Covered in Matt

Matt Smith was the first Doctor Who to make the cover of a gay magazine back in the Spring, now he becomes possibly the only person to cover GT magazine twice in one year. This time it's for "Christopher and His Kind", which I presume from this is on BBC Two in October? Also nipple flashing is co-star Douglas Booth.



Meanwhile the confirmed artwork for the season 5 DVD box set has been revealed. It's an improvement on the latter Tennant box sets.

(Pics courtesy of recommended website Blogtor Who)

Wrap for Ten (and other "Doctor Who" stuff)

The real-time final seal was set on the end of David Tennant's reign as the 10th Doctor sometime this morning, as the Cardiff wrap party for the story forming the last two 2009 specials staggered to a close (I imagine). The finale has taken two months of filming and with the specials also marking Russell T Davies' last work on the parent show, it appears to have been a big do, and the likes of DWM editor Tom Spilsbury, composer Murray Gold and ITV-exiled writer Chris Chibnall confirming their attendance via Twitter. No doubt everyone who'd help make the whole franchise such a success over the last 5 years had an invite (maybe even Eccles turned up? - if so, I want a polaroid/twitpic of him, David and Matt as a new 'three doctors' - can Ben Cook be relied upon?)




Coincidentally the DWM stable also released their latest special last week, as well as revealing the cover for the forthcoming regular issue (out on Thursday 28th). With £6.99 of your new pence I bought the former while on my hols, and am proud to report I've read all 148 pages. The special, pictured above, picks out 200 'golden moments, one from each transmitted story up to Easter 2009. Though actually that's not true - even totting up the TV canon as a neat 200 tally is open to question, as everyone freely admits. Also some 20 stories (not completely guessable BTW) are granted the honour of more than one golden moment. I'm not too sure this concept comes off in the end, as we have writers obliged to sift for the 'gold' of "Time Flight" and "Fear Her" while the likes of "Web of Fear" and "Human Nature"/"Family of Blood" are restricted to one mere moment each. To complicate matters further, this exercise was already carried out by DWM in the 90s, so I think there may have been pressure to avoid the moments previously picked from the classic series' run. Some of the obvious choices remain though - the 'have I the right?' speech from "Genesis of the Daleks" for example - and many of the moments are cliffhangers or epic climaxes. But there's definitely a tendency throughout to go for unexpected quiet, even unspoken moments ("Planet of Giants"), and a few which occasionally seem contrary for the sake of it - look at those chosen for "Twin Dilemma" and "Attack of the Cybermen".



In anticipation of a wet/indoors holiday week last week, I'd also bought a discounted season one DVD of "Torchwood" (£18 in Dunfermline Asda) and then "The War Machines" (£8 in Oban WHSmith). For whatever reason, probably the same reason I didn't properly post here during the week, I never got past episode one of the Hartnell serial or a few of the "Torchwood" extras! Oh well, I'm sure summer will have more rainy days ...



Finally, a pic posted by the aforementioned Benjamin Cook marking one of his finale interviews from the "Doctor Who" set last week. It's a cute shot in many ways, and sort of signifies the peaceful co-existance of the programme's past heritage (Cribbins having starred in one of the 1960s movies as well as Wilf Mott) and its present and future (Cook is the star reporter on Doctor Who Magazine but is too young to remember the 'classic' run!)

Doctor Who: Season 4 finale flavoured DVD and DWM covers

The wham-bam season 4 finale has nudged the respective producers to tweak formats for the next releases of both the vanilla DVDs and the official Doctor Who Magazine (DWM).

The DVD has Davros and the Daleks taking centre stage with the Doctor relegated to the background along with his companion 'army'. DWM has decided to go with a set of four covers (a la "Radio Times") but gives each section of that 'army' the foreground (including both Doctors as a 'bookend' on the full image.

Hope the full image will be available as a poster.

The DVD is out in September, while DWM 398 - in all 4 options - is out this Thursday (24 July).

The Bumper Doctor Who Season 4 Post!

It's that time of year again, as we fans count the very few days left until "Doctor Who" begins a new series. And once again, the "Radio Times" has pulled out all the stops with 4 different covers (I have the Ood one) and 10 pages of features, including the official reveal of the jelly-bean cute Adipose (photographed hailing a taxi!) who are the 'monster' in the opening episode on Saturday.

RT also gives away all bar one episode title for series 4 - episode 12 is left a mystery and will probably stay that way officially until June.

Here are the rest:

4.1 Partners in Crime
4.2 The Fires of Pompeii
4.3 Planet of the Ood
4.4 The Sontaran Stratagem (1 of 2)
4.5 The Poison Sky (2 of 2)
4.6 The Doctor's Daughter
4.7 The Unicorn & The Wasp
4.8 Silence in the Library (1 of 2)
4.9 River's Run (2 of 2)
4.10 Midnight
4.11 Turn Left
4.12 (TBA) (1 of 2)
4.13 Journey's End (2 of2)

Rather ominous last title but then most finales are.



And while we await transmission , the DVD cover for the first batch of new episodes has been released (above). In the shops on 2 June.



Finally, a magazine that will probably reveal even more about season 4 is out this Thursday (3 April) - Doctor Who Magazine, issue 394.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/index.shtml

"Voyage of the Damned" DVD cover released

Here's the first of what could be labelled the 'season four' batch of vanilla DVDs with the TARDIS coral replacing the 'season three' TARDIS floor panels as a wraparound theme.

It's out on Monday 10 March, likely to be in the immediate run up to series four proper starting on BBC One. My guess is Easter Saturday, 23 March.

Amazon have this at £10.98

Doctor Who on your Christmas lists ...

Starting modestly above with the DWM out on 18 October (note "Torchwood" didn't get a cover of its own, but "Sarah Jane Adventures" has) I thought I'd do a quick round-up of some of the glittering goodies targeted for us fans in the run-up to Christmas (yes, it IS closer than you think).

Obviously there's the Season Three boxset (out 5 November), and this year rich completists may like to go for all three available boxes ...

There's the default one here



The Amazon one



And my favourite (as it doesn't overbill the Master at Martha's expense), the Woolworths one



Just announced too is the second volume of Murray Gold's soundtrack music (also released 5 November).



Plus, hot on the heels of the recent Key to Time mega-boxset another classic boxset is available from 26 November. The "Davros" boxset features all the classic stories featuring the creator of the Daleks, including the debut on DVD of "Destiny of the Daleks" which followed immediately after the Key to Time Season. More new DVD extras have also been added to 1988's "Remembrance of the Daleks" for this release. And for the first time, Big Finish have teamed up with the DVD producers to supply a back up set of original Davros audio plays (including one recorded specially) where 80s TV version Terry Molloy is complemented by Rory Jennings as the character in his youth. Mind you the RRP is £99.99 which is more than either of the aforementioned box-sets!

Meanwhile, next up on the regular 'classic' DVD release schedule we're back to Sarah-Jane who features with Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor in 1975's "Planet of Evil".

With the reputation of being a 'Bovril' story (you either love it or loathe it) I have to say I'm very fond and may be tempted as of 15 October ...

Cape Wrath out on DVD next week!

I know it wasn't everyone's cup of tea (even Stuart Maconie, judging by the current "Radio Times"), but I was hooked on this recently departed series and it's making a swift appearance on the DVD shelves next Monday (27th). Amazon have it for £16.98.

Interestingly it's subtitled 'the complete series one' and is an 18 certificate. Less interestingly, there are no extras whatsoever, which is something I would have appreciated here.

Amazon also provide a chunky trail for the entire series here, if you've yet to catch it.

Doctor Who - "Key to Time" UK boxset details

Cribbed from the official BBC site (which also has a full list of features and extras):

Here's the full glory of the forthcoming mega-release, all wrapped in a perspex Key-to-Time-like packaging ...



And here are the individual DVD covers for all six constituent stories...



Now for those memories of September 1978-February 1979 to come flooding back (it's released on the 24th of next month). Available on Amazon for £52.49.

And a quick guide for the uninitiated to Season 16 here (includes 'spoilers').

"Ace of Wands" finally on DVD

God bless Network! This must be one of the last of my childhood favourites to see a release, and "Ace of Wands" makes its debut on DVD this summer. Sadly this is only the third season (from 1972) but it's also the one I best remember. Complete with extras including a documentary making a 4-disc set. Great post-hippy theme tune and titles.



Amazon Listing

Wikipedia entry

Official site

Doctor Who - Season 3: Only One Month to Go!

Between "Doctor Who Magazine"(issue 380 below), the main BBC site and "Outpost Gallifrey, there's been a flurry of news in the past 24 hours, so I'm cramming it into this one post.

Most importantly perhaps is the start date. It's not the 7 April/Easter Saturday start I expected nor the (apparently) slated 24 March which DWM and BBC Wales originally worked to. Because of a football match (aaaaargh) it's being delayed a week to 31 March.

The opening episode has long been known to be "Smith and Jones", but as of yesterday we are only missing 3 episode titles. Here's what is known now:

1. Smith and Jones by Russell T. Davies,

directed by Charles Palmer tx 31 March

2. The Shakespeare Code by Gareth Roberts,

directed by Charles Palmer tx 7 April

3. Episode 3 by Russell T. Davies,

directed by Richard Clarke tx 14 April

4. Daleks in Manhattan (part one) by Helen Raynor,

directed by James Strong tx 21 April

5. Episode 5 (part two) by Helen Raynor,

directed by James Strong tx 28 April

6. The Lazarus Experiment by Stephen Greenhorn,

directed by Richard Clarke tx 5 May

7. 42 by Chris Chibnall,
directed by Graeme Harper tx 12 May

8. Human Nature (part one) by Paul Cornell,
directed by Charles Palmer tx 19 May

9. The Family of Blood by Paul Cornell,

directed by Charles Palmer tx 26 May

10. Blink by Steven Moffat,
directed by Hettie MacDonald tx 2 June

11. Utopia by Russell T. Davies,

directed by Graeme Harper tx 9 June

12. The Sound of Drums (part one) by Russell T. Davies,
directed by Colin Teague tx 16 June

13. Episode 13 (part two) by Russell T. Davies,

directed by Colin Teague tx 23 June

(I've added the broadcast dates assuming no pesky interruptions for sport, of course).

Meanwhile the DVD release of last Christmas's "Runaway Bride" is to be a standalone (albeit accompanied by the hour-long "Music and Mosters" special episode of "Doctor Who Confidential"). It's in the shops on 2 April (just ahead of the "Survival" release). Cover reproduced below.

I'm assuming this means a further hour's worth of extras will be on the Series 3 box set in November. I expect this may be the animated adventure, "The Infinite Quest", which will run in CBBC's "Totally Doctor Who"