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Thursday, 19 August 2010

Doctor Who Fallout 3 Game Mod

I've never heard of this game, and nor do I want to play it. Ever. But someone called Demeggy has created a mod for the first-person shooter Fallout 3, only it's in the style of Doctor Who. There are many obvious allusions (the TARDIS, for instance) and subtle hints such as the UNIT logo on the door at the beginning of the video. Anyway, it's been done really well, and it should be at least mildly enjoyable.



Thanks to Jem for pointing this out; and if you actually play this game, you can download the mod from here.

Doctor Who SFX #200 Is Bigger on the Inside

Given that it's a glossy magazine with a wide circulation and excellent coverage of science fiction, SFX's 200th issue was never going to be about Doctor Who; but there are many references to the show, the longest running Sci-Fi ever, and here's a breakdown of what highlights you can expect from this two-hundred-page issue that is also celebrating its 15th anniversary.
  • In 200 "Secrets of Science Fiction" . . . "Spock might be hogging all the glory on our cover but if you ask us there’s an even brighter gem sparkling inside. Or 200 tiny gems if you will because for the past year the SFX hive mind has been taking every opportunity to gather together 200 24-carat nugget secrets from the furthest reaches of the galaxy. James Cameron, Russell T Davies, Stan Lee, Mark Millar, Neil Gaiman, Wes Craven, Edgar Wright, David Tennant and Terry Pratchett all contribute. Our favourite though – Joss Whedon’s five part guide to the secret of great dialogue. Genius."
  • "Star Trek 2"
  • In "Terry Pratchett — Fannish Inquisition" . . . "We put you’re questions to the legendary Discworld architect and former SFX Guest Editor."
  • In "Terry Gilliam" . . . "A look back at the life and works of the former Python turned one-of-a-kind fantasy-filmmaker."
  • In Jonathan Ross: Heroes and Inspirations . . . "Find out what makes the one-time mouth of Friday night TV tic."
  • In "The History of SFX" . . . "Forgive the indulgence but we are 200 issues old after all. Ever wondered when the first ever Spoiler Zone was? Or what issue the cast of Spaced joined us on the couch? Never wonder again with our handy double page timeline."
  • In "A World without Star Wars" . . . "No Lord Of The Rings, no Star Trek Next Gen, no Pixar, but most importantly no SFX. Why the world of science fiction has a lot to thank Star Wars for."
  • In "Wishlist" . . . "Doctor Who Season Six Steven Moffat’s first year in the hot seat may have ended with a Big Bang but you let the BBC in on the secret of evolving Doctor Who in the latest Wishlist."
  • And finally . . . "This year he’s appeared on TV, video games and magazine covers (ahem) but now the [Eleventh] Doctor is making the leap to graphic novels with The Only Good Dalek. We speak to the writer."
This is an excellent issue from an excellent magazine that is celebrating 200 issues and 15 years of hard work, due diligence, and a massive history of science fiction from their everyday office to the stars themselves.

Click here for the full breakdown of everything SFX offers in its 200th issue.

Doctor Who Gallifrey One Convention Announces New Guests

Celebrating its 22nd year, Gallifrey One has announced new guests for its Islands of Mystery North American Doctor Who convention.

"Gallifrey One is delighted to announce several newly confirmed guests for our 2011 convention. We're very happy to welcome for her first-ever North American Doctor Who appearance none other than Sheridan Smith. Sheridan is best known to fans as Lucie Miller, the companion to Paul McGann's Doctor in Big Finish Productions' continuing series of adventures on audio from 2006 to 2009, starring in twenty-five audio plays from "Blood of the Daleks" to "Death in Blackpool." In addition to CD releases, many of the audios were broadcast on BBC 7 Radio. . . . We need to stipulate that her appearance here is tentative based on her current work schedule.

"Also appearing with us for the very first time is Doris Egan, recently announced as the one of the four writers joining the production of the fourth series of Torchwood, subtitled The New World. . . . We're pleased to welcome Doris for her first Doctor Who convention experience.

"Joining us as well this year is Gareth Roberts, who was unable to be with us for his first visit last February. Gareth began his Doctor Who career as a novelist. . . . More recently, he penned the interactive Doctor Who episode "Attack of the Graske" before writing episodes of the revived TV series including "The Shakespeare Code," "The Unicorn and the Wasp" and this past season's "The Lodger," as well as co-writing with Russell T Davies "Planet of the Dead". Gareth has also penned the screenplays for the pilot (with Davies) of The Sarah Jane Adventures and fourteen episodes of the series including "Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane Smith?" and last year's "The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith" which guest starred David Tennant.

