Doctor Who had a triumphant win at the National Television Awards, held last night; the show won all three of the categories it was up for, with Christopher Eccleston (Best Actor), Billie Piper (Best Actress), and the show itself (Best Drama).

Billie Piper, Noel Clarke, Camille Coduri and Russell T Davies were in attendence, with the latter also collecting the award on behalf of Eccleston, who was unable to attend the event due to flu; reading out a message from the actor: "Thank you to everybody who voted for me, and to the British public for their encouragement over the last 17 years. They have always been honest with me and I'm very grateful." Billie thanked her boyfriend, ex-husband Chris Evans, and Eccleston "for being a fantastic doctor and teaching me so much.".

The award for the show was presented by the two Conservative leader nominates David Davis and David Cameron. The show itself is broadcast on ITV1 tonight from 8:00pm.

Coverage at: BBC News, CBBC, The Sun, Independent, Mirror, Sky, Contact Music, Guardian, DeHavilland, Media Guardian, RTE, Daily Mail, Western Mail, Daily Post, GM:TV, View London, UTV, The Scotsman, Digital Spy.

The BBC Schedule Information for the week commencing 12th November includes information about this year's Children In Need, including details about "an exclusive mini-episode of Doctor Who, written by Russell T Davies".

A press release for BBC World Canada today confirmed that audiences there would see The Christmas Invasion special air on Boxing Day, with a special introduction by Billie Piper; the second series itself is also due during 2006, and the release mentions a DVD release of the first series in February. (... which means the series looks likely to be available in Region One format before the States sees any episode broadcast!)

With Boxing Day cited for Canada, it seems likely that the UK broadcast will be either then or before that date!

John Barrowman appeared on ITV1's Loose Women today, during which the topic of Torchwood came up; John mentioned that the series might well be repeated on BBC1! He also noted that "no one will know how he gets to present day Earth".

The BBC and this morning's Independent report on the latest development in the Doctor Who universe, Torchwood. An anagram of the main show, of course, the name first came up as a throwaway line in Bad Wolf then registered by the BBC online as torchwood.org.uk, the name now has a meaning: the name of a new spin-off television series investigating modern-day alien activities in Britain, and headed up by ... Captain Jack!

The new series is scheduled to broadcast on BBC3 during the summer next year, which sounds like it will be shown after the end of the second series of Doctor Who itself; this new series will be darker, more adult-oriented, and as Stuart Murphy, controller of BBC3 observes: "The people have affairs with one another. There will be sex and swearing, I assume. I'm quite relaxed about that, it will be post-watershed and Russell (T Davies) can do it in a funny and sexy way.". On the commissioning itself: "We had never done sci fi before and it is a genre which people treat in a certain way. You look at what he has done with Dr Who and we said to Russell what would you do with a post-watershed sci fi? Each episode of Torchwood will be a one-off story and will be funny in a way that Casanova brought humour to period drama."

Russell T Davies, writing the new series, observed: "Torchwood will be a dark, clever, wild, sexy, British crime/sci-fi paranoid thriller cop show with a sense of humour - the X Files meets This Life." Stuart Murphy added: "It's a renegade bunch of investigators who investigate real-life, normal crimes. They also look into alien happenings. They have been charged by the British government to find alien technology that has fallen to Earth and they need to do it without the FBI and UN knowing. It's set in modern-day Cardiff. Unlike Doctor Who, which made Cardiff look like Dickensian London, this will look like Cardiff."

Captain Jack will of course once more be played by John Barrowman. (which we would guess means that he must get to modern day Wales somehow!)

See also: The Independent media section, Digital Spy, BBC Cult, and BBC Press Office; 17th Oct additional: icWales, Brand Republic, Pink News, gay.com, Scoopt, C21Media, Waveguide, Belfast Telegraph, Yahoo, Contact Music, SyFy Portal (US), CJAD (US) Canoe (CA), Macleans (CA); 18th Oct: Playbill, Ananova, IMDB, The Register, Toronto Sun, Western Mail, Female First, DVD Times, Sci-Fi Wire, Liverpool Daily Post, Edmonton Works, Media Bulletin, The Sun, The Times, and the Telegraph; 18th Oct additional: Mirror, Evening Times, Dark Horizons, Female First, Monsters & Critics, Sky Showbiz News, In The News, Kansas City Star; 19th Oct: Sydney Morning Herald, Entertainment Wise.

French station France 4 will begin broadcasting the first new series of Doctor Who from 5th November, from 10:30pm, says Allocine. Interestingly, the article mentions David Tennant already, so no surprises for French viewers!

(Google English Translation)

Unsurprisingly, the Sun published a spoiler about how the series will end. The full story is only in the print version, but the online article mentions enough - don't read unless you want to know!

(discussion on Outpost Gallifrey about the story)

Added 18th Oct: Manchester Evening News

Nominations for the National Television Awards have now been announced, with Doctor Who in the following:

• Best Drama, against Bad Girls, Desperate Housewives, and The Bill.
• Most Popular Actor, Chris is up against Bradley Walsh, Martin Clunes, Nigel Harman and Shane Ritchie.
• Most Popular Actress, Billie is up against Caroline Quentin, Jessie Wallace, June Brown and Sally Lindsay.

The final vote will be on ITV1 on 26th October, 8:00pm.

See also: BBC News, CBBC, Entertainment Wise, Manchester Evening News, Scotsman, Sky. Female First, Daily Mail, UK Gay, and Waveguide. Added 18th Oct: The Stage

Block Two

It was reported in the weekend's Sunday Mirror that Pauline Collins (who appeared as Samantha Briggs in 1967 serial The Facelesss Ones) is appearing in Series Two as Queen Victoria. She has been present at the latest location filming, believed to be for episode two, Tooth and Claw, which on set reports suggest is set in late 19th Century Scotland.

Block Two also consists of episode four written by Steven Moffatt, the working title of which is believed to be The Girl in the Fireplace. Actress Sophia Myles' own website says that she will be playing the part of Louis XV's famous mistress Madame Du Pompadour. This would seem to add strength to previous speculation that the episode is set in 18th Century France. (Will the Doctor run into his time twin Giacomo Casanova who spent a number of years as a courtesan of Louis XV?!)
Block One

Known cast for the first block include:

• The Christmas Invasion: Penelope Wilton, Adam Garcia, Daniel Evans, Sean Gilder, Anita Bream and Chu Ornambala.
• New Earth: Zoe Wannamaker
• School Reunion: Elisabeth Sladen, Anthony Stewart Head, John Leeson, Eugene Washington, Caroline Berry and Rod Arthur.

Today's Metro "Green Room" notes: Charlotte Church would love to star in the new Doctor Who series but only if she can get a crash course in acting. "It's filmed in Cardiff so I can do the accent but I'm really rubbish at acting," she admits.

And finally, on a related note Alan Davies discusses how he considered the role of the Doctor in The Telegraph: The duffel-coated star of Jonathan Creek was once considered a favourite to play Dr Who. "When it was mooted, I thought it was going to be six half hours, like it used to be. And then when I heard it was 13 hour-long episodes and they were going to be in Cardiff for 10 months, I thought: Oooh," he says. "Then they worked Christopher Eccleston into the ground, he quit and the BBC put it about that he didn't want to be typecast. The truth was they just overworked him and he was exhausted."

This is Gwent featured an article on a group of fans who are proficient in Tae kwon do and kick boxing; they are to appear in the next series as Shaolin monks, and will be filming late this month and early October - and discuss having their hair shaved off for the parts!

A quick roundup of the DVD boxed set extras that have been classified by the BBFC for the forthcoming special release of the first series in November. Retailer Amazon report the features on the disk set to be: Commentaries on all 13 episodes from cast and crew including Russell T Davies, Billie Piper, John Barrowman, Mark Gatiss and Simon Callow ; Billie Piper's Video Diary - On Set With Billie ; Making Doctor Who with Russell T Davies ; Waking The Dead ; Mark Gatiss video diary ; Special Doctor Who Confidential disc with 13 specially edited episodes plus an exclusive episode 14 containing behind-the-scenes footage from The Christmas Invasion ; Exclusive featurettes: Destroying the Lair, Mike Tucker's Mocks of Balloons, Designing Doctor Who, Laying Ghosts - The Origins of The Unquiet Dead, Deconstructing Big Ben, The Adventures of Captain Jack ; BBC Breakfast Interview with Christopher Eccleston ; Trailers ; Exclusive 5.1 Surround Sound ; Collector's booklet including an introduction by Russell T Davies ; English SDH subtitles for all video elements ; Audio Description for all episodes

Today's Sun reports on the fate of a character in the new series.

The strangeness that is BBC3 scheduling for Doctor Who continues this weekend, with another back-to-back couple of episodes being shown on Sunday evening; this time it's the turn of Boom Town and Bad Wolf. Boom Town will be preceded at 7:00pm by it's respective Confidential, Unsung Heroes and Violent Death.

This scheduling would seem to indicate that the tenth Confidential. The Weird Science of Doctor Who would not get broadcast; however it will be on Friday 23rd in its "cut down" form at 9:45pm after The Doctor Dances is broadcast. Saturday 24th sees the full length of this Confidential, and everything returns to "normal" on Sunday 25th with The Parting of the Ways at 7:00pm followed by the "cut down" The Last Battle at 7:45pm.

(The scheduling is a little surprising as one might have expected Bad Wolf and The Parting of the Ways to be paired up instead!).

Just a reminder, this coming Friday sees the re-showing of The Empty Child at 9:00pm, followed by the first broadcast of the "cut-down" Special Effects Confidential, which was not shown originally over the Eurovision weekend in May. Saturday sees the full length version repeated at 7:45pm.

Well, according to an article on the BBC News site, "A Christmas special is due to be broadcast on Christmas Day, followed by a 13-part series next year." Obviously there is no official confirmation of the broadcast date as yet, though it is interesting that this is a BBC site reporting the date for The Christmas Invasion.

The article itself is about the current TUC conference taking place in Brighton, where the Writers Guild of Great Britain heaped praise on the new series, saying "there was no substitute for well-resourced, home-grown drama and comedy material written, performed and produced in the UK". Said member Hugh Stoddart: "The popularity of the series demonstrates that there is still an audience for quality family entertainment, and that distinctive UK television productions can still provide a talking point for the nation."

