The recent installment of Radio Times magazine features a gag photo with the Daleks settling down for Christmas dinner. Says BBCi: "The metal meanies seem to be enjoying a traditional mix of of turkey, stuffing, sprouts and carrots - but have foregone roast potatoes in favour of mountains of the fluffiest mash you have ever seen. Well, they do have rather good whisk attachments, we guess." You can view it on the BBCi site by clicking here. (Thanks to BBCi)

Peter Davison stars in the first of six episodes of the radio sitcom "Rigor Mortis," which aired last night at 11pm on BBC Radio 4 and airs every subsequent Thursday, with rebroacast over the web on the BBC Radio4 Online website. "Davison is Dr Anthony Webster, chief pathologist and a man who loves his job so much he can't understand why people get upset when he takes his work to lunch with him. His colleague Dr Ruth Hamilton (Matilda Ziegler) was lured into the job by watching TV murder mysteries and is constantly disappointed by the banality of the work. Their boss tries to make the mortuary a brighter place - 'after all, a corpse is a person' - and the team also includes a sometimes inebriated lab assistant, a down-to-earth receptionist and a policeman who is prone to fainting." (Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Brian Jacob)

We've now gotten the regular image of the cover for issue #349 of Doctor Who Magazine, which as we reported yesterday was received by subscribers almost two weeks early due to a rapid turn-around at the magazine's printers. Among the items in the issue are interviews with new series director Joe Ahearne, writer Rob Shearman and producer Phil Collinson, a feature on the Doctor Who radio dramas, and much more; pick up the issue when it comes out on your local newsstand. Click on the cover thumbnail at right, meanwhile, for a larger version of the cover.

Also, in the issue is a note about issue #350, which celebrates 25 years of the magazine in print. "So as well as the concluding instalment of our DWM history feature Happy Times and Places? to chew over," says the preview, "we also present a FREE digitally restored reprint of the magazine that started it all back in 1979 - Doctor Who Weekly issue 1! PLUS! We've invited some old friends back to celebrate, so there's a chance to enjoy all new special editions of Fluid Links, The Life and Times of Jackie Jenkins, It's the end, but... and UNIT hotline, a new Doctor Who? strip from Quinn and Howett and the return of Leighton Noye's Doctor Oho! On top of that Sorvad will be choosing the best letters of all time in Who cares? and the BBC Wales production team will be answering your queries in a Matrix Data Bank special! NOT TO MENTION...We turn the clock back to the serial that was being screened when DWW first appeared as The Fact Of Fiction investigates the City Of Death! New series scribe Steven Moffat tells us how his episodes are coming along! More intrigung Production Notes from RTD! An extended does of comic strip action in a special 9-page instalment of The Flood! Plus all the latest news from the Doctor Who set and the best previews and reviews...Don't you dare miss it." (Thanks to Tom Spilsbury, Steve Tribe, Simon Hogarth)

Tom Baker is on the cover of next week's edition of Radio Times, albeit in his new role in the series "Monarch of the Glen".

The new edition of the Radio Times published today has a competition to win a DVD player and a selection of new BBC DVDs, including The Leisure Hive (and the magnificent House of Cards trilogy). The question is tricky: there's apparently going to be a new series of something called Doctor Who - who's going to play the title role? It's a UK-only competition, entries by phone. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)

Some clarification on the Radio Times Top 40 list we reported on yesterday. Each of the four people we mentioned had some notes about them, as well as quotations. On Lorraine Heggessey, BBC1 controller: "As the awards continue to roll in for BBC shows (State of Play and Canterbury Tales have just won at the Banffs - big in Canada, apparently), the woman at the top of the BBC1 food chain can look back on a year of almost unprecedented success. Under Heggessey, BBC1 drama has emerged as a streetfighting mixture of award-winning fare like the above, with ratings scrappers such as Holby City, Casualty and Spooks guarding against charges of elitism." Actress Amanda Holden said of Heggessey: "A great woman, and very down to earth, I think she's turned BBC1 around and made it a much livelier channel." Radio Times says of Mal Young, head of drama: "Emblematic of BBC drama's leaner, meaner approach of recent times, Young has eschewed the traditional Oxbridge route to the top, having worked his way up from Brookside's shop floor to be the Beeb's soap tsar. He's been instrumental in ransforming Casualty and Holby City into year-round series, which has provided the major bulwark against ITV1's ratings domination. Says Lucy Gannon, 'He's enthusiastic, realistic and has brought a breath of fresh air to the Beeb. A can-do man.'" On new show creator Russell T Davies, "If, as numerous executives contributing to this poll suggest, TV is increasingly dominated by writers, Davies is sitting pretty. Queer as Folk placed him in an elite group of writers with Paul Abbott and Andrew Davies and, as the main writer of the new Doctor Who, his profile looks set to rise even further. 'He has a unique voice, can deal equally well with humour and tragedy, and all that he does is suffused with real compassion and humanity,' says Jane Tranter." And finally, on our new Doc Christopher Eccleston, "His work to date has been impressively eclectic - from messiah to modern-day Iago - but Eccleston's position in this list owes most to the kudos that will come with being the next Doctor Who." Mal Young says of him, "Very few actors can green-light a project but, because of the amazing response I've had from Doctor Who, I'd say he's now one that can." (Thanks to Rich Kirkpatrick)

Radio Times has compiled a list of the top 40 most powerful figures in UK television drama. BBC Controller Lorraine Heggessey, who gave the go-ahead to begin production on the new Doctor Who series, ranked in seventh place, whileMal Young, controller of continuing drama and an executive producer of the new show, ranks at #9. New series creator Russell T. Davies is at #17, while new Doc Christopher Eccleston rounds out the Who celeb list at #19. (Thanks to Paul Engelberg)

Some recent New Series press clips, with thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, James Crout, Gary Pryke, Andrew Screen, Phillip Vaughan:

The May 21st edition of Broadcast magazine, the "Weekly newspaper of the Television and Radio Industry," ran an interview with new series executive producer Mal Young which mentioned Doctor Who several times. "Leslie Grantham's webcam antics may have terrified a nation and been a sore point for EastEnders bosses," said the article, "but award-winning BBC drama boss Mal Young seems more concerned about the Daleks." The article quotes him on the subject of whethere the Daleks are coming back: "Yeah, they are, and they're going to be scary. They might be a bit more sophisticated but they're still scary as f--- as far as I'm concerned." The story ended with the following: "Interview over, Young picks up what he says is 'the most valuable thing in this office'. It's Russell T. Davies' script for the first episode of the new Doctor Who." The Sun picked up on the story later in the week, quoting the "They're scary as f----" comment. There was also a two page spread on the return of the series in the April 8 edition of Broadcast.

'I can't wait to bring my Tardis back to Cardiff' was the title of an article on icWales on May 20, in which new Doctor Who Christopher Eccleston told of "his excitement at coming to work in South Wales." "I think it's a whole new life for me," Eccleston said, "a whole new element to my career and I'm looking forward to working in Cardiff because I worked there 12 years ago. I like the people and I like the place. I think it's good that it has not gone to London or Manchester, that somebody else has got this thing." Read more of the article at icWales.

Last week's Radio Times featured an interview with Jon Culshaw of Dead Ringers. "I'd really like to play Doctor Who," says the cover. Culshaw's comments about the new series are quoted in the interview, including "It will be interesting to see how Christopher Eccleston plays the part. He brings a lot of intensity to what he does." He also talks about his Tom Baker impersonations. "The Tom Baker character is indelible. My favourite is the Doctor phoning the Cosmos bingo hall, asking 'Where is the Cosmos?' and this Manchester housewife answers, 'Eccles, luv.' Eventually I'd like to evolve into straight acting, although I don't underestimate it like some shallow pop star. What I'd really like is to play Doctor Who in my late 40s."

May 8th's edition of The Australian (Australia's national daily newspaper) featured an article called "Who is Doctor Who?" by Mark Juddery. It starts by giving a history of Christohper Eccleston and his new role as the Doctor. It also features a history of the show and a lot of trivia information, and concludes with the statement, "More important, they hope the dust settles before the new series begins filming in the (northern) spring. Whoever plays the Doctor, he's always more fun with the Daleks."

Channel 4's Teletext music pages mentioned the other day that Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison had grown up watching Doctor Who - and he wanted his band to be given the chance to record the new theme. Obviously there will be many people wanting to do the same...

Orbital's forthcoming new album features a sample of Christopher Eccleston from "The Second Coming." The track, entitled You Lot, samples Eccleston's most Doctorish moment when he first addresses the worlds media and talks of how the human race is set to become gods after unravelling DNA and cultivating bacteria that can wipe out all life on Earth.

Finally, the UK gossip column Popbitch.com noted the following late last week: "'Dr Who filming at the IBM offices in Cosham right now Eccleston running around the quad as I type'." Now, we don't think they've started filming, and indeed there was speculation that Bill Baggs' team was filming something in the area. We'll let that rumor close out this edition of the press update...

Originally posted 23-24 May; updated 25-26 May with new press info & additional links

Actress Billie Piper will be playing Rose Tyler, the new Doctor Who companion in the forthcoming Doctor Who TV series. Below (end of this news post) is the official press release from BBC Television.

Piper was originally rumored as a possible companion as early as last September, after the announcement of the new series, in press put together by her agent. Piper has been speculated as a front-runner, especially earlier in the lead-up, but her name was recently away from the spotlight in deference to others thought to be finalists for the role, including Keeley Hawes, Anna Friel and Carla Henry. Indeed, in March, Piper's agent told the Radio Times: "It may be that the idea has been mooted, but it's not a conversation I have had." Radio Times went on to quote a "BBC spokeswoman" who said "an announcement wasn't expected for another two months".

Page 3 of the May 24 edition of the Daily Mail was one of the first sources (and actually the first online source) that stated Piper was in the role today; in an article 'Evans Moves a Few Rungs Down the Property Ladder' about Piper's husband Chris Evans, it also mentioned the following: "As well as winning the part of Dr Who's assistant in the new BBC series, the former pop singer has gained her first starring role in a movie." Today's Media Guardian also mentioned that "BBC drama bosses still want Mrs. Chris Evans, aka Billie Piper."

The May 25 edition of "The Independent" featured the following comment: "Billie Piper will play Doctor Who's assistant in the new BBC series. The 21-year-old said she was 'thrilled' to have landed the role of Rose Taylor [sic]" alongside Eccleston's Doctor.

The Cuttings Archive was updated late May 25 with press clippings from the various UK papers. Says Roger Anderson of the Archive, "The most notable coverage is in the Daily Express which not only has a large colour photo of Billie and a teaser headline on the front page also includes and excellent full page article on page 7." There is also a string of photos of previous Doctor Who companions.

The Daily Record (Scotland) includes a short piece in the "off the record" column which comments "SO Billie Piper is to be Dr Who's new assistant. Pretty young girl hooks up with old weirdo who wonders what planet he's on - inspired stuff. But hasn't she done that already?" Meanwhile, Metro, the free newspaper on British trains, mentioned the news on the cover on May 25, with a boxout in the top right corner that included a picture of Billie and the teaser tagline "Dr Who's new buddy ... all the way from planet pop page 3". The full story on page 3 covers most of the page and includes a rundown of "five of the Doctor's assistants", categorising them as follows: Sexiest - Jo Grant (Katy Manning); Brainiest - Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill); Most Loyal - Leela (Louise Jameson); Poshest - Victoria Waterfield (Deborah Watling); Coolest - Polly (Anneke Wills).

May 26th's Daily Express featured a long article entitled "Billie: Just What the Doctor Ordered," a long biographical article in the context of her being the new Doctor Who girl. "Whether they're escaping from Daleks, combating Sea Devils or helping to save Earth from an intergalactic war, the life of a Doctor Who companion has always been fraught with danger and full of adventure," writes Shaun Lyon Dunk. "It's safe to say ... that none has been quite as young or as nubile as Billie Piper." The article quotes Piper herself as saying, "Doctor Who is an iconic show and I am absolutely thrilled to be playing the part of Rose Tyler." The article then goes into her life, career and her marriage to Chris Evans, before getting reactions from two former Doctor Who companions, Nicola Bryant (Peri) and Louise Jameson. "It sounds like a cliche," Bryant says, "but when you join Doctor Who you are entering an extended family and every year I still attend conventions around the world and get incredible fan mail. I'm still in touch with the old Doctors and some of the assistants are among my closest friends. I imagine Billie won't have to put up with the outrageous costumes I wore. My first scene had me in a bikini and I seemed to wear revealing clothing for the rest of the series. Their budget will be bigger, too. We had to work very hard because whenever we blew anything up, we were only allowed one take. As an actress, nothing really compares with Doctor Who because its appeal is so overwhelming." Jameson told the Express, "I wanted Leela to be strong and tough, not some screaming girl who couldn't take the action. But I also had to wear a tight leather costume. I was disappointed my character exited the show by getting married - I'd have preferred to have died trying to rescue the Doctor. What's really incredible about Doctor Who is how loyal fans are. When there have been gaps in my work over the years I've always managed to get work that is a spin-off from those few months of doing Doctor Who. I still try to attend conventions and meet the fans of the show whenever I can. Billie should be aware of the huge interest. It can take you by surprise. But she's probably used to coping with the media by now." The article will be on the Cuttings Archive later today.

An article from Billie Piper's local paper from March 1995 which shows that she actually had a lot of acting experience prior to her brief period as a pop star, including winning a scholarship to one of London's leading stage schools, is available at This is Wiltshire. (Thanks to Mike Simpson)

Meanwhile, Russell T Davies spoke to the BBC Doctor Who site about the casting of Billie Piper as Rose. "It was a long, thorough search to find Billie - despite the fact that the tabloids have been touting her name for months now!" Davies said. "We auditioned all sorts of actors - some famous, some unknown - but we've now met with Billie three times, and she's absolutely perfect, and very close to the description of Rose on the page - I think Billie's 21, and Rose is 19, so that's a great fit! ... Over the course of 13 episodes, Rose will change and grow, and hopefully, we can keep that story going in the years to come."

To read more of Davies' comments, as well as a gallery of Piper's previous roles and some video clips, visit the official site.

Additional Press Coverage & Links from May 24 & 25:

BBC News The Sun Yahoo! News Big News Network The Scotsman The Guardian Hello Magazine Manchester Online Daily Mirror The Times Reuters The Guardian (#1) (registration only) The Guardian (#2) (registration only) BBC Companions Gallery Waveguide The Daily Record Daily Telegraph Newkerala.com Irish RTE GQ Magazine The Age ABC New South Wales Top of the Pops (BBC) Australia Advertiser

BBC Radio 1 News ITV News Stuff New Zealand Irish Independent Ananova Ireland Online Irish Examiner Sky News Teletext icSouth London NineMSN Seven.com.au 4ni.co.uk Brand Republic Los Angeles Times Irish Examiner Megastar.co.uk WebIndia This Is London News Wales icKent icEssex Daily Mail BBC Sport (Game)

There were also stories in MX Australia, Australian Associated Press Bulletins, the Daily Star, the Birmingham Post ("He's got two hearts, Doctor Who, and they can both be broken," Eccleston says about the Tyler character, obviously from an earlier interview), the Press Association (in which Piper's role is one of four quiz questions from yesterday: "who's playing the new Doctor Who girl?"), the Independent, the Western Daily Press, Bristol Evening Post, Yorkshire Evening Post, the Irish Independent, the Western Mail ("What's Up Doc?"), ABC Radio (Australia), the Melbourne Herald-Sun, the Newcastle Herald (Australia), the Adelaide Advertiser, the South Wales Echo, and the aforementioned Express ("Dr. Who and the Teenage Pop Star"). The ABC New South Wales article adds a curious (and laughable) comment: "The new BBC series of Doctor Who has been a bit slow in terms of getting organised but it will be on the small screen in 2005." (With thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Paul Hayes, Tim Collins, Stephen Durrant, Robert Byrne, Chuck Foster, Andrew Harvey, Andrew Pierce, Roger Anderson, Mike Simpson and everyone else who's sent us info & links)

Tom Baker had a few words in Radio Times for new Doc Christopher Eccleston, according to a report at BBC News. "I'm afraid I've never heard of him," Baker told the Radio Times, "though I hope he has great success." The report goes on to say that Baker, who will appear in Monarch of the Glen, says he still gets stopped in the street by fans wanting to talk about Doctor Who. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)