The final ratings for Boom Town, ten days ago, have been reported by BARB: 7.68 million viewers watched the episode, including timeshifted viewers. "Doctor Who" was 18th overall during the week, and seventh overall when counting all broadcast episodes of a series as one show.

More ratings news: according to the overnights from ViewingFigures, 645,740 viewers tuned into the Sunday night repeat of "Bad Wolf" on BBC3 (for a 4.6% audience share), with 343,440 viewers (2.4% share) tuning in for the repeat of "Doctor Who Confidential" after. "Bad Wolf" was at number 1 in its timeslot by over 150,000 viewers, "Confidential" at fourth place.

DonÆt read this weekÆs Radio Times if youÆre sensitive to spoilers, as the magazine concludes its fifteen weeks of extensive coverage and promotion for the series. ôThe Daleks return û and how!ö announces the cover, with ôRT recommendsà the weekÆs best of televisionö (page 4) praising a ôFantastic ending to a fantastic seriesö. The double-sided Dalek poster offered to readers seven weeks ago is back (page 10), this time in the form of ten copies signed by Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper to be given as prizes to any UK readers who can use a telephone and know who is to play the Tenth Doctor. This weekÆs double-paged ôDoctor Who Watchö (page 14) is dominated by a large picture of some Daleks, with a couple of insets featuring Billie Piper and Barnaby Edwards, while the text itself centres on Russell T DaviesÆ enthusiastic thoughts on the finale (ôYou will die! ItÆs magic!ö), as well as featuring the customary plug for the products available from BBC Books and BBC DVD. Sci-fi Collector has a full-page advert on page 43. ôTodayÆs Choicesö for Saturday (page 72) are dominated by Live Aid reminiscences, to mark the 19 years and 48 weeksÆ anniversary of the event. But the page does find room to preview both ôThe Parting of the Waysö (ôan immensely successful seriesà no preview tapesö) and Doctor Who Confidential (ôDaviesÆ clear vision has been the single most important factor in the success of the revivalö). There is also a very brief interview, complete with photograph, with Nick Briggs on Dalek-voicing (ôYou have to be a bit manicàö), as well as a tiny plug for the new exhibition in Brighton. BBC OneÆs listings for Saturday evening (page 74) are headed by a small shot of Daleks surrounding the TARDIS: ôJust what the Doctor didnÆt order: our favourite Time Lord could be about to meet his fate at the hands of his greatest enemiesö. Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide at 6.15pm is advertised as ôa look back at the Doctor and RoseÆs whirlwind adventures in both time and space, including their encounters with alien enemies both old and new. Featuring behind-the-scenes access, and interviews with cast and crew.ö For the episode itself, ôAs the Earth is plunged into a bloody war, the Doctor is forced to take drastic action. Will Rose lose her friend forever?ö The cast listing contains a major spoiler for the episode (about its end, rather, which we won't spoil for you here!), and yet another plug for the ninth Doctor novels and DVDs. On BBC Three, the blurb for Doctor Who Confidential reads ôElectrocuted by the Slitheen, eaten by Reapers and tortured by Van Statten. For the ninth Doctor, the job certainly hasnÆt got any easier. As the series draws to a conclusion, relive the highs and lows of Christopher EcclestonÆs tenure.ö The BBC3 repeat showings for ôThe Parting of the Waysö and Confidential are confirmed for 10.50pm and 11.35pm on Saturday and in the regular 7û8pm slot on Sunday. ItÆs the endà

Russell T Davies has told the official Doctor Who website that the Bad Wolf secret is still out there. "Have you solved the mystery of Bad Wolf, the cryptic hidden message spread across this season of Doctor Who? Well, no. You haven't. At least, not according to Executive Producer Russell T Davies, who has been keeping an eager eye on the various theories about who or what the Bad Wolf could be: 'Judging from the reactions I've had, a lot of people seem to think the Bad Wolf has already been revealed. Oh, it's the TV station. Oh, it's half a million Daleks. I've even got one friend claiming it's the Face of Boe! I must get better friends. I don't want to give anything away yet, but there is another revelation to come in Saturday's episode. We haven't discovered the true Bad Wolf yet.'"

This week's Heat magazine previews the final episode: "We've been warned about something horrible and mightily dangerous throughout this series. Something called Bad Wolf. And now, as we reach the end of this remarkable run, we know who it is. Or rather who they are.... A suitably stunning climax, and probably the most awesomely epic Doctor Who ever. Baftas must rain down." Heat gives the episode five stars. Also, this week's Star magazine awards Saturday's episode with 5 stars (out of 5): "All too soon, it's the end of the series, and Rose Tyler's friendship with the Doctor is tested when Earth plunges into all-out war. With the human race being mercilessly slaughtered, Doctor Who is forced to take immediate and terrifying action. Yikes on a bike." And Closer magazine has Saturday's Doctor Who as it's Pick of the Day: "As the Doctor heads for a final showdown with his arch-enemies, he's forced to take drastic measures that put Rose's life in danger. As we all know, Christopher Eccleston is hanging up his TARDIS key (to be replaced by Casanova's David Tennant), so prepare for a real cliffhanger ending".

Christopher Eccleston is featured on the cover of Alumni Magazine at the University of Salford in Greater Manchester, where he did a Foundation Degree in Drama and Theatre in 1983 and from where he received an Honorary MA in 2001. The university has been celebrating the prowess of its famous former student; the article includes information on his career, with quotes from Russell T Davies on the character of The Doctor (presumably for the benefit of former students from overseas who have never seen the show).

More on the CBBC special mentioned in Monday's report. The show will "air" from Friday and run until Sunday; to access it, simply press the red button on any BBC channel and then type in the number 570, or alternatively go to Sky Channel 616 and press red for CBBCExtra. There will be some exclusive Doctor Who footage, including a new Phil Collinson interview.

