DREAMLAND - Phil Ford interview

The official Doctor Who: Dreamland blog has delivered the third in a trilogy of videos giving you the low down on Colonel Stark, one of it's central characters. In this latest despatch, writer Phil Ford discusses the Colonel's creation, the origins of Dreamland, and 1950s monster movies! View it in the player above.

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SERIES 1-4 DVD Box Set

Next month sees the release of a new DVD from 2|entertain. Doctor Who: Series 1-4 Boxset, featuring 23 discs, is released on October 26 priced £88.08. Click on the pic for a bigger version.

Thanks to 2|entertain

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THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES - Preview Clip

The BBC released a video previewing various television shows from CBBC. Included in this collection were some clips from The Sarah Jane Adventures, see them in the player below:

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DAVID TENNANT in "The Sarah Jane Adventures"

DIGITAL SPY have published some pics and info regarding the Tenth Doctor's appearance in The Sarah Jane Adventures. You can read more about The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith HERE and read an interview with Elisabeth Sladen HERE.

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NEWS ROUND~UP

As news from the world of Doctor Who gets more frenetic, here's a rundown of this week's news pieces in a handy bite~size portion (in case you missed any!):

THE END OF TIME
John Simm talks about David Tennant's finale

DREAMLAND
Q&A Part 3 with Russell T Davies & Julie Gardner
Video with designer

THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES
Prisoner of the Judoon - parts 1 & 2 press release

MERCHANDISE
The Day of the Troll audio CD - cover art & synopsis
Hornet's Nest: The Dead Shoes audio - cover art & synopsis
3 New Tenth Doctor novels - cover art & synopses
The Ultimate Monster Guide - cover art & synopsis
Code of the Krillitanes - cover art & synopsis
3 New Torchwood novels - cover art & synopses

REVIEWS
The Sarah Jane Adventures: The White Wolf audio
Torchwood: The Encyclopedia
Dr. Who & The Daleks soundtrack

Last week's NEWS ROUND~UP can be seen HERE

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The 8th Doctor Repeats on BBC7

Digital radio station BBC RADIO 7 is currently repeating the audio adventures of The Eighth Doctor, as played by PAUL MCGANN. The second series is now airing continuing his adventures with Lucie Miller, as played by SHERIDAN SMITH, every weekday night. Each episode is broadcast online and available throughout the world 'live' at 6pm [GMT]. UK listeners can enjoy the series on the iPlayer service.


As an added bonus, the digital station will broadcasting The World of Doctor Who, a Q&A session from the 2009 Celtic Media Festival featuring Executive Producer Julie Gardner and director Euros Lynn on Friday Oct 2.

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JOHN SIMM - Jonathan Ross interview

JOHN SIMM was interviewed earlier today during The Jonathan Ross Show on BBC Radio 2. In it he talks about his time in the finale and playing The Master. Listen to it in the player below - slight spoilers follow!

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THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES: "Prisoner of the Judoon" synopsis

The PRESS OFFICE at the BBC has released the synopsis for the first two episodes from Series 3 of THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES. Prisoner of the Judoon Part One broadcasts on BBC One on October 15th @ 4.35pm, here's the synopsis:

Investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith, one-time companion to The Doctor, is back for a third series of alien-busting adventures, from creator Russell T Davies, which also features a special appearance from The Doctor himself, David Tennant, who stars in two episodes.

Sarah Jane is accompanied by her adopted son, Luke, his streetwise pal, Clyde Langer, their schoolmate, Rani, who lives opposite and has aspirations to become a journalist like Sarah Jane, and their Xylok super computer in the attic, Mr Smith. Sarah Jane's robot dog, K-9, also joins the gang on their adventures.

In the first of this two-part adventure, Sarah Jane and the gang face the most dangerous day of their lives, as the rhino-like Judoon return. When prisoner Androvax the Destroyer crash-lands on Earth, a Veil is set free and starts to turn Earth's technology against itself. And his next intended victim is Sarah Jane.

