the pages in the near future. The Competitions and Chat ones are already up. This is all part of the big scheme of getting the site a whole lot bigger and better for the New Year, and if you just think about what was on the site and what is looked like only a few months ago, you may be suprised with the major, and minor changes that are still happening as I speak. So, until 2009, you can expect changes everywhere, so watch out for them.

There are a few notices also leading up to the New Year. The site will have no updates from the end of tomorrow until the 28th. There will be a bigger notice about this tomorrow. This is the Christmas break the site deserves, and you will not see any posts, unless I schedule them, until then. Competitions will also have no updates. The only page which will is the Advent Calendar, and the days will all be posted for each day. More about this tomorrow. The other thing is the site will completely close just for one day, the 31st of December. You will not be able to access the site, as I will be making it look just right for 2009 on that day! More about this on the 29th and tomorrow, so until then...

~ Adv (Owner and Editor)

Rosita Speaks!

2008-12-19T00:01:00.002Z

A source has posted an interview with Velile Tshabalala. She plays the characters of Rsita, the other Doctor's companion in this year's Christmas special, The Next Doctor. Velile Tshabalala's talk has been put up on Last Broadcast and they talk about her character in The Next Doctor, and about her other television work as well as where she would like the Doctor to take her and her future with the show . Below you can read a short snippet;

What was it like working with David Morrissey and David Tennant?
"I met them briefly at the read through. I walked into the room and it was so scary, literally everyone from Doctor Who was there – the producers, the crew, the magazine people… Dervla [Kirwan, who plays villainess Miss Hartigan in the episode] was so sweet though, she came over and was like “stick with me, we’ll be fine”. The first time I met them properly was on set, they both came to welcome me and were so great. The first day they were both up in the air in harnesses being dragged and pulled about. Those harnesses did not look too comfortable for men!"

Hartigan Speaks!

2008-12-18T12:31:00.003Z

A source has posted an interview with Dervla Kirwan. She plays the characters of Miss Hartigan in this year's Christmas special, The Next Doctor. Dervla Kirwan's talk has been put up on the Telegraph website, and they talk about her character in The Next Doctor, and all about her life, and her acting, as well as her voice-over on the M&S adverts, for an example. Below you can read a short snippet;

Is she prepared for the surge of excitement that accompanies the Doctor Who Christmas special?
'I'm not sure. I know people feel passionate about it. It was such a fun thing to do, although slightly odd in that grown men are wandering around dressed up in plastic suits. The assistant director has to say the lines as no one can speak through the layers of plastic.' She has worked with David Tennant before in Casanova, where she played his mother, and with the writer Russell T Davies. 'I don't think I get the phenomenon as much as some people do,' she says, 'but I will be proud to show my children, when they are older, that I played an evil woman in charge of the Cybermen. That's pretty cool, isn't it?'

Cut of the Timelords

2008-12-18T12:24:00.002Z

Series 3 has very recently just been made avaliable on the United Kingdom iTunes store. Before this, it had only been on the American store, but through this month, they are slowly adding them. But, there is just one problem with buying this series on iTunes. They have cut down the season finale 'Last of the Timelords', to make every episode more or less forty-five minutes. Normally, the length of the episode is fifty-one and a half minutes, but it now has a running time of 46:21. What have they done? They haven't cut 'The Runway Bride', so why this? So does this mean that when the fourth series is on, 'Journey's End' and all fifty minute episodes will be shortened as well? And you would have thought that they had chosen the worst scenes...

Prom Preview

2008-12-18T11:53:00.003Z

The BBC Doctor Who Advent Calendar has opened its eighteenth door today, marking the date, the 18th December. Today's feature is an exclusive clip (or trailer), of the Doctor Who Prom. The whole program will be broadcast onto our screens on New Year's Day, on BBC One at the time of 1:50pm to 2:50pm. The event was part of the BBC Proms, and was held inside the Royal Albert Hall on 27th July this year, and was hosted by Freema Agyeman. The version we will see will be cut, with just the main highlights, to one hour long. On the red button after broadcast you can watch an extended edition which is fifteen minutes longer, while the whole thing shall be on the DVD release of The Next Doctor, out in January. This preview shows part of the piece 'All the Strange, Strange Creatures', and monsters such as the Cybermen, Judoon and the Sontarans walked around scaring everyone as the music was being played. The whole clip is aproximately one minute, thirty-four seconds long, but bear in mind that this is not the complete tune. They say it is a trailer, but it doesn't really look like one! Watch it here. If it is uploaded onto Youtube soon, I will put it on here as soon as possible.

You can see all days of the advent calendar on the main page here.

A Dead Disturbance

2008-12-18T00:25:00.004Z

Two new promotional pictures have been revealed for the Christmas special, and they are of an ambush taking place by the Cybermen, during a funeral service, in a graveyard, with Miss Hartigan leading them. The first picture shows a man getting dragged along the ground by two Cybershades, while the second shows a man being electrocuted by a normal Cyberman on their shoulder. Take a look at these below, and say what you think (click to enlarge);

Captain Jack's Vortex Manipulator

2008-12-18T00:09:00.003Z

At last, we will be able to buy Captain Jack's trusty gadget, after seeing it so many times, and wanting a toy just like it. The gadget featured on Jack's wrist since Series 1, from The Empty Child to Journey's End, and many episodes of Torchwood also. Forbidden Planet have now revealed an image and released information about the upcoming piece of merchandise. You can view the picture of it to the right, and also, with the toy, it actually includes a mini Sonic Screwdriver. The screwdriver looks slightly different to previous versions released before, and the centre part looks darker, like the original prop. The head of it also glows blue, probably powered when a button is pressed, but we do not know yet whether it has any kind of sound effects. The Vortex manipulator also has features. It lights up in one place, blue, has an adjustable strap and removable cover. We do not know yet what material it is made of. The original prop was leather, but I doubt tht this will be, as it is only a children's toy. It is due for release on Friday the 30th of January, at the RRP price of £14.99.

Third Series on iTunes

2008-12-18T00:03:00.002Z

Earlier this month, the second series of Doctor Who was made avaliable to download from the UK iTunes store, just after the first series had already been added. Long before this the new series was avaliable to download and watch on the American iTunes Store. We were all wondering why it was on there and not on the UK Store, as, well, it is made over here! Series 3 has now been uploaded, and features the 10th Doctor and Martha, as they get sent to the moon, watch the Daleks evolve, the Doctor becomes human, Sally Sparrow tries to solve the mystery of the Weeping Angels and spend a year trying to stop the master from ruling the world. Each series costs £19.99 or you can buy each episode for £1.89. It has the full episodes, but no features like the box sets have. Compared to the box sets, this is a fantastic price, but it is up to you what you'll do! Visit the Doctor Who Series 3 page on iTunes here!

Comic Maker Returns!

2008-12-17T14:00:00.002Z

The BBC Doctor Who Advent Calendar has opened its seventeenth door today, marking the date, the 17th December. For today, Comic Maker, the fabulous online feature of the BBC Site is back! It was closed not so long ago for major updates, and to work and look its best, so now it works as it should, and is actually a lot better than it was. There are more character, backgrounds, things to do and you can actually now print the comic to keep, so check it out now!

You can see all days of the advent calendar on the main page here.

Doctor Who Adventures 95

2008-12-17T13:45:00.004Z

This week's issue of Doctor Who Adventures, issue 95, will be released tomorrow around the UK. The magazine costs £2.99, and comes free with a bumper gift pack comprising of a monster popper folder, a set of colouring pencils, an eraser and a sketch pad. It is the bumper Christmas special, and will be around for two weeks before the next issue, and will be bigger, and better than normal issues! Posters inside include many images from The Next Doctor, Dalek Sec and a Cyberwreath. Inside are many features and previews for the Christmas special, how to make a webstar, and a chance to win many, many Doctor Who goodies! You can see the cover to the right, and click to enlarge, and below is the official press release from the BBC;

The bumper Christmas special!

The wait for the Doctor’s amazing new Christmas adventure is almost over! To celebrate, this week’s Doctor Who Adventures magazine has an exclusive preview of ‘The Next Doctor’.

The bumper Christmas special of Doctor Who Adventures magazine goes on sale 18th December. It’s packed full of exciting Doctor Who news, monster facts, and Christmas treats. Coverage of the Christmas adventure includes:

A special Christmas preview featuring exclusive pictures of the new Cyber monsters, the mysterious other Doctor and evil Miss Hartigan!
A photo-story of the first two action-packed minutes of The Next Doctor.
Exclusive posters of the new monsters, the Cybermen and the two Doctors.
A Time Agent tracker for readers to rate the Christmas episode.

The bumper issue also contains a mega competition to win loads of Who goodies, a Cyberman mask, a massive Christmas quiz, a special festive comic and the best posters in the universe! The magazine also comes with a Christmas bumper gift pack containing a monster popper folder, a set of colouring pencils, an eraser and a sketch pad.

The Christmas bumper special of Doctor Who Adventures is on sale 18th Dec 2008 – 1st Jan 2009. Miss it and miss out!

Remember to get this issue before the first of January, when the ninety-sixth issue will be out.

MDWM Issue 22

2008-12-17T13:41:00.000Z

Gallifrey Productions, the home of Mad Doctor Who Magazine have revealed the cover of their twenty-second issue. Mad Doctor Who Magazine is an online magazine, made by fans of the show, and it is incredible. Much work is poured into the magazine all the time, and hosts a fantastic group of writers. This is what the have to say about this issue; "Inside Issue 22 you can find MDWM giving you an exclusive preview of The Next Doctor with our thoughts on the episode. There is also the third episode of Reality Vworp which is Ghost Town and an exclusive interview with the writer and author Martin Day..." You can see the cover below. This issue will be online on Monday 22nd December 2008.

New Cybemen Figures

2008-12-17T07:20:00.002Z

Character Options have released pictures and information about a new wave of Cyberman figures, that cover both the Classic Series and the New Series. There are 5 figures in total, but one of them you have to find parts for in each of the other four items, and they come with them. Below you can read the list of the different Cybermen in the new wave;

Cyberman from “The Tenth Planet”
Cyberman with two Cybermats from “The Tomb of the Cybermen”
Cyberman with gun accessory from “The Invasion”
Cyber Leader from "The Next Doctor"
The figure you are able to build is the Cyber Controller, the version which appeared in "Tomb of the Cybermen"

They did the same thing with the collect and build idea with the first wave of Classic figures, building up to become the K1 Robot, from "Robot". These figures will be released on the 30th of January at the RRP price of £7.99 each.

