Two new Doctor Who-related publications are available from Hirst Books.

Look Who’s Talking by Colin Baker
To many, Colin Baker is the sixth Doctor Who; to some, he is the villainous Paul Merroney in the classic BBC drama The Brothers. But to the residents of South Buckinghamshire he is a weekly voice of sanity in a world that seems intent on confounding him. Marking the 15th anniversary of his regular feature in the Bucks Free Press, this compilation includes over 100 of his most entertaining columns, from 1995 to 2009, complete with new linking material. With fierce intelligence and a wicked sense of humour, Colin tackles everything from the absurdities of political correctness to the joys of being an actor, slipping in vivid childhood memories, international adventures and current affairs in a relentless rollercoaster of reflections, gripes and anecdotes. Pulling no punches, taking no prisoners and sparing no detail, the ups and downs of Colin life are shared with panache, honesty and clarity, and they are every bit as entertaining and surreal as his trips in that famous police box... for a world that is bewildering, surprising and wondrous, one need look no further than modern Britain, and Colin Baker is here to help you make sense of it all, and to give you a good laugh along the way

Shooty Dog Thing by Paul Castle
Since the 1970s, Doctor Who fans have written and produced fanzines. Some of the most quirky, passionate and subversive writing is still to be found in the pages of lovingly crafted, home-spun, desktop-published fanzines, and Shooty Dog Thing is no exception.Cool and accessible, Shooty Dog Thing is inspiring a new wave of fandom. This book will make you remember why you fell in love with Doctor Who in the first place; challenging established views, covering The Doctor’s travels on TV, in books, comic strips and on audio; and finding reasons to love this very special show just that little bit more than the casual viewer. Shooty Dog Thing is louder, braver, and more loving. The best of the first 10 issues is compiled here for your enjoyment, along with some lovely, juicy new stuff, including contributions from Doctor Who writer Paul Cornell, Doctor Who historian David J. Howe and the original Doctor Who glamour girl, Anneke Wills.

Both books can be ordered, signed, from hirstbooks.com

The flurry of Doctor Who news stories in the run-up to The End of Time has begun. But first, North American viewers will be able to enjoy The Waters of Mars tomorrow on BBC America and Canada's Space channel. In North American media, Canadian entertainment website dose.ca has an interview with Russell T Davies, and The Philadelphia Daily News, The Vancouver Sun and McClatchy News all have interviews with David Tennant.

Tennant is busy in the US filming the pilot for Rex Is Not Your Lawyer, and the Los Angeles Times reports that NBC may pick the series up as early as this spring. For those of you who can't get enough pictures of David Tennant wearing puffy winter coats, there are plenty from Rex filming here. In other Tennant news, the Sunday Mercury has an article titled "7 Things You Didn't Know About Dr Who David Tennant" (though readers of this page probably know most of them). What's On TV has a lengthy interview with Tennant about The End of Time, and BBC Newsbeat interviews Tennant about his forthcoming role in "St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold". Down Under, The Age and The Daily Telegraph (both of Australia) have stories on Tennant's TARDIS exit.

SFX continues its month-long Doctor Who celebration, with more excerpts from their interview with Russell T Davies here (talking about classic Doctor Who and multi-Doctor stories), here (talking about American television) and here (talking about "the scene that gets everyone" in The End of Time). Also on SFX's blog, Phil Ford talks about writing for The Sarah Jane Adventures, Alexandra Moen (Lucy Saxon) answers questions from fans, and the blog's staff compile a list of all the times British tabloids have gotten a Doctor Who story spectacularly wrong. Alexandra Moen is also interviewed at Digital Spy.

Davies tells the Western Mail that his final two Doctor Who episodes will be "like all your Christmas presents rolled into one, right from your big present to the tiniest thing at the bottom of the stocking." The South Wales Echo also grabs a snippet from the Western Mail interview. Davies also talked to BBC News about handing over the Doctor Who reins to Steven Moffat.

Bernard Cribbins will be interviewed on stage at the BFI on January 16. The conversation will be followed by a special screening of the 1966 film Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 AD, starring Cribbins and Peter Cushing. In the aftermath of Cribbins' recent special BAFTA award, he was profiled in The Independent and interviewed by Ken Russell in The Times.

Claire Bloom talks to The Times about her life and work, including a vague but possibly spoiler-ish mention of her role in The End of Time.

There have been a slew of stories lately about people who've made full-sized Daleks. One in Surrey is covered here, and another (from Birtley in Gateshead) is covered in tech blogs Übergizmo, Geeky Gadgets, Gizmodo and Electricpig. And an Atherton man who's built a full-size TARDIS replica is profiled in The Leigh Reporter (though it isn't clear whether he's built the interior or the exterior of the ship).

Even Christmas pageants can't escape Doctor Who connections this year; pupils in the tiny North Yorkshire village of Ruswarp are putting on a Christmas pageant with a Doctor Who theme, and Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith) is directing the Nativity play at his old primary school in London.

It's not all The End of Time, though; Digital Spy interviews Colin Baker about completing "The Missing Stories" on audio for Big Finish.

The Daily Mail has a general preview of The End of Time, and The Sun has a somewhat spoilery photo of John Simm from the story.

The Sun has an article on Catherine Tate's Christmas special, in which she says that she and David Tennant will be "like the Richard & Judy of Christmas", due to being on UK television so much over the holiday season. Of Tennant's appearances, Doctor Who and Hamlet are listed by The Independent as part of its "Twelve TV Treats of Christmas" list.

The Times includes Tennant's Hamlet in its round-up of the best theatre of the past decade, and the return of Doctor Who in its list of the decade's best television. BBC News has also commissioned a "portrait of the decade", which includes the return of Doctor Who as one of the key cultural events and David Tennant as one of the top 20 people of the decade.

Finally, Paul Cornell, writer of the Doctor Who episodes "Father's Day", "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood" as well as several acclaimed novels, has published a new Doctor Who story on his blog for Christmas. Cornell says that the story is being presented "purely as fan fiction, with no money being made." It's lovely, and you should read it.

Colin Baker, the sixth actor to star in Doctor Who (1984 - 1986), is set to star in the upcoming pantomime "Jack and the Beanstalk" at the Theatre Royal in Bath.

Baker stars as Fleshcreep, the baddie in the piece. While he is best known for having been the Doctor, he's also famous for other villain roles, most notably that of Paul Merroney in The Brothers from 1974 - 1976. He also portrayed Bayban the Butcher in the Blake's 7 episode "City at the Edge of the World" and first appeared in Doctor Who as Commander Maxil, the Fifth Doctor's executioner, in "Arc of Infinity".

"Beanstalk" also features Emmerdale star Susan Penhaligon as the Fairy and 19-year-old singer Lewis Bradley - a finalist in Any Dream Will Do - as Jack.

The panto will run from Thursday December 18 to Sunday January 25.

To book call the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844.

The Restoration Team has released details of the forthcoming four-disc release of the Trial of a Time Lord DVD box set in the UK.

The 14 episodes, comprising season 23 of the classic era, originally aired between September and December 1986 and featured Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor.

There is a host of extras with the set, including extracts from Blue Peter, Wogan, Points of View, Children In Need, Saturday Picture Show andOpen Air.

It will also have deleted and extended scenes, plus the video for the 1985 charity song Doctor In Distress - the celebrity single that was released under the group name Who Cares? in protest at the show's suspension and feared cancellation.

In addition, there is a 55-minute documentary that takes a look at Colin Baker's time as the Doctor. Among those featured are Baker, Nicola Bryant, John Nathan-Turner, Eric Saward and former BBC heads of series and serialsDavid Reid and Jonathan Powell.

The box set is due to be released on August 18.

DVD bonus material listed as classified by the British Board of Film Classification on their website reveals that the 1986 14-episode Doctor Who storyThe Trial of a Time Lord is to be released on DVD later this year. The serial, which saw the Doctor being placed on trial by his fellow Time Lords, encompassed the entire twenty-third series of Doctor Who, and was the last to star Sixth Doctor Colin Baker.

So far only the extras for the second segment of the serial, popularly known as Mindwarp, have been classified. These include a 20-minute "Making Of" feature; the 1985 Children in Need night feature which saw the largest ever single gathering of regular cast members from the series; and a Lenny Henry Doctor Who sketch.

Sixth Doctor Colin Baker is currently playing Mr. Hardcastle in a UK tour of the eighteenth century comedy She Stoops to Conquer. The play is co-produced by the Birmingham Repertory Theatre (where the play opened last year) and the Touring Consortium, which has an education programme about the play available here. Dates and links to theatres' websites are listed below.

22-26 January: NOTTINGHAM, Theatre Royal

29 January - 2 February: BELFAST, Grand Opera House

12-16 February: EDINBURGH, King's Theatre

19–23 February: GLASGOW, Theatre Royal

26 February-1 March: ABERDEEN, His Majesty's Theatre

4-8 March: EASTBOURNE, Devonshire Park Theatre

11-15 March: CARDIFF, New Theatre

18-22 March: RICHMOND, Richmond Theatre

25-29 March: CAMBRIDGE, Cambridge Arts Theatre

1-5 April: GUILDFORD, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre

8-12 April: CHELTENHAM, Everyman Theatre

15-19 April: DARLINGTON, Civic Theatre

21-26 April: BATH, Theatre Royal Bath


The Nottingham Evening Post has a brief review of the production.

Colin Baker and Louise Jameson will be on stage together at the Theatre Royal Brighton during its summer season.

They are to appear in the touring production of the Alan Ayckbourn comedy Bedroom Farce from July 2-7.

The week before that show, Frazer Hines will be appearing at the theatre in the touring production of Agatha Christie's The Unexpected Guest, which runs from June 25-30. This also features Eugene Washington (who appeared in School Reunion).

The shows form part of a special line-up to mark the historical venue's 200th year, which kicks off with a world premiere of Indian legend Mahabharata on May 22 - a fusion of dance, puppetry and music from the award-winning Nitin Sawhney.

The season also includes musicals such as Blonde Bombshells of 1943 and Dancing Queen, and operas Aida andTosca, alongside family classics such as The Railway Children.

The anniversary celebrations will culminate in a "This Is Her Life" gala performance on November 4, centred around a journey through the theatre's 200 years.

To book tickets call 08700 606650.

To mark the landmark 200th birthday, The Argus and BBC Southern Counties Radio are collecting 200 Stories For 200 Years. E-mail your memories of the theatre to theatreroyal@theargus.co.uk.

(Thanks to David Guest and Mark Bailey for additional information.)

Big Finish has announced plans for the remainder of Season Two of their adaptation of Sapphire and Steel, which includes stories by Nigel Fairs ("Cruel Immortality") and Steve Lyons ("Perfect Day", featuring a return of a Season One character, Gold, played by Doctor Who writer Mark Gatiss).

The season finale, penned by Joseph Lidster, is "The Mystery of the Missing Hour", which guest stars Sixth DoctorColin Baker as the Narrator and Sarah Douglas (known for her roles in Superman II and the television mini-series V) as Lady Marjorie.

The Sapphire and Steel series stars David Warner as Steel and Susannah Harker as Sapphire. Visit the Sapphire and Steel page on the Big Finish website for more details about these releases.

BBC Worldwide has confirmed the release of Mark of the Rani on DVD on September 4 in the UK. The story, from Season 22, stars Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant as the Doctor and Peri, with special guest stars Anthony Ainley as the Master and Kate O'Mara as the Rani. The single-disc release will contain commentaries by Baker, Bryant and O'Mara (the Doctor Who Restoration Team notes that director Sarah Hellings agreed to do the commentary but sadly couldn't make it due to scheduling reasons); "Lords and Luddites," an interview documentary featuring comments by Baker, Bryant, O'Mara, actor Gary Cady, script editor Eric Saward, writers Pip and Jane Baker and others; "Now and Then," a special look at the Blists Hill Victorian Museum where the episode was filmed; a historical segment from "Blue Peter" on the Ironbridge Gorge; a clip of Baker and Bryant on "Saturday Superstore"; plus deleted and extended scenes, a photo gallery, isolated music score as well as alternate music score for part one, and PDF copies of the 1985 Doctor Who Annual as well as clips from Radio Times.