Catching up with the past six days' worth of news while your editor has been away from his desk:

Series Two

'Doctor Who - The countdown starts here!' says the cover of the new edition of Radio Times (1-7 April), heralding the return of the magazine's regular 'Doctor Who Watch' feature. This week, it's a full-page article, 'It's not long now...', illustrated with a full-length shot of David Tennant. The feature comprises an interview with Phil Collinson, with the series producer discussing what the production team has learnt from Series One: 'Loads [...] we're much better at anticipating what problems are going to come up, and how elaborate a shoot actually is. So we're able to plan ahead more. And we've got the added bonus of a new Doctor [...] But really, it's business as usual for us.' Collinson also comments on alien planets and how to realise them: 'we're going to go to two alien planets [...] 'New Earth' is set on an alien planet, which has an Earth colony so we can always refer it back to Earth [...] And then further down the series we have two episodes that are set on a very, very distant planet that's very, very different. [...] There will be a big green-screen element, so we can change the colour of the place and paint unusual things into the skies [...] And just by bringing in physical effects - wind and rain - we can make it a much more exciting environment.' Radio Times also promises future features on the Cybermen, Sarah Jane Smith, K9, 'Catnuns... and much more!' And the listings confirm BBC Four's double bills of 'The Green Death' from Monday 3 April, with a rerun of Series One beginning on BBC Three weekdays from Thursday 6 April.

TV presenter Alistair Appleton is the latest name to be associated with the new series; according to Appleton's website, "In quite the most exciting TV job he's ever done, Alistair is set to appear in the penultimate episode of DR WHO this summer! Playing himself he comes to a messy end at the hands of a classic TV baddy."

British musician Kurgan Merrick will record a new version of the series soundtrack according to a report this weekend inThe Mirror. "Our Tardistastic insider reveals: 'It will be darker than ever before - in fact it's menacing and quite scary. 'The new theme tune is a lot slower than the one currently used. It sounds a bit like a distorted choir.'"

The Watford Observer has spoken to two schoolchildren who are taking part in CBBC's forthcoming Totally Doctor Who. 'Tom and Tony, who both go to Sir William Ramsay School, Rose Avenue, Hazlemere, are so crazy about the scarf-wearing Timelord that they shoot their own Dr Who-style films on a video recorder, taking on the roles of the aliens the doctor encouters.' Tom was chosen, says the paper, after the BBC read about the full-scale TARDIS his parents gave him for Christmas, and the pair have been filmed making their Who-inspired home videos.

The Daily Star says that "Doctor Who star Noel Clarke is set to enjoy a kinky threesome on the show - with Billie Piper and her TV mum. The hunky actor, who plays Rose's boyfriend Mickey Smith, says his character has been 'sexed up' for the new series, which starts next month. And he reveals that Mickey harbours a secret fantasy to bed both Rose, played by 23-year-old Billie, and her telly mum Jackie - actress Camille Coduri, 40. Noel, 30, said: 'Mickey gets very sexy in this new series. He's a completely different person from the lad stuck in a wheelie bin in Episode One of the first series. And he and Rose's mum Jackie certainly get on. They didn't interact much at the start - but that has changed now. He even tells Rose, 'I go round your mum's every Sunday now . . . she cooks my dinner . . . talks about you non-stop'. You know, I think he's secretly giving her one. It's his plan. It's like a fantasy thing - having a mother and daughter at the same time. 'He's working up to it slowly.' Noel is also excited about becoming the Doctor's new travelling companion, joining the Time Lord (David Tennant, 34) and Rose on some of their intergalactic adventures. He tells the new Doctor Who Magazine: 'When the show's writer Russell T. Davies told me what he wanted to do with my character, I was like, 'Hell, yeah! I'm not going to miss this for the world'. 'Russell is a genius and I think fans are really going to like this new series.'"

The Sun today has a two-par piece on the new series, saying the first episode is set on an alien planet, with the Doctor and Rose visiting a colony of Earth to find a 'plague farm', evil cat people and former adversary Cassandra (Zoe Wanamaker). It adds that the show returns next month and mentions the series launch is tonight 'so expect some gossip'.

Today's Media Guardian has some interesting notes about tonight's press launch: "Seeing as it is their job to promote a programme about time travel, perhaps the BBC's Doctor Who PR team could learn how to tell the time. A press invite to tonight's launch in Cardiff includes an embargo until '00hrs 29th March'. In other words, midnight tonight. 'Oh no,' says a spokeswoman. 'The embargo is midnight on Thursday.' Ah, but wouldn't that be 00hrs 30th March? 'No, it's 00hrs 29th/30th March'. Which of course, isn't a time at all. Hacks travelling to Cardiff expecting to see their stories in print, or online, tomorrow should perhaps give the press office a call. Now, after Monkey, when the big hand points to the 12..."

The official BBC Doctor Who website has changed and now has a picture of the Doctor and Rose together with a sample of one of Murray Gold's recurring melodies from the last series.

Broadcasting

According to some TV listings services, BBC Three will be rerunning the whole of Series One in six and a half double bills from 7pm on weekday evenings. The repeats begin on Thursday 6 April with 'Rose' and 'The End of the World' and are scheduled to finish with 'The Parting of the Ways' on Friday 14 April. In addition to this, Sunday 9 April will see a three-hourDoctor Who Night from 7pm to 10pm. Although its content is unconfirmed, the limited information available includes credits for David Tennant, Billie Piper, Noel Clarke, Camille Coduri and Penelope Wilton, so it's likely that 'The Christmas Invasion' will form part of the theme night's programmes.

David Tennant and Billie Piper will appear on ITV1's GMTV on Friday 31 March (between 8.30am and 9.25am) - 'Exclusive interviews with dashing David Tennant and sidekick Billie Piper', according to the GMTV website.

Russian TV station STS TV has bought Series 1 (and apparently Series 2) of the new Doctor Who, according to "This Week in Doctor Who". Series 1 will air weekday afternoons at
4:30PM starting this Monday, 27 March.

BBC Experience This Weekend

The BBC Experience 2006 will feature an exhibition of Doctor Who items including Daleks, Cybermen, K9 and the TARDIS, etc., this weekend at Gloucester's GL1 Leisure Centre on Sunday, accoridng to the BBC Gloucester website. Meanwhile, Newsquest Media Group reports that "Doctor Who's dreaded enemies the Daleks descended on Cirencester" on Saturday, and "Sci-Fi fans were treated to the spectacle as the telly stars promoted their appearance at the forthcoming BBC Experience 2006. Event producer, BBC Radio Gloucestershire's Vernon Harwood, said: 'Since the return of Dr Who to our screens, The Daleks and Cybermen are in great demand throughout the galaxy but Sci-Fi fans were pleased to see they gave the Doctor the slip to appear in Cirencester.' The BBC Experience 2006 gives people a chance to look behind the scenes of their favourite BBC TV and radio shows."

People

March 21's Daily Record says that David Tennant "has no plans to pen his autobiography. An ever-modest David said: 'Never say never, but I don't think that I have a particularly interesting life. 'I think people would be very bored of me. Maybe when I'm 75. I don't really know. Ask me again then.' David has also admitted that his parents tried to put him off acting when he was younger. He said: 'They were always suggesting other careers for me to do. They tried to put me off acting. It's understandable though, because acting is a foolhardy career. They are very supportive of me now though.'" Also, according to this week's Star magazine (3 April, page 89): "Doctor Who star David Tennant gets creative in the kitchen for BBC2's Ready Steady Cook on 12 April. He said of the experience: "It was the tardis dish I've ever cooked in my life". Boom, boom... "

The Harrods department store is using Billie Piper in their latest poster ads, which can be seen on the London Underground. They've asked a range of celebrities what's the one thing they would most like from the shop; says Piper, "Two scoops of chocolate, a scoop of vanilla, loads of whipped cream, hot chocolate sauce and chocolate sprinkles. Does that count as one thing? Ice cream is my thing. Can't help it. Making up my own flavours would be great. You have personal shoppers, don't you, could they sort it out? Maybe jammy dodger flavour ...why are you looking at me like that?"

The Western Mail features an article about the BBC Wales series "Belonging" which stars Eve Myles: "Eve Myles is no stranger to juicy roles after lengthy stints with the RSC and National Theatre as well as appearances in TV dramas such as Doctor Who and soon as a lead character in its sister show aimed at adults, Torchwood. She describes her role as Ceri as 'a diamond job.' ... The read through is a day when cast and crew gather to run through scripts. It usually happens in a nondescript meeting room at BBC Wales' Llandaff headquarters, and it's a chance for the gang to reunite and catch up on news. But it's also a pressurised process, according to Eve Myles. 'I'm terrified at the read through,' she says. 'You go in and it's so exciting to see everybody. You're sitting with 20 or 25 people including the whole cast, make-up, costume, crew, producer. There's a lot of pressure on you as an actor to make it work, because if you don't make it work it will get changed. It's probably the ugliest part of the production - it's not like we've got anything to prove to each other, but it's still a really nerve-wracking experience

Jean Marsh ("The Daleks' Master Plan," "Battlefield") and Simon Williams("Remembrance of the Daleks") are currently starring on stage in the west end with Alan Bennett's "The Old Country". Also, Martin Jarvis("Vengeance on Varos") is currently on stage with Diana Rigg in "Honour" for an limited run.

Michael John Attwell died on 18 March according to an obituary in theIndependent: "He also took two roles, 18 years apart, in Doctor Who, as Isbur, one of the alien race from Mars, in 'The Ice Warriors' story (1967), and Bates, one of the Cybermen's slaves on their home planet of Telos, in 'Attack of the Cybermen' (1985)."

Bruno Langley is mentioned on Yahoo News (with a brief reference to Doctor Who) regarding his tour with A Taste of Honey.

Publishing

A postscript to last autumn's regular news of the sales and chart success of Panini's Doctor Who Annual 2006. Last week's trade magazine The Bookseller published its chart of Top 20 Children's Hardbacks (52 weeks ending 31 December 2005), and the annual is placed at no. 14, with total sales of 82,040, a level of sales similar to those for a number of Lemony Snicket titles and perennial kids' favourite The Very Hungry Caterpillar (the runaway no. 1 was, of course, the latest Harry Potter novel, with almost 3 million sales - nothing else is in that league).

The controversy caused by the recent promotion of The Science of Doctor Who by Paul Parsons in BBC Focus magazine (OG news, 21 March) is covered by BBC News in an article entitled 'Doctor Who book furore rumbles on'. According to the report, the BBC has now stated that the matter is 'being reviewed as a matter of urgency', because magazine editor Parsons may have broken BBC editorial guidelines in promoting his own book. "A BBC spokeswoman said that with the new TV series of 'Doctor Who' to be broadcast next month, the April issue of Focus has 'The Science of Doctor Who' as a feature with an angle suitable to the magazine's popular science and technology content. 'Given that Paul is a Doctor Who expert, it was only natural that he write this article. 'The Science of Doctor Who' is offered as a gift to new subscribers in the April issue on the subscriptions page and in the editor's letter,' she said." Also reported at Brand Republic.

Meanwhile, today's Daily Telegraph today has a lengthy article by Parsons looking at the 'real science' behind the TV series. "Is there any real science in the TV series? Paul Parsons examines what's possible. So, beware that your garden doesn't rise up and bite you... To fans of Doctor Who, which returns to BBC1 next month, the good doctor couldn't possibly exist without his Tardis. After all, time travel makes the programme tick. But isn't Doctor Who stretching reality a bit too far? What about all those futuristic baddies and technology? A close parallel between real science and fiction has remained with the programme for more than 40 years - ever since the first episode went out on November 23, 1963, the day after President John F Kennedy was shot. The doctor has fought genetically modified Daleks; encountered nanorobots that can heal your every ill; owned a robot dog (20 years before Sony); and explored a virtual-reality world called the Matrix back when Keanu Reeves was knee-high to a memory card. The new series, with Scottish actor David Tennant playing the eponymous Time Lord's 10th incarnation, sees the return of his old adversaries the Cybermen. These hybrids of man and machine were created in 1966 by the show's then science adviser, Dr Kit Pedler of University College London. Fascinated by new developments in transplant surgery, Pedler imagined the Cybermen as a race that had given themselves so many cybernetic implants that little of their original bodies remained. So what about the science in the show - time travel, sonic screwdrivers, cosmic empires? And what is the big deal about hiding behind the sofa…?" Read the full article at the site.

In America

TV Guide magazine reviewed "The Unquiet Dead": "Having gone into the future, our Geordie-or-somwhere-else-in-Northern-England-voiced doctor boogied into the past with Rose. Incidentally, I thank the folks who pointed out that the doctor does not have a Cockney. As John Lennon sang, I should've known better. My only defense is that my computer was giving me fits, causing my brain cells to click together like one of those swinging marble novelty items that sits on the desks of bored executives. (As much as I like the attention, please don't inundate me with pedantic e-mails about the history of swinging marble thingies.) The TARDIS was playing games of her own. Instead of going to 1860 Naples, like the doctor programmed her to, it deposited the Time Lord and Rose in 1869 Cardiff. Notice how the doctor made Rose change her clothes ('You'll start a riot, Barbarella!') without bothering to change his own? Apparently, leather jackets and T-shirts don't raise eyebrows among the 19th-century Welsh. I loved how Rose tentatively placed a footprint in the snow as if she was leaving her own imprint on the past. A lovely touch. I wonder if the TARDIS is drawn to trouble because it dispatched the pair just as corpses began roving about the streets of Cardiff. Merry Christmas, everybody. The mystery involved a seemingly haunted undertaker and a very Scrooge-ish Charles Dickens, who was flabbergasted by the starstruck doctor ('I'm your No. 1 fan!'). Christopher Eccleston has a knack for overplaying a scene without overstaying his welcome the awful pun ('I love a happy medium') came with a delightful knowing wink. Billie Piper plays the straight woman, but Rose is so well developed that Piper turns even the most obvious scenes (e.g., talking with Gwyneth about a lad's 'bum') into little gems. Most importantly, the producers (Russell Davies I'm sure made this a priority) have done a terrific job maintaining the doctor's balance of genius and humility. He makes mistakes and people don't always walk away. The doctor wanted to let the gaseous creatures keep the corpses ('It's like recycling') until they could build their own bodies, but he was duped and Gwyneth died. 'There are more things dreamt of in Heaven and Earth than we will ever know,' Dickens reminds him. 'Even you, Doctor.' The coda was perfect Dickens runs through the streets shouting yuletide greetings. But what else can we expect from the new Who, a mind-bending adventure with a heart amidst the delicious rapid-fire dialogue. This is as good as sci-fi -- and Sci Fi -- gets."

Another article on the US broadcast of the new series - and the DVD releases of the original - at Now Playing Mag: "Now that Britain's beloved Doctor Who has found a home on an actual American TV network (albeit a basic cable net), it seems that the treasured titular time traveler may finally have a chance to break out in the U.S. as a full-fledged icon and escape the dubious trappings of convention halls and late-night, sweaty chat-room sessions. Now Playing recently spoke with some of the folks at the BBC who are orchestrating the Doctor's American invasion on the Sci Fi Channel and on DVD, and we discussed the future of the character - and his past, as well, of course. 'Securing a TV platform for Doctor Who [in America] is great news as the exposure from the TV broadcast, combined with joint BBC Video/Sci Fi marketing initiatives, will ensure maximum exposure for both the TV broadcast and the DVD release,' says Burton Cromer of BBC Worldwide Americas. 'It will also enhance the popularity of the show, as it will introduce Doctor Who to a whole new generation of fans.' The deal with the Sci Fi Channel was only just announced in January, but it quickly led to a rescheduling of the DVD release of the first series (or season, for us Americans) of the new Who. Originally planned for February, the series one box set is now slated for a July bow in the States. 'Doctor Who: The Complete Series One will be released on July 4th, directly following the airing of the final episode on the Sci Fi Channel,' says BBC Video's Laura Palmer. 'This very special collection has over four hours of DVD extras.' In the meantime, those looking to catch up on old school Who will have the continued DVD releases of the earlier episodes of the show to rely on. While the current incarnation starring Christopher Eccleston is being referred to as 'series one,' in fact the show dates back to 1963. The new BBC Video release Doctor Who: The Beginning is a great way to dive into the past of the Time Lord known as the Doctor, and even though this collection represents the earliest adventures of the character, it's taken quite some time to get the episodes out on DVD. '[That's] really for a couple of reasons,' explains Steve Roberts of the Doctor Who DVD restoration team. 'The DVD releases worldwide are driven from the U.K. release schedule, and these three stories were only released in the U.K. on VHS about five years ago. As we're selling mostly to fans who will have bought these VHSs anyway, we're making a conscious decision to leave a gap. Secondly, with the recent transmission and release of the new series bringing a whole lot of new fans to the show, it felt like the right time to show them how it all began.' Roberts adds that despite the episodes on The Beginning being some 43 years old, there weren't really any huge technical hurdles when it came to bringing them to DVD. 'The original 16mm kinescope camera negatives made for overseas sales still exist. We've had a lot more problems on some of the newer stories, to be honest!' he says, while adding that extra features haven't been a problem for the older releases either, despite their age. 'Actually, a surprising number of the cast and major production personnel from the very beginning are still very much alive and kicking - and in some cases still working in film and TV! One reason for this was that the original production team and cast were generally in their twenties, with the exception of [original Who actor] William Hartnell, so they're now only in their sixties or seventies. We basically have to take each show [one] at a time and look at the possibilities. In most cases there are enough people still around to make a specially-shot feature a possibility, but if not we can fall back on video of convention appearances, material from television archives, etc.' Alas, don't expect DVD releases of full seasons of the show to become a regular thing, despite the series one set. BBC prefers to release the Doctor's older adventures in more of a 'greatest hits' sort of fashion. 'It looks like we will be doing an arc box set every year though, along the lines of those arcs we released on VHS,' says Roberts. 'Our main aim is to try to present a good mix of stories from throughout the show's history, mixing both the ‘classics' and the less well known stories to try to keep fans happy while giving them a chance to experience these less well known titles earlier than we did for VHS. … I realize that this is contrary to the current practice of complete, extras-light season box sets of other TV series, but Doctor Who is such a unique series that BBC Video believes that each story deserves the space to tell its own tale.' Bottom line: The BBC has high hopes for Who's American coming out party. 'The new series will introduce a whole new fan base to the elements in Doctor Who which carry over from series to series - the quirky attitude, the imaginative monsters, the entertaining variety of experience that time/space travel affords,' says Palmer. 'And [we hope] that the new fans will seek that experience with other Doctors.'"

A note to US viewers: The documentary 'Over the Edge' that is on the third disc of the new DVD release The Beginningcontains rather large spoiler clips for both 'Boom Town' and 'The Parting of the Ways'. Any new US viewers who are watching the show on Sci Fi for the first time should avoid watching this documentary until they've seen the complete first season.

Miscellaneous

Doctor Who is up for two Spacey Awards, viewer-given awards from the Canadian SPACE network which has shown the classic series; the website ishere. Doctor Who is up for the "Favourite TV Show" award while Rose Tyler is nominated for "Favourite New TV Character".

The 1976 Splink road safety film featuring Jon Pertwee has been voted 15th favourite public information short in an online poll at the BBC News Magazine website. The film was among 22 featured on the site last month to mark the 60th anniversary of the UK's Central Office of Information. The full story and list of votes can be found at BBC News. Nearly 25,000 people voted in the poll. The piece adds: 'The National Archives has launched a new website to mark the anniversary, which makes many public information films available, including all those featured in our festival and 67 others . . . Films can be viewed online or downloaded to devices such as video iPods or PSPs.'

Last week's edition of the free UK newspaper Metro featured a "60 Second Interview" with cryptozoologist Richard Freeman and how he got into his career path: "In two words - Doctor Who. I grew up when Jon Pertwee was in the lead role in the 1970s. He was incarcerated on Earth, so the monsters always seemed more scary. I was already interested in animals and that got me interested in reading about monstrous creatures.'"

The Dalek cakes that have been widely reported are available in Sainsbury's and soon will be available in Tesco and Asda, according to the manufacturers. "Our aspirations are to produce this cake for as long as the BBC enjoys its success with the series of Doctor Who and will be linking with all the key features for this brand."

The Milton Keynes Citizen reports that a local man "hopes to exterminate the competition in the London marathon...by running as a Dalek! Bob Johnson, of Keynes Close, Newport Pagnell, is piecing together the full-size legendary Dr Who robot in time to battle his way through the crowds in the April 23 event. But despite his evil exterior, Bob assured the Citizen it will all be for a good cause. Bob said: 'I'll look like an idiot, I know, but I'm hoping to raise over 5,000 for Willen Hospice so it's well worth it!' The computer simulation and engineering expert is a regular participant in the marathon, but never has he undertaken the race carrying such a gruelling load. Bob said: 'I've certainly bitten off more than I can chew this time! It's been a nightmare putting the metal parts together but there are a number of small problems still to contend with. One is running 26.2 miles in the first place, another is running it in an outfit weighing 30lbs and finally, I'll be trying not to fall over in the crowds!' "

The Daily Record on March 23 noted that Doctor Who made the top 20 in a survey of 8-12 year olds by a soft drink firm on their 'all time top heroes'.

Also: the Mirror covers the BAFTA award nominations.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Chuck Foster, John Bowman, Peter Weaver, Dion Page, Graham Kibble-White, Benjamin Elliott, Bill Albert, Neil Marsh, Craig Brierley, Matthew Godley, and Adi Himpson)

Classic Series Broadcasting Update

Radio Times has now confirmed that repeats of the Jon Pertwee serial The Green Death will form part of BBC Four's season of programmes from and about 1973 (to tie in with the channel's screening of Life on Mars). From Monday 3 April to Wednesday 5 April, the six-part story will be shown in three double bills from 7.10 to 8.00pm, according to this linkand this.

BBC Focus Controversy

As reported by Outpost Gallifrey on 17 March, the April edition of BBC Focus dedicates its cover and a large article to the forthcoming book The Science of Doctor Who, with free copies of Paul Parsons' book going to the magazine's subscribers. Today's Media Guardian, however, reports that the "extensive coverage" has come in for criticism - because the magazine is edited by Paul Parsons himself - but that "the BBC has defended" Focus and its editor. A BBC spokeswoman is quoted as saying that there are "viable commercial and editorial reasons" to support the coverage, that Paul Parsons is a Doctor Who expert so a natural choice to write the magazine article, and that "all profits [from the magazine's sales] are returned to the BBC for the benefit of the licence fee payer." The full article is available at their website; it's also been reported at The Independent.

Other Items

BBC New Media has begun to unveil its plans for the development of the BBC's online presence, and a report today from BBC News highlights the intention to allow seven-day online access to television programmes "like Doctor Who." "Ashley Highfield, director of the BBC's new media division, shared a platform with Microsoft boss Bill Gates at a technology conference in Las Vegas. Mr Highfield said the BBC would work with technology firms like Microsoft. He also showed off the BBC's Integrated Media Player (iMP), designed to allow users seven-day access to TV shows. The iMP, which uses peer-to-peer technology to distribute BBC content across the internet, has been undergoing extensive user trials. 'Audience needs are changing. They want to consume media on their own terms, anytime, anyplace, anyhow,' Mr Highfield told the audience at the Mix06 conference. 'If we want to stay relevant in the digital age, the BBC must respond to this challenge by some seriously good technological innovation, resulting in products like the iMP, through partnerships such as this one with Microsoft.'"

