Radio Times TV Review of 2013

That venerable publishing colossus, Christmas perennial, and loyal

Doctor Who advocate, the Radio Times, has revealed the results of their annual survey. Their website's top forty shows of the year has placed the programme at a respectable number twenty-two (down from number fifteen last year, and probably due to a reduced run of episodes). Mark Gatiss' one-off anniversary drama, An Adventure in Space and Time - his "love letter" to Doctor Who - also polled in thirteenth position.

  RT writer and resident Whovian Patrick Mulkern comments:

22) Doctor Who BBC1 
Despite peripheral distractions (stamps, books, docs, a Prom), fans could be forgiven for thinking the golden anniversary was lean in terms of transmitted episodes. The concluding chunk of series 7 was a stew of corkers and stinkers, with Mark Gatiss’ juicy pastiche The Crimson Horror (with Diana Rigg) eclipsing Neil Gaiman’s Cyber-tripe Nightmare in Silver. Steven Moffat’s big celebration special, simulcast in 94 countries, ticked fan boxes by deftly weaving old Who with new. Yet at a time when ever-younger Time Lords seemed in vogue, he and Gatiss boldly volleyed Peter Capaldi (55), David Bradley (71), John Hurt (73) and even the majestic Tom Baker (79) into primetime TV as viable Doctors. 

13)  An Adventure In Space and Time BBC2 
Taking its title from a tagline printed on every 1960s RT billing for Doctor Who, Mark Gatiss’ account of the show’s origins was meticulously and lovingly mounted, celebrating the team of outsiders who, 50 years ago, shook up the fusty Corporation and gave birth to a TV phenomenon. Doubly poignant, An Adventure was the last drama made at BBC TV Centre and showed how Doctor Who captivated, then cast aside, its original star William Hartnell. So much more than a startling looky-likey, David Bradley brought a terrier’s bite, a twinkle and immense pathos to Hartnell and the character he created. He deserves a Bafta.

Doctor Who Vs. Marple, Series 3

The third run of Agatha Christie's Marple featured guest roles for three former Doctor actors, Tom Baker (as Frederick Treves in part 3), Peter Davison (Hubert Curtain in part 1), and Richard E Grant (Raymond West in Nemesis). The four-part series is currently being repeated on ITV3, and featured twenty-nine other Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

At Bertram's Hotel (Published 1965 - TX: September 23 2007)

• directed by Dan Zeff helmed Love & Monsters too
• writer Tom MacRae also scripted the Cybermen two-parter for Series 2, The Girl Who Waited, and the unmade Century House
• series production designer Michael Pickwoad has set-designed sixteen adventures since A Christmas Carol
• Charles Kay (Pennyfather) voiced the Curator for Excelis Rising (Big Finish, 2002)
• Danny Webb (Mutti) was Mr Jefferson in The Satan Pit two-parter
• Tom Lucy was also the stunt co-ordinator on sixteen episodes, from Smith and Jones to The Next Doctor
• Jo McLaren was a stunt performer on Day of the Moon and Let's Kill Hitler too
• regular Jason Gill was also costume assistant on Space and Time, and fourteen stories, from the 2010 Christmas special to The Wedding of River Song

Ordeal By Innocence (Published 1958 - TX: September 30 2007)

• Camile Coduri (Mrs Lindsay) played Jackie Tyler, mother of Rose, appearing in thirteen episodes of the 2005 and 2006 seasons, and returned for Journey's End and The End of Time
• Tom Riley (Argyle) has been cast in Series 8
• Gugu Mbatha Raw (Tina) was Martha Jones' sister, Tish in four adventures for the 2007 series
• Reece Shearsmith (Huish) was Patrick Troughton in An Adventure in Space and Time
• Julian Rhind Tutt (Dr Calgary) voiced Lexhan for The Paradise of Death 
• Greg Bennett (Constable) was both a Sycorax Warrior and a UNIT Soldier in The Christmas Invasion, and an uncredited Guest in The Lazarus Experiment
• Burn Gorman (Jacko) was Torchwood series regular, Owen Harper
• Ben Ashmore was also the SFX co-ordinator on thirty-six installments of the revived series (from The Girl in the Fireplace to The Next Doctor), The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood

Towards Zero (Published 1944 - TX: July 15 2008)

• Julie Graham (Mrs Aldin) was Ruby White in The Sarah Jane Adventures: Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith
• Amelda Brown (Barrett) voiced Margaret for The Gunpowder Plot
• Jo Woodcock (Alice) voiced Ziv for Starlight Robbery (BF, 2013)
• Zoe Tapper (Kay) voiced Collis for The War Doctor 2 (BF, new for 2016)
• Peter Symonds (Hurstall) was a Soldier in Terror of the Zygons
• Nigel Squibbs was dubbing mixer on An Adventure in Space and Time too

Nemesis (Published 1971 - TX: New Year' Day 2009)

• screenplay writer and actor, Stephen Churchett was Billy in Attack of the Cybermen
• Dan Stevens (Faber) voiced Rick AusGarten for The Cradle of the Snake (BF, 2010)
• Anne Reid (Sister Agnes) was Nurse Crane in The Curse of Fenric, and Florence the Plasmavore in Smith and Jones
• Lee Ingleby (DC Hards) voiced Samson Griffin for Terror Firma (BF, 2005)
• Dr. Graeme Garden (Broadribb) voiced Professor Ivor Fassbinder for Bang-Bang-A-Boom! (BF, 2002), Geoffrey Vantage for Max Warp (2008), and Abbot Thelonious - the new alias of the 'Meddling' Monk - for both The Book of Kells (2010) and To The Death (2011)
• Adrian Rawlins (Turnbull) was Ryder in Planet of the Ood
• Matthew Newman was the film editor on The Pandorica Opens and The Big Bang too

Doctor Who @ 50: Great Doctor Who Quotes #3

"..I left my car outside a junkyard in the fog, and ended up catapulted through time and space. Me and.. Barbara.. we'd been intrigued by one of our pupils.. named Susan, and we'd followed her home. Well, turned out her home was just a box.. bigger on the inside.. some kind of science of the Doctor's. He was Susan's grandfather.. It was a ship really, on the outside it looked like a police telephone box.. but.. it could travel through time. Anyway, the Doctor whisked us off in this ship, TARDIS he called it.."

- Ian Chesteron, The Companion Chronicles: The Revenants

(Published by Big Finish, 2012)

Written by Ian Potter

Great Doctor Who Quotes #2

"In all my travelling throughout the universe I have battled against evil, against power mad conspirators. I should have stayed here! The oldest civilisation: decadent, degenerate, and rotten to the core... Daleks, Sontarans, Cybermen? They're still in the nursery compared to us! Ten million years of absolute power. That's what it takes to be really corrupt."

- The Doctor, The Trial of a Time Lord, Part 13
(November 29th 1986)

Written by Robert Holmes

Missing Doctor Who Episodes Revealed

Many months of internet speculation, and newspaper reports last weekend, culminated on Tuesday with official confirmation from the BBC of the existence of an unspecified number of 'lost' Doctor Who episodes.

The Radio Times website even reported that some recovered material would be released this week for sale online.

Finally, at a press conference in London yesterday, the Corporation revealed that nine installments from the Patrick Troughton era had been discovered in Nigeria by Phillip Morris, and restored by BBC Worldwide. The haul comprised of the five missing parts of The Enemy of the World, and four episodes from The Web of Fear. Frazer Hines, Deborah Watling and Mark Gatiss joined other guests and journalists to view two returned episodes.
The two complete adventures are now available to purchase from iTunes, and DVD releases are due next month and in the New Year.

Doctor Who Anniversary Schedule Unveiled

The BBC have announced details of their new celebratory TV and radio commissions for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who which will culminate in the special 75-minute story, The Day of the Doctor to be broadcast on Saturday November 23rd.

