The BBC have announced on Twitter that Dame Diana Rigg is to appear in Doctor Who alongside daughter Rachael Stirling; lead writer Steven Moffat said:
The script commences filming this week, with the pair "playing a mother and daughter with a dark secret". The story is set in Yorkshire, with filming kicking off today at Roath Lock Studios and Bute Town in Rhymney, which stands in for a village in the county.

Diana Rigg is of course best remembered as Emma Peel in the 1960s series The Avengers, and also became James Bond's short-lived wife in On Her Majesty's Secret Service; however the actress has had a long career covering stage, screen and television including The Assassination Bureau, Diana, Bleak House and The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries. She also hosted the PBS series Mystery! for some 15 years.

On her appearance in another sci-fi/fantasy institution, she said:

Meanwhile, her daughter's career has encompassed starring as Nan in the controversial BBC adaptation of Tipping the Velvet, with other television appearances including The Young Victoria, Boy Meets Girl and last year's Women in Love; she has also appeared in films such as Centurion, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and Snow White and the Huntsman. The actress is also no stranger to the world of Doctor Who, featuring alongside Tom Baker and Louise Jameson, playing Demesne Furze in the recently released Big Finish Fourth Doctor adventure Trail of the White Worm.

On her latest role, Rachael said:

The actress Caroline John - who played companion Liz Shaw - has died aged 71, it was announced today. The news came via a tweet from the BBC on the Doctor Who Twitter feed.

She passed away on 5th June but the news was not made public by her family until after the funeral, which took place yesterday in south-west London. The cause of death is unknown as yet.

Born in York in September 1940, John trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama then worked in theatre, touring with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.

In 1969, she won the part of scientist and companion Dr Elizabeth Shaw opposite Jon Pertwee as the Doctor when the show was revamped for its seventh season, seeing the title character exiled to Earth. Liz Shaw appeared as a regular character for one season in 1970, with John playing two roles in the final story of that year, Inferno, the other character being Shaw's parallel-universe counterpart, Section Leader Elizabeth Shaw.

After leaving the series she had many theatre and television roles, including, in 1982, appearing in the BBC TV adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles, which starred Tom Baker as Sherlock Holmes. John returned to Doctor Who in 1983 for the 20th-anniversary special The Five Doctors, in which she played a fake Shaw. She reprised the role of Shaw for the 1993 BBC Children In Need special Dimensions In Time.

Married to Geoffrey Beevers, John appeared as Madame Salvadori with him in the Big Finish audio drama Dust Breeding, which was released in 2001. She also portrayed Liz Shaw for Big Finish for four stories in the Companion Chronicles range, starting with The Blue Tooth in 2007 and most recently in Binary, which was released just three months ago in March. In addition, she appeared as Shaw in the straight-to-video P.R.O.B.E. stories of the 1990s, which were written by Mark Gatiss and co-starred Pertwee, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy.

Paying tribute, Companion Chronicles producer David Richardson said: Colin Baker tweeted: while Mark Gatiss also paid tribute via Twitter: and on the official site Steven Moffat wrote: Big Finish executive producer Nicholas Briggs said: John and Beevers also starred together in the Agatha Christie's Poirot episode Problem At Sea on ITV in 1989. In addition, the couple had roles in the Channel 4 adaptation of the political thriller A Very British Coup in 1988. They had three children: a daughter, Daisy, and sons Ben and Tom.

Her most recent screen appearances included the 2003 rom-com film Love Actually (written and directed by Richard Curtis and featuring Bill Nighy as well as Steven Moffat's Curse of Fatal Death Doctors Rowan Atkinson and Hugh Grant) and the ITV drama series Vital Signs (with Gugu Mbatha-Raw) in 2006 and the BBC daytime drama Doctors (with Malcolm Tierney and Matthew Chambers) in 2008.

She also narrated the audiobook of Elisabeth Sladen's autobiography, which was released last November, and narrated the audiobooks of Doctor Who And The Auton Invasion (2008) and Doctor Who And The Cave Monsters (2007), which were adaptations of her first and second Doctor Who stories respectively.