Sci Fi Wire, continuing their daily coverage of Doctor Who with featurettes, reports that "Russell T. Davies, executive producer of the new Doctor Who, told SCI FI Wire that his revival of the long-running British SF drama was bolstered by a team of writers committed to the show's success. 'None of them had written for the program before,' he said in an interview. 'But they had started their own television series and written their own dramas, and they'd also commentated on Doctor Who in the absence when it was off the air. They were very well-known for it, and you needed people who knew all those tiny details that make all the difference in telling a science fiction story. For example, the Doctor can't do magic, and it's very easy for new writers to assume that the Doctor and the Tardis can do anything, because the program is a very free-format. He can travel in time and space and land anywhere, but there are actually very strong limits within that as to what you can do and how an adventure works, so I'm glad we went for people who were well-versed in that sort of storytelling, because I didn't need to have script meetings in which I was telling them how the science fiction of Doctor Who worked. In addition to writing half of the first 13-episode season himself, Davies came up with basic storylines and settings for the remaining scripts, which were divided up according to the writers' individual strengths. 'Mark Gatiss, for example, is one of the writers and stars of [the British sketch comedy show] The League of Gentlemen, which is a marvelously dark and gothic comedy. I knew he had a great love of Victoriana, so when we had an episode set in the Victorian era with Charles Dickens ['The Unquiet Dead,' airing on SCI FI March 24], it was absolutely automatic that we give it to Mark. Steven Moffat is the writer who invented Coupling, and he's brilliant at structure and plot, so he was the only writer outside of myself to be given a two-parter ['The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances,' airing later this season], because they're very difficult to construct.' A relatively new writer, Rob Shearman, had previously written an audio play feature the Doctor's most famous nemeses, the Daleks. 'You could not get a cleverer, more intelligent and exciting take on the Doctor's old enemies than that,' Davies said. 'As a matter of honor, I felt we had to offer [the episode 'Dalek,' airing on SCI FI April 14,] to him, and it was a very big chance for Rob, writing a big piece of adventure television for prime time BBC1, and he did it magnificently. So all these decisions just made sense, really, and again, we've done that with the second [season].' Davies has written several scripts for season two, which is the final weeks of production back in the United Kingdom, and he has brought in Gatiss and Moffat as well as a group of new writers for the remaining episodes. 'They're very carefully chosen, because Doctor Who is so unique and it's so different every week. Each episode even has a different style, so you need to balance the writers and work out where their episodes play within the overall season, so we plan it all out very carefully.'"

Another report on Sci Fi Wire says that "Euros Lyn, who directed the Doctor Who episode 'The Unquiet Dead' (airing on Sci Fi Channel March 24 at 9 p.m. ET/PT), told SCI FI Wire that it was an enjoyable challenge to create the period adventure with a guest appearance by Charles Dickens. 'There were lots of things we wanted to do in the episode,' he recalled in an interview, 'including lots of crowd duplication shots in the theater. But knowing we had to get the dramatic scenes done first and get the story covered, we had to leave big-scale shots to the end of the day, which meant we sometimes didn't get them. Sometimes we'd reach the end of our day, and some of those grander shots fell off the list, so that was tough. We also had big snow scenes with paper snow in whipping wind, with horse-drawn carriages and lots of extras, and those were really tricky to achieve as well, so there were lots of big set pieces that were a real challenge.' In 'The Unquiet Dead,' the Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose (Billie Piper) travel back to Cardiff on Christmas Eve of 1869, where they discover the bodies of the dead are being possessed by the alien Gelth. Their main ally against the creatures: a world-weary playwright named Charles Dickens (Simon Callow). 'It was brilliant to get him,' Lyn said about the casting of Callow. 'He's an actor of such great stature and experience, and the work that he's associated with is work of quality. The secret to getting him interested was the script. He read the script and loved it, but he's also a Dickens freak. He loves everything about Dickens and has written books and performed one-man shows about him, so the material was of great interest to him, and I think that helped. Yes, it's Doctor Who, and yes, it's popular drama, but it also has an erudite and classical dimension to it.' The director is currently working on another history-based episode for season two, which begins airing in Britain in April. 'The Girl in the Fireplace' is set in 18th-century France and guest-stars Sophia Myles (Tristan and Isolde) as the French noblewoman Madame du Pompadour. 'They're very different episodes, but that's one of the brilliant things about Doctor Who: Every episode is a genre piece and utterly different to each other. It's like starting again every time; virtually nothing is current from one episode to another. One day you could be shooting on a set 2 billion years in the future, and the next morning you're stepping onto a set in 1879. So that's wonderful.'"

The Capital Times of Wisconsin says of the new series, "And it's really quite a hoot, faithful to the goofy charm of the original series while doing the serious upgrading and improving that was so desperately needed. Right from the opening credits, which use the spacey original theme music and show the Doctor's TARDIS, which looks like a 1950s emergency phone booth, winging through space and time, you know you're in good hands. For the uninitiated, the Doctor is a renegade space/time traveler who zips through the cosmos battling bad guys, trading quips with aliens and otherwise having a grand old time. ... In the first of last Friday's two episodes, the Doctor met up with Rose while trying to save London from being overrun by sentient department store mannequins. You see, this alien consciousness was able to animate plastic, using the London Eye Ferris wheel as a transmitter, and ... you know, not many 'Doctor Who' plots hold up on paper. Just know that everybody seemed to be having a good time, and this is that rare science-fiction show that not only puts an emphasis on comedy but is also pretty funny. I don't know who Piper is, but she's pretty great as Rose, sometimes gobsmacked at the wonders that the Doctor shows her and other times amusingly unfazed. She and Eccleston develop great chemistry: part father-daughter and part friends, with maybe a little sexual tension thrown in for good measure, quite quickly. The second episode was even better, as the Doctor and Rose whisk forward a few million years to watch the destruction of the Earth with a roster of VIAs (Very Important Aliens), who for some reason decide to commemorate Earth's passing by playing what they think is one of our world's great pieces of art: the '80s pop hit 'Tainted Love' by the group Soft Cell. Fans used to getting their fix of gritty, violent science fiction every night from 'Battlestar Galactica' (which coincidentally is also a remake of a cheesy old sci-fi series) might have a little trouble to adjusting to the whimsy of 'Doctor Who.' But I'll bet even they'll catch the groove of this amiably daffy show, and Sci-Fi will have another remake on its hands that tops the original. What's next, an Emmy-quality reimagining of 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'?"

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Peter Weaver, Cliff Chapman, Paul Hayes)

Doctor Who Comes To US Television

The floodgates have opened on coverage of the long-awaited debut of Doctor Who in America:

TV Guide Magazine, a large-circulation TV periodical in the US, includes Doctor Who in the weekly feature "Hot List: 21 Shows You've Gotta See!" in its March 13-19 edition now on newsstands. Noting it as a Season Premiere and featuring a photo of the Doctor and Rose crouching on the pavement in "Father's Day", the blurb reads: "The culty classic gets a slick update for theBattlestar generation when Christopher Eccleston checks in as the ninth Doc to do the time warp". On page 80, under Highlights for Friday 3/17, there is a box titled "Who's Who" featuring a large central photo of Tom Baker surrounded by smaller photos of, from left to right, Eccleston, Hartnell, Troughton, Pertwee, Davison, and McCoy. The text reads: "The Doctor is in. For the first time since a 1996 TV-movie, American viewers can see fresh DOCTOR WHO (SCI FI, 9/8c, 10/9c) adventures. Christopher Eccleston stars in the title role as an eccentric alien scientist (called a "Time Lord") who tools around space and time in a vessel shaped like a British phone booth -- the TARDIS. (It may look cramped, but it's actually much bigger on the inside.) In the opener, the Doctor and his feisty new sidekick Rose (Billie Piper) clash with a megalomaniacal blob that turns plastic items like mannequins into killers. But unlike the old Who serials, which were shot largely on videotape and hamstrung by cheap F/X, this version of the venerable series (the BBC began it in 1963) consists of self-contained installments produced entirely on film. Nevertheless, these 2005 stories -- the first regular episodes since 1989 -- remain as engaging as those of Eccleston's predecessors: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker (he of the long scarf -- perhaps the most famous Doctor), Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, and Paul McGann (the 1996 TV-movie only). How can so many actors play the same role? Whenever the Doctor's life is imperiled, he undergoes a "regeneration" that alters his appearance and personality. (How's that for a re-casting enabler?) Eccleston's Doctor will experience it at the end of the season -- David Tennant took over the role last November in England. -- G J Donnelly"

Entertainment Weekly, another widely-circulated periodical, notes that "When Doctor Who makes its triumphant return to the United States on the Sci Fi Channel March 17, the average American's reaction will likely be: It was here before? A science-fiction staple of British TV for over 40 years, Who achieved only cult status in the U.S. when the show was imported to PBS in the late '70s. The newly revamped version, shot for the BBC, stars Christopher Eccleston (28 Days Later) as the Doctor and British pop star Billie Piper as his time- travel partner, Rose Tyler. 'The show can be very dark, very gritty,' says exec producer Russell T. Davies (the man behind the original Queer as Folk). 'But there's also a great deal of fun.' Whether you're an old fan or a curious newcomer, here's everything you need to know about the new Who. WHO IS HE? The Doctor is an alien with a lot of heart--two of them, to be exact. He zips through space and time in the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), a ship that's huge inside, but looks like a phone booth on the outside. He's an exile who stumbles into trouble with a goofy grin, and occasionally escapes scrapes by transforming into another person. (Literally: Eccleston will be replaced by David Tennant in season 2.) The Doc's an odd, happy guy--unlike the typical guns-blazing U.S. sci-fi military hero. Davies says that's precisely the show's appeal: 'One of the joys of the Doctor is that it's not his job to wander the universe-- he does it because he loves it.' WHERE DOES HE GO? The original is revered for its quirkiness (foes included salt-shaker-shaped aliens the Daleks) and its witty scripts (by writers like Douglas Adams). Similarly, the new Doctor Who has no formula--one week, he meets Charles Dickens; the next, he watches Earth's destruction billions of years in the future. While it's airing on Sci Fi's Friday lineup, don't expect things to be nearly as grim as, say, Battlestar Galactica--especially when the good Doctor hangs out in a futuristic Big Brother house. WHAT'S NEW WITH THIS 'WHO'? It has production values, for one. Local weathermen had better computer graphics than the original, which often featured guys in rubber monster suits. 'In the old days they worked twice as hard as I do,' says Davies, 'and they never had enough money.' And fans have never seen a companion quite like shopgirl Rose, who is as much the hero as the Doc himself. 'We share these adventures through the eyes of a completely normal 21st- century girl,' Davies says. 'The most important thing about her is that she works in a shop.' All that remains to be seen is if American audiences will be buying." The magazine also has a brief "history" of Doctor Who.

Monsters and Critics calls the series #5 on its list of "top ten reasons to watch in 2006". "The Sci Fi Channel brings back to the US one of the most successful franchises in television history when it begins airing the new, reimagined Doctor Who series on March 17. Christopher Eccleston (Elizabeth, The Others, 28 Days Later) is the ninth actor to play the Doctor, the last remaining Timelord who uses a mysterious machine called the TARDIS to mess around with the past and future of the universe. Eccleston combines an impish sense of mischief with a ruthless dark side that always keeps you guessing as to how he’ll react. The first few episodes are enjoyable, but you can still feel the writers finding the voice of the series. But when an old enemy returns in episode five, a fascinatingly dark sensibility takes over, the plots gain new urgency, and things get personal for the Doctor. A must for science fiction fans."

Eclipse Magazine says of the show, "It’s the longest-running science fiction show on TV, appealing to all ages. The children who watched through their fingers from behind the sofa are now parents and grandparents of new generations of fans and, uniquely, the show has so far survived ten different actors in the title role. ... And work it does. The sets no longer wobble; the SFX, while perhaps not as stellar as those of US science fiction shows, aren’t exactly shabby; the writing is witty and intelligent; the stories full of fun and menace with a delicious British eccentricity. With all that going for it, 'Doctor Who' returned to the BBC with a bang, went straight to the top of the ratings -- and stayed there. While US imports such as 'Lost', 'Desperate Housewives', and the 'CSI' franchise continue to do well in the UK, it was 'Doctor Who' that instantly caught the audience’s imagination, winning major awards including Most Popular Drama at the 2005 National Television Awards, and bringing The Doctor to yet another generation cowering behind the sofa. ... Meanwhile, the second season of the new 'Doctor Who' is currently in the works, with a third also given the green light. And now the US audience can find out what all the fuss is about! The new 'Doctor Who' series has been picked up by the Sci-Fi Channel and is set to debut on Friday, March 17 at 9.00pm. Don’t miss it -- the Daleks know where to find you!"

The Long Island Press says that "Unless you're one of the two million nerds Googling the online version of this article, you've probably not had much exposure to the classic British science-fiction series Doctor Who. ... Little has changed since the show's last official season in 1989, aside from the marked improvement in wardrobe, hairdos and dental work (the actors' teeth were so bad in some of the old episodes that they could be shown as instructional videos in dental schools across the UK). The new series stars Christopher Eccleston as the ninth Doctor, who joins up with his lovely blonde chick named Rose to fight familiar foes like the Daleks and Autons. While they're at it, they might as well jump to the year 5 billion A.D. then back to 1869 to team up with Charles Dickens to put a hurtin' on some aliens. All in a day's work. Even though the show has failed numerous times to capture an American audience, I think the new series has the best shot by far of becoming a minor hit. With their amazing resurrection of Battlestar Galactica, a plethora of original B-horror flicks and endless reruns of Quantum Leap, the Sci-Fi Channel has solidly cornered the nerd market, and Doctor Who is a perfect fit. So get out your Star Wars Underoos, graphing calculator and silly Tom Baker (the fourth Doctor) scarf and strap in for the new Who. As long as you don't bring it up around the office hottie at the water cooler, you might just become a full-fledged Who-head, because it's actually a really good show. Nerd!"

