Michelle Ryan on Blue Peter

The BBC have announced that Michelle Ryan, the actress who will be playing Christina in the Doctor Who Easter special, Planet of the Dead, will be a guest on next Wednesday's edition of Blue Peter. Michelle will be on the show to promote Planet of the Dead and will be participating in various activities including an interview about the special Doctor Who episode. Blue Peter will be broadcast next Wednesday, the 8th of April, at 4.35pm on BBC One. A reminder for this editon of Blue Peter will be posted on this site on the day the show is broadcast. Will you be watching?

Wilfred Mott Returns for 2009 Special

Please be aware that this post features pictures and information that could be classed as spoilers. Bernard Cribbins, the actor who recently played Wilfred Mott, Donna Noble's grandfather in Doctor Who has now been spotted filming for one of the 2009 specials. He was spotted at Tredegar House in Newport, along with men in military uniforms and with guns. You can see pictures of today's filming by clicking here, here and here. Filming will take place at the house where Donna Noble and her family live in Doctor Who in April and residents of the street have been encouraged to put Christmas decorations up in their windows. The Gallifrey Vortex will continue to keep you updated with the latest filming reports and developments regularly.

Doctor Who Magazine #407 Cover

The cover for the 407th issue of Doctor Who Magazine has now been added to the magazine's official Facebook group, by current Doctor Who Magazine editor, Tom Spilsbury. This issue includes an exclusive preview of the upcoming Doctor Who Easter special, Planet of the Dead and features interviews with the episode's cast such as Michelle Ryan. The magazine includes a competition to win various Doctor Who box sets which are worth £500 and much more. Doctor Who Magazine #407 will be released on Thursday the 2nd of April at the price of £3.99 and the press release will be posted here as soon as it is available.

David Harewood in Doctor Who

David Harewood, the British actor who is well known for his roles in various TV shows including Criminal Justice, recently revealed that he has been cast for a role in Doctor Who. He revealed this in a radio interview with Jonathan Ross but it is currently unknown if he will be in one of the 2009 specials or in series five. The actor is currently appearing as Friar Tuck in the BBC production of Robin Hood and has previously appeared in dramas such as The Ruby in the Smoke and The Shadow in the North. Details regarding David's character in Doctor Who will be posted here soon as soon as they are released. You can find out more about David Harewood by clicking here. What are your thoughts on his casting?

John Barrowman's Second Autobiography

John Barrowman, the actor, singer and presenter who stars as Captain Jack Harkness in Torchwood and Doctor Who has announced that he will be releasing a second autobiography. The book will be entitled I am What I am and will be published by Michael O’Mara Books. The autobiography will be co-written by his sister, Carole E Barrowman and will take an in depth look into John Barrowman's thoughts, opinions, experiences and achievements from over the past two years. I am What I am will be be released on the 1st of September as a hardback book and more details, along with the cover will be posted here soon. Will you be buying this?

Doctor Who: The Second Visual Dictionary

Dorling Kindersley have revealed the cover and details for the new and updated, Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary. The book was previously released in 2007 but has now been updated and extended with information for newer Doctor Who episodes. The synopsis for the new editon of the Doctor Who Visual Dictionary has not yet been released but you can read the synopsis for the first edition below:

Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary is a lavishly illustrated guide to all the characters, aliens, monsters, locations and technology of the successful new Doctor Who series. New photography expands the content of available and online material, revealing more in-depth details, from the fascinating aliens to the demise of the Time Lords. Comprehensive index and glossary provides quick reference to the book's contents and an easy-to-follow guide to the technology and terminology of the Doctor Who universe. Using a mix of crystal-clear annotated photography and newly commissioned cross-section artworks, every spread of this book shows you the Doctor Who characters, technology and locations in graphic detail.

The book consists of 112 pages and is written by both Jacqueline Rayner and Andrew Darling. It will go on sale across the United Kingdom and Ireland on the 20th of April this year and will be sold at the RRP of £14.99.

