Torchwood is back

John Barrowman confirmed today that Torchwood would be back for another 13 episode series. He was being interviewed on Steve Wright in the afternoon on Radio 2. You can listen to the show here.

Fan of the day (or You've Been Roger'd)

Part 4 of our series of interviews with real people, real fans of Doctor Who in Leeds. This time we have David.

Name?

David Gregory Harry Sparham

Age?

28

Mental age?

15

How long have you been coming to the group?

2-3 years on and off

Who is your favourite Doctor (classic or new series) and why?

Christopher Eccleston – Just perfect

Who is your favourite Companion (classic or new series) and why?

Zoe Heriot – I fancy her

What is your favourite Who episode or story (classic or new series) and why?

Revenge of the Cybermen – It was the first Tom Baker story I saw

If you were a god what would you do to the world?

Tell them that I don’t exist

Cake or biscuits?

Jaffa Cakes (they are both)

What was the last book you read?

The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence of Evolution – Richard Dawkins

If I take a look inside your fridge what would I find?

Cheese, cucumber and Muller Rice

When was the last time you laughed so hard that stuff came out of your nose and why?

Rewatching Brasseye as it’s hilarious

If you are given a chance to travel to the future or past, where would you go and why?

I’d like to meet Christopher Marlowe as I’m a big fan, so I’d go back to when he was alive

If were to write your own Autobiography, what would be the title?

Give Me Beer or Potatoes 

If you could have any super power, which would it be and why?

I’d be invisible so I could look at girls naked

What did you want to be when you were 12 years old, and why?

A film director as I loved films

And finally, how would you react if you were suddenly transformed into a fish?

I’d be quite happy as a shark, but unhappy if I was any other fish as I’d be scared of sharks.

The Web Of Caves

As part of the Doctor WHo night in 1999, Mark Gatiss and David Walliams performed in this sketch called The Web of Caves. Mark would of course go on to write for the show and appear in an episode.

Hopefully David will one day appear himself.

Water On Mars

Scientists have apparently found water on Mars according to this news article I came across on the BBC website. I wouldn't want to drink any of it though!!

Tom Baker advertising Prime Computers

This is an interesting one, Tom & Lalla advertising Prime Computers in character as the Doctor & Romana. I would love to see a Prime Computer, I bet my mobile phone is 10 times more powerful than one!!

Doctor Who Panel Q & A 2009

Here's a great video of the Comic Con panel over in the States from earlier this year.

Phil Collinson joins the Street

Ex Leeds Doctor Who group member and one time producer of Doctor Who has now landed the job of producing Coronation Street. He is due to take over in the summer of 2010. We done Phil and you can read more on this news here.

Fan of the day (or You've Been Roger'd)

If you're in the Yorkshire area and fancy a great day out on the 5th December then why not come along to our Leeds based Doctor Who meeting? Here is the 3rd interview with a REAL Doctor Who fan from Leeds Zoe.

Name?

Zoe Lee

Age?

Old enough

Mental age?

14 – That’s why I like shiny things!

How long have you been coming to the group?

18 months

Who is your favourite Doctor (classic or new series) and why?

Eccleston – Because I’m pants and only seen one classic Who serial

Who is your favourite Companion (classic or new series) and why?

NOT Sarah Jane!!  How do you classify this?  What counts as a companion?

What is your favourite Who episode or story (classic or new series) and why?

The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances – The only well realised 2 parter in my honest opinion

If you were a god what would you do to the world?

Not rule benevolently, that’s for sure! 

Cake or biscuits?

More importantly, cake or death?  Does this include chocky biscuits?

What was the last book you read?

Easy Rider, Raging Bulls

If I take a look inside your fridge what would I find?

Milk, snack food, yogurt, booze

When was the last time you laughed so hard that stuff came out of your nose and why?

Last week, because my sister told us about the time she set her hair on fire

If you are given a chance to travel to the future or past, where would you go and why?

Just after I’d finished this, because it’s doable

If were to write your own Autobiography, what would be the title?

I can’t believe it’s not better

If you could have any super power, which would it be and why?

Invisibility, because I’m predictable

What did you want to be when you were 12 years old, and why?

Teacher – God only knows, because children are evil

And finally, how would you react if you were suddenly transformed into a fish?

Gasp and flail?

Fan of the day (or You've Been Roger'd)

Here is out next interview with a REAL Doctor Who fan. Todays star is Mark!!

Name?

Mark Ellis

Age?

Too old for toys, too young for boys

Mental age?

12

How long have you been coming to the group?

6 years

Who is your favourite Doctor (classic or new series) and why?

Peter Cushing – ‘cos of hit little tash

Who is your favourite Companion (classic or new series) and why?

Donna Noble – She is the most “real”

What is your favourite Who episode or story (classic or new series) and why?

Turn Left – Love the alternate future

If you were a god what would you do to the world?

Make it naked

Cake or biscuits?

Biscuits

What was the last book you read?

Walk in the Woods

If I take a look inside your fridge what would I find?

Cheesecake, joint of beef, and skimmed milk

When was the last time you laughed so hard that stuff came out of your nose and why?