The San Antonio Express News features an article: "I didn't have the most positive introduction to 'Doctor Who.' After meeting an interesting guy back in late 2000 and learning he was a huge fan of the old series of the '60s, '70s and '80s, I shared this info with a few of my TV colleagues. Throwing each other a look, one laughed and said: ' 'Doctor Who,' huh? That should give you sufficient warning about the guy.' It didn't. Five years later, Ross and I are together still. Needless to say, over those years, we've taken in quite a few installments of the old 'Doctor Who' on DVD. To be honest, the series with cheesy special effects and fairly cardboard characters never quite became my cup of British tea. Then the remake arrived and my opinion radically changed. This 21st century version of 'Doctor Who' is terrific, a sci-fi show that everyone, fan or not of the genre, can enjoy. It's fast-moving, meaty and funny, with three-dimensional characters who tug at your heart and tear ducts. It premieres with two back-to-back episodes from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday on the Sci Fi Channel. In case you're unfamiliar with the Doctor, he's part of an alien race called the Time Lords; travels in his time/space machine, the TARDIS; and takes plenty of risks as he rights the wrongs. Another defining trait is he always travels with a companion, usually human and female. ... Another plus: The special effects have been amped up 1,000 percent. But as mentioned before, it's the characters, coupled with the clever and beautiful writing by executive producer Russell T. Davies, that makes it an unqualified winner. So grab the kids -- 'Who' is as family-friendly as 'Harry Potter' -- and take a two-hour TV trip Friday that should keep you anxiously returning for more. P.S. Because I'm involved with a fanatic, I've managed to see the whole 13-episode series. (It debuted last year in England and is a huge hit). With each episode, the show got better and better, and at times, deeply emotional, with visits to the London Blitz, reality shows of the future, Victorian England and -- for die-hard 'Who' fans -- the return of the doc's notorious foes, the Daleks."

The Des Moines Register notes that "Both 'Star Wars' and 'Star Trek' took a shot and failed. Now another sci-fi franchise is trying to reinvent itself for today's adults. Admit it: George Lucas jumped the shark with Jar-Jar Binks, when he decided to tailor his latest 'Star Wars' trilogy to the kiddies and infuse the movies with more special effects than soul. ... Enter 'Doctor Who,' a uniquely British sci-fi TV series that premiered the day after Kennedy's assassination in 1963, before Denny Crane -- I mean James T. Kirk -- began boldly going anywhere. Before Lucas got a grip on the Force. ... 'Per capita, it's the equivalent of 'Friends' over here,' said Lars Pearson, who should know. The Des Moines-based sci-fi publisher (Mad Norwegian Press) has eight 'Who' reference guides in print and more on the way. ... 'You can kind of see the influences of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' in there,' Pearson said. 'There's all these people with a huge interest in the new show that basically wouldn't touch the old one with a 10-foot pole.' 'It's kind of become England's hottest property again,' agreed Steve Martin -- not the famous comedian, but a 27-year-old in Des Moines who embarked on his first post-college vacation last November to Wales just to attend a 'Who' convention. 'I think in a way it kind of transcends geekdom,' he said. 'You take 'Star Trek' fans, 'Star Wars' fans, they're very niche. But a lot of 'Doctor Who' fans kind of like everything. We're the neutral party in sci-fi fandom. We're not gonna beat you over the head. . . . You have to let someone discover it in their own way.'" Read the full article at the site.

People

The Daily Mirror today reports that John Barrowman will be co-presenting ITV1's This Morning mid-morning magazine show over Easter, standing in for one of the regular presenters. Beginning on Monday 10 April, Barrowman will, according to the programme's executive producer, "bring his own unique brand of humour and fun to This Morning." Barrowman says that he is "so looking forward to being a part of daytime television and especially This Morning." The report also mentions that Captain Jack Harkness will return to Doctor Who in its third series and that Barrowman is "currently filming" Torchwood, although production is actually not slated to begin until April. Also reported in the Daily Record,

Zoe Wanamaker, who returns in series two as Cassandra after her turn last year in "The End of the World," is interviewed by the UK Press Association's Graham Kibble-White, and she discusses her role. "Last year Zoe notched up something of an honour by portraying the first new monster to menace Doctor Who following the series' triumphant return to BBC One. The good news is, her character, Cassandra, will be back for a rematch when the show returns to our screens in the spring. 'It's fabulous!' she enthuses, when asked what it's like to be a 'Who baddy. 'It's such fun! It's such a credit to Russell T Davies and the producers. I think what they've achieved is brilliant. I think Cassandra's a naughty, naughty girl. That's what's such fun about her. She's cheeky. She's not evil, she's just naughty.' Alas, she's sworn to secrecy when it comes to talking about just what the vain 'last human alive' gets up to this time around, but she is prepared to reflect upon what the role means to her. 'It's like being a baddy in a Bond film,' she muses. 'It's that sort of television equivalent, I think. I desperately wanted her to come back. It's a character you can bring something to, twist it around and make something funny. She reminded me of Joan Rivers and that extraordinary woman who changed her face a million times to look like some sort of tiger. And it was extremely witty to do. After so many plastic surgeons, liposuction and all that she's ended up just a flat piece of parchment. I think that's fabulous. A fantastic invention. That's the best thing about science fiction, it's really basically fairy stories come to life, but they're great fun.'" Wanamaker is also currently back on the BBC in series six of the sitcom "My Family", in which she co-stars as tour guide and mother Susan Harper.

As we reported last week was about to happen, Christopher Ecclestoncould briefly be seen giving his muppety opinions on ITV's Best Ever Muppet Moments last night, where he divulged that his favourite character on the show was and mad-scientist Bunsen Honeydew.

BBC Radio 3's composer of the week for week commencing Monday, March 27 is Richard Rodney Bennett, composer of the incidental music for the 1964 story "The Aztecs". Says Radio 3: "Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, who turns 70 on Wednesday 29 March, studied serialism with Pierre Boulez, yet is as comfortable at the piano playing jazz and singing cabaret as he is with any 12-tone row. He is famous for his television and film music -- early Doctor Who, Murder On The Orient Express and Four Weddings And A Funeral, among others -- but considers such work to be musical 'journalism' and thinks more highly of his music for the opera house and concert hall." Pieces of his work will crop up across the schedule during the week, available via the "Listen Again" function.

icWales says that "Ioan Gruffudd has been voted one of the country's hottest men by a women's glossy magazine. ...Gruffudd, along with Doctor Who actor David Tennant and singer Will Young, were selected by staff at the magazine to take part in the anniversary celebrations. ... A spokeswoman for Glamour said ...'We were thinking which men we would like to attend a party with and we chose Ioan, Will and David because they all look good, have great personalities and plenty of charm,' she said. 'It was a bit of fun and, from what we gather, they all had a great time.'"

Also, Tennant and Billie Piper are on the cover of the April issue of SFX Magazine; the issue is timed for the expected April launch of series two on BBC television.

Says March 9's Daily Star, "Doctor Who actor David Tennant finally came face-to-face with a Dalek for the first time yesterday. But thankfully this one was in the shape of a cake. The 34-year-old star, who has taken over the Timelord role from Christopher Eccleston, 42, was busy filming scenes for the new series in Cardiff. And one fan gave the cast and crew a treat by bringing them a plateful of cakes to scoff, including one in the shape of the Doc's greatest foes. His sidekick Billie Piper, 23, also grabbed a chocolate Dalek. She said: 'It looks cute. I'll have it later. I can't breathe in this costume, let alone eat.'"

"A Taste of Honey" starring Bruno Langley (Adam from "Dalek" and "The Long Game") has new dates; it's now playing 16-20 May at the Sheffield Crucible, according to Sheffield Today.

Miscellaneous

According to The Sun, "Readers can cast their vote for their favourite show from a shortlist celebrating the top telly of last year...the much-anticipated return of Dr Who, the teatime sci-fi adventure starring Billie Piper and Christopher Eccleston, peaked with 10.5million viewers for the first episode and has gone on to win a string of awards. ... To cast your vote for the one you want to see celebrating, log on to this site and make your choice. The winner will be revealed at the star-studded BAFTA TV Awards ceremony on May 7, which will be shown on ITV1 the following evening at 9pm.'"

The official Doctor Who website reports that "Totally Doctor Who are extending the age limit for Companion Academy entries. New CBBC show Totally Doctor Who have noticed that quite a few thirteen and fourteen year-olds want to become Companion Academy Cadets. So they've done the decent thing, and upped the age limit to fourteen. To enter for Companion Academy, send a video of yourself explaining why you'd make a great Cadet, no more than a minute long, to Totally Doctor Who, PO Box 5158, CF5 9BD. Make sure your parent or guardian gives their permission in a letter. Send it along with the tape."

Mine All Mine, the Russell T Davies-created comedy-drama, will be released on DVD in the UK in May 2006, according to SendIt; Davies has recorded commentaries on three episodes.

ITV's network drama controller has told the new issue of Broadcastmagazine that he has recently commisioned "The History of Mr Polly starring David Tennant and adapted by Adrian Hodges. It's the a story of a little man who rebels against his humdrum life. It's a great literary classic and with David in it it will be stunning."

The Pet Shop Boys feature on the cover of, and are interviewed by Andrew Harrison in, the latest edition (April 2006) of culture magazine The Word, which mentions Doctor Who; talking about legendary TV host & DJ, Simon Dee, Neil Tennant recalls, "He was great, Simon Dee. Every Saturday night on BBC1 we had Doctor Who followed by Dee Time and then The Monkees. Or maybe in a different order." Says Chris Lowe, "I'm a huge fan of Doctor Who. I watched all the new one." Harrison: "Are you glad there's a new Tennant in the TARDIS at last?" Tennant: "Not only that, but he's named after me. His real name is something else (David MacDonald) but for his Equity name he chose Tennant because of the Pet Shop Boys." Lowe: "It's a very big honour." Tennant: "I could see me being Doctor Who." Lowe: "Have you seen Neil act? (Ironic!)" Tennant: "I'd attend a meeting definitely about playing Doctor Who. Definitely. But I haven't watched it since approximately 1969. For me Doctor Who is basically William Hartnell or forget about it." This isn't the first time the PSB's have referred to Doctor Who.

The Sunderland Echo says that "Devoted Dr Who fan Neil Perryman believes the show has always pushed the TV envelope and he will outline his thoughts on how Dr Who did -- and still does -- dictate the future of the medium, at a lecture on Monday night. ... 'Dr Who has been both a critical and a commercial success, but more than that, it has effectively changed the way in which television drama will be produced, distributed, and consumed in the future,' said Neil. 'Dr Who was the first online serialised webcast drama, it had the first podcasted episode commentary, the first BBC release on DVD, PSP and mobile phone, and the first interactive drama on BBCi.' Neil, who lectures in media production at Sunderland, is holding a free talk at 6pm on Monday at the Media Centre, St Peter's Campus. The lecture, Dr Who and Media Convergence is open to all."

Wikipedia, the large online 'encyclopedia' constructed primarily by readers, featured an article about the TARDIS as its "Featured Article" on March 8.

Additional reports about the casting of Peter Kay can be found at The Sun, UPI, Yahoo News, Daily Record,Brand Republic, RTE,Megastar, Hollywood News, Daily Snack, The Register. Also, an additional article about the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards is aticWales while another review of the Noel Clarke-written film "Kidulthood" is at FilmFocus.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Steven Anderson, Simon Guerrier, Peter Weaver, Christian Burris, Corey Charette, Felicity Kusinitz, Chuck Foster, Matt Kimpton, Phil Creighton, Phil M Newman, Daniel Hall, Martin Hoscik/UNIT News, Neil Marsh and david-tennant.com)

Broadcasting:

According to a BBC Press Office Programme Information release (link - note, PDF document), "The Chatterley Affair" will be broadcast on BBC Four on Monday 20 March, from 9pm to 10.30pm. David Tennant appears as journalist Richard Hoggart, and the dramatisation of the Lady Chatterley trial is directed by James Hawes ('The Empty Child', 'The Christmas Invasion').

