May 31, 2007 • Posted By John Bowman

Billie Piper and Chris Evans were today granted a "quickie" divorce in the High Court in London.

The decree nisi went through at a brief hearing at the Principal Registry of the Family Division.

This decree does not end the marriage. That will happen when the decree is made absolute, and a decree absolute can only be applied for when six weeks have elapsed following the decree nisi being made.

Neither Piper nor Evans was in court.

The couple married in Las Vegas in May 2001 and separated in October 2004.

Also reported at BBC News.

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May 31, 2007 • Posted By Paul Hayes

MediaGuardian.co.uk, the media news-focused section of The Guardian newspaper's website, has today run a story(subscription link) by reporter Ben Dowell speculating about the possible future of Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies.

The piece, in reponse to a story published in this morning's edition of the tabloid newspaper The Sun, contains a quote from an unnamed "BBC drama spokeswoman", stating that: "Discussions have not begun so we cannot say if Russell will be involved or not" with Doctor Who beyond the end of the fourth series in 2008.

However, the report specifically denies The Sun's story that Davies and other staff on the show have a plan to end the programme at the conclusion of the fourth series. MediaGuardian quotes another source, a similarly unnamed "senior BBC Wales drama source", as telling them that:

"Russell has always said that he wouldn't be with the show forever and he has made no secret that the hours are quite exhausting... But there isn't any way it would be axed even if he left. He loves the show and he does feel that maybe it would benefit from some new blood."

The MediaGuardian states that "if Mr Davies does leave Doctor Who, the BBC will want to keep such a popular show going by bringing in a new executive producer to take over his creative responsibilities."

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May 31, 2007 • Posted By Jarrod Cooper

Doctor Who Magazine has announced some of the more details for the Doctor Who Storybook 2008. Authors for this 80-page hardback summer release include Gareth Roberts (The Body Bank), Tom MacRae (Cats and Dogs),Robert Shearman (The Box Under the Tree), Justin Richards (Kiss of Life), Nicholas Briggs (The Iron Circle),Nicholas Pegg (Deep Water), and Paul Magrs (Zombie Motel). The comic strip for the book is Sunscreen, written byJonathan Morris and with art by Martin Geraghty. Other artists for the book include Brian Williamson, Andy Walker, Adrian Salmon,Ben Willsher, and with Alister Pearson doing the cover.

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Ratings data seen by Outpost Gallifrey shows just how well Series Three is doing compared to the average drama on British television.

As well as collating the Appreciation Index, the BBC collects data on how audiences perceived programmes and asks a number of questions.

When asked if they made a special effort to watch, around 80% of the audience said they did, way above the average. Around 70% said they watched with a lot of attention and around 60% said the show felt original and different.

The programme also scored highly on the characters and storyline. It only scored lower than the drama average on whether people thought they learned something new.

Data is also available showing which audience groups rated the programme higher. So far this series females gave a higher mark than males and the programme was enjoyed most by those in the 35-54 age group. The highest regional rating comes from Wales.

For full details follow the link to the forum.

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Tuesday's BBC Four repeat of the Season Two story The Idiot's Lantern was watched by 125,000viewers according to unofficial overnight figures. This was a 0.76% of the audience.

The programme was part of the BBC Four season on Children's Television.

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Final figures released by BARB show that episode 7, 42 received an official final rating of 7.41 million viewers.

This made the programme the 5th most watched on BBC1 for the week and the 16th most watched on all British television.

On multichannel television, the Sunday repeat was watched by0.89 million viewers and was the 6th most watched multichannel programme for the week.

Final figures are much more accurate than the initial overnights and include those who recorded the programme and watched it within seven days.

Television Top Twenty (w/e 20 May 2007)

1 CORONATION STREET (WED 1931) - 10.54 - ITV1
2 CORONATION STREET (MON 1934) - 10.44 - ITV1
3 CORONATION STREET (SUN 1929) - 10.02 - ITV1
4 CORONATION STREET (MON 2030) - 9.99 - ITV1
5 CORONATION STREET (FRI 1934) - 9.56 - ITV1
6 EASTENDERS (MON 2000) - 9.09 - BBC1
7 EASTENDERS (FRI 2001) - 9.08 - BBC1
8 EMMERDALE (THU 1900) - 8.92 - ITV1
9 NEW TRICKS (MON 2102) - 8.66 - BBC1
10 EASTENDERS (TUE 1930) - 8.61 - BBC1
11 EMMERDALE (WED 1859) - 8.39 - ITV1
12 EMMERDALE (TUE 1903) - 8.17 - ITV1
13 EMMERDALE (MON 1902) - 8.15 - ITV1
14 HEARTBEAT (SUN 1959) - 8.10 - ITV1
15 EMMERDALE (FRI 1903) - 7.52 - ITV1
16 DOCTOR WHO (SAT 1914) - 7.41 - BBC1
17 EMMERDALE (SUN 1859) - 6.99 - ITV1
18 MATCH OF THE DAY LIVE (SAT 1240) - 6.98 - BBC1
19 TEN O'CLOCK NEWS (MON 2200) - 6.63 - BBC1
20 CASUALTY (SAT 2112) - 6.42 - BBC1

Multi Channel Top Twenty

1 EASTENDERS (Thu 2200) 1,447,000 - BBC3
2 KATIE AND PETER: THE NEXT CHAPTER (Thu 2100) 1,231,000 - ITV2
3 LOST (Sun 2200) 1,016,000 - Sky 1
4 UEFA CUP (Wed 1900) 931,000 - ITV4
5 LIVE FOOTBALL LEAGUE (Tue 1930) 908,000 - Sky Sports
6 DOCTOR WHO (Sun 2003) 884,000 - BBC3
7 EASTENDERS FEUDS: THE BEALS V THE MITCHE (Fri 2030 871,000 - BBC3
8 EASTENDERS (Fri 2202) 782,000 - BBC3
9 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (Wed 2300) 762,000 - E4 In
10 HOLLYOAKS (Wed 1900) 759,000 - E4
11 HOME AND AWAY (Mon 1828) 741,000 - Five Life
12 LIVE FOOTBALL LEAGUE (Wed 1930) 732,000 - Sky Sports
13 MEN IN BLACK (TOON) (Sat 2321) 730,000 - ITV2
14 FILM: DEMOLITION MAN (Tue 2258) 713,000 - ITV2
15 HOME AND AWAY (Tue 1828) 710,000 - Five Life
16 HOME AND AWAY (Wed 1829) 694,000 - Five Life
17 AMERICAN IDOL (Fri 2131) 683,000 - ITV2
18 HOME AND AWAY (Thu 1828) 677,000 - Five Life
19 ENTERTAINMENT NEWS UPDATE (Tue 2256) 670,000 - ITV2
20 TOP GEAR (Sat 2044) 664,000 BBC3

Source BARB

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Network 10 in Australia has published a webpage trailing the arrival of Torchwood to the channel.

The site includes a guide to the series, including comments by the creator and executive producer, Russell T Davies, as well as a guide to the characters and a photo gallery.

In separate interviews for the site, both Eve Myles and Naoko Mori are questioned on how they think Australians will respond to Torchwood.

Outpost Gallifrey understands the series is likely to make its debut in Australia on Monday 18th June at 9.30pm.

Thanks to William Binnie and Matthew See

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May 29, 2007 • Posted By Paul Hayes

The latest issue of the BBC's Radio Times listings magazine is released across the UK today, and in addition to all of its regular Doctor Who coverage it contains special praise for this Saturday's forthcoming episode, "The Family of Blood", selected as the magazine's 'Drama of the Week'.

"Those who dismiss Who as lightweight fluff should give tonight's story a try," writes reviewer Mark Braxton on the magazine's 'Today's Choices' page for Saturday. "The conclusion to a 1913-set two-parter, it's rich, complex, resonant and BAFTA-worthy on its own merits... it also contains the best description of the Doctor we've ever heard on the show. Take a bow, Mr Cornell."

In addition, a moment from the episode is selected as the magazine's 'Moment of the Week', described, again by Braxton, as "an awful shadow of things to come... It's a tiny moment, but one that's eloquence itself."

The magazine's regular preview feature this week focuses on an interview with guest star Jessica Hynes, who explains how she deals with questions from her son and his friends about her relationship with Doctor Who. "I have to explain that I'm already married and it's only a pretend snog," she tells interviewer Danny Scott. Hynes also maintains that the offer to appear in Doctor Who is "the phone call you always dream of getting."

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Episode 8, Human Nature received an Appreciation index or AI figure of 86

This was the joint highest figure for the weekend, beating every other programme on terrestrial television, with the exception of CSI:NY on Channel Five.

The programme was once more in the excellent category.

On BBC3, where lower audiences usually mean higher AI figures, the Sunday repeat of Episode 7, 42 scored 89.

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ABC Australia have begun promotion for the broadcast of Season Three on the channel.

A webpage has been published promising new thrills, new laughs, new heartbreak and some terrifying new monsters.

Thanks to Michael Allison

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May 28, 2007 • Posted By Benjamin F Elliott

BBC America has started running trailers for Torchwood in its Doctor Who marathon today. Torchwood's US premiere is Saturday September 8 at 8PM Eastern Time (7PM Central, 6PM Mountain, 5PM Pacific).

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The Sunday night BBC Three repeat of Episode 8, Human Nature, was watched by 0.81 million viewers, which was a4.5% share of the audience. On multichannel television, the programme was the second most watched of the day.

Doctor Who Confidential achieved an audience of 0.49 million, which was a 2.7% share.

Final overnight data now shows that Doctor Who was the thirteenth most watched programme of the week. Final figures will be released by BARB in nine days time.

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Doctor Who was once more top of the charts with unofficial figures showing that Episode Eight, Human Nature, was watched by 7.1 millionviewers, a 36.3% share of the total television audience.

The programme was the most watched of the day, both by audience and by share, beating the second placed Lottery Drawby half a million viewers.

The opposition on ITV1, Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon
, got 4.5 million and was the highest rated programme on ITV1 for the day.

With one day to go, Doctor Who is currently the 11th most watched programme of the week.

Once again the programme was by far the most watched in the children's chart, with 1.5 Million 4-15 year olds watching, a massive 59% of that audience.

On BBC3 0.67 million watched Doctor Who Confidential, which was a 4.2% share of the multi channel audience. It was the most watched programme on multi channel television.

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May 27, 2007 • Posted By John Bowman

A complete Sea Devil costume is to be auctioned at Bonhams next month.

The auctioneers say it is believed to be the only existing outfit from the 1972 Jon Pertwee story.

It is listed as being complete with string vest, belt and a replica weapon, and comes with a letter of provenance. An estimate of 8,000 to 10,000 pounds has been placed on the lot.

The auction will take place on June 20 at Bonhams' Knightsbridge saleroom as part of a film and rock 'n' roll memorabilia sale.

Outpost Gallifrey reported on Friday that The Sea Devils is to be released on DVD.

(Thanks to Jonathan Wilkinson)

UPDATE - 8 June 2007: This item has now been withdrawn from sale.

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The Friday BBC3 repeat of Episode 7, 42 was watched by 266,000 viewers, a 1.6% share of the multi channel audience.

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May 26, 2007 • Posted By Jarrod Cooper

The Sun has released an article today about a purported change of casting in Series 4.

UPDATE:
The BBC has given an official statement to FreemaAgyeman.com, calling the Sun's story "absolute rubbish".

To read the article, please click the spoiler link.

DOCTOR Who actress Freema Agyeman has been axed from the next series, The Sun can reveal.

Pretty Freema, 27, only joined the BBC1 sci-fi hit as the Timelord’s new companion Martha Jones at the beginning of the current series three.

We told how the struggling actress scooped the role after Billie Piper quit. But show chiefs think her performance is not as strong as in her earlier episodes.

And they are planning a storyline where the Doctor, played by David Tennant, will lose her and travel through the universe searching for her.
The decision to dump Freema comes as a bolt from the blue after her performance for the first couple of episodes was praised.

A source said: “Freema is very talented but we don’t think she is just right on Doctor Who. None of this is being done with any malice. Freema’s a lovely girl.”

Freema has previously admitted that she had a tough job to fill Billie’s boots. Billie, who played Rose Tyler, left at the end of the second series.

Christopher Eccleston stunned the BBC by quitting as the Timelord after the first series of the revamped drama in 2005.

Meanwhile current star Tennant is still believed to be making just part of series four, which starts filming in Wales this summer.

A spokeswoman for the show refused to comment.

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For the transmission of Episode Nine, The Family of Blood, Doctor Who stays at 7.10pm.

It once more follows The People's Quiz and is followed by The National Lottery Draws and the semi final of the search for a star show, Any Dream Will Do

ITV1 offers Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? as the main opposition, with Chris Tarrant, while BBC Two has The Culture Show where Paul McCartney meets up with Lauren Laverne to talk about his new album Memory Almost Full.

On Channel 4 viewers can see Lie Lab looking at new lie-detection technology using Magnetic Resonance Imaging, while on Channel 5 there is the 2003 film S Club: Seeing Double starring members of the pop group S Club.

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May 25, 2007 • Posted By John Bowman

The Sea Devils is being prepared for release on DVD, the latest edition of the Royal Navy's official newspaper has revealed.

Navy News was contacted on behalf of the Restoration Team in the hope of tracking down naval personnel involved in or who witnessed the story's filming - in particular, the team hopes to find a rating believed to have shot some cine footage.

The June edition of the publication says that as part of the DVD, a documentary is being produced on the making of the Jon Pertwee six-parter. The adventure originally aired in 1972 and the location work was carried out in the Portsmouth area in October 1971.

A story about the location filming was done at the time by the local daily paper, The News, which photographed Pertwee chatting with three ratings at the Fraser gunnery range.

One of the ratings, an Able Seaman David King, pictured above right, who was then aged 26, appears to be capturing the moment for posterity on a cine camera.

In the Navy News piece, project team member Richard Bignell says: "If Mr King did take any cine film of the shoot, we would be very interested in talking to him!"

The documentary-makers also hope to track down people who took still pictures.

A release date for the DVD has yet to be confirmed.

Click on the thumbnail below for a larger version of the picture showing Pertwee with the ratings.

(Photo courtesy of and copyright The News, Portsmouth)

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May 25, 2007 • Posted By Kenny Davidson

The new issue of Doctor Who Magazine will exclusively reveal the names of all eight writers for Doctor Who series four, as those penning the Doctor's adventures in 2008 are revealed by the production team at BBC Wales.

Also this issue; find out why the Doctor is to undergo his biggest challenge yet in the next Doctor Who story to hit your screens (see spoiler box). DWM goes behind the scenes on the thrilling new episodes Human Nature and The Family of Blood, also catching up with guest star Jessica Hynes, writer Paul Cornell, and showrunner Russell T Davies about this very different - and even more terrifying than usual! - Doctor Who adventure...

Plus: DWM spends an age with Professor Lazarus himself, alias actor Mark Gatiss; writer Steven Moffat explains why you should be keeping your eyes wide open for his spine-chilling new episode Blink; director James Strong recounts the second part of his blow-by-blow account of bringing the deadlyDaleks to Manhattan; and make sure you pack your sunscreen for a trip to the SS Pentallian and 42 fantastic facts about 42!

Meanwhile, the magazine unwraps the secret plans for the end of the current series, with previews of the final four fantastic episodes - Blink, Utopia,The Sound of Drums and Last of the Time Lords; Part 3 of the new comic strip adventure The Woman Who Sold the World; while Russell T Davies is flying the flag (for Who) in another unmissable Production Notes.

DWM 383 is on sale from Thursday 31 May

Also this issue; find out why the Doctor is to undergo his biggest challenge yet in the next Doctor Who story to hit your screens...

"Playing the same character every week in a long-running series is great, and very inspiring and exciting," David Tennant tells DWM, "but it's such an unexpected bonus to be asked to portray a whole new character, halfway through the shoot, which by definition must be unlike the character you're playing every other day."

So who, exactly, is this John Smith character? 

"He looks like the Doctor and doesn't sound much like him, but he must be a different man," says David cryptically. "Well, he must be a man, rather than a Time Lord..."

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May 24, 2007 • Posted By Chuck Foster

Speculation over Kylie Minogue's potential appearance in the series continued yesterday with the free London paperStandard Lite carrying a photograph apparently showing the singer's "todo" list carried by her stylist William Baker, including a note to contact the show's executive producerRussell T Davies.

The note in question reads: "When Dr Who script arriving? Russell's number."

Its sister paper, the Daily Mail, also mentions the item this morning, and carries the respective photos in an online article (near the bottom of the page).

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May 23, 2007 • Posted By John Bowman

The Queen was left intrigued by the Tardis feature at the Chelsea Flower Show earlier this week.

As reported by Outpost Gallifrey last Friday, the Doctor's time-travelling police box - complete with light and sound effects - is the centrepiece of the display called A Garden In Time, which has been created by Cardiff Council landscape officer Mo Dorken and her team.

It shows the changes in the world since the start of the series in 1963 and includes a 1960s Cardiff rugby shirt and a Doctor Who annual with William Hartnell on the cover.

The Royal Family were exploring the Royal Horticultural Society's annual show on Monday and the Queen stopped off to look at the revolving Tardis.

It is in a "void" separating a 1960s urban garden from a modern one based around contemporary gardening ideas and styles, with an emphasis on sustainability, recycling and climate change.

The official website of the Prince of Wales and Hello Magazine report Dorken as saying: "The Queen was asking 'Why is there a Tardis there?'

"I was explaining how we were having a Doctor Who theme and a Sixties part of the garden because it was when the series first started."

Celebrities were also in attendance at the show on the eve of it opening to the public, including Joanna Lumley, who played the Doctor in the 1999 Comic Relief spoof The Curse of Fatal Death, written by Steven Moffat.

The flower show is open until Saturday.

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May 23, 2007 • Posted By Kenny Davidson

The new issue of Radio Times, out today, includes behind the scenes pictures and interviews about Saturday's episode, Human Nature. Our thanks to Radio Times for the following extract, which contains spoilers.

The new issue of Radio Times, out today, includes behind the scenes pictures and interviews about the forthcoming scarecrows episode. The story is based on Paul Cornell's 1995 Who novel Human Nature, now rewritten by him for television. Cornell explains: "The Doctor is forced to hide by becoming human, and it's the story of what happens when aliens arrive to destroy everything and the Doctor isn't there. That's why it's scary.

The Scarecrows are "hessian sacks of malevolence and straw", reckons Cornell, "[and] will scare little eight-year-olds absolutely witless! There's a scene where a whole army of them shows up, and [director] Charles Palmer fills the screen with them! And there's another where a Scarecrow grabs a child holding a balloon. And if that doesn't get them hiding behind the sofa..." Read the full story in Radio Times.

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May 23, 2007 • Posted By Kenny Davidson

The new issue of Doctor Who Adventures, out Thursday 24 May, takes the reader on a trip to 1913 for a special preview of the next two episodes,Human Nature and Family of Blood. It covers the scarecrows from the forthcoming story, as well as the Cult of Skaro. There is part one of a new comic strip "The Green, the Bad and the Ugly" and an interview with Totally Doctor Who's Kirsten O'Brien.

The magazine comes with posters of scarecrows, the Doctor and Martha, Daleks and Carrionites.

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May 23, 2007 • Posted By Adam Kirk

Optus TV Magazine reports that Australian cable broadcaster UKTV Australia will screen the 15-minute 'cutdown' episodes of Doctor Who Confidential as part of a Doctor Who marathon of series one and two on the Australian Queen's Birthday long weekend (9-11 June).

The screenings of these Doctor Who Confidential episodes will mark the first time ever that this programme has been shown on Australian broadcast television.

Series 1 will start at midday on Saturday June 9. The Christmas Invasion, followed by Series 2, will start at midday on Sunday June 10. Each Confidential episode will be shown following its corresponding Doctor Who episode.

The marathon also marks the first time The Christmas Invasion and series two have been shown on UKTV Australia.

It has been reported that The Runaway Bride and Series 3 will have its Australian debut on the ABC in late June.

Thanks to Theta Sigma.

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May 23, 2007 • Posted By Jarrod Cooper

On this week's I'm ready for my close-up, Alex Fitch's guests are Bryan Talbot and Mark Wright, creator and adaptor respectively of The Adventures of Luther Arkwright. Alex will be talking to Bryan about his career in comics, focusing on Luther and Alice in Sunderland and asking Mark about the challenges of converting a graphic novel to the audio medium. There's also a competition to win one of 5 signed copies of the Big Finishaudio adaptation of Luther Arkwright starring David Tennant at the end of the show.

The interview with Bryan and Mark is going out May 24th at 10.30pm BST on Resonance 104.4 FM in London, streamedhere.

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May 22, 2007 • Posted By Shaun Lyon

The official Doctor Who website has revealed the cover illustration for the forthcoming UK DVD release of Timelashstarring Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant. Click on the thumbnail for a larger version.

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The Sunday BBC3 repeat of Episode 7, 42, had an audience of 809,000according to unofficial overnights, a4.4%share of the multi channel audience. It was the second most watched programme on multi channel TV, being beaten by Sky One's Lost which got 840,000.

With overnight figures now available for the whole week, the Saturday showing of 42 is the 16th most watched programme of the week. Final figures will be released in around 9 days time.

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Channel Ten in Australia have been trailing the arrival of Torchwoodto the network.

The channel has no previous connection with Doctor Who, which has always been shown on the ABC network.

The promos have the tag: "Capt Jack Harkness, the man who cannot die!"

The series is set to begin next month.

(Thanks to Michael Davoren and many others who emailed.)

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Episode 7, 42, scored an Appreciation Index or AI figure of 85, once more placing the programme in the excellent category. The programme was once of the most enjoyed on Saturday night, scoring the highest figure on BBC1 and ITV.

Doctor Who Confidential on BBC3 rated 79.

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May 21, 2007 • Posted By Jarrod Cooper

Big Finish Productions has released the latest in the Paul McGannBBC7 series, Phobos.

The TARDIS lands on Phobos, moon of Mars - where extreme sports nuts of the future indulge their passion for gravity-boarding and wormhole-jumping. But there's something lurking in the shadows, something infinitely old and infinitely dangerous. It's not for nothing that 'Phobos' is the ancient word for 'fear'...

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May 21, 2007 • Posted By R. Alan Siler

Toby Hadoke's 2006 one-man Edinburgh show Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf has been adapted into a full-cast radio show for BBC7.

The autobiographical piece about Hadoke's life-long obsession with the programme features former Doctor Who stars Louise Jameson (as Hadoke's mother) and Colin Baker in the cast. Early Doors star James Quinn plays The Voice Of The BBC, and comic Alfie Joey also plays a number of supporting roles.

Hadoke said: "I can't believe that we got not one, but two Doctor Who actors to throw themselves into the project with much gusto. Louise was always top of the list to play Mum, but we never thought we'd get her. And then when Colin offered his services I turned into a giddy child."

The show has already been recorded at BBC Manchester and will air across two episodes on July 20 and 27.

BBC Audiobooks also plans to release the show on CD at around the same time.

You can still see the show live, though, as Hadoke continues to tour the original one-man version, concluding with a brief run at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.

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May 21, 2007 • Posted By Jarrod Cooper

The Doctor Who Homepage has teamed up with BBC Blast to launch a competition that will give the winner the chance to design and create a Doctor Who game that will be placed on the Doctor Who and Blast websites.

The winner will have their Doctor Who game brought to life, with runners up receiving Blast and Doctor Who goodie bags.

You can find out more information about the contest here. Below is a brief synopsis of what they are looking for.

What we're looking for:
We're looking for a game offering about 5-10 minutes of game play. The winning game will be made using Flash.

The more addictive, magical and fantastic the game the better.

Try not to base the game on a specific episode - we're looking for something new, even though it should use existing monsters from the current (not Classic) series.

Remember that the Doctor uses his wits and his genius, rather than violence, to solve problems. So please don't give him a machine gun and send him on a killing spree!

Be prepared to be flexible - we can use most of the characters, monsters and situations from the new series of Doctor Who, but we may need to discuss using another monster.

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Doctor Who was once again top of Saturday's ratings chart with episode 7, 42 being watched by 7.0 million viewers according to unofficial overnight figures. The programme had a share of36.0% of the audience.

The show was tied with Match of the day Live as the most watched programme of the day, although the raw figures show Doctor Who leading by a tiny margin. It beat other shows on Saturday evening by almost a million viewers. The football claimed the highest peak of the day, with 11.5 million tuning in for the final fifteen minutes.

With just Sunday to go, the programme is currently 14th in the top programmes for the week.

Doctor Who was once more top of the children's chart with an audience of1.4 million 4-15's, a 57.7% share of this age group.

On BBC3, Doctor Who Confidential got an audience of 480,000 which was a 3.0% share and which made it 4th in the Multi Channel tables.

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May 19, 2007 • Posted By John Bowman

Anyone who missed John Barrowman on yesterday's edition of Friday Night With Jonathan Ross - in which a preview clip from Utopia was to be shown, according to the official programme website - can catch it again early tomorrow (Sunday).

On the chat show, Barrowman talks about the return of Captain Jack Harkness to Doctor Who in Utopia, which is episode 11.

The repeat of Ross's show is due to be broadcast on BBC1 at 1.35am.

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The BBC YouTube channel has been updated with the BBC Breakfast interview withMichelle Collins, guest star in this week's episode 42.

The interview includes a couple of clips from the episode.

Content may not be available outside the United Kingdom.

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In the absence of a new episode to repeat, BBC3 filled the schedules on Friday night with a showing of the first episode of Season Three,Smith and Jones. The programme was watched by 346,000 viewers, a2.0% share of the multi channel audience.

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Next week sees another change of time for Doctor Who with the transmission of Episode Eight, Human Natureallocated a 7.10pm start. The programme is placed between The People's Quiz and The National Lottery Draws, which is followed by Any Dream Will Do at 8.05pm.

On ITV1 Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon recreates Play Your Cards Right for the competition's grand final.

BBC2 offers an alternative with The Culture Show featuring Mark Kermode who flies south to the Cannes Film Festival and meets the Cohen brothers.

Channel 4 offers the News followed by the 1979 feature film Porridge in which Norman Stanley Fletcher and his cellmate Lennie Godber stumble on an escape plan during a celebrities-against-prisoners football match.

On Five Sport fans can enjoy Cricket on Five with highlights of the second day's play of the second npower Test match in the best of four series between England and the West Indies at Headingley

Doctor Who Confidential is on BBC3 at 7.55pm.

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May 18, 2007 • Posted By R. Alan Siler

The TARDIS will be materialising at the Royal Horticultural SocietyChelsea Flower Show honoring the legacy of Doctor Who. The new exhibition, called A Garden In Time, features as its centrepiece a full-scale TARDIS with sound and light effects. The garden depicts the changes in the world since the birth of the series in 1963. It includes items such as a 1960s Cardiff rugby shirt and a Doctor Who annual featuring on its cover the first Doctor, William Hartnell

Created by Cardiff Council Landscape Officer Mo Dorken and her team, one half of the site shows a 1960s urban garden, while the other half is based around modern gardening ideas and styles with emphasis on sustainability, recycling and climate change.

"The Chelsea Flower Show is iconic and attracts great attention and thousands of visitors from around the world," said Coun Nigel Howells, Cardiff Council's Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture. "We are proud that Cardiff will be represented there, and I’m sure A Garden In Time will do justice to the city and to Wales."

Please click here to see a larger version (in .pdf format) of the conceptual drawing of A Garden In Time.

The Chelsea Flower Show runs 22 - 26 May, 2007.

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May 18, 2007 • Posted By Shaun Lyon

A trio of new Doctor Who novels are due out from BBC Books on 6 September: Mark Michalowski's Wetworld, Mark Morris' Forever Autumnand Paul Magrs' Sick Building. The cover illustrations and cover blurbs are below

Doctor Who: Wetworld by Mark Michalowski

When the TARDIS makes a disastrous landing in the swamps of the planet Sunday, the Doctor has no choice but to abandon Martha and try to find help. But the tranquillity of Sunday's swamps is deceptive, and even the TARDIS can't protect Martha forever.

The human pioneers of Sunday have their own dangers to face: homeless and alone, they're only just starting to realise that Sunday's wildlife isn't as harmless as it first seems. Why are the native otters behaving so strangely, and what is the creature in the swamps that is so interested in the humans, and the new arrivals?

The Doctor and Martha must fight to ensure that human intelligence doesn't become the greatest danger of all.


Doctor Who: Forever Autumn by Mark Morris

It is almost Halloween in the sleepy New England town of Blackwood Falls. Autumn leaves litter lawns and sidewalks, paper skeletons hang in windows, and carved pumpkins leer from stoops and front porches.

The Doctor and Martha soon discover that something long-dormant has awoken in the town, and this will be no ordinary Halloween. What is the secret of the ancient tree and the mysterious book discovered tangled in its roots? What rises from the local churchyard in the dead of night, sealing up the lips of the only witness? And why are the harmless trappings of Halloween suddenly taking on a creepy new life of their own?

As nightmarish creatures prowl the streets, the Doctor and Martha must battle to prevent both the townspeople and themselves from suffering a grisly fate…


Doctor Who: Sick Building by Paul Magrs

Tiermann's World: a planet covered in wintry woods and roamed by sabre-toothed tigers and other savage beasts. The Doctor is here to warn Professor Tiermann, his wife and their son that a terrible danger is on its way.

The Tiermanns live in luxury, in a fantastic, futuristic, fully-automated Dreamhome, under an impenetrable force shield. But that won't protect them from the Voracious Craw. A gigantic and extremely hungry alien creature is heading remorselessly towards their home. When it gets there everything will be devoured.

Can they get away in time? With the force shield cracking up, and the Dreamhome itself deciding who should or should not leave, things are looking desperate...

Doctor Who Storybook 2008

Books

May 18, 2007 • Posted By Shaun Lyon

Below is the cover illustration for Panini's Doctor Who Storybook 2008. Says the press release, "Join the Doctor and Martha in a collection of brand-new stories, featuring writers of the multi-award-winning BBC One adventure series. These eight original adventures in Time and Space are beautifully illustrated in full colour by some of the UK's top artists. This sumptuous hardback storybook, with painted dustjacket, is the perfect gift for Doctor Who fans of all ages." The book is published in August.

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May 17, 2007 • Posted By Shaun Lyon

Outpost Gallifrey has received the cover illustration for the Series Three, Volume Two UK DVD release, which includes the episodes "Daleks in Manhattan," "Evolution of the Daleks," "The Lazarus Experiment," and "42". Click on the thumbnail for a larger version of the cover. The disc will be released later this summer.

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The June issue of Sound On Sound magazine features a six-page interview with Murray Gold, the composer of all the music for Doctor Who since its return in 2005.

The magazine is dedicated to the technological side of recording and recording techniques. Topics covered include how Gold got his break, recording the soundtrack album with Neil Hannon, and some pictures from the recording of the score for The Lazarus Experiment at AIR studios in North London.

There's also a large box on how the original Delia Derbyshire theme was created, with input from Murray Gold on how he created the revised version of the theme based on the original.

Sound On Sound is available across the United Kingdom.

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May 17, 2007 • Posted By Josiah Rowe

Interalia Theatre have released a new and extended version of the trailer for their forthcoming production of The Dalek Masterplan.

The adapted and condensed stage show of the Hartnell epic will be at theNew Theatre Royal in Portsmouth from October 24 to October 27.

Confirmed celebrity guests at the mini-convention being held at the theatre on October 27 are Nick Briggs, the current voice of the Daleks, who will also be providing the Dalek voices for the stage play, Rob Shearman, who wrote Dalek from the 2005 series, Davros actor Terry Molloy and new series Dalek operator Barnaby Edwards.

Click here to play the new trailer, which begins with action from Interalia's production of The Evil of the Daleks at the same venue last year.

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Final figures have now been published by BARB which show that Episode Six, The Lazarus Experiment, received an official rating of7.19 million viewers, making it the 12th most watched programme of the week.

Although the Episode was beaten by Monday's New Tricks, it outrated all episodes of Emmerdale and one edition ofEastEnders

On Multi Channel TV, the Sunday night repeat got an audience of0.98 million and was the 5th most watched programme after three football matches and the latest instalment of Katie and Peter.

The Saturday edition of Doctor Who Confidential came in at7th with0.80 million viewers and the Sunday repeat was 33rdwith 0.49 million.

Week Ending 6th May 2007

Top twenty Programmes

1 CORONATION STREET (MON 2030) - 9.55 - ITV1
2 CORONATION STREET (MON 1933) - 9.43 - ITV1
3 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (TUE 1930) - 9.29 - ITV1
4 CORONATION STREET (FRI 1934) - 9.07 - ITV1
5 CORONATION STREET (SUN 1928) - 8.99 - ITV1
6 CORONATION STREET (WED 1930) - 8.87 - ITV1
7 EASTENDERS (MON 2000) - 8.31 - BBC1
8 NEW TRICKS (MON 2059) - 7.98 - BBC1
9 HEARTBEAT (SUN 2000) - 7.89 - ITV1
10 EASTENDERS (FRI 1959) - 7.54 - BBC1
11 EASTENDERS (THU 1931) - 7.30 - BBC1
12 DOCTOR WHO (SAT 1900) - 7.19 - BBC1
13 EMMERDALE (MON 1902) - 7.07 - ITV1
14 EMMERDALE (TUE 1900) - 7.04 - ITV1
15 EMMERDALE (FRI 1903) - 6.76 - ITV1
16 EASTENDERS (TUE 1929) - 6.74 - BBC1
17 EMMERDALE (THU 1902) - 6.61 - ITV1
18 CASUALTY (SAT 2045) - 6.59 - BBC1
19 MY FAMILY (FRI 2031) - 6.48 - BBC1
20 EMMERDALE (WED 1859) - 6.46 - ITV1

Multi Channel Top Twenty

1 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LIVE (Wed 1900) 1,912,000 - Sky Sports
2 FORD SUPER SUNDAY (Sun 1530) 1,616,000 - Sky Sports
3 KATIE AND PETER: THE NEXT CHAPTER (Thu 2100) 1,208,000 - ITV2
4 LIVE FORD FOOTBALL SPECIAL-MATCH (Sat 1200) 1,089,000 - Sky Sports
5 DOCTOR WHO (Sun 2002) 984,000 - BBC3 
6 LOST (Sun 2200) 842,000 - Sky 1
7 DOCTOR WHO CONFIDENTIAL (Sat 1944) 800,000 - BBC3 
8 HOLLYOAKS (Wed 1859) 731,000 - E4 In
9 FORD MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (Mon 1930) 712,000 - Sky Sports
10 EASTENDERS (Thu 2200) 679,000 - BBC3
11 UGLY BETTY (Wed 2102) 672,000 - E4 In
12 HOLLYOAKS (Thu 1859) 665,000 - E4 In
13 FILM: KILL BILL: VOL 1 (2003) (Sat 2132) 656,000 - BBC3
14 AMERICAN IDOL (Fri 2131) 645,000 - ITV2
15 AMERICAN IDOL (Fri 2030) 641,000 - ITV2
16 60 SECONDS (Sun 2000) 610,000 - BBC3
17 HOLLYOAKS (Tue 1900) 606,000 - E4 In
18 THE SIMPSONS (Sun 1901) 591,000 - Sky 1
19 HOME AND AWAY (Fri 1828) 586,000 - Five Life
20 HOME AND AWAY (Mon 1829) 585,000 - Five Life

Source: BARB

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May 18, 2007 • Posted By John Bowman

Hot on the heels of the announcement that The Time Warrior and theKey To Time season will be out on DVD in the UK later this year comes the news that 2Entertain is planning to release the 1975 Tom Baker four-parter Planet of Evil.

The British Board of Film Classification yesterday cleared just over 60 minutes of extras for the DVD of Planet of Evil, although a release date is unknown.

The extras, which have a PG rating, include three features entitled Hidden Hinchcliffe, A Darker Side andPlanetary Performance - Acting In Doctor Who.

(Thanks to Tony Clark.)

Time Warrior And Key To Time Season On DVD

DVD and Video

May 18, 2007 • Posted By John Bowman

The Time Warrior and the Key To Time season are to be released on DVD in the UK by 2Entertain later this year, says the official programme website.

September 3 will see The Time Warrior available. This story launched Jon Pertwee's final season as the Third Doctor and saw the debuts of companion Sarah Jane Smith, as played by Elisabeth Sladen, and classic monsters the Sontarans.

According to the British Board of Film Classification site, the extras will include a 30-minute documentary entitledBeginning The End - Making The Time Warrior, as well as a trailer, two Easter eggs and a photo gallery.

Sixteen new CGI shots have also been created, spanning all four episodes.

A box set of the six-story Season 16, with Tom Baker as the Doctor andMary Tamm as assistant Romana, will apparently be out on September 23, although that date is a Sunday.

The Key To Time season has already been available on DVD in the USA and Canada for a number of years, although its UK release will include "the full extras it deserves", according to the BBC website.

Further details of those extras will be announced at a later date.

(With thanks to Scott Kinnaird.)

UK DVD Release Schedule

28 May 2007 - Robot - Tom Baker
25 June 2007 - Series 3, Volume 2
9 July 2007 - Timelash - Colin Baker
23 July 2007 - Series 3, Volume 3
6 August 2007 - Time Flight/Arc of Infinity - Peter Davison
3 September 2007 - The Time Warrior - Jon Pertwee
23 September 2007 - Key to Time - Tom Baker

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May 16, 2007 • Posted By R. Alan Siler

Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy is set to appear on stage as the Fool in William Shakespeare's King Lear at the Westpac St James Theatre in Wellington on August 11 and 12. The Royal Shakespeare Company production stars Sir Ian McKellan, best known to science-fiction and -fantasy fans as Gandalf in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and as Magneto in the trilogy of X-Men films.

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May 15, 2007 • Posted By Kenny Davidson

As part of the pre-publicity for this Saturday's episode, the new issue ofRadio Times, out today, features exclusive pictures and an interview with Michelle Collins who is guest starring as cargo spaceship captain McDonnell. Our thanks to the Radio Times for the following excerpt:

"We were running around in vests and combats, covered in baby oil and sprayed with water. It was very uncomfortable, because baby oil makes you feel really yucky, and I had to have it on my hair and hands, and my hands had to be filthy."

Not a typical role for the ex-EastEnder then - light years from Walford, in fact, as Collins's ship is heading for a distant sun. So the atmosphere is necessarily hot, hence the spray to give the actors that dripping-with-sweat look. "You got used to it," says Collins. "It was quite liberating not wearing even a bit of mascara, because if I had done it would have been all over my face in two minutes. I was a bit worried about that no-make-up look to start with, then I just thought, 'Oh, go for it!'"

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May 15, 2007 • Posted By Josiah Rowe

Fast on the heels of the officially unconfirmed reports of Kylie Minogueappearing in the 2007 Christmas Special come two more rumors. Today, The Sun reports that Woody Allen will be appearing as Albert Einstein in the Christmas Special. It is possible that this report is a mangled version of this story from the Daily Mail about Rebecca Hall, who will be appearing both in Allen's next movie and in Einstein and Eddington alongside David Tennant.

Also, SyFyPortal reports new interest in a Doctor Who movie starringPaul McGann.

Outpost Gallifrey stresses that there has been no confirmation of any of these rumors, and any or all may prove completely groundless.

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