According to UK Gold, the satellite network will begin showing the first season of the new Doctor Who series starting Monday, 23 October, at both 7pm and 8pm and continuing through the end of the week (likely the following Sunday.) There is currently no word as to whether this will be just the single showing or if there are more reruns of this programme in UKGold's futrue. (Thanks to Kenny McGuinness)

Some new broadcasting information has come to light, according to Benjamin Elliott of "This Week in Doctor Who". In Hungary, the RTLKlub network will carry the series (although a broadcaster in Denmark has also picked it up, the name of this station is unknown). British Midlands Airlines is broadcasting at least one episode on overseas flights, while Volo TV on the First Great Western Railway in the UK is now offering a lot of TV programs to view, possibly also the new Doctor Who series. Finally, Telewest Broadband in the UK is rolling out a video on demand service to their cable subscribers which will allow viewers to see recent UK TV shows, allegedly including Doctor Who.

The BBC has released details of the BBC Wales Annual Review 2004-05 on its press office website (link here). Hot on the heels of yesterday's praise ofDoctor Who in the BBC's overall review, the report claims that "Doctor Who led BBC Cymru Wales to one of its most successful twelve months ever during 2004-05." It adds that "The value of programmes made by BBC Cymru Wales for the BBC's national networks rose from ú16 million in 2003-04 to more than ú30 million in 2004-05." Says BBC News, "The high spot for Drama was undoubtedly Doctor Who." The BBC Controller's introductionto the report says that "the old-style programme is fondly remembered but the new Doctor Who, made by BBC Wales, is a galaxy away from the Saturday night entertainment of a generation ago. The rapidly developing technology of television, particularly through the use of the most advanced special effects, brings it much closer to the kind of thing viewers are used to seeing in the cinema. Now the Daleks can even climb the stairs. Their return, and the return of the Doctor has proved hugely popular with audiences on BBC One and there is already a firm commitment to two further series. It is a vivid demonstration of what we can achieve in Wales." The magazine The Stage also has a feature article on this. (Thanks to Paul Hayes, Steve Tribe)

The date, time and content of the BBC3 repeat run have today been revised, according to the Radio Times website. In line with the report on the official Doctor Who site, the repeats will not now begin on Saturday 16 July at 7.45pm. Instead, "Rose" will be reshown from 7pm on Sunday 17 July and will be followed by a "Cut Down" version of Doctor Who Confidential: Bringing back the Doctor" from 7.45pm to 8pm. The official site suggests that there will be a further BBC3 transmission of the series on Friday evenings from 9pm to 10pm, and repeats will likely continue on BBC3 on subsequent Sundays as well.

The Parting of the Ways

Yesterday's season finale, The Parting of the Ways, had 6,185,840 viewers watching... which may not seem like a lot at first, but "Doctor Who" was the top-ranked programme of Saturday night ("Casualty" only had 5.9 million) and in fact had an extremely impressive 41.77% audience share! A BBC spokesperson told BBC News that warm weather was a likely reason for less people watching TV indoors... that, despite viewing figures being down, it was still the most watched television show of the evening. "Almost half of those watching television tuned in to Doctor Who. It continues to be the most-watched television show on a Saturday night." The repeat of Doctor Who at 10.50pm Saturday night had 254,670 viewers (2.6% share). Doctor Who Confidential had 676,860 viewers immediately after "Parting of the Ways" (6.8% share, #1 in its timeslot for non-terrestrial channels) and 175,920 viewers (2.3% share) for the late night 11.35pm Saturday showing. Also, Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide had approximately 2.7 million viewers immediately prior to the broadcast of "Parting".

Over the weekend the BBC main website featured a special splash page with the words "TIME IS UP... Invasion Begins Tonight BBC One 7pm".

In a report on BBC News, Russell T Davies said star Christopher Eccleston "turned around the reputation" of Doctor Who. "I love Doctor Who and I love the old Doctor Who. But, even with all that love, you have to admit that the name of the programme had become a joke and its reputation had become a cheap joke at that - you know rubber monsters and shaky sets. And Chris, as one of the country's leading actors, by being willing to step up to the line and take on that part has proved himself to be magnificent and has turned it around. So now you get actors like David Tennant who is the next generation and just about one of the best actors in the world. David himself says he wouldn't have touched this part if Chris hadn't done it because the part had become a joke. But Chris has salvaged it and made it new, and now we get to do one of the most famous parts of Doctor Who folklore - the moment when the Doctor regenerates and becomes a new person and yet stays exactly the same man." Davies also notes that "We've been talking to Billie for months now and Billie Piper is in every single episode next year. We have got a Christmas special coming up and then 13 episodes, so we are going to make 14 in total and she is in all 14 episodes." He said that the success of the show was down to imagination. "It's been everything we planned and more, and it's very rarely in life you get the chance to have that happen. I genuinely love the old series of Doctor Who and I especially went back in my mind to the 60s - you know their imagination back then was limitless. It's just now that we happen to have a chance that we have a nice budget and that we can actually show some of these things. In its heart Doctor Who was always this imaginative and it was always this big."

More reviews of "Parting of the Ways". In the Telegraph: "And so it ends - another Doctor down the vortex, another Dalek invasion foiled and a mystery at least partially solved. The first series of the revived and revitalised Doctor Who ended last night amid Wagnerian choruses and swarms of airborne Daleks hellbent on reducing mankind to a giant, fleshy puddle. I can't imagine anyone of any age coming away feeling short-changed. For 13 weeks, Doctor Who has breathed new life into that most mouldy of broadcasting concepts: family viewing. It's sent Christopher Eccleston's star soaring and it's added a deserved lustre to the crown of its chief scriptwriter, Russell T Davies....." In the Sunday Mirror: "Fair's fair - that Doctor Who finale was flawless. But it didn't make up for the six or so ropey episodes (yes you, Slitheens) we've had to endure. Fact is, Chris Eccleston was only any good when the Doctor was fighting the Daleks. And this show was only unmissable when the Daleks were in town. Which means that now the Daleks are (surely) gone forever, and despite his show-stealing cameo last night, David Tennant really has his work cut out. Still, if any man can..." In The People: "The BBC held a back-slapping Bafta screening for last night's Dr Who. Are they sure? The hit series has been fun, but it's also been flawed by feeble aliens (the Slitheen), childish fart jokes and the constant gurning of Chris Eccleston. The sci-fi has been so-so, with writer Russell T Davies relying heavily on lazy cheats like the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. The hottest episodes (the solo Dalek, the Victorian gas creatures) were written by other people. Russell's plotting is frequently thinner than his freakish cosmetic surgery creation Cassandra. ... The Doc has regenerated as David Tennant. Superb. Here, exclusively, is the new Who's to-do list: 1) Stop grinning like a loon. 2) Remove Eccleston's pigeons from Tardis loft. 3) Release whippet into t'wild... " Also, the Scottish Sunday Mail refers to David Tennant in the TARDIS at the end of the story.