Note: susequent to this, the article has been modified to only say that the show would be on at Christmas, not on the 25th itself

The Official Red Dwarf Fan Club held their twelfth annual convention Dimension Jump last weekend, during which a special effects panel took place including Who effects designer Mike Tucker. During the course of the interview he and his team discussed what they had been up to, and during talks about their new freelance company the subject of Doctor Who came up! As mentioned in the official Red Dwarf site report for Saturday, not only have they been working on the impending Doctor Who Christmas Special, but would then be taking on the new series!

The Mirror this morning reports that, as well as Sarah Jane Smith, another old companion will be returning, though will only be expecting to be in one episode.

The BBC Doctor Who site confirmed the story, noting that the actor in question is delighted to be back in the series. The script is for the third episode of the new series, School Reunion, written by Toby Whithouse, and also features guest star Anthony Head.

Updated Thu 25th: more from BBC News, CBBC, Digital Spy, and Manchester Evening News.

Blue Peter saw the results of their recent Design a Monster competition, which saw some 43920 entries from children aged under sixteen, the most successful competition for the show since 1993!

The competition was judged by series executive producer Russell T Davies, Blue Peter producer Richard Marson, and presenter Gethin Jones. The overall winner of the competition was announced by new Doctor David Tennant on the show as the creature 'Abzorbaloff' (right), by William Grantham from Colchester, whose prize is to see his design turned from drawing to a real monster appearing in the show itself. William's was chosen from the nine winning designs, with 500 runners up.

In a BBC Press Release producer Richard Marson said: We were staggered by the popularity of the competition. We knew Doctor Who had been a huge hit with our audience but this was something else. Every day brought more sacks and, as well as getting all hands on deck in the Blue Peter office, we also had to draft in extra help to get through the mountain of highly inventive designs."

The show also included a brief interview with David Tennant, talking about starting on Doctor Who and taking questions from viewers, and afterwards he participated in a live webchat. There was also some further pictures from the runners up and another competition on the CBBC Extra Interactive channel on Digital.

• BBC News and CBBC Newsarticle on the competition.
• Thursday's Telegraph also carried a small article about the prize-winning monster (page 10).
  
  
• Vote for your favourite monster!
  at the time of writing the results were The Empty Child (53%, 13714 votes); Dalek (33%, 8686 votes); Slitheen (7%, 1763 votes); The Moxx of Balhoon (4%, 956 votes); and Autons (4%, 941 votes).

Billie Piper's husband Chris Evans is being considered for a part in the new series, at least according to ITN;

Monday update: DigitalSpy, ViewLondon and DeHavilland also carry the story, and attribute the .

Filming on The Christmas Invasion has continued in central Cardiff, says the Western Mail, with various shops having a makeover to give them a more festive look, including a giant Christmas Tree near the Central Library. However, all is not so good for the cast, with Billie Piper having to wear a fur-lined coat in spite of the hot weather the UK is experiencing at the moment! Also mentioned by Digital Spy and News24.Com (South Africa).


In news over the weekend, DigitalSpy reported on an article in the Mirror about how fans had been disrupting filming by using flash photography, and a request by the BBC for those attending filming to be more considerate of the recording process. The official BBC site has more on the incidents.

Some older news items:

• News of filming is reported abroad by the New Zealand Herald. (5th)
• Filming news from the Daily Post (2nd) and Manchester Evening News (1st)
• BBC Newsround talks to the new Doctor on taking on the role; you can listen to the interview too!
• Watch the BBC Wales news report on filming of the new series.

Broadcast Magazine has reported that Doctor Who will be one of the first shows to be filmed in high definition television. Simon Walker, BBC Controller of Corporate Strategy, said that HD is a priority at the BBC, where commissioners are urging program suppliers to shoot future productions in HD, especially for flagship programs such as Dr Who. The BBC is aiming to be completely HD by 2010, though Walker has warned that this may be limited only to commercially funded platforms (such as Sky or NTL) as current Freeview bandwidth is too limited.

Some photos from the location filming that took place in Cardiff on Monday 1st August in Cardiff.

A collection of the links etc. that have come up during the course of this week.

• The Sun feature a photo spread of filming that took place in London this week at the Brandon Estate (the area of Rose's home).
• You can find a more detailed location report and other photos of the recent filming in London from UNIT News.
• The Doctor's costume is examined in more detail by BBCi, breaking it down into the constituent parts you can buy from the High Street shops!
• Female First reports that David Tennant wishes to be the first naked Time Lord! Quoted from The Sun: "I'm going to be nude throughout. It's a whole new thing, with a bit of pixelation around the groin ... Casanova and the Doctor have a similar joy and wit about them. There is less sh**ging in 'Doctor Who', but who knows? We might change that, too!"
• More coverage of the press release from: Megastar, InsomniacMania, Film and Video, and SyFyPortal (which reckons the episode will air on Christmas Day!).

Says the Mirror this morning: A Buckingham Palace source said: "The Queen loves the programme and has requested a full set of DVDs. She has asked the BBC to send her copies so she can watch the series again during her stay at Balmoral." Her courtiers ordered the 13-part DVD set from the Cardiff-based team at BBC Wales which made the series for a record £10million. The monarch has followed the show since it began in 1963 with William Hartnell as the first of nine actors to play the time-travelling hero.

Also reported by Ananova, Female First.

