Torchwood star Burn Gorman has been confirmed in the role of Bill Sikes in the upcoming West End production of Lionel Bart's Oliver!. Torchwood guest star Julian Bleach will also be appearing, as Mr Sowerberry.

Fagin is being played by Rowan Atkinson, who portrayed the Doctor in the 1999 Comic Relief spoof The Curse of Fatal Death, which was written bySteven Moffat.

Adding to the Torchwood element of the musical, John Barrowman was on the panel of judges for the BBC One showI'd Do Anything, which led to the selection of Jodie Prenger as Sikes's lover, Nancy.

Previews of Oliver!, which is being staged at London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane, begin on December 12. The opening night is January 14, 2009.

Thanks to Silent Hunter. Additional reporting by John Bowman.

Tickets are selling fast for the Royal Shakespeare Company's production ofHamlet staring David Tennant in the title role and Patrick Stewart as Claudius.

The season, which runs from 24 July until 15 November 2008, at the Courtyard Theatre, is almost sold out before rehearsals have even begun. The websiteseatchoice.comreports that the show is the fourth hottest ticket in the United Kingdom, beating West End blockbusters such as Hairspray.

Hamlet is penciled in for a London run following the season in Stratford.

David Tennant discussed his role in the production with Jonathan Ross on BBC Radio 2 last Saturday. The interview can be heard on a Podcast and on the Radio iPlayer. The interview contains spoilers for the 2008 Christmas episode.

Tennant will also be a guest on The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday 8th June.

Thanks to Daniel Smith

After winning a Sony award for The Chain Gang, his serial for BBC7, Robert Shearman (DALEK, The Chimes of Midnight) has been nominated for two major awards for his short story collection Tiny Deaths.

He's on the shortlist for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize, awarded in July, one of the highest honors in the UK for single author collections. Last year's nominees included Neil Gaiman.

Tiny Deaths is also longlisted for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Prize, the highest prize in the world for the form, which will be announced in September. Press releases for both make great mention of Shearman's work on Doctor Who, and his dealings with Daleks!

Steven Moffat has given his first full-length interview since being announced as the next lead writer and executive producer of Doctor Who to the new issue of Big Issue Scotland, the weekly magazine sold by the homeless in Scotland.

In the interview, Moffat admits that he had to think hard about whether to accept the role, comparing his replacing Russell T Davies with fellow Scot Gordon Brown succeeding Tony Blair as Prime Minister.

"You wouldn’t immediately say yes to that job. You imagine that you would say yes immediately, but it’s a huge job and you have to think about it," he tells the magazine. "I was kind of the other contender, which puts me sort of in the position of Gordon Brown. And look how that turned out. The surly Scot comes in and it all goes to ******."

The full interview is available in Big Issue Scotland, on sale now across Scotland.

Posted By John Bowman

Freema Agyeman is to star in the BBC's remake of the Terry Nation series Survivors.

According to the BBC Press Office, filming for the action adventure drama is currently taking place in Manchester and will continue until September for an autumn 2008 transmission on BBC One.

The Doctor Who and Torchwood star is playing the role of primary school teacher Jenny Collins.

The original BBC show ran for three series from 1975 to 1977 and the remake reimagines some of the original characters. Based on the character synopsis, it seems likely that Agyeman's role is a reimagining of the character of Jenny Richards (originally played by Lucy Fleming).

Also appearing in it are Shaun Dingwall, who played Rose Tyler's father, Pete, and the parallel-universe Pete Tyler, as well as Paterson Joseph, who portrayed Rodrick in Bad Wolf and The Parting of the Ways.

BBC Drama Productions acquired the rights to develop the series from the Terry Nation estate last year. The writer and co-executive producer is Adrian Hodges, who wrote the screenplays for The Ruby In The Smoke and The Shadow In The North, both of which starred Billie Piper.

Earlier this month, it was announced that Agyeman had secured the role of Tattycoram in the BBC's television adaptation of Little Dorrit, by Charles Dickens, which is also to be broadcast on BBC One this autumn.

Posted By Brigadier Bill

In an interview with BBC NEWS Billie Piper talks about her return to Series Four of Doctor Who. Check out the link for more info but it does contain some minor spoilers.

"I wouldn't have missed this for anything," the 25-year-old told Doctor Who Magazine.

"It means so much to me, this show, and so do the people that make it, so I really wanted to be here for these final episodes."

Posted By John Bowman

Catherine Tate will be appearing in London's West End this summer in the play Under The Blue Sky.

It is being staged at The Duke of York's Theatre, in St Martin's Lane, from Tuesday, July 15 until Saturday, September 20.

The play, by David Eldridge, consists of three love stories that are connected subtly. Tate will be appearing with Francesca Annis, Lisa Dillon, Chris O'Dowd and Dominic Rowan.

Her previous theatre credits have included Some Girls at The Gielgud Theatre, with David Schwimmer, as well as The 24 Hour Plays at The Old Vic.

An investigation by the British broadcasting industry regulator OfCom has found that Doctor Who star Catherine Tate was unfairly denied the People's Choice Award at the 2005 British Comedy Awards, screened on the ITV network. The recipient of the award was to have been decided by a telephone vote from viewers.

BBC News reports that even though Tate won the most votes in the category, the prize was given to presenting duoAnt and Dec. This was done because pop star Robbie Williams had agreed to attend the ceremony and present a prize, but would only do so if it could be for Ant and Dec. As they had not won any of the jury-decided categories, it was decided that they should win the audience award to ensure Williams's attendance.

The Times quotes a spokesman for Tate as saying that the actress was an "innocent bystander" in the matter, and had no desire to comment. Ant and Dec have said that they will return their award, which will presumably now be given to Tate.

Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy will be playing the lead in Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado. The production opens at the Sheffield Theatre Lyceum following a successful run in the West End and features the Oscar-winning sets and costumes from Mike Leigh's film Topsy Turvy.

Starring alongside the Professor is Nichola McAuliffe, who will be reprising her role of Katisha from the West End run. McAuliffe previously appeared in Doctor Who as Vivien Rook in 2007's "The Sound of Drums" and was also the voice of James Bond's BMW in 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies.

Transporting you to the magnificent Japanese court of Titipu, this hilarious tale of love, marriage, executions and heroics brings to life some of Gilbert & Sullivan's most colourful and popular comic characters from Ko-Ko the Lord High Executioner, Pooh-Bah and Nanki-Poo, to the delightful three little maids.

The Mikado plays seven exclusive performances from Tuesday 27 May to Saturday 31 May, 2008. For more information, please visit http://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/

BBC Drama Production today announced the key cast for Little Dorrit, Andrew Davies' major adaptation of Dickens' novel, which will be broadcast on BBC One this autumn (date to be announced). Freema Agyeman, best known to audiences as Martha Jones from Doctor Who and Torchwood, has been cast as Tattycoram, the foundling companion of the Meagles' daughter Pet.

The Dorrit family are joined by a host of colourful characters who they encounter on their way from rags to riches in Dickensian society.

When the benevolent Arthur Clennam returns from overseas he is determined to solve the mystery of his father's dying words, "Put it right Arthur. Your mother. Put it right."

The 15-part drama series began filming last week (commencing 28 April 2008) and will film throughout the summer in locations in and around London, Buckinghamshire, Kent and Herefordshire.

Adapted by acclaimed writer Andrew Davies (Sense And Sensibility, Bleak House) Little Dorrit will play out in soap opera format with 14 half-hour episodes following an initial hour-long episode.

Kate Harwood, BBC Head of Series and Serials, says: "We are very proud to be presenting this wonderful line-up of cast who will be bringing to life one of Dickens' broadest range of characters in a gripping, witty and touching script by the inimitable Andrew Davies. Part-murder mystery, part-love story, and wholly entertaining, Little Dorrit promises to be an autumn treat."