Harlequin Goldsmiths Ltd, under license with the BBC, are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who in 2013 with a range of 9ct gold and Sterling silver statuaries and a jewellery collection inspired by the iconic series.

Follow Harlequin on twitter: @HarlequinGifts for more info and like them on Facebook to keep up with release dates and photos (Coming Soon).

Harlequin will be launching a new website showcasing their range in December.

[Source: Harlequin Gifts]

The BBC have released a number of promotional pictures and a synopsis for the 2012 Doctor Who Christmas Special; 7.6X: The Snowmen.

+  7.6X: The Snowmen will air on Christmas Day at 5:15pm on BBC One.

[Source: BBC Pictures]

Ex-Doctor Who star, Colin Baker (The 6th Doctor) has signed and donated a package of special jungle souvenirs for this exclusive DWO competition in support of Malaria No More UK – the beneficiary charity of I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

The jungle package includes a mess eating tin, a bandana, a Malaria No More UK t-shirt and a photo, all signed by Colin!  

Malaria No More UK works tirelessly to end deaths from malaria, a preventable disease which claims the life of a child every minute. Colin has united with his fellow celebrity contestants to support this inspiring cause with 15p from every vote going to Malaria No More UK to help save lives. Colin says: 

“What The Doctor has failed to do is to get a cure for malaria and take it back in time, which is what I am sure he would have done, had he thought of it!”

To enter the competition, simply answer this question: What is the name of the charity supported by Colin and the other I’m a Celebrity contestants? 

Email your answer, along with your full name to info@malarianomore.org.uk with the subject line: ‘Colin Baker Competition’.

Closing date: Monday 3rd December 2012

Terms and conditions:

Malaria No More UK will contact the winner of the competition using the email address provided within one week of the closing date.  If the winner has not responded within one month of the closing date, another winner will be chosen.

Malaria No More UK & Malaria No More UK Trading Ltd will use your personal information in order to process your entry to the competition and to keep you updated on the progress in the fight against malaria and how you can help. By entering this competition, you are agreeing to receive occasional email updates from Malaria No More UK & Malaria No More Trading Ltd (You can unsubscribe at any time).  If you would prefer not to receive these email updates please include NO EMAIL in the body of your email.

[Source: Malaria No More]

The title for the 2012 Doctor Who Christmas special has been officially confirmed as: 'The Snowmen'.

Confirmation comes from this evening's Children In Need charity event on BBC One, which also saw an exclusive Doctor Who Minisode Prequel, titled 'The Great Detective', as well as the first Trailer for the Christmas special which you can see below:

[youtube:L3KVpvEUTns]

+  The Snowmen will air on Christmas Day on BBC One, Time TBC.

[Source: BBC]

The BBC have uploaded the Christmas Special prequel video 'The Great Detective' to the BBC YouTube Channel.

The video, which is introduced by Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman, features Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, Commander Strax and The Doctor in Victorian London. Watch the clip below:

[youtube:G17_B4uACgg]

+  Rate / Discuss this Minisode in the DWO Forums!

[Source: BBC YouTube]

BBC Pictures have sent DWO the first promo picture from the 2012 Doctor Who Christmas Special.

The episode, rumoured to be titled 'The Snowman' will air on Christmas Day on BBC One.

Fans tuning into BBC One this Friday (16th November) between 8:30-9:00pm, will be treated to a preview trailer for the Christmas special, as well as a bespoke story, filmed specially for the Children In Need campaign.

+  Donate to Children In Need!

[Source: BBC Pictures]

It is with deepest regret that DWO announces the passing of Classic Series Doctor Who Actor, Trevor Lawrence.

Trevor was perhaps best known to Doctor Who fans for his role as Lodge in the 3rd Doctor adventure; Invasion Of The Dinosaurs.

DWO would like to extend our sympathies to Trevor's family and friends.

[Sources: Neil Marsh; Equity]

It is with deepest regret that DWO announces the passing of Classic Series Doctor Who Actor, David Webb.

David was perhaps best known to Doctor Who fans for his role as Eric Leeson in the 3rd Doctor adventure; Colony In Space.

DWO would like to extend our sympathies to David's family and friends.

[Sources: Neil Marsh; Equity]

David Tennant (The Tenth Doctor) will make his Star Wars: The Clone Wars debut this week in “A Test of Strength” airing Saturday 10th November at 9:30am ET/PT on Cartoon Network. 

Tennant will voice the character Huyang, a droid who greatly impacts the journey of a group of young Jedi, who were just setting out to build their first lightsabers in last week’s episode. The famed actor will continue to appear in the series for the following two episodes, “Bound for Rescue” and “A Necessary Strength.”

“When I heard the Doctor himself, David Tennant, was a fan of Star Wars I knew I had to find a way to get in contact with him to see if he would perform on Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” said Dave Filoni, Supervising Director, Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

“The result was ‘Huyang,’ an ancient droid in the service of the Jedi Order, whose sole task in life has been overseeing the construction of lightsabers. I thought David was perfect for the part and he did not disappoint. He delivered a performance which impressed even the Master himself, George Lucas.”

Lucasfilm have kindly given DWO permission to add the clip to the DWO YouTube Channel, which you can watch below: 

[youtube:1KF9khVwElc]

+  A Test Of Strength airs on Saturday 10th November at 9:30am ET/PT on Cartoon Network.

[Source: Lucasfilm]

Manufacturer: Big Finish Productions

Written By: James Goss

RRP: £8.99 (CD) / £7.99 (Download)

Release Date: 31st October 2012

Reviewed by: Matthew Davis for Doctor Who Online

Review Posted: 8th November 2012

Liz Shaw has been working as The Doctor’s assistant for a while now and in all that time she has noticed something rather sinister. People have been dying in a small number over a period of months but what links them all is that each of them were told of their death before the fact.

Each person received a letter predicting both the time and date of their demise. 

Liz has been documenting all of these strange events and trying to get The Doctor to pay attention. The Time Lord however is more concerned with restoring power to the TARDIS and escaping his exile so Liz takes it upon herself to investigate. 

It seems all the of the dead were part of committees within the Government and without the Doctor to help her, Liz has to rely on the one person with a link to all of them and just might be next for one of those letters. Her mother.

In June of this year Caroline John, known to all Doctor Who fans as Dr Elizabeth “Liz” Shaw passed away. Her character was present in only four of Jon Pertwee’s stories, but her performance as an equal to The Doctor, in intellect and stubbornness, endeared her to many fans. John was a very gifted performer and her recent work with Big Finish showed off her talents even if those stories weren’t always as strong. I’m both happy and sad to say that The Last Post is the best Liz Saw story Big Finish have done. It's just a real tragedy that this was to be the last.

The Last Post is a two-hander piece between Liz and her mother, taking place between letters, telephone calls and meetings for lunch. This structure allows for some fascinating insights into Liz’s personal life and the relationship with her mother is beautifully written.

Caroline John leaves us with a magnificent performance here; touching, witty and showing suitable frustration at The Doctor, John made Liz such a believable character and listening to this story knowing all too well that this is the last time we will hear Liz makes for a strange and moving experience. Giving Liz a family expands the character greatly and grounds her in a way that we have not really seen before. When Liz writes of her regret at missing family gatherings due to work, she comes to life as a person and not just as a third wheel for the Doctor. This is a woman experiencing terrifying situations and wants to rebuild a connection with her family, so when the threat comes too close to home, we really fear for her.

Rowena Cooper is wonderful as Emily Shaw. Emily is a warm and charming personality, both proud and somewhat disappointed with her daughter’s career path into science rather than the arts. It creates an interesting dynamic between the two. When the strange events begin to happen, James Goss smartly writes Emily as being aware of them and of her daughter’s involvement in UNIT. From the start this allows both characters to begin on an even keel and rightly so. Emily is just as intelligent and headstrong as her daughter and this is to the advantage of the play, so much so that the cliff-hanger to part one is quite frankly one of the most tense I have heard from any Big Finish story.

The Last Post takes place between Liz’s adventures with The Doctor and Goss litters the script with clever references. There is a rather cheeky nod to The War Machines and a rather tantalizing final moment between mother and daughter hinting that the characters know what is in store for The Doctor. 

Whether it was intended or not, The Last Post is a lovely tribute to Caroline John’s time with the show and a cracking mystery in its own right. It has rather more emotional resonance in the knowledge of John’s recent passing and it seems only right that her final work for Big Finish is her very best.

From the behind the scenes interview included at the end, we learn that this was planned to be the first of more adventures for Liz and Emily. It is very sad that this will not come to pass but if The Sarah Jane Adventures told us anything, it’s that Liz Shaw is still with us, on the Moonbase working for the betterment of humanity. 

I think The Doctor would be very proud.

Manufacturer: Big Finish Productions

Written By: Rick Briggs

RRP: £14.99 (CD) / £12.99 (Download)

Release Date: 31st October 2012

Reviewed by: Matthew Davis for Doctor Who Online

Review Posted: 8th November 2012

The Doctor arrives on the planet Cawdor deep within the Drashani Empire almost thirty years after his last visit ended in bloodshed. The Doctor has a promise to keep to a dead man but not everything goes smoothly for him. After the Succession of Blood, power in the Empire has befallen the young Empress Cheni and for five years the Empire enjoyed peace. 

But then the Wrath came.

Led by the feared Lord Tenebris, the Wrath lay waste to the Empire and the Drashani have been at war with them ever since. With Cawdor next in line for conquest, The Doctor must use all his wits of he is keep his promise. But what is the secret of the Wrath’s weapon, The Archeron Pulse and what connection does Tenebris have to the Empire? As the Doctor uncovers the truth it seems that old secrets and betrayals could lead to the Drashani’s ultimate destruction.

The Archeron Pulse is the second part of Big Finish’s closing trilogy for the main Doctor Who range this year; a series of interconnected stories detailing the history of the Drashani Empire. After the brilliant The Burning Prince, I speculated how much of that story would cross into this second chapter and as it turns out quite a lot does. This is a direct sequel to the previous story as without giving too much away, plot threads and characters carry over into this story and its events are explicitly defined by those that took place in The Burning Prince.

Writer Rick Briggs has done a fine job of creating a engaging storyline within the framework of the larger scope that this trilogy of stories is offering. While not as strong as the first story, The Archeron Pulse is still rather enjoyable. 

Colin Baker puts in a fine performance as The Doctor with a nod to the hubristic elements of the character from television. Thankfully he retains enough of the development of the character that has occurred throughout Big Finish to not let it become too much of a throwback. His arrogance does make for some wonderful comic moments and his clashes with Tenebris are some of the audio’s highlights.

Lord Tenebris is an engaging villain played with relish by James Wilby whose character really is the most important component of this adventure. Tenebris is almost certainly a nod to Darth Vader, showing the influences of space operas that have informed this trilogy so far but Briggs makes him enough of an interesting character to avoid him being a direct copy. As the revelations of Tenebris’ past are stripped away rather dramatically at the end of part two, the play shifts gears and what follows is some intriguing exposition that slows the action down somewhat but lays the ground work for the rather downbeat but hopeful finale. 

The supporting cast are fantastic but their stories seem to suffer once Tenebris makes his entrance dominance of the character over the proceedings. The Wrath are a fascinating creation and from the conclusion it seems that we have not heard the last from them.  

The Archeron Pulse is a great story which manages to be enjoyable and not fully suffer under the weight of exposition that is certainly being laid for a dramatic closing chapter.

Ex-Doctor Who actor and friend to DWO, Colin Baker, has been confirmed as a contestant on this years 'I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here' reality TV show.

Colin is already in Australia and ready to enter the jungle when the popular reality show hits our screens this Sunday (11th November).

Famed for playing The 6th Doctor, Colin has expressed his excitement at entering the jungle and facing whatever challenges come his way. The 6th Doctor was renowned for hating carrot juice, but it seems 'old sixie' will be facing far worse than that downunder...

DWO have started the #ColinToWin hashtag on Twitter and encourage all our visitors to use it and help Colin win the coveted title of 'King of the Jungle'.

Baker recorded an intro video for the I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here website, which can be viewed below: 

[youtube:olz6jacSoKw]

+  I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here begins on Sunday 11th November at 9pm on ITV1.

[Source: ITV1]

The BBC Doctor Who site have confirmed the rumours that The Cybermen will return in 2013, for the story written by Neil Gaiman.

The episode (7.12), will also guest star Warwick Davis (Star Wars, Willow, Harry Potter), Tamzin Outhwaite (Eastenders, Hotel Babylon) and Jason Watkins (Being Human, Lark Rise to Candleford), as 'a band of misfits on a mysterious planet'.

Stephen Woolfenden has been confirmed as the Director of the episode.

Writing on his blog, Neil Gaiman teased the title of the episode:

"Oh, and for the curious, the episode will be called . Only with letters instead of Ascii Blocks. Unless we change the title again before it's broadcast. Which might well happen, actually. I mean, it was originally called ."

Why not put your guesses below in the comment box, or tweet your guesses to the @DrWhoOnline Twitter account using the button to the right.

[Source: BBC Doctor Who site]

Featuring nine amazing stories over 244 packed pages: Supernature, Planet Bollywood!, The Golden Ones, The Professor, The Queen And The Bookshop, The Screams Of Death, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, Forever Dreaming, Apothosis and The Child Of Time!

The Doctor has a new companion – Amy Pond – and together the two of them embark on a thrilling journey through time and space. Along the way, the two friends arrive on a planet with some extraordinary plant life, encounter a society that keeps bursting into song, and enter a surreal dream world where they meet the mysterious Dark. The Doctor also faces his old enemies, the Axons, in Tokyo, and a new mystery begins: just who is the strange little girl, Chiyoko, the enigmatic ‘Child of Time’...?

PLUS! A bumper commentary section where the writers, artists and editors reveal the stories behind the strips, featuring never-before-published artwork, original story outlines and much more!

Doctor Who: The Child of Time is written by Jonathan Morris, with artwork from Martin Geraghty, Dan McDaid, Mike Collins, David A. Roach, Roger Langridge, Rob Davis, James Offredi and Adrian Salmon.

+  Doctor Who: The Child of Time is Out Now, Priced £16.99.

+  Buy this Comic from Amazon.co.uk for just £11.63.

[Source: Panini Comics]