Is the secret about to come out? CNN reports that the Mona Lisa will be X-rayed to help solve issues with warping... will they find some felt-tip handwriting left by the Doctor in "City of Death"? Only time will tell...

Says April 29's Daily Star, the Daleks are on the march... to exterminate motoring hassle. The article "We Are Traffic Daleks" discusses a new series of mobile cones that will help traffic experts cut the risks involved in closing off roads by rolling in the markers. "Each 'Dalek' - on a robotic three-wheeled base - is deployed from a control truck by an operator with a laptop. The leading Dalek, equipped with a Global Positioning System satellite navigation receiver, leads a herd of less sophisticated units into place. All the operator has to do is mark the positions of the cones on the computer screen. Dalek No 1 then trundles off to its location guided by the GPS system, and tells the other units where to go by radio. 'Deploying and retrieving highway markers on open roads is hazardous so the robots will reduce risks for workmen,' said Nebraska engineer Shane Farritor, who created the cones. 'Our tests proved these robots can work in teams to provide traffic control.' The challenge now is to cut the cost of the markers so that road authorities can afford them." The Guardian also picked up the story on April 30, saying "the Dalek parallels are spooky. Think about it. Both conical. Both automata. Both incapable of climbing stairs. Both hell-bent on world domination at all costs, and/or making a useful and possibly life-saving contribution in a traffic-management setting. And both controlled by an evil, shrivel-faced mastermind with a screechy voice. Well, the cones are controlled by GPS, actually. A road worker releases them from a truck, then passes instructions from a laptop computer to a lead robot, or "shepherd", which is then followed slavishly by all the other robots, or "sheep", until they're all in position across the highway (or "grassy meadow"). And all for $200 each."

Today's Daily Express notes that the new Doctor Who series may indeed be "the jewel in the crown of the BBC Christmas schedule," proposing that BBC1 will launch the series early, screening the first episode on Christmas Day 2004. There have been rumors of broadcast in early January, but this is the earliest report so far. "The Doctor Who project has lifted off with the kind of momentum no-one could have anticipated," the Daily Express quotes an unnamed source. "I don't think anyone knew how interested people would be or indeed what a huge fan base there is. The BBC are already working out what to put where and Doctor Who is on top of the list for Christmas Day." The article says that a decision on casting for Rose Tyler is still yet to be made, and states that Anna Friel ("Brookside") and Keeley Hawes ("Spooks") are two of the finalists... and also mentions that the Doctor will, in the first episode, battle "one of his most fearsome enemies - the terrifying automatons," obviously a slight misquote but definitely referring to the reported appearance of the Autons in the first story. Indeed, today's Daily Star also refers to the launch in an article entitled "Guess Who's On Xmas TV," which says that BBC1 chief Lorraine Heggessey is "turning to three old favourites with a new look in a bid to win the festive ratings battle" and mentions that the Doctor will battle the Autons in the first episode. It also features some of the same quotes as the Daily Express article. These reports have been picked up today by the Sky Television news service and Sky's online Sky News newsfeed, as well as online at Yahoo! UK News, quoting the Sky News reports, and Digital Spy. (Thanks to Paul Engelberg and everyone who wrote in to let us know!)

Christopher Eccleston will be appearing in a music video by the band I Am Kloot, according to music website NME. Says the site, "Eccleston stars in the video to the band's new single 'Proof', set for release on June 14 trough Echo. A fellow Mancunian, the actor fell for the band during their five-night residency at the city's Night & Day Caf? last year. They decided to work on the video with mutual friend and filmmaker Krisher Stott." (Thanks to Robin Groen)

Tom Baker had a few words in Radio Times for new Doc Christopher Eccleston, according to a report at BBC News. "I'm afraid I've never heard of him," Baker told the Radio Times, "though I hope he has great success." The report goes on to say that Baker, who will appear in Monarch of the Glen, says he still gets stopped in the street by fans wanting to talk about Doctor Who. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)

Tom Baker spoke to this week's Radio Times about his life, Doctor Who and the future of the show. Said the Radio Times about the fourth Doctor: "The hair may be greyer and the girth slightly wider, but the face is unmistakeably that of Tom Baker. And the much-loved actor is due to rematerialise on our screens this autumn, not as Doctor Who, but as Donald McDonald - a long-lost son from Monarch of the Glen's Glenbogle." The article mentions that Baker, 70, lives with his wife in France, so he'll be renting a flat in Kinguisee until "Glen" filming ends in September. But, says the article, self-catering isn't one of his talents. "I have a girl who comes in, but I can't ask her to cook for me. So the evenings tend to be a microwaved snack and a cold, strong beer." He also offered good wishes to new Doc Christopher Eccleston (seereport on TV news page). (Thanks to Paul Hayes)

JK HASN'T GOT THE TIMELORD says today's Daily Record, which quotes the recent Doctor Who Magazine interview (yet another press pickup from the DWM story) as saying that Harry Potter creator/author J.K. Rowling has "turned down the chance to bring some magic to the new Dr Who series." Says the article, the BBC wanted her to write an episode, but she's too busy writing the sixth Harry Potter novel, due out next summer. The interview that DWM conducted with producer Russell T Davies quoted him as saying, "I asked JK Rowling if she would like to write an episode for the new series. But she told me she was amused by the suggestion but simply doesn't have the time... I wanted her to write just one episode, but unfortunately she had to turn it down. She told me she was absolutely charmed to have been asked but was so busy at the moment she just couldn't accept. It was slightly disappointing to say the least." You can actually read the whole interview in this month's DWM.

According to a news report in today's Daily Star, the rights issues between the BBC and the estate of Terry Nation, which owns the Daleks, has been sorted. "Doctor Who's most memorable foes are to return to the BBC in a deal worth ú250,000," says the article, which mentions that the BBC jointly owns the rights to the Daleks with Nation, who died in 1997, but it still needed permission to feature them in the new show. Says the article, "Show producers are already having fun giving the Daleks more powers. The formerly floor-bound machines will be able to fly. Also under discussion is a plot in which they try to take over London," which could possibly be referring to one of the story titles previously announced (the two parter at episodes four & five). All of this "signals the BBC's firm intention to make the sci-fi series even more successful than it was the first time around," says the article, which notes that each episode is running to a ú1 million budget - more than the BBC has ever spent on a drama. (Thanks to Paul Engelberg)

The Daily Telegraph printed an editorial by Jim White on May 3 entitled "There's no time like the present, Michael Grade," which lampoons the long-time caustic relationship between Doctor Who fans and the new chairman of the BBC, the man who put Doctor Who on hiatus in 1985. "That grin Michael Grade has been wearing since it was announced he was to return to the BBC as chairman of the governors: now we know the explanation. He's looking forward to jousting with an old foe. Not the Downing Street press office. Not even the Daily Mail." Yes, you guessed it... Doctor Who fans. The article calls into question the "militant" forces of Doctor Who fandom, showcases the author's journey to online websites including Outpost Gallifrey (mentioning our convention and the next meeting of our local fan club) and Nitro Nine ("serving the Dr. Who community since 1994"), and yet fails to accurate portray many facts, including misrepresenting the name the Doctor Who Appreciation Society, noting how Russell T. Davies was merely "commissioned to write episodes" and mocking the 40,000 fans attending the next Gallifrey convention. The article concludes by wondering if Christopher Eccleston would be best suited in another role altogether. You can read the entire article by clicking the link above.

Wednesday morning's GMTV, the UK breakfast-time show, will feature two spots about the return of Doctor Who and at least one Dalek. A representative from the DWAS will be joining the show's presenter. (Thanks to Ian Wheeler, Paul Hayes)