Hot on the heels of the UK box office success, Australia's figures show that The Day of the Doctor was a huge hit in cinemas there, too! The 50th Anniversary adventure took $1.54 million (£872K) at the weekend, placing it third in the charts. Webwombat reported:
As with the UK, the runaway leader was The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, whose opening weekend took some $12.5m (£7.8m); however, second place was taken by Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa achieving $1.7m (£962K) in its second week.

Meanwhile, in New Zealand, Flicks reports the episode was even more successful, reaching second place in the chart after taking $187,029 (£95K) at the box office. Unsurprisingly, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was again top of the charts, taking $2.16m (£1.1m) in its opening weekend. Thor: The Dark World took the third spot at $159,271 (£81K).

Australian Doctor Who fans set their alarms and tuned in to ABC1 as Doctor Who: The Day Of The Doctor was simulcast to 94 countries around the globe over the weekend.

Doctor Who pulled in a massive 1.95 million viewers nationally, 1.36 million at 7.30pm on ABC1 and a further 0.59 million for the live broadcast on ABC1, which went out at 6.50am in Sydney and 3.50am in Perth.

The live screening achieved a 5 city metro overnight average audience of 424,000 viewers and a total TV share of 37.1%, while the repeat broadcast achieved a 5 city metro average audience of 922,000 viewers and a total TV share of 16.1%. The repeat was second in its timeslot to 60 Minutes on Channel 9. Across both the live and repeat broadcasts, the programme reached 1.5 million viewers, or 9.3% of the 5 city metro population.

In addition, there were 51,000 plays via iview.

An Adventure in Space and Time, which followed the episode, had 0.94 million watching, a 5 city metro average audience of 633,000 and a total TV share of 13.5%.

Brendan Dahill, Controller ABC1, paid tribute to the series and its makers.

Australian broadcaster ABC have announced a special "pop-up" radio channel dedicated to Doctor Who for its 50th Anniversary celebration, which will run throughout the day on Sunday 24th November 2013.

An Australian parliamentarian, George Christensen MP, proudly wearing a Fourth Doctor scarf, has presented a motion in the Australian Parliament, acknowledging the strong links between Australia and Doctor Who on the 50th anniversary of its debut. Mr Christensen mentioned the important role that a number of Australians have played in the long history of Doctor Who, including C.E. "Bunny" Webber, Anthony Coburn, Ron Grainer, Dudley Simpson, "adopted Aussie" Katy Manning, Janet Fielding and Kylie Minogue. Mr Christensen's speech can be seen here on YouTube.

The motion also proposed that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Screen Australia and the various Australian state-based film funding bodies consider offering finance to entice the BBC to film the 2015 series in Australia to mark the 50th anniversary of its first Australian screening in 1965. The motion attracted bipartisan support and three other parliamentarians spoke in its favour.

The motion and its call for Doctor Who to be filmed in Australia has received some local media, including ABC Brisbane, ABC North Queensland, the Herald Sun and ninemsn.

Australian MPs Graham Perrett, Dr Andrew Leigh, George Christensen and Alex Hawke with a blow up Dalek spoke in Parliament on the 50th anniversary of Dr Who. Photo: Andrew Meares, Sydney Morning Herald.

.As previously reported, Splendid Chaps is a year-long performance/podcast project to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who hosted by comedian Ben McKenzie (Dungeon Crawl, Melbourne Museum Comedy Tour), writer John Richards (ABC1 sitcom Outland, Boxcutters podcast) and actress and singer Petra Elliot.

Described by its creators as part intellectual panel discussion, part nerdy Tonight Show, Splendid Chaps is a combination of analysis, enthusiasm and irreverence. The first episode went to number 1 on the iTunes TV & Film Podcast chart in Australia, and to number 4 in the UK. The podcasts to previous episodes are now available at www.splendidchaps.com or at iTunes.

Tickets are now on sale for their Christmas show! To see out this year of Doctor Who, the chaps look at all the Time Lord goodness that didn’t fit into the rest of the year, including not-quite-Doctors Peter Cushing and Richard E Grant, and spin-off K9 & Company. There’ll be special guests, songs from house band The Time Lads and a cardboard Dalek too.

This show will also be raising funds for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) and Medecins San Frontieres (MSF).

Space: The Bella Union, upstairs, Melbourne Trades Hall, corner of Lygon and Victoria Streets, Melbourne
Time: Sunday, December 15; doors open from 4:30 PM
Accessibility: This venue is wheelchair accessible; please contact the venue for lift access.
Tickets: $20 (including booking fee)
Bookings: via bellaunion.com.au online, or at the door (subject to availability)
Podcast: not yet available; released 23rd of December, 2013.

