Flick of a Page - Why I love the Doctor Who Books

Ever since I have been a Doctor Who fan there has always been something to keep my enthusiasm going for the show when it was off air. Those of course were the Doctor Who Books and Novels which spring new and exciting Doctor Who stories to life.

It is incredible how authors can produce such imagination into every Doctor Who novel out there where one page can hold as much adventure as a whole TV episode.


It is outstanding how many books have been published since Doctor Who began to the present day, here is a list of the type of Novels that we've had:


The TARGET Doctor Who Novelisations
The Virgin New Adventures
The BBC Doctor Who novels
Panini Graphic Novels

A while ago I asked some of my Twitter Followers to pick out their favourite classic or New Doctor Who Novel's, and here is what they said:

Filming Continues on 2012 Christmas Special: Exciting Spoilers!

Filming has continued on the 2012 Christmas Special, the episode that will introduce Jenna-Louise Coleman as the new companion and will guest star Richard E. Grant and Tom Ward.

Scenes were shot in Cathays Cemetery, Cardiff, with returning stars Catrin Stewart and Neve McIntosh, as Jenny and Madame Vastra, present alongside Matt Smith. The scene, witnessed and photographed by @ryanfarr, involved the three characters mourning somebody at their grave. The Doctor, Vastra and Jenny all lay flowers on the grave and the Doctor storms off. Vastra shouts: "Where are you going?!" And the Doctor replies "To find her! To find Clara!" Matt Smith was fetching a brand new purple jacket and a top hat in this scene.

Jenna-Louise Coleman was also present wearing a few different types of modern clothing which could alter speculation that her character is from the Victorian Era.

Filming on the Christmas Special is set to continue over the next couple of weeks.

Farewell to Neil Armstrong 1930 -2012

Neil Armstrong the first Astronaut to set foot on the moon has passed away.

He set foot on the moon in 1969 and was the first person to do so. Some of you may remember the feeling of being dismissed early from work or school to go home and to watch the moon landing in black and white. Unfortunately I wasn't alive then and only recently saw the moon landing when it was replayed in memory of Neil Armstrong.

One small step for man one big step for mankind.

Rest in Peace Neil Armstrong.

Return of the....DWBarOZ

Last Saturday the first of the new #DWBarOz sessions began with The Seeds of Doom. On September 22nd we will return with a double bill new series episodes.

Dinosaur's on a Spaceship &
A DWBar first, watching the live broadcast of:
A Town Called Mercy.

We understand that their is a 1/2 hour time difference between some states in Australia so 6:00pm Adelaide time the Bar opens and we press play of the first episode at 6:30 Adelaide Time. For the live broadcast we want everyone who can to join in but just use #DWBarOZ and #drwhoseries7 or #DWS7 instead of individual story titles.


Thanks and see everyone on the 22nd!

Terry Nation's unmade Dalek spin-off series - by @SomebodyImNot

The Daleks are something that everyone, fan or not, associates with Doctor Who. It can easily be said that they saved Doctor Who from an early cancellation, as they were the monsters that brought Doctor Who to the eyes of the public.

During the 1960’s, Dalekmania spread throughout Britain. There were many merchandise opportunities, such as Anti-Dalek water pistols, annuals, and even Blue Peter cake Daleks. In the pages of one such annual, “The Dalek Outer Space Book” there was a story, which featured the character of Sara Kingdom (killed during “The Dalek Master Plan” but alive in this story) and a futuristic army known as the Space Security Service. These characters had fought the Daleks in this story, and Terry Nation was willing to bring this idea to television as a spin off series.

Terry Nation had no copyright on the character of the Doctor, so this spin off would solely feature Nation’s own creations and the SSS. Plans for a colour television series were beginning to take shape, with the role of Sara Kingdom to be filled with Jean Marsh, who had played a similar character in Doctor Who.

A pilot episode, entitled “The Destroyers” was provided, and almost made.

However, the BBC dropped out of the project, and after Nation failed to sell the idea to NBC, the production ground to a halt.

It’s interesting that despite the series not being made at the time, there seemed to be an unwritten rule that made selling Doctor Who stories featuring the Daleks to foreign broadcasters less feasible after the idea was put to the BBC. These facts meant that many of the Dalek stories missing from the BBC archives could have survived if they had been sold abroad, and do not as a result.

If there is anyone wanting to experience the unmade series in some form, Big Finish included an audio recreation of the pilot story as part of their Lost Stories range. 

Asylum of the Daleks Premiere Date

It's been confirmed by the Radio Times, but not yet by the BBC itself that Asylum of the Daleks will air at 7.20pm on 1st of September.

So the long wait is over, and there are apparently two shocking plot twists in this opening adventure to savour! 

So tune in Saturday 1st September, to find out what is going on as the maverick Time Lord comes face to face with his arch enemies.

UPDATE:  It has now been confirmed by The Official BBC Doctor Who twitter feed @BBCDoctorWho that Asylum of the Daleks will indeed be broadcast at 7.20pm BST on 1st of September.

BBC America has just announced that they will also premiere the adventure on the 1st of September, but at 9pm ET.

Doctor Who Bar Down Under

The Doctor Who Bar is now branching out to Australia, New Zealand and other countries in the Southern Hemisphere through the new DWBarOZ hash tag on twitter. I (Benjamin) will be hosting a once a month session and if we have enough people joining we will make it a weekly occurrence.

Meanwhile DWBarUSA is still on hiatus and we are hoping that some of the Americans can join in on DWBarOZ, as I know for some parts of America they are only a couple of hours behind or ahead of us.

Our first story on Saturday 25th of August will be the Seeds of Death (Second Doctor).

Hope you can all join us. Bar opens at 7:00pm (Adelaide Time). Press play at 7:30pm.

The Second Doctor and the Ice Warriors

The Leisure Hive - by @SomebodyImNot

The Leisure Hive was the first story of Doctor Who’s eighteenth season, and starred Tom Baker and Lalla Ward.

It’s all about the Doctor and Romana going on holiday to the planet Argolis and what they find going on at the planet’s “Leisure Hive” after a trip to Brighton fails to live up to expectations.

They arrive at the Leisure Hive, which is in danger of going bankrupt due to its out of date facilities. What the Hive does have, however, is a method of cloning people.

The Argolans are also working on a system to allow the body to be rejuvenated.

The Hive has been invaded by an alien, which we only see the eyes and claws of. It helps to build the suspense in this story.

During a demonstration of the cloning process, one volunteer is pulled apart in a pretty grim scene. Granted there is no blood, but the shot of the various parts of the man’s body lying disconnected on the floor is quite an unnerving one.

The first episode ends with the Doctor himself in the machine, being torn apart in front of the viewers. It’s a great cliff-hanger, although the beginning of the next episode turns it into a little of an anti climax.

So please join us to give your own views on this 1980 story. Bar opens at 7.30 pm and we press play at 8pm. Hope to see you there. 

Who's Matt?

Matt has appeared in Doctor Who since 2010 and he said at comic con 2012 "I love Doctor Who, it is the most amazing show to be a part of."

Matt Smith now more commonly known to us as the 11th Doctor didn't always want to be an actor.
Originally Matt Smith aspired to be a footballer, but spondylosis forced him out of the sport. He then joined National Youth Theatre and in 2003 became a full time actor. 

His first role was in the TV adaptation of Philip Pullman's 'the Ruby in Smoke' and he continued on in TV and Theatre. Before appearing in Doctor Who as the youngest Doctor Who ever he appeared with Billie Piper quite intimately in 'Secret Diary of a Call Girl'.

Matt Smith as the Doctor 

In 2009 he was announced as the new Doctor. It was a large announcement and over 9million people tuned in to find out who was taking David Tennant's shoes. Matt Smith's Doctor who he calls "Troughtonesk" first appeared in 'The Eleventh Hour'.

Matt Smith used his former football talents in the episode 'the Lodger' he is confirmed to play the Doctor at least until the end of 2013 covering all the 50th anniversary specials. 

The promo pic for series 7

Matt Smith is returning as the Doctor in series 7 on the 25th of August.

Looking forward to it! Aren't you? 

Enlightenment Review by @SomeoneImNot

“Enlightenment” was the fifth story in Doctor Who’s 20^th season, and the conclusion to the three stories commonly known as The Black Guardian Trilogy.

The story begins with the Doctor and his companions Tegan and Turlough (Nyssa having left the crew at the end of the previous story “Terminus”) receiving a mysterious message from the White Guardian, prompting them to materialize on what appears to be an Edwardian sailing ship participating in a race. The crew of this ship however; seem to have no memory of when they came aboard.

The Doctor discovers that they are not on a racing yacht, and are in fact on a spaceship.  It’s a clever twist that’s not easy to see coming.

The story also focuses on Turlough. He seems ready to sell out the Doctor in order to gain favour with Captain Wrack, the owner of a rival ship. The story culminates in a choice for Turlough – accepting a large diamond that’s worth an entire galaxy, or allowing the Doctor to live.

In summary, this is a good story with some well done acting throughout. Although it does have its problems, this story is a worthy addition to The Black Guardian Trilogy and to Doctor Who on the whole. The juxtaposition of sailing ships in space is interesting enough to draw you into this story, and having watched all of it, you won’t be disappointed.

So please join us on Wednesday and tweet along with your own opinions of this story. The Bar opens at 7.30pm and we press play at 8pm. Hope to see you there. 

New Team Member

Hi everyone,
I'm Benjamin Maio Mackay and I am the newest team member in the Doctor Who Bar. I have a podcast www.preachrspodcast.net also on iTunes Facebook and twitter search Preachrs Podcast.
My favourite Doctor is 2nd Doctor, and I love all Doctor Who new and old, but I prefer the classic era.

Looking forward to joining this amazing team.

Thanks
Benjamin

Latest News: Richard E. Grant in the Doctor Who Christmas Special

International actor Richard E. Grant has been announced via Twitter last night as being cast in the Christmas Special of Doctor Who this year.