Because we took the day off yesterday and didn't report on all the spoiler-laden previews of the final episode, here are some links for your reading pleasure: The Mirror, The Sun, The Western Mail, Dark Horizons, BBC Radio 1 News, The Belfast Telegraph.

Monday's Herald: "Another close one for the human race, then. Who would have guessed the ex-wife of Chris Evans would end up with the time vortex running through her head, thus acquiring special-effects eyes, the power of life and death and an ability to save the day 200,000 years from now? Didn't see that one coming. ... Each episode of the new and immaculately-conceived Doctor Who has had a satirical edge to it, a theme with a moral that, as with most half-decent science-fiction, has an application in the here and now. For Saturday's episode, the lesson involved a mechanical, in this case literally so, devotion to religion. ... It was all done with great style, not a little wit and some authentic pathos. In a single series, Christopher Eccleston has established himself as one of the best, if not the best, 900-year-old Time Lords in the business. David Tennent's sparky cameo as the post-regeneration heir to the title û 'So where was I?' û was promising, but the bar has been set high."

The Guardian called the episode their Pick of the Day and said, "In 1989, Doctor Who came to a close with Sylvester McCoy stumbling towards some bushes muttering about tea getting cold. In contrast, the triumphant new series' finale is nothing short of a Dalek-flavoured Gotterdammerung with the ultimate fate of humanity up for grabs. One gets the feeling that the final shot won't be a freeze-frame of the show's five regulars hi-fiving as the Tardis vworps off. Russell T Davies - thank you. Bye Chris. David Tennant - please don't screw it up."

Merchandise

At right is the cover illustration for the thirdDoctor Who first series DVD release, Volume Three, which was revealed this week on the Amazon.co.uk website. Volume Three includes four episodes -- "The Long Game," "Father's Day," "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances" -- and is now due for release on August 1 instead of late July as originally announced. We should have a much better quality version of this cover early this week.

In Austraila, the release dates of the next three editions of the new series DVDs were given in a flyer in the first release: Volume 2 is out on August 4, Volume 3 in September and Volume 4 in October. Also, the flyer in Volume 1 is part of a competition to get a "free Talking Dalek Bottle Opener" if you purchase all 4 volumes.

The Doctor Who Companion û Series One from Panini Press, a Doctor Who Magazine special, is due out on July 7. The special will feature photographs and information on the first season of the show; more details about that soon.

Series Two and Three

Russell T Davies is quoted at CBBC Newsround about the 'scoop' for season two. "A Christmas special this year, another series of 13 episodes in 2006, followed by another Christmas special and then 13 more episodes in 2007, which is very exciting," Davies says. About villains: "Some great new stuff. Some famous old monsters called Cybermen will be coming back and they are as equally scary as the Daleks. They will marching onto your screens into 2006. Lots of new villains too and one or two favourite characters from this year as well. But at the same time the Christmas special has a brand new monster to fight, and that's gonna be good!" About new planets: "I'm the one who has stopped us going off earth because I think you see an awful lot of shows, expensive good ones like Enterprise and Angel, where they go to another planet or dimension and it looks rubbish, it looks like California in the sunshine with a funny rock. I think that when stuff like Revenge of the Sith is doing the most beautiful planets, no matter what you think of the film, the planets are utterly beautiful and that's on a cinema budget which is a trillion times more than a television show would have. I think it's the hardest thing to do and I'm very wary of looking like rubbish because I think the moment the programme looks rubbish people point at it and laugh in a bad way. I'm very happy if people have fun with it and have a good laugh with it. When you have a bad laugh you've lost the faith and you've lost the audience." About a story arc for the second season, like the "Bad Wolf" stuff: "Yes there is, and that word has already been heard on screen. And that's all I'm saying. You'll have to go back and trawl through 13 episodes to realise what I'm on about. You'll hear the word in the Christmas special though" About the Christmas Special: "It's going to be 60 minutes long. It's the first story of the new Doctor played by David Tennant. I remember when I was young it's very strange when a new Doctor comes along, and that's exactly how Rose feels. Her mum gets involved again, but beyond that I can't give anything else away. It's as Christmassy as can be. It's got reindeer, it's got sleigh bells, it's got the works." About Tennant and his native Scottish accent: "Well, every planet has a Scotland. You'll have to wait and see, there are big revelations on the way and I can't say any more than that." About reaction to the show: "The thing we're most happy about is that we've got a new young audience watching. Research before we started said children won't watch because their mums and dads liked it. That was terrifying because we wanted a young audience and I especially wanted girls watching because science-fiction is very often seen as a boy's thing, which is why we have so many strong female characters. And a lot of strong emotion in it, because I think that gets girls watching. I'm delighted that young audience has latched on to it."

Rumors abound, mostly in a report in Saturday's The Sun, that the BBC has approached Elisabeth Sladen to reprise the role of Sarah Jane Smith along with her robot dog K-9 in next year's Doctor Who season. The Sun quotes Russell T Davies as saying "Talks are under way with Elisabeth Sladen to revive the iconic character Sarah Jane Smith, who is remembered by a whole generation of Doctor Who fans." However, there's no additional confirmation about this quote or the report itself.

According to Broadcast Now, "Doctor Who could face yet another regeneration for the show's third series, after the BBC revealed it has still not signed a deal with its new Time Lord actor David Tennant. Tennant and co-star Billie Piper have both been confirmed for the second series, but the BBC admitted that no contract has been signed with either actor for the third series, announced this week. 'We're still in discussions with David Tennant and Billie Piper. The third series has only just been announced, so it's still early days,' said a spokeswoman. Eccleston sparked a storm of criticism when he revealed he would not reprise the role for the second series. When the news was leaked, the BBC was forced to apologise to the actor after issuing a statement in his name, claiming he had left the series for fear of being typecast. A first series ending had to be filmed in which Eccleston's face morphs into that of Casanova star Tennant. He and Piper will star in the 13-episode second series and a Christmas special, which are being filmed in Cardiff this summer for broadcast next year."

Executive producer Julie Gardner is interviewed in a video on the official Doctor Who website, accessible here. "Will the Daleks be back? What are children up to in playgrounds? What is Bad Wolf? Does the series end on a bang?"

Other series three confirmation reports were featured at Scifi.com, The Register, Brand Republic, SyFyPortal.

People

Christopher Eccleston stars in Peter Nichols' play "A Day in the of Death of Joe Egg" on BBC Radio 3 on Sunday 3 July, according to programmeinformation from the BBC Press Office.

According to Broadway World, John Barrowman will join Rob Lowe as one of A Few Good Men, which opens in its London premiere on September 6th at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket after starting previews on August 18th. Lowe will play Lt. Daniel Kaffee, a lawyer who must defend a soldier accused of killing one of this fellow soldiers, while Barrowman will portray Captain Jack Ross, the role made famous by Kevin Bacon in the hit 1992 film that also starred Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore. Suranne Jones has also been cast in the Aaron Sorkin play, which will be directed by David Esbjornson (The Ride Down Mt. Morgan, The Goat).

Press Coverage

Monday's The Independent calls "Doctor Who's greatest triumph the return of TV for all the family. So Doctor Who is over for this year - which is a shame, because the return of the eccentric time traveller has been a triumph for BBC Television and given many of us a much-needed 'appointment to view' programme to watch on a Saturday night. For those, like me, who believe in popular, quality drama on British television, it was a delight to watch the Doctor take a sonic screwdriver to Celebrity Wrestling on ITV. The debate on whether or not to revive Doctor Who had been going on at the BBC for some years before the recently departed controller of BBC1, Lorraine Heggessey, decided it was time for the Doctor's return. She should be applauded, not just for taking the decision, but for giving the series such a large budget - BBC1 spent ú1m on each 45-minute episode, although the total cost was ú1.2m (the rest came from overseas sales). By current television drama standards, that is an enormous figure and Lorraine's decision was not without risk, as the Doctor Who addicts are, as well as being a bit anoraky, a demanding bunch. But even they should be satisfied with a well-scripted, well-acted series which had high production values and condemned to yesteryear the old practice of pushing Daleks around the studio . ... The reason Doctor Who was a triumph is that, for the first time for some years, we had a new (at least, it felt new) early-evening drama that could be watched by the whole family, something that many in television thought was close to impossible to achieve in the multi-channel age. Just listening to Jonathan Ross raving about the series on his Saturday morning show on Radio Two tells you why it was so special; it gave him the opportunity to sit with his children and watch a programme that they all enjoyed, but on a range of different levels. ... It could be that Doctor Who is unique, that its long history - which guaranteed an audience - combined with a big budget and an outstanding production team gave it advantages that the average new show is never going to get. Or it could be that commissioners just need to be willing to take more risks, and back them up with big money."

Also in the Independent, Matthew Norman's Media Diary says "Finally, on the conclusion of Doctor Who's comeback series, my twopenn'orth of sycophantic adulation for Russell T Davies for a miraculous revival, and some of the best scripts TV drama has known for years. The loss of Christopher Eccleston is a blow, of course (especially to those who have had the fabled pleasure of working with him), but we look forward to David Tennant in the next series. Incidentally, plans to hire Simon Heffer as The Hefferlump - a part-organic, part-robotic madman hell-bent on bringing Enoch Powell back to life - have been shelved due to concerns about the show's pre-watershed start time. But Simon will definitely be signed up to play one of the Slitheen, should that portly family of intergalactic mercenaries make a comeback in series two."

The Telegraph says that the "Time is right for Dr Who to conquer films. The television phenomenon of 2005 is heading for the big screen for the first time in 40 years. The BBC confirmed that it is considering a film adaptation after the triumphant climax of the Doctor Who series last night..."

The Daily Star says that "TV bosses are bracing themselves for a backlash from moral crusaders tomorrow night when they screen a kiss between Dr Who and bisexual time-traveller Captain Jack Harkness. In the last episode of the series, the Timelord and Rose face the wrath of the Daleks - and Captain Jack, actor John Barrowman, 38, is sure they won't survive. As he gets set to mount an attack on the aliens, he plants a smacker on the Doctor's lips and says: 'See you in hell!' Despite the cheeky nature of the kiss, telly watchdogs are already up in arms about it. David Turtle of MediaWatch said: 'This is totally inappropriate, considering Doctor Who goes out in the early evening and is meant to be for family viewing.'" The Western Mail also discusses that, and has a few quotes from Davies. "At the outset, we were told by many people within the business that we were making an impossible programme," he says. "Demographic experts told us that a show designed for family viewing was unrealistic in the current TV climate. They said, 'Don't aim for that.' But we forged ahead, and we proved them wrong. ... One of the hardest things about the second series will be sticking to the same road we've created. In many ways, after you've proved successful with one series, the second series is the biggest, most dangerous challenge, so none of us are resting on our laurels. We want to stay faithful to the roots of the programme, while also pushing it further." He refers to the story about how he approached "Harry Potter" author JK Rowling to write an episode of the first series: "But she turned us down, and I'm not crawling back to ask a second time!" He says that having worked with Tennant will be a big advantage. "It means I know David's rhythms of speech, his mannerisms. But, as the Doctor, he won't be hugely different to Christopher Eccleston. He'll have a different style of dialogue, and his own quirks - just like you had Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker and Peter Davison - but he's still the Doctor. He'll be wearing different clothes, but rumours that David will be wearing a kilt are completely untrue."

Prime TV in New Zealand screened a short trailer for the new series at approx. 1pm on Sunday the 19th June. The trailer lasted less than thirty seconds and was made up of a montage of clips from the new series, ending with the new series logo and a caption underneath reading Coming Soon.

The Daily Star said that Saturday was "one of the saddest moments for anyone watching telly. Not because they're watching Beverly Hills Cop on ITV and lamenting how rubbish Eddie Murphy is now. No. They'll be watching the end of Dr Who on BBC1. There will be howls of anguish, screams of agony and buckets of tears. It will be like the nation has been turned into a McFly gig audience. In fact there will be only one house in Britain where there WON'T be blubbing. Mine. I'm sooooo glad it's ending. I can't take any more. It's simply too good. It's spoiling the rest of my telly viewing by making it rubbish in comparison. And professionally, I am running out of phrases to describe its magnificence. ... Anyway, I'm glad it's ending as my head and heart will explode if it gets any better. If Russell T Davies has any sense he'll cancel plans to do a second series, quit while he's ahead - and start work on bringing back Blake's 7."

The Washington Blade says that "Captain Jack Harkness is the most singularly unique character I have ever witnessed on television. He likes women. He likes men. He likes ù robots. He flies around in an invisible spaceship and swoops out of the sky just in time to stop a bomb, all brawn and machismo, and in the next scene makes a catty little quip and forms an exaggerated 'W' with his fingers. Did I mention that he hides a rather large laser gun in his $#@? Gay actor John Barrowman plays the openly omnisexual Captain Jack Harkness in the new 'Doctor Who' series. We should expect little less from Russell T. Davies ... He's a 51st century guy. He's just a little more flexible about who he dances with."

The Times Online asks "Why is Doctor Who such a success?": "Before Doctor Who of went on air, research suggested that no one would want to watch it and that the BBC was heading for a ú10 million disaster. The sci-fi series has confounded predictions by attracting seven million viewers. Why have so many people switched on to the Doctor?" The site has reader responses from a variety of locations.

Russell T Davies has a brief letter in this week's print edition of Broadcast magazine. Last week, Emily Bell wrote at length on the artistic and broadcasting success of the series (see OG news, 12 June), saying that her seven-year-old had woken her up in the middle of the night, worried about gas masked zombies... "There were five minutes last week when I was angry with Russell T Davies." Davies has replied: "It's not often I get the chance to wake up a woman at 4am, so my apologies to Emily Bell. And thanks for the kind words about Doctor Who. But much as I'd like to claim the credit, the scary gas-mask children were created and written by Steven Moffat. And very brilliant they were too."

The Independent refers to a particular exchange between the Doctor and Rose in the last episode (concerning a kiss...) and examines its relevance. "After 40 years of time-travelling, Dr Who is finally to enjoy his first kiss. But what makes the meeting of the 'mucous membranes of the lips of two people' so special? Kissing is a very strange activity, so strange that in more than 40 Earth years and countless aeons in his own eccentric time zone, not one of the various Doctors Who has ever been tempted to make contact between the mucous membranes of his lips and those of his gorgeous, pouting female assistants. Until tonight, that is, when, in the last of the Christopher Eccleston/Billy Piper Doctor Who series, the doctor kisses his horny sidekick-ette, Rose Tyler. The BBC spin machine was already in full dampener mode yesterday, when it claimed that the Who/Tyler clinch was, in fact, artificial respiration administered by the Doctor. 'Their lips do touch and there is a kiss, but it is designed to rescue Rose from death,' said the series spokesman....."

In Canada, the Globe and Mail talks about the show going into reruns immediately. "Surrounded by a tremendous amount of hype when it premiered in April, the latest incarnation of the popular long-running sci-fi franchise is back for a repeat airing. 'We are very happy with the numbers we got the first time when we telecast it as a hockey replacement,' says CBC's executive director of network programming, Slawko Klymkiw. 'They show how popular Doctor Who is and we wanted to give audiences another chance to see this fabulous, innovative series.' Christopher Eccleston makes for a sexy, tongue-in-cheek version of the Time Lord and it's a pity he won't be back on board TARDIS for a second go. An announcement of his departure, made just after the series launched, left the actor vilified, but Eccleston had only signed on for one season to avoid being typecast. If you missed the show this spring, this is your chance to catch the daring new Doctor before he's reincarnated as a tamer time traveler."

Some radio show "listen again" featurettes courtesy the DWAS: the Today Programme, BBC Radio 4 6:00am-9:00am, has a discussion about how television impacts the public and whether it is educational/stimulating enough or simply turning us into couch potatoes with a reference to 'Father's Day' here (about 02:45:00 in); the Nicola Heyward Thomas show on BBC Radio Wales, 12:00-2:00pm, has a discussion on Doctor Who and how good its been, with Express critic Charlie Catchpole, local shop owner Christian Barrie, and DWAS Press Officer Antony Wainer here (about 00:34:30 in) and a phone interview with John Barrowman (about 01:47:00 in); and Good Morning Wales, BBC Radio Wales, 6:00-9:00am, has two stories, with Doctor Who topping the Cult TV polls (about 00:03:00 in) and an interview with Davies (about 02:41:00 in).

In addition to our previous note about the show on TV Times, the season finale also featured in the "Total TV Guide", with a short interview with Davies - the cover shows Eccleston and loads of Daleks, and a colour photo (of loads more Daleks) inside with the interview. In it, RTD is quoted as saying "people are more inclined to run away from weird things like purple beaches" so evidently it was recorded before he changed his mind about alien planets!

Other News Items

According to the Doctor Who Exhibitions website, the new series exhibition on Brighton Pier is now displaying new exhibits from episodes 7 to 13 as of this weekend.

Doctor Who was named "top cult series" in a poll conducted by the Cult TV website (the people who run the annual Cult TV convention in the UK) according to a report at BBC news. "Doctor Who has beaten Star Trek to the title of most popular cult TV show, in a website's poll of viewers. The BBC show knocked Star Trek from the number one spot in the vote conducted by the website Cult TV, ending Star Trek's nine-year reign at number one." Also reported at Sky News.

Other press items: the Sydney Morning Herald in Australia gives a favorable review to "World War Three"; the Sci-Fi Online site has a handy guide to the series' cliffhangers if every 45 minute episode were broken down into two parts; and the Carlisle News and Star has an inteview with Peter Tyler, the model unit director of photography on the show;

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Adam Kirk, Steve Berry, Frank Shailes, John Hatfield, Peter Weaver, Duncan Rose, David French, Martin Hearn and Andy Parish)

The BBC has begun posting the daily trailers for The Parting of the Ways at the official Doctor Who website. The BBC also ran a banner ad for it on the BBC homepage, although it disappeared later (possibly due to the intense web traffic.)

Michael Grade has apparently had an about-face. According to BBC News, the BBC Chairman is now celebrating the series' success. "Sir Michael Grade came face to face with the TARDIS, currently in BBC Wales reception, as he gave a speech to the Institute of Welsh Affairs in Cardiff today. 'It has been a memorable year in terms of the BBC showcasing strong Welsh productions for the whole UK audience to enjoy,' noted Sir Michael during his speech. 'Casanova, Tribe, A Year at Kew - and, of course, my favourite, Doctor Who. We will not dwell on the fact that I - in an earlier incarnation - took Doctor Who off the air. You live. You learn... especially in Wales, you learn.'"

The Times reports on the BBC's attempt to lure fans offline in order to keep the secrets of this coming weekend's episode just that, secret. "Whoever [Bad Wolf] is ù and fastidious Doctor Who fans should already have a reasonably good idea ù the BBC would rather that no one found out for certain until the final episode of the latest series is broadcast at 7pm on Saturday. The corporation has gone to extreme lengths to protect the ending of the season finale. It commissioned fake scripts, filmed alternative endings and even produced a website full of clues and misinformation, badwolf.org.uk, to suggest various endings..." The BBC told fans on the official site, "Publicity pictures will appear tomorrow, and thereÆs a screening for the press on Wednesday, so stuff will leak out. Our best advice to you ù STAY OFF THE INTERNET THIS WEEK!" The Times namechecked Outpost Gallifrey in their report, quoting at least one poster on the Outpost's Forum about his theories on Bad Wolf's identity.