Broadcasting Press Guild Results

David Tennant, the actor who is well known for playing The Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who was recently nominated at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards. He was nominated for the Best Actor Award but it was today announced that David did not the win award and was beaten Kenneth Branagh who stars in Wallander. Christopher Eccleston who starred as the Ninth Doctor in the 2005 series of Doctor Who, previously won the award for Best Actor at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards.

Time Squad Ships

Character Options have now announced their new Doctor Who Time Squad Ships. The ships are highly detailed, will include a display stand and will come with a randomly selected Time Sqaud figure. The three ships for release are: Captain Jack's Chula Ship, The SS Pentallion and The Slitheen Cruiser. Captain Jack's Chula Ship and The Slitheen Cruiser were previously released as part of the Micro Universe Ships range but The SSP Pentallion Ship is a completely new model. All three Time Squad Ships will be released in May at the RRP of £9.99 across the UK and Ireland. Will you be buying any of these?

Planet of the Dead Synopsis

The BBC Press Office have now released the official synopsis for the upcoming Doctor Who Easter special, Planet of the Dead. David Tennant stars as The Tenth Doctor in the episode and Michelle Ryan stars as Lady Christina De Souza who helps The Doctor battle The Tritovore. You can read the synopsis below:

When a London bus takes a detour to an alien world, the Doctor must join forces with the extraordinary Lady Christina, in this one-off seasonal special. But the mysterious planet holds terrifying secrets, hidden in the sand. And time is running out, as the deadly Swarm gets closer.

Planet Of The Dead features David Tennant as the Doctor, Michelle Ryan as Lady Christina and Lee Evans as Malcolm. It is written by Russell T Davies and Gareth Roberts.

Promotional pictures for the episode can be seen by clicking here in an earlier post. The air date for Planet of the Dead has not yet been revealed but the BBC will announce it soon and it will be posted here as soon as it is announced.

Doctor Who Adventures #108

Issue #108 of Doctor Who Adventures Magazine was released today and BBC Magazines have now sent us the cover and details for it. This week's edition comes with a free model watch and some holo badges. The cover can be seen above and the press release can be read below:

How do you know if you’re in a parallel world?

This week’s issue of Doctor Who Adventures, out on Thursday 26 March, is a parallel worlds special.

Discover what happened when a sinister fortune teller made Donna rewrite history in last year’s episode Turn Left. You can also find out about all the weird alternate realities in Doctor Who – and learn how to see if you have strayed into one by accident.

The issue comes with a free set of badges and a model watch, just like the one UNIT gave to Donna when she went back in time and saved the universe! Inside the magazine, we’ve got a cool game you can play with the watch called Time watch dash…

Plus monster scares and loads of fun guaranteed!

What else?

• Posters: An Ood, the Doctor’s daughter Jenny, and Donna and the Fortune Teller from Turn Left.
• Quiz: What do you know about Luke Rattigan?
• Tales from the TARDIS: The Cybermen crash into Jackie Tyler’s party!
• Puzzles and competitions: Things to win and puzzles to solve!
• Colour it! There’s a Cyber Controller waiting for you!
• Comic strip: Meet some pirate meerkats in this week’s exciting comic strip.
• Subscription offer: Subscribe today and get a brilliant Dalek rucksack.

Doctor Who Adventures, issue 108, priced £2.10, is out Thursday 26 March! Don’t miss it!

Doctor Who Adventures #108 is on sale now at the price of £2.10. Issue #109 will be released next Thursday and will look at 10 funny things about the 10th Doctor. Will you be buying issue #108 of Doctor Who Adventures?

