The BBC has released a new image on the Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith. The image is available on the BBC Website along with an image of the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors. The new picture forms the basis for the cover to the revamped Doctor Who Magazine which is available in the United Kingdom from today.

The magazine confirms the writers for Matt Smith's first series as the Doctor.

Lead writer Steven Moffat will write six of the thirteen episodes. He will be joined by Chris Chibnall who is writing two episodes and Mark Gatiss, Toby Whithouse, Gareth Roberts, Richard Curtis and Simon Nye all writing one episode each.

Toby Whithouse wrote the Series Two story School Reunion which saw the return of Sarah Jane Smith and K9 to the series. He has also written for Torchwood and created Being Human for BBC Three.

Chris Chibnall wrote the Series Three story 42. He was head writer on Torchwood and has also written for Life on Mars.

Mark Gatiss is one of only three people to have both written and appeared in Doctor Who. He wrote The Unquiet Dead for Series One and The Idiot's Lantern for Series Two. He later went on to appear in the Third Series story The Lazarus Experiment.

Gareth Roberts wrote The Shakespeare Code for Series Three and The Unicorn and the Wasp for Series Four. He co-wrote Planet of the Dead with Russell T Davies. He has also written for The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Neither Simon Nye or Richard Curtis have written for Doctor Who before. Nye was the creator of the long running sitcom Men Behaving Badly, which was based on his first novel, for which he won a Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award and a Royal Television Society Award. He adapted The Railway Children for television in 2000 and has written many pantomimes. Curtis, whose contribution to the series was announced in September, was Oscar nominated for Four Weddings and a Funeral and is the man behind many British comedy films and sitcoms.

Following the regeneration of David Tennant into Matt Smith, a section of the official BBC Website has been re-branded complete with exclusive preview of the new series.

The promo, which is now also on the BBC YouTube Channel, has no spoilers from The End of Time.



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The new Radio Times marks Matt Smith out as one of the ten people to watch in 2010. In the magazine, new executive producer Steven Moffat tells why viewers will be transfixed by Smith's portrayal of The Doctor. He describes him as a strong quiet man who conveys gravitas perfectly. "His most powerful moments are when he is very very quiet. in a way that a very powerful person can be... It's all implied strength rather than demonstrated bluster."

Moffat describes Smith as very much the 'nutty professor' Doctor whom the camera adores. "You'll be seeing a lot of that face, suffering, in close-up."

Smith's first series as the Doctor is due to be aired in the UK in the spring.

With attention on the outgoing Doctor with the press launch of The Waters of Mars, incoming Executive producer Steven Moffat has been talking about the new series currently being filmed with new Doctor Matt Smith. Interviewed by Ben Cooke, at the Screenwriters' Festival in Cheltenham, Moffat described Smith as simply "the best". "He's all the things you'd expect, including ancient," and described the new Doctor as "someone you can't take your eyes off". Moffat confirmed he will be writing six episodes of the new series.
A full transcript can be found at Digital Spy


Meanwhile outgoing Doctor David Tennant will be a guest on next Monday's Graham Norton show on BBC One. Tennant has also been talking to PBS about his new role as host of Masterpiece Contemporary.

Steve Roberts of the DVD Restoration team has been giving details of the processes involved in returning colour to Doctor Who stories which currently only exist in black and white. Speaking at an event sponsored by the Doctor Who Information Network. Roberts talked about work being done on the Mind of Evil as well as discussing future plans for the classic range with all complete stories due for release by November 2013, the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. He confirmed there are no plans for any further animated restorations of lost episodes, nor any plans to issue any more partial stories.

John Barrowman has been sitting in for Elaine Paige on her Sunday afternoon BBC Radio 2 show. He read out an e-mail asking if he knew if Torchwood was coming back or not. He said that they were currently 'in negotiations' and that he hoped Torchwood would be back some time in the future. Barrowman has released his new memoirs I Am What I Am, which covers the last three years and includes behind the scenes secrets and gossip from the sets of Doctor Who and Torchwood, complete with behind the scenes photos of the cast.

Finally, obits for Barry Letts have now been posted in the Independent as well as on the BBC Doctor Who site. As reported below, it was confirmed at the press launch that The Waters of Mars will be dedicated to Letts.

As previously reported here on the Doctor Who News Page, the BBC children's magazine programme Blue Peter has officially launched its new competition for young fans to design a TARDIS console. The contest is for children aged between 6 and 12, and the final winning design will be chosen by Eleventh Doctor actor Matt Smith. It is specified that the design "must incorporate household objects," and entrants are advised to "make sure it really feels as if the Doctor has put it together."

Full details are available on the Blue Peter website.

The chairman of the Harris Tweed Authority has praised the new Doctor for his costume; Domhnall Martainn described the jacket choice as an important and sensible decision, and hoped young people would be inspired to choose clothes made from the traditional cloth:Esquire Magazine editor Jeremy Langford:GQ Magazine contributor Andy Morris:

However, not everyone has been pleased. Guardian columnist Hadley Freeman commented:And Sara Nathan of the Sun:University of Westminster fashion course director Andrew Groves commented:


Additional costume reports and comments by: BBC Magazine, BBC News, The Age, Airlock Alpha, Digitial Spy, TV Squad, Herald

The media have been quick to act on the announcement of the first day's filming for the new series of Doctor Who.

