New Doctor Who merchandisers on board for Thirteenth Doctor’s upcoming debut

By John Freeman on April 25, 2018

Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor. Image: BBC

Doctor Who is continuing to attract new and returning licensors in the run up to the debut of the series first female lead.

BBC Studios, which recently merged with BBC Worldwide to form a singular commercial entity, has put the show right at the centre of its offering at the upcoming Vegas Licensing Expo, alongside other brands such as Top Gear, BBC Earth, Hey Duggee, Something Special and Strictly Come Dancing.

“With the BBC’s ongoing commitment to educate, inform, and entertain, our brands continue to stand out as trusted and cherished IPs that can withstand the tests of time,” says Sergei Kuharsky, EVP, Franchise and Digital Enterprises, BBC Studios – Americas.

“This year marks a new phase for one of our biggest global brands, Doctor Who, as Jodie Whittaker takes on the iconic title role as the first female Doctor, paving the way for new products with current and new partners; the brand is poised to reignite, and grow.”

TheTitan Entertainment Group has renewed its licensing agreement for Doctor Who with comics, figurines, apparel and gifts heading to store shelves in 2018.

(We’ll get a “First Look” at the Thirteenth Doctor comic on Free Comic Book Day next month, but I’ve seen some of the art and it looks stunning. No spoilers here).

The Thirteenth Doctor series is being written by the Eisner-nominated Jody Houser, (writer on Orphan Black, the adaptation of Star Wars: Rogue One, and Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows) and drawn by Rachael Stott, whose work on Titan’s Who: The Twelfth Doctor deservedly earned her fan mail from Peter Capaldi. The series will be coloured by Enrica Angiolini (Warhammer: 40,000, Eternal Thirst of Dracula).

Funko has renewed their licensing deal for their “Pop Vinyl” figurines, “Rock Candy” figurines and novelties and Lady Sandra, who have created comforters, pillows and other home goods, has renewed their license for the US and Canada.

Home decor licensee Rabbit Tanaka has renewed in the US and Canada for various home goods, including lighting, mirrors, clocks and wall décor.

BBC Studios says further new deals for Doctor Who will be announced in the coming months, boosted by continued long-standing global licensees that include Character Options, Penguin Random House, Winning Moves, Eaglemoss, Kokomo and Brand Alliance.

“The BBC content pipeline for the next few years is super exciting and we are looking forward to expanding our network of best in class licensees to support our ambitious growth plans,” says Andrew Moultrie, director of consumer products and publishing, UK for BBC Studios.

• Doctor Who is online at here on the BBC web site | Catch all the Titan Comics Doctor Who titles here on their web site

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.