March 2006

There have been a couple of changes to BBC Three's schedules over the next fortnight, along with more details of the content of the Doctor Who Night on Sunday 9 April. The reruns of Series One will still begin with two double bills (episodes 1 to 4) from 7pm on Thursday 6 April and Friday 7 April, but 'World War Three' has now moved to Saturday 8 April at 7.10pm. The double bills resume with episodes 6 and 7 on Monday 10 April and conclude with episodes 13 and 14 on Thursday 13 April. (See list below.)

The Doctor Who Night on Sunday 9 April is comprised of Doctor Who Confidential: One Year On, a repeat of The Christmas Invasion, and another showing of 2003's documentary The Story of Doctor Who

There will also, as in 2005, be another airing of 1960s Peter Cushing movie Dr. Who and the Daleks on BBC Two ahead of the new series; this year, the film is on Thursday 13 April at 11.10am.

Advance listings guides are also showing a CBBC repeat of the first Totally Doctor Who for 6.30pm on Friday 14 April. This contradicts the information given in the latest DWM (which suggested Saturday evenings as the likely time for a repeat), but may not reflect the final schedules. The premier of the new children's series is confirmed for BBC One at 5pm on Thursday 13 April.

The updated schedule, along with the US airings of Doctor Who on the Sci-Fi Channel, are now on the Outpost Gallifrey news page's TV schedule in the left-hand column; note that this includes the new series as assumed to be premiering on April 15 at 7pm like noted in Doctor Who Magazine, although as stated in the news story below, this seems to be a bit up in the air as of today. (Thanks to Steve Tribe for compiling this information)

The BBC Press Office has this morning released official confirmation that Series Two will begin on BBC One in the week beginning Saturday 15 April... but still says that the episode is "unplaced" in BBC1's schedule. The report also features a synopsis of "New Earth," the first episode, which we feature below (including a mix-up in the press release regarding actress Camille Coduri). Interestingly, on BBC1's schedule, Strictly Dance Fever is shown as running from 6.15 to 7.15pm on Easter Saturday; a live football match has been confirmed elsewhere as scheduled for 5.15pm on BBC One the following week, which is likely to run until 7.15pm (at least). It may be that 'New Earth' will launch the series in a slightly later timeslot than last year; we'll keep you posted.

The BBC Press Office has this afternoon issued a second press release to promote the imminent launch of Doctor Who Adventures, the new children's comic from BBC Magazines. It says that "the first issue will feature a Doctor Who themed 6-piece stationery set and readers will also have the chance to win a life-size dalek. ... Moray Laing, Assistant Editor, Doctor Who Adventures said: 'Doctor Who Adventures is big, bright and bold, like the series itself. There's something exciting on every page for young Doctor Who fans, who will be immersed in their very own time travel adventure. In the first issue there is a cut-out-and-keep guide to the Daleks and fans can make their own Slitheen mask, perfect for scaring friends!'" Of note is the promise of heavy promotion in the shops, with "point of sale merchandise including shelf wobblers, shelfbarkers and posters. The magazine has also achieved strong listings in all of the key retailers, with the launch issue being heavily promoted." A larger version of the cover is also now available, courtesy a mailing sent to us from the publishers; click on the thumbnail at right for a larger version.

Today's Media Guardian has two podcasts of interviews with David Tennant, Billie Piper, Russell T Davies and BBC drama head Jane Tranter, all conducted at Tuesday evening's press launch. The accompanying report concentrates on Davies' "anger" at the "snobbery" of the Royal Television Society and BAFTA for the relative lack of nominations for Doctor Who. "You watch a Charles Dickens adaptation and you're clapping [at] all those antique lace collars, but if you watch a bird woman from the 57th century you don't imagine that someone put two weeks' thought and work into it," Davies said. His criticism concerns the lack of recognition for the talents and efforts of the actors and the crew: "you always sounds a bit stupid raging about awards, they don't matter in the end - but if our design, costume, makeup and effects departments aren't nominated [in the Bafta Craft Awards] I will be furious." Jane Tranter comments that "there is something about Doctor Who that is so effortlessly entertaining that it just doesn't show its colours in terms of quite how brilliant a piece of drama it is ... [unlike] a classic adaptation ... Doctor Who hides the talent and the expertise that's put into it." The Tennant/Piper podcast on the Guardian is the whole of the open Q&A; from the press launch; in it, "Mine's for three series." It's at that moment that Tennant observes that "Mine [his contract] is not as simple as that."

The Daily Telegraph, meanwhile, is more concerned with kissing. The first UK newspaper to fret about the implications of Russell T Davies' sexuality for the series in 2003 is now worried that the Doctor and his companion "are being forced into silly roles". This "is the latest in a long line of ludicrous adjustments forced on our favourite characters by PC modernisers"; fans of the series must be feeling "betrayed by a kiss". The prospect of "an enforced sex change" for the Doctor, referring to Davies' comments at the press launch that he would consider casting a female lead, would be part of a trend to follow "political correctness" in "updating" popular characters for "modern sensibilities"; "bisexual" Captain Jack is also part of this trend. Towards the end of the article, DWM editor Clayton Hickman is quoted pointing out that "the time-travelling pair kiss only because one of them is possessed by an evil alien".

BBC Radio Wales has an interview with David Tennant and Billie Piper, recorded at the press launch on Tuesday evening. The interview previews the new series and the first episode in particular, and includes a few clips that have not been broadcast elsewhere so beware (minor) spoilers. The piece can be heard via a report on BBC Wales's Doctor Who mini-site. In the printed article, it states that "Tennant revealed he'd be battling foes old and new in this series, including the Cybermen and a race of cat-nun women, with guest stars including Peter Kay, Pauline Collins and Tony Head. But he said the strangest of all was starring with Elisabeth Sladen, who played one of the Doctor's companions in the 1970s. 'It's a bit surreal,' Tennant confessed. 'When I was a kid she was on the TV playing Sarah Jane Smith. When she's suddenly calling me Doctor, it's a bit of an out of body experience.' He was delighted with the reception the cast and crew had received on location in Wales. 'It's such a joy to be filming here - everybody here has been so enthusiastic and so indulgent of us that we have a really lovely time. So I'd like to thank the people of Cardiff for putting up with us blocking their roads and asking them to go round the long way while we film scenes!'"

Lifestyle Extra says taht "Many lifetimes of time travel and fighting Daleks seem to have finally taken it's toll on Dr Who - leaving him only five inches tall. The Time Lord, who crash-landed his Tardis back onto TV screens last year in a triumphant return has been turned into toy action figure. The figure of 10th Doctor, played by David Tennant, sports a distinctly modern look in his pinstriped suit and plimsolls. Male fans are also in for a treat as they can now own a poppet-sized figurine of the Doctor's helper Rose Tyler, played by the beautiful Billie Piper. The action figures have been developed by toy licensee, The Character Group plc in partnership with the BBC to mark Series 2 of the show going on air this spring. The wildly eccentric new Doctor and Rose are just two of twelve 5" figures that are either in stores now or being launched over the next few months. Also available will be the Doctor in his trademark long coat with sonic screwdriver, the Slitheen and the evil Sycorax Leader from the Christmas Invasion, teamed up with companion of past adventures K-9. Following on are the last human, Lady Cassandra O'Brien and the blue-skinned Moxx of Balhoon. just two of the new figures to be launched nearer the summer. Jerry Healy, from Character said: 'Last year Doctor Who products proved extremely popular with both young audiences and die hard enthusiasts. This new range of figures looks set to build on that. As well as the new-look Doctor, we're expecting huge interest in the new K-9 action figure, from fans of the series from the Seventies as well as the current day. A whole generation fondly remember K-9 as an ever-faithful companion to the Doctor.'"

The Christian publication World Magazine says of the US broadcast that "Christopher Eccleston plays the ninth Doctor with the wit and manic energy of the 1970s' Tom Baker, though with shorter hair and a more restrained wardrobe than the other Doctors. (In the series, the Doctor "regenerates" whenever the character is killed or a new actor is hired.) The old series was beloved for its low-budget special effects. In the new episodes, the production values are much higher, but with some cheesiness for old time's sake. When a mysterious entity brings the world's plastic to life, the characters fight department store mannequins. When they pull an arm off of the plastic dummy, they then wrestle the arm. The Doctor defeats the menace with a vial of "Anti-Plastic." The show is simultaneously humorous and serious. One episode has the Doctor and his companion Rose go 5 billion years into the future to witness the explosion of the sun. Here they meet the last human being, evolved into a square of skin with eyes and a mouth stretched out on a frame, hooked to a brain in a jar. Worldviews are rather scrambled in Doctor Who, but there is no sex, bad language, or gore—just weird stuff that might scare or confuse a young viewer. Like Narnia's wardrobe, the Doctor's vehicle has an inside bigger than the outside. Just like the human mind."

Today's print edition of The Guardian asks "What is it with all these nicknames?" and then parodies "a leaked memo circulated among executive producers at the BBC" that it says "reveals some major concerns" about Doctor Who. "1 Girls can't do maths or read maps - surely insurmountable problems when applied to the calculations in 17 dimen sions that a Time Lord must habitually make. Also, cannot afford to spend entire pre-credits sequence waiting for her to park the Tardis. 2 Not keen on whole episodes set in Ikea watching her pick out perfect window treatments for her interplanetary home. Or fretting about ageing effects of time travel. Retinol A must remain name of satellite Gallifreyan moon, not anti-wrinkle cream. 3 Doctor must be eccentric. Can women be eccentric without being covered in cat hair and/or smelling of wee? Research how. 4 Cannot afford necessary pre-launch campaign explaining to Whovians what a woman is. 5 Hierarchical problems. Doctor needs mentally and physically inferior sidekick to be afraid of Cybermen/ stretchy-faced Penelope Wilton/glowy-headed fat people. If Who is female, will need to cast six-year-old boy (or rather 800 of them, because they can't work for more than 10 minutes at a time without some bleeding-heart waving child labour legislation at us - talk to Stephen Daldry if you don't believe me) or tin of Spam. Check whether there is Spam rights group. If so, investigate availability of Jimmy Krankie. Could be years before they sort out what we can and can't do with him. Her. God, this messes with your head. 6 Metaphysical problems. Doctor is same person, regeneration provides new body only. Reincarnating as female suggests feminine aspect has existed all along. Might mark series as camp? 7 Aesthetic problems. Doctor historically not been in any danger of being mistaken for Michaelangelo's David. Tom Baker nice chap but face like a bag of pork chops and Sylvester McCoy frankly disturbing. As ugly women now shot on sight at television auditions, how to cast? Go with Claire Goose and throw acid in her face? (Call her agent.) 8 Insurmountable problem - Time Lady just sounds wrong. 9 On the other hand, we've got to find something to do with Davina McCall."

There is currently a poll running at the US TV Guide magazine site for the favorite new mid-season drama. Doctor Who currently is in second place at 22%, following "The Unit" (42%) and trailed by NBC's "Heist" at 15%, ABC's "The Evidence" at 13% and "Thief" at 6%.

There's more coverage of the press launch (with nothing new added), the TARDISODES and the "kiss" stuff from last night and today at Now Playing Mag, TV Squad, News.com.au, Evening Times, The Stage, Sky Showbiz, Digital Spy, The Register, TechDigest, SyFyPortal, Starpulse, INS News, Indian Television, Contact Music.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Peter Weaver, Scott Matthewman, Bill Albert)

The official Doctor Who website has details on the first issue of Doctor Who Adventures, the new magazine intended for younger audiences than the official magazine. "Following in the massive success of the 2005 series of Doctor Who amongst younger viewers, BBC Magazines is launching a brand new fortnightly publication aimed at 6-12 year olds. Toni Round, Publisher of BBC Youth & Children's Magazines commented: 'Doctor Who Adventures will be packed with monsters and secrets, and be full of entertainment, action and humour - the must-have magazine for young fans.' Doctor Who Adventures will include original comic strips featuring the Tenth Doctor and Rose, interviews, competitions, puzzles and behind-the-scenes photos. Each issue will also come with a free gift on the cover - Issue 1 boasts a Doctor Who stationery set. Eager young (and not-so-young) readers can get their hands on the first edition from 5 April." The site also confirms that BBC Books' Doctor Who: Aliens and Enemies, a sequel to Justin Richards' "Monsters and Villains" from last year, is now due on May 22.

The official website now has a gallery of images from the first episode, "New Earth".

This morning's news report on GMTV is available online from the GMTV website. Also, the press screening was reported on BBC Breakfast this morning as well, featuring a brief interview with David Tennant and Billie Piper, and and some short clips from the episode "New Earth".

The official site has a link to a video news report from BBC News.

Manchester Online expands on the press coverage, noting that "Billie Piper enjoyed snogging the new Doctor Who. 'I couldn't wait to kiss him,' she confesses. 'We only got three takes. That was a bit disappointing,' adds the actress, who plays Rose Tyler, alongside David Tennant as the tenth Time Lord. 'I actually got to kiss Chris Eccleston three times - or was it two? Rose is such a little minx. In with the new, out with the old. She can't get enough.' The new 13-part series, back on BBC1 this Easter, opens with Rose and the Doctor about to set off in the Tardis. She asks: 'So where are we going now?' He replies: 'Further than we've ever gone before.' ... Manchester- based writer and executive producer Russell T Davies, the man who brought Doctor Who back to the screen, confirms it involves another twist. 'They're two very sexy people,' he explains, 'but I think if they ever had a relationship it would kill the series stone dead.' David and Billie are sitting inside the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, one of the locations in the new series. They sip from champagne flutes but have to be back at work in the morning. 'We've got three days to go and an awful lot of scenes that aren't filmed yet,' says David, on what is day 175 of the exhausting shooting schedule. There's been speculation that Billie, 23, may be quitting. But, along with David, 34, she's signed up for a third series next year. Russell says he'll stay in charge for a fourth series, if it gets the go-ahead. Both actors are currently filming with Bolton comic Peter Kay, who plays evil Victor Kennedy in episode 10 - Love And Monsters. 'It's hard working with Peter because he's so funny and you just can't stop laughing during takes,' smiles Billie. 'I have to pinch myself, inflict pain, to stop myself from laughing. I can't look at him. He's hysterical.' David adds: 'And, of course, he's loving that. The more takes he can destroy the better. I think he sees it as a badge of honour. But he's utterly brilliant and one of the funniest men I've ever met. It's unlike anything you'll have seen in Doctor Who before.' Russell continues: 'We finish filming on Friday and it's like an end of term treat for David and Billie, because they're having such a laugh and it is so barmy being on set with Peter Kay. But it's not a romp - that's quite a scary episode.' ... David says it's for others to judge the differences between him and Salford actor Eccleston, who quit the role last year. Billie then turns and tells him: 'You're more emotional. I like the way you play that stuff.' While there's definite chemisty between the two stars in front of the cameras, off screen Billie is now happy in a new relationship after her amicable split from ex-husband Chris Evans. 'My life has naturally moved on. I'm taking everything in my stride.' Well, almost everything. Last year she was voted Most Popular Actress at the National TV Awards. 'I couldn't believe that. I was shaking like a leaf. I had to have a word with myself on the way to the stage, because I thought I was going to cry. I spent the whole evening in shock, chewing my nails.' Earlier this week, Doctor Who was nominated for a Bafta TV Award. But the lack of any nomination for Billie or her previous screen partner Eccleston, surprised many. She's honest enough to admit: 'I was hoping to be there and I would be lying if I said it didn't mean anything. But I'm 23 and I've got the rest of my life to do it.' Stephen Fry is among the writers already working on series three. There's no shortage of new ideas. Could the Doctor ever reincarnate as a woman? 'I'd do it. I'd have the nerve. I wouldn't blink twice. I think that would be fun,' suggests Russell. Scottish actor David may have something to say about it. Ten million people watched his debut in last year's Christmas special. He's not commenting on reports that he's dating actress Sophia Myles, who guest stars in one of the episodes. But he's having the time of his life. 'The worst bit was before we started work. It's all the hoo-ha that comes with this show. It makes it the most terrifying job in the world. 'When I finished my first day of filming, I remember going home and collapsing with the amount of nervous energy that had been building up in the months previous to getting going. I have had a ball. I might still be here in 40 years.'"

The marketing company Mad.co.uk says that "Red Bee Media has developed the campaign to promote the second series of BBC One's Doctor Who as well as the 'Tardisodes' - extra clips from the show that won't air on TV. The campaign launches this Saturday, 1 April, and will feature the Doctor inviting viewers to join him on a journey from inside the time-travelling Tardis. David Tennant, who plays the Doctor, says in the spot: 'Think you've seen it all? Think again. If you come with me, nothing will ever be the same again.' A separate trail promotes the extra clips available, or 'Tardisodes', and opens with the Tardis resting in a futuristic landscape. The door swings open, a bright light pours out and the sounds and dialogue from a Tardisode is heard. Viewers are invited to text in or visit the BBC's website to receive the weekly clips. Then the door abruptly slams shut, cutting off the noise. Kerry Moss, drama marketing manager at the BBC, said: 'Red Bee Media has created an exciting and engaging campaign that builds on the impact of the first series and Christmas Special. The campaign speaks to child and adult fans alike, promising a brand new set of adventures with the Doctor and Rose'."

The Mirror says today that it "looks like Billie Piper is basking in a golden glow of happiness with everything going her way. Although she confirmed she is quitting Dr Who, she denied plans to head for Hollywood. The 23-year-old star said when viewers see her character Rose Tyler leave the BBC1 show, she wants to try other TV roles. Looking tanned and sexy in a gold short dress, she said: 'I'm loving what's going on here. There's some great telly out at the moment. I haven't even got an LA agent. I'm happy where I am.' Another reason to be cheerful is her screen kiss with Dr Who star David Tennant who she gave a perfect '10' for technique. Billie said: 'I couldn't wait to kiss him. I did get to kiss Chris Eccleston, too. But the kisses were different, They were more intense with David. It was quite sexy.' Her love life is making her happy, too. She has been dating law student Amadu Sowe since her split from Chris Evans. Her only regret is missing out out on the Baftas. She said: 'I was hoping to be there. I'd be lying if I said it didn't mean anything.'" Interestingly the Mirror notes that Billie is leaving the show, despite yesterday's announcements that she's returning...

CBBC News now features an 'exclusive' on the Doctor Who press launch.

There's continued coverage of the press launch (with no additional information beyond what we've already posted) at the official Doctor Who website, Daily Record, ITV, ITN, CityBeat967, This Is London, Brand Republic, Monsters and Critics, Dark Horizons, In The News, PCPro, Addict3d.org, UTV, RTE, MegaStar, icLiverpool.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Matthew Godley, John Bowman, Faiz Rehman)

The BBC-imposed press embargo of midnight Wednesday night on detailed reports from the Tuesday evening Doctor Who press launch in Cardiff has passed, and already there have been a number of articles posted in advance of the deadline, reproduced below. We'll keep you posted all evening with the (expected) flood of news reports (the article's already been updated several times since its initial posting):

Piper Stays, Tennant... Maybe

The Press Association newswire has two lead articles about the press launch, the first of which notes that David Tennant "has signed up for the third series of Dr Who, it was disclosed today. Speaking about the final episode of the second series, portentously entitled Doomsday, Billie Piper, who plays the Doctor's sidekick Rose Tyler, told reporters she would be returning for series three. 'There are lots of places for Rose to go,' she said. Tennant, 34, who last year became the tenth Doctor following Christopher Eccleston's surprise departure, appeared more circumspect about his contract, saying: 'Mine's not as simple as that...' On making the show, he said: 'I have had a ball ... I might still be here in 40 years.' But a spokesman for programme makers BBC Wales later confirmed to the Press Association that Tennant was 'committed to Dr Who through 2007' for the third series."

"The stars were speaking at the launch of the second series at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, which saw a screening of the first episode called New Earth. The episode sees the Time Lord and Rose share a kiss, but the scene has a twist as Rose's body has been taken over by Lady Cassandra, a survivor of the human race who featured in the previous series. Asked if there were any nerves about the kissing scene, Piper joked that 'we did not do tongues' and said they had been eating egg and cress sandwiches. She said they only had three attempts at the scene. 'It's not the last kiss of the series,' Tennant added. Paying tribute to the script writing, he said: 'Each script that we get is more funny and wilder and more inventive than the last.' He said reading the scripts was 'never a chore' because they were all written by the 'cream' of British television writers. 'Each one's a page turner,' he said."

"Piper, 23, said the final episodes of the last series 'completely blew my mind'. She said she had been quite 'shocked' by the latest scripts, describing them as 'really dark' but 'in a good way'. Tennant described an episode of the second series, called Love and Monsters, which features comedian Peter Kay as 'unlike anything you'll have seen in Dr Who before'. The pair both paid tribute to Kay, who wrote to script writer Russell T Davies to get a part in the new series. Piper said she had to pinch herself between takes to stop laughing while Tennant said the comedian seemed to see destroying takes as 'a badge of honour'. Piper added: 'I love his 'Dalek bread' gags.' The new series also sees Rose's boyfriend Mickey Smith join the TARDIS, something which Rose is not so keen on as she likes to keep the Doctor to herself, Piper said. Talking about how he would categorise his portrayal of the Doctor, Tennant said: 'I would leave that to other people.' He said he was working with a 'blank canvas,' adding: 'You're not obliged to take on a character that already exists. It's not like James Bond or Tarzan or Sherlock Holmes.' He said every Dr Who fan he had met so far has been 'completely charming'. Piper described the new Doctor's character as 'more emotional'. Asked if he was tempted to keep his native Scottish accent for the show, Tennant said: 'Russell did not want to do a touring the regions thing,' and said he had used a similar accent to the one he used in Casanova. The pair said they had managed to have a social life while working. While Tennant has been staying in a flat in Cardiff Bay, Piper has been in a hotel, enjoying 'telly, beans on toast, the usual,' after working 12 and 13-hour days. 'My boyfriend comes down quite a lot - not as much as I'd like him to, but enough,' she said. Tennant said it was 'not a problem', being separated from his girlfriend. Asked if the pair wanted to make a bid for success in Hollywood, Piper said: 'I'm loving what's going on here at the moment', while Tennant said he had never had a 'five-year plan'. 'There's some great stuff on telly at the moment,' Piper added."

A Female Doctor? Not Ruling It Out

Also on the Press Association newswire: "Executive producer and script writer for Dr Who, Russell T Davies, said he would not rule out reincarnating the Time Lord as a woman. Mr Davies said he would 'have the nerve' to have a woman playing the role. And he said it would also be possible to have a Welsh Doctor, such as the actor Michael Sheen, whom he described as 'brilliant'. Asked if he had a 'wish list' of talent for the show, Mr Davies said: 'I would love to get a gripping American star like Sigourney Weaver. You often get an actor who says, 'I would love to be in it', and then you have to speak to the agent.' He said he initially thought a hand-written letter he received from comedian Peter Kay, begging him for a part in the show, was a 'joke'. 'It said 'Yours sincerely, Peter Kay. PS garlic bread'.' An episode of the new series has been written by Matthew Graham, co-creator of the hit BBC show Life on Mars. Stephen Fry has also been pencilled in to contribute to the third series, Mr Davies said. Speaking at the launch of the new Dr Who series at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, the script writer said there was not a deliberate attempt to put over a message, but added that swearing, violence and blood were off the agenda. 'We would never have a human shoot another human, for example,' he said, unlike in shows such as EastEnders."

"The first episode of the new series, which sees 'specially grown' plague carriers in a futuristic research laboratory, had drawn parallels with the subject of animal testing. Mr Davies said he drew his inspiration from newspapers, grabbing what is happening now and placing it in a science fiction setting. 'Dr Who has always tapped into classic British horror,' he added. He said he liked to keep the relationship between the Doctor and his sidekick Rose 'on its toes' and said they were 'best friends'. A kiss between the pair in the fist episode of the new series is 'a bit of a gag' and there is another kiss with a twist in the fourth episode, he said. Mr Davies said there was a 'natural chemistry' between David Tennant and Billie Piper, but if the characters they play ever consummated their relationship: 'I think that would kill it dead.'"

BBC News also reports on this item, along with The Sun (although mistakenly attributing the "40 years" comment to Piper), CBBC News, The Guardian, two articles at icWales here and here, plus The Scotsman, The Telegraph, Times Online, WaveGuide, and in the Daily Mail with a small picture gallery.

BBC Wiltshire Interviews

BBC Wiltshire has extensive coverage of the launch, featuring interviews with cast and crew. "Journalists from all over the country joined the cast and crew of Doctor Who at The Millenium Centre on Cardiff Bay for a screening of the first episode in the new series entitled 'New Earth'. Particularly apt as filming for the episode actually took place in the foyer of the building! 'New Earth' is a typically frothy, lightning-paced tale from the pen of series head writer Russell T Davies. ... Then came a jaw-dropping three-minute reel of clips showcasing the rest of the series. The highlights included squid-like aliens The Ood, shiny, unison-marching Cybermen, huge airships hovering above London, an astonishing CGI werewolf and Rose and returning classic series companion Sarah-Jane Smith engaged in an amusingly bitchy stand-off."

BBC Wiltshire also has a Q&A; posted with David Tennant and Billie Piper. Says Tennant, "The worst bit of that was before we started, all the hoo-ha that comes with this show. The fact that everyone is so fascinated by it. Obviously that partly makes it the most wonderful job in the world but it also makes it the most terrifying job in the world. When I finished my first day of filming I remember going home to collapse because of the amount of nervous energy that had been building up in the months previous to getting going. I suppose it could have been awful but I've been so welcomed by this extraordinary crew. ... I think the scripts have moved on, it's a natural progression. The scripts were so brilliant last year and I didn't think we could top them. The last two episodes last year just blew my mind and I didn't see how we were going to do that again. But the genius that is Russell T Davies came up trumps as ever and has produced some amazing work. But yeah, they are scary and there's so much going on this year. Truly quite terrifying." Says Piper, "There's loads of places for Rose to go, she’s only 20! She’s got some time in her yet. ... We're not talking about that [the fate of the Doctor and Rose at the end of the season], it’s worth waiting for, so just be patient! It’s a real cliffhanger. These scripts are so special and unique."

The report features interviews with stars Noel Clarke and Camille Coduri as well as writers Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat and Matthew Graham, all of which can be listened to via their website (they're in RealPlayer format and need that plug-in). Also part of the BBC Wiltshire article is a brief paragraph with spoilers, which we've moved down into the spoiler section below (click on the spoiler tag at the bottom of this article to read it).

First Episode Review

One reporter who attended the screening, Caleb Woodbridge, who writes for the Cardiff student paper Gair Rhydd, noted in a blog post this evening that "One sign of Doctor Who's success was that the launch for series two wasn't just ten journalists and a sausage roll. No, a whole crowd of reporters and journalists turned up, eager to cover the event. There's plenty I could say about the press launch, but I'll cut to the chase: is the second series as good? ... Russell T Davies once again captures the sheer joy of the Doctor's travels. From the opening moments, it's clear that the Doctor and Rose love travelling the universe and also each other. Just platonically? Well, the more squeamish fans can keep telling themselves that, but decide for yourself! There is plenty of humour, even outright comedy. While some of the humour in the last series was at times a bit forced - farting aliens and the like - here the laughs emerge from the characters of the Doctor and Rose. The season opener leaves us assured that these are the Doctor and companion we know and love from last year. But a dark secret lies at the heart of events, one that raises complex moral questions, and some of the themes echo last season's The End of the World. But the story doesn't bog itself down in philosophising - once the dastardly goings-on are revealed, we move into a good solid base-under-seige plot. The tale has some genuinely disturbing monsters that will hopefully end up being much imitated in the playground come Monday lunchtime. There are also some not-too-subtle hints to the future. One particular subplot ends with a scene that is basically a great big raspberry to the audience saying 'Hah hah! You'll have to keep on watching - and you can start speculating now!' David Tennant's Tenth Doctor also shows himself to be something more of an action man than his predecessor, and when he gets angry at the things he discovers, he boils with righteous indignation. From this episode, he looks set to be something more of an action man than his predecessor, flinging himself into the action of the episode. The episode isn't without its flaws - various plot points go unexplained or underdeveloped, and we only see a very limited corner of New Earth, though this leaves plenty of scope for return visits. Most of the effects are worthy of the big screen, but a few don't quite live up to the same standard In turns hilarious, creepy and strangely moving, a solidly entertaining start to the Doctor's adventures. And just wait until you see the trailer for Tooth and Claw!"

Trailers Set for Saturday

Outpost Gallifrey has learned that a new trailer for the forthcoming second series is set to debut this Saturday, April 1, at some time in the early evening on BBC1.

Broadcast Alert: GMTV Thursday Morning

GMTV, we have also learned, will feature a segment on tomorrow morning's program that was shot at the Cardiff Exhibition. Viewers should tune into GMTV on Thursday morning to watch the Doctor Who segment. David Tennant and Billie Piper, meanwhile, will appear on the Friday morning edition of GMTV in a live interview segment. There is currently no word on the timing of either of these two Doctor Who appearances on the morning program.

BBC Wales Today Update

Yesterday evening's BBC Wales Today report from the press launch is now available on the BBC News Media Player, where it can be seen in Windows Media as well as Real Player and in a larger size and better quality than the Wales Today Real file; it's located here, although the link might not work for some (pending a proper link on the BBC News site, the easiest way to access it is to open the News Player and search for 'David Tennant' or 'Billie Piper'.)

More Coverage

Today's Independent says that "the writers of BBC's hit revival of sci-fi classic Doctor Who plan to mix current affairs and television nostalgia with plotlines inspired by subjects ranging from the MRSA epidemic to Hammer Horror films. The second series of Doctor Who, starting on BBC1 on Easter Saturday, takes the time lord to places he has never been. For the first time, the Doctor, played by David Tennant, falls in love and ponders God's existence. In a further break from tradition, the chief scriptwriter Russell T Davies said he 'wouldn't think twice' about casting a woman in the lead role when the Doctor next regenerates, adding that he would love Sigourney Weaver, star of the Alien film trilogy, to appear. ... Piper refused to comment on speculation she is planning to leave the show. But insiders said she was likely to leave early in the third series. She was upset not to have been nominated for a Bafta. 'I was hoping to be there... because I love the Baftas. I would be lying if I said it didn't mean anything... but I'm 23 and I've got the rest of my life to do it,' she said."

Outpost Gallifrey will keep you up to date on further news reports that come down the wire following the end of the press embargo on the launch. (Photos in this article used in the press are copyrighted to the BBC.)

Russell T Davies has given some details of the writers for Series One of Torchwood, the Doctor Who spin-off, in the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine. Episode 1 is by Davies and is called Flotsam and Jetsam; Davies will also write one other script. Episode 2 and at least three more scripts are by Chris Chibnall. Doctor Who script editor Helen Raynor is writing a script which Davies describes as "one of the best I've ever read - it's gone straight into the shooting schedule!" Actor Noel Clarke, who plays Mickey Smith in the Doctor Who series and who also penned the recent groundbreaking UK film "Kidulthood", is confirmed as writing one script for the first season of Torchwood, as is Toby Whithouse, writer of 'School Reunion' for the main series. Already announced, PJ Hammond has delivered the second draft of his script, while Si Spencer has been commissioned for one episode. The first block of episodes, which starts filming in May, will be directed by Brian Kelly. Davies reveals that there are several "over-commission" scripts, which are "not necessarily part" of the first 13 episodes but are a way "of trying a new writer or an experimental idea" - in fact, Helen Raynor's script was initially one of these. And producer Richard Stokes is also interviewed by DWM, and says that "if all goes to plan and the audience enjoy it," there will be more than one series.

Alert: BBC Wales Today will cover the press launch this evening at 6.30pm UK time; those who receive the broadcast can tune in for a special preview tying into the press launch.

Meanwhile, coverage of Tuesday's press event has been sporadic due to the press embargo in effect until late tonight (after which we expect a flood of press coverage, which of course Outpost Gallifrey will report to you). Here's a small sample of what's been issued so far:

Today's edition of The Sun has a brief picture story on last night's press launch of the new series. Headlined "It's Doctor Who And The Bra-Dis", the half-page piece has a main picture of David Tennant and Billie Piper and draws attention to the fact that Piper is wearing a see-through top as she "cosies up to" Tennant. It says Tennant "who has taken over from Christopher Ecclestone [sic] as the Doctor . . . has already appeared as the Timelord in a Christmas special" and adds that "Camille Coduri, who plays (Piper's) screen mum Jackie Tyler and Noele [sic] Clarke - boyfriend Mickey Smith - also attended the Cardiff screening." Coduri and Clarke are also pictured. Both pictures are in mono in the newspaper, but the web piece has them in colour.

Coverage, concentrating on David Tennant and Billie Piper arriving at the launch, continues in the UK press with an article in the Daily Star [not yet online] and at U.TV, as well as a piece in the Daily Express noting Maureen Lipman's guest appearance in the series.

Evening Times notes that ""fans today get a sneak preview of amazing scenes from the first episode of the eagerly-awaited new series. The hit TV show - the first full series starring Scots actor David Tennant as the Doctor - will return on BBC1 in the spring. In the opening episode, the Tardis lands in the distant future of New Earth. ... Later in the series, fans will see Phoenix Nights star Peter Kay joining the Tardis. Kay will play "cold and powerful" character Victor Kennedy in episode 10. He landed the role after sending a fan letter to writer Russell T Davies saying how much he loved the first series. However, Kay will be swapping his trademark gags for serious acting. Other guest stars who have signed up to appear in the new series include Maureen Lipman, Pauline Collins and EastEnders actress Tracy-Ann Oberman."

Hello Magazine says that "Billie Piper is fond of describing herself as 'low-maintenance', but at the press launch for Dr Who's second season the actress was looking decidedly sexy in a combo of a sheer taupe-coloured top and white trousers. Her co-star, gorgeous Scottish actor David Tennant, had likewise gone for casual chic in a trendy jacket and jeans. The pair regularly stop traffic in Cardiff where most of the series is filmed. Just last month, for an episode set in the 1950s, diversions were placed in streets near the shoot so modern cars weren't caught on camera. Billie also surprised locals by dressing up in a puffball skirt, zip-up jacket and headband, looking for all the world like an extra out of Grease. Meanwhile, David was sporting sideburns and a Teddy-Boy quiff, which were still in evidence at this week's screening. The second series got a boost when acting veterans Pauline Collins and Maureen Lipman announced they're joining the show's line-up, along with comedian Peter Kay and Tracy-Ann Oberman, last seen doing time for the murder of Dirty Den in EastEnders. Pauline portrays Queen Victoria, while Maureen battles the Time Lord as an invading alien who occupies TV sets. The comedienne was thrilled with her role. 'I had to respond to commands such as: 'OK Maureen, now could you give us 15 seconds of having every last drop of energy sucked out of you?',' she enthused. 'It was great! This will earn me my entire year's worth of street cred!'"

Also, BlogCritics discusses the April 15 announcement. "After the long wait between episodes, the question still needs to be asked: Can David Tennant's Doctor take center stage? In the very first season in 1963, The Doctor (then played by William Hartnell) was more of a background character whose companions were at the forefront of the action while the Doctor figured a way out of the situation given in an episode. Later on, the producers of the series found a way to manage the characters so that both would be allowed ample screen time. Series 1 felt more like a return to those early years, which is fine, but not for every episode. When Tennant took over the role from Christopher Eccelston (who did the Doctor for Series 1) in 'The Parting Of The Ways,' it finally seemed like an actor had stepped in with enthusiasm and interest in the character. As luck would have it, we got our chance a few months before Christmas with the mini-segment 'Children-In-Need' special. Now with this excitement and joy with a new Doctor at hand, we had to deal with whether the result was worth it. For the CID special, I didn't feel it. ... With that out of the way, and April 15th approaching, I can only hope that the show returns to it's full glory and allows it's main hero to take center stage."

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, John Bowman, Paul Engelberg)

The latest installment of This Week in Doctor Who, the weekly guide to Doctor Who on television in the UK, North America and elsewhere, for March 29, 2006 has now been posted. Click here to read it.

Outpost Gallifrey has been informed that, as we first reported some time ago, the press launch for series two has indeed gone ahead tonight with a screening of "New Earth," the first new episode due on 15 April. As noted in the MediaGuardian report (see the "Series Two" section of today's TARDIS Report column), there is a press embargo until tomorrow night on any reports coming out of the event, but we hope to keep you updated on what we find out... so far, in attendance (according to Outpost reader reports) we can confirm have been David Tennant, Billie Piper, Noel Clarke, Camille Coduri, director Graeme Harper, writers Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat and Paul Cornell, actors Nick Briggs and Annette Badland, Mike Tucker of the effects team, producers Phil Collinson and Julie Gardner, among others. More soon.

Doctor Who on the Sci Fi Channel delivered a 1.27 rating with an audience of 1.55 million viewers for The Unquiet Dead last Friday on its first-run in America. Compared to last week's episodes, the latest episode was up 13% with men ages 18-49 -- a key demographic of importance to the channel -- and up 12% with total viewers ages 18-49, but was down approximately 20% on its household rating (the actual ratings number reported). Sci Fi was expected to lose some viewership after its original opening night broadcast and future weeks will determine if the ratings numbers have stabilized.

Three set reports from the past week's filming (most of it last Wednesday and Thursday) in Wales, courtesy readers Emma Sandrey, Paul Mount and Timothy Farr; click on the spoiler tag to reveal the text.

Catching up with the past six days' worth of news while your editor has been away from his desk:

Series Two

'Doctor Who - The countdown starts here!' says the cover of the new edition of Radio Times (1-7 April), heralding the return of the magazine's regular 'Doctor Who Watch' feature. This week, it's a full-page article, 'It's not long now...', illustrated with a full-length shot of David Tennant. The feature comprises an interview with Phil Collinson, with the series producer discussing what the production team has learnt from Series One: 'Loads [...] we're much better at anticipating what problems are going to come up, and how elaborate a shoot actually is. So we're able to plan ahead more. And we've got the added bonus of a new Doctor [...] But really, it's business as usual for us.' Collinson also comments on alien planets and how to realise them: 'we're going to go to two alien planets [...] 'New Earth' is set on an alien planet, which has an Earth colony so we can always refer it back to Earth [...] And then further down the series we have two episodes that are set on a very, very distant planet that's very, very different. [...] There will be a big green-screen element, so we can change the colour of the place and paint unusual things into the skies [...] And just by bringing in physical effects - wind and rain - we can make it a much more exciting environment.' Radio Times also promises future features on the Cybermen, Sarah Jane Smith, K9, 'Catnuns... and much more!' And the listings confirm BBC Four's double bills of 'The Green Death' from Monday 3 April, with a rerun of Series One beginning on BBC Three weekdays from Thursday 6 April.

TV presenter Alistair Appleton is the latest name to be associated with the new series; according to Appleton's website, "In quite the most exciting TV job he's ever done, Alistair is set to appear in the penultimate episode of DR WHO this summer! Playing himself he comes to a messy end at the hands of a classic TV baddy."

British musician Kurgan Merrick will record a new version of the series soundtrack according to a report this weekend in The Mirror. "Our Tardistastic insider reveals: 'It will be darker than ever before - in fact it's menacing and quite scary. 'The new theme tune is a lot slower than the one currently used. It sounds a bit like a distorted choir.'"

The Watford Observer has spoken to two schoolchildren who are taking part in CBBC's forthcoming Totally Doctor Who. 'Tom and Tony, who both go to Sir William Ramsay School, Rose Avenue, Hazlemere, are so crazy about the scarf-wearing Timelord that they shoot their own Dr Who-style films on a video recorder, taking on the roles of the aliens the doctor encouters.' Tom was chosen, says the paper, after the BBC read about the full-scale TARDIS his parents gave him for Christmas, and the pair have been filmed making their Who-inspired home videos.

The Daily Star says that "Doctor Who star Noel Clarke is set to enjoy a kinky threesome on the show - with Billie Piper and her TV mum. The hunky actor, who plays Rose's boyfriend Mickey Smith, says his character has been 'sexed up' for the new series, which starts next month. And he reveals that Mickey harbours a secret fantasy to bed both Rose, played by 23-year-old Billie, and her telly mum Jackie - actress Camille Coduri, 40. Noel, 30, said: 'Mickey gets very sexy in this new series. He's a completely different person from the lad stuck in a wheelie bin in Episode One of the first series. And he and Rose's mum Jackie certainly get on. They didn't interact much at the start - but that has changed now. He even tells Rose, 'I go round your mum's every Sunday now . . . she cooks my dinner . . . talks about you non-stop'. You know, I think he's secretly giving her one. It's his plan. It's like a fantasy thing - having a mother and daughter at the same time. 'He's working up to it slowly.' Noel is also excited about becoming the Doctor's new travelling companion, joining the Time Lord (David Tennant, 34) and Rose on some of their intergalactic adventures. He tells the new Doctor Who Magazine: 'When the show's writer Russell T. Davies told me what he wanted to do with my character, I was like, 'Hell, yeah! I'm not going to miss this for the world'. 'Russell is a genius and I think fans are really going to like this new series.'"

The Sun today has a two-par piece on the new series, saying the first episode is set on an alien planet, with the Doctor and Rose visiting a colony of Earth to find a 'plague farm', evil cat people and former adversary Cassandra (Zoe Wanamaker). It adds that the show returns next month and mentions the series launch is tonight 'so expect some gossip'.

Today's Media Guardian has some interesting notes about tonight's press launch: "Seeing as it is their job to promote a programme about time travel, perhaps the BBC's Doctor Who PR team could learn how to tell the time. A press invite to tonight's launch in Cardiff includes an embargo until '00hrs 29th March'. In other words, midnight tonight. 'Oh no,' says a spokeswoman. 'The embargo is midnight on Thursday.' Ah, but wouldn't that be 00hrs 30th March? 'No, it's 00hrs 29th/30th March'. Which of course, isn't a time at all. Hacks travelling to Cardiff expecting to see their stories in print, or online, tomorrow should perhaps give the press office a call. Now, after Monkey, when the big hand points to the 12..."

The official BBC Doctor Who website has changed and now has a picture of the Doctor and Rose together with a sample of one of Murray Gold's recurring melodies from the last series.

Broadcasting

According to some TV listings services, BBC Three will be rerunning the whole of Series One in six and a half double bills from 7pm on weekday evenings. The repeats begin on Thursday 6 April with 'Rose' and 'The End of the World' and are scheduled to finish with 'The Parting of the Ways' on Friday 14 April. In addition to this, Sunday 9 April will see a three-hour Doctor Who Night from 7pm to 10pm. Although its content is unconfirmed, the limited information available includes credits for David Tennant, Billie Piper, Noel Clarke, Camille Coduri and Penelope Wilton, so it's likely that 'The Christmas Invasion' will form part of the theme night's programmes.

David Tennant and Billie Piper will appear on ITV1's GMTV on Friday 31 March (between 8.30am and 9.25am) - 'Exclusive interviews with dashing David Tennant and sidekick Billie Piper', according to the GMTV website.

Russian TV station STS TV has bought Series 1 (and apparently Series 2) of the new Doctor Who, according to "This Week in Doctor Who". Series 1 will air weekday afternoons at
4:30PM starting this Monday, 27 March.

BBC Experience This Weekend

The BBC Experience 2006 will feature an exhibition of Doctor Who items including Daleks, Cybermen, K9 and the TARDIS, etc., this weekend at Gloucester's GL1 Leisure Centre on Sunday, accoridng to the BBC Gloucester website. Meanwhile, Newsquest Media Group reports that "Doctor Who's dreaded enemies the Daleks descended on Cirencester" on Saturday, and "Sci-Fi fans were treated to the spectacle as the telly stars promoted their appearance at the forthcoming BBC Experience 2006. Event producer, BBC Radio Gloucestershire's Vernon Harwood, said: 'Since the return of Dr Who to our screens, The Daleks and Cybermen are in great demand throughout the galaxy but Sci-Fi fans were pleased to see they gave the Doctor the slip to appear in Cirencester.' The BBC Experience 2006 gives people a chance to look behind the scenes of their favourite BBC TV and radio shows."

People

March 21's Daily Record says that David Tennant "has no plans to pen his autobiography. An ever-modest David said: 'Never say never, but I don't think that I have a particularly interesting life. 'I think people would be very bored of me. Maybe when I'm 75. I don't really know. Ask me again then.' David has also admitted that his parents tried to put him off acting when he was younger. He said: 'They were always suggesting other careers for me to do. They tried to put me off acting. It's understandable though, because acting is a foolhardy career. They are very supportive of me now though.'" Also, according to this week's Star magazine (3 April, page 89): "Doctor Who star David Tennant gets creative in the kitchen for BBC2's Ready Steady Cook on 12 April. He said of the experience: "It was the tardis dish I've ever cooked in my life". Boom, boom... "

The Harrods department store is using Billie Piper in their latest poster ads, which can be seen on the London Underground. They've asked a range of celebrities what's the one thing they would most like from the shop; says Piper, "Two scoops of chocolate, a scoop of vanilla, loads of whipped cream, hot chocolate sauce and chocolate sprinkles. Does that count as one thing? Ice cream is my thing. Can't help it. Making up my own flavours would be great. You have personal shoppers, don't you, could they sort it out? Maybe jammy dodger flavour ...why are you looking at me like that?"

The Western Mail features an article about the BBC Wales series "Belonging" which stars Eve Myles: "Eve Myles is no stranger to juicy roles after lengthy stints with the RSC and National Theatre as well as appearances in TV dramas such as Doctor Who and soon as a lead character in its sister show aimed at adults, Torchwood. She describes her role as Ceri as 'a diamond job.' ... The read through is a day when cast and crew gather to run through scripts. It usually happens in a nondescript meeting room at BBC Wales' Llandaff headquarters, and it's a chance for the gang to reunite and catch up on news. But it's also a pressurised process, according to Eve Myles. 'I'm terrified at the read through,' she says. 'You go in and it's so exciting to see everybody. You're sitting with 20 or 25 people including the whole cast, make-up, costume, crew, producer. There's a lot of pressure on you as an actor to make it work, because if you don't make it work it will get changed. It's probably the ugliest part of the production - it's not like we've got anything to prove to each other, but it's still a really nerve-wracking experience

Jean Marsh ("The Daleks' Master Plan," "Battlefield") and Simon Williams ("Remembrance of the Daleks") are currently starring on stage in the west end with Alan Bennett's "The Old Country". Also, Martin Jarvis ("Vengeance on Varos") is currently on stage with Diana Rigg in "Honour" for an limited run.

Michael John Attwell died on 18 March according to an obituary in the Independent: "He also took two roles, 18 years apart, in Doctor Who, as Isbur, one of the alien race from Mars, in 'The Ice Warriors' story (1967), and Bates, one of the Cybermen's slaves on their home planet of Telos, in 'Attack of the Cybermen' (1985)."

Bruno Langley is mentioned on Yahoo News (with a brief reference to Doctor Who) regarding his tour with A Taste of Honey.

Publishing

A postscript to last autumn's regular news of the sales and chart success of Panini's Doctor Who Annual 2006. Last week's trade magazine The Bookseller published its chart of Top 20 Children's Hardbacks (52 weeks ending 31 December 2005), and the annual is placed at no. 14, with total sales of 82,040, a level of sales similar to those for a number of Lemony Snicket titles and perennial kids' favourite The Very Hungry Caterpillar (the runaway no. 1 was, of course, the latest Harry Potter novel, with almost 3 million sales - nothing else is in that league).

The controversy caused by the recent promotion of The Science of Doctor Who by Paul Parsons in BBC Focus magazine (OG news, 21 March) is covered by BBC News in an article entitled 'Doctor Who book furore rumbles on'. According to the report, the BBC has now stated that the matter is 'being reviewed as a matter of urgency', because magazine editor Parsons may have broken BBC editorial guidelines in promoting his own book. "A BBC spokeswoman said that with the new TV series of 'Doctor Who' to be broadcast next month, the April issue of Focus has 'The Science of Doctor Who' as a feature with an angle suitable to the magazine's popular science and technology content. 'Given that Paul is a Doctor Who expert, it was only natural that he write this article. 'The Science of Doctor Who' is offered as a gift to new subscribers in the April issue on the subscriptions page and in the editor's letter,' she said." Also reported at Brand Republic.

Meanwhile, today's Daily Telegraph today has a lengthy article by Parsons looking at the 'real science' behind the TV series. "Is there any real science in the TV series? Paul Parsons examines what's possible. So, beware that your garden doesn't rise up and bite you... To fans of Doctor Who, which returns to BBC1 next month, the good doctor couldn't possibly exist without his Tardis. After all, time travel makes the programme tick. But isn't Doctor Who stretching reality a bit too far? What about all those futuristic baddies and technology? A close parallel between real science and fiction has remained with the programme for more than 40 years - ever since the first episode went out on November 23, 1963, the day after President John F Kennedy was shot. The doctor has fought genetically modified Daleks; encountered nanorobots that can heal your every ill; owned a robot dog (20 years before Sony); and explored a virtual-reality world called the Matrix back when Keanu Reeves was knee-high to a memory card. The new series, with Scottish actor David Tennant playing the eponymous Time Lord's 10th incarnation, sees the return of his old adversaries the Cybermen. These hybrids of man and machine were created in 1966 by the show's then science adviser, Dr Kit Pedler of University College London. Fascinated by new developments in transplant surgery, Pedler imagined the Cybermen as a race that had given themselves so many cybernetic implants that little of their original bodies remained. So what about the science in the show - time travel, sonic screwdrivers, cosmic empires? And what is the big deal about hiding behind the sofa…?" Read the full article at the site.

In America

TV Guide magazine reviewed "The Unquiet Dead": "Having gone into the future, our Geordie-or-somwhere-else-in-Northern-England-voiced doctor boogied into the past with Rose. Incidentally, I thank the folks who pointed out that the doctor does not have a Cockney. As John Lennon sang, I should've known better. My only defense is that my computer was giving me fits, causing my brain cells to click together like one of those swinging marble novelty items that sits on the desks of bored executives. (As much as I like the attention, please don't inundate me with pedantic e-mails about the history of swinging marble thingies.) The TARDIS was playing games of her own. Instead of going to 1860 Naples, like the doctor programmed her to, it deposited the Time Lord and Rose in 1869 Cardiff. Notice how the doctor made Rose change her clothes ('You'll start a riot, Barbarella!') without bothering to change his own? Apparently, leather jackets and T-shirts don't raise eyebrows among the 19th-century Welsh. I loved how Rose tentatively placed a footprint in the snow as if she was leaving her own imprint on the past. A lovely touch. I wonder if the TARDIS is drawn to trouble because it dispatched the pair just as corpses began roving about the streets of Cardiff. Merry Christmas, everybody. The mystery involved a seemingly haunted undertaker and a very Scrooge-ish Charles Dickens, who was flabbergasted by the starstruck doctor ('I'm your No. 1 fan!'). Christopher Eccleston has a knack for overplaying a scene without overstaying his welcome ­ the awful pun ('I love a happy medium') came with a delightful knowing wink. Billie Piper plays the straight woman, but Rose is so well developed that Piper turns even the most obvious scenes (e.g., talking with Gwyneth about a lad's 'bum') into little gems. Most importantly, the producers (Russell Davies I'm sure made this a priority) have done a terrific job maintaining the doctor's balance of genius and humility. He makes mistakes and people don't always walk away. The doctor wanted to let the gaseous creatures keep the corpses ('It's like recycling') until they could build their own bodies, but he was duped and Gwyneth died. 'There are more things dreamt of in Heaven and Earth than we will ever know,' Dickens reminds him. 'Even you, Doctor.' The coda was perfect ­ Dickens runs through the streets shouting yuletide greetings. But what else can we expect from the new Who, a mind-bending adventure with a heart amidst the delicious rapid-fire dialogue. This is as good as sci-fi -- and Sci Fi -- gets."

Another article on the US broadcast of the new series - and the DVD releases of the original - at Now Playing Mag: "Now that Britain's beloved Doctor Who has found a home on an actual American TV network (albeit a basic cable net), it seems that the treasured titular time traveler may finally have a chance to break out in the U.S. as a full-fledged icon and escape the dubious trappings of convention halls and late-night, sweaty chat-room sessions. Now Playing recently spoke with some of the folks at the BBC who are orchestrating the Doctor's American invasion on the Sci Fi Channel and on DVD, and we discussed the future of the character - and his past, as well, of course. 'Securing a TV platform for Doctor Who [in America] is great news as the exposure from the TV broadcast, combined with joint BBC Video/Sci Fi marketing initiatives, will ensure maximum exposure for both the TV broadcast and the DVD release,' says Burton Cromer of BBC Worldwide Americas. 'It will also enhance the popularity of the show, as it will introduce Doctor Who to a whole new generation of fans.' The deal with the Sci Fi Channel was only just announced in January, but it quickly led to a rescheduling of the DVD release of the first series (or season, for us Americans) of the new Who. Originally planned for February, the series one box set is now slated for a July bow in the States. 'Doctor Who: The Complete Series One will be released on July 4th, directly following the airing of the final episode on the Sci Fi Channel,' says BBC Video's Laura Palmer. 'This very special collection has over four hours of DVD extras.' In the meantime, those looking to catch up on old school Who will have the continued DVD releases of the earlier episodes of the show to rely on. While the current incarnation starring Christopher Eccleston is being referred to as 'series one,' in fact the show dates back to 1963. The new BBC Video release Doctor Who: The Beginning is a great way to dive into the past of the Time Lord known as the Doctor, and even though this collection represents the earliest adventures of the character, it's taken quite some time to get the episodes out on DVD. '[That's] really for a couple of reasons,' explains Steve Roberts of the Doctor Who DVD restoration team. 'The DVD releases worldwide are driven from the U.K. release schedule, and these three stories were only released in the U.K. on VHS about five years ago. As we're selling mostly to fans who will have bought these VHSs anyway, we're making a conscious decision to leave a gap. Secondly, with the recent transmission and release of the new series bringing a whole lot of new fans to the show, it felt like the right time to show them how it all began.' Roberts adds that despite the episodes on The Beginning being some 43 years old, there weren't really any huge technical hurdles when it came to bringing them to DVD. 'The original 16mm kinescope camera negatives made for overseas sales still exist. We've had a lot more problems on some of the newer stories, to be honest!' he says, while adding that extra features haven't been a problem for the older releases either, despite their age. 'Actually, a surprising number of the cast and major production personnel from the very beginning are still very much alive and kicking - and in some cases still working in film and TV! One reason for this was that the original production team and cast were generally in their twenties, with the exception of [original Who actor] William Hartnell, so they're now only in their sixties or seventies. We basically have to take each show [one] at a time and look at the possibilities. In most cases there are enough people still around to make a specially-shot feature a possibility, but if not we can fall back on video of convention appearances, material from television archives, etc.' Alas, don't expect DVD releases of full seasons of the show to become a regular thing, despite the series one set. BBC prefers to release the Doctor's older adventures in more of a 'greatest hits' sort of fashion. 'It looks like we will be doing an arc box set every year though, along the lines of those arcs we released on VHS,' says Roberts. 'Our main aim is to try to present a good mix of stories from throughout the show's history, mixing both the ‘classics' and the less well known stories to try to keep fans happy while giving them a chance to experience these less well known titles earlier than we did for VHS. … I realize that this is contrary to the current practice of complete, extras-light season box sets of other TV series, but Doctor Who is such a unique series that BBC Video believes that each story deserves the space to tell its own tale.' Bottom line: The BBC has high hopes for Who's American coming out party. 'The new series will introduce a whole new fan base to the elements in Doctor Who which carry over from series to series - the quirky attitude, the imaginative monsters, the entertaining variety of experience that time/space travel affords,' says Palmer. 'And [we hope] that the new fans will seek that experience with other Doctors.'"

A note to US viewers: The documentary 'Over the Edge' that is on the third disc of the new DVD release The Beginning contains rather large spoiler clips for both 'Boom Town' and 'The Parting of the Ways'. Any new US viewers who are watching the show on Sci Fi for the first time should avoid watching this documentary until they've seen the complete first season.

Miscellaneous

Doctor Who is up for two Spacey Awards, viewer-given awards from the Canadian SPACE network which has shown the classic series; the website is here. Doctor Who is up for the "Favourite TV Show" award while Rose Tyler is nominated for "Favourite New TV Character".

The 1976 Splink road safety film featuring Jon Pertwee has been voted 15th favourite public information short in an online poll at the BBC News Magazine website. The film was among 22 featured on the site last month to mark the 60th anniversary of the UK's Central Office of Information. The full story and list of votes can be found at BBC News. Nearly 25,000 people voted in the poll. The piece adds: 'The National Archives has launched a new website to mark the anniversary, which makes many public information films available, including all those featured in our festival and 67 others . . . Films can be viewed online or downloaded to devices such as video iPods or PSPs.'

Last week's edition of the free UK newspaper Metro featured a "60 Second Interview" with cryptozoologist Richard Freeman and how he got into his career path: "In two words - Doctor Who. I grew up when Jon Pertwee was in the lead role in the 1970s. He was incarcerated on Earth, so the monsters always seemed more scary. I was already interested in animals and that got me interested in reading about monstrous creatures.'"

The Dalek cakes that have been widely reported are available in Sainsbury's and soon will be available in Tesco and Asda, according to the manufacturers. "Our aspirations are to produce this cake for as long as the BBC enjoys its success with the series of Doctor Who and will be linking with all the key features for this brand."

The Milton Keynes Citizen reports that a local man "hopes to exterminate the competition in the London marathon...by running as a Dalek! Bob Johnson, of Keynes Close, Newport Pagnell, is piecing together the full-size legendary Dr Who robot in time to battle his way through the crowds in the April 23 event. But despite his evil exterior, Bob assured the Citizen it will all be for a good cause. Bob said: 'I'll look like an idiot, I know, but I'm hoping to raise over 5,000 for Willen Hospice so it's well worth it!' The computer simulation and engineering expert is a regular participant in the marathon, but never has he undertaken the race carrying such a gruelling load. Bob said: 'I've certainly bitten off more than I can chew this time! It's been a nightmare putting the metal parts together but there are a number of small problems still to contend with. One is running 26.2 miles in the first place, another is running it in an outfit weighing 30lbs and finally, I'll be trying not to fall over in the crowds!' "

The Daily Record on March 23 noted that Doctor Who made the top 20 in a survey of 8-12 year olds by a soft drink firm on their 'all time top heroes'.

Also: the Mirror covers the BAFTA award nominations.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Chuck Foster, John Bowman, Peter Weaver, Dion Page, Graham Kibble-White, Benjamin Elliott, Bill Albert, Neil Marsh, Craig Brierley, Matthew Godley, and Adi Himpson)

Issue 17 (or, rather "Course 17") of the fanzine Shockeye's Kitchen is now available for download at their website. Says the details, "Ahead of the premiere of Series Two, the new issue celebrates (and occasionally mourns) the changing landscape of Doctor Who. Will 2006 be better than 2005? Can Big Finish survive in this brave new world? And, most importantly, is Doctor Who now cool?" (Thanks to Simon Kinnear)

In addition to Doctor Who's nomination in the Pioneer Audience Award for Best Programme (reported by OG on 13 March), Series One has been shortlisted for Best Drama Series in 2005's prestigious television awards by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). Also nominated in this category are Bodies (BBC Two), Shameless (Channel 4) and Spooks (BBC One); the results will be revealed in a televised ceremony on Sunday 7 May. The full list of nominations can be seen at the BAFTA website, and the nomination has been reported by the BBC Doctor Who website, BBC News and Media Guardian Media Guardian.

Doctor Who has been nominated for three prestigious Hugo Awards this year, according to an announcement made yesterday by the award's administrators and the 64th World Science Fiction Convention, L.A. Con IV. Taking three of seven slots in the "Best Dramatic Presentation: Short Form" category are the Doctor Who episodes Dalek written by Robert Shearman, Father's Day written by Paul Cornell, and The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, written by Steven Moffat. The three are running against an episode of the new "Battlestar Galactica" series, the Pixar animated short "Jack Jack Attack," and two live events, the stage play "Lucas Back in Anger" and the "Prix Victor Hugo Awards Ceremony," both performed at last year's World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, Scotland. (The latter was written by writers Paul McAuley and Kim Newman, both of whom have, coincidentally, written for Telos Publishing's Doctor Who novella range). The "Short Form" category was created out of the "Best Dramatic Presentation" category in 2003 to distinguish between films and television episodes, and describes a presentation lasting ninety minutes or less. The Hugo Awards, named for science fiction pioneer Hugo Gernsback, are the science fiction community's most prestigious awards, given out each year since the early 1950's; they will be presented at the Worldcon convention taking place this year in in Anaheim, California on August 26, with several of the writers expected to be in attendance.

According to information from the programming department of the Sci-Fi Channel, Doctor Who did well its first night in broadcast. 1.58 million viewers tuned in to watch "Rose," says the report, with 1.61 million viewers watching "The End of the World" and .78 million viewers each watching "Rose" and "The End of the World" in their 11pm and 12am repeat slots. These numbers are somewhat lower than the standard viewing the channel received for its broadcasts of its original series "Stargate: Atlantis" and "Battlestar Galactica" in the same time slots, but higher than any broadcast of syndicated series that evening (including repeats of "Firefly" and "John Doe"). Final numbers including Nielsen rankings should be available within the next week or two. (Thanks to Joey Reynolds)

The latest installment of This Week in Doctor Who, the weekly guide to Doctor Who on television in the UK, North America and elsewhere, for March 22, 2006 has now been posted. Click here to read it.

In an interview for the US Sci-Fi Channel's Sci Fi Wire, executive producer Russell T Davies singled out both a start date for production on the spinoff series Torchwood as well as a likely date for transmission. "We start filming in May, and we should be on in this country [England] in October," Davies tells Ian Spelling. "So we'll have two shows running simultaneously, which will be fun." Says the article, "Davies, who will oversee Torchwood while maintaining his Doctor Who responsibilities during the filming of that show's second season, described Torchwood as a 13-part science fiction series for adults. (Torchwood is an anagram for Doctor Who.) 'Doctor Who airs in this country at 7 o'clock at night, so it gets the whole family watching,' Davies said. 'Torchwood is Earth-based. It takes one of the actors who was very popular from the first [season] of Doctor Who, who is called Captain Jack Harkness [John Barrowman]. He was in five episodes and was hugely successful as a companion to the Doctor [Christopher Eccleston].' Davies added: 'He's a bisexual con man. Hooray! We need more bisexual con men on our television screens, I think, don't you think? Bisexual con men from the 53rd century, what could be better? He was so enormously successful that we've created a spinoff for him.'"

Partial data is now available of the take-up for BBCi's red-button episode Attack of the Graske on Christmas Day. Among Digital Satellite viewers, approximately seven per cent of available viewers pressed the red button between 8pm and midnight on Christmas Day. This amounted to approximately 250,000 users, of which 230,000 stayed with the interactive episode for three (out of fourteen) minutes or more, a 'retention rate' of 93 per cent. The top programme for 2005 was Wimbledon with a Reach+1 of 4.4m, 39% of the available audience, although that took place over a fortnight rather than over one evening. The 'Graske' figures compare very favourably to other high-profile results - a Gorillaz concert screened by BBCi in November was accessed by 100,000 users in a seven-day period. At 93 per cent, Doctor Who also had a much higher rate of retention than many other interactive services: BBCi coverage of the Glastonbury music festival, for example, managed 55% in 2005. These figures exclude Freeview and Digital Cable users; it is estimated that the inclusion of that data would roughly double the figures. (Thanks to 'Marcus')

Classic Series Broadcasting Update

Radio Times has now confirmed that repeats of the Jon Pertwee serial The Green Death will form part of BBC Four's season of programmes from and about 1973 (to tie in with the channel's screening of Life on Mars). From Monday 3 April to Wednesday 5 April, the six-part story will be shown in three double bills from 7.10 to 8.00pm, according to this link and this.

BBC Focus Controversy

As reported by Outpost Gallifrey on 17 March, the April edition of BBC Focus dedicates its cover and a large article to the forthcoming book The Science of Doctor Who, with free copies of Paul Parsons' book going to the magazine's subscribers. Today's Media Guardian, however, reports that the "extensive coverage" has come in for criticism - because the magazine is edited by Paul Parsons himself - but that "the BBC has defended" Focus and its editor. A BBC spokeswoman is quoted as saying that there are "viable commercial and editorial reasons" to support the coverage, that Paul Parsons is a Doctor Who expert so a natural choice to write the magazine article, and that "all profits [from the magazine's sales] are returned to the BBC for the benefit of the licence fee payer." The full article is available at their website; it's also been reported at The Independent.

Other Items

BBC New Media has begun to unveil its plans for the development of the BBC's online presence, and a report today from BBC News highlights the intention to allow seven-day online access to television programmes "like Doctor Who." "Ashley Highfield, director of the BBC's new media division, shared a platform with Microsoft boss Bill Gates at a technology conference in Las Vegas. Mr Highfield said the BBC would work with technology firms like Microsoft. He also showed off the BBC's Integrated Media Player (iMP), designed to allow users seven-day access to TV shows. The iMP, which uses peer-to-peer technology to distribute BBC content across the internet, has been undergoing extensive user trials. 'Audience needs are changing. They want to consume media on their own terms, anytime, anyplace, anyhow,' Mr Highfield told the audience at the Mix06 conference. 'If we want to stay relevant in the digital age, the BBC must respond to this challenge by some seriously good technological innovation, resulting in products like the iMP, through partnerships such as this one with Microsoft.'"

Sci Fi Wire, continuing their daily coverage of Doctor Who with featurettes, reports that "Russell T. Davies, executive producer of the new Doctor Who, told SCI FI Wire that his revival of the long-running British SF drama was bolstered by a team of writers committed to the show's success. 'None of them had written for the program before,' he said in an interview. 'But they had started their own television series and written their own dramas, and they'd also commentated on Doctor Who in the absence when it was off the air. They were very well-known for it, and you needed people who knew all those tiny details that make all the difference in telling a science fiction story. For example, the Doctor can't do magic, and it's very easy for new writers to assume that the Doctor and the Tardis can do anything, because the program is a very free-format. He can travel in time and space and land anywhere, but there are actually very strong limits within that as to what you can do and how an adventure works, so I'm glad we went for people who were well-versed in that sort of storytelling, because I didn't need to have script meetings in which I was telling them how the science fiction of Doctor Who worked. In addition to writing half of the first 13-episode season himself, Davies came up with basic storylines and settings for the remaining scripts, which were divided up according to the writers' individual strengths. 'Mark Gatiss, for example, is one of the writers and stars of [the British sketch comedy show] The League of Gentlemen, which is a marvelously dark and gothic comedy. I knew he had a great love of Victoriana, so when we had an episode set in the Victorian era with Charles Dickens ['The Unquiet Dead,' airing on SCI FI March 24], it was absolutely automatic that we give it to Mark. Steven Moffat is the writer who invented Coupling, and he's brilliant at structure and plot, so he was the only writer outside of myself to be given a two-parter ['The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances,' airing later this season], because they're very difficult to construct.' A relatively new writer, Rob Shearman, had previously written an audio play feature the Doctor's most famous nemeses, the Daleks. 'You could not get a cleverer, more intelligent and exciting take on the Doctor's old enemies than that,' Davies said. 'As a matter of honor, I felt we had to offer [the episode 'Dalek,' airing on SCI FI April 14,] to him, and it was a very big chance for Rob, writing a big piece of adventure television for prime time BBC1, and he did it magnificently. So all these decisions just made sense, really, and again, we've done that with the second [season].' Davies has written several scripts for season two, which is the final weeks of production back in the United Kingdom, and he has brought in Gatiss and Moffat as well as a group of new writers for the remaining episodes. 'They're very carefully chosen, because Doctor Who is so unique and it's so different every week. Each episode even has a different style, so you need to balance the writers and work out where their episodes play within the overall season, so we plan it all out very carefully.'"

Another report on Sci Fi Wire says that "Euros Lyn, who directed the Doctor Who episode 'The Unquiet Dead' (airing on Sci Fi Channel March 24 at 9 p.m. ET/PT), told SCI FI Wire that it was an enjoyable challenge to create the period adventure with a guest appearance by Charles Dickens. 'There were lots of things we wanted to do in the episode,' he recalled in an interview, 'including lots of crowd duplication shots in the theater. But knowing we had to get the dramatic scenes done first and get the story covered, we had to leave big-scale shots to the end of the day, which meant we sometimes didn't get them. Sometimes we'd reach the end of our day, and some of those grander shots fell off the list, so that was tough. We also had big snow scenes with paper snow in whipping wind, with horse-drawn carriages and lots of extras, and those were really tricky to achieve as well, so there were lots of big set pieces that were a real challenge.' In 'The Unquiet Dead,' the Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose (Billie Piper) travel back to Cardiff on Christmas Eve of 1869, where they discover the bodies of the dead are being possessed by the alien Gelth. Their main ally against the creatures: a world-weary playwright named Charles Dickens (Simon Callow). 'It was brilliant to get him,' Lyn said about the casting of Callow. 'He's an actor of such great stature and experience, and the work that he's associated with is work of quality. The secret to getting him interested was the script. He read the script and loved it, but he's also a Dickens freak. He loves everything about Dickens and has written books and performed one-man shows about him, so the material was of great interest to him, and I think that helped. Yes, it's Doctor Who, and yes, it's popular drama, but it also has an erudite and classical dimension to it.' The director is currently working on another history-based episode for season two, which begins airing in Britain in April. 'The Girl in the Fireplace' is set in 18th-century France and guest-stars Sophia Myles (Tristan and Isolde) as the French noblewoman Madame du Pompadour. 'They're very different episodes, but that's one of the brilliant things about Doctor Who: Every episode is a genre piece and utterly different to each other. It's like starting again every time; virtually nothing is current from one episode to another. One day you could be shooting on a set 2 billion years in the future, and the next morning you're stepping onto a set in 1879. So that's wonderful.'"

The Capital Times of Wisconsin says of the new series, "And it's really quite a hoot, faithful to the goofy charm of the original series while doing the serious upgrading and improving that was so desperately needed. Right from the opening credits, which use the spacey original theme music and show the Doctor's TARDIS, which looks like a 1950s emergency phone booth, winging through space and time, you know you're in good hands. For the uninitiated, the Doctor is a renegade space/time traveler who zips through the cosmos battling bad guys, trading quips with aliens and otherwise having a grand old time. ... In the first of last Friday's two episodes, the Doctor met up with Rose while trying to save London from being overrun by sentient department store mannequins. You see, this alien consciousness was able to animate plastic, using the London Eye Ferris wheel as a transmitter, and ... you know, not many 'Doctor Who' plots hold up on paper. Just know that everybody seemed to be having a good time, and this is that rare science-fiction show that not only puts an emphasis on comedy but is also pretty funny. I don't know who Piper is, but she's pretty great as Rose, sometimes gobsmacked at the wonders that the Doctor shows her and other times amusingly unfazed. She and Eccleston develop great chemistry: part father-daughter and part friends, with maybe a little sexual tension thrown in for good measure, quite quickly. The second episode was even better, as the Doctor and Rose whisk forward a few million years to watch the destruction of the Earth with a roster of VIAs (Very Important Aliens), who for some reason decide to commemorate Earth's passing by playing what they think is one of our world's great pieces of art: the '80s pop hit 'Tainted Love' by the group Soft Cell. Fans used to getting their fix of gritty, violent science fiction every night from 'Battlestar Galactica' (which coincidentally is also a remake of a cheesy old sci-fi series) might have a little trouble to adjusting to the whimsy of 'Doctor Who.' But I'll bet even they'll catch the groove of this amiably daffy show, and Sci-Fi will have another remake on its hands that tops the original. What's next, an Emmy-quality reimagining of 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'?"

