Christmas Shopping

Looking for a good book this Christmas, and to support some excellent small presses? Try Outside In: 160 New Perspectives on 160 Classic Doctor Who Stories by 160 Writers with contributions by Fiona Moore and myself among others. Or, if you haven't bought it yet, get your copy of By Your Command: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Battlestar Galactica volume 1!

Holiday Schedule

Just to let you know that we will be taking our usual Christmas break from processing CD orders from 20 December to 5 January-- download orders, however, will be processed as usual throughout the holidays.

Classic interview with director Paul Bernard

This month's selection from the archives is a rare interview from 1989 with the late Paul Bernard, director of three 1970s Doctor Who stories and the first season of The Tomorrow People, offering his insights into directing the Daleks, moving from the BBC to independent television and back again, and what exactly happened at the end of 'Frontier in Space'.

Blood and Chrome

In case you haven't heard-- the long-awaited Battlestar Galactica prequel, Blood and Chrome, is airing as a series of webisodes, starting tomorrow! Details and links here.

50 Things About....

It's been a while since we uploaded an article, but we're making up for it by providing a double length "50 Things About..." covering both "Frontier in Space" and "Planet of the Daleks," with extra socialist philosophers. Enjoy.

Riverside Reflections

Just a reminder that the DWAS' convention Riverside Reflections, held at Riverside Studios and themed around the Doctor Who stories filmed at that location, is this Sunday. Featuring a slate of guests, plus a special screening of the reimagined Power of the Daleks movie! Visit http://www.dwasonline.co.uk/riversidereflections/ for more information.

Last minute tickets for Recon

The DWAS tell us that, while they are sold out of tickets for this Sunday's Recon event, it might still be possible to obtain extra tickets by calling the Riverside Studios box office on 020 8237 1111 (box office opens at noon daily), but you'll have to be quick.

Doctor Who Recon, 30 September

Still time to apply for tickets to the Doctor  Who Appreciation Society's Recon event at Riverside Studios, previewing exciting new DVD content from The Claws of Axos, The Reign of Terror, and The Ambassadors of Death! Click here for more information.

We're Back

Just to let you all know that we're back, on schedule. All download orders have been processed, and the physical orders will all have been sent off by Wednesday.

We're all going on a summer holiday...

We're going to be away from 1 to 9 September, and won't be processing orders during this time. You can still order CDs and downloads from us, and all orders will be filled as soon as we get back, as always!

"Absorbing and insightful..."

...That's what Starburst has to say about By Your Command: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Battlestar Galactica, before awarding it a 9 out of 10! Read the full review here.

More praise for Metafiction

From Michelle Hardingham:

"Bravo! I thought this was absolutely brilliant, so very very clever and witty. I love the dead pan way Paul outlines the events- just hillarious. I particularly enjoyed all the references to everything being
blown up and the way Paul says "Hello world." Paul sounds fantastic..... Both of the plays are brilliant, so very clever and entertaining and
I'm really glad I checked out the website."

WikiParadox

Fans of The True History of Faction Paradox can now read, edit, and comment on a Faction Paradox Wiki. It's a great chance to explore the wider universe around the audios, or to help expand information about the audios themselves.

Praise for The Time Waster

From Michelle Hardingham:

"I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed The Time Waster. This is the first time I have purchased/listened to any of the Magic Bullet plays and I wasn't entirely sure what to expect (other than Paul Darrow never disappoints). I thought the play was so entertaining and I will definitely purchase more." 

More comments on Metafiction and The Time Waster

Matthew Collin says: "Just heard Metafiction. That's B7 in a nutshell. Great work."

Judith Williams says: "Still trying to get my head around Time Waster. Metafiction is funny as well as dark."

John Phelps says: "The Time Waster is brilliant and Paul Darrow is fantastic as Frank Archer. There's a steel in his delivery that totally sells the lunacy."

More kudos for the download audios

Some appreciation from Timothy Goldsmith:

"I enjoyed both Metafiction and especially The Time Waster. I've listened to the latter four times already! However, I hope that one day there'll be a return to the Machiavellian action dramas that is Kaldor City."

