A biography of Doctor Who's first producer is to be published next January. Drama and Delight: The Life and Legacy of Verity Lambert is being written by Richard Marson and will be brought out by Miwk Publishing Ltd.

Not only was Lambert the show's first producer, it was also her first TV programme as a producer, having been poached from commercial rival ABC by drama boss Sydney Newman. At the time, she was also the youngest and only female drama producer at the BBC.

Lambert went on to have a hugely successful and influential career in TV production, becoming a head of drama herself - at Thames Television - and later setting up her own production company. She received an OBE in the 2002 New Year Honours for services to film and television production, and that same year also saw her presented with BAFTA's Alan Clarke Award for Outstanding Contribution to Television. She died of cancer in 2007 at the age of 71.

Marson wrote for Doctor Who Monthly/Magazine between 1983 and 1988, and after graduating from the University of Durham in 1987 joined the BBC, progressing from floor assistant to producer/director. Along the way, he worked on many iconic programmes including Top of the Pops, That's Life!, Going Live!, and Wogan. He went freelance in 1994, with stints at companies such as Planet 24, Chatsworth, and LWT. A return to the BBC in 1997 to direct series of Record Breakers and Tomorrow's World led to his appointment as a producer on Blue Peter in 1998, where he remained for almost a decade. He spent four years as the programme's editor.

In 2007, he was the executive producer of BBC Four's Children's TV On Trial, while more recently he produced and directed the 90-minute documentary Tales of Television Centre for the same channel. He is currently with TwoFour, producing a major 15-part "fixed-rig" documentary (where the cameras are stationary) for CBBC called Our School.

Marson is the author of several books, including Inside Updown: The Story of Upstairs, Downstairs, Blue Peter 50th Anniversary, and JN-T: The Life and Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner, which caused a media stir when it was published last year.

Tom Baker celebrates his 80th birthday today and the BBC has simultaneously released a short video in which the actor discusses playing the Doctor and his return last year to the programme.

In it, he says:

In addition, a slightly longer audio-only interview has been made available via BBC Worldwide's Doctor Who site in which Baker says he stayed for so long in the show because it made him so happy: Asked to sum up in one line his Doctor for someone who had never seen him, Baker responds: "One word, I think: Adorable!" and laughs. The interview can be listened to below:

The actor Roger Lloyd Pack has died at the age of 69.

Lloyd Pack played John Lumic, the owner of Cybus Industries and the creator of the Cybermen, in the 2006 Doctor Who story Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel.

He was best known for playing Trigger in the long-running sitcom Only Fools and Horses as well as Owen Newitt in The Vicar of Dibley. In later years, he attained fame in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, where he played Barty Crouch.

The actor was born in Islington, north London, in 1944, the son of Hammer horror actor Charles Lloyd-Pack. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before making his stage debut in Northampton. He had small appearances in The Avengers and Virgin of the Secret Service before his big screen debut in 1968 when he played a small part in The Magus. Other TV roles included parts in Spyder's Web, Crown Court, Dixon of Dock Green and both versions of Terry Nation's Survivors, playing Wally in the original 1970s production and Billy Stringer in the second series of the remake, which aired in 2010 - as such, he was the only actor to appear in both versions. Lloyd Pack also appeared in Life of Shakespeare, Private Schulz, Moving, Byker Grove, Selling Hitler, The Bill and The Gravy Train Goes East. In later years he had roles in The Borgias, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Old Guys.

He was a committed socialist, campaigned for nuclear disarmament and was a supporter of Left Unity.

Sir David Jason, who starred with Lloyd Pack in Only Fools and Horses, has spoken of his sadness at the news of the actor's death. Andrew Hayden-Smith, who played Jake in Rise of the Cybermen said While Tom MacRae who wrote the Cyberman adventure said The actor died of pancreatic cancer on Wednesday night. He is survived by his second wife Jehane Markham and his four children, the actress Emily Lloyd and his sons Spencer, Hartley & Louis.

A creative decision - as opposed to a contractual one - was behind Peter Capaldi keeping his native Scottish accent as the Doctor, the BBC has been quoted as saying. And according to an unnamed "insider", Capaldi "was delighted when he found out he could play the part with his own voice. It gives his character a stronger identity as well." (The article takes pains to point out that fellow Scot David Tennant used an English accent because then showrunner Russell T Davies didn't want the Doctor "touring the regions". It neglects to mention that the Highlands-set episode Tooth and Claw did see Tennant talking with a Scottish brogue. Sylvester McCoy, of course, kept his Scottish accent as the Doctor.) [Mirror, 30 Dec 2013]

Meanwhile, The Musketeers - the TV drama that Peter Capaldi was filming when he learnt that he had won the role of the Doctor - begins on BBC One on Sunday 19th January at 9pm. Consisting of ten one-hour episodes and set in 17th-century Paris, it sees Capaldi portraying the villainous Cardinal Richelieu in a contemporary take on the characters created by Alexandre Dumas. Talking about the hazards of filming the swashbuckling series, Capaldi said: "The production suffered from a lot of injuries: dislocated shoulders, bruised shins, the odd concussion. It's one of the occupational hazards of being a swashbuckler. I myself suffered a nasty dislocated thumb, but embarrassingly not from swinging a sword around. Instead, my injury came from a domestic the cardinal was having with Milady, Maimie McCoy. I threw her against the wall not realising I'd caught my thumb in her large frock. I felt a jab of pain. And when the director said "Cut" I looked down and saw my thumb was on the wrong way round. Nasty! Instinct took over and I shoved it back. Which made my eyes water and my knees weak. The lesson clearly was, never get into a fight with Maimie McCoy!" The series has been directed by - among others - Saul Metzstein, Toby Haynes, and Farren Blackburn, with music by Murray Gold. [BBC Media Centre, 7 Jan 2014]

The Crouch End Festival Chorus will be launching its 30th-anniversary year with the world première of Murray Gold's heartfelt tribute to his late sibling Jolyon Gold, who was born in 1971 and died in 1996. When My Brother Fell Into The River . . . will be performed at the Barbican in London on Saturday 18th January at 7.30pm. It is described as "a passionate ode to life, motorbikes, Walt Whitman and India; a dramatic tribute to his brother Jolyon who lost his life in the River Narmada." A memorial bench can also be found on Hampstead Heath. [CEFC website].

Jenna Coleman was the runner-up in RadioTimes.com's poll of breakthrough actor of 2013 for her roles in Doctor Who and Dancing On The Edge, being pipped to the title by Jamie Dornan (The Fall). She garnered 2,319 (23.73 per cent) of the votes against Dornan's 2,467 (25.24 per cent). Meanwhile, Sacha Dhawan came 15th for his portrayal of Waris Hussein in An Adventure in Space and Time (114/1.17 per cent). [Radio Times, 30 Dec 2013]

David Morrissey is starring in the three-part BBC One drama The Driver, which began filming in Manchester this week, to be broadcast later this year. Directed by Jamie Payne and also featuring Shaun Dingwall, it is billed as "a gripping tale of an ordinary life turned upside down", which sees Morrissey's character, Vince McKee, driving for a criminal gang after blaming himself and his inadequacies for a family mystery. Morrissey is also a co-executive producer. [BBC Media Centre, 10 Jan 2014]

David Troughton is the new voice of Tony Archer in the long-running BBC radio drama series The Archers, taking over from Colin Skipp who has retired on health grounds after more than 40 years in the role. [Archers website, 2 Jan 2014]

The BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales are to mark the fifth birthday of their home in Cardiff Bay this month with a celebratory concert at BBC Hoddinott Hall, based within the Wales Millennium Centre. The hall has been used not just as a rehearsal venue and concert hall but is often used as a soundtrack studio and television studio too, with the studio being used to record soundtrack music for Doctor Who. The concert takes place on Tuesday 21st January at 7.30pm and will be broadcast on Radio 3 Live in Concert. It will also be available for seven days after broadcast via BBC iPlayer Radio. Tickets cost £15. Fees are applicable unless tickets are bought in person at the box office using cash or with Millennium Centre gift certificates. No music relating to Doctor Who is understood to be forming part of the concert. (BBC radio broadcasts are available to listen to free worldwide.) [BBC Media Centre, 9 Jan 2014]

A Doctor Who audio play and Claire Rushbrook are in the running for gongs in this year's BBC Audio Drama Awards. Dark Eyes, written by Nicholas Briggs for Big Finish, is among the contenders for Best Online or Non-Broadcast Audio Drama, while Rushbrook has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress in an Audio Drama for her portrayal of Jules in King David, produced for BBC Radio 3. Ruth Jones and Nina Wadia are among the judges. The awards cover audio dramas first broadcast in English in the UK between 1st October 2012 and 31st October 2013 or first uploaded/published for free listening online in the UK during the same period. The ceremony will be held on Sunday 26th January in the Radio Theatre at BBC Broadcasting House in central London, hosted by comedian and writer Lenny Henry and BBC director-general Tony Hall. [BBC Media Centre, 8 Jan 2014]

The thought-provoking drama The Events, starring Neve McIntosh and Rudi Dharmalingham, which was written by David Greig and premièred at the Edinburgh Fringe, was first on The Guardian's list of Best Theatre of 2013. [The Guardian, 31 Dec 2013]

Mark Gatiss and Katy Manning exchanged touching tweets earlier this week following last Sunday's episode of Sherlock - the BBC One series created by Gatiss and Steven Moffat - after Manning spotted a heavy reference to the final scene of The Green Death, with Holmes's downbeat departure from the Watsons' wedding reception echoing that of the Doctor's exit from the engagement party of her companion character Jo Grant and Clifford Jones:




Bath-based actress Francisca Garcia made her local press thanks to roles as an extra in Doctor Who, alongside Commander Strax, and as a bridesmaid in Sherlock. [The Bath Chronicle, 31 Dec 2013]

An accountant from Somerset who admitted swindling £80,000 from the programme budgets of Doctor Who and Casualty has been jailed for two years. Oliver Ager pleaded guilty at Cardiff Crown Court to 17 fraud offences, which were uncovered when he was based at the Roath Lock studios. He was sacked in October 2012 by BBC Finance. The 35-year-old, of Rock Avenue, Nailsea, who was a production accountant for 20 episodes of Doctor Who in 2007 and 2008, has repaid £30,000 from his pension fund. The court made no order relating to the rest of the money. Ager, who was also credited on The Sarah Jane Adventures pilot episode Invasion of the Bane, will serve one year of his prison term before being released on licence. In a statement after sentencing, the BBC said it had reviewed its cash processes and tightened procedures since the offences were committed "to prevent a crime like this from happening again." [Wales Online, 6 Jan 2014]

New Year Honours:

A number of luminaries received recognition in the 2014 New Year Honours List. Nicholas Parsons was promoted to a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for charitable services, particularly to children's charities (he was made an OBE - Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire - in the 2004 New Year Honours for services to drama and broadcasting), while Lynda Bellingham and Katherine Jenkins were each awarded the OBE for, respectively, voluntary service to charitable giving in the UK and for services to music and for charitable services, and Ruth Jones was made an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for services to entertainment. [Official 2014 New Year Honours List, 30 Dec 2013]

Doctors:

John Hurt has been voted joint first in the annual Beard of the Year Awards, alongside choirmaster Gareth Malone and England rugby player Geoff Parling. The trio came top of the poll from the Beard Liberation Front, which attracted over 10000 votes. [Telegraph, 28 Dec 2013]

