Doctor Who Feeds

Novelisations of Jubilee and The Chimes of Midnight hit bookshelves in October, while the Big Finish exclusive editions are an instant sell-out

 

BBC Books have revealed the covers for the two new Doctor Who books by acclaimed author Rob Shearman. As Blogtor Who previously reported, these novelise his two Big Finish audio plays, Jubilee and The Chimes of Midnight. Widely regarded as among the very best of the Big Finish’s early days the new versions will certainly be highly prized by fans. In fact, exclusive limited edition of the two volumes, featuring the original CD cover art, sold out yesterday within hours of going on sale.

Limited to 500 copies, the Big Finish exclusive editions almost instantly sold out. Cover art by Clayton Hickman (c) Big Finish

Big Finish chairman, Jason Haigh-Ellery, said: “As a fan of Rob’s work for nearly 25 years, I can’t wait to read these books and gain new insights into stories that have been justifiably lauded as some of the best Doctor Who in any medium.”

Robert Shearman added: “I’ve always been very proud of these audio stories written by a much younger me, and it’s been an absolute joy to go back to them, look at them from fresh angles, and turn them into something new.”

But don’t despair, the regular editions of both books go on sale on the 9th of October. Find links for your preferred pre-order vendor for Jubilee and Chimes of Midnight on the Penguin Random House site.

 

Doctor Who: Jubilee (c) BBC Books Doctor Who: Jubilee

“The Doctor and the Daleks. Have you never thought they are really both the exact same thing?” 

It is time to celebrate! Let all the citizens of the glorious English Empire come together and give thanks to that mysterious soldier in time and space known only as the Doctor. For 100 years ago he destroyed a Dalek invasion force without mercy, and became the saviour of us all. 

We have just one real Dalek left. Kept alive in the Tower of London, all these years our prisoner. And tomorrow we are going to blow it up, just for you! So put up your Dalek bunting and raise a glass of Dalek Juice. Who knows, there may be a special guest in attendance – the Doctor himself! Oh, you lucky people! Time to get this party started… 

 

Doctor Who: The Chimes of Midnight (c) BBC Books Doctor Who: The Chimes of Midnight

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house not a creature was stirring… 

But something must be stirring. Something hidden in the shadows. Something which kills the servants of an old Edwardian mansion in the most brutal and macabre manner possible. Exactly on the chiming of the hour, every hour, as the grandfather clock ticks on towards midnight. 

Trapped and afraid, the Doctor and his companion, Charley, are forced to play detective to murders with no motive, where even the victims don’t stay dead. Time is running out. 

And time itself might well be the killer… 

The post Rob Shearman Doctor Who Novelisation Covers appeared first on Blogtor Who.

The Doctor and Belinda’s adventures continue next weekend with the new Doctor Who episode Lux, with more details now available

 

The Robot Revolution has swept across the face of Missbelindachandra I, and the Doctor has begun his quest to get Belinda home, the long way round. So now it’s time to look ahead to next week’s episode of Doctor Who. We’ve known for a while that Lux would feature Alan Cumming voicing cartoon villain Mr. Ring-a-ding. Also that the hand drawn fiend tries to take over a movie theatre in 1950s Miami. (For today, anyway; tradition demands that tomorrow it’s doubtlessly the world!)

But there’s now an official synopsis, trailer, and cast list for next Saturday’s adventure. The time slot is available too, with the 43 minute episode airing on BBC One at the slightly later time of 7.15pm.

Like most of the promotion for Lux so far, the trailer gives little away about the story. Fans essentially know nothing beyond that one fun central concept and bit of casting. Though the synopsis offers an intriguing hint that Mr. Ring-a-ding may not be the main architect of the chaos, after all…

 

Doctor Who: Lux

The Doctor’s quest to get Belinda home takes the Tardis to Miami in 1952, where an abandoned cinema is hiding a terrifying secret. Can the Doctor uncover Lux’s power?

Cast

The Doctor – Ncuti Gatwa
Belinda Chandra – Varada Sethu
Reginald Pye – Linus Roache
Mr Ring-a-Ding – Alan Cumming
Newsreader – Ian Shaw
Tommy Lee – Cassius Hackforth
Husband – Ryan Speakman
Sunshine Sally – Millie O’Connell
Logan Cheever – Lewis Cornay
Renée Lowenstein – Lucy Thackeray
Helen Pye – Jane Hancock
Policeman – William Meredith
Hassan – Samir Arrian
Lizzie – Bronte Barbe
Robyn – Steph Lacey
Mrs Flood – Anita Dobson

 

Belinda Chandra (VARADA SETHU) and the Doctor (NCUTI GATWA face a horror picture show in Lux ,BBC Studios,James Pardon Doctor Who continues with Lux at 7.15pm this Saturday on BBC One. Episodes drop on iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ everywhere else (except Ireland) at 8am GMT.

The post Doctor Who: Lux – Time Slot, Synopsis, and Trailer appeared first on Blogtor Who.

The post Video of the Day – BritBox: Grace, 2021 appeared first on Blogtor Who.

Doctor Who is back with Ncuti Gatwa’s second season at the helm of the TARDIS. “The Robot Revolution” delivers a much stronger opening episode than last year, introducing us to a new companion with a refreshingly dynamic with the Doctor. It is an opener that balances adventure, character development, and intriguing mystery in a way that bodes well for the season ahead.

SPOILER WARNING — MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD

Doctor Who S2,E1 – The Robot Revolution – The Robot Revolution,Belinda Chandra (VARADA SETHU) The Doctor (NCUTI GATWA) C BBC Studios, Photo By James Pardon A New Companion Enters the TARDIS (Whether She Likes It or Not)

The episode wastes no time introducing us to Varada Sethu’s Belinda Chandra, an overworked A&E nurse with irritating flatmates who eat her food and can’t even be bothered to get her name right. (“It’s Belinda, not Linda!”)