Cyber Leader Voice Changer

2008-12-17T07:18:00.001Z

Before, you could turn yourself into a simple Cyberman, then you were able to upgrade to the Cyber Controller, become Dalek Sec Hybrid, turn into its true form with Dalek Sec, become a normal Dalek, and then show your true colours with the Supreme Dalek, but now, with this new helmet, you can become the Cyber Leader! This version of the Cyber Leader appears in this year's Christmas special, The Next Doctor (broadcast on Christmas Day), and so is already quite early for a picture to be released of the product. The new-look Cyber Leader differs from previous ones seen in The Age of Steel, Army of Ghosts and Doomsday, because most of the front, and mor of the top is black. Before, just the handles were. There are different setting for use. You can just use it as a normal voice changer or pree a button and hear phrases that should be heard in The Next Doctor, spoken by the metal fiend. There may be a sound effects button as well, like there was on the Cyberman one reviously released. There is no price or release date for the item, but it is rumoured to be put first on sale at the very end of this month, the 31st December. The Cyber King will also feature in the special, so do you think we might get a helmet for that too? You can view the full picture of the helmet here.

Murray's Unit

2008-12-16T22:06:00.003Z

The BBC Doctor Who Advent Calendar has opened its sixteenth door today, marking the date, the 16th December. Today's feature is an exclusive video of a piece of music, composed by Murray Gold. The music is another part of the Unit theme, but not the loud, militaristic tune. It is one of the cues for a scene in the Series 4 episode, The Sontaran Stratagem. The music is quite dark and pretty sinister, just right for Unit and gradually builds up to when we hear a variation on Donna's Theme. It a good addition to the advent calendar, which you should get some please out of, and you can hear it here!

You can see all days of the advent calendar on the main page here.

Journal of Impossible Things

2008-12-16T08:30:00.002Z

As reported not long ago, a new product will be released soon, that is the Journal of Impossible Things. The book featured in the two-parter of Series 3, Human Nature and The Family of Blood. Forbidden Planet have now revealed the cover and released information about the upcoming piece of merchandise. You can view the picture of it to the right, and also, with the Journal, it actually includes a mini Sonic Screwdriver. The screwdriver looks slightly different to previous versions released before, and the centre part looks darker, like the original prop. The head of it also glows blue, probably powered when a button is pressed, but we do not know yet whether it has any kind of sound effects. The book looks amazing. It is A5 sized, and has many, many pages with complete detail and pictures, and looks exactly like the real thing. It looks as if the cover may be made of leather, but this is still unconfirmed. There are blank pages also included, and you are able to use the Sonic Screwdriver (which is actually a pen as well), to write on these pages. It is due for release on Friday the 30th of January, at the RRP price of £9.99, which is actually a very good price, considering the content.

The All-New Shiny Trailer!

2008-12-15T20:43:00.004Z

If you tuned into BBC One this evening at around 8pm, then you might have been a little disappointed with what you saw. No, the trailer wasn't bad at all, but it wasn't shown! What were the BBC up to? Anyway, after Eastenders, it was broadcast, half an hour late, but wasn't it terribly exciting! I got it wrong, of course, that we had already seen the trailer, but we had not. They said that the one we saw before was going to be the one tonight, but we saw a brand new sparkly one. It had so many clips that we had not seen before, as well as old ones, like quite a few from the Children In Need preview. We saw everything, except for the Cyber King, which still remains shrouded in mystery. The clips were cut and edited very well, giving some dramatic parts, as well as the Cybermen theme behind. You can see the trailer on the official site here. But without further ado, here is the trailer. If I'm up for it, I may do another post talking about it tonight, but we'll see. View it below, and enjoy!

The Last Sarah Jane

2008-12-15T12:14:00.002Z

Well, it has been a good twelve or so weeks on television, with the second series of The Sarah Jane Adventures keeping us entertained every Monday. But, sadly, it ends today, or for you digital viewers, it already has, as you have most likely seen the second. part of Enemy of the Bane, the last episode of the series. But have no fear, Sarah Jane and her gang will return in under a year's time, next Autumn, and bring with them new, exciting, and thrilling adventures. And in the month we're in the middle of now, December, it's Christmas anyway, so there is no need to worry, plus the Doctor Who special on Christmas day. Then, straight after that is the Confidential special, plus the Doctor Who Prom on New Year's Day. And then in Spring we have Torchwood, and four new Doctor Who specials next year as well! So there is a mountain load to watch! And, if you want to see Series 4 again, why not buy the box-set, out now? Anyway, enjoy the final part of Enemy of the Bane today, that will be broadcast at 4:35pm on BBC One. There ma be repeats of Series 2 in the future, but we do not know of any right at this moment. Remember to come back at 5pm today and talk about what you thought! Until then...

A New Trailer Tonight...

2008-12-15T12:00:00.002Z

There have been rumours spreading very lately about a new trailer for the Christmas special, The Next Doctor, and that it will be broadcast for the first time on television today. Well, now it has been confirmed as true, but we have actually already seen the trailer! It was released a week ago yesterday, and you are able to view it on an earlier post. It is not a very different trailer, in fact, comparing it to the one that was released just after David Tennant announced that he was leaving, live on the Natinal Television Awards. Before this, it had been shown at the Comic Con event, held in America a long time before that. This is the official 'TV Trailer', and we now know that it will be airing on BBC One this evening, just before 8pm, as the advent calendar on the official BBC site is hinting it. So to catch it fully on television, either watch it at that time, or go back to the site and watch it at the same time.

Battles In Time 61

2008-12-14T10:13:00.002Z

The cover and information for Issues 61 of Battles In Time have been released on their website. Remember, the collection goes up to issue 70, and not 60 or 52, as it was confirmed recently, and then it will definitely stop, when the DVD Files go on sale. Issue 61 is out on Wednesday 7th January, at the usual price of £2.50. You can see the cover and information about the new issue below;

ISSUE 61

- Cybershades: Servants of Steel
- All-new Deck Doctor Puzzle spread
- Learn all about the First Doctor
- Comic Strip: Da Vinci's Robots
- Behind the Scenes: One Giant Leap!

Behind The Scenes of The Next Doctor

2008-12-14T10:02:00.004Z

The BBC Doctor Who Advent Calendar has opened its fourteenth door today, marking the date, the 14th December. Today's feature are new pictures from behind the scenes of the Christmas special, The Next Doctor. There are five images in total and all show what goes on behind the cameras of the episode. There isn't really much else to say, apart from you can view them all here, or below, and click to enlarge each one.

You can see all days of the advent calendar on the main page here.

Turn Yourself Into A Cybershade...

2008-12-13T08:54:00.003Z

The BBC Doctor Who Advent Calendar has opened its thirteenth door today, marking the date, the 13th December. Today's feature is how to make a Cybershade mask. The Cybershades are a new type of Cyberman, who will first appear this Christmas in The Next Doctor. You have to download three parts to the mask, and then use the step-by-step guide to make it, using pictures with the information on. And when you've made it, why not wear it on Christmas day? The instructions are on the site, but you can download all three parts of the mask here, here and here. To go to today's feature, where all the instructions lie, click here.

You can see all days of the advent calendar on the main page here.

Doctor Who Adventures 94

2008-12-12T15:28:00.002Z

This week's issue of Doctor Who Adventures, issue 94, was released yesterday around the UK. The magazine costs £2.10, and comes free with a Tardis money box, which you have to put together plus some Tardis stickers. Posters inside include The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith, a Cyberman, The Runaway Bride and The Christmas Invasion. Inside is a feature on many robots in Doctor Who that go wrong, many Cyberman facts to get you geared up for Christmas and a fact file of the Bane with a preview of The Sarah Jane Adventures' finale! You can see the cover above, and below is the official press release from the BBC;

Rebel robots!

This week’s Doctor Who Adventures has been invaded by mechanical monsters! These rascally robots have caused the Doctor and his friends no end of trouble over the years. We look at the best of the bad bots from the halo-hurling Host to Trine-E and Zu-Zana. Remember what they wanted to do to Captain Jack? Stitch his legs to his chest in a monstrous makeover. Nasty.

We’ve also got a countdown to Christmas with five essential things you need to do before the Doctor storms back on to our screens on Christmas day. And for anyone who ate so many mince pies that they can’t remember what happened last Christmas or the one before, we’ve got an adventure guide to Voyage of the Damned and a Christmas Invasion photostory.

It’s been a while since we last saw the Cyber army, so just in case your Cyber knowledge is a bit rusty, we’ve got a fact file on the steel soldiers to prepare you for their imminent return.

Monday sees the thrilling series finale of The Sarah Jane Adventures. To find out what’s in store for SJ and the gang in part two of Enemy of the Bane, we’ve got a special sneak preview and a fact file on the beastly Bane.

The issue comes with a FREE TARDIS money box and stickers!

PLUS:

Awesome posters: A Cyberman, The Runaway Bride, The Christmas Invasion, and The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith.
Doctor’s data: Feisty Torchwood chief, Yvonne Hartman.
Comps: Nintendo DS games and the chance to see free films for a year!
Comic strip: Part two of The Giant’s Ring.
Subscription offer: Subscribe today and get Dalek Sec and TARDIS mini diecasts.
ALL THIS AND OODLES MORE!

Doctor Who Adventures issue 94, priced £2.10, is out on 11 December. Information: Christmas is coming!

Remember to get this issue before next Thursday, when the ninety-fifth issue will be out. Have you got this issue of Doctor Who Adventures yet?

Midnight Sounds Good

2008-12-12T11:51:00.003Z

The Doctor Who episode 'Midnight', reported earlier, had been nominated for an award for Best Sound from a drama at this year's RTS (Royal Television Society) Craft and Design Awards. It was, this year, the only category Doctor Who had been nominated in, rather than more than one in previous years. But the very good news now is that it won the award! It is true that the music heard in Midnight was amazing, and terribly spooky. If you want to hear the music, it is included on this year's soundtrack, filled with twenty-seven tracks of the Doctor's latest adventures. But I think it was mostly the small sounds heard, made by the Sounds Department of the Who studios. Julie Gardner was talking to Doctor Who Magazine about the win;

"We're all so proud that the magnificent work of the Sound Department has been recognised at last. This episode pushed them right to the limit, using techniques that simply won't be called for on many other dramas, and it's wonderful to see their work being recognised by their peers. And I have to say, it's probably a unique event, for a drama recorded in basically one small room, to win an award for the quality of it's sound. That department does brilliant work on every single episode, and it's about time they were honoured! And out thanks and congratulations to the director of that episode. Alice Troughton, who worked so closely with the sound team, as well as the cast, who gave everything to make the story work."

Easter Special Title at Christmas

2008-12-12T11:40:00.003Z

It has now been confirmed, thanks to Doctor Who Magazine, that the title of the first special next year, due to be shown around Easter time, will be revealed at the end of The Next Doctor, on Christmas day. They have done this usually after a series, telling us the Christmas special title, but that did not happen this year, as it was a very big secret. Once again, it shall be shown right at tyhe end of the main programme, just before the credits, saying that Doctor Who will return in... We now also know that the title will be four words long, and one of those words will begin with the letter 'D'. But don't think that stands for Dalek, as Russell T. Davies has told us that there will be new monsters appearing in the episode. Remember, The Next Doctor will air on Christmas Day at the time of 6pm. Don't miss it (like you would)!

Prom Variations

2008-12-12T11:32:00.003Z

We have now found out that there will be three different length Doctor Who Proms. The normal one, that is due to be shown on the 1st of January next year, at 1:50pm, is an hour long. As you know, this is not the whole concert, but just the highlights. You are able to, after the broadcast of this version of BBC One, then go onto the BBCi service, via the red button on your TV remote, and choose to watch an extended edition, this is an hour and a half. But pushing that even further, the DVD release of The Next Doctor (in January), will have the full version, which will have a running time of 120 minutes, two hours. This may get a bit confusing, but the good thing is that we get the best version on the DVD.

How Well Do You Know The Cybermen?

2008-12-12T11:25:00.002Z

The BBC Doctor Who Advent Calendar has opened its twelfth door today, marking the date, the 12th December. Today's feature is a quiz on the Cybermen. There are a wide variety of questions, like matching different pictures with the right story, Classic Series and New Series. Each one has an image in the background, and there are an overall of ten questions for you to have a go at. You can test your knowledge on the metal creatures here. How did you do? Put your score in the comments!

You can see the advent calendar on the main page here.

Second Series On iTunes

2008-12-11T23:59:00.003Z

Earlier this month, the first series of Doctor Who was made avaliable to download from the UK iTunes store. Long before this the new series was avaliable to download and watch on the American iTunes Store. We were all wondering why it was on there and not on the UK Store, as, well, it is made over here! Series 2 has now been uploaded, and features the 10th Doctor and Rose, as they do battle with the Cybermen, orbit a black hole and part from one another. Each series costs £19.99 or you can buy each episode for £1.89. It has the full episodes, but no features like the box sets have. Compared to the box sets, this is a fantastic price, but it is up to you what you'll do! Visit the iTunes Doctor Who page here! Then click on Series 2.

Doctor Who Magazine 403

2008-12-11T23:51:00.002Z

The information for the 403rd issue of Doctor Who Magazine has been released. The main feature inside this issue will be taking a look at this year's Christmas Special, The Next Doctor, with interviews and previews all around it. The four hundred and second issue of Doctor Who Magazine is out now, and is avaliable in all good news agents at the price of £3.99, now! You can see the full cover for it here!

THE NEXT DOCTOR SPEAKS... IN DWM 403!

The Next Doctor himself, actor DAVID MORRISSEY, talks exclusively in Doctor Who Magazine about his role in the forthcoming Christmas Special...

Was David surprised at the reaction to his casting?
“I wasn’t expecting that level of interest, really, but it’s come thick and fast,” Morrissey admits. “I don’t think you can be aware of the world of Doctor Who until you’re in it, really, and I hadn’t been aware of what a huge show it is – not in the sense of people’s interest, how deep that goes. And I was quite surprised by the amounts of texts and emails I got from people asking me if I was the next Doctor...”

Also in DWM 403...

CHRISTMAS EVE!
DWM has an exclusive look at the forthcoming Christmas Special, featuring brand new photos and tasty tidbits from the cast and crew!

CHRISTMAS PRESENT!
... or is it? The Doctor takes Majenta to one of his favourite places in the universe in Part One of a brand new comic strip, THE STOCKBRIDGE CHILD by Dan McDaid with art by Mike Collins.

CHRISTMAS FUTURE!
Doctor Who’s executive producer Russell T Davies counts down to the big day and reveals some surprising secrets about next year’s Specials...

CHRISTMAS PAST!
RUSSELL TOVEY, star of the 2007 Christmas Special, Voyage of Damned, on Kylie, internet forums... and being the next Doctor!

CHRISTMAS FUN
The mysterious WATCHER returns to challenge and perplex with his ever-popular (and utterly fiendish) Christmas Quiz!

CHRISTMAS GAMES!
Neil Harris has a few unconventional suggestions to enhance your season viewing while waiting for The Next Doctor to come on TV in YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

PARTY POOPERS!
The Fact of Fiction looks back to when to the Cybermen first crashed their way into the Tenth Doctor’s world as it examines 2006’s RISE OF THE CYBERMEN/THE AGE OF STEEL!

BOXING DAY HANGOVER!
All the news that isn’t fit to print is in THE SPACE-TIME TELEGRAPH!

ER... A SUMMER HOLIDAY! IN WALES!
The Time Team don their shades and head back to the rock and roll years, as they continue their quest by watching 1987’s DELTA AND THE BANNERMEN!

THE DWM 2008 AWARDS!
At last! Discover the winners of Doctor Who Magazine’s annual season poll. What was the best story? Who were the best guest stars? And just who did you decide made the Greatest Contribution to Doctor Who in 2008? All is finally revealed!

REVIEW OF THE YEAR!
DWM takes a fond look back over the year that was and remembers some of the (frankly bonkers) events that made 2008 a year to remember!

PLUS! All the latest news, reviews, previews competitions and more!

This splendidly festive edition of DWM 403 is out now, price £3.99. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without it!

Make sure you get this issue before the 8th January, when the 404th issue shall be released.

Chat Session Today

2008-12-11T15:00:00.000Z

The chat page will now be running regular chat sessions. This will mean that many people can come online all at once, and talk about Doctor Who and anything they want. I will be on, also, so you can talk to me, ask me questions and stuff. I thought of this idea, as a lot of people visit the page, but not all at once, which makes it quite inactive. But, with these time periods, you are able to talk at the same time. The first one will be today, at 6-8pm, and you can come on and go off whenever you like through that time. On the page, you can find the time for the next session, after oen's finished, and will be updated for any changes or anything, and whether I will be on or not. Visit the page here! Please come on today, and join in with the excitement!

Part 2 of Gallows Gate

2008-12-11T11:05:00.005Z

The BBC Doctor Who Advent Calendar has opened its eleventh door today, marking the date, the 11th December. Today's feature is the second part of the story called Number 1, Gallows Gate Road. The first part of the story was behind door four. It is written by Rupert Laight, and the illustrations for the story are by Brian Williamson. You can see this story here, or view a snippet of it below;

'Never mind all that,' said the Doctor, turning to address a full dining room. He'd summoned every member of the household to a meeting, Robert at his side. 'You're all in deadly danger. A force in this house is sucking away your potential, like a sponge absorbs water, and not one of you is capable of the teensiest hint of motivation or - '

'How dare you!' interrupted the Major. 'I could walk out that front door this very minute and achieve anything I put my mind to. We all could.'

'Go on then!' urged the Doctor.'

You can see the advent calendar on the main page here.

Hamlet Update

2008-12-11T00:01:00.002Z

The Royal Shakespeare Company have announced that David Tennant will not be returning to his role of Hamlet, in the production of the play of that name, until Christmas, at least. David has got a back injury, and because of this, has pulled out of performances since Monday. He is having back surgery, which will take a long time. But, to make his full recovery, they decided that it was the best thing for him to do. His understudy, Edward Bennett (who normally plays Laertes in the production) will be taking the role until he returns. Does this mean that there will be empty seats? Well, yes, because some families have been reported to have not gone, as they only wanted to see David, but they do not get refunds. But now rumours are spreading that he may not be able to continue with specials next year, because of this, so what do you think will happen? We all hoped we'd have him until 2010...

Battles In Time 59 - Released

2008-12-10T20:57:00.004Z

The fifty ninth issue of Battles in Time has been released today across the United Kingdom and Ireland. The magazine, which comes free with a pack of Devastator cards, is being sold for the price of £2.50 and you can see the cover for it to the right. Below you can see the list of main features from insides;

Titanic: Fight for Survival
Gameplay: Man vs Monster
Card Clash: Suit Creature vs Jenny
FAQ Subject: Regeneration
Comic Strip: The Living Ghosts
Dalek Wars: Valiant's End

The main feature of this issue is the four page spread about the Titanic and the terrible voyage it had. Issue 60 will go on sale on 24th December 2008, so make sure you get this issue before then!

Cyber-Saver

2008-12-10T17:48:00.002Z

The BBC Doctor Who Advent Calendar has opened its tenth door today, marking the date, the 10th of December. Today's feature is a screensaver for you computer, and can be used on Windows or Mac, whichever you have got. It is based around the Cybermen, and starts by showing the Doctor Who logo. It then shows a computer-generated Cyberman, and it turns round and lights up and stuff, and shows you different parts of the creature, from head to toe. It's quite a fun screensaver, but the only problem is the copyright sign at the top, but oh well. To download the PC version, click here, or the Mac version, click here. Alternatively, you can view the tenth day in the site here.

You can see the advent calendar on the main page here.

Activity Annual 2009

2008-12-09T23:52:00.004Z

Information and the cover has been revealed for the release of the 2009 Activity Annual. There have been some in previous years, but now this is the latest one. The cover features the Doctor, on his own, like he will be mostly in the 2009 Specials, but finds a different companion for each episode. Behind him is the Tardis, and an old promotional background, also used for Series 1. The book is paperback, and comes free with a Doctor Who pen, that you can use to write and draw things with inside. There are 64 pages included and will be sold at the RRP price of £5.99. It will be released on 9th April 2009. Many other fun paperback books are out now, and for children, these are quite fun.

Top Trumps Series 4 Book

2008-12-09T23:40:00.002Z

The Top Trumps book for the fourth series has recently been released, but we hadn't seen the cover for it. Two books have previously been released; the first one covered the first set, which was Series 1 and 2, and the second one was the second set, covering Series 3. This new one is for the latest series, Series 4, and includes many of the Doctor's friends and enemies from the latest series. You are able to see the cover to the left, and click to enlarge. Below is the official press release;
Following the success of the previous "Top Trumps: Doctor Who" books, Haynes and Top Trumps have again teamed up to create a new book dedicated to the fourth series of the hit TV show. This pocket-sized guide features 45 characters from the fourth series, from The Doctor and Donna to Agatha Christie, the Sontarans and the Ood. Packed with stunning pictures, fascinating facts and all the vital statistics, it will keep kids and grown-ups quiet for hours.
The book, with 192 pages, is out now at the RRP price of £4.99.

