Richard Curtis, the man behind some of the most successful British films and comedies, has agreed to write an episode of Doctor Who.

Speaking to the British Tabloid The Sun, Curtis said he has been asked to write for Matt Smith’s first series.


Curtis was the brains behind Four Weddings and a Funeral, which became the highest-grossing British film in cinema history at the time and for which he was Oscar nominated. On television, he has been responsible for the Blackadder series as well as The Vicar of Dibley. He is a BAFTA and Primetime Emmy winner.

BBC News has confirmed, via Curtis's agent, that the writer is working on a script for Doctor Who.

Voting is now open for the 15th National Television Awards, which will take place at the O2 centre in January 2010.

Doctor Who and Torchwood are both nominated as Best Drama while David Tennant, John Barrowman and Eve Myles are all nominated for Best Drama Performance.

Doctor Who has always performed well in the awards, which are voted on by the general public. The series has won the Best Drama award for the past four years, with the lead actors taking the best Drama performance.

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Incoming Executive Producer, Steven Moffat, is to take part in a discussion on Sherlock Holmes as part of this year's BBC Proms Literary Festival.

Moffat, who together with Mark Gatiss is co-creator and Executive Producer of the BBC's new modern-day Sherlock, is joined by A. N. Wilson, author of The Victorians. They talk to Matthew Sweet about the enduring appeal of Sherlock Holmes and his special love of Mendelssohn.

The event takes place on Monday 7 September at 5.45pm at the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall of the Royal College of Music. It is free to anyone who turns up, although capacity is limited, and it will be turned into a radio programme for broadcast Monday night on BBC Radio 3. David Warner will be giving some readings from Conan Doyle, and there'll be a Q and A at the end.

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David Tennant takes over as the host of the PBS series MASTERPIECE Contemporary on October 25, 2009. As host, he introduces the programme at the beginning of each episode and provides commentary throughout. The season starts with the U.S. Premiere of Endgame, a feature length film depicting the secret talks that ended apartheid in South Africa starring William Hurt, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Jonny Lee Miller.



The website whoviannet has launched a project to create a scrapbook to present to David Tennant at Christmas, to thank him for all his hard work, commitment and dedication to the show over the past four years. They are asking for contributions from Tennant's fans. Details on their website.

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According to unofficial overnight figures, the final installment of Doctor Who’s Greatest Moments was watched by 340,000 viewers. The programme share was 1.7% and it was the fourteenth most-watched programme of the day on multi-channel television.

The BBC has confirmed that Series Three of The Sarah Jane Adventures will premiere in the UK during October. The exact start date is unknown but sources indicate that Thursday 15th is the most likely day.

The information came in promotional literature issued by CBBC on Saturday.

According to unofficial overnight figures, the second installment of Doctor Who’s Greatest Moments was watched by 290,000 viewers. The programme share was 1.5% and it was the sixteenth most-watched programme of the day on multi-channel television. The figure is a drop from last week’s edition, which inherited a much larger base from the previous programme, The Runaway Bride.

Pinewood Studios have announced a new exhibition featuring images that have been captured of filming at its prestigious Underwater Stage. Amongst the many photographs represented are sets from Casino Royale, The Da Vinci Code, Eastenders and Doctor Who – where it was used in The Impossible Planet for shots of Scooti floating in space.

The inspiring pictures were captured by Phoebe Rudomino, commercial diver and underwater photographer of Diving Services UK. “U Stage provides such a secure and comfortable water filming environment that we're able to produce almost any type of underwater production shoot,” says Phoebe. “From working with horses and fire to the world’s top actors and models, the scenes are truly fascinating to capture.”

The exhibition forms part of The Movieum of London, at the Riverside Rooms, County Hall, on London’s South Bank, and runs from 1st–28th October.

After a few weeks away from its now 'traditional' place, filming for the new series of Doctor Who has once again resumed in Cardiff. This afternoon saw recording of scenes take place on the rooftop of Cardiff University's Glamorgan Building, with both Matt Smith and Karen Gillan in attendence. See the spoiler section for details on guests ... and enemies!

Mary Tamm's new autobiography First Generation is released on 14th September. Tamm played the first incarnation of Romana alongside fourth Doctor Tom Baker. Colin Baker has written the foreword to the book which is available in two versions: a standard paperback and a special hardback edition. The hardback edition will only be available direct from Fantom Films and is limited to 200 copies, individually numbered, with extra photographs and signed by Tamm.

John Barrowman will be a guest on the Jonathan Ross Radio show, on BBC Radio 2, on Saturday 5 September. Barrowman is preparing to step into high heels when he takes on the role of Albin in La Cage Aux Folles at the Playhouse Theatre, London, for a limited run from 14 September to 28 November 2009.

Astrid Peth, better know as Kylie Minogue has been confirmed as one of the guests in Radio 2's Thank You For The Music concert in London’s Hyde Park on Sunday 13 September 2009, celebrating the Music of Abba. Minogue will perform two Abba hits, Super Trouper and When All Is Said And Done, alongside Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. Tickets are available from See tickets and the concert will be broadcast live on Radio 2.

Finally the outgoing Tardis Team of David Tennant and Russell T. Davies have given a 20-minute "exit interview" to Boing Boing Video.

Catherine Tate has won the Portal Award for Best Actress on Television for her portrayal of Donna Noble. Tate beat Mary McDonnell of Battlestar Galactica to the top position in the awards which have run since 1999 and are voted on by thousands of readers. It is the first time Doctor Who has won one of the major acting awards.

David Tennant was runner up as Best Actor being beaten by Jensen Ackles of Supernatural. Billie Piper was runner up in the Best Guest Star Category with Turn Left coming second in the Best Episode category.