Issue 2 of Nothing at the End of the Lane, the highly-acclaimed magazine of Doctor Who research and restoration is now available... after a six-year hiatus! Included in the issue are such articles as "John Cura - Photographer of the Lost Archive" featuring a detailed and fully illustrated look at John Cura and his telesnap empire; "No Further Interest" by Andrew Pixley, who takes a detailed look at the surviving BBC documentation, which reveals what happened of the original Doctor Who master videotapes from the Hartnell and Troughton eras; "Withdrawn, De-Accessioned and Junked" which looks at the fate of the BBC Enterprises film prints in the light of newly discovered archival documents, and how recent research has managed to dispel a few old myths along the way; "8mm," focusing on the potential treasure trove of material that survives on the domestic 8mm format; "Out of the Vaults - Revisited," a look at the various discoveries of Doctor Who film and VT material made since 1999, when The Lion was recovered from New Zealand; "The Making of Howe's Transcendental Toybox" about the making of the guide to Doctor Who merchandise; "Doctor Who Reconstructed," with interviews with the folks behind the new Doctor Who Reconstructed MP3-CD range; "Carbon Copies" about recent Doctor Who episode reconstructions; and much more, including for the first time, the telesnaps for final episode of The Tenth Planet presented in full colour. Orders for issue 2 -- which comes very highly recommended by Outpost Gallifrey, are available at the magazine's website.

The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine has started to reach subscribers and some retailers, and its attention is already turning to Series Two and this year's Christmas special. The magazine went to press before negotiations between the BBC and Billie Piper for her appearance throughout the next series were completed, although Russell T Davies is quoted advising readers "don't worry too much about scare stories in the papers or other magazines." DWM is, however, able to confirm that both Camille Coduri (Jackie Tyler) and Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith) will be returning for "a good few episodes". The same report (again perhaps suffering from printing deadlines) suggests that John Barrowman will not be back "for the time being" (Series Three is mentioned in this context), although this seems to be at odds with statements made at the BAFTA screening of "The Parting of the Ways" last week; Davies attributes any non-appearance for Captain Jack to "the results of the DoctorÆs regeneration. Jack [à] would take regeneration in his stride. We need to see RoseÆs dilemma." Also revealed are some working titles for the second series: the third episode, School Reunion, is by Toby Whitehouse; Russell T Davies is writing Army of Ghosts, which is the twelfth episode. The Christmas Invasion, meanwhile, is referred to as æEpisode XÆ to avoid confusion in the production office! Block One, directed by James Hawes, comprises "The Christmas Invasion", Episode 1 and "School Reunion". Block Two, directed byEuros Lyn, and Block Three directed by Graeme Harper will be two and four episodes respectively, although it is not yet known exactly which episodes these will be. There is also a new script editor, alongside Helen Raynor: with Elwen Rowlands moving on to Life on Mars, Simon Winstone (who has worked on EastEnders and is a former editor at Virgin BooksÆ Doctor Who range in the 1990s) has joined the crew. There will also be changes at Wardrobe and Make-up, as Lucinda Wright, Davy Jones and Linda Davie depart and discussions are being finalised with their replacements. The Mill and Neill Gorton have renewed their contracts. Finally, Russell T Davies comments that the Tenth Doctor "will encounter one or two elements from Series One", then muddies the waters by saying, "the presence of Jackie and Mickey might already have given away that little secret!" Beyond that, heÆll give nothing away. Pick up issue 358 of Doctor Who Magazineon the shelves on Thursday.

DWM has also confirmed that this November's boxed set release of the first season on DVD will feature all 13 episodes in 5.1 stereo surround sound mix for the first time, and that the set will have over 200 minutes of special features, with "a special episode" of "Doctor Who Confidential", exclusive to this release.

Canada's Planet of the Doctor web documentary has been completed, with parts 5 and 6, Doctor Who and Culture I and II, now available online. An additional special episode, The Nine Doctors, is also available. All can be viewed at the CBC website.