• BBC Two will screen the 90-minute biopic, An Adventure in Space and Time which stars David Bradley as William Hartnell
• Matthew Sweet explores the cultural impact of Doctor Who in a hour-long special of The Culture Show, whilst Professor Brian Cox will present his own Royal Lecture before an audience of fans
• BBC Four will repeat a newly restored version of the four-part adventure, An Unearthly Child
• CBBC will feature two live Doctor Who themed episodes of Blue Peter, and a one-off 'vox-pops' show called 12 Again
• The Ultimate Guide will air on BBC Three, and viewers will get to vote for the programme's greatest baddie in their Monsters and Villains Weekend
• Radio 2 will broadcast two new documentaries, The Blagger's Guide and Who is the Doctor? and Graham Norton will host his weekly show live from the Doctor Who Celebration in London
• an hour-long documentary looking at Time Lord Rock (TROCK) will air on Radio 1
• Radio 4 Extra, the home of Doctor Who audio stories, is to broadcast a three-hour programme, Who Made Who?

Great Doctor Who Quotes #1

“…but think about it. There’s a murder, and Agatha Christie… isn’t that a bit weird? Agatha Christie didn’t walk around surrounded by murders… that’s like meeting Charles Dickens and he’s surrounded by ghosts, at Christmas… come on! It’s not like we could drive across country and find Enid Blyton having tea with Noddy. Could we? Noddy’s not real, is he? Tell me there’s no Noddy… you’ll be telling me it’s like Murder on the Orient Express, and they all did it!”

- the plucky Miss Donna Noble, The Unicorn and the Wasp
(May 17th 2008)
Written by Gareth Roberts

NEW DOCTOR ANNOUNCED.. LIVE!

After two months of intense speculation, the Twelfth Doctor was unveiled tonight at Elstree Studios, live on BBC One.

Scottish-actor Peter Capaldi was revealed as Matt Smith's successor on Doctor Who Live: The New Doctor, which was simulcast in the UK, North America and Australia.

Capaldi was presented before a studio audience of Whovians, and special guests Peter Davison, Bernard Cribbins, and celebrity fans Liza Tarbuck, and Rufus Hound. Filmed contributions also came from Matt Smith, Steven Moffat, Colin Baker, Anneke Wills, Katy Manning, Janet Fielding, Bonnie Langford, Jenna Coleman, and even Professors Stephen Hawking, Robert Winston and Brian Cox.

Moffat previewed the announcement by commenting "The decision is made and the time has come to reveal who's taking over the TARDIS. For the last of the Time Lords, the clock is striking twelve" then stated tonight that "It's an incendiary combination, one of the most talented actors of his generation is about to play the best part on television."
Capaldi is best known as the foul-mouthed spin-doctor, Malcolm Tucker in BBC comedy series, The Thick of It. The Glasgow-born BAFTA-winning actor, aged 55, also appeared in Doctor Who: The Fires of Pompeii, and Torchwood: Children of Earth. On his new role, he said "Being asked to play the Doctor is an amazing privilege. Like the Doctor himself I find myself in a state of utter terror and delight. I can't wait to get started."

Doctor Who Vs. Oliver Twist (2005)

By 2005, the French-born film-maker, Roman Polanski was keen to produce a child-friendly cinematic version of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist - actually the first adaptation since the Oscar-winning musical, Oliver! in 1968. This new rendition, shown on Film4 today, was shot entirely in the Czech Republic.

Literary classic Oliver Twist (also known as The Parish Boy's Progress, and originally published monthly in Bentley's Miscellany from 1837-39) was only Dickens' second novel.

The cast here was headed by Sir Ben Kingsley as Fagin, with the famous orphan now portrayed by Barney Clark (picutred left), and also featured these ten Doctor Who cast connections:

• Ian McNeice (Limbkins) played Winston Churchill in Victory of the Daleks, The Pandorica Opens and The Wedding of River Song (a role reprised for Big Finish's The Churchill Years), and also voiced Zeus for Immortal Beloved (2007), and Reginald Harcourt for The Renaissance Man (2012)
• Chris Overton (Noah) voiced Terrill and Levek for The Brood of Erys (2014)
• Jamie Foreman (Bill Sykes) was Eddie Connolly in The Idiot's Lantern
• Timothy Bateson (Parson) was Binro in The Ribos Operation
• Joseph Tremain (Hungry Boy) was Jim in The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances
• Peter Copley (Master) was Dr Warlock in Pyramids of Mars
• Gerald Horan (Farmer) was Clark in Human Nature and The Family of Blood
• Patrick Godfrey (Bookseller) was Tor in The Savages, and Major Cosworth in The Mind of Evil
• Frank Mills (Officer) was the Radio Telescope Director in Terror of the Autons
• Paul Brooke (Grimwig) voiced Paolo for The Ghosts of N-Space, and Toby the Sapient Pig for Year of the Pig (2006)

New Doctor Who Companion Poll

Candy Jar Books, the Welsh publishers of Companions: Fifty Years of Doctor Who Assistants, have revealed the results of their poll to find the Doctor's best friend.

Tegan Jovanka was voted the programme's most popular travelling companion after receiving almost a quarter of all votes.

Janet Fielding - who played Tegan on TV from Logopolis (1981) to Resurrection of the Daleks (1984) and more recently for Big Finish - said it was "fantastic.. and unexpected" that "the Mouth-on-legs" had topped the survey.

The book's author, Andy Frankham-Allen commented: "I would have expected either Sarah Jane or Rose to win, but it's pleasing to see a companion who's only been obliquely referenced [just] twice since 2005 win. Seems there's still a lot of love for the [classic era of the 19]80's  and Fielding's" portrayal.

The complete list is here:

1) Tegan Jovanka

2) Sarah Jane Smith

3) Donna Noble

4) Rose Tyler

5) Ace [McShane]

6) Romana/Jamie McCrimmon

7) Nyssa

8) River Song

9) Amy Pond

10) Leela

Matt Smith To Leave Doctor Who

Following intense online speculation last night, the BBC officially confirmed that Matt Smith will relinquish the role of the Eleventh Doctor after four years in this year's Christmas special.

The Northampton-born actor said that Doctor Who had been "the most brilliant experience.. and that is down to the cast, crew and fans of the show. I'm incredibly grateful to all the cast and crew who work tirelessly every day to realise all the elements and deliver Doctor Who to the audience.. I'm proud of what we have achieved over the last four years."

Smith praised Steven Moffat's "mind-bending and brilliant scripts" as "the greatest and most rewarding challenges" of his career. "It's been a privilege and a treat to work with Steven" who "will continue to shape" the programme.

Of the committed Whovians, Smith said: "the fans.. are unlike any other, they dress up, know more about the history of the show and speculate" constantly. Their "dedication is truly remarkable. Thank you so very much for supporting my incarnation.. It's been an honour to play the part, to follow the legacy of brilliant actors, and helm the TARDIS with the ginger, the nose and the impossible one. But when ya gotta go, ya gotta go and Trenzalore calls."

Matthew Robert Smith - relatively unknown - was unveiled as the Doctor in a special edition of Doctor Who Confidential in January 2009, and was just 26 years old when cast, making him the youngest ever actor to take the part.

Smith debuted as the new Doctor on New Year's Day 2010, in The End of Time, then embarked on three full seasons as the iconic Time Lord.

The forthcoming 50th anniversary special completed production last month, so Moffat's next script- the Christmas adventure - will be Smith's final story which begins filming in the summer.

Pet Shop Boys: 'Electric'

Details of the Pet Shop Boys new album were revealed today on the duo's official website. Electric will be released worldwide on July 15th, and is the first to appear on their own x2 label via Kobalt. Recorded in London, Berlin and Los Angeles, and produced by Stuart Price, Electric features eight new tracks and a cover version of Bruce Springstein's The Last To Die, whilst singer and rapper, Example performs on Thursday. 

Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe commented that the new work - their twelfth studio album - is a response to the reflective nature of previous release, Elysium, and Electric is "pretty banging!"

The album - with artwork (shown here) again by Farrow - opens with the new single, Axis, and the full listing is:

1. Axis
2. Bolshy
3. Love Is A Bourgeois Construct
4. Flourescent
5. Inside A Dream
6. The Last To Die
7. Shouting In The Evening
8. Thursday
9. Vocal

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special: Return of the Zygons!

Following yesterday's first script read-through for the Doctor Who anniversary special, publicity photos were released online by BBC Cardiff. 

Matt Smith, David Tennant, and Jenna Louise Coleman joined their latest co-star, the Welsh actress Joanna Page, best known for sitcom, Gavin & Stacey.

Today, the Corporation revealed that 'classic' series monsters, the Zygons will also feature in the forthcoming story. Often cited as Tannant's favourite Who baddie, these shape-shifting aliens' only television appearance was in Terror of the Zygons, way back in 1975.

Filming on the special began today, and the newly re-designed Zygon seen here was pictured on location, outside Neath, South Wales.

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special: First Casting News

The BBC today confirmed reports -previewed in the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine - that David Tennant and Billie Piper will reprise their roles as the Doctor and Rose Tyler for November's anniversary special.

Despite many reported denials, the actors have long been rumoured to be making a return to the programme.

Tennant and Piper last appeared as the Tenth Doctor and Rose in The End of Time on New Year's Day, 2010.

The hour-long special - to be shown in 3D on TV and in cinemas - also stars yet another Harry Potter film actor, John Hurt (Alien, The Elephant Man, V for Vendetta, and Channel 4's new historical saga, Labyrinth), Ken Bones, Marshall Griffin, and newcomer Orlando James.

The celebratory story, scripted by showrunner Steven Moffat and directed by Nick Hurran, will commence production next week.

Vintage 'Doctor Who' Scripts Discovered

The Radio Times website has reported that a collection of the earliest Doctor Who scripts has been unearthed in Kent by local prop maker and researcher, Jason Onion.

Six documents, hidden for fifty years, were loaned from Joan Coburn Moon - the widow of writer Anthony Coburn - and include two versions of the first episode, An Unearthly Child, an alternative draft of The Cave of Skulls, and the complete scripts for The Masters of Luxor. This 'lost story' was ultimately replaced by Terry Nation's The Daleks but was eventually dramatised last year by Big Finish.

Tom Cole writes: "You can see that the template for the Daleks came from [Coburn]... these episodes [see] a device to unlock TARDIS, which became the sonic screwdriver, and the science [of] regeneration" said Onion. “This find completes the genesis of [the show] from Coburn's imagination. The drafts explain the mystery of Doctor Who, his origins, his people and all the background.” 

Meanwhile, Rob Leigh of the Daily Mirror stated that Coburn was inspired by the sight of a real Police Box outside Televison Centre to devise the TARDIS exterior, and that the scripts provide the original names of the ship and the Doctor's planet. Susan (originally Suzanne) is also revealed as "a princess saved from another world" and Coburn is hailed as creator of "the cornerstones of Doctor Who that have been expanded on.. ever since".

Australian-born Coburn, a writer and producer at the BBC from the 1950's, lived in Herne Bay, and died in Canterbury in 1977, aged just 49.

Doctor Who Vs. Bleak House (1998)

The BBC dramatised Charles Dickens' epic novel, Bleak House for Radio 4 in 1998. This award winning five-part series last aired on Radio 7 in 2007 and 2008, and starred six Doctor Who guest actors:

• Jean Marsh (Miss Flite) first appeared in the 'classic' series as Princess Joanna in The Crusade (1965), then as short-lived companion Sara Kingdom in nine episodes of The Daleks' Master Plan later that year, and finally as Morgaine in Battlefield (1989) - the role of space agent Kingdom was reprised by Big Finish for The Companion Chronicles releases, Home Truths (2008), The Drowned World (2009), The Guardian of the Solar System (2010), The Five Companions (2011), and The Anachronauts (2012), then for the 'lost' story The Daleks: The Destroyers (2010) - Marsh also voiced Maria for The Wishing Beast (2007)
• Robert Portal (Carstone) voiced Marshal Ney for The Curse of Davros (BF, 2012) and Reggie for the recent The Auntie Matter
• Charlie Hayes (pictured with her mother, 'classic' series actress Wendy Padbury) voiced Jade for Master (2003), Jenny for The Seven Keys to Doomsday (2008), Gatlin for Bernice Summerfield and the Criminal Code (2010), Jen for both of The Companion Chronicles releases, Memory Cheats (2011) and The Uncertainty Principle, Death for Love and War (2012), and Veltreena for the forthcoming Lords of the Red Planet 'lost' story - all from Big Finish
• Ellie Haddington (Miss Hortense) was Professor Docherty in Last of the Time Lords
• Michael Attwell (Krook) was Isbur in The Ice Warriors, and Bates in Attack of the Cybermen
• Michael Fenton Stevens (Skimpole) voiced Mr Seyton (alias Shakespeare) for The Kingmaker (BF, 2006) and Brooks for The Raincloud Man (BF, 2008)

A Tribute To Raymond Cusick (1928-2013)

News broke today that former BBC designer Ray Cusick has died after a short illness, aged 84. His daughter, Claire Heawood said that Cusick passed away on Thursday at his home near Horsham in West Sussex.

Raymond Patrick Cusick was born in London, and planned to be a civil engineer, but then joined the army. After a stint stationed in Palestine, Cusick planned to take up teaching instead. Having taught art, he then took an interest in design and joined Granada Television. This led to a move to the BBC as a staff designer, which included being assigned to the fledgling Doctor Who. Here, he was to come up with the design of the Daleks, which are one of the key elements that made the fifty-year old programme the success it has become. 

Unfortunately, Cusick had always played second fiddle to Dalek creator, Terry Nation - as a salaried Corporation employee, he was not paid royalties, whilst the writer became a millionaire. Cusick (pictured in 1964) only ever wanted to be credited as the designer.

Besides his contribution to The Daleks, Cusick was production designer on The Edge of Destruction, The Keys of Marinus, The Sensorites, Planet of Giants, The Rescue, The Romans, The Chase, Mission to the Unknown, and The Daleks' Master Plan.

The designer's final work for the BBC was on their Miss Marple series (1987), and in June 2008, Cusick appeared in the Doctor Who Confidential episode, Friends and Foe.

Doctor Who @ 50: An Adventure In Space And Time [Update 2]

Studio filming on the Doctor Who 50th anniversary biopic continued yesterday at BBC TV Centre. Scenes from An Unearthly Child were recreated for An Adventure in Space and Time, and the replica TARDIS set can be seen above in the first image to feature the regular cast. In front of the boom operator, from the left, are Jamie Glover (playing William Russell as Ian), Jemma Powell (Jacqueline Hill as Barbara), David Bradley (William Hartnell as the Doctor), and Claudia Grant (Carole Ann Ford as Susan).

The production has also reconstructed the Totter's Lane scrapyard set and the Police Box prop.

Period cameras and other vintage gallery and studio equipment has been provided by Golden Age Television Recreations.

Further casting news for the drama has been confirmed today. Current voice of the Daleks, Nicholas Briggs will appear as the original Dalek voice artist, Peter Hawkins, and the part of TARDIS set designer, Peter Brachacki is taken by David Annen. Another newcomer, Sophie Holt has been cast as Dodo actress, Jackie Lane.
Minor roles have gone to Elaine Andrews (as Mum), Philip C Francis (as Customer), Ernest Gormov (as BBC designer), and John Foreman (passerby).

The crew now includes Matthew Patnick (line producer), Simon Maloney (first assistant director), Richard Cookson (script editor), and Daniel Bishop (camera operator).

Doctor Who @ 50: An Adventure In Space And Time [Updated]

Shooting on the Doctor Who 50th anniversary biopic resumed this morning in Central London. Writer Mark Gatiss accompanied the makers of An Adventure in Space and Time on Westminster Bridge to reconstruct some of the most iconic scenes in the series' history. The location filming for The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964) was represented by four replica Daleks and a Sixties BBC film crew. Also present was Gatiss' partner, Ian Hallard playing director, Richard Martin.

Meanwhile, further details on the programme's cast and crew have emerged online this week. Joining actors David Bradley, Brian Cox, Jessica Raine, and Sacha Dhawan are newcomer Claudia Grant as Carole Ann Ford, Jemma Powell as Jacqueline Hill, Sarah Winter as Delia Derbyshire, Jeff Rawle as Mervyn Pinfield, Andrew Woodall as Rex Tucker, Jamie Glover as William Russell, and Russell himself has a cameo role as Harry. Comic actor, Reece Shearsmith, friend and former co-star of Gatiss, has been cast as Patrick Troughton.
The latest issue of Radio Times has reported that Lesley Manville plays William Hartnell's wife, Heather. The IMDB website now has a tentative listing for the BBC2 production, and also cites child actor Reece Pockney as Alan.

The crew now includes Andy Pryor (casting), Terry McDonough (director), Philip Kloss (film editor), Suzanne Cave (costume designer), John Pardue (director of photography), Dave Arrowsmith (production designer), Lucienne Suren (art director), and assistant Oliver Benson.

