Sixth Doctor, Colin Baker, has lent his vocal talents to Kangazang – a new audiobook release from Candy Jar Books.

The triple CD disc set, with a bonus DVD, was produced in the same building where the Doctor Who episode Blink was filmed. On the discs Baker uses a multitude of voices to tell the story of Earthling Jeff Spooner and his alien barber, Ray Scump, as they search for the fabled Universal Remote Control – avoiding danger, doom and embarrassing situations as they go. 

Aided by two badly programmed robots and an army of warrior Space Hoppers, the heroes dive and try to dodge the biggest threats in the galaxy: Supreme Overlord Kelvin (emperor of Skragg), the terminally depressed Emo people and Queen Shelley (a bald, cannibalistic Amazon who has a score to settle from way back).

Joining Colin Baker is up-and-coming Welsh actress Claire Cage, who plays three different character roles. Cage’s previous credits include the Torchwood episode, Sleeper, as well as Sherlock, Wire in the Blood and Casualty. She also deputised for Zoe Wanamaker during The End of the World studio recordings. 

The audiobook is based on the novel written by Terry Cooper, who in the early 1990s was a member of the rap group, Best Shot. Copper said:I knew straight away that I wanted Colin. With a long career in both science fiction and audiobooks, he is a real professional who totally understands the genre. He exceeded my expectations and really brought the script to life. For a guy to perform for 9 to 10 hours in the studio, and keep his energy going is something I could never do. I asked Colin if I could do some voices as well and he was totally up for that, which proves that he doesn’t have an ego and is just a great person.

In an exclusive interview included on the release, Colin Baker discusses his time on Doctor Who, his love of sci-fi and, of course, Kangazang!Kangazang! coincides with my type of humour. It’s a bit undergrad in parts – but it made me laugh and it’s got heart. I like all that.

Shaun Russell, director of Candy Jar Books, believes that Kangazang! has the potential to go all the way.It’s a laugh-a-minute intergalactic road trip with a large dose of 1980s nostalgia. It taps into the current thirst for British sci-fi like Doctor Who but, in doing so, pushes the boundaries forward. Terry’s writing style really captures the unique humour that has made Douglas Adam’s or Terry Pratchett’s books so popular.

Posted by Andy on Wednesday, 18-Aug-2010 13:25 PM

Cover up now for Doctor Who Magazine 425

In his most candid interview to date, lavishly illustrated with never-before-seen photos, SYLVESTER McCOY talks at length to DWM about his long career, on being the Seventh Doctor – and what he thinks about Doctor Who today…

I’m delighted that they’ve done such a good job in bringing it back. I’m so proud to have that connection with this very successful programme. It wasn’t allowed to be successful when I was doing it. At the time, I didn’t know why. It was only afterwards that I realised I wasn’t given a fair crack of the whip. I wish I had been…

 Also this issue:

A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIMEY-WIMEY! Time travel – what are the rules? And can those rules be broken? In an in-depth feature, DWM examines the knotty problems of paradoxes and time loops, and explores the incredible phenomenon of timey-wimeyness throughout the history of Doctor Who!

A NIGHT AT THE PROMS! It’s the music event of the year! DWM dons its dinner jacket and journeys to the Royal Albert Hall to talk exclusively to the people responsible for the Doctor Who Prom, including composer MURRAY GOLD, conductor BEN FOSTER and executive producer STEVEN MOFFAT. Packed with behind-the-scenes photos from the Prom, this is the definitive account of the making of the show!

 THE GOLDEN AGE OF TELEVISION! The Doctor and Amy take a trip to Tokyo and discover that too much TV can be really, really bad for kids, in the first episode of a brand new comic strip adventure by Jonathan Morris and Martin Geraghty – THE GOLDEN ONES!

ART TREASURES OF HISTORY! What have a Roman mosaic, a painting by Toulouse Lautrec and a long, floppy scarf got in common? They all feature in the brand new audio series starring TOM BAKER as the Fourth Doctor, Demon Quest! DWM catches up with the legendary Tom, co-stars RICHARD FRANKLIN and SUSAN JAMESON, writer PAUL MAGRS and many more in an exclusive report from the recording of the adventures!

THE WORLD’S GREATEST PLAYWRIGHT! William Shakespeare – the most talented dramatist in history or a letch with bad breath? Find out the truth (according to Doctor Who!) behind the man and his works, as The Fact of Fiction extracts every nuance of meaning from the literary triumph that is the 2007 Tenth Doctor adventure, THE SHAKESPEARE CODE!

THE WRITER’S TALE Doctor Who’s head writer, STEVEN MOFFAT, reveals all about being shy, being recognised, and the Eleventh Doctor’s most recent adventure – defusing a bomb at the Proms! – in Production Notes.

 THE ANGEL OF THE NORTH! DWM catches up with Hex, the hunky nurse who accompanies the Seventh Doctor and Ace on their audio adventures, aka actor PHILIP OLIVIER, who reveals his experiences of attending conventions, being recognised in the street and what he really thinks about Doctor Who fans…

Plus! All the latest official news, Previews, Reviews, Competitions and much, much more!
Treat yourself an unparalleled dose of culture with Doctor Who Magazine 425 – out Thursday 19 August from all good newsagents and supermarkets!

Posted by Andy on Monday, 16-Aug-2010 08:24 AM

More details are available in this months DWM on the extras to be included in the forthcoming Revisitations Box set, due for release in the UK in October. The set will consist of three previously released stories taken from remastered and restored prints and with updated extras.

The Talons of Weng-Chiang 3 Discs

• The Last Hurrah a new documentary where producer Philip Hinchliffe visits Tom Baker at his home to discuss their final story together Moving On where Hinchliffe talks about what he envisaged for the series had he stayed as producer
• The Foe from the Future, a look at the original story which eventually became The Talons of Weng Chiang
• Now and Then, a tour of the locations used in the story Look East with Tom Baker interviewed. Whose Doctor Who, presented by Melvyn Bragg - As included on the original release

The Caves of Androzani 2 Discs

• Chain Reaction, a look back at the making of the story
• Directing Who: Then and Now - Graham Harper talks about the changes in TV Production since he made this story 
• Archive footage from The Russell Harty Show featuring an interview with Peter Davison and Colin Baker.

The Television Movie 2 Discs

An new commentary featuring Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann
The Seven Year Hitch, looking at the seven year quest to get this story made
The Wilderness Years, looking at how the show was kept alive during the hiatus between the end of Series 26 and the TV Movie
Who Peter 1989-2009, the final part of the documentary looking at the special link between the two programmes Doctor Who and Blue Peter
Stripped for Action, the eighth Doctor in Comic Strip Tommorows Times, how the short reign of the Eighth Doctor was reported by the press at the time.

Posted by Andy on Thursday, 22-Jul-2010 08:24 AM