Again, if you want to send your comments, please e-mail info@kaldorcity.com, and let us know if we can use them for publication!

Kudos for Metafiction and The Time Waster

  Just thought I'd share what a couple of fans have been saying about our newest productions, Metafiction and The Time Waster:

From Mark Oliver:

“Metafiction - now I get the title! Brilliant.  Great comic timing and a really fun reflection of the series - 'we blew it up' – ha!”

“I finally had a free hour and listened to The Time Waster.  What a brilliant script!  How did you keep track of all of the timelines?  I'm glad I wasn't driving while listening to this one.  Paul Darrow puts in a sublime performance I think. You really coaxed the very best out of him.”

From Johanna Mead:

“Y'all are awesome. Giggled madly throughout Metafiction. Listening to Time Waster now and really enjoying it. Alan Stevens just likes f***ing with people's heads, doesn't he?”

Please feel free to email info@kaldorcity.com with any comments on Kaldor City: Metafiction and The Time Waster, but please do also remember to state whether or not they should be considered for publication.

Storm Mine stage play reviewed

Another excellent review from Speaker to Animals: is the Storm Mine stage play an "apophenic text"? Find out here.

Photographs from Storm Mine

Iago (Marlon Solomon) and Blayes (Kate Millest)

Iago and Blayes

V23 (Morag Peacock) and Blayes

Chief Mover (Sean Mason) and Commander (Benjamin Patterson) 

 Iago and Blayes

Iago, Blayes and V23

Photographs from Robots of Death

Kerril (Dan Thackeray) meets his doom

Dask (Clara James)

Clockwise from left: Dask, Poul (Gerard Thompson), Toos (Leni Murphy), Zilda (Ellie Judge) and Borg (Miranda Benjamin).

Iago and Dask

Gerard Thompson, Dan Thackeray and Marlon Solomon

Will Jude Hutchby with Marlon Solomon

Storm Mine Reviewed

Another great review from The Fiction Stroker-- read it here.

Last chance!

Last chance to see Storm Mine live at Lass O'Gowrie today-- if you haven't bought your tickets, hurry now!

Storm Mine pictures

Some teaser pictures for the forthcoming production:

Blayes on the Storm Mine

Iago

Enigmatic Iago

What's inside Blayes' head

Iago and Blayes

V23, a robot becoming human

Storm Mine begins tomorrow...

...I'll be there on Sunday, with autographed CDs. If you'd like one, or would like to just talk about the production, come over and say hello.

The Public Has Spoken

The Public Reviews has posted a rave review for the Robots of Death stage play, and the Lass O'Gowrie theatre company in general. Read it here, and don't forget, Storm Mine starts at the Lass this weekend!

Another review at The Fiction Stroker

The Fiction Stroker posts another review, of the performance version of The Robots of Death. Read it here.

More reviews

Speaker to Animals has done reviews of Darrow Day and of the stage performance of Robots of Death. Click the links to read them.

Robots of Death pictures

Pictures of last night's performance, courtesy of Gareth Kavenagh. It was a great event! The last performance is at 8 PM tomorrow, don't miss it!

"Women Conquer Space at the GM Fringe Festival..."

Click here to read n article about the Robots of Death and Storm Mine plays on the Manchester Gossip website, focusing on the superb director, cast and costumes. There's still time to book your tickets!

Show times update

Just a note to confirm that the performance times for the Robots of Death stage play will be 2, 4:30 and 8 PM on Sunday 22 July, and 7 PM on 23 and 24 July. Tickets available on the door or via www.quaytickets.com.

Another review of "By Your Command vol. 1"

The Review Graveyard's Charles Packer gives it 8/10 and thinks it's the "definitive" guide to original series BSG: "The book remains informative and entertaining throughout, with the authors presenting a very balanced view."

Blake's 7 Merchandise Guide updated

Mark Oliver's outstanding Blake's 7: The Merchandise Guide (available from all good retailers and of course directly from Telos) now comes with a free downloadable PDF bringing it up to date with the latest merchandise, including Kaldor City: Metafiction and The Time Waster! Download the update here.