More comments about "Parting of the Ways"... in today's Daily Star: "It's the ones you love that always break your heart and, after my tidal wave of gushy emotions over Dr Who, blow me if the last episode wasn't . . . well . . . a little bit pish. Don't get me wrong. I was gripped throughout and tears were in my eyes when Eccleston gave his farewell speech. And that's what made the writing so brilliant. Because these flowery speeches masked the fact that actually the plot of the last episode was bollocks."

An article at Rainbow Network discusses Crusaid's recent Walk for Life, a charity event that raised ú325,000 to fight HIV and AIDS with 4200 register walkers. John Barrowman participated and said, "Walk for Life shows me that there are five to six thousand people who are in support of people living with HIV; that they're in support of finding a cure for HIV; and that they're in support of having fun. ItÆs a great day out and a great way to see London."

The official BBC website is asking for feedback about how fans have enjoyed the site this year and what they'd like to see in the future. "Help us plan what we should be doing in the future, and tell us what you think about the website so far... What are your favourite/least favourite bits of the website? What kind of video content would you like to see more of? Should we make more of sites like badwolf and UNIT? Are there enough pictures? Should WhoSpy return - and if so, how could it be different? Do you have any ideas of the kind of content you'd like to see on your phone/interactive tv/infra-red head set?" A list of comments are also available on that page. (And thank you to the folks who have made kind comments about Outpost Gallifrey in the process!)

Down in Australia, the Courier Mail says of "Dalek": "Saturday marks the return to the small screen of the most evil creature to trundle through the universe. Yes, it's the moment every Doctor Who fan has been waiting for -- the Daleks are back. ... The return of the Daleks this Saturday night should be cause for celebration. Alas, they have been hijacked by the hand-wringing forces of political correctness. ... Don't let this put you off watching this episode, because there are some marvellous developments, the least of which is discovering how Daleks have finally mastered the art of climbing stairs. But be aware that the ending, in which the Dalek succumbs to the ultimate expression of self-pity after being infected with human DNA, is a cop-out of the first magnitude. It entirely misses the point of the Daleks. They are there to be hated. Their absolute evil is essential to the balance of the universe." And in The Age: "For the filming of this very special and interesting episode of the remastered, new-millennium Doctor Who, all cast and crew were issued with extra-large umbrellas to protect them from the flecks of spittle flying from Christopher Eccleston's mouth, such is his overacting. ... It's been tempting to jump aboard the backlash bandwagon against the return of Doctor Who, and though I was never really a fan, I've always had time for the wacky concepts, cheesy low-end production values and sheer pace of this most enduring of television space operas - an appreciation that has been enhanced by DVD. Even non-fans should find this episode a corker and I just know everybody will get a hearty chuckle as the show knowingly confronts that age-old joke: How does a Dalek climb stairs?"

The Independent reported today on a rather interesting proceeding in Parliament. "Yesterday, as Parliament debated the draconian Racial and Religious Hatred Bill, the Labour backbencher Harry Cohen was hit by a pressing example of heavy-handed political censorship," says the article. "Earlier in the week, Cohen tabled an Early Day Motion praising the BBC's recent series of Doctor Who, starring Christopher Eccleston, right. But before publication, Commons authorities altered the text, to delete references to 'the episode with farting aliens in Downing Street'. Apparently, parliamentary officials were unable to agree on what language (if any) was appropriate to describe bodily functions."

In today's the Newsquest Media Group syndicated column: "I had been forced to watch the late-night repeat of the programme on BBC3, having made a botched attempt to tape the original broadcast on BBC1. We were moments from the end. Christopher Eccleston had just made his exit from the programme and we had been given our first sight of his replacement, David Tennant. He opened his mouth to say his first lines. And exactly at that moment, a blue bar appeared across his face, bearing the words 'Next: Doctor Who confidential.' Yes, this was one of those channels where the programmers think you constantly have to be told what's coming next, no matter how much it might interfere with your enjoyment of what you're seeing at the moment. ... Terrestrial channels already annoy their viewers by squishing up the picture and running intrusive trailers over the credits. This means that, in the unlikely event of a peak-time drama actually leaving you moved or thoughtful, you will instantly be snapped out of the mood and exhorted to watch something much less worthwhile. ... I think this is not just about television. It's about a society where we can't seem to be happy with where we are and what we're doing, just in case we're missing out on something."