What makes Belinda instantly fascinating isn’t that she’s dazzled by the Doctor’s charm and the wonders of time and space. She’s having absolutely none of it. After being kidnapped by robots who bizarrely claim she’s their queen because her ex-boyfriend Alan (Jonny Green) named a star after her (specifically “Miss Belinda Chandra”), she has one priority: getting home for her next shift at the hospital.

“I am not your adventure!” she snaps at the Doctor at one point, and it’s brilliant. This is a capable professional who calls him out when he crosses boundaries. When the Doctor scans her with his sonic without permission, she immediately challenges him on consent — something the Time Lord has casually ignored for decades.

Doctor Who: Unleashed S2E1 – The Robot Revolution – Belinda Chandra (VARADA SETHU), The Doctor (NCUTI GATWA) ,DESCRIPTION:,COPYRIGHT:BBC Studios,CREDIT LINE:BBC Studios/James Pardon

It’s refreshing to see a genuinely reluctant companion again. Not since Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) with the Fifth Doctor (and, of course, Donna Noble’s (Catherine Tate) first appearance as the Christmas Bride) have we had someone who so persistently wants to get back to their normal life.  Teagan eventually adjusted to life on the TARDIS until she didn’t and famously left abruptly.

Will Belinda follow a similar trajectory, gradually adjusting to life with the Doctor before eventually reaching her breaking point? Or will she forge a different path? Either way, this dynamic feels wonderfully nostalgic while still being thoroughly modern.

Chemistry That Crackles

What truly elevates “The Robot Revolution” is the electric dynamic between Gatwa and Sethu. The friction between the Doctor and Belinda feels organic and compelling from the moment they meet.

Doctor Who S2E1 – The Robot Revolution ,The Doctor (NCUTI GATWA) BBC Studios,James Pardon

Gatwa continues to grow into the role, showing more confidence and nuance in his portrayal. His Doctor remains energetic and charismatic, but there’s a more polished quality to his performance now. Sethu, meanwhile, makes an immediate impression with Belinda’s no-nonsense attitude and competence, establishing her as an equal partner rather than a sidekick.

Mrs. Flood: This Season’s Susan Twist?

Last season gave us the delightful mystery of Susan Triad (Susan Twist), whose seemingly random cameo appearances in each episode eventually became the crux of the series finale. This time around, it looks like Anita Dobson’s enigmatic Mrs. Flood is stepping into that role — but with potentially darker implications.

Doctor Who S2E1 – The Robot Revolution Mrs Flood (ANITA DOBSON) BBC Studios, Lara Cornell

Making a brief but significant appearance as Belinda’s nosy neighbour, Mrs. Flood continues her fourth-wall-breaking ways when she witnesses Belinda’s abduction, directly telling the audience to “forget we saw her.” While initially introduced as Ruby Sunday’s (Millie Gibson) neighbour in last year’s Christmas special, her subsequent appearances revealed knowledge of the TARDIS and apparent familiarity with the malevolent Sutekh.

Intriguingly, Dobson herself has hinted she was “halfway” to guessing her character’s true identity, and has promised that Mrs. Flood “really flies her colours” in the final episodes of this season. Remember how the last season ended with her cryptic warning that the Doctor’s story would “end in absolute terror”? That puzzle piece seems ready to connect with the mystery of Earth’s apparent destruction we glimpse at the episode’s end.

A Familiar Formula With Some Fresh Twists

Russell T Davies returns to write this opener, and it feels very much in his wheelhouse — killer robots, high-stakes escapes, and quippy dialogue aplenty. There’s a clever bit where the robots suffer from a glitch that prevents them from hearing every ninth word, leading to some nimble wordplay from the Doctor.

Doctor Who S2E1 – The Robot Revolution elinda Chandra (VARADA SETHU) Sasha (EVELYN MILLER) BBC Studios, Lara Cornell

The premise starts with a pulpy sci-fi concept — Belinda is taken to a planet called “Missbelindachandra One” populated by the “Missbelindachandrakind” and their robot overlords. The twist midway through reveals that Alan, Belinda’s controlling ex-boyfriend, has become the AI Generator (or “AL” Generator) controlling the robots.

The Disney+ money is definitely on screen, with the robot designs blending modern effects with a classic Who handmade aesthetic that wouldn’t look out of place alongside Daleks or Weeping Angels.

The Link to Season One

Whovians will recognise Sethu from last season’s standout episode, “Boom,” where she played Mundy Flynn. This isn’t just a case of reusing an actor — it’s a deliberate storytelling choice. As the Doctor confirms, a “genetic link” between Belinda and Mundy spans thousands of years, adding an intriguing layer to Belinda’s presence.

Doctor Who S2E1 – The Robot Revolution elinda Chandra (VARADA SETHU) BBC Studios, James Pardon Ambitious Themes in a Compact Format

“The Robot Revolution” tackles some weighty social themes – specifically incel culture and coercive control. The revelation that Alan, Belinda’s controlling ex-boyfriend, has essentially built an entire planetary society around his obsession with her is a genuinely disturbing concept. His insistence on calling her “Miss Belinda Chandra” (questioning if she’s married when she objects) and his need to control everything about her life is translated into an entire civilisation of robots programmed to enforce his will.

Doctor Who S2E1 – The Robot Revolution, The Doctor (NCUTI GATWA) BBC Studios, James Pardon

Belinda dubs it the “planet of incels,” the episode makes its message explicit rather than implicit. (Although, the incel culture appears to be limited to Alan and his robots only.) But unlike last season’s “Dot & Bubble,” which had time to develop its anti-racism message with nuance, or Netflix’s recent “Adolescence” series, which dedicates entire episodes to exploring toxic masculinity, “The Robot Revolution” simply doesn’t have the breathing room to develop these themes fully.

