The answer to one of Doctor Who's oldest mysteries has been provided on the DVD release of Invasion of the Dinosaurs.

It has long been known that Elisabeth Sladen was not the first choice of actress to play the role of Sarah Jane Smith. For years the identity of the original actress has remained a close secret, known only to members of the production team.

However, the production notes on the new DVD release, compiled by David Brunt, have revealed that the actress first selected to play the role was April Walker. Brunt discovered the name on a stray memo from the BBC files, informing the BBC Finance department to pay the actress when each of the eleventh season stories went into studio.

Walker had a similar pedigree to Sladen at the time Sarah Jane was cast, with small roles in a number of television series including Crossroads, Dad's Army and The Onedin Line.

Walker was cast in 1973 as the Doctor's assistant by then-producer Barry Letts, who was looking for a replacement for Katy Manning, who had left the series at the end of the previous season. Contracts were signed but when Walker met the current Doctor, Jon Pertwee, it became apparent there was a lack of chemistry between the two. Although the pair had worked together on stage about five years previously and got on quite well, she was not the sort of actress Pertwee wanted to play the companion. He felt she was too tall, busty and too much of a dominant performer. Not the sort of tiny girl he could "protect" as the Doctor.

For actors to be replaced after they have been cast is not common, but not unknown. Sometimes the face just doesn't fit and however good the actor is, the production team realise that a replacement is necessary. Letts took the decision to recast the part and eventually selected Sladen, this time with approval from Pertwee. To take the decision to recast the role was a very difficult one for Letts and one he never discussed in public. Walker was paid in full for the Eleventh season.

Following her brief encounter with the Doctor, Walker has gone on to have a long career with over 40 appearances listed on the Internet Movie Database. She is perhaps most well known for playing Jean in the 1975 Fawlty Towers episode The Wedding Party. She also had roles in Anna Karenina, The Two Ronnies, Wyatt's Watchdogs and Minder.

The forthcoming third issue of the Doctor Who production research fanzine Nothing at the End of the Lane will contain Walker's first ever published interview concerning her casting and replacement in Doctor Who. The fanzine is released later this month.

The Terrible Zodin - Issue 13

The thirteeth issue of the fanzine The Terrible Zodin is now available to download:

Inferno Fiction - Issue 10

The tenth issue of online Doctor Who fiction magazine Inferno Fiction is now available to read on the website.

Panic Moon

The January 2012 issue of Panic Moon is now available. Details on the website.

Hot on the heels of the Netflix deal reported last month, Amazon-owned LoveFilm have now signed deals with the BBC and ITV in order to be able to stream video-on-demand content to subscribers, dipping into both the archive and new programming including Doctor Who, Spooks, Marchlands, Cold Feet, Prime Suspect and Above Suspicion.

The company has also signed up BBC Worldwide, enabling access to their portfolio of shows, including Whitechapel, Life on Mars and Planet Earth. BBC Worldwide's UK/Ireland Sales and Distribution Head Lisa Rousseau said:

The deal will enable recent shows from both broadcasters to be accessed via the LoveFilm Instant online service, available on PC, Apple iPad, Xbox 360, Sony PS3 and internet-connected TV platforms.

The two companies will be in competition to encourage subscribers to their services; LoveFilm's announcement indicates an advantage over Netflix currently, who have yet to link up with ITV.

United Kingdom

Doctor Who's long association with Ealing and its studios is recounted, not to mention other monstrous encounters: "One of the quirkier connections between the Doctor and Ealing has been discovered with some archives pictures showing Cybermen, one of the show’s most iconic baddies, taking to the streets of Ealing. But as alien invasions go this one appears to be fairly low-key, with the robotic monstrosities captured in what appears to be a friendly encounter with 10-year-old Doctor Who fan Anthony King. In another image, they are seen waiting for a bus. One can only assume their spaceship was undergoing repairs at the time." [Ealing Gazette, 2 Jan 2012]

