Special Events

icWales asks, "Have you ever dreamed of seeing the Time Lord himself in action? Or ever wondered about the secrets of the Tardis? Well, you won't want to miss this. In Fusion Restaurant is hosting a charity auction in aid of children's charity ChildLine Cymru/Wales on Thursday and the star item is the chance to spend a day with the cast and crew on the set of Dr Who. There are more exclusive items up for grabs, including a football signed by the Welsh team, a personal shopping experience, team paint balling, tickets to Castle Combe Race Circuit and much more. Former Olympic athlete Jamie Baulch, ITV's Justina Simpson and Welsh band DV8 will also be at the auction. Tickets cost 18 and include a reception drink, gourmet oriental buffet and a free goody bag. For more information and to book your tickets, contact Catherine Davies on 029 2048 8118."

NewsWales on the weekend said that, in the first eight days of the free Dr Who exhibition at the Red Dragon Centre, Cardiff Bay, more than 30,000 visitors passed through the doors to enjoy the event and that the number is expected to exceed 50,000 people by the weekend. "From today the exhibition will have a host of brand new exhibits never seen before - which have been brought in as part of a major refit. These include the evil Santas and killer Christmas Tree from the Christmas Day special, the Emperor Dalek and the actual costumes worn by Christopher Ecclestone and Billie Piper from the first series. Also on display will be an Auton guard from the first episode “Rose”; props, prosthetics and costumes of Moxx of Balhoon and Cal Sparkplug from episode two; Slitheen and Space Pig from episodes four and five and Trine-e and Zu-zana from episode 12. Doctor Who Up Close celebrates the success of the series which is filmed in Cardiff, with an exclusive look behind-the-scenes. There are explanatory graphics highlighting Doctor Who’s production involvement in and around Cardiff, together with comments from the production crew and location photographs. Clare Hudson, Head of Programmes (English) at BBC Wales, said: 'I'm delighted the Doctor Who Up Close exhibition is proving such a great success. It’s a fantastic opportunity for people to take a look behind the scenes and I hope that many more people get the chance to go along and be part of the Doctor Who experience.'"

Broadcasting

Episode 1 of the new series, "Rose," will be broadcast this Friday in Israelon the Yes Weekend Network. The times of airing are 19.13 and 22.56 on Friday, with repeats on Saturday at 14.46, next Wednesday at 21.30 and Thursday at 01.15, according to the online TV guide of the Haaretz newspaper. Yes Weekend is a subscription satellite service and so not everyone in Israel will be able to see it, says our correspondent. Also, BBC Prime is supposed to be showing it at some time in the future, and that is available on both Yes and another satellite service, HOT.

According to an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the long-running PBS series "Masterpiece Theatre," David Tennant's recent production of Casanova written by Russell T Davies will air on the series this season. "Masterpiece Theatre," a public broadcasting mainstay in America for 35 years, is the broadcast venue for many popular BBC productions; besides "Casanova," the series will air the recent production of Charles Dickens' "Bleak House," the final installment of "Prime Suspect" and adaptations of "Jane Eyre" and "Sense and Sensibility".

Merchandise

The BBC press release about Doctor Who Adventures, the new bi-weekly children's magazine due out this year, noes that "the publication will launch to coincide with the second series in the Spring and will enable enthusiasts to further enhance their enjoyment of the world's most famous Time Lord and his journeys. Priced at 1.99, Doctor Who Adventures will be filled with authentic content. It will include original comic strips featuring the tenth Doctor and Rose, interviews, competitions and puzzles plus all the essential information about the Doctor, his companions and his enemies. There will also be behind-the-scenes photographs and information from the series. Toni Round, Publisher of BBC Youth & Children's Magazines commented: 'We are proud to be producing this magazine for such an iconic programme. The abundance of material will enable us to give young fans a literary extension of the programme, providing them with fresh and exciting content. We will immerse the reader in the world of Doctor Who, taking them on a big adventure into time and space. Doctor Who Adventures will be packed with monsters and secrets, full of entertainment, action and humour - the must-have magazine for young fans.' Each magazine will be covermounted with a high quality, collectable gift."

The official website notes that the first three Tenth Doctor novels -- "The Stone Rose" by Jacqueline Rayner, "The Feast of the Drowned" by Stephen Cole and "The Resurrection Casket" by Justin Richards -- will be due out in the US and Canada at the same time as in the UK, in April. It also notes the simultaneous May publication of "I Am A Dalek" by Gareth Roberts and "Aliens and Enemies" by Justin Richards. All of these items are noted on ourReleases Guide.

SciFi Wire is reporting that "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" will be released on March 7th on DVD (single and 2-disc versions) and UMD for the Sony PSP. The movie will also form part of a Harry Potter Special Edition 4-pack. The movie features David Tennant as the villainous Barty Crouch Jr., and in a twist of irony, series two guest star Roger Lloyd Pack (John Lumic in the Cybermen two-parter starting with "Rise of the Cybermen") as his father, Barty Crouch Sr.

Series Two

icWales talks about the production team's rumored return to theMillennium Stadium, where "Dalek" was filmed last year. "Wales could have a surprise substitution to call on the next time they play at the Millennium Stadium...Doctor Who! The Timelord is being lined up to land his Tardis inside Wales' sporting mecca - and use the same changing rooms as our football and rugby teams. The Doctor has battled baddies all over Wales but the threat of new foes comes with every episode. So BBC Wales producers were at the stadium in Cardiff this week, checking it out for future inter-galactic battles. 'There were members of the production team taking pictures and having a look around,' said an onlooker. 'They were hoping to film at the stadium when there was a game on, they decided it was too much hassle and now they're just looking at using it. They wanted the Doctor to be running up and down stairs and filming in the BBC commentary box. They were wandering around the building, and even went into the away changing rooms to take pictures.' ... Tunnels in the venue have been used in previous episodes but this time the Doctor is likely to appear in more recognisable parts, making the stadium the latest in a long line of Welsh landmarks on Swansea scriptwriter Russell T Davies' smash hit revival of the telly favourite. But last night the BBC were remaining typically tightlipped about the Doctor's future exploits. 'We used the stadium in series one when we shot in the tunnels. This week the crew were out looking at locations to use. They aren't saying what part of the stadium they were having a look at or why,' a spokesman said."

The TV biz section of Saturday's The Sun claimed a picture exclusive from Rise of the Cybermen (from the same batch of filming as our recent exclusive photos). Headlined "Cyber binmen", it shows a large colour shot of two of the monsters from behind and approaching two large wheeled waste bins. "They've bin away far too long - but now the Cybermen are back in Doctor Who! Our exclusive picture shows the sinister silver robots (sic) coming face to face with a couple of wheelie bins. In the first episode of the last series, Rose's boyfriend Mickey was EATEN by a dustbin. The new Doctor, played by David Tennant, will hope the evil Cybermen share the same fate. The Rise Of the Cybermen, which goes out in the spring, will see former EastEnder Tracy-Ann Oberman - who played evil Chrissy Watts in the soap - portray another baddie." The Sun article also mentions the oft-repeated rumors that the Daleks will appear in the series, although there's been no word from any official source about that.

