As it is now 2013, and we’re slowly but surely barreling toward November 23rd, lots and lots of Doctor Who 50th Anniversary news will start trickling out. Last week, it was announced that there will be eleven short e-books released through the course of the year (one each month), written by eleven different children’s authors (one of whom might – MIGHT – be one Ms. Just Kidding Rowling) and featuring each of the eleven Doctors. Guys, November is the eleventh month and there have been eleven Doctors. IT’S LIKE IT’S BEEN ORDAINED!!!!
This week, we’ve gotten a little bit more stuff for which to be excited. Big Finish, the people who do the range of Doctor Who audio plays featuring five of the previous Doctors and a slew of old companions, have announced that they will be celebrating the show’s 50th Anniversary with a 100-minute, multi-Doctor extravaganza entitled “The Light at the End,” which will feature Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, and Paul McGann (the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Doctors, respectively) teaming up to fight everybody’s favorite jerk, the Master, played by Geoffrey Beevers, who portrayed the evil Time Lord in 1981’s “The Keeper of Traken.”
To help, each Doctor will also have a companion; Leela (Louise Jameson), Nyssa (Sarah Sutton), Peri (Nicola Bryant), Ace (Sophie Aldred), and Charley Pollard (India Fisher).
Here’s a blurb from the press released from Big Finish.com:
“We wanted to do a proper, fully-fledged multi-Doctor story for this very special occasion,†says writer, director and executive producer Nicholas Briggs, “and it’s wonderful that all the surviving Doctors threw themselves behind the project so enthusiastically. That’s not to say the first three Doctors don’t appear – we wanted to pay homage to the whole history of the classic series.â€
This’ll come out in November, as will everything in the world having to do with Doctor Who. I can’t imagine we won’t be getting a huge amount of more enticing anniversary nuggets before 11/23/13. And, lest we forget, there will still be eight brand new episodes featuring Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman that’ll likely premiere in April. What a year, people!
I grew up watching Dr. Who on PBS, great times =)
I remember putting my daughter down for a nap when she was three (1981) , and finding “Doctor Who” on PBS. The first time we (my then husband) stumbled on to it we were mesmerized by it. We even joined “The Doctor Who of America” fan club (does it still exist?). My husband would tease me that I should find a pattern and alter it into the coat Tom Baker wore on the show. 🙂 I was fascinated by that coat. I think the fedora would probably be the easy part.
I think its time for a Jelly Baby . . . 😉
I read somewhere else that they will have surprise guests on this as well. How hard would it be for them to get Chris, David, and Matt in for this too? Even just to do cameos.
I remember watching Tom Baker on PBS late on Sunday nights. It was a grand experience. I haven’t revisited the series until I started listening to your awesome podcast. It keeps me company late nights in the lab here at the University of Arkansas. I decided to create a quilt (yes, I quilt) something to celebrate the 50th year of such a great show. Check it out here!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/103952672/doctor-who-applique-patchwork-quilt
Again, thanks Chris, Jonah, and Matt for getting me back into the good doctor!
I can’t wait to see what Moffat does for the 50th. other than Matt Smith Paul McGann is one of my favourite doctors. i have listened to his radio dramas for years and wish we could have seen him be the Doctor more on screen.
Just a tease but it would be neat to see this season through the eyes of Oswin instead of the Doctor. Sort of a reverse of River Song.
I’m not saying that I ever worked at the Beeb and ever heard people mention something like that.