Doctor Who: 8th Doctor Season Three - Filming Concludes

I can almost hear the soundtrack of Logopolis playing in my ears like a funeral march. However this time it's not Tom Baker lying on the floor, in fact there's no lying down to be had whatsoever but the sentiment remains as this evening I filmed my last scene of Doctor Who.

I was expecting there to be a huge sigh of relief when this eventual ending came, after all I have been filming this particular series for over a year and it has had its fair share of problems from the off, but in actuality there is an air of sadness. No longer will I record the Doctor walking out of the TARDIS, using a piece of blutack to prop open those bloody spring loaded doors. Never again shall I make a Dalek spin around as its eye stalk gets blown off by Staser fire. For now, this really is the end...

But not really, I still have tons of editing to do as post-production concludes on The Gates of Elysium part one! I'm going to have Daleks and all sorts blaring in my ears for at least another month or so! I am incredibly excited about this final series, and I hope and pray that when these last episodes hit YouTube you fine folks at home will enjoy them just as much as I have enjoyed producing them. Only three people other than myself know how the series ends, which is pretty damned good seeing as this series has such a larger cast and crew than normal! Even Chris Clark our CGI animator had no idea what was going on in the stories he was providing sequences for!

So for now I share with you behind the scenes shots from my last scene. Nothing too exciting, but then if I left the exciting bits in you'd have nothing to look forward to! So as we prepare to meet our new Doctor in the form of Peter Capaldi, prepare to say goodbye to the 8th Doctor... It's going to be a bumpy ride...

Who or what will fill this frame?

London's litter is a real problem

New Sonic Screwdrivers revealed

Just announced from Forbidden Planet, two new versions of the Ninth and Third Doctor's Sonic Screwdrivers.

The Ninth Doctor's now features a more accurate hilt while the Third Doctor's features a slightly altered paint job, specifically the metallic red emitter, as well as boasting accurate sound effects.

Each Sonic Screwdriver is £9.99 and is available to pre-order from Forbidden Planet and Forbidden Planet International by following the adlinks to the right of this page. Expected 24th August.

'Run' - The Guardian Trilogy Begins!

A new trilogy of adventures begins this friday from Doctor Who Online Adventures! Run is a three part special that will be released consecutively over three nights, with the following adventures, Betrayal and Sacrifice back in their usual Friday night time slot of 7pm.

Visit the link below to catch the new trailer for the trilogy as well as the full press release!  

http://doctorwhoonlineadventures.wordpress.com/2014/06/28/6-3-doctor-who-run/

New 5" Doctor Who Figures on the way!

Lots of new figures announced from both the classic and present series of Doctor Who, and all in the original 5" scale!

First up we have a very exciting figure from Matt Smith's final story, The Time of the Doctor. The Eleventh Doctor in his costume as worn throughout series 7 has finally turned up in the 5" range! The figure comes with three interchangeable heads, standard 11th Doctor, aged 11th Doctor and more importantly, Peter Capaldi/12th Doctor head! Does this mean a 5" 12th Doctor figure is a possibility? Let's hope so! The figure also includes the Doctor's walking stick, Sonic Screwdriver and Handles (can we have the rest of the Cyberman body to go with it please?)!

The figure comes packaged in a special TARDIS themed window box. Is this the 2014 SDCC exclusive? Perhaps. Nothing on FPI yet, but I'm sure it won't be long before a pre-order arrives.

Next we have Ace from Silver Nemesis. It's the standard figure as seen in the single release from last year, complete with jacket and alternate arms. However, her shirt has been repainted to look as it does in the story and she also comes with her boombox  and “Ace” framed portrait. Not really a figure to get too excited about, but a nice release for those who may have missed the original. 

Finally, a set of various battered Daleks from Asylum of the Daleks is also due for release. Repaints with a dirty wash and 'reject' stamps painted on them. This is probably the B & M set that has been talked about for quite some time. 

More info as it comes! 

Batman the Animated Series Wave Two pre-order at FPI

The second wave of the highly anticipated Batman the Animated Series figures are now available to pre-order from FPI for £19.99. The current release date states the end of November, however this is likely to be an error and so expect the actual release date to be at some point in December.

Pre-order now by following the adlinks to Forbidden Planet International to the right.

DC Collectibles has also released a full set of specifications for each figure:

BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES ROBIN – 5.25" TALL - 22 POINTS OF ARTICULATION - EPISODE: ROBIN'S RECKONING PT. 1 - ACCESSORIES INCLUDE:
• Bola
• Additional Hands
• Additional Cape
• Grappling Gun

BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES THE JOKER – 6.25" TALL - 18 POINTS OF ARTICULATION - EPISODE: THE LAST LAUGH - ACCESSORIES INCLUDE:
• Helmet
• Make Up Sponge
• Knife
• Pearl Necklace
• Telescope
• Joker Card
• Brick
• Additional Hands
• Comb
• Cologne Bottle

NEW BATMAN ADVENTURES POISON IVY – 5.5" TALL - 12 POINTS OF ARTICULATION - EPISODE: CHEMISTRY - ACCESSORIES INCLUDE:
• Additional Hands
• Assorted Chemistry Bottles

BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES MAN-BAT – 6.75" TALL - 19 POINTS OF ARTICULATION - EPISODE: ON LEATHER WINGS - ACCESSORIES INCLUDE:
• Additional Set of Wings (Sculpt Shown)
• Pill Bottle
• Tape Recorder

BatmanMarch and Doctor Who Online Adventures Cross Promotion

A big update for the site as BatmanMarch is now cross promoting with Doctor Who Online Adventures!

Matthew Toffolo of BatmanMarch Productions says: “As two of the longest running action figure series on YouTube, it seems fitting that Doctor Who: Action Figure Adventures and Doctor Who: Online Adventures should come together to promote the alternate adventures of our favourite time traveller. While the 7th Doctor battles new evils in DWOA, the 8th Doctor is forced to take sides in a war that only he can end in DWAFA - 2014 is a big year for both of the Doctor’s incarnations!”

Brendan Sheppard, Series Producer of DWOA and owner of Planetary Productions says “When people first saw action figure stories on YouTube I’m sure they must have thought that the format wouldn’t work or be engaging people both young and old, I think BatmanMarch and Planetary Productions have proven time and time again that in fact this method of producing programmes maybe new and have certain limitations but it can be engaging and it can be entertaining. We are so excited that BatmanMarch and DWOA have come together like this – who knows – with Matthew starring in an episode a little later in Series 6 it maybe time for a team up… Ooh that would be interesting!”

You can now access DWOA site via the link to the right or by clicking the banner below:

8th Doctor Season 3 Behind the Scenes: A Universe at War

It's been some time since we've had an update on what exactly is going on with the second half of series three, so allow me to break the silence and fill you all in on what's going on! Now as many of you will know, Part Two of The Treasure of Mars was the final episode of the 'first half' of the season; this wasn't an ideal situation, but if I hadn't have decided on the split series route the most recent episodes would not be on YouTube. For those of you who have missed the first half of the series, you can find a complete playlist here.

Presently I am halfway through filming the second half of the series, in fact it could be slightly over that. There are a few more scenes that need to be filmed from Rise of the Time Lords and then it's full steam on the grand finale, The Final Days. With regards to editing, I am halfway through a rough assembly of part one of The gates of Elysium. I had hoped to have been further into the editing by this point, but a series of other commitments has meant that has been pushed on hold. However, I hope to make greater progress with the editing during this week.

It's no secret that this final half of the series will see a new look for the Doctor, in particular his look from Big Finish's Dark Eyes series of audio adventures. So why the change? Well you can hardly fight a war for centuries and keep up the pomp and circumstance of a frock coat and cravat!

"But what about The Night of the Doctor?" I hear someone shout at the back there. Despite saying this until I'm blue in the face, people still ask me where does the 8th Doctor's recent TV appearance fit into this series and as such, where does the War Doctor fit in. The answer? Nowhere! This is an alternative universe where the 8th Doctor was not the pacifist we saw in The Night of the Doctor. There is no John Hurt regeneration to do the dirty work for him. This is a version of the 8th Doctor that is ready to get his hands dirty in the pursuit of finding and rescuing Emily, and of course to rid the universe of the Daleks once and for all.

Alongside a new look for the Doctor comes a new look for the title sequence! Yes, I know we already had one, but if Series 7 started off with a different logo week in and week out then this is no big deal. Created by Dave Hartnell of Cloister Productions and with a new theme arrangement by Ned 'Gwylock1' Warren, the new titles reflect the darker element of this half of the series.

Of course the series would not be complete without the incredible CG sequences of Chris Clark. The response to War Drums was staggering, and I believe that was in no small part due to Chris' amazing Dalek Saucers vs Bowship sequences. They took that story to a whole new level. As such, Chris is back on board with even more impressive work from Gallifreyan Mother Ships, Battle TARDISes and Daleks invading Gallifrey. It has been a joy editing these sequences alongside the stop-motion animation.

The latter half of the series will also see the return of Leela, who was last seen in Rebirth and name checked in War Drums. As the new Commander of the Chancellery guards, Leela finds herself on the front line with the Doctor.

And of course there's lots of stuff blowing up and lots of people being exterminated. Time Lords, alien civilisations, even planets get obliterated as the Dalek menace spreads throughout the universe. How will centuries of battle be condensed into a few episodes? Well this is a whistle stop tour of the Time War focusing on all of the major events, so don't expect to see everything you heard about in the TV series, although they might get a name check as an 'unseen adventure'.

And finally we have the Key to Time and the Gates of Elysium... Something that is going to cause havoc with the Doctor and time and space...

When will the second half air? The plan is to begin some time in August, either before are new Doctor, Peter Capaldi, starts on TV or around the same time. It would be nice to be able to tie up my series on YouTube just before the real series starts on BBC One, but at the moment I'm doing what I can to just get it out in August.

Thanks for reading folks! Stay tuned for more updates!