Tea-Lady Design have published a clean version of an alternative version of the cover art for The Greatest Show of the Galaxy, which has been produced as an exclusive for the Australian (R4) market.

The differences between the two can be compared below.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has announced via its TV Blog that Asylum of the Daleks will be fast-tracked to premiere on its internet TV iview service on Sunday 2 September from 5.10am AEST immediately after its UK launch on 1 September. ABC1 Controller Brendan Dahill said, “For Doctor Who fans, it is a fantastic opportunity to see new episodes within hours of them premiering in the UK – each episode will be available on iview on Sundays.”

“ABC’s iview is the most watched catch-up service in Australia with 48% of online Australians aged 16+ having accessed iview,” said Dahill. “The new iview app for iphones and iPod Touch, launched on June 26, has seen a phenomenal 434,000 downloads recorded to date – with 210,000 downloads recorded in its first week.”

As previously reported, Asylum of the Daleks will have its debut on Australian terrestial TV on ABC1 on Saturday 8th September 2012 at 7.30pm.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has confirmed via Twitter that Asylum of the Daleks will have its Australian premiere on ABC1 on Saturday 8th September 2012 at 7.30pm. It will also be repeated on ABC2 on Tuesdays at 9.30pm starting from 11th September.

As previously reported, Asylum of the Daleks will debut in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States on 1st September.

Doctor Who Night 2012 – The Final Game:

The ABC Shop Rosny Park at Eastlands shopping centre in Tasmania, Australia is to host its fourth Doctor Who night on April 14th 2012.

The event will include a theatrical play (entitled "The Final Game" based on a classic Doctor and an even more classic villain), a quiz, giveaways, specials and prizes. Daleks will be in attendance, as will K-9 and the TARDIS.

Food outlets such as Gloria Jeans, Wendys and Kebab Empire will be open and Doctor Who shaped donuts will be available from Donut King!

The night runs between 7 and 9pm on April 14th and is free attendance for all!

WHO, ME.

After sell out shows for the Melbourne and Adelaide Fringe Festivals and a full house for Armageddon Expo 2011, Rob Lloyd will be bringing ‘WHO, ME’ back to Melbourne for this years Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Investigating whether Doctor Who (the television show) is guilty of inciting in him a debilitating obsession, or whether it has shaped him into a well-rounded, mentally-sound member of society.

Built up through improvisation and storytelling techniques, this one-man show is a personal and fitting tribute to a television icon.

The event takes place at St Ali Cafe, Yarra Place from April 10th-21st at 8pm. Tickets available from the Festival Website

United Kindom

This coming weekend (3rd/4th March) sees Coalville play host to Robots Live at the Hermitage Centre, and a Dalek took to the streets of Loughborough last weekend to promote the event. Organiser Alan Young said: "It was really good. We had lots of people coming up to the robots and having their photos taken with them. We were trying to encourage people to come to our event next Saturday, we've got the best robots coming from all over the country to battle it out and it should be a really entertaining day." [Leicester Mercury, 28 Feb 2012]

Crosscombe village panto Sleeping Beauty had a surprise twist: "While the Princess slept, some cast members were projected 300 years forward, by a very convincing Tardis. What else? When the bad fairy finally met her demise, the Prince was ably assisted by the intervention of a conveniently placed Dalek." [Shepton Mallet Journal, 1 Mar 2012]

United States

Actor Travis Richey has been attempting to raise money to continue a Doctor Who spoof called Inspector Spacetime that appeared on NBC's Community in which he starred as a web-based series. However, having been told by NBC that he couldn't use the name, which is copyrighted to them, he has now renamed the project as Untitled Webseries About a Space Traveler Who Can Also Travel Through Time! [Topless Robot, 29 Feb 2012]

The student economics blog Centives at LeHigh University, Pennsylvania have been working out the cost of hiring a TARDIS for year: "We think that the market value of hiring the TARDIS would be £15,140,064 or $23,930,385 or 504,668,800 jelly babies." Find out how they came to that conclusion from their blog! [Centives blog, 27 Feb 2012]

Snowtime in New Hampshire and out comes the snow-Daleks - this one from Maddy! [MerrimackPatch, 1 Mar 2012]

The annual Megacon took place in Orlando, Florida over 19/20th February; the Southeast's largest comic-book/sci-fi convention saw a number of activities and of course the chance for costumes and models to be on display. [GeekSugar, 21 Feb 2012]

Australia

Aaron Climas from Mitchell Park in Adelaide has spent a year building his own Dalek. The visual effects artist completed it this week, just in time for Robert Shearman to arrive for the Adelaide Writers' Week. [Adelaide Now, 2 Mar 2012]

United Kingdom

A charity Dalek squad will be displaying its dubious singing abilities in a contest labelled "The X-terminate Factor" at Royston Arts Festival later this year. The monsters will also be seeking and locating donations in aid of Home-Start Royston and South Cambs at the Hertfordshire town event, which takes place on Saturday 29th September. Festival chairman Graham Palmer said: "This is really something different and we hope it captures people's imagination, as the adventures of the Daleks and Doctor Who cover several generations." [Royston Weekly News, 2 Feb 2012]

More Daleks will be in attendance at the Aspire 2 Achieve Olympic Activities Showcase in Alnwick, Northumberland, on Sunday 10th June. The organisation aims to raise awareness, confidence and productivity of youths through sport and other activities. Co-founder Alan Hoyle said: "The whole day will be fun for the whole family. With all the different events we have going on there will be something new for everybody to try, along with the cheerleading group and, of course, the Daleks and the All-Star game. We are hoping to put on an entertaining show for people of all ages." [Blyth Journal, 2 Feb 2012]

Keeping with the theme, the snowfall over the last week brought out the snow sculpturers, with Lyn and Neil Cooper creating a Dalek in Coombelands, Royston. Lyn said: "We're not really fans of the show we had to go and google a picture of what it looked like. It was just something to do rather than make a bog standard snowman." [Royston Crow, 6 Feb 2012]

Trallwn councillor Mike Powell recently visited Ynysangharad Park in Pontypridd, and commented on the conditions of some parts of the site, including the old lido in which he discovered a Dalek sculpture made from drinks cans, a relic from the recent Love Where You Live Day, had been abandoned and left to fall apart. He warned that the rundown site posed possible dangers to curious children. "It is an open invitation to any child to explore what is behind, especially when a look through the gap reveals an abandoned Dalek," said the Lib Dem councillor. (The lido also featured in Torchwood's From Out Of The Rain) [Pontypridd Observer, 2 Feb 2012]

The team behind Karen Gillan's next film, Not Another Happy Ending, are offering northern businesses an opportunity to back the production. [Press and Journal, 9 Feb 2012]

United States

The Los Angeles based GallifreyOne convention will soon be upon us, with Alysia Gray Painter of NBC looking forward to it: "What you'll find: celebrities, plus all sorts of panels and cosplay and people selling sci-fi-y frippery. Last year a bunch of people showed up in fezes and bow ties. Fingers double crossed that there will be a whole slew of curly-headed River Songs in the house this year, ready to fete one of television's longest running shows and a jewel in the genre series crown. "In the house" is the Los Angeles Airport Marriott, not some distant spaceport, note. That's so thoughtful, we think, bringing the party to this planet." [NBC Bay Area, 8 Feb 2012]

Australia

Twelve-year-old Keelan Mast from Warrnambool has amassed a sizeable Doctor Who merchandise collection, part of which will feature as an exhibit at the WRAD Collecta-Bool event, which raises funds for non-profit organisation The Western Region Alcohol and Drug Centre (WRAD). He said: "My dad got me into Dr Who. I just like collecting and my focus is on Dr Who. I go to bookshops and all the antique shops. There's a place called Gifts For The Geek in Melbourne where I found a Dalek helmet and remote-control Dalek. That’s my favourite collectable, but I've only used it once." [Warrnambool Standard, 3 Feb 2012]

Pharmacist Irwin Lowe from South West TAFE decided to build a police box for his cabinet-making class: "We were assigned a free project to demonstrate some of the skills we had learnt during our first year. I thought 'oh well, I might just make a TARDIS'. It ended up requiring more than what we’d learnt. I think the teachers were thinking more along the lines of a coffee table or small stool." [Warrnambool Standard, 10 Feb 2012]

This Saturday will see the performance of the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular, taking place at the Plenary Hall, MCEC in Melbourne and performed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

The two hour concert will be presented by actor Mark Sheppard, and conducted by Doctor Who stalwart Ben Foster, with composer Murray Gold on piano. Choral aspects of the performance will be by the Concordis Chamber Choir, led by Chorus Master Andrew Hunter, with solos undertaken by Antoinette Halloran (soprano) and Tobias Cole (counter-tenor).

There will be two performances taking place, one at 2:00pm and the other at 7:00pm. At the time of writing both performances are sold out.

Publicity

Ben Foster featured as a guest on ABC Melbourne 774 to discuss the concert and his music career; the interview can be downloaded from their website. Meanwhile, Mark Sheppard talked to ABC Hobart 936 about his prolific career, which is also available for download.

A photocall for the concert took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, featuring a Dalek, Cyberman and Silent.


Gold was also interviewed by the Australian, chatting about his career in television and films.

The Doctor, the Widow and The Wardrobe has debuted in Australia to solid ratings. TV Tonight reports that Doctor Who averaged 749,000 viewers in the five major capital cities. It came second in its time-slot, was the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's top-rating drama of the day and the thirteenth highest rating programme of the day overall.

Meanwhile ABC2 will repeat the entire run of the new series, Mondays-Fridays at 7.30pm, starting with Rose on Monday 2 January 2012.

ABC Australia has become the first broadcaster to confirm the scheduling of the 2011 Doctor Who Christmas Story.

The episode will be shown on ABC1 on Boxing Day (26 December), repeating last year's schedule when the episode was fast tracked to the Commonwealth just a few hours after its UK début.

No transmission date has yet been confirmed for the UK, the US or Canada.

In January ABC2 will will begin a repeat run of the entire revived series starting with Christopher Eccleston’s first appearance as the Doctor in Rose and running through every episode in order, including the Christmas specials.