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Friday, 1 February 2008 - Reported by Josiah Rowe
Doctor Who

The South Wales Evening Post reports that Doctor Who is filming at a disused library in Swansea. This filming is forSteven Moffat's two-part story, which involves a mysterious abandoned library.

The estate of Terry Nation, the writer who created the Daleks, has vetoed a humorous clip featuring a Dalek from being included on the forthcoming "Five Doctors" DVD. The clip, from a 1983 edition of BBC Breakfast, featured a Dalek being interviewed by astrologer Russell Grant, to the amusement of Peter Davison and Patrick Troughton. However, the Nation estate has forbidden the use of the clip, fearing that it detracts from the Daleks' threatening image.The Sun and Metro both carry the story.

Torchwood

Burn Gorman talks to iF Magazine about his character Owen Harper. "I hope that in series two he's a changed man," says Gorman.

The Daily Mirror published a detailed preview of "To the Last Man" before it aired in the UK on Wednesday, andDigital Spy has a review.

Digital Spy also has an article about the Torchwood interactive adventure hosted on bbc.co.uk/torchwood.

The South Wales Echo has a story on Torchwood's ratings success.

People

The Arran Banner, the newspaper of the Scottish Isle of Arran, has found a 16-year-old David Tennant in its archives. Young Tennant was on Arran 20 years ago filming a short play for the children's series Dramarama. The article is accompanied by a small picture.

Christopher Eccleston was one of three judges for BBC Four's Pioneer World Cinema Award 2008. The award was given to the dark Spanish-language fantasy "Pan's Labyrinth"; Variety and Digital Spy have the story.

Another award panel, this one for the Red Planet Prize (awarded by Tony Jordan's Red Planet Pictures for new writing talent in the UK), was composed of Jordan, Doctor Who executive producer Julie Gardner, Doctor Who actor and writer Mark Gatiss and polymath Stephen Fry (who appeared in the Doctor Who webcast "Death Comes to Time" and was scheduled to write a script for Doctor Who Series Two before scheduling commitments forced him to withdraw). The Stage covers the award.

New Car Net recalls Third Doctor Jon Pertwee's road safety public service film with the unforgettable slogan "Splink". (If you don't know what "Splink" means, there's an old story with video on the BBC News site.)

The UK's Advertising Standards Authority has rejected two complaints about risqué advertisements for Billie Piper's ITV2 series "Secret Diary of a Call Girl". The ASA ruled that the poster, which featured Piper wearing a bra and panties, was "not dissimilar to that which children would be exposed to in other advertising, for example for lingerie and designer fragrances." The ruling can be read hereBrand Republic has a story (but requires free registration to read it).

The Daily Mail finds it newsworthy to have a photographer follow Billie Piper and her husband Laurence Fox while they're grocery shopping and walking the dog.

Digital Spy has a story culled from John Barrowman's recently published autobiography "Anything Goes", in which Barrowman compares working withChristopher Eccleston and David Tennant. In the book, Barrowman writes: "I found the set to be a lighter one with David than it had been with Christopher in the lead role. I think David is a happier person, whereas I found Chris to be a bit angsty." (Digital Spy miscorrects "angsty" to "angry".)

There are reviews of "Anything Goes" at Country Life magazine and the Daily Telegraph.

TV Guide has published the second half of its interview with James Marsters; there's less about his Torchwood role here, but Marsters speaks about other roles he's playing.

Leftist Internet magazine Spiked has cited Ofcom's investigation into complaints about Catherine Tate's Christmas special as an example of "institutionalized prudishness", and notes that the 28 people who complained about the special represent 0.0004375% of the program's audience.

And This Is Hampshire has an interview with comedian Toby Hadoke, creator of "Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf".

(Thanks to Andrew Brookes, Sean Elliott and Ben Rawson-Jones.)




FILTER: - Steven Moffat - Press