Radio Times
type: channel
link: https://www.radiotimes.com
date: 2025-11-28T10:14:17.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: Take a trip back through 62 years of Doctor Who in Radio Times covers
items: Doctor Who TARDIS interiors ranked from worst to best
items: Mark Gatiss says his unmade Doctor Who story starring David Tennant could still be released
items: Steven Moffat breaks down Doctor Who's scariest and silliest monsters
items: Doctor Who's best guest star isn't who you'd expect
items: Could AI breathe new life into vintage Doctor Who?
items: Doctor Who's Chris Chibnall reacts to Flux reference in 60th specials
items: Behind the scenes of Radio Times' Doctor Who at 60 shoot
items: Doctor Who's Chris Chibnall praises "wonderful" Davros reinvention
items: Doctor Who: Unleashed star on Confidential changes and "remarkable" Ncuti Gatwa
items: Why Doctor Who finally needs to bring back the Time Lords for good
items: Doctor Who at 60: When the Time Lords assembled for Radio Times
items: Doctor Who stars answer "Who's your Doctor?" ahead of 60th anniversary
items: Anjli Mohindra: "I owe so much to The Sarah Jane Adventures"
items: Doctor Who's Mark Gatiss reveals idea for An Adventure in Space and Time sequel
items: Doctor Who’s Martha Jones was ahead of her time
items: Doctor Who's Steven Moffat: UNIT would be ‘obvious choice’ for spin-off
items: Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary specials could learn from past milestones
items: Jo Whiley: What it's like hosting Doctor Who musical celebration
items: Doctor Who writer: 'It was a privilege writing for Elisabeth Sladen'
items: Doctor Who's Alex Kingston says she's holding in a "big spoiler"
items: Doctor Who's Blink episode remains the perfect introduction to horror
items: Toby Whithouse: “Doctor Who needs to be protected”
items: Craig Parkinson on possible Doctor Who return: "Grand Serpent isn’t dead"
items: Doctor Who's Arthur Darvill "absolutely wouldn't say no" to returning
items: Nothing is too dark for Doctor Who, writers insist
items: Doctor Who's Sacha Dhawan answers fan questions - breaks down favourite scene
items: Doctor Who's Frazer Hines battles Daleks in first clip from new book
items: Doctor Who’s David Bradley on “taking liberties” with the First Doctor
items: Doctor Who's Scream of the Shalka deserves to be celebrated

Take a trip back through 62 years of Doctor Who in Radio Times covers
type: item
date: 2025-11-28T09:47:24.000Z
creator: Louise Griffin
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: BBC
subject: BBC iPlayer
subject: Exclusive
description: What's your favourite?
encoded: When it comes to the history of Doctor Who, Radio Times has got it covered. From the earliest days of the iconic sci-fi through to its cancellation in 1989 and revival in 2005, Radio Times has documented everything. Most recently Doctor Who has celebrated a massive 62 years on screen – so, to mark the milestone, we're looking back on our Doctor Who-themed Radio Times covers and the icons who featured. Check out the gallery below for some of our favourites: View Gallery on the source website It's a busy time for Doctor Who, with the upcoming spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, set to air this December. The BBC also recently confirmed the future of the main show, revealing that the deal with Disney is no longer in place. However, the Doctor and the TARDIS will be back in action next Christmas, with showrunner Russell T Davies set to pen a new festive special. Recently chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Davies revealed the status of that special. Asked whether he's started writing the special, Davies told us: "Not at the moment because I'm busy on [The War Between the Land and the Sea]. I'm also shooting a show in Manchester, so next year my plate clears and we'll get to work on that." While he's keeping quiet on the details, Davies also confirmed he's got the plot all worked out, saying: "I know exactly what happens in it, don't worry about that." The War Between the Land and the Sea is coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 7th December. Doctor Who is available to watch on BBC iPlayer. Add The War Between the Land and the Sea to your watchlist on the <a id="OWA8b702c45-bee9-94e4-f018-57518e78041b" class="x_OWAAutoLink" title="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" href="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-o…

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Doctor Who TARDIS interiors ranked from worst to best
type: item
date: 2025-11-21T07:00:22.000Z
creator: Olivia Garrett
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: BBC
subject: Evergreen
description: The Doctor’s not the only one who regenerates. Here’s every time the TARDIS got a new model ranked from worst to best.
encoded: "The Doctor, in the TARDIS, next stop everywhere." It’s a formula that’s stood the test of time for Doctor Who. For the last 62 years, the Doctor has sailed throughout the universe in the TARDIS – or Time and Relative Dimension in Space. While humans and alien threats have come and gone, the Time Lord and his trusty time machine have stayed together like, well, two hearts beating in sync. It goes without saying that the image of the 1950’s police box is central to what has made Doctor Who so memorable all these years. Yet, while the iconic blue exterior has stayed largely the same, the inside has changed as many times as The Doctor – and then some. Every few years on this six-decade journey, the TARDIS has whipped out a fresh new look for the interior console room. Sometimes this was because of a new actor coming in, sometimes because the old room got destroyed within the show, or sometimes The Doctor clearly just decided that pillars were out. So, we’re going to reflect on every single console room by ranking them from worst to best. We’ll be basing our rankings on design and cultural impact, so hold on tight, because we’re about to take you back through time. 15. War Doctor The War Doctor’s TARDIS was shown for just a few moments in the 50th anniversary, and to be honest, we’re grateful it didn’t appear more. Conceptually, it makes sense that this TARDIS would be a blend of the classic series and modern one, and yes, we do love the round things. But there’s no getting away from the fact that the pillars just don’t gel with the white background, and neither seem to really fit John Hurt’s dark and damaged soldier Doctor. Plus, it’s just a bit ugly. 14. Third Doctor – first TARDIS When the Time Lords stranded the Third Doctor on Earth, he was forced to build this version of the TARDIS in secret. Half of the room is basically an ordinary lounge, with patterned wallpaper and wooden furniture, while the other half is more like a garage, with metal shelves and exposed br…

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Mark Gatiss says his unmade Doctor Who story starring David Tennant could still be released
type: item
date: 2025-11-14T07:00:38.000Z
creator: Louise Griffin
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
subject: Video
description: Watch this space (and time).
encoded: Mark Gatiss has said that the unmade Doctor Who story he wrote for David Tennant's Tenth Doctor could still be released. Titled The Suicide Exhibition, Gatiss has previously revealed how the episode was "on the verge of production for a while in the late 2000s" but never quite made the cut. Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, he recalled: "[I wrote] two drafts – one set in the First World War, then Nazis... I just moved a war on. "It's called The Suicide Exhibition, set in the British Museum, it's a sort of Indiana Jones-type story. It's rather good, I think. "I do [still have a copy]. Big Finish has expressed an interest. It's all gone very quiet, though. I'm waiting for that emergency phone call!" Gatiss has still had a huge impact on the Whoniverse regardless, not only writing episodes from The Unquiet Dead to Sleep No More, but penning the 50th anniversary docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time, which saw David Bradley take on the role of William Hartnell. Considering what other period in Doctor Who history could feature in a similar programme, he explained: "The origins of everything, that's always the interesting thing. The other interesting thing is crisis... "The documentary about The Trial of a Time Lord is an absolutely fascinating piece of work, because it's so full of what ifs and conflict." He added: "It's a strange thing to say, but the darkest hour for the show would definitely make a very interesting drama, wouldn't it? I mean, the personal conflicts, the professional conflicts, the resignations... that's the one, isn't it? "And I suppose out of the darkness comes the light, because there's a rosy future to look forward to. "There's something very moving about [Tales of the TARDIS] rounding all that off." Stay tuned for Arthur Darvill's full interview on RadioTimes.com. Missing Doctor Who? Register now for Radio Times's Doctor Who Insiders club for exclusive interviews with Doctor Who legends every month. Doctor Who is available to stream on BB…

