"Sontar-Ha!"

Did you enjoy Saturday's Sontaran yarn? It was good fun, and most humorous to see the diminutive potato-headed clones back in full force! The tech noir trappings of The Sontaran Stratagem were most becoming!

Can't wait for the action figures!

Rose Reprise

Billie Piper will be reprising her role as companion Rose Tyler in the upcoming season of Doctor Who.

According to a report in the Daily Mirror, today confirmed by the BBC, Piper will appear in at least three episodes towards the conclusion of the fourth season, which is currently being filmed in Cardiff. The 25-year-old actress will star alongside Catherine Tate's Donna Noble, and the returning Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones.

Since leaving the hit time-travelling show in 2006, following two hugely successful seasons and numerous awards, Piper has starred in ITV2's Secret Diary Of A Call Girl and as Philip Pullman's heroine Sally Lockhart in a BBC adaptation of The Ruby In The Smoke.

Life After Mars?

The excellent time-traveling cop drama Life on Mars concluded, controversially, last night on BBC 1! In the tradition of the very best genre series, the ending is deliciously problematic and evocative of seminal semiological tour de force The Prisoner!

Given that I have experienced a coma, following a near-fatal head injury at St Michael’s Nursery & Primary School Kingsteignton in October 1977, which left me paraplegic, I can empathise with Sam Tyler's (dryly played by John Simm) 'Alice in Wonderland' adventure!

Can't wait to see John Simm on Doctor Who. Who's betting he'll be playing the Doctor's brother, and arch nemesis, The Master? Russel T Davies make it so!

The Adventures of Doctor Who

Travelling through time and space on board the TARDIS, the Doctor and his companions began their adventures on November 23rd 1963 when two teachers followed a mysterious pupil into a blue police box, and discovered her alien grandfather and his remarkable TARDIS.

26 years of television adventures followed until the series ended in 1989. After the 1996 TV movie, the Doctor was again lost in time and space until the series returned to the BBC on March 26th 2005, starring Christopher Eccleston as the 9th Doctor and Billie Piper as his companion Rose Tyler.

Follow the longest running program and relive the adventures with Doctor Who Series 2 Collectible Plates. There are three to collect.

The Adventures of Doctor Who.
The Cybermen.
The Doctor.

Produced in a limited edition of only 1000, each plate comes complete with an individually numbered certificate of authenticity.

G'Dalek Kylie!

Kylie Minogue, pop musics' Green Fiery, made a triumphant return to the Sidney stage alongside, what looked like, Cyberwomen!

The BBC was forced to confirm that the diabolical dustbins are to return in the third season of Doctor Who!

This time their gambit, spearheaded by Dalek Sec (The Cult of Skaro), involves invading New York in the 1930's! Expect to hear the sounds of Dalek death rays serenaded by jazz music!

Don't forget to pre-order Doctor Who - The Complete Series 2 Box Set from Amazon UK.

Friday the 13th

With Halloween only a few weeks away. Now is the ideal time to purchase the Cyberman Voice Changer Helmet, which is billed as one of this years "must-have" holiday toys according to BBC News.

A must for Doctor Who fans old and new!

This Voice Changer is a Replica Cyberhead at 1:1 scale which features speech, sound effects and lights.

It has three play buttons.
Button 1--Play Cyberman phrases with light up mouth.
Button 2--Change your voice into a Cyberman's for role playing with light up mouth.
Button 3--Cyber weapon sound effect.
Please note: Requires x3 AA Batteries Included
Manufacturer's recommended age 5+

Doctor Who Underground

BBC Worldwide announced today the appointment of Underground Toys Ltd. as the North American manufacturer and distributor for Doctor Who toy and collectible products, including the popular figure line from the UK’s award-winning Character Options Group. The deal was brokered by MOST MANAGEMENT, BBC’s North American licensing agency for the Doctor Who franchise.

Underground Toys will be bringing action figures, R/C figures, 12" collector dolls, clocks, watches, electronic gadgets, electronic keychains, diaries and more to market through their own distribution channels, direct-to-chain stores and through sub-distributors around the country. Underground Toys directly supplies specialty market retailers including Borders, Hot Topic and Spencer Gifts as well as independent retailers, comic book and hobby stores. Underground Toys will begin shipping initial products in time for the holidays, with a full roll out of the items in February 2007 at the International Toy Fair in New York.

Already a huge success in the UK, the Doctor Who toy line was the second highest-selling last Christmas in the UK and is expected to repeat its success this year. The line also won Best Licensed Toys and Games Award and the Innovation Award at the 2006 Licensing Awards.

“Underground Toys recognizes that there is a growing demand for Doctor Who products at retail in the USA and will be strongly pushing and supporting the brand into specialty retail,” said Robyn Morgan, Underground Toys' Licensing Manager. “We are focused on executing the merchandise program effectively in conjunction with the growing popularity of the new Doctor Who series."

“Underground toys has a wealth of experience and knowledge in the market along with an enthusiastic approach to the Doctor Who brand,” said Anna Hewitt, Head of International Licensing, BBC Worldwide. “We are thrilled that fans both new and old in North America will have a chance to purchase Doctor Who products.”

