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Missing Episodes Recovered!
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 It has been
announced that two classic episodes of Doctor Who -
thought to be missing forever - have been returned to
the BBC archives.
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| Galaxy 4 |
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It has been
revealed that episode 3 of the First
Doctor story "Galaxy
4" and episode 2 of the Second
Doctor story "The
Underwater Menace" were purchased by film
collector Terry Burnett at a village fete near Southampton
in the early 80s. He had been unaware that the canisters
contained material missing from the BBC.
It seems that
Terry Burnett had no idea the BBC did
not have the recordings and it was only
when he mentioned them casually in conversation
to Ralph Montagu, head of heritage at
Radio Times, that their significance
was recognised. These latest discoveries
are the first complete episodes to have
been located since 2004.
Thanks to the
kind loan by Terry Burnett,
the classic footage was shown
at the British Film Institute's
annual "Missing Believed
Wiped" event at the National
Film Theatre in London on Sunday
11th December 2011. Host at
the event was Doctor Who writer
and actor Mark Gatiss who said:
'Christmas has come early
for Doctor Who fans
everywhere. It's always wonderful
when a missing episode turns
up but it's been years since
the last one so to have two
is just brilliant. Add to that
a proper bit of action from
the legendary Chumblies (and
the horrifying Rills!) plus
the utterly mesmeric Patrick
Troughton on great form. Well,
what more could we all ask
for?'.
This find though
makes only a modest dent in
the number of missing episodes,
with now 106 instalments broadcast
between 1964 and 1969 still
being sought by the BBC.
"Airlock" is
the second episode of a four-part
story called "Galaxy 4",
transmitted in the autumn of
1965. Until its discovery none
of the four episodes of this
1965 adventure were known to
have survived, although a short
extract had been retained.
In this story
William Hartnell is accompanied
by Peter Purves (who played Steven
Taylor), later a presenter
on the children's series Blue
Peter, and Maureen O'Brien
(who played Vicki),
now better known as a novelist.
The plot involves the desperate
attempts by the Drahvins, a
race of cloned females, to
escape a planet which is about
to explode. This story also
marks the only appearance in
the show of tiny robots known
as the Chumblies.
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| The Underwater Menace |
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The other re-discovered
episode is the second part of "The Underwater
Menace", from early 1967, and stars Patrick Troughton,
in only his third appearance as The Doctor. The Third
part of this story already exists so making this newly
found episode the earliest appearance for the Second
Doctor that currently exists.
This four-part
story sees a mad scientist attempting
to restore Atlantis by draining the ocean
into the Earth's core. Innes Lloyd, who
produced "The Underwater Menace" later
admitted 'it did look like something
from a "50s American B" movie'.
Research has
shown that the returned episodes
originated from the ABC channel
in Australia and that the
copy of "The Underwater
Menace" is still missing
a few short sections which
were removed by the Australian
censors upon its original
transmission.
It is understood
that fresh scans of the missing
material have been made by
the National Archives of
Australia and will be incorporated
into the restored episodes
ahead of a DVD release.
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| Next UK TV Broadcast |
TBA
11th Dr, Amy & Rory |
2012 |
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| Next UK DVD Video Releases |
| UNIT
Files Box Set (Invasion Dinosaurs & Android Invasion) |
Jan 12 |
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| Next Big Finish Audio Release |
The Fourth Wall
(John Dorney)
6th Dr and Flip Jackson
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Feb 12 |
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| Next UK Book Release |
"The
Silent Stars Go By"
(Dan Abnett)
11th Dr, Amy & Rory |
Sep 11 |
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| Next Doctor Who Magazine |
| Issue 444 |
9 Feb 12 |
| The Next Big Finish Audio Release |
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The Fourth
Wall
(John Dorney) |
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2011 Christmas Doctor Who
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The
Second Half of Season Thirty Two (New Series 6)
The
BBC has revealed details of the second half of Season
32 (New Series 6). These are:
Episode
8: "Let's Kill Hitler" -
written by Steven Moffat. The gang's all back! The Doctor,
Amy, River and Rory return in what promises to be an action-packed
belter of an adventure.
In
the desperate search for Melody Pond, the TARDIS crash
lands in 1930s Berlin, bringing The Doctor face to face with the
greatest war criminal in the Universe. And Hitler. The Doctor must
teach his adversaries that time travel has responsibilities - and
in so doing, learns a harsh lesson in the cruellest warfare of all.
