Whovians, it’s Lady of Time Cosplay here with your Temple of Geek Doctor Who news update for May 31st through June 6th, 2024! Let’s dive into the latest happenings from all corners of the Whoniverse!
New Tales of the TARDIS?
As pointed out on X (Formerly Twitter) by Max Kashevsky, it appears that there will be a new episode of Tales of the TARDIS released shortly before this series finale.
The first few episodes of Tales of the TARDIS were released exclusively in the UK last year as part of the 60th anniversary celebrations. The show features various “Classic Who” serials edited into one contiguous story alongside small scenes in a “Memory TARDIS” with the characters featured in that story discussing those events in their lives.
The previous episodes of Tales of the TARDIS featured:
- “Earthshock” with the 5th Doctor and Tegan
- “The Mind Robber” with Jamie and Zoe
- “Vengeance on Varos” with the 6th Doctor and Peri
- “The Three Doctors” with Jo and Clyde (from The Sarah Jane Adventures)
- “The Time Meddler” with Vicki and Steven
- “The Curse of Fenric” with the 7th Doctor and Ace
Notably missing from this lineup is a story featuring the Fourth Doctor.
BBC Four plans to air a new mystery episode of Tales of the TARDIS in the UK on June 20th, just two days before the series finale “Empire of Death. “While some speculate this could be a repeat of an existing episode, the BBC Four schedule doesn’t identify it as any of those already released. Additionally, it’s listed with a shorter runtime of one hour and fifteen minutes, differing from the one-and-a-half-hour length of the others.
This suggests it’s likely a brand-new installment of Tales of the TARDIS, potentially providing additional context to something raised in the two-part finale. We’ll have to watch and see to find out! Currently, Tales of the TARDIS is exclusively available to UK fans. With no official release for international audiences. However, if this new episode connects to the main series storyline, there’s hope for a global viewing option.
Dark Gallifrey: The War Master
The second part of Big Finish’s Dark Gallifrey series has been announced: Dark Gallifrey: The War Master.
The Dark Gallifrey event series is set to feature a multitude of characters from the worlds of Doctor Who in a search for an alternative darker version of Gallifrey- the home planet of the Time Lords. Dark Gallifrey: The War Master, featuring Professor Bernice Summerfield (Lisa Bowerman) and the beloved Big Finish parallel universe Doctor (David Warner in his final appearance), sees these characters collide with the War Master (Sir Derek Jacobi) and Captain John Hart (James Marsters) as they race to find the mythical Dark Gallifrey. This trilogy, written by James Goss, delves into the War Master’s sinister motives for seeking out this alternate version of his homeworld.
Listeners can expect the first part of the story in July, followed by subsequent parts in August and September.
Don’t miss out on this thrilling new chapter in the Doctor Who universe! Various purchase options are available, including CD, download, or bundled sets featuring the War Master and Morbius trilogies, or the complete eight-trilogy Dark Gallifrey collection.
William Russell, 1924-2024
William Russell passed away on June 3rd at the age of 99. Doctor Who fans remember him best as Ian Chesterton, the science teacher and one of the first companions. He joined the Doctor when the show debuted in 1963. Russell later reprised his role as Ian for various Big Finish audio productions and cameoed in the made-for-TV movie documenting the origins of Doctor Who.
Most recently, William Russell returned to the role of Ian on TV in Jodie Whittaker’s 2022 final episode, “The Power of the Doctor.” This appearance earned him a Guinness World Record for the longest gap in TV appearances of a character—57 years after his last appearance on the show.
He earned fame as Lancelot in The Adventures of Sir Lancelot and a wide range of TV and film roles.
Both fans and colleagues who worked with and knew William Russell have flooded online spaces with tributes. After the news broke, current showrunner Russell T Davies shared a selfie with William on Instagram.
“A fine, nimble, witty, heartfelt actor who sold the truth of those early years. Before that, he’d been Sir Lancelot on the BBC; it’s often undersold what a star booking he was for Doctor Who… Absolutely lovely man. A fine, long life. Well done, sir, well played.”
Fun Tease from Big Finish
In a short, but fun!, update from Big Finish on Twitter (or X). It seems that Sacha Dhawan and Sylvester McCoy were both in the recording studio this week! It’s exciting to see this little teaser.
Sacha Dhawan is due to reprise his role as the Master for Big Finish in two new box sets. “Call Me Master” 1 is scheduled to be released in February 2025. Later, the second set of stories does not have a release date yet. No further information about “Call Me Master” has been released at this time. However, both are already available for pre-order from Big Finish’s website!
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