BBC Radio 4 Extra will broadcast a special programme celebrating the centenary of Jon Pertwee's birth, presented by his son Sean Pertwee:

A BBC Radio documentary has uncovered previously unbroadcast recordings of the legendary Doctor Who and Worzel Gummidge actor Jon Pertwee. The programme is presented by Sean Pertwee (Gotham, Elementary, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa) and marks the centenary of the birth of his father Jon Devon Roland Pertwee, who was born on the 7th of July in 1919.

In the programme Sean traces his father’s career in broadcasting, which started after being expelled from several schools and then even being asked to leave Rada. In rediscovered interviews we hear his dad reminisce about the time he worked at the circus riding the wall of death with a pet lion, before eventually securing his first contract with the BBC at the age of 18.

Pertwee devised some very memorable characters through his ability to show great vocal range. Many successful years in radio comedy included a lengthy stint in The Navy Lark, which secured his status as a household name. Then with the advent of television he became a recognisable face as the star of Doctor Who in the early 1970s.

Through rare fan recordings made behind-the-scenes at television studios and at the first ever Doctor Who Appreciation Society Convention, we hear previously unbroadcast stories and a very personal insight into the world’s longest running science-fiction show.

The documentary also features the last time Pertwee performed as Worzel Gummidge alongside Una Stubbs as Aunt Sally. This recording was left untouched for over 25 years and was located during the making of the celebration. There are also rediscovered recordings of Pertwee undergoing the complicated make-up process during the making of the series, and visiting a local radio station to take phone calls from enthusiastic children wanting to speak to Worzel.

Presenter, Sean Pertwee said:

I think my father would like to be remembered not just for his cult TV programmes, but for his whole body of work. And most of all, he’d like to be remembered as an extraordinary man, which he was.

The Jon Pertwee Files will be broadcase on BBC Radio 4 Extra on Saturday 6th July at 8:00am, with repeats at 3:00pm and then late evening at 3:00am. It will also be broadcast at 4:00pm on BBC Radio Solent on Sunday (Jon Pertwee was a pupil at Sherborne School in Dorset, and later based at Portsmouth Naval Barracks during WW2)

The show will also be available on BBC Sounds for 30 days after transmission.


Listen to the Trailer:


Listen to a clip:

Media presented courtesy of the BBC

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Doctor Who Magazine celebrates Jon Pertwee’s centenary with 30 pages devoted to the Third Doctor.

This issue includes:

• The World Cup of the Third Doctor. How did your favourite story fare in our epic Twitter tournament?
• Lost for more than 40 years – a candid interview with Jon Pertwee from the very first Doctor Who convention in 1977.
• An exclusive interview with Jon’s son, actor Sean Pertwee.
• A previously unpublished interview with Barry Letts, who produced most of the Third Doctor’s stories and co-wrote classics like The Dæmons and The Green Death.
• An exclusive update on the production of Series 12 from showrunner Chris Chibnall.
• Katy Manning, who played the Third Doctor’s companion Jo Grant, visits the Time Team.
• The second part of an interview with costume designer Howard Burden, who created outfits for the Twelfth Doctor, Clara and Missy.
• The Fact of Fiction explores the Twelfth Doctor story Time Heist.
• DWM’s review of the Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 10 Blu-ray box set.
• The Legacy of Time – DWM talks exclusively to the cast and crew behind one of the most ambitious Doctor Who adventures ever, which features no fewer than six Doctors.
• Part One of Power of the Mobox, a new comic strip adventure featuring the Thirteenth Doctor and her friends.
• The Blogs of Doom, audio reviews, news, prize-winning competitions and much, much more!

DWM 540 is on sale from Thursday 27 June, priced £5.99.

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To celebrate 20 years of Doctor Who on audio, BBC Studios and Big Finish Productions present a 20-hour weekend live stream marathon of Doctor Who audio dramas on YouTube.

Over two days on the 20th and 21st July, the official home of Doctor Who on YouTube will broadcast more than 20 episodes of Big Finish audio adventures, featuring David Tennant, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann and David Bradley, among many others. Plus, there will be video appearances from plenty of the Doctor’s friends, past and present, to join in the festivities. As the stories are live streamed on YouTube, fans will be able to join in the conversation via the live chat.

Big Finish Productions was first granted a licence to create Doctor Who adventures in audio format back in 1999. Its first production was Doctor Who: The Sirens of Time, starring Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy. The company has since expanded its ranges, producing and distributing over 300 hours of audio drama each year. To date, over 850 titles from Doctor Who and its various spin-offs have been released - and that number grows by the day, with more Doctor Who stories confirmed from Big Finish until at least 2023.