Meet me in Manchester

I'll be attending the first two performances of Robots of Death on 22 July, with autographed Kaldor City and Faction Paradox CDs available.

To whet your appetite further, go to the Robots of Death Facebook Event Page.

More photos of "Robots of Death"

More photographs of Paul Darrow, Tracy Russell, and the cast of the "Robots of Death" stage play, shortly to begin its run at the Manchester Fringe. Thanks to Matthew Charlton for the images.

And more critical acclaim!

Scifind.co.uk have now reviewed By Your Command vol. 1: they think it "is likely to become the definitive guide to a classic series"! Read the review here.

Competition winners

All people who preordered Kaldor City: Metafiction and/or The Time Waster should now have received an e-mail with your download link.

The winners of our competition for signed scripts are:

Henry Dreyer (New York, USA)
Sophie Plaice-Leary (Kent, UK)
William Benson (New South Wales, Australia)
Graham Hursey (Surrey UK)

Congratulations to the winners, and a big thank you to everyone who took part.

Theatrical Notices

The Fiction Stroker reviews the Robots of Death/Storm Mine stage plays: "With these two plays, you have an ambitious and successful reinterpretation of one of the all-time classic Doctor Who adventures. Robots of Death has been ambitiously reimagined for new and existing audiences. With a witty script and a pacy plot and much of the baggage of the original production removed, Robots of Death is an ambitious and successful re-telling of a classic. As a companion piece and sequel, Storm Mine just edges out Robots for me."

Manchester post-event

Just a quick note to say thank you to everyone who came along and made the Darrow Day event such a success, and hello to anyone who's discovering this site for the first time, having purchased Kaldor/Faction CDs at Darrow Day!

Here are a couple of pictures:

Iago shooting Poul.

Stage Blayes and Audio Blayes!

Don't forget, if you missed the event (or if you came to it and are hungry for more), full versions of both stage plays with effects, costumes and all the trimmings, will be running from 22-24 July (Robots of Death) and 28-30 July (Storm Mine)-- visit www.quaytickets.com to book.

SFX Reviews By Your Command vol. 1

SFX likes By Your Command vol. 1! Check out what they've got to say about it here.

New posters

New posters for the Robots of Death and Storm Mine stage plays, with the changed dates:

Starburst Magazine announces 1 July event

Visit Starburst Magazine for a great article about the Robots of Death and Kaldor City stage plays, and the 1 July play and book launch event!

Audio download updates

All post-production has now been completed on Kaldor City: Metafiction and The Time Waster, and they will be released as promised on 7 July. Post-production is now in progress on "Radio Bastard", which will be released in late 2012.

Stage Play change of dates!

A quick heads-up to let everybody know that the dates for the Robots of Death and Storm Mine stage plays are changing. The new dates are:

Robots of Death - 22nd - 24th July
Storm Mine - 28th - 30th July


Please note that the date of the Darrow Day event remains UNCHANGED. It is still 1 July 2012.

By Your Command book launch

At the Darrow Day event on 1 July at Fab Cafe in Manchester, Fiona Moore and I will also be signing copies of By Your Command: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Battlestar Galactica vol. 1 (subject of course to the printer getting them finished in time!). We'll also have Kaldor City and Faction Paradox CDs, specially autographed by members of the cast, available for purchase.

Darrow Day flyers

Some more flyers, for the launch event for the Robots of Death and Storm Mine plays, on 1 July at Fab Cafe Manchester.

Competition time!

We've had a lot of preorders for the new downloads, Metafiction and The Time Waster, so far, and, to thank you all for your support, we're announcing a competition! We have two copies of the script for Metafiction, autographed by Paul Darrow and Patricia Merrick, and two copies of the script for The Time Waster, autographed by Paul Darrow, Trevor Cooper, Tracy Russell and Robert Barringer-Lock, to give away, and, if you preorder either or both of the audios before midnight on 6 July, your name will be entered into a draw for these! We'll be announcing the four winners on July 7th. Good luck!

Posters for Robots of Death and Storm Mine plays

Click to expand!