The first season of the new Doctor Who proved a huge success for SCI FI Channel, delivering an average of 1.5 million viewers each week. The second season began with a two-hour premier on September 29th, where over a million viewers tuned in to watch the new Doctor, David Tennant.

Doctor Who: The Complete First Series has become BBC Video’s best selling ‘Doctor Who’ DVD title ever in North America. The second series will arrive on DVD January 16, 2007, following the airing on SCI FI Channel this fall. In addition, over forty classic Doctor Who episodes are currently available on DVD through BBC Video, with new releases in the classics line releasing each quarter. A range of Doctor Who novels, featuring adventures from the new and classic Doctor Who series, is available through Diamond Book Distributors.

The Cult of Skaro

Meet Dalek Sec, Dalek Caan, Dalek Jast and Dalek Thay. The Cult of Skaro, operating above the Emperor, who have set their creative minds on Universal domination in the glorious, if flawed, two-part season finale (Army of Ghosts/Doomsday).

The Black Dalek, Sek, delights in taunting the Cybus Cyberleader in a manner that would have garnered the Dalek's destruction during David Banks' era! An alliance between these iconic monsters could have set the tone for season 3!

The Dalek/Cyberman/Human battle was perhaps predictable and less balanced than it may have been. However, there's only so much that can be compressed into two 45 minute episodes and what we're left with is a roller coaster ride bereft of invention (not another portal?), but no poorer for it! Think of it as Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean theme park ride for Whovians. I'd be more than happy to take this ride more than once and recommend to friends...

Rose Tyler's farewell was an emotional tour de force underscored by BBC Wales' Orchestra, culminating in the Rose/Doctor Who leitmotiv; dare I suggest love theme? Genuinely heartbreaking and evocative of Buffy season 5. The only fly in the ointment was that the producers were not brave enough to end on David Tennant's Doctor standing all alone, the Tardis as Batcave. Perhaps I was asking too much?

Never Can Say Goodbye

History is repeating itself as ratings fall whilst the temperature rises! So, BBC Wales counteracts by revealing the 'news' (you heard it first in the British tabloids) that Billie Piper is exiting Doctor Who today.

I'll really miss Rose Tyler.

However, a bit of retail therapy might help take the edge off the sting! The gorgeous 12" Cyberman (from Character Options) is now available for pre-order from Forbidden Planet. This compares favourably with the Sevans model kit and beats the Denys Fisher doll! I mean, where did that nose come from?

Monsters and Angels

"Madame de Pompadour is being haunted by a stranger called the Doctor - can he save her from the clockwork killers?"

Doctor Who and period drama go hand in glove and well they should given the pedigree of the BBC drama department!

From The Talons Of Weng-Chiang to The Visitation, the mix of alien and historical context (albeit freely used) is irresistible. And last night's episode, The Girl in the Fireplace, starring the delectable Sophia Myles (Underworld and Tristan + Isolde), is now part of that lauded pantheon.

Liberally subscribing to the tenants of a classic bedtime story (generally the province of the middle classes). The Girl in the Fireplace served up an opulent and haunting tale that effortlessly blended elements of The Chronicles of Narnia and dark psychology with Stanley Kubrick invention! The musical cues were enthused with a rare beauty (the composer lacks the deftness of Malcolm Clarke and Dudley Simpson) that compares to Danny Elfman's finest scores for auteurist Tim Burton.

It's interesting to note that this season of Doctor Who seems concerned with the trauma of childhood, isolation and adult alienation, themes that resonate throughout Tim Burton's best work; Batman and Edward Scissorhands.

The final shot depicting Madame de Pompadour's starship, against an arresting galactic vista, lingered long after the episode had ended.

Who's Back!

Here's a roundup of the latest Doctor Who news.

Third year
Today the BBC confirmed that both David Tennant and Billie Piper have both signed up to appear in the third series of Doctor Who.

The news ends long-standing speculation that Piper was planning to quit her role as Rose Tyler at the end of the upcoming second series.

"There are lots of places for Rose to go," said Piper at the press launch for series two, which begins on April 15. "I have had a ball. I might still be here in 40 years."

Box of DVD Delights
The new series of Doctor Who will be making a speedy transfer to DVD, the BBC has announced.

The first volume from series two comprises the 'Christmas Invasion' special and episode one from series two, titled 'New Earth'.

The set will be out on Monday, May 1 - just weeks after the show's expected premiere on BBC One.

Series two is being split across five single DVD volumes. A complete boxset of series two, including the Christmas episode and a host of extras, will be released on November 20. Get those pre-orders in early!

I, Dalek

The return of the iconic diabolical dustbins to Doctor Who is welcome. However, my impressions of Dalek are problematic!

The gallery of alien exhibits was a fun poke at The X-Files and post WWII American neurosis. The inclusion of a Mark 5 Cyberman helmet was chilling - especially as the framing centered the Doctor's face within the reflected mask. In another saga that would be considered foreshadowing! I digress.

The revelation that the Doctor destroyed the Daleks and Timelords, to end the Time War, delivered an emotional punch and dramatic gravitas (as did his duality). The torture scenes were unexpected and darkly unsettling.

