Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!

To mark the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who next year, the BFI are putting on a special programme of events, focusing on each Doctor in turn, from William Hartnell to Matt Smith, with a day each month showing a classic story, and presenting a Q and A with its creators.

January 12th saw An Unearthly Child, the very first Doctor Who story, shown on the big screen.

February 9th’s presentation is the classic Patrick Troughton story The Tomb of the Cybermen; this will start at 2.30 p.m. Tickets for this sold out to BFI members before they went on sale to the general public.

March will feature the first showing of the newly colourised version of The Mind of Evil, in two parts – episodes 1-4, and then the final two parts with a Q and A session. The date for this is now confirmed as Sunday March 10th.

The season will conclude with a preview of Mark Gatiss’ An Adventure in Space and Time, the drama which explores the creation of the show.

Caroline Skinner, Executive Producer of Doctor Who, said: “To be doing this enormous and exciting project with the BFI is just a dream come true.  We’re delighted that in this 50th year for the show we have such brilliant support from the BFI for our celebration of Doctor Who’s cultural heritage.  Some of the stories we’re going to show are thrilling, surprising, funny and just plain classic TV. Enjoy, everyone!”

Justin Johnson, BFI Programmer added: “The BFI is very proud of our long relationship with both the BBC and the Doctor Who production team. We are delighted to be playing complete stories featuring each incarnation of the Doctor, supported by Q&As with special guests.

“As well as the TV work, we also plan to play newly digitally restored versions of the Peter Cushing films, courtesy of Studio Canal. This is the perfect opportunity for old fans and new to come and learn about the genesis of the show and its continuing journey.”