Greetings, readers. I've at last finished my book, so I can now get back to regular Outpost Gallifrey updates, including today's news update from the past week or so... read on!

Broadcasting and Production

It slowly begins... Outpost Gallifrey has learned that at least one retailer in downtown Cardiff has been approached regarding filming outside their store, said to be happening on August 1, a date we've heard may be the start of production on series two. Our contact reports that "we will be required to put a Christmas display in the window. As far as I know they will only be filming outside the store. It's in a place called The Hayes, in the city centre. It just so happens it's across the road from the department store that was used for Henricks in 'Rose'."

Final ratings figures for the last two episodes of Doctor Who are now in from the BARB. Bad Wolf finished with 6.81 million viewers and a 35.91% audience share, and The Parting of the Ways concluded the season with 6.7 million viewers and a huge 41.77% audience share.

Meanwhile, our UK readers have a chance to watch the first series from the beginning. According to Digiguide, and confirmed by our sources, "Doctor Who" returns on BBC3 starting Saturday 16 July; each episode will air on Saturday at 7.45pm along with the corresponding episode of the "Doctor Who Confidential" documentary series immediately after, with another repeat of the episode itself on Wednesday at 8.15pm. Therefore, "Rose" will air on 16 July at 7.45pm.

Canada will definitely see the second series of "Doctor Who" next year. According to the official Doctor Who website, "Following the success of the first series of Doctor Who, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation have agreed to screen series two and the Christmas Special. 'We're delighted to have the CBC on board for another season,' said Russell T Davies. 'They have been the perfect partner on Doctor Who - sharing the editorial vision at the outset, then running a strong campaign from sexy posters to slick witty trailers, and best of all having the confidence to schedule the series in a big showy prime time slot. Once again Canadian viewers will be amongst the first to see the adventure. It all kicks off with a Christmas Special - just wait till you see what we do with Santa...' Slawko Klymkiw, Executive Director Programming, CBC Television said, 'It is great being part of such an innovative project with BBC. We've enjoyed great success with the first season of Doctor Who and are looking forward to season two with great relish.'" The news was also reported at C21 Media.

Is Billie Piper being paid more than David Tennant? An article in Sunday's issue of The People says that "The actress, who plays Rose Tyler, will be paid ú210,000 to appear in a Christmas special and a second series of the show, while Tennant, who is taking over from Christopher Eccleston in the role of the Doctor, is being paid ú166,000 for the same number of episodes. However, the newspaper claims that Tennant has signed a ú500,000 contract, which commits him to three series. 'It's great news that Billie is staying,' a source told the newspaper. 'Her deal is what she deserves as she's a favourite with fans.'" Also reported at Digital Spy, ContactMusic.

Will K9 make a comeback next year? The Newsquest Media Group syndicated column says so, furthering rumors in June that he would be joining Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane) for an appearance next year. "Dr. Who's famous canine companion looks set to make a comeback - to the delight of its Bridport creators. Mechanical mutt K9 was the invention of local novelist David Martin and his script writing partner Bob Baker. The pair penned around 30 episodes of the hit TV sci-fi show in the 70s and 80s - many featuring their "pentium-powered" pooch. Now BBC chiefs are understood to be planning a return for the Timelord's faithful four-wheeled friend in the next series. This week Mr Baker confirmed that he was meeting with the show's producers to discuss K9's future role. 'It is not confirmed yet but I am sure he will be in the new series although we have to discuss how to use him,' he said. 'We love the idea of him coming back - he really was a cult figure - but we need to get things right. Last time it ended with people carrying him around the set which was not right and suspended belief a bit too much.' ... A spokeswoman for the BBC said they were working on the new Dr Who series but refused to confirm whether K9 would be involved. 'There is no comment at this point.'"

Airline passengers are seeing episodes of the new series. "The End of the World" is being screened on all July British Airways flights from the UK equipped with the 'Highlife' Entertainment service, followed by an episode of Star Trek: TNG and Babylon 5. "Rose" is also definitely being screened on Thomsonfly airlines.

The latest issue of TV Zone Magazine includes an interview with Doctor Who producer Phil Collinson, who talks about Series Two of BBC's Cult-TV hit. "...Rose has to learn to trust [the new Doctor] all over again û and that's going to be an interesting dynamic through the early episodes û but they'll still be fighting monsters and saving the world, and above all they'll still be enjoying each other's company. Doctor Who always changed with his regeneration and the advent of a new actor. David [Tennant's] approach won't be any different. He will want to attack the role without preference to the past through û just as all his predecessors did. ... Series Two will follow the template of Series One. A little London filming but the majority being filmed in Cardiff. Filming here works and we're delighted that they're welcoming us back...quite frankly I'm amazed and delighted that so many of the wonderfully committed and brilliant team from Series One are coming back." (This information was reported at The Great Link.)

The BBC in-house weekly journal Ariel has a column called "Case Notes", in which a BBC department explains how it solved a problem. Last week (21.06.05 Week 25) was "marketing Doctor Who": "As the latest Doctor Who series comes to an end, marketing execs explain why the programme's return posed a dilemma and how their strategy saved the day, if not the world. The dilemma: How do you bring back Doctor Who for a generation who loved it and how do you introduce it to a generation who knew nothing about it? This is the problem that faced the MC&A and BBC Broadcast teams. The facts: The marketing of Doctor Who seemed straightforward: it was after all a much-loved brand. Its return was researched among families with children. The result? Its heritage could be a help and a hindrance. On the whole, dads thought that the new show would be for their children (since the dads had watched it when they were young), but the children thought that the new show would be for their dads (since their dads already knew who Doctor Who was and they didn't). Solution: For guidance the team looked to Hollywood, to see how it trails movies such as Spiderman and Batman. They discovered that there is often no explanation of the hero's back story. Moreover, making references to returning characters - as in 'he's back!' - alienates the younger audience. So instead of reinterpreting Doctor Who for both children and parents, the marketing emphasised the fantastic-adventure element, a journey on which we are invited to travel. In trails Christopher Eccleston asks if you want to follow him on the trip of a lifetime. Billie Piper, who plays Rose, lent the show credibility to a younger audience. But there was still a fine balance to strike - the trails had to look exciting and thrilling to people of all ages." The article notes the success of the series including beating "Ant and Dec".

People

David Tennant was interviewed in last week's TV Times magazine, where he admitted to being "absolutely terrified" about the prospect of playing the Tenth Doctor. He is quoted as saying, "It's so daunting, the amount of attention it gets, the amount of expectation it has. And the fact that Christopher Eccleston has been so bloody good at it is really annoying from my point of view, because now I have to try and equal that!" He also admits to have been taken aback by the media storm his role has attracted û "It's unlike anything I've experienced before. All I did was get a job, and suddenly it was on the news!" As for his involvement in the third season of the new Doctor Who series, he said, "I will wait and see what happens. The BBC might sack me û I might get replaced by [BBC newsreader] Moira Stuart. Who knowsà?" Tennant was also interviewed as part of BBC Three's Glastonbury music festival coverage on June 25. Billed as 'The New Dr Who' presenters Colin and Edith (Bowman) asked him why he was attending (he's a big fan of The Proclaimers) and touched on the accent issue for the new series. David implied he would have his Scottish accent and that all will be explained (as part of the plot) of the Christmas Special. Dressed in a stripy shirt, wellies, with glasses and mad hair he was shocked when he saw the playback and saw how scruffy he looked: "I'm on television and I look terrible!"

Christopher Eccleston last week read the bedtime hour story on the CBeebies channel at around 6.25pm each evening. Eccleston also appeared in "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg" on July 3 on BBC Radio 3: "This 1967 play by Peter Nicholls is a groundbreaking work that retains an undiminished capacity to disconcert - a brilliant, heartbreaking and comic drama about a couple's relationship as parents of a profoundly mentally disabled child." Eccleston played the role of Brian, and the cast also included Lynda Baron ('Enlightenment').

John Barrowman appeared late last week on the morning discussion show The Wright Stuff, where he joined host Matthew Wright and panellists Anne Diamond and George Galloway MP in talking about whether Prince William deserves privacy after graduating from university, the "sun, sea and sex" vacations of British teens, and inviting ex-partners to your wedding ceremony.

Russell T Davies tells the icWales network that he's "not a big name!" "Welsh writer Russell T Davies doesn't think he is remotely famous despite the storming success of Doctor Who," says the article. "The Swansea-born writer changed the face of British TV with Queer as Folk, but says he continues to lead a humble life. Davies has vowed to continue his 'humble' existence by ruling out a high-profile civil partnership marriage to his customs officer partner Andrew Smith of six years. 'I don't think I'm remotely famous,' said Russell. 'I have got a gay hook, a Welsh hook and now a Doctor Who hook. It has given me greater visibility and it is that which helps my career. Queer as Folk opened a lot of opportunities for me but I think people would prefer writers to go away and shut up.'"

New Zealand Coverage

With the approach of the new series in New Zealand this week (on Thursday), there are several articles in the press covering it.

The New Zealand Herald says the series gives Billie Piper "a new lease of life": "They've got Rose Tyler surrounded. Shop mannequins have come to life and are closing in on the feisty 19-year-old. 'Quick, in here!' A middle-aged man drags her out of harm's way. But before you know it, she's trapped again. This time, in a cavernous sewer underneath the London Eye. ... Meet Billie Piper, Serious Actor. Who knew? Many people in the television industry, it seems. James Nesbitt, who starred with Piper in her breakthrough role, the BBC's 2003 update of The Canterbury Tales, can't rave about her enough." The story discusses Piper's history in television and film and her outlook on the new show.

The Herald also has an article called "Return of Dr Who": "As I walk unsuspectingly on to the set of the new series of Doctor Who, there is an extremely unpleasant surprise in store for me. I am confronted by a sight that haunted me throughout childhood: a Dalek. Yes, for those of you who have recently been dwelling on the planet Gallifrey, Doctor Who - and his most feared adversaries - have returned. Apart from a feature-length outing in 1996, the Time Lord has been off the small screen since 1989, when he was quietly pensioned off to spend more time with his Tardis. Edward Thomas, the production designer, would be the first to admit that 'towards the end of the last series, I don't know if he was faring well. He had become something of a cartoon character.' So why bother to bring him back? I ask the makers of the new 13-part series when I meet them on set in a vast studio on the outskirts of Newport. Scriptwriter Russell T. Davies, creator and executive producer of the new series, is convinced that the time is absolutely right for the Tardis to land on Earth once more. 'No doubt that article about why we shouldn't bother to bring him back will be written,' he sighs, 'but great stories never have a set time. Like Tarzan or Sherlock Holmes, they can stand constant reinterpretation.'" Says writer Mark Gatiss, "I have long thought the series could come back because it's such a brilliantly simple idea. All you need is one man and a police box. You open the doors of the tardis and you can be anywhere - in the city of Atlantis, Satellite V in space, 1869 or AD 5 billion. We hope that the series recaptures the popularity it achieved at its height when the Daily Sketch called it 'the children's own programme that adults adore'." A further article focuses on memorable Doctor Who villains from the past 40 years, while anotherinterviews Colin Baker who will be appearing during the "Inside the TARDIS" tour happening in early August in New Zealand (and is currently touring Australia).

Australia Coverage

In this week's The Australian, there is a preview of the episode "Dalek": "At the end of last week's Dalek extravaganza, after six episodes the Doctor and Rose finally collected a passenger. Tonight Adam gets his first look at a space station. It's bigger than Ben-Hur, it's 198,000 years in the future, and he promptly faints. "He's your boyfriend," chides the Doctor. "Not any more," says Rose, gazing down at his fallen form. Elsewhere, a giant malevolent life form is controlling humanity. It's George Orwell meets The Matrix on Deep Space Nine. Greed turns out to be young Adam's real downfall. Despite his finger-snapping new hole in the head, his tenancy in the Tardis is very short-lived."

The Australian reviews the first DVD release of the new series: "Perhaps it's a temporal distortion, but the new Doctor -- blowing away a new generation of littlies while he thrills their nostalgic parents -- is already on DVD. This is handy for people who missed the first few episodes, but don't expect too many thrills in the way of extras, there aren't any, though if you buy all four discs from the first series you get a bonus talking Dalek bottle opener. Previous series of Doctor Who were notable for their crummy effects, monsters made of mop heads and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art types slumming it for pin money. But you get the sense, watching this uncanny new incarnation, that more money has been spent on each episode than on entire seasons previously. On this DVD, the first three episodes deliver an astonishing range. We start off with Rose, which introduces Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) who will accompany the doctor on his new voyages through time and space, and soon enough the new Doctor, played with relish and an evident northern English accent by Christopher Eccleston. 'Lots of planets have a North,' he offers by way of explanation. He's a bit of a show-off, so for the second episode, The End of the World, we're off to see just that. It's here that the new producers, who include chief writer Russell T. Davies (Queer as Folk) let their hair down, with a parade of alien weirdos and explosions George Lucas might envy. Then, to flesh out the range, a quick nip back to the 1860s for The Unquiet Dead. Without a doubt, these are the Time Lord's finest hours."

Event Notice

The TARDIS will be at the BBC Wales Roadshow in Butetown, Cardiff on Saturday 9 July at the Coal Exchange, Butetown/Cardiff Bay, Cardiff between 10am and 4pm. More details area available here. Enterprising fans might want to pop down to Cardiff for the day, have their picture in front of the TARDIS, and then embark on a Doctor Who locations trek using the BBC's Doctor Who Locations Guide.

Press Clips

The Notebook column in the Telegraph on June 29 by Andrew Marr ('Aliens of London,' 'World War Three'), discussed "security in the age of insecurity". As Marr noted at one point, "Mind you, at the meeting I'd actually been invited to, I met the actor David Tennant, who is going to be the new Dr Who. He was off to Glastonbury with a tent to get covered in mud. As he said, rather wistfully, it was probably the last time he'd be able to do something like that without being mobbed."

Broadcast Now covers the closure of the BBC Cult website. "The BBC is to shut down its Cult television website as part of a drive to make 10 per cent savings across its new media operation. The website - which covers everything from Morecambe and Wise to Buffy The Vampire Slayer - will close on 15 July, when much of material will be removed from servers and effectively disappear forever. The corporation said the Cult site did not offer "sufficient distinctive public value" and said other websites already covered the same ground. But one show has survived the cull - Doctor Who has morphed into its own website after the success of the shows latest incarnation on BBC1. The decision met scathing criticism from the site's devotees - which numbered more than 700,000 people last month. One user commented on the site's chat forum: 'This decision ranks alongside throwing out old recordings and closing down the Radiophonic Workshop in terms of short-term, short-sighted, bone-headed stupidity.'"

Ex-Soft Cell singer Marc Almond wants a cameo in "Doctor Who" next year, reports Time Out. "The flamboyant singer got the idea for a cameo role when he saw latest doctor Christopher Eccleston dancing to his hit Tainted Love in the most recent series. The 1980s pop star says, 'I can't act, I'm wooden and self-conscious but I could just about manage a cameo role. My dream would be a walk in part in (UK soap) Coronation Street. That or Doctor Who. I'm still getting over the new Doctor dancing to Tainted Love, I've always been a huge fan of the show so when Christopher Eccleston danced to Tainted Love, I got texts from everyone. That moment was only beaten when Jack Duckworth sung Tainted Love in Coronation Street. I remember thinking, it can't get much better than this. And I think I was right." Also reported at ContactMusic, Yahoo News and in the Daily Express.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Richard Allison, Mike Mould, Rob Stickler, Mustafa Hirji, Rex Orr, Andrew Wong, Dan Billing, Peter Anghelides, Bill Albert, Mark Healey, Peter Weaver, Mike Humphreys, Faiz Rehman)

Back after a few days' break with a rundown of the latest news stories...

Season Two

Will Stephen Fry write an episode of the second season of "Doctor Who"? That's the rumor, according to BBC News: "Comedian Stephen Fry is in talks with the BBC about the possibility of writing an episode of Doctor Who. The acclaimed author, director and actor may contribute to the series, which returns later this year with David Tennant as the next Time Lord. A BBC spokeswoman said: 'We are in talks with Stephen about the possibility of him writing an episode of Doctor Who.' There were no plans for Fry to appear in the series, the spokeswoman added." Stephen Fry, who has most recently starred as the voice of the Book in the big-screen adaptation of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," was a popular choice to play the Doctor with the public prior to the casting of Christopher Eccleston; he also played the Minister of Chance in BBCi's webcast Doctor Who serial "Death Comes to Time". Also reported atContact Music, The Advocate.

John Barrowman appeared at the London Film and Comics Convention this weekend and told the audience that, contrary to rumor, he would be back in the second season as well as the third, though he isn't in the first block of episodes being filmed (which he said included the Cybermen, so he won't be in that story). He noted that being on Doctor Who was a "bleep bleep bleep dream come true" as he was a fan as a child, and refused to be drawn into who the better kisser was (Eccleston or Piper)! Barrowman noted that he'll be taping a commentary for the DVD boxed set (due out in November) on July 20 along with Russell T Davies, Billie Piper and Joe Ahearne.

The Mirror reports that "New Dr Who David Tennant will speak in his Scots accent in the next series of the show. Scottish fans were shocked to hear the Paisley-born Tennant speaking in posh English tones during his debut as the Doctor last Saturday. It was all the more surprising because Tennant had said he hoped to give the role a tartan flavour. The accent sparked an outcry among Scottish Who fans and now producer Russell T Davies has hinted Tennant will be speaking naturally come his first full adventure at Christmas. He said: 'Every planet has a Scotland. You'll have to wait and see, there are revelations on the way.' The line about Scotland refers back to when Billie Piper asked why the Doctor - as then played by Christopher Eccleston - sounded Mancunian and he replied: 'Every planet has a North.' A BBC insider said: 'The accent will be up to what Russell and David want to do during filming.'"

Too much Cardiff this year? Former BBC Director General Greg Dyke apparently thinks so, stating that he thinks using the city as a setting was a "flaw" and accused the BBC of trying to produce the series for peanuts. "As a lifelong Doctor Who viewer, I don't believe the series was without flaws. Given that the Doctor is a time traveller, able to go anywhere at any time, he did end up on earth a disappointing number of times during the 13 episodes and, even worse, he kept turning up in Cardiff. I haven't got anything against the capital of Wales, but if I could land anywhere in the universe at any time, would I really go to Cardiff more than once? Of course, any connection with the fact that the series was made by BBC Wales, and that for the production team, Cardiff was a cheaper location is purely coincidental." Several news reports say that BBC Wales has brushed off Dyke's comments and insist the next series, due to start shooting later this summer, will continue to be filmed in Cardiff. "As Greg Dyke wrote in his article, Doctor Who 'has been a triumph for BBC Television', 'a delight to watch' and 'a well-scripted, well-acted series which had high production values.'," said a spokesman. "It is clear that viewers felt that praise applied especially to the two episodes set in Cardiff as they attracted tremendous average audiences of eight million people." Also reported aticWales.

People

Christopher Eccleston has given his first interview since handing the keys of the tardis over to David Tennant, according to BBC News. "Speaking at a Mencap charity do, the actor told Newsbeat that finishing 'Dr Who' was a relief after dealing with the BBC, but he still got something special out of it: 'The best thing about 'Doctor Who' for me has been the response I've had from children, both in the street and the number of letters and drawings of me and daleks, which are all over my wall at home. In all the 20 years I've been acting, I've never enjoyed a response so much as the one I've had from children and I'm carrying that in my heart forever.'"

John Barrowman will be interviewed on Theatre Radio, described as "Internet Radio For Musical Theatre" on Sunday 3rd July at 5pm GMT, repeated daily at 2pm and 10pm GMT. "This week on TheatreRadio, Tim is joined by John Barrowman, who is about to make his UK Cabaret debut at Pizza On The Park. As well as playing some fantastic music, Tim has a copy of JohnÆs latest album, John Barrowman Swings Cole Porter, to give away so make sure you tune in!" He will also appear in a cabaret in Belgium on July 12; details can be found at the Musical Solo website. Then, he'll be appearing on the US PBS network's Evening at Pops on August 7, when he joins the Boston Pops and Broadway singers for a tribute to legendary Broadway composer Jerry Herman.

"Doctor Who" script editor Helen Raynor makes her debut as a radio writer on BBC Radio 4 this week. "Running Away with the Hairdresser" will transmit on Radio 4 on Friday 1st July at 9.00pm. "Nearly a year has passed since Catrin returned from Thailand after a bomb in a nightclub killed her boyfriend and brought their holiday to a tragic end. Now she feels trapped in her Welsh village, but not simply by grief." Raynor describes the play as "A bit intense, with some funny bits too, though. And some lovely acting." Mali Harries, who recently played Cathy Salt in the first series episode "Boom Town" plays Caitrin. The play will be available online for a week following broadcast; go to the Radio 4 arts website and click on The Friday Play.

Press Coverage

New Zealand coverage of the series, now that there's a definite date of July 7, has picked up. A second trailer for the new series has been airing on Prime TV for the past few days which features Christopher Eccleston's original "Do you want to come with me?" footage (originally broadcast in the UK the weeks prior to its debut). In addition, the New Zealand media has been giving some good coverage of the New Series, with articles in the New Zealand Herald, the New Zealand TV Guide (including a small cover picture of a Dalek), an interview with Bruno Langley in the New Zealand TV Times Update magazine and a two-page article in the New Zealand Sunday Star Times.

This week's print edition of Broadcast (24 June) has picked up on Greg Dyke's article for The Independent a few days ago. The magazine's "Off the Record" diary section reports: "And on to one of Dyke's current 'portfolio' jobs û penning a weekly column for the Indy's media section. This week, he spilled the beans on the cost of the new Doctor Who û a cool ú1m an episode û (the total cost he said was ú1.2m an episode, but overseas sales made up the rest). Blimey that's an exterminating total of ú13m of licence fee money. Still, we're not quibbling û money well spent, say we."

Australian broadcasts continue... says this week's Herald Sun about the latest episode, "Dalek," "The best episode so far has Dr Who and Rose landing in a subterranean museum in 2012, where they find a Dalek being held captive and tormented by obsessed billionaire collector Henry Van Statten. The Doc and arch-enemy Dalek get reacquainted and danger looms. You'll enjoy this one." The Sydney Morning Herald said "Fans have been waiting for this episode in which a Dalek, the Time Lord's oldest and deadliest enemy, returns. ... If you've ever wondered what a Dalek looks like inside its metal casing or how it climbs a staircase, this episode will put you out of your misery." The Age says that "Now the Doctor is back and despite some egalitarian tweaking of the image - the accent now suggests Manchester rather than Eton and Oxbridge and the clothing and appearance are classless Cool Britannia rather than foppish Edwardian - he remains recognisably an exemplar of Etonian virtue. Christopher Eccleston may be a more aggressively masculine Doctor than, say, Jon Pertwee or Tom Baker, but he conforms, like all of his predecessors, to that most English of adventure-hero stereotypes, the Thoroughly Decent Chap. He's a post-imperial sort of Decent Chap, though, and there's nothing Tory or even wimpishly Blairite about the politics of this latest series of Doctor Who." "The Age" also features an articleabout weird alien-sounding names in science fiction ("If you don't know the difference between a Slitheen and a Raxacoricofallapatorian... you've only yourself to blame.")

The June 24 edition of the publishing trade magazine The Bookseller reports on the recommissioning of Doctor Who for a third series, although it's obvious that much of the article has been derived from press reports elsewhere. It's of interest for some details of sales figures for the new books: The programme's popularity has been reflected in the sales of the companion books. The three new novelisations from BBC Books have achieved combined sales of around 37,000 since publication in May, each securing places on the Top 20 Fiction Heatseekers chart. Reference book Doctor Who: Monsters and Villains by Justin Richards has sold more than 9,000 copies. The Top 20 Fiction Heatseekers chart for this week has The Monsters Inside and The Clockwise Man still at numbers 11 and 12, with the week's sales at 2,921 and 2,898 respectively. Winner Takes All has climbed from 18 back up to 14, on sales of 2,039." The Bookseller also previews Justin Richards' Doctor Who: The Legend Continues among its selection of paperback highlights for October: "The limited ú40 h/b published for the 40th anniversary sold out. These are the same sheets [i.e. the book will be reprinted without any changes], but with an addition of 32pp on the current Christopher Eccleston series. I would say fans have expanded with the new series into a younger generation, for which this will make a great gift."

The official Doctor Who website has several new video diaries online. "Today we're launching four more video diaries - three from director Joe Ahearne and one from The Mill's main man, Will Cohen. There are Dalek delights, Reaper reminiscences and more."

The Independent on Sunday's "Pink List" discusses the extermination of 'old prejudices' on "Doctor Who". "Sandwiched between the old-fashioned music-hall camp of a Graham Norton and Julian Clary, something much more amusing and inspiring was taking place. Russell T Davies sent the tabloids into a foaming lather, nearly a decade ago, with his Queer as Folk. Now, in 2005, he has revived, with wit and verve, Doctor Who. Among a series of admissions about urban life, a black character, a single mother, he has included, in the figure of Captain Jack, a character gloriously and unambiguously bisexual, without a tinge of camp. A drama aimed in part at children, with a sexy bisexual man, and no-one at all seems to mind. Things have changed a great deal."

The y come his first full adventure nbsp;on June 23 asked, "Anyone else feel like they lost a friend on Saturday night? Since watching the last episode of Doctor Who, I've been at a loss over just what to say. Project stoic image of emotionally detached critic? Or confess to my heart pounding in my chest and tears welling in my eyes? Oops. Saturday saw the climax of a love story, a tragedy, a comedy, an end, a beginning and a satisfying culmination to the most successful TV return since, well, Lassie Come Home. Of course, the new Who drew snipes from those too bitter to forgive Billie Piper for looking like an Ewok, or 'serious actor' Christopher Eccleston's uneasy take on eccentric. Fine. But are you telling me you preferred Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, the low budgets, crap sets and fusty storylines of the 80s? No. Didn't think so. Doctor Who has been the best thing Saturday night TV has offered in light years. I am genuinely sad it's finished. He's seen off the Slithene, those gas-mask zombie things and the Daleks. Hurrah for all that - but more respect for wiping the floor with tired Butlins' Redcoats Ant and Dec and their lame Saturday Night Takeaway when the shows went head to head. Everything - the music, the sets, the effects, the characters, the aliens, the acting (Billie Piper excelled in the final episode) worked brilliantly. Between Casanova and Doctor Who, Russell T Davies better take a big bag with him to the next Baftas."

Monday's New Statesman notes, "I was, let me admit, too critical of the first episode back in March. Russell T Davies has, as has been much remarked, reinvented the phenomenon of families gathering around the electronic hearth and, thanks to Doctor Who's extermination of ITV1's Celebrity Wrestling, helped kill off ITV's reliance on the celebrity genre. So two cheers for that. The darker episodes - the Dickens story, Rose's rediscovery of her dead father, the Second World War gas masks - worked best. The monsters tended to look like rejects from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and played to Davies's weakness, which was not taking the plots as seriously as its youngest audiences would. Yet, paradoxically, and despite the variations in tone, this was a serious piece of work that wove historical traditions into the fabric of our times and thereby managed to embroider everything from reality TV to bisexuality. Just as the police box once represented the presence of the state in every high street, Davies's Tardis became a symbol of public-service quality in the Saturday-night schedules. And that makes three cheers in all."

In June 23's Media Guardian: "Endemol boss Peter Bazalgette has followed in the footsteps of Michael Grade, and just about everyone else, in becoming a fully paid-up member of the Doctor Who fan club. 'The most magnificent piece of TV I can remember for a long time,' Baz gushed at today's conference on the future of broadcasting. However, he was feeling far less charitable towards ITV. 'ITV this summer is facing a massive stampede of viewers, not to other terrestrial channels, but to multichannel. [ITV chief executive] Charles Allen has got a small net, or sluice gate, on the door - called ITV2 and ITV3 - which is catching some of them, but most are just going off in the diaspora,' he said. What's up Baz, has Nigel Pickard knocked back all your programme ideas again?"

A late review of The Parting of the Ways in the New Statesman: "I was, let me admit,too critical of the first episode back in March. R T Davies, has, as has been much remarked, reinvented the phenomenon of families gathering around the electronic hearth and, thanks to Doctors Who's extermination of ITV1's Celebrity Wrestling, helped kill off ITV's reliance on the celebrity genre".

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Chris Graham, Daryosh Djavanzad, Nathan Matthews, Gary Owen, Peter Anghelides, Adrian Piper, Huw Davies, John Bowman, Peter Weaver, Paul Greaves, Fred Harrison, and Thomas Van der Spiegel)

The Parting of the Ways

Yesterday's season finale, The Parting of the Ways, had 6,185,840 viewers watching... which may not seem like a lot at first, but "Doctor Who" was the top-ranked programme of Saturday night ("Casualty" only had 5.9 million) and in fact had an extremely impressive 41.77% audience share! A BBC spokesperson told BBC News that warm weather was a likely reason for less people watching TV indoors... that, despite viewing figures being down, it was still the most watched television show of the evening. "Almost half of those watching television tuned in to Doctor Who. It continues to be the most-watched television show on a Saturday night." The repeat of Doctor Who at 10.50pm Saturday night had 254,670 viewers (2.6% share). Doctor Who Confidential had 676,860 viewers immediately after "Parting of the Ways" (6.8% share, #1 in its timeslot for non-terrestrial channels) and 175,920 viewers (2.3% share) for the late night 11.35pm Saturday showing. Also, Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide had approximately 2.7 million viewers immediately prior to the broadcast of "Parting".

Over the weekend the BBC main website featured a special splash page with the words "TIME IS UP... Invasion Begins Tonight BBC One 7pm".

In a report on BBC News, Russell T Davies said star Christopher Eccleston "turned around the reputation" of Doctor Who. "I love Doctor Who and I love the old Doctor Who. But, even with all that love, you have to admit that the name of the programme had become a joke and its reputation had become a cheap joke at that - you know rubber monsters and shaky sets. And Chris, as one of the country's leading actors, by being willing to step up to the line and take on that part has proved himself to be magnificent and has turned it around. So now you get actors like David Tennant who is the next generation and just about one of the best actors in the world. David himself says he wouldn't have touched this part if Chris hadn't done it because the part had become a joke. But Chris has salvaged it and made it new, and now we get to do one of the most famous parts of Doctor Who folklore - the moment when the Doctor regenerates and becomes a new person and yet stays exactly the same man." Davies also notes that "We've been talking to Billie for months now and Billie Piper is in every single episode next year. We have got a Christmas special coming up and then 13 episodes, so we are going to make 14 in total and she is in all 14 episodes." He said that the success of the show was down to imagination. "It's been everything we planned and more, and it's very rarely in life you get the chance to have that happen. I genuinely love the old series of Doctor Who and I especially went back in my mind to the 60s - you know their imagination back then was limitless. It's just now that we happen to have a chance that we have a nice budget and that we can actually show some of these things. In its heart Doctor Who was always this imaginative and it was always this big."

More reviews of "Parting of the Ways". In the Telegraph: "And so it ends - another Doctor down the vortex, another Dalek invasion foiled and a mystery at least partially solved. The first series of the revived and revitalised Doctor Who ended last night amid Wagnerian choruses and swarms of airborne Daleks hellbent on reducing mankind to a giant, fleshy puddle. I can't imagine anyone of any age coming away feeling short-changed. For 13 weeks, Doctor Who has breathed new life into that most mouldy of broadcasting concepts: family viewing. It's sent Christopher Eccleston's star soaring and it's added a deserved lustre to the crown of its chief scriptwriter, Russell T Davies....." In the Sunday Mirror: "Fair's fair - that Doctor Who finale was flawless. But it didn't make up for the six or so ropey episodes (yes you, Slitheens) we've had to endure. Fact is, Chris Eccleston was only any good when the Doctor was fighting the Daleks. And this show was only unmissable when the Daleks were in town. Which means that now the Daleks are (surely) gone forever, and despite his show-stealing cameo last night, David Tennant really has his work cut out. Still, if any man can..." In The People: "The BBC held a back-slapping Bafta screening for last night's Dr Who. Are they sure? The hit series has been fun, but it's also been flawed by feeble aliens (the Slitheen), childish fart jokes and the constant gurning of Chris Eccleston. The sci-fi has been so-so, with writer Russell T Davies relying heavily on lazy cheats like the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. The hottest episodes (the solo Dalek, the Victorian gas creatures) were written by other people. Russell's plotting is frequently thinner than his freakish cosmetic surgery creation Cassandra. ... The Doc has regenerated as David Tennant. Superb. Here, exclusively, is the new Who's to-do list: 1) Stop grinning like a loon. 2) Remove Eccleston's pigeons from Tardis loft. 3) Release whippet into t'wild... " Also, the Scottish Sunday Mail refers to David Tennant in the TARDIS at the end of the story.

Because we took the day off yesterday and didn't report on all the spoiler-laden previews of the final episode, here are some links for your reading pleasure: The Mirror, The Sun, The Western Mail, Dark Horizons, BBC Radio 1 News, The Belfast Telegraph.

Monday's Herald: "Another close one for the human race, then. Who would have guessed the ex-wife of Chris Evans would end up with the time vortex running through her head, thus acquiring special-effects eyes, the power of life and death and an ability to save the day 200,000 years from now? Didn't see that one coming. ... Each episode of the new and immaculately-conceived Doctor Who has had a satirical edge to it, a theme with a moral that, as with most half-decent science-fiction, has an application in the here and now. For Saturday's episode, the lesson involved a mechanical, in this case literally so, devotion to religion. ... It was all done with great style, not a little wit and some authentic pathos. In a single series, Christopher Eccleston has established himself as one of the best, if not the best, 900-year-old Time Lords in the business. David Tennent's sparky cameo as the post-regeneration heir to the title û 'So where was I?' û was promising, but the bar has been set high."

The Guardian called the episode their Pick of the Day and said, "In 1989, Doctor Who came to a close with Sylvester McCoy stumbling towards some bushes muttering about tea getting cold. In contrast, the triumphant new series' finale is nothing short of a Dalek-flavoured Gotterdammerung with the ultimate fate of humanity up for grabs. One gets the feeling that the final shot won't be a freeze-frame of the show's five regulars hi-fiving as the Tardis vworps off. Russell T Davies - thank you. Bye Chris. David Tennant - please don't screw it up."

Merchandise

At right is the cover illustration for the thirdDoctor Who first series DVD release, Volume Three, which was revealed this week on the Amazon.co.uk website. Volume Three includes four episodes -- "The Long Game," "Father's Day," "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances" -- and is now due for release on August 1 instead of late July as originally announced. We should have a much better quality version of this cover early this week.

In Austraila, the release dates of the next three editions of the new series DVDs were given in a flyer in the first release: Volume 2 is out on August 4, Volume 3 in September and Volume 4 in October. Also, the flyer in Volume 1 is part of a competition to get a "free Talking Dalek Bottle Opener" if you purchase all 4 volumes.

The Doctor Who Companion û Series One from Panini Press, a Doctor Who Magazine special, is due out on July 7. The special will feature photographs and information on the first season of the show; more details about that soon.

Series Two and Three

Russell T Davies is quoted at CBBC Newsround about the 'scoop' for season two. "A Christmas special this year, another series of 13 episodes in 2006, followed by another Christmas special and then 13 more episodes in 2007, which is very exciting," Davies says. About villains: "Some great new stuff. Some famous old monsters called Cybermen will be coming back and they are as equally scary as the Daleks. They will marching onto your screens into 2006. Lots of new villains too and one or two favourite characters from this year as well. But at the same time the Christmas special has a brand new monster to fight, and that's gonna be good!" About new planets: "I'm the one who has stopped us going off earth because I think you see an awful lot of shows, expensive good ones like Enterprise and Angel, where they go to another planet or dimension and it looks rubbish, it looks like California in the sunshine with a funny rock. I think that when stuff like Revenge of the Sith is doing the most beautiful planets, no matter what you think of the film, the planets are utterly beautiful and that's on a cinema budget which is a trillion times more than a television show would have. I think it's the hardest thing to do and I'm very wary of looking like rubbish because I think the moment the programme looks rubbish people point at it and laugh in a bad way. I'm very happy if people have fun with it and have a good laugh with it. When you have a bad laugh you've lost the faith and you've lost the audience." About a story arc for the second season, like the "Bad Wolf" stuff: "Yes there is, and that word has already been heard on screen. And that's all I'm saying. You'll have to go back and trawl through 13 episodes to realise what I'm on about. You'll hear the word in the Christmas special though" About the Christmas Special: "It's going to be 60 minutes long. It's the first story of the new Doctor played by David Tennant. I remember when I was young it's very strange when a new Doctor comes along, and that's exactly how Rose feels. Her mum gets involved again, but beyond that I can't give anything else away. It's as Christmassy as can be. It's got reindeer, it's got sleigh bells, it's got the works." About Tennant and his native Scottish accent: "Well, every planet has a Scotland. You'll have to wait and see, there are big revelations on the way and I can't say any more than that." About reaction to the show: "The thing we're most happy about is that we've got a new young audience watching. Research before we started said children won't watch because their mums and dads liked it. That was terrifying because we wanted a young audience and I especially wanted girls watching because science-fiction is very often seen as a boy's thing, which is why we have so many strong female characters. And a lot of strong emotion in it, because I think that gets girls watching. I'm delighted that young audience has latched on to it."

Rumors abound, mostly in a report in Saturday's The Sun, that the BBC has approached Elisabeth Sladen to reprise the role of Sarah Jane Smith along with her robot dog K-9 in next year's Doctor Who season. The Sun quotes Russell T Davies as saying "Talks are under way with Elisabeth Sladen to revive the iconic character Sarah Jane Smith, who is remembered by a whole generation of Doctor Who fans." However, there's no additional confirmation about this quote or the report itself.

According to Broadcast Now, "Doctor Who could face yet another regeneration for the show's third series, after the BBC revealed it has still not signed a deal with its new Time Lord actor David Tennant. Tennant and co-star Billie Piper have both been confirmed for the second series, but the BBC admitted that no contract has been signed with either actor for the third series, announced this week. 'We're still in discussions with David Tennant and Billie Piper. The third series has only just been announced, so it's still early days,' said a spokeswoman. Eccleston sparked a storm of criticism when he revealed he would not reprise the role for the second series. When the news was leaked, the BBC was forced to apologise to the actor after issuing a statement in his name, claiming he had left the series for fear of being typecast. A first series ending had to be filmed in which Eccleston's face morphs into that of Casanova star Tennant. He and Piper will star in the 13-episode second series and a Christmas special, which are being filmed in Cardiff this summer for broadcast next year."

Executive producer Julie Gardner is interviewed in a video on the official Doctor Who website, accessible here. "Will the Daleks be back? What are children up to in playgrounds? What is Bad Wolf? Does the series end on a bang?"

Other series three confirmation reports were featured at Scifi.com, The Register, Brand Republic, SyFyPortal.

People

Christopher Eccleston stars in Peter Nichols' play "A Day in the of Death of Joe Egg" on BBC Radio 3 on Sunday 3 July, according to programmeinformation from the BBC Press Office.

According to Broadway World, John Barrowman will join Rob Lowe as one of A Few Good Men, which opens in its London premiere on September 6th at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket after starting previews on August 18th. Lowe will play Lt. Daniel Kaffee, a lawyer who must defend a soldier accused of killing one of this fellow soldiers, while Barrowman will portray Captain Jack Ross, the role made famous by Kevin Bacon in the hit 1992 film that also starred Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore. Suranne Jones has also been cast in the Aaron Sorkin play, which will be directed by David Esbjornson (The Ride Down Mt. Morgan, The Goat).

Press Coverage

Monday's The Independent calls "Doctor Who's greatest triumph the return of TV for all the family. So Doctor Who is over for this year - which is a shame, because the return of the eccentric time traveller has been a triumph for BBC Television and given many of us a much-needed 'appointment to view' programme to watch on a Saturday night. For those, like me, who believe in popular, quality drama on British television, it was a delight to watch the Doctor take a sonic screwdriver to Celebrity Wrestling on ITV. The debate on whether or not to revive Doctor Who had been going on at the BBC for some years before the recently departed controller of BBC1, Lorraine Heggessey, decided it was time for the Doctor's return. She should be applauded, not just for taking the decision, but for giving the series such a large budget - BBC1 spent ú1m on each 45-minute episode, although the total cost was ú1.2m (the rest came from overseas sales). By current television drama standards, that is an enormous figure and Lorraine's decision was not without risk, as the Doctor Who addicts are, as well as being a bit anoraky, a demanding bunch. But even they should be satisfied with a well-scripted, well-acted series which had high production values and condemned to yesteryear the old practice of pushing Daleks around the studio . ... The reason Doctor Who was a triumph is that, for the first time for some years, we had a new (at least, it felt new) early-evening drama that could be watched by the whole family, something that many in television thought was close to impossible to achieve in the multi-channel age. Just listening to Jonathan Ross raving about the series on his Saturday morning show on Radio Two tells you why it was so special; it gave him the opportunity to sit with his children and watch a programme that they all enjoyed, but on a range of different levels. ... It could be that Doctor Who is unique, that its long history - which guaranteed an audience - combined with a big budget and an outstanding production team gave it advantages that the average new show is never going to get. Or it could be that commissioners just need to be willing to take more risks, and back them up with big money."

Also in the Independent, Matthew Norman's Media Diary says "Finally, on the conclusion of Doctor Who's comeback series, my twopenn'orth of sycophantic adulation for Russell T Davies for a miraculous revival, and some of the best scripts TV drama has known for years. The loss of Christopher Eccleston is a blow, of course (especially to those who have had the fabled pleasure of working with him), but we look forward to David Tennant in the next series. Incidentally, plans to hire Simon Heffer as The Hefferlump - a part-organic, part-robotic madman hell-bent on bringing Enoch Powell back to life - have been shelved due to concerns about the show's pre-watershed start time. But Simon will definitely be signed up to play one of the Slitheen, should that portly family of intergalactic mercenaries make a comeback in series two."

The Telegraph says that the "Time is right for Dr Who to conquer films. The television phenomenon of 2005 is heading for the big screen for the first time in 40 years. The BBC confirmed that it is considering a film adaptation after the triumphant climax of the Doctor Who series last night..."

The Daily Star says that "TV bosses are bracing themselves for a backlash from moral crusaders tomorrow night when they screen a kiss between Dr Who and bisexual time-traveller Captain Jack Harkness. In the last episode of the series, the Timelord and Rose face the wrath of the Daleks - and Captain Jack, actor John Barrowman, 38, is sure they won't survive. As he gets set to mount an attack on the aliens, he plants a smacker on the Doctor's lips and says: 'See you in hell!' Despite the cheeky nature of the kiss, telly watchdogs are already up in arms about it. David Turtle of MediaWatch said: 'This is totally inappropriate, considering Doctor Who goes out in the early evening and is meant to be for family viewing.'" The Western Mail also discusses that, and has a few quotes from Davies. "At the outset, we were told by many people within the business that we were making an impossible programme," he says. "Demographic experts told us that a show designed for family viewing was unrealistic in the current TV climate. They said, 'Don't aim for that.' But we forged ahead, and we proved them wrong. ... One of the hardest things about the second series will be sticking to the same road we've created. In many ways, after you've proved successful with one series, the second series is the biggest, most dangerous challenge, so none of us are resting on our laurels. We want to stay faithful to the roots of the programme, while also pushing it further." He refers to the story about how he approached "Harry Potter" author JK Rowling to write an episode of the first series: "But she turned us down, and I'm not crawling back to ask a second time!" He says that having worked with Tennant will be a big advantage. "It means I know David's rhythms of speech, his mannerisms. But, as the Doctor, he won't be hugely different to Christopher Eccleston. He'll have a different style of dialogue, and his own quirks - just like you had Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker and Peter Davison - but he's still the Doctor. He'll be wearing different clothes, but rumours that David will be wearing a kilt are completely untrue."

Prime TV in New Zealand screened a short trailer for the new series at approx. 1pm on Sunday the 19th June. The trailer lasted less than thirty seconds and was made up of a montage of clips from the new series, ending with the new series logo and a caption underneath reading Coming Soon.

The Daily Star said that Saturday was "one of the saddest moments for anyone watching telly. Not because they're watching Beverly Hills Cop on ITV and lamenting how rubbish Eddie Murphy is now. No. They'll be watching the end of Dr Who on BBC1. There will be howls of anguish, screams of agony and buckets of tears. It will be like the nation has been turned into a McFly gig audience. In fact there will be only one house in Britain where there WON'T be blubbing. Mine. I'm sooooo glad it's ending. I can't take any more. It's simply too good. It's spoiling the rest of my telly viewing by making it rubbish in comparison. And professionally, I am running out of phrases to describe its magnificence. ... Anyway, I'm glad it's ending as my head and heart will explode if it gets any better. If Russell T Davies has any sense he'll cancel plans to do a second series, quit while he's ahead - and start work on bringing back Blake's 7."

The Washington Blade says that "Captain Jack Harkness is the most singularly unique character I have ever witnessed on television. He likes women. He likes men. He likes ù robots. He flies around in an invisible spaceship and swoops out of the sky just in time to stop a bomb, all brawn and machismo, and in the next scene makes a catty little quip and forms an exaggerated 'W' with his fingers. Did I mention that he hides a rather large laser gun in his $#@? Gay actor John Barrowman plays the openly omnisexual Captain Jack Harkness in the new 'Doctor Who' series. We should expect little less from Russell T. Davies ... He's a 51st century guy. He's just a little more flexible about who he dances with."

The Times Online asks "Why is Doctor Who such a success?": "Before Doctor Who of went on air, research suggested that no one would want to watch it and that the BBC was heading for a ú10 million disaster. The sci-fi series has confounded predictions by attracting seven million viewers. Why have so many people switched on to the Doctor?" The site has reader responses from a variety of locations.

Russell T Davies has a brief letter in this week's print edition of Broadcast magazine. Last week, Emily Bell wrote at length on the artistic and broadcasting success of the series (see OG news, 12 June), saying that her seven-year-old had woken her up in the middle of the night, worried about gas masked zombies... "There were five minutes last week when I was angry with Russell T Davies." Davies has replied: "It's not often I get the chance to wake up a woman at 4am, so my apologies to Emily Bell. And thanks for the kind words about Doctor Who. But much as I'd like to claim the credit, the scary gas-mask children were created and written by Steven Moffat. And very brilliant they were too."

The Independent refers to a particular exchange between the Doctor and Rose in the last episode (concerning a kiss...) and examines its relevance. "After 40 years of time-travelling, Dr Who is finally to enjoy his first kiss. But what makes the meeting of the 'mucous membranes of the lips of two people' so special? Kissing is a very strange activity, so strange that in more than 40 Earth years and countless aeons in his own eccentric time zone, not one of the various Doctors Who has ever been tempted to make contact between the mucous membranes of his lips and those of his gorgeous, pouting female assistants. Until tonight, that is, when, in the last of the Christopher Eccleston/Billy Piper Doctor Who series, the doctor kisses his horny sidekick-ette, Rose Tyler. The BBC spin machine was already in full dampener mode yesterday, when it claimed that the Who/Tyler clinch was, in fact, artificial respiration administered by the Doctor. 'Their lips do touch and there is a kiss, but it is designed to rescue Rose from death,' said the series spokesman....."

In Canada, the Globe and Mail talks about the show going into reruns immediately. "Surrounded by a tremendous amount of hype when it premiered in April, the latest incarnation of the popular long-running sci-fi franchise is back for a repeat airing. 'We are very happy with the numbers we got the first time when we telecast it as a hockey replacement,' says CBC's executive director of network programming, Slawko Klymkiw. 'They show how popular Doctor Who is and we wanted to give audiences another chance to see this fabulous, innovative series.' Christopher Eccleston makes for a sexy, tongue-in-cheek version of the Time Lord and it's a pity he won't be back on board TARDIS for a second go. An announcement of his departure, made just after the series launched, left the actor vilified, but Eccleston had only signed on for one season to avoid being typecast. If you missed the show this spring, this is your chance to catch the daring new Doctor before he's reincarnated as a tamer time traveler."