Thursday night – Bitch Sponge!

If you are given a chance to travel to the future or past, where would you go and why?

The future to see if I had a happy life

If were to write your own Autobiography, what would be the title?

I never knew what I wanted ‘till I got it!

If you could have any super power, which would it be and why?

Telekinesis – ‘cos I am lazy and would use it to bring me stuff like the TV flicker and wine

What did you want to be when you were 12 years old, and why?

A boy toy – ‘cos I always knew I would be one

And finally, how would you react if you were suddenly transformed into a fish?

I’d go jump in the water

Tom Baker videos

I've just been having a look at Tome Bakers official website and there is some great stuff on there. Have a look at the video's page and watch the good man in some rare footage.

Fan of the day (or You've Been Roger'd)

Here is a short series of interviews with REAL Doctor Who fans who regularly attend out Leeds based fan club. Our other contributor Roj carried out the interviews so all credit to him. The first one features Gordon and there are more to follow!!

Name?

Gordon England

Age?

39

Mental age?

15

How long have you been coming to the group?

5 years

Who is your favourite Doctor (classic or new series) and why?

Pat Troughton – The sparklyness of his portrayal, and he’s so disarming you know there was power behind him

Who is your favourite Companion (classic or new series) and why?

I have 2 that I can’t choose between…

Sarah Jane Smith – I grew up with her, and she is always special to me

Donna Noble – She’s a mature companion and can give The Doctor a run for his money.  Plus Catherine Tate is just stunning!

What is your favourite Who episode or story (classic or new series) and why?

The Talons of Weng-Chiang – It’s so well written and acted, it just works (except for the rat)

If you were a god what would you do to the world?

End famine and hunger, make sure there was money fore everyone, and that all the blond chav boys were my slaves!

Cake or biscuits?

Biscuits

What was the last book you read?

Doctor Who Story Book 2009

If I take a look inside your fridge what would I find?

A chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms, milkshake, milk, butter, mince and Cadbury Clusters

When was the last time you laughed so hard that stuff came out of your nose and why?

A week last Wednesday, whilst pretending to have Tourette’s in front of people at work

If you are given a chance to travel to the future or past, where would you go and why?

Victorian England – Love the era, the costumes and the whole feel of it

If were to write your own Autobiography, what would be the title?

You can’t put willy, where willy won’t go!

If you could have any super power, which would it be and why?

Instant attraction to chavs 

What did you want to be when you were 12 years old, and why?

Doctor Who – I was addicted to the show

And finally, how would you react if you were suddenly transformed into a fish?

Do what I always do…  Flap!

Music For Dr Who - Shameless Plug

For those who don't know me, one of the many things I do apart from this is write and record music, usually songs. Just recently however I have been experimenting writing some incidental / soundtrack music for films. I really enjoyed it and am really pleased with the results which is a shame as at this stage I have no fims to add them to. So, if any of you are thinking about making a film or know someone who is and you require some original music then please let me know. I might not even charge you for it :-)

Final Episodes Dates and Times

According to several sources it has been revealed that 2 final episodes for the 10th Doctor will be on 25th December and 1st January respectively, both at 7pm. This of course means that The End of Time part 2 will actually air in 2010. Meaning that David Tennant effectively has been the Doctor since 2005 and will end in 2010. Strictly speaking he's not been the Doctor for 5 years but you could argue that he had after a few pints......

Combom Interview - Final Part

Here is the final part of the fascinating interview with Combom. It has been a great pleasure talking to him and I just want to say thanks again Combom and also thank all of you who have taken time out to read it (and there have been many of you).

Nick - Moving on now I want to ask you about the series return in 2005. I myself was one of the naughty ones who couldn’t wait for the transmission and found the leaked copy on the internet. I was also lucky that my son was getting to an age whereby it meant that we could watch it together and suddenly I was transported back to my childhood again but living it through his eyes. What did it mean to you when it returned and was it everything you had hoped it would be considering you’re long time love of the show going right back to the Pertwee era?

Combom - when Christopher Eccleston was announced I was very pleased, when Billie Piper was announced I was very worried indeed, fortunately she’s not too bad, although she will always be "the clingy girlfriend" and the doctor did more than we would to get rid of one, sending her to another dimension, now that’s class :) I do hope she doesn’t return too often now, every 3 of 4 seasons is enough! Tennant is a good doctor, he has made the part all his own, but I look forward to Matt Smith too, doctor who is about change, if you don’t like change, try neighbours :)

 I downloaded the rose leaked version, but then thought "what am I doing", and waited for its transmission, concerned I had a unfinished cut and it would spoil it for me :) when I watched rose on BBC1 I was happy they hadn’t messed it up :)

 The Pertwee era had a lot of stories set on earth, I’d like to see a return to that, lots of monster shows, and Katy manning at the time *sigh* :) the Pertwee/Manning/Delgado/UNIT was indeed the dream team :) modern unit are nowhere near as good :)

Nick - Well it's great to get to know some of your thoughts and to learn more about your Blog and it's great to see it getting so many hits so you must be doing something right. I would just like to says thanks again for taking the time to do this interview and is there anything else you would like to say to your readers before we go?

