BBC News today covered the world premiere of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" which David Tennant (who plays the role of Barty Crouch Jr. in the film) attended. The david-tennant.com fan site has some pictures including video snaps of news reports. Also, CBBC News called Tennant one of the night's "biggest crowd-pleasers".

The Sun had a story last Friday with a picture story about filming for the new series that took place the day before in London. In the piece, which featured two photos of David Tennant with Billie Piper, a BBC insider described the chemistry on-screen between them as "explosive". The newsprint edition had the photos in mono, but you can see them in glorious colour at the Sunwebsite. Friday's Daily Star, meanwhile, said that "The new Doctor Who is a real scream - as in funny, not scary. Dishy David Tennant couldn't stop clowning as he filmed on location in London. And he had co-star Billie Piper in hoots of laughter, larking about between takes of the hit BBC sci-fi series. Gorgeous Billie, 23, grinned away at the antics of David, 34, who takes over the role on Christmas Day - just what the Doctor ordered."

The BBC TV Moments website is currently taking votes on the best show of 2005. A special with the results will be hosted by Jonathan Ross in December.

Sky Showbiz has eleven photographs posted up from filming this week. "If you simply can't wait for the next series of Doctor Who to start, then at least you can feast your eyes on a bit of on-set action," says the report. "We've sniffed out some photos of the new Doc David Tennant starring alongside Billie Piper - and it looks like they're having some fun. Frankly we can't get enough of this new version of the Timelord, complete with his baseball boots. Sure, he's not a conventional Brad Pitt-style handsome... but there is something highly fanciable about Mr Tennant in his long brown tweed coat. And of course, Billie looks as cute and pretty as ever, and certainly seems to have taken to Christopher Ecclestone's replacement. Have a peek through the gallery above - and stress not, it doesn't spoil anything."

The website of Manners McDade Artist Management (website) reveals that "Murray Gold is currently working on the music for the second series of Dr Who which will be recorded by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, as well as writing the music to the third series of Shameless."

According to the trade journal The Bookseller, Panini Books' Doctor Who Annual 2006 continues its sales success, spending a third week back in the Top 20 Children's Books chart compiled by Nielsen BookScan for the trade journal The Bookseller. The chart shows a steady increase in sales as Christmas approaches, with over 2,000 units sold the week ending 15 October, 2,500 the week of 22 October, and 3,400 the week of 29 October. These figures compare very favourably with other titles in the chart, including various Star Wars and Harry Potter books, all with weekly sales of between 2,500 and 8,000, although everything is dwarfed by the latest Lemony Snicket release, which is currently shifting 20,000 copies each week.

The Sun on Sunday called Billie Piper's new Shakespeare foray, "Much Ado About Nothing" its Best Drama of the evening. Piper plays Hero, a weather girl based on the original Shakespeare character. The Derby Evening Telegraphyesterday noted a "more feminist contemporary ending to the play, which pleased Billie Piper enormously. 'I was thrilled to find out that Hero, in this version, makes such a liberating choice in the end,' she said. 'She starts out very green, very young, but in the course of the play she becomes more certain of who she is. The original Hero just wouldn't sit happily in this century, for the simple reason that it's acceptable and expected now for young girls to be their own people.'" The Independentsays of her performance, "The subsequent mood shift when Hero is humiliated at the altar is somewhat inconceivable, since all that precedes it has been regional TV-lite. Even so, the dramatic purity of the moment will not be denied, not least because the performances of Piper, Parish and Lewis are more than enough to finesse a sudden change of gear that confronts us with serious questions about love and its ugly twin, jealousy." TheGuardianreviews "Much Ado About Nothing": "The Shakespeare season is inventive, often wildly so, brave, and occasionally interesting. It is also a tragic failure and a dreadful waste of money. Perhaps it's a failure that will, with a bit of luck, send the drama department back to the Arden and the Oxford texts to discover that you don't need to 'reinterpret' Shakespeare. Here's a radical thought: why not just perform the plots as written, and let the lines speak for themselves? Brush up your Shakespeare, start quoting him now ..."

The Arts section of Saturday's Daily Telegraph today (Saturday 5 November) has a lengthy appreciation of Billie Piper, "who has the nation's heart in her pocket", ahead of her appearance on Monday in the first of the BBC's Shakespeare reworkings. Of her part in Doctor Who, Craig McLean says, "Piper is perfect in the role of Dr Who's sidekick Rose Tyler, conveying a winning mix of streetwise pluck, cool glamour and a kind of been-there, done-that savvy." The same article also features a celebration of Piper in verse, written by poet Ian McMillan, part of which reads: "And as Doctor Who's mate she screamed like a good 'un,/Waltzed through dimensions not missing a beat./And I disagree that her acting was wooden;/She made Saturday teatime a timeskipping treat." Interestingly, the following is stated: "The Corporation has also reportedly locked her in to a third series of Dr Who with a lucrative golden handcuffs deal. How's that for a comeback?" Has Piper been signed to a third year, perhaps?

