Getting the gang back together

Victorian London will never be the same again, with Neve McIntosh, Catrin Stewart and Dan Starkey returning as Madame Vastra, Jenny and Strax the Sontaran for their own audio adventures in The Paternoster Gang: Heritage, from Big Finish Productions.

Over the course of the four adventures, the much loved characters from the Steven Moffat era of Doctor Who face the first electronic automated cars in London (very ahead of their time), hordes of zombies, and ghost-like figures which are haunting Greenwich before their former selves have died…

Plus they’ll have to cope with the capers of the Bloomsbury Bunch: an intergalactic alien trio comprising a Sontaran (Christopher Ryan) and human couple and their Silurian female servant, who will be causing trouble in London – and this town isn’t big enough for two extraterrestrial gangs…

Dan Starkey, who plays Sontaran butler Strax, said he was looking forward to the return – sort of. “Remain calm, human scum! Strax need no longer sulk and polish his grenades!” he said in character.

“It’ll be a pleasure to get the gang back together: Big Finish listeners can be assured that we’ll be in full prosthetics and restrictive Victorian tailoring in studio to get right back into the Paternoster Row vibe! Can’t wait to get started!”

Neve McIntosh, who plays Madame Vastra, agreed.

“At last our fans will get more adventures with The Paternoster Gang and will find out more about how we came to be!” she said.

The Paternoster Gang: Heritage 1 is available now from the DWCA Shop, along with other Big Finish products old and new.

Last chance to pick up these classic titles on DVD

If you have a few niggling gaps in your DVD collection, the DWCA Shop may be able to assist.

The Shop has recently acquired what we understand to be the last commercially available copies of eight classic series releases left in Australia. These titles have all been out of print for some time now – so once they’re gone, they’re gone.

To view each title in our online shop, click on the relevant image below. Other releases are available from our general DVD & Blu-ray section.




On top of DVD and Blu-ray, the Shop also stocks a wide range of merchandise, including audio dramas, books and graphic novels, toys and collectables, as well as our own print publications. If you’re after something specific but can’t find it in the Shop, feel free to contact us and we’ll see if we can assist.

Billie Piper reprises Rose in new audio spin-off

ROSE Tyler is back again, but this time she is without the Doctor.

Billie Piper, who gave birth to her third child over Christmas, has signed on to return for a new audio spin-off due out at the end of 2019. Rose Tyler: The Dimension Cannon is one the latest audio series from Big Finish Productions in association with BBC Studios.

Producer David Richardson said the new audios would follow Rose’s journey through dying parallel worlds. The audios will also star Camille Coduri as her mother Jackie, Shaun Dingwall as Pete Tyler, Mark Benton as alien investigator Clive Finch and Elli Garnett as Caroline Finch.

Explaining how the new series came about, Richardson said, “I approached Russell T Davies with the idea of Big Finish making a Rose Tyler spin-off.

“He was very enthusiastic – as always – and suggested we followed Rose’s journey that ultimately leads to her finding the Doctor in The Stolen Earth. I found the proposal irresistible, and instantly script editor Matt Fitton and I were throwing around ideas. There is a whole multiverse of possibilities. Russell suggested including Jackie and Pete, and embraced my idea of including a parallel universe version of Clive – who of course was killed off in the TV series (in the 2005 episode Rose).”

He said Davies guided them through the development “steering us towards ideas that worked brilliantly, ensuring things that needed improvement were fixed, and also throwing out the ideas that didn’t work.”

“I’m absolutely delighted with what we have – a family drama about the end of worlds. It’s about love and loss and things that might have been – and our brilliant cast have embraced the emotional scripts,” Richardson said.

“What we have is different from previous iterations. It’s rather dark (though never short on wit and charm) but it’s not really about villains. It focuses on the fight to survive against the odds, and on the power of family and love.”

The four episodes follow Rose’s mission to seek out the Doctor, the only person who can save the doomed multiverse.

  1. The Endless Night by Jonathan Morris
  2. The Flood by Lisa McMullin
  3. Ghost Machines by AK Benedict
  4. The Last Party on Earth by Matt Fitton

Rose Tyler: The Dimension Cannon will be available from the DWCA Shop in November of this year. Three audio adventures alongside the Tenth Doctor – Infamy of the Zaross, Sword of the Chevalier and Cold Vengeance – are available now.

The Brigadier, Liz Shaw and Kamelion get new life at Big Finish

IMPRESSIONIST and comedian Jon Culshaw is one of two new additions to the Big Finish family, taking on one of the most famous roles in Who history.

Culshaw, who shot to fame in the shows Spitting Image and Dead Ringers, will take on the iconic role of UNIT commanding officer Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, originally portrayed by the late Nicholas Courtney.

Culshaw will feature in The Third Doctor Adventures Volume Five, alongside Tim Treloar as the Doctor and the legendary Katy Manning reprising her role as Jo Grant.

After an extensive casting process, senior producer David Richardson and executive producer Nick Briggs finally remembered a conversation they’d had with Culshaw, when he told them the thing he’d most like to do for Big Finish would be to play the Brigadier.

“After checking his rendition of the character in the BBC audiobook of The Five Doctors, we just gave him the job!” Nick explained.

“It was a very tricky thing casting someone to do justice to Nicholas Courtney’s brilliant, original performance. Jon has done this with honour and love for what the splendid Mr Courtney did all those years ago.”

The job of recasting the Third Doctor’s first companion Liz Shaw was a little easier, with Daisy Ashford – daughter of the original Liz, Caroline John – following in her mother’s footsteps.

“I’m really excited and honoured to have been asked to play Liz, and to step into my Mum’s brilliant shoes!”

Also returning is the original Sergeant Benton, John Levene, who most recently appeared for Big Finish in UNIT: Assembled, available now from the DWCA Shop.

The first of the two new adventures, Primord by John Dorney, sees the Primords (from TV story Inferno) interrupt the Doctor and Liz Shaw’s reunion, and become one of the fiercest tests of UNIT and the Doctor to date. Then, in The Scream of Ghosts by Guy Adams, the population of a village are apparently being spirited away in the oddest of manners.

The chameleonic Culshaw will also be providing the voice for another of the Doctor’s friends – appropriately enough, the shape-shifting android Kamelion!

Briefly serving as a companion to the Fifth Doctor, and operated by computer technology on the studio floor, the screentime of the original Kamelion was sadly cut short by the tragic death of its operator, Mike Power. Now the character is being given a new chance at life on audio, starring in three upcoming adventures in Big Finish’s Doctor Who Main Range alongside Fifth Doctor, Tegan and Turlough.

“He’s a very elegant soul, Kamelion,” said Jon. “A cross between C3PO and a suit of armour. He was sinister, and had a graceful presence about him, it was beautifully unnerving. A fascinating character.”

The new Third and Fifth Doctor adventures will be available through the DWCA Shop next year.

Scottish Miss Makes Big Finish

Everybody’s favourite Scottish Miss is set to return with a brand new audio series from Big Finish.

The new adventures will see Michelle Gomez return to her role as Missy and will be available from the DWCA Shop in April 2019.

Missy heads to Big Finish for an adventure or two of her own.

There will be four new adventures: A Spoonful of Mayhem by Roy Gill, Divorced, Beheaded, Regenerated by John Dorney, The Broken Clock by Nev Fountain and The Belly of the Beast by Jonathan Morris.

Gomez told Big Finish she was excited to bring everyone’s favourite “delightful devil” back to life so fans can hear more of what she is really capable of.

“I was very excited to return to Missy’s world via the medium of audio because along the way I’ve always had a lot of fun with Missy; her voices and her rhythms. I absolutely love capturing it and distilling it down to the word on the page,” she explained.

“I’m absolutely delighted! She’s such a ridiculously brilliant character, and hopefully, that earns her that moment in the spotlight.

“To find myself centre stage with these Missy adventures is thrilling – I’m very grateful.”

And (while evading the Doctor’s clutches) Missy will encounter another enemy of the Doctor as she crosses paths with the Meddling Monk played by Rufus Hound.

Missy adventures producer David Richardson said to expect the unexpected.

“Missy’s own series is just like the Time Lady herself – anarchic, funny, unpredictable and wildly imaginative,” he told Big Finish.

“It’s absolutely glorious to have Michelle returning to the character at Big Finish, and our recording days have been filled with so much laughter.

“And we haven’t even met face to face yet! Michelle’s busy filming the new Sabrina series in Vancouver for Netflix and so we’ve been pairing studios down the line; Michelle thousands of miles away while we’re in London synched up with her. It’s been a joy to make. And just wait until you hear the collaboration of Missy and the Meddling Monk!”

Gomez will additionally be reprising her role as Missy in the fifth series of The Diary of River Song, joining TV Movie Master Eric Roberts, Geoffrey Beevers’ decayed Master and Derek Jacobi’s War Master in a series of adventures opposite Alex Kingston. The series will be available to purchase from the DWCA Shop in early 2019, with the Missy boxset available shortly after.

Epic crossover event to celebrate 20 years of Doctor Who at Big Finish

In 2019, Big Finish Productions will celebrate 20 years of creating Doctor Who audio stories with The Legacy of Time – the biggest audio crossover event in the company’s existence!

Over six hour-long stories, characters from the entire history of Doctor Who with cross paths – some for the very first time. Professor River Song (Alex Kingston) will meet her archaeological predecessor, Professor Bernice Summerfield (Lisa Bowerman), while Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) will travel back in time to classic UNIT and meet the Third Doctor (voiced by Tim Treloar) and Jo Grant (Katy Manning).

Meanwhile, the Counter-Measures team will be reunited with the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and Ace (Sophie Aldred), long after their first meeting in Remembrance of the Daleks; the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) and his companion Charlotte Pollard (India Fisher) will once again meet Detective Inspector Patricia Menzies (Anna Hope); plus we go to Gallifrey, and elsewhere we enter the Time War.

“The Legacy of Time will probably go down in Big Finish history as our biggest, most exciting production, ever!” said Executive Producer Nicholas Briggs, one of the founding members of Big Finish. “Celebrating 20 years of Doctor Who at Big Finish, it expertly pulls together all the strands from our many and varied Doctor Who ranges.

“Quite simply, this is going to blow people’s minds! It’s got everything!”

“[These] two decades have been so fulfilling for us at Big Finish – a chance to work with so many great and talented actors, writers, production crews and all of our friends at the BBC,” added Big Finish Chairman and Executive Producer Jason Haigh-Ellery. “This is a celebration of it all, with lots of surprise returns and references. Think of it as one massive Doctor Who party – and everyone is invited…”

Doctor Who: The Legacy of Time will be available from the DWCA Shop in September 2019. To browse the Shop’s full range of Big Finish audio, click here.

Season 12: The Collection available now from the DWCA Shop

It’s been a long time coming, but Tom Baker’s first season of adventures as the Fourth Doctor is now available from the DWCA Shop on Blu-ray!

Season 12: The Collection sees the iconic team of the Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter) star in over 8 hours of classic adventures across 6 Blu-ray discs. They are joined by friend and foe alike, including the Brigadier and Benton (the Kate and Osgood of their day), the Sontarans, the Cybermen, the Daleks and – in his first ever appearance – Davros!

Featuring painstakingly remastered audio and upscaled video as well as a legion of new bonus features – including a one-hour interview with Tom Baker, optional revised special effects on Revenge of the Cybermen and the 1975 omnibus cut of Genesis of the Daleks 1975 – this set is essential for both newcomers and seasoned fans alike!

Season 12: The Collection is is available to order online now. You can even save on shipping by picking up a copy at the DWCA day event on 26 August in Burwood, Sydney – simply email us at shop@doctorwhoaustralia.org to secure your copy.

Don’t forget that there are plenty of DVD and Blu-ray releases from the classic and new series available from the DWCA Shop, including several featuring the one and only Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor. Click here to browse them all!

Are You Interested in Doctor Who Biographies?

The DWCA Shop is looking to carry a greater number of non-fiction titles, particularly biographies and autobiographies. And we’re inviting you to come on this journey with us, by helping us select the books you’d most like to add to your collection!

Pictured below is a sample of some of the titles the Shop is looking to acquire, including biographies and autobiographies of Doctors, companions and other prominent figures from our favourite programme. If you would consider purchasing any of the below, please send an email to shop@doctorwhoaustralia.org listing your preferred titles and formats. If enough people express their interest, it is our hope that the Shop will be able to stock the most popular titles in the near future. Until that time, no form of deposit or payment will be required.

To view a larger version of each image with its caption, simply click on it.

Doctor Who Series 10 – Now available from DWCA

With Christmas just around the corner, the DWCA is proud to announce we have for sale the Complete Series Ten boxset.

Available on DVD or Blu-Ray, the boxset would make a great stocking stuffer for that special Whovian in your life. (Even if that Whovian is yourself!)

Join Peter Capaldi in his final full series as the Doctor, with Pearl Mackie as new companion Bill Potts, Matt Lucas as butler-come-badass Nardole and Michelle Gomez as the Doctor’s frenemy, Missy.

See the Doctor battle emoji-speaking robots, Ice Warriors, Cybermen, the Master(s) and many, many more villains and monsters.

Featuring deleted scenes, audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes documentaries and a limited edition set of lenticular cards, the set is a must for any Doctor Who fan!

Order now to ensure you receive your copy before Christmas!

Click here to order your copy of series ten on DVD or Blu-Ray now.

Come do your Christmas shopping at Look Who’s Talking

Look Who’s Talking – Part One is on tomorrow, and it will be the last event to feature the DWCA Shop for 2015. So if you want to do some Christmas shopping for all your Whovian friends, now’s the time!

The final release of the classic DVD range – the infinitely quotable The Underwater Menace – will be available for purchase on the day, just a few days after its Australian release. You can even get it signed by the designer of the Fish People (as well as some obscure monsters called the Cybermen) herself, Alexandra Tynan.

The-Underwater-Menace-Australia-DVD

Our second guest, Gary Russell, has his name to a wide range of novels and audio dramas as both a writer and director. There’ll be plenty of releases available for him to sign on the day, but all in limited numbers, so make sure you get in quick!

Meri Amber will also have copies of her Doctor Who-themed album ‘Pop Goes the TARDIS’ on sale.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! The shop will feature some much-anticipated new releases from Big Finish, including UNIT: Extinction, serving as the audio debut for Kate Stewart and Osgood; Torchwood: The Conspiracy, featuring the immortal Captain Jack Harkness; and Doom Coalition 1, which sees the Eighth Doctor gain both a new companion and a new enemy!

unit_extinction_packshot_image_large

Finally, fill up your Christmas stocking with toys and collectables for fans young and old. Whether your preference is for action figures, sonic screwdrivers or slippers, we’ve got the goods. You can even pick up a Weeping Angel to put on your Christmas tree!

All these items and more will be available at Look Who’s Talking – Part One on Sunday 6 December at Burwood Library, Sydney. Picking them up at the event is the best way to guarantee you’ll have them in time for Christmas, so make sure you swing by!