Date With History: 1993

Friday, February 12th: CCTV footage (above) from the Strand shopping centre in Bootle, near Liverpool showed two-year James Bulger being abducted by truant school boys Robert Thompson and John Venables, both aged only ten.

The pair forced James to walk a 2.5 mile route that led to a railway line at Walton, where they tortured and beat him. The toddler died from his forty-two injuries (including ten to his skull), and his body was found two days later.

The killing generated great anger on Merseyside and throughout Britain, and twenty years on, still provokes much debate. The child killers were convicted of James' murder at Preston in November 1993, but Thompson (pictured, top right) and Venables (top centre) were both released on licence in 2001 after serving only eight years in detention.

James' parents, Denise and Ralph still campaign for justice for their murdered son.

Doctor Who @ 50: An Adventure In Space And Time

Dhawan, Gatiss & Hussein at the recent BFI screening of An Unearthly Child

Further details about the golden anniversary biopic, An Adventure in Space and Time were released today.

Commissioned last August by BBC Two, the ninety-minute docudrama penned by Sherlock co-creator and Nu Who writer and actor Mark Gatiss will commence production at Television Centre in early February, before moving to Wimbledon Studios.

The programme will tell the story of the genesis of Doctor Who, a story that began more than fifty years ago. Yorkshire-born actor, David Bradley has been cast as William Hartnell, the First Doctor. He was last seen as Solomon in Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, and even voiced the alien Shansheeth for The Sarah Jane Adventures story, Death of the Doctor (2010), but he is more famous as Hogwarts caretaker, Argus Filch in the Harry Potter film series. Bradley commented on his new role:
"I'm absolutely thrilled.. Mark has written such a wonderful script, not only about the birth of a cultural phenomenon, but a moment in television's history. Hartnell was one of the finest character actors of our time and as a fan I want to make sure that I do him justice. I'm so looking forward to getting started."

The role of BBC Head of Drama, Sydney Newman, credited with creating Doctor Who, has gone to Scottish actor, Brian Cox (the voice of the Elder Ood in The End of Time). Founding producer Verity Lambert will be portrayed by Call the Midwife actress, Jessica Raine, who also stars as Emma Grayling in forthcoming episode, Phantoms of the Hex. Director of An Unearthly Child, Waris Hussein will be played by Manchunian, Sacha Dhawan (from Last Tango in Halifax).
Casting news for the other leads, Jacqueline Hill (Barbara Wright) and Carole Ann Ford (Susan Foreman) has not been announced yet, and it has been rumoured that Jamie Glover (son of Julian Glover) may have been cast as William Russell (Ian Chesterton).
Matt Strevens (Misfits, Skins) has been appointed producer, and Terry McDonough (The Street) will direct the serial.
Gatiss, also joining Steven Moffat and Caroline Skinner as executive producers, said:
"What a cast! I'm utterly delighted that everyone's favourite Time Lord will be in such brilliant and stellar company. We have a terrific team who can't wait to tell the fascinating and surprising story of how the Doctor began his journey through Space and Time."

Empire Presents The 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time

It's almost five years since cinema magazine Empire published their own list of the best ever TV shows, so surely it's time to reappraise the findings.
As any dedicated Whovian will admit, it's difficult (nigh impossible) to remain objective when any similar new poll is unveiled, for Doctor Who is without doubt, THE greatest television programme in the world. This particular survey needs urgent revision, simply because our favourite show warrants not just a higher standing than sixteenth place, but also recognition for the 'classic' era - only the revived, 21st century incarnation is included here. Consequently, the periodical cites (the much deserved) Blink as the best example of the series, whilst neglecting all pre-2005 stories.

Not surprisingly, the list - predominantly sci-fi and fantasy related and topped by The Simpsons - is characterised by influential US programming (in fact accounting for 78% of the whole study). The only British entries (eight of which are BBC produced) are Cracker (#44), Only Fools and Horses (#42), Life On Mars (#40), Monty Python's Flying Circus (#39), Father Ted (#36), Fawlty Towers (#28), Red Dwarf (#26), The Office (#23), Blackadder (#20), Doctor Who, and Spaced in tenth position.
So, Empire commented thus: