The Nethersphere Vol 2 No 4

TTHHEE NNEETTHHEERRSSPPHHEERREE

The editors' chance to pontificate.

'Power of the Daleks'/Series 10 news.

Reviews including 'Miniscope' – short reviews and 'Top of the Class' – Class reviews.

The latest on club happenings.

Chris Wahl talks about his Supremacy of the Cybermen cover.

Comments from our readers.

Conventioning in the US.

A page for our younger readers.

Fans thoughts about the series.

Those who've recently passed.

Coverage of the events celebrating DWCA's 40th anniversary.

Round-up of all the latest news.

The TARDIS visits 1976.

Who stars, where are they now?

DWMs magnificent 500th issue.

Interesting web-links to try.

Upcoming Local Group events.

What Doctor Who and spin-offs are currently on Australian TV. News on what Doctor Who goodies are available to purchase.

Michelle Gomez in Brisbane.

The early music of Doctor Who. A multitude of cos-players.

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Find out when you can buy that item of merchandise you want.

“What's the use of a good quotation if you can't change it?”

6th Doctor from 'Two Doctors' part 1

Hello to all our readers.

This issue, as you can see from the cover, celebrates the Doctor Who Club of Australia’s 40th Anniversary and as a part of this issue’s commemoration of that event there is a theme colour of ruby! Textually we have reports on the events that were held to celebrate this anniversary plus a special article looking back to see what it was like 40 years ago. In lieu of our usual back-page Doctor picture we have published a full page version, without text, of Chris Wahl’s magnificent cover for the graphic novel version of Supremacy of the Cybermen .

We also see the return of the James Stoker column this issue with a brilliant piece of comedy from Craig Wellington. New to the issue, and part of our reviews column, is “Top of the Class” where we get immediate responses about the screening of Class. To help people navigate around the issue you can now just click on the page number on the contents page and you will be taken directly to that page. Please don’t forget that this is an interactive publication with links to various things on the net, just look for the ruby underlined word(s), click on them and you will be whisked away to somewhere interesting on the net!

Thanks to Chris Wahl and Adam Penrose for agreeing to be interviewed, they are our first interviews for The Nethersphere .

Hi – from Dallas

Next issue will be our second anniversary and it will feature the return of one of our regular columns – Who's Who of Australians in 'Who' . The column will start with details of Katy Manning, the club's patron, and include six other Australians whose surname begins with 'M'. Next issue will also see reviews of a new Doctor Who story, something not seen for a while :-) We are currently looking for material for our Junior Who column. Also don't forget to feel free to give us your feedback – good or bad – and we'll publish it in Feedback Circuit. Send it, and any other contributions, to: nethersphere@doctorwhoaustralia.org.

Finally I’d like to say a very special thank you to all the people who have been members of the DWCA over the past forty years. I hope every single one of you has had a wonderful time.

Here's to the next 10 years and the club’s 50th!

• Sue Ann Barber, Bob Brinkman, Dwayne Bunney, Matthew Chi Yan See, Fraser Clark, Stephen Collins, Jonathan Crossfield, Kerrie Dougherty, Dolly Dransfield, Paul Edwards, Brendan Harrison, Tim Hunter, George Ivanoff, Darran Jordan, Christain Kent, Greg King, Ian McAlpine, Scott Marshall, Analiese McGuire, Karina Richardson-McKay, Gareth Mills, Pat Murphy, Greg Neilson, Adam Penrose, Joel Rose, Paul Scholz, Aaron Tsang, Ashley Tuchin, Chris Wahl, Dale Watts, Craig Wellington, Grant Whittingham and Daniel Worsley 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 expressed within are those of the writer and not necessarily held by

On August 21, two minutes of animated footage from 'The Power of the Daleks' appeared on YouTube. The professional nature of the animation, combined with the fact that BBC Worldwide had it removed within 48 hours, led to speculation that it was leaked footage from a planned official release. Fans quickly asserted it was not footage from the aborted animation done by Cosgrove Hall and an eagle eyed fan did find that it was similar to footage fan Rob Ritchie had uploaded a number of years ago. (It was subsequently revealed that Ritchie was involved with the animation) . The Daily Mirror then ran a story on August 29 stating that a full animated reconstruction of the serial had been commissioned by the BBC. On September 6 the official BBC online store posted a link allowing fans to pre-order it for digital download… before they took the site down again.

On September 7 the BBC confirmed that it was producing a full animated version of 'The Power of the Daleks' and it would initially be exclusively released through BBC Store, with episode one available from November 5 at 5:50 pm (the 50th anniversary of the serial's original broadcast) and the others released on consecutive days thereafter. The releases would be available in both SD and HD and in 16:9 format. It then would be shown on BBC America on November 12. (This was later changed to November 19 at 8.25 pm). The story then would become available to stream from BBC America's website and via their app from November 13, and then more widely on different platforms. This included in the US on iTunes, Amazon Video, Google Play, VUDU, Sony and Microsoft and on iTunes in UK, Australia, Canada, France and Germany. The story would then be released on DVD in the United Kingdom on the November 21. A teaser was released and two additional teasers were released in the following month.

On September 19 the BFI announced it would have a preview screening of the first three episodes on November 5 at 1 pm at the BFI Southbank in London followed by a Q&A with Anneke Wills and Frazer Hines. They advised tickets were to go on sale from October 4 at 11:30 am, and were priced at £22.70, which included a copy of the DVD which was posted once released. Unfortunately at the screening there were sound problems and it was mainly screened in mono.

On the first day of availability on BBC store there were problems and some people were able to download all six episodes before the problem was fixed. Also available as part of the download were a number of bonus features: Animation and Photo Gallery, Animation Test Footage, Servants & Masters – The Making of Power of the Daleks documentary, Patrick Troughton Title Sequence (1967), Surviving Material and Original Trailer and Animated Promo.

On October 12 it was announced by BBC America and Fathom Events that it would be shown in cinemas across the United States on November 14. The showings also featured bonus content, including interviews with members of the original cast. Tickets went on sale on October 14.

On October 25 BBC Worldwide and Sharmill Films announced a theatrical screening in Australia from November 12 for one week only. It would also feature the same bonus content as the US cinema screenings. A total of 104 cinemas participated in the screening and in the end most cinemas screened it once on Saturday and once again on Sunday at 1pm, although in Sydney Dendy Opera Quays did screen it on Monday and Tuesday at 6pm. The screened version was in HD but as a ‘movie’ version which confusingly had left in the ‘episode one’ caption. It was also the same version as that screened in the US as it was shown in the US TV format of 24 frames per second (fps) rather than 25 fps as used by UK and Australia television. This version was not provided by the creators of the animation but inspection of the credits did show a new name had been added, assumedly the person who had edited it into a movie version. Mark Ayers also advised that the sound had been tweaked for ‘TV sound’ not ‘Cinema sound’. Cinema screenings also occurred in New Zealand and later in Canada on November 30. The Australian release date of the DVD was also announced as December 14.

On October 28 full details of the UK DVD release were announced. As well as the bonus ma-

terial announced for the download from BBC store more bonus material would be available on the DVD including: Alternate soundtracks – the option to listen to the story with a series of completely new digital re-masters of the original soundtrack – a stereo mix, a 5.1 surround sound mix and the original 1966 mono sound mix. Audio Commentaries on all six episodes: Episodes 1, 2 and 6 – Anneke Wills, Derek Dodd (Designer) and Michael E Briant (Production Assistant) with Edward Kelsey (Renso) on Episode 2 only; Episode 3 – Nicholas Hawtrey (Quinn) and Alexandra Tynan (Costume Designer); Episode 4 – Nicholas Briggs (Dalek Voice), Rob Shearman (Writer of 'Dalek') and David Hankinson (Dalek Operator in the 2000's), Episode 5 – Charles Norton (Animator Producer) with artists Adrian Salmon and Martin Geraghty all moderated by Toby Hadoke. A booklet with Production Notes – an extensively researched set of production notes, written by the noted television historian Andrew Pixley, covering the behind the scenes story of how the original production was made.

Original Camera Scripts – selected items of original production paperwork and a complete set of original camera scripts. Original Dalek Voice Session Recording (1966) – rare and previously unreleased sections from the studio recordings that were made at Maida Vale Studios in 1966 for the Dalek voices.

On November 3 it was announced that a colour version will be released on BBC Store on December 31, followed by a Special Edition Blu-ray containing both the Black and White and Colour versions, on February 6 2017. BBC America made the colour version available exclusively on their digital platforms at the end of November. From January 24 2017, both versions of the story will be available on a Region 1 DVD, sold exclusively through Barnes & Noble. The first three minutes were premièred live on Twitter via Periscope on November 5.

On November 21 it was announced that it would be screened on ABC iView on December 26 from 4 am.

A clip from The Return of Doctor Mysterio was screened on the BBC’s Children in Need on November 18. On November 22 it was announced that this year's Christmas Special will be shown in 91 cinemas in Australia on Boxing Day at 10 am. It will include two features: A New Kind of Superhero – giving a special inside look at Doctor Who’s concept of a modern superhero and Doctor Who Extra – showing the making of this year’s special, with appearances by Peter Capaldi, Matt Lucas, and Steven Moffat. Tickets went on sale the following day. It will also screen in cinemas in the US at 7:00pm on December 27 and 29 with the same features and in Canada on December 26 and 28. The special will screen in the UK on BBC 1 at 5.45 pm on December 25 and in Australia on ABC iView at 5.45 am (AEDT) on December 26, followed by its appearance on ABC at 7.30pm. It will screen in Canada on Space on December 25 at 9 pm and in South Africa on BBC First on December 28 at 8 pm.

Episode one is ‘A Star in Her Eye’ written by Steven Moffatt and directed by Lawrence Gough. Episode two, written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, is also directed by Laurence Gough.

Episode three, written by Sarah Dollard, is directed by Bill Anderson who also directs episode four, ‘The Haunted Hub’, written by Mike Bartlett, will star David Suchet as a character called The Landlord. Episode five, written by James Mathieson, is currently being directed

by Charles Palmer. Episode nine, ‘The Eaters of Light’, will also be directed by Palmer and has been written by Rona Munro, whose previous work on Doctor Who was writing ‘Survival’. The episode’s guest cast includes Rebecca Benson, Daniel Kerr, Juwon Adedokun, Brian Vernel, Ben Hunter, Aaron Phagura, Sam Adewunmi and Billy Matthews. Mark Gattis has also written an episode but no further information is currently available. Daniel Nettheim will also be directing but again no futher information is available.

M E S S AG E P O D F O R KY ...

WANTED - DWCA EVENTS MANAGER

Want to help out with the running of the DWCA, but don't want to wait until the next AGM in order to put up your hand?

Well you are in luck as the club is currently looking to fill the newly created position of Events Manager on its executive committee.

The holder of the position will be responsible for organising the DWCA's presence at club-run and third-party events, as well as assisting with transport of the Club Shop. They will also be expected to contribute to the monthly committee meeting.

Applications are open to current DWCA members who have demonstrated experience with and commitment to a fan club or similar organisation. For this particular position, applications should have access to a vehicle and be available to regularly help out at events around the Sydney metropolitan area.

To apply please send an email to enquiries@doctorwhoaustralia.org letting us know your relevant skills and experience, your availability and your location. If you wish for more information please use the same email address.

DWCA ONLINE SHOP

You’re just one click away from a world of Doctor Who and classic sci-fi merchandise available from the DWCA Shop. Recent additions to the Shop include a trip to Spain for the 7th Doctor in the audio adventure Fiesta of the Damned, a collection of '60s flavoured tales in The 2nd Doctor Companion Chronicles Volume 1 and the conclusion to the latest 4th Doctor audio series with The Pursuit of History and Casualties of Time , all from Big Finish. More items are being added all the time, so make sure you check back regularly!

Coming soon from DWCA Publishing…

DWCA GPO Box 2870 Sydney NSW 2001 0402 689 054 enquiries@drwhoaustralia.org www.drwhoaustralia.org www.facebook.com/drwhoaustralia twitter.com/drwhoaustralia

...

Zerinza 2016

Celebrating 40 years of the Doctor Who Club of Australia, it features articles by and interviews with club founders and past presidents, fan fiction, art and comics, not to mention interviews with 2nd Doctor son and biographer Michael Troughton, 3rd Doctor biographer David J Howe, 4th Doctor illustrator Colin West and the 5th Doctor himself Peter Davison! Plus – the secret origins of the DWCA are revealed by founder Antony Howe and the future of DE ’s Eleanor saga is hinted at by editor Craig Land.

All that and a wrap-around cover by artist David Blewer! Zerinza 2016 ships free this December as an e-publication to all DWCA members. It will also be available to buy in hardcover or paperback editions through the club’s website.

S P I N D O C TO R

S UNDAY DE C E MB E R 1 1

1 0 AM TO 5 PM

C lub B urwood 9 7 B urwood Road

We all know Doctor Who is the best show on TV, but it's also served as a launching pad for a range of spin-off shows throughout the years. From K9 and Company to Torchwood, from The Sarah Jane Adventures to Class, we look back at the characters who have forged their own place in the Whoniverse, independently of the Doctor.

Die-hard Doctor Wh o fans will meanwhile have the chance to participate in Mastermind, our end-of-year trivia competition. There will be great prizes on offer, so we encourage you to put on your brainy specs and start studying now!

Finally, the event will be your last chance to make an in-store purchase from the DWCA Shop prior to Christmas. The latest audio dramas from Big Finish, including The Memory Bank and Other Stories with the 5th Doctor and Turlough; the 1st Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki in The Fifth Traveller; and the conclusion to the second season of Torchwood, Made You Look . There will also be of toys and collectables on offer, including Dalek Christmas ornaments and the 12th Doctor's second Sonic Screwdriver.

Adult: $10, Concession: $7, Family: $20, Children under 13: FREE

DWCA members receive $2 discount on above prices. DWCA Family members receive $4 off their entry.

We present comments we’ve received from our readers – complimentary and not so complimentary. Feedback, whether good or bad, enables us to deliver a better quality, more informed publication. Write to us i you have any comments on anything that we as editors have done or what other people have written, be it a review, a column or an article. Send to: nethersphere@doctorwhoaustralia.org

From: Bob Brinkman editor of Gallifreyan Guardian, Florida USA - by email I see you just released your August issue....are you folks going monthly? I've got to say that I'm beyond impressed with Nethersphere. Not having the option to go wholly electronic (we still have paper subscribers) I'm limited to 8-1 0 pages per issue. The anniversary issue, and its insert, was a special case and I paid all that printing out of my pocket. Your formatting and art is gorgeous.

From : Ian McAlpine - by emai l I do like Nethersphere. Easy to turn pages and I like electronic communication as it is received instantly. Interesting material in there as well.

U

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WH

The Doctor staggered onward through the black, hands held outward in front of him to feel his way. His feet shuffled carefully, occasionally kicking against something sharp protruding from the shifting sands beneath him. It was slow going, but he persevered, ears alert for the sound that he knew would come sooner or later. A soft glow began to grow in colour and warmth as the sun crept stealthily up to the horizon. As light illuminated the scene he was able to see what objects had threatened to trip him in the dark. Here was the broken head of a Cyberman, there the decaying casing of a Dalek. Elsewhere he saw the torn suit of a Voord, the crushed crystal of a Kroton, a fossilised Axon, the broken horn of a Nimon, the cracked carapace of a Tractator, the broken shell of a Gastropod egg and the skeleton of a Tetrap. There seemed to be no logic, but there was a commonality – all of these monsters had faced the Doctor and lost. The shifting sands of the desert gusted in the wind, covering some and exposing still others.

An entire desert seeded with the buried remnants of his defeated foes. Then he heard it, the sound he had been listening for. It was a keening, screaming, shredding sound, as though the universe itself was being torn open. As he turned towards it the sun rose fully above the distant skyline and the creature before him was revealed in all its depravity.

“So, we meet at last,” the Doctor hissed as he narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you think it’s about time we ended this?” With those words he stepped confidently forward, walking on to meet his fate…

---------------------------------------What happens next? That is up to you! Write the ending to the story to reveal the Doctor’s fate. And make sure you send a copy of your finished work to us here at Nethersphere so we can publish our favourite in the next issue! Thanks to Darran Jordan for providing this issue's contribution to Junior Who.

!

“How could they do that to the Sontarans?” a friend asked me.

