DOCTOR WHO: FLUX: EVERYTHING WE KNOW SO FAR

Jodie Whittaker (centre), John Bishop (left), Mandip Gill (right) in Doctor Who: Flux Credit: BBC

Get the lowdown on Doctor Who Series 13 ahead of its Halloween release

By Mélissa M Azombo

As the 13th series of Doctor Who materialises on British screens tonight, from casting to plotlines, here’s everything you need to know about what’s to come.

Doctor What?

“It’s coming. Be ready.” This is what The Doctor tells us about The Flux in a BBC ident. Just what is the flux? We don’t know exactly. We are aware that it involves a SWARM of creatures from Sontarans to Weeping Angels, Cybermen and Ravagers. New set photos have even been released to confirm this.

Don’t Blink: The Weeping Angels are back. Photo credit: BBC

New monsters: The Doctor face to face with the Karvanista. Photo credit: BBC

Otherwise, all we know in terms of the storyline (which is quite special already) is the first two episode titles. Episode 1 titled “Chapter One: The Halloween Apocalypse” will launch the series this Halloween. The following episode called “War of The Sontarans” will air Sunday 7 November. It’s safe to say this episode will feature the return of Sontarans, not seen since Doctor Who series 8, right? Their return has been confirmed since their appearance in the latest Doctor Who trailer.

The trailer also reveals an Ood and a new monster named Karvanista.

Doctor Who?

Although the writers confirmed for Doctor Who: FLUX are limited to a total of 2 – Chris Chibnall himself and Maxine Alderton (Doctor Who: Series 12: the Haunting of Villa Diodati) – a growing list of further casting details has been released. Of course, Jodiie Whittaker will be featuring in her last series in the role of The 13th Doctor. The Yorkshire-born actress made history when she was announced as the first woman to play The Doctor (within continuity) back in July 2017. Alongside her, will be Mandip Gill continuing her role as Yasmin Khan. Both will be joined by new TARDIS arrival Dan Lewis, played by John Bishop.

Doctor Who: Jodie Whittaker returns as The Doctor.

Yasmin Khan: Mandip Gill continues her role as The Doctor’s companion.

Centre: John Bishop is Dan Lewis.

At arms: Game of Thrones’ Jacob Anderson as Vinder in Doctor Who: Flux.

As announced during the last Doctor Who Comic Con at Home Panel, Game of Thrones’ Jacob Anderson will be starring as series regular, Vinder. Talking about playing his character during the panel, Anderson revealed “Not only did I get to go on the TARDIS & press all the buttons & levers but I got my own ship.” His own ship? Is Vinder a Time Lord? Only time will tell.

Featuring alongside the principal four, an array of guest cast throughout the six-part story. Robert Bathurst and Kevin McNally of Downton Abbey, The Irregulars’ Thaddea Graham, Blake Harrison from World On Fire and Craig Parkinson (Line of Duty) will all enter the world of Doctor Who throughout the following six weeks. Although full character details have yet to be confirmed, some interesting character images have been released. In the mean time, it’s a waiting game to find out who will be played by Sara Powell (Unforgotten), Britannia’s Annabel Scholey & Gerald Kyd, Penelope Ann McGhie (Harry Potter), Rochenda Sandall (Line Of Duty), Sam Spruell (The North Water), Craige Els (Ripper Street), Steve Oram (The End of the F-ing World), Nadia Albina (The One), Jonathan Watson (Two Doors Down), Sue Jenkins (Coronation Street) and Paul Broughton (Brookside).

All cast have been directed by Jamie Magnus Stone (Doctor Who: Series 12: Spyfall) on episodes one, two and four with the remaining episodes directed by Azhur Saleem and produced by Pete Levy. Azhur Saleem’s directing venture on Muse made the Official Sci-Fi London Film Festival Selection.

As in series 12, Doctor Who: FLUX had Chris Chibnall and Matt Strevens as executive producers, while being co-produced by series producer Nikki Wilson.

Doctor When?

The hit sci-fi TV show returns for its 13th series tonight, Sunday 31 October at 18h25 GMT (UK). Doctor Who: FLUX will be available for streaming from Monday 1 November at 6h20 AEDT and broadcast at 19h30 AEDT (Australia). To American audiences, the show will air on Sunday 31st October at 20h00 EDT (USA). The series continues with Chapter Two: War of the Sontarans the following week.

Doctor Where?

Doctor Who will be broadcast in the UK on BBCOne, in Australia on ABC iview and ABC TV Plus and in the USA on BBC America. Details for other countries are yet to be confirmed.

Doctor How?

The series will be broadcast over six one-hour episodes, which will also be available to watch on the BBC’s catch-up streaming service BBC iPlayer.

