Doctor Who features in the latest batch of Expense claims released by the BBC. The figures, issued in response to a Freedom of Information request, include the detailed expense claims of Jane Tranter, the former Head of Fiction for the BBC. As well as mundane claims for travel expenses to various Doctor Who and Torchwood events, Tranter also claimed for gifts sent to David Tennant and Billie Piper as well as flowers for most of the Doctor Who and Torchwood casts.

Doctor Who Series Five was discussed at several meetings for which hospitality was provided and the casting of the new Doctor incurred an hospitality expense of £222 on the 4th December. The successful candidate, Matt Smith, was treated to a confidential dinner on 9th December for which Tranter claimed £90.98.

As part of an ongoing debate over the past few days concerning the state of BBC television drama, sparked by comments made by legendary television producer Tony Garnett, the BBC has passed onto The Guardian newspaper's website several comments made by writers currently working for the corporation about their experiences.

One of those quoted is Doctor Who's chief writer and executive producer Steven Moffat, who says that:

BBC Books have released details of three new Torchwood books due to be published in the UK on 1st October.







NB.
The graphic novel The Dalek Project by Justin Richards, which was scheduled for publication in September, has now been postponed.

Doctor Who Audiobook Pest Control has been nominated as one of the best Audiobooks of 2009 by the website Completely Novel.

The story, written by Peter Anghelides, was produced by BBC Audio and read by David Tennant. It was the first non-televised Doctor Who adventure to feature the companion Donna Noble.

The audiobook is up against titles such as Past Imperfect by Julian Fellowes, A Room with a View by E.M. Forster, Slumdog Millionaire by Vikas Swarup, Dear Fatty by Dawn French and Dreams from my Father by Barack Obama.

Torchwood: Children of Earth finished its impressive run on BBC One with an audience of 5.8 million viewers according to unofficial overnight figures. Torchwood was the fourth most watched programme of the day with a share of 26.7%. It rated higher than Emmerdale and was beaten by EastEnders and Coronation Street.

With just sunday's figures to come, all five episodes of Torchwood are in the top twenty for the week.

Another 95,000 watched the episode in HD on BBC HD and 333,000 watched the late night repeat on BBC Three, the highest rating for the repeat all week. During the BBC Three showing, the channel had over twice as many viewers as its nearest rival.
The Appreciation Index for day four on BBC One was an amazing 91 and day five received an AI figure of 90.

TORCHWOOD UK OVERNIGHT RATINGS

Children of Earth	BBC One	BBC HD	BBC Three	iPlayer	AI
Day One	5.9 million - 25.8% share	97,000	214,000	tbc	88
Day Two	5.6 million - 24.0% share	82,000	282,000	tbc	90
Day Three	5.9 million - 27.1% share	105,000	225,000	tbc	90
Day Four	6.2 million - 27.0% share	82,000	232,000	tbc	91
Day Five	5.8 million -26.7% share	95,000	333,000	tbc	90
Overnight figures do not include those who record the programme and watch it on a subsequent day. Final figures, including those who timeshift the programme will be released by BARB in 10 days time.

Torchwood: Children of Earth slipped ahead of Emmerdale on Thursday night with unofficial overnight figures showing part Four was watched by 6.2 million viewers, the highest rating of the week so far. Torchwood was the second most watched programme of the day with the share remaining steady at 27.0%. It gave BBC One more than double the audience of ITV for the duration of the programme.

A further 82,000 watched in HD on the BBC HD channel, and 232,000 watched the repeat on BBC Three.

The Appreciation Index for Part Three was 90, by far the highest score for the day.

The South Wales Echo, The Stage and Broadcast have all published articles reflecting the success of Torchwood.

The BBC's offical Doctor Who site has now been updated with more information on the forthcoming Autumn special, The Waters of Mars, with a preview gallery, wallpapers, and a video clip of a scene from the episode - with a note to say that some people might find the scene upsetting!

Welcome! As Outpost Gallifrey comes to an end, we are delighted to launch the next incarnation of The Doctor Who News Page at its brand new home. It's still the same Doctor Who News Page you've enjoyed for many years: the same editorial staff that has served the page since 2005 (and many of whom, myself included, date back much longer than that), with the same focus on the latest developments in the world of Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

The BBC Press Office have released their showreel highlighting programmes that will be broadcast in their Autumn schedule; pride of place goes to Doctor Who, featuring clips from The Waters of Mars.

Torchwood: Children of Earth continued its strong run on BBC One, with part three watched by 5.9 million viewers, making it the the third most watched programme of the day. The share was 27.1%.

An average of 105,000 also watched the programme on BBC HD, with and additional 225,000 watching the late night repeat on BBC Three. If these figures are added to the BBC One showing, then the programme overtakes Emmerdale to become the second most watched of the day.

The Appreciation Index for Episode Two was an amazing 90. The Appreciation Index, or AI, is a measure of how much the audience liked the programme. It is a score out of 100, based on responses from a carefully selected panel. The average score for drama on BBC1 and ITV1 is 77. A score in excess of 80 is regarded as good, in excess of 85 is excellent and anything above 90 is outstanding. A score below 60 is poor.

Final figures will be available in two weeks time.