Combom - thanks for the interview, and thanks to everyone who contributes to the Blog, your input is appreciated :) now for a shameless plug, I have 4 blogs (count them) http://lifetheuniverseandcombom.blogspot.com http://dvdmoviemaniac.blogspot.com http://combomphotography.blogspot.com and http://combom-amazingfacts.blogspot.com they all need readers and followers :)

 Thanks nick, here’s looking forward to the end of time :)

Martin/Combom

New Monster Revealed

Here is a picture of a new monster appearing in next years series featuring Matt Smith as the Doctor. The fearsome beast is called the Dravvlox and comes from the planet Spirryvest. Little is known about it's intentions but from the look of it is is sure to strike fear in the hearts of all who meet it.........

But really it was the guys in my office who were messing about and built their version of a Dr Who monster to cheer me up :-) ......... Silly boys.....

Restoration Of The Daleks - Fan Film

I have just stumbled across this little fan film featuring Davros and the Daleks. It really is rather good and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Lets hope there is more to come....

Combom Interview - Part 3

Here is a continuation of my interview with Combom which you all seem to be enjoying as we're getting more hits than ever :-)

Nick - I agree, branding is important and your logo is distinctive although I’m glad we’ve cleared up the myth about it being a picture about the back of your head. What would you say has been the highlight of the last 18 months since you started and are there any breaking news stories which you have been one of the first to publish? Personally I love all the location pictures you manage to get permission to post, especially if it has a new or returning monster in it for the new series.

Combom - the best TV in the last 18 months has been Torchwood Children of Earth, it’s just better than Doctor Who, yeah I know, but it’s good to see the son excelling the father :), the best event to Blog, well the death (twice) of the thorn in my side was very good (some people won’t know what I’m on about here). I was first to publish about Lee Evans in Planet of the Dead, but I got that from a comedy site, so first doctor who site but not first site! I am the first Blog with a lot of set pictures and reports, but most are from forums although people like SLRPAP do give them to me before anyone, which I appreciate very much, as I keep saying - sharing is good!

Speaking of returning monsters, I’m still not convinced they are Silurians from a couple of weeks ago, they are too different. We also need to remember the BBC policy on this, every time they bring any monster/character/etc back, they have to pay the creator, so although they do pay for Daleks and Cybermen, they do try to not bring back too much, they end up paying for a name and that’s a hole in the shows budget. I like to see the return of classic monsters though.

Nick - I think this year’s series of Torchwood was one of the boldest most thought provoking pieces of television I have ever seen but I’m still not sure it beats Doctor Who. For anyone reading your last answer and wondering about “the thorn in your side” I am assuming you’re referring to the Blog which was basically copying all of your posts and claiming all the glory themselves for all your hard work. It must be frustrating when this happens? I know that you have strong links with the Planet Gallifrey Blog site and each of you link to each other, can you explain a little about the relationship there as that is another popular Blog?

Combom - I love the Jack Harkness character, he is the best other than the doctor, IMHO he is a progression of the 1970s Harry Sullivan character (Ian Marter sadly died), but I dislike John Barrowman (yes really!) he is always on TV, from chat shows to some rubbish about dancing :) lol there was a lot of upset over the death on Ianto in TWCOE, but they all seem to have missed the point, if you play with fire someone’s going to get burned, an occasional death means not only character and story rotation, but its more realistic, people would die if it was a real world scenario, but I think I’ll miss tosh more, I’m pleased Gwen survived - those eyes, it’s a life’s work looking into them :)

Yes it was very frustrating about RDW and his methods of doing nothing and taking everything and no credit, I’m happy to listen to anyone, if I’ve used anyone’s work by accident, I’m happy to add credit to them (I don’t do this knowingly), or remove it if they ask me to (hence some deleted jigsaws recently!), or come to some mutual agreement to suit us both!

With Planet Gallifrey, I helped Jess with some international versions of videos from the BBC site, then I made a few Cybershade images a lot clearer, she liked that, and when I wrote theory’s etc to cut a long story short is we linked each other :) Jess takes a few photographs of recent filming and writes the plot around them, and often gets it pretty close, so I respect her work, she’s not about a lot now, someone else seems to maintain PG and it’s not like it was :( but people grow, they move onwards and upwards, and have lives of their own, I’d like to see her stuff come back, but at the moment it’s not so likely, but hi Jess, wherever you are, I’m sure what you do you’re very good at :)

I like Fantaical Whovians stuff too, she takes another look at things and sometimes has a new angle to look at (she reminds me of me 18 months ago lol), and is good at playing with videos, anyone who makes me think, I like :) http://fanaticalwhovian.blogspot.com/ . we can’t forget everyone’s grandfather (in internet terms of course) http://tardisnewsroom.blogspot.com/, although he isn’t about as much as he was either, but 4 or so updates a week still :( and there’s http://doctorwho76totterslane.blogspot.com/ who links Facebook to his blog, and of course all the DW bloggers, if I’m aware of your blog, I do read it.

Once again, thanks to Combom for sharing his thoughts and make sure you tune in tomorrow for the final part of the interview.....

David Tennant to read bedtime stories

BBC News has an article where it's announced that David will be storytelling this Christmas when he reads five tales to pre-school children on the CBeebies channel.

So our good David will be all over the place this Christmas with his final installments as The Doctor, the RSC production of Hamlet on BBC Two, Nevermind the Buzzcocks, and CBeebies!!

Is this Tennant Overload?! Hell no!! I better invest in a bigger bucket to catch all the dribble.

To read the article, clicky here.

Combom Interview - Part 2

Nick - Wow, you really know what you’re doing and the number of hits you’re getting proves how popular it is. So, what drives you to put all the effort in? Are you going for as many hits as possible or are you a Doctor Who fan who just loves the show and wants to find out as much information as possible and share it with others? Also do you have any ambitions to make it the highest rated Who Blog on the internet and if so how would you measure it. For example is there a Bloggers chart?

Combom - What drives me? Well, Blogging is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, but I suppose its hits! When Waters of Mars was transmitted, the Blog got over 13,000 hits in 24hours, which pleases me a lot. It’s great to see you're not talking to yourself, which many Bloggers are, but I admire them for their dedication, and who knows where it will take them?

I am of course a big DW fan, the first DW story I saw transmitted was SPEARHEAD FROM SPACE on our b/w TV, and since then I was hooked, that’s why Pertwee is my favourite doctor, your first doctor always seems to be your favourite, but I do like Eccleston and Tennant, I wish we saw more of Mcgann, and i had a soft spot for McCoy, and Tom Baker is well, Tom Baker and he is always great, lets not speak of Colin though! I have faith in Matt Smith too, after all DW is the BBC's flagship show, they aren't going to choose a loser as the new Doctor. Since then I have bought almost all the DVDs, and intend to fill all gaps too, and in my honest opinion Torchwood is as good as DW, as the X Files was another of my favourite shows, and Torchwood is like the two combined!

I am now very weary of "Bloggers charts" you enter one and your 6,000 hits a day Blog is beaten by a 200 hits a day Blog "because he has a prettier side bar" or something, and he got all his news from you in the first place, so that adds insult and injury! I'm a firm believer in "bums on seats" (hits to the rest of you lol), if you don’t like, you won’t call!

Being the biggest DW blog? My friend here has just said I already am, is he right I haven’t checked? Not that I'm into being the most popular, there is room for us all, and I do help other Bloggers if I am able to, being friendly and helping each other is much better than being selfish and arrogant, when you reach the top, the only way you can go is down. I think the chances of me becoming the "highest rated Blog" period is very slim (and that’s being generous lol).

I like to find out what’s going on in the Whoniverse, for this I look in a lot of places, and I know others want to know too, and many don't have time to do this, so it’s all collected here, and I share! It's good to share :) some have complained about "I wish you hadn't told he that" but my Blog is a spoiler, if you don’t want to know, read it with your eyes tightly closed :) yeah it’s hard not to isn’t it?

Nick - It’s great that you’re willing to share and I know that a lot of people really appreciate what you’re doing. Just getting onto the technical side of things, I noticed that you use a standard Bloggers template and as long as I have been visiting it has never been changed. Can you tell us why?

Combom - when I started the Blog, I wanted it to look like a newspaper or book, so it was easy to read, that is black text on white paper, and I’ve stuck with it. IMHO all these white on black blogs look like 1990s hacker sites! also you get blog owners who spend days designing a new blog, but they are forgetting something - the content, I feel the content of the blog outweighs the look of the template, a crappy blog with a great template is still a crappy blog, spend your time writing good content :) i have never changed the logo either, AND ITS NOT A PICTURE OF MY HEAD lol, I got it off a freeware clipart CD and have heavily edited it! I can't see me changing the template or logo, unless someone comes up with something fantastic for me, but even then... :) I have continued to use the template and head logo on my other blogs too, there’s a lot to be said about BRANDING :)

Thanks again to Combom for taking the time to do this. Part 3 is due tomorrow with the final part the day after, and don't forget to check out his site here.

Happy Birthday to Who

Happy Birthday to Who, happy birthday dear Who oo, happy birthday to you - 46 years old today. Here's to the next 46 years and beyond.

Shameless Plug!!

After being told off for not blogging, so here I am blogging!!

And not just a run-in-the-mill Who related blog, but a shameless attempt at plugging my own fundraising activities in the month of December.

I am taking part in Decembeard for Macmillian Cancer Support, where I will be growing a beard for charity!! Anyone who knows me will know that I support many charities, but I prefer to be a passive fund raiser, and growing a beard suits my physical prowess perfectly.

I’m doing this for 2 reasons…

1. In memory of Michelle Thompson (nee Blakey), a very dear friend and colleague from British Gas who sadly lost her battle with cancer in the summer of 2008.
2. For my Nan, Alice Furlong who passed away last November from cancer. Macmillan provided exemplary care and support during her final months, not only to my Nan, but to my Mum as well. That is a huge debt that I want to help repay.