Other stories: the Mirror and Scotsman cover an arrest at BBC Wales; and we're told there will apparently be a scene on Monday's edition I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue involving the Doctor and a Dalek in a most romantic scene from "Brief Encounter".

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, David French, Matt Clemson)

The next issue of Doctor Who Magazine is due out at the end of the week; below is the press release for the issue along with a high-quality version of the cover (click on the thumbnail for a larger version.) (Thanks to Tom Spilsbury/DWM)

The Tides of Time, the collection of Fifth Doctor comic strips from Doctor Who Monthly, is now in release, and contains an advert for the next graphic novel in the range. This autumn will see the release of Endgame, "the first of four volumes collecting the complete run of Eighth Doctor comic strips" from Doctor Who Magazine.

The latest issue of Enlightenment, issue 127 of the journal of the Doctor Who Information Network, contains: "Revolution 9: As the era of the Ninth Doctor dawns on TV, our contributors look to the present and future of Doctor Who as well as its past, including: Reviews; 'Is Doctor Who just for kids?' We look at the connections between Who and children; 'Should Doctor Who spin-offs just stop for a year?' Robert Smith? makes a modest proposal; A Two-Four and the multi-Doctor stories: our crew watch The Three, The Five, The Two and Dimensions in Time...while consuming equivalent amounts of alcohol! Plus reviews of all the latest books, audios and DVDs including: About Time volumes 3 and 4, The Game, Script Doctor, Dalek Empire III and more!" Visit the DWIN website for more details.

This week's Radio Times is now out, with the customary plug for the next episode, Boom Town on Saturday in "RT recommends... the week's best television" (page 4), describing the episode as "Frenetic fun". This week's letter writers are missing the point about programmes other than Doctor Who, but "Doctor Who Watch" continues (page 18), with photographs of Annette Badland as Margaret Blaine and a Slitheen accompanying an interview with Russell T Davies about the show's success ("we seem to have got it right. That's no reason to sit on your laurels, but it's quite weird"), his expectations for David Tennant ("He'll be different. He'll have his own traits. I'm writing that now.") and what he'd like to achieve with Series 2 ("we've set ourselves a challenge right from the start by having a new Doctor"). He also notes that "The fact that [the Slitheen] are back is dealt with in the first ten minutes, then the episode becomes a character-led piece about the Doctor's lifestyle [...] leaving the consequences of his actions behind him." On the same page, there's a short quote from Christopher Eccleston on Annette Badland: "the performance of the series [...] she just pinions the poor Doctor, in the same way as the Daleks do. It's spellbinding to watch." Once again, this weekend's episode is Saturday's pick of the day (page 64), with a colour photo of Margaret, Mickey and the TARDIS crew and the comment that "the smile count is high and there's plenty of dramatic meat on the bones. But there's no time to develop it [...] That said, it's slick, busy and, above all, great fun." A small photo of the Doctor and Jack heads Saturday evening's BBC1 listing (page 66): "The Doctor encounters an enemy he thought long since dead as a plan to build a nuclear power station conceals an alien plot to destroy the world." In Doctor Who Confidential, Jabe and Gwyneth "are honoured as unsung heroes from the current series who've laid down their lives to aid the Doctor." Lastly, RT Direct, the magazine's home shopping service, is this week promoting a range of digital television and DVD items, on the screens of which are Eccleston and Piper... well, it's what everyone's watching, isn't it?

Panini Books has released the cover illustration for the forthcoming Doctor Who Annual 2006, due out later this year. At right is a thumbnail of the cover illustration (sent to us by Tenth Planet; click on the thumbnail for a larger version.)

