Editor's Note: The TARDIS Report

Hello, Outpost Gallifrey readers... The site's editor has been under the weather since just before Christmas, so this article should catch you up with what you've missed since the broadcast of "The Christmas Invasion". Also, please note that as of January 2, 2006, the "Press Clips" column familiar to Outpost Gallifrey readers has been reformatted, as it's frequently less press clips and more factual information; it's now called The TARDIS Report, a general catch-all column (as frequent as can be published) with general clips from both classic and new series. Stories that merit their own articles will be reported individually as always. Now, on with today's TARDIS Report:

Awards

The South Bank Show Awards have teamed up with The Times to open their "Breakthrough" award to a public vote on the web, noting that the award highlights "ten young people whose talents have flourished in the past 12 months."Billie Piper is one of the finalists: "From idle celebrity to serious actress is not a transition many could make easily. In two years, Billie Piper has surprised everyone." Times Online has an article about it, encouraging viewers to vote for their choice!

The year ended well for Doctor Who: December 31's 2005 TV Moments awards, voted for online by the viewing public, saw the series win not only its category (May to June), but also the top award of Golden TV Moment of 2005 for a scene from 'The Doctor Dances'. Billie Piper accepted both awards, thanking cast, crew and viewers, with Phil Collinson and Steven Moffat also in the celebrity audience. There were several other clips from the series shown in various highlights compilations, including the first appearance of the Dalek, the climax of the series, and scenes from 'The Christmas Invasion', as well as a nomination for 'Secret Smile' starring David Tennant. Also mentioned (and shown) was the interruption of 'Rose' by Graham Norton, who talked briefly about the event with the awards host, Jonathan Ross. A winners list is on the TV Moments website, and was mentioned in the Register and The Mirror.

People

David Tennant made a guest appearance on December 26's "The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2005" on Channel 4, talking about the new series with Jimmy Carr, the shows host, and asking a question of the three teams which included such stars as Sharon Osbourne and Jonathan Ross. After talking about the new series with Jimmy Carr, a clip of the regeneration was shown and david makes his appearance and says "hello", the clip is then paused and Tennant poses the question, "what part of his anatomy is he about to mention?" Jonathan Ross commented again on how much he loves the new show and drew pictures of Daleks, a TARDIS and various other Doctor Who related items on his answer board.

The Stage has published its annual Top Ten Movers and Shakers "in the world of theatre and light entertainment" in the UK. Russell T Davies is #1 on the list: "Hats off to Davies – the clear winner of this year’s poll. The man has achieved the almost impossible and transformed Doctor Who for a cynical 21st-century audience and made them fall in love with it again. He wrestled Saturday nights out of the hands of Ant and Dec and revitalised family drama. The Christmas special has gone down a treat and fans will soon be salivating over series two. The triumphant return of the Time Lord and the gloriously camp Casanova to boot, has cemented Davies' position at the head of the holy trinity of British scriptwriters [alongside Paul Abbot and Jimmy McGovern]." Also on the list at #6, David Tennant: "The cheeky Scotsman has had a tremendous year, creeping slowly but relentlessly into popular consciousness with one quirky primetime show after another. First up was the rather odd singing detective in BBC1’s Potteresque comic thriller Blackpool, then came the charismatic Casanova on BBC3. More recently he switched over to ITV1 for a stint as a deranged stalker in Secret Smile before jumping into the Tardis for the Corporation’s Christmas special. His transformation into the tenth Time Lord has made the nation sit up, take notice and ask, 'Christopher who?'"

EntertainmentWise and Ananova both noted that glamour modelJordan "is hoping to bag herself a role in the new series of Doctor Who as a baddie. She is hoping that she could play a killer model who kills people with her [cleavage]…"InTheNews says that "Dr Who has faced countless enemies from the Daleks to the Autons, but he could be facing the greatest challenge yet – the double-barrelled wrath of glamour model Jordan. The busty half of tangerine singer Peter Andre reportedly has set her eyes on a part in the BBC's hit drama, Dr Who, which she feels is a prime place to nurture her acting talents. What acting talents? Well, straight from the horse's mouth regarding her thespian abilities, Jordan told The Sun: 'I could be a baddie who doesn't speak but kills with my ample charms.' Now that would be a sight. We don't think the Time Lord has had to escape being smothered yet, so it would be a first."

Billie Piper is Doctor Who's sexiest assistant, according to a story in the TV biz section of last Tuesday's Sun. It says Louise Jameson, who played Leela, came second and Wendy Padbury (Zoe) was third, while Nicola Bryant, who portrayed Peri, came fourth in the poll of fans. It did not say for whom the poll was conducted - or how people many took part. The piece - with the stunningly original headline of "Dalektable!" - was illustrated with a main close-up colour picture of Piper out of character standing in the doorway of the Tardis, plus mono headshots of Jameson and Padbury as their characters, and a colour headshot of Bryant, which looked to be a portrait shot of the actress and not one of her as Peri. Piper was also chosen at BBC News as one of the "faces of the year": "As the youngest solo artist to debut at Number One in the UK and then as wife of media millionaire Chris Evans, it seemed Billie Piper attracted more sneers than cheers. Her marriage ended in divorce, but Billie's acting career has silenced the critics. Her irresistible appeal won her the title of Britain's most popular TV actress at the National Television Awards for her role as Doctor Who's sidekick, Rose, in the comeback series. "

January 3's Independent notes that "When Christopher Eccleston quit as Dr Who after just one series, he was said to have tired of the superficial demands of prime-time TV. Little surprise, then, to hear that the earnest actor, left, has agreed to make a (resolutely lofty) return to the London stage He will play Christopher Marlowe in The School of Night, a play about the 16th-century playwright's mysterious death, which opens next month. Eccleston's agent, Lorraine Hamilton, said yesterday that he's currently in rehearsal for the show. It will be staged at the Comedy Theatre, and directed by Bill Alexander. Meanwhile, theatreland pundits are waiting with bated breath to see if the occasionally prickly Eccleston will be granting them interviews. 'In most West End plays, the leading man will do the rounds,' reports one. 'But Eccleston can be tricky, and hated the media circus that came with being a Doctor Who star. So we aren't exactly counting chickens.'" There's another mention of Eccleston's turn in the play at Broadway.com.

According to UNIT News, John Barrowman appeared with Natasha Kaplinsky on the BBC's New Years Eve show and said that he expected to start filming Torchwood "in April".

On to Series Two

Last Wednesday's Daily Record previewed Series Two: "The Doctor's enemies have their claws out for him in the new series of the sci-fi show. Evil Cat Women are just one of the alien races the Time Lord, played by Scots actor David Tennant, and Rose (Billie Piper) will face when the new series of Doctor Who starts in the spring. Viewers got their first look at them in a trailer after the special Christmas Day episode. There was also a glimpse of the much-anticipated return of robot dog K-9 and Sarah-Jane Smith. Journalist Sarah Jane (actress Elizabeth Sladen) travelled with Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker's incarnations of the Doctor between 1973 and 1976. And she teamed up with K-9 for the one-off spin-off K-9 And Company in 1981. Viewers also saw Buffy The Vampire Slayer star Anthony Head as a villainous headmaster and Shirley Valentine's Pauline Collins as Queen Victoria. The trailer included a look at the redesigned Cybermen, second only to the Daleks as the Doctor's fiercest foes. It is rumoured that the final episode of the series will feature a war between the two evil races. Writer and producer Russell T Davies said: 'We can promise new thrills, new laughs, new heartbreak and some terrifying new aliens. The Doctor and Rose are destined to meet Queen Victoria, an evil race of Cat Women and the dreaded Cybermen - 2006 is going to be scarier than ever.' Producer Phil Collinson added: 'The villainous Cybermen are as much a part of Doctor Who heritage as the Daleks,so it's a huge personal thrill to see them back. I hope that the evil silver giants will terrify a whole new generation of viewers.'"

Sunday's edition of The Observer previewed the next few months in the arts, including returning television programmes, and featuring: "The Doctor Who Christmas special, which witnessed the doctor getting used to his new skin as David Tennant took over the role from Christopher Eccleston, was just a primer. Here in the second series, he and the surprisingly ace Billie Piper as his assistant Rose go farther into the future than they've ever gone before, zip back for an appointment with Queen Victoria (Pauline Collins) and confront returning terrors the Cybermen." It notes "date to be announced" as a start date for series two. A separate item profiles how posh Cardiff is: "Success at last. In the hotel's relaxed Tides bar, the Krug champagne is flowing (well, trickling, but then it is 24.50 a glass), a DJ is playing and the first celebrity has been bagged. David Tennant, the new Doctor Who, is sitting about a foot behind me. Doctor Who is made in the city so he, Billie Piper and the rest of the cast are often around."

Sky Showbiz noted that, in a preview of the new series, "we hear that Rose and the trendy new trainer-wearing Doc get it on when David Tennant makes his proper debut on Christmas Day. A 13-part series, in which the Cybermen, K9 and seventies assistant Sarah Jane Smith return, follows the Christmas special."

As if they didn't learn the last time... ITN says that "Ant and Dec are to front a revival of the hit 80s gameshow Bullseye, and ITV bosses are planning to pit the darts-based family favourite against Dr Who. The Beeb has scored a huge saturday night hit with Dr Who and the new series starts in June - but this time they will be battling it out with the Geordie duo who always seem get it right." They forget that Ant and Dec didn't get it right the last time with their proven successful winner, "Saturday Night Takeaway..." Meanwhile, Channel 4 and Digital Spy also report the story.

End-of-Year Wrap-Up

BBC Wales Southeast has two new websites working about Doctor Who items: one on the Doctor Who Up Closeexhibition, the other aChristmas Invasion Location Guide.

The Guardian "Guide" section on 31 December includes Charlie Brooker's review of the year's television; Brooker is on his usual coruscating (and readable) form for most of the year's output, but does conclude that "the Best Overall Show Of The Year was clearly, obviously and undeniably Doctor Bloody Brilliant Who." The Guardian two days earlier said in a separate storyabout, of all things, trombones, that "As it transpired, the Christmas Day Dr Who was not the further dent in their image trombonists must have feared. Once we'd witnessed huge alien ships hovering like clouds from Hemel Hempstead, though rather more solid, over the House of Commons, and everyone in the world with an A-positive blood group poised on the top of high buildings and ready to jump, and a Punch and Judy parliament of Sycoraxes baying for earthling blood, death-dealing trombones (some of which didn't look at all like trombones) seemed the least of the doctor's worries. And just possibly (let us end the year on a positive note) the evening's pre-teen audience may have started to look on trombones in a new, more exciting light. If in 10 years' time the doors of our music colleges are being besieged by hordes of young people set on a life of tromboning, we may well have Russell T Davies to thank for it."

The December 29 Daily Record noted that "The BBC phones went wild on Boxing Day with thousands of frantic calls from Edinburgh. Apparently, legions of desperate Hearts fans reckoned their only chance of understanding club owner Vladimir Romanov's statement would be if Doctor Who dropped by with his inter-galactic translating powers. After all, if wee Davie Tennant understood what the gurgling Sycorax were slavering on about on Christmas Day, chances are he'd be able to translate Vlad's 'farewell on the road to hell' into English too. Davie might not be a Gorgie Road hero, but darling of Earthlings - and winner of the Christmas Day ratings war - he most certainly is. ... Tennant's special. Very special. I was a huge fan of Eccleston's screwball take on the Timelord. Still am, in fact. And I worried too many of us Scots would gush about DT's performance simply because he was Scottish and not famous enough for us to start slagging him off. There's no sign (yet) of his Scottish accent - a minor gripe - although rumour has it that's not for long. Otherwise, this was rollicking good festive fun. The dialogue gleamed like the Milky Way, laced with so much camp humour it was a whisker away from being a French & Saunders mickey take. ... And what's this? A superhero who is disappointed by not being regenerated a ginger? Yes, but we're the chosen ones, Doc. Better luck next time."

