Amazon is currently listing two additional books that tie into Doctor Who. Out July 7 is "Dr Who Funfax," part of the "Funfax" series for kids, containing a diary, puzzles, stickers, bookmarks, factfiles and more. Previous Funfax titles include Shrek 2, The Incredibles and The Magic Roundabout. Also due out, on August 25, is "Pocket Essentials," presumably a new edition of the "Pocket Essentials" mini-reference guide, updated to take account of the new series. (Thanks to Daniel O'Malley at Timelash)

The Play.com website confirms the release of The Ice Warriors narrated by Frazer Hines from the BBC Radio Collection. "Frazer Hines narrates the remastered original soundtrack of this classic six-episode television adventure, starring Patrick Troughton as the Doctor. ... This CD also features an exclusive interview with Frazer Hines, who talks about his memories of making the 1967 BBC1 serial." Also announced at Play.com is the September 5 release of Doctor Who at the BBC: Volume 3: "This third edition of archive extracts follows the highly successful first two volumes. Once again all manner of programmes from the BBC radio and television archives yield Doctor Who-themed features, from drama and comedy to interviews and behind-the-scenes items. This time round radio interviews and features on the new series will be included." (Thanks to Gary Reed)

BBC Video has finally announced The Claws of Axos, which will be released about two weeks early, on April 25, 2005, in the UK, according to the listing at the BBC Shop which now features a press relaese and cover illustration, reprinted below. Click on the thumbnail for a larger version.

SFX has a collection of five high-quality photos from the second episode, "The End of the World" including one that features the Doctor and Rose overlooking the Earth, a photo that hasn't been circulated widely. Note that there are SPOILERS in these photos so read at your own risk!

An article in today's Daily Telegraph says that "Dr Who is homeless in Australia" referring to the lack of a disclosed buyer for the series in that country. "The BBC hasn't as yet sold the new series of the oldtime cult favourite here yet. ... It has already been sold to Prime in New Zealand as well as to Canada. There has been a rumour that the Nine Network is interested in the series although in the past it has been shown on the ABC. So poor old Who can travel back to any time he wants, but travelling to
a timeslot on an Australian network seems to be a much trickier feat."

A discussion of politicians and Doctor Who in the Newcastle Chronicle and Journal today by Karen Bartlett discusses the series and its impact. "In fact, the new series of Doctor Who, due on our screens later this month, includes a sinister episode where all members of the cabinet are taken over by aliens. Does the Doctor triumph, or is it possible that the aliens leave of their own accord after encountering John Prescott and deciding to look for a more intelligent life form? Whatever the conclusion, it isn"t the first time that science fiction has affected our political consciousness." It also mentions "The Sun Makers" ("Too many economists in the government," the Doctor says) and the history of the show.

TV Quick's listings reports that BBC2's Doctor Who night is this saturday 19th March commencing with the Peter Cushing movie Doctor Who and the Daleks at 3.50pm. The magazine also carries a picture, on page 5, of Little Britian star, Matt Lucas exiting, or entering, the TARDIS.

The TV listings site mydigiguide.com has details of a day of Who repeats by UK digital and satellite channel UKTV Gold on the day of the new series launch. "Doctor Who Day - UKTV Gold, Saturday 26th March 2005, 08:00 - 19:00. A special day to celebrate the cult sci-fi time traveller in his various different guises beginning with the very first Doctor of all - William Hartnell. The day will include more episodes featuring some of the other actors that have portrayed the Doctor over the years. Interspersed between the stories will be some short pieces on various aspects of this hugely popular series." The listings are as follows: 8:00am, The Doctor Who Story; 8:10am, The Time Meddler; 10:20am, The Daemons; 1:05pm, Pyramids of Mars; 3:10pm, Attack of the Cybermen; 5:25pm, Dragonfire.

The 60-second News on BBC Three at 10pm on Sunday (just before Casanova) included a mention of Tom Baker's win in the SFX poll, complete with the clips sequence used in the various new series news reports last week. A good example of the 'any excuse to mention it' at the moment in press and broadcast media.

The latest issue of 'New' magazine (a tabloid celeb led mag) has a four page Doctor Who special covering (quite a lot really) an interview with Billie Piper and why she would never say that Doctor Who caused her divorce. An interview with Chris and an interview with Bruno Langley on his two part adventure and his possible return in series two (the first confirmation in the press of something Outpost Gallifrey has been reporting all along, that Langley is in two episodes, not just one!) There are some shots of the launch and a list of four of the Doctor's 'latest terrifying monsters'.

Billie Piper is currently on the cover of the UK 'lads magazine' ARENA. Meanwhile, according to a BBC report, Piper is also in talks to star in a new BBC adaptation of 'Much Ado About Nothing'. "It's part of a new season of updated Shakespeare plays, which include 'Macbeth' set in a restaurant," says the report.

Today's Guardian discusses the new series and how it will impact Britain. "Your reason for hiding behind the sofa is clear," says the article, which goes into a review of comments made in various papers such as the Telegarph, the Sun, the Daily Express, the Western Mail, and so forth. (Hmm... wonder who else might be doing that these days...)

To tie in with the presence of the Daleks in the new series, This is Bath makes note of the impending release of William Russell's reading of "Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure With the Daleks."

And finally... Doctor Who has, at last, made the front page of the BBC website! bbc.co.uk features a simple banner with Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper saying "Who's Back: 26 March 7pm, BBC One." Very cool.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Paul Hayes, Terry Doyle, Dan O'Malley, Graham Kibble-White, Mark Irwin, Paul Wright, Chuck Foster)

Today's edition of Radio Times (19-25 March) has several items on the new series, including the second of three consecutive cover mentions. This week's cover features the Chris/Billie billboard poster photo as an inset and announces, "Doctor Who - The countdown to the new series has begun!" Inside the magazine, BBC2's Doctor Who Night is one of the recommended television highlights for this Saturday (page 4), illustrated with a shot of Davison in the TARDIS, and Eccleston's appearance on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross is one of Friday's picks, again with a photo, while Project: Who? also features in the week's radio choices (page 5). The second of the series of "Doctor Who Watch" articles (page 19) has a montage of all nine Doctors accompanying a quick run-down of each Doctor's first words in the series and comments given by the leading actors to Radio Times as they started out in the role; according to the same article, the 16-page supplement covering "the characters, monsters and special effects of the new series" will appear in next week's Radio Times.

Television listings: The 19 March showing of Dr Who and the Daleks is confirmed (review p.57, listing p.71) from 3.50 to 5.10pm (i.e. 80 not 70 minutes as previously listed), while an outing for Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150AD on Channel 4 is confirmed for Friday 25 March at 12.40-2.15pm (review p.64, listing p.119). Doctor Who Night is also highlighted with a short piece in Saturday's choices (page 70) and the regular listing is illustrated with a shot of Tom Baker (page 72). [Of peripheral interest: while ITV1 is now halfway through the Ant and Dec series that will be Who's main competition, Five has scheduled Charmed Season 4 repeats followed by Buffy Season 1 repeats in its early evening Saturday slots. Meanwhile, UKGold's weekend morning omnibus editions are confirmed as The Pirate Planet and City of Death.] Blue Peter's Monday 21 edition has guest appearances by Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper confirmed at 4.55pm. The "On This Day" piece for Tuesday 22 March recalls Colin Baker's first story in 1984, noting that, until Paul McGann, his tenure was the shortest in the show's history, and Jonathan Ross's interview with Eccleston is listed on page 120.

Radio listings: page 129 features "Pick of the Week" Project: Who?, with a three-quarter-page article on why we love Who and one of the Chris/Billie publicity pictures, and the lengthy programme listing for 22 March on page 136 also promotes the CD release on 2 May, "which includes unbroadcast material", as well as the recent Daleks MP3 and a reader offer for the Cybermen tin.

Finally, on page 154, "Next week in RT... It's the return of Doctor Who! Don't miss our exclusive 16-page special and collector's cover... On sale Tuesday 22 March." Once again, there's a small Chris/Billie publicity shot. (Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Hayes)

The BBC showed an actual trailer (instead of a mere teaser) this evening. As our correspondents note, "The Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) directly addresses the viewer standing inside the TARDIS doors - they're closed, so you basically see the white doors behind his back. Shots in the clip include a chained-up Dalek and a CG spacecraft flying over London and damaging Big Ben. Intercut with this are shots of Eccleston running down the tunnel, with fire behind him. There's a shot of him near the console from the earlier short trailers, and some very nice closeups of the console. The trailer ended with the BBC's current generic programme details cards - basically, solid red moving up from the bottom of the screen to the 3/4 mark, the show's title in white lettering directly below this point, and then red moving down from the top to the same mark, with the time directly above (in this case, "Coming Soon")." Click on the screen grabs below for larger versions.

Update: Apparently there are several versions of this trailer; in addition to the main showing during "Eastenders" today, it's also been shown after "Holby City" and immediately before "Mastermind" on BBC2. There are apparently both a 30 second and a 50 second version. The 30 second trailer is made up from shortened segments from the 50 second trailer, however the shot of the space ship over London is totally different between the two trailers. In the 50 second version it's flying over St Paul's Cathedral and it's over the Tower Bridge in the 30 second version. (Thanks to Glenn Harrison, Jeff Album, Robert Franks, John Molyneux, Steve Chapman)

The following information was part of the BBC Books "New Books and Backlist" catalogue available at the London Book Fair this week, and discusses the BBC "classic" Doctor Who novels due for the second half of the year. Note that this is just preliminary information and obviously may be subject to change. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)

Televisual magazine this week has a feature on the new series along with photographs. In the article, writer Steven Moffat says, "I don't think the fact that we're in a post Star Wars era is an issue, but matching Buffy is. Doctor Who was never a space drama anyway, it was about horror: dark shadows and creepy monsters lurking just around the corner." Russell T Davies says his blueprint is Buffy and today's audience needs emotional content. He also mentions the planet Zog example as seen elsewhere. The article suggests the budget per episode is ú600K (UK Pounds) "He (Ecclestone) is not like Tom Baker, but what the have in common is that they can go around being as funny and daft and gormless as they like, but you still take them seriously because they're fundamentally both scary, impressive men," says Davies. Edward Thomas, designer of the new TARDIS interior says that he and Russell thought the original console room from 63 was the most impressive so kept it in mind but "went back to nature" with the design. Will Cohen of The Mill claims this is the largest number of effects shots ever for a UK TV drama. The Geith ("The Unquiet Dead") is described as a trail of ectoplasm while Cassandra ("The End of the World") is "a piece of stretched skin supported by two poles that needs constant moisturising in order to survive" and is translucent. In fact, the End Of The World has one fifth of all the fx shots in the series! Also noted, the Slitheen ("Aliens of London") are prosthetics for close ups, and computer generated images for wide shots. Finally, it notes that sales to the US may have been hampered by the decision not to shoot in high definition, though the special effects burden has been considerably reduced as a result.

Ever noticed how the new series logo looks rather like a taxicab sign? The Guardian on March 16 thinks so. "Far be it from us to cast aspersions on the hype-tastic new Doctor Who, powered by a thousand tabloid Billie Piper stories and the slavering of sci-fi fans everywhere, but isn't there something a little familiar - a little earthbound - about its logo?" the Guardian asks. Are they "the only one to notice the uncanny similarity between the new Who signage and the little orange lights that twinkle on taxis? What can it mean? That taxi drivers are like Time Lords in that they both take ages to get anywhere? That their average age is 900 years old? That they won't go south of the river? Or has the new logo been inspired by some BBC execs' favourite mode of transport? There are, as the good Doctor might say himself, no such things as coincidences."

The Guardian also confirms Billie Piper will be taking to Shakespeare, as we previously reported. "Billie Piper, who also appeared in one of the Canterbury Tales adaptations and later this month will star as Doctor Who's sidekick, Rose, said last week that she had landed the role of Hero in A Midsummer Night's Dream. The play, adapted by the screenwriter Peter Bowker, will be set in a holiday park," says media correspondent Owen Gibson.

According to a Northern Ireland TV website, "a day-long event celebrating the classic science fiction series, Doctor Who, which is returning to British TV screens over the Easter period, will be held at Queen's University this weekend. Organised by the University's Science Fiction and Fantasy Society, the event comes just one week before the meddlesome Time Lord makes a come back, this time in the guise of Christopher Eccleston." The event, in aid of the Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke Association, will begin at 11am in room G06, Peter Froggatt Centre and admission is free.

We've gotten word of a new 20 second teaser, in addition to the major trailers shown today; the teaser aired this afternoon at approximately 5.25pm immediately preceeding children's show "Newsround" as part of the "Children's BBC" strand of programming. The trailer is set in the TARDIS (which is in flight) with a silent Doctor standing next to Rose throughout. Rose addresses the viewer direct: "I've got a choice: Stay at home with my Mum...my boyfriend...my job... Or chuck it all in for danger...and monsters...and life or death. What do you think?"

Lorraine Heggessey, BBC1 controller, "signed off her valedictory season launch today - defiantly summing up her reign by saying, 'I did it my way,'" says the Guardian's Tara Conlan. "Revealing she will leave the channel by the first week in May, Ms Heggessey said she will take a few weeks' holiday to 'have a rest, read books and go to the gym' before joining Talkback Thames as its chief executive." The article doesn't mention Doctor Who, but it does bode well for the woman who announced a new Doctor Who series to the world.

(Thanks to Stuart Ian Burns, Jamie Austin, Paul Shields, Faiz Rehman, Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Michael Blumenthal)

BBC Books will be issuing The Legend Continues by Justin Richards in October 2005, a new and fully updated paperback version of his "Doctor Who: The Legend" hardcover released in 2003. "Fully revised and updated to include the new Doctor, Christopher Eccleston, this epic publication takes the reader on a journey through four decades of TV history, covering every one of the TV stories," says the information printed on BBC Books materials distributed this weekend at the London Book Fair. (Thanks to Graham Kibble-White, David Howe)