Doctor Who- The Ultimate Monster Guide Review

Having missed out on two years worth of monsters and enemies, instead opting to follow the story of the spaceships and companions in the Whoniverse, BBC Books have released The Ultimate Monster Guide, a compliation of the first three villian reference books with added content from Last of the Time Lords onwards. Of course, the first and foremost questions fans will undoubtedly be asking is: if I already have the other three, is there any point in buying this book?

The answer is quite straightforward: Monster Guide is currently selling for an RRP of £15, double the price of a usual release of this type, meaning that if you're expecting a bargain, book shops aren't the place to look. There are well over 300 pages to the guide, offering oodles of Who goodness, the trouble is we've seen most of it before, and, bar the updates to the Dalek, Cybermen & Master sections, there isn't much room for new monsters to shine, with the classic villians proving to be in the limelight here. This isn't to say Monster Guide is a bad release, quite the contrary. The colourful and detailed pages really are stunning, and this is worth at least a borrow for every avid fan, it's just that many won't be so easily tempted to read through much of the same again. 3/5

Sarah Jane Adventures Series 3 Airs

The Sarah Jane Adventures began with a New Year's Day special in 2007, and then spawned two popular series in 2007 & 2008 respectively, featuring old Doctor Who villians such as Slitheen and Sontarans. Now, it's back for a third handful of adventures, featuring Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, Anji Mohandra as Rani Chandra, Daniel Anthony as Clyde Langer and Tommy Knight as Luke Smith. The first story, Prisoner of the Judoon, featuring the return of the infamous police rhinos from Smith & Jones and The Stolen Earth has already aired on CBBC One, but you can catch it again on BBC iPlayer or on Saturday 17th October when it is repeated on the CBBC Channel. I managed to catch both parts (shown on Thursday and Friday at 4.35pm) on CBBC, and thought they kicked off the new season relatively well. How about you guys? Do you watch SJA, and if so, did you enjoy Prisoner?

TARDIS HQ Version 1.1 Uploaded- More To Come

From now on, I'm planning to add updates to the site, like new videos and polls, and each time I do so, I'm announcing the update as a new version of the blog. For example, this week I've left behind The Waters of Mars (though check out Youtube for a new clip of the episode) in favour of Time Crash itself, a brilliant episode that, rumour has it via the papers, could foreshadow this year's Doctor Who Children In Need outing, as the episode could somehow feature all 10 Doctors (don't ask!), and replaced the POTD poll (which in the end was a mixed bag, but its safe to say no one got the most out of the first special) with one asking which David Tennant outing you lot are looking forward most to. Expect more updates over the next few days, and a minor update when I return from vacation, by which time I will dub the blog TARDIS HQ Version 1.1.1. Keep watching for new posts!

TARDIS HQ Version 1.1 Coming

If anyone is following this blog, they'll probably think there hasn't been much in the way of updates recently. And they're certainly right. My daily updates of TARDIS HQ have been scarce, which I apologize for, but sadly proper series-defining Who news has been hard to find recently. I'm going to give TARDIS HQ a somewhat revamp over the next couple of days, so you should see a lot of changes and new posts to take a look. Also, expect a brand new poll, along with the winner of the POTD poll. Any suggestions for TARDIS HQ 1.1?

Torchwood Three Return For Children Of Earth Tommorow

As every Doctor Who fan will know, tommorow- 6th of July- helms the return of its debatably best spin off, Torchwood, in the form of a five part series (Children In Earth) taking place from the 6th to 10th July. I don't need to tell you what's happening, just give you this one piece of advice: go and watch the episodes from Monday-Friday, each day at 9-10pm.

The Doctor Calls...In SJA

Yes, you heard right. Alright, other blogs have probably posted this a thousand times already, but I've been a busy of late, and haven't been able to update the blog much. Anyway, as you may not know, the Tenth Doctor will be starring in a soon-to-be-named episode of Series Three of The Sarah Jane Adventures.

