The BBC have appointed media accountant Alun Jones as the Programme Director for its new Drama Village being built at the Roath Basin, Cardiff. Mr Jones has worked in the media industry for some seventeen years, including HTV and most recently as integration director for the Capital Radio/GWR merger.

He said:
The Drama Village is expected to be completed during the summer of 2011, with Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures due to start filming there from 2012 - meaning the former's 50th Anniversary series will be produced at a brand new studio!

Previous news items on the Drama Village were reported in January and May.

Karen Gillan will join Steven Moffat at the Edinburgh International Television Festival for a question and answer session about Doctor Who. The Masterclass is being held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on Sunday morning. Moffat will also appear on the panel for special Question Time on Saturday night alongside Diane Abbott MP and Mariella Frostrup.

Update: It was announced Saturday that the Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss production of Sherlock has been recommissioned by BBC One controller Jay Hunt. There will be three new 90-minute episodes in Autumn 2011. Talking of the Sherlock recommission, Gatiss and Moffat, said: "We've been overwhelmed by the warmth of response to our new Sherlock Holmes and John Watson and can't wait to take them on three new adventures next year. There'll be baffling new puzzles, old friends and new enemies – whether on two, or four legs. And we might well be seeing the cold master of logic and reason unexpectedly falling. But in love? Or over a precipice? Who can tell?"

David Tennant has been listed as one of the top ten Hamlets by The Guardian newspaper. Tennant, who played the role in Stratford and London in 2008, was described as sardonic and volatile, a Hamlet so graceful that at times he seemed almost to dance across the stage.

BBC4 is to dramatise Douglas Adams's 1987 novel about anti-hero Dirk Gently. Adams was Script Editor for Season 17 of Doctor Who and wrote The Pirate Planet and co-wrote City of Death. He was writing a third Dirk Gently book, The Salmon of Doubt, at the time of his death in 2001. The books have formed the basis of a play and a BBC Radio 4 series but have never before been filmed for Television.

Andrew Smith has been talking to the Rutherglen Reformer about his return to Doctor Who and his new script for Big Finish Productions. Smith wrote the 1980 Fourth Doctor story Full Circle. The new story is called The Invasion of E-Space and once more features Lalla Ward as Romana. Smith told the Reformer: "I wrote the first draft, sent it off, and I didn’t hear back for a little while. I was getting really paranoid as I had no idea how it had gone down, but I was quite relieved when they got back to me and said they loved it."

BBC Director General Mark Thompson has told the Edinburgh International Television Festival the corporation is aiming to launch an international commercial version of the BBC iPlayer within a year.

The plans, which are subject to approval by the BBC Trust, will hopefully allow viewers around the world to watch BBC programmes, including Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, soon after their UK transmission. There are also plans to develop a way for UK licence fee payers and British servicemen and women around the world to gain access to a version of the UK public service iPlayer.

The BBC Chief used the MacTaggart Lecture to defend the BBC following criticism from many of its competitors, such as James Murdoch who gave last year's key note speech to the festival. The speech has already been attacked by The Telegraph who singled out the free downloads of Doctor Who computer games, such as yesterday's release of The Doctor Who Adventures, as something the BBC has no business doing.

The BBC has announced that extra content showing behind the scenes material from the Doctor Who Prom will be available to UK viewers via the Red Button service.

Described as a VIP access-all-areas view of the Prom which took place last month, the material will include interviews with Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill and follow their preparations as they get ready to take the stage.

The service will begin on Monday 6th September, the same day the Prom is broadcast on BBC Three. Red Button viewers will also be able to see music cut from the main BBC Three transmission as well as a look at the audience through the eyes of some of the Doctor Who aliens.

The National Space Centre in the Midlands will be playing host to an invasion of Daleks on the 11th-12th September, to help raise money for Children in Need.

Malika Andress, Communications Manager at the National Space Centre:

The event will also see appearances by guests from Doctor Who; Ruaru Mears (various monsters) will be there on the Saturday, Nina De Cosimo (Blanche in Victory Of The Daleks) and Sonila Vjeshta (Vampire girl in The Vampires of Venice) on the Sunday. More guests are expected and will be announced nearer the date. The Hyde Fundraisers will also be in attendance, who will be hosting a sculpting demonstration as well as bringing a range of adversaries to the proceedings!

For more information see the National Space Museum's event page.

The TARDIS has materialised on top of Little Dome at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The appearance of the Time machine on the roof of the University located in Cambridge, Massachusetts is a "hack" or a practical joke. The University has a long history of "hacks" including placing a Dark Mark over the Student Center to celebrate the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and placing a Fire Department truck on the roof of the Great Dome.

Doctor Who directors Richard Clark and Adam Smith will return to the series in 2011.

Both are listed in the online CV of new Production Designer Michael Pickwoad. They are listed alongside Toby Haynes who is already confirmed as director of the 2010 Christmas Special.

Richard Clark directed Gridlock and The Lazarus Experiment, both originally shown in 2007 as part of the third series since the revival. He has also worked on episodes of Life on Mars, The Whistleblowers and Gunrush.

Adam Smith directed the Eleventh Doctor's first story, The Eleventh Hour as well as the Weeping Angels two-part story The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone. Away from Doctor Who he has worked on Little Dorrit and Skins.

Production on the next series of Doctor Who is due to continue next week, with a read-through of the Neil Gaiman story.

Issue 181 of Doctor Who Adventures comes with a back-to-school monster stationery set.

There is a Cyberman fact file, a vital guide to all the horrible Cybermen out there. Plus, a chance to win life-size cardboard cutouts of the Doctor, Amy, the TARDIS, a Dalek Drone or a Weeping Angel.

Also this week, ‘"A day in the life of a... MONSTER MOVER"’: all the backstage info from Alisa Berk, who tells what it’s like to choreograph creepy creatures.

Plus a new ‘Monster Laughs’ jokes feature and 3 posters.

The third instalment of Doctor Who: The Adventure Games is due to be released tomorrow (27th August), and writer James Moran has written a preview mini-adventure Wish You Were Here.

The BBC website reports:

You can download the mini-adventure (PDF format) from the BBC website, and find out all the details about the new adventure, screensavers, a 360° panorama, etc. - and of course download from tomorrow - from their TARDIS section.

Former star of The Young Ones, Nigel Planer is to take a lead role in the upcoming Doctor Who Live Tour.

Planer is best known for his role as TV hippy Neil in the classic comedy series but he has also appeared in many West End musicals, including Evita, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Wicked and Hairspray.

The live show, first announced in May, is touring nine UK cities this Autumn and will feature Daleks, Cybermen, Clockwork Droids, Silurians and Weeping Angels.

Planer will act as the production's lynchpin, starring as travelling showman Vorgensen who journeys the galaxy spreading tales of the Doctor's exploits and using his 'minimiser' gadget he can conjure up any of the Time Lord's foes for his audience.

Looking forward to the production Planer said

Matt Smith will appear via filmed sequences which have been made just for the stage show and renowned illusionists The Twins have devised stunts which will enable a Dalek to be seen flying during the performances.

Actor Nick Briggs, who has voiced numerous monsters for the series including Daleks and Cybermen, will also be in the live cast, playing Winston Churchill in addition to some of the villains.

The tour begins at London's Wembley Arena on October 8 with further details at www.doctorwholive.com.