COMIC CAPERS FOR THE DOCTOR

 

After seeing the Doctor reading a copy of The Beano in the recent episode, The Rings of Akhaten, Doctor Who fans have flooded the comic’s offices with enquiries about the issue used in the scene; a 1981 Summer Special. Such is the overwhelming response that staff at The Beano have decided to reprint the original 32-page kids’ favourite and include it in a special edition which goes on sale today.

Mike Stirling, Editor-in-Chief of The Beano, stated that the comic would stay faithful to its original appearance, saying, ‘Some of the strips are colour while some are black and white – we’ve stayed true to the original summer special so that our readers can really find out what The Beano was like more than 30 years ago.’ On the issue’s appearance in Doctor Who he said, ‘Everyone at The Beano was delighted to see one of our summer specials appear on Doctor Who. We’re big fans of the show, and so are our readers – who haven’t stopped talking about it. We decided to travel back in time and get a copy of the 1981 Summer Special, which we’ve reprinted inside the latest issue – in time for the last episode of the season.’ He added, ‘We’re all really excited about this issue and thrilled that Doctor Who is one of our fans

Matt Smith joins Jessie J, One Direction and Olly Murs who all received a Beano makeover for Red Nose Day’s 25^th anniversary earlier this year, a year which also sees The Beano celebrate its 75^th anniversary and the Doctor Who special is one of a number planned by publishers DC Thomson.

A Sonic screwdriver may be just the thing to sort out Dennis the Menace. Who knows?

RATINGS AND REVIEW

Daleks? Not a problem. Cybermen. Same goes. But when it comes to Ant and Dec The Doctor may need a bigger sonic screwdriver.  Saturday’s ‘The Rings of Akhaten’ had an audience of 5.5 million, sharing 28.8% of the total TV audience.  Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway topped the list with 7.3 million tuning in, while The Voice came next with 6.4 million viewers.

Once again The Doctor was third place. This perhaps reflects the lighter nights and early time slot, but the dark reach of Ant and Dec should never be underestimated. The final ratings are due to be released next week and are expected to show a notable increase in ratings for those who timeshift. Ant and Dec may have won the battle but will the Doctor win the war.

Still, ‘The Oncoming Storm’ took down Harry Hill again, with Doctor Who winning the time slot against You’ve Been Framed Rides Again! (attracting an audience of 3.4 million). Bow ties beat big lapels!

To read a review of The Ring of Akhaten click below:
http://type40reviews.blogspot.co.uk/

PREVIEW CLIP FROM THE RINGS OF AKHATEN

Check out a preview video of the next Doctor Who episode 'The Rings of Akhaten'
which airs this Saturday.

Matt Smith and Jenna Louise-Coleman talk about the next installment of the time traveller's adventures, set in the future with lots of aliens!

Here's the clip:

THE DOCTOR RETURNS... AT 6:15

Doctor Who's first episode of 2013 has its time slot confirmed by the BBC: The Bells of Saint John will air on BBC One at 6:15pm.

The Bells of Saint John poster

According to Matt Smith, the episode is a 'modern day cinspiracy thriller [that's] like Doctor Who meets Bourne meets Bond'. Check out the movie-style posters for the following three episodes below:

Episode 2, The Rings of Akhaten poster (our personal favourite)

Episode 3, The Cold War poster - The Ice Warriors return

Episode 4, Hide poster - a good old fashioned ghost story

The return of the Doctor begins BBC One's new early evening line-up with the second series of The Voice immediately following at 7:00pm.