The Daily Record newspaper is reporting that actress Lindsay Duncan has been cast as the Doctor's companion, named in the report as Adelaide, in the second of the forthcoming special episodes which will see out David Tennant's tenure as the Tenth Doctor.

Duncan is well known for her roles in high-profile television dramas such as GBH and Rome. She is also appearing as Margaret Thatcher in next week's much-publicised BBC Two drama Margaret, concerning the former Prime Minister's final days in power.

The paper quotes Duncan as saying: "I'm thrilled to be involved in Doctor Who. I've never done anything like this before and I'm really looking forward to working with David Tennant and the Doctor Who team."

The special's co-writer and executive producer Russell T Davies is also quoted, saying: "Lindsay is an incredibly talented actress and I've been an admirer of her work for some time. We are delighted to announce that she will be joining the team and playing the Doctor's most strong-minded companion yet."

Incidentally, in 2008 Duncan co-starred alongside forthcoming Doctor Matt Smith in a critically acclaimed theatrical production of That Face.

UPDATE - Feb 19: The BBC today confirmed Duncan's casting as Adelaide. Production on the second special - co-written by Davies and Phil Ford - is due to start this spring.

Posted By John Bowman

The character actor James Bree - who had three notable roles inDoctor Who - has died at the age of 85 after a long illness, reportsThe Stage.

Bree's first appearance in Doctor Who was as The Security Chief in the 1969 ten-parter The War Games - soon to be released on DVD. He appeared again in the show in 1980, playing Decider Nefred in the four-part story Full Circle, which was recently released on DVD in the UK as part of The E-Space Trilogy.

His final appearance in the show was as the Keeper of the Matrix inThe Trial of a Time Lord: The Ultimate Foe in 1986 (also available on DVD).

Bree's many other TV credits included The Jewel In The Crown, I, Claudius, Glittering Prizes, The Duchess of Duke Street, Z Cars, Rumpole of the Bailey, The Professionals, and Budgie. His film appearances included On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

Bree died on December 1, 2008 according to the report, but his death has only just been announced.

(With thanks to Jim Sangster)

Overseas filming for the Easter special episode Planet of the Dead has concluded, and Dubai-based newspaper 7DAYS has a (presumably) final report on the fate of the double-decker bus used in filming. The report contains minor spoilers for the special.

According to 7DAYS, the bus (which was damaged in transit to the UAE) was able to be used in filming, but is no longer serviceable and will be crushed into a cube. Members of a Doctor Who fan club at Dubai's English College were able to see the bus prior to its demolition.

The report also mentions that on their last night in Dubai, David Tennant and crew members watched the Wales v. England rugby match in a resort hotel's bar.

A photograph of the bus's interior and a larger version of the photograph at right can be seen in the newspaper's E-paper edition (free registration required).

(Thanks to "sunjunky" of the Doctor Who Forum.)

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts will be presenting a special event on 17th March; Russell T Davies in Conversation will take place at the Princess Anne Theatre on Piccadilly, and will feature a talk from the writer on "his origins in children's programmes, his thoughts about the audience and his hopes and fears for kids' output in the future - including his view on the BBC's move to Salford."

The evening is co-presented by BAFTA and the Showcomotion Children's Media Conference; further details and ticket booking can be found on the BAFTA website.

(with thanks to cherry@cupcake)

Posted By Brigadier Bill

Today's Sci-Fi Wire reports that IDW will release a special one-shot Doctor Who comic, "The Whispering Gallery," by artist Ben Templesmith and writers Leah Moore and John Reppion.

In "The Whispering Gallery," the TARDIS lands in a maze-like gallery filled with thousands of talking pictures, and the Doctor and Martha discover they've come across a planet where showing emotion has been outlawed. The inhabitants have good reason for their suppression, but it wouldn't be like the Doctor to leave them in fear of truly living.

Married writing team Leah Moore and John Reppion have been fans of Doctor Who and pitched IDW Publishing on their story idea for the classic British sci-fi hero after Leah had a dream about a two-page spread one night.

Today's Sun announced that Doctor Who could be returning to the stage in a new show later this year. The article reports that the stage show will a multi-media light and sound show with 3D-footage, and will feature many of the Doctor's best loved characters, including "flying DALEKS, croaky CYBERMEN and stocky SONTARANS in the family event."

The paper mentions that plans are at an early stage, and that BBC Worldwide will make a decision in a month or so. Venues mentioned include the Birmingham NEC and the London O2.

Says an insider: "The BBC know they’ve got a massive hit show on their hands, so they want to take it to the next level. They want it to be a Doctor Who experience which will blast fans with amazing visuals and music. The emphasis will be on technology so it’s unlikely any of the show’s stars will be on stage. But they are expected to feature in video elements. That said, the idea of using real actors hasn’t been ruled out."

The story has also been picked up by Digital Spy, What's on TV, the Retford Times and the Gloucestershire Forester.


Australia: the Mercury reports that a stage show based on Doctor Who opens this week at the Peacock Theatre in Tasmania; entitled "Who, Knows", the show follows the adventures of Russell Lambert as he becomes the president of the Doctor Who Club of Tasmania. (with thanks to Dwayne Bunney)

Posted By John Bowman

David Tennant has won an award for the RSC production of Hamlet in which he starred.

His return to the stage was named the Theatre Event of the Year at the Theatregoers' Choice Awards this evening.

The play, which was staged in Stratford-upon-Avon then London, also won the Best Regional Production gong. The London dates - at The Novello Theatre - did not qualify for the awards, though, which were voted for by 35,000 people.

The ceremony, held at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London, was co-hosted by Sheridan Smith, who plays companion Lucie Miller in the Big Finish audio dramas.

In addition, Under The Blue Sky, which co-starred Catherine Tate and ran at the Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End, won the Best New Play award.

Tennant had to miss some of the London run of Hamlet because of a back injury but was able to return before it ended.

Last month we reported on the role of producer being advertised for Doctor Who. The BBC has now provided details for another position to accompany the show, that of Interactive Producer.

As the job title implies, the role revolves around the media aspect of the show; in context: "BBC Wales successfully produces a wide range of network commissions such as Doctor Who, Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Amazon and Last Chance to See. These productions increasingly include enhanced interactive content for digital TV, online and mobile platforms. The Interactive Producer is dedicated to producing innovative and compelling high quality content across interactive television, mobile and web platforms."

Like the producer's position, this one is once again a 12-month contract. The closing date is 27th February, and full details may be found on the BBC Jobs website.

The BBFC have passed the following extras for release on the forthcoming DVDs for Attack of the Cybermen and Image of the Fendahl.

Attack of the Cybermen:
00:22:48:18 THE CYBER STORY (FEATURETTE)
00:01:03:17 THE CYBERNETIC AUTONOMOUS DALEK (EASTER EGG)
00:08:06:21 HUMAN CYBORG - THE CYBERNETIC EXPERIMENTS (FEATURETTE)
00:08:09:03 ATTACK OF THE CYBERMEN - PHOTO GALLERY
00:07:47:22 THE CYBER-GENERATIONS (PHOTO GALLERY)
00:03:08:22 DOCTOR WHO (TRAILS AND CONTINUITY)
00:27:25:05 THE COLD WAR (FEATURETTE)

Image of the Fendahl:
00:26:19:01 AFTER IMAGE (MAKING OF)
00:11:26:18 IMAGE OF THE FENDAHL - DELETED AND EXTENDED SCENES
00:05:34:07 IMAGE OF THE FENDAHL - PHOTO GALLERY
00:00:37:07 (EASTER EGG) (LOUISE JAMESON INTERVIEW)
00:00:19:10 DR WHO - NEXT SATURDAY - 6.10 (TRAILER)

Attack of the Cybermen is due to be released on the 16th March, withImage of the Fendahl following later in the year.

The BBC Press Office have confirmed that filming has now begun in the United Arab Emirates for the forthcoming special Planet of the Dead.

Says producer Tracie Simpson: "We rarely take Doctor Who abroad although we did visit Rome for series four's The Fires Of Pompeii which gave us some spectacular footage. The locations in Dubai are a perfect match for writer Russell T Davies's vision of the episode and we expect to film some incredible scenes while we are here."

Additional photos from filming are available on the BBC's offical Doctor Who website for download as wallpaper.

News on filming has also been mentioned in the local Dubai paper The National: "While filming in crippling sandstorms in Dubai this week may have proved troublesome for mere mortals, the cult sci-fi figure the Doctor, hero of the popular BBC programme Doctor Who, emerged victorious over the climatic horrors of planet Earth. Hundreds of production crew descended on the desert around the city this week to film part of an episode of the programme. The location remained a closely guarded secret despite being in the wide open desert, with production company staff and all technical crew from Dubai required to sign confidentiality agreements."

Further media coverage from: CBBC, WalesOnline, Scottish Herald, Daily Record, Evening Post, Press Association, and Arabian Business.