People

Yesterday's Daily Star says that Billie Piper is "the ultimate comeback kid. Just three years ago, beautiful Billie was more likely to be found propping up the bar of her local pub with husband Chris Evans than in a TV studio. But today entertainment bosses are fighting over the gorgeous blonde thanks to her outstanding performance as Dr Who's sexy sidekick Rose. And it seems the ambitious babe's going from strength to strength. After her stunning appearance in a BBC adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and her role in Dr Who, the 23-year-old now has her own TV series. No wonder she can't stop smiling. ... Billie, voted most popular actress at the National Television Awards, has certainly moved on since she her early days which were often rocked by scandal. Aged just 17 she was forced to deny rumours of drug taking after she collapsed in a London bar. Then she and Evans -who she wed at 18 - hit the headlines when he was sacked after taking a week off work, claiming to be ill. Unfortunately for him, he was caught out when he was pictured boozing with Billie. It seemed the pair were rarely out of the pub and work didn't appear to be their highest priority. Although the couple are still firm friends - she recently described him as 'the most amazing person that I know' - the maturing actress's fame seems to be on its way to eclipsing that of the 39-year-old TV maverick. But maybe that's because Billie, who was also praised for her first acting role in The Miller's Tale in 2003, has finally found a career she loves

Over the weekend the Guardian noted David Tennant would be in a BBC4 drama about Lady Chatterley. "The BBC is reprising the Lady Chatterley trial, 45 years after the event, with a drama written by Andrew Davies. It will be shown in March on BBC4, and probably repeated on BBC2. ...My father, Richard Hoggart, was one of the witnesses in the real trial ... Dad is played by the wonderful David Tennant (Blackpool, Casanova) who has carefully prepared his appearance by watching old interviews, even studying newspaper pictures of the time and having a picture of Dad on his mobile phone. He's extremely convincing - the suit, the hair, the Yorkshire accent, and trickiest of all, the speech rhythms. The only thing wrong is his sideburns. To do this film he had to take 24 hours off from making Doctor Who in Cardiff and, as he explained, the sideburns wouldn't grow back in a day. There, I thought, was a kind of fame - to have researchers and costume directors pore over every detail of your appearance, then be seen in the witness box wearing Doctor Who's face furniture."

The weekend's Sunday Mail says that "Scots star John Barrowmanscored a double whammy when he starred in two prime-time TV shows at the same time. The Glasgow-born actor-singer was seen competing on ITV's new show, Dancing On Ice, which began last night. Barrowman teamed up with dancer Olga Sharutenko along with a host of other celebrities including fellow Scot and weather girl Andrea McLean, Andi Peters and Dame Kelly Holmes. But viewers would have been forgiven for thinking they were seeing double as John, 38, also appeared on new BBC series The Sound Of The Musicals at the same time."

EntertainmentWise notes that "Gay voters have ordained David Tennant as the ‘sexiest man in the universe’ - putting the quirky Dr Who actor before David Beckham, Michael Owen and Brad Pitt. Tennant was gob-smacked to receive the Pink Paper Awards accolade and commented: 'I’m surprised to be thought of like that. Casanova is the only role I’ve played where you had to look good. But that particular Casanova didn't have to be an Adonis. He was more of a cheeky chappie.'" Also reported at Spotlighting News, GayNZ,

Colin Baker spoke to the Daily Express, indicating that he's completely sold on the new series. "Hey amy be a former time traveller but one-time Dr Who Colin Baker does not dwell in the past. Baker, 62, who had the keys to the Tardis for two years from 1984, is full of praise for the show's latest incarnation and current Doctor David Tennant, right, and can't understand why people hark back to earlier shows. 'I have been astounded when diehard fans have expressed a preference for the old series, ' he says. 'It's hard to imagine how the series could be bettered.' Baker praises Tennant for 'a greater self-awareness, vulnerability and humour' than predecessor Christopher Eccleston and gushes, 'Tennant has been blessed with acting ability as well as compelling looks and innate charm.'"

The Scotsman notes that the Scottish Parliament has turned down an invitation to be the venue for the first National Theatre show in Scotland, in a play performed on February 25 with David Tennant in its cast.

Matthew Norman's Media Diary in yesterday's The Independent briefly notes Christopher Eccleston's play "The School of Night" being canceled, and asks, "Incidentally, if anyone was involved with The School of the Night, a play about Christopher Marlowe in which Christopher was due to star and which has been abruptly cancelled so close to opening night, please do get in touch." The weekend's Sunday Times says that "Eccleston was due to star next month in the Comedy theatre's revival of Peter Whelan's The School of Night. The play, first put on by the RSC in 1992, is about the Elizabethan playwright, poet and spy Christopher Marlowe. 'We couldn't make it happen in time,' said the producer, Mark Rubinstein." That's the first indication of a cause for the cancellation from the producers.

Outpost Gallifrey

Normally this wouldn't be cause for a separate subsection, but the Outpost Gallifrey website has been listed as "Site of the Week" at scifi.com, the official website of America's Sci-Fi Channel, the new series broadcaster. "Known as the most popular fan-created Doctor Who site on the Web, Outpost Gallifrey maintains its reputation through diligent tracking of any and every fact pertaining to the crusading Time Lord and his companions—novels, podcasts, music releases, conventions and all other fan activity. The site's detailed episode guide features full cast and crew credits, as well as fan reviews of each installment in the Doctor's long history. ... Now, with the reimagined series bringing new fans to the fold, Outpost Gallifrey allows those who are discovering the series for the first time to catch up on the Doctor's travels, companions and exploits, even as it whets everyone's appetite for still more adventures." The site was also namechecked in a UK play, the Unbroadcastable Radio Show in Manchester; says our correspondent, "the sketch was Davros (which Toby Hadoke does an excellent impression of) speaking like a normal person at a casting agency. The casting agency wanted Davros to sound like Davros though, so showed him a post on Outpost Gallifrey saying that Sylvester McCoy was an excellent Doctor. This so incensed Davros that he got very angry and started speaking like Davros again. It was done very well, and was very funny!" Unbroadcastable Radio is on 8PM every 3rd Sunday of the month at the Comedy Store, Deansgate Locks, Manchester, UK, and always features Davros.

Miscellaneous

The South Wales Echo notes that "A young fan was starstruck when he came face to face with his hero - and a few villains. Sam Hill, five, was with parents Andy and Melanie watching the new Dr Who series being filmed. And when there was a break in the action, which saw Cybermen marching up Womanby Street, he had the chance to meet new Doctor David Tennant. Mum-of-three Melanie, of Fleur-de-Lys, near Blackwood, said: 'We're all part of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society. Sam really wanted to go as he's a massive fan.' During a break in filming, one of their friends approached the new Doctor and told him about his young fan. Melanie, 33, said: 'He was such a lovely bloke and said it wasn't a problem. He picked Sam up and posed for a picture, asking if he'd seen the Christmas special. Sam was so thrilled and carried the picture around with him all day.' Sam, a pupil at Fleur-de-Lys Primary School, said: 'I like the picture of me with him. It was really exciting to meet him.'"

