We've received several reports about additional extras for the Series One Boxed Set, due out this November containing all 13 episodes from series one of the new TV series starring Christopher Eccleston. According to the British Board of Film Classification, the "Doctor Who Confidential Cut Down" specials -- the BBC3 documentaries shortened by removing all references to the original series and focusing solely on the new -- will be included, though the BBFC only reports the first seven have been cleared; however, it was reported earlier that all thirteen plus one additional special, that of the "extra" Confidnetial episode being specially produced for the DVD, would be on the discs. Amazon.co.uk, meanwhile, is reporting additional extras including commentaries, "Billie PiperÆs Video Diary," "Making Doctor Who with Russell T Davies," "Waking The Dead (Mark Gatiss' video diary)," "Exclusive featurettes: Destroying the Lair; Mike TuckerÆs Mocks of Balloons; Designing Doctor Who,; Laying Ghosts û The Origins of The Unquiet Dead; Deconstructing Big Ben, The Adventures of Captain Jack"; "BBC Breakfast Interview with Christopher Eccleston" plus the Confidential specials, 5.1 surround sound, a collectors' booklet and subtitles. Additionally, the boxed set will feature a variety of pre- and post-broadcast trailers including the "Time Is Up" teasers, the "Saturdays at 7pm" series of trailers, the trailers aired in conjunction with "Strictly Come Dancing" and the "Countdown" trailer. Outpost Gallifrey has been told that there will be an official press release on the set's final contents later this month. (Thanks to Scott Handcock, Daniel Hirsch, Steve Tribe, Martin Hoscik, "TimNNell")

In a stunning reversal from earlier news from the actress herself, the newest issue of Doctor Who Magazine confirms that Big Finish has signed Janet Fielding to reprise her role of air stewardess Tegan Jovanka for an audio play to be released in the summer of 2006. Entitled "Summer in the City" and set in her home town of Brisbane, the story will feature the former companion (who joined "Doctor Who" in Tom Baker's final story "Logopolis" and lasted throughout much of Peter Davison's tenure) but it's unclear as to whether she'll be joined by any of her Doctor Who castmates such as Davison. More details soon.

Eagle Flies Again, a fanzine dedicated to British comic books, has just published a Science-Fiction special. The publication is edited by DWAS Coordinator Ian Wheeler and designed by former Doctor Who Magazine editor John Freeman. The special issue includes unpublished art by John Ridgway and Brian Williamson featuring the Ninth Doctor and Rose, a history of science-fiction comic strips, an article on Captain Scarlet in comics and views on science-fiction comics from Doctor Who related names such as Bryan Hitch, Pat Mills and Dez Skinn. The magazine can be ordered at the website. (Thanks to Ian Wheeler)

Actor Doug Bradley, best known to horror fans as Pinhead in the "Hellraiser" horror films, has confirmed that he will be guest starring in next year's Big Finish audio Pier Pressure by Robert Ross, due out in February 2006. "I'm going to be in Doctor Who," Bradley told fans. "Whoa... back. Not the TV. I've been sent a script by a small audio production company called Big Finish. They make sci-fi dramas including 'feature-length' Doctor Whos - fully licensed by BBC Worldwide. I heard one a while ago with Peter Davison and was very, very impressed by it. The piece is called Pier Pressure, written by Robert Ross (No relation to Oscar's friend as far as I'm aware), and I will be playing the villain opposite Colin Baker's Doctor. My character is Talbot, a clapped-out end-of-pier fortune teller who has become a conduit for an invading alien evil.........The action takes place in Brighton, England in the 1930s and also features Max Miller." (Thanks to Marcel Hellemons at Bradley's official website and Mark Adams at The Hellbound Web)

