Lots of discussions of the anniversary in the UK papers. The Times features a comprehensive article on Doctor Who with memories shared by various luminaries like Tom Baker, Paul Cornell, John Sessions, Mark Gatiss, and other journalists and broadcasters such as Alain de Botton and Joan Bakewell; it's accessible to subscribers (and may be visible to UK readers only without subscribing). The Friday Review section of the Guardian talks about the BBCi "Scream of the Shalka" webscast. BBC News is running their own Talking Point on memories and a poll for favorite Doctor (again), while BBC News also features several interviews and stories from the past few days including an interview with Elisabeth Sladen, a 40th anniversary feature and an article about fond memories of the show. (Thanks to Chuck Foster, Paul Hayes, Duncan Rose and Craig Hinton)

Big Finish has reprinted, in one volume, three novels called the "Star Quest" series originally written and published in 1978, 1979 and 1981 by Doctor Who's own longtime story editor & writer Terrance Dicks. "Three young cousins get caught up in galactic events when two battling UFOs land near Stonehenge," says Big Finish's website. "For Jan, Kevin and Anna it is only the beginning of their thrilling adventures. Helping the League of Sentient Lifeforms in their fight against the ruthless and evil Kaldor, the trio meet friendly aliens and savage beasts, travel across the galaxy and come face to face with golden robots and dinosaurs. In Spacejack, the young friends meet Tell, Osar and Garm agents for the League, an alliance of intelligent races from across the galaxy and come up against the Kaldor, who believe that only humans have the right to rule. Roboworld sees the cousins crashland on an asteroid infested with an army of killer robots. And in Terrorsaur!, Jan, Kevin and Anna must search for their new friends who have gone missing whilst on patrol." The book features a new cover by Jim Mortimore and Tim Keable and is now on sale.

Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy will be appearing on GMTV on Friday morning at 8:20am, discussing the show's anniversary and this weekend's UK GoldDoctor Who @40 Weekend. Meanwhile, according to Benjamin Elliott's "This Week in Doctor Who" column today, advance TV listings for December reveal that UK Gold will be ending its weeknight run of Doctor Who stories with the broadcast on Tuesday 2 December (with the second half of "Logopolis"). UK Gold's weekday run began earlier this year and will have consisted of the entire Tom Baker run of stories bar Genesis Of The Daleks and Destiny Of The Daleks. Doctor Who will continue to air on Saturday and Sunday mornings in movie format. (Thanks to Mat Watson at UKTV, Benjamin F. Elliott)

The November 18 issue of the UK's "The Sun" featured another 'potential': the star of "The Royle Family," Ricky Tomlinson. Says the article: "Dalek's My a**e! Royle family slob Ricky Tomlinson wants to be the new Dr Who. He reckons the Timelord should be a scouser and says: 'I'd be perfect! There are always funny moments and a scouse accent would work well. It instantly makes things funnier'. Ricky, 64 - famed for Royle Family catchphrase 'My a**e!' - added: 'I've always fancied myself as a bit of an action hero and i'd love to do some Dalek bashing'." Rivals for the job include Eddie Izzard, Alan Davies and Rowan Atkinson." As usual, take with adequate grains of salt. (Thanks to Scott Hughes, Phillip Madeley)

The edition of the BBC Radio Wales program mousemat that focuses on Doctor Who and its websites, originally scheduled for November 19, has been rescheduled to this Sunday, November 23 (the anniversary date itself!) The show airs at 5:30pm, with a repeat on Wednesday November 26 at 6:00pm. For further details on the program visit the Mousemat site. (Thanks to Alan Daulby)

Doctor Who has made the cover of Design Weekly magazine, which features an article inside on Cosgrove Hall, the producers of the animated webcast of the Doctor Who story "The Scream of the Shalka", interviewing producer-director Steve Maher about the use of Flash animation techniques. "Flash has a reputation for being simplistic because it is used a lot for designing websites," says Maher. "But if you know what you're doing it's an extremely useful tool for animation. Because a lot of animators now use all the options at their disposal, you have to make sure it's not too obvious when you are using CGI. It has to look seamless. In the end, CGI is a tool, like Flash." You can read the full article by picking up the new issue. (Thanks to Andie Frankham, Richard Beeby)

In a new interview in the Radio Times with Tom Baker, the Fourth Doctor comments about how different the new series should be. "They do have to move on and make it funny and wry. Will there be sexual chemistry between the Doctor and the companion? Will they make the Doctor gay? black? or a woman?" Baker says he wouldn't play the role of the Doctor again... "but if they did bring back the TARDIS they could have me in a glass cage, just moving my eyes... [the new Doctor] could turn to it and say 'What would you do I wonder?' Perhaps I could go back as the Master". Meanwhile, a new interview in today's issue of "The Scotsman" with Baker asks about him hosting an "imaginary dinner party". Says Baker: "IÆd like to go back in time and invite Anthony Hopkins and his then wife Jennie, because he and I were great friends when we worked together at the National Theatre in the 1960s. They only divorced in the last couple of years and heÆs now remarried. They were very kind to me... He was very strange and had a marvellous imagination which made him compelling. ItÆs a quality stars have. I havenÆt seen him since 1972. Maybe heÆs changed a bit.ö What kind of food would he serve? Italian, with 13 1/2 percent red wine. "None of this 12 per cent stuff. ItÆs amazing the difference in impact between 12 and 13 and a half per cent. It sounds so little. It was lovely to get squiffy with Hopkins.ö It goes on from there. Visit the website to read the interview. (Thanks to Steve Tribe and Planet Who)

Tom Baker was voted the greatest Doctor ever in a poll by Radio Times, while companion Sarah Jane Smith was voted best companion. Said Baker, "The readers' vote is very pleasing and reassuring. I was lucky because all my stuff was in colour, the scripts were coming along, the effects were getting more refined, the sets didn't fall over so often. I loved it so much. Some were more successful Doctors than others, but no-one ever failed at Doctor Who. Twenty years on, the Doctor's image has stayed with me. People remember me fondly and are kind to me in the street, sometimes even physically affectionate. It's better than being royalty." Elisabeth Sladen, who played Sarah Jane, noted that she "had a ball working on Doctor Who for three years - it was only after I left that I realised just what an incredible impact it had." The Cybermen were voted "favorite villains" (after the Daleks were removed, obviously to give someone else a chance!) Anthony Stewart Head of "Buffy" fame was voted the man who should play the next Doctor (see separate story on the TV News Page).

Interviewed in The Western Mail, Bill Nighy, touted as a possible new Doctor (and indeed, the apparent first choice of producer Russell T. Davies), admits he doesn't have any idea what's up. "I've no idea about that," he says. "No-one's actually asked me. I did hear a rumour, but that's as far as it goes. I don't know if I'd be up for it or not; it would depend on so many things really. And I haven't got around to thinking what kind of a doctor I would be - except I probably wouldn't wear a scarf." Read the full article by clicking here. (Thanks to Andrew Harvey, Chuck Foster)