Character Options have sent DWO details of their upcoming 'Dalek Invasion; 2075' Time Zone Playset.

Collect and build the universe of Doctor Who with these 3D card diorama playsets that feature different time zones visited by the Doctor in the hit TV series. You can travel between different time zones or clip the sets together to build bigger ‘zones’. The playsets are in scale with the Doctor Who 3.75-inch action figures so you can create your own adventures or simply display your collection. There are two Time Zone playsets to collect… 

Dalek Invasion; 2075AD and the Daleks have invaded Earth once more. Using their mighty Saucer ships they bombard London driving the surviving population underground. Once they land, the Daleks patrol the ground looking for survivors in the rubble to either exterminate or transform into their puppets using Dalek nanocloud technology. In the skies the Daleks use long range ‘Hoverbout’ Anti-gravity disks to pursue the resistance. The TARDIS materialises near to a Trans-Sys matter transmission station in Hyde Park and the Doctor realises that he will need all his resources to once again defeat his oldest enemies and save the Earth from destruction. The future of the human race hangs in the balance. Dalek Invasion Time Zone Playset includes 1 exclusive hoverbout accessory. One supplied. For ages 5 years and over.

Key Features:

•  3D card diorama playset
•  Clip the sets together to build bigger ‘zones’
•  In scale with the Doctor Who 3.75-inch action figures
•  Each playset includes 1 x exclusive accessory or figurine

+  The 'Dalek Invasion; 2075AD' Time Zone Playset is released in May 2013, priced £9.99.

+  Preorder this product from Forbidden Planet!

[Source: Character Options]

Fifty Years in Time and Space: A Short History of Doctor Who is a new critical study by Frank Danes, available from St Mark’s Press.

Those of you with long memories may remember that Frank used to edit the fanzine Fendahl way back in the late 70s and early 80s.

These days, Frank says of himself:

"I’ve always been a Doctor Who fan even as I have become (in Terrance Dicks’ words) older, fatter, greyer, but not noticeably wiser."

Professionally, Frank is Head of English at King’s Ely in Cambridgeshire; he’s also written Victorian Literature for CUP.

Frank comments:

"Fifty Years in Time and Space is inevitably a personal reading of the series and is coloured by my own critical preferences:  any book about the programme which doesn’t demonstrate the author’s own views would, I think, be very dull.  I haven’t religiously covered every single story and I haven’t provided a plot précis or production details of every one.  Interested readers can find these in many of the programme guides that are available online or in book form.  I hope readers will forgive me for jumping around and pursuing the bits I’m most interested in.  Since these bits include all of Doctor Who, I hope most issues are touched on, in more or less detail."

The book offers a new approach to the history of the series; by turns analytical, by turns funny – and with a stunning cover by Roger Langridge.

+  Fifty Years In Time And Space is Out Now, priced £11.95 from www.stmarkspress.com.

[Source: St Mark's Press]

Ebury Publishing have sent DWO the cover and details for the upcoming BBC Doctor Who book title; Harvest Of Time.

Synopsis:

After billions of years of imprisonment, the vicious Sild have broken out of confinement. From a ruined world at the end of time, they make preparations to conquer the past, with the ultimate goal of rewriting history. But to achieve their aims they will need to enslave an intellect greater than their own…

On Earth, UNIT is called in to investigate a mysterious incident on a North Sea drilling platform. The Doctor believes something is afoot, and no sooner has the investigation begun when something even stranger takes hold: The Brigadier is starting to forget about UNIT's highest-profile prisoner. And he is not alone in his amnesia.

As the Sild invasion begins, The Doctor faces a terrible dilemma. To save the universe, he must save his arch-nemesis… The Master.

From award-winning science fiction writer Alastair Reynolds, a spellbinding new adventure featuring The Third Doctor.

+  Harvest Of Time is released in Hardback on 6th June 2013, Priced £16.99.

+  Compare Prices for this product from as little as £14.44 on CompareTheDalek.com.

[Source: BBC Books]

BBC Consumer Products have sent DWO the box-art and details for the Doctor Who 'Regeneration' DVD Box-set.

Regeneration - Box-set
Featuring: The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th 9th & 10th Doctors

Regeneration: a limited edition collectors’ book, including over 1000 minutes of Doctor Who adventures on DVD will be released in June.