UPDATE (22nd June): A spokeswoman at Caroline John's agency, Shepherd Management Ltd, confirmed to Doctor Who News that John had died of cancer.

Karen Gillan won the award for Scottish Fashion Icon of the Year at this year's Scottish Fashion Awards. On the red carpet beforehand the actress had said: "It would be a huge honour to win an award like that and really unexpected. I honestly didn’t think I would be nominated for anything wearing the clothes I wear." Talking about her departure from Doctor Who she said: "It was so sad. It was this bittersweet thing 'cause I'm really excited to move onto other things, I'm actually going on to do a film in Glasgow which I'm really excited about, but yeah it was so sad 'cause I'm leaving my best friends in a weird way." [STV, 14 June 2012]

The actress also made an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival in order to promote her forthcoming film, Not Another Happy Ending.

Arthur Darvill is to star in the West End production of Jonathan Lewis's award-winning play Our Boys alongside Laurence Fox (aka the husband of Billie Piper) and Cian Barry. The play's synopsis: A candid account of the tedium, terror and tribulations suffered by five young soldiers recovering from injuries incurred in the line of duty. But when their daily routine of TV, lonely hearts ads and banter is interrupted by the arrival of an unwelcome authority figure, their unlikely camaraderie gives way to betrayal, accusations and all-out war. The play opens at the Duchess Theatre on 3rd October, with previews from 26th September. [Whats On Stage, 15 June 2012]

Neil Gaiman, John Challis, Jon Culshaw, and Andrew Sachs are among the star names providing the Voice of the Book for The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Radio Show Live! which is currently on tour in the UK. The show re-creates the masterwork by Douglas Adams. Celebrity Doctor Who fan Culshaw is renowned for his impressions of Tom Baker, while Sachs has appeared in Doctor Who audio dramas and was the voice of Skagra in the webcast of Adams's Shada. For more details on where and when the different voices are appearing, see the Hitchhiker's Live! website.

Steven Moffat explains how he approaches writing: "I never make a note of anything, I never even write a plot down. I have a terrible superstition of writing things down. I have to write in sequence and only in sequence." [Entertainmentwise, The Sun, 28 May 2012]

John Barrowman will once again take on a role of Jack this coming Christmas - alongside his faithful 'companions' Ian and Janette Krankie in the pantomine Jack and the Beanstalk! The trio return to the Glasgow SECC for their third 'adventure' together, with managing director of QDos Michael Harrison saying: "We are thrilled that John, Ian and Janette are returning to Glasgow, where they have received huge audience acclaim. Over the past few years, together with our colleagues at the SECC, we have staged Glasgow’s biggest and most spectacular pantomime and I can promise that Jack and the Beanstalk will be another giant and unmissable show!" The show will run between 15th December and 6th January. Playbill, 11 Jun 2012]

Peter Purves will also be appearing in panto later this year, playing Alderman Fitzwarren in Dick Whittington at Harpenden Public Halls from 15th to 22nd December.

Noel Clarke has revealed his favourite Doctor: "Matt. He just brought something different to it that I like. No disrespect to the others. I'm not going to say them just because I worked with them. Also when Matt got on, the budgets were larger and the show was more ambitious.". Appearing on Channel 4's Sunday Brunch on 17th June, the actor added that his actual favourite was Peter Davison who was the Doctor as he grew up. [Radio Times, 15 June 2012]

Janet Fielding handed a petition to Thanet council as part of a No Night Flights campaign to stop plans to allow night flights to take place at Manston airport. The actress said: "Along with the health and environmental issues surrounding night flights, there are potentially disastrous consequences for Ramsgate's recovering tourism industry which needs to be protected. Who will want to stay in a hotel with planes flying over all night? This needs to be investigated in full." [Thanet Times, 22 May 2012]

Bill Nighy revealed how he could have become the Doctor: "I was offered the role once, I won't tell you when because the rule is that you're not allowed to say you turned that job down because it's disrespectful to whoever did it. I will say that I was approached. But I didn't want to be the Doctor. No disrespect to Doctor Who or anything. I just think that it comes with too much baggage." [People, 3 June 2012]

