A story in October 29's Mid Sussex Times (and also picked up in The Sun discusses a recent funeral for fan Tim Haws in which he was buried in a TARDIS-shaped coffin. "Tim Haws, renowned for his love of the old BBC television series, made his last journey in a "time machine" as mourners looked upon the unusual coffin at his funeral service at St George's Church in Hurstpierpoint on Tuesday. Tim died at only 43 from lymphatic cancer and brother-in-law Peter, from College Lane, Hurstpierpoint, had been building him a long-cherished Dr Who wardrobe, which he had been unable to complete before Tim lost his battle for life. Instead Peter, who has made theatre sets, turned to making Tim the coffin, which also bore a special flower arrangement when it was carried into the church." (Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Ian Wheeler)

According to Big Finish's website, there's been a slight change in release order: the Sixth Doctor/Mel story The Juggernauts will now be released in January 2005, and Game Time featuring the Fifth Doctor in February. Also, the fifth Dalek Empire III serial, "The Warriors" is now in release, with the sixth CD pressing now and due out soon.

The next theatrical venture for Sylvester McCoy will be in a production of "Arsenic & Old Lace," which premieres at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley on February 21 2005 before touring throughout the country. You can check out various links for the theatres it's premiering at here, here and here. (Thanks to Angus Kidman)

The October 29 edition of Broadcast Magazine discusses the Doctor Who title sequence as being the single best title sequence of all time. "A good titles sequence draws the audience in and prepares them for the show. A great title sequence will build a level of anticipation that will enhance the experience, make comedy more amusing, drama more gripping and documentaries more profound. But how do you build that anticipation?" Broadcast picked titles that have "done the most to influence the sequences of today's television" and lists Doctor Who in first place: "Dr Who first aired in 1963 with a title sequence that has developed through the years and will no doubt be adapted for the most recent incarnation. Much of the praise for that longevity must go to designer Bernard Lodge, technical manager Ben Palmer and Ron Grainer of the Radiophonic Workshop. The original sequence was created by Palmer pointing the camera at a monitor to which its signal was going to, thus creating a "howlround". Lodge then introduced graphics to interact with the pictures. Lodge says: "It was a simple image that reflected the nature of the programme."

Cameo appearances by former Doctors appears to be a non-option, according to reports over the weekend in the UK Teletext and in the Daily Mail. "[Tom Baker] has said in the past that he'd love to appear as the Time Lord's arch-enemy The Master in the new run," the Mail reports. "But [executive producer Russell T] Davies says: 'I toyed with the idea of giving Tom and Colin [Baker] cheeky little cameo roles as a bit of fun. However, even though I admire them both very much, it won't be possible. I thought that if they appeared, it would distract viewers and affect the freshness of the new series.'" The Teletext also features a comment from Davies about the casting of Christopher Eccleston: "A lot of people have told me they think Christopher, superb though he is, is a fairly dry and dour actor. They are in for a bit of a surprise. There's a lot of humour and comedy in that man, and the new series will prove what a light touch he has." (Thanks to Phil Newman, David Rafer, Paul Engelberg)

During a spot on this past weekend's edition of the popular US variety series Saturday Night Live (guest hosted by Kate Winslet), Doctor Who was mentioned on the series. The sketch was about a Halloween-costume store, owned by Glenda Goodwin (played by series regular Maya Rudolph) who has a selection of tame costumes available because "Halloween costumes scare the crap" out of her. Showing a selection of costumes not at her store, there was a stillshot of the Cybermen (with her voiceover identifying them as "freakazoids"). Two images are below, of Rudolph and the Cyberman still. (Thanks to Michael S. Lucart for the images, Peter Miller)

As is now well known across Doctor Who fandom, the Daleks are soon to return in the new series... and it appears that photos of the new Daleks have started to leak onto the Internet. Outpost Gallifrey has obtained these two photos, likely the new series Dalek designs (click on each for a larger version) while Monday's edition of the Sun features an articleabout their return, including the usual silly comments about Doctor Who "anoraks" studying the differences from the original version. We'll keep watch to see if these photos are completely legitimate, and if there are any additional pics to be had.

