Doctor Who is now officially represented on the the popular social communication service Twitter. The new feed, DoctorWho_BBC, was announced by the series brand manager, Edward Russell, and at present tweets link to new articles on the BBC's Doctor Who site.

Doctor Who already has an official presence on the popular social networking site Facebook, where sister show Torchwood is also represented - the new series, Miracle Day, also has an official Twitter feed. The official profiles come after several bogus feeds and pages created over the past few months suggested that they were BBC-managed.

A variety of cast and crew are also present on Twitter, not least of which includes Doctor Who's show-runner Steven Moffat, the writer and director of last week's episodes, Neil Gaiman and Richard Clark, and the writer of this coming Saturday's The Rebel Flesh, Matthew Graham. Links to other cast and crew can be found via our own Twitter lists.

BBC/Warner Home Video have announced that the first three series of Torchwood will be released as one complete boxed set in both Blu-Ray and DVD formats in the United States:
The series have previously been available individually in both formats, and though not specified it is believed the new boxed set repackages the original material from the earlier releases.

Torchwood: The Complete Original UK Series is due out in the United States on 19th July.

The Doctor Who Experience are currently promoting an exclusive 5" action figure from Character, featuring young Amelia Pond from The Eleventh Hour, dressed in her coat and hat, and suitcase in readiness to go on adventures with the Doctor!


A figure of young Amelia in her nightdress also features as part of the 2011 "wave one" of action figures from Character.

(with thanks to Mark Murphy, Brandnew Corporation)

Audience measurement service Kantar Media have reported that the opening episode of the new series of Doctor Who, The Impossible Astronaut, was the most recorded British television event of all time (so far!).

Statistial analysis of the BARB data revealed that 4.11 million viewers 'time-shifted' their watching of the programme, either through VOSDAL ("viewing on same day as live") or during the following week. The final total audience recorded for the episode was 8.9 million, indicating that some 46% of the audience did not watch the programme "live".

The previous record for time-shifted viewing was held by the Christmas Day episode of the Matt Lucas/David Walliams mockumentary series Come Fly With Me.


Dalia Gereis, the Commercial Director for Kantar Media Audiences, said:

	Programme	Channel	Episode Date	Time Shifted viewing	Total Audience
1.	DOCTOR WHO	BBC1	23 Apr 2011	4.11m	8.86m
2.	COME FLY WITH ME	BBC1	25 Dec 2010	3.29m	12.47m
3.	THE X FACTOR	ITV1	02 Oct 2010	3.17m	13.49m
4.	EASTENDERS	BBC1	25 Dec 2010	2.7m	12.61m
5.	BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT	ITV1	01 May 2010	2.55m	11.84m
6.	THE ROYLE FAMILY	BBC1	25 Dec 2010	2.53m	11.29m
7.	CORONATION STREET	ITV1	10 Dec 2010	2.5m	13.46m
8.	WAKING THE DEAD	BBC1	03 Apr 2011	2.5m	7.21m
9.	WALLACE AND GROMIT	BBC1	25 Dec 2008	2.5m	16.15m
10.	STRICTLY COME DANCING	BBC1	11 Dec 2010	2.38m	11.57m

(with thanks to Helen Brocket, Eureka Communications)

The British Film Institute have announced that there will be a special preview screening of the first episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day. The screening will take place at the BFI on 20th June 2011, with the sixty minute episode followed by a panel discussion and Q&A session with John Barrowman (Jack), Eve Myles (Gwen), and Russell T Davies (writer/executive producer) (Appearances are subject to work commitments).

Back in 2009, the BFI hosted a special preview for Torchwood: Children of Earth - Day One, and most recently held a preview screening for A Christmas Carol.

The event was seen to sell out within a couple of hours of its announcement.

This Sunday sees the annual British Academy Television Awards take place at the Grosvenor House Hotel, and the new edition of the Radio Times features two covers dedicated to the ceremony! Entitled "Sherlock v The Doctor", each cover presents both Benedict Cumberbatch and Matt Smith in the "Battle of the BAFTAS", as seen below:


Inside the magazine, Kathryn Flett explores the Leading Actor category that the two actors are nominated for, alongside their other 'rivals' for the award, Jim Broadbent (Any Human Heart) and Daniel Rigby (Eric and Ernie). The magazine also features other award nominees, including recent Doctor Who guest stars Hugh Bonneville and Suranne Jones. Plus, of course, Saturday's "Pick of the Day", The Rebel Flesh!

This is the first time that a leading actor from Doctor Who has ever been nominated for the role at the BAFTAS.

The BBC have released details for Week 23, which includes the synopsis for the final episode before the Doctor Who takes its Summer mid-season break.

A Good Man Goes To War; will be broadcast on BBC1/BBC1HD on Saturday 4th June, with the time of broadcast yet to be confirmed.

The Story is written by Steven Moffat, directed by Peter Hoar and produced by Marcus Wilson.

The BBC have released a short video introducing the next episode of Doctor Who, The Rebel Flesh, which will be broadcast at 6:45pm on Saturday. It features writer Matthew Graham, director Julian Simpson, and Arthur Darvill (Rory).


 

Voting is now open for the 15th TV Choice Awards, and Doctor Who has been nominated for Best Family Drama - the category it won last year.

The show will be up against spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures, as well as its NTA adversary Waterloo Road; other shows in this category are Casualty, Holby City, Merlin, Primeval and Wild at Heart.

Matt Smith is nominated as Best Actor for Doctor Who; other nominees include former Doctors Christopher Eccleston for The Shadow Line and David Tennant for Single Father, plus Benedict Cumberbatch for Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss's new imagining of Sherlock (which itself is nominated in the Best New Drama category).

Co-star Karen Gillan has been nominated as Best Actress; Elisabeth Sladen is also in this category for The Sarah Jane Adventures, as well as former sidekick Freema Agyeman for Law and Order: UK, and Alex Kingston for Marchlands.


Voting is open online until 10th June 2011, with the winners announced on 13th September.

Actor John Barrowman will be honoured this coming July by the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow - Scotland's national conservatoire for the Arts.

Barrowman, who was born in the city, is to be awarded with an honorary degree for his contribution to drama by the Academy in their annual graduation ceremony. He will become a "Doctor of Drama", alongside actor/writer/producer David MacLennan; other honorary degrees in "Doctor of Music" will be awarded to singers Moira Anderson and Judith Howarth.

The ceremony takes place on Tuesday 5th July at the Academy Concert Hall.


The actor also returns to the city this winter in Robinson Crusoe and the Caribbean Pirates at the SECC; he will appear alongside the Krankies, who also performed with him last year in Aladdin.


Media Coverage: BBC News; STV(1); STV(2); The Glaswegian; Glasgow Evening Times; Contact Music