Paul McGann will be attending the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, where he will be narrating Frank Hurley's documentary South on 14th July - the actor will be reading Ernest Shackleton's letters over the footage of his expedition to Antartica, accompanied by a musical score by Stephen Horne. The festival takes place between 12-15th July. [SFGate, 4 Jul 2012]

Karen Gillan is to star in the horror film Oculus in which she will play a woman who believes a haunted antique mirror was responsible for the death of her parents ten years earlier. The film is to be made in Alabama this autumn. [Deadline, 12 Jul 2012]

Broadcast's Hot 100 list this year includes writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, director James Hawes, and also Doctor Who/Torchwood guest stars Ruth Jones, Olivia Colman and Reggie Yates. Editor Lisa Campbell said: "Broadcast's Hot 100 reveals the leading lights in the worlds of TV, radio and multiplatform." [Broadcast, 5 Jul 2012]

John Barrowman has helped launch a new campaign by the Kaleidoscope Trust, which aims to draw attention to the human rights of people regardless of sexual orientation in places where it can be a crime. The Blue Eyed Freak campaign video highlights the injustice demonstrating the ridiculousness of social prejudice. [Kaleidoscope Trust, 3 Jul 2012]

The actor is also supporting the National Lottery Awards, an annual search to find the UK's favourite Lottery-funded projects: "So many lives are being changed by the unsung heroes working with National Lottery funding. The National Lottery Awards pay tribute to their selfless dedication. National Lottery players raise a massive £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. They should be proud that they are helping arts, sport, heritage and community groups near them. Now is the chance for everyone to vote for their local project so it gets national recognition." [Press Association, 10 Jul 2012]

PetNet have launched their publicly voted Celebrity Pet Owner Of The Year Awards, and its first Celebrity Dog Owner was well known canine lover Barrowman: "I'm delighted to receive this Award. My dogs play such an important role in my life and I am proud to promote responsible ownership. I will be donating my prize money to Dogs Trust. As their patron, I understand how incredibly hard they work to find new homes for stray and abandoned dogs." [PetNet, 9 Jul 2012]

Colin Baker reflected on recent comments he made about not wanting to be involved with a 50th Anniversary special: "I said it purely to irritate. ’Cos they’d all said: 'yeah yeah, I'd be interested' so to provoke a reaction I said: 'I wouldn't'. And nobody took me up on it! I thought they'd ask me why and I'd say: 'Well I might if they were nice to me', but I never got the opportunity. So it was a gag that fell like a lead lump and didn't go any further!". On an actual likelihood: "Do you know, it's not going to happen. They don't need us – the programme is doing extremely well without us. I suppose they could. And in theory, I'm neither for nor against it. There would be two big questions I would ask: The first is, is my Doctor going to get a fair crack of the whip in the story, and not be eclipsed by anybody else? Because you want parity. And the other one is, what vast fortune are you offering me? I'd be quite brutal about myself and say, if they offered me a million quid, I'd go on and say one line for them. If they offered me a tenner, I wouldn't." [Cambridge News, 6 Jul 2012]

Sue Perkins talks about childhood favourites: "Doctor Who. I'd scream and scream in terror at the brain of Morbius and Davros and all the other baddies, but I was compelled." [Radio Times, 14-20 Jul 2012]

Big Finish is to make a second series of Doctor Who audio spin-off Counter-Measures, it has announced.

The first series of four dramas is now available on CD and download and sees Simon Williams as Group Captain Gilmore, Pamela Salem as Rachel Jensen, and Karen Gledhill as Allison Williams reprising their roles from Remembrance of the Daleks. They are joined by Hugh Ross as Toby Kinsella.

Counter-Measures is set in 1964 and centres on the titular specialist organisation that is charged with investigating strange phenomena and dangerous new science.

The hour-long episodes have been written by Paul Finch, Matt Fitton, Ian Potter, and Justin Richards. The series is produced by David Richardson, script-edited by John Dorney, and directed by Ken Bentley.

The five-disc box set also includes an hour-long documentary that goes behind the scenes with the cast and crew.

Richardson said: Series 2 - again comprising four episodes - will be released in July 2013 and is available for pre-order at a discount price.

The universal remote control based on the Eleventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver will be available to buy in the UK from Friday 31st August, the BBC announced today.

As previously reported, the device, pictured here from the side and front, has been developed by BBC Worldwide in conjunction with The Wand Company.

The high-quality metal replica of the Mark VII sonic screwdriver is a gesture-based remote control that uses infra-red technology to manipulate almost all home-entertainment systems - from TVs and iPod docks to DVD/Blu-ray players and beyond.

