Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor. Image: BBC

Toy firm Character Options, who have held the master toy licence for Doctor Who since the show’s 2005 relaunch has renewed its deal with BBC Worldwide as UK master toy licensee for long-running SF TV series, following the announcement that Jodie Whittaker would take up the iconic role, as the first ever female Doctor.

“We are very happy that Character Options will continue to be the lead licensee for our Doctor Who merchandise,” commented Rikesh Desai, licensing director for merchandise and gaming, BBC Worldwide. “Their products excite and delight UK fans and we are looking forward to working closely with them over the tenure of new showrunner Chris Chibnall and the adventures of Jodie Whittaker as the new Doctor.”

A Character Options Doctor Who Twelfth Doctor figure

Jon Diver, group managing director at Character added: “We are delighted to re-confirm the Master Toy License for Doctor Who with BBC Worldwide which has been one of Character Options’s key brands for over ten years. The global and loyal following for whom the ownership of toys is essential, complemented with the regeneration of the Thirteenth Doctor and Chris Chibnall being the new producer for series 11, we can be sure of an exciting few years ahead!”

The Character Group, which has offices in London, Manchester, Hong Kong and China and employs over 230 people, was founded in 1991 and designs, develops and distributes toys and games. In 2003, the Group made a decision to develop its own products to market along side those sourced from third party distributor partners. Today, over 75 per cent of all products marketed by the group are developed in-house and they’re sold in over 30 countries worldwide.

In the last 12 years, BBC Worldwide’s partnership with Character Options has seen over 10 million action figures and almost five million sonic screwdrivers sold worldwide. The deal will see a development of new products featuring the Twelfth Doctor, Peter Capaldi, and new items are expected to hit the shops later this year, with Thirteeth Doctor product becoming available in autumn 2018.

• Check out the Character Options Doctor Who range on amazon.co.uk

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.

Categories: Doctor Who, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Other Worlds, Television

Tags: BBC Worldwide, Character Options, Doctor Who, downthetubes News, Jodie Whittaker, Rikesh Desai