Other items: BBC News noted David Tennant on the TV chart as we reported last week; Daily Snack says that "'Billie Piper’s Hollywood ambitions received a major boost last night after Doctor Who was snapped up by American TV. The sexy 23-year-old has pledged to remain in her role as Who’s sidekick Rose Tyler for at least one more series"; today'sIndependent says that "it is a self-evident truth that Russell T Davies's Doctor Who is better now than it ever was in its so-called golden age"; yesterday's Guardian says that "The tweed suits, the scruffy trainers, the slightly dishevelled English gent look - sci fi never looked so good and it will inevitably affect the catwalk"; RTE says that "'Doctor Who' star John Barrowman has been installed as the bookmakers' favourite to win 'Dancing on Ice' after just one live performance; hot on his heels are actress Bonnie Langford and former 'Coronation Street' star Sean Wilson, who played Martin Platt in the soap.";

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Peter Weaver, Robert J.E. Simpson, John Bowman, Justine Metal, Daniel Baum)

The results have been announced of BBC.co.uk's online Drama: Best of 2005 survey. Best drama, a runaway victory with 55.86% of the vote, isDoctor Who, with Bleak House in second place with 15.95%. Russell T Davies's Casanova starring David Tennant has taken equal sixth place with Holby City. In the Best Actor category, David Tennant is in second place (9.15%), while Christopher Eccleston romps home with 59.42%. Anna Maxwell Martin ('The Long Game') is third-placed Best Actress for her lead role in Bleak House, and the same show's Gillian Anderson came second, butBillie Piper's 59.76% proved unbeatable.

Another double win comes in the Favourite Moment category: the Doctor's regeneration is in second place (6.23%), but the return of the Daleks ('Dalek', 8.63%) led the field. Favourite Villain: the Emperor Dalek manages only fifth place (3.29%)... perhaps because the Daleks take first place with 46.40%. The villains chart also includes the Empty Child and Margaret Slitheen in joint eighth place (1.42%), the Slitheen in equal tenth (with EastEnders' Dirty Den), the Editor ('The Long Game') is equal thirteenth, and Cassandra ('The End of the World') is equal fifteenth.

The category for Most Desirable Star has Doctor Who seeing off all opposition: John Barrowman's Captain Jack is in fourth place; Christopher Eccleston comes third; David Tennant is second; and, of course, Billie Piper takes the top spot with 26.47% of the vote. Also, with a huge 71.17%, theofficial Doctor Who website takes first position as Best Drama Website. Worst Drama also features Doctor Who, with 1.55% of the vote securing it equal eleventh place in a category easily won by Rome (22.69%).

An interesting footnote: on the Best Website list... beyond the top ten -- all BBC or ITV official sites -- the top-rated fan site is Outpost Gallifrey, at #11... one of only two fan sites to make the top 20 list. (We're honored!)

The full results and comments from voters are available at the Best of 2005website. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)

Outpost Gallifrey has received a large number of photographs taken during the filming of Series Two of Doctor Who this past week, as production continues on Block Three directed by Graeme Harper, the two-parter "Rise of the Cybermen" and its second (as yet untitled) half, being shown as episodes 5 and 6, and the final two-parter, episodes 12 and 13, "Army of Ghosts" and "Doomsday". The photographs, taken on location in Cardiff, feature Cybermen on patrol, series stars David Tennant, Billie Piper and guest star Shaun Dingwall (Pete) and director Graeme Harper; some of them are taken during night filming, hence the darkness of the images (especially those taken while filming was going on, as our correspondents did not use flash photography to avoid spoiling the shot). In addition, we have a collection of set reports as submitted by our correspondents over the past seven days, collected here for easy reading; as some of this can be considered to be spoilers, click on the spoiler tag to read the set reports, and click on each thumbnail for a larger version of the photographs. (Thanks to Paul Mount, David Shaw, Chris Lane, Matt Spencer, Gareth Price, Simon Watkins, Ian Golden, John Campbell Rees, Timothy Farr)

Dark Horizons today featured an exclusive interview with Sophia Myleswoh is currently starring in the new film "Tristan and Isolde" and will feature this season in "Doctor Who" as Madame du Pompadour in the episode "The Girl in the Fireplace". Says Myles in a very brief mention of the series, "It was fantastic, I did one episode... I mean it is a bit like being called...when you get asked to do Dr Who it is a bit like being called to Jury service you can't really say no I mean it runs through the veins of the British public and it's Doctor Who."

The official Doctor Who website now features a short discussion with executive producer Julie Gardner about the sale of the series to the Sci-Fi Channel in the US. Gardner mentions that she went over to America just before Christmas to tell Sci Fi what the episodes were all about and what the production team's hopes were for the show. Gardner also says that she's happy Sci-Fi is carrying the show and how they "just really felt like the right people [to air the show]. They really did get it. They were happy with how British it is, they really liked the humor. They really, really got it. And that was the most important thing." She also expects about two more months of shooting for the second series (noting that they're filming episodes with Cybermen currently, and that they've been marching in formation on the streets of Cardiff) and that they expect the show to air "in the Spring," and that she's seen some finished episodes already and that they look "really really beautiful and really exciting."

TV Zone Magazine features a new interview with Russell T Davies, who "ponders the challenges of regenerating the Doctor, reviving classic monsters, and coming up with something more Christmassy than The Christmas Invasion…" "It's bizarre, isn't it?" Davies tells the magazine. "Who'd have thought, this time last year… it's just inconceivable. You've seen BBC launches; you don't get the Controller of BBC 1, you don't get the Controller of Drama standing up and giving a speech at the beginning. It's quite extraordinary; that's how much they're behind it. You ask for the time and you ask for the money, and you ask them for facilities, and that's how supportive they are. ... It would be a thrill to go to the cinema and see [a film] happen but literally there wouldn't even be time to think about it right now. I do think in the future it'd be lovely to do a middle range, Serenity-sort-of-level film – like, 'We don't need that much money, just give us enough so we can see what we can do'. It's tempting, but there's no time to be tempted by it! Like I say, maybe when it's all over, then the dust might settle – then again, the movie people would say the impetus has gone! And we wouldn't, at the moment, hand it over for them to do that. I mean, very clearly, if they poked their head in now and said, 'We want to make a film with David now,' we'd say, 'No'. ... Especially when you're used to the history of Doctor Who, and you get told those stories [about casting] about how they all gathered in meetings and decided on, 'the cosmic hobo', and things like that. We didn't! They just said, 'Off you go and write the next episode, and write the regeneration'. It's the thing about having great actors; you don't have to describe it to them; you don't have to say, 'He's left handed, he says his lines in a funny way, he says his lines sarcastically, he's sad on this line'; all those stage directions that bad writers always put in – 'brackets, he's sad, close brackets'. You do a bit of that in every script, obviously, but with great actors you just let them fill the space. Mainly what you're writing is the story... I mean, he's reborn, he's full of energy. He's got rid of some of the baggage of the Time War, he's a new man. So you don't simply go, 'What are this Doctor's habits?', you go, 'What is the story, how does he develop through the story?' It's drama writing as opposed to genre writing; you don't get hooked up on 'the cosmic hobo', and all that. You don't sit there going, 'Who is the Doctor, what is he?', you say, 'In this story, how could we fulfil the best dramatic impact?' And that's what you're writing; you wait 40 minutes for him to arrive and when he does, he gets a round of applause!"

