Tracy Ann Oberman, soon to be seen in episodes 5 and 6 of the new series, will be a guest on ITV1's Paul O'Grady show on Thursday 3 November (starting at 5pm).

According to reports at Channel 4 and ITN, "Billie Piper is apparently putting herself in the frame to become the next Bond girl. The Dr Who star is said to be taking a few days off filming to meet producers, currently gearing up to shoot Casino Royale. If Billie can persuade them to let her have a role, she will be lining up next to the new 007 Daniel Craig. A source told a newspaper: 'She's very excited about making it to the big screen.'" Yahoo News UK has also reported the story.

Billie Piper is one of the cover stars of the new edition of the "Radio Times", out this week. She is the centrepiece of a cover highlighting the leading ladies of BBC One's new series of modern Shakespeare adaptations, which begin with "Much Ado About Nothing" on Monday, in which Piper co-stars as Hero. A version is available online on the Radio Timeswebsite. Inside the magazine, there is a further photospread of the female stars on pages 12 and 13. In the accompanying feature, they all talk about their characters, and Piper says: "I was thrilled to find out that Hero, in this version, makes such a liberating choice in the end... She starts out very green, very young, but in the course of the play, she becomes more certain of who she is. The original Hero just wouldn't sit happily in the 21st century, for the simple reason that it's acceptable and expected now for young girls to be their own people." "Much Ado About Nothing" is one of Monday's main choices on the TV page, with TV editor Alison Graham saying that: "It doesn't matter if you're unfamiliar with the original play, as this version stands up well in its own right, and fizzes along with plenty of humour and sexual tension". TheGuardian also features a story about the BBC's Shakespeare updates coming this year, including mentioning Billie Piper's role in them.

BBC News notes Chris Evans "is suing a national newspaper for libel over a story about his split with wife Billie Piper. The BBC Radio 2 DJ's solicitor has begun proceedings against the Daily Star newspaper. It claimed Mr Evans gave it an exclusive interview where he blamed the BBC series Doctor Who - in which Ms Piper stars - for the break-up. Mr Evans said the story was 'completely fabricated'. The Daily Star has not responded to his allegation."

The 29 Oct - 4 Nov issue of Heat magazine has a preview of Christmas tv shows and reports that 'The BBC will have a festive Doctor Who on Christmas night,' though it's unclear if this is just a guess or based on inside info. (Outpost Gallifrey still believes the episode will show on Christmas Day.)

December's edition of Empire magazine lists "The Top 50 DVD Box Sets You Must Own", in which Dr Who Season 1 comes in at a respectable 18 - behind Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, James Bond and Harry Potter, but ahead of Blackadder, Back to the Future, Little Britain and The West Wing. Its 3-out-5-star rating is a little disappointing, but also apparently arbitrary given that it bears no relation to its place in the top 50, and that some of the same box-sets are reviewed elsewhere in the same magazine with different ratings.

The official Doctor Who website has solicited pictures of kids' Halloween costumes based on Doctor Who, and has also printed BBC Worldwide's current Doctor Who catalog.

People and Planet reports that Christopher Eccleston is supporting a pledge to help reduce Manchester's greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent before 2010, as part of a city-wide campaign on climate change, entitled "Manchester is my Planet (MIMP)". "Campaign organisers have estimated the amount of carbon dioxide savings pledged by Mancunians so far equals around 22,400 tonnes per year - that's enough CO2 to fill more than 20,000 hot air balloons, or 15 billion empty wine bottles. With support from a host of universities, large companies, radio stations and major sports clubs, eco-friendly citizens have taken the MIMP pledge via the campaign's website, www.manchesterismyplanet.com or by text message, through postcards and at street-level events that have taken place during September and October."Manchester Online also notes that Eccleston is "backing a campaign for wind turbines to be placed around the M60."

icWales talks about the recent Russell T Davies signing of the "Shooting Scripts" book in Cardiff. "TV Studies student Ross Garner, 22, of Eclipse Street, Adamsdown, was one of those in the queue outside Waterstones, in The Hayes, hoping to get some advice from the award-winning scriptwriter. 'I'd like to get into writing in one shape or form, maybe even on Dr Who itself,' he said. 'I have a few ideas and want to ask Russell for a few tips.' Ross was at a recent BBC Wales Children In Need event, where he met Dr Who stars Billie Piper and David Tennant. Also at the party was fan Jonathan Burnside, who travelled from Bristol for Saturday's signing. 'He's produced such terrific scripts and updated the programme to make it an enormous success,' he said. 'He has created fantastic characters, like Rose and her mum. I've been a fan of the show since I was eight and hope to still be when I'm 80.' Fans Sarah Williams and Paul Spiteri, both 27, of Tonteg, Pontypridd, were delighted to be at the front of the queue to get their copies of The Shooting Scripts signed. He was very nice and signed two books for us, as my brother can't be here today,' said Paul."

BBC News reports that Stephen Fry (who is writing one of the episodes for the forthcoming second season) is to write the libretto for a new film version of Mozart's "The Magic Flute", to be directed by his friend Kenneth Branagh.

The Norfolk Eastern Daily Press covers Roger Lloyd Pack's casting in the new series, mentioning other actors who have appeared in both "Doctor Who" and "Only Fools and Horses" including John Challis.

The Derby Evening Telegraph on 27 October noted that "A Dalek has been spotted in Chaddesden - but residents need not panic because local Time Lord Steve Warby is the force behind it. Mr Warby, a lifelong Dr Who fan, spent five months building a scaled-down copy of the Tardis using everyday items to house a limited edition Dalek he bought from a collector. At the flick of a switch, the light on the top of the Tardis comes on, fog pours out from under the machine, and the talking Dalek walks out of the door. ... Mr Warby, of Spring Gardens, experimented with various materials and designs in his spare room-turned-workshop before completing his creation. He says he has always enjoyed making unusual things, such as a water feature in his garden built from a 1970s disco ball and an upturned aluminium lampshade. But with the Tardis, thanks to his innovation and attention to detail, Mr Warby has taken his hobby to another level." Meanwhile theGloucestershire Echo on the same day noted that "now the Daleks have a new stalking ground - a greenhouse at The Cotswold School in Bourton-on-the-Water. The menacing monsters are the creation of site manager Gareth Davies. But he's not plotting to exterminate enemies - the idea is to raise money for charity. The sci-fi fan will auction his prototype, called Daisy, on an internet auction site to help his daughter Kiri raise cash for the Joshua Foundation."

The Tussaud’s Dalek is up for auction from Bonham's, according to theirwebsite: "Lot No: 630 To be sold to benefit The Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity: The Dalek Supreme (aka The Tussaud’s Dalek), 1970's the painted wooden body applied with plastic hemispheres and mounted with exterminator gun and suction arm at the front, the swivelling dome section with flashing lights and articulated eye stalk 160cm(63in) high"

The Leaky Cauldron reports on a recent interview Daniel Radcliffe ("Harry Potter") did with SFX. Radcliffe mentions Tennant: "I'll tell you what - I wish there was more of David Tennant in Goblet of Fire. He plays Barty Crouch Jnr. He's only got a few scenes and he's brilliant in all of them. He so absolutely, fantastically watchable. I think he'll be a good Doctor Who. I'll tell you the truth, I only saw the first episode. I thought Chris Eccleston was great, actually. Very, very good. I don't watch a lot of TV. I just watch The Simpsons and that's about it. But I did see David Tennant in Casanova. He's absolutely fantastic in it. I would love to work with him again. He's also the nicest person."

Various gossip: Mirror, David Tennant was accompanied to a recent show by Sophia Myles (who appears in the next season) (also reported atAnanova); various websites are reporting that Tennant will be attending the world premiere of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" this Sunday at the Odeon Leicester Square; the Mirror has a report on Billie Piper's former marriage; the Daily Record says "Billie Piper admits glamour doesn't come naturally - because of her huge hands and feet," as she posed for a set in December's issue of Glamour magazine: "I have extremely wide feet, which means all those stilettos are a no-no"; the Mirror also mentions the Glamour shoot, and notes that "the 23-year-old ditched her trademark trainers and baggy combat trousers and slipped into the elegant outfits for a look that is out if this world... Billie posed in a revealing purple number and a backless cocktail dress... It is a far cry from the long coat, boots and glasses she was spotted wearing in London a few days ago after winning her best actress gong at the National TV Awards"; the Daily Mail says that "Billie Piper was spotted this week with lips that looked, how shall we say, fuller than usual. Natural or not, though, it's a look that all the stars seem to crave..."; and the Sun wondered "Where the ecc was he? ... I hope Christopher Eccleston had a bloody good excuse for not showing up at the National TV Awards to pick up his gong as Best Actor. ... I accept that he has quit the role, but he played a huge part in the success of the series and it would have been gracious of him to turn up and thank his fans."

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Paul Hayes, Robert Booth, Peter Weaver, Julian Smith, Ian Wheeler, Paul Webb, Matt Kimpton)

The TV Zone Yearbook is out now; its Doctor Who content includes the following: "Anthony Stewart Head chats about David Tennant ('He's got some wonderful humour and also he's got the grit - you really believe, when he steps up to the plate, that he'd kick arse.') and the return of K-9 ('I thought they'd keep it up their sleeve. Sad...'), while The Long Game director Brian Grant casts his eyes back over his episode ('The layers of executives at the BBC were astonishing...'), and new series writer Mark Gatiss looks back at the highs and lows of this year's live Quatermass broadcast! We also present our retrospective of the year in Doctor Who, looking back at the TV series," and much more. The cover illustration is on the official page at TV Zone's website.