This evening's summation, coverage of the new series' debut in the US:

The Sci-Fi Channel's Schedulebot (the broadcast schedule printed online) has changed slightly, now calling the March 17 9pm premiere "Rose & The End Of The World (2-hr Prem)". The repeats from 11:30PM to 1:30AM on the 19th, 10AM to Noon on the 20th, and Midnight to 2AM late Thursday the 23rd show them as 2 separate episodes, but the debut is listed as a two-hour broadcast.

The channel's Sci Fi Wire has featured two articles today about the new series. The first: "Russell T. Davies, producer of the new Doctor Who, told SCI FI Wire that one of his priorities was to create a series that would be taken seriously as a mainstream drama. The original incarnation, which was canceled by the BBC in the late '80s after 26 seasons, was regarded by some executives as a bit of a joke in later years. 'That's very true,' Davies said in an interview. 'But all of those people are now gone, so I have to say the opposite is now true. Frankly, I have to say, the terrifying thing about this time last year was that we had just spent all that money on it. Doctor Who has a good budget; it's not the biggest budget in the world, but for the BBC to make 13 episodes of something with this sized budget is very rare. I literally can't think of another example, so an awful lot of faith and trust had been put into it. We were also put in the prime-time slot, so expectations were actually massive, and this time last year was truly scary.' Doctor Who premiered in the United Kingdom last year and became a huge hit. 'The interesting thing about when the BBC approached me, I was amazed that they wanted the same thing that I did, which was that they also wanted the series to be on in prime time. You could have done a 9 o'clock, post-watershed version of Doctor Who on BBC2, which is one of our smaller channels, a more niche or elite channel, and that would have created a much more adult Doctor Who, much more like the new Battlestar Galactica, or they could have commissioned something with a much smaller budget for, say, BBC3, which is a wild youth-based channel, in which case, Doctor Who would have been possibly a [bit] Monty Python: very wild and extreme and even a bit radical and much more comedy-based. But I was delighted that they put it on for the primary channel, which is BBC1, on Saturday night.' As it turned out, the vision that Davies had for the series—about an eccentric Time Lord (played by Christopher Eccleston) traveling through time and space, accompanied by companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) in a ship disguised as a police call box—struck an immediate chord when it debuted in its Saturday-night timeslot. 'I know it isn't the same in the States, but in Britain, Saturday night is the ratings war night, in which we play Pop Idol [similar to the U.S. American Idol] and all the big entertainment shows, the Dance Fever shows. It's the biggest battleground of all, so the fact the BBC was investing in it so much by putting it in that prime-time slot very much determined what it should be, which is very much the sort of Doctor Who that I wanted to make anyway, which was a very inclusive version, which would include all sorts of viewers, not just niche science-fiction viewers, but was a great big, bold, wild family drama. So I was lucky that the constellations were in the right shape.' Doctor Who begins its first-season U.S. run on SCI FI Channel starting at 9 p.m. ET/PT on March 17."

The second Sci Fi Wire article, called "Star Was Who Virgin," published this evening: "Christopher Eccleston admitted that he wasn't a big fan of Doctor Who before signing on for the role. 'As a child, I felt that the Doctor was a bit too authoritarian for my taste,' said the actor, whose episodes begin airing on SCI FI Channel at 9 p.m. ET/PT on March 17. 'Because I didn't have a camp sensibility, the wobbly-sets thing made me think, 'Oh, I just don't believe in that!' And [I] ended up watching Star Trek instead. But now I look at the old DVDs, and I've become a massive fan. I think it's a fantastic series, and I'm proud to be part of it.' Eccleston spoke at a news conference last year, before the first season of Doctor Who aired in the United Kingdom. Eccleston is the ninth actor to officially play the Doctor, following in the tradition of William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann. After hearing that producer Russell T. Davies was reviving Doctor Who for the BBC, Eccleston quickly got in touch and asked to be considered for the role. 'I'm a fan of Russell's writing and worked with him on The Second Coming, so I e-mailed him and said, 'When you draw up your audition list, put my name on it.' In a way, it was a crazy thing to do, but I really wanted to work with Russell again.' Eccleston soon discovered that playing the Doctor was a demanding job. 'I think I got away pretty injury-free, but it is a very physical role, and I enjoyed that,' he said. 'Billie Piper [who plays the Doctor's companion, Rose Tyler,] has a lot of the more complicated performance stuff to do in terms of reacting to this extraordinary creature that is the Doctor, but I'm kind of the mental and physical energy. If we rehearsed a scene, often we'd have to find out where he was going to go, which wall he was going to bounce off, and then everybody else would feed off that energy, either undercutting it or topping it. That's why it's such a tiring role, because of that constant balls-of-your-feet acting.' The first 13-episode season of Doctor Who was a ratings success when it first aired in the United Kingdom last year. American viewers will be able to decide for themselves when it begins its SCI FI Channel run. The second season of Doctor Who is currently wrapping up production in the U.K. and will begin airing there in April on BBC1, with David Tennant replacing Eccleston, who left the series at the end of season one."

