Another piece of book information made available by Amazon.co.uk today: The Legend Continues, the updated edition of Justin Richards' 40th anniversary tome extended to include Christopher Eccleston's trip in the TARDIS. The cover blurb and illustration are below; click on the thumbnail for a larger version.

The True History of Faction Paradox Vol. I: Coming to Dust is out on July 23, 2005. The first of the Faction Paradox audios to be released byMagic Bullet, the audio continues the saga first created by Lawrence Miles for the BBC Doctor Who novels. Miles wrote the script for the audio, which is directed by Alistair Lock and Alan Stevens. "Coming to Dust" will be released at the Invasion convention in Barking on July 23rd, with a special signing by Julian Glover and Isla Blair. Click on the thumbnail at right for a larger version of the cover. (Thanks to Fiona Moore/Magic Bullet)

Amazon.co.uk has published the cover illustrations for the forthcoming BBC Books novel The Deviant Strain by Justin Richards, due out in September, as well as two of Penguin Publishing's Doctor Who tie-in books, the Intergalactic Activity Book and the Sticker Guide. Click on the thumbnails below for larger versions of each image. Also revealed on Amazon are the cover blurbs for the other two Doctor Who new series novels due out in September, Only Humanand The Stealers of Dreams, which are reproduced below (we previously posted the blurb for "Deviant Strain" and you can find it in our Releases guide.)

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)

The release date for Panini's next graphic novel, The Tides of Time, has now been announced: the complete collection of Fifth Doctor comic strips from Doctor Who Monthly will be available in June. The cover illustration is at right; yesterday's news column featured a scan from Doctor Who Magazine but we've been provided a higher-resolution copy of the cover which you can now see by clicking on the thumbnail. (Thanks to Tenth Planet)

Cover illustrations have now been posted on Amazon.co.uk for two forthcoming Doctor Who novels from BBC Books:Island of Death by Barry Letts, a third Doctor/Sarah Jane book due out on July 4; and Spiral Scratchby Gary Russell, the sixth Doctor/Mel book due out in early August. View each by clicking the thumbnails below; brief synopses for each are on ourReleases page. (Thanks to Dan O'Malley, Jim Trenowden, Philip Purser-Hallard)

Several fans noticed this week that pre-orders for Lance Parkin's novel The Gallifrey Chronicles were canceled at Amazon.co.uk, but the issue has been fixed and new pre-orders are being taken.

The revised edition of Mark Campbell's Pocket Essentials: Doctor Who will be released in July 2005. The updated and revised edition will be 160 pages with larger type than the original and will feature ratings, episode titles and novelisation details. "Each Doctor's era is put under the microscope with facts, figures and informed opinion on every televised Doctor Who story right up to the present. There's a list of spin-offs on TV, radio, cinema and stage; updated Big Finish audios; a section on missing episodes; and all topped off with an in-depth reference section. An ideal companion for the casual viewer or the hardcore fan." Click on the thumbnail at right for a larger version of the cover. (Thanks to Mark Campbell)

The BBC Shop has posted details of two items already confirmed for delivery but updating a little information. They've confirmed Revelation of the Daleks as the July DVD, with a release date of July 11 and a release code of BBCDVD1357, along with a brief blurb: "The Doctor and Peri arrive on Necros to attend the funeral of an old friend of the Doctor who has recently died. However, Tranquil Repose is not all it seems and an attempt is made on the Doctor's life. Soon the Doctor comes face to face with the Great Healer, only to discover it is none other than Davros, the creator of the Daleks, intent on rebuilding the Dalek race decimated by the Movellans. DVD Extras: 5.1 Surround Sound Mix; Audio Commentary featuring Graeme Harper, Eric Saward, Nicola Bryant and Terry Molloy; Isolated Music Score; CGI Effects; Revelation Exhumed Documentary; In Studio Featurette; Deleted Scenes; Continuity; Photo Gallery; Production Notes; Easter Egg."

Also, a new blurb for Gary Russell's novel Spiral Scratch, due out from BBC Books in August 2005, is as follows: "Carsus: the largest repository of knowledge in the universe - in any universe, for there is an infinite number of potential universes - or rather, there should be. So why are there now just 117,863? And why, every so often, does another one just wink out of existence? The Doctor and Mel arrive on Carsus to see the Doctor's old friend Professor Rummas - but he has been murdered. Can they solve the mystery of a contracting multiverse, and expose the murderer? With the ties that bind the Lamprey family to the past, present and future coming unravelled around him, only the Doctor can stop the descent into temporal chaos. But he is lost on Janus 8. And Schyllus. And a twentieth-century Earth where Rome never fell. And..." Note that this is a different blurb altogether from the one we've previously featured from Amazon.

More information about Doctor Who Through Time, to be published later this year by Continuum Books and first reported by Outpost Gallifrey on 2 May. This will be McCoy-era Script Editor Andrew Cartmel's personal overview of the show, an affectionate account rather than an exhaustive history, looking at all the eras and all the Doctors from a script editor's and writer's point of view. It will be published in hardcover in December with a retail price of ú12.99, ISBN 0826417345. (Thanks to Andrew Cartmel, Steve Tribe)