Broadcasting

According to Radio Times, The Christmas Invasion will be repeated in the UK on BBC Three at 9pm on Friday 10 February.

Meanwhile, more from ABC Australia on its series two plans, or lack thereof: according to an email sent to a fan, ABC Audience and Consumer Affairs said, "The ABC is currently negotiating the rights for the 'The Christmas Invasion' 2005 special and Series 2 of the new Doctor Who, both starring David Tennant as the 10th Doctor. We anticipate that the Christmas special and the new series will be broadcast later in 2006. At this stage, I cannot be more specific about when this may occur."

There are rumors currently circulating that the BBC has supposedly 'confirmed' April 15 as the date of transmission of Series Two in the UK. In fact, Outpost Gallifrey reported in December that there were rumors of an Easter weekend debut, based on news reports including a press release about the Tenth Doctor novels mentioning Easter weekend; these reports are nothing new. We have been informed that, in fact, no final decision has yet been made on transmission, and in fact the date last year was in flux until approximately six weeks prior. When the BBC makes its final determination and announces it, that is when it will be official.

Doctor Who Magazine Specials

The DWM Special Edition #13 will be The Ninth Doctor Collected Comics,according to the latest issue, with all four comic strips from last year's DWM, as well as 'Mr Nobody' from "The Doctor Who Annual 2006." Also, already listed on Amazon, the early autumn publication of The Doctor Who Storybook 2007 is also confirmed in the new DWM. Comprising a jacket by Alister Pearson, 84 pages, seven illustrated stories and a 15-page comic strip by Scott Gray, this will be a 7.99 hardback.

Press Coverage

Manchester Online has a new article about the series "Dancing On Ice" on ITV1 on Saturdays. It notes the high prospects of two Doctor Who celebrities when it says "Current odds-on favourite is actor John Barrowman, who was born in Scotland but raised in America. The Broadway and West End stage star is best known for his role as Captain Jack in Doctor Who. 'I was fortunate growing up,' he says. 'My family had a lake, which our neighbourhood all shared, and the parents used to clear off part of the lake and we would ice skate and play hockey. We got a little adventurous when the ice was hard enough and we'd go in a swamp area where the lake froze - all the trees froze out of the lake and we had all these obstacles to go around.' John - who also co-presented one series of former BBC1 Saturday morning show Live And Kicking - has made no secret of his desire to win alongside partner Olga Sharutenko. 'I'm going for broke. It's a competition and I'm probably one of the most competitive people you'll meet.' Aiming to stop him is second favouriteBonnie Langford, who also knows a thing or two about dancing. But the former child star says there's a big difference when ice is involved. 'I'd never, ever, skated in my life before. I never put skates anywhere near my foot because being a dancer, you never did. It's a very late venture in my life.'"

The Guardian has published a Dalek-themed cartoon commenting on the
British government's new incapacity benefit rules.

The Sun features a new interview with Tom Baker. "Dr Who legend Tom Baker says he would consider a shock return to the hit sci-fi show - despite never having watched it in his life. The veteran actor is one of the most-famous Timelords ever, having spent a record seven-year stint in the role. But the 72-year-old, who quit the show in 1981, told us he'd now think about a comeback. He said: 'If they could come up with a good enough part I would consider it. It would depend what the proposition was. But I wouldn't want to make an entrance just for a cheap laugh. I've got nothing against cheap laughs but I just don't need to do that now. I'd rather have an interesting part... for a few minutes at least.' Amazingly, Tom has never seen an episode of the show, which returned to screens last year starring Christopher Eccleston and later David Tennant in the lead role. He laughed: 'I haven't even seen it. I didn't watch the show when I was in it so I'm not about to watch it with someone else in it. They send me all the DVDs but I never watch them. I usually give them away. It isn't some big principle - I just can't be bothered.'" Read more of the interview, which also discusses his appearances in "Little Britain" and mentions his BT voiceover job.

The Independent also has an interview wih Tom, which it calls "Tom Baker: The 5 Minute Interview". "Being the voice of text appeals to me because ... Everybody wants to give good news. All my life I wanted to. And text is largely good news and making people happy. If I wasn't talking to you right now I'd be ... Telling lies to someone else. A phrase I use far too often is ... 'Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be.' I say it often to my wife who is a good deal younger than me, but she doesn't often see the joke." The full interview is available at their website.

The Independent today features the obituary of John Woodnutt who last month we reported passed away. "John Woodnutt was one of the most prolific character actors from the golden age of television drama, his long, thin face well suited to expressing disapproval, particularly as cold officials or implacable villains. ... He appeared in four Doctor Who stories, beginning with Jon Pertwee's debut 'Spearhead From Space' (1970), also the first in colour, later playing scaly, pointy-headed aliens in 'Frontier in Space' (1973) and 'Terror of the Zygons' (1975), before being cast as an elder in Tom Baker's penultimate story, 'The Keeper of Traken' (1981). In the same vein, he did the extremely silly The Tomorrow People (1973), and was a villainous Thin Man in The Boy from Space (1971)." The full obit is at the site.

The Norfolk Eastern Daily Press says that "Dozens of Daleks are heading to Holt in June - but their invasion has a mission to entertain rather than exterminate. The mechanised monsters will join in fun events such as trolley dashes and themed breakfasts. They are among the stars of a Dr Who weekend which will see the town's Georgian streets replete with a range of science-fiction and comic-book characters. Organiser Nigel Pearce said they aimed to attract 100 Daleks to 'roam the town'. There will be sci-fi breakfasts at Byford's cafe and the trolley dash, as well as a parade with other Dr Who enemies like Cybermen. It was hoped ex-Doctor Colin Baker would appear during the weekend, with the East Anglian Air Ambulance the main benefactor. Co-promoter Andy Argyle said the event would also feature characters from Star Wars, Star Trek and comic books like Spiderman. The carnival day and parade has been cancelled, but a treasure hunt, quiz and family disco will go ahead, linked to the Dr Who festival. The country park is holding an orienteering competition on June 24 at 2pm. A buffet at the Feathers Hotel will feature actors such as Terry Molloy, who played the Daleks' evil creator Davros. Sunday events will be centred on the market place."

Several websites have new reviews of the Beginning Boxed Set DVD release including VideoBusiness, Computer CrowsNest.

Radio 4's current Book of the Week is "Tete a Tete", Hazel Rowley's biography of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, read by Eleanor Bron ("City of Death," "Revelation of the Daleks"). Meanwhile you can hearChristopher Eccleston pitching in on reading duty for the network's interminable history series This Sceptred Isle: Empire. Both are available for up to seven days via the bbc's Listen Again service, here for Book of the Week and here for This Sceptred Isle: Empire.

In brief... there's more coverage of the announcement of Tom Baker as the new voice of BT mobile at BBC News, The Register, The Guardian,Reuters, Computing, WhatPC, Engadget, Channel Four, ITN,ComputerActive,Stuff NZ, Infomatics Online, Funny.co.uk, IT Week, Hecklerspray, Cellular News, Special Broadcasting Service. Plus, there is a new press release from BT.

Meanwhile, there's more coverage of Billie Piper's award at the official Doctor Who website as well as The Stage,RTE; and more mentions ofMaureen Lipman in Series Two at FemaleFirst, DigitalSpy.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Faiz Rehman, Dave Masters, Robert Davis, Matt Kimpton and Murray Harper)

According to a press release from the BBC Press Office, and noted on the official Doctor Who website, the three Tenth Doctor novels expected in April will be published with audiobook versions, and that these will all be read by David Tennant. The CD releases will also feature more than just readings of the novels: the audiobook commissioning editor, Kate Walsh, says that "having David read means we can include some added extras for those interested in hearing more about him, on top of the terrifically exciting stories written by Stephen Cole, Jacqueline Rayner and Justin Richards. They will make fantastic publications!" It says, "Set for release in July, David will start recording next month. The three titles are new adventures for the Doctor and his companion Rose and is the first time David will feature in his role as the Doctor outside of the television series. The CDs will also include special bonus material featuring children from across the UK asking the Doctor everything they've ever wanted to know about life as the Time Lord." The new Doctor Who titles are "The Stone Rose," "The Resurrection Casket," and "The Feast of the Drowned"; Amazon.co.uk released two of the three novel covers last week (and they were subsequently added to our news page).

The new issue of Doctor Who Magazine confirms that James Hawes will no longer be the producer for the spin-off series, with Russell T Davies saying that a replacement has been appointed and will be announced when the ink is dry on the contract. Davies comments: "Knowing sci-fi fans as I do, again, I'd say, keep calm -- this is perfectly normal in the build up to production, it happens on every other drama in the world -- it's only on sci-fi drama that these things get seen as dramatic events!" Work has begun, it says, with pre-production "a few weeks off". Storylines were agreed for the entire series on Wednesday 4 January, followed by two days of meetings with all the series writers, including PJ Hammond; the magazine says that "these writers will not be announced yet -- they're busy writing, not chatting, so you'll have to wait!" Helen Raynor and Brian Minchin will be script-editing the series; designer Matt Savage has moved from Doctor Who to Torchwood and has already started work; and preliminary auditions have also been held.

According to the latest DWM, Big Finish will soon embark on a new four-part miniseries, beginning this September: actorTerry Molloy, who played Dalek creator Davros on television and in several audios for the company, "will star in I, Davros, the definitive chronicle of the journey from man to monster to Creator of the Daleks and then Nemesis of the Doctor". The four plays will be written by Gary Hopkins ('The Last', 'Other Lives'), James Parsons and Andrew Stirling-Brown ('Live 34'), Lance Parkin('Davros', 'Primeval', 'The Gallifrey Chronicles', etc. etc.) and Scott Alan Woodard ('The Juggernauts'). DWM reports that elements of [the 2003 release] 'Davros' will be woven into this new mini-series, which is directed by Gary Russell and covers Davros's life from teenager to Dalek creator in 'Genesis of the Daleks' on television.

Also coming with the March issue of DWM (#367) will be another Big Finish-produced CD release, "a complete new audio adventure starring Sophie Aldred as Ace, Nicola Bryant as Peri, Caroline Morris as Erimem andPhilip Olivier as Hex."

This week's issue of Doctor Who Magazine has details of the latest additions to the crew and cast of Series Two. According to the magazine, the director for Block Five (two episodes out of Episodes 8 to 13) is James Strong, whose previous directing credits include BBC One's Rocket Man and episodes of Casualty and Holby City.

Further casting announcements for Block Four (episodes unconfirmed, but we're told very likely to be in Mark Gatiss' episode "The Idiot's Lantern," include Edna Dore as Maeve -- Dore's forty-five-year career has included roles in series from "Z Cars" and "Dixon of Dock Green" to "EastEnders", "Our Mutual Friend" and "The Bill"; and, as Trish, Nina Sosanya, well known for a leading role in Channel 4's "Teachers", as well as co-starring with David Tennant in "Casanova" and Billie Piper in "Much Ado about Nothing" last year.Abdul Salis plays Kel, Abisola Agbaje is Chloe andChristopher Driscollplays a Security Guard. The cameo appearance by TV psychic Derek Acorah is also confirmed in the magazine.

According to Phil Collinson, the series producer, Block Three filming was nearing completion as DWM went to press and that the readthrough for Episodes 7 and 11 (Block Four) had been scheduled for Wednesday 18 January, with a day's rehearsal the next day before starting filming. Block Five is starting pre-production and Block Six will be a single episode and filmed last, with some double-banking alongside Block Five (repeating a pattern from the previous series' schedule). Director Graeme Harper is now editing his episodes, Episode 1's final mix took place on Friday 6 January, and Episode 4's incidental music and special effects were due to be completed by Friday 20 January.

Meanwhile, the first four editions of the second series of Doctor Who Confidential, BBC Three's accompanying documentary series, now have titles, and DWM confirms that these are 'New New Doctor', 'Fear Factor', Friends Reunited' and 'From Script to Screen'.

Finally, the magazine confirms that there will be a second series of 'vanilla' (meaning no extras) DVD releases this year, this year broken into five volumes... the first one will feature "The Christmas Invasion" and "New Earth," with the other four featuring three episodes each. The series will follow the same pattern as last year's Series One releases, with a boxed set with extra features in the autumn.

For more, including the latest Production Notes column and additional information, pick up the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine (#366), on newsstands today.

Last night the annual Radio Times Covers Party, a celebration of the magazine's cover stars over the previous year, was held at the Savoy. Hosted by Graham Norton, the party was accordingly attended by Stephen Fry, Ricky Gervais, Sir Bob Geldof, Dame Vera Lynn, Charles Dance and Dame Helen Mirren, as well as many Doctor Who personalities. With Doctor Who having such a strong presence in the magazine over the last year, we're told it was no great surprise to find that David Tennant, Billie Piperand Russell T Davies were all in attendance, although David appeared on stage to collect a "Casanova" framed cover. Apparently, one surprise came when Russell went up to collect his cover... the lights dimmed and a Dalek appeared from the wings, crossed the floor and threatened him. (The Dalek, we are told, was probably a genuine BBC model and that Nicholas Briggs was in attendance providing the voice.) The Dalek became a key (and popular) prop for official Radio Times photograph sessions. David, Billie and Russell were all snapped; no doubt a selection of the pictures will appear in print for a future issue.