Early news of overnight viewing figures for Saturday's new Doctor Who episode The Girl in the Fireplace on BBC1 are in: an average of 7.4 million viewers watched the episode, with an average 36.6% audience share, down only 0.2 million from the previous week's "School Reunion". According to the ViewingFigures report on 15-minute intervals the episode peaked in the final segment (7.30-7.45) to 7.8 million viewers, while the five-minute statistics show a peak up to 8.10 million viewers between 7.35 and 7.40pm right before the end of the episode. The huge climb of viewership between the start of the episode in the five-minute intervals (6.26 million at 7.00pm, to 7.39 million at 7.15pm, over a million extra viewers) suggest that UK audiences were unprepared for the move of the series to the 7.00pm time slot this week, as it had begun at 7.15pm the previous three weeks.

"Doctor Who" was again the #1 rated show on UK television on Saturday both by viewers as well as by audience share.

Meanwhile, the broadcast of the fourth episode of Doctor Who Confidential on BBC3 immediately afterward attracted 724,400 viewers, with a 4.7% audience share. Doctor Who Confidential was #1 for Saturday broadcast on the non-terrestrial channels. (Thanks to 'Shaun Lyon', Andy Parish)

Program information for Week 21 released this afternoon by the BBC Press Office shows that this year's Eurovision Song Contest has had a similar effect to last year, with The Age of Steel moving from Doctor Who's re-established 7pm slot to a 6.40pm start on Saturday 20 May. (There is no word yet of a start time for Doctor Who Confidential on BBC Three that evening.) Last year, "The Doctor Dances" was moved back due to the contest (with a notable drop in viewing figures observed because of the time shift).

Meanwhile, the episode merits a three-page article in the week's highlights(note: PDF file), this week concentrating on the roles of Noel Clarke as Mickey Smith and guest star Andrew Hayden-Smith. 'I think that the Doctor and Mickey do forge a new friendship but it's based on respect,' says Clarke. 'Mickey earns his respect in the Christmas episode and they get to know each other a bit more after that. Mickey's changed as much as the Doctor in terms of becoming a new person but still being [essentially] the same.' He thinks Mickey finally comes into his own this season, becoming braver and more confident than he's seemed before. 'Mickey has to step up to the plate and become a man, so some of the challenges he faces aren't just the monsters that he comes across but also his own fear, really,' Noel explains. 'I think a lot of things that he's involved in [with the Doctor and Rose] help him come to terms with his own uncertainties and really change him. 'He's being tested the whole time, maybe because the Doctor knew that the potential was in him to change.' And what of the relationship between Rose and Mickey? 'Your guess is as good as mine!' laughs Noel.'I think they're in the same sort of on/off situation they always seem to be in; it's never really resolved and you never really figure out what's going on!' He says that 'When you work with someone like [lead writer] Russell [T Davies] and the writers that have worked on Doctor Who, you can only learn from them. Even if your material is different in its content, the tricks and the skills you pick up from them are things that, hopefully, I can put across in whatever I do.' Actor Andrew Hayden-Smith, who guest stars in the next two episodes, syas that he 'suggested that my agent get in touch with the production because I really enjoyed the last series. Funnily enough, they had been watching me on CBBC the night before I put the call in. I went in for an audition, read one of the scenes, and got a call to say I'd got the part a couple of days later.' Of his character, he notes that 'Jake is in a gang fighting against a company called Cybus Industries, which is turning humans into Cybermen,' explains Andrew. 'I didn't see the original Cybermen, but my sister told me that she was terrified of them -- so she is pretty excited that I am involved in fighting them.' Playing an action hero was a new, but exciting, for him. 'It was great!' Andrew enthuses.'There was a lot of running about on the moors in Cardiff, so I had to get quite fit.' The first day of filming was exhilarating, but very demanding, not least because of the fact that the scenes are filmed completely out of sequence. 'It was very scary because it's Doctor Who!' exclaims Andrew with a laugh. 'It was just really exciting. My first day on set was in London, on the South Bank. It was pretty strange because I was filming my last scene [The Age Of Steel], so I had to imagine that I had done all the action scenes which was pretty strange. It was OK, though, as everyone was lovely.' So how does Andrew think his fans will react to his new role? 'I don't know – I'm a bit nervous about it!' he confesses.'The kids who watch me now probably don't remember me from Byker Grove, and won't realise that I've acted before, so I'm a bit nervous about how I come across in it. I hope it's all right!' And would Andrew have liked the opportunity to play a Cyberman himself? 'No, I'm quite happy fighting them, I think,' he says with a laugh. 'I definitely prefer to be a goodie than a baddie!'

There are also further episode details in the Saturday document (also a PDF), as noted below.

People

Yahoo News reports that "Hollyoaks star Rochelle Gadd is preparing to swap text books for time travel when she appears in two episodes of Doctor Who. The actress, who plays student and part-time waitress Olivia Johnson in the soap, will feature in the final instalments of the current sci-fi series. She will take the role of Sally in the two-parter, which is rumoured to involve the Cybermen and, according to writer Russell T Davies, will end with a huge cliffhanger. Gadd was first seen on our screens in Grange Hill, where she played schoolgirl Delia 'Dill' Lodge for six terms. During that time, she could be seen in another CBBC programme, Out of Tune, and has also had small parts in Holby City, The Bill and The Robinsons, which she featured in alongside The Office's Martin Freeman. Other familiar faces guest starring with the Time Lord will include psychic medium Derek Acorah, Cash in the Attic presenter Alistair Appleton and chat show host Trisha Goddard. EastEnders' Barbara Windsor and Tracey-Ann Oberman are also lined up for cameos. Despite the Walford connection, BBC producers have categorically ruled out the Tardis will landing in Albert Square."

The official Doctor Who website reports that "Helen Raynor - Doctor Who script editor and one of the writers for series three - has a new 15-minute TV play on BBC One next week. Cake stars Mali Harries and Andrew Dunn, and is the first in the Brief Encounters series of short plays by writers new to television. You can catch Helen's play on Monday 8 May at 2.35pm, inbetween episodes of Doctors and Homes Under The Hammer."

The Paisley Daily Express reports that "Stunned regulars at a town centre pub couldn't believe their eyes when Doctor Who strolled in for a surprise visit. David Tennant, who plays the Time Lord in the hugely popular BBC TV series, turned heads when he walked through the doors of the Bull Inn, in New Street, Paisley sporting a hairy new look. The 35-year-old actor was back in his home town to film a documentary series about Paisley and his connection with it. But bar staff, let alone customers, at the historic Bull had no idea David was turning up until half an hour before he put in an appearance. Pub boss, Iain MacKinnon, 28, said: 'We knew there was going to be filming but didn't know who was taking part. Then one of the people involved told us it would be David. When he arrived you could see people turning to look at him. He sat in the corner while the filming was happening.' Iain revealed the former Paisley Grammar School pupil was extremely friendly. 'He posed for a picture and we are going to put it on our Bull Inn Mug Shots board which we have here,' Iain added. And there was a treat in store for Iain's niece Robyn, 13. 'She is a massive Doctor Who fan, and I managed to get David Tennant's autograph for her,' he revealed. David, son of the Very Rev Dr Sandy McDonald and his wife Helen, who live in the Dykebar area, caused quite a stir with his flying trip in and out of town. Excited female staff at the nearby Castelvecchi fish and chip shop had spotted the famous Buddie popping into the pub. And they were desperate to know if the bachelor boy was back in town for good. One fan, 32-year-old Jenny Wright, said: 'I didn't realise it was him at first glance because of the new look, which by the way I liked. It was a bit of a shock when I realised I was only feet away from Dr Who himself. It made my day and I'll have something to tell my friends for decades to come. He is pretty handsome.'"

Thursday's The Sun says that Tennant "has been named the sexiest Doctor Who ever by one of his co-stars. Camille Coduri, 41, who plays Billie Piper's screen mum Jackie Tyler, said: 'I think David the sexiest Doctor I have ever seen. 'I didn't think he was so sexy until I saw him at a screening of the show then I realised that he's gorgeous. He is 110% sexier in real life and he's great to work with.'"

The Mirror says that "Only Fools and Horses star Roger Lloyd-Packbased his evil genius role in Doctor Who on US defence chief Donald Rumsfeld. The actor best known as Del Boy's friend Trigger in the BBC sitcom plays power-crazy John Lumic - creator of robot monsters the Cybermen. Roger, 62, said: 'I thought, 'Who is a power-hungry mad person who believes he is completely right and has a lot of control?' Donald Rumsfeld came to mind. He's as bad a man as I see around now.' Lumic battles the Doctor and Rose, played by David Tennant and Billie Piper, as they try to stop his plan... The two-episode story - Rise of the Cybermen and The Age of Steel, on May 13 and May 20 - is the most eagerly awaited of the current series. ... Rumsfeld is not the only famous face to have inspired a Dr Who character. Writer Russell T Davis based the villain Lady Cassandra - a thin piece of skin with a brain - on film star Nicole Kidman. Russell revealed the idea came as he watched her at the Oscars. He said: 'It was horrific seeing those beautiful women reduced to sticks. Nicole Kidman struck me in particular.'"

AfterElton features an interview with John Barrowman: "Viewers who have never heard of Doctor Who, even those who think they don't like sci-fi, might want to consider tuning in to Episode Nine of the new series when it shows tomorrow night at 9pm on the Sci Fi Channel. The cult British show about a time-travelling Doctor and his companions--which has been on and off screens since 1963--has recently been given a 21st century makeover, courtesy of UK Queer As Folk creator Russell T. Davies. And one of the results of Davies's helmsmanship is that the Doctor has a new companion, making his debut appearance tonight: bisexual intergalactic con man Captain Jack Harkness, played by Scottish-American actor John Barrowman. ... He says that he still had one unrealised ambition: 'I grew up in the UK as a kid, I was born and raised in Scotland, and so, having the knowledge of [the show], it was kind of a fantasy of mine to be involved in Doctor Who, though I never thought it would happen.' That fantasy became a reality when his agent called him in for a part that was 'right up your alley'. And Russell T. Davies, seeing the dashing matinee-idol quality that he was looking for in Captain Jack, proceeded to write the character around Barrowman. Barrowman acknowledges that part of his character's energy and optimism may have come from him: 'Anybody who you might talk to who knows me, knows that I love life, I love to have fun, I'm very open, I don't mince my words, I say what I feel, and--you know, that's just the way I am. I put a lot of my own personality into Jack. ... First off, when he was introduced, people didn't like him. And that's what I wanted, I didn't want him to be likeable [straight away]. Because then towards the end of Episode Ten, there's a complete turnaround of his character, and he becomes passionate,. He loves these two other people, the Doctor and [the Doctor's companion] Rose, and so he fights and sacrifices things for them. Basically, I think people see a lot of themselves in him. Because a lot of people would love to say the things that Jack says, and do the things that he does, and make those kind of commitments to people--but some people are just afraid to. And Jack does it, on camera.'" On the subject of Torchwood: "Barrowman says, 'It's a team of five people including Jack, and we have a place called the Hub, which is near the Opera House in Cardiff [in Wales, in the UK]. It's underground, this fictitious place. We are an organization that fights alien crime, and tries to figure out alien happenings on earth. A lot of the things that have happened with Doctor Who [in the second series, currently showing on UK television], the Torchwood team have been responsible for--you know, fixing or annihilating after the Doctor does his bit.' Although Barrowman has been contractually sworn to secrecy on the content of the episodes, he says that his character will still be bisexual: 'Oh yeah, he's still gonna be the same Captain Jack. A little...maybe a little bit more mysterious. Because, remember, he's come back to the present-day. He doesn't even want his team to know a lot about where he's come from and what he's done. But you'll find out a lot about Jack, in this series, and some of the stuff, some of the...[laughs] oh, I can't even say it, but some of the alien things that happen are so great [laughs].' As well as writing Torchwood, Russell T. Davies will continue to work on Doctor Who (where Captain Jack is scheduled to appear in Series Three, although not Series Two). Of Davies's writing, and the lack of public fuss about Jack's bisexuality on a family show, Barrowman says: 'the fact that Russell has done this...the British public have accepted it with open arms, because it's done with the right type of humour, the right type of realism. It's not salacious, it's not done in a rude or crude manner. 'Russell takes a look at characters, particularly--and this is kind of going off Doctor Who a little--he takes a look at characters and people, and whether they be gay, straight, bisexual, or, you know, red, green, black, whatever they may be, or what they're into, he treats it as a norm. And that's why I think it's so acceptable amongst so many people.'"

Today's Daily Express says that "Bonnie Langford, who played Dr Who's assistant Melanie in the Eighties, has given her blessing to her successor Billie Piper and latest Timelord David Tennant. Like Billie, the former child star (left) was assistant to two Doctors – in her case Sylvester McCoy and Colin Baker – and she told us after the show at the Cambridge Theatre: 'I love the new series. I think both David and Billie are marvellous.' Is she thankful that, unlike Billie, who locked lips with Tennant on a recent show, she was never required to pucker up with the somewhat less – ahem – attractive McCoy? 'It's not something I ever considered, ' she says diplomatically. 'I was just relieved I never had to snog one of the monsters!'"

Other Press Items

BBC News has a brief picture essay of the Cybermen, from their origins to their appearance in "Rise of the Cybermen" one week from Saturday. CBBC Newsround also does the same.

Both Manchester Online and the Mirror give away spoilers on the forthcoming episodes "Rise of the Cybermen" and "The Age of Steel" (we won't be spoiling it, however!) You can read the full articles, but here's the non-spoiler material: "Doctor Who's old enemy the Cybermen are about to crash the party in terrifying style - 40 years after they first appeared on screen. The next level of mankind, with all emotion removed, aim to give humans the ultimate upgrade, to be metal men just like them." (That's it; you'll have to read the articles for the rest!)

Sci Fi Wire from the US Sci Fi Channel says today that "Steven Moffat, who wrote the Doctor Who first-season episodes 'The Empty Child' and 'The Doctor Dances,' told SCI FI Wire that he was surprised by the overwhelmingly positive response to the two-parter, which makes its U.S. debut on SCI FI Channel May 5 and May 12 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. 'I have to be modest and say they did go over exceptionally well,' Moffat said in an interview. The episodes were recently nominated for a coveted Hugo Award for best dramatic presentation, short form. 'But you never really know,' he added. 'You end up doing interviews in which you explain how brilliant you are and how you thought of all these great ideas, but it's not like that at all. You really have no idea if it's going to be the biggest slop or the biggest success. I didn't know the story was going to be as powerful as it was, and I certainly had no idea there would be kids saying, 'Are you my Mummy?' So that was all very exciting.' In 'The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances,' the Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose (Billie Piper) travel back to World War II London during the Blitz, where they encounter an army of gas-mask-covered zombies, as well as Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), a 53rd-century adventurer of somewhat ambiguous sexuality. 'People always think of television as a series of very clever decisions you make, but sometimes it just happens,' Moffat said. 'If it's set during the London Blitz, you can more or less assume it's not going to be a musical. It's also 'Doctor Who-does-the-Blitz,' so if you're going to tell that kind of story, it's almost impossible not to be 'Who Noir,' as we called it: '40s clothing, night time and bombs. So you've got 'The Empty Child' right there!' The two-parter also features one of the show's early catch-phrases, with the eponymous gas-masked child chillingly asking, 'Are you my Mummy?' 'You have to remember that Doctor Who is at its heart a children's program,' Moffat said. 'So it''s very important to remember children and the specific niche for Doctor Who, which is a kind of domestically scaled menace. You try and take ordinary things and give them one little twist to make them suddenly weird, so a little boy asking for his mummy is something you hear all the time. It's easily imitated, which is very important for Doctor Who monsters, because children have to be able to imitate them in playgrounds.' Moffat has also written an episode for the new second season of Doctor Who, which is currently airing on BBC1 in the United Kingdom. Moffat's episode, 'The Girl in the Fireplace,' debuts on BBC1 May 6. 'I really enjoyed this one,' he said. In the episode, the new Doctor (David Tennant) encounters French noblewoman Madame du Pompadour (Sophia Myles) in the 18th-century court of Louis XV. 'Without the slight nervousness of the first one and the unfamiliarity of working on someone else's show, it was extremely enjoyable, and I think Sophia Myles looks stunning in the episode.'"

Newsquest Media Group reviews the DVD release of Series Two, Volume One: "Rejoice... and then suffer a nagging feeling that the two instalments on this DVD - The Christmas Invasion and New Earth - somehow managed to slip through quality control. The special effects are polished and there are loopy leaps of imagination but the scripts lack character development and taut plotting. ... It's frothy almost to the point of being nothing but hot air; hopefully not a sign of things to come. As with the first series, Doctor Who will be released as five separate DVDs throughout the year, culminating in a complete DVD box set on November 20, which will comprise all 13 episodes, The Christmas Invasion and myriad extras in special packaging. Never let it be said that the BBC doesn't know how to milk Doctor Who fans dry."