The Western Mail today notes "What Doctor Who has done for us" in an article which asks "It's won the battle of Saturday night TV - as well as fighting off aliens and daleks - but what has the new Doctor Who series really done for Welsh TV?" The article goes into the notion that the series "has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the creative industries in Wales as a whole. This is the biggest network project ever to come out of BBC Wales, and its staggering success has done a huge amount to highlight to the rest of the world the maturity and creative strength of the media industry here in Wales. Before Doctor Who was commissioned, the University of Glamorgan published a study showing that over 85% of BBC Wales' annual spend stayed in Wales, sustaining hundreds of Welsh jobs in businesses outside the BBC and giving a measurable boost to the Welsh economy. We shouldn't underestimate the additional benefits Doctor Who is bringing to those businesses - from costumiers and set builders to prop suppliers and stage electricians. For a number of businesses, it was their first brush with a major television production - a Cwmbran upholsterer more used to crafting designer sofas was asked to build a seat for the Doctor's Tardis; the Defence Aviation Repair Agency at St Athan found one of their hangars accommodating Billie Piper suspended from a crane rather than housing high-powered jet aircraft. The benefits were spread far and wide, with filming taking in locations from Swansea, Miskin and Penarth to Newport, Barry and Monmouth. ... Now, when the world of television takes a look at the pool of talent here in Wales, they will find that - like the Tardis - it is much, much bigger than it looks from the outside." Read the full article at the Western Mail site.

That missing Dalek has been found, according to BBC News and other sources. "A Dalek stolen from a Somerset tourist site has been found on Glastonbury Tor after thieves said it was 'too hot'. The prop, which was at Wookey Hole Caves, near Wells, for a Doctor Who exhibition, was taken more than a week ago. A 'ransom note' was then issued. Cave owner Gerry Cottle made appeals for information. In the early hours of Tuesday, staff recieved a phone call telling them where the Dalek was. Mr Cottle has denied that the theft of the Dalek was a publicity stunt."

Several news sources are reporting the comments made by Russell T Davies several days ago to the UK Press Association, which we reported at the time, including the reports that Santa Claus will be seen in the Christmas special this year ("We've got a Christmas special.just wait until you see what we do with Santa!" Davies had told the Press Association), that the Daleks wouldn't return next season, and that the Cybermen would be making a return next year. The Sun and the FemaleFirst website are among these reporters.

The Daily Express reports that Georgia Moffett (Peter Davison's daughter) is interested in being a companion. "The petite 20-year-old, whose mother is Davison's ex-wife, actress Sandra Dickinson, auditioned to be Christopher Eccleston's assistant the first time round. After failing, she insisted she was relieved as her family connections might have made the situation 'a bit twee'. However, she has now changed her mind and says: 'They told me I was too young for it but if they want me now, I'd love to do it!'"

Anneke Wills is interviewed in today's Mirror. The former Doctor Who companion said that when she first saw Billie Piper in Doctor Who, "it was like seeing her younger self through a time warp." "I would say to Billie: 'Life is never as straightforward as you think it's going to be.'" The article profiles her, including what she is doing nowadays and her career and life; read the full article at the Mirror site today.

Today's Guardian speculates the meaning of "Bad Wolf" and what it represents for the series.

The BBC's listing for the documentary Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide, airing before the final episode on Saturday 18 June at 6:15pm, reads: "After being off our screens for many years, the ninth Doctor has been making up for lost time. And with the Doctor on the brink of war, now is the perfect time to look back at the highs and lows of his journey with Rose that have all built up to the ultimate stand-off with the ultimate enemy - the Daleks. From a council estate to a battle in space, Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide takes us behind the scenes of the new series, to talk to cast and crew and celebrate all the triumphs and tears, smiles and trials shared between the Doctor, Rose and the millions of fans who have turned on to see a new Who at his alien best. The Ultimate Guide is just what the Doctor ordered." The listing for the final Doctor Who Confidential airing after the episode reads, "The Last Battle: After 900 years of time travel, globe trotting just does not get any easier. Electrocuted by the Slitheen, eaten by Reapers and tortured by Van Statten - the ninth Doctor has seen it all. But as the new series reaches its dramatic conclusion, will the doctor survive the final battle of the great time war? As a fitting tribute, Doctor Who Confidential relives the highs and lows of his time with Rose, and sees Christopher Eccleston takes his final bow."

Other news: an article in today's The Independent discusses the BBC's sales of its products overseas; the BBC Press Office has a report on the musical drama "Blackpool" starring David Tennant from last year has won the Best of Festival, Global Television Grand Prize and Best Mini-Series at the prestigious Banff 2005 Rockie Awards in Canada;

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Andy Parish, Peter Weaver, Faiz Rehman, Paul Hayes, Gill Spaul, Steve Manfred, Paul Blewett, Adrian Hill and Kate Butterworth)

As reported by the official Doctor Who website, three directors have been confirmed for the second series of Doctor Who, going into production in July.James Hawes ("The Empty Child," "The Doctor Dances") and Euros Lyn ("The End of the World," "The Unquiet Dead") will be returning to the second season to direct the first and second blocks of episodes, respectively. Also confirmed today is that Graeme Harper, director of "The Caves of Androzani" and "Revelation of the Daleks" in the original series, will direct the third block and will be responsible for directing fourepisodes during the second year. Great news!

At tonight's BAFTA screening of "The Parting of the Ways," the final episode of this first series of "Doctor Who," producer Russell T Davies and BBC executive Jane Tranter announced that a third series of the show has now been commissioned, including a second Christmas special. They also noted that Billie Piper (Rose) would be in all the episodes of the second series, although whether she would return for the third was apparently still being discussed, and that John Barrowman (Captain Jack) will be returning to the series next year but will not appear in the first block of episodes. (Says our correspondent, Barrowman was also in the audience at the screening, and when Davies announced his return, he yelled out, "And I'm willing to get naked again, too!")

Also mentioned at the BAFTA screening was a title for this year's Christmas special: The Christmas Invasion. That, and the season two block of thirteen episodes, will go into production in July. More details as we get them.

