Radio Wales and Fun Kids mark Dr Who at 50

BBC Radio Wales is to dedicate its daytime output next Thursday to the 50th anniversary or Dr Who, while digital children’s station Fun Kids will air a Dr Who story the same day.

It comes two days ahead of the worldwide broadcast of the special 50th anniversary adventure, The Day of the Doctor.

Radio Wales presenters Jason Mohammad and Eleri Siôn will do their shows live from the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff Bay with guests telling the Welsh story of the sci-fi character. Radio Wales will also be re-broadcasting the Doctor Who Prom that was performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London in July this year.

BBC Radio Wales’s Editor, Steve Austins said: “I’m thrilled we’re going to celebrate this truly Welsh success story with the Radio Wales Doctor Who Day. Its return in 2005 marked the start of BBC Cymru Wales’ drama success story with programmes like Doctor Who now viewed by millions all over the world. It’s fitting therefore that we pay tribute not only to The Doctor but also to all those involved in making the series from our Roath Lock studios in Cardiff Bay. I’d say it’s one of the great Welsh success stories of recent years.”

Current companion Clara Oswald – actress Jenna Coleman – and writer Steven Moffat will be interviewed and take questions from listeners, and there’ll also be a feature behind the scenes with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales’ recording of music for the new TV episode.

Jason Mohammed, who has appeared in the series as a newsreader, said: “I still get mail from Doctor Who fans. I’ve got one letter which I’ve kept from a guy in New Zealand who said, ‘I’m not familiar with your repertoire – I don’t know what else you’ve done, but may I say you played the role of a newsreader very well’, not knowing that it was my job at the time.”

Fun Kids, meanwhile, will broadcast a story from the new Puffin book Doctor Who: 11 Doctors 11 Stories, which is out next week. The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage has been written by Derek Landy and is read by Ian Hanmore, who played Father Angelo in the 2006 Doctor Who episode Tooth and Claw.

The story will be broadcast on Fun Kids in The Club everyday at 5pm next week. It’s thought it could be the Time Lord’s first outing on a non-BBC radio station in the UK.

Station Manager, Matt Deegan, told RadioToday: “We’re excited that Fun Kids is bringing these new stories to the radio before any other radio station. Our listeners love Doctor Who and we’re pleased to be able to support its 50th Anniversary.”