While everyone's paying attention to the new spinoff sites, the folks at the official Doctor Who website have sneakily updated an old one:whoisdoctorwho.co.uk, Mickey Smith's "blog" of events, has been updated with items about the space probe Guinevere and the events of "The Christmas Invasion."

Yesterday's Independent On Sunday noted that this weekend's special, "which sees skull-headed Christopher Eccleston replaced by bug-eyed David Tennant is bound to cause a stir. Believe it or not, the vintage sci-fi series has a Christmas theme. Not just any Christmas theme, either: writer Russell T Davies has gone all social comment and anti-war about it. 'It's Christmas Day, a day of peace,' he told the BBC. 'There is absolutely an anti-war message because that's what I think.' So now you know. I'd tell you more, but no preview tapes were available and the plot was a closely guarded secret. My guess is that Doctor Who will reveal that Santa Claus has been Davros disguised in a wig all along."

On Monday, BBC1 ran one of their semi-regular Test the Nation quizzes, which the audience can take part in at home or via the programme's website. Subtitled "The 2005 Test", the "New Beginnings" section of the test had a question relating to "Doctor Who", asking who succeeded Christopher Eccleston in the role. A clip from the end of "The Parting of the Ways" showing Eccleston's last lines and the beginning of the regeneration was shown. The options were: A) Sean Bean B) Sylvester McCoy C) Alastair MacKenzie D) David Tennant.

The UK Press Association has syndicated an article about the new series to papers this week. Highlights: "Four decades on, and for only the second time in the programme's long history, the Tardis is once again materialising onto our TV screens on Christmas Day. But this time around it's all very different. Rather than an Edwardian gentleman with dodgy dentistry at the helm, the new Doctor, David Tennant, is all Carnaby Street swagger and perfect teeth. Gone too, is the whimsical seasonal run-around. Instead, The Christmas Invasion brings us an Independence Day-scale adventure of alien invasion and impending Armageddon, all wrapped up in Christmas tinsel, as trumpet-playing Santas and evil spinning fern trees wreak havoc across London. ... For fans everywhere, it'll also provide them with their first chance to properly size up the new man in the Tardis, having only enjoyed a brief sample of David's take on the role in a Children In Need special last month. One matter which has been open to conjecture ever since the 34-year-old actor won the part has been what accent he would use in the role. Born in Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland, fans wondered if he would follow the example of seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy (who played the part from 1986 to 1989 on screen) and speak in his native Scottish brogue. However, this incarnation of the time-traveller from Gallifrey has opted to adopt a 'mockney' dialect, announcing ''Appy Christmas' as he steps out of the Tardis for the first time. Sadly, the reason for the dropped h's may now be lost in the web of time. The series' lead writer and executive producer, Russell T Davies, admitted there was originally a line in the script where Mickey (played by Noel Clarke) commented that the new Doctor had somehow taken on the accent of his companion Rose (Billie Piper). But alas, due to timing reasons, it was cut. 'We've kept saying the accent issue would be resolved in the Christmas special,' laughs David, 'but now that's no longer the case.' However, a preview of the delights the show has in store next year does reveal that for at least one story, he will be allowed to lapse into his native tongue when the Tardis takes him to Scotland in Victorian times. ... Get used to it, Mr Tennant, because after Christmas, so will the rest of the world. As the Doctor says, at the climax of The Christmas Invasion, still clad in a fetching pair of pin-stripe nightwear following a post-regenerative period of bed rest, 'Not bad for a bloke in jim-jams'."

The official site has an item about Attack of the Graske, the digital interactive 'episode' going live this weekend: "From 8pm on Christmas night, Digital Satellite and Freeview viewers can truly immerse themselves in the world of Doctor Who. Attack of the Graske is a mini episode of Dr Who with a twist - it allows viewers to become the Doctor's companion. Viewers will get the chance to track down an evil alien life form by flying the TARDIS and completing a series of challenges set by the Doctor himself. The challenge will be available throughout the night and after the January 1 repeat of The Christmas Invasion on BBC Three."

The Bucks Free Press has a short article about a 13 year old, Tom Rees-Kaye, who "was given a chance to travel through space and time in his own back garden. Tom, 13, is a keen follower of the BBC TV series and even films himself with pals making their own episodes, which they copy onto DVDs. But even he was surprised when his parents took an extra step for his birthday by giving him his own full-scale Tardis. They have now placed the contraption in their back garden."

