Delia Derbyshire's extensive collection of recordings has been taken up by academics at Manchester University for cataloguing and digital conversion.After she died in 2001, the recordings were entrusted to composerMark Ayres by her estate, as he was a friend of hers and because of his involvement with the Radiophonic Workshop archive.Derbyshire, who created the original arrangement of the Doctor Who theme music, composed by Ron Grainer, left behind a stockpile of 267 tapes. Her groundbreaking work is credited as having influenced the likes of The Crystal Method and Portishead.David Butler, a lecturer in screen studies at the university's School of Art, Histories and Culture, said: "We have just started to scratch the surface. The collection includes her freelance work and really does give us a better sense of her range. Many of the tapes have no labels so it is a case of using detective work to find out what they are.
"Delia Derbyshire never really received the recognition she deserved as one of our most influential composers of the past 30 or so years.

"Though brilliant, the Doctor Who theme is just one small example of her genius which was held in high esteem by figures across music, television, theatre and film, including Paul McCartney and John Peel, the disc jockey."

Ayres told The Doctor Who News Page: "Unfortunately, it became apparent that I was not going to be able to find the many months (possibly years) of time that researching the material properly would take, so I have passed the material on to the University of Manchester and David Butler on permanent loan so that they can do it properly."

He remains the titular owner of the material on behalf of Derbyshire's estate and is working closely with Butler as a consultant on the collection.

Ayres said: "The aim is to cross-reference it with the Radiophonic Workshop archive and hopefully end up, in due course, with a definitive study of Delia's life and work."

Probably the most surprising discovery in the collection is a piece of music that sounds like a contemporary dance track which was recorded, it is believed, in the late-Sixties.

Paul Hartnoll, formerly of the dance group Orbital and a great admirer of Derbyshire's work, said the track was "quite amazing".

"That could be coming out next week on [left-field dance label] Warp Records," he noted. "It's incredible when you think when it comes from. Timeless, really. It could be now as much as then."

For the full story and to listen to sound clips from the collection, visit the BBC News website.

The story is also covered by The Times and The Daily Telegraph.

Posted By John Bowman

There are Daleks everywhere in the new edition of Doctor Who Adventures out today.

It has a fact file about the Supreme Dalek plus part three of the win a life-size Dalek competition. In addition, there is the first part of a cut-out mini mag about the Daleks.

The free gift is Ood slime and a set of Ood eyeballs.

Also in issue 73:

Three posters: The Supreme Dalek, Mr Halpen with an Ood, and Matron Cofelia

Adventures Guide: Partners in Crime. Donna meets the Doctor again . . .

Tales from the TARDIS: There's something on Donna's back in a scene from Turn Left

Quiz: A Quintus from Pompeii quiz

Make: A Doctor mask

Doctor's Data: Find out about the Sixth Doctor

Comic strip: In the year 3269, trouble is waiting for the Doctor and Donna

Time Teasers: Shadow Monsters and TARDIS Scanner

Win: Lots of goodies - including Doctor Who DVDs

Find out: How to become a Time Agent and receive a free newsletter every week

Posted By John Bowman

The first preview night of Under The Blue Sky had to be scrapped yesterday after cast member Catherine Tatesuffered an ankle injury.

What caused the injury - sustained during the last dress rehearsal - is unknown but BBC News said it was hoped the actress would be well enough to take to the stage tonight.

The results of an X-ray are being awaited.

The play, by David Eldridge, is on at the Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End.

UPDATE - 18 July: Today's Sun carried a report saying that Tate was performing the play aided by a crutch. It said she had twisted her ankle in a fall during rehearsals.

Donna Noble actress Catherine Tate is to star in the upcoming West End production of Under the Blue Sky.

David Eldridge's award-winning, funny and touching play portrays three subtly connected love stories that reveal in turn the roller-coaster ride of lust in its prime, the sacrifices of a life in public service and its unrequited passions.

As Michelle, the hilariously promiscuous 38-year-old maths teacher who has just been dumped by the love of her life, Tate strips off for a revenge sex scene with her nerdy teacher colleague. "She doesn’t apologise for having slept with all these people," says Tate. "I think it’s very honest and refreshing to have someone who goes, 'Yeah, I have a lot of sex.' It just strips away the nonsense."

Tate is very thankful to Russell T. Davies and her success on television, including Doctor Who, for bringing her more theatrical roles. "Now theatre people say: 'Would you like to come and do a play?' When I went to drama school that was all I really wanted to do. You don't go there to learn how to act on TV and film."

She credits Davies for taking what she calls a "gamble to take on someone like me who is known, by the vast majority of people, for wearing wigs and comedy teeth."

The play runs for ten weeks beginning 15 July at the Duke of York's Theatre, St. Martin's Lane, London.

For more information about the play, tickets, and video interviews with the cast, please visit the official website athttp://www.underthebluesky.co.uk/

To read the full interview with Tate, go to thisislondon.co.uk.

Doctor Who Executive Producer Russell T. Davies has received an honorary fellowship by Cardiff University for achieving international distinction in his field.

Born in Swansea, Davies became the lead writer and executive producer behind Doctor Who's successful return to the small screen.

In his speech to a packed auditorium, Davies spoke of his pride in his work in Cardiff.

"For those of you who don't know, we make Doctor Who in this city, and over the past four years we have made Cardiff like the surface of Mars and Pluto.

"We’ve made it look like Italy, we’ve made it look like Delhi and we’ve made it look like Belgium.”

He added: "It only just goes to prove you can do anything, anywhere, it doesn’t always mean you have to go London."

Sunday saw repeats of the two final episodes of Series Four on BBC1.

The Stolen Earth shown at 1730 got 1.6 millionwatching, and was the 21st most watched programme of the day. The programme won its time slot.Journey's End, shown later at 1815, got 2.6 millionwatching and was the 13th most watched programme of the day.

Journey's End was also repeated on BBC3 on Friday evening, where it got 0.54 million watching and was the 2nd most watched programme of the day on multi channel television.

The entire fourth series gets a repeat showing on BBC3 starting today.

Doctor Who's head writer Russell T Davies is to receive an honorary fellowship at Cardiff University next Monday (14th July) during their annual degree ceremonies.

These degrees are conferred upon those who have been seen to achieve international distinction in their fields of expertise. Amongst those included this year are television personality Carol Vorderman and Welsh rugby legend Gerald Davies.

This award follows on from Davies's recent nomination for an OBE in the Queen's honours.

For more information see the University's details on the awards, and reports from The South Wales Echo and This is Swansea.

Posted By John Bowman

Doctor Who's co-executive producer Julie Gardner has revealed transmission details for two of next year's specials.

And in the interview in today's Daily Telegraph about the show's future, the head of drama for BBC Wales says the cutback in 2009 is a good thing for the programme.

She says: "Aside from Series Five, which will have a full 13 episodes and transmit in 2010, we are making four one-hour specials. The first, which we've already filmed, will go out this Christmas. The next will go out the following Easter. The other specials have yet to be scheduled, although one will definitely be on at Christmas 2009."

In the interview, Gardner says: "The reduced schedule for 2009 acknowledges the fact that the show should continue not just for another one or two years, but for another five or 10. It needs to be nurtured, loved and looked after."

The article states that Russell T Davies is writing two of the specials and co-writing the other two. It is not revealed who the other co-writer is.

The third of Panini's fully illustrated Doctor Who Storybooks is due out in August.

The Doctor and Donna travel to previously unseen times and places in this new collection of adventures, full of monsters, thrills and scares, and all illustrated in full colour. The time travellers face mythical beasts on a desert island in the company of Jason and his Argonauts, square up to a terrifying Ice Warrior in the wastes of the Arctic Circle, battle the cute-but-deadly denizens of a theme park gone mad, get tangled up in the mystery of the Bayeux Tapestry, and try to prevent an entire planet from being kidnapped.

The book contains seven brand new short stories, featuring writers from the TV series itself.

• Hello Children, Everywhere, written by Paul Magrs, illustrated by Brian Williamson.
• Grand Theft Planet! written by James Moran (The Fires of Pompeii), illustrated by Daryl Joyce.
• Cold written by Mark Gatiss (The Unquiet Dead, The Idiot's Lantern), illustrated by Ben Willsher.
• Bing Bong written by Gareth Roberts (The Shakespeare Code, The Unicorn and the Wasp) & Clayton Hickman, illustrated by Dan McDaid.
• Island of the Sirens written by Keith Temple (Planet of the Ood), illustrated by Adrian Salmon.
• The Puplet written by Gary Russell, illustrated by Andy Walker.
• Hold Your Horses written by Nicholas Pegg, illustrated by Jon Haward & Nigel Dobbyn.

Plus there's a comic strip, The Immortal Emperor written by Jonathan Morris with art by Rob Davis, and A Letter from the Doctor as told to new showrunner Steven Moffat (The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, The Girl in the Fireplace, Blink, Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead).

The 80-page hardback also features a new painted cover by Alister Pearson and a frontispiece by David A Roach. It's published by Panini Books and edited by Clayton Hickman.