The Children in Need telethon, of which the seven-minute special (or, rather, 6'54" from start to finish, not the 3.5 minutes we were led to believe according to the official BBC roster) was part, raised over £17 million for charity, according to a BBC News article. "The BBC telethon Children in Need raised more than 17.2m during the fund-raising campaign on BBC One. The total is slightly higher than last year and is expected to grow to more than 30m when all donations are in. Presenter Terry Wogan said: 'Thank you for all your donations and everything you have done for Children in Need.' The telethon featured performances by Madonna, Rod Stewart, Girls Aloud and Liberty X and an appearance by Prime Minister Tony Blair. The organisers estimate that more than a quarter of a million people made donations." Additionally reported at CBBC News. Also, on the local East Midlands broadcast, "Derek the Dalek" (a fan-created Dalek) appeared; there are photographs here.

An update on last week's Cardiff Christmas lighting that David Tennant and Billie Piper took part in: you can now see the video of the two switching on the Christmas lights in Cardiff on the BBC South East Wales website, along with some still photos... click here. According to Andy Roberts of BBC Wales New Media, "This is a permanent, official web posting of the live insert featured in the regional news programme Wales Today. We'll keep it online indefinitely." Another report on the lighting was featured at Hello Magazine.

An article in Saturday's Birmingham Post asked, "Are you looking for a piece of film or television history? Props and scripts from classic films by directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorcese and Stanley Kubrick can sell for huge amounts of money at auction, but more contemporary film, music and television history is also very popular among collectors. ... As well as being famous for his love of jelly babies, Tom Baker's Dr Who was a great fan of scarves and one collector managed to get their hands on the actual scarf worn by Tom when he played the Doctor in the 1970s and early 1980s. It sold for £7,800. ... The rare 1970's BBC Television prop known as "The Dalek Supreme" sold for a staggering £36,000, over three times its pre-sale estimate, to benefit The Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children. The Dalek was greeted with a round of applause in the saleroom and was bought by the communications agency Indeprod. The Dalek had previously sold for £4,600 when bought as a charity lot in 1986 to benefit the BBC Red Cross Sponsored Appeal. A spokesperson at Indeprod said: 'We are delighted to have acquired a Dalek. We shall place it in our reception area for all to see and enjoy. We have been after a Dalek for years and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity especially as the proceeds will go to The Great Ormond Street Hospital. We are also very pleased that the Dalek will stay in this country.'"

A new and licensed Dalek top is now available from Marks and Spencer in the UK. It comes in sizes from 3 to 14 years and costs £8 or £11, according to size. It hit the high street this week and is also available online at Marks and Spencer.

The weekend's Sunday Mail noted that "the new Doctor Who has stunned fans by transforming into a cockney. Scots actor David Tennant sounds like mockney Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins in sneak previews of the new series. And the BBC were last night forced to admit that David, 34, had dumped his native accent to star as the timelord. The actor, from Bathgate, West Lothian, is proud of his roots and sported the kilt when he arrived at a recent awards bash with Cutting It star Sarah Parrish. ... Last night, a BBC spokeswoman said: 'Playing a character with an English accent is not alien to David. David is an incredibly versatile actor whose work on screen is not defined by his accent but by his talent. We have every confidence that David's Doctor, like the man himself, will be hugely popular.' But producer Russell T Davies has suggested there could be a twist in the tale. He said: 'Every planet has a Scotland - you'll have to wait and see. There are revelations on the way.' The new series sees Doctor Who and his sidekick Billie Piper transported to Balmoral in the time of Queen Victoria, played by Pauline Collins. Doctor Who has had a Scottish accent in the past, when Sylvester McCoy played him from 1987."

Also in the Sunday Mail, a note about "Tennant's cheeky chat-up line." While most of it is fairly innocuous, it does feature quotes by former Casualty star Claire Goose, who says "He's going to be a fantastic Doctor Who. I can't wait to see it. He is so thrilled and excited to be doing it in the first place. He is one of those people who loves his job. He's really enthusiastic." Goose stars with Tennant in the upcoming ITV drama, Secret Smile, in which he plays her psycho boyfriend.