Catherine Tate is to return in the next series of the US version of The Office, with her character Nellie Bertram from the previous series finale set to be a regular. [Contact Music, 4 Jun 2012]

Lara Pulver commented on recent gossip about her potentially becoming the first female Doctor: Steven and I have both said we thoroughly enjoyed working together, and then there was me being in Wales so the media put two and two together. (and would it have been amazing?) Yes and no. Not if it meant the end of the Doctor Who franchise because the fans aren’t keen on it. [Standard, 15 June 2012]

Veteran cameraman Jules Greenway has been awarded the The Guild of Television Cameramen's top award for his work over the last few decades. The recently retired 68-year-old worked on a number of shows in his career, including Doctor Who, Z-Cars, Top of the Pops and Blue Peter at the BBC, and Tales of the Unexpected at Anglia. His production team also won a BAFTA for their coverage of the 1998 Derby. He reflected: "I always favoured the dramas as they were the opportunity to shoot complicated shots. Sports events were exciting to do but very repetitive, the shots are very similar, while with drama you are constantly looking to do something different. Most cameramen’s pleasure is in executing a good shot, doing it well and being pleased with the end result.". [Eastern Daily Press, 19 May 2012]

Concern has been raised over Richard Gent, who disappeared a number of weeks ago leaving his phone and wallet at home after cancelling plans to meet friends. The actor has appeared in shows such as Casualty, Being Human and Torchwood. Police have asked anyone who has knowledge of his whereabouts to contact them on the missing persons helpline: freephone 116 000.

In Memoriam:

The actor George Murdock passed away on 30th April. He played a Preacher in the recent Torchwood series Miracle Day and has appeared in a number of sci-fi shows including Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and The X Files - he is perhaps best known as playing "God" in the film Star Trek V - The Final Frontier.

Brian Hibbard passed away on 17th June after suffering from prostate cancer. The actor played the assassin Keillor in the Sylvester McCoy story Delta and the Bannermen, and appeared in a number of soaps including Coronation Street, Emmerdale, and last year EastEnders. For a different generation, however, he will be remembered as the former lead singer of The Flying Pickets! [BBC News, 18 Jun 2012]

Following on from his recent appearance this week in the BBC's series True Love, former Doctor David Tennant has a number of new projects to keep him busy in the coming months.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service:

The actor will be reading a new adaptation of the James Bond novel On Her Majesty's Secret Service as part of 007 Reloaded, a series of audio books to be released in September. The series will be released by BBC Audio Go, with Ian Fleming's niece Lucy saying: "I am delighted to say that Ian Fleming Publications and AudioGO are thrilled to be working together to present some of Britain’s best-known actors reading Ian’s classic Bond novels, for your ears only..."

Other readers include Bill Nighy for Moonraker and Hugh Bonneville for Goldfinger.
[Ian Fleming official website, BBC AudioGo, 16 June 2012]

The Politician's Husband:

For BBC television, he is to star in a new BBC serial with Emily Watson entitled The Politician's Husband:
Writer/creator Paula Milne said: "It is said that all power corrupts but the power balance within a marriage can be unspoken and subtle whereas the power games in politics are more overt and manipulatory. The drama explores the personal realm of a political marriage played against the ruthless hubris of Westminster politics - and what can happen when those two realms collide." The serial has begun filming this week, with London as a location.
[BBC Media Centre, 19 Jun 2012]

Broadchurch:

Switching channels, Tennant has signed up to play a cop in a new show for ITV1 inspired by the Danish detective series The Killing. Broadchurch is written by Chris Chibnall, will be produced by Richard Stokes and directed by James Strong for Kudos (Spooks, Hustle). The show is described thus:
It is due to go into production later this year, and broadcast next January.
[The Sun, 2 Jun 2012]

Sunshine on Leith:

