The Nethersphere Vol 2 No 2

TTHHEE NNEETTHHEERRSSPPHHEERREE

The editors' chance to pontificate.

Pearl Mackie and Class news.

The latest on club happenings.

Sadly we advise of those who have recently passed away.

Karen Carpenter, Kieron Dorian, Sarah Guttridge, Richard Halcomb, Pam Isaacson, Brendan Jones, Darran Jordan, Bel Bailey Melouney, Nigel Oglethorpe, Lewis Palmer, Heather Snitch, Izzy von Lichtan, Grant Whittingham Doctor Who is copyright to the BBC. Copyright of all other material contained within returns to the contributor on publication.

No attempt is made to supercede any copyright. Views express within are those of the writer and not necessarily held by

DWCA GPO Box 2870 Sydney NSW 2001 0402 689 054 enquiries@drwhoaustralia.org

Round-up of all the latest news.

Who people, what are they doing now?

Doctor Who web-links to try.

Listing of upcoming DWCA Events.

What Doctor Who and spin-offs are currently on Australian television.

Reviews of Big Finish's Infernal Devices, Lego Dimensions & more.

Our overseas reporter gives us the low-down on a British Comic Con. Minutiae of the latest story shown.

Report on this past-time.

www.drwhoaustralia.org

A look at the TARDIS at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

www.facebook.com/drwhoaustralia

The early music of Doctor Who.

twitter.com/drwhoaustralia

Werthen: a 4th Doctor short story.

Hello to all our readers.

The first thing people will notice is The Nethersphere has gone smaller! We felt that this would make it easier for people to read. Whilst we were at it we tried to make the magazine less cluttered and also had a small revamp. Hope you like what we have done, if so why not tell us by sending a letter to our new "Letters to the Editor" column (see below).

This issue’s winning contributor is Pam Isaacson for her TARDIS piece and she gets a choice of one of three signed trading cards. Pam can chose from; David Troughton as Professor Hobbes from ‘Midnight’, Stuart Milligan as Richard Nixon from ‘The Impossible Astronaut’ or Derek Riddell as Sir Robert from ‘Tooth and Claw’. The other winner for this issue is Nick Oglethorpe for his entry for last issue's cryptic crossword. Nick made a valiant effort and nearly completed the whole thing. Answers to the crossword can be found elsewhere in this issue and a much easier crossword will appear next issue. He can also choose a card, after Pam has made her choice.

Also in next issue; the second movement of “Prelude”, results of the Series 9 online survey and an article on producing the stage version of ‘Midnight’. “Who’s Who of Australians in Who” is having a break for this issue and returns next issue and amongst the people who will be covered is club patron Katy Manning.

What ho, all – from Roger

We’re starting up “Letters to the Editor.”

Does your voice never get heard above the cacophony of mediocrity? Grab yourself a soapbox, clamber atop it and yell. Let people know exactly what you think; no pussy footin’ around the mulberry bush!

Letters to the Editor” is the place you should be – let ‘em have it – broadside – all guns a blazing. !Kaboom! Now, that’s what I’m talkin’ about.

Yours, putrefyingly awful, disgruntled and dangerous.

Send your thoughts on this, and anything else Who related, to nethersphere@doctorwhoaustralia.org.

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On April 22, on BBC1, a video promo was screened to indicate that the announcement of the new companion was imminent. At the same time on the Doctor Who Official twitter feed, a picture of the companion’s shoes (Vans SK8-Hi Slim in gossamer green), along with the Doctors, outside the TARDIS, was posted. The BBC announced that the new companion would be unveiled during half-time of the FA Cup semi-final match between Everton and Manchester United on BBC 1 on Saturday 23rd. What was shown was a clip titled “Friend From the Future”, which it appears is from the upcoming series 10. The clip ended with the statement “Introducing Pearl Mackie as Bill”.

Mackie, 28, who graduated from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2010, is a relative newcomer with her only TV credit playing Anne-Marie Frasier in the daytime soap Doctors in 2014. She has also appeared in the British film Svengali in a minor role. She is currently performing in the National Theatre's West End production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. She has done plenty of theatre, including The Crucible and The Comedy of Errors and has been described as "a star in the making" by the British Theatre Guide. She also appeared in a music video for pop band Years & Years alongside Ben Whishaw and rising star Tuppence Middleton. As an acting tutor for children, she was described as having “vibrant optimism” with her special skills listed as “mixing maturity and immaturity”.

Mackie also performs as a singer and is skilled in Ballet, Jazz, Period Dance and Tap plus speaks French and Spanish. Hailing from Brixton, South London, Mackie describes herself an "Actor. Singer. General noise maker..." on her Twitter profile.

"I'm incredibly excited to be joining the Doctor Who family," she said. "It's such an extraordinary British institution, I couldn't be prouder to call the TARDIS my home." She added: "Peter Capaldi is such a brilliant actor, and his Doctor is such a wacky and wonderful character, I can't wait to see what adventures are in store for him and Bill throughout time and space." Mackie said about Bill: “Reading the script at the audition, I thought Bill was wicked. Fantastically written, cool, strong, sharp, a little bit vulnerable with a bit of geekiness thrown in – I can't wait to bring her to life and to see how she develops through the series. I always loved stage combat at drama school, so I can't wait to get on set and kick some evil monsters into the next dimension!” Mackie described filming the new trailer as "absolutely mental". She said: "There were pyrotechnics and smoke and I met my first Dalek.

I'm not sure it will ever become 'the norm' seeing crazy monsters on set, but I cannot wait to meet some more. The weirder the better, bring it on."

The name Bill is being speculated as perhaps a nod to original Doctor, William Hartnell. Interestingly, the day of the announcement marked exactly 41 years since Hartnell’s death on April 23 1975. This day also marked exactly 400 years since the death of another famous Bill – playwright William Shakespeare. The name could also refer to actress Billie Piper, who played companion Rose Tyler.

Capaldi said: "It is a genuine delight to welcome Pearl… to Doctor Who. A fine, fine actress with a wonderful zest and charm, she's a refreshing addition to the TARDIS and will bring a universe of exciting new possibilities

to The Doctor's adventures."

Steven Moffat said: “A new face in the TARDIS, a new voyage about to begin: welcome aboard the amazing Pearl Mackie! This is where the story really starts.” Executive producer Brian Minchin added: "We're utterly thrilled to have the hugely talented Pearl join Doctor Who and I can't wait to begin her new adventures in time and space." Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s acting Director of Television added: “Pearl brings a wonderful energy and lights up the screen. She will captivate Doctor Who fans old and new across the globe.”

Several former Doctor Who cast members have sent twitter messages welcoming her to the show. Freema Agyeman said “Have fun!! Xx”, Karen Gillan said “So excited to see The Doctor has a new pal!!!!”, Noel Clarke said “Congrats on the the role. Enjoy the ride.”, Katy Manning said “a huge welcome to the wonderful world of who ! I call it the DW kiss !!xxxx” and Louise Jameson said “Pearl Mackie looks amazing xxx wishing her joyous times”.

Prior to the official announcement her name came up as a possible choice when she was photographed, along with the rest of the cast of Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Tim e, with Peter Capaldi a few weeks before. Capaldi had to pretend he'd never met Mackie when in fact, they'd already filmed the scene together. It was also noticed that she had started to follow on twitter both the show's casting director and former companions Jenna Coleman and Freema Agyeman.

Before the announcement names that were bandied about included Ingrid Oliver, Maddy Hill, Rakhee Thakrar, Michelle Keegan and Georgia May Foote. She becomes the Doctor’s 41st companion and the 10th since the show's return in 2005.

The Prince t-shirt worn by Pearl in the video wasn’t actually a planned tribute to the late musician. The show’s brand manager Edward Russell tweeted: “People asking about Bill’s ‘Prince’ T-shirt in Friend From The Future. It was shot 11 days ago. Just a very weird coincidence”. It has been speculated that she maybe from the 80s, due to her clothing and the Doctor saying to her "We need to get back... to the future. 2017 needs us." The BBC released 3 short videos; a behind the scenes look of Mackie and Capaldi as they enjoy their first day on set together, next showed Mackie’s first experience with a Dalek and finally a short interview with Mackie.

The codename that was used, so that the press or fans could not find out who she was, was Mean Town. "It's an anagram of Ten Woman," casting director Andy Pryor said. "Series ten, and also the tenth companion of the modern series." Pryor revealed that Mackie won the coveted job over 50 other actors and said "There was a chemistry that felt fresh and new and different to Peter's relationship with Jenna.

You could see Peter [Capaldi] fizzing with ideas in that audition reading and in the clip that was ultimately produced with the announcement." Pryor continued: "What people saw in the announcement [short film] was one of the audition scenes originally. I think Pearl grabbed those scenes and did something really exciting with them. She's a great example of somebody who proves that you don't always have to have experience to be good," Andy explained. "She's a very experienced theatre actor and has done quite a variety of theatre work. She's not naïve and she's not a pushover. She's one of those people that has a natural ability on camera."

BBC Three announced on April 4 that filming began that day on Class with Greg Austin, Fady Elsayed, Sophie Hopkins and Vivian Oparah headlining the 8-part series as a group of British Sixth Formers tasked with stopping alien shenanigans. Along with the students Katherine Kelly will assume the role of a powerful teacher at Coal Hill School. As part of the announcement a 360 O video introduction by Patrick Ness, on the sets of the production, was released.

Greg Austin is best known for playing the young Gordon Selfridge in ITV's Mr Selfridge . He immediately took to his YouTube channel to discuss his part. He grew up in Bournemouth and joined the Steppin' Out Academy of Performance in Poole, at age 9 and went on to be offered a place at ArtsEd (Arts Educational Schools London) where he graduated in 2013 and immediately auditioned for Mr Selfridge . He also has appeared in an episode of Law & Order UK alongside Peter Davison.His character’s name is Charlie. Yorkshire actress Sophie Hopkins has starred in a series of short films, including Since We Last. Vivian Oparah was a member of the National Youth Theatre. Fady Elsayed starred in award-winning 2013 British independent film My Brother the Devil . He's also set to appear in Brotherhood, the final part of Noel Clarke's coming-of-age trilogy that began with Kidulthood in 2006.

Class is a young adult series set in contemporary London where incredible dangers are breaking through the walls of time and space, and with darkness coming, London is unprotected. It asks the following questions. What if your planet was massacred and you were the sole survivor? What if a legendary figure out of space and time found you a place to hide? But what if the things that want to kill you have tracked you down? And worst of all, what if you haven't studied for your A-Levels…?

On his first television series, two-time Carnegie Medal winner Patrick Ness said: “I’m astounded and thrilled to be entering the Doctor Who universe, which is as vast as time and space itself. There’s so much room there for all kinds of amazing stories, and to work with Steven Moffat and Brian Minchin to find a place to tell one of my own has been an absolute joy. I can’t wait for people to meet the heroes of Class, to meet the all-new villains and aliens, to remember that the horrors of the darkest corners of existence are just about on par with having to pass your A-Levels." Ness said about the actors “We searched far and wide for this amazing cast, fantastic actors who understand what we’re aiming for with this show. And how lucky we are to get Katherine Kelly! She’s been stunning in Happy Valley, The Night Manager and Mr Selfridge , just wait until you see her here.” Ness has revealed on twitter that he was approached by the BBC for something else entirely and then they got talking."

Steven Moffat, Class and Doctor Who Executive Producer, revealed how unique the show will be.

“There’s nothing more exciting than meeting stars that nobody’s heard of yet. We had the read through of the first few episodes last week, and there was a whole row of them. Coal Hill School has been part of Doctor Who since the very first shoot in 1963, but this new show is anything but history. Class is dark and sexy and right now. I’ve always wondered if there could be a British Buffy – it’s taken the brilliant Patrick Ness to figure out how to make it happen.”

Damian Kavanagh, Controller, BBC Three, added. “I can’t wait for Class to arrive on BBC Three. BBC Three will always back the best young British talent.”

Derek Ritchie is the shows producer and Ed Bazalgette ( Poldark , Doctor Who) directs. Class is a BBC Cymru Wales production, co-produced with BBC America and BBC Worldwide. The 8-part series will film in and around Wales for five months.

Not announced at the time, but Nigel Betts is set to reprise his role as Mr. Armitage ('Into the Dalek', 'The Caretaker' and 'Dark Water') as revealed on his CV. On the following day former EastEnders actress Pooja Shah announced she had joined the cast, she went on to clarify that she has a "very small part".

It was revealed on April 27 that Coal Hill was no longer a school and was now an Academy and one of its buildings is called ‘The Barbara Wright Building’. On the same day Paul Marc Davis was also announced to appear in a recurring role. He has appeared in Doctor Who ('Utopia'), The Sarah Jane Adventures (as The Trickster) and in Torchwood.

The BBC recently advertised for an Assistant Editor for Class with a closing date of April 24 for the period of June 2016 to April 2017.

On April 29 pictures of the TARDIS on the set of the show were posted on twitter and on the same day Katherine Kelly shared on Instagram the title of the first episode ('The Prom') as well as the name of her character (Miss Quill).

It’s the DWCA’s favourite night of the year – when Doctor Who fans and friends unite to test their wits, strut their stuff and work together for the opportunity to win some awesome prizes!

The Game of Rassilon comprises six rounds of trivia and a series of mini games themed around Doctor Who, as well as general knowledge. That means the game can be played by anyone, not just Whovians – in fact, the broader the mix of people on your table, the better your chances!

The evening will be capped off with a parade of Doctor Who cosplay, open to all attendees. With a special prize on hand for the most popular cosplayer of the night, participants are encouraged to dress to impress!

Book your ticket now and you’ll be automatically entered into a draw to win one year of free DWCA membership. Tickets are just $15 per person, or you can get together a table of 6 people for $75. Tickets at the door will be $20, if not sold out already.

So what are you waiting for? Assemble your team, get out your sewing machine and start studying. The Game of Rassilon is about to begin!

ADMISS ION Pre-paid – $15 per person/$75 for table of 6

At the Door – $20 For more information and details on how to book and pay for your ticket please go to the club website.

As it is the 20th anniversary of the TV Movie (May 12) this event will look at Paul McGann's many and varied contributions to the Doctor Who phenomenon.

Day events are family-friendly gatherings allowing Doctor Who fans to discuss the latest episodes, play games, make purchases from the DWCA Shop and more.

ADMISS ION

Adult: $10 Concession: $7 Children under 13: FREE Family: $20 DWCA members receive $2 discount on above prices.

DWCA Family members receive $4 off their entry.

M E S S AG E P O D F O R KY We welcome Darran Jordan to the DWCA Committee as Publications Manager, where his duties are primarily to oversee and coordinate the content our two publications, Data Extract and The Nethersphere . Darran brings considerable knowledge and skill to the team, as well as great enthusiasm for the job. Go Darran!

A ticketing system has recently been added to the DWCA website, enabling prebooking of tickets for various DWCA events. Currently pre-booking is available for Trivia Night but other events will be offered for pre-payment / booking.

