Millie Gibson teases return of Omega

Millie Gibson (Ruby Sunday) teased the return of Omega in the Doctor Who season two finale, The Reality War, in an interview with the Radio Times: "He's terrifying… I think people are going to be really shocked."

Omega, a founder of the Time Lord society corrupted by anti-matter and his ego, first appeared in the 10th anniversary special The Three Doctors, which featured William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton reprising their roles as the First and Second Doctors alongside Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor. He was originally played by Stephen Thorne, and his disembodied voice is heard in Wish World. The dialogue was taken directly from a Big Finish audio drama, Gallifrey: Intervention Earth, recorded before Thorne died in 2019.

Gibson goes on to say: "I think Archie is just such a cool Rani – she kind of worships Omega. I think it's a really cool two-villain dynamic. The more the better! This is why it's the biggest battle for the Doctor – there are two of his biggest villains that he has to defeat."

New episodes of Doctor Who drop every Saturday on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland. Season two is available for pre-order from Amazon (affiliate link).

Are you looking forward to Omega's return in The Reality War? Who do you think should play him, Brian Blessed? Let me know in the comments below.

The Ninth Doctor and Rose return!

March marks the 20th anniversary of Doctor Who's return to Saturday teatime telly on BBC One!

Is it really 10 years since Andrew Lewin wrote about the 10th anniversary in my absence?

Russell T Davies rebooted the BBC's beloved Time Lord for generations of fans (myself included) and returned as showrunner for the 60th anniversary and beyond. I wrote about the poignant timing of Rose back in 2005, which was published in the letters pages of Starburst magazine.

Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper are reprising their fan-favourite roles as the Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler, respectively, for Big Finish.

Christopher Eccleston said: “I am so happy to be back recording more adventures for the Ninth Doctor with Billie. I don't think my Doctor exists without Rose. He's a 'one man, one companion' kind of alien. We've explored him on his own at Big Finish, as a loner. But there's a resilience and a bravery and a deep empathy to Billie as Rose, that's why I do this. They complete each other.”

Fantastic!

Billie Piper added: “I can’t think of a better time for Rose to reunite with her first Doctor than now. Twenty years after she first ran into the TARDIS and towards adventure, here we are again, me and Chris, ready to have fun facing the universe – and the monsters – together.”

Are you looking forward to the return of the Ninth Doctor and Rose on Big Finish? Let me know in the comments below.

Jodie Whittaker returns to Doctor Who

Jodie Whittaker is reprising the role of Doctor Who for Big Finish. This is the first time she's played the titular Time Lord since The Power of the Doctor.

Whittaker said: “I’m over the moon to be joining Big Finish for more adventures in the TARDIS. Recording the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz is a really lovely thing to revisit. One of the things Mandip and I used to love on Doctor Who was getting in, doing a new episode and meeting a brand-new cast. I just can’t wait to step back into the boots, pull on the coat and get cracking. One thing’s for sure, it’s going to be brilliant.”

Mandip Gill is back aboard the TARDIS as companion Yaz.

Gill added: “Doctor Who has been a huge part of my career and personal life and I am looking forward to seeing how I can further enrich my character through this exhilarating series. To be able to work with Jodie again is a dream come true, we have such a special friendship, I’m sure the recordings will be filled with laughter.”

Are you looking forward to listening to the Thirteenth Doctor's audio adventures from Big Finish? Let me know in the comments below.

Christopher Eccleston as Doctor Who for Big Finish

Fantastic news for fellow Whovians. Christopher Eccleston (The A Word) is reprising the role of Doctor Who, for the first time in 15 years, for a new set of audio adventures from Big Finish.

Speaking about his return to the role, Eccleston said: “After 15 years, it will be exciting to revisit the Ninth Doctor’s world, bringing back to life a character I love playing.”

Eccleston was the first actor to play Doctor Who when the series returned to television screens, under the auspices of then showrunner Russell T Davies, in 2005. He brought an edginess to the role as exemplified in Dalek. I empathised, in a way I never had before, with the titular Time Lord's post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Eccleston and Matt Smith's regenerations left me emotionally bereft and I can't wait to hear Eccleston. Between ourselves, I haven't heard any Big Finish audiobooks. Then again, I haven't seen every available episode of classic Doctor Who. Sometimes it's good knowing there's things you've yet to experience. You know?

Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious

Brace yourselves fellow Whovians for some timey-wimey transmedia storytelling later this year.

Much like Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire or similar event stories, Time Lord Victorious will be told over 12-weeks in multiple mediums: from books to audio spin-offs and action figures to video games.

"Time Lord Victorious will tell a new and untold story, set within the Dark Times at the start of the universe when even the Eternals were young. Following several Doctors across space and time as they defend their home planet from a terrible race, this is a story like no other."

The story seemingly sees Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant reprising the titular role alongside Billie Piper as Rose Tyler. Expect more cast members to be announced nearer release.

“BBC Studios’ Doctor Who licensees have come together to tell an amazing epic – one that’s full of monsters, fun and heart,” producer James Goss said in a press release.

“All strands of the story unite into a mighty patchwork that ranges from one end of the universe to the next. There’s more to be revealed, but the enthusiasm and ideas which the licensees have come up with are breath-taking. It’s going to be such fun.”

Are you excited for Time Lord Victorious? Let me know in the comments below.

B&M's 2019 Doctor Who sets from Character Options

One of my earliest memories, growing up in the seventies, was being gifted Doctor Who action figures from Denys Fisher (in collaboration with Mego: best known for Micronauts, "World's Greatest Super Heroes" and Star Trek lines) and Palitoy. Alas, neither UK-based toy companies released a Sontaran or, fourth Doctor companion, Harry Sullivan.

Fast forward forty years or so and Character Options has announced its official 2019 Doctor Who sets (exclusively available from B&M).

"Al Dewar presents the 2019 line of Doctor Who collectable figures and sets from Character Options."



The latest collection is, I'm sure you'll agree, a home run and, best of all, there's a new Sontaran set including Harry Sullivan! This is especially poignant (for me) as The Sontaran Experiment is my earliest memory of watching Doctor Who. Here's hoping my local B&M store has these in stock later in the summer.

If by any chance someone from Character Options reads this, it would be a privilege for this lifelong Whovian to review the Sontarans set.

Which B&M Doctor Who sets are you looking forward to most and would like to see in the future? Let me know in the comments below.