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Steven Moffat breaks down Doctor Who's scariest and silliest monsters
type: item
date: 2025-10-31T07:00:24.000Z
creator: Louise Griffin
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: The former showrunner chats Daleks, Weeping Angels and the Empty Child for our Halloween special of 60 Days of Doctor Who.
encoded: Picture the scene: it's Saturday night, it's dark outside, and a Steven Moffat-penned episode of Doctor Who is about to start on BBC One. The chances are you're going to end up with plenty of fuel for your nightmares. The former showrunner, who helmed Doctor Who from 2010 to 2017, has been terrifying us as far back as season 1 with The Empty Child and is the brain behind some of the series' scariest villains. Speaking to RadioTimes.com, the show's monster-maker broke down some of its most iconic creatures – and the one flaw they all share. Ready to revisit your worst nightmares? "It's something of the nursery somehow, there's something rather domestic about a Doctor Who monster," Moffat explains. "They're not, if you look at the famously scary ones, tremendously convincing in the combat zone. The Weeping Angels, which are the my most successful ones, I mean, they can't move if someone sees them! "What kind of invasion force is that?! They're kind of nuts but children are scared of statues – I remember being scared of statues and, in particular, shop dummies but Robert Holmes had already done that one. "The Daleks, he's the greatest genius in the world, apparently, Davros. Is he? Is he? What do you think of that design?" he jokes. "I mean, seriously, I don't think that was a brilliant design. It's a brilliant design for a monster on TV, but as a machine, I've got notes Davros! I really do. It's silly, isn't it? What's that arm supposed to be?! "How did the scientific elite of Skaro let that one pass when Davros – a week before he unveiled the Dalek gun, he must have unveiled the Dalek arm. "Did they stand around in confusion or did they applaud and say 'Yeah, great idea. Let's not have fingers. Let's have a sink plunger.' Awesome, Davros, well done you. Storming genius. "So there's something fundamentally silly about a great Doctor Who monster and something of the nursery. Kids have a strange relationship with the Daleks because they're sort of frightened of them, bu…

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Doctor Who's best guest star isn't who you'd expect
type: item
date: 2025-10-24T06:00:18.000Z
creator: Louise Griffin
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Comment
description: Plenty of big names have guest starred in Doctor Who – but one outshone them all.
encoded: From Kylie Minogue and Andrew Garfield to Carey Mulligan, Simon Pegg, and the late, great Sir Michael Gambon, Doctor Who is in a league of its own when it comes to guest stars. Some of the biggest names on the planet have lent their talents to Doctor Who, and there's no doubting that their performances have gone down in the show's history. Blink, starring Mulligan and introducing the world to the terrifying Weeping Angels, is widely regarded as one of the best episodes in the sci-fi's history. Similarly, is there a single Christmas episode that could rival Voyage of the Damned, starring the iconic Kylie Minogue as Astrid Perth? But, while big names are a huge draw for Doctor Who fans, there's one guest star who overshadowed all of the others with his understated, heartwarming, and fiercely lovable portrayal of a historical figure – Tony Curran as Vincent Van Gogh. Of course, Curran had had an incredible career before guest starring in Doctor Who, which has continued since. Most recently, he's appeared in Marvel's Secret Invasion, the series Your Honor, and gave a devastating performance in Mayflies. But, from my very biased point of view, Doctor Who showed him at his best. View oEmbed on the source website Vincent and the Doctor could have been one of those episodes to have passed us by. In the midst of season 5, it sees the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) and Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) go back in time to Provence after seeing an ominous figure in one of Van Gogh's paintings. It was a risky move. Van Gogh's history has been told plenty of times before, so viewers would need to get something new out of that story. Plus, Doctor Who has to have a monster, and while the Krafayis fit into the story nicely, it didn't exactly prove to be a stand-out part of the show, instead becoming pretty forgettable among other season 5 villains. But, in the end, none of that mattered, because Richard Curtis's direction combined with Curran's performance gave us some of the most beautiful and…

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Could AI breathe new life into vintage Doctor Who?
type: item
date: 2025-10-17T06:00:19.000Z
creator: Steve O'Brien
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Comment
description: AI has been used as a force for good and evil in the show - but what about its real-life use?
encoded: Doctor Who has been exploring the ideas behind artificial intelligence almost from the moment it began. From WOTAN to K9 to the Cyberium to the TARDIS herself, AI has been both a force for good and for bad in the show. But while Doctor Who has been talking about artificial intelligence for more than 60 years, it's only recently that we've begun to ask the question: what does its real-world possibilities offer the show itself? There are, of course, ethics issues with many of the opportunities AI provides – using the tech to generate first-draft scripts, deepfaking long-dead actors, etc – but one area which may well benefit, without too much controversy, is the classic, i.e. pre-revival series. We've all seen those AI apps that can sharpen up a foggy old photograph or add a splash of colour to a vintage black and white image, but can that or similar tech be applied to classic television? Part of the queasiness that schedulers and streamers have about TV from the dim and distant is how poor the picture quality is compared to the needle-sharp HD and 4K programmes we've become accustomed to. Most TV of the 1950s and '60s – in the UK anyway – was recorded on 405-line cameras, later upgrading through the late '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and much of the '00s, to 625-line (or 576i) – that's far less visual information than the 1080p of High Definition or 4320p (4k) of Ultra HD, hence the much blearier, fuzzier picture. Older shows made on film, such as Star Trek or The Avengers, don't have this problem, as celluloid can be upscaled much easier. But can AI offer a way of extending the shelf life of these pre-HD programmes? Peter Crocker is a member of the Doctor Who Restoration Team, and is in charge of sprucing up those older episodes for Blu-ray release. Speaking to Radio Times in 2023, he told us that he already used AI "appropriately and sparingly" but cautioned that the technology isn't currently there to upscale, say, an old William Hartnell episode into eye-wowing UHD. "At …

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Doctor Who's Chris Chibnall reacts to Flux reference in 60th specials
type: item
date: 2023-11-22T08:00:22.000Z
creator: Louise Griffin
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: The second anniversary special will deal "very slightly" with Flux.
encoded: Former Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall has reacted to the revelation that there will be a reference to his season, Flux, in one of the 60th anniversary specials. Doctor Who: Flux marked Jodie Whittaker's final season as the Thirteenth Doctor and saw her navigate a universe-ending anomaly called the Flux. It also marked Chibnall's final season as showrunner. Love Doctor Who? Listen to our podcast interview about Doctor Who games! Russell T Davies recently confirmed that Flux will be dealt with "very slightly" in the second special, Wild Blue Yonder. Chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Chibnall said: "[Russell] had told me that there was a reference to Flux. "It's really beautiful when things like that happen, definitely. It was one of the things we talked about, Steven [Moffat], Russell and I, when we met up, and it was a thing Steven was saying, you don't feel like the work you've done on the show is Doctor Who, because that's the work you've done. "So he's like, all of the episodes he's written, all the episodes he’s showrun, it’s like everything else is Doctor Who and then his bit is just the thing he did, and it doesn't feel legitimately part of Doctor Who, and it's really weird. "So when you do get things that crop up, that kind of reference and actually, when I would drop in references to Steven’s stories, or something Russell had done, I would get texts from them, Steven would go, ‘I was mentioned in Doctor Who! Something I thought of was mentioned in Doctor Who!’ It's great. You know, ‘I exist!’ It's really true. "Russell as well, [I] would get messages going, ‘Oh, I got mentioned! The thing I wrote got mentioned!’ So it's really lovely when that happens and I definitely felt that when we did that in The Power of the Doctor as well. It's really powerful and how you deploy that, and when you deploy that, is really interesting because it's that weird push and pull between being new and being part of a continuum. And that's one of the great, great thing…