Update 15 June 2230 GMT: CBBC News has confirmed the story. Says the report, "Just days before the current run of the sci-fi show is due to end, its makers have revealed that there are at least two more series to come. ... In addition to two more series, there will also be Christmas specials for 2005 and 2006, the show's makers said. That means Dr Who fans have a total of 28 more episodes to look forward to when the current series ends. Billie Piper will continue playing Rose until at least the end of series two. ... The show's main writer, Russell T Davies, said: 'What was most pleasing is that people have been watching this series as a family. I think a children's show should have a full range of emotions including grief and comedy.' A few hints have also been dropped as what viewers can expect from the new episodes: The new doctor will have a new outfit, we'll be seeing more of Rose's boyfriend and her mum, and scary aliens called the Cybermen will be making a return."

Update 16 June 0220 GMT: Several other items reported from the BAFTA screening: apparently transmission of series two will take place "early" in 2006 (like this year) and Russell T Davies will pen the one script that hadn't been assigned to a writer (at least not publicly). Also, word has it that there will be more episodes of Doctor Who Confidential, but we have yet to confirm this...

(Thanks to Jacob Weinstein and Keith Topping for the initial reports and everyone contributing updates including on our Forum!)

The BBC has begun posting the daily trailers for The Parting of the Ways at the official Doctor Who website. The BBC also ran a banner ad for it on the BBC homepage, although it disappeared later (possibly due to the intense web traffic.)

Michael Grade has apparently had an about-face. According to BBC News, the BBC Chairman is now celebrating the series' success. "Sir Michael Grade came face to face with the TARDIS, currently in BBC Wales reception, as he gave a speech to the Institute of Welsh Affairs in Cardiff today. 'It has been a memorable year in terms of the BBC showcasing strong Welsh productions for the whole UK audience to enjoy,' noted Sir Michael during his speech. 'Casanova, Tribe, A Year at Kew - and, of course, my favourite, Doctor Who. We will not dwell on the fact that I - in an earlier incarnation - took Doctor Who off the air. You live. You learn... especially in Wales, you learn.'"

The Times reports on the BBC's attempt to lure fans offline in order to keep the secrets of this coming weekend's episode just that, secret. "Whoever [Bad Wolf] is ù and fastidious Doctor Who fans should already have a reasonably good idea ù the BBC would rather that no one found out for certain until the final episode of the latest series is broadcast at 7pm on Saturday. The corporation has gone to extreme lengths to protect the ending of the season finale. It commissioned fake scripts, filmed alternative endings and even produced a website full of clues and misinformation, badwolf.org.uk, to suggest various endings..." The BBC told fans on the official site, "Publicity pictures will appear tomorrow, and thereÆs a screening for the press on Wednesday, so stuff will leak out. Our best advice to you ù STAY OFF THE INTERNET THIS WEEK!" The Times namechecked Outpost Gallifrey in their report, quoting at least one poster on the Outpost's Forum about his theories on Bad Wolf's identity.

Christopher Eccleston has voiced a TV advert for a campaign to support the fight against some of the world's most deadly diseases such as AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, according to reports at BBC News, the Daily Mail,Manchester Online, The Scotsman.

Last night's Top Gear which featured a guest appearance by Eccleston as the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, featured the actor doing a lap of 1 minute 52.4 seconds, beating Vinnie Jones. It was also a special lap, since Christopher is only licenced to drive automatic cars, so the Top Gear team managed to find him one of the forty Suzuki Lianas in the UK. He also made a few spin-outs during his practice runs. On the official lap, the Top Gear team had a little fun with his Doctor Who legacy by having the Liana materialise on the starting line, complete with the TARDIS sound effect!

More reviews of Bad Wolf from last weekend. Says the Guardian: "It seems that if Russell T Davies's Doctor Who vision comes true, TV won't be changing much in the next 200,000 years, except that there'll be more of it and it will be nastier. ... It's an interesting vision of TV in the future. You can see what Russell T Davies did to get there. He just observed what's been happening in the last few years - a huge increase in the number of channels, nastier programmes, more sinister powers behind the scenes - and he just took it a bit further. I'm actually surprised it's going to take so long to get to live deaths, more than 200,000 years after the first on-screen sex. Maybe we got prudish again, there was a second Victorian age somewhere in between. Or another Mary Whitehouse. And there will certainly be reality in space well before 202005." The Northern Echo says "What's been great about the new Who is the way Davies and the other writers have taken the elements fans expect to see - slimy villains, incomprehensible technological talk, dodgy special effects and a sonic screwdriver - and coupled them with a crisper, cooler, more modern approach. The results have been unmissable. Rarely has a series so successfully been brought back from the dead. ... And those who moaned that only a solitary Dalek was seen in a previous episode will rejoice that the cliffhanger revealed not one, not two, but half a million Daleks ready to exterminate everyone. It would have come as more of a surprise if last week's trailer hadn't given the game away. But the scene is set for a confrontation between the Doctor and his feared enemy that will leave him a changed man."

Russell T Davies wrote a piece for today's Guardian in which he says the only scary part of the series was meeting the monsters. "When I was asked to bring back Doctor Who, I did pause. Going back can work for maybe one night - a drink, a flirt, a snog, then vanish - but this was going to be a year of my life. Plenty of people told me that it was a mistake, that revivals never work, that science fiction was irretrievably niche, that frankly, I had better things to do. It sounded like a great mistake. And that's what made my mind up. Flying in the face of opinion, lovely. ... I never expected any of this to work. I swear, I thought the niche would win. I'd watch rushes of Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper being so very, very excellent, and feel sad that all this hard work would be relegated to a Friday at midnight by week seven. But somehow, it seems to have worked, although you will not find me celebrating until after the last episode - sorry, season finale. And even then, I am not going to think too much about what worked. Beware the analysis. I went into the first series on instinct, and that's how it should stay. But I love this show as much as ever. It has not diminished as I feared it would. I can still catch a Jon Pertwee repeat on UK Gold and be happy as a Zygon. And as a writer, I have had a ball. This programme gave me the chance to swing from New Labour to Dalek armies, taking in plastic surgery, Fox News, religious fanatics and farting obesity along the way, with a Christmas special to come (just wait till you see what we do with Santa). I should never have worried about going back. This programme's about time travel. In the act of going back, it is hurtling forward, as fast as it can go." You can read the full article at the Guardian site.