The official site has been updated with a "Boom Town" feel. The front page features what appears to be a post-nuclear Cardiff wasteland, in the midst of which is the TARDIS, with some mouse-revealed graffiti... So far, only the photo gallery has been updated for the next episode, although, as ever, video diaries and photo stories are promised for the weekend. Also, icWales previews "Boom Town" today, while Heat magazine previews "Boom Town" and the following episode, "Bad Wolf". Because both are full of spoilers, we've put them in the spoiler tag at the end of today's article.

BBC Worldwide has today issued a press release concerning the properties it is promoting at Licensing International in New York in June, led by Doctor Who. As well as confirming that filming begins for Series Two and the Christmas special this summer, the press release confirms the existing licensing partners as Italy, Holland, Finland, Denmark, Hungary, Korea, Thomsonfly (formerly Britannia Airways), Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The relevant sections of the press release note that "BBC Worldwide is a global leader in the business of entertainment rights management and these new properties, Doctor Who and Charlie and Lola, sit happily within its portfolio of high quality brands."

This week's showing of "The End of the World" in Australia made it into the Australian Top 50, showing at #48... better, in fact, than the debut episode, "Rose". The story rated 1,051,000 in the 5 main capitals (a slight drop in raw numbers from "Rose" but posting higher on the charts.) It was ABC Television's fourth highest rated programme after two editions of ABC News and "Australian Story".

Monday's Guardian has another in a string of highly positive reviews for the series, describing Doctor Who as one of the two best series of 2005 (the other being a documentary history of Soul music). Reviewer Rupert Smith thinks that The Doctor Dances "elevated an already great series into the realms of art." Likening the episode to the series 1960s/1970s "heyday" and citing various moments, he says that "you just don't get this sort of thing in British TV any more [...] The Tardis really is the fun place to be these days." The full review can be read at the website.

Today's Sun and Star both report on robot versions of Trinny and Susannah from "What Not to Wear," as being seen in the episode "Bad Wolf" in two weeks, along with photos of John Barrowman from the episode.

Issue 132 of SFX Magazine goes on sale on June 8. The issue has "an army of Daleks on the cover, and inside there's a nine page Doctor Who feature, which is a look forward at season two. The spine of the piece is an extensive Q&A with Russell T Davies, but it also includes an exclusive interview with concept designer Bryan Hitch, which includes his very first concept sketch of the TARDIS interior - drawn before he was even hired by the Beeb!; Steven Moffat giving a few hints about his season two episode, which he says will be "sexier" than The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances; an interview with Jack Barrowman (aka Captain Jack Harkness); an interview with Julie Gardner; a great opening spread image of Eccleston morphing into David Tennant (lovely!)" SFX has also posted the extended portion of the Barrowman interview on their website here, and the SFX site will soon be posting a special exclusive clip: an animated 3D visualisation of Bryan's initial concept for the TARDIS interior. The cover illustration is at right.

Australian newspaper The Age discusses the forthcoming Australia/New Zealand touring stage presentation Inside the TARDIS, featuring Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Katy Manning in select cities to promote the new series (see our May 19 story on the general Doctor Who news page here). "Don't expect Shakespeare, but for both hardcore fans and those new to the adventures of the Time Lord, the show will be a celebration of all things Who, with classic BBC clips and insiders' stories from a select group of former cast members."

According to a release from the BBC Press Office, new series writer and prominent fan Mark Gatiss has begun filming a role in BBC Three's new "comic thriller" Funland, which is co-written by his fellow League of Gentlemen member Jeremy Dyson. Set in the northern seaside town of Blackpool, the series is due to show on BBC Three in the autumn, consisting of one 60-minute and eleven 30-minute episodes. "Mark Gatiss (The League of Gentlemen) plays the bizarre and haughty repressed taxidermist Ambrose Chapfel," the press release says.

