The next issue of Doctor Who Magazine, issue 333 features the first of a three-part feature by Daniel O'Mahony, "The Accidental Tourist," looking at the genesis of Doctor Who, and finds that it would have been a very different show were it not for a series of happy accidents; an interview with author Mark Gatiss; the Archive extra "Thirty Years in the TARDIS" by Andrew Pixley; the first of a new comic strip "The Curious Tale of Spring-Heeled Jack" by Scott Gray and Anthony Williams; and the usual news, reviews and previews. (Thanks to BBCi)

Doctor Who is indeed returning for the show's 40th anniversary, in a special new six-part audio webcast on BBCi. Following in the footsteps of the earlier animated webcasts "Death Comes to Time," "Real Time" and "Shada," the fourth webcast (still untitled) is written by Paul Cornell ("The Shadows of Avalon") and will star none other than popular British actor Richard E. Grant(who also played one of the future Doctors in the charity special "The Curse of Fatal Death"). Grant describes his interpretation as "something of a 'Sherlock Holmes in Space.'"

Cornell, posting on the Outpost Gallifrey forum, had this to say about the project: "This is the start of everything again, not the end. Don't be scared. The Ninth Doctor is Richard E. Grant, fully animated... fully animated, not Shada animated... Batmanlike rather than Shadalike. With a new companion, a new military liaison, new monsters, and a vastly starry cast!" Cornell says that "if the response is good enough, then there'll be more. (And listen: you *never know* where this could end up.)" Cornell goes on to confirm that this is indeed the official, BBC made and sanctioned Ninth Doctor, approved by all the requisite parts of the BBC that needed input on this. "Traditional but original is what we're going for," says Cornell. "Very Hinchcliffe/Dicks, but with no previously used elements and only a tiny smidge of continuity. This story starts after the Ninth Doctor's been in the job for several years. And quite a lot has happened to him. So there's room for all continuities to resolve themselves. And BBC Books has made a positive response, and are talking about stuff."

Apparently the story will completely disregard "Curse of Fatal Death" (this Ninth Doctor isn't Grant's Doctor in that charity satire.) Cornell says he is "honoured to have the chance to set the Doctor off on another forty years of adventures," said Paul. "Just wait until you hear Richard! He is the Doctor!" The story is set to debut in mid-November, in time to celebrate the show's 40th anniversary. (Thanks to BBCi and Paul Cornell)

Outpost Gallifrey has learned that, for the forthcoming release of The Reign of Terrorstarring William Hartnell, where two episodes (4 & 5) do not exist, rather than rerecord new linking material and narration, BBC Worldwide has opted to instead use the original footage shot for the aborted release in 1993 with Carole Ann Ford (Susan). The footage, which was produced by the late Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner, has been slightly re-edited to include a few new audio soundbites, stills and eight-millmeter clips to illustrate Ford's linking section, which extends the section by a couple minutes. More details as we get them. Meanwhile, Amazon.ca (Amazon's Canadian counterpart) has listed "Reign of Terror" along with "The Gunfighters" and "The Sensorites" as October releases on DVD. These are NOT being released at this time on DVD -- they are, however, as we previously reported, part of the "End of the Universe Collection" of VHS releases later this year. (Thanks to Derek Stevens for the Canadian info)