"Gareth has also penned several items with another newly confirmed guest, Clayton Hickman, the former editor of Doctor Who Magazine and a Gallifrey One guest from many years ago... Clay and Gareth have co-written the upcoming fourth season finale of Sarah Jane, "Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith" . . . Clay has also designed many of the BBC Doctor Who DVD covers, written extensively on the program, and with Gareth co-wrote two audios for Big Finish Productions (including the longtime fan-favorite "The One Doctor").

"Rounding out our guest program announcement this month are writer/editor Lynne Marie Thomas, whose recent book "Chicks Dig Time Lords" has been all the rage in the Doctor Whocommunity this year, and whose next project will be announced by the 2011 convention; and our recent announcements of Phil Ford and James Moran in case you missed them (both returning guests!) We'll still have a few others to announce later this year, including a number of local guests for our science program track and signing writers/actors in the Los Angeles area."

If you are anywhere near Los Angeles on February 18-20, 2011, we urge you to attend this fantastic, star-studded union of Whoniverse actors, celebrities, writers, and production contributors, as well as others. Gallifrey One's Catch 22: Islands of Mystery is fast approaching, so prepare for your attendance now.

Click here for the homepage news and the full list of featured guests; and here's the source.

Sarah Jane Adventures Series 4 Completes Filming

Filming for Series 4 of The Sarah Jane Adventures has been completed. This news comes directly from Doctor Who Magazine 425, which asserted that the 12-part series is on schedule for its usual Autumn broadcast. Producer Brian Minchin teased DWM about the upcoming series.
". . . The work doesn't stop - our editors, sound department and FX experts are now swinging into action, and whole new images are springing into life, with everything from Rocket X-15, meteor strikes, the Wasteland of the Crimson Heart and a striking new UNIT base taking shape."
Wait, what? A new UNIT base! Right, then, this is official confirmation that UNIT is returning for Series 4, everyone! As for the rest of it, we'll just have to wait to see what's coming next for the exciting new series of The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Thanks to D0ct0r11 for buying the magazine and reporting.

Doctor Who "The Pandorica Opens" Gallery

I'm sure this has been up for a while, but this slow news day made me wonder if we ever posted them, and I don't think we have. This is a collection of concept art from "The Pandorica Opens", some of which we've already seen. For instance, there's the lock design on the Pandorica, which I used as the picture on my review for the episode. There are also rendered images for the layout of River Song's Stormcage cell (Again, great name, but it's really just a prison, isn't it?), the awesome phone that guard used when talking to Churchill, River's clamps on the Stonehenge rock, the communicator's screen, and the tens of thousands of starships that were around the Earth. It's a shame that last one was never used in the actual episode.

It isn't hard to see where the two post pictures are from, but I'll tell you anyway. There's The Legend of Pandora's Box from Amy's bedroom and a quaint Roman camp under brisk moonlight. Click here for the easily accessible gallery.

Amazing Facts About Doctor Who That May Not Be True - Tom Baker


Tom Baker almost lost an arm while removing the lid from a jar of pickled onions.

More combom Madness.

Sherlock's Cumberbatch Denies Rumored Running as Eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who

Although it was previously reported that Benedict Cumberbatch, star of Sherlock and the Funny Names contest, had turned down the opportunity to play the Eleventh Doctor, he has recently told The Sunday Times that he never intended to have the role at all.
"I'd turn it down anyway. Jumping onto school stages and saying, 'I am the Doctor' . . . it's not where I want to go."
In fact, he was never in the running. Still, we can't rule out the possibility of him guest starring in an upcoming episode; after all, he did recently state that he would have a role in several episodes, which sparked the rumors that he might eventually play the Doctor. But will he be some other character? A villain?

Doctor Who Adventures #180 Cover

This issue comes with "a cool Dalek spinner" and stickers, though the Silurians are this week's feature. You know you should be scared when your magazine screams, "AARGH!" DWA 180 includes facts about Dalek ships and tells you how to test-drive one. (Don't try this at home, kids.) Matt Smith answers submitted questions, and the Doctor Who sound effects team gives away its secrets on how to make all of the weird and creepy noises in the show.
Shh - there's lots of celery involved!
Apparently there's lots of loud celery involved. And one of this week's posters is a Dalek 'Wanted' poster from the Wild, Wild West. Do you see how that makes sense? Neither do we.
Wow - ALL THAT in one magazine - maybe Doctor Who Adventures uses Time Lord TARDIS technology!
Or maybe the Doctor Who Adventures team is entirely comprised of people living in their mother's basement because they have no sense of humor. Well, different basements . . . I hope.