Playbill notes that Broadway and West End singer/actress Elaine Paige's upcoming concert at the Birmingham Symphony Hall will be broadcast on BBC Radio 2; Paige will be joined by John Barrowman, her former co-star in "Sunset Boulevard". Also covered at BroadwayWorld.

Manchester Online notes that David Tennant lost out on an award in Manchester: "New Dr Who David Tennant was getting the female hearts-a-fluttering at the awards, looking stylish in pinstripe suit and laughing and joking with fans. David was nominated in the best performance in a comedy or drama category for his role as Casanova in the BBC production, which was part-filmed in Manchester, but lost out to David Threlfall for Shameless. Scottish heartthrob David has taken over from Salfordian Christopher Eccleston as the popular time-traveller, and admits he is a little in awe of his predecessor and his success as Dr Who. 'They are incredibly big boots to fill, but I'm going to do my best,' he told me. 'It's great to be back in Manchester tonight and, of course, it didn't really matter that I didn't win. It's just been a fantastic night.'"

Series two writer Stephen Fry received a degree from Anglia Ruskin University and spoke of the "ridiculous sense of elitism" at Cambridge in a BBC Newsarticle;

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Peter Weaver, Matt Dale, Andy Roberts, Rich Kirkpatrick)

More about "The Christmas Invasion" has been revealed in the latest issue of SFX Magazine by Russell T Davies. "I love the title," he tells the magazine. "What else could you call it? It will be a great, adventure that's really big in scale. It will be Christmassy – there's nothing I like more than a Christmas special set at Christmas! There's a big story in it for Rose as well as a massive threat to the Earth going on beneath the surface, so Christmas as usual!" Says the article, "With the Doctor still suffering the after-effects of his regeneration, the TARDIS returns to Earth, arriving back at Rose’s council estate. The festive period is just beginning, but the Doctor, recuperating in his pyjamas, is too ill to enjoy it, while his companion attempts to come to terms with the fact that her best friend has changed his identity. But as Rose shares some quality time with her family and friends (Camille Coduri is back as Jackie Tyler, along with Noel Clarke as Mickey), an alien force is stirring. The Sycorax invasion is beginning... So what else can we expect from the story? 'I can tell you that the words 'Arthur Dent' are said in the Christmas special,' reveals Davies, rather teasingly. 'It's got scary Christmas trees, Santa attacks, there's an invasion, and the Doctor stays in bed for a long, long time,' Billie Piper recently told the press. 'I am carrying most of the show.'"

The Mirror says that Billie Piper is "at the centre of a tug-of-love between the BBC and ITV... Since quitting the hit sci-fi show - as revealed by The Mirror last week - 23-year-old Billie has already been snapped up for two major new projects, one with each of the main channels. For ITV1, she will don a ribboned bonnet to play priggish Fanny Price in a new adaptation of Jane Austen's most controversial novel, Mansfield Park. ... Meanwhile, BBC bosses have got a secret project waiting in the wings for her. Our insider tells us: 'This is very, very different to Doctor Who. Billie has proven herself at the BBC, first with The Canterbury Tales, then as Rose in Doctor Who, and recently in Much Ado About Nothing. The camera loves her. She has the sort of face which comes across really well on screen. Any critic who claims she is only good at playing ditzy characters is wrong - there were some very dark scenes in Doctor Who which she handled really well. All her performances have been brilliant. We can't wait to work with her again.'" Of course, this is forgetting the fact that she's still working on the show... take this for what it's worth.

More reports of the lighting of Cardiff at icWales, Ham High News; the lighting also gets coverage on CBBC Newsround and the official site has a brief report and a link to a new, permanent clip from Wales Today on the Media Player (the Wales Today programme itself being only briefly available online).

Is Ross Kemp (who plays Grant Mitchell in "EastEnders") soon to be a guest star in the new series? The showbiz correspondent on HeartFM Radio seems to think so, noting in an 'exclusive' that he might be in the series, but we haven't heard anything about it elsewhere.