A few other choice comments: says the Belfast Telegraph: "Tennant's experience as Casanova came in useful when he indulged in a bit of sword play with an alien who looked like a Christmas candle had melted over his head. All a lot of inglorious hokum, if you ask me, and high time they got rid of the police box tardis. No one under 60 knows what on or off earth the thing is." The Scottish Herald: "It began by putting itself in danger of becoming an ultra-camp parody of itself, complete with spinning Christmas trees and zombified Father Christmases. Although he seems likely to become a well-liked doctor, David Tennant's first performance got off to a shaky start, with him asking Rose to tell him if he was ginger or not (must poor Billie Piper's career always be overshadowed by her marriage to Chris Evans?) and over-egging his part terribly. ... One second it's a super-smart, dazzlingly written, perfectly plotted wonder, the next it's a piece of ironic sci-fi silliness, perilously close to undoing its good work by over-doing the in-jokes, and working harder by the episode to strike the balance. But, for a show that will always have its history weighing it down, it doesn't do badly in settling for being entertainingly dichotomous. So, we're saying it's nonsense then. Just cleverer nonsense than pretty much anything else." The Daily Record: "I've found myself warming to it a little bit. Maybe it's the scripts, or the rubbery monsters, or the fact that Billie Piper can act (a bit). But no, if I'm being honest, it's none of these things. It's because finally, after 30 years of bog-eyed uglies in long scarves, Doctor Who is hot. Yes, the famous Timelord has finally regenerated into something us ladies can really get to grips with, and if David Tennant ever fancies taking me off to the distant galaxy of Buggerlugs 5, then I'm quite happy to hold his sonic screwdriver for him while he takes the Tardis up to warp factor 11."

Merchandise

The online store Forbidden Planet has a bunch of new Doctor Who merchandise items previewed. There are 5" action figures from the new series including two of David Tennant, one in a long coat and one in his suit, as well as Rose, Slitheen and Sycorax figurines, which will be available from 18 January, and then Cassandra and the Moxx of Balhoon on 28 January. The 12" figure of Tennant, as seen on The Jonathan Ross Show, will be available from 12 May 2006, along with a 12" Cyberman figure. There will also be a Cyberman Animatronic Room Guard and a Cyberman Voice Change Helmet, both available on 7 July.

Miscellaneous Items

A few more articles on the BBC's Christmas Day triumph at The Mirror,icWales, InTheNews, the Daily Mail and theEvening Times. Also, another mention of John Barrowman's civil ceremony at WaveGuide.

December 29's The Herald noted that "An Edinburgh entrepreneur has flogged the December 17 issue of The Herald's magazine on auction website eBay for 21 pounds, reveals Martin Meteyard. The chancer's whopping 20.10 profit came from English Dr Who fans wanting the magazine's cover photo of new timelord David Tennant. In refuting the vendor's claim ('available from newsagents on day of publication only . . . supplies extremely limited'), we assure Dr Who devotees that back-issues are available from The Herald for 90p. An old Edinburgh proverb once read, 'you'll have had your tea?' Now it's, 'you'll have been had via eBay'."

The Florida Sun-Sentinel, of all places, answers the time-honoured question, "When can we expect to see the wonderfully updated BBC staple Doctor Who on American sets?" Their answer: "It might be a while before the new batch of Dr. Who episodes crosses the Atlantic. Both seasons, one starring Christopher Eccleston, the other David Tennant, are on the radar screens of BBC America, according to a network spokeswoman, but no deals have been struck. Despite common ownership with the BBC, BBC America has to bid for imports against other American networks, she said. This process has not yet begun."

Says December 30's Romford Recorder, "Daleks ran riot in a department store in Upminster during a special Dr Who themed event. Fans crammed into Roomes Stores, Upminster, to meet Time Lord actor, Sylvester McCoy, who played the seventh Dr Who in the classic BBC sci-fi children's series, while real Daleks were causing havoc down the aisles. Then, on the following day veteran Dr Who actor Nicholas Courtney, who played Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart in all of the series except for the current one, visited the store. He signed copies of his book..."

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Peter Weaver, John Bowman, Paul Hayes, Lerys Campbell, Gregg Allinson, Matt Kimpton, David Guest, Chris Winwood, Paul Bensilum, Luke McCullough, Leighton Haberfield)

Today's Daily Star reports that there may be a cameo appearance this year by football star David Beckham! "The Real Madrid ace, 30, is a massive fan of the BBC1 show. Wife Victoria, 31, bought him a whole stack of Dr Who goodies for Christmas and admits Becks is 'completely obsessed.' Now we can reveal that the England captain is about to get a cameo role in the next series, thanks to writer Russell T. Davies. Russell, 42, told the Daily Star: 'I have heard Becks is a big fan of the show. Well, I'd love him to be in it. I am looking at ways we can write him into an episode.'" A separate report in the Daily Star says that "BBC bosses are lining him up for a guest appearance".

Today's The Independent notes that "On Christmas Day, the new series of Doctor Who started, with David Tennant falling unconscious from the Tardis as the latest avatar. Not exactly the right season for a resurrection (but I don't suppose that devout Whooligans are going to be fussy about that), and the good news is that Tennant makes a winningly puckish Timelord. Russell T Davies, the architect of Who's renaissance and the writer of this Christmas special, had a lovely time with his festive gags. The aliens who decided to invade Earth first appeared as a group of murderous Santas armed with high- calibre brass-band instruments and later tried to kill the Doctor and his assistant with a remote-controlled Christmas tree. But he'd also managed to smuggle a bit of a political motto into the cracker. 'He's not my boss and he's certainly not turning this into a war,' said the female PM, when asked whether she'd consulted the American president about how to deal with the aliens. ... I think even the Queen may have enjoyed the joke about the Royal Family, up on the roof of Balmoral and prepared to jump to their death after the mass hypnotism of the human race ... "

Canada's Toronto Star previews "The Christmas Invasion" tonight (we've been told that the BBC embargoed coverage in Canada until after the UK's transmission). "It's an almost Dickensian, picture-postcard British Christmas -- snow falling fluffily to the ground, cheery carollers wending their way through cobblestone streets, brightly wrapped presents under the tree, department-store Father Christmases ringing bells -- at least until the tree turns into a whirling green buzz-saw of death, and the Father Christmases are revealed as zombie robots armed with flamethrowers, harbingers of an evil alien race bent on seizing the planet for their own nefarious purposes. This looks like a job for ... Doctor Who. ... Imagine what it must be like for Billie Piper, the doctor's (both of them) travelling companion in the current series, now filming its second season. Particularly since, unlike the fans, until she showed up on set last year, Piper had never even seen an episode of Doctor Who. 'We were never really a TV family,' allows the pop star turned actress by cellphone from Cardiff, Wales, after a long day of battling intergalactic evil. 'We were always very big on films. But TV, I don't know, it wasn't a big thing in the house. So I kinda missed out on it. I remember people talking about it a lot in school, and at times I did feel I was missing out on something special. But before I did Doctor Who, I wasn't a huge sci-fi fan.... What's so great about Doctor Who is that it celebrates life and humanity -- I really missed that before. And now it's something that I'm such a huge fan of, and advocate Doctor Who in such a strong way. It's topical, it's about life and existence and how greedy and how hateful we are at times, and how we forget how wonderful things can be and how special and extraordinary life really is. ... Lots of people are asking, Are you scared about the new doctor coming on, and how he's going to be received? And I've never for one moment thought, you know, people are not going to like him. I think people will love him! He really, really plays with it — it's very kind of light and free, a very energetic performance ... it's just great. I mean, I loved working with Chris, and I think that he is an incredible actor. David matches Chris, and then goes off and does his own thing, and in that way is truly unique.' ... While American fans wait for their first glimpse at the reborn series -- a first-season DVD set is apparently imminent -- Canadians can look forward to a second season chock full of Who-vian delights, including the return of the Doctor's robot dog, K-9, and a guest appearance by a former companion, Elizabeth Sladen, who rode the TARDIS as Sarah Jane Smith from 1974 to 1977, alongside Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker. It was a rare chance for current companion Billie Piper to make a connection to the show's storied past. 'She was so lovely,' Piper says. 'Just absolutely incredible. It was very different for her, in the old studio, with, like, 12 cameras.... I think it came as a bit of a shock when she started (with us). But soon she was completely back on track, and loving every moment. I actually think she prefers it.' Piper hopes to one day be able to return the favour, and finally get around to some of Sladen's old Doctor Who adventures. 'I still haven't yet,' she sighs. 'It's just an issue of time, really. The thing about making Doctor Who is that it becomes your life, and anything outside of that ... I mean, really, the last thing you want to do at the end of the day is go home and plow into some Tom Baker episodes. But I fully intend to. I'll get a few box sets after Christmas and maybe have a look at them then.'"

The The Northern Echo says that "Unspeakable things were seen on television over Christmas. 'The face of an alien life form was transmitted live tonight on BBC1,' we learnt in Doctor Who. I didn't think this was anything new. After all, Patrick Moore and Vanessa Feltz have been seen on telly screens for years. But they're not Sycorax, who are unique in the intergalactic monster world because the face underneath is even more horrible than the mask they wear to cover it. David Tennant's new doctor was worried about his looks too after taking part in the Regeneration Game. 'Am I ginger?,' he asked companion Rose with a look of horror. Russell T Davies's The Christmas Invasion was quite rightly given centre stage in the schedules by the BBC. This contained all the elements that made the revival of the sci-fi series so successful last year. Tennant has a hard act to follow as Christopher Eccleston made the role his own even though he only hung around for one series. The signs are that the new Doctor will be just as good."

The Daily Mailsays that "former Dr Who star Christopher Eccleston has assiduously developed a reputation as an actor of repute. But when the dour-faced thespian took part in a celebrity Red Cross event in Indonesia for victims of last year's Boxing Day tsunami, he found his fame had not travelled the distance. Eccleston -- who quit Dr Who after just one series -- took to the stage to sing to children in the remote Aceh province. However, none of his audience had a clue who he was. 'It got slightly embarrassing because more of the audience were asking a BBC cameraman for his autograph than Christopher,' says a Red Cross worker. 'They hadn't a clue who he was.' Their confusion turned to laughter as the earnest actor stood up to sing the Frank Sinatra number Nancy With The Laughing Eyes -- and banged his head on the ceiling. The youngsters chortled even more when his head became entangled in bunting. To add insult to injury, when Eccleston decided to make a call from the local airport to say he was on his way home, he discovered his mobile phone had been stolen."

The The Globe and Mail of Canada says of Doctor Who this past year that it "returned amid much hype, but for once the hype was a true reflection of the show's importance. The BBC's decision to revive the hoary old sci-fi series was inspired, especially the decision to use Russell T. Davies (creator of the original Queer As Folk) as the main writer. He gave it a glorious camp quality, and Christopher Eccleston was perfect as the weird doctor. Then, in a twist that could only happen on a BBC show, Eccleston abandoned the role and walked away." Also, Doctor Who made their list of "Ten Shows That Mattered Most in 2005".

Other brief items: Waveguide repeats the story on Tennant watching the program on Sunday night; TV Squadconcludes its "Christmas Invasion" countdown with a review; Lovetripper mentions John Barrowman's civil ceremony; and the Irish Independent has another report on Christmas Day viewing figures.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Peter Weaver, Graeme Burk)

Post-transmission reviews from the press have started coming in. The Sunsays that "it's hard to believe it is less than a year since the Beeb brought back this cult classic. But the Timelord's battle against the ugly Sycorax really was the jewel in the BBC's crown yesterday. From the moment the Tardis hurtled out of the sky and crash landed in a council estate, you knew you were in for something special. New doc, David Tennant has not just stepped into Christopher Eccleston's impressive shoes, he jumped into them at full pelt -- not an easy feat. The only thing slightly dodgy was his accent — a mixture of Dick Van Dyke and Tiny Tim. But I can just about forgive him that as his comic timing was one of the best things about the Christmas special. ... David brings back the humour and is not as menacing as Eccleston, while Billie Piper was a real jingle-belle as she tried to stand up to the aliens. But the Christmas special is a tribute to writer Russell T Davies, who masterminded the Dr Who revival and whose words crackle and spit hotter than a roast turkey dinner. If this is anything to go by, roll on the next series..."