Yesterday, England could beat Australia in a series for the first time in 18 years. BBC Radio 5 Live's coverage presenter Simon Mayo announced that "The entire crew of Doctor Who, including the director and the Scottish Doctor, are refusing to come to the set while they watch the cricket," followed by some gags from former England cricketer Mike "Thirty Years in the TARDIS" Gatting about wishing they could nip forward a few hours and come back and tell them the score. Meanwhile, as one of our correspondents notes, "I have just returned from watching the victorious Ashes cricket teams on their parade through London to Trafalgar Square. The ... team in the second open top bus was holding aloft a Dalek with the words 'Aussies exterminated' pasted across it." Wicket-keeper Geraint Jones held up the giant inflatable Dalek. Stephen Fry was also one of the commentators on the event. There are also stories at the Sydney Morning Herald and the Sun (not yet available online) and a photo (#17) at CricInfo. (Thanks to Andrew Farmer, Paul Hayes, Ian Golden, Nick Kirby, Kelvin Green, Ben Rawson-Jones, Adam Kirk, Gareth Kingston; photo by Tina Engstrom)

Issue 361 of Doctor Who Magazine is due out this week; the following is the press blurb for the issue. Also, several people have let us know that Panini now allows overseas subscriptions through their website. Click on the thumbnail for a larger version of the cover. (Thanks to Tom Spilsbury/DWM)

Thursday morning's The Sun reveals a big spoiler about one of the characters in "School Reunion". Click on the spoiler tag to read it... or, if you don't want to know, don't!

The BBC Press Office has issued a press release detailing the BBC Radio Wales competition reported on Outpost Gallifrey on 11 September. "As part of this year's Children in Need, BBC Radio Wales is offering two lucky people the chance to be wined and dined in the company of the time-travelling lord Doctor Who and his companion Rose û aka David Tennant and Billie Piper. On Monday 12 September, Radio Wales will be launching the competition of all competitions û the chance to win tickets to the Doctor Who Galactic Dinner that's being held at the Holland House Hotel in Cardiff on Friday 14 October. David Tennant and Billie Piper will be materializing fresh from their time travels, along with the Doctor's arch-enemy the Dalek and maybe one or two other familiar faces. This amazing prize will consist of a pair of tickets to the dinner, overnight accommodation at the Holland House Hotel and the chance to mix with the cast of the hit drama Doctor Who. For a chance to win the hottest tickets in town, listeners will have to think of the question that they would like to ask either the Doctor, Rose, writer Russell T Davies or executive producer Julie Gardner. The two finalists will be selected on Roy Noble's programme on Friday 16 September 16 at 9.00am. They will then go head to head on The Afternoon Show (2.00pm) where one will be whisked off in the TARDIS and head for the dinner, and the other will be 'exterminated'. To find out how to enter, tune in to Radio Wales from Monday from 9.00am. If you're not lucky enough to get through then tune in to Radio Wales because tickets will be available to buy and Roy Noble will be announcing the all important number to call on Friday 16 September."

The official Doctor Who website features a report that states that John Barrowman will not have time to do a cameo in the second Doctor Who series currently in production.

Tuesday's edition of The Guardian carried an obituary for Michael Sheard. This makes special note of his appearances on Doctor Who: "Then there was Dr Who. He was proud to be one of that series' most prolific visiting actors, appearing alongside five Doctors in six stories between 1966 and 1988. His final association with the series is a studied performance opposite Paul McGann in an audio adventure to be broadcast on BBC7 shortly."

An article in last weekend's Sunday Mirror implied that the BBC archives, which hold Doctor Who episodes, were in danger. "Historic BBC shows are being destroyed - by rain. Many of the first year's episodes of EastEnders have been lost for ever, and some early Top of the Pops shows, Doctor Who episodes and landmark news and documentaries have also gone," said the article. "The rain has seeped through holes in the roof of the BBC's archive centre in Brentford, West London. The damage was discovered when researchers organising a 20th anniversary tribute to EastEnders asked staff for episodes starring Dirty Den and Angie Watts (Leslie Grantham and Anita Dobson). An embarrassed BBC source admitted that part of its stock of screen treasures is 'rotting away'. He said 'We get calls for programmes and go for them - only to discover they are damaged beyond repair. It is a terrible shame that household favourites are being lost forever. The archive is a national treasure and should be treated as such.' Other valuable footage has simply been lost in the huge warehouse stacked floor to roof with recordings."