Says ic Wales, "Drinkers would have been forgiven for spilling their pints when they saw a troop of Cybermen marching outside a pub. But the only thing the streets of Cardiff were under attack from was a film crew, as scenes for the new series of Doctor Who were shot. Fans looking through the windows of The Gatekeeper yesterday evening were able to see all the action taking place on Womanby Street, parts of which were closed off to the public. Celebrity spotters were lucky enough to get a glimpse of new Doctor David Tennant and sidekick Rose, played by Billie Piper, as scenes for the BBC Wales series were filmed around The Horse and Groom and The Gatekeeper pubs. But the metal robots, which have caused countless children to hide behind sofas, didn't seem quite so scary when the actors playing them were seen in anoraks."

Doctor Who fan Ian Levine, who for years has been involved in campaigns to locate and return to the archives classic episodes of "Doctor Who" that had been purged from the BBC archives in the 1970's, today noted on the Restoration Team forum that after years of searching, he's located a favored source. For two decades, Levine has searched for a man namedTom Lundie, whose off-air video recordings of several classic Jon Pertwee episodes, including "Terror of the Autons," "Doctor Who and The Silurians" and "The Daemons," were instrumental in their eventual restoration for video release (specifically, the colorization of these stories for video); Lundie also possessed the only color footage known to exist from "The Mind of Evil," a clip later placed on the BBC video release. Levine has contacted Lundie again to borrow his off-air recordings to see if there is anything additional that can be salvaged.

Today's Mirror notes that John Barrowman was told he was "too straight" for TV sitcom Will and Grace, "even though he's about to marry his gay partner. And the 38-year-old actor, who came out in his 20s, said the fact that the part of Will eventually went to straight actor Eric McCormack is typical of 'homophobic' Hollywood. 'And the sad thing is it's run by gay men and women,' he added. Glaswegian John - who plans to formalise his 10-year relationship with architect boyfriend Scott Gill - has become a household name as bisexual Captain Jack Harkness and even has a BBC3 spin-off Torchwood. And tomorrow, John will battle in the rink with other celebs, including David Seaman and Kelly Holmes, in ITV1's new show Dancing on Ice. 'Tonight I won't sleep,' said John. 'If you fall, you gotta get back up and finish. There's no bulls****ing.'" Other reports on this story at Ananova,Contact Music, Hecklerspray.

The latest issue of Programme Extra - a collection of interviews, previews and information that wraps around each programme in the Nimax Theatres group (London's Apollo, Duchess, Garrick, Lyric and Vaudeville theatres) - has a 2-page interview feature titled "John Barrowman: when, where and why." As well as discussing his early roles ("I created a stir"), theatrical superstitions ("If there's a ghost I'll say hello to them. A bar of soap in my dressing room when I leave the building because there's a superstition that if you leave something in the room you will return"), his most embarrassing experiences on stage and who he would invite to a fantasy dinner party (Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Queen Victoria, Kevin Costner and Ann Miller), he answers the question 'What projects are you most looking forward to in 2006?' with a hint that he may yet be back for series two: "The Sound of Musicals which I've just filmed for the BBC because I am so proud to be a part of bringing musicals back to television. I cannot wait to start Torchwood which is my own spin off series as Captain Jack and also my return to the Tardis for Doctor Who."

Says Daily Snack, "Doctor Moooooo! Sexy Billie Piper has revealed how she got a real beast of a Christmas surprise when a friend gave her two cows. Billie - who plays Doctor Who sidekick Rose Tyler - sneaks off to visit the pair in between filming for the smash hit show. The 23-year-old blonde fell in love with the heifers, so they are stopping at a friend’s farm instead of heading to the slaughterhouse. Billie said: 'The best Christmas present I ever got was two cows. Yes that’s right. Cows. As in moo cows. Because it was Christmas and they are both female I called them Mary and Josephine. Seriously that’s true. The cows are in a farm and I see them now and again.' Shapely Billie has obviously been bitten by the animal bug. She’s nicknamed her new co-star David Tennant - who plays The Doctor - 'Bambi'. She thinks the 34-year- old actor is a dead ringer for Disney’s baby deer. Billie tells the official Doctor Who Magazine: 'David is a lot more different in the role of The Doctor than Christopher Eccleston was. He dances more with the role. I guess he’s a bit more like a baby deer. He’s my little Bambi.' The BBC1 show returns in the spring and writer Russell T Davies, 42, has lined up a host of top stars. Comedy favourite Roger Lloyd Pack, 61, Anthony Head, 51, of Little Britain and My Family’s Zoë Wanamaker, 56, will all appear. K-9, the Cybermen and old assistant Sarah Jane Smith (Elizabeth Sladen, 57) will also return."

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Peter Weaver, John Bowman, Kevin West, Gary Custer, John Hutton)

At long last... America will finally get the first season of the new Doctor Who television series, according to a press release on the official Doctor Who website. The US-based Sci-Fi Channel, owned by NBC Universal, has secured a deal to broadcast the 13 episodes in America starting in March, beginning on what Outpost Gallifrey believes is likely March 17 (the week after the season finales of the popular "Battlestar Galactica" and two "Stargate" shows), at 9:00pm Friday nights, and it will likely conclude at some point in mid-to-late June in time for Sci-Fi's summer premieres of those shows. The press release notes that Sci-Fi has an optionfor series two, likely to be acted upon after initial ratings come in.

In conjunction with the announcement, the press release also mentions the delay of the US DVD release of the first season, now rescheduled for July 2006 to follow the final broadcast of the show's first season. While no official announcement had recently come, speculation persisted that the DVDs had been pulled from their original February 14 release date. However, interestingly, the release of the DVD set is listed in Canada on Amazon.ca for February 14, perhaps indicative of a possible Canadian release on that date and having the US release follow five months later.

Also, missing from the announcement is any indication of the status of the classic Doctor Who series. BBC America previously pulled the broadcast of the classic series, opting not to renew broadcast rights (only two stations in the US currently show it, on long-term broadcast contracts) to sell both series together. It is likely that a new offer was made to Sci-Fi without the classic series, but the status of the 'old show' remains to be seen.

Date, Timeslot Notes: Where are we getting the March 17 date, people are asking? That's the week after the end of the current 'back ten episode' seasons of the "Stargate" and "Battlestar Galactica" series currently running on Sci-Fi, and we're told this will follow immediately. As Sci-Fi is preempting "Stargate Atlantis", what this means for the other shows on that night is anyone's guess -- i.e. whether or not "Stargate SG-1" or "Battlestar Galactica" continue in reruns or are pulled from the schedule -- but it's potentially an attempt to continue the ratings Sci-Fi currently has, as the channel has several shows now in production (including the sci-fi drama/comedy series "Eureka") that it might pair the series with; we simply don't know at this point.

Whither "Confidential"?: There is no official word on any potential airing of the "Doctor Who Confidential" documentary series that aired along with the UK run of the program (on BBC Three), though it is extremely unlikely that this was part of the package purchased. However, Sci-Fi is known for one-shot documentaries to introduce new shows, and some footage from the Confidential series could potentially be used if such a documentary were considered.

