The Greatest Show in the Galaxy: The Discerning Fan's Guide to Doctor Who, a new academic survey of Doctor Who and its themes, is now available fromMcFarland and Company Publishing. The book can also be purchased through Amazon.com; following the Amazon links below directly benefits the operation of the Outpost Gallifrey website.

• Amazon.com (US)
• Amazon.co.uk (UK) (not yet available)
• Amazon.ca (Canada)

Mark Schuster, coauthor of the book, describes it as follows: "The basic argument of the book is that Doctor Who, like all good science-fiction, takes us to exotic worlds in order to show us what it means to be human. Exploring the weird and wonderful realm of Doctor Who in relation to such contemporary phenomena as cosmetic surgery, consumerism, reality television, political punditry and road rage, my co-author, Tom Powers, and I demonstrate that the exploits of our favorite time traveler provide us with everything we need to know about life, the universe and everything (to borrow a phrase from another legendary sci-fi series)."

The publisher's official blurb is below.

Telos Publishing is on the hunt for any photographs taken of the recording for Series 3. 'We're publishing our guide to the series shortly,' explained Telos' David J Howe, 'and as usual we'd like to try and include a colour photographic section in the book. So we're on the look out for any photographs taken of the recording sessions - maybe at the Globe Theatre, around Cardiff, or anywhere else that the show visited in 2007.'

If you have any images which you would be willing to let Telos use - although there is no payment for any use, free copies of the paperback and hardback editions will as usual be sent to all contributors - then please drop David an email at david@telos.co.uk to let him know what you have.

The Sun has issued its latest rumour of casting in Doctor Who Series Four ... and if true, it's certainly a surprise.

It is important to remember that this information is being treated only as an unfounded rumour until official confirmation is made by the BBC and/or the show bosses.

The body of the Sun article is copies below in the spoiler box:

Channel Ten's decision to move Torchwood to a midnight timeslot has attracted some local media comment. Michael Idato of the Sydney Morning Herald says 'Ten has no one to blame but itself' for the 'critically acclaimed' programme's failure to develop an Australian audience. He writes that 'rather than let Torchwood go where it belongs - to the ABC as a companion piece to Doctor Who ... Ten bought it with the most disingenuous intention: to deny its science fiction roots and pitch it as a cop show.' Meanwhile, Andrew Mercado in the Sydney Sunday Telegraphcomments that the show has 'been dumped to midnights on Tuesdays ... confirming every sci-fi fan's worst fears that the 'Doctor Who' spin-off would eventually end up in late-night hell, along with The 4400 andBattlestar Galactica. Couldn't Ten have given it one last try in prime time on a Saturday night instead of those unimaginative Law & Orderand NCISrepeats?' Ian Cuthbertson of the Weekend Australian also writes that 'viewers enjoying Torchwood ... will find they have been stiffed. Not doing as well as Ten would have liked, the program has been uprooted and transferred to midnight [Tuesday]. How very sci fi.' Glenn Dyer of Crikeysays Ten is a 'loser . . . for sticking the underwhelming Torchwood at Midnight. Just 98,000 viewers. It's better than that, but it's not Dr Who-like. Why not a Friday night at 9.30pm and try and make it a cult show?'

Meanwhile Keith Austin, also of the Sydney Morning Herald, writes of 'The Lazarus Experiment', that the title character is 'played by great relish by the League of Gentlemen’s Mark Gatiss, a long term 'Doctor Who' fan who has written some of the best episodes of the series' latest incarnation.'

Finally, in the ratings, 'Doctor Who' is on the rise: 'Evolution of the Daleks' scored 874,000 viewers in the 5 major capitals while 'The Lazarus Experiment' scored an even better 895,000 viewers, coming a close second to the Dame Edna Treatment on Channel Nine and the show’s best Aussie ratings since 'Smith and Jones'. For more ratings details see theSydney Morning Herald’s Tribal Mind.

Thanks to Theta Sega MP for the Sunday Telegraph piece.

Veteran actor Richard Briers revealed on BBC News24 that he will be appearing in an episode of Series Two of Torchwood.

The actor, who was being interviewed about remastered Charlie Chaplin films, said he read the script last night and it scared him.

Talking to Michael Parkinson on BBC Radio 2 he added that he will play a 90-year-old man rehearsing for the end.

Briers is best known for his role of Tom Good in the classic BBC Comedy series, The Good Life. In Doctor Who, he appeared with the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, in the 1987 story Paradise Towers, where he played The Chief Caretaker.

Thanks to Nick Headley

Big Finish has released details on its upcoming release in the Short Trips series, Snapshots.

The list of stories and authors are as follows:
Pupeteer by Benjamin Adams
Plight of the Monkrah by John Davies
Tuesday by Brian Dooley
She Knew by Nigel Fairs
In Case of Emergencies by Ian Farrington
The Misadventure of Mark Thorne by Andy Frankham-Allen
Indian Summer by James Goss
There's Something About Mary by Simon Guerrier
The Definite Article by Scott Handcock
The Eyes Have It by Colin Harvey
The Golem by Lizzie Hopley
Salva Mea by Joseph Lidster
Fanboys by Paul Magrs
My Hero by Stuart Manning
Osskah by Gary Owen
You Had Me at Verify Username and Password by Stel Pavlou
All of Beyond by Helen Raynor
Remain in Light by Eddie Robson
Gray by Gary Russell
The Sorrows of Vienna by Steven Savile
Piecemeal by James Swallow

The Manchester-based Museum of Science and Industry, which hosts the Doctor Who Up Close exhibition, is attempting to attract a record number of Daleks on 26 August.

In order to fulfil Guinness World Records criteria, MoSI must attract 50 or more Daleks - people dressed in costumes which 'closely resemble a Dalek'.

For more information on the museum, please visit its website here.

Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat, writing on Outpost Gallifrey's own discussion forum, has dismissed the rumours circulating in recent days concerning the casting of Northern Irish actor James Nesbitt as the 11th Doctor. Moffat's comments are reproduced below for our readers' information.

Character Options is to release a range of classic-era figures.

To be launched next spring, in association with BBC Worldwide, the five-inch figures will initially feature detailed replicas of classic Doctors, plus a number of monsters.

Jon Diver, the joint managing director of Character Group, said: "The resounding success of the Doctor Who TV series is made up of both new and existing Doctor Who fans.

"We have reacted to public demand and will be producing a range which greatly enhances the depth and quality of our existing line.

"The classic licence will broaden the collectability and enhance the position of the brand."

Also reported by Toy News and Action-Figure

(Thanks to Tony Clark and Daniel Smith.)

New Zealand TV channel Prime will broadcast the 2006 Christmas special The Runaway Bride on Sunday, August 19, to start off the run of Series Three.

Assuming each episode then follows every Sunday, the show will run until November 18.

NB: The press pack with cast listings for episodes one to seven (Smith and Jonesto 42) contains a character spoiler for episode two, The Shakespeare Code.

(Thanks to David French.)