Iowa Public Television, one of only two stations in America who still syndicate the classic series, is now accepting pledges to keep the show on the air for the next calendar year. "With the Christopher Eccleston series about to broadcast on The Sci-Fi Channel, Mad Norwegian Press is asking WHO fans -- even those who don't live in Iowa -- to make a small pledge and aid the cause by keeping one of the last remaining bastions of classic WHO on the American airwaves," says Lars Pearson of Mad Norwegian Press. "Simply put, IPTV is a non-profit organization, and the show cannot remain on the air without freely-given funding. The IPTV broadcasts benefit those inside Iowa and some surrounding areas... With the Eccleston series' debut, we're hoping there'll be a lot more people curious about the old run. Anyone wishing to donate to IPTV to keep WHO on the air can do so through the IPTV website by going here. Those who make a pledge should scroll down and vote for their favorite Doctor -- IPTV will begin running the winner's stories on April 8." There will also be a live pledge drive on Saturday, March 11 at 11 pm... the special edition of "The Five Doctors" will be shown at this time.

People:

According to the What's On Stage website, Sylvester McCoy will star in the world premiere of "The Pocket Orchestra - The Unlikely Lives of the Great Composers" at the West End’s Trafalgar Studio 2 next month. "The new play by Graeme Garden and Callum McLeod runs from 26 April 2006 (preview 25 April) for a limited four-week season to 20 May 2006. The comedy takes an “irreverent, satirical and shamelessly anecdotal” look at the history of classical music and the often bizarre and anarchic lives of the great composers."

Former companion Caroline John will be appearing as one of the leads on Radio Four in the afternoon play on Wednesday March 15th at 14.30 (British time). The play is a ghost story called 'The Midnight House' and centres around an episode in world war two whereby pictures from the London Art Galleries were evacuated to a remote slate mine in North Wales. The play will be available to listen to for up to a week online at the Radio Four website.

This week's Radio Times has a two-page article (in their behind-the-scenes section) on Adam Garcia (Alex in "The Christmas Invasion"), who plays the Russian ballet star in "the BBC's lavish Riot at the Rite, the story of Nijinsky's infamous version of Stravinsky's 'The Right of Spring' ballet. 'Very few people can do justice of Nijinsky, so what chance do I have?' laughs Adam. 'Aussie-born Garcia had a little help from ballet double Ivan Putrov'. BBC2 Saturday 11 March at 9pm."

Christopher Eccleston made a surprise appearance on the final of Junior Mastermind on BBC One on 26 February, his first public appearance in connection with Doctor Who since the new series publicity in March last year. Eccleston appeared in a pre-filmed insert, chatting to Sam, the young contestant who had chosen "Doctor Who 2005" as his specialist subject. Describing himself as an "unemployed Time Lord", Eccleston said that the best thing about being in Doctor Who was "the response from children". When asked what he had brought to the role, he indicated his ears; he also suggested that he would do "terribly" in a Mastermind round on Doctor Who, and declared that the Doctor "absolutely" fancied Rose. He seemed relaxed, and pleased and impressed with Sam's enthusiasm for the show. Not helped by a convoluted question about 'Father's Day', Sam went on to achieve a good score of 16, though this was not enough to win the contest.

Eccleston will also participate in a special called "The Best Ever Muppet Moments!" on Saturday, March 11 at 7pm on ITV. Says the Mirror, "Hosted by Kermit The Frog - as all shows should be - the programme will celebrate our favourite bits from The Muppet Show, complete with tributes from fans including Robson Green, Christopher Eccleston, Davina McCall, Angus Deayton and Michael Parkinson."

Jo Joyner, who played perky Lynda Moss in the final two episodes of last season's Doctor Who series, told this past weekend's Sunday Mercury, "If I do nothing else in my life, I can always say I was exterminated! ... It was so cool to be part of Doctor Who. Filming my death was a real buzz. I had a large plate of sugar glass in front of me which shattered, and three huge sub-woofers behind me, blowing air out like giant hairdryers to whip my hair back in the blast. I'm a huge fan of Big Brother but I'd hate to go on it. As I say, I like people-watching, not having people watch me!"

Camille Coduri will be featured in a segment on My Spirit Radio after March 21, hosted by Esoteric Entertainments, a paranormal site. "In this exclusive interview [Coduri] talks about Doctor Who, her outlook and life and as an Aries woman what she looks for in a lover! The interview will be available as an mp3 download as well."

Justin Richards, Creative Director of the Doctor Who books, is interviewed at CBBC: "I suppose my absolute favourite though was Doctor Who In An Exciting Adventure With The Daleks - which is quite a title! It came out again later as just plain: Doctor Who and the Daleks. The book was written by David Whitaker from the original scripts of the very first Dalek story on Doctor Who, which was by Terry Nation. Both hugely talented writers who knew all about adventure and thrills!"

Robert Hands, who played Algy in "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances", is to star with Tim Curry in the forthcoming West End version of "Spamalot."

Additional Press Items:

The New York Times discusses the launch of the series in America along with Russell T Davies and the controversy surrounding the series being produced by an openly gay producer. "'There's very classically and traditionally a strong gay fan base for 'Doctor Who,' said Mr. Davies, 42, in a telephone interview from his home in Manchester, England. 'He is a loner and a wanderer. He doesn't represent the authority -- he is a man, unlike any other, doing his own thing. I think you can see the emotional connection.' ... So when the BBC approached Mr. Davies in late 2003 to update 'Doctor Who' for the 21st century, he was already teeming with ideas. 'It's a genuine love of mine,' he said, 'and loving a program means you're not blind to its faults.' ... 'It was very important to Russell that the Doctor not be posh,' said Mark Gatiss, a co-star and co-creator of the quirky ensemble television comedy 'The League of Gentlemen,' who was recruited onto Mr. Davies's writing staff. 'It's all about the Doctor being a kind of burning, firework personality that is incredibly attractive, but also slightly dangerous to be around.' ... In the days leading up to the premiere of the new 'Doctor Who' in March 2005, the British tabloid press did its best to insinuate that Mr. Davies -- who is openly gay, and proud that his 'Queer as Folk' series included, in his words, 'more sex than any other program ever' -- might somehow be an unfit candidate to re-establish a beloved cultural icon. The faithful, however, declined to take the bait. 'The vast amount of fans out there were just elated that the show was coming back,' said Shaun Lyon, editor of the 'Doctor Who' fan Web site Outpost Gallifrey (www.gallifreyone.com). 'Pointing out that Russell's gay, let's be honest, you can no longer get a story out of that. Gay is officially boring now.' ... But controversy eventually caught up with the series: four days after the premiere, the BBC published a news release in which Mr. Eccleston revealed that he would not be returning for a second season — an awkward situation made more so when he protested that the BBC had falsely attributed quotes to him and had broken an agreement to withhold the announcement until after the show's first season had ended. 'I'm sure it could have been handled better,' Mr. Davies said. (Mr. Eccleston declined to comment for this story.)" Read the full article at the website.

More coverage of Noel Clarke's film "Kidulthood" which arrived over the weekend can be found in the Independent, the Daily Record, Future Movies, Bloomberg News, the Sunday Times,http://www.itn.co.uk/news/entertainment_206280.html">ITN, the Guardian. There have also been a ton of in-print articles written but not available online. Meanwhile, Clarke was on BBC Radio 5 Live's weekly film review on 4 March with Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode; Doctor Who interest is sparse, other than, at the end of the interview, a bit of badgering him about how long Billie will be in it for (and of course, he doesn't give them anything.)

Other items: Television Without Pity, a large television website, has opened up a new Doctor Who section to cover the show's broadcast on Sci-Fi. CBBC News mentions the debut of "Totally Doctor Who" and has the same information as on the official site, which we reported over the weekend. Also, there's more news about the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards at C21 Media.

Many websites are reporting on the casting of Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper in the new "Torchwood" spinoff series (reported yesterday); among the sites featuring stories about this are icWales, Brand Republic, WaveGuide,The Great Link. Also, the BBC Press Office has also posted the press release (with identical wording to what's on the official Doctor Who site)here.

Radio Times has put up a gallery of cover party shots that the magazine didn't have room for here, the first and last being Doctor Who related.

The latest issue of Forbidden Planet international home shopping (the quarterly mail order catelogue run by the large Forbidden Planet chain of UK Sci-fi shops) have a number of new Doctor Who products listed that we haven't previously mentioned, including a TARDIS Zipperobe (a wire frame wardrobe with cloth robe print of TARDIS to cover, making it appear that there is a TARDIS in the corner of your room, due out in August); aSonic screwdriver LED torch (replica model torch, release date TBA);Dalek-shaped moneybox; Whographs, an autograph book with 80 blank pages; aDalek shaped electronic alarm clock, a sculpted Dalek wall clock, a Dalek shaped webcam and a chrome wallclock with an image of the TARDIS in the vortex.

The Evening Standard has some feedback on the new film "Kidulthood" written by series star Noel Clarke. "Kidulthood is designed to lure a youthful audience. There's a soundtrack by cool British artists, and a young and attractive cast whose performances have the tang of authenticity. It shows how city teenagers today divide along issues of power - sexual, physical and economic - rather than of ethnicity, and how they are united in pursuit of kicks and 'respect'. There have already been calls for Kidulthood to be banned. Others have dismissed it as mere voyeurism. Director Menhaj Huda and the film's screenwriter-star, Noel Clarke, say Kidulthood is 'on the pulse' and 'real'. But is it? And if it is, doesn't putting such subject matter on screen automatically glamorise it?" Reactions include the wife of slain headmaster Philip Lawrence, who was killed by one of his pupils in west London: "I think I was expected to dislike this film, to be shocked at the violence, the sex, the 'bad language'. I think I was expected to protest that it should not be shown to young people because they might emulate the (undoubtedly) atrocious actions. Perhaps I would even call for it to be banned. But I didn't dislike it. I'm not shocked by it (I should as soon be shocked by scenes in EastEnders or Coronation Street). I'm not protesting at it. And rather than calling for its censure, I'm more inclined to think it should be compulsory viewing. I don't imagine that Noel Clarke, the writer and lead actor, was attempting to say that all young people live like this. He was showing us what it is like for some young people at a particular time, in a particular place. The subject matter may be unpalatable but there are moments of supreme tenderness. If there is a message, then it is a moral one; what goes around, comes around. The bullies become the losers. Even the vicious drug baron is shown as a vacuous, pathetic bully whose life has no semblance of warmth or happiness. It does not justify, and is no more likely to promote, a life of impersonal sex and drugs and happy-slapping than, for instance, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Indeed the ending, perhaps unconsciously, parallels that play. A young boy lies dying, having discovered for a few sweet moments that love is what matters. In the pleas of his pregnant girlfriend it is impossible not to also hear the cries of other young people who wake every morning to a dark and brutal dawn. Who can pretend that these things don't happen? If we turn away, aren't we are as bad as the oh-so-liberal mother who calls through her daughter's bedroom door, 'Use a condom, sweetheart' -- oblivious to the fact that her daughter is not making love but is being abused. It's about time a film like this was made. As Clarke says: 'You can wear all the blue wristbands you like, but unless we bring it to people's attention, right in their faces, I don't think enough is gonna get done.'"

Also, MTV.co.uk is giving away tickets for the film.

Tom Baker was on this afternoon's BBC Radio 1 Colin and Edith Show, and the interview can now be heard again from this page.

The official Doctor Who website notes that "the Cardiff Doctor Who Exhibition stays open. Originally due to close at the end of February, the Doctor Who Exhibition in Cardiff's Red Dragon Centre will now be extended through March at least. The Exhibition, which is currently free, will start charging from 1 March 2006. It'll stay open as long as the demand is there. 1 March will also see a new exhibit on display, the Sycorax Leader from The Christmas Invasion. More new exhibits are promised after the 2006 series starts airing."

IGN has a review of the First Series Boxed Set release for Canada.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Peter Weaver, William Gallagher, Chris Carabott, Dan McGrath)

Series Two Items

New! Magazine (issue 151) has a two-page article (mostly pictures) of "Billie and David's TARDIS trip to the 50s!" The article reads, "Billie Piper and David Tennant get to rock around the TARDIS in the next series of Doctor Who! Our snaps were snatched on the set of the popular BBC1 drama in a street in Cardiff, Wales, last week, where the pair were in the midst of filming David's first series in the lead role. Billie looked a lot more excited by her retro costume than her co-star, but we don't blame her - she looked fantastic! She'd swapped her 21st century daywear for a fantastic flared pink skirt, matching heels and quirky pink shades, while David was wearing The Doctor's usual suit, jazzed up with a funky rockabilly quiff and sideburns. Still, David got to swap the time-travelling TARDIS for a zippy blue Vespa, which explains why he was recently spotted taking motorbike lessons. Billie, 23, seemed to enjoy riding on the back as much as David, 34, enjoyed driving, and she recently revealed, "Screen kisses? I love them. Especially with David." No wonder the actress, who recently received a breakthrough gong at the prestigious South Bank ShowAwards, insists on three takes to get their on-screeen snogs right. The pair were filming an episode in which their TARDIS lands in the 1950s, where they battle aliens who travel thoughTV airwaves. Filming took place in a residential street bedecked with bunting, retro adverts and lined with vintagcars, while diversions were in place to stop modern-day cars beign caught on film. The new series is expected to air in April. We can't wait!"

Actress Michelle Ryan mentioned the series in a brief interview in theMetro magazine. "There are rumours you're going to be Dr Who's new assistant. Are they true?" asks the paper, to which she replied, "Everyone's been rumoured to be up for that. The media speculate as to who they'd like to see in the role but as far as I know, no offers have been made. I'd consider it if it came up, though."

The Sun on 16 February asked "Who's my Valentine?" "Shirley Valentine starPauline Collins gets her teeth into the role of Queen Victoria in Doctor Who - before being bitten by a werewolf! Actress Pauline, 61, below, stars in an episode called Tooth and Claw in which the Queen meets the Time Lord (David Tennant) and his sidekick Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) in the Scottish Highlands. The trio spend the night with a Royal pal - who turns into a beast when night falls. Pauline - who first appeared in the sci-fi show in 1967 - said: 'It's really a tale of good against evil.'"

Series two guest star Maureen Lipman was on "Wogan Now and Then" on UKTV Gold on 14 Septemberr. She talked briefly about her episode in the new series, couple of minor spoilers about how it is set before the Coronation in 1953, that she is an alien, that she filmed her part separately from the main cast at Alexandria Palace studios, and scenes like "15 seconds having all the energy sucked out of (her)".

The South Wales Evening Post notes that "Swansea Valley's landmark Craig y Nos has been transformed from a 19th Century gothic pile into a dark and dour Scottish castle for the latest Dr Who sci-fi adventure set in Victorian times. A caravan of 30 BBC trucks descended on the castle to film the new series of adventures featuring the time travelling Doctor, in the shape of David Tennant, and his feisty companion, played by Billie Piper. Most of the filming was done over three days in the outer courtyard of the castle. The appearance of the castle facade needed changing to give it a bleak, period feel and security lights and other modern fittings had to be camouflaged. Martin Gover, managing director of Selclene, the domestic cleaning agency which now owns the castle, said: "The highlight of one of our overnight hotel guest's stay turned out to be the moment Billie Piper accidentally trod on her dog's tail between scenes." Mr Gover, who has put 1.2 million of his own money into renovating Craig y Nos, said: "The storyline concerns someone with a werewolf in their cellar. "Aside from that, we know as little about the plot as anyone else. All the shots of the castle were of the front entrance and the atrium block. We had all the windows painted black to give the castle a mediaeval look." The Dr Who cavalcade arrived during the worst of the autumn rain. "It bucketed down with rain," said Mr Gover. "We asked what they were going to do about the remaining daylight scenes as it got dark. One of the technicians said 'You haven't seen our sun, mate'. A huge crane arrived and hoisted an immense lighting array some 70ft above the castle, bathing the hamlet of Craig y Nos in bright 'sunshine'. The rain, however, continued sheeting down. 'Not even the BBC could control the weather," he added.

The South Wales Evening Post notes that "a child actor from Swansea is to grace the big screen with two very different types of Doctor. Parklands Primary School pupil Lara Philippart, aged eight, will appear on television this weekend with a role in BBC's Casualty. But she is also due this week to star filming the latest series of Dr Who, which is underway in Cardiff. Lara, who attends Centrestage Drama School in Sandfields, is following in the footsteps of big sister Millie, aged 13, who recently returned from travelling Europe filming Crusade in Jeans, a children's film about time travel set for general cinema release later this year. Dad Kneath Philippart, from Sketty, said: "They just seem to get picked for these roles. But credit really has to go to the staff at Centrestage for all the work they do." Lara will be appearing in Casualty on Saturday."

A 16 February article in the Daily Star says that "Doctor Who bosses have gone monster mad after a script for the new series was left on a park bench. The top secret document was abandoned by someone who works on the BBC hit, which stars David Tennant, 34, and Billie Piper, 23. And the script for a forthcoming episode called The Idiot's Lantern could already have been read by passers-by and even posted on the internet. TV chiefs were left fuming when a member of the public rang the Beeb to say the weather-beaten script had been found in a central London park. Producers are said to be furious that someone working on the programme could have been so careless as to leave the script lying on a bench. A BBC source said: "They were stunned that anyone could just leave a secret script just lying around for all the world to see. These things are sacred because so few are given out and the ones which are often have the names of the cast or crew member printed on the top. The last thing we want is leaks on the internet. It can ruin the story and surprises for fans before the programme even goes on air. As yet we have no idea who left it there and so far no-one has owned up to us that they've lost their script. But everyone's been given a talking to about security issues." The Idiot's Lantern - said to be one of the spookiest-ever episodes - will feature in the new series which begins in April. It was written by League of Gentlemen star Mark Gatiss, 39. Only scant details are known about the plotline but we can reveal that the Doctor and Rose land back on Earth in the 1950s, only to find the planet being invaded by ghosts who travel through soundwaves in TV sets. The show is set to include guest appearances by comedy actress Maureen Lipman, 59, and telly psychic Derek Acorah, 55."

More articles about Trisha Goddard being a guest star in series two can be found at Sky.com, the Mirror (updated article) and Ananova. We should note that it appears that "I'm In Love With a Ghost" is actually the episode of the celeb's talk show within the Doctor Who episode...

Noel Clarke's Kidulthood

RWDMag interviews Noel Clarke about his forthcoming film "Kidulthood" coming out in March. "Basically it all started with a case of sitting down in front of the computer and writing it," says Clarke. "The reason I started was, I feel in terms of a lot of things that are happening today in society (with young people) - I didn’t think things were being told right. I wanted the film to be something that people haven’t seen before. The fact that a certain newspaper was trying to attack it, is just a testament to… people don’t like it when situations are told the way they really are. ... Young people do have sex; I mean this country has one of the highest youngest pregnancy rates in Europe. Young people do take drugs. The film doesn’t highlight, promote or justify any of this – I’m not a drug taker and never have been – BUT, it’s happening. You need to bring circumstances like this to people’s attention. The bullying in the schools and the workplaces needs to be brought to people’s attention. You can bring out all the blue bands you want, kids just wear them as a fashion accessory and children get bullied anyway. ... We tackle bullying, teenage suicide, drug taking and other major issues, what I want is the Government to figure out ways that young people can address these issues; with workshops and more money spent on these things that youth culture go through. I’m not saying I know the answers but if we shine light on the actual situation, kids relate to the characters and then someone (in power) can see what’s going on and deal with it. ... In terms if the writing, I mostly scripted it. Even though I’m a bit older I still know what’s goin on. I still go to the same barbers in Ladbrook Grove. Certain words never change. The actors helped a great deal, so they used some updated/ ad-libbed words. ... Basically the three main characters, Jay, Trife and Mooney are based on people, me and two of my friends from college. I was there for the casting and the Director [Menhaj Huda ‘Huds’] chose an excellent bunch. With the main characters everyone can relate to them. Working with all the cast was great and we had loads of joke on set. ... My character [Sam] is based on bullies I saw around the neighbourhoods. In school they’re all big but now when you see them on road they’re all silent. They only have the power with a weapon or with their crew around them. Once I knew I was playing that part (I didn’t know at the start); I had to make sure he was intimidating enough. ... The reactions have been 96% positive, which is alright ya know. I didn’t write/ make the film for people to like it. I made/ was involved because it was real and if you do things for OTHER people’s approval all the time, that’s the wrong reason. Go watch the film and you’ll see how things go down."

The 19 February edition of the Independent says that the film "shows what children really get up to when mum and dad aren't looking. ... It promises to be the most controversial British film of the year. The Sun has already called for it to be banned and The Times has accused it of pandering to middle-class voyeurism in its portrayal of crime, bullying and sexual abuse. Set among a group of white and black teenagers in west London, from working-class and middle-class families, and based entirely on true stories, Kidulthood claims to be the first feature film to accurately reflect what life is like for urban kids. There are graphic scenes of drug-taking, violence, casual sex and organised crime. The characters are all 15. The film opens with a middle-class schoolgirl being horrifically bullied in a classroom. When her preoccupied businessman father picks up her from school, he fails to spot the bruises. Ten minutes later, she has hanged herself. In another sequence two girls trade sexual favours with older men for pocket money to spend at Topshop. A young black boy cuts a man's throat to impress his drug-dealer uncle. Running parallel, however, are story- lines about coping with bad skin and how to choose your friends wisely. Not surprising then that the film, out in two weeks, has divided critics. But is it an unflinching portrayal of teenage life, or a manipulative assault on the paranoid anxieties of Middle England? For one thing is sure - this film is certain to put the fear of God into parents everywhere. ... Noel Clarke, who wrote the screenplay, insists it is the essential truth of his work that makes the film so controversial. 'It touches a raw nerve,' he says. 'It's on the pulse of what's happening in society right now. Kids these days are growing up too fast.' Clarke, 30, best known for playing Billie Piper's boyfriend in Dr Who, is sure of his material. He grew up in the Ladbroke Grove and Harrow Road area of London where the film is set. His childhood bedroom is used in one scene. For a year he collected newspaper articles about teenagers in trouble, then condensed them into a 90-minute storyline, seen from their point of view. With a cast that includes Clarke, Jamie Winstone - the teenage daughter of Ray Winstone - and Rafe Spall, son of Timothy Spall, and a "hip-hop and grime" soundtrack by Dizzee Rascal, The Streets and Lady Sovereign, Kidulthood is seriously hip. It also looks fantastic: the director of photography, Brian Tufano, shot Trainspotting and Quadrophenia. Some are predicting it will join the ranks of cult films such as City of God and La Haine. But the film-makers are adamant that style shouldn't get in the way of substance. 'You have a bullying storyline, young people coming up against issues of sex for the first time, taking drugs, dealing with teenage pregnancy,' says Hannah Jolliffe of the youth website www.TheSite.org, which gives advice to young people on everything from drugs to sexual health. 'What is impressive is it doesn't try to moralise.' The highly multicultural film shows that in the new Britain, all kids face the same temptations." More at the website.

The Telegraph also says of the film that "There's a new kids' film on the block. Hardly a scoop - barely a week goes by without the release of another movie featuring some plucky youngster battling good and evil with their pals. Kidulthood, out in a fortnight, is no exception: it follows 15-year-old Trife and his schoolfriends getting up to all sorts of adventures one day in December. But Harry Potter it ain't. Not for these teenagers tutorials in wizardry and bashful blushes across the Quidditch field. The only time we see a blackboard is when a girl gets her face smashed against it by a classmate. The only time we see a science lab is when Trife uses the equipment to customise his gun. And the only time we see someone pick up a pen is to write a suicide note. Playing fields are for sex, mobile phones are for videoing fights, coke is for snorting, cabbies for fleecing, babies for getting rid of in case they make you look fat. Parents barely figure - they're dimly liberal at best, at worst completely absent. The real authority figures are an ageing drug-dealer, who trades pills for sexual favours, and Trife's gangster uncle, who gets his nephew high on heroin, then forces him to maim a business associate he is torturing in the cellar. It's a shocker all right, and intentionally so. The more adults who tut, the more teenagers who will buy tickets. With a soundtrack featuring cutting-edge home-grown talent, such as The Streets and Dizzee Rascal, Kidulthood is a film of formidable grit that aims to expose the tough-nut centre of chocolate-box London. It is set on the council estates bordering Ladbroke Grove, a landscape of grim towers and graffiti-scrawled underpasses rarely visited by film crews, despite being cheek by jowl with some of the most expensive postcodes in town."

More about the film can be found on its official website.

David Tennant Items

icWales notes that "IT MAY not be an issue at the forefront of people's minds as they are sizing up their favourite celebrities, but the owners of the sexiest pair of famous ears have been named. The RNID, the charity for deaf and hard of hearing people, today picked singer Charlotte Church, also a former winner of Rear of the Year, and Doctor Who actor David Tennantas having the best set of lugs. Others shortlisted for the female prize were actress Keira Knightley, singer Jamelia and TV presenter Lorraine Kelly, while the men who just missed out on the prize included presenter Jonathan Ross and singer Robbie Williams. The RNID has now launched a search for the nation's sexiest pair of ears, with members of the public invited to send in a picture to be judged by the charity." Also reported at theBelfast Telegraph, Edinburgh News, GM.TV, Daily Record.

Tennant appears as the Doctor on the front cover of the 'Equity Review of the Year 2005' (the annual report of the British actors' trade union). There's no reference to him or the series inside, however.

Stuff.co.nz reviewed "Casanova" starring Tennant, saying it "was an engaging romp, in the tradition of Vanity Fair, Barrie Lyndon and Moll Flanders -- only updated, into a sort of Minder in costume. ...It was initially disappointing that a rather scrawny and average-looking actor, David Tennant, was the chosen young Casanova. He didn't look remotely like our modern idea of an Italian dreamboat. He was barrow-boy common, and when seen in bed, had those nasty spaghetti arms which we're so unaccustomed to seeing on TV since the advent of Les Mills. But he imbued the role with enough grating charm, impishness and gallows self-deprecation, that in the end he seemed acceptable. Tennant has a nice, Everyman face and surplus eye-twinkle, and will doubtless become as ubiquitous as Robson Green in time. But for my money, he was outshone comedy-wise by his manservant Rocco, played with stoical, eye-rolling sullenness by Shaun Parks."

Tenannt is also said to be backing a fundraising drive for a cash-strapped Scots hospice in his home town of Paisley according to the Daily Record of 14 February. "The ACCORD Hospice have just six weeks to buy their buildings from Argyll and Clyde Health Board. Tennant has stepped in to give the buy-a-brick campaign celebrity backing. David said: 'Coming from Paisley, I'm very proud of the ACCORD Hospice and the care they provide.'"

The official website asks, "If you've ever wondered what going on a date with David Tennant would be like, and let's face it, who hasn't, the BBC Film Network has the answer. They've just published romantic comedy Nine and a Half Minutes on their site. Made back in 2002, it stars the Tenth Doctor actor alongside Zoe Telford. They play Charlie and Heather, a couple who meet on a blind date and then go on to imagine a whole relationship in just under ten minutes. Warning - the film does contain some very strong language, alongside images of David Tennant pretending to be a crocodile wrestler."

More People

John Barrowman is listed to appear on Loose Women Friday 3 March, ITV1 1.30-2.30 (along with one of the Dancing on Ice judges Jason Gardiner) (according to DigiGuide).

BBC News reports that "Actors Joanna Lumley and Tom Baker own the UK's best voices, according to a Radio Times poll of nearly 5000 people. Users of the magazine's website were asked to choose the nicest and the most grating tones from 50 of the most distinctive voices in TV and radio. Julian Clary and Janet Street-Porter topped the worst voices list. Lorraine Kelly and Jeremy Clarkson made both the best and worst line-ups. Other favourite voices included Des Lynam, Davina McCall and Mariella Frostrup. ... 'His voice is so fruity and dark,' [Dead Ringers star Jan Ravens] said of Tom Baker, who is currently the voice of BT's talking text message service. 'But I think it would be hard work to carry his voice round with you all day.'" Also reported at Brand Republic.

The 18 February Birmingham Post featured their "Saturday Interview" with Tom Baker. "You can't deny it's a neat idea. For the next three months, whenever you send a text to a landline number, thanks to computer technology and a mammoth stint in a recording studio, the recipient will hear former Doctor Who Tom Baker reading out your message. "I think I'm a good choice," chuckles the 72-year-old actor, "because here's the voice of Little Britain, now the voice of BT." Holed up in a hotel suite in London's Fitzrovia, Tom is in top form and seems genuinely amused by his latest project. "It took about 60-odd hours over 11 days to record every sound and combination in the language they need to make the service work," he says. "In many ways it could have been a very boring job, because a lot of the stuff I was saying was phonetic. They were looking for sounds and not the sense. Despite the fact it was all nonsensical, I had to read it with aplomb. "I said to the engineer, 'I don't know how I can do this', to which he replied, 'Well, I just heard you talking a load of rubbish in the entrance. It was fantastic, just do that'. I thought, 'Gosh, that's a sharp observation'. "It was a nice job because most of the messages that are going to go out being read by me will be rather pleasant. I'm looking forward to people in the street saying, 'I had a call from you last night!'."

Tom Baker has made a lot of money for BT -- over 500,000 pounds in less than three weeks! "The actor, 72, has been the voice of BT Text since the start of February," says the Daily Star on 19 February. "The service allows mobile phone users to send an SMS to a landline, with the words then being converted into a spoken message by Baker. And already millions of Brits have been plagued by cheeky messages left on their answering machines by the narrator of the hit comedy. Little Britain catchphrases including "I want that one", "bitty" and "I'm a laydee" have been booming out in homes across the UK. The actor, who played Dr Who between 1974 and 1981, earned himself new-found cult status after being signed up to narrate Little Britain. And he has proved so popular that BT, which has cashed in on the 10p-atime service since the start of the month, is now ready to extend his three-month contract. A BT spokesman said: "Within the first week, the number of people using the text-to-landline service soared. There was a 71% increase as people jumped at the chance to play pranks on their friends and have a bit of fun." Prankster Ryan Sloan, 27, said: "I'm a great fan of Dr Who and Little Britain, so getting Tom Baker on my answering machine is always funny."

Baker will be heard on the Colin and Edith Show on Radio 1 on Friday 24 February from 1-4pm according to the officialwebsite.

Director James Hawes says he "wants to be reincarnated as a Timelord," according to an interview in Broadcast. Says Hawes to several questions: "What's the cruellest thing you've ever done? Use an air rifle to shoot holes in my sister's David Soul album. ... What's the worst rejection you've ever had? Esther Rantzen turned me down as a director for That's Life. ... Who would you like to play you in a movie? Ronnie Corbett. ... If you could be reincarnated who or what would you be? A Timelord."

The Eastern Daily Press says that Colin Baker will appear at "a Midsummer Invasion at Holt on June 25. It will feature more than 100 daleks and cybermen, and guests also include Terry Molloy, who played Davros, the evil creator of the daleks. Organiser Nigel Pearce said people from across the country were interested in attending, which was good news for the town. Fun events, including parades, and other visiting sci-fi characters from Star Wars and action comics, will be in the town on the Sunday. There is a meet and greet session involving the actors the previous evening. More than 350 people attended a recent event launch, and there would be another "incident" with a red dalek at Budgens super-market at 9am on Friday."
Yahoo News notes that Tracy-Ann Oberman, who appears in the final episodes of series two, "has landed her first major TV role since leaving EastEnders in 2005. The actress, who played murderous former Queen Victoria landlady Chrissie Watts in the serial, will appear in the BBC's new comedy drama Sorted. Written by Daniel Brocklehurst, it follows the lives and loves of six Manchester postmen. Tracy-Ann stars as Amy, who is dating Dex, played by Shameless star Dean Lennox Kelly. The couple are living together and he has become a father to her kids, but they are unsure whether they are ready to take the next step and tie the knot. She's not the only soap veteran in the cast. The show also features Will Mellor, who first found fame on Hollyoaks before going on to serve a two-year stint on Casualty. Eva Pope, who played scheming Tanya Pooley in Coronation Street, will also appear as one of the posties' wives. Other cast members include Hugo Speer, Mark Womack, Cal Macaninch and Neil Dudgeon. The six-part series is currently being filmed, and is due to be screened on BBC One before the end of the year."

The 23 February edition of the Wembley and Kingsbury Times mentionsNicola Bryant's new play "Taboos". "Sally and Harriet, a lesbian couple in San Francisco, each have a child using sperm from their partner's brother, while one of the brothers uses an egg from his sister's partner to help his wife get pregnant. Sounds like a Jerry Springer biological special, but, in fact, it's the latest play by Carl Djerassi, the scientist turned dramatist who invented the contraceptive pill. During the past 15 years he has turned to fiction and the theatre, with a series of science-in-fiction novels and plays, An Immaculate Misconception, Oxygen, Three on a Couch, Calculus and last year's Phallacy. In Taboos, Djerassi returns to what he describes as 'the impending separation of sex and reproduction' to explore the ethical complications of parenthood in an era where social and legal structures lag behind scientific advancement. Djerassi said: "Assumptions that marriage must be heterosexual and that a child cannot have two parents of the same sex were never even considered assumptions, because they were beyond questioning. Some would blame in vitro fertilisation technology during the past three decades for these developments, but major social and cultural changes, primarily in the USA and Europe, were even more responsible for the monumental shift that's caused so much fear and antagonism. So why not write a play about a situation where 'family' and 'parent' have assumed disturbingly fuzzy meanings?" Sally, Notting Hill's Nicola Bryant, best known for her role as Dr Who assistant Peri Brown, and Harriet believe they can invent a family with the necessary biological ingredients, but find it proves a more emotionally involving process than expected."

Merchandise

Doctor Who is currently on the cover of the Sci-Fi Channel magazine (website here) which it says has "a sneak peak at David Tennant, the latest incarnation of the immortal Doctor Who." Also, the channel's website has areview of the Radio Controlled Dalek.

Issue #343 of the American genre TV magazine Starlog features a four-page article about the show which notes the February 14 Canada release date.

Canada's Brandon Sun briefly reviews the Doctor Who series one DVD package, as do Metronews Canada, Brooks Bulletin, News1130 and the Globe and Mail of Canada.

Scifi.com says that "Classic SF franchises such as Doctor Who, Space: 1999 and Lost in Space are still very much alive in 2006, with new collectible lines based on the classic shows debuting at the American International Toy Fair in New York this week. Product Enterprise, Ltd., a British-based toy manufacturer specializing in cult TV and films, showed off an expansive line of new products coming to stores this year. Company designer Graham Humphreys told SCI FI Wire that the company will offer a 12-inch talking Doctor Who, based on actor Tom Baker's 1974–81 version of the immortal character, as well as a Talking Cyberman from the 1975 story "Revenge of the Cybermen." "We've had the classic license for six years, and there's always been a huge market for [Doctor Who]," Humphreys said. "The new items are coming out in October. We also have Micro-action Daleks, radio-control Daleks and the inflatable Daleks available now.""

Miscellaneous

The Scotsman says that "a Dalek built by a Penicuik paramedic has raised almost 300 pounds for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation's appeal which aims to open a family support centre. The cash was raised when the "life-size" creature, which was built by Jeff Dunn, 40, appeared at the Cameron Toll Shopping Centre in Edinburgh last weekend. The Evening News-backed Drop-in Centre appeal aims to raise £100,000 to establish a centre near the Sick Kids Hospital for the parents of ill children. If you want to raise funds for the appeal, call 0131-668 4949."

icWales says that "fans will be spending more time getting up close and personal with Doctor Who. The Time Lord exhibition in Cardiff Bay has proved so popular that it will now be open to the public for longer than its planned two-month run. More than 80,000 visitors have already come face-to-face with Daleks at the Red Dragon Centre's free behind-the-scenes show, Doctor Who Up Close. Now fans will be able to see the props and costumes for at least another month, but they will have to pay a fee after February 26, when it was due to close. Martin Wilkie, spokesman for organisers Experience Design and Management, said: "We will keep the admission charge at a modest rate to enable us to welcome as many visitors to the exhibition as possible. We are very happy for school groups to come on an organised basis free of charge. We have been overwhelmed by the response to the exhibition so far." New displays featuring props, costumes and monsters from the forthcoming series starring new doctor David Tennant are set to be featured. Last month exhibits from the Christmas special, including evil Santas and the killer Christmas tree, were introduced. Emma Sandrey, 18, a Cardiff University film and media student, from Llanedeyrn, said: "I think it's fantastic that they're keeping it open. I've been there a few times and really enjoyed it. I don't think paying will put people off going and I'd go again." Doctor Who Up Close is open throughout half-term week from 11am until 8pm, and admission will still be free."