Aberkenfig resident Gareth Griffiths has had a newspaper article tatooed on his arm as a tribute to his father who died when he was very young. David Griffiths was a BBC employee in the 1960s and dressed as a Dalek in local Llandaff publicity by the Echo for a forthcoming Doctor Who film. [South Wales Echo, 4 Jan 2012]

Portland's Southwell Primary School has a permanent Dalek in residence, a result of a year-long project by parent Roy Porter. The Mk-1 version 'lives' outside Headteacher Stuart McLeod's office - the dedicated Doctor Who fan said: "In nearly all of the schools I have worked in I have converted a cupboard into a TARDIS. So many children and adults love Doctor Who it is great to see them smile when they see my office. A school should be fun and a TARDIS is a great place to learn." [View Online, 30 Dec 2011]

Australia

Geoff Campbell from Toowoomba has built his own police box which has become something of a neighbourhood favourite; wife Kate said: "We had a couple of Mormons who came to knock on our door and all they wanted to talk about was how much they loved Dr Who. I must admit there are times when I do feel a little bit embarrassed by my husband's geekiness, but I am very proud of him as well." [Toowoomba Chronicle, 5 Jan 2012]

Several prominent guests attended the wedding party of David Tennant and Georgia Moffett which took place on New Year's Eve at the New Globe Theatre in London, including former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife, actors Patrick Stewart and David Morrissey, DJ Christian O'Connell, and QI host Stephen Fry. [Daily Mail, 2 Jan 2012]

Noel Clarke has been cast in Star Trek 2, the sequel to the 2009 Paramount film. Variety report that the actor, who played Micky Smith in Doctor Who, will play a family man with a wife and young daughter in the film which is due for release in May 2013. He will join a small group of actors who have worked on both the Doctor Who and Star Trek franchise.

John and Carole Barrowman's children's book Hollow Earth is due to be released in February. The fantasy adventure takes place in their native Scotland and is inspired by memories of their formulative years; says John: "The island where most of the novel takes place is a real place off the coast of Largs - but we changed the geography and name." [Herald Scotland, 3 Jan 2012]

The actor was also pleased to discover that his show Tonight's The Night has helped facilitate research into Parkinsons Disease; sufferer Bryn Williams was introduced to one of the world's leading experts in the field, Professor Steven Gill - Barrowman's father-in-law - through the show, and together they have now raised over £400,000 in the search for a cure. Barrowman said: "The fact this has grown from a TV show to this major medical fund-raising drive is just incredible. If a cure came from a small chance meeting on a TV show that really would be an incredible legacy for us all." [Scottish Sun, 3 Jan 2012]

Colin Baker, who won this Christmas's Celebrity Come Dine With Me, said of his role in the specials: "It was the scariest, most exhausting but rewarding and challenging thing I have ever done on television. It was a lot of fun and the other diners were great!" [Derbyshire Times, 24 Dec 2011]

The career of Charles Dickens is compared to that of Russell T Davies: Had he been around today, it seems unlikely that Dickens would have been wasting his time on the moribund medium that is the novel; instead, he would have gone where the money is. Perhaps he would have ended up in Hollywood. Perhaps he would have been a Russell T Davies figure, almost singlehandedly reviving the British television drama industry with his endlessly inventive storylines. [Telegraph, 29 Dec 2011]

New Year Honours

In the 2012 New Year Honours, the cinematographer Remi Adefarasin, who was the film cameraman on Terminus and The King's Demons, became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to television and film. In addition, the actor David Harewood (Joshua Naismith in The End of Time and the voice of President Vallan in Big Finish's Eighth Doctor audio drama Army of Death) was made an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for services to drama, radio presenter David Rodigan, who played Broken Tooth in The Mysterious Planet (the first four episodes of the Trial of a Time Lord season), was made an MBE for services to broadcasting, while entertainer Ronnie Corbett, who portrayed Ambassador "Rani" Ranius in the 2009 Sarah Jane Adventures special for Comic Relief, became a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for services to entertainment and to charity.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

The latest latest online update to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography contains articles on several Doctor Who alumni.

The online dictionary is updated three times a year and the January release always concentrates on the lives of people distinguished or notorious in many aspects British life or with British connections who died four years before publication - in this case, 2008.

Tristram Cary, who composed incidental music for 'The Daleks' and several other stories up until 'The Mutants' is included. His entry is written by another electronic music composer who contributed to Doctor Who, Roger Limb. Other new subjects include Bill Cotton, who was managing director of BBC Television at the time of the eighteen-month suspension of Doctor Who in 1985, with an article written by Michael Grade. Bryan Cowgill, controller of BBC1 in the 1970s is also included. Also included are Elizabeth Spriggs, who was the first performer cast as Chessene in 'The Two Doctors' before finally appearing in Doctor Who in 'Paradise Towers'.

Full access to the new lives is only available to subscribers, including most public libraries in the UK, several in the Republic of Ireland, and academic institutions; but most public libraries with subscriptions now allow library members to use their library cards to access their online resources remotely, including the Oxford DNB; and a selection of the new articles will be available for free on the Oxford DNB website later today.

New Zealand broadcaster PRIME have announced the premiere of the Christmas Special The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe for Thursday 19th January, 8:30-9:50pm.

The channel also has a microsite available for the Special.

The fifth and final series of The Sarah Jane Adventures will be released in the UK on DVD and Blu-ray on Monday 6th February 2012.

The set will contain a special tribute to the late Elisabeth Sladen featuring contributions from those who worked closely with her, including the Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith. Goodbye Bannerman Road was filmed on location and also features Sladen's co-stars Daniel Anthony & Anjli Mohindra.

Also released on the same day is a 12 disc Box Set containing the entire five series of The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Doctor Who News Shop. Series 5 / Box Set

Doctor Who, The Doctor, The Witch and The Wardrobe had a final official rating of 10.77 million viewers.

The official rating takes into account those who record the programme and watch it within 7 days. It is much more accurate than the initial overnight figure. It does not include those watching on iPlayer, where over 700,000 accessed the episode within five days of transmission.

The final ratings saw ITV1's Downton Abbey leap to the top of the list to claim the prize as the most watched programme of Christmas Day with 11.60 million watching. EastEnders was second with 11.33 million and Doctor Who came in third. It overtook ITV1's Coronation Street which was the 4th most watched programme of the day.

Christmas Day dominated the ratings for the week, making Doctor Who the 3rd most watched programme for the week. In the history of the programme only eight episodes of Doctor Who have made the top Three for the week.

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Congratulations to Daniel Elkington of Brunswick, Victoria, Australia who guessed 10.79 million in our Christmas Competition.
Other winners are Bridget Walker of Rockhamption, Queensland, Australia (10.71), Matthew Boorman of Warwick (10.82), Morag Bennett of Telford (11.11) and Lee Higgins, Shrewsbury (11.3)

Having fielded off Downton Abbey in the Christmas ratings, Doctor Who will face the popular ITV1 drama again in this year's National Television Awards, taking place at the O2 Arena in London on 25th January. The nominees for the Best Drama Award also include BBC1's Merlin and last year's winner Waterloo Road.

Meanwhile, the Doctor Who team are up against sister show Torchwood in both the Drama Performance: Male and Female nominations, with Matt Smith facing John Barrowman and Karen Gillan facing Eve Myles respectively. The categories also include Martin Clunes (for Doc Martin, ITV1), David Threlfall (Shameless, C4), Jaye Jacobs (Waterloo Road, BBC1), and Suranne Jones (Scott & Bailey, ITV1).

Voting for the shortlist of nominees is now open, with the results to be announced at the award ceremony hosted by Dermot O'Leary, broadcast live on ITV1.

The 2011 Christmas Special, The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe is to be released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom on the 16th January:


The release also includes the special BBC "prequel" that precedes the story's start, and also three 45 minute specials commissioned by BBC America to showcase the favourite moments from the Eleventh Doctor's era: Best of the Doctor, Best of the Monsters and Best of the Companions.

Both the DVD and Blu-ray releases are available for pre-order.


Meanwhile, the USA/Canada DVD and Blu-ray releases are planned for 14th February, whilst Australia will see the release of the episode on 1st March.