Matt Smith met up with wounded Royal Marine rowers on the 13th July when they were engaged in the Thames Challenge. The crew were greeted by the actor at the Leander Club at Henley, being there himself for the BBC film Bert and Dickie, the story of the 1948 London Olympic win by the duo. [Thames Challenge, 13th Jul; This is the West County, 12th Sep]

Arthur Darvill fulfilled a lifelong ambition to dive with sharks, as seen in Doctor Who Confidential last Saturday: "Something that has both excited and terrified me is the idea of swimming with sharks. I just think they are such fascinating and amazing creatures. I’ve been snorkelling a few times but to be able to swim with them in a controlled environment is just awesome. It was like something from James Bond, just stepping into this giant pool with massive sharks. I was fairly nervous but also really excited." [Chester Chronicle, 12th Sep]

David Tennant will be one of the hosts for Children in Need's Manchester Rocks concert, taking place at the MEN Arena on 17th November. Acts include Coldplay, Elbow, JLS, Lady Gaga and Hugh Laurie. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, proceeds in support of the charity. [BBC Press, 14th Sep]

Speaking at the launch of his Christmas pantomime (Robinson Crusoe And The Caribbean Pirates ), John Barrowman commented on future Doctor casting: "I think a female doctor might work, you never know. The audience might not like that. I know there's a lot of young girls and women who would love that. I think that maybe they should go out on a limb next time and try it. That always stirs things up a little bit and makes things exciting and it's nice to see different things and challenges happen like that. Listen, if Captain Jack can be an omni-sexual time agent and an assistant to the doctor, why can't we have a female doctor?" [Press Association, 13th Sep]

Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch commented about rumours of him becoming the Doctor on the Jonathan Ross Show: "The rumours started because David Tennant is a friend of mine and he said 'going up for my old job?', and I said 'I don’t think I am'. They’re huge shoes to fill. One of the reasons is the Doctor Who job is so hard, because you are on the flask, you are on the school lunch box, you have to sometimes go on the school bus as Doctor Who on promotional tours. I like to keep the work on the set." [The Jonathan Ross Show, ITV1, 10th Sep]

Tonight saw the 15th annual TV Choice Awards take place at the Savoy Hotel in London, with Doctor Who winning the Best Family Drama award for the second year running; the programme beat spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures and this year's NTA winner Waterloo Road.

Karen Gillan won the Best Actress award for her role as Amy in Doctor Who; she was up against fellow "Who" names Alex Kingston (Marchlands), Elisabeth Sladen (The Sarah Jane Adventures) and Freema Agyeman (Law and Order UK).

However, Matt Smith lost out on the Best Actor award, which went to his predecessor as the Doctor, David Tennant (Single Father); other nominees included the other Doctor of this millennium, Christopher Eccleston (The Shadow Line).

Results for all categories may be found via the TV Choice Awards website.

This weekend sees the premiere of The God Complex, the latest episode in the current series of Doctor Who, broadcast on BBC1/BBC1HD at 7:10pm, 17th September in the United Kingdom; it then follows on SPACE in Canada at 8:00pm ET, on BBC America in the United States at 9:00pm ET, and on ABC1 in Australia at 7:30pm on the 24th September.


There are also three preview clips available from the episode:


The BBC published an interview with writer Toby Whithouse; plus, Arthur Darvill provides an introduction to the episode and on working with guest star David Walliams:


A number of publicity photographs for the episode have now been released:

Doctor Who and Sarah Jane Adventures Brand Manager Edward Russell has been walking this week from the BBC's Upper Boat Studios in Wales to Television Centre in London, raising money for the Meadow House Hospice who looked after the actress Elisabeth Sladen.

Having battled the inclement weather over the last few days, he has now reached his last resting place before the final push to London tomorrow. You can follow his adventure along the way via the official Facebook group for the walk.


So far Ed has raised just under £14,000 for the Hospice, but hopes to achieve £15,000 upon his arrival. To donate, simply click on the link below.

The BBC are offering readers the chance answer questions alongside Matt Smith via their official Facebook page.

The new application in partnership with VYou will see the actor answer five questions over the next ten weeks, and is designed to enable fans to interact directly with the page in three different ways.

The principal function is the ability to record a personal video response to the question, which can then be shared with other fans who watch the video stream, appearing after Matt's original answer.

The initial question on the site is:

In future, fans themselves will be able to submit questions, and further interaction is providing in the form of a voting system in order to determine the favourite question - the ones with the most votes will then be answered by Matt himself.

Matt Smith has won the Most Stylish Man award at the 2011 GQ Men of the Year awards.

The citation reads
The annual GQ Men of the Year awards gives GQ magazine readers the chance to vote for the most influential figures in a variety of fields over the past year. Winners are chosen from nominees in the fields of film, television, sports, music, fashion, theatre, literature and food through online voting by GQ readers. Winners are typically featured in an issue of GQ, as well as being honored at the annual Men of the Year awards show.

Smith won the 2010 award for Best Actor which this year went to Benedict Cumberbatch of Sherlock fame.

Bill Nighy, who appeared in Vincent and the Doctor, who won the 2011 Editor's Special award.

David Tennant has beaten Matt Smith in a recent poll by the SyFy Channel to find the sexiest sci-fi hunk. The tenth Doctor came in at second place (16.9%), beating spin-off show Torchwood lead John Barrowman who came in third (14.2%), with Smith in tenth place (8.7%). X-Men star Hugh Jackman topped the poll (20.3%). In the sci-fi babes poll Karen Gillan beat predecessor Billie Piper, taking fourth (10.6%) and fifth (7.7%) places respectively; the top spot was taken by Buffy The Vampire Slayer actress Sarah Michelle Gellar (12.7%).

Matt Smith talks about playing the role of the Doctor: "I can never relax because I'm always pushing myself to the highest level but it's nice to enjoy the fact people have accepted me as the Doctor and enjoy the things I do. I think he's grown. I hope people see growth.
I think he should always be evolving. I don't think good actors get typecast. In 10 years' time I'll be playing very different parts than I am playing now. So there is plenty of time for me to evolve as an actor." Also: "It's so funny, I read other scripts and I just go, 'Not as good as Doctor Who!' For me, it's a privilege to play this man. These parts don't come along that often. There was never any hesitation on my part to stay for another year. Why would I quit? I've got Steven Moffat writing scripts, but not only that - Toby Whithouse, Richard Curtis... all these great writers. And then of course, the part. I just love playing the Doctor. I've grown terribly fond of him. It's something I really enjoy." [Daily Record, 27 Aug 2011; Press Association, 28 Aug 2011]

David Tennant talks about the various roles he's taken recently in film, television and theatre: "I'm quite greedy for the variety, I think. I love the fact that I'm doing Shakespeare in the West End at the moment and then talking about vampires at the day. That's sort of what I'd always hoped I'd manage to do, to mix things up like that, to have a wide variety of work. I think it just helps you to keep being hopefully creative and it keeps challenging you. It's ideal really, if I can do a film and then a play and then a bit of telly and then a radio play and then an audio book, I love the fact that I'm in a job where I get to do all those different types of things." [Huffington Post, 18 Aug 2011]

Both David Tennant and Billie Piper are to appear in a new BBC1 drama, Love Life, a series of plays that will be based on improvisation by writer/director Dominic Savage. BBC Controller of Drama Commissioning, Ben Stephenson said: "This is a complete first in TV drama on BBC One: a serial made through improvisation. It features some of our very best acting talent working in a way we've never seen on screen from them before, using improvisation to push the boundaries of each story, to get right to the heart of the truth." The two actors will feature in different episodes of the drama. [BBC Press, 26 Aug 2011]

Billie Piper is also to play the lead in a new BBC3 show written be Lee Hupfield, Tom and Jenny, described as "a high-octane comedy pilot about a feuding couple who, despite splitting up, refuse to leave the house they've bought together". [BBC Press, 26 Aug 2011]

Karen Gillan is supporting her hometown radio station, Monster FM, which will be returning to the Inverness airwaves for a limited period during September. Gillan and Inverness Caley Thistle manager Terry Butcher will be presenting special programmes of their own favourite music on the station, which will be operated by trainee DJs from the European Social Fund-backed Radioskills project at The Moray Firth Media Trust. [Highland News, 30 Aug 2011]

John Barrowman commented on how his life style has changed over the years: "I can’t handle clubs and wild nights out like I did in my 20s. I’m lively when I perform and I always put everything into a show but when I get home I love lying down in front of the TV and relaxing. I’m not quite the party animal people imagine. I’m certainly not a big fan of nightclubs. But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a vodka and tonic after a tough day." [Wales on Sunday, 21 Aug 2011]

Sophie Aldred appears in the new comedy-drama film Thriller Theater! from the independent Untitled Creative Group based in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The film is directed by Michael S. Olson, who for the past 11 years has been the technical director for the annual Chicago TARDIS convention. Aldred portrays television station manager Lynn Whitlam, who's not easily convinced to give up two hours of late night infomercial programming to take a chance on a new horror host show called 'Thriller Theater'. "The script was written with the Lynn Whitlam character never being seen - we only ever see the back of her head, or her hands; we only hear her voice. But when the opportunity arose to involve Sophie in the project, we jumped at it - who wouldn't - and we had the perfect role for her, all ready to go," says Olson. "We filmed her scenes in Madison, Wisconsin, during her appearance at the MadCon convention in September 2010. And of course, she was superb." Thriller Theater! (the movie) receives its premiere screening on 8 September 2011 at the Portage Theater in Chicago (funds for the screening are being raised via public contributions to Kickstarter.com). The movie is also being submitted to various film festivals throughout the country. For more information on the film, visit http://thriller-theater.com. [with thanks to Steven W. Hill]

Bernard Cribbins helped launch a new Wheelyboat that enables disabled visitors to access the waters of Farmoor Reservoir in Oxfordshire for fishing. A patron of the Wheelyboat Trust, he said: "It is of huge importance to give disabled anglers the same opportunities as able-bodied anglers." [BBC News, 19 Aug 2011]

Matt Smith was nearly cast in series The Inbetweeners, according to its creators Iain Morris and Damon Beasley: Matt Smith, the best Doctor Who of all time, was up for the role of Will. He was really, really brilliant and so funny, just a brilliant actor. And clever. He had all the comic timing you wanted, all the dramatic sense you might need. We spent a long time in development; I think if we had to make a decision very quickly and we were going off to shoot, we would definitely have gone with Matt at that point. But it just became a very long, drawn-out thing, and he had other projects on the go. Quite big projects, as it turned out, but we loved him." [Heatworld, 24 Aug 2011]

David Tennant has been talking to The Guardian Weekend as his run in the West End playing Benedick to Catherine Tate's Beatrice draws to a close.

Tennant talks about his career so far, his life growing up in Scotland and his tabloid reputation as a seducer on the Doctor Who set. "I refute that heartily." he says. "Well, I mean I have had some girlfriends, and I did meet some of them at work you know, my bedpost really has very few notches compared with other actors of my erm, erm, pedigree.

He talks about his future plans following the release of Fright Night next month. "I just like to join the jobs up and hope they will be as varied and interesting as possible. So if I can do a film with DreamWorks, then come back and do a little British film, then do something in the West End, then do something for the BBC, that's great. You learn from experience that the things you think are going to change your life probably won't. Not that I'm looking for it to be changed. I'm very happy with what I've got."

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Colin Baker joined experts from East Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridgeshire Constabulary and Job Centre Plus in the cathedral city of Ely on Friday in a day aimed at helping residents tackle any life challenges that they may face.

The Sixth Doctor was joined by experts in housing, policing, benefits and drug awareness as well as a Dalek, a Cyberman and an Ood. Baker, who is currently touring in Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White, gave his time free for the event.

"I think everyone knows that it has been a difficult time for many people over the last few years and I know a lot of people who have or are struggling to keep their heads above water," he said. "I hope that in a small way I can attract people along who might not necessarily seek help who can then talk to the experts who will be on hand."

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Christopher Eccleston is currently filming in the North East of England in a comedy drama about a grumpy pensioner who joins a local choir.

Also staring Gemma Arterton, Vanessa Redgrave and Terence Stamp, Song For Marion by Paul Andrew Williams is a comedy drama about a grumpy pensioner Arthur (Terence Stamp) who is reluctantly inspired by his beloved wife Marion (Vanessa Redgrave) to join a highly unconventional local choir.

Eccleston plays their son James in the Steel Mill Pictures production.

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Matt Smith has been snapped in a fetching white sailor's hat with wide-rimmed glasses as he rowed on the Thames while filming for the new BBC Drama Bert and Dickie. Smith is playing Bert Bushnell, one half of the rowing team that won the gold medal in the 1948 Olympics in London for the double scull.

Aurum Press have announced that the autobiography of Elisabeth Sladen will be published on 7th November 2011, following her life from her humble Liverpool beginnings through to a celebrated return as the popular sidekick to the Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith, in her own series for CBBC.


Originally slated for April, completion of the book was delayed through Sladen's illness and her untimely death earlier this year; it has now been completed with the support of her family. Her editor, Sam Harrison, reflected:

The final series of The Sarah Jane Adventures is expected to be broadcast in the Autumn.

We have recently heard from Doctor Who's Brand Manager Edward Russell, who will be undertaking a walk to raise money on behalf of the hospice that looked after Elisabeth Sladen; he wishes to thank everybody who has donated so far, and has a message from the Meadow House Hospice itself to share:


As previously reported, the walk is scheduled to start at the BBC's Upper Boat Studios in Wales (where The Sarah Jane Adventures were produced) on the 3rd September; once under way, Edward aims to utilise the dedicated Facebook group for the walk to chart his progress.