The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is to present the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular next February as part of the celebrations for the grand re-opening of the Hamer Hall venue at the Melbourne Arts Centre.

The concert, similar to the format seen at the two Proms concerts in London, will feature music from the television series, combined with classic clips and live monsters.

More details will be available nearer the event.

(newslink: Herald Sun, Sydney Morning Herald)

TV Tonight has reported in 'an exclusive' that Let's Kill Hitler will have its Australian premier on ABC1 on Saturday 3 September 2011 at 7:30pm.

Although the TV Blog reports this is 'within a week of the UK', the BBC have yet to reveal when Let's Kill Hitler will premier in the UK.

The Sci-Fi channel in Australia is celebrating the return of the Fourth Doctor to the nation's TV screens with a series of free (catered) Doctor Who TweetUp events around the country.

The free events are taking place in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide on August 17th. Space is limited and entry is on a first come basis.

More details can be found at twtvite.com/DoctorWhoTweetUpAU

To tie in with with the launch of Doctor Who on the channel, Sci-Fi is also launching Clustr, the nationʼs first branded TV check-in, social networking-enabled smart phone application. Clustr is a forum for viewers to chat in real-time by checking-in to SCI FI programs such as Doctor Who, Lost Girl and many more series, nation-wide. Clustrʼs functionality allows users to keep track of their favourite series and/or episodes, connect, share and compete with their friends for VIP status, discover badges, and read episode reviews.

Peter Hudson, CEO of SCI FI Channel says
Clustr will be available for free download on Android and iPhones in August.

The SCI FI Channel can be found on n FOXTEL and AUSTAR.

After months of anticipation, the international version of the BBC iPlayer service has been launched today for Apple iPad users in parts of Europe. The application enables those in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Ireland, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland to watch a variety of programming from the BBC's archive, including Doctor Who.

The CEO of BBC Worldwide, John Smith, said:
BBC Worldwide President of Worldwide Networks and Global iPlayer, Jana Bennett, said:

The video-on-demand service, which will cost €6.99 a month, or €49.99 annually, differs from the UK version in allowing both online streaming and downloading for offline viewing of programmes. As well as Doctor Who, subscribers will have access to many series, including Fawlty Towers, Sherlock, Luther, Eastenders, Only Fools and Horses and Top Gear - programming is expected to expand weekly.

(newslink: BBC Press Release)

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Meanwhile in Australia, technology manufacturer Samsung have announced that their Smart TV and blu-ray players will be able to utilise a new application to access ABC's iView on-demand service, enabling access to programmes like Doctor Who, Angry Boys and Spics and Specs; BBC News will also be available as a streaming service.

Brad Wright, AV Sales and Marketing Manager for Samsung Australia, said:

The Australian Sci Fi Channel is to air Doctor Who episodes from the Tom Baker era, starting with his first story, Robot  on 17 August.
Schedule for Robot
Wednesday, August 17
06:30-06:55 - Episode 1
06:55-07:20 - Episode 2

Thursday, August 18
06:30-06:55 - Episode 3
06:55-07:20 - Episode 4
(times are shown in AEST)

A full schedule for the rest of Season 12, including repeats can be found here.
(with thanks to Matthew See)

The Almost People has debuted in Australia to solid ratings. TV Tonight reports that the episode averaged 718,000 viewers in the five major capital cities. It was the sixth highest rating programme for the day overall (only beaten in its timeslot by the Channel Nine movie, '17 again'). The corresponding Confidential Cutdown also rated a respectable 541,000 viewers in the five major capitals. These overnight figures, however, do not include regional, rural and time-shifted viewers and hence significantly understate the actual national ratings.

The Rebel Flesh has debuted in Australia to excellent ratings. TV Tonight reports that the episode averaged 823,000 viewers in the five major capital cities. Again, it won its national timeslot, was the top-rating drama of the day and the fourth highest rating programme for the day overall (only beaten by news programs). The corresponding Confidential Cutdown also rated a respectable 598,000 viewers in the five major capitals. These overnight figures, however, do not include regional, rural and time-shifted viewers and hence significantly understate the actual national ratings.

The Doctor's Wife has debuted in Australia to strong ratings. TV Tonight reports that the episode averaged 785,000 viewers in the five major capital cities. Again, it won its national timeslot, was the top-rating drama of the day and the fifth highest rating programme for the day overall. The corresponding Confidential Cutdown also rated a respectable 605,000 viewers in the five major capitals. These overnight figures do not include regional, rural and time-shifted viewers and hence significantly understate the actual national ratings.

Meanwhile, BBC Worldwide Australia have confirmed that Torchwood: Miracle Day will be fast-tracked to Australia debuting on UKTV Australia on Saturday 9 July 2011 at 8:30pm. Deirdre Brennan, Director of Television, BBC Worldwide Australia said:

The Curse of the Black Spot has debuted in Australia to excellent ratings. TV Tonight reports that the episode averaged 837,000 viewers in the five major capital cities. It won its national timeslot, was the top-rating drama of the day and the fourth highest rating programme for the day overall. The corresponding Confidential Cutdown also rated a solid 575,000 viewers in the five major capitals. Meanwhile, the previous week, Day of the Moon averaged 895,000 viewers in the five major capital cities. Again, it was the top-rating drama of the day and the fifth highest rating programme for the day overall. The corresponding Confidential Cutdown also rated an excellent 672,000 viewers in the five major capitals. The Impossible Astronaut averaged 865,000 viewers in the five major capital cities. Again, it was the top-rating drama of the day and the fourth highest rating programme for the day overall. The corresponding Confidential Cutdown also rated a strong 634,000 viewers in the five major capitals.