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Peter Weaver, Cliff Chapman, Paul Hayes)

Big Finish has new word of the third batch of its Gallifrey miniseries today. "The first instalment of third and final series of Gallifrey will be released in May 2006. The series is set to bring the Time Lord saga to a dramatic climax. Gallifrey Series Three will star Lalla Ward as Romana, Louise Jameson as Leela, John Leeson as K9 and Mary Tamm as the evil Pandora who inhabits the body of the first Romana. Picking up scant weeks after the end of the previous series, the new set of five plays sees President Romana beleaguered and losing the civil war begun by the ancient Gallifreyan Imperiatrix, Pandora. Pandora is using a reconstituted body ­ that of Romana's first incarnation, giving her access to everything a President could need to wage war, and threaten the other Trans Temporal Powers. As if that wasn't enough to deal with, Romana and her loyal followers will also have to contend with the aftermath of the Dogma Virus and those behind its release, the enigmatic Free Time conspirators." Also released today are covers for Nev Fountain's The Kingmaker released in April (starring Peter Davison, Nicola Bryant and Caroline Morris) and Simon Guerrier's The Settling in May (starring Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred and Philip Olivier); they can both be found on the Release Guide page here.

Series One in America

Today's Sci Fi Wire on the Sci-Fi Channel's website, says that "Russell T. Davies, executive producer of the new Doctor Who and the guiding force behind the BBC's successful revival, told SCI FI Wire that the series found its footing very quickly in the first season and hasn't slowed down since. 'I think the learning experience is overstated by fandom,' said Davies, who is currently overseeing production of season two, which is being shot in Cardiff, South Wales. 'I think it's very much fandom's attitude to sit there with [season] one and say, 'Ah, well, they're learning!' Frankly, we hit the ground running and were a success right from the start, so there's truly not a single episode that I'm not proud of.' Doctor Who, which starred Christopher Eccleston as the alien Time Lord, debuted on BBC1 in March 2005 to stellar ratings and respectable reviews. ... Davies is pleased with the direction that was established early on. 'I'm aware of all sorts of faults and bits that I'd write differently and things like that,' he conceded. 'But it's more important to not underestimate the massive success that this was in terms of getting, like, a 44 percent share from the very beginning and coming back with a new Doctor and again getting a 45 percent share on Christmas Day, which is extraordinary. So the learning experience is overrated in terms of talking about how in hindsight we learned this or that, when actually we very confidently knew what we were setting out to make right from the start and we made it.' Davies said that the technical part of production started out slower. 'Because that amount of [computer visual effects] and green screen had never been attempted before in Great Britain,' he said. 'I actually think the amount of CGI in this is unparalleled in any television production I've seen so far. There are up to 100 shots per episode, which is extraordinary and different every week. It's not like you're shooting a monster with a laser gun and then every week, you shot that monster with that same effect, with that same laser gun. Here, there's a different monster every week, with a different laser gun, on a different planet with different explosions, so learning how to do that, we're all convinced that we could plan World War III if anybody needed a strategy planned.' Davies added: 'Doctor Who is also a program made on location, and that's very rare for this sort of show. Everyone was fully expecting it to be much more of a studio show, as science fiction tends to be, but we've got a very brilliant designer, Edward Thomas, who persuaded us to take an awful lot of outdoor locations. Even the interior of spaceships: in episode two ['The End of the World'], there's an interior of a spaceship called Platform One, which is actually a temple in the middle of Cardiff, and it looks extraordinary. It looks like the most beautiful spaceship in the world, so we have a very clever team, pushing stuff in different directions that we had never been in before. So, yes, we did learn from all of that. But now that we're faced with [season] two, we don't want to repeat ourselves, so we're pushing in all sorts of different directions again so that we get something new.'"

TV Guide Magazine, in their Monday morning 'Watercooler' segment, showered the new series with praise. "'Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life!' So concludes the first exchange between feisty Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) and her new acquaintance, the Doctor (Christopher Eccleston). Although Rose doesn't know what this cockney dude has to do with the sudden rash of killer mannequins roving around the basement of a Harrods-type department store, at least she could take solace in knowing that this man saved her from their murderous clutches. Yep, Whovians, the Doctor is back on American TV after a 10-year hiatus, and he's sporting a leather jacket and plenty of 'tude. Say, can anyone remember the other Doctor who began his stint battling the Autons? (Answer later.) The ho-hum plot -- the Autons want to wipe out the human race, again -- served as salad dressing for the episode's real function, which was to reintroduce us to our favorite Time Lord. Veteran Whovians and novices learned the following: Gallifrey went up in flames due to a civil war (although it remains to be seen if the Master and the Rani are still about); the Doctor is still half-human (the continuity of the 1996 Paul McGann turkey still applies); the sonic screwdriver is as indispensable as ever; Rose ranks with Jamie, Leela and Ace as the Doctor's toughest companion; conspiracy theorists are on to the Doctor (if only Clive had pictures of the Doctor's other selves, the joke would've been perfect). Anyone remotely familiar with Who knows how cheap it used to look (part of its charm, actually), but now the Beeb has gotten wise and produced it on film, which only enhances the show's signal strengths -- its strong characters and resourceful storytelling. (Before I forget, the answer to the trivia question: Jon Pertwee.) The throwaway moments were the choicest -- the Doctor leafing through the magazine; battling the animated plastic arm as Rose prattles in the foreground; Rose's flirtatious mum. They perfectly balanced the fantastic, even absurdist nature of the adventures. This was even more evident in the second episode, a tale worthy of the late Douglas Adams. Not only did we learn that the TARDIS (love that retro blue police box!) alters brain waves so as to facilitate communication with other species, but we found that the Doctor could alter Rose's cell phone so she could call her mum from five million years into the future! Someone slow down the spinning of my head. OK, so I'm not wild that humanity will eventually wind up as a hide that needs moistening (I call it the Katherine Helmond-circa-Brazil theory of evolution), but at least I won't be around for it. I will, however, be around for Doctor Who for as long as Sci Fi continues to air it, and I hope that will be for a very long time. Welcome back, Doc!"

Slate.com writes, "The pilot of Doctor Who ... combines themes from all kinds of media experiences: the chick lit of self-actualization, the Kim Cattrall vehicle Mannequin (1987), and Norman Mailer's patented rants against plastic. Rose Tyler, our heroine, has a tedious job at a London department store, a tacky home life with a fantastically nattering mother, and a complacent romance going with a sweet and contemptibly dopey boy. She begins her transformation one day around closing time. Down in the basement, she attracts the unwanted advances of a posse of homicidal mannequins, a crew that the audience could find menacing only because the effects look so cheap that their very awkwardness is a freak-out. Nonetheless, Rose is executing some commendable woman-in-peril shrieks when a middle-aged fellow swoops in to the rescue. He's full of ready quips and interdimensional know-how, and the writers do not intend for his goofy charm to obscure his dashing melancholy. This is the Doctor, an enigmatic figure doomed to cruise through space-time helping various civilizations out of very silly scrapes. In the pilot, there is some kind of molten glob beneath London threatening to use its telepathic command of synthetic materials--witness the mannequins--to destroy the city. The second episode, set on a spaceship in the distant future, concerns a baddie who wants to spoil a viewing party for the explosion of the sun. This new Who, constructed by the BBC, is a revamp of the classic science-fiction series. It merits, limits, homages, and heresies are doubtlessly the subject of robust conversation in certain circles that I'd rather not get too familiar with, but to my novice's eye, it's pretty decent hokum--fast, corny, genial, honest in its schlock. And though it's got the time-travel hook of the original and abounds with galactic mumbo-jumbo and spiffy gadgets, it reads less like speculative fiction than romance. Billie Piper--a British pop star soon to be adorning screensavers at finer engineering schools everywhere--brings limitless pluck to her portrayal of Rose. In Spice Girls terms, the character is two parts Sporty and one part Baby--but, more to the point, she's a post-Buffy the Vampire Slayer figure, a self-possessed wiseass who entertains some ambivalence about her supernatural gig. She's on equal footing with Christopher Eccleston, who plays the Doctor as a notably alienated alien, a sweetheart full of secret sorrows. Yes, the show tells its fan-boy audience, there's a plump-cheeked gal out there for you. The two of you can talk about the end of time until the end of time. This is geek love."

In various reviews, the New York Daily News said of the series, "It's not as cheesy as the original, but also not as charming." The Hartford Courant said that "The stories may seem a little silly (the first foes are mannequins that come to life) but it's fairly lively and fun."

Other Press Items

The Huddersfield Examiner notes that writer "Mark Gatiss is very proud to have been made an honourary doctor of letters from Huddersfield University. Especially as he now gets to call himself Dr Gatiss. The title lends him an air of mystery, perhaps like the villains of his all-favourite Boys Own stories or, indeed, a particular hero, Dr Who. 'The last time I had to tick a box to say whether I was Mr, Mrs or Miss, I put Dr,' he explains. Before I rang the League Of Gentlemen star, I was warned to give him his proper title. Plain old Mark, it seemed, wasn't grand enough. But it turned out my source had mistaken his dry humour. 'You don't have to call me Doctor,' he insists. But you can tell he likes it. Mark Gatiss and League co-writer Jeremy Dyson are the big names at the Huddersfield Literature Festival, which opens today. Their appearance tomorrow at 8.45pm, in the Milton Building at Huddersfield University, is purely a question and answer session, with no readings from either author. Meeting his public is something the 39-year-old particularly likes. Frequently asked questions can include anything from: 'What's your favourite poem?' to inquiries about Dr Who - he's co-written an episode for the latest series. As the festival's about books and not TV or film, it's expected he'll be talking about his second novel, The Devil In Amber, out in December. It's the second in a trilogy - 'When they're all written and released, I'll be able to keep reissuing them in box sets forever' - about wit, dandy and rake Lucifer Box. The first, The Vesuvious Club, was set in Edwardian London. This time it's in the 1920s, another of Dr Gatiss' favourite periods. 'It's a detective story with a feel of The 39 Steps. Lucifer's older, he's got a lot of younger competition. 'There are lots of Satanists and Nazis - a perfect combination. 'The third book will be in the 1950s and be like an early Ian Fleming.' But that's a long way off yet, as the second is not yet ready to see the light of day. 'I'm still editing and rewriting,' he says. 'And that's the part of the process I like best. Working out a story and writing it can be a slog, real donkey work. 'A process of hacking and excavating. Very tough. 'But rewriting is all about refining.' Dr Gatiss writes in a back room of the new home he shares with his partner in Islington. They've just moved, and the builders are in. I can hear their dog, Bunsen, barking as we talk on the phone. I tell him I saw his old house pictured in a Sunday supplement a while ago, all red walls and taxidermy. 'Yes,' he says. 'I always wanted to live in a Victorian laboratory, so I created that room. But I found I didn't use it for anything other than showing people, and letting them go: 'Wow!' and for photoshoots ... So now I've put my odd things all around the house.'"

The Scotsman noted that series one and two actress Zoe Wanamaker "is nervous. Wearing a pale blue, high-necked sweater and a trim, grey suit, she is using a small rolling machine to assemble a brown cigarette. With sharp, birdlike movements, she completes the job, lights up and puffs away. She is clearly uncomfortable about the prospect of being interviewed, but submits to the process with grace, thoughtful pauses occasionally interrupting the flow of conversation as she ponders long and hard over her answers. 'I haven't seen it at all,' she says, when asked what she thinks of Cards On The Table, the Poirot mystery she stars in. 'I don't like watching myself,' she continues. 'I start looking at stuff that I really shouldn't be, thinking: 'I ought not to be standing like that, I wish I'd done it this way' and so on. ... Talking of prime characters, last year Wanamaker notched up something of an honour by portraying the first new monster to menace Doctor Who following the series' triumphant return to BBC One. The good news is, her character Cassandra will be back for a rematch when the show returns to our screens in the spring. 'It's fabulous!' she enthuses, when asked what it's like to be a Who baddy. 'It's such fun! It's such a credit to Russell T Davies and the producers. I think what they've achieved is brilliant. I think Cassandra's a naughty, naughty girl. That's what's such fun about her. She's cheeky. She's not evil, she's just naughty.' Alas, she's sworn to secrecy when it comes to talking about just what the vain 'last human alive' gets up to this time around, but she is prepared to reflect upon what the role means to her. 'It's like being a baddy in a Bond film,' she muses. 'It's that sort of television equivalent, I think. I desperately wanted her to come back. It's a character you can bring something to, twist it around and make something funny. She reminded me of Joan Rivers and that extraordinary woman who changed her face a million times to look like some sort of tiger. And it was extremely witty to do. After so many plastic surgeons, liposuction and all that she's ended up just a flat piece of parchment. I think that's fabulous. A fantastic invention. That's the best thing about science fiction, it's really basically fairy stories come to life, but they're great fun.'"

Last Friday's Mirror says that "You might think he'd be a bit tied up playing Doctor Who, but David Tennant has gone and landed the lead in a new drama special for ITV. The dashing Scot will play an eccentric Englishman in an adaptation of HG Wells's The History Of Mr Polly. The 'comic romp' follows Alfred Polly as he bemoans his life as a miserably married shopkeeper in the 'beastly silly wheeze of a hole' that is Fishbourne. He sparks arguments and slapstick calamity wherever he goes and eventually decides to end it all - in the most amusing (failed) suicide bid ever attempted. And not a Tardis in sight..."

Greg Dyke writes in today's Independent, "So what happened to Dr Who? Why didn't it win the RTS award for the best drama series at the ceremony last week? Of all the difficult things to pull off in television, radically re-launching a much-loved series is just about the hardest to do and the BBC team who made Dr Who did it brilliantly. So why didn't they win? Could it just be that snobbery came into it and the judges couldn't bring themselves to give the award to a drama that was so obviously populist? What was ironic was that the winner, Bodies, also came from the BBC but not everyone was celebrating its success. The series was commissioned as a BBC 3/BBC 4 co-production but was cancelled after the arrival of Roly Keating as controller of BBC 2. The writer Jed Mercuria was highly critical of Keating's decision so he must have felt pretty smug after the award. Meanwhile, we wait to find out if BAFTA will give Dr Who the award it so surely deserves."

Eve Myles has been voted Wales' number one bachelorette in the Wales on Sunday newspaper. "There was only one winner – stunning Torchwood actress Eve Myles," says the paper. "Eve, 27 from Ystradgynlais said: 'I'm so chuffed, I can't stop blushing. This is a real honour for me and I'm genuinely absolutely delighted.' Brunette beauty Eve has just landed a plum TV role starring alongside John Barrowman in Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood. She's also setting screens alight in BBC Wales soap belonging."

The Sunday Mail says that "No Angels star Louise Delamere reveals her long friendship with new Dr Who David Tennant but insists they are just good friends - despite being snapped hand in hand on the red carpet at a film premiere".

Wales on Sunday has picked up elements of a New York Times interview with Russell T Davies, in which he discusses his initial concerns about casting Billie Piper ('then we ... discovered she was brilliant') and 'rules out nudity in the new series' ('go and see a flasher movie').

An interview with actress Tamsin Greig (from last year's "The Long Game") appears in this weekend's Sunday Times: "...I went to Cardiff as well, to do a bit of Doctor Who. That was one of the most terrifying experiences. Trying to remember lines when you can't remember to wash. And some of the lines have sci-fi words like ‘introspike' in them.' Then she suddenly cackles. 'That's why you'll find, if you look quite closely, the three parts are actually all the same person. One has a lollop and a hair clip, one has her hair on the other side, and that's about it.' ... 'From April, she joins Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen and Judi Dench in the Royal Shakespeare Company's Complete Works Festival, the company's bold attempt to perform or host every one of Shakespeare's plays. Greig plays Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing ('the Emma Thompson part, who I will be stealing every gag off') and Constance in King John. '"

South African Airways has been showing the second episode of series one - 'The End Of The World' - this month (March) as part of the inflight entertainment among the TV options on its Boeing 747-400 flights between London Heathrow and Johannesburg. It is not known if the carrier is showing this or any other episode on other long-haul flights, or for how long it will be showing, or if others will be shown in subsequent months. However, it appeared to be unedited, including the 'Next Time . . . ' trailer for 'The Unquiet Dead' at the end of the episode. Curiously, 'The End Of The World' was described as 'comedy/drama' in the South African Airways inflight entertainment guide AirScape. Readers of Benjamin Elliott's This Week In Doctor Who section of Outpost Gallifrey will know that various episodes are also being shown by Thomsonfly Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways, British Midland Airlines, British Airways and Air New Zealand.

Hemel Today says "Two, not one, of the Dr Who Daleks visited Hemel Hempstead in 1964 we have discovered. Interest has been high after a Dalek expert spotted a picture of one of what he believes to be the original six 'true' Daleks in the Local History section of the hemeltoday website. It was in a section of 1960s pictures and was of the Access Equipment Christmas Party of 1964 at Adeyfield Hall in Hemel Hempstead. The expert, who is trying to find out what happened to the original six 'true' Daleks, contacted hemeltoday and we managed to dig out the original negatives of the visit and today sent him full size images."

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Peter Weaver, John Bowman, Ian Golden)

UKTV Gold will repeat the first season of the new series again over two days on the 8-9 April 2006 weekend, according to a report today on the official Doctor Who website. "With a brand new series of exciting Doctor Who adventures about to launch on BBC One, those lovely people at UKTV Gold have decided to give everyone a treat by repeating all of the 2005 series over the course of one weekend. From 11am to 5pm (6pm on Sunday) on 8 and 9 April 2006, viewers can watch the Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) defeat the Daleks, squash the Slitheen and grapple with the Gelth, in all thirteen episodes from the first series. So settle down with a flask of tea and a packet of biscuits and remind yourself just how good it all was... And of course, don't forget that UKTV Gold is also showing vintage Doctor Who adventures from the early 1970s every weekend. Currently screening each Saturday and Sunday morning (usually starting at 6am or 7am) are adventures from Jon Pertwee's time as the Doctor."

More media coverage from this evening of the US premiere of the series today:

Zap2It, in an article being printed Sunday in the Los Angeles Times, notes that "Once upon a time, there was a BBC science-fiction series called "Doctor Who" whose special effects were of the bubble-gum-and-rubber-band variety and whose basic premise sounded as cheesy as the show looked: A wanderer from the distant future fights intergalactic evildoers while traveling through space and time in a machine that is camouflaged as a London police box. Uh, right. Yet somewhere along the line, 'Doctor Who' became the longest-running sci-fi series in TV history (26 years), spawned several movie spinoffs, a mini-publishing empire, audiotapes, memorabilia, conventions, you name it. Now, after being off the air for 17 years, a new 'Doctor Who' series, first seen on the BBC last year, comes to the Sci Fi Channel on Friday (March 17). And therein lies a tale. When 'Doctor Who' first appeared on the BBC in 1963, it was a show for older children that aired late on Saturday afternoons. But quicker than you can say 'Daleks' -- the race of robots who became the title character's chief nemeses -- the program became a national sensation. The reasons were soon evident. The doctor's ability to go backward and forward in time meant that story lines were highly flexible. Although obviously a kids' program, 'Doctor Who' also had a wink-wink sense of humor that appealed to adults. Then there were the seven actors who played the doctor, who tended toward the warmly avuncular. And because Doctor Who takes on traveling companions from the places he visits who then join him on his adventures, the show could bounce its protagonist off against an ever-changing roster of foils. Plus, 'Doctor Who's' cheesy look actually worked in its favor. 'It was shameless about its shortcomings,' says Russell T. Davies, executive producer and head writer of the new series. 'They did intergalactic wars and invasions of the Earth with $2. Somewhere, by accident, they captured something very true about the world, that the future is very clumsy and nailed together. There is something beautifully normal about the 'Doctor Who' universe.' Los Angeles resident Shaun Lyon, who wrote 'Back to the Vortex,' a book about the new series, and whose Outpost Gallifrey (gallifreyone.com) is the premier 'Doctor Who' website in this country, echoes this 'It's the story line, stupid' sentiment by noting that America's most popular science-fiction program also had similarly cheesy production values. 'If you look back at the original 'Star Trek,' you'll see the same thing -- bad special effects,' Lyon says. 'The appeal is in the storytelling, even if there are no $10 million visual effects budgets. It's the stories, the characters, the actors themselves.' Although the series has been seen on PBS over the years, 'Doctor Who' never really developed a massive fan base in this country. Competition from shows like 'Star Trek' certainly held it back, and its chintzy foreign flavor didn't always translate well. But it did acquire a rabid cult following that now sponsors several 'Who'-oriented conventions (last month's L.A.-based Gallifrey One conclave was the 17th annual). But as with 'Star Trek,' 'Doctor Who's' 1989 demise did not end the appetite for it. So when veteran British TV writer Davies ('Queer as Folk') pitched the BBC a new version of the venerable doctor, the network went for it. 'I knew it could work again,' says Davies, 'that there was a new generation that could enjoy it. But I wasn't certain what the BBC wanted, whether they wanted an ironic version late at night. What they wanted was 7 o'clock prime time on a Saturday, which was how I wanted to bring it back. There hadn't been a sci-fi show on prime time in Britain for over 20 years, since 'V.' ' Davies understood that the fan community would want to have a say in the series' new direction, but he completely ignored the sci-fi message boards, claiming, 'It's the most stupid thing you can do, and people are seduced into believing that the most creative thing you can do is engage with your online fandom.' He also instinctively realized that the 21st century version of the doctor would have to be hipper, smarter and sexier than any previous incarnation. 'I decided to write it like anything else I'd write,' he says. 'I write character, I write funny, I write dramatic, and there's no way science fiction can't be the same thing. You just have to not steep it in nostalgia and not write techno-babble either.' Gussied up with state-of-the-art special effects and the kind of self-referential story lines that both kids and adults appreciate, the new 'Doctor Who' debuted on the BBC in March 2005 and proved an immediate smash hit (the series is in production on its second season). When he was developing the show, says Davies, 'I was thinking of 'Toy Story.' We were specifically aimed at getting a family audience, which people said didn't exist anymore. It was simply following the pattern of the old 'Doctor Who,' which was quietly witty while appealing to kids at the same time. The Pixar art of aiming at adults and kids is really difficult, but that's the path I tried to follow.'"

About.com: "After being a smash on English TV, the latest incarnation of Dr. Who comes to America on SCI FI Channel tonight at 9 PM ET. For those who don't know, Dr. Who (so named because his real name is just too weird for us puny humans to pronounce) is a Time Lord, traveling around time and space with a human companion at his side. Rose works in a shop and is bored out of her mind when along comes a Time Lord with his promises of great adventure (after working with Rose to save the Earth). He delivers. This time around, The Doctor is being played by Christopher Eccleston, who brings a TARDIS-load of energy and humor to the role. Billie Piper brings, thank goodness, a lot more than 'spunk' to Rose. She's fun and funny in her own right."

The North Adams Transcript: "The two-hour American premiere of the revived "Doctor Who" (Friday, March 17, at 9 p.m. on the Science Fiction Channel) may be first honest opportunity this long-running British series has really had to appeal to Americans -- that is, beyond the usual oddball cultists. In its current incarnation, the show is accessible and fun, with just enough darkness to add to the tension and intrigue. ... As helmed by the versatile Russell P. Davies, creator of "Queer As Folk," this 2005 version has the Doctor appearing out of nowhere in a department store basement in order to save Earth from a bunch of killer mannequins. ... The series captures, with a great degree of sincerity, the same rollicking male/female adventure dynamic that films like "Austin Powers" lampoon -- if the Doctor and Rose aren't the John Steed and Emma Peel of our time, then I don't know who are -- and it's this dynamic that makes the series shine. The Doctor, a displaced alien whose only remaining calling in life is to show off his knowledge of the universe, and Rose, a bored teenager desperately looking for a better way to live, not only need each other, but love each other's company. It's an infectious relationship that rarely succumbs to the typical romantic television cliches. This is a tale of equals with different strengths. Davies has transformed the old children's show into a fairly sophisticated drama that manages to hold different levels of interest for all ages. The show is also high on satire and, throughout its 13-episode run, examines political and social issues -- nationalism, isolationism, consumer culture, war, class, sexuality, and justice -- with great humor. There are also echoes of 9/11, the war in Iraq, and the corporate-controlled media, as well as natural human complacency in regard to the big picture. 'Doctor Who' is clearly one of the smartest TV shows around, but it doesn't decrease its enjoyment level through heavy-handedness. There are still plenty of aliens and monsters and space ships -- and, in the Doctor, we oddballs still have a hero we can believe in."

The Kansas City Star: "The British cult classic sci-fi series that periodically used a new actor to play the good doctor begins a 13-episode run with Christopher Eccleston as the traveling time lord in some 2005 episodes. The previous Dr. Who, of course, was the guy who played Screech on “Saved by the Bell.” (Well, we might be misremembering that particular piece of trivia, but with Daleks menacing everybody, what’s the difference?)"

SyFy Portal says that "New 'Doctor Who' Is Not So Niche-y" in an article that features interview clips from various Russell T Davies comments over the past year.

North Jersey Media Group notes that "Christopher Eccleston becomes one of the many actors to play the droll time traveler on the small screen in this remake of the long-running sci-fi series. Eccleston's Doctor finds his ideal traveling companion in shopgirl Rose Tyler (pop star-turned-actress Billie Piper)."

Now Playing magazine is reprinting reviews by Arnold Blumberg from last year in conjunction with the broadcast of the show.

Doctor Who is one of the three Daily Picks on the TiVo video recording network.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, John Mitchell, Scott Alan Woodard and Lewis Beale)

The American press went into overdrive late this week with coverage of today's long-awaited debut of Doctor Who on the Sci-Fi Channel. Here's a recap of the press items from Thursday and Friday. Note that many local newspapers feature articles from wire services such as Reuters, Scripps-Howard, etc. These local papers haven't been mentioned simply because they reprint articles sent by these wire services; the article content of original articles or feeds is as follows:

TV Guide Online features a banner advert (at right) on its front page. On today's Hot List: "Forget the slow pacing and the not-so-special effects of the previous versions -- this is not your father's Doctor Who! Christopher Eccleston breathes new life into the genre's favorite time lord in tonight's manic opener, which touches on the character's past and introduces Rose (Billie Piper), a human who's all too interested in the doctor's operations. A follow-up visit, er, second episode follows." And in Matt Roush's twice-weekly Roush Review: "Why to watch: To get that Friday-night cult fix. The lowdown: In earlier versions, I never clicked with this Brit import about the time-tripping, alien-fighting mystery doc (a chipper yet intense Christopher Eccleston). But this remake achieves an Avengers-like balance of cheeky wit amid the cheesiness. As Who's shopgirl sidekick, Billie Piper is a delight. A keeper? Who'd say no? My score: 7"

USA Today: "Doctor Who (Friday, 9 ET/PT) is back with new adventures and a new Doctor: Christopher Eccleston. The show makes its U.S. debut on Sci Fi with a two-hour special, immediately after which Who fans will begin debating Eccleston's merits and his place in the Time Lord pantheon."

The New York Times (second article this week): "The original 'Doctor Who,' a British sci-fi series, was on for so long, from 1963 to 1989, that it became an institution, like 'Coronation Street.' It even caught on for a while in this country, after being picked up by some PBS stations, and both here and in Britain it spawned a 'Star Trek'-like cult. Those fans obsessed over the wanderings of the title character, a human-looking extraterrestrial who travels the universe in a time machine disguised as a police telephone booth, and of his various enemies -- the Sontarians, Krynoids, Zygons and, most feared of all, the Daleks, who looked like giant salt shakers. The show eventually burned through eight actors in the title role, explaining each time that the Doctor had been 'regenerated,' and by the time the BBC finally canceled it, the plots had grown mossy and the special effects, always low-budget, had become antiquated and embarrassing. The resuscitated 'Doctor Who,' which has its premiere tonight at 9 on the Sci Fi Channel, with two episodes back to back, was written and produced by Russell T. Davies, best known as the creator of the original version of 'Queer as Folk.' Mr. Davies is himself a cultie, who has even written a novel based on 'Doctor Who,' and his remake is both affectionate and a little ironic, leaving intact some of the show's essential silliness. Like so much British science fiction, especially Douglas Adams's 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' series, this 'Doctor Who' has a goofy, homemade quality; it's less interested in gizmos than in characters. ... The familiar blue police box doesn't seem much revamped, either; it appears to run on pneumatic tubes, and there is no sign of a computer on board. The Doctor, on the other hand, almost quivers with energy. In previous regenerations, depending on the actor playing him, this character has variously been crotchety, spacey, avuncular and even a little glamorous. Christopher Eccleston brings a kind of manic blokishness to the part, giving the Doctor a sardonic grin and a working-class Manchester accent. (When another character says, 'If you're an alien, how come you sound like you're from the North?' he replies, 'Lots of planets have a North.') ... Sadly, it can't last. In Britain, where 'Doctor Who' is now in its second season, Mr. Eccleston has already been regenerated. He quit the show last year after announcing that he didn't want to become a celebrity. So what we're watching here is what the sci-fi types would call an avatar. This time-travel business is very complicated."

The Hollywood Reporter and Reuters News Service: "Redesigned, repeated and constantly regurgitated to viewers since its inception in the 1960s, this latest revamp of the by-now infamous 'Dr. Who' is silly, sophomoric stuff that is sure to please its television audience, and in fact has been for several seasons now. With a title character who's been around longer that those watching the tube he's on, this doctor is contemporary-talking (well, maybe a little bumbling as well), sort of sexy and just right for those who like sci-fi but don't want to have to think or work too hard to get it. A good formula all around. ... Executive producer (and lead writer) Russell T. Davies has a good thing going here, even if it does seem absurd at times for monsters and other such horrific creatures and events to spring out of nowhere, or at least to spring from a mood completely discordant with the weirdness that suddenly descends. But all the mismatched tones do give the series a kind of postmodern feel that contemporary audiences will have little trouble handling. All the writers, including Stephen Moffat, Mark Gatiss, Paul Cornell and Rob Shearman, are to be congratulated for infusing a lively sense of the absurd into the stories. To the series' good credit, stars Eccleston and Piper are energetic and good-natured enough to carry the proceedings to their always unpredictable ends. Feature players Noel Clarke (as Rose's boyfriend) and Camille Coduri (as Rose's mother) add energy as well."

The Knight Ridder Newspaper Service: "As his devoted fans know, Doctor Who always has been capable of a pretty good disappearing act. But the last one he pulled -- back on Dec. 6, 1989 -- went on a bit longer than expected. On Friday, when the good Doctor starts reappearing in new episodes on the Sci Fi channel (at 9 p.m.), it will have been 16 years since the last episode of the original Doctor Who, perhaps the most curious cult classic in the history of television, was produced. Over its first 26 years, the series about an enigmatic time-and-space traveler featured eight very different actors in the lead role, along with wonderfully loopy, 1960s-hip dialogue and some of the worst special effects ever, including aliens made of inflated condoms. A huge hit in Great Britain, Doctor Who didn't surface in this country until the late 1970s, when it became a staple of Saturday-night programming on many PBS stations. But despite the pleas of the faithful, there were no new episodes anywhere until last year, when Russell T. Davies, the powerhouse British writer-producer of such shows as the original Queer as Folk, finally persuaded the BBC to let him take a shot at reviving the franchise with some modern twists. Much to the surprise of the BBC, Davies' take on Doctor Who became one of the most-watched series on British TV. (More than 10 million viewers -- 40 percent of the audience in Britain -- watched the debut, and a second season already has started there.) And now the show comes to America with the 13 episodes that made up Davies' first season on the BBC. The good news for longtime fans is that he hasn't mucked around with the quirky essence of Doctor Who that much, while giving it a more polished look. The Doctor, as he always is referred to in the series, still is the last surviving member of a race wiped out in a time war (don't even ask) and still is going through various dimensions with a goofy grin and a passion for trying to right wrongs. He doesn't always get it right -- in earlier episodes, he was partially responsible for Nero's burning of Rome, the Great Fire of London and the appearance of the Loch Ness monster -- but he tries. ... Best of all, the new episodes (or at least the two that Sci Fi sent out for review) retain the fun of the original Doctor Who. If you're looking for allegorical, intriguing science fiction, this isn't it. If you're OK with rapid-fire, lighthearted dialogue with an occasional dig at politics and culture, this Doctor Who is your cup of tea. Don't get too used to Eccleston as the Doctor, though. The actor bowed out after one year and already has been replaced by David Tennant (Viva Blackpoo and Barty Crouch Jr. in the most recent Harry Potter film). But even that is in keeping with the show's tradition. Good to see that things are back to what stands for normal in the world of TARDIS, Daleks and Doctor Who."

Sci Fi Wire (Sci-Fi Channel, another feature article): "Russell T. Davies, executive producer and lead writer of the new Doctor Who, attributed much of the show's initial success to the winning chemistry between Christopher Eccleston, who plays the eccentric Time Lord, and Billie Piper, who plays his companion, Rose Tyler. As Davies recalled, Eccleston was an early candidate for the role, but it was assumed that he wouldn't be interested. 'Mal Young, one of the other executive producers who had been campaigning at the BBC for a long time to bring Doctor Who back, had mentioned him, and having worked with Chris and having known him for years, I just gave a little wry smile to myself and thought, 'We should be so lucky!'' Davies said. Davies added: 'Out of the blue, Chris e-mailed me, and even as a huge top-line actor in Britain, he was still modest enough to say, 'Would you consider me for the part?' Anybody else would have said, 'I want that part! Give it to me!' From that point on, we did see other people as well, but it was a very simple decision, because the program's memory had become a bit of a joke, in the way that I watch American programs, and they refer to Gilligan's Island. It was a bit like that over here, because Gilligan's Island was a bit daft and funny and fondly remembered, but not a serious program at all. And casting Chris seemed to have single-handedly changed that overnight, particularly within the industry. Suddenly, a lot of people sat upright and said, 'Oh, my God, they're taking this seriously!' It was the biggest change we could effect upon the memory of the program.' Equally important was the casting of Piper, who was much more of an equal than many of the show's original companions, who were usually relegated to the role of damsel in distress. 'Much as I love the old show, there wasn't much work involved in that decision, because you could not write a female lead in this day and age that was subservient and in the Doctor's shadow, who didn't have a background and a history and a personality,' Davies said. 'I think with any drama, you'd just get laughed off the screen if you tried to get away from that, so it wasn't as much a great idea of mine as just the only way to write something in 2006.' Davies said that he brought his reputation as a drama writer to Doctor Who. 'So that's the sort of thing they wanted from me,' he said. 'I've always written strong women, so there was just no choice in it, although if you studied the history of the program, it's quite a bit of a reinvention. I can't help thinking if Doctor Who had run continuously; it would be like this now anyway. If it had gone from 1989 to 2006 in a straight line, the companion would now be like this, because that's what television is like today.' As it turned out, Eccleston would only stay on long enough to launch the first season, with actor David Tennant taking over the role for season two, which is currently in production in the United Kingdom. 'We would never have replaced Chris with a lesser actor,' Davies insisted. 'And we're very lucky to have got David.'"

The Los Angeles Daily News: "Christopher Eccleston (who bears a resemblance to 'Everybody Loves Raymond' creator Phil Rosenthal) plays the ninth incarnation of the classic British sci-fi character whose series initially ran from 1963 to 1989 (when a star departed, each subsequent actor took the character in totally different directions; this series now boasts a greater longevity than 'Star Trek'). Tonight, The Doctor, a Time Lord with a tragic past, rescues working-class girl Rose Tyler (former British pop singer Billie Piper) from, initially, murderous mannequins sprung to life and, later, her tedious existence. He traverses time and the universe in a blue police phone box. His presence, one bit player warns Rose, means 'One thing's for certain - we're all in danger.' The Doctor, with a gleam in his eye, reframes the debate: 'Now we're in trouble,' he deadpans, surrounded by conflagration. Pros: Eccleston and Piper enjoy a witty, flirty chemistry: 'The entire world revolves around you,' she accusatorily scolds him; he replies, 'Sort of, yeah.' There's a visual inventiveness not always supported by the series' budget: In tonight's second episode, The Doctor and Rose visit the world 5 billion years in the future to witness the sun's apocalyptic expansion, only to encounter someone who wants to slip a few murders in before Earth's destruction. They attend along with all manner of aliens, including some named The Appearance of the Repeated Meme. The Last Human is merely skin with something of a face stretched across a metal frame; Rose dismisses her as 'a bitchy trampoline.' Cons: Rose is a little dim, failing to notice a disturbing change in her boyfriend. Fortunately, she's a quick learner, and helps save the Earth in no time. And, as was notoriously true with previous series, the special effects can be dodgy, though the series' outsize ambitions obviously called for a budget no TV network could've sprung for, let alone the BBC and an American cable outfit. In a nutshell: Blowing up the planet in episode two? How do you top that? But here's betting you'll be dying to find out: You needn't know anything of past series to become quickly addicted to this series' seemingly endless quirky charms."

Seattle Times: "Christopher Eccleston is the new Doctor in the BBC's latest incarnation of 'Doctor Who.' But don't get too attached to him. He won't be back next year. The superb 'Doctor Who' achieves something difficult for American shows: It makes TV look easy by demonstrating that intelligence and escapism are not mortal enemies. But then, 'Doctor Who' has experience. The world's longest ongoing sci-fi series has kicked around the time-space continuum since 1963. Over 40 Earth years, the time travels of the mysterious Doctor and his sidekicks have grown from a British children's show to a legend. The latest incarnation hits U.S. airwaves at 9 tonight via Sci Fi Channel. Co-starring Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper, it's Season 1 of a revival launched in 2005 by BBC Wales and the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Those not already privy to past splendors needn't fear. While most space sagas drag a comet-tail's worth of back story behind them, 'Doctor Who' is instantly accessible. Maybe that's because the series at heart is an old-fashioned romance in the dashing, 19th-century sense. The mechanics of being transported 5 billion years in a moment or using Anti-Plastic to melt an enemy are tossed off with deadpan insouciance; what counts is the distance closed or opened among people and other forms of life. The focus for this epic jaunt is the relationship between the Doctor and his traveling companion, who in the new version is a pretty blonde named Rose Tyler. Rose resembles the Bridget Jones type of Englishwoman, albeit a few pegs down the socioeconomic scale. She labors in a bland department store, dates a bland boyfriend named Mickey (Noel Clarke) and tolerates her antic, overbearing mum (Camille Coduri). ... On paper, this formula puts 'Doctor Who' in the same territory as 'Star Trek.' Both reflect the optimism of the 1960s, along with the Western World's first self-conscious steps toward global thinking. But the approaches were dissimilar. The one-hour 'Star Trek' was indisputably American in its sober and open moralizing. 'Doctor Who' took a lighter, ironic point of view and each half-hour installment concluded with a cliffhanger. Even the treatment of technology was different. The Trekkian transporter room looked cheesy and behaved flawlessly; the Doctor's machine TARDIS (Time And Relative Distance In Space) was, and is, quirkily flawed. ... Mainly, though, the series resonates with its message to examine as well as relish life. Today's audience has moved beyond flip cynicism, and if the replacement isn't quite sincerity, 'Doctor Who' allows room for both."

The Village Voice: "In the U.K., this series about a time-traveling sleuth is as much of a stone-cold classic as The Twilight Zone is here. It's also equally period-bound, bringing to mind the black-and-white series of the late '60s and early '70s, with those fakey sets and sinister electronic background music. The famous futuristic theme tune—an invitation to a generation of children to prepare themselves for a weekly dose of palpitating terror—has survived, but it's been gussied up with unnecessary orchestration, setting the tone for this attempt to update Doctor Who in the age of CGI. ... There are plenty of other good gags to prove this entertaining series doesn't take itself too seriously. When Rose goes into culture shock, she ruefully notes, "They're just so alien . . . the aliens." The Doctor has generally been played as a relentlessly cheery type, with a Peter Pan quality of prepubescent sexlessness—a geek whose brain beats brawn in every corner of the universe. Although this remake attempts to add tragic depth to the Doctor, it lacks true darkness. The early series overcame skimpy budgets to conjure the uncanny; this was cosmic horror as H.P. Lovecraft would have understood it. The real disappointment of the new Who isn't its use of (slightly) slick special effects, though. It's a structural problem: Instead of stretching a storyline across a whole season, each adventure is resolved within a single episode, making this closer to your average detective series. The thrill-filled cliffhangers of yore are gone, taking with them with the child's urge to watch TV from behind the sofa, breath bated."

Detroit Free Press: "The British cult favorite is about a mysterious time traveler who bops across the spectrum of time, battling aliens and monsters while piloting a spaceship shaped like a London phone booth. It is reborn in a spiffy new version that first aired in North America on CBC in 2005. This time Christopher Eccleston ('28 Days') is the intrepid scientific adventurer. The Doctor is joined by his companion and instant soul mate Rose (Billie Piper), brought together by cockeyed fate as their 13-episode odyssey blasts off with witty good spirits. "

Chicago Tribune: "Despite a few missteps, there's much to recommend this fast-paced edition of 'Doctor Who,' the first brand-new TV season of Britain's long-running 'Who' franchise in many years. As the Doctor, a space traveler who pops all over the universe having adventures and fighting bad guys, Christopher Eccleston has a cheeky, spiky charm and more than a dash of sex appeal. As the Doctor's companion, Rose Tyler, English pop star-turned-actress Billie Piper brings a winning combination of dogged sincerity and working-class irreverence to her role. Having said that, it's a good thing that Sci Fi is running two episodes of this updated 'Doctor Who' on Friday: The first episode starts out with promising chills, but the resolution of the paper-thin plot is far too predictable. And though the story in the second episode isn't terribly complex, the dialogue and pop-culture satire throughout is entertaining (who would have thought Britney Spears' 'Toxic' would ever appear on a 'Doctor Who' soundtrack?). All in all, new head 'Who' writer Russell T. Davies has done the Doctor a service by making him a multilayered, sometimes sarcastic, sometimes troubled hero who's comfortable in modern-day, multicultural London -- and in the rest of the galaxy too, where evil never sleeps

Gannett News Service (via Cincinnati Enquirer): "Look out, America: The Doctor is ready to make house calls again. No, this isn't some new wrinkle in your HMO coverage. This is THE Doctor, legendary Time Lord hero of the British science-fiction television series 'Doctor Who.' The program, which ran from 1963 to 1989, was revived last year by the British Broadcasting Corp. and became a huge ratings success in Great Britain. Now Americans can see why, as the Sci Fi Channel begins broadcasting the first 13-episode season today. You may think you know the original 'Doctor Who' - an eccentric curly-haired alien in a floppy hat and overlong scarf, an undertone of campiness, and production values on a par with the original 'Star Trek.' Well, you can forget all that. The new 'Doctor Who' brings the series into the new millennium, which means top-notch special effects and mature writing. The core of the story remains the same: The Doctor is a cosmic wanderer who travels through time and space in the TARDIS, a bigger-on-the-inside spaceship disguised as a blue British police box. Along the way, he becomes embroiled in alien invasions and other nefarious goings-on. He relies on his wits, not muscle or guns. The strength of 'Doctor Who' has always been its limitless formula: Stories can be set in the past, present or future, on any planet. One of the show's genius ideas is 'regeneration': When near death, a Time Lord can renew his entire body. The concept has allowed several actors to play the role (including Tom Baker, wild-eyed wearer of the 14-foot scarf, who held the role the longest). The new 'Doctor Who' stars British actor Christopher Eccleston - best known to American audiences for films such as '28 Days Later' and 'The Others.' Gone are the pseudo-Edwardian attitudes and dress. This Doctor can be dark and brooding, a working-class bloke in a leather jacket bearing the psychological scars of a great Time War."

Scripps-Howard News Service: "His time-travel ship _ it only looks like a police call box _ remains bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. He's still very funny and wise and has a kid-like fascination with the universe. He's an immortal who knows everything about everything but fumbles in his relationships. Just in time, the Doctor is back. And 'Doctor Who' fans will discover much hasn't changed about the long-running BBC series. The latest version makes its U.S. broadcast premiere at 9 p.m. Friday on the Sci-Fi network. (The 13-episode season premiered in 2005 in the United Kingdom, and a new season is now in production there.) Some things have been updated for the 21st-century version. A nice touch is when Rose (Billie Piper), the newest companion for the Doctor (Chris Eccleston), asks about that police call box. This fancy phone booth with a door is no longer a common sight in this age of cell phones. But it's the things that haven't changed that makes this version work. Eccleston approaches his incarnation of the Doctor with the maverick approach of Tom Baker, the spirit of Sylvester McCoy and the wide-eyed enthusiasm of Peter Davison. Those are some of the stars who played the Doctor way back in the 20th century. ... The Daleks have been around since the 1960s on 'Doctor Who.' The difference is the latest episode makes you feel compassion for a Dalek. Even a tin man has a heart. That's not too surprising. Everything's always bigger on the inside than it is on the outside on 'Doctor Who.'"

The Arkansas Democrat Gazette: "Who? Doctor Who, that's who. There are a couple of generations who have enjoyed the adventures of Doctor Who. The BBC science fiction show that began in 1963 has been updated with 13 new episodes. They kick off on Sci-Fi Channel with a twohour premiere at 8 p. m. Friday. Who, played this round by Christopher Eccleston, is a mysterious time-traveler known only as 'the Doctor.' His comely traveling companion is Rose Tyler, played by the comely Billie Piper. The Doctor and Rose travel about risking life and limb, battling aliens and monsters and generally saving mankind and life as we know it. Eccleston plays the Doctor as 'wise, funny and brave -- an adventurer in time and space.' He's the man to call on when there's danger about, but he's a klutz at human relationships. That's where Rose comes in. Rose is a shop girl from the present day who is trapped in a drab, boring existence. Naturally, the Doctor's life of adventures across the universe is appealing to her and the pair hit it off. How do they pull off all this zipping about ? With a TARDIS, of course. It's sort of like a phone booth, but it stands for a Time and Relative Dimensions In Space machine. And it's the last one in the universe. Let the new adventures begin."

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "If 'Doctor Who' sparks a bit of recognition, you're probably recalling a cheesy British sci-fi series that ran on PBS stations in the 1960s. Travel through time to present day, and 'Doctor Who' is back -- and not just because this alien Time Lord, the last of his race, has the power to regenerate. BBC execs thought they could update the series, take a giant leap in production values and regenerate ratings, and they were right. Now in the second season of its latest incarnation -- and already with a change in lead actors, from Christopher Eccleston in Season 1 to David Tennant in Season 2 -- it's a smashing success in England. Starting Friday, Eccleston & Co. arrive on Sci-Fi Channel Fridays at 9 p.m. while the two 'Stargate' series and 'Battlestar Galactica' are in reruns. ... This Doctor laughs at danger a little too readily for a guy who has experienced the end of his world, although the fact that he started life as a grandfatherly fellow in 1963 and he's fit and still flitting about in 2006 could be the reason. Some of the pop-culture humor and creatures owe a nod to 'Farscape,' but the camp level is high and can be mighty funny (take, for example, a huge dis of Michael Jackson, referenced as a creature that's just skin, eyes and mouth)."

Alibi.com: "The Sci-Fi Channel scores some street cred (on, you know, nerdy streets) by importing the latest season of the BBC's looooong-running series."

Daily Free Press, Boston University: "It seems there's always some new British invasion to follow on the heels of the last new British invasion: The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, punk-rock, '80s electronica pop, the Spice Girls and platform shoes, emo European mullet-wearing bands, etc. But the real new new British invasion has nothing to do with music, and everything to do with the boob tube the Brits call telly. The BBC has had a remarkable last couple of years, and now the programming is finally hitting stateside. On March 17th, Little Britain and Doctor Who, two hot British properties, will vie for your attention with their season premieres, and no matter which one you choose, you'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll wonder how you ever lived without them. ... More than other sci-fi shows of its kind, the new Doctor Who provides a cutting social commentary on everything from plastic surgery to sexuality, politics to media sensationalism. Airing on the Sci-Fi network may box the dramedy series in and keep away a more broad audience, but with NBC Universal behind the franchise stateside, the series is certain to enjoy ample promotion and popularity when it comes out on DVD this summer."

IF Magazine: "Fans of the various other incarnations of DOCTOR WHO will not be disappointed by the latest version of the hit series coming to the States courtesy of the BBC and the Sci Fi Channel. This time around Christopher Eccleston (28 DAYS LATER) fills the shoes of that wacky time and space traveling Dr., and Billie Piper joins him as his female sidekick Rose. The first U.S. aired episode of this series premieres tomorrow at 9pm PST on the Sci Fi Channel. The series has already completed it's first season run in the UK to tremendous reviews, so we have to play a bit of catch up with it here in the US. This version of WHO maintains several classic elements of the series that fans have known and loved for decades. The Tardis is still the good Doctor's form of transportation, though the inside has seen a bit of an overhaul from the last version. The Doctor himself is still a unique quirky individual who is not quite a ‘normal' human and doesn't quite blend in with the population around him. The perspective with which this series is shown is from the point of view of Rose, who through a series of misadventures joins the Doctor in this first episode. Rose is attractive, plucky, intelligent, and has a great sense of humor in the face of extraordinary circumstances. ... Once again Sci Fi Channel, as with their other series BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, has brought a worthwhile character driven science fiction series to television. The characters make the series worth watching, and seeing how they react to everything and everyone around them only makes it more entertaining. If all episodes of the upcoming season are as well done as the first, we have a great ride ahead for Americans that haven't yet found a way to see this series. There are few science fiction series worth watching on TV, but the Sci Fi Channel seems to have a corner on the market of the best ones out there."

Time Out New York: "A classic Hollywood joke tells of the aspiring actress so dumb that she slept with the writer. It's not a joke often heard in the world of British television, where networks pursue top creative talents with the same fervor as NBA teams courting free agents. Case in point: Russell T. Davies, the man behind the original Queer as Folk and other groundbreaking gay-themed programs, who the BBC has long sought to poach from his home at rival network ITV. 'They used to come to me and say, ‘Do you want to adapt Dickens? Write a detective show?'' Davies says, speaking from his home in Manchester. 'I said, ‘No, I want to bring back Doctor Who--that's the only program I want to write for the BBC.'' ... After years of haggling, Davies fulfilled his dream with a reinterpretation of the series that premiered in the U.K. a year ago and makes its American debut Friday 17 on Sci Fi. Despite Doctor Who's iconic status in British pop culture, Davies was worried that people would have trouble taking a revival seriously. 'In the 16 years it had been offscreen, [Doctor Who's] reputation had become a bit of a joke,' Davies explains. 'I told them, in this day and age, given how beautiful Battlestar Galactica and Farscape are, you can't bring it back on a cheap budget--this has got to look as good as all the best American stuff. Thank God [the BBC was] behind that right from the start.' ... Above all, Davies says he wanted to treat the Doctor as a figure who has entered the realm of British folklore--like Robin Hood or Sherlock Holmes--and not as part of a mere franchise. 'Whatever shape television takes in the future, I just hope there will be someone saying. ‘Oh, I loved this 40 years ago, I want to bring it back,'' he says. 'That would be the best reward of the lot, I think.'"

Tampa Tribune: "Doctor Who hits the ground running tonight. ... 'Doctor Who,' the long-running BBC series, is back and updated for modern consumption. Thirteen episodes made last year in Britain will air on the Sci-Fi Channel on Fridays beginning at 9 tonight. The new incarnation of this classic character captures the charm of the original. The series has decent special effects while maintaining the campy, slightly cheesy appeal that made the original a hit in the 1960s and '70s. ... He is the ninth incarnation of the TV Doctor. Those familiar with the series may find Eccleston an unsettling choice at first. He's a tall, lanky fellow with big ears and a thin, sort of geeky face. But viewers will soon warm to this cheeky, cheerful blue-collar bloke dressed in leather jacket and jeans. Actress Billie Piper, who plays his new traveling companion, Rose, is a scene stealer and tougher than previous helpers who had to be rescued by the Doctor. This time around, she has to rescue him."

The St Louis Post Dispatch: "The mysterious time traveler known only as the Doctor turns up in his latest incarnation (played by Christopher Eccleston) in a 13-part British series making its U.S. debut. With companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), this Doctor, as did his predecessors, travels space and time, risking death and dangers, battling aliens and monsters."

Deseret News, Utah: "Doctor Who is the newest old show on TV. Or the oldest new show. This British import is the latest incarnation of the good doctor, who has appeared in various forms played by various actors since 1963. This time 'round Christopher Eccleston steps into the role of the mysterious time-and-space traveler who's both mysterious and humorous, in a quirky kind of way. This 13-episode series is not so much a continuation as a new beginning. (Even if you've never seen a single episode of any of the previous incarnations, you won't feel like you've missed anything.) In the first of two episodes airing tonight on Sci Fi (7 and 8 p.m., repeated at 9 and 10 p.m.), the Doctor meets Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), who has an unfortunate encounter with mannequins that's part of a plot to invade and conquer Earth. In the second hour, they go 5 billion years in the future, and there's trouble there, too. This isn't 'Star Trek' or 'Battlestar Galactica.' It's a decidedly British sensibility that mixes some state-of-the-art effects with stuff that looks, well, decidedly cheesy. And it's an odd combination of action, adventure and wackiness -- an odd combination that somehow works. 'Doctor Who' fans will want to see this new version. And it will make fans out of people who are new to the franchise."

Film Fodder: "While 'Battlestar Galactica,' 'Stargate SG-1' and 'Stargate Atlantis' are on break, the SciFi Channel is betting on 'Doctor Who' to keep viewers watching. Tonight the cable channel will air the two-hour premiere of the BBC series. It's been throwing little bits of info about the show and its stars at us all week to peek our interest. ... According to the SciFi Channel, Russell T. Davies, executive producer and lead writer of the new 'Doctor Who,' attributed much of the show's initial success to the winning chemistry between Christopher Eccleston ('28 Days Later'), who plays the eccentric Time Lord, and Billie Piper ('Spirit Trap'), who plays his companion, Rose Tyler. Eccleston didn't stick around for the second season, though. David Tennant has taken up the task as the tenth incarnation of the good Doctor. Production of the second season is underway in the UK with a rumored air date of April 15th on the BBC. I've never been a huge 'Who' fan. I didn't find Tom Baker (the fourth Doctor) and that horrid scarf of his very appealing. Since it was all that seemed to air when I was a kid (very young - I was very young at the time! and they were reruns!), I just didn't get in to the show. When the fifth Doctor came around, the whole thing didn't make a lot of sense to me so I just stuck to reruns of the original 'Battlestar Galactica' (when Richard Hatch was Apollo) and 'Buck Rogers.' Perhaps now - six Doctors later - I might give 'Who' another try. With my beloved 'Battlestar' on break until October (ack!) and 'SG-1' and 'Atlantis' gone until July, I'll set my TiVo for 'Who' to fill the void. I doubt I'll watch it live, though. Heck, it's Saint Patty's Day! I'm not supposed to be sitting home anyway - or something. 'Doctor Who' airs tonight on SciFi at 9pm ET/10pm CT after a re-run of 'SG-1.' If you're recording it, note that the 'two-hour premiere' is listed as two episodes ('Rose' and 'The End of the World') so be sure to get them both."

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg)

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has posted classifications for the special features for the UK DVD release of Inferno starring Jon Pertwee, due out later this year. Totalling just under 90 minutes, these are:

Some of the press clips from the past few days from the UK are below (the bulk of the coverage this week has been in America):

Eclipse Magazine featured an exclusive interview this week with John Barrowman, last year's second Doctor Who companion and now star of the forthcoming "Torchwood" spinoff. "'It was like a childhood dream, because I'd grown up watching the show,' he says with obvious excitement. 'I've loved the show even from when I lived in Glasgow. My first actual episode that I recall was about the Autons, the shop dummies which were in the first episode of the new series. ... I think those fans who are my age and older will come immediately to 'Doctor Who' and I think they'll have a great love for it, as the 'Whovian' fans in the UK have. It has every element that speaks to the kids and also speaks to the adults. The kind of subliminal stuff goes over the kids' heads and hits the adults in the face - that's the only way I can describe it and that's why the series works so brilliantly.' ... What about the British humour? Barrowman is unconcerned about the specifically British references. It doesn't matter if the American audience doesn't get them, he says. 'But,' he continues firmly, 'I absolutely think they will get them because shows like 'Absolutely Fabulous' and 'The Office' have been great successes in America. So they do understand British humour, and that's why Americans love the Brits so much - it's something quirky and different from what they are used to.' The TV viewers aren't the only fans of the show; Barrowman says that the entire cast and crew have grown up with the various incarnations of 'Doctor Who' and have loved the show since they were children. And, it seems, everyone is trying to get in on this successful act. 'Special effects people are fighting to be involved,' Barrowman says. 'They are banging down the door. I have got people who write to me and send me treatment scripts to pass on to Russell [T Davies, writer] because they want to be involved with this show. It's a huge, huge, huge, huge, big deal!' ... Even though Jack has been brought back from the dead, he won't feature in the second season of the new 'Doctor Who'. The character made such an impression on both the audience and the producers that he will be heading up a spin-off show, 'Torchwood', due to start filming in April. The show will feature three other regular characters, including Gwen Cooper, played by Eve Myles, as Jack's female counterpart. Barrowman is thrilled about this project too. 'I am just totally so excited about it,' he says. 'The script is really good.' Described as a darker, sexier, more adult science fiction show, 'Torchwood' focuses on a renegade team investigating human and alien crime, and extraterrestrial technology that has fallen to Earth. After filming the spin-off, Barrowman will be returning to 'Doctor Who' for the third season, with David Tennant continuing to play The Doctor. The two met while Barrowman was appearing in the pantomime 'Cinderella' during the winter

Something we at Outpost Gallifrey missed last week... Bonnie Langford was voted out of ITV's "Dancing on Ice" shortly before its conclusion. Says the ITV site, "Whatever people say about Bonnie, one thing is for sure: she has provided us with some of the most spectacular performances we've seen on the ice. But tonight, those spectacular routines were brought to an unceremonious end when you decided that Gaynor and Stefan should go forward to dance Bolero. But despite coming up short so close to the finishing line, the judges favourite refused to be downheartened. 'I'm disappointed for Matt because we had a fabulous routine,' an upbeat Bonnie babbled after Phil delivered the bad news. 'It would have been beautiful and I would have done him proud.' But bendy Bonnie rightly refused to be downbeat about coming third in the competition. 'This has been so life changing for me,' she went on. 'I've touched so many people, which has been brilliant. 'And now I'm going to play Roxy Hart in Chicago!'" Langford was one of two Doctor Who actors (the other being John Barrowman) on the program this year.

The April issue of BBC Focus Magazine, the monthly magazine by the BBC on science and technology, has a large section devoted to the science of Dr. Who. From the blurb: "The Science of Doctor Who: As a new Doctor and a new series hit our screens, BBC Focus asks the questions that really matter: could we regenerate, have cybernetic implants, or get a robot dog?"

Yesterday's LegalWeek seems to have discovered the Cybus Corporation fan site that has made the rounds in Doctor Who fandom. "Regular readers will know all about the utilitarian paradise that is the staff canteen at SJ Berwin, as well as the firm's recent move to flash new digs on the muddy banks of the Thames, where an increasing share of the City's most expensive suits -- sorry, finest minds -- have recently been gathering. Indeed, last week The Diary received an anonymous e-mail, titled ‘Reasons not to visit SJ Berwin's new office', drawing attention to the City firm's latest neighbours -- the shadowy Cybus Corporation, whose website appears to show the company's offices located pretty much next door. The Diary shuddered deep inside its anorak, however, when a closer look revealed Cybus to be home of the fearsome Cybermen, whose ruthless robot army lumbered across screens in the 1980s to bring their unique brand of unconvincing terror to Doctor Who viewers everywhere. It seems fans of the sci-fi classic put the website together ahead of the imminent new series -- which features updated Cybermen (albeit with the same silver-painted cricketer's batting gloves for hands) -- and settled on SJ Berwin as the ideal neighbour for the headquarters of the fictional business. The Diary realises that making an easy jibe about law firms converting people into mindless robots intent on world domination would be somewhat akin to shooting suicidal fish in a particularly restrictive barrel -- and will therefore resist, especially seeing as SJ Berwin is not even a magic circle firm at all."

Yesterday's Metro, the London free newspaper, has a short piece on Bob Baker, writer of the Wallace and Gromit films and co-creator, with Dave Martin, of K9 in 1977. According to the article, Baker "now plans to write a TV drama about K-9 -- the robot dog from Dr Who".

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Chuck Foster, Steve Tribe, Tony Bellows, and Carole Gordon)

The official Doctor Who website has revealed the cover for the first volume of episodes from Series 2, which comprises 'The Christmas Invasion' and 'New Earth' and is scheduled for release on Monday 1 May. Says the site, "2Entertain have revealed their design for the first vanilla DVD release of the Tenth Doctor era. The disc will contain both the festive special The Christmas Invasion and New Earth, the first episode of the 2006 series. The DVD is expected to be released on 1 May 2006 although, as always, dates are subject to change. Four further DVDs will be released, each containing three episodes apiece, before a complete, extras-enhanced set becomes available at the end of the year."

This week's edition of trade magazine Broadcast reports today on a production change for Series Three when production begins in July: BBC Wales has invested 500,000 pound in "tapeless workflow technology" for post-production work. According to Broadcast, "The Unity ISIS media network storage system is expected to allow large numbers of people in a facility to browse, edit and manage media files from their editing system or computer. All files will be digitised and stored centrally so that footage can be ingested as soon as it is shot. Programmes can then be directly played out from the system to air." The report also says that "It is not yet confirmed whether the third series of Doctor Who - which starts shooting in July - will be filmed in SD or HD, although it's widely believed that a tapeless workflow would lend its self well to an HD-shot show." The full article is available at the website. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)

This evening's summation, coverage of the new series' debut in the US:

The Sci-Fi Channel's Schedulebot (the broadcast schedule printed online) has changed slightly, now calling the March 17 9pm premiere "Rose & The End Of The World (2-hr Prem)". The repeats from 11:30PM to 1:30AM on the 19th, 10AM to Noon on the 20th, and Midnight to 2AM late Thursday the 23rd show them as 2 separate episodes, but the debut is listed as a two-hour broadcast.

The channel's Sci Fi Wire has featured two articles today about the new series. The first: "Russell T. Davies, producer of the new Doctor Who, told SCI FI Wire that one of his priorities was to create a series that would be taken seriously as a mainstream drama. The original incarnation, which was canceled by the BBC in the late '80s after 26 seasons, was regarded by some executives as a bit of a joke in later years. 'That's very true,' Davies said in an interview. 'But all of those people are now gone, so I have to say the opposite is now true. Frankly, I have to say, the terrifying thing about this time last year was that we had just spent all that money on it. Doctor Who has a good budget; it's not the biggest budget in the world, but for the BBC to make 13 episodes of something with this sized budget is very rare. I literally can't think of another example, so an awful lot of faith and trust had been put into it. We were also put in the prime-time slot, so expectations were actually massive, and this time last year was truly scary.' Doctor Who premiered in the United Kingdom last year and became a huge hit. 'The interesting thing about when the BBC approached me, I was amazed that they wanted the same thing that I did, which was that they also wanted the series to be on in prime time. You could have done a 9 o'clock, post-watershed version of Doctor Who on BBC2, which is one of our smaller channels, a more niche or elite channel, and that would have created a much more adult Doctor Who, much more like the new Battlestar Galactica, or they could have commissioned something with a much smaller budget for, say, BBC3, which is a wild youth-based channel, in which case, Doctor Who would have been possibly a [bit] Monty Python: very wild and extreme and even a bit radical and much more comedy-based. But I was delighted that they put it on for the primary channel, which is BBC1, on Saturday night.' As it turned out, the vision that Davies had for the series—about an eccentric Time Lord (played by Christopher Eccleston) traveling through time and space, accompanied by companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) in a ship disguised as a police call box—struck an immediate chord when it debuted in its Saturday-night timeslot. 'I know it isn't the same in the States, but in Britain, Saturday night is the ratings war night, in which we play Pop Idol [similar to the U.S. American Idol] and all the big entertainment shows, the Dance Fever shows. It's the biggest battleground of all, so the fact the BBC was investing in it so much by putting it in that prime-time slot very much determined what it should be, which is very much the sort of Doctor Who that I wanted to make anyway, which was a very inclusive version, which would include all sorts of viewers, not just niche science-fiction viewers, but was a great big, bold, wild family drama. So I was lucky that the constellations were in the right shape.' Doctor Who begins its first-season U.S. run on SCI FI Channel starting at 9 p.m. ET/PT on March 17."

The second Sci Fi Wire article, called "Star Was Who Virgin," published this evening: "Christopher Eccleston admitted that he wasn't a big fan of Doctor Who before signing on for the role. 'As a child, I felt that the Doctor was a bit too authoritarian for my taste,' said the actor, whose episodes begin airing on SCI FI Channel at 9 p.m. ET/PT on March 17. 'Because I didn't have a camp sensibility, the wobbly-sets thing made me think, 'Oh, I just don't believe in that!' And [I] ended up watching Star Trek instead. But now I look at the old DVDs, and I've become a massive fan. I think it's a fantastic series, and I'm proud to be part of it.' Eccleston spoke at a news conference last year, before the first season of Doctor Who aired in the United Kingdom. Eccleston is the ninth actor to officially play the Doctor, following in the tradition of William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann. After hearing that producer Russell T. Davies was reviving Doctor Who for the BBC, Eccleston quickly got in touch and asked to be considered for the role. 'I'm a fan of Russell's writing and worked with him on The Second Coming, so I e-mailed him and said, 'When you draw up your audition list, put my name on it.' In a way, it was a crazy thing to do, but I really wanted to work with Russell again.' Eccleston soon discovered that playing the Doctor was a demanding job. 'I think I got away pretty injury-free, but it is a very physical role, and I enjoyed that,' he said. 'Billie Piper [who plays the Doctor's companion, Rose Tyler,] has a lot of the more complicated performance stuff to do in terms of reacting to this extraordinary creature that is the Doctor, but I'm kind of the mental and physical energy. If we rehearsed a scene, often we'd have to find out where he was going to go, which wall he was going to bounce off, and then everybody else would feed off that energy, either undercutting it or topping it. That's why it's such a tiring role, because of that constant balls-of-your-feet acting.' The first 13-episode season of Doctor Who was a ratings success when it first aired in the United Kingdom last year. American viewers will be able to decide for themselves when it begins its SCI FI Channel run. The second season of Doctor Who is currently wrapping up production in the U.K. and will begin airing there in April on BBC1, with David Tennant replacing Eccleston, who left the series at the end of season one."

The San Jose Mercury News has a feature on the new series (which has also been reprinted widely across the country in other newspapers): "As his devoted fans know, Doctor Who always has been capable of a pretty good disappearing act. But the last one he pulled - back on Dec. 6, 1989 - went on a bit longer than expected. On Friday, when the good Doctor starts reappearing in new episodes on the Sci Fi channel (at 10 p.m. EST), it will have been 16 years since the last episode of the original 'Doctor Who,' perhaps the most curious cult classic in the history of television, was produced. Over its first 26 years, the series about an enigmatic time-and-space traveler featured eight very different actors in the lead role, along with wonderfully loopy, 1960s-hip dialogue and some of the worst special effects ever, including aliens made of inflated condoms. A huge hit in Great Britain, 'Doctor Who' didn't surface in this country until the late 1970s, when it became a staple of Saturday night programming on many PBS stations. But despite the pleas of the faithful, there were no new episodes anywhere until last year, when Russell T. Davies, the powerhouse British writer-producer of such shows as the original 'Queer as Folk,' finally persuaded the BBC to let him take a shot at reviving the franchise with some modern twists. Much to the surprise of the BBC, Davies' take on 'Doctor Who' became one of the most-watched series on British TV. (More than 10 million viewers - 40 percent of the audience in Britain - watched the debut, and a second season already has started there.) And now the show returns to America with the 13 episodes that made up Davies' first season on the BBC. The good news for longtime fans is that he hasn't mucked around with the quirky essence of 'Doctor Who' that much, while giving it a more polished look. The Doctor, as he always is referred to in the series, still is the last surviving member of a race wiped out in a time war (don't even ask) and still is going through various dimensions with a goofy grin and a passion for trying to right wrongs. He doesn't always get it right - in earlier episodes, he was partially responsible for Nero's burning of Rome, the Great Fire of London and the appearance of the Loch Ness monster - but he tries. He also still travels with a comely assistant in the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space), a space-time craft that's large and comfy inside even if it looks like a 1950s British phone booth on the outside. And his opponents - including Daleks, his longest-running foes - are still the funniest, least-threatening group of bad guys in science fiction history. What has changed is that this Doctor, as played in the first season by Christopher Eccleston from 'Elizabeth' and '28 Days Later,' is more robust and active than his predecessors. His latest assistant, a London shopgirl named Rose Tyler (pop singer Billie Piper), is as much the hero as the Doctor, coming off as Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a British accent. The special effects are computer-generated and state-of-the-art - although part of that art is paying homage to the cheese-ball originals by not making the effects look too good. In Friday's episode, for example, the Doctor battles amusingly robotic department store mannequins and a big blob of pulsating plastic. Best of all, the new episodes (or at least the two that Sci Fi sent out for review) retain the fun of the original 'Doctor Who.' If you're looking for allegorical, intriguing science fiction, this isn't it. If you're OK with rapid-fire, light-hearted dialogue with an occasional dig at politics and culture, this 'Doctor Who' is your cup of tea. Don't get too used to Eccleston as the Doctor, though. The actor bowed out after one year and already has been replaced by David Tennant ('Viva Blackpool' and Barty Crouch Jr. in the most recent 'Harry Potter' film). But even that is in keeping with the show's tradition. Good to see that things are back to what stands for normal in the world of TARDIS, Daleks and Doctor Who."

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg and Benjamin Elliott)

The latest installment of This Week in Doctor Who, the weekly guide to Doctor Who on television in the UK, North America and elsewhere, for March 16, 2006 has now been posted. Click here to read it.

Costume designer June Hudson, whose extensive repetoire of costume designs include many of Tom Baker's most famous accoutrements in later seasons of his tenure on "Doctor Who" as well as work on such series as "Eastenders," "The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin," "Survivors" and "Blake's 7," will be instructing a class on designing for SF film and television at the University of Redlands in southern California, which will include an exhibition of her work on Doctor Who from March 29 through May 2. Says the release from the university, "The culminating project of her class will be to design costumes for Shada, and both her own drawings and student work for this project will be featured on one of the university's web pages." Meanwhile, on May 20, the Armacost Library at the University of Redlands will be hosting a one-day exhibition, including a panel on science fiction design that will involve Hudson as well as designer Chrisi Karvonides (Carnivale, Birds of Prey), on May 20. The university will also be publishing a catalogue of the drawings in the show, with extensive new interview material with Hudson and many previously unpublished images. For further details on these events and the catalogue, contact Piers Britton at the University of Redlands via email. Outpost Gallifrey will also feature further information and visuals at a later date. (Thanks to Piers Britton and Mariko Chang)

The US-based Sci Fi Channel, in anticipation of the series' debut this Friday, March 17, has run several additional trailers for the series, two of which debuted during the channel's season finale night last Friday. One of the trailers notes that the Doctor is "not here to save the universe... He's just enjoying it while it lasts". So far, at least four different trailer spots have been discovered on the channel, but at the moment, only the original is online on the website.

The channel's website has also released a quick, web-only behind-the-scenes video featuring brief interview clips with executive producers Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner and producer Phil Collinson, some of which is shot in the TARDIS control room set. The video plays in Flash animation from the front page of the website.

Sci Fi Wire, the channel's online news service, ran a feature article today calling the timing "right" for the series to return. "Russell T. Davies, executive producer of the hit British SF series Doctor Who, told SCI FI Wire that his revival of the long-running BBC series came about after years of waiting for the right opportunity. 'I think the BBC had their eye on it as a very good property that could be resurrected,' Davies said in an interview. 'And the drama department as well as the controller of BBC1, wanted to work with me, which sounds very arrogant, but it's the truth. They'd been asking me to write all sorts of things; every year, they'd phone up and say, 'Do you want to want to adapt A Tale of Two Cities? or 'do you want to write another series about gay men?' [Davies was best known for his series Queer as Folk.] Or something like that, and every year I quite confidently (and cheekily) sat there and said, 'No, I just want to do Doctor Who!' The original Doctor Who was canceled in 1989 after 26 seasons, but continued to live on in novels, radio plays, audio dramas and a 1996 TV movie starring Paul McGann in the lead role. A number of producers had approached the BBC with their own ideas for a possible revival, but Davies insisted that he didn't have a direction in mind until after he came on board. 'Once they asked me to do it and commissioned me, I came up with my take on it, and the miracle from my point of view was that I was given a clean slate,' he said. Davies added: 'My only wariness in going to work for the BBC, especially on an in-house production, is that the BBC is a labyrinthine organization. I was very wary of the red tape, the committees, focus groups and all the systems that were in place. But, to my astonishment, I discovered that the opposite was true. When I did my treatment, I didn't have to go through 27 different committees, so I was given an enormous amount of freedom, and then they followed that up by backing it with a budget, which again was my worry. I didn't want to do a cheap version of Doctor Who, but the heads of various departments and the heads of certain channels all wanted the same thing, so everyone was in the right place, and I was lucky enough to be the one they wanted.' The first season of Doctor Who will debut on SCI FI Channel with episodes one ('Rose') and two ('The End of the World') airing back to back, starting at 9 p.m. ET/PT on March 17. 'We actually asked for that in this country [Great Britain],' Davies said. 'Mind you, we only asked for it, like, two weeks before transmission, when everything was fixed in stone, so they laughed us out of the building. But I think it's a brilliant idea!' As Doctor Who begins airing on SCI FI Channel, the show is currently wrapping production on its second season in South Wales and will air in the United Kingdom soon."

Finally... could a second-season airing be in the cards this year instead of next? Sci Fi recently confirmed that its flagship original series "Battlestar Galactica" would not be returning for its third season until October 2006, though its Friday night partner series, "Stargate SG-1" and "Stargate Atlantis" will in fact be back for their next seasons in July (as Sci Fi usually splits each season in two and runs the first half in the summer.) This has led to speculation that "Doctor Who" might, if its popularity warrants, be back for more episodes as early as this summer. As always, we must stress that nothing has been confirmed on this.

Warner Home Video has, at long last, officially announced the release of Doctor Who: The Complete First Series for American audiences. The DVD set was originally due out on February 14 but, due to the acquisition of the program by the Sci-Fi Channel, it was delayed in the US until July, though still receiving wide release in Canada; now, WHV, has announced the release confirmed for July 4, 2006 (although it's very likely that the DVD would not be on shelves until July 5, considering that July 4 is a US holiday) as catalog #E2501. The US release will be identical to the Canadian set with no difference whatsoever.

More U.S. Debut Coverage

Eclipse Magazine has run a second story, a review of the new series. At the end of the wrapup, it states "The new 'Doctor Who' keeps everything that was great about the show's original run, while bringing it into the twenty-first century: technologically, attitudinally, and in terms of taking it for granted that the audience is actually intelligent enough to not require its being led by the hand. The creative team's writing is terrific; the cast is superb; the direction is top notch, and the result is thirteen hours of high entertainment. Frankly, I cannot recommend 'Doctor Who' highly enough. Acquiring it is the smartest move Sci Fi has made since greenlighting 'Battlestar Galactica.'" Read the full article at the site.

The Village Voice notes, "In the U.K., this series about a time-traveling sleuth is as much of a stone-cold classic as The Twilight Zone is here. It's also equally period-bound, bringing to mind the black-and-white series of the late '60s and early '70s, with those fakey sets and sinister electronic background music. The famous futuristic theme tune -- an invitation to a generation of children to prepare themselves for a weekly dose of palpitating terror -- has survived, but it's been gussied up with unnecessary orchestration, setting the tone for this attempt to update Doctor Who in the age of CGI. ... The Doctor has generally been played as a relentlessly cheery type, with a Peter Pan quality of prepubescent sexlessness -- a geek whose brain beats brawn in every corner of the universe. Although this remake attempts to add tragic depth to the Doctor, it lacks true darkness. The early series overcame skimpy budgets to conjure the uncanny; this was cosmic horror as H.P. Lovecraft would have understood it. The real disappointment of the new Who isn't its use of (slightly) slick special effects, though. It's a structural problem: Instead of stretching a storyline across a whole season, each adventure is resolved within a single episode, making this closer to your average detective series. The thrill-filled cliffhangers of yore are gone, taking with them with the child's urge to watch TV from behind the sofa, breath bated."

Arizona's AZ Central says, "Look out, America: The Doctor is ready to make house calls again. ... The new 'Doctor Who' brings the series into the new millennium, which means top-notch special effects and mature writing chock-full of delights that adults and kids can both enjoy. ... The strength of 'Doctor Who' has always been its limitless formula. Unlike most programs, 'Doctor Who' stories can be set anywhere in the past, present or future, on any planet. Plots can range from action-adventures to humorous romps to dead-serious character pieces - but the best offerings (especially in the new series) mix moments of all three. ... Be aware that the first episode (the appropriately titled 'Rose') may be the weakest of the series - the plot suffers somewhat when there are so many characters and concepts that need to be introduced. But the next 12 episodes build on each other to become a whirlwind trip: Earth's last day in the far future, ghost-hunting with Charles Dickens, fighting an alien takeover of the British government, and a confrontation with the ruthless robotic Daleks. (Actor David Tennant has taken over the role of the Doctor for the second season, which will begin broadcasting soon in Great Britain.) For good old-fashioned escapism - something that makes you laugh, cry and think - 'Doctor Who' is the trip of a lifetime. Here's hoping audiences on this side of the Atlantic will think so, too." The article, with minor changes, also ran in the Indianapolis Star.

North Jersey.com says "The Time Lord has entered a new age. Christopher Eccleston becomes the latest actor to do a turn in 'Dr. Who' a 13-episode update from Britain on the cult classic. The funny and brave doctor has a detached logic that gives him a vital edge when the world's in danger. So let the adventures begin. (9p.m. Friday, Sci Fi Channel)"

Miscellaneous

Life Style Extra today says that "Renee Zellweger has reportedly lined up a dinner date with British actor Christopher Eccleston. The stunning actress - who is in England filming a Beatrix Potter biopic -asked the hunky star to take her on a traditional English date. The pair are said to be planning to sample some typical English fayre at Manchester's famous Mr Thomas's Crop House as soon as Renee finishes shooting. A source told Britain's Daily Star newspaper: "Renee and Chris have been pals for years but because they email or phone, no one realised. 'They met while he was promoting '28 Days Later' about four years ago. Renee is really cool and down to earth and they stayed in touch.' The screen beauty is also said to be a huge fan of Eccleston's work, which includes popular British sci-fi series 'Doctor Who'. The source added: "She watched all his shows - 'Our Friends In The North', 'Cracker' and 'The Second Coming' - and she got quite nerdy about 'Doctor Who'. She thinks he's a fine actor. Renee arranged to meet Chris as soon as she knew she was filming in the UK.'"

Says Female First, "Jennifer Aniston has been voted the most unlucky in love celebrity. The former 'Friends' actress, who was ditched by husband Brad Pitt so he could romance Angelina Jolie, has topped a poll to find the star Cupid has smiled upon the least. Aniston beat long-term singleton Robbie Williams to the unwanted title, Nicole Kidman - whose ex-husband Tom Cruise is now engaged to the pregnant Katie Holmes - was named fourth, while British TV star Billie Piper rounded off the top five. ... The unhappy poll was conducted by internet gift site www.thedoghouse.co.uk."

Hemel Today is asking readers to "help find out what happened to at least one of those 'true' Daleks! You see, hemeltoday's Local History section contains a sub-section of pictures of Hemel in the 1960's and one of those pictures is of the Access Equipment Christmas party of 1964 which was attended by one Dalek, and it looks like a real true Dalek. Although the picture has been on Hemeltoday for a good three years now, it was only last week Gary Rymill and a team of fellow Dr Who and Dalek fans and experts found it through a web search. Gary's asked us for a full sized print and we're now searching our archives of negatives to find it. Gary told us: 'Down the years there have been many attempts to describe the developments of the Dalek props that were built for Doctor Who but the histories have contained inaccuracies and included some myths known to be false. Myself and a few others (some of us have links to the TV series production and others are merely keen enthusiasts) are setting out to see if we can piece together, once-and-for-all, what happened to the props and when. Whilst it is the case that through the decades about two dozen props of one kind or another have appeared on screen, there were actually only six 'true' Daleks originally built for TV in 1963/64. Those fibreglass originals survived in dwindling numbers through to 1988, with the addition of some new wooden dummies in the 70s and then cheap vac-formed ones in the 80s.'" The full article including photo is on their website.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Peter Weaver)

Has another title for series two been leaked out through the press? It looks that way; Newsquest Media Group's news feed, published widely in several UK newspapers, revealed in an article about the casting of comedian Peter Kay as the 'cold and powerful' Victor Kennedy in episode ten of the second season that "Filming will take place next month and the episode, entitled Love and Monsters, will be the final one to be filmed in Cardiff. It will probably be shown in June." This does jibe with what Outpost Gallifrey had heard rumored over the past several months (that the episode bore the word 'love' in the title), so we believe this to be the actual working title -- of course, it could change prior to transmission. (Other titles for episodes 8 and 11 -- first rumored in the Outpost's forum a few weeks ago and reprinted on various websites -- are incorrect; those titles have not yet leaked.)

Meanwhile, Outpost Gallifrey has been informed that a press launch for series two is, in fact, scheduled for March 28 in Cardiff. This will likely be another major extravaganza like last year's March debut of "Rose" in Cardiff attended widely by members of the press and used as spot feeds on various morning and news programmes. There were rumors elsewhere that there would be trailers shown this past weekend, which were contrary to what the Outpost has been told about the BBC's press plans this year. A mid-April target date (possibly April 15) for series two's debut, as we first reported was being widely rumored in the press in late 2005, is still very likely.

Also... buried in the press release announcing Peter Kay was a new name, heretofore unmentioned by other casting reports: Danny Webb, whose film credits include "Henry V" and "Alien 3" and on TV in "Brookside" and "Our Friends in the North". There is currently no word on which story he'll be in, although it's possible it's the two-parter concluded in "The Satan Pit".

Doctor Who Comes To US Television

The floodgates have opened on coverage of the long-awaited debut of Doctor Who in America:

TV Guide Magazine, a large-circulation TV periodical in the US, includes Doctor Who in the weekly feature "Hot List: 21 Shows You've Gotta See!" in its March 13-19 edition now on newsstands. Noting it as a Season Premiere and featuring a photo of the Doctor and Rose crouching on the pavement in "Father's Day", the blurb reads: "The culty classic gets a slick update for the Battlestar generation when Christopher Eccleston checks in as the ninth Doc to do the time warp". On page 80, under Highlights for Friday 3/17, there is a box titled "Who's Who" featuring a large central photo of Tom Baker surrounded by smaller photos of, from left to right, Eccleston, Hartnell, Troughton, Pertwee, Davison, and McCoy. The text reads: "The Doctor is in. For the first time since a 1996 TV-movie, American viewers can see fresh DOCTOR WHO (SCI FI, 9/8c, 10/9c) adventures. Christopher Eccleston stars in the title role as an eccentric alien scientist (called a "Time Lord") who tools around space and time in a vessel shaped like a British phone booth -- the TARDIS. (It may look cramped, but it's actually much bigger on the inside.) In the opener, the Doctor and his feisty new sidekick Rose (Billie Piper) clash with a megalomaniacal blob that turns plastic items like mannequins into killers. But unlike the old Who serials, which were shot largely on videotape and hamstrung by cheap F/X, this version of the venerable series (the BBC began it in 1963) consists of self-contained installments produced entirely on film. Nevertheless, these 2005 stories -- the first regular episodes since 1989 -- remain as engaging as those of Eccleston's predecessors: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker (he of the long scarf -- perhaps the most famous Doctor), Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, and Paul McGann (the 1996 TV-movie only). How can so many actors play the same role? Whenever the Doctor's life is imperiled, he undergoes a "regeneration" that alters his appearance and personality. (How's that for a re-casting enabler?) Eccleston's Doctor will experience it at the end of the season -- David Tennant took over the role last November in England. -- G J Donnelly"

Entertainment Weekly, another widely-circulated periodical, notes that "When Doctor Who makes its triumphant return to the United States on the Sci Fi Channel March 17, the average American's reaction will likely be: It was here before? A science-fiction staple of British TV for over 40 years, Who achieved only cult status in the U.S. when the show was imported to PBS in the late '70s. The newly revamped version, shot for the BBC, stars Christopher Eccleston (28 Days Later) as the Doctor and British pop star Billie Piper as his time- travel partner, Rose Tyler. 'The show can be very dark, very gritty,' says exec producer Russell T. Davies (the man behind the original Queer as Folk). 'But there's also a great deal of fun.' Whether you're an old fan or a curious newcomer, here's everything you need to know about the new Who. WHO IS HE? The Doctor is an alien with a lot of heart--two of them, to be exact. He zips through space and time in the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), a ship that's huge inside, but looks like a phone booth on the outside. He's an exile who stumbles into trouble with a goofy grin, and occasionally escapes scrapes by transforming into another person. (Literally: Eccleston will be replaced by David Tennant in season 2.) The Doc's an odd, happy guy--unlike the typical guns-blazing U.S. sci-fi military hero. Davies says that's precisely the show's appeal: 'One of the joys of the Doctor is that it's not his job to wander the universe-- he does it because he loves it.' WHERE DOES HE GO? The original is revered for its quirkiness (foes included salt-shaker-shaped aliens the Daleks) and its witty scripts (by writers like Douglas Adams). Similarly, the new Doctor Who has no formula--one week, he meets Charles Dickens; the next, he watches Earth's destruction billions of years in the future. While it's airing on Sci Fi's Friday lineup, don't expect things to be nearly as grim as, say, Battlestar Galactica--especially when the good Doctor hangs out in a futuristic Big Brother house. WHAT'S NEW WITH THIS 'WHO'? It has production values, for one. Local weathermen had better computer graphics than the original, which often featured guys in rubber monster suits. 'In the old days they worked twice as hard as I do,' says Davies, 'and they never had enough money.' And fans have never seen a companion quite like shopgirl Rose, who is as much the hero as the Doc himself. 'We share these adventures through the eyes of a completely normal 21st- century girl,' Davies says. 'The most important thing about her is that she works in a shop.' All that remains to be seen is if American audiences will be buying." The magazine also has a brief "history" of Doctor Who.

Monsters and Critics calls the series #5 on its list of "top ten reasons to watch in 2006". "The Sci Fi Channel brings back to the US one of the most successful franchises in television history when it begins airing the new, reimagined Doctor Who series on March 17. Christopher Eccleston (Elizabeth, The Others, 28 Days Later) is the ninth actor to play the Doctor, the last remaining Timelord who uses a mysterious machine called the TARDIS to mess around with the past and future of the universe. Eccleston combines an impish sense of mischief with a ruthless dark side that always keeps you guessing as to how he’ll react. The first few episodes are enjoyable, but you can still feel the writers finding the voice of the series. But when an old enemy returns in episode five, a fascinatingly dark sensibility takes over, the plots gain new urgency, and things get personal for the Doctor. A must for science fiction fans."

Eclipse Magazine says of the show, "It’s the longest-running science fiction show on TV, appealing to all ages. The children who watched through their fingers from behind the sofa are now parents and grandparents of new generations of fans and, uniquely, the show has so far survived ten different actors in the title role. ... And work it does. The sets no longer wobble; the SFX, while perhaps not as stellar as those of US science fiction shows, aren’t exactly shabby; the writing is witty and intelligent; the stories full of fun and menace with a delicious British eccentricity. With all that going for it, 'Doctor Who' returned to the BBC with a bang, went straight to the top of the ratings -- and stayed there. While US imports such as 'Lost', 'Desperate Housewives', and the 'CSI' franchise continue to do well in the UK, it was 'Doctor Who' that instantly caught the audience’s imagination, winning major awards including Most Popular Drama at the 2005 National Television Awards, and bringing The Doctor to yet another generation cowering behind the sofa. ... Meanwhile, the second season of the new 'Doctor Who' is currently in the works, with a third also given the green light. And now the US audience can find out what all the fuss is about! The new 'Doctor Who' series has been picked up by the Sci-Fi Channel and is set to debut on Friday, March 17 at 9.00pm. Don’t miss it -- the Daleks know where to find you!"

The Long Island Press says that "Unless you're one of the two million nerds Googling the online version of this article, you've probably not had much exposure to the classic British science-fiction series Doctor Who. ... Little has changed since the show's last official season in 1989, aside from the marked improvement in wardrobe, hairdos and dental work (the actors' teeth were so bad in some of the old episodes that they could be shown as instructional videos in dental schools across the UK). The new series stars Christopher Eccleston as the ninth Doctor, who joins up with his lovely blonde chick named Rose to fight familiar foes like the Daleks and Autons. While they're at it, they might as well jump to the year 5 billion A.D. then back to 1869 to team up with Charles Dickens to put a hurtin' on some aliens. All in a day's work. Even though the show has failed numerous times to capture an American audience, I think the new series has the best shot by far of becoming a minor hit. With their amazing resurrection of Battlestar Galactica, a plethora of original B-horror flicks and endless reruns of Quantum Leap, the Sci-Fi Channel has solidly cornered the nerd market, and Doctor Who is a perfect fit. So get out your Star Wars Underoos, graphing calculator and silly Tom Baker (the fourth Doctor) scarf and strap in for the new Who. As long as you don't bring it up around the office hottie at the water cooler, you might just become a full-fledged Who-head, because it's actually a really good show. Nerd!"

The San Antonio Express News features an article: "I didn't have the most positive introduction to 'Doctor Who.' After meeting an interesting guy back in late 2000 and learning he was a huge fan of the old series of the '60s, '70s and '80s, I shared this info with a few of my TV colleagues. Throwing each other a look, one laughed and said: ' 'Doctor Who,' huh? That should give you sufficient warning about the guy.' It didn't. Five years later, Ross and I are together still. Needless to say, over those years, we've taken in quite a few installments of the old 'Doctor Who' on DVD. To be honest, the series with cheesy special effects and fairly cardboard characters never quite became my cup of British tea. Then the remake arrived and my opinion radically changed. This 21st century version of 'Doctor Who' is terrific, a sci-fi show that everyone, fan or not of the genre, can enjoy. It's fast-moving, meaty and funny, with three-dimensional characters who tug at your heart and tear ducts. It premieres with two back-to-back episodes from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday on the Sci Fi Channel. In case you're unfamiliar with the Doctor, he's part of an alien race called the Time Lords; travels in his time/space machine, the TARDIS; and takes plenty of risks as he rights the wrongs. Another defining trait is he always travels with a companion, usually human and female. ... Another plus: The special effects have been amped up 1,000 percent. But as mentioned before, it's the characters, coupled with the clever and beautiful writing by executive producer Russell T. Davies, that makes it an unqualified winner. So grab the kids -- 'Who' is as family-friendly as 'Harry Potter' -- and take a two-hour TV trip Friday that should keep you anxiously returning for more. P.S. Because I'm involved with a fanatic, I've managed to see the whole 13-episode series. (It debuted last year in England and is a huge hit). With each episode, the show got better and better, and at times, deeply emotional, with visits to the London Blitz, reality shows of the future, Victorian England and -- for die-hard 'Who' fans -- the return of the doc's notorious foes, the Daleks."

The Des Moines Register notes that "Both 'Star Wars' and 'Star Trek' took a shot and failed. Now another sci-fi franchise is trying to reinvent itself for today's adults. Admit it: George Lucas jumped the shark with Jar-Jar Binks, when he decided to tailor his latest 'Star Wars' trilogy to the kiddies and infuse the movies with more special effects than soul. ... Enter 'Doctor Who,' a uniquely British sci-fi TV series that premiered the day after Kennedy's assassination in 1963, before Denny Crane -- I mean James T. Kirk -- began boldly going anywhere. Before Lucas got a grip on the Force. ... 'Per capita, it's the equivalent of 'Friends' over here,' said Lars Pearson, who should know. The Des Moines-based sci-fi publisher (Mad Norwegian Press) has eight 'Who' reference guides in print and more on the way. ... 'You can kind of see the influences of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' in there,' Pearson said. 'There's all these people with a huge interest in the new show that basically wouldn't touch the old one with a 10-foot pole.' 'It's kind of become England's hottest property again,' agreed Steve Martin -- not the famous comedian, but a 27-year-old in Des Moines who embarked on his first post-college vacation last November to Wales just to attend a 'Who' convention. 'I think in a way it kind of transcends geekdom,' he said. 'You take 'Star Trek' fans, 'Star Wars' fans, they're very niche. But a lot of 'Doctor Who' fans kind of like everything. We're the neutral party in sci-fi fandom. We're not gonna beat you over the head. . . . You have to let someone discover it in their own way.'" Read the full article at the site.

People

The Daily Mirror today reports that John Barrowman will be co-presenting ITV1's This Morning mid-morning magazine show over Easter, standing in for one of the regular presenters. Beginning on Monday 10 April, Barrowman will, according to the programme's executive producer, "bring his own unique brand of humour and fun to This Morning." Barrowman says that he is "so looking forward to being a part of daytime television and especially This Morning." The report also mentions that Captain Jack Harkness will return to Doctor Who in its third series and that Barrowman is "currently filming" Torchwood, although production is actually not slated to begin until April. Also reported in the Daily Record,

Zoe Wanamaker, who returns in series two as Cassandra after her turn last year in "The End of the World," is interviewed by the UK Press Association's Graham Kibble-White, and she discusses her role. "Last year Zoe notched up something of an honour by portraying the first new monster to menace Doctor Who following the series' triumphant return to BBC One. The good news is, her character, Cassandra, will be back for a rematch when the show returns to our screens in the spring. 'It's fabulous!' she enthuses, when asked what it's like to be a 'Who baddy. 'It's such fun! It's such a credit to Russell T Davies and the producers. I think what they've achieved is brilliant. I think Cassandra's a naughty, naughty girl. That's what's such fun about her. She's cheeky. She's not evil, she's just naughty.' Alas, she's sworn to secrecy when it comes to talking about just what the vain 'last human alive' gets up to this time around, but she is prepared to reflect upon what the role means to her. 'It's like being a baddy in a Bond film,' she muses. 'It's that sort of television equivalent, I think. I desperately wanted her to come back. It's a character you can bring something to, twist it around and make something funny. She reminded me of Joan Rivers and that extraordinary woman who changed her face a million times to look like some sort of tiger. And it was extremely witty to do. After so many plastic surgeons, liposuction and all that she's ended up just a flat piece of parchment. I think that's fabulous. A fantastic invention. That's the best thing about science fiction, it's really basically fairy stories come to life, but they're great fun.'" Wanamaker is also currently back on the BBC in series six of the sitcom "My Family", in which she co-stars as tour guide and mother Susan Harper.

As we reported last week was about to happen, Christopher Eccleston could briefly be seen giving his muppety opinions on ITV's Best Ever Muppet Moments last night, where he divulged that his favourite character on the show was and mad-scientist Bunsen Honeydew.

BBC Radio 3's composer of the week for week commencing Monday, March 27 is Richard Rodney Bennett, composer of the incidental music for the 1964 story "The Aztecs". Says Radio 3: "Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, who turns 70 on Wednesday 29 March, studied serialism with Pierre Boulez, yet is as comfortable at the piano playing jazz and singing cabaret as he is with any 12-tone row. He is famous for his television and film music -- early Doctor Who, Murder On The Orient Express and Four Weddings And A Funeral, among others --­ but considers such work to be musical 'journalism' and thinks more highly of his music for the opera house and concert hall." Pieces of his work will crop up across the schedule during the week, available via the "Listen Again" function.

icWales says that "Ioan Gruffudd has been voted one of the country's hottest men by a women's glossy magazine. ...Gruffudd, along with Doctor Who actor David Tennant and singer Will Young, were selected by staff at the magazine to take part in the anniversary celebrations. ... A spokeswoman for Glamour said ...'We were thinking which men we would like to attend a party with and we chose Ioan, Will and David because they all look good, have great personalities and plenty of charm,' she said. 'It was a bit of fun and, from what we gather, they all had a great time.'"

Also, Tennant and Billie Piper are on the cover of the April issue of SFX Magazine; the issue is timed for the expected April launch of series two on BBC television.

Says March 9's Daily Star, "Doctor Who actor David Tennant finally came face-to-face with a Dalek for the first time yesterday. But thankfully this one was in the shape of a cake. The 34-year-old star, who has taken over the Timelord role from Christopher Eccleston, 42, was busy filming scenes for the new series in Cardiff. And one fan gave the cast and crew a treat by bringing them a plateful of cakes to scoff, including one in the shape of the Doc's greatest foes. His sidekick Billie Piper, 23, also grabbed a chocolate Dalek. She said: 'It looks cute. I'll have it later. I can't breathe in this costume, let alone eat.'"

"A Taste of Honey" starring Bruno Langley (Adam from "Dalek" and "The Long Game") has new dates; it's now playing 16-20 May at the Sheffield Crucible, according to Sheffield Today.

Miscellaneous

According to The Sun, "Readers can cast their vote for their favourite show from a shortlist celebrating the top telly of last year...the much-anticipated return of Dr Who, the teatime sci-fi adventure starring Billie Piper and Christopher Eccleston, peaked with 10.5million viewers for the first episode and has gone on to win a string of awards. ... To cast your vote for the one you want to see celebrating, log on to this site and make your choice. The winner will be revealed at the star-studded BAFTA TV Awards ceremony on May 7, which will be shown on ITV1 the following evening at 9pm.'"

The official Doctor Who website reports that "Totally Doctor Who are extending the age limit for Companion Academy entries. New CBBC show Totally Doctor Who have noticed that quite a few thirteen and fourteen year-olds want to become Companion Academy Cadets. So they've done the decent thing, and upped the age limit to fourteen. To enter for Companion Academy, send a video of yourself explaining why you'd make a great Cadet, no more than a minute long, to Totally Doctor Who, PO Box 5158, CF5 9BD. Make sure your parent or guardian gives their permission in a letter. Send it along with the tape."

Mine All Mine, the Russell T Davies-created comedy-drama, will be released on DVD in the UK in May 2006, according to SendIt; Davies has recorded commentaries on three episodes.

ITV's network drama controller has told the new issue of Broadcast magazine that he has recently commisioned "The History of Mr Polly starring David Tennant and adapted by Adrian Hodges. It's the a story of a little man who rebels against his humdrum life. It's a great literary classic and with David in it it will be stunning."

The Pet Shop Boys feature on the cover of, and are interviewed by Andrew Harrison in, the latest edition (April 2006) of culture magazine The Word, which mentions Doctor Who; talking about legendary TV host & DJ, Simon Dee, Neil Tennant recalls, "He was great, Simon Dee. Every Saturday night on BBC1 we had Doctor Who followed by Dee Time and then The Monkees. Or maybe in a different order." Says Chris Lowe, "I'm a huge fan of Doctor Who. I watched all the new one." Harrison: "Are you glad there's a new Tennant in the TARDIS at last?" Tennant: "Not only that, but he's named after me. His real name is something else (David MacDonald) but for his Equity name he chose Tennant because of the Pet Shop Boys." Lowe: "It's a very big honour." Tennant: "I could see me being Doctor Who." Lowe: "Have you seen Neil act? (Ironic!)" Tennant: "I'd attend a meeting definitely about playing Doctor Who. Definitely. But I haven't watched it since approximately 1969. For me Doctor Who is basically William Hartnell or forget about it." This isn't the first time the PSB's have referred to Doctor Who.

The Sunderland Echo says that "Devoted Dr Who fan Neil Perryman believes the show has always pushed the TV envelope and he will outline his thoughts on how Dr Who did -- and still does -- dictate the future of the medium, at a lecture on Monday night. ... 'Dr Who has been both a critical and a commercial success, but more than that, it has effectively changed the way in which television drama will be produced, distributed, and consumed in the future,' said Neil. 'Dr Who was the first online serialised webcast drama, it had the first podcasted episode commentary, the first BBC release on DVD, PSP and mobile phone, and the first interactive drama on BBCi.' Neil, who lectures in media production at Sunderland, is holding a free talk at 6pm on Monday at the Media Centre, St Peter's Campus. The lecture, Dr Who and Media Convergence is open to all."

Wikipedia, the large online 'encyclopedia' constructed primarily by readers, featured an article about the TARDIS as its "Featured Article" on March 8.

Additional reports about the casting of Peter Kay can be found at The Sun, UPI, Yahoo News, Daily Record, Brand Republic, RTE, Megastar, Hollywood News, Daily Snack, The Register. Also, an additional article about the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards is at icWales while another review of the Noel Clarke-written film "Kidulthood" is at FilmFocus.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Steven Anderson, Simon Guerrier, Peter Weaver, Christian Burris, Corey Charette, Felicity Kusinitz, Chuck Foster, Matt Kimpton, Phil Creighton, Phil M Newman, Daniel Hall, Martin Hoscik/UNIT News, Neil Marsh and david-tennant.com)

A BBC press release today announces that comedian Peter Kay will appear in the tenth episode of Series Two, playing "the cold and powerful Victor Kennedy". Russell T Davies notes that "this is not a comedy turn" and points to Kay's experience as "a versatile actor" in Paul Abbott's Butterfly Collectors and The Secret Life of Michael Fry. Kay's casting was prompted by a letter he wrote to Davies in praise of Series One.

The story is reported by BBC News, which also lists Kay's appearances in Phoenix Nights and Coronation Street, and by the official Doctor Who website, as well as The Sun, U.TV, The Telegraph, Evening Echo, Manchester Online, Brand Republic, ITV, Addic3d, EntertainmentWise, Channel 4, ITN, N-E-Life, Paramount Comedy, Evening Times, Ireland Online, Chortle, Daily Snack. (Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Marcus Hearn, Tim Colman, George Watson, Chuck Foster, Peter Weaver)

The latest installment of This Week in Doctor Who, the weekly guide to Doctor Who on television in the UK, North America and elsewhere, for March 8, 2006 has now been posted. Click here to read it.

A second, 30-second trailer for the first season of the new Doctor Who series is now airing on the Sci-Fi Channel in advance of the show's debut on March 17. Noting that the Doctor is "over 900 years old" and is "a legendary adventurer through space and time," the trailer notes that the Doctor's "limitless power fuels an endless quest for ... the perfect vacation." "The British smash hit comes to Sci-Fi," says the advert, noting the premiere date. The trailer also uses a different logo altogether, reminiscent of the previous logo used throughout the late 1990's and early 2000's; a thumbnail is at right.

Broadcasting

According to a BBC Press Office Programme Information release (link - note, PDF document), "The Chatterley Affair" will be broadcast on BBC Four on Monday 20 March, from 9pm to 10.30pm. David Tennant appears as journalist Richard Hoggart, and the dramatisation of the Lady Chatterley trial is directed by James Hawes ('The Empty Child', 'The Christmas Invasion').

Iowa Public Television, one of only two stations in America who still syndicate the classic series, is now accepting pledges to keep the show on the air for the next calendar year. "With the Christopher Eccleston series about to broadcast on The Sci-Fi Channel, Mad Norwegian Press is asking WHO fans -- even those who don't live in Iowa -- to make a small pledge and aid the cause by keeping one of the last remaining bastions of classic WHO on the American airwaves," says Lars Pearson of Mad Norwegian Press. "Simply put, IPTV is a non-profit organization, and the show cannot remain on the air without freely-given funding. The IPTV broadcasts benefit those inside Iowa and some surrounding areas... With the Eccleston series' debut, we're hoping there'll be a lot more people curious about the old run. Anyone wishing to donate to IPTV to keep WHO on the air can do so through the IPTV website by going here. Those who make a pledge should scroll down and vote for their favorite Doctor -- IPTV will begin running the winner's stories on April 8." There will also be a live pledge drive on Saturday, March 11 at 11 pm... the special edition of "The Five Doctors" will be shown at this time.

People

According to the What's On Stage website, Sylvester McCoy will star in the world premiere of "The Pocket Orchestra - The Unlikely Lives of the Great Composers" at the West End’s Trafalgar Studio 2 next month. "The new play by Graeme Garden and Callum McLeod runs from 26 April 2006 (preview 25 April) for a limited four-week season to 20 May 2006. The comedy takes an “irreverent, satirical and shamelessly anecdotal” look at the history of classical music and the often bizarre and anarchic lives of the great composers."

Former companion Caroline John will be appearing as one of the leads on Radio Four in the afternoon play on Wednesday March 15th at 14.30 (British time). The play is a ghost story called 'The Midnight House' and centres around an episode in world war two whereby pictures from the London Art Galleries were evacuated to a remote slate mine in North Wales. The play will be available to listen to for up to a week online at the Radio Four website.

This week's Radio Times has a two-page article (in their behind-the-scenes section) on Adam Garcia (Alex in "The Christmas Invasion"), who plays the Russian ballet star in "the BBC's lavish Riot at the Rite, the story of Nijinsky's infamous version of Stravinsky's 'The Right of Spring' ballet. 'Very few people can do justice of Nijinsky, so what chance do I have?' laughs Adam. 'Aussie-born Garcia had a little help from ballet double Ivan Putrov'. BBC2 Saturday 11 March at 9pm."

Christopher Eccleston made a surprise appearance on the final of Junior Mastermind on BBC One on 26 February, his first public appearance in connection with Doctor Who since the new series publicity in March last year. Eccleston appeared in a pre-filmed insert, chatting to Sam, the young contestant who had chosen "Doctor Who 2005" as his specialist subject. Describing himself as an "unemployed Time Lord", Eccleston said that the best thing about being in Doctor Who was "the response from children". When asked what he had brought to the role, he indicated his ears; he also suggested that he would do "terribly" in a Mastermind round on Doctor Who, and declared that the Doctor "absolutely" fancied Rose. He seemed relaxed, and pleased and impressed with Sam's enthusiasm for the show. Not helped by a convoluted question about 'Father's Day', Sam went on to achieve a good score of 16, though this was not enough to win the contest.

Eccleston will also participate in a special called "The Best Ever Muppet Moments!" on Saturday, March 11 at 7pm on ITV. Says the Mirror, "Hosted by Kermit The Frog - as all shows should be - the programme will celebrate our favourite bits from The Muppet Show, complete with tributes from fans including Robson Green, Christopher Eccleston, Davina McCall, Angus Deayton and Michael Parkinson."

Jo Joyner, who played perky Lynda Moss in the final two episodes of last season's Doctor Who series, told this past weekend's Sunday Mercury, "If I do nothing else in my life, I can always say I was exterminated! ... It was so cool to be part of Doctor Who. Filming my death was a real buzz. I had a large plate of sugar glass in front of me which shattered, and three huge sub-woofers behind me, blowing air out like giant hairdryers to whip my hair back in the blast. I'm a huge fan of Big Brother but I'd hate to go on it. As I say, I like people-watching, not having people watch me!"

Camille Coduri will be featured in a segment on My Spirit Radio after March 21, hosted by Esoteric Entertainments, a paranormal site. "In this exclusive interview [Coduri] talks about Doctor Who, her outlook and life and as an Aries woman what she looks for in a lover! The interview will be available as an mp3 download as well."

Justin Richards, Creative Director of the Doctor Who books, is interviewed at CBBC: "I suppose my absolute favourite though was Doctor Who In An Exciting Adventure With The Daleks - which is quite a title! It came out again later as just plain: Doctor Who and the Daleks. The book was written by David Whitaker from the original scripts of the very first Dalek story on Doctor Who, which was by Terry Nation. Both hugely talented writers who knew all about adventure and thrills!"

Robert Hands, who played Algy in "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances", is to star with Tim Curry in the forthcoming West End version of "Spamalot."

Additional Press Items

The New York Times discusses the launch of the series in America along with Russell T Davies and the controversy surrounding the series being produced by an openly gay producer. "'There's very classically and traditionally a strong gay fan base for 'Doctor Who,' said Mr. Davies, 42, in a telephone interview from his home in Manchester, England. 'He is a loner and a wanderer. He doesn't represent the authority -- he is a man, unlike any other, doing his own thing. I think you can see the emotional connection.' ... So when the BBC approached Mr. Davies in late 2003 to update 'Doctor Who' for the 21st century, he was already teeming with ideas. 'It's a genuine love of mine,' he said, 'and loving a program means you're not blind to its faults.' ... 'It was very important to Russell that the Doctor not be posh,' said Mark Gatiss, a co-star and co-creator of the quirky ensemble television comedy 'The League of Gentlemen,' who was recruited onto Mr. Davies's writing staff. 'It's all about the Doctor being a kind of burning, firework personality that is incredibly attractive, but also slightly dangerous to be around.' ... In the days leading up to the premiere of the new 'Doctor Who' in March 2005, the British tabloid press did its best to insinuate that Mr. Davies -- who is openly gay, and proud that his 'Queer as Folk' series included, in his words, 'more sex than any other program ever' -- might somehow be an unfit candidate to re-establish a beloved cultural icon. The faithful, however, declined to take the bait. 'The vast amount of fans out there were just elated that the show was coming back,' said Shaun Lyon, editor of the 'Doctor Who' fan Web site Outpost Gallifrey (www.gallifreyone.com). 'Pointing out that Russell's gay, let's be honest, you can no longer get a story out of that. Gay is officially boring now.' ... But controversy eventually caught up with the series: four days after the premiere, the BBC published a news release in which Mr. Eccleston revealed that he would not be returning for a second season — an awkward situation made more so when he protested that the BBC had falsely attributed quotes to him and had broken an agreement to withhold the announcement until after the show's first season had ended. 'I'm sure it could have been handled better,' Mr. Davies said. (Mr. Eccleston declined to comment for this story.)" Read the full article at the website.

More coverage of Noel Clarke's film "Kidulthood" which arrived over the weekend can be found in the Independent, the Daily Record, Future Movies, Bloomberg News, the Sunday Times, http://www.itn.co.uk/news/entertainment_206280.html">ITN, the Guardian. There have also been a ton of in-print articles written but not available online. Meanwhile, Clarke was on BBC Radio 5 Live's weekly film review on 4 March with Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode; Doctor Who interest is sparse, other than, at the end of the interview, a bit of badgering him about how long Billie will be in it for (and of course, he doesn't give them anything.)

Other items: Television Without Pity, a large television website, has opened up a new Doctor Who section to cover the show's broadcast on Sci-Fi. CBBC News mentions the debut of "Totally Doctor Who" and has the same information as on the official site, which we reported over the weekend. Also, there's more news about the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards at C21 Media.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Andrew Harvey, Peter Weaver, Neil Marsh, Jonathan Hall and Lars Pearson)

The Sun today reports that K9 and Sarah Jane Smith will appear in their own spin-off series, following their appearance in Series Two next month. The only additional information in the Sun story is a comment from a BBC spokeswoman refusing to comment ('We are not confirming any developments at this moment'), although Russell T Davies has commented in interviews that there are ideas for a second spin-off series after Torchwood.

Says the Sun article, "Doctor Who's robot dog K9 and ex-sidekick Sarah Jane Smith are to get their own spin-off show, TV Biz can reveal. We told how BBC bosses are bringing back K9 for an episode in the Timelord's new series. Now it has emerged that the pooch and Sarah Jane, played by Elizabeth Sladen, will also star together in their own children's series. An insider said: 'It would have been a shame to put K9 back in his kennel, so we've come up with an idea for another drama. It's early days but K9 and Elizabeth Sladen are inseparable characters. There are loads of things we can do with Doctor Who. It's one of the most popular shows on TV and viewers can't seem to get enough of it.' It will be the second spin-off from the sci-fi hit. BBC bosses are also making Torchwood, a racy drama for BBC3. That show stars former Doctor Who actor John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness. ... A BBC spokeswoman said last night: 'We are not confirming any developments at this moment.'" Of course, this would be the second K9/Sarah Jane spinoff for the series, the first having been the short-lived (one episode) "K9 and Company" from 1980.

The nominations for this year's Broadcasting Press Guild Programme Awards 2006 were published this morning, and Doctor Who is nominated five times in four categories. The shortlist for Best drama series contains just two shows, Doctor Who and Bleak House, while Russell T Davies is shortlisted for the Writer's award for Doctor Who and Casanova, against the writing team for The Thick of It Andrew Davies for Bleak House. Billie Piper is one of five nominees for the Best actress award, alongside Anna Maxwell Martin, who guest-starred in 'The Long Game' and is listed for her lead role in Bleak House. The shortlist for Best actor includes both of 2005's Doctors, with Christopher Eccleston nominated for Doctor Who and David Tennant for Doctor Who, Casanova and Secret Smile. The Awards will be presented on Friday 31 March; more details will be available at the Guild's website. This morning's (Thursday 2 March) Media Guardian carries registration-only reports on the nominations in "Timelords tussle for TV award" (story) and "Broadcasting Press Guild Programme Awards 2006" (story), and the announcement has also been picked up by the UK comedy guide, Chortle (link). (Thanks to Steve Tribe, Cliff Chapman)

BBC Audiobooks have issued a press release for The Dalek Conquests, a new CD release that we first reported on in December. The release is attached below and the cover illustration for the release is at right; click on the thumbnail image for a larger version.

The previously reported "Doctor Who Friday," the children's BBC series accompanying the next series of Doctor Who, is now going under the name Totally Doctor Who, Outpost Gallifrey has learned. The producer is Simon Hall (a CBBC staffing producer/director who recently did Beckham's Hotshots) and the show is produced by the Children's Department.

A BBC Press Office press release notes that Worldwide "has concluded a two-year agreement with SKAI, the new Greek terrestrial television channel launching on 1 April 2006, to televise over 500 hours of drama, factual and news and current affairs programming. The titles range from dramas such as Spooks and Doctor Who to documentaries, including Seven Wonders of the Industrial World, Space Odyssey - Voyage to the Planets and three history titles looking at the Ancient Wonders of Jerusalem, Greece and the Holy Land. In addition, the deal, which guarantees at least 250 hours of BBC programming a year for the next two years, includes some of the best titles from the BBC's wildlife and news and current affairs archives, with the most popular programmes from such titles as Panorama, Correspondent, Wildlife on One and Natural World. For SKAI it is important to be able to rely on a constant supply of programming of consistently high quality: 'SKAI aims to reach a large proportion of discerning viewers with a brand of highly successful and informative programming," said Dora Pakas, Managing Director of SKAI. 'We firmly believe that this partnership with BBC Worldwide will secure for our viewers a broad range of documentaries, dramas and factual programming that will educate, fascinate and entertain. We look forward to continuing this strong relationship with BBC Worldwide in the future,' she concluded. Ben Donald, BBC Worldwide Head of Northern Mediterranean, said: 'This deal includes an extraordinary range of quality television and shows the BBC at its very best - gripping family drama, epic historical documentaries, glorious wildlife programmes and insightful current affairs titles. It is fantastic to start our relationship with SKAI with such high-profile programming.'"

David Tennant has done an exclusive interview with the fans at the unofficial website david-tennant.com in which he reveals, "Billie and I are on set together all the time so she's my constant pal. We get on really well, she's very funny and we have a real laugh. It obviously helps to be working with someone that you get along with so well. ... It's not overwhelming. It's a bit weird, but it's not that bad, I can still travel on the tube. Obviously it is a bit strange that the press like to take an interest in things that I do. Billie has been great though because obviously she has been dealing with it since she was about 13 or something."

More reviews of Noel Clarke's film "Kidulthood" which opens Friday. EntertainmentWise says, "'Kidulthood' probably won't gain the international acclaim that 'Four Weddings' got but its imminent release in the UK has got the press excited and is a positive sign that there is a new era dawning for British filmmaking About as far away from 'Notting Hill' as you can get in terms of subject matter; geographically 'Kidulthood' couldn't be closer. Set just one change and a couple of stops on the tube away on the council estates of Ladbroke Grove, the film presents us with a day in the lives of a class of troubled teenage school children.... Written by Noel Clarke (winner of the Laurence Olivier Award for most promising new comer in 2003), who also plays Sam, and based on his real life experiences, this film feels like an honest portrayal of the lives of 'disadvantaged' teenagers in London. The film bursts with energy, driven on by the music of Dizzie Rascal and The Streets amongst others, and it ends perfectly with a scene equally infused with hope and despair. Check it out." Also, Times Online says "While the UK's film industry complains about the difficulty of financing local feature films, spare a thought for film-makers whose vision doesn't reflect that of London's film-funding establishment. After a near four-year struggle from first draft to screen, the director Menhaj Huda and actor-screenwriter Noel Clarke see their West London teenage grime drama Kidulthood released this week. .. Now that Kidulthood is finally released, Clarke is in demand as a screenwriter, with a major TV project in progress, while Huds is thinking big. 'My motivation comes from Luc Besson more than anyone else. He managed to change French cinema from being arty and sexy to cool, and he's still doing it with The Transporter and Unleashed. Look at Unleashed: filmed in Glasgow, virtually a British cast. Why can't we do films like that?'" The Financial Times says, the film "is pacy, racy and full of promise: 90 minutes in the company of multi-ethnic schoolkids doing what kids do in cruel Britannia. There are drugs, sex, bullying – girl-on-girl is even worse than boy-on-boy – and gang warfare. You believe every minute, just as you do when someone corners you in a dark alley and indicates an interest in banging your head into the ground. Menhaj Huda directed. Noel Clarke wrote the script and plays the main role. They should be given a sackful of money to make more films." However, The Evening Standard says, "We know that they will all suffer something like damnation. But the film is never put into an effective social or political context. What we get instead is a portrait of disaffected youth but with no clue about its cause or what we should do about it. Which isn't quite enough."

TV Zone magazine (issue 200) has an interview with Julie Gardner, executive producer of the new series. Some of it is online at their website which notes, "The common thread linking these three programmes is the involvement of BBC Wales's Head of Drama, Julie Gardner. In taking on the Doctor Who commission, she has had a large part to play in the current vogue for TV drama – 'British' being the key word, as one of the distinctive features of the current wave of drama commissions is the move towards production in the regions… 'There's a determination to do more out-of-London production,' says Gardner. 'There is an absolute determination to represent as many areas of the UK as possible, which is absolutely right for a public service broadcaster. From where I sit, I think the most important thing is the stories that writers want to tell, and the confidence that I hope they now feel in coming to me with ideas that sound quite mad, or quite bold. Some of those stories are set in Cardiff, like Torchwood; at the same time, they can come to me with ideas like Casanova, that filmed out of Manchester and filmed in Venice and Dubrovnik. I think it's confidence, really; it just opens things up and gives people the flexibility to work wherever they want to, with the people they want to.'" The magazine also lists their TV Top 200 of the Best ('from iconic moments, to stand-out episodes, to classic series') and their number 1 is Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child: ""A police box in a junk yard - somewhere it has no business to be. And it definitely shouldn't be vibrating... Doctor Who really had to have the top slot - and not just because it defined the childhood of every member of the TV Zone team. Not just because it was the little series that lasted far longer than even its most fervent champions could have dreamed, and then refused to accept its death sentence and then came back in the process shook up every television industry expectation. It's more than that. It's one of the three great popular cultural myths of the last 200 years, along with James Bond and Sherlock Holmes. Star Trek fans will rail at its exclusion from that list... To the general public, Trek means Kirk and Spock and maybe Picard, and no-one has been foolish enough to suggest recasting them (yet). But you can recast Holmes, and Bond, and the Doctor, and they remain as as successful as ever, as new actors bring new aspects to the character that's grabbed the public's attention. And it all starts here. Two ordinary Humans, realising too late where their curiosity has led them. A frightened, paranoid old man, who's yet to experience the friendships that will turn him into a hero. A voyage into Time and Space that beat anything Hollywood had to offer, according to a reviewer at the time... and an episode that still enthralled when a Guardian reviewer finally saw it 18 years later, courtesy of a BBC2 repeat. The best moment in television's history? Well, possibly not. But the one that should definitely be cherished above all? Definitely."

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Peter Weaver, and Paul Engelberg)

The next issue of Enlightenment, the magazine of the Doctor Who Information Network, has been released. Issue #132 contains "Who Conquered North America": What does the sale of the new series to Sci Fi mean for Doctor Who in the USA?; A Two-Four and the Cybermen: Our intrepid viewers enjoy their alcoholic beverages while watching 14 episodes worth of the silver giants; Why can't the classic series merchandise be better integrated with new series merchandise?; Lance Parkin on the writing of AHistory; And: reviews of all the latest books, audios and DVDs. For more details visit the website.

The latest installment of This Week in Doctor Who, the weekly guide to Doctor Who on television in the UK, North America and elsewhere, for March 1, 2006 has now been posted. Click here to read it.