Converging at Conventions (Updated!)

Astonishingly there is news other than the unveiling of the Cybermen! This weekend sees the Dimensions 2005 convention taking place in Stockton-on-Tees, featuring guests such as Peter Davison, Mark Strickson, Nicola Bryant, David Gooderson, Maureen O’Brien, Paul Darrow and David Brierley.

Furthermore, the Dimensions 2005 convention is the excuse by which Kasterborous site designer Anthony Dry (of Liverpool), Brian A. Terranova (of Philadelphia, USA) and myself Christian Cawley (of Middlesbrough) will meet for the first time! So if you’re reading this and you see us there (it should be obvious which ones we are!) stop and chat with us – it’s the first Who convention for all three of us!

The news itself carries on however, despite the announcement of the new Cybermen!

In particular – reports icwales.co.uk – there has been location shooting at sites in Wales doubling for London…

The Tardis and its new owner have been out and about in South Wales filming for the new series.

David Tennant – who takes over from Christopher Eccleston – and Billie Piper, who plays the Doctor’s sidekick Rose Tyler, spent Tuesday filming scenes near The Riverfront arts centre, in Newport, on the banks of the River Usk.

A BBC spokeswoman said: ‘We wanted a location that looked like a stretch of the Thames in London.

‘It’s the first of a two-part storyline.’

This would appear of course to be the same two-parter that involves the Cybermen – and according to Digital Spy, the episodes are called: ‘Nine Lives’ and ‘School’s Out’ – however this isn’t believed to be the case as these are past projects worked on by writer Tom Macrae…

Elsewhere, the BBC’s Official Doctor Who site reviews Simon Guerrier’s First Doctor Novel The Time Travellers. The review doesn’t give much away but is enthusiastic – have a look at this excerpt to help you decide on whether to buy:

Traditional Doctor Who fans will grin as they realise that the author has done a devil’s pact with the show’s heritage to produce a daring prequel/sequel/what-if- the-Doctor-never-turned-up? for a later story. While Barbara spends much of the book agonising over whether the Doctor could or should change events, the faithful reader suffers a creeping realisation that, actually, Doctor Who will be required to. But not for a couple of years.

It’s a marvellous read, making something new out of parallel realities, and also creating a genuinely interesting Time Travel paradox story – something the original show did all too rarely.

Certainly looks a good read…

Finally in brief, Paul McGann is presenting a National Geographic special on the events – both socially and in the media – which followed Orson Welles’ broadcast of “War of the Worlds”, reports unitnews.co.uk. “War Of The Worlds – The Real Story” airs Sunday 13th November at 22.00.

And sadly, veteran actor John Hollis – known to Doctor Who fans as “Professor Sondergaard” in the 1972 Jon Pertwee serial The Mutants and Blake’s 7 fans as Lom from the episode “Powerplay” – dies on 18th October, reports mi6.co.uk. The actor had a long list of appearances in television and film, including parts in the “Superman” films, “The Empire Strikes Back” (Lando Calrissian’s cyborg) and “Flash Gordon”, but possibly more famously as a Blofeld-type character in the 1981 Bond flick “For Your Eyes Only”. He died from natural causes.

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