Matt Smith's mother has talked about the pressures of dealing with the Eleventh Doctor's fan mail. Talking to the Northampton Chronicle. Lynne Smith tells how important it is that every letter sent to the actor is read and dealt with. Fan mail comes from all generations and in all shapes and sizes. "Some think of him as a heart-throb" says Smith. "That makes me smile because to me he's just Matthew."

Meanwhile Doctor Who Executive Producer Steven Moffat had been in LA, along with co-creator Mark Gatiss, promoting Sherlock which has been signed up by PBS Masterpiece for broadcast starting on October 24. The UK will see the final episode of Sherlock this Sunday. The first two episodes have achieved critical acclaim, scored high ratings and outstanding Appreciation Index figures.

John Barrowman has added the Royal Albert Hall to the list of venues in his 2010 concert tour. The tour begins on 1st October in Oxford and runs through to 2nd November in Edinburgh taking in many cities, including Brighton, Liverpool, Cardiff, Birmingham and Manchester, on the way.

The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld two complaints against The Telegraph Media Group over its free audio book offer which took place in April and which was promoted in the The Sunday Telegraph as a Free Doctor Who Audio Book read by David Tennant.

One complaint said the offer was misleading as it did not make clear that the audiobook came in two parts and that part two would be included in Monday's paper. A second complainant said the claim that the audiobooks were "free" was misleading, as under the terms and conditions customers who did not live near a WH Smith store would have to pay £12.99 to receive the audiobooks by post.

Both complaints were upheld with the paper instructed not to repeat the offence.

NB: Press Release link contains spoilers for those who have not seen The Big Bang.

The BBC has confirmed veteran actor Michael Gambon and opera diva Katherine Jenkins will guest star in the 2010 Doctor Who Christmas special.

Production starts today and will continue until August.

Michael Gambon is one of the UK's most respected actors, best known for his role as Philip Marlow in BBC television serial The Singing Detective and for his role as Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter film series.

Katherine Jenkins is a Welsh mezzo-soprano who has sold more than 4 million copies of her studio albums. This will be her first acting role. Arriving on set for her first day of filming, Katherine Jenkins said

Steven Moffat, Lead writer and Executive Producer on the series commented:

Press reaction to the 2010 series finale of Doctor Who, The Big Bang, has started to appear on the internet.

One of the most high-concept Doctor Who episodes ever, is how The Telegraph describes the episode, with its reviewer praising Matt Smith as superb.

The Guardian Blog calls this finale brilliant, a classic modern fairytale unfolding before our eyes and easily the most sentimentally charged finale we've had yet.

Metro goes trawling Twitter for fans reaction to the story and finds positive comments. It describes it a thrilling climax to the series which captivated and confused in equal measure.

Seenit.co.uk says it was an exhilarating Doctor Who finale after a somewhat mixed run, while Unreality Shout says the episode was stunning, and closes off an incredible series of Doctor Who. It praises Matt Smith as simply brilliant and says Karen Gillan and her little cousin Caitlin Blackwood were fantastic together.

Anglotopia says it was a whirlwind episode which didn't disappoint and Den of Geek loved the episode even though it made the reviewer's head hurt. They call Steven Moffat something of a genius as he "peppered his script with quotable quips and lines, and ended his maiden run in the showrunner chair with some marvellous work with Amy Pond."

NB: Some links contain spoilers from the episode.

Press reaction to Doctor Who: Episode Twleve, The Pandorica Opens, has begun appearing with the Daily Telegraph calling the episode "Sensational, propelling the viewer on a gripping adventure with plenty of shocks and surprises, leavened with more emotional and humorous material for a heady mix."

The Express calls the story "classic fairytale, aimed, as always, at a family audience, with Matt Smith and Karen Gillan now complete in their respective roles". They make a plea to the BBC to safeguard the budget for the series saying it is one of the crown jewels and should be protected.

Den of Geek say "How good was that? We’ve been salivating at the thought of what Steven Moffat could do with a finale two-parter since he first got the top job on Doctor Who. The answer? A lot". The Guardian blog says you need to watch this episode at least three times to get a proper handle on every little bit that's going on. Thing is, you'll want to.

Doctor Who is the Hamlet of the television world according to the Oscar-nominated writer Richard Curtis, who just happens to have penned the next Doctor Who episode, Vincent and the Doctor.

Speaking in this week's Radio Times, Curtis says "it is a pivotal, career-making role, to be reprised over the years with different actors, always the same, and yet metamorphosing radically with each new incarnation."

Curtis, admits he was not a childhood addict. "No, I wasn’t very dedicated. I seem to remember I liked the Master more than the Doctor, strangely enough." He says his decision to write an episode was more thanks to the nagging from his four children, now aged from 14 to six. "My kids absolutely love it. We all watched the Christmas special two years ago and my children said I had to do one. Scarlett, our eldest, pointed out that while I’d always promised I would write a children’s movie, by the time I do, she won’t be a child any more. And the great thing about telly is how swift it is by comparison with films."

Digital Journal has published a fairly extensive piece to tie in with the UK broadcast of tonight's episode, The Hungry Earth; and has picked up on an interview Karen Gillan gave recently, in which she talked about the possibility of a Doctor Who story involving Billy Connolly and the Loch Ness Monster!

Meanwhile, the original interview with Gillan can be found here; and, as mentioned by the Doctor Who News Page earlier, ReelScotland has published an interview (including spoilers) with one of tonight's guest stars, Neve McIntosh.

The Hungry Earth can be seen tonight, on BBC 1, at 6.15 p.m. It's the first of a two-part story by Chris Chibnall. The second episode, Cold Blood, will be shown on Saturday, 29 May, at the later time of 7 p.m.

Doctor Who has been nominated for or the title of best terrestrial programme at this year’s Channel of the Year Awards ceremony, part of the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival taking place in August. The series is up against The X Factor, Harry Hill’s TV Burp, Outnumbered and Flash Forward.

ReelScotland have published an interview with Scottish-born actress Neve McIntosh who stars in The Hungry Earth on BBC One this Saturday. Interview contains some spoilers.

The Sun claims a cave painting created 7,000 years ago shows an object not unlike the TARDIS.

A new Doctor Who Exhibition opens this Saturday in Newcastle in the North East of England. The show runs until 31st October at the Centre For Life. Thanks to "Vain Sharp Dad" for the preview pictures.

The BBC Press Office has released details for the tenth episode of the current series, Vincent And The Doctor.

The Richard Curtis story is scheduled for Saturday 5th June. It stars Tony Curran as Vincent Van Gogh and Bill Nighy as Dr Black.