The San Jose Mercury News has a feature on the new series (which has also been reprinted widely across the country in other newspapers): "As his devoted fans know, Doctor Who always has been capable of a pretty good disappearing act. But the last one he pulled - back on Dec. 6, 1989 - went on a bit longer than expected. On Friday, when the good Doctor starts reappearing in new episodes on the Sci Fi channel (at 10 p.m. EST), it will have been 16 years since the last episode of the original 'Doctor Who,' perhaps the most curious cult classic in the history of television, was produced. Over its first 26 years, the series about an enigmatic time-and-space traveler featured eight very different actors in the lead role, along with wonderfully loopy, 1960s-hip dialogue and some of the worst special effects ever, including aliens made of inflated condoms. A huge hit in Great Britain, 'Doctor Who' didn't surface in this country until the late 1970s, when it became a staple of Saturday night programming on many PBS stations. But despite the pleas of the faithful, there were no new episodes anywhere until last year, when Russell T. Davies, the powerhouse British writer-producer of such shows as the original 'Queer as Folk,' finally persuaded the BBC to let him take a shot at reviving the franchise with some modern twists. Much to the surprise of the BBC, Davies' take on 'Doctor Who' became one of the most-watched series on British TV. (More than 10 million viewers - 40 percent of the audience in Britain - watched the debut, and a second season already has started there.) And now the show returns to America with the 13 episodes that made up Davies' first season on the BBC. The good news for longtime fans is that he hasn't mucked around with the quirky essence of 'Doctor Who' that much, while giving it a more polished look. The Doctor, as he always is referred to in the series, still is the last surviving member of a race wiped out in a time war (don't even ask) and still is going through various dimensions with a goofy grin and a passion for trying to right wrongs. He doesn't always get it right - in earlier episodes, he was partially responsible for Nero's burning of Rome, the Great Fire of London and the appearance of the Loch Ness monster - but he tries. He also still travels with a comely assistant in the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space), a space-time craft that's large and comfy inside even if it looks like a 1950s British phone booth on the outside. And his opponents - including Daleks, his longest-running foes - are still the funniest, least-threatening group of bad guys in science fiction history. What has changed is that this Doctor, as played in the first season by Christopher Eccleston from 'Elizabeth' and '28 Days Later,' is more robust and active than his predecessors. His latest assistant, a London shopgirl named Rose Tyler (pop singer Billie Piper), is as much the hero as the Doctor, coming off as Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a British accent. The special effects are computer-generated and state-of-the-art - although part of that art is paying homage to the cheese-ball originals by not making the effects look too good. In Friday's episode, for example, the Doctor battles amusingly robotic department store mannequins and a big blob of pulsating plastic. Best of all, the new episodes (or at least the two that Sci Fi sent out for review) retain the fun of the original 'Doctor Who.' If you're looking for allegorical, intriguing science fiction, this isn't it. If you're OK with rapid-fire, light-hearted dialogue with an occasional dig at politics and culture, this 'Doctor Who' is your cup of tea. Don't get too used to Eccleston as the Doctor, though. The actor bowed out after one year and already has been replaced by David Tennant ('Viva Blackpool' and Barty Crouch Jr. in the most recent 'Harry Potter' film). But even that is in keeping with the show's tradition. Good to see that things are back to what stands for normal in the world of TARDIS, Daleks and Doctor Who."

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg and Benjamin Elliott)

This week's edition of trade magazine Broadcast reports today on a production change for Series Three when production begins in July: BBC Wales has invested 500,000 pound in "tapeless workflow technology" for post-production work. According to Broadcast, "The Unity ISIS media network storage system is expected to allow large numbers of people in a facility to browse, edit and manage media files from their editing system or computer. All files will be digitised and stored centrally so that footage can be ingested as soon as it is shot. Programmes can then be directly played out from the system to air." The report also says that "It is not yet confirmed whether the third series of Doctor Who - which starts shooting in July - will be filmed in SD or HD, although it's widely believed that a tapeless workflow would lend its self well to an HD-shot show." The full article is available at the website. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)

The official Doctor Who website has revealed the cover for the first volume of episodes from Series 2, which comprises 'The Christmas Invasion' and 'New Earth' and is scheduled for release on Monday 1 May. Says the site, "2Entertain have revealed their design for the first vanilla DVD release of the Tenth Doctor era. The disc will contain both the festive special The Christmas Invasion and New Earth, the first episode of the 2006 series. The DVD is expected to be released on 1 May 2006 although, as always, dates are subject to change. Four further DVDs will be released, each containing three episodes apiece, before a complete, extras-enhanced set becomes available at the end of the year."

More U.S. Debut Coverage

Eclipse Magazine has run a second story, a review of the new series. At the end of the wrapup, it states "The new 'Doctor Who' keeps everything that was great about the show's original run, while bringing it into the twenty-first century: technologically, attitudinally, and in terms of taking it for granted that the audience is actually intelligent enough to not require its being led by the hand. The creative team's writing is terrific; the cast is superb; the direction is top notch, and the result is thirteen hours of high entertainment. Frankly, I cannot recommend 'Doctor Who' highly enough. Acquiring it is the smartest move Sci Fi has made since greenlighting 'Battlestar Galactica.'" Read the full article at the site.

