The BBC Press Office has released information about the Doctor Who Christmas Special 2007.

Kylie Minogue steps back in time this festive season, as she joins Time Lord David Tennant for a spectacular Doctor Who Christmas Special set on board The Titanic.

At the end of the last series, viewers witnessed the [sic] The Titanic crash through the Tardis walls in spectacular style, and the action continues from that moment.

Kylie, who plays Astrid, a waitress on The Titanic, says: "It is an incredible thrill to be joining David and the entire Dr Who production for this year's Christmas special. Dr Who enjoys a unique history and it is going to be very exciting to be a part of that."

Two of Britain's best-loved sitcom actors, Geoffrey Palmer and Clive Swift, also feature in this Christmas episode.

Palmer, perhaps most famous for his roles in the long-running BBC series Butterflies and As Time Goes By, plays the role of Captain of The Titanic.

Kylie Minogue stars as Astrid, alongside David Tennant as The Doctor.

Voyage Of The Damned also features Gray O'Brien, who recently appeared in the Oscar-winning film The Queen; Debbie Chazen, star of the BBC comedy series The Smoking Room; Olivier Award-winner Clive Rowe; Russell Tovey, from the smash-hit film The History Boys; Jimmy Vee, who previously appeared in Doctor Who as the Moxx of Balhoon; and George Costigan, who starred in The Long Firm and the acclaimed film Rita, Sue And Bob Too.

Voyage of the Damned can be seen on BBC1 this Christmas.

Yesterday's Daily Express reported that the actress/popstar Kylie Minogue has not ruled out returning to Doctor Who in the future. In an interview she has been quoted as saying: "It's not up to me but I know there has been talk that my character could be reintroduced at a later date. We'll have to wait and see. I've always been a fan of Doctor Who and when you think how long it's been running, it is a series that is a unique piece of television history."

As well as the UK's Express, the story has been promoted by the World Entertainment News Network, with PR-Inside and Top News India(!) reporting on the story.

The Stage, The Guardian and The Sun all give coverage today to David Tennant's praise for former Controller of BBC One Peter Fincham and his Head of Publicity Jane Fletcher at last night's National Television Awards ceremony in London.

Fincham and Fletcher were forced to resign from their positions at the BBC last month following the so-called "Crowngate" controversy, where an audience of journalists at a BBC press launch were shown a misleading preview of a programme about the Queen. Both were publicly acknowledged by Tennant during his acceptance speech, screened live last night on ITV1.

Although Fincham arrived at BBC One after the first season of the new Doctor Who had already been a success in 2005, Tennant praised the support both he and Fletcher had given the programme over the past two years, and said that they would be greatly missed.

The Stage quotes Tennant as saying that: "Peter and Jane were fantastic supporters of our show and brilliant at their jobs. It is a real shame they have gone. They were very much a part of our team. It feels very different without them and I am sad about that."

The Guardian adds praise from Freema Agyeman, particularly for the ex-Head of Publicity Fletcher. "She always had so many other shows [to work on] but it felt like a personal relationship."

The Sun has reported alleged details from the upcoming Christmas Special "Voyage of the Damned", starring David Tennant andKylie Minogue.

In the past, the Sun has reported some accurate plot details about Doctor Who scripts (such as a 2005 report that the Daleks and Cybermen would face off, as they did in the episode "Doomsday") and has also printed some stories which proved to be false (such as a 2006 report that Zoe Lucker would be playing the Rani).

Time will tell which category today's story falls in; just in case it's correct this time round, the details of this story are in the spoiler box below.

In an interview with the Daily Record, Christopher Eccleston has spoken briefly of his time on Doctor Who.

Today's Daily Star reports on a major end-of-season showdown for the Doctor and companions versus an old adversary. The story ties together several other rumours that have been circulating in recent weeks over who/what may be appearing in the 2008 series, but there is no official announcement for the Star's speculation.

In a recent interview with The Belfast Telegraph, James Nesbittdenied rumors that he was next in line to play the Doctor. Nesbitt admitted to hearing the rumors but stated that "there is no truth in it at all".

"David (Tennant) and Chris (Eccleston) were so good I don't think I could follow them. I think I would be found out!" he joked.

When asked if he would consider the role if approached, he said: "I think not."

Media Guardian reports that Jane Tranter, BBC Head of Fiction, is keeping the possibility of a Doctor Who film open. Tranter is quoted as saying, "I would not rule out a film version of Doctor Who, no." The article also discusses the future of the television series for the next several years, as previously revealed; however, Tranter suggests that David Tennantmay remain in the role for Series Five in 2010.

The final two episodes of series 3 of Doctor Who have received glowing reviews in the Australian media. RespectedSydney Morning Herald TV critic, Ruth Ritchie writes 'David Tennant has no trouble carrying the magnificent Dr Who . . . In these last two episodes, brilliantly written by Russell T. Davies, the Best Dr Ever has the good grace, sense and brows to let equally charismatic John Simm hog the limelight.

It never occurred to me that Tony Blair could have been a disgruntled time lord determined to involve America in the destruction of the planet. But once you see Simm portray just such a slimy, sexy PM, it really makes sense . . . Dr Who is built on rock-solid science fiction, reassuringly familiar elements such as the Tardis, great characterisation and really superior coats that move when the characters run.

There are many layers to Dr Who, as well as sexy men in flowing coats, and some of the wittiest writing on television. Tennant's ability to carry an audience on often impossibly silly journeys seals his CV as serious TV star . . . Tennant has a wide-eyed, inclusive appeal. More importantly, his famous character, the doctor, is charming, brilliant but ultimately flawed. He can sense and solve cataclysmic problems in the universe yet he is oblivious to the most obvious human emotions of all those around him. He's Superman with Asperger's. Now you don't see that every day.'

Bronwyn Thompson of the Sydney tabloid The Daily Telegraph also writes, in a review of 'The Sound of Drums', that 'it's no easy feat drawing swords against the comical melodrama of David Tennant, but the casting of John Simm . . . is genius. He's easily one of the best young actors on British TV and plays the conniving and crazy Master almost too convincingly.' Melinda Houston of the Melbourne Sunday Age also writes of the 'Last of the Time Lords', that 'another blindingly good series draws to a close . . . (Boo!) in a riotous episode that leaves us both satisfied and longing for more. (Yay!)'. Jen Rosenberg, of the Sydney Morning Herald, also gives the series final a thumbs up, writing that it 'has all the markings of a great epic, like a weird hybrid of 'Lord of the Rings', Big Brother (the George Orwell variety) and 'Star Trek', with shades of the Bible thrown in', while Jim Schembri, of The Age, says this episode is 'loads of fun, as usual'. Meanwhile, Ian Cuthbertsonof The Weekend Australian says that 'this season finale is not called 'Last of the Time Lords' for nothing. Miss it and you may regret it forever.'

Torchwood has also received some good Aussie press. Michael Idato, of the Sydney Morning Herald, writes of 'Captain Jack Harkness' that 'Catherine Tregenna's script was the best of this series, ranking alongside Steven Moffatt's 'The Girl in the Fireplace' and 'Blink' . . . for its clever and inventive handling of time travel, with both the past and present storylines playing out simultaneously, the former shaping the latter as the plots unfolded.' In other Torchwood news, Imparja Television, an Aboriginal owned television company which broadcasts over huge parts of remote Australia, has begun broadcasting the spin-off on Wednesday nights at 10.30pm.

Finally, in the ratings, Doctor Who has remained competitive during the Australian footy finals season: while 'Utopia' dipped to 740,000 viewers in the 5 major capitals, 'The Sound of Drums' rallied to 878,000 viewers. The season final, the full 51 minute version of the 'Last of the Time Lords', received 889,000 viewers and was theABC's top programme outside the news. Meanwhile, Torchwood's 'End of Days' received 160,000 viewers, its best performance in the midnight timeslot for Channel Ten. For more ratings details see the Sydney Morning Herald’s Tribal Mind.

Elisabeth Sladen has spoken to The Daily Telegraph newspaper about her role in the forthcoming Doctor Who spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures, which begins its run on BBC One on Monday 24th September.

She tells journalist Simon Swift: "I did that episode, School Reunion, and I thought what a lovely end for my character... Then, as Torchwood was coming out, I got a call saying Russell [T Davies - Doctor Who's executive producer] would like to take me out for lunch to talk about something else. I thought, 'I'm going to be in Torchwood.' And he said: 'We want to do a series called The Sarah Jane Adventures.' I absolutely didn't see it coming."

Sladen also tells Swift that she would have been irritated had the spin-off project been given to any other former companion. "I would be p***** off to my socks. I would have said, 'Well, they know what they're doing,' but I would have secretly thought, 'Oh, what a mistake they've made'."