Doctor Who's excellent ratings in Australia continue despite tough competition from the Beijing Olympics. It has now passed the one million mark for an unprecedented eight weeks in a row. The Doctor's Daughter rated 1,008,000 viewers in the five major capital cities, while The Unicorn and the Wasp rated even significantly more with 1,074,000. TV blogger David Dale also notes that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation 'has reaped the benefits of offering an alternative to [Olympic generated] nationalism. Its most popular shows barely suffered a dent in audience - ABC Sunday news andSpicks and Specks drew 1.1 million, Dr Who drew 1 million and a repeat of Agatha Christie's Poirotdrew 994,000 on Friday before the great writer herself met The Doctor himself on Sunday night.'

The Confidential Cutdown versions of 'Sins of the Fathers' and 'Nemesis' also had solid ratings gaining 721,000 and 692,000 viewers respectively in the five major capital cities. By way of comparison, Perfect Day: The Millennium only garnered 500,000 viewers for the ABC at 8.35pm after 'Nemesis'.

Meanwhile, in the local media Conrad Walters of The Sydney Morning Herald describes 'Unicorn' as 'quite spiffing.'CitySearch also praises 'Unicorn' noting the 'amazingly flexible format Doctor Who has. One week, it's an action thriller with aliens invading Earth, the next it's pure science fiction and DNA replicators, and then it's a murder mystery set in 1920's England! And it all works!...It's not often Doctor Who goes as blatantly comedic as it does here - look out for Agatha Christie titles littered throughout the dialogue - but it's a refreshing mid-season breather, especially given the rest of the season looks to be heading into much darker territory.' Meanwhile, Chris Hook of The Daily Telegraphgives 'The Doctor's Daughter' the 'pick of the day' and describes 'Unicorn' as 'another instalment in what is shaping up to be a cracking season.' Fergus Shiel of The Age also calls 'Unicorn' a 'spiffing mix of the English sci-fi and mystery traditions...And as [Russell T.] Davies prepares to blast off from the show that he reinvented so spectacularly, we ought to thank you for the memories and for making the Time Lord timely again and funnier than ever before.'

Meanwhile, the TV Tonight blog reports that Channel Ten will start broadcasting series two of Torchwood on its high definition channel on Monday 1 September 2008 at 10.30pm.

Thanks to contributors to the Australian forums

Doctor Who's excellent ratings in Australia continue despite tough competition from the commercial networks. It has now broken the one million mark for an unprecedented six weeks in a row. The Sontaran Strategem rated 1,039,000 viewers in the five major capital cities, while The Poison Sky rated slightly more with 1,064,000. The Confidential Cutdown versions of 'Send in the Clones' and 'Sontar-Ha!' also rated extremely well gaining 934,000 and 853,000 viewers respectively in the five major capital cities. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is also making the most recently broadcast episodes of 'Doctor Who' and 'Confidential Cutdown' available on the weekly 'CatchUp' section of its new ABCiView internet TV service.

Meanwhile, in the local media Tim Hunter of The Age praises Catherine Tate and Russell T. Davies for bringing back Donna Noble despite the misgivings of many fans. CitySearch also previews 'The Sontaran Strategem' while Tim Artlett of The Daily Telegraph writes 'if your car has a GPS, best to avoid [this] episode . . . [but] although the aliens . . . might look like recycle bins or spare R2D2 parts, the fast pace is addictive and the climax will leave fans aching to know what happens next.' Catherine Deveny of 'The Age' also gives 'The Poison Sky' the pick of the day: 'Drama, comedy, science fiction all rolled together with David Tennant on top' while Melinda Houston of The Sunday Agealso gives this episode three stars.

Meanwhile, the TV Tonight blog reports that Channel Ten still intends to broadcast series two of Torchwood, either on its main channel or its high definition channel. Last year, series one of 'Torchwood' was moved by Channel Ten mid-series from prime time to a midnight timeslot due to disappointing ratings.

Update: 5 August 2008: David Tennant's appearance on Top Gear, in the reasonably priced car segment, has also seen Australian public broadcasterSBS score excellent ratings. The broadcaster, which has the smallest audience share of the five major Australian TV networks, received 1,042,000 viewers in the five major capital cities for the 'Top Gear' series final.

Thanks to contributors to the Australian forums

Doctor Who's excellent ratings in Australia continue with it topping the one million mark for the fourth week in a row.The Fires of Pompeii rated 1,101,000 viewers in the five major capital cities, while Planet of the Ood rated 1,092,000. The Confidential Cutdown versions of 'The Italian Job' and 'Oods and Ends' also rated extremely well gaining 875,000 and 936,000 viewers respectively in the five major capital cities. By way of comparison, series three of Doctor Who only averaged around 846,000 viewers in its old Saturday night timeslot with a top rating of 928,000 for 'Smith and Jones'.

Meanwhile, 'Doctor Who' continues to attract some local media. Graeme Blundell of 'The Weekend Australia' writes affectionately of a programme he and his children grew up with and where 'there is still a highly enjoyable kind of campiness at work...Tennant is perfect comic strip-style Doctor ... [while] wonderful Tate provides a nice comic turn as Donna, shades of the many characters from her own series ghosting across her face as she chases after the Doctor.'Ruth Ritchie of The Sydney Morning Herald is a bit more ambivalent about series four though, suggesting that Catherine Tate may be too much of a good thing. She writes that 'when both leads have funny bones, when the story involves an extreme dieting conspiracy where the fat is harvested from obese Britons to make babies for beings from another thingy and when the fat-babies are animated globules that leap from the back-fat of women in pubs … you can see how that sort of material might not benefit from the inclusion of a wild-eyed redhead who makes Lucille Ball look shy. This week they go to Rome - well, Pompeii - on "volcano day", as the Doctor so succinctly points out. It leans heavily towards Carry On Up The Toga territory.'Tim Hunter though praises Tate's 'down-to-earth, no-nonsense attitude that keeps the Doctor on his Time Lord toes.' CitySearch and The Sydney Morning Herald also preview recent episodes.The Sydney Morning Herald has also reprinted the 'New York Times' interview with Russell T. Davies. MeanwhileChris Hook of The Daily Telegraph says 'with the Doctor on TV, everything else should pretty much stop' thoughMelinda Houston of The Sunday Age suggests 'there's a slight shadow falling across the reinvented Doctor Who. We got a taste of it at the conclusion to the last season – that is, the elevation of the Doctor to some kind of godhead, often at the expense of irreverence and therefore its (and his) charm.'

Thanks to contributors to the Australian forums

Excellent Australian ratings continue for Doctor Whodown under with it topping the elusive one million mark for the second week in a row. Partners in Crimerated 1,112,000 viewers in the five major capital cities, coming third in its timeslot and was the the top ABCprogramme for the day (and 9th overall). TheConfidential Cutdown version of 'A Noble Return' also rated very well gaining 921,000 viewers in the five major capital cities. The record-breaking Voyage of the Damned was also the ABC's top-rating programme of the week (coming 23rd overall).

Meanwhile, Crikey has previewed 'Voyage' and Series 4 saying '[f]orget about reality and indulge in a top class piece of escapism every Sunday evening . . . Let a Doctor banish any Sunday night blues for the next 14 weeks.' Karen Brooks of The Courier-Mail also writes of the good Doctor's appeal in that 'he continues to celebrate and believe in humanity's unquenchable goodness and our ability to survive and help each other.' CitySearch also describes 'Partners' as having 'some great laugh-out-loud moments' and 'a promising start to an interesting season.'

Meanwhile The Weekend Australia has described Catherine Tate as 'lovely and talented' and Sarah Lancashire as 'superb' in its preview of 'Partners' while Scott Jenkins of 'The Daily Telegraph' also previews 'Partners', calling it 'one that should please fans and newcomers alike' and is 'great fun.'

Thanks to LanzaroteLad and Theta Sigma

Voyage of the Damned has scored the highest Australian ratings ever for Doctor Who in the modern era. According to David Dale 'Voyage' rated 1,248,000 viewers in the five major capital cities. The record breaking Christmas special, starring Australian Kylie Minogue, was only beaten in its timeslot by Channel Nine's 60 minutes which was the top-rating programme of the day with 1.8 million viewers ('Voyage' was the top ABC programme for the day and 7th overall). The previous highest rating Doctor Who episode for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation was 'Rose' which scored 1.1 million Australian viewers back in 2005. As way of comparison, the ABC's top programme for the preceding week was 'Spicks and Specks' which received 1.35 million viewers.