The Stage today noted that drama commissioning at the BBC is to undergo a "significant overhaul, with executives able to commission two or three series of popular shows at a time, in a bid to retain talent for future productions. In an unprecedented move for the Corporation, multiple runs of programmes such as Spooks, Hustle and Waking the Dead could be commissioned in one block rather than consecutively." Said Jane Tranter of BBC Drama, "Double commissioning is designed to allow independent production companies the creative freedom to think further forward with their development of long-running drama for the BBC. This is a clear commitment from us to secure the very best drama for our audience and another way of making commissioning more nimble." Noted in the article is that the BBC recently came under fire for failing to ensure that Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper were contracted for more than one series of Doctor Who. However the new process only applies to returning dramas that have proved their popularity and would not have kept the pair in their roles for a second run of the show.

Last week's Surrey Comet (a local newspaper) detailed a "win your own Dalek" competition and showed Christopher Eccleston's visit to a local school. "A timelord can turn up wherever he wants, whenever he wants- so school leavers at Great Court School felt honored to meet the latest incarnation of Dr Who. Actor Christopher Eccleston dropped in at the school in Ham Street, Ham to attend their leaving certificate ceremony. The year 11 students whose last day of school before taking GCSEs was on Friday-were also presented with record of achievement folders to mark their progress to date."

Yesterday's Huddersfield Examiner asks, "The wonderful new series of Doctor Who continues to go from strength to strength. So why did they get such basic details of the Blitz wrong? ... The writing, direction, acting and verve of the production was great - so how did they get the blackout so badly wrong? During the war, no light could be shown in case it acted as a guide to attacking bombers. Every window was covered with a blackout curtain and front doors were not opened until interior lights had been turned off. But not in Doctor Who. At the height of a bombing raid, RAF pilots stand on a balcony in the heart of London enjoying a drink with the curtains wide open and the lights blazing out behind them."

Other news: The People, Digital Spy and CBBCNews all report on the Billie Piper/how many episodes in season two? story; there are reviews of recent episodes at The Guardian and the Sydney Morning Herald.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Adam Kirk, Stuart Ian Burns, Ian Berriman, Robert Simpson, Chuck Foster, Peter Weaver, Ian O'Brien)

DWM 357
Issue #357 of Doctor Who Magazine has been released. Below is the press release and a thumbnail of the cover; click on the thumbnail for a larger version (as always, a high-quality version only found here!)

The BBC's official site has had its weekly refurbishment and now has a Long Game theme. The front page comprises sixteen 'screens', each cycling through a series of images which at various stages form complete larger images of the Doctor, the Editor, Rose or Adam. At different times, the individual screens form links to other areas of the site and to the Clive/Mickey site and the spoof Geocomtex site launched last weekend. Intriguingly, the screen in the bottom right corner, when highlighted, turns red, with an image of a wolf and the text "badwolf, badwolf, badwolf..." This seems to be a link to a forthcoming area of the site or possibly to another spoof site we have yet to see. The Episode Guide section has been updated for The Long Game and, as usual, currently offers the 'Next time...' trailer from Episode 6 and a photo gallery - this with sixteen new photos, mostly of the TARDIS crew. Also promised for after the episode has broadcast are the usual photo stories and video diaries, including one from Bruno Langley.

