Julie Gardner, the executive producer of Doctor Who, has confirmed a long running rumour concerning the nature of Paul Cornell's story, which will form episodes eight and nine of series three. The confirmation comes as part of an interview to be published in the final issue of Dreamwatch magazine.

One of Britain's best known actors, Sir Derek Jacobi, is to guest star in the forthcoming third series of Doctor Who, according to Thursday's Daily Mirror.

The tabloid paper also reveals the name of his character. Click on the spoiler box below to see the details. While the BBC have confirmed Jacobi's involvement, they have neither confirmed nor denied the spoiler which has resulted in much speculation in our forum.

While this is Jacobi's first appearance in televised Doctor Who, he has previously voiced the Master in the six-part animated BBCi webcast Scream of the Shalka, as well as taking a starring role in one of the Dr Who Unbound audio dramas for Big Finish in 2003.

A Series Three launch night party is to take place in central London, giving fans the chance to see the premier episode live on a big-screen plasma projection system with full surround sound - and possibly in the company of a famous name or two.

This is a free event and 100 entrance tickets have been set aside for a prize draw, due to take place three weeks before the confirmed series launch date.

Organiser Jeremy Bentham, who staged similar capacity celebrations in 2005 and 2006, said: "If you are aged 18 or over and your name comes out of the hat, you could be among the party-goers cheering on 'Smith and Jones' plus any other supporting Doctor Who programming broadcast that day. And you never know who else might just pop by . . . "

Pictured above with two party-goers at last year's event is Nicholas Courtney, who played the Brigadier during the show's classic era. Below is a model of K9, which was on display at last year's party - click on the image of K9 for a larger version.

The party starts at 4pm and a cash bar and full food menu will be available throughout the afternoon and evening. In addition, from 10pm there will be free admission to the venue’s nightclub event.

To enter the draw, send a postcard stating your full name, address, daytime contact number and the number of tickets you would like (maximum two) to: DW Launch Party 2007, 13 Northfield Road, Boreham Wood, Herts, WD6 5AE.

Winners only will be notified by post the week following the draw.

Those who subsequently find that they are unable to attend the party are asked to return their ticket(s) to the draw address as soon as possible so that they can be reallocated via a waiting list of names that will be drawn out of the hat following the initial allocation.

Details of accommodation near the party venue can be provided for people travelling long distances - simply ask for this on the postcard.

NB: Licensing laws mean that all winners and guests must be at least 18 years old. No admission without a valid ticket.

(Photos courtesy of Dave Parsons.)

The Ottawa Citizen takes an extensive look at the release of Series Two on DVD in Canada.

In his piece, Chris Knight explains why exactly the show has appealed to the Canadian frame of mind.

The article concludes by looking at the DVD release in Canada of the first season of BBC sitcom My Hero, starring Ardal O'Hanlon, who plays the character Brannigan in episode three of Series Three.

The BBC has given a few details about the release of the Hartnell story "The Gunfighters" on CD scheduled for 5 February. The release, which features linking narration by Peter Purves, will also include a special interview with Purves on the making of the episode. As a special there is a 10-minute bonus track of the original recordings of Lynda Baron singing "The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon" from the story. This is the first ever release of the soundtrack that is sure to set the toes tapping.

BBC DVD/2Entertain has announced full details of the DVD of "Survival", which will be hitting the British retail shelves in a 2-disk, heavily specials-laden release on 3 April 2007. The final story of the original Doctor Who series, "Survival" (starring Sylvester McCoyas the Doctor, Sophie Aldred as Ace, and Anthony Ainley as the Master) is also the 40th Classic Doctor Who DVD release.


Special features include:

Disc 1

• Main commentary withith Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred and script-editor Andrew Cartmel.
  
• Second commentary (episode three only). Fan commentary from the winners of a recent Doctor Who Magazine competition.
  
• Cat Flap - a two-part documentary covering the making of Survival. Part One covers set-up and pre-production, Part Two covers shooting and post-production. With Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Lisa Bowerman, Will Barton, Sakuntala Ramanee and Adele Silva, script editor Andrew Cartmel, director Alan Wareing, visual effects assistant Mike Tucker, composer Dominic Glynn and costume designer Ken Trew. Narrated by Paul Ewing.
  
• Deleted and Extended Scenes - material from the first edit of the story that didn't make the final cut, plus comparisons of some of the scenes before and after the video effects were added.
  
• Out-takes and comedy moments from the production of the story.
  
• Continuities and trailers from the original BBC1 transmission.
  
• Photo Gallery - production and behind-the-scenes stills from the making of the story.
  
• Isolated Score - option to view the story with synchronous isolated music.
  
• Radio Times listings in Adobe pdf format for viewing on PC or Mac.
  
• Programme subtitles and subtitle production notes.
  

Disc 2

• Endgame - Why was Doctor Who cancelled at the end of Season 26? What might have been in store for the Doctor and Ace if the series had continued into Season 27? With Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred, script editor Andrew Cartmel, writers Ben Aaronovitch and Colin Brake, BBC Head of Drama Series Peter Cregeen, composer Mark Ayres and visual effects designer Mike Tucker. Narrated by Paul Ewing.
  
• Search Out Science - a schools programme featuring the Doctor and Ace, with Stephen Johnson and K9.
  