Part Two follows at the same time on the following day, here's the synopsis:

Luke, Clyde and Rani fight their most fearsome enemy yet – Sarah Jane Smith – in the second episode of this two-part, alien-busting adventure.

As the Judoon fleet approaches Earth, it's a race against time to stop Androvax. But with Genetech's technology on the rampage, and Rani's parents taken prisoner, can anything stop the Army of the Infinitesimal?

Luke is played by Thomas Knight, Clyde by Daniel Anthony, Rani by Anjli Mohindra and Sarah Jane by Elisabeth Sladen.

The BBC has also hinted at what's to come for Sarah Jane:

The series also features an extraterrestrial girl who can make people play games against their will; a living painting; the inhabitants of a supposedly haunted house; and monsters who want to infect Earth with a strangely aggressive weed. Finally, there is a chance for Sarah Jane to find personal happiness with someone who could be the perfect person to complete her family.

A brand-new website accompanies the third series, complete with a trailer maker, monster hunt, video diaries from the cast, web games and exclusive behind-the-scenes videos.

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DREAMLAND - New Video

Posted on the official blog is an interview with Darren Garrett who discusses animation design on Doctor Who: Dreamland. You can see it in the player above, visit the Dreamland section HERE.

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Code Of The Krillitanes - Quick Reads book

Looking ahead to next year, the next title in the QUICK READS series of Doctor Who books has been announced. Code of the Krillitanes is written by Justin Richards and will be published on 4th March 2010, priced £1.99 - here's the synopsis:

“I blame those new Brainy Crisps. Since he started eating them, he’s been too clever by half.”

Can eating a bag of crisps really make you more clever? The company that makes the crisps says so, and they seem to be right. But the Doctor is worried. Who would want to make people more brainy? And why?

With just his sonic screwdriver and a supermarket trolley full of crisps, the Doctor sets out to find the truth. The answer is scary – the Krillitanes are back on Earth, and everyone is at risk!

Last time they took over a school. This time they have hijacked the internet. Whatever they are up to, it’s big and it’s nasty.

Only the Doctor can stop them – if he isn’t already too late...

Thanks to BBC Books

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TORCHWOOD - New novels

Coming up next month from BBC Books are three new Torchwood novels. Featuring Captain Jack Harkness as played by John Barrowman, with Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones as played by Eve Myles and Gareth David-Lloyd, in the hit series created by Russell T Davies for BBC Television. Each title is released on Oct 1, priced £7.99; click on the pics for bigger versions.

The Undertaker’s Gift by Trevor Baxendale The Hokrala Corp lawyers are back. They’re suing planet Earth for mishandling the twenty-first century, and they won’t tolerate any efforts to repel them. An assassin has been sent to remove Captain Jack Harkness. It’s been a busy week in Cardiff. The Hub’s latest guest is a translucent, amber jelly carrying a lethal electrical charge. Record numbers of aliens have been coming through the Rift, and Torchwood could do without any more problems. Torchwood should be ready for anything – but with Jack the target of an invisible killer, Gwen trapped in a forgotten crypt and Ianto Jones falling desperately ill, could a world of suffering be the Undertaker’s gift to planet Earth?
Risk Assessment by James Goss ‘Are you trying to tell me, Captain Harkness, that the entire staff of Torchwood Cardiff now consists of yourself, a woman in trousers and a tea boy?’ Agnes Havisham is awake, and Jack is worried (and not a little afraid). The Torchwood Assessor is roused from her deep sleep in only the worst of times – it’s happened just four times in the last 100 years. Can the situation really be so bad? Someone, somewhere, is fighting a war, and they're losing badly. The coffins of the dead are coming through the Rift. With thousands of alien bodies floating in the Bristol Channel, it's down to Torchwood to round them all up before a lethal plague breaks out.
Consequences by James Moran, Joseph Lidster, Andrew Cartmel, Sarah Pinborough and David Llewellyn Saving the planet, watching over the Rift, preparing the human race for the twenty-first century… Torchwood has been keeping Cardiff safe since the late 1800s. Small teams of heroes, working 24/7, encountering and containing the alien, the bizarre and the inexplicable. But Torchwood do not always see the effects of their actions. What links the Rules and Regulations for replacing a Torchwood leader to the destruction of a supermarket? How does a witness to an alien’s reprisals against Torchwood become caught up in a night of terror in a university library? And why should Gwen and Ianto’s actions at a local publisher’s affect Torchwood more than a century earlier?