The Doctor Who DVD Files #6

The sixth issue of The Doctor Who DVD Files was released today and is now on sale across the United Kingdom and Ireland. This issue comes with the series one , Boom Town and Bad Wolf on DVD and includes episode guides for both adventures. Inside, you can read files on the Game Station Robots, The Emperor Dalek, Martha Jones, Captain Jack Harkness, Suktekh and read a behind the scenes interview with Paul Kasey. The Doctor Who DVD Files #6 is on sale now in various newsagents at the price of £6.99. Issue #7 will be released in two weeks time and will come with the last episode of series one, The Parting of the Ways, and the 2005 Christmas special, The Christmas Invasion, on DVD.

The Deadly Assassin DVD

The classic Doctor Who story, The Deadly Assassin has been announced for a DVD release. The story which was broadcast in 1976 consists of four episodes and stars Tom Baker as The Fourth Doctor. You can see the cover of the DVD to the left and read the synopsis below:

Gallifrey. Planet of the Time Lords. The Doctor has finally come home, but not by choice.

Summoned by a vision from The Matrix, he is drawn into a web of political intrigue and assassination. Nothing is quite what it seems, and in the shadows lurks his oldest and deadliest enemy...

The DVD will include commentary by Tom Baker, a photo gallery, trailers and much more and will go on sale on the 4th of May at the RRP of £19.99.

Doctor Who Series Four Volume One UMD

2entertain have now announced that The Doctor Who Series Four Volume One DVD will be released as a UMD for PlayStation Portable. All four volumes of Doctor Who Series One were previously released as UMDs but no other Doctor Who UMDs have been released until now. The UMD will feature the episodes: Partners in Crime, The Fires of Pompeii and Planet of the Ood, but will not include any extras. More Doctor Who UMDs for PlayStation Portable are expected to be released soon although nothing has yet been confirmed. The Doctor Who Series Four Volume One UMD will go on sale across the United Kingdom and Ireland on the 13th of April at the RRP of £5.99. You can preorder it from Play.com by clicking here.

Doctor Who BAFTA Nomination

Doctor Who has been nominated at the BAFTA Awards again this year in the Best Drama Series category. The show faces competition for the award from Shameless, Spooks and Wallander. Unlike previous years, Doctor Who has not been nominated in any other category but June Brown who played Lady Elanor in The Time Warrior and Anna Maxwell Martin who played Suki in The Long Game have both been nominated in the best actress category but not for their roles in Doctor Who. You can see the full list of this year's BAFTA nominations by clicking here. The awards will take place in London at the Royal Festival Hall on the 26th of April and the result of the Best Drama award will be posted on this website as soon as it is announced.

Doctor Who Hugo Nominations

Doctor Who writers, Steven Moffat and Russell T Davies have both been nominated for a Hugo Award. Steven Moffat has been nominated for writing the Doctor Who episodes, Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead and Russell T Davies has been nominated for the writing the Doctor Who episode, Turn Left. Steven Moffat has previously been awarded Hugo awards for writing the Doctor Who episodes, The Empty Child, The Doctor Dances, The Girl in the Fireplace and Blink. You can see the full list of Hugo nominations by clicking here at the Hugo Awards website.

Royal Television Society Awards Results

The Royal Television Society recently revealed the results of their 2009 awards. The Doctor Who spin-off series for children, The Sarah Jane Adventures, unfortunately lost out again on The Best Children’s Drama award to MI High. The Sarah Jane Adventures was nominated last year for the same award but also lost out on the award to the CBBC production of The Revenge Files of Alastair Fury. Production on The Sarah Jane Adventures series three will begin soon and the series itself is scheduled to be broadcast in Autumn. What do you think of these results?

Jessica Hynes Filming for Doctor Who

Please be aware that this post contains pictures and information which could be classed as spoilers. Jessica Hynes who previously appeared as Joan Redfern in the Doctor Who series three episodes, Human Nature and The Family of Blood, was recently spotted filming the third Doctor Who 2009 special. Jessica Hynes plays a woman called Verity Newman in the episode, who is signing copies of her book, A Journal of Impossible Things. When The Doctor made himself human, he wrote about the dreams he had of travelling through time and space in a book which he also called A Journal of Impossible Things. You can see three photos from filming in one large image below (click to enlarge):

The third Doctor Who 2009 special is currently in production and will be broadcast at some point later this year. What are your thoughts on this?