The Village Voice notes, "In the U.K., this series about a time-traveling sleuth is as much of a stone-cold classic as The Twilight Zone is here. It's also equally period-bound, bringing to mind the black-and-white series of the late '60s and early '70s, with those fakey sets and sinister electronic background music. The famous futuristic theme tune -- an invitation to a generation of children to prepare themselves for a weekly dose of palpitating terror -- has survived, but it's been gussied up with unnecessary orchestration, setting the tone for this attempt to update Doctor Who in the age of CGI. ... The Doctor has generally been played as a relentlessly cheery type, with a Peter Pan quality of prepubescent sexlessness -- a geek whose brain beats brawn in every corner of the universe. Although this remake attempts to add tragic depth to the Doctor, it lacks true darkness. The early series overcame skimpy budgets to conjure the uncanny; this was cosmic horror as H.P. Lovecraft would have understood it. The real disappointment of the new Who isn't its use of (slightly) slick special effects, though. It's a structural problem: Instead of stretching a storyline across a whole season, each adventure is resolved within a single episode, making this closer to your average detective series. The thrill-filled cliffhangers of yore are gone, taking with them with the child's urge to watch TV from behind the sofa, breath bated."

Arizona's AZ Central says, "Look out, America: The Doctor is ready to make house calls again. ... The new 'Doctor Who' brings the series into the new millennium, which means top-notch special effects and mature writing chock-full of delights that adults and kids can both enjoy. ... The strength of 'Doctor Who' has always been its limitless formula. Unlike most programs, 'Doctor Who' stories can be set anywhere in the past, present or future, on any planet. Plots can range from action-adventures to humorous romps to dead-serious character pieces - but the best offerings (especially in the new series) mix moments of all three. ... Be aware that the first episode (the appropriately titled 'Rose') may be the weakest of the series - the plot suffers somewhat when there are so many characters and concepts that need to be introduced. But the next 12 episodes build on each other to become a whirlwind trip: Earth's last day in the far future, ghost-hunting with Charles Dickens, fighting an alien takeover of the British government, and a confrontation with the ruthless robotic Daleks. (Actor David Tennant has taken over the role of the Doctor for the second season, which will begin broadcasting soon in Great Britain.) For good old-fashioned escapism - something that makes you laugh, cry and think - 'Doctor Who' is the trip of a lifetime. Here's hoping audiences on this side of the Atlantic will think so, too." The article, with minor changes, also ran in the Indianapolis Star.

North Jersey.com says "The Time Lord has entered a new age. Christopher Eccleston becomes the latest actor to do a turn in 'Dr. Who' a 13-episode update from Britain on the cult classic. The funny and brave doctor has a detached logic that gives him a vital edge when the world's in danger. So let the adventures begin. (9p.m. Friday, Sci Fi Channel)"

Miscellaneous

Life Style Extra today says that "Renee Zellweger has reportedly lined up a dinner date with British actor Christopher Eccleston. The stunning actress - who is in England filming a Beatrix Potter biopic -asked the hunky star to take her on a traditional English date. The pair are said to be planning to sample some typical English fayre at Manchester's famous Mr Thomas's Crop House as soon as Renee finishes shooting. A source told Britain's Daily Star newspaper: "Renee and Chris have been pals for years but because they email or phone, no one realised. 'They met while he was promoting '28 Days Later' about four years ago. Renee is really cool and down to earth and they stayed in touch.' The screen beauty is also said to be a huge fan of Eccleston's work, which includes popular British sci-fi series 'Doctor Who'. The source added: "She watched all his shows - 'Our Friends In The North', 'Cracker' and 'The Second Coming' - and she got quite nerdy about 'Doctor Who'. She thinks he's a fine actor. Renee arranged to meet Chris as soon as she knew she was filming in the UK.'"

Says Female First, "Jennifer Aniston has been voted the most unlucky in love celebrity. The former 'Friends' actress, who was ditched by husband Brad Pitt so he could romance Angelina Jolie, has topped a poll to find the star Cupid has smiled upon the least. Aniston beat long-term singleton Robbie Williams to the unwanted title, Nicole Kidman - whose ex-husband Tom Cruise is now engaged to the pregnant Katie Holmes - was named fourth, while British TV star Billie Piperrounded off the top five. ... The unhappy poll was conducted by internet gift site www.thedoghouse.co.uk."

Hemel Today is asking readers to "help find out what happened to at least one of those 'true' Daleks! You see, hemeltoday's Local History section contains a sub-section of pictures of Hemel in the 1960's and one of those pictures is of the Access Equipment Christmas party of 1964 which was attended by one Dalek, and it looks like a real true Dalek. Although the picture has been on Hemeltoday for a good three years now, it was only last week Gary Rymill and a team of fellow Dr Who and Dalek fans and experts found it through a web search. Gary's asked us for a full sized print and we're now searching our archives of negatives to find it. Gary told us: 'Down the years there have been many attempts to describe the developments of the Dalek props that were built for Doctor Who but the histories have contained inaccuracies and included some myths known to be false. Myself and a few others (some of us have links to the TV series production and others are merely keen enthusiasts) are setting out to see if we can piece together, once-and-for-all, what happened to the props and when. Whilst it is the case that through the decades about two dozen props of one kind or another have appeared on screen, there were actually only six 'true' Daleks originally built for TV in 1963/64. Those fibreglass originals survived in dwindling numbers through to 1988, with the addition of some new wooden dummies in the 70s and then cheap vac-formed ones in the 80s.'" The full article including photo is on their website.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Peter Weaver)

Warner Home Video has, at long last, officially announced the release ofDoctor Who: The Complete First Seriesfor American audiences. The DVD set was originally due out on February 14 but, due to the acquisition of the program by the Sci-Fi Channel, it was delayed in the US until July, though still receiving wide release in Canada; now, WHV, has announced the release confirmed for July 4, 2006 (although it's very likely that the DVD would not be on shelves until July 5, considering that July 4 is a US holiday) as catalog #E2501. The US release will be identical to the Canadian set with no difference whatsoever.

The US-based Sci Fi Channel, in anticipation of the series' debut this Friday, March 17, has run several additionaltrailers for the series, two of which debuted during the channel's season finale night last Friday. One of the trailers notes that the Doctor is "not here to save the universe... He's just enjoying it while it lasts". So far, at least four different trailer spots have been discovered on the channel, but at the moment, only the original is online on the website.

The channel's website has also released a quick, web-only behind-the-scenes video featuring brief interview clips with executive producers Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner and producer Phil Collinson, some of which is shot in the TARDIS control room set. The video plays in Flash animation from the front page of the website.

Sci Fi Wire, the channel's online news service, ran a feature article today calling the timing "right" for the series to return. "Russell T. Davies, executive producer of the hit British SF series Doctor Who, told SCI FI Wire that his revival of the long-running BBC series came about after years of waiting for the right opportunity. 'I think the BBC had their eye on it as a very good property that could be resurrected,' Davies said in an interview. 'And the drama department as well as the controller of BBC1, wanted to work with me, which sounds very arrogant, but it's the truth. They'd been asking me to write all sorts of things; every year, they'd phone up and say, 'Do you want to want to adapt A Tale of Two Cities? or 'do you want to write another series about gay men?' [Davies was best known for his series Queer as Folk.] Or something like that, and every year I quite confidently (and cheekily) sat there and said, 'No, I just want to do Doctor Who!' The original Doctor Who was canceled in 1989 after 26 seasons, but continued to live on in novels, radio plays, audio dramas and a 1996 TV movie starring Paul McGann in the lead role. A number of producers had approached the BBC with their own ideas for a possible revival, but Davies insisted that he didn't have a direction in mind until after he came on board. 'Once they asked me to do it and commissioned me, I came up with my take on it, and the miracle from my point of view was that I was given a clean slate,' he said. Davies added: 'My only wariness in going to work for the BBC, especially on an in-house production, is that the BBC is a labyrinthine organization. I was very wary of the red tape, the committees, focus groups and all the systems that were in place. But, to my astonishment, I discovered that the opposite was true. When I did my treatment, I didn't have to go through 27 different committees, so I was given an enormous amount of freedom, and then they followed that up by backing it with a budget, which again was my worry. I didn't want to do a cheap version of Doctor Who, but the heads of various departments and the heads of certain channels all wanted the same thing, so everyone was in the right place, and I was lucky enough to be the one they wanted.' The first season of Doctor Who will debut on SCI FI Channel with episodes one ('Rose') and two ('The End of the World') airing back to back, starting at 9 p.m. ET/PT on March 17. 'We actually asked for that in this country [Great Britain],' Davies said. 'Mind you, we only asked for it, like, two weeks before transmission, when everything was fixed in stone, so they laughed us out of the building. But I think it's a brilliant idea!' As Doctor Who begins airing on SCI FI Channel, the show is currently wrapping production on its second season in South Wales and will air in the United Kingdom soon."

Finally... could a second-season airing be in the cards this year instead of next? Sci Fi recently confirmed that its flagship original series "Battlestar Galactica" would not be returning for its third season until October 2006, though its Friday night partner series, "Stargate SG-1" and "Stargate Atlantis" will in fact be back for their next seasons in July (as Sci Fi usually splits each season in two and runs the first half in the summer.) This has led to speculation that "Doctor Who" might, if its popularity warrants, be back for more episodes as early as this summer. As always, we must stress that nothing has been confirmed on this.

Costume designer June Hudson, whose extensive repetoire of costume designs include many of Tom Baker's most famous accoutrements in later seasons of his tenure on "Doctor Who" as well as work on such series as "Eastenders," "The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin," "Survivors" and "Blake's 7," will be instructing a class on designing for SF film and television at the University of Redlands in southern California, which will include an exhibition of her work on Doctor Who from March 29 through May 2. Says the release from the university, "The culminating project of her class will be to design costumes for Shada, and both her own drawings and student work for this project will be featured on one of the university's web pages." Meanwhile, on May 20, the Armacost Library at the University of Redlands will be hosting a one-day exhibition, including a panel on science fiction design that will involve Hudson as well as designer Chrisi Karvonides (Carnivale, Birds of Prey), on May 20. The university will also be publishing a catalogue of the drawings in the show, with extensive new interview material with Hudson and many previously unpublished images. For further details on these events and the catalogue, contact Piers Britton at the University of Redlands viaemail. Outpost Gallifrey will also feature further information and visuals at a later date. (Thanks to Piers Britton and Mariko Chang)

Doctor Who Comes To US Television

The floodgates have opened on coverage of the long-awaited debut of Doctor Who in America:

TV Guide Magazine, a large-circulation TV periodical in the US, includes Doctor Who in the weekly feature "Hot List: 21 Shows You've Gotta See!" in its March 13-19 edition now on newsstands. Noting it as a Season Premiere and featuring a photo of the Doctor and Rose crouching on the pavement in "Father's Day", the blurb reads: "The culty classic gets a slick update for theBattlestar generation when Christopher Eccleston checks in as the ninth Doc to do the time warp". On page 80, under Highlights for Friday 3/17, there is a box titled "Who's Who" featuring a large central photo of Tom Baker surrounded by smaller photos of, from left to right, Eccleston, Hartnell, Troughton, Pertwee, Davison, and McCoy. The text reads: "The Doctor is in. For the first time since a 1996 TV-movie, American viewers can see fresh DOCTOR WHO (SCI FI, 9/8c, 10/9c) adventures. Christopher Eccleston stars in the title role as an eccentric alien scientist (called a "Time Lord") who tools around space and time in a vessel shaped like a British phone booth -- the TARDIS. (It may look cramped, but it's actually much bigger on the inside.) In the opener, the Doctor and his feisty new sidekick Rose (Billie Piper) clash with a megalomaniacal blob that turns plastic items like mannequins into killers. But unlike the old Who serials, which were shot largely on videotape and hamstrung by cheap F/X, this version of the venerable series (the BBC began it in 1963) consists of self-contained installments produced entirely on film. Nevertheless, these 2005 stories -- the first regular episodes since 1989 -- remain as engaging as those of Eccleston's predecessors: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker (he of the long scarf -- perhaps the most famous Doctor), Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, and Paul McGann (the 1996 TV-movie only). How can so many actors play the same role? Whenever the Doctor's life is imperiled, he undergoes a "regeneration" that alters his appearance and personality. (How's that for a re-casting enabler?) Eccleston's Doctor will experience it at the end of the season -- David Tennant took over the role last November in England. -- G J Donnelly"

Entertainment Weekly, another widely-circulated periodical, notes that "When Doctor Who makes its triumphant return to the United States on the Sci Fi Channel March 17, the average American's reaction will likely be: It was here before? A science-fiction staple of British TV for over 40 years, Who achieved only cult status in the U.S. when the show was imported to PBS in the late '70s. The newly revamped version, shot for the BBC, stars Christopher Eccleston (28 Days Later) as the Doctor and British pop star Billie Piper as his time- travel partner, Rose Tyler. 'The show can be very dark, very gritty,' says exec producer Russell T. Davies (the man behind the original Queer as Folk). 'But there's also a great deal of fun.' Whether you're an old fan or a curious newcomer, here's everything you need to know about the new Who. WHO IS HE? The Doctor is an alien with a lot of heart--two of them, to be exact. He zips through space and time in the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), a ship that's huge inside, but looks like a phone booth on the outside. He's an exile who stumbles into trouble with a goofy grin, and occasionally escapes scrapes by transforming into another person. (Literally: Eccleston will be replaced by David Tennant in season 2.) The Doc's an odd, happy guy--unlike the typical guns-blazing U.S. sci-fi military hero. Davies says that's precisely the show's appeal: 'One of the joys of the Doctor is that it's not his job to wander the universe-- he does it because he loves it.' WHERE DOES HE GO? The original is revered for its quirkiness (foes included salt-shaker-shaped aliens the Daleks) and its witty scripts (by writers like Douglas Adams). Similarly, the new Doctor Who has no formula--one week, he meets Charles Dickens; the next, he watches Earth's destruction billions of years in the future. While it's airing on Sci Fi's Friday lineup, don't expect things to be nearly as grim as, say, Battlestar Galactica--especially when the good Doctor hangs out in a futuristic Big Brother house. WHAT'S NEW WITH THIS 'WHO'? It has production values, for one. Local weathermen had better computer graphics than the original, which often featured guys in rubber monster suits. 'In the old days they worked twice as hard as I do,' says Davies, 'and they never had enough money.' And fans have never seen a companion quite like shopgirl Rose, who is as much the hero as the Doc himself. 'We share these adventures through the eyes of a completely normal 21st- century girl,' Davies says. 'The most important thing about her is that she works in a shop.' All that remains to be seen is if American audiences will be buying." The magazine also has a brief "history" of Doctor Who.

Monsters and Critics calls the series #5 on its list of "top ten reasons to watch in 2006". "The Sci Fi Channel brings back to the US one of the most successful franchises in television history when it begins airing the new, reimagined Doctor Who series on March 17. Christopher Eccleston (Elizabeth, The Others, 28 Days Later) is the ninth actor to play the Doctor, the last remaining Timelord who uses a mysterious machine called the TARDIS to mess around with the past and future of the universe. Eccleston combines an impish sense of mischief with a ruthless dark side that always keeps you guessing as to how he’ll react. The first few episodes are enjoyable, but you can still feel the writers finding the voice of the series. But when an old enemy returns in episode five, a fascinatingly dark sensibility takes over, the plots gain new urgency, and things get personal for the Doctor. A must for science fiction fans."

Eclipse Magazine says of the show, "It’s the longest-running science fiction show on TV, appealing to all ages. The children who watched through their fingers from behind the sofa are now parents and grandparents of new generations of fans and, uniquely, the show has so far survived ten different actors in the title role. ... And work it does. The sets no longer wobble; the SFX, while perhaps not as stellar as those of US science fiction shows, aren’t exactly shabby; the writing is witty and intelligent; the stories full of fun and menace with a delicious British eccentricity. With all that going for it, 'Doctor Who' returned to the BBC with a bang, went straight to the top of the ratings -- and stayed there. While US imports such as 'Lost', 'Desperate Housewives', and the 'CSI' franchise continue to do well in the UK, it was 'Doctor Who' that instantly caught the audience’s imagination, winning major awards including Most Popular Drama at the 2005 National Television Awards, and bringing The Doctor to yet another generation cowering behind the sofa. ... Meanwhile, the second season of the new 'Doctor Who' is currently in the works, with a third also given the green light. And now the US audience can find out what all the fuss is about! The new 'Doctor Who' series has been picked up by the Sci-Fi Channel and is set to debut on Friday, March 17 at 9.00pm. Don’t miss it -- the Daleks know where to find you!"

The Long Island Press says that "Unless you're one of the two million nerds Googling the online version of this article, you've probably not had much exposure to the classic British science-fiction series Doctor Who. ... Little has changed since the show's last official season in 1989, aside from the marked improvement in wardrobe, hairdos and dental work (the actors' teeth were so bad in some of the old episodes that they could be shown as instructional videos in dental schools across the UK). The new series stars Christopher Eccleston as the ninth Doctor, who joins up with his lovely blonde chick named Rose to fight familiar foes like the Daleks and Autons. While they're at it, they might as well jump to the year 5 billion A.D. then back to 1869 to team up with Charles Dickens to put a hurtin' on some aliens. All in a day's work. Even though the show has failed numerous times to capture an American audience, I think the new series has the best shot by far of becoming a minor hit. With their amazing resurrection of Battlestar Galactica, a plethora of original B-horror flicks and endless reruns of Quantum Leap, the Sci-Fi Channel has solidly cornered the nerd market, and Doctor Who is a perfect fit. So get out your Star Wars Underoos, graphing calculator and silly Tom Baker (the fourth Doctor) scarf and strap in for the new Who. As long as you don't bring it up around the office hottie at the water cooler, you might just become a full-fledged Who-head, because it's actually a really good show. Nerd!"

The San Antonio Express News features an article: "I didn't have the most positive introduction to 'Doctor Who.' After meeting an interesting guy back in late 2000 and learning he was a huge fan of the old series of the '60s, '70s and '80s, I shared this info with a few of my TV colleagues. Throwing each other a look, one laughed and said: ' 'Doctor Who,' huh? That should give you sufficient warning about the guy.' It didn't. Five years later, Ross and I are together still. Needless to say, over those years, we've taken in quite a few installments of the old 'Doctor Who' on DVD. To be honest, the series with cheesy special effects and fairly cardboard characters never quite became my cup of British tea. Then the remake arrived and my opinion radically changed. This 21st century version of 'Doctor Who' is terrific, a sci-fi show that everyone, fan or not of the genre, can enjoy. It's fast-moving, meaty and funny, with three-dimensional characters who tug at your heart and tear ducts. It premieres with two back-to-back episodes from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday on the Sci Fi Channel. In case you're unfamiliar with the Doctor, he's part of an alien race called the Time Lords; travels in his time/space machine, the TARDIS; and takes plenty of risks as he rights the wrongs. Another defining trait is he always travels with a companion, usually human and female. ... Another plus: The special effects have been amped up 1,000 percent. But as mentioned before, it's the characters, coupled with the clever and beautiful writing by executive producer Russell T. Davies, that makes it an unqualified winner. So grab the kids -- 'Who' is as family-friendly as 'Harry Potter' -- and take a two-hour TV trip Friday that should keep you anxiously returning for more. P.S. Because I'm involved with a fanatic, I've managed to see the whole 13-episode series. (It debuted last year in England and is a huge hit). With each episode, the show got better and better, and at times, deeply emotional, with visits to the London Blitz, reality shows of the future, Victorian England and -- for die-hard 'Who' fans -- the return of the doc's notorious foes, the Daleks."

The Des Moines Register notes that "Both 'Star Wars' and 'Star Trek' took a shot and failed. Now another sci-fi franchise is trying to reinvent itself for today's adults. Admit it: George Lucas jumped the shark with Jar-Jar Binks, when he decided to tailor his latest 'Star Wars' trilogy to the kiddies and infuse the movies with more special effects than soul. ... Enter 'Doctor Who,' a uniquely British sci-fi TV series that premiered the day after Kennedy's assassination in 1963, before Denny Crane -- I mean James T. Kirk -- began boldly going anywhere. Before Lucas got a grip on the Force. ... 'Per capita, it's the equivalent of 'Friends' over here,' said Lars Pearson, who should know. The Des Moines-based sci-fi publisher (Mad Norwegian Press) has eight 'Who' reference guides in print and more on the way. ... 'You can kind of see the influences of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' in there,' Pearson said. 'There's all these people with a huge interest in the new show that basically wouldn't touch the old one with a 10-foot pole.' 'It's kind of become England's hottest property again,' agreed Steve Martin -- not the famous comedian, but a 27-year-old in Des Moines who embarked on his first post-college vacation last November to Wales just to attend a 'Who' convention. 'I think in a way it kind of transcends geekdom,' he said. 'You take 'Star Trek' fans, 'Star Wars' fans, they're very niche. But a lot of 'Doctor Who' fans kind of like everything. We're the neutral party in sci-fi fandom. We're not gonna beat you over the head. . . . You have to let someone discover it in their own way.'" Read the full article at the site.

People

The Daily Mirror today reports that John Barrowman will be co-presenting ITV1's This Morning mid-morning magazine show over Easter, standing in for one of the regular presenters. Beginning on Monday 10 April, Barrowman will, according to the programme's executive producer, "bring his own unique brand of humour and fun to This Morning." Barrowman says that he is "so looking forward to being a part of daytime television and especially This Morning." The report also mentions that Captain Jack Harkness will return to Doctor Who in its third series and that Barrowman is "currently filming" Torchwood, although production is actually not slated to begin until April. Also reported in the Daily Record,

Zoe Wanamaker, who returns in series two as Cassandra after her turn last year in "The End of the World," is interviewed by the UK Press Association's Graham Kibble-White, and she discusses her role. "Last year Zoe notched up something of an honour by portraying the first new monster to menace Doctor Who following the series' triumphant return to BBC One. The good news is, her character, Cassandra, will be back for a rematch when the show returns to our screens in the spring. 'It's fabulous!' she enthuses, when asked what it's like to be a 'Who baddy. 'It's such fun! It's such a credit to Russell T Davies and the producers. I think what they've achieved is brilliant. I think Cassandra's a naughty, naughty girl. That's what's such fun about her. She's cheeky. She's not evil, she's just naughty.' Alas, she's sworn to secrecy when it comes to talking about just what the vain 'last human alive' gets up to this time around, but she is prepared to reflect upon what the role means to her. 'It's like being a baddy in a Bond film,' she muses. 'It's that sort of television equivalent, I think. I desperately wanted her to come back. It's a character you can bring something to, twist it around and make something funny. She reminded me of Joan Rivers and that extraordinary woman who changed her face a million times to look like some sort of tiger. And it was extremely witty to do. After so many plastic surgeons, liposuction and all that she's ended up just a flat piece of parchment. I think that's fabulous. A fantastic invention. That's the best thing about science fiction, it's really basically fairy stories come to life, but they're great fun.'" Wanamaker is also currently back on the BBC in series six of the sitcom "My Family", in which she co-stars as tour guide and mother Susan Harper.

As we reported last week was about to happen, Christopher Ecclestoncould briefly be seen giving his muppety opinions on ITV's Best Ever Muppet Moments last night, where he divulged that his favourite character on the show was and mad-scientist Bunsen Honeydew.

BBC Radio 3's composer of the week for week commencing Monday, March 27 is Richard Rodney Bennett, composer of the incidental music for the 1964 story "The Aztecs". Says Radio 3: "Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, who turns 70 on Wednesday 29 March, studied serialism with Pierre Boulez, yet is as comfortable at the piano playing jazz and singing cabaret as he is with any 12-tone row. He is famous for his television and film music -- early Doctor Who, Murder On The Orient Express and Four Weddings And A Funeral, among others -- but considers such work to be musical 'journalism' and thinks more highly of his music for the opera house and concert hall." Pieces of his work will crop up across the schedule during the week, available via the "Listen Again" function.

icWales says that "Ioan Gruffudd has been voted one of the country's hottest men by a women's glossy magazine. ...Gruffudd, along with Doctor Who actor David Tennant and singer Will Young, were selected by staff at the magazine to take part in the anniversary celebrations. ... A spokeswoman for Glamour said ...'We were thinking which men we would like to attend a party with and we chose Ioan, Will and David because they all look good, have great personalities and plenty of charm,' she said. 'It was a bit of fun and, from what we gather, they all had a great time.'"

Also, Tennant and Billie Piper are on the cover of the April issue of SFX Magazine; the issue is timed for the expected April launch of series two on BBC television.

Says March 9's Daily Star, "Doctor Who actor David Tennant finally came face-to-face with a Dalek for the first time yesterday. But thankfully this one was in the shape of a cake. The 34-year-old star, who has taken over the Timelord role from Christopher Eccleston, 42, was busy filming scenes for the new series in Cardiff. And one fan gave the cast and crew a treat by bringing them a plateful of cakes to scoff, including one in the shape of the Doc's greatest foes. His sidekick Billie Piper, 23, also grabbed a chocolate Dalek. She said: 'It looks cute. I'll have it later. I can't breathe in this costume, let alone eat.'"

"A Taste of Honey" starring Bruno Langley (Adam from "Dalek" and "The Long Game") has new dates; it's now playing 16-20 May at the Sheffield Crucible, according to Sheffield Today.

Miscellaneous

According to The Sun, "Readers can cast their vote for their favourite show from a shortlist celebrating the top telly of last year...the much-anticipated return of Dr Who, the teatime sci-fi adventure starring Billie Piper and Christopher Eccleston, peaked with 10.5million viewers for the first episode and has gone on to win a string of awards. ... To cast your vote for the one you want to see celebrating, log on to this site and make your choice. The winner will be revealed at the star-studded BAFTA TV Awards ceremony on May 7, which will be shown on ITV1 the following evening at 9pm.'"

The official Doctor Who website reports that "Totally Doctor Who are extending the age limit for Companion Academy entries. New CBBC show Totally Doctor Who have noticed that quite a few thirteen and fourteen year-olds want to become Companion Academy Cadets. So they've done the decent thing, and upped the age limit to fourteen. To enter for Companion Academy, send a video of yourself explaining why you'd make a great Cadet, no more than a minute long, to Totally Doctor Who, PO Box 5158, CF5 9BD. Make sure your parent or guardian gives their permission in a letter. Send it along with the tape."

Mine All Mine, the Russell T Davies-created comedy-drama, will be released on DVD in the UK in May 2006, according to SendIt; Davies has recorded commentaries on three episodes.

ITV's network drama controller has told the new issue of Broadcastmagazine that he has recently commisioned "The History of Mr Polly starring David Tennant and adapted by Adrian Hodges. It's the a story of a little man who rebels against his humdrum life. It's a great literary classic and with David in it it will be stunning."

The Pet Shop Boys feature on the cover of, and are interviewed by Andrew Harrison in, the latest edition (April 2006) of culture magazine The Word, which mentions Doctor Who; talking about legendary TV host & DJ, Simon Dee, Neil Tennant recalls, "He was great, Simon Dee. Every Saturday night on BBC1 we had Doctor Who followed by Dee Time and then The Monkees. Or maybe in a different order." Says Chris Lowe, "I'm a huge fan of Doctor Who. I watched all the new one." Harrison: "Are you glad there's a new Tennant in the TARDIS at last?" Tennant: "Not only that, but he's named after me. His real name is something else (David MacDonald) but for his Equity name he chose Tennant because of the Pet Shop Boys." Lowe: "It's a very big honour." Tennant: "I could see me being Doctor Who." Lowe: "Have you seen Neil act? (Ironic!)" Tennant: "I'd attend a meeting definitely about playing Doctor Who. Definitely. But I haven't watched it since approximately 1969. For me Doctor Who is basically William Hartnell or forget about it." This isn't the first time the PSB's have referred to Doctor Who.

The Sunderland Echo says that "Devoted Dr Who fan Neil Perryman believes the show has always pushed the TV envelope and he will outline his thoughts on how Dr Who did -- and still does -- dictate the future of the medium, at a lecture on Monday night. ... 'Dr Who has been both a critical and a commercial success, but more than that, it has effectively changed the way in which television drama will be produced, distributed, and consumed in the future,' said Neil. 'Dr Who was the first online serialised webcast drama, it had the first podcasted episode commentary, the first BBC release on DVD, PSP and mobile phone, and the first interactive drama on BBCi.' Neil, who lectures in media production at Sunderland, is holding a free talk at 6pm on Monday at the Media Centre, St Peter's Campus. The lecture, Dr Who and Media Convergence is open to all."

Wikipedia, the large online 'encyclopedia' constructed primarily by readers, featured an article about the TARDIS as its "Featured Article" on March 8.

Additional reports about the casting of Peter Kay can be found at The Sun, UPI, Yahoo News, Daily Record,Brand Republic, RTE,Megastar, Hollywood News, Daily Snack, The Register. Also, an additional article about the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards is aticWales while another review of the Noel Clarke-written film "Kidulthood" is at FilmFocus.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Steven Anderson, Simon Guerrier, Peter Weaver, Christian Burris, Corey Charette, Felicity Kusinitz, Chuck Foster, Matt Kimpton, Phil Creighton, Phil M Newman, Daniel Hall, Martin Hoscik/UNIT News, Neil Marsh and david-tennant.com)

Has another title for series two been leaked out through the press? It looks that way; Newsquest Media Group's news feed, published widely in several UK newspapers, revealed in an article about the casting of comedian Peter Kay as the 'cold and powerful' Victor Kennedy in episode ten of the second season that "Filming will take place next month and the episode, entitledLove and Monsters, will be the final one to be filmed in Cardiff. It will probably be shown in June." This does jibe with what Outpost Gallifrey had heard rumored over the past several months (that the episode bore the word 'love' in the title), so we believe this to be the actual working title -- of course, it could change prior to transmission. (Other titles for episodes 8 and 11 -- first rumored in the Outpost's forum a few weeks ago and reprinted on various websites -- are incorrect; those titles have not yet leaked.)

Meanwhile, Outpost Gallifrey has been informed that a press launch for series two is, in fact, scheduled for March 28 in Cardiff. This will likely be another major extravaganza like last year's March debut of "Rose" in Cardiff attended widely by members of the press and used as spot feeds on various morning and news programmes. There were rumors elsewhere that there would be trailers shown this past weekend, which were contrary to what the Outpost has been told about the BBC's press plans this year. A mid-April target date (possibly April 15) for series two's debut, as we first reported was being widely rumored in the press in late 2005, is still very likely.

Also... buried in the press release announcing Peter Kay was a new name, heretofore unmentioned by other casting reports: Danny Webb, whose film credits include "Henry V" and "Alien 3" and on TV in "Brookside" and "Our Friends in the North". There is currently no word on which story he'll be in, although it's possible it's the two-parter concluded in "The Satan Pit".

A BBC press release today announces that comedian Peter Kay will appear in the tenth episode of Series Two, playing "the cold and powerful Victor Kennedy". Russell T Davies notes that "this is not a comedy turn" and points to Kay's experience as "a versatile actor" in Paul Abbott's Butterfly Collectors and The Secret Life of Michael Fry. Kay's casting was prompted by a letter he wrote to Davies in praise of Series One.

The story is reported by BBC News, which also lists Kay's appearances in Phoenix Nights and Coronation Street, and by the official Doctor Whowebsite, as well as The Sun, U.TV, The Telegraph, Evening Echo,Manchester Online, Brand Republic, ITV,Addic3d,EntertainmentWise, Channel 4, ITN, N-E-Life, Paramount Comedy, Evening Times, Ireland Online,Chortle, Daily Snack. (Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Shaun Lyon Hearn, Tim Colman, George Watson, Chuck Foster, Peter Weaver)