The Next Doctor - DVD Cover

2008-12-09T23:02:00.004Z

After the first pictures of a cover for the DVD release of The Next Doctor, the version that we saw was actually the real one we would be getting! The picture was first published in Electric Virgin's online magazine, but was very small. We could make out what was on it, but we didn't officially know if it was genuine. We now have a large cover of it, but nothing much is given away by it. Each year, the have a different background design of the DVD, and this time, it's mostly stormy clouds and rays, giving it a dramatic look. Other differences include the two stars of the episode, David Tennant and Morrissey, and their names features in the Doctor Who font, also on the cover. This has not happened before. Apart from the main feature, which we haven't seen yet, there will be a special feature, like other Christmas DVDs, this time of the Doctor Who Prom Highlights, which is due for first showing on New Year's Day, the 1st of January 2009, including the specially-filmed scene, Music of the Spheres. You can see the cover to the left. The DVD will be released as a one disc pack on the 19th of January next year, at the RRP price of £15.99.

Awards 2008

2008-12-09T20:32:00.004Z

After a few days of hard work, the Awards page is open! Now, this is probably all very new to you, as I did not say anything about this, but here it is. The awards let you vote in 6 main categories; Doctor Who, Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Merchandise, This Site and Other Sites. Each one has many questions you can answer, so we can see what people liked this year, what they didn't and tell all the other people who visit the site as well, so it's all a bit of fun. There are quite a few questions, so you don't have to do every section on the page in one go! The page has been developed, to look quite a look different from all the other ones. It's still the same layout, but I edited the html (which took ages), to make the sides black. The colours have also been changed, to give a glowing blue feel, which, when you view the page, looks fantastic! Visit the page here, or find the link under the banner. So, until I post the results, have fun!

What Lies In Store for 2009?

2008-12-09T19:44:00.002Z

An extract from the Radio Times Christmas Issue tells us more about the 2009 Specials, and it all looks very, very, in fact, terribly exciting! Well, I won't say any more, just have a read;

"The first adventure, to be shown in only a few months' time, promises to be the Time Lord's wildest, maddest yet. He won't just be traveling without a companion - he'll be without the TARDIS too.
After that, we'll be heading towards the monumentous day when the key to the blue box is passed on and the 11th Doctor storms into your lives. Just think of the adventures to come. Though you'll still have Daid at the helm of the Tardis this time next year. But oh, what a Christmas that's going to be. Let's just say that the dark forces are gathering already. The Gate is waiting, and life will never be the same again..."

So, what do you think? Express your thoughts in the comments, if you want to!

Christmas Repeat Times

2008-12-09T19:28:00.004Z

The latest issue of Radio Times, the bumper legendary issue for this Christmas, has confirmed timings of repeats of this year's special, The Next Doctor, after its first broadcast on BBC One on the main day, plus Confidential times. The first showing of Confidential shall air on BBC Three, straight after the main episode, at 7pm, and on for an hour, until 8pm. After this shall be a new ten minute feature on Doctor Who, which is called 'Top 5 Christmas Moments'. In this, there should be, naturally, the five best moments from the festive specials from the past four years, and will broadcast on BBC Three. This is new news, as the BBC have not said anything about it yet. The repeat of Confidential will be on Boxing Day morning at 4:00-4:50am, still on BBC Three, possibly a slight cut-down from the 1 hour version beforehand? Folllowing the Doctor Who Prom, on BBC One on New Year's Day, from 1:50pm-2:50pm, is the first repeat of the Christmas Special, from 2:50pm-3:50pm. After the Prom, you are able to watch more behind-the-scenes features and footage, using the red button. No more timings have been confirmed, but there's, more than likely, to be repeats in the new year, but little is known about that at this stage.

No Tennant In Hamlet Tonight

2008-12-09T19:19:00.003Z

The production of Hamlet, this year, moves to London's Novello Theatre, after it's run at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford. Unfortunately, for everyone who has bought tickets, they won't be seeing David Tennant play the lead role in the performance tonight. David has got a back injury, and because of this, pulled out of last night's show as well as tonight's. To make his full recovery, they decided that it was the best thing for him to do. We do not know yet when he will be returning, but it should be tomorrow, and if not, not much later tha that at all. His understudy, Edward Bennett (who normally plays Laertes in the production) will take the role tonight, until David is fully ready to perform once more.

Morrissey Interviewed

2008-12-09T17:07:00.005Z

BBC Breakfast hosted an interview with David Morrissey yesterday, during their morning television program on BBC One. Morrissey plays 'The Other Doctor', in this year's Christmas Special, The Next Doctor, alongside David Tenannt. Rumours have been spreading round lately thinking about him playing the Doctor after David Tennant leaves, but him and the BBC still remain tight-lipped about the matter. In the interview, he is asked about his role in the special, and admits he plays some sort of a Doctor, but not necessary the next one. You can view this interview below;

Specials Guide

2008-12-09T16:54:00.005Z

The Doctor Who BBC Site has been updated with Special guides. Last month, the first series was put on the site, after the second series just before that, the third series before that and after the fourth series, which had started in April. From April we have had many videos, pictures, concept designs and fact files, uploaded onto the site after each episode of Series 4. They promised earlier this year, that all series will be put on, and now we have the complete update, with nothing missing. Everything has been on the old site, which has been avaliable on the old site since the new one opened, and is still open to view now. All specials have been put on, and that means there is 'The Christmas Invasion', 'The Runaway Bride', 'Time Crash', 'Voyage of the Damned'. There are lots new features, as well as the old stuff in the same format.To visit the site, click here, or to visit the Specials guide, click here! We do not know yet whether more content will be put on in the near future, so watch out for that!

Festive Monster File

2008-12-09T16:36:00.004Z

The BBC Doctor Who Advent Calendar has opened its ninth door today, marking the date, the 9th of December. Today's feature is a new monster file for Christmas. Captain Jack (John Barrowman), who has narrated many other files for the site, which were put up after each episode of Series 4, does the same for this video. The file is mostly set in a festive room in a normal house, with a family and a fire, but they start to get strange presents, relating to past Christmas episodes, and Captain Jack and clips are shown on the television they have in the room. It's actually a great piece of drama, showing many useful facts, and at the end of it, we have a sneak preview of Christmas, but these clips are not really anything we haven't seen before. The video has not been added onto the video page, but you can see it here, from the link on the advent calendar.

You can see the advent calendar on the main page here.

Colliding Cosmically

2008-12-08T18:51:00.002Z

The BBC Doctor Who Advent Calendar has opened its eighth door today, marking the date, the 8th of December. Today's feature is a new exciting game. The game is called Cosmic Collider, and it is actaully an old game, made into a Doctor Who game. What you have to do is use a 'paddle' at the bottom, and use your arrow keys on your computer to move it. A ball goes up, and you move the paddle, so the ball bounces and hits the blocks at the top. You have to get all of them down to win, but you only have three lives on each one, and you lose one when a ball misses your paddle. Each time one block is hit, part of a promotional picture to the left appears. In the end, each round you win, you get one wallpaper for your computer. There are 5 in total, with the sixth one being a script extract. The first one has the other Doctor, the second, Miss hartigan, the third, and behind the scenes picture of both Doctors, the fourth, an up-close of a Cybershade and the fifth, the Doctor and Rosita. Below, you can view all these in the sizes shown;

Desktop 1: Widescreen - 1024 x 768 - 800 x 600
Desktop 2: Widescreen - 1024 x 768 - 800 x 600
Desktop 3: Widescreen - 1024 x 768 - 800 x 600
Desktop 4: Widescreen - 1024 x 768 - 800 x 600
Desktop 5: Widescreen - 1024 x 768 - 800 x 600
Script Extract: Widescreen - 1024 x 768 - 800 x 600

You can see the advent calendar on the main page here.

Enemy of the Bane Part 1 - Your Thoughts

2008-12-08T18:47:00.002Z

The eleventh episode of Series 2 of The Sarah Jane Adventures was shown today on BBC One. This was the first part of Enemy of the Bane, and was shown at 4:35pm. If you were watching, you would have seen a woman wearing purple, Mrs. Wormwood, Rani's mum kidnapped, an olf friend return and an invasion of Bane! If you missed the episode, or would like to watch it again, if you haven't recorded it you can see both parts of it here on iPlayer, and click on the episode you want. But what did you think? Say what you thought of the episode in the comments or in the chat box. If you were lucky enough to have digital viewing (like me!), then you would have seen the second part of the next story, but I won't say anything about that just yet on here for those of you who don't want to be spoiled. But, if you have seen it, you might be really sad, as the series has now finished for you, but don't worry, as it's nearly Christmas, and you know what that means...

Site News

2008-12-08T00:45:00.003Z

This post is a bunch of different pieces of news about the site, that I would like to tell you about. Most of which is the layout. I will not be changing that actual layout at all, to let you know, but over the past week and a bit, you may have started to have seen some changes to the overall look. For a start, the logo for the site has changed, making it feel fresher, and new banners more regularly shouldn't make you bored with one, but has variety, so every now and then, you can view the site under different colours. Fonts and colours have changed on the main page. The post title has changed font and colour, but I do not know yet whether this will be just for Christmas or permanent. Something that is temporary, is the red background to the sidebar titles. After Christmas, this will turn back to its original black. Posts now have a retangle, larger picture at the top of the post, instead of the square one, which makes it easier to see which post is which. This may vary, though, meaning sometimes there will be square ones, when I can't use Photobucket, but that should look ok. The sidebar is slowly being adjusted, to make it neater, including the archivew which has been changed to just months, to take up less space. Something that really should look good, is the page links under the banner. These have been through a lot of hard work, in fact, using html, but let's not go any further. Well, the text kept on going the wrong sizes, but doesn't it look great now? The font has changed, and instead of a '-' inbetween each page, we have a '|', which is also blue, which looks really good and clear. Everything has been chnged from lower case here as well, including all the pages' titles on your browser. As ATTS is becoming much bigger, we thought that having big letter at the start of each word was deserved, although the text on the banners are still in lower case. The Merry Christmas page has been updated at last, after long thinking for the page. Two new days have been put up, and I hope you like today's, as it took a long time. Your kind words have satisfies me more than enough, so thank you! Monster and Villain Files is the page that is at this moment being updated, and many more files and being written, including nearly re-writing all the old ones, so this may take a while. So, thats told you a bit, and I hope you like how the site's looking. We want it looking its best for the start of next year, so that starts here...

Enemy of the Bane

2008-12-08T00:00:00.000Z

Just a reminder to tell you that two new episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures will be airing this afternoon. The episodes are the first and second parts of Enemy of the Bane. They are the eleventh and twelth episodes of the second series of The Sarah Jane Adventures. The first part shall be shown on BBC One at 4:35pm on BBC One, but premiered on the CBBC channel last week. The second part of the story will follow the next week on the same channel, but you can view it a week earlier if you're a digital viewer on the CBBC channel, at 5:15pm today. After broadcast, you will be able to watch both episodes and download them on BBC iPlayer. The trailers for both stories can be seen here and here. Next week, the second part only of Enemy of the Bane shall be shown on BBC One. For us digital viewers, the second series will be over today, but what a great season it has been! Remember to come back at 5:00pm or later to state your views on both these episodes, and how good the series has been on the whole.