Meanwhile, various reports across the Internet from over the weekend appear to confirm that the Daleks will fly in the new series. "Levitate!" says the Daily Record, which notes that "Dr Who's mortal enemies - with the fearsome cry of exterminate - can fly. ... A BBC insider confirmed they can now fly. He said: 'The Daleks were always the Doctor's scariest enemy - but now they can exterminate from mid-air. The doctor will have his work cut out dealing with flying Daleks.'" Outpost Gallifrey is aware that filming of episode 6 has begun, and it is heavily rumored that this is the episode that the Daleks will first appear in. You can browse these various news reports here: Daily Record, Telegraph, The Sun, The Mirror and icWales, among others. (Thanks to Fiona Moore, Roger Anderson, Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe)

The new issue of Dreamwatch's UK edition (#123) features an interview with Russell T. Davies, in which he reveals his reaction to the first cut of the first episode and discusses various new developments. He also responds to suggestions that he is turning the series into a soap with the introduction of recurring characters like Rose's Mum and boyfriend and so forth.

Exec producer Russell T Davies spoke to icWales about his newest drama series, Mine All Mine, a six-part serial that debuts on ITV1 in November. "Mine All Mine", which features an all-star cast including Griff Rhys Jones, Ruth Madoc, Jason Hughes and Joanna Page, follows the fanciful story of eccentric cab driver Max Vivaldi who believes that, according to a faded legal document written in 1710, his family owns the whole of Swansea. His neighbours and even his wife and three children laugh at Max whenever he brings up the subject of his inheritance until one day his incredible claim is proved to be true.

A recent edition of BellaOnline discusses a female perspective on the return of the new series, including biographical info and series details -- none of which is new to any of us, but is indicative of the wide net of press coverage now being seen.

Newsquest ran a story on October 21 about the series filming on Penarth Pier. "Various media groups have used Penarth as a location for filming and advertisements in recent months," says the article. "A BBC crew visited the town last month to film part of the new series of Doctor Who in and around Headlands School on Paget Place." Penarth Pier has also featured in a number of dramas and films over the years.

The Independent ran a story on October 27 called "The World According to Mark Gatiss," an interview with the creator of "The League of Gentlemen" and one of the writers for the new series. Only once was the new show mentioned. "Who would win in a celebrity death match: Daleks or Cybermen? For sheer mobility, you would have to say the Cybermen, but of course the Daleks can now go upstairs. And they have firepower on their side. My sister used to tease me when I was little because she had seen Dr Who from the beginning and used to say that her favourite story was when the Cybermen and the Daleks got together. But I knew they never had."

The Daily Record interviewed Jimmy Vee on October 26, who stars as an alien in the new series -- in fact, one of the midget aliens Outpost Gallifrey displayed exclusive photos of several weeks ago. "Standing at just three foot eight inches, Jimmy Vee may be small, but he packs a punch as an alien in the latest series... By night, Jimmy, from Harthill, is one of the attractions at raunchy burlesque nightclub Club Noir. But by day, the Razz can reveal that he is the secret star of many a Hollywood blockbuster - from Willow to Harry Potter - where he has played an assortment of roles designed for a small man." In the new series, he says he plays various extraterrestrials. "I play different aliens in it. It's my biggest part yet and although I'm not yet raking it in, I hope it will lead to bigger things. There are lots of different episodes and everything is top secret."

The Express' "Show Bitz" column on October 22 noted that "Producers of the BBC's new Dr Who series ... have become so paranoid about leaks that they have now resorted to MI5-style measures to ensure secrecy. My sources tell me that each script has been watermarked, individually printed, signed out with a confidentially agreement and tracked to ensure no details filter through. When a member of the production team had his laptop stolen from his car, BBC security went into overdrive to track it down in an all-out bid to protect the storyline information contained in the computer's files. Sadly it seems that even with such measures the leaks just keep on coming..."

The icHuddersfield website reports on a company called Vehicles in Vision that supplies vehicles for, among other films and programmes, the new Doctor Who series.

Last week's Media Guardian reported in a column called "Dramatic Moves": "Bananas to the BBC's drama department, which is working overtime to bring the more far-flung bits of the British Isles to the screen. The Welsh town of Usk is being used to send Dr Who back to Victorian Britain..."

Finally, the latest issue of SFX Magazine features a rundown of some of the rumors recently reported on the new series, including some spoilers as noted below.

The second volume of Doctor Who Magazine's The Complete Fourth Doctor has now been released. The issue complements Volume One released in September, completing a look at the Tom Baker years by examining seasons Sixteen, Seventeen and Eighteen. The cover illustration is at right.

Telos Publishing has announced it is reprinting the popular The Television Companion: The Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who, as noted in the press release below.