The Australian broadcaster ABC announced today that it will be joining in with the global simulcast of The Day of the Doctor by screening it on ABC1 at 6.50am Australian Eastern Daylight Time on Sunday 24th November, with a repeat later the same day at 7.30pm.

It will be joining more than 75 countries around the world in showing the 50th-anniversary episode at the same time.

Local time of broadcast in capital cities:

• Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra - 6.50am
• Adelaide - 6.20am
• Brisbane - 5.50am
• Darwin - 5.20am
• Perth - 3.50am

As previously reported, ABC1's primetime evening repeat of the adventure will then be followed at 8.45pm by the drama An Adventure In Space And Time, exploring the genesis of Doctor Who.

.As previously reported, Splendid Chaps is a year-long performance/podcast project to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who hosted by comedian Ben McKenzie (Dungeon Crawl, Melbourne Museum Comedy Tour) and writer John Richards (ABC1 sitcom Outland, Boxcutters podcast).

Described by its creators as part intellectual panel discussion, part nerdy Tonight Show, Splendid Chaps is a combination of analysis, enthusiasm and irreverence. The first episode went to number 1 on the iTunes TV & Film Podcast chart in Australia, and to number 4 in the UK. The podcasts to previous episodes are now available at www.splendidchaps.com or at iTunes.

Thanks to the generous support of their listeners in Sydney and beyond, the Splendid Chaps are hitting the road and materialising in Glebe to stop talking about our heroes and instead think about those not-so-splendid chaps (and, er…things?), the monsters and villains of Doctor Who!

Daleks, Sontarans, Cybermen, the Silence, Silurians, Quarks… The Doctor’s monsters sometimes seem to be physical manifestations of humanity’s fears. Is it the creatures we find so terrifying, or what they represent – and what do they represent? The Chaps will celebrate the baddest of the bad, as well as those whose galactic domination has been less than completely successful.

Then there are the less literal, more human monsters: the Master, Davros, Lady Cassandra… Are they all thoroughly evil, or do they have more subtle motivations? What makes a good Doctor Who villain tick? Are they better than inhuman monsters, or is it best when they work hand in hand? They’re often some of the best fun to be had in a story, so let's embrace the dark side!

Ben, John and Petra Elliott will be joined by writer and comedian Alice Fraser (FBi Radio, NewsLab), and actor and presenter Steven “Bajo” O’Donnell (ABC2′s Good Game, ABC3′s Good Game: Spawn Point) to talk about the people and things we love to hate. Plus prizes, surprises, loveliness and a live musical performance of a lost Doctor Who classic tune from Keira “LadyNerd” Daley and Catriona Wimberley!

Space: upstairs, The Roxbury Hotel, 182 St Johns Road, Glebe, Sydney
Time: Saturday, November 30 2013, 5:00 PM
Accessibility: Splendid Chaps regret that this venue is not wheelchair accessible.
Tickets: $25
Bookings: via trybooking.com or at the door (if seats available)
Podcast: TBA.

BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand have announced that a Doctor Who pop-up shop is coming to Richmond in Melbourne, with doors opening next Saturday 9th November.

Following the overwhelming popularity of the Sydney and Brisbane Doctor Who pop-up shops, where fans queued for more than two hours to get into the store, this special one-off Melbourne pop-up will feature some exclusive merchandise not currently available in Australian stores. On offer is the Who Home range boasting a selection of homewares, such as teapots and mugs, plus notebooks, tea towels and more.

A limited number of the special edition Tenth Doctor in tuxedo Titan figurines will also be on sale, along with the coveted silver collectible coin from the New Zealand Mint. The highly- anticipated Tenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver remote control will also be available in store, as will the popular range of toys, gifts, DVDs and books that Australian fans love. And as a special treat, fans can get up close to a TARDIS and a K-9.

The event takes place at Shop 2, 177 Bridge Road, Richmond, with doors opening at 9am. Fans are invited to dress up as their favourite Doctor Who character with a small gift given to the first 20 fans to arrive in costume. There will also be special celebrations in store on the weekend of the 50th anniversary - details on the official Doctor Who website.

Rachael Hammond, BBC Worldwide ANZ's Retail Manager, said: Also following sold-out shows in 2012, the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular will return to Melbourne on 31st January and 1st February 2014 at the Plenary Hall, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will perform Murray Gold's music from the series, accompanied by a big screen featuring specially-edited sequences of Matt Smith's performance as the Eleventh Doctor. A host of monsters, including the Silence, the Daleks and the Cybermen, will add to the electric atmosphere.

Tickets are now available.

November sees a packed line-up of Doctor Who on the UKTV Australia and UKTV New Zealand channels.

Eleven months of Doctor Who anniversary screenings on UKTV conclude with stories featuring Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor, as well as two full days of episodes and specials scheduled for the weekend of the 50th anniversary.

The Eleventh Doctor episodes are as follows:

3 November:
The Eleventh Hour - AU: 3:20pm (repeated 11:50pm); NZ: 5:20pm (repeated 4 Nov, 4:50am)

10 November:
The Time Of Angels & Flesh And Stone - AU: 2:35pm (repeated 11:50pm); NZ: 4:50pm (repeated 11 Nov, 4:25am)

17 November:
Amy's Choice - AU: 2:25pm; NZ: 4:35pm (repeated 18 Nov, 3:50am)
Asylum of the Daleks - AU: 3:25pm; NZ: 5:30pm (repeated 18 Nov, 4:40am)

Following these screenings, a Doctor Who marathon screening of episodes and specials running for more than 24 hours in total will be played out over the weekend of the anniversary.

One story from each Doctor will be screened, arranged in chronological order, each preceded by the corresponding instalment of Doctor Who Revisited. The episodes of Revisited featuring the three most recent Doctors have never before been screened in Australia or New Zealand.

23 November:
Doctor Who Revisited: The First Doctor - AU: 5:30am; NZ: 6:35am
An Unearthly Child - AU: 5:55am; NZ 7:00am
Doctor Who Revisited: The Second Doctor - AU: 8:00am; NZ: 8:40am
The Tomb of the Cybermen - AU: 8:30am; NZ 9:10am
Doctor Who Revisited: The Third Doctor - AU: 10:35am; NZ: 10:50am
The Three Doctors - AU: 11:05am; NZ 11:20am
Doctor Who Revisited: The Fourth Doctor - AU: 1:10pm; NZ: 1:05pm
The Hand of Fear - AU: 1:40pm; NZ 1:35pm
Doctor Who Revisited: The Fifth Doctor - AU: 3:45pm; NZ: 3:20pm
The Caves of Androzani - AU: 4:15pm; NZ 3:50pm

24 November:
Doctor Who Revisited: The Sixth Doctor - AU: 6:10am; NZ: 7:20am
Revelation of the Daleks - AU: 6:40am; NZ: 7:50am
Doctor Who Revisited: The Seventh Doctor - AU: 8:45am; NZ: 9:25am
The Curse of Fenric - AU: 9:15am; NZ: 9:55am
Doctor Who Revisited: The Eighth Doctor - AU: 11:20am; NZ: 11:35am
Doctor Who: The Movie - AU: 11:50am; NZ: 12:00pm
Doctor Who Revisited: The Ninth Doctor - AU: 1:35pm; NZ: 1:30pm
Rose - AU: 2:05pm; NZ: 1:55pm
Doctor Who Revisited: The Tenth Doctor - AU: 3:10pm; NZ: 2:45pm
Blink - AU: 3:40pm; NZ: 3:10pm
Doctor Who Revisited: The Eleventh Doctor - AU: 4:45pm; NZ: 4:00pm
Asylum of the Daleks - AU: 5:15pm; NZ: 4:30pm

In addition, Doctor Who 50th: Vivid Sydney will screen on 23 November (AU: 6:15pm, repeated 24 Nov 6:15pm; NZ: 5:40pm). This ten-minute programme features the Doctor Who musical projections that illuminated Sydney's Customs House for the anniversary.

UKTV is also screening four Doctor Who America Specials on Sundays, including The Timey Wimey Stuff of Doctor Who (AU: 10 Nov, 4:30pm); The Science of Doctor Who (NZ: 17 Nov, 6:30pm); The Destinations of Doctor Who (AU: 17 Nov, 4:25pm) and The Women of Doctor Who (NZ: 24 Nov, 6:30pm).

Further episodes scheduled to screen on UKTV in Australia during November include stories from Series One to Three on weekdays at 9:20am, and the first half of Series Seven on Sunday evenings at 5:30pm .

Meanwhile, New Zealand also has screenings of episodes from the first half of Series Seven, on Sunday evenings at 6:30pm, with all five episodes repeated twice daily weekdays from 18-22 November.

Upcoming broadcasts can be found on UKTV's Doctor Who guide for Australia and New Zealand.

Australian broadcaster ABC has confirmed it will screen the drama based on the origins of Doctor Who, An Adventure in Space and Time, on Sunday 24th November.

The special will be shown at 8.45pm on ABC1, directly after a repeat of the 50th Anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor, which will get its premiere as part of the global broadcast in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The ABC is the first broadcaster to confirm a timeslot for the Mark Gatiss-written drama, which is expected to be shown in the UK in the run-up to the 50th Anniversary. It will receive its première at the BFI on Tuesday 12th November before being shown on BBC Two.