Correspondent Paul Hayes has sent us two lengthy reports on appearances today by Christopher Eccleston on two BBC radio programs: Jo Whiley and Simon Mayo. Click on the spoiler tag to read them (there are a couple of minor spoilers, but to keep the length of the news page down they're included this way.) (Thanks to Paul Hayes)

There's been a massive amount of media coverage and news today, so let's get to it...

BBC Worldwide and BBC Audiocall have released a new polyphonic ringtone of the new series theme tune in the UK. The ringtone is the only one officially licensed by the BBC, and details will appear on www.audiocall.co.uk/doctorwho(which is hosted by BBC Worldwide). However, the ringtone ordering information will not be available until the minute the first episode finishes on Saturday - 7.46pm in the UK.

The BBC has named Peter Fincham, outgoing chief executive officer of Talkback Thames, as the new controller of BBC1, replacing Lorraine Heggessey (the woman who commissioned the new "Doctor Who" series) who is leaving the BBC for Fincham's former job. "The BBC is going through big changes, but BBC1 remains its flagship channel and reinterpreting and reinvigorating it for new audiences is about as exciting a challenge as it gets," Fincham said. "I grew up watching BBC1 and the first programmes I made as an independent producer were for BBC1, so it's enormously flattering to be asked to take over as channel controller from Lorraine Heggessey. I am used to being responsible for a wide range of programmes and BBC1 stands for range, quality and integrity. It also has a unique breadth of appeal." Talkback Thames is responsible for shows such as Da Ali G Show, I'm Alan Partridge, The Bill and Pop Idol and has made various programmes for the BBC including They Think It's All Over, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and the Bafta-award winning drama The Lost Prince. Some of the reports quote him on the topic of Doctor Who as well: "I'm of that generation that is old enough to remember a world when there was only the BBC to watch and in our house BBC was the default setting. I grew up with BBC1 and cowered behind the sofa when Dr Who was on." It was great that his name was being announced just a few days before the Time Lord returns to the small screen, he added. The story's also been picked up in the Edinburgh Evening News, Evening Standard, the Independent and other locales.

Today's Xchange on the CBBC channel showed two clips from "The End of the World" including a CGI space station shot and the Doctor and Rose together. The Mill's Will Cohen also talked about special effects on the new series and some incidental music was heard.

Choices Direct have now listed the first two DVDs for the new series. They state that the first three episodes will be out on May 16, and episodes 4-6 on June 13; you can see the listings here and here. This is the first retailer listing of the new series with dates, which have been rumored by various websites over the past few days.

Various press agencies commented on the BBC's official statement about the leak of "Rose" (which Outpost Gallifrey printed in its entirety yesterday), including the Mirror (no link), The Register, The Guardian, The Inquirer andBBC News.

Several papers ran stories about Shona McLaren, a mother who said "her life has been ruined because she is terrified of Daleks. McLaren... is sent into a blind panic if she even hears the words 'exterminate.' The mum-of-two claims her life has been wrecked by her bizarre phobia." Um.... indeed. The articles were run in the Daily Record, as well as the Daily Star and the Daily Express as well as other locations.

A short item about the new series was included yesterday on The Richard And Judy Show on Channel 4. This short item featured an interview with Clayton Hickman and the well known impressionist and Doctor Who fan Jon Culshaw. Host Richard Madely was "rather mocking in his tone" says our correspondent, making jokes about Daleks going upstairs and asking Hickman what he'd filled the magazine with for so many years without a new series (Clayton, however, remained calm and
positive about the effect that Doctor Who has upon people.) At the end of the item viewers were treated to Jon Culshaw's first public impersonation of the ninth doctor, something that will probably become a regular feature on his show Dead Ringers.

Today's Leicester Mercury profiles Paul Kasey, an actor who's been in the sci-fi blockbusters Blade II and 28 Days Later... "and the chances are, you've never heard of him. That could be about to change, though, for former Bagworth boy turned movie bit-parter Paul Kasey. ... 31-year-old Paul is set to enter the annals of cult TV history by playing a Doctor Who monster. In fact, he plays four of the Timelord's enemies - plus a goodie robot too - in the spanking new series starring Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper. It says he plays a Slitheen ("Aliens of London"), an alien whose name he can't remember, and one of the, shall we say, bad guys from the first episode (you probably know which ones but we'll still protect the spoilers here!) "A Slitheen is a very large green alien, about 8ft tall. It's also quite cute and quite sweet to look at. It's like ET. He was quite ugly, but quite cute at the same time. I also play an android robot. That was totally different again. It was also a she. That was fantastic, but really hard to play. The costume was so hard; we were basically built into it. It was a full body costume in lilac and cream. As soon as you were in, you were in for good, although you could take the head off while the crew wasn't working. Each character was totally different, and I like the challenge of bringing all these characters and creatures to life. They chose me for my movement. Because inside you can't see very well, it tends to make most people freeze or clam up. In Blade, they chose me for my look. Out of all of them, I did enjoy playing the female robot - it was good in a typically Doctor Who way."

Newsquest Digital Media toady profiles York pastor Mark Troughton, son of Patrick Troughton, the second Doctor. "Mark was six when his dad landed the role, taking over from William Hartnell. And unwittingly, he was responsible for what became one of the great icons of early children's TV. Troughton senior was looking for a gimmick to make the part his own. 'And I was learning to play the recorder,' Mark says. 'So I taught him to play.'" He discusses the classic series: "What carried the whole programme was the fact that the scripts were very strong, and the acting was strong. It was really frightening. And what made it even more exciting was that you were kept in suspense for seven days, waiting to find out what happened. That was awful. ... We used to sit down waiting for dad to come on the telly. And then at about 10.30pm dad would walk in after a hard day's work being beaten up by Cybermen or Daleks." So what kind of person was his dad - and did he enjoy playing the Doctor? "He was generous hearted, with a great sense of humour. He loved playing the Doctor and had great fun doing it. He was a great corpser, and was giggling all the time. He thought if you're going to act the fool - and he did in one sense, he had that sort of clownish character - then you had got to play it for laughs." It mentions that Mark Troughton will be watching this weekend as the new show starts: "You bet. And I'm sure my kids will too," he says, commenting that his six children have gotten to know their grandfather, who they never met, by watching videos of his old episodes. "It will be interesting to see it!"

Today's Guardian carries an article written by Sylvester McCoy about the new series. Some excerpts: "Everybody says now that when Doctor Who was on, they were so frightened they would hide behind the sofa. I did, too, back in my day as the Doctor, but only because I couldn't face watching myself. Now I'm a mere mortal, it's nice to relax on the couch, instead of behind it, and let it wash over me. I was a bit worried that the new series might not work. Paul McGann played the doctor in the big-budget American film version of 1996 and although I enjoyed it, something about it did not quite gel. But this new version with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor and Billie Piper as his assistant, Rose, is just wonderful. Part of its charm is the way in which it makes a sly wink to earlier series. ... But if there is one thing that is going to get the Whovians going crazy on the web forums, it is the new tardis. They have changed it! For one thing, it is brand, spanking new, as if it has come straight from the shop. My tardis, the original one, was so battered and bruised it would have been condemned as unsafe, but this one doesn't have a scratch on it. ... You can tell that the writers love Doctor Who, because of all the references to the old days, and the writing is crisper than ever. It is sharp and often very witty, but not overblown. ... There are clever, subtle nods to current affairs too - the mannequins coming to life and massacring people on the streets touches on the modern fear of going shopping and being gunned down by terrorists. And there is a scary Jabba the Hut-type creature, a sort of jelly monster intent on destroying humanity by turning everything into plastic, because it needs all the plastic in the world to survive, which touches on ecological issues. ... It is very scary, just like in the old days, but now children will be frightened of mannequins. And dustbins - there's a wonderful bit where a wheelie bin attacks someone and sucks them in before eating them up. ... Eccleston makes a fabulous Doctor. Within minutes you truly believe that he has been around for 950 years. ... And Billie Piper as Rose is awesome, just wonderful to watch.... All I know is that she is so right for the part. Russell T Davies says she is going to be our next great Hollywood export and on the basis of this performance, I can well believe it."

Fan reactions to the new series are noted at BBC News: "The show has attracted a huge number of followers since William Hartnell first stepped out of his Tardis in 1963 - many of them members of fan clubs and attending gatherings around the globe. Yet it seems most will be staying home to watch Christopher Eccleston's debut as the time-travelling Doctor." The story says that "International Doctor Who website Outpost Gallifrey lists a very full calendar to keep even the most dedicated of fans, known as Whovians, busy all year... No sooner have you emerged from the Doctor Who weekend in Somerset's Wookey Hole than it is time for a swift Sci-Fi Sea Cruise around Europe, a Whovention convention in Sydney and Chicago Tardis 2005. When not doing that, groups such as the Sisterhood of Khan [sic] dress up as their favourite villains and heroes from the series, including the sinister Cybermen." "It is time to sit down on your sofa, aim your remote control and enjoy it," says Antony Wainer, spokesman for the Doctor Who Appreciation Society. "If this was a movie we would hire a cinema and if it was made for the internet we would gather around a computer screen. But we want to see the show in the way it is intended - in our homes up and down the country." Ian Chandos of the Sisterhood of Karn (it misquotes as "Khan"), "an Earth-based group of gay people united by their interest in Doctor Who and cult TV" says that "We all want a chance to watch the first episode in its entirety then meet up the following week to discuss it. Having said that, we'll probably all be on the phone to each other as soon as it's over."

There are many teasers in the papers today, mostly promoting the series for Saturday night. The South Wales Echo asks "Who's going to scare you the most?" today: "Get ready to dive behind the sofa again! Doctor Who will once again battle against a host of weird and wonderful monsters in the new series..." BBC1 Radio Entertainment also has a mention.

Sky News ran with a piece called "A Look Into Billie's World", which has various facts about Billie Piper. "She sang for Bill Clinton, had a No.1 hit by the time she was 15 - and a failed marriage to one of Britain's biggest media moguls by the age of 22. Now Billie Piper stars alongside Christopher Eccleston as Rose Tyler, in the long-awaited return of Doctor Who. It opens the latest chapter in her remarkable life... check out our Billie fact file." There are a variety of facts and figures about the actress/singer. Today's "This is Wiltshire" also has some of the quotes.

The Sun yesterday wants to know if you're terrified yet with the return of the evil Doctor Who monsters? "We have a large Epsom sofa from MFI worth Pounds 595 for you to win -and hide behind! To enter just call 09063 612237. Leave your contact details and answer this question: Who is the new Dr Who?" Calls apparently cost 60p a minute "and last no longer than two minutes. Lines close at 8pm tonight. Winner chosen at random."

Today's The Northern Echo biographies Christopher Eccleston. It starts with his film and television roles, then: "None of which would have suggested asking him to play the Time Lord in the BBC1's hotly-anticipated revival, especially as Eccleston has always been a very private actor who shied away from publicity and parties. You couldn't imagine him welcoming the barrage of press and public recognition that playing the doctor would bring." It says that Eccleston had a taste of media interest after being romantically linked by the press with Billie Piper: "Maybe I felt I was able to handle it now, " he says of becoming public property. "Only time will tell. There are still ways to remain private. I've always felt that there were some people in the industry who will use their personal life to further their career, rather than their actual performances and I don't think that's right. What my dad taught me was, basically, do your job properly. I hope my privacy remains and that my performance will get me another job and that will be enough. I do think, actually, that readers and viewers really aren't that interested. If you give them a performance, they'll invest in you, whether you're sleeping with a goat or whatever." It says that "As a child, he preferred Star Trek to Doctor Who. Now, he's a fan of the Time Lord. 'I finally allowed myself to watch Tom Baker in a DVD of The Talons Of Weng-Chiang. I drank two bottles of red wine and thought, 'right, I'll watch it'. I knew then what the role entailed and how difficult it is to play. It's great, all the profile you get, but it's a difficult thing to do. You're the motor for every scene, and you have to deliver a lot of pseudo and scientific jargon and give it some charisma and wit.'" It does mention next year: "Whether he would play the Doctor again if the BBC commits to another series has yet to be decided."

A preview of this weekend's "The Spectator" dated March 26 profiles Russell T Davies: "Davies is such a dedicated Doctor Who fan that he even carried on watching in that difficult period after Peter Davison had gone, when it apparently went down and down. If anyone on this planet was ever likely to breathe new life into an aging Time Lord, then Russell T.was surely the man. And, sure enough, he has, with extremely unlikely support from the actor playing Dr Who ù Christopher Eccleston. ... For me, though, the true star is Russell T. Davies. It was he who got Eccleston on board, and it's his reverence for tradition (e. g. , ensuring that the Tardis still looks like a Fifties police phone box) combined with his understanding of what it will take to win over a blas? new audience (fart jokes, breast-implant jokes, a breathless pace) which is going to make this revival such a massive triumph. He has even, you might have heard, solved the Dalek problem. The evil buggers have now developed the ability to fly, which means they can conquer earth after all. Why ever didn't they think of it earlier?" (Well, of course, they did, but no one seems to remember...)

Today's Daily Star profiles many of the former assistants and guest stars -- all of the female gender. "[Billie Piper's] not the first sexy side-kick to act as the time traveller's gorgeous right-hand woman. Since the show first began back in 1963, there's been plenty of ballsy babes who have taken on awful aliens and scary monsters." Profiled are mostly companion actresses with a few guest stars (such as Honor Blackman and Rula Lenska) thrown in.

The Daily Express also profiles Billie Piper today: "As she makes her debut as Doctor Who's new sidekick this Saturday, former teenie pop favourite Billie Piper admits she has been nursing a few bruises after struggling to perform stunts on the show. 'I've had a bit of a nightmare with the stunts. I'm clumsy but I want things to go well. I overcompensate and it ends in tears.' That's what you get for taking on Daleks, Billie"

"Doctor Boo!: Why the Timelord should stay in his Tardis" says an article in the Sun today, which does a "who's who" of new monsters and also runs a piece of fluff about the theme tune ("Dun da dun da dun da dun da dun da dun da di di di di... Ohh-wee-ohh. Weeeee-ohh...") It basically regurgitates reports from the past several days. The Daily Star also discusses the new monsters today in an A to Z of them, mentioning the usuals like Daleks, Cybermen and Autons, but also Borad, the Haemovores, the Kandyman, the Nimon and the Vervoids.

"Doctor Who: funny he never married" says today's Telegraph, which wonders that cliched question "To put it more bluntly, is Doctor Who gay?" "Before considering the case for the prosecution (or defence, depending on your point of view), let us make one thing clear: we are not questioning the sexual orientation of the actors who played the role... But the Doctor himself is apparently not the marrying kind of Time Lord. ... The obvious answer is that the Doctor, not being human (he has two hearts, for example), is not turned on by homo sapiens of either sex, any more than we are by Cybermen. A more intriguing possibility is that, just as he has no idea what he will look like when he regenerates - Pertwee's Doctor shrieked when he looked in the mirror - so he does not know in advance for which team he will be playing, as it were. In which case, perhaps he ought to keep two photographs next to his bed in the Tardis: one of Scarlett Johansson, say, and one of Justin Timberlake. When he regenerates, all he has to do is look at both of them and discover which one makes his hearts beat faster." Riiight.

There's a report on BBC News that says that "Finally, the Sun reports that Dr Who's faithful robot dog K9 has been tracked down to a dogs' home in Devon. Apparently he was bought at a BBC auction four years ago." It quotes Derek Hambly of the Tenth Planet story, who says: "I'm amazed he's in Devon. He was last seen on the planet Gallifrey."

This week, Manchester's listings and lifestyle magazine City Life has given its cover over to the new series. Inside, there's a two page interview with (Manchester resident) Russell T Davies on 'who and Casanova, and a one page interview with (Salford born) Christopher Eccleston: "It was my idea to bring a bit of Northern realism to the whole thing".

Net4Nowt analyses the scheduling of the new series: "By scheduling Doctor Who in the prime timeslot of 7:00PM Saturday night, BBC One is evidently hoping to capture market share from Ant and Dec's popular 'Saturday Night Takeaway' series. An analysis of Internet searches for both 'ant and dec saturday night take away' and 'new doctor who' suggests that BBC One has a fighting chance: despite Ant and Dec's solid audience base, share of searches for their show online have decreased in the lead-up to the resurrection of Doctor Who. The share of Internet searches for the phrase 'new doctor who' overtook 'ant and dec saturday night take away' two weeks ago, and the phrase is currently receiving 50% more searches than its rival. This spike in interest can't be explained away by the online leak a couple of weeks ago of the first episode, titled 'Rose'. Following the leak, fans rushed online to search for 'doctor who rose download'. Since the week of the leak, interest in the download has plummeted while interest in Doctor Who remains strong." WebUser also runs the story.

Sheffield Today says that "there is one place where residents would probably shocked to hear of the notorious reputation of Daleks - and that is the streets around Anchorage Crescent, Sprotbrough. Every Halloween, a procession of youngsters follows one of the monsters around the village as part of a trick or treat tour. It has even taken detours past children's Halloween parties as a special favour to entertain them. For most of the year, it lives in Doctor Who fan Grant Belshaw's shed." The article discusses that this man's Dalek prop was originally used at the Longleat exhibition.

Doctor Who is featured on the cover of long-running Welsh-language weekly Golwg this week (published this past Wednesday). The cover is a publicity shot overlaid on a photo of Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. The translated byline is "Dr Who - Cardiff's big project" and ties in with a larger feature on celebrating the centenary of Cardiff's city status. Inside, the series is covered in their centre colour section with a short article, a description of a set visit by the press, along with some quotes from designer Ed Thomas and photos.

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, the principal biographical reference work for the British past will be marking the start of the new series of Doctor Who on Saturday by having Jon Pertwee as the 'Life of the Day'. The article, first published in print and online in September 2004, is written by David J. Howe. Most of the online edition is subscription only, but the Life of the Day is free to non-subscribers for that day and for a few subsequent days. It has normally appeared by 0100GMT on the day in question. A link will appear on the front page at www.oxforddnb.com.

Today's East Anglian Daily Times has a half page article on Billie Piper and the new series. It includes comments from Billie about her career to date and Doctor Who. The article finishes with promise of an interview with The Doctor in tomorrow's edition.

The Croydon Guardian is looking for "any Doctor Who fans planning anything special to mark the Timelord's return to our screens this Saturday (March 26). Perhaps you and your assistant will be throwing on Cybermen costumes or building your very own cardboard Tardis? If you are crazy about the guy from Gallifrey, dotty about Daleks or mad about the Master then we want to hear from you" and suggests you send email here.

The Chicago Tribune discusses the "Rose" leak: "Building online buzz by putting full episodes online has become such a hot marketing tool that there's speculation the BBC was behind the recent 'unauthorized' online release of an episode of its new 'Dr. Who' series. But the BBC denied to Wired News that an in-house 'viral marketing' plan was responsible for the show's premature online debut." Of course, the BBC's also denied this speculation to everyone...

Some other press notes: Today's Sun includes a monster comparison, eg. Anne Robinson vs Lady Cassandra and Jade Goody vs Moxx of Balhoon here; Megastar comments on Sylvester McCoy's review of the series; the Daily Recordcomments on Billie Piper accidentally swearing on yesterday's Chris Moyles show (two articles, here and here); theMirror has more comments on the various assistants over the years; and a brief Who comparison to Joe Cole in the Times Football section here.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Paul Hayes, Ceri Laing, Chuck Foster, Matthew Kilburn, Rajiv Awasti, Craig Hinton, Nick Smale, Stephen Woollen, Guy Lambert, Barry Bridges, Alex Wilcock, Gareth Humphreys, Matthew Kilburn, and Andrew Jackson)

The BBC's press office has issued a release on programs starting the week of April 9 including the third episode of Doctor Who, The Unquiet Dead. You can see it here (note: PDF file requiring Adobe Acrobat); meanwhile, click on the spoiler tag below to see the "Unquiet Dead" information.

BBC Radio Wales have some further details on their website about their Dr Who documentary, Back In Time. "This weekend Doctor Who returns to BBC One Wales. BBC Radio Wales has been granted exclusive access behind the scenes for a two part special called Dr Who: Back in Time. This Saturday at 13:05 we look at the links between the Time Lord and Wales, including Dalek road signs in Llangollen." The two parts air on consecutive Saturdays, March 26 and April 2 at 1:05pm, with repeats on Sundays, March 27 and April 3, at 5:30pm.

ITV's This Morning program that aired, er, this morning, featured by far one of the best, and funniest, interviews with Russell T Davies to date. It showed clips from "Rose" including the Doctor peering through Rose's cat-flap and the "That's who I am" clip betwen Eccleston and Piper shown widely. It may also have included one of the first released shots from "The End of The World" showing The Doctor and Rose in front of a large window filled with flames and asteroids. The Doctor says "come with me" and takes Rose's hand. Shots were included of Chris and Billie on set, and interviews with them took place in front of TARDIS and Dalek. The presenters Phillip Schofield and Fern Briton interviewed RTD on the sofa, and showed shots of "Who's who in Who" from today's papers. The main picture was of Simon Day as "The Steward" who has 10 minutes of screen time (and then meets with an interesting fate which we won't spoil here...) Schofield claimed that Eccleston was the eighth ever actor to play the Doctor, obviously unaware of Paul McGann. And Davies mentioned that he made up alien's names by sitting at home with a glass of whiskey!

BBC 2 today ran an episode of The Daily Politics which featured a 10 minute segment on Doctor Who with three guests: political correspondent Andrew Marr, who appears in "Aliens of London"; Tim Collins MP, Shadow Spokesperson for Health and Education and well-known Doctor Who supporter; and Barry Letts, former series producer during the 1970's. The crux of the feature, although a thinly veiled excuse to talk about Doctor Who (of which Andrew Marr and Tim Collins are huge fans), was about how Doctor Who, especially in the 70's provided much political comment as the basis for many stories. Issues of environment, tax and Government bureaucracy were illustrated by using parts of 'The Green Death', 'The Sun Makers' and Pertwee at odds with a government Minister. They had a clip of Helen A (they were comparing her to Thatcher) from "The Happiness Patrol" as well. Marr confirmed aliens would be taking over MP's in an episode to be transmitted between now and the general election (May 5th).

Ratings war on the horizon? As of April 2, Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, Doctor Who's timeslot rival on ITV, moves forward to 6.45pm in the schedule,
giving it a 15 minute jump on our show. The gauntlet's being lowered now...

The official site has been updated today with a new "Media Player" that now features the latest Doctor Who trailer (narrated by Christopher Eccleston), the "Project Who" radio broadcast and other goodies, as well as clips from the 'classic' series. Also, on the front page of the official site is a link simply called "Lies", which goes to another site that has a certain tie-in appeal to the first episode, "Rose" (if you see the episode, you'll know what it's about!)

The Project: Who? CD, due out later this spring, is at number 3 in the BBC Shop bestsellers list (up from number 8 a week ago!). Meanwhile, the banner advertising it and other Doctor Who productions is on the front page of the BBC Shop site with an interesting catchphrase: "Saving the Earth, every week on BBC One. If you think TV is missing a hero, then you haven't met the Doctor. He saves planets for a living - more of a hobby actually, as he's very, very good at it. He's saved us from alien menaces and evil from before time began - but just who is he? Well, Rose Tyler is about to find out. She's 19 and she's not travelled much. But all that's going to change..." Also noted in that BBC Shop area is alisting for the new Doctor Who series DVDs, although without any information as yet.

Today's New Statesman features a story about the new series and its lack of a regeneration sequence: "To deprive us of a scene in which the doctor regenerates into Christopher Eccleston must have been one of the first decisions Russell T Davies made while writing his comeback episode. His reasons are sound enough. Most of the target audience of children will never have even heard of Doctor Who, let alone know that eight actors have played the role since 1966. It would have made a puzzling and slow start. Instead we plunge into young Rose Tyler's worst day ever in her menial job in a trendy West End department store." The review portion is a bit heavy-handed (noting that Doctor Who may now be "a bigger proposition than it looks").

Update on our report yesterday about Doctor Who in the Netherlands: according to the Spits newspaper, the show will indeed be broadcast on the Nederland 3 network "next year".

Creative Match analyses the new series and its visual effects. "The Mill have been working on the special effects. After their Academy Award for the effects on Gladiator there is no doubt that this will be a more sophisticated treat than the original. Chief Executive of The Mill Robin Shenfield has commented on the work, 'Visual effects can be the tail that wags the dog, but with Doctor Who the storytelling was so good we knew it was something we really wanted to do. It's soul-destroying to do great effects work on a project lacking in other areas because when it gets panned, it feels like your work is being panned, too. Whether we take something on really depends on the quality of the scripts and the team that's working on it.'"