Some other press mentions: scriptwriters must have had Bath in mind writing Boom Town at This is Bath; the Guardiandoes a Diary roundup including the theft of the Dalek, as well as a comment here from an ITV boss on the Who 'revival' and another here about the slaughter of 'Celebrity Wrestling'.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Andrew Norris, Jamie Austin, Mike Mould, David Traynier)

Ed Bishop, who starred as SHADO commander Ed Straker in the series "UFO," was also featured in "Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons" and played General Flint in the Doctor Who audio "Full Fathom Five" for Big Finish, died June 8 from a fatal chest infection.

Bad Wolf scored 6,229,490 viewers and a 35.91% audience share in overnight ratings, according to ViewingFigures. While the figures are lower than in previous weeks, all viewings for the evening were down (as it's coming up on summer), and "Doctor Who" still beat ITV to rank highest for its time slot.Doctor Who Confidential episode 12 had 621,000 viewers (5% share), the highest rating of the non-terrestrial channels last evening. The late-night repeat of "Bad Wolf" had 247,200 viewers (2.5% share) and the "Confidential" repeat scored 153,400 viewers (2.1% share).

New Zealand fans, take note: PrimeTV will start to screen the new Doctor Who series in July. This according to a report in the Sunday Star Times.

Reactions to "Bad Wolf": The Daily Star praised the "increasingly edible Chris Eccleston" and the idea of introducing death for losing reality TV contestants and felt that it could liven up current schedules. Marshall concluded with: "As I'm in mourning over the end of Doctor Who next week, I'm taking a week off to cry over my Chris Eccleston posters..."Digital Spy calls it "an ace episode, IÆm even warming to Captain Jack, though IÆm unsure quite how well his innuendo charged exchanges with the Doctor are playing with nationÆs seven year olds." The episode made the Critics' Choice in last evening's Financial Times: "When they were last seen, the Doctor, Rose and captain Jack were trapped in a monstrous TV satellite but heading off in different directions. It turns out that they are all to become the victims of sadistic future game shows that bear eerie similarities to contemporary shows, complete with replicant versions of Anne Robinson, Davina McCall, and Trinny and Susannah. Some will applaud this foursome for lending their voices to attacks on what they and their shows represent. Others will not." Charlie Brooker in the Guardian says, "The episode (which finally explains all the 'Bad Wolf' references that have cropped up throughout the series) also finds room for futuristic versions of both The Weakest Link and What Not To Wear. It's not quite clear whether the inherent nastiness of these shows is being satirised or faintly celebrated: perhaps staging crueller facsimiles which didn't use the actual voices of Davina, Anne Robinson et al (who crop up in robotised form) would've been a better way to go. Or perhaps I'm being stuffy. Perhaps it's been included to annoy a specific, rare strain of Who fan: the dusty, real-ale fanatic who thinks this entire series has been a grotesque Hollyoaks respray of the original (which it could so nearly have been), rather than a thrilling and enchanting update occasionally let down by fart jokes (which is what it actually is). Best. BBC. Family. Drama. Series. Ever."

Canada's Planet of the Doctor web documentary continues... episode 4 is now up. You can view it at the CBCwebsite.

According to today's Sunday Mail, new Doctor Who David Tennant has been given an "intergalatic seal of approval" by Tom Baker. "Paisley-born Tennant, 33, has said Baker's performance in the BBC series inspired him to become an actor. Tom, 72, said: 'It makes me feel very happy and proud. I have caught a glimpse of Tennant and he has a kind of mercurial quality. I suppose it's star quality. You can believe he has secrets. I'm looking forward to David being hugely successful.'"

Christopher Eccleston was a phone guest on BBC Radio 5 Live's Eamonn Holmes show on Saturday morning, mainly discussing Malcolm Glazer 's takeover of Manchester United football club, Eccleston having previously tried to prevent this by donating ú10,000. He also took part in a spoof 'pub quiz' where all the answers were 'glazer'. Holmes ended by asking Eccleston if he had enjoyed working on Doctor Who, to which Eccleston intriguingly responded, "Mixed, but that's a long story" and left it at that. The suggestion seemed to be that elements of the experience may have left a sour taste with him.

The Broadcast magazine in the Guardian this week says Doctor Who "has created a must-view Saturday-night slot, but Doctor Who has also stayed true to its creative roots. ... At a time when creative leadership in television is as fragile and elusive as Jonny Wilkinson's fitness, Davies and his editors at the BBC have demonstrated that a passion for the medium, intelligently and uncynically deployed, can deliver what the contrived and compromised cannot - a big Saturday early evening audience of family viewers. Until now 'appointment to view' has been an alien concept for the under-10s - the assumption being that unless a show is stripped and stranded on a daily basis no juvenile can hold in their heads a once-a-week day and time. Doctor Who has proved that the complex weaving of social commentary, acute satire and daft monsters does not have to be the exclusive preserve of The Simpsons. And it has given children a glimpse of that nostalgic concept of shared experience, the type normally enjoyed only via the proxy of a Channel 4 list show - think Stuart Maconie sitting on a Spacehopper eating Spangles in front of Magpie. ... It is a shame Christopher Eccleston signed up for only one series as it is unlikely he will encounter this quality of material to interpret many times in his career - and his audience will certainly never be more gripped and grateful, if a little scared."

