Program information for Week 21 released this afternoon by the BBC Press Office shows that this year's Eurovision Song Contest has had a similar effect to last year, with The Age of Steel moving from Doctor Who's re-established 7pm slot to a 6.40pm start on Saturday 20 May. (There is no word yet of a start time for Doctor Who Confidential on BBC Three that evening.) Last year, "The Doctor Dances" was moved back due to the contest (with a notable drop in viewing figures observed because of the time shift).

Meanwhile, the episode merits a three-page article in the week's highlights(note: PDF file), this week concentrating on the roles of Noel Clarke as Mickey Smith and guest star Andrew Hayden-Smith. 'I think that the Doctor and Mickey do forge a new friendship but it's based on respect,' says Clarke. 'Mickey earns his respect in the Christmas episode and they get to know each other a bit more after that. Mickey's changed as much as the Doctor in terms of becoming a new person but still being [essentially] the same.' He thinks Mickey finally comes into his own this season, becoming braver and more confident than he's seemed before. 'Mickey has to step up to the plate and become a man, so some of the challenges he faces aren't just the monsters that he comes across but also his own fear, really,' Noel explains. 'I think a lot of things that he's involved in [with the Doctor and Rose] help him come to terms with his own uncertainties and really change him. 'He's being tested the whole time, maybe because the Doctor knew that the potential was in him to change.' And what of the relationship between Rose and Mickey? 'Your guess is as good as mine!' laughs Noel.'I think they're in the same sort of on/off situation they always seem to be in; it's never really resolved and you never really figure out what's going on!' He says that 'When you work with someone like [lead writer] Russell [T Davies] and the writers that have worked on Doctor Who, you can only learn from them. Even if your material is different in its content, the tricks and the skills you pick up from them are things that, hopefully, I can put across in whatever I do.' Actor Andrew Hayden-Smith, who guest stars in the next two episodes, syas that he 'suggested that my agent get in touch with the production because I really enjoyed the last series. Funnily enough, they had been watching me on CBBC the night before I put the call in. I went in for an audition, read one of the scenes, and got a call to say I'd got the part a couple of days later.' Of his character, he notes that 'Jake is in a gang fighting against a company called Cybus Industries, which is turning humans into Cybermen,' explains Andrew. 'I didn't see the original Cybermen, but my sister told me that she was terrified of them -- so she is pretty excited that I am involved in fighting them.' Playing an action hero was a new, but exciting, for him. 'It was great!' Andrew enthuses.'There was a lot of running about on the moors in Cardiff, so I had to get quite fit.' The first day of filming was exhilarating, but very demanding, not least because of the fact that the scenes are filmed completely out of sequence. 'It was very scary because it's Doctor Who!' exclaims Andrew with a laugh. 'It was just really exciting. My first day on set was in London, on the South Bank. It was pretty strange because I was filming my last scene [The Age Of Steel], so I had to imagine that I had done all the action scenes which was pretty strange. It was OK, though, as everyone was lovely.' So how does Andrew think his fans will react to his new role? 'I don't know – I'm a bit nervous about it!' he confesses.'The kids who watch me now probably don't remember me from Byker Grove, and won't realise that I've acted before, so I'm a bit nervous about how I come across in it. I hope it's all right!' And would Andrew have liked the opportunity to play a Cyberman himself? 'No, I'm quite happy fighting them, I think,' he says with a laugh. 'I definitely prefer to be a goodie than a baddie!'

There are also further episode details in the Saturday document (also a PDF), as noted below.

People

Yahoo News reports that "Hollyoaks star Rochelle Gadd is preparing to swap text books for time travel when she appears in two episodes of Doctor Who. The actress, who plays student and part-time waitress Olivia Johnson in the soap, will feature in the final instalments of the current sci-fi series. She will take the role of Sally in the two-parter, which is rumoured to involve the Cybermen and, according to writer Russell T Davies, will end with a huge cliffhanger. Gadd was first seen on our screens in Grange Hill, where she played schoolgirl Delia 'Dill' Lodge for six terms. During that time, she could be seen in another CBBC programme, Out of Tune, and has also had small parts in Holby City, The Bill and The Robinsons, which she featured in alongside The Office's Martin Freeman. Other familiar faces guest starring with the Time Lord will include psychic medium Derek Acorah, Cash in the Attic presenter Alistair Appleton and chat show host Trisha Goddard. EastEnders' Barbara Windsor and Tracey-Ann Oberman are also lined up for cameos. Despite the Walford connection, BBC producers have categorically ruled out the Tardis will landing in Albert Square."

The official Doctor Who website reports that "Helen Raynor - Doctor Who script editor and one of the writers for series three - has a new 15-minute TV play on BBC One next week. Cake stars Mali Harries and Andrew Dunn, and is the first in the Brief Encounters series of short plays by writers new to television. You can catch Helen's play on Monday 8 May at 2.35pm, inbetween episodes of Doctors and Homes Under The Hammer."

The Paisley Daily Express reports that "Stunned regulars at a town centre pub couldn't believe their eyes when Doctor Who strolled in for a surprise visit. David Tennant, who plays the Time Lord in the hugely popular BBC TV series, turned heads when he walked through the doors of the Bull Inn, in New Street, Paisley sporting a hairy new look. The 35-year-old actor was back in his home town to film a documentary series about Paisley and his connection with it. But bar staff, let alone customers, at the historic Bull had no idea David was turning up until half an hour before he put in an appearance. Pub boss, Iain MacKinnon, 28, said: 'We knew there was going to be filming but didn't know who was taking part. Then one of the people involved told us it would be David. When he arrived you could see people turning to look at him. He sat in the corner while the filming was happening.' Iain revealed the former Paisley Grammar School pupil was extremely friendly. 'He posed for a picture and we are going to put it on our Bull Inn Mug Shots board which we have here,' Iain added. And there was a treat in store for Iain's niece Robyn, 13. 'She is a massive Doctor Who fan, and I managed to get David Tennant's autograph for her,' he revealed. David, son of the Very Rev Dr Sandy McDonald and his wife Helen, who live in the Dykebar area, caused quite a stir with his flying trip in and out of town. Excited female staff at the nearby Castelvecchi fish and chip shop had spotted the famous Buddie popping into the pub. And they were desperate to know if the bachelor boy was back in town for good. One fan, 32-year-old Jenny Wright, said: 'I didn't realise it was him at first glance because of the new look, which by the way I liked. It was a bit of a shock when I realised I was only feet away from Dr Who himself. It made my day and I'll have something to tell my friends for decades to come. He is pretty handsome.'"

Thursday's The Sun says that Tennant "has been named the sexiest Doctor Who ever by one of his co-stars. Camille Coduri, 41, who plays Billie Piper's screen mum Jackie Tyler, said: 'I think David the sexiest Doctor I have ever seen. 'I didn't think he was so sexy until I saw him at a screening of the show then I realised that he's gorgeous. He is 110% sexier in real life and he's great to work with.'"

The Mirror says that "Only Fools and Horses star Roger Lloyd-Packbased his evil genius role in Doctor Who on US defence chief Donald Rumsfeld. The actor best known as Del Boy's friend Trigger in the BBC sitcom plays power-crazy John Lumic - creator of robot monsters the Cybermen. Roger, 62, said: 'I thought, 'Who is a power-hungry mad person who believes he is completely right and has a lot of control?' Donald Rumsfeld came to mind. He's as bad a man as I see around now.' Lumic battles the Doctor and Rose, played by David Tennant and Billie Piper, as they try to stop his plan... The two-episode story - Rise of the Cybermen and The Age of Steel, on May 13 and May 20 - is the most eagerly awaited of the current series. ... Rumsfeld is not the only famous face to have inspired a Dr Who character. Writer Russell T Davis based the villain Lady Cassandra - a thin piece of skin with a brain - on film star Nicole Kidman. Russell revealed the idea came as he watched her at the Oscars. He said: 'It was horrific seeing those beautiful women reduced to sticks. Nicole Kidman struck me in particular.'"

AfterElton features an interview with John Barrowman: "Viewers who have never heard of Doctor Who, even those who think they don't like sci-fi, might want to consider tuning in to Episode Nine of the new series when it shows tomorrow night at 9pm on the Sci Fi Channel. The cult British show about a time-travelling Doctor and his companions--which has been on and off screens since 1963--has recently been given a 21st century makeover, courtesy of UK Queer As Folk creator Russell T. Davies. And one of the results of Davies's helmsmanship is that the Doctor has a new companion, making his debut appearance tonight: bisexual intergalactic con man Captain Jack Harkness, played by Scottish-American actor John Barrowman. ... He says that he still had one unrealised ambition: 'I grew up in the UK as a kid, I was born and raised in Scotland, and so, having the knowledge of [the show], it was kind of a fantasy of mine to be involved in Doctor Who, though I never thought it would happen.' That fantasy became a reality when his agent called him in for a part that was 'right up your alley'. And Russell T. Davies, seeing the dashing matinee-idol quality that he was looking for in Captain Jack, proceeded to write the character around Barrowman. Barrowman acknowledges that part of his character's energy and optimism may have come from him: 'Anybody who you might talk to who knows me, knows that I love life, I love to have fun, I'm very open, I don't mince my words, I say what I feel, and--you know, that's just the way I am. I put a lot of my own personality into Jack. ... First off, when he was introduced, people didn't like him. And that's what I wanted, I didn't want him to be likeable [straight away]. Because then towards the end of Episode Ten, there's a complete turnaround of his character, and he becomes passionate,. He loves these two other people, the Doctor and [the Doctor's companion] Rose, and so he fights and sacrifices things for them. Basically, I think people see a lot of themselves in him. Because a lot of people would love to say the things that Jack says, and do the things that he does, and make those kind of commitments to people--but some people are just afraid to. And Jack does it, on camera.'" On the subject of Torchwood: "Barrowman says, 'It's a team of five people including Jack, and we have a place called the Hub, which is near the Opera House in Cardiff [in Wales, in the UK]. It's underground, this fictitious place. We are an organization that fights alien crime, and tries to figure out alien happenings on earth. A lot of the things that have happened with Doctor Who [in the second series, currently showing on UK television], the Torchwood team have been responsible for--you know, fixing or annihilating after the Doctor does his bit.' Although Barrowman has been contractually sworn to secrecy on the content of the episodes, he says that his character will still be bisexual: 'Oh yeah, he's still gonna be the same Captain Jack. A little...maybe a little bit more mysterious. Because, remember, he's come back to the present-day. He doesn't even want his team to know a lot about where he's come from and what he's done. But you'll find out a lot about Jack, in this series, and some of the stuff, some of the...[laughs] oh, I can't even say it, but some of the alien things that happen are so great [laughs].' As well as writing Torchwood, Russell T. Davies will continue to work on Doctor Who (where Captain Jack is scheduled to appear in Series Three, although not Series Two). Of Davies's writing, and the lack of public fuss about Jack's bisexuality on a family show, Barrowman says: 'the fact that Russell has done this...the British public have accepted it with open arms, because it's done with the right type of humour, the right type of realism. It's not salacious, it's not done in a rude or crude manner. 'Russell takes a look at characters, particularly--and this is kind of going off Doctor Who a little--he takes a look at characters and people, and whether they be gay, straight, bisexual, or, you know, red, green, black, whatever they may be, or what they're into, he treats it as a norm. And that's why I think it's so acceptable amongst so many people.'"

Today's Daily Express says that "Bonnie Langford, who played Dr Who's assistant Melanie in the Eighties, has given her blessing to her successor Billie Piper and latest Timelord David Tennant. Like Billie, the former child star (left) was assistant to two Doctors – in her case Sylvester McCoy and Colin Baker – and she told us after the show at the Cambridge Theatre: 'I love the new series. I think both David and Billie are marvellous.' Is she thankful that, unlike Billie, who locked lips with Tennant on a recent show, she was never required to pucker up with the somewhat less – ahem – attractive McCoy? 'It's not something I ever considered, ' she says diplomatically. 'I was just relieved I never had to snog one of the monsters!'"

Other Press Items

BBC News has a brief picture essay of the Cybermen, from their origins to their appearance in "Rise of the Cybermen" one week from Saturday. CBBC Newsround also does the same.

Both Manchester Online and the Mirror give away spoilers on the forthcoming episodes "Rise of the Cybermen" and "The Age of Steel" (we won't be spoiling it, however!) You can read the full articles, but here's the non-spoiler material: "Doctor Who's old enemy the Cybermen are about to crash the party in terrifying style - 40 years after they first appeared on screen. The next level of mankind, with all emotion removed, aim to give humans the ultimate upgrade, to be metal men just like them." (That's it; you'll have to read the articles for the rest!)

Sci Fi Wire from the US Sci Fi Channel says today that "Steven Moffat, who wrote the Doctor Who first-season episodes 'The Empty Child' and 'The Doctor Dances,' told SCI FI Wire that he was surprised by the overwhelmingly positive response to the two-parter, which makes its U.S. debut on SCI FI Channel May 5 and May 12 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. 'I have to be modest and say they did go over exceptionally well,' Moffat said in an interview. The episodes were recently nominated for a coveted Hugo Award for best dramatic presentation, short form. 'But you never really know,' he added. 'You end up doing interviews in which you explain how brilliant you are and how you thought of all these great ideas, but it's not like that at all. You really have no idea if it's going to be the biggest slop or the biggest success. I didn't know the story was going to be as powerful as it was, and I certainly had no idea there would be kids saying, 'Are you my Mummy?' So that was all very exciting.' In 'The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances,' the Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose (Billie Piper) travel back to World War II London during the Blitz, where they encounter an army of gas-mask-covered zombies, as well as Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), a 53rd-century adventurer of somewhat ambiguous sexuality. 'People always think of television as a series of very clever decisions you make, but sometimes it just happens,' Moffat said. 'If it's set during the London Blitz, you can more or less assume it's not going to be a musical. It's also 'Doctor Who-does-the-Blitz,' so if you're going to tell that kind of story, it's almost impossible not to be 'Who Noir,' as we called it: '40s clothing, night time and bombs. So you've got 'The Empty Child' right there!' The two-parter also features one of the show's early catch-phrases, with the eponymous gas-masked child chillingly asking, 'Are you my Mummy?' 'You have to remember that Doctor Who is at its heart a children's program,' Moffat said. 'So it''s very important to remember children and the specific niche for Doctor Who, which is a kind of domestically scaled menace. You try and take ordinary things and give them one little twist to make them suddenly weird, so a little boy asking for his mummy is something you hear all the time. It's easily imitated, which is very important for Doctor Who monsters, because children have to be able to imitate them in playgrounds.' Moffat has also written an episode for the new second season of Doctor Who, which is currently airing on BBC1 in the United Kingdom. Moffat's episode, 'The Girl in the Fireplace,' debuts on BBC1 May 6. 'I really enjoyed this one,' he said. In the episode, the new Doctor (David Tennant) encounters French noblewoman Madame du Pompadour (Sophia Myles) in the 18th-century court of Louis XV. 'Without the slight nervousness of the first one and the unfamiliarity of working on someone else's show, it was extremely enjoyable, and I think Sophia Myles looks stunning in the episode.'"

Newsquest Media Group reviews the DVD release of Series Two, Volume One: "Rejoice... and then suffer a nagging feeling that the two instalments on this DVD - The Christmas Invasion and New Earth - somehow managed to slip through quality control. The special effects are polished and there are loopy leaps of imagination but the scripts lack character development and taut plotting. ... It's frothy almost to the point of being nothing but hot air; hopefully not a sign of things to come. As with the first series, Doctor Who will be released as five separate DVDs throughout the year, culminating in a complete DVD box set on November 20, which will comprise all 13 episodes, The Christmas Invasion and myriad extras in special packaging. Never let it be said that the BBC doesn't know how to milk Doctor Who fans dry."

Also: IGN lists its top 50 TV themes, with "35. Dr. Who: Yeah, we're talking about the Tom Baker-era theme, here… not that other drivel. Perfectly matched to the interstellar odyssey, the spacey, haunting theme song is an instant mood-setter, and one of the great, iconic pieces of sci-fi music ever recorded"; Now Playing reviews "School Reunion".

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, John Bowman, Paul Greaves, Peter Weaver, Tony Longworth)

Telos Publishing has revealed further details and cover illustrations on several Doctor Who-related books being released throughout the remainder of 2006, including their second interview collection Talkback edited by Stephen James Walker, the 2006 update to the Doctor Who collectors' guideHowe's Transcendental Toybox by Arnold T Blumberg and David Howe, and the follow-up book to their 2005 best-seller, Second Flight: Back To The Vortex 2 by J Shaun Lyon (editor of Outpost Gallifrey), the unofficial guide to the second series of Doctor Who. Also included are details of The Sideways Door by RJ Carter and Troy Riser, one of the final installments of Telos' "Time Hunter" series which was spun off of Telos' Doctor Who novella series two years ago. Details on each of the books are below; click on each thumbnail for a larger version of the cover. (Thanks to David Howe/Telos Publishing)

Former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston will star as Number Six in a television remake of the cult favorite series, "The Prisoner". "The 1967 series, starring Patrick McGoohan as a former secret agent who was kidnapped and imprisoned in a mystery village, baffled millions of viewers around the world," says the Times. "The new version, made by Granada for Sky One, will incorporate the paranoia, conspiracy theories and hi-tech action sequences of modern-day spy dramas 24 and Spooks. ... Hollywood stars have also pitched for the role but discussions with Eccleston are at an advanced stage, according to production sources. However, the Welsh tourist 'village' of Portmeirion, where the original ATV show was filmed, will be replaced by a more exotic foreign location, probably outraging fans of the original. ... Damien Timmer, executive producer of The Prisoner, said: 'The series is like Pandora's box; it's the ultimate conspiracy thriller. Like 24, the new series will entrap you from the opening scene.' Granada hopes the series will tap into the show's cult following, while also appealing to younger viewers. It is expected to appear before a long-mooted Hollywood film remake, and Granada is expecting to sell the show internationally. McGoohan won a global fan base for the 17-episode series, which made regular use of his catchphrase: 'I am not a number; I'm a free man.' His nameless character -- Number Six -- was abducted after resigning from a top secret government position and relocated to a sinister village where nothing was as it seemed. However, Granada is promising a 'radical reinvention' and a plot that will make sense to viewers who watch the six-episode series." Meanwhile, according to the Mirror, "Director of programmes Richard Woolfe promised a 'thrilling reinvention' of the drama about an ex-secret agent trapped in an isolated village. 'If Doctor Who set the standard, The Prisoner raises the bar,' he said. ... 'This project has been subject to an unprecedented level of attention, attracting an array of A-list actors and writers,' said commissioning editor Elaine Pyke. The new series will be made by Granada from a script Bill Gallagher, writer of the award-winning series Clocking Off. 'The Prisoner is like Pandora's box - it's the ultimate conspiracy thriller,' said Damien Timmer, executive producer of the show. 'Like 24, the new series will entrap you from the opening scene. We hope it will tap into this iconic show's existing cult following, whilst creating a whole new generation of fans.'" Also reported at the Daily Record, The Stage, The Register, Zap2Itand various other Internet news sites.

Posted By Shaun Lyon
The publishers of Doctor Who Magazine will soon release The Glorious Dead, volume two of their collections of Eighth Doctor comic strips as published in the magazine. The press release is below and there's a thumbnail of the cover at right; click on it for a larger version. (Thanks to Clay Hickman/DWM)
Doctor Who: The Glorious Dead
(The Complete Eighth Doctor Comic Strips - Volume 2)

The Eighth Doctor faces new perils in this bumper collection of classic comic adventures!

This volume features eight amazing stories from the pages of DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE: THE FALLEN, UNNATURAL BORN KILLERS, THE ROAD TO HELL, THE COMPANY OF THIEVES, THE GLORIOUS DEAD, THE AUTONOMY BUG, HAPPY DEATHDAY and TV ACTION!

The Doctor and his best friend Izzy are joined in the TARDIS by Kroton, a Cyberman with a heart and soul! The action comes faster than ever as our heroes encounter genocidal Sontarans, vicious space pirates, demented robots, mad gods, deadly samurai warriors... and the actor Tom Baker!

But the ultimate challenge is approaching; an epic, star-spanning battle that will decide the fate of all reality! An old friend is waiting to be reunited with the Doctor, while an even older enemy is lurking in the shadows of time and space...

PLUS two bonus stories from the early days of Doctor Who Weekly, THROWBACK: THE SOUL OF A CYBERMAN and SHIP OF FOOLS, telling the origins of Kroton the Cyberman! AND a special six-page behind-the-scenes feature where writers Scott Gray, Alan Barnes and Adrian Salmon reveal background information on the stories¹ origins, alongside never-before-seen sketches and character designs from Salmon and fellow artists Martin Geraghty and Roger Langridge!

Released late May/early June 2006, 244 pages, black and white softcover, full colour cover.

May 3, 2006 • Posted By Shaun Lyon
Film and TV artist Pete Wallbank has once again created a limited edition Doctor Who print, this time of the tenth Doctor, Rose and a Cyberman, exclusively available through the Galaxy 4 store in the UK. "A3 in actual size and printed upon high quality heavy weight german etching paper. Individually signed, numbered and inspected for quality by Pete Wallbank himself. Each print will be accompanied by a signed certificate of authenticity and is supplied within a plastic cover for presentation and protection. The run of only 100 copies is printed via the digital giclee method - to maintain the highest of standards with each print being produced as a one off. The finished item is virtually indistinguishable from its original!" Galaxy 4 two years ago stocked a similar print of Christopher Eccleston by the artist, who has also designed jacket covers for the Target novelisations of the original series. (Thanks to Andy at Galaxy 4)

May 3, 2006 • Posted By Shaun Lyon
Last week the UK paper The Sun gave away DVD copies of "Doctor Who" episodes as part of a special promotion, which asked, "Who are the luckiest newspaper readers in the whole universe? YOU are, of course. Starting today and every day this week, we are giving you a FREE Doctor Who DVD. We have SIX classic episodes, featuring six of your favourite Doctors from across the decades." Six episodes were given away: the full installment of "Rose," which started the new series; individual existing episodes of "The Faceless Ones" (episode 3) and "The Daleks' Masterplan" (episode: Day of Armageddon); and the first episodes of "The Robots of Death," "Spearhead from Space" and "Earthshock". The cover illustrations were on the Sun site and are below; click on each for a larger version.

General TV Series NewsMay 3, 2006 • Posted By Shaun Lyon
Ratings for the eighth episode of the first season of the new series, Father's Day, on US television on the Sci Fi Channel, are in. The numbers varied from those as reported the previous week; while the average household rating was slightly down, to 1.14, the average viewing audience held at 1.4 million viewers. (We don't know what the exact relationship is between the rating and the viewership figures, apart from the fact that the viewer numbers held this week.) Season-to-date, Sci Fi reports that Doctor Who is currently averaging a 1.32 household rating and an average audience of 1.5 million viewers for the season.