Not surprisingly the media leapt upon the news yesterday on the start of production, and in particular the new Doctor's "geek chic" costume. Says the Guardian: Tennant has eschewed Eccleston's contemporary styling and the gentleman cricketer look sported by Peter Davison in the 1980s for a brown pinstripe suit, ankle-length brown coat and cream plimsolls. But his long flapping coat will remind many longstanding "Whovians" of the classic Doctors played by Tom Baker and Jon Pertwee in the 1970s..

The Times: DOCTOR WHO has discovered classic men's tailoring during his latest regeneration, according to the first pictures of David Tennant emerging from the Tardis. Pinstripes, tie and a heavy-duty overcoat will replace Christopher Eccleston's black leather jacket when the Scottish actor takes over the role for the next BBC One series. The ensemble was created by Louise Page, a freelance costume designer. A pair of white Converse sneakers maintains the Doctor's eclecticism to offset the sleek, Soho-louche look.

Other reports covering yesterday's general press release information include: Manchester Evening News, Glasgow Daily Record, Glasgow Herald, The Scotsman, Western Mail, Ananova, Daily Mail, Sky News, Liverpool Daily Post, and Hello Magazine.

CBBC also cover the news of the series, and are currently running a poll on what you think of the new costume. At the time of writing 50.33% think it is a good costume, 15.57% think it isn't too good, and 34.10% preferred the Eccleston look!

Meanwhile, the comments by Tennant about fans' thoughts on him reach the southern hemisphere, reported by the New Zealand Herald.

A whole host of information for the second series of Doctor Who has arrived today, including the first publicity photo for new Doctor David Tennant's costume (right), consisting of a brown striped suit, trenchcoat, and trainers(!).

Says Tennant: "I think we've come up with something distinctive that's both timeless and modern, with a bit of geek chic and of course, a dash of Time Lord! Most importantly Billie tells me she likes it - after all she's the one who has to see me in it for the next nine months."

And Billie Piper, confirmed to be in all the episodes of this series, says: "I'm thrilled to be stepping back into the role of Rose. We plan to make series two even bigger and better and challenge the viewers' imaginations like never before - wait until you get a load of the new doctor!"

Russell T Davies says about the second series: "We were delighted and honoured by the first series' success, and we can promise new thrills, new laughs, new heartbreak and some terrifying new aliens." The Christmas Special will feature a new alien called Sycorax, who brings the whole of Earth under it's shadow; the story also sees the return of MP (now Prime Minister?) Harriet Jones, played once again by Penelope Wilton.

Other guest stars include Anthony Stewart Head and Adam Garcia; however, of most interest for veteran fans is the return of arguably the most favourite companion from the 20th Century, Sarah Jane Smith, once again played by Elisabeth Sladen!

• BBC Press Office
• BBCi news report
• BBC Doctor Who website
• CBBC
• Waveguide on Sarah Jane Smith

The media today report on how David Tennant is finding fan feedback on his assuming the role of the Doctor. Referring to the interview appearing in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, The Mirror. BBCi, icScotland, Daily Record, Contact Music, Western Mail, and Scotsman all comment on his observations about him from fan forums like Outpost Gallifrey: "The first comment I read was very nice, and the next comment was terribly flattering, and then the next one said something like 'I can't bear the sight of him!' The one after that said 'That's it! The dream is finished! Somebody who looks like a weasel could never play the Doctor!'".

Others like The Sun, Contact Music, and DigitalSpy concentrate on his views of new co-star Billie Piper: "Obviously I've been admiring her in the show; she's just great. Fantastic. Just absolutely perfect. Spunky and quick and sexy... just the ideal companion really. So I'm very very pleased that she's doing the whole series."

And on his own arrival on screen this Christmas: "I hope they stick with it and give it a chance. I know everyone loved Chris, and so did I, but hopefully I won't disappoint people!"

In addition, Sci-Fi Wire, the Ottawa Citizen, and SyFyPortal discuss Tennant's appearance at BBC America's recent Autumn press preview in Beverley Hills, Los Angeles. On the rumours about him wearing a kilt: "No kilt. That was a joke I made one night, and somebody wrote it down as a fact. Look, I don't have any big ideas about this. It's not as if I'm going to do it with a limp or something. But you always try to find a way to make it your own."; on the recent terrorist attacks in London affecting future stories: "It's a very interesting question, I really don't know. There's certainly nothing in the three scripts we're starting that would give pause for thought."; and on coming to the event: "It's very exciting and fantastically daunting that you come to L.A. and everyone here knows about it as well, because there's a lot of attention - it's very scary right now because I haven't started."

Not surprisingly, the BBC3 schedule for the first UK repeat series of Doctor Who has been changed from last week (and might well change again!). Since the original Radio Times report of Saturday 16th July at 7:45pm, this has now been revised to Sunday 17th July, at 7:00pm; also, the documentary series Doctor Who Confidential has been scheduled as the Cut Down version, running from 7:45-8:00pm - the first five of these were never broadcast orginally, so something "new" to see!

The BBC Doctor Who site reports that the episode will now be re-repeated on Fridays at 9:00pm rather than on Wednesday.

Note: at the time of writing, the Radio Times site actually has Rose listed as 7:00-7:15pm!

ITV have announced their annual National Television Awards, a public vote for a ceremony to take place in October - and Doctor Who has a number of nominations you can vote for!

