Exclusive
new series news DWM reveals the identity
of DOCTOR WHO's new television producer, while series writer
Russell T Davies drops a few more hints about the show.
Ooh
Lalla! - The noblest Romana of them all, Lalla Ward, gives us the warts-and-all
story of her time in DOCTOR WHO in the first part of a revealing
new interview.
Channel
Hopping Join us as we meet the Doctor's greatest enemies. No, not the Daleks
or the Cybermen, but THE A-TEAM, LOST IN SPACE and CORONATION STREET!
Andrew
Pixley gets tied up in more statistics as Scheduled for Success continues. Living
in a Box - It's the most advanced machine ever created, so why does the Doctor's
TARDIS never take its occupants where they want to go?
In
the first part of a new feature, Gareth Roberts peers through the police box
doors, and attempts to construct the ultimate user's manual...
Destrii
Rides Again! A couple of pesky varmints are causing bother for the Doctor
in the third part of comic strip, Bad Blood. Don't you just hate it when friends
drop by unannounced?
Plus It's
the End of It's the End, The Time Team declare DEATH TO THE DALEKS, and there
are reviews of ZAGREUS and SCREAM OF THE SHALKA.
DWM
340 is on sale Thursday 5th February.
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12
JANUARY 2004 | NEW
SERIES | McGann on the New Series
The
latest issue of SFX magazine has an interview with Paul McGann, which includes
a section where he talks at length about the future of DOCTOR WHO,
and his own potential role in it.
"I'm
not being disingenuous now when I say that I've heard nothing," says McGann. "And
I'm unlikely to hear anything, except that they'll probably ask me to go back
and do the regeneration, which I'd be happy to do. But if I was them, I wouldn't
pick me.
"I think if somebody wants it more - and again, this is purely, purely rumour,
so this could be nonsense, but not only have I heard that David Warner is up
for it, but he really wants to do it. And if that's the case then they should
give it to him, because you can't beat that. You can't beat passion.
"While I'd be into it... I've got to be really careful what I say here...
I might not have the same passion that Warner would, to be brutally honest, simply
by dint of the fact that I've done it before. If I was to get offered it, then
I would have to be absolutely certain, and I would have to seek guarantees, that
I could do the things I wanted to do in 1996, approach it the way we thought
we might before. It would be unfinished business."
SFX
issue 115 goes on sale in the UK on 18th February.
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21
JANUARY 2004 | DVD
| PYRAMIDS OF MARS
BBC Worldwide
have released the cover for the DVD of PYRAMIDS OF MARS, the
1975 Tom Baker tale that will be released on March 1.
The
TARDIS materialises on Earth in the year 1911 inside an old priory owned by Egyptologist
Marcus Scarman. Scarman has been possessed by Sutekh, last survivor of the god-like
Osirans, who is held prisoner inside a pyramid in Egypt by a signal transmitted
from one on Mars.
Sutekh desires his freedom and instructs Scarman to construct servicer robots
- which look like Egyptian mummies - to build a missile with which to destroy
the Martian pyramid.
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19
JANUARY 2004 | DVD
| Davison 'sleeping' Classic released
This
time without the baggage of BLACK ORCHID, Peter Davison's THE
VISITATION is released today.
eyeofhorus.org.uk has always believed that this four-parter is a 'sleeping' Classic,
in DOCTOR WHO terms. A bona fide example of 'science-fantasy',
expertly written and executed from the DOCTOR WHO's 'second
heyday' (viewing figures were regularly above 10 million).
This DVD features all the usual extras:
00:05:31:12
| FILM TRIMS
00:26:12:18 | DIRECTING WHO - PETER MOFFATT
00:12:50:02 | WRITING A FINAL VISITATION
00:05:11:15 | PICTURE GALLERY
00:01:27:17 | CONTINUITY ANNOUNCEMENT EPS 1-4 (REPEAT UK TRANS)
00:16:17:24 | SCORING THE VISITATION
The commentary is provided by Davison, Sutton, Fielding and Waterhouse, with
director Peter Moffatt.
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DVD navigation
Peter Davison epitomies
the 'meddling time-traveller'
15
JANUARY 2004 | TV
| MASTERPLAN episode 2 found
Episode
2 of DOCTOR WHO - THE DALEKS' MASTERPLAN has been found, minutes
away from destruction.
The twelve-part space romp stars William Hartnell, Peter Purves (Steven) and
Adrienne Hill (Katerina), along with Nicholas Courtney as Space Special Security
agent Bret Vyon.
The episode was returned by Francis Watson, until recently Head of Engineering
at Yorkshire Television in Leeds. As a young engineer working for the BBC in
the early seventies, Watson had been given the task of clearing out a room full
of junk at the Corporation's Television Film Studios in Ealing. Among the rubbish
were two 16mm cans marked Doctor Who, which Watson saved from destruction so
that he could watch them on the projector at his local film club.
Until this week, only parts five and ten were known to exist, having themselves
been discovered in a junk pile in the mid-eighties. Watson says that he has always
felt slightly embarrassed about "borrowing" the films, but he can be
assured that, thirty years on, both the BBC and fans of the series will want
to give him a pat on the back, for his minor indiscretion undoubtedly ensured
the episode's survival.
DAY OF ARMAGEDDON is a great find, as this second episode contains scenes with
several characters for which very little visual reference material still exists
- in fact only a single, blurry photograph of the alien leader Celation is known
to have survived in a private photograph collection. The second of Watson's film
cans contained a poor-quality episode of THE EXPEDITION, an episode of the very
first Dalek adventure, of which the BBC already has a master copy.
The return of DAY
OF ARMAGEDDON takes
the total of missing episodes down to 108.
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THE DALEKS' MASTERPLAN
Episode 2 returns to the BBC archive
11
JANUARY 2004 | BIG
FINISH
| Big Finish Spring schedule
Big Finish have
announced what Sources have said is to be a 'stunning set of stories that
would be very good TV DOCTOR WHO'.
Paul McGann's insistence that THE NATURAL HISTORY OF FEAR was the best script
(whether for radio or TV) he has ever read makes the next Eighth Doctor release
a must-buy. The unfortunate aspect to McGann's current third 'season' is that
it is only four stories long. SPOILER - HIGHLIGHT TO REVEAL Already
criticised by fans for 'destroying' the
iconic TARDIS, we hope that any frayed ends are tied quickly.
And NATURAL...is about? Judge for yourselves.
IT
IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE TO COPY OR ATTEMPT TO COPY ANY PERSONALITY OR MEMORY-RELATED
ARTICLE SHOWN OR DISPLAYED IN THIS PUBLIC THEATRE, INCLUDING THIS WARNING. PUNISHMENT
OR CONVICTION IS AN UNLIMITED REDUCTION OF AUTHORISED OVERTIME HOURS AND TOTAL
PERSONALITY REVISION. YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO BRING ANY JUKEBOX OR RECORDING
EQUIPMENT INTO THIS PUBLIC THEATRE. THIS WILL BE TREATED AS AN ATTEMPT TO BREACH
COPYRIGHT. ANY PERSON DOING SO CAN BE EJECTED AND THE EDITOR MAY CONFISCATE SUCH
ARTICLES. WE ASK THE PUBLIC TO BE VIGILANT AGAINST ANY SUCH ACTIVITY AND REPORT
ANY MATTERS AROUSING SUSPICION TO THEIR LOCAL CONSCIENCE. THANK YOU.
Public
Warning
Faction Against Character Theft
April's
release, Simon Furman's THE AXIS OF INSANITY continues the adventures of the
Fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimen.
In May, Colin Baker and Maggie Stables return with ARRANGEMENTS FOR WAR. Penned
by another BF newcomer, Paul Sutton.
Dan Abnett debuts with THE HARVEST, starring Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred.
This May release welcomes a new companion (hopefully, Benny will disappear for
good from now onwards...), Hex, played by former soap actor, Philip Oiliver.
All of the above release are directed by Gary Russell.
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Click
to enlarge
10
JANUARY 2004 | PRINT
| DWM 339
The
latest edition of DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE will be on the news-stands
on February 04. And the highlights:
Meet
Hex - DWM reveals the new Big Finish audio companion.
Death
Comes to Town - Tegan is possessed while the Doctor gets distressed by a medieval
mess. All is revealed by Mark Wyman and Alan Barnes as they uncover The Fact
of Fiction of THE VISITATION.
The
Show Must Go On - Production Manager Gary Downie exposes the behind-the-scenes
tussles of the Sylvester McCoy era, and talks about how he's coped since the
death of his partner, producer John Nathan-Turner, in the concluding part of
DWM's frank and revealing interview.
Curtain
Up - Ladies and gentlemen, take your seats please. In the first of a two-part
Archive Extra, Andrew Pixley settles down with his programme and a choc-ice to
enjoy the stage plays Curse of the Daleks and Seven Keys to Doomsday.
Old
Friends - The Doctor's visit to the Old West takes a few unexpected turns in
the second part of new comic strip, Bad Blood.
Plus,
The Time Team take on the Dinosaurs and the Watcher has a bit of trouble with
his hearing. Meanwhile, THE VISITATION, THE LEGEND and MASTER are reviewed, and
Nev Fountain takes us behind-the-scenes of his recent DOCTOR WHO/DEAD RINGERS/THE
WEAKEST LINK sketch for CHILDREN IN NEED.