The BBC have released a behind-the-scenes confidentialette on the making of tonight's episode, Hide, cast and crew interviews undertaken during the filming of the episode, and also featuring Steven Moffat. There is also a an introduction to the episode by Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman, and some preview clips for those who haven't seen the episode itself yet(!).

The Next Time trailer for Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS is also now available to watch.

The Doctor Who Appreciation Society is currently running a charity auction in aid of Blood Cancer Research:


The full list of items that are available can be found via DWAS's eBay auction page.

Sunday 21st April sees the broadcast of two four-part Tom Baker stories, Pyramids of Mars (1975) and The Hand of Fear (1976), on Australian and New Zealand television. The two stories, screened back-to-back, are the 15th and 16th instalments in the 50th Anniversary season of Doctor Who stories on the UKTV channel.

The stories are scheduled in New Zealand at 2:15pm and 4:00pm, and in Australia at 2:30pm and 4:30pm respectively. New Zealand has additional screenings on Monday 22nd April at 2:20am and 4:05am.

The two stories were both first broadcast in Australia in 1978. New Zealand also saw Pyramids of Mars in 1978, but The Hand of Fear first screened in 1979.

The UKTV billing describes the stories as follows:
UKTV is showing stories throughout the year in the lead-up to the anniversary in November. Pyramids of Mars and The Hand of Fear are the third and fourth in a set of six stories featuring Tom Baker's Doctor broadcast during April.

The schedule of upcoming stories includes: The Robots of Death and City of Death (28th April), Kinda (5 May), Earthshock and Snakedance (12 May), Frontios and Resurrection of the Daleks (19 May), The Caves of Androzani (26 May).

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.

Full ratings data for the week ending 7th April 2013 is now available and puts Doctor Who: The Rings of Akhaten as the sixteenth most watched programme in the UK for the week.

The episode achieved 7.45 million viewers had 34.8% share of the available Television audience.

On BBC One, Doctor Who was the sixth most watched programme of the week, behind EastEnders and Jonathan Creek.

On ITV five episodes of Coronation Street took the top five places with Broadchurch and Ant and Dec's Saturday Takeaway getting into the top ten.

The title for the concluding episode of Series 7 has been revealed this morning with the release of accompanying movie posters in both landscape and portrait formats.

Written by Steven Moffat and directed by Saul Metzstein, the story is called The Name of the Doctor, with the posters also carrying the teaser line "His Secret Revealed" and confirming that Alex Kingston will be guest-starring in the story.

The episode is scheduled to air on BBC One on Saturday 18th May at a time yet to be confirmed.


Posters for the preceding three episodes were revealed yesterday.

The BBC have now released the "movie" posters for the forthcoming stories Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS, The Crimson Horror and Nightmare in Silver:


At the time of writing the series finale is currently being kept well under wraps (but was to be revealed the following day!).

The BBC have announced the summer line-up for this year's BBC Proms, which will once again feature performances dedicated to Doctor Who:


The prom is to be performed twice, with "Prom 2" taking place on Saturday 13th July from 7:30pm (tickets start from £14), and "Prom 3" the following Sunday morning at 10:30am (tickets at £12, restricted to maximum of six per booking). Booking for the Proms season opens on the 11th May.

The proms will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, and also recorded for broadcast on BBC One.

Since the original announcement earlier in the year, the schedule for DVD releases in the United Kingdom has altered slightly, with some titles pushed back further in the year. The stories currently listed are: The Visitation (SE) (6 May), Inferno SE (27 May), The Mind of Evil (3 Jun), Spearhead from Space (Blu-ray, 15 Jul), The Green Death (SE) (5 Aug), The Ice Warriors (26 Aug), Scream of the Shalka (16 Sep), and Terror of the Zygons (30 Sep).

In addition, the British Video Association lists the following titles under the umbrella theme of The Monster Collection, all currently cited for the 8th July: Cybermen, Davros, Silurians, Sontarans, The Daleks and The Master.

The schedule may well change again in the coming months, but BBC Worldwide have confirmed this week that Inferno (full release details here) is still planned for release at the end of next month.

(Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed the absence of the "Regeneration" boxed set from the lists above - as of writing though Amazon and the BBC Shop have it listed for the 10th June, the BVA have listed it as "pulled from schedule". BBC Worldwide have not currently released any further details about the set or its status.)

