An official Doctor Who online store has been launched in Australia by BBC Worldwide.

Offering more than 400 products and with free delivery across the country, the BBC Worldwide Australia e-commerce site will also have new and exclusive products added to it as soon as they become available.

Items currently include gadgets from vortex manipulators to a nano-recorder injector, clothing from Dalek and TARDIS bathrobes to the Fourth Doctor's 12ft scarf, toys including a talking plush TARDIS, an inflatable Dalek, action figures, and the Adipose stress toy, as well as DVDs.

Other features of the site include the ability to search products by Doctor as well as price bracket, recommendations based on browsing, and the opportunity to sign up to a Doctor Who newsletter. An express delivery service is also available.

The launch of the e-commerce site follows last month's success of the Doctor Who pop-up shop in Newtown, Sydney, which BBC Worldwide said saw fans lining up for more than three hours for the opening day on 9th May. It closed after 25 days, with a lot of the products selling out. Now many of those products are on the new online store.

BBC Worldwide ANZ partnered with C8 Group for the fulfilment operations and customer service. It also designed and built the site in collaboration with C8 Digital.

Elie Mansour, BBC Worldwide ANZ's manager for licensed consumer products, said: Laurie Macolino, the director of C8 Group, added:

Sunday 9th June sees the broadcast of the 1985 Colin Baker story, Vengeance on Varos on Australian and New Zealand television. The story is presented as part of the 50th Anniversary season of Doctor Who on the UKTV channel.

The story screens at 4:30pm in both countries. New Zealand has an additional screening on Monday 10th June at 4:45am.


The UKTV billing describes Vengeance on Varos as follows:

Seeking the rare mineral Zeiton-7 to repair his TARDIS, the Doctor arrives on Varos, a world where political prisoners & their guards are all subjected to sadistic tortures.

Vengeance on Varos was first broadcast in Australia in 1985. New Zealand did not get to see it until 1989. The story was originally screened in Britain as two 45-minute episodes, but was first broadcast in Australia and New Zealand in four parts. The UKTV transmission will feature the two-episode version of the story.

UKTV is showing stories throughout the year in the lead-up to the anniversary in November. Colin Baker's sixth Doctor is the focus of the stories screened during June. The remainder of the schedule includes: The Mark of the Rani (16 June), The Two Doctors (23 June), Revelation of the Daleks (30 June).

Up-and-coming broadcasts from both 20th and 21st Century series of Doctor Who can be found via UKTV's Doctor Who sections for Australia and New Zealand.

(Note: An earlier version of this article reported that New Zealand would receive another showing of Attack of the Cybermen on 9th June. Although the story appeared on the UKTV schedule, it was not screened. Instead the episodes Bad Wolf and The Parting of the Ways were shown.)

Bernard Cribbins will be a guest of Graham Norton on his BBC Radio 2 show on Saturday 8th June.

The veteran actor, who latterly played Wilfred Mott during the Tenth Doctor era but whose link with the show stretches back to 1966 and the film Daleks - Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D., will be talking about both Dalek films of the '60s, which have recently been released on Blu-ray. Cribbins has the unique distinction of being the only actor to have appeared with the Daleks in both the cinema and TV versions of the show.

He is the latest Doctor Who-related guest on the radio programme this year to mark Doctor Who's 50th anniversary and questions - to do with Doctor Who or not - can be submitted via graham.norton@bbc.co.uk

The radio show runs from 10am to 1pm and Cribbins is scheduled to be on air at 12.30pm, but the running order is subject to change. The programme should be available to listen to worldwide via the BBC iPlayer.

UPDATE - SUNDAY 9th JUNE: The interview - which lasts more than 18 minutes - is currently available to listen to via this link. In it, Cribbins reveals there is to be a second series of his CBeebies story-telling show Old Jack's Boat, which also featured fellow former companion actor Freema Agyeman in the first series. In addition, hints are dropped about the radio show marking Doctor Who's 50th anniversary in some way, and Norton pledges that they will involve Cribbins in it.

The writer of the sixth in the Puffin Books series of e-books has been revealed as Richelle Mead, best-selling author of Vampire Academy, Bloodlines, and Age of X series.


Richelle Mead's love of fantasy and science-fiction began at an early age when her father read her Greek mythology and her brothers made her watch Flash Gordon. She went on to study folklore and religion at the University of Michigan, and, when not writing, Richelle spends her time drinking lots of coffee, keeping up with reality TV, and collecting 1980s T-shirts. Richelle lives with her family in Seattle in the USA.

Mead commented:

A video of the author will be released on YouTube by BBC Worldwide later in the month, with the book itself coming out on the 23rd June. You can also read an extract from the book via the Guardian.


The author can be found online via her website www.richellemead.com or on Twitter at @richellemead.

Germany will become the latest country to enjoy the latest series of Doctor Who, with entertainment channel FOX premiering "Series Seven Part Two" on Wednesdays at 8:15pm, kicking off on Wednesday 12th June with Die Glocken von Saint John. The episode will also be repeated later in the evening at 1:15am and Sundays at 8:15pm.


The series will be preceded by an evening of repeats of the first half of the series this coming weekend, with Der Dalek in Dir at 8:15pm, Dinos Im All at 9:05pm, Wilder Westen at 9:55pm, Zusammengewürfelt at 10:40pm and Die Macht Des Wortes at 11:25pm. The evening is finished off with the 2012 Christmas Special, Die Schneemänner at 12:10am.

Further details can be found from the FOX website and This Week in Doctor Who.

The question over who would take on Doctor Who's visual effects in the future was answered today with the announcement of a new company formed by the same creative team that worked on the show's previous series. Milk's founders are Nick Drew (Managing Director and Executive Producer), with Visual Effects Supervisors Jean-Claude Deguara and Nico Hernandez (also joint Heads of 3D), Sara Bennett (also Head of 2D), and Murray Barber, with Executive Producer and overall CEO of the company being a name and face familiar to fans through Doctor Who Confidential, Will Cohen.

Cohen released a statement about the company's aim:

As mentioned above, Doctor Who will be one of the first customers for the new effects company, with work being undertaken on the 3D 50th Anniversary Special. The company is also working on Steven Moffat's eagerly anticipated third series of Sherlock, and a new BBC One mini-series Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (due to be broadcast in 2014).

A showreel of their previous work can be viewed on the company's website.

Doctor Who Adventures is returning to a fortnightly publication schedule this week, with the option to subscribe being dropped as well.

It comes just two months after a relaunch for the magazine and follows a slight rise in circulation.

In a statement to Doctor Who News today, publisher Immediate Media Co said: Any subscribers owed money will receive refunds, added a spokeswoman for Immediate Media.

DWA began life as a fortnightly magazine in 2006, becoming a weekly in 2008.

Issue 322 - the first of the new fortnightly editions - has a time-traveller's notebook and pen as its free gift, with the features including Jenna-Louise Coleman spilling on-set secrets, plus there's the chance to win a VIP trip to the Doctor Who Experience.

As expected, bookmakers have begun the process of offering odds on who will take on the role of the Doctor after Matt Smith hangs up his bow-tie at Christmas.

Early Sunday morning forecasts from William Hill placed the former Midshipman Frame Russell Tovey and Harry Potter star Rupert Grint as initial favourites at 10-1, with Hobbit and Sherlock star Martin Freeman next at 12-1. As one might expect the usual suspects were also present, with stars such as David Morrissey at 16-1, Paterson Joseph at 20-1, plus Alan Davies and James Nesbitt at 25-1. The favourite female contender was Billie Piper at 16-1, followed by Tilda Swinton at 20-1, and both 2013 BAFTA multi-award winner Olivia Colman and Jonathan Creek co-star (and audio 8th Doctor companion) Sheridan Smith at 25-1. More eccentric choices included footballer David Beckham, reality talent producer Simon Cowell and actor Tom Cruise at 250-1, plus footballer John Terry at 500-1.