The return of Doctor Who has also received some significant media coverage down under.
The Sydney Morning Herald gave 'Voyage' its show of the week and their online TV guide also gives the show a positive review while Kylie Minogue's return to acting has also received some local attention. The Sun-Herald gives 'Voyage' four stars saying there 'is a lot to love about this story, which is part Titanic, part-The Poseidon Adventure.'Melinda Houston of 'The Sunday Age' also previews 'Voyage', analysing 'the enduring sex appeal of the ever-changing Time Lord' noting that the Doctor 'loves smart women', is 'mature', 'saves planets', 'maintains a childlike sense of fun, is 'practical and hands-on', 'a man of mystery, and increasingly swahsbuckling' but perhaps 'most importantly, is kind. A little dotty and thoughtless occasionally, but immensely kind. And that, gentlemen, is a quality consistently underestimated by the Mars-dwelling gender, and valued immeasurably by we Venus types.'Ian Warden of 'The Canberra Times', who claims to have seen every series since 1963, says David Tennant 'is the best doctor there's been' even if he says we should 'respect' the show 'for being . . . easily the longest-running TV science-fiction pantomime in the world.' Meanwhile,Crikey TV commentator,Glenn Dyer, also describes 'Voyage' as 'the highlight of the night.'

As previously reported, the ABC has also confirmed on its online TV Guide that it is indeed showing Doctor Who Confidential Cutdown on ABC1 after each episode of Series 4 starting with "A Noble Return" on Sunday 6 July 2008.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has begun promoting Doctor Who with a trailer showing brief excerpts from Voyage of the Damned and the first five episodes of Series Four. The ABC has also put its trailer for 'Voyage of the Damned' on itswebsite.

A previous report that the ABC will broadcast each of the cut down editions of Doctor Who Confidential immediately after the broadcast of the corresponding episode of Series Four has not yet been officially confirmed by the ABC although its website indicates a 55 minute timeslot for Partners in Crime on Sunday 6 July 2008.

Update 26 June 2008: The ABC has confirmed on its online TV Guide that it is indeed showing Doctor Who Confidential Cutdown on ABC1 after each episode of Series 4 starting with "A Noble Return" on Sunday 6 July 2008.

In a comment on their message board the Australian Broadcasting Corporation has revealed that it has, for the first time, purchased the Australian rights to Doctor Who Confidential and will broadcast each episode immediately after the broadcast of the corresponding episode of Series Four.

Presumably, these will be the cut down versions which will fill the 8.15-8.30pm timeslot and commence with Partners in Crime on Sunday 6 July.

The ABC has also confirmed that, as previously reported, the latest series will start on ABC1 on Sunday 29th June, 7.30pm with Voyage of the Damned.

ABC have revealed the start date of Series Four in Australia.

According to a reply on their message board, the series will start on ABC1 on Sunday 29th June with Voyage of the Damned. The rest of the series follow, starting on the following Sunday.

Inmates at the Woodford Correctional Centre have created a full size, ride-in Dalek to be auctioned off. Proceeds are going to support the Royal Children's Hospital, Brisbane. The inmates were helped by Mike Burrell, Trade Instructor from Woodford Correctional Centre.

"It took six months of occasional time when we were in between production" says Burrell. "It was made mostly out of ply but there are a lot of technical difficulties. Ply's flat and most of the Dalek is round and lumpy so it was difficult. It was set up to help them with their skills and technical abilities." The dimensions of the Dalek are 1.6m high, 1.3m front to back, and 0.8m wide. It's on wheels for easy transportation and can fit through a standard sized door.

ABC Brisbane reporter Brooke Carrigan was allowed an inside look at the finished product. "I'm inside the Dalek. And then you look up and it's got this voice-altering mechanism" Carrigan explains. "I can push and pull all these things and if you lift your feet up, we've actually been cruising through the children's hospital here, up and down the hallways".

Tegan Jones, Director of Fundraising and Development at Royal Children's Hospital, encourages fans to log onto E-bay to see the finished product. The auction closes on Friday, February 8th.


Thank you to Luke Bartolo and ABC Brisbane for the information.

The Sydney Sun-Herald reports that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation will screen The Sarah Jane Adventures sometime next year. The ABC, which also broadcasts Doctor Who, is yet to confirm that it will be screening the spinoff programme.