Cyber-Promo Picture

2008-12-07T21:28:00.003Z

Following many previous promotional picture for The Next Doctor, we now have a very exciting new one! The brand new image shows a picture of a Cyberman, with a Doctor Who logo above it, but has not been released by the BBC. The picture is part of an advert, and has mist stormy clouds and snow in the background. Many new Cybermen will be featuring in the Christmas special, as well as the original. These include the scary Cybershades, a new version of the Cyber Leader, with brain showing and a part-black face, plus a Cyber King, which we have not seen any pictures of whatsoever. You can view the picture to the left. The Next Doctor is due to air on Christmas Day at 6pm, until the time of 7pm. A new special Confindential episode has been announced as well for that evening, following The Next Doctor, on BBC Three, and will be an hour, so for that, 7-8pm on BBC Three.

Our Advent Calendar

2008-12-07T12:39:00.002Z

We were just wondering here at atts if anyone actually regularly views the merry christmas page. We've had a few competitions now, and there haven't been many people entering and stuff. Because if not many people go onto the page, there isn't much point in carrying on, even though there are some bigger features nearer Christmas. There will be quite a few more things you can take part in, and we really would like you to co-operate, otherwise the place just looks deserted. We really need your views and opinions, so please make a comment in this post if you have something to say. I will not put the seventh day up until I am satisfied that the page isn't just up there for no reason. Thank You!

The Darksmith Legacy - Book 4

2008-12-07T12:01:00.003Z

The cover and information about the fourth book in The Darksmith Legacy series has been revealed. It is called The Depths of Despair, and will be released on the 26th of March next year. Remember, the first two books will be released together in January, and the third in February. You can see the cover to the right, and below you can read the synopsis for the volume;

The Doctor arrives in an underwater base on the planet Flydon Maxima - known locally as 'Despair' because hope is lost for all life there. The scientific base has for centuries been monitoring the results of planetary warming - the slow melting of the glaciers at the south pole and subsequent rise in sea levels. Curiously their most advanced monitoring equipment was created and donated by Varlos. The Doctor is helped by a little girl called Gisella.
Why did Varlos risk coming here? What has caused the ice to crumble so rapidly now? Can the Doctor evade the rampaging Dreadbringers, and sort out the attacking sea monsters? Who is Gisella and will she and the Doctor manage to escape in the TARDIS? Don't miss this thrilling fourth instalment of the Darksmith Legacy...

The Darksmith Legacy is a new range of exciting books out next year, which follow the Doctor through the same story throughout the set. You can view the official site for them here!

The Darksmith Legacy - Book 3

2008-12-07T11:55:00.006Z

The cover and information about the third book in The Darksmith Legacy series has been revealed. It is called The Colour of Darkness, and will be released on the 26th of February next year. Remember, the first two books will be released together in January. You can see the cover to the right, and below you can read the synopsis for the volume;

The Doctor travels to Karagula to meet the fabled Darksmiths in a bid to outwit the Agent and get the crystal. Can the Doctor uncover the mystery of the childless village? Who is the travelling Dreams-Merchant? Is there a link with the Dark Cathedral of the Darksmiths? Will the Agent arrive and identify the Doctor to the Darksmiths? Find out by reading the third exciting installment of The Darksmith Legacy!

The Darksmith Legacy is a new range of exciting books out next year, which follow the Doctor through the same story throughout the set. You can view the official site for them here!

The Next Doctor - DVD Information

2008-12-07T11:33:00.002Z

Some information about the release of The Next Doctor on DVD has been revealed. We now know that the DVD will go on sale in January, which is actually not long after the actual broadcast, which doesn't normally happen. Voyage of the Damned, last year, came out quite a while after Christmas Day, when it aired on BBC One. Like previous two Christmas special DVDs (The Runaway Bride, Voyage of the Damned), there will be a special feature to make the DVD worthwhile to buy. For The Runaway Bride, we had a special Confidential episode, all about the Doctor Who Concert held in the Millennium Centre in 2006. Voyage of the Damned had Time Crash, the special short episode for Children In Need in 2007, but for this release we have the highlights of the Doctor Who Prom, which was hosted by Freema Agyeman in July, where all the lucky people who went were able to here various different pieces of music Murray Gold has composed for the show. Included in that is Music of the Spheres. Music of the Spheres had its first broadcast at the Doctor Who Prom in July, and hasn't been allowed to air anywhere else, apart from a few people on Youtube, who uploaded it. The Prom will also be broadcast on the 1st of January next year, which should be exactly as we see on the DVD. That will be on BBC One at 1:50pm - 2:50pm. Remember to watch that! A possible cover for the DVD can be seen in the last post, here. The DVD will be released on the 19th of January 2009, at the RRP price of £15.99, but should be much cheaper in many places.

The Next Doctor - Possible DVD Cover

2008-12-07T11:16:00.003Z

A possible cover for the DVD release of The Next Doctor has been found on the internet. The Next Doctor is due to air on Christmas Day at the time of 6pm, starring David Tennant and David Morrissey. If this is the correct cover, it does seem a bit early to have it revealed, and not by the BBC, so we cannot officially say that this is the genuine cover at all. The top half shows the two Doctors, the Doctor Who logo is in the middle, and below there is a promotional picture of three Cybermen due to appear. At the bottom it has the title of the episode, and stating that it is the '2008 Feature-Length Christmas Special'. Last year it said exactly this, but for 2007, so is this just fan made? You decide! Unfortunately, the cover is quite small, but you can just make it out. Apparently, the BBC sent the image to Virgin Media, and they put it on their website. You can view the cover here.

4 Desktop Wallpapers

2008-12-07T08:59:00.002Z

The BBC Doctor Who Advent Calendar has opened its seventh door today, marking the date, the 7th of December. Today's feature is a bunch of desktop wallpapers, avaliable for you to use for your computer. There are four wallpapers in total, and all of them show new promotional pictures for The Next Doctor. These are the first wallpapers we have had from the BBC at the moment, but you can only get onto them via the advent calendar, and not the images section. There are three sizes you are able to use for them, so they can adjust to your size of screen on your computer. They are widescreen, 1024 x 768 and 800 x 600. The first picture shows an image we have previously seen on the main advent calendar, and it is the background image for it. It features both Doctors, Miss Hartigan, the Cyber Leader, in a Victorian landscape, with sbnow, mist and a Christmas Tree! The second shows the proper Doctor and Rosita in an image from the preview seen on Children In Need. The third is just a normal Cyberman, in a graveyard and the fourth shows Miss Hartigan in a room with the Cyber Leader. Below is a list, linked to each picture and size, so choose the right one!

Desktop 1: Widescreen - 1024 x 768 - 800 x 600
Desktop 2: Widescreen - 1024 x 768 - 800 x 600
Desktop 3: Widescreen - 1024 x 768 - 800 x 600
Desktop 4: Widescreen - 1024 x 768 - 800 x 600

You can see the advent calendar on the main page here.

A New Christmas Trailer

2008-12-07T01:23:00.004Z

A new trailer for this year's Christmas Special, The Next Doctor, has been released, but not airing on television yet. It's too early before Christmas to show this in a break, as there are many other things needing to be promoted before it. This can be called the episode's 'TV Trailer', just like there were many of these sort for Series 4, with a new one each week for every episode. This trailer is very similar to the full trailer first shown at the Comic Con event held in America, and more recently has been put on the BBC's official site. There are a few new extra clips, like ones from the BBC One 'Drama' trailer, but some others are brand new! So, have a little watch below, and see what you think;

We've Won An Award!

2008-12-06T18:14:00.003Z

Well, you might have guessed what this post is all about, seeing the title, so yes, it's true, we have won a prize! At The Bad Wolf TV, they held some awards for sites, which they chose themselves, and had been running for a while now, asking people to nominate themselves via email. There were six categories to be won, and they were Best Speller Award, Coolest Blog, Neatest Blog, Dazzling Blog, Most up to date Blog and Best Blog of 2008. Apparently, it ws very hard choosing the sites. Awards went to sites such as The Oncoming Storm, Doctor Who Hideout, Whovian World, Will and Seb and Doctor Who The Blog. But can you guess what we won? 'Best Blog of 2008'! Thank you very much 'Miss Gallifrey' (as she's now called) for choosing us, as it really makes the work put into the site worthwhile! You can view the actual award sent to us here! So, thanks again, and please comment on this achievement.

TV Times Awards

2008-12-06T17:57:00.002Z

The TV Times has been running, like previous years, their annual awards, which take many different factors off television, and judge how good they are, with people voting in on their favourite on several different topics. 'Who' has won two different awards. From tradition, as it now seems, Doctor Who has taken away the prize for 'Best TV Show', which is fantastic! Other nominees for this category include Coronation Street, EastEnders, Strictly Come Dancing and The X Factor. David Tennant has won the award for 'Sexiest Male', with close competition from Rob James-Collier, Scott Maslen, John Barrowman (another star of Doctor Who, Captain Jack) and Robert Kazinksy. He also came in second place as best actor, which Sir David Jason won. Well Done!

The Nemonite Invasion - Cover

2008-12-06T17:24:00.008Z

Previously reported was the news on the release of the new audio CD, The Nemonite Invasion, but we had no details or covers. Now, thanks to Doctor Who Online, we have the full cover, and a bit more information than we had before. Even though Donna has now left the Doctor in the series, she is still in this audio, and it has now been confirmed that the whole thing will be read by her! And the Doctor is the same as he was, the 10th Doctor, even if we don't hear his voice throughout it. No synopsis has been released for the product yet, but we can assume that it won't be long until it will be. We now know that the CD will be avaliable in the UK and Ireland on the 12th of February next year, with the RRP price of £9.99. You can see the full cover here!

BBC Advent Calendar Cards - Pictures

2008-12-06T17:11:00.010Z

As previously reported, the Doctor Who BBC Site have their sixth day up, and behind the door are four Christmas cards, which you can print off. I thought these were actually really good promotional pictures, so now I have them here, on this site for you to see. To actually print off the cards to make into the cards, then find the links in the earlier post, you can see here. All cards have pictures from The Next Doctor, and should work well as early Christmas cards for anyone you want! Have a look below, and click to enlarge each one!

The Next Doctor - 8 New Images

2008-12-06T16:44:00.003Z

Digital Spy have released new promotional pictures for this year's Christmas special, The Next Doctor. No official pictures as of yet have been released by the BBC, but as the days are counting down to Christmas, it should be long. There are eight pictures exclusive to Digital Spy, but luckily none of them are very spoilery, as we already know about Cybershades and the new version of the Cyber Leader, but they are exciting still. Some of them feture the two Doctors, as well as Rosita and Miss Hartigan as well in a few, but they mostly have things to do with the Cybermen. You can view them on Digital Spy here.

Cards for Christmas

2008-12-06T16:31:00.002Z

The BBC Doctor Who Advent Calendar has opened its sixth door today, marking the date, the 6th of December. Today's feature is a set of new Christmas Cards. You are able to print them off, cut them, stick them and all else, oh, and folding, and make fantastic cards to give to all your friends and family! All the cards show promotional pictures, not yet released as proper images, on the front covers of all cards. There are four of them in total. The first shows both Doctors, Miss Hartigan, the Cyber Leader and a normal Cyberman. The second has a picture of Miss Hartigan. The third, the original Doctor, and the fourth shows the Cyber Leader, with two ordinary Cybermen by his side. Here are the links to print them off: No.1 - No.2 - No.3 - No.4. Or if you want to visit the page on the site with all of them on, click here.

You can see the advent calendar on the main page here.
Please Comment! Thanks!

Doctor Who Magazine 403 - Cover

2008-12-06T07:19:00.004Z

The Doctor Who Magazine's Facebook page have revealed the cover for the 403rd issue of the magazine. You can see the cover above! The cover features the two Doctors, David Tennant and David Morissey, in a very Christmassy scene. Obviously, the main part of this issue is based around the Christmas special, to get ready for a fantastic festive episode. The main colour scheme for the cover is a silver/white. Full details will be released soon, but, from the cover, we do know this information.

David Morrissey Is The Next Doctor - Stand by for the One, the Only and the Best! The new Christmas special previewed - Inside
Exclusive Competition - Win Roboform and Santa masks worth £400!
Rise of the Cybermen
Stockbridge Child Comic Strip
Season Survey Results
The Watcher's Christmas Quiz

The four hundred and third issue of Doctor Who Magazine will be released next Thursday, the 11th December, and be avaliable in all good news agents at the price of £3.99.

What do you think of the cover?

Please Comment! Thanks!

Radio Times - Poster and Xmas

2008-12-05T23:02:00.004Z

We have received information and the cover for the latest issue of Radio Times, which, this week (or two) is the Christmas Bumper Special, with two whole weeks included in the guide. The magazine, out tomorrow, not only has many features other than Doctor Who, like the main cover stars, Wallace and Gromit (their new episode being broadcast this Christmas), but has a short section written by showrunner, Russell T. Davies, telling us what will be coming up in the special, hopefully not giving too much away, and any mild plans that he has for the future of the show, going into 2009. We haven't got a preview for this, but we do for interviews with David Tennant and David Morrissey, the two Doctors in 'The Next Doctor'. But are they both the same Doctor? You can read this preview below, courtesy of the BBC;

David T on David M

“It’s a real thrill to work with him again,” says David Tennant of David Morrissey, with whom he previously starred in BBC1 drama Blackpool in 2004. Morrissey, Dervla Kirwan (opposite page) and Velile Tshabalala, who plays Morrissey’s companion, Rosita, came in for the special at the end of the gruelling nine-month series-four shoot. “There was, I suppose, a danger we’d all be exhausted by the Christmas special,” says Tennant. “But to have David, Dervla and Velile come in with so much energy, always being funny and bright and up for anything, I think it spurred us on. We all got on very well.”

David M on David T

“The show has caught the public imagination. That’s in no small part down to David Tennant,” says David Morrissey (far right). “He absolutely inhabits the role of the Doctor. He’s a fabulous actor. Did you see him in Einstein and Eddington the other week? Brilliant!”
Are you surprised at the level of interest in your casting as the “other” Doctor?

“I’m proud of the episode, so I’m happy with whatever attention comes from that. It was a joy to do. It’s one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever worked in. It’s a full-on drama. That’s what I love about it.”

So you’ll be watching The Next Doctor at home this year?

“Of course. I have a four-year-old, but I don’t think I’ll let him watch. He might find it too strange to see Daddy fighting Cybermen.”

Of course, you’re the bookies’ favourite to take over from David as the 11th Doctor. Are you tempted to have a little flutter?

“[Laughs] It’s just flattering to be in the frame. What David has done is phenomenal, and whoever gets it after him will be a very lucky person. You’d want to keep the spirit of the Doctor, but do it in your own way.”

Inside the issue is also a Doctor Who poster offer, the second this year! You will be able to collect two tokens, one from this issue, and one from the one after that (out in two weeks), and put them together with £2.99, and send them to the Radio Times, and in 28 days at most, you will receive a brilliant Christmas special double-sided poster. The front side features the Cyber Leader and some Cybermen, while on the other, you will see the two Doctors, Miss Hartigan and some more Cybermen.
Please Comment! Thanks!

New Torchwood Books For 2009

2008-12-05T22:53:00.004Z

A new set of Torchwood books will be heading to bookstores near you next year. That is, if you live in the United Kingdom or Ireland (just thought I'd point that out). The BBC release three stories every year, and have done this twice before. The new books in next year's set are titled 'The House that Jack Built', 'Bay of the Dead' and 'Into the Silence'. All three feature just Captain Jack, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones, following the very emotional departure of Toshiko Sato and Owen Harper earlier this year. All three of them will be in the third series, an epic five-part story, entitled 'Children of Earth'. You can see the book covers below, and they are due for release on the 21st of May 2009, costing £6.99 each. More information will follow shortly, with synopses.

Please Comment! Thanks!

Doctor Who Adventures 93

2008-12-05T22:46:00.004Z

This week's issue of Doctor Who Adventures, issue 93, was released yesterday around the UK. The magazine costs £2.10, and comes free with an inflatable Tardis. Posters inside include The Mark of the Berserker, Captain Jack and The End of the World. Inside is a feature on Captain Jack, an interviw with John Barrowman (Captain Jack), a fact file on the Brigadier and loads more! You can see the cover above, and below is the official press release from the BBC;

Captain Jack special!

John Barrowman talks to Doctor Who Adventures

This week’s Doctor Who Adventures celebrates the unstoppable force that is Captain Jack. We’ve got all the facts you need to know about this top Time Agent, an interview with Jack actor John Barrowman, a photo story of Jack blasting the Supreme Dalek and a poster of the brave Torchwood hero.

John Barrowman tells Doctor Who Adventures how he reacted when he first saw Davros on set while filming the final episodes of Series Four.

“I literally freaked out!’” says John. “He is the best villain and I shook a little!”

On whether he wants to be the next Doctor:

“I don’t think I would be but I’d love to be!”

On how he reacted when he first got the part:

“Russell T Davies told me recently that he knew I was going to be Captain Jack before I even met with him. When they told me I got the part, I did what I call a yankie-doodle backflip off the wall!”

We’ve also got speculation on who the Eleventh Doctor could be, the hotly awaited results of our Whovie competition, in which readers told us what they’d most like to see a Doctor Who feature-length film about, a fantastic Time Beetle make and loads more!

The issue comes with a FREE inflatable TARDIS!

PLUS:

Amazing posters! Jack, The End of the World, and The Mark of the Berserker
Fact file: Captain Jack Harkness at your service!
Sarah Jane Adventures: A fact file on the Brigadier and a sneak peek at part one of Enemy of the Bane
Doctor’s data: Brave Midshipman Frame
Comps: Win the complete box set of Doctor Who Series Four!
Comic strip: Part one of The Giant’s Ring.
Subscription offer: Subscribe today and get Dalek Sec and TARDIS mini diecasts.
ALL THIS AND HEAPS MORE!

Doctor Who Adventures issue 93, priced £2.10, is out now. It’s a full-on Jack attack!

Remember to get this issue before next Thursday, when the ninety-fourth issue will be out. Have you got this issue of Doctor Who Adventures yet?
Please Comment! Thanks!

E-Space In January

2008-12-05T13:39:00.004Z

The cover and information for a new DVD next year has been released. It is the E-Space trilogy, and contains all three stories from the set, which are “Full Circle”, “Sate of Decay” and “Warriors Gate”. They all feature the fourth Doctor, played by Tom Baker, with companions Romana, K9 and Adric. The original broadcast of the episodes was from October 1980 and January 1981. Adric came in this trilogy, as he originally lived in E-Space, and Romana, along with K9, sadly left the programme, with a new life in E-Space. You can view the complete information on the special features below. The full cover can be seen here.

Disc 1 - Full Circle

Commentary – with actor Matthew Waterhouse, writer Andrew Smith and script editor Christopher H. Bidmead.
All Aboard the Starliner – cast and crew look back at the making of this story.
K-9 in E-Space – a look at the robot dog's role in the E-Space arc. With actors Lalla Ward, John Leeson, script editor Christopher H Bidmead, writers Andrew Smith and Terrance Dicks.
Swap Shop – Noel Edmonds chats to Matthew Waterhouse and takes calls from viewers of the Saturday morning entertainment show after Waterhouse's first appearance as Adric.
E-Space – Fact or Fiction? - Could E-Space really exist? A look at the science behind the concept of Exo-Space featuring script editor Christopher H Bidmead, visual effects designer (and Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society) Mat Irvine, authors Stephen Baxter and Paul Parsons, planetary scientist Dr Andrew Ball and astronomer and television presenter Sir Patrick Moore.
Continuity – BBC continuity announcements from the original transmission.
Photo Gallery
Isolated Score
Coming Soon
PDF Material
Programme Subtitles
Subtitle Production Notes

Disc 2 - State of Decay

Commentary with actor Matthew Waterhouse, director Peter Moffatt and writer Terrance Dicks.
The Vampire Lovers – cast and crew look back at the making of this story.
Film Trims – mute 35mm film trims from the model effects filming for the story, featuring alternative takes of the Tower and the scout ship staking the Great Vampire.
Leaves of Blood – a history of Vampires in literary fiction featuring authors Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Gallagher, Kim Newman, Pete Crowther, Simon Clark, Alison L R Davies, Chris Fowler and vampire specialist Dr Tina Rath.
The Blood Show – a fascinating insight into the use and meaning of blood in society and culture.
The Frayling Reading – cultural historian Sir Christopher Frayling looks at State of Decay with reference to the vampire stories of film and literature.
Continuity – BBC continuity announcements from the original transmission.
Photo Gallery
Isolated Score
Coming Soon
PDF Material
Programme Subtitles
Subtitle Production Notes

Disc 3 - Warriors' Gate

Commentary with actors Lalla Ward and John Leeson, director Paul Joyce, script editor Christopher H Bidmead and visual effects designer Mat Irvine.
The Dreaming – cast and crew look back at the troubled making of this story.
The Boy with the Golden Star – actor Matthew Waterhouse looks back on his time on the show.
Lalla's Wardrobe – a trip through Romana's time on the show via the medium of the many costumes actress Lalla Ward wore along the way. It’s a one-off Frockumentary like you’ve never seen before.
Extended and Deleted Scenes – missing scenes from an earlier edit of ep. two.
Continuity – BBC1 continuity announcements from the original transmission.
Photo Gallery
Isolated Score
Easter Egg – Mat Irvine talks about the Gundan axes and his own on-screen role in Warriors' Gate.
Coming Soon
PDF Material
Programme Subtitles
Subtitle
Production Notes

The E-Space Trilogy will be released on 26th January 2009, at the RRP price of £34.99.
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The Tardis and a Black Hole

2008-12-05T13:31:00.003Z

The BBC Doctor Who Advent Calendar has opened its fifth door today, marking the date, the 5th of December. Today's feature is a brilliant new game, called Black Hole. You have to guide the Tardis away from a black hole, using asteroids and power ups to get further away from it. With great colours, and a lot of fun involved, it's a fantastic game which should keep you entertained for a short while! When you click on the fifth day on the calendar, you are greeted by a picture top promote the game, and a little message to tell you what it's about, which you can read below;

The TARDIS is out of control and being sucked into a black hole. Help the Doctor use the gravitational energy of asteroids and comets to stop the TARDIS falling into a parallel dimension!"

To visit this game, click here, and have fun!
You can see the advent calendar on the main page here.
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Number 1, Gallows Gate Road

2008-12-04T13:38:00.003Z

The BBC Doctor Who Advent Calendar has opened its fourth door today, marking the date, the 4th December. Today's feature is a new story, called Number 1, Gallows Gate Road. It is part 1 of the story, and so we can presume that there will be at least one following part in the future. It is written by Rupert Laight, and the illustrations for the story are by Brian Williamson. You can see this story here, or view a snippet of it below;

The Doctor was standing in a small attic bedroom with a low, sloped ceiling and peeling, yellowed wallpaper. It was furnished simply with a narrow single bed and a chest of drawers, on top of which were his clothes, neatly folded.

He turned back to the dust-covered window and saw what had been making the tapping sound. The uppermost branches of a tall oak tree were scratching against the pane.

Got to find out what's going on, thought the Doctor, and he pulled on his clothes and flung open the bedroom door.

'Hello, Doctor,' said a voice on the brink of breaking. 'Did you sleep well?'

You can see the advent calendar on the main page here.
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David's Christmas Message

2008-12-04T13:24:00.002Z

I remembered that I hadn't posted this before, so here it is. The first day of the BBC Site's advent calendar had a festive greeting from Mr. Tennant (aka. the Doctor). It was a good start to the calendar, and the video was quite... um... short! But, it's a nice thing to see, even if he only says five words! And it's in the Tardis, with some nice Deck the Halls music, so it's not too bad. Anyway, you can see this video below. Enjoy!

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A Day With David's Stunt Double

2008-12-03T21:13:00.002Z

The BBC Doctor Who Advent Calendar has its third door open today, marking the date, the 3rd December. Today's feature is a video with the stunt double of David Tennant, Collum Sanson-Regan. He has had many parts in Doctor Who, usually scenes which are too dangerous for David, and when the producers/directors don't let him do it, and we normally just see the back of his head, or it would rather give the whole game away! He recently been Journey's End, as one of the two Doctors, but it all gets very confusing, because they can only view Collum from the side or back, and when we want David Tennant's face, they have to swap over suits, and it goes on in much more detail, so I'll stop now. The video has been uploaded onto Youtube, so we can all watch, right here;

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Battles In Time 59 & 60

2008-12-03T21:07:00.006Z

The covers and information for Issues 59 and 60 of Battles In Time have been released on their website. Remember, the collection goes up to issue 70, and not 60 or 52, as it was confirmed recently, and then it will definitely stop, when the DVD Files go on sale. Issue 59 is out on Wednesday 10th December and 58 out on Wednesday 24th December. You can see the covers and information about these new issues below:

ISSUE 59

- Titanic: Fight for Survival
- Gameplay: Man vs Monster
- Card Clash: Suit Creature vs Jenny
- FAQ Subject: Regeneration
- Comic Strip: The Living Ghosts
- Dalek Wars: Valiant's End

ISSUE 60

- Companions: Children of Time
- Gameplay: The Last Battle
- Card Clash: Fifth Doctor (Time Crashed) vs Pyrovile Soldier
- FAQ Subject: The Tardis
- Comic Strip: The Final End
- Behind the Scenes: Location Location

Will you be buying these?

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Prom Transmission Time

2008-12-03T16:45:00.004Z

The time for the official broadcast of the Doctor Who Prom has now been revealed. The concert was part of a big event in the middle of the BBC Proms, held at the Royal Albert Hall. The hall was full of Doctor Who fans from around the country, and other countries as well! It happened on 27th July this year, and recently it was confirmed that it was due to broadcast sometime around Christmas. Now the time and date has been confirmed. It will be o BBC One on the 1st of January next year, from the times of 1:50pm until 2:50pm, and it should be a bit of television you shouldn't forget about too easily. You can view the complete press release for it here, in an earlier post. Please note that the broadcast will not cover the whole of the concert, but mainly just the highlights, and hopefully Music of the Spheres.

Enemy of the Bane Part 2 - Trailer

2008-12-03T16:37:00.001Z

Below is the trailer for the the second part of the new Sarah Jane Adventures story, Enemy of the Bane. The trailer was shown last Monday on CBBC, after the first part of the story. This part of the story will be shown next Monday on CBBC at 5:15pm. It will be shown again the next week for non-digital viewers at 4:35pm.

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The Next Doctor - Time Confirmed

2008-12-02T20:00:00.002Z

Before I start on this post, I'd just like to point out that this is atts' 700th post! A lot of things have happened since then, and thank you everyone who visit, be it regular visitors, or new-comers, we take pride in you all! Anyway back to the main story... Day 2 of the BBC Site's online advent calendar is up now, and has an interview with Greame Harper, one of the many directors for the show. That interview can be seen here! But on the homepage, where the calendar is, a countdown to the episode has been put up. At 6pm tonight it said exactly 23 days, which means that on Christmas Day, the festive special shall be shown at 6 o'clock! It hasn't actually been officially announced yet though, but should be soon. From the site we can surely expect it at that time, but is it too early? It would be great to here your thoughts! There are a couple of other advent calendars, Doctor Who related, at the moment, and they;re great, and so I will link them here! Doctor Who Fansite's can be seen here. Vortexguyz943 (Youtube), can be seen here. They are both fantastic, so head over there now and take a look at them!
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Time Squad

2008-12-02T15:31:00.002Z

One of the new things Character Options are bringing out next year are the new 'Time Squad' figures. They are figures of the normal friends and enemies there have been in the new series, but these are a bit different. Instead of them trying to look exactly like the real thing (but in small form), they are designed in a very much cartoony way. This makes them look as if a stylish artist has drawn them, and they certainly do look different! And not in a bad way. They are slightly squashed, so their middle section is shorter. This is shown with a Dalek. There are normally quite a few sense spheres on the bottom, but these new figures have only two. These are very creative and inventive items that Character are bringing out, and they should work well. At the moment, fifteen figures have been confirmed, and they are the Doctor, Davros, a Dalek, the Supreme Dalek, Dalek Sec, a Cyberman, a Weeping Angel, a Clockwork robot, a Sycorax, a Sontaran, a Pyrovile, a Slitheen, an Ood, a Scarecrow and Vashta Nerada. These are due to be released in the UK and Ireland next month, January, and sold in packs of two or five. They would be too small for one each, and a waste of packaging. No price has been decided, but we'll keep you updated. You can see the first picture of the new set above, thanks to Doctor Who Toys.

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Character Options Plans For 2009

2008-12-02T14:56:00.003Z

Character Options has released information about the new items they will be making next year. There isn't a series next year, which means they will be doing extra special gadgets and products to go on sale for 2009. Character have been the loyal companion for Doctor Who since 2005, and has made many highly detailed figures and objects, so you can relive all those favourite Doctor Who scenes, or make your own. It is unknown if they will be continuing the trend in 2010, but it is highly likely that they will. Below you can read what the have said;

A £16m brand for Character and its leading product line. With no Doctor Who series on TV in 2009, the firm has tempered expectations for the range, expecting a drop of just over ten per cent. The franchise will be kept warm with four specials during 2009.

“With Doctor Who, if it’s new it sells well,” says Healy.

Products include a series of figures which come with one component to make up the iconic Giant Robot. Also new is the Time Squad, a more ‘cartoony’ range of figures which are being released in January in packs of two and five.

The Cyberman electronic voice changer will top many Christmas lists and there’s also gadgets such as the Journal of Impossible Things with a mini-sonic screwdriver and a futuristic version of the sonic screwdriver. Captain Jack’s Temporal Manipulator is also new to the range.

“We’ve got lots of low-priced items,” says Healy. “Nothing above £15. And as the specials come out throughout the year we will release new items. Now, the strategy is about freshness and newness in the range. And based on the reaction from the trade, we think it will be solid.”

Not long ago, they produced the second wave of Series 4 figures, and are now on sale. We will keep you informed as to other products and more details when we get it.

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Series 1 On iTunes!

2008-12-02T14:36:00.004Z

In July, the new series was made avaliable to download and watch on the American iTunes Store. We were all wondering why it was on there and not on the UK Store, as, well, it is made over here! But now, it has been announced that this month, December, the complete four series will be uploaded to the store to purchase. At the moment, only the first series is on, but throughout the month we can expect to see all the episodes. Each series will be made avaliable at the price of £19.99 or you can buy each episode for £1.89. it has the full episodes, but no features like the box sets have. Compared to the box sets, this is a fantastic price, but it is up to you what you'll do! Visit the iTunes Doctor Who page here!
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This Christmas On BBC One...

2008-12-01T22:56:00.005Z

The Christmas Drama trailer is now airing at breaks on BBC One. This happens every year, and last year we got short clips from Voyage of the Damned to wet out appetites. Many Christmas treats are coming up at this festive time, and now you can start to see what will be on. This year, we have some bits of 'The Next Doctor'. The video is now being broadcast, as it is the first of December, and that's when the BBC first have it shown. The trailer looks very exciting and Christmassy (well, the Doctor Who bits, anyway). Please note that the trailer is not all Doctor Who, but, by the looks of it, we're in for a smashing special! Don't watch the trailer if you do not want to get mildly spoiled, as there are quite a few scenes included.