Finally, he has also been tipped to play a key role in a film version of the musical Sunshine on Leith, based on songs by The Proclaimers; the actor is a big fan of the band and has previously expressed interest in such a project. Fellow Scot Billy Connolly has also been suggested as a co-star, though the film has yet to be cast.
[Deadline, 17 June 2012]

Actress Jean Marsh has been awarded an OBE for services to drama in the 2012 Queen's Birthday Honours List published today. She has appeared in Doctor Who three times: firstly as Joanna in The Crusade (pictured right), then as Sara Kingdom in The Daleks' Master Plan, and finally as Morgaine in Battlefield. As well as acting, Marsh - who was married to Jon Pertwee between 1955 and 1960 - also co-created the drama series Upstairs, Downstairs (in which she played Rose Buck) and The House of Eliott.

Also in the honours list from the world of Doctor Who is former stuntman Eddie Kidd, who appeared in Survival as a double for William Barton. Kidd has been given an OBE for services to the charitable giving sector in the UK.

In addition, the comic book writer and playwright Grant Morrison, who wrote the stories Changes, The World Shapers, and Culture Shock for Doctor Who Magazine between 1986 and 1988, has been made an MBE for services to film and literature.

James Corden has won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a leading role in a play, for his performance in One Man, Two Guvnors.

The actor beat heavyweight actors, James Earl Jones, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Frank Langella and John Lithgow to take the top Broadway award for the role he originated at the National Theatre in London.

Cordon has appeared in two episodes of Doctor Who, playing Craig Owens in the 2010 story The Lodger; a role he repeated the following year in the sequel Closing Time.

Corden gave an emotional speech thanking his fiancée Julia and paying tribute to his fellow nominees.

Steven Moffat received the Writer prize for the Sherlock episode A Scandal In Belgravia at this year's BAFTA Television Craft Awards, and said he was "genuinely, utterly thrilled" to be presented with it. His wife, Sue Vertue, tweeted: "The Moff wins! Hurrah for my husband @steven_moffat who's just won a #Bafta for #Sherlock. Love him!" The Mill had been nominated for its visual effects work on Doctor Who but it lost out to BlueBolt and Great Expectations. [BBC News, 14 May 2012]

Ahead of being presented with a Special BAFTA next Sunday, Moffat has given an interview to the film and television arts organisation about his career so far. In it, he takes a swipe at people who have problems with the complexity of his dramas Doctor Who and Sherlock. "There's been a weird backlash among, I presume, fairly stupid people about the fact the shows are complicated and clever, but they're both huge international hits. We make no apology. Don't expect to do the ironing; sit down, pay attention and think about it. Audiences like complexity. They follow intricately plotted soap operas all the time. It depresses me when people say, 'It's all far too clever,'" he states. [BAFTA Guru]

Catherine Tate has been signed up by Sky Arts to star in a new comedy called Psychobitches. Part of the channel's comedy and drama strand entitled Playhouse Presents, the 30-minute production will see her portraying Eva Braun and Edith Piaf. Also appearing in it will be Sheila Reid as Mother Teresa, while Sam Spiro will play Mary Whitehouse - a real-life enemy of Doctor Who during the classic era! It will be shown on Thursday 21st June at 9pm. [Sky Arts]

Production designer Michael Pickwoad gave a talk to the Friends of the Bodleian in Oxford in which he touched on his involvement with the show. A great admirer of historical architecture and construction methods, he mentioned that Nostell Priory in Yorkshire influenced a twin-column design that he used in Doctor Who. Pickwoad's early work included the film Withnail and I, which starred Paul McGann and Richard E Grant, who not only provided the voice of the Doctor in the animated webcast Scream of the Shalka but also played a version of the Doctor in the 1999 Comic Relief spoof The Curse of Fatal Death, which was written by Steven Moffat. Another notable film Pickwoad worked on was Let Him Have It, which starred Christopher Eccleston in one of his earliest acting roles. [The St James's Evening Post, 16 May 2012]

And speaking of the actor . . . During an interview ahead of his appearance as Creon in Antigone at the National's Olivier Theatre in London, Christopher Eccleston touched on his time as the Time Lord and why it was so brief. "I know what went on and the people who were involved know what went on – that's good enough for me. My conscience is completely clear," he said. Eccleston also praised the young fans of the show, saying: "I'm hugely grateful to the children who to this day come up and talk to me about the show." Antigone opens tomorrow and runs until Saturday 21st July. [The Telegraph, 16 May 2012]

Eccleston will be talking about his career and answering questions at the Olivier Theatre on Thursday 19th July. The one-hour interview - part of the In Conversation series - will be conducted by Al Senter.