An article called "Well, he took his time" appeared in today's Herald, which actually plays up the whole notion of being a Doctor Who fan, including discussions with Mark Gatiss, Phil Collinson and the Edinburgh Doctor Who group.

Some other news clippings today include a briefer version of yesterday's Sun article on the Sun website, a two page article in the Western Mail, a "Guide to the new series monsters" in today's Mirror (which mentions some new aliens in "End of the World" beyond the ones we already know about, including "Spark Plug," "Hop Pyleen" and "The Steward," which we now know is Simon Day's character), and an interesting article at BlogCritics called "What BattleStar Galactica Can Teach Doctor Who About Television In The Digital Age."

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Chuck Foster, Paul Engelberg, Sergio Ferr?, Wayne Barry, Ceri Laing, Mark Wright, Paul Blakemore, Karen Bryan, Michael Spence, Graham Kibble-White and Bas Pierik)

Outpost Gallifrey received the following statement from Vicky Thomas, Head of Press, Consumer Publishing at BBC Worldwide: "After a thorough investigation by BBC Worldwide's Canadian broadcast partner, the source of the leak of episode one of the new Doctor Who series has been traced to a third party company in Canada which had an early preview copy for legitimate purposes. The individual responsible for the leak has had their employment terminated by that company as a result. BBC Worldwide is considering further legal remedies and takes extremely seriously any unlawful copying or misuse of its copyright material."

Update: Outpost Gallifrey has received the full cover illustration and blurb for Doctor Who Magazine issue #355; click on the cover for a larger version. (Thanks to Tom Spilsbury/DWM)

Coming soon: the release of a BBC licensed TARDIS CD/DVD Box collectible; the provisional artwork for the box packaging is at right (click on the thumbnail for a larger version.) Says the press information: "This is the most accurate model Tardis ever produced commercially, and is based upon the prop used throughout the 1980s. The scale is 1:5 (same as the remote-control Daleks), so it is 55cm / 22 inches tall. The box includes an A2 wall-chart, with images of the various Tardi used through the years, and a history of the TV props. It can store either 28 DVDs, 60 CDs, 20 novels, 36 audio cassettes, or 14 videos, or be used as a bread-bin, medicine cabinet, bedsit larder, etc. Each box has a unique numbered plaque. Doors can open inwards and outwards. There are two adjustable shelves. The lamp can be lit - details of flashing unit to be confirmed (available seperately). Made in Britain, by Cod Steaks Ltd - a large model-making company in Bristol, currently producing the miniature sets and props for the forthcoming Wallace and Gromit animated feature film 'The Great Vegetable Plot.'" This TARDIS box was featured in the newest issue of Radio Times and will be available in May. (Thanks to Anthony Sibley and Matt Sanders)

Note: This column originally started by covering press clips, but has now become a daily update on any and all developments in the world of the new series of Doctor Who, so read on. Updated 23 March 0320 GMT with more information...

Part one of the two part Project Who radio documentary aired on BBC2 today, featuring interviews and clips and lots of spoiler stuff. "This opening programme considers how the creator of 'Queer as Folk' and 'The Second Coming' approached the task of re-creating one of the most popular and enduring formats on television," says the official notice at the Project Who Website. Interviewed in the first chapter of the two-part documentary: actors Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper; executive producers Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and Mal Young; producer Phil Collinson; BBC1 controller Lorraine Heggessey; BBC Head of Drama Jane Tranter; director Joe Ahearne; writers Paul Cornell and Mark Gatiss; visual creative consultant Bryan Hitch; Doctor Who Magazine editor Clayton Hickman; Dalek actor/writer Nicholas Briggs; SFX editor Dave Golder; Heat magazine editor Boyd Hilton; Outpost Gallifrey editor Shaun Lyon; and Barry Letts, original series producer (1970-1975). Among the comments made: that Heggessey's claim of looking at Doctor Who and wondering why it wasn't on was met with a rousing "Get it sorted! We've been waiting for this movie that hasn't appeared... the viewing public should have it as its own" as rumored; that Russell T Davies loved the sonic screwdriver and the TARDIS blue police box and never once had any intention of changing them; and according to Julie Gardner, everyone knew Russell would be the "anchor" for this show, and was the only person anyone wanted to do it. You can listen to the broadcast now using RealPlayer from the site, as well as yesterday's Steve Wright Showinterview with Christopher Eccleston and other audio streams.