With a green flashing tip and four modes – including a practice mode – and three memory banks, a total of 39 commands can be stored, giving users the option of operating multiple home-entertainment devices.

The sonic screwdriver universal remote control works via a series of 13 short gestures, such as rotating, flicking, or tapping, and a guided set-up procedure uses spoken prompts to match gestures to commands learnt from existing remote controls. In addition, the FX operational mode has a range of authentic vintage Doctor Who sound effects, while an in-built security setting comprising a three-digit PIN will prevent unauthorised use of the device.

UPDATE (7pm): A BBC spokeswoman told Doctor Who News that the remote control will be available to pre-order in the UK from the BBC Shop (coming soon), Firebox, and Forbidden Planet. DWN understands that the product will be available in the USA via the BBC America Shop and ThinkGeek from September.

Matt Smith has been made patron of the National Youth Theatre, it was announced today.

He joined the NYT in 2002 and during his time there was lauded for his portrayal of Archbishop Thomas Becket in T S Eliot's Murder In The Cathedral, as well as that of Fagotto (Bassoon) in an adaptation by David Rudkin of The Master and Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgakov.

Visiting the NYT while a 140-strong cast rehearsed their Olympics and Paralympics team welcome ceremonies, pictured (click on image to expand), Smith told how being part of the NYT had transformed his life: He also spoke of his own Olympics involvement, having carried the flame in Cardiff in May: Paul Roseby, the NYT's artistic director and chief executive, who knew Smith when he was at the NYT, said: Smith is no stranger to patronages. Earlier this year, he was made patron of the Young Writers' Festival at the Royal Court Theatre in London.

Previous NYT members have also included Catherine Tate, Alex Kingston, Sir Derek Jacobi, Timothy Dalton, Hugh Bonneville, and David Walliams.

The shortlist for this year's TV Choice Awards has been announced, with Doctor Who making it through to the final cut in the three categories for which it had originally been nominated.

The show is up for Best Family Drama against Glee, Merlin, and Waterloo Road. The Sarah Jane Adventures had been included in the initial round but didn't get enough votes to make the shortlist.

Matt Smith goes head to head with Martin Clunes, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Colin Morgan for Best Actor - a category that had also included Mad Dogs stars John Simm and Marc Warren in the qualifying round - while Karen Gillan will be pitted against Miranda Hart, Jaye Jacobs, and Freya Mavor for Best Actress, with Freema Agyeman, star of Law and Order: UK, falling by the wayside following the first round of voting.

Torchwood: Miracle Day had been nominated for Best Drama Series in the opening round but failed to get any further, although Sherlock, co-created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, is a contender.

Voting in the shortlisted categories is open until midnight on Friday 13th July, with the winners being announced at a ceremony at The Dorchester in London on Monday 10th September.

Big Finish have announced their traditional Christmas special release for their regular Doctor Who subscribers. Night of the Stormcrow will feature Tom Baker and Louise Jameson as the Doctor and Leela, with guest cast including Ann Bell (who starred with Jameson in BBC's Tenko) as Professor Gesima Cazalet and Chase Masterson (from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) as Peggy Brooks.

Producer David Richardson said:

Night of the Stormcrow will be free to all subscribers to the main Doctor Who range whose subscription includes the December release 1001 Nights. It may also be requested by 12-release CD or download by main range subscribers as a free bonus story. It will be available to buy from December 2013.


Subscriptions to the range can be found via Big Finish website.

A poster from the second Dalek film fetched £425 when it was auctioned in London.

The quad poster promoting the 1966 movie Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. had been given an estimate of £300 to £400 in the run-up to the Entertainment Memorabilia sale held at Bonhams in Knightsbridge last Tuesday.

The auction also saw costumes from two David Tennant-era Doctor Who stories sell for sums above their estimates, while another Tennant-era one went for less.

Two Roboform costumes from The Runaway Bride, pictured below left, went for £1,000 (estimate: £400 to £500). One of the outfits is believed to have been worn by Tennant's Doctor as a disguise costume during the episode. A maid's costume from Tooth And Claw, pictured below centre, sold for £225 (estimate: £100 to £150), while a Slab guard costume from Smith and Jones, pictured below right, fetched £237 (estimate: £300 to £400).

The Wand Company is working with BBC Worldwide to develop an Eleventh Doctor-styled Sonic Screwdriver Universal Remote Control. The gesture-based remote will be able to be used on entertainment systems such as: televisions, DVD/Blue-ray players, and IPod docks. With gesture recognition technology, the device will be able to store up to thirty-nine remote control codes.