Christopher Eccleston has voiced a TV advert for a campaign to support the fight against some of the world's most deadly diseases such as AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, according to reports at BBC News, the Daily Mail,Manchester Online, The Scotsman.

Last night's Top Gear which featured a guest appearance by Eccleston as the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, featured the actor doing a lap of 1 minute 52.4 seconds, beating Vinnie Jones. It was also a special lap, since Christopher is only licenced to drive automatic cars, so the Top Gear team managed to find him one of the forty Suzuki Lianas in the UK. He also made a few spin-outs during his practice runs. On the official lap, the Top Gear team had a little fun with his Doctor Who legacy by having the Liana materialise on the starting line, complete with the TARDIS sound effect!

More reviews of Bad Wolf from last weekend. Says the Guardian: "It seems that if Russell T Davies's Doctor Who vision comes true, TV won't be changing much in the next 200,000 years, except that there'll be more of it and it will be nastier. ... It's an interesting vision of TV in the future. You can see what Russell T Davies did to get there. He just observed what's been happening in the last few years - a huge increase in the number of channels, nastier programmes, more sinister powers behind the scenes - and he just took it a bit further. I'm actually surprised it's going to take so long to get to live deaths, more than 200,000 years after the first on-screen sex. Maybe we got prudish again, there was a second Victorian age somewhere in between. Or another Mary Whitehouse. And there will certainly be reality in space well before 202005." The Northern Echo says "What's been great about the new Who is the way Davies and the other writers have taken the elements fans expect to see - slimy villains, incomprehensible technological talk, dodgy special effects and a sonic screwdriver - and coupled them with a crisper, cooler, more modern approach. The results have been unmissable. Rarely has a series so successfully been brought back from the dead. ... And those who moaned that only a solitary Dalek was seen in a previous episode will rejoice that the cliffhanger revealed not one, not two, but half a million Daleks ready to exterminate everyone. It would have come as more of a surprise if last week's trailer hadn't given the game away. But the scene is set for a confrontation between the Doctor and his feared enemy that will leave him a changed man."

Russell T Davies wrote a piece for today's Guardian in which he says the only scary part of the series was meeting the monsters. "When I was asked to bring back Doctor Who, I did pause. Going back can work for maybe one night - a drink, a flirt, a snog, then vanish - but this was going to be a year of my life. Plenty of people told me that it was a mistake, that revivals never work, that science fiction was irretrievably niche, that frankly, I had better things to do. It sounded like a great mistake. And that's what made my mind up. Flying in the face of opinion, lovely. ... I never expected any of this to work. I swear, I thought the niche would win. I'd watch rushes of Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper being so very, very excellent, and feel sad that all this hard work would be relegated to a Friday at midnight by week seven. But somehow, it seems to have worked, although you will not find me celebrating until after the last episode - sorry, season finale. And even then, I am not going to think too much about what worked. Beware the analysis. I went into the first series on instinct, and that's how it should stay. But I love this show as much as ever. It has not diminished as I feared it would. I can still catch a Jon Pertwee repeat on UK Gold and be happy as a Zygon. And as a writer, I have had a ball. This programme gave me the chance to swing from New Labour to Dalek armies, taking in plastic surgery, Fox News, religious fanatics and farting obesity along the way, with a Christmas special to come (just wait till you see what we do with Santa). I should never have worried about going back. This programme's about time travel. In the act of going back, it is hurtling forward, as fast as it can go." You can read the full article at the Guardian site.

Some other press mentions: scriptwriters must have had Bath in mind writing Boom Town at This is Bath; the Guardiandoes a Diary roundup including the theft of the Dalek, as well as a comment here from an ITV boss on the Who 'revival' and another here about the slaughter of 'Celebrity Wrestling'.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Andrew Norris, Jamie Austin, Mike Mould, David Traynier)

Australian fans, take note: you've got a date in May! Saturday, May 21 is the official premiere of Doctor Who on ABC-TV in Australia, broadcasting every Saturday night at 7:30pm for 13 weeks. Australia is the third country to debut the series, after the UK and Canada. To differentiate between the 'classic' series and the new series the ABC are running the new series with the tag line - 'Adventures in The Human Race'. The first ABC program listing, for "Rose," is available at their website. The series will be followed by "Very Little Britain" at 8.15pm and then "The Bill" at 8.30pm. "The Bill" is currently the highest rated programme on Australian television in the 8.30 Saturday time slot, demonstrating how highly the ABC is regarding the new Doctor Who series. We'll have more information on Australian broadcasts as they become available. (Thanks to James Sellwood and everyone who emailed to tell us!)

Contrary to previous reports, it appears that the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles will not have an impact on transmission of "The Unquiet Dead" on Saturday. BBC One seems to have dropped an earlier programme from its schedules, allowing Strictly Dance Fever and Doctor Who to start on time.

The precise viewing figures for "Rose", episode one of the new series, have finally come in from the BARB. According to their official listings, the actual viewing figure for "Rose" is 10.81 million viewers, putting it at #3 in the BBC1 chart, and #7 overall for the week, beaten only by four episodes of "Coronation Street" and two "Eastenders" episodes. ("Doctor Who" is actually #3 in the top ten individual shows for the week, combining the "Coronation Street" and "EastEnders" episodes.) "Doctor Who"'s main competition, "Ant + Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway," came in at #20 for the week (#9 on the overall individual episodes list.) These figures exclude repeat/omnibus showings (e.g. the BBC Three repeats of EastEnders and Doctor Who) but do include figures for people who have recorded the show and watched it within seven days. "Rose" is also the third most watched non-soap show in the UK of 2005 so far, behind early March's "Comic Relief" and the New Year's Day special of "The Vicar of Dibley".

Some additional ratings information: Doctor Who was a huge success inCanada this week: 989,000 viewers watched the CBC broadcast of "Rose" on Tuesday, April 5. Says the Doctor Who Information Network, "Compared to the 9.9 million in UK this number might seem small...but for Canadian television numbers, and for the CBC this is HUGE, and exactly where we wanted the show to come in at." Also, the BBC3 repeat of episode 2 of "The End of the World" last Sunday at 7pm was watched by 402,980 viewers, according to ViewingFigures, representing a 2.78% share of all multi-channel viewing within the early evening time slot (6pm-8pm) and ranked 16th out of all the available multi-channels in the UK. This is another great performance considering there are over 250 multi-channels.

Russell T Davies appeared today at the Celtic Film Festival, in fact interviewed by his co-executive producer Julie Gardner, in the Balmoral Suite of the Holland House Hotel just outside the centre of Cardiff. Russell was interviewed on stage by BBC wales Drama chief Julie Gardner. the well-attended session commenced with an eight-minute montage of clips from Russell's work - including a lengthy clip from the Aliens of London story. Russell spoke at length and in great detail about his career, from his first drama writing credit on Dark Season (which he feels particularly fond of), through Queer as Folk and its attendant controversy, the Second Coming, Mine All Mine (the failure of which clearly baffles and frustrates him) and, of course, Doctor Who. An 'open mic' session finished off the discussion and several Who-slanted questions were forthcoming from the audience. A tabloid journalist asked if Chris eccleton's leaving the show had been a disappointed and both Russell and Julie stated unequivocally that it was always planned that he would do just one season and that the end of episode thriteen was supposed to be an enormous surprise for the audience - a surprise now blown. Russell stated that he ahd a very clear vision of how he wanted to do the seriesd, he spoke of some of the difficulties on mounting such an enormous production and when asked if they had favourite episodes both Julie and Rusell said their favourites changed from day to day. Russell said that 40-somethings would love the Dalek episode for the way it answered so many questions about the Daleks and said that the two-part story about to be shown is "very dark". Julie did reveal that the last scene of "The End of the World" is her favourite scene in the entire series. No news and details about the Christmas special or season two. We have a report in the SPOILERSsection below from a clip that was shown, along with the BBC Press Release details for the next story (see next item)

The BBC Press Office has this afternoon released programme information for Week 17 (16-22 April). This includes the Penelope Wilton interview from this week's Press Pack Four among the week's highlights features here (note: PDF file) as well as a spoiler-prone preview of Episode 5, "World War Three"(finally confirmed as the title!) in the highlights for their Saturday listing here(also a PDF file) with a preview article on that week's edition of Doctor Who Confidential. Click on the SPOILER TAG at the bottom for details!

The May issue of SFX Magazine, Issue 131, in the shops on April 13, includes a set visit from episode six of the new series, "Dalek". SFX was there on "Dalek Day", as Christopher Eccleston filmed the scenes where the Ninth Doctor confronts his mortal enemy for the first time. The SFX website will also be making a full transcript of their interview with director Joe Ahearne (conducted on the day of the set visit) available online, and they're running reviews of each episode of the new series as it airs. Issue 131 also comes with a pull-out A3 poster. one side of the poster features Billie Piper as Rose!

Meanwhile, the issue of TV Zone magazine released yesterday includes interviews with Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper, and an in-depth look at the new Dalek, featuring Mike Tucker and Nicholas Briggs - and new photos from Episode Six, Dalek! The issue also includes special reviews of Rose from the TV Zone staff, plus opinions from guest reviewers Rob Grant (creator of Red Dwarf) and Sci-Fi author Stephen Baxter. The issue also includes interviews with the director of the new Quatermass Experiment, Sam Miller, and star Isla Blair, a special Flashback feature on the work of Nigel Kneale, and features on The West Wing and the new Captain Scarlet. You can order it using these links: UK Order and US Order.

The CBBC channel's Newsround Showbiz at 3.50pm on Saturday appears to be including a behind-the-scenes feature on the new series again - this is the third one, so it look like a series...

ITV Teletext today has an article titled "The monsters who take on Doctor Who" which begins by interviewing Mike Tucker who discusses working with scale models: "You do spend a lot of time making models and setting them up only to destroy them in a matter of seconds, but it's part of the job." He goes on to add: "And I got to work on the new Dalek - what a bonus!" Mike goes on to say that Doctor Who works now because it is so up-to-date. Meanwhile, 'Special effects specialist' Neill Gorton discusses how he had no idea what a big job creating monsters for Doctor Who would be. He explains that Doctor Who monsters are planned well in advance from such descriptions as "green, 8ft baby-faced monsters" and are a team effort. Discussing the challenge of designing the inside of the new Dalek he states: "It was glimpsed in an old Tom Baker episode, but only as a blob-like being, so we were really starting from scratch, and Russell T Davies had some very strong ideas about it... We went through a lot of concepts and designs. They were about 80 per cent Russell's ideas and 20 per cent mine. He always wins when he wants to!"

Buxton Today features an article about Bruno Langley, who appears in two episodes of the series playing the role of Adam. The article interviews his sister, Lakshmi Langley, who mentions that "Bruno spent two months filming the episodes in Cardiff ù which feature the Daleks ù and he had an absolutely brilliant time. He got on so well with Christopher, saying he was an amazing actor. Bruno's character is one of the good guys. He plays a sort of intellectual college boy ù a genius ù which made us all laugh." Diane Langley, Bruno's mum, said: "This will be something quite different for him. He wants to explore different sides of his profession and not just stick to the same things."

The media player on the official site has been updated to include "The Seventies", the second in the series of clips and contemporary music (and originally part of the "Doctor Who Years" video shown at DW conventions in the UK.) According to the site, the 35-minute programme includes "clips from each story, there are also some interesting off-cuts, including an almost unbelievable appearance by Tom Baker on Swap Shop." Also on the official site... very subtle additions to the BBC Doctor Who Who Spy portion of the website that may or may not be noticed by many. They are clarifying the exact placing of each photo and where it fits in to the series.

Reports in the Daily Record, Alien Online and icHuddersfield, among others, note that Patrick Stewart will be playing a role in "Eleventh Hour," a ú4.5m production being billed as ITV's answer to Dr Who and is written by Stephen Gallagher, who penned the classic Doctor Who series episodes "Warriors' Gate" and "Terminus".

The Metro's Green Room reports that the BBC will no longer put up posters for the new series, as they keep getting stolen! Says a BBC source: "... they are just getting steamed off and collectors are selling them on the Net."

Maureen O'Brien, who played Vicki in the early years of "Doctor Who," is interviewed in the Bucks Free Press as she directs the play "Structures" at the Elgiva Theatre in Chesham. Maureen admits that, although she and the cast are busy rehearsing in London, she did have time to watch the first episode of the latest of the series. "I really liked it. They really have something going for them and the casting is perfect. Christopher Eccleston reminds me so much of William Hartnell. All of the other doctors had something of a silly quality about them, that seemed to lesson the show somehow but, like Bill, Christopher is a really frightening, dangerous Dr Who. Slightly off-the-wall. And I think the reason why Billie Piper's goes off with him is great. I used to try and make my character, Vicky, a proper character but I don't think the 1960s were quite ready for that."

A snippet in the April 1 issue of Guardian, shopping section, titled "Dr Who's leather jacket": "Shame on you, Christopher Eccleston. No, not for quitting after one series. Shame on you for bringing the previously unimpeachable style of Dr Who into disrepute. Eight successive Doctors have steered the timelord's wardrobe through tricky sartorial waters, and now, after one single episode, Eccleston has stripped the Doctor of his style credentials. Gone is Tom Baker's long striped scarf legacy of the1970s. Its replacement? A shabby black leather peacoat. Nothing about this coat is stylish - it doesn't suit the cropped haired Doctor. We can only hope that now that Eccleston has bowed out, the jacket will be retired from duty too."

Express NewsLine says "The BBC's latest episode of Doctor Who is set in Cardiff, Wales, even though producers shot the sequences in Swansea. The episode set for broadcast Saturday portrays the Welsh capital in 1869, but a lack of period architecture drove the BBC team to Swansea, which has far more Victorian buildings than Cardiff, icWales reported Thursday. The show features Christopher Eccleston's battle with the eternal ghost-like aliens known as the Gelth and was written by author Mark Gatiss, who penned 'The League of Gentlemen.'"

"Who's back. And Who's looking vastly entertaining" says the Globe and Mailthis week, reviewing the first episode of the new series that was just transmitted in Canada. "Yes, the most distinctive theme music in the history of television is back, because that fella Dr. Who rides again," says the article. "Tonight's first episode of Dr. Who is terrific. It's wacky, colourful, lively and vastly entertaining. (I'll tell you here that I was never smitten with the series. Even when I saw it as a kid, I thought it was a very square drama.) In fact, it's a great example of a tired concept being expertly revived and cast. The BBC brought in Russell T. Davies, creator of the original Queer as Folk, to write it and he's done a superb job. ... Given the vast weight of the history of Dr. Who, the light, vaguely comic touch is absolutely necessary.

Manchester Online and BBC News report that Christopher Eccleston will star in the latest commercial created by the McCann Erickson agency for Manchester's Christie Hospital. The new campaign is part of a re-brand for the Christie charity and Eccleston will take part. "Scientists in Manchester say a cure for all types of cancer could be available on the NHS within five years," says BBC News. "The world's first patient trials in a technique which genetically engineers cells will take place at the city's Christie Hospital later this year."

Says icNorthWales, actor Rhys Ifans is not in line to play the Doctor, succeeding Christopher Eccleston. "I haven't the time," he jokes..

Billie Piper is profiled in Hello! Magazine, with details of her history and career to date.

Following up our story about CBBC presenter Devon Anderson wanting to be the next Doctor, BBC News is now reporting on the "campaign". "Describing himself as "a Doctor for the youth of today", Devon has been using his CBBC presenter slots to show how good he would be as the 10th Doctor."

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Paul Mount, Dominic May, Paul Hayes, Craig Mullin, Dan Knight, Jamie Austin, Peter Weaver, Andy Parish, Rod Mammitzsch, David Farmbrough, Tony Jordan, Eddie Brennan, Stephen Graves and Ian Berriman)

While we have no confirmation as yet, this weekend's transmission of the third episode, "The Unquiet Dead," may be pushed back a little, to instead air at 8pm on Saturday instead of 7pm due to the rescheduling of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles wedding due to the death of the Pope; the wedding in turn caused a reschedule of the Grand National Horse Race which may affect the transmission of Doctor Who. If and when we have more concrete information on a possible reschedule (it's not certain at this point!) we'll let you know.

Meanwhile, the FAQ page on the new series of "National Lottery Come and Have A Go" states that the show starts at 7.45 pm on Saturday 23 April, which means that the broadcast of episode five, "World War Three," won't be delayed after all. It appears that the 7.20pm timeslot which we previously reported on was due to some inaccurate writing on the part of the National Lottery, who actually appear to have meant that the 7.20 pm timeslot refers to the time when viewers can access the website to begin playing the game on-line (the blurb does refers to the show "from 7.20 pm") and not the time of broadcast.

According to Play.com, the new Doctor Who DVD series that we previously announced would feature the releases of Volume One (episodes 1-3) on May 16 and Volume Two (episodes 4-7) on June 13, have now been joined by Volume Three (episodes 8-10) on August 1 and Volume Four (episodes 11-13) on September 5. These "vanilla," no frills DVDs will be the episodes only. However, a boxed set will be released on November 21 which will include extras and feature all thirteen episodes. Play.com has posted a thumbnail of the cover illustration and the interior layout for the box, which you can see below. (Note: images removed; better versions are in April 8, 2005 news story, above.)

Radio Wales representatives contacted Outpost Gallifrey to let us know that the radio documentary series Doctor Who - Back In Time now has its ownwebsite; click the link to go to the site. Says Lisa Aguiar at Radio Wales, "The Listen Again section of the website allows you to listen to the previous two episodes of Doctor Who - Back In Time and just a little reminder that the final episode will be transmitted on BBC Radio Wales on Bank Holiday Monday - May 2nd at 13.10."

European viewers, take note: the FAQ pages of BBC Prime, the cable and satellite network widely available throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa, is now noting their intention to broadcast the new series when they get the opportunity. "We will be showing the new series of Dr Who at some point in the future however, we do not currently hold the rights to the series and they are unlikely to be made available until the show has been broadcast in the UK." It asks that viewers keep an eye on the website for details of possible future transmissions. On the other side of the globe,PrimeTV in New Zealand is still confirming that they're carrying the new series, and now notes it on their website... at some point "this winter," meaning likely after the Australian ABC broadcast. (Debut is likely scheduled for June or July.)

The official BBC Doctor Who website has been updated again with a new theme matching the next episode, "The Unquiet Dead," complete with theatrical banner board!

The purchase of the new Doctor Who series in Australia which we reported on yesterday was mentioned on the BBC Press Office website, as well as the official Doctor Who site. It's also been extensively covered today by the press, including News.com.au, The Advertiser (Adelaide), The Courier-Mail (Brisbane), Daily Telegraph Australia,The Australian, Melbourne Herald Sun, The Age, C21 Media, Bordermail, The Mercury,Worldscreen.

The Radio Times website lists an extra repeat for the fourth edition of Doctor Who Confidential ("I get a side-kick out of you"). In addition to the previously listed screenings at 7.45pm on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 April, it can also be seen at 3.40am on the night of 16/17 April.

On the heels of yesterday's release, yet another press release, Press Pack Four, was issued today, this time an interview with actress Penelope Wilton, who plays Harriet Jones in the two part story starting on August 16, "Aliens of London". "Penelope Wilton is one of Britain's most distinguished actresses, with credits including everything from acclaimed stage and TV productions to successful feature films. But she had no qualms about throwing herself into a double-episode story in the new Doctor Who - which features a surfeit of passed wind and sees her being chased by green monsters! 'What attracted me to the role was the quality of the writing,' she explains. 'I'd worked with Russell T Davies on Bob and Rose, and I really do believe he is one of our very best television writers. The episodes I'm in are extremely exciting and terribly funny.'" She notes that her character "represents some remote constituency and is as straight as a die - I think she's the kind of caring politician that anyone would like to have. Harriet also shows tremendous resilience and courage when these awful creatures, the Slitheens, make themselves and their plans known." She says she would enjoy a return to Doctor Who - if the script is right. "The Doctor looks into the future and sees Harriet as a future Prime Minister, so you never know - she might be back one day..."

Canada's airing on CBC Television took place last night... and we're happy to confirm that CBC broadcast the first episode in widescreen format! Also during the broadcast, a promo spot aired with Christopher Eccleston introducing himself (and the show) to North American audiences. He also popped up between commercial breaks to let viewers know about a "Doctor Who" contest CBC's currently running. He made mention to having "the coolest space ship in the Universe".

A new trailer has been airing on BBC television channels for this Saturday's episode; like the one for "The End of the World," this begins with "D'you wanna come with me?" before a selection of clips from the episode, most of which are from the "Next Time" section at the end of the previous episode.

This Is Gwent has a feature today on the filming done last year in Monmouth for the episode airing this Saturday. "It looks like a scene from Dickensian times," says the article. "Tight security surrounded the set as fake snow was poured onto the streets, and many residents watched in awe as the town was whisked back to the Victorian era. A large team of set builders dressed Beaufort Arms Court to become the entrance of a funeral parlour in Llandaff, Cardiff, and adapted St Mary's Street and White Swan Court to look as they might have done in the century before last." The article quotes Simon Callow, who plays Charles Dickens: "l get sent a lot of scripts which feature him as a kind of all-purpose literary character, and really understand little, if anything, about [Dickens]. But, as well as being brilliantly written, the script was obviously the work of someone who knows exactly what Dickens is all about, and the script very cleverly connects his idealism, which ends up being restored by his experiences, with The Doctor's desire to save the world." It notes that the first scene filmed in Monmouth involved an elderly woman, dressed in black, and wailing... which Outpost Gallifrey notes is actress Jennifer Hill, who plays Mrs. Peace (and whose portrayal of the moment was captured in several photos taken by fans at the filming last year, as seen in our New Series Photo Gallery.)

Actor Ronnie Corbett ("The Two Ronnies") would like to be included in the selection process for the new Doctor, according to today's Times. "Ronnie Corbett might be 74 but he is hoping age will be no barrier to the BBC considering him for the role of Dr Who after Christopher EcclestonÆs abrupt exit. 'I'd love to be considered for the part,' he said. 'Mind you, the episodes are likely to be somewhat shorter.' Boom, boom."

David Tennant, the noted favorite to play the role after Eccleston, is noted in tomorrow morning's review of "The Quatermass Experiment" in theGuardian. "This was a useful dummy run for David Tennant, who is heavily backed to be the next Doctor Who, playing a doctor confronted with a man eating vegetable. Tennant can do wide eyed with, so to speak, his eyes shut but, when the world is about to be destroyed, I think he should take his hands out of his pockets. It's the sort of thing that happens in a live production."

An article that ran last week in the Wishaw Press interviewed Jimmy Vee, who played the Moxx of Balhoon in last Saturday's second Doctor Who episode, "The End of the World." "I got the part through a friend that was working on the prosthetics and things for Doctor Who," said Vee. "He got a list through for the characters heÆd have to make, and a list of what kind of actor theyÆd need to play each part. He then let them know he knew someone who would be suitable for the part. I was told nothing about the part before I got it. All I had to do was travel down to Cardiff, turn up, learn the lines, I was put inside the costume, and then had to shoot. IÆm not allowed to say too much about it all." He noted that it took over three hours to put on his costume, and featured a two-foot head weighing more than half a stone. Once the outfit was on, Jimmy couldn't go to the toilet for 10 hours and its weight meant the pounds were falling off him. "I must have lost a stone in a week, even though I was drinking to rehydrate constantly. As soon as I got out, I had to eat everything I could get my hands on. It took me about three-and-a-half hours to put the costume on, and it was quite heavy."

Billie Piper apparently found herself battling with the British transport system after a night out on the town with a couple of friends at the weekend, says today's Express. "The soon-to-be-ex Mrs Chris Evans was spotted in London's Soho in the wee small hours trying to negotiate a good deal for a taxi home. 'We expected her to have a lift all sorted but nope, she was sticking her head through car doors trying to get a cheap cabbie to take her home - just like I was,' says a fellow partygoer. 'She wangled a good deal before I did anyway,' sighs the informant." Where's the TARDIS when you need it?

Today's Western Mail talks about Cardiff Theatrical Services, "the Welsh set-building company which helped regenerate Doctor Who is looking to enter a new dimension of growth." It notes that CTS is hoping that it will be commissioned to work on the second series of Doctor Who. "It was a really satisfying contract to win," said Simon Cornish, CTS construction manager, "even though we had been sworn to secrecy about the design. The creative vision behind the Tardis was in the same vein as many of the opera designs we have worked on over the years but this time it was faded hi-tech, not faded elegance. The structure itself would have been impossible to build even 10 years ago without the use of the kind of computerised templates for each piece of the steel structure we are able to call upon now."

Richard E. Grant topped the list in a Sky Showbiz Online poll asking who the next Time Lord should be. "A poll by Sky Showbiz Online revealed the Withnail and I star is the clear favourite to replace Christopher Eccleston," says the report. Comedian Eddie Izzard took second place, Bill Nighy third, Robbie Williams fourth and David Tennant fifth. Ananova also reported on it.

This is Bolton notes that Christopher Eccleston is "taking time out from travelling through space to take up a more down-to-earth cause. The actor ... has put his name behind a campaign to raise funds for Christie Hospital." Eccleston has provided the voiceover for the commercials which boast "Towards a Future Without Cancer". "I am very proud to be able to support this new campaign - and I hope everyone else will too," said Eccleston. "What is so important about the Christie is that the team is committed to driving research and treatment forward."

Some regurgitated comments from Billie Piper, already reported on in the media some time ago, nevertheless have been part of today's press in theIslington Gazette and subsidiary papers.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Chuck Foster, Justin Thomas, Marc Price, Dave Greenham, Lisa Aguiar, Robert Booth, Daniel Baum, Greg Miller, Paul Willmott, Ian Warren)

The new Doctor Who series makes its debut tonight in Canada, the first country outside the UK to see the series' broadcast. Episode one, "Rose," will air this evening, Tuesday, April 5, at 8:00pm on the CBC network (8:30pm in Newfoundland). Canadian viewers can check out the CBC's website which includes information on the "Planet of the Doctor" web documentary and other general information about the series broadcast, or the website of Canada's national Doctor Who fan group, The Doctor Who Information Network, for further details.