Doctor Who Fourth Doctor and K-9 Figure Set from Warrior's Gate

Molto bene! In case you can't be bothered to buy the full Eleven Doctors regeneration set but want a new, less creepy Fourth Doctor figure, then now is the time. Forbidden Planet has released a new head sculpt that makes the Doctor look much less like the Cheshire Cat. Better yet is that he is accompanied by two accessories: the sonic screwdriver and even K-9!
In this exclusive release we present the Fourth Doctor in his famous season 18 burgundy outfit and featuring a stunning new head sculpt. He is accompanied by the trusty K-9.
K-9 certainly makes this set a must-have, given that he is the greatest accessory and friend a Time Lord can have. Click here to purchase the Fourth Doctor & K-9 set from Warrior's Gate for only £20.

Extended Cast Revealed for Doctor Who Christmas Special

The ATV Network summarizes this better than I could, so I'll just leave it to them.

"The latest edition of the Doctor Who Magazine has revealed several more cast members for the forthcoming Christmas Special of Doctor Who. Joining the previously announced Michael Gambon and Katherine Jenkins in the festive special will be Micah Balfour, Pooky Quesnel, Leo Bill and Laurence Belcher. Child actor Belcher has had small roles in Little Dorrit and the BBC Four biopics Gracie and Hughie Green, Most Sincerely. Leo Bill most recently appeared in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland as Hamish and his other roles include Ashes to Ashes, Silent Witness, Kinky Boots and Me and Orson Wells.


"Actress Pooky Quesnel will be familiar to EastEnders viewers for her role of Rachel, the mother of Bradley Branning (Charlie Clements). Her various other roles include True Dare Kiss, Midsomer Murders, Criminal Justice, Five Days and Paradox. Finally actor Micah Balfour is best known for his role as PC Gayle on The Bill which will finish on ITV1 after 27 years at the end of the month."

With an experienced and well-trained group of actors on board, how could the Christmas special fail? *Cough, cough* "The Next Doctor" *Cough, cough*

76 Totter's Lane — Doctor Who Oddity: River Song's TARDIS Diary

Spoilers! This product is perhaps one of the oddest oddities in this odd posting series, and yet it seems so simple that it's incredible no one has ever attempted it before (to my knowledge, which is usually wrong). River Song's leather TARDIS diary has been featured prominently ever since the Time Lord's maybe-kinda-sorta-wife-or-perhaps-mother-or-something rifled through their long history in "Silence in the Library". It was most recently seen in "The Big Bang", quietly reminding Amy of her imaginary friend. Its memorable place in both the series and the Doctor's life has made the TARDIS diary an instant must-have for Whovians, though surely few have ever thought about having it.

Well, BindMe from Salt Lake City certainly did. With a 100% positive rating, he created his own diary and has since been selling it via Etsy. Custom-made upon purchase and shipping out within about four days of payment, his TARDIS diary is a welcome rendition of a Doctor Who classic. The Police Box exterior has been carved into the leather with expert care and appreciation of his work.
The leather has been hand carved, hand dyed, and hand finished. All the edges have been hand dyed and finished as well. . . . This book measures approximately 5" x 3 1/2" (12.7 x 8.9 cm). The paper is an unlined acid/lignin free cotton blend. There are 192 single pages, entirely hand torn and hand stitched with cotton waxed thread.
Best of all, shipping is cheap, as in seriously cheap ($3.50 for the U.S. or Canada, and $6.00 anywhere and everywhere else), and the TARDIS diary itself is only $24.00! It sounds like the perfect yet cheap Doctor Who luxury item, though "hand-torn" pages don't sound as great as "hand-carved" and "hand-dyed". And with "192 single pages", there are enough hand-torn, hand-stitched, cotton-threaded pages for even River Song to detail all of her adventures.

EDIT: That single diary has since been sold, and now the same creator has another one in a much larger size for a much larger price. Take a look here. Both your eyes and wallet will burn.

Click here to purchase your TARDIS diary, or here for our source. If you know of or happen to find a Totter's Lane treasure, then please E-mail 10thPlanet on the E-mail form link in the sidebar to submit the unusual Doctor Who product you've found.

Doctor Who Magazine 425 Is Bigger on the Inside

What can we expect in the upcoming issue of Doctor Who Magazine, number 425 in fact, which features Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy on its cover? It obviously features that growling, question-mark adorned Scotsman who led out the end of the Classic Series, this time in "his most candid interview to date". Inside are never-before-seen photos and McCoy's views on his reign as well as the New Series.
"I’m delighted that they’ve done such a good job in bringing it back. I’m so proud to have that connection with this very successful programme. It wasn’t allowed to be successful when I was doing it. At the time, I didn’t know why. It was only afterwards that I realised I wasn’t given a fair crack of the whip. I wish I had been."
The following is a list of the main features of DWM 425 as outlined by the Doctor Who News Page.
  • A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIMEY-WIMEY
    Time travel – what are the rules? And can those rules be broken? In an in-depth feature, DWM examines the knotty problems of paradoxes and time loops, and explores the incredible phenomenon of timey-wimeyness throughout the history of Doctor Who.
  • A NIGHT AT THE PROMS
    It’s the music event of the year! DWM dons its dinner jacket and journeys to the Royal Albert Hall to talk exclusively to the people responsible for the Doctor Who Prom, including composer Murray Gold, conductor Ben Foster and executive producer Steven Moffat. Packed with behind-the-scenes photos from the Prom.
  • THE GOLDEN AGE OF TELEVISION
    The Doctor and Amy take a trip to Tokyo and discover that too much TV can be really, really bad for kids, in the first episode of a brand new comic strip adventure by Jonathan Morris and Martin Geraghty
  • ART TREASURES OF HISTORY
    What have a Roman mosaic, a painting by Toulouse Lautrec and a long, floppy scarf got in common? They all feature in the brand new audio series starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Demon Quest! DWM catches up with the legendary fourth Doctor, co-stars Richard Franklin and Susan Jameson, writer Paul Magrsand many more in a report from the recording of the adventures.
  • THE WORLD’S GREATEST PLAYWRIGHT
    William Shakespeare – the most talented dramatist in history or a letch with bad breath? Find out the truth (according to Doctor Who!) behind the man and his works, as The Fact of Fiction extracts every nuance of meaning from the literary triumph that is the 2007 Tenth Doctor adventure, The Shakespeare Code
  • THE WRITER’S TALE
    Doctor Who’s head writer, Steven Moffat, reveals all about being shy, being recognised, and the Eleventh Doctor’s most recent adventure – defusing a bomb at the Proms! – in Production Notes.
  • THE ANGEL OF THE NORTH!
    DWM catches up with Hex, the hunky nurse who accompanies the Seventh Doctor and Ace on their audio adventures, aka actor Philip Oliver, who reveals his experiences of attending conventions, being recognised in the street and what he really thinks about Doctor Who fans.
Unfortunately we will have to wait even longer than usual for DWM 426 and its cover's next absurd pun.

Invasion of the Giant Rats


Its like a Doctor Who story! The Invasion of the Giant Rats, set on a housing estate in the UK, Ravenscliffe in Bradford and the rats are confident to walk into peoples kitchens and lounges!

They are finding rats 30inches long (thats 75cm kids), it is feared some could be super rats from South America.

The photograph shows one that has been shot in the head, the person who killed it claims there where 4 more that got away too!

source
, more here (thanx Nik Nak :) )

OK, its from the Sun, but this is one I can believe!

"Doctor Who" Saves "The One Show"

The Doctor has saved entire races, planets, and even the occasional universe, but at last the Time Lord has done what no other hero has ever accomplished. He saved The One Show. Broadcast on BBC One to an average audience of five million, the popular programme has never before faced such a crisis.

". . . Desperate producers had NO ONE booked to appear on the revamped BBC1 show tomorrow night [Friday]. They were frantically ringing agents and PRs and getting knockbacks at every turn. Talent chiefs were stunned to discover the show had failed to secure a booking so late in the day.
"[Television agents] were quite surprised they were asking so late in the day if [they] had anyone who could appear on the show. Getting people at short notice in summer is tricky, so it was pretty odd for them to be getting their begging bowl out like that."

Not even a dancing Graham Norton cartoon could have made this worse. For a show with such a long line of upcoming celebrities, The One Show clearly failed to prepare for the near-disaster. But then, late Wednesday night, the TARDIS materialized into the offices of the BBC, and both Matt Smith and Karen Gillan agreed to join host Chris Evans for his Friday show.


Of course, after all that, there is a major warning before fully accepting all of this as truth. The Sun broke the story here, which means each of the quotes there will soon have their own posts on Digital Spy, and it also means you have to take a few grains of this. Still, it seems legitimate enough, though it wouldn't be the first time The Sun has made up a story to generate excitement about, well, hypothetically, a star-studded guest appearance on a popular programme.

Doctor Who's Tom Baker in "Demon Quest" — Exclusive Preview Trailer

BBC Audiobooks has uploaded a special preview of Doctor Who: Demon Quest, a five-part audio adventure in which Tom Baker and Richard Franklin reprise their roles as the Fourth Doctor and Mike Yates respectively. Following up on the success of Hornets' Nest, the new series will be released in the UK on 2 September and in the US of A on November 16th. But you can listen to that preview right now through the BBC Audiobooks Facebook page for free. Simply click here and enjoy 1:36 of Demon Quest.

Download The Longleat Doctor Who Celebration Commemorative Programme 1983 Here


(Click for Larger Image)

Here is The Longleat Doctor Who Celebration Commemorative Programme from 1983.

You can download it here, help is here.

Doctor Who of the Day - Davros


When Doomsday first aired, there was wide fan speculation that the Genesis Ark may contain Davros. They where of course wrong!