The official Doctor Who website has been updated with a Christmas theme today.

In The News has picked up the David Beckham story from yesterday; other print-only media to pick it up includes the Press Association and Newsquest Media Group (so expect it in a variety of papers by next week!) Also, Playbillmentions a December 19 holiday concert in which John Barrowman is slated to appear.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Stephen James Walker and Chris Howell of The Great Link)

The Sun has an 'exclusive' today that notes that football star David Beckham is apparently a Doctor Who fan. "Victoria Beckham has splashed out on a book of Doctor Who screenplays for soccer star hubby Becks -- as he is 'completely ob- sessed' with the Time Lord. The ex-Spice Girl, 31, bought England skipper Becks a book of transcripts from the latest series starring Christopher Ecclestone [sic] and Billie Piper. Mum-of-three Posh showed her eye for a bargain by spotting the book, The Shooting Scripts, in a half-price sale. And if that wasn’t cut-price enough, staff at posh Knightsbridge store Harrods even gave an extra ten per cent discount because of her celebrity status. Real Madrid ace Becks and wife Victoria were in central London last Sunday. An insider said: 'They were in Harrods for a couple of hours. She had a good rummage and found the Dr Who book. Staff were expecting her to spend a fortune on designer gear — but she only bought the Russell T Davies scripts. She told the shop assistant that David was 'completely obsessed' with Dr Who. 'She said he knew everything about it and never missed an episode of the last series.'" Also reported at This Is London,Ananova.

The online edition of SFX Magazine features an interview with Anthony Stewart Head, who notes that he "love[s] it when papers say things stridently, whether they're right or wrong" about him playing the Master (he says he's shocked to hear it because it's not true!) But how was being in the show? "It was fantastic. And he's a blinding Doctor, David Tennant. For the first time in a long time, it's effortless. He's got it all, he really. He's literally born to play the part. He's got such an edge yet at the same time the humour, the comedy's just perfect. You're not watching anybody trying hard, it's just there. For me, this guy is just bang on! ... I suppose once you're in the genre, I suppose people just say, oh, you'd be good! I went up for the American TV movie, I went up for that a couple of time, and I saw various executives, but when I came back from Buffy, people would ask if I'd do it and I said, well, I think to do one sort of iconic sci-fi character every decade is probably enough. People'd get confused otherwise!" Was he approached for the role? "Yes. I don't know if they wrote this specifically with me in mind, but I think they thought it'd suit me. I must admit I enjoyed myself immensely. ... I can't even remember the character's name. Now I'm on tour, all my energies are channelled into that. Hmm, I don't know how much I'm allowed to say. My name is stamped all over the script so if anybody ever gets the script, they know it comes from me!" He says he met Russell T Davies at the readthrough, and that Davies is a fan of his work on 'Buffy'. "He's a great writer, Russell. He said how much of a fan he was and how pleased he was that I was doing it. I did the commentary for the Making Of on Radio 2 and there was a bit where they said they'd watched Buffy and modelled storytelling techniques on it."

More coverage of the purchase of the Dalek for £36,000 at Bonhams at People Daily Online China, The Scotsman,Edinburgh Evening News,

Tuesday night's drive show with Richard Bacon on London Capital Radio featured a guest appearance by "celebrity friend for the week" Anthony Stewart Head, who noted that he'd recently taken the train to Newport for a photo session for Doctor Who where he had met with old friends David Tennant and Billie Piper. Head said that Tennant was the "best Doctor since Patrick Troughton" and that he was natural at the role but was "steely when needed".

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Darren Hooker)

Billie Piper will be a guest on ex-husband Chris Evans' new chat, OFI Sunday, show this Sunday night at 10:30pm on ITV1. "Chris Evans presents this live entertainment show which makes the most of the disappearing weekend. The presenter is joined by celebrity guest Billie Piper, who also happens to be his ex-wife, for games, chat and music. The latest gadgets are reviewed and a classic car is up for grabs in Laid Up - the only game show on TV for competitors who are injured."

UTV notes that, as follow up to the auction of a Dalek at Bonhams mentioned in yesterday's press clips news report, the final tally on the Dalek sold at the auction house was £36,000... more than three times what was expected. "The Dalek Supreme, from the 1970s series of Dr Who, was brought by communications agency Indeprod at a charity auction in aid of the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children. ... The Dalek was made from welding together the top half of another Dalek from a 1960s series of Dr Who and the bottom of one used in a BBC exhibition. It was expected to fetch between £7,000 and £10,000. The Dalek Supreme met its end in the Destiny of the Daleks in 1979 when it was blown up by a pyrotechnic flash - scorch marks are still visible under its interior seat. The prop was later used in Madame Tussaud`s Waxworks Museum for a Dr Who exhibition in 1980. A spokesperson for Indeprod said: 'We are delighted to have acquired a Dalek. We shall place it in our reception area for all to see and enjoy. We have been after a Dalek for years and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity, especially as the proceeds will go to the Great Ormond Street Hospital. We are also very pleased that the Dalek will stay in the country.' Auctioneers Bonhams claim the Dalek was quoted as saying: 'I am so relieved that I have found a new home without the risk of extermination, although I had dreamt of living with Billie Piper.'" Also covered at BBC News.

This weeks edition of The Pink Paper, #887, the UK's longstanding free LGB community newspaper, features a two page interview with Russell T Davies and producer Phil Collinson, covering RTD's attitudes to sexuality and the media, the new approach to Who, why Who has so many gay fans and the character of Captain Jack. They're also giving away 3 DVD sets of series one!

Other news clips: Monsters and Critics has a brief story about Charlotte Church which mentions "Torchwood" (since the early reports that she would be in the show, producers have denied them); SyFyPortal covers the Billie Piper issue, quoting from Outpost Gallifrey's news pages; Brand Republicnotes that Carphone Warehouse will sponsor Chris Evans' new ITV chat show which debuts with his ex-wife Billie Piper as his first guest

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Andrew Harvey, Matt Dale, Chris Hinchley)

The official Doctor Who website today has mentioned the Doctor Who: Regeneration documentary on BBC Radio 2, which Outpost Gallifrey reported on October 28 (see our news archives). As a reminder from our report: "The new documentary from the radio channel, which earlier this year presented the two-part documentary 'Project: WHO', examines how this year's adventures of the Time Lord became the most talked about television event of 2005. Just how significant was the departure of Christopher Eccleston to the programme and its production team? Has the success of 'Doctor Who' changed the battleground of Saturday night television? And is the TARDIS safe in David Tennant's hands?" It airs on BBC Radio 2 on Tuesday 20 December at 8:33pm.

The Daily Star reported Saturday that Doctor Who fans in England "want to exterminate show bosses over the Timelord's new Scottish twang. English websites have been bombarded with complaints over claims the new Doctor, Scots-born David Tennant, 34, speaks in his native accent in the next episodes. Tennant sounded English during his only appearance in the show so far at the end of the last series. Insiders have let slip he will have a Scottish accent when the show returns at Christmas. One fan wrote: 'Doctor Who can't keep changing his accent.'"

Christopher Eccleston is the narrator for BBC Two's "Dubai Dreams", as listed at the BBC2 website. The program is on Monday nights.

Peter Davison Peter Davison is recording a third series of his Radio 4 comedy "Rigor Mortis". His co-star from season one of this series, Tracey Anne-Oberman, is guest starring in the forthcoming series of Doctor Who.

On Monday, Terry Wogan contributed to the forthcoming "Children in Need" charity by offering a prize of " a once in lifetime experience for two lucky whovians to visit the set of the new series in March 2006 to meet the cast, David Tennant in particular and watch the filming," according to our correspondent. The prize was won on Monday morning for over five thousand pounds. Also taking place this weekend during the "Children in Need" appeal: Terry Molloy will join the Hyde Fundraisers to present a cheque which includes the contribution from the recent Trial of Davrosshow held last July. (Hyde Fundraisers tells us that this may be purely a regional opt-out or may even be part of the national opt-in for Manchester.)

