From Todays Sunday Times..A Cyberman Is't Just For Christmas

[Larry]

NOT even a race of evil robotic Santas can stop it being a Doctor Who Christmas. A toy linked to the time lord tops most boys gift lists and a seasonal special in which the Doctor teams up with a new companion is expected to win the television ratings war.
The toy, a Cyberman mask that changes the voice of the wearer into alienspeak, is in such demand that many toyshops have long sold out and it is being bartered for almost double its retail price on websites such as eBay.



Some enterprising parents who recognised it would be a hit bought dozens of the toy and now expect to pay for their own Christmas from the profits of selling it for a mark-up of almost 100% on eBay.

The BBC will tomorrow announce the peak-time viewing slot chosen for its Doctor Who Christmas special.

Comedian Catherine Tate plays Donna, a bride who is late for her wedding, and the Tardis has to turn into a taxi to get her to the ceremony. But she is being chased by a mysterious empress and it emerges that she is the key to an alien plan to destroy Earth involving the robotic Santas.

The programme shows little signs of losing its magic touch, despite the loss of Billie Piper, who played the Doctors companion Rose.

Last month it scooped three prizes at the National Television Awards. David Tennant, the latest time lord, and Piper won the best actor and actress awards. The show was also voted most popular drama.

Next months one-off special will be a precursor to a new series that will begin in the new year and in which Freema Agyeman, who plays medical student Martha Jones, becomes the Doctors new assistant.

Russell T Davies, the shows writer and executive producer, said: We were delighted and honoured by the second series success and we can promise new thrills, new laughs and some terrifying new aliens.



The BBC confirmed that plans are in place for a fourth series. Even the spin-off series Torchwood has been a huge success, attracting 2.4m viewers to BBC3 when it was launched.

Three Doctor Who toys are in the Christmas Top 20 compiled from the bestselling toys in Woolworths, Toys R Us and Argos. The Cyberman Voice Changer, a radio-controlled Dalek and a K-9 dog are all in high demand with only the Bratz Forever Diamondz range of dolls proving more popular than the Cyberman mask for top spot in the 1 billion festive toy-buying spree
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Shares have jumped more than 12p in Character Group, which makes the toys, after it said annual profits would be significantly above market forecasts.

Waterstones, the bookseller, predicts that the 2007 Doctor Who annual will knock The Beano off its traditional perch as the bestselling childrens annual. Amazon, the internet retailer, is selling the time lords annual for 4.54, a reduction of 2.45 on the retail price. A Sunday Times survey has shown that consumers can save up to 40% by buying their Christmas presents on the internet rather than shopping in the high street.

The Doctor Who toys buck this trend. Glitches in China, the worlds leading manufacturer, is causing trouble in toyland. Factories in southern China have been hit by rolling electricity blackouts and labour shortages caused by workers deserting to better-paid jobs in high-tech factories. Officials in Guangdong province have demanded that manufacturers suspend operations for two or three days a week to avoid overtaxing electricity suppliers.

[Paul Clement]

It's great to see the merchandise selling so well. I got the Cyberman voice changer mask for my birthday, I'd have loved to have got Kieran the Cyber Controller one for Christmas, but as the article says, they are hard to get hold of now.

[Andrew Curnow]

The BBC confirmed that plans are in place for a fourth series

Jolly glad to hear it!

My Mum's been looking for some Doctor Who figutes for Little Miss, but without success, so I've said I'll get some online. I'm now wondering whether my optimism that I'll be able to do that will turn out to be misplaced.

[Milky Tears]

They were bigging it up on This Morning as one of the "Must Have Toys For Christmas 2006" last month. I expect they might feature it again as stocks run low.

[Dave Tudor]

Call me naive, but I never realised that the voice-changer mask would be so big. If I had have known I might have bought a couple...

[Pip Madeley]

Call me naive, but I never realised that the voice-changer mask would be so big. If I had have known I might have bought a couple...

They fit an adult? Ooh!

No Phillip, control yourself.

[Larry]

Call me naive, but I never realised that the voice-changer mask would be so big. If I had have known I might have bought a couple...

well i'd of thought the re-mote controll Dalek and K9 would of been better sellers..

[Stuart Wallis]

Call me naive, but I never realised that the voice-changer mask would be so big. If I had have known I might have bought a couple...

...and Ebenezer Wallis would have seen you on ebay muscling in!

[Rob McCow]

I think everyone who got a remote control Dalek last year should think long and hard about whether they deserve a remote control K-9 this year! tut

The voice changer helmet is pretty cool. Are there any plans to release a Christopher Eccleston voice changer helmet?
"If you're an alien, how come you sound like you're from the North?"
"Because of my Christopher Eccleston voice changer helmet!"

Hours of fun.

[Paul Clement]

I think Kieran would like the remote control K9, I'd prefer a remote control Bessie. Why was one never made...or was there one and I just didn't know.

[Larry]

I think everyone who got a remote control Dalek last year should think long and hard about whether they deserve a remote control K-9 this year! tut

.

we dropping a few hints there Mr Mccow...

[Rob McCow]

I'd prefer a remote control Bessie.

Science - not sorcery, Paul!

[Dirk Gently]

I have a remote control K9 for Christmas. I know this because I handed it to Tom Baker to sign. What a nice jolly chap he was too, he was talking for so long that he forgot he had signed it on the top & proceeded to sign the front as well.

Although I'd like a Cyberman voice changer I notice they are Sold Out on play.

[Larry]

I
Although I'd like a Cyberman voice changer I notice they are Sold Out on play.

pretty sure I saw a few on sale in Waterstones in Reading the other week..

[Martin Penny]

Good Gravy! Well thank God I bought those five hundred Cyberman helmets yesterday.

I saw in The Metro today a store in London selling them for 200, which I thought was obscene. Perhaps I misunderstood the article, and they were in fact, real Cybermen.

[Stuart Wallis]

200?! Were they platinum-plated and blessed by the Pope?

[Si Hunt]

I've seen loads of them in various shops, they don't seem very rare to me.

They are a bit rubbish too. What are you supposed to do, wander round in it all day? Plus it felt really uncomfortable when I tried it on in Toys R Us. And it made people keep staring at me.

Si.

[Paul Monk]

The sad thing is that after spending all xmas day with it on the kids will probably be bored of it by boxing day.

[Paul Clement]

I was in the Woolworths in Sheerness today. They didn't have the Cyberman Voice Changer Mask sadly, but they did have the 12' black R/C Dalek, the TARDIS Playset and the 12' Cybercontroller figure.

[Larry]

I was in the Woolworths in Sheerness today. They didn't have the Cyberman Voice Changer Mask sadly, but they did have the 12' black R/C Dalek, the TARDIS Playset and the 12' Cybercontroller figure.

have to say i think i'd rather have the R/C Dalek..