Posted By John Bowman

Details of the forthcoming first three original, stand-alone novels featuring the Doctor and Donna have been released.

Ghosts of India by Mark Morris, The Doctor Trap by Simon Messingham and Shining Darkness by Mark Michalowski will be published in hardback by BBC Books in September.

See below for the synopses.

Posted By John Bowman

The BBC's commercial arm won a High Court battle today concerning a book about the Daleks.

Publisher JHP, which brought out four Dalek-related books in the 1960s that had input from Dalek creator Terry Nation, claimed that BBC Worldwide's The Dalek Survival Guide, which was published in 2002, had infringed its copyright by using material from one of the books.

But according to a report on BBC News, Mr Justice Norris said that although JHP had the licence to bring out the original books - three annuals plus The Dalek Pocketbook and Space-Travellers' Guide - it did not own the copyright.

In 2001, both sides had started working together on a new venture involving the original books plus fresh material, but it foundered after JHP disliked BBC Worldwide's plans.

JHP had claimed that the subsequent Dalek Survival Guide copied The Dalek Pocketbook and Space-Travellers' Guide material. However, the judge ruled that no substantial copying had taken place, and said it was "inherently improbable" that Nation, who died in 1997, would have assigned copyright to JHP.

Starships and Spacestations will be the next Doctor Who guide in the BBC Books series.

Written by Justin Richards, it is due to be published on May 1.

A press statement said: "The Doctor has his TARDIS to get him from place to place and time to time but the rest of the universe relies on more conventional transport.

"From the British Space Programme of the late 20th century to Earth's empire in the far future, from the terrifying Dalek fleet to deadly Cyber ships, this latest Doctor Who guide documents the many starships and spacestations that the Doctor and his companions have encountered on their travels.

"He has solved mysteries on spacestations and stopped invasions spearheaded by starships. He has been held prisoner in space, escaped from the moon, witnessed the arrival of the Sycorax and the crash-landing of a space pig.

"More than anyone else, the Doctor has seen the development of space travel between countless worlds.

"In this stunningly illustrated book, Doctor Who historian Justin Richards documents the amazing story of Earth's ventures into space, examines the many alien fleets who have paid Earth a visit, and explores the other starships and spacestations that the Doctor has encountered on his many travels."

There is no cover image as yet.

The new Doctor Who comic book from IDW Publishing will be released soon, and Broken Frontier has an interview with its writer, Gary Russell. Russell has a long history with Doctor Who and Doctor Who fandom, and currently works as a script editor on the BBC Wales series. He speaks to Broken Frontier about the IDW comic and his other Doctor Who work.

The Doctor Who comic book will be available in comic shops across North America this month. Readers in the United States and Canada can follow this linkto find a comic shop near their location.

Thanks to Andy Oliver.

The audio commentary for Voyage of the Damned, available to stream from the official BBC Doctor Who website, has revealed some items of news relating to the future production of the series and media related to it. The commentary features executive producers Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner and producer Phil Collinson.

During the course of the discussion, Collinson reveals that he will not be producing the special episodes of Doctor Who that will be made for transmission in 2009. Whether he is leaving the series entirely or not is unclear, but this is the implication given.

In addition, Russell T Davies reveals that he is writing a book detailing his work on the series, to be published in time for next Christmas. The as-yet-untitled volume is a collaboration with Doctor Who Magazine reporter Benjamin Cook. No other details are currently known.

Paul Cornell's new Doctor Who Christmas story, The Hopes and Fears of All the Years, is now available on the Daily Telegraph's website. Only one of the three illustrations by Mike Collins accompanies the web version; to see the other two, you'll have to buy the newspaper.

As previously reported, Cornell is running a competition to win the original art of Collins' illustrations on Facebook.

The official Doctor Who site has confirmed that "The Hopes and Fears of All the Years", a new Doctor Who short story by Paul Cornell, will be published in the Daily Telegraph on December 22. Cornell, author of several Doctor Who novels and audios, and most recently the television episodes "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood", had previously announced the story on his blog. The short story will be illustrated by Doctor Who Magazineartist Mike Collins. Cornell is running a competition to win one of Collins' illustrations on Facebook.

Last Christmas, The Times ran a Doctor Who story by Cornell; it can be found in their archives.

Mad Norwegian Press has announced two new projects for release later in 2008: a Second Edition of About Time 3, and the debut of Fluid Links --- a brand-new Doctor Who novel / audio guidebook series that will entirely replace the company's debut I, Who guides.

In the Second Edition of About Time 3, Tat Wood vastly expands the discussion of the Jon Pertwee Era, bringing this About Time installment up to the size and elaborate depth of its fellows. Lawrence Miles , a co-author on the First Edition, will receive a "With Additional Material by" credit, as his text has either been left as is, or folded into the many revisions and additions of the new edition.

New essays in this Second Edition will include "What the Hell Were the Daemons Doing?", "Where Were Torchwood When All This Was Happening?" and "Is This Any Way to Run a Galactic Empire?" At present, Mad Norwegian has no plans to do Second Editions of the other About Time volumes.

Meanwhile, the multi-volume Fluid Links is designed to benefit from the experience Mad Norwegian has gained since first releasing I, Who back in 1999. The series will start from scratch and vigorously examine the Doctor Who books and audios in lavish, comprehensive detail. This project is so sweeping that it has four authors (Lars Pearson, Robert Smith?, Michael D. Thomas and Anthony Wilson), and strives to become the definitive guidebooks to the material in question.

MNP Publisher Lars Pearson said: "I, Who served a purpose back in 1999, but it was done when I was new to the world of small-press publishing, and doesn't reflect the quality we've attained in recent years with the likes of About Time and AHistory. Unfortunately, it would've killed me to go through all those books again solo --- it's a LOT of material, after all --- so Robert, Michael and Anthony duly stepped up to the plate."

The initial Fluid Links installments (likely two volumes) will cover the whole of the BBC's Eighth Doctor Adventures - from its inception in The Eight Doctors straight through to its conclusion in The Gallifrey Chronicles . Essays in these volumes will include "How Much Occurs in the Vampire Science Gap?", "Is There Any Point to Parallel Universes?", and "Was Miranda the Doctor's Biological Daughter?"

Release months and retail prices for the new About Time 3 and the first Fluid Links books will be disclosed at a later time.

Mad Norwegian Press has released an update to their schedule. Says publisher Lars Pearson...

Drawings by Target Books cover artist Jeff Cummins will be among items on display at Hertford Museum from next month.

An exhibition entitled Devoted To Doctor Who will highlight local residents' passion for the series, and will include work by Cummins, who lives in Ware, a locally-made Tardis, a K9, a Dalek, and a Doctor Who-inspired wallpaper collage by artist Kimberley Bevan.

The display runs from November 28 to April 12. Entrance is free. The museum, in Bull Plain, is open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 10am to 5pm. It will be closed between December 23 and 26.