We heard that the new companion, Rose Tyler had been cast, but it now appears that one of the UK papers that was prepared to run the story (about a joint press call) got it wrong, and they're still involved in the initial casting process. We'll let you know as soon as we do (with all the news flying the past few days, it's almost impossible to keep it all sorted!) One thing we do know: earlier reports that there was a planned press call after the actual date the news was announced, or that there was a separate photo call, or that the two actors were supposed to be announced together... are all incorrect.

The press news is slowing down (thankfully!) The Cuttings Archive (whose editor, Roger Anderson, is working almost as hard as we are... almost!) has the most recent press clippings available for download online, including an article in the "Newsbites" section of Ariel, the BBC's in-house newspaper. Meanwhile, we've updated the list of websites carrying the Eccleston announcement below. This should bring us to the tail end of the main new series news stories from the past week.

The hype surrounding the Eccleston casting continues, and Outpost Gallifrey continues to keep you updated...

An article in today's The Guardian discusses that BBC shows are 'dominating' the British Academy of Film & Television Awards (BAFTAs) this year. New Doctor Christopher Eccleston has been nominated for Russell T. Davies' "The Second Coming" (originally broadcast on ITV), while one of the recent contenders to play the Doctor, Bill Nighy, was nominated for "State of Play" on BBC1, as was actor David Morrissey. Also nominated was Jim Broadbent (for BBC1's "The Young Visiters"), who portrayed one of the future Doctors in the 1999 comic relief presentation "The Curse of Fatal Death". The BAFTA nominations are also mentioned in the Independent and the Telegraph, and the Telegraph discusses Eccleston's casting in Doctor Who.

In another Guardian article titled "Who dares, wins," Andy Bodle discusses the phenomenon of Doctor Who, it's fans and longevity, as he points out "When Christopher Ecclestone steps out of the Tardis next spring, Doctor Who, scourge of fibreglass lumps everywhere, will have been off our screens for 16 years". The article includes quotes from Mark Gatiss (League of gentlemen and new series writer), Nev Fountain (Dead Ringers), Will Baker (Kylie Minogue's creative consultant), and Clayton Hickman (Doctor Who Magazine) who makes the following interesting assertion: "The Doctor Who mafia. That's why the show's coming back. If it wasn't for all the fans in high places, it would just have faded away." In the print edition the piece is accompanied by a caricature/sketch of Eccleston stepping into the TARDIS. Also mentioned in the article is the monthly London Tavern fan gatherings. In another article in the Guardian, Matthew Norman's "Diary" column, the writer refers back to a diary piece in October 7 2003 when, he apparently, mentioned that a campaign was announced "to prevent Alan Davies becoming the new Doctor Who" and went on to suggest that there were "rumours that Christopher Eccleston" was interested. Norman goes on to modestly point out that "at this stage, it's too early to be sure how this uncanny piece of prescience came about". The print edition also carries a cartoon about showing a Dalek and captioned "THE GOVERNMENTS CHOICE FOR THE NEW BBC CHAIRMAN." You can see them all tomorrow at the Cuttings Archive. (Thanks to Roger Anderson, John Cooper)

The official Doctor Who site at BBCi has a photo gallery of Eccleston's various television and film appearances; check it out, there's some good stuff!

As we mentioned yesterday, even some of the big American broadcasters are now mentioning the casting of Eccleston. "Fox Report" anchor Shepard Smith, a nightly report on the Fox News Channel, mentioned the return of the show and the casting. (Thanks to Carl Kleffman)

Clarification on our mention the other day about Eccleston's position on the OK! Celebrity Chart... Peter Nolan wrote in to let us know that the OK! Chart is based on column inches. "Basically they read every article in every newspaper in a given week and count up the number of inches of text about each person. So only one person has had more written about them in the UK newspapers this week!"

Outpost Gallifrey spoke to Steven Moffat, writer of two episodes for the forthcoming first season of the new Doctor Who series, about the Christopher Eccleston announcement. "It's a fantastic casting," Moffat told us. "Not just because he's a brilliant actor, though clearly he is, but because he'll bring people to the audience, who wouldn't touch the show with a barge pole otherwise. The morning of the announcement, I went into the Coupling rehearsals, and the cast - trendy lovelies that they are, hardly the natural Who audience - were bouncing around about the news. Clearly rather more excited about that than the fact that a good friend of theirs was now writing it. So I sacked them all." We look forward to Mr. Moffat's sense of humor shining through in the upcoming season!

Paul Cornell, the Doctor Who novelist penning of one of the teleplays for the first season of the new series, spoke to Outpost Gallifrey today about the choice of Christopher Eccleston as the new Doctor. "I think it's wonderful that we've got such a high calibre actor in the role," said Cornell. "Along with everyone else, it was great to get the rush of a 'new Doctor day' again. My Dad called to read me out a news item about it, just like he always used to. Chris is going to have to get used to being beloved by parents and small children everywhere!"

Outpost Gallifrey has learned that a press announcement confirming the casting of the Doctor for the new TV series is due on Saturday morning in the UK. Several news flashes on UK late-evening news programs have hinted that a press call is imminent, but word is leaking that the Daily Mirror will have a full-page press announcement on Saturday morning. Outpost Gallifrey will keep you posted all evening on the officialconfirmation of a new Doctor!

Update 2355 GMT: The UK Daily Mirror has apparently announced Christopher Eccleston and the Daily Mail has apparently noted that it's Bill Nighy. Could it be one or the other? Or perhaps a different actor entirely? At right is the Daily Mirror cover with the note about "Cracker Chris" referring to Eccleston being cast. (Thanks to "barryum," "DistantDave")

Updated 2330 GMT  Numerous fan sites and our own forum are buzzing with rumors about actor Christopher Eccleston being cast as the new Doctor for the forthcoming series. Eccleston's agent has denied that he has been cast, although the denial could be interpreted as simply not confirming such before the press announcement. An internal BBC memo circulated earlier in the week stated that the discussions were down to "a short list of three," although we've just heard word that there is a possible announcement coming in as early as the next couple of days. Outpost Gallifrey will bring you the news as soon as we hear official confirmation of the casting announcement.

Further to our story yesterday about the report from the UK Teletext, BBC News has picked up the same story, with a headline stating "Daleks May Return to Doctor Who"; the only difference between the two is a BBC spokeswoman stating "We are negotiating to feature the Daleks in the new series, but no deal has yet been made" and a denial that actors had been cast to play the new Doctor and assistant. "Negotiations are going on all over the place about the monsters, including the Daleks," she said. "We are just waiting to see what comes out." Update: the BBCi Doctor Who site also followed this up with this statement: "Cult did its own bit of checking, and was told the same by Publicity. They stressed, however, that they, 'Could not confirm the Daleks, or any other monsters for the new series.'" (Thanks to Rich Kirkpatrick, Steve Tribe, Jean McDonald, Richard Dinnick)

Further to our news story yesterday about the new writers, we've confirmed that Steven Moffat will be penning two episodes for the forthcoming season, a fact apparently mentioned in the latest DWM. Additionally, the BBC press office has put out a press release confirming the details; there's no real new information in it, though it mentions Rob Shearman's Big Finish credentials but nothing else about him, and strangely states that Paul Cornell has written 'two Doctor Who series'. BBC News has also gotten into things with an article here. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)

Mark Gatiss, the writer recently announced to be part of the first season's new writing team, appeared on this evening's edition of BBC Radio 4's daily arts programme "Front Row". Among the items Gatiss mentioned: Although perceived as an SF series, the strength of Doctor Who was always horror, and the team would "love to get back to 'proper scares'" as well as appeal to a mainstream audience. Gatiss feels that the best moemnts of Doctor Who involve wanting to travel with the characters of the Doctor and his companion, and he cited the Tom Baker / Elisabeth Sladen relationship versus the bickering of later TARDIS crews. When Gatiss was pressured on who he visualized when writing his script, he jokingly replied "Me, only me!" (Gatiss is an actor as well as writer), but mentioned he didn't know who would play the role of the Doctor (but we may know soon). His choice for the role? David Warner, who he has mentioned in the past. Gatiss is currently working on the first draft of his script. Update March 6: The radio program is archived online; you can listen to it by clicking here; there is also a transcript in our Forum (you must be a member to view).(Thanks to Vin Marsden Hendrick, Christian Coulter, PaulParanoid)

Both Doctor Who Magazine #341 and an internal BBC magazine, Ariel, have announced the writers signed for the first season of the new Doctor Who series. Joining producer Russell T. Davies, who will pen 8 episodes himself, are:

• Mark Gatiss, best known as the writer and co-creator of "The League of Gentlemen" and the author of several Doctor Who stories including the novels "Last of the Gaderene," "St. Anthony's Fire," "The Roundheads" and "Nightshade" and the Big Finish audios "Phantasmagoria" and "Invaders from Mars," and who penned several of the P.R.o.B.e. videos for BBV
• Steven Moffat, the creator of BBC2's popular comedy series "Coupling" which won "Sitcom of the Year" at the British Comedy Awards, and whose previous Doctor Who credit was the teleplay for the Comic Relief special "The Curse of Fatal Death" with Rowan Atkinson, Julia Sawalha and Jonathan Pryce
• Paul Cornell, the popular writer whose work includes episodes of "Casualty," "Wavelength," "Doctors," "Children's Ward" and "Springhill," and whose Doctor Who works include such novels as "Happy Endings," "Love and War," "The Shadows of Avalon" and both the screenplay for and novelisation of BBCi's "The Scream of the Shalka"
• Rob Shearman, an acclaimed playwright and stage writer who has written Big Finish's most popular Doctor Who audio teleplays including "The Holy Terror," "The Chimes of Midnight," "Jubilee," "Scherzo" and "Deadline," and who was awarded Writer of the Year at 2003's Doctor Who Magazine awards in London in November

Producer Mal Young told Ariel, "I've never received so many requests from writers and actors to be involved in a drama series, as I have had for Doctor Who." Added producer Julie Gardner, "Finding writers for the new series of Doctor Who has been one of the best jobs I've ever had. The talent available was exceptional." Davies himself noted that he believes that he has "the best people in the business now working on the best show. They'll be writing stories ranging across the whole of time and space. The Doctor and Rose already have the best allies on their journey - brilliant writers with brilliant scripts. It's an honour to work with these people who are so talented; they shouldn't be allowed to travel together!" Outpost Gallifrey has learned that one of these newly confirmed writers will pen two scripts for Davies; another unnamed participant decided to withdraw at an earlier time (solely due to schedule complications). All are said to be working off of "very basic" ideas - rather than full outlines, as has been reported elsewhere - from Davies, who will generate the major framework of the first series and is leaving the actual details to these experienced TV writers. Filming on the new series begins "in the spring." More details as we get them. (Thanks to BBCi and DWM)