The Doctor Who Regeneration set is an individually numbered, beautifully packaged, coffee table album including six DVDs of Doctor Who adventures – including fan favourites like The Caves of Androzani and The End of Time, plus an advance release of the First Doctor’s final adventure The Tenth Planet.

The set is adorned with superb photography from across the era and features detailed and informative accounts of each regeneration. The collection features each Doctor’s iconic regeneration episode; from the First Doctor played by William Hartnell, exhausted after battling the Cybermen to Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor suffering from radiation that had been unleashed by the Great One; and from the spectacular transformation of the Ninth Doctor to David Tennant’s emotional farewell as the Tenth.

And if that wasn’t enough, new to DVD is The Tenth Planet featuring the Doctor’s first regeneration – beautifully restored with the missing fourth episode now brought to life with stunning animation. Utilising the original soundtrack, off-screen photographs and a short surviving sequence of the Doctor’s regeneration the episode has been now reconstructed in animated form, incorporating the restored version of the surviving sequence.

A full list of stories included on the DVD are:

•  The Tenth Planet
•  The War Games
•  Planet of the Spiders
•  Logopolis
•  The Caves of Androzani
•  Time and the Rani
•  Doctor Who: The Movie
•  Bad Wolf and The Parting of the Ways
•  The End of Time

Watch a trailer for the box-set below:

+  The Regeneration Box-set is released on 24th June 2013, priced £43.25.

+  Compare Prices for this product on CompareTheDalek.com.

[Source: BBC Consumer Products]

Our friends over at The Doctor Who Appreciation Society have been in touch with details of a charity eBay auction of items belonging to late Doctor Who fan, Philip Jessett, who sadly passed away of Leukaemia.

By agreement with Phllip's mother Paula, the items in the collection are now available to bid on via the DWAS eBay site. 100% of each item's sale price will be donated (via eBay's charity partner Missionfish) to 'Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research'.

We hope that everyone who reads this will take a look at the items available and consider placing a bid for something.

Some items have been restricted to UK bidders as delivery costs to overseas locations are likely to be prohibitive.

+  More information about the charity can be found at: http://leukaemialymphomaresearch.org.uk

[Source: DWAS]

BBC Consumer Products have sent DWO the cover and details for the Doctor Who DVD release of The Mind Of Evil.

The Mind Of Evil
Featuring: The 3rd Doctor

Professor Keller has created a machine that can pacify even the most dangerous of criminals.

But when the Doctor and Jo arrive at Stangmoor Prison for a demonstration, things start to go horribly wrong – especially when they discover that the Doctor’s old enemy the Master is responsible for the machine.

What could he possibly want from the criminals? And what connects him with an impending World Peace Conference?

Special Features:

Disc One: 

•  6 x 25 mins approx colour episodes with mono audio.
•  Commentary – stereo. With actors Katy Manning, Pik-Sen Lim and Fernanda Marlowe, director Timothy Combe, producer Barry Letts, script editor Terrance Dicks and stunt arranger Derek Ware. Moderated by Toby Hadoke.
•  Programme subtitles.
•  Subtitle Production Notes.

Disc Two:

•  The Military Mind (dur. 22’ 43”) – shot back in 2009 on location at Dover Castle, this look at the making of the story is made unexpectedly poignant by the appearance of Nicholas Courtney and Barry Letts, who both passed away in the intervening years. Featuring actors Nicholas Courtney, Pik-Sen Lim and Fernanda Marlow, director Timothy Combe, producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks. Narrated by Cameron McEwan.
•  Now & Then (dur. 7’ 06”) – the latest in our long-running series visits the filming locations used in the story to see how they have changed over the years.
•  Behind the Scenes: Television Centre (dur. 24’ 00”) – back in 1971, at around the time The Mind of Evil was in production, presenter Norman Tozer visited Television Centre to find out what went on over 24 hours in the life of what was then an incredibly busy ‘television factory’.
•  Photo Gallery – production, design and publicity photos from the story.
•  Coming Soon – a trailer for a forthcoming DVD release.

+  The Mind Of Evil is released on 3rd June 2013, priced £20.42.

+  Compare Prices for this product on CompareTheDalek.com.

[Source: BBC Consumer Products]

Forbidden Planet have teamed up with Character Options for another Exclusive Doctor Who Toy.

'The Daemons' Collector's Set features The Brigadier, The Master and Bok, as featured in the 3rd Doctor adventure; The Dæmons.

In the peaceful village of Devil’s End something very strange is happening. A professor is preparing to open a nearby burial mound and a local white has foresees death and disaster. Meanwhile, the new vicar looks suspiciously like the Master and he is using black magic to conjure up an ancient Daemon.

Contents:

1 x Brigadier action figure in jersey with U.N.I.T. beret and pistol.
1 x The Master action figure.
1 x Bok the dæmon action figure.

+  'The Dæmons' Collector's Set is released in August 2013, priced £29.99.

+  Preorder this product from Forbidden Planet for £29.99!

[Source: Forbidden Planet]

Our friends over at Candy Jar Books have sent DWO the cover and details for their fantastic new Doctor Who book title; Companions: 50 Years Of Doctor Who Assistants.

A brand new Doctor Who book is now available for pre-order. Companions: Fifty Years Of Doctor Who Assistants is an unofficial and frank guide of the Time Lord’s adventures in space and time. Drawing on plots from the TV series as well as other media, this book is fascinating reading for fans of both the classic and current series of Doctor Who.

To coincide with the launch of the book the publisher, Candy Jar, is asking fans to vote for their favourite Doctor Who companion. The results will be released when the book is published in June. To vote go to: http://www.candy-jar.co.uk/companions/index.html

Companions: Fifty Years Of Doctor Who Assistants provides readers with an in-depth account of each Doctor's fellow travellers and shows the impact they had on both the Doctor and the viewers.

Andy Frankham-Allen has been a Doctor Who fan since his childhood and has relished the opportunity to write this book in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the series. Andy, who penned several Short Trip stories for Big Finish, feels the time is right for a more detailed look at the journey of the Doctor Who companion. He said:

“It's been a long time since there's been an honest and frank look at the Doctor's journey and the lives he changes. This book will challenge the notion that he always takes the best.”

Gary Russell, former Doctor Who Magazine editor, Big Finish producer, BBC script editor and Doctor Who novelist, has provided the book’s foreword. Gary said:

“Of course there have been books about companions before – but few of them go into this amount of detail, display this amount of in-depth knowledge and above all, this amount of love. As a celebration of everything that makes the Doctor’s (and therefore our) best friends unique and special, this book is essential.”

Doctor Who first appeared on our screens in 1963. The show continued until 1989 but the series was then re-launched in 2005 attracting old fans and new. Doctor Who is now one of the most prestigious shows on British television, loved and watched by millions.

Signed copies of the book are now available to pre-order from the Candy Jar Books website (www.candy-jar.co.uk/books/companions.html) for no additional charge. 

+  Companions: Fifty Years of Doctor Who Assistants is released on 27th June 2013.

+  PREORDER - Companions: 50 Years Of Doctor Who Assistants, for just £8.99.

[Source: Candy Jar Books]

To celebrate Doctor Who's 50th anniversary, fan of the show Lewis Christian has been putting together an epic fan-collaborated/written celebratory book, Celebrate Regenerate.

Over the past 9 months, fans from all over the world (and of all ages, races and species) have been invited to submit positive reviews and articles for all of the televised episodes, right from An Unearthly Child to the current run of episodes, to be published in the book.

The project, a mammoth undertaking, is still in progress, though most of the book has now been edited. Lewis is currently accepting submissions for Series 7B, and you can get involved! For more information about 7B submissions, check the book's website here: http://celebrateregenerate.weebly.com/series-7b-info.html

On the site, you can also find out how to get your name listed in the book, and you can view lots more details about the project so far. You can also follow the links below for more information, sneak peeks and anything else to do with Celebrate Regenerate!

The book, once finished, will be published via Lulu.com and there will also be a free PDF version, allowing everyone to get hold of a copy. At over 300 pages (one story per page is the rule), it'll make for great summer reading. 

At present, there is no precise launch date, though the book is expected to be released in August 2013.

+  Website: http://celebrateregenerate.weebly.com
+  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CelebrateRegenerate
+  Twitter: http://twitter.com/lewis_christian

[Source: Lewis Christian]

There's sssssomething very sssssspecial in the new isssssue of DWM!

The new issue of Doctor Who Magazine hits shops Today (Thursday 4th April), and features full previews of next few episodes to hit your screens over the next few weeks – and writer MARK GATISS tells DWM how excited he was to bring back one of Doctor’s Who’s iconic monsters in Cold War:

 “The Ice Warriors are back where they belong and I’m absolutely thrilled! Whilst absolutely respecting the source, the source has huge gaps in which you can invent. I was talking to a couple of members of the crew, and they had no idea the Ice Warriors were an old monster. It’s very powerful. You don’t need to know they first appeared in the 60s.

I thought, 'Why don't we put the Ice Warriors on a sub?'" Mark continues. "And suddenly it all clicked! The submarine set is amazing. Fantastic! The moment it's all lit and full of steam, it's incredibly believable."

Also in this issue:

HIDE AND SEEK - JESSICA RAINE, soon to be seen as Doctor Who’s original producer Verity Lambert in An Adventure in Space and Time and star of Call the Midwife, reveals all about guest-starring in the forthcoming episode Hide – and how she believes in ghosts!

WHERE THERE’S A WILLS - ANNEKE WILLS looks back on her time as glam-girl Polly, companion to the First and Second Doctors – and how thrilling it was to be present at the first-ever regeneration.

THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES - As The Ice Warriors return to menace The Eleventh Doctor, DWM winds back the clock to 1967 and the Doctor’s first encounter with the Lords of the red planet. Discover a wealth of fascinating facts about what happened to The Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria when they fought Varga on Britannicus Base as THE ICE WARRIORS is thawed out in The Fact of Fiction.

MAN AT THE TOP - Doctor Who lead writer and executive producer STEVEN MOFFAT answers more of your questions – including what Blink and his his other stories were originally called...

ROAD RAGE - The Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones get stuck in traffic when they travel into the future for a visit to New Earth. THE TIME TEAM get caught in the Gridlock, but what will Will, Emma, Chris and Michael make of it all?

TRIBAL DANCE - The Doctor faces his past in more ways than one as the Hunters are revealed to be the unearthly Tribe of Gum! The Doctor, Ian and Barbara attempt to unravel the mystery in Part Four of our epic comic strip, HUNTERS OF THE BURNING STONE, written by SCOTT GREY and illustrated by MARTIN GERAGHTY.

SECOND HELPINGS - it’s 2006 and Doctor Who has become the most talked about show on TV! DAVID TENNANT is the new Doctor, BILLIE PIPER plays Rose – and the sky's the limit on the trip of the a lifetime. DWM's trip through five decades of adventure reaches Series 28 in COUNTDOWN TO 50!

PRACTICAL PARENTING - What do you do when your children swap Time Lords for another interest? JACQUELINE RAYNER soothes the fevered brow of Doctor Who-loving parents everywhere in RELATIVE DIMENSIONS.

CAUGHT IN A VACCUUM - The Watcher ponders the triangular nature of one of Doctor Who’s greatest design innovations in A History of Doctor Who in 100 Objects, jumps to the left for a Rocky Horror-themed Six Faces of Delusion and dazzles with more entries from the Stockbridge English Dictionary. Its WOTCHA!

PLUS! - All the latest official news, reviews and previews from the worlds of Doctor Who, prize-winning competitions and crossword, and, much, much more.

+  Doctor Who Magazine Issue #459 is out Out Now, priced £4.75.

+  Subscribe Worldwide to DWM from just £17.99 via Unique Magazines!

+  Check Out The DWO Guide to Doctor Who Magazine!

[Source: Doctor Who Magazine]

The fourth instalment in a sensational series of stories celebrating the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who is written by Philip Reeve, award-winning author of Mortal Engines, Here Lies Arthur and GOBLINS.

Speaking to DWO, Philip had the following to say on his upcoming title:

"It's been a great treat writing for The 4th Doctor and Leela. I've tried to include plenty of scarf and jelly baby action, a roll-on part for K9, and the sort of running around in corridors plot that made late 70s Saturday teatimes something to look forward to all week."

Synopsis:

When the Fourth Doctor takes Leela to visit an immense tree space station known as the Heligan Structure, little do they know that the tree has been asleep for centuries, dreaming of vengeance against a man in a blue box...

As the tree awakes, the Time Lord and his companion soon discover why they are such unwelcome guests.

Eleven Doctors, eleven months, eleven stories: a year-long celebration of Doctor Who! The most exciting names in children's fiction each create their own unique adventure about the time-travelling Time Lord.

The Roots of Evil features The Fourth Doctor and Leela, with Reeve deliberately trying to "imagine a Saturday teatime, circa 1979".

About the author:

Born in Brighton, Philip Reeve worked as a full-time illustrator before turning to writing. His first novel, Mortal Engines, won the Nestlé Smarties Gold Award (2002), the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award, and was shortlisted for both the Branford Boase Award and the Whitbread Children's Book Award. He has since won many more awards and accolades.

+  The Roots Of Evil is released on 23rd April 2013, Priced £1.99.

+  Preorder this eBook on Amazon for £1.99.
+  Preorder this eBook from iTunes for £1.99.

+  Check Out Philip Reeve's Blog.

[Source: Puffin Books]

Special Edition Fish Fingers with Captain Birdseye stepping aside for The Doctor have been created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the hit TV show and mark the launch of National Fish Fingers and Custard Day (Wednesday 3rd April) - the favourite food of the eleventh incarnation of The Doctor.

The bespoke pack featuring The Doctor has been sent to Matt Smith, the eleventh incarnation of the famous character, along with a year¹s supply of Birds Eye Fish Fingers.

[Source: Mischief PR]

BBC Books have sent DWO the cover and details for the upcoming Doctor Who book title; Summer Falls.

Synopsis:

“When summer falls, the Lord of Winter will arise...”

In the seaside village of Watchcombe, young Kate is determined to make the most of her last week of summer holiday. But when she discovers a mysterious painting entitled ‘The Lord of Winter’ in a charity shop, it leads her on an adventure she never could have planned. Kate soon realises the old seacape, painted long ago by an eccentric local artist, is actually a puzzle. And with the help of some bizarre new acquaintances – including a museum curator's magical cat, a miserable neighbour, and a lonely boy – she plans on solving it. 

And then, one morning Kate wakes up to a world changed forever. For the Lord of Winter is coming – and Kate has a very important decision to make. 

‘Summer Falls’, a book written by Amelia Williams, is featured at the beginning of episode (The Bells of Saint John) of the new series of Doctor Who. It is being read by Artie, one of the children taken care of by Clara (as played by Jenna-Louise Coleman).

+  Summer Falls is released on 4th April 2013, Priced £1.99.

+  Preorder details will be available here soon.

[Source: BBC Books]

As we begin a new season of Doctor Who, the BBC has teamed up with Intel to create a new mini game – giving away signed Doctor Who goodies and a Sony Ultrabook, along with 100 copies of the new Doctor Who game.

The mini-game celebrates the launch of the Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock game on Intel’s AppUp app centre (known as Knowhow in the UK). All players of the game will also receive 60% off the game.

The Knowhow and AppUp app centres, built for PCs, offer easily-downloadable programs and games – some paid-for and some free – much as the iOS and Google Play stores do for mobile. 

The mini-game and offer are only live until the end of the month, so get clicking!

+  Play Clock Quest at: http://www.doctorwho.tv/clockquest

[Source: Catalysis PR]

Our friends over at Limiteed have some great treats lined up to celebrate the return of our favourite Time Lord today (30th March 2013).

Their Doctor Who week will feature 5 awesome T-Shirt designs from a number of talented artists and with each one being stylistically different, there's something for everyone.

Not only that, but there will be a chance for Limiteed's Facebook fans to win a free digitally signed poster of the featured day’s design, all they have to do is show the artists some love and like their Facebook pages.

This will be the first of many themed weeks that Limiteed will be running to create a buzz within fandoms alongside movie and game releases and returning series. 

We hope everyone is as excited as us for the return of the series, and will join us in supporting these awesome artists for their excellent designs. Allons-y!

To celebrate 50 years of Doctor Who, Limiteed have given DWO 50 coupon codes to get an awesome 10% discount on their tees, but hurry as once they're gone, they're gone! To take advantage of the offer, simply enter 'DWO10' at the checkout.

+  Check Out the Limiteed website.

[Source: Limiteed]