Finally, in the US, the Sci-Fi Channel will be airing "FairyTale: A True Story" on Tuesday 20 December; the film features Paul McGann (the eighth Doctor) and a very young Florence Hoath (Nancy from "The Empty Child"/"The Doctor Dances"). The interesting thing is that both Doctor Who actors feature together on the banner on the SciFi.com homepage advertising the film.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Richard Kirkpatrick, Paul Hayes, Sacha A. Dzuba, John Bowman)

Christopher Eccleston, last seen as the Doctor in June, has what appears to be a new long-term job: he is to star as Christopher 'Kit' Marlow in "The School of Night" by Peter Whelan, an historical whodunit set in 1592 in which Marlowe, fresh from the success of Doctor Faustus, encounters William Shakespeare. It will play at the Comedy Theatre in London's West End from 16 February and, assuming it is a success, Eccleston is committed to at least 22 weeks. (Thanks to Dominic May)

Our friends at TV Shows on DVD have unveiled the cover illustration for the forthcoming February 14 release of the Complete First Series Boxed Set in North America (US and Canada). The box cover uses roughly the same illustration as the large box in the UK release this past November, but at a minimal amount of shelf depth. Click on the thumbnail for a larger version. (With thanks to David Lambert at TVShowsOnDVD for letting us know!)

With the approach of The Christmas Invasion, the press has gotten back into the Doctor Who fold to a level not seen since last July. Here's a collection of items that have appeared in the past 24 hours alone:

According to today's The Sun, "Doctor Who bosses have hastily rewritten scripts after star Roger Lloyd Pack broke his leg. The actor, who played dopey Trigger in Only Fools And Horses, fell down the stairs at his home in Camden, North London. The accident happened just days before Roger, 61, was due to start filming the new series of the BBC sci-fi show, starring David Tennant as the Doctor and Billie Piper as his assistant Rose. So scriptwriters have made Roger's character wheelchair-bound - meaning he could end up looking a bit like evil Dalek creator Davros. A pal said: 'Roger was gutted when he broke his leg. He was worried he would not be able to take part in Doctor Who. But BBC bosses offered to put his character in a wheelchair to get around the problem. They were massively keen for Roger to stay in the show, so they were happy to accommodate him. His character is a real baddie and the wheelchair is a great prop, which adds a bit of mystery and intrigue to the part. So it has worked out very well.' Roger will play the Doctor's enemy John Lumic in the new series in January." Also reported atDigital Spy.

The Western Mail features an interview with David Tennant. "Standing in the cave of the Sycorax warriors, and sword-fighting a seven-feet-tall Sean Gilder as the Sycorax leader in prosthetics and weird contact lenses, and all of those extras standing there....," offers Tennant, almost going misty-eyed at the memories. "OK, it might have been in a warehouse in Newport, with special effects put in later on, but that was the first moment I thought to myself, 'This is something special.' And those moments keep coming every day. Just being in the Tardis, for example. And getting to act opposite Elizabeth Sladen as Sarah-Jane, a veteran Doctor Who sidekick who returns in the next series. I used to watch her when I was a kid, eating beans on toast and a cup of Irn Bru. She looks the same and sounds the same! ... It's mad, it's crazy - how unreal is this? ... I was three years old when I decided I wanted to be an actor. I just loved watching people on the telly. I was watching stories being told, and thinking 'this is just great.' I think I had a conversation with my parents about who those people were in the TV, and as soon as I had an understanding that this was a job, that people got paid for telling stories, that was what I wanted to do. ... My first TV memory is being entranced by Jon Pertwee regenerating into Tom Baker. ... I got another good luck message from Peter Davison, who was filming Distant Shores at the time. I was about ten when Tom regenerated into Peter Davison, so again, another amazing moment. In fact, Peter came on set one day with his children, which was a big thrill both for them and me! We are more aware that he's [the Doctor] someone who fought a war, lost all his people and because he's the last Time Lord, the last authority in the universe, he's less indulgent, more ruthless. ... Wales is a great place to film. You can be in the countryside or by the sea for one scene, and you can be back in the city in no time. ... Every Doctor Who fan I've met has been completely charming. They're always warm, polite, and enthusiastic about the show; they're delightful, welcoming and supportive. What's fascinating is the range of people who come up to you as a Doctor Who fan. They're not just a certain type of bloke, but you get women of all ages, young kids, elderly people - they've all come up to me. And that, I think, reflects the genius of Russell T Davies, that he's created a show that attracts a genuine nine-to-90-year-old audience - well, younger than nine, really."

Today's The Herald also features comments from Tennant: "It's reeeaaallly exciting. Apart from anything else, it's fun. It's a laugh. You've no idea. It's such a laugh. It really takes you back to tattie scones in front of the telly. ... I've never been boy-band handsome. So my looks have never been an obsession of mine. ... When I was offered [the role], suddenly it was real rather than some kind of childhood fantasy moment. You suddenly start thinking, 'I have to do this now.' It was curious. It was almost a 'be careful what you wish for' moment. ... You're finding ways to skin a cat each day. The Doctor is always right; he always knows where he's going; he has the moral high ground. He doesn't waver from that, so it's finding new ways to come at that. Part of the joy of the character is that he's unexpected. He's an alien and he's unpredictable. ... I was nervous about moving to Cardiff but I'm getting home to London on weekends, so I'm getting back and doing a bit of life. When you're here it's 12hour days, and then you're learning your lines for the next one. There's a relentlessness to it - but I have a lot of friends who are actors, so they know the score. You fall in and out of each other's lives all the time. ... It's different now in the way Russell writes it. The relationship between the Doctor and Rose is a love story - except they're not shagging. He's on his own and yet he has Rose, but can they ever be quite a couple in the traditional sense? He's 900 years old and she's 19, and that would be a bit weird. That said, there are moments in this series that are . . . well, sexual would be the wrong word, but they explore that side of things possibly more than we've seen before. ... You can be saving the universe and then talking about fly-fishing, but you've got to play it for the truth of the situation. You've got to believe that this guy can be talking about tangerines and then suddenly save the world."

