Big Finish Productions has updated their website, with information on new and upcoming releases. The Seventh Doctor story Nocturne and the CD of the BBC7 Eighth Doctor story Blood of the Daleks - Part 2 have both been released to subscribers, as have the first four releases of The Companion Chronicles. Actress Sara Griffiths, who played Ray in the 1987 story "Delta and the Bannermen", returns to Doctor Who in the April release, I. D. by Eddie Robson. The cover and synopsis for the latest Bernice Summerfield adventure, The Tub Full of Cats, are available on the website, as is information about new and upcoming releases in the Sapphire and Steel, which has now been confirmed for a third season, and Tomorrow People lines. And the cover and blurb are now available for next month's main Doctor Who release, Renaissance of the Daleks, which is also the first story on the main range to feature the new cover design. This release is based on a story by former Doctor Who script editor and writer Christopher H. Bidmead:

Monday's edition of The Sun has picked up on the furore over remarks by John Barrowman.

It follows sexual comments made by Barrowman in Doctor Who Magazine, which prompted letters of complaint and an apology.

The 39-year-old Torchwood and Doctor Who star made certain references about himself,Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and Torchwood director Ashley Way in a previous edition of the magazine.

DWM reader Robert Mitchell from Brighton had a letter published in the current edition in which he said: "The magazine is called Doctor Who Magazine and not Gay Times."

The Sun lifts part of the response by editor Clayton Hickman, quoting him as saying: "We consider the magazine is for older readers, but some of this content may have overstepped the mark. Apologies."

Though a few weeks away from Series 3 of Doctor Who (and any possible Who-related listings-magazines covers), both this week's and next week's issues of the Radio Times sport front-page covers and corresponding articles of two of the show's stars, albeit for different roles.

The current issue of the listings-magazine (17 to 23 February) has a Catherine Tate cover - "Bovvered?" - and features a three-page interview with the former Doctor Who companion by Alexei Sayle (the DJ in Revelation of the Daleks). This is to coincide with tonight's premiere of the ITV1 drama The Bad Mother's Handbook, which stars Tate. There's nothing about Doctor Who in the article itself but the magazine's editor Gill Hudson makes a brief mention in her "Editor's letter".

Meanwhile, next week's Radio Times (24 February to 2 March, on sale now) features a (bearded) David Tennant cover - "TV's Most Wanted" - and article to coincide with his BBC1 drama Recovery, which co-stars the Empress of the Racnoss herself, Sarah Parish. This issue also has a short interview with Penelope Wilton and a "One Final Question" interview with Life on Mars star John Simm.

Previously, to coincide with Matthew Graham's second series of Life on Mars, the 10 to 16 February issue of the Radio Times had a double cover - "Life on Mars!" - featuring Simm and Philip Glenister. The top cover - in the current Radio Times style, showing the pair in character and including a sub-heading "Primeval: Is this ITV1’s answer to Doctor Who?" - opened up to a second cover with the same picture but styled as the Radio Times was in 1973!

Jason Haigh-Ellery of Big Finish Productions announced today that there will be a second series of the newCompanion Chronicles series. No information about casting or characters have been announced at this time.

Fifth Doctor Peter Davison reckons Fidel Castro probably isn't half as bad as he's made out to be, and that Tony Blair should either be sent to the Tower of London or put in the stocks.

In an interview for the Press Association, headlined If I Ruled The World, syndicated to publicise his new series Fear, Stress and Anger, which begins on BBC Two on Thursday, he also praisesStephen Fry, who dropped out of writing for Doctor Who.

The full text is given below.

Sci-Fi Wire reports that Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston has joined the cast of The Dark Is Rising. The 20th Century Fox and Walden Media film is an adaptation of the books of the same name by Susan Cooper. Eccleston will play the villain, the Rider, and will join the cast of Gregory Smith, Amelia Warner (Aeon Flux), Emma Lockhart (Batman Begins), Gary Entin, Edmund Entin, Jonathan Jackson and John Benjamin Hickey. Ian McShane and Frances Conroy have also been cast. The movie is slated to begin filming on 26 February in Romania.

Visit Sci Fi Wire for more details.

Saturday's edition of The Sun reports that former Hollyoaks actress Elize Du Toit has been cast in Series Three.

It says the 25-year-old is to play the character Miss Dexter but does not reveal which story she will be in.

The article features spoiler information about Dexter as well as another character in the forthcoming series (although they are not necessarily in the same story). Click on the tag below to read more and for the link to the Sun story.

While the Doctor officially made an appearance in BeanoMAX comic in the UK, there was an odd appearance just last month in the long-running comic strip Annie. Best known as Little Orphan Annie, the updated version had the young adventurer enter a time machine that was larger on the inside than the out and featured a strangely familiar looking console. After almost interrupting the assassination of Abe Lincoln, little Annie went on a visit to Atlantis.

Visit Annie to take a look at the exciting adventure complete with daily cliffhangers. Love the console.

The Sun is claiming that Tom Ellis has been cast in the new series of Doctor Who as the character Tom Milligan. (Warning - the link contains spoilers.) He appeared in EastEnders as Dr Oliver Cousins, and has also appeared inWaking The Dead, Holby City and Love Soup, among many other programmes.

A BBC source has told the Sun that "Tom plays a crucial role in the season finale of Doctor Who." He is apparently due to begin filming next week.

Some stories you may have missed recently in the press ...

Comparisons between Doctor Who and ITV's new show Primeval have been cropping up in a variety of sources.Heat magazine said "... it's not a fair comparison - where Doctor Who is quirky, playful and very British, this glossy adventure is more in the American style, with spectacular effects, fancy locations and less larking about ... For all it's slickness, Primeval would be improved by the presence of a David Tennant or a Billie Piper. But what wouldn't?". Closermagazine commented that, "Doctor Who proved that decent sci-fi drama can be a huge family hit, so you can't blame ITV for wanting a piece of the action."

John Barrowman has been "celebrating the best of Broadway, Hollywood and the West End" by sitting in for Elaine Paige on Sunday 11 February on BBC Radio 2 at 1-3pm, and will be carrying on the presenting duties on the following Sunday, 18 February, at the same time. You can listen again for 7 days here. The first show included radio play forLove Don't Roam and discussion of Torchwood filming, as previously reported on the News Page.
Barrowman will be hosting The National Lottery: Saturday Draws on BBC1 at 9.25 on 24 February.

A short Q & A interview with Barrowman appeared in London Lite on 9 February.

A home-made Doctor Who time machine was the star attraction at a space-based literacy day on Saturday 20 January at the Langworthy Cornerstone, aimed at improving English. Doctor Who author Stephen Cole also attended, conducting a writing seminar and judging the winning entries in the story competition.

The Mirror has reported on the investigation of a BBC Wales executive for fraud in "A Doctor Who Swindle", claiming the executive "was in charge of a multi-million pound budget at the Cardiff HQ where Doctor Who is made" and is under investigation for a series of payments he authorised. Any Doctor Who link may be largely geographical, however, as the executive who resigned in April 2005 was head of operations for BBC Wales, and was responsible for technology, outside broadcasts, studios, post-production, facilities management, and BBC premises.

According to Sky Showbiz (A. Montini), Hugh Grant "got offered a role in the revived version of Doctor Who. Not sure what put him off the role - the hard work or the show being shot in Cardiff ... Either way he said no."

Many celebrities have been revealing their love of Doctor Who.

Take That singer Mark Owen told Sky Showbiz he would like to appear in Doctor Who, saying that "I never missed it and loved the show the first time around. I think there is room for us on the show to do a concert on another planet, but we would have to return, of course."

Inside Soap (3-9 February)also reveals that Carrie Grant (of BBC2's Safari School) says that the Doctor is the TV/movie character she would most like to be - "The idea that you could just go anywhere you wanted in the whole universe ... Oh yeah!"

The winner of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, Connie Fisher, has been stating her case for a role in Doctor Who. According to Sky Showbiz, she said, "I never miss the show and think that it would be great for me as it's totally different from what people know me as."

Scottish designers Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan said that they would: "... love to be in Doctor Who - David Tennant is magnificent and we're big fans of Christopher Eccleston." source: Metro

British comedian Al Murray (currently hosting Al Murray's Happy Hour on ITV) comments on Doctor Who that his children "love it and I do, too. I think it's been the most amazing thing on TV in recent years." (Heat magazine, issue 412)

People

Marc Warren (Love and Monsters) and Yasmin Bannerman (The End of the World) both appeared in the first episode of the second series of Life on Mars, broadcast on BBC 1 on the 13 February. Written and co-created byMatthew Graham (Fear Her) and starring John Simm, episode 2 in the current series was written by Chris Chibnall(Torchwood).

Peter Davison is to star in a new BBC 2 comedy Fear, Stress and Anger.

David Tennant and Sarah Parish can be seen together in Recovery, a one-off 90-minute drama written by Tony Merchant, following a man who suffers a head injury, currently due to be transmitted on BBC 1 from 9pm on Sunday, 25 February. Tennant is due to appear as a guest for Clive Anderson on Radio 2 on the 25 February between 11am and 1pm. The show will be available online for the following 7 days here.

Meanwhile, readers of New Woman magazine have voted Tennant number 13 in it's 100 Hottest Men on the Planet poll. Last year, he came in at number 20.

Billie Piper is to star in the adaptation of Belle de Jour for Channel 4, according to BBC News. Piper is also to guest on The Charlotte Church Show, which screens on Friday, 23 February at 10pm on Channel 4 (UK). Piper was interviewed by Mark Lawson on BBC Radio 4's Front Row on 13 February.

Christopher Eccleston made his first appearance as Claude in Heroes in January. The creator/producer of Heroes,Tim Kring, described how Eccleston became involved in the show in an interview at Crave Online: "I had seen his work mainly in Elizabeth and I had seen him in 28 Days Later. I knew who he was and I had originally wanted a British [actor]. I saw the character as a kind of Fagin kind of character. I wanted a big sort of sloppy Brit with a working class accent who is this curmudgeonly invisible guy, a real misanthrope. So the casting people said, "Well, Christopher Eccleston is actually living here now in America. He’s just moved here and he’s trying to get work here." So it was one of those fortuitous things where it was like, "Oh, I love that guy. Let’s go after him." By the time we had a part for him, he was really a fan of the show."

Eccleston is also due to start filming shortly on The Dark is Rising, an adaptation of the fantasy book by Susan Cooper.

Penelope Wilton appeared on the 14 February edition of Front Row (BBC Radio 4).

Mark Gatiss and Arabella Weir (who plays a female Doctor in the Doctor Who Unbound audio Exile by Nicholas Briggs from Big Finish) will be guest starring in Radio 4's Down the Line on 20 February.