A new arrival turns up at a comprehensive school, provoking too many questions and not enough answers. Two friends from the school are intrigued and are determined to solve the mystery. They secretly follow the individual to an old scrapyard (“What a mess!” they say.) There, they encounter a sinister and hostile stranger who tells them they are uninvited and unwelcome and must leave – only to…

A new interview in Doctor Who Magazine might hint that K9, the loveable robot dog, is returning to Doctor Who, for either the 60th anniversary special(s) or even before that. Juno Dawson, writer of the podcast Redacted, spoke about the behind-the-scenes of the story, and revealed that they were going to include Donna Noble, but that was vetoed. Juno said: “Initially, Donna was supposed to be in…

How has digital technology transformed Doctor Who? The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine explores that question, as ably demonstrated by the cover, which sees Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor changing into a Weeping Angel, something that happened at the cliffhanger of Flux: Village of the Angels. This issue charts the history of digital effects in Doctor Who from the 1970s to the most…

It’s with huge sadness that we report the passing of the Doctor Who writer, Bob Baker. He wrote some fantastic stories, but will probably be best remembered as the co-creator of that iconic dog, K9, a true legend of Doctor Who. And actually, I think he’ll have been proud to have K9 as a major part of his legacy because he seemed so pleased to have come up with such a fantastic part of the Who…

Following on from their success with Lytton, Cutaway Comics is continuing its exploration of the wider Doctor Who universe, this time with the announcement of Omega and Eldrad, as well as Orcini and a sequel/prequel to Paradise Towers. For those who didn’t know about these comics, Cutaway Comics is an independent comic publisher from Manchester, who, through the use of Kickstarter, funded a…

There’s happy news from Cutaway Comics this month, as their Kickstarter project has vastly outstripped its initial target of £678, so far raising a vworping £8,000.

Cutaway Comics, as you’ll remember from our coverage in July, is a new, independent imprint that focuses on the wider world of Doctor Who. Based in Manchester, it brings together writers new to comics with experienced artists,…

Tom Baker’s third season as the Fourth Doctor will be released on Blu-ray in April as Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 14 – a fact we know plenty of people will be over the moon about. This season includes a number of fan-favourite serials, including The Deadly Assassin, The Robots of Death, and The Talons of Weng-Chiang(which remains much-loved by much of fandom, despite certain folk telling…

There are times when seasons of Doctor Whoslip seamlessly from one to the next. Then there are times of seismic shifts: notably Season 6 to 7 with Troughton replaced by Pertwee and monochrome bursting into colour. But despite the complete regular cast change, behind the scenes there is a continuity. Terrance Dicks sticks around, as does Robert Holmes, and Dudley Simpson scores once more. The…

Season 16 was, of course, Graham Williams’ attempt to impose some order on the Doctor Whouniverse: in storytelling, in production, and in curbing the excesses of his increasingly erratic star. Williams found it hard to believe that a fault in the TARDIS’ navigation circuits would cause the Doctor to land in trouble every few weeks. This seems a bit strange when the premise had served the series…

This review is dedicated to the legacy of Terrance Dicks, 1935-2019.

You took me on so many adventures, but always brought me safely home.

In 1977, a fortress of Saturday night television began to crumble. In 1974, producer Philip Hinchcliffe and script editor Robert Holmes had inherited Doctor Who from a team that, after five years, was creatively and emotionally drained and ready to move…

God can be a problem. Whether we’re playing, preaching, discussing the gender of, arguing for, arguing against, questioning, or losing, God can be a problem. Or at least, our attitudes towards deities can be. Faith, of course, plays a big part in our lives, and it doesn’t matter which side of the fence you’re on, or indeed if you’re desperately trying to balance on top of said fence. As such,…

I began watching Doctor Who in 2005. After seeing Christopher Eccleston’s first series I had to see more. The promotional material leading up to the new series said that there had been lots of Doctor Who before. I immediately sought it out, swapping out one grinning mad man for another, although this one has slightly more hair.

I don’t know what drew me to Season 12, but I doubt I could have…

Having reached its 10th year, it seems as though Doctor Who had taken the first steps toward becoming an institution. Having changed lead actors twice and shifted the focus of the show from historical to space monsters to present day Earth, the programme demonstrated that its potential really was unlimited. This anniversary year would see the return of past incarnations, setting up a future…

Moving on from Season 8 to 9 felt like growing up a little; like crossing the threshold from being 21 to being 22. Despite dropping off with my initial viewings of Season 8, Season 9 is where I came back on board almost full-time, missing only a few episodes here and there. However, this was some 7 years ago now, and while I do remember key moments, most of it was lost in my subconscious, making…

Imagine, if you will: it’s 6:30pm on a school night in mid-2012. You’re taking a break from your assessment writing and flick over to the Sci-Fi Channel to see what’s on. You notice the first episode of Season 7 of Classic Doctor Whois about to start. You’ve been told your entire life that you would love this series, but you haven’t ever had the chance to watch it. Now, the opportunity has…

The Doctor’s faithful robotic dog is getting his own spin-off series once more, at least according to a well-known tabloid which, in fairness, has a history of getting stuff right. And if this all sounds familiar, you’re not being affected by the TARDIS’ dimensioning forces: something similar has happened. Or, more accurately, it’s sort of happened.

Bear with me. (Not the programme mentioned in