The chase format and incidental scoring is becoming tiresome and the mutant reveal was awkward and unsatisfactory - why show it at all? Are the producers concerned that a Saturday evening audience lacks the requisite imagination/creative mind? If the producers desire clever homages they could have emulated the nightmarish voice treatments used in The Brain of Morbius or The Horror of Fang Rock. Am I being too fussy here?

Artistic choices aside. Dalek is a terrific yarn and all the better for the absence of Davros (increasingly unhinged during the '80s). The two part season finale could be a corker if the writers avoid heavy continuity with the show's past. Don't bring back the Movellans (who defeated the Daleks) or Davros. Leave the Daleks to their independence under the auspices of the Dalek Supreme. Now wouldn't it be a cool twist if the Master returns or that Rose's compassion was pivotal to the Daleks victory in an altered timeline?

Following the broadcast of Dalek, the BBC confirmed that Revelation of the Daleks (1985) was set to bow on DVD summer 2005!

Following on from Resurrection (1984), Revelation witnesses further ideological conflict between Davros and the Dalek Supreme on a remote ice planet. Necros. The Doctor (Colin Baker) must prevent the inception of a new species of Dalek (ultimately known as the Imperial faction) and destroy their creator once and for all. However, a Dalek task force is en route.

My most vivid memory of this story is the macabre morgue where disembodied human heads were being transformed into Dalek mutants, the Davros clone, bounty hunters and a mis-cast Alexi Sayle (Radio DJ)! Not to mention my adolescent 'crush' on Peri (Nicola Bryant). The DVD will feature a restored print, new special effects and 5.1 audio mix.

The Green Death

Since 2003, I've been steadily building my Doctor Who DVD collection at £11.99 a pop! Early this morning the latest release arrived courtesy of Her Majesty's Royal Mail! The Green Death is one of my favourite stories from the Jon Pertwee era and now takes pride of place alongside Pyramids Of Mars, Earthshock, Resurrection Of The Daleks et al.

A few weeks ago I watched, and thoroughly enjoyed, the Dalek Invasion Of Earth - that enduring and iconic image of the Daleks crossing Westminster Bridge was forever imprinted into my young mind via the pages of the Dalek Omnibus, which I still own sans dust jacket - too young to appreciate the value and used the inside back cover for sketches when I ran out of paper one Sunday afternoon many, many years ago! Who'd be a fine artist eh?

Regarding the restored disc. Has anyone else noticed a soft line running down the image, roughly at the halfway point? Presumably some artefact from the source material/restoration process? Otherwise a clean print and remarkable work in spite of Auntie's historical faux pas - deleting all those episodes back in the day! And the CGI option is a terrific nod to the comic serial (thanks Marvel for reprinting them in the 1980s). Imagine The Chase with a few of those spruced-up saucers and Mechanoids?

The Doctor Who restoration team are doing a sterling job and have re-ignited my interest in the show (it was a staple of my childhood)! Now if only the BBC would release the twisted tale Terror of the Autons, which I watched at the Doctor Who 20th Anniversary Convention, Longleat (1983)!

Rose

The how and why of the online leak for the first episode of the new Doctor Who series (allegedly sourced from a Canadian broadcaster) isn't the subject of this post. I've covered the issue of P2P before. No, this is a review of the first episode as shown to the Press (the post production appears to be complete). Rose.

The opening title sequence marks the welcome return of the Jon Pertwee/Tom Baker main theme arrangement and sent chills down my spine. The CGI TARDIS, blurrily tumbling through time and space, recalls the Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy eras. The logo is the work of someone who has never heard of Photoshop! Why not update the classic diamond logo?

The subsequent montage introducing Rose pays homage to BBC franchises EastEnders and S-Club! The producers make excellent use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound and make reference to gay and popular consumer culture.

Billy Piper's pop career still haunts this reviewer and I'm ashamed to admit that, gulp, I liked "Because We Want To"! However, before Piper's pop career she was trained at Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts (BBC taps this rich reservoir) and once she encounters the good Doctor, amidst an Auton attack, their chemistry is electric. Somehow Piper disarms you and the Doctor is, well, the Doctor! I couldn't help smiling and thinking Christopher Eccleston was a canny choice. He's funny, but there's an edge waiting to be explored.

The Autons (controlled by the plastic manipulating and octopus-like Nestene Consciousness) were an infamous enemy and irked parents and the self-appointed moral guardian Mary Whitehouse following the broadcast of Terror of the Autons (1971). I saw the latter in 1983. Terror was screened at the Doctor Who 20th Anniversary convention and followed by a Q&A with the principal actors (including Jon Pertwee) and production crew.

I could opine that the production values of the new series are not on a par with Angel, Buffy, Battlestar or X-Files. But this is a postmodern parody and Rose is loosely based on Spearhead From Space (1970). So, international audiences may be left out in the cold at its superficial lack of sophistication. I defy any Doctor Who fan not to be deeply moved by the sight of the TARDIS and its familiar sounds.

All in all I'm delighted to see the Doctor back (sans episode cliffhangers) and so should you. Just in time...