Today's edition of Radio Times is published today, and promotes this weekend's episode The Long Game, although there is slightly more Dalek content. The second token for the giant Dalek poster is on page 3 (and a bonus token is apparently on the Radio Times website). As ever, this week's episode is the top choice for Saturday in the week's best television (page 4) - a photo of the Doctor and Adam, and a brief blurb: "A lively, if haphazard, outing for the Time Lord (and a shifty new 'companion', Adam) takes a gruesome peak at the future of journalism." There's a letter from a Slitheen (page 9), as Elizabeth Frost corrects the impression that there were only two performers inside the costumes: "In fact there three! Two six-foot men and me, a five-foot-seven woman. Although my contribution was small, I would like to think it makes a tiny stand for intergalactic girl power!" This week's behind the scenes feature (page 17) concentrates on the inside of a Dalek and includes three photos of the "cuddly creation"; only a quarter of the page is given to The Long Game and concentrates on guest star Simon Pegg and the trouble he had saying one of his lines. There's also another plug for the forthcoming Monsters and Villains book. A large feature on VE Day includes comments from Christopher Eccleston and Richard E Grant, both of whom are contributing to the concert on Sunday. Alison Graham has Tamsin Greig as "This Week's One to Watch" (page 63) noting that she is playing "a neurosurgeon of the future in this week's Doctor Who story." Which is, again, one of Saturday's choices (page 64), although with a rather mixed view: "... a slavering nightmare of which Gerald Scarfe would be proud (send tots to bed though). But despite bubbling with great ideas, the story doesn't quite hang together, and with a dateline that far away, you'd expect a greater leap of imagination from the design department." Saturday's BBC1 listing is headed with a photo of Bruno Langley as Adam ("Milky Way kid", apparently; page 66). The episode blurb reads "Simon Pegg guest-stars as teh sinister Editor. In the future, he oversees the entire Earth Empire. But who is he working for?" The listing for Doctor Who Confidential says that "The evil genius has been a feature of Doctor Who throughout the years, and he made a welcome return to the series earlier this evening, in the form of the Editor, alias Simon Pegg. Here, he discusses the role he's always wanted to play." Also, "One Final Question" (page 146) this week interviews David Warner and asks about his Doctor Who connections - he gives a plug for the Big Finish Unbound CD Sympathy for the Devil, in which he played the Doctor, and is asked whether he was interested in replacing Christopher Eccleston on television: "No, no. It was never mooted for me. I'm 63 and these are issues I don't think about much - it's not as if I'm trying to establish a career! Would I accept Doctor Who? I don't know. I should be so lucky to be asked - then I could consider it." Meanwhile, the Radio Times website is running a competition to win a cardboard life-size cut-out TARDIS and new Doctor Who books - UK readers only can simply submit their details and vote in a poll for best villain (Dalek, Darth Vader, etc) before 10 May and the first names out of the hat will win. The competition is on the website here.

Regarding Doctor Who Confidential, Radio Times listing confirms the Sunday timeslot for the second repeat of the documentary is only fifteen minutes, so "Doctor Who Confidential Cut Down" (not the official title, of course) would seem to be the format for Sundays from now on. Last weekend's "Confidential" aired as normal on Saturday but was cut to 15 minutes on the Sunday repeat for the first time in order to fill a one hour slot on BBC3.

Film Focus had a brief interview chat with David Tennant last night at the European premiere of "Kingdom of Heaven." They first chatted about his latest film project: "I'm playing Barty Crouch Jr. in the new Harry Potter film," he told Film Focus. "it should be good. I think I've done all my stuff, as far as I know, but I'm really looking forward to seeing it." He then turned his attention to the current series of Doctor Who: "It's very exciting and very daunting, in equal measures. Just the amount of attention it gets is quite overwhelming. But there's no better show in the world. We start shooting in July." The article says (perhaps their own speculation) that Eccleston will return for the Christmas special that will introduce Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, but Tennant has no plans to outdo Eccleston's Doctor. "Christopher Eccleston was so brilliant. I shan't be trying to steal his thunder. I'll be trying to do something different."

Book Update: The "Doctor Who: The Shooting Scripts" hardback from BBC Books that we reported on yesterday will actually be published on October 6, not the 31st.

Politics: The statement promoting Labour featuring David Tennant, as we reported yesterday, has been reported inBrand Republic, while the Labourofficial site quotes Tennant's statement ("voting will take you 30 seconds and will last five years"). The Labour Party election broadcast featuring Tennant in two brief clips did indeed go out Tuesday; it also featured Richard Wilson (who appears as Dr. Constantine in "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances" later in the season). Finally, an article at the Milton Keynes website notes that the 2005 General Election "has had a much-needed boost with the emergence of the Dalek Party. The metal monsters chose Central Milton Keynes to launch their campaign wooing would-be voters at the Collectormania event at the weekend. Their local candidate told the Tuesday Citizen, in a quavering screech, their policies included free space travel for pensioners, home rule for Skaro and zero tax on sink plungers. More controversial are strict controls on Time Lords, and the conquest of the galaxy. 'This election we aim to put the X in ex-ter-min-ation,' he said before checking behind sofas in John Lewis for floating voters."


