For those in need of a Doctor Who fix, 2011 Christmas special, The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe, is set to hit stores on February 14th, just in time for Valentines day. Some of you might have caught my mini-review back in December, and while I felt it wasn’t the Doctor at his best, the special certainly had its moments. For some of you it’ll make an awesome alternative to flowers or chocolates, and for others it might just serve to hold you over till the Doctor returns to BBC later this year. For those of you who want to pre-order it, Amazon is selling the Blu-ray for $15.99, or if you’d rather have it on DVD, just $10.99. Amazon prime members can select free 2-day shipping to receive their copy on the 14th instead of having to wait.

For anyone visiting or living in London, the clock is ticking for the Doctor Who Experience. The exhibit will be closing its doors next month, but before that happens, they’ve planned several special events leading up to the last day. On Saturday, February 11th, series choreographer Ailsa Berk will be on hand offering lessons on how to move like your favorite aliens from the show. That following Monday, the effects team responsible for sculpting some of the show’s fearsome creatures will show off some of their techniques.

On the 15th, both the Cybermen and Ood will be walking around the exhibit — by this, I’m assuming they mean people in full makeup. On the 16h, the official makeup team will be on hand give visitors alien makeovers — they’ll even turn you into a Weeping Angel if you ask nicely. Finally, the FX team will be back to demonstrate some of their drawing techniques. The exhibit itself ends on the 22nd. Although its is scheduled to reopen in Cardiff later this year, many first-time tourists may be a little scared to venture outside of London proper — Cardiff is a bit of a drive — so if you have plans to be in the area, make sure to pencil it in. Check out the official site for information, ticket prices, and directions.

As seen in this breaking headline The Daily Beast has confirmed that not only isn’t Dr. Who a fictional character but that he played a key role in taking out Bin Laden. It’s about time that the lamestream media got honest about this sort of thing…

The BBC has never been known for breaking the bank when it comes to special effects, but is that such a bad thing? Take this awesome clip from the early days of Doctor Who, starring Jon Pertwee as The Third Doctor, for example. We were decades away from Jurassic Park and animatronics, but that couldn’t stop the BBC. They need dinosaurs, so they made it happen, and it was glorious — terrible, even hilarious, but glorious nonetheless. In fact, if this clip alone hasn’t convinced you to stomach classic Who’s terrible acting (often on the part of his companions,) then I’m not sure what will. If, on the other hand, you can’t get enough of these killer special effects, and you wish to brave the acting, some of those classic episodes are still available via Netflix instant streaming.

Every once in awhile, I come across a TeeFury design that I just can’t pass up. More often than not, they relate to Doctor Who, due to the lack of awesome Doctor Who merchandise we get here in the States. For example, today’s design features an beautiful ad for the Sonic Screwdriver Mark VI, which you might recognize as the model used by Tennant and Eccleston throughout the 2005-2009 seasons. While I love how classy it looks, especially against that background, I’m not so sure I’d look good in it — cream really isn’t my color. Girls, on the other hand, will luck out with a white alternative. Why only two colors? Great question. All I know is that the shirt will only be on sale for the next 24 hours, so if you really want one, don’t wait.

No, it wasn’t the worst Christmas special ever — it’d be difficult to top the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special — but, this year’s special certainly wasn’t one of The Doctor’s best. It’s true, the episode had almost everything we’d expect from this post-Tennant era. Another space ship in distress, a bit of suspense, Matt Smith running around like a madman,  and an Eco-friendly story about a mother’s love for her family. The episode was chock-full of references to C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Doctor’s involvement throughout, though sporadic, is sufficient enough to win us over. But is that really enough?

For most fans, maybe — but not me. It may have been a bit more Christmas-y than some of the previous specials, but The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe, lacked the sense of grandeur that I’ve come to associate each of them. Its pacing was a tad atrocious and, while it started with a bang, the first third of the episode felt rushed, only to drag in the middle. It picked up toward the end, with some really touching moments, but nothing I’d want to spoil for anyone. However, I will say that, if anything, the episode reaffirmed how much I’ll miss Amy and Rory when they make their eventual departure from the series next year.