Doctor Who has always been “woke” in the best sense – using sci-fi allegory to comment on real-world issues – but effective messaging requires time to land properly. Without the breathing space, complex themes get condensed to the point where they become more explicit statements than developed commentaries. Here, the message about coercive control feels more like a label applied to the villain than an organic exploration of a serious issue. We’re told Alan is a controlling misogynist rather than shown the full impact of his behaviour. The rushed pacing left little room for thoughtful exploration that Doctor Who can and does deliver.

The Wrong-Way TARDIS: A Return to Classic Who

Ever since the 2005 revival, we’ve grown accustomed to a remarkably reliable TARDIS. Gone are the days when the First Doctor couldn’t get Ian and Barbara home for two seasons. Until now.

The “Wrong-Way TARDIS” predicament harkens back to the classic era’s delicious navigation uncertainty. After Belinda makes it abundantly clear she wants to go home to May 24th, 2025, the Doctor’s trusty time machine suddenly develops a very specific navigation problem — it physically cannot reach that date. Each attempt results in the TARDIS bouncing off that timeline like it’s hitting an invisible barrier.

What makes this particularly intriguing is that it’s not a case of the Doctor’s dodgy piloting skills or general TARDIS unreliability — it’s a targeted, specific timeline lockout. The Doctor’s promise to “take the long way round” takes on an ominous tone when the episode’s final shots reveal what appears to be Earth in ruins floating through space — the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, and other landmarks drifting amid debris, with a calendar marked May 24th.

A new adventure begins when a weird spatial anomaly passes through the TARDIS , BBC Studios/Bad Wolf,James Pardon

This setup not only creates tension between our reluctant companion and the Doctor but restores some of the unpredictability that made classic Who so thrilling. When the TARDIS becomes a wildcard rather than a reliable taxi service, the Doctor and companion are truly at the mercy of the universe again. It’s a brilliant way to revive that sense of genuine adventure — where neither the Doctor nor the companion knows exactly where or when they’ll end up next.

Verdict

“The Robot Revolution” makes for a stronger season opener than last year’s “Space Babies,” anchored by a compelling new companion and the fresh dynamic she brings. It does what a good series opener should- it excites you for what’s to come.

At a time when rumours about the show’s future are swirling (with speculation about whether Disney+ will renew its distribution deal with the BBC), it’s worth remembering what makes Doctor Who special: its ability to contain multitudes — “the serious and the silly, the sublime and the ridiculous.” If this opener is anything to go by, we’re in for another wild ride through time and space — even if Belinda Chandra would rather be anywhere else.

Doctor Who returns this Saturday with The Robot Revolution at 6.50pm on BBC One. Episodes drop on iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ everywhere else (except Ireland) at 8am GMT. Doctor Who continues with Lux at 7.15pm on 19th April, 2025 Saturday on BBC One. Episodes drop on iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ everywhere else (except Ireland) at 8am GMT.

The post REVIEW – Doctor Who – The Robot Revolution Delivers a Cracking New Doctor-Companion Dynamic appeared first on Blogtor Who.

The post Video of the Day – Doctor Who: Rose, 2005 appeared first on Blogtor Who.

The Whoniverse welcomes legendary Eurovision host Graham Norton in the “wildest” episode of 2025

Calling all Eurovision fans! This season of Doctor Who will follow the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) as they travel to the 803rd Interstellar Song Contest. Planets from across the universe are there to compete for the top prize. Also along for the ride is the King of Eurovision himself, Graham Norton!

Graham Norton joins the ensemble cast for the episode, which includes guest appearances from stars of stage and screen Freddie Fox, Rylan, Kadiff Kirwan, Charlie Condou and Miriam-Teak Lee.

This will be the first time Norton has officially been on the guest list for Doctor Who. An infamous audio mix-up in 2005 meant his backstage comments in the Strictly Dance Fever studio bled over into the original broadcast of Rose. Meanwhile, in 2010 the BBC had a badly conceived, and short lived, flirtation with pop up ads. The result was a cartoon of Norton showing up during The Time of Angels’ tense cliffhanger, to viewers’ dismay.

All is forgiven, however, as Norton finally becomes a true member of the Doctor Who family.

 

Rylan Clark & Sabine (JULIE DRAY) also guest star in the Eurovision style episode ,BBC Studios,James Pardon “We’re lucky to have Graham adding to the mayhem“

Russell T Davies, showrunner said: “There’s no song contest without the great man himself, and it was an honour to welcome Graham Norton to our studios in Cardiff. And it’s not just a cameo, he has a whole plot twist all to himself! This is the wildest episode of all, and we’re lucky to have Graham adding to the mayhem.”

Of course, audience known him best these days as a presenter, chat show host, and novelist, Norton first came to fame as a comic actor. So he’s the perfect celebrity guest to join the Doctor for a wild run down a corridor or two.

The Interstellar Song Contest, which features an appearance from Graham Norton, is the sixth episode of the upcoming season and airs on Saturday, the 17th of May. That’s the same day as Eurovision itself! So expect people’s traditional Eurovision house parties to start an hour earlier this year!

 

 

Belinda Chandra (VARADA SETHU) and the Doctor (NCUTI GATWA in Doctor Who Season 2),BBC Public Service,Danny Kasirye Doctor Who returns this Saturday with The Robot Revolution at 6.50pm on BBC One. Episodes drop on iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ everywhere else (except Ireland) at 8am GMT.

The post Invading Doctor Who is SO Graham Norton! appeared first on Blogtor Who.

Varada Sethu boards the TARDIS as Belinda this weekend, but she’s no stranger to SF or action adventures

For many Doctor Who fans, they’ll have first seen Varada Sethu as Anglican marine Mundy Flynn in last year’s Steven Moffat anti-war story Boom. Now she’s back as the Doctor’s latest best friend, Belinda Chandra, in eight new episodes starting tomorrow. But Sethu’s acting history extends much further back, full of exciting performances to discover.

