Today's news round-up begins and ends with CBBC's Newsround. Newsround's Lizo Mzimba was the first journalist to review "Voyage of the Damned". Mzimba says that David Tennant and Kylie Minogue "have great chemistry" and that the story as a whole, though "not a perfect episode", "beautifully juggles different elements ranging from tragedy to comedy."

Gareth McLean of The Guardian says that this year's offering is "the best of the three Christmas specials", but sniffs that Kylie is "blank and insipid". However, Nick Sketchfield of SFX calls Kylie's performance "unshowy but winning", and says that "Voyage of the Damned" is "the sixpence in the pudding, a perfect Christmas Day adventure that blends the disaster movie trappings of The Poseidon Adventure with the kind of madcap, quasi-2000 AD flavourings of those old Doctor Who Weekly comic strips."

There's one more video of David Tennant speaking at Tuesday night's premiere, this one from The Press and Journal. Speaking to Swansea's Evening Post, Russell T. Davies was full of praise for Tennant, saying, "He's literally Britain's finest actor. I honest to God think that, so when you're writing for him you want him to do anything and go anywhere, and he's capable of anything."

In a survey of young men sponsored by Zoo magazine, Tennant came third in a list of the 100 Coolest Men in Britain. He was behind musician Noel Gallagher and football (soccer) player Steven Gerrard, but ahead of James Bond actor Daniel Craig. John Simm came 51st. Simon Pegg and Peter Kaywere first and fourth respectively in Zoo's top five of funny blokes, while Ricky Gervais, who plays a Doctor Who extra/slug monster in the ExtrasChristmas special, was second in that particular poll. Pegg, Gervais and Kay came seventh, eight and 17th respectively in the Zoo poll to find the coolest bloke of 2007.

Kylie Minogue's involvement gets "Voyage of the Damned" column-inches from Australia's Nine News (which quotes one "Robert T. Davies") and The Sunalso has a story claiming that Madonna turned down an invitation to appear in Doctor Who as "The Last Cassandra". The item appears, appropriately enough, in the newspaper's "Bizarre" section, accompanied by a mock-up of Madonna as Cassandra. (Presumably the photo editors were bored with sticking celebrities' heads onto Davros' body.)

The Times reports that some Christian groups are upset at the use of religious iconography in "Voyage of the Damned". Only one such group is named: the evangelical organization Christian Voice, which previously objected to the BBC's broadcast of "Jerry Springer: The Opera". However, a Church of England spokesman dismissed the concern, saying, "Science fiction at its best helps to illuminate eternal themes, and that’s something the Church can happily work with."

One Doctor Who star who will be found in a church soon is Billie Piper. Piper, who has recently been in Wales filming for the return of Rose Tyler to Doctor Who, will marry actor Laurence Fox on New Year's Eve. The Midhurst and Petworth Observer reports that the two will wed at the parish church in the West Sussex village of Easebourne, where Piper owns a home. The Daily Mail notes that the reception will be held at a pub owned by Piper's ex-husband, Chris Evans.

And finally, we circle back to Newsround. The parents of George Baker, 10, have decorated his bedroom as the TARDIS console room -- complete with a rather impressive console. Fans of all ages can surely envy young Mr. Baker.

Thanks to "PMount" of the Doctor Who Forum and Paul McDermott.

This year's Doctor Who Christmas special, "Voyage of the Damned", had a star-studded premiere at London's Science Museum Tuesday night. David Tennant was in attendance, and as previously reported laughed off rumors that he was quitting the series. Kylie Minogue was reportedly in Japan, but Geoffrey Palmer, Clive Swift, Clive Rowe and Bernard Cribbins, all of whom appear in "Voyage", were present at the gala event.

Other Doctor Who actors attending the premiere included John Simm, Camille Coduri, Noel Clarke and Elisabeth Sladen, as well as past guest stars such as Michelle Collins and Tony Head. Celebrity guests included musician Nick Cave, broadcasterJo Whiley, comedy writer Richard Curtis, impressionist Jon Culshaw, journalist Andrew Marr, Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe and Labour Work and Pensions Secretary Peter Hain. Photos of the attendees can be seen at Getty Images,CBBC Newsround and Sky Showbiz.