In honour of this achievement, over 20 hours of Doctor Who audio drama will be live-streamed on the BBC’s Doctor Who YouTube channel over the 20th and 21st July. Doctor Who fans will hear stories from their heroes, as well as never before heard snippets, interviews and guest cameos from some of their favourite stars, and much much more!

Anyone joining in the live stream will be able to comment and chat along with other fans about the adventures in the TARDIS, while hearing audio productions starring the likes of David Tennant, Billie Piper, Alex Kingston, John Barrowman, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, David Bradley, Sophie Aldred, Katy Manning, Nicola Walker, Sir Derek Jacobi and many more.

Also premiering during the event is the first episode of Doctor Who: The Legacy of Time - a special anniversary box set release celebrating 20 years of Doctor Who at Big Finish. This first episode stars Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor, Alex Kingston as Professor River Song and Lisa Bowerman as Professor Bernice Summerfield. Does the Doctor have room for two time-travelling archaeologists in his life?

Nicholas Briggs, Creative Director and executive producer at Big Finish, said:

Has it been 20 years already? But we've only just got started! Honestly, it has been an absolute delight to have worked alongside the Doctor these past two decades. I started my life as a fan, in the days before on demand and downloads, recording the soundtracks of Doctor Who episodes on audio tape. And now it's my job to place every incarnation of the Time Lord (give or take) in peril in so many exciting audio adventures. I have to pinch myself. I'd like to thank everyone, from the cast in front of the mic, to the writers, directors, sound designers and more behind it, for making it such an amazing journey. Here's to the future! (Or is it the past?)

Jason Haigh-Ellery, Chairman and executive producer at Big Finish, added:

In July 1999 we released The Sirens of Time. In July 2019 we're releasing The Legacy of Time. Those two decades have been so fulfilling for us at Big Finish - a chance to work with so many great and talented actors, writers, production crews and all of our friends at the BBC. This is a celebration of it all, with lots of surprise returns and references. Think of it as one massive Doctor Who party - and everyone is invited…

Doctor Who: The Legacy of Time will be available from www.bigfinish.com on download and also released in an eight-disc CD deluxe package set with a limited edition of just 4,000.

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Following the sell-out success of Big Finish Productions limited edition Doctor Who stories on vinyl, the audio company is delighted to announce another exclusive release in conjunction with Sainsbury's.

Doctor Who: Wave of Destruction starring Tom Baker, Lalla Ward and John Leeson on Friday 19th July 2019. It will be released as a Limited Edition run of 1500 copies on ocean swirl vinyl – only available in the UK, in Sainsbury’s stores.

In this full-cast audio drama from 2016, the Vardans return to take on Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor. The Doctor had previously encountered the Vardans on Gallifrey, the Doctor’s home planet, in the 1978 television story, The Invasion of Time.

A modulated frequency wave cancellation signal isn’t something that the Doctor and Romana expect to detect in 1960s London. But then they don’t expect to find Professor Lanchester, the man who invented it, lying unconscious. Or MI5 investigating. With the help of MI5 Agent Miller; Lanchester’s daughter Jill; and his nephew – a pirate radio DJ called Mark; the Doctor, Romana and K-9 investigate. They soon discover that there is more at risk than they imagined, and an alien invasion is about to begin. Can the Doctor identify and defeat the aliens in time? Will Romana manage to find a recombinant transducer before it’s too late? And how will K-9 cope with his new job?

Tom Baker portrayed the Doctor on screen from 1974 until 1981 returning to star alongside Matt Smith, David Tennant and John Hurt as the curator in the 50th anniversary TV special, The Day of the Doctor, in 2013.

John Leeson was first brought in as the voice of K-9 – the Fourth Doctor’s robot dog – for the 1977 TV story, The Invisible Enemy. After a short break John returned for season 18 of Doctor Who in 1980. He also reprised his role as K-9 in the pilot TV episode for K-9 and Company (1981 – a spin-off from Doctor Who) and voiced K-9 for the 20th anniversary TV episode of Doctor Who, The Five Doctors and the 2006 Doctor Who TV episode, School Reunion.

Lalla Ward made her debut as Romana in December 1979, and after almost three series she made her last appearance alongside John Leeson in January 1981.

Of this special vinyl release, Lalla Ward said:

Recording Wave of Destruction was an absolute delight and I’m very pleased that we’ve made it onto a record. Romana is used to running circles around the Doctor so she’ll be right at home on the turntable.

Wave of Destruction, written by Justin Richards, is the first story of the fifth series of The Fourth Doctor Adventures, produced by Big Finish Productions.

