icWales reports that Doctor Who and its BBC Three spin-off seriesTorchwood have between them earned 21 nominations at the BAFTA Cymru Awards. The awards, given by the Welsh branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, celebrate achievements by film and television productions produced in Wales. Doctor Who won the Best Drama Series category at the same ceremony last year, where the show also won several other categories including Best Director and an Oustanding Contribution to Network Television Award was given to Russell T Davies.

This year, both Doctor Who and Torchwood are nominated in the Drama Series category, with David Tennant andJohn Barrowman nominated for the Best Actor award and Billie Piper and Eve Myles both in the running in the Best Actress category.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Cardiff later this month.

Character actor George Sewell, who played Ratcliffe in Remembrance of the Daleks, has died at the age of 82. He was also well-known to cult TV fans as Colonel Alec Freeman in the Gerry Anderson series UFO. The Daily Telegraph has an obituary.

In addition, John Gill, who played Oak in Fury From The Deep, has died aged 94, and Elaine Ives-Cameron, who was Martha in The Stones of Blood and Ms Lavish/Estella in the Big Finish audio The Stones of Venice, has also passed away. Her date of birth is unknown.

(Thanks to Kenneth Parker, "Scifiradioguy", and Neil Marsh.)

C21 Media reports that New Zealand broadcaster Prime TV, who have already shown the first two series of newDoctor Who, have purchased the screening rights to series three, currently being run on BBC One in the UK. According to the report, the channel's recently-signed deal with BBC Worldwide Australasia also includes the 2006 Christmas special, The Runaway Bride.