After nearly a year in development, DWO are proud to unveil our new DWO iBar. But what is the iBar? Well, it's very much like the Facebook bar, which enables you to keep in touch with your friends via a handy chat bar. But DWO have gone that bit further by offering more than just a chat...

Whilst chatting to your friends, you can also play games with them, use smilies from our database, hand-write messages with each other, and if one-on-one chat isn't enough for you, the bar is also plugged directly into the main DWO Chat.

Also available on the iBar, are a set of icons to the left hand side that give you instant access to the DWO homepage, the DWO Forums homepage, the DWO Chat, the DWO Apps section, as well as social features like Facebook, Twiiter and ShareThis. You will also be notified of important DWO announcements, as well as being able to scroll to the top of any page, and even change the look and feel of the bar itself via our skins.

And the best part is it's available on every page of the site, and more importantly - it's FREE! All that is required, is for you to register a FREE account on the DWO Forums, which will enable you to login to the bar, and if you're a member already, the ibar will already be working for you.

We hope you like our new addition, and think you will agree that it brings a whole new level of interactivity to the site, and indeed Doctor Who fandom.

DWO would love to hear your feedback on the iBar, and encourage you to email it to us at: feedback@drwho-online.co.uk.

It's 2011, and what a year we have ahead of us...

DWO have some very exciting projects coming up, but more on that later in this entry. Our favourite TV show returns this Spring, albeit slightly differently than previous years, as we embrace our first 'New Who' split season.

For five years now, we have been used to watching Doctor Who from Easter through to Summer, but this year, we finally get to enjoy the show in an Autumn timeslot - a slot, which many Doctor Who fans (us included) believe the show was made for.

Turn the clock back a few years to when the original series aired...ok...a lot more than a 'few', but this was a time when we had Doctor Who throughout the year. Yet, for the DWO team, its the stories that were broadcast in the Autumn that we recall most fondly. Picture the setting... It's October. The cold, dark nights are drawing in, you've just put the kettle on for a cup of tea or hot cocoa, and then the theme tune that we all know and love, whirls away. Suddenly we are drawn into the world of time travel and monsters - but it's just that bit darker, and that bit scarier, as the outside world effectively shuts itself down bringing the focus into your living room.

If fact, new series fans need not cast their minds back too far. Remember The Waters of Mars? Granted it was a brilliant story in its own right, but how much more apt was it, that we got to watch it during the Autumn season? The airing of this particular episode felt a little different. Most of us were not used to watching Doctor Who at this time of year, and yet it felt so right.

Steven Moffat has promised us a big 'game-changing' climax to the first half of the season, but rather than having to wait until Christmas, we instead get to look forward to more new adventures in just a few months after a short break. Hurrah!

We talked briefly about some new projects at DWO that we are working on this year, the first of which is a much-needed overhaul to our Episode Guide. We aim to have the new guides all finished by Easter with interactivity with our Forums and the Reviews section, as well as direct price comparisons to merchandise through our CompareTheDalek.com site.

2011 will also see the relaunch of our popular VORTEXTRA section, which goes beyond the Doctor Who adventures we see on our TV screens by finding out what happened before and after each episode, through submissions from our team of writers. VORTEXTRA will also be there to offer post-episode features as they air, including Voting, Quizzes, Q&A's and more.

DWO will be bringing you a new series of Time Tales (our popular Doctor Who diorama series), in which The 11th Doctor will feature in some truly fantastic adventures, written and shot by Malcolm Orr.

We plan to revamp our popular Chat room, with added functionality as well as linking it to the whole site, so you can chat to all your buddies from any page of DWO, Facebook style!

The DWO Forums continue to grow with well over 35,000+ Members to date - with as many as 50,000+ expected by the end of the year. We will also continue to bring you more celebrity guests from the show who will take part in Q&A's.

Well...we've got our work cut out for us right now, so perhaps this is a good point to end this entry. No rest for the wicked and all that! We will post regular DWO Blog entries to keep you updated with our progress as well as to let you know about even more site features, competitions and such.

