Word from the Doctor Who Club of Australia: Doctor Who returns to the airwaves this September! ABC-TV (Channel 2) will be screening the series in Australia four nights a week (Monday through Thursday) starting September 15, 2003 at 6:00pm. Says the press release: "The most famous time traveller of all time Dr Who returns to ABC TV in September. ABC TV will screen the entire Dr Who series from episode one every Monday to Thursday at 6pm from September 15th. The first episode æAn Unearthly ChildÆ stars the original Gallifreyan Time Lord William Hartnell. Head of ABC TV Programming, Ms Marena Manzoufas, said re-screening the original Dr Who episodes coincided with the programÆs 40th Anniversary. 'Dr Who made its debut in November 1963 and ABC TV last screened it in March 1994,' she said. 'Since then we have received an endless number of requests from Dr Who fans. Dr Who was the longest running science fiction series ever made and everyone has a favourite episode, Doctor or evil foe such as the Daleks and Cybermen. There are many fans addicted to the program who want to re-live the whole Dr Who experience from the start.' And ABC TV also decided to re-screen the entire series from episode one for those who missed them or where too young to see how the adventure began." (Thanks to Jason Fraser and the DWCA)

This story has been updated all day long... the following is correct as of 0500 GMT July 31

On July 30 we were contacted by several sources -- notably the Galaxy 4 shop and readers of the ChoicesDirect website -- that the UK DVD release of Earthshock had been pushed back two weeks, to August 18 (instead of August 4). Almost immediately, the BBC websiteBBCi posted a news item stating that BBC Worldwide was denying the report, and that it would be out on schedule, as planned. That was followed in sequence by a note that at least one retailer had received the DVD stock but had been given a note that the DVDs were being recalled; and then information direct from the BBC's own sales website BBC Shop which changed their release date to the delay date of August 18!

Outpost Gallifrey has learned that the situation is, in fact, the initial shipment is missing the enclosed DVD booklet - at least some, possibly all. Retailers that have already received it have been asked to send them back (no obligation but service to customers), and meanwhile BBC Worldwide is now apparently informing retailers that a new batch which includes the booklets will be ready for August 18. We'll keep you updated on further developments. (Thanks to Ben Keywood of Galaxy 4, Tenth Planet UK, Tim Harrison, John Batty, Nathan Baron and everyone else who's written in on this all day!)