The Stage has posted both interviews that Outpost Gallifrey reported on last week: with Big Finish producers Gary Russell and Jason Haigh-Ellery here and with Rob Shearman here. The Big Finish feature is an extended version of the one that was published in last week's print edition, and includes extra commentary from the producers about their working relationship with BBC Cardiff, editing Paul McGann's stories to fit the BBC7 schedule and the casting of both Doctor Who Unbound (including one potential casting for the Doctor that didn't quite come off) and Sapphire and Steel.

This Is London is running an online competition (from This Is London) to win one of two new 12" (though the article has made a typo - "12 ft"!) remote-controlled Dalek (with sonic screwdriver). The competition question: "Who is Dr Who's arch enemy?" The deadline date: 26 September 2005.

Doctor Who was praised at the TUC Conference in Brighton according to an article at BBC News. Says the item, "Writers have praised BBC One hit sci-fi series Doctor Who at the TUC annual conference in Brighton, in a call for more funding for UK TV productions. It showed there was 'still an audience for quality family entertainment', the Writers' Guild of Great Britain said. The union said there was no substitute for 'well-resourced, home-grown drama and comedy material written, performed and produced in the UK'. But member Hugh Stoddart criticised the BBC for what he called 'damaging cuts'. The writers' union ... which represents UK writers in TV, film, radio, theatre, animation and books - called for further BBC investment in programme-making to build upon the show's success. 'The popularity of the series demonstrates that there is still an audience for quality family entertainment, and that distinctive UK television productions can still provide a talking point for the nation,' Mr Stoddart said. He believed that 'while some imports and so-called 'reality' shows have their place in the schedules, they cost jobs and reduce opportunities for workers in our television industry'."

Stuff.co.nz writes about the Box Set of Doctor Who DVDs being available "early next year" and that You can import all 24 episodes on a seven-disc set from Britain (where it aired months ago) for less than what earlier seasons cost here."

Drum Media magazine says that "...before David Tennant was announced as the BBC's new Doctor Who, replacing the outgoing Christopher Eccleston, a number of actors were linked with the role in the media, all of them white. Sure, there has been the odd black name in the frame for these parts in the past, but it has always been reported in the media as a semi-novelty item." It also notes that "...former Red Dwarf star Craig Charles has spoken of his dream of becoming the first black Doctor." The writer of the article: "...visited four of the Internet's most popular Doctor Who and James Bond fan-sites and left near identical messages on each of their discussion forums. Posing as a 'lifelong fan, but first-time poster', I very gently suggested that maybe it would be 'cool' to have a black Bond or Doctor, and proposed Dirty Pretty Things actor Chitiwel Eijofor as a potential candidate. ... Doctor Who fans seem to fall into the same pattern of debate û a majority who simply state that 'The Doctor is white' and generate any number of convoluted and impossibly obscure plot-related reasons why this is an unalterable fact, and a minority who support the idea and are able to respond using their equally encyclopaedic knowledge of the Doctor Who universe in their defence."

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Peter Weaver, Martin Hearn, Paul Hayes, Paul Engelberg, Bill Albert, Richard Jordan)

Today's (Wednesday) edition of Blue Peter demonstrated how to make Doctor Who pen pots! The recent appearance by David Tennant and results of the monster design competition continue to lead the viewers' poll (details), currently having 58% support with 891 votes.

The BBC7 website now features three of the series trailers recorded for the Paul McGann series, including the 'What is the TARDIS?' one (not so far available on the offcial Doctor Who site). It also has all four episode trailers for Sword of Orion, with a spoiler warning attached to the trailers for parts three and four.

BBC Three continues to revise the running for its Who repeats. Sunday nights now start with a full-length Confidential, which is followed by a double bill (this week featuring the idiosyncratic pairing of episodes 11 and 12 with the 10th instalment of Confidential. The Wednesday Cut Downs seem to have been dropped entirely. The Friday evening repeats do not follow this double-bill format, and have therefore immediately fallen several weeks behind. The Saturday evening Confidential, meanwhile, returns in a slightly later timeslot, showing the full-length version of the previous night's Cut Down. The radio and television schedules are adjusted on our schedule here on the News Page. (Note that Friday night's DW Confidential is actually the first ever showing of a "Cut Down" version of that episode, "Special Effects".