The rules of Decembeard are very simple:

• Get clean shaven on the Monday 30th November and have my photo taken
• Constantly bang on about what I’m doing and raise sponsors
• Get people to bung in a few quid onto www.justgiving.com/decembeard
• Grow a beard (or something that resembles a beard)
• In last week before Christmas shave it into a style of my choosing (either on a specific day or a different style every day of the week) and take a photo’s

I do have a sponsor form, if you wish to sponsor me at the next WhoDo on 4th December, but I appreciate that a lot of you might be spread far and wide!

There is a link above to the Just Giving site, but this is the group site set up by all of us taking part and it is not individual to me, but please do sponsor me! Even if it’s only a pound, it all helps a very worthy cause.

There will be photo's taken to show my progress, and I shall be uploading them to Facebook and I'll bung them on here as well to show my progress.

Thank you for your time, and hope that you will support me in this event! I shall now return you to your usual programming!

Roger x

The End Of Time Synopsis

The BBC's own press office has released the following details about the 10th Doctors final 2 episodes and although it doesn't give too much away, it is still fascinating reading......

The End Of Time Part One

It's the Tenth Doctor's final journey – but his psychotic nemesis the Master has been reborn, on Christmas Eve. With both determined to cheat death, the battle ranges from the wastelands of London to the mysterious Immortality Gate, while the alien Ood warn of an even greater danger approaching, as a terrible shadow falls across the entire Universe.
The End Of Time Part Two
The Doctor faces the end of his life as the Master's plans hurtle out of control. With the sound of drums growing louder, and an ancient trap closing around the Earth, the Doctor and Wilf must fight alone. But sacrifices must be made, and the deadly prophecy warns: "He will knock four times."

Famous Who Blog Writer Interview

Life, the Universe and....... Combom....??? What is this I hear you ask? Well, about one year ago I was browsing one of my favourite Doctor Who news Blog and stumbles across a link to Combom’s Blog and I have to say that I have been hooked ever since. With no new series this daily fix of Doctor Who news, trivia and all round fun articles has gone in some way to bridging this “gap” year. After contributing a few articles to the site myself (and Combom has always been kind enough to credit me) I plucked up the courage to approach the enigmatic man himself and ask for an interview. Luckily for me and all you reading this he agreed to share some of his views, thoughts and experiences. What follows has taken place via email exchanges in mid November 2009 and will be posted in 4 parts........

Nick - Hi there Combom, many thanks for giving up your time to speak to me. Firstly I would like to ask you a little bit about your Blog so, when did it all start and what made you decide to start your wonderful Blog also how did you come up with name for it?

Combom - I started the Blog about 18 months ago and, like everyone else does, I had no readers! So my first task was to get readers, so I wrote articles that bigger Blogs may like so they link to me, then got talking to the Blog owner, and then got them to exchange links etc. It is slow at first, the first 6 months are the worst! I didn’t have a "business plan" towards all this, it just happened this way.

Making friends in the "Blog scene" helps too, people like yourself, Fanatical Whovian, Rebecca Wright (an artist who does great who stuff), plus a lot of others, and I exchanged daily email with jess from Planet Gallifrey until she moved on too. I learned a long time ago to always name my sources; it’s no good reporting something massive if no one believes you! The URL is a little different to the Blog name now, it was originally about all kinds of stuff, but its 95% Whoniverse now, I have moved the DVD reviews and photography to new Blogs.

The Blog name is a corruption of a Douglas Adams title, who wrote for Doctor Who by the way and he is worth reading.

Nick - I myself usually have a look at what’s going on in the universe of Combom several times a day and I have to say that there is always so much content on a daily basis. I know that people such as I contribute from time to time but it still must take up a lot of your time as well. How do you manage to fit it all in?

Combom - I don’t do as much as you may think, for example I do all the Doctor Who of the days on a Sunday, and the jigsaws too, then they are auto posted by blogger over the week, a lot of stuff I pre-prepare, such as the recent SJA synopsis, I write all except the actual synopsis itself before its on TV, then at 5pm it is complete and posted! Although I don’t want to give everything away, over the months I have found a lot of shortcuts, so I now find stuff easily, and unlike many, I rarely take from other peoples Blogs. Yes a fair share of people does contribute or point me in the right direction too, which I appreciate - it’s good to share! Don’t get me wrong I do spend a lot of time on the blog though.

Furthermore I have 2 other blogs and contribute to a local flickr group too http://www.flickr.com/groups/gainsborough/pool/ and I’m active on a couple of forums, and I don’t live on the internet, I have a life.

Part 2 of the interview will be posted tomorrow and don't forget to check out Comboms fantastic Blog here.

Ever wanted a Tom Baker Scarf?

Whilst faffing about on the internet I stumbled across this website which seems to be dedicated to sharing instruction on how to knit a Tom Baker style scarf. I won't be getting out the knitting needles but I'm sure some of you out there will find this interesting!!

Dreamland Online

The new animated Doctor Who Dreamland is now online and can be seen at the BBC Website or by pressing the red button for digital viewers. George & I have just watched episode one and it's great..... what more can I say?

Just in case you missed it - End Of Time Trailer

I know some of you were going out tonight so as promised here is the scene for the Christmas episode as broadcast on Children In Need. And remember, please donate to this great cause.

Dimensions 2009 by our own Richard Parker

Richard recently attended the event on the weekend of 14th November and he has very kindly written this report for our Blog. I just want to say thanks to Richard for his brilliantly written piece.

Conventions, for me, are about bar prices. Seriously, whenever a convention moves to a new hotel, the first question on everyone's mind is 'what are the prices like at the bar?' Secondly, 'what are the staff like?'

Okay, so that's not the the first question on everyone's mind, but let me explain.

For years, I didn't know any other fans of Doctor Who. I was aware they were 'out there', somewhere. But the nearest I got to fandom was reading Doctor Who Magazine. Fair enough, but a few years ago I resolved to track down my nearest local group and to start attending conventions.

What I found was an incredible social circle, a multitude of long, boozy weekends and very little actual talk of Doctor Who.

Drinking until six in the morning, catching some disturbed sleep for a few hours and then heading back to the bar at eleven to try and ward off the hangover...and this goes on for four days. Fairly regularly, someone will plonk food down in front of you, you'll manage to stagger to the toilet, you'll feel divorced from reality for four days and every so often you'll catch sight of someone you think you recognise from the seventies. I imagine Alzheimer's Disease has similar effects.

There are only so many autograph queues to stand in, Q&A panels with guests to attend and merchandise dealers to avoid, so eventually everything comes back to the bar.

This was the fourth year in a row I've been to Dimensions. It is, I think, the longest running convention still around and it's not hard to see why. For the autograph hunters there was plenty of star talent around, topped by Colin Baker and Paul McGann. Katy Manning remembered me telling her of my adventures in Soho three years ago, before discussing science and rationality with me over coffee. Anneke Wills and Nick Briggs hung outside cadging fags off the smokers. Rob Shearman sat in the bar on the Friday night, keeping me in stitches with his wicked and all-too-accurate impression of Terrance Dicks. ('And Barry said to me, 'what colour?' you see, and I said to Barry, 'Green! The colour for monsters is Green!)

There's the obligatory cabaret, of course. It's traditional for it to be awful. Imagine Richard Franklin dressed as a schoolboy, dancing around a stage while singing 'Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me A Bow Wow. You can't, can you? Neither could we. Even when it was in front of us. McGann had hidden in his room by this point.

Then there was the - equally obligatory – disco. No one told me they were videoing the bloody thing, but I'm now stuck forever with the embarrassing atrocity that currently inhabits Facebook.

A non-fan straight boy kept hugging me and told me I was his first 'man crush.' My friend thought he was confused. I just thought he was pissed. And cute.

The hotel manager being a fan, helped of course. His staff must have been instructed not to take the piss out of we nerds, and it has to be said we were all treated royally. And, the bar area was exclusively devoted to a live screening of Waters of Mars on the Sunday evening. 100 fans, absolutely spellbound. McGann wandered down for a fag half-way through, stopped, looked around quizzically as if thinking “What on earth are you all watching?”, realised, shrugged and disappeared outside in a wreath of smoke. The only moment of the whole weekend he could get out the door without being pestered about what it's like to snog Daphne Ashbrook.

Monday mornings are always the worst. Home, and reality, beckon. Breakfast with Anneke. Checking the local rag to see how much of a hatchet job yesterday's journalists have done. Strong coffee and lots of it, then the pain as you sober up and realise by just how much you've blown your budget for the weekend. Then the long drive home.

Best weekends of your life.

Even the straight boy said so.

End of Time New Picture

The Sun newspaper had published a picture from the End OF Time which shows the Doctor apparently in holiday mode....... What's that all about then? You can read the full article here

Leeds Doctor Who Fan Group

Don't forget everyone what this Blog is about, the Leeds Doctor Who Group. If you're a fan and would like to come to one of our meetings then why not have a look at our website where you can find out our contact details. We usually meet on the first Saturday of every month at the Adelphi pub in Leeds. It usually involves a few beers, Dr Who chat and general socialising. So, if you're in the area and want to pop in the we would love to see you. Our next meeting is Saturday 5th December.... see you there!!

Do you like fan made Doctor Who?

If the answer is yes then why not have a look at the following video which is a compilation of clips from the Projection Room, a Leeds based production company who make Doctor Who films for fun. They're all friends of ours so why not get in touch or check out their website here?

reBlog from Combom: Life, Doctor Who & Combom

I found this fascinating quote today:

Doctor Who The Five Doctors DVD At A Bargain PriceJust trawling through Doctor Who DVDs this am, looking for any good prices, and here is a bargain, Doctor Who The Five Doctors Special Edition at £3.24 including free delivery!Combom, Life, Doctor Who & Combom, Nov 2009

You should read the whole article.

Doctor Number 9 is John Lennon

Did you get the title then? Number 9 number 9 number 9.....

Top Doctor Who star is to play one of my other all time hero's in a TV drama currently being filmed. You can read the full article here.

Christmas Day episode title revealed

The official BBC website has confirmed the title of the first part of David Tennants final two part adventure is......... The End Of Time Part One.

Fans have been speculating what the title would be ever since it was revealed that it would contain six words. You can read what the BBC have to say about it here.

Tom Baker - This is Your Life Clip

Here is a clip of the great man on This is Your Life. Many feel that Tom is the best Doctor Who actor ever.

New interview coming soon

Combom, the famous editor of http://lifetheuniverseandcombom.blogspot.com/ has very kindly agreed to an interview about his popular Doctor Who Blog which I myself have contributed a number of articles now. We're about half way through and it is fascinating so make sure you check back soon........

For all you softies out there...

Here is a nice little edit to get the tear ducts working featuring Rose and the good Doctor. I hope you enjoy!

Dalek Storm creator interview

I recently took my kids to a Doctor Who event at Magna in Rotherham, South Yorkshire called Time War. The event included, amongst many other things, a display of full sized Daleks which at the time I assumed to be official props from the BBC as they were that good. On further investigation it appeared that they were all built by fans at their own homes and expense.

The most impressive of all these Daleks was Dalek Storm, and I decided to track down its creator Alan Clark on Facebook and he very kindly agreed to an interview. So here goes.......

NICK - Hi Alan, yesterday was the first time I have seen your wonderful Dalek creations although I have heard all about them from the press and TV. When did you make your first Dalek and why did you decide to do it?

Alan - Hi Nick, Ahh the first Dalek.....

Well that was built as a bet, We have a lot of themed parties from time to time where people come along to our house dressed up, It was back in June 2006 after a cowboy and Indian party that someone said "why don’t we have a Dr who theme" I said "yeah i could build a Dalek" and they bet me I couldn't build one.

So I bought a Dalek bubble bath and took some measurements from it and scaled them up.Then while doing some more research into Daleks i came across www.projectDalek.com it’s a Dalek builders forum where people just as nuts as me were building Daleks, I joined the forum and they have all the measurements for all the types of Daleks, To my surprise i found the measurements i had taken from the bubble bath were just about spot on, so the build got underway and 8 months later Dalek Maxx was born, Maxx is a full size motorized new series Dalek in the bronze and gold colours. I took him to meet Graeme Harper at the miss York contest in 2007, Graeme thought it was the guys from the BBC that were fooling around and had brought a Dalek to surprise him, he was over the moon when he found out it was a fan build.

Since then Maxx has done loads of charity work all over the country and has had loads of appearances on TV and in the local papers.

NICK - When you say "fan build" I'm assuming that you are a fan of the show? How long have you been watching Dr Who, what are your earliest memories and when can we expect to see your name on the credits?

Alan - If I’m honest, I never was a fan of doctor who, I wasn’t easily fooled as a child and I don’t think the low budget props in the early days actually did a lot to scare people, the Daleks on the other hand were a bit more convincing and to me at least made a great monster in the series, The 2005 makeover of the Daleks to many was a bit of a letdown, I think most Dalek fans would say the Genesis Daleks are the most terrifying. Although the 2005 incarnation is recognised more by the kids of today, but each variant has its own appeal to the various different age groups. When I was doing the research for Maxx I came across the sketch by Alan Marshall of the Dark Dimensions special weapons Dalek, and I just knew it had to be built, But that’s another story and I’ve built another 3 Daleks in between that.

As to my name ever being on the credits, I think the BBC might have to see Dalek Storm first, I have not sent them any pictures of him Although Nick Briggs, the voice of the Daleks has seen Storm and said he wished the BBC had Daleks like that as he would love to do the voice for Storm.

NICK - I'll move on to the famous "Dalek Storm" in a little while but for now I want to ask you about the process involved in case any of our readers want to take up Dalek building themselves. What is the best advice you can give as to where to start? Are there any special tools required or could a beginner start off with what they have in a standard tool box?

Alan - The best advice I can give is to join one of the many on-line building forums. I chose www.projectDalek.com, on there you will find all the plans which are all free and lots of helpful advice from others that have built or are still building their Daleks.

No special tools are required to build a Dalek, all mine were built outside in the back garden.

I always start building from the bottom up, as this way you get an idea of how big it will be and plus you have a place to store all the parts you have made. The Daleks skirt makes a handy tool box.

NICK - Now, moving onto Dalek Storm which I have to say that until seeing it in real life I honestly thought it was a really good CGI creation however it truly is impressive and I can see a smaller radio controlled version being a massive hit in the toy stores. Do you see Storm as the peak of your creations of have you any plans to try and better it? And, have you plans to re create any other Science Fiction icons?

Alan - Dalek Storm is the Dalek I would have liked to have seen in the Stolen earth episode. My own personal opinion is that it would have made the episode more exciting and would have been a better match for the doctor and all those companions, rather than a red supreme that didnt do a lot and just got its dome blown off.

Storm had been around some time before that was filmed and I was kind of hoping they might ask to use him, but nothing came of it, although I would gladly lend them it for filming...