Press Clips: The Sci-Fi Channel has posted its news story about the acquisition; other reports have come from a variety of locations includingBBC News, United Press International, The Futon Critic, IF Magazine, TV Squad,Chicago Tribune, IGN Filmforce, Now Playing Mag, Cinescape, Gateworld, TV Shows on DVD, Addict3d,CBBC News, Entertainmentwise, Short News, Comingsoon.net, The Register, Dark Horizons, Hollywood Reporter, Web India, New Kerala, Menafn, Sci-Fi Online, Access Hollywood, Zap2It,Worldscreen, Digital Spy,
Morons.org, About.com. Also, the Associated Press has distributed the story and it's shown up so far in dozens of online editions of US print newspapers (all the same story, so we won't link them here).

The press release is below. Outpost Gallifrey will continue to keep you posted on this developing story.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Rich Kirkpatrick, and the literallyhundreds of eager fans who've written into Outpost Gallifrey about the news... we suggest you visit our Forum, where the discussion has been running wild all day!)

Broadcasting

Doctor Who will be starting in Spain on the Digital Plus satellite platform from Thursday January 19. The series is being broadcast on the "People + Arts" channel (number 27 on the Digital Plus channel listing) which shows a range of BBC drama, comedy and entertainment shows. The first broadcasts are on Thursday 19th at 2230 spanish time (GMT+1) with a repeat at 0230 on the morning of the 20th; further showings will take place on Friday 20th at 0630 and 1500, with three more timeslots on Saturday 21st at 0600, 1400 and 2130. Although it's not clear if these are all repeats of the first episode this would be the usual pattern for the channel.

Radio Times

There's an assortment of items of interest to Doctor Who fans in the new edition of Radio Times (issue dated 14-20 January 2006), including how Russell T Davies came up with the Sycoraxic language. John Barrowman, aka Captain Jack, is granted a panel piece in a three-page feature about the ITV show Dancing On Ice, in which he is taking part. Headlined "Captain Jack of all trades", it looks at Broadway and West End productions he appeared in before Doctor Who, and mentions him co-hosting BBC1's The Sound of Musicals the same evening (Saturdays from 14 January). The article states, surprisingly, that Captain Jack is back in Doctor Who this year (which might simply be a misnomer) and will have his own show - Torchwood - which Barrowman denies will be an "X-rated Doctor Who". He says: "It's going to be Britain's answer to The X-Files, with the craft and the humour from This Life." In the Letters section, the Letter of the Week has an amusing suggestion as to what kind of man the new Doctor is, following on from the character's bid to find out in The Christmas Invasion: spending most of his time in bed; strange things issuing from his mouth when he opens it; spending the day wandering around in pyjamas after having a cup of tea - that makes him a teenager. It is illustrated with a Christmas Invasion publicity still of David Tennant and Billie Piper in costume in front of the Tardis with snow and Christmas tree.

On the next page, in the You Ask Us feature, a reader poses the questions was Sycoraxic based on a real language, was it backwards words, were there hidden messages, was it a real, functioning language such as Klingon, or were the actors making up gibberish? Russell T Davies, who scripted the Sycorax word for word, answers: "Sycoraxic was completely invented. I just made it up! But I did try to give it some logic, so that the same word always meant the same thing: 'Soo chack chiff!' means 'You're going to die!', which tends to get said a lot in Doctor Who. And I did try to parse the verbs, but it wasn't too rigorous - I don't think universities will be offering degrees in Sycoraxic any time soon!" It is accompanied by a picture of the Sycorax leader, with the caption VOICE OF DOOM "Soo chack chiff" yourself. In the One Final Question section at the back of the magazine, Patrick Stewart takes a swipe at journalists by denying that his new series Eleventh Hour is anything like an ITV version of "Doctor Who". Interviewer Benji Wilson asks him: "A newspaper journalist said it was like an ITV Doctor Who . . ." to which Stewart replies: "That couldn't be more wrong and only came about through some of your lazy colleagues seeing my name and the word 'science' in the same sentence, and the only thing they could think of was science-fiction. It has nothing to do with science-fiction and nothing to do with Doctor Who." He states there are no aliens, and that he plays a retired physicist working for the government as a scientific adviser out in the field. "My job is to investigate illegal, criminal, dangerous or bad science," he says.

On Music

The BBC Press Office has today released some details of the launch this afternoon of Blue Peter's 'Music Makers' competition, "a search to find 40 viewers passionate about music - to help make television history". The winners "will get the chance to work with top TV composer Murray Gold, of Doctor Who fame, and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra". More information is available at the Musicmakers website on BBC online, and the full press release can be read here, while Gold's interview on Blue Peter, in which he discussed both his new version of the theme and Delia Derbyshire's original, is currently available in full on the official Doctor Who website.

The official site also today has a brief interview with Murray Gold about the song used at the end of "The Christmas Invasion". "It's called 'Song for Ten' in honour of David Tennant being Doctor Ten," says Gold to the official site. "James Hawes mentioned in passing, while I was writing the score for TCI that he might need a song or two. I sang Jingle Bells and made my voice sound weird then performed the backing vocals on Song for Ten. I watched through the sequence lots of times and tried to find the sentiment that was true to the moment and express it lyrically. I wanted to hit that lovely moment when the Doctor and Rose smile at each other, and the lyric: 'You followed your star, cause that's what you are...' just leapt out. ... If you think it does have a Phil Spector way about it, I'm happy, because I adore him, and also the songs of Holland Dozier Holland who are the Lennon and McCartney of Motown. Phil Spector's often described as creating a 'Wall of Sound.' Big production, lots of timpani and strings and multi-tracked vocals. It's basically fantastic pop music. You just need lots of spare tracks." He notes that the song was sung by Tim Phillips, who he calls "a real upcoming talent. I wanted to nab him to sing a song in case next time he's too big. He's got an album out soon which he partly mixed in my studio. As I said, he and I performed backing vocals. I played the instruments. ... If there's ever an album of Doctor Who music from the series, I'm sure it would be on that."

Other Items

David Tennant was listed in third place in the February edition of the SCI-FI Channel's official magazine under "26 People to Watch in 2006" along with many other notable celebrities from television and film.

This Saturday's edition of The Guardian newspaper will be giving away a free DVD copy of "Let Him Have It", Christopher Eccleston's 1991 film debut in which he stars as Derek Bentley, the real-life story of how a 19 year-old was hanged for murdering a policeman who was shot by Bentley's friend when Bentley himself was already in police custody.

Also, MediaGuardian.co.uk's "Monkey" gossip column has another report about the "Doctor Who Adventures" magazine.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, John Bowman, Paul Hayes, Nigel Rainford, Frank Dana, Mike Mould and Brian Smith)

Editor's Note

To the readers of the News Page... sorry for the brief delay in getting the latest news update out; the editor's been working on a project (theGallifrey 2006 convention) that took up free time in the evenings. This catches us up with the press coverage from the past week.

On Television

CBBC Newsround online last Friday looked at this year's "rising stars", including David Tennant, noting without comment that the second series will be onscreen "from April"... "You might be aware of him from The Christmas Invasion episode of Doctor Who, and of course, as barking mad Barty Crouch Jr in the Goblet of Fire, But this man is going to be huge this year! Doctor Who is already one of the BBC's most popular programmes, and David Tennant will be on our screens every week from April as the 10th Time Lord. His performance on Christmas Day suggests he's going to be a quirky but loveable Doctor, and a HUGE heart-throb."

David Tennant will play philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau in BBC Two's serial "The Romantics" about English Romantic poets; it's written and presented by Peter Ackroyd and starts very soon, completing its run on 4 February.

John Barrowman was a guest on C4's Richard and Judy show on 9 January.

The official Doctor Who website has a short piece on Murray Gold, composer of the music for the current series. It says that "Doctor Who composer Murray Gold will feature in this Wednesday's edition of Blue Peter. Find out all about the man, his music, and now, his orchestra! Tune into Blue Peter this Wednesday from 5pm on BBC1." That's Wednesday 12 January.

People

Will Billie Piper quit Doctor Who for a new starring role? Lots of papers are asking that after reports indicate that Piper has assumed her first leading role: in an adaptation of Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart stories. "But Billie's success will further fuel speculation that she is about to quit Doctor Who," says the Daily Express. "Billie will start work on the first Sally Lockhart story -- The Ruby In The Smoke -- in May. 'The Sally Lockhart episode is being shot in between season two and three of Doctor Who so it doesn't mean Billie couldn't shoot series three,' a BBC spokeswoman said. However, other television insiders said it was unlikely Billie would return. 'She has made a terrific impression in Doctor Who, and for a young relatively inexperienced actress to hold her own against Christopher Eccleston [in series one] was no mean feat,' said one experienced drama producer. 'She has been a major part of Doctor Who's success. But at the same time, now she has proved herself why would she want to get trapped in the part of Rose, when such other riches are on offer careerwise?'" A BBC press release includes comments from Laura Mackie, Head of BBC Drama Series and Serials, who says, "I am absolutely thrilled to have acquired the rights to Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart Mysteries. Philip is without question one of Britain's leading novelists. His books are full of absorbing characters, engaging multi-layered plots that appeal to both adults and children alike. The adaptation of these novels furthers BBC ONE's commitment to offering more varied and ambitious drama for its audiences. Billie Piper is an extremely versatile actress whose talent has deservedly been recognised by critics and audiences alike. Following on from her success as the Doctor's fearless companion Rose Tyler in Doctor Who, and the endearing Hero in Much Ado About Nothing, Billie is the perfect choice for bringing to life this engaging and fearless heroine." Philip Pullman's "The Ruby In The Smoke," the first book in the quartet, charts the adventures of Sally, a feisty young Victorian heroine, who is on a journey to discover the truth behind her father's death, and unravel the mystery behind 'The Seven Blessings'. "Adapted by the highly-acclaimed writer Adrian Hodges (Rome, Charles II: The Power & The Passion, The Lost World), The Ruby In The Smoke is a gripping tale of mystery, danger, puzzling letters and a jewel soaked in blood. The film is set in the heart of Victorian London. ... The Ruby In The Smoke will start filming in May 2006, followed by the second novel, The Shadow In The North. The executive producers are Sally Woodward Gentle and Laura Mackie. The producer is Kate Bartlett. Director and further casting details to follow." Sky Showbizasks "Is Billie Bigger Than Chris?" referring to her husband Chris Evans, another popular headline about this story. Other news agencies reporting this include BBC News, The Sun, The Stage, The Scotsman,Media Guardian, Daily Record, Times Online, Ananova, Hello Magazine,SwindonWeb, icLiverpool, RTE,Daily Mail, the Irish Examiner, C21 Media, Daily Snack, CBBC and The Mirror.

Piper also guest hosted The Friday Night Project on 6 January. The event featured Q&A's for her from the audience, and there was a TARDIS present too -- out of which came characters from which Billie had to guess the year in which they were well-known. Said the Sun the day of transmission, "Billie Piper looks to have upset a Cyberman by laughing at him on C4's The Friday Night Project. Comics Justin Lee Collins and bespectacled Alan Carr join in tonight's giggle. The show sees joking Billie, 23, lead monsters on an ice rink conga." Digital Spy has a brief review.

Word out is that Christopher Eccleston's play "The School of Night" was canceled. Albemarle-London says it was scheduled to open 27 February but "has now been cancelled. The School of Night was due to star Christopher Eccleston as the playwright, poet and spy Christopher Marlowe. No reason for the cancellation, barely six weeks before it was due to start preview performances, has been given." The cancellation has also been noted at The Stage, Official London Theatre, What's On Stage,Broadway.com, Broadway World, Playbill, Brand Republic.

Fourth Doctor Tom Baker was voted fourth in a BBC poll of the world's most eccentric stars; singer Bjork came in first place. Reported at BBC News, The Daily Mail, The Scotsman, The Independent,BreakingNews.ie, Evening Echo, Irish Examiner, U.TV,Entertainment News Australia, Stuff.co.nz, New Zealand Herald.

The Eastern Courier Messenger in Australia ran a feature article aboutTristram Cary, one of the fathers of electronic music and one of the early greats in Doctor Who's musical history. "The 80-year-old Glen Osmond composer recently received a lifetime achievement award from the Adelaide Critics' Circle for his contribution to music in England and Australia. Over a 50-plus year career, he has composed scores for well-loved movies such as The Ladykillers, Hammer Studios horror flicks, Dr Who episodes and BBC Radio shows. 'I grew up in music, my mother sang for my father every night. People would come around to our house in Oxford and play and sing and I thought all homes were like this,' he said. 'When I went into the navy in 1943, suddenly there was not any music and I discovered that it was the most important thing to me.' A love of electronics led him into the navy's radar corps, where he began to hear whispers about a new way of recording music on tape. 'The only problem was that we could not get one of the new tapes because the Germans had it. He continued to dream of combining his electronics and music and after leaving the navy, music became his world. He went on to design the VCS3 Putney synthesiser and in 1967 he founded the electronic music studio at London's Royal College of Music. In the mid-'70s, he moved to Australia, where he continued to lecture and compose. Mr Cary is now dividing his time between composing, writing his autobiography and compiling an archive of his life's work." Cary's music for Doctor Who was featured two years ago on the BBC Music CD release "Devil's Planets: The Music of Tristram Cary."

Former companion Caroline John will be starring in a one woman show written by actress Lynn Redgrave, "Nightingale," which will have its world premiere this winter at the U.K.'s New End Theatre in Hampstead. The one-woman piece, starring John and directed by the author, is scheduled to run from January 17 through February 18. Inspired by memories of the playwright's maternal grandmother, Beatrice Kempson, mother of the late Rachel Kempson (also known as Lady Redgrave), Nightingale is the story of Mildred Asher (John) whose voice, like the song of the nightingale, can only be heard in the dark.

Australia's Gold Coast Bulletin said on 5 January that "Doctor Who star Katy Manning will come to Brisbane in the off-Broadway smash hit Me and Jezebel. HRH and I saw a one-off production of this show a couple of years ago at the StageDoor Dinner Theatre and loved it! Katy Manning plays in this one-woman show with authority and style, and it is directed by Aussie theatre legend Barry Crocker. Me and Jezebel is Elizabeth Fuller's true-life account of how Hollywood actor Bette Davis came to her home to stay for one night and ended staying for a month - turning her household upside down, teaching her child profanities and nearly wrecking her marriage. Again, it is playing at StageDoor Dinner Theatre, (underneath 12th Night Theatre) on Cintra Road, Bowen Hills. The season runs from February 3 to the end of March. This is very good stuff and performed beautifully. Catch dinner and show or show only at this intimate venue. It is recommended unconditionally. Book at the StageDoor DinnerTheatre box office, phone 3216 1115."