Thanks to BBC Books

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The Ultimate Monster Guide - Cover Art & Synopsis

In a busy time for Doctor Who fans, BBC Books have released a reference book entitled, Doctor Who: The Ultimate Monster Guide. It's priced £15.99 and is available now. Here's the synopsis:

With The Ultimate Monster Guide, Doctor Who historian JUSTIN RICHARDS has created the most comprehensive guide to the Doctor's enemies ever published. With fully-illustrated entries that cover everything from ADIPOSE and AUTONS to ZARBI and ZYGONS this guide tells you everything you need to know about the many dastardly creatures the Doctor has fought since he first appeared on television.

Featuring a wealth of material from the current and classic series, the Guide also includes behind-the-scenes secrets of how the monsters were created, as well as design drawings and images. Find out how the CYBERMEN were redesigned over the years, and how DAVROS was resurrected to lead his DALEKS once again. Discover the computer magic that made the BEAST possible, and the make-up wizardry that created the WEEPING ANGELS. Learn how many incarnations of THE MASTER the Doctor has encountered, and which other misguided Time Lords he has defeated...

Lavishly designed with photos and artwork throughout, The Ultimate Monster Guide is essential reading for all travellers in time and space!

Thanks to BBC Books

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10th Doctor Novels

Released this month from BBC Books are three new Doctor Who novels featuring The Tenth Doctor and some 'classic monsters'. Each hardback is priced £6.99, click on the pics for bigger versions.

Autonomy by Daniel Blythe Hyperville is 2013's top hi-tech 24-hour entertainment complex – a sprawling palace of fun under one massive roof. You can shop, or experience the excitement of Doomcastle, Winterland, or Wild West World. But things are about to get a lot more exciting – and dangerous... What unspeakable horror is lurking on Level Zero of Hyperville? And what will happen when the entire complex goes over to Central Computer Control? For years, the Nestene Consciousness has been waiting and planning, recovering from its wounds. But now it’s ready, and it’s deadly plastic Autons are already in place around the complex. Now more than ever, visiting Hyperville will be an unforgettable experience...

The Krillitane Storm by Christopher Cooper When the TARDIS materialises in medieval Worcester, the Doctor finds the city seemingly deserted. He soon discovers its population are living in a state of terror, afraid to leave their homes after dark, for fear of meeting their doom at the hands of the legendary Devil’s Huntsman. For months, people have been disappearing, and the Sheriff has imposed a strict curfew across the city, his militia maintaining control over the superstitious populace with a firm hand, closing the city to outsiders. Is it fear of attack from beyond the city walls that drives him or the threat closer to home? Or does the Sheriff have something to hide? After a terrifying encounter with a deadly Krillitane, the Doctor realises the city has good reason to be scared.

The Taking of Chelsea 426 by David Llewellyn The Chelsea Flower Show – Hardly the most exciting or dangerous event in the calendar, or so the Doctor thinks. But this is Chelsea 426, a city-sized future colony floating on the clouds of Saturn, and the flowers are much more than they seem. As the Doctor investigates, he becomes more and more worried. Why is shopkeeper Mr Pemberton acting so strangely? And what is Professor Wilberforce’s terrible secret? They are close to finding the answers when a familiar foe arrives, and the stakes suddenly get much higher. The Sontarans have plans of their own, and they’re not here to arrange flowers...

Thanks to BBC Books

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REVIEW - Dr Who & The Daleks soundtrack

Released on October 5th from Silva Screen is DR. WHO & THE DALEKS - a compilation of the soundtracks to the two Sixties Dalek movies. Read a review HERE. Lovingly restored soundtracks to the only two big screen Doctor Who films ever made - the 1965 release DR. WHO AND THE DALEKS and 1966 DALEK’S INVASION EARTH 2150 A.D.

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REVIEW - Torchwood: The Encyclopedia

Released next month from BBC Books is TORCHWOOD: THE ENCYCLOPEDIA - read a review of this hardback HERE. You can also see some images from it HERE. Torchwood: The Encyclopedia is published by BBC Books on 1st October 2009, priced £14.99

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REVIEW - The Sarah Jane Adventures, "The Shadow People"

BBC Audio released Oct 5
Available on CD [RRP £5.87] & Download [RRP £6.60]

After the corking outing that was The White Wolf, this next audio adventure (an exclusive too!), comes another low~key affair in the shape of The Shadow People. This tale starts out pretty poorly it has to be said. The first few minutes are filled with cheese as we are introduced, in a rather clunky fashion, to the show and its characters. (Though I find it hard to believe that someone who has never seen The Sarah Jane Adventures is going to be buying this - why bother?) The line "we have adventures" was not only unnecessary, it made me physically groan and roll my eyes.


Anyway, after clunksville, we find Sarah Jane and the gang going off on a school trip - I mean, what could possibly go wrong, on a school trip....? Lots, thankfully. SJ's parent show, Doctor Who, is evoked with the mere mention of sat~nav. Even more so when the flippin' thing breaks down - one expected the Sontarans in droves. (They didn't though, boo!) More things go wrong through imagined sightings and odd visions and the creepy factor (no, not Simon Cowell) gets pumped up with a good old sit about the campfire, telling ghost stories.


This facet of the story was highly entertaining and I wonder if the BEEB should look into doing a yearly special (like the Halloween episodes of The Simpsons) where the viewer is treated to one~off ghost stories from the past told by Sarah Jane, Luke, Rani and Clyde. Might have been slightly more interesting than what was to follow. Elisabeth Sladen does her very best, giving much warmth and playfulness to all the characters, but it's all a bit, well, humdrum. Now, I want to hear more about the "extraterrestrial warlord disguised as a kitten"...

BLOGTOR RATING: 6/10

Thanks to BBC Audio

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REVIEW - The Sarah Jane Adventures, "The White Wolf"

BBC Audio released Oct 5
Available on CD [RRP £5.87] & Download [RRP £6.60]

Just before we get treated to a third series of The Sarah Jane Adventures, the chaps (and chapettes) at BBC Audio have seen fit to deliver two EXCLUSIVE audio stories both read by the legend that is ELISABETH SLADEN. Today, Blogtor is taking a look at The White Wolf, a story written by a man who will be very familiar to Doctor Who fans, GARY RUSSELL. Gary, or the Gaz~man as some of us call him, has been involved in the Whoniverse for some time now but has more recently settled firmly in Bannerman Road with Sarah Jane and her gang (though he's also been involved in the last three David Tennant stories for Who - but I'm sure we'll learn more about that in the future).

The White Wolf evokes the very first spin~off adventure, K9 & Company (that's not an insult I should add, I really enjoyed it) and it's "parent" show's The Stones of Blood - it's set in the English countryside, set apart from modernity and toys with the occult. Very Seventies and, like K9's first solo outing, the scares come from the most mundane outlets (here a cave and a village). Right from the off the listener is treated to some eerie sounds that would not have been out of place in the BBC Radiophonic Workshop - stylish, but somehow homegrown. Stylish and homegrown also describe the narrator, Elisabeth Sladen.


Lizzy S, as some of us call her, has a beautiful voice and adds her unique stylings to the voices of characters like Luke and Clyde (her take on the youngster us particularly amusing) whilst also ably voicing others such as the gruff Colin Hendrick and the alien. It's a low~key affair (as many audios are) but a welcome detour from the more hectic televisual grammar we have become accustomed to. Russell returns to themes he visited in his excellent novel Beautiful Chaos, namely that of aging and memory - maybe the Gaz~o~tron has foreboding feelings toward getting older. Of course, in the onscreen story Eye of the Gorgon these notions are also dealt with. And here, again, there is no resolution - we get older, we forget. It's just a fact.


Keen to tie it in with its onscreen brothers and sisters, Russell sprinkles in the odd reference such as the Shadow Proclamation, the Bane, the Judoon, the Sycorax and even Metropolitan magazine gets a mention! At an hour the story comes and goes impressively but it's the aforementioned ideas that the author addresses that you'll be pondering for some time. Either that or you'll be off in the countryside looking for aliens in huge white wolves painted onto hills. A striking addition to the growing mythology of The Sarah Jane Adventures.

BLOGTOR RATING: 8/10

Thanks to BBC Audio

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Hornet's Nest: The Dead Shoes - Cover Art & Synopsis

Released on Oct 8th is the second part to the HORNET'S NEST series of audio adventures from BBC Audio. Titled The Dead Shoes, it stars TOM BAKER as The Fourth Doctor and RICHARD FRANKLIN as Mike Yates and is written by PAUL MAGRS.

Visiting the English seaside town of Cromer in the summer of 1932, the Doctor happens upon the strange world of the Cromer Palace of Curios.

The young Ernestina Scott is unusually beguiled by one of the museum's exhibits, and when the Doctor befriends her, they unwittingly embark upon a terrifying escapade. Chased by animated dolls through a nightmarish model house, the Doctor realises he is being hunted by a familiar enemy.

The unmistakable sound of hornets is in the air, and they are keen to speak to him. Overseeing this game of cat and mouse is the Palace of Curios' curator - a certain Mrs Wibbsey...

Coming up later this year in the same series:
The Circus of Doom - 5th November
A Sting in the Tale - 3rd December
Hive of Horror - 3rd December

Thanks to BBC Audio

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DREAMLAND - Q&A Part 3

Posted on the official blog for DOCTOR WHO: DREAMLAND is the last of the Q&A sessions with RUSSELL T DAVIES and JULIE GARDNER. You can hear it on the player below.

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THE DAY OF THE TROLL - Audio adventure

Released on Oct 8th is a brand new audio story featuring The Tenth Doctor entitled The Day of the Troll. Written specially for audio by Simon Messingham and read by David Tennant, this brand new exclusive adventure is available on 2 CDs [RRP £9.78] or as a digital download [RRP £9] with a running time of 2hrs (approx). Here's the synopsis

When the Doctor arrives on Earth in the far future, he is horrified to find the planet beset by famine and starvation. England is a barren wasteland, and scientists are desperately seeding the ground to make the crops grow again. But now it seems that something even worse is happening.

Karl Baring, the owner of research facility The Grange, has been snatched away in the middle of the night. His sister Katy was with him when he vanished, but is now in catatonic shock – so it is up to the Doctor, with the help of the scientists at The Grange, to investigate.

What is lurking under the old bridge, and why is it preying on people? The Doctor must find out, before it strikes again...

Thanks to BBC Audio

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NEWS ROUND~UP

It's been a busy old week in the world of DOCTOR WHO so here's a round~up of the posts and news from this week (in case you missed any of it).

THE DALEK COLLECTION DVD Box Set
Pics from David Tennant's EXCLUSIVE interview
Review

DALEK WAR DVD Box Set
Preview feat. pics from the Special Features
Review
Coming Soon pics for The King's Demons & Planet of Fire

THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES
S3 will be twice~weekly from Oct 15
S3 finale casting news
New audio CDs

DOCTOR WHO: DREAMLAND
October start for animation
New Character Revealed
New Cast interview

CHIRSTMAS SPECIALS
John Simm interview
June Whitfield interview

MISC.
The 8th Doctor audios on BBC7
Blogtor Who now on Twitter
Blogtor Who - New Links page
Blogtor Who - RSS feed

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Dalek DVD Reviews

Now posted in the DVD REVIEWS section (see link on right), are reviews for the upcoming box sets DALEK WAR and THE DALEK COLLECTION - read them HERE and HERE. Be warned - they contain opinions!