Tomorrow morning's edition of the Sunday Herald interviews Russell T Davies about how he gave 'new life' to Doctor Who. "Nobody is more excited than me about the Christmas special," says Russell T Davies to the Herald. "I am a fiend for Christmas television. When the Radio Times came out, I turned to December 25 and scanned down the listings and there was Doctor Who! It's just astonishing. On a personal level, never mind professionally, I am so delighted that this has happened. ... On the day the first episode was broadcast I was nervous, but I knew how good it was. So if we hadn't got the viewing figures I would have been able to act like a martyr. I could have been burned at the stake with piety in my heart, saying, ‘Never mind! I know it was good!" Says the article, "Best of all were the scripts. One two-part episode, The Empty Child, in which the gas mask-wearing ghost of a little boy killed in the Blitz haunts his gymslip mother, was among the most disturbing and moving things to appear in British television drama. It is hard to believe that it was broadcast at teatime on a Saturday. ... Although suffering from a bad back, presumably from all the TV critics patting him on it, Davies has gamely agreed to discuss the Christmas episode. Talking in his Manchester home, he is clearly excited by the show, and determined to ensure that Doctor Who continues to redefine family viewing as an experience which makes the heart beat faster and the synapses in the brain snap and flex like hungry electric eels. 'Just wait,' he says, 'till you see this.'"

Sunday morning's The Independent notes in a review of television that "Christopher Eccleston made Saturday evenings on BBC1 a must-see again by breathing new life into an old character, Doctor Who. He fought off invasion by half a million Daleks - and then promptly walked away. If he doesn't regret it, I certainly do. He was, quite probably, the best doctor yet - writer Russell T Davies and Eccleston's replacement, David Tennant, will have a hard act to follow." Also, in the Guardian, "The consensus view was that reality television had peaked and some new hot genre would emerge in the course of the year. But what no one predicted 12 months ago was that the story of broadcasting in 2005 would be the return of family entertainment. This picture of returning innocence was admittedly patchy - 2005's Big Brother marked a TV nadir, when a drunken contestant masturbated with a bottle - but the fact is that three of the most talked-about series in the schedules were Saturday teatime shows with a potential audience age-span of around 60 years: Doctor Who, Strictly Come Dancing and The X Factor. It is also notable that the first two of them are clever reimaginings of concepts originated several decades ago."

The Scotsman today said that "A very different kind of Doctor comes under the spotlight... In Doctor Who: Regeneration (Tuesday, Radio 2, 8.30pm), producer Malcolm Prince offers a behind-the-scenes look at the eagerly-anticipated TV programme Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion (Christmas Day, BBC1, 7pm). The new Doctor, David Tennant, whose film credits include Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, talks about how he intends to tackle the role, while director James Hawes promises that the first programme of the new era will see strange things happening to Christmas trees." The Independent says, "Mark Gatiss explores how the return of the Time Lord became one of the television phenomena of the year. The documentary traces the story, using interviews with David Tennant (who takes over from Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor on Christmas Day), Billie Piper and the creator of the new series, Russell T Davies."

Broadcast magazine says of Doctor Who: "There was an element of back to the future about some of this year's biggest hits. First we saw the old Time Lord himself, Doctor Who, re-emerge from his Tardis, attracting massive audiences and plaudits for BBC1. The Doctor proved there was still a place in the schedule for something long forgotten: family viewing. Doctor Who's success has sparked a hunt for old heroes with the BBC already commissioning Tiger Aspect to bring back Robin Hood and Granada looking to remake The Prisoner, possibly for Sky One. We can expect other retro heroes to resurface." It notes that Doctor Who was #4 on the list of BBC1's Top Five Programmes, beaten in the ratings only by "EastEnders," "The Vicar of Dibley" and "Comic Relief: Red Nose Night" (with "Little Britain" as #5 on the list). The Magazine also features an opinion piece of Emily Bell, editor-in-chief of Guardian Unlimited, in which she refers to Russell T Davies on the subject of "People of the Year," noting "creatively it has to be Russell T Davies for his high-quality output and his salvation of family viewing. "

Tomorrow's The Observer talks about the record numbers of gay men and lesbians occupying key positions across British life, noting Russell T Davies: "Head writer of the BBC's recently revived Doctor Who. Also responsible for other audience-pullers such as Casanova, Linda Green and Bob & Rose. Came to prominence in 1999 when Channel 4 showed his controversial drama series Queer as Folk, an explicit tableau of love, lust, clubbing and gay life in Manchester. Currently working on the Doctor Who spin-off series, Torchwood, about a team who investigate alien goings-on in Britain, due to be aired on BBC3 in 2006 - 'X Files meets This Life,' says Davies. Has been with his partner, Andrew Smith, a Customs officer, since 1999. Born in Swansea." It features a comment from Stuart Murphy, former Controller of BBC3, calling Davies "an absolute genius".