The latest issue of Ultimate DVD magazine contains a feature on the Doctor Who Series One Boxed Set commentary, profiling the taping of the commentary for "The Long Game". "I have a tendency to finish watghing a good film and go straight on to the Director's Commentary," says Christine Adams (Cathica), "which I'm actually starting to realize is not always the best idea." Bruno Langley, who says he gets four letters a day about Doctor Who, discusses the increased security getting into the building and says his character is "a bit of a wimp". Director Brian Grant says that "Shooting's easy. Storytelling, it's always about how good or bad the script is, and then you're dealing with logistics... how much money you've got, how much time you've got. Never enough time." Also interviewed is Paul Vanezis, one of the team who put the release together, about the extras including the 'Confidential' documentaries. "I don't think it has to be definitive; what it has to be is really, really informative and it's got to be entertaining. So you've got the entertainment element from the Confidential material, and the gritty behind the scenes footage and then you've got slightly more considered features like behind-the-scenes of the destruction of Big Ben..." The article also notes that there are writing features and video diaries, including an 'on set with Billie Piper' diary. John Barrowman is also interviewed in a feature that mentions that he's excited about the forthcoming "Torchwood": "I've said to Russell tha there's so many things we can play with - Jack has lost part of his memory, and we haven't found out why he lost it. It's a big part of his character."

MSN News asks, "Have we seen the last of Rachel Stevens' pop career? The former S Club star lost out to Billie Piper when she went for the role of Rose Tyler, the Time Lord's sidekick in the recent series of Doctor Who, but she may yet do a spot of time traveling. Rachel has auditioned for Torchwood, the spin-off of the hit BBC sci-fi series and she's keen to leave music behind." Interestingly, the article quotes Stevens as saying, "I've been called back for a meeting about a permanent role in 'Torchwood' [a 'Doctor Who' spin-off]," according to an interview with the singer in New! magazine. "I so hope I get it as I'm sick of being attacked for my music."

icWales reports that the TARDIS has been spotted in South Wales filming for the new show. "David Tennant - who takes over from Christopher Eccleston - and Billie Piper, who plays the Doctor's sidekick Rose Tyler, spent Tuesday filming scenes near The Riverfront arts centre, in Newport, on the banks of the River Usk. A BBC spokeswoman said: 'We wanted a location that looked like a stretch of the Thames in London. It's the first of a two-part storyline. The new series will be shown next spring.'"

The Northern Echo on 14 November covered the Dimensions 2005 convention last weekend in Stockton. "About 400 people attended the two-day convention at the Swallow Hotel from as far afield as the US and, while some chose to keep their adoration of the show low key, others went all out to express their devotion. Wearing copies of their favourite Dr Who costumes, fans paraded in long coats, stripy scarves, floppy hats and even a PVC suit. But Thelma Loane, from Newcastle, stole the show with her home-made replica of Peter Davison's Dr Who outfit, comprising red stripe trousers, cricket jumper, long cream coat and hat. Some of the famous faces making an appearance at the weekend included Davison, Annette Badland, John Schwab and Bonnie Langford. Lindsay Johnson, 21, a student at University of York, and her boyfriend Gil Williams, 20, from Wales, met a year ago after making contact on a Dr Who website. At the weekend, they wore costumes she had made. She wore a black and cerise pink PVC short skirt and jacket to recreate the 1960s character Zoe, and he wore a black velvet cape and dinner jacket in honour of his favourite doctor, John Pertwee. Mr Williams, said: "This is my first time at a convention, but Lindsay has travelled to quite a few of them. We both love Dr Who and it is so nice to come here and be around other people who feel the same." Miss Johnson said she believed Dr Who still had such a huge following because it was a lighthearted show that provided escapism and had not become dated. "I'm a huge fan, but Dr Who fans are not necessarily strange or anything, " she said. "In everyday life, no one would guess I was a Dr Who fan. There is no aura around me and I'm not geeky. I did just get some strange looks, however, when I nipped out to get some money from the cash machine." The Evening Gazette also mentioned the event, including briefly speaking to David Gooderson, who played one of the incarnations of Davros. "It's amazing. Some of these people know more about what work we did nearly 40 years ago than we do."

Newsquest Media Group interviews two fans who have exterminated their "humble garden shed - and replaced by something more out of this world. Dr Who fans Jennifer and Miles Wilkinson have had a garden shed made to look like the Tardis from the long-running science fiction show. As any Doctor Who fan knows, it is impossible to specify the internal dimensions of the time machine - which is in the shape of a blue British police box. But the couple, from Redcar, are confident there should be enough room for their patio furniture. 'We wanted a little shed to put bits and pieces in, and we thought about this when the last series of Dr Who was on,' said Mrs Wilkinson. 'We are old enough to have watched the first series when it was out in black and white, and have been fans ever since. Our seven-year-old granddaughter lives away, so she hasn't seen the shed yet. We are not telling her so it will be a surprise when she visits. She is a fan of the series as well, except the frightening parts of course.'"

The same paper on 14 November noted that "Doctor Who's most dangerous foe, a Dalek, has made a big entrance in Swindon this week. But, rather than exterminating, it was here to educate, as part of a talk about computer-generated special effects at the British Computer Society headquarters in the town. The visit was part of the society's continuing work to demonstrate the benefits of computing and information technology. Gone are the days when visual effects relied on unrealistic Styrofoam explosions, clumsy animation or old egg boxes.Today, computer animation is widely used. The continuing advancements in technology are evident in the latest Doctor Who series, especially when viewed alongside the dated episodes of the 1970s and '80s. Dave Throssell, of Mill TV, which does special effects work include those seen in the new series of Doctor Who, said: 'Effects that were ground-breaking when Doctor Who first aired won't cut it with today's audience and that is where we came in. By providing state-of-the-art effects Doctor Who was given a new lease of life for a modern audience.'"

The Guardian on 14 November said that "the trouble with television is that it can't stop shoving liberal values down our throats." As noted in the article, "This teaching of moral values is spreading across the TV drama spectrum. The wards of Holby City now live by the same principles, as do the cops at Sun Hill. Even Billie and the Doctor had to learn this time around, in a way that Tom Baker would never have done, that 'Daleks have feelings too', and 'you can travel in time but you mustn't forget your family'. It seems there's nowhere in time or space, or the TV schedule, that can fully escape what they call in American sitcom script meetings 'hugs and learning'."

The New Statesman on Monday discussed Billie Piper's Shakespeare foray in BBC1's "Much Ado About Nothing". "I have been thinking about Billie Piper, and not in that way either. Five years ago, she was an ex-teenybopper, most famous for being the one attractive symptom of Chris Evans's post-adolescence crisis. But against expectations, credibility began to consolidate around her. When the BBC began its series of Canterbury Tales updates, it led off with The Miller's Tale, in which Piper brilliantly played the Miller's wife. When it regenerated Dr Who, its star turned out to be not the here-today-and-regenerated-tomorrow Christopher Ecclestone, but his earthly, earthy sidekick, Rose. Now Piper has become the star turn in the first instalment of the BBC's new Shakespeare project... This is not to say that she is the only good thing in the agreeable Much Ado About Nothing. Piper plays Hero, daughter of Leonard (Martin Jarvis), the show's producer, who has nepotistically appointed her as weather girl. Hero may not be the brightest isobar on the chart, but she has a heart quite big enough to be trampled on. Piper plays her with fetching non-virginal innocence and then, having been given a rather stronger fifth act than the one Shakespeare gave his boy-actresses, turns on her two suitors. This Hero is a truly modern heroine, whose happy ending is to refuse to go up the aisle with anyone."

The Alien Online interviews Telos publisher David Howe about the new "Back to the Vortex" book: "We knew we wanted to publish a guide to the new series of Doctor Who almost as soon as the new series was announced. Telos has a long history of doing several unofficial guide books to various series in the past including Doctor Who itself. So as soon as we heard the new series was coming along we thought we'd do a guide." The full interview is available at the website (and, in full disclosure, the book is written by this site's editor.)

In Australia, Sunday's grand finale of ABC-TV's "Einstein Factor" quiz was won by a contestant, David Campbell, with his specialty topic, "The television series Doctor Who 1963 to 1989". As well as answering 15 questions on his topic (15 out of 15), he out-answered his opponents on the general knowledge questions, according to ABC.net. Doctor Who has also been getting a bit of attention on other ABC programs: last week's episode of Collectors spoke to Mark Damon about his collection of Doctor Who memorabilia and visited a meeting of his local Doctor Who fan club, and earlier in the year "How the Quest Was Won" visited a meeting of a different local club and included a police box prop and Daleks.

Some various news bits in the media: there's more coverage of Tom Baker's BBC1 narration on Thursday night at Digital Spy, Manchester Online; while the Independent covers the BBC7 radio broadcast of the Big Finish/BBCi audio "Shada" (see our November 11 news item); Bruno Langley has a new role according to his agent's site, as Jason Parker in BBC's Dalziel and Pascoe (the site is located here); Wednesday's Guardian mentions that a Dalek from the 1970s will be auctioned off at Bonhams in Kensington.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, John Bowman, Aadil Bashir, Paul Kennedy, Ben Rawson-Jones, Peter Weaver, Paul Hayes, Kat Williams, Kevin Taylor, and Faiz Rehman)

A couple of press outlets have reported the names of episodes 5 and 6 as being "Nine Lives" and "School's Out". This is actually a confusion based on the fact that the writer, Tom MacRae, has written these series in the past; they are not episodes of this show, but television series in their own right.

The South Wales Echo reports on filming for episodes 5 and 6, taking place along the banks of the River Usk near the Riverfronts Arts Centre. A BBC spokeswoman said: "We wanted a location that looked like a stretch of the Thames in London."

There's been a ton of press coverage over the past day regarding the revelation of the designs of the Cybermen, most of which has been directly from the BBC press release. News coverage online includes the Daily Record, CBBC News, The Register, 4RFV, WaveGuide, Herts Essex News, Entertainmentwise, Ananova, Sky Showbiz,This is London,RTE, Digital Spy, The Mirror, The Daily Mail. Says the Times about the return: "Viewers, while terrified, could not help noticing in the past that the low tech Cybermen appeared to be 70 per cent Bacofoil with a car lamp stuck on their helmets. They have been redesigned by the same experts who reinvented the Daleks and previously worked on films including Hellraiser II."

The Scottish TV/Scotland Today site has an interview with Stephen Fry, who's writing an episode of the series this year. "I've done a strange thing," he tells the site, "I've never done anything quite like it, I've written an episode of Dr Who. We are bound by all kinds of secrecy, I can tell you that it deals with a well-known British legend which has alien origins rather than just folklore origins. And that one of the most exciting moments of my life was starting the first page and writing 'Exterior - The Tardis. The Tardis materialises on the surface of a strange planet.' You write that and you think 'I can't believe I have just written that.' As one of the absolutely original Dr Who generation - I can remember the very first episode - and being hooked from that moment on."

According to Media Guardian today, 'Little Britain star David Walliams wants to ditch his "laydee" clothes and step into the Tardis once David Tennant has finished his tenure. "I'd like to take over as Doctor Who. I promise not to make it camp," he promises. Daily Express P19'.

Says the week's Metro Green Room, p9: "New Dr Who star David Tennant is hoping to have the same love god status as his predecessor Christopher Eccleston. He said: 'I hear he had a huge gay following. It had better happen to me too.'" Meanwhile on page 13, they report on the Cybermen return...

According to BBC News, Sophie Okonedo (who played Alison in "The Scream of the Shalka") has been named best female performer at the Screen Nation Film and Television Awards. The 36-year-old star received the award at the ceremony in London honouring Black British artists for her Oscar nominated role in Hotel Rwanda.

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