With thanks to BBC DVD.

BBC DVD has emailed the packaging covers for DOCTOR WHO - REVISITATIONS 2.

The details of DOCTOR WHO - REVISITATIONS VOLUME 2 has been updated. The three-story boxset includes THE SEEDS OF DEATH, CARNIVAL OF MONSTERS and RESURRECTION OF THE DALEKS.

The boxset is scheduled for 28 March 2011.

More product information

Today (17.02.2011), it was "Press Day" at the DOCTOR WHO EXPERIENCE (eyeofhorus.org.uk joining a BBC RADIO TWO reporter (Tom Sander) and a DAILY TELEGRAPH reporter for the journey through the crack in the universe to reunite the Doctor with his TARDIS.

Our DWE preview page with new photos

And there were many moments of sheer genius (The Crack itself was a revelation as the was materialisation of the TARDIS - and, yes, you do actually walk through the Police Box into the TARDIS Console Room - you'll be stroking the blue paint as you do; "I touched the TARDIS!"), sheer madness (Matt Smith's performance is mercurially eccentric - "You Shoppers!", as he addressed the visitors) and sheer creativity (the tilting and gyrating TARDIS as it travels through the vortex is wonderfully created but it could do with a more smoke and Cloister Bell). The plotline is intelligent, fast & furious and witty (which is important to engage & entertain a younger audience).

The 3D conclusion to the "interactive" (a few levers to pull in the TARDIS struggles to be truly interactive) experience was a "WOW" moment that, no matter now old or jaded you are, will make you beam like a Smiler or like the happy (Simm) Master.

You'll leave with that nagging question; "Did that xxxxx (alien name removed as spoiler) nearly touch me?"

The "interactive" section was over all too quickly and, due to the ushering from one "set" to another "set", you could hardly appreciate the attention to detail the designers have put in. Yeti activation globes, THE DAEMONS "Cloven Hoof" pub sign, a robot cleaner from PARADISE TOWERS and the telescope from TOOTH AND CLAW litter one of the "sets" but you don't have time to have a rummage. And you are whisked through a petrified forest of Weeping Angels quicker than you can say, "I don't want to go!". Shame

The static exhibition space consolidates 47 years of the drama series' history, replete with a number of impressive displays.

The panoramic display of Doctors' costumes wrap around the current TARDIS and a remarkable "waxwork" of the Eleventh Doctor. A work of art that even Vincent van Gogh would be envious of. Perfection.

There are opportunities to enter the world of "green screen" special effects as you can be digitally photographed in the Pandorica chair and in the TARDIS console room. However, the £12 fee for the privilege is steep.

One of the major displays is the reconstructed Ninth/Tenth Doctor's console room complete with metal grating flooring and, tantalisingly in the background, the TARDIS doors. Personally, I would have made this the final display and an opportunity to walk from the TARDIS into the retail space.

Opposite this console room is the version used from THE FIVE DOCTORS onwards and it doesn't show it's age either. Onwards to see the Tom Baker era TARDIS stands adjacent to THE KEEPER OF TRAKEN's Melkur/Master's TARDIS, the history of the Cybermen evolution is brief (all too brief - where are the full-length cyber costume from 1966 onwards?) followed by the evolution of the Daleks (the GENESIS OF THE DALEKS figure didn't deserve a "plaque"...). Yes, the Dalek from THE DEAD PLANET is the simplest and most stunning in design, whilst the the new paradigm version is hideously patronising.

Younger fans may find two of the displays less interesting but adults will find them fascinating; the BBC WALES DESIGN DEPT and DOCTOR WHO SOUNDS. These transport you into the hidden world of DOCTOR WHO, and offer a glimpse of genius. The SOUNDS display gives you an opportunity to strip the latest version of the theme tune into four distinct elements (a bass line, the electronic stings, etc) and hear them separately. Fascinating stuff but it would be nice to have some "cube" seating (normally provided in museums to watch the numerous screens.

The CLASSIC SERIES is well represented with the much talk about appearance of a Zygon, the K1 robot and an Ice Warrior Martian but the NEW SERIES takes precedence (though there are notable NEW SERIES absences - an un-helmeted Sontaran, a Silurian, Romanic Autons [sadly, the jerking Auton from the previous exhibition have had all their "electricity" turned off], and Vashta Nerada).

Considering that it was the most recent story, the display for A CHRISTMAS CAROL seemed like an after thought.