I think there is so much mileage in the design of Storm, All the spin off toys and stuff that could be created would keep people in work and keep the fans happy, it’s just a shame nobody has taken notice..!!

I don’t see it as the peak of my builds, but what it does do is bring a lot of joy to those who see it and I think that’s what makes the difference.

Alan Marshall has seen Dalek Storm and is amazed that somebody went to the trouble of creating his design. He is in the process of writing an article for Sci-Fi Now magazine all about the Dark Dimensions episode and Dalek Storm which should be out before Christmas.

The next build I'm doing is a bit smaller scale; it’s the Dalek that is on the front cover of the 1964 Dalek Annual, this one will only be half size though.

NICK - I would just like to say thanks for taking the time to speak to us and answer all the questions in such great detail. Before we go though can you tell us about any future appearances for your creations and where can our readers get a chance to see you in the future?

Alan - There is a Dalek Storm web site at www.Dalekstorm.com . On there you can find pictures and videos of Storm and a "how Storm is put together" section. I run the events through facebook where storm has his own group, Dalek Storm. There are loads of photos on there and there is an events section where I post upcoming events and shows where he will be at. It's a fast growing group at the last count there were 288 members, The idea of the facebook group was to get storm noticed by the media, the more members then the better the chances that someone with connections might see him. Over on www.Deviantart.com you can find the really big photos of Dalek Storm which are downloadable, and there is good old youtube for the video footage.

By the way the name Storm stands for, Special.Tactical.Operations.Radioactive.Mutant or Storm for short,

Thank you for featuring Storm on the blog, And if anyone wants anymore information I can be contacted via the Storm web site or through the facebook group. I’m also happy to help out with any filming fans may be doing that need a Dalek...

A massive thanks to Alan for taking time out to doing this interview. Make sure you all check out his website, Facebook profile and let’s get his creations on the television.

Time War - Saturday 14th November review

Yesterday my wife Gemma was away on a hen do so I was left with the prospect
of having to keep two little boys (at 3 & 5) amused for a whole day on
my own. Fortunately there was the Time War event at the Magna centre
near Rotherham in South Yorkshire in aid of Children in Need where we met up with Neil & Sarah Charlesworth and their 2 kids.

Even before the event I had not done my usual research so I wasn't
actually sure what was in store for us other than it was an event
based around Doctor Who. On arrival we paid our entrance fee which
also gave us access to the whole of the Magna centre itself as well as
the Time War event. In the foyer was the familiar Police Box and as
expected several fans were having their photo's taken alongside it. To
the rear of the reception area was where the hub of the event was.

On entering we were confronted by about 20 full sized Daleks ranging
from all era's of Doctor Who right up to present day. With the odd
exception all of the Daleks were excellent replicas of their TV
counterparts which is all the more astounding when I learned that they
had all been made by fans of the show. One in particular Dalek was
like nothing we had ever seen. "Dalek Storm" is apparently based on a
CGI design from way back and was never made by the BBC so fan Alan
Clark decided to make it himself. As you can see from the pictures t
is truly a magnificent creation and, dare I say it, better than
anything we have seen on TV?

My kids were loving the whole spectacle however suddenly we looked
round and there was a black Dalek moving around the hall actually
speaking to people. My 2 boys started to get scared at first but soon
plucked up the courage to go and chat with the black Dalek. It was all
highly amusing!

As we walked around we bumped into several of the Leeds Dr Who group including Mark, Zoe, Gordon, Chris, David and a few others!

As you would expect at these events there were several fans who went
to the effort of getting dressed up as their favourite Doctor or
character (gaining them free entry) and some of the David Tennants
were great however some of the other Doctors were a little suspect.

Other monsters appearing were a couple of Scarecrows from Human Nature
and the odd Ood. Again, at first the appearance of these unnerved my
kids but they soon realised that it was just people dressing up.

In another room there was a home made Tardis interior provided by
Chris Hoyle from the excellent Projection Room (a fan film group) -
more from them later. You could pay a small price to have your picture
taken at the console along with one of the Doctor lookalikes and all
the proceeds went to Children In Need. Another room had a display of
props and masks from the show although I never established whether
these were official BBC props or fan made ones, they were interesting
none the less.

At 1pm there was the first event in the great hall. When we arrived
there were literally hundreds of people waiting to see what would
happen. There was a stage with a full sized Tardis to the left and
when the background music died down, out popped a David Tennant
impersonator, he even sounded a bit like him too. He proceeded to
introduce a charity fan made film called "Pudsai" made by the
Projection Room guys and featured many incarnations of the Doctor.
Most of the guys were attending the event dressed in the costumes
they wore in the short film and were duly brought on stage for a brief
interview after the showing.

Next up was "an audience with the Daleks" whereby about 7 Daleks
appeared from the back of the room and ended up at the front of the
stage. The audience were invited to ask the Daleks questions which was
really surreal but hight entertaining and amusing at times.....

To sum up I'm not entirely sure how to refer to the Time War event, it
was not a convention or an exhibition really and whatever its
intentions it was well attended, raised a lot of money for a worthy
cause and was a brilliant day out for all. My kids & I will certainly
be going to the next one.