Category: News

Australian Doctor Who fans have awoken to some very unexpected news – Steven Moffat will be stepping down as showrunner at the end of Series 10, to be replaced by Chris Chibnall.

Confirming the news today, Moffat announced that his “timey-wimey is up”.

“ It took a lot of gin and tonic to talk [Chris] into this, but I am beyond delighted that one of the true stars of British television drama will be taking the Time Lord even further into the future,” he said. “At the start of Season 11, Chris Chibnall will become the new showrunner of Doctor Who. And I will be thrown in a skip.”

Chibnall is no stranger to the Whoniverse, having been a fan of the show since he was four years old. He has previously penned Doctor Who stories 42, The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship and The Power of Three, as well as eight episodes of spin-off series Torchwood.

Outside of Doctor Who, his writing credits include episodes of Life on Mars, the short-lived series Camelot and the telemovie United. He is best known as the creator of murder mystery Broadchurch, starring various Doctor Who alumni including David Tennant, Olivia Colman and Eve Myles. The third series of the program will begin filming in May.

“It’s a privilege and a joy to be the next curator of this funny, scary and emotional family drama,” Chibnall said of his appointment.

“I’m relishing the thought of working with the exceptional team at BBC Wales to create new characters, creatures and worlds for the Doctor to explore.”

2016 – GAP YEAR

As was the case during the handover from Russell T Davies to Steven Moffat, Doctor Who will take something of a gap year during this eventful time. 2016 will see the airing of a Christmas special, with the tenth series of the programme to follow in the UK Spring of 2017. Series 11, Chibnall’s first as showrunner, will launch in 2018.

“I have decided to schedule Steven’s big finale series in Spring 2017 to bring the nation together for what will be a huge event on the channel,” said BBC1 controller Charlotte Moore. “2016 is spoilt with national moments including the Euros [football championship] and Olympics and I want to hold something big back for 2017 – I promise it will be worth the wait!”

2016, will, however, see the premiere of new spin-off series Class, helmed by YA writer Patrick Ness and set at Coal Hill School. The series will be broadcast in the UK on BBC3, though an Australian broadcaster is yet to be announced.

Chibnall has paid tribute to Moffat, saying, “Steven’s achieved the impossible by continually expanding Doctor Who’s creative ambition, while growing its global popularity. He’s been a dazzling and daring showrunner, and hearing his plans and stories for 2017, it’s clear he’ll be going out with a bang.”

The Doctor Who Festival may be over, but it certainly won’t be the last event of the year for Australian Whovians.

The DWCA is pleased to announce a range of activities to take place as part of Look Who’s Talking – Part One, set to take place on Sunday 6 December at Burwood Library, Sydney. On top of featuring several special guests – ‘60s costume designer Alexandra Tynan, writer Gary Russell and singer Meri Amber – the event will be packed with loads of activities to keep you entertained!

Your knowledge of Doctor Who will be put to the test as part of Mastermind, our end-of-year trivia competition. Do you have what it takes to follow in the Doctor’s footsteps and beat your opponents using only your wits? Better start studying now, just to make sure!

For the more creative types, why not practise your skills in our Make-A-Monster competition? Join a team and see if you can create a classic design, in a short amount of time, using a limited set of supplies. Alexandra Tynan will know how you feel!

Finally, what Doctor Who event would be complete without cosplay? Whether you’ve cobbled together an outfit from Vinnies or spend several months sewing it by hand, come show off your unique style in the Wardrobe Room Awards. Remember, you should always dress for the occasion!

Look Who’s Talking will continue in Part Two on the evening of Friday 11 December, which will feature non-fiction writer Robert Smith? and is completely free to attend. Tickets to both parts of the event can be acquired through the DWCA Shop.

The DWCA has announced two more guests for our special end-of-year event Look Who’s Talking – Part One, to be held on Sunday 6 December at Burwood Library, Sydney.

Joining classic series costume designer Alexandra Tynan will be Doctor Who writer, director, script editor and producer Gary Russell, along with self-described “geek pop singer-songwriter” Meri Amber.

