Regional Roundup

United Kingdom

A charity fayre taking place at the Holbeck Underground Ballroom (HUB) in Leeds on the 10th December will include an auction with a range of items to bid upon, including three Doctor Who scripts from cast reading sessions. [@SlungLow on Twitter, 6 Dec 2011]

Two full-sized Daleks will appear at the Toy and Hobby Fair at the Steyning Centre, Fletcher’s Croft, Steyning, on the 10th December. Visitors will be able to come face to face with the props at the fete, which is open between 10:30am-2:00pm. [Shoreham Herald, 5 Dec 2011]

Writer Daniel Blythe visited Wetherby High School alongside some Daleks to chat to pupils about writing. Senior assistant headteacher Mark McKelvie said: "It was absolutely fantastic. In the morning we had all 210 Year 4 pupils from seven primary schools. Daniel presented a talk about the Doctor Who TV series and discussed his own writing." [Wetherby News, 2 Dec 2011]

Lincolnshire Aviation Centre's general manager Andrew Panton talked about their involvement with The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe: "It is a thrill to think we’ll be on TV on Christmas day and be part of everyone’s Christmas. There was a lot of secrecy surrounding their visit. All we knew was that the BBC would be doing some filming at the centre, but we didn’t know what." Further details and photos from the shoot remain firmly under wraps until after broadcast, however: "There’s no plans to do anything special off the back of the filming at the moment - it depends how much publicity it gives us and how the public reacts to knowing it is us appearing in it. Hopefully it’ll lead to a lot more TV filming here in the future." [Skegness Standard, 30 Nov 2011]

Terry Molloy has been named-checked as one of the curious facts of Norfolk! The Bawburgh resident appears in the Little Book of Norfolk for his role as Davros in Doctor Who (and Big Finish adventures). The book is compiled by historian Neil Storey to illustrate how "this county is so diverse, full of curiosities and nuances - it’s trivia,but don’t we all love it?" [Eastern Daily Press, 6 Dec 2011]

A bridegroom has admitted to causing a fire at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire (as featured in The Time Warrior) last June; nobody was hurt at the incident, which occured after disagreements with staff at his wedding reception. [BBC News, 2 Dec 2011]

Three full-sized Daleks made an appearance at the Christmas Lights ceremony in Nuneaton, in aid of the DiGeorge Syndrome Max Appeal. Christine Adams said: "This is the first time these models have been out in public and seem to have created quite a stir. They were made out of fibre glass by my brother, Paul Holt, for my son Craig, who suffers from the immune deficiency condition and is a big sci-fi fan. We’ve been giving youngsters rides in the Daleks in return for a small donation." [Coventy Telegraph, 5 Dec 2011]

Meanwhile, the "Doctor" was on hand to turn on the lights for Thetford: "'Dr Who' may have arrived in time-travelling style to switch on Thetford’s Christmas lights – but it was community spirit which lit up the town. Scores of people squeezed into space in front of King’s House on King Street as the button was pressed, and watched the town centre spring to life in preparation for Christmas." [Eastern Daily Press, 2 Dec 2011]

Australia

TV Blog TV Tonight suggested Doctor Who could be on it's way for next series: "(we're) hearing whispers from the UK that the long-running science-fiction series is considering a move to film multiple episodes in Australia in mid-2012. ... There’s still much that needs to be sorted before an Aussie sojourn becomes a reality, but it’s certainly a tempting idea." [TV Tonight, 30 Nov 2011]

Lindy Orthia, a lecturer in science communication at the Australian National University, is making final preparations for her latest Doctor Who project, Doctor Who and Race. The anthology aims to discuss areas such as: ethnic or racial backgrounds, identities and racially-signifying physical traits of characters, communities, and actors; depictions of racism, racial stereotyping and race-related exploitation; colonialism, imperialism, nationalism, and other race-related phenomena significant in human history; and allegorical literary tools used in the program to reference race, such as the alien as 'other'. Lindy is keen to receive submissions for the anthology, full details of which are available via her blog.