Pauline Collins, who nearly 40 years ago played Samantha Briggs in the Patrick Troughton serial "The Faceless Ones" and was under consideration to become a series regular until she opted out and Deborah Watling joined the cast as Victoria, has returned to the Doctor Who fold for the new series, according to reports in tomorrow's Sunday Mirror. Collins plays the role of Queen Victoria in a forthcoming episode of the second series. Says the article, "Pauline, 65, will play Queen Victoria alongside the new Doctor David Tennant and Billie Piper as sidekick Rose. She first appeared in the series in 1967 when Patrick Troughton was the Doctor. It was before she found fame in TV drama Upstairs Downstairs and then film stardom in the romantic hit Shirley Valentine in 1989. An insider said: 'Pauline found it amusing that she played a fashionable young woman in the 60s, but now she's playing a very wrinkly Queen Victoria.'" Collins is likely appearing in the second episode, "Tooth and Claw" which according to rumor takes place in Scotland. (Thanks to William Duffy, Eric Venable)

The Doctor Who Appreciation Society, the world's largest Doctor Who organization, has a new web address... or, rather, will have very shortly as it's about to open. www.dwasonline.co.uk is the new web address, according to the Society, and the site will relaunch soon for members. Also, all enquiries can now be sent toenquiries@dwasonline.co.uk. (Thanks to Karen Davies)

The filming this week at locations in Wales attracted not only Outpost Gallifrey's eagle-eyed fans (see set reports yesterday) but also reports in the press. The South Wales Echo on September 28 said "The Doctor Who team have been spotted out and about filming one of the latest episodes for the sci-fi series. A desolate spot on the mountainside at Gelligaer Common, in between Bargoed and Merthyr, was where the stars and the film crew starting setting up from dawn yesterday. New Doctor Who star David Tenant and actress Billie Piper were reported to have been on site - and the famous Tardis could be seen in the distance. A carriage and horses were also seen from the road which was blocked off by two police officers while the cameras rolled. Traffic was stopped while action was being filmed about quarter of a mile from the narrow winding road leading to Bedlinog. Curious passersby were being discouraged from going near the film set. BBC Wales have constantly kept their filming locations a closely guarded secret as well as the plot. A BBC spokesman said: 'The film set is a closed set and we always turn down requests for interview and pictures to ensure the story line is kept secret.' A passerby at the scene, who did not wish to be named, said the director had told him they tried to keep filming locations within 45 miles of Cardiff. He also got the impression from the crew that Gelligaer Common was the perfect setting for a werewolf theme. Local firms were also being used on site as part of the filming scene." On September 29, the South Wales Evening Post discussed the other filming location. "It may be a long way from Gallafray [sic] to Gower, but that clearly hasn't put off one time-travelling tourist. Proving that the reputation of Worm's Head now reaches beyond the stars, the renowned inhabitant of the fictitious planet turned up in Rhossili. And as his famous blue police-box Tardis slowly materialised, Dr Who's latest adventure began to unravel in front of a BBC film crew and the bemused stares of bewildered sheep. Makers of the popular show revealed earlier this year that Gower would be used as one of the locations for an episode in the latest series, which has once-again been penned by Swansea-born writer Russell T Davies. But the specific location remained top-secret, so that filming wouldn't be held up by unintentional interruptions from over-enthusiastic fans. David Tennant, who plays the latest incarnation of the Timelord from Gallafray, was joined by Billie Piper, who plays companion Rose, on the cliff-tops overlooking the stunning sweep of Rhossili - to the delight of passers-by. One visitor, Viv Richards of Port Eynon, was there with her grandchildren. She said: "They are great fans of Dr Who, so they were delighted to be able to see the filming. 'It was fun for the children to see it being filmed here in Swansea. We stayed there a couple of hours watching them. They seemed really nice people.' It's not the first time that Dr Who has visited Swansea. Last year part of the marina was transformed into a scene that re-created a Dickensian Cardiff street. And thanks to Mr Davies' fondness for his home country, numerous sites across South Wales have been used for filming, including Cardiff Bay

An article at ic Sefton and West Lancs profiles a Dalek casings builder in Ainsdale. "Hidden away in an incongruous-looking shed are two of the universe's dreaded tinpot dictators - the Daleks. There's no need to worry. The long-standing Doctor Who baddies are in fact casings, lovingly fashioned by engineering whizz Andy Shaw. And it's not just the Daleks you'll find around Andy's garden. Robots based on the film Forbidden Planet and US sci-fi show Lost in Space are also dotted about the rockery. The machines reflect an interest in robots that Andy, 41, has had since childhood. ... One of his creations now stands at Spaceport, the space-age attraction at Seacombe Ferry in Wirral, and there has been interest in his work from the USA. ... Even before the successful Doctor Who revival on BBC One this spring, it was Andy's Daleks which attracted the most interest. They appear at conventions organised by Indelible, the Merseyside arm of the series' fan club, and fundraisers for the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths. Former Doctor Who Colin Baker, whose baby son Jack died suddenly, chaired the Foundation for eight years."