This isn't the first time since 2005 the pair of time travellers regrouped, as they also met up in School Reunion, The Stolen Earth/Journey's End. K-9 will also appear in the SJA episode. Looking forward to it yet? Send comments.

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 410 Cover Uploaded

The official Doctor Who magazine has been running for 30 years now, and has reached its 410th issue, which takes a look at Karen Gillan, who will play the new companion to the Time Lord next year in Series Five, alongside new actor Matt Smith, who will portray the Eleventh Doctor. Karen previously appeared in Series Four episode The Fires of Pompeii as a sneaky soothsayer. As with the previous "Who is Matt Smith?" article that was published in DWM a couple of issues ago, the "Who is Karen Gillan" feature will look at Karen's acting roles, and also have the first exclusive written interview with Karen about recieving the role. Also, DWM 410 will investigate the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) aka his travels, his enemies and, obviously, his regeneration. This look is part of the Watcher's Guide to the Doctor, which will take a look at all ten of his incarnations. Best of all, there's a preview of Torchwood: Children Of Earth, not to mention news of the Christmas finale for the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who. Above you'll see the cover for DWM 410; you can expect the issue to come out this Thursday, at the awesome prices of £3.99.

Tonight's The Night...for Doctor Who

John Barrowman has been hosting a six-part talent series called Tonight's The Night, a show allowing talented people to fulfill their wish of performing in some way on stage, and for the last three weeks, has run a talent contest within the show, attempting to find a brand new unique Doctor Who monster. Now, the search is over, and tonight (23rd May) is truly the night for the winner (who will be revealed in the show) to shine. The winner will star in a 5-10 minute mini-episode of Doctor Who, set in the TARDIS and starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness. Since Jack isn't currently travelling with the Doctor, it's reasonable to assume the "monster" will find a way of getting them together on the time ship.

Captain Jack last appeared in the Whoniverse in Who episode Journey's End, where he teamed up with several of the Doctor's Series 1-4 companions to defeat Davros and his armada of Daleks. He was last seen walking away from the Doctor, with Mickey Smith and Martha Jones, who he suggested "having something else to do than UNIT". Jack will appear in this scene sometime after 7.20pm, when the show is set to start, and then next month in his own spin-off with the last remaining members of Torchwood Three, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones, in Torchwood: Children Of Earth. Will you be watching the episode?

Doctor Who: 200 Golden Moments- Out Now

The latest special edition of Doctor Who Magazine, dubbed 200 Golden Moments, is now available at all good newsagents and retailers. It has an RRP of £6.99, and is 148 pages long. I've now recieved my copy via DWM subscription, and can safely say that if you are either a new or classic Who fan, this special should really be on your shelf by now. For viewers who fall into the former category, it offers an intriguing look into the 150 or so classics that you've not been around to witness, along with a nice recap of Series One-Four, and for viewers who fall into the latter and are still watching the sci-fi, it offers a wonderful nostalgia tour. So, unless you've randomly stumbled upon this blog and hate Doctor Who (in that case, watch Torchwood.), every reader of this blog pretty much has an obligation to buy this magazine. So, just wondering, will you be buying this special?

Rose is coming back...no matter how bad things are, can't that be good?

Billie Piper, known for her role as Rose Tyler in Doctor Who, was recently spotted filming alongside David Tennant and Camille Coduri [playing her on-screen mother Jackie] for David Tennant's two final episodes, combining to make a (at least) 2 hour special to be shown over Christmas time 2009, culminating with the Doctor's regeneration into his eleventh incarnation, played by Matt Smith, who will star as the Time Lord in Series Five in Spring 2010.