Thanks to 2|entertain

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JUNE WHITFIELD - BBC Radio 2 interview

JUNE WHITFIELD was interviewed on Michael Ball's Sunday Brunch, broadcast on BBC Radio 2 earlier today. June is starring in this year's "christmas" specials and she briefly talks about her time on the show in the interview - listen to it below.

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DREAMLAND - New Interview

That's a new video from the official blog for Doctor Who: Dreamland - it's an interview with STUART MILLIGAN who plays Colonel Stark in the animated adventure. For more info, visit the DREAMLAND section.

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DREAMLAND - New Character revealed

The latest from the DREAMLAND blog has an interview with Stuart Milligan who is playing the character COLONEL STARK. Check out the pics above and below. An interview can be seen HERE though it's only available to those in the UK.

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The Sarah Jane Adventures - New Audio CDs

Coming up next month are two new EXCLUSIVE audio dramas for THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES. Available for download and on CD from October 8th, these two releases are narrated by ELISABETH SLADEN and have a running time of 1hr (approx) each.

A letter from an old friend she can’t remember sparks off another adventure for Sarah Jane, as she and her friends explore the village of Wolfenden. What is the secret of the white wolf carved on the hillside – and what does it have to do with alien abduction?

Based on the hit CBBC TV series, The White Wolf is written by Gary Russell. Elisabeth Sladen narrates the story as Sarah Jane Smith.

Read the Blogtor review HERE

A school camping trip to Snowdonia spells trouble for Sarah Jane and her friends, as they find themselves stranded in a harsh environment. What shadowy figure is watching them? How can Rani be in two places at once? And what secret does a nearby cave hold?

Based on the hit CBBC TV series, The Shadow People is written by Scott Handcock. Elisabeth Sladen narrates the story as Sarah Jane Smith.

The CDs have an RRP of £5.87 and the downloads are £6.60
With thanks to BBC Audio.

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LINKS & RSS!

It's a been a long time coming but we've finally got round to setting up a LINKS page here at Blogtor Who. On it you'll find heaps of other Doctor Who (and related spin~offs) sites that often link here and do a great job. There's a link to it the right but there's also one HERE. If you want to be on it then get in touch through the comments section on the Links page. There's also an RSS FEED which you can access down on the right or HERE.

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BLOGTOR WHO - Now on Twitter!

You can keep up to date with all the posts from BLOGTOR on the social networking site, Twitter - go HERE and follow! Please note, there will only be Doctor Who~related tweets.

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JOHN SIMM - BBC London Interview

That's an interview with JOHN SIMM that was broadcast tonight on the BBC London regional news. In the clip he chats about new play, Speaking In Tongues and briefly talks about playing The Master in Doctor Who.

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DREAMLAND - Airs in October

The computer~generated animated story DREAMLAND is set to hit the small screen in the latter half of October though no date has been revealed as of yet. For more info on Doctor Who: Dreamland, click HERE.

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THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES Returns October 15th

Doctor Who spin~off series, THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES, returns to television next month with its third series. The first episode Prisoner of the Judoon broadcasts Thursday 15th October on BBC One (time to be confirmed) and, in a change from previous years, the second part will be screened the following day on the same channel. Each week will see two episodes aired. Joining the cast in the final episode are SIMON CALLOW (Doctor Who - The Unquiet Dead) and MIRIAM MARGOLYES (Blackadder) who will be providing their voices to the series finale.

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THE DALEK WAR - DVD Box Set preview

Released next month is the DALEK WAR DVD box set from 2|entertain - click HERE for full details - but in the meantime enjoy these images from the set (click on them for bigger versions). A review will be posted next week.

Read the full review HERE.

Thanks to 2|entertain.

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