Until then, have a very Happy New Year from all the DWO team!

Well here we are at the end of another year - and what a year it's been! Can you believe its been a year since we said our farewells to David Tennant's 10th Doctor, and welcomed in Matt Smith's 11th Doctor? We've all watched Series Five come and go, as it was met with glowing reviews and promises of a new exciting direction in which to take our favourite Science Fiction television series. Steven Moffat really has done us all proud, and surely deserves a virtual glass raised in his honour this Christmas season.

But wait... it's not over yet! After the present unwrapping and over indulgence of food, we have a brand new Doctor Who story to watch at 6:00pm on BBC One this Christmas Day. It promises to be a thoroughly entertaining hour, and from what we've seen, it certainly won't disappoint!

After A Christmas Carol has aired, DWO visitors can pop on over the DWO Forums to rate and discuss the episode, where we will also be giving away 1 copy of the Series Five DVD Boxset to one random member who posts feedback for the episode.

In the meantime, we have some pre-Christmas treats for you...

-  A festive Time Tales diorama is now online, where The Doctor meets John Lennon in 'So This Is Christmas'.

-  You can check out our recent Interview with YouTube video blog sensation and Doctor Who Confidential Reporter, Charlie McDonnell.

-  DWO recently travelled to Utah; USA to record a special Doctor Who inspired documentary, looking at alien landscapes in the state. You can now view The Sands of Time on the DWO YouTube Channel, as well as an accompanying Blooper Reel.

-  Finally, on Christmas Eve, DWO will be offering a special video on our YouTube Channel, showing you how to make Dalek Sugar Cookies!

We hope you enjoy our festive offerings and would like to wish every one of our visitors a very Merry Christmas!

I bet you'd thought I'd forgotten, didn't you? After 47 years, Doctor Who celebrates its 47th anniversary today. Who'd have thunk that way back in 1963, this TV show, which has become an institution, would be going strong all these years later?

Ok...so we had a little blip between 1989 and 1996....ok, and maybe another one between 1996 and 2005, but we got there in the end didn't we?

But maybe we forget that as fans, we all had a big part to play in the shows triumphant return. For it was all of us that kept the fire alive in those 'wilderness years'. All those polls and letter writing to the BBC, those fanzines and those fan-made audio adventures.

Then we have people like Nicholas Briggs and the Reeltime Pictures team, who helped take things that bit further with video productions that used some of the cast from Doctor Who, together with fans of the show. It's no surprise that some of those very same 'fans' went on to become successful producers, writers and editors.

And then we have Big Finish Productions, who helped raise that flame even higher with official audio productions. Headed by Jason Haigh-Ellery and Gary Russell, the company has been producing unique, original Doctor Who content for over 10 years.

Since Gary's departure, Nicholas Briggs took over the mantle as Executive producer, taking the company in a new, exciting direction that has seen the completion of missing seasons of Doctor Who, whilst dipping back into the series' past to bring back some truly classic monsters and characters.

As editor of a 'fan site' I myself have seen so much creativity, love and enthusiasm from our visitors over the past 14 years that we have been online. I've been blown away by your pictures, your fan fiction and your utter devotion to this show we all love.

So I raise a virtual glass to all of us, and to this show that brings us all together, and to the fabulous production team who are doing such a tremendous job taking Doctor Who to adventures new.

Cheers!

Seb. x

Apologies for the lack in blog updates as of late, it's been an incredibly busy few months both on the site and off the site!

On the site...we have been planning an upgrade of the DWO Forums, which will see vast speed improvements and the banishment of the dreaded 'Time Out' error message that rears its ugly head from time to time. We hope to have this applied over the weekend.

You may noticed a brand new DWO logo (we do hope you like), which is part of a planned redecoration to the site, of which the key aim is to simplify the presentation of content, whilst maintaining our visual brand.

The DWO News page is set to have a major facelift shortly, as we streamline the latest web technologies with the interactivity of our Forums, and social networking utilities, enabling full interactivity.

Off the site... My wife and I recently (June) celebrated the birth of our daughter, Amelia (no who connection, promise!), which goes some way to explain any time where there has been a slight delay in updates. Everything is on hand now, and we are fully manned on the site going forward.

Well that's it for now, embrace the changes, and we will keep you posted with some exciting new developments here at DWO towers.

Well there we go... Series Five is over, and what a way to go out!

Over the past 13 weeks, DWO have had the privelage to preview what can easily be labelled the best New Series of Doctor Who to date. It's a series that had to be brave, bold and refreshing, and together with a truly fantastic cast and production team, succeeded on so many levels.

The fabulous Russell T. Davies, left us with a new legacy, one which built up everyone's appreciation in Doctor Who, not to mention the BBC's own trust and belief in the brand. The question on all our lips was "Where will it go next?". Then we found out who was taking over the helm...

Steven Moffat has not only done himself proud with this series, but the entire brand of Doctor Who itself, pulling together the finest writers, directors and actors that the BBC budget can muster. It's fair to say he took some risks, but how fantastic they were, and with a CV like Moffat's to go on, sometimes there are leaps of faith that we can all grab on to, and know we're in safe hands.

Before the first episode aired, some newspapers and online sites were referring to new Doctor, Matt Smith, as 'the credit crunch Doctor', and referring to his age as a barrier to the potential success of the series. Not only has Matt proven the doubters to be utterly wrong, but he has taken the role of The Doctor, and totally owned it. In fact, by the time the titles came up at the end of 5.1: The Eleventh Hour, he had already owned it.

Matt wasn't the only Actor to be bathed in the proverbial sunlight of success, however. Karen Gillan's Amy Pond, was an inspired pairing that took the Doctor/Companion relationship down a totally different, and exciting path. Her lust for adventure, and...yes...sometimes The Doctor, together with her charmingly loyal boyfriend Rory, played so affectionately by Arthur Darvill, created a new classic TARDIS team, the likes that we haven't seen since The 2nd Doctor Jamie and Victoria.

So what if all the questions weren't answered from this series? What a great way to propel us into Series Six! You cannot help but be reminded of the way the early classic series episodes lead into one another, keeping you gripped to see what happens next. Once more, Moffat has drawn upon a winning combination. Rewritten it. Redefined it. And more inportantly, relaunched it.

Call him what you will...The Grand Moff, The Mofferator, Moffer Theresa - DWO claim credit to that one ;-). However, there is one tag in particular that seems to fit the bill where Moffat is concerned...'The right man for the job'.

What did you think of 5.13: The Big Bang?

Don't forget to log on to the DWO Forums to Rate / Discuss the episode. If you're not a member of our Forums, joining is fast and FREE, and within minutes you can be part of our 30,000+ strong community.

A quick shout out for our Twitter group, which has over 11,000+ followers! If you aren't yet following us, you can do so at: http://www.twitter.com/drwhoonline.

The DWO YouTube Channel is also doing very well, with over 700 subscribers and a number of videos that include vlogs, exclusive documentaries as well as trailers, interviews and more! Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/drwhoonline

This Saturday sees the airing of 5.13: The Big Bang, at 6:05pm on BBC One.

Don't forget to log on to the DWO Forums to Rate / Discuss the episode. If you're not a member of our Forums, joining is fast and FREE, and within minutes you can be part of our 30,000+ strong community.

On Sunday, you will be able to download Episode #5.13 of the DWO WhoCast where Paul and Seb discuss the story.

A quick shout out for our Twitter group too, which has over 11,000+ followers! If you aren't yet following us, you can do so at: http://www.twitter.com/drwhoonline.

The DWO YouTube Channel is also doing very well, with over 700 subscribers and a number of videos that include vlogs, exclusive documentaries as well as trailers, interviews and more! Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/drwhoonline

This Saturday sees the airing of 5.12: The Pandorica Opens, at 6:40pm on BBC One.

Don't forget to log on to the DWO Forums to Rate / Discuss the episode. If you're not a member of our Forums, joining is fast and FREE, and within minutes you can be part of our 30,000+ strong community.

On Sunday, you will be able to download Episode #5.12 of the DWO WhoCast where Paul and Seb discuss the story.

A quick shout out for our Twitter group too, which has over 10,000+ followers! If you aren't yet following us, you can do so at: http://www.twitter.com/drwhoonline.

The DWO YouTube Channel is also doing very well, with over 700 subscribers and a number of videos that include vlogs, exclusive documentaries as well as trailers, interviews and more! Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/drwhoonline

This Saturday sees the airing of 5.11: The Lodger, at 6:45pm on BBC One.

There's a house on Aickman road, and a staircase that people go up, but never down, as the time-travelling drama continues.

To solve the mystery of the man upstairs, the Doctor faces his greatest challenge yet – he must pass himself off as a perfectly normal human being, and share a flat with Craig Owens.

The Doctor is played by Matt Smith, Amy Pond by Karen Gillan and Craig Owens by James Corden. This episode is written by Gareth Roberts.

Doctor Who is simulcast on the BBC HD channel – the BBC's high definition channel, available through Freesat 108, Freeview 50, Sky 143 and Virgin 108.

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Don't forget to log on to the DWO Forums to Rate / Discuss the episode. If you're not a member of our Forums, joining is fast and FREE, and within minutes you can be part of our 30,000+ strong community.

Straight after the episode has aired, you will be able to download Episode #5.11 of the DWO WhoCast where Paul and Seb discuss the story.

A quick shout out for our Twitter group too, which has over 10,000+ followers! If you aren't yet following us, you can do so at: http://www.twitter.com/drwhoonline.

The DWO YouTube Channel is also doing very well, with over 600 subscribers and a number of videos that include vlogs, exclusive documentaries as well as trailers, interviews and more! Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/drwhoonline

What do you get when you cross the fantastic world of Doctor Who, the utterly brilliant mind of Richard Curtis, and the world famous artist, Vincent Van Gogh? The answer...Vincent And The Doctor - a 45 minute televisual masterpiece worthy of the famed painter himself.

Sure the episode's title doesn't have the bells and whistles that the words 'Dalek' or 'Cybermen' could conjure up, but what we have here, to draw on an analogy, is a story that paints itself throughout. With every brush stroke (nay pen stroke) that Curtis' script delivers, we are given more colour, depth and layering that build to a well rounded, and thoroughly appeasing story.

Ok..enough of the painting metaphors!

In a nutshell...The Doctor and Amy visit an art gallery to see Van Gogh's work, only to notice a hidden menace lurking in the window of a church, in one of the artist's famed pieces. Cue a travel back in time to get to the bottom of things.

The production team have recreated Southern France beautifully, and many of the sets used in the story have been given the benefit of attention to detail, the likes that a BBC period costume drama would be proud of.

Speaking of sets, two in particular that we see used in this story, are brought to life straight out of Van Gogh's painting. We defy you to be bowled over by the Cafe Terrace scene, which is as accurate as is imaginely possible!

Vincent And The Doctor is a prime example of why historical Doctor Who stories can work so well, whilst teaching us something along the way. It's an ingredient that peppered itself throughout William Hartnell's time on the show, and it's great to see the winning formula back.

Like with some of the other adventures this series, the main action actually ties itself up sooner, allowing time at the end for a change in tone, pace and in this story's case, the emotional deliverance that Richard Curtis is famed for.

This story sits comfortably in a handful of Doctor Who episodes that you could quite happily watch over and over again, and each time you will notice something new.

Get ready for a new favourite New Series Doctor Who episode, this is it, and it's a stroke of genius!
(see what we did there...)

5 Things to look out for...

-  More Past Doctor appearaces.
-  Fantastic new gadgetry.
-  A clever little nod to Indiana Jones.
-  Ketchup..and Mustard...in the TARDIS?
-  Buckbeak's long-lost cousin!