• Little Girl Lost - A retrospective look at the development of Sophie Aldred's character, Ace, from her first story, Dragonfire through to her last, Survival. With Sophie Aldred, creator Ian Briggs and script editor Andrew Cartmel.
  
• Destiny of the Doctors - Anthony Ainley's last appearance as The Master, in these links from the 1997 computer game.
  

For complete details on the release, please visit the Restoration Team's website.

The results have been published for the BBC website's Best Drama Awards for 2006. The awards have been comprehensively won by Doctor Who, where it won each category with a clear majority of votes cast. The site features quotes from voters and video clips. The votes are revealed over a number of pages, but are summarised below.

Best Drama:

1: Doctor Who (31.33%)
2: Robin Hood (19.38%)
3: Jane Eyre (12.08%)
4: Life on Mars (6.37%)
5: Holby City (5.29%)

Best Actor:

1: David Tennant (39.96%)
2: Jonas Armstrong (13.25%)
3: Toby Stephens (10.49%)
4: Richard Armitage (4.97%)
5: John Simm (3.09%)

Best Actress:

1: Billie Piper (42.74%)
2: Ruth Wilson (16.01%)
3: Lucy Griffiths (11.03%)
4: Amanda Mealing (5.65%)
5: Lacey Turner (2.69%)

Favourite Moment:

1: Rose's exit [Doctor Who] (27.25%)
2: Jane and Rochester's Reunion [Jane Eyre] (4.11%)
3: Daleks v Cybermen [Doctor Who] (4.08%)
4: Ruth's exit [Spooks] (2.49%)
5: Robin hears Marian accepting Guy's proposal [Robin Hood] (2.05%)

Best Drama Website:

1: Doctor Who (36.90%)
2: Robin Hood (18.17%)
3: Spooks (6.79%)
4: EastEnders (6.70%)
5: Torchwood (6.45%)

2Entertain has announced that its New Beginnings DVD set will not be ready for its scheduled release. Originally due out on 22 January, the boxed set will now reach the shops on 29 January.

The much anticipated set contains "The Keeper of Traken", "Logopolis" and "Castrovalva" - adventures that saw both the return of the Master plus the transition from Tom Baker's Doctor to Peter Davison's.

This story refers to the United Kingdom release of this DVD set. Release dates for Canada/USA and New Zealand/Australia have not yet been announced.

Thursday's edition of The Sun has a picture story featuring new companion Martha Jones aboard the Tardis for the first time.

The photo of Freema Agyeman with David Tennant was released by the BBC yesterday.

The press release from the BBC says: "Doctor Who's new companion Freema Agyeman takes her first trip in the Tardis in pictures released today.

"Agyeman, 27, plays medical student Martha Jones opposite the Doctor (David Tennant) in the Bafta award-winning drama that returns to BBC One for a much anticipated third series in the spring.

"Guest stars already confirmed for the third series includeShameless star Dean Lennox Kelly – who is to play William Shakespeare – The League of Gentlemen's Mark Gatiss and comedy actress Jessica Stevenson.

"The most famous Doctor Who nemesis, the Daleks, are to also make a return in a special two-part episode.

"Agyeman replaces Billie Piper, who played Rose Tyler in the show, and is already familiar to Doctor Who fans, having appeared as Adeola in episode 12 of the second series, when she suffered a terrible fate at the hands of the Cybermen."

In the release, Agyeman is quoted as saying: "It's such an incredible thrill to step inside the Tardis and to be part of such an iconic show. I just hope that I'll be a good companion for the Doctor!"

(This picture is copyright BBC and used solely for promotional purposes) 

Early details have been revealed about series three news in the pages of the next issue of Doctor Who Magazine, specifically the titles of four of the next season's episodes and some additional casting news.

The title for episode four is Daleks in Manhattan. The recent trailer for series three at the end of "The Runaway Bride" confirmed the Daleks would return in the new series; this episode is set in 1930's New York and is written by script editor Helen Raynor. There is currently no information on the title for episode five, the second half.

Episode six is The Lazarus Experiment. The episode features Mark Gatiss as Dr. Lazarus; in the series three trailer, Gatiss was seen both as his own age and in makeup depicting a much older person. "The Lazarus Experiment" is written by Stephen Greenhorn.

The title of the first episode (#8) of Paul Cornell's two-part story hasn't been revealed, but episode nine has: it's The Family of Blood. The two-parter features the previously mentioned Jessica Stevenson as Joan; new cast listings includes Harry Lloyd (as Jeremy Baines), Thomas Sangster (Tim Latimer), Tom Palmer (Hutchinson), Pip Torrens (Rocastle), Rebekah Staten (Jenny), Gerard Horan (Clark), Lauren Wilson (Lucy Cartwright) and Matthew White (Phillips). It has long been rumored that Cornell's two-parter is an adaptation of Human Nature, the novel he penned for Virgin Publishing as part of their "New Adventures" line; the casting information makes this seem almost certain as many of these characters (Joan, Tim, Hutchinson, Rocastle, Lucy) appear in that novel.

Episode ten, by Steven Moffat, is still untitled, but features in its cast Ian Boldsworth and Richard Cant.

Episode eleven, written by Russell T Davies, is entitled Utopia.