After false starts and plenty of speculation, today's Herald Sun confirms that the ABC Network in Australia is the latest broadcaster to acquire the new Doctor Who series, which will debut on ABC in the middle of May. "Doctor Who fans have cause for celebration after the ABC snapped up the rights to the new series of the hit British sci-fi show," says the article. ABC Head of Programming Marena Manzoufas said, "This is Doctor Who, 21st century-style, and it most definitely will appeal to people who are new to the Doctor Who phenomenon, as well as long-term fans. I am in no doubt that a whole new Australian audience will be attracted to the series." "Doctor Who is one of the most significant BBC dramas of the year," BBC Worldwide's head of sales for Australasia, Julie Dowding, said. "It's the ultimate adventure series with the ultimate cast. We're very happy that it's come to earth in Australia." As soon as there's a more concrete date in May for ABC's broadcasts, we'll bring it to you. (Thanks to Ken McRae, Tim Errington, Jarren Gallway, Daniel Burke)

For those of you tuned into BBC1 today for the broadcast of the first episode, "Rose", your ears were not deceiving you... that was actually BBC3 sound-bleeding into the BBC1 broadcast, and not presenter Graham Norton actually being inserted into the broadcast. This Sunday's repeat is likely not to have that faux pas included in the broadcast

The BBC's press office has issued a release on programs starting the week of April 9 including the third episode of Doctor Who, The Unquiet Dead. You can see it here (note: PDF file requiring Adobe Acrobat); meanwhile, click on the spoiler tag below to see the "Unquiet Dead" information.

Outpost Gallifrey received the following statement from Vicky Thomas, Head of Press, Consumer Publishing at BBC Worldwide: "After a thorough investigation by BBC Worldwide's Canadian broadcast partner, the source of the leak of episode one of the new Doctor Who series has been traced to a third party company in Canada which had an early preview copy for legitimate purposes. The individual responsible for the leak has had their employment terminated by that company as a result. BBC Worldwide is considering further legal remedies and takes extremely seriously any unlawful copying or misuse of its copyright material."

According to Planet Who, "BBC2's Doctor Who Night pulled in a high of 10.73% of the audience share last night, dropping to 7.56% during the special Doctor Who Mastermind edition at 8.40pm. Approximately 2.4m tuned in to watch The Story of Doctor Who between 7.30-8.30pm."

The repeat of "The Story of Doctor Who" was an edited repeat, featuring absolutely no new material but removing a few segments. Lost was the original pre title intro from Jon Culshaw (aka Tom Baker) also lost was a small section towards the beginning of the programme about Hartnell and a longer section of Terrance Dicks and Barry Letts discussing their era.

Welsh assembly first minister Rhodri Morgan faced a rather interesting moment recently, according to several press accounts. Says BBC News: "First Minister Rhodri Morgan almost became a tree-like monster in an episode of Dr Who after being mistaken for an actor, it has been confirmed. Mr Morgan arrived at BBC Wales' Cardiff studios to appear on the political show Dragon's Eye at the same time as a group of extras on the sci-fi series. The mix-up was noticed as he was ushered into a make-up room to become a tree-like sidekick of new monster Jabe. An employee from London has been blamed for the case of mistaken identity. A spokesman for the First Minister confirmed the accident and said: 'They were filming Doctor Who at the time and there were loads of extras at the BBC Wales studios. A meet-and-greet guy from London obviously did not recognise him. A young make-up artist then came in and said to Rhodri: 'Oh are you one of the trees?'. Rhodri then twigged and had a good chuckle about it. He thought it was really funny. Viewers will have to watch Doctor Who to see if Rhodri is in it.'" The story has been reported by BBC News, in the Guardian, This is London, theScotsman, Wales on Sunday, the Express, UTV Internet.

Most of the UK's Sunday press had some coverage, largely in the form of previews in their weekly TV listings. Amongst others, the cover of the Sunday Telegraph's TV and radio listings magazine section features the Doctor and Rose, and previews Project: Who?, Confidential and the first episode ("a winner"). The Observer has a full-page interview with Christopher Eccleston in its review section and also previews next week's programmes and episode (although it's not very complimentary about the episode). And the Independent on Sunday has a fairly lengthy interview with Billie Piper in its reviews magazine, as well as the usual (this time positive) previews in its listings.

The Mail on Sunday featured an extensive two page spread on Delia Derbyshire, the lade that put the "wooo ooo" into one of television's greatest signature tunes, illustrated with images of the TARDIS, Delia in the Radiophonic Worskhop as she composed the theme, how she appeares shortly before her death and the billboard poster image of the Doctor and Rose. Doctor Who was also on the opening page of the television guide section of the "Night and Day" magazine, and was their "SWITCH ON!" choice for Saturday 26 March, illustrated by the picture of the Doctor performing his card trick.

Also in the Sunday Mail today: a list of the Doctor's "special friends," reviewing many years of assistants and their take on romance in the TARDIS. "I haven't the foggiest who Billie Piper is but I'd tell her to be careful of turning her role into a romantic one. It may not work out," says Lalla Ward. "I think actors can get muddled up in their heads, until they don't know the difference between themselves and their characters. You spend two years prancing around with somebody on TV and you end up thinking it's really you. It would be hard to go back once you crossed that line." Says Louise Jameson: "Everything has to change, obviously, but part of Doctor Who's charm is its innocence. It's very important the girl has sex appeal to keep the male viewers interested but it would be a shame to make the story itself sexy. It brings a whole other connotation." Jameson also notes the danger of being typecast: "Doctor Who is for life - not just for the short duration you're acting in it. If Billie plays her cards right and keeps the fans happy, that's what she will face. When she leaves the series, she should try to do a lot of work in the theatre until people have forgotten her role." Debbie Watling has some different ideas: "To me, the relationship was always more fatherly. It kept the children interested and made the fathers think they were in with a chance. It's got to have an innocence or you're lost. ... The fact there were little men inside the Daleks made them hard to appear menacing. I'd tell Billie to get all of her giggles out in the rehearsals. When the cameras come on, no matter how ridiculous the monsters are, you've got to keep a straight face."

The Sunday Express featured a two page spread as well, this time on the female companions of Doctor Who. Listed were Susan (with an interview with Carole Ann Ford), Vicki (with an interview with Maureen O' Brien), Polly, Zoe, Liz (with an interview with Caroline John), Sarah (with an interview with Elisabeth Sladen), Leela, Romana I, Nyssa, Tegan, Peri (illustrated with a photo of Janet Fielding), Mel and Ace.

Many articles this weekend also featured reviews. Today's Guardian says that "The rule in adapting much-loved properties - whether an old TV show or a Jane Austen novel - is that you're in trouble if aficionados of the original story absolutely hate it but equally doomed if they completely love it. Like a political party, a television series needs to reach beyond the obvious fan-base. ... The first story suggests that Davies has found the right balance between respect and renovation. The internet and the London Eye play significant roles but the Tardis retains its 50s exterior and an interior representing a 60s idea of the future. And - despite the possibilities of computer generation available to this revival - the opening episode rather encouragingly uses monsters who look as if they could have been knocked up by BBC props 40 years ago. ... The risk was always that this: 'Who' would lead to the question: 'Why?' but there's a strong chance that another generation of children will, each Saturday, be asking: 'When?'"

Today's Independent on Sunday ABC magazine - the Arts Books Culture section of the quality broadsheet - had Billie Piper as its cover feature. Also flagged up on the front page of the main paper as part of the promo strap underneath the masthead, the three-page piece - including a full-page BBC portrait photo of Piper - looked at her life and career to date and asked if she could handle the superstardom that seemed certain to be hers. Craig McLean, who met her five days before the press launch in Cardiff, reported favourably on Piper and the series, incorporating the opinions of Canterbury Tales co-star James Nesbitt, Tales update writer Pete Bowker, Brian Hill, who directed her in last year's BBC2 drama Bella and the Boys, Russell T Davies, former Smash Hits pop magazine editor Gavin Reeve (she was chosen to star in a promotional campaign for the magazine at the age of 14, which started her pop career rolling), and Innocent Records label boss Hugh Goldsmith (Piper was signed to Innocent). The piece, which also carried a photo of Piper with Chris Evans, a BBC promo photo of Piper as Rose with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor, and one of her while she was a singer, finished with Piper saying she wouldnÆt be watching Doctor Who this coming Saturday - instead, she'd be down the pub! McLean's conclusion? Piper is someone "we underestimate . . . at our peril". The magazine's front-page illustration of Piper was a caricature by Andr? Carrilho. In addition, the show was TV choice of the week in the preview section, while Doctor Who Confidential was also marked as one of the TV choices for next Saturday (26 Mar).

Several reports covered the Doctor Who: Mastermind event from last evening that aired on BBC2's Doctor Who Night. "A Norwich woman has helped break the sci-fi buff stereotype after beating thousands to win a Dr Who Mastermind special," says Norwich Evening News's report. "Karen Davies, of Nelson Street, said she was astounded at winning the TV contest after going on it for a bet to prove a woman 'with a life' could win. Ms Davies was picked along with three others from 7000 applicants to go on Saturday's show. 'I wanted to show Dr Who fans are not all nerdy boys and some of us do have a life,' she said. She put on her application form that she wanted to dispel the anorak image, something which Mastermind quiz master John Humphrys asked her about. But the 39-year-old health club manager said: 'It's no different to going to Carrow Road every weekend.'"

The Daily Record asks, "Who's Sexiest in a TARDIS?" "Billie Piper has already lost her first battle as Doctor Who's new assistant," it says. "The 22-year-old former pop star has been beaten in a poll to find the sexiest Doctor Who assistant by former EastEnders actress Louise Jameson. Jameson proved a hit with fans, who remembered her as the scantily clad Leela, who was companion to Tom Baker as the Doctor in the late 70s. ... In fact Piper, who will be seen as new Doctor Christopher Eccleston's sidekick Tyler Rose for the first time on Saturday, was beaten into fourth place in the poll by two more actresses old enough to be her mum. Wendy Padbury, 57, who was assistant Zoe in the late 60s, proved a hit with her leather catsuits to claim third place. And little--known Nicola Bryant, 43, who played American college student Peri 'Perpugilliam' Brown opposite Tom Baker, took third place. She caused outrage during the mid-80s with several scenes in just a bikini." The report quotes an "internet poll" but we haven't found it...

The Sunday Herald (Scotland) has a new series preview with some spoilers, but there's a nice comment about Christopher Eccleston. "Ah, yes, the Doctor. He's Christopher Eccleston, of course, casting as inspired as making Vincent D'Onofrio a cop. We first encounter him planting a bomb, like a distracted terrorist. Except this guerrilla is fighting to keep us safe. Dressing down for a Doctor - where the dandy of old plumped for crushed velvet and scarves, he sports a battered black leather jacket - Eccleston nevertheless has other trademarks in place. He's feeling his way into the role, just as the Doctor is feeling his way into his new body. But there's already an odd, intense, Tom Bakerish charm, grins flashing at inopportune moments. Then he's irritable, unknowable, cold, with the sudden snappy bitterness the best Doctors always had. More than once, he refers to humans as "apes". There's melancholy, too. The episode ends with Rose agreeing to accompany him on his adventures; but the important thing is the half-hidden yearning with which Eccleston asks her along, more for himself than for her. He's patient, but cosmically lonely."

Today's Sunday Independent (Ireland) says "we should all be grateful for Billie's involvement. Among those tipped for a starring role alongside the Doc during the 15-year gap since the last series was Pamela Anderson. But kick-ass Pam wouldn't have been right as one of the Doc's sidekicks." And how! "There are those who'll want to compare and contrast Christopher Eccleston's performance as the ninth doctor with all those who've gone before; but for many, it's enough to know that the Daleks are on their way back."

What makes Doctor Who special? The Scotsman asks that today. "Last year, the BBC ran a competition to select the best on-screen boffin. More than 40,000 people voted but it was still a fix. The winners were Honeydew and Beaker from The Muppets. Doctor Who came a poor third (after Mr Spock) with only 13 per cent of the vote. That can't be right. ... Forget American puppets who need wires to make themselves animated. And definitely forget Spock, whose character is actually the epitome of an eastern seaboard, Ivy League intellectual of the Kennedy era, busy getting the Federation into some galactic Vietnam War. Give me British sci-fi heroes every time - Dan Dare, Jeff Hawke, Jet Morgan, with the eponymous Doctor high on the list. Why? The answer gets to the heart of the enduring appeal of the Doctor (and of Quatermass, who is also about to be reincarnated, on BBC4)." The article goes into the heroic aspects of Doctor Who: "Like the ancient Greek heroes, Doctor Who was always at the mercy of the Gods and a wayward navigation device in the TARDIS. That's the whole point of heroes - they show you how to deal with an indifferent, even perverse, universe with wit, courage and a stiff upper lip. There was indeed a definite alien quality about the Doctor: he was still archetypally British in an era when being British was an embarrassment. Pretending to be from Gallifrey and having two hearts was an elegant ruse. Audiences could indulge in following a great British hero without feeling the cringe factor. The fascinating thing about British heroes is that they are quintessentially anti-establishment, like Doctor Who. They draw their courage from their own individuality. Nelson gleefully put the telescope to his blind eye. In similar circumstances Captain Kirk might defy Star Fleet Command, but he'd have a moral fit doing so." But the author, George Kerevan, also waxes on the future: "In this era of I'm a Celebrity and Pop Idol, the temptation will be to dumb down the Doctor or eviscerate his character. The Americans did it in 1996, when the impostor Paul McGann pretended to be Doctor Who in the one-off TV movie. McGann used violence and fell in love with an Earth girl. This was Captain Kirk, not the true hero from Gallifrey. ... But if all else fails, there's still the cerebral Professor Quatermass to save us from ourselves."

Today's Observer discusses Doctor Who collectibles. Writer Guy Clapperton interviews David Howe and Jeremy Bentham to discuss collectibility: "[Howe] says: 'Standard collecting terms apply - anything that's in the box is going to be worth more than any thing that isn't.' Anything complete with instructions and factory sealed is probably going to be in demand, 'but if all you've got is one Louis Marx Dalek out of the box, that's still probably worth ú50 or so: anything from the 1960s is rare.' ... [Bentham] points to the first Dalek playsuit as particularly desirable. Made by Scorpion Automotives in 1964, it was well made for a kids' toy. The factory shipped a few out and then burnt down, with the rest of the stock inside. 'You can pay anything from ú1,000 to ú2,000.' It was replaced by others from other manufacturers, but if yours says Scorpion Automotives on it, it's worth as much as a second-hand car."

The Wanadoo portal site has some coverage of the new series, including photos and a list of the eight former Doctors rated.

Finally, a word from Russell T Davies himself in today's Sunday Telegraph. "I remember shop-window dummies coming to life. I remember maggots. I remember devils coming out of the sea, an evil plant bigger than a house and a Frankenstein's monster with a goldfish bowl for a head. And if you're somewhere over 35, you might remember the same things. That's Doctor Who, the show that burned its way into children's heads and stayed there for ever, as beautiful and vivid as a folk tale. Now the good and constant Doctor is coming back, and I'm one of those in charge of it. This week, I'm trapped in the tornado of the BBC publicity machine as the launch, on Easter Saturday, approaches. I'll do anything to sell this lovely show." Davies tells the reader what he thinks is so special: "I think the gaps in production made the viewing experience interactive long before digital television was invented. The gaps in the finished product allowed your mind inside, whereas Star Trek, so glossy and perfect and shining, seemed closed: it made you watch, not participate. With Doctor Who, we watched what was, and imagined what could be. ... Meanwhile, back in the real world, the years passed and Doctor Who's reputation declined, and sometimes it felt as though I was the only one still watching. Those lovely gaps in the production became the only thing that we remembered." Davies obviously writes with a lot of passion for what the show means tto him: "As for me, I had one perfect opportunity to close the circle, to link my childhood fantasies with the modern image. The shop-window dummies are back, by virtue of the fact that they are, as The Simpsons' Comic Book Guy would say, the Best Idea Ever. And this time, they jerk to life. They step forward. They raise their hands; they chop down. And after 35 years of waiting, finally, the glass shatters. And the screaming starts

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Chuck Foster, Martyn Hunn, Paul Hayes, Paul Gordon, Kenneth Smith, Steve Chapman, Scott Wortley, Daniel Hirsch, Alan Darlington, Hugh J. Cregan)

A new edit has been made to the 'Trip of a Lifetime' trailer, which was shown during late night BBC1 programming on Friday night. They have removed all but the specially recorded Doctor scenes in the Console room and him running from the fireball and have inserted his opening sentence, "Do you want to come with me?" at the very end. It's around 10-15 seconds long. The show was also trailed in a DVE squeezed box during the end credits of the first film's showing on BBC2 this afternoon, though this was just a couple of clips from the beginning of Rose with a voice over from the continuity announcer spoken over the top, who went on to announce the evening's DW night and then following the credits trailed the first part of Project: Who over a Radio 2 slide.

The BBC has moved the Tommy Boyd hour on March 26 to an earlier time slot, 9:00pm, in anticipation of their coverage of the new Doctor Who series debut earlier in the evening.

There's an article about the new series in the Times Educational Supplement this week (published March 18); you can have a look at the cover at their website website, and follow the link bottom left that says "TES Teacher" although the article apparently cannot be read on the site.

BBC Radio 7 will play their radio comedy show, Dead Ringers, at 8:30AM, 10PM and 3AM on Friday 25th March: "The team with queries for You and Yours and who is the next Dr Who. From October 2003". This is a best-of repeat broadcast from October 2003. Dead Ringers is the show that spawned Jon Culshaw and his well-known impersonation of Tom Baker's Doctor.

Today Radio 2 comedy programme "The Day the Music Died" included a "Vision On" Gallery sequence with descriptions of pictures of new Doctor Who aliens supposedly sent in by musicians. It's about 18 and a half minutes in, but the programme as a whole is well worth a listen here.

The Saturday 19 March edition of the Daily Telegraph carries two Doctor Who articles, one an A to Z of the show by Matthew Sweet (who presented the Culture Show piece on Thursday evening), the second an interview with Mark Gatiss. The A to Z includes a few choice morsels - Q is for Quillam (from Vengeance on Varos), F is for Fanboys ("approach with caution") and O is for Outing Doctor Who fans. Read the A to Z here and the Gatiss interview here.

Today's The Express wonders "Why Billie has Fallen For A Dalek." "You'd never guess it in a million light years. But new Doctor Who star Billie Piper has admitted to a growing attachment with a Dalek. Talking about her role in the BBC1 revival of the classic series, she revealed: 'I had this quite emotional scene with a Dalek. "I'm sat there the night before the take thinking, how am I going to tap into my emotions? This is a hunk of junk! And then, I think because it is so beautifully written with human emotion, I am stood there and I am actually feeling for this thing.'" It also mentions her appearance on tonight's Parkinson.

An article in today's Telegraph, primarily about Quatermass, mentions Doctor Who serveral times. "The low-budget but endlessly inventive Doctor Who owes its existence to an even more pioneering television creation, Quatermass. ... That charisma and anti-Establishment mind-set were transferred in 1963 to Doctor Who, his spiritual successor. Though pitched at children, this series bore many of the same characteristics, infusing sci-fi with a gothic aspect. Both these shows were often less Isaac Asimov and more Mary Shelley. In Quatermass, the fate of Victor Caroon - Quatermass's astronaut, brought back to Earth with an alien infection, who soon becomes a haunted wasteland-dwelling fugitive - has very strong echoes of Frankenstein. At the climax of Quatermass and the Pit, a vast flickering image of a horned demon hovers in the night sky over London. In the second serial of Doctor Who, the doctor's companion, Barbara, is pursued through a weird, deserted alien citadel by something unseen by us but clearly so appalling that her scream echoes over the closing music. It is, of course, a Dalek. ... The notion that sci-fi could be low-key and unsettling ensured the doctor's longevity. But the rebellious spirit of Quatermass reached out further. In 1978, the crew of Blake's Seven took off into space, taking a stand against proto-fascist aliens across the galaxy, in what sounded like a spaceship with wooden floors. This was the golden age of the quarry location, when actors in spangled costumes ran around pretending to fire space weapons at each other just outside of Reigate. But the anti-Establishment theme prevailed. In those days, when you could get a convincing laser beam for neither love nor money, the only alternative was robust and gaudy scripting."

Today's Scotsman features a commentary called "Who says I'm a geek?" about a viewer who remembers back when he was 12 and still feels the excitement of the new series. "I am abuzz with anticipation, fizzing with excitement. All my adult worries and responsibilities have receded, replaced by an obsessive childish concentration on just one thing: next week, after nine years in televisual limbo, Dr Who is returning to our screens. Yes, it's true, Dr Who, my childhood hero, my two-hearted intergalactic friend, will be dematerialising in the corner of my living room in just a few days' time. ... "Of course, Doctor Who has never really been cool. The Who-niverse is the province of the geek, a socially shunned sub-culture which sees sweaty men in wash-shrunk jumpers weeping in quarries at the discovery of some discarded Cyberman hosing from 1974. Critics still harp tiresomely about wobbly sets (they were never that wobbly) and shoddy special effects (errrm ...), as if the show was some sort of slapdash pantomime rather than the incredibly imaginative and original slice of televisual manna which, at its best, it actually was. Doctor Who fans always get enormously defensive when discussing their beloved obsession, usually shooting themselves in the foot with arguments like, 'Pah! If it's rubbish TV sci-fi you're talking about, just look at Blake's 7!" which just make you look twice as insane. But I don't care. I'm not ashamed to admit my allegiance. It's geeky and silly and about as likely to impress women as a trip to an oil refinery, but I'm so irrefutably fond of the series, it would be an act of pitiful self-denial to claim otherwise."

Today's Times Online has an article called "Billie the kid" which biographies Billie Piper, including comments about her marriage and her other performances in preparation for the new series. She also makes note of some of her favorite moments from filming the new series.

(Thanks to Will Hadcroft, James Armstrong, "C Kent", Tom Boon, Steve Tribe, Faiz Rehman, Paul Engelberg, Dan Harris, Steve Chapman)

Destination Three, BBC3's "new topical entertainment program" filmed in Manchester, will be broadcasting a Doctor Who Special on Friday, March 25, from 11.30pm - 1.30am. The program will tape next Tuesday.

BBC Radio Derby this morning (story here) featured an interview with several members of the Derby Whoovers regarding the new series; they had with them a life size Dalek in the studio, which then headed off to nearby Pickford's House Museum where it will be on display over the next week and Easter weekend until Monday 28th March.

Russell T Davies' latest production, "Casanova," is making waves. BBC Radio 4 on their Saturday Review program on March 12 said they didn't like it, but noted that they'd be paying attention to Davies' other production, Doctor Who, on March 19. But Alison Graham, TV column editor of Radio Times, praised Casanova in the newest edition: "Life seems to be going swimmingly as we rejoin Casanova in the second part of Russell T Davies's funny sumptuous romp ... Davies's script is littered with jokes and cheeky asides ... The look of the whole thing is absolutely gorgeous, with beautiful colours and costumes and some heady, lovely ballroom sequences."

BBC Wales has been running trailers on BBC Wales TV networks over the past few weeks advertising its programmes. In the most recent, the trail has ended with two people standing outside and open-doored TARDIS, inviting the viewers in, while the TARDIS materialisation noise can be heard.

This morning's GMTV aired a preview of the new show. There was apparently nothing new during the interviews with Chris Eccleston or Billie Piper other than - after filmed interviews - the programme returned to the studio and presenter Jenni Falconer said that a second series would begin filming in June or July, though clearly this may just be conjecture.

Newsround's website says that "Newsround will have more behind-the-scenes features and exclusive interviews when the new series starts on 26 March". As our correspondent says, since the new series is being aimed at children, expect such stories to appear on Newsround's sister show 'Newsround Showbiz'. This usually airs on the CBBC channel Saturday and Sunday at 15:50. Newsround earlier had a report from the launch party, shown last week.

Christopher Eccleston is interviewed in next week's print edition of The Stage, the newspaper for performing arts professionals; the issue will be available from Wednesday in some parts of Central London, and from Thursday UK-wide, and you may also be able to read the interview on their website.

Today's Weekend Australian says that the "Time Lord's allure proves tough to exterminate," as it sums up the comments made across the newspapers over the past week. It quotes many newspapers as well as online websites that discussed the leak of the new series like Wired and Dark Horizons.

Yesterday's Daily Post in Liverpool discusses the Daleks. "Since my item last week about the return of Dr Who, several people have informed me that the new-look Daleks are much deadlier than their predecessors," writes columnist Valerie Hill. "They now fly around on jet-powered platforms. You can no longer outwit these ruthless, inter-galactic, metal tyrants by simply running up a flight of stairs. Yet will children's happy cries of 'exterminate, exterminate, exterminate' be replaced by 'Elevate, elevate, elevate'? It doesn't really have quite the same threat."

In Yesterday's "Broadcast" online edition: "Quick! Get behind the sofa! Why, is the TV licence detector van outside again? It's much scarier than that - the return of Doctor Who. Doctor Who? I thought he died out long ago. That's where you're wrong. Doctors are never killed off - they regenerate. A bit like Angus Deayton. And this time he's come back in the shape of Christopher Eccleston." It also mentions that, this time, the Doctor is "up against his most fearsome opponents yet. The Master? The Cybermen? Blokes in outsized green rubber outfits waving coathangers? Even worse than that, Ant and Dec!" referring to the time slot competition on ITV, Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. So who's going to win? "It won't be easy for the Doctor - younger viewers won't have heard of him, and those that have might recall his not entirely successful eighth [sic] incarnation, Sylvester McCoy." But he's got a secret weapon, says the article: Billie Piper.

Today's Daily Telegraph from Australia warns viewers that Daleks can now climb stairs! "It's the eyes. There's only one thing scarier than evil eyes -- and that's no eyes. That made Daleks the scariest of the Doctor Who villains by far. It meant there was no way of engaging with them. No way of seeing a glimpse of humanity. ... Of course like everybody else I had worked out a plan for what I would do if any daleks tried to kill me -- I'd run upstairs. But that won't work any longer. In the new series, apparently, Daleks can fly. So that's my last hope, gone." In a separate column in the same paper, a columnist notes that "Doctor Who has become Dr When -- with a dash of Dr Where and Why," noting there is still no announcement of a broadaster there. "The ABC, which has screened BBC shows since January 1965, is yet to buy the new series despite being offered the rights last year. At that stage they hadn't shown it to us and I wanted to see an episode before we bought it," says ABC's head of programming Marena Manzoufas. Says the article: "The delay in a decision -- though an agreement gives the ABC first right of refusal to BBC output -- led to industry speculation that a commercial network would move in for the new 13-part series. It is believed Channel 9 was keen on the show. 'We will be going into negotiations very shortly,' she said. 'Before we saw it a week-and-a-half ago we were concerned about whether it would work for a non-Who audience. But it's fabulous -- even if you're not a Doctor Who fan, you can come to it cold and be engrossed in it. If you are a Doctor Who fan there are all sorts of references to the past to enjoy." The article also mentions a few SPOILERS about the aliens the Doctor meets in the first several episodes (click on the spoiler tag.)

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Andy Thompson, Dean Braithwaite, Scott Wortley, John Leivers, Scott Matthewman, David Rafer)

BBC Kids in Canada is adding the Jon Pertwee Doctor Who episodes to their late night lineup starting April 16. "Spearhead From Space" airs late Saturday April 16, while the first 4 episodes of "Doctor Who and the Silurians" air late Sunday April 17. This is the first time that Pertwee episodes have aired on the digital Canadian cable network - previously they have aired the Tom Baker and Peter Davison stories. BBC Kids airs Doctor Who 7 days a week at 2AM Eastern (11PM Pacific). 2 episodes air weeknights, 4 episodes air Saturdays and Sundays. (Thanks to Benjamin Elliott and This Week in Doctor Who)

The BBC Press Office has today posted details of program highlights for April 2-8, which includes a short piece on Episode 2 of the new series, "The End of the World." It's in spoiler tags below. The piece is illustrated with the portrait of Billie Piper used on the cover of the latest SFX, captioned: "Rose (Billie Piper) goes on her first journey through time."

BBC3 began showing trailers for Doctor Who Confidential, the new 13-week documentary program about the new series, this evening. The normal 30-second Doctor Who trailer was shown followed by a 10-second Confidential trailer, which starts with the TARDIS appearing in the centre of an "eye" and then a few brief clips played over the blue of the "iris", showing the Doctor running down a corridor in front of a group of troops, close-up of CE's head, Rose running and turning back, clapperboard (from a Joe Ahearne episode) pulling back out of shot revealing CE, and some spooky old woman from Gatiss' episode walking up to the camera. Screen captures are below. (Thanks to Richard Bignell)