Broadcast Now on Thursday carried a large article in praise of the new series, describing it as "a must-view Saturday-night slot" that's had "the momentous achievement of leading broadcast television back onto the path of righteousness [...] the remarkable resurrection of the Time Lord has given us some of the best domestic television of the past decade." The article goes on to applaud "a passion for the medium, intelligently and uncynically deployed, [that] can deliver what the contrived and compromised cannot û a big Saturday early evening audience of family viewers. Until now "appointment to view" has been an alien concept for the under-10s - the assumption being that unless a show is stripped and stranded on a daily basis no juvenile can hold in their heads a once-a-week day and time." The full article can be seen at

In today's Guardian, a positive spin on the new show: "Riding over the hill to the rescue comes Russell T Davies, who, as everyone else in the country now agrees, has delivered a series of Doctor Who better than anyone had imagined was possible. My eyes prick with tears of gratitude as I contemplate his achievement. For not only has he got the whole family round the telly together on a Saturday evening (even Unslack Mum is hooked) - but he also has revitalised the concept of fatherhood. For, by happy chance, while I may not possess the northern accent or the unsettling grin of Christopher Eccleston, I do have the short hair, big ears and nose, leather jacket, and general know-it-all demeanour, sometimes backed up by actual knowledge."

Says Garry Bushell in today's The People: "Big Brother perked up last night. They brought in a new housemate, a bolshie Northerner who didn't want to be there. He was bright, shrewd, rebellious. A proper handful. Sadly this wasn't on the C4 show, but a version set hundreds of years in the future where evicted housemates were apparently disintegrated. If only... The Northerner was Dr Who, and this was TV designed to turn human minds to mush. A nice idea, but it didn't reflect the way telly is going. It was far too tame. The real Big Brother becomes dumber, coarser and nastier by the year. In just two weeks, we've seen bullying, endless rowing and sexual shenanigans. At this rate, future housemates will be stripped naked before entering the house, smeared in chocolate and hurled into a perpetual orgy where the groping and poking would stop only for the odd spot of random bloodletting."

Clippings Update: The new TV and Satellite Week (11-17 June) featured a "Doctor Who" cover with Christopher Eccleston in front of the "Big Brother" logo. The title ran: "Doctor Who Meets Big Brother. It's The Craziest Episode Yet!". Inside was a 2-page preview ("Doctor Who's Big Bother") which included an item on the theme of Bad Wolf in the series. The episode was also Pick Of The Day. The "Next Week" promotion ran over a picture of a Dalek with the title "Time's Up For Doctor Who". The current issue of Starburst features a "Doctor Who" cover and "Massive Who Coverage". Inside are interviews with Bruno Langley, Paul Cornell, John Barrowman and an article on The Mill. The current "Cult Times Special" focusses on "Doctor Who". Inside are episode guides and an item called "Doctor Who For Beginners". There are also interviews with Rob Shearman, Gary Russell, Paul Cornell, Steven Moffatt, India Fisher and Conrad Westmaas. TheDaily Mirror TV Magazine "We Love Telly" (11th June) had "Doctor Who" on the cover. Over a picture of a Dalek and a "Silver Nemesis" Cyberman with Anne Robinson's head stuck on it a caption ran: "Double Trouble: the Doc faces Daleks and a robot Robinson!". Inside was half-page preview entitled "Reality Bites!". The episode was also Pick Of The Day. The Daily Star (11th June) included an item entitled "Billie's No Sci-flier" and stated that although Billie Piper would be in the next series she wouldn't be in every episode. In the accompanying TV magazine "Doctor Who" was TV Pick. The latest isssue of FAB, the magazine of the Gerry Anderson Appreciation Society, compares the relaunch of "Doctor Who" to BBC1 with the return of "Captain Scarlet" to ITV and believes that ITV has a lot to learn from the "Doctor Who" campaign which resulted in "...a massive success, creaming the opposition and sending the ITV schedulers scurrying to Lucasfilm to find something that might do better for them than yet another bloody talent contest or interactive D-list celebrity peepshow". The Newsround website has posted the ten winners of "Doctor Who" Volume One DVDs. TheDaily Star Sunday(12th June) featured a number of "Doctor Who" references, primarily a half-page article titled "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?" which included a large photograph from the final episode along with pictures of the spray-painted TARDIS and a selection of characters from previous episodes. "Sharon Marshall On TV" made repeated reference to "Doctor Who", including comments on the concluding episode: "SWITCH ON: There's not just one Dalek back - there's millions. And it's brilliant. But it's also the last of the series. Sniff". Also, a "TV TURN-OFF" was "The news that Trinny and Susannah will still be with us in 200100".

ITV Teletext (11th June) had "Doctor Who" as its TV Pick: "Penultimate episode of what has been a memorable return for the Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper find themselves trapped in a Big Brother-style reality TV nightmare. They face fearsome new foes in the shape of Anne Robinson as cruel quiz show host Anne Droid and Davina McCall, Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine pop up as their futuristic namesakes. Clever stuff...". Also, BBC Ceefax had "Bad Wolf" as its TV Choice (11th June) with a somewhat mixed preview: "No tapes were available of this one, so we're all flying blind. Yet it promises to be umissable - even as it doesn't necessarily promise to be good. It's definately bold, and you have to acknowledge that - this penultimate episode sees the Doctor trapped in the Big Brother house. Could go either way, couldn't it? The android Anne Robinson looks dodgy, yet the Bad Wolf storyline could be good. Fingers crossed. Weird to think that we'll only see Eccleston one more time".

The edition of the popular BBC Radio Panel Game I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, broadcast on 6 June, featured a reference to Doctor Who, during a round in which the panellists had to act out a proverb. Given the proverb An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away, panellists Tim Brooke Taylor and Jeremy Hardy pretended that they were Daleks and planned on using Apple Computers to keep the Doctor at bay.

There was something of a Dalek presence at the G8 Finance Ministers' meeting in London on 11th June. The World Development Movement charity (website) had 3 fullsize Daleks, two of which were being operated, and 7 inflatables present at the event in central London. Media coverage included BBC 1 teatime and evening news, Sky News, BBC Radio 4, BBC News 24, and CNN!

BBC News further covered the ongoing saga of the kidnapped Dalek from Somerset, which we reported in our last news update. "'Kidnappers' who stole a Dalek from a Somerset tourist attraction have sent its owners a ransom note - and the alien's amputated plunger. The 5ft model, believed to be an original from the cult BBC Dr Who series, was taken from Wookey Hole Caves near Wells on Monday. On Thursday, staff found the plunger arm and a ransom note on a doorstep. The note read: 'We are holding the Dalek captive. We demand further instructions from the Doctor.' The group, signing themselves Guardians of the Planet Earth, added: 'For the safety of the human race we have disarmed and removed its destructive mechanism.'" Also covered at CBBC News, Western Daily Press, The Register (also here), This is Devon, Bristol Evening Press, BoingBoing, P2Pnet.

Other press notes: the Big Brother website recommends Doctor Who (no wonder why!); the Scotsman features recycled comments from Russell T Davies on series two; the Digital Spy mentions David Walliams not writing for series two (from a DWM interview last month); the Sydney Morning Herald reviewed Aliens of London, the episode showing this week, very positively; the Gloucester Citizen comments on a Dalek owner and his obsession;FilmCritic reviews the first DVD release; and the Bath Chronicle reports on women getting to drive a Dalek for charity, also reported atFalkirk Today.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Jamie Austin, Dominic May, Jon Preddle, David James, Keith Armstrong, David French, Faiz Rehman, Andrew Norris, John McVie, Paul Blewett, Adam Kirk, Iain Keller)

The official website today reports that the Doctor Who Confidential production team have created a documentary calledDoctor Who: The Ultimate Guide, which will be aired prior to the final episode of this season, "The Parting of the Ways," on Saturday June 18 at 6.15pm. Says the press release: "From a council estate to a battle in space, Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide, will take us behind the scenes of the new series, to talk to cast and crew and celebrate all the triumphs and tears, smiles and trials shared between the Doctor, Rose and millions of fans, who have turned on to see a new Who at his alien best. The Ultimate Guide is just what the Doctor ordered."

The final ratings are in for The Doctor Dances, broadcast 28 May: 6.86 million viewers tuned in for the episode according to BARB, including time-shifted viewers, for the series to end the week at #18 in all broadcasts (including multiple-day airings) and eighth in series. It's important to remember that it was a bank holiday weekend; even so, "Doctor Who" was the highest-rated program that Saturday. (The overnights for "Boom Town" were higher than these final totals, suggesting the drop was because of the date...)

No Daleks next year? Russell T Davies suggests so in an interview today with the UK Press Association (and reproduced in such papers as the Birmingham Post): "'Oh no, we've done them.. Because of what happens... I'm not sure we can take the Daleks anywhere else after that." The article is mostly a farewell to the series for this year (it ends a week from Saturday) and interviews Davies and the emotional dimension of the series: "Well, that's what I write. That's what you're getting when you employ me, quite frankly. Otherwise you might as well ask someone else." Davies says that the series is "everything I wanted it to be - the music is brilliant, the effects are brilliant. A lot of series don't reach a climax - I thought the last episode of Desperate Housewives was quite relaxed in the knowledge it was coming back - and I think that's a mistake. You want to leave people punching the air and I think we've pulled that off. ... We just have to get on with it. And because we've got a new Doctor coming up it makes us worried all over again. But I think it's very healthy in that we don't rest on our laurels. There hasn't actually been a moment of, 'Hooray, it's a success!' because now it has to be a success again next year. It's still as scary as it ever was." He confirms Tennant will be in the Christmas special (the Doctor is reported to regenerate at the end of "The Parting of the Ways"): "Having changes in the cast so early on is always a worry. But at the same time it's one of the things that keeps us on our toes. Just by casting David we're not becoming complacent because it's his face on screen and we've got to make it every bit as good, if not better, for his sake." And as for alien planets: "We're going to see some alien planets next time round. I've been cautious about that in the first series because we want to get it right. It's one of those science fiction things that can go horribly wrong if it doesn't actually look like an alien planet. But I'm very confident we can do that now. And the Cybermen are going to come back. Hooray! We like them. After the Daleks it was inevitable really. The old elements work very nicely. There's a bit of nostalgia and they appeal to the new viewers as well. But there will be plenty of new stuff as well.

Thursday's Guardian has its priorities in order. "Extraordinary at this stage of one's life to be rushing back from the coast on Saturday evening so as not to miss even the opening credits of Doctor Who," says an article on Saturday television. "Not only because Russell T Davies's reinvention with Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper is such an exhilarating (if sometimes baffling) ride, but because, while it lasts, Doctor Who is once again one of the rituals which make Saturday."

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, James Lindsay)