She was not referring to their portrayal in 'The Invasion of Time' or 'The Two Doctors'. She was, in fact, referring to Strax. She did not like a Sontaran as ‘comedy relief’. Linx from 'The Time Warrior' was as vivid in her mind as forty years ago and, therefore, definitive. I explained that the comic character Strax works because of Linx. Linx: great acting by Kevin Lindsay / great character on paper devoted to militaristic cruelty / a creature design never equalled for a Sontaran since. Strax: well written jokes in character but not quite caricature / good timing and performance by Dan Starkey. Because Linx is terrifying, Strax is funny. The juxtaposition is the key. And both characters are okay by me.

I don’t think my friend liked my viewpoint because, before stomping off, she smacked me in the probic vent.

March 22 1962 – October 22 2016.

He was a regular contributor to Doctor Who Magazine in the 1980's where he created the character of Abslom Daak.

Dillon's art was first seen in the fifth edition of the magazine, then called Doctor Who Weekly, in which he cocreated the character of Kroton with writer Steve Moore.

For more info go here or here.

1938 - August 22 2016.

The actor Michael Leader has died after a short illness.

He appeared, uncredited, in 'The Leisure Hive', 'The Visitation' (as a Terileptil), 'Mawdryn Undead' and 'The King's Demons'.

He was best known among Star Wars fans as the stormtrooper who knocked his head while boarding the Death Star in A New Hope (1977). He spoke at many signings and sci-fi conventions around the world, and in particular, his fond memories of working with Peter Davison (the 5th Doctor) were both heartfelt and amusing, as were Davison's anecdotes of him.

For more info go here or here.

December 17 1934 – May 18 2016.

He was a Senior Camera Operator at the BBC who worked on at least 159 episodes of Doctor Who, mainly as Senior Cameraman. He led the Camera teams on most Doctor Who stories from 'Destiny of the Daleks' in 1979 right through to 'The Greatest Show in the Galaxy' in 1988.

For more info go here or here.

February 28 1927 – November 5 2016.

He played Ambril in the Doctor Who story 'Snakedance'. His saturnine looks and sinister voice led to him starring in a number of horror films including The Night Caller, The Plague of the Zombies, The Man Who Haunted Himself, Taste the Blood of Dracula and Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter.

For more info go here or here 1957 – November 21 2016.

He won an Emmy Award for outstanding achievement in visual effects in 1993 for his work on the pilot of Babylon 5 . His credits also ranged from Spaceballs and The Jackal to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and multiple Star Trek series. Born in the UK, he worked on Doctor Who as Visual Effects Assistant on 'Castrovalva' and on two Blakes 7 stories: 'Gambit' and 'Children of Auron' before moving to the US in 1984. He died after a short illness at his home in Albuquerque.

He was 59.

Go here or here for more.

BBC Worldwide have confirmed that the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff is expected to close next year. The site is leased from Cardiff City Council and the lease expires next summer. The Doctor Who Experience originally opened in London in 2011 and moved to Cardiff in July 2012 near the BBC studios where Doctor Who is made.

It is not known if BBC Worldwide will attempt to open the Experience at a different location. An online petition has been launched to try to save the Experience .

The Doctor Who production team have won the 2016 BAFTA Cymru award for Special and Visual Effects, Titles and Graphics for their work on the Series Nine opener 'The Magician's Apprentice'. The winners were announced on October 2 at a ceremony hosted by BBC Radio 1 presenter, Huw Stephens, at St David’s Hall, Cardiff.

The Special Effects on the episode were supplied by Real SFX, led by Danny Hargreaves, while the Visual Effects were supplied by Milk VFX. A number of props and costumes from Doctor Who were sold as part of the "Prop Store Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction" which took place on September 27. Items for sale included; a 'Resurrection of the Daleks' Shooting Running Order signed by cast members Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson, Rodney Bewes, Rula Lenska, Terry Molloy and Royce Mills , a 'Vengeance On Varos' Guard Costume, a 'Battlefield' Special Effects Pistol and Holster and a Pyrotechnic Sterling Submachine Gun first used in 'Fury from the Deep'.

At Sotheby's English Literature, History, Children’s Books and Illustrations Auction on December 13, Lot 287 is listed as “Doctor Who: 'Into The Dalek', shooting script with illustration by Peter Capaldi”.

The starting bid is shown as £1,600 and Sotheby's estimate it to sell for between £2,000 – £3,000. It is being sold by Phil Ford, writer of the story. The description of the item is “72 pages, shooting script (draft 8) typescript dated 20 December 2013, titlepage illustrated with ink, watercolour and gouache drawing by Peter Capaldi featuring comic Daleks, space ships and the Tardis, signed and dated ‘Peter Capaldi 8.12.15’ with additional comment ‘My First Dalek Story!!’, pages with printed ‘Peter Capaldi’ watermark, loose leaves”.

A fan produced audio adventure exploring one of the biggest ‘What Ifs…?’ in Doctor Who history has been released to coincide with the show’s 53rd anniversary. Ken Campbell was the Time Lord who 'almost was' when he lost out to Sylvester McCoy for the role of the Seventh Doctor in 1987. In this new adventure, the actor finally claims the helm of time and space in an original, fan-made episode, written by longtime fan Tom Calderbank. It introduces a brand new companion, a new villain and the TARDIS’s elusive Eternity Room. The Lost Doctor is available here for free.

Dean Devlin, The Librarians showrunner, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly on November 19 was asked “In the season two finale there was a real Doctor Who influence. Can we expect more of that this season?” In his reply he said, “There’s no doubt in the world that I am the biggest Doctor Who fan. In fact, this season, since I took over as show runner, I actively pursued two Doctor Who writers, who came and wrote episodes for us this year. One is Tom MacRae who wrote my favourite episode ‘The Girl Who Waited.’ In fact I loved his episode so much I wouldn’t let anyone else direct it. [The other writer] is Gareth Roberts. We have a love potion episode that he wrote for us. It was great to have them come on board and bring that sensibility. The influences are absolutely intentional and really just a way for me to express my love for my favourite show on television”.

In Sydney, at Ryde Library, there is a Doctor Who display which features a mix of merchandise, including action figures of different sizes, posters, sonic screwdrivers, magazines, postcards, and a fulllength Fourth Doctor scarf. This is in addition to samples from the library’s large array of Doctor Who titles – including novels, reference books, comics and more – all of which are available for loan from inside the library. Hurry along as you still have time to have a look as the display runs for the month of November. The exhibit can be found just outside the entrance to Ryde Library, located within Top Ryde City Shopping Centre.

On Wednesday November 16 at the Sam Merrifield Library in Moonee Ponds, a debate was held, under the moniker of “Who’s best?” The library’s’ publicity for the event included “Grab your fez, recorder, sonic screwdriver or very long scarf and join us for a discussion conducted by the Doctor Who Fan Club of Victoria and help us decide which is best – classic or new Doctor Who?” Who won you ask? New Doctor Who. The TARDIS took BBC children’s channel (CBBC) presenters Hacker and Karim on a bumpy ride to help them build a brand new robot friend for CBBC HQ, using all of the robot designs sent in by CBBC fans. To see what happened alll you have to do just click here

In the first episode of Hard Quiz, a new quiz show on the ABC, four contestants competed on expert topics of their choice: Doctor Who , The Brat Pack, Flags and Field Marshals of the British Army.

Contestant Miles, whose topic was Doctor Who , got no end of grief from host, comedian Tom Gleeson. Gleeson is reported to have said that Miles was a great sport who had turned into a great supporter of the show. “I feel for him a bit, you don’t want to hurt him too much, but later on Twitter after the episode was recorded he said something like ‘I just spent the afternoon being abused

by Tom Gleeson, it was glorious’. “I think he’s a bit of a star, I think people are really going to like him a lot. Every now and then when I put something on Twitter or Facebook about how Hard Quiz is going he will be there straight away re-tweeting it.

I think he is turning into my publicist”.

TV Week said of the show "This isn't really a hard quiz, but it's funny. Host Tom Gleeson is merciless, especially with contestant Miles, whose special subject is Doctor Who. 'When I was a kid I was scared of Doctor Who ,' Tom says. 'Now, I'm just scared of people who like Doctor Who'."

Eddie Redmayne, who is currently starring in Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them , has revealed he would like to step into the role of Doctor Who. During a visit to Radio 1 Breakfast, he told Nick Grimshaw the appearance of his character Newt Scamander had drawn comparisons to the Doctor and that he would love to take his turn in the TARDIS. "Would I do it? Yeah! It's a great show," Eddie stated. "I do see the resemblance. I see the scarf, I see the coat, I see the bow tie. I'm also a huge fan of those actors, love Matt Smith. I suppose the briefcase has a TARDIS vibe to it – so yeah!" He added that fans may have to wait a while to see him step into the role of the beloved Time Lord. "It looks like a lot of work. I've spoken to Matt and those schedules are pretty rigorous. Maybe when I'm 73." In Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph review by Vicky Roach, of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them , on November 20 she mentioned that Newt Scamander has a “TARDIS-like suitcase”.

As BBC television celebrates its 80th anniversary, the TV critics from the UK’s Telegraph chose their 80 best shows.

Doctor Who came in at number four, beaten by Life on Earth at three, Morecambe and Wise at two and at number one – Porridge . Rounding out the top ten were ; at five The Wednesday Play, at six Civilisation , at seven Yes Minister/Yes, Prime Minister, at eight Fawlty Towers, at nine Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and at ten The Forsyth Saga . Other shows of interest to Doctor Wh o fans were at 42 Quatermass and the Pit, at 67 The Box of Delights, at 68 The Thick of It and at 80 A Very Peculiar Practice .

They said of Doctor Who “Always more than simply a science-fiction series, the adventures of a renegade Time Lord travelling through time and space in a blue Police Box has survived much derision within the Corporation and is now regarded as one of the jewels in its crown. The series shouldn’t have worked, but thanks to a cleverly versatile format, a haunting theme tune and some properly terrifying baddies, it is TV’s greatest survivor. Much like the good Doctor himself.”

In an interview for the website Mr Porter, Matt Smith told of being involved in a hold-up when filming The Crown in Cape Town, South Africa. He said “We went to South Africa and a guy pulled a gun on me”.

Smith explained that while drinking in a bar, “This guy came up to us and said, ‘What are you looking at?’ We were drunk. We said, ‘Nothing, mate.

No worries.’ He was like, ‘I'll f***ing shoot you, bru!’ He had a gun!"

“Really stupidly, we just went to the bar across the street. I don't know why we didn’t just leave altogether. He came up to the window, and went [tap, tap, tap], no word of a lie, he had a Crocodile Dundee knife in his hand. A bouncer came up and was like, ‘Get out of here!’”

The incident is Smith's second brush with danger after his horse bolted down a ravine, also in South Africa while filming The Crown .

Smith also described a brief conversation he had with Prince William, Prince Philip’s grandson: “I met Prince William at an event and someone said, ‘Matt’s going to play Prince Philip.’ And I thought, ‘Oh God, no, no don’t say that. What’s he going to think? This is going to be awful.’ And he just went: ‘Legend.’”

When he was first announced as the new Doctor Who, his personal life became subject to intense tabloid intrusion. “Every single part of my life was affected,” he recalled. “You have to be hyper-aware, because [ Doctor Who] is a children’s show ultimately, and you have to behave accordingly, I suppose. I went from being an actor doing theatre and stuff, to overnight being on the front page of every newspaper.

There’s journalists going to my granddad’s house offering him £40,000 [for gossip].

Nothing can prepare you for that.” For the full interview please click here.

In case you did not know third place in this year’s Melbourne Cup went to a horse by the name of Hartnell. Trained in Australia, Hartnell was made favourite for the race after drawing barrier 12 in the 24-horse field.

For this Melbourne Cup Day, Syfy entered the TARDIS in a race of spaceships. Does the TARDIS win? Click here to find out.

Doctor Who director Rachel Talaly revealed the following tidbit: “As some of you know, on Doctor Who and now on Sherlock , I give the crew a cus-

tom designed gift – On DW8 (Ed: ‘Dark Water’ / ‘Death in Heaven’), it was a ‘crescendo block’ tshirt and on DW9 (Ed: ‘Heaven Sent’ / ‘Hell Bent’), the Gallifrey baseball cap… I am grateful to Sophie Harvey for the Gallifrey baseball caps and John Smith for the Crescendo block shirts".

Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker may have

been too busy to have space and time to work with the Doctor in the past but he would still love to write an episode of Doctor Who – and ruin everyone’s Christmas while he’s at it.

“It’d be good to do a really horrible Christmas special and ruin Christmas for everyone” he told RadioTimes.com . “If I was doing an episode, there’s things you could do. I wouldn’t want to say, because what if they ask me down the line?” he teased, before adding that taking on an episode would be “such a responsibility”. “I’d like to make a really scary episode” he admitted, “I still really like the Weeping Angels and all that.”

And there’d even be room in an episode for former Doctor Who and Black Mirror star Gugu Mbatha-Raw. “Obviously we’d have Gugu back, why isn’t Tish Jones a new companion or something?” he asked the actress, who suggested Brooker would make an “amazing” Doctor. “I’d be a terrible Doctor Who” he chuckled. “I’d land on a planet and go ‘oh f**k, why did I bother coming here?’”

Prisoner Zero , an animated children's sci-fi series, debuted on ABC ME on Monday

September 19 at 5:55 pm. Its executive producer is Gary Russell, a name that is familiar to Doctor Who fans as he has worked on the Doctor Who universe in various mediums. Given Russell's long history with Doctor Who, the name of this new animated series may or may not be coincidental to the fact that Prisoner Zero is also the name of the first alien menace the Eleventh Doctor had encountered in his debut 'The Eleventh Hour'.

David Tenant, Billie Piper and John Barrowman attended the Alamo City Comic Con at the Henry B Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio Texas on Saturday October 29. At the event they revealed this was the first time they had been reunited since they left they show.

The eight episode titles are: 'For Tonight We Might Die', 'The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo', 'Nightvisiting', 'Co-Owner of a Lonely Heart', 'Brave-ish Heart', 'Detained', 'The Metaphysical Engine, or What Quill Did' and 'The Lost'. 'Co-Owner of a Lonely Heart' / 'Brave-ish Heart' is a two part story whilst 'Detained' / 'The Metaphysical Engine, or What Quill Did' are separate stories set at the same time.

Press Reaction included: Digital Spy praised the script by writer Patrick Ness. "Ness's script zips all over the place, demanding a huge emotional range from Greg Austin, Sophie Hopkins, Fady Elsayed and Vivian Oparah and these kids knock it out of the park, nailing every single beat". The Telegraph felt the first episode was rather clumsy, but was more impressed with the second. "Things pick up in the second episode, as the script becomes more sophisticated and the true, more adult nature of the series is revealed".

Wales Online explored the teenage angst felt by the main characters. "One thing that becomes apparent pretty early on, is the alienation each of the main characters feel. This is exactly how I would imagine growing up in this day and age to be like. Ness, incidentally, deals with the whole idea of time and space really well." Shannon Molloy in Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph TV Guide of November 13-19 stated. “It’s the eagerly awaited Doctor Who spin-off that has fans around the world buzzing. With a slightly darker take on this universe than its predecessor, this series focuses on four students at Coal Hill School as they juggle friends, parents, school, work, love and sorrow and the potential end of humanity’s existence. Sounds just like my high school experience.”

Other countries to screen Class include: Canada on SPACE at 9 pm ET Saturday, Turkey on Saturday at 12 pm EET on TLC, Dubai at 7 pm GST on BBC First, Singapore on the BBC iPlayer and on BBC First on Sunday at 3 pm SGT, Hong Kong saw it on BBC First from November 1 and in the USA it will be shown on BBC America next year.

At 7.30 pm on November 15 BAFTA Cymru held a preview of 'Detained', shown at Cineworld Cardiff. It was followed by a Q&A with Sophie Hopkins, Vivian Oparah, Jordan Renzo and Patrick Ness. Also part of the event was a BAFTA Career Clever session with Patrick Ness in which he chatted about his work as a screenwriter. Greg Austin, Fady Elsayed, Sophie Hopkins and Vivian Oparah, with producer Derek Ritchie appeared in a global Live Stream on September 23 hosted by Radio 1 Xtra DJ A.Dot. Interesting facts: The episode six “working title was "The 'It Feels Like We're Trapped In A Bottle!' Episode". The song in episode three, titled "Nightvisiting", is by Jim Moray and was recorded especially for the show, you can download it here. Most of the music in Episode three contains Vivian Oparah's voice via distortion and modular synthesis. Coal Hill School is on Foreman Street. Location filming took place at Redcliffe Caves which lie underneath Bristol. The show was originally intended to be titled 'The Class'. It had 85K in overnight ratings for its first episode screening in Australia for people watching in the top five metro cities.

On its future Patrick Ness stated "How long is a series? Could we have something mega clever in mind for season three?"

A two-disc box set DVD and Blu-ray release is set for January 2 2017 in the UK.

David is to appear next spring at London's Wyndham’s Theatre in a production of Patrick Marber’s play Don Juan in Soho, as the title character. It is an updated version of the classic Molière comedy. Other upcoming work that David has completed includes; playing the voice of Mason Savoy in the movie Chew, appearing as John an obnoxious Scottish neighbour, alongside Ingrid Oliver and Peter Davison in You, Me and Him , playing the famous R. D. Laing in Mad to be Normal , a thief in the movie Bad Samaritan and being the voice of Buck Douglas in the Fireman Sam movie. He has completed filming for the third and final season of Broadchurch and has recently been heard on TV in three animated series: Family Guy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Dragons: Race to the Edge . Back in January he received a nomination at the 42nd People's Choice Awards in the category of Favourite Sci-Fi / Fantasy TV Actor which was won by Jensen Ackles. More recently, on June 22, at the 42nd Saturn Awards, hosted by John Barrowman, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor on Television against such people as Richard Armitage and Kit Harington with Vincent D'Onofrio winning.

Christopher appeared at the Southbank Centre on Wednesday October 5 reading H. G. Wells’ The Time Machine . Eccleston was joined by Nikki Amuka-Bird and Emma Hamilton as the dinner guests hearing the Time Traveller’s story.

He is to play the tyrannical Athenian King Oedipus in a new BBC 3 radio adaptation of Anthony Burgess's version of the Sophocles classic. Oedipus the King will be broadcast on February 26 2017 as part of a tribute to Burgess, the writer of A Clockwork Orange who died in 1993. Eccleston has departed from ITV drama Safe House .

He had begun pre-production work on the new series but departed for reasons which ITV has said at the time were "confidential".

He will also return for the final season of The Leftovers, for which earlier this year, he had received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, for his role as Matt Jamison, at the Critics' Choice Television Awards. He will also be seen in the movie Where Hands Touch , a romantic drama.

Sylvester is to appear in the television series Sense8, co-created by The Matrix directors, The Wachowskis, and Babylon 5 creator J Michael Straczynski. His character name is 'The Old Man of Hoy'. He said, "I play in three or four episodes of the next one that's coming out, and they've signed me up for the year after and the year after… if they want me." He tweeted on October 13 “Sylvester filming with Tuppence Middleton in Amsterdam”. Sense8 also features Freema Aygeman.

Peter will star as Leigh, in Mark Murphy’s British horror film End of Term which was filmed from early October through mid-November on location in Yorkshire.

Peter will also be seen in two upcoming television series: Liar, a six-part thriller, as Denis and in the third season of Grantchester as Geoff Towler. With his autobiography, Is There Life Outside the Box?: An Actor Despairs, released on October 6 in the UK, he has done a number of publicity appearances including Good Morning Britain , The Wright Stuff and on talkRADIO.

'The Doctor Who Appreciation Society' has unveiled a blue heritage plaque in memory of Jon Pertwee. The unveiling took place on October 23 at the New Wimbledon Theatre in London and was hosted by Colin Baker. Baker read tributes to the former star, including one from Peter Capaldi, and introduced Jon Pertwee's widow, Ingeborg and his daughter Dariel, who unveiled the plaque. Pertwee worked at the New Wimbledon Theatre many times in his career. It was the venue for the launch of the 1989 Doctor Who play The Ultimate Adventure . Attending the event were many of Pertwee's friends and colleagues, including Terrance Dicks, Katy Manning, Richard Franklin, John Levene, Bob Baker, Timothy Combe, Michael Ferguson, Graeme Harper, Peter Miles, Stephen Thorne, Bernard Holley, Prentis Hancock, June Whitfield, David Banks, Barry Cryer and John Culshaw (in full Third Doctor mode).

The event was followed by a free-to-enter mini-convention at the theatre featuring a screening of 'The Claws of Axos' and panels with the stars. The plaque is now on permanent display in the foyer.

Jenna has recently guest-starred in the opening episode of the second series of Thunderbirds Are Go. She played Baines, the crew boss of a geological survey team who gets trapped when a huge earth-breaking vehicle causes them to fall into a narrow crevice. She has an American accent for the role.

On her role in Victoria she said that there are long-term plans for the show’s future with a second season recently being announced. She has also been seen recently in Me Before You , a romantic comedy film.

Karen is set to write and direct her first feature film called Tupperware Party for newly-launched production company Mt. Hollywood Films. Gillan described the movie as “a visceral piece that may be tough to swallow without a strong chaser.” It is set to film in Scotland in early 2017, after her current run of filming on Dwayne Johnson’s Jumanji sequel is completed. She has recently been seen in In a Valley of Violence , an American Western film, and look out for her in the following upcoming movies: The List, The Circle , Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and All Creatures Here Below.

I Will Find You (Gallifrey Dreams) – here Just For One Day – here The Doctor's Promise - here Running Through Time and Space – here Darker Hues – here 'Meow' the Doctor Who theme on a cat keyboard – here Fake series 10 trailer – here Misinformation Guide Part 2 – here Torchwood Enemies – here Interview with Janet Fielding – here Jenna's American accent – here Rude Who – here Dinner with the Doctor – here Canberra Daleks – here Daleks invade Canadian TV – here Not a “Dr Who prop” – here

Sunday 11 – Sydney Day Event

'Spin Doctor' – Doctor Who spin-offs are investigated. Club Burwood, 97 Burwood Road Burwood. 10 am to 4 pm. Adults: $10, Concession: $7, Family: $20, Children under 13 FREE.

Friday 24 – Central West Local Group Pub Meeting

The Kelso Hotel, Sydney Road Kelso NSW 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm

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

Friday 23 – Central West Local Group Pub Meeting

The Kelso Hotel, Sydney Road Kelso NSW. 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm

Saturday 21 – Allora Local Group Meeting

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

Sunday 29 – Brisbane Local Group Meeting Brisbane Square Library Cnr George and Adelaide Streets Brisbane.

10 am to 3 pm. Admission FREE

Friday 3 – DWCA Book Club

Town Hall Hotel 326 King Street Newtown. (next door to Newtown Railway Station) From 6.30pm. It is being held in conjunction with Inner Sydney Tavern.

Sunday 12 – Sydney Day Event

Club Burwood, 97 Burwood Road Burwood. 10 am to 4 pm. Adults: $10, Concession: $7, Family: $20, Children under 13 FREE.

Sunday 12 – Allora Local Group Meeting

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

.

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.

Please go to the Local Groups webpage to obtain further information.

No Doctor Who at the moment.

December 26 at 7.30 pm screening of 'The Return of Doctor Mysterio'.

December 26 at 7.30 pm screening of 'The Return of Doctor Mysterio'.

From 4 am (AEDT) December 26 screening of 'Power of the Daleks' followed at 10 am by screeing of 'The Return of Doctor Mysterio' No Doctor Who at the moment.

The Saturday 6 am to 10.30 am slot is currently screening five episodes from series 4 onwards.

Screening weekly on Sunday at 7.30 pm are 12th Doctor series 9 stories to be followed by series 5.

Screening weekly on Tuesday at 8.30 pm are 12th Doctor series 9 stories to be followed by series 5. These episodes are repeated the following Sunday at 6.30 pm and again the following Monday early in the morning at 3.30 am.

The Monday to Friday 3.30 pm time-slot from November 30 has just recommenced sreening from 'Rose' onwards.

Began screening on Mondays at 7.30 pm on ABC 2 from October 10 through to December 5. With a repeat on the following Wednesday night at 10.55pm. Also screening on ABC iview on the previous Saturday at 8pm (AEDT) from October 8 to December 3.

None currently.

None Currently.

Pop Con. This Pop Culture convention is

held at the Parramatta PCYC, 12 Hassall Street, Parramatta, on the first Sunday of every month. Featuring toys, collectables, comics, cosplay, games, anime and more.

The DWCA regularly attends these events.

The next one is on December 4 from 8 am to 4 pm. Glick here for more info.

First Contact Conventions. ' Rebellion A Spartacus Convention ' Guests are Barry Duffield, Heath Jones, Ditch Davey and Dan Feuerriegel. In Sydney on January 29 2017. Venue TBC. Go here for more info.

Doctor Who Club of Victoria. Will be

holding a Christmas Lunch on Sunday December 11 from 12.30pm-2.30pm at Harbour Town Hotel, 12 Star Circus, Docklands. Click here for more info.

First Contact Conventions. ' Rebellion A Spartacus Convention ' Guests are Barry Duffield, Heath Jones, Ditch Davey and Dan Feuerriegel. In Melboune on January 28 2017. Venue TBC. Click here for info.

The West Lodge: Inside the Blue Box Inc. Next meetings are: Saturday December 3 2016, January 7 and February 14 2017 from 12.30 pm at the Collins Street Centre, South Perth. More info here.

South Australian Doctor Who Fan Club Inc. The club's next meetings are:

December 3 pub, Buckingham Arms, 5 pm; December 17, Adelaide High Meeting, 3 pm to 10 pm; January 7 pub, Buckingham Arms, 5 pm; January 21 Annual picnic at Adelaide High, meeting from 11 am; February 4 pub, Buckingham Arms, 5 pm; February 18, Adelaide High Meeting, 3 pm to 10 pm. Click here for more info.

Bendigo Whovians Society. Celebrated

their first anniversary by holding "Whovians on the Lake", a picnic at Lake Weerona, on Sunday November 20. Find out more info about the society here.

In an exclusive series of productions the 'Myth Makers' series, produced by Reeltime Pictures, has tracked the amazing story of Doctor Who Magazine and 2016 sees the release of the fourth title looking at the magazine as it celebrates its 500th issue. Previous productions have celebrated the 10th, 20th and 25th anniversaries of the magazine. Now released is a special box set, which brings all four 'Myth Makers' together, offering fans of the magazine a chance to meet virtually everyone who made the magazine the success it has become, from first editor Dez Skin to current editor Tom Spilsbury.

Koch Media re-released Mindgame and Mindgame Trilogy as a DVD box set called Mindgame Saga on November 14. The spin-offs, originally produced by Reeltime Pictures, star Sophie Aldred and Miles Richardson and two of the stories are written by Terrance Dicks. Mindgame is a classic prison cell drama involving three warriors: one human, one Sontaran and one Draconian, who are forced to fight by an evil alien intent on testing the combat skills of creatures.

Mindgame Trilogy continues the individual stories of the warriors in three separate stories, 'Battlefield', 'Prisoner 451' and 'Scout Ship'. The DVD also includes a second disc containing the Making of Mindgame , Making of Mindgame Trilogy, Mindgame and Mindgame Trilogy Slideshows, Mindgame script (including missing scenes) and a new feature for this release – Mindgame Saga Retrospective .

The ‘Heaven Sent and Hell Bent’ Collection, a set of Titans 3” figures from these episodes, has just been released. It features the 12th Doctor in his maroon coat with his new Sonic Screwdriver, as well as his classic blue coat with his cool Sonic Sunglasses (“wearable technology”). Coming along for the ride are his companion Clara, nemesis Missy and ‘big fan’ Osgood, as well as his wife River Song, the immortal Ashildr, Santa Claus, the Fisher King, Davros and Colony Sarff. Each figure is blind-boxed and some come with a character specific accessory, plus there are four hidden 'chase' figures.

T is for TARDIS is a Doctor Who alphabet book featuring

Doctors, companions and monsters both past and present, is available now. It includes stunning original illustrations in a retro style and yes, Z is for Zygon.

The Companion's Companion is a book in which Clara has compiled a comprehensive

guide to travelling with the Doctor. Full of hints and tips on topics such as introducing the Doctor to your family, packing for life on the TARDIS and practising alien first aid, this guide will fully prepare you for life as a companion!

Since the seventies, David J Howe has been collecting merchandise, magazines, original costumes, artwork and props. He arguably holds the biggest collection of Doctor Who merchandise and memorabilia in the world. His dream: a museum in which to display and share his collection. To try and achieve this aim, David has set up an Indiegogo fundraiser to try and get together the funds to bring the premises (which he already owns) up to spec, and to get everything displayed and laid out. The premises are just outside Sleaford in Lincolnshire, and David’s aim is to be able to launch the Museum in the summer of 2018. "It’s a private museum," he explained, "so people can’t just turn up unannounced. But we intend to hold open days, and special events where folks can book to come and see the collection." There are also perks available if you donate, including special signed proof pages from one of David’s books and bundles of goodies donated by Doctor Who author Richard Dinnick. There are more perks being added all the time as friends suggest things which they can provide to help raise the funds.

TARDIS mugs with lids have been released over the years but now we have one with a hinged lid! It stands an impressive 23 cm tall and can hold up to 1.5 litres of your favourite beverage. Designed in close collaboration with the BBC, this innovative design features a genuine pewter thumb lift.

Lovarzi has released the official ‘TARDIS and Daleks Christmas’ scarf and hat. Kurt Adler has released an Adipose Christmas Stocking, which is 48cm long and a 7 cm Adipose Christmas Tree Ornament made from blow-moulded plastic. BBC Shop in the US has a Christmas Ornament Box Set which includes a 12th Doctor and Blue Sonic Screwdriver both of which are 13 cm in length.

Warlord Games have released a number of pewter miniatures which will be used as part of their upcoming tabletop game Into the Vortex due for release in early 2017.

They include: a 12th Doctor set with the 12th Doctor, Clara Oswald, Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint and Strax; a 10th Doctor set with the 10th Doctor, Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Donna Noble and Wilfred Mott; Zygons (two different Zygons); Judoon (three different Judoon) and Silence (three different Silence). These are all 38mm pewter figures. Announced, but not yet released, are two sets, each containing 12 x 38 mm plastic figures of the Daleks and the Cybermen.

Other pewter figures announced are: The 9th Doctor and Companions, The 11th Doctor and Companions, 'Voyage of the Damned', The Dominators, The Vervoids and The Ogrons. Also being worked upon is a Cybermen collectors set which will have 10 different pewter Cybermen, from 'The Moonbase' right up to 'Nightmare in Silver'. The models are supplied unassembled and unpainted.

Three Big Finish Audio plays have been nominated as Best Online / Non Broadcast Drama in the 2017 BBC Radio Drama Awards. Nominated are: Absent Friends (from Doom Coalition 3 ); Death and the Queen (the third story in the Tenth Doctor range) and Torchwood: More Than This. Big Finish won the award in 2014 for Dark Eyes.

Also nominated in the Online category is Baker's End from Bafflegab Productions, starring Tom Baker as himself, alongside Katy Manning and Susan Jameson. David Tennant is nominated as Best Actor, for his performance in BBC Radio 4's Look Back in Anger. Finalists will be announced at the BBC Radio Theatre in London on January 29 2017, hosted by Sir Lenny Henry.

New and classic eras of UNIT will come together in the four-disc audio drama UNIT: Assembled, which is to be released in May 2017. The series, which tells the further adventures of Kate Stewart and Osgood, gains three recruits for the box set Jo Jones , John Benton and Mike Yates. The old enemy in question is the Silurian race, here represented in their new series form and played by Richard Hope and Neve McIntosh (who worked together as Silurians in 'The Hungry Earth' and 'Cold Blood'). Something is stirring, an old foe to those in UNIT with a long memory. And fortunately, to face an old foe… there are old friends.

Originally created to mark the 50th anniversary, Big Finish produced a special range of audiobook titles, each focusing on one of the eleven Doctors. They are collected together here in a new set, plus a bonus ‘making of’ disc. These are dramatised readings, featuring stars from every era including Carole Ann Ford, Frazer Hines, Richard Franklin, Lalla Ward, Janet Fielding, Nicola Bryant, Sophie Aldred, India Fisher, Nicholas Briggs, Catherine Tate and Jenna Coleman.

June 2017 will see the release of Doctor Who - The Companion Chronicles: The First Doctor Volume 2 . The first story, Fields of Terror written by John Pritchard, has now been recorded with Maureen O'Brien reprising her role as Vicki, alongside Robert Hands as Lagrange. The Doctor returns to Revolutionary France, but this time he, along with Steven and Vicki, are drawn into a devastated land, caught between the soldiers who are burning all before them and a monstrous shape that follows in their wake.

To be released in January 2017, this story is set in London, 2005. Yvonne Hartman is the undisputed head of Torchwood One. She is excellent at her job, and inspires devotion in everyone who works with her – until, one day, she makes a terrible mistake.

We all make mistakes. But only at Torchwood can a single mistake plunge your world into interstellar war. Yvonne Hartman's facing the fight of her life.

Coming in June 2017 are the further adventures of Captain Jack Harkness. Guest starring Russell Tovey, Camille Coduri, Alexander Vlahos, Sarah Douglas, Scott Haran, Aaron Neil and Katy Manning. The four adventures see Captain Jack in different times and on different planets, doing battle with a variety of strange and horrible enemies. Written by Guy Adams and James Goss the stories include: The Year After I Died: Set in the year 200,101, on an Earth ravaged by the Daleks, we see Jack struggling to save humanity from its oldest enemy. Wednesdays for Beginners: sees Jack and Jackie Tyler unite to rescue the Powell Estate from a force whose name Jackie can never say. One Enchanted Evening: shows Captain Jack and Alonso Frame having first met. But why did the Doctor want them to be together? There is also Month 25 : where Jack is the young star of the Time Agency, with his whole life about to fall apart. But that’s not going to stop him winning.

It’s the telegram Constance never wanted to read: DEEPLY REGRET TO INFORM YOU LT-CMDR H CLARKE LOST IN ACTION. CLASSIFIED OPERATIONS. Those classified operations concerned a top-secret military project code-named ‘Quicksilver’. A project based in Vienna. A project with alien connections. But bombed-out Vienna is not what it was before the war – with its Strauss music, its glamour and easy charm. It's not the time nor the place for a happy reunion. As Constance Clarke is about to discover... And as the 6th Doctor is about to discover, too!

The 5th Doctor, along with Tegan, Nyssa and Adric, sets course for Gallius Ultima – a planet on the edge of the Milky Way, but the TARDIS arrives to find Gallius U in a state of emergency, tracking the return of the Explorer-class ship Johannes Kepler from its mission into the heart of the mysterious Large Magellanic Cloud. A mission that met with disaster… To find out what overtook the crew of the Johannes Kepler, the Doctor and his companions must journey into the heart of the Cloud… and beyond, into the darkness of another reality altogether. The universe of the Star Men. A mysterious force snatches Adric and Tegan from inside the TARDIS. In search of their lost friends, the Doctor and Nyssa arrive on the planet Zaltys – a world just hours from catastrophe.

Last May Big Finish announced the chance to write a Doctor Who Short Trip, to mark the anniversary of the loss of Big Finish colleague Paul Spragg. Now to be released on December 29 (Paul's birthday) is Doctor Who - Short Trips: Forever Fallen, a 7th Doctor story by Joshua Wanisko, read by Nicholas Briggs.

If you are interested in purchasing any of these items please email shop@doctorwhoaustralia.org.

Please note that not all items will be available through the club.

Please note: All release dates are subject to change. Only the first edition of material is listed. If the item is issued in more than one country, then the release date for the country in which the item is produced is used.

Nov 23: The (Still) Mad One: The Wife in Space Volume 5 (NF) Nov 29: Doctor Who Psychology: A Madman With a Box (NF) Nov: Gaze of the Medusa (Graphic) Nov: Faction Paradox: Opus Majus (F) Nov: Chasing Shadows (NF) Nov: Lethbridge-Stewart: Blood of Atlantis (F) Dec 6: The Twist (Graphic) Dec 6: Running Through Corridors: Volume 2 – the 70s (NF) Dec 6: Space Helmet for a Cow: The Mad, True Story of Doctor Who – Volume 2: 1990-2013 (NF) Dec 15: Totally Tasteless: The Life of John Nathan-Turner (NF) Dec: A Clockwork Iris (F) Dec: Downtime: The Lost Years of Doctor Who (NF) Dec: All the Strange, Strange Creatures: Volume 1 (NF) Dec: The 500 Year Diary: Volume Two (1973- 1983) (NF) Dec: Erimem: A Pharaoh of Mars (F) Dec: Hating to Love: Re-assessing the 52 Worst Doctor Who Stories of All Time (NF)

Dec: Lethbridge-Stewart: Mind of Stone (F)

2017

Jan 3: The Malignant Truth (Graphic) Jan 5: The Pirate Planet (F) Jan 13: Supremacy of the Cybermen (Graphic) Jan 17: Doctormania (Graphic) Jan 30: Once Upon a Time Lord: The Myths and Stories of Doctor Who (NF) Jan 31: The Black Archive #9: The God Complex (NF) Jan: Paternoster Investigations (NF) Jan: Faction Paradox: Weapons Grade Snake Oil (F) Feb: Sins of the Father (Graphic)

Nov 14: Mindgame Saga (DVD and Bluray) Reeltime Nov 16: Myth Makers – Doctor Who Magazine box set Reeltime Dec 14: The Power of the Daleks (Australian release date) Nov 29: Monster Gift Set (DVD and Blu-ray)

2017

Mar 31: Return to Devil’s End (DVD and Blu-ray) Reeltime Australian release dates for The Movie (Blu-ray), Class (DVD and Blu-ray) and The Power of the Daleks (Blu-ray) have yet to be confirmed.

These release dates are for Australia .

Oct: Doom Coalition 3 Nov: Monthly #217 The Memory Bank and Other Stories Nov: The Early Adventures 3.2 The Fifth Traveller Nov: Jago & Litefoot Series 12 Dec: Monthly #218 Order of the Daleks

Dec: The Early Adventures 3.3 The Ravelli Conspiracy Dec: The War Doctor 3: Agents of Chaos Dec: The Third Doctor Adventures Vol 2 Dec: Torchwood 10th Anniversary Special Release: The Torchwood Archive Jan: Monthly #219 Absolute Power Jan: Monthly #220 Quicksilver Jan: The Early Adventures 3.4 The Sontarans Jan: Novel Adaptations: Original Sin Jan: Novel Adaptations: Cold Fusion Jan: UNIT – The New Series: Silenced Jan: Torchwood Special Release: Outbreak Jan: The New Counter Measures Series 1 Nov: Lethbridge-Stewart: Beast of Fang Rock (Fantom) Nov: Lethbridge-Stewart: Mutually Assure Domination (Fantom) Dec 1: The Space Pirates (BBC Classic Series audio) Dec 1: Scales of Injustice (BBC Classic Series audio)

2017

Jan 5: The Pirate Planet (BBC Classic Series audio) Jan 5: The Lost Angel (BBC New Series Audio) Feb 2: Tales from the TARDIS: Volume 2 (BBC Classic Series audio) Feb 2: Horror of Fang Rock (BBC Classic Series audio) Mar 2: Four to Doomsday (BBC Classic Series audio) Mar 2: The Lost Planet (BBC New series audio) Apr 6: The Mind of Evil (BBC Classic Series audio) Apr 6: Classic TV Adventures (BBC Classic Series audio)

Nov 6: The Twelfth Doctor #2.11 Nov 9: The Third Doctor Miniseries #3 Nov 23: The Tenth Doctor #2.16

Doctor Who Magazine

Nov 17 – No. 506, Dec 15 – No. 507, Jan 12 – No. 508, Feb 9 – No. 509 Oct 28: The Essential Doctor Who #9 Invasions of Earth Dec 28: Doctor Who Magazine Special #45 2017 Yearbook

Doctor Who Adventures

Nov 10 – No. 21, Dec 8 – No. 22, Jan 5 – No. 23, Feb 2 – No. 24.

Doctor Who Figurine Collection

Oct 20: 83 – Gun Dalek.

Nov 3: 84 – Monoid Nov 3: Special #9 – Mechanoid Nov 17: 85 – Vigil Dec 1: 86 – Sontaran Linx Dec 1: Rare Dalek 7 Dec 1: Gold Dalek Bonus Edition 1 Dec 1: Silver Dalek Drone Bonus Edition 2 Dec15: 87– Black Dalek Dec 29: 88– The Hath Dec 29: Special #10 – Christmas Robot Jan 12: 89 – The Master

ASTRAL Don’t get me wrong. I love Big Finish. Always have. But one problem for me with box sets and their sequels is that if they are released say, every six months, I have forgotten some details of the story arc by the time the next one comes out. Big Finish has so much output that my brain has to occasionally delete memory to let more in!

I’ve had that problem with Doom Coalition . It’s a very complex and interwoven tale that lets out the plot details very slowly. None of this diminishes my enjoyment of the set though. Paul McGann never ceases to impress as the 8th Doctor, with companions Liv Chenka (Nicola Walker) and Helen Sinclair (Hattie Morahan) putting in outstanding performances.

While River Song has scooted around the edges of the 8th Doctor’s timeline and been careful not to be discovered as his future wife, the highlight of this release has to be River and the 8th Doctor joining forces for the final episode in the set. I’ll let you discover for yourself how it’s played out.

Top marks must go to John Dorney for his episode ‘Absent Friends’, a highly emotive story for people who have lost someone they love, which is pretty much all of us. I particularly liked hearing John’s reasons for writing this episode in the extras. Those reasons seemed to give the actors even more impetus to give it their all.

After one listen to this set I want to go running back to Doom Coalition 1 and start all over again. I feel this is a tale that will keep on getting better and better after each listen.

In fact, how good is the new Big Finish listening app? Time for a hot cuppa and a listen right this second!

L MAP I saw it at the Westgarth cinema in Melbourne on Saturday. It was in a 'movie format', rather than episodic. Strangely though, it started with "Episode One" in the titles, so I was expecting at the very least fade-in / fade-out at the end of episodes, but this didn't happen. The cinema had a capacity of approximately 120, there were perhaps 25 people there. Interestingly, half were kids, and all were patient, well behaved, and seemed to enjoy the story.

The backgrounds were beautifully drawn; the Daleks in drawing and movement were stunning. It was the characters (both in terms of drawing and movement) which let it down. There was a small documentary at the end, which explained the time and budget limitations they faced. Had I known that beforehand I would have both been more forgiving of the jerkiness of the animation and also not let it affect my enjoyment of the story as much.

There were four errors in the animation I saw, one major, three minor. In the first / second episode (it's hard to tell), Ben and Polly had an unintended costume change. They were in their 'Tenth Planet' gear, it switches to a shot where Bragen is talking about putting them in colonist clothing, there is a shot of Ben and Polly in colonist clothing then in the next shot, they are back in their 'Tenth Planet gear'. It's like a continuity error in animation.

Some minor points: throughout the story, they kept switching the way in which the Doctor was playing the recorder (left hand high vs right hand high); later in the piece Quinn's name badge dances around; in the final scene, the TARDIS is overlaid on the Dalek's sucker arm; and when Janley gets shot, there is a nice touch of her shoe coming off. Is this based on telesnaps I wonder? I also noticed they had drawn her with Morton's toe – was this just for the hell of it, or does that reflect the actress in question?

Hearing it in surround sound was awesome, especially in episode six with the fighting in the colony. It was a tough slog, even for me as a keen fan. A short break at the end of episode three would have been nice.

They could have used the documentary as a short, before the main feature. It might / would have provided good context for the feature we were about to see. Only one person left the cinema during the credits, everyone else hung around to watch the doco.

I now get why so many people want this story back. It's very strong, tense and tight. Pace slackens off a bit in the middle, but I'd say that episodes one and six would now be far higher amongst my all-time wanted recoveries.

After seeing 'Enemy of theWorld', I can only imagine some of Troughton's facial expressions and looks in this; it makes me sad that it's no longer in its original form.

Will I get it on DVD? Probably, if only for the commentary tracks. Despite my small gripes above, I'm really glad they have done it, and glad I went.

More please! • Paul Edwards

After the success of Dalek Ky's infiltration of the 2015 Allora State School Spring Fair, Dalek Ky was invited to attend again this year on Saturday, September 10. Dalek Ky agreed, but this time he brought re-enforcements!

Local Allora Dalek owner Fraser Clark, was joined by dedicated Whovian Daniel Humphreys from Brisbane to put together a fantastic display of Doctor Who monsters, characters and props for the school's annual fund raising event. Dalek Ky, a classic "Mk I" Dalek, teamed up with Daniel's Dalek Fred, a 2005 series black Dalek, to scare and intimidate the children. Daniel and his son Mark donned the costumes of a Vashta Nerada infested space suit and a clockwork android, both of which impressed and terrified onlookers, especially when they made sudden movements after pretending to be motionless mannequins.

A special Doctor Who raffle was run with all funds raised going to the school's P&C group. The prize included a couple of sonic screwdriver toys, a box set of Doctor Who books and some Doctor Who stickers and stationery.

The display attracted a reasonable part of the crowd with some even commenting that the Doctor Who display was the best stall at the fair.

On Saturday, September 24, Toowoomba City Library held their inaugural Toowoomba Comic Con, a general comic and pop culture convention. After hearing that the event organisers had unsuccessfully tried to procure a TARDIS, I stepped in to offer the services of Dalek Ky. The event attracted fans, cosplayers and pop culture enthusiasts of all ages from far and wide. Special guests at the event included Stephanie 'Hex' Bendixsen of ABC's Good Game, comic illustrators and writers Adam Nichols, Wayne Nichols, Adam Rose, Rob O'Connor and Will McLaren. Other attractions included: a replica Batmobile, stalls, panels and workshops.

Dalek Ky patrolled the upstairs level at the event, taking part in many photo opportunities. Somehow, everyone who ventured to the upper level managed to escape extermination. The general consensus was that the event was a massive success and plans are already under-way to make an even bigger event next year.

Dalek Ky will also be back next year.

It was the first event of this nature attempted in Toowoomba and proved beyond a doubt that such events can work in smaller communities.

I love the War Doctor. I love the idea of the War Doctor. I love that he's played by John Hurt. I love the idea that he's effectively the Doctor’s dark reflection, a Doctor unbound by his moral code. Except as we've seen time and again, he's NOT unbound by the Doctor’s moral code. He tries to fight against it, but fundamentally, he's still the Doctor. He tries to define himself as “not the Doctor” by not using the name. He tries to justify to everyone that he's not “that man”. No one believes him, not even the audience.

But now, not once but twice we find the War Doctor being “not the Doctor”.

And all I have to say is “hallelujah”. Now, as I say, I love the character, but like many I want something more than “a Doctor who hates himself and what he's done.”. And at long last, we get just that. Two massive events, both part of the climax of their respective stories, that are entirely 'undoctorish'. Both demonstrate his ruthless pragmatism and 'no second chances' attitude (in fact, the first moment involves him dooming someone to a fate literally worse than death without a pause or single moment of “do I have the right?” moral hand wringing). I was left thinking “there is no way the Doctor would have done that” which is exactly the point. He's not the Doctor.

I'm also in love with the setting of the first story, 'The Shadow Vortex' by David Llewellyn (1950s Berlin, on both sides of The Wall), and I'd have loved if the entire box set was set there, with the plot being the War Doctor versus Neve McIntosh's brilliant but thoroughly dangerous Lara Zannis (I get the impression of her having had a previous relationship with the Doctor) across both sides of The Wall, a story full of spies, espionage and ever rising stakes.

Instead it's the setting of just the first story, allowing for a tense tale and an answer to the question “why and how was Earth kept out of the Time War?” (SPOILERS, it's all You-Know-Who’s fault).

The second story, 'The Eternity Cage' by Andrew Smith, explores the Sontarans and the lengths they'll go to in order to get involved in the Time War (and also demonstrates exactly how stupid the Time Lords can be). And we're also back to the War Doctor being, effectively, just another incarnation of the Doctor again. Ho-Hum, it's still a good story, Hurt is in fine form as is his supporting cast, with Cardinal Olestra (Jacqueline Pearce) getting less and less Servelan-y (Pearce’s famous role in Blake’s 7), more out of her depth and even pitiable.