The Scotsman, in an article about the television year in review, says, "What a difference a year makes. ... Doctor Who (BBC1)... was great fun. No programme faced a bigger challenge in 2005 than how to 'do' the Daleks; Russell T Davies chose opera. With a whoosh of Wagner, the eggbox psychopaths took to the air, finally ridding themselves of all comparisons to Mariah "I don't do stairs" Carey, and there was a strange serenity about them as they croaked their last. Until next time, that is. ... On ITV1 came Secret Smile, starring Kate Ashfield and Claire Goose and featuring a dirty rotten scoundrel etc, etc. The latter right bad yin was played by David Tennant, Scotland's best-kept acting secret until last year's Blackpool, which he followed early in 2005 with the Carry On-ish Casanova (BBC3, Russell T again). Now he's about to go stratospheric as the new Doctor Who."

The Observer in the Guardian says of Tennant in "Secret Smile", "It was great to see Tennant building on last year's quite brilliant performances in Blackpool and He Knew He was Right and finally coming out as a primetime star. Gratifying too, to watch him providing some genuinely nasty, meaty, murderous filling in 2005's otherwise fluffy white-bread Casanova/Doctor Who sandwich. There were a couple of moments in Secret Smile when he was genuinely terrifying, which, given that his character (Brendan Block. Sounds like shock. Sounds like a dance DJ, too, come to that) had established his general horribleness within about the first 10 minutes, meant that building on all this without turning Block into a staring-eyed panto-turn would, in lesser hands, have been an insurmountable dramatic challenge." Today'sEvening Chronicle, Newcastle also says about the show that "Tennant was good as Brendan and he did menacing pretty well, but then he's had plenty of practice recently and is in danger of becoming rent-a-villain. Maybe he's getting in the nasty roles before he becomes forever associated with Doctor Who and his time-travelling exploits." And today'sDaily Telegraph says, "This was swept along by the sheer menace of David Tennant's staring-eyed performance as Brendan Block, a malevolent nasty who charmed women before beating or murdering them. (I hope he is not like this as Doctor Who)."

The Guardian today reviews the BFI TV Classics book about Doctor Who written by Kim Newman: "Newman's Doctor Who traces the sci-fi staple from 1963 genesis to Cool Britannia comeback, pointing out that only when fixating on its own fanbase has it struggled." The article also reviews DW comic strip artist Dave Gibbon's latest endevour, The Originals.

Also in the press: TV Squad talks about David Tennant in "Secret Smile" and "Harry Potter"; Digital Spy notes that Tennant "has been seeking advice on his love-life from co-star Billie Piper" according to the Daily Star.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Peter Weaver, Faiz Rehman)

Broadcasting

Easter weekend for Doctor Who? It's looking possible. Besides the report in The Sun (see below), we've heard from several sources that Easter is a definite possibility. Of course, as happened last year, it's very likely that the final date of transmission won't be determined until next year, probably in February or even March. At any rate, that would put transmission on or around April 15, but as always, this is subject to official BBC confirmation.

The BFBS channel, which broadcasts television to overseas-serving members of the British Armed Forces, will screen "The Christmas Invasion" at 8.10pm Central European Time on Christmas Day, just 10 minutes after its premiere on BBC1. It will then repeat the broadcast on 26 December at 8PM CET. Our correspondent says that BFBS Navy will probably air the episode, but they do not have listings for that week up yet.

Back In Time, the BBC Radio Wales documentary from last season, apparently will be continuing this year! Back on the air with an episode subtitled "New Doctor, New Danger," it's aired on Friday 23 December at 6.30pm-7pm, repeated the next day from 1.05pm-1.35pm. We'll be checking the content of this as soon as possible.

While it's been rumored for some time, today's The Sun says that "Stephen Fry's Doctor Who script has been postponed. It was scheduled for the second series, due at Easter. But our Tardis insider reveals: 'Stephen's script is in its third draft and it's so ambitious that Russell T Davies decided it fitted in better with the next run. It will give the team more time to sort out all the special effects and prosthetics.' Blimey." Additional reports on this atContact Music,Yahoo News.

Tonight's edition of Newsnight Review selected Doctor Who as one of its television highlights of the year. The presenters praised the series overall, mostly stating that it got better as it went along.

