Another casting news item: Bruno Langley, who played gay teenager Todd Grimshaw on the long-running ITV soap "Coronation Street," will be featured in the new series playing a "mysterious character called Adam," according to today's The Sun. The Sun quotes a 'BBC insider' as saying, "Bruno will be a recurring charcater towards the end of the series. No one is sure yet if Adam is good or bad. Bruno is really chuffed. It's a great break so soon after he left Corrie." It also speculates that Adam could be another love interest for Rose Tyler. The BBC Children's Newsround also reported the story today, noting that he would appear in "an episode" of the new Doctor Who series, not multiple episodes. (Thanks to Paul Hayes, Justin Thomas)

An interview with John Barrowman, who plays the mysterious character of "Captain Jack" in the forthcoming first series of Doctor Who next year, appeared in last week's October edition of Gay Times in the UK. The interview mentions his forthcoming appearance in the same way a few other clues have happened, as more than a simple guest role. "Next year will see him appearing in the BBC's new series of Doctor Who, as the Doctor's male assistant opposite Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper. 'It's a dream come true for me because I watched Doctor Who as a kid in Scotland, and used to catch all the marathons on public TV in the States. When I got the news from my agent, I just stood in the street screaming. I mean... I'll be inside the Tardis!'" (Thanks to Chris Winwood)

According to a report in today's "Independent," and now confirmed on the official site, actor Simon Callow will be playing the role of Charles Dickens in an episode of the new series set in Victorian times. "To be honest," Callow told the Independent, "when they sent me the script, my heart sank. As I know all about Dickens, I can say with authority that most attempts to put him on screen are awful - and there are a lot of them. But this script, by Russell T Davis [sic], who wrote Queer as Folk, is fantastic." Davies told BBCi, "It's wonderful to welcome an actor of Simon Callow's calibre on board the TARDIS. As soon as the words 'Charles Dickens' first appeared in Mark Gatiss's clever, scary, inventive script, then we knew there was only one actor we wanted to approach. We're genuinely honoured that Simon has accepted, and I know that Chris and Billie are delighted too. This sets the standard for a Doctor Who with wonderful casts, exciting scripts and the highest production values." Callow's many roles include such films as "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Amadeus," "Shakespeare in Love," "James and the Giant Peach" and the forthcoming adaptation of "The Phantom of the Opera." (Thanks to everyone who caught the Independent report this morning and let us know...)

Please note: A few people have asked us why we posted this since they believe it is a spoiler. Outpost Gallifrey does not consider major casting developments (or the characters they play), or indeed any major developments, spoilers if they are widely reported in the mass media, newspapers or such places as BBCi. Knowing Callow plays Charles Dickens tells you nothing specific about the story. Thank you.

Actor Navin Chowdhry will appear in the new series, according to an interview in last weekend's Sunday Express magazine; he began filming yesterday (September 1) for two weeks. Chowdhry is familiar to TV audiences as Kurt McKenna on "Teachers"; he also plays Ralph in "NY-LON," the seven part series that just began on Channel 4 directed by Keith Boak (the new series' first-block director). At right is a small press photo. According to sources, Chowdhry plays a government official in the "Aliens of London" story currently filming. There are rumors, meanwhile, that actor Ruper Vansittart (who played Lord Ashfordly in "Heartbeat") will also be appearing as an alien leader, and that Mark Benton (Johnny Tyler in Russell T Davies' "The Second Coming") will feature in one episode. (Thanks to "the Comic Guru")

John Barrowman, confirmed as one of the actors in the new Doctor Who series, spent time on Richard Bacon's late-night chat show on BBC Radio Five over the weekend and was asked about his pending appearance on the show. Barrowman was initially very cautious when being quizzed by Bacon, refusing to say even what length his hair would be, but he did finally relate that he wouldn't start filming until November and that his character was "something of an intergalactic rogue" who would become a companion to the Doctor. We should add that this isn't confirmation that his role -- known only as Captain Jack -- will be a traditional "companion" but will certainly have time with the Doctor and Rose late in the season. (Thanks to Mark Gardiner)

According to today's BBC press release about the return of the Daleks (see below), in addition to the three names we've already mentioned as cast in the new series -- Camille Coduri, Noel Clarke and John Barrowman -- two new ones appeared: Penelope Wilton and Annette Badland. Penelope Wilton (at right, left side) is the former wife of actor Ian Holm ("Lord of the Rings") and has starred in the films "Cry Freedom," "The French Lieutenant's Woman," "Blame it On the Bellboy," "Calendar Girls," "Pride and Prejudice" and "Clockwise". She's also played Simon Pegg's mother in "Shaun of the Dead," and on television, starred in "Ever Decreasing Circles" alongside Richard Briers, the BBC telefilm "The Borrowers," "Victoria and Albert," "The Tales of Beatrix Potter," "Tom's Midnight Garden," and with new series producer Russell T Davies in "Bob and Rose". Wilton was given the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth in 2004. Her IMDb profile is here. Annette Badland (at right, right side) is a character actress with extensive television credits including "Poirot," "Jackanory," "Holby City," "All Creatures Great and Small," "Casualty" and "Doctors," as well as roles in "Secret Society," "Little Voice," "Beautiful People," "Hollow Reed," "Out of Order" and "Sacred Hearts"; you might remember her from the small part of Griselda Fishfinger in Terry Gilliam's "Jabberwocky". Her IMDb profile is here.

According to her website, Camille Coduri, who plays Rose's mother Jackie in the new Doctor Who series (as we noted in yesterday's news column), will be in six out of the thirteen episodes of the first season (yet again confirming that many of the stories of the first year are interlinked). Says her site, "Camille is thrilled to be appearing in the re-launch of the popular family science fiction show, which originally ran from 1963 to 1989 on BBC TV. She says she is 'having a brilliant time' and that working on the show is 'so exciting.'"

Outpost Gallifrey has learned that the role of Jackie, the mother of companion Rose Tyler, will be played by actress Camille Coduri. Coduri has a varied acting career including "A Touch of Frost," "Famous Five," "Rumpole of the Bailey," "Nuns on the Run" and "A Prayer for the Dying". You can read her IMDb profile here.

File this in the "rumor" category: we've heard from sources that actor John Barrowman, currently starring in "Anything Goes" at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, has been cast in the new series as a character named "Captain Jack". This isn't the first report of a character by that name that we've heard, so we're bringing you the story - a rumor until you hear otherwise. (Thanks to "Ian")

BBC News political editor Andrew Marr has a cameo appearance in the new series, according to a report that Marr himself wrote for today's Daily Telegraph entitled "Three reasons why the Daleks didn't get Blair"; click on the link to read the article. (Thanks to Matthew Kilburn)