The final story, 'Eye of Harmony' by Ken Bentley, features a game of cat-andmouse aboard a dying TARDIS between the Doctor, Olestra, a Time Lord traitor and the Dalek Time Strategist (Nick Briggs channelling his Sherlock Holmes via a Bond villain). Neve McIntosh (who I can attest to being a lovely woman) is delightfully nasty. John Hurt is wonderfully gruff and suitably heroic. Jacqueline Pearce is at turns superior and vulnerable (which sums up the Time Lords nicely). Nick Briggs (whose performances and Big Finish omnipresence have been want to drive a friend of mine up the wall) is in fine form, investing each Dalek with a degree of individuality, and creating a unique character for the Time Strategist Dalek (who repeatedly introduces himself as the Time Strategist Dalek, even to other Daleks).

Despite featuring a return of “not something the Doctor would do” I found it something of a damp squib. In fact, I'd call it the weakest War Doctor story I've heard.

Doctor Who The Complete History is a partwork series that comes out every two weeks and tells the complete history of the production of Doctor Who.

Like the VHS and DVD releases, the books are being released in a seemingly random order, which makes little sense for those who are interested in some eras of the show but not others.

I have mixed feelings about them. Although I get them every fortnight I can't honestly say they're worth it at $25 each. Especially when all they are is a slightly rewritten, slightly dumbed down version of the "Archive" which ran in Doctor Who Magazine for years. They do look (and smell!) great however.

One particular issue for example (volume 5 five on the spine, but number 11 on the sticker on the front) covers 'The Crusade', 'The Space Museum', 'The Chase', and 'The Time Meddler'. As with all issues each story is looked at separately and is divided up into separate sections.

Each story gets a one page title page. These are by far my favourite parts of the books. Vastly superior to most Doctor Who artwork that has ever been released, they would make wonderful posters, t-shirts, or replacement DVD covers. The one for 'The Crusade' is especially good and each one makes you want to watch the story again (yes, even 'The Space Museum').

A fairly basic one page introduction to the story is given along with a simple synopsis of each episode, which reminds me of the early days of Doctor Who Weekly. Other sections are fairly self explanatory. Pre-production looks at how the story was commissioned, script changes, title changes, actors considered for roles, etc. In the case of the historicals it also gives background on the real events that inspired them.

Production is the nuts and bolts. This will tell you exactly when (down to the last minute) and where each scene was recorded. There are also sections like: Publicity – which tells you of TV and magazine appearances related to the story, Broadcast – which gives contemporary reactions, ratings, and what was being shown on other channels at the same time, and Merchandise – which looks at books, videos, DVDs, and toys, etc.

Finally each story gets a profile of someone involved with the story. These are simple overviews of the person’s career, and in volume five they cover director Douglas Camfield for 'The Crusade', associate producer Mervyn Pinfield for 'The Space Museum', actor William Russell for 'The Chase', and Meddling Monk actor Peter Butterworth for 'The Time Meddler'.

There are also lots of great pictures, several of which I've never seen before. My recommendation would be that although they're not worth $25 if you see them for $10 or $15 on eBay or elsewhere then consider buying them. If you've been a fan for a long time though you probably won't learn anything you don't already know. And although they look good, in all honesty, people are probably better off looking at old issues of Doctor Who Magazine with the appropriate Archive feature.

Jenna Coleman is offered the role of Queen Victoria, her indecision ends, she decides to leave Doctor Who. The opportunity to play the title character in a major mini-series is too good to miss, as is the scope of the character she will be playing. Is it the right cue for her to leave Doctor Who? I am happy to report it is, for both series. It allows one to freshen up its regular cast and the other a delightful new turn from Coleman as she proves she has the chops to succeed away from the TARDIS. Victoria covers the brief period 1837-1840 but a good deal occurs, not least the coronation, the wedding, a stalker and an assassination attempt. Coleman is a strong screen presence and as Victoria she is tough and vulnerable in appropriate measure. Often playing against Victoria’s evident insecurity, digging deep to be brave, touching character moments are created. Interestingly and very differently, there are other moments when flashes of great strength and imperiousness jump out. This is when the future Victoria recorded by history emerges. These glimpses are the moments Coleman really seems to own the part.

In history books the later Empress Victoria overshadows her younger self, much the same way the older tyrannical Henry VIII almost obliterates his younger, more convivial and better regarded self from the record. This series focuses on an inexperienced, sheltered eighteen year old fighting for her own independence and that of her monarchy. Male characters vying for power and royal favor, the fervid desperation that she marry and produce an heir, her mother’s own rigid expectations (although she herself is under siege from misogyny) all conflict Victoria. Coleman handles very well the character’s growth as she seeks her own identity and to exercise her own will. In her performance, when the flashes of future assuredness do appear, we are also reminded that the Empress is out there.

There is no doubt history plays second fiddle to dramatic content, this is TV not a lecture, but for the most part wholesale inaccuracy is avoided. Romance is a successful ingredient. I found Tom Hughes’s portrayal of Albert quite sublime, not to take anything at all away from the erudite Lord Melbourne crafted by Rufus Sewell. The Victoria and Albert romance in its early awkwardness is quite affecting and well delivered. It’s culmination is moving and joyous, despite the viewer being aware of what happens next, the downside of accurate historical drama. The huge support cast is genuinely terrific. Among them, Torchwood fans, Eve Myles doesn’t appear to be “Eve Myles in a period outfit” but an entirely new and true character.

A moment that sticks in mind is Victoria tearing strips off the King of Hanover, her uncle, the most strident foreshadowing of future self – with the cake iced by immediately following this moment with an impish almost-skip and childlike twinkle. I’m not going to bang on about the costumes, just take a look at them and enjoy. Like the sets and production design, top notch, feeling lived in and authentic and not too theme park.

The last moment is a slight let-down, due to “Victoria will return in 2017” emblazoned across the screen overshadowing the quiet intimacy the script intends. Overall Victoria is a worthy investment of time for historical drama gluttons, romantics and Jenna Coleman fans. After this series I am proudly all three.

I recently took advantage of visiting Canberra to see the “Collecting Doctor Who” exhibition at the Canberra Museum. The exhibition features the entire collection of Timothy Kirsopp, a long term Doctor Who fan and school teacher.

He’s been collecting Doctor Who merchandise and paraphernalia since 1989 and had amassed over 3000 separate items. Other than publicly displaying his collection, Tim hopes to break an existing Guinness World Record for the largest number of collected Doctor Who items. According to newspaper reports, the previous record was held by 14 year old Ianto Williams from Wales, UK whose collection comes in at over 2100 individual pieces. With Tim’s collection currently listed as 3215 pieces he had a good chance of setting a new record. Unfortunately, Guinness World Records recently had a purge of records and it appears they have made the record inactive and are no longer accepting submissions for “The largest collection of Doctor Who memorabilia”.

Tim’s collection is fascinating and seems to strongly reflect the era in which he became a Doctor Who fan – in the dying days of the original series. Contained within the collection is a wide range of merchandise covering all of the decades from the 1960s through to current era but with a heavy focus on items that were produced after 1989. I could not do the collection justice to try to list all of the items contained within the display. Highlights for me included seeing all of the books, annuals and magazines together, the Dapol figures and the collection of Daleks.

Is the collection a comprehensive documentation of all of the merchandise and paraphernalia produced over the 53-year history of the show? Simply put, no. There is no doubt it is an impressive collection but there are some significant gaps. This is not fault of Tim. He’s done a fantastic job collating and collecting so many pieces over the last 27 years. The reality is that so many items have been licensed over the lifetime of the series that it would be hard to acquire all of them. In addition, there are numerous unlicensed items that also feature within Tim’s collection. What makes the display at the Canberra Museum something special is it gives Doctor Who fans the chance to see an amazing collection and reflect on all that has gone before in the history of the show's memorabilia. Too many of us have undocumented collections that are hidden away in cupboards and are never seen by our fellow Doctor Who fans, let alone the general public. Tim has proudly chosen to display his collection to show just how amazing such a collection can be.

The question for everyone, though, is how large is your collection? Do you have more items than Tim?

Pinball Arcade, who make the best and most realistic computerized pinball games based on the original pinball units, have finally released Doctor Who Pinball (on Android). What a treat this is. Born out of a Kickstarter campaign, they have lovingly restored each piece of artwork, sound, special effects (including the not-so-special ones from the original) and seven Doctors to play with. Released during the 7th Doctor era, the plot has the Master teaming up with the Daleks and Davros to take control of the Time Expander. If you're familiar with the pinball game Pinbot (Bride of, etc), you have to lock in two balls in two eye shapes, hit all of the raised front targets which raises again to three Dalek windows. Shoot the ball through any and you get multi ball action with Daleks screeching Exterminate!!! Fantastic!!!

And another new pinball version featuring the latest 2005+ Doctors is coming later this year. If you only buy one Pinball Arcade game this year… then buy this one too as it's really, really good.

Companion Chronicles often deal with history – after all, the format involves the telling of the history of Doctor Who. ‘Second Chances’ deals with a future history – one Zoe first visits with the Doctor, then later lives through after her travels. The telling of the story becomes the enacting of it, as Zoe gets the opportunity to change events – it’s her second chance. It’s a strong sci-fi hook for the character elements, combining with evocative dialogue and performances to make a tragic yet hopeful tale. With a snatch of dodgy dialogue its only flaw; this is a superior Companion Chronicle.

An excellent jumping-on point if you like science-y stuff and want to see something creepy, about as close as Classic Who got to ‘Blink’ scary. The story’s signature monster, the avant-garde stone statue Melkur, had such an effect on me as a kid that it remains my oldest memory of the show. To this day I can’t stop watching this story if I catch it on TV; the plot is engaging yet it *does* survive skipping the middle two parts. I won’t spoil the reveal of the decade but the final seconds are heart-breaking! Just rushed, compared to now.

Sutekh the Sardonic destroyer: "You pit your puny will against mine? Kneel before the might of Sutekh in my presence, you are an ant, abase yourself you grovelling insect!"

Sutekh the twisted abhorrence who is Set, Sados and Satan combined according to our beloved Tommy Baker is suffering from a form of egocentric 'Oh Mummy' megalomania!

His maniacal and malevolent evil will destroy all lifeforms throughout the cosmos including "his plaything" planet Earth! "I am Sutekh the destroyer, your evil is my good, where I tread I leave nothing but dust and darkness." Egyptology, Mars, Sutekh, Tom Baker, Elizabeth Sladen, Robert Holmes (AKA Stephen Harris) and, Phillip Hinchcliffe! Truly the legends and golden years of classic Who! My favourite story by far! I even went to Egypt

to check out temples devoted to the Gods! I asked the Tour Guide about finding Sutekh’s temple as we were in the temple of Horus! He just looked at me weirdly – definitely not a Doctor Who fan – lol! But I managed to obtain an Eye of Horus papyrus from a museum, which is in the living room across from my Sutekh hand signed photo and Sutekh doll with his glowing green eyes - lol!

I was a little nervous about the new 'Doctor Who' spin­of f, 'Class', especia lly since I cringe a little bit every time I hear the words 'young adult'. But I actual ly quite enjoyed the first two episodes and thin k that it's got some promise. The first half of episode one was a little slow and had a lot of the YA tropes that I'm not so keen on, but once the action picked up it definitely improved. And they definitely don't mind showing some blood, that's for sure.

Call me pleasantly surprised.

Ashley Tuchin 'The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo' Buckets of blood at high school! thoughts Thought I'd better hurry up and write my ht. With down before watching epeiode three tonig de really the set­up now out of the way, this episo the way settles into some proper storytelling. Love it's all the merger is left unexplained. Goodness, see the rather gory! (Very ef fectively so). Nice to trauma of events from episode one carried I wonder through. Loved the inspector sub­plot...

odo

period of a number of episodes to mystery. The resolution of the ep had a very short time to actually things up and the way of defeati

monsters was simplistic and very unsatisfying. Given all the hype writer that we've been hearing fo now, I expected a much stronger stick with it though because, as I

I do like the characters and hop get better. Loved Miss Quill.

Grant

­ and so Class...tw o episodes in and, well, it is enjoyable than Mof fat Who, ev en if it does rip of Buf fy in a de sperate kind of wa y. Still, all there is quirky hu mour in the writi ng (perhaps to Capaldi's cameo in the first episode is easily his v as the Doctor. Bl ood and sex and nudity provide to spice up alien invasion scenario s and the surpr an alien world an d his eccentric "s lave" Ms Quill is welcome. I look forward to episo de three with fa than I do the fo rthcoming 'Docto r Who' Xmas Spe

who the Governors are?

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The unexpected death Robot snogging Bunghole of time Ram's dad ­ wonderful character. r."

"They choose not to see. Fascinating powe George Ivanof f Ames is a d

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love it.

Annaliese M cGuire

'Nightvisiting'. Yes, I just watched it. I think this episode is going to have much more of an impact on those who have lost someone clo se to them. As I am fo rtu nate enough not to have had this experience I wil l lea ve my opinion aside so as to allow space for discu ssi on by those who have lost someone important to them.

Gareth Mills

'Co­Owner of a Lonely Heart' April's father being freed from prison has exacerbate the situation in this story.

April sure showed her rage and what a shock when she put her hand inside her mother.

This scene, of her showing her rage, undoubtedly represented Sophie Hopkins' best performance as April and in addition there is also her use of the scimitar.

A brilliant clif fhanger of April going through the crack followed by Ram. Matthew Chi Yan See

ty the leads are go od, oo much) and Pe ter very best turn ev er e a heady cockta il rise of a Prince fr om l as core charac ters ar more interest r, his fathe am and ow. :­) R n e e ecial. w t t h e sh hip be relations r pa r t o f ansfield Stephen Collins Loving the becomes a large Dolly Dr t a h t g hopin

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C O VE R I N When did your interest in art start?

Very young. I drew constantly growing up. Movies, cartoons and comic books were a big influence on me. I was obsessed with The Dark Crystal, E.T. and all things Star Wars and used to draw them all the time. At around twelve I started making a conscious effort to improve my drawing skills.

How did you go about turning that interest into a career?

Practice, surrounding myself by similar minded people (one of my early jobs was working at Disney TV Animation) and also having perseverance and focus and not deviating from the career path I wanted.

Where does your training come from? Self-taught? College / Art School?

Self-taught with the aid of an extensive art book collection and loads of practice.

What artists inspire you?

Growing up I was inspired by the fantasy work of Frank Frazetta, and also comic artists like John Byrne, Art Adams, Alan Davis, Jim Lee and Jamie Hewlett.

What areas of art do you work in?

For the last 20 years I've primarily been a commercial artist and illustrator, but I enjoy working in a wide scope of mediums and styles, from caricature to comic art, girly pin-ups to portraiture. I don't like to limit myself.

Are there any areas, techniques, mediums, projects in your field that you would like to do but have yet to try?

Would love to try toy design, puppetry, sculpting, filmmaking, the list goes on, but realistically I'm aiming to get some Marvel or DC cover illustration work in the new year.

Are you a SF / Doctor Who fan? If so anything in particular?

My father is a big SF fan, so that interest rubbed off on me. I used to watch Tom Baker all the time when I was younger.

Have you worked for Titan before?

This is my first year working for Titan Comics. The Doctor Who cover was my fifth cover for Titan. Before then I did some Tank Girl, Vikings and Dishonored covers.

How did getting the Cyberman cover come about?

Andrew James from Titan approached me to do the variant cover after seeing

N G WH O

some of my other Titan cover work. It had a very tight deadline but I'd been secretly hoping to do a Doctor Who cover, so I wasn't about to pass on the opportunity.

What references did you use?

Titan supplied me with a whole bunch of photo references to work from to make sure I achieved perfect likenesses for all the Doctors. With the Cyberman I wanted him looking very ominous.

Their look and shape is so iconic and unique that I was able to have him in almost full silhouette, and yet he's still instantly recognisable.

How was the cover done?

I started with a pencil rough. Once that was approved it was digitally inked and coloured using a Cintiq and Photoshop.

What feedback did you get from Titan about the Doctor Who cover?

"Good lord, that's stunningly lovely". So I was happy with that.

Have you received a copy of the publication that it appears on?

Not yet. It was solicited a few weeks ago on Forbidden Planet's website but I don't think it's released until January.

Here's the link.

Any chance of more Who work?

I hope so, Doctor Who was a big part of my upbringing so I'd love to do more, especially a Tom Baker cover.

Which of your projects are you the most proud of? And why?

A few years ago I did some official Star Wars prints which were well received.

They were exhibited at Art Expo New York and NYCC, and the Chewbacca art can be seen in Leonard's bedroom on The Big Bang Theory. Also getting to work on Tank Girl and recently for Marvel are two personal milestones for me as well.

What are some of your current projects?

I am currently doing some Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and Spiderman character art for Marvel. Also doing some merchandise art for Nitro Circus, and ongoing covers for Tank Girl.

If people are interested in your work how can they contact you?

They can see my work on my blog and and contact me through my Behance page.

The following report has been reprinted from the Gallifreyan Guardian, the newsletter of the Guardians of Gallifrey, a Doctor Who fan club from Central Florida. The club has recently celebrated its 30th Anniversary and they have kindly allowed us to use the report and the photos that Pat took, to give Australian's an idea of what it is currently like to be a fan of Doctor Who in the US.

Hello, fellow Guardians! I know it’s been a while since I’ve been to a meeting (too long, I know), but I have been with you in spirit (hey, I just paid my dues for another year). I wish I could have been with you during the Guardians of Gallifrey’s 30th anniversary spectacular get-together. Speaking of anniversaries, 2016 has brought us many awesome golden TV anniversaries such as Doctor Who, Batman , Star Trek , Dark Shadows, etc. Indeed, the reason I was unable to attend the Guardian’s celebration was due to the fact that I was in Tarrytown, New York, attending the 'Dark Shadows Festival'. Alas, too much fandom, too little time.

When Doctor Who had its 50th anniversary, I celebrated by indulging in all things Doctor Who: DVDs/Blu-rays, VHS, Big Finish audio adventures, comic books, magazines, books, cards, autographs, fanzines, and more. Celebrating Dark Shadows was no different. The long sold out 'Dark Shadows Fest' was a perfect way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Dark Shadows. While I was there, who should I see but none other than Matthew Waterhouse!

Devotees of classic Doctor Who will know him as Adric, companion to the 5th Doctor. Matthew revealed that when he was first asked to participate in a Doctor Who audio adventure for Big Finish, he had respectfully declined. Apparently, he is also a big Dark Shadows fan, and, when he mentioned this to Big Finish, he was offered a job working on the Dark Shadows audios! His Dark Shadows audio works include The Creeping Fog , The Crimson Pearl and Bloodlust, all of which are excellent stories. Since then, he has agreed to (thankfully!) work on the Doctor Who audios for Big Finish. As a fellow fan of Dark Shadows, I am glad he won a door prize at the 'Dark Shadows Festival' banquet!

The 'Dark Shadows Fest' was held June 2426, 2016 (the series premièred on June 27, 1966). A week later, I found myself in Miami, Florida attending the 'Florida Supercon'! I’m sorry I don’t have any anecdotes regarding the lovely guest Alex Kingston (River Song from the new series for those who sleep while watching the show). I had seen Alex at a previous 'Florida Supercon', so I focused on other endeavours.

I did meet David Warner whom many of you know from Tron , Time Bandits, Star Trek , et. al. What you might not know is that he played the Doctor! Yes, in the Big Finish audios (that again), Doctor Who: Unbound, David Warner plays a “What if?” parallel time, sort of, Doctor. He has played other roles for Big Finish Doctor Who and Dark Shadows (that again). I mentioned this to him, and he smiled, turned and introduced his 'companion' that was sitting in the background. It was none other than Lisa Bowerman!

Apparently, she was just tagging along with David at the convention. Lisa was in the final classic Doctor Who story 'Survival'. She has also acted in and directed numerous Big Finish (yes, that again) Doctor Who audios, not the least of which is her portrayal of Bernice “Benny” Summerfield for 18 years! Benny made her first appearance in the Virgin paperback Love and War in 1992, but has literally come alive in the Big Finish audios. Lisa was gracious, charming and fun. After a delightful conversation, she said to me:, “It was a joy to meet you.” I felt like I was the celebrity.

Well, fellow Whovians, it’s time for me to check out.

See ya at the cons!

The second part of the survey looked at what people think of the 12th Doctor and the actor who plays him, Peter Capaldi, plus his companion Clara Oswald as played by Jenna Coleman. The survey concluded with obtaining some idea of which of the characters from the season were peoples' favourites.

Where people were asked to rate something, they were offered a range of 1 to 10, with 1 being Abysmal and 10 being Magnificent. Although it was not specified the other numbers in the range were: 2 – Very Poor, 3 – Poor, 4 – Below Average, 5 – Average, 6 – Above Average, 7 – Good, 8 – Very Good and 9 – Excellent.

Overall people really liked the 12th Doctor. Over 37% of the people who voted selected "Magnificent" and using the 1 to 10 range I found on average the figure for these numbers was 8.6 which comes out somewhere between "Very Good" and "Excellent".

Magnificent 86 Excellent 58 Very Good 45 Good 15 Above Average 15 Average 5 Below Average 0 Poor 0 Very poor 2 Abysmal 3 No answer 7

Five comments about the character of the 12th Doctor from people who entered the survey: 1 2 is amazing! :) 1 0/1 0 I've always loved his grouchy, give-no-care (but actually does) attitude. Monique

Moushis, NSW

I love the older, less easy-going Doctor...I truly hope he does stick around for at least one series under Chibnall.

Paul Townshend, SA

I love the 1 2th Doctor, it took me a while to warm to him... but he may have become my favourite! Kristy

Gatens, Vic

Glad they got rid of the "lovey-dovey" aspect of the series. "I am not your boyfriend" is sooo right. He should be slightly aloof. Angela Gillespie, NSW The best Doctor ever since it returned in 05. Luke Sandford, NSW

If people really liked the 12th Doctor they loved Peter Capaldi's performance with over 57% rating his performance as "Magnificent". The average of scores jumped to a truly impressive 9.13 somewhere between "Excellent" and "Magnificent"!

Magnificent 131 Excellent 53 Very Good 25 Good 4 Above Average 9 Average 2 Below Average 1 Poor 1 Very poor 1 Abysmal 2 No answer 7

Four people's comments about Capaldi's performance:

I always have this nagging doubt that we've never seen Capaldi's Doctor under full steam. This is not a complaint, just that there is a subtlety and reserve there, hinting at layers we have yet to see. David Ronayne, NZ I find that Peter Capaldi's acting skills have shown me a new side of the Doctor that I dare say haven't been around for sometime. Lucas Barrows, NSW I've watched Doctor Who since I was a boy and William Hartnell was the Doctor. Peter Capaldi's interpretation and performance has me riveted. I recently re-watched 'Heaven Sent' without ad breaks. Peter has left me wanting more.

Sometimes I watch other actors playing the Doctor and I think the actor is performing the Doctor. For me watching Peter Capaldi in Series 9 was like watching the Doctor that I've grown up with over 50 years, just inhabiting Peter's body. Peter Wood, NZ Peter Capaldi has returned to the more serious side of the Doctor. A perfect foil after the 'youthful' Matt Smith. Mitch

McCosker, NSW

Yes 200 No 31 No answer 5

Yes 197 No 35 No answer 4 Nearly identical results for both questions. Obviously people feel the Doctor and Capaldi have improved.

A variety of different opinions about the Doctor and Capaldi from series 8 to 9.

Peter's Doctor didn't quite seem to know who he was this year. At least Season 8 he was consistent. Season 9 he was a yo-yo going from amusing to threatening quicker than a Zarbi on acid doing the foxtrot! Matthew Faza-

kerley, SA

I feel the Doctor hasn't changed significantly from S8, and Capaldi's performance has been consistently excellent. Katherine Deane, Qld Marked difference in the character between Series 8 and 9 perhaps best typified by the stupid glasses, axe and tank in episode 1 . Preferred the sarcastic old man who did not like children that much. Steven Nicholson, NSW Capaldi was a "TV star" before he became the Doctor (as were Pertwee and Davison) and yet smashed into character from the outset with an unsettling but brilliant performance. The development of his characterisation across the past two series has been inspired.

Craig, Tas

A choice of 35 words were provided for people to select the four they thought best delineated the 12th Doctor’s character. Some were positive, some negative and some neutral so as to give as wide a choice as possible.

229 people responded of which 197 provided four selections, but 32 people selected more than four. In the end I decided not to ignore these 32 and after the result for each word for the 197 people I have shown in parentheses how many people from the 32 chose the word in question.

Intelligent 90 (22) Witty 50 (18) Grouchy 50 (12) Funny 44 (11) Cunning 43 (15) Wise 42 (23) Adventurous 38 (17) Caustic 37 (5) Energetic 32 (16); Angry 32 (9); Smart 31 (18); Heroic 27 (18); Awkward 27 (2); Belligerent 26 (3); Brave 25 (18); Aggressive 22 (9); Brash 20 (8); Flamboyant 19 (7); Cold 18 (3); Gallant 13 (6); Sly 12 (6); Verbose 11 (2); Taciturn 10 (2); Gentle 7 (7); Vain 6 (2); Annoying 6 (1); Loopy 5 (6); Friendly 5 (5); Didactic 5 (2); Tender 5 (1); Handsome 4 (3); Dull 4 (0); Joyous 3 (3); Romantic 3 (1); Demure 2 (1) Three comments show basically how hard it is to choose enough words to provide a comprehensive selection.

I couldn't find the right words for the Doctor, how about tenacious, oblivious, obsessive. Ian Stuart, Vic The four words I would use to describe the 1 2th Doctor are: quirky, impatient, unpredictable, vulnerable. Deborah

Green, NSW

Too many choices, many of which mean the same thing! Tim Aldwinckle, NSW

A choice of 19 words were provided for people to select the four they thought best delineated Peter Capaldi's performance. Some were positive, some negative and some neutral so as to give as wide a choice as possible.

230 people responded of which 218 provided four selections, but 12 people selected more than four. As for the last question I have also indicated what they chose.

Intense 120 (9) Layered 104 (5) Dramatic 103 (10) Passionate 100 (8) Forceful 50 (4); Versatile 47 (6); Comic 46 (5); Nuanced 45 (3); Theatrical 41 (4); Natural 40 (5); Playful 39 (2); Realistic 33 (3); Action orientated 22 (4); Subtle 17 (2); Over-the-top 11 (2); Melodramatic 8 (1); Histrionic 5 (2); Farcical 4 (1); Wooden 4 (1) There were no specific comments made by people about this question so I will conclude with a few more comments from people generally about Peter's acting.

Peter Capaldi is a really good Doctor.

He's very funny. I wish I was with him if I travelled with the Doctor. But I would be with all of the Doctors. Mark, Tas Maybe he has suffered from the poor quality of scripts but the stupid talk to the camera and guitar playing have annoyed me. A way to make crap scripts seem less crap and to waste time.

Richard, NSW

Peter consistently plays one of the best Doctors ever brought to the screen.

Literally the only thing I can find to complain about are the hoodies he wears which just aren't Doctor-esq in my opinion. Martin Silk, ACT

A mixed result with a broad range of responses. Using the 1 to 10 range I found on average the figure for these numbers was 6.7 which comes out somewhere between "Above Average" and "Good".

Magnificent 22 Excellent 33 Very Good 49 Good 40 Above Average 21 Average 25 Below Average 9 Poor 9 Very poor 9 Abysmal 10 No answer 9 A mix of comments, showing people's varied responses to Clara.

Clara has been quite an annoying character at times. Vicki, Qld Clara is a great character, funny, pretty and captivating. I can't understand why some people I know couldn't stand her.

which comes out just on "Very Good".

Magnificent 55 Excellent 55 Very Good 43 Good 30 Above Average 13 Average 16 Below Average 3 Poor 3 Very poor 4 Abysmal 6 No answer 8 Two of the diverse comments received.

I think Jenna does a fabulous job, it's a shame it wasn't backed up in the writing of her character. Robert Haynes,

WA

Jenna had one of the greatest exits to Doctor Who ever in 'Face the Raven' before it was retroactively spoiled by 'Hell Bent'. Martin Silk, ACT

Yes 136 No 93 No answer 7

Mario Viera, NSW

Clara's character meshed well with the previous Doctor. A bit of a hit and miss with 1 2. Robyn, Vic

A much better result for Jenna. Using the 1 to 10 range I found on average the figure for these numbers was 7.9

Yes 137 No 93 No answer 6 As with the similar Capaldi / 12th Doctor questions nearly identical results for both these questions.

Two comments almost diametrically opposed.

"Clara" as we knew her died after 'Deep Breath'. The character after that is totally different, and a hash up.

JaMo, NSW

One of the weakest companions ever, but she improved no end during this series. Matt Lee Newby, UK

As expected two characters stood out.

River Song 102 Osgood 83 Kate Stewart 25 Ohilia 7 , Rassilon 7, Rigsy 7 No answer 5 No specific comments for this question were received. So we will go with a few general comments.

So hard to choose a favourite!! Shani Cossins, Vic All great characters. Alec Hardie, Vic Where is Danny Pink? Katherine Deane, Qld (Ed: He did not appear in Series 9)

2 votes: Bors, Gastron, "Heidi" 1 vote: Mason Bennett, 474, Morpheus presenter, William Stout, Ramone, Lucy Fanshawe, Haruka Deep-Ando, Albar Prentis Other 16 No answer The following received no votes: Alison, Alphonse, Anah, Anahson, Clayton, Colonel Walsh, Einarr, Elderly woman (Face the Raven), Flemming, Habrian woman (Face the Raven), Hasten, Hitchley's Mum, Jac, Jagganth, Daiki-Nagata, Johnny Hitchley, Jonathan Moran, Kabel, Kanzo, Limpy, Lloyd Llewelyn, Lofty, Mr Dunlop, Mr Fanshawe, Man asked by Clara Oswald to look after the Dr (Hell Bent), Nollarr, Osamu Alml-Chopra, Richard Pritchard, Ramone, Rump, Ryan, Scratch, Tim Lunn, Wife of the "Chronolock guy" There was only one comment for this question, but I have also included another general comment.

"Favourite new character of the series" says an awful lot that I couldn't remember who most of these characters were. James Hadwen-Bennett, UK You should provide a dialogue box for people who choose "Other" for their favourite monster/whatever. JaMo, NSW

A huge number to pick from and a lot were chosen, but again quite a lot did not get any votes.

Ashildr / Me 85 Time Lord General 34 Cass 14 Woman at the Barn 10, Receptionist 9, Sam Swift 7, Concierge 4 3 votes: Coachman (The Woman Who Lived), Chronolock guy (Face the Raven), Nardole, Hangman (The Woman Who Lived), Lisa (The Zygon Invasion), Mike (Magician's Apprentice), Alice O'Donnell

The top two responses were predictable, but the Zygons beating out the Daleks wasn't.

Zygons 85 Daleks 53 Weeping Angels 26 Sontarans 13, Cybermen 12, Ood 12, Ice Warriors 11, Silurians 7, Hath 2, Judoon 2, Dalek puppets 1 The following received no votes: Blowfish, Kahler, Skullions, Sycorax, Lugal-Irra-Kush No answer 8 Other 4

Lots of comments for this question

I would have loved to have named the Zygons as my favourite returning monster, but they just don't appear to be portrayed right. Hate the sneer and the costume just doesn't have the appeal of the original look of the Zygons. Disappointed. Robert Haynes, WA When did the Ice Warriors appear in Series 9? Tim Trewartha, Vic (Ed: In 'Face the Raven' several alien species previously encountered by the Doctor are seen in the street.)

No one new alien race stood-out with a very tight tussle for first. I assumed the Handmines are an alien race.

Raven / Quantum Shade 47 Handmines 6 Cloister Wraiths 31 Ghosts 29 Sandmen 23 Android Assassins 7, Mire 7, Shoal of the Winter Harmony 6, Janus 6, Tivolian 4, Leonians 2, Luckworms 1 No answer 14 Other 12 Only one comment for this question and it was to pick up a mistake I made!

Tivolians aren't new to season 9. Scott Ramsay, SA With only three choices, although six people thought they had other answers, it was obviously going to be a showdown between Missy and Davros and the insanity of Missy just beat the nastiness of Davros.

Missy 112 Davros 103 Shadow Architect 4 Other 6 No answer 11 A few answers this time I think because people find it easier to say they like or

dislike a returning character.

This was an AWESOME series from the return of Davros to the return of the Master / Missy which I just think it's so great to see them make the Master a woman. And she still has the evilness of the Masters of old. To the return of the Zygons. And of course the Time Lords.