It
features Albert Welling as Hitler and is directed by Richard
Senior, previously at the helm for "Space/Time" plus
the Doctor Who pre-title sequence for this year's
NTA awards.
Episode
9: "Night Terrors" - written by Mark Gatiss. Mark
Gatiss has previously written spooky stories including "The
Unquiet Dead" and "The
Idiot's Lantern", but he promises that "Night
Terrors" features some of the scariest moments he's ever
dreamt up! The adventure has a modern day setting and features
a little boy who has a fear of something... Can The Doctor
help him?
Episode
10: "The Girl Who Waited" - written by Tom MacRae.
Tom MacRae's previous credits include "Rise
of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel" plus the critically
acclaimed "The Crash of the Elysium". This is his
first television adventure for the Eleventh
Doctor and it's directed by Nick Hurran who was recently
at the helm for the updated version of the cult classic, The
Prisoner.
Episode
11: "The God Complex" - written by Toby Whithouse. This
adventure is set in a hotel and features an alien called Gibbis played
by David Walliams. Again, the story is directed by Nick Hurran and
as writer Toby Whithouse was behind "School
Reunion" and "The Vampires of Venice",
According to the BBC we've got something special to look forward
to!
Episode
12: Title TBA - written by Gareth Roberts. Craig Owens is back!
The popular character from last year's "The Lodger" returns
and judging from the trailer for episodes 8-13 he's getting
closer than ever to The Doctor! The adventure is written by
Gareth Roberts whose credits include "Attack of the Graske", "The
Unicorn and the Wasp" and, of course, "The Lodger".
Episode
13: Title TBA - written by Steven Moffat. The big finale! This
one remains shrouded in mystery but Karen Gillan has promised
that the series will contain ‘possibly the biggest
twist so far’. Is it possible that this is the adventure
that delivers it? Steven Moffat penned last year's incredible
finale but it's probable that this adventure will conclude
the season with a bigger bang than ever!
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Doctor
Who: The Adventure Games - "The
Gunpowder Plot"
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The
BBC has announced that a new Adventure Game will be released
in October 2011.
Called "The
Gunpowder Plot" the BBC have described it
as is the most ambitious Adventure Game to date.
It stars Matt Smith as The Doctor, Karen Gillan
as Amy and for the first time, Arthur Darvill as
Rory Williams. This new, dazzlingly epic story
gives you the chance to battle aliens in London,
1605. But as well as extra-terrestrial monsters,
you'll meet Guy Fawkes and get a feel for what
was happening at this incendiary moment in Britain's
history. It will be your chance to virtually step
back in time, chat to famous figures and participate
in one of the most notorious plots the world has
ever known.
The
BBC has also has revealed that "The Gunpowder Plot" will
also sees the return of two old enemies... But exactly who
they are has not been revealed. What they have confirmed
is that this, the fifth Adventure Game, has been written
by Phil Ford (Doctor Who: The Adventure Games, The Sarah
Jane Adventures and co-writer of the 2009 Tenth
Doctor story "The Waters of Mars") and is produced by Gary Russell. The
executive producers are Steven Moffat, Piers Wenger, Beth
Willis, Anwen Aspden and Charles Cecil.
"The
Gunpowder Plot" will be the most advanced of the Adventure
Games so far. Gamers will be able to play as The Doctor, Amy and Rory,
exploring the immersive environments of this historic period. The
adventure will feature multi-linear gameplay, even more sophisticated
puzzles, and a complex lighting system specifically designed to recreate
the atmosphere of 17th Century London. And for the very first time,
the introduction of portal technology will enable gamers to experience
for themselves that the TARDIS really is bigger on the inside...
To
accompany the game, BBC Learning will be offering teachers
an online resource pack containing unique, downloadable assets
to support History and Literacy in the classroom. And in
the adventure itself you'll be meeting not just the main
figures from the plot, but everyday Londoners who lived through
an exciting, dangerous and fascinating era.
The
Adventure Games have received over 2.6 million download requests
since the launch of the first adventure, "City of the
Daleks", which SFX called ‘the best Who game
to date’. As before, this Adventure Game will be free
to download in the UK. |
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Elisabeth Sladen Has Passed
Away
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It is with deep sadness that on the 19th April
2011 it was announced that Elisabeth Sladen,
who is best known for her role as Sarah
Jane Smith in Doctor Who and The
Sarah Jane Adventures, passed away.
Please find below articles that are dedicated to a very special
Doctor Who character and a well loved actress:
(click on the images below for
more information)
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Elisabeth
Sladen Has Passed Away
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Elisabeth Sladen
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It
is with deep sadness that on the 19th April 2011 it was announced
that Elisabeth Sladen, the much-loved actress best known
for her role as Sarah
Jane Smith in Doctor Who and The
Sarah Jane Adventures, passed away. She
was 63.
The
Liverpool-born actress appeared began her career
as an assistant stage manager at the Liverpool
playhouse. Her first role on stage was playing
a corpse, and she made her screen debut in the
1965 film Ferry Cross the Mersey as an
extra. She has also appeared in several other hit
television shows, including Z-Cars, Public
Eye, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em and Special
Branch. But it was her role in Doctor
Who that gained her the most recognition.
Elisabeth
Sladen first appeared as Sarah Jane Smith in the 1973/74
classic story "The
Time Warrior", which also introduced the Sontarans to
the show. Her character continued to travel with the Third
Doctor (played by Jon Pertwee) until he regenerated into
the Fourth
Doctor in the 1974 story "Planet
of the Spiders". She then stayed with the Fourth
Doctor (played by Tom Baker) until leaving the show at the
end of the 1976 story "The
Hand of Fear".
She
stayed in the show for three and half seasons and became the most
popular companion. She returned to the role on numerous occasions
over the years including the Twentieth Anniversary special "The
Five Doctors" and even appeared in the spin-off story "K9 & Company:
A Girls Best Friend". Then in 2006 Sarah Jane Smith was once
again reunited with The Doctor in the first of three appearances
in the revived show. First she was in the Tenth
Doctor story "School
Reunion" before returning again in the 2008 story "The Stolen Earth/Journey's
End" and then in the 2009/2010 story "The End of Time".
Elisabeth
Sladen’s return in "School Reunion" led to
her, in 2007, to being given her own spin-off series on CBBC
- The Sarah Jane Adventures - where she would appear
alongside K9 and the show would include guest appearances
by David Tennant, Matt
Smith and Katy Manning.
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| The Sarah Jane Adventures |
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The
Sarah Jane Adventures brought Elisabeth Sladen a whole
new generation of fans who grew up to love her alien-busting
adventures. The series was hugely popular with fans young
and old and it won the 2011 RTS Award for best children’s
drama.
Tributes
for Elisabeth Sladen have flooded into the BBC from those
who worked with and of course her fans. Controller of CBBC
Damian Kavanagh has stated: ‘I'm deeply saddened
and shocked by the news of Lis' untimely death. Lis brought
joy, excitement and a sense of wonder to her many fans in
her role as Sarah Jane Smith. She was adored by our young
audience and I know all of them will miss her as much as
I will’.
The
creator of The Sarah Jane Adventures Russell T Davies has said: ‘I
absolutely loved Lis. She was funny and cheeky and clever and just
simply wonderful. The universe was lucky to have Sarah Jane Smith;
the world was lucky to have Lis’.
Steven
Moffat, Doctor Who’s Lead Writer and Executive Producer
has said: ‘Sarah Jane Smith was everybody's hero
when I was younger, and as brave and funny and brilliant
as people only ever are in stories. But many years later,
when I met the real Sarah Jane - Lis Sladen herself - she
was exactly as any child ever have wanted her to be. Kind
and gentle and clever; and a ferociously talented actress,
of course, but in that perfectly English unassuming way’.
Keith
Jones, Director, BBC Cymru Wales, has said: ‘The Sarah
Jane Adventures has been one of the most successful children's
programmes on television in recent years - and without Elisabeth
Sladen it would not have happened. A brilliant presence on
screen and on set, she brought the excitement and energy
of the Doctor Who family of programmes, of which we are very
proud at BBC Wales, to a whole new generation. She will be
missed by all at BBC Wales who worked with her’.
It
has been revealed that Elisabeth Sladen had been suffering
from cancer for some time and she leaves behind a husband,
actor Brian Miller, and her daughter, Sadie.
After
the recent news of the death of Nicholas Courtney (who played The
Brigadier) and with the previous death of Jon Pertwee
in 1996, the show has lost another member of its family from
this era of the show. She will be sadly missed and not just
by Doctor Who fans but millions of fans, including
children, who also watched her in The Sarah Jane Adventures.
RIP
Elizabeth Sladen.
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