The website for the Bristol-based Pixel Studios posted what it calls "concept art" for the forthcoming Doctor Who series, including some sort of spider-type transport, the TARDIS in a metalsmith factory, and two illustrations which appear to be some sort of orbital construct. The images - which we have not confirmed are used in the series, merely posted as images "to help visualise some of the more challenging parts of the script" by an independent design firm (and which may not even have been taken up by the series once it went into production) can be seen at their website by clicking here. (Thanks to Robbie Dunlop)

Thanks to Tenth Planet we have a higher-resolution copy of the cover illustration for the forthcoming DVD release ofThe Mind Robber which we posted on Sunday. Click here to view the hi-res version (note: file is nearly 100k).

Word from the BBC over the weekend: many sections of its online presence will be closed or dramatically scaled back, including sports and local history sections and the popular Cult area... but not the Doctor Who portion of the site. Indeed, according to the Media Guardian on Sunday, "A cult TV and film site devoted to shows such as The Simpsons and Buffy will be pruned to concentrate on upcoming BBC shows like Dr Who." In other words, while the Cult section is being scaled back, the Doctor Who portion of the site will continue (albeit with likely changes) to focus on the new series.

The Doctor Who fan fiction anthology, the Trenchcoat Farewell Project is now available on CD-ROM and as a hard bound anthology, collecting 40+ stories of the fan fiction canon published in previous years into a single volume with illustrations; details available at the Trenchcoat website.

ABC Books in Australia, in association with BBC Books has brought out a paperback version of Justin Richards' 40th-anniversary tome Doctor Who: The Legend, according to their website. Despite the graphic to the contrary, the cover is actually slightly different (ie, not the picture they're showing on the page!) as it includes the ABC name and logo, and the strap line has changed from '40 years...' to 'Four Decades...'

Amazon has posted the cover illustration for the forthcoming bookWho's Next: An Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide To All Of Broadcast Doctor Who by Mark Clapham, Eddie Robson and Jim Smith. As we previously reported, "Who's Next" is "comprehensive, critical journey through every episode of Doctor Who broadcast by the BBC on television, radio, and the Internet." The book is due out in February 2005.

Magic Bullet Productions has announced that Julian Glover, who played Richard the Lionheart in the Doctor Who story "The Crusade" and later played Count Scarlioni/Scaroth in "City of Death," will be appearing in the revival of the Faction Paradox audio series, playing the Egyptian god Upuat. Magic Bullet recently announced they would bring the audio series back, based on the time-travelling voodoo cult first introduced by Lawrence Miles in the BBC Doctor Who novel series, after Bill Baggs' BBV Productions halted its own production line of audios. More details available soon at the Magic Bulletwebsite. (Thanks to Fiona Moore)

According to Amazon.co.uk, BBC Audiobooks will be releasing a CD version of a two-part BBC Radio 2 program that will air around the time of the new series. Entitled Project Who?, the synopsis is as follows: "Tying in with transmission of the new BBC1 Saturday night series of Doctor Who, this two-part BBC Radio 2 programme takes a look at the Doctor Who phenomenon. Why is now the right time for it to return? There will be interviews with the stars and producers of the new series, location and set visits, and interviews with famous people who are fans of Doctor Who. This CD release will feature additional material not included in the Radio 2 broadcast." The current date of release on the CD is April 4, though of course this will be subject to change. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)

The BBC Shop website has revealed the cover illustration for the forthcoming UK DVD release of The Mind Robber starring Patrick Troughton, due out in March 2005. Click on the thumbnail for a larger version of the cover. (Thanks to David Howe)

Noel Clarke (Mickey) is interviewed in the December 18 Daily Express 'Saturday' magazine. Whilst he mostly comments about the upcoming 'Auf Wiedersehen Pet' TV special he is in, he does mention, very briefly, his role in Doctor Who "...as Mickey, the boyfriend of Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). The two have been romantically linked off-screen, but Noel bats off questions about offering Billie a shoulder to cry on after her split with husband Chris Evans, which happened during filming. "We do our job and we go home," he says. "All I do know is that Billie is great, very down to earth. She is a brilliant actress and seriously underrated. So what about the kissing scene? Who doesn't like doing kissing scenes?" he jokes. "They were fine! And my girlfriend doesn't mind me kissing Billie... she knows it's only work!" (Thanks to Peter Weaver)

The Chicago Tribune Discussed in a December 17 article the return of the series in its "Television: The Watcher" section by Maureen Ryan. "Get Your Geek On Again: I'm sure more alert sci-fi mavens have known about these development for months, but a new 'Babylon 5' feature starts filming in April, according to comingsoon.net, and filming has already begun on a new "Dr. Who" series, featuring Christopher Eccleston as the newest doctor. No U.S. channel has yet lined up the rights to air the new Who, which will hits British TV next year, according to gallifreyone.com, which is now my main source for the latest "Who" info. The original series ran from 1963 to 1989, and as most Who fans know, Tom Baker was the best Doctor, followed by Peter Davison and Jon Pertwee. Anyway, I hope the new series is better than the 1996 one-off "Dr. Who" movie that starred Paul McGann, an actor I otherwise like a lot. It wasn't his fault that the TV movie, an attempt perhaps to sex up the venerable British series, was mostly a mess (Eric Roberts as the villain? Never a good sign.). But I'm hoping the BBC raises the bar with Eccleston's outing as the good Doctor." (Our thanks to Maureen Ryan at the Chicago Tribune for the plug for Outpost Gallifrey, and Paul Engelberg for the news)

Russell T Davies was interviewed on a regional ITV1 broadcast of The Afternoon Show on December 15 for the eager TV audience of freelancers, students and the unemployed. There were some behind-the scenes clips of "Casanova" were shown, with David Tennant commenting on how great the script is, and how nice a person Russell is. Davies was then interviewed by the host Eamonn O'Neal, and talked about his work on Chucklevision and Mine All Mine, before moving on to Doctor Who, and how it mustn't be aimed simply at the audience who grew up with it. "I think that's the most important thing," Davies said, "if we were doing it for nostalgia, just to look back and make a pastiche of what was, I'd think - what was the point of that? I fell in love with that programme when I was 8 years old, and it actually made me fall in love with television full stop. And I'm still here, 'twenty' years later. It's aiming for those 8 year olds who sit there now: who want something like that. I mean, they've got American things like Buffy, but (it's important) to have something set in Britain, that's really British." Davies also said that the discussions about the use of the Daleks went all the way to the controller of BBC1, who was insistent that they were included, "Because everyone loves them." And when wrapping up, O'Neal stated that both Casanova and Doctor Who would start in March,... and Russell didn't contradict him. (Thanks to David John Parker)