Meanwhile Sky-Bet offered up a similar selection. Their top names included Damien Molony at 8-1, David Harewood, James Frain and Russell Tovey at 10-1, and others such as Rupert Grint, Olivia Coleman and Merlin star Colin Morgan at 20-1, Miranda Hart at 40-1, Patterson Joseph at 50-1, plus the return of David Tennant at 33-1! Also to be found on their list was Sherlock aka Benedict Cumberbatch at 40-1.

By Sunday evening, however, there was a clear leader in the form of Law & Order UK star Ben Daniels, appearing as favourite for Sky-Bet, Paddy Power, and Coral at 6-1, and with Betfair at 37-19. Other popular names included Chiwetel Ejiofor (Sky-Bet/Coral/Paddy-Power at 8-1), Russell Tovey (Coral at 8-1, Paddy-Power at 9-1, Sky-Bet/Betfair/William Hill's favourite at 10-1), and Skyfall's Rory Kinnear (Betfair at 41/9, Sky-Bet at 9-1, Paddy-Power at 11-1, Coral/William Hill at 12-1).

For a female acquisition of the TARDIS, William Hill offered 8-1 on this likelihood, with individual favourites being Billie Piper (William Hill, 16-1), Olivia Colman (Coral, 14-1, Paddy-Power, 20-1), Helen Mirren (Betfair, 27-1), and Miranda Hart (Sky-Bet, 50-1).

Whether additional contenders will challenge the current favourites remains to be seen as the week progresses.

The BBC have announced that Matt Smith is to relinquish the role of the Doctor at the end of the year, once filming has completed on the Christmas Special.

In a press release, the actor reflected:

Head writer Steven Moffat said:

Some tributes to Matt's tenure as the Doctor on Twitter include: Nicola Bryant (Peri) - "I'm sad that Matt Smith is leaving. I've loved his Doctor. I wish him and thank him for his time. :)"; Yee Jee Tso (Chang Lee) - "YeeJeeTso for the next Doctor!” Ha! It'd be fun... but I'd never be able to fill those shoes!"; Caitlin Blackwood (Amelia) - "Oh my Gosh. I'm a little upset that Matt smith is leaving doctor who..."; Mark Gatiss (writer) - "Desperately sorry to see Matt Smith go. A truly wonderful Doctor Who, a gifted actor & a lovely man. It's the end. But ( altogether now!)..."; Neil Gaiman (writer) - "thank you, Matt Smith. It was an honour and a delight to write scripts for you: you never did what I expected."; James Moran (writer) - "Anyway. End of an era. Start of a new one. It's why we love the show- laughs, tears, surprises. Also: explosions!"; Gareth Roberts (writer) - "Very sad Matt Smith will depart from Doctor Who. A brilliant actor and a good man."; Nicholas Pegg (actor) - "Matt Smith is a terrific actor, and a lovely, kind, funny, generous, considerate man. Always a pleasure to threaten him with extermination."; Barnaby Edwards (actor) - "Farewell, Matt. You were a joy to work with and a wonder to watch. Thanks for all the good times."; Tom Spilsbury (DWM editor) - "I am very sad to see Matt Smith leave. He has been a brilliant Doctor Who, as well as being a kind and generous man. Thanks from all at DWM."; Edward Russell (brand manager) - "It feels impossible to think that anyone could be as good as Matt. Still, I thought that when David left."


The news will of course generate a lot of media interest, with many of the Sunday newspapers commencing their speculation as to who the next person to play the Doctor will be (with front pages coverage by the Times, Mail and Star). It is also expected that bookmakers will begin offering odds for Smith's replacement imminently!

Lizo Mzimba presented an item on Matt's tenure during BBC One's news bulletin at 10:30pm (available in the UK via the BBC News site), whilst BBC Breakfast is expected to have an item on the news in the morning, with Doctor Who Magazine's editor Tom Spilsbury reporting on Twitter that he will appear on the programme.

Based on these final figures, The Name of the Doctor was the second highest rating ABC program of the day and the ninth highest rating program of the day overall (it was also the ninth highest rating program based on its overnight figures of 812,000 viewers). These ratings do not include regional viewers.