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Behind the scenes of Radio Times' Doctor Who at 60 shoot
type: item
date: 2023-11-21T08:00:37.000Z
creator: Louise Griffin
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Comment
subject: Video
description: Doctor Who legends descend on London for a shoot to remember.
encoded: It's an unspeakable hour in the morning of 25th October 2023 and the Radio Times team have gathered at Holborn Studios in London for, let's face it, one of the most exciting days of the year. Doctor Who legends past and present are about to descend on the studio for a glam shoot to celebrate the show's 60th anniversary but first, the preparation! Love Doctor Who? Listen to our podcast interview about Doctor Who games! While photographer extraordinaire Yoshitaka Kono sets up, some of the stars of the show are unboxed – a 1960s Dalek, a modern Dalek, a gigantic Cyberman, and everyone's favourite pup, K-9. I'm a little starstruck. BBC props legend Jonathan asks if anyone wants to get inside the '60s Dalek and operate it and I give it a cool half a second before volunteering as tribute. I quickly realise that scooting a massive Dalek around, Flintstone-style, while attempting to operate three pulleys (yes, the eye stalk has one too) with just two hands is far too strenuous for that time in the morning. Anyway, the first shoot is with incoming companion Millie Gibson (Ruby Sunday), who is an absolute pro. She can't resist checking out some of Yoshi's shots on a laptop, and appears to be absolutely thrilled with them. Millie's quickly joined by returning legend Bonnie Langford, who's coming back as Mel Bush and it's clear the pair get on like a house on fire. Millie wraps her arms around Bonnie for various shots, with the pair grinning at each other. Rocking sparkly dresses and green jumpsuits, and wielding decapitated Cyberman heads, they snap some amazing pictures together like the partners in crime they clearly are. Everyone's in awe. Speaking of everyone being in awe, in walks showrunner Russell T Davies. More than two decades after he brought Doctor Who back, he's clearly still a huge fan, grabbing a selfie with the Cyberman for good measure. For his solo shots, Yoshi has him pose with the Cyberman looking menacingly over him. Soon after, more Doctor Who icons arrive…

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Doctor Who's Chris Chibnall praises "wonderful" Davros reinvention
type: item
date: 2023-11-20T15:42:18.000Z
creator: Louise Griffin
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: The former showrunner speaks on the importance of occasionally ripping up the rule book.
encoded: Former Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall has heaped praise on Russell T Davies's reinvention of Davros in the recent Children in Need scene. The new scene, which was set early in the Daleks' history, when the prototype was still being developed, saw David Tennant return as the Fourteenth Doctor and Julian Bleach reprise his role as the villainous Davros – but not in his wheelchair, as fans have previously known him. Love Doctor Who? Listen to our podcast interview about Doctor Who games! Speaking about how important it is to occasionally rip up the rule book, Chibnall exclusively told RadioTimes.com: "I don't think you would characterise our era as being scared to move the furniture about. Everybody who's run it, and everybody who writes it, everybody who works on it loves it. Anything that happens on it comes from a position of love. "I think what's lovely about that sketch is Russell's just cheeky with it. Like, he's respectful and disrespectful and you sort of need to be that as a showrunner and it's delightful. But actually there's a lot to break down in that sketch, where you go – he's moved things on. "He's made some decisions, the decision around Davros, and stuff like that, [they're] really fantastic, wonderful decisions and it has to keep changing. It has to keep evolving, it has to keep checking itself against the world and being a little bit ahead of the world." Chibnall added: "I think the joy of seeing David back on screen as the Doctor is really profound, and I'm sure it'll be profound for the whole country and, I think, hopefully, for the whole world. Even in that little Children in Need scene, just the joy that comes through and the 'he's back!'-ness of it – and he's one of the greatest actors in the world." The writer went on to add that bold decisions are at the heart of the show, pointing out that the first regeneration is a classic example: "That's a choice somebody made three years into the show, when you go, 'Oh, we need a new lead actor, wh…

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Doctor Who: Unleashed star on Confidential changes and "remarkable" Ncuti Gatwa
type: item
date: 2023-11-19T08:00:52.000Z
creator: Louise Griffin
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: More than a decade after Doctor Who: Confidential ended, it's time to peek behind the curtain once more.
encoded: From making monsters and carefully constructing explosions to documenting the stars' most chaotic moments (never forget Matt Smith's random badger obsession), Doctor Who: Confidential once took us behind-the-scenes of Doctor Who's most weird and wonderful moments. Now, it's time for fans to get a peek behind the curtain once again in the form of Doctor Who: Unleashed. Love Doctor Who? Listen to our podcast interview about Doctor Who games! Exclusively speaking to RadioTimes.com, new host Steffan Powell explains: "Myself and the team that make the show have been sort of doing an impersonation of the camera crews that make David Attenborough's programmes like Planet Earth - they hide out somewhere in a deep dark forest or on top of a mountain for months to sort of snap the moment when something amazing happens. That's like us but we're on the set of Doctor Who. "We find the dark corners that we can hang about in and see the magic happen but also not get in the way of anyone because they do actually have a programme to make. That's been the joy of the programme, getting to know the crew and the cast obviously, but just getting a sense of everything it takes to make a TV programme like this because it's majestic." Powell is pretty new to the world of Doctor Who - although he's quickly got into the rhythm of admirably scooting away from spoilers whenever we near the precipice. "I was about to say something there that would be a spoiler for the series," he admits after we joke about kids always being the source of a winter lurgy. "It's hard work dodging these spoilers, I'll tell you that." But him not being a Doctor Who superfan has seemingly proven key to making Unleashed fresh and not just rehashing Confidential. "There are certainly elements of Confidential in it, of course, because it's a behind the scenes programme that is there on set," Powell adds. "On the side of set when things are happening, we're watching, I'm often watching the Doctors do their thing, we're al…

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Why Doctor Who finally needs to bring back the Time Lords for good
type: item
date: 2023-11-18T08:00:09.000Z
creator: Lewis Knight
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: BBC
subject: BBC iPlayer
subject: BBC One
subject: Comment
description: The role of Gallifrey and its inhabitants has been too small for too long, writes Lewis Knight.
encoded: "I'm a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone. I'm the only survivor. I'm left travelling on my own 'cos there's no one else." - The Doctor, The End of the World, 2005. These words from Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor in the opening series of Russell T Davies' revival of Doctor Who in 2005 signalled a bold new status quo for the time-travelling protagonist of the beloved cult show. No longer was The Doctor one of many rather brilliant beings but was instead a figure adrift, an alien to all, a solitary figure mourning the loss of their people and all the more in need of emotional connection. Love Doctor Who? Listen to our podcast interview about Doctor Who games! This served as the perfect springboard to deepen the hero's connection to his new companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) and also ensured further enigma around The Doctor as we peeled back the layers of his role in the Great Time War between his people and their nemeses, the Daleks. However, we are now no longer in 2005 and since then, the story of what happened to the Time Lords has been firmly established (including with a very brief return in the finale of Davies' first era on the show, The End of Time) and we even learned of another fellow survivor with the inevitable return of The Master (initially played by Sir Derek Jacobi and John Simm in the revival series). Subsequently, the tenure of Steven Moffat as showrunner presented an opportunity to revive not just the Time Lords' homeworld of Gallifrey which he did in the 50th anniversary year of the show in 2013, in the crowd-pleasing special The Day of the Doctor, which also peeled more layers back on the role of The Doctor in the Great Time War. This felt like perfect timing with the notion of the lone Time Lord with no (or with at least only one of their) peers by this point felt rather exhausted and the possibilities for more stories, more characters to equal the Doctor's abilities and rich history seemed endless. Yet, the Time L…

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Doctor Who at 60: When the Time Lords assembled for Radio Times
type: item
date: 2023-11-17T08:00:08.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: News
description: Ever since 1972, Radio Times has been bringing together the stars of Doctor Who for special photoshoots.
encoded: Across all of time and space, many of the most striking and abiding images for Doctor Who fans have been special Radio Times photoshoots, organised to celebrate the major anniversaries – usually calling for a time-bending gathering of the actors who’ve inhabited the title role. 1972 – Season 10 The first shoot took place in October 1972 and was one of the most remarkable and timely – uniting the first three incarnations: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee. Prior to the BBC’s launch of The Three Doctors for the tenth season of Doctor Who in 1972, this RT photoshoot was actually the very first time all three stars had come together as a trio. They were photographed by RT regular Ray Rathborne at a studio in Battersea. Fifty-one years later, RT’s art editor at that time, David Driver, recalls that day clearly. “I directed the Hartnell, Troughton and Pertwee cover myself. I was a great enthusiast for Doctor Who and managed good coverage for this classic programme. Both Troughton and Pertwee were charming in the manner they cared for a fragile Hartnell. It was a delightful session and all three actors had love and affection for the programme and recognised its special role in the Saturday schedule.” 1983 – the 20th anniversary The Five Doctors in 1983 was a joyful celebration of two decades of Doctor Who – but also an odd one. William Hartnell had died in 1975, so the “original” Doctor was recast as Richard Hurndall, who bore only a passing resemblance to Hartnell. Although other past Doctors Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee readily signed up to star alongside current star Peter Davison, the fourth incarnation Tom Baker declined to appear. Instead, he allowed clips from his unfinished 1979/80 story Shada to be used, while for a publicity shoot his Madame Tussauds waxwork was pressed into service. A general press call for Doctors, companions and the waxwork was held on 17th March 1983 at a house in Denham (the location for Unit HQ), with photographer Ste…

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Doctor Who stars answer "Who's your Doctor?" ahead of 60th anniversary
type: item
date: 2023-11-15T17:25:59.000Z
creator: Louise Griffin
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
subject: Video
description: Celebrating the actors who have brought the Time Lord to life.
encoded: Every Doctor Who fan has their Doctor – whether it's the one that meant the most to them growing up, or a more recent iteration that's captured their heart. As it turns out, the stars and writers at the heart of the show are no different. Ahead of Doctor Who turning 60, we caught up with various Doctor Who legends, including Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Arthur Darvill, Steven Moffat and Alex Kingston to ask the age-old question: "Who's your Doctor?" Love Doctor Who? Listen to our podcast interview about Doctor Who games! Of course, some of them couldn't resist breaking the rules and giving us more than one, but we'll let it slide... Check out their answers below! Sophie Aldred - Ace "Of course it's Sylvester McCoy but then of course I've got Jodie [Whittaker] as well. I love them all, I seriously do. "I think that everybody who's played the Doctor has been an extraordinary person in real life in some way. If you meet them all, and I have been so fortunate, my only alive Doctor that I'm missing is Peter Capaldi - I'd love to meet him. "Sadly I was too late for Patrick Troughton and of course I didn't meet William Hartnell but all the rest of them I've met and I just think they're all extraordinary. There's something special about all of them." Arthur Darvill - Rory Williams "Matt [Smith]! It has to be. I just think he was brilliant and the balance between the stoic and the silly and the balance between the really heartfelt and the flippant was just such a brilliant take on it. "Obviously it was all in Steven [Moffat]'s writing but Matt really is such a skilful brilliant actor and watching his work ethic... we're the same age but it was really amazing being on set and seeing how hard he had to work on that. And he was so committed to it. "He makes it look so easy and it was really inspiring. I just think he's a brilliant actor and I love working with him." Alex Kingston - River Song "I think my Doctor was Jon Pertwee. I loved Patrick Troughton's trews. I was a very…

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Anjli Mohindra: "I owe so much to The Sarah Jane Adventures"
type: item
date: 2023-11-11T08:00:14.000Z
creator: Louise Griffin
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
subject: Video
description: The Rani Chandra actress looks back on her first TV role.
encoded: The Lazarus Project star Anjli Mohindra is certainly no stranger to sci-fi, first making her name in Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures - and, as the main show turns 60, she looked back on the impact it's had on her life. Mohindra starred alongside the late Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), Daniel Anthony (Clyde Langer) and Tommy Knight (Luke Smith) in the beloved spin-off, which ran from 2007 to 2011. She exclusively told RadioTimes.com: "I feel like I owe so much to that show. I didn't realise the enormity of it when I was 17, 18, and I got my first ever proper part in The Sarah Jane Adventures. "I feel like it's an amazing thing career-wise, but as a family, it feels like you're part of something massive that is a time travel show, but also will stand the test of time. "[Doctor Who has] been going for so long, and it just feels [like] the most exciting, thrilling, inclusive world, and I can't wait to see this new season. God, I'm so excited." The impact of The Sarah Jane Adventures is still felt, with Rani even getting a mention in Doctor Who's latest spin-off, Tales of the TARDIS, which saw Katy Manning's Jo Grant reunite with Clyde. She encourages him to admit he's in love with Rani, and he ends the episode vowing to go after her. Meanwhile, viewers can also catch Mohindra in season 2 of The Lazarus Project, with the actress admitting she's been "massively" surprised by the twists and turns. She added: "You get your head round it and it all makes sense – it's like when you play a video game, you go back to the same point, and then suddenly, there's this whole new thing that completely throws everything you thought about the show out the window. "I think that's great, because you do sometimes feel with these shows that they start to become predictable, but I feel like the rug was pulled out [from under] our feet every episode. "As cast, it felt like we were constantly kept on our toes, and I like that. I think the audience will love that part of it…