The Christmas Invasion

Aint It Cool News, which last year had some of the very first reviews of "Rose" from early leaked copies of the episode, this year has a much more positive review of "The Christmas Invasion" from a viewer who saw it at a recent press screening. "In the end, it's the characters and not the action set pieces that make 'The Christmas Invasion' work," says the reviewer. "Billie Piper turns in a wonderful performance as Rose, who not only feels she's lost the Doctor, but is also powerless to stop the alien menace. [Camille] Coduri is annoyingly daffy as Rose's mom, who informed about the Doctor's two hearts, wonders if the time lord has two of anything else under his pajamas. And Noel Clarke finally begins to take Mickey out of the buffoon category, giving him a much more proactive role... There are also a few nice guest performances, particularly from Penelope Wilton ... Make no mistake about it, when Tennant's Doctor takes center stage, there's no doubt whatsoever who's in charge (no pun intended). ... For me, Tennant's biggest talent is the way he can deliver a speech, with the perfect combination of deadpan seriousness and twinkle-in-his-eye humor. ... As a holiday special that also introduces the new Doctor, 'The Christmas Invasion' is a thoroughly entertaining hour of television that will definitely whet viewer appetites for the upcoming season." The review also notes that there is a brief collection of clips from forthcoming episodes at the end of the special, which presumably will be aired along with this on BBC1 next week.

The people behind the offficial Doctor Who website have launched a brand new "spinoff site" for the forthcoming Christmas special, "The Christmas Invasion". The British Rocket Group and their space launch vehicle, Guinevere One, can now be accessed directly, or through a link from the front page of the official Doctor Who site. (This is indeed an actual spinoff site; other recent sites receiving widespread attention have been fan-created.) The official site also now has a photo of Broadcasting House in Llandaff, which is "currently sporting the TARDIS on its roof. There is also a giant screen with a countdown to the Christmas Invasion and a special promotional video highlighting the fact that over 70 per cent of the people working on the show are Welsh."

What's with the Doctor's new accent? Says today's The Sun, "THE Doctor's new Cockney accent comes from sidekick Rose. Show writer Russell T Davies said: 'It is meant to be from all the time he has spent with Rose, to show just how close they are. We were due to explain this in the Christmas special - but then we cut the line out!'"

Manchester Evening News calls the special its "Pick of the Day". "Not sure what's funnier - that Who's now so valued a property it gets an Xmas special or that ITV have bottled it completely and avoided scheduling any competition. David Tennant makes his full debut in The Christmas Invasion, as the Sycorax invade London. Fantastic. Really, nothing else matters today."

People

The Telegraph on Saturday morning features an interview with Penelope Wilton, the returning guest star who's now Prime Minister Harriet Jones (instead of "Harriet Jones, MP, Flydale North" like last year!) "If the acting profession needed such a thing as a head girl, it would look no further than Penelope Wilton. It's not just that she brings the kitemark of integrity to anything she's in, or an air of quintessential Englishness. More than these, it's the gameness with which she troops between screen and stage, bit part and lead, the lightest entertainment and the blackest tragedy. She does a good line in slightly batty mothers, for example: on screen last year in Edgar Wright's zombie spoof, Shaun of the Dead, but more recently as the battiest mother of all in The House of Bernarda Alba at the National Theatre. Early next year she gets up to the foulest pimping imaginable in a new RSC production of Thomas Middleton's Women Beware Women. But before that she is more prime ministerial than the PM in the Doctor Who Christmas special. Wilton at Number 10 is fantasy casting to rival Martin Sheen in The Oval Office: the leader a nation knows it will never have or deserve. In the first series, Wilton was a backbench MP who spent her screen time running away from a race of large worm-like creatures called the Slitheen. It was somehow very Wiltonesque that she never let go of her handbag. 'It's what I thought she would do,' Wilton says. She got the job thanks to another of her batty mothers in Bob and Rose, written (like Doctor Who) by Russell T Davies. 'He has the most wonderful sense of humour. So when he asked me to play 'Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North', I said 'Certainly. Unfortunately power goes to my head a bit in this. I keep saying 'Harriet Jones, Prime Minister' to which a lot of people say, 'Yes, we know who you are.'' How many people know who Wilton is? She puts herself in the category of actors who 'if the reality be known, get two scripts and choose the better one of the two'. In films - Calendar Girls, Iris, Clockwise (as John Cleese's wife), and Woody Allen's forthcoming tennis thriller Match Point - the fireworks go off elsewhere." Read the whole story at the website.