Rula Lenska, who guest-starred as Styles in the Peter Davison serial "Resurrection of the Daleks", is currently one of the housemates on this year's Celebrity Big Brother, currently being broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK.

Books

According to Amazon, the second Justin Richards-penned Monsters and Villains paperback, due to be published on 18 May, has now been retitledAliens and Enemies. The book has also gained a synopsis: "The Cybermen are back to terrorise time and space - but luckily the new Doctor, played by David Tennant, and Rose are back to stop them. Picking up where "Monsters and Villains" left off, this fully illustrated guide documents the return of these metal menaces, as well as the Sycorax and other foes from the new series, plus first series terrors like the Gelth and the Reapers. More classic baddies such as the Celestial Toymaker, Sutekh and the Robots of Death also make a welcome appearance."

Last week's edition of The Bookseller noted that Panini's Doctor Who Annual 2006 had "time-travelled back in the right direction" in the Top 20 Children's Books chart, rising from 15 to 13 with unit sales of 9,984 in the seven days to 24 December. The trade magazine also previews new books being published in April, spotlighting The Science of Doctor Who by Paul Parsons (Icon Books): "Here's How Who Does It. Account of the cutting-edge science, as well as the science fiction, behind Doctor Who, including why time travel isn't ruled out by the laws of physics, how genetic engineering is being used to breed Dalek-like lifeforms, and the medical truth about the Doctor's two hearts and the real creature that has five. Parsons is the editor of the BBC's monthly science and technology magazine, Focus, as well as a life-long worshipper of Doctor Who. There's also a foreword by Arthur C. Clarke."

Meanwhile, Kingsway Publications will soon release Behind the Sofa: A Closer Look at Dr Who by Anthony Thacker. "The Doctor Who series has taken the BBC by storm, with millions of viewers and multiple awards. This book discovers the spiritual themes behind the series, as well as facts about classic Doctor Who. It includes various discussion questions." The book is due out on March 1.

Miscellaneous

In the Australian Sun-Herald Magazine "Sunday Life" (dated 8 January 2006) Scott Ellis writes the following in reference to television worth watching in 2006: "Alien Invaders -- Invasion (Nine), Surface (Ten), Supernatural (Ten) and Doctor Who (ABC): Science fiction is back on the agenda with visitors from space, from under the waves and from inside our own memories. Best of the bunch, however, remains the Doctor, who returns with a new body (courtesy of Casanova star David Tennant)." There is also a small photo of David, Billie and the TARDIS taken from the launch of the new costume. Interesting, since as far as we know, the ABC has not yet confirmed that it is buying Series Two...

The Spectator, a right-wing periodical, has this to say about "The Christmas Invasion": "Russell T. Davies's Doctor Who special... had the new Doctor Who David Tennant showing worryingly peacenik tendencies. Just after the Doctor had persuaded an evil race called the Sycorax to bugger off in their gargantuan, rock-shaped spaceship and never trouble Earth again, the Prime Minister Harriet Jones, after brief consultation with Washington, sent up a huge rocket and blew them to smithereens. Our wussie new Doctor was outraged by this underhand behaviour, but it seems to me that the Prime Minister was only doing her job. What guarantee had these hissing, slimy, alien creatures provided that they would never try to conquer Earth again? None at all. I hope the nation's kiddies were sensible enough to see through Davies's dangerous pacifist propaganda."

The January 2006 edition of UK toy industry trade magazine Toy Newsfeatures Doctor Who as its cover story, with the new series logo adorning a publicity picture of ranks of new series Daleks with the Houses of Parliament in the far background, and the headline "We are the supreme beings"! Inside is a two-page Supplier Focus feature on Character Options, which has the licence for Doctor Who toys, looking at what sort of shape the City-listed company is in as the year starts. The main images, in colour, are of the David Tennant and Billie Piper action figures plus a Slitheen figure. Character Options has also made a name for itself with its Robo line (RoboSapien, RoboRaptor, RoboSapien V2, RoboPet) but the article, by Stuart Dinsey, points out this is "only one ingredient in the product mix". The article, interviewing marketing manager Jerry Healy, says "in-house development is at the heart of Character's long-term strategy, as this offers better margins and wider distribution potential. Examples of this are the popular Dr Who (sic) products introduced last year, with an expanded range and even better sales expected this year." No actual sales figures are given or predicted. The piece finishes by saying Healy expects that this year Character will "make headway in the boys' sectors thanks to a number of Superman products and Dr Who, which sees the addition of the Cybermen later this year". Also in the magazine, as part of the retail sales trends section, Dr Who (sic) is named best property progression for November 2005. Illustrated with a pic of the David Tennant action figure, it says: "Dr Who has been progressing well since the launch of the new series last autumn (sic). Whereas in October the property was still outside the top 100, November saw it climb the ladder considerably. So far, RC Dalek is the best selling item in the range." Character Options will have a stand at the 2006 Toy Fair, taking place at ExCel in London's Docklands from Wednesday 25 to Saturday 28 January. This is the UK toy market's annual showcase.

Brand Republic mentions the publication of the new "Doctor Who Adventures" periodical from BBC Magazines, while the BBC has now issued apress release about it.

The Sun ran a story on 9 January noting that "Barmy fans of Doctor Who want to hire a psychic to track down missing episodes of the hit show." Picking up on a small handful of tongue-in-cheek posts on the Outpost Gallifrey Foru, the Sun said that "More than 100 programs of the sci-fi classic are lost and now fans are turning to out of this world powers to locate them. Fan Brian Wilson said: 'If people can use psychics to reunite family with deceased loved ones then it is quite conceivable we can use a psychic to track down these missing episodes. These shows are important to the heritage of Dr Who.' Members of the world's largest Doctor Who forum, Gallifrey One, have banded together in their search. One desperate fan, Supervoc posted on the forum: 'I am on my knees in hope and desperation. I will be through the roof if even just one more story is found. We must live in hope!' Another Ian7 said: 'I am convinced there are countless missing episodes yet to be found. I know it is going to happen. I have complete and utter faith. I believe we should all have this faith. Think it. Feel it. Wish it. It is going to happen!' ... Wilson added: 'A lot of fans are extremely passionate about finding these episodes, it is a nostalgia thing.' The fans want to get Derek Acorah from Most Haunted to use his powers to help in the search. Acorah is rumoured to be making a guest appearance in an upcoming episode of the new series of Dr Who on the BBC in April." Of course, one should not expect hard hitting journalism from The Sun...

Unit News has a feature story on Lancasters Armourie, who constructed the Sycorax swords as featured in "The Christmas Invasion." Our main customers are full contact re-enactors and have only recently started selling them for TV production although they have been used on stage for a number of years," they tell the site. "We use Chrome Nickel Molybdenum steel (commonly known as tank armour) this is a very expensive steel but it does last and we have to buy it a tonne at a time. We also have our own recipe for tempering them which is what makes them that bit more special." Read the full article at the website.

