At a recent fan event, Sophie Aldred revealed that she and Sylvester McCoy were scheduled to do the audio commentary for the as yet unannounced DVD of 1989 classic series adventure Survival. They had originally planned to make the the recording early in November, but had to postpone due to McCoy's busy schedule.

BBC One has broadcast its first generic trailer for its forthcoming Christmas season drama programming, debuting the promotion before Saturday 2nd December's episode of current Doctor Who slot-filler Robin Hood. (Coincidentally, an episode written by Paul Cornell and directed by Graeme Harper).

The trail, which highlights many BBC One drama programmes to be shown over the festive season, includes clips ofDavid Tennant and Catherine Tate from the forthcoming Christmas special The Runaway Bride. Also seen from the episode are several Robot Santas, similar to those featured in last year's The Christmas Invasion, and a brief clip of the TARDIS hovering at speed along a motorway.

The trailer also features some clips of Billie Piper in the forthcoming Philip Pullman adaptation The Ruby in the Smoke.

Update (Chuck Foster):
A second, longer trailer has also been broadcast at various times during the following week;
this extended version also includes a fleeting glimpse of the unmasked Santas in black, plus more of the Bride and the TARDIS-chase along the motorway.

According to Michael Ausiello, in his November 15th column at tvguide.com, Ninth Doctor actor Christopher Ecclestonhas joined the cast of NBC's breakout show Heroes. Eccleston is set to play Claude, a man who can become invisible. Says Ausiello, "Fanboys, prepare to piddle yourself. Christopher Eccleston -- the original Dr. Who from the current Sci Fi/BBC series -- is joining the cast in January in a really super (tee-hee) role." Although this hasn't been confirmed yet, it fits in with recent news in DWM that Eccleston has been over in the US seeking work.

To coincide with the DVD release of The Invasion, The Guardian has a lengthy piece focusing on the VidFire process used on the story (whose year of transmission is erroneously given as 1969 instead of 1968).

The BBC News website reports that Tom Baker is to return as the voice of British Telecom's text-to-voice service over the forthcoming Christmas season. The service, which uses an automated system to convert SMS text messages sent from mobile phones to landlines into audio, launched earlier this year with Baker providing the voice for the initial weeks. Baker is quoted as saying: "It's rather like being Santa Claus, delivering all your festive greetings. I only wish I could hear what I'm saying."

Baker's return is part of a BT charity initiative called TextAid. For each 10p text read by the service, BT will donate 2p to the charities Shelter and Focus Ireland. BT has also put together a single of Baker's sampled voice "singing" a cover of the Kinks song "You Really Got Me". You can listen to a preview of the song now, and beginning December 18 it will be available for download for 79p, with the profits going to the same charities.

(Additional material by Josiah Rowe)

Award-winning actress Jessica Stevenson is to star in the new series of Doctor Who, according to her online CVhosted by her agents.

Stevenson's previous credits include the film Shaun of the Dead, the Channel 4 cult series Spaced and the BBC comedyThe Royle Family. She is also due to star in the forthcoming Harry Potter film. Her CV lists her Doctor Who character as "Joan" in a story directed by Charles Palmer. (Thanks to Steve Tallach).

Catherine Tate, speaking to The Daily Record, says that Billie Piper deserves the credit for Doctor Who's success with girls: "I think Billie is a big part of getting young girls on board as well, because they all kind of idolise the Rose character.

"When I was little I liked Doctor Who but I think boys liked it more. But now it's across the board."

Tate will be playing the Doctor's "rebound companion" Donna in The Runaway Bride this Christmas. The article contains some story information about the Christmas special (taken from the BBC Programme Information press release), so don't click if you want to remain completely unspoiled!

Two years after returning to the BBC as its chairman, Michael Grade has quit the corporation to become executive chairman of rival ITV. The move apparently came as a complete shock to everyone in the TV industry. Despite claims that the BBC are incandescent with his move, the corporation issued a statement wishing him well and describing him as having been "a great chairman".

Grade has often criticised Doctor Who and became infamous in the mid-1980s when the BBC decided to axe the show. His return to the corporation in 2004 coincided with the revival of Doctor Who and, at the time, many feared he’d continue bashing the show. However, apparently, he watches it with his young son and at the end of Series 1 congratulated everyone involved, adding, "I never dreamed I would write this. Must be going soft!"

Celebrity Doctor Who fans are popping up everywhere. In today’s edition of BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, presenter Kirsty Young interviewed Matt Lucas of Little Britain fame, the BBC comedy sketch show narrated by Tom Baker. Lucas, who starred opposite David Tennant in Russell T Davies’s 2005 version of Casanova, described how he’d recently bought his partner a TARDIS, which they’d erected in the middle of the living room of their new home!