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BBC Books have announced a new hardback fiction book to tie in with the return of Doctor Who in 2020.

To celebrate the return of Doctor Who in early 2020, BBC Books will publish a unique collection of
name-dropping historical adventures inspired by Jodie Whittaker’s first series as the Doctor.


The Doctor is many things – curious, funny, brave, protective of her friends... and a shameless namedropper. While she and her companions battled aliens and travelled across the universe, the Doctor hinted at a host of previous, untold adventures with the great and the good: we discovered she got her sunglasses from Pythagoras (or was it Audrey Hepburn?); lent a mobile phone to Elvis; had an encounter with Amelia Earhart where she discovered that a pencil-thin spider web can stop a plane; had a 'wet weekend' with Harry Houdini, learning how to escape from chains underwater; and more.


In this collection of new stories, Star Tales takes you on a rip-roaring ride through history, from 500BC to the swinging 60s, going deeper into the Doctor's notorious name-dropping and revealing the truth behind these anecdotes.

The book will feature 6 brand new stories, detailing the Doctor's untold adventures with famous figures in history - Audrey Hepburn, Elvis Presley, Harry Houdini, Amelia Earhart, Albert Einstein and Pythagoras, written by Steve Cole, Jenny T Colgan, Jo Cotterill, Paul Magrs, Trevor Baxendale and Mike Tucker.

Doctor Who: Star Tales will be released on 5th December 2019, and is available to pre-order via our Amazon Shop.

Two chapters will also be made available for download as eshorts during November.

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Fathom Events have announced a special theatrical outing for the Tenth Doctor's finale, The End Of Time, which itself celebrates its tenth anniversary this Christmas.

The screening will take place in a number of movie theatres around the United States on 7th August 2019 (locations can be found via their website).

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly ten years since David Tennant left Doctor Who in his heart-breaking finale The End of Time. To commemorate the occasion, BBC Studios and Fathom Events invite you to relive the agony and ecstasy of this absolutely thrilling story on the big screen. You’ll see the full two-part adventure including appearances by fan favourites Billie Piper, Catherine Tate, John Simm, Elisabeth Sladen, John Barrowman, and many more!

As well as the episodes themselves, the screening will also include a brand new interview with David Tennant, in which he reflects on his time in Doctor Who and all that has happened since.

Watch the trailer on YouTube

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BBC Studios have announced that the next instalment in their collection of remastered Blu-ray Doctor Who boxed sets will see the Doctor on trial as Colin Baker's last season is released on 23rd September 2019.

In 1985, Doctor Who was taken off the air for an 18 month hiatus. When it returned, it was with an ambitious fourteen-episode adventure, The Trial of a Time Lord. The epic story saw the Doctor on trial for his life, with the court examining his adventures with companion Peri (Nicola Bryant) and looking to his future escapades with new companion Melanie (Bonnie Langford). This season saw the return of popular villain Sil, along with the Master, the towering robot Drathro and the plant-based Vervoid monsters. With the Inquisitor (Lynda Bellingham) overseeing the proceedings, it was the Valeyard (Michael Jayston) who proved the greatest threat, hiding his own sinister motives for wanting the Doctor’s downfall.

The six disc Blu-ray collection includes all four of the stories comprising this season, features previously available on the original DVD releases, plus a range of new material:

• Extended edits - of all fourteen episodes
• Terror of the Vervoids - four-part standalone edition with updated effects
• Immersive 5.1 surround sound and isolated scores - on all 14 broadcast episodes*
• Behind the Sofa - new episodes with Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Bonnie Langford, Mark Strickson, Frazer Hines and Matthew Waterhouse
• The Writers’ Room - Eric Saward, Philip Martin, Christopher H Bidmead & Waly K Daly discuss the ‘Lost’ Season 23
• The Doctor Who Cookbook Revisited - brave cast members tackle their original recipes from the 1980s official cookbook
• The Doctor’s Table - join Colin Baker and friends for dinner
• In Conversation - Matthew Sweet chats to companion Bonnie Langford
• Plus: unseen studio footage, rare archive treats, convention footage, Blu-ray trailer, HD photo galleries, scripts, costume designs & more in the PDF Archive.

The collection is available for pre-order in the United Kingdom from our Amazon Shop.

Watch the trailer on YouTube

* - the original soundtrack for Mindwarp is missing, but sound supervisor Mark Ayres has confirmed the original composer Richard Hartley was commissioned to re-record his score for this release.

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Candy Jar Books has announced the seventh series of Lethbridge-Stewart novels, a five-book series with an overall title of Bloodlines.

The series launches in September with Home Fires Burn by Gareth Madgwick, which sees the return of real-life World War II hero, Eileen Younghusband. Set during the Second World War, the novel reunites Eileen and Professor Edward Travers. They are joined in this adventure by Matthew Lethbridge-Stewart, the Brigadier’s uncle, who first appeared in the Lineage anthology.

Home Fires Burn is released to tie-in with the 80th Anniversary of World War II. Shaun Russell, Head of Publishing at Candy Jar Books, explains a little of Eileen’s role in the war:

With eightieth anniversary of the start of the war, we felt that we really wanted to acknowledge the contribution the greatest generation made to all our lives. In 1941 Eileen signed the official secrets act, and wasn’t able to talk about her work in the top secret Filter Room. In 2017 she was featured in The Flaming Soldier and we’ve had so many requests to bring her back. So, here she is launching the new series of books, and this time round her contribution to this story will have major affect on Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart’s life.

Gareth Madgwick said:

I've really enjoyed writing this book. The Second World War is an era that has always fascinated me, including the bravery and steadfastness of those like Eileen Le Croissette (later Candy Jar author Eileen Younghusband). Setting it in the beautiful Peak District and also the nearby Sheffield steelworks gave me an opportunity to look into areas of the war effort that aren't always explored elsewhere, and the sacrifices made.

The second book in the sequence is The Shadow Man, written by popular author Sharon Bidwell, her second novel for the series. In The Shadow Man we unveil the Bloodlines connection a little bit more, and focus in on Anne Travers and Bill Bishop as they head to France to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Sharon said:

When asked to write a novel focusing on Anne and Bill, I welcomed the chance to explore their relationship a little more than the series has hereto allowed for. What better way to add to this universe, than working with a quintessential strong female, one known for speaking her mind, for her intelligence, for her independence, as well as being a mother, and a woman in love?

The third book in the sequence is An Ordinary Man by Andy Frankham-Allen. In this book, the Bloodlines sequence starts to come together as we explore an alternative timeline in which Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart never went into military service. Andy said:

This was originally planned as the opening book in the sequence, but we reshuffled to tie in the Eileen book with the World War II anniversary. As a result, this is a wonderful mid-season (as it were) cliffhanger book, that brings to the fore the hints of the mystery littered throughout the previous two titles. It’ll end on quite the cliffhanger, setting the stage for the next two titles due out early 2020.

Later books in the series are written by Chris Lynch and Baz Greenland, with a sixth tangentially connected title to follow by Robert Mammone. Details on these releases will be announced later in the year.


The series is available to order as either a three or six book bundle from the Candy Jar website; the series is also covered by those with a regular subscription. If you purchase Home Fires Burn you are also entitled to 10% off the following Eileen Younghusband titles: One Woman’s War, Men I Have Known & Eileen’s War (proof of purchase required).

Home Fires Burn: The War is in full swing for Professor Travers, Section Officer Le Croissette and the Fourth Operational Corps. But beneath the farms and factories of the Home Front, another conflict threatens to erupt.

The Shadow Man: A private laboratory. A secret experiment. A lethal mistake. Anne and Bill are about to stumble into one man's obsession, causing someone to pay a deadly price.

An Ordinary Man: Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart lives a simple but fulfilling life as a teacher in Liskeard Grammar School. Owain Vine, former student of Mr Lethbridge-Stewart, also lives an ordinary life. An only child, he is happily settled in his home village of Bledoe. But then strange things begin to happen in February 1969. He starts hearing voices, getting visions of a London covered in web! What connects these visions to his old school teacher? And just who is the strange old woman seen in Bledoe, who claims to know everything about Owain and Mr Lethbridge-Stewart?

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Character Options have announced
a new series of exclusive Doctor Who merchandise that will be available later this summer from local B&M stores in the UK:

Fans of the Doctor’s Sonic Screwdrivers will be able to get their hands on a heritage set of three popular incarnations.. The new blister-pack series will include electronic versions, inspired by the 50th anniversary episode, of the Tenth, Eleventh and War Doctor’s sonics.

For action figure fans, Character Options presents a set of three unique Doctor & Dalek Twin Packs, inspired by the Doctor Who audio series from Big Finish. This includes a brand new take on the Eighth Doctor, plus the Dalek Interrogator Prime, as featured in Big Finish audio book story In the Garden of Death. The two additional Doctor and Daleks sets to be released from this range will feature the Seventh and War Doctors respectively.

This year there will be not one, but two new TARDIS & Doctor sets released, each with a completely new take on both the Doctor and the blue box, inspired by adventures spanning the 1970s and 1980s.

To complete the summer line-up there are three brand new collector sets with a range of three figures in each, inspired by the Classic adventures of the Second, Fourth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors.

Al Dewar, Creative Director at Character Options commented:

We are delighted to announce this first taster of what’s to come from our B&M stores Doctor Who toy range. To reveal the visuals of these brand new products, we plan to do a full unveiling live, which will take place ‘unboxing style’ on Character Options’ own Youtube channel in July; details of the time and date will be announced.

More details on the products will be released in the coming weeks.

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Doctor Who Magazine continues its in-depth chronicle of the show’s production with a 100-page volume dedicated to the first four episodes of Series 8 starring Peter Capaldi as the Doctor and Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald: Deep Breath, Into the Dalek, Robot of Sherwood and Listen.

Andrew Pixley’s unparalleled behind-the-scenes coverage – originally presented in the partwork Doctor Who The Complete History and now revised and reproduced in magazine format for the first time – examines every aspect of the stories’ development, from scripting through to transmission and beyond. Richly illustrated with rare images, this is the essential guide to the series that took Doctor Who in a remarkable new direction…

Available from WH Smith from Thursday 13 June 2019 priced £7.99 and digitally from pocketmags.com priced £6.99.

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BBC Studios has announced that The Faceless Ones will be the next animated Doctor Who release.

The release follows the success of The Power of the Daleks, Shada and The Macra Terror. The Faceless Ones will be released on DVD, Blu-Ray and as an exclusive steelbook next year.

The Faceless Ones is the mostly missing eighth serial of the fourth season in Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from April to May 1967. Starring Patrick Troughton as the Doctor, the story concerns a race of identity-stealing aliens known as the Chameleons.

The story is the last to feature Michael Craze as Ben and Anneke Wills as Polly.

Only two of the six episodes are held in the BBC film archives with snippets of footage and still images existing from the other four. Off-air recordings of the soundtrack also still exist, making the animation of a complete serial possible once again.

The six new animated episodes are being made in full colour and high definition and will be released on DVD and Blu-ray in 2020. The DVD/Blu-ray release will also include surviving archive material from the original 1967 production.

The Faceless Ones is available for preorder as Blu-Ray, DVD and Steelbook.

Watch the trailer on YouTube

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The actor Paul Darrow has died at the age of 78.

Paul Darrow is best known for playing freedom fighter Kerr Avon in the Terry Nation series Blake's 7. He appeared in two Doctor Who stories, Doctor Who And The Silurians in 1970 and Timelash in 1985.

Paul Darrow was born in Surrey. After leaving school he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His first professional performances were with the Bristol Old Vic.

In the 1960's he made his television debut in the series The Odd Man. A regular role in Emergency-Ward 10 followed, where he met his future wife Janet Lees-Price.

He appeared in Coronation Street, The Newcomers, The Flaxton Boys, Murder Must Advertise, Within These Walls and The Legend of Robin Hood where he played the Sheriff of Nottingham. In 1970 he had his first role in Doctor Who playing Captain Hawkins a UNIT officer helping the Third Doctor fight the Silurians.

The role for which he will always be remembered was as Kerr Avon, the amoral computer genius who was thrown together with the idealistic Roj Blake and found himself a freedom fighter taking on the corrupt Federation. Such was his presence in the role that Avon soon developed into the major character in the series, When actor Gareth Thomas left, Darrow's character assumed command. He appeared in all but the first episode, with the series finishing in dramatic style with Darrow's face being the last image seen on screen.

He returned to Doctor Who in 1985 playing Malin Tekker, a controversial performance with Darrow playing the part in the manner of Richard III.

He continued working with long-running roles in Emmerdale and Law & Order: UK, but in late 2014, he suffered an aortic aneurysm. Over the next few months, health complications meant he lost both of his legs.

Speaking to the BBC, Darrow’s friend and Personal Assistant Maureen Marrs, said:

Over three decades I have been Paul’s confidante and have had the immense privilege of being part of his life. A star has gone out today; the world will be a darker place without him.

Paul Darrow died early on the morning of the 3rd June after a short ilness.

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A number of DVD titles that have been unavailable in the United States are to have "made-on-demand" re-releases via the BBC Shop.

The first batch of five titles consist of The Time Meddler, The Krotons, The Three Doctors (special edition), Planet Of The Spiders and The Sun Makers, and are released on the 25th June:

The next batch of five follow a couple of weeks later on 9th July, consisting of The Invasion of Time, Frontios, The Mark Of The Rani, The Happiness Patrol and The TV Movie special edition:

The titles can be pre-ordered now via the BBC Shop by clicking on their relative image above.

Note: all titles are DVD R1 (North America).

With Thanks To: Christopher Graewin

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