Details for Doctor Who Magazine 526

Out now is the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine.  The highlight of this issue is an interview with Tom Baker where he shares his thoughts on his first season. 

TOM BAKER REVISITS HIS FIRST SERIES AS THE DOCTOR IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW!
As part of DWM’s detailed preview of the forthcoming Season 12 Blu-ray set, Tom Baker reflects
on the role that changed his life. “You know, Doctor Who is nothing to do with science fiction,” he
says. “It’s nothing to do with anything. It’s a bit like religion really, in that all you have to do is
believe it. And I can believe any old nonsense.”

Also in this issue…

ROGER MURRAY-LEACH


An extensive interview with the production designer who achieved the impossible on Season 12 of
Doctor Who.

THE HOLMES MASTER PLAN

Details for Doctor Who - The 4th Doctor Adventures Volume 2

Out this month is the second box set of adventures featuring the Fourth Doctor.  This time the main antagonist is Sutekh.  You can order this box set from the Big Finish website.
https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/series-07-volume-2-1608

7.5 The Shadow of London by Justin Richards

The TARDIS materialises in the backstreets of London in the 1940s. Whilst K9 entertains himself in the time ship's library, the Doctor takes Leela for a walk in the streets.

But England’s capital is oddly quiet. There are no cars and very few pedestrians... whilst those people they do meet appear really quite English indeed. And all the while they are monitored by cameras feeding images into a secret control room.

Something strange is happening in the city. Traitors are running wild... and nothing and no-one are quite as they seem.

7.6 The Bad Penny by Dan Starkey

Doctor Who The Complete Season 12 To Get Blu Ray Set

BBC Worldwide has announced that Tom Bakers debut season will be be released in a Blu Ray box set with some new extras along with the extras that were on the original DVD releases.  The highlight of this set will be that the quality will be better and the VHS released The Tom Baker Years will be included on this set.  No date for a North American release yet as this set will be see its Region 2 release June 11th.

Along With Robot, The Ark in Space, The Sontaran Experiment, Genesis of the Daleks and Revenge of the Cybermen the box set will include these extras.

Holding Synopsis:

Tom Baker's acclaimed first season as the Fourth Doctor, originally aired in 1975/76. With his best friend Sarah Jane Smith and new companion Harry, the Doctor pits his wits against a giant robot, the insect Wirrn, Cybermen, Sontarans and Daleks.

Twenty episodes, specially restored for Blu-Ray and packed with new and old special features. Build your own archive of classic Doctor Who seasons with this six-disc special 'limited edition packaging' boxset.

Existing Extras

Existing bonus material from the original DVD's

Brand New Bonus Features

Brand new one hour candid interview - 'Tom Baker in conversation'

Behind The Sofa - classic clips from season 12 viewed by Tom Baker, Philip Hinchcliffe, Louise Jameson, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton and Sadie Miller

New making-of documentaries for 'The Sontaran Experiment' and 'Revenge of the Cybermen'

Optional brand new updated special effects for Revenge of the Cybermen
Genesis of the Daleks - omnibus movie version

The Tom Baker Years VHS release on disc for the first time

Production archive material and scripts from the BBC Archives

Some other archive treats to be announced

Into The Time Vortex Podcast - Episode 69 - Doctor Who - The Creature From the Pit

Into The Time Vortex Podcast - Episode 68 - Doctor Who - Robot

Doctor Who - The Keeper of Traken Review

Doctor Who:

The Keeper of Traken

By Johnny Byrne

“A new body…at last.”

The Doctor and Adric are invited to Traken or diverted to Traken by the Keeper.   The Keeper needs The Doctor to help him to prevent evil to take over the source when he dies.  It appears that a calcified statue called Melkur that had appeared on Traken many years ago hasn’t desolved into the ground as most things that are evil do.  The Keeper is worried that when he dies that somehow Melkur would find a way to get possession of the source and threaten all the tranquility of the Traken Union.

Details on Doctor Who - The Fourth Doctor Adventures Vol 1

Out now from Big Finish is a box set of 4th Doctor adventures.  In this box set he is joined by Leela who is once again played by Louise Jameson. You can get this set of adventures as a box set or individually from the Big Finish website. 

https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/series-07-volume-1-1607

The Sons of Kaldor by Andrew Smith

Finding themselves in a seemingly deserted spaceship on an alien world, the Doctor and Leela stumble into some familiar foes - the Voc robots from the planet Kaldor - and… something else. Something outside. Trying to get in.

Reviving the robot’s Kaldoran commander from hibernation, the travellers discover that they’ve found themselves in the middle of a civil war. The ship was hunting the Sons of Kaldor, an armed resistance group working with alien mercenaries to initiate regime change on their homeworld.

But now the Sons of Kaldor may have found them. The Doctor and Leela will have to pick a side. Or die.

The Crowmarsh Experiment by David Llewellyn

Into The Time Vortex Podcast - Episode 62 - Doctor Who - The Robots of Death

Doctor Who - Shada Trailer

Finally! Doctor Who "Shada" is Complete

After 38 years the abandoned Season 17 story that was to be the finale of that season is finally completed.  The Tom Baker story Shada is finally completed using animation and the the voices of the original cast.  Shada was never finished as filming was interrupted during a strike at the BBC.  This new release will incorporate all the finished scenes and fill in the gaps with animation. Shada will be released on DVD and Blu Ray in the UK on December 4th and for digital download on November 24th.   You can view the teaser below and the details for the three disc release below.

Blu Ray/DVD - Bonus Material 

• Taken Out of Time (25' 39")
• Now and Then (12' 45")
• Strike, Strike, Strike! (27' 50")
• Studio Sessions - 1979 (44' 38")
• Dialogue Sessions (14' 16")
• Model Filming (04' 36")
• Deleted Scenes (01' 22")
• Title Sequence Films (TBC)
• Live Action Reference Footage (02' 48")
• 1979 Gallery (04' 50")
• 2017 Gallery (02' 52)

Details for Doctor Who - The Thief Who Stole Time

Out this month is the second part of the 6th series finale for the 4th Doctor Adventures.  You can order this audio adventure featuring the 4th Doctor and Romana from the Big Finish website.
https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-thief-who-stole-time-1241

A god has died. A crime has been committed. And an even greater threat lies beneath the surface.

On the ocean world of Funderell, Romana has been reunited with her old friend from Gallifrey, Sartia, and the Doctor is investigating the history and religion of this strange world. But events have quickly spiralled out of control.

Why is this planet of such interest to the Time Lords? What lurks in the depths?

The life of more than one world is at stake. But time is running out.

Written By: Marc Platt
Directed By: Ken Bentley

Cast
Tom Baker (The Doctor), Lalla Ward (Romana), Joannah Tincey (Sartia), Alan Cox (Eamonn Orensky), Kieran Hodgson (Klick Chervain), Des McAleer (Blujaw Skaldson), Alex Wyndham (Linnis Skaldson), Jamie Newall (Greygul), Jane Slavin (Frithra), John Banks (The Sleek)

Producer David Richardson
Script Editor John Dorney
Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs

Details for Doctor Who - The Skin of the Sleek

This months 4th Doctor adventure is the first part of a two part story that will continue in Septembers release.  You can order this audio adventure from the Big Finish website.
https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-skin-of-the-sleek-1240

On the planet Funderell you can walk on the ocean. The surface holds you when you move, but if you stand still, you sink. Lights shift in the fathoms and great shapes move beneath your feet - schools of giant electric eels known as Sleeks.

There is no solid land and the only locals are the Wavewalkers, hunters who live in floating villages. But recently some strangers have arrived, pursuing their own distinct agenda.

When the Doctor and Romana lose the TARDIS to the deep, they need help. Which makes finding a fellow Time Lord on the planet very useful. The fact that Time Lord is Sartia, an old friend of Romana's, is even better!

But this is a planet of secrets. Be careful when you explore its depths. You may just drown.

Note: The adventure continues in Doctor Who - The Fourth Doctor Adventures: The Thief Who Stole Time

Written By: Marc Platt
Directed By: Ken Bentley

Cast
Tom Baker (The Doctor), Lalla Ward (Romana), Joannah Tincey (Sartia), Alan Cox (Eamonn Orensky), Kieran Hodgson (Klick Chervain), Des McAleer (Blujaw Skaldson), Alex Wyndham (Linnis Skaldson), Jamie Newall (Greygul), Jane Slavin (Frithra). Other parts played by members of the cast.

Producer David Richardson
Script Editor John Dorney
Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Brigg

Details on Doctor Who - The Movellan Grave

This months 4th Doctor audio sees the return of an old foe in the Movellans as The Doctor and Romana must prevent them from destroying the Earth.  You can order this audio adventure from the Big Finish website.
https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-movellan-grave-1239

When an archaeological dig in 1980s England finds a Movellan power pack buried amongst Iron Age artefacts, the Doctor and Romana have no choice but to investigate. And what they discover worries them very much indeed.

A Movellan ship is buried under the ground. Soon the robotic enemies of the Daleks are making their way to the surface, but they are not the biggest threat humanity faces.

Because on board this ship is the greatest weapon the Movellans have ever devised. A weapon that could stop the Daleks forever... and anything else that gets in their way.

Written By: Andrew Smith
Directed By: Nicholas Briggs

Cast
Tom Baker (The Doctor), Lalla Ward (Romana), Camilla Power (Carrie Pierce), Polly Walker (Commander Narina), Chris Jarman (Chenek), John Banks (Robin Lyon), Jane Slavin (Mary). Other parts played by members of the cast.

Producer David Richardson
Script Editor John Dorney
Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs

Details on Doctor Who - Classic Doctors, New Monsters Vol 2

This month sees the release of the second volume of Classic Doctors, New Monsters where we see some of the classic doctors take on some of the villains from the new show like the Vashta Nerada. You can order this box set from the Big Finish website.

https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/classic-doctors-new-monsters-volume-02-1472

Night of the Vashta Nerada by John Dorney

Funworld was set to be the happiest planet in the galaxy. A planet of joy, of euphoria, of laughter and delight. Except construction was marred by reports of a predator and then, a few days before opening, all communication ceased.

Owner Georgia Donnelly is desperate to open the resort and has hired Amanda Steele's crew to find out what happened on the planet. They're the best. But even they might not be up to the task.

Joined by the Doctor and being picked off one by one, they slowly start to realise that something terrifying lurks in the shadows.

Empire of the Racnoss by Scott Handcock

When a distress call rips the TARDIS from the Vortex, dragging it back through time, it arrives in the midst of a conflict between Gallifrey and an ancient foe.

The Doctor, as ever, wants to help, but in returning a wounded combatant home, he becomes further and further entangled in a web of deceit and recrimination. A web spun by an eight-legged Empress and her minions…

The Empire of the Racnoss is at war, and wherever he stands, the Doctor is on the wrong side.

The Carrionite Curse by Simon Guerrier

Katy Bell returns to her Midlands home to find strange goings-on at the buskers fair. A witch trial in the 1980s. A bonfire ready to be lit...

Luckily, a colourful visitor is already investigating, and the local vicar, Katy's dad, is versed in tales of the macabre. Terrifying forces are on the loose, and the town hall holds a secret. There is black magic in the Black Country, and the Doctor has the name of his enemy on the tip of his tongue...

Something wicked this way comes.

Day of the Vashta Nerada by Matt Fitton

As the Time War rages, Cardinal Ollistra of Gallifrey seeks to create ever more dangerous weapons to deploy against the enemy.

When the Doctor stumbles across Synthesis Station, he discovers that the Time Lords have sponsored a project to weaponise already-lethal creatures. But in doing so, Eva Morrison and her team have unwittingly used a colony of Vashta Nerada with a very unfortunate history of humanoid contact.

The Doctor finds himself leading a desperate race for survival, in which the shadows may be the least of their worries…

Written By: John Dorney, Scott Handcock, Simon Guerrier, Matt Fitton
Directed By: Barnaby Edwards

Cast
Tom Baker (The Doctor), Peter Davison (The Doctor), Colin Baker (The Doctor), Paul McGann (The Doctor), Adjoa Adhoh (Racnoss Empress), Nigel Planer (Old Racnoss Emperor/ Herrax), Andrew French (Racnoss Consort), Lisa Kay (Alayna), Pam Ferris (Amanda Steele), Lorelei King (Georgia Donnelly), Emma Lowndes (Phelan), Matt Devitt (Bennetto), Maya Sondhi (Katy Bell), Andrée Bernard (Mary Sissinghurst), Adèle Anderson (Eileen Nelthorpe), Michael Fenton-Stevens (Rev Douglas Bell), Jacqueline Pearce (Ollistra), Jan Ravens (Dr Eva Morrison), Himesh Patel (Biotech Dendry), Tim Wallers (Commander Roxita/ Security Chief Raldon). Other parts played by members of the cast.

Producer David Richardson

Script Editor Matt Fitton
Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs

Details on Doctor Who - Dethras

This months 4th Doctor Adventure The Doctor and Romana come across a submarine from World War 2 and not where they expect to find a submarine from that era. You can buy this audio release from the Big Finish website.
https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/dethras-1236

In the control room of a World War 2 submarine something strange has started to happen. As the ship runs out of control, its crew begin to fall unconscious...

Finding the submarine in the last place they'd have expected, the Doctor and Romana are confronted by a mystery. Once fully populated, there are now only three men on board. And there's now also a chimpanzee. 

What has happened to the rest of the crew? What are the strange noises they can hear outside the hull? 

And most importantly, who, or what, is Dethras?

Written By: Adrian Poynton
Directed By: Nicholas Briggs

Cast
Tom Baker (The Doctor), Lalla Ward (Romana), Alistair Petrie (John), Shelia Ruskin (Flague), Josh Bolt (Philip), Brian Vernel (Robert), John Banks (Franklin), Jane Slavin (Xankari/ Teacher).

Producer David Richardson
Script Editor John Dorney
Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs

Into The Time Vortex Podcast - Episode 37 - Destiny of the Daleks

Details on Doctor Who "The Silent Scream"

This months 4th Doctor Adventure takes place in Hollywood in the 1920's. The problem with this one is that the Doctor might have lost his voice.  You can order this adventure from the Big Finish website.
https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-silent-scream-1235

On the set of a busy Hollywood movie in the late 1920s, a damsel is in distress! As cameras roll, she opens her mouth to scream and... nothing comes out. Nothing at all. It's happened again.

The Doctor, Romana and K9 have arrived in a terrified Tinseltown. A new film is being made and several stars of the silent screen are viewing it as a potential comeback... but it may prove a poisoned chalice. Actors are vanishing and strange creatures stalk the streets.

Something evil is lurking behind the scenery. Can the Doctor stop it when he doesn't have a voice?

It's time for his close-up.

Written By: James Goss
Directed By: Nicholas Briggs

Cast
Tom Baker (The Doctor), Lalla Ward (Romana), John Leeson (K9), Alec Newman (Dr Julius), Pamela Salem (Lorretta Waldorf), Jane Slavin (Nelly), Andrée Bernard (Lulu Hammerstein), John Banks (Cab Driver/ Director)

Producer David Richardson
Script Editor John Dorney
Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs

Into the Time Vortex - Episode 34 - Doctor Who - Nightmare of Eden

Details on Doctor Who - The Eternal Battle

This month's 4th Doctor audio adventure starring Tom Baker and Lalla Ward sees The Doctor and Romana take on the Sontarans who will be played by Dan Starkey.  You can order this audio adventure from the Big Finish website.
https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-eternal-battle-1234

The TARDIS has landed in a war zone. The Doctor, Romana and K9 find themselves traipsing through an inhospitable battlefield. Strange lights flicker in the sky, and stranger creatures lurk in the darkness.

When rescued from an attack by a Sontaran tank, the time-travellers discover they’re facing a far more dangerous foe than the battle-hungry clones. This terrifying fight has been going on longer than anyone can remember… and shows no signs of stopping.

With the TARDIS missing and their luck running thin, the Doctor and his friends’ only hope of survival is to uncover the truth about what is happening on this planet. If they can discover the secret of the eternal battle they might just survive… but it might just mean the end of them all.

Written By: Cavan Scott and Mark Wright
Directed By: Nicholas Briggs

Cast
Tom Baker (The Doctor), Lalla Ward (Romana), John Leeson (K9), Dan Starkey (Field Major Lenk/Sergeant Major Stom), Jane Slavin (Captain Nina Albiston/Sycon Computer), John Banks (Brennan/Trooper Varn)

Producer David Richardson
Script Editor John Dorney
Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs

Big Finish Doctor Who News

Big Finish announced last week that they will be doing a series of Doctor Chronicles that take place during the 9th, 10th and 11th Doctor eras of Doctor Who.  These box sets will be just like the Companion Chronicles and that the stories will be narrated and some of the parts being played by those who have appeared in featured Doctors era.  Nick Briggs will be the main narrator and will be playing the role of The Doctor.  The first set will be the 9th Doctor and will be out in May while the 10th and 11th Doctor box sets will be out in 2018.  You can read more about this release at the following link.
https://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/doctor-who---the-doctor-chronicles



Big Finish also announced that there will be more 4th Doctor adventures coming in 2018 with the release of two box sets coming out in January and May.  What more The Doctor will be facing some familiar foes as The Doctor will once again go up against the Egyptian God Sutekh who will be played once again by Gabriel Woolf.  Tom Baker will be joined by Louise Jameson who played Leela during the 4th Doctor era.  You can read more about the forth coming 4th Doctor adventures at the link below.
https://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/fourth-doctor-series-7-news