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River Song's Sonic Screwdriver

2008-12-01T22:29:00.004Z

Character Options, the makers of usual Doctor Who toys, have confirmed that next year will see the release of a toy version of River Song's Sonic Screwdriver. The other screwdriver was first, and most recently seen in the Silence in the Library two-parter, broadcast this year as part of the fourth series. Two previous sonics to have been released in toy-form have been the usual Doctor's (which there were a couple of different versions over the years) and the Master's, which was his 'Laser Screwdriver'. We don't know anything about how the item functions yet, as we only have a picture, but there should be many different new features, like the red settings, shown in the picture. From this picture, we can make out that it does look very similar to the genuine prop, which is satisfying. It has been said that the item will go on sale in January next year, at the RRP price of £14.99.
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The Abominable Snowman CD

2008-12-01T22:09:00.003Z

The Abominable Snowman was a Classic Series story, first shown in 1967. The BBC have now confirmed that the story will go on sale as an audiobook in January next year. Many other Classic Series Adventures are doing the same; coming out as an audio. The story way back then featured Patrick Troughton as the second Doctor, and this CD will also be read by him. The story was originally written by Terrance Dicks for the show. In the set, there will be a total of four discs, with over four hours of content! You can see the cover of the disc in small on the left. The CD will be released on 8th of January next year and will be on sale at the RRP price of £17.99.
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The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith Part 2 - Your Thoughts

2008-12-01T17:03:00.000Z

The tenth episode of Series 2 of The Sarah Jane Adventures was shown today on BBC One. This was the second part of The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith, and was shown at 4:35pm. If you were watching, you would have seen a Police Box which wasn't the Tardis, Sarah Jane's parents making a big decision and the world reverting back to normal, with the Trickster defeated (hopefully)! If you missed the episode, or would like to watch it again, if you haven't recorded it you can see both parts of it here on iPlayer, and click on the episode you want. But what did you think? Say what you thought of the episode in the comments or in the chat box. If you were lucky enough to have digital viewing (like me!), then you would have seen the first part of the next story, but I won't say anything about that just yet on here for those of you who don't want to be spoiled.

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Adventure Calendar 2008

2008-12-01T14:21:00.002Z

The BBC Site has been updated for Christmas. Just like the last two previous years, an online advent calendar is shown on the main page. This time, it's for The Next Doctor, due to be shown on Christmas Day. With the new layout on the site, the calendar looks much better than before, just a bit smaller. The picture shows both Doctors, the new Cyber Leader and Miss Hartigan, some of the stars of the festive episode. There is snow falling, and the days look different from previous years. They're all in dotted squares, and with each day that opens, when you hover over the day, it opens like a door, with a picture behind. Each day this December, a new feature will be added and linked to, all the way to Christmas day. Let's hope everything will be as good or even better than last year!
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MDWM Issue 21 - Cover

2008-12-01T09:25:00.003Z

Gallifrey Productions, the new home of Mad Doctor Who Magazine have revealed the cover of their twenty-first issue. Mad Doctor Who Magazine is an online magazine, made by fans of the show, and it is incredible. Much work is poured into the magazine all the time, and hosts a fantastic group of writers. "Inside Issue 21 MDWM will be looking at the history of the Cybermen in time for Christmas. You can also read the second episode of Reality Vwrop. We will also be starting our look at all the Doctor's starting with the Tenth..." You can see the cover below. This issue will be online on Sunday 7th December 2008.

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The Temptation of the Bane

2008-12-01T08:07:00.002Z

Just a reminder to tell you that two new episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures will be airing this afternoon. The episodes are the second part of The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith and the first part of Enemy of the Bane. They are the tenth and eleventh episodes of the second series of The Sarah Jane Adventures. The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith part two shall be shown on BBC One at 4:35pm on BBC One, but premiered on the CBBC channel last week. The first part of Enemy of the Bane will follow the next week on the same channel, but you can view it a week earlier if you're a digital viewer on the CBBC channel, at 5:15pm today. After broadcast, you will be able to watch both episodes and download them on BBC iPlayer. The trailers for both stories can be seen here and here. Next week, the first part of Enemy of the Bane shall be shown on BBC One, and the first part of the story shall premier on the CBBC channel. Will you be tuning in today?

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Advent Calendar

2008-12-01T00:00:00.000Z

Today is the first of December, which means that is it under 24 days until Christmas Day! This means that the Merry Christmas page has officially opened, which is home to the site's online advent calendar. Each day leading up until the day, you can view a variety of different features under every door for each day. There will be anything from recipes, to games, and some guides, so I hope you have fun looking at them each day of the month. It may not be the most spectacular online advent calendar you will have ever seen, but I think it's probably the actual Christmas you are more excited about. on the page, there are buttons. At the moment, all, except today's, is grey, but you'll know when each day is up, because the button with the day number on will turn colourful and be linked to wherever. Take a look at the page here! I will try my best each day to provide fun things to see or do, but please note that I may be busy at times, and so cannot do a very spectacular one.

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The Newsletter

2008-11-30T01:03:00.002Z

At the start of last month, you might have seen the news titled 'October Statistics'. It had news about the site for the whole of October and things you may have found interesting. Now, there won't be that monthly feature as such, but it will now be an emailed newsletter, that you can sign up for. It will be longer, tidier, and hopefully very interesting! It will be written every month and be emailed to the list of recipients on the first day at the start of the month. The first newsletter in this format will be sent out on Monday, and it is currently in progress. So, I expect that you want to know the email address. Well, it's not the usual one. The address is: atts_newsletter@live.com
Email now to suscribe and receive it every month. If you accidentally do email the usual address, then it does not matter, you will still be put on the new one. You can sign up at any time you want. If you do in the middle of December, you will still get November's (etc.). I hope you all sign up, because I'm sure you'll enjoy it!
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The Next Doctor - TV & Satellite Week

2008-11-29T22:32:00.003Z

Radio Times are not the only ones with a Doctor Who Christmas Special-themed issue. TV and Satellite are on the matter too! The cover shows both Doctors, just like the Radio Times one, but not with a fold-out. Instead, they have Miss Hartigan and the newly-designed Cyber Leader on the same cover. The magazine was released today at the price of £1.10 (which is 5p more expensive than Radio Times, which is a whole lot better). Inside is a feature on the festive special, The Next Doctor, along with nine other great Christmassy programmes to watch! Below you can see the main cover, with part of the preview of the episode on one of the pages inside.

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Nemonite & Allies

2008-11-29T22:22:00.003Z

A new book and audio adventure have been planned for release next year. The book is a follow on from the series of books, which has had titles in the past like 'Monsters and Villains' and more recently 'Starships and Spacestations'. The new one is set to be called 'Companions and Allies'. Obviously, the book shall be comprised of fact files of many different friends the Doctor has had in the New, and also the Classic Series. This book hasbn't been officially confirmed yet, but it is very likely that it will go on sale sometime in the near future. The first three books in the series just covered the many Aliens and Creatures, but since last year they have moved on from that, with more variety. If it does go on sale, it will be RRP priced at £7.99, like ones before it. Another new product in a series is 'The Nemonite Invasion'. It is a new adventure for the tenth Doctor, exclusive to audio. This is the third story in the series, following on from 'Pest Control' and 'The Forever Trap'. Little is known yet about the product, like if the Doctor will be on his own, or with a companion, but we know that the writer is David Roden. More news on both these items when we get it!
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Radio Times - The Next Doctor

2008-11-28T23:04:00.005Z

We have been sent information and the cover of tomorrow's issue of the Radio Times. The issue is a Doctor Who special, with a fantastic cover. The main cover shows the Doctor and 'The Other Doctor' (David Morrissey) in a promotional picture, in a graveyard. You pull out an inside bit to 'find out who they are up against'. They are up against th Cybermen, of course! But also, Miss Hartigan. Is she the new leader of the Cybermen? Also on this part of the cover there is the slight redesign of the Cyber Leader, showing its brain and a black part of the face. The 'CyberKing' has yet to be revealed, but that should be worth waiting for! Of course, having a Doctor Who Radio Times tomorrow does not mean that is will be earlier than expected. It is just a preview, leding up to Christmas, like they do every year. There will be another issue, with something different the next week, then a bumper 2-week Christmas issue. Below, you can see the full cover, including the fold-out;

A preview for the issue has also been released, and you can view that below;

So this is Christmas. We’re at Cyber HQ in London 1851 - in reality a set at Cardiff’s Upper Boat studios in April 2008. This is Torchwood’s Hub cunningly redressed for this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special as a sort of huge Cyber-Victorian engine - all cogs, chains, furnaces, pipes and steam. Think steampunk. Or a huge version of the board game Mouse Trap.

Street urchins are shovelling coal into buckets, pouring oil into funnels and trudging up and down rickety wooden stairs. “No smiling, please,” says director Andy Goddard. “You’re not supposed to be enjoying this. It’s hard and tiring. It’s the worst Christmas you’ve ever had.”

At the time of giving the Christmas special its title, The Next Doctor, Davies knew the news of Tennant’s departure would have become public [Tennant announced in October that he’s leaving after filming four more specials next year]. “Hopefully, that creates a bit more intrigue,” says Davies, “and hints at interesting developments in the show’s future. Let’s just say that regeneration is a complicated process, and never as simple as it seems.”

“The Doctors become great friends,” he says. “In this episode the Doctor [Tennant] doesn’t have a companion, which is rare, and my Doctor fills that gap. But all those questions my Doctor wants to ask about himself and his past have to be put aside to save London from destruction.”

Tennant and Morrissey have also worked together before - in the 2004 BBC1 drama Blackpool. “What David’s done with the Doctor is so special,” says Morrissey. “He has moved it on - not just the character, but also how he’s taken on the role publicly. We were filming in Gloucester with 400 people watching. When I got out of the car with David it was like being with a member of Take That! They were shouting, ‘We love you!’ and he was so warm-hearted towards them.”

Morrissey explains his approach to nailing his Doctor: “There has to be an inner truth for me, something at stake, and you have to play that for real.” So did any former Doctors influence his performance? “When I look at Tom Baker and William Hartnell, there’s a truth to their performances; Patrick Troughton as well. They never saw it as a genre show or a children’s show.

Would Morrissey consider a return to Doctor Who? “Oh yeah. Definitely. I love it. I’ve had a great time.” As speculation gathers pace about who’ll take over from Tennant, Morrissey is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the bookies’ favourite. “If they asked me back,” he says, with a twinkle in his eye, “I’d jump at it. I think it’s a great character, and I’ve loved every minute.”

The issue covers the week starting the 6th to the 12th of December. It costs £1.05, and should be avaliable at all good magazine retailers.
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