The List magazine, a listings publication for Edinburgh and Glasgow, has named David Tennant number 1 in its list of "Scotland's hottest creative talent of 2005". Some relevant quotes from inside: "No other Scottish personality could come witihin a royal mile of matching the current ubiquity of David Tennant. The Paisley-born actor's 2005 career trajectory could be compared to a quickly growing snowball that can supersede everything in sight....As we teeter on the verge of a new year, a quick scan of any newsagent's shelf reveals a plethora of magazine covers featuring tennant as the tenth incarnation of Doctor Who, battling Cybermen in the ressurected TV sci-fi series 'Christmas Invasion'.... Followers of Tennant (not to mention legions of loyal Who-vians) will be watching his first proper outing as the Doctor this Christmas Day with great interest. Judging by the teaser trailer in November's Children In Need extravaganza, the actor is leading the character further away from his authoritarian origins, creating a more hip, laid back incarnation. It will be interesting to see what playing such an iconic character will do for Tennant's wider career. Christopher Eccleston quit the role to avoid typecasting, while previous Doctors have struggled to wriggle out of the outrageously long scarf. That said, watching the Timelord as a child is the reason Tennant went into acting. "From that point on, I absolutely didn't want to do anything else," he has said. It seems the star-struck Paisley boy has come full circle."

Meanwhile, the Mirror says today that "New Doctor Who David Tennant is battling a fresh enemy - a concrete factory planned near his North London home. He's joined residents in opposing the proposal at an inquiry." And The Sun says that "Stunning Sophia Myles is definitely seeing Doctor Who hunk David Tennant. Sophia, 25 -Lady Penelope in the new Thunderbirds movie -was dating Bleak House star Charles Dance, 59, earlier this year. But she found love with Scots heart-throb David, 34, when she filmed a role in the BBC1 sci-fi hit -and the actor gave the game away at a TV party. Sophia plays Madame Du Pompadour in the fourth episode of the new series, called The Girl In The Fireplace. Speaking at the launch of the Christmas Day special, she told TV Biz: 'Our relationship is too private to talk about.' But unluckily for her, David chose that moment to stroll up and nuzzle her neck, saying: 'Are you OK, sweetheart? We'll be going soon.' Bet he wishes he could jump in his Tardis and go back in time... "

Tennant also reveals that he has not had any contact from his predecessor Christopher Eccleston, according toNewsquest. "The Casanova star said former timelords Tom Baker -his childhood hero -and Peter Davison had both sent him good-luck notes on his first day of filming. But he has not heard from Christopher -who left the BBC under a dark cloud after quitting the hit show after just one series. BBC bosses were furious after Chris left them in the lurch. And they made sure they signed David up for TWO series. However, BBC drama boss Jane Trantor praised Christopher for helping to revive Doctor Who. She said: 'He completely launched the show into the 21st Century.'"

Bruno Langley (Adam from last year's "Dalek" and "The Long Game") will be appearing in "A Taste of Honey", a new staging of the play (originally written in the 1960's) by Shelagh Delaney at the Oldham Coliseum Theatre running 20 April to 13 May, 2006. The Coliseum has a website and the play is mentioned in a column at What's On Stage.

Eve Myles (Gwyneth from "The Unquiet Dead") can see her in a short film, "Say It With Flowers" on Thursday 5 January at 21.45, along with an episode of "Belonging" at 21.00 the same evening. It'll be on BBC2 Wales.

Miscellaneous

Inside Housing has a feature report called "Estate Invasion" by Daniel Martin on local residents of the Brandon Estate, which is used for filming during Doctor Who as Rose's flat and neighborhood. (Note: this is a PDF file.) Among the highlights: "Many council tenants complain about noisy neighbours and anti-social behaviour. But they've had it easy. One south London estate has been invaded by the army and was nearly crashed into by an alien spaceship. On Christmas Day it'll be menaced by a troupe of evil Santas. Not to mention the mysterious blue box that keeps appearing and disappearing. The tenants, however, have nothing to fear. The estate - the Brandon in Walworth - is a key location for the new BBC series of Doctor Who. It's the setting for the Powell estate where the Doctor's companion Rose Tyler grew up. The crew filmed three episodes on the estate last year and for series two they're filming even more. It's a huge logistical problem: how do you film on an estate populated by hundreds of people and not cause chaos for the tenants? Some disruption is inevitable but it can be mitigated with a little bit of help from the residents' association. That's where Dot and Gwen Smith (no relation) come in. These two formidable 66-year-olds have both lived on the estate for years and are known by all. They work closely with the BBC to ensure that filming goes on with as little disruption as possible. 'Our job is to liaise with the film crew to make sure there are no problems for the tenants,' says Gwen Smith as a day's shooting gets under way. 'We go round asking if they wouldn't mind closing their windows and once when they did a night shoot we asked tenants if they wanted black outs. They were great about it.' ... It's early morning and the estate has been transformed into a mini film set, with a little tent full of monitors propped up against a wall, enabling the director to see if he's got the shot he wants. On this occasion there are few residents around. ... 'We'd been told they were filming some scenes with the army,' recalls Gwen, 'but one evening these massive big tanks came onto the estate. We looked at each other and said "we're going to get complaints". But we never had one. The tenants love the excitement.' 'Unfortunately,' adds Dot Smith, 'one of the tanks went down a manhole and the BBC had to pay for it being fixed.'" You can read the full article by downloading it.

There's more coverage of this week's TARDIS auction (see earlier press clips columns) at The Scotsman, the Daily Record. Another mention of Christopher Eccleston's trip abroad for relief efforts at AlertNet.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Ian Golden, Peter Weaver, Joanna Pinkney, David Baker, Leighton Calvert, Benjamin Elliott, Matthew Kilburn, Paul Hayes, Daniel Martin)

Amazon is now listing the Tenth Doctor novel to be published by BBC Books next spring written by Gareth Roberts as being called I Am a Dalek. The paperback is due for publication on 11 May and is part of the government-sponsored Quick Reads initiative, designed to encourage literacy among reluctant readers. More information available atQuickReads and Amazon.

According to Data Extract, the news magazine of the Doctor Who Club of Australia, Genesis of the Daleks will be released there on DVD by Roadshow Home Video in April 2006, with Inferno following in June. This meshes with Outpost Gallifrey's previous reports that both DVDs will be part of BBC Video's 2006 DVD release schedule in the UK, although neither DVD have been officially announced yet; we believe "Genesis" will be out in March 2006 in the UK, but as always, it isn't official until it's formally announced.

BBC News reports today that the auction of the miniature TARDIS replica (which we reported about in yesterday's press column) has been sold at Christie's auction house for £10,800. The plywood replica was built at the BBC visual effects department and was last seen on television in 1970. Sarah Hodgson, head of popular entertainment at Christie's said: "There was strong international interest throughout today's successful sale for film and entertainment memorabilia from all eras. The Stormtrooper helmets from Star Wars and the Tardis from Doctor Who performed particularly well and attracted strong prices, with all doubling their pre-sale estimates."

BBC News today notes that "Christmas comes once a year, except in Cardiff, where it has already been and gone. Back in July, shoppers in the city centre found themselves walking past a giant Christmas tree, a late-night festive market and Santa lookalikes. It was as if the Welsh capital had somehow been flung into a different dimension. And in a way, it had been. Perhaps thanks to the Tardis, the city was the backdrop for the Doctor Who special to screened on Christmas Day. The Hayes shopping area of the city has played its part in another climactic galactic tale of the changeling Timelord and his earthly adventures. Over two nights, the BBC Wales team which makes the show transformed one of the busiest areas of Cardiff into a tinsel and snow-filled location. They even borrowed the council's own Christmas lights to do it. Producer Phil Collinson said: 'The main problem was trying to find places that did not have leaves on the trees. We tried to be quite careful about that. We filmed on The Hayes, which wasn't so bad because it wasn't the greenest part of Cardiff. The people in the streets are so proud that this show is made here. It does make it easier for us. We have closed the main street for a whole evening. In any other place they would be shaking their fists as us, but in Cardiff, its 'okay, go ahead'.' A typical episode takes around two-and-a-half weeks to film, he said. 'We've had hordes of people turning up to watch. There is always a bang or a flash or a guy in a green suit to watch.'" Collinson notes that "The Christmas Invasion" is "scary... that's why we can't show it after the Queen (the Queen's speech), but it's still good fun.'" It also quotes Russell T Davies as saying, "I would never have let someone else write the Christmas episode - I have been dying to write a Christmas episode all my life."

BBC News is reporting that Christopher Eccleston was invited by the British Red Cross to visit the Indonesian province of Banda Aceh as part of relief efforts for last year's devastating tsunamis. "Before the Tsunami I'd never thought about Indonesia and I didn't know the Acenese as a race existed," Eccleston tells BBC News. "In the last two or three days here I've learned lessons about courage and optimism in the face of unimaginable grief that I shall never ever forget." The article notes that Eccleston met some of those re-building their lives in Aceh, including going to a school where 500 children lost their lives in the flood: now a popstars-style talent show is helping children regain their sense of fun; visiting one of the Indonesian islands hit by the Tsunami; and later appearing on BBC Breakfast (this Friday) to speak about his impression of the Red Cross' work in Indonesia. There is currently a video clip at BBC News; go to the front page and click on "Latest news in video and audio" at top. (Update: you can also find it atBBC News 24.)