Ratings: Several sources are reporting on this past Saturday's "ratings disaster" for ITV. "ITV had a disastrous Saturday night after all of their five main evening shows failed to attract even a fifth of viewers," reported theDaily Record. "More than 800,000 deserted Celebrity Wrestling as ratings slumped to three million after just two weeks. The BBC triumphed as 7.8 million people watched Dr Who take on the Daleks. ITV have been unable to find a replacement for Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, which regularly pulled in up to eight million viewers." The Daily Record quoted an "insider" as saying "'Saturday nights have turned into a total disaster and there's pressure for big changes to be made" although an ITV spokesman said "There are no plans to reschedule Saturday nights. It just isn't happening." The editor of Broadcast magazine said: "It's very bad news for ITV1. How long can they keep it in that slot? They would do better with a movie. ITV is clearly under a lot of pressure on Saturday nights. Doctor Who is absolutely trouncing them." This was also reported in Media Guardian (and again in a second article), the Scotsman, and Broadcast Now (registration required). However, to redress the balance, Broadcast Now have reported that the ratings for BBC on Monday were their worst audience share ever: "BBC1 suffered its worst overall share for a day's viewing yesterday with an average of 2.4 million (18.8%) from 9.30am - 12.59am. It was also its second worst peak time share this year of 21.2%."

More reviews of Dalek today. The Mirror says that "Before its recent return to our screens, there were two legacies of Dr Who's 42-year history that remained universally loved - the Daleks and the theme tune... The theme tune remains flawless. As for the Daleks, I'm not so sure. As is the way with television these days, the Daleks were given a makeover. ... The comeback series has been a success because it has been fun. It has been bold and vigorous and - if you're seven - even quite scary. The scripts have been witty and knowing, choc-full of references to everything from Star Wars, ET and Alien, right up to The X Files and Buffy generation. ... The much-heralded chase scene, in which the Dalek got to float upstairs, was so slow it was a damp squib." The Western Daily Press: "Daleks never frightened me, although I knew the BBC meant us to be terrified by these curious motorised dustbins adorned with plastic balls. ... So I had a queer turn when I saw the new hightech, digitally-enhanced, super de deluxe Dalek... I'm also warming to Christopher Eccleston's doctor, although he does have annoying mannerisms, including breaking into a dopey Stan Laurel smile when the tension lags. Meanwhile the special effects are getting better and Billie Piper's transformation from sultry popette to nothalf-bad actress is remarkable to behold. The stories are good, too, and Saturday's drama held my attention from start to finish as the doctor took on the Daleks deep below Utah." In theSentinel: "On Saturday night, in a King Kong-esque kind of way, I couldn't help but be moved by the plight of the last [Dalek] around. ... Hang on, this isn't an episode of Dr Who, it's an advert for the Welsh Tourist Board. In the end, overcome by the futility of its existence alone, it topped itself. I wasn't crying. I'd just poked myself in my eye."

Other press stories today: continued discussion of the Davison-disses-Eccleston story at Manchester Online; and theDVD Times weblog discusses "Dalek".

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Chuck Foster, Paul Hayes, John Bowman, Cameron Yarde Jr., Gregg Smith, Scott Andrews)

The latest issue of Enlightenment, the fanzine of the Doctor Who Information Network, North America's largest and longest running Doctor Who fan club, is in release. In the latest issue: Ready, Set...: Our contributors gets ready for the new series with a slew of fantastic articles including: Our "what kind of Doctor Who producer are you" Quiz, an interview with 1960s companion Peter Purves, reviews of all the latest books, audios and DVDs including: The Next Life The Juggernauts, The Indestructible Man, the latest Short Trips anthologies and more! More information about "Enlightenment" can be found at DWIN's website at www.dwin.org. (Thanks to Mike Doran)

Details of issue 326 of Doctor Who Magazine have been revealed; the following is the press release from the publishers, including a high-quality scan over the cover (click on the thumbnail for a larger version). (Thanks to Tom Spilsbury)