Series Seven classifications:

The BBFC have now classified episodes for the forthcoming Series Seven Part Two DVD boxed set: The Snowmen (59m51s), The Bells of Saint John (45m24s), The Rings of Akhaten (43m51s), Cold War (41m37s), Hide (44m51s), Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS (44m56s), The Crimson Horror (44m44s), and Nightmare in Silver (44m43s) have been passed, but as of writing the as-yet untitled series finale has yet to be listed. In addition, the 43 minute feature The Companions has also been passed as additional content in the set.

Coming Soon:

Coming Soon trailers have been passed for the Blu-ray edition of Spearhead from Space, and for the animation-enhanced DVD release of The Moonbase - the latter previously listed for release in the United States.

Stamps issued in the UK last month to mark the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who have proved phenomenally successful and today Doctor Who News is pleased to launch a competition that will see one lucky person win framed sets of them, courtesy of Royal Mail.

Each of the 11 TV Doctors was represented on his own first-class stamp, and a five-stamp mini-sheet comprising a first-class stamp of the TARDIS and four second-class stamps of enemies – a Dalek, Cyberman, Ood, and Weeping Angel – was also produced. Royal Mail reportedly received more than three times the usual number of pre-registrations for the first-class set, such was the interest in them.

Various items are still available via the Royal Mail shop, including framed sets of both lots of stamps. Together, the framed commemorative sets would cost £60 (plus postage and packing), but we have one of each up for grabs. Please note that because of the bulky and fragile nature of the prize, this contest is only open to UK residents. To be in with a chance of winning the sets, correctly answer the following question: Please send your answer to stamps-competition@doctorwhonews.net using the subject line "The Doctor gets licked". Your entry should also have your full name and postal address including postcode. In addition, please say where you saw this competition. The contest closes at 11.59pm BST on Wednesday 24th April. One winner will then be chosen at random from all the correct entries received and their prize sent to them by Royal Mail.

UPDATE - 28th April: This competition is now closed. Any entries received after the cut-off point stated above will be disregarded.

Peter Cushing stamp:

Yesterday saw the film and TV actor Peter Cushing, who played Dr Who in the two 1960s Dalek films, achieve a special status by appearing on a UK first-class stamp.

Depicted as Sherlock Holmes, whom he portrayed on both the silver screen and TV, he is part of the Great Britons set, which has been released by Royal Mail.

Cushing also achieved fame among sci-fi fans for his role as the villainous Grand Moff Tarkin in the first Star Wars film to be released, while in the horror world he was synonymous with both the sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire-hunter Dr Van Helsing.

The Great Britons set celebrates the 100th or 150th birth anniversaries of distinguished individuals from sport, journalism, music, politics, and the arts. This year is the centenary of Cushing's birth. He died in August 1994 at the age of 81.

The other luminaries honoured in the set are photographer Norman Parkinson, actress Vivien Leigh, prime minister David Lloyd George, cookery writer Elizabeth David, politician John Archer (the first person of African descent to be elected to British public office), composer Benjamin Britten, football manager Bill Shankly, broadcaster Richard Dimbleby, and palaeoanthropologist Mary Leakey.

The Doctor Who-themed comedy stage show Who, Me is to be performed at festivals Down Under to mark the programme's 50th anniversary.

Rob Lloyd originally staged the show - which sees the programme put on trial - to full houses at the Melbourne Fringe Festival in 2011. He subsequently had similar sell-out success at the 2011 Armageddon Cultural Expo in Melbourne, the 2012 Adelaide Fringe Festival, and the 2012 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, as well as both the Whovention: Gold convention in Sydney and Lords of Time convention in Melbourne this year. Now he is to perform it not only in Australia but New Zealand as well.

Lloyd describes the production as "a show about obsession and its many faces", with himself (Fan Number One) investigating whether the TV programme is guilty of inciting in him a debilitating obsession or whether it has shaped him into a well-rounded, mentally-sound member of society.

It starts in Australia at the Sydney Comedy Festival (30th April to 4th May), then transfers to Auckland for the New Zealand International Comedy Festival (7th to 11th May), before returning to Australia for the Perth International Comedy Festival (15th to 18th May).