Georgia Moffett has been speaking about stripping to her underwear as Geraldine Barclay in the farce What The Butler Saw. "I thought it was going to be a lot scarier than it is. Once the play starts I have to take my clothes off or the story doesn't work. But I am quite insecure about my figure, so it's amazing how liberating it feels after you have done it a couple of times. Obviously, I would prefer to wear clothes, but once I take them off at the beginning, I think, 'Oh, well, they've seen it now’, and I just carry on." The production, which also stars Samantha Bond and Tim McInnerny, is at the Vaudeville Theatre in London's West End until Saturday 25th August. [The Telegraph, 18 May 2012]

In Memoriam:

Legendary hairdresser Vidal Sassoon, who in 1963 created the distinctive geometric cut for the character of Susan, played by Carole Ann Ford, has died in Los Angeles at the age of 84. [BBC News, 10 May 2012]

Actress Katy Manning is seeking sponsors for a 10-kilometre charity walk in London later this month.

She will be part of the Gay Times team aiming to raise cash for the Terrence Higgins Trust to support people living with HIV in poverty.

Walk For Life takes place on Sunday 20th May, starting and ending at Potters Field Park in Tooley Street. The theme is Kings and Queens and the route will take in some of the capital's most iconic and regal landmarks. The walkers will be checking in at the park from 9.30am, heading off at 11am, and arriving back about 2pm.

It is not the first time the actress - who played companion Jo Grant from 1971 to 1973 and was a guest star as the married Jo Jones in spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures in 2010 - has lent her support this way. In June 2010, she and the Gay Times team raised more than £1,100 on the Crusaid Walk For Life.

Her sponsorship page for this year's walk can be found here.

Phil Davis talks about what roles interest him the most: "I like films and plays that are about real life, I'm not interested in superheroes or things going to the moon and all that. What I like is films about real people, dealing with real problems and what it's like to be alive in London in 2012 – well, not just in London, in this country. Those are the things that interest me, things that are genuine." [Independent, 29 Apr 2012]

Frances Barber found herself involved in a hostage situation in Tottenham Court Road, with the actress reporting: "am in middle of hostage sitch in Tott. ct. Road. Can't get out. We are all hostage inside.« Tott ct rd deserted. All shops, cafes, etc evacuated.police everywhere.we are not allowed out. «" Later, she said: "For what it's worth I think the Police were ace today in Tottenham Court Rd. They had it sorted they get a rough time. But I only saw good. «" (Footnote: A man has been charged with various offences and remanded in custody following the incident. [BBC News, 30 Apr 2012])

Georgia Moffett is listed as "one to watch" by The Independent. [Independent, 28 Apr 2012]

Former co-executive producer Piers Wenger has been made head of drama at Channel 4. He became a Film4 senior commissioning executive after leaving Doctor Who and said of his impending move to Channel 4: "It's a hugely exciting time to be taking on this role and I can't wait to start work . . . on developing a new generation of drama for Channel 4. I'm also greatly indebted to Tessa Ross and all at Film4 for the expertise they have shared in the last six months and it's a dream come true to be able to continue those relationships into my new role." [Radio Times, 1 May 2012]

Bernard Cribbins has given an interview to The Guardian in which he talks about his novelty records of the 1960s. [The Guardian, 2 May 2012]

Outgoing Doctor Who co-star Karen Gillan is Scotland's "sexiest woman" in a poll by FHM Magazine, which ranks her in 36th place overall (six places up from last year). Meanwhile, incoming co-star Jenna-Louise Coleman has entered the chart for the first time at number 91. [STV, Easier, 2 May 2012]

John Barrowman talks about his confidence: "I'm a good actor! [Laughs] No, I'm passionate about what I do, I'm very opinionated, I'm very driven, I have an ambition -- I have a healthy ambition. I'm not rude to people, I know what I want, I'm generous -- these are things I'm saying I feel I am that I've also been told I am. I don't want it to sound in any way egotistical. But there's a fine line between ego and confidence. When confidence becomes ego and egotistical, you can tell it right away. I've always said to people around me if ever that verge goes across, smack me." [Comic Book Resources, 3 May 2012]

Orbital's Paul Hartnoll has been talking about Matt Smith's guest appearance during their set at Glastonbury in 2010. It all started with a chance encounter at a party following the Coachella festival that year . . . "I was approaching the fridge to go and get a beer, and I thought 'That bloke in front of me looks like Doctor Who'. I tapped him, and I said, 'Excuse me, are you Doctor Who?'. He just turned round to me with the biggest grin and said, 'Well actually, yes I am'. We just had a beer together and a chat and he said 'Oh, I'd love to come on stage and introduce you one time'. Our lighting guy who was with us said, 'Why don't you come on at Glastonbury?' He sort of flipped out and said, 'Oh my god, I've never been to Glastonbury, that'd be brilliant'. So we just kept in touch. He said if you can get me and five friends into Glastonbury, I'll do it, so we did. He had a great time. That was brilliant. He was absolutely peaking." [Digital Spy, 30 Apr 2012]

James Bond director Sam Mendes likens the movie franchise's longevity with Doctor Who: "That's why I mentioned the word in the press conference, 'regeneration' rather than 'evolving', because I feel it is like, you know, we have Doctor Who ... there's a geek answer ... and I was brought up on the idea of Doctor Who, who at the end of his final episode, he dissolves and a new actor pops up and he regenerates and it's a whole other character: sometimes it's an old man, sometimes it's a young man, but he just changes. I've always loved that idea." [Collider, 1 May 2012]

David Tennant has been reported as being in talks with director Justin Lin over a role in Fast 6. [Latino Review, 3 May 2012]

In Memoriam:

The visual effects designer Peter Wragg has died following a short illness. His work on Doctor Who spanned from The Visitation to Mindwarp (the latter story being part of the Trial of a Time Lord season). As well as working on Doctor Who, he also lent his name to cult TV shows such as Red Dwarf, Thunderbirds, Joe 90, UFO, and Captain Scarlet, as well as the comedy series 'Allo, 'Allo and the harrowing documentary-style drama Threads. [reddwarf.co.uk, 20 Apr 2012]

Former Head of BBC One Michael Grade had been talking about Doctor Who, discussing the reasons for puting the show on hold in 1985 and the events leading up to the return of the series in 2005.

In the BBC Radio 2 show, On The Box, Grade tells the inside story of Britain's television industry as seen from his personal viewpoint. In this week's edition, Dishing the Dirt, he talks to key players involved in the decisions about the show, including Jonathan Powell, who was Controller of BBC One when the series was axed and Lorraine Heggessey who held that role when the series came back in 2005.

Heggessey tells of the difficulties bringing the show back, with the rights being held by BBC Worldwide, but how she was determined to succeeed. "I just remembered it as an iconic show" she said, "I wanted popular drama at the heart of Saturday night."

In the programme Grade talks about the dislike he felt for the series in 1985, which he felt was dated and past its prime. He remembers how he was awarded the Horse's Ass award by Doctor Who Fans in America, an award which he still has sitting in his loo.

Also in the programme Grade talks to former showrunner Russell T Davies, BBC executive Jane Tranter and former Executive Producer Mal Young, as well as current showrunner Steven Moffat who talks about the expectations for the show as it approaches the 50th Anniversary next year. "It is a concern to stamp the word 50 on a series because it should be brand new every few years. But its great as it does give you an excuse for a party and an excuse to take over television again."

The programme can he heard Worldwide on the BBC iPlayer for the next week.