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg)

The official website today confirmed our story from yesterday that Series One Volume Two would be released on the UMD disc format used by Sony in their Playstation console system. The disc will be released on 17 October, featuring "Aliens of London," "World War Three" and "Dalek". The site notes, however, that "Volumes One, Three and Four will follow in December, although a specific date has yet to be announced. Discs will cost 17.99 each." At right is the illustration for the cover of the UMD format release; click on it for a larger version.

At right is a scan of a forthcoming Harry Potter calendar which shows a photo of David Tennant as Barty Crouch Jnr. in the new film "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". Click on the thumbnail for a larger version of the image (which was originally revealed on the MuggleNet website). (Thanks to James Bagnall)

According to Play.com, the first series of Doctor Who from this year is not only available on DVD, plus will also be released on the new UMD format for the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP). The release will occur in mid-October and it will start with the second disc, apparently, as there's no word on the first disc being made available. (Thanks to Sean Parnell)

Outpost Gallifrey has learned that Ronald Leigh-Hunt, who played Radnor in "The Seeds of Death" and Stevenson in "Revenge of the Cybermen," and was also CA One in the Blake's 7 episode "Children of Auron," died on 12 September at age 88, and Roger Brierley, who played Trevor in "The Daleks' Master Plan" and much later returned as Drathro in "The Trial of a Time Lord: The Mysterious Planet" died on 23 September at age 70. The obituary for Leigh-Hunt can be found at The Times and one for Brierley at The Stage Online. (Thanks to Andrew Green, Ben Jolly)

Sunday 17 July	7.00pm	Rose	165,300	1.5%
Sunday 17 July	7.45pm	Confidential Cut Down 1	141,500	1.2%
Friday 22 July	9.00pm	Rose	139,900	1.0%
Friday 22 July	9.45pm	Confidential Cut Down 1	132,300	0.9%
Sunday 24 July	7.00pm	The End of the World	162,000	1.2%
Friday 29 July	9.00pm	The End of the World	151,500	1.0%
Sunday 31 July	7.00pm	The Unquiet Dead	227,000	1.8%
Friday 5 August	9.00pm	The Unquiet Dead	89,500	0.6%
Sunday 7 August	7.00pm	Aliens of London	215,200	1.8%
Friday 12 August	9.00pm	Aliens of London	101,300	0.7%
Sunday 14 August	7.00pm	World War Three	226,300	1.7%
Friday 19 August	9.00pm	World War Three	200,200	1.4%
Sunday 21 August	7.00pm	Dalek	201,500	1.7%
Friday 26 August	9.00pm	Dalek	132,600	0.9%
Sunday 28 August	7.00pm	The Long Game	129,200	1.1%
Friday 2 September	9.00pm	The Long Game	150,600	1.0%
Sunday 4 September	7.00pm	FatherÆs Day	190,600	1.4%
Friday 9 September	9.00pm	FatherÆs Day	263,800	1.8%
Sunday 11 September	7.30pm	The Empty Child	196,500	1.3%
Sunday 11 September	8.15pm	The Doctor Dances	284,900	1.7%
Friday 16 September	9.00pm	The Empty Child	132,900	0.9%
Sunday 18 September	7.30pm	Boom Town	252,600	1.6%
Sunday 18 September	8.15pm	Bad Wolf	275,000	1.7%
Friday 23 September	9.00pm	The Doctor Dances	211,500	1.4%
Sunday 25 September	7.00pm	The Parting of the Ways	216,900	1.5%

These figures continue to put the repeats outside the BBC Three top 10 for each week, but are probably high enough to keep Doctor Who in the channelÆs top 20. (BBC ThreeÆs Top 10, dominated by EastEnders, Little Britain and Nighty Night at the moment, is getting between 300,000 and 700,000 viewers.) No figures are available for the various Confidential repeats, aside from the first one. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)