We haven’t really covered it much, but last month David Yates discussed plans for a potential Doctor Who motion picture. Yates, credited for directing final four installments of the wildly successful Harry Potter film franchise, mentioned his desire to reboot the series from scratch, setting aside the series crafted by Russel T. Davies and Steven Moffat. Though I couldn’t fathom why, Yates insists a reboot would be necessary for Doctor Who’s transition to a feature film — Moffat doesn’t agree.

Last week, he had a chance to comment stating that Yates had spoken out of turn, and that no films that would contradict the television series would ever take place. Moffat did admit he was keen on the idea of a feature film so long as it adhered to the series cannon, and went on to state that if they were to shoot one, it would star the television Doctor, presumably Smith. Ironically, Express is claiming that David Tennant might be making a return as the 10th Doctor in Yates’ proposed film — rumors have Daniel Radcliffe attached to the project as well. Since the project is reportedly being handled by BBC Worldwide,  it’ll be interesting to see how this continues to develop.

It’s a sad day for fans of The Doctor’s latest companions, Amy & Rory. At a Doctor Who press screening in London today, series producer Steven Moffat confirmed our fears when he announced that the Doctor would be moving on next season with a “new friend,” stating “The final days of the ponds are coming.”

Suffice to say, They’ll both be missed dearly. Amy Pond captured my heart with her stunning looks and bold determination, but perhaps I’ll miss Rory even more. Not only did he speak for the audience, we watched as his character grew from being insecure and timid to perhaps the most faithful and stalwart companion to date. He also didn’t give any details regarding the next potential companion but I’m really hoping he gives Craig Owens or River another crack at it in the series to come.

Here’s some exciting news for all you Whovians out there. BBC Worldwide just announced the first in a new line games planned for home consoles. Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock, currently being developed by Supermassive Games in collaboration with BBC Wales, is set for both the PS3 and Playstation Vita early next year. Not much is known about the plot, but we can expect a completely new adventure featuring the voices of Matt Smith, and Alex Kingston reprising her role as River Song. If you only own an Xbox, don’t worry — the game will also be receiving a PC port. For more info, head over to the official twitter feed and be sure to check out a short teaser after the jump.

This well crafted Tardis bookshelf was crafted by msmuse101 and his or her dad over the course of several months in Derby, UK:

Found via therpf.com and Joseph Lee.

BBC recently launched a Doctor Who advent calender for the month of December. Each day, the official site will be updated with fresh content related to the series, with everything from exclusive clips and interviews, to free wallpapers, cards and more leading up to the premiere of Christmas special, The Doctor, The Widow, and the Wardrobe. We’re only four days into the month, and they’ve already given us a small clip of Matt Smith discussing the upcoming special, along with a few promotional images to be used as cards for friends and family. The special airs stateside December 25th at 9/8 PM central on BBC America.

Here’s the recently released trailer for the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas special set to air Christmas Day. The episode, titled The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe, is an obvious homage to C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia. The story is once again set during World War II, and while I’m starting to grow tired of that particular period of history, it certainly fits the Narnia gag.  They haven’t said much about the plot, but from the trailer, it looks as though he’ll accompany a family of children, and who I can only assume is their widowed mother, on an adventure that takes them into a world that very much resembles the frozen forests Narnia. Both Amy and Rory are notably absent from the trailer, and there’s still no word on if they’ll be making any more appearances next season.

Get ready for the most adorable video ever. Believe it or not, this is an actual product — an inflatable, talking Dalek that a kid can actually drive around. Honestly, who needs Power Wheels when you can ride around threatening to exterminate people? Don’t bother trying to answer, it’s rhetorical. If I had a kid, this would be purchased immediately, despite the fact that you need a European power outlet or adapter to charge the sucker. I probably won’t have a niece or nephew old enough to drive one of these around for a few more years, I’m actually a little giddy at the thought. Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll ever see an adult-sized model, but if anyone wants to build one for Halloween next year, that would be really cool. If you do, take pictures or shoot a video for us please. If, on the other hand, you want to pick one of these up, you can actually import one, just keep in mind my note about the power adapter. The Ride-in Dalek retails for a hefty $299.99 and ThinkGeek will toss in an optional adapter for an additional $20.

Seeing as the next Doctor Who Christmas special is just a month away, now’s a great time to get into the spirit of things with this ridiculously cool Snow-lek shirt. I never really thought of building a Dalek snowman, but after seeing this, I kind of want to try. Of course, I’m sure nobody else will get the reference unless they’re fans, but I guess that’d be the point of doing it in the first place. The shirt, designed by artist Malcassairo, is currently being sold at TeeFury, and like every other design they print, will only be available for the next 24 hours. Their shirts are usually decent quality, and should only cost you $10 + shipping, but if you’d rather pass, there’s always a chance the shirt could pop up on a site like RedBubble, though it would be significantly more expensive to order it from there.  If you’d rather just see more of Malcassairo’s work, a larger portfolio is available at their Deviant Art page.

Sony likes to joke that their PS3 can do everything. Clearly, they’ve never seen a Sonic Screwdriver. I always thought the Doctor seemed a little too quick to pull one out, but after sitting through this hilarious short, maybe I should give him more credit. After all, if he were to just “sonic” everything in sight, Doctor Who would become the least climatic show on television. You may as well just watch paint dry. Still, the video makes a good point, even if they never really intended to — Sonic Screwdrivers are awesome, and science needs to make them happen, ASAP.

[found via geekout]

The other day I mentioned that several videos from the Davies & Tennant Doctor Who wrap party recently hit the net, one of which featured a quirky little musical number by series stars David Tennant, Catherine Tate, and John Barrowman. I thought to save the second video for later, as the first was pretty lengthy and you have to admit that it’s kinda hard to top Barrowman’s freakishly good voice. This second video is also musical in nature as it features the cast and crew dancing and lip-syncing to the 80’s hit “I’m gonna be (500 miles” by the Proclaimers. Some of you may have caught the episode of Graham Norton — he’s sort of like a British Conan O’Brien, albeit a tad cruder  — where Tennant met the band for the first time. Being a huge fan, Tennant had jumped when asked by their producers to star in one of the band’s music videos, only to discover they weren’t present during his shoot. After meeting them during the filming of Norton’s talk show, I imagine they must have hit it off, otherwise I’m sure they wouldn’t have been part of the video above. Pretty neat how it everything worked out.

I’m sure by now you’ve all come across Nyan Cat while browsing through one or more of your favorite net-haunts. For whatever reason its just one of those polarizing subjects where people either find it incredibly annoying or  incredibly adorable with nobody falling in between. If you’re one of the latter, you’ll probably dig this awesome Doctor Who x Nyan Cat crossover shirt recently featured on Ript Apparel. Seeing as Ript designs are only available for a day before they’re taken down, you might think you’ve missed your chance to pick one up, but fear not! Brenda, the lovely artist responsible, also sells some of these designs as shirts through RedBubble. Sure it costs a bit more at $24 a pop, but at least you won’t have to worry about missing out. She also has some nifty Supernatural-inspired designs available for order. If you want to see more of her work, check out her Tumblr, or check out her Etsy store for anything else she might have on sale.

Tim is a pro-blogger and freelance writer out of San Diego, California. In addition to Fanboy.com, several outlets he’s written for include the Japanese culture and entertainment blog, Japanator, and the collectible toy culture site Tomopop. For more information, follow him on twitter, or check out TimSheehy.com.

This is shaping up to be a good week for fans of Davies’ Whoneverse. In addition to the hilarious wrap party videos that recent hit the net, Weta Workshop has decided to discount several pieces from their Doctor Who product line. The first is this killer replica of a Dalek as originally designed for the series one episode “Dalek,” featuring Christopher Eccleston. While Christopher’s time as the Doctor was short lived, that episode remains memorable as the first appearance of the Daleks since Davies had revived the series and paved the way for their eventual return in future seasons. The prop measures roughly a foot in height and normally retails for $225. If you order from Weta’s online shop before November 4th, you can save 50% and pick one up for only $112.50. Not too bad if you ask me.

The second prop they have on sale is considerably cheaper than the first, and may not be as iconic, but this Sycorax helmet still holds an important place in Doctor Who. It belonged to the first real villains encountered by David Tennant during his slightly lengthier run as the Tenth Doctor at the start of series two. The prop itself only measures about 7″ x 4″ x 4″ but is made from cast metal, so its a little hefty for its size. It also comes with a polystone stand for display. It usually retails for $49, but if you order this one before November 7th, you can still save 50% and pick it up for only $24.50. Again, it’s no Dalek, but it’s still pretty cool and affordable to boot.

There are times I just miss David Tennant. His time on Doctor Who just never seemed long enough, and while I like Matt Smith just fine, he’s still not the Doctor many of us grew to love. Here’s one of the recently released videos from the Tennant & Davies wrap party a few years back. It’s a cute little musical number about former show-runners Davies and Gardner, featuring John Barrowman, Cathrine Tate and David Tennant. If you’ve never heard Barrowman sing, you’re in for a bit of a treat. David’s immaculate as always, but personally, I could do without Cathrine Tate. Then again, I think that was the whole point of her being on the show in the first place. Regardless, it was a fantastic way to say thank for everything Davies and Gardner did for the series, don’t you think?

It’s true. Recently, ThinkGeek updated their catalog with a few Doctor Who cosplay goodies — officially licensed replicas of both Tennant’s overcoat and Smith’s pleated plaid jacket. It wasn’t long before both items sold out completely, and while you can still put an order with them, you can forget about getting it in time for Halloween. Fortunately, there’s still a chance. You can order the items directly from the manufacturer, instead. Abbyshot.com not only carries the Coat and Jacket, but will even throw in a free bow tie for ordering it directly.

They also have a few other gems in stock, such as Martha Jones’ Jacket, or Jack Harkness’ miltary trenchcoat, and everything appears to be in stock and ready to ship through them. The only problem is that you’ll be ordering internationally, so it might take some time. The prices are a bit steep, but the quality of the fabric is said to be top notch so that might justify the cost. If you can’t get yours for Halloween, there’s always DragonCon, right?

I love the hand made quality of this Tardis Dr. Who Messenger Bag which I found on Etsy — while I like the new series it would go great with a vintage Tom Baker multi-colored scarf. Bag design by Rhonda Wojciak of Nani Originals.

Though he appears not to have managed to regenerate eyebrows in his latest incarnation, the storied Doctor, as played by Matt Smith, has proven more popular than ever in his most recent season on BBC. No Doctor lasts forever, though, and the date of Smith’s departure from the role has been the subject of much speculation. Smith appeared to indicate that he’d only have one more year of Doctor Who in a recent interview, saying that after “another year” as the Doctor, he’d like to come to LA and do some acting work there. Does it mean anything? I bet we’d know if we had some sort of superscientific time-travel device. Anyone know someone who has one?

Michael Sacco is a freelance editor and writer.

I love crossover art, especially when it combines two things I love, such as Doctor Who and video games — and in this case, Valve’s Portal 2. The piece was designed by an Australian outlet known as Lost Hero Creative. While the reference is pretty straight forward, the T.A.R.D.I.S. being a device capable of traveling through time via portals, the image actually reminds me of that recent two part special, Time, in which the blue box decided to materialize within itself. If you feel like sporting it, TeeFury has the design available for the next 24 hours. As usual, the shirt should only cost you $10 + shipping.

It looks like it’s crossover universe time on Gurren Lagann! If you look at this second photo it seems pretty clear that Yoko Littner is smitten with the Time Lord (and vise versa):

Paparazzi photo taken this weekend at the New York Comic Con 2011.

Last month, the BBC announced plans to cancel Doctor Who Confidential. The series had given fans a behind-the-scenes look at the Doctor and his companions since the show relaunched in 2005. Despite being a huge fan of Doctor Who, I never managed to catch a single episode of the documentary myself. I suppose if they had actually aired it on television here in the States, I might have, but for whatever reason the BBC decided against it. Instead, they opted to air shot clips of the show via their website. Despite that, there seems to be quite a bit of outcry from fans both in England and abroad regarding the cancellation. There’s currently an online petition asking BBC to reconsider their decision to axe the show — it’s already gained nearly 40,000 signatures.

As a rule, I don’t put much faith in internet campaigns, so I don’t expect it to make waves. That said, it’s probably better than doing nothing , especially if you consider yourself any sort Whovian. If you’re wondering, BBC  justified their decision by stating that they’d rather place a higher-rated show in its current timeslot. I’m cool with it as long as they promise to fund more episodes of Merlin or Torchwood as compensation. If you’d rather sign the petition, you can do so here. You can also follow their campaign via Twitter for more updates.

Tim is a pro-blogger and freelance writer out of San Diego, California. In addition to Fanboy.com, several outlets he’s written for include the Japanese culture and entertainment blog, Japanator, and the collectible toy culture site Tomopop. For more information, follow him on twitter, or check out TimSheehy.com.