The event was covered by a wide range of media. BBC News,CBBC Newsround, ITN News, The Blackpool Gazette andThe Bolton News all have video of the event. The premiere is also covered by (in no particular order) The Western News, The Daily Record, inthenews.co.uk, UPI, The Press Association, Sky Showbiz (twice), contactmusic.com,Total Sci Fi, Off the Telly, RTÉ, icWales and The Guardian. Many of these reports focus on Tennant's denial of the departure rumors; others highlight a kiss between the Doctor and Kylie Minogue's character, Astrid.

Finally, CBBC Newsround has a largely spoiler-free review of the Christmas special itself.

UPDATE: The Press Association UK has published more video from the launch and previously unseen clips from "Voyage of the Damned"; it can be seen onClipSyndicate.

Thanks to "PolyG" of the Doctor Who Forum.

At the premiere of "Voyage of the Damned" Tuesday evening, David Tennant dismissed speculation about how long he plans to stay on Doctor Who. Speaking about the Christmas 2008 special and three specials in 2009, he said, "I'm doing four more specials and beyond that no one's asked me to make any decisions and I'm quite happy to be enigmatic for as long as possible." Talk of Tennant's departure plans began Saturday whenCatherine Tate, speaking on Jonathan Ross's radio show, said that she thought that 2008 might be Tennant's last full series in the role of the Doctor.

"Catherine Tate stitched me up good and proper," said Tennant. "She goes on Jonathan Ross and makes up a load of old nonsense. Unbeknownst to me, she thinks I've made a decision - she'd clearly had too much coffee that morning. She said I was leaving, which was a decision I haven't made yet, maybe she's made it for me, but I'm going to keep people guessing for as long as possible."

Tennant continued, "I started getting all these phone calls on Saturday lunchtime saying apparently you're leaving Doctor Who. Catherine Tate's just announced it on Radio 2 - thanks Catherine! I said to her on Monday morning did you know you've caused a minor diplomatic incident? She was completely oblivious that the phone had been ringing off the hook."

Tennant's comments, as well as some spoilerish details about "Voyage of the Damned", can be found at BBC News andThe Blackpool Gazette. More details from the "Voyage of the Damned" press launch can be found at The Daily Telegraph, The Sun, The Sunderland Echo and The Daily Star.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail, Now Magazine and The West Australian are running with the Sun's story about Jennifer Saunders appearing as the Doctor in one episode.

UPDATED Wednesday 19 Dec: The late night Richard Bacon talk show on BBC Radio 5 Live has a report from the "Voyage of the Damned" preview. It includes an interview with Tennant in which he light-heartedly discusses Tate's comments about his future on Doctor Who: "It's a decision I've not been forced to make, so I'm just going to play my cards close to my chest as long as I can. Despite what Catherine might have you believe, I haven't made any decision about the next series yet."

To listen to the interview, go to this page and click on "Tuesday". The Doctor Who discussion begins approximately 1 hour 38 minutes into the program, and contains some spoilers for "Voyage of the Damned".

There is also a video piece on the premiere from BBC News available here, which includes clips from "Voyage of the Damned" and interview segments with Tennant. Speaking of his future on the programme, he says "It's a decision I haven't made yet... it's not a decision I've been asked to make yet, so I'm going to keep 'em guessing for as long as possible."

Thanks to "scheherezade" and "PolyG" of the Doctor Who Forum.

And the Doctor Who-related news keeps coming. CBBC Newsround has an interview with Russell T. Davies, in which the writer and producer talks about "Voyage of the Damned", "The Sarah Jane Adventures", the pre-watershed version of "Torchwood" and Series 4 of "Doctor Who". The Newsround site also has a gallery of photos from "Voyage of the Damned". Davies is also quoted in the Swansea Evening Post as calling the Christmas special "a great big disaster movie", speaking favorably of Kylie Minogue's guest-starring turn and saying that he'd love to have Judi Dench in Doctor Who.

Catherine Tate's comments about David Tennant's Doctor Who plans continue to be discussed; the story has been picked up by the Western Mail(Wales), RTÉ (Ireland) and the international news service UPI.

