The charity book Behind The Sofa which is being created to raise money for Alzheimer’s Research UK, has run into problems with PayPal, who are refusing to release funds to the book's editor Steve Berry, until he can prove he has already spent money on the book.

The money raised from pre-orders was intended to pay for the production costs, something that Berry might now have to meet from his own pocket, as the money will be withheld until after the book is published. PayPal froze the account early on Monday after their systems alerted them that a large number of payments had been sent to the account within a short period.

Following some negative publicity towards the internet giant, including tweets from Charlie Brooker, Rufus Hound and Al Murray, PayPal have now told Berry that they will release half the money once he can provide verified paid invoices from suppliers involved in the project, leaving Berry in the position of having to finance the project before he can recoup some of the costs.

No monies paid have been lost and Berry is still determined the book will be published. He is, however, also looking into alternative funding solutions.

More details on the Behind The Sofa website.

After a few months in preview, the "massively multiplayer online" (MMO) game Worlds in Time has now been officially launched.

Robert Nashak, Executive Vice President, BBC Worldwide Digital Entertainment and Games, said:

Daniel James, CEO of Three Rings Design Inc. who created the game, said:

The game is free to play online for players aged 13 and above (those between 13-15 need parental permission to participate), meeting the games terms and conditions. Those with electonic payment facilities (e.g. Paypal) may also purchase an optional "enhanced experience".

Casting:

Reports from Spain indicate that actor Garrick Hagon is currently filming Doctor Who, with Genshiken Spain saying: "Garrick Hagon, our guest at FreakCon, is currently shooting in Almeria, filming a series of Doctor Who." This was also backed up by Rob Cavazos, who said: "I am currently working with an actor who was in the first Star Wars film. I am by no means a fanboy, but that's still pretty awesome!"

Hagon has previously appeared in Doctor Who, alongside Jon Pertwee in 1972's The Mutants as the Solonian rebel Ky.

Film appearances include A Bridge Too Far, The Spy Who Loved Me, Batman, Mission Impossible and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but as mentioned above he is probably best remembered as Luke Skywalker's best friend Biggs in the original Star Wars. Television appearances include Moonbase 3, Colditz, Cambridge Spies, and as Frank Oppenheimer in 1980's Oppenheimer.

On Location

Filming kicked off last Thursday in the Almeria region of Spain, at the Oasys Parque Temático del Desierto de Tabernas and Fort Bravo Studios. Both Executive Producer Caroline Skinner and Brand Manager Edward Russell travelled to Spain (with the latter celebrating his birthday at the weekend!), plus Doctor Who Magazine was also represented by Benjamin Cook.

A number of photos of the cast and crew on location in the Tabernas desert and at Fort Bravo Studios were captured by Spanish fans and media, including a glimpse of the story's adversary (confirming the report by by The Sun last week).

On Location Photos 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31; Adversary Images 2 3 4 5 6 7 (with thanks to Whovians.Net, Zimbio)

A Doctor Who fan has renewed his bid to claim ownership of the character of Davros.

Steve Clark says that he came up with the name and submitted it with a design (pictured right), as well as a handwritten essay entitled The Genesis Of The Daleks: The Creation Of Davros, for a TV Action competition in 1972. His entry didn't win the prize of a 17in colour TV set but he says that both the name and design were later used by the BBC without his permission. Davros was first seen in the series in Genesis of the Daleks in 1975.

He launched High Court proceedings last year for copyright breach after an attempt to come to an amicable solution with the corporation foundered. Now, with the case on hold, a teacher's handwriting could decide the matter.

Mr Clark, from Brabourne Lees in Kent, says that his original sketch, done when he was 13, has comments written on it by David Tidy, who was a teacher at Duncan Bowen School in Stanhope, Ashford, in the 1970s. He is now seeking former pupils who have books with Mr Tidy's handwriting in them, which could be used to validate the writing on his sketch and therefore his claim.

Mr Clark said:
The BBC and BBC Worldwide dispute the claim. A spokesman said:
(newslink: Kent Online)

A charity convention celebrating the fan film Power of the Daleks is to be held later this year.

The film, made by the Doctor Who enthusiasts behind the highly successful Portsmouth stage productions of The Web of Fear, Fury From The Deep, The Evil of the Daleks, and The Dalek Masterplan (the latter renamed from the original), adapts and reimagines Patrick Troughton's inaugural story.

Starring Nick Scovell as the Doctor and also featuring Nicholas Briggs, Lisa Bowerman and Barnaby Edwards in the cast, it is to be shown online in three mini-episodes in April, July, and September, but will receive a full showing on the big screen at the Power: Reimagined convention. Entry tickets pay for admission to the convention but the screening of the film is free and non-profit-making.

Teasers and a trailer for the film plus mini-documentaries about its making can be seen on the group's official YouTube channel. The trailer, which was released last Christmas, can also be seen below.



The convention takes place on Saturday 1st September at Ferneham Hall in Fareham and guests announced so far (work permitting) are Michael Troughton, who has recently published a biography about his father, and the Doctor Who Restoration Team, with more to come.

Also taking place during the day will be talks by cast and crew from the original series and remake, as well as photo and autograph sessions. Props from the remake will be on display too.

Money raised by the convention will go to Cancer Research UK and Children In Need.

Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy have been named as special guests at the fund-raising convention Nor-Con later this year. The event, to be held at the Holiday Inn Norwich North in Hellesdon, Norfolk, takes place on Sunday 2nd September. Money raised will go to local charities. [Norwich Evening News, 8 Mar 2012]

John Barrowman has won a leading role in a drama pilot for ABC called Gilded Lilys. He will play Julius Ashford Lily in the show, described as "an upstairs-downstairs look at the opening of the first true luxury hotel built in New York City circa 1895." [TV Guide, 6 Mar 2012]

Suranne Jones, Tom Ellis, David Warner, Sarah Smart, and Donald Sumpter are to star in the modern-day ghost story The Secret Of Crickley Hall on BBC One this autumn. James Herbert's novel has been adapted by Joe Ahearne, who will also be directing it. Filming on the three-part drama begins this month in and around the Manchester area. Jones said: "The Secret Of Crickley Hall is a classic haunted house spine chiller. With an emotional family story at its heart, Joe Ahearne has adapted the novel perfectly, and I am really excited about working with him as a director. It's a great cast and I am looking forward to working with David Warner, Donald Sumpter, and Tom Ellis." Ahearne said: "Everyone loves a good ghost story and James Herbert is an iconic writer in the genre. He's come up with a really thrilling and moving story that delights you while it's terrifying you. It's a testament to his craft that we've attracted such a great cast to play the characters he created."[BBC Media Centre, 7 Mar 2012]

Starting on Monday 12th March, Suranne Jones is reunited with Lesley Sharp for a second series of the crime drama Scott and Bailey in which they play two CID officers in the Major Incident Team of the fictional Manchester Metropolitan Police. The eight-episode show airs on ITV1 at 9pm.

Lily Cole is to front a series in which she interviews leading artists. The model and actress was awarded a double first in art history at King's College, Cambridge University, last year. Lily Cole's Art Matters will air on Sky Arts this autumn. [Press Association, 7 Mar 2012]

Richard Hope is currently appearing in Democracy, a play by Michael Frayn, at Sheffield's Crucible. When asked about his surprise reappearance in last year's finale, he said: "I play a character who I thought was killed off, but obviously audience research brings you back. You're not meant to talk about that sort of thing but I haven't disappeared so it's quite nice." The play ends its run on 31st March. [The Star, 8 Mar 2012]

Tony Curran has been signed up to appear in the new Syfy US series Defiance. The show sees humans and aliens co-existing on a future Earth that has been devastated by wars and changed by alien terra-forming machines. It is understood that production starts in Toronto next month. [SFX, 9 Mar 2012]

Prosthetics wizard Neill Gorton is involved in the make-up for the 25th anniversary touring production of The Phantom of the Opera. John Owen-Jones, who shares the title role with Earl Carpenter, said of the make-up: "It takes two hours but we hope to get it down to one." The show is currently previewing at the Theatre Royal Plymouth, where it officially opens on March 17th. After ending there on 31st March it moves on to Manchester's Palace Theatre, the Bristol Hippodrome, Dublin's Grand Canal Theatre, Leeds Grand Theatre, Edinburgh Playhouse (where Earl Carpenter takes over the title role a third of the way through the run), Milton Keynes Theatre, and the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton, with more dates to be announced. [Wales Online, 9 Mar 2012]

Mekhi Phifer has changed allegiances for his next role, switching from the CIA in Torchwood: Miracle Day to the FBI in White Collar. The actor appears in series four of the USA Network show as agent Kyle Collins, who is described as "the bureau's top international fugitive-hunting specialist". The ten-episode series will air this summer. [Entertainment Weekly, 9 Mar 2012]

Reggie Yates is to front a BBC Three documentary series bringing together six youngsters with Tourette syndrome for a one-off live musical performance. The series, which has the working title of Tourettes: Let Me Entertain You, is a follow-up to the channel's documentary I Swear I Can Sing, which aired last December. A transmission date is yet to be announced. [BBC Media Centre, 9 Mar 2012]

Liza Tarbuck has been given her own show on BBC Radio 2. She will join the station on May 12 as presenter of the Saturday evening slot from 6pm to 8pm, replacing Alan Carr. Tarbuck has regularly deputised on Radio 2 programmes since 2007. [BBC Media Centre, 8 Mar 2012]

Colin Baker and Frazer Hines have been added to the list of star names appearing at the BritSciFi Weekend taking place at the National Space Centre in Leicester tomorrow and Sunday.

The event is a celebration of TV programmes such as Doctor Who, Blake's 7, Red Dwarf, and Thunderbirds.

As previously reported, other guests with a Doctor Who connection appearing at the event are visual effects designer Mat Irvine and actors Shane Rimmer and David Graham (although the centre is emphasising Rimmer and Graham's Thunderbirds link).

Daleks will also be in attendance, as will the Hyde Fundraisers voluntary group, who will be creating a Doctor Who walk-through experience in the venue's Challenger Centre, with creepy encounters featuring some monstrous creatures from Doctor Who. It will feature light, smoke, and sound effects not suitable for very young children. Tickets for the encounter are available on a first-come, first-served basis for performances each day.

In addition, David J Howe, the co-founder and editorial director of Telos Publishing, who has written a number of books about Doctor Who and owns one of the largest collections of Doctor Who merchandise in the world, will be there.

All the money from the BritSciFi weekend will go to charity, including Children In Need.

(NB: Attendees should ensure that the guests they want to see will be there on the day that they wish to go, as not all the guests will be there on both days.)

(With thanks to Kevin Taylor)

Cast and Crew:

The two episodes currently being directed by Saul Metzstein have been confirmed by Doctor Who Magazine as episode two by Chris Chibnall, and a wild-west themed episode three by Toby Whithouse. The cast for Chibnall's episode included the previously announced Mark Williams, Rupert Graves, and David Bradley, and joining Rob Cavazos for episode three are:

Adrian Scarborough Adrian Scarborough is listed by agent Curtis Brown as playing Kahler Jax. Scarborough has appeared in a number of prominent roles on television, having appeared as Mr Jolly in Psychoville, Pete in Gavin and Stacey, Mr Johnson in Cranford, and most recently as Mr Pritchard in Upstairs Downstairs. He has also appeared in films such as Vera Drake and Elizabeth: The Golden Years, and featured as a BBC Radio Announcer in The King's Speech. This won't be his first role in the Doctor Who world, having played Rupert von Thal in Big Finish's The Boy That Time Forgot.

Dominic Kemp Dominic Kemp is listed by agent Sainou as playing Kahler-Mas. Kemp has appeared in guest roles in a number of television dramas, including Waking the Dead, Wire in the Blood, Moses Jones (featuring Matt Smith) and most recently in the Christmas special of Downton Abbey. Film-wise, he appeared in Miss Potter, and will be seen with former Doctor Christopher Eccleston in the forthcoming Song for Marion.

Ben Browder Ben Browder has been confirmed by Doctor Who Magazine. Browder is no stranger to the sci-fi genre, having played John Crichton in Farscape and Cameron Mitchell in Stargate SG1. More recently he has appeared in Chuck and will shortly play Nick Naught in Naught for Hire.

The character being played by Mark Williams has now been revealed, according to his online CV.

The second recording block, which comprises two episodes by Steven Moffat, will be directed by Nick Hurran, who filmed last year's The Girl Who Waited and The God Complex.

On Location:

If you've ever wondered what a casting call can look like, here's a number of Doctor Who hopefuls in Almeria, Spain queuing up to audition as extras for the episode that would be filmed there - the process of which was politely described as 'chaotic'!

Filming itself kicked off on the 7th at the Oasys Parque Temático del Desierto de Tabernas in the Almeria region. The resort is set in the only European desert, and provides a number of themed areas such as an aquatic zone, wildlife park, and of more interest to Doctor Who of course, a Western theme town known as "Mini Hollywood". The area has played host to a number of renowned films, like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Lawrence of Arabia, and Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.

In The Media/The Rumour Zone:

Executive Producer Caroline Skinner commented in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine on reading the opening script for the new series: "Once I'm finally on the plane into Heathrow I re-read Steven's scary, thrill-ride of an opening episode. There I am, gasping and laughing away to myself, and kinda wishing planes had sofas - because if there'd been a sofa on this one, I would've hidden behind it."

Today's Sun carries an item on filming in Spain, courtesy of the ubiquitous 'insider':
The paper has also suggested the adversary up against the Doctor:

The new Doctor Who Magazine (out Thursday) sees Sophie Aldred take a candid look back at her time on the show:
Also in this issue:

• Doctor Down Under - Executive producer Caroline Skinner tells DWM about her recent trip Down Under for the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular and her reaction on reading the script for Episode 1 of the new series, in her first Production Notes.
  
• Keep It In The Family - DWM catches up with the scourge of the Silents, CIA agent Canton Everett Delaware III – aka actors Mark Sheppard and his father, Morgan Sheppard – and finds out about making it as an actor and whether Canton could return.
• It's The Key Thing! - DWM celebrates 1978/9's Key To Time season: six linked adventures that introduced Time Lady Romana and featured Douglas Adams's first script for Doctor Who, as Countdown To 50 continues.
• The Fall Of The Gods? - With the Doctor at the mercy of the mighty Zeus, and with Rory and Amy facing a titanic foe in ancient Athens, what can humble philosopher Socrates do to save the day? Find out in the final, world-changing episode of the latest comic strip, The Chains of Olympus, written by Scott Gray, with art by Mike Collins.
• The Last Voord! - Get ready for adventures within adventures, as the First Doctor and his companions brave screaming jungles, snows of terror and seas of acid! Discover a wealth of fascinating new info as The Fact of Fiction scrutinises the 1964 story The Keys of Marinus.
• Changing History For The Better . . . ? - Doctor Who fans are spoilt with the care and attention that is lavished on the DVD releases. But as well as being lovingly restored, should the stories be improved, correcting technical "errors" of the past? Sparring partners Toby Hadoke and Johnny Candon argue whether rewriting history is ever justified, in A Battle of Wits.
• Chaos In The Classroom - The Time Team go back to school with the Tenth Doctor and Rose and are reacquainted with two dear old friends – Sarah Jane Smith and K-9. Join Chris, Emma, Will, and Michael on the sofa and see what they make of 2006's School Reunion.
• Off The Record! - The Watcher challenges readers with The Six Faces of Delusion, celebrates another Supporting Artist of the Month, and continues A History of Doctor Who In 100 Objects with a look at the extraordinary 1985 single Doctor In Distress, in Wotcha!
  

PLUS! All the latest official news, TV and merchandise reviews, previews, competitions, a prize-winning crossword, and more.

Behind The Sofa is a collection of over 100 celebrity memories of Doctor Who, compiled by Steve Berry, with all profits from the book going to Alzheimer’s Research UK, which funds research into finding a cure for dementia.

Contributors to the book include:

The book is illustrated by Ben Morris, who has contributed to Doctor Who Magazine and Doctor Who Adventures.


The standard book will be available to purchase as a limited edition both in a hard-cover and as an e-book. Limited advance copies can now be pre-ordered, with additional packages available: along with a free copy of the e-book, Supporters will also be listed in the acknowledgements for the Ogron package (200 copies), and additionally receive a signed print of one of Ben Morris's illustrations for the book if purchasing the Slitheen package (100 copies); a Sponsor package, Zygon (10 copies), also allows the inclusion of a company graphic or sponsor message in the acknowledgements.

The book is due to be published in September - full details and information on how to pre-order can be found via the book's official website.