Doctor Who: The Time Lord Letters
Hardcover | Kindle
by Justin Richards
Harper Design | HarperCollins Publishers
Release date: September 29, 2015

Ahhh, what would it mean to know the mind of a Time Lord? It must be something to know what a Time Lord saw. There must be wit! There must be wisdom! There must be an ambivalence, a humor about the mundane moments. There must be perspective that comes from the understanding of time and history as a sometimes malleable thing. So, we are presented with a book called Doctor Who: The Time Lord Letters. What does it tell us?

In the end, it doesn’t tell us much. It tries to create a narrative of Doctor Who history that is approachable for younger television viewers. The actual history of the show is far more complex than that, due to reasons that have little to do with good storytelling. The full-color hardcover title does little to weave together all the historical threads of the Doctor’s lives. Instead, the book’s best appeal is to provide both older and younger viewers with an excellent photo collage of the entire history of Doctor Who. That, I think, is what will keep readers coming back to this book.

Happy Birthday, Doctor Who!

The Day Of The Doctor is here, and the War Doctor (John Hurt) must face his future selves (David Tennant and Matt Smith) before making a crucial decision that will impact the entire universe and the existence of the Time Lords and Gallifrey.

During TARDISblend 70, we discuss our thoughts as we review the 50th anniversary special, the implications of the plot, the special surprise appearances in the episode, and the impact on the future of Doctor Who. Additionally we dive into the other 50th specials: An Adventure in Space and Time and The Five-ish Doctors Reboot by Peter Davison.

We also look into 2014 and beyond – as to what we can expect from the new Peter Capaldi Doctor in Series 8. All this and more on the latest TARDISblend!

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There was a lot of speculation leading up to the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor, as to which of the former Doctors would appear in it. As it turns out, some of the actors who’ve played the Doctor throughout its 50-year history were wondering the same thing.

Former Doctor Peter Davison put together something special for the occasion, writing and directing a short, The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot, which he stars in with other former Doctors Sylvester McCoy and Colin Baker in a quest for the actors to be included in the 50th anniversary special.

Here below, watch the very cool, humorous 31-minute short, which stars several other famous faces, including some big ones from outside the Who universe.

Happy Doctor Who Day!

It won’t be long now till the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor, debuts in the U.S. But over in London, there’s a Doctor Who Official 50th Celebration happening and it saw the uniting of current Doctor Matt Smith and four former Doctors of the Classic Who era.

Check out the photo here below of Smith with his fellow Time Lords, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy, along with a video report from the event on this historic moment.

Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time #5
Written by Scott & David Tipton
Art by Philip Bond and Charlie Kirchoff
Covers by Francesco Francavilla, Robert Hack, Charlie Kirchoff, Adrian Salmon, Dave Sim
IDW Publishing
Publication Date: May 29, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

With the fifth issue of Prisoners of Time, commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who, comes the Peter Davison Fifth Doctor Era, in which we find our as-of-yet unnamed nemesis continuing to kidnap the Time Lord’s companions from multiple epochs of this Gallifreyan’s incarnations. The story continues to ramp up in this issue, as more pieces of the bamboozle fall into place.

The Fifth Doctor, not long after his regeneration and before the heartrending confrontation with the Cybermen, arrives on an unknown desolate and dark planet to use a small crack in time (such as the one in Cardiff, Wales where the Torchwood base would be formed) to recharge the TARDIS. Along with companions Tegan, Adric, and Nyssa, they begin scouting the area only to find them under fire.

The Doctor has inadvertently landed them in the middle of a skirmish amid the Sontarans and the Rutans – one of many battles during their centuries-long war. From Rutan capture to the base of the Sontarans, the Doctor finds himself in a quandary – he knows he cannot bring this war to an end, but is there a way he can reduce the unnecessary loss of life? And while he finds himself torn between two warring factions, the unnamed kidnapper watches him from afar for the right moment to strike.

Doctor Who: Frontios
DVD
Directed by Ron Jones
Written by Christopher H. Bidmead
Starring Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson, Jeff Rawle, Peter Gilmore, John Gillett
BBC
Release Date: June 14, 2011

It was with much nostalgia that I found myself viewing this Classic Doctor Who adventure featuring Fifth Doctor Peter Davison. Frontios is from Davison’s final season as the Doctor, which was also my first experience to new Doctor Who episodes back in that day in age. Accompanied by Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding, a fellow Aussie!) and Vislor Turlough (Mark Strickson), I found myself flashing back to my old Doctor Who 1984 Annual.

It’s Doctor Who Week! That’s right; it’s just a few days to go until the premiere episode of Series 6, The Impossible Astronaut. And even though there are many fans out there waiting for the new season with high anticipation, there’s also a bunch of people out there who are new to the Time Lord, so to help out new folks with the continuity, The Fine Brothers have put together a video: 47 Years of Doctor Who in 6 minutes.

Now, you could go down the route that Neil Gaiman recommends:

I have to be truthful. I was absolutely devastated when hearing the news yesterday that Elisabeth Sladen had passed away. We reported her death here at Geeks of Doom, and tributes from around the world began pouring in on the internet in memory of her. The Australian ABC invited fans to share their Sarah Jane memories on their Facebook page; and the BBC created a Sarah Jane playlist on YouTube. Fantastic artwork, such as the beautiful design above by DalekBigBoy from the Gallifrey Base forums, also began sprouting around the web– through other avenues as well, such as Twitter and social news sites.

I can’t help but reflect more on Elisabeth Sladen — since it’s important, in my view, to highlight (especially to newer fans), that she was more than just a companion to us oldies and dinosaurs. She was a defining person during our early years, so her death is felt so much closer to the heart for us.

With the new season of Doctor Who coming up on us quickly on April 23, there’s a level of anticipation and excitement among fans online I’ve not seen for quite some time. What’s interesting is I continually find myself running into new fans who have only ever seen the new Doctor Who series that has been going since 2005.

Indeed, to a generation of Doctor Who fans, there have been only three Doctors since they discovered the adventures of the Time Lord: Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, and Matt Smith. And inevitably, many of these fans find themselves wanting to dive deeper into the mythos and legend of the good Doctor.

And why shouldn’t they? The series has had a legacy spanning close to half a century, with some amazing stories being created from some of the greatest creative minds including Terrence Dicks, Douglas Adams, Terry Nation, and so many more.

Sad news across the world for geeks today, as word has reached us that the wonderful actor, Michael Gough, has passed away. He was 94 years old. To most people, Michael Gough was well known for his role as Alfred Pennyworth in the 1990’s Batman movie series, beginning with Tim Burton’s Batman in 1989 and right through Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin in 1997.

However, this wasn’t Michael Gough’s first involvement in a franchise loved by geeks internationally. A very young Gough appeared as The Celestial Toymaker in Doctor Who back in 1965. The episode, The Celestial Toymaker, saw Gough act with the First Doctor William Hartnell. He would later appear with Fifth Doctor Peter Davison, playing a different role, in the episode Arc of Infinity.