The BBC have officially released a promotional image of a Sontaran, the race of clone warriors from the classic series who are returning to the show in series four of the new series.

The BBC News Online report, featuring the photo, also states that their return adventure will see new companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) meetFreema Agyeman's Martha Jones for the first time. Tate, Agyeman and David Tennant are all featured alongside the Sontaran in the promotional shot.

The official website also has a report and images, one of which is included right. The image is BBC copyright, and used purely to promote the programme.

UPDATE (NOV 4): The Press Association has named the Sontaran in the picture as Commander Skorr, played by Dan Starkey.

Sarah Lancashire will feature in the first episode of Doctor Who Series Four alongside David Tennant and new companion Catherine Tate.

The ex-Coronation Street actress will play Miss Foster, described as an "enigmatic and powerful businesswoman".

She told the Press Association: "I'm absolutely thrilled to be in Doctor Who. It's a brilliant episode and I'm looking forward to taking the Time Lord on."

Today's Daily Star reports on a major end-of-season showdown for the Doctor and companions versus an old adversary. The story ties together several other rumours that have been circulating in recent weeks over who/what may be appearing in the 2008 series, but there is no official announcement for the Star's speculation.

The official Doctor Who site has confirmed that the Sontarans, potato-headed monsters from the classic series, will return to Doctor Who in Series Four.

The Sontarans, a militaristic clone race, first appeared opposite the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith in 1973, in The Time Warrior, which has recently been released on DVD in the UK. Sontarans also appeared in The Sontaran Experiment (1975), The Invasion of Time (1978) and The Two Doctors (1985). More recently, the potato-headed monsters were mentioned in "The Eye of the Gorgon, Part 1", an episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures which aired on CBBC on Monday.

In Series Four, the Sontaran leader will be played by Christopher Ryan, best known as Mike in the 1980s comedy series The Young Ones. Ryan appeared as another alien, the Mentor Lord Kiv, in the 1986 story The Trial of a Time Lord: Mindwarp, opposite Sixth Doctor Colin Baker. That story also featured Trevor Laird, who played Martha Jones' father Clive in Series Three.

The official Doctor Who website has released some information about an upcoming story in Series Four. The story will be set in Pompeii in AD 79, just before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. In this episode the Doctor and Donna are faced with a moral dilemma: should they warn the residents of the impending disaster and change the course of history, or let history take its course?

Guest stars in the episode will include Academy Award and BAFTA winner Peter Capaldi ("The Thick of It") as Caecillius, Tracey Childs ("Howards' Way") as Metella, and Phil Davis ("Quadrophenia") as Lucius; Davis also appeared with Eighth Doctor Paul McGann in the film Alien³.

As previously reported, filming for the Pompeii episode took place at Rome's Cinecitta Studios.

This is not the first Doctor Who story set in the last days of Pompeii; the Big Finish Productions audio dramaThe Fires of Vulcan, starring Sylvester McCoy and Bonnie Langford as the Seventh Doctor and Mel, was set in the same time and place. It is not known whether the forthcoming television story is adapted from the audio play. In the 2005 series, the Big Finish play Jubilee was adapted into the television episode Dalek; elements of Spare Parts inspired 2006's Rise of the Cybermen and The Age of Steel; and for the 2007 series, Paul Cornell adapted his novelHuman Nature for television.

The Friday Night Project, a variety show airing in the UK on Channel 4, has included a question which furthers a casting rumor for Series Four. One of the questions was, "Which rockstar is set to appear in Doctor Who?", to which the answer by them was David Bowie. This follows from a week of rumors, which have all been denied by representatives for Bowie.

In an interview with Doctor Who Magazine, Russell T Davies has confirmed thatDavid Tennant will be playing the Doctor for the entire run of series four of Doctor Who.

When asked if the constant tabloid rumours that Tennant would be quitting the show halfway through the next series were true, Davies answered, "No, he's doing the whole series. It was never even discussed that he might leave after six episodes. That's completely invented by the papers."

The story has also been reported on david-tennant.com, which has recently been renamed David Tennant - The Site.

Seventh Doctor Actor Sylvester McCoy released a possible spoiler at the Day With A Doctorevent in Auckland, New Zealand. McCoy sited the source of the information as Peter Jackson. There has been no Official Announcement of this from the BBC. Please click on the Spoiler link below.

Digital Spy has announced a casting rumor for Series 4. The story was originally broken by News of the World. There is still no confirmation from the BBC about the rumor at this time. Please Click on the Spoiler button below for more information.

The official Doctor Who website has revealed further information about the fourth series of Doctor Who, which has recently entered production. They have announced that in addition to the previously-confirmed return of the Ood, one episode of the fourth series will feature the Doctor and new companion Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate, encountering well-known thriller writer Agatha Christie.

Christie will be played by Fenella Woolgar, who recently appeared in Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat's BBC One drama serial Jekyll, as Min, one half of the show's lesbian private detective pairing. Also announced is the casting of Felicity Kendal, very well known in the UK for her leading role in the 1970s sitcom The Good Life. Kendal will be playing Lady Clemency Eddison. It has also been announced that Tim McInnerny(Blackadder, Notting Hill) will guest-star in an episode later in the series.

Matthew Prichard, Agatha Christie's grandson, is quoted as saying: "As far as I know my grandmother, never saw Doctor Who, but I am sure she would have been intrigued, excited and above all flattered by all this attention in 2007." Showrunner Russell T Davies adds that: "Visiting Agatha Christie has been on my wish-list for ages now, and for the Doctor, it's a real meeting of minds. Viewers can expect many more ambitious storylines and a whole host of guest stars in 2008."

Some further information about how the character of Donna is reunited with the Doctor has also been released, and is reproduced in spoiler tags below.