The UK media website Digital Spy has published a summary of today's Doctor Who discussion panel at the ComicCon event in San Diego, which featured Russell T Davies, David Tennant, Julie Gardner and Euros Lyn discussing their time working on the programme, taking questions from the audience and previewing the forthcoming special episodes.

Among the topics raised was the possibility of a Doctor Who feature film, which the panel stated is not a project on which any of them are currently working. The panel also featured a presentation from Guinness World Records, declaring Doctor Who to be "the most successful sci-fi show on TV full stop".

The science-fiction website io9 has posted a report of the roundtable discussion Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Euros Lyn and David Tennant took part in on Saturday at the San Diego ComicCon event in the United States. There to promote the forthcoming specials that will see out Tennant's time as the Tenth Doctor, the group discussed the future of Doctor Who with journalists, and io9's full report contains some casting spoilers for the forthcoming two-part finale to Tennant's time in the TARDIS.

Apparently debunked by the group is the idea that a Doctor Who feature film is to be announced at the ComicCon event.

As part of an ongoing debate over the past few days concerning the state of BBC television drama, sparked by comments made by legendary television producer Tony Garnett, the BBC has passed onto The Guardian newspaper's website several comments made by writers currently working for the corporation about their experiences.

One of those quoted is Doctor Who's chief writer and executive producer Steven Moffat, who says that:

Various news sources online and in print - including science-fiction website io9 and British tabloid newspaper the Sun - have in recent days been running a picture from behind-the-scenes of David Tennant's forthcoming two-part finale in Doctor Who. The image, apparently a screen grab from a video, shows Tennant along with guest star Timothy Dalton and another actor, whose presence in the story may be considered a spoiler, so his name is given in the spoiler box below.

Dalton's role in the forthcoming specials is not currently known.

The BBC has announced that Scottish actress Karen Gillan is to play the new companion, alongside Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith, in the next series of Doctor Who, due to be broadcast in the spring of next year.

Twenty-one year-old Gillan previously appeared in last year's episode "The Fires of Pompeii", as the Soothsayer. BBC News reports that she studied acting at Telford College in Edinburgh, and has also appeared in The Kevin Bishop Show and the forthcoming film Outcast, starring James Nesbitt.

In the press release, executive producer and chief writer Steven Moffat is quoted as saying: "We saw some amazing actresses for this part, but when Karen came through the door the game was up. Funny, and clever, and gorgeous, and sexy. Or Scottish, which is the quick way of saying it. A generation of little girls will want to be her. And a generation of little boys will want them to be her too."

Gillan herself says: "I am absolutely over the moon at being chosen to play the Doctor's new companion. The show is such a massive phenomenon that I can't quite believe I am going to be a part of it. Matt Smith is an incredible actor and it is going to be so much fun to act alongside him – I just can't wait to get started!"

The news is also being reported by, among many others: Children's BBC, InTheNews.co.uk, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, Broadcast Now, The Stage, The Sun and The Guardian.

The BBC has confirmed that David Tennant is to reprise his role as Hamlet for BBC Two. Last year he received rave reviews for playing the Dane on stage in the Royal Shakespeare Company production, first at Stratford Upon Avon and later in London.

Tickets for the stage performances sold out in hours and the Guardian hailed Tennant the "best Hamlet in years".

For the television production Tennant will be joined by all of the key members of the stage cast, including the actor Patrick Stewart, who plays Claudius.

BBC Two controller Janice Hadlow said the three-hour tv Hamlet was "a wonderful opportunity.. to bring one of the great stage successes of last year to a wider audience".

The RSC have revealed that filming will take place on location, while retaining the quality and tone of the stage production. Filming begins in June for broadcast later this year in the UK. Broadcasts in the US and Japan will follow in 2010.

To support the new film of Hamlet there will be an online BBC site, which is being created in collaboration with the RSC. It will feature behind-the-scenes stills and footage, specially shot interviews with the actors talking about their characters and how they approached the play and interviews with director Gregory Doran.

A DVD of the film is planned and will be on sale after the broadcast date.

UK news service The Sun is reporting that former James Bond star Timothy Dalton will appear in one of the final specials starringDavid Tennant as the Doctor.

Dalton, star of The Living Daylights and License to Kill, is reportedly playing a villain in the Who episode.

As always, treat all such reports as rumour until confirmed from official sources.

Doctor Who executive producer Russell T Davies has confirmed that Bernard Cribbins will be returning to the series.

Speaking this morning on BBC Breakfast Davies said Cribbins would be the Doctor's companion in David Tennant's last two episodes, due to be shown at Christmas 2009.

Bernard Cribbins first played Wilfred Mott, Donna's Grandad, in the 2007 Christmas special and throughout Season 4. His return was expected after members of the Doctor Who Forum photographed Cribbins on the Doctor Who set. At the age of eighty, Cribbins becomes the oldest companion in Doctor Who history.

Also on the programme Davies confirmed that Saturdays special, Planet of the Deadwas only completed late Monday night. He said he expected the next special to be shown "Novemberish".

Davies' BBC Breakfast interview can be seen on the BBC News website.

On Saturday 11th April, David Tennant and Catherine Tate will be standing in as the presenters of Jonathan Ross's BBC Radio 2 show, live from 10.00am to 1pm. Guests will include Tennant's favourite band, The Proclaimers (playing live), and John Barrowman. Further details will be available on the programme's website from tomorrow.

The programme will also be broadcast live, and available to listen to again for one week following transmission, on the BBC iPlayer. This applies internationally, BBC radio programming being freely available outside of the UK.

The Roundhouse in London is to present The Radiophonic Workshop Live a get together of Peter Howell, Paddy Kingsland, Roger Limb, Dick Mills and Mark Ayres to explore the work of the BBC's Radiophonic workshop. The event, which takes place on 17th May at 7pm, combines live performance and multimedia projections. Tickets are available from the Roundhouse Website.

Former companion Lalla Ward, who played Romana alongside the fourth Doctor, has an exhibition of art inspired by the wildlife of Galapagos, at Chris Beetles Gallery, London, running until 28th March. Pictures will be auctioned in aid of the Durrell Conservation Trust. Ward's husband, Richard Dawkins, has offered to place bids via a special email address listed on his website. The exhibition has been previewed in The Independent.

Former Jon Pertwee companion, Katy Manning, who played Jo Grant, is appearing in a one woman show called Me & Jezebel. The play is based on the true story of when Bette Davis invited herself to stay for a night in the New England house of writer Elizabeth Fuller and didn't leave for a month. Manning plays all the parts including Davis herself as well as the reluctant hostess, naïve, star-struck Elizabeth; her frustrated, deep-voiced husband John; the thumb-sucking, impressionable four-year-old son Christopher; the grandmother Ol' Ma; the Dolly Parton like singing evangelist Grace and even the family dog. The play is currently on tour around the UK before playing at the New End Theatre in North London, from 14 April to May 2.

The address to BAFTA by show runner Russell T Davies is now available on the BAFTA Website. In the talk Davies discusses his origins in children's programmes, his thoughts about the audience and his hopes and fears for children's output in the future.

Thanks to Duncan Borrowman, Tom Boon and Trevor Smith