When most people think about the William Hartnell era of Doctor Who, they usually gravitate towards perhaps the first ever story, the first Dalek story, or perhaps his last story. If they’re going a little deeper, they’ll hit one of the other Dalek serials, perhaps a curiosity like The Gunfighters. Rarely do people go over deep cut stories, and especially not one of the several that are…

After a run of Patrick Troughton stories, it feels overdue for a First Doctor tale to be given the animation treatment. Rather surprisingly, this new release is the first complete story from the William Hartnell era to be animated, and also the first in colour.   Galaxy 4 is somewhat unloved story, both by the programme’s fans and those who worked on it. Incoming producer John Wiles, who aimed…

Following the news that the missing First Doctor story, Galaxy 4, will be animated for release on DVD, Blu-ray, and steelbook, the BFI has announced a special screening of the new animation at the BFI Southbank, London. All four episodes of the animation will screen on 7th November 2021, giving fans an advanced look at the entire story before its DVD and Blu-ray release on 15th…

The First Doctor adventure, Galaxy 4, will be animated for release on DVD and Blu-ray (including as a limited edition steelbook). And we don’t have long to wait: it’ll hit UK shelves on 15th November 2021! It’s very exciting to see that the animation schedule seems to be ploughing ahead faster than ever before (albeit probably due to the delays caused by Covid-19 and lockdowns which meant a gap…

Big Finish’s upcoming The Early Adventures: The Secrets of Det-Sen audio adventure will be dedicated to the memory of actress Jackie Lane. Jackie, who passed away on 23rd June 2021, played Dodo Chaplet, a companion of the First Doctor. The character, however, will now be played on audio by Lauren Cornelius, from The Secrets of Det-Sen, due for release in August 2021.   Actor Peter Purves, who…

Jackie Lane, who played Dodo Chaplet alongside William Hartnell’s Doctor, has died at the age of 79. She was considered for the part of Susan in 1963 but told producer Verity Lambert she didn’t want a long-term commitment, a decision she later regretted. When she did join the programme, she had a relatively short run as a cast member, first appearing at the conclusion of The Massacre of St…

The soundtrack for a long-lost First Doctor story will be released later this summer on vinyl. The Myth Makers is a four-part tale from Season 3, the last to feature Maureen O’Brien as the wonderful Vicki. The Vinyl Who soundtracks have so far included a range of missing and complete stories including The Daleks’ Master Plan, The Ice Warriors, and Horror of Fang Rock. But it’s especially…

The missing episodes of Galaxy 4 are reportedly being animated for release on DVD and Blu-ray, the first First Doctor serial to be given this treatment since 2013. For many years, Galaxy 4 was a missing and often-forgotten story, owing to the fact that no telesnaps were taken, so we could only gather what the story might’ve looked like via publicity shots, the Target novelisation, and surviving…

This time, we’re tackling the front end; the cream of the crop of companions — as far as capabilities. No, not necessarily the most popular, beloved, loyal, attractive, longest running or favourite companions.  I’m thinking of which companions, if you placed them alone on an alien planet, out of their depth, and even away from the Doctor, would be the most self sufficient or successful. And of…

In case you’d not noticed, it’s been a funny old year. Coronavirus has meant the delay or cancellation of various events, including Record Store Day, which usually happens in the Spring but has, instead, been split across three dates: 29th August, 26th September, and 24th October 2020. The first of these “drop dates” included a special vinyl version of The Massacre of St. Bartholomew’s Evesoundt…

It took a while but Big Finish have finally mastered the Sixties era of the show absolutely pitch-perfectly. Out of the Deep is another continuation of that success and while it isn’t the best Short Trip or indeed Sixties-era story, there is still plenty to enjoy in this more reflective and thought-provoking piece.

Read by Peter Purves, Out of the Deepsees the First Doctor and Steven arriving…

Philip Morris, lost episode hunter extraordinaire, has teased that he knows of six episodes of Doctor Who, currently missing from the archives, that are in the hands of private collectors.

Morris, who is the founder of the Television International Enterprises Archive (TIEA), has already returned nine episodes of Doctor Whoto fans. At Fantom’s virtual convention, Time Space Visualiser 2, he…