The Times also has choice words: "Casanova, in pyjamas, fighting the Sycorax with a broadsword? What greater gift could womankind receive on Christmas Day? Of course, gay men always give the most exquisite and generous of gifts, so it was little wonder that Russell T. Davies, the head writer and fairy godfather of Doctor Who (BBC One), made the 'Christmas Day special' not just a treat for those ovulating on the 25th -- which, to be frank, would have been every female viewer at the point where David Tennant burst out of the Tardis for the first time -- but a thrill for everyone. Personally, I don't know anyone who harboured a single doubt over Tennant making a totally splendid and, more importantly, very hot Doctor. And this complacency has proved to be wholly correct. He's twinkly, he's foppish, he's clever, he's taller than you'd expect, and he's clearly going to roam across the galaxy, making anything with receptive genitalia stare into their drinks, sighing: 'Gvenx attr! dopo'. This Doctor revival works so well because everyone involved is a fan, and therefore knows what other fans want from their Doctor. In many ways, it's like multimillion-pound fanfic -- stories written by fans, where decades of frustration with the plot not going the way they want is vented -- and so Leia and Han end up shagging frenetically, through access-panels in their snow-suits, in an ice corridor on Hoth. This sense of finally getting your hands on your idols, and making things go the way that you have always dreamt of, is why every episode of the new Doctor Who series has a moment that makes the Doctor fan simultaneously shivery and tearful. Obviously you'd have to go a long way to beat the last episode of the last series, when the Doctor and Rose had to kiss out of both galactic and medical necessity ('You need a Doctor.' YES! YES! YES, I DO NEED A DOCTOR NOW!) -- but Christmas Day came pretty close. Having seen off the evil leader of the Sycorax while dressed in his pyjamas ('Oooh, very Arthur Dent'), the Doctor turned to the Sycoraxian hordes on their spaceship. 'Go across the Universe, and tell whoever you meet that the Earth is DEFENDED!' the Doctor said. Of course, what he meant was that the Earth 'is defended by ME, Sexy Who, over another 12 episodes this year, and with a shooting schedule confirmed up until 2007'. And that, frankly, is something I would like to go across the Universe telling everyone I meet."

The past three days have seen a ton of news clips and articles about "The Christmas Invasion" and Doctor Who in general. Outpost Gallifrey cuts through the hodgepodge with this late-week report from the past three days:

The Christmas Invasion

David Tennant appeared yesterday on the BBC Radio 1 "Colin and Edith Show" as well as last night's "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross". On both, Tennant discussed the cutting of the line about the Doctor's accent and noted how relieved he was that everything would finally be starting up (referring to the transmission of his episodes, at least the first one!) He also noted that the production team returns on January 3 for filming, with work being done through April and then a break before series three begins filming in July. On Ross' show, he found out about the new Tenth Doctor action figure and clips were shown (see the story above with screengrabs!)

Meanwhile, you can listen again to the Colin and Edith Show at theirwebsite; click on the "listen again" feature.

Camille Coduri and Noel Clarke also appeared on television, appearing on Friday morning's GMTV in a brief interview; at right is an image of the two appearing on GMTV (thanks to Mark Naisbitt for the image!)

The Sun wonders if "Doctor Who may pull in as many viewers for BBC1 tomorrow as the Only Fools And Horses festive shows. Bosses hope 15million will tune in. A source said: 'With Kat and Alfie's departure from EastEnders and Doctor Who, we hope to have viewers hooked to BBC1 - harking back to when Only Fools was watched by the entire nation.'"

'The Christmas Invasion' took over the BBC TV homepage on Friday. The episode was also a major part of BBC News's round-up of festive TV highlights in an article entitled "Christmas TV reflects on its past": "David Tennant's arrival as Doctor Who is key to the BBC's schedule. By far the greatest example, and the show that only soaps will exceed in the ratings, is Doctor Who, due to be screened on Christmas Day. Four decades ago to the day, Doctor Who was in its heyday with everyone in every family watching what turned out to be a rather daft Christmas special with William Hartnell as the Doctor. Now the show is back better than ever. The new Christmas special may have moments of daftness but it also has a new Doctor in David Tennant. If it is not the best show of the season, many people will still watch just to see him."

The official Doctor Who website has posted the "Fear Forecast" edition -- the reviews of the story by four children, as done during the transmission of Series One.

Last Thursday's The Times noted that "Skybet have cut EastEnders to 2-5 (from 1-2) to be the most-watched television programme on Christmas Day. Doctor Who, another runner for the BBC stable, is quoted at 2-1, with Coronation Street being friendless at 4-1, having initially been offered at 11-8. The Queen's Speech is a 100-1 chance."

Several sources including the Scotsman and UTV note that "New Dr Who David Tennant will watch his timelord debut after tucking into Christmas dinner with his parents, if he can escape his busy schedule. The actor, who has already revealed he would like to do a second series, hopes to fly to Scotland to spend the day with his parents at their home in Paisley. He will appear on screen alongside Billie Piper in the first episode of the latest BBC series at 7pm. His former church minister father said the whole family will be tuning in after their turkey, hopefully with the 10th timelord himself. The Very Reverend Sandy McDonald, 67, told the Scottish Press Association: 'We will certainly be watching it and all being well David will be with us. But he's got a very busy schedule and there's still a question mark over whether he'll make it. We are looking forward to seeing the show, all our kids have grown up watching Dr Who.' Mr McDonald, a former moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said he and wife Helen will be joined by David's sister but his other son would be staying at his home south of the border."

There are several mentions of 'The Christmas Invasion' in The Guardian in the 'Guide' section today, and even a glowing write-up for the official website. As happened a couple of times during Series One, television previewer Charlie Brooker has praised the Christmas special as "the greatest Christmas episode of any programme ever". Says Brooker's column: "Tradition. That's what you associate with Christmas: tradition. And drink-driving. And despair and loneliness. And Argos. But mainly tradition. All of which is bloody fortunate, because this year's Christmas TV is more traditional than it's been for years - yet it's also somehow futuristic at the same time. Watching the box this year is going to feel like travelling simultaneously backwards and forwards in time. Thank God you'll be drunk through most of it - it'd be far too disorientating otherwise. ... Perhaps the best thing about Christmas TV is the fact that it signals a brief respite from the usual year-long arseburst of poxy bloody reality shows and poxy bloody makeover specials and poxy bloody sneering bloody awful bloody rubbish, all of which gets temporarily stifled in favour of old-fashioned traditional storytelling (OK, perhaps not always "old-fashioned": this year, ITV's key offering is Whatever Love Means (Wed, 9pm, ITV1), a dramatised retelling of the romance between Charles and Camilla - which at a push might be of interest to 10 or 12 people). ... Anyway, this new version's [of My Family and Other Animals] really rather good, in a cosy, watching-from-your-armchair kind of way, which is just what you want at Christmas. Yet it shrivels into insignificance alongside the most wildly anticipated show of the season - the Doctor Who Christmas Special, or The Christmas Invasions (tomorrow, 7pm, BBC1) to give it its proper title. "Wildly anticipated" because a) Doctor Who was the best show of 2005 by about 16 billion parsecs and b) it's our first proper chance to see David Tennant in action. Thank God, then, that this doesn't disappoint in the slightest. In fact, it's possibly the greatest Christmas episode of any programme ever. Having been set an insanely tough act to follow by Christopher Eccleston, and despite being bed-ridden and unconscious for half the episode's running time, the moment David Tennant finally springs into action, he immediately and effortlessly makes the character of the Doctor his own. If anything, he's even better than Eccleston was - which ought to be impossible. The episode - the storyline of which I won't give away - treads a fine line between "carefree romp" and "apocalyptic horror" without putting a foot wrong, contains several sequences which appear to have been designed specifically to spook out the kiddies, and also takes the opportunity to hammer home an unsubtle-but-why-the-bloody-hell-shouldn't-it-be message about the futility of war and the arrogance of power. In other words, it even manages to contain a traditional Christmas moral without being corny or rubbish. At this rate, I hope and fully expect to see Russell T Davies immortalised on our national currency within my lifetime. Anyway, there's your Yuletide telly line-up - hope it chokes you. Oh, and merry Christmas." The note about the official site: "Among the highlights is a film of Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper's finest moments set - rather dramatically - to Run by Snow Patrol, sounds you can download onto your PC or phone; Simon Pegg's excellent Doctor Who Confidential series and The Last Dalek - a game where you take the role of the dastardly droids and attempt to kill helpless humans. It's like pushing a trolley with a wonky wheel around the supermarket, except with the occasional bloodless death."

Newsquest Media this weekend notes that "Doctor Who has saved the world from Daleks, Cyberman and all manner of unpleasant creatures. But can he help the BBC to achieve its usual Christmas Day ratings high? The Beeb has placed the regenerated Time Lord - now played by David Tennant - at the centre of its schedules in a special Christmas-themed episode. Then surrounded him with a line-up of popular comedies, family films and the usual traumatic festive episode of EastEnders. Many of the other channels appear to be on autopilot - all six episodes of the third Little Britain series being shown back-to-back on BBC3; E4 has five episodes of Friends, being repeated for the umpteenth time and Sky One offers six visits to The Simpsons. ... Let's look to the future now. Even before he became the tenth Doctor Who, David Tennant was having a pretty good year with starring roles in three TV series - He Knew He Was Right, Blackpool and Casanova. But landing the role of the Time Lord in the newly-revived BBC1 series has, as industry newspaper Broadcast put it, 'propelled Tennant into the big time'. His own take on transforming himself into one of the most youthful doctors to date is simple enough: 'It's been a lifelong dream to get my own Tardis.' The people at Broadcast have such faith in the 34-year-old actor's future that they made him number one in their Hot 100 Talent list, in front of the likes of Jamie Oliver, Catherine Tate, Bill Oddie and Geordie duo Ant and Dec. To those of us who remember him making an impact a decade ago in the BBC2 drama Takin' Over The Asylum, his rise to fame is less surprising. But making the leap from legendary lover in Casanova to monster-fighting time traveller in Doctor Who is a big one, even if writer-producer Russell T Davies is the link between them both." The article takes comments from several sources that Tennant has recently made to the press about joining Doctor Who, his costume and his wanting to stay on in the role.

The ic Network of websites are carrying a story about the debut: "It's the long awaited debut of the new Dr Who, David Tennant, on Christmas Day. He's set to take on a killer Christmas tree, spooky Santas and evil aliens. But a bigger challenge for Tennant will be how he measures up to the outgoing doctor, the popular Christopher Eccleston. As he becomes the 10th Time Lord, David says: 'It's very easy to feel the weight of history pressing down. Getting over that and getting on with it is part of the trick of the whole gig, really. ... As an actor, you get to work on a blank canvas."

There's a brief mention of "Christmas Invasion" at GCN ("The Christmas Day highlight everyone should see is Doctor Who at 7pm on BBC 1. The pressure is on for David Tennent to be a standing successor to Christopher Eccleston and The Christmas Invasion should help to prove that while whetting the appetite for Season 2")

Yesterday's Daily Star featured some photographs as Russell T Davies described a sword fight between the Doctor and the leader of evil alien race the Sycorax as "the sci-fi show's most exciting fight scene ever. ... There's a real shocker for fans when the Doctor apparently suffers an horrific injury during the gripping battle - as writers pay tribute to the Star Wars films."

The South Wales Echo said that "Timelord fans are being invited to see behind the scenes of the Doctor Who series, including a glimpse inside his famous Tardis. At an exclusive preview yesterday, a small group of fans viewed the props and scenery at the exhibition. Adam Jenkins, nine, of Canton, Cardiff, who won a place at the event by entering a competition in the Echo, said: 'It's good. You recognise everything from the television and it is really cool.' Jessey Sanders, nine, of Llanrumney, Cardiff, who was with brother Zarren, 10, said: 'I liked the Daleks the best.' Zara May, 10, of Tremorfa, Cardiff, said: 'Rose is my favourite. She is very brave.'"

The Forester pointed out that "Clearwell Caves will feature in the Doctor Who Christmas Day special."

Broadcasting

From our friends at 'This Week in Doctor Who': "Add Israel to the countries where the new Doctor Who will be shown. The satellite channel "Yes Weekend" has reportedly bought the Christopher Eccleston episodes, which will air Fridays starting 20 January 2006. Exact time, number of episodes per week, and number of broadcasts of each episode are not yet known."

Exhibition Coverage

The new exhibition, Doctor Who Up Close, had its press launch on 21 December and opened to the public on 22 December at the Red Dragon Centre in Cardiff. It runs until 26 February, from 11am to 8pm each day, and admission is free. BBC News ("Doctor Who show opens in Cardiff") reported on the opening, noting that the show will include "elements of the Christmas special - including some of the new props and costumes after the show has aired on Christmas Day". The South Wales Echo ("Doctor Who fans in for a treat") concentrated on the small number of fans invited to the launch, particularly children ("I liked the Daleks best"). The opening is also reported in the Western Mail("Exhibition looks behind the scenes of Dr Who"). Rodney Berman, leader of Cardiff Council, told BBC News, "It is particularly fitting that this experience is being launched as Cardiff marks its golden jubilee as the capital of Wales. This is yet another reason for the city to celebrate by providing a first class destination for everyone to visit. As a big fan of Doctor Who myself, particularly the new version made right here in Cardiff, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to visit the new exhibition. It will be an exciting insight into the behind the scenes goings on of the series over the years."

On Wales

The Western Mail today noted that "The stunning success of Doctor Who means the series has become part of the tourist campaign for Wales. As well as being one of BBC Wales' biggest success stories and helping rejuvenate Saturday night television, Doctor Who has done far more than introduce a whole new generation of fans to the Time Lord. With many of the scenes filmed on location in Wales, the programme is giving the country a wealth of positive publicity. The first series, penned by Welsh writer Russell T Davies, was screened earlier this year. It attracted around 10m viewers an episode, which means a huge audience was introduced to Wales through the show. Tomorrow's Christmas special, in which David Tennant makes his debut as the new Doctor, is expected to be one of the biggest Christmas Day TV ratings-pullers. Among several Welsh locations viewers will see is Cardiff city centre. Billie Piper, who plays the Doctor's assistant Rose Tyler, is filmed running through the streets. And in the new series, to be broadcast next year, among the locations which will be beamed onto TV screens throughout the country are Newport's Tredegar House, Gower, and Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay. Bosses at Wales Tourist Board are delighted with the exposure the award-winning programme gives the country. They believe it can help attract additional visitors to the area as well as give those living in Wales a boost when they see familiar locations beamed onto their TV screens. And, perhaps even more importantly, filming in Wales gives the economy a boost. 'Having a highly popular TV series like Doctor Who shot on locations in Cardiff and other parts of South Wales helps viewers in Wales feel that they live in a modern and attractive part of the UK,' said a spokesman for the Wales Tourist Board. 'In addition, given that nine out of 10 visitors to Wales come from elsewhere in the UK, scenes of Cardiff and the surrounding area shown on Doctor Who could attract visitors and help Wales maintain its share of the tourism market. As far as the economy is concerned, when films and TV programmes are shot on location, the cast and crews spend money on local hotels and restaurants, giving the local economy a boost.'"

The Western Mail also notes that Wales' Talygarn Manor "is one of the Welsh venues where filming for Doctor Who has taken place. The former rehabilitation centre in the Vale of Glamorgan dates back to the 14th century and is a Grade II listed mansion. Its impressive hallways and library were used in the programme. And although David Tennant and Billie Piper were not a part of the shoot, Roger Lloyd-Pack, the actor famous for playing Trigger in the BBC's Only Fools And Horses, was involved. The building is currently being converted into a range of luxury homes, although some new residents have already moved in. Laura Marles, sales manager at Talygarn Manor, said the cast and crew spent a day at the venue. 'It was absolutely fantastic having them here,' she said. 'It gave us a little bit of an insight into how they make the show. Everyone I have spoken to thinks it's wonderful Doctor Who has been filming on location in Wales - I think it definitely raises our profile.'"

Year In Review

The MediaGuardian website has posted a review of the year in television, the radio and press. In the television review, written by their broadcasting editor Jason Deans, "Doctor Who" is listed as one of 2005's TV Treats. Deans writes: "Doctor Who - BBC1: Already much feted, and rightly so, for singlehandedly reviving the venerable tradition of early Saturday evening family drama. And getting a dalek up a flight of stairs." On the other hand, down in the "TV Turkeys of 2005" section of the same article, "Celebrity Wrestling" comes in for yet more flack: "Celebrity Wrestling - ITV1: ITV was hoping it would become the big daddy of Saturday nights. But viewers grappled with the concept of watching the likes of James Hewitt and Annabel Croft being pinned to the floor. It was moved out of prime time and came to represent the nadir of ITV's cruel, cruel summer."

Merchandise

Friday's Western Mail noted that "Christmas sales of Doctor Who merchandise have been 'in a different league' to rival TV and film spin-offs this year, toy retailers said yesterday. The popularity of the toys and figures from the hit BBC series, which is filmed in Wales, has comfortably outstripped that of merchandise from blockbuster films like Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Batman Begins. Chris Davies, at The Entertainer toy chain's Cardiff shop, said radio control Daleks had easily been its most popular items in the run-up to Christmas. ... Ben Keywood, of mail order firm Galaxy 4, which specialises in merchandise from the cult series, said manufacturers had been taken by surprise by the popularity of the spin-off products. 'It's been very difficult to meet the demand,' he said. 'The problem has been that nobody really anticipated that it would be quite so popular, and so the companies who were licensed to produce it didn't make enough. 'It's only been in the last couple of days that we've had enough radio-controlled Daleks on our hands to fulfil all the pre-orders we've had, and so it wasn't until then that we could post them out for Christmas.' Mr Keywood said the visual appeal of the Dalek made it irresistible to fans of the show. 'Obviously it's to do with the fact that the Dalek is so iconic and if you see one in the shops, you will just buy it because it looks so good and it's quite quirky. 'I think you can't resist buying it when you see one, so when they have appeared, people have just snapped them off the shelves.'"

Milestones

The Scotsman and other sources have printed an article about the history of Doctor Who being continued to this day. "On Christmas Day, 1965, the Doctor took time out from an epic battle with the Daleks to partake in an odd 25-minute run-around which saw him in a silent film-style encounter with the likes of Charlie Chaplin and the Keystone Kops. As if that wasn't bizarre enough, at the end of the episode the Timelord - then in his first incarnation, played by William Hartnell - caused many a viewer to choke on their turkey by suddenly turning straight to camera and addressing the TV audience across the land. 'Incidentally,' he chuckled, 'a happy Christmas to all of you at home!'. Four decades on, and for only the second time in the programme's long history, the Tardis is once again materialising onto our TV screens on Christmas Day. But this time around it's all very different. Rather than an Edwardian gentleman with dodgy dentistry at the helm, the new Doctor, David Tennant, is all Carnaby Street swagger and perfect teeth. For fans everywhere, it'll provide them the first chance to properly size up the new man in the Tardis, having only enjoyed a brief sample of David's take on the role in a Children In Need special last month. Despite being a life-long fan of the programme, he is determined to make the character - now in its 10th incarnation - his own. 'I haven't drawn on any of the earlier Doctors' portrayal, not particularly consciously. I am aware there's always the danger of playing it too quirkily.' He's obviously still smitten with the role. 'It is like no other job in the world, you are sword-fighting one day, swinging off ledges on another. It never fails to surprise and delight. We literally have about one 'wow!' moment a week,' he smiles. 'Standing in the arena of the Sycorax spaceship was quite an early one.' Eclipsing even that thrill is one we won't get to see on our screens until next year, when the Doctor comes face-to-face with former companion Sarah Jane Smith, who accompanied both Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker on their time travels in the 1970s. Still played by Elisabeth Sladen, David admits it was a great thrill to work with one of his childhood heroes. 'She was calling me Doctor, which seemed really weird,' he laughs. Get used to it, Mr Tennant, because after Christmas, so will the rest of the world. As the Doctor says, at the climax of The Christmas Invasion, still clad in a fetching pair of pin-stripe nightwear following a post-regenerative period of bed rest, 'Not bad for a bloke in jim-jams'."

People

The Sun says today that "Billie Piper is NOT about to leave the Timelord’s side -- says the new Doctor Who. Billie, 23, who is currently filming her second series as sidekick Rose Tyler, was said to be considering quitting. But new Doctor David Tennant said: 'Billie is hanging around. Despite what you may have read.' But Billie has nabbed another job. She will be the first guest host on the new series of Channel 4 show The Friday Night Project. It returns on January 6."

The Sun notes that "gay Doctor Who star John Barrowman is to do an Elton John -and wed his boyfriend. John -bisexual Captain Jack in the BBC1 show -wants to formalise his relationship with architect Scott Gill after ten years. But unlike Sir Elton and David Furnish, they won't be having a lavish showbiz bash. The 37-year-old actor said: 'We're just going to sign the civil register. We're not going to have any ceremony because I'm not a supporter of the word marriage for a gay partnership.' The pair live in London's Chelsea and signing the register gives them the same rights as other married couples. They are even talking about having a baby together. John -currently rehearsing for ITV1 show Dancing On Ice -said: "The daughter of a very, very old friend offered to carry a child for us. I've known her since she was five or six. She has kids of her own but said that if we wanted a child she'd be happy to do it.'" Also reported at Contact Music,Sun Sentinel, Pink News, Good As You.

The Times says that "If David Tennant has a motif, it is his lightness of touch, even when playing dark roles. As he recognises, his appeal lies in words and wit, and certainly not in conventional leading-man looks. Though if he lacks bulk he certainly ripples with energy, and that will never be more apt than when he becomes the tenth Doctor Who on Christmas Day. Two predecessors, Tom Baker and Peter Davison, have sent him good-luck cards, which he will appreciate because it was Doctor Who, which he watched from the age of 3, that made him want to act. The third child of a former Moderator of the Church of Scotland, he grew up in a manse in Bathgate, though his family was by no means morally censorious, as the tabloids like to imply, and he is no small-nation Scot. Academic work didn’t interest him much; he was talent-spotted by Scottish TV at a Saturday youth-theatre group and at 17 he became the youngest student at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. By this time, at the request of Equity, he had changed his name from McDonald to Tennant — chosen because he had just seen a reference to the Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant and thought his name would do. His first job was touring in a minibus with the socialist theatre group 7:84 and, encouraged by his friend Arabella Weir, he headed south in 1993, lodged with her for five years, and rapidly registered on the English arts radar. He may have been acclaimed for his detective in last year’s TV series Blackpool, and for his deliciously cheeky Casanova this year, but he still regards his greatest triumph as playing the leads in three rotating RSC productions in 2001. Interviewers have so far done little to penetrate his boyish exterior, partly because underneath it is a serious soul, and partly because however much celebrity culture would like to grasp the new Doctor Who to its lovely bosom, the new Doctor Who recognises its vacuous and destructive game for what it is and has no intention of engaging. At 34 he has the distinction of being a character actor who has no time to rest, and who artfully presents an air of slight bewilderment at the consistency of parts that he bags and his growing reputation. He may keep a photograph of himself and “the glorious” Peter O’Toole (who played the older Casanova) on his fridge, but in truth he is no ingenue. Rather he is a damned good actor, whose fine work comes from the right blend of talent and unswerving determination. Enjoy."

The Salford Advertiser noted that "Christopher Eccleston forged an emotional link with the tsunami victims of Indonesia because they reminded him of the people of his home town of Salford. The former Dr Who star has just returned from a Red Cross fact-finding tour of Banda Aceh, one of the worst-hit areas of the 2004 Boxing Day disaster. He said: 'I didn't know these people before I visited the area, but found they remind me of the people of Salford, people of my parents' generation. They were polite, welcoming, but streetwise people and meeting them has been a life-changing experience. It certainly makes me look at my own life with a bit more optimism.' The 41-year-old has been reliving his trip this week in a bid to keep up the momentum of public support. Like many, he said he made a contribution to the relief fund and then forgot about it. But visiting one of the countries where the money is being put to use had made him understand a lot more, he claimed. 'When you go out there you realise that the disaster was of truly Biblical proportions and you cannot help but be impressed by the courage and optimism of people in the face of unimaginable grief. It certainly puts the trivial little things in my own life into perspective. I was really impressed by the way in which those who have suffered are saying how and where the money is being spent – it is not being imposed upon them. The Red Cross workers out there are local and they can liaise with the villagers about what they need, whether it's help in starting up in business again or the type of house they want. The money is being well spent but a lot more needs to be done. Some of my friends have asked 'Why go back a year on, what's the significance?'. All I can say is twelve months is no time at all, families are still living in shelters or crowded into one room but getting on with their lives without self-pity and with bravery, courage and defiance.' Christopher also travelled to Pulo Aceh, a group of islands just off Banda Aceh, to witness the start of reconstruction of hundreds of homes that were lost."

Friday's Daily Star noted that "Saucy Billie Piper loves the snogging scenes in her telly shows - so she can play tonsil tennis for real with her hunky co-stars. 'I like it when it's genuine - tongues and all,' she admits. The 22-year-old actress refuses to 'fake it' if she has to lock lips on shows such as Doctor Who. So naughty Billie slips her tongue in and urges other actors to do the same with her to make it look like a proper smacker. 'The secret is to make it real, ' says Billie, who also starred in Canterbury Tales and Much Ado About Nothing. 'I hate all that half-kissing business - you know, when the top lip's above the other lip and it all fits very neatly. That kind of bores me.'"

The Evening Times notes that Tennant will be staying in the role, as doesDigital Spy, while TV Squad continues its "countdown">.

Christopher Eccleston's participation in the play "School of Night" is mentioned in Playbill.

Miscellaneous

Friday's Lichfield Mercury noted that "A Chorley schoolboy became the envy of his pals when he got a sneak preview of one of this year's sure-fire Christmas TV hits. Calum Klek, aged 12, won a competition with the BBC's Newsround which not only got him into the press preview screening for the December 25 edition of Doctor Who, but the chance to interview the stars as well. They included the 10th Doctor, David Tennant and Noel Clarke, who plays Mickey. Calum's exclusive report appeared on Newsround last week. 'I asked David loads of questions, like which monsters in Doctor Who he thinks are the scariest and what point in time he would go to in his Tardis, which stumped him a bit,' said Calum, a pupil at Friary School in Lichfield. 'Meeting the new Doctor was the best bit as he was really nice to talk to. Noel Clarke and Camille Coduri - Jackie Tyler - also gave me interviews and they were great, telling me their favourite monsters in the series. Everyone seemed really nice and they were all excited about the new series, and from the clips I saw I can see why!'"

Today's The Times talks about fan fiction websites, including mentioning Doctor Who several times. "Fanfic is a phenomenon of mind-boggling magnitude. On the fanfic.net website alone there are more than 200,000 Harry Potter stories and nearly 40,000 Lord of the Rings stories. Fiction Alley ( www.fictionalley.org ) has more than 70,000 registered users and more than a million posts. The fact that fanfic derives from existing works raises questions of copyright. Some authors, such as Anne Rice, author of the Vampire series, have said that they do not want their creations to be the subject of amateur fiction. Such wishes tend to be respected by most websites. Rice has taken legal action against those who persist. ... Again, Doctor Who has been particularly successful. A string of novels was published by Virgin under the BBC Books imprint between 1991 and 1997. Doctor Who has also inspired spin-off science books, including Michael White's A Teaspoon and an Open Mind: The Science of Dr Who (the same name as the fanfic website) that asks such questions as: How do you build a Tardis? Can a robot dog catch a cold? The only problem is that the Doctor is rather incidental. It is a book about science in which Doctor Who is invoked solely to boost sales."

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Paul Hayes, John Bowman, Faiz Rehman, Peter Weaver, John McAteer, Peter Anghelides, Mike Ramsay, Mark Naisbitt, Harald Gehlen)

David Tennant made his appearance on BBC One's Breakfast at a little after 9am today (Wednesday 21 December), without Russell T Davies but with a couple of clips from 'The Christmas Invasion'. He talked again about the challenges of taking on the role ("daunting, exciting... a bit surreal"), watching Tom Baker as a child, and marvelling at Christopher Eccleston's performance this year. When asked, Tennant confirmed that he'll be back for another series and that Billie Piper "is hanging around. Despite what you may have read in the tabloids, Billie's hanging around." One of the preview clips was another outing for the TARDIS's arrival at the start of the Christmas special; the second involved the Doctor, Rose and Mickey on a balcony on the Powell estate, with the sonic screwdriver scaring off some menacing Santas - the Santas teleport away, and Mickey reckons they're "a bit rubbish" if they're scared of the screwdriver, the Doctor collapses again. BBC Breakfast's web pages carry a report on the interview and a link to watch the interview in full on the BBC Media Player. It's also still possible to see Christopher Eccleston's recent reports from Banda Aceh.

There is also a new interview with David Tennant online at BBC News: in "New Doctor prepares for invasion", the actor mentions that he's had good luck cards from Tom Baker and Peter Davison, but has not discussed the role with Christopher Eccleston. Tennant also talks about the possible pitfalls in playing the Doctor - "You can drop yourself in it by saying 'My Doctor must always hop on a Tuesday' so you end up with this rather ugly mannerism for no good reason."

RTE also reports this morning on the forthcoming Tennant interview on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, while Digital Spy has a piece on the improbable story that the lead singer of the Kaiser Chiefs was offered the part of the Tenth Doctor but turned it down.

The Telegraph today has a story noting that "XBoxes and Daleks all in short supply." "Shoppers are struggling to get hold of many of this year's "must have" electronic presents because of supply problems. mazon, the online store, has said it will take four to six weeks to send out a Sony PlayStation Portable games machine, while the new XBox 360 games console will not be available until 'early 2006'. The remote-control 12in-tall gold Daleks from Doctor Who are also in short supply in the shops, as are black iPod Nano music players. The shortages have fuelled some frenzied bidding on the auction website eBay." BBC News on Tuesday evening also had a feature on Christmas shopping with news that the Daleks 'had all run out in Milton Keynes!' as part of the feature.

Other items: the website of the London Theatre Guide discusses Christopher Eccleston's forthcoming appearance in Peter Whelan's "The School of Night" which we reported a few days ago. So does What's On Stage. Today'sScotsman discusses the National Theatre of Scotland and has a brief mention of how the year was kicked back by David Tennant's appearance in John Osborne's Look Back In Anger. Contact Music talks about today's BBC Breakfast appearance. Sky Showbiz yesterday noted that "Glamour model Jordan is keen to land a cameo in series three of Doctor Who. 'I think that would be an ideal starting ground for me, acting-wise,' she said. 'I could play a non-speaking baddie who kills people with my ample charms.' Bearing in mind exactly what Jordan's 'ample charms' are, it wouldn't really be for kiddy TV, would it?"

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Chuck Foster, John Bowman, Steve Freestone and Peter Weaver)

Among the updates to the official Doctor Who website in recent days, two new games have been added: "Slitheen Surfer", in which the player helps guide Margaret Slitheen and her extrapolator through the debris of an exploded Earth; and "SuDocWho", a variation on current puzzle fad Sudoku, using pictures of the first nine Doctors instead of (or as well as) numbers to complete the grids.

Prospect magazine today calls the return of the Daleks this year as one of the "ten highlights from 2005." "It was a great year for comebacks: Hugh Laurie in House, the two Ronnies (all too briefly), Bob Dylan... Nothing, though, could match the Daleks. This is partly about nostalgia. But even new viewers respond to the strange mix of pure evil ('Exterminate!') and absurdity (creatures with silly voices who want to take over the universe but have only just learned to climb stairs and always lose). They are a sci-fi version of Hitler, which perhaps explains their popularity in the 1960s when British culture was still trying to make sense of Nazism while keeping it at a distance."

The Scottish Daily Record today listed David Tennant as #1 on its list of "100 Hottest Scots" in the men category. "The 34-year-old from Paisley is the hottest man on TV at the moment after bagging the coveted role of Doctor Who Despite appearing in pyjamas in the Christmas special of the sci-fi show, he is sure to set hearts racing with his quirky good looks and brilliant acting. He's sizzling because... more than 10 million viewers will tune in on Christmas Day to witness his debut in the Tardis. He also turned in a superb performance as a sinister stalker in ITV drama Secret Smile and did a credible singing turn in BBC1 musical drama Blackpool. Memorable moment of 2005 was when he cut a swathe through the women of Europe as Casanova in the BBC3 series of the samename - despite being the son of a Churchof Scotland minister."

The Times today says of the Radio 2 documentary, Doctor Who: Regeneration, "Was it the special effects that made the new Who so memorable, or the scripts by Russell T. Davies, or the acting of Billie Piper and, in particular, Christopher Eccleston? And now that Eccleston (above, with Piper) has gone, desperate not to be typecast, can David Tennant hope to match him? Gatiss gets the facts - well, at least some informed conjecture."

Also, a writer in today's Financial Times says that "A TV-deprived childhood has left me impervious to Doctor Who. After hearing Doctor Who: Regeneration, I feel tempted to brand the whole phenomenon as self- important claptrap. This 'celebration', BBC navel-gazing at its most complacent, rolls out Who types starting with writer Russell T. Davies, apparently challenged both adenoidally and glottally - the latter a common complaint among mediafolk such as exec prod Julie who says you know you go' a hi' when you see the viewing figures. This level of insight is continued by the BBC1 controller who notes that the Doctor has brought younger viewers to the BBC in tones that suggest he expected OAPs. Jane (head of drama, BBCTV) talks portentously of Christopher Eccleston 'kicking open the door, and the new Doctor, David Tennant, taking us somewhere we hadn't quite expected'. This is kids' TV, for heaven's sake, not a breakthrough in biological ethics."

Monday's The Sentinel has a feature article about India Fisher of Big Finish. "Gallivanting around the universe in a time machine, tackling the Daleks and imitating pop-brat Kelly Osbourne. These are some of the ways in which the daughter of a Stoke-on-Trent MP has carved out a career for herself. For while ex-Arts Minister Mark Fisher is busy representing Stoke Central as a Labour MP, his daughter, India, has got involved in something far less down-to-earth. The 31-year-old has become an international superstar in the cult programme Dr Who - the audio version. Playing the role of Charlotte Pollard, Dr Who's assistant, India has for the last six years starred in the tape and CD version of the smash-hit drama, which has just kicked off a new series on the small-screen. Much to her amazement, India has achieved superstar status among the worldwide followers of the cult series. The tapes and CDs have winged their way to obsessed fans all over the world, and she has been invited to countless international conventions. And she has also gained fame as a star of TV - acting as Welsh singing sensation Charlotte Church and Kelly Osbourne in the Dead Ringers show which stars John Culshaw. .. 'My brother Rhydian is a businessman so he's the sensible one and I guess we should have followed his lead. But we've always been quite the arty family and I've always had a passion for acting. If I hadn't given it a go, I'd never have forgiven myself - although I might have been much better off financially.' A year and a half ago, Nev Fountain, the writer of Dead Ringers, spotted India at a Dr Who convention in Los Angeles and asked her to play a part in their series. She was an immediate hit. Since then, she has done impressions of Kelly Osbourne, Charlotte Church and even Sonia and Sharon from EastEnders. India said: 'It's tough - they often give you a character they want you to do on the Friday and you have to get it ready in just 48 hours. Sometimes I wonder how on earth I'm going to do it - but it's not an opportunity I can possibly turn down. They needed someone to do the younger characters. I look a little like Kelly Osborne I guess - I've got my dad to thank for that - so I guess I was perfect for the part.' ... But if there's one thing India was, as a Stoke-on-Trent schoolgirl ever-so-slightly irritated by, it was her name. 'My brother's called Crispin, another one is called Rhydian and I'm India so it's an interesting collection of names. Whenever my name came up in the school register, the teacher always used to pause before saying it - she expected the pronunciation to be unique somehow. And the kids in the playground used to jokingly things like: 'So what's your middle name, Pakistan?' I used to wish I was just called something nice and simple like Jane. But I love it now."

An article at Ekklesia comments on the anti-war message apparently to be seen in "The Christmas Invasion". "Journalists who have previewed the episode say that a later scene also recalls ex-PM Margaret Thatcher's decision to sink the Argentine warship the General Belgrano during the Falklands/Malvinas war in 1982. Responding to pre-broadcast comments, award-winning scriptwriter Russell T Davies declared: 'It's Christmas Day, a day of peace. There is absolutely an anti-war message - because that's what I think.' Meanwhile, looking up somewhat wearily from his computer, Doctor Who commentator and fiction writer Mark Clapham told Ekklesia: 'The Doctor has usually been a character who advocates peaceful means before violent solutions. He's not a particularly dedicated pacifist though - he often finds himself having to apply violent solutions sooner or later.' Author and Who analyst Jim Smith, who co-authored the Virgin Books guide Who's Next? with Clapham and Eddie Robson, went on: 'There are many stories which are definitely anti-war. Not a particular war - just war itself. ‘The Crusade' (1965) is specifically about the futility of religious warfare and is even set in Basra. While it's adventure fiction and thus has fighting in it, the whole show is deeply suspicious of politicians, soldiers, military means, military objectives, and so on.' Doctor Who long ago cast an eye on terrorism and possible superpower reactions to it. Says Smith: 'In 1970 ‘The Ambassadors of Death' featured a xenophobic political group trying to scare the whole human race into attacking some harmless aliens.' Whether the Christmas day episode will feature Doctor Who's iconic enemies, the Daleks, remains to be seen. But if it does, the spiritual head of the world's 77 million Anglicans will be on-hand to comment."

Contact Music says that Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson claims he was offered the role of Doctor Who before David Tennant. "The 'I Predict a Riot' hitmaker believes Tennant looks too youthful for the part, and is determined to get his hands on the role. He says, 'It's the kind of thing I've got down for my autumn years. I'm worried David's too young for the part. Eddie Izzard would be perfect. The BBC offered it to me but I was so busy they got a lookalike.'" Uh, right...

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg and Steve Tribe)

While everyone's paying attention to the new spinoff sites, the folks at the official Doctor Who website have sneakily updated an old one:whoisdoctorwho.co.uk, Mickey Smith's "blog" of events, has been updated with items about the space probe Guinevere and the events of "The Christmas Invasion."

Yesterday's Independent On Sunday noted that this weekend's special, "which sees skull-headed Christopher Eccleston replaced by bug-eyed David Tennant is bound to cause a stir. Believe it or not, the vintage sci-fi series has a Christmas theme. Not just any Christmas theme, either: writer Russell T Davies has gone all social comment and anti-war about it. 'It's Christmas Day, a day of peace,' he told the BBC. 'There is absolutely an anti-war message because that's what I think.' So now you know. I'd tell you more, but no preview tapes were available and the plot was a closely guarded secret. My guess is that Doctor Who will reveal that Santa Claus has been Davros disguised in a wig all along."

On Monday, BBC1 ran one of their semi-regular Test the Nation quizzes, which the audience can take part in at home or via the programme's website. Subtitled "The 2005 Test", the "New Beginnings" section of the test had a question relating to "Doctor Who", asking who succeeded Christopher Eccleston in the role. A clip from the end of "The Parting of the Ways" showing Eccleston's last lines and the beginning of the regeneration was shown. The options were: A) Sean Bean B) Sylvester McCoy C) Alastair MacKenzie D) David Tennant.

The UK Press Association has syndicated an article about the new series to papers this week. Highlights: "Four decades on, and for only the second time in the programme's long history, the Tardis is once again materialising onto our TV screens on Christmas Day. But this time around it's all very different. Rather than an Edwardian gentleman with dodgy dentistry at the helm, the new Doctor, David Tennant, is all Carnaby Street swagger and perfect teeth. Gone too, is the whimsical seasonal run-around. Instead, The Christmas Invasion brings us an Independence Day-scale adventure of alien invasion and impending Armageddon, all wrapped up in Christmas tinsel, as trumpet-playing Santas and evil spinning fern trees wreak havoc across London. ... For fans everywhere, it'll also provide them with their first chance to properly size up the new man in the Tardis, having only enjoyed a brief sample of David's take on the role in a Children In Need special last month. One matter which has been open to conjecture ever since the 34-year-old actor won the part has been what accent he would use in the role. Born in Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland, fans wondered if he would follow the example of seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy (who played the part from 1986 to 1989 on screen) and speak in his native Scottish brogue. However, this incarnation of the time-traveller from Gallifrey has opted to adopt a 'mockney' dialect, announcing ''Appy Christmas' as he steps out of the Tardis for the first time. Sadly, the reason for the dropped h's may now be lost in the web of time. The series' lead writer and executive producer, Russell T Davies, admitted there was originally a line in the script where Mickey (played by Noel Clarke) commented that the new Doctor had somehow taken on the accent of his companion Rose (Billie Piper). But alas, due to timing reasons, it was cut. 'We've kept saying the accent issue would be resolved in the Christmas special,' laughs David, 'but now that's no longer the case.' However, a preview of the delights the show has in store next year does reveal that for at least one story, he will be allowed to lapse into his native tongue when the Tardis takes him to Scotland in Victorian times. ... Get used to it, Mr Tennant, because after Christmas, so will the rest of the world. As the Doctor says, at the climax of The Christmas Invasion, still clad in a fetching pair of pin-stripe nightwear following a post-regenerative period of bed rest, 'Not bad for a bloke in jim-jams'."

The official site has an item about Attack of the Graske, the digital interactive 'episode' going live this weekend: "From 8pm on Christmas night, Digital Satellite and Freeview viewers can truly immerse themselves in the world of Doctor Who. Attack of the Graske is a mini episode of Dr Who with a twist - it allows viewers to become the Doctor's companion. Viewers will get the chance to track down an evil alien life form by flying the TARDIS and completing a series of challenges set by the Doctor himself. The challenge will be available throughout the night and after the January 1 repeat of The Christmas Invasion on BBC Three."

The Bucks Free Press has a short article about a 13 year old, Tom Rees-Kaye, who "was given a chance to travel through space and time in his own back garden. Tom, 13, is a keen follower of the BBC TV series and even films himself with pals making their own episodes, which they copy onto DVDs. But even he was surprised when his parents took an extra step for his birthday by giving him his own full-scale Tardis. They have now placed the contraption in their back garden."

Finally, in the US, the Sci-Fi Channel will be airing "FairyTale: A True Story" on Tuesday 20 December; the film features Paul McGann (the eighth Doctor) and a very young Florence Hoath (Nancy from "The Empty Child"/"The Doctor Dances"). The interesting thing is that both Doctor Who actors feature together on the banner on the SciFi.com homepage advertising the film.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Richard Kirkpatrick, Paul Hayes, Sacha A. Dzuba, John Bowman)

With the approach of The Christmas Invasion, the press has gotten back into the Doctor Who fold to a level not seen since last July. Here's a collection of items that have appeared in the past 24 hours alone:

According to today's The Sun, "Doctor Who bosses have hastily rewritten scripts after star Roger Lloyd Pack broke his leg. The actor, who played dopey Trigger in Only Fools And Horses, fell down the stairs at his home in Camden, North London. The accident happened just days before Roger, 61, was due to start filming the new series of the BBC sci-fi show, starring David Tennant as the Doctor and Billie Piper as his assistant Rose. So scriptwriters have made Roger's character wheelchair-bound - meaning he could end up looking a bit like evil Dalek creator Davros. A pal said: 'Roger was gutted when he broke his leg. He was worried he would not be able to take part in Doctor Who. But BBC bosses offered to put his character in a wheelchair to get around the problem. They were massively keen for Roger to stay in the show, so they were happy to accommodate him. His character is a real baddie and the wheelchair is a great prop, which adds a bit of mystery and intrigue to the part. So it has worked out very well.' Roger will play the Doctor's enemy John Lumic in the new series in January." Also reported atDigital Spy.

The Western Mail features an interview with David Tennant. "Standing in the cave of the Sycorax warriors, and sword-fighting a seven-feet-tall Sean Gilder as the Sycorax leader in prosthetics and weird contact lenses, and all of those extras standing there....," offers Tennant, almost going misty-eyed at the memories. "OK, it might have been in a warehouse in Newport, with special effects put in later on, but that was the first moment I thought to myself, 'This is something special.' And those moments keep coming every day. Just being in the Tardis, for example. And getting to act opposite Elizabeth Sladen as Sarah-Jane, a veteran Doctor Who sidekick who returns in the next series. I used to watch her when I was a kid, eating beans on toast and a cup of Irn Bru. She looks the same and sounds the same! ... It's mad, it's crazy - how unreal is this? ... I was three years old when I decided I wanted to be an actor. I just loved watching people on the telly. I was watching stories being told, and thinking 'this is just great.' I think I had a conversation with my parents about who those people were in the TV, and as soon as I had an understanding that this was a job, that people got paid for telling stories, that was what I wanted to do. ... My first TV memory is being entranced by Jon Pertwee regenerating into Tom Baker. ... I got another good luck message from Peter Davison, who was filming Distant Shores at the time. I was about ten when Tom regenerated into Peter Davison, so again, another amazing moment. In fact, Peter came on set one day with his children, which was a big thrill both for them and me! We are more aware that he's [the Doctor] someone who fought a war, lost all his people and because he's the last Time Lord, the last authority in the universe, he's less indulgent, more ruthless. ... Wales is a great place to film. You can be in the countryside or by the sea for one scene, and you can be back in the city in no time. ... Every Doctor Who fan I've met has been completely charming. They're always warm, polite, and enthusiastic about the show; they're delightful, welcoming and supportive. What's fascinating is the range of people who come up to you as a Doctor Who fan. They're not just a certain type of bloke, but you get women of all ages, young kids, elderly people - they've all come up to me. And that, I think, reflects the genius of Russell T Davies, that he's created a show that attracts a genuine nine-to-90-year-old audience - well, younger than nine, really."

Today's The Herald also features comments from Tennant: "It's reeeaaallly exciting. Apart from anything else, it's fun. It's a laugh. You've no idea. It's such a laugh. It really takes you back to tattie scones in front of the telly. ... I've never been boy-band handsome. So my looks have never been an obsession of mine. ... When I was offered [the role], suddenly it was real rather than some kind of childhood fantasy moment. You suddenly start thinking, 'I have to do this now.' It was curious. It was almost a 'be careful what you wish for' moment. ... You're finding ways to skin a cat each day. The Doctor is always right; he always knows where he's going; he has the moral high ground. He doesn't waver from that, so it's finding new ways to come at that. Part of the joy of the character is that he's unexpected. He's an alien and he's unpredictable. ... I was nervous about moving to Cardiff but I'm getting home to London on weekends, so I'm getting back and doing a bit of life. When you're here it's 12hour days, and then you're learning your lines for the next one. There's a relentlessness to it - but I have a lot of friends who are actors, so they know the score. You fall in and out of each other's lives all the time. ... It's different now in the way Russell writes it. The relationship between the Doctor and Rose is a love story - except they're not shagging. He's on his own and yet he has Rose, but can they ever be quite a couple in the traditional sense? He's 900 years old and she's 19, and that would be a bit weird. That said, there are moments in this series that are . . . well, sexual would be the wrong word, but they explore that side of things possibly more than we've seen before. ... You can be saving the universe and then talking about fly-fishing, but you've got to play it for the truth of the situation. You've got to believe that this guy can be talking about tangerines and then suddenly save the world."

Tomorrow morning's edition of the Sunday Herald interviews Russell T Davies about how he gave 'new life' to Doctor Who. "Nobody is more excited than me about the Christmas special," says Russell T Davies to the Herald. "I am a fiend for Christmas television. When the Radio Times came out, I turned to December 25 and scanned down the listings and there was Doctor Who! It's just astonishing. On a personal level, never mind professionally, I am so delighted that this has happened. ... On the day the first episode was broadcast I was nervous, but I knew how good it was. So if we hadn't got the viewing figures I would have been able to act like a martyr. I could have been burned at the stake with piety in my heart, saying, ‘Never mind! I know it was good!" Says the article, "Best of all were the scripts. One two-part episode, The Empty Child, in which the gas mask-wearing ghost of a little boy killed in the Blitz haunts his gymslip mother, was among the most disturbing and moving things to appear in British television drama. It is hard to believe that it was broadcast at teatime on a Saturday. ... Although suffering from a bad back, presumably from all the TV critics patting him on it, Davies has gamely agreed to discuss the Christmas episode. Talking in his Manchester home, he is clearly excited by the show, and determined to ensure that Doctor Who continues to redefine family viewing as an experience which makes the heart beat faster and the synapses in the brain snap and flex like hungry electric eels. 'Just wait,' he says, 'till you see this.'"

Sunday morning's The Independent notes in a review of television that "Christopher Eccleston made Saturday evenings on BBC1 a must-see again by breathing new life into an old character, Doctor Who. He fought off invasion by half a million Daleks - and then promptly walked away. If he doesn't regret it, I certainly do. He was, quite probably, the best doctor yet - writer Russell T Davies and Eccleston's replacement, David Tennant, will have a hard act to follow." Also, in the Guardian, "The consensus view was that reality television had peaked and some new hot genre would emerge in the course of the year. But what no one predicted 12 months ago was that the story of broadcasting in 2005 would be the return of family entertainment. This picture of returning innocence was admittedly patchy - 2005's Big Brother marked a TV nadir, when a drunken contestant masturbated with a bottle - but the fact is that three of the most talked-about series in the schedules were Saturday teatime shows with a potential audience age-span of around 60 years: Doctor Who, Strictly Come Dancing and The X Factor. It is also notable that the first two of them are clever reimaginings of concepts originated several decades ago."

The Scotsman today said that "A very different kind of Doctor comes under the spotlight... In Doctor Who: Regeneration (Tuesday, Radio 2, 8.30pm), producer Malcolm Prince offers a behind-the-scenes look at the eagerly-anticipated TV programme Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion (Christmas Day, BBC1, 7pm). The new Doctor, David Tennant, whose film credits include Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, talks about how he intends to tackle the role, while director James Hawes promises that the first programme of the new era will see strange things happening to Christmas trees." The Independent says, "Mark Gatiss explores how the return of the Time Lord became one of the television phenomena of the year. The documentary traces the story, using interviews with David Tennant (who takes over from Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor on Christmas Day), Billie Piper and the creator of the new series, Russell T Davies."

Broadcast magazine says of Doctor Who: "There was an element of back to the future about some of this year's biggest hits. First we saw the old Time Lord himself, Doctor Who, re-emerge from his Tardis, attracting massive audiences and plaudits for BBC1. The Doctor proved there was still a place in the schedule for something long forgotten: family viewing. Doctor Who's success has sparked a hunt for old heroes with the BBC already commissioning Tiger Aspect to bring back Robin Hood and Granada looking to remake The Prisoner, possibly for Sky One. We can expect other retro heroes to resurface." It notes that Doctor Who was #4 on the list of BBC1's Top Five Programmes, beaten in the ratings only by "EastEnders," "The Vicar of Dibley" and "Comic Relief: Red Nose Night" (with "Little Britain" as #5 on the list). The Magazine also features an opinion piece of Emily Bell, editor-in-chief of Guardian Unlimited, in which she refers to Russell T Davies on the subject of "People of the Year," noting "creatively it has to be Russell T Davies for his high-quality output and his salvation of family viewing. "

Tomorrow's The Observer talks about the record numbers of gay men and lesbians occupying key positions across British life, noting Russell T Davies: "Head writer of the BBC's recently revived Doctor Who. Also responsible for other audience-pullers such as Casanova, Linda Green and Bob & Rose. Came to prominence in 1999 when Channel 4 showed his controversial drama series Queer as Folk, an explicit tableau of love, lust, clubbing and gay life in Manchester. Currently working on the Doctor Who spin-off series, Torchwood, about a team who investigate alien goings-on in Britain, due to be aired on BBC3 in 2006 - 'X Files meets This Life,' says Davies. Has been with his partner, Andrew Smith, a Customs officer, since 1999. Born in Swansea." It features a comment from Stuart Murphy, former Controller of BBC3, calling Davies "an absolute genius".

The Scotsman, in an article about the television year in review, says, "What a difference a year makes. ... Doctor Who (BBC1)... was great fun. No programme faced a bigger challenge in 2005 than how to 'do' the Daleks; Russell T Davies chose opera. With a whoosh of Wagner, the eggbox psychopaths took to the air, finally ridding themselves of all comparisons to Mariah "I don't do stairs" Carey, and there was a strange serenity about them as they croaked their last. Until next time, that is. ... On ITV1 came Secret Smile, starring Kate Ashfield and Claire Goose and featuring a dirty rotten scoundrel etc, etc. The latter right bad yin was played by David Tennant, Scotland's best-kept acting secret until last year's Blackpool, which he followed early in 2005 with the Carry On-ish Casanova (BBC3, Russell T again). Now he's about to go stratospheric as the new Doctor Who."

The Observer in the Guardian says of Tennant in "Secret Smile", "It was great to see Tennant building on last year's quite brilliant performances in Blackpool and He Knew He was Right and finally coming out as a primetime star. Gratifying too, to watch him providing some genuinely nasty, meaty, murderous filling in 2005's otherwise fluffy white-bread Casanova/Doctor Who sandwich. There were a couple of moments in Secret Smile when he was genuinely terrifying, which, given that his character (Brendan Block. Sounds like shock. Sounds like a dance DJ, too, come to that) had established his general horribleness within about the first 10 minutes, meant that building on all this without turning Block into a staring-eyed panto-turn would, in lesser hands, have been an insurmountable dramatic challenge." Today'sEvening Chronicle, Newcastle also says about the show that "Tennant was good as Brendan and he did menacing pretty well, but then he's had plenty of practice recently and is in danger of becoming rent-a-villain. Maybe he's getting in the nasty roles before he becomes forever associated with Doctor Who and his time-travelling exploits." And today'sDaily Telegraph says, "This was swept along by the sheer menace of David Tennant's staring-eyed performance as Brendan Block, a malevolent nasty who charmed women before beating or murdering them. (I hope he is not like this as Doctor Who)."

The Guardian today reviews the BFI TV Classics book about Doctor Who written by Kim Newman: "Newman's Doctor Who traces the sci-fi staple from 1963 genesis to Cool Britannia comeback, pointing out that only when fixating on its own fanbase has it struggled." The article also reviews DW comic strip artist Dave Gibbon's latest endevour, The Originals.

Also in the press: TV Squad talks about David Tennant in "Secret Smile" and "Harry Potter"; Digital Spy notes that Tennant "has been seeking advice on his love-life from co-star Billie Piper" according to the Daily Star.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Peter Weaver, Faiz Rehman)

Broadcasting

Easter weekend for Doctor Who? It's looking possible. Besides the report in The Sun (see below), we've heard from several sources that Easter is a definite possibility. Of course, as happened last year, it's very likely that the final date of transmission won't be determined until next year, probably in February or even March. At any rate, that would put transmission on or around April 15, but as always, this is subject to official BBC confirmation.

The BFBS channel, which broadcasts television to overseas-serving members of the British Armed Forces, will screen "The Christmas Invasion" at 8.10pm Central European Time on Christmas Day, just 10 minutes after its premiere on BBC1. It will then repeat the broadcast on 26 December at 8PM CET. Our correspondent says that BFBS Navy will probably air the episode, but they do not have listings for that week up yet.

Back In Time, the BBC Radio Wales documentary from last season, apparently will be continuing this year! Back on the air with an episode subtitled "New Doctor, New Danger," it's aired on Friday 23 December at 6.30pm-7pm, repeated the next day from 1.05pm-1.35pm. We'll be checking the content of this as soon as possible.

While it's been rumored for some time, today's The Sun says that "Stephen Fry's Doctor Who script has been postponed. It was scheduled for the second series, due at Easter. But our Tardis insider reveals: 'Stephen's script is in its third draft and it's so ambitious that Russell T Davies decided it fitted in better with the next run. It will give the team more time to sort out all the special effects and prosthetics.' Blimey." Additional reports on this atContact Music,Yahoo News.

Tonight's edition of Newsnight Review selected Doctor Who as one of its television highlights of the year. The presenters praised the series overall, mostly stating that it got better as it went along.

The Christmas Invasion

Aint It Cool News, which last year had some of the very first reviews of "Rose" from early leaked copies of the episode, this year has a much more positive review of "The Christmas Invasion" from a viewer who saw it at a recent press screening. "In the end, it's the characters and not the action set pieces that make 'The Christmas Invasion' work," says the reviewer. "Billie Piper turns in a wonderful performance as Rose, who not only feels she's lost the Doctor, but is also powerless to stop the alien menace. [Camille] Coduri is annoyingly daffy as Rose's mom, who informed about the Doctor's two hearts, wonders if the time lord has two of anything else under his pajamas. And Noel Clarke finally begins to take Mickey out of the buffoon category, giving him a much more proactive role... There are also a few nice guest performances, particularly from Penelope Wilton ... Make no mistake about it, when Tennant's Doctor takes center stage, there's no doubt whatsoever who's in charge (no pun intended). ... For me, Tennant's biggest talent is the way he can deliver a speech, with the perfect combination of deadpan seriousness and twinkle-in-his-eye humor. ... As a holiday special that also introduces the new Doctor, 'The Christmas Invasion' is a thoroughly entertaining hour of television that will definitely whet viewer appetites for the upcoming season." The review also notes that there is a brief collection of clips from forthcoming episodes at the end of the special, which presumably will be aired along with this on BBC1 next week.

The people behind the offficial Doctor Who website have launched a brand new "spinoff site" for the forthcoming Christmas special, "The Christmas Invasion". The British Rocket Group and their space launch vehicle, Guinevere One, can now be accessed directly, or through a link from the front page of the official Doctor Who site. (This is indeed an actual spinoff site; other recent sites receiving widespread attention have been fan-created.) The official site also now has a photo of Broadcasting House in Llandaff, which is "currently sporting the TARDIS on its roof. There is also a giant screen with a countdown to the Christmas Invasion and a special promotional video highlighting the fact that over 70 per cent of the people working on the show are Welsh."

What's with the Doctor's new accent? Says today's The Sun, "THE Doctor's new Cockney accent comes from sidekick Rose. Show writer Russell T Davies said: 'It is meant to be from all the time he has spent with Rose, to show just how close they are. We were due to explain this in the Christmas special - but then we cut the line out!'"

Manchester Evening News calls the special its "Pick of the Day". "Not sure what's funnier - that Who's now so valued a property it gets an Xmas special or that ITV have bottled it completely and avoided scheduling any competition. David Tennant makes his full debut in The Christmas Invasion, as the Sycorax invade London. Fantastic. Really, nothing else matters today."

People

The Telegraph on Saturday morning features an interview with Penelope Wilton, the returning guest star who's now Prime Minister Harriet Jones (instead of "Harriet Jones, MP, Flydale North" like last year!) "If the acting profession needed such a thing as a head girl, it would look no further than Penelope Wilton. It's not just that she brings the kitemark of integrity to anything she's in, or an air of quintessential Englishness. More than these, it's the gameness with which she troops between screen and stage, bit part and lead, the lightest entertainment and the blackest tragedy. She does a good line in slightly batty mothers, for example: on screen last year in Edgar Wright's zombie spoof, Shaun of the Dead, but more recently as the battiest mother of all in The House of Bernarda Alba at the National Theatre. Early next year she gets up to the foulest pimping imaginable in a new RSC production of Thomas Middleton's Women Beware Women. But before that she is more prime ministerial than the PM in the Doctor Who Christmas special. Wilton at Number 10 is fantasy casting to rival Martin Sheen in The Oval Office: the leader a nation knows it will never have or deserve. In the first series, Wilton was a backbench MP who spent her screen time running away from a race of large worm-like creatures called the Slitheen. It was somehow very Wiltonesque that she never let go of her handbag. 'It's what I thought she would do,' Wilton says. She got the job thanks to another of her batty mothers in Bob and Rose, written (like Doctor Who) by Russell T Davies. 'He has the most wonderful sense of humour. So when he asked me to play 'Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North', I said 'Certainly. Unfortunately power goes to my head a bit in this. I keep saying 'Harriet Jones, Prime Minister' to which a lot of people say, 'Yes, we know who you are.'' How many people know who Wilton is? She puts herself in the category of actors who 'if the reality be known, get two scripts and choose the better one of the two'. In films - Calendar Girls, Iris, Clockwise (as John Cleese's wife), and Woody Allen's forthcoming tennis thriller Match Point - the fireworks go off elsewhere." Read the whole story at the website.

The List magazine, a listings publication for Edinburgh and Glasgow, has named David Tennant number 1 in its list of "Scotland's hottest creative talent of 2005". Some relevant quotes from inside: "No other Scottish personality could come witihin a royal mile of matching the current ubiquity of David Tennant. The Paisley-born actor's 2005 career trajectory could be compared to a quickly growing snowball that can supersede everything in sight....As we teeter on the verge of a new year, a quick scan of any newsagent's shelf reveals a plethora of magazine covers featuring tennant as the tenth incarnation of Doctor Who, battling Cybermen in the ressurected TV sci-fi series 'Christmas Invasion'.... Followers of Tennant (not to mention legions of loyal Who-vians) will be watching his first proper outing as the Doctor this Christmas Day with great interest. Judging by the teaser trailer in November's Children In Need extravaganza, the actor is leading the character further away from his authoritarian origins, creating a more hip, laid back incarnation. It will be interesting to see what playing such an iconic character will do for Tennant's wider career. Christopher Eccleston quit the role to avoid typecasting, while previous Doctors have struggled to wriggle out of the outrageously long scarf. That said, watching the Timelord as a child is the reason Tennant went into acting. "From that point on, I absolutely didn't want to do anything else," he has said. It seems the star-struck Paisley boy has come full circle."

Meanwhile, the Mirror says today that "New Doctor Who David Tennant is battling a fresh enemy - a concrete factory planned near his North London home. He's joined residents in opposing the proposal at an inquiry." And The Sun says that "Stunning Sophia Myles is definitely seeing Doctor Who hunk David Tennant. Sophia, 25 -Lady Penelope in the new Thunderbirds movie -was dating Bleak House star Charles Dance, 59, earlier this year. But she found love with Scots heart-throb David, 34, when she filmed a role in the BBC1 sci-fi hit -and the actor gave the game away at a TV party. Sophia plays Madame Du Pompadour in the fourth episode of the new series, called The Girl In The Fireplace. Speaking at the launch of the Christmas Day special, she told TV Biz: 'Our relationship is too private to talk about.' But unluckily for her, David chose that moment to stroll up and nuzzle her neck, saying: 'Are you OK, sweetheart? We'll be going soon.' Bet he wishes he could jump in his Tardis and go back in time... "

Tennant also reveals that he has not had any contact from his predecessor Christopher Eccleston, according toNewsquest. "The Casanova star said former timelords Tom Baker -his childhood hero -and Peter Davison had both sent him good-luck notes on his first day of filming. But he has not heard from Christopher -who left the BBC under a dark cloud after quitting the hit show after just one series. BBC bosses were furious after Chris left them in the lurch. And they made sure they signed David up for TWO series. However, BBC drama boss Jane Trantor praised Christopher for helping to revive Doctor Who. She said: 'He completely launched the show into the 21st Century.'"

Bruno Langley (Adam from last year's "Dalek" and "The Long Game") will be appearing in "A Taste of Honey", a new staging of the play (originally written in the 1960's) by Shelagh Delaney at the Oldham Coliseum Theatre running 20 April to 13 May, 2006. The Coliseum has a website and the play is mentioned in a column at What's On Stage.

Eve Myles (Gwyneth from "The Unquiet Dead") can see her in a short film, "Say It With Flowers" on Thursday 5 January at 21.45, along with an episode of "Belonging" at 21.00 the same evening. It'll be on BBC2 Wales.

Miscellaneous

Inside Housing has a feature report called "Estate Invasion" by Daniel Martin on local residents of the Brandon Estate, which is used for filming during Doctor Who as Rose's flat and neighborhood. (Note: this is a PDF file.) Among the highlights: "Many council tenants complain about noisy neighbours and anti-social behaviour. But they've had it easy. One south London estate has been invaded by the army and was nearly crashed into by an alien spaceship. On Christmas Day it'll be menaced by a troupe of evil Santas. Not to mention the mysterious blue box that keeps appearing and disappearing. The tenants, however, have nothing to fear. The estate - the Brandon in Walworth - is a key location for the new BBC series of Doctor Who. It's the setting for the Powell estate where the Doctor's companion Rose Tyler grew up. The crew filmed three episodes on the estate last year and for series two they're filming even more. It's a huge logistical problem: how do you film on an estate populated by hundreds of people and not cause chaos for the tenants? Some disruption is inevitable but it can be mitigated with a little bit of help from the residents' association. That's where Dot and Gwen Smith (no relation) come in. These two formidable 66-year-olds have both lived on the estate for years and are known by all. They work closely with the BBC to ensure that filming goes on with as little disruption as possible. 'Our job is to liaise with the film crew to make sure there are no problems for the tenants,' says Gwen Smith as a day's shooting gets under way. 'We go round asking if they wouldn't mind closing their windows and once when they did a night shoot we asked tenants if they wanted black outs. They were great about it.' ... It's early morning and the estate has been transformed into a mini film set, with a little tent full of monitors propped up against a wall, enabling the director to see if he's got the shot he wants. On this occasion there are few residents around. ... 'We'd been told they were filming some scenes with the army,' recalls Gwen, 'but one evening these massive big tanks came onto the estate. We looked at each other and said "we're going to get complaints". But we never had one. The tenants love the excitement.' 'Unfortunately,' adds Dot Smith, 'one of the tanks went down a manhole and the BBC had to pay for it being fixed.'" You can read the full article by downloading it.

There's more coverage of this week's TARDIS auction (see earlier press clips columns) at The Scotsman, the Daily Record. Another mention of Christopher Eccleston's trip abroad for relief efforts at AlertNet.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Ian Golden, Peter Weaver, Joanna Pinkney, David Baker, Leighton Calvert, Benjamin Elliott, Matthew Kilburn, Paul Hayes, Daniel Martin)

BBC News reports today that the auction of the miniature TARDIS replica (which we reported about in yesterday's press column) has been sold at Christie's auction house for £10,800. The plywood replica was built at the BBC visual effects department and was last seen on television in 1970. Sarah Hodgson, head of popular entertainment at Christie's said: "There was strong international interest throughout today's successful sale for film and entertainment memorabilia from all eras. The Stormtrooper helmets from Star Wars and the Tardis from Doctor Who performed particularly well and attracted strong prices, with all doubling their pre-sale estimates."

BBC News today notes that "Christmas comes once a year, except in Cardiff, where it has already been and gone. Back in July, shoppers in the city centre found themselves walking past a giant Christmas tree, a late-night festive market and Santa lookalikes. It was as if the Welsh capital had somehow been flung into a different dimension. And in a way, it had been. Perhaps thanks to the Tardis, the city was the backdrop for the Doctor Who special to screened on Christmas Day. The Hayes shopping area of the city has played its part in another climactic galactic tale of the changeling Timelord and his earthly adventures. Over two nights, the BBC Wales team which makes the show transformed one of the busiest areas of Cardiff into a tinsel and snow-filled location. They even borrowed the council's own Christmas lights to do it. Producer Phil Collinson said: 'The main problem was trying to find places that did not have leaves on the trees. We tried to be quite careful about that. We filmed on The Hayes, which wasn't so bad because it wasn't the greenest part of Cardiff. The people in the streets are so proud that this show is made here. It does make it easier for us. We have closed the main street for a whole evening. In any other place they would be shaking their fists as us, but in Cardiff, its 'okay, go ahead'.' A typical episode takes around two-and-a-half weeks to film, he said. 'We've had hordes of people turning up to watch. There is always a bang or a flash or a guy in a green suit to watch.'" Collinson notes that "The Christmas Invasion" is "scary... that's why we can't show it after the Queen (the Queen's speech), but it's still good fun.'" It also quotes Russell T Davies as saying, "I would never have let someone else write the Christmas episode - I have been dying to write a Christmas episode all my life."

BBC News is reporting that Christopher Eccleston was invited by the British Red Cross to visit the Indonesian province of Banda Aceh as part of relief efforts for last year's devastating tsunamis. "Before the Tsunami I'd never thought about Indonesia and I didn't know the Acenese as a race existed," Eccleston tells BBC News. "In the last two or three days here I've learned lessons about courage and optimism in the face of unimaginable grief that I shall never ever forget." The article notes that Eccleston met some of those re-building their lives in Aceh, including going to a school where 500 children lost their lives in the flood: now a popstars-style talent show is helping children regain their sense of fun; visiting one of the Indonesian islands hit by the Tsunami; and later appearing on BBC Breakfast (this Friday) to speak about his impression of the Red Cross' work in Indonesia. There is currently a video clip at BBC News; go to the front page and click on "Latest news in video and audio" at top. (Update: you can also find it atBBC News 24.)

MSNBC wonders today what sort of project famed director Peter Jackson ("The Lord of the Rings," "King Kong") will do next. "It seems almost certain that 'King Kong' will enjoy the same critical adulation and blockbuster popular success as the 'Lord Of The Rings' trilogy, which means that Kong isn’t the only 10-ton gorilla around. With four massive successes in a row, director Peter Jackson is an enviable position as an artist, having gained enough clout that he could choose just about anything he dreamed of for his next film and he’d find a studio that would let him make it. So what should that next movie be? ... The venerable British sci-fi series 'Doctor Who' is in good hands now on the small screen, brought back to life in a cheekily well-written, Buffyesque format by 'Queer As Folk' creator Russell T. Davies. But nobody’s made a feature-length film spinoff of the series since Peter Cushing starred in two forgettable 'Doctor Who' movies in the mid-1960s. Jackson would find an excellent match for his talents in 'Who’s' match of slam-bang action, creepy horror and thought-provoking science fiction. The villains of this hypothetical film would almost certainly have to be the tank-like Daleks simply because they’re The Doctor’s most popular foes, but we’d love to see what Jackson would do with such eerie aliens as the fungoid Zygons, the amoeba-like Rutan, or the reptilian Silurians and Sea Devils. There’s plenty of other forgotten or underappreciated science fiction that would fit Jackson. Like 'Doctor Who,' lots of them are British — we’d be intrigued to see his take on the 1950s 'Quatermass' TV serials and the 1962 monster-chiller 'Day Of The Triffids.'"

A review of The Christmas Invasion today in the Sun, which says "Killer Xmas trees, slaying Santas and a sackful of sexual chemistry -the Dr Who special is the best gift fans could hope for. Best bits are the PM scrapping the Queen's Speech in an alien invasion, the Doc being revived with a cuppa, and his regenerating hand. Just don't let the evil Sycorax put you off your turkey!"

Irish News reports today that Billie Piper is among a list of celebrities (which also includes Robbie Williams and Neil Morrissey) behind a new event in aid of a Belfast-based victims support group. Actor James Nesbitt will today launch Art Wave at Belfast City Hall, a new event which will see artwork by artists and celebrities auctioned to raise funds for charity Wave, which uses the arts as therapy to help children, young people and adults who have been traumatised as a result of the Troubles. The event, set to take place next spring, will see major Irish and English artists donate pieces of work for an exhibition and auction in Belfast's City Hall.

Newsquest Media interviews Andrew Skilleter, famed illustrator responsible for many Doctor Who portraits and book jacket/video covers over the years. "Watching with particular interest as actor David Tennant takes to our screens as the tenth Dr Who this Christmas will be artist and illustrator Andrew Skilleter. For Dorset-based image-maker Andrew has been closely involved in the intergalactic time-travelling adventures of the Doctor for more than a quarter of a century. ... Twenty two years on Christmas finds the good Doctor back on the cover of the Radio Times and Andrew back in the spotlight as all things Dr Who-related are suddenly a source of universal interest. ... 'When Chris Ecclestone [sic] came on the scene there was an enormous boost in interest and with David Tennant about to take over it is still riding high. A week or so ago I was at this huge memorabilia event at the NEC. It's really been quite hectic.' Having been closely involved in the time travelling glory days of the 1980s, Andrew says he isn't entirely sure about the new era of Dr Who. 'I've tried to distance myself from it and watch it simply as a drama but I think all I can say is that when it was good it was very good indeed. I think it's a shame that Chris Ecclestone didn't stay with it a little longer, but I'm certainly going to be interested to see what David Tennant does with it.'" The article mentions that Reeltime Pictures will shortly release a "Myth Makers" documentary video that focuses on him and his work, and that some of his Target and BBC Video covers will be released as collectors' prints throughout 2006.

More reviews of "Secret Smile" starring David Tennant: the Scotsman says it "wasn't totally pish. The Chicklife seemed accurate enough, as did the motifs of middle-class life: mixed salad bowls and bottles of olive oil. But David should get as far away from this Chickstuff as he can in his TARDIS for the time being (or indeed not being)." The Daily Express says, "It has to be said, Secret Smile... hasn't given us much to smile about so far. In fact, it began with the heroine, young architect Miranda Cotton, being dead, so it's hard to imagine there can be any sort of happy ending. But even if it does take you to places you feel you'd rather not go, it's addictive viewing – largely because of a great script and convincing acting. There's something totally believable about Miranda's evil stalker Brendan, played by former Casanova star and the new Doctor Who, David Tennant."

Additional comments about the anti-war stance of "The Christmas Invasion" at The Telegraph, Stuff.co.nz. Meanwhile, American Thinker is reacting to the news by saying that "the once-respected BBC is using a Christmas Day broadcast to a science fiction series to bash America... And this from a government-owned broadcaster." Finally,InformITV talks about the 'red button' episode "Attack of the Graske".

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Matt Kimpton, John Bowman)