Also: IGN lists its top 50 TV themes, with "35. Dr. Who: Yeah, we're talking about the Tom Baker-era theme, here… not that other drivel. Perfectly matched to the interstellar odyssey, the spacey, haunting theme song is an instant mood-setter, and one of the great, iconic pieces of sci-fi music ever recorded"; Now Playing reviews "School Reunion".

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, John Bowman, Paul Greaves, Peter Weaver, Tony Longworth)

Saturday's episode, School Reunion, achieved the joint highest AI (measuring audience appreciation) of the bank holiday weekend, with both the episode of Doctor Who and Five's CSI: New York both scoring 85. This is the same score as New Earth secured a couple of weeks ago, making these Series Two episodes two of the five most popular instalments since the return of the series (see OG news, 18 April).

Sunday evening's BBC Three repeat of School Reunion attracted an average of 599,400 viewers (4.1%), 57,200 up on the previous Sunday's Tooth and Claw repeat, and about 60,000 up on the Sunday repeat of Dalek on the same Sunday in 2005. School Reunion was BBC Three's second-placed programme on Sunday, behind the sitcom Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, and was fifth in the multichannel top ten, behind two editions of The Simpsons, the Two Pints episode, and a Sky Sports programme.

We also have a detailed breakdown demonstrating the series' popularity among children in the UK: of School Reunion's 7.6m overnight average, 1.2m were under 16, an audience share of 55%. Doctor Who is by far the most-watched television programme among children, its nearest rival being BBC One's EastEnders (0.9m, 36.7%). The ITV1 competition on Saturday, the Hulk movie, reached only 0.3m under-16s (18.3%). Interestingly, the same chart shows that, while Totally Doctor Who's audience of 0.8m is equivalent to the figures for Blue Peter, only 0.3m (up to 19%) of the viewers for each children's show are actually children.

Meanwhile, the BARB consolidated ratings for the BBC One transmission ofTooth and Claw on Saturday 22 April are now available. With timeshifted viewings taken into account, the episode was watched by an average of 9.24m viewers, the tenth most watched programme of the week (behind five episodes of Coronation Street and four episodes of EastEnders) and the third highest television show. This is an increase of 0.62m on the previous week's episode and is 1.26m higher than the 7.98m achieved by World War Three on the same Saturday in 2005.

The second edition of Doctor Who Confidential, Fear Factor on Saturday 22 April, was BBC Three's top-rated show of the week, with 0.65m viewers, reaching number 16 in the week's multichannel chart. The Sunday evening repeat of Tooth and Claw charts at number eight for the channel with 0.56m.

Finally, ratings analysis in this week's edition of Broadcast concentrates on Doctor Who's performance on 22 April: 'The second episode of Doctor Who on BBC1 on Saturday at 7.15pm improved by almost a million to 8.8 million, a 42% share. This was thanks in part to a strong lead-in from the big FA Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Liverpool from 4.50pm which attracted 6.5 million, a 43% share. The previous week's opening episode was hamstrung by Strictly Dance Fever's poor 3.8 million/22% and by ITV1's decision to offer a strong holiday movie, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which took 4.9 million, enough to hit the Doctor's share. This week, by contrast, ITV1 pretty much conceded the night by starting with a repeat of Midsomer Murders from 6pm which had just 3.3 million/18% share.' (Thanks to 'Shaun Lyon', Steve Tribe)

Early news of overnight viewing figures for Saturday's new Doctor Who episode School Reunion on BBC1 are in: an average of 7.6 million viewers watched the episode, with an average 39.8% audience share (peaking very briefly as high as 8.88 million viewers in the final five minutes according to the interval breakdowns.) While this is down over a million viewers from the overnights for the previous episode ("Tooth and Claw"), all of UK television experienced a downturn in ratings due to this weekend's bank holiday; Doctor Who was, in fact, in first place in Saturday's program schedule on all networks by both audience numbers and by share.

Meanwhile, the third episode of Doctor Who Confidential on BBC3 was viewed by an average of 565,800 viewers, with a 3.8% audience share, ranking #2 on the total Saturday night viewership on the non-terrestrial channels (behind a sporting event.) Many viewers noted that the BBC3 broadcast started approximately one minute prior to the end of the episode on BBC1, though this likely did not affect the ratings. More details soon. (Thanks to 'Shaun Lyon')

This week's Programme Information for 13-19 May from the BBC Press Office (note: PDF file) includes two two-page features promoting the upcoming two-part Cyberman story, The Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel.

The first focuses on actor Roger Lloyd Pack in his role as John Lumic, "a man on an unrelenting mission to take over the world". "I play a kind of evil genius who is creating an army of Cybermen in order to make himself immortal," explains Lloyd Pack. "He's trying to get governments and people to go along with his plans, and Doctor Who tries to stop him. It was a curious affair, because about a week after I agreed to do the part I broke my ankle. I couldn't walk without a stick, and was in plaster for a while, but it didn't interfere with the part because the role was in a wheelchair! I think God must have been saying 'I'm going to give you a nice job, but I'm going to break your ankle as well!' I was taking research a little bit further than I usually do!" It says that Lloyd Pack was on tour with a theatre production in Sheffield, and so missed most of the last series, but as for the original series, "Of course I watched it! I was a kid when it came out -- I saw the very first Doctor Who. William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, were my Doctors… I sort of lapsed a bit, but I saw all of the different Doctor Whos at some point." He thinks the new Cybermen are more formidable than ever. "I did see the Cybermen the first time around, but these new ones are quite impressive," Lloyd Pack confirms. "They are quite scary -- a little light comes out when they speak. That aspect of Doctor Who is obviously a lot more effective now than it was before." As for working with the director, Graeme Harper, "I've worked with him before doing a series with Dennis Waterman some years back. He's a very nice man, very good to work with. It was extremely cold on set, as we filmed in the warehouse in Newport, and quite technical, because some of the scenes were set in a space ship. I enjoyed the whole experience actually."

Writer Tom MacRae is interviewed for the second article, for whom bringing back the Cybermen was "probably the most exciting things that has ever happened to me". Asked how he got the job of writing for the new series, Tom puts it down to "...a bit of good luck, a bit of good placement, and, hopefully, a bit of being good at writing. I've known [lead writer] Russell [T Davies] for a long time, and I happened to have a certain profile with [Controller BBC Drama Commissioning] Jane Tranter and [Head Of Drama Serials] Laura Mackie when she was still at the BBC, and they were all happy for me to do it." He admits that it was actually helpful to have some boundaries to work within when coming up with the idea for the story. "When you're dealing with something like the Cybermen, the rules are in place for the sort of thing that you expect to happen so that immediately suggests stories. It's very different from coming up with your own monster and setting. As soon as it's a Cyberman story it's going to be about a certain set of things, so that was very clear from the start. Russell had heard one of Mark Platt's Big Finish Doctor Who audio stories, called Spare Parts, and he was inspired by that to do a new origins story for the Cybermen. [Our story] was never based on Spare Parts, because we very quickly went off in a different direction. Spare Parts was about a dying world where people had to become Cybermen or they'd die, whereas the story that we did became about people choosing to become this thing, and it actually becoming this seductive idea, rather than a scary, last-chance, life-or-death thing. And you've also got the family story of Rose which grounds it on a simple level. "He says doesn't remember the original series very clearly. "I remember a long time ago, before Russell was ever doing this, we had a conversation about how you would bring Doctor Who back, and he said the [central] idea to the story is that something's happening, and the Doctor appears in the middle of it. Now and again you break that rule, and the Doctor does become the story, but as a general principle, there's stuff going on and the Doctor appears. I'd never really analysed it before so I don't approach it as a show that I watched when I was a kid... I see it as being something very different." As for what parts of the episode he took part in beyond the writing, "I'm not entirely sure what scenes I saw as there were just lots of Cybermen marching up and down the street! I think I probably saw about four or five scenes-worth of stuff. Blue Peter were filming when I went down for one of the street shoots in Cardiff, and the presenter was dressed as a Cyberman doing a behind-the-scenes piece. They interviewed me and I got a Blue Peter badge, which I was very happy about!"

"Rise of the Cyberman" is also confirmed as airing at 7pm on Saturday 13 May, according to the BBC programme info sheet (note: PDF file), which has the feature blurb for the episode, reproduced below. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)

Broadcasting

Doctor Who Confidential... Cut Down again for rebroadcast? The 7 May repeat of "Confidential" is now listed in a 15-minute space prior to the rebroadcast of "The Girl in the Fireplace". We'll keep you posted.

Elisabeth Sladen was interviewed on BBC One's Breakfast this morning (Thursday). There were clips from 'The Hand of Fear' and 'School Reunion', the latter featuring some material that has not previously appeared in the various BBC trailer packages. The interview, which lasts about eight minutes, can be seen online at BBC News.

Official Sites

The BBC Doctor Who website has undergone its weekly revamp and unveiled its pre-transmission 'School Reunion' theme. As well has the new flash-animated homepage, featuring Rose, Sarah Jane, Mr Finch and some flying Krillitanes, there is a new gallery of seventeen photographs from the episode; the latest 20-second trailer and the third Tardisode are also available on the Doctor Who media player. The downloads page has also been updated this week, with five brief sound clips from 'Tooth and Claw' joining three from 'New Earth'. Also posted, is the Fear Factor entry for this week's episode.

Also, the BBC has opened up a brand new spinoff site after this past weekend's episode, "Tooth and Claw". Visit Torchwood proclaims "Welcome to Torchwood House: Torchwood House is one of Scotland's achitectural treasures. Owned by the MacLeish family since the 1500s, it was purchased by the Crown in 1893. Famed for its beautiful grounds and stunning Observatory, the house was opened to the public in 1981. A real jewel of the Highlands, it has received over a million visitors since opening." The site includes a game revolving around the house's observatory.

School Reunion Pre-Broadcast Publicity

Doctor Who gets its fifth consecutive Radio Times cover mention this week - 'Welcome back, Sarah Jane and K-9!' - echoed in the 'Editor's letter' (p.3) and continued in 'RT recommends... the week's best television' (p.4), with 'School Reunion' chosen as a Saturday highlight: 'An episode to relish'. The regular 'Doctor Who Watch' feature is again three pages (pp.14-16), its main article, 'Friends Reunited', comprising a brief interview with Elisabeth Sladen. As well as dealing with Sladen's reservations over returning as Sarah ('My agent was far more excited than I was'), the piece mentions a dinner invitation - 'Phil and Russell are going for a meal with Billie and David. Oh, and Stephen Fry's going to pop along. I thought, 'Hell, I'm out of my league here!'' - and the read-through for Block One - 'There were abouut 100 people in the room! The cameraman, bless, came up and said he used to watch me as a child.' There is a small illustrated article on rebuilding K-9, with Mike Tucker explaining that 'He was originally made of fibreglass, which is why he's lasted well ... we added rust marks and coffee cup rings, and bits of paint that had flaked off ... we decided that the interior workings should look a bit more as if they'd been designed by a Time Lord and less like radio spares!' Anthony Head is asked about his character, Mr Finch ('oleaginous ... He's a bit New Labour') and about working with K-9 ('A bit like talking to a box on wheels ... it was fun.'). A small photo feature also looks at the new CGI monsters, the Krillitane, whose transformation Will Cohen of The Mill describes as 'more magical and organic, and in keeping with the tone of the rest of the episode - rather oily.' Writer Toby Whithouse is also interviewed, discussing reworking his script: 'It was quite a long process. They said they wanted to bring back Sarah Jane and K-9. 'Aside from that, do anything you want.' So I went away and wrote a story and they said, 'No, that's rubbish. Do anything you want as long as it's not that.'' Whithouse also talks about the special effects required for his episode: 'They calculated how many days of special-effects work would be required and it was about seven years, so we pared it down after that.' As usual, 'School Reunion' is one of 'Today's Choices' for Saturday (p.60), with TV Editor Alison Graham calling it 'a smart and funny episode, considerably enlivened by the initial mistrust and jealousy between Sarah Jane and Rose ... There's emotional depth too ... The final scene ... is a great big 'aaaaah' moment.' This is illustrated with a large photo of the Doctor on a staircase in the school, one of fifteen new picture in the issue, with one of Mr Finch heading Saturday evening's channel listings (p.62). The episode blurb runs: 'The Doctor chances upon erstwhile companion Sarah Jane - can they resolve old scores? - and robotic bow-wow K-9 as he pursues strange bat-like creatures reportedly haunting a school.' In Doctor Who Confidential (Saturday listing, p.63), 'Elisabeth Sladen talks about her return to the series after an absence of 30 years, plus chats with David Tennant and guest star Anthony Head.' And in Totally Doctor Who (Thursday listing, p.101), 'David Tennant talks secrets, competitions and K-9, and Noel Clarke reveals how his car stunt was achieved.' 'Letters' (p.144) includes two contributions, one attempting to rate David Tennant's performance ('brilliantly mercurial') against Christopher Eccleston's ('fascinating tough loneliness'), the other more concerned with how old police boxes are; the same page features a small boxout of Who companion statistics ('32 official companions, 20 women, ten men ... Two companions died, two had their minds wiped' etc.), alongside a cartoon of a Dalek researching Doctor Who in a library. May's DVD release of Series 2 Volume 1 is advertised on page 47 ('The adventure continues on DVD'). And the Radio Times for 13-19 May (out on 9 May) will have a free Doctor Who sticker album and wall chart, with 'free stickers in that and the next three issues' - details are on page 51 ('Subscription offer'). And Lynda-with-a-Y from 'Bad Wolf, Jo Joyner, is revealed as a new regular on EastEnders (p.12).

The Children's BBC website have put up a review of episode three, School Reunion, apparently the first part of a new regular feature in which 'our biggest Doctor Who Fan Lizo will be bringing you his verdict on the week's episode of Doctor Who before it's even hit your screens!'

The Sunday Times says of this weekend's episode, "Old-school Doctor Who fans might well feel a particular frisson of adolescent excitement tonight as Tom Baker's former time- travelling companion Sarah-Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) makes an appearance. She encounters the new -and let's be honest, more attractive -incarnation of her old colleague at a London school that is suffering a nocturnal infestation of bat-like creatures. There are old scores to settle and Rose has a chance to find out how following the Doctor round will affect her life long-term. Devotees of Buffy the Vampire Slayer might also relish an appearance by Anthony Head."

Heat reviewer Boyd Hilton gives School Reunion 5 stars and writes: 'It's always a nervous moment when you get an episode of Doctor Who not written by its new supremo Russell T Davies. Not that many of them ever turn out to be anything other than top-notch, it's just that Davies sets the benchmark so high. This one is penned by Toby Whitehouse, who has previously done episodes for No Angels and Hotel Babylon, and he doesn't put a foot wrong. It's a tale which proves yet again that the producers of the new Doctor Who have fun first and foremost in their minds, as they bring back some faces from the Doctor's past - his former 'companion' Sarah Jane Smith, last seen accompanying Little Britain narrator Tom Baker to peculiar worlds back in 1976, and legendary cute little robot doggy K9. The setting for this mini-reunion is a London school, which is haunted by weird, bat-like creatures at night and run by a dodgy headmaster, splendidly played by Anthony Head, having as good a time as he does when he's the PM in Little Britain.
Heat also lists this episode at number 4 in the week's Best TV Shows.

Closer magazine has this episode as one of their Saturday Choices: 'Diehard Who fans are in for a treat. There's a double blast from the past when the Doc bumps into his old sidekick Sarah Jane Smith, with a rundown K9 in tow. The rusty old hound has seen better days, but he still has enough wag in his tail to help his time-travelling chums get the better of some strange bat-like creatures haunting a school. Anthony Heaed stars as the baddie.'

Inside Soap's Telly Hero of the Week is K-9: 'Readers of a certain age will be pleased to see Doctor Who's plucky robot dog let off the leash once again this Saturday, helping his Time Lord chum defeat sinister goings-on in an English school. To be strictly accurate, however, this is K-9 Mark III - built as a gift for the Doctor's favourite former assistant, journalist Sarah-Jane Smith, who also shows up this week. And while poor K-9 might be a bit rusty and battered these days, he's still got bite - as the Doctor's alien enemies will soon find out!'

New magazine: At number 5 in their Top Ten Picks, they write: 'Poor Doctor Who. The fella never gets a moment's rest. Which is strange, seeing as he owns a time machine. Surely he could park it in a lay-by, have an hours' kip, then travel back to before his nap? Hmm. This week the Doc investigates a London school that's being haunted by bat-like creatures at night.'

Reveal magazine's Pick of the Day, they give this episode 4 stars: 'The latest series of Doctor Who is already gonig down a storm with sci-fi fans after only 2 episodes, but for any still in need of convincing, this edition is bound to seal it. Sarah Jane Smith and her faithful robotic friend K-9 return to lend the Time Lord a hand. The journalist was, of course, companion to Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker in the 1970s, but pops up here when her Gallifreyan friend finds himself in a London school investigating reports of strange creatures haunting the place. Rose also benefits from her predecessor's experience, and learns a few harsh truths about travelling with the Doctor. Elisabeth Sladen reprises her role as Sarah Jane, alongside Buffy The Vampire Slayer star Anthony Head and series regular Noel Clarke.'

Sneak has School Reunion as their Pick of the Day: 'Tonight, Rose and the Doctor end up prowling around a creepy London school which is haunted by bat-like animals. As you do. But will the never-ending sexual tension between the twosome finally crack? Just get a room!'

Star magazine awards this episode 4 out of 5 stars: 'Doc's off to a school in London this week, which is haunted by bat-like creatures. While there, he meets old pal Sarah Jane Smith, one-time companion to the Doctor. She teaches Rose what it really means to be the Time Lord's sidekick.'

Tooth and Claw Reviews

The Sunday Mirror: "Satanic black eyes bulging wide in an expression of freakish fury, thin lips twisted into a horrible leering grimace - and that's just the Doctor! This Tennant guy is really scary-looking. The werewolf was pretty frightening. But nowhere near as spine-chilling as demon-faced Dave. In a big improvement on the half-baked first episode... What DID happen to Tennant's accent? Why did Scotsman Dave decide that the latest time lord ought to speak mangled 'Mockney' - like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins? I mean, gor blimey gov'nor. It's proper 'orrible."

Newsquest Media Group: "If Sharpe's Challenge was slow and dull, Doctor Who was the exact opposite - another pacy, funny, exciting, scary rollercoaster ride involving Queen Victoria, a werewolf, bald kung fu fighting monks and a naked Billie Piper. Only joking about the last bit. Her companion, Rose, was garbed in appropriate 1979 gear, T-shirt and short skirt, for a trip to see Ian Dury and the Blockheads at the Top Rank, Sheffield. Unfortunately the Doctor's time coordinates were out and the Tardis landed in 1879. ... The pair met up with Queen Victoria in Scotland and the monarch was alarmed by Rose's lack of clothing. 'Her nakedness' as she called it. I regret to say the time travellers failed to show due respect to the monarch (played by Pauline Collins having the time of her life). 'Pardon me, your majesty, you will have to leg it out a window,' the Doctor told her as the hairy beast - no, not Prince Albert - pursued them through the old dark house. The monks were determined to keep everyone in the house during the full moon so the werewolf could do what werewolves do - rip people to shreds. This being before the watershed, we were spared the sight, if not the sound, of the grisly deaths. And why, you may well be wondering, didn't the Doctor realise that something was wrong when the royal party arrived at the house and found all those monks? 'They're bald, athletic, your wife was away - I thought you were just happy,' the Doctor told the man of the house."

The Liverpool Echo: "What has happened to Doctor Who? Last time I checked, the acting was almost as plastic as the timelord's adversaries. But Saturday's romp in Victorian Britain was gladly lacking in rubber masks and Lycra leggings. The doctor, ably played by David Tennant, and Rose, the ever-more appealing Billie Piper, faced a truly formidable beast in the form of a werewolf. They were charged with the task of keeping Queen Victoria out of the clutches of the monster hell-bent on destroying the human race and taking over the world - yes, that old chestnut. For a show renowned for its not-so-great special effects, the werewolf was extremely well executed in CGI, demonstrating a willingness by programme-makers to progress from the Play Doh and drinking straws of yesteryear. However next week sees the return of K9, proving the writers have not written off the old characters completely."

Newsquest Media: "So far, Tennant's Doctor has been much too lightweight, with a repertoire of clownish expressions and a laddish demeanour ill suited to the role of a being with enough years of existence on the clock to have learned how to grow up. He wasn't helped in Saturday's episode by Billie Piper's Rose spending the whole time trying to make Queen Victoria (Pauline Collins) say that she was not amused. I certainly wasn't by that tiresome joke and actually cheered when the monarch banished the meddlesome pair at the end of the adventure. It isn't as if Tennant can't do serious - and even magnificently menacing. I saw him in one of those ITV dramas (Secret Smile) as a psycho boyfriend, and he conjured up one devilish look that scared the life out of me! Unfortunately, the CGI werewolf that rampaged through the Scottish manor house on Saturday did not have the same effect. It looked more like something from Ice Age 2 (an overgrown fox?) than a flesh and blood carnivore that you felt could actually do some damage."

There are also web reviews of Tooth and Claw at BlogCritics, TVSquad,Now Playing;

People

BBC Norfolk features a video interview with Elisabeth Sladen, who reprises the role of Sarah Jane Smith in the episode to be broadcast this Saturday, "School Reunion". "Earlier this month, Lis came to Norwich for a DVD launch event at the Norwich Puppet Theatre, organised by the science fiction store Kulture Shock. While in the city, she spoke exclusively to Martin Barber about working with David Tennant, Sarah Jane's relationship with Rose and her fond memories of her time in the TARDIS." Highlights of the interview: "Why do you think, of all the companions, you're still voted as one of the most popular in the entire series? 'I really don't know. I hit a lovely time in the series. I hit the time of Pertwee and Baker... and sometimes you can almost taste when something is really working. And maybe Sarah was the kind of character that they needed at that time. So she took on the companion that had to be for the series and the companion that they wanted.' ... You've worked with many of the Doctors, but what's it like working with David Tennant? 'I knew that David was a big fan of the series. Before we did the read through he gave me this big cuddle. On the very first day we did some running scenes and he can't half run. I'm in heels, he's in trainers! At the very end of the day we did a very important scene where she meets him and recognises him for the very first time. To me it's very important that the Doctor is alien. You think he's on your wavelength and he's not.' ... This month also marks the release of the Genesis Of The Daleks to DVD. Why do you think it's held up as one of the best ever stories in the series? 'It's really tightly written and you've got David Maloney as your director. From the beginning shot it is so good for what we had to work with at the time. I think Genesis Of The Daleks is a tribute to Doctor Who and our time in it. I'm really so proud to have been part of it.' ... And what does the future have in store for Sarah Jane - will she be back? 'I knew what they wanted and I think she's been used for what they wanted. It's nice to do something and let it stand, leave them wanting. I think it's the last time that you'll see her in the new series, but not the last time you'll have seen Sarah Jane -- I hope not.'"

BBC Somerset also features a video interview, this with actor Anthony Stewart Head who plays the role of the head master in this weekend's episode.

The Stage is claiming an exclusive with news that Billie Piper is 'in talks' to play Fanny Price in an ITV adaptation of Mansfield Park ('ITV moves in to poach Piper'). (In fact, OG first reported the Daily Mirror's version of this story back on 18 November.) The paper repeats suggestions that Piper 'will return for a third series of Doctor Who - although she is expected to bow out early in order to juggle other projects'. The new edition of DWM simply states that 'there has been no official confirmation from the BBC about who will be coming back for Series Three,' although all this is in the context of the production team's hope that this series' ending will remain a surprise for viewers. Also reported at Monsters and Critics, In The News. Also, Piper has been ranked at #11 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women" poll, as reported at IOL,Irish Examiner, This Is London, Breaking News,Virgin.net, U.TV, The Evening Echo.

The Southland Echo interviews writer Toby Whithouse on his script for this weekend's "School Reunion". "Toby Whithouse grew up in Southend and first started acting at the Focus Theatre Workshop. ... Now 35, he has appeared in several hit TV shows and has written many more. No Angels, the hit Channel 4 show which he helped to create, has just finished but just around the corner is the first public showing of the third episode of the new series of Doctor Who, called School Reunion, in which the Doctor catches up with his former travelling companion Sarah Jane Smith and robot dog K9. Toby's children Lucas, seven, and Maddy, four, have already had a sneaky peak at it and loved it. 'It's the first thing I have ever written that they could possibly watch,' he said. 'They loved it. My son's very proud.' When he started working on Doctor Who, Toby thought he was a bit of an expert because he knew the names of all the actors who have played the Doctor, but he soon found out he was a complete novice compared to the other writers. But he got stuck in regardless and starting writing, assuming Christopher Eccleston would still be playing the Timelord. Last March, after the first episode was broadcast, Eccleston broke the news that he wouldn't be staying for a second series. It was eventually decided to replace him with Casanova star David Tennant. Toby said: 'I started writing it before the first series went out. I found out on the news when I was about halfway through writing the episode. Nobody knew how David was going to do his Doctor. With Christopher Eccleston I knew what his Doctor was like. David had just been on TV in Casanova and I'd watched that and thought he was fantastic. I thought I'd write it as if he was playing that character - without all the sex! That seemed to do the trick.' ... The episode is now a distant memory to Toby who is already working on a fresh project - the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood. ... 'It's a mixture of everything I like - sci-fi and swearing,' laughed Toby. He is also working on new series for Channel 4 and the BBC but won't spill the beans on what they are about. One of his biggest hits, hospital series No Angels, ended this month after three successful series."

The Edinburgh Evening News reports that "David Tennant has helped out his father's former church in Edinburgh by donating his copy of the script from the Time Lord's latest adventure. The Bathgate-born actor has given a signed script of the first episode from the new series to St Andrew's and St George's Church in George Street to sell at its annual Christian Aid book sale. David's father, the Very Reverend Dr Sandy McDonald - Tennant is David's stage name - is a former Kirk Moderator who served as minister at the church for six months in 2003. ... Sale organisers are consulting Dr Who memorabilia experts before setting a price on the script, which has also been signed by David's co-star Billie Piper. The script will be just one of the star attractions amongst thousands of books donated to the sale, including a signed copy of Muriel Spark's last work. Mr McDonald, who is now retired and living in Glasgow, said his 35-year-old son offered the script after he mentioned the sale in passing during a recent telephone conversation. He said: 'He is particularly interested in the work of the special sale at St Andrew's and St George's. He and I were talking about it and he offered to give something. The script couldn't be handed over until after the first episode went out on Easter Saturday and I have it now. David is genuinely concerned and hopes the script makes a lot of money for Christian Aid.'" Also reported atBBC News Scotland, icLanarkshire, Daily Record.

The Mirror profiles Mike Tucker, whose work on the original Doctor Who series on its effects led him to do the same for the new show. "When Dalek maker Mike Tucker received his Bafta nomination letter, he was gutted. It's not that he's got anything against being honoured for his TV model-making work, it's that in the same post he received his redundancy notice from the BBC. But at least he could prove he was good at his job - which helped him make the decision to set up his own effects business. 'It certainly sweetened the pill a little,' says the 41-year-old. 'I knew I wasn't being got rid of because my work was rubbish!' But that doesn't mean he wasn't worried about his future. 'I was suddenly thrust into the outside world - I was scared.' He'd gone from working on Daleks and the Big Ben model for the last series of BBC1's Doctor Who to not having a job to go to. But the work he got the Bafta shout for - a reconstruction of the Brighton Grand for a show called The Brighton Bomb - cemented his already-strong reputation. So he used his redundancy money to form his own firm - and he hasn't looked back. 'Setting up on my own has worked out really well. I'm doing loads of work for my old contacts and I've got more freedom now.'"

The South Wales Evening Post says that "The man behind the smash hit BBC series Dr Who could join the judging line-up for the literary world's most lucrative award. Swansea-born writer Russell T Davies is being tipped to play a part in the £60,000 Dylan Thomas Prize. The former Olchfa pupil is very much the man of the moment. He has won a series of top awards for his work on the revamped series. ... The prize is being billed as the world's biggest literary award... The new biennial competition is aimed at young writers and is likely to attract entries from all over the world, putting Swansea well and truly on the map. The only person so far confirmed as a judge is Cardiff-born screenwriter Andrew Davies, famous for popular historical TV adaptations such as Pride and Prejudice. He will chair the panel. Organisers are promising the identity of all the judges will be revealed at a special ceremony in Laugharne next month. But if Russell T Davies is one of them, it will go down well with writer Helen Veale, director of city production company Old Garbo. 'I have met Russell T Davies and he is a lovely chap,' she said. 'I am genuinely a huge fan of his work. He is a great advert for Swansea and he is very supportive of young local talent.'"

The Herald asks Elisabeth Sladen various interview questions: "I still buy records. When I was at school, I used to play poker in the sixth form - and, probably because it was the only record I had, I'd put on Murder in the Cathedral, with Robert Donat. What an amazing voice. I got a copy recently and it takes me right back. ... I love second-hand bookshops. I recently found a wonderful book on the film-maker Alexander Korda. I'm fascinated by the studio system. In one way actors were so manipulated, but in another they got to work so often and learn so much. ... I like to go to a small place outside Palma - and I love going up to Scotland. I don't go to a lot of Doctor Who conventions, but I enjoy them. It's awful to say, but it's interesting to talk about yourself. You have a captive audience. And it was a very fun, happy time on the show. ... I've got a Dalek, because my husband, Brian Miller, was the voice of one. I've also got a figurine of Sarah Jane Smith and a Tardis. It's a nice remembrance. But some of the merchandise in the 1980s was so awful. I actually wrote to complain. ... When I was at a Doctor Who convention at Longleat with Tom Baker many, many years ago, they served the most wonderful venison, and I've always remembered that. I bought some recently and put it in my slow-cooker. I probably overcooked it but it was really good. I'd love to buy more organic, but you have to be realistic. We're told to eat more healthily - but how can people with a large family do that? You go for the thing that says two for the price of one. ... When we moved into our house in London there was everything to do, so we had to take a lot on ourselves. I once loved shopping and going to the antique places - I've just bought a lovely old leather sofa - but I've stopped now because I've got too many knick-knacks. You don't realise, and then all of a sudden you think, gosh, I've got no room. I dream about a clearout. Brian is such a hoarder so I've gone the other way. I'm not allowed in his wardrobe - I know he's got books in there. I'm sure I'll still find the old Betamax video recorder in there too if I look hard enough."

The UK Press Association features another biography/story with Sladen: "On a dark October night in 1976, 12 million people tuned in to Doctor Who, unaware their hearts were about to be broken. Having received the summons to return to his home planet of Gallifrey, the Doctor (then played by Tom Baker) made a quick stop at the slightly less sci-fi location of Hillview Road, South Croydon. It was here he unceremoniously dropped off his long-suffering assistant, Sarah Jane Smith, who reluctantly disembarked the Tardis after three years of memorable adventures at the time-traveller's side. ... For anyone who grew up watching the series during those years, Sarah, as played by Elisabeth Sladen, has indeed remained unforgettable. ... 'I had a call from my agent that [Doctor Who's executive producer and lead writer] Russell T Davies and [producer] Phil Collinson would like to take me to lunch and talk about the show,' explains Elisabeth, who, at 58, incredibly looks hardly a year older than when she last stepped out of the Tardis. I thought they might be asking me to come back for just one small jokey scene, in a little homage to the old programme,' she continues. 'I was actually thinking, 'How can I turn this down? My agent will kill me', because I wouldn't have wanted to have done anything like that.' ... 'I suppose I just thought it was a really good opportunity, and also a challenge to see if we could get it to work.' Despite the fact it's been three decades since she starred in the show, Elisabeth laughs that 'it was surprisingly, embarrassingly not odd' to be back in Doctor Who. 'I just thought, 'Oh, there's the Tardis, there's the Doctor'. Both of them fitted, far too snugly.' Current Doctor and confirmed fan of the old series, David Tennant, has gone on record as saying he found it almost overwhelming to work with Elisabeth, having spent his growing-up years watching her on television. 'I spied him at the read through and he spied me,' she reveals. 'We circled each other a bit, and then I thought, 'Well, how ridiculous'. So I said hello, and I got the biggest hug of my life. I mean, he's absolutely delighted with the role and what he's doing with it now.'"

Sci Fi Wire spoke to Toby Whithouse, who says that "he wasn't as rabid a Who fan as his fellow writers. 'I could probably name all the Doctors in the right order, and maybe four monsters, so I thought that made me quite a big fan—until I met the other writers and realized that I knew absolutely nothing!' Whithouse said in an interview. 'They were genuine lifelong fans, so whereas I'd be standing much more on the sidelines holding the coats, they had all been immersed in that world for most of their lives.' ... 'After we had the first read-through of my episode and a couple of others, I took the train back to London with some of the other writers, and that's when I realized that I was really an amateur in this world,' Whithouse said. 'They had this encyclopedic knowledge, and compared to them, I knew basically nothing.' ... 'The irony is, my episode is the only one that really hearkens back to the past, with the inclusion of the two ex-assistants, Sarah Jane and K9. But I think the advantage of not being really immersed in that world is that when I had the first meeting to talk about my episode with Russell and Julie, and they said to me, 'We want you to bring back Sarah Jane and K9!' had I been more of a fan, the thought of bringing back those two characters would have filled me with absolute terror. I knew they were popular characters within the mythology, but I hadn't realized how iconic they were in the eyes of a lot of the fans. So I think had I been involved more in that world, it would have put the fear of God into me. As it was, I felt it was just another element I had to take on, so it didn't particularly faze me.' Although the writer admits doing some research into Sarah Jane Smith's appearances in the original series, he insisted that the current version is stylistically very different in terms of storytelling. 'Consequently, I think it was more useful to watch Russell's first season rather than go too much into the past. In terms of facts and figures,' he said. 'I actually remembered a little more than I thought I did, and the producers sent me tapes and DVDs of Sarah Jane episodes, which is really what I needed a refresher on. But, as I say, because Russell had reinvented the series, I don't think anyone would have thanked me if I had written a story too much like the previous Doctor Who, because the way it's done now has changed so radically. I think it was more important that I got that right.'"

Sci Fi Wire also interviews director James Hawes who helms this weekend's "School Reunion". "'I think it's going to surprise a lot of people,' Hawes said in an interview. ... 'There's so much going on,' Hawes said. 'From the relationship between the old assistant [Sladen] and the now-assistant [Piper] to the menacing sparring between Anthony Head's character and the Doctor. So you've already got two separate character journeys going on. And then you've got the 'spare part' Mickey, a metal dog, and I haven't even got to the aliens yet. I think the guys at the Mill have done some of their best [computer graphics] work ever, and I'm absolutely delighted with them.' Hawes said that one of the most unforgettable aspects of the episode is the performance by fan favorite Sladen, who reprises her role as Smith from the original series. 'The first scene she did with David was a tiny little scene, with an explosion and the Doctor shouting 'Run!'' he said. 'We had them running hand in hand, so she went right into a piece of iconic, familiar performance as the Doctor's assistant.' Hawes added: 'What Lis was concerned about was that the style of performance on television drama has changed dramatically and is now so much more understated and naturalized. She was concerned that it was something she wouldn't instinctively feel and wanted to watch what the other artists around her [were doing] and asked for guidance whenever she could.' While directing the episode, Hawes admitted that he didn't pay all that much attention to the admonition never to work with children and animals, even if the latter in this case was a robotic dog. 'There was a moment when K9 first came out,' he recalled, 'and I knelt down to give him notes! I fell so completely under his spell that I literally forgot there was an operator I needed to be talking to. The decision was made to build a new K9 for the episode, but he couldn't move around on the parquet floors, because he couldn't get enough grip. And the tiled floor in the kitchen was too rough, so frankly it's amazing that he ever turns up [at] all, let alone saves the Doctor. But it's an extraordinary character, and of course I grew up with K9, so to find him on your set and be so beguiled by the thing that you're suddenly on your knees talking to the dog instead of the operator was an interesting experience.'"

According to the David Tennant fan site, "David will be appearing as Jimmy Porter in the Look Back In Anger reading as part of their 50th Birthday Celebrations on Monday 8th May. They say: Jimmy Porter will be played by David Tennant (Dr Who, The Pillowman), Alison will be played by Anne-Marie Duff (The Virgin Queen, Shameless) and Helena will be played by Helen McCrory (Casanova, As You Like It) " Also, Hello Magazine says "There was no shortage of glamorous gowns on show when the Royal Court Theatre marked its 50th anniversary with a glitzy bash in London. But despite the presence of some of the capital's most stylish women, it was the laid-back look of an eccentric Timelord that turned the most heads on Wednesday night. Doctor Who star David Tennant made quite an impression on the other revellers in the exclusive Titanic bar when he made his entrance sporting a straggly beard instead of his normally clean-cut features. 'It's my new look -- do you like it?' asked the small screen favourite as other celebs in attendance craned their necks to catch a glimpse. With his open-necked white shirt, the 6ft 1in actor easily stood out from the rest of the guests, most of whom had gone for a rather more polished look." And this week'sHeat mentions that "David Tennant will put Dr Who to one side next month to star as a brain injury victim alongside his former Blackpool co-star Sarah Parish. He stars as a building-site manager who suffers personality changes after he's involved in a car accident and has to try to rebuild his identity."

Inside Soap writes, "Fresh from his Doctor Who stint, Christopher Eccleston will return to TV later this year in new ITV1 drama Perfect Parents. He'll be playing a father who pretends to be Catholic, in order to get his daughter into the best local school." Manchester Online also reports that Eccleston will "appear in Celebrity Pig's new production of Romeo and Juliet at The Lowry ... The former Dr Who star became patron of Manchester's Celebrity Pig Theatre Company, which is an independent company for people with learning disabilities, after one of their members - Dorothy Cockin - played his mother in acclaimed BBC drama, Flesh And Blood. ... Romeo and Juliet - A Question of Choice, is a new take on the Shakespearean tragedy of star-crossed lovers, drawing on personal experience of the cast on why it is so difficult for people with learning disabilities to be together. Romeo and Juliet is at The Lowry on Monday, May 15 and Tuesday, May 16."

Whats On Stage discusses the casting of Adam Garcia from "The Christmas Invasion" in the forthcoming London version of the play "Wicked" which opens at the West End's Apollo Victoria Theatre on 27 September. Garcia, who will play the role of Fiyero, helped develop the role in the 2002 workshop of "Wicked" in New York. Also, the Mirror says that "Will Young will be wowing us with some raunchy moves for his next stage show. He demanded film hunk Adam Garcia showed him how to do his dirty dance from Coyote Ugly at London's Paper club on Saturday. A spy tells us: 'The pair were necking tequilas and before long were standing on chairs and dancing. Will asked him to show him the famous raunchy bar top dance. Will caught on really quickly. It was hilarious.' Well, he is Young at heart. '"

Miscellaneous

Various news services have reported that "Doctor Who fans have been turning up to secret filming locations in Cardiff after being tipped off about the crew's whereabouts. And surprisingly the tips came from the BBC's own website leaving bosses fearing for the cast's safety. A Beeb source told the Daily Star: 'Fans were turning up on set in Cardiff and we couldn't work out how they knew where we were. Eventually one person was quizzed about how he discovered our whereabouts and we were stunned when they told us it was our own website. People were posting sighting so Billie (Piper) and David (Tennant), giving details of their locations within minutes.' The BBC have now decided to censor any items posted on their websites that they feel may put the cast or crew in danger…still there are plenty websites out there that they can't censor." This 'story' actually seems like a collection of misinformation; the official Doctor Who site doesn't have a message board anymore (though they could be referring to the Outpost Gallifrey forum or other communities), and the production office has been fine with fans turning up, so long as they do not impact filming. Reported atEntertainmentWise, Monsters and Critics, In The News.

TV Guide said of the US broadcast of "The Long Game" last Friday, "Oh how I missed the sound of that TARDIS whooshing into some strange, foreign time period or space region. It's too damn cool for words. So is the Doctor quite frankly. It's a shame Christopher Eccleston only stuck around the one season because he's so much fun in the part. However, I await David Tennant's interpretation with an open mind. ... A slightly heavy-handed episode which wouldn't be out of place plot-wise on Twilight Zone, the Satellite 5 visit coasts on mainly on its atmosphere. Rose's beef slushy and Adam's vomit-o-matic experience are both hilarious while the corpses up on Floor 500 are downright ooky. Adam must be one of the shortest-serving and most ignominious companions in Who history. I liked that the Doctor left him at home with that conduit chip still in his head. The greedy little weasel tried to cash in on knowing future events by sending info through Rose's cellphone to his mom's answering machine back on Earth. 'He's your boyfriend,' sniffed the Doctor. 'Not anymore,' retorts Rose. (Can't wait to see her explain this to Mickey.) You can't trust anyone. No wonder Adam worked for Van Statten (and kudos to those who caught me messing up that name...mea culpa), they are a lot alike. The snapped fingers from Adam's mum and her subsequent double take provided the perfect punch line to an entertaining, if unspectacular (IMHO), tale. To be fair, anything would pale after that incredible Dalek episode. Questions: Did anyone else suspect the Ice Warriors when they cut to Floor 500 for the first time? I don't know if this is the Jagrafess's first appearance. (I don't remember him.) And is there something brewing between the Doctor and Rose, romance wise? 'It'll take more man than me to get between you two,' quips Adam in a rare moment of humility (as opposed to humiliation). Later, as Adam is begging for a second chance, the Doctor bluntly tells him off: 'I only take the best, I've got Rose.' Without her, he might just be a giddier House without the pills and with a functioning right leg."

The South Wales Evening Post: "I fear Swansea's Doctor Who script writer Russell T Davies could be in for a hard time, despite more than eight million people watching last Saturday's first episode of the new series. That is very impressive, but it was a noticeable drop compared to the 11 million-plus viewers who had watched last year's first series opener. So: is Russell losing his touch? I sincerely hope not. But if viewing figures start to slump, how quickly will the national (that is, English) newspapers start making a point of mentioning his Welsh origin?"

Said the Derby Evening Telegraph, "It is every Doctor Who fan's dream to enter the Tardis and they can now make that dream a reality at a Derbyshire tourist attraction. Once they step inside they will find only a telephone, rather than a physics-defying time machine, but that has not stopped enthusiasts spending thousands on its restoration. The Mark Two Metropolitan Police box, which is believed to be one of only two remaining, found a home at Crich Tramway Village in the 1970s after being rescued from London's Ealing Broadway. Sci-fi enthusiasts from around the country began raising funds three years ago to restore the 50-year-old phone box after it started crumbling through general wear. Expert restorers spent five weeks fixing the cracked concrete on the box. It was also given a new coat of blue paint to match the Tardis from the popular BBC television show. The enthusiasts are now proud of the final result and it was unveiled at the attraction yesterday."

The Guardian praises the use of signature tunes in series, including noting that "Familiar music as a programme opens is a reassuring device for cushioning change. The exuberant scripts of Russell T Davies may be light years away from the bumbling progress of William Hartnell, but there's always the reassuring whoosh of Ron Grainer's signature tune to tell you it is still Dr Who."

The Daily Record says that "The Doctor went all 'Och Aye The Who' on Saturday, with Timelord svengali Russell T. Davies allowing David Tennant out to play with his Scottish accent for just one episode. Davies denies it, but I'm concerned some suit in the Beeb's bosom decreed that the new Who wouldn't be speaking 'Scotch', because...well, let's remember they chose to subtitle Sweet Sixteen."

The New York Daily News says of the first season of the new series, "Great if you love: 'Veronica Mars,' 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' 'Angel'. What it is: This reimagined version of the British cult hit - with significantly better production values - follows the enigmatic Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and present-day teen (Penelope Wilton) as they travel through time and space, in a phone booth, to save the world. Why you'll like it: The show's naughty humor and likable characters make it easy for science- fiction-phobes to love. Why you've never seen it: The channel itself is the usual barrier for most people, who will admit to liking 'Star Wars' or even 'Star Trek,' but would never call themselves sci-fi fans." Of course, they seem to have gotten one of the members of the cast wrong (Piper, not Penelope!)... but why quibble?

The Times says, "Could any acting role tempt Ian Hislop? 'Doctor Who', the Private Eye Editor tells TV Times. 'I'm a huge fan. If Russell T. Davies wanted me to appear, I'd be there . . . I think it's time for Davros to be back, isn't it?'"

A writer for Media Blvd says, "When I was growing up, many things were essential discussion topics in the school playground: Was George from Rainbow a boy or a girl? Do magic torches like Jamie's really exist? Why can't you reach under a bench and find a perfect model you made earlier when following a Blue Peter make? Who was the scariest baddie in Doctor Who? For me, it was always the Daleks. Way back in the 70's, the highlight of my week was fighting my sister for the cushions in order to hide behind them when watching Doctor Who. With my child's mind, if the Daleks couldn't see me, I was safe. I loved the Doctor, he was an alien, a time traveller, and he didn't die because he regenerated into someone else. He always, always found a way out of trouble despite being stuck in the most frightful of cliff-hangers on a weekly basis. But his enemies were the reason I watched the programme. That, and K9! Excitement mingled with anticipation and fear as the Cybermen or Daleks or one of the other terrifying world-destroying enemies attacked. The cushions on our sofa were well used! Our glee and astonishment shone through when the Doctor once again proved victorious (and we suddenly developed amnesia about the need for the use of the cushion). We didn't notice the wobbly sets, the men beneath the obvious costumes, or the fact that the Dalek weapon was really a sink plunger. We were immersed in a world of terror and joy, and we loved every minute of it. We watched Doctor after Doctor come and go, and changed our favourite Doctor with each regeneration. We fell in love with, or loathed, the companions, and we begged our parents for a K9 dog (our own flesh and bone dogs just weren't good enough after K9!). We worried that the Earth would be invaded, and we would be exterminated without a care. But, above all, we escaped worries of real life for 45 minutes a week and bonded as sisters, and as a family. And then, suddenly, it was gone. Doctor Who was cancelled! ... Yet I was sceptical when I learned of the planned return of this iconic programme. Other remakes or renewals of classics had failed to impress me some had downright infuriated me and I had little hope for the new Doctor Who being any different. I was nervous and sick to my stomach: was my childhood memory about to be destroyed forever? Hope began to burn when I learned of the casting of Christopher Eccleston, and then died again when news broke about the casting of Billie Piper as his companion. How could an ex-teen popstar ever hope to be a serious companion to the Doctor? I expected to hate the new Doctor Who... I was pleasantly surprised! This new Doctor had a Northern accent (always a plus when you also have a Northern accent) and a wicked sense of humour. His comic timing and tongue in cheek, matter of fact delivery won me over. And Billie, as Rose, proved to be an inspired choice. Rose is feisty, modern, intelligent, and far from the helpless companions of old. This is a new Doctor Who. A funnier Doctor Who. The show shines with the typical British sense of poking fun at itself, and not taking itself too seriously, while being totally serious and totally entertaining all at the same time. This Doctor has fun, while also acknowledging the tragedy of life. So what if the monsters are no longer scary? I've grown up, and no longer get scared at these enemies attacking my hero. I admit to a little sadness at this revelation; I think I prefer being the scared child but I now have the adult appreciation of the fear and danger that the Doctor faces instead, which is a consolation. But the cushions in my home are still used. A new generation has discovered the joy of the Dalek, and my daughter now sits and hides her face whenever one shows it's face (or plunger). And so a generation gap has been filled. The children of yesteryear watch the programme with the children of today. One with fond memories rekindled, the other with new memories forged. Doctor Who is, once again, must see TV and Saturday evenings are once again something to anticipate. As Season 2 begins in the UK, with yet another Doctor to get to know and love, my daughter and I will sit huddled together on our sofa (and my sister and her children will be on theirs), and once again, the cushions will be fought over as the scary aliens appear. And maybe, just maybe, a new generation of Sci Fi lovers will be born..."

There's more coverage of several recent stories at the following locations: the Welsh BAFTA awards at ICWales,ICNorth Wales, SyFy Portal,Contact Music, Digital Spy, Yahoo News; the recent Torchwood casting news atSyFy Portal, Digital Spy; Tom Baker out at BT as their mobile voice at VNUNet, What PC, Computing, UPI; the ratings situation atMedia Guardian; the new K9 series at K9 Magazine, SyFyPortal.

Other items: The Independent calls Billie Piper the 19th happiest person in Britain: "Former teen pop star with a failed marriage to DJ Chris Evans. Now at 23 an acclaimed actress and the first assistant in history of 'Doctor Who' to be bigger than the Time Lord."; Unison.ie profiles Sophia Myles from "The Girl in the Fireplace"; Peterborough Today comments on the TARDIS prop arriving at the Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery at the weekend; the BBC Press Office issued a new release about the BBC's vision for new media and technology for the future, including use of new technologies on the Doctor Who site; Now Playing also reviews the Doctor Who novel "The Deviant Strain"; Milton Keynes Todayreports on a London Marathon runner dressed in a Dalek costume; the Oldham Advertiser talks about a fan who took his K9 model out for a walk through Manchester. (Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Peter Weaver, Paul Hayes, John Bowman, Stephen Askew, Simon Bishop)

The Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB) today released the final ratings numbers for New Earth: 8.62 million viewers watched the episode in the UK, an increase of 0.63m on the initial overnight figures. BARB figures traditionally are slightly different than overnights, as they take into account research into timeshifted viewing (watching the episode later after recording it). With this, Doctor Who is third place for the week in all UK programs behind ITV1's "Coronation Street" and BBC1's "EastEnders", and places ninth for the week in the top ten airings (as 'Coronation Street' and 'EastEnders' are both shown multiple times, five and three respectively). These figures also leave 'New Earth', a million viewers up on 'Aliens of London' on the same Saturday in 2005, and 0.62m ahead of the series average for last year, making it the fifth most successful episode since Doctor Who's return, only slightly behind the 8.63m achieved by 'Dalek'.

Also, on the non-terrestrial (multi-channel) charts -- digital and satellite broadcasts -- Doctor Who Confidentialepisode one was seen by 761,000 viewers to place seventh overall for the week. The documentary was up by over 30,000 on the overnights and almost a quarter of a million more than was achieved by Confidential on the same Saturday in 2005. (Thanks to 'Shaun Lyon', Steve Tribe)