Doctor Why?

The return of Doctor Who tonight brings an end to the 10-months hiatus Whovians have endured since the New Year’s Day special Revolution of the Daleks aired on 1 January 2021. Although past Doctor Who seasons under the current Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall have been known to have fewer episodes than their predcessors, Doctor Who: Flux suffers an even more dramatic episode count cut from Chinall’s standard 10 to just 6. He confirmed during SDCC’s Comic-Con at Home 2021 Panel in July this year that pandemic filming influenced the story telling.

“You could go we’re just gonna do lots of tiny episodes, in one room, with no monsters, or we could throw down the gauntlet and go we’re gonna do the biggest story we’ve ever done and we’re going to all kinds of different places, have all kinds of different characters and monsters, and it’s all gonna be part of a bigger whole,” Chibnall explained. Doctor Who: FLUX, set to be one epic six-part story, will be Jodie Whittaker’s last series in the coveted role of The Doctor, although she will also feature in 3 more specials across 2022: The New Year’s Day Special airing on 1 January 2022, an Easter special airing early 2022 and the BBC’s centenary special set to air in Autumn 2022, which will be Jodie Whittaker’s final episode as the 13th Doctor.

Chris Chibnall will join Jodie Whittaker and exit his role as showrunner after the BBC Centenary Special. Previous showrunner Russell T Davies will reprise this former position and succeed Chibnall as showrunner for at least the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary and series 14.

Stellar return: Award-winning writer Russell T Davies from It’s A Sin will take the role of Showrunner from Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary onwards

Meanwhile, this is John Bishop’s first series, which he joins as Dan Lewis alongside Yaz (Mandip Gill) and The Doctor (Jodie Whittaker).

DOCTOR WHO: FROM DOCTOR WHEN TO DOCTOR WHERE?

Image credit: BBC, BBC Studios

Inside the tensest 24 hours in Doctor Who fandom as fans ask #WhereIsDoctorWho?

By Mélissa M Azombo

Last Friday evening, the official Doctor Who website and social media accounts disappeared from cyberspace in what proved to be the greatest marketing stunt of the century.

On Friday 8 October at 18h00, Doctor Who fans asked #WhereIsDoctorWho as they noticed the hit sci-fi TV show was nowhere to be found online. With the series in the midst of a hiatus with an unknown release date, Whovians had grown accustomed to asking “when is Doctor Who?”. This was the day it got replaced as the most popular question in the fandom. One by one, reports came in of the show’s official Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube accounts being inaccessible. Soon, the same was shown to be true for their website.

While the official Doctor Who Tumblr page run by BBC America reportedly remained active, all social media accounts managed by BBC Studios through Falcon Social Media stayed inactive well into the night. It was unclear how long this would go on for or if Doctor Who would ever return to the internet at all. Their last tweet: “CAN YOU HEAR ME?” gave no clues.

++ —/CAN YOU HEAR ME?/ —++

— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) October 8, 2021

By the morning of the following day, Doctor Who remained offline and those who had previously wondered if it was just a technical issue began to wonder if it was actually a marketing strategy instead – in which case, many questionned it.

It was on Saturday 9 October that the show’s lead character, The Doctor, seemed to make a breakthrough in communications via none other than the Telegram app, where she explained she had been banned from the internet. Yikes!

Official or Unofficial? The Doctor seems to be reaching out via Telegram amidst Doctor Who social media blackout on Saturday 9 October.

Clearly The Doctor was in some sort of trouble, struggling to get through. So, she did what she does best – called on humans to stay vigilant and let her know if we’d seen anything suspicious. Liverpudlians were invited to call the phone number 0800 678 3110 displayed on electronic billboards. Phoning led to The Doctor’s answerphone (she’s a busy woman!) where fans were encouraged to leave a voicemail if they had seen anything suspicious.

Message from the doctor in Liverpool!! We rang and it’s a message from the doctor!!! #doctorwho @BBCOne #whovian Fantastic advertising pic.twitter.com/drn39kDR9r

— bethany 🤘🏼 (@AllonsyWhovian_) October 9, 2021

Well, they didn’t disappoint, though how many phone calls and voicemails came into the line within just the first hour, by the end of Saturday and to date, is anyone’s guess. Time Made Of Strawberries has contacted the BBC Press Office for further information on this but the Doctor Who team has not responded at the time of writing. An update will be posted as soon as it’s available. Regardless, the excitement was alive on Twitter as fans posted recordings of The Doctor’s voicemail greeting. The phone line is no longer active but it was all the buzz when it was. 

