As revealed below, the BBC has now released the trailer for the forthcoming Torchwood series.

Children Of Earth will air over five consecutive nights on BBC One later this year. Captain Jack (John Barrowman), Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) and Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd) are still coming to terms with the death of two of their closest friends. Despite their pain, they have a job to do. This time they are faced with their fiercest threat to date, one which throws the future of Torchwood and the entire human race spiralling into danger. They battle against the odds but do they stand a chance of saving mankind?

The series will also be shown on BBC America. Trailer content may be unavailable outside the United Kingdom.

This month's Doctor Who Magazine reveals that the upcoming Doctor Who specials will be shot in High Definition, a first for the series. Previously the production team has resisted the move to HD, because of the higher costs involved particularly with effects shots. Executive Producer Julie Gardner said the team has been planning the move to HD for many months. James Strong, who is directing Planet of the Dead, has considerable experience working in HD on programmes such as Hustle. The change means the programme will be shown on the BBC High Definition channel as well as on BBC One. BBC HD is available subscription free in Europe on Freesat. The channel is also part of the Sky HDservice and the Virgin Media HD service.

In other news the magazine also reveals that K-9 is due to play a large part in Series Three of The Sarah Jane Adventures. He is likely to appear in around 6 episodes of the 12 part series.

The magazine, out on Thursday, contains the first magazine interview with Matt Smith, recently revealed as the Eleventh Doctor. It asks how he plans to go about playing a 950-year-old Time Lord?

"The script is where it starts, it's always about the words, and luckily we're in the hands of Steven Moffat, who has this show ingrained in his soul and searing through his blood. It’s really born into his whole fabric, and that's the job for me over the next few months, to make this show part of my fibre. I think Steven is going to be the main creative source for me, and we're going to discover it together, who the Doctor is in Steven's mind and words, coupled with pockets of my personality, my history, my life, and the man and the human being that I am. I've got a meeting with Piers (Wenger, executive producer) next week to discuss that, but I think we'll start rehearsing and, you know, just sit around Piers' or Steven's kitchen table, read the scripts together, talk about the part. We’ll talk about my intentions, their intentions, how we feel it can fly, and sing, and be as brilliant and as Doctor-y and as excellent as it can be."

When asked what he might wear as the Doctor? "I’m a big fan of long coats and rather dashing scarves in everyday life, so who knows? For the audition, I rocked up in whatever, so I think they’re having to tone down what I wear in real life for the Doctor! I am a rather elaborate dresser. That's what's lovely, there are all these exciting things – what’s he going to wear, what’s he going to do in his first scene with his companion, which monsters will he meet, will he meet the Daleks? This show is so alive, it really is. I can't ever quite forget that I'm the Doctor – which is weird, because it’s still so far away. But it’s always there in my subconscious, because it's the Doctor! It’s like, there’s Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and Doctor Who. It has resonance in our cultural fabric."

Also in the magazine:

• Showrunner-in-waiting Steven Moffat shares with DWM readers just what it's like to cast a new Doctor Who in Production Notes.
• Remember the Zygon gambit? The Yeti in the Underground? Or that, frankly, unmissable invasion by thousands of Daleks after Earth was transported billions of miles across space? DWM investigates why so many people in the Doctor Who universe, apparently, don't!
• Susie Liggat talks to DWM about her experiences as the producer of the UK's best-loved drama series.
• The Fact of Fiction revals some surprising secrets about 1975's Planet of Evil.
• Can the Doctor and Majenta prevent the Day of the Lokhus? And what will become of Maxwell Edison? Find out in the final part of DWM's latest comic strip, The Stockbridge Child by Dan McDaid, with art by Martin Geraghty.
• Neil Harris writes an open letter to Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith, full of helpful advice, in You Are Not Alone.
• DWM turns the tables on the BBC's "Doctor Who correspondent" and asks Who on Earth Is Lizo Mzimba?

Forbidden Planet International has released details about a new wave of Classic Series figures.

This series includes two versions of the First and Second Doctors (one in colour and one in black and white), and a version of the Sixth Doctor in his all-blue costume from BBCi's webcast Real Time.

These figures are available now for pre-order and will be released in late July.

Get more product information here

UPDATED The figures mentioned are actually exclusive figures from Underground Toys at this year's San Diego Comic-Con.

The First and Second Doctor 2-packs and the Sixth Doctor figures are Underground Toys exclusives and Forbidden Toys is the exclusive retailer for them in the UK.

Toy collectors in the US will be able to get these figures at San Diego and shortly afterward at select retailers that carry the Doctor Who toy line. Customers should be able to preorder these figures from their regular retailer and online stores shortly.

Mad Norwegian Press has announced the launch of Time, Unincorporated, a new series of books that will collect the best essays and commentary from a range of Doctor Who fanzines.

In spirit, this series will pick up the torch from Virgin's Licence Denied collection (1997), making some of the most delightful and strange fanzine writings available to a much wider audience.

Volume 1 of this new series, due out in May, will collect 15 years of Doctor Who-related essays and articles by Lance Parkin. The cornerstone of this edition is a year-by-year survey and analysis of Doctor Who that Parkin wrote for the show's 40th Anniversary of Doctor Who (here updated to through the present day), as well as a myriad of Parkin's articles and columns from the fanzines Enlightenment and Matrix. Also included: Parkin's original pitch for the celebrated Doctor Who novel The Infinity Doctors, his extensive advice on the art of writing, and more.

The Bristol Commercial Vehicles Enthusiasts have reported that the BBC have hired an additional bus in the same style as the one used recently in filming for Planet of the Dead, and of course the one that was damaged in transit to Dubai that the media have extensively commented upon.

There is no official confirmation as yet as to if this new bus is also being shipped out to Dubai to replace the damaged one for filming.

(with thanks to Rob Sly)

As production begins on the first special of 2009, Planet Of The Dead, the BBC has released a video diary from David Tennant recording his return to Cardiff and to Doctor Who.

The video is also available via the official website. Content may not be available outside the United Kingdom.

The BBC have announced that a 60 second trailer for the forthcoming mini-seriesChildren of Earth will be shown at the New York Comic Con on Thursday 5th February at 4:00pm local time; this will be made available simultaneously in the United Kingdom (9:00pm GMT) on the official Torchwoodweb site.

A press release published on the Newsarama website has revealed that director Euros Lyn is to oversee the final two special episodes of Doctor Who which will see out David Tennant's time as the Tenth Doctor. The news was revealed as part of the promotion for Lyn's forthcoming appearance at the New York ComicCon event in the United States, where he is to promote Torchwood: Children of Earth, which he has also directed.

Lyn is the only director to have worked on every production block to date of the new Doctor Who series. He helmed The End of the World and The Unquiet Dead for the first series; Tooth and Claw, The Girl in the Fireplace, The Idiot's Lantern and Fear Her for the 2006 run; the Christmas special The Runaway Bride for the third production block, and most recently the two-parter Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead for series four in 2008. In addition, Lyn directed the mini-episodes Children in Need Cutaway in 2005 and and Music of the Spheres in 2008, the former of which was David Tennant's first full broadcast scene as the Doctor, meaning Lyn will have bookended the actor's time in the TARDIS.

The first two special episodes to be shown this year are being directed by James Strong and Graeme Harper. No broadcast dates are yet known, but it is expected that Lyn's two-part finale will be shown over the Christmas and New Year period.

Posted By John Bowman

Production on spin-off series K9 is well under way in Brisbane, with the fourth block of filming due to complete at the end of next week.

Paul Tams, who along with Bob Baker is the show's co-creator and co-associate producer, told The Doctor Who News Page that there would be 13 blocks, each comprising two half-hour episodes, with principal photography set to end on May 7.

Taking the opportunity to put the record straight on various matters regarding the show, he confirmed that the series would be known purely as K9, adding: "Bob and I are pleased with the interest shown and hope K9 will be viewed as a series that Who fans old and new will all find something enjoyable from."

And as a teaser, he said: "I've made sure that hidden in most episodes fans will spot some nod to the past - either a mention or a visual treat."

Regarding the electronic dog itself, he said: "K9 will be seen on screen as both an animatronic prop and in CGI form. The latest design I have done that is being used in the show is sleek and different from any previous images seen on the net, etc. K9 will, however, be recognisable to fans new and old as the K9. And to clear up the identity of which mark K9 this is, to quote Doctor Who itself he is the original you might say!"

Most information - including cast and characters - was being kept under wraps but Tams added: "The show will feature several new races of monsters created by Bob and myself, alongside the Jixen Warriors as reported previously.

"We first planned and created the show back in 1998, so it has taken 11 years to get to the production stage. It has been a long and rocky road and we are working with some very talented people here: actors, artists, sculptors, costume-makers. The schedule is very hectic and full on.

"I have to tip my hat - if I wore one - to the creative teams in the '60s who worked under such pressure to turn monsters, costumes and sets around at such a fast pace on Doctor Who. I now know how they must have felt - exhausted!"

A new logo has been created, which will be revealed in due course, and Tams said that the show would be airing later this year, with Australian broadcaster Network Ten currently lined up to carry it.

Posted By John Bowman

Extensive damage was caused to a bus due to be used in Dubai for filming the Doctor Who special Planet of the Dead.

Dubai newspaper 7DAYS has uploaded a report with a picture showing the double-decker's roof crushed. It says the vehicle was damaged by a crane operator at Dubai port as it was being brought into the United Arab Emirates state. The left side of the bus was also crushed inwards, windows were smashed, the frame was bent and paint was ripped from the roof. The vehicle is currently being repaired. (NB: The 7DAYS report could be considered to contain a minor spoiler.)

The accident has also been covered by BBC News, The Sun and Telegraph. (NB: Both newspaper reports contain plot details.)

Although parts of the story's script had to be rewritten the BBC said that filming was "continuing as normal". Another bus is being used for filming in Cardiff.

The images below show more of the damage that was caused to the bus. (NB: These pictures are copyright and courtesy of 7DAYS. They may not be copied or published anywhere else without permission of 7DAYS.)