Doctor Who û What's he doing with Anne Robinson and Trinny and Susannah? asks the cover of the new Radio Times, published today (Tuesday). As always, this weekend's episode features in "RT recommendsà the week's best television" (page 4): "There's plenty of fun poked at TV, including Jack getting a What Not to Wear makeover from a robotic version of Trinny and Susannah." The weekly "Doctor Who Watch" is a double-page spread entitled "Reality can be a killer" (pages 16û17), with five photos from Bad Wolf, the next new series episode, that concentrate on Captain Jack and the various TV show parodies in the episode. The article itself comprises another interview with Russell T Davies, looking at his vision of reality television in 200,000 years from now and how the show has secured the rights to use authentic sets and logos from Big Brother, The Weakest Link and other programmes, as well as the guest contributions of the likes of Anne Robinson: "The new Doctor Who series has a pretty good record in guest names [à] Not one C-lister among them." Davies comments that "There is something about Doctor Who that opens doors," referring both to guest stars and to the availability of various locations, some of which have previously refused other television programmes. He is also asked whether he has included any Simpsons-style lines about Anne Robinson: "No, there's nothing quite like that. Although the fact that she is killing off the contestants is a bit of a comment." This week's films on television are detailed from page 47, this week including Shaun of the Dead on Sky One (starring new series stars Simon Pegg and Penelope Wilton alongside the Daily Mail's Ninth Doctor, Bill Nighy) and Carry On Sergeant with William Hartnell on Channel 4. "Bad Wolf" is Pick of the Day in "Saturday's Choices" (page 64), a photograph of the Doctor with the Game Station Controller accompanying a write-up that again focuses on Anne Robinson and comments that "there's a corker of a cliffhanger as the most deadly enemy of all marshals its forces." There's another Eccleston photo at the head of Saturday night's listings (page 66), the episode listing reading, "The entire human race has been blinded to a threat on its doorstep. With Armageddon fast approaching, the Doctor must act immediately. The star-studded episode û and series û concludes next Saturday." The listing also promotes the first two DVD volumes and the three new novels, as well as an appearance by Christopher Eccleston's on BBC2's Top Gear at 8pm on Sunday evening. The listing for Doctor Who Confidential says "As the series prepares for its climax next week, has the Doctor got what it takes to prevail in his showdown with the ultimate foe? As well as Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper, there are contributions from Russell T Davies and Noel Clarke, who plays Mickey." The Radio section (page 121) includes comment from David Tennant on his role in Dixon of Dock Green next Wednesday morning on Radio 4. Also of note in the television listings: BBC3's Saturday midnight repeat of "Bad Wolf" will this week be at 10.55pm, with a second showing for Confidential immediately afterwards; while the Sunday showings are as usual at 7pm and 7.45pm, there is also a third repeat for the episode on BBC3 on Friday 17 June at 9pm, with another outing for Sunday's Confidential Cut Down edition following at 9.45pm, in preparation for Episode 13 on Saturday 18 Juneà

The official BBC Doctor Who website has been updated with a theme previewing "Bad Wolf". There may be a few spoilers present, as usual. (Also, note that the 'bison' password no longer works to access the whoisdoctorwho website there.)

Heat magazine says of "Bad Wolf," "Conclusive evidence that Doctor Who fan, chief writer and exec producer Russell T Davies is quite rightly behaving like a sweet-toothed kid in the world's best candy shop, comes with this two-part story that ends the first series. ... If you have hairs on the back of your neck, prepare for them to stand erect." The article (which has spoilers, removed from this report) gives the episode 5 out of 5 stars. Also, the Daily Telegraphsays of the episode, "Bad wolf is, ultimately, proof that the writers of Dr Who have really thought about what they are doing; have worked to give a real, satisfying and complex shape to Saturday-night schlock. They're ambitious. As Clive James once remarked: good schlock is always better than bad art. The new Dr Who - ahead of any possible expectations - is a triumph. Funny, scary, moving, silly and above all really, really well crafted, it is as good a piece of popular entertainment as television has lately produced. It serves - and for this we must surely thank it - as a standing rebuke to the notion that the unplanned formats of reality TV and docudrama are the way forward." And says today's Media Guardian, "Close watchers of Doctor Who will have noticed the numerous unexplained references to "Bad Wolf" - sprayed on the side of the Tardis, that kind of thing. The web is abuzz with what it all means. One theory - spoiler alert! - is that the Doctor has been the unwitting star of a Big Brother-style reality show. Is nothing sacred? No word yet, though, on whether the climactic episode features the scariest Doctor Who monster yet - the Bazalgette." Also, about last week's episode, says the Herald, "BBC Wales is having some fun with Doctor Who. ... All of a sudden, it's alive, and telepathic to boot. Stare into its heart and you cease instantly to be a satirical symbol of New Labour. It could only happen in science-fiction."

David Tennant has picked up the Best Actor Award at the Critics Awards for Theatre in a Scotland ceremony. Tennant was honoured for his outstanding performance as Jimmy Porter in the revival by the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Edinburgh, of John Osborne's Look Back in Anger. Accepting the honour from Vicky Featherstone, the new National Theatre of Scotland artistic director, the actor said his remarkable rise in film and television did not mean he would be abandoning the stage. He said: "I'm supremely chuffed to win this award. It's a part I've wanted to play for such a long time. Theatre work is part of what I do and I don't see it as something you leave behind." The story has been covered atTimes Online, Scotsman, Daily Record, Dundee Courier, The Herald, icNews.

Christopher Eccleston will appear on this Sunday's "Top Gear," June 12 at 8.00pm on BBC2, in their "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" feature, where celebrities do one circuit of a track in as fast a time as possible in a Suzuki Liana.

SFX Magazine has an online treat: the first visualization of the TARDIS interior (requires QuickTime to view)! "Travel with us, readers, back through the mists of time, to the Spring of 2004, long before filming started on the new series of Doctor Who. Acclaimed comics artist and chum of SFX Bryan Hitch was desperate to work on the series. When he told us as much, we put him touch with Russell T Davies - who turned out to be a huge fan of Bryan's work. A few weeks later, contracts were signed, and Bryan was the concept artist for the series. Hurray! But before Bryan even had any meetings with the BBC, he'd already started sketching out his ideas for the TARDIS interior. Bryan recalls his thinking as follows: 'The simple up front determination was that it needed to be big. Huge. From the earliest sketch I did, before I was even offered a job of the series, I was going for the big dome shape. The central section changed as we went and adapted to comments and requirements and we were constantly reworking it in the finish. My friend Niel Bushnell, who has a vibrant young graphic and CG company up North, kindly rendered an animated 3D turnaround of that initial thought, which I took along to my first meeting. It helped show the space as it could be used, and even though it underwent massive changes as we went through months of work, that basic idea remained intact.'" You can visit the website and see the visualization for yourself.

Meanwhile, the latest issue of SFX contains a ten-page feature on the new Doctor Who series, which includes an interview with Executive Producer Russell T. Davies, who is already making plans for Series 2, and is determined to hold onto the Saturday night audience that have made the series a weekend ratings hit for the BBC: "I can't yet see us doing a hard sci-fi episode. The essence of [an early Saturday slot] is to keep it simple. Which doesn't mean dumb. Look at [æDalek'] û it's completely pure and simple, and because of that, massively strong, and then underneath that simplicity is a whole storm of complex emotions and ideas. But the important thing on Saturdays is to shout the headline. Dalek! Dickens! Blitz! Big Brother! A headline shouting 'Interesting Exploration of Temporal Physics!' isn't gonna work the same way. We need to hold on to that new audience and not take them for granted. Let's face it, if [Terrestrial TV broadcaster ITV] introduce a Saturday [episode of the popular soap, Coronation Street], and that's not such a mad idea, then were in trouble. So we've got to keep it strong and clean, emphasise the drama above the sci-fi. Feel free to disagree, of course. Feel free to disagree and yet get these viewing figures, ha ha! Expect the 'same old mix' of stories for Series 2, 'some darker, some lighter. Some traditional û although if anything, the traditional stories are BBC Drama's least favourite, but I love them, so I'm gonna keep them in there. We're keeping the same mix of singles and two-parters, that seems to work.' To be blunt, this show is a success, and it's our job to maintain that success, not wander away from it. Fans might study each episode 20 times, and therefore demand something different, but ordinary viewers are still getting used to this concept û not just the show, but its slot, its feel, its place in their viewing habits û and there is a genuine strength in consolidating that...[there's one story in Series 2] that could be pure horror....and there's one episode which could be very, very funny. And a brand new Doctor will automatically make it a brand new show." Speaking of the new Doctor, "[David Tennant] can do anything! And he will! This is the wonderful legacy of Chris Ecclestion, he's made the part available for and desirable to our finest actors....the clothes [for the new Doc] will be different, because it'll be David's preferences." Thanks to The Great Link website for posting the quotes; you can pick up the issue on the stands now.

BBC1's Points of View this past weekend featured a short piece about the new series, including a couple of letters praising the show, especially Chris Eccleston's portrayal, and a couple of letters complaining about the level of scariness (in particular, "The Empty Child"), and also complaining about the imminent departure of both the leads. This was followed by a short interview with Julie Gardner, featuring clips from "Dalek," "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances". Gardner defended the show against the usual complaints of too much violence, stressing that they were always careful not to show gratuitous violence or too much blood, especially bearing in mind the 9.00pm watershed. She also said that the Moffat two-parter would be about as far as they would be prepared to go in terms of scariness. Gardner was coy on the subject of Billie Piper's departure, saying only that she was coming back for season two, and stressing that there were exciting storylines still left to tie up season one (including a few spoilers we won't reprint for the final episode.) Points of View host Terry Wogan ended the piece by mentioning the Christmas special.

The JoongAng Daily of South Korea writes "Sci-fi reigns at the Queen's birthday ball," noting that the celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's birthday at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul last Saturday featured a TARDIS, which served as an entrance to the ballroom, a six-foot-tall "Dalek" and black-and-white footage of the series... all to celebrate the start of the new series in that country. Sue Hollands, the president of the British Association of Seoul, said in her opening address that Doctor Who was not only "quintessentially British" but also "familiar to expatriates." Dai Billington, the first secretary and head of the commercial section of the British Embassy, the evening's master of ceremonies, appeared on stage the Doctor himself, complete with wig and costume, saying he remembered as a four-year-old child being scared by the Daleks. Read the full story for further details.

Several news sources are now (finally) reporting on the return to the series next year of another famous group of Doctor Who monsters... the Cybermen. The Sun quotes Doctor Who Magazine, which in turn quotes producer Phil Collinson: "The Cybermen exist in that category of classics, as monsters just about everyone of a certain age knows. They were a work of genius back in the 1960s. It will be a loving recreation [sic] of an old foe." Among the online locations mentioning it are Female First, Contact Music. (Note: we can't keep this a spoiler/surprise any longer, considering DWM printed it as a major news story and it's now making the rounds in all the media, as well as other websites)

In Germany, the TV and Film Festival Cologne will include screenings of two episodes of the new series, likely "Rose" and "The End of the World". The festival will be held from June 30 to July 6; more information is available at theirwebsite.

The Sun yesterday stated in the parliamentary gossip column The Whip that its Westminster mole was near Lambeth Bridge in London "and bumped into about half a dozen of those classic, evil Doctor Who villains the Daleks. The police blocked off the road so the little fellows could be filmed in peace". No word on what the filming was for.

Other items: I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (Radio 4, 6th June) featured a brief "Doctor Who" sketch involving the Daleks and computers, revolving around the proverb "An apple a day keeps the Doctor away"; BBC News, CBBC,Police.uk all cover the theft of a Dalek stolen from storage near Wookey Hole, which had been stored in preparation for a forthcoming convention; and the Western Mail talks about the appearance of the newspaper in "Boom Town" last weekend.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Chuck Foster, Jamie Austin, Peter Weaver, John Bowman, Andrew Norris, Cameron Yarde Jnr, Andrew Frueh, Harald Gehlen, David Traynier, Paul Blewett, Kendal Mills, Stephen Dray, Steve Manfred, Matthew Kilburn, Chris Howell/The Great Link and Ian Berriman/SFX)

The overnight figures for Boom Town show 7.13 million viewers tuned in for the eleventh episode of the series, with a 36.95% audience share; "Doctor Who" was first in its time slot. This is the first time it's been back over seven million viewers in the initial overnights in three weeks (because of the early start time for "The Empty Child" and the bank holiday weekend affecting "The Doctor Dances"). More precise data should be in tomorrow.

Geoffrey Toone, who played Temnossus in the film "Dr Who and the Daleks" and Hepesh in "The Curse of Peladon", passed away on June 1. He was 94. One of "the last surviving members of the glorious company venture of John Gielgud's 1934-35 season at the New Theatre," Toone was acting by the 1930's on stage, interrupted by wartime service, according to an obituary in yesterday's "The Independent". He worked in both Britain and America and his films included "The King and I," "Zero Hour" and "Once More With Feeling," as well as appearances in "Jeeves and Wooster" and "War and Remembrance". (Thanks to Ben Jolly, William Duffy)