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.

Outpost Gallifrey has learned that production began on the sixth episode of the new Doctor Who series last Tuesday, October 26, with location filming taking place at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Says PlanetWho, production papers leaked to the press "detailed a filming schedule on episode 6 (written by Rob Sherman), and contained several production drawings/concept art for the episode. One sketch appeared to show a Dalek hovering high above a workman/security guard surrounded by a high wall. The documents also revealed that the Daleks had acquired jet propulsion, and the story was run in a number of newspapers over the weekend (pointing out that the Daleks could now climb stairs, again, obviously unaware of 'Remembrance')."

November 1, 2004  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon