Character actor George Sewell, who played Ratcliffe in Remembrance of the Daleks, has died at the age of 82. He was also well-known to cult TV fans as Colonel Alec Freeman in the Gerry Anderson series UFO. The Daily Telegraph has an obituary.

In addition, John Gill, who played Oak in Fury From The Deep, has died aged 94, and Elaine Ives-Cameron, who was Martha in The Stones of Blood and Ms Lavish/Estella in the Big Finish audio The Stones of Venice, has also passed away. Her date of birth is unknown.

(Thanks to Kenneth Parker, "Scifiradioguy", and Neil Marsh.)

In the most recent issue of Doctor Who Magazine, Big Finish Productions has announced next next set of Companions returning in the popular Companion Chronicles line. The line up for the second series will be Nicholas Courtney as the Brigadier, Peter Purves as Steven, andLouise Jameson as Leela.

Brian Cant, who played Kert Gantry in The Daleks' Masterplan and Tensa in The Dominators, has been voted the best-loved voice from children's TV, says a report on BBC News Entertainment.

The poll of more than 1,200 people for the magazine published forUnderground Ernie, which is a CBeebies cartoon series, also sawBernard Cribbins, who was Tom Campbell in the film Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 AD, in the top five.

In addition, the top 20 included Peter Sallis, who played Penley in The Ice Warriors, and Richard Briers, who was the Chief Caretaker in Paradise Towers.

Sallis voices Wallace in the Wallace and Gromit animations, which are co-written by classic series writer Bob Baker.

Cant, 73, came top for his narration of Camberwick Green andTrumpton. He was also a presenter on Play School.

Cribbins was nominated for narrating The Wombles, and Briers forRoobarb and Custard.

C21 Media reports that New Zealand broadcaster Prime TV, who have already shown the first two series of newDoctor Who, have purchased the screening rights to series three, currently being run on BBC One in the UK. According to the report, the channel's recently-signed deal with BBC Worldwide Australasia also includes the 2006 Christmas special, The Runaway Bride.

Carole E Barrowman, the older sister of John, has written a piece for theMilwaukee Journal Sentinel about the perils of going shopping with the star sibling in Cardiff - even late at night.

Headlined "Shopping With Captain Jack", it has been done for the Voices ongoing series of essays. Carole E Barrowman is a professor of English at Alverno College.

(Thanks to Laurence E Dickerson.)

David Tennant is to star as a driving instructor in a new BBC One comedy drama.Learners will start filming in Hertfordshire this month, to be shown later this year.

The film, about a group of learner-drivers, has been written by Jessica Hynes, nee Stevenson, who is to appear in the Paul Cornell two-parterHuman Nature/Family of Blood later in the current series of Doctor Who. InLearners, Hynes will play downtrodden wife Bev, who has failed her test eight times and develops a crush on her new instructor Chris, played by Tennant. His character is a devout Christian secretly in love with the driving school owner.

According to the BBC Press Office, Hynes based the film on her own experiences. She said: 'It took me 10 years to pass my test - this year I finally did it so I could do the film. I had a great instructor who taught me to take my time and relax. When I passed I cried with joy."

Shaun Dingwall, who played Rose's father Pete, will also be appearing in it, as Bev's husband, Ian.