The BBC Press Office today revealed their second Press Pack which includes discussions of several topics related to the new series. The press pack includes discussion of The Mill, the visual effects house providing computer generated effects, including some facts and figures about their experiences on the first season: 800 special effects, a team of 21 people working 10 months, and some detail about the character Cassandra (voiced by Zoe Wanamaker) in "The End of the World": "...one computer-generated character needed four minutes of lip-synching, which is a huge undertaking in a TV project." Edward Thomas is profiled; he's the production designer on the new series: "I just waded in there because it's Doctor Who and it's a legend, and it was the thought that I might get the chance to help recreate and refresh what had gone before. Reality dawns on you when you realise there's a fanbase that's kept this series alive for 15 years, which is pressure enough, let alone making it visually-exciting and stimulating for a younger audience with little idea what Doctor Who is about." It notes some facts about Thomas and the production team, such as the fact that there have been approximately 650 sets created during the series from location builds to studio builds. Mike Tucker of the BBC Miniature Effects unit -- who also worked on the original series and has written several Doctor Who books since: "What [Davies has] brought back is Doctor Who, but Doctor Who re-invented for the mindset and viewing tastes of the 21st century viewing public. The kind of things we're doing now couldn't have been done 15 years ago when the show was last on. Computer technology in visual effects was in its infancy." And Neill Gorton of Millennium FX, the prosthetics and special make-up designer, is profiled: "I was delighted when I saw episode one because it's new, it's fresh but it's still recognisably Doctor Who. I grew up with the old series, and it's part of the reason I do this job. When it came back, I just had to be involved." There are several photos and spoiler notes about aliens in the first season, too.

According to the Radio Times website, Simon Day of "The Fast Show," and currently appearing on BBC3 in the Russell T Davies miniseries "Casanova," is appearing in episode two, "The End of the World". This is the only piece of casting so far announced other than the three guest players confirmed to date: Zoe Wanamaker (as the voice of Cassandra), Yasmin Bannerman (as Jabe) and Jimmy Vee (as the Moxx of Balhoon).

BBC Radio 1's Jo Whiley confirmed on her show today that Christopher Eccleston will be appearing with her on her show on Thursday. The Jo Whiley show airs on BBC Radio 1 on at 10am; you can visit the website here.

The new series of Doctor Who will be aired on television in the Netherlands on public channel Nederland 3 at some point later this year or early next year, according to the Dutch CEEFAX teletext service today. The message noted the day of the launch on the BBC this weekend. No word as yet on an official broadcast date.

The official site now has two new features: the Mastermind questions and answers from this weekend's "Doctor Who Night" extravaganza, and also an online "Launch the TARDIS" item that puts a Flash-based animation on your browser of the TARDIS moving around the screen.

icLiverpool "meets the two Merseysiders responsible for the new-look Doctor Who," interviewing Davy Jones andLinda Davie, "the award-winning make-up and design team who looked after the latest Doctor Who." The interviewer chats with the two, a husband and wife team who are integral parts of the first season. "Davy and Lin are still sworn to secrecy on what happens but are confident that the new Doctor will be a triumph. 'Chris and Billy [sic] have a great chemistry on screen,' says Davy. 'There's great strength with the pair of them and she makes for a good female assistant. By the end of the series she's shown to have changed and matured. She's not portrayed as a bimbo at all - she's a feisty streetwise girl from a local housing estate.' Lin agrees: 'This new series has got appeal for all from a teenage audience upwards. It's not really for young children which the old Dr Who was sometimes aimed at. It's very hip. Both characters are the type of people you'd want to hang out with.'"

News from Australia: in last Saturday's Sydney's Daily Telegraph, ABC head of programming Marena Manzoufas has said the network has now seen the first episode and they "hoped to buy" the new series. They were apparently concerned about whether it would work for a non-fan audience, but now having seen it, they think its "fabulous" and you can "come in cold and be engrossed." "It will be in the schedule this year, and we expect it will be in a prime-time timeslot," said Manzoufas. The article also mentions Channel 9's interest, and the first-refusal agreement between the ABC and BBC; there are also pics of three alien races from new series plus details of others.

Tomorrow morning's Telegraph features a recap of Andrew Marr's experience being part of the new series. "After a career whose high points include stumbling over my words outside Downing Street, being sacked, having my picture painted by Hockney because he was amazed by the shape of my head and cavorting on national television in fishnet tights, a fixed smile and little else, I have at last reached the acme, the summit, the final glistening pimple of worldly success. In short, I have a vanishingly small part in the new run of Doctor Who. Thanks to a small miracle of lateral thinking, I play a bat-eared political reporter. Filming this took a long time and a frightening quantity of technology, including a man with a tape measure interposing himself between a lens and my nose. But, hey, Doctor Who? I would have happily played a cactus on a windowsill or Billie Piper's missing sock. This obsession goes back, as most do, to childhood, much of which was spent behind the reassuringly bulky family sofa when the theme music started. I don't suppose I saw very much of Jon Pertwee and friends, but I heard a lot. (Social history is full of false memory. But the suggestion that most children spent the 1960s hiding behind sofas from silver teapots in kilts is true.) Many bad things have happened to me since. Indeed, I've done quite a lot of bad things since. But nothing was half as awful as being invited to my best friend's house across the road just after Christmas and having the door opened byà a Dalek! Other small boys might have asked themselves whether it was entirely likely that the Daleks would begin their assault on Earth in a small village outside Dundee. But I've never been entirely solid under fire. And anyway, it wasn't even a silver one. It was one of the really horrible black onesà Uughh."

Today's Variety mentions Doctor Who... "àbut can cult sci-fi classic save BBC again?" "BBC execs hope 'Doctor Who' will play a key role in combating ITV's 'Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway' in the Saturday evening ratings battle," says the article, "as well as highlighting the quality public service fare that will help the Beeb keep its license fee." The article goes through all the Doctor Who basics, including quotes reprinted from elsewhere.

Louth Today today said that "the lid has been lifted on Doctor Who's latest frightening enemy, man-eating wheelie bins," referring to a plot point in the first episode. "But while they note the irony, objectors to the introduction of wheelie bins in Louth say the subject is no laughing matter," it continues, with a few minor notes about current Louth area affairs!

"Everyone's talking about...The Return of Dr Who" according to icCoventry, which says that "Saturday telly will take a nostalgic turn this coming weekend." The writer talks about the 'classic' days of the series and ends with a bright note: "So clear behind the sofa, get in some crumpets, and pile in front of the telly this Saturday for a chance to relive your childhood, and, of course, to see if the Daleks have finally worked out how to negotiate stairs."

New program listing: the Peter Cushing film "Dr. Who and the Daleks" will be broadcast in Wales on S4C (Welsh version of Channel 4) on Saturday 26 March at 12.15pm. (It's not technically new series-related but it is because of the new show, no doubt...)

Today's South Wales Evening Post notes the original success of the series: "The BBC's head of drama told Doctor Who's original production team that he wanted no 'bug-eyed monsters' in the show, but they ignored him and created the Daleks, whose design was based on a canteen cruet set." It then discusses the new series: "Now Christopher Eccleston has taken control of the Tardis. Will another series follow? We'll have to wait and see."

"Who's That Girl?" asks today's Daily Star: "Sexy Billie Piper bursts back into the spotlight this weekend when the BBC finally unveils its revamped version of the cult series Dr Who. ... It also heralds a whole new beginning for former pop babe Billie." It quotes several recent interviews, but also makes a few statements not previously seen: "She says: 'In the past, the girls have been fairly weak characters, screaming and running away. And I always thought The Doctor was chauvinistic and patronising to women. But this has all changed. Rose is on a par with him. She even saves his life in episode one. As the series progresses, people will see how the two educate each other. They show each other new things - they're perfect for one another.'"

"Who is this Doctor?" asks today's Evening Standard, written by Matthew Sweet (the host of last week's Culture Show story on BBC2.) "When Christopher Eccleston grins at you, it is hard to know whether to smile back at him, or to jump on a chair and scream," says Sweet. "It is the eyes. Hypnotic, glittery things that make you ponder two questions: is this a nice man - or is he about to go for my neck? You may feel the same when you tune into the new series of Doctor Who on BBC1 on Saturday and watch the scene in which he first meets his new companion..." The installment biographies Eccleston and makes several positive comments about the future of the series.

Eccleston's praises are also sung today on Manchester Online, today, which mentions a second series is already in the planning stages. "But can Doctor Who defeat his greatest enemy - ITV1 rivals Ant and Dec? Even in an age where we can all time travel via video, DVD and hard disc drive recorders, that remains to be seen. Davies believes viewers are simply being offered a very good alternative. 'Those lovely boys will outlast me,' he concedes." Also, today's AOL's UK news coverage says that "Christopher is modern day Time Lord". The article basically repeats many comments made in previous press articles.

Some of today's other articles include an interview in the Manchester Evening News, the Mirror, the Sun and Alien Online.

Some of the other mentions in the press today including "Total TV Guide" 26th March-1st April 2005 (front cover and one and a half page article); "TV and Satellite Week" 26th March-1st April 2005 (front cover and two page article); "Heat" 26th March-1st April 2005 (half page article, picture and review on Saturday TV page); "What's On TV" 26th March-1st April 2005 (small photo on cover plus half-page article); "TV Choice" 26th March-1st April 2005 (small picture on front cover and half page article); "Closer" 26th March-1st April 2005 (picture on TV page and Saturday picks); "TV Quick" 26th March-1st April 2005 (two page article, plus picture in this week TV "quick loves" and on Saturday TV page).

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Chuck Foster, Jeroen Nieuwenhuis, Rajiv Awasti, Benjamin Elliott, Mark Murphy, Daniel O'Malley, Lorna Mitchellk, Jamie Finlayson)

A new book will soon be out from the British Film Institute. Entitled "BFI TV Classics: Doctor Who", it will be a critical analysis of the series by film critic and author Kim Newman -- best known to Who fans as the author of the first Telos novella "Time and Relative". This book is part of a new "BFI TV Classics" series which will also include Buffy, The Office and Our Friends In The North (which starred none other than... Christoper Eccleston!) More details are available at the BFI website. (Thanks to Daniel O'Malley at Timelash)

SciFiCollector has been granted a licence for the new series and are producing one of their First Day Cover stamp releases, being launched on March 26 to coincide with the first tranmission. The cover is a limited edition of just 5,000 and it is number 1 in the series, and they have announced they will be producing a cover to go with each new episode. Details are available at their website. Click on the thumbnail at right for a larger version. Meanwhile, SciFiCollector have confirmed that Tom Baker and Louise Jameson will be their guests at the forthcoming NEC Memorabilia fair in early April (see the events page!)