Today's Media Guardian -- which features an article about producer Russell T Davies' new comedy, "Mine All Mine" (which starts on Thursday at 9pm on ITV1) -- also features a small snippet in the Media Monkey diary: "Sofa so good for new Who! The new Dr Who has passed the fear-factor test. Outgoing drama series boss Mal Young took an episode home to see how the drama, scheduled for a family audience in its old Saturday teatime slot, went down with his seven-year-old step-daughter. Monkey is glad to report that she ended up watching it from behind the sofa." (You can read ithere but registration's required!)

New series producer Russell T Davies appeared today on BBC Radio Five Live (which you can listen to by clicking here). As well as all the usual 'exciting' comments, Davies says 'New year, probably March and it's going marvellously' for the launch date, which is likely the most 'official' confirmation we've had (or sort of!) 'Good for them' is his comment on the Nation Estate and the 'small print' of the Dalek negotiations ('I hope my agent will be representing my rights when I'm gone'). Definitely no K9 in the new series. He hasn't finished writing - 'I'm still hurtling towards the first episode... about to catch up with the filming so we might have to do the last episode live!' (Thanks to Steve Tribe)

November 20's Liverpool Echo ran a story about how timeless Doctor Who really is... and how it's proof that television isn't as good as it used to be - just in time for the anniversary. "Most people will have vivid memories of the Doctor," it says, noting that "its reputation for being so scary that kids hid behind the sofa to watch it seems slightly absurd in this day and age of horror flicks and video games, but at the time, it was terrifying. Despite its shaky sets, dodgy costumes and on occasion frankly laughable scripts, it blazed a trail -- and took whole generations of TV viewers with it on its adventures." It also notes many of the assistants including Frazer Hines, Elisabeth Sladen, Bonnie Langford, Louise Jameson and Janet Fielding... and of course, "The baddies were just as important. The ultimate, of course, were The Daleks. Viewed with an adult, post-Star Wars eye, the Daleks look about as threatening as a can of tuna fish. But at the time, their monotone cyber-voices, their relentless pursuit of their enemies, and their motto: "Exterminate!", were extremely frightening." The article concludes with a very positive note: "It is easy to mock Doctor Who. It wasn't exactly big budget, and yet it is one of the most affectionately remembered shows in British TV history. It has spawned a legion of fans who still hold conventions. Its theme music is still recognised. There have been Doctor Who exhibitions and a variety of spin-off merchandise. The Doctor might have been gone for a while, but he has never been forgotten."

SFX's Christmas issue is out this week, and producer Phil Collinson is interviewed. "I can confirm that the Daleks WILL say exterminate - it would be madness to stop that happening," he tells SFX, confirming what was reported in the press some time ago. "But other than that, we do see this episode as very, very important, for both old and new viewers... It would be a shame to give away too much. But I can tell you that the Daleks will be doing things they've never done on screen before... If ever you've laughed at them, prepare to have the smile frozen on your face..." Collinson also talks about the possibility of the new series having pre-title "teaser" sequences. "All the early episodes have got the potential to do this, in the edit, and we're starting to like it so much that we're actually writing them in to later episodes." But, he adds, "If we sit in the edit and don't like them, we can change our minds at the last minute." (Thanks to SFX Magazine and BBCi)

Peter Davison stars in the first of six episodes of the radio sitcom "Rigor Mortis," which aired last night at 11pm on BBC Radio 4 and airs every subsequent Thursday, with rebroacast over the web on the BBC Radio4 Online website. "Davison is Dr Anthony Webster, chief pathologist and a man who loves his job so much he can't understand why people get upset when he takes his work to lunch with him. His colleague Dr Ruth Hamilton (Matilda Ziegler) was lured into the job by watching TV murder mysteries and is constantly disappointed by the banality of the work. Their boss tries to make the mortuary a brighter place - 'after all, a corpse is a person' - and the team also includes a sometimes inebriated lab assistant, a down-to-earth receptionist and a policeman who is prone to fainting." (Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Brian Jacob)

The Production Base website (an industry production site) recently requested additional accredited editors for theDoctor Who Confidential series, the BBC3 documentary series that will run after the broadcast of the new show's first season. According to the information Outpost Gallifrey was sent, there will indeed be "archive footage" used in the series (possibly clips from the 'classic' series), behind the scenes footage and music montage sequences. Each half-hour episode will have a three week production period with a fourth for grading and dubbing, and will be in production from 22 November through to 30 April 2005. Production Base notes that the BBC is "looking for editors who have experience working with archive footage, cutting behind the scenes actuality and who are skilled at composing music montage sequences" and that the job is based in Cardiff. (Thanks to Kevin West)

According to a press release from the BBC Press Office, John Yorke will be succeeding the outgoing Mal Young as Controller of Continuing Drama Series at the BBC, as well as joint Head of Independent Drama with Lucy Richer. Yorke will be responsible for overseeing all continuing drama series on BBC channels, including the new Doctor Who series. There is no expectation, however, that this will result in any changes for the first series of the show or subsequent years. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)

In the first issue of JLA Classified (by Grant Morrison, an author who also wrote a few Doctor Who strips for "Doctor Who Magazine"), a Dalek make a cameo in Batman's Sci-Fi Closet! On page 24 as Batman talks to Alfred, he tells him that he's going into his "Sci-Fi Closet". Inside that closet, in the lower right of the panel, is the unmistakable top of a Dalek - eyestock and all. (Thanks to Andrew Rubio)

The Express Shopping Channel (Sky and NTL 637) will show Collector's Edition: Doctor Who with televised shopping for Doctor Who items on Tuesday November 23 at 10pm. (Thanks to David Whittam)

According to the New Zealand online retailer Gameplanet Store, the Lost in Time set will be released in New Zealand on January 13. (Thanks to David French)