This is what it’s says when you call it #WhereIsTheDoctor #whereisdoctorwho pic.twitter.com/Y2fhk3udqJ

— bethany 🤘🏼 (@AllonsyWhovian_) October 9, 2021

If anything, this shows the hype that going offline generated for Doctor Who. So, it was time to complete the marketing strategy and make the much-awaited comeback to cyberspace that fans had been eagerly waiting for.

The official Doctor Who social media accounts returned in style. With a darker, more autumnal shade of orange in their logo and a “DOCTOR WHO: FLUX” header and name change, they graced fans with a teaser of the upcoming series.

Doctor Who: Flux will be the thirteenth series of Doctor Who. Starring Jodie Whittaker in her last adventure as The Doctor, alongside Mandip Gill (Yaz), John Bishop (Dan) and Game Of Thrones’ Jacob Anderson (Vinder), it will feature 6 one-hour weekly episodes.

All episodes are written by Chris Chibnall except for one, which is co-written by Maxine Alderton (Doctor Who: Series12: The Haunting Of Villa Diodati).

This will also be Chibnall’s last season as Doctor Who Showrunner, with alum Russel T Davies announced to be reprising this role for at least the 60th anniversary and series 14.

Taylor Swift may have invented clearing your social media for a new era but Doctor Who just stepped it up one level and invented completely disappearing for another era.

The new era of Doctor Who starts with “Chapter One: The Halloween Apocalypse” on Halloween (31.10.2021) on BBC One at 18h25 GMT/ 19H25 CET. The following episode’s title has been confirmed to be “Chapter Two: The Sontaran War”.

Check out the trailer of what’s to come, originally premiered on The Graham Norton Show on Friday 15 October 2021 with Jodie Whittaker.

DOCTOR WHO ANNIVERSARY ROUND-UP

Whoniverse Events On the 16th Anniversary of the show’s return

Big Finish Doctor Who Freebies

Big Finish Freebie: Jenny – The Doctor’s Daughter is free to download until 23;59 GMT on 28 March 2021.

Did somebody say “Doctor Who freebies”? Until 28^th March 2021 at 23:59 GMT/ 29^th March 2021 at 00:59 CET, Big Finish is letting you download Jenny – The Doctor’s Daughter: Stolen Goods completely free. Delve into the sonic adventure by grabbing this audio drama without having to pay a single penny, today.

Sacha Dhawan Limited Online Signing With

The Time Meddlers

Sacha Dhawan online signing via the Time Meddlers

People of the Doctor Who fandom, please attend carefully. Sacha Dhawan who has taken the role of The Master by storm since his 2020 Spyfall introduction, will be signing autographs via Doctor Who retailer, The Time Meddlers.

The online signing is taking place via pre-order between Friday 26 March 2021 at 18:00 GMT/ 19:00 CET and Wednesday 1 April 2021 at 23:59 GMT/ Thursday 2 April 2021 00:59 CET. During this time, fans can order an autograph on the Time Meddlers website to be signed by Sacha Dhawan, himself on an officially licenced 10×8” BBC print.

Autographs cost £24.99, with the option of having Sacha personalise the autograph for you with your first name only for an additional £5. After pre-orders close, autographs will be signed and should be shipped mid-April.

Don’t miss out and grab your Sacha Dhawan autograph today!

Christopher Eccleston Returns As The 9^th Doctor in

New Audio Adventure

Above: CD & Vynil cover artwork for the brand new Big Finish audio adventures featuring Christopher Eccleston

The Doctor’s back in brand new audio drama Ravagers 1 starring Christopher Eccleston this May.

To celebrate 16 years since Doctor Who’s return to TV, Big Finish released the trailer to this set of 3 brand new adventures on 26 March.

It’s available to pre-order now on CD & digital download. Limited edition vinyl releases will also be up for purchase, which you can pre-order now.

New Release: Doctor Who Season 12 & Season 19 Blu-Ray Box Sets

Above: Artwork for the Doctor Who Season 12 Blu-Ray box set to be released in May.

Doctor Who Season 12 & 19 will be newly released in standard Blu-Ray packaging from 31 May 2021.

Season 12 is Tom Baker’s first series as The Doctor and includes stories The Ark In Space and Genesis of The Daleks, with companions Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter). The standard Blu-Ray box set part of Doctor Who: The Collection will include identical content to the Doctor Who: The Collection Limited Edition release. It will contain a standard, plastic Blu-ray case inside a slipcase, with a condensed, standard-printed 12-page booklet featuring disc-breakdowns, as well as selected illustrations.

Above: Artwork for the Doctor Who Season 12 Blu-Ray box set to be released in May.

Meanwhile, the Season 19 box set will introduce fans to Peter Davison’s first season as The Doctor, with companions Tegan (Janet Fielding), Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) and Adric (Matthew Waterhouse).