Don't forget that you are only a click away from the being able to purchase various Doctor Who products from the club's on-line store – DWCA Shop. It has an extensive array of Doctor Who items that you can acquire. Some of the latest items are: The Doctor’s Nano-Recorder; Wind Up Daleks Collector’s Pack; Eighth Doctor 3D Mug; and from Big Finish, Aquitaine and Torchwood 1.4 One Rule.

We will be attending Supernova this year in Sydney in June where we will have a strong presence with the DWCA Shop and other activities.

Our next Day Event will be May 29 with the theme being Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor. Then on July 9 is ' The Game of Rassilon', the club's annual Trivia Night and cosplay competition.

D WC A S YD N E Y B O O K C L U B

On April 29, the DWCA held its first ever book club meeting – a gathering which gave the club’s bibliophiles a chance to get together and share their favourite Doctor Who stories and authors. The evening ended with attendees selecting the first book that they would like to read and discuss as a group – The Legends of Ashildr. This is a collection of novellas set during various points in Ashildr's long life.

So what happens now? As yet the venue is undecided but Newtown Tavern is a strong contender as it's the original and most central location. It was suggested that the first proper meeting would be on Friday June 3, to give everyone enough time to obtain, read and review the first book. The club will keep people updated by its various social media outlets on when and where the meeting will be. But that doesn’t mean others can’t play along at home – in fact, the DWCA encourages all its bookloving members to get their hands on a copy and read along with us.

The DWCA will also be accepting reviews of the book, the best of which will be published in the club magazine, Data Extract. If you’d like to share your review with us, please send it to fsq@doctorwhoaustralia.org.

D WC A S e r i e s 9 O n - L i n e S u r ve y c l o s e s s h o r tl y

Originally set to close on May 9, the survey has been extended for one more week so that people can put their last minute surveys in. Follow the following link to fill out the DWCA's latest survey. The survey covers Series Nine plus we want to find out a little bit of what you think of the Twelfth Doctor.

To encourage people to enter the survey, prizes are offered. Everyone who enters into the survey will go into a draw, the winner of which will get the opportunity to select 2 Target books from a list of a 12 books. There is a 2nd prize draw, only for paid up members of the DWCA, and for those there is the chance to win a signed trading card from a selection of 8 different cards.

N E WC AS T L E LO C AL G R O U P

Diverse is a great word to describe the Newcastle Local Group of the Doctor Who Club of Australia. Diversity of age range from preschoolers, school aged kids and adults, who all attend club functions, giving the club a unique mix of perspectives and opinions. Another interesting area of diversity in the club is that there are dedicated classic whovians and dedicated new whovians, as well as some who are a mix of new and classic.

The club has a few facets – the Facebook group, meetings and social events – and there are members who are involved in one or more of these facets. The first facet is the Facebook group – which is some 180 members strong and growing. In recent times games have been a feature of the site, with members posting a picture from a particular episode and then others guessing the episode. This has generated a lot of interest and provided club members with Group founder – Luke Steele Sanford some great entertainment. Of course, the Facebook site is a great way to share new Doctor Who information and the club reaction to the announcement of the new companion was a great example of news being shared and discussed from a wide range of sources.

The club meets once a month at a local library or coffee shop. Meetings at the library involve games (such as trivia or celebrity head), lively Doctor Who discussion and watching an episode or documentary. One member has started a monthly discussion on Doctor Who from the first ever episode, which new whovians are finding very interesting.

Last year the club hosted two very successful high teas and are planning more for the coming year. A high tea involved everyone bringing a plate of something delicious to share (muffins, a slice, biscuits, etc), their own Doctor Who cup or mug for tea or coffee. We all enjoyed some conversation, tea themed trivia, refreshments and each other’s company. A ten pin bowling night was another social activity the club held last year. These events were very well attended and a lot of fun.

This year the club is focusing in on meetings, engaging members through the Facebook group and social events. For example, in lieu of the next meeting (which falls on Mother’s Day), the club is meeting on the Friday night at a local Star Wars themed café for dinner.

Current President – Sarah Guttridge

Died on April 13. For Big Finish he appeared in three Doctor Who Audio dramas, plus he played Kalendorf in the ‘Dalek Empire’ series. In 2006 he guest starred in the Torchwood episode ‘Ghost Machine’. He famously starred as Roj Blake, in the BBC science fiction television series Blake's 7, but appeared in many other films and television programmes. To find out more go here. With Tom Baker here.

Big Finish here.

Died on March 11 aged 83. He played Krail, the Cyberman who explains their origins during episode two of ‘The Tenth Planet’. He played another Cyberman, Jarl, later in the story, as well as featuring in the famous, first close-up view, of the silver giants at the end of the opening instalment. He played a Cyberman again in ‘The Moonbase’ and ‘Tomb of the Cybermen’ He also debuted as the man inside the suit of the first Yeti, appearing at the climax of the first part of ‘The Abominable Snowmen’.

More about Reg Whitehead here.

She died at the age of 78 on March 4.

Sonia began as a make-up artist on ‘The Sensorites’, assisting Jill Summers. She continued in that capacity until promoted to make-up supervisor for the second production block, beginning with ‘The Rescue’. During her tenure her responsibilities included Kevin Stoney’s distinctive look as Mavic Chen in ‘The Daleks’ Masterplan’, ageing Ewen Solon as tribe leader Chal in ‘The Savages’ and applying series star William Hartnell’s wig, an act she was photographed performing by the Daily Mirror in a series of memorable behind-thescenes shots. Her final credit for the show was on ‘The Smugglers’. More about Sonia Markham here.

Died in January at the age of 84. Her first role was unaccredited, as the non speaking handmaiden of Queen Thalira in ‘The Monster of Peladon’. In her second role, she played Miss Jackson in ‘The Hand of Fear’. Both stories were directed by Lennie Mayne, to whom Pigeon was married until he was lost at sea in an accident in 1977.

More about Frances Pidgeon here.

Died on April 28, age 78. He appeared in the 2009 two-part Christmas special ‘The End of Time’, as driver of the mini-bus containing the old age pensioners' group seeking the Doctor.

Read more about Barry Howard here.

Died on March 31. He played Rahnius in Red Nose charity episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures story 'From Raxacoricofallapatorius with Love'. He was best known for being one of the Two Ronnies. More about Ronnie here Scottish-born Adrienne, died on March 13 aged 85. She played Mena in 1980 story ‘The Leisure Hive’. More about Adrienne here.

Who played Harold Chorley in ‘The Web of Fear’ died at the age of 84 on February 20. Birmingham born Jon's work on the small screen included ZCars, No Hiding Place , Swizzlewick , The Baron and Thirteen against Fate .

Read more about Jon Rollason here.

Died on January 31 aged 77. He was the most popular and best-loved broadcaster in the UK for more than 30 years. In this time he interviewed many of the stars of Doctor Who, including Jon Pertwee, Peter Davison and Colin Baker see more here. Terry Wogan / Doctor Who interviews here.

Doctor Who could be scripted by an American-style "writers room", the practice of

engaging multiple writers on certain episodes, for the first time when Chris Chibnall takes the reins of the show for series 11 in 2018, Radio Times reported on May 3.

Chibnall has been discussing numerous ideas about how the show will be scripted.

And while he remains committed to writing episodes on his own he is understood to have been examining the possibility of a writers room for some episodes.

The BBC has already met with the Writers' Guild of Great Britain – the union for professional scriptwriters – to discuss new approaches to writing the scripts. One area that had been discussed was a "writers room" and the union has indicated that it had no particular objections to the proposals. “If it’s what the BBC wants and it’s what the writers want it then it’s fine by us,” said Bernie Corbett, who was general secretary of the union when the BBC discussed the ideas with his organisation.

A BBC spokesperson said: “It’s still very early days and no fixed model has been decided upon yet. Chris Chibnall, as the new showrunner, will write his own episodes and is currently exploring different ways of working with new and established writers on the show.“ The idea of a Doctor Who writers room has long been suggested. In 2008 Doctor Who writer Paul Cornell called for the show to be written by a group of paid writers.

'Heaven Sent', the penultimate episode from Series Nine, has been nominated for a 2016 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form). It is up against an episode from each of Grimm , Jessica Jones, My Little Pony and Supernatural.

Six Doctor Who episodes have previously won this award, including; 'The Doctor's Wife', 'The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang' and 'The Waters of Mars'. Last year 'Listen' was nominated, but lost out in the final voting to an episode of Orphan Black .

The awards ceremony is on Saturday, August 20, at the MidAmeriCon II, the 74th World Science Fiction Convention, to be held in Kansas City, Missouri.

An exhibition showcasing original cover artwork from the Target range of Doctor Wh o novelisations is currently showing in London at the Cartoon Museum in Bloomsbury. It features 30 pieces of art published during the 1970s and 1980s under the Target imprint.

The exhibition is the brainchild of Doctor Who brand manager Edward Russell and includes multiple covers by Chris Achilleos and Andrew Skilleter, plus a cover each from Roy Knipe, Jeff Cummins, and David McAlister. It opened on April 29, with a launch event attended by several of the artists featured, as well as Steven Moffat and Peter Capaldi. The exhibition runs until Sunday May 15.

Peter Capaldi with Chris Achilleos at the exhibition launch.

The final ratings figures have been released for Series Nine and are listed below. .

The Magician’s Apprentice: 4.58m (overnight), 6.54m (final), 7.41m (L+7), AI 84 The Witch’s Familiar: 3.7m (overnight), 5.71m (final), 6.58m (L+7), AI 83 Under the Lake: 3.7m (overnight), 5.63m (final), 6.51m (L+7), AI 84 Before the Flood: 4.38m (overnight), 6.05m (final), 6.77m (L+7), AI 83 The Girl Who Died: 4.85m (overnight), 6.56m (final), 7.19m (L+7), AI 82 The Woman Who Lived: 4.34m (overnight), 6.11m (final), 6.73m (L+7), AI 81 The Zygon Invasion: 3.87m (overnight), 5.76m (final), 6.49m (L+7), AI 82 The Zygon Inversion: 4.13m (overnight), 6.03m (final), 6.48m (L+7), AI 84 Sleep No More: 4.0m (overnight), 5.61m (final), 6.09m (L+7), AI 78 Face the Raven: 4.42m (overnight), 6.05m (final), 6.55m (L+7), AI 84 Heaven Sent: 4.51m (overnight), 6.19m (final), 6.92m (L+7), AI 80 Hell Bent: 4.8m (overnight), 6.17m (final), 6.86m (L+7), AI 82 The Husbands of River Song: 5.77m (overnight), 7.69m (final,) 8.27m (L+7), AI 82 .

Overnight figures only include those who watched it live and those who recorded and watched it later that night. Final figures includes those who recorded and watched within a week, making them a more accurate measure of how many were watching. The Live+7 (L+7) figure is calculated by the BBC to try to get an even more accurate estimate of the total unique audience for an episode of a programme.

Unlike official BARB figures the Live+7 uses data to include those who watched one of the broadcast repeats of the episode and those who watched the episode on iPlayer all within 7 days of the original transmission.The Audience Appreciation Index (AI) is a score out of 100 which is used as an indicator of the public’s appreciation for a show. Over 90 is considered exceptional, 85 or over is excellent, 60 or less is poor, and less than 55 is very poor.

The figures show an average of 60% of the audience watch Doctor Who on the day of transmission, either as a Live broadcast or as a delayed viewing via a PVR. The number was slightly higher for the 'Hell Bent' and'The Husbands of River Song'. A further 26% of the audience watch the programme, via a recording, within 7 days of the original transmission. The highest delayed viewing was for 'The Zygon Invasion'.

Around 11% on average watch on iPlayer, although this dropped to around 5% for 'The Husbands of River Song'.

The number watching a scheduled repeat dropped sharply this series, from an average of 4% last year, to an average of just 1.3% this year. The decline of the audience watching on BBC Three caused the BBC to cancel the regular repeat on BBC Three from episode four onwards. The only repeat was the late night signed version on BBC Two, which had an average of 40,000 viewers.

Overall the Live +7 ratings are down around 1.5 million on the 2014 figures, to average a total of around 6.7 million watching each episode.

The overall chart position for each week ranged from 13th for 'The Magician's Apprentice' down to 30th for 'Sleep', the lowest chart position since the series returned in 2005. The only episode this year to make the top ten was 'The Husbands of River Song', which came in 8th.

Peter Capaldi accepted the Guinness World Records title for the 'Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Doctor Who Characters', at the La Mole Comic Con in Mexico City on March 21. He had been on a promotional tour to Mexico City, where the series is known as Doctor Misterio. After being mobbed at the airport the actor attended La Mole Comic Con where the record was attempted.

All in all 492 Doctor Who doppelgängers, Daleks and Oods joined the actual Doctor as part of the Guinness World Records attempt. Peter Capaldi and Executive Producer Brian Minchin were in the city to celebrate the premier of Doctor Who , Season 9 on NBC’s channel Syfy.

Doctor Who already holds the Guinness World Record as the Longest running sci-fi series while 'Doctor Who Magazine' is the Longest Running Magazine Based on a Television Series. The 50th Anniversary story 'The Day of the Doctor' was named the world's largest-ever simulcast of a TV drama.

'The Doctor Who Restoration Team' have updated their website to include details of the restoration work which took place on the final set of Doctor Who classic era DVD releases. The painstaking work has been documented by Steve Roberts, a former BBC post production engineer and key member of the restoration team.

The site, which was last updated in 2013, has now been expanded to include details of the work undertaken for 'The Underwater Menace', 'The Web of Fear', 'The Moonbase', 'The Enemy of the World', 'The Tenth Planet', 'Terror of the Zygons' and 'The Ice Warriors' as well as the special edition of 'The Green Death'.

Amazon and BBC Worldwide North America have announced that Doctor Who will be available to stream exclusively from Prime Video in the United States. It kicked off with the first eight of the modern series from March 27, with last year's Series 9 and 'The Husbands of River Song' to follow in the autumn. The show will be available to Prime members for no additional charge.

'The Doctor Who Experience' in Cardiff has now been updated to feature props and costumes from the latest series of Doctor Who, shown last year, including 'The Husbands of River Song'. Costumes include those worn by the Doctor, Clara, River Song and Ashildr, alongside monsters such as the Mire, Sandmen, the Veil, and Colony Sarff.

Displays also include sets such as the Davros' Hospital Room and Trap Street.

Nominations for the BAFTA Television Awards were announced at a live press conference on Wednesday March 30. Michelle Gomez has been nominated in the Supporting Actress category for her role in Doctor Who. Up against Michelle are; Eleanor Worthington-Cox, for The Enfield Haunting, Chanel Cresswell, for This Is England '90 and Lesley Manville, for River. The BAFTA Awards took place on May 8 at the Royal Festival Hall, London. STOP PRESS : Unfortunately Michelle lost out to Chanel Cresswell.

The BAFTA Television Craft Awards were presented in a ceremony from The Brewery in London on April 24 and Doctor Who special effects creators – Real SFX lost out to Milk VFX, for their work on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, in the category of Special, Visual and Graphic Effects. Real SFX had won the category last year.