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Doctor Who's Mark Gatiss reveals idea for An Adventure in Space and Time sequel
type: item
date: 2023-11-07T08:00:00.000Z
creator: Louise Griffin
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
subject: Video
description: There are other periods of Doctor Who's history that could be explored.
encoded: Mark Gatiss has pitched an idea for a sequel to Doctor Who's docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time - and we're fully on board. The writer, who penned Doctor Who episodes including The Unquiet Dead, Cold War, Night Terrors and Sleep No More, was also the scribe for the special 50th anniversary programme that detailed Doctor Who's beginnings. Chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com, he reflected: "The origins of everything, that's always the interesting thing. The other interesting thing is crisis... "The documentary about The Trial of a Time Lord is an absolutely fascinating piece of work, because it's so full of what ifs and conflict." He added: "It's a strange thing to say, but the darkest hour for the show would definitely make a very interesting drama, wouldn't it? I mean, the personal conflicts, the professional conflicts, the resignations... that's the one, isn't it? "And I suppose out of the darkness comes the light, because there's a rosy future to look forward to. "There's something very moving about [Tales of the TARDIS] rounding all that off." An Adventure in Space and Time, which returning showrunner Russell T Davies has said is on its way to BBC iPlayer after the launch of the 'Whoniverse', starred David Bradley as the late William Hartnell and dramatised the complicated beginnings of Doctor Who. Also starring Brian Cox, Jessica Raine and Sacha Dhawan as Sydney Newman, Verity Lambert and Waris Hussein, the docudrama was released in 2013 for the show's 50th anniversary. View Green Video on the source website Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Classic episodes are available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now and celebrate the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who with a special issue of Radio Times. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen t…

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Doctor Who’s Martha Jones was ahead of her time
type: item
date: 2023-11-06T08:00:33.000Z
creator: Jess Bacon
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Comment
description: Celebrating an often overlooked companion.
encoded: It was always going to be difficult for the companion who followed Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) in Doctor Who. She stole the Doctor’s hearts, captured our own and provided the benchmark alongside David Tennant for the contemporary take on this well-known double act. Then in strolled a bright young medical student, Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman). From her debut in Smith and Jones, Martha was introduced as the Doctor’s equal, who shared his drive and dedication to protect and help others. Brimming with intelligence, charm and compassion, Martha was a refreshing new presence on the show after the emotional turmoil at the end of season 2. The only snag in this promising new alliance was that, midway through their whirlwind adventure to defeat the Judoon (and return her hospital back from the moon), the Doctor kisses Martha. It almost became a rite of passage with newcomers on the show to lock lips with the Doctor in the heat of the moment, after he had a snog with Reinette (Sophia Myles) in Girl in the Fireplace and later a peck with Kylie Minogue in Voyage of the Damned. Though, who are these mere mortals to refuse the lure of a Time Lord in a pinstriped suit? This time, though, the kiss spoils their budding friendship, as it misleads Martha into thinking that their relationship could develop into something romantic. Rapidly, her small crush snowballs into an agonising love, made all the more painful by the Doctor being oblivious to her feelings. It made their relationship complicated as it altered the power dynamic, which led Martha to fall into an unflattering stereotype of a jealous, frustrated woman who was tired of being overlooked and underappreciated. After the Doctor falls for a woman he hardly knows, Joan Redfern (Jessica Hynes), in The Family of Blood, she even despairs: "You had to go and fall in love with a human and it wasn’t me." It would be easy to glaze over her triumphs, and focus on the extensive screen-time Martha spends pining and whining over the Docto…

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Doctor Who's Steven Moffat: UNIT would be ‘obvious choice’ for spin-off
type: item
date: 2023-11-05T08:00:58.000Z
creator: Louise Griffin
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: BBC
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: Russell T Davies has confirmed that spin-offs are on their way.
encoded: Returning Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has teased that we've got spin-offs to look forward to and, with Tales of the TARDIS recently gracing our screens, we can't wait for everything else in store. But what exactly could they be? Fans certainly have their theories, and now former showrunner Steven Moffat has weighed in with his own, suggesting that there's one "obvious" choice. "It's tough with spin-offs of Doctor Who," he exclusively tells RadioTimes.com. "I like them, I always have a slight suspicion that the thing that's best about Doctor Who is that Doctor Who's in it. You don't improve a Doctor Who by taking Doctor Who out of it - said the writer of Blink! "So I don't know. There's loads of things you can do, there's loads of ideas in Doctor Who that are good enough for their own show, that's the truth. The obvious one is UNIT - why did no one just do UNIT? "I was always half-tempted to do Jenny and Vastra solving crimes in Victorian London with big swords, I thought that would be quite fun. I never got round to it because I was kind of busy." Moffat adds: "My favourite one they've done so far was The Sarah Jane Adventures because it did the thing you actually have to do, which is address a slightly different audience. "Doctor Who is kind of a children's programme but [SJA] was definitely a children's programme, of a kind that we sort of don't make anymore, which I think we should, and so I thought that was lovely. "But I'm sure whatever Russell comes up with will be exactly the right idea." Davies recently confirmed that more Doctor Who spin-offs are coming, telling GQ that the show is entering its "next stage". He said: "So I thought – with no criticism whatsoever towards the people who were running it at the time, because they were running it within the BBC's measures – it was time for the next stage for Doctor Who. Read more: Doctor Who's first Dalek story colourised for new feature-length revamp Doctor Who's Russell T Davies: 'I won't unwrite Chr…

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Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary specials could learn from past milestones
type: item
date: 2023-11-04T08:00:10.000Z
creator: Chris Connor
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Comment
description: A look back at how Doctor Who celebrated its big moments.
encoded: Doctor Who, remarkably, is now celebrating its 60th anniversary with a much-anticipated return for showrunner Russell T Davies, and David Tennant and Catherine Tate making a huge comeback to the show. Of course, this is not the first time the sci-fi has marked a milestone with special appearances. The 10th anniversary saw the Third Doctor Jon Pertwee cross paths with his two predecessors, Patrick Troughton and William Hartnell. The trio faced off with a cast-out Timelord Omega, who was residing within a black hole in an antimatter universe, looking to exact revenge on the Timelords. We also saw many Doctors and companions reunited in the 20th. anniversary serial The Five Doctors, which saw the Doctors trapped inside the Death Zone on Gallifrey, facing an array of threats. Most recently, Matt Smith and David Tennant united with War Doctor John Hurt to fight a threat from The Zygons involving Queen Elizabeth I and the 21st Century National Gallery and prevent Gallifrey’s destruction in the Time War. While much is being kept under wraps about the nature of Tennant’s return as the Fourteenth Doctor, and whether we are likely to see more friends and foes appearing, there are certain lessons these new specials learn from previous celebrations on how to honour the show's past and drive it forwards into a new era with Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor. The Three Doctors being the first multi-Doctor storyline set a precedent for others to follow. The interplay between Troughton and Pertwee remains a particular delight, but it never cheapens the storyline being told, with the Time Lords breaking the first rule of time to get the Doctors to help prevent Omega’s return. Omega posed a formidable threat, and the Doctors combined were needed to keep him at bay. Omega would return to face the Fifth Doctor in the Arc of Infinity. The conclusion of the storyline sees the Doctor given a new time circuit for the TARDIS and restored memory of how to operate it fully, taken away at the end …

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Jo Whiley: What it's like hosting Doctor Who musical celebration
type: item
date: 2023-11-01T08:00:38.000Z
creator: Jo Whiley
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Comment
description: Doctor Who superfan Jo Whiley relives the gig of a lifetime.
encoded: To say that I’m a Doctor Who fan is an understatement, and I’ve been lucky enough to visit the sets over the years, and interview many brilliant incarnations of the Doctor and their companions. Peter Capaldi even announced that he was leaving the iconic role on my Radio 2 show in 2017, a live on-air shock I don’t think I’ll ever get over! So, as a lifelong Doctor Who fan, I jumped at the chance to host Doctor Who @ 60: A Musical Celebration at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. It’s always a joy to leave the studios of Wogan House to present a show in a different part of the UK, but I don’t think I was prepared for how very special this night was. However, it was also a nerve-wracking experience, as I was going to be interviewing the incredible showrunners Russell T Davies, Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall live on stage in front of a few hundred Doctor Who superfans! Thankfully, they were wonderful guests, sharing their passion for the show and revealing how they were also thrilled, but equally terrified, about being involved with such a globally successful, much-loved series. And what a treat it was to be joined in the audience by the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, and Sophie Aldred, who played the Doctor’s companion, Ace. Hearing the BBC’s National Orchestra of Wales and BBC Singers, conducted by Alastair King, perform music from the show was spine-tingling, and for them to perform with Mark Ayres and Peter Howell - two members of the BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop, who first created the music to the series - was stunning. I was enthralled for the whole concert, then had to quickly compose myself to introduce the next performance or interview one of the guests. Russell, Steven and Chris, like me and the rest of the audience, are huge fans of the show, and every person at Hoddinott Hall in Cardiff was so happy to be there – all of us Whovians sharing being at this intimate concert, knowing we were witnessing something very special. It was lovely to see the excit…

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Doctor Who writer: 'It was a privilege writing for Elisabeth Sladen'
type: item
date: 2023-10-30T12:37:43.000Z
creator: Katelyn Mensah
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
subject: Video
description: Toby Whithouse reflected on working with "the most iconic actor".
encoded: Doctor Who writer Toby Whithouse has opened up about the "privilege" of writing for Elisabeth Sladen when her character, Sarah Jane Smith, was introduced into New Who. Celebrating the show's upcoming 60th anniversary, Whithouse, who wrote the School Reunion episode, spoke exclusively to RadioTimes.com about working alongside Sladen. "It was amazing. What a privilege, what an absolute privilege," he said. "I'm trying to remember kind of where I was in my career, I think that she was, in a way, the most iconic actor, performer, I think I'd ever written for at that point." In the School Reunion episode, the Krillitanes disguise themselves as school faculty members, using the minds of children to solve a theory of everything that would allow them to control time and space. The episode takes place some time after the events of The Christmas Invasion, and involved the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) reuniting with former companion Sarah Jane Smith. Whithouse added: "In hindsight, you just realise what a privilege it was. And when I met her, she was just such a delight and so lovely and so complimentary about the script. Yeah, a real, real privilege." Reflecting on the legacy Sladen left behind, Whithouse told RadioTimes.com he had grown up watching the actress as Sarah Jane Smith when she was the companion of the Fourth Doctor. "It was the realisation just how much those characters meant to other people", that led to her reintroduction. Elisabeth Sladen's character Sarah Jane Smith will be making a return to screens soon, with her spin-off show K-9 and Company: A Girl's Best Friend coming to BBC iPlayer. Read more: Nothing is too dark for Doctor Who, writers insist Toby Whithouse: “Doctor Who needs to be protected” The one-episode pilot, which was first broadcast on BBC One in December 1981, has been listed on the BBC's programme sit as "available soon". While a date is yet to be confirmed, fans can also get an extra fix of Sarah Jane on Wednesday 1st November after it was a…

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Doctor Who's Alex Kingston says she's holding in a "big spoiler"
type: item
date: 2023-10-29T08:00:27.000Z
creator: Louise Griffin
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: The River Song actress answers fan questions.
encoded: The love for Alex Kingston's River Song in Doctor Who is just as alive now as it was when she burst onto our screens more than a decade ago. As the Doctor's wife, she became one of the most beloved characters of all time, meeting various different incarnations of the Time Lord in the wrong order. Celebrating the show's upcoming 60th anniversary, the actress answered some burning questions from Doctor Who fans - and, staying true to character, revealed that she's holding some pretty big spoilers in. Are you keeping any juicy spoilers right now? Submitted by @MatthewVernon3 "Am I keeping any juicy spoilers right now? Yes, I am actually, I'm keeping a juicy spoiler! Yes, that will be revealed, I would imagine, later in the year..." What's your favourite aspect of River Song? Submitted by @telzeyamber "She has the most fantastic one liners. I think it's her her naughtiness, but always ultimately, her love. She has this unconditional love for the Doctor - but she she can also be naughty." What shenanigans did River and the Doctor get up to on Darilium? Submitted by @SpencerTracyFan "Oh my gosh! No, that's a big spoiler." What's it been like working with all the different Doctors at Big Finish and how has that developed River's character? "The community at Big Finish have also become a family. I've worked on a lot of stories over the years and it's, it's just so much fun. The freedom, actually, that you have with audio is quite extraordinary, because of course, the writers can really go to town with their imagination, because they don't need to think about filming budgets or anything like that and you're just in a sound booth and you have to create that world then alongside all the special effects that are edited on to the story afterwards. "It's been really fun and I've been able to work with all of the Doctors. And also we've been able to just take River Song's diary and run with that and have a whole different set of stories where she's actually living her own adventur…

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height: 574

Doctor Who's Blink episode remains the perfect introduction to horror
type: item
date: 2023-10-28T07:00:32.000Z
creator: George White
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Comment
description: "Blink and you're dead."
encoded: Cast your mind back to June 2007. Gordon Brown becomes Prime Minister. England’s men’s team have just played their first game at the new Wembley. And there’s a near-10-year-old me that still gets scared at certain episodes of What's New, Scooby-Doo? (look, some of those ghosts are properly creepy, alright?). My friends are already diving into Saw 3 and Trick 'r Treat, taking in the most extreme of extremities that the world of horror has to offer. But not me. There’s not a chance I’m even dipping a toe into the genre, never mind diving in headfirst with an 18-rated fright fest. I’m more than happy to stick to comedies and cartoons, taking every measure imaginable to avoid the horrors of horror. That is, until an episode of Doctor Who comes on the screen, featuring (or, rather, not really featuring) my Converse-wearing, pinstripe suit-donning idol in David Tennant’s 10th Time Lord, alongside Carey Mulligan’s Sally Sparrow, being hunted down by a group of angel statues out for blood. That’s right, in the blink of an eye, Blink arrived - and so did my appreciation of what horror could do. (Or, at least, what it could do in a pre-watershed sci-fi series on the BBC - perfect for a fearful primary schooler like myself.) Sure, this is no kill-heavy slasher in the form of Scream, and no paranormal mind-bender in the shape of The Conjuring, but Blink – perhaps the single most popular episode of the new Doctor Who era – demonstrates the genre’s ability to get under the skin and into the minds of the audience. And, even with a PG rating and some questionable CGI, it does it masterfully well. Blink’s greatest strength is its ability to establish a sense of creeping dread, of consistent threat, that is properly unnerving. The feeling of being watched is one of the most disturbing one can experience, and has been explored throughout horror history - from Michael Myers taunting Laurie Strode from the shadows in 1978’s Halloween to Rory Kinnear’s birthday suit-wearing stalker drift…

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Toby Whithouse: “Doctor Who needs to be protected”
type: item
date: 2023-10-27T07:00:12.000Z
creator: Louise Griffin
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
subject: Video
description: "The BBC is under threat from so many different corners."
encoded: Ahead of Doctor Who's 60th anniversary, writer Toby Whithouse has said that the show and its broadcaster, the BBC, need to be "protected". Whithouse, who was once tipped to become showrunner for Doctor Who, has written across various different eras of the show, first contributing to the show in season 2 with his episode School Reunion and later writing scripts for Steven Moffat on a regular basis. Speaking to RadioTimes.com about the show's milestone, he said: "I'm so thrilled it’s got this longevity, I'm so thrilled it's survived in the way it has and the way that it constantly reinvents itself. "It’s a very mercurial shadow, in the way that it’s able to change its shape and sort of change, so much about it and yet retain something and yet retain its kind of essential DNA. "So it gives me a lot of hope that we'll be having this conversation for its 70th. It's really exciting. It’s such a beautiful, precious show that I sometimes worry for it, but then, you know, it's lasted this long for a reason." He added: "The BBC is under threat from so many different corners and Doctor Who, and by extension the BBC, is this very precious, exquisite thing should be protected and valued." Thinking back to his experience writing for various different showrunners and Doctors, he reflected: "I just absolutely loved it. It felt like a real treat, a kind of treat like buying yourself a Christmas present, doing an episode of Doctor Who. It was just a joy because it was a very different muscle to the other the shows I would do, my own shows included, and so it was kind of like a holiday!" While he contributed to Russell T Davies's first era, Whithouse mostly wrote in collaboration with Moffat for episodes like The Vampires of Venice, The God Complex, and A Town Called Mercy as well as various season 9 episodes. Giving an insight into their writing process, Whithouse recalled: "With The God Complex, Steven said, 'I want to do an episode where the Doctor and Amy are trapped in a hotel an…

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Craig Parkinson on possible Doctor Who return: "Grand Serpent isn’t dead"
type: item
date: 2023-10-25T06:00:08.000Z
creator: James Hibbs
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: "He’s floating out there somewhere in space, so who knows?"
encoded: The 13th season of Doctor Who, subtitled Flux, not only featured a number of returning villains - such as the Daleks and the Weeping Angels - but it also introduced a number of new antagonists, including Swarm and Azure. There was also The Grand Serpent, an alien creature that infiltrated UNIT and struck a deal with the Sontarans, but he was eventually brought down by Vinder and Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, who stranded him on an asteroid in deep space. Parkinson recently caught up with RadioTimes.com exclusively, and when asked how he looks back at his time on Doctor Who, he said: "With so much love and fondness. I mean, talk about a juggernaut. That was incredible." He continued: "Of course it was otherworldly, but to work with Jodie [Whittaker] and Mandip [Gill] on that was heaps and heaps of fun, and I think the way that Jodie left the show, it'll be in people's minds for a long, long time. "But, you know, the Grand Serpent isn't dead – he’s floating out there somewhere in space, so who knows?" View oEmbed on the source website Parkinson was speaking with RadioTimes.com about his current role in new detective drama Mrs Sidhu Investigates, in which he plays long-suffering divorcee DCI Burton, who forms an unofficial partnership with the titular sleuth. Read more: Sylvester McCoy on his "emotional" return to Doctor Who Doctor Who boss teases "RTD universe" with upcoming show crossover We currently know of a number of returning stars set to appear in future episodes of Doctor Who, including David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Jemma Redgrave and more, and we also know of a major new villain joining the show, played by Jinkx Monsoon. When it comes to more familiar antagonists, all eyes are currently on the Toymaker, a character who originally faced off against William Hartnell's First Doctor and has not been seen on-screen in 57 years. He is being played in this year's 60th anniversary specials by Neil Patrick Harris, who previously explained how he became involved with the s…

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Doctor Who's Arthur Darvill "absolutely wouldn't say no" to returning
type: item
date: 2023-10-24T07:00:29.000Z
creator: Louise Griffin
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
subject: Video
description: Arthur Darvill is up for another run at Rory.
encoded: After more than a decade, Arthur Darvill has said he'd be up for returning to Doctor Who. The actor starred as Rory Williams alongside Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor and Karen Gillan's Amy Pond, with the trio staying until season 7. Amy and Rory exited the show in heartbreaking circumstances, falling victim to the Weeping Angels, but it didn't rule out a return for the pair of them. Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Darvill explained: "The way I feel about it is, yes I would [return], but it would have to be the right thing and I think enough time would have to have passed. "We used to get asked about it straight away, like we’d just left and gone on to other things, so the stock answer then was, 'Well, no. No, I’ve been doing it for three years!' "But now I absolutely wouldn’t say no to it. My fear with it before was I think the storyline we had was so perfect and so rounded that I just wouldn’t want anything to take away from that. "Now we’re a bit older, I think at some point, even if it’s just a one-off, it’d be really interesting to do something more with it. Never say never! "I think at the time we were all worried we’d be stuck in it forever, like it would be the only thing we’d ever done, which obviously since then it hasn’t been – we’ve all kind of gone on and done loads of other things. And so that has a slightly different meaning going back now. "It would be a lovely thing. But also, if that never happens, that’s fine as well. I’m really, really proud of the story we told and the way it was told." Darvill, Gillan and Smith had an incredible friendship on the show, with the three of them still keeping in close contact. "Myself and Matt knew each other beforehand, so already it was like going to work with friends, and we were just all together for such a long time. "And, for me anyway, because it was so early in my career and I felt like I was learning on the job, it was just really formative," he said. "We were so busy and no one else could really unde…

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height: 932

Nothing is too dark for Doctor Who, writers insist
type: item
date: 2023-10-22T07:00:35.000Z
creator: Louise Griffin
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
subject: Video
description: Some of the show's darkest episodes have become fan favourites.
encoded: Over 60 years, Doctor Who has covered some seriously dark topics, with some of the scariest episodes becoming fan favourites. Iconic episode Blink, helmed by Steven Moffat, The Waters of Mars, written by Phil Ford, and Midnight, written by returning showrunner Russell T Davies, are just some of the times Doctor Who has turned a little terrifying. While fans love the show all the more for how those stories are handled, it seems the writers are no different. Speaking to RadioTimes.com to celebrate the publication of their Target novelisations, various Doctor Who writers considered where the line is - and ultimately decided that, if tackled correctly, there's nothing too dark for Doctor Who. Phil Ford, who wrote the terrifying David Tennant episode The Waters of Mars, recalled: "I remember, I grew up with Jon Pertwee predominantly and, looking back, I remember stories like The Green Death being really quite scary for me as a kid. "I'm not so sure that it's moved away from that so much, I have no doubt that there will be another Doctor Who story coming down the road that will be every bit as scary, if not more than The Waters of Mars. "I think scaring kids is what I've always enjoyed doing! Whether it's in Doctor Who or Sarah Jane [Adventures]... I think Russell put it to me a long time ago that it's OK to scare kids, what you don't want to do is terrify them and scar them!" He added: "I've met at conventions an awful lot of kids that admitted they were scared by The Waters of Mars, but not so much to traumatise them! They loved it because it's scary." Ford went on to say: "The Waters of Mars, from my point of view, was always going to be scary because that's what I like to do. I think the team around Doctor Who then and now is just so good at what it does, I think we all have confidence in each other in knowing just how far we can go. "And certainly, whenever I went too far, I knew Russell was going to pull me up on something... my memory of Russell is not so much haul…

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Doctor Who's Sacha Dhawan answers fan questions - breaks down favourite scene
type: item
date: 2023-10-21T07:00:01.000Z
creator: Louise Griffin
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
subject: Video
description: Everything you needed to know about that Rasputin scene.
encoded: As the latest incarnation of The Master in Doctor Who, Sacha Dhawan has had quite the adventure (in space and time). But there are certain moments that stand out to him above all others. While the actor hasn't ruled out returning to the show in the future, he sees his last appearance in the show, in The Power of the Doctor, as an ending to his Master - at least for now. So, as part of RadioTimes.com's 60 Days of Doctor Who, we caught up with the Doctor Who icon to ask him some burning questions from the fans. If you could feature in an episode alongside another Master…. which one would it be? Submitted by @nerddenreal. Dhawan: "Michelle Gomez. We met recently at a Comic Con in New Zealand of all places, and we had to do an interview together for some press. I wasn't the Master, like I didn't realise I was considering her as the Master. She's the Master, Missy! And I was just slightly like a goofy fan. But we got to hang out and we had the best time ever. I knew immediately if we got to do scenes together, it would be chaos, like it'd be amazing. She is so great. I'd love to work with her." RadioTimes.com: "Even the little video you put out on social media together, it sent fans into a tailspin." Dhawan: "Totally it did. She's great. She's got such a such a amazing fanbase, when you get to meet her as well, she's just brilliant. I really took to a shine to her. I sent her a message recently, like, 'Oh, god, I adore you' because we were just kind of going back and forth with messages. She's got such a great heart and she's just funny and brilliant. And that was meeting her for a couple of days. Can you imagine us filming together? Chaos." What was your favourite scene to film in Doctor Who? Submitted by @uwuttaker. Dhawan: "I'd probably say the plane scene and I'd probably say... It's hard to say really, I enjoyed all of them [but] I'd say yeah, the Rasputin scene. And it wasn't even for the dance, really. I mean, the dance was a good part of it. I just really loved d…

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Doctor Who's Frazer Hines battles Daleks in first clip from new book
type: item
date: 2023-10-20T06:00:42.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: Hines returns to the Whoniverse for a retelling of a beloved Doctor Who tale.
encoded: As if the last few months of 2023 couldn't get more exciting for Doctor Who fans, we now have a brand new audiobook to look forward to – and it features one of the show's longest-running companions. Being released by BBC Audio, Doctor Who: The Evil of the Daleks will be released later this month, as we continue to gear up for the anticipated new season and 60th anniversary episodes. The classic Doctor Who tale gets an inventive retelling in this new audio adventure that is narrated by none other than Frazer Hines. Hines, of course, starred in the sci-fi series between 1966 and 1969, as well as guest appearances in the '80s, as the Doctor's companion Jamie McCrimmon. Well, Jamie is back in the Whoniverse once more, and in the tale, he will be joined by the Doctor and young astrophysicist Zoe as they have to relive one of Jamie's most harrowing adventures with the Daleks. View Green Video on the source website In an exclusive clip to RadioTimes.com, which can be listened to above, fans can get a taste of the adventure for themselves, and can hear how the Doctor is struggling to make sense of the Daleks' logic. As well as the story being read by Hines, he is joined in this clip by Nicholas Briggs, the regular voice of the Daleks. As the Doctor grows increasingly frustrated at its commands, the Dalek then starts to ask him about Jamie, saying "he is the human being who is to be tested", which leads the Doctor to get nervous. "You will reveal nothing to your companion. Obey the Daleks, you are in our power," the Dalek states. Talk about chilling stuff, right? Well, the Daleks are only set to get more calculating and powerful as the tale goes on. According to the synopsis: "In a complex plot that drags him from modern-day London to Victorian times and finally to the Dalek world of Skaro, he endures ordeals that test his courage, strength and his friendship with the Doctor to the limit." The audiobook is just one of a slew of exciting titles that are being released to cele…

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Doctor Who’s David Bradley on “taking liberties” with the First Doctor
type: item
date: 2023-10-18T07:00:45.000Z
creator: Louise Griffin
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
subject: Video
description: "The second time with Peter Capaldi, I could be a bit more rock 'n' roll with it."
encoded: David Bradley has had a unique journey when it comes to Doctor Who, from being cast as the late William Hartnell to actually taking on the role of the First Doctor. The actor, also known for his role in the Harry Potter films, first came to Doctor Who for a guest appearance in season 7 episode Dinosaurs on a Spaceship and returned for the 50th anniversary docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time to play Hartnell. He impressed the show's bosses so much that when they decided to bring back a version of the First Doctor, originally played by Hartnell, alongside Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor, they knew exactly who to call. Bradley tells RadioTimes.com: "I ran into Mark Gatiss last night, at the National Theatre, and the bar afterwards, and he said, 'Do you realise it's [been] 10 years since we did An Adventure in Space and Time?' And it just reminded me of one of the best jobs I've ever had. I still feel very proud of what Mark and everybody did in that and just to be a part of it. "Hartnell was my first ever Doctor - I'm that young - and so it was the honour and the responsibility of being asked to do it, when you're playing someone you not only admire but there’s still members of their family around to either give it [a thumbs up or thumbs down]. Fortunately for me, they all said, ‘Yeah, you got granddad’ and I was so delighted, and it was more of a relief as much as anything else. "Of course, the second time with Peter Capaldi, I could be a bit more rock 'n' roll with it and just take a few liberties with it, and have more fun with the character, rather than focusing on the accuracy and convincing proper Whovians who know much more about that world than I do. And to get the thumbs up from them was quite something." Bradley has made it clear that he never wanted to completely mimic Hartnell's way of playing the First Doctor - but that's not to say he didn't do his research. "One still hoped to make the most of the footage I was shown of the Doctor," he recalls. "Just…

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Doctor Who's Scream of the Shalka deserves to be celebrated
type: item
date: 2023-10-17T07:00:04.000Z
creator: Morgan Jeffery
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: 60 Days of Doctor Who
subject: Comment
description: It's been 20 years since the great Doctor Who revival that wasn't.
encoded: You'll have been hard-pressed to miss the news that November 2023 will see Doctor Who celebrate six decades since it first materialised on our television screens, but this year also marks another anniversary for the series, one far less likely to generate news headlines or even prompt much fan discussion. On 13th November 2003, Scream of the Shalka debuted its first episode on the BBC's official Doctor Who website. Two decades on, Shalka has been, if not entirely forgotten, then certainly consigned to obscurity – alongside Peter Cushing's 1960s big-screen Dr Who, it's become a byword for spin-off minutiae that only the hardcore completists care much about. But to remember it only as a curio (if you're feeling generous) or a failure (if you're not) is a massive disservice – not just to the story itself, but to how immensely exciting its existence felt at the time. Scream of the Shalka was a victim of circumstance. When it was announced in July 2003, the prospect of Doctor Who ever returning to television in live-action felt like the stuff of fantasy – it had been seven years since the Paul McGann-starring TV movie had failed to initiate a series, and fans had more or less come to terms with the fact that we'd have to make do sustaining ourselves on novels, comic strips and audio plays (which were, at least, plentiful). So the announcement of a new "series" of Doctor Who – albeit an animated series, streamed on the web – was hugely thrilling. From writer Paul Cornell, who'd penned a number of acclaimed spin-off novels during the show's so-called "wilderness years", this was billed as the next chapter in the show's history, the first since the McGann movie, 100% canonical and featuring an official Ninth Doctor, played – again, thrillingly – by Richard E Grant. It all just felt so... real. The pedigree of Scream of the Shalka – the inaugural six-part story which, we all felt sure, would be the first of many such adventures – didn't stop there, either. Welcome to 60 Days…

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