Both will be available from multiple retailers at RRP £49.99, though currently £37.99 at Zavvi & HMV are available to pre-order now.

Doctor Who: Daleks! Nominated for Shorty Awards

Above: Artwork for the Daleks! animation which is up for a Shorty Award

Doctor Who five-part animation “Daleks!” has been nominated for a Shorty Award in the category of Best Use of Animation.

The ten-minute episodes were uploaded to YouTube in weekly instalments late last year, as part of the Time Lord Victorious multi-platform saga, pulling together all of Doctor Who’s biggest licensees.

If you enjoyed it, you can vote for the series on the Shorty Awards website. Winners will be announced in April.

DOCTOR WHO CHILD STARS : WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Above: Emilia Jones in Doctor Who episode The Rings of Akhaten left and at a première, right.

16 years since the show’s return, where are these child stars?

By Mélissa M Azombo

Today marks 16 years since Doctor Who made a triumphant return to our TV screens, so where are its youngest actors now who were so integral to its storylines?

From CAL (Charlotte Abigail Lux) in series 4 episodes Silence in the Library/ Forrest of the Dead to Amelia Pond in series 5 episode The Eleventh Hour, find out what the child stars of Doctor Who are now up to 16 years later.

• 

  Since appearing on our screens as little Amelia Pond in Doctor Who series 5 episode The Eleventh Hour, Caitlin Blackwood went on to feature in many more episodes, including series 5 finale The Big Bang and Doctor Who Series 6 opener Let’s Kill Hitler. Did you know Caitlin had actually been suggested for the role by her cousin Karen Gillan who played the older Amy Pond?

• 

  Caitlin clearly found a talent she wanted to use, as she has continued acting since Doctor Who. Also found on convention circuits (in pre-pandemic times), she starred in 2015 TV series Cops & Monsters as Alexis and reprised her role as little Amelia Pond in The Raggedy Doctor video created as part of Emily Cook’s Doctor Who Lockdown series. Most recently, she played Clara in Lost At Christmas. It’s fair to say, Caitlin is very much still into acting and may be appearing on our screens again, soon.

• 

  It’s the second half of the Doctor Who Series 6B two-parter and we’re all on the edge of our seats as a little girl regenerates before our eyes with no explanation. She is later confirmed to be a young Melody Pond AKA River Song. But she had a link to the world of Doctor Who before playing Melody Pond, as Sydney had starred in Marchlands as Amy Marchland, the daughter of Helen Maynard played by Alex Kingston, who you may remember as River Song AKA the older Melody Pond. Since Sydney Wade’s last appearance as Melody Pond in Doctor Who, the actress has gone on to other roles.

• 

  She appeared in Sherlock episode The Reichenbach Fall in 2012 as Claudie Buhl who instantly screams when she sees Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch). She featured in children’s TV shows Rocket’s Island as Jade Hollis and Wolfblood as Emilia Covaci, more recently playing Jessie in the TV series Creeped Out in 2017. At present, the 18-year-old is out of the limelight, however it is clear she remains very much in the acting industry from her agent profile. Here’s hoping she lands some more work soon.

• 

  Pretty soon within the Doctor Who series 3 Human Nature/The Family of Blood two-parter, Tim Latimer became the key to keeping The Doctor hidden and safe from them, as he got his hands on The Doctor’s pocket watch. This was not just any ordinary pocket watch, though. It contained The Doctor’s Time Lord self, after he had used his chameleon arch to rewrite his biology into that of a human. Any viewer would be on edge every time Tim Latimer opened the watch, as it brought the family of blood one step closer to tracking down The Doctor. Thomas Brodie-Sangster who portrayed Tim Latimer proved numerous times across the two-parter the extent of his acting abilities. The actor has since not shied away from using them, as his glowing CV shows.

• 

  From feature films Nowhere Boy (2009) where he played Paul and The Maze Runner (2014) where he starred as Newt to TV series Game Of Thrones (Jojen Reed), Thunderbirds Are Go (Pirate Tracy, John Dobbs) & The Queen’s Gambit (Benny Watts), the 30-year-old’s career doesn’t look due to halt anytime soon. He even recently took part in an interview with Heat magazine.

• 

  Also from the Human Nature/Family of Blood two-parter, is actress Lor Wilson who played Daughter of Mine in the form of Lucy Cartwright. We recently heard from Lor during the Doctor Who Lockdown tweet-along of The Family Of Blood where she joined in, talking about her experience on the show. Lucy Cartwright is supposedly 6-years-old, a shocking age at which to shoot the headmaster, after her body has been taken over by Daughter of Mine.