He is no stranger to Doctor Who after voicing the Doctor in the animated Scream of the Shalka, as well as appearing in the Steven Moffat Doctor Who spoof The Curse of Fatal Death playing a handsome Doctor who seemed to get a great delight in licking a mirror!

Richard will be acting alongside fellow actor Tom Ward in the Christmas Special which is currently being filmed in the new Doctor Who studios in Cardiff.

Special Announcement: The Doctor Who Bar Needs You!

We here at the Doctor Who Bar like to think that our community is more that just watching the television show, it's a celebration of it! But we could do with a little help to make this community and it's blogger site grow.

Would you like to write for us?

Would you like to host a Doctor Who Bar Session?

We are looking for contributors to this site, people who may have ambitions to be writers and maybe have a passion for writing about Doctor Who! Ideally people who are Doctor Who fans and can do reviews about your favourite stories, characters or merchandise! In short any article about the series or it's many spin-offs! But like the show itself we like to keep it upbeat. Any negative opinions should be balanced as it's a policy of the Doctor Who Bar not to deride any of the television stories.

So if you would like to put yourself forward as a contributor, please get in touch with us. There are admin privileges. You can either DM or tweet @TheDoctorWhoBar, or @Via_The_Void you can also email us too, the contact email box is at the side of this site.

We also require an American Fan to take over the DWBarUSA. 

Be part of something special.

Join the Doctor Who Bar, and love Doctor Who on Twitter!

We look forward to hearing from you all.

Unlimited Rice Pudding- An Appreciation of Sylvester McCoy by @zeiton_7

Well, lets be honest it didn't start well did it? After Colin Baker was effectively kicked out of the Tardis by evil BBC head honchos gunning for the program, he refused to return to the program to complete the regeneration "handover" to McCoy (to be honest who can blame him?) So McCoy had to don a curly wig and complete the regeneration himself.

The year is 1987 and Doctor Who is back! Well sort of. All new titles, all new theme music and a brand new timeslot. Yes the timeslot, a little word about that. The BBC at this time hated Doctor Who and were looking for an excuse to dispatch it into the void once and for all. The best way to do this? Move it to a Monday night position directly scheduled against Coronation Street. Our beloved program didn't stand a chance!

So, what of the new man himself? Step forward Sylvester McCoy (born Percy James Kent-Smith) primarily known for his work with Ken Campbell and predominantly comedy. He seemed a strange choice as The Doctor. Perhaps he would bring a more quirky side to the Timelord and would play against the more serious Baker before him.

Lets be honest, the first story wasn't great, Time and the Rani. This and Paradise Towers had been written with Colin in mind and I feel that there are elements of the story that show that. Time and the Rani features the return of the titular Rani (played by Kate O'Mara) Its not the performances that are especially bad (apart from Mel but then she was fairly bad in everything) its the story. It was never intended as a post regeneration story and isn't a strong introduction to a new actor playing The Doctor. Personally, I have found it more watchable as time goes on but that is mainly due to enjoying Sylvester's performance and laughing at Mel... a lot!

So what about McCoy? (resisting the urge to crack the "real McCoy" pun) his first season was very clown like and, for me, overly humorous. I would guess this is probably about the time that viewers switched off and those that did formed the opinion that "he was rubbish as The Doctor". Whilst I sympathise with this opinion they missed a treat!

McCoy's second season was dark and showed The Doctor manipulating people and circumstances in a way that we had never seen before. This was how McCoy had wanted to play The Doctor from the start. For me, the best example of this is the whole character of Ace. Seemingly picked up from Iceworld after "accidentally" creating a time storm in her bedroom. This is later explained as part of the plan of Fenric (The Curse of Fenric) and The Doctor has been playing Ace like a Gallifreyan harp. He also tricks her, seemingly out of morbid curiosity, into confronting her fears of Chase House in Perivale (Ghostlight)

This is an incarnation of The Doctor you don't want to mess with! He wiped out the Daleks and Skaro, again, an event which many believe triggered The Great Time War. Whilst capable of infinite compassion and humour, yes the manic clown is still there, he doesn't turn away from dispatching his enemies. Opting to outwit and trick, it is Davros himself that launches the Hand of Omega. I still get a shiver when Davros shouts accusingly "you tricked me" The Doctors reply? "No Davros, you tricked yourself.

Skaro does the big firework

The Second season also coincided with the programs 25th Season and Silver Nemesis was written to celebrate the milestone. It's a tremendous story featuring the cybermen, their last appearance before the hiatus, and hints at the secrets that surround The Doctor. For me though, Rememberance of the Daleks remains the jewel in the crown. Featuring the all powerful "special weapons dalek" it has many moments that thrill both new and old fans alike.

However forces were at work and Doctor Who was soon to leave our screens for sixteen years. Viewing figures weren't good and the decision was made that Survival would be the programs last show. McCoy had given his all and made an unforgettable contribution to Doctor Who yet it wasn't enough. To highlight how suddenly this decision was made a final amendment to the end of Survival had to be made. It is this that I end on:






So join us on Saturday for a celebration of McCoy's Seventh Doctor. Bar opens at 7:30pm and we press play at 8:00pm. Rice pudding to be served hot or cold