Luke Sanford, NSW

Where was Dalek Caan?? Antony Gibbins , NZ (Ed: Caan did not appear in Series 9) Is the Shadow Architect an enemy? Not sure. Scott Ramsay, SA

Like "favourite new alien race" no particular new enemy stood out, although The Veil did win by quite a number of votes.

The Veil 49 Bonnie 34 Colony Sarff 33 Fisher King 29 Claudette (The Zygon Invasion) 20, King Hydroflax 15, "Jemima" (The Zygon Invasion) 14, Odin 9, Gagan Rassmussen 4, Etoine 1, Leandro 1, "Norlander" 0 No answer 14 Other 13 One response again from the people who voted. This time commenting about new and returning enemies.

They did well in the enemies of this series some fresh and some classic. loved them all‌ some still scare me.

Tomeeka Qld

The founders of the DWCA (Antony Howe, Dallas Jones and Kerrie Dougherty) assembled together at the Sydney City RSL Club on September 21 to commemorate 40 years of the Doctor Who Club of Australia which was formed following the street protest at the ABC HQ on August 24 1976. The protest was over the proposed cessation of purchasing further Doctor Who episodes to show on ABC-TV. The formal formation of the club occurred later, on September 21, at Sydney University.

About 40 people or more attended the anniversary dinner which consisted of a nice meal together in a private room with free coffee. The founders provided three Doctor Who themed cakes decorated with TARDISes and Daleks to celebrate with the attendees. The event was attended by past and present Club Presidents who posed with the founders for official photos.

The highlight was Antony Howe’s display of various events in 1976 including: photos, posters and vintage Doctor Who items along with copies of the original club fanzine Zerinza . Dallas Jones gave us a brief verbal account of the Australian historical events from 1976 and what was popular on Australian TV and songs from that year.

It was a great event to celebrate 40 Years of DWCA. • There was an air of celebration and excitement on Wednesday, September 21, as the Doctor Who Club of Australia celebrated its 40th anniversary. In honour of this special occasion, a dinner was held at the City of Sydney RSL. Many members of the club were in attendance, as well as a few non-members who came along to offer their congratulations and enjoy the celebration. It was a very relaxed and enjoyable night, with old friendships being rekindled and new ones being formed. It was a night of nostalgia and remembrances, but also very much seated in the present and looking onwards towards the club’s future.

The night started out with the usual hubbub that you’d expect, as people gradually arrived and everyone moved back and forth as they ordered and collected their dinner or bought drinks from the bar. Eventually though, the room settled down and the gentle but cheerful cacophony of many simultaneous conversations filled the room.

Topics ranged from the club’s history, to Target novelisations, to thoughts on the most recent series, and beyond.

Eventually these conversations were brought to a pause as the more ‘official’ part of the night arrived. The club’s founders – Antony Howe, Kerrie Dougherty and Dallas Jones – were all in attendance, as well as the current president – Lauren Davis – and several of the club’s past presidents.

It’s not every day that so many important people

from the club’s history are in the same room together, so naturally there were photos aplenty. And of course, you can’t have an anniversary dinner without cutting a cake (or, in this case, three!). Speeches were made, photos were taken and cake was eaten, then it was back to gentle conversation as the night began to wind down.

Towards the end of the night, a collection of vintage material from the club’s early days was put on display. These included material from the infamous “Dalek Demo” that was instrumental in the founding of the club, and a copy of the first issue of Zerinza – the club’s original publication. The later part of the evening centred on these items, as the slowly diminishing crowd, gathered around them and heard tales of the club’s early days.

It was a pleasant night out and a beautiful dinner. But more than that, it was a fitting celebration of four decades worth of fandom and friendship.

• When you think of exciting job titles, it’s hard to get cooler than being the 'Curator of Space Technology' at the Powerhouse Museum. It conjures images of all the history of travelling through space for real, not just on the television screen. So it was a rare treat to have Kerrie Dougherty as the special guest for this meeting: she held that role for more than 30 years. She is also studying for her PhD in the history of Australian space activities. Moreover, she was also an integral part of the beginnings of Doctor Who fandom in Australia – she was there when the DWCA was born.

Members who came along were treated to a detailed interview with Kerrie and her wonderfully illustrated talk about the origins and the early days of the club. She was tremendously generous with her time, energy, and materials. There were photographs of the Dalek races, in various cities around the country, and even videos (shot on Super Eight!), including the protests outside the ABC’s offices when they decided to stop broadcasting Doctor Who in 1976.

Personally, I was fascinated to hear her talk about how the club formed, growing out of the broader Science Fiction association at Sydney University. Forty years ago, when the club started, I was still in school. A friend of mine convinced me to go to the Sydney University Science Fiction Association (SUSFA) film festival, and it is still one of my greatest memories. So a couple of years later when I started university, I joined SUSFA and that was when I first got to know Kerrie and also Dallas Jones.

So seeing them again on Sunday was a blast. Especially when they spent their time going back over the history of those early days of the club.

Perhaps I was too focussed on my studies during those early university years, because I seem to have missed so many of the events they talked about; how I would love to join in with them now!

Kerrie was the star of the day. Thanks for sharing your memories with us…

•

What was it like to be a fan of Doctor Who in Sydney back in 1976 when the DWCA started up? What were Sydney, Australia and the world like?

As a fan of the Doctor, let us get him to take me back, in his TARDIS, to September 21 1976 to Sydney University.

Vwoorp Vwoorp “Typical Doctor” I yelled on exiting the TARDIS, I found myself on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House in down-town Sydney, a few miles (not kilometres, remember the process of metrification started in 1971 and was not yet complete) from the Uni. It was a warm sunny morning and browsing at a nearby newsagent I quickly looked at The Sydney Morning Herald, (off course, I could have also perused The Daily Telegraph ) to find that it was expected to reach 21C with afternoon showers.

Checking later I found that it had reached 24C (Metrification had taken place with the weather). I also realised that if I had arrived in the afternoon I could have looked at two further daily ‘afternoon’ newspapers The Sun from Fairfax and The Mirror from News Ltd. A quick flick through the SMH, to the TV guide, I saw that there was nothing important on TV that I would have missed. The last Doctor Who episode screened was back on June 25 with 'Ark in Space' episode four, although, from a friend of mine in Melbourne I had known that they were currently screening 'Robot' down there. Although I did not know it at the time, the next new Doctor Who story, and what was understood at the time, the last that the ABC would screen, was not transmitted 'til May 1 1977. By then my family would have a colour TV (colour being introduced in Australia on March 1 1975). Fearful of it being the last story I would see, and wanting to keep a record of it, at the time I took over 100 colour slides of the six episodes of 'Genesis'. (I had not heard of the Cura tele-snaps at that time). After the ABC relented and decided to continue purchasing Doctor Who, the first story of the new batch of purchases, 'Terror of the Zygons', was screened on Tuesday February 7 1978 and for the first time in Australia the whole country could watch Doctor Who at the same time.

Why did I not just record 'Genesis'? Well there was no commercially available way to do such a thing. Unknown to me at the time, Phillips had introduced a thing called the Phillips VCR in 1972 but it never was released in Australia. The two big players in

the field, VHS and Beta, were introduced in 1975 / 76 but neither were available in Australia. I was not to get such a machine till early 1980 (a Rank Arena VHS) which I purchased specifically to record the Moscow Olympics. As I said, I took slides as a record of Doctor Who. Later I was to learn that, in the 60s, British fans, also stymied by not being able to record the show, had done the next best thing and audio recorded episodes so they could re-live the excitement of the Doctor’s adventures.

So what was on TV that afternoon / night in 1976?

On Channel 2 at 5.30pm was The Goodies, followed at 6pm by Bellbird and later that night, after This Day Tonight and Sportsnight were; a new Australian sitcom ( Who Do You Think You Are ) and a documentary ( Everest the Hard Way) which did not pique my interest.

On Channel 9 at 4 pm was Cartoon Corner with Daryl Sommers, followed by The Monkees, The Adams Family and, after the news, at 7 pm was Happy Days followed at 8.30 pm by Columbo, then Petrocelli and at 10 pm The Don Lane Show.

On Channel 7 at 4 pm was Batman followed by My Three Sons, Partridge Family, Flintstones and Beverly Hillbillies. After the news was Good Times at 7 pm and at 7.30 pm Welcome Back Cotter. This was followed by Barney Miller at 8 pm and to conclude the evening at 9 pm the forgettable movie Duffy with James Coburn.

On Channel 10 at 4.30 pm was Lost in Space , at 5.30 pm The Brady Bunch and after the news, The Celebrity Game (a revived game show originally seen on Channel 9).

The evening bagan with 7.30 pm Australians at War and the ended with Channel 10's big guns Number 96 at 9 pm and The Box at 10 pm.

That was it. No SBS (started in 1979), no cable TV, no Netflix, Stan etc. Just four television networks.

As I got on the bus (a green / cream double decker) to Sydney University I thought more about the differences between 1976 and now. No personal computers, just calculators and slide rules for a University student. Apple had just started up in the US but was just a tiny unknown company. I got my first programmable (Basic) computer in 1980, (a Sharp PC 1211) and shortly afterwards I splashed out and got a TRS Model III. It was not for a few more years until I was lured into the Microsoft camp.

At Sydney University they still were using the traditional three terms (Lent, Trinity and Michaelmas) rather than the current two semester year used by most universities. The big hoo-ha on campus was the Political Economy dispute, which had started in 1975 and continued into the early 80s involving such students as Tony Abbott, Anthony Albanese and Malcolm Turnbull. On a more esoteric note Sydney University students were mourning the recent loss of Frederick May, Professor of Italian, thought by many to be an eccentric. Also on campus was the ‘purple guy’, Doctor Herbison-Evans, lecturer in Computer Science, who was known for his complete purple wardrobe.

Moving up George Street the bus passed the yet to be renovated QVB (Queen Victoria Building). At that time a rabbit warren of Sydney Council officers inhabited the

building and at ground level was Palings, my record store of choice. 1976 was a big year for music in Australia with Abba dominating the charts both for singles (played on vinyl at 45rpm) and albums (again on vinyl played at 33 rpm). An Abba album was at number one for 35 weeks of 1976 and an Abba single was at number one for 30 weeks. On September 21 Dancing Queen was the number one single and Rod Stewart’s A Night on the Town was the number one album. A recent number one single was S-S-Single bed, by Fox, whose lead singer, Australian “Noosha Fox”, in reality, Susan Traynor, was the daughter of my next door neighbour. There were no CDs, they did not appear till 1981 and only AM radio with 2SM, ruling the airwaves, along with 2BL, 2FC, 2UW, 2UE and 2KY. I also noticed that there was no monorail, it opened in 1988 and as I looked down Market Street I saw that the iconic Centerpoint (now Sydney Tower) was under construction. This brought to mind other public structures that were still in the future or being built; Warringah Expressway (being built), Entertainment Centre (1983), Darling Harbour (1988) and Pitt Street Mall. Just past Town Hall I noticed the Regent Cinema and realised that, though the era of the Cinema multiplex was just starting, Sydney was still dotted with many single cinemas like the Paramount, Century, Mayfair, Plaza, Forum, Barclay and Town. For science fiction movie fans Rollerball , Dark Star and Zardoz were recent productions and some may have heard of the block-buster Logan’s Run which had just been screening in the US. Other block-buster type movies that had recently been seen in Australia were Towering Inferno and Jaws. Whilst, on September 21, you had a choice of some of the following movies to go and watch; Missouri Breaks, Taxi Driver, Devil's Playground, All the Presidents Men , Monty Python and the Holy Grail , Caddie and One Flew of the Cuckoo’s Nest. Not a bad selection of movies to see.

In the theatre one could go and see Jesus Christ Superstar, still in its initial run, from 1972, at the Capitol and / or see Gordon Chater’s brilliant performance in the Elocution of Benjamin Franklin at the Nimrod.

For readers of science fiction / fantasy / horror there were such recent releases as The Dispossessed, The Shockwave Rider, Imperial Earth , Dahlgren , Salem’s Lot and The Female Man . For the more highbrow Xavier Herbert won the 1975 Miles Franklin award for Poor Fellow My Country and in art, Brett Whiteley won the Archibald Prize with Self Portrait in the Studio.

In the wider world Neville Wran, for Labor, became Premier in the 1976 NSW state election in a huge win called the “Wranslide”. Our Prime Minister was Liberal Malcolm Fraser, the events of November 11 1975 were still bitter memories in many people’s minds. The news headline of the day in the SMH was “Prune ABC” which talked of cutting the number of members of the ABC (Commission not Corporation) Board from 9 to 5, said specifically to get rid of staff representative Marius Webb.

Other news in the issue were that Sweden had just ended 44 years of socialist rule and 3000 Australians called for the drafting of a new constitution.

In other recent world news: In the UK on August 5 Big Ben stopped running for over nine months; on August 14 10,000 Protestant and Catholic women demonstrate for peace in Northern Ireland and on August 30 the Notting Hill riots erupted. In the US on August 19 Gerald Ford was chosen as Republican presidential nominee, beating

Ronald Reagan; on September 3 Viking 2 landed on Mars and on September 17 the Shuttle spacecraft Enterprise was rolled out.

Elsewhere in the world on September 9 Mao Zedong died and in Zaire the first known outbreak of Ebola occurred on August 26.

To conclude my reminiscences of 1976 as I passed by Central Railway Station I realised I needed to look at the great Australian past time – Sport. The Sydney Morning Herald which I had checked out did not have very much in the way of any major sports news items. It talked about the possibility of betting at the Sydney Cricket Ground and a new tennis event for Brisbane. But at this time of the year, other sports were very much in many people’s minds. Both the Sydney Rugby League (not NRL) and the VFL (not AFL) finals had just been completed with Parramatta winning its first ever Grand Final, beating Manly. Down in Melbourne Hawthorn beat North Melbourne. In Sydney, the other Rugby game, saw Gordon beat Eastwood 33-4 in the Grand Final. The other main code of football (then called soccer) also did not have a national competition and in Sydney Apia Leichhardt beat St George Budapest 1-0.

With the various codes of football over, people looked forward to cricket. Earlier in the year the West Indies had toured, but there was to be no international cricket in Australia till very late in 1976 when Pakistan toured. 1977 was to see an upheaval in cricket with Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket bursting onto the scene.

Other large sporting events coming up included; the annual Bathurst car race, held on the October long weekend (not a week later as it is today) and the Melbourne Cup. Just a few days after September 21 Australia lost to Italy in the semi-final of the Davis Cup and Italy went on to win. Earlier in the year Australian Mark Edmondson had won the Australian Men’s Open. The highest ranked Australian male tennis player of 1976 was Ken Rosewall. Evonne Goolagong won the Australian Women’s Open and went on to be runner up to Chris Evert at Wimbledon and the US Open.

She was the second ranked player of the year behind Evert. Australia had just lost the Federation Cup to the US. In the other major equine sport, pacing, (better known as trotting), popular in Australia in the 70s, due to being screened on ABC TV. Paleface Adios won the Miracle Mile at Harold Park earlier in the year and Carclew won the Inter Domnion at Globe Park in Adelaide in February. The 1976 Summer Olympics were held in Montreal Canada. For Australia it was a dismal performance with only five medals in total and no gold medals. The medals were; a silver in hockey, a bronze for Stephen Holland in 1,500 meters in swimming, a bronze in equestrian and two bronzes in sailing.

By now the bus was moving along Broadway and I could see Victoria Park in the distance. Just two stops and I would be at Sydney University ready to have a wander around my old haunts; the Holme Building, Badham Tunnel, Manning, Wentworth Building and Carslaw. Finally I arrived, just before 5.10pm, for the screening of Dr Who and the Daleks at the Stephen Roberts Theatre. All I had to do was to pay my 40c and enter a “world of pure imagination”.

Hope I do not bump into my 20 year-old self...

"Oops, sorry for bumping into you".

Guess what, that was me!

FIVE HUNDR Five hundred issues is a long time in publishing. Very few titles last more than a few years, never mind a comic / magazine devoted to a TV show that wasn’t even on air for fourteen of its thirty-seven years! But, in July 2016, Doctor Who Magazine (née Doctor Who Monthly, née Doctor Who Weekly) reached its quincentennial issue.

As context is everything, it would be impossible to convey the importance of this 500th issue without first looking back at the 499 that preceded it.

December 1979: I’m back in the UK for a two-week Christmas holiday. My granddad takes me to the newsagents where I’m surprised to see a Silurian staring out at me from between The Beano and Spectacular Spider-Man Weekly. It was issue 11 of Doctor Who Weekly and it changed… everything.

That afternoon, I read the entire magazine in a single sitting. I think the most exciting part for me was the archive feature on 'Planet of Giants'. Until then, the only window onto the earlier years of the series available to most fans was the one-paragraph descriptions in The Making of Doctor Who or the Radio Times 1 0th Anniversary Special – and even they couldn’t agree on the story titles! But here I was, sat on my grandparent’s upstairs loo, reading a complete episode-by-episode synopsis of a story not broadcast since 1964 that, as far as I knew, I would never have an opportunity to see. Back then, repeats were exceedingly rare and never black-and white, while the idea of someday being able to buy a home video copy of old adventures was sheer fantasy. Even the Target novelization was still a good decade away.

Of course, that wasn’t all that melted my young brain. Finally, here was a Doctor Who comic strip that genuinely captured the experience of watching the show on telly.

Despite being a huge fan of the show, I’d never enjoyed the previous comic strips in TV Action or TV Comic. But this was Doctor Who as written and illustrated by Pat Mills and Dave Gibbons – two legends of my other favourite comic, 2000AD. A few months later, four weekly releases became one monthly magazine with issue 44. I didn’t care. The new Doctor Who Monthly had fewer pages of comic but more articles – and by this stage the articles were what I wanted, hungry to learn more about the show’s history.

I’m convinced that DWM is responsible for turning so many viewers into life-long fans. Originally aimed at the same core eight to 12 year old audience as the series, DWM grew with us, gradually putting away ‘childish things’ like the "UNIT Club" and introducing more detailed articles.

I can’t stress enough the impact the Weekly / Monthly had on young fans like myself.

Newer fans may only know the series as something always available on disc or download, with every minute detail documented, analysed and debated on a million

ED NOT OUT websites accessible from a palm-sized device in your pocket.

But for those of a certain age, DWM was our primary source of information. In many ways, it defined what it meant to be a fan – particularly during the years between 1990 and 2005 when the magazine served as a communal life raft for us all to cling onto once the classic series sank beneath the waves.

More astounding is that Doctor Who Magazine has remained relevant today – even increasing its readership – in direct competition with the internet’s ubiquitous access to information.

Which brings us neatly to this celebratory 500th issue, which is really two 116-page magazines – the mag itself and a Souvenir Special celebrating every era of the magazine – squeezed into a cardboard sleeve with the now obligatory poster. Putting the sleeve and poster to one side, I giggled with delight on seeing the cover of the main issue. It faithfully recreates the original cover of Doctor Who Weekly, substituting Peter for Tom, complete with **gasp** FREE STICKERS to add to the full colour panorama inside (in 1979, these were transfers, but let’s not quibble).

Yes, it was clear from the very beginning that this was going to be a completely unapologetic nostalgia-fest. New readers need not apply.

The usual features are still here, including the regular reviews column and a detailed "Fact of Fiction" covering 'The Day of the Doctor', but there is far more looking back than forward.. Both the Tom Baker and Peter Capaldi interviews reminisce about that first issue. In-jokes and self-referential Easter eggs abound (Sorvad!). Even the extended comic strip is full of characters and continuity references that would test even a dedicated reader’s memory.

While an article on the classic series might encourage new viewers to buy 'Seeds of Doom' on DVD, I doubt anyone reading Jonathan Morris’ lengthy and glorious feature on the magazine’s history is now hunting down back issues to read exactly what Gary Russell wrote about 'City of Death' or make up their own mind about Gary Gillatt’s infamous article on 'The Fan Gene'. But they’re not the intended audience. Issue 500 is a celebration for those of us who were there for most, if not all, of the magazine's 37-year history. And if that includes you, it is a wonderful, nostalgic and fun read.

I seriously wonder if Doctor Who would even be around today if DWM hadn’t brought together thousands and thousands of viewers into one big fandom community, keeping us believing in this wonderful show even when there wasn’t always a show to believe in.

This 500th issue isn't just a celebration of a magazine milestone. It's a celebration of fandom itself, of its resilience, its determination to continue dreaming of magic blue boxes for one more month… and another… and another.

On the weekend of November 11-13 in Brisbane was the annual Supanova pop culture convention.

Attending Nova, as it’s colloquially known, on the Saturday you get to join what is commonly known as the "line ride". This is a way of trying to make waiting a bit more fun and the good news is that usually there is someone that has the same interests as you so you can spark up a conversation to help pass the time. Line rides have formed many friendships and even some long-term relationships of people who met in lines!

Your entry ticket also allows you to access most of the panels, so you can go and listen to the guest you want to hear speak about their time on the show or whatever they were involved in. The panels are interactive, so if you put up your hand, there’s a good chance that you may be able to ask the guest a question yourself.

For me, the main person I wanted to see this weekend, was of course Michelle Gomez. So, I joined the line ride for her panel. In the ‘ride’ I caught up with two Missy’s, the 2nd Doctor and Bill! After a brief wait, we were let into the panel room which has two large projection screens so even if you’re up the back you can still see the expressions on the guests faces as they respond to various questions posed by the audience. This also helps if the guests act out something that happened as well.

These panel events are a good way to get to hear what goes on behind the scenes of the show, and Michelle’s panel was no exception. Michelle mentioned that she was first approached to play a particular role in Doctor Who as a one off character, but she wasn’t available, so reluctantly she turned it down. She wrote a letter to Steven Moffat apologising, that if he ever needed someone to play a villain, she would love to do it. A few months went by and then her agent contacted her to advise she’d been offered the role as Missy.

While she knew that she was going to be playing Missy from the beginning she had to keep it quiet. Initially the only people that knew were her agent, her husband (actor Jack Davenport) and herself. So, she knew if it leaked out, she was either going to have to fire or divorce one of them!

She also confirmed that she will be in Series 10 of Doctor Who, and is going to start filming once she returns to the UK. We learnt that when Missy was first kissing the Doctor in 'Dark Water' that she was holding Jenna Coleman’s hand! (For the kissing clip, you can watch it again here) When playing Missy, Michelle takes a lot of everything that she’s learnt from other characters that she’s played throughout her career as an actor. She also mentioned that a

lot of herself is in Missy as well. And the writers and directors allow her a little bit of room to improvise. It was clear when she talked that this was true as she has quite a sarcastic biting sense of humour.

She also mentioned whilst she was working on the show Green Wing, she had to sing the song Circle of Life from the Disney movie The Lion King . The scene required her office set to be setup in the zoo where the lion cubs were, which meant the set needed to be built near the lion cubs. As lion cubs can’t be touched by humans until they are a certain age, otherwise they can be abandoned by their mother, the cubs almost need to be fully grown before they can be handled.

This meant that the cute lion cub you envisage from the movie was not what happened on screen. Also, that this one didn’t like Elton John! (For the clip in question see here.)

We also learnt that while Michelle has done Shakespeare for the Royal Shakespeare Company, she never actually studied it in school. Michelle was called in to a meeting to discuss the role of Kate in The Taming of the Shrew. At the meeting she asked the director if she could read the part, but he said it was not necessary. However, as she’d never read it before, she wanted to see if she could do it. She said she butchered the scene, but got the role anyway.

Michelle also mentioned that one of the big differences between working in theatre as opposed to TV was the amount of rehearsal time. Whereas for television, it’s usually about three weeks, in her theatre experience, it was three months. While she was happy to have done it, it wasn’t something that she’d want to do again!

Michelle was also wearing furry ears and a tail which were given to her at a convention overseas. So a lot of photos from the convention will have those! Overnight, she posted to her twitter that she had been given wings whilst in Brisbane!

After Michelle’s panel, I joined another line ride to get her autograph. Again I made new friends whilst in the line. Whilst getting her autograph I thanked her for making the trip down to Australia.

To me, events like Nova are quite important. As a kid growing up with nerdy interests, it’s quite reassuring being able to go to events like this and find other people like you that share similar interests and tastes.

If you’ve never been to a Nova, or an Oz Comic Con, AMC, Culture Shock, Whovention or / whatever event, I would strongly recommend you go. Just take a bottle of water for hydration, some small snacks, a smile and be prepared to make new friends.

The is the third ‘movement’ of my analysis of the early music associated with Doctor Who. In this section I will present my (idiosyncratic?) views on the theme music itself.

'Doctor Who Theme Music': a theme without a name – how cool is that?

The theme was the brain-child of Ron Grainer. It is claimed that he gave no more than a vague description of his ideas to Delia Derbyshire who then converted them into the theme we know and love today.

Indeed, while Grainer clearly didn’t object to what she’d done with the song, he barely recognized the final product. On hearing the piece, Grainer is said to have remarked; “Did I write that?” Derbyshire replied: “Most of it.” Go here for Ron Grainer’s own, eventual, realisation / arrangement of the theme.

(It’s awful!)

The BBC refused to credit Derbyshire because she was an engineer (or maybe, in those dark and male dominated early days, a female) rather than a musician or composer. Perhaps it was not anticipated that someone from the Workshop might be in a position to share credit on an original composition, or, maybe, electronic music was not seen as a creative art-form, with the requirements of composing and performing as non-electronic music. Either way, Grainer got his name in the credits of Doctor Who, and Derbyshire didn’t.

The theme was produced well before the advent of commercial synthesisers and, although transistors were being used in computers at the time, electronic music systems were not available.

Delia Derbyshire, with assistance from Dick Mills, worked in the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and, both being familiar with the techniques of musique concrète, put together the famous theme.

In the early 60s, constructing music of this kind was very difficult and incredibly time consuming. Musique concrète required that each note be crafted individually. This would be achieved by painstakingly cutting, splicing, speeding up or down and distorting the basic sounds which had been recorded on analogue tape. These ‘basic’ sounds were recordings of single plucked notes, white noise and simple harmonic waveforms generated by electronic oscillators (sine wave generators).

Each sound would be individually tuned to the correct pitch, adjusted for duration, loudness and patched together in the required sequence. Mixing the sounds was achieved by concurrently running several segments of the tapes on separate tape recorders and simultaneously recording the mélange of sounds on to another tape machine. And tape recorders of the day had the annoying habit of running slightly fast or slow during each take, thus altering the pitch. What a nightmare! What determination and perseverance: and

what a piece of music from this maelstrom!

Imagine having to construct your digital music like that, all you ‘Garage Band’ home-music junkies.

And so to the Doctor Who theme itself.

Well, first off – it’s in the key of E minor. (handy key for all you axemen). So what’s good about a minor key? Well, all the best songs of loss, yearning, dark and sinister thoughts, foreboding and mystery are in minor keys. Also, as with all memorable music, the Doctor Who theme carries a unique and distinctive ‘hook’. In this case it is a very powerful rhythmic pulse, which provides an anchor point around which the rest of the music can ebb and flow and develop.

What I really like about the (original) theme is the unpredictability, it fails to resolve to the tonic where you expect – you’re left hanging on the end of a piece of string. There’s a feeling that this music comes from an alien world – which is absolutely the correct image for Doctor Who. Structural analysis of the piece shows it to be in written in the Phrygian mode which yields dark and foreboding sounds, more so than the natural minor key.

We start with a syncopated base rhythm which carries on for seven or so bars before the theme (I hesitate to say ‘tune’) commences.

The initial dissonance of soaring augmented octave leaps (i.e. B3 to C5) is very disturbing to western ears. Fortunately, the resolution back down a semitone (that is the Arrr of “OO – ee-Arrr”) settles one’s jangled nerves somewhat. (I hope this makes sense!).

More of these leaps take place (B3 to C4, A4 to C5) leaving the listener in a very disconcerting place.

There is a brief respite for eight bars at around bar 34 when the tune, still leaping about in large intervals, drops into the associated major key of G. This only affords a short interlude in the tension as the piece quickly slides back into E minor and we’re back into the augmented octaves again.

Throughout the piece there’s the relentless base line pumping out the rhythm, anchoring the piece in our minds.

It is an engaging, somewhat terrifying and totally alien experience. Is that not the whole essence of Doctor Who after all?

Delia Derbyshire – what can I say? You created a miracle masterpiece, so perfectly aligned with sentiment of the program that it has become totally enshrined as an integral part of the mystique of Doctor Who. I sometimes wonder if the show had not had this distinctive theme, would it have been so unbelievably successful?

GUINNESS WORLD RECOR It was late March, after we had around 45 members of The Bendigo Whovians Society turn out in Doctor Who cosplay outfits and walk in the 'Bendigo Easter Festival' street parade, that we jokingly posted to the group that we should try for the recently established World Record for the "Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Doctor Who Characters". The record was set in Mexico City, with 492 participants!

Some enthusiastic members thought why not, we should give it a go and have some fun in the process even if we don't make the record!

Bendigo has a twice yearly "Record, Comic and Toy Fair", so this became the obvious event to host the record attempt. Unfortunately we didn't get a response from Guinness with details specific to this record before the day of the attempt, but we made sure that we registered all of the participants and set up the venue according to their general rules.

The Record attempt was held at the Fair on September 18. Through the course of the day, Doctor Who fans arrived in all manner of outfits! They were registered, and a photo taken to prove that they were in attendance. At 2:30 pm, we all gathered in a room to record the Record attempt. The doors had to remain closed for five minutes, and pictures and video taken as evidence.

So, did we break the record? Unfortunately, not this time. We registered about 225 participants, and some days after the event we finally received the official documentation from Guinness specifying the strict requirements for the outfits, and it was clear that most would not have been accepted under those rules.

But, we had an awesome day. For a small regional group that started only a year ago on Facebook, getting over 200 Doctor Who fans together in cosplay outfits was a fantastic effort. We boldly lay claim to setting the current unofficial Australian record for the "Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Doctor Who Characters"!

When did the idea of doing the record attempt begin and who instigated it?

Greg King jokingly suggested that we should try for the record. Broden Penna then instigated it as a serious exercise. I think we got a bunch of people together on April 16 at a local pub to discuss doing it, and when we all agreed set in motion what was needed from there.

How soon after was Guinness contacted?

Guinness was contacted maybe a week after we first got together.

What sort of information did you supply and what was their answer?

We said we were going to hold the event at a local fair and provided our organisation's name. Their answer was that they were going to assign us a case worker. A case worker is someone to oversee your record attempt. Answer any questions. Give you all the specifics for the attempt. Communication was very sparse. They sent us an initial broad terms of evidence gathering and their rules but said they'd get back

RD ATTEMPT AT BENDIGO

to us with more specific rules closer to the attempt.

Which didn't happen until two weeks after our attempt had been made.

Was there a record for this already?

"Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Doctor Who Characters", 492 Where was it decided to hold the attempt?

Bendigo Record, Comic & Toy Fair which already has a Doctor Who group presence. The Fair organiser, Peter Pascoe, was part of the organising group, and welcomed the attempt to be held at the Fair.

Who are they people who organised this attempt?

Bendigo Whovians Society and the Doctor Who Club of Victoria. My group the Bendigo Whovians Society has an amazing working relationship with the DWCV. We help each other out all the time.

How did you set about telling people so they could come along and be part of the attempt? When did publicity for the attempt begin?

Advertising via Facebook began the same day we decided we were going to do it.

What were your feelings as they day approached and it looked like even if you got enough people that the record would not be officially recognised?

From my stand point, it really didn't matter if we had been officially recognised or not. It was more about getting together and having fun doing it. Yeah it would have been amazing had we gotten the record but my memories won't be of that we missed out but we got 225 Whovians to show up and we all had a blast.

Where and when exactly at the expo was the attempt held?

There was a separate room off from the main fair floor where we held the attempt which commenced at 2.30pm. This was in accordance with Guinness rules.

What was accepted as Doctor Who cosplay?

We were fairly flexible, and anything that could be recognised as a Doctor Who character was accepted. We didn't have a specific rule on how detailed the 'look' needed to be. The Guinness specifications, which we did not receive until after the event, were much stricter.

Are there any particular costumes that you remember?

Weeping Angel, an Empty Child and Wilf were some of the stand outs.

Did you and the others who organised it go in cosplay? If so what were you?

All who were involved went in cosplay. The photo at right is of four of us who were involved organising the attempt. From left to right, Darren Hutchesson, Kara Harris, Adam Penrose and Greg King.

Are you planning to try again?

No plan at the moment, but we consider it an unofficial Australian record, and challenge any other Australian group to try to beat it!