Today's Daily Telegraph has an article asking "Is Mastermind dumbing down? Pass", which includes brief interview with Gavin Fuller, who won in 1993 with Doctor Who as his specialist subject. He defends the inclusion of 'populist' subjects like Who on the ground that it's actually a very broad area - 158 shows to Jane Austen's six novels. You can read the article here. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)

An article in today's Media Guardian today is laden with PR conspiracies about the return of the Daleks. The article by Mark Borowski asks, "was this 'crisis' just a piece of well-placed PR?" Says the article, "Yes, 'our' soaraway Sun has been railing against the BBC's inability to come to an agreement with Terry Nation's estate... And now? Quelle surprise! The publicity has made the forthcoming show as famous as the original, and LOOK OUT! THE DALEKS ARE COMING BACK AFTER ALL!" You can read the article (registration is required)... and see if you agree or disagree. (For the record, everyone involved says it was not planned and was a legitimate disagreement.) (Thanks to Steve Tribe)

As expected, the British press, and some overseas papers, have been reporting on the return of the Daleks for the new series. We've added more links to various media reports below...

The Sun has run with the ball, claiming "victory" in their campaign. Their Page Three item features the expected Dalek flanked by two topless young women in the buff, a traditional Sun feature.

There's also a bit of spoiler in today's Telegraph; click on the spoiler tag for information.

Great news this morning: the BBC and the Terry Nation Estate have achieved an agreement that allows the Daleks to return to Doctor Who in the new TV series, despite word to the contrary earlier in the year. Tim Hancock of the Terry Nation estate told BBC News, "I am absolutely delighted that the Terry Nation estate and the BBC have been able to reach agreement on terms for the use of the Daleks in the new Doctor Who series. We look forward to working closely with the production team in the forthcoming months." The Nation estate, said BBC News, had accused the BBC of trying to "ruin the brand of the Daleks" by trying to wrestle control of the image. "We are absolutely delighted that the Daleks will be back," publicist Antony Wainer of the DWAS told BBC News. "Doctor Who without Daleks would be like Morecambe without Wise or Wimbledon without strawberries." By the way, for those wondering: this was NOT a publicity stunt. According to several sources, this went straight down to the wire, a desire by both sides to reach an equitable agreement. There was never any attempt to use the "will they/won't they" as a publicity tactic for the new series (and we get that straight from the source). The Sun newspaper, naturally, is claiming "victory" in their "campaign" to bring back the Daleks (obviously unaware that they likely had nothing whatsoever to do with it) and the Media Guardian has an amusing quote in their August 4 edition: "Oh Lordy. Stand by for a gloating 'It was the Sun wot won it' style headline in tomorrow's current bun, after the BBC today announced that the Daleks would, indeed, be returning to give Chris Eccleston the willies in the new Doctor Who series. The Sun will no doubt be claiming its Save The Daleks campaign - launched last month after the BBC said negotiations with the estate of Doctor Who writer Terry Nation to bring the croaky-voiced baddies back had broken down - made all the difference. Maybe they have a point. After all, the impact of plastering a Dalek with Sun stickers, a Sun hat and a cross of St George flag and wheeling it through New York's Times Square, accompanied by reporter Bryan Flynn, should not be underestimated."

We're keeping track of the various news reports that come in as this story breaks (thank you Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Chuck Foster, Richard Kirkpatrick); the following is the running list of news reports as we get them.

Official Doctor Who Site (BBC) BBC News The Scotsman Waveguide The Sun The Register News.com.au Sydney Morning Herald Telegraph (second article) Brand Republic The Age (Australia) The Guardian (subscription)

Reuters Irish Examiner The Telegraph The Examiner Ireland Online The Guardian Yahoo! News NewsWales The Independent The Mirror IC Wales FilmForce

Also covered in the Associated Press, the Daily Mail, Belfast Telegraph, South Wales Echo, the Times, the Journal, the Birmingham Post and various other publications and online sources.

The following is a press release issued by the BBC a short while ago (with thanks to the BBC website).

Today's The Sun features an article about Billie Piper and Noel Clarke (who is playing her boyfriend, Mickey), including a photo of the two kissing. Click on the link to view. (Thanks to Kirk Jones)

Below are scans from the Swindon Evening Advertiser today, which show several pictures of both Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper. Below left is the article; the other three are images from the paper (including a front-page column photo). The accompanying article notes that Piper and Eccleston are filming the new series "in London" (yet another confirmation that the show has moved briefly to London). "The former pupil from Bradon Forest School, Purton, is the latest in a long line of glamorous female assistants to have helped out the Time Lord since his adventures first hit the screen in 1963," says the article about Piper. "And Eccleston is the latest incarnation of the Doctor, which began with William Hartnell and has included Tom Baker and John Pertwee [sic]." (Thanks to Dan Garrett)

A headline in today's Western Mail (also picked up in the Daily Star, the Scottish Daily Record and others) notes that Billie Piper has taken a new flat in Cardiff to be close to the production, and has a celebrity neighbor: musician Charlotte Church. "The new Dr Who star has swapped her Tardis for a plush ú250,000 flat next door to the singer," says the article. Friends have told the various papers that Church, who is 18, "can hardly believe it and can't wait to see Billie when she moves in." Ah, the paparazzi already begins...

Another article in the Manchester Evening News called "Darker side of Dr Who" notes that "Christopher Eccleston is bringing a no-nonsense attitude to his new role as Dr Who. The actor, originally from Little Hulton, has swapped the cult timelord's dandy scarves and hats for a slick leather jacket and sharp black clothes." The Doctor apparently has what is called a "complete wardrobe makeover," and looks more "undercover detective" than a Time Lord. The article also interviews the now-familiar guy charging ahead with his Dalek campaign (again?) and mentions the show's past 'fashion history'.

Yesterday's Daily Mirror featured a glimpse of Christopher Eccleston entering the TARDIS, perhaps in the costume we'll see him in during the series. The article notes that Eccleston has "traded hats, cloaks and scarves for a leather jacket." "They were a bit foppish for me, a council estate kid," Eccleston tells the Mirror. Another photo from the pages of theDaily Star features a shot of Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper walking together, perhaps an actual shot from the production. The accompanying article in the Daily Star notes, as we've been hearing, that the production has moved briefly to London to film location sequences. Finally, the Western Mail from June 23 discusses last week's Cardiff shooting, including a photo of the TARDIS being assembled. (Thanks to David Backhouse, John Orin, James Gent)

The new issue of TV Guide Magazine in the US features a list this week of their "top 25 greatest science fiction legends", featuring characters (or, in one case, a real person) who have impacted the science fiction genre. The Doctor came in on the list at #22 (remember, this is the US!). The article on the Doctor reads as follows: "Known only as 'The Doctor', the title character of this low-budget British series was a cranky, two-hearted, time-traveling alien. The Doctor was as charming as he was quirky, and dedicated himself to protecting the species he loved best -- humans. Fans never tired of the Doctor, in part because the series was frequently freshened with new actors -- seven in all, including No. 4, Tom Baker, above -- explained by his ability to 'regenerate' his body. An eighth Doctor appeared in a 1996 TV-movie. Who's next? Christopher Eccleston will star in new BBC episodes next year." The list was actually topped by "Twilight Zone" creator Rod Serling, followed by the various "Star Trek" crews, Ray Walston's Uncle Martin ("My Favorite Martian"), George Jetson ("The Jetsons") and Jane Badler's Diana ("V") rounding out the top 5. Some strange choices to be sure -- and Doctor Who should've been closer to the top. Check it out in the new issue this week. (Thanks to Felicity Kusinitz, Stephen Kelley)

Everyone's jumped on the bandwagon with the new TARDIS. The Mirror (July 23) ran a piece on the TARDIS being spotted in Cardiff. Says the South Wales Echo (July 22), "As filming for the revival series of Doctor Who takes to the city"s streets, rumours are flying that the traditional exterminating enemy has been replaced by an army of suave but evil mannequins." The Echo also noted on July 23, "Drinkers in Cardiff might have been alarmed to find their favourite watering hole had been take over by the police. But there was no need to worry - it's all in the name of Dr Who. The back door of the Toad at the Exhibition bar in Working Street, Cardiff city centre, was transformed into the front door of a police station for filming of the all-new Doctor Who series. Large blue stickers with white lettering reading Police were stuck in the windows of the bar which faces St David's Centre, and a sign hanging from the outside wall was covered with a police banner. Half of the bar was closed on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, and last night, to accommodate the crew."

The Manchester Evening News got into it on July 24: "It may be forty years since blue police boxes were last seen on the streets, but Dr Who fans were celebrating after catching a glimpse of one still in perfect working order," said the paper. "Viewers had been worried that the doctor's antiquated time and space machine might be axed along with the Daleks who fell victim to a legal wrangle between the Beeb and late creator Terry Nation's estate. But the refitted and repainted TARDIS - which stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space - materialised next to a shopping centre where the Time Lord's new adventures are being shot."

An article entitled "Doctor Who Mania: Why the Brits are taking this quirky Sci-Fi revival so seriously" at ElitesTV notes that "'Doctor Who' mania has surged again since the announcement that BBC Wales will begin filming the revival this summer. ... Fans of the classic show are waiting to see a fresh cast take on the task of recreating one of BritainÆs favorite stories. However, changes to the show and its characters are inevitable. The new version will have an edgier, more emotional Doctor and a sexy new assistant. Unfortunately for fans, the Daleks, Doctor WhoÆs most feared enemies and voted the most evil villains on television by British TV viewers, wonÆt be returning for the new show. Negotiations over issues of creative control between the BBC and the estate of creator Terry Nation have resulted in a Dalekless series. Nevertheless, the writers are confident they can provide Doctor Who aficionados with new foes to feast on." Read the full article at the website.