Janet Lees Price

We are sorry to report the death of Janet Lees Price, wife of Paul Darrow and well-known character actress. Our thoughts are with Paul and their family.

Kaldor City: Metafiction and The Time Waster now available for preorder!

Kaldor City: Metafiction and The Time Waster will both be officially released on 7 July, during the Robots of Death/Storm Mine stage play run at the Manchester Fringe Festival. In the meantime, click on the links to preorder your copies-- and if you preorder both together, you not only get £2 off, but you get a free bonus version of "Metafiction" with an alternative ending!

Metafiction and The Time Waster Update

"Kaldor City: Metafiction", starring Paul Darrow and Patricia Merrick, and the time travel black comedy/drama "The Time Waster", starring Paul Darrow, Trevor Cooper, Tracy Russell and Robert Barringer-Lock, are now both in post-production and will be released in early summer (exact launch date coming soon).

Meanwhile, all recording has been completed on "Radio Bastard", and post-production will begin soon. As a teaser, here is a photograph of Peter Miles and Jane Lesley at the recording...

By Your Command: Now with Foreword by Richard Hatch!

Just a quick update to let you all know that our forthcoming book, By Your Command: The Official and Unauthorised Guide to Battlestar Galactica vol. 1 (1978-1980) now has a foreword by the original Apollo himself (and, of course, Tom Zarek in the reimagined series), Richard Hatch!

Kaldor City Live!

As has recently been reported, the Manchester Fringe Festival this July will include live performances of Storm Mine and The Robots of Death-- both of which have been adapted for the stage by Alan Stevens, and the latter of which will feature, in place of the Doctor and Leela, Kaston Iago and Elska Blayes.

For the first perfomance only, Paul Darrow will be appearing as Iago, and Tracy Russell as Blayes.

More information/tickets available at http://www.greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk/, www.thelass.co.uk and www.fabcafe.co.uk.

Uptime!

Kaldorcity.com is now back up and running, normal service resumed. Thanks for your patience!

Downtime

Our apologies for the downtime on www.kaldorcity.com. There's a problem with our ISP, and we're currently trying to get it resolved as quickly as possible. Thanks for your patience: in the meantime, if you need to order something from us, we've set up a temporary ordering page at http://www.nyder.com/orders.html, and all our e-mail addresses are working if you need to contact us.

By Your Command volume 1 available for preorder

Our new book, By Your Command: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Battlestar Galactica (Volume 1: Original Series and Galactica 1980) will be released on June 30th, and can be preordered from the Telos website-- just click the link.

Who is the Doctor?

We'd just like to let everyone know that the excellent guidebook, Who is the Doctor by Graeme Burk and Robert Smith? is being launched this weekend in Toronto. We can definitely recommend it as an insightful take on 21st century Doctor Who. Click on the title to order direct from the publisher.

Philip Madoc tribute

Another tribute article, this one to Philip Madoc, has been posted.

Philip Madoc

We were very sorry to hear of the death of Philip Madoc, who played the Storm Mine Captain in Kaldor City: Storm Mine and the War King in The True History of Faction Paradox, particularly so soon after the announcement of the death of Peter Halliday. Philip was a great friend and will be missed. You can read a 2004 interview with him here.

Philip in the studio recording "Storm Mine"

Interview with Nabil Shaban

This month we feature another classic interview, this one with Nabil Shaban. Conducted in 1993 for Skaro magazine, Alan Stevens talks with the noted actor and disabled rights campaigner abut about playing Sil, the Ayatollah Khomeini, and even more controversial roles.

Peter Halliday update

A tribute to Peter Halliday has now been posted on the Kaldor City site.

Peter Halliday

Everybody at Magic Bullet is sorry to hear of the death of Peter Halliday at 87 last Sunday. Peter was a good friend of twenty-seven years' standing and a contributor to The Mark of Kane and Kaldor City: Checkmate, as well as guest starring as Anubis in The True History of Faction Paradox. He will be very much missed.

Alistair Lock in Kvetch

Alistair Lock will be appearing in Steven Berkoff's play Kvetch at the New Venture Theatre in Brighton from 21-28 January. For more information or to book tickets, click here.