A few update items on the forthcoming second series of Doctor Who to share:

According to the latest issue of the UK SF magazine "Starburst", the first episode of the season (beyond the Christmas special) is entitled New Earth, and will guest star Zoe Wanamaker, who returns from the first series. Doctor Who Magazine recently denied that the first episode was called "The Sunshine Camp"; no word on whether this new reported title is the real deal.

Broadcasting update: This Saturday (3 September)'s full-length Doctor Who Confidential 7. The Dark Side is now scheduled from 7.20 to 7.50pm. The following weekend's schedule of new series repeats, according to the Radio Timeswebsite has been substantially revised. There is no longer a full-length rerun of Doctor Who Confidential 8. Time Trouble scheduled for Saturday 10 September. On Sunday 11 September, a full-length rerun of Doctor Who Confidential 9. Special Effects is now scheduled from 7.00 to 7.30pm, followed by a double bill of The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances from 7.30 to 9.00pm, with no Cut Down version shown for that evening. DWCC is also absent from its usual Wednesday evening slot on 14 September. Oddly, DWC9 was not shown in Cut Down form during the initial March to June run either; the schedule for Friday 16 September is not yet confirmed, so it may yet appear!

On-location photography at Duffryn High School in Newport for the third episode, School Reunion, has completed as of yesterday (Friday). Of course, if the first series is any indication, production on the episode will continue for some time (as the episodes are being made in blocks with multiple episodes blending together for production).

Tenth Planet have told Outpost Gallifrey that the second collection of Doctor Who novels featuring the Ninth Doctor and Rose (and now, Jack Harkness too) are now in release: Only Human by Gareth Roberts, The Deviant Strain by Justin Richards and The Stealers of Dreams by Steve Lyons. Full details and cover illustrations are on our releasespage.

The BBC Gloucestershire website recently printed a short article about recent filming on the forthcoming special, The Christmas Invasion, tentatively scheduled for broadcast on 26 December, at Clearwell Caves. "Aliens have invaded Clearwell Caves! Well, sort of. Scenes for the forthcoming Doctor Who Christmas special have been shot at the popular Forest tourist attraction, and although its plot remains a secret it's a safe bet that extra-terrestrials are involved." "They wanted the largest underground cavern that they could find in this part of England," says Jonathan Wright, who co-runs the site, to BBC Gloucestershire. "(We're) quite surprised at the scale of it, it's taken up the entire car park." The site has an audio feature available for listening as well as the story itself; visit the site for more details.

John Barrowman was interviewed on Friday's edition of BBC Breakfast, in which he spoke about the play he's currently in, "A Few Good Men" (starring alongside Rob Lowe) and about his recent experiences on "Doctor Who," confirming that he would not be back for the second series but was told he would be back for the third. Barrowman also confirmed that he didn't know the reasons why Eccleston left (and indicated that it was the actor's business, not his), and joked that he owed David Tennant a kiss (referring to the brief exchange last season). He also noted recent conventions he had done and indicated some upcoming appearances including in Clacton and early next year in the US (in Los Angeles).

In the recent issue of "Dreamwatch" magazine, designer Bryan Hitch confirmes that we will see one additional TARDIS room besides the console room this year, and that the fundamental design of K-9 hasn't changed (but there are hints that he will have been tweaked a little). The Cybermen design will be updated, however, and the design is expected to remain a closely guarded secret.

The Planet Who website has photos of some of the new products coming out this year including the sonic screwdriver and the 3D character walkie talkies.

The transcript for David Tennant's CBBC webchat is finally up, at the CBBC website.