David Tennant commented that he currently doesn't know whether he'll be involved in the second series of Chris Chibnall's Broadchurch: "We don’t know where the characters are going. We don’t know the story he is telling. Some people say they know they are in it. I am not sure they do, though. I think some might get a shock. I was dying of a heart attack, so I don’t know how able Alec Hardy will be to do any more crimefighting, so we will have to see." [Radio 4, via Mirror, 28 Dec 2013]

Speaking of which, a Radio Times poll saw critics name Tennant's show the best TV show of 2013. Tim Glandfield, RadiotTimes.com editor, said: "The death of event TV has been greatly exaggerated. Broadchurch drew the nation into a collective hysteria every Monday night for eight weeks, as who killed Danny Latimer became the talking point in the press, pubs, front rooms and factories up and down the country. A brilliant piece of homegrown drama with an exquisite cast of actors, Broadchurch is a fantastic example of British TV at its very best.". [Radio Times, 27 Dec 2013]

Peter Capaldi has been put forward as a candidate for the position of Rector at the University of Glasgow, though the actor himself has yet to agree to run for election. A petition was started by politics student Fiona Duncan, who said: "I’m trying to show that there is a demand from the student body for him to stand before contacting him. It would be great to have someone from the arts representing Glasgow students." [Times Higher Education, 25 Dec 2013]

Peter Cushing is considered the number one thespian from Kent, according to a county news source. Correspondent Chris Britcher observed: "He lived for much of his life in Whitstable, moving there in 1959, in a seafront home he shared with his wife. A popular figure about the town, he would love to sit and paint the view along the beach. Cushing’s View today marks the spot he so adored, while the town’s museum has a permanent section devoted to him.". The "alternative" Doctor is not alone, however, with Tom Baker also listed at number eight: "He remains, for a whole generation, their favourite Doctor Who – and is destined to be synonymous with the character at the very height of its fame. Mr Baker lived for many years in Boughton Monchelsea, near Maidstone, and now resides in Tunbridge Wells. He is a familiar sight in and around the town." [Kent News, 24 Dec 2013]

Writers:

Neil Gaiman has been named the winner of the 2013 Book of the Year Award, with his book The Ocean At The End Of The Lane winning the public vote in the National Book Awards. The writer commented: "I've never written a book before that was so close to my own heart: a story about memory and magic and the fear and danger of being a child. I wasn't sure that anyone else would like it. "I'm amazed and thrilled that so many other people have read it, loved it, and made their friends read it too." [Radio Times, 28 Dec 2013]

A new publication in the Time Trips series of e-books, The Death Pit is now out, and its setting of Arbroath in Scotland has attracted local interest. Dundee-born author Alison Kennedy said: "I know Arbroath a bit. I lived there for a few months and in Carnoustie for about a year. It just seemed a suitable place. I wanted it to be in a small town." Writing for the fourth Doctor, she said: "I was a fan of the series as a child, and I am now. When it’s at its best it hasn’t changed - it’s very resilient. It was a very happy editorial experience." [Evening Telegraph, The Courier, 28 Dec 2013]

The composer and dramatist Murray Gold has received the prestigious accolade of being included in the 2014 edition of Who's Who.

The publication, which has been brought out annually since 1849, is a directory and source of information about living noteworthy and influential people who are considered to have an impact on British life. It now has more than 33,000 biographies, with about 1,000 new entries added every year. Each entry is written by the subject themselves, and an invitation to appear in Who's Who is seen as the recognition of lasting distinction and influence.

Some entrants, eg, MPs and senior judges, are invited to be included as a matter of course, since their appointments are considered to be of general public interest. Others, for example in the arts field, are chosen by a selection board.

The website of Who's Who states: The Wall Street Journal once wrote: Once a person has been included in Who's Who, they remain in it for life, with their entry updated over the years. It is then transferred to Who Was Who when they die.

Among his film and TV work, Gold rearranged the theme for Doctor Who when it returned in 2005 and has composed its incidental music ever since. He also created, arranged, and orchestrated the special live concert Doctor Who: A Celebration at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff in 2006, while the Doctor Who Proms of 2008, 2010, and 2013 - at the Royal Albert Hall in London - featured his music for the series. In addition, he composed the theme for spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures plus the theme and incidental music for Torchwood.

In January this year at the BBC Audio Drama Awards, his BBC Radio 3 drama script Kafka the Musical, starring David Tennant, won the Tinniswood Radio Drama Award 2012 for best original radio drama.

His radio play Electricity won the 2001 Imison Award for best original radio drama script by a writer new to radio after its broadcast on Radio 3 in December 2000. It then transferred to the West Yorkshire Playhouse in 2004, with Christopher Eccleston in the lead role.

Gold also provided the music for Russell T Davies' TV series Queer As Folk, The Second Coming (starring Eccleston), and Casanova (with Tennant as the lead).

His work for Queer As Folk, Casanova, Doctor Who, and the 1998 BBC adaptation of Vanity Fair - with cast members including David Bradley - has been BAFTA-nominated, and in 1999 Gold was nominated in the Royal Television Society Awards for Best Music - Original Score for both Vanity Fair and Queer As Folk, winning it for the latter.

In addition, he provided the music for the 2000s revival of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), co-starring Tom Baker.

Gold's entry reads as follows:

Screenwriter Terry Nation was being honoured today with the unveiling of a blue plaque at the house in Wales where he was born.

The event was due to take place at midday at 113 Fairwater Grove West, Llandaff, Cardiff, just a few miles from where Doctor Who is now made.

Organised by the Llandaff Society, its chairman, Geoffrey Barton-Greenwood, told the BBC that he met the Dalek creator while the latter had been visiting friends in the area after his move to Hollywood.

He said: Nation was born in 1930 near fellow writer Roald Dahl, and Barton-Greenwood suggested that he might have been playing with the name of "Dahl" when he came up with "Dalek".
Before he wrote for Doctor Who, Nation was a comedy writer and penned material for, among others, Tony Hancock. The comedian's nephew Tim Hancock, who now looks after the Nation estate, was due to unveil the plaque.

In May 2002, blue Heritage Foundation plaques to the memory of William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, and Jon Pertwee were unveiled at BBC TV Centre in London.

David Tennant is to 'regenerate' into an American version of his character Detective Inspector Alec Hardy in a US adaptation of the successful drama Broadchurch to be made by Fox. Writer Chris Chibnall is also involved, saying: "I'm very, very fascinated to see this story in a different landscape with an acting ensemble that's just as strong but taken from really great American actors. The DNA of the original is absolutely intact and filtered through a new prism, so it should still feel just as vibrant, and interesting, and strange, and unique, and beautiful, but just in a different setting — and then it's exploring the dramatic opportunities that that offers up. We're not gonna do the terrible version. We're gonna do a great version." [Entertainment Weekly, 2 Oct 2013]

Co-star Arthur Darvill has confirmed that he would be back in the second series of the UK version: "I'm meant to be doing the next series. I actually don't know whether that's an episode or a whole series, I'm in touch with the production company and my agent, [but] it's quite nice not knowing because I really can't give anything away. I'd quite like to find out soon so I can plan my life!" [Mirror, 18 Sep 2013]

Paul McGann is to provide the face of a new website to pay tribute to people from Merseyside who fought in the First World War. The actor said: "The First World War has only just ceased to be within living memory, the last trench soldiers have just died. I was privileged enough to know them for the last 20 years of their lives. It’s in my own family and that’s what this website is about – it’s a living history. This is to me what makes it so potent." Merseyside Experience of War, 1914-1918 is a project undertaken by Liverpool John Moores University and will be officially launched in November. [Liverpool Echo, 3 Oct 2013]

A poster featuring Christopher Eccleston as Malekith the Accursed from the forthcoming film Thor: The Dark World has been revealed. [Entertainment Weekly, 26 Sep 2013]

Steven Moffat is to appear at the Cheltenham Literature Festival on 12th October. Sherlock, The Doctor and Me is being hosted by the Radio Times, with behind-the-scenes discussion of his two successful BBC One shows. [Radio Times, 3 Oct 2013]

John Barrowman is to host a new quiz show for BBC One called Pressure Pad which will be broadcast from November; the actor said: "I am thrilled to be hosting this new innovative quiz show for BBC One and look forward to seeing whether contestants can take the heat on the Pressure Pad, and join in having fun with me." [BBC Media Centre, 2 Oct 2013]

The actor is also looking to buy a home in Scotland: "With whatever filming I'm doing in Scotland, it’s better to have my own house rather than a hotel. It’s nice to have somewhere to have parties by the sea. I want a house on the water. If anyone knows of a modern building with at least five bedrooms, we’ll keep it as our Scottish base. I know exactly what I’m looking for. I’ve been looking at the west coast and I’m not averse to it being on a loch or near a big town for when we want to go to the cinema or eat in restaurants. It also needs a two to three car garage because I have 10 cars." Barrowman has become a regular attraction for Glasgow during the Winter pantomime season alongside The Krankies, this year's presentation being Dick McWhittington. [Daily Record, 20 Sep 2013]

Karen Gillan has wrapped filming for the forthcoming film Guardians of the Galaxy - a film in which she shaved her hair to much media interest. The actress has this week been promoting Not Another Happy Ending, her film which is due to be released in cinemas on 11th October. Interviews can be found via the Irish Independent. The official trailer can be watched on YouTube.

Billie Piper will be appearing as Brona Croft in the new series from Showtime called Penny Dreadful. The series, from Skyfall director Sam Mendes is described as a "psychosexual horror" series which brings to life characters from Victorian literature alongside orginal creations, with Piper's character an Irish immigrant with a shady past. [Comic Book Resources, 19 Sep 2013]

The actress will also appear in Foxtrot, a play to be broadcast on Sky's Arts Channel as part of their Playhouse Presents series. She appears alongside Ben Whishaw and Lindsay Duncan. [Radio Times, 17 Sep 2013]

David Tennant's Winter turn in the RSC will be as the title role of Richard II; his performance will also be screened live in cinemas around the United Kingdom on 13th November as part of the National Theatre Live season. In addition, the Manchester International Festival's production of Macbeth starring Kenneth Branagh and Alex Kingston will be screened at venues around the United States as part of the National Theatre Live's Encore programme. [Manchester International Festival, 3 Oct 2013] [Shields Gazette, 26 Sep 2013]

An Evening with Kate O'Mara takes place on 19th October at The Misty Moon Gallery in London; speaking about whether she'd ever reprise her role as the Rani in the new series, the actress said: "I have white hair now, but a lot of it, and I'm still very glamorous and so I won't disappoint, I hope! I'll still be wearing the tight leather trousers and high-heel boots, regardless of what age! That's what the fans are expecting, so that's what you've got to give them. If you put a much older woman in Doctor Who, they can identify with it. I think it's quite an interesting concept and if you remember things like Grimm's Fairytales, the older woman is often the villainess, often the terrifying figure - why I do not know, but often she is. I think it's an idea to be exploited." [Digital Spy, 4 Oct 2013]

John Barrowman has married his long term partner Scott Gill at a ceremony in California.

The couple, who have been together 20 years, entered into a civil partnership in 2006. Following the US Supreme Court’s overturning of the Defence of Marriage Act, the duo officially tied the knot at the beginning of the month, announcing the news on Whosay.

Barrowman recently told ITV's Daybreak the next Doctor should be a woman. "We’ve had great guys playing the role. The character of River Song was so popular in the last part of the series and it was such an impact, why shouldn’t we have a female doctor,” he said, adding “Give it a whirl, if it doesn’t work she can always regenerate, she can always regenerate back to a man - I’ve been there, I’ve watched them do it.”

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Actress Lynda Bellingham has revealed she has cancer.

Bellingham played the The Inquisitor in the 1986 Trial of a Time Lord season and is well known for her roles in All Creatures Great and Small, and Loose Women, as well as the Oxo TV adverts screened in the 1980s and '90s. The actress has postponed a UK tour of Kay Mellor's play A Passionate Woman to have treatment.

In a statement she said "I'm devastated not to be able to honour my commitments to the play this year, But having toured many times before, I'm aware of the sheer stamina needed and I need to prioritise my recovery. That said, nothing's going to stop me coming back next year, and I can't wait to be 'a passionate woman'.

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Author and Script Writer Neil Gaiman is doing a mini-tour of England and Scotland this August. The writer of The Doctor's Wife and Nightmare in Silver will talking about his new book The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

He will be visiting his home city of Portsmouth as well as Ely, Oxford, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Dundee and Inverness.

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The body of former Torchwood actor Richard Gent has been discovered in woods near his home in north London.

The actor, who also appeared in Casualty, Teachers and Black Mirror, went missing in April 2012 prompting his family to launch an appeal for his return. His body was discovered earlier this month. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said his death is not being treated as suspicious. Gent's family issued a statement "The search for Richard is over and he is at peace now. We miss him more than we can ever say, and want to thank everyone for their support. Everyone’s kindness shows just how much he was loved. We are donating to the charity Missing People and setting up an acting scholarship in his name to help other young actors."

Tea with The Doctor

Afternoon tea at the Ritz in the company of Matt Smith, is being auctioned in aid of Autism Charities.

The auction is part of A Curious Night at the Theatre, a one off performance taking place at the Apollo Theatre in London, with Jude Law performing live as well as filmed performances from Helen Mirren, James Bond actor Ben Whishaw, and Matt Smith himself.

Tea with the Doctor will be auctioned, along with several other celebrity lots, after the performance.

Bids can also be accepted online.

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Death Comes To Pemberley

Jenna Coleman is to play Lydia Wickham in the BBC One adaptation of Death Comes To Pemberley, the sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The drama, based on the bestselling novel by P.D. James, involves the well known characters of the english classic in a new tale of murder and emotional mayhem.

The cast includes Matthew Rhys who stars as Mr Darcy and Anna Maxwell Martin, who played Suki in the Ninth Doctor adventure The Long Game, playing Elizabeth. Other Who alumni include Tom Ward who played Captain Latimer in The Snowmen, and James Norton playing Colonel Fitzwilliam. Eleanor Tomlinson who played Eve in The Sarah Jane Adventures two-parter, The Mad Woman in the Attic, is playing Georgiana Darcy. Filming will take place in Yorkshire later this month.

NB: Jenna-Louise Coleman has decided to drop the Louise from her name for future credits so will now simply be known as Jenna Coleman.

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Walk for Life

Four former Doctor Who actresses took part in the Walk for Life last Sunday, joining forces with Gay Times to raise money for the Terrence Higgins Trust, a charity concerned with sexual health issues.

Freema Agyeman who played Martha Jones, Sophie Aldred who played Ace, Louise Jameson who played Leela and Katy Manning who played Jo Grant, walked the 10km route through the centre of London, from Bloomsbury Square Gardens to Waterloo Bridge.

Donations can still be made by clicking the relevant actress's name above.

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Michael Sheen is to read Neil Gaiman’s latest novel, The Ocean At The End Of The Lane, for BBC Radio 4’s Book At Bedtime strand.

Sheen played the voice of House in Gaiman's 2011 story The Doctor's Wife. The Ocean At The End Of The Lane is the first adult novel in eight years by the acclaimed author. It’s a tale about memory, about the adventures, experiences and enchantment of childhood and the power of stories. The reading will be broadcast in five 15-minute instalments during July and will be available worldwide via the Radio 4 website.

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The Queen's birthday honours list for 2013 saw veteran actors Julian Glover and Claire Bloom and comic actor Rowan Atkinson all made Commanders of the Order of the British Empire. David Haig, who played Pangol in the 1980 story The Leisure Hive, was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire.