Actress Isla Blair, who appeared as Isabella in "The King's Demons" and is married to actor Julian Glover, will appear in the new Faction Paradox audio CD series from Magic Bullet, joining Glover and actor Gabriel Woolf.

As well as Colin Baker's doodle for National Doodle Day, the Epilepsy Action organization now has a doodle by the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison, which will be auctioned on National Doodle Day, Friday 25 February, along with all the other celebrity doodles, and can be seen at this website. Other new Doctor Who-related actors include Hannah Gordon (the Highlanders/Shada webcast), Sean Biggerstaff (Shada webcast/Harry Potter), Tony Adams (The Green Death/Crossroads) and Stephen Fry (Death Comes to Time/The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy). Doctor Who fans may also be interested to see the doodles from Terry Gilliam, Nick Park (creator of Wallace and Gromit), Graham Norton, Rob Brydon and Josie Lawrence. Visit www.nationaldoodleday.org.uk for more information on the charity event.

According to a news report on BBC News this morning, Lorraine Heggessey, controller of BBC1, is leaving the BBC to become chief executive at Talkback Thames, the production company that produces both "The Bill" and "Pop Idol." Heggessey was instrumental in arranging for Doctor Who to return to television, and it was in an interview conducted with the Daily Telegraph in September 2003 that Heggessey let slip the news that the show was returning, causing a firestorm of coverage as the press confirmed the story was true. The report says she is not expected to leave until later in the year. This is not expected to have any impact on the production of the new Doctor Who series.

Paul McGann plays Captain MacNab in "Kidnapped," CBBC's adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale, which airs at the end of February or early March according to the BBC Press office. Says the report: "Iain Glen stars as Alan Breck and James Anthony Pearson as Davie Balfour in Stevenson's tale of treachery, romance and rebellion, along with Paul McGann as Colonel McNab, Adrian Dunbar as Uncle Ebenezer, Gregor Fisher as James of the Glens and Kirstin Smith as Catriona. Kidnapped chronicles the adventures of Breck and Balfour as they escape murder and shipwreck on a quest for justice, all set against the fierce social and political backdrop of 1760s Scotland. The BBC is working with South Pacific Productions (makers of the Oscar nominated film Whale Rider) on location in New Zealand." At right is a photo from the recent installment of "Features" from the BBC Press Office with McGann in the role. (Thanks to Paul Hayes)

New Welsh culture magazine Siarc Marw currently features an article about the new series of Doctor Who, including an interview with director Euros Lyn (who's a Welsh speaker). "I was surfing the web in a cafe in Siberia when I read that Doctor Who would be returning to our screens; from that second, I desperately wanted to work on a series which is such an unusual combination of humour, adventure and nonsense," Lyn told the magazine (translated from Welsh.) "I e-mailed the producers straight away, pleading with them to meet with me for a chat. Nine months later after five meetings with the show's execs, I was offered the chance to direct the second and third episodes. I was over the moon!" He says that the scripts for the new show "are successful because they work on many levels - they're exciting adventures and epic moral allegories, but also, there's a psychological depth to the characters of the Doctor and Rose... The aim was to juggle those virtues to create three quarters of an hour of exciting entertainment that would also demand a little thought." He was delighted that Doctor Who was filming in his hometown; "this was my childhood fantasy come true! Of course, as soon as the cameras started turning, there was no time to think of anything but my work (the same as my experience on all shows!) There were a lot of technical challenges - like trying to direct actors in rubber monster suits, or sets that were green screens to be added later by computers. It was an experience to direct actors as talented as Christopher Ecclestone, Simon Callow, Billie Piper and Eve Myles - and being able to stand in the Tardis doorway between takes was exciting too!" And he says he hopes people enjoy the spirit of the original which is alive and well in the new series. "It's a very British sci-fi series; full of irony, wit, and avoiding the sentimentality that's in a lot of the American shows. I hope people will also enjoy the better production values too - the modern shooting style, sophisticated computer effects and the naturalistic acting style." (Thanks to "selbog" for the translation)

Yesterday's Media section of The Guardian noted that BBC1 controller Lorraine Heggessey -- who was instrumental in bringing "Doctor Who" back to British television, and who stunned us all with the unexpected announcement in September 2003 -- may be leaving the job. The report notes that Heggessey is being tipped to replace Peter Fincham as chief executive of Talkback Thames, the independent production company responsible for some of the UK's biggest shows including "The Bill." The BBC controller neither confirmed nor denied she had been approached about the Talkback job when contacted by MediaGuardian: "I'm committed to BBC1. That's my focus," she told them. The article(registration required) also metnions other possible candidates, suggesting this may be conjecture; however, it has been reported elsewhere in the press. Co-executive producer Mal Young also left the BBC at the end of 2004, though his departure did not affect the production of the new series.

The radio program Sacred Nation will air on Sunday, February 13 at 8:00am on BBC Radio 2. According to the press release, "Christopher Eccleston tells the story of religious belief in the British Isles. From long barrows to stone circles, from Druids to Romans, and through Holy wars, reformations and revivals, he discovers that Britain has always been a pluralistic society. Far from being a solely Christian country, Britain has a rich, multifaith heritage. Written by Michael Symmons Roberts, winner of this year?s Whitbread Prize for Poetry, Sacred Nation asks if there are lessons on tolerance and diversity to be learnt from the past." (Thanks to Phil Creighton, Steve Freestone)

On Friday 25 February, National Doodle Day 2005, a doodle by Sixth Doctor Colin Baker will be auctioned on eBay to raise money for Epilepsy Action and the Neurofibromatosis Association. Colin's doodle can be viewed at the National Doodle Day website. Other Doctor Who actors whose doodles are up for auction include: Bernard Cribbins, Brian Blessed, Jim Broadbent, Joanna Lumley, Richard Briers, Derek Martin, Honor Blackman and, from the new series, Richard Wilson and Andrew Marr. Other celebrities from the world of science fiction and fantasy include Brian Cox (X-Men 2), Gillian Anderson (the X-Files), Robbie Coltrane (Harry Potter), and the author Brian Aldiss. More celebrity doodles are coming in all the time. According to the site, anyone can join in by doing a doodle for National Doodle Day; just visit your local Lloydspharmacy, donate ú1 and pick up a Doodle Card, draw on it (this year's theme is 'My Favourite Things') and send it to us at the address printed on the back. Visit www.nationaldoodleday.org.uk for more information.

Former Doctor Who script editor and "Hitchhiker's Guide" author Douglas Adams, who passed away in 2001, was honored last week with a celestial commemoration: the naming of an asteroid for him. Asteroid "Douglasadams" was among the 71 newly named celestial objects announced Tuesday by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, according to a report on MSNBC. Read the full article for the details, including how this particular asteroid was settled upon for the honor.

Two Doctor Who connections to this year's Academy Awards nominations: Sophie Okonedo (Alison in the BBCi animated DW serial "The Scream of the Shalka") was nominated for Best Actress for "Hotel Rwanda," and John Debney(composer of the music for the 1996 TV movie) was nominated for Best Original Score for the film "The Passion of the Christ". (Thanks to Paul Hayes, Brent Johnson)