Planet of the Dead Promotional Pictures

Planet of the Dead is now only a few weeks away from being broadcast and now the first promotional pictures for the episode have been released. Some of the pictures are of The Tenth Doctor and Christina and other pictures are of the Tritovore, the enemy for the episode. You can see eigth of the pictures below:

More Planet of the Dead pictures will be posted on this site soon. Planet of the Dead stars David Tennant as The Doctor and Michelle Ryan as Christina and will be broadcast at Easter. What do you think of these new promotional pictures?

Doctor Who Monster Competition

The BBC have now opened a once in a lifetime competition that gives you the chance to appear in Doctor Who as an alien of your own design. The winning monster will get the chance to star in a special Doctor Who scene which will appear on the new BBC One show, Tonight's the Night, in April or May. You can read more details from the BBC about the special competition below:

Calling all 'mature' aliens, 18 years and over.

Have you got what it takes to face Captain Jack and the Doctor?

Tonight's the Night is giving you the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime experience: the opportunity to star in your very own Doctor Who scene, written exclusively for you, and to appear on Tonight's the Night this April or May.

To enter, you must create your own original, home-made alien costume and take a picture of yourself modelling it.

You can download the application form for the competition by clicking here. The Gallifrey Vortex will keep you updated on the competition and will post more details when they are released. Will you be entering this competition?

Final 2009 Special Rumours

The Sun are today reporting that the iconic Doctor Who enemy, The Master, will be returning for the final 2009 special. The report also states that Billie Piper, Freema Agyeman and Catherine Tate will all reprise their roles as Rose Tyler, Martha Jones and Donna Noble. An apparent BBC insider said:

"This will be the most exciting episode Doctor Who has ever done. We really wanted to get all the companions back on board as a fitting send-off to David. And of all the enemies for him to face in his final episode it makes sense for The Master to be the main one. Getting Billie to agree is a real coup, but she loved working on the show so much it didn’t take much convincing.”

The final special will be David Tennant's last as The Tenth Doctor before Matt Smith takes over as The Eleventh Doctor. Please be aware that the BBC has not confirmed this report, meaning that it may or may not be true.

2009 Special on Mars?

The Daily Mirror recently reported that one of the Doctor Who 2009 specials will be set on the planet Mars. Mars is the fourth planet from the sun in our solar system and was the setting for Pyramids of Mars, a story from the classic series of Doctor Who. According to The Daily Mirror, Peter O'Brien who previously starred in the Australian soap, Neighbours, will appear as a villain in the story, alongside model and actress, Gemma Chan. An apparent source said: "Peter and Gemma's evil characters are some of the final ones David will face before Matt Smith replaces him." Please be aware that the BBC has not confirmed this report, meaning that it may or may not be true. What are your thoughts on this?

Doctor Who Adventures #107

BBC Magazines have now sent us the cover and details for issue #107 of Doctor Who Adventures magazine which was released today. This week's issue is a UNIT special and comes with a UNIT beret and dog tags. The cover can be seen above and the press release can be read below:

UNIT needs you!

This week’s Doctor Who Adventures, out today, is a special UNIT issue. UNIT is a special military organisation that has defended Earth from alien threats more times than most people realise!

This bumper pack contains a brilliant red UNIT beret and special dog tags so you can dress up like a UNIT soldier and help fight monsters like Sontarans and Daleks!

Inside the magazine you can create your own UNIT ID badge and find out everything you need to know about the Doctor’s friends at UNIT.

UNIT is waiting for you, so get your copy while you can!

What else?

• Posters: A slimy Slitheen, a yucky clone, Martha and a UNIT soldier.
• News: Find out how to get an exclusive Doctor Who Darksmith screensaver!
• Quiz: Are you ready to take the UNIT challenge?
• K-9 tales: A top UNIT scene from The Sarah Jane Adventures.
• Make it!: Create a fantastic CyberKing to take over the world.
• Interview: Doctor Who Adventures catches up with the actor who plays the Brigadier, Nicholas Courtney.
• Puzzles and competitions: Loads of things to work out and win!
• Comic strip: Trouble for the Doctor’s companion Heather in The Invisibles.
• Subscription offer: Subscribe today and get a brilliant Dalek rucksack.

Doctor Who Adventures, issue 107, priced £2.99, is out now! Don’t miss it!

The magazine is on sale now across the United Kingdom and Ireland at the higher price of £2.10. Issue #108 will be released next Thursday and will come free with a model flip watch and some badges.

The Tennant Tapes - Tape Four

The fourth edition of The Tennant Tapes has now been added to the official Doctor Who website. This time, David Tennant is on set filming for Planet of the Dead and talks to James Strong, Sarah Davies and to Michelle Ryan who will be playing Christina in the episode. You can see the video on The Official Doctor Who site or below:

You can see the first installment by clicking here, the second by clicking here and the third by clicking here. Did you enjoy the fourth edition of The Tennant Tapes?

New Planet of the Dead Pictures

The latest issue of SFX, a popular science fiction magazine, features an exclusive preview of the upcoming Doctor Who Easter Special, Planet of the Dead. The preview includes new and exclusive pictures of the episode and the first picture tells us that Malcolm who is played by Lee Evans, is working for UNIT. You can see six of the pictures below (click to enlarge):

SFX Magazine #181 is out now across the United Kingdom and Ireland at the price of £3.99. Planet of the Dead will be broadcast at Easter time on BBC One and will also be available to watch on BBC HD.

Classic Third Doctor Episodes on iTunes

iTunes have now made ten classic Doctor Who stories, featuring the Third Doctor, available to download. The episodes currently available include: Spearhead from Space, The Claws of Axos, The Time Monster, The Mutants, The Three Doctors, Carnival of Monsters, Terror of the Autons, The Green Death, The Time Warrior and Planet of the Spiders. Each story costs £4.99 and when downloaded, can be uploaded to an iPod to watch. You can visit the iTunes website where you can download these episodes and more by clicking here . Will you be downloading any of these?

New K9 Promotional Picture

Bob Baker recently added a new promotional picture for his upcoming Doctor Who spin-off series, K9, to his website. The picture features the show's main characters: K9, Starkey, Jorjie and Darius and tells us that the show will be broadcast in the final quarter of 2009 in Australia. You can see the new picture below:


Bob Baker recently revealed that the new K9 model will at first look like the K9 that Leela owned in the classic series of Doctor Who, but will regenerate in the first episode of the series. What do you think of this new picture?

Credit Crunch Cutbacks?

The People.co.uk is today reporting that Doctor Who and many other BBC shows including Eastenders and Top Gear will face money cutbacks. These apparent cutbacks are are an effect of the Credit Crunch and will mean the that Doctor Who will not have the expensive computer generated scenes and special effects it usually has. Reportedly, the cutbacks also mean that the actors and actresses who work on Doctor Who will face a cut in their pay. You can read the full report by clicking here but be aware that the BBC have not confirmed this, meaning that it may or may not be true.

Torchwood Rift War Graphic Novel Signing

Forbidden Planet have now announced that a signing of the Torchwood Rift War graphic novel will take place at their London store. O’Israeli, Simon Furman, Ian Eddington, Brian Williamson and Paul Grist will all be signing copies of the graphic novel which originally featured in issue three to thirteen of Torchwood Magazine. The graphic novel will be released across the United Kingdom and Ireland on the 24th of April at the RRP of £9.99 and the signing will take place on the 25 of April from 1pm to 2pm. Will you be attending this signing?

The Sarah Jane Adventures RND Special

Last night, the special Red Nose Day episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures was broadcast on BBC One, as part of The Comic Relief Telethon. The episode which is approximately five minutes long features Ronnie Corbet as a child Slitheen and K9 also makes an appearance. You can watch the special Red Nose Day episode below:

The Sarah Jane Adventures will return for a third series in Autumn and Elisabeth Sladen, Tommy Knight, Daniel Anthony and Anjli Mohindra will all reprise there roles as Sarah Jane, Luke, Clyde and Rani. Did you enjoy The Sarah Jane Adventures Red Nose Day special?

Behind the Scenes of Sarah Jane RND Special

Red Nose Day have now released a new video online which goes behind the scenes of The Sarah Jane Adventures Red Nose Day Special. The video features producer, Nikki Wilson and co-writers, Gareth Roberts and Clayton Hickman, telling us about the episode and includes a look at robot dog K9, who will be returning for this episode and for series three. You can watch the video below:

The special Red Nose Day episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures will air tonight at some point between 7.00pm and 7.30pm on BBC One, as part of the Comic Relief Telethon. What are your thoughts on this behind the scenes video?

Coventry Doctor Who Exhibition Opens Today

Today, the Coventry Doctor Who Exhibition will open. The exhibition is based at The Coventry Transport Museum and will include real props, costumes and monsters from the TV series. It will be open seven days a week from 10am until 5pm, with the last admissions at 4.15pm and will include a Doctor Who gift shop. Tickets have to be booked in advance and entry for children under the age of four is free, entry for a child over the age of four is £5, entry for an adult is £8 and a family ticket (2 Adults, 2 Children) costs £22. You can visit the exhibition's website here.

Red Nose Day 2009

Today, the 13th of March, is the twenty-first Red Nose Day. Red Nose Day is a fundraising event which happens every two years, that thousands of people across the United Kingdom get involved with to raise money for people living in abject poverty. This year, three different types of Red Noses have gone on sale in Sainsburys stores at the price of £1 each and most of the money from purchasing one goes towards the Red Nose Day fund. T-shirts for Red Nose Day, designed by Stella McCartney are currently on sale in TK Maxx stores across the United Kingdom and most of the money also goes to The Red Nose Day fund. As part of Red Nose Day, a special telethon which is over six hours long will air on BBC One tonight and this year David Tennant, best known to Doctor Who fans for playing The 10th Doctor will be presenting the first hour. A special Red Nose Day episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures, featuring Ronnie Corbett and The Slitheen will be broadcast at any point between 7.00pm and 7.30pm, as part of the telethon. You can buy Red Noses and more Red Nose Day items by clicking here.

Sarah Jane Adventures Red Nose Day Teaser

The official website for The Sarah Jane Adventures has been updated with a brand new teaser for the upcoming Red Nose Day special episode. The teaser is short and features Sarah Jane Smith, Luke Smith, Clyde Langer, Rani Chandra and the Alien Ambassador who is played by Ronnie Corbett. You can see the new teaser trailer below:

The Sarah Jane Adventures Red Nose Day special will air tomorrow night at any time between 7pm and 7.30pm on BBC One, as part of the Comic Relief Telethon. You can view promotional pictures for the episode by clicking here and you can find out who the enemy for the episode is by clicking here.

The Doctor Who DVD Files #5

Thanks to Tardis Base for the above scan.

The fifth issue of The Doctor Who DVD Files was released today across the United Kingdom and Ireland. This week's issue comes with the series one episodes, The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances on DVD and includes files on Jabe, the possessed Ood, the 8th Doctor, Captain Jack's Chula Ship and much more. The magazine also includes a behind the scenes interview with Peter McKinstry and features episode guides for The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances. The sixth issue will be released in two weeks and will feature the episodes, Boom Town and Bad Wolf on DVD and will take a look at Sutekh, The Game Station robots, Martha Jones and Captain Jack Harkness. The Doctor Who DVD Files Issue five is out now at the price of £6.99. Will you be buying this?