Biz.Yahoo.com on 21 February notes that Nuance Communications' RealSpeak technology has been used to develop the voice for BT's new Voice Text Service, including that of Tom Baker;

This Is Hertfordshire covers a Labour Party leaflet which "shows a Dalek chasing Councillor Brian Salinger. Hendon MP Andrew Dismore is refusing to apologise after labelling the borough's Conservatives as far right extremists' in a Labour Party leaflet delivered to hundreds of homes in the borough. The A4 leaflet, which has been posted to residents in Hale and West Hendon wards, pokes fun at the internal fighting among Tory councillors. It reads: 'There's nothing worse than seeing old friends fall out unless it's the Conservative far right extremists.' The text is accompanied by a mock picture of a Dalek chasing council leader Brian Salinger, with the headline EX-TORY-MATE! EX-TORY-MATE!' Hale Conservative councillor Brian Gordon said the comment was offensive and provocative."

The Brentwood Gazette notes that "One of television's best-loved characters will be making an appearance at Billericay's Mayflower High School next week. K9, Doctor Who's robot dog, will accompany owner Mat Irvine, former judge and advisor on TV programme Robot Wars, who will be judging the school's family learning day. Children and parents will work together on several science projects, including a chance to build robots together to enter into a Robot Wars-style arena competition. K9, who accompanied Tom Baker's Doctor Who during the 1970s, will be making a reapperance when the show returns later in the year."

BlogCritics discusses the arrival next month of the first season of the new Doctor Who series on SCI-FI in America, giving a synopsis of the show and then noting, "Based on what I have provided here, I hope everyone tunes in to Doctor Who mid-March. In many respects, it is the best space opera show out there. And yes, I believe it even surpasses the new Galactica in cliffhanger endings and complexity of storylines. In fact, the entire first season is one gigantic story that is highly reminiscent of the Tom Baker "Keys to Time" and the Colin Baker "Trial of a Time Lord" expansive serials on the classic show. Let's show SCI FI that intelligent viewers like us desire Who for a long time to come. So tune in after Galactica ends, and plan to be surprised! Oh, I forgot to mention the Doctor's name. It's...I forget now. You just have to check out the show yourself to get that question answered. Be seeing you in March." Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times mentioned the series in answer to a question about whether or not the show would ever make it to the US.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Chuck Foster, Elaine Shanks, Chris Megson, John Bowman, Peter Weaver, Ryan Piekenbrock)

The latest edition of Radio Times reports on its annual Covers Party (an event we mentioned early this month on Outpost Gallifrey) with a strong contingent of Doctor Who stars in evidence thanks to the show's three RT covers last year. In attendance were David Tennant, Billie Piper, Russell T Davies and a Dalek, as well as Anna Maxwell-Martin, writer Stephen Fry and Auton favourite Graham Norton. Actress Helen Mirren is pictured with Tennant, Piper and the Dalek ("I just had to be photographed with it"). The report includes a brief interview with Billie Piper, in which she mentions that she'd "like to do" Series 3, "but it's a huge commitment [...] hopefully it will all work out." Piper is quoted as saying on the subject of Doctor Who: "I honestly don't think my career will get any more exciting. It's done the most amazing things for me both personally and professionally." She says of co-star David Tennant: "He is just the most straight-down-the-line bloke you could wish to meet. He's your best friend, your brother and your boyfriend kind of rolled into one" And on being in series three, she says: "I'd like to do it, but it's a huge commitment. After this finishes I'll be working on another BBC drama [a dramatisation of Phillip Pullman's "The Ruby in the Smoke"] and then I'll look at things. But hopefully it will all work out" RTD and Tennant are also in a separate photograph with RT covers for both Doctor Who (cover for the Episode "Dalek") and Casanova. (Thanks to Steve Tribe, Andrew Ford)

An overview of press coverage the past few days:

Series Two

icWales says that "Pupils from Marlborough Junior School couldn't contain their excitement when they saw actor David Tennant filming scenes for the TV series near their school in Penylan, Cardiff. Deputy headteacher Robert Cook, who brought the group to watch, said: 'Lots of the children are big fans. Ever since they found out it was being filmed here, they've been unable to talk about anything else.' TV star Tennant posed for photographs, signed autographs and chatted with the children. Alice Fogaty, nine, said: 'I like seeing how the actors do their job.' Fellow pupil Mehrnaz Vaizirian, said: 'I got an autograph. It was really exciting.' Yomna Gharib, said: 'I'm looking forward to seeing it on television. It was cool seeing the filming.' Part of Bleinheim Terrace and nearby roads were closed to traffic and transformed into a scene from the 1950s. One shop on the junction with Amesbury Road was converted into a shop called Magpie Electricals. To fit in with the coronation-era scene, David Tennant was sporting a quiff, and stunt doubles for the actor, and sidekick Billie Piper, were involved in a chase on a scooter.'"

The Western Mail features another story on filming in Florentia Street in Cardiff, which we noted was taking place last week. "It was the original name for Coronation Street, but was rejected for sounding too much like a disinfectant. Now, 46 years later, Florizel Street will finally make an appearance on our screens as the setting for an episode of Dr Who. In a nod to the classic ITV soap, Welsh writer Russell T Davies, who briefly worked as a storyliner on Coronation Street, changed the name of Cardiff's Florentia Street for filming the new time-travelling series with stars David Tennant and Billie Piper. The street, in the Cathays area of the city, was decked out in 1950s bunting, with vintage cars parked along the roadside, and an advert for HP Sauce on a wall. The scene will see the Doctor, played by Tennant, and his assistant Rose, played by Piper, emerge from the Tardis into the street. The pair are then seen dressed in '50s rock'n'roll gear to blend in with their surroundings, with Piper dressed in a dark blue anorak with pink pleated skirt and headband, while the Doctor dispenses with his usual geek chic in favour of a sharp suit, quiff and sideburns. But while making the scene's stars look the part was easy enough, managing to avoid other signs of modern life was a significantly more difficult task for the show's producers. Arrangements were made for diversions around the newly- christened street and nearby Monthermer Road to avoid catching modern cars in shot, while all traffic in the area was made to stop for a minute at a time to avoid the sound or sight of modern vehicles. Local residents received scant warning that they were about to be taken back in time." Read the full article at the website. Other papers noting the filming include the Daily Record.

Books and Audio

Amazon is listing Doctor Who: The Ark for release on 7 August. It's listed in Books and Audiobooks, and has an ISBN sequential with that for BBC Audio's 'Tomb of the Cybermen'... we're not sure if this is a new product or not. The link ishere.

People

Today's Observer in the Guardian calls Noel Clarke one of its "ten on the verge of big success." "Clarke won the Olivier Award for the most promising performer in 2003. But now he has truly arrived, starring in his own west London street drama, Kidulthood. 'Sometimes you get scripts, you know, and you read them and think, "I can do better than this." But that was never my job. I'm an actor, so I thought you just let the writer do his job. But then I sat down and I remembered a lot of stories from when I was younger and it seemed to me that nobody was telling these stories.' He has done The Bill, Casualty and Holby City. He mixed it with stage productions, including Where Do We Live at the Royal Court, which earned him his Olivier. But until he wrote his own script, there was nothing really that reflected the reality he knew. 'I had all these scenarios in my head but I needed to write a thread, so I thought of this guy, his girlfriend, a day off from school, hanging out with mates and going up into town. The rest is all just incidents around that.' When casting for the film, Clarke insisted they return to his own Ladbroke Grove roots. 'I reckoned you can't get [actors] who are more real than real kids... so we got some of our characters like that. One guy, Femi, went to my college and now he's in the film and he's got an agent, so I feel really good about helping the people who helped me.'" Clarke's film "Kidulthood" is due out on 3 March.

The Daily Record says that Bonnie Langford is now the bookies' favorite to win ITV's "Dancing on Ice". "Bonnie has also revealed that she was only chosen as a reserve for the show and was a late replacement for funnywoman Arabella Weir, who pulled out after breaking her wrist. And flame-haired Bonnie thought she'd be out in the first week. The Just William and Doctor Who star said: 'Literally three months ago, I had never put an ice skate on in my life so it's all down to my training and my skating partner Matt Evers, who is getting me through. It's the most challenging thing I've done in many, many years.' Bonnie has come under fire for being a professional dancer, with some critics claiming this was an unfair advantage. But the entertainer, who won Opportunity Knocks at six and in more than 30 years in showbiz has been a dancer, actor and singer, stresses that when she first tried skating she was like Bambi on ice. 'As a dancer, I'd never skated. It was a forbidden fruit in case you fell. More importantly, it uses different muscles to ones you do as a dancer. I wish they'd show the footage of me when I first started skating. If you'd seen it, you'd have thought there'd be no way this woman is going to be able to do this. I found the whole thing hysterical. There was I standing on a piece of ice with Christopher Dean and I could barely move. If I did, I screeched with laughter. When they first asked if I wanted to do this, my husband (actor Paul Grunert) said it would make good telly but for all the wrong reasons.'"

The Australian Queensland Sunday Mail has an article about Katy Manning. "As much as Barry Crocker and Katy Manning seem to love each other -- this year marks their 16th year as an item -- they also respect and demand their own artistic space and personal freedoms. From the moment they got together, there was no way the one-time assistant to Dr Who and the cabaret star, now 57 and 70 respectively, were going to adopt the role of lovesick teens. 'We had met briefly a couple of times in the early 1980s, but nothing really got started until we were touring together in an ensemble piece called Mother's Day, which also starred the late June Salter,' recalled Crocker. 'Katy and I hit it off more or less straight away but it took June Salter in the role of match-maker to point out that we were meant for each other. I think it was as much about good timing for both of us as anything else.' ... Says Manning, 'I came from a theatrical background where you were at the theatre at least half an hour early -- and, in my case, an hour -- and you didn't leave yourself stranded on stage as the clapping faded away.' ... The professional and personal relationship blossomed when Manning and Crocker toured together again in Willy Russell's Educating Rita, and today Manning is confident enough to let her beau direct her in the one-woman show Me and Jezebel, at Brisbane's StageDoor Dinner Theatre until March 25."

ABC Australia Radio National yesterday broadcast an interview with former Doctor Who composer Tristram Cary. It is available on their website in RealAudio; scroll down to 11 February.

John Barrowman appeared last week in "The Wright Stuff" and stated that in fact, contrary to the report in The Sun, he hadn't actually given them an interview... noting that the comments they chose to state as coming from the actor regarding his departure from "Dancing on Ice," especially the comments about the other contestants, were faked. TheDaily Recordmentions that the actor will be starring in "Cinderella on Ice," yet another skating-related performance.Digital Spy also briefly comments on this, as does today's Sunday Mail which says that Barrowman insists he won't have anything further to do with the show.

Bruno Langley will soon start rehearsals for "Life Imitates Art: The Love Trilogy, Part One", a play running from March 8 through March 26 at the Camden People's Theatre. Further details are available at the theatrewebsite.

Other Items

High Street retailer Marks and Spencer are now carrying two exclusive Doctor Who-branded easter eggs. The first egg comes in new series Dalek packaging, the second and larger egg is packaged in a TARDIS-shaped box.

Newspapers mentioning the placement of the classic Doctor Who series on Orange mobile phones (reported last week in a separate story here) were the Inquirer, TechSpot; also noting the Tom Baker/BT connection in the past few days were This is Money, The Independent; and theEdinburgh Evening News has a brief story about the Dalek Builders Guild;

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Anna Price, Joanna Pinkney, Chuck Foster, Martin Hoscik, Peter Weaver, Daniel Bowen)

Outpost Gallifrey today has a collection of set reports and photographs from the location photography done late last week on The Idiot's Lantern, episode seven of the second series of "Doctor Who" now being filmed in Cardiff at several locations. In the 'spoiler' tag are reports from all three days from correspondents Emma Sandrey, Paul Robinson, Ian Golden, John Campbell Rees, Gordon Plant and Philip Dore, while there are also photographs attached by Emma Sandrey, Ian Golden, John Campbell Rees, Neil Ingleson, Gordon Plant, Philip Dore and Anna Roberts. Click on each photo for a larger version, and on the spoiler tag for the reports.