The Daily Mail have published a selection of photographs of new Doctor Matt Smith and companion actress Karen Gillan on location, featuring the two leads along with what appears to be a new, slightly tweaked, police box prop for the TARDIS. The Metro has also published a photo of the two with the TARDIS.

Meanwhile, The Sun have also covered the filming, with a photo revealing a well-known guest star also appearing alongside the two time-travellers. Digital Spy reports a BBC spokesperson as confirming the person in question, whilst SFX, the London Paper and Holy Moly published more photos from the proceedings.




Scott Frankton has kindly provided a report on today's filming:


Finally, the BBC itself has acknowledged the interest fans and the audience have in the series, with entertainment correspondant Lizo Mzimba appearing on BBC News's E24 to discuss how popular the series remains, including the press in attendence for filming as shown in this video!

The media are reporting today that new Doctor Matt Smith has been signed up for three years, with an option for an additional two. The Sun announced that "NEW Doctor Who Matt Smith will get £1million to play the Time Lord for five years. The little-known actor, 26, has signed a £200,000-a-year deal with the BBC1 sci-fi hit. His contract ties him into the show for three years, with the option of two more after that." The ubiquitous insider said: "Bosses don't want Matt doing a David and leaving when things are going great."

Also reported by the Telegraph and Daily Mail.

This month's Doctor Who Magazine reveals that the upcoming Doctor Who specials will be shot in High Definition, a first for the series. Previously the production team has resisted the move to HD, because of the higher costs involved particularly with effects shots. Executive Producer Julie Gardner said the team has been planning the move to HD for many months. James Strong, who is directing Planet of the Dead, has considerable experience working in HD on programmes such as Hustle. The change means the programme will be shown on the BBC High Definition channel as well as on BBC One. BBC HD is available subscription free in Europe on Freesat. The channel is also part of the Sky HDservice and the Virgin Media HD service.

In other news the magazine also reveals that K-9 is due to play a large part in Series Three of The Sarah Jane Adventures. He is likely to appear in around 6 episodes of the 12 part series.

The magazine, out on Thursday, contains the first magazine interview with Matt Smith, recently revealed as the Eleventh Doctor. It asks how he plans to go about playing a 950-year-old Time Lord?

"The script is where it starts, it's always about the words, and luckily we're in the hands of Steven Moffat, who has this show ingrained in his soul and searing through his blood. It’s really born into his whole fabric, and that's the job for me over the next few months, to make this show part of my fibre. I think Steven is going to be the main creative source for me, and we're going to discover it together, who the Doctor is in Steven's mind and words, coupled with pockets of my personality, my history, my life, and the man and the human being that I am. I've got a meeting with Piers (Wenger, executive producer) next week to discuss that, but I think we'll start rehearsing and, you know, just sit around Piers' or Steven's kitchen table, read the scripts together, talk about the part. We’ll talk about my intentions, their intentions, how we feel it can fly, and sing, and be as brilliant and as Doctor-y and as excellent as it can be."

When asked what he might wear as the Doctor? "I’m a big fan of long coats and rather dashing scarves in everyday life, so who knows? For the audition, I rocked up in whatever, so I think they’re having to tone down what I wear in real life for the Doctor! I am a rather elaborate dresser. That's what's lovely, there are all these exciting things – what’s he going to wear, what’s he going to do in his first scene with his companion, which monsters will he meet, will he meet the Daleks? This show is so alive, it really is. I can't ever quite forget that I'm the Doctor – which is weird, because it’s still so far away. But it’s always there in my subconscious, because it's the Doctor! It’s like, there’s Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and Doctor Who. It has resonance in our cultural fabric."

Also in the magazine:

• Showrunner-in-waiting Steven Moffat shares with DWM readers just what it's like to cast a new Doctor Who in Production Notes.
• Remember the Zygon gambit? The Yeti in the Underground? Or that, frankly, unmissable invasion by thousands of Daleks after Earth was transported billions of miles across space? DWM investigates why so many people in the Doctor Who universe, apparently, don't!
• Susie Liggat talks to DWM about her experiences as the producer of the UK's best-loved drama series.
• The Fact of Fiction revals some surprising secrets about 1975's Planet of Evil.
• Can the Doctor and Majenta prevent the Day of the Lokhus? And what will become of Maxwell Edison? Find out in the final part of DWM's latest comic strip, The Stockbridge Child by Dan McDaid, with art by Martin Geraghty.
• Neil Harris writes an open letter to Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith, full of helpful advice, in You Are Not Alone.
• DWM turns the tables on the BBC's "Doctor Who correspondent" and asks Who on Earth Is Lizo Mzimba?

Talking to TVGuide.com, Billie Piper has added her insight on new Doctor Matt Smith, speaking as his former co-star.

The two appeared together in The Ruby in the Smoke, The Shadow in the North and Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

Piper labels herself a "big fan" of Smith. "I love him. He's a stirring actor, and he has the right energy," she says. "That's what the Doctor is about, essentially - having that energy that you just can't understand."

Addressing the concern that Smith, at 26, is too young to effectively play the good Doctor, Piper notes, "The fans get so concerned about these things, and they should just relax. It's going to be fine. They're in good hands."

Piper also comments on the rumours that a woman - possibly even herself - was being considered for the role of the new Doctor. "David [Tennant] has joked about me doing it, but... I don't think the Doctor should be a woman," she says. "It's like going, 'Let's make James Bond a woman.' It's a man's role."