Monster and Villain Files Is Back!

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!

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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.