Company co-founder Chris Bernardo says of the product:

For more information on this product please visit Licensing.biz

John Barrowman has been named Rear of the Year in the annual Wizard Jeans poll, alongside Coronation Street's Shobna Gulati; Sally Allen of the company said: "John's rear is clearly admired on an international basis, judging by the number of fans who voted for him. No doubt his dancing prowess helps to keep him in tremendous shape." Barrowman expressed his own opinion on the announcement in a video via Twitter. [Metro, 27 Jun 2012]

The actor will also be appearing with co-host Myleene Klass at the Cooper Barrington Antiques and Collector's Sale on Friday 6th July; the pair have been working on the new series of BBC2's Antiques Road Trip, and were also recently spotted in Chepstow filming for the show. [Cooper Barrington; Mirror, 1 Jul 2012]

Arthur Darvill will be joining David Tennant and Olivia Colman in the new drama Broadchurch; the current Doctor Who co-star will feature as a priest in the series. Writer Chris Chibnall said: "Broadchurch focuses on a small British community which finds itself at the eye of a storm. In the wake of one boy's death, the residents of Broadchurch come under scrutiny and suspicion. It's a story of scale and intimacy, as the lives of the characters are laid bare." [Press Association, 2 Jul 2012]

Christopher Eccleston is currently appearing in BBC1 drama Blackout; the actor reflected on acting on the small screen to films: "There's a snobbishness about TV; some film actors, thank God, won't do television. Which is great! I've done feature films, but the best scripts I've ever had have been in television. When you're writing for film, you've got a wider canvas and you can concentrate on the visuals. With television, you really can't get away with that much." [Guardian, 27 Jun 2012]

Paul McGann admits that he hasn't watched the new series: "I don't have a television. No. So, I don't watch anything. But I know Matt Smith and I saw him the other day. It's in safe hands, the kid's obviously brilliant, a really, really good choice to take it on." The actor is due to appear in a couple of dramas on television, alongside Martin Clunes in A Mother's Son for ITV, and in Ripper Street for the BBC. Independent, 30 Jun 2012]

Andrew Garfield, star of the latest incarnation of Spiderman, reflects on his own association with Doctor Who: "The history of Doctor Who and the heritage and legacy of Doctor Who is huge; it was an honour to be a part of that show, absolutely. And I'm so happy that everyone is now seeing Matt Smith for the incredible actor and Doctor that he is. He's a friend of mine and I am so proud and happy of him - he is a tremendous actor and he's been put to fantastic use and giving so many people so much joy, god bless him. So, yeah, I'm honoured to be a part of that legacy." [Kermode and Mayo's Film Review, 22 Jun 2012]

Former executive producers Beth Willis and Piers Wenger are to be re-united as the former assumes the role of Deputy Head of Drama in September at Channel 4. Wenger, who is now Head of Drama for the broadcasting company since leaving the BBC last year, said: "Beth is a hugely talented creative individual with a track record in shaping some of Britain’s most iconic drama series. I’m delighted that she’s joining the Channel4 drama to start work on a new generation of shows." [Channel 4 PR, 27 Jun 2012]

The BBC have announced on Twitter that Dame Diana Rigg is to appear in Doctor Who alongside daughter Rachael Stirling; lead writer Steven Moffat said:
The script commences filming this week, with the pair "playing a mother and daughter with a dark secret". The story is set in Yorkshire, with filming kicking off today at Roath Lock Studios and Bute Town in Rhymney, which stands in for a village in the county.

Diana Rigg is of course best remembered as Emma Peel in the 1960s series The Avengers, and also became James Bond's short-lived wife in On Her Majesty's Secret Service; however the actress has had a long career covering stage, screen and television including The Assassination Bureau, Diana, Bleak House and The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries. She also hosted the PBS series Mystery! for some 15 years.

On her appearance in another sci-fi/fantasy institution, she said:

Meanwhile, her daughter's career has encompassed starring as Nan in the controversial BBC adaptation of Tipping the Velvet, with other television appearances including The Young Victoria, Boy Meets Girl and last year's Women in Love; she has also appeared in films such as Centurion, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and Snow White and the Huntsman. The actress is also no stranger to the world of Doctor Who, featuring alongside Tom Baker and Louise Jameson, playing Demesne Furze in the recently released Big Finish Fourth Doctor adventure Trail of the White Worm.

On her latest role, Rachael said: