Although the papers have quieted down, there have been a few reports over the past couple of days:

In the Australian press, the Adelaide Sunday Mail has issued an apology, and something of an explanation for last week's erroneous story stating that Bill Nighy had been chosen to play the new Doctor. To paraphrase they 'blame' the UK's Daily Mail for originating the report which subsequently went into syndication and was then published in the Sunday Mail and "in other Australian Sunday newspapers"!

The UK's The Sun newspaper included an interview with Christopher Eccleston in it's Saturday edition, titled "I look like a gargoyle ... enough to scare any dalek." "My bony face is like a car crash," Eccleston told the Sun. "I haven't got good looks, just weird looks, enough to frighten the fiercest monster." While he is famous for serious, gritty roles, he says he doesn't have a snobbish attitude toward anything; he just wants a decent script. "I've played a lot of characters who are very troubled and dark but I can't wait to get into the Tardis - it's going to be brilliant." Eccleston goes into his personal life and history and his attitudes toward many things. You can read the interview on the Sun's website now.

The Manchester Online website says that the Doctor may never meet the Daleks in an article about the new series. "Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston could be denied a showdown with the dreaded Daleks in his latest role - because of a legal row," says the article. "The corporation does not own the copyright to the metallic-voiced alien robots and producers have been forced to negotiate with representatives for the late sci-fi writer Terry Nation, who created the Daleks in the 1960s. So far, no agreement has been reached and Dr Who's Manchester-based writer, Russell T Davies, is battling against his script deadlines as negotiations continue. Mr Davies said: 'The estate is protecting an important property, after all, and I can appreciate why they are being so careful.'" The Nation estate is currently in negotiations, as has been previously reported, and at this point nothing has changed; this article likely is commenting on that but has no new information. (Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Chuck Foster)

An article in the Scotsman about this weekend's time change in the UK also mentions Doctor Who, albeit briefly: "but this weekend itÆs not only him who will be experiencing a little time travel."

The Cuttings Archive now has some articles from the past several weeks that haven't previously been seen including articles from Broadcast magazine, the Western Mail, BBC Ceefax Entertainment, TV Times UK (which discusses who might take the role of Rose, including mentioning Billie Piper, Helena Bonham Carter and Anna Friel). (Thanks to Roger Anderson)

The online retailer Play.com is reporting that a Cyberman Tin collection of audio CD's will be released on November 1, 2004. This would tie in with previously published reports that the Patrick Troughton story "The Invasion" will be released on audio at that time by the BBC Radio Collection. Last year's "Dalek Tin" release featured the stories "The Evil of the Daleks" and "The Power of the Daleks" as well as the one-off CD "My Life as a Dalek," and was a successful item. Meanwhile, Outpost Gallifrey previously reported that a boxed DVD set entitled The Beginning was to be released this fall; however, we have learned that the plans for that have changed. (We actually altered the forthcoming release list on the news page some time ago but didn't note in the news column itself.) We'll keep you posted. (Thanks to Tim Parker, Gary Reed)

The new issue of TV Zone Magazine is due out on April 1 and features a look at Christopher Eccleston's career and the casting of the new Doctor; there's also a feature on Russell T Davies and the new series writers, examining what qualities they bring to the series; Colin Baker contributes an article with his thoughts on the casting and the new series; Terrance Dicks is interviewed, drawing on his considerable experience to offer some words of advice for the new production team; and there's a feature on the Telos novellas, and a run-through of "Doctor Who's 20 best cliffhangers." The cover of the new issue is at right. (Thanks to Stephen Graves)

Some changes at licensed merchandiser Product Enterprises have been announced. First, their planned Talking Davros action figure that was expected later this year has been cancelled, with the following explanation: "We have no plans for the Talking Davros action figure to go into production at the present time. The simple reason is economics. Based on experience of other products in our range, the quantities we would sell would not equal the investment made. As much as we would like to produce the figure, at the end of the day, if we can not make a profit, it does not make good business sense." They also announced that two lines, the Dalek Roll-a-Matics and the Talking Cybermen, have been discontinued. However, their range of Radio Control Daleks will be relaunched in September 2004, and in october, a new Gold Dalek will be added to the new range. For more details, visit productenterprise.com. (Thanks to Gallifrey 5)

Bill Nighy, once considered the frontrunner to play the Doctor in the new series due to press comments from Russell Davies about him being his first choice, spoke to today's Daily Mail about the casting of Christopher Eccleston. "These things happen and sometimes the best man wins," Nighy told the Mail reporter. "He's taller, stronger and better looking - just. I think a great tradition is in great hands."

According to Blackstar, the Tom Baker serial The Leisure Hive is the next UK DVD release and is due out on July 5. No confirmation has been received at this time from BBC Worldwide, but this has been listed as "tentative" on our release list for some time. (Thanks to Richard Mawson)

Update: A British DVD store called DVD Concept has posted a list of reported extras for this disc, which include the following: commentary with Lalla Ward and director Lovett Bickford; a separate commentary with script editor Christopher H Bidmead; "A New Beginning"; "From Avalon to Argolis"; "Leisure Weir"; "Synthesizing Starfields"; "Blue Peter"; plus photo gallery, easter eggs and production notes. (Thanks to Aidan Brack)

Michael Grade, the one-time controller of BBC1 and the man who put Doctor Who on hiatus for eighteen months in the mid 1980's, has been touted as one of the likely candidates to step into the role of BBC Chairman... and a cross-party group of MPs in Parliament have written him a letter to say "hands off!" Tim Collins, Shadow Education Secretary and a Conservative MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale -- and an ardent supporter of Doctor Who who was interviewed on the "Earthshock" DVD release -- is a signatory on the letter to Grade, which includes representatives from all three major UK political parties, the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties. "The multi-million pound new series of 'Doctor Who' is weeks away from the start of filming," says the press release issued today. "The MPs, from each of the three main parties, are concerned that significant resources for licence payers could be wasted if Mr Grade seeks to derail the project. The signatories include the Culture spokespeople from both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties." The text of the letter is reproduced below. Thanks to the Honourable Tim Collins, MP, for contacting Outpost Gallifrey directly to share this with us. Update 26 March: the UK paper The Guardian is now carrying the story; and theWestmorland Gazette, the newspaper of the district that MP Tim Collins represents, today features an article about the letter to Grade. (Thanks to Chuck Foster)

DWM's Complete First Doctor was released late last week; it includes essays on each story, photos and an afterword by original producer Verity Lambert.

Original series producer Verity Lambert is interviewed in the new "Dreamwatch," discussing her time on the show (including attempts to move her on mid-tenure) as well as her thoughts on the later Doctors and the new series.

Outpost Gallifrey spoke to Mark Gatiss, script writer for the forthcoming first season of the new Doctor Who series, novelist and writer/actor of "The League of Gentlemen," about the recent casting of the next Doctor. "Chris Eccleston's casting is sensational," Gatiss told OG. "He's a fantastic actor and a lovely man and is just the right kind of 'serious' choice to forever banish those tiresome tabloid stories about various TV weathermen or magicians being chosen as the Doctor. And for those who think he's 'too serious' for the part, I'd point to the casting of William Hartnell all those years ago. He was known for a particular type of role and seized upon Doctor Who as a chance to show his versatility. Besides, when Chris did a cameo in 'The League of Gentlemen' he told me he was fed up with playing miserable bastards so this will be just what the Doctor ordered!"