• 

  So, what has Lor Wilson been up to since Doctor Who? Well, more Doctor Who, for one. She took part in Doctor Who productions Dark Legends and Resurrection. Outside of this, she played Beth Ward in 2016 TV series Today’s Detectives and Veronica in the 2019 short film Veronica.

• 

  There’s nothing more magical than a Doctor Who Christmas special. Back in 2011, Laurence Belcher starred in A Christmas Carol as the young boy version of Kazran. He becomes integral to the plot when The Doctor attempts to save the day by rewriting Kazran’s past. Aside from giving us a very cool interaction between young Kazran and adult Kazran, following a Doctor Who Lockdown tweet-along of a Christmas Carol, what has Laurence Belcher gone on to do?

• 

  Today, he is still an actor, represented by leading talent agency Curtis Brown. His credits since Doctor Who include X-Men First Class, where he played Charles Xavier and Diana where he played Prince William. More than actor, Belcher is also an Oxford University graduate, having studied Classical, Ancient Mediterranean, Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology there.

• 

  The daughter of Walking In The Air singer Aled Jones showed she too, had inherited some amazing singing skills when she starred as Merry Gejehl in Doctor Who series 7B episode The Rings Of Akhaten. Aged only 8 when she filmed this episode, the young actress seemed to act and sing effortlessly across her scenes opposite Clara, The Doctor, The Vigil and other characters.

• 

  Today, the 19-year-old starlet continues to act, most recently in the film Coda. She has also starred in Locke & Key as Kinsey Locke and taken to the stage as Joan in Far Away.

• 

  Aged only 8 at the time, John Bell made his acting debut on the set of Doctor Who series 3 episode Utopia. He played a young boy called Creet who was calling out names to try to reunite people with their families in time for the ship they were on to launch, allowing them to fly away from the menacing Futurekind. Bell had won the role through a competition on children’s television programme Blue Peter.

• 

  A reference to his character was made in Doctor Who the series 3 finale The Last Of The Time Lords, where it was revealed that the spheres The Master had called the Toclafane were actually humans from the future who had gone back in time to annihilate their ancestors. The paradox was maintained by The Paradox Machine The Master had turned the TARDIS into. Since Doctor Who, Bell, now 23 has worked on further productions including Tracy Beaker Returns and Outlander.

• 

  We can’t finish this trip down memory lane without mentioning William Hughes who played the Young Master back in series 3 of Doctor Who. On the run from The Master (played by John Simm) in The Sound Of Drums, Martha, The Doctor and Capt. Jack Harkness manage to find a hiding spot. There The Doctor describes life on Gallifrey to a montage against Murray Gold’s score of This Is Gallifrey (Our Childhood, Our Home). William Hughes’ Master appears as The Doctor explains “As a novice, he was taken for initiation. He stood in front of the untampered schism. It’s a gap in the fabric of reality, through which can be seen all of the vortex. You stand there, 8 years old, just a child. Some would be inspired, some would run away, some would go mad.”

• 

  Hughes later played a character called Alex Grainger in the Torchwood episode Sleeper. Aside from this, he continued boxing, which he had started at the age of 9. He won a British Championship at the GB Amateur Boxing Championships for Wales back in 2011. Using his talent, he fought in a charity boxing match to raise money for charity. Going on to study Finance at Queen Mary University London in 2017, he joined its Elite Athlete Program and won gold with the University at the British Universities and Colleges Sport championships. After living an active life, William Hughes sadly passed away at age 20 while on holiday in Greece. He had gone on the trip to celebrate end of his first year exams but on the last night, was found unresponsive. Unfortunately, Mr. Hughes could not be resuscitated at hospital and his cause of death was later confirmed as suicide, upon investigation.

Enjoyed the article? Support the author, here.

However, if you’re encountering issues with the slideshow, scroll through the text and images below to find out where the child stars of Doctor Who are now.

Since appearing on our screens as little Amelia Pond in Doctor Who series 5 episode, The Eleventh Hour, Caitlin Blackwood went on to feature in many more episodes, including series 5 finale The Big Bang and Doctor Who Series 6 opener Let’s Kill Hitler. Did you know Caitlin had actually been suggested for the role by her cousin Karen Gillan who played the older Amy Pond?

Caitlin clearly found a talent she wanted to use, as she has continued acting since Doctor Who. Also found on convention circuits (in pre-pandemic times), she starred in 2015 TV series Cops & Monsters, as Alexis and reprised her role as little Amelia Pond in The Raggedy Doctor video, created as part of Emily Cook’s Doctor Who Lockdown series. Most recently, she played Clara in Lost At Christmas. It’s fair to say, Caitlin is very much still into acting and may be appearing on our screens again, soon.

It’s the second half of the Doctor Who Series 6B two-parter and we’re all on the edge of our seats as a little girl regenerates before our eyes with no explanation. She is later confirmed to be a young Melody Pond AKA River Song. But she had a link to the world of Doctor Who before playing Melody Pond, as Sydney had starred in Marchlands as Amy Marchland, the daughter of Helen Maynard played by Alex Kingston, who you may remember as River Song AKA the older Melody Pond. Since Sydney Wade’s last appearance as Melody Pond in Doctor Who, the actress has gone on to other roles.

She appeared in Sherlock episode The Reichenbach Fall in 2012 as Claudie Buhl who instantly screams when she sees Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch). She featured in children’s TV shows Rocket’s Island as Jade Hollis and Wolfblood as Emilia Covaci, more recently playing Jessie in the TV series Creeped Out in 2017. At present, the 18-year-old is out of the limelight, however it is clear she remains very much in the acting industry from her agent profile. Here’s hoping she lands some more work soon.

Pretty soon within the Doctor Who series 3 Human Nature/The Family of Blood two-parter, Tim Latimer became the key to keeping The Doctor hidden and safe from them, as he got his hands on The Doctor’s pocket watch. This was not just any ordinary pocket watch, though. It contained The Doctor’s Time Lord self, after he had used his chameleon arch to rewrite his biology into that of a human. Any viewer would be on edge every time Tim Latimer opened the watch, as it brought the family of blood one step closer to tracking down The Doctor. Thomas Brodie-Sangster who portrayed Tim Latimer proved numerous times across the two-parter the extent of his acting abilities. The actor has since not shied away from using them, as his glowing CV shows.

From feature films Nowhere Boy (2009) where he played Paul and The Maze Runner (2014) where he starred as Newt to TV series Game Of Thrones (Jojen Reed), Thunderbirds Are Go (Pirate Tracy, John Dobbs) & The Queen’s Gambit (Benny Watts), the 30-year-old’s career doesn’t look due to halt anytime soon. He even recently took part in an interview with Heat magazine.

Also from the Human Nature/Family of Blood two-parter, is actress Lor Wilson who played Daughter of Mine in the form of Lucy Cartwright. We recently heard from Lor during the Doctor Who Lockdown tweet-along of The Family Of Blood where she joined in, talking about her experience on the show. Lucy Cartwright is supposedly 6-years-old, a shocking age at which to shoot the headmaster, after her body has been taken over by Daughter of Mine.

So, what has Lor Wilson been up to since Doctor Who? Well, more Doctor Who, for one. She took part in Doctor Who productions Dark Legends and Resurrection. Outside of this, she played Beth Ward in 2016 TV series Today’s Detectives and Veronica in the 2019 short film Veronica.

There’s nothing more magical than a Doctor Who Christmas special. Back in 2011, Laurence Belcher starred in A Christmas Carol as the young boy version of Kazran. He becomes integral to the plot when The Doctor attempts to save the day by rewriting Kazran’s past. Aside from giving us a very cool interaction between young Kazran and adult Kazran, following a Doctor Who Lockdown tweet-along of a Christmas Carol, what has Laurence Belcher gone on to do?

Today, he is still an actor, represented by leading talent agency Curtis Brown. His credits since Doctor Who include X-Men First Class, where he played Charles Xavier and Diana where he played Prince William. More than actor, Belcher is also an Oxford University graduate, having studied Classical, Ancient Mediterranean, Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology there.

The daughter of Walking In The Air singer Aled Jones showed she too, had some amazing singing skills when she starred as Merry Gejehl in Doctor Who series 7B episode The Rings Of Akhaten. Aged only 8 when she filmed this episode, the young actress seemed to act and sing effortlessly across her scenes opposite Clara, The Doctor, The Vigil and other characters.

Today, the 19-year-old starlet continues to act, most recently in the film Coda. She has also starred in Locke & Key as Kinsey Locke and taken to the stage as Joan in Far Away.

Aged only 8 at the time, John Bell made his acting debut on the set of Doctor Who series 3 episode Utopia. He played a young boy called Creet who was calling out names to try to reunite people with their families in time for the ship they were on to launch, allowing them to fly away from the menacing Futurekind. Bell had won the role through a competition on children’s television programme Blue Peter.

A reference to his character was made in Doctor Who the series 3 finale The Last Of The Time Lords, where it was revealed that the spheres The Master had called the Toclafane were actually humans from the future who had gone back in time to annihilate their ancestors. The paradox was maintained by The Paradox Machine The Master had turned the TARDIS into. Since Doctor Who, Bell, now 23 has worked on further productions including Tracy Beaker Returns and Outlander.

We can’t finish this trip down memory lane without mentioning William Hughes who played the Young Master back in series 3 of Doctor Who. On the run from The Master (played by John Simm) in The Sound Of Drums, Martha, The Doctor and Capt. Jack Harkness manage to find a hiding spot. There, The Doctor describes life on Gallifrey to a montage against Murray Gold’s score of This Is Gallifrey (Our Childhood, Our Home). William Hughes’ Master appears as The Doctor explains “As a novice, he was taken for initiation. He stood in front of the untampered schism. It’s a gap in the fabric of reality, through which can be seen all of the vortex. You stand there, 8 years old, just a child. Some would be inspired, some would run away, some would go mad.”

Hughes later played a character called Alex Grainger in the Torchwood episode Sleeper. Aside from this, he continued boxing, which he had started at the age of 9. He won a British Championship at the GB Amateur Boxing Championships for Wales back in 2011. Using his talent, he fought in a charity boxing match to raise money for charity. Going on to study Finance at Queen Mary University London in 2017, he joined its Elite Athlete Program and won gold with the University at the British Universities and Colleges Sport championships. After living an active life, William Hughes sadly passed away at age 20 while on holiday in Greece. He had gone on the trip to celebrate the end of his first year exams but on the last night, was found unresponsive. Unfortunately, Mr. Hughes could not be resuscitated at hospital and his cause of death was later confirmed as suicide, upon investigation.

DOCTOR WHO’S MANDIP GILL DOES ONLINE SIGNING IN AID OF CHARITY

Above: Mandip Gill in pre-sale order signing with the Time Meddlers for one week only!

The actress will be signing limited B&M sets via Official Doctor Who Merchandise vendor, The Time Meddlers

Mandip Gill, who plays Yaz in hit sci-fi TV show Doctor Who, will take part in an online pre-sale signing on the Time Meddlers this week.

Due to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, the signing will take place online via pre-order until next Thursday. Fans can select from multiple prints, priced at £29.99 each or order the limited exclusive B&M 13^th Doctor Friends and Foe set, which will be signed by Mandip, herself at £49.99.

Above: The Friends & Foe of The Thirteenth Doctor set will be signed by Mandip via pre-sale order on TimeMeddlers.co.uk

Above: Prints signed by Mandip Gill will be available to pre-order on the Time Meddlers website with the option of personalisation and framing

Personalisation is available for an extra £5.00, as well as a mounting and framing service as an add-on, for that special touch at £20. All orders will be shipped globally once the pre-sale window closes at 23:59 on 4^th September 2020.

Mandip is kindly donating her fee to the Alicia Boparai Foundation, a charity that raises funds for children & young people affected by limiting illnesses.

Above: Mandip’s selected charity benefits children with limiting illnesses.

“Inspired by her love for children, her family and friends continue to raise funds in her honour to make a change to a child’s life and bring a smile to their face,” the foundation states.

The charity was set up in memory of a young woman named Alicia who was diagnosed with cancer aged 20. After a series of procedures including a hysterectomy, tumour removal and chemotherapy, Alicia finally got the all-clear. Unfortunately, in 2013, she received the news the cancer had spread to her liver. Following complications from a further operation, she sadly lost her life.

The Alicia Boparai Foundation continues to raise funds to help children affected by such illnesses, in her memory. All sales will benefit Mandip’s chosen charity.

Above: Signed print featuring (from left) Graham, The Doctor, Yaz and Ryan available for purchase on The Time Meddlers

Above: Signed print featuring (from left) Graham, The Doctor, Ryan and Yaz available for purchase on The Time Meddlers

General sale has been open from 18:00 today and all items will continue to be available while stocks last. Figure sets are first come, first served, while autographed prints are unlimited.

LIVE THE FANDOM LIFE ON A BUDGET

Live The Fandom Life On A Budget: Above, Police Public Call Box Doctor Who purse with money spilling out of it.

From Merch to Experiences, Get it All Without Breaking The Bank

By Mélissa M Azombo

You didn’t choose the fandom life. The fandom life chose you. If there’s one thing you know, it’s that merch cravings are real. Long gone are the days of peacefully watching your favourite show on the sofa. Singing along to your favourite songs in your front room is no longer enough. Now, you want it all and the fandom cogs are routinely whirring, to frequently present you with too much merchandise to fill a TARDIS (is that possible?).

Too often, we stare across the TARDIS-sized gulf between ourselves and the fan-fulfilling treats we desire. These are not materialistic wants to a fan, but tokens of joy. Owning a part of something we enjoy can genuinely feel fulfilling. So, if you are priced out all of the time, this can feel disappointing.

Thankfully, it doesn’t always have to be this way. Whether you’re a music, TV or film stan, there are ways to live the fandom life on a budget.

Above: Taylor Swift performing to a crowd at her Reputation Stadium Tour. Image courtesy of Billboard

If you’re a fan of a particular musician, concert tickets or artist merchandise are probably the main reason your wallet gives you the side-eye. Pandemic life may have taken music events away from us but back in “normal” times, ticket prices were notorious for not exactly equating to pocket money. But, if you’re willing to, there are ways you can side-step this and still see the performance of your dreams.

If you really want to cut costs, refreshing the page the second tickets are released is a pastime you’ll have to say goodbye to. Holding out until the last minute is your new friend. Although this method does not give you any guarantee of a ticket, this is your chance to benefit from someone giving away an unwanted ticket at a portion of the price or even completely free. Post regularly on your social media pages to ask for a spare ticket. You never know who might get back to you. Keep a look out on platforms like Gumtree too for people listing spare tickets but beware of fraudulent tickets.

If you can’t quite say goodbye to refreshing the page on ticket release day just yet, it’s time to compromise. This means you won’t be grabbing front row seats. You may have a balcony seat or slightly obscured view but at a fraction of the cost of a front of stage seat, you will still be able to enjoy the music and see your favourite artist or band perform.

Are they on tour? Check out where they are playing. It might be worth booking to see their performance at a smaller venue rather than at a festival, because those performances tend to have a lower ticket price. Venues like The Roundhouse in Camden, London, even offer memberships or schemes you can join to get a further discount.

Of course, with concerts come official merchandise. While possible to save up for and definitely worth the money, given the time and effort that goes into the design and production of it, it’s no secret that it may not be budget friendly for everyone. Unfortunately, official artist merch is a trickier area to navigate when it comes to getting a bargain. You can see if someone resells the item on apps like Depop or Vinted. They may even post about it on social media or listings sites. Some wishful thinking is involved here but people giving away items they no longer want does happen. They may even turn up in vintage stores, along with other merchandise.

When it comes to official merchandise from franchises like film & TV shows, it becomes a little easier to grab a bargain. Remember suppliers will distribute their products across various retailers – except in cases of exclusivity – who are likely to all have different prices. It’s worth putting in the effort to compare prices to make sure you’re getting the best deal on your faves.

There is one way of snapping up free merch or concert tickets and that is to subscribe to newsletters and enter competitions. The artist’s newsletters should keep you updated on competitions. Staying tuned to their social media and website, as well as listening to the radio and reading a newspaper every now and again will keep you aware of chances to win freebies and experiences.

Golden Music: Above, the Doctor Who Series 9 Soundtrack album release.

When it comes to the music itself, you can stream the album on YouTube or other free music platforms, as soon as artists have made it available. If you wait a while, you can even borrow a CD from the library (when those open as usual again).

The same can be said for DVDs or soundtracks of your favourite shows. You should also be able to borrow these from your local library, along with books. With so much content available online nowadays, if you’re a TV or film fan, you may find that an online streaming service subscription is enough. At the same time, this new age system of online streaming has scattered shows and films throughout various different platforms, so it may not be viable for you to sign up to all of them just to watch your favourite shows. If you really want to own that DVD box set on a budget, second-hand shops like CeX or charity shops are a great way to own a piece of fandom at a fraction of the price.

Doctor Who: Time Fracture, a Doctor Who immersive experience, presented by Immersive Everywhere. Image, courtesy of TodayTix.

With Doctor Who’s Time Lord Victorius launching in September across books, audio books, and comic books, libraries, charity shops & digital download are all affordable options to access the full story and not feel like you are missing out on any of it. In fact, while libraries remain closed to the public or maintain limited access, you should be able to download and borrow digital copies of the books.

Time Lord Victorius will also feature an immersive theatre experience. Although concessions are not available when booking for Doctor Who: Time Fracture, discount codes are. In general when booking experiences, remember to track these down and select concessions, such as student discount, if you are eligible. Don’t forget to compare prices of booking online vs in person. Is there a booking fee or do they offer lower rate online than in person?

Tickets out of this world: Above, a Doctor Who Experience ticket and Toy Story 4 Cinema ticket.

If you’re a movie buff, you should use the same strategy to secure cheaper film tickets, whenever it is we are allowed to go to the cinema again. Look out for specific days or times a cinema might have cheaper tickets like Vue Mondays. If you’re a regular, it might be worth joining schemes like Meerkat Tuesdays or getting a membership like BFI Under 25.

So, while it may be a windy road sometimes, there are multiple ways to live the fandom life on a budget.