Appropriately for her new role as a nurse whisked away across time and space, Sethu comes from a medical background. Both of her parents are doctors, and Varada herself trained originally first as a vet, then as a physiologist. However, her love of performing, initially through the classical Indian dance forms of Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam won out, and she began studyng at the Identity School of Acting.

Her first role soon followed in 2010 playing a student challenging a racist classmate in two-hander short film Impressions. A succession of minor roles followed. The most significant of these was a collaboration with Russell T Davies on his vision of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. Sethu played Peaseblossom, a member of Titania’s entourage of fairies. It was the role that first brought her to the once and future Doctor Who showrunner’s attention.

 

Varada Sethu as Chetri, part of the elite special forces team of Strike Back (c) Sky Sky’s action thriller series Strike Back recruited Sethu for two seasons as Section 20’s resident tech expert in the field

A slightly larger role followed in huge hit drama Doctor Foster, as one of the friends of Jodie Comer’s Kate. But it was as series regular DS Mishal Ali in Hard Sun that Varda won her largest role to date. Neil Cross’ (The Rings of Akhaten, Hide) crime thriller series set in the shadow of a looming apocalypse may have been cancelled one season into a planned five year run. However, the performances of Sethu and the rest of the cast were generally well received.

Hard Sun’s cancellation at least freed Sethu to become a regular in Sky’s military action series Strike Back, joining in series seven as Lance Corporal Manisha Chetri. At first glance the gunfire heavy role might seem a world away from Doctor Who. But the two seasons of running down corridors, hacking computers, getting captured, escaping, getting captured again, escaping again, and just generally saving the entire world from Armageddon, arguably provided the perfect grounding for what was to come.

 

Varada Sethu as Cinta Kaz with Faye Marsay as Vel Satha in Star Wars: Andor (c) Lucasfilm As well as co-starring with Nicola Walker and Paul McGann as part of the Annika team, Sethu helps lead the Rebellion in highly acclaimed Star Wars series Andor

Varada Sethu is currently appearing on our screens in three separate high profile series. She’s DS Harper Weston, a member of the team of detectives headed up by the eponymous Annika in the BBC crime drama starring Nicola Walker (Big Finish companion Liv) and Paul McGann.

She’s also one of the regular supporting cast of Andor. The series is generally agreed to be one of the best things to happen to the Star Wars universe in years. In the Disney+ show Sethu plays Cinta Kaz. Cinta’s a key member of the Rebellion against the Empire and girlfriend of Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay, Last Christmas). Among Andor’s unfolding web of plots, Cinta played a major role in the Aldhani storyline that saw her and Vel’s team of rebels launch a Where Eagles Dare inspired assault on a remote Imperial base. In particular, her cynical and suspicious nature help keep her team alive. After all, this is a galaxy where dark forces really do lurk around every corner.

The Star Wars team have confirmed Cinta continues to be a main player in the action for the second season, set to drop on the 22nd of April.

 

Belinda Chandra (VARADA SETHU) and Sasha (EVELYN MILLER) in The Robot Revolution ,BBC Studios,Lara Cornell Both Andor and Doctor Who return this month, with Varada Sethu then heading to comic book adaptation 100 Nights of Hero

Following Doctor Who and Star Wars, Sethu will hit cinema screens in comic book adaptation 100 Nights of Hero. The film co-stars Richard E Grant (The Snowmen), Felicity Jones (The Unicorn and the Wasp), Emma Corrin (Deadpool & Wolverine), and Charli XCX.

It’s a testament to how quickly Varada Sethu’s profile has grown in recent years that this means she’ll be starring internationally in two major Disney+ shows at once. Her return to the Star Wars galaxy far far away comes just days after she boards the TARDIS as Belinda. Her filmography shows a range of strength, wit, heart, and energy perfect for her latest role as Doctor Who’s companion.

 

Belinda (Varada Sethu) and the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) head out into a universe of adventure in 2025 Doctor Who returns with The Robot Revolution on the 12th of April 2025 to BBC One and iPlayer in the UK and Ireland, and Disney+ everywhere else. Episodes drop at 8am GMT.

 

The post PROFILE: Varada Sethu – Doctor Who’s Latest Companion appeared first on Blogtor Who.

The post Video of the Day – Collateral Official Trailer, 2018 appeared first on Blogtor Who.

Nurse Belinda Chandra is about to step onto the TARDIS, but she’s not the first medic to assist the Doctor

 

Some were teachers, Highland pipers, scientists, journalists, and flight attendants. Others were police officers, office temps, and sales assistants. But among those who have chosen to accept the Doctor’s invitation to join them on their cosmic joyride some have belonged to a special group of professions. Appropriately for companions of the Doctor, the definite article you might say, some of been doctors or nurses. The latest of these is Belinda Chandra, played by Varada Sethu, who joins Ncuti Gatwa in the TARDIS this weekend. But the nurse is a worthy successor to the Doctor Who companions who came before her.

Blogtor Who presents a special guide to some of those heroes who were already saving lives long before they met the Doctor.

 

Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter) battles Styre the Sontaran (Kevin Lindsay) in Earth’s distant future (c) Big Finish) Harry Sullivan

It actually took 12 seasons for the first doctor to join the Doctor. Specifically, Harry had the title lieutenant-surgeon, a member of the Royal Navy on secondment to the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. “Only qualified to work on sailors,” as the Doctor joked, the UNIT medic was already a man slightly out of time before his first trip in the TARDIS. Travelling alongside Sarah Jane, his old fashioned manners and borderline chauvinism often exasperation the strong, independent reporter.

But while the Doctor might have sometimes questioned Harry’s intelligence (“HARRY SULLIVAN IS AN IMBECILE!” he once bellowed into the darkness of an alien cave system) nobody could doubt his courage. Indeed Steven Moffat took inspiration for Boom from a scene in Genesis of the Daleks. After the Doctor steps on a landmine, Harry refuses to leave him; disobeying the Time Lord’s orders to stay and make the device safe.

We first see Harry at work in the UNIT sickbay (“Don’t you mean the infirmary?” asks the Doctor. “I do not,” bristles nautical Harry, “I mean the sickbay.”) Responsible for easing Tom Baker’s Doctor through his post-regeneration instability, he’s quite out of his depth. Before long though he’s reviving cryogenic sleepers tens of thousands of years in the future.

Played by the late Ian Marter with thorough decency, Harry is an underrated third wheel to the team of the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane.

 

Martha Jones in The Doctor’s Daughter (c) BBC Studios Martha Jones

It would be another 32 years before there was another doctor travelling full time in the TARDIS on TV. Martha Jones was a medical student at the Royal Hope Hospital in London (conveniently the exact size, shape, and location of the real world St.Thomas Hospital) when the Judoon abducted the entire building to the Moon. Fortunately, one of Martha’s patients, a “John Smith” was actually the Doctor. He saved the world, but Martha saved his life, resulting in him offering a place about the TARDIS.

Martha was defined by a strong code of ethics that made her incapable of standing by and watching injustice. Her practical mind and forthright manner meant she was the perfect foil for the glib Tenth. Meanwhile, she showed her real strength when faced with a challenge greater than almost any other companion has dealt with. Spending an entire year walking an Earth conquered by the Master, it was only thanks to her that the evil Time Lord was overthrown and time itself set right.

Realizing that her infatuation with the Doctor was bad for her, she made the difficult decision to leave. She became a doctor with UNIT, and also worked with Torchwood, while still occasionally meeting up with the Doctor. Rather improbably, we last saw her married to Rose Tyler’s ex-boyfriend Mickey Smith (Blogtor doubts it lasted.)

The same compassion and level headedness that made Martha a good doctor, made her a great companion

During all her adventures on Earth and beyond, Martha never forgot that she was a doctor, first and foremost. If a man was magically drowned with witchcraft she’d leap into action to revive him. If Captain Jack died (again) she’d immediately start mouth to mouth (he didn’t complain.) And when she returned to Earth, it was to complete her training and use her medical skills to help protect the world.

Freema Agyeman brought both a fiery spirit and grounded dignity to Dr. Jones. She succeeded in the difficult task of following on from Billie Piper’s Rose.

 

Over his three seasons with the Doctor, Rory develops into quite a bad ass (c) BBC Studios Rory Williams

Rory Williams received what you’d now call as a soft launch. Both as the paramour of fellow companion Amy Pond, and as a member of the Doctor’s entourage, he was first introduced as a hanger on. A timid nurse at Royal Leadworth Hospital, he seemed at first cast in the same mould as Mickey Smith. Someone to represent the humdrum life from which Amy was running away.

But by Series Five’s end, he was a fully fledged member of team TARDIS and well established as the true love of Amy’s life. Perhaps left to his own devices he wouldn’t have been naturally inclined to join the Doctor. Throwing himself into swordfights with Venetian vampires with a broom was not really his idea of fun. But he was a fierce and loyal friend to the Doctor and courageous defender of Amy. Few companions in Doctor Who history have performed a feat as difficult, or romantic, as standing vigil for 2,000 years to protect them.

Rory was a fierce and loyal friend and husband, but stopped being a healer

Like Martha, Rory also often viewed situations through a medical lens. In his first appearance, it’s him who notices something odd about the coma patients in the hospital. Throughout his appearances too, his first thought is always to care for the injured.

However, Rory existence half a step removed from the usual Doctor/Companion mutual adoration society also meant he had a clearer picture of the Doctor than most. It was Rory who could point out when the Doctor went too far. And it was him who pointed out the way the Doctor could make people a danger to themselves. Like Harry before him, Rory was a pivotal member of a trio, whose brilliance as a character is too often overlooked.

 

San Francisco surgeon Grace Holloway has one glorious adventure with the Doctor in New Year’s Eve, 1999 (c) BBC Studios Medical Friends and Surgical Allies

In a reality bending show about time travel, with over six decades of continuity to try and fit together, it’s perhaps surprising that one of the most difficult questions to answer is the most simple. There are almost as many definitions of who to count as a companion as there are companions themselves. But let’s look at some of the Doctor’s best friends and allies who, like Harry and Martha, Rory and Belinda, have come from the medical world.

Other friends and allies of the Doctor have included American cardiac surgeons and Sontaran nurses

Grace Holloway only met the Doctor once onscreen. But as Paul McGann’s co-star in the 1996 TV movie, she’s long been considered an honorary companion. A cardiac surgeon at a San Francisco she has the rare distinction among the Doctor’s friends of having killed them. Or at least triggering his regeneration into the Eighth Doctor when surgery on the wounded Seventh’s unfamiliar anatomy went badly wrong. She more than makes up for it, though. The next day she helps the Doctor save the planet from the Master. Into the bargain she gives him his first (of many) onscreen kisses.

Strax may be most famous now as Madame Vastra’s butler and a key member of the Paternoster Gang. But the Sontaran was first introduced as a battlefield nurse. Uniquely among the heroes on this left, Strax resents his title and job, nursing being the ultimate punishment duty that can be inflicted on the warlike Sontarans. His medical skills come in more handy than his acid grenades on more than one occasion though. However, nobody yet has taken him up on his genetically modified ability to produce gallons of breast milk for neonatal duties. He’s also an almost unique case among the Doctor’s friends of someone who presumably once a villain. We can only guess that in an unseen adventure he actually took the Time Lord’s “one chance” offer to change his ways.