Gary Russell’s contributions to the Whoniverse span over 30 years and dozens of productions, with his latest effort coming in the form of the Twelfth Doctor novel ‘Big Bang Generation’. Appropriately set in Sydney in December 2015, the book marks a major milestone in Doctor Who history – the first meeting of a new series Doctor with Wilderness Years companion Bernice “Benny” Summerfield!

The event will also feature geek pop singer Meri Amber, who will be performing a selection of original songs from her Doctor Who-themed album ‘Pop Goes the TARDIS’. Meri has previously performed at Oz Comic-Con and Armageddon, as well as doing pre-show foyer entertainment for the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular, and we look forward to sharing her music with a whole new audience!

Look Who’s Talking will continue in Part Two on the evening of Friday 11 December, which will feature non-fiction writer Robert Smith? and is completely free to attend. Tickets to both parts of the event can be acquired through the DWCA Shop.

The Doctor Who Club of Australia is celebrating the end of 2015 with a brand new event – so special we had to split it over two days!

Look Who’s Talking: Part One will take place on Sunday 6 December from 10am at Burwood Library, located within walking distance of Burwood Station. The day will feature all the usual DWCA fun, including games, discussions and competitions. Most importantly, though, we will be launching The Underwater Menace on DVD – available to purchase from the Club Shop on the day – with none other than Troughton-era costume designer Alexandra Tynan!

Alexandra (known as Sandra Reid during her time on Doctor Who) worked on eight stories during the ‘60s, from The Tenth Planet up to The Tomb of the Cybermen. We look forward to hearing how she developed the unique looks of the Second Doctor, the Fish People, and of course the Cybermen!

Part One will end at 5pm on Sunday, but Look Who’s Talking will only be half over. Part Two will commence on the evening of Friday 11 December – this time at The City of Sydney RSL, located a short walk from Town Hall Station. This event will be a more laid-back affair – like a bigger version of our regular ‘Tavern’ nights – but will also feature a special guest: non-fiction writer Robert Smith?.

Robert has recently released two new Doctor Who-based books: ‘The Doctors Are In’ and ‘Outside In 2’. The Doctors Are In, co-authored with Graeme Burk, is a guide to the Doctor himself – who he is, how he came to be, how he has changed, and why we love him. Outside In 2, meanwhile, is a collection of 125 perspectives on 125 New Who stories from 125 different writers. We’re sure Robert will have plenty of anecdotes to tell us about these latest efforts!

Tickets to one or both parts of the event can be purchased through the DWCA Shop.

It’s been a long time coming, but the BBC Shop has finally listed Second Doctor adventure The Underwater Menace in its online store, available for pre-order before its release date of 26 October.

There has been surprisingly little fanfare about the listing, given the serial’s long and troubled journey to get to this point. The recovery of the story’s second episode was announced in December 2011, joining the already existing third episode and seeming to ensure the release of the serial on DVD. But over three years later, following constant shifts in the DVD schedule and conflicting accounts of whether the missing first and fourth episodes would be released as reconstructions or animations, the DVD listing disappeared altogether in February 2015 – only for it to re-appear on 1 September.

A tweet by Doctor Who Magazine confirmed that the listing was legitimate, stating, “DWM has learned the 1967 story The Underwater Menace (of which Episodes 2 & 3 survive) will be released on DVD after all.” However, there is still no word on how the non-existing episodes will be presented – all we have to go on is that DWM will provide “Details soon”.

The DWCA Shop will be making enquiries as to the DVD’s release in Australia.

Despite the ABC releasing new Doctor Who closer and closer to the UK airtime each year, there’s always some trepidation as to whether our luck will eventually run out.

Happily, the latest trailer for the series reveals that it will be back on Australian screens on Sunday 20 September. The UK broadcast date has previously been announced as Saturday 19 September.

While the trailer does not yet indicate whether Series 9 will be simulcast or not, each episode is guaranteed to reach us less than 24 hours after its UK premiere. The DWCA applauds the ABC for its efforts in bringing the series to our screens and can’t wait to experience it along with all our members.