MSNBC wonders today what sort of project famed director Peter Jackson ("The Lord of the Rings," "King Kong") will do next. "It seems almost certain that 'King Kong' will enjoy the same critical adulation and blockbuster popular success as the 'Lord Of The Rings' trilogy, which means that Kong isn’t the only 10-ton gorilla around. With four massive successes in a row, director Peter Jackson is an enviable position as an artist, having gained enough clout that he could choose just about anything he dreamed of for his next film and he’d find a studio that would let him make it. So what should that next movie be? ... The venerable British sci-fi series 'Doctor Who' is in good hands now on the small screen, brought back to life in a cheekily well-written, Buffyesque format by 'Queer As Folk' creator Russell T. Davies. But nobody’s made a feature-length film spinoff of the series since Peter Cushing starred in two forgettable 'Doctor Who' movies in the mid-1960s. Jackson would find an excellent match for his talents in 'Who’s' match of slam-bang action, creepy horror and thought-provoking science fiction. The villains of this hypothetical film would almost certainly have to be the tank-like Daleks simply because they’re The Doctor’s most popular foes, but we’d love to see what Jackson would do with such eerie aliens as the fungoid Zygons, the amoeba-like Rutan, or the reptilian Silurians and Sea Devils. There’s plenty of other forgotten or underappreciated science fiction that would fit Jackson. Like 'Doctor Who,' lots of them are British — we’d be intrigued to see his take on the 1950s 'Quatermass' TV serials and the 1962 monster-chiller 'Day Of The Triffids.'"

A review of The Christmas Invasion today in the Sun, which says "Killer Xmas trees, slaying Santas and a sackful of sexual chemistry -the Dr Who special is the best gift fans could hope for. Best bits are the PM scrapping the Queen's Speech in an alien invasion, the Doc being revived with a cuppa, and his regenerating hand. Just don't let the evil Sycorax put you off your turkey!"

Irish News reports today that Billie Piper is among a list of celebrities (which also includes Robbie Williams and Neil Morrissey) behind a new event in aid of a Belfast-based victims support group. Actor James Nesbitt will today launch Art Wave at Belfast City Hall, a new event which will see artwork by artists and celebrities auctioned to raise funds for charity Wave, which uses the arts as therapy to help children, young people and adults who have been traumatised as a result of the Troubles. The event, set to take place next spring, will see major Irish and English artists donate pieces of work for an exhibition and auction in Belfast's City Hall.

Newsquest Media interviews Andrew Skilleter, famed illustrator responsible for many Doctor Who portraits and book jacket/video covers over the years. "Watching with particular interest as actor David Tennant takes to our screens as the tenth Dr Who this Christmas will be artist and illustrator Andrew Skilleter. For Dorset-based image-maker Andrew has been closely involved in the intergalactic time-travelling adventures of the Doctor for more than a quarter of a century. ... Twenty two years on Christmas finds the good Doctor back on the cover of the Radio Times and Andrew back in the spotlight as all things Dr Who-related are suddenly a source of universal interest. ... 'When Chris Ecclestone [sic] came on the scene there was an enormous boost in interest and with David Tennant about to take over it is still riding high. A week or so ago I was at this huge memorabilia event at the NEC. It's really been quite hectic.' Having been closely involved in the time travelling glory days of the 1980s, Andrew says he isn't entirely sure about the new era of Dr Who. 'I've tried to distance myself from it and watch it simply as a drama but I think all I can say is that when it was good it was very good indeed. I think it's a shame that Chris Ecclestone didn't stay with it a little longer, but I'm certainly going to be interested to see what David Tennant does with it.'" The article mentions that Reeltime Pictures will shortly release a "Myth Makers" documentary video that focuses on him and his work, and that some of his Target and BBC Video covers will be released as collectors' prints throughout 2006.

More reviews of "Secret Smile" starring David Tennant: the Scotsman says it "wasn't totally pish. The Chicklife seemed accurate enough, as did the motifs of middle-class life: mixed salad bowls and bottles of olive oil. But David should get as far away from this Chickstuff as he can in his TARDIS for the time being (or indeed not being)." The Daily Express says, "It has to be said, Secret Smile... hasn't given us much to smile about so far. In fact, it began with the heroine, young architect Miranda Cotton, being dead, so it's hard to imagine there can be any sort of happy ending. But even if it does take you to places you feel you'd rather not go, it's addictive viewing – largely because of a great script and convincing acting. There's something totally believable about Miranda's evil stalker Brendan, played by former Casanova star and the new Doctor Who, David Tennant."

Additional comments about the anti-war stance of "The Christmas Invasion" at The Telegraph, Stuff.co.nz. Meanwhile, American Thinker is reacting to the news by saying that "the once-respected BBC is using a Christmas Day broadcast to a science fiction series to bash America... And this from a government-owned broadcaster." Finally,InformITV talks about the 'red button' episode "Attack of the Graske".

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Matt Kimpton, John Bowman)

April 2006 will see the publication of Inside the Tardis: A Cultural History of Doctor Who by James Chapman. The book covers the show from 1963 through to the current series, and has been researched at the BBC Written Archives Centre. James Chapman is the author of a number of books on cinema and television, including "Licence to Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films" and "Saints and Avengers: British Adventure Series of the 1960s". Inside the Tardis (which has previously been incorrectly listed on Amazon as Doctor Who - A Cultural History) will be available in hardback and paperback; further details can be obtained from the publisher atibtauris.com. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)