 

Novice Hame, a nurse with the Sisters of Plenitude on New Earth (c) BBC Studios Novice Hame was an foe turned friend, while Grace O’Brien left an indelible mark on the Thirteenth Doctor’s life

A member of the nursing order of the Sisters of Plenitude in New New York Hospital, Novice Hame is another such rare example. The feline alien was part of the epic conspiracy to grow an entire farm of humans for experimental medical trials. She’s played a part in crimes against humanity on an almost inconceivable scale. Yet the gentle, thoughtful performance by Anna Hope as Hame, one of the newest and most junior of the Sisters made her role in mass murder easy to forget. Even the Tenth Doctor greets her, on their second meeting, with a smile and a hug before he remembers. But the story reveals that she’s spent decades trying atone for her past crimes, nursing the Face of Boe and helping keep the tens of millions trapped in the undercity alive after a pandemic wipes out the entire population on New Earth’s surface.

Grace O’Brien may never have gotten to travel in the TARDIS. Yet the oncology nurse from Sheffield left an indelible mark on the Doctor’s life. When aliens, including the newly regenerated Thirteenth Doctor, literally crash into her life, Grace is the first to run towards danger. It ultimately costs her her life. Howeve, her memory inspired her husband Graham, and her grandson Ryan. They honoured her memory by joining the Doctor on the adventures Grace would have loved to go on. Via imagined conversations, alien imposters, and inflicted nightmares, Sharon D Clarke remained a presence on the show. But the real Grace was always irreplaceable.

 

“John Smith” and school nurse Joan Redfern in Human Nature (c) BBC Studios Honourable mentions

Honourable mentions have to go to Lady Jennifer Buckingham and Joan Redfern. Each only featured in one story but played a significant role as the Doctor’s ally in each. Lady Jennifer volunteered as a nurse during World War I, before being abducted and conditioned to take part in The War Games. She was one of the first to realize the truth, with the Second Doctor’s help. She went on to be a pivotal part of freeing the thousands of soldiers stolen from across human history. Joan, meanwhile, was a school matron who fell in love with “John Smith” when the Doctor transformed himself into a human in order to hide in the early 20th century.

In the Whoniverse beyond the TV show, of course, we have to mention Hex. Thomas Hector “Hex” Schofield was a staff nurse at St. Gart’s in Bolton when the Seventh Doctor and Ace crashed into his life in the Big Finish audio play The Harvest. Discovering a project to use corpses from St. Gart’s to create a new race of Cybermen, he helped put a stop to it before coming aboard the TARDIS.

A potential love interest for Ace, he never really enjoyed life in the TARDIS, seeing it as filled with too much death and destruction, and not enough opportunities to save individual lives. From working as a paramedic on distant planets, to helping the dying on the battlefields of Oliver Cromwell’s genocides, he never forgot his status as a medic. Ultimately, after a character arc with far too many bizarre twists and turns to go into here, he returned home and to nursing.

 

 

Belinda Chandra (VARADA SETHU) in The Robot Revolution ,BBC Studios,James Pardon Belinda Chandra

Even now, just days before her debut, we still know tantalizingly little about Belinda. We know that she’s a nurse, and that she’s abducted by robots and taken to a distant planet. We know, too, that the driving arc of the season will be the Doctor trying, and failing, to get her home. The trailer shows he doing things with IVs in the midst of the robot revolution, and snarks back that if the Doctor won’t tell her his real name, she can be “the Nurse.”

She’ll doubtlessly go on one hell of a journey, too, as companions always do. And no doubt she’ll do her predecessors like Martha and Harry proud.

 

Belinda Chandra (VARADA SETHU) and the Doctor (NCUTI GATWA in Doctor Who Season 2),BBC Public Service,Danny Kasirye Doctor Who returns with The Robot Revolution at 6.50pm on the 12th of April 2025 to BBC One. Episodes drop on iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ everywhere else (except Ireland) at 8am GMT.

 

 

The post Doctors and Nurses: Doctor Who’s Medical Companions appeared first on Blogtor Who.

The post Video of the Day – Doctor Who: The Autons, 1970 appeared first on Blogtor Who.

Forbidden Planet celebrate the return of Doctor Who for a new season with a brand new wave of merchandise

 

Forbidden Planet are releasing a whole new wave of Doctor Who merchandise to celebrate the start of the 2025 season. The products concentrate on the Fifteenth Doctor and Belinda as they appear in current promotional photos and key art, primarily the Doctor’s outfit from The Robot Revolution and Belinda’s from The Story & the Engine. The new wave includes a mug, coasters, t-shirts, postcards, art prints and even a pin badge.

The first items from the new wave are out now. The coasters, postcards, and art prints are all available to buy straight away. The t-shirts follow next week on the 15th of April, the mug can be bought from the 23rd of April. Finally the pin badge arrives at the end of next month on the 30th of May.

 

The full list of items is: Out now:

• Retro Coaster 1, featuring Gatwa’s Joy to the World look, £4.99
• Retro Coaster 2, featuring the Doctor in his Robot Revolution costume, £4.99
• Season 2 Postcard Set, featuring eight designs of the Doctor, Belinda, and the TARDIS, £8.99
• The Thinking Doctor Art Print, based on The Robot Revolution, £10.99
• The Doctor and Belinda Art Print, featuring the text “The Long Way Round,” £10.99

Out the 15th of April:

• Doctor in Denim T-shirt, featuring the same Thinking Doctor art, £19.99
• Retro Ringer T-shirt, classic ‘ringer’ style t-shirt featuring Gatwa in Robot Revolution, £21.99

Out the 23rd of April:

• Retro TARDIS Mug, matching the designs from the Retro Coaster, with the TARDIS between, £10.00

Out the 30th of May:

• Enamel Pin Badge, featuring a Kawaii art version of the Time Lord in his Robot Revolution costume, £10.99

You can pre-order all the times in the new wave from the official Forbidden Planet website now. The team are also sure to add more to their collection as the season continues over the coming weeks.

 

The post New Wave of Doctor Who 2025 Merchandise appeared first on Blogtor Who.

A love of Doctor Who made him a director, now Last of Us and Daredevil director Peter Hoar returns home to direct some of the show’s most ambitious episodes ever

 

It’s rare for someone to join the Doctor Who family, whether in front of behind the camera, who doesn’t make some claim to Who fandom. Even if it’s just that they remember the one with the maggots, or the one with the gasmask zombies. But director Peter Hoar is no casual fan. No, long before signing up to direct two of this season’s episodes, including this week’s premiere The Robot Revolution, Hoar was a massive fan.

“I grew up with [Doctor Who],” he told the Radio Times in 2023, “and I’m here because of that show. And from that, I just span out into all kinds of science fiction.” It echoed earlier comments he’d made as an alumni to his old college, Bournmouth University. “I would say without question that the reason that I do the job I do is because of Doctor Who,” he told them in a 2022 discussion. “As a ten year old I realised it was somebody’s job to make that show and it’s what they did for a living.”

Peter Hoar has already realised his life ambition by that point, directing 2011 episode A Good Man Goes to War. His work contains some of the most electrifying, and most frequently quoted, scenes in Doctor Who. It also meant Hoar played no small part in establishing Vastra, Jenny, and Strax. The future Paternoster Gang were immediately characters too fun and adorable to be one hit wonders.

 

Peter Hoar directs Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett in his multi-award winning Last of Us episode (c) Amazon After the obligatory stint on Hollyoaks, the British director made his name in America on shows like Daredevil and The Umbrella Academy

That love of science fiction created by a youth watching Doctor Who led the director to many, equally exciting projects. He directed some of the most powerful episodes of Marvel’s Daredevil. These included lending his skills to Daredevil and the Punisher’s tunnel fight to freedom, and Matt and Fisk’s prison confrontation. He also took on the Season 2 finale A Cold Day in Hell’s Kitchen, in which Daredevil and Elektra take on the Hand for a final battle.

This led to a whole collection of Marvel action, including episodes of Iron Fist and massive crossover The Defenders.

Outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Peter Hoar has also directed two episodes of dystopian SF detective drama Altered Carbon. Meanwhile, he helped establish the iconic look and tone of dysfunctional superhero family drama The Umbrella Academy. Both the premiere and finale of the first season were Hoar’s work.

Since then, he’s won his second BAFTA (as well as DGA and Hugo Awards) for nerve shredding hit The Last of Us. Hoar’s episode is generally agreed to be the apocalyptic series’ finest hour. His Long, Long Time told the gentle love story of Bill and Frank across the years of normality’s last stand.

 

Peter Hoar (centre, in baseball cap) with the cast of It’s a Sin (c) Channel 4 Having teamed up with Russell T Davies on It’s a Sin and Nolly, the massive fan’s return to directing Doctor Who seemed inevitable

Perhaps Peter Hoar’s finest work to date, though, was far from the various worlds of science fiction. It’s a Sin was set in an all too real 1980s London, where a whole generation of gay men faced the growing threat of AIDS. Hoar directed all six episodes of the groundbreaking drama. He gained a rare chance to stamp his own visual signature on the entire show. Moreover, he won his first BAFTA into the bargain. Created and written by Russell T Davies, the award winning Channel 4 drama influenced several Doctor Who hirings. Neil Patrick Harris (the Toymaker), Michelle Greenidge (Carla Sunday), and Nathaniel Curtis (Issac Newton) all featured there before their Who debuts. The Robot Revolution even reunites Hoar with an It’s a Sin star, Johnny Green for a mini-Pink Palace reunion.

It’s no wonder that its director has come on board too, for episodes The Robot Revolution and Lucky Day. Especially considering Hoar had already reunited with Davies as the sole director of his miniseries Nolly, about the scandalous firing of soap legend Noele Gordon.

But beyond that personal connection, there can be few modern British director more suited to the unique challenges of Doctor Who. The Robot Revolution promises to be high octane fun, in a retro-futuristic world worthy of Flash Gordon. Meanwhile, Lucky Day is set to pit the returning Ruby Sunday and UNIT against a night of terrors. Peter Hoar’s established ability to flip between vast fight scenes, heartfelt personal drama, and body horror terrors, often between one shot and the next, proves he’s the perfect choice to return home to Doctor Who in 2025. After all, for Hoar, isn’t that where it all started?

 

Belinda Chandra (VARADA SETHU) and the Doctor (NCUTI GATWA in Doctor Who Season 2),BBC Public Service,Danny Kasirye Doctor Who returns with The Robot Revolution at 6.50pm on the 12th of April 2025 to BBC One. Episodes drop on iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ everywhere else (except Ireland) at 8am GMT.

 

 

The post PROFILE: Peter Hoar – Robot Revolution Director’s Lucky Day appeared first on Blogtor Who.

The post Video of the Day – Geektown: Secrets Of ‘The Devil’s Hour’ Season 2, 2024 appeared first on Blogtor Who.

Doctor Who Magazine celebrates 20 years of the Ninth Doctor with a Special Edition packed full of all-new content

There may be new new Who on the way this weekend. But there’s also time to celebrate the birth of the old new Who… classic new Who… Well, we’re really going to have to agree on a better name for it now that it’s as old as cavemen and junkyards were when Peter Davison battled Black Guardians and Mara. But whatever you want to call it, it’s now 20 years since Doctor Who began all over again. And Doctor Who Magazine is here for the party with a special edition celebrating that glorious first series starring Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper.

 

Highlights of DWM: 20 Years of the Ninth Doctor include:

• In his first interview for DWM, executive producer Mal Young describes how Doctor Who was finally brought back to the screen.
• In another first for the magazine, Joe Ahearne – who directed more Series One episodes than anyone else – takes readers behind the scenes on the 2005 series.
• Christopher Eccleston explains what drew him to the role of the iconic Time Lord – and why he’s still coming back to it, 20 years on.
• Interviews with Lloyd Elis (first assistant director), Lee Sheward (stunt co-ordinator) and Lowri Thomas (location manager).
• The cast and crew of the 2005 series choose their favourite moments.
• The making of the renowned Trip of a Lifetime trailer.
• Concept artist Dan Walker reveals his original designs for the reborn sonic screwdriver.
• Fans share their eye witness accounts – and photographs – of the 2004 location filming.
• Action figures, radio-controlled Daleks and other merchandise that was available in Toys R Us, Woolworths and elsewhere.
• A guide to the Ninth Doctor’s adventures in the expanded universe.
• PLUS a new and exclusive short story by showrunner Russell T Davies!

 

The cover of Doctor Who Magazine: 20 Years of the Ninth Doctor (c) Panini Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition: 20 Years of the Ninth Doctor

DWM Special Edition: 20 Years of the Ninth Doctor is on sale Thursday the 27th of March from the online Panini store, WH Smith and other retailers priced £9.99 (UK). Also available as a digital edition from Pocketmags You can also save with a subscription, as well as receiving exclusive, text-free covers.

The post Doctor Who Magazine: 20 Years of the Ninth Doctor appeared first on Blogtor Who.

The post Video of the Day – Doctor Who Confidential, 2009 appeared first on Blogtor Who.

Go on Adventures in Time & Space at Peterborough Museum from May to November this year

Cybermen, Sontarans, Robots, Sea Devils, Silurians and Weeping Angels are just a few of the Doctor Who monsters that a brand new exhibition will be showcasing at Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery for six months this year.

This must-see exhibition, entitled Adventures in Time & Space – an unofficial Doctor Who exhibition, will feature one of the largest displays of both restored and surviving props from the Doctor Who series for over a decade, meticulously brought back to life by collectors and special effects technicians. From spaceship models, masks, clothing and weapons to life-size monsters, police boxes and even a replica Tardis console, Adventures in Time & Space, will give visitors the chance to see them up close and learn about how they were created and in some cases recreated from surviving blueprints.

Opening at the start of May and running through to November, organisers promise a sci-fi extravaganza with a continually evolving series of displays and special events planned throughout the six-month run, to include celebrity appearances, guest speakers, book signings and the unveiling of the Tardis console.

Sarah Wilson, Heritage Manager at Peterborough Museum; “this exhibition is going to be huge and we are expecting visitors from across the country and even overseas. Doctor Who is a global institution with an unprecedented fan base that spans decades. The independent collection of restored and surviving props and costumes we have to display is immense – how amazing that we can do this in our iconic museum, in itself a time machine with a fascinating history. Peterborough Museum will open 6 days a week from May to ensure we can accommodate the anticipated visitor numbers, so we advise people to book in advance if they don’t want to miss out”.

 

Jeff Cummins’ iconc cover art for The Face of Evil The museum will also host a gallery of art by famed Doctor Who cover artist Jeff Cummins

To accompany Adventures in Time & Space, the museum will delight visitors with the work of Jeff Cummins in the adjacent gallery. Right Between the Eyes! will open in June, featuring works by Jeff Cummins who has produced album covers for greats such as Led Zeppelin and Paul McCartney along with Doctor Who novel covers.

 

Tickets are only £5 for adults, and £3 for children. You can get yours on the Peterborough Museum website here.

The post Doctor Who Exhibition Lands in Peterborough This Summer appeared first on Blogtor Who.

The post Video of the Day – Doctor Who: The Savages (Animated), 2025 appeared first on Blogtor Who.

The post Video of the Day – Doctor Who Unleashed: Making of the 60th Anniversary Specials, 2025 appeared first on Blogtor Who.

The post Video of the Day – The Sirens of Audio, 2024 appeared first on Blogtor Who.

Doctor Who’s 2025 Season is available to pre-order now on DVD, Blu-ray, and Steelbook

 

The Doctor Who Season Two box set (and please don’t @ Blogtor, we didn’t decide to call it that) is now available for pre-order on DVD, Blu-ray, and Steelbook. The seven disc set contains all nine episodes, including last year’s Christmas Special Joy to the World. It also includes all the episodes of Doctor Who Unleashed. There are no details yet about other extras, but based on last year’s release fans can probably expect a full set of the Doctor Who Official Podcast, additional interviews with the cast and crew, and commentaries on selected episodes.

Similarly, while listings for Season Two only contain a placeholder date, we can probably take the 51 day wait for the Season 1 set as a guide. That would make for a release date of the 21st of July, or at least sometime in the second half of that month.

Before you add the new season to your shelves, however, it arrives on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK, and Disney+ internationally next week. The first episode, The Robot Revolution, will be on BBC One at 6.50pm on Saturday the 12th of April.

 

The Doctor Who Season Two Blu-ray (cover not final) Doctor Who Season 2

The Doctor meets Belinda Chandra and begins an epic quest to get her back to Earth. But a mysterious force is stopping their return and the time-travelling TARDIS team must face greater dangers, bigger enemies and wilder terrors than ever before.

Featuring an array of dazzling guest cast including Emmy Award winner Alan Cumming as cartoon foe Mr Ring-a-Ding, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Anita Dobson, Bonnie Langford, Jemma Redgrave, Ruth Madeley, Susan Twist, Caoilfhionn Dunne, Christopher Chung, Evelyn Miller, Ariyon Bakare, Julie Dray, Michelle Greenidge, Angela Wynter, Alexander Devrient, Rylan, Freddie Fox, Jonah Hauer-King, Kadiff Kirwan, and the return of Millie Gibson.

This release includes all 8 episodes; The Robot Revolution, Lux, The Well, Lucky Day, The Story & the Engine, The Interstellar Song Contest, Wish World, The Reality War, the 2024 Christmas Special Joy To The World, plus special features.

The post Doctor Who: Season 2 DVD/Blu-Ray/Steelbook appeared first on Blogtor Who.