And, two hours later, it was all over. However, I could see children dragging their parents back into the exhibition which, I can only assume, that once was not enough. And quite right too.

The Shop (the sign should a subhead of the Tenth Doctor's quote of "I like a little shop") was, I am sorry to say, disappointing (no bigger than a detached house's living room) - and over-priced. £70 for a SERIES 4 boxset (AMAZON price £16). The action figure selection was limited to the recently released audiobook NEW SERIES Pandorica versions and a smattering of CLASSIC SERIES designs. The problem with a one-genre retail outlet is that those visiting will have bought/collected the items already, and if the price points are unrealistic then sales will be shallow. I could not see any "value priced items" such as character postcards that would not break the bank in these hard economic times.

The DWE is open until the end of November and it is hoped that more displays are are added once SERIES 6 is aired, and that more SERIES 1 - 4 (and SPECIALS) are added urgently to bulk out the voids. There are a few anomalies throughout the DWE; in the "interactive" waiting area this is an easel and van Gogh painting, with a static digital camera pointing at it but there is no instruction of what/how to do something.

The eyeofhorus.org.uk "Junior Reporter" (7 and three quarters) - and the DWE's target audience - was unable to attend the Press Day launch but as soon as he visits the DWE his views will appear here.

Sadly, even though I was (superbly attentive) assisted by a DWE Team member (Alex), the WiFi "interactivity" failed as it seems that all smartphones bar mine (a HTC) had not been tested.

Oh, and it was first of the "premium ticket" days (prior to the general opening on Sunday) and would have expected to have some "actors-in-costume" wandering around the DWE but, sadly, there were none. A gaggle of attentive logo-shirted staff but no "added-value"(expect a "goodie bag") active monsters/aliens.

Overall, whilst the DOCTOR WHO EXPERIENCE needs more displays to fill the voids, seating so you can "stop-and-watch" (the various television screens), a snagging list that is ticked-off every day (for example in the dalek control room, you could see beyond the "black-out curtains, and ensuring that the Supreme Dalek's lights are timed to the voice-track, and synching the visual to the cracking opening), the event is wonderfully imaginative and suitable for all the family (even though I saw one child with his fingers in his ears due to the loudness of speakers).

Our DWE preview page with new photos

Today (17.02.2011), the press preview discs for the 28 March 2011 boxset, DOCTOR WHO - REVISITATIONS VOLUME 2 from BBC DVD have been received and will be reviewed in-full shortly.

The boxset (RRP £40.84 - six disc set) features the re-working of THE SEEDS OF DEATH, CARNIVAL OF MONSTERS and RESURRECTION OF THE DALEKS (includes a documentary - COME IN NUMBER FIVE - presented by David Tennant).

AUDIOGO (the home of BBC AUDIO product) has published the cover for a SERIES 5 tie-in exclusive audiobook.

It begins on the ice-planet Vinsk, in the year 2112. The all-new anti-viral handwash, Gemini, has been laced with Meme-Spawn: a sentient micro-organism which makes the user fluent in every language in the universe. However, manufacturer Zalnex made one crucial mistake. They didn't test Gemini on humans, who are seized by the violent urge to communicate but speak every language all at once with a manic, garbled shriek and pass on the virus by touch.

The Doctor and Amy arrive on an Earth-bound cargo-ship loaded with Gemini, where a human crew are succumbing to the virus which has nasty second and third phases in store. When the Doctor and Amy are separated, they both know that it's only a matter of time before Amy is infected.

Justin Arnopp's DOCTOR WHO - THE GEMINI CONTAGION read by Meera Syal and will be released on 3 March 2011.

Our 2011 AUDIOBOOKS page

With thanks to AUDIOGO.

AUDIOGO has informed eyeofhorus.org.uk that the recently released audiobook set, DOCTOR WHO THE LOST TV EPISODES COLLECTION 2 has been withdrawn due to a manufacturing issue. Refund details follow:

Audio GO regrets that there is a fault with the initial pressing of its box set title DOCTOR WHO – THE LOST TV EPISODES COLLECTION 2 (1965-1966), published on 3^r February. Disc 1 of The Daleks’ Master Plan should contain the camera scripts for all 24 episodes in the set, but due to a mastering error these have been omitted. Stock has been withdrawn from retail and will be reissued in an estimated two weeks’ time. Customers who have already purchased the set can obtain a replacement corrected CD by sending their single faulty CD back to the FREEPOST address below, including a covering note with their name and address details:

The Audiobook Collection
FREEPOST (BA1686/1)
Bath
BA1 3QZ

Customers OUTSIDE of the UK will not be able to take advantage of the FREEPOST address, and should post the CD to Audio GO, St James House, Lower Bristol Road, Bath, BA2 3BH, UK

The latest issue of DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE will be published on Thursday (10.02.2011) and features the following:

• This Charming Man! The gloves are off! Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat comes out fighting against the critics in this month’s Production Notes, and explains why the show is for everyone, and not ‘just’ for kids...
• Bigmouth Strikes Again! Tegan is back! No-nonsense Australian Janet Fielding, recently reunited with her former crew mates for brand new audio adventures, reveals how she was persuaded to return – and what she thinks about Doctor Who today! (Just don’t mention the cricket.)
• What She Said! The Eighth Doctor’s audio adventures are about to reach an incredible climax! DWM speaks to stars Carole Ann Ford, Graeme Garden, Sheridan Smith, Niky Wardley and Nicholas Briggs about battling the Daleks – and who might die in the process…
• Barbarism Begins At Home Cannibalistic old ladies, teenage girl gangs, and something very unpleasant in the basement. It can only be the Seventh Doctor’s adventure in Paradise Towers, analysed in The Fact of Fiction. Ice hot!
• This Night Has Opened My Eyes! Want to take a trip in the TARDIS? Of course you do! Well, now you can, at the brand new Doctor Who Experience, opening at Kensington Olympia this month. DWM presents an exclusive preview of what to expect…
• The Boy With The Thorn In His Side! Giant heads, blue faces and a whole lot of wood. No longer just a Saturday night in Hoxton – it’s a new adventure for the Time Team, as they travel to witness The End of the World!
• These Things Take Time! Continuing our Countdown to the 50 years of Doctor Who, writer Simon Guerrier looks at First Doctor William Hartnell’s second series – a season that saw the series reach incredible heights of popularity...
• There Is A Light That Never Goes Out Doctor Who was one of the most-watched shows last year – but just how well did it go against the rest of television? DWM provides the ultimate guide to how the series fared against the competition in 2010 in Public Image.
• Is It Really So Strange? Golden and tank-like or big-bootied and colourful? Toby Hadoke and Jonny Candon go head-to-head as they debate the pros and cons of Dalek design in A Battle of Wits! Will either of them manage to convince you…?
• Handsome Devil! A page full of random journeys, supporting artists, fascinating facts and the Bidmead-ometer… it’s another dollop of Who madness in Wotcha!

With thanks to BBC DVD.

The sleeve for the REGION 1 DVD release of Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor story, DOCTOR WHO - FRONTIOS has been revealed. The DVD is released on 14 June.

An irresistible force draws the TARDIS to the barren surface of Frontios, where in the far future the last surviving humans cower amongst the ruins of their wrecked spacecraft. Under constant threat from lethal meteorite bombardments, few of the doomed colony members realize that the ground of Frontios itself opens up and devours the unwary. Not permitted to assist, the Doctor attempts to leave, but is thwarted when the unimaginable occurs: the TARDIS is utterly destroyed.

• Audio Commentary
• Documentary: Driven to Distractation
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• Photo Gallery +PDF materials: Radio Times Listings + Production Notes Subtitle Options

To date, the REGION 2 release date has not been announced.

The details of DOCTOR WHO - REVISITATIONS VOLUME 2 has been updated. The three-story boxset includes THE SEEDS OF DEATH, CARNIVAL OF MONSTERS and RESURRECTION OF THE DALEKS.

The boxset is scheduled for 28 March 2011.

RESURRECTION OF THE DALEKS

• RESURRECTION OF THE DALEKS - ON LOCATION
• BREAKFAST TIME - INTERVIEWS
• DOCTOR WHO - RESURRECTION OF THE DALEKS (TRAILER)
• (TARDIS-CAM NO. 4)
• THE LAST DALEK
• CASTING FAR AND WIDE
• EASTER EGGS

CARNIVAL OF MONSTERS

• DESTROY ALL MONSTERS! (THE MAKING OF CARNIVAL OF MONSTERS)
• ON TARGET - IAN MARTER
• THE A TO Z OF GADGETS & GIZMOS
• MARY CELESTE AND OTHER MARITIME MYSTERIES
• PHOTO GALLERY