(Thanks to Jon Preddle, "Noetic_Concordance", Matt Kimpton, David Bailey, Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Paul Hayes, John Bowman)

Catching up on some recent Doctor Who press clips:

According to a report in The Scotsman, new BBC1 controller Peter Fincham spoke recently at the Edinburgh Television Festival to "set out his ambition for a popular network that would bring families around the set, through shows such as Doctor Who, despite predictions that the 'iPod generation' now only wanted media served on-demand. The new controller announced a focus on comedy drama and said the network would continue to produce the historic period-piece dramas for which it was well known." The article says that Fincham highlighted Doctor Who "as an example of a programme that drew new, younger audiences into the BBC in a family viewing experience. He also predicted that in an age of proliferating digital channels, BBC1 would be the trust-brand viewers would keep turning to for major live events. 'It is tempting to assume that the shared experience is in terminal decline, but the urge to be part of a bigger audience, and the satisfaction that we derive from it, is a strong one," he said. "In a time-shifted world, live events - Live 8 is a good example - assume a greater importance than ever.'"

The Telegraph reported that the stock of Character Group "jumped 7 1/2 to 57 1/2p after unveiling plans to launch a Dr Who range of toys in the next few weeks. The toy range, which is based on the BBC TV series, has been developed in partnership with the public service broadcaster." A press release by the company noted that the toy range "includes a Talking Tardis Money Box, the Sonic Screwdriver, an LCD game and 3D Walkie Talkies and The Dalek. Richard King, Chairman of The Character Group said: 'The first bulk shipment of the radio controlled Daleks will hit the stores within the next two weeks and, whilst the demand for all our Dr Who products is very encouraging, we would expect that the demand for the radio controlled Dalek, will far exceed our manufacturing capacity to Christmas of 150,000 units'." Also reported at This Is Money.

There's a new version of the classic police box in Glasgow, says the Evening Times. "It looks like it has landed from outer space, but this hi-tech box is the latest crime-busting device used by police in Glasgow. The city's new police box would not look out of place in an episode of Dr Who, but the 'tardis' will remain at St Enoch Square. Sitting prominently near the entrance to the subway station at the bottom of Buchanan Street, the box will be a vital tool in solving crime in the city centre and will be used by officers across the division. The chrome box stands at 10ft tall and is the first operational police box in the city since 1969, when radios made them redundant. It will be protected by CCTV and will allow instant reporting of incidents. If successful, more space age boxes could be materialising on a street near you. Police boxes were once a familiar site across the city, but very few remain. There is still a vintage box on Buchanan Street, which serves as a tourist information point and another on Great Western Road at Byres Road, which has been converted into a coffee shop. Earlier this year, a worker discovered an old police box embedded in a brick wall. It will go on display at the city's police museum next spring." Also reported by Strathclyde Police, BBC News, Glasgow Evening Times, Scotland Today.

Tom Baker is interviewed in a BBC press release about the seventh and final season of "Monarch of the Glen" in which he plays Donald MacDonald. Says Baker in the interview, "I enjoy overacting and I'm very good at it - I suppose you could say I've made a career out of it. Donald MacDonald is a part I can have fun with, which is marvellous because I have a horror of self pity and I try to see the funny side of everything. As you get near death, as I am, you have to laugh at everything - otherwise the alternative is to be utterly depressed." He notes that he enjoyed filming a scene with a real-life panther for a very dramatic Monarch storyline later in the run. "Oh, the panther was wonderful!' exclaims Tom. "One of my best co-stars ever, because let's face it, cats are so much more interesting to look at in close-up than actors." Read more of the interview in the press release; it's on the fifth page.

The Daily Star says that Billie Piper "blooms in sexy black" in some new photos in today's issue. "The 22-year-old, who plays the Time Lord's sidekick in the smash BBC series Dr Who, looks sexier than ever in this sensational new photoshoot. And it seems the show's famous Tardis is now about to transport our Billie to global superstardom. ... Her gorgeous curves and sexy pout have helped win the cult sci-fi show a whole new generation of fans - and earned her plenty of hot offers from telly and film bosses." Last weekend's Sunday Mirror discussed recent sightings of Piper, which noted that "She's apparently been filming from 11pm to 5am every night in Cardiff, which means her days are often spent in bed catching up on sleep so it's no wonder she hit the pub at the first opportunity."

BBC News reported last week that "three workers on Brighton Pier hid in the Doctor Who exhibition today (Tues) during a police and immigration department raid. Forty police officers and immigration workers entered the pier at 0850 BST on Tuesday and rounded up about 60 staff. The Home Office has said it was an intelligence-led operation. The pier re-opened at 1220 BST. The 60 staff were questioned in a fish and chip shop on the pier, which was shut to the public. The immigration service said most of the people involved co-operated but three people had hidden in the pier's Dr Who exhibition."

An article at the VH1 website discusses Eric Roberts (the Master in the 1996 TV movie) in two music videos, two by Mariah Carey and one by the group The Killers.

Several papers have run a brief article about gay actors/characters on television including noting John Barrowman's recent portrayal of Captain Jack, including the Washington Blade, the Houston Voice (Texas), and the Southern Voice (Georgia).

In The Observer last week (21 August 2005), there was a section in which critics were invited to pick out the most overrated moments in art and the media. Kathryn Flett picked out four moments in TV, including: "Dr Who: Russell T Davies has done wonders, admittedly, but the original was cheap, dull, creaky and parochial." Ugh.

More coverage of Elisabeth Sladen and John Leeson on the new series at Yahoo, Manchester Online, The Scotsman,SciFi.com; more on BBC1 winning Channel of the Year at the Edinburgh International TV Festival at The Guardian.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Chuck Foster, Peter Weaver, Mark Irwin, Andrew Tibbs, John Kilbride, James Wilkinson, James Pearson, Darren Pickles)

Various papers over the past two days have been reporting several spoiler items and a few pictures of the aliens appearing in this year's Christmas special. To keep the surprise, we've put them in the spoiler tag at the end of this report.

Doctor Who has received another mention in Matthew Norman's 'Media Diary' column in The Independent, having regularly cropped up in the column's 'Guardian' days - Norman has a young child who is a passionate fan, and was the columnist who famously suggested in September 2003 that there were "rumours Christopher Eccleston" was interested in the role, purely in an attempt to wind up the actor whose perceived seriousness he often pokes fun at. This time his reference to the show comes in a story about Welsh BBC newsreader Huw Edwards. "It seems my friend Huw Edwards, the bashful BBC newsreader, may be less thick-skinned than we imagined. A colleague of his reports once sending Huw a very courteous e-mail correcting his mispronunciation of a leading dictator's name. Huw responded that this was 'the rudest e-mail' he's ever received, and that he'd take lessons from 'Bush House types' only when they stopped mangling Welsh names. (Doctor Who fans will be reminded of Russell T Davies' typically brilliant self-parody of Welsh hypersensitivity at being ignored by London types in 'Boom Town', the episode involving Margaret Blaine, the Slitheen Mayor of Cardiff.) Anyway, Huw then misdirected to the same person an e-mail intended for someone else, describing his correspondent as 'effing rude', and in need of being told where to get off. Doubtless this was ironic in intent, and we won't countenance another word on the matter for at least seven days."

The Western Mail reports that "Santa Claus is coming to town for Doctor Who". "It may be the middle of summer, but Cardiff has been decked out in its Christmas finery as Doctor Who returns. Billie Piper ditched her summer gear for winter warmers yesterday to film the Doctor Who Christmas Special in the middle of a summer sunshine. Shop windows were given a Christmas makeover and a giant Christmas Tree was installed near the Central Library. The Doctor's pin-up sidekick pulled on a fur-lined jacket despite the balmy August weather. She was filmed in the city centre which was turned into a winter wonderland with Christmas trees and fairy lights. Billie and Noel Clarke, who plays her on-screen boyfriend Mickey, recorded several scenes in Cardiff's shopping centres. ... An onlooker said, 'It was a warm night but Billie was wrapped up for winter. They filmed right through the night and Billie seemed to be really enjoying herself. She looked stunning even if she was just in jacket and jeans'." There are also brief mentions in the Daily Record andNews24.com amongst others.

BBC News discusses the work of Mike Collins, the artist drawing the strip in Doctor Who Magazine. "Christopher Eccleston's decision to leave Doctor Who may have shocked most of the show's fans, but it also meant a pile more work for artist Mike Collins. As the man who draws the show's official comic strip, the switch to David Tennant sent Collins back to the drawing board. The Cardiff-based artist is currently preparing images of the new Timelord. It is the latest challenge for the man who has drawn everything from Superman and Star Trek to Harry Potter. As you might have guessed, Collins is a massive sci-fi fan, and he admitted he was shocked at Eccleston's decision to leave the Tardis after just one series. He has nearly finished his last story involving Christopher Eccleston. 'I had just got to the stage when I can draw Christopher Eccleston quite comfortably,' he said. 'But I have no problems, he has made a decision that was interesting for the show. It is a fresh new broom - David Tennant has a great face, and I have to get it right as he is a big fan and is going to read it.' Collins is currently waiting on his Tennant drawings to be approved, but said it helped that he has already started working on assistant Billie Piper, who plays the Doctor's assistant Rose. 'Billie Piper is fine - it took me a little while until I was happy, but one day you just understand how their face comes together. ... You are working with likenesses, and you have to be fairly accurate - it has to be [enough like the characters] to be recognisable, but different so they can work in a comic. "If you do a comic strip, you are the director, the lighting man and all the actors - you have to make it work.' The monthly comic strips are mostly written by the same team who write the TV show, overseen by Russell T Davies, who Collins says is 'very hands-on'."

In yesterday's The Age (Australia), a review of the season one finale, "The Parting of the Ways": "The episode, titled The Parting of the Ways, features the best devices of the series in spades. It's overflowing with deadpan one-liners - among the best, Rose's exclamation 'He's fighting for us, for the whole planet, and I'm just sitting here eating chips'... And let's not forget the salty elan Ecclestone brings to the title role. This isn't his finest work since Michael Winterbottom's Jude, but it's a pity he's pissing off now that episodes one to 13 have taken care of the mortgage. The unresolved sexual tension between Ecclestone and Billie Piper as sidekick Rose - who manages this week to do a very good job of being kidnapped by Daleks while wearing a tight red sweater - might not be so easily replicated by Tennant's indie-geek, pasty charms. There's a lot about this series of Doctor Who that amuses, whether intentionally or not. The sets appear to have been constructed by first-year University of Cardiff science students for an O-week project, the terrifyingly homicidal Daleks are reliant on vast amounts of Mr Sheen to keep their bonded polycarbide armour shiny, and some of the storylines have been quirky at best. Trainspotters - and boy, this show does attract them - will have a ball analysing subtle contradictions and inconsistencies in this episode and the fact that the denouement comes via a near-perfect example of the deus ex machina. But who cares? It's Doctor Who, not Chekhov. "

The Daily Star today claims Billie Piper "Billie Piper looked close to a breakdown as she felt the pressure of her punishing work schedule for the hit show. [Billie] is filming from 11pm to 5am every night as sexy sidekick Rose Tyler while the streets of Cardiff are deserted. But the strain showed on Billie's face yesterday as she took a rest. She suffered a mini breakdown on set last year during a split from husband Chris Evans, 39. And she seemed close to tears again as the Who team, said to be 'rallying round' to keep Billie's spirits up, worked through the night. An insider said: 'Billie is sleeping all day and working all night. She was fine for a couple of nights but it gets to you.'" There has also been plenty of comment online the past few days from various papers about Spirit Trap, her new movie, meeting mostly lackluster reviews.

Radio Times reports that "Following the success of his weekday afternoon chat show, Paul O'Grady is being groomed to star in a new Saturday-night variety show. Paul O'Grady's Got Talent is still being planned but will feature ordinary members of the public, ventriloquists and apparently dancing dogs. A pilot is being filmed and the series is hoped to revitalise ITV's Saturday nights, which took a beating in the ratings from Doctor Who."

