Tom Baker - cast as the Doctor by Barry Letts - will be reading the obituary of the producer/director on BBC Radio Four's The Last Word from 4:00pm this afternoon; it should then be available on the BBC's iplayer service for the next seven days.
(with thanks to Simon Watkins)

The Doctor Who Museum in Blackpool is to close on the 8th November; there has been a permanent exhibition based at the seaside resort for some five years. The museum will remain open for visitors between 10:30am and 8:00pm every day until the 8th.

The large collection of props, monsters and costumes will be distributed to other exhibitions around the country.

For more information visit the Doctor Who Exhibitions website.

The BBC have published a trailer for the forthcoming Series Three of the Sarah Jane Adventures. The 2m37s video preview features many of the cast and monsters due to be seen during the next six weeks on BBC1/BBCHD.

Note: video may not play outside of the United Kingdom.

Nothing at the End of the Lane have just published Farewell Great Macedon, a 258-page, A4-sized, perfect bound softcover book, available for order exclusively via themselves. Details below:

The two Peladon stories, The Curse of Peladon and The Monster of Peladon, will be released on DVD in January 2010.

The news was revealed by Dan Hall, commissioning editor for DVD company 2 entertain, at the Time and Again convention in London. The release replaces the King's Demons/Planet of Fire boxset which has been delayed due to clearance problems.

The Curse of Peladon was originally shown in 1972. In four parts, it stars Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor along with Katy Manning and David Troughton.

The Monster of Peladon was Pertwee's penultimate story, shown over six parts in 1974. It features Elisabeth Sladen and Donald Gee.

Hall also indicated that a further Third Doctor story, The Time Monster, will be released in 2010 and that a "re-visitation" boxset, featuring new versions of early DVD releases, is in production.

Barry Letts, producer of Doctor Who through one of its most fondly-remembered periods with Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor from 1970 to 1974, has died at the age of eighty-four.

Previously an actor, Letts moved behind the camera in the 1960s, finding work as a director on several programmes for BBC television. He first worked on Doctor Who as director of the 1968 Patrick Troughton serial Enemy of the World, before accepting the job of producer during production Jon Pertwee's first season, in 1969. Working closely in association with script editor Terrance Dicks, Letts oversaw the creative direction and production of the programme for the following five seasons.

In addition to his producing role, Letts also directed several serials during his time in charge of the programme - Terror of the Autons, Carnival of Monsters and Planet of the Spiders. He also handled much of the direction for Inferno after Douglas Camfield was taken ill, and after leaving the series as producer he directed The Android Invasion for his successor, Philip Hinchcliffe. He also co-wrote The Daemons with Robert Sloman (under the pseudonym 'Guy Leopold') and worked closely with Sloman on the writer's other scripts for the programme.

Letts' legacy to the programme included the creation of the character Sarah Jane Smith, played by Elisabeth Sladen on the BBC to this day, and the decision to cast Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor. The latter was a decision for which Tom Baker was always ready to express immense gratitude, as when Letts appeared on his episode of "This is Your Life" in the year 2000.

Letts remained fond of and connected with the series right up until his death. When producer Graham Williams broke his leg during production of season 16 in 1978 Letts helped to keep an eye on the series, and more officially he served as Executive Producer in 1980, overseeing the inexperienced John Nathan-Turner's first season in charge of the programme. For many years thereafter Letts also penned novels, novelisations and radio serials connected to the programme. He also appeared on DVD commentaries and in various documentaries.

He also gained extensive credits outside of Doctor Who, most notably as producer of the BBC's "Classic Serial" strand during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In this role he produced many acclaimed and award-winning adaptations of classic novels, including "Great Expectations", "Alice in Wonderland" and "Jane Eyre". Later, he directed episodes for the soap opera "EastEnders".

Click here to read a 2004 interview with Letts on the BBC Doctor Who website.

Updated 13th October

The Guardian has published an obituary, describing Barry Letts' varied career and impact on Doctor Who.

As previously reported, Blinkbox, a free-to-use movie-on-demand service on the Internet, has struck a deal with BBC Worldwide to make a number of classic Doctor Who stories available to watch. The deal currently enables viewers to watch the William Hartnell stories The Sensorites and The Web Planet, and Patrick Troughton stories The Tomb of the Cybermen and The Krotons.

Watch the stories from their website.

November sees the release of the autobiography of Barry Letts. The book covers the producer/director's career up to and throughout his time as producer of Doctor Who during Jon Pertwee's tenure as the Doctor, and features additional material that didn't appear in the previously released audio book version.

The book will be published by Fantom Films, and will have both a paperback and limited edition hardback version with additional interviews with Letts, Terrance Dicks and Katy Manning.

The company has also just released an audio book version of actress Mary Tamm's autobiography.

Mad Norwegian Press has announced the forthcoming publication of "Chicks Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love It." Slated for March 15 release, this essay collection ---designed for male and female readers alike --- features a host of award-winning female novelists, academics and actresses discussing their involvement with "Doctor Who" fandom, critiquing various characters and aspects of the series, and examining the more extraordinary aspects of what it's like to be a female "Doctor Who"enthusiast.

As previously reported here on the Doctor Who News Page, the BBC children's magazine programme Blue Peter has officially launched its new competition for young fans to design a TARDIS console. The contest is for children aged between 6 and 12, and the final winning design will be chosen by Eleventh Doctor actor Matt Smith. It is specified that the design "must incorporate household objects," and entrants are advised to "make sure it really feels as if the Doctor has put it together."

Full details are available on the Blue Peter website.