A full-size LEGO® replica of the TARDIS featured at this year's Sydney Royal Easter Show. It materialised outside the Showbag Hall on Riverina Avenue to promote the return of the Doctor Who showbag, last seen back in the 80s. The exclusive showbag, licensed by Bensons Trading, includes a TARDIS design back pack, tin case, beanie hat, notebook and lanyard, and a Doctor Who tote-bag retailing for for $26 (normal retail value $64.70).

Brigid Roberts, Business Manager, Licensing and Sponsorship, BBC Worldwide ANZ, said: "We’re delighted to able to offer Whovians in Australia another chance to see the LEGO® TARDIS, and get their hands on a showbag full of treats for aspiring Time Lords". Rebel Ruby, Product Development, Bensons Trading Co, said: "Bensons are very excited to release the brand new Doctor Who showbag at this year’s Sydney Royal Easter Show.

We have worked closely with BBC Worldwide ANZ to come up with a fantastic pack that will have Doctor Who fans flocking to the show."

BBC Worldwide have announced a new deal to provide Doctor Who via video-on-demand in South Korea. The series will be provided by SK Broadband through their IPTV service BTV. Doctor Who forms part of a package that will include a number of dramas like the recent War and Peace , and documentary series like Africa and Life Story. Soojin Chung, GM of BBC Worldwide in Northeast Asia said: "We are committed to bringing great quality programming to viewers in Korea. SK Broadband is a valued partner and we are excited to be working with BTV to bring award winning and the best programmes from the BBC to their VOD subscribers, to watch them at their convenience." Doctor Who is currently available to watch in the country in English via BBC Entertainment, and in Korean through KBS.

Peter Capaldi appeared at the HMV Bond Street store in London on March 7 to meet fans and sign copies of the new DVD/Blu-ray release of Doctor Who Series 9. The next day he appeared on a number of programmes to promote the DVD/Blu-ray release, during which he also discussed his present and potential future involvement with the show.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's The Janice Forsyth Show, he discussed his thoughts on continuing to play the Doctor when the show's next lead writer Chris Chibnall takes over with presenter Edi Stark: “I haven't made my mind up. I've been asked to stay on, which is lovely, and I think Chris Chibnall's fantastic and a wonderful choice. To be perfectly honest, it's so far away in the future, and I don't – you know, Doctor Who is a very difficult thing to say goodbye to, and I don't want to make that decision right now. I don't know yet – they've asked me to stay on, so when I am forced to make that decision I will make it.”

On filming of series 10 when asked on ITV's Lorraine show, he responded: “It's going to start very soon. For some reason I'm not allowed to tell you, because Doctor Who is veiled in secrecy always!” Speaking on BBC Radio Two's Steve Wright in the Afternoon , he said: “I love being Doctor Who, so I will be around as it's right to be around.” On the new companion he said “It's sad when Jenna was on the show before I arrived so she was my welcome to the show and she introduced me to it, and told me where to go and where to get my corned beef and where to sit and all that stuff, and she was absolutely lovely so I'll miss her very much. We're going to have a new companion, because we're just obviously about to start filming the new season – it's going to be someone very different who will be announced shortly. I really can't say who that is, but the whole dynamic is going to be very different – but that's good too, you know, it's a different character.”

Bell Media and BBC Worldwide North America have announced a new licensing agreement for Doctor Who in Canada, which will see streaming service CraveTV become the exclusive streaming service for the show in the the country. The agreement will see Series 9 made available this summer, with the previous eight series moving to the platform by the end of the year. Series 10 onwards will be made available after their full-season broadcasts on SPACE. Matt Forde, EVP Content Production, Sales and Distribution, BBC Worldwide North America, said: "Bell Media and Space have done a phenomenal job with one of the BBC’s crown jewels, Doctor Who. They have nurtured it, and built it, and are now going to make it accessible to everyone on multiple platforms – exclusively. This long-standing partnership exemplifies dedication in giving the fans what they want, when they want it, and hopefully attracting loads more along the way.

The series has been the most-watched entertainment speciality programme on SPACE in their key A25-54, A18-49, and A18-34 demos, with Season 9 achieving an average of 697,000 viewers in its Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET timeslot.

David Tennant and Matt Smith took the stage together for the first time at a 'Wizard World' Convention panel on April 16 in New York and both actors expressed a desire to return as the Time Lord. At the panel, moderated by Blastr's Aaron Sagers, a fan asked both Doctors if they would be open to returning to their roles. Smith immediately said, "I really want to." He also mused about the possibility of both Ten and Eleven coming back for six episodes each, although he was quick to clarify that he was just thinking out loud: "But then Peter would be like hey… It's mine!"

Tennant replied "It's one of those things, I don't think you could ever go back to it full-time, but there's almost a built-in invitation to go back.”

There's even the remote possibility that we could see both actors come back together.

When asked if we'll see a reunion of the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors on-screen, Smith and Tennant both agreed that "all things are possible." Tennant added "In this universe, anyone can come back. Look at Rory Pond."

Doctor Who Series 1 has been named as the most frequently bought drama in the

entire 40 year history of BBC Worldwide's Showcase event. Since 1976 it – and its predecessor, BBC Enterprises – has hosted international TV buyers at its own annual sales event, BBC Showcase. The first Showcase took place in a meeting room at The Old Ship Hotel in Brighton, and was attended by 25 buyers. Since then showcase has grown to the world’s biggest single distributor trade fair, regularly attracting more than 700 international buyers. To celebrate 40 years of Showcase, BBC Worldwide has released the new data based on the number of times a title has been bought rather than the number of territories it was bought by, which shows how various series continue to interest broadcasters time and again.

The most purchased drama series has been named as Doctor Who Series 1 which has attracted 629 buyers from countries including Bahrain, Hong Kong and Chile.

The most bought comedy programme is the first series of the classic sitcom Keeping Up Appearances which has been bought 992 times over the forty year period. The most bought natural history title is The Life of Mammals with 958 sales and the most bought factual entertainment series is Top Gear Series 9, broadcast in 2006, which has clocked up 282 sales.

Doctor Who has been voted number four in a list of most loved shows on the BBC

iPlayer. The list has been collected from audience members clicking on the heart button on the BBC iPlayer, which allows the audience to instantly show love for a programme. Top of the list was the soap opera EastEnders with children's drama The Next Step, coming second. Third was the sporting programme Match of the Day.

Peter Davison, for his portrayal of Herbie in the Savoy Theatre production of the musical Gypsy, lost out to David Bedella for his performance in The Heights, for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical at WhatsOnStage awards held on February 21. He lost out to the same person for the same award at the prestigious Oliver Awards held on April 3 at the Royal Opera House, London.

Paul McGann will be appearing in the third and final series on The Musketeers which will air on BBC One later this year. He plays a wealthy nobleman who is engaged to an old friend of Aramis and finds himself in conflict with the Musketeers.

Shakespeare Live , the celebration of the bard's work, hosted by David Tennant and

Catherine Tate, is screening in Australian cinemas from May 6 and is to be screened in US movie theatres on May 23. The show marked the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death. It was commissioned by the BBC in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and was originally screened live on BBC Two on April 23.

The event celebrated Shakespeare's plays and their enduring influence on music, dance, opera, musical theatre and comedy. Appearances include Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Helen Mirren, John Lithgow, David Suchet, Joseph Fiennes, Rufus Wainwright and Tim Minchin.

Sir John Hurt is to return to the London stage in a new production of John Osborne's The Entertainer. He plays the part of Billy Rice opposite Sir Kenneth Branagh playing Archie Rice. It will run at the Garrick from August 20 to November 12. The performance will be broadcast live to cinemas worldwide, on a date to be announced.

Netflix announced that their new original drama series The Crown featuring Matt Smith as Prince Philip and Claire Foy (Wolf Hall) as Queen Elizabeth II will be released on November 4.

Featured in a special series of films, marking 400 years since William Shakespeare's death, called the The Complete Walk . It has been organised by Shakespeare's Globe and was held over the weekend of April 23-24. The series on short films, was shown on 37 screens, along a 2.5 mile route on the Thames embankment between Westminster and Tower Bridge. Each screen showed a ten minute film based on one of Shakespeare's plays, each shot on location in a setting with particular historical and narrative resonance to the story. Capaldi played the general Titus Andronicus in scenes specially shot in Rome. It was also presented in Liverpool on the same weekend then will be presented in cities across the UK and internationally, after which the films will be accessible on Globe Player.

Peter Capaldi appeared on Lorraine Kelly’s popular lifestyle show on ITV1 in a segment which has a celebrity filming a 60 Second Cereal piece. Capaldi's appearance was predictably hilarious and he answered some probing inquiries. Capaldi began by pouring himself a heaping bowl of Kelly’s Krispies, and settled in with the questions from viewers. One viewer asked, “When was the last time you pulled an all-nighter?”

“1973,” Capaldi promptly answered.

Steven Moffat collected his OBE on the February 4 investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Moffat received his award for 'services to drama', from the Prince Of Wales and said about the honour: "It was very thrilling and formal and slightly, slightly, just very slightly, like being back at school. But nicer because everyone got a prize. Talking to other people before I came in, I kind of feel everyone's here for a better reason than me. I've got not one, but two dream jobs, so to get this lovely thing for already indulging myself in public, seems like an excess of good fortune."

On May 6 there was a special preview of the new BBC drama Midsummer Night’s Dream , created by Russell T Davies at Cineworld Cardiff. The 90-minute preview was be followed by a Q&A with Russell T Davies, Nikki Wilson (Producer), David Kerr (Director) and Kate Kennedy (Helena). It features, amongst a host of stars, Bernard Cribbins (Wilfred Mott) as Snout.

Davies won the award for innovation for his multi-platform series Cucumber, Banana and Tofu at the prestigious Broadcasting Press Guild Awards. The awards are seen in the industry as being prestigious among programme-makers as they are voted for by TV and radio corresDoctor Who Theme Bar in 360 O – here pondents and critics.

Doctor Who - Long Story – here Davies was nominated for Cucumber in Wedding Ahoy (Jon Pertwee)– here the Drama Writer category at the Royal Matt Smith talks tea with Victoria Television Society Awards held at the Wood – here Grosvenor House Hotel, London, on March 22, but lost out to Peter Morgan I Will Find You (Gallifrey Dreams) – for The Lost Honour of Christopher JefSpace Elevator – here feries.

Tom Baker – Have I Got News For You out-takes – here Matt Smith & Karen Gillan Explain Won the Oliver Award for Best Actor in a the Science of Cornflour Batter – here Supporting Role for Three Days in the Country. The award show took place on Rob Brydon IS The Doctor! – here April 3 at the Royal Opera House in LonGenesis of the Daleks – Record Store don. For the same role he won Best SupDay – here porting Actor in a Play at the 2001: A Who Odyssey – here WhatsonStage awards announced in a live ceremony on February 21 at the Prince of Wales theatre in London.

The Target Book Artwork exhibition review – here Derbyshire reverend who is mad Joivan Wade for his role as Rigsby ('Flatabout Doctor Who – here line' and 'Face the Raven'), was nominated, but did not win, the Rising Star award at this year’s Screen Nation K9 Offical page – here Awards held on March 19. The awards Dawn Timers - Oz fans of Dr Who showcase the best of black British and 1963 to 1989 – here international film and TV talent.

Fri 6 – Newcastle Local Group Dinner Meeting

Sat 9 – Sydney Trivia Night

Sat 14 – Allora Local Group Meeting

Sat 23 – Allora Local Group Meeting

The Empire Coffee Co, 3 Crown St, Newcastle 6pm to 8pm.

Club Burwood, 97 Burwood Rd Burwood. 6pm to 9.30pm.

Pre-paid – $15 per person/$75 for table of 6. At the Door – $20

Allora QCWA Rooms 51 Warwick St Allora. 10 am to 3 pm.

Admission FREE.

Allora QCWA Rooms 51 Warwick St Allora. 10 am to 3 pm. Admission FREE.

Sun 22 – Brisbane Local Group Meeting

Please note: All dates and venues are liable to change, with little notice, through no fault of the . All attempts are made to flag any changes as soon as they occur. Please check the website and social media channels closer to the date or email the relevant organising group if unsure.

Brisbane Square Library Cnr George and Adelaide Streets Brisbane.

10 am to 3pm.

Admission FREE.

Sun 29 – Sydney Day Event

Club Burwood, 97 Burwood Rd Burwood. 10 am to 4 pm. Theme is Paul McGann – the 8th Doctor. Adults: $10, Concession: $7, Family: $20, Children under 13 FREE.

Sun 12 – Newcastle Local Group Meeting

Charlestown Library Ridley St, Charlestown 1pm to 3pm.

Small admission charge

Fri 24 – Bathurst Local Group Pub Meeting The Kelso Hotel, Sydney Rd Kelso NSW. 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm

Sat 25 – Toowoomba Local Group Meeting

East Creek Community Centre, 43 Kitchener Street, Toowoomba. 10 am to 3 pm.

Small admission charge.

Sun 26 – Canberra Local Group Meeting

Dickson Library, Dickson Shops (off Antill St) Dickson 12 to 4 pm.

.

Allora – Fraser Clark

allora@drwhoaustralia.org

Bathurst – Heather Snitch & Kieron Dorian centralwest@drwhoaustralia.org Brisbane – Steve Glasby brisbane@drwhoaustralia.org Canberra – Ian McAlpine canberra@drwhoaustralia.org Gosford – Chris Collins centralcoast@drwhoaustralia.org Newcastle – Luke Steele Sandford newcastle@drwhoaustralia.org Sydney – Tai Wong sydney@drwhoaustralia.org Toowoomba – David Riley toowoomba@drwhoaustralia.org

Please note: All Local Groups apart from Canberra have a group on Facebook to facilitate discussion and publicise meet-ups.

Go to the Local Groups webpage to get details of each of the group's activities.

Monday to Friday at 7.30 pm

They have just started screening the Eleventh Doctor from May 4. Each episode is followed by its Confidential, with a repeat early on the following morning.

No Doctor Who currently scheduled The Monday to Friday 7.30 pm timeslot is currently screening David Tennant stories and will reach 'Journey's End' on May 31.

These episodes are re-screened the following morning at 1.30 am and 7 am.

Screening once a week on Tuesday at 8.30 pm are Matt Smith stories, currently (May 3) they are up to 'Cold War'. These episodes are repeated the following Sunday at 6.30pm and again the following Monday early in the morning at 3.30am.

The Monday to Friday 3.30 pm timeslot is currently screening Matt Smith stories which looks to conclude at the beginning of June.

On Saturday from 6 am to 10 am four episodes are being screened and then they are repeated very early on Sunday morning from about 12.30am.

The stories currently being shown are from David Tennant.

None Currently None Currently None Currently

Pop Con. Popcon is a Pop Culture convention held at the Parramatta PCYC, 12 Hassall Street, Parramatta, the 1st Sun of every month! Featuring toys, collectables, comics, cosplay, games, anime & more.

The next two are on June 5 and July 3, both from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm. Go here for more information.

Supanova. From June 17-19 at Sydney Showground, Olympic Park. James Masters ( Torchwood) is only Doctor Who related guest announced so far. The DWCA will be attending. More info here.

Doctor Who Club of Victoria. Next

meeting is on Sat May 14. 'Tributes and Trivia' at Northcote Town Hall 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm. This May marks 20 years since the death of Jon Pertwee and the release of “Doctor Who the Movie”. The event will be a day of tributes and trivia based around the 3rd Doctor and the Doctor Who telemovie. Go here for more info.

Oz Comic Con.From June 11-12 at Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre with John Barrowman, Sean Pertwwee, Samuel Anderson and Ingrid Oliver. For more info go here.

The West Lodge: Inside the Blue Box Inc. Next meetings are: Sat May 7 and

Sat Jun 4 from 12.30 pm at the Collins St Centre, South Perth. More info here.

South Australian Doctor Who Fan Club Inc. Next meetings are: 21 May, Adelaide High Meeting, 3 to 10pm; 4 June pub. The Astor Hotel; 18 June AGM and Adelaide High Meeting, 3 to 10pm; 2 July pub, Buckingham Arms, 5pm. Info here.

Attempt to break Guinness Book of Records for the largest collection of Doctor Who memorabilia. At the Canberra Museum and Gallery, 76 London Circuit, Canberra City from Jul 16 to Nov 1. Tim Kirsopp will be giving a talk on the collection on August 24.

Doctor Who Magazine celebrates its 500th edition late in May, and they are currently conducting a poll to find the fans favourite cover. The 50 finalists will then be put into a final poll so the winner can be known before Issue 500 is published.

The latest Doctor Who Magazine special edition is Special Effects which celebrates the series’ greatest special effects. Highlights include: Interviews with visual effects designers Peter Day, Tony Harding, Mat Irvine, Peter Logan, Colin Mapson and Eric Alba plus crew members Ian Gosling and George Reed; previously unseen images from visual effects designer Ian Scoones; guides to techniques by visual effects designer Mike Tucker; visual effects producers Will Cohen and Dave Houghton reveal the stories behind the show's adoption of 21st century effects; inside the making of 'Heaven Sent' with the teams from BBC Wales, Milk VFX and Millennium FX; Grant Hewlett of axisVFX on the making of 'Flatline' and 'The Husbands of River Song'.

Also just released is The Essential Doctor Who – The Time Lords. It includes exclusive interviews with Terrance Dicks, Stephen Thorne, Michael Jayston, Douglas Mackinnon (the director of 'Listen') and T’Nia Miller (who played the female incarnation of Gallifrey’s General in 'Hell Bent'). In another of the issue’s highlights Andrew Smith – the writer of 'Full Circle' – interviews Lalla Ward.

Seven original Target novelisations were re-issued on April 28, one for each Classic Doctor. They are; Doctor Who and the Zarbi, Doctor Who and the Web of Fear, Doctor Who and the Dinosaur Invasion, Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks, Doctor Who: The Visitation, Doctor Who: Vengeance on Varos and Doctor Who: Battlefield. All of the books feature cover illustrations by Chris Achilleos, who was commissioned to create new covers for the latter books in the range. The 3 original books; Doctor Who and The Daleks, Doctor Who and The Crusaders and Doctor Who and the Zarbi, will be re-released as hardback facsimile editions on November 3.

Telos Books released an updated version of The Target Book on April 28. New to the edition is an appendix covering Audio releases and the recent BBC reprints.

Target novelisations continue to be released as audiobooks, read by Doctor Who personalities. March saw Death To The Daleks (read by Jon Culshaw), in April The Invasion (David Troughton), in May The King's Demons (Mark Strickson), in June The Claws of Axos (Richard Franklin) and in July The Sontaran Experiment (Jon Culshaw).

Titan has announced an all-new ongoing Torchwood comic series starring Captain Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper that will arrive in comic stores on July 6. The series is cowritten by Captain Jack himself – John Barrowman – and Carole E. Barrowman.

A dark technology from a forgotten species has been claimed by a conspiratorial power… and in this collision between an ancient civilization and an all-new evil, the Earth itself may be forfeit! Only Jack, Gwen, and their allies from what remains of Torchwood hold the key to stopping a cataclysmic wave of destruction.

Released on May 12 is the next novel In The Blood by Jenny T Colgan. It features the 10th Doctor and Donna in an adventure that sees, all over the world, people venting their fury at one another on social media. Dropping their friends, giving vent to their hatred, and everyone behaving with incredible cruelty. From the streets of London to the web cafés of South Korea and the darkest forests of Rio, can the Doctor and Donna find the cause of this unhappiness before it's too late?

On the non-fiction front and released in March was 365 Days of Memorable Moments and Impossible Things. It brings together a day-to-day collection of key points in Doctor Who's history and narrative. Written by Justin Richards it revisits iconic characters, thrilling plot twists and memorable battles, as well as sharing bonus behind-the-scenes secrets from both the classic and new series.

Tiny Rebel Press launched in February the ‘Husbands of River Song’ level in the official Doctor Who Legacy Game. This new level is in response to customer demand and includes new costumes, new allies, new enemies and new backgrounds to the game. Then, in time for Easter, Doctor Who Legacy provided the ability for players to hunt down Easter eggs hidden around the levels of Legacy and collect a set of Adipose allies. Also available is a pack containing Series 9 characters and costumes.

Fametek LLC announced the introduction of their new 5.5” tall Bluetooth™ Speakers range. The first is in the form of the Ninth and Tenth Doctors’ TARDIS, with "Bad Wolf" painted on the side. Along with the wireless feature, the Bad Wolf TARDIS also has six TARDIS sound effects that indicate functions as well as LEDs that illuminate the top lamp and windows of the Doctor’s time machine. It will be followed up with a Tenth Doctor figural speaker later in the year.

Two Doctor Who related vinyl LP albums were released for Record Store Day on April 16. Demon Records re-released the soundtrack of Genesis of the Daleks on 180g heavy weight ‘TARDIS blue’ coloured vinyl. Silva Screen released the two restored soundtracks to the 60s Doctor Who films – Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks: Invasion Earth 21 50 A D as a 2LP numbered limited edition of 750, on yellow vinyl. The album also includes contemporary single releases and a gate-fold sleeve featuring memorabilia, including the original poster artwork and detailed production notes.

Big Finish has also recently released Doctor Who on vinyl with limited editions of 500 copies of both The Chimes of Midnight and Spare Parts.

Big Finish have announced that its licence from BBC Worldwide to make original Doctor Who and Torchwood dramas on audio has been extended until June 20th 2025.

Big Finish has been nominated in the audio category of the Scribe Awards, conducted by the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers’.

The awards ceremony will be at the San Diego ComicCon in July. In fact, all five of the nominations are from Big Finish, with two being Doctor Who related. They are; Doctor Who: The Red Lady and Doctor Who: Damaged Goods.

Professor Bernice Summerfield, the character that first launched Big Finish, returns in a new range, this time teamed up with the Unbounded third incarnation of the Doctor as played by David Warner. Doctor Who – The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield Volume 3: The Unbound Universe will see the universe's greatest archaeologist recruited by the Doctor for a mission to his parallel dimension – where together they set off to explore the aftermath of a disaster that has laid waste to reality. Benny and the Doctor will face the Kareem, the Blanks, Unicorns and the Sisters of Saint Beedlix – as a terrible truth awaits them at the end of reality. Another returnee for this series is the Master, as played by Sam Kisgart aka Mark Gatiss. It is due to be released in August 2016.

Second volumes for a number of their new Doctor Who-related audio series have been announced by Big Finish. Firstly: The Diary of River Song: Volume 2 sees River Song returning on audio in 2017 – and this time she will be stepping into the past life of the Doctor, encountering both the Sixth and Seventh Doctors at the same time.

The four hour-long adventures are 'The Unknown' by Guy Adams, 'Five Twenty Nine'

by John Dorney, 'World Enough and Time' by James Goss and 'Eye of the Storm' by Matt Fitton. Secondly: Doctor Who – The Churchill Years Volume 2 is set for release also in 2017. It sees Ian McNeice returning in the role of Winston Churchill – once again relating more terrifying adventures that featured his old friend the Doctor. Finally: a second volume of Doctor Who: Classic Doctors, New Monsters, in which Classic Doctors again battle foes from the post-2005 series.

The finale to the current series of the Fourth Doctor Adventures, which stars Tom Baker, Lalla Ward and John Leeson, has been announced for release in August 2016. The stories are The Pursuit of History / Casualties of Time written and directed by Nicholas Briggs. Returning to the series is the character of Cuthbert, as played by David Warner, and his faithful assistant Mr Dorrick (Toby Hadoke), who were both last seen in the Series Two finale The Final Phase . Also from

that series are the race of aliens known as the Laan (Jane Slavin), who also hailed from the Series 2 episodes The Sands of Life and War against the Laan . Also appearing from the television series itself is somebody the Doctor and Romana have been trying to avoid for some time – the Black Guardian, with the embodiment of darkness taken on here by David Troughton. A teaser for the stories is as follows “On a brisk winter’s morning in 1850s Yorkshire, Cuthbert, head of the intergalactic business known as 'The Conglomerate' prepares to hijack a very special train. In the far future, his assistant, Mr Dorrick is awoken by howling alarms. There is a problem with the Quantum Gateway. In the TARDIS, the Doctor, Romana and K9 detect strange distortions in the Vortex, an energy stream coming from a strange creature called a Laan. The threads of a plan centuries in the making are coming together. But who is behind this plan? And can anyone possibly escape when history is against them?”

Releases for July to September sees Sylvester McCoy reunited with Bonnie Langford and Sophie Aldred as the seventh Doctor, Mel and Ace embark on a new trilogy of adventures, A Life of Crime , Fiesta of the Damned and Maker of Demons. October sees, the fifth Doctor return in an anthology The Memory Bank and Other Stories, whilst Colin Baker and Miranda Raison return as the Doctor and Constance in November with Order and in December with two releases Absolute Power and Quicksilver.

UNIT: Silenced sees Kate Stewart and the UNIT team face a forgotten invasion. The Eleventh Doctor's arch-enemies have returned; and Silence Will Rise… The Silence return, but how can UNIT fight an enemy that no one knows is there? Written by Matt Fitton and John Dorney it will be released on January 31 2017 After returning in April’s Short Trips: The Curse of the Fugu e, Sheridan Smith will again play Lucie Miller in 2017 in Doctor Who: Flashpoint, a story by Andrew Smith.

Other Short Trips for 2016 are: Doctor Who: This Sporting Life with Peter Purves in May, Doctor Who: Lost and Found with Anneke Wills' in June and a Short Trip Special Doctor Who: The Blame Game with Rufus Hound as the Meddling Monk in July. The series continues with new stories for the Third Doctor (Tim Treloar), Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) and Peri (Nicola Bryant).

On the Torchwood front John Barrowman and Gareth David-Lloyd are together again in the penultimate instalment of Torchwood: Series 2 .

Torchwood: Broken by Joseph Lidster delves into the life of loyal Torchwood administrator Ianto Jones. Taking place soon after the terrible events of Cyberwoman , the new story delves into Ianto's complicated relationship with team leader Captain Jack Harkness. To hear some of Big Finish's output go to their Soundcloud page.

(Note: Dates are subject to change.)

Apr 15: Lethbridge-Stewart: The HAVOC Files (Short story collection) Apr 22: The Target Book (2nd Edition) (NF) Apr 28: Choose The Future: Night of the Kraken (Activity) May: The Tenth Doctor Sourcebook (Activity) May: The Eleventh Doctor Sourcebook (Activity) May: Erimem: A Pharaoh of Mars (F) May: Chasing Shadows (NF) May: Time and Spaces: A Photo Journal of Doctor Who Filming (NF) May: The Black Archive #5: Image of the Fendahl (NF) May: Downtime: The Lost Years of Doctor Who (NF) May: Lethbridge-Stewart: Moon Blink (F) May 12: In the Blood (F) May 17: Villains & Monsters Mad Libs (Activity) May 24: The Endless Song (Graphic) May 24: The Then and the Now (Graphic) May 24: A Matter of Life and Death (Graphic) May 31: Time of the Doctor: The Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who 2012 & 2013 (NF) Jun: Seasons of War (Short story collection) Jun: A Timelord For Change (Short story collection) Jun: Time Shadows (Short story collection) Jun: All of Time and Space: Volume 1 (Activity) Jun: Hating to Love: Re-Assessing the 52 Worst Doctor Who Stories of All Time (NF)

Jun: Faction Paradox: Opus Majus (F) Jun: Red, White and Who – The Story of Doctor Who in America (NF) Jun: The 500 Year Diary: Volume Two (1973-1983) (NF) Jun 2: The Legends of River Song.

(Short story collection) Jun 30: Dining With the Doctor Regenerated :The Revised and Expanded Unauthorised Whovian Cookbook (NF) Jun 30: Who Travels with the Doctor?

Essays on the Companions of Doctor Who (NF) Jun 30: Erimem: Buccaneer (F) Jul: The Black Archive #6: Ghost Light (NF) Jul: Rain of Terror (F) Jul: Lethbridge-Stewart: The Showstoppers (F) Jul 7: Dot to Doc: Join the Dots Across Time and Space (Activity) Jul 12: Doctor Who Archives: The Tenth Doctor Volume 2 (Graphic) Jul 12: Doctor Who Archives: The Tenth Doctor Volume 3 (Graphic) Jul 12: Terrible Lizards (F) Jul 12: Web in Space (F) Jul 14: Evening’s Empire (F) Jul 14: The Good, the Bad and the Alien (F) Jul 14: Horror of the Space Snakes (F) Jul 14: The Water Thief (F) Jul 15: Remembrance of the Daleks & Prisoner of the Daleks (F) Aug: 101 Claras to See (Short story collection) Aug 2: Doctor Who Psychology: A Madman With a Box (NF) Aug 9: 2017 Diary (Activity) Aug 11: The Official Doctor Who Cookbook (NF) Aug 12: The School of Death (Graphic) Aug 31: Once Upon a Time Lord: The Myths and Stories of Doctor Who (NF)

Apr: Myth Makers: Philip Martin, Reeltime Pictures UK April 4: Spearhead from Space – Steelbook Blu-ray.

May: Daphne Ashbrook in the UK, Reeltime Pictures Sep 30: Return to Devil’s End (UK DVD/Blu-ray) Reeltime Pictures Sep 30: White Witch of Devil’s End (UK DVD/Blu-ray) Reeltime Pictures Sep 30: Devil’s End Box Set (UK DVD/Blue ray) Reeltime Pictures Oct 4: Weeping Angels (US DVD) 16 Apr: Dr. Who & the Daleks (Silva Screen UK) Limited edition yellow vinyl released for Record Store Day 16 Apr: Genesis of the Daleks (Demon Records UK) Limited edition blue vinyl released for Record Store Day May: And You Will Obey Me. (Big Finish) May: This Sporting Life (Big Finish) May: Legally of Death (Big Finish) May: Night Shade (Big Finish) May: The Victorian Age (Big Finish) May: Jago & Lightfoot Series 11 (Big Finish) May: Cyberman: The Complete Series 1 & 2. (Big Finish) May 6: Lethbridge-Stewart: The Schizoid Earth (Fantom Films) Jun: Torchwood: Zone 10 (Big Finish) Jun: Vampire of the Mind (Big Finish) Jun: Gallifrey: Enemy Lines (Big Finish) Jun: Lost and Found (Big Finish) Jun: Gallery of Ghouls (Big Finish) Jun 30: Lethbridge-Stewart: Beat of Fang Rock (Fantom Films) Jul: The Two Masters (Big Finish)

Jul: The Second Doctor: Volume One (Big Finish) Jul: Torchwood: Ghost Mission (Big Finish) Jul: The Blame Game (Big Finish) Jul 10: Torchwood: Broken. (Big Finish) Jul 31: Lethbridge-Stewart: Mutually Assured Domination (Fantom Films) May 4: The Tenth Doctor #2.9.

May 11: The Twelfth Doctor #2.5 May 18: Ninth Doctor #2.

May 18: The Eleventh Doctor #2.9.

Apr 28 – Issue 499, May 26 – Issue 500.

April 26 – Issue 14; May 22 – Issue 15 69 – Silurian, 70 – Supreme Dalek, 71 – Axon Man, 72 – Wooden Cyberman, 73 – Quark, 74 – The Empty Child, 75 – Gel Guard, 76 – The Second Doctor Across 1 Heaven 5 Tangerine 12 Ed 13News

15 Aris 16 Ruari 19 Tik 20 Ra 21 Ross 22 Attack 25 Marsh 28 Show 29 Ah 31 Ago 32 Beach 34 Li 35 Waters 38 Dyked 40 TL 42 Salt 44 Bi 45 Ode 46 EE 47 Sil 48 Fred 49 Robot 51 Mat 53 Rima 55 Nor 56 EI 58 Run 61 Styggron 64 Saint 65 Smee 66 Da 68 LA 70 Estram 73 Axon 75 Eden 77 Areta 79 Du 80 Kettlewell 81 Bates Down 1 Her 2 Edu 3 Varos 4 NN 5 Twin 6 Ask 7 Garth 8 Erato 9 RI 10 IS 11 End 14 ET 17 Arrow 18 ish 22 Ashe 23 Away 24 Kaled 25 Master 26 AG 27 Bert 30 Hide 32 Bell 33 As 36 Assortment 37 Tait 38 Didius 39 Kovarian 41 Leon 43 Aft 44 Ber 50 Boss 51 Meg 52 Airfare 54 Antodus 57 End 59 UN 60 Dalek 62 Yes 63 Get 67 AAA 69 Ade 71 Raw 72 Mel 74 Ola 76 ET 78 TL 79 DE

ASTRAL One of my favourite recurring characters from New Who has been River Song and I have always thought that the character, as played by Alex Kingston, could totally anchor a TV spin-off. The peeps at Big Finish obviously thought the same thing and although not TV, they have given us the next best thing – an audio series.

The first series of The Diary of River Song gives us four one-hour stories starring Alex Kingston. Actually they are more like chapters of one bigger story, thematically different chapters each highlighting different aspects of River’s character but they all come together to tell a very satisfying story. We get to see (hear) River; the adventurer / archaeologist, the party girl, the detective and the action hero. Even though this is just audio, Alex Kingston gives it her all and gives us River Song in all her glory and more than just a mere sidekick to the Doctor.

The first two chapters, 'The Boundless Sea' and 'I Went to a Marvellous Party', are the more traditional stories. The former set in a mysterious tomb in Egypt in the early 20th century with mechanical fireflies and a 3,000 year old mummy-type creature with a taste for tears and sweat. Although the setup may not seem that original, the execution of the story makes up for that.

The latter chapter is a whodunit on a spaceship where the occupants split their time between parties, murder and manipulation of worlds. A fun romp.

The third chapter, 'Signs', is the more intriguing and initially the most confusing storyline. Fans of Steven Moffat will enjoy the twists and turns of this one but unlike the TV version, this storyline has a satisfactory conclusion and makes sense in the context of the series.

The final chapter, 'The Rulers of the Universe' is probably the most anticipated one since it features a team up of River and the 8th Doctor as played by fan favourite Paul McGann.

Unfortunately, their scenes are played out over a radio link out of the necessity of TV continuity but Kingston and McGann still manage to show a good chemistry that leaves you wanting more.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable box set and I would highly recommend it, especially for fans of River Song.

L MAP People wax lyrical about history and posterity, but history is very rarely nice and posterity is almost always skewed. As they say, history is written by the winners. Paul Magrs reminds us of this fact in his dramatisation of Manchester’s darkest day.

On the 16th August 1819 the working class of Manchester gathered in St Peter’s Square on a peaceful demonstration for better working conditions, the right to vote and enough wages to cover the basics of life, such as bread. What ensued resulted in "15 fatalities and 654 casualties" as the Doctor repeats in a desperate measure to get those responsible to understand the atrocity they had just committed. Sadly, his words were to fall on deaf ears, bar one or two.

The Peterloo Massacre is old school Doctor Who at its best. It is the historical story of 1960s Doctor Who (something Magrs points out in the interview at the end of the story), where the Doctor and his companions are caught up in historical events they cannot change. There are no alien influences at work here, just human nature at its very worst.

It’s no secret I am a fan of the Fifth Doctor, but even I see at times he is too wishy-washy. Not so in this audio and it was great to hear him get really angry and have a rant, to show his frustration towards those who should have known better, but refused to take heed. Peter Davison, always playing the nice guy, really does have the ability to go completely against type and it is nice when he gets the opportunity to do so. Tegan and Nyssa are both very much in the foreground this time too. All in all, well acted, well cast and a compassionate telling of a terrible day.

Best line: Tegan: "I keep spouting off, don’t I?" William: "You do a bit, Miss Tegan."

Best scene: Tegan and William’s exchange in The Stews (the slums).

Honestly well worth a listen.

Combining the best of the Lego video games of the past decade and the Toys-to-Life craze, Lego Dimensions mashes together multiple canons in a massive overarching game, including DC Comics, Lord of the Rings, Scooby Doo, Jurassic Park , Ghostbusters, and Doctor Who. Doctor Who features in three areas of the game, which I'll lay out below.

In the main game, an expansive set of levels sees Gandalf the Grey, Batman and Wildstyle (from The Lego Movie), take on Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels and Silents across a range of Doctor Who environments. The Doctor is also on hand in the form of Peter Capaldi, offering support and advice to the characters.

To play as the Doctor, however, you must buy the Doctor Who level pack, which comes with Lego Figures of the Twelfth Doctor, K9 and the TARDIS. These can be scanned in for use in any of the game’s regular levels, as well as unlocking an exclusive Doctor Who level, 'The Dalek Extermination of Earth'. While the main game itself is excellent, this cleverly constructed Doctor Who story is a joy to play through and watch. The Doctor must traverse multiple locations in different time zones, where actions in the past directly affect your progress in the future. There are continuity references galore, as well as completely new voice work by Peter Capaldi.

On completing the Doctor Who adventure, the 'Doctor Who World' opens up in the game, allowing a wealth of side missions on planets such as Earth, Mars and Telos. Without spoiling too much, Michelle Gomez and Neve McIntosh provide voices as well – and they're not the only ones.

It is even possible to play as all 13 Doctors!

For those of you who were disappointed by games such as Return to Earth or The Eternity Clock , Lego Dimensions provides an excellent Doctor Who experience. To get the full benefit, you will need the 'Lego Dimensions starter pack' and

the ' Doctor Who Level Pack'. There is also a 'Fun Pack' consisting of a Dalek and a Cyberman, but this does not unlock any content beyond the characters. The Doctor Who content specifically takes over ten hours to fully explore, and remember – it's just one of many fictional worlds in the game!

The only problem with this is that there is not a fully dedicated Doctor Who game made by this team... Yet. 9/10

I was ecstatic when I learnt last year that Big Finish would be releasing four box sets featuring the War Doctor. Ever since the Time War was mentioned in the Eight Doctor New Adventure book The Gallifrey Chronicles, I have been interested to know more. We have also had many hints throughout the new series about the Time War to tantalise our appetites, but it wasn’t until the 50th Anniversary stories that it was finally explored on screen. However there was still much unsaid, and a lot of potential remained for going deeper within the War Doctor stories.

Infernal Devices is the second box set of The War Doctor series and contains three linked stories. Each story focuses on a weapon that the Timelords are either using or trying to get their hands on, with the hope that it would give them the upper hand in their war with the Daleks.

The scale of the stories is epic, and yet the characters are not lost within the vastness of these tales. The cast and performances are wonderful; I especially loved the interplay between The War Doctor played by John Hurt and Cardinal Ollistra played by Jacqueline Pearce. This reminded me of tussles between Avon and Servalan in Blake’s 7, but even though Jacqueline Pearce’s character is similar to the tough and driven Servalan, she isn’t quite as hard.

These are not just tales set in time and space, but stories which examine the realities, brutality, politics, and ethics of war, and how The Doctor is tortured by his decisions and the actions that he sees that he needs to make.

My only criticism of the series, and it is just a minor one, is the reuse and overuse of just one very short sound clip for when the TARDIS is in flight.

The sound is of a bicycle pump, and as there are frequent and extended trips in the TARDIS, I start to wonder if it is powered by being pumped up or whether the TARDIS is deflating due to a puncture!

One of the joys of being a fan is the ability to experience the love of a favourite show through the eyes of others. How other fans see the same things allows for all kinds of creative discussion. It also allows for creation of other forms of storytelling. Many fans write their own stories, but then there are others who express their love for the show in other media. One such is Meri Amber, who has released a CD of Doctor Who themed songs.

Structuring a story is a craft in itself, but being able to tell a story within the confines of a song is definitely an art. The music is based on an electro-pop style, but it varies from track to track, giving a variety of different sounds. There are parts that almost feel like a lullaby, then darker themed tones that have a heavier feel. One track verges on techno, and would not feel out of place pumping in a dance club. This track, a reworking of the song "Blue", takes something familiar and turns it into something new.

This is not the only track on the album that does this. They pop up in between the original tracks, but do not feel out of place. Listening to Meri's original lyrics makes them feel new and fresh.

The references contained throughout the tracks cover not just New Who, but also involve the Classic Series. There are references to companions, monsters, and even the Doctor's clothes. The variety of subjects proves that music is a wonderful form to express one's love for a favourite programme, as it can be used to express more than just a theme told in a story.

What is nice about this release is its ability to tell stories from different perspectives. Using music allows for the tone of the stories to change from track to track, as well as give us different voices, as the songs are told from differing points of view. If you like electro-pop, or are just looking for something to chill out to, here is something different. Here is a form of fan fic that goes a long way to proving that there is more to Doctor Who fandom than just the written word. This is a fun release, obviously made with love. Something to play around the house or at your next Doctor Who themed party.

(To obtain a copy of the album on CD or as a download go to Meri's on-line shop.)

As I had arranged for a friend to buy me the Showbag from the Sydney Royal Easter Show, I was not sure what I would get. I knew the items that were included but sometimes it is pot-luck when you buy something sight unseen.

I am pleasantly surprised with the items that were in the bag and found very gratifying that all the items, except the lanyard, (which was available at ABC shops and the BBC pop-up shop) were brand new items of merchandise as I thought maybe they would have been remaindered stock.

All the items were manufactured under licence for Bensons Trading Company, an Australian company that specialises in showbags. So the Showbag should be coming to a show near you, but if you can’t get to a show then you can buy it at their website.

The other reason I was attracted to getting the showbag is that the photo showed that all the items were TARDIS based, and for a collector of TARDISes this was pure gold. On the other hand for the general public and especially children, who showbags are targeted for, a selection of items with various Doctor Who things such as; Daleks, Cybermen and the recent Doctors should have got a look in. I am also of the opinion that at least one type of toy should have been included. So I think the choice of items may have been made more with the parent buying the showbag in mind.

The actual showbag was not just a plastic bag but a well-made tote-bag which included the words; Doctor Who, Daleks, Davros, Cybermen, Zygons, Weeping Angels, The Silence and The Paternoster Gang plus the ubiquitous “Vworp Vworp” on the TARDIS. If you look carefully on the sides of the bag you can see pictures of Daleks, Cybermen and Weeping Angels. The artwork appears to have been copied off panels from a Doctor Who comic. The other items included are: a notebook, a tin, a beanie and a backpack which did not seem to be flimsy or shoddy. The tin would make a nice pencil case for a kid.

The beanie was way too small for my head, as expected, and the backpack I think is big enough for any sized kid to proudly wear to school.

"There's a new dance on Gallifrey! It's called the _____________."

The first 'Look, Whovians Talking' was great fun! If you weren't there you missed out on a delicious dinner, deep discussions about companions, aliens, technology and Star Trek.

The kids ran wild in the Kelso Pub playground as the older Whovians played Cards Against Humanity/Doctor Who. Kieron Dorian had made a secondary Doctor Who deck which you could choose to draw from as we played, albeit mumbling a couple of words so the next table over didn't have to hear about Dalek porn. Tina Robinson wiped the floor with the rest of us with her hilarious combinations.

We donned an assortment of geeky t-shirts, jewelry and hats, all literally outshone by Heidi Dorian's TARDIS shirt that LIT UP in time to music and talking! Truly awesome. We got a few questions and complements at the bar and even uncovered a few Doctor Who fans amongst the staff! We know there are more great Whovians in The Central West to meet face to face!

On a cold and very foggy morning in March I jumped on a train and took a journey to the not so sunny seaside town of Bournemouth to visit one of the year’s biggest events, Bournemouth Comic Con. Armed only with a striking purple wig, two poke’balls, and a fiery partner in crime with matching red R emblazoned upon her chest, I was ready to meet some of the best talent the world of Doctor Who has ever witnessed and wow was I not disappointed.

As a seasoned veteran of Supanova, Oz Comic Con, and Lords of Time, I thought I had some idea of what to expect but Comic Con the British way is whole other world.

The first thing to strike you is the costumes, and they abound aplenty from Predator to Princess Leia and even Planet of the Apes' Zira and Cornelius. Absolutely everyone cosplay’s their favourite and most creative characters and for a crowd of 5000+ the whole event becomes an excitingly elaborate game of Where’s Wally.

The second thing you’ll notice is the size! Bournemouth Comic Con not only takes over an entire entertainment centre but also sprawls out into the local surrounds.

Spreading out over the beach and adjoining Botanical Park where witnessing the sailor scouts performing their latest hip hop moves and Team Rocket riding an actual hot air balloon is a common sight. But, for such a large-scale event, the whole thing feels incredibly intimate, with photo lines and panels operating within the same hall and celebrity guests parading around amongst the locals, it’s surprising to realise this is not Bournemouth’s first rodeo.

This, more than anything, was made abundantly clear when whilst rummaging through my backpack, I heard a voice ask if I had brought my Nintendo DS with me. Turning around I expected to see a casual Ash Ketchum or Pikachu fan but was blown away when none other than Noel Clarke was standing before me.

Dressed rather casually in jeans and a grey jumper it was as if Mickey Smith had jumped off the screen and come alive! Attempting to quickly recover from the star struck situation, I told him that, unfortunately, I didn’t own a DS but had been playing Poke’mon Black on my laptop. Crestfallen Noel went on to tell me he’d been attempting to catch the original 151 and thought today’s event would be a great opportunity to do some trading. Being weary of his handler hovering impatiently in the background he asked what brought me to the Con, I quickly explained I had to come to see him and the other Doctor Who guests, and with that he smiled and was guided off to the photo booths saying he’d see me on the other side.

After the excitement of chatting to Noel, it was time to jump into con tradition and hit the photo lines, where I was met with another pleasant surprise. If you’ve ever been to Aussie events like Supanova you’ll be aware that waiting in lines can take anywhere between 30 minutes to well over an hour for each and every guest you’re hoping to grab a quick snap with. And it’s here that the British come out strong, with centuries of queuing tradition under their belts, lines are a breeze with my longest wait being only a short 15 minutes. An hour later and five great celeb photos in the bag, including a fabulous encounter with Red Dwarf’s Danny John Jules and a shocking reveal that Jemma Redgrave doesn’t know what poke’mon is, it was time for the big event, the Doctor Who Q&A panel.

To a roaring cheer from the audience three spectacular leading ladies from all points of Doctor Who history took the stage and commenced to delight and entertain eager fans with some wonderful insights into the world of Who.

Getting the ball rolling was sparky companion of William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton Doctor’s, Anneke Wills. Who entranced the audience with some wistful tales of her time off the set with Troughton, with the two being regular moviegoers and painting together in their spare time. Describing Troughton, Wills still remembers him fondly as a hysterical man, with the quality that she loves the most about him being his humility. Recalling that he would often ask her after a scene “Was that over the top” and she would always reply “no darling, not at all”.

Our second guest, and taking the stage with force, was the ever energetic Angela Bruce, best know as head honcho of UNIT Brigadier Winifred Bambera, against Sylvester McCoy’s seventh Doctor. When asked about her best moment on Who, Bruce had the audience in fits of laughter as she recalled her big moment on the set of 'Battlefield'.

“There was this huge gun that shoots a ten foot flame and all I has to do is point at this lake and shout “Look!”

Everyone is clear of the scene, I’ve been working up to it all day, the effect goes off, I give my biggest “Look” and point in the completely wrong direction! The director Michael Kerrigan comes running down the hill, I’m thinking I’ve blown it and Michael looks at me and says, “Don’t Worry Darling, We’ll move the lake in post”.

Our final guest and the newest to world of Who was the wonderful Jemma Redgrave, who as Kate Stewart, current head of UNIT, has brought the organisation back to our screens and to our ears in big ways. When asked about what it’s like to be the head of UNIT, Redgrave clearly enjoys the role “It’s sort of thrilling, because I’m the boss.

Anyone with teenager children will know, day in day out looking after people that don’t listen to you, to anything you say, it’s fantastic when you can throw your weight around to tell a hundred men to go over there and they do it, sharpish, That’s fantastic! And I get to do it in stilettos” following up by saying she loves to be part of a show that puts women in powerful positions and can’t wait to see where Kate goes next.

With the Q&A over it was time for everyone to pack up and head home, it had been an incredible day seeing fabulous costumes, meeting some extraordinary celebrities and digging deep into the timeless world that is Doctor Who , and one I’ll not forget.

TTHHEE HHUUSSBBAANNDDSS OOFF RRIIVVEERR SSOONNGG

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RESEARCHED AND WRITTEN BY DALLAS JONES

The year in which the story was set, superimposed at the beginning of the show. As the setting was a human colony we can assume it was 5343 AD. It was one of the drinks in the drinks cabinet, which was behind a roundel, in the TARDIS console room.

He was at the crash of the Harmony and Redemption when the Doctor exited the TARDIS. He was wearing a hard hat and told the Doctor that he had been searching for survivors. He confirmed the Doctor’s question that the two pillars of rock are the Singing Towers of Darillium. He told the Doctor that wind caused them to ‘sing’.

The Doctor suggested to him that building a restaurant with a view of the Towers was a good idea. Alphonse said it would take a lot of money and the Doctor gave him the Halassi Androvar, hinting that he could use it to build the restaurant. (Note: Alphonse is only named in the credits).

It was the fifth galaxy of the seven galaxy cruise being made by the Harmony and Redemption.

Flemming mentioned a picnic here as he read River Song’s diary.

It was an area of the Harmony and Redemption where the TARDIS landed. Flemming deadlock sealed this area after being ‘asked’ to by River Song. The cyborg blasted through the door of the hold.

It was a description of Hydroflax which was made by River Song.

Superimposed at the beginning, it was the day on which the story began. It was also on a different Christmas Day when the Doctor and River Song dined at the restaurant overlooking the Singing Towers of Darillium.

She was mentioned by River Song as one of the women that the Doctor had married, also alluded by the Doctor as someone that River Song had married.

The voice of the Harmony and Redemption’s computer was heard making announcements about where the ship was currently. It later announced a meteor storm was imminent and that the starboard decks were compromised before ordering the ship be abandoned. Its final message was a countdown to the ship’s impact with the planet Darillium.

He was an employee of the Harmony and Redemption. He approached Flemming, in the reception area, to report about banging on the baggage hold door. He was with Flemming when Flemming answered Ramone’s call from the baggage hold. The Doctor briefly talked to him, as he ran past him, on his way to the bridge. He was the same species as Flemming.

This was mentioned by Flemming as he read River Song’s diary. He suggested that a movie was made of the event.

River song suggested that the cyborg had one of these.

overload. Ramone’s head told River Song that the cyborg was pulled from the wreckage and it has lost all its “nasty parts” as they got deleted when it was fixed up. It now worked for the restaurant along with Ramone and Nardole’s heads.

A code name used by River Song for the Doctor, it was abbreviated to just damsel.

The planet River Song recognised that the Harmony and Redemption was about to crash into it. She referred to its Singing Towers. The Doctor told River Song that a night on Darillium lasted 24 years.

It was the cybernetic body of King Hydroflax. It had: an on-board computer; in-built flash drive; vernacular friendly interface; cyber co-pilot and mobile life support. Nardole’s head was used to replace the missing Hydroflax’s head on top of the cyborg. It had hidden stumpy metal wings and rockets under its armpits. To power it, it had a split quantum actualiser, which was a perpetually stabilised black hole. In the baggage hold the cyborg, without a head, met up with Flemming. When the cyborg met back up with Hydroflax’s head he scanned it and determined that tissue deterioration was irreversible and that the diamond was continuing to move inside Hydroflax’s head and he would die in seven minutes. The cyborg then used some type of ray to kill Hydroflax which turned his head into dust just leaving the diamond. The Doctor attached the globe device, which was to be used by River Song to transfer money, to the cyborg which caused it to

River Song referred to her TARDIS covered diary when talking to the Doctor about Hydroflax. Flemming took it out of River Song’s clutch purse and read excerpts to the cyborg. He called it “The ultimate guide to the Time Lord known as the Doctor”. Flemming dropped it when the ship was struck by meteors. The Doctor saw it on the floor of the reception area and picked it up.

He had landed the TARDIS on Mendorax Dellora and was first seen in a dark burgundy jacket wearing hologrammatic antlers. He referred to an event which had recently happened to him where next to everybody turned into lizards and a piano fell on him. He told River Song that he had had a haircut and was wearing his best suit. He told Nardole he did not like "lying down people" as it was so untidy. He said he couldn't help Hydroflax as his back was playing up, but he used this as a means of criticising the king. He used his sonic sun glasses to examine the hologram of Hydroflax’s brain. Scratch said he was a legendary being of remarkable power and an infinite number of faces.

River Song mentioned he has two hearts and stupid clothes. She com-

mented on his hair colour by saying he needed to do his roots. He changed into a black suit and cravat before meeting River Song at the restaurant overlooking the Singing Towers of Darillium. He gave River Song a gift of her own sonic screwdriver as a Christmas present as he thought that the sonic trowel was embarrassing. She told him it was the first gift he had ever given her and he then demonstrated to her how to use it.

River Song reminded Flemming about the time she was transporting these, so as to get him to seal the baggage hold.

She was mentioned by River Song as one of the women that the Doctor had married.

River Song took one of these out of the bag she used to hold Hydroflax’s head.

This tune was being played in the restaurant, overlooking the Singing Towers of Darillium, as River Song entered.

The cyborg has one of these.

He was an alien with blue scales and a pair of catfish-like barbells. He worked in the reception area of the Harmony and Redemption. He had twins who were currently digesting their mother.

He had previously known River Song when she was transporting dragon eggs on the ship. He and the concierge answered Ramone’s call from the baggage hold and he went to investigate.

He was met by the cyborg. He promised he could find the cyborg a new head fit for a king. He grabbed Rivers Songs’ diary out of her clutch purse and read excerpts to the cyborg.

He was mentioned by the Doctor as someone that River Song had married.

It was part of Hydroflax’s spaceship.

The Doctor was prepared to drop Hydroflax’s head down it to stop the cyborg attacking River Song.

The Doctor suggested to River Song that ‘the Doctor’ could have been defeating these creatures, from the ninth dimension, which was a possible reason why he was not with his TARDIS. It is an alien species that had the Halassi Androvar, the most valuable diamond in the universe, stored in a vault. The vault was raided by Hydroflax and during the raid an explosion caused the diamond to be lodged in Hydroflax’s brain. They contacted River Song to get the diamond back.

It was the most valuable diamond in the universe, originally held in a vault on Halassi. When Hydroflax tried to steal it ended up lodged three inches into his brain. River Song planned to kill Hydroflax to get the diamond and sell it the highest bidder. It was released from Hydroflax’s brain when he was disintegrated by the cyborg. It fell through the hole in the floor of the dining room of the Harmony and Redemption, made

by River Song and was caught by her in her bodice. The Doctor found it on the floor of the TARDIS after he and River Song were thrown about just as the Harmony and Redemption crashed. The Doctor gave it to Alphonse hinting that he use it to pay for the construction of a restaurant near the Singing Towers of Darillium.

murder of multiple innocent life forms.

Suites were reserved for planet-burners. Staff members were required to have a verifiable history of indiscriminate slaughter. Its dining room, according to the Doctor, had four exits, two concealed and one in the ceiling. River Song added that there was an exit in the floor. The Doctor did not like that exit as it was a bit too tight whilst River Song thought it was because it was too close to the engine ducts. It had a sudden meteor strike on the lower starboard decks just after 2pm. River Song mentioned she had dug up the remains of the ship 400 years in the future. A computer voice of the ship advised that a meteor storm was immanent and for people to abandon the ship. It counted down from 10 as the ship crashed in Darillium.

The Christmas carol that was played at the beginning of the story.

A book River Song had read and thus she knew the fate of the Harmony and Redemption.

They were provided to the Doctor by the TARDIS to cheer him up.

It was a spacecraft that River Song and Ramone used to get to the planet Mendorax Dellora.

It was a spaceship which was cruising at warp factor 12 when the TARDIS landed in its baggage hold. The Super Nova Gamma Eridani was passing the ship on the starboard. To get on the ship the minimum ticket price was one billion credits, plus the provable

He was on in Mendorax Dellora in a red saucer-shaped spaceship. He told River Song that he was watched by four billion of his people and was called His Infinite Majesty. He led a raid on the Halassi vault to steal the Halassi Androvar, the universe’s most expensive diamond. There was an explosion which caused the diamond to enter his head just below the hairline and lodge 3 inches into his brain. He was a husband of River Song. River Song said he was the butcher of the Bone Meadows, who ended his battles by eating his enemies, dead or alive. He revealed his cyborg body when he removed his head. His

head was going to be dropped down his spaceship’s garbage disposal by the Doctor to stop the cyborg attacking River Song. His head was put into a bag by the Doctor when River Song and the Doctor teleported out of his spaceship. River Song posed as his nurse so that he would fall in love with her. Hydroflax was Snatch’s planet distant and loving king who had visited the planet once in blood and joy. The Doctor in a ruse put Hydroflax’s head up for bidding, first at two hundred billion, then at two hundred and fifty billion. Hydroflax’s head was scanned by the cyborg and it determined that tissue deterioration was irreversible and that the diamond was continuing to move inside his head and he would die in seven minutes. He was subsequently killed by the cyborg which turned his head into dust, just leaving the diamond.

This person was mentioned by Flemming as he read River Song’s diary.

As Flemming read River Song’s diary he mentioned this as a place that River Song had just been to and asked what planet it was.

It was a shop on Mendorax Dellora. It was situated on the street where the TARDIS had landed.

A planet which had a human colony, its name was superimposed at the beginning. It had at least two moons. It was where Hydroflax’s ship, River Song’s hopper and the TARDIS landed. The TARDIS left the planet to go to the Harmony and Redemption.

The cyborg had this.

She was mentioned by River Song as one of the women that the Doctor had married.

He was an inhabitant of Mendorax Dellora employed by River Song to bring a surgeon to Hydroflax’s ship. He mistakenly brought the Doctor. He was left behind in the ship when the Doctor and River Song were teleported out by Ramone. His head was used to replace Hydroflax’s missing head. When we next saw the cyborg body it had Ramone’s head. Nardole’s head appeared when the cyborg asked for confirmation that River Song was the known consort of the Doctor, it then was retracted back into the cyborg. River Song learned that Nardole was inside the cyborg when she met up with Ramone’s head, on her way to the balcony of the restaurant of the Singing Towers of Darillium. He told River Song he was off-duty enjoying some “me’ time.

It was part of the systems of the Harmony and Redemption. It went off-line after the meteor bombardment.

Where the Doctor said he could be defeating giant robot fish.

Minimum ticket price to board the Harmony and Redemption

It was the amount of money that The Shoal of Winter Harmony was willing to pay to River Song for the Halassi Androvar.

This was mentioned by Flemming as he read River Song’s diary.

He teleported River Song and the Doctor out of Hydroflax’s spaceship. He was a husband of River Song. He thought he was not married to River Song as she had wiped it from his memory because he was being annoying. He had in his wallet pictures of all Doctors from the first to the eleventh.

River Song told him, as she left in the TARDIS with the Doctor, that she would meet him on Temple Beach and she has already chosen his swimwear. Ramone is met by the cyborg and his head is decapitated and added to the top of the cyborg instead of Nardole. The cyborg with Ramone’s head banged on the TARDIS door and was let in by River Song who did not know what had happened to him. He spoke with Flemming asking to be let out of the baggage hold. Ramone’s head, now bearded, and still on top of the cyborg met River Song at the entrance to the restaurant overlooking the Singing Towers of Darillium. He now works for the restaurant.

If the TARDIS door can’t close, then the real time-envelope can’t be sealed and the TARDIS can’t take off.

She worked for the restaurant at the Singing Towers of Darillium and advised the Doctor that the first available slot she had for a booking, for a table on the balcony with a view of the Towers, was on Christmas Day in four years’ time. She was still at the restaurant four years later when River Song entered and she directed River Song to the balcony.

He was an alien who replied to the advert that River Song’s placed in regard purchasing the diamond. He represented The Shoal of the Winter Harmony.

He ran his finger along his scar on his face and proceeded to pulls his head open and removed a metal globe from the grey contents of his skull. He advised River Song that once instructed the globe device would transfer the necessary funds to whatever account River Song chose. All the other diners at the ship’s restaurant were also from Scratch’s species. He revealed that Hydroflax is their distant and loving king who visited their planet once in blood and joy. He confirmed to the cyborg that the Doctor’s head would be its crowning achievement. Last seen when the ship announced a meteor storm was imminent.

They were used by Hydroflax’s warrior monks.

The percentage chance of tissue damage to Hydroflax’s head, calculated by the cyborg, if it attacked River Song and the Doctor whilst they held Hydroflax’s head.

It was a criminal organisation which wanted to buy the Halassi Androvar from River Song. Scratch was its representative.

A geographical feature that River Song mentioned after she recognised that the planet the Harmony and Redemption was about to crash into was Darillium. She said that the Doctor always said he was going to take her there for dinner and then he always cancelled at the last minute. The Harmony and Redemption crashed near them and Alphonse told the Doctor that they sang due to the wind. The Doctor told River Song that wind blew through the cave system and harmonised with the crystal layer. He then went on to say “They've been there for millions of years, through storms and floods and wars and time. Nobody really understands where the music comes from. It's probably something to do with the precise positions, the distance between both towers. Even the locals aren't sure. All anyone will ever tell you is that when the wind stands fair and the night is perfect, when you least expect it but always when you need it the most there is a song.”

She was first seen wearing a Santa Claus like cloak and hood, underneath was a black leather jacket, black pants and sheer black skirt. Nardole referred to her as Doctor Song or sometimes Professor Song. She did not recognise the Doctor; she thought he was the surgeon she had arranged for Nardole to bring to Hydroflax’s ship. The Doctor said that people need a flowchart to know Professor Song and when he found out she had a husband he felt he would need a bigger flowchart. She did not want her name mentioned and warned the Doctor she would remove his organs in alphabetical order if he continued using it. Her husband, King Hydroflax, was dying and she showed the Doctor a hologram of Hydroflax’s brain and increased its magnification to 3.94. She told the Doctor that she wanted him to remove Hydroflax’s head not the diamond. She told the Doctor that she actually married Hydroflax to get the diamond as she was employed by the Halassi to obtain it and she then contacted the surgeon for him to kill Hydroflax by removing his head. River told the Doctor that he reminded her of her second wife. She did not share a bathroom with Hydroflax. She showed Hydroflax her sonic trowel to prove she was an archaeologist and used it to

battle the warrior monks and the cyborg. She was also the wife of Ramone although he thought he was not married to her as she had wiped it from his memory as he was being annoying. She had a key to the TARDIS and apparently had borrowed the TARDIS before without the Doctor knowing. She had previously transported dragon eggs on the Harmony and Redemption with the knowledge of Flemming, an employee of the spaceship. She said she was 200 years old due to an augmented lifespan.

She used a transformational spray to ‘freshen up’ which changed her clothes to an evening dress with a golden sequinned bodice and also changed her hair style. She originally posed as Hydroflax’s nurse so that he could fall in love with her. She referred to her TARDIS covered diary, which she kept in her clutch purse, when talking to the Doctor about Hydroflax. Flemming said she was the known consort of the Doctor. Flemming said she loved the Doctor which she confirmed. She knew of the meteor strike on the ship as she had dug the ship up 400 years in the future.

She used her sonic trowel on the systems on the Harmony and Redemptions's bridge after the meteor bombardment. She was knocked out when the TARDIS was bounced about whilst it was still inside the Harmony and Redemption as it crashed into Darillium. She used the transformational spray again just before entering the restaurant at the Singing Towers of Darillium and changed into a red velvet sequinned dress with a black feathered stole. She met up with Ramone’s head, on top of the Cyborg, on her way to the restaurant’s balcony. She learned that Nardole was also inside the cyborg and it has lost all its “nasty parts”. The Doctor gave her a gift of her own sonic screwdriver as a Christmas present as he thought the sonic trowel was embarrassing. It was the same sonic screwdriver as seen in 'Silence in the Library'. She told him that it was the first gift he had given her and kissed

him on both cheeks. She told the Doctor she looked up stories about them and many suggested that the very last night they would spend together would be at the Singing Towers of Darillium.

She reminded the Doctor of the time when she met two of him.

The Doctor used his on a console on the bridge of the Harmony and Redemption, as it was crashing into Darillium, to teleport River Song to the TARDIS. The Doctor used it on some cables when River Song materialised the TARDIS around him. The Doctor gave River Song her very own sonic screwdriver as a Christmas present. It was the same sonic screwdriver as was seen in Silence in the Library.

The Doctor put them on to study the hologram of Hydroflax’s brain.

River Song showed Hydroflax her sonic trowel to prove she was an archaeologist. She used it to battle the warrior monks and the cyborg. It was used by River Song, on the bridge of the Harmony and Redemption, on its systems after the meteor bombardment. The Doctor thought it was embarrassing.

It was a perpetually stabilised black hole used as a power source. One was inside the cyborg’s body and it can be used as a bomb.

It was announced that it could be seen on the starboard side of the Harmony

and Redemption. Its designation was HD 25025 Type II P/L/N as shown on the ship’s large screen. As this star is in our galaxy we then can assume that the fourth galaxy, in the Harmony and Redemption’s seven galaxy cruise, is our galaxy.

The Doctor was mistaken by Nardole to be him, because when Nardole asked the Doctor was he the surgeon the Doctor replied “Close enough”. The surgeon was said by Nardole to have landed on Mendorax Dellora in a capsule. After Nardole and the Doctor walked off the surgeon arrived but was ignored by a passing Christmas shopper. He was employed by River Song to kill Hydroflax.

It has a hand written notice that said “carol singers will be criticised” stuck on the front door below the “Pull to Open” sign. It tried to cheer the Doctor up with hologrammatic antlers. Ramone called the TARDIS a capsule.

River Song had a key to the TARDIS and she apparently had borrowed the TARDIS on a number of occasions previously without the Doctor knowing.

There was a drinks cabinet, behind a roundel, in the console room. There was a waste tank on deck seven, which could be emptied by pushing a button on the console. River Song tried to operate the TARDIS but a safeguard is that it can't take off when a life-form registers as being both inside and outside at the same time. Its door would not engage properly and thus it couldn’t seal the real-time envelope.

When the cyborg body entered the TARDIS the Doctor closed its doors and the TARDIS became operational and travelled to the co-ordinates River Song had input which was the Harmony and Redemption. River Song was teleported by the Doctor from the Harmony and Redemption to the TARDIS using the spaceship’s internal teleport system.

River Song transported the TARDIS

around the Doctor whilst he was on the bridge of Harmony and Redemption.

They exited the TARDIS try to stop the spaceship from crashing but give up and returned to the TARDIS as the spaceship crashed. The impact of the ship caused the TARDIS to lurch about and flung the Doctor and River Song to the floor. The TARDIS survived the crash and landed near the burning ruins of the spaceship. The Doctor jumped the TARDIS forward a short period of time and the spaceship’s wreckage was now just smoking a bit.

The Doctor moved the TARDIS forward a few years and landed it in the reception area of the restaurant that overlooked the Singing Towers of Darillium.

River Song said she had one which she then produced to open the TARDIS door It was used by Ramone to remove River Song and the Doctor from Hydroflax’s spaceship. The Doctor used Harmony and Redemption’s internal teleport to teleport River Song from the ship’s bridge to the TARDIS. This was the place that River Song told Ramone she would meet him in the future, as she left with the Doctor in the TARDIS. The cyborg had this A humanoid employee of the Harmony and Redemption, she told River Song that her guest had docked.

Speed at which the Harmony and Redemption was cruising.

They guarded Hydroflax and have sentient laser swords plus genetically engineered anger problems.

I am a VERY old school Doctor Who Fan; Tom Baker was my first Doctor, and I have been an addict since childhood. There was an attempt made in 1989 to make me go 'Cold Turkey', but fortunately for all of us, the intervention failed, and we now have annual bursts of New Who on our screens. During the Great Hiatus, I discovered History as another major addiction, and this led me towards tabletop gaming, with miniature soldiers, better know by its shortened name of miniatures gaming. Many happy hours were spent, discovering that my command abilities were certainly better suited to tin soldiers, than the flesh and blood variety… Danny Pink would definitely class me as an "Officer"!

Leap forward to 2015; Warlord Games announce, out of the blue, that they have secured the licence to produce a Doctor Who Miniatures Game. Not only will they cover the revived series, but the ENTIRE 52 year history of the show! As my hobbies collided I did what could only be described as a Happy Dance... Finally, a fully licensed, official Doctor Who tabletop game! Produced by Warlord Games, nonetheless, who have recently taken on such games as Terminator, Judge Dredd, Gates of Antares, Bolt Action , and their own Black Powder/Hail Caesar range of games. This has the potential to be VERY good!

At this stage, very little is known about the game mechanics, scenarios, or scale of the game. In a recent email, Rich Dando at Warlord Games told me that "…everything is still very-much being worked on behind closed doors, as the game mechanics and the product range are being developed… and as yet, very little has been 100% decided upon." There are, however, some details that can be surmised from the announcement on doctorwhominiaturesgame.com, and a little knowledge of Warlord's other ranges.

The game will almost certainly be a “Large Skirmish” style of game, with each figure on the tabletop representing one real trooper/character/alien. Not like the tabletop gaming you commonly see where battles are re-enacted with a figure equalling a large number of soldiers. In playing the game I would suspect that there would be squads of different troopers being led by Character figures. It will also almost certainly be in the 28mm style of figures (Roughly measuring 28mm tall, from foot to eye.) made of unpainted white metal, resin or plastic, that provides the core of Warlord's figures. This will also mean that figures from their other Historical ranges can be dropped into scenarios, as well as their Sci-Fi ranges such as Antares, Judge Dredd, and Terminator. They have also stated that the rules will be based on an existing system, and in this I am reasonably sure that they will probably tweak their Bolt Action/Gates of Antares set of rules (called a “ruleset”). BA/GoA is written by Rick Priestly, the former Gam es Workshop luminary behind several of their Warham-

mer games. Since GW ‘let him go’, Rick has been very active and creative, both for Warlord and his own River Horse Games, so I suspect that we will see his hand in

this ruleset.

Since the initial announcement, a 3D digital sculpt of a Zygon figure has been released, and a vacancy for a Digital Sculptor, with specific reference to Doctor Who figures, was advertised on March 16. The next step is to either use a 3D printer to create the plastic figures or the more complex and thus expensive method to cast the resin or white metal figures. It is more than likely that the Doctors, companions and main villains will be made of white metal with monsters / aliens and unit troops in plastic or resin.

Although this is the first Official Doctor Who Miniatures Game, it is not the first Doctor Who miniatures game. There have been several games, over several years that have tried to tap into the worlds of the Time Lord. 1996 saw Harlequin Miniatures release Doctor Who: Invasion Earth , to compliment their range of figures from the classic period. The game itself was of limited appeal, but their figures were often used in Role Play Gaming‌ Which is really another whole article in itself!

More prominently, the team who became Crooked Dice Studio started with their own Doctor Who Miniatures Game (www.drwhominiatures.co.uk), which, as an unlicenced game, is available free from the website. The "Action Engine", which they called 7TV, is the core of rule set of this game and went on to become the driving force behind the commercial games Crooked Dice has produced for various Cult TV shows. The system itself is simple to comprehend, but is certainly no Warhammer clone. Rather than “an I-go-you-go system�, in which one player moves all of their pieces, shoots with them, and then fights with them, then the second player does the same, it uses a "figure activation" method, with half of your figures activating per turn. Leader or Character figures allow further figures to activate, expanding your force's usefulness. Squads of figures battle for control of objectives, either buying time for the Doctor, or trying to thwart his plans. The game actually captures the feel of the show quite well, playing out very much like an episode. The Doctor is very un-

likely to be in the thick of the fighting, but rolls a die each turn to decide if he has invented some kind of counter to the Evil Alien Plan. Each turn, the invention becomes more likely. If given access to laboratory facilities and assistants, invention time is sped up. Once the invention roll is successful, another dice roll is done and the result is used to look up list or table to determine WHAT has actually been invented. Once the Doctor has made his Dalek Jammer / Slime Antidote / Polarity Reversal Device, he races in to save the day... It almost seems scripted! (Except for when he doesn't‌ The Dice Gods hate me!) There are resources available on the game's site, outlining characters and scenarios from both the Classic Series, and New Who. All in all, it is a fun game, designed to please fans, as well as gamers.

When it comes to miniatures, the potential Doctor Who gamer is spoiled for choice, although it is yet to be seen how a commercial range, backed by the B.B.C., will effect "not-Who" figures.

The Harlequin Miniatures range were originally officially licensed, but only covered the Classic era, before New Who became Big Business. They are still available from Black Tree Design (blacktreedesign.com), although only in limited runs. The figure range comprehensively covers the Classic Era, with passable sculpts that are starting to look dated compared to modern sculpting techniques. This is currently the only way to get monsters from the the 60s and 70s series, and these are very true to the on-screen versions.

2007 saw the release of Doctor Who Micro Universe by Character Options which uses an odd Top Trumps card game style of "battling skills" for their Miniatures game. While the game itself was instantly forgettable, the range of pre-painted plastic figures opened up the idea of Doctor Who miniatures gaming to those who were not skilled enough to build and paint their own models. While limited in scope, featuring only Doctor 10, his opponents and friends, for those of us with modelling skill there was real potential for figure conversions! The figures were sold in a collectable format, which randomised which figures were in each "blind" packet, with figures being ranked as Common, Uncommon, and Rare. Exclusive figures were also only available with an accompanying, but out of scale, series of spaceships. While no longer available in shops, these figure are widely available on auction sites, and are usually inexpensive. The 'cutest' part of the range was undoubtedly the dice replacements; Little spinning tops, shaped like the TARDIS console... I will, one day, build a Console Room model, based on one of these!

In addition to these Official ranges, there have been several "Not-Who" figures available, from a range of manufacturers. Foremost is Crooked Dice, who host several instantly recognisable figures, such as Tweedy (Doctor 11), Daisy (Rose), and Melody Lake (Oh, come on‌ You've got this!). The sculpts are really well done, and when combined with their Cult TV range

(Not-Blake's 7, anyone?), have much to make a British sci-fi fan drool.

Heresy Miniatures (www.heresyminiatures.com) also feature a range of Sci-fi figures that strongly resemble Doctor Who cast members, as well as many other fan favourites! (Captain Nathan, looking for some Serenity, for example) The Heresy sculpts are very dynamic, and are in the slightly larger "heroic 28mm" (Roughly 30mm tall.) scale, but on a table top this will be very hard to spot!

The Doctor Who Adventures Magazine, while aimed squarely at the younger market, has had plastic figures in 28mm scale attached to the magazine on several occasions. These have ranged from New Paradigm Daleks (You know that you REALLY love them‌), to Sontarans and Cybermen. The figures are always single colour, and very simplistic in style. Again, these are not commercially available, but can be bought on auction websites.

All in all, this promises to be a very exciting time to be a Doctor Who fan, and a Tabletop gamer! While the actual playability of Warlord's new Doctor Who Miniatures Game is speculative at the moment, the release picture of the Zygon and the breadth of figures that they are anticipating, combine to open the worlds of Doctor Who to a tabletop very near you. I for one welcome our new miniature Overlords!

Please note: The miniatures in the photographs are Richard's, which he hand-painted. They are 'not-Who' miniatures from Crooked Dice. Shown are: a black Dalek flying; Captain Jack, the 9th Doctor and Rose; a Dalek and the TARDIS and a group of UNIT soldiers.

Warlord Games has just released pictures of six of the completed figures, which they have painted.

They are the 10th Doctor, Martha, Wilfred, two Judoon and the Zygon.

They were sculpted by Russ Charles and painted by Kirsten Williams and the scale is the 'heroic' 28mm.

BBC Worldwide Australia, as well as arranging for the 'materialisation' of their Lego TARDIS at this year's Royal Sydney Easter Show, conducted a competition on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. They asked for people to post a picture of themselves with the TARDIS, a 'selfie', with the hashtag ‪# ‎LEGOTARDIS‬ on one of the following dates: March 25, March 26, March 27 or March 28.

The prize was announced as being "the ultimate Doctor Who prize pack" and consisted of: 1 x Lego Ideas Doctor Who set valued at approximately $79.99, 1 x Lego Dimensions Doctor Who pack valued at approximately $49.95, 1 x Sonic Screwdriver Universal Remote Control valued at approximately $129.99 and 1 x Doctor Who Easter Showbag valued at approximately $26.00.

The winner, announced on April 4, was Monica Murray Coxell, who posted her picture on Facebook (shown on the right) and added the following comment "Allonsy! Clinging to the door of #LEGOTARDIS for dear life as I travel through space & time. (a girl can dream right?)".

A selection of other entries to the competition also appear on this two page spread.

Whilst visiting the Lego TARDIS at the show, DWCA member, Pam Isaacson (seen below in front of the TARDIS), found out a little about the TARDIS. It is 1 of 2 Lego TARDISes that were built and is made of 75,000 Lego pieces. It took 5 guys just on 320 hours to construct. (One of the guys is the Lego champion of the Southern hemisphere.)

It would be a bit difficult to steal as it weighs over 400kg!

Like all things in the early years of Doctor Who, the music was also innovative, challenging and, in my opinion, awesome.

I would like to share with you my highly personalized view of early Doctor Who music, its influences, heritage and the development of electronic music.

Earliest audio recording techniques, using a ferric oxide (Fe2 O3) powder coating on a long strip of paper, were invented by Oberlin Smith (1888) and Valdemar Poulsen (1889). This invention was later developed by the German electronics company AEG, which manufactured the recording machines and another German company, BASF, who manufactured the tape.

Although they were limited in sound production and scope, electronic musical instruments have been around for quite a while.

The Theremin, invented by Leon Theremin, in 1920, is considered by many to be the originator of the first, mass produced, electronic musical device.

‘Over the Rainbow’ is played here on the 1929 RCA Theremin by Dr. Samuel Hoffman.

Music itself had undergone a massive transformation during the 20th century.

Early 20th century revolutionary works, such as Debussy’s Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune and Stravinky’s Le Sacre du Printemps introduced audiences to a completely new kind of music, rebelling against the serenity of the ‘Romantic’ composers such as; Hector Berlioz, Fryderyck Chopin, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, and many other well-loved composers of that era.

As the 20th century progressed, composers were experimenting with the use of unconventional orchestral instruments (e.g. saxophones) and were incorporating many musical genres, such as American Negro, blues, jazz, Leon Theremin demonstrating his folk music and Nationalistic themes, into their device. December 1 927. works. Some even questioned what actually constituted ‘music’ and where the boundaries lie.

Musique Concrete, pioneered by French composer Pierre Schaeffer, is an abstraction of sound divorced from conventional music theory and it heralded, once again, a revolution in the definition of “what is music?” Karlheinz Stockhausen’s is probably the best know composer of this type of music and his Konkrete Etüde (1952/3) realized in Pierre Schaeffer's Paris studio, takes to the extreme the concept (for me, anyway) of what constitutes 'music'.

John Cage hit the scene with his prepared piano (a piano that has had its sound altered by placing objects on or between the strings) and his piece called 4 minutes and 33seconds of silence! (Try not to get bored – contemplate your navel or something) .

The 1960s marked revolution in many established areas of the social spectrum; music, in its many forms, being one of these. So, by the early 1960s much ground-work has been laid for experiments in sound using electronic devices with an open, blank page, for innovation, imagination and daring.

Emerging technologies such as transistors, magnetic tape, computers and miniaturization facilitated new ways of doing things and expanded the availability of music itself to mass markets, in terms of both listening and performing.

And, at this point, when it’s all beginning to converge, at a concurrence of events so to speak, in strides the BBC with its Radiophonic Workshop.

The Doctor Who theme was first recorded in 1963 and personally, I still think the original is probably the best of many versions made over the years.

Here’s the original version produced by the very much unlauded pioneer of the Workshop, Delia Derbyshire; brilliant!

There have been many contributors to the Sound-Scape of Doctor Who over the years – but, to my mind, the very early years of the show abound with original, exciting music, innovation and, probably most of all, daring; all of which have been a major factor in the success of the show, capturing the hearts and minds of so many fans over the years.

Next issue, to conclude the article, I will look in detail at Ron Grainer’s theme music, stripped of its Derbyshire arrangement and also at the incidental music that Norman Kay and Tristram Cary contributed to the first season of Doctor Who. Delia Derbyshire, hard at work making audio magic happen.

He could feel the tendrils of the jungle coiling about his ankles, tugging at him as he ran. The branches swept at his face, sharp and hard, slicing away at his flesh like scalpels as he forced his way onward through the pain. Only the terror kept him going, the constant sickening knowledge that they were right behind him, jaws snapping at the air where he had stood only moments before. He imagined the foul beasts rending and tearing at the air, as if eating his shadow, a grim appetiser before the main course.

He didn’t know how much longer he could continue like this, his legs jelly-like with fatigue, his lungs searing with the effort of pushing oxygen in and out of his exhausted frame. It felt like he had been running forever and he feared there would never be respite, only the fear, only the pain, only the endless terror of being hunted.

It was as he thought this that he finally broke free from the jungle and tumbled down slope toward an open marshland beyond.

The sun was little more than an opaque watermark in the dirty grey sky above.

Ahead, stretching on forever, the bubbling grey-brown broth of muddy marsh water stretched, seemingly forever. There was nowhere to hide out there, no shelter and no hope of escape. But they were coming, so close behind him, always following, ready to kill. He had no choice – he had to go on. Plunging forward into the wet ruin, he soon found its viscid anguish cloying at him, slowing his every footstep, urging him with every moment to stop his struggles and give in. And he wanted to, oh how he wanted to be done with all of this, but the terror kept him moving, struggling on through his despair, tears of frustration staining his cheeks as he forced a path forward, too afraid to look behind.

For a time he seemed to forget everything apart from the fear and the need to move.

He kept putting one foot in front of another, while behind him he knew they were closing fast. The vast slavering pack was wading through the marshlands with him, their hunger forcing them on just as his terror motivated him. He could hear the loud sloshing of his own feet, but it was not enough to drown out that more distant sound of splashing paws, the wet footfalls of his unrelenting pursuers. His own beating heart was a pounding drum and his ragged breath echoed around and around through his mind, but more than anything it was the sound of their eager panting that consumed the small space left in his mind for thought. They would never stop, so neither could he. But he could not run forever. The marsh stretched on endlessly, just as the jungle had before and the desert before that. And the snow before that.

And the rocks before that. And the hot obsidian of the volcanic plains before that.

And never anywhere was there any respite, only the endless running, running, running, running, running…

“Hello,” a rich mellifluous voice spoke directly into his ear, “would you care for a jelly-baby?”

The man was so surprised his feet stopped moving altogether and he tumbled face forward into the marsh, his body finally giving up, the momentum that had carried him this far crashing into collapse.

“The wolves,” he croaked, turning in the mud to stare backwards at his hunters, “the pack…”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about them,” the man smiled, wide eyes punctuating his manic toothy grin. From the depths of his pocket he produced an object, like a metal rod with a circular section affixed to the top, its centre red like a bullseye. With a flourish the stranger activated this device and a high pitched whine issued from it. In the area it pointed towards the marshland suddenly exploded in a jet of fire. With a deep and hearty chuckle the man spun in an arc and the fire spread in time with his movement, coalescing like a drawn curtain across a theatre stage. It spread seamlessly until it formed a complete circle about the pair. It was nothing less than a protective wall of flame, with the two men at its centre, protected in their island of mud by the crackling ring of fire. On the other side of the red heat the dogs snarled and barked in fury at their prey’s impossible escape.

Still trying to catch his breath, the hunted man looked up from the ground toward his saviour, who seemed to be the most unusual person he had ever encountered. He wore a mass of curled brown hair atop his head, body wrapped in a long coat of deep maroon juxtaposed by an impossibly long scarf of endlessly varying patches, wrapping around and around him like an encircling serpent. Somehow he contrived to have no mud on him whatsoever, despite the inhospitable surrounds. The stranger returned the metal rod to his pocket and in its stead withdrew a small white paper bag, crumpled about its edges.

“So,” he smiled, “how about that jellybaby?”

The exhausted runner reached into the bag and drew forth a brightly coloured sugar confectionery. Without pausing to consider what he was doing he placed it in his mouth and closed his lips around it. Instantly his taste-buds came alive – it was without question the most delicious thing he had ever eaten. But then, he could not remember when he might have eaten last. For the longest time all he had known was the fear – the fear and the need to run. He relished this moment of sanctuary, this impossible place of rest and sustenance – he had thought he would never know the like of such again, and was so grateful to this

stranger for providing them, he could barely speak.

As he swallowed down the jelly-baby he tried to struggle up from the mud, but his exhausted body refused to obey his commands. He had already asked too much of his weakened frame and was forced to admit defeat, slumping back to the ground once more. The stranger seemed to understand his intent however, kneeling beside him and placing a consoling hand on his shoulder.

“Take it easy,” he cautioned, “there’s no rush.

You’re safe now… safe. Why don’t you just rest for a time – don’t worry, I’ll watch over you.”

The man managed a brief, exhausted smile of thanks, before his body finally gave in to the fatigue washing over him and he slumped back into the mud, senseless in sleep. For a time the stranger in the scarf stood over him, watching on with concern, then he turned his attention back to their surroundings, to the grey skies and the wet marsh and the crackling flames and the snarling predators that still waited beyond the curtain of fire.

“Oh no,” he frowned with concern. “No, this simply won’t do at all.” With a flourish he waved his hands and everything vanished. The entire world blinked out of existence and was instantly replaced with an endless, featureless white. The colourful stranger then rubbed his hands together with glee, smiling in anticipation at what would come next.

“Ah,” he exclaimed, “as I once said to my good friend Leonardo, there’s nothing more beautiful than a blank canvas…” And his hands moved with swift and delicate motion, and reality reshaped itself around him, growing in colour and life as the world took on its new form. *** The Doctor pulled the electrodes away from his temples and let them fall, not even caring to watch as they tumbled haphazardly to the floor. He rose slowly, surprised to find that he was more exhausted than he had expected. He chose to swing his feet idly back and forth off the edge of the metal slab, clicking his heels together once, twice, then three times before he finally shifted his weight forward and stood up once more.

“Well, it’s no Sistine Chapel,” he muttered to himself, “but it’ll do.” Beside and below him he heard the sound of servo-motors grinding as a familiar shape rolled into view.

The grey metal box was shaped for whimsy, designed with a ridiculously human affectation in mind, one that always made him smile, especially since he had now built this new model as his own.

“Artificial gravity field and a negative magma field repaired. Dark matter scoop upgraded. Sigmus-style warp engines online. All systems functioning normally again, Master,” the robot dog reported, wagging his tail as he did so.

“Good boy K9,” the Doctor enthused in response, patting his electronic pet upon the head, causing the dog to wag his tail even faster still.

“How fared the ship’s crew, Master?” K9 asked, his tail ceasing its movement as he

saw the expression change on the Doctor’s face in response to his words. Like a continent shifting, the Doctor’s moods were vast and implacable, his seemingly endless supply of mirth quenched in an instant, his smile curving instead into a deeply etched frown.

“Well,” he replied, “I did what I could. From out of all of those suspended animation capsules, only one crew member had survived. This ship has been adrift a long time, a very, very long time.”

“Has the remaining crew member been safely revived?” the dog asked, with perhaps just a touch of anxiety creeping into his electronic voice, sensors ever alert to his master’s emotions.

“No,” the Doctor replied, his head hung low in deep despondency. “He’d been asleep for too long, he would never survive the resuscitation protocols. This sleeper will never wake, so I did the only thing I could for him… I settled his nightmares. And I gave him pleasant dreams.”

No more was said between master and dog, there was nothing further to say. They had done what they could, little enough though it was. It was time to move on again now, time to leave this ghost ship to its lost meanderings. There was no telling where it might end up, this rudderless craft adrift in an inky sea of black, but none of that was their concern. They were just travellers, passing through, never stopping long enough to witness the consequences of their actions. There was never enough time for that. There were too many other places to see, too many other people to meet, and far, far too many other adventures to have. Moments later there was a wheezing groaning sound as a blue box faded from existence, leaving only silence and slumber in its wake. *** When the man awoke it was not to the marsh and the hunt but rather to peace and serenity. He looked about himself in wonder, catching his breath at the sight of the vast garden around him. Every tree hung laden with ripe fruit, the scent of blossom and berry intoxicating in the air around him. His mud soaked and torn garments had been replaced by a clean white shift, as soft and comfortable as the grass that he lay nestled in, softer than any bed he could imagine. Smiling, the man stood and began to wander through the elegance of his garden, delighting in its perfection, as though it had been crafted by some beneficent god especially for him. He vaguely remembered a man, strangely dressed, wearing a face full of compassion and genius.

Within the garden inside the sleep capsule aboard the desolate space craft, the man dreamed briefly of the Doctor and offered him his thanks. He had restored Eden for him, had brought him at last to perfection, peace and rest.

Somewhere in space the SS Marie Antoinette drifted aimlessly through the dark while its last remaining crew member slept on, nestled in a bed of cables and wires. He dreamed of a grove of wonder and serenity, his sleeping thoughts caressed with images of the ultimate paradise, the promised land. And in the dark the ship dreamed that endless dream with him as it sailed silently on. Gliding through the endless dark, guided by dreams of the light toward its uncertain future…