Other stories: EDP24 discusses the launch of a line of celebrity bottles, with David Tennant mentioned as one of the backers; The Day mentions that there's no broadcast date but apparently DVDs will be in the US soon (now disproven); the Mirror ran an "exclusive" on 9 January about casting in the new series... exclusively ripped off from the pages of Doctor Who Magazine, that is; Now Playing Magazine has a "Christmas Invasion" review; The Scotsman reports that David Tennant may join the festivities for the 40th anniversary gala of the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company; theWanstead and Woodford Guardian discusses a home made TARDIS in Epping; theMirror notes that Peter Davison has "joined the great and good as one of 32,000 names in Who's Who".

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Peter Weaver, John Bowman, Paul Hayes, Dominic May, Griff Phillips, Kevin West, Darren Pickles, Adam Kirk, Murray Harper, Jonathan Hall, Mike Mould)

The December 24-January 6 edition of Canada's TV Guide Magazine features a two page artcle on the new Doctor Who and The Christmas Invasion. The article previews the Christmas special and interviews Billie Piper, and states that the next season of Doctor Who hits Canadian airwaves in "fall 2006". It therefore looks like that, if the second series debuts in the UK in April as we expect, it'll have more of a delay for Canada than this past year.

Some brief new series book updates: one of the Doctor Who Files from BBC Children's Books has been retitled - "New Earth" is now "Sycorax". All four books in the Files series, initially listed for May, are now listed by Amazon for August; Amazon is also now listing "Sticker Guide 2" as"Regeneration Sticker Guide".

Today's Times has a feature on the Times/South Bank Show Breakthrough Award in which two of ther critics argue why you should vote for the entrants. Critic James Jackson argues for Billie Piper, who he says "has been splashing around the media for years, of course. Just as the Sylvia Young stage-school scamp faced Z-list obscurity after her 15 minutes as a pop star clocked off in the late-1990s, she was back — as the bride of Chris Evans. Which makes the toothy Swindon girl’s emergence in the past year as a serious actress all the more irresistible. There had already been signs of screen talent — her spirited debut as a barmaid in the BBC’s update of The Miller’s Tale in 2003 raised approving eyebrows. But it is, of course, her performance as Rose Tyler in the reimagined Doctor Who franchise that has provided career lift-off. Much of the series’ success has to be credited to Piper. She confidently held her own against Christopher Eccleston’s showboating and by being everything from petrified to spunky to heartbroken, she has succeeded in making Rose every bit as central to the show as the Doctor himself. Tellingly, it’s hard not to feel that her meatiest TV roles are yet to come — after all, she’s still only 23."

Newsquest Media is running a story about the filming of "The Christmas Invasion" at Clearwell Caves in the Forest of Dean. "More than nine million people watched BBC Wales' production and saw the new doctor touch down in the Tardis in the cave's massive cavern. The caves are owned by Ray Wright, who has turned them into a tourist attraction, and he explained that they were sworn to secrecy during filming of the Christmas special. The programme makers were looking for somewhere that could give the illusion of a space ship being carved out of a meteorite. And the location was chosen because the programme's designer Edward Thomas remembered filming a horror film Grim at Clearwell, in 1995, and he decided that the caves were capable for the transformation to enable the Doctor to fight the evil Sycorax. The caves remained open to the public while the set was being prepared and filled with glowing eggs and tortured aliens along with a host of other special effects. The caves are now firmly on the Dr Who trail and already the owner has seen an influx of fans seeing for themselves where the episode was filmed. Mr Wright said that on the first day they opened after the Christmas break he heard a lot of people talking about the episode and he presumed they've come to see where it was made, adding that its was good publicity for them. For the next series of the cult programme the film crew from BBC Wales also visited the historic building and the grounds of Treowen House in Dingestow for an episode that is set in the Scottish Highlands."

There's also a media mention of Russell T Davies being awarded #1 in The Stage's list of "Top Ten Movers and Shakers in the world of theatre and light entertainment" (see January 2 TARDIS report for details!) on the ic Network of media feeds.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Michael Doran)

Confirming a story we ran in early December, the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine confirms the launch of Doctor Who Adventures in the spring. It will retail at 1.99 and will be published fortnightly, with a free gift with each issue. Aimed "primarily at 6-12-year-old boys", it will comprise "comic strips, interviews, competitions and puzzles" - as Russell T Davies comments, a format that's "exactly what DWM was, when it was originally launched as Doctor Who Weekly in 1979". The magazine’s editor is Vincent Vincent and contributors include Moray Laing. DWM itself will continue to carry its own comic strip. Outpost Gallifrey previously announced this after one of our readers located a job advert for "Doctor Who Adventures" on the BBC's jobs site, which was removed shortly thereafter.

Issue #365 of Doctor Who Magazine has more news of Series Two, including official confirmation that the episode being written by Stephen Fry and formerly scheduled as Episode 11 will now appear in Series Three; the writer of its replacement is confirmed as Matthew Graham, co-creator of "Life on Mars", which is about to begin transmission on BBC One. Graham's participation was first noted in a BBC press release in December which mentioned him as one of Series Two's writers. Russell T Davies explains to DWM that Fry's episode has been rescheduled because it fits better with his overall season outline and "to allow extra time to plan some of the FX and prosthetics". As with Series One, the eleventh episode was "left blank" in Davies' outline, and Graham's script was actually commissioned at the same time as Fry's, always with the possibility that it would appear in Series Two not Three, and its first draft was delivered on 20 September. The episode will be made as part of production block four, directed by Euros Lyn, with Mark Gatiss' ‘The Idiot's Lantern' (Episode 7).

Also, as well as confirming Nicholas Briggs return to the series for voicing of the Cybermen (which was previously announced here), DWM reveals that the Cybermen two-parter (Episodes 5 and 6, the first of which we've reported bears the title "Rise of the Cybermen") will feature Mona Hammond as Rita-Anne and Raji James as Dr Singh. Both actors are known to UK audiences for regular roles in EastEnders. Block Three -- Episodes 5 and 6 and/or two other episodes, which Outpost Gallifrey believes is the final two-parter, "Army of Ghosts" and "Doomsday" -- will also featureHadley Fraser as Gareth, Oliver Mellor as Matt, Rachel Webster as Eileen, and Takako Akashi, Hajaz Akram, Maddi Cryer, Anthony Debaeck, Paul Fields, Kyoko Morita and Andrew Ufondu in unspecified roles.

Additionally, joining the cast of Block Three episodes is David Warwick, playing the Police Commissioner. Warwick is the latest actor from the classic Doctor Who series to return to the series in its new incarnation; Warwick played Kimus in Douglas Adams' 1978 serial "The Pirate Planet" starring Tom Baker, and later appeared in two audios for Big Finish, "The Harvest" starring Sylvester McCoy and "Gallifrey: A Blind Eye" featuring Lalla Ward and Warwick's real-life wife, former Doctor Who companion Louise Jameson (Leela). (Warwick will also appear, as Outpost Gallifrey readers will note, at next month's Gallifrey 2006 convention in Los Angeles alongside Jameson.)

For more details on these and other stories, pick up issue 365 of Doctor Who Magazine, now available on newsstands (and see the blurb about and cover of the issue in this news column below, dated January 3).