David Jackson, who starred as Olag Gan in the Terry Nation serial "Blake's 7" and in such series as "Z Cars," "The Music Shoppe" and "The Avengers", as well as an appearance as The Squire in "Sarah Jane Smith: Comeback" for Big Finish, died on Monday 25 July of a heart attack. He was 71. The officialBlake's 7 Fan Club has posted a tribute page, including comments from his many co-stars including Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, Gareth Thomas and Brian Croucher.

With the second series of Doctor Who about to bring back the Cybermen, this is far too coincidental: scientists have announced they've discovered a body beyond the orbit of Pluto that could in fact be the solar system's 10th planet;Space.com has a detailed article about the possibility of planethood for the object, temporarily named 2003 UB313. If they name it Mondas, be very afraid... (Thanks to Mark Askren, Jeremy Bead)

The newest issue of Enlightenment, the fanzine of the Doctor Who Information Network, features some of North American fandom's best writers reviewing episodes 2-13 of season one of the new series! Plus, an interview with new series writer Rob Shearman, on the journey of creating Dalek; and Lance Parkin on the most incredible week in Doctor Who's history. For more details, visit the DWIN site. (Thanks to Mike Doran)

Recapping some of the recent developments in the press in Australia:

The Age calls John Barrowman "a man's man ... a new kind of hero with a flexible sexuality" according to writer Tim Hunter. "The new series of Doctor Who has grown up. ... It is also a lot more sophisticated than the classic series and not just in terms of effects and technology. There's a great deal of cleverness in the scripts, in the humour, the characters and their relationships. You need not look any further than the Doctor's new companion, Captain Jack Harkness, for evidence of that." The story interviews Barrowman about his experiences on the show. "Women like to look at good-looking men and men like to look at good-looking men. The amount of letters I've received via my website and agent from men watching the show with their wives, and making the joke at the end of the letter - I kid you not - 'If anyone could turn me, my wife and I decided, Captain Jack could!'" ABC.net.au also featured a story about Barrowman, noting that "John Barrowman was better known as a Broadway and West End darling when he was given the role of 51st Century time agent Captain Jack Harkness in the new series of Doctor Who. As an American actor based in London, John never expected this chance to feature in one of his favourite childhood shows, but as a long-time fan of the Doctor, he was overjoyed at the news."

The Sydney Morning Herald last week praised "Boom Town": "Was Doctor Who, before this revival, ever quite so humorous? Tonight, the Time Lord, Rose and Jack land the Tardis in Cardiff, a city that has a scar in the rift (a closed time rift apparently useful for powering up the batteries of the Tardis) that runs through the heart of the city. Mickey Smith travels to Cardiff at Rose's request with her passport - a redundant document really, given her habit of intergalactic travel. The down time promises to give Rose and Mickey a chance to work through some relationship issues, until the true identity of the city mayor - who has approved plans to build a nuclear reactor in the middle of Cardiff - is uncovered. Annette Badland is brilliant as the conniving and vicious Slitheen, occupying the body of Margaret Blaine." Last week's The Age (28 July) also reviewed the episode: "Make the most of Doctor Who, because he's not long for this world. Christopher Eccleston, that is, the man who has breathed new life into the first genuinely intergalactic TV brand. Soon we'll have David Tennant, and, like me, if you've been grateful to old jug-ears - as he almost gets called in tonight's episode - then wallow in his over-acting for a few more weeks. Tonight brings back an old friend who almost manages to plunge the doctor into a vat of moral ambi-guity. In the end it's not that complicated. When he gets the better of the Mayor of Cardiff - really - she asks him: "What did I do to you?" To which he replies: "Try to kill me and destroy this planet." So it seems quite reasonable that she should get a taste of her own medicine. Russell Davies, the man behind this new incarnation of Doctor Who, has a lot of fun with this episode. There's a rift in time and space - of course, what else could there be? It is Doctor Who, after all - and all sorts of weird and very wonderful devices, including a pan-dimensional surfboard. Every surfer should have one. See you at Bells Beach in the year 3000?" The Sunday Herald Sun said of the episode, "This engaging and witty series seems to reach new heights each week. This week, the Tardis is parked on a time rift in the center of Cardiff to refuel, and the Doctor is horrified to discover the mayor of the city is none other than porky Margaret Blaine (the excellent Annette Badland), the matriarch and last surviving member of the murderous alien Slitheen family."

Last week's "The Doctor Dances" also rated a comment from The Herald: "It's wartime London and the Blitz is growing in intensity. As last week's episode ended, the Empty Child was walking menacingly towards Nancy the street urchin while the zombie army of dead gas mask children was coming to life and advancing on the Doctor. Now the child plague is spreading alarmingly. That's one corner of this story, while Richard Wilson (One Foot in the Grave) takes another and Rose Tyler, the doctor's companion, is falling for the handsome intergalactic conman, Group Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman). Strains of Glenn Miller's Moonlight Serenade prompt Rose to taunt the Doctor about his lack of dancing ability. Stand by for a delightful finish as the Doctor gets In the Mood."

On 29 July the Sydney Morning Herald ran a feature on the now-ended "Inside the TARDIS" tour. "There's a huge difference between what we're doing on this show and a convention, where you have hundreds and hundreds of fans from all sorts of walks of life," says Katy Manning. "There's hardly anybody, whether it be in the '60s, '70s, '80s or '90s, who hasn't experienced the Tardis or doesn't know about Doctor Who. A lot of blokes have said to me, 'Do you realise you were my first fantasy?'" Manning also appeared on the Australian version of This Is Your Life which was dedicated to her partner Barry Crocker. The Courier Mail interviewed Sylvester McCoy on location during the tour, on 23 July. "Crossing time zones should be a breeze for actor Sylvester McCoy, who traversed the universe for three years as Dr Who. Apparently not. Having just arrived in Melbourne from London, he is disoriented and confesses to having no idea what day it is. The confusion continues when he can't remember the last time he was in Australia for a Dr Who convention. ... 'Could it have been five years ago? Um, I can't really remember'." McCoy says that "I have been all over the world with Dr Who. I've done conventions, I've done cruises, I've done everything. It has changed my life. I love travelling and it has enabled me to do so."

The Age on 21 July reviewed "Dalek": "I never thought I'd see the day when a Dalek - one of the Doctor's most bloodthirsty adversaries - would turn into a kind of namby-pamby existentialist. In episode six of the new series, the evil genetic freak learns that it is the last of its kind - the sole survivor of a devastating time war. In a low voice it laments, 'I am alone in the universe'. Now, this isn't meant to be comedy, but it's a laugh-out-loud moment. It belongs in bad alternative theatre, not the more mature entertainment that the revamped series of Doctor Who is striving to be. It is an uneven production that wears its heart on its sleeve. This is probably most apparent in the characterisation of the Doctor. Previous Doctors tended to be foppish, aloof and imperious. Christopher Eccelston's Doctor wears black and looks like a heavy in a Guy Ritchie film. He is volatile, manic, insecure and proudly working class. With his Mancunian accent and cropped hair, he could be a truck driver in The Bill. Eccleston makes for a solid contemporary Doctor. When he first encounters the dreaded Dalek of episode six, his fear is palpable. Eccleston makes you feel that the years of time travelling have messed with his head and that deep down this Doctor is sad, lonely and jaded. Saving the universe from alien tyrants has come at a substantial personal cost. It all gives this series an emotional clout the old program never had. ... The problem lies with the scripts. The plotting of the episodes is wildly uneven. ... The real marvel of this venerable program is not that the Doctor is able to regenerate; the real miracle is that the program itself has regenerated and found a fresh audience more than 40 years after it all began."

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Adam Kirk, Michael Davoren)

In addition to the Newsround and Wales Today programmes yesterday, there was additional Doctor Who coverage on the BBC's news channel, News 24 on Monday 1 August. Featured as the 'and finally' item at the end of the hourly news roundups, the report included the brief interview with David Tennant (as on Wales Today - but minus Billie) and a fan perspective from Anthony Wainer of DWAS, who noted Doctor Who "was all about change" when asked if the series would remain as popular with Tennant. At approximately 8.50pm, actor Nick Courtney from the classic series was live in studio talking about the success of the series against a new series logo backdrop.

More mentions of filming starting on the second series at BBC Radio 1, The Scotsman, IC Wales, The Daily Mail; more on the show being voted Best Fantasy TV Series by SFX at The Mirror.

Hollywood News previews Billie Piper's new movie "Spirit Trap": "Four young students move into an old unoccupied mansion. Tom is a smart and cocky drug dealer, and Adele is his feisty and sexual girlfriend. Jenny is a good-natured girl with clairvoyant powers, and Nick is a kind and sensitive art student. Inside, the four students meet their fifth housemate, Tina, a beautiful, exotic and mysterious girl. Strange things start to happen when Nick gets an old Russian Spirit Clock working again. Mobile phones stop working. They hear mysterious noises and Jenny begins to see things in the house --shadows of torches on the walls and an angry mob in Edwardian clothes that nails a man to the floor. The living nightmare deepens as Jenny, Nick and Tina try to escape the house but are transported back inside the moment they step out. The spirits pit the students against each other as we discover the dark secrets of their pasts. The boundary between the real world and the afterlife are no longer clear and as time runs out, they must find a way to escape and avoid being trapped with the spirits forever. ... I haven't got any stills from the film yet, but we're promised some by the end of the week, along with the poster, but here, we have a look at the first trailer for the film, which is going up against Michael Bay's THE ISLAND when it's released in the UK on August 12th. Beware, this baby contains acts of horror, a litte gore and nudity (wahey!)."

However, according to Wednesday morning's The Mirror, the producers of "Spirit Trap" "cannot get Dr Who star Billie Piper to attend the premiere of her debut movie -forcing them to scrap the glittering opening night. Billie, 22, takes the lead as a psychic student in Brit horror flick Spirit Trap and is its only big name. Director David Smith and the cast are said to be angry and upset after Billie would not be pinned to a date in London. A film source said: 'Billie has lots of commitments but that's cold comfort to her co-stars, crew and director. If she can't make the premiere, there's no point.' Some insiders fear Billie, right, wants to distance herself from the film because of weak reviews. Her spokeswoman declined to comment."

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Richard Allison)

Still Getting Away With It, the official autobiography of Nicholas Courtney, is due out on 20 October. Co-written with Michael McManus ("Towards the Sound of Gunfire"), the book is published under the new Greyhound Leader imprint, in conjunction with Steven Scott (SciFiCollector). "I think the time has now come for me to write a full and frank account of my life, not least with regard to my unbroken, forty-year association with Doctor Who," says Courtney, beloved by fans worldwide for his longtime portrayal of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. "Some people may be surprised by how candid and forthright I am going to be about certain people and events, but I think I owe it to myself and also to others to be reasonably bold as well as old! This will be very much a new book. The more familiar stories have been completely re-edited or rewritten and there is a mass of entirely new material. I am delighted Michael is co-writing this new book with me. He is both a good friend and a very experienced and talented writer." Says McManus, "As NickÆs friend and as someone who has always enjoyed Doctor Who, I regard the opportunity to participate in this project as a huge privilege. I can only hope we manage to do justice to the depths of the man - as actor on stage and screen, long-time Equity activist and all-round good guy. My ambition is simple. Anyone reading this book must feel they have really got to know Nick intimately." The book's introduction was written by Tom Baker. More details available soon at the Greyhound Leader website. Click on the thumbnail at right for a larger version of the working cover (final cover to be determined). (Thanks to Michael McManus)

Amazon.co.uk have released the cover illustration for World Game, October's BBC Books Second Doctor novel, due out on October 30. Says Amazon, "The Doctor has been captured and put on trial by his own people - accused of their greatest crime: interfering with the affairs of other peoples and planets. He is sentenced to exile on Earth. That much is history. But now the truth can be told - the Doctor did not go straight into exile. First the Time Lords have a task for him. From the trenches of the Great War to the terrors of the French Revolution, the Doctor finds himself on a mission he does not want with a companion he does not like, his life threatened at every turn. Will the Doctor survive to serve his sentence? Or will this adventure prove to be his Waterloo?"

Now online at Outpost Gallifrey are selections from yesterday's edition of BBC Wales Today, the news programme that featured clips from the first day of filming in Cardiff, including shots of David Tennant (who does a pre-interview teaser plus speaks to a reporter), Billie Piper, and Antony Wainer of the DWAS. Click on each for a larger version... and remember, you can see the entire footage in RealMedia format on the official BBC Doctor Who website.

The BBC official Doctor Who website has a short piece from Wales Today on the start of production of the second series; the video is playable with Windows Media or Real Player.

A new BBC News report today confirms the start of production last week. "New Doctor Who star David Tennant said it was 'pretty daunting' to play the sci-fi character, as filming of new episodes began in Cardiff. Ex-Casanova star Tennant, 34, said it was an intimidating role because 'the series is so huge. I'm aware of all that but I try to keep it in my back pocket and just get on with the job,' he added. A 13-part series of the BBC TV show will follow a Christmas special, with scenes shot in London on Friday. Tennant, a long-term Doctor Who fan, also said he was excited about beginning work on the show. 'It's great - you get to play a Time Lord and have a Tardis. You can't knock that,' he said. ... The 60-minute Christmas special tells of the earth being under threat from alien Sycorax and features actress Penelope Wilton. The Cybermen will return in the new series, and the Doctor and Rose will meet Queen Victoria and an evil race of Cat Women. One episode will be written by comedian Stephen Fry while The League of Gentleman star Mark Gatiss will once again contribute to the writing." Meanwhile, the Irish Examiner and Manchester Online ran much the same story, but noted that "the makers of the hit TV series took over a restaurant in the Mermaid Quay area of Cardiff Bay for a morning shoot."

In addition to the Newsround video interview above, the CBBC Newsround website features an interview with Tennant. "It's great to get to play a TimeLord and have a Tardis," he told CBBC, adding that he was also a bit scared.

BBC Radio 4's PM had David Tennant on radio today, along with Billie Piper praising him and a short statement that filming in a Chinese restaurant in Cardiff today is standing in for a nightclub in the year five billion! It's on the Radio 4 website(under Listen Again for PM; it's at 53:48 to 56:36 approximately.)

There was also a short two minute feature on the filming in Cardiff today on BBC Five Live's midday news; it didn't reavel much, but does have a short chat with David Tennant. Listen to it on the Five Live website (under Listen Again for Midday News MON, the Doctor Who piece is at the end at 00.56.31.)

There were several more mentions today of the SFX reader poll voting "Doctor Who" the best UK fantasy series of all time, including in The Sun, Female First,

In today's Daily Star: "Billie's A Real Doll. Doctor Who babe Billie Piper left toy bosses panting when they were ordered to make a doll of her. They spent hours working out the shapely star's measurements so the toy version of Rose Tyler looks just like the real thing. Show bosses have lined up a series of special moveable models of Rose and the Doc in time for the Christmas rush. And their greatest enemies The Daleks and the Slitheens will also be flying off the shelves. Workers at Character Options, who had the task of making a model of 22-year-old Billie, had the best job of all. One joked: 'Let's just say the sculptors particularly enjoyed creating Rose. I can't think why!' However, fans will spot one glaring error. The Doctor doll is of Christopher Eccleston, 41, who quit as the Timelord to be replaced by David Tennant, 34. Toy manufacturers have to work months in advance and made their figure before they heard he had left. A doll of Tennant will be released next year."

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Jamie Austin, Ian Potter, Mike Humphreys, David Traynier)

David Tennant and Billie Piper spoke to BBC One's Newsround at 5.25pm on Monday (1 August), at slightly greater length than the interviews that appeared on the main BBC News programmes. It's about five minutes into the eight-minute programme, which is available on the CBBC website to view in Real Player for twenty-four hours until about 5.25pm BST Tuesday. The following is a brief transcript (with thanks to Steve Tribe).