BBC News reports that David Tennant was unable to take part in last night's performance of the current Royal Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet at the Novello Theatre in London, due to what is described as "a long-standing back injury".

The play transferred to London last week following a successful run at Stratford-Upon-Avon. Tennant's understudy Edward Bennett took the role for last night's performance.

UPDATE: The Guardian and many other sources are reporting an official RSC press release that Tennant has not been well enough to resume the role for this evening's press night. The performance will once again see Bennett as Hamlet.

This year's Radio Times Christmas issue is now on sale across the UK. The magazine contains a written piece by Russell T Davies, where he previews the Christmas special and talks about plans for Doctor Who. There are also short interviews with both David Tennant and David Morrissey.

Also, the magazine features a special poster offer. Fans can collect a token from the Christmas issue and a token from the issue of Radio Times out on 27th December to get a double-sided A1-sized poster (supplied in a tube) with two Radio Times images. One side shows the Cyberleader and the Cybermen, while the reverse has the two Doctors, Miss Hartigan and the Cybermen. Postage and Packing costs apply.

To mark Doctor Who's 45th birthday, the Radio Times website is launching a comprehensive story guide, listing episodes, transmission dates, production details, cast and crew. It starts at the beginning with An Unearthly Child and will build week by week to cover all transmitted Doctor Who stories; the first ten up to and including The Dalek Invasion of Earth are already online. There will be in-depth RT Choice analyses by Radio Times journalists Patrick Mulkern and Mark Braxton, and links to original RT covers, articles, occasional billings and readers' letters. Radio Times historian Ralph Montague will also be assisting on the project.

The BBC Press Office has confirmed that The Next Doctor will air on BBC One on Christmas Day. It is scheduled to go out at 6pm and will last an hour.

Doctor Who At The Proms, which features highlights from the concert that took place at the Royal Albert Hall in London on July 27, will be broadcast on New Year's Day on BBC One. It starts at 1.50pm and, again, lasts an hour. The programme will include Music of the Spheres - the specially-filmed scene featuring the Doctor and the Graske, which was written by Russell T Davies.

The Doctor Who Restoration Team website has published an article detailing the contents of the forthcoming E-Space Trilogy DVD box set, containing the linked stories "Full Circle", "State of Decay" and "Warriors' Gate" from season eighteen of the series.

The stories, which were originally broadcast between October 1980 and January 1981, introduced the companion Adric and saw the departure of the characters of Romana and K9. The three four-parters - along with various commentaries, documentaries and other extra features as detailed in the article - will be available on DVD in the UK in the new year. The actual date of release has yet to be confirmed.

The official BBC YouTube page has put online a trailer showing various highlights from the drama programming to be broadcast on BBC One this Christmas holiday season. Only available to viewers in the UK, the trailer shows various clips from the forthcoming Doctor Who Christmas special episode, "The Next Doctor", interspersed with highlights from various other programmes.

It should be noted that a shot some fans have mistakenly assumed to be of Billie Piper, seen peering through a letterbox, is in fact actress Sheridan Smith from the "Jonathan Creek" Christmas special.

It's December, and as is now a traditional festive treat, the official BBC Doctor Who website presents the Advent(ure) Calendar for 2008!

Today sees a special Christmas message from David Tennant.

The latest issue of the BBC's Radio Times listings magazine goes on sale across the UK today, publishing on a Saturday rather than a Tuesday as the magazine's release schedule increases in the run-up to Christmas. The edition, covering December 6th to 12th, is currently previewed on the Radio Times website.

It features an extensive preview of the forthcoming Christmas special, "The Next Doctor", including a front cover picture of David Tennant and guest starDavid Morrissey, with a fold-out section including the adversaries they will face in the episode. Including multiple covers, this is the 23rd time the series has been granted the honour of the front page of the magazine since its return in 2005; the 8th in 2008 alone, and the 45th in the show's 45-year history.

As well as previewing "The Next Doctor", Radio Times also has a behind-the-scenes feature marking the return of the Brigadier to our TV screens in The Sarah Jane Adventures.

In addition, the issue looks back at 2008, with celebrities including Catherine Tate.

Russell T Davies, the man at the helm of Doctor Who's resurrection since its inception, has received the Order of the British Empire for his services in the field of Drama in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Davies, speaking with Prince Charles at the ceremony, said he was "proud to be recognized for his writing."

Read the article and watch the video of the award at the BBC News website.

The last week or so has seen odds on Paterson Joseph fall dramatically, with many bookmakers no longer accepting bets on the actor! As of today, Betfair are only offering 7/17! Both Den of Geek and Comic Book Resources suspect that he will soon be named. As reported earlier, the actor won't be drawn on his prospects, telling BBC News: "I'm afraid I can't make any comment on it. I'm not a gambler. And I don't approve of gambling unless it's for the Grand National."

Earlier in the month Colin Salmon (seen as Dr Moon in The Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead) was also being considered by the media;Wiredsuggested that he would be announced on Children in Need, though in the end the only comment on potential casting was made by presenter Terry Wogan on David Morrissey's appearance in the Christmas Special preview. (Further Colin Salmon coverage from Now Magazine, What's on TV, Flick Filosopher and One India).

Michael Deacon from the Telegraph wasn't too keen on Paterson Joseph or David Morrissey as the Doctor, citing Rhys Ifans as his favourite for the role: "He can do funny. He can do charisma. He has a sense of danger about him. He looks good enough to appeal to kids and mums, and he's a serious enough actor to appeal to longstanding Whovians."

The Mirror reports on Spooks actor Rupert Penry-Jones, explaining why the role doesn't appeal: "I haven't been asked to take over in Doctor Who. I took over from someone in Spooks, and I was never quite comfortable with that... so I wouldn't like to take over something else. I'd like to stick with original things."

The Stage is running an occasional look at who could take on the role of the Doctor, and have so far covered Serenity and Inside Man actor Chiwetal Ejiofor,and Benedict Cumberbatch, seen recently playing Stephen Hawking in BBC's Hawking and Stephen Ezard in The Last Enemy. Writer Liz Thomas also considers women in the role.

The Coventry Telegraph has offered up two more choices for the Doctor, picked up from the Birmingham Memorabilia that took place last weekend.Warwick Davis (most recently seen as Professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter films) mentioned that he was interested in the role: "I had a great idea: Doctor Who is going to change, regenerate, but something goes a bit wrong. For just a couple of episodes it would be me as the Doctor, they go in the Tardis and inside it's not vast, it's tiny and they all bang their heads!" Meanwhile, former Davros performer Terry Molloy has a different suggestion: "My idea of the new Doctor is Liz Smith, who plays the grandmother ('Nana') in the comedy The Royle Family. I think we ought to have a really old, crabby woman. She'd be great. Like William Hartnell but female. She'd soon send the Daleks packing."

Other names bandied about in the media include James Frain (Herts and Essex Observer), Robert Pattinson (Chicago Tribune), Dexter Fletcher(Times), and Big Brother winner Pete Bennett (Daily Star). Further articles on casting from Digital Spy, RTD comments from Evening Post, John Simm doesn't want to be the Doctor from The Times, and no decision to be made until next year from tv.com.

BBC Worldwide are currently in negotiation with the troubled company Woolworths PLC to buy out their 40% share of subsiduary 2 entertain, the company responsible for many BBC DVD releases including, of course, Doctor Who. However, progression on the deal is dependent upon agreement from the BBC Trust; the Times reports: "BBC yesterday indicated that it would be willing to act quickly to take full control of 2Entertain, its DVD distribution business, for around 100 million pounds, because it wants to ensure there is no disruption to the delivery of its Doctor Who and more catalogue to the high street. A purchase by BBC Worldwide, the Corporation's commercial arm, is likely to be agreed quickly by the BBC Trust, because of the perceived importance of the venture. According to the BBC Worldwide accounts, the BBC made 41.2 million pounds of operating profit on its 60 per cent share of 2 Entertain."

BBC News reports: "Woolworths' publishing joint venture with BBC Worldwide, 2 Entertain, and its book wholesale arm Bertram have not been put into administration. The firm said it remained in talks to sell its 40% stake in 2 Entertain to BBC Worldwide, the BBC's commercial arm."

Woolworths PLC have themselves issued a press release relating to their operations, and re-iterates: "Woolworths Group plc is not in administration and remains in discussions with BBC Worldwide relating to the possible sale of its 40% interest in 2 Entertain Ltd."

However, their subsidiary, Entertainment UK, which supplies books and DVDs to supermarket groups, is being put into administration, and it is unsure how this will impact deliveries of DVDs to outlets such as Zavvi, Sainsbury's and Asda.