A BBC Worldwide press release notes that, "In an unprecedented deal, BBC Worldwide has appointed Buzzworthy Licensing + Entertainment as the merchandising agent for the Doctor Who brand in Canada. This is the first time an agent has been appointed solely for the territory. As part of the three-year agreement, secured by Anna Hewitt, BBC Worldwide's Head of International Licensing, Buzzworthy will actively seek partner companies to produce and distribute new and existing Doctor Who products. These will include toys, clothing and gift items from both the first and second series. In addition, Buzzworthy will also work closely with BBC Worldwide Canada to secure ongoing promotional opportunities for the series. Hilary Read, COO, BBC Worldwide Canada Ltd, said: 'I'm very excited about this opportunity to lead North America with this unique property. I look forward to working with Buzzworthy who were appointed due to their knowledge and enthusiasm for the Doctor Who brand.' Kevin Durkee, Managing Director, Buzzworthy Licensing + Entertainment, said: 'We've seen Doctor Who enjoy decades of awareness in Canada and are therefore thrilled to be part of the ongoing development of such a terrific brand. The quality and success of the new series is also being reflected in the level of interest from local partners. We're excited to be working with BBC Worldwide, who recognize the importance of managing this business locally.'"

According to a story at Piranet, "British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Worldwide will apply security labels to its Doctor Who merchandise to deter counterfeiting. No details were provided at this time on the launch date of the merchandise, which is based on the latest series of Doctor Who. The security labels will most likely, be holographic and will be applied to packaging and hang tags. The supplier of the tags and labels cannot be named. ... BBC brand protection manager Rick McEwen says the corporation believes security labels will help protect the Doctor Who brand. He says a security label is useful because it helps consumers by confirming they are buying a legitimate item, rather than a copy or rip-off, and it protects the market for retailers and their suppliers, as well as confirming the brand ownerÆs desire to protect the property. McEwen also believes the tags will help Trading Standards, or other enforcement bodies, to make instant identification of genuine items in the field. ... The BBC anticipates that counterfeiters will try to take advantage of the showÆs popularity. 'Obviously counterfeit Doctor Who merchandise would damage legitimate sales and tarnish the brandÆs image,' McEwen says."

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Paul Hayes, Graeme Burk, Peter Weaver)

The BBC has registered torchwood.org.uk, leading to speculation that the term Torchwood -- metnioned in "Bad Wolf" during the "Weakest Link" game segments -- will feature in the next season of the series.

Transmission of the new series has now concluded in South Korea. There is currently no word on any repeat broadcasts.

Regarding this week's story about the Radio Times advert, our correspondents have let us know that you can download the ad, containing Doctor Who references, from the Radio Times website.

A "Doctor Who" reference appeared in the syndicated comic strip "Sheldon" this week, seen at the website of the strip's syndicators,United Media.

Doctor Who was mentioned on the US chat show "Conan O'Brien" on Wednesday, as the show did a piece on a recent Stargate SG-1 convention -- but a Doctor Who fan made an appearance dressed in a Tom Baker outfit, explaining the regeneration process.

The Toys R Us chain of stores has confirmed that they will be introducing the Doctor Who range of toys in early September, including the radio controlled Daleks, sonic screwdrivers, TARDIS money banks and walkie-talkies.

(Thanks to Darren Pickles, Baysan Tulu, Ian O'Brien, Cameron Dixon, Paul Hardwick, Jon Sheehan, Ben Jordan)

David Tennant will be on the 17 August edition of Blue Peter, the daily BBC television series. From the website: "David Tennant from 'Doctor Who' will be on the show. Are you a 'Doctor Who' fan? Did you enter the 'Doctor Who' Monster competition? The new Doctor, David Tennant, will be in the studio on August 17th to announce the winner! If you'd like to ask David a question or send him a message, get in touch and your question or message could be read out on the show! If you'd prefer to text in your question or message from your mobile phone, text 'BP' and then start your message with 'Doctor'. Send to 62222. Operators' standard text rates apply. Ask permission before sending us a text message." Radio Times also confirmed that the results would be revealed by Tennant along with Russell T Davies. The show is on at 5pm on Wednesday 17 August on BBC One, with another showing on the digital CBBC channel at 6pm. (Thanks to John Leivers, Steve Tribe)

Radio Times has been running a new advertising campaign on UK television. "Basically it has loads of fed-up people stuck in their cars at roadworks. They start honking their horns, a dog starts barking and a baby starts crying - all of which adds up to a recognisable rendition of the 'Doctor Who' theme tune!" says our report. "Near the end, the passenger in one of the cars turns to the driver and says (approximately) 'Did you know that there have been ten Doctor Who's, The Daleks was originally called The Mutants and that TARDIS stands for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space?'"

Paul Cornell ("Father's Day") will be writing another audio play for Big Finish for 2006, due out next September, according to an announcement by Big Finish at the recent 2005 World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow. "Circular Time" will likely feature the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa.

There's a rebuttal in today's Scotsman by David Bickerstaff, reacting to the earlier comments about David Tennant's forthcoming tenure in the TARDIS. "I should ask him, politely, to reserve any form of judgment until David Tennant makes his debut as Doctor Who at Christmas in The Christmas Invasion," he writes. "Having been a lifelong devotee of Doctor Who, I am absolutely thrilled that an actor of his standing has accepted the role. He has a real passion for the character and will, I am sure, give it 101 per cent commitment. As for the costume, perhaps George Kerevan should look around at the dress sense of today and see that the Doctor mirrors the fashion sense of society. Patrick Troughton mirrored the style of the Beatles, Jon Pertwee had the smoking jacket of Bob Dylan in the Seventies and Tom Baker reflected the Bohemian style of students in the mid-Seventies. Mr Tennant's costume is a mish-mash of all that is smart in our fashion-conscious male."

(Thanks to Kieran Seymour, Peter Sneddon, Jonathan Melville, David Bickerstaff)

As reported by Radio Times yesterday, all thirteen episodes of Series One on the forthcoming Doctor Who: Series One Boxed Set DVD release in the UK in November will feature commentaries. The commentary for "The Unquiet Dead" will be by Mark Gatiss, Simon Callow and Euros Lynn; other commentaries as noted in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine will include Russell T. Davies, Julie Gardner and Phil Collinson, although more specific details are not yet available. DVD extras will include "Russell T. Davies' video diary of the first week of filming" and "Billie Piper's own camcorder footage". "Episode-specific featurettes" will include "Deconstructing Big Ben", "Destroying the Lair", "Blitzing London", "Designing Doctor Who" and "Building the Emperor Dalek". The DVD-exclusive episode of Doctor Who Confidential will appear on the fifth disc and will include a "sneak preview" of Series Two alongside highlights of the first series of Confidential.

The CBBC show Blue Peter is running a 'vote for the scariest monster' poll on its website where viewers can choose from Dalek, Autons, The Empty Child, The Slitheen or The Moxx Of Balhoon; the result will be discussed on the show, likely 20 July as "Radio Times" notes the show containing a "Doctor Who competition".

The date, time and content of the BBC3 repeat run have today been revised, according to the Radio Times website. In line with the report on the official Doctor Who site, the repeats will not now begin on Saturday 16 July at 7.45pm. Instead, "Rose" will be reshown from 7pm on Sunday 17 July and will be followed by a "Cut Down" version of Doctor Who Confidential: Bringing back the Doctor" from 7.45pm to 8pm. The official site suggests that there will be a further BBC3 transmission of the series on Friday evenings from 9pm to 10pm, and repeats will likely continue on BBC3 on subsequent Sundays as well.