Piper is going to be the first interviewee on estranged husband Chris Evans's forthcoming TV show, according to The Sun this past Saturday. The newspaper's showbiz section Bizarre says he asked her to appear on ITV1 show OFI Sunday as a favour to him, as he continues his comeback in the world of entertainment. It quotes an insider as saying: "It's going to be a strange interview, cringeworthy even. Chris knows everything about Billie - but then she knows everything about him too. If he asks her anything too controversial she could come back with a real dig at him. I think he will steer clear of any sex questions in case he implicates himself in any way. I imagine it's going to be more of a love-in than a warts-and-all chat. It shows how supportive Billie is of him, agreeing to do the show. But she's terrified he might try to slip in the odd embarrassing question to trip her up. The show is live so anything could happen." The piece is illustrated with colour headshots of Evans and Piper and the programme airs on November 20 at 10.30pm. Also reported at Digital Spy.

The Sunday Mail interviews first and second-series writer Steven Moffat. "The Scot behind Dr Who's scariest episode has warned the next series will be even more terrifying," says the article. "Writer Steven Moffat is working on the new episodes starring David Tennant as the Doctor and says petrified viewers will once again be peering out from behind the sofa. This is bad news for the parents whose complaints about the last series forced the BBC to issue a warning it was not suitable for children under eight. Steven, 44, scripted the sinister two-part tale about a plague-infected 'gas-mask boy' for the last series. Many fans hailed the terrifying Empty Child episodes and the boy's chilling line: 'Are you my mummy?' as the stand-out of the series. But Steven promises the new shows will be every bit as spooky. He said: 'I liked that the last series was scary. To children, scary is a recommendation.' ... Like the new Doctor, Steven is originally from Paisley and both men were boyhood fans of the show - which has led Steven to offer some advice to his fellow Buddy. 'I tried to switch off from being a fan. You have to want to subvert it a bit and not treat it like a wonderful china ornament. David Tennant has that problem, too, now. He was concerned what he was going to wear as the Doctor because he might go into total 'fan-out'.'" Moffat also notes that "My story might have been scarier for adults than children. Kids are at home with the idea of creepy children, which is naturally more worrying to adults. The Empty Child is fundamentally frightening because there's no reasoning with it. It's coming to destroy you and it can't be persuaded out of it. Even the Daleks will stop for a chat. My view of how you ought to do Dr Who is that you keep the mystery going right to the very end, so that the Doctor can continue to be the investigator. 'This is why I don't care for bringing back old enemies. The mystery has gone from them and I wanted a big mystery. I want you to get to the end of part one thinking, 'I have no idea what is going on'." The article also talks about John Barrowman's character and Moffat's history in writing.

icWales reported Saturday on the shortage of new series merchandise from Character Options. Stock has been reaching UK high street and online retailers in very limited numbers of the last few weeks and has been selling out immediately. Retailers in the icWales report comment that "Every year there's always one toy which they don't make enough of and this year it's definitely the remote-controlled Daleks," and Charcter Options "said deliveries were being made to shops on a daily basis but he could not guarantee stock would reach all the shops in time for Christmas... 'We are shipping big quantities and more stock will arrive in the run-up to Christmas but demand is huge'." However, "the Toy Retailers Association, which placed the remote-controlled Dalek in its list of dream toys for 2005, said it was too early to predict any shortages." icWales also has a guide to the Character Options merchandise. Manchester Online notes "the Dr Who toy range was also performing well" while Sharecast says that "Character Group, the toy maker, managed to drag itself out of losses by the end of the year and said the stronger trend was set to continue, with new Little Britain and Doctor Who toys set to boost sales."

Manchester Evening News says that Christopher Eccleston is getting "back to his roots". "He's known to hate the trappings of showbiz life. So it's no surprise that, having left his hugely popular Dr Who role, Christopher Eccleston's latest project sees him back to his gritty northern roots. The Salfordian, who last week won Most Popular Actor at the National TV Awards, but failed to turn up to the glitzy ceremony to collect the gong, has narrated a documentary about a priceless archive in his home city that will be screened for the first time at next week's Salford Film Festival. It tells the incredible story of the world-famous Working Class Movement Library on The Crescent. Ruth and Eddie Frow created the lib- rary after they met in the 1950s, driving all over Britain in their Morris Minor collect- ing objects relating to labour history. The archive includes 50,000 books, pamphlets and periodicals and 2,000 items of memorabilia. Christopher, raised in Little Hulton, was happy to be narrator for no fee, and there are plans to release the 25-minute film on DVD before the end of the year. The film festival, which runs from Friday to Sunday next week, will also host Salford's first ever world film premiere, of murder mystery The Truth, at The Red Cinema, Salford Quays on Friday, November 11."

The Borehamwood Times discusses an unearthed recording of an interview done over thirty years ago with Peter Cushing, who played the role of Dr. Who in the two 1960's films. "Ironically, Peter found himself playing an iconic TV character in the movies," says the article. Quoting Cushing, "I was asked to play Dr Who in two films as they thought my name would sell more tickets than William Hartnell, who portrayed the character on the small screen," he said. "To be honest, I had never seen the series so I based my interpretation on an eccentric scientist."

The new DVD release of The Quatermass Experiment 2005, the live version, is of interest to Doctor Who fans, primarily due to the presence of David Tennant in the cast. The 45-minute documentary includes reference to the moment David Tennant announced the news of his appointment as the Tenth Doctor - with other cast members sensing something was happening - while a short 5 minute interview with actor Jason Fleming discusses his father Gordon Fleming's involvement in the two 1960's Doctor Who films, with a comical story about his approach to the new Doctor Who production team.

Other news clips: more confirmation of the Christmas special airing on Christmas Day at The Register, icWales, The Sun, The Great Link;icWales is reporting that BBC Wales is being criticised for spending over UKP 600,000 on cab fares in recent years "due to all the extra work from winning top network commissions such as the new Doctor Who!"; more reports on David Tennant's sighting escorting Sophia Myles at Sky Showbiz, Digital Spy; and Cinescapefeatures a brief article about John Debney, composer of the soundtrack for the 1996 TV movie.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Peter Weaver, John Bowman, Mark Jones, Robert Booth, Richard Kirkpatrick, Steve Freestone)

Tracy Ann Oberman, soon to be seen in episodes 5 and 6 of the new series, will be a guest on ITV1's Paul O'Grady show on Thursday 3 November (starting at 5pm).

According to reports at Channel 4 and ITN, "Billie Piper is apparently putting herself in the frame to become the next Bond girl. The Dr Who star is said to be taking a few days off filming to meet producers, currently gearing up to shoot Casino Royale. If Billie can persuade them to let her have a role, she will be lining up next to the new 007 Daniel Craig. A source told a newspaper: 'She's very excited about making it to the big screen.'" Yahoo News UK has also reported the story.

Billie Piper is one of the cover stars of the new edition of the "Radio Times", out this week. She is the centrepiece of a cover highlighting the leading ladies of BBC One's new series of modern Shakespeare adaptations, which begin with "Much Ado About Nothing" on Monday, in which Piper co-stars as Hero. A version is available online on the Radio Timeswebsite. Inside the magazine, there is a further photospread of the female stars on pages 12 and 13. In the accompanying feature, they all talk about their characters, and Piper says: "I was thrilled to find out that Hero, in this version, makes such a liberating choice in the end... She starts out very green, very young, but in the course of the play, she becomes more certain of who she is. The original Hero just wouldn't sit happily in the 21st century, for the simple reason that it's acceptable and expected now for young girls to be their own people." "Much Ado About Nothing" is one of Monday's main choices on the TV page, with TV editor Alison Graham saying that: "It doesn't matter if you're unfamiliar with the original play, as this version stands up well in its own right, and fizzes along with plenty of humour and sexual tension". TheGuardian also features a story about the BBC's Shakespeare updates coming this year, including mentioning Billie Piper's role in them.

BBC News notes Chris Evans "is suing a national newspaper for libel over a story about his split with wife Billie Piper. The BBC Radio 2 DJ's solicitor has begun proceedings against the Daily Star newspaper. It claimed Mr Evans gave it an exclusive interview where he blamed the BBC series Doctor Who - in which Ms Piper stars - for the break-up. Mr Evans said the story was 'completely fabricated'. The Daily Star has not responded to his allegation."

The 29 Oct - 4 Nov issue of Heat magazine has a preview of Christmas tv shows and reports that 'The BBC will have a festive Doctor Who on Christmas night,' though it's unclear if this is just a guess or based on inside info. (Outpost Gallifrey still believes the episode will show on Christmas Day.)

December's edition of Empire magazine lists "The Top 50 DVD Box Sets You Must Own", in which Dr Who Season 1 comes in at a respectable 18 - behind Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, James Bond and Harry Potter, but ahead of Blackadder, Back to the Future, Little Britain and The West Wing. Its 3-out-5-star rating is a little disappointing, but also apparently arbitrary given that it bears no relation to its place in the top 50, and that some of the same box-sets are reviewed elsewhere in the same magazine with different ratings.

The official Doctor Who website has solicited pictures of kids' Halloween costumes based on Doctor Who, and has also printed BBC Worldwide's current Doctor Who catalog.

People and Planet reports that Christopher Eccleston is supporting a pledge to help reduce Manchester's greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent before 2010, as part of a city-wide campaign on climate change, entitled "Manchester is my Planet (MIMP)". "Campaign organisers have estimated the amount of carbon dioxide savings pledged by Mancunians so far equals around 22,400 tonnes per year - that's enough CO2 to fill more than 20,000 hot air balloons, or 15 billion empty wine bottles. With support from a host of universities, large companies, radio stations and major sports clubs, eco-friendly citizens have taken the MIMP pledge via the campaign's website, www.manchesterismyplanet.com or by text message, through postcards and at street-level events that have taken place during September and October."Manchester Online also notes that Eccleston is "backing a campaign for wind turbines to be placed around the M60."

icWales talks about the recent Russell T Davies signing of the "Shooting Scripts" book in Cardiff. "TV Studies student Ross Garner, 22, of Eclipse Street, Adamsdown, was one of those in the queue outside Waterstones, in The Hayes, hoping to get some advice from the award-winning scriptwriter. 'I'd like to get into writing in one shape or form, maybe even on Dr Who itself,' he said. 'I have a few ideas and want to ask Russell for a few tips.' Ross was at a recent BBC Wales Children In Need event, where he met Dr Who stars Billie Piper and David Tennant. Also at the party was fan Jonathan Burnside, who travelled from Bristol for Saturday's signing. 'He's produced such terrific scripts and updated the programme to make it an enormous success,' he said. 'He has created fantastic characters, like Rose and her mum. I've been a fan of the show since I was eight and hope to still be when I'm 80.' Fans Sarah Williams and Paul Spiteri, both 27, of Tonteg, Pontypridd, were delighted to be at the front of the queue to get their copies of The Shooting Scripts signed. He was very nice and signed two books for us, as my brother can't be here today,' said Paul."

BBC News reports that Stephen Fry (who is writing one of the episodes for the forthcoming second season) is to write the libretto for a new film version of Mozart's "The Magic Flute", to be directed by his friend Kenneth Branagh.

The Norfolk Eastern Daily Press covers Roger Lloyd Pack's casting in the new series, mentioning other actors who have appeared in both "Doctor Who" and "Only Fools and Horses" including John Challis.

The Derby Evening Telegraph on 27 October noted that "A Dalek has been spotted in Chaddesden - but residents need not panic because local Time Lord Steve Warby is the force behind it. Mr Warby, a lifelong Dr Who fan, spent five months building a scaled-down copy of the Tardis using everyday items to house a limited edition Dalek he bought from a collector. At the flick of a switch, the light on the top of the Tardis comes on, fog pours out from under the machine, and the talking Dalek walks out of the door. ... Mr Warby, of Spring Gardens, experimented with various materials and designs in his spare room-turned-workshop before completing his creation. He says he has always enjoyed making unusual things, such as a water feature in his garden built from a 1970s disco ball and an upturned aluminium lampshade. But with the Tardis, thanks to his innovation and attention to detail, Mr Warby has taken his hobby to another level." Meanwhile theGloucestershire Echo on the same day noted that "now the Daleks have a new stalking ground - a greenhouse at The Cotswold School in Bourton-on-the-Water. The menacing monsters are the creation of site manager Gareth Davies. But he's not plotting to exterminate enemies - the idea is to raise money for charity. The sci-fi fan will auction his prototype, called Daisy, on an internet auction site to help his daughter Kiri raise cash for the Joshua Foundation."

The Tussaud’s Dalek is up for auction from Bonham's, according to theirwebsite: "Lot No: 630 To be sold to benefit The Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity: The Dalek Supreme (aka The Tussaud’s Dalek), 1970's the painted wooden body applied with plastic hemispheres and mounted with exterminator gun and suction arm at the front, the swivelling dome section with flashing lights and articulated eye stalk 160cm(63in) high"

The Leaky Cauldron reports on a recent interview Daniel Radcliffe ("Harry Potter") did with SFX. Radcliffe mentions Tennant: "I'll tell you what - I wish there was more of David Tennant in Goblet of Fire. He plays Barty Crouch Jnr. He's only got a few scenes and he's brilliant in all of them. He so absolutely, fantastically watchable. I think he'll be a good Doctor Who. I'll tell you the truth, I only saw the first episode. I thought Chris Eccleston was great, actually. Very, very good. I don't watch a lot of TV. I just watch The Simpsons and that's about it. But I did see David Tennant in Casanova. He's absolutely fantastic in it. I would love to work with him again. He's also the nicest person."

Various gossip: Mirror, David Tennant was accompanied to a recent show by Sophia Myles (who appears in the next season) (also reported atAnanova); various websites are reporting that Tennant will be attending the world premiere of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" this Sunday at the Odeon Leicester Square; the Mirror has a report on Billie Piper's former marriage; the Daily Record says "Billie Piper admits glamour doesn't come naturally - because of her huge hands and feet," as she posed for a set in December's issue of Glamour magazine: "I have extremely wide feet, which means all those stilettos are a no-no"; the Mirror also mentions the Glamour shoot, and notes that "the 23-year-old ditched her trademark trainers and baggy combat trousers and slipped into the elegant outfits for a look that is out if this world... Billie posed in a revealing purple number and a backless cocktail dress... It is a far cry from the long coat, boots and glasses she was spotted wearing in London a few days ago after winning her best actress gong at the National TV Awards"; the Daily Mail says that "Billie Piper was spotted this week with lips that looked, how shall we say, fuller than usual. Natural or not, though, it's a look that all the stars seem to crave..."; and the Sun wondered "Where the ecc was he? ... I hope Christopher Eccleston had a bloody good excuse for not showing up at the National TV Awards to pick up his gong as Best Actor. ... I accept that he has quit the role, but he played a huge part in the success of the series and it would have been gracious of him to turn up and thank his fans."

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Paul Hayes, Robert Booth, Peter Weaver, Julian Smith, Ian Wheeler, Paul Webb, Matt Kimpton)

Today's issue of The Sun heavily features Doctor Who as it follows up the show's triumph at the National Television Awards. A TV biz double-page special on what it labels the "Telly Oscars Bash" has a single-column piece on Billie Piper(website), saying she hopes to star in a third series. Collecting her award, it says, Billie thanked her 'lovely boyfriend' Amadu Sowe and her ex-hubby, media mogul Chris Evans, at the National Television Awards, and later celebrated her win by going to dinner with Chris at a swanky London restaurant - the pair are pictured while out - and also has a shot of her as she went to buy newspapers near her north London home yesterday (Wed). According to the piece, Christopher Eccleston was booed for failing to be at the awards in person to pick up his gong. Sun cartoonist Bill Caldwell takes a humorous look at Doctor Who's success at the award here (click on "Today's cartoon" in the fourth column as of time of writing). Beneath that cartoon in the newsprint edition, there is a feature by Paul Sutherland - bylined as The Sun spaceman - which takes a look at "how Russell T Davies turned the Doctor from axed laughing stock to award-winning pride of the Beeb". Illustrated with pictures of the Tardis, a new-series Dalek, Billie Piper, Christopher Eccleston and Davies, it credits the revived show's success as being down to a bigger budget, great writing, top actors, restoring it to Saturday night transmissions, keeping it "oh so British" and including the Daleks. The piece finishes by praising David Tennant and saying "For this timeless hit programme, the future looks brighter than ever"; read the piece herefor that. Finally, TV columnist Ally Ross takes an alternative, swiping look at the awards in a piece illustrated with a photo-composite shot of the Tardis with two EastEnders actors stepping out.

During the National Television Awards, which we've covered over the past several days, the clips shown include the 'sorry I was a bit slow' sequence from Dalek, up to the extermination and Eccleston whipping off his earpiece (for the Most Popular Drama segment); Rose telling Jackie she was there when Pete died, from Parting of the Ways (for Most Popular Actress), and 'everybody lives, Rose!', complete with conversation with Dr Constantine, from The Doctor Dances (for Most Popular Actor). In addition Anthony Cotton (who won Most Popular Newcomer for his role as Sean Tully in "Coronation Street") took time in his speech to thank Russell T Davies for Queer as Folk, a series without which, he said, a gay character such as Sean 'would never be on primetime television'. Anthony played Alexander Perry in the original Channel 4 version of the series. Additionally, for the first time in three years, Dr Who arch-rival "Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway" failed to win Most Popular Entertainment Show (although hosts Ant and Dec did nab Most Popular Entertainment Presenters), being beaten by Sharon Osbourne-hosted talent show "The X Factor". MediaGuardiannoted that the National Television Awards show on ITV last night gained an average 7.1 million viewers, a 31% audience share, winning its slot between 8pm and 10.30pm last night... that's probably all you Doctor Who fans tuning in!

BBC Wales Today on Tuesday night featured a brief chat with Julie Gardner on the TARDIS set about the awards and what we can look forward to next year; while there was very little in the way of new information, Gardner did mention they had been filming at a riding school earlier in the day, and that the ‘Christmas Invasion’ is in post production.

On Wake up to Wogan on Radio 2 on 26 October, after the news report on Doctor Who's win at the NTA awards, Terry Wogan announced that the forthcoming Who segment during "Children in Need" would be 15 minutes long.

The official Doctor Who website has changed again, now back to a more familiar design that was with us throughout the lead-up to the first series, including the now-familiar visage of the Moxx of Balhoon...

UK Gold have a series of local radio ads for their Doctor Who week taking place this week, about favourite characters and monsters; at least one of them has a viewer talking about how the Face of Boe is his favourite, and how he should have his own series.

Today's Daily Mail asks, "Is that a trout pout, Billie, or just lashings of lipstick?" "She has been travelling in time and space with Doctor Who. But now some are asking if the Time Lord has turned his hand to cosmetic surgery. For as Billie Piper collected an acting award, onlookers couldn't help commenting on her apparently fuller lips. 'I could hardly concentrate on what she was saying,' said a member of the audience at Tuesday's National Television Awards in London. 'Even Angelina Jolie's lips aren't that luscious.They were just enormous, and when she smiled they became all tight and unnatural looking. Her top lip moved up, exposing all her teeth and her gums. It just looked odd and a lot of people noticed it.' Others put the look down to carefully applied lipstick, and a spokesman for the 23-year old said: 'I can categorically say that she has never had any surgery to enhance her lips.' But leading plastic surgeon Jonathan Baker commented: 'Her lips are startlingly full and plump. Personally, I have never seen anyone whose lips naturally look like that. 'Lips are not normally that full unless they have been exposed to some sort of toxin, such as collagen for example.'"

Yahoo Business notes that the SF TV series, "Firefly," was voted the world's best space science fiction work ever in an international poll conducted by NewScientist Magazine; among the items noted in the poll, "The survey also suggests that, unlike many genres, great works of science fiction transcend gender, with male and female fans voting incredibly closely. The only difference in their top ten was Isaac Asimov's 'Foundation Series,' an epic work of science fiction written over 49 years ago. 'Foundation Series' was voted into tenth place by male sci-fi fans, but did not appear in the women's top ten, its place being taken by 'Doctor Who.'"

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Paul Hayes, John Bowman, Phil Newman, Matt Kimpton, Mark Clapham, Rob Stickler)

The BBC has posted a press release about David Tennant and Billie Piper lighting the Cardiff Christmas lights this year. "The switching-on of Cardiff's Christmas lights at the Civic Centre promises to be an event to remember this year, with a special appearance by two extraordinary intergalactic time-travellers. On Thursday 17 November, the capital is going to have its very own Christmas Invasion as David Tennant and award-winning actress Billie Piper – stars of BBC Wales' hit drama Doctor Who - materialize from their busy filming schedule in Wales to inject a huge dose of Christmas spirit into Cardiff. The free event is staged and managed by Cardiff Council in partnership with BBC Wales, City Centre Management and Red Dragon FM. The entertainment starts at 5.45pm when the Red Hot Santas take to the stage to play some Christmas favourites; and the big switch-on will take place at 6.45pm. Visitors can then move into the city centre for late night shopping until 8.00pm or get their skates on and take to the ice when the open-air ice rink at Cardiff's Winter Wonderland opens its doors to the public at 7.45pm. Billie Piper says: "I'm really looking forward to kick-starting the Christmas spirit in Cardiff. We filmed a lot of scenes for the Christmas episode, The Christmas Invasion, in the city centre and I can't wait to see it lit up for real. I hope everyone has a fantastic time.' Cllr Nigel Howells, Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, says: "We are delighted to work with BBC Wales and I know that Cardiff will welcome Billie and David to the Christmas Lights Switch On. It should be a great night for the family and a wonderful start to Cardiff's Christmas festivities.'"

According to the BBC Press Office, executive producer Russell T Davies will pen a special "Doctor Who" mini-episode to air during the BBC's Children in Need 2005 Appeal. According to the schedule, this mini-episode is slated to be part of the event on Friday, 18 November. There is currently no word on what it is comprised of, but rumors have already suggested it might be set between "The Parting of the Ways" and "The Christmas Invasion" and will feature David Tennant and Billie Piper. This would be the second standalone "Children in Need" Doctor Who segment to be broadcast, the first being 1993's "Dimensions in Time". We'll keep you posted with further details.

Doctor Who related items in the press from the past week:

SFX Magazine has a feature interview online with Russell T Davies from their next issue. Davies notes that this year has "a whole different feel, with David now at the centre of things - a different energy, a different Doctor, which makes it a different show. But at the same time, it's still good old Doctor Who." Davies notes that he thinks that part of last year's success was "that we didn't fiddle with the basic format too much. They got it right in 1963!" Using K9, he says, left everyone in awe, "but really, K-9 didn't stand a chance, because [Elisabeth Sladen] stole everyone's reactions... I thought Stephen Fry was going to faint. ... And it was the same, walking on set, seeing her with David and Billie. And it's hell of a ride, cos one minute you're remembering the past, but as soon as Toby Whithouse's blistering dialogue rips out, then you know immediately that this isn't nostalgia, it's a great, new story to tell about the Doctor's life. Then you add Anthony Head, who's just brilliant. Then the new Krillitanes! It's a hell of a mix; I'm very excited by that episode." Davies characterises this season as "not presuming anything, we're just battling to make it as good as it can be. And there is a temptation for sci-fi shows, more than any other, to get very wrapped up in mythology and back-story, and I'm guarding against that. ... We're bringing back some old elements, like Lady Cassandra, partly to shore up the show and ease the changeover of Doctor. At the same time, there's only a fleeting mention of her escapades on Platform One, so brand new viewers can start from scratch. But actually, the most powerful reason for bringing Cassandra back is that I thought she was the most amazing piece of CGI, voiced by one of the UK's best actors and, crucially, I thought of a brand new story for her. That's the clincher, that's all that matters, the story." He doesn't specify anything on Tennant's accent, and briefly mentions the Sad Tony petition (see separate story). Finally, for the third series, he notes that he's got "one or two... not threads as such... just a couple of hints and mentions which might pay off in 2007. Or not, if I change my mind. But again, nothing crippling or binding, we're keeping the mythology and continuity light. Which fits the Doctor, a man who flits from place to place without ever stopping. It's hard to tie him down with a continuous story, and that's one of the elements I love about the show. But a lot of plans are in place for series three. I was just talking to Julie Gardner this morning, and we realised that we've probably got about ten of next year's episodes nailed down already. Including that episode in Nobby's Circus Tent with the talking gay elephants. I think we'll transmit that live." Read the full interview at the SFX website.

According to an article at BBC News, "The Long Game" guest starSimon Pegg is to feature in "Mission Impossible 3" in a sizeable role.

The BBC have officially confirmed the commissioning of the rumoured new Robin Hood series, a 13-episode stablemate of Doctor Who to run in the Saturday evening family drama slot sometime during 2006 when the Time Lord is off-air. The BBC News website coverage of the story is illustrated with a picture of TV's first ever Robin Hood from 1953, Patrick Troughton.

The Daily Star last Friday cried, "See David Tennant dressed as a woman!", the thrust behind the page three lead flagging an airing of the BBC comedy series Rab C Nesbitt ("Touch") which will air on UK terrestrial channel Five's "Greatest Before They Were Stars TV Moments" this Thursday 27 October at 8pm, in which Tennant's "frockingly embarrassing" appearance will air. (It's unclear from the piece whether it will be a clip or stills.) Tennant's TV debut was in 1993 as barmaid Davina in an episode of the series, and that in that role he bore a striking similarity to David Walliams as rubbish transvestite Emily "I'm a laydee" Howard in the BBC's comedy hit-of-the-moment Little Britain. According to a C5 source: "Everyone has skeletons in their cupboards but some rattle louder than others. This programme is there to find them and this one should certainly haunt David. I rather think that he was hoping the pictures would never resurface. Goodness knows what the Daleks would make of it - maybe he could avoid being exterminated by hitting them with his handbag."

The Mirror reported this week that "Dr Who star David Tennant has split from his actress girlfriend who he has been dating since May. David, 34, and 22-year-old Keira Malik enjoyed a low-key romance and shared a tent at Glastonbury over the summer. But friends say they have called time on their relationship, blaming conflicting work schedules. A source said: 'Keira and David were a great couple and very close. They're both down to earth and neither is very interested in the showbusiness scene. But work commitments were keeping them apart for longer and longer periods of time. It's very sad things didn't work out. In the end, though, they both agreed that it was better if they just split.'"

The South Wales Evening Post has a feature on Edward Thomas, the new series' production designer. Among the highlights: "You probably won't recognise his face, you may not know his name but over the last few months, his work has been seen by millions. ... He is responsible for everything from the revamped Tardis and Daleks to overseeing the design of new monsters like the Slitheen and even Christopher Eccleston's sexy black leather look. Edward, who grew up in Neath and now lives in Gower, is part of the dream team who brought Doctor Who to our screens. ... 'I heard that BBC Wales was doing Doctor Who so I rang up to say that I was around. I asked if I could call in and see them which I did. I met Russell and we clicked straight away - two Swansea boys... I was lucky enough to get the job. I knew it was going to be enormous, but I don't think anything could have prepared me for the immense success. ... 'Initially the biggest challenge was to get the Tardis done both on the inside and the outside. I was racking my brain - because it's not a space ship, it's a time machine - it's of Gallifrey, which is the Doctor's planet. We had to really establish the architecture of the world that the Doctor would have come from. In the same way that the way our cars look today is a result of the architecture we are surrounded by, so the Doctor's 'car' had to be a part of the planet he had come from even though we have never seen his planet. It evolved - it is 700 years old and we came up with the concept that it was an organic thing and it was constantly growing. And that's why it has changed into the cathedral-like shape that we have today. I wanted the console to be made up of hundreds of bits - anything that the Doctor might have seen and thought 'that might make a good defabricator' and just picked it up and stuck it on. So it is a bit of a mish-mash and amalgam of all sorts of technology. ... When we were designing the Daleks I knew there were restrictions because of Terry Nation ... At one point they weren't coming back, and then they were coming back, then they weren't, we'd start designing it and we'd stop designing it and then start again. ... We made a few changes. We made them taller, more chunky. It was bigger scale, really. We pumped them up and made them much more beefy. ... When you bring a major production like Doctor Who to Wales, there are huge requirements technically like animatronics, for example, or prosthetics. And what I find with the crew in Wales is that, even though there is a level of crew here who work for BBC Wales and S4C, you are left with a void and you have to bring people down from London and I don't want to do that. ... I'm not a great fan of the rubber monsters. I like the monsters that are part of the period so I loved the Gelth (from the episode set in the Victorian era). They were part of the period and they were really fitting. I loved the gas mask children. You've got to love the Daleks just because they are the Daleks. I read somewhere that they were one of the top three design icons in Britain.'" He notes that at the moment he "can't think much beyond Doctor Who. There is a third series and another Christmas special but whether I'll be involved in that I'm not sure yet. Hopefully there will be other stuff in the offing for BBC Wales but I see my career path in feature films and I've had a few offers to do films which I've had to turn down. I think I can only do that for a certain amount of time before I have to accept something. So I probably will have to spread my wings a little at some point but right now Doctor Who is my life and that is where I'm focusing everything and then we'll see."

In the latest issue of Australia's "TV Week" magazine is a feature on the top ten villains on television; the Daleks come in on the list at #5. Says our correspondent, "The accompanying note begins with the usual myth about them being foiled by stairs until the new series but when faced with the Doctor they proved to be the most evil villains of all time."

In last week's free Metro newspaper: "Doctor Who has a lot to answer for - a third of Britons believe time travel is possible because of the BBC programme. It is just one example of how science fiction has helped people believe some concepts are science fact. Another 26 per cent think black holes could one day form the gateway to another universe. And a fifth believe Star Trek-style teleportation might become a reality. ... The survey was carried out by TV channel UKTV Gold." The story has also been mentioned at the Daily Record, The Sun and DeHavilland.

Last week's Daily Record noted that Billie Piper "travels back in time for her glamorous new look. In her latest TV role, the 23-year-old dresses as movie icon Marilyn Monroe. And the effect couldn't be further away from Billie's normal tomboy look of scruffy jeans and a pony-tail. The actress and former pop princess posed as tragic star Marilyn in publicity shots for her new BBC drama, Much Ado About Nothing. In the programme - which is part of a Shakespeare Retold series - Billie plays weathergirl Hero. She causes a storm when she dresses up as Monroe for a fancy dress party." Hello Magazine also notes that "Having already won the praise of critics for her roles in The Canterbury Tales and Doctor Who, former pop star Billie Piper is now trying her hand at Shakespeare. ... The forthcoming flick, which is due to hit UK television screens next month, is just one of several Shakespeare plays that are getting a contemporary revamp courtesy of the Beeb." The BBC has put out two press releases, here and here, about the production. TheGuardianalso mentioned it.

Marking the transmission of Family Guy on BBC2 on 22 October, the Guide section of the Guardian looked at fan attempts to save axed TV shows. Inevitably, the article eventually reaches the Doctor in Distress: "Yet it's not just the fans who've protested. Sometimes, it's the crew. Former Take That producer Ian Levine was asked by Dr Who insiders to create a protest record after internal wrangles left it on the verge of the cancellation back in 1985. The result - Who Cares?, featuring the then lead actors Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant and several Bucks Fizz members - was not, however, an overwhelming success. Or, as Levine puts it: 'It was an absolute balls-up fiasco. It was pathetic and bad and stupid. It tried to tell the Dr Who history in an awful high-energy song. It almost ruined me.'"

BBC News mentions the new Nicholas Courtney autobiography "Still Getting Away With It," along with notes about co-writer Michael McManus. 'Tony Blair is often derided as an "actor-politician" (or praised for his presentational skills). McManus recalls his first meeting [with Courtney]. Their discussion of the prime minister prompted Courtney to announce: "I do wish these people would leave the acting to the professionals!"'

The British Computer Society London website notes that David Throssell from The Mill will be giving a lecture on CGI on 27 October, including "how some of the recent developments in software have enabled the creative advances, and the challenges in producing and supporting the software and infrastructures that make it all possible."

In 21 October's "Kent and Sussex Courier": "The Creator of a life-size Dalek could see his plans for Children In Need in Tunbridge Wells exterminated by terrestrial bureaucracy. Inventor, Ashley Haffenden, 41, of Rusthall, operates his model of Dr Who's arch enemy and mutant from planet Skaro by climbing inside. The father-of-two wanted to hold a 15-minute battle with characters from his favourite BBC series along with others from Star Trek and Star Wars on November 18. ... But his plans soon faltered when he learned from Tunbridge Wells Borough Council he would need public liability insurance. Speaking from his home surrounded by models and his art-work, Mr Haffenden said on Tuesday: 'I have always been into Dr Who. My sister and I were two of those children who hid behind the sofa. To me the daleks are iconic. I built mine from scraps salvaged from skips and neighbours. I just wanted to hold it outside the BBC studios in the town and make something fun for the kids. Bureaucratic red tape winds me up. I said I wasn't going to blow anything up.' Mr Haffenden said West Kent Police in Tonbridge told him they would 'look into' his invitation for officers to appear in his show, and he said he would go ahead if he could. 'It's a sad state of affairs when red tape gets in the way of raising money for charity,' Mr Haffenden said."

United Press International notes that some of the biggest names in London theater are assembling Sunday to celebrate the 75th birthday of Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim. "Sondheim, who maintains homes in the United States and Britian, will be feted by Barbara Cook, Daniel Evans, Eartha Kitt, Rosemary Ashe and John Barrowman, to name just a few."

Finally... the Outpost Gallifrey site has been mentioned in theGuardian this week as one of their top websites. "Doctor Who returns with a Christmas special and another series in 2006 starring the 10th timelord, David Tennant, taking over the job of destroying evil cat people and farting aliens (someone's got to do it). In the meantime, there's plenty of news on this site to intrigue fans, including plotlines for most of the forthcoming shows. Stephen Fry and Mark Gatiss are both writing episodes, but the most exciting leak is the return of pathetic robot dog K9, Doctor Who's answer to Scrappy Doo. Elsewhere on the site there's a selection of articles with unappealing titles like "Faction Paradox: A Primer"; location shots of the Piper in action (well, looking grumpy); episode guides and reviews." The site was also listed this month on the gay-oriented Cybersocket website, as part of a list of "50 Geek Websites: Bookmarks for the new cool".

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Matt Dale, Chuck Foster, Paul Hayes, John Bowman, Paul Blakemore, Matthew See, Roger Anderson, Karen Davison, Peter Weaver, David James, Jason Tucker)

According to a press release from the BBC, Germany is the latest country to acquire the new series, through a deal with commercial broadcaster ProSieben; the show will be seen on the German private TV station "Pro7". The sale was announced at the closing day of MIPCOM, the international audiovisual content market in Cannes. "ProSieben have licensed both the first series ... and the second series, which is currently in production. Russell T Davies' first series of Doctor Who attracted huge ratings and received critical acclaim when it aired on BBC ONE earlier this year. Announcing the deal, Isabelle Helle, Head of Germany, BBC Worldwide, said: 'The series has gained iconic status outside of the UK as well and has already been licensed to broadcasters in sixteen countries worldwide. We are excited that Doctor Who's time travelling will now take him to ProSieben so that viewers in Germany can also enjoy the adventures of the Time Lord and his companions.' ProSieben Head of Programming, Thomas Schultheis, said about the deal: 'Doctor Who is one of the most clever and entertaining series to come from Great Britain. The production values are visibly high and Russell T Davies' scripts provide top quality entertainment for a wide range of viewers: from science fiction fans to family audiences.'" The series is likely to start on ProSieben next year. The story was first announced on the German website www.wunschliste.de. (Thanks to Harald Gehlen, Steve Tribe, Martin Hoscik)