UK digital TV supplier Home Choice - mainly covering the London area - is now showing Dr Who on their video-on-demand channel C1, a package called "Doctor Who Through The Ages". The stories are: 'The Three Doctors', 'The Deadly Assassin' (minus drowning sequence in Pt 3), 'The Caves of Androzani', 'Timelash' (cut up into four parts), 'The Curse of Fenric' (four part version) and the entirety of the first season of the new series (in 4:3 format). It's got rather a nice menu screen in which you first choose which Doctor you want, then choose any episode of the story (rather like on a DVD). The channel is currently trailering the series with an identikit quiz (eg Peter Davison's jumper and a Dalek's skirt!) followed by a teaser of clips from various stories. (Thanks to Mark Campbell)

Today's (Wednesday) edition of Blue Peter demonstrated how to make Doctor Who pen pots! The recent appearance by David Tennant and results of the monster design competition continue to lead the viewers' poll (details), currently having 58% support with 891 votes.

The BBC7 website now features three of the series trailers recorded for the Paul McGann series, including the 'What is the TARDIS?' one (not so far available on the offcial Doctor Who site). It also has all four episode trailers for Sword of Orion, with a spoiler warning attached to the trailers for parts three and four.

BBC Three continues to revise the running for its Who repeats. Sunday nights now start with a full-length Confidential, which is followed by a double bill (this week featuring the idiosyncratic pairing of episodes 11 and 12 with the 10th instalment of Confidential. The Wednesday Cut Downs seem to have been dropped entirely. The Friday evening repeats do not follow this double-bill format, and have therefore immediately fallen several weeks behind. The Saturday evening Confidential, meanwhile, returns in a slightly later timeslot, showing the full-length version of the previous night's Cut Down. The radio and television schedules are adjusted on our schedule here on the News Page. (Note that Friday night's DW Confidential is actually the first ever showing of a "Cut Down" version of that episode, "Special Effects".

The BBC News story about the TUC conference (see mention in Press Clips, below) made a surprising mention today in its last paragraph. The paragraph originally read "A Christmas special is due to be broadcast on Christmas Day, followed by a 13-part series next year" but has been altered later on Wednesday to state "A Christmas special is due to be broadcast at Christmas, followed by a 13-part series next year." Outpost Gallifrey believes that the item was merely an error and was later corrected, as we have reported that the current information we have suggests transmission the day after Christmas, on Boxing Day, December 26.

The new series will return to BBC television in October, as the digital channel UK Gold acquires rights to rebroadcast the first season. UK Gold will screen "Rose," "The End of the World" and "The Unquiet Dead" starting at 7pm on Sunday, 23 October; each subsequent day will feature two more episodes, with the final two on 28 October. Weekend repeats of each episode will begin immediately thereafter, broadcasting on Saturdays at 6pm and Sundays at 9pm. Meanwhile, UK Gold is now running an advert for the return, entitled "The Good, the Gay and the Ugly" (the middle section referring to the series 'Little Britain'); says our correspondent, "this is trailing the reruns of the 9th Doctor series on UK Gold (the Moxx of Balhoon is used to represent 'the Ugly'). No transmission times or dates are given in the advert, though." (Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Mark Francome)

According to a BBC News story, BBC Director General Mark Thompson has confirmed that the BBC's TV channels will eventually be made available on the internet. Thompson announced plans for the MyBBCPlayer - which will allow viewers to legally download seven days of programmes - at the Edinburgh Television Festival, and said he hoped the service would launch next year. "We won't deserve or get licence-fee funding beyond 2016... that is very definitely not our plan," said Thompson. Says the report, a simulcast of BBC One or BBC Two, letting UK viewers see programmes on the web at the same time as they go out on TV, is also planned as part of MyBBCPlayer. Said Thompson, "We believe that on-demand changes the terms of the debate, indeed that it will change what we mean by the word 'broadcasting'. Every creative leader in the BBC is wrestling with the question of what the new technologies and audience behaviours mean for them and their service." Audio and video archive material will be made available, as will other items such as BBC material for sale. The story metnions the leak of the first episode of the new Doctor Who series in March, and also notes that "a BBC spokesman said the corporation was aiming to simulcast a channel permanently but would restrict it to UK viewers only. These plans are subject to the approval of the board of governors and the resolution of rights clearance issues on content like music and imported shows." Also reported at Yahoo News. (Thanks to Thomas Jennings, Paul Engelberg)

According to a BBC press release, "ROK Player has signed an innovative licensing deal with BBC Worldwide, the BBC's commercial arm, to release a selection of its major properties for full-length full-screen play on mobile phones," the first time BBC Worldwide has licensed full-length video content for use on mobile phones. Doctor Who and Red Dwarf are among the initial offerings, with "The Five Doctors" (the 20th anniversary story that aired in 1983) and three episodes of Red Dwarf ("Marooned," "Quarantine" and "Cassandra") as part of the initial package. These will work on phones equipped with DVC (digital video chips) from Nokia. Says the release, "ROK Player is working with BBC Worldwide to extend its portfolio of classic BBC TV episodes over the coming months. 'BBC Worldwide is always looking for new opportunities, both in the UK and abroad, that allow consumers to enjoy their favourite TV content again and again, while delivering additional revenues to the BBC and to the talent behind the classic programming. The ROK Player meets these demands, delivering high quality full-length episodes to mobile phones on a commercial basis,' said Marc Humphrey, Business Development Manager, BBC Worldwide." Also widely reported in the media including at BBC News, Cellular News, Broadcast Now, Computing, WhatPC, VNUNet,NetImperative, PhoneContent, Yahoo News,Waveguide,WebProNews, TelephonyWorld, Reuters, The Times,icWales, The Inquirer, The Register,Silicon, VOX Marketing, Digital Lifestyles, Stuff (NZ), news.com.au,Electric News, Symbian, DM Europe,Virgin.net, Softpedia,Manchester Online, PC Pro.

The BBC Kids advance online schedule shows a promotion for Doctor Who in the lineup effective Monday 29 August. On weeknights, Doctor Who will now air twice - Midnight and 5AM EDT, replacing the previous 2AM EDT only broadcast. 2 episodes per day as before. First story in the new time periods - Snakedance. On weekends, Doctor Who will continue being shown in complete stories one time at 2AM EDT. With this change, the weeknight showings will be easier for Canadian viewers to tune in and watch. Not easy, but the best it has been since at least 2003. For the various Canadian time zones: Newfoundland: Weeknights 1:30AM and 6:30AM (2 episodes), Weekends 3:30AM (complete stories). Atlantic (ADT or AST): Weeknights 1AM and 6AM (2 episodes), Weekends 3AM (complete stories). Eastern (EDT or EST): Weeknights Midnight and 5AM (2 episodes), Weekends 2AM (complete stories). Central (CDT or CST): Weeknights 11PM and 4AM (2 episodes), Weekends 1AM (complete stories). Mountain (MDT or MST): Weeknights 10PM and 3AM (2 episodes), Weekends Midnight (complete stories). Pacific (PDT or PST): Weeknights 9PM and 2AM (2 episodes), Weekends 11PM (complete stories). (Thanks to Benjamin Elliott / This Week in Doctor Who)

The ITV network -- which suffered a dramatic turnaround this spring as "Doctor Who" trounced its Saturday night variety series "Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway" -- is planning its own counterattack, with a pantomime featuring cast members from the long-running soap "Coronation Street" to air opposite the forthcoming special "The Christmas Invasion," according to yesterday's Daily Star. "Corrie bosses are planning to zap Dr Who this Christmas. The cast have been told they will be recording a panto for ITV1. And it could go out in competition with the BBC's Dr Who special. But the plan has met with a mixed reaction. A source said: 'Some stars are a bit miffed. They are not allowed to do panto independently when they're working on Corrie. People have missed out on huge salaries in the festive season.'" The pantomime special will likely be "Cinderella" and will be programmed opposite "Doctor Who" when the Christmas special is officially scheduled. (Thanks to Peter Weaver)