Rose Tyler was the Doctor's companion for all 27 episodes of Series One and Series Two, including the first ever Christmas special, The Christmas Invasion. At the end of Series Two's Doomsday, Rose was trapped on a parallel Earth, where she made frequent attempts to contact the Doctor as the Daleks threatened all universes with their reality bomb. She then used a Dimension Cannon, thus gaining entry to our Earth in Partners In Crime and Donna Noble's "Turn Left" Earth in Turn Left. It wasn't until the final two episodes of Series Four that she rejoined forces with the Doctor and the rest of his companions. In Journey's End, Rose found her soulmate in a human clone of the Doctor, and remained with Jackie Tyler and him on the parallel Earth.

So, if Rose did this, then why has Billie Piper been spotted filming Who? The explanation for this comes from an email recieved by Who fans. In it, it's stated that the Doctor will somehow travel into his own past (2005, to be precise) without knowing, and see Rose in early 2005 before she meets his ninth incarnation. She doesn't recognize him, so he asks what year it is, and she says "2oo5, mate.". The Time Lord then states that it will be a good year for her, the best of her life, and then leaves Rose and Jackie to wander off in the snow.

Personally, I think this last sight of Rose for the Doctor will be lovely, giving him some happiness before his regeneration. What do you think of this possible finale scene?

Also, an image by the Daily Mail website shows that not only will Ood Sigma return for The Waters Of Mars, but also for the finale two-parter. In the image, we see the Tenth Doctor kneeling in pain, with a possessed (red-eye) Sigma standing over him.

These two revelations are brilliant, but leave me with some major questions:

• If Rose sees the Tenth Doctor, at the time not recognizing him, then why does she not recognize him when the Ninth Doctor regenerates?
• How on Earth can Ood Sigma be possessed after the events of Planet of the Ood?
• Presuming both this and The Waters of Mars take place after the above mentioned story then how can Ood Sigma visit all these times in the past before the Ood events?

Hopefully, we'll find out all this and more this Christmas time!

The Sarah Jane Adventures News

The third series of The Sarah Jane Adventures will air this autumn, featuring Elisabeth Sladen as former Who companion Sarah-Jane Smith, Thomas Knight as Luke Smith, Anji Mohandra as Rani Chandra and Daniel Anthony as Clyde Langer. After an announcement at a recent "Vortex" event in Belfast, this blog can now confirm Sarah Jane favourite the Trickster will return in Series Three. The Trickster is a time meddler, who has tempered with the Whoniverse three times: in SJA episodes Whatever Happened To Sarah-Jane Smith? and The Temptation Of Sarah-Jane Smith, plus in the first part of the Doctor Who Series Four finale (in my opinion, all three episodes are connected), Turn Left, via one of his brigade, in the form of a time-changing beetle. In all three stories, a small change in someone's life changes the whole Earth, for example when Sarah-Jane stops her parents from dying at first in Temptation, present day Earth lay in ruins when Luke returned to see what effects the change had. The last time we properly saw the Trickster (Temptation), he vanished, screaming, into thin air as Sarah-Jane thwarted his plan, but we did NOT see him die. Could this mean he will wreak havoc in SJA Series 3 for Sarah-Jane and K-9? For more info on the latter's return, see the earlier post.

Doctor Who: 200 Golden Moments- Delayed

Planet of the Dead was (probably) the 200th ever episode of Doctor Who, and to commemerate this milestone, Doctor Who Magazine are releasing a special edition magazine, also filling the gap left by the now traditional New Series Guide, named 200 Golden Moments. The special takes a look at each and every episode of Doctor Who so far, along with minor thoughts from some writers as to the best episodes, and what is to come in upcoming stories. The magazine was due to be released on Thursday 14th May, but due to some problems with the gold foil packaging the magazine has been delayed and will be available in stores next Wednesday (20th) at the latest. When it does release, though, it's sure to be a brilliant read, and I thoroughly reccomend you buy it at the great price of £6.99.

Doctor Who Magazine- Issue 408 Released

The 408th issue of Doctor Who Magazine has now been released, at a price of £3.99. The synopsis has not yet been released, but the cover can be seen to the left. Also, a special edition of the magazine, dubbed 200 Golden Moments, will be released on the 14th of May, and go through all 200 episodes of Doctor Who so far, with a page or so of information on every single episode, right up to Planet of the Dead, and possibly a small preview of upcoming specials. The special edition will cost £6.99, and both magazines will retail at stores like WHSmith and HMV.

Bernard Cribbins, Catherine Tate and Jacqueline King Confirmed In DWM 408

As mentioned in the last post, the 408th issue of Doctor Who Magazine has been released in all good newsagents now, complete with a set report on the Easter special, Planet of the Dead, and a detailed look at the 30 second teaser for The Waters of Mars. In the Gallifrey Guardian news section, DWM officially gets the pleasure of confirming that Catherine Tate and Jacqueline King are both definitely returning into their respective roles of Donna and Sylvia Noble. Most interesting, though, is still the absolute confirmation of Bernard Cribbins returning, this time with his character, Wilfred Mott, being added to the TARDIS crew as the companion for the Christmas specials (and in case you've been living under a rock, yes, there are two specials at Christmas, the former with a major cliffhanger to keep viewers desperate for the answers to all their questions, and the latter featuring the Tenth Doctor's final scene). For more info on the specials, you'll have to buy DWM 408! Will you be buying the new issue?

Torchwood: Children Of Earth- 12th June?

As if fans didn't know already, Doctor Who is not the only one of our favourite shows to be on short supply this year. Torchwood will be airing over just one week, with a five-part story in June/July time. We know the name of the story will be Children Of Earth, and that it will take place after the apocalyptic events of both Exit Wounds (which saw the losses of Torchwood members Owen Harper and Toshiko Sato) and Journey's End (the finale of Series Four of Who, which saw Torchwood Three team up with Sarah-Jane Smith, Martha Jones, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith and Jackie Tyler in an attempt to find the Doctor and Donna Noble, culminating with the supposed end for Catherine Tate's character), and at first see the team still trying to cope with the deaths of their friends, while all the more hardened by their experiences. There are rumours circulating around forum sites that the third series will air not long after the 12th of June, as the British Film Institute has announced that they will be airing a preview screening of the first episode on the 12th, at BFI Southbank, along with a Q & A session with the cast & crew. Will you be attending the screening, and if not, are you looking forward to the third series of Torchwood?

Doctor Who DVD Files Issue 8 Released

The Doctor Who DVD Files magazine series has been running for sixteen weeks now, compiling together all four of the new series through double-episode DVDs, packaged with a companion magazine detailing both classic and new adventures. Despite being a complete and utter rip-off in some fans' opinions (mine included), apparently the magazines have been selling mildly well (although that was originally said about Battles In Time, and now by Issue 69 that magazine is selling very few copies), hence why it hasn't been stopped early, presumably allowing collectors to get the full set (despite it now being cheaper to purchase the box sets). Issue 8 has now been released, coming with a DVD featuring New Earth and Tooth And Claw, the Tenth Doctor's first proper Series Two adventures, and a magazine focusing on the two stories, the Ice Warriors, Billie Piper's role in the second series, the robot spiders in The End of the World, and even the infamous Editor from The Long Game. Issue 8, as per usual, costs £6.99, and is available until the 6th of May. Issue 9 will look at the Second Doctor's adventures, and come with School Reunion and The Girl In The Fireplace.

Trial of a Time Lord- £20 on Amazon.co.uk Now

The post title speaks for itself, really. Amazon.co.uk has recently been brilliant for cheap Who, both new and classic. Currently you can find Series One for £15, Series Two and Three for £17, Series Four for £35 and the Beneath the Surface box set (containing Jon Pertwee stories Doctor Who and the Silurians, The Sea Devils, Peter Davison story Warriors of the Deep, and a documentary on the Silurians and Sea Devils. Voted "Best DVD Release of 2008" in the DWM merchandise poll), but in my opinion the best deal right now on the online shopping site is getting Season 23 (taking place in the Colin Baker-Sixth Doctor era), commonly known as 14-part story (the longest ever for the series!) Trial of a Time Lord, for just £17.98. I recently purchased the box set, complete with a packaged documentary on the whole Colin Baker era, and have to say it's an absolutely brilliant story, contrary to some fans' opinions when they first saw it when it aired. It also does showcase how delightful a quality of episode the show can produce even when on a low budget, and the documentary really helps justify all the flaws to be easily found. £20 for this big ol' box set? Absolute bargain. Have you or will you be buying this set?

Monster Metamorphosis Online

The official BBC website for the new series of Doctor Who will be well known by fans as a brilliant place to play Who based games such as Dalek and Preacher Attack. A new game, Monster Metamorphosis, has just been posted online for play. The rough story of the minigame based romp is that the Sontarans have captured the Doctor's TARDIS as punishment for their two recent defeats (the first being in the Series Four two-parter, and the second in Jacqueline Rayner's March Quick Read The Sontaran Games), and the Doctor creates a character called Bob the Blob (not too much like Monsters Vs Aliens, then) who can turn into a number of his old enemies. Using Bob, the Doctor must hack into the Sontaran database and free the TARDIS before his potato headed adversaries can use the technology to travel and conquer time itself! Monster Metamorphosis features new 3D graphics for fans to marvel at. So, will you be playing the BBC's new and exclusive Who game?

Doctor Who Image Of The Fehndal Released- £19.99

The latest in the classic range of DVDs, Image of the Fendahl, has now been released in all good stores for the RRP of £19.99. This episode takes place in the Tom Baker era, with the Fourth Doctor and Leela travelling to 20th Century Earth, and stumbling upon an ancient monster named the Fendahl, a nightmarish creature feared by even the Time Lords. Special Features for this release include a documentary on the making of the story, named After Image, deleted and extended scenes, and, as per usual for the classic DVDs, an easter egg hidden on the disc. In my opinion, the Doctor's time with Leela on the show seemed awkward and too unpredictable, and this was showcased when her character left strangely in the third ever Sontaran story, The Invasion In Time, where she fell in love with a Time Lord character only through the one story, and demanded she would stay on Gallifrey with K-9 Mark II. Image Of The Fendahl costs just £13 on Amazon.co.uk, and £15 in HMV, both of which are basically saving you £5 of your hard earned money, so if you're looking for this cheap, don't say I didn't help you! Will you be buying Image of the Fendahl?

K-9 Set For Autumn Premiere

Doctor Who will recieve its third spin-off this autumn, and it will once again feature one of the Doctor's favourite companions, K-9. The Sarah Jane Adventures will also feature K-9 for half of the series this autumn, but the new Who spin-off, dubbed K-9, will air with the character in all 26 episodes. That's right, 26. Not unlike recent Sky Movies animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the spin-off will consist of 26 30 minute episodes, with no overriding story arc other than the main characters and possible villians. The logo is shown above left, although this is a pre-production image.

So, when in our fave sci fi show's continuity will K-9 take place? We've been told that the K-9 we meet in the spin-off will be "the K-9 from The Invisible Enemy, the original you might say!", so in other words Mark 1, but how his life will fit into Who remains to be seen after he is damaged during the first episode, and "regenerates" (no, not literally) into a new and sleeker form. After the first episode, there will be several time travelling adventures for the robot dog and his new gang, including them meeting none other than Robin Hood, the British legend from the time of King Richard the Lionheart. There will also be a reference to Who for diehards in every episode.

The new show will air on Jetix (a paid channel found on Sky) this autumn. The synopsis goes like so: K-9 follows a reptilious warrior named Jixen through a space time portal, while a human named Professor Gryfin works on a space time manipulator. Jixen and K-9 both fall through, and K-9 narrowly stops Jixen, but at the cost of his robot body. At the end of the two part opener, Feast of the Merons, K-9 becomes disoperational, and must give Starkey instructions to rebuild and regenerate his metal self into a new form (above right). Are you going to watch K-9 when it airs in autumn?