Some radio show "listen again" featurettes courtesy the DWAS: the Today Programme, BBC Radio 4 6:00am-9:00am, has a discussion about how television impacts the public and whether it is educational/stimulating enough or simply turning us into couch potatoes with a reference to 'Father's Day' here (about 02:45:00 in); the Nicola Heyward Thomas show on BBC Radio Wales, 12:00-2:00pm, has a discussion on Doctor Who and how good its been, with Express critic Charlie Catchpole, local shop owner Christian Barrie, and DWAS Press Officer Antony Wainer here (about 00:34:30 in) and a phone interview with John Barrowman (about 01:47:00 in); and Good Morning Wales, BBC Radio Wales, 6:00-9:00am, has two stories, with Doctor Who topping the Cult TV polls (about 00:03:00 in) and an interview with Davies (about 02:41:00 in).

In addition to our previous note about the show on TV Times, the season finale also featured in the "Total TV Guide", with a short interview with Davies - the cover shows Eccleston and loads of Daleks, and a colour photo (of loads more Daleks) inside with the interview. In it, RTD is quoted as saying "people are more inclined to run away from weird things like purple beaches" so evidently it was recorded before he changed his mind about alien planets!

Other News Items

According to the Doctor Who Exhibitions website, the new series exhibition on Brighton Pier is now displaying new exhibits from episodes 7 to 13 as of this weekend.

Doctor Who was named "top cult series" in a poll conducted by the Cult TV website (the people who run the annual Cult TV convention in the UK) according to a report at BBC news. "Doctor Who has beaten Star Trek to the title of most popular cult TV show, in a website's poll of viewers. The BBC show knocked Star Trek from the number one spot in the vote conducted by the website Cult TV, ending Star Trek's nine-year reign at number one." Also reported at Sky News.

Other press items: the Sydney Morning Herald in Australia gives a favorable review to "World War Three"; the Sci-Fi Online site has a handy guide to the series' cliffhangers if every 45 minute episode were broken down into two parts; and the Carlisle News and Star has an inteview with Peter Tyler, the model unit director of photography on the show;

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Adam Kirk, Steve Berry, Frank Shailes, John Hatfield, Peter Weaver, Duncan Rose, David French, Martin Hearn and Andy Parish)

Once again, Outpost Gallifrey will be your no-spoiler zone for TV series news, so read on...!

Broadcasting alert! John Barrowman will be on Friday morning's edition of GMTV, 17 June, on the "Entertainment Today" segment which likely starts sometime before 9.00am.

At the last moment, the BBC Press Office has resumed its series of Press Packs with Phase Eight to promote the end of the first series, as well as officialconfirmation of the commissioning of Series Three and a second Christmas special. "The honest to God truth is I was shocked," Davies says about the reactions to the first season. "The weird thing is, it's everything we hoped for. In January we were all sitting there hoping millions of people would watch; hoping that people would love it. It's such a rare thing for everything to fit into place especially when all the signs were there. ... There were so many things mitigating against it. If we were in Los Angeles there would be 15 shows like it running at once. No-one's made anything like this in this country and we've pulled it off." He says that "Science fiction can be very bland, homogenized and steeped in American culture, and to make this British has been fantastic. I think as a kid watching the series you can feel a sense of ownership and that's made a massive difference." Discussing his being called a 'gay writer', "It just shows that anyone can write anything. All that pigeon-holing that goes on is nonsense. No writer should ever sit there and think û I'll only write gay things. I used to work in children's television and it was harder to move from children's telly and break into adult television. I was a young writer and no-one knew my name. People would just sit there and say, but youÆve only done children's. I knew I could write anything. I knew I could do adult drama, but everyone pigeon-holes everyone. What I love about Doctor Who is that it has come full circle, it's for adults and children; it's doing everything I like doing." About children's television: "I have sat with a group of 15 people watching Finding Nemo on a Sunday morning û one member of the group was five and another 55, and when you see things like that happening you know that the myth that family drama doesn't exist anymore is simply not true. We were told, Julie (Gardner) and I, to be careful aiming for a family audience because it doesn't exist anymore. I absolutely didn't believe it, that's why we built Doctor Who to be an event every single week." Davies notes about the Christmas episode, "Well it's an hour-long episode which is something we've never done before. It will be a great, Christmas adventure that's really big in scale. It will be Christmassy, there's nothing I like more than a Christmas Special set at Christmas! There's a big story in it for Rose as well as a massive threat to the Earth going on beneath the surface so Christmas as usual!" He says that there "have been a lot names coming through to our casting director," noting that a lot of celebrities have asked to be a part of the second season. He also notes that David Tennant "is like a whole new lease of life. I think one of dangers of success sometimes is that one can get too complacent. Putting David at the helm means we're all reinvigorated because we have got to be just as good, if not better just for him. So it's actually very exciting, but at the same time scary. It's back to square one for us so that's always a good place to be I think." Davies says that in the second season they have the Cybermen, "we're also going to alien planets which we didn't do in the first series because I wanted to be confident of the design and now I feel sure. We also have the best design and SFX team in the world. The series will remain connected to the Earth because I think that's important. There will be a couple of old faces, and lots of new faces. Trips into history with us going back to the 1700s at one point... that's all I can say at this stage I am afraid." Note there arespoilers so we've captured the non-spoiler stuff in this write-up!

Meanwhile spoilers are also in store in various newspapers' online editions... but Outpost Gallifrey won't be spoiling them (there's only two days left until the finale, after all!) If you'd like to read some articles about the finale -- including some 'first words,' some shots of a major villain and so forth, you can read them at BBC News, the Sun, the Guardian, the Times, MegaStar, and the Mirror (with another Mirror report here). But of course, you should probably avoid them until after seeing the episode. We're told that Friday's issue of The Sun will also have full screen grabs of the final episode, so best not to read it until after you see the show on Saturday!

More coverage of the third season renewal can be found at the MediaGuardian, Manchester Online, RTE, The Scotsman, Digital Spy, and BBC News websites (a second BBC News article here, along with a report on the official Doctor Who website.

The CBC broadcast of Boom Town in Canada scored 735,000 viewers on Tuesday night... a spike in viewing figures back up over 700k. As our correspondent says, "We've had a great first run where Doctor Who has held the number 2 spot for the time, and hovered in the third and fourth range for Tuesday night's prime time on Canadian networks." Meanwhile, CBC will begun repeating the first season of "Doctor Who" before its first run is complete. "Rose" will be transmitted on Sunday 19 June at 7.00pm on CBC. (Thank you, by the way, to everyone who wrote in to correct the name of the episode transmitted Tuesday...)

Russell T Davies appeared on BBC1's Breakfast this morning, reflecting on the huge success that Doctor Who had been this series and to give a sneak preview of Saturday's finale. In the slot, lasting nearly ten minutes at the end of the BBC1 programme, clips from Father's Day, The Empty Child and Bad Wolf were shown. Interviewed by Dermot Murnaghan and Natasha Kaplinsky, the effusive Davies recalled how scary it had been taking on the show, as "it could have died a death", and described the major obstacles they had been faced with, namely, bringing back an old show, putting science-fiction in primetime, and the reputation of the programme. But, as he triumphantly put it: "Three big obstacles and we beat them all!" He told how fandom had been on their side - "phenomenally behind us" - and added that "the most important thing to do was to open it up to everyone". Davies said: "Families are enjoying watching it together. People who think they don't like science-fiction seem to be enjoying it . . . because it's funny as well. A lot of science-fiction is very sombre and military and self-possessed and self-aware, and you can have a good time watching Doctor Who." A 43-second clip from The Parting of the Ways was then shown, after which Kaplinsky commented on how the show's twists, turns and script had captivated people. Davies paid tribute to the "team of briliant writers" and then the focus switched to the casting and how important that had been. Talking about Christopher Eccleston, Davies said: "His willingness to do it single-handedly changed the programme's reputation, certainly within the industry . . . and then add Billie to the mix as well and all the guest cast . . . That was the greatest shift in perception . . . Chris and Billie together sent out a signal saying 'Come and watch this.'" Discounting media stories and speculation, Davies also confirmed that Piper would be "in all 14 episodes next year". Surprisingly, though, no mention was made of the show being commissioned for a third series, although Newsround earlier on BBC2 did include it. Murnaghan mentioned the Bad Wolf enigma and tried to glean some more information about it, to which Davies cannily responded: "All is revealed on Saturday night as to what that's about." Breakfast closed with the Doctor Who theme and the camera pulling back for a shot of Murnaghan, Kaplinsky and the police box that Davies appeared in - which was not the new series one.

BBC Radio Lincolnshire are celebrating 25 years on the radio by using a TARDIS as it's gateway entrance to their stall at the upcoming Lincolnshire Shownext week. The Lincolnshire Echo reported on the TARDIS being exhibited in the streets of Lincoln at the start of the week.

Although Radio Times in the UK did not have a Doctor Who front cover for the season finale, TV Times (a rival publication to the BBC edition) did, with the faces of Chris Eccleston and David Tennant on the front cover emblazoned with the words "The New Face of Doctor Who - The Last Episode Special". It also contains an a two page colour spread article interviewing Russell T Davies.

More coverage of the recovery of the Dalek at BBC News, Bristol Evening Post, Somerset Guardian, Western Daily Press, The Times, The Register.

Amazon has listed two several new Doctor Who tie-in books including a Doctor Who Junior Quiz Book, Doctor Who Classified: A Confidential 3D Dossier and A Teaspoon and an Open Mind: The Science of Doctor Who, all due out in November 2005.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Chuck Foster, Steve Freestone, Paul Quinn, Mike Doran, John Bowman, Rod Mammitzsch)

The final ratings for Boom Town, ten days ago, have been reported by BARB: 7.68 million viewers watched the episode, including timeshifted viewers. "Doctor Who" was 18th overall during the week, and seventh overall when counting all broadcast episodes of a series as one show.

More ratings news: according to the overnights from ViewingFigures, 645,740 viewers tuned into the Sunday night repeat of "Bad Wolf" on BBC3 (for a 4.6% audience share), with 343,440 viewers (2.4% share) tuning in for the repeat of "Doctor Who Confidential" after. "Bad Wolf" was at number 1 in its timeslot by over 150,000 viewers, "Confidential" at fourth place.

DonÆt read this weekÆs Radio Times if youÆre sensitive to spoilers, as the magazine concludes its fifteen weeks of extensive coverage and promotion for the series. ôThe Daleks return û and how!ö announces the cover, with ôRT recommendsà the weekÆs best of televisionö (page 4) praising a ôFantastic ending to a fantastic seriesö. The double-sided Dalek poster offered to readers seven weeks ago is back (page 10), this time in the form of ten copies signed by Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper to be given as prizes to any UK readers who can use a telephone and know who is to play the Tenth Doctor. This weekÆs double-paged ôDoctor Who Watchö (page 14) is dominated by a large picture of some Daleks, with a couple of insets featuring Billie Piper and Barnaby Edwards, while the text itself centres on Russell T DaviesÆ enthusiastic thoughts on the finale (ôYou will die! ItÆs magic!ö), as well as featuring the customary plug for the products available from BBC Books and BBC DVD. Sci-fi Collector has a full-page advert on page 43. ôTodayÆs Choicesö for Saturday (page 72) are dominated by Live Aid reminiscences, to mark the 19 years and 48 weeksÆ anniversary of the event. But the page does find room to preview both ôThe Parting of the Waysö (ôan immensely successful seriesà no preview tapesö) and Doctor Who Confidential (ôDaviesÆ clear vision has been the single most important factor in the success of the revivalö). There is also a very brief interview, complete with photograph, with Nick Briggs on Dalek-voicing (ôYou have to be a bit manicàö), as well as a tiny plug for the new exhibition in Brighton. BBC OneÆs listings for Saturday evening (page 74) are headed by a small shot of Daleks surrounding the TARDIS: ôJust what the Doctor didnÆt order: our favourite Time Lord could be about to meet his fate at the hands of his greatest enemiesö. Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide at 6.15pm is advertised as ôa look back at the Doctor and RoseÆs whirlwind adventures in both time and space, including their encounters with alien enemies both old and new. Featuring behind-the-scenes access, and interviews with cast and crew.ö For the episode itself, ôAs the Earth is plunged into a bloody war, the Doctor is forced to take drastic action. Will Rose lose her friend forever?ö The cast listing contains a major spoiler for the episode (about its end, rather, which we won't spoil for you here!), and yet another plug for the ninth Doctor novels and DVDs. On BBC Three, the blurb for Doctor Who Confidential reads ôElectrocuted by the Slitheen, eaten by Reapers and tortured by Van Statten. For the ninth Doctor, the job certainly hasnÆt got any easier. As the series draws to a conclusion, relive the highs and lows of Christopher EcclestonÆs tenure.ö The BBC3 repeat showings for ôThe Parting of the Waysö and Confidential are confirmed for 10.50pm and 11.35pm on Saturday and in the regular 7û8pm slot on Sunday. ItÆs the endà

Russell T Davies has told the official Doctor Who website that the Bad Wolf secret is still out there. "Have you solved the mystery of Bad Wolf, the cryptic hidden message spread across this season of Doctor Who? Well, no. You haven't. At least, not according to Executive Producer Russell T Davies, who has been keeping an eager eye on the various theories about who or what the Bad Wolf could be: 'Judging from the reactions I've had, a lot of people seem to think the Bad Wolf has already been revealed. Oh, it's the TV station. Oh, it's half a million Daleks. I've even got one friend claiming it's the Face of Boe! I must get better friends. I don't want to give anything away yet, but there is another revelation to come in Saturday's episode. We haven't discovered the true Bad Wolf yet.'"

This week's Heat magazine previews the final episode: "We've been warned about something horrible and mightily dangerous throughout this series. Something called Bad Wolf. And now, as we reach the end of this remarkable run, we know who it is. Or rather who they are.... A suitably stunning climax, and probably the most awesomely epic Doctor Who ever. Baftas must rain down." Heat gives the episode five stars. Also, this week's Star magazine awards Saturday's episode with 5 stars (out of 5): "All too soon, it's the end of the series, and Rose Tyler's friendship with the Doctor is tested when Earth plunges into all-out war. With the human race being mercilessly slaughtered, Doctor Who is forced to take immediate and terrifying action. Yikes on a bike." And Closer magazine has Saturday's Doctor Who as it's Pick of the Day: "As the Doctor heads for a final showdown with his arch-enemies, he's forced to take drastic measures that put Rose's life in danger. As we all know, Christopher Eccleston is hanging up his TARDIS key (to be replaced by Casanova's David Tennant), so prepare for a real cliffhanger ending".

Christopher Eccleston is featured on the cover of Alumni Magazine at the University of Salford in Greater Manchester, where he did a Foundation Degree in Drama and Theatre in 1983 and from where he received an Honorary MA in 2001. The university has been celebrating the prowess of its famous former student; the article includes information on his career, with quotes from Russell T Davies on the character of The Doctor (presumably for the benefit of former students from overseas who have never seen the show).

More on the CBBC special mentioned in Monday's report. The show will "air" from Friday and run until Sunday; to access it, simply press the red button on any BBC channel and then type in the number 570, or alternatively go to Sky Channel 616 and press red for CBBCExtra. There will be some exclusive Doctor Who footage, including a new Phil Collinson interview.

The Western Mail today notes "What Doctor Who has done for us" in an article which asks "It's won the battle of Saturday night TV - as well as fighting off aliens and daleks - but what has the new Doctor Who series really done for Welsh TV?" The article goes into the notion that the series "has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the creative industries in Wales as a whole. This is the biggest network project ever to come out of BBC Wales, and its staggering success has done a huge amount to highlight to the rest of the world the maturity and creative strength of the media industry here in Wales. Before Doctor Who was commissioned, the University of Glamorgan published a study showing that over 85% of BBC Wales' annual spend stayed in Wales, sustaining hundreds of Welsh jobs in businesses outside the BBC and giving a measurable boost to the Welsh economy. We shouldn't underestimate the additional benefits Doctor Who is bringing to those businesses - from costumiers and set builders to prop suppliers and stage electricians. For a number of businesses, it was their first brush with a major television production - a Cwmbran upholsterer more used to crafting designer sofas was asked to build a seat for the Doctor's Tardis; the Defence Aviation Repair Agency at St Athan found one of their hangars accommodating Billie Piper suspended from a crane rather than housing high-powered jet aircraft. The benefits were spread far and wide, with filming taking in locations from Swansea, Miskin and Penarth to Newport, Barry and Monmouth. ... Now, when the world of television takes a look at the pool of talent here in Wales, they will find that - like the Tardis - it is much, much bigger than it looks from the outside." Read the full article at the Western Mail site.

That missing Dalek has been found, according to BBC News and other sources. "A Dalek stolen from a Somerset tourist site has been found on Glastonbury Tor after thieves said it was 'too hot'. The prop, which was at Wookey Hole Caves, near Wells, for a Doctor Who exhibition, was taken more than a week ago. A 'ransom note' was then issued. Cave owner Gerry Cottle made appeals for information. In the early hours of Tuesday, staff recieved a phone call telling them where the Dalek was. Mr Cottle has denied that the theft of the Dalek was a publicity stunt."

Several news sources are reporting the comments made by Russell T Davies several days ago to the UK Press Association, which we reported at the time, including the reports that Santa Claus will be seen in the Christmas special this year ("We've got a Christmas special.just wait until you see what we do with Santa!" Davies had told the Press Association), that the Daleks wouldn't return next season, and that the Cybermen would be making a return next year. The Sun and the FemaleFirst website are among these reporters.

The Daily Express reports that Georgia Moffett (Peter Davison's daughter) is interested in being a companion. "The petite 20-year-old, whose mother is Davison's ex-wife, actress Sandra Dickinson, auditioned to be Christopher Eccleston's assistant the first time round. After failing, she insisted she was relieved as her family connections might have made the situation 'a bit twee'. However, she has now changed her mind and says: 'They told me I was too young for it but if they want me now, I'd love to do it!'"

Anneke Wills is interviewed in today's Mirror. The former Doctor Who companion said that when she first saw Billie Piper in Doctor Who, "it was like seeing her younger self through a time warp." "I would say to Billie: 'Life is never as straightforward as you think it's going to be.'" The article profiles her, including what she is doing nowadays and her career and life; read the full article at the Mirror site today.

Today's Guardian speculates the meaning of "Bad Wolf" and what it represents for the series.

The BBC's listing for the documentary Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide, airing before the final episode on Saturday 18 June at 6:15pm, reads: "After being off our screens for many years, the ninth Doctor has been making up for lost time. And with the Doctor on the brink of war, now is the perfect time to look back at the highs and lows of his journey with Rose that have all built up to the ultimate stand-off with the ultimate enemy - the Daleks. From a council estate to a battle in space, Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide takes us behind the scenes of the new series, to talk to cast and crew and celebrate all the triumphs and tears, smiles and trials shared between the Doctor, Rose and the millions of fans who have turned on to see a new Who at his alien best. The Ultimate Guide is just what the Doctor ordered." The listing for the final Doctor Who Confidential airing after the episode reads, "The Last Battle: After 900 years of time travel, globe trotting just does not get any easier. Electrocuted by the Slitheen, eaten by Reapers and tortured by Van Statten - the ninth Doctor has seen it all. But as the new series reaches its dramatic conclusion, will the doctor survive the final battle of the great time war? As a fitting tribute, Doctor Who Confidential relives the highs and lows of his time with Rose, and sees Christopher Eccleston takes his final bow."

Other news: an article in today's The Independent discusses the BBC's sales of its products overseas; the BBC Press Office has a report on the musical drama "Blackpool" starring David Tennant from last year has won the Best of Festival, Global Television Grand Prize and Best Mini-Series at the prestigious Banff 2005 Rockie Awards in Canada;

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Andy Parish, Peter Weaver, Faiz Rehman, Paul Hayes, Gill Spaul, Steve Manfred, Paul Blewett, Adrian Hill and Kate Butterworth)

Bad Wolf scored 6,229,490 viewers and a 35.91% audience share in overnight ratings, according to ViewingFigures. While the figures are lower than in previous weeks, all viewings for the evening were down (as it's coming up on summer), and "Doctor Who" still beat ITV to rank highest for its time slot.Doctor Who Confidential episode 12 had 621,000 viewers (5% share), the highest rating of the non-terrestrial channels last evening. The late-night repeat of "Bad Wolf" had 247,200 viewers (2.5% share) and the "Confidential" repeat scored 153,400 viewers (2.1% share).

New Zealand fans, take note: PrimeTV will start to screen the new Doctor Who series in July. This according to a report in the Sunday Star Times.

Reactions to "Bad Wolf": The Daily Star praised the "increasingly edible Chris Eccleston" and the idea of introducing death for losing reality TV contestants and felt that it could liven up current schedules. Marshall concluded with: "As I'm in mourning over the end of Doctor Who next week, I'm taking a week off to cry over my Chris Eccleston posters..."Digital Spy calls it "an ace episode, IÆm even warming to Captain Jack, though IÆm unsure quite how well his innuendo charged exchanges with the Doctor are playing with nationÆs seven year olds." The episode made the Critics' Choice in last evening's Financial Times: "When they were last seen, the Doctor, Rose and captain Jack were trapped in a monstrous TV satellite but heading off in different directions. It turns out that they are all to become the victims of sadistic future game shows that bear eerie similarities to contemporary shows, complete with replicant versions of Anne Robinson, Davina McCall, and Trinny and Susannah. Some will applaud this foursome for lending their voices to attacks on what they and their shows represent. Others will not." Charlie Brooker in the Guardian says, "The episode (which finally explains all the 'Bad Wolf' references that have cropped up throughout the series) also finds room for futuristic versions of both The Weakest Link and What Not To Wear. It's not quite clear whether the inherent nastiness of these shows is being satirised or faintly celebrated: perhaps staging crueller facsimiles which didn't use the actual voices of Davina, Anne Robinson et al (who crop up in robotised form) would've been a better way to go. Or perhaps I'm being stuffy. Perhaps it's been included to annoy a specific, rare strain of Who fan: the dusty, real-ale fanatic who thinks this entire series has been a grotesque Hollyoaks respray of the original (which it could so nearly have been), rather than a thrilling and enchanting update occasionally let down by fart jokes (which is what it actually is). Best. BBC. Family. Drama. Series. Ever."

Canada's Planet of the Doctor web documentary continues... episode 4 is now up. You can view it at the CBCwebsite.

According to today's Sunday Mail, new Doctor Who David Tennant has been given an "intergalatic seal of approval" by Tom Baker. "Paisley-born Tennant, 33, has said Baker's performance in the BBC series inspired him to become an actor. Tom, 72, said: 'It makes me feel very happy and proud. I have caught a glimpse of Tennant and he has a kind of mercurial quality. I suppose it's star quality. You can believe he has secrets. I'm looking forward to David being hugely successful.'"

Christopher Eccleston was a phone guest on BBC Radio 5 Live's Eamonn Holmes show on Saturday morning, mainly discussing Malcolm Glazer 's takeover of Manchester United football club, Eccleston having previously tried to prevent this by donating ú10,000. He also took part in a spoof 'pub quiz' where all the answers were 'glazer'. Holmes ended by asking Eccleston if he had enjoyed working on Doctor Who, to which Eccleston intriguingly responded, "Mixed, but that's a long story" and left it at that. The suggestion seemed to be that elements of the experience may have left a sour taste with him.

The Broadcast magazine in the Guardian this week says Doctor Who "has created a must-view Saturday-night slot, but Doctor Who has also stayed true to its creative roots. ... At a time when creative leadership in television is as fragile and elusive as Jonny Wilkinson's fitness, Davies and his editors at the BBC have demonstrated that a passion for the medium, intelligently and uncynically deployed, can deliver what the contrived and compromised cannot - a big Saturday early evening audience of family viewers. Until now 'appointment to view' has been an alien concept for the under-10s - the assumption being that unless a show is stripped and stranded on a daily basis no juvenile can hold in their heads a once-a-week day and time. Doctor Who has proved that the complex weaving of social commentary, acute satire and daft monsters does not have to be the exclusive preserve of The Simpsons. And it has given children a glimpse of that nostalgic concept of shared experience, the type normally enjoyed only via the proxy of a Channel 4 list show - think Stuart Maconie sitting on a Spacehopper eating Spangles in front of Magpie. ... It is a shame Christopher Eccleston signed up for only one series as it is unlikely he will encounter this quality of material to interpret many times in his career - and his audience will certainly never be more gripped and grateful, if a little scared."

Broadcast Now on Thursday carried a large article in praise of the new series, describing it as "a must-view Saturday-night slot" that's had "the momentous achievement of leading broadcast television back onto the path of righteousness [...] the remarkable resurrection of the Time Lord has given us some of the best domestic television of the past decade." The article goes on to applaud "a passion for the medium, intelligently and uncynically deployed, [that] can deliver what the contrived and compromised cannot û a big Saturday early evening audience of family viewers. Until now "appointment to view" has been an alien concept for the under-10s - the assumption being that unless a show is stripped and stranded on a daily basis no juvenile can hold in their heads a once-a-week day and time." The full article can be seen at

In today's Guardian, a positive spin on the new show: "Riding over the hill to the rescue comes Russell T Davies, who, as everyone else in the country now agrees, has delivered a series of Doctor Who better than anyone had imagined was possible. My eyes prick with tears of gratitude as I contemplate his achievement. For not only has he got the whole family round the telly together on a Saturday evening (even Unslack Mum is hooked) - but he also has revitalised the concept of fatherhood. For, by happy chance, while I may not possess the northern accent or the unsettling grin of Christopher Eccleston, I do have the short hair, big ears and nose, leather jacket, and general know-it-all demeanour, sometimes backed up by actual knowledge."

Says Garry Bushell in today's The People: "Big Brother perked up last night. They brought in a new housemate, a bolshie Northerner who didn't want to be there. He was bright, shrewd, rebellious. A proper handful. Sadly this wasn't on the C4 show, but a version set hundreds of years in the future where evicted housemates were apparently disintegrated. If only... The Northerner was Dr Who, and this was TV designed to turn human minds to mush. A nice idea, but it didn't reflect the way telly is going. It was far too tame. The real Big Brother becomes dumber, coarser and nastier by the year. In just two weeks, we've seen bullying, endless rowing and sexual shenanigans. At this rate, future housemates will be stripped naked before entering the house, smeared in chocolate and hurled into a perpetual orgy where the groping and poking would stop only for the odd spot of random bloodletting."

Clippings Update: The new TV and Satellite Week (11-17 June) featured a "Doctor Who" cover with Christopher Eccleston in front of the "Big Brother" logo. The title ran: "Doctor Who Meets Big Brother. It's The Craziest Episode Yet!". Inside was a 2-page preview ("Doctor Who's Big Bother") which included an item on the theme of Bad Wolf in the series. The episode was also Pick Of The Day. The "Next Week" promotion ran over a picture of a Dalek with the title "Time's Up For Doctor Who". The current issue of Starburst features a "Doctor Who" cover and "Massive Who Coverage". Inside are interviews with Bruno Langley, Paul Cornell, John Barrowman and an article on The Mill. The current "Cult Times Special" focusses on "Doctor Who". Inside are episode guides and an item called "Doctor Who For Beginners". There are also interviews with Rob Shearman, Gary Russell, Paul Cornell, Steven Moffatt, India Fisher and Conrad Westmaas. TheDaily Mirror TV Magazine "We Love Telly" (11th June) had "Doctor Who" on the cover. Over a picture of a Dalek and a "Silver Nemesis" Cyberman with Anne Robinson's head stuck on it a caption ran: "Double Trouble: the Doc faces Daleks and a robot Robinson!". Inside was half-page preview entitled "Reality Bites!". The episode was also Pick Of The Day. The Daily Star (11th June) included an item entitled "Billie's No Sci-flier" and stated that although Billie Piper would be in the next series she wouldn't be in every episode. In the accompanying TV magazine "Doctor Who" was TV Pick. The latest isssue of FAB, the magazine of the Gerry Anderson Appreciation Society, compares the relaunch of "Doctor Who" to BBC1 with the return of "Captain Scarlet" to ITV and believes that ITV has a lot to learn from the "Doctor Who" campaign which resulted in "...a massive success, creaming the opposition and sending the ITV schedulers scurrying to Lucasfilm to find something that might do better for them than yet another bloody talent contest or interactive D-list celebrity peepshow". The Newsround website has posted the ten winners of "Doctor Who" Volume One DVDs. TheDaily Star Sunday(12th June) featured a number of "Doctor Who" references, primarily a half-page article titled "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?" which included a large photograph from the final episode along with pictures of the spray-painted TARDIS and a selection of characters from previous episodes. "Sharon Marshall On TV" made repeated reference to "Doctor Who", including comments on the concluding episode: "SWITCH ON: There's not just one Dalek back - there's millions. And it's brilliant. But it's also the last of the series. Sniff". Also, a "TV TURN-OFF" was "The news that Trinny and Susannah will still be with us in 200100".

ITV Teletext (11th June) had "Doctor Who" as its TV Pick: "Penultimate episode of what has been a memorable return for the Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper find themselves trapped in a Big Brother-style reality TV nightmare. They face fearsome new foes in the shape of Anne Robinson as cruel quiz show host Anne Droid and Davina McCall, Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine pop up as their futuristic namesakes. Clever stuff...". Also, BBC Ceefax had "Bad Wolf" as its TV Choice (11th June) with a somewhat mixed preview: "No tapes were available of this one, so we're all flying blind. Yet it promises to be umissable - even as it doesn't necessarily promise to be good. It's definately bold, and you have to acknowledge that - this penultimate episode sees the Doctor trapped in the Big Brother house. Could go either way, couldn't it? The android Anne Robinson looks dodgy, yet the Bad Wolf storyline could be good. Fingers crossed. Weird to think that we'll only see Eccleston one more time".

The edition of the popular BBC Radio Panel Game I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, broadcast on 6 June, featured a reference to Doctor Who, during a round in which the panellists had to act out a proverb. Given the proverb An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away, panellists Tim Brooke Taylor and Jeremy Hardy pretended that they were Daleks and planned on using Apple Computers to keep the Doctor at bay.

There was something of a Dalek presence at the G8 Finance Ministers' meeting in London on 11th June. The World Development Movement charity (website) had 3 fullsize Daleks, two of which were being operated, and 7 inflatables present at the event in central London. Media coverage included BBC 1 teatime and evening news, Sky News, BBC Radio 4, BBC News 24, and CNN!

BBC News further covered the ongoing saga of the kidnapped Dalek from Somerset, which we reported in our last news update. "'Kidnappers' who stole a Dalek from a Somerset tourist attraction have sent its owners a ransom note - and the alien's amputated plunger. The 5ft model, believed to be an original from the cult BBC Dr Who series, was taken from Wookey Hole Caves near Wells on Monday. On Thursday, staff found the plunger arm and a ransom note on a doorstep. The note read: 'We are holding the Dalek captive. We demand further instructions from the Doctor.' The group, signing themselves Guardians of the Planet Earth, added: 'For the safety of the human race we have disarmed and removed its destructive mechanism.'" Also covered at CBBC News, Western Daily Press, The Register (also here), This is Devon, Bristol Evening Press, BoingBoing, P2Pnet.