Apparently contradicting an earlier story in the Western Mail, the Daily Telegraph reports that the Character Group, parent company of Character Options, who make Doctor Who toys, has had slow sales this holiday season. Billie Piper's risqué ITV series "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" will air in the US on the Showtime cable network, reports Varietyand Entertainment Weekly.

And finally, an item about which readers can use their own judgment: The Sun claims that Jennifer Saunders of "Absolutely Fabulous" is in talks to play the Doctor for one episode after David Tennant leaves the part. Saunders' AbFab co-star Joanna Lumley played the Doctor briefly in the 1999 Comic Relief sketch "The Curse of Fatal Death".

The BBC's Doctor Who website has released a new trailer for the upcoming Christmas special, "Voyage of the Damned". It can be viewed by clicking on "14" in the site's Advent(ure) Calendar. UK viewers can also see the trailer on the BBC's YouTube page.

The same trailer has been playing in Odeon cinemas in the UK, before the film trailers. (DEC 15 UPDATE: A 40-second version of the cinema trailer has been added to the official website.)

Meanwhile, the current issue of the Radio Times (15-21 December 2007,not the Christmas double issue) lists Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned Christmas Preview to be broadcast tomorrow, Saturday 15 December, at the end of the 5.40-to-6pm BBC News.

In addition Saturday's edition of The Times features a behind the scenes article on the making of the Christmas Episode. Thanks to Dan Martin.

The official BBC Doctor Who website has announced that the forthcoming Christmas special, Voyage of the Damned, will be 71 minutes long - longer than either of the two previous festive episodes, and the longest single episode of the programme since its return in 2005.

The site confirms the start time for the episode - 6.50pm on BBC 1 on Christmas Day, Tuesday the 25th of December. The episode will also be repeated on New Year's Day at 2.15pm, and with in-vision signing for the deaf at 1.15am on December 27th.

The BBC have also revealed that a brand-new one-hour Doctor Who Confidential, listed as a Kylie Special, will be shown on BBC 3 on Christmas Day. The programme starts at 8.30pm and is to be repeated at 2:25am.

The 8-14 December issue of the BBC's Radio Times listings magazine is released today - on a Saturday rather than the regular Tuesday due to the magazine's publishing adjustment before Christmas, to allow their double Christmas issue to be on sale early in December.

The cover of this issue features David Tennant and Kylie Minogue in publicity for the forthcoming Doctor WhoChristmas special Voyage of the Damned, which is previewed within the magazine. This issue is often only available for a few days before the Christmas edition of the magazine is released, so be sure to snap up a copy while you can.

BBC One aired the first of its Christmas trailers this evening, between Strictly Come Dancing and Robin Hood, which presented a montage of clips for forthcoming shows in the yuletide season. Amongst the scenes were those of the Doctor, Astrid (Kylie Minogue), and the TARDIS in flight.

The countdown has truly begun!

The BBC Press Office has released information about the Doctor Who Christmas Special 2007.

Kylie Minogue steps back in time this festive season, as she joins Time Lord David Tennant for a spectacular Doctor Who Christmas Special set on board The Titanic.

At the end of the last series, viewers witnessed the [sic] The Titanic crash through the Tardis walls in spectacular style, and the action continues from that moment.

Kylie, who plays Astrid, a waitress on The Titanic, says: "It is an incredible thrill to be joining David and the entire Dr Who production for this year's Christmas special. Dr Who enjoys a unique history and it is going to be very exciting to be a part of that."

Two of Britain's best-loved sitcom actors, Geoffrey Palmer and Clive Swift, also feature in this Christmas episode.

Palmer, perhaps most famous for his roles in the long-running BBC series Butterflies and As Time Goes By, plays the role of Captain of The Titanic.

Kylie Minogue stars as Astrid, alongside David Tennant as The Doctor.

Voyage Of The Damned also features Gray O'Brien, who recently appeared in the Oscar-winning film The Queen; Debbie Chazen, star of the BBC comedy series The Smoking Room; Olivier Award-winner Clive Rowe; Russell Tovey, from the smash-hit film The History Boys; Jimmy Vee, who previously appeared in Doctor Who as the Moxx of Balhoon; and George Costigan, who starred in The Long Firm and the acclaimed film Rita, Sue And Bob Too.

Voyage of the Damned can be seen on BBC1 this Christmas.