Other press notes: the Big Brother website recommends Doctor Who (no wonder why!); the Scotsman features recycled comments from Russell T Davies on series two; the Digital Spy mentions David Walliams not writing for series two (from a DWM interview last month); the Sydney Morning Herald reviewed Aliens of London, the episode showing this week, very positively; the Gloucester Citizen comments on a Dalek owner and his obsession;FilmCritic reviews the first DVD release; and the Bath Chronicle reports on women getting to drive a Dalek for charity, also reported atFalkirk Today.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Jamie Austin, Dominic May, Jon Preddle, David James, Keith Armstrong, David French, Faiz Rehman, Andrew Norris, John McVie, Paul Blewett, Adam Kirk, Iain Keller)

Doctor Who û What's he doing with Anne Robinson and Trinny and Susannah? asks the cover of the new Radio Times, published today (Tuesday). As always, this weekend's episode features in "RT recommendsà the week's best television" (page 4): "There's plenty of fun poked at TV, including Jack getting a What Not to Wear makeover from a robotic version of Trinny and Susannah." The weekly "Doctor Who Watch" is a double-page spread entitled "Reality can be a killer" (pages 16û17), with five photos from Bad Wolf, the next new series episode, that concentrate on Captain Jack and the various TV show parodies in the episode. The article itself comprises another interview with Russell T Davies, looking at his vision of reality television in 200,000 years from now and how the show has secured the rights to use authentic sets and logos from Big Brother, The Weakest Link and other programmes, as well as the guest contributions of the likes of Anne Robinson: "The new Doctor Who series has a pretty good record in guest names [à] Not one C-lister among them." Davies comments that "There is something about Doctor Who that opens doors," referring both to guest stars and to the availability of various locations, some of which have previously refused other television programmes. He is also asked whether he has included any Simpsons-style lines about Anne Robinson: "No, there's nothing quite like that. Although the fact that she is killing off the contestants is a bit of a comment." This week's films on television are detailed from page 47, this week including Shaun of the Dead on Sky One (starring new series stars Simon Pegg and Penelope Wilton alongside the Daily Mail's Ninth Doctor, Bill Nighy) and Carry On Sergeant with William Hartnell on Channel 4. "Bad Wolf" is Pick of the Day in "Saturday's Choices" (page 64), a photograph of the Doctor with the Game Station Controller accompanying a write-up that again focuses on Anne Robinson and comments that "there's a corker of a cliffhanger as the most deadly enemy of all marshals its forces." There's another Eccleston photo at the head of Saturday night's listings (page 66), the episode listing reading, "The entire human race has been blinded to a threat on its doorstep. With Armageddon fast approaching, the Doctor must act immediately. The star-studded episode û and series û concludes next Saturday." The listing also promotes the first two DVD volumes and the three new novels, as well as an appearance by Christopher Eccleston's on BBC2's Top Gear at 8pm on Sunday evening. The listing for Doctor Who Confidential says "As the series prepares for its climax next week, has the Doctor got what it takes to prevail in his showdown with the ultimate foe? As well as Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper, there are contributions from Russell T Davies and Noel Clarke, who plays Mickey." The Radio section (page 121) includes comment from David Tennant on his role in Dixon of Dock Green next Wednesday morning on Radio 4. Also of note in the television listings: BBC3's Saturday midnight repeat of "Bad Wolf" will this week be at 10.55pm, with a second showing for Confidential immediately afterwards; while the Sunday showings are as usual at 7pm and 7.45pm, there is also a third repeat for the episode on BBC3 on Friday 17 June at 9pm, with another outing for Sunday's Confidential Cut Down edition following at 9.45pm, in preparation for Episode 13 on Saturday 18 Juneà

The official BBC Doctor Who website has been updated with a theme previewing "Bad Wolf". There may be a few spoilers present, as usual. (Also, note that the 'bison' password no longer works to access the whoisdoctorwho website there.)

Heat magazine says of "Bad Wolf," "Conclusive evidence that Doctor Who fan, chief writer and exec producer Russell T Davies is quite rightly behaving like a sweet-toothed kid in the world's best candy shop, comes with this two-part story that ends the first series. ... If you have hairs on the back of your neck, prepare for them to stand erect." The article (which has spoilers, removed from this report) gives the episode 5 out of 5 stars. Also, the Daily Telegraphsays of the episode, "Bad wolf is, ultimately, proof that the writers of Dr Who have really thought about what they are doing; have worked to give a real, satisfying and complex shape to Saturday-night schlock. They're ambitious. As Clive James once remarked: good schlock is always better than bad art. The new Dr Who - ahead of any possible expectations - is a triumph. Funny, scary, moving, silly and above all really, really well crafted, it is as good a piece of popular entertainment as television has lately produced. It serves - and for this we must surely thank it - as a standing rebuke to the notion that the unplanned formats of reality TV and docudrama are the way forward." And says today's Media Guardian, "Close watchers of Doctor Who will have noticed the numerous unexplained references to "Bad Wolf" - sprayed on the side of the Tardis, that kind of thing. The web is abuzz with what it all means. One theory - spoiler alert! - is that the Doctor has been the unwitting star of a Big Brother-style reality show. Is nothing sacred? No word yet, though, on whether the climactic episode features the scariest Doctor Who monster yet - the Bazalgette." Also, about last week's episode, says the Herald, "BBC Wales is having some fun with Doctor Who. ... All of a sudden, it's alive, and telepathic to boot. Stare into its heart and you cease instantly to be a satirical symbol of New Labour. It could only happen in science-fiction."

David Tennant has picked up the Best Actor Award at the Critics Awards for Theatre in a Scotland ceremony. Tennant was honoured for his outstanding performance as Jimmy Porter in the revival by the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Edinburgh, of John Osborne's Look Back in Anger. Accepting the honour from Vicky Featherstone, the new National Theatre of Scotland artistic director, the actor said his remarkable rise in film and television did not mean he would be abandoning the stage. He said: "I'm supremely chuffed to win this award. It's a part I've wanted to play for such a long time. Theatre work is part of what I do and I don't see it as something you leave behind." The story has been covered atTimes Online, Scotsman, Daily Record, Dundee Courier, The Herald, icNews.

Christopher Eccleston will appear on this Sunday's "Top Gear," June 12 at 8.00pm on BBC2, in their "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" feature, where celebrities do one circuit of a track in as fast a time as possible in a Suzuki Liana.

SFX Magazine has an online treat: the first visualization of the TARDIS interior (requires QuickTime to view)! "Travel with us, readers, back through the mists of time, to the Spring of 2004, long before filming started on the new series of Doctor Who. Acclaimed comics artist and chum of SFX Bryan Hitch was desperate to work on the series. When he told us as much, we put him touch with Russell T Davies - who turned out to be a huge fan of Bryan's work. A few weeks later, contracts were signed, and Bryan was the concept artist for the series. Hurray! But before Bryan even had any meetings with the BBC, he'd already started sketching out his ideas for the TARDIS interior. Bryan recalls his thinking as follows: 'The simple up front determination was that it needed to be big. Huge. From the earliest sketch I did, before I was even offered a job of the series, I was going for the big dome shape. The central section changed as we went and adapted to comments and requirements and we were constantly reworking it in the finish. My friend Niel Bushnell, who has a vibrant young graphic and CG company up North, kindly rendered an animated 3D turnaround of that initial thought, which I took along to my first meeting. It helped show the space as it could be used, and even though it underwent massive changes as we went through months of work, that basic idea remained intact.'" You can visit the website and see the visualization for yourself.

Meanwhile, the latest issue of SFX contains a ten-page feature on the new Doctor Who series, which includes an interview with Executive Producer Russell T. Davies, who is already making plans for Series 2, and is determined to hold onto the Saturday night audience that have made the series a weekend ratings hit for the BBC: "I can't yet see us doing a hard sci-fi episode. The essence of [an early Saturday slot] is to keep it simple. Which doesn't mean dumb. Look at [æDalek'] û it's completely pure and simple, and because of that, massively strong, and then underneath that simplicity is a whole storm of complex emotions and ideas. But the important thing on Saturdays is to shout the headline. Dalek! Dickens! Blitz! Big Brother! A headline shouting 'Interesting Exploration of Temporal Physics!' isn't gonna work the same way. We need to hold on to that new audience and not take them for granted. Let's face it, if [Terrestrial TV broadcaster ITV] introduce a Saturday [episode of the popular soap, Coronation Street], and that's not such a mad idea, then were in trouble. So we've got to keep it strong and clean, emphasise the drama above the sci-fi. Feel free to disagree, of course. Feel free to disagree and yet get these viewing figures, ha ha! Expect the 'same old mix' of stories for Series 2, 'some darker, some lighter. Some traditional û although if anything, the traditional stories are BBC Drama's least favourite, but I love them, so I'm gonna keep them in there. We're keeping the same mix of singles and two-parters, that seems to work.' To be blunt, this show is a success, and it's our job to maintain that success, not wander away from it. Fans might study each episode 20 times, and therefore demand something different, but ordinary viewers are still getting used to this concept û not just the show, but its slot, its feel, its place in their viewing habits û and there is a genuine strength in consolidating that...[there's one story in Series 2] that could be pure horror....and there's one episode which could be very, very funny. And a brand new Doctor will automatically make it a brand new show." Speaking of the new Doctor, "[David Tennant] can do anything! And he will! This is the wonderful legacy of Chris Ecclestion, he's made the part available for and desirable to our finest actors....the clothes [for the new Doc] will be different, because it'll be David's preferences." Thanks to The Great Link website for posting the quotes; you can pick up the issue on the stands now.

BBC1's Points of View this past weekend featured a short piece about the new series, including a couple of letters praising the show, especially Chris Eccleston's portrayal, and a couple of letters complaining about the level of scariness (in particular, "The Empty Child"), and also complaining about the imminent departure of both the leads. This was followed by a short interview with Julie Gardner, featuring clips from "Dalek," "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances". Gardner defended the show against the usual complaints of too much violence, stressing that they were always careful not to show gratuitous violence or too much blood, especially bearing in mind the 9.00pm watershed. She also said that the Moffat two-parter would be about as far as they would be prepared to go in terms of scariness. Gardner was coy on the subject of Billie Piper's departure, saying only that she was coming back for season two, and stressing that there were exciting storylines still left to tie up season one (including a few spoilers we won't reprint for the final episode.) Points of View host Terry Wogan ended the piece by mentioning the Christmas special.

The JoongAng Daily of South Korea writes "Sci-fi reigns at the Queen's birthday ball," noting that the celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's birthday at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul last Saturday featured a TARDIS, which served as an entrance to the ballroom, a six-foot-tall "Dalek" and black-and-white footage of the series... all to celebrate the start of the new series in that country. Sue Hollands, the president of the British Association of Seoul, said in her opening address that Doctor Who was not only "quintessentially British" but also "familiar to expatriates." Dai Billington, the first secretary and head of the commercial section of the British Embassy, the evening's master of ceremonies, appeared on stage the Doctor himself, complete with wig and costume, saying he remembered as a four-year-old child being scared by the Daleks. Read the full story for further details.

Several news sources are now (finally) reporting on the return to the series next year of another famous group of Doctor Who monsters... the Cybermen. The Sun quotes Doctor Who Magazine, which in turn quotes producer Phil Collinson: "The Cybermen exist in that category of classics, as monsters just about everyone of a certain age knows. They were a work of genius back in the 1960s. It will be a loving recreation [sic] of an old foe." Among the online locations mentioning it are Female First, Contact Music. (Note: we can't keep this a spoiler/surprise any longer, considering DWM printed it as a major news story and it's now making the rounds in all the media, as well as other websites)

In Germany, the TV and Film Festival Cologne will include screenings of two episodes of the new series, likely "Rose" and "The End of the World". The festival will be held from June 30 to July 6; more information is available at theirwebsite.

The Sun yesterday stated in the parliamentary gossip column The Whip that its Westminster mole was near Lambeth Bridge in London "and bumped into about half a dozen of those classic, evil Doctor Who villains the Daleks. The police blocked off the road so the little fellows could be filmed in peace". No word on what the filming was for.

Other items: I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (Radio 4, 6th June) featured a brief "Doctor Who" sketch involving the Daleks and computers, revolving around the proverb "An apple a day keeps the Doctor away"; BBC News, CBBC,Police.uk all cover the theft of a Dalek stolen from storage near Wookey Hole, which had been stored in preparation for a forthcoming convention; and the Western Mail talks about the appearance of the newspaper in "Boom Town" last weekend.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Chuck Foster, Jamie Austin, Peter Weaver, John Bowman, Andrew Norris, Cameron Yarde Jnr, Andrew Frueh, Harald Gehlen, David Traynier, Paul Blewett, Kendal Mills, Stephen Dray, Steve Manfred, Matthew Kilburn, Chris Howell/The Great Link and Ian Berriman/SFX)

For the last time until Christmas, the BBC Press Office's weekly Programme Information release previews the new series, covering The Parting of the Ways in its Saturday Highlights (note: PDF file). "The Doctor's travels reach a terrifying conclusion as the Earth is plunged into all-out war, in the final episode of the popular series written by Russell T Davies. Rose Tyler has faced danger and seen wonders alongside The Doctor, but now their friendship is put to the test as Earth plunges into an epic war. With the human race being slaughtered, The Doctor is forced into terrible action. Will the time-travellers ever be reunited? Christopher Eccleston is The Doctor, Billie Piper is Rose, John Barrowman is Captain Jack Harkness, Camille Coduri is Jackie Tyler and Noel Clarke is Mickey Smith."

On Thursday, the Press Office also released official confirmation of the sale of the series to Korea television, as reported on Outpost Gallifrey and in various UK newspapers: "Pagishikinda! Pagishikinda! Now the Daleks take on Doctor Who in Korea. In the first deal of its kind, BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, has concluded a contract with Korea's biggest public television station, KBS, for the smash hit BBC One series, Doctor Who. This is the first time a UK drama series has been sold to a Korean public station, and KBS will launch Doctor Who on KBS 2 in a primetime, two-hour slot on Sunday 5 June. Viewers will be introduced to 'Dacter Who' (Doctor Who), his companion Rose, and enemy, the Daleks, who blast, 'Pagishikinda!' ('Exterminate!'). KBS will broadcast two episodes per week, and the series will be dubbed for the Korean audience. Russell T. Davies, writer and executive producer of Doctor Who said, 'The Doctor has travelled far and wide and knows no boundary and now the programme is doing much the same! We are delighted that Korea has embraced this wonderful adventure.' Jungwon Lee, Executive Director, KBS Media, said: 'We are very excited to launch Doctor Who on our network. For the first time in a primetime weekend slot, we are bringing the latest hit BBC drama to our Korean audience and anticipate a great reaction from all age groups.' Linfield Ng, Korea and Taiwan Territory Manager, BBC Worldwide (Asia) added: 'We are delighted that one of Asia's largest public broadcasters, KBS, is supporting one of the most recognised BBC brands. We thank KBS for being so ambitious in launching Doctor Who in such a great time slot.'"

The BBC has opened up their new Bad Wolf website at www.badwolf.org.uk. Beware spoilers... this website brings together all of the clues and information about the Bad Wolf in the first series of Doctor Who along with theories and even a surprise or two (look around and highlight things...) Meanwhile, the official site's "Last Dalek" game has reached half a million players; Yorkshire Today covers that story.

There are a few spoilers for the next two episodes in the spoiler tags below! Read at your own risk!

Today's Western Mail says of Boom Town: "The Western Mail is making headlines again, but of a slightly different kind. Tonight, Wales' national newspaper will feature in the latest installment of Doctor Who on BBC1. In an episode called Boom Town, the Doctor is seen reading the paper... [the] front-page coverage by the newspaper which tells the Doctor an alien is in town. Writer Russell T Davies said he wanted to include a copy of the newspaper in the show to prove the modern version of the cult classic is made in Wales. When the Swansea-born writer drew the blinds and shut himself away to write Doctor Who in his Cardiff Bay flat, he wanted to feature something that he felt summed up Wales - so he chose the Western Mail. He said, 'I read the Western Mail and I used it to make the show as Welsh as possible. We have had hundreds of people from Cardiff working on the programme, hosting venues, feeding the crew and appearing on camera and when a city works that hard, I like it to try and feature as much of it as I can.'"

Meanwhile, the episode was promoted on BBC1 with a short trailer. The trailer opens with the TARDIS in the vortex, before shots of the Doctor and Rose in the TARDIS. Finally the Slitheen is seen removing her human guise. Over these clips the Doctor is heard: "I've travelled to all sorts of places... done things you couldn't even imagine." The trailer ends with the Doctor and Rose standing in the TARDIS from the specially shot season promotion and aired on 3rd June at approximately 5.35pm, immediately prior to "Neighbours".

Yahoo News says that Brookside actress Jennifer Sprang wants to take over for Billie Piper next year. "At the start of last year, rumours were rife that ex-Brookie actress Anna Friel was about to be whisked off around the universe by an eccentric time-traveller who's over 900-years old. With news that Christopher Eccleston had been cast as the ninth Doctor Who, speculation mounted that Anna would play the character of Rose Tyler. The feisty shop assistant role was eventually taken by Billie Piper. But now Piper is said to be leaving the show half way through 2006's run, the rumour mills are working overtime with suggestions as to her possible successor - and once again a former Brookside star is in the frame. Jennifer Ellison sprang to fame as bad girl Emily Shadwick in the scouse soap, and is said to be desperate to land the job. Her spokesman told the Daily Star: 'She would love the role - she'd be ideal.' But Jennifer is not the only ex-Brookie resident to step on board the Tardis. In 2004, it was announced that Philip Olivier - better known as her onscreen husband, Tinhead - was to join Sylvester McCoy's Doctor for a series of audio-only adventures available on CD. Over the years the TARDIS has also dropped off a number of Doctor Who alumni in the now deserted Brookside Close. ... So will the Brookside connection prove strong enough to secure Jennifer her place onboard the Tardis? Appropriately enough, time will tellà"

Peter Davison wants to be in the new series. "I would love to do a cameo visit as my old self," says Davison. "I'm disappointed that Eccleston is only doing one series but Tennant is a genuine Doctor Who fan and a great actor. He'll bring a real sincerity to the role." The news story has been reported byContact Music, FemaleFirst.

John Barrowman will appear on June 25 at the London Film and Comic Con in Earl's Court. The event also has Blake's Seven alumni and Doctor Who guest stars Paul Darrow, Jacqueline Pearce, Peter Tuddenham and Michael Keating. Further details are available at the Collectormania website. Barrowman will also be doing the Walk For Life, an annual 10k sponsored walk through London, on June 19 for the national UK HIV charity Crusaid; information and registration details for the day can be found at the Walk For Life website.

Writer Rob Shearman ("Dalek") has penned Afternoon Play - Teacher's Pet, a radio play set for broadcast on Tuesday, June 28 from 2.15pm to 3.00pm on BBC Radio 4. "When schoolmaster Peter bumps into his old French teacher, Mrs Townsend, it becomes clear they have a shared secret, and there may still be some surprising lessons to be learned. Twenty years ago, Peter, a teenager, develops a æcrushÆ on Stephanie Townsend, a female teacher at his school, and determines to æwinÆ her. Now a teacher himself, he is approached by Stephanie many years later. In the past, and horrified at the compromising situation in which she finds herself, she rejects him and in a fit of pique, young Peter ensures the school is informed that heÆs had an inappropriate liaison. Forced to resign quietly because of the hint of scandal, Mrs TownsendÆs marriage, already rocky, founders and peters out. In the present day, when Stephanie Townsend seeks Peter out, it is unclear what she wants û revenge or reconciliation. Carolyn Seymour stars as Stephanie with Simon Templeman as Peter and Steven Geller as both Young Peter and Philip." Martin Jarvis ("Vengeance on Varos," "Jubilee") produces along with his wife, Rosalind Ayres. BBC Radio 4 will also revive Dixon of Dock Green this summer, with David Tennant (the new Doctor) playing Andy Crawford; more details on that soon.

ITV will revive a quiz show to regain its prominence on Saturday night. "The Big Call," a studio-based general knowledge quiz presented by former Pop Idol judge Neil Fox, matches six members of the public with six celebrities competing to win either a cash prize of ú20,000 or 100,000 tickets for that evening's lottery. Interestingly, "ITV said it had yet to decide on a definitive time slot, but a 'mid-evening' target for the 60-minute show, which launches on June 18, suggests it will be avoiding a clash with the last episode in the current series of BBC1's Doctor Who," says a report. ITV was the dominant force on Saturday nights until Doctor Who came back to television.

Some press mentions: The Sun (3rd June) featured an item covering Anne Robinson's upcoming appearance in "Doctor Who". The brief article (entitled "Anne-Droid") included a large photograph from the episode showing a "Weakest Link" contestant being 'zapped' by Anne's character. ITV Teletext (4th June) had "Doctor Who" as a TV Pick, under the title "Is it time to Dai for Dr Who?". The item opened with: "Chief Doctor Who scribe Russell T Davies takes a full-blown writing credit in this episode set in his beloved Cardiff..." before moving on to plot details. The Daily Star (4th June) ran an item entitled "###' fight to finish" regarding the return to "Doctor Who" of some old nasties in the very near future (we've taken out the name of the aliens, but you probably know what's coming if you see the trailer for next week...) The item was accompanied by a large photograph of Billie Piper and a smaller picture of flying saucers in space. The Star TV Mag listed "Boom Town" as 5-Star 'HOT': "It's common for alarm bells to ring when plans are announced to build a nuclear power station. But the Doctor finds out this week that the proposal to build one in Cardiff is a little more controversial than most. Since it's hiding an alien plot to destroy Planet Earth, the local residents are going to be really cross." And Have I Got News For You...? (BBC1, 3rd June) closed its final episode of this series with a culmination of the running gag of Ian Hislop being the new Doctor Who as his face was morphed over a picture of Chris and Billie, accompanied by the TARDIS sound effect.

More references: Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive (Radio 4, 1st June) discussed the influence of television on teenage behaviour and featured a curious reference to "Doctor Who", with one participant noting:"There's no doubting that teenagers do copy what they see on TV, though. There's a kid on my street...all last week he was time-travelling and gurning!". The Sun (2nd June) featured numerous "Doctor Who" references. The story told by Russell T Davies in the "Radio Times" about the man involved in the car accident was covered under the title "I need a Doctor...". A centre-page feature on scientists opinions of what aliens would look like featured a Dalek. David Tennant's new role in ITV1's "Secret Smile" was covered in "Who's A Psycho" while one of the "Random TV Irritations was "Dr Who's fixation with London" (although the same person does describe "Doctor Who" as "TV Gold"). ITV Telextext (2nd June) ran an item on ITV1's new show "The Big Call" which will spearhead their Saturday night schedules from 18 June. The item noted: "ITV has lost viewers this spring since the arrival of Doctor Who on BBC1. Celebrity Wrestling and Hit Me Baby One More Time failed to take off." While it featured no actual "Doctor Who" content Dead Ringers (BBC2, 2nd June) was trailed with a 'Christopher Eccleston' complaining "Doctor this, Doctor that...".

Empire Magazine briefly, but rather positively, reviews the DVD release of Russell T Davies' Casanova this week, devoting approximately half its wordcount to telling readers that "the series is most notable for the first team-up of TV's hottest celebrity scribe - Dr Who's Russell T. Davies - and the man set to take over the Tardis in the next series.... Judging by this, Who 2005 v.2 is going to fly."

Other news items: The Mirror, the Daily Record and Hello Magazine talk about Anne Robinson's appearance in next weekend's "Bad Wolf"; theSydney Morning Herald discusses "The Unquiet Dead," soon to be broadcast on ABC in Australia; "Unquiet Dead" writer Mark Gatiss and his fellow "League of Gentlemen" folk are interviewed byicHuddersfield; "I really need a Doctor..." says a man to The Sun, when a driver trapped in his car after a crash asked a paramedic for a mobile to phone his wife and get her to video Dr Who; TV Quick has a poll for top TV in the UK, with Eccleston in the Best Actor section, Piper in Best Actress and the series in Best New Drama.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Mark Stammers, Jamie Austin, Matt Kimpton, Stuart from Showmasters, Elizabeth Hyder, Dan McGrath)

This week's Radio Times is now out, with the customary plug for the next episode, Boom Town on Saturday in "RT recommends... the week's best television" (page 4), describing the episode as "Frenetic fun". This week's letter writers are missing the point about programmes other than Doctor Who, but "Doctor Who Watch" continues (page 18), with photographs of Annette Badland as Margaret Blaine and a Slitheen accompanying an interview with Russell T Davies about the show's success ("we seem to have got it right. That's no reason to sit on your laurels, but it's quite weird"), his expectations for David Tennant ("He'll be different. He'll have his own traits. I'm writing that now.") and what he'd like to achieve with Series 2 ("we've set ourselves a challenge right from the start by having a new Doctor"). He also notes that "The fact that [the Slitheen] are back is dealt with in the first ten minutes, then the episode becomes a character-led piece about the Doctor's lifestyle [...] leaving the consequences of his actions behind him." On the same page, there's a short quote from Christopher Eccleston on Annette Badland: "the performance of the series [...] she just pinions the poor Doctor, in the same way as the Daleks do. It's spellbinding to watch." Once again, this weekend's episode is Saturday's pick of the day (page 64), with a colour photo of Margaret, Mickey and the TARDIS crew and the comment that "the smile count is high and there's plenty of dramatic meat on the bones. But there's no time to develop it [...] That said, it's slick, busy and, above all, great fun." A small photo of the Doctor and Jack heads Saturday evening's BBC1 listing (page 66): "The Doctor encounters an enemy he thought long since dead as a plan to build a nuclear power station conceals an alien plot to destroy the world." In Doctor Who Confidential, Jabe and Gwyneth "are honoured as unsung heroes from the current series who've laid down their lives to aid the Doctor." Lastly, RT Direct, the magazine's home shopping service, is this week promoting a range of digital television and DVD items, on the screens of which are Eccleston and Piper... well, it's what everyone's watching, isn't it?

Panini Books has released the cover illustration for the forthcoming Doctor Who Annual 2006, due out later this year. At right is a thumbnail of the cover illustration (sent to us by Tenth Planet; click on the thumbnail for a larger version.)

The official site has been updated with a "Boom Town" feel. The front page features what appears to be a post-nuclear Cardiff wasteland, in the midst of which is the TARDIS, with some mouse-revealed graffiti... So far, only the photo gallery has been updated for the next episode, although, as ever, video diaries and photo stories are promised for the weekend. Also, icWales previews "Boom Town" today, while Heat magazine previews "Boom Town" and the following episode, "Bad Wolf". Because both are full of spoilers, we've put them in the spoiler tag at the end of today's article.

BBC Worldwide has today issued a press release concerning the properties it is promoting at Licensing International in New York in June, led by Doctor Who. As well as confirming that filming begins for Series Two and the Christmas special this summer, the press release confirms the existing licensing partners as Italy, Holland, Finland, Denmark, Hungary, Korea, Thomsonfly (formerly Britannia Airways), Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The relevant sections of the press release note that "BBC Worldwide is a global leader in the business of entertainment rights management and these new properties, Doctor Who and Charlie and Lola, sit happily within its portfolio of high quality brands."

This week's showing of "The End of the World" in Australia made it into the Australian Top 50, showing at #48... better, in fact, than the debut episode, "Rose". The story rated 1,051,000 in the 5 main capitals (a slight drop in raw numbers from "Rose" but posting higher on the charts.) It was ABC Television's fourth highest rated programme after two editions of ABC News and "Australian Story".

Monday's Guardian has another in a string of highly positive reviews for the series, describing Doctor Who as one of the two best series of 2005 (the other being a documentary history of Soul music). Reviewer Rupert Smith thinks that The Doctor Dances "elevated an already great series into the realms of art." Likening the episode to the series 1960s/1970s "heyday" and citing various moments, he says that "you just don't get this sort of thing in British TV any more [...] The Tardis really is the fun place to be these days." The full review can be read at the website.

Today's Sun and Star both report on robot versions of Trinny and Susannah from "What Not to Wear," as being seen in the episode "Bad Wolf" in two weeks, along with photos of John Barrowman from the episode.

Issue 132 of SFX Magazine goes on sale on June 8. The issue has "an army of Daleks on the cover, and inside there's a nine page Doctor Who feature, which is a look forward at season two. The spine of the piece is an extensive Q&A with Russell T Davies, but it also includes an exclusive interview with concept designer Bryan Hitch, which includes his very first concept sketch of the TARDIS interior - drawn before he was even hired by the Beeb!; Steven Moffat giving a few hints about his season two episode, which he says will be "sexier" than The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances; an interview with Jack Barrowman (aka Captain Jack Harkness); an interview with Julie Gardner; a great opening spread image of Eccleston morphing into David Tennant (lovely!)" SFX has also posted the extended portion of the Barrowman interview on their website here, and the SFX site will soon be posting a special exclusive clip: an animated 3D visualisation of Bryan's initial concept for the TARDIS interior. The cover illustration is at right.

Australian newspaper The Age discusses the forthcoming Australia/New Zealand touring stage presentation Inside the TARDIS, featuring Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Katy Manning in select cities to promote the new series (see our May 19 story on the general Doctor Who news page here). "Don't expect Shakespeare, but for both hardcore fans and those new to the adventures of the Time Lord, the show will be a celebration of all things Who, with classic BBC clips and insiders' stories from a select group of former cast members."

According to a release from the BBC Press Office, new series writer and prominent fan Mark Gatiss has begun filming a role in BBC Three's new "comic thriller" Funland, which is co-written by his fellow League of Gentlemen member Jeremy Dyson. Set in the northern seaside town of Blackpool, the series is due to show on BBC Three in the autumn, consisting of one 60-minute and eleven 30-minute episodes. "Mark Gatiss (The League of Gentlemen) plays the bizarre and haughty repressed taxidermist Ambrose Chapfel," the press release says.

The Stage today noted that drama commissioning at the BBC is to undergo a "significant overhaul, with executives able to commission two or three series of popular shows at a time, in a bid to retain talent for future productions. In an unprecedented move for the Corporation, multiple runs of programmes such as Spooks, Hustle and Waking the Dead could be commissioned in one block rather than consecutively." Said Jane Tranter of BBC Drama, "Double commissioning is designed to allow independent production companies the creative freedom to think further forward with their development of long-running drama for the BBC. This is a clear commitment from us to secure the very best drama for our audience and another way of making commissioning more nimble." Noted in the article is that the BBC recently came under fire for failing to ensure that Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper were contracted for more than one series of Doctor Who. However the new process only applies to returning dramas that have proved their popularity and would not have kept the pair in their roles for a second run of the show.

Last week's Surrey Comet (a local newspaper) detailed a "win your own Dalek" competition and showed Christopher Eccleston's visit to a local school. "A timelord can turn up wherever he wants, whenever he wants- so school leavers at Great Court School felt honored to meet the latest incarnation of Dr Who. Actor Christopher Eccleston dropped in at the school in Ham Street, Ham to attend their leaving certificate ceremony. The year 11 students whose last day of school before taking GCSEs was on Friday-were also presented with record of achievement folders to mark their progress to date."

Yesterday's Huddersfield Examiner asks, "The wonderful new series of Doctor Who continues to go from strength to strength. So why did they get such basic details of the Blitz wrong? ... The writing, direction, acting and verve of the production was great - so how did they get the blackout so badly wrong? During the war, no light could be shown in case it acted as a guide to attacking bombers. Every window was covered with a blackout curtain and front doors were not opened until interior lights had been turned off. But not in Doctor Who. At the height of a bombing raid, RAF pilots stand on a balcony in the heart of London enjoying a drink with the curtains wide open and the lights blazing out behind them."

Other news: The People, Digital Spy and CBBCNews all report on the Billie Piper/how many episodes in season two? story; there are reviews of recent episodes at The Guardian and the Sydney Morning Herald.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Adam Kirk, Stuart Ian Burns, Ian Berriman, Robert Simpson, Chuck Foster, Peter Weaver, Ian O'Brien)

Editor's Note: As reported on Outpost Gallifrey's front page, I've been out of commission for a week due to illness. The following news article wraps up the series related highlights from the press on May 21-28:

The Billie Piper Story

The Dreamwatch exclusive that Billie Piper may not be appearing in all 13 episodes of Series Two -- reported on Outpost Gallifrey prior to the break -- was picked up in a large number of international news reports on Monday 23 May and throughout the following week. First off was the Daily Star, which gave the story front page status, and also set the tone of a show in crisis, its stars abandoning shipà With Rose's second-series episode count reportedly as low as three,The Sun soon joined the fray, along with the Daily Mirror, theDaily Mail, De Havilland, Brand Republic's Media Bulletin, The Scotsman, the Daily Record, Ireland Online, U.TV, Hello!, the Irish Examiner, theicNetwork, RTE Interactive, CBBC Newsround,Manchester Online, Contact Music, Female First, the Daily Express, World Entertainment News Network, the Herald-Sun (Aus), Newsquest, theEvening Standard, Digital Spy,SyFyPortal, The Guardian, theMelbourne Herald Sun, the Sydney Morning Herald, News.com (Aus),The Mercury (Aus), Dark Horizons, Mega Star, the Press Association, Northern Territory News (Aus), the Newcastle Herald, the Courier Mail (Queensland), The Age (Aus), Sky Showbiz, Ananova, ITV.com, the Western Mail, and the Doctor Who Appreciation Society rounded up much of the coverage on its own site.

BBC News and BBC Cult also reported on the reports, which prompted the press release that emerged on Monday afternoon from the BBC Press Office: "The BBC today confirmed that Billie Piper - who plays Doctor Who's companion Rose - will return for the second series on BBC ONE. A spokeswoman said: 'Billie Piper will return for the second series of Doctor Who. It has not been confirmed how many episodes she will be in. We are awaiting storylines and scripts.'" However, this is a not a denial that the actress is leaving, merely the official statement made by the production at this time.

The Daily Mirror was the first of many of the above papers to speculate on likely replacements for Rose, although its definition of 'likely' probably differs from the BBC's, including various singers and ex-singers, along with some familiar names from the acting and entertainment worlds. Among the names most often mentioned this past week were Michelle Ryan (Zoe Slater in EastEnders) and Jennifer Ellison (formerly in Channel 4's Brookside, now a regular in various 'celebrity' reality TV shows). The latter, at least, seems to have cropped up so often thanks to assiduous efforts by her agent: she's blond (like Billie); she can sing (like Billie); she's a celebrity (like Billie); and she's also been firmly reported in recent weeks as the next Bond girl amongst several other projects. The Mirror notes that "auditions began last week and TV bosses are keen to sign a dark-haired girl with a posh accent."

Episodes 10-12

The official site was as usual updated earlier this week to preview the new episode, #10, The Doctor Dances. This week's Fear Factor preview gives the episode a score of 4: Chilling. The episode has also been previewed in the Sunday Times ("ingenious"), the Taunton Times, and The Stage, which concentrates on John Barrowman's role as Captain Jack.

As usual, this week's Radio Times continues to give plenty of coverage, once again selecting Doctor Who as its top pick for Saturday ("RT recommendsà", page 4): "an enjoyable, even uplifting adventure set during the Second World War." There's another letter on the new series, although this one has its writer taken aback by sight of "that little patterned dress I'd noticed in Top Shop!" ("Letters", page 10). After a two-page feature on Peter Davison's return in The Last Detective, this week's full-page "Doctor Who Watch" (page 16) is headed "To be continuedà" and concentrates on the importance of cliffhangers in Doctor Who, via an interview with Steven Moffat ("it is wonderful to build it up to that screaming pitch, and the series does -- and this is a matter of absolute fact -- have the best cliffhanger music ever in the world") and a couple of colour shots from The Doctor Dances. There's also an opportunity for RT readers to get a free copy of Pyramids of Marson DVD, as part of a DVD rentals promotion (page 17). Episode 10 recaptures the Pick of the Day slot ("Saturday's Choices", page 64, with a large photo of Captain Jack): "the Doctor's way of dealing with the advancing hordes [of zombies] is as sweet as it is unexpected. It's the first of many pleasing surprises in tonight's episode [à] if any watching grown-ups still can't remember why they fell in love with the show originally, this story ought to do the trick. Full of wonder and wit, it's also Christopher Eccleston's finest hour." The Doctor Dances also regains the photo (Richard Wilson and Eccleston) slot at the head of the evening's BBC1 listings (page 66), with the episode details including promotion for the Volume 1 DVD release, and Doctor Who Confidential's listing says that "this programme looks at some of the gizmos and gadgets at the good Doctor's disposal." The BBC3 repeats are confirmed for the 12.15am on Saturday night and 7pm on Sunday evening (with another Confidential Cut Down at 7.45pm).

The BBC Press Office has released its weekly programme information documents (note: all documents are PDFs) for the week beginning Saturday 4 June. The Saturday highlights document previews Bad Wolf episode 12 as follows: "The Tardis crew fight for their lives on the Game Station in Russell T DaviesÆs penultimate adventure through time and space. The Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack have to fight for their lives on board the Game Station, but a far more dangerous threat is lurking, just out of sight. The Doctor realises that the entire human race has been blinded to the threat on its doorstep, and Armageddon is fast approaching. Christopher Eccleston plays The Doctor, Billie Piper plays Rose, John Barrowman plays Captain Jack Harkness, Camille Coduri plays Jackie Tyler, Noel Clarke plays Mickey Smith and special guest star Anne Robinson plays Anne Droid."

Ratings and Broadcasting

Episode 9, The Empty Child was well received by the UK press, with the Daily Express calling it "a brilliantly crafted episode". However, the overnight ratings for the episode were noticeably lower than for any other episode in the series, following the shift to an earlier timeslot to accommodate the Eurovision Song Contest, football-inspired last-minute changes to BBC1's Saturday evening schedule, and competition from a Star Wars film on ITV1. The episode scored a 6.6 million viewer average in its initial Saturday 21 May airing, but still placed a 34.9% share; the ratings peaked late in the episode 6.7m, and a 35% audience share, against 19% with 3.5m for The Phantom Menace. Once again, Doctor Who was top in its timeslot, although the FA Cup Final, Eurovision and Casualty all attracted higher ratings across the day. It also rated 181,390 viewers (4.2% share) in its 12.20am repeat late that night, and 669,400 viewers (4.2% share) in its Sunday night BBC3 repeat. It is interesting to note that the Sunday repeat is the highest-rated repeat of this season, meaning that it's possible that large numbers of people that intended to watch it Saturday missed out. Doctor Who Confidentialepisode nine had 405,130 viewers (3.2% share) in its initial airing at 7.10pm on Saturday 21 May, with 101,510 viewers (3.5% share) in the 1.05am repeat late that night.

The final UK ratings are in from BARB for episode 8, Father's Day: 8.06m, first in its timeslot, first for BBC1 on Saturday, fifth (behind four episodes of EastEnders) on BBC1 through the week, and 17^th in the week's top terrestrial programming, behind the usual round of soaps, Heartbeat and the British Soap Awards. More detailed ratings information for the whole series so far is also available in the Outpost Gallifrey Forum.

"Rose" made its ABC Australia debut on Saturday 21 May and was among the weekend's top-rating shows, with 1,109,686 reported viewers. The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) noted that the series "was first in its 7.30pm timeslot for the ABC. It won in four of the five major capital cities, only just edged out by Channel 7's Inspector Lynley in Brisbane."

In addition to our announcement last week about South Korea getting the series, Benjamin Elliott of "This Week in Doctor Who" reports that TV2 inFinland is the latest acquirer of the new series. TV2 airs English language programming in English with subtitles - no dubbing. The station's statement (in Finnish, translated), says that it "has purchased the rights to Doctor Who, the cult youth sci-fi series, from the BBC. The BBC has produced an impressive new version which will be shown on TV2." This means that Finland is added to the list that includes the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Italy and South Korea.

Canada's CBC has scheduled repeats of Doctor Who Sundays at 7PM (7:30PM Newfoundland) starting June 19. This will make the CBC the first network around the world to give the Doctor Who episodes a second airing (not counting same week encores). It also means that the repeats will begin before the first run of the series on Tuesday nights ends on June 28.

20th Century Roadshow will be transmitted on Sunday, June 5 at 6.45pm on BBC1. The special features Doctor Who merchandise and memorabilia. The Doctor Who Appreciation Society has a review/preview available at their website.

Merchandise

Volume 1 of the Doctor Who new series DVDs, comprising "Rose", "The End of the World" and "The Unquiet Dead" was officially released on Monday 16 May, to great reviews and sales success. It made a Top 10 debut in several charts of DVD sales, including at Number 9 in the Official Chart listed on the BBCs' Radio 1 site. Several high street stores have also featured the DVD in their top tens (although these tend to be for promotional purposes rather than sales based), and the release was the bestseller at the BBC Shop as of 27 May, ahead of all other DVDs, CDs and books. Reviews have appeared in various Newsquest Media titles. (If you'd like to order it from Amazon.co.uk and support the Outpost,click here.)

The first three BBC Books novels featuring the Ninth Doctor and Rose were officially published on Thursday 19 May and, according to Friday 27 May'sPublishing News, are already into a second printing after extremely strong sales. Publishing News reports that the three books "were reprinted before they even officially hit the shops on Thursday of last week. The original print run was 100,000 for all four, and the reprint was 75,000." "They're very, very successful, which isn't surprising considering the publicity and reviews that Doctor Who has had," Jon Howells, Press and Communications Manager for Ottakar's, told Publishing News. "They've had great sales, and I think that will continue." The novels have received strong promotion from UK booksellers, with Ottakar's and Tesco amongst those offering all three for the price of two. Friday 27 May's edition of The Bookseller also reports that the three novels are at five, six and seven in the "Top 20 Fiction Heatseekers" chart. Meanwhile, The Independent had Justin Richards' "Monsters and Villains" paperback at Number 3 in the Cinema and Television chart.

Looking ahead to September, the latest issue of DWM confirms the three Ninth Doctor novels previously reported on Outpost Gallifrey as "The Deviant Strain" by Justin Richards, "Only Human" by Gareth Roberts and "The Stealers of Dreams" by Steve Lyons. The same issue carries an interview with the authors of the current range, Richards, Stephen Cole and Jacqueline Rayner, and previews the provisional cover for "Only Human".Amazon.co.uk has released the cover for Only Human which can be seen at right; click on the thumbnail for a larger version.

Amazon now has a brief synopsis for Doctor Who: The Shooting Scriptscoming later this year. "This book collects together the entire shooting scripts for the first series. Seven of the scripts are by Russell T Davies, with the remainder by Stephen Moffat, Robert Shearman, Paul Cornell and The League of Gentlemen's Mark Gatiss. Each of the scripts will be illustrated with screen grabs, ensuring the book appeals to broad audience. Introductions by the writers will explain the inspirations for the new series and the fascinating process of creating a Doctor Who script."

Series Two News

The new issue of Doctor Who Magazine began to reach subscribers on Monday 23 May (its official publication date being Thursday, 26 May) and has one big -- if probably unavoidable -- spoiler for Series 2 which we have placed in theSPOILER TAG at the bottom of this news update. The magazine alsodenies rumours that David Walliams of BBC3's Little Britain comedy series will be writing an episode of the next series. Producer Phil Collinson states that there is "no truth in the tabloid rumours". Meanwhile, Russell T Davies is working on the as yet untitled Christmas special, which is confirmed as having a duration of 60 minutes. In his "Production Notes" column, Davies also reveals that Tom MacRae has delivered his first episode ("brilliant"), which contains the words "sickness", "mole" and "meat", and that episode numbers have yet to be allocated to the stories for Series 2.

Several news reports this week have suggested that Christopher Eccleston will be in the Christmas special; however, we do not believe he will be, instead appearing for the final time in episode 13 of this series.

Press Coverage

An article entitled "The return of Doctor Who" has been circulated widely by the Associated Press over the past week, appearing in a variety of mainstream press in North America, including at CNN.com and in a variety of local papers.

Press response to the series in Australia has been as generally positive as elsewhere with lots of reviews, previews and other articles, including several pieces in the Sydney Morning Herald ("Thank goodness for Who weekly -- there's no knocking the return of the wild-eyed chap in the big blue Tardis"), Northern Territory News, the Sunday Mail, the West Australian (Perth), The Australian, The Advertiser, the Courier Mail (Queensland), the Melbourne Herald Sun, The Age, Townsville Bulletin (Aus), the Newcastle Herald

It appears that certain press reports of Christopher Eccleston's post-Who intentions were, once again, inaccurate. He has not, according to bothEmpire and Moviehole, been cast as Silas in the forthcoming adaptation of "The Da Vinci Code", the role having gone to Paul Bettany. Eccleston was, however, seen by various newspapers taking part in the Great Manchester Run, which raised ú1 million for charity.

John Barrowman is interviewed by the Rainbow Network in which he says that "It's been great, but it's about to get much better! The thing is, is that I know what's going to happen, so I'm not watching it with the same baited breath that everybody else is. I know all the little secrets and storylines, but I am enjoying it; I think it's one of the better things on Saturday evening television." He notes that he is "in it until the end of this series, which is a cliff-hanger, and then we'll to wait and see what happens in the second and third series." On working with Eccleston and Piper: "It was just fantastic. When I initially started, which was just before Christmas 2004, I went into a series that had been filming since July. Everyone knew I was joining the team because I was hired at the same time as they were, but it was weird to walk into a situation where they'd been working together for a while. However, after we shot the first couple of scenes things just clicked and we had a great time together." He also discusses his next role, in the film version of Mel Brooks' "The Producers".

In an interview with The Stage, Peter Davison has said that his young children find the new series of Doctor Who "too scary", and ask to see old videos of "Daddy" playing the character instead. "They reckon the new Doctor Who is too scary and asked if they could watch Daddy playing him instead," Davison tells the Stage. "Although in fact, I'd say that was a compliment to the new series, as it implies that my episodes weren't scary at all and they merely wanted to be comforted by them." He also notes his feelings about Eccleston's departure: "I feel sorry for the fans, as I feel they've been rather let down. What it really needed, after all the effort and dedication of the fans over the years to get the show back on air, would be to have someone committed enough to stay with the role for two or three years. As it is, the fans must be disappointed and left feeling up in the air a bit."

Also in this week's The Stage, a note that "Jane Tranter, BBC head of drama commissioning, has pledged to open up early evening schedules on weekends and bank holidays to family-oriented drama, following the widespread success of Doctor Who. The show consistently attracts ratings of more than 7 million viewers and has already been credited with reviving BBC1's Saturday night fortunes. Now executives are hopeful it could mark a renaissance of family drama, a genre that has fallen out of favour in recent years with broadcasters and demographics experts blaming a lack of demand for it." Tranter tells the Stage that she thinks Doctor Who "has shown there is a real appetite for part of the week being set aside for family drama. ... It is clear that certain genres, such as fantasy or some real life situations, have the potential to get lots of people interested but if you are going to appeal to an 11-year-old and a 41-year-old there has to be something in its presentation that is universal."

Brand Republic's Digital Bulletin has reported on the huge online success of the Dalek game. The story says that "The Last Dalek" has "amassed 500,000 separate plays in just three weeks [à] More than 275 websites now list the game and its popularity is said to be spreading around the world from players in countries including Australia, Switzerland and Japan. The game was also a top-three entry into the Lycos Viral Game Chart".

In the Guardian over a week ago, there was a note in the Smallweed column with an ultimatum, which we reported on these pages: "Don't do away with our Daleks, Davies." May 28's Guardian featured a reply from Russell T Davies: "Dear Mr Smallweed, I surrender. You win. My neighbours have stuck your campaign message in their car windows and keep driving past me, shaking an angry fist in my direction. All right, all right, all right, the Daleks will be back. Hundreds of 'em. No more girly consciences either, they're back to being mean metal bastards. What d'you fancy next year? Cybermen?"

Some TV mentions: During discussion on the London Eye controversy on "Richard And Judy" on Tuesday 24 May, Richard suddenly introduced a clip from Rose featuring the London icon. Friday's "Lenny Henry Show" had a brief bit on the news about Billie's departure (and Daleks serving in the Queen Vic (Eastenders)!). The Beeb showed the wrong trailer after "Neighbours" Friday evening, put on the Father's Day one instead! The correct one was shown after the news and Eastenders. And another comment about Doctor Who budgets on "Have I Got News For You!"

Some other brief press mentions: the Times mentions Billie Piper in a list of suggested replacements for Kylie Minogue at Glastonbury; the Scottish Daily Record features an article on John Barrowman (and his Scottish connection); and theBristol Evening Post notes that a "junkie burglar who worked on Doctor Who set" has been jailed.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Peter Anghelides, Andy Parish, Chuck Foster, Paul Greaves, Robert Booth, Ryan Piekenbrock, Duncan Rose, Paul Hayes, Scott Matthewman, Peter Weaver, Adam Kirk, James Sellwood, Widya Santoso, Jim Trenowden, Doug Vermes and Rich Finn)