• Most Popular Drama, Doctor Who
• Most Popular Actor, Christopher Eccleston
• Most Popular Actress, Billie Piper
• (you can also vote for Dead Ringers in the Most Popular Comedy nomination!)

Among the 43 nominations for the actor role, Christopher Eccleston is up against former Doctor Peter Davison for his role in Distant Shores - and of course "hundreds" of soap stars throughout the categories!

Reports on the award nominations can be read at BBCi, Daily Mail, Ananova, The Scotsman, The Sun, This Is London, UTV, Western Mail, RTE Online, Sky News, and Breaking News IE.

Meanwhile, Doctor Who also fared well in the recent third Metro Urban-Life Survey for 2005, with the show being considered the fourth most loved programme on television (12%); this was behind Desperate Housewives (31%), CSI (14%) and ER (12%). Fifth place was taken up by The Simpsons with 10%.

The People on Sunday reported that Billie Piper would be playing the role of Rose throughout the second series of Doctor Who, having negotiated herself a £210,000 for the part. Say a BBC spokesperson: "It's great that Billie is staying. Her deal is what she deserves as she's a favourite with fans." The deal places her on a higher salary than incoming Doctor David Tennant, who is to earn £166,000 for his first series; however, it is also reported that this will actually be £500,000 for a full three series contract. The story was taken up by DigitalSpy and on Monday by Female First.

The series is reported to be broadcast from next February.

BBCi and the teletext services have reported that the BBC are talking to actor/writer and QI presenter Stephen Fry about writing for Doctor Who; however, a BBC spokeswoman made it clear that there were (currently!) no plans for him to appear in the series. The story was picked up by Waveguide.

Christopher Eccleston held his first interview after the end of the series yesterday, at a Mencap charity event. Talking to Radio 1's Newsbeat, he said: "The best thing about 'Doctor Who' for me has been the response I've had from children, both in the street and the number of letters and drawings of me and daleks, which are all over my wall at home. In all the 20 years I've been acting, I've never enjoyed a response so much as the one I've had from children and I'm carrying that in my heart forever."

The New Statesman for the 27th June issue carried a review of the end of the series this week; Andrew Billen comments: The successfully regenerated Doctor Who has now reached the end of its current run, as has its star, Christopher Eccleston. "My head is killing me," said Rose, who had swallowed the time vortex through her eyeballs and was in danger of speaking truer than she knew. "You need a doctor," said the doctor and initiated a kiss as long delayed as that joke. Eccleston is not the first old git to be knackered by proximity to a teenage sex bomb, but the effects this time were spectacular. The Gallifreyan Asbo-flouter exploded and turned into David Tennant - the only known example of a woman not only making a man feel ten years younger, but literally making him so. Tennant is 34, surely the very minimum age for a Doctor Who. And finally: Yet, paradoxically, and despite the variations in tone, this was a serious piece of work that wove historical traditions into the fabric of our times and thereby managed to embroider everything from reality TV to bisexuality. Just as the police box once represented the presence of the state in every high street, Davies's Tardis became a symbol of public-service quality in the Saturday-night schedules. And that makes three cheers in all.

A further reviews, also positive, from SyFyPortal: The final episode, however, exterminated that cheese, once again reuniting the Doctor with his most feared enemy. And not just one of them, but an entire invasion army poised to harvest the human race. As the Dalek god proclaimed "Behold The Doctor: The Great Exterminator!" I could feel the hair on the back of my neck rising and the goose bumps forming. Chills ran down my spine and I knew once and for all that "Doctor Who" was back--and as the Dalek invasion force entered the lower levels of Satellite Five intent on killing the human civilians, I wanted nothing more than to be able to dive behind my sofa. The scale of the invasion was completely unexpected for a British television show. This series has broken all boundaries and gone to show that Britons can make epic sci-fi just as well as anyone else. So with a weirdness you'd never see on "Star Trek," the gut-wrenching emotion of the best dramas and an epic scale that even the most creative television shows are unable to create, Davies' "Doctor Who" has shown it is a match for anything currently in production. The only regret about the series is that Eccleson will not be returning for the second season. David Tennent has a tough role to follow, and I can only hope he is up to the challenge.

The Sun, in the guise of Ally Ross at least, was a little more reserved: But an exciting, superbly paced, life-affirming piece of drama to finish off Christopher Eccleston's run. And BBC1 really should be applauded, not just for its technical excellence but also incredible restraint in not appointing Graham Norton as the next Doctor Who. You think that's fanciful? Don't. For as good as many of the episodes in this series were, there were other times when Doctor Who became a Tardis-sized pain in the arse, due - as always - to familiar BBC flaws and obsessions. June plugs for the Christmas special have alerted everyone to the fact that Doctor Who is now spreading its tentacles all over the crapper parts of Beeb1's schedule, just like Strictly Come Dancing. And after a discussion of the various political and sexual comment that occured in the series: Hopefully, BBC1 will remember its main audience before series two. Because Paisley boy David Tennant seems like the right choice for the role and if he can get rid of the home counties accent he picked up during regeneration - anything is possible.

And then The Star: "It's the ones you love that always break your heart and, after my tidal wave of gushy emotions over Dr Who, blow me if the last episode wasn't - well - a little bit pish. Don't get me wrong. I was gripped throughout and tears were in my eyes when Eccleston gave his farewell speech. And that's what made the writing so brilliant. Because these flowery speeches masked the fact that actually the plot of the last episode was bollocks."

Meanwhile The Independent report on Labour MP Harry Cohen highlighting an issue where an Early Day Motion he'd tabled regarding praise for Doctor Who but it had been discarded due to problems over 'farting aliens'!

Finally, The Guardian reports that Endemol - company behind Big Brother - boss Peter Bazalgette has become a member of the DWAS! Talking about the most recent series at a broadcasting conference: "The most magnificent piece of TV I can remember for a long time."

Back on the 15th April 2002, the former Controller of BBC1 appeared on Room 101, and consigned the old series away to the room. Now, however, the new Chairman of the BBC seems to have been swayed by the adventures of the 2005 version of the series! The BBC Doctor Who site report that Michael Grade, whose son is now a fan, had sent an email to the Director General Mark Thompson praising the show: "This is not easy to write - as you will readily understand. But here goes - congratulations to all involved in Dr Who: to whoever commissioned it, those who executed it, the writers, the cast, the publicity folk that promoted it, the schedulers and of course the late Sydney Newman who invented the whole thing."

Wednesday's Guardian picks up on the story, commenting: The list of superlatives for BBC1's Doctor Who revival grows ever longer: seeing off Celebrity Wrestling, winning over diehard fans and a new generation of viewers, and resurrecting family TV viewing almost singlehandedly. But today the show achieved perhaps its greatest triumph to date - winning the glowing approval of one of its biggest critics, the BBC chairman, Michael Grade, who suspended Doctor Who for 18 months when he was running BBC1 in the 80s. And in an earlier article it corrects one of the common misconceptions of the public: Mr Grade became a hate figure for Doctor Who fans when he rested the show in early 1985. It returned the following September, but he was still not happy, insisting on the replacement of Colin Baker before agreeing to commission a further series. But Mr Grade was not at the helm when Doctor Who was finally retired for good in 1989 - that decision fell to the then BBC1 controller, Jonathan Powell.

The story also featured in the paper version of The Daily Mail.

Phew! Well if there was ever a point where the small screen seems far too small for Doctor Who then Saturday's episode reached it! Please do send us your thoughts on the finale, and the series as a whole!

Speaking of films, the Sunday Telegraph reports that The television phenomenon of 2005 is heading for the big screen for the first time in 40 years. The BBC confirmed that it is considering a film adaptation after the triumphant climax of the Doctor Who series last night. Paul McGann commented: "I think the fans were starved for some new material and were bored of the repeats. The new series came at exactly the right time. I think a cinema version could do very well." However, there is no confirmation from the BBC that a film will be made, only that it is under consideration (and has been for some time). Also reported by Contact Music, though they neglect to point out that it is only being considered!

Ratings-wise, the lower viewing figures seen across the board for Saturday have been attributed to the excellent weather that day; BBCi reported on the BBC's opinion: The BBC spokeswoman said that, despite viewing figures being down, it was still the most watched television show of the evening, with a 41.8% share of the audience in the 1900-2000BST slot. "Almost half of those watching television tuned in to Doctor Who," she said. "It continues to be the most-watched television show on a Saturday night." Also reported by DigitalSpy, Female First, The Guardian, The Scotsman, MediaWeek, and in various other papers on Monday.

Former BBC Chairman Greg Dyke talks about Doctor Who in his column for today's Independent; commenting on it's success: "The reason Doctor Who was a triumph is that, for the first time for some years, we had a new (at least, it felt new) early-evening drama that could be watched by the whole family, something that many in television thought was close to impossible to achieve in the multi-channel age. Just listening to Jonathan Ross raving about the series on his Saturday morning show on Radio Two tells you why it was so special; it gave him the opportunity to sit with his children and watch a programme that they all enjoyed, but on a range of different levels.".

The Manchester Evening News was also positive about the show, with review Iain Hepburn raving about Daleks everywhere, "Anne Robinson" getting exterminated: "For the fans though, and I'm not ashamed to admit I'm one of the old-school breed, this was outstanding. Clever, subtle references in dialogue and storytelling to the original series, with enough modern touches to make it still feel as fresh and energetic as the Doctor himself. Some may be churlish and point out the flaws in the plot. Or complain about Captain Jack kissing both Rose and the Doctor goodbye (and those that do - please leave now. Really, switch off your computer and don't come back.). I'm not going to. There was no pretentions here, this was just great, balls to the wall entertainment. Fourty five of the best minutes of Doctor Who, and possibly of family drama, ever.".

The kiss is likely to cause a controversy though, according to the Star at least: TV bosses are bracing themselves for a backlash from moral crusaders tomorrow night when they screen a kiss between Dr Who and bisexual time-traveller Captain Jack Harkness. In the last episode of the series, the Timelord and Rose face the wrath of the Daleks - and Captain Jack, actor John Barrowman, 38, is sure they won't survive. As he gets set to mount an attack on the aliens, he plants a smacker on the Doctor's lips and says: 'See you in hell!' Despite the cheeky nature of the kiss, telly watchdogs are already up in arms about it. David Turtle of MediaWatch said: "This is totally inappropriate, considering Doctor Who goes out in the early evening and is meant to be for family viewing."

Other reviews included an exploration of what happens when religion gets a little too carried away in The Herald, more positive ones from The Telegraph and Independent, but the Mirror felt that the series and Christopher Eccleston only excelled when the Daleks were about; Gary Bushell in the People wasn't so keen on the creations of Russell T Davies either. On the other hand, Scotland's Sunday Mail understandedly concentrated on the arrival of David Tennant! And today's Metro gave the episode five stars for the second week running! "Woe! oh woe! It's over. But gosh, it was a corker. Even after weeks of 'fantastic foreplay - false scripts, bogus Internet rumours (www.badwolf.org.uk), frittering away BBC cash on red herring endings - the last episode of Doctor Who did not disappoint. An exploding TARDIS! A new (utterly scrummy) Doctor! A galaxy-worth of evil Daleks hovering over Earth like greedy weight-watchers round the sausage tray! Top telly writer of the universe Russell T Davies knew what fans young and old wanted - and he delivered it in spades!"

Other news bits relating to the last episode:

• "Have you enjoyed Doctor Who?" asks BBCi.
• Russell T Davies heaps praise upon Christopher Eccleston on BBCi; the comments are also echoed by DeHavilland.
• The Guardian letters page has a response to the column by Russell T Davies on his acknowledgement of US influences.
• Digital Spy printed a selection of scenes from the episode.
• The Independent explores the meaning behind kissing.
• The Washington Blade discusses the 'omnisexual' nature of Captain Jack Harkness.
• Review of the episode at SciFind.
• Space.Com mentioned the Associated Press on Doctor Who being a hit.
• And elsewhere in the world, Australia's Sydney Morning Herald previewed World War Three, and Canada's Globe & Mail reported on the repeat season commencing there.

CBBC's Newsround Showbiz featured a two-part interview with Russell T Davies over it's two shows this weekend, the first examining the lead up to the evening's episode and the mystery of Bad Wolf, and the second the second considering the future direction of the series. Apart from confirming the further third series and Billie staying on, Davies also reported that, as well as the much-publicised return of classic enemy the Cybermen, there would also be new villains and some returning characters from the last series too. He also confirmed that there would again be a running theme through the second series, set up by a word which has already been heard on screen in series one! On other aspects like how Tennant will play the role, all he would say is: "You'll have to wait and see, there are big revelations on the way and I can't say any more than that." .

Noel Clarke and Camille Cadori will certainly be back in their respective roles of Mickey and Jackie, in the Christmas special at least, and John Barrowman said that he would be back at some point as Captain Jack during his interview on Entertainment Today last Friday. Meanwhile, the Sun seems to think that one of those characters mentioned would be former companion Sarah Jane Smith, with K9. Russell T Davies is quoted as saying: "Talks are under way with Elisabeth Sladen to revive the iconic character Sarah Jane Smith, who is remembered by a whole generation of Doctor Who fans."

Broadcast Now reported that though the third series has been commissioned, it hadn't as yet confirmed that new Doctor David Tennant hadn't as yet signed a contract for it; says a BBC spokesperson: "We're still in discussions with David Tennant and Billie Piper. The third series has only just been announced, so it's still early days."

• Some additional third series announcements from: Addict3D, SciFind, and Sci-Fi Newswire.

Into the last full day before the series ends, and the media keep up their interest ... and try to spoil the ending for the masses, with both The Sun and The Mirror concentrate on the final moments of the show (no prizes for guessing on what!).

The Western Mail for Cardiff also reports on the ending, but goes on to discuss future series direction with Russell T Davies. "One of the hardest things about the second series will be sticking to the same road we've created. In many ways, after you've proved successful with one series, the second series is the biggest, most dangerous challenge, so none of us are resting on our laurels. We want to stay faithful to the roots of the programme, while also pushing it further." He also mentions that, contrary to some rumours, Harry Potter author JK Rowling hasn't been approached to write for the second series: "... she turned us down, and I'm not crawling back to ask a second time!" And finally, on the new Doctor's personality: "... as the Doctor, he won't be hugely different to Christopher Eccleston. He'll have a different style of dialogue, and his own quirks - just like you had Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker and Peter Davison - but he's still the Doctor. He'll be wearing different clothes, but rumours that David will be wearing a kilt are completely untrue."

Other areas of the media didn't 'survive' either, with John Barrowman appearing on Entertainment Today on ITV, and again on the on the Nicola Heywood Thomas show on BBC Radio Wales; the latter show also featured a discussion on how successful Doctor Who has become, including DWAS Press Officer Antony Wainer! Executive producer Russell T Davies also appeared on the welsh station earlier, during Good Morning Wales. Commenting on where his inspiration came from, Russell said: "I went back in my mind to the sixties ... and their imagination back then was limitless ... they were so imaginative it didn't matter they didn't have the budget; it was very much going to back and writing Doctor Who as it always was in the minds of its creators - it's just now that we have CGI and a nice budget that we can actually show some of these things, but in its heart it's always been this imaginative, and always this big." And on Christopher Eccleston's departure: "the name of the programme had become a joke and Chris, as one of the country's leading actors, by being willing to step up to the line and take on that part - a very risky part, he really put himself on the line - and has proved himself to be magnificent; so he has turned it around so now you get actors like David Tennant, who is the next generation, just about one of the best actors in the world. David himself has said that he wouldn't have touched this part if Chris hadn't done it, as the part had become a joke but Chris has salvaged it and made it new."

The spoiler list of sites for today include: The Sun, The Mirror, Western Mail, Dark Horizons, The Scotsman, Radio One, Brand Republic, The Register, and Belfast Telegraph.

And just to have something non-spoiler-based to go and visit: The Guardian published a letter on the Wookey Hole Dalek; Wakefield Today talks about local "Horbury Dalek"; the Carlisle News & Star interview Peter Tyler, model unit director for photography on the series; and Sci-Fi Online have an article on where they think episode breaks should occur if the show was to revert back to the traditional 25 minute episode format.

And finally, Radio 4's Today programme featured a discussion on the effect of television in educating the public, including a reference to Doctor Who and Rose's motivations in Father's Day.

Please note all Listen Again links above are limited to when the next relevant programme goes out!

In the Times article mentioned earlier today, market research had suggested that the BBC were heading for a disaster by bringing back Doctor Who; according to the research "no one wanted to watch Doctor Who. Kids said it was a programme for their parents. The parents said it was a dead show." The paper went on to say that the show was a "niche" series for "science fiction geeks", with the recent Thunderbirds film used as an example of how resurrecting old favourites can fail.

But of course the ratings have shown otherwise!

So why is the series such a success? The Times would like to know, and the best answers will be considered for publication!

Click here for more details.

A special presentation of the final episode of this series, The Parting of the Ways, took place at BAFTA last night, during which Head of BBC Drama Commissioning Jane Tranter and executive producer Russell T Davies confirmed that the second series begins production in July to be broadcast early in 2006, and that Billie Piper will appear throughout the series as Rose. The Christmas special will be called, appropriately enough, The Christmas Invasion; Russell is to pen six of the thirteen scripts for this series.

Also, a further third series of of thirteen episodes has been commissioned; with a second special for Christmas 2006 also expected this means we will have at least 41 episodes to look back on at the end of 2007!

Much of the success has been put down to the wider range of viewers watching the show and the writers themselves; the Guardian quotes Jane Tranter: "Russell is a fantastic writer. Who else could have had the Doctor save the world from a council estate to Downing Street and bring him to the heart of the darkness of reality TV." And CBBC report on Russell's own comments: "What was most pleasing is that people have been watching this series as a family. I think a children's show should have a full range of emotions including grief and comedy.". The Times adds: "I wanted the series to deal with adult themes such as grief and loss. A six-year-old can watch and feel what is going on even if he doesn.t fully comprehend everything. The world is not always a happy place."

Of course, the screening means that the media are now beginning to report on what we can expect on Saturday, so stay clear of the papers and online sites if you don't want to know! Link-wise, if you really wish to read further ...

• CBBC News report mentioned above, includes comments about returning adversaries in next year's series. [listen to report]
• BBCi report on the BAFTA, plus the new Doctor's first lines ...
• BBC Doctor Who Site briefly mentions the third series.
• The Guardian report mentioned above, includes plot details for The Parting Of The Ways
• The Times as mentioned above (which really should know better!).
• The Mirror with more spoilers on Saturday's episode, including who's behind the voice heard on the trailer. An updated article appeared later.
• The Sun also reports on the last story, plus a screen shot of the adversary in question.
• Digital Spy reports on the third series, and filming starting in five weeks time in Wales.
• Manchester Evening News reports on the third series and spoilers for Saturday.
• Megastar on the Doctor's adversary for Saturday.
• RTE Online on the third series.
• FemaleFirst report on the Christmas Special (based on earlier news).

BBCi report that Phil Collinson has announced the first three directors for the next series of Doctor Who. Block One will be directed by James Hawes (The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances), and block two by Euros Lyn (The End of the World/The Unquiet Dead); block three will see the return of old-time director Graeme Harper, who is responsible for the classic tales The Caves of Androzani and Revelation of the Daleks. The BBC site also carries a video of the announcement (which seems likely to be featured as part of the CBBCExtra digital broadcast this coming weekend).

More on the CBBC special mentioned, yesterday. The show will "air" from Friday and run until Sunday; to access it, simply press the red button on any BBC channel and then type in the number 570, or alternatively go to Sky Channel 616 and press red for CBBCExtra.

There will be some exclusive Doctor Who footage, including a new Phil Collinson interview.

WHY ARE YOU READING THIS?!!!
BBCi have issued a statement warning Doctor Who fans to stay away from the Internet in order to avoid any spoilers that may appear about the last episode! Though of course, reading between the lines the references to the spin-off sites like Bad Wolf and to the online trailers for this week might make you think otherwise ... (grin)

The Times also picks up on the story, with some thoughts on what 'Bad Wolf' might actually mean! As the media will be seeing previews imminently, the papers might also be no-go areas for this week, too! Broadcast Online's email bulletin made it their "quote of the day"!

The "Time is Up in Five Days ..." trailer was broadcast yesterday evening on BBC1 before and after Eastenders, and the first "In Four Days" went out after Breakfast News at 9:15am this morning (same scene); the second trailer was broadcast after Eastenders at 8:00pm this evening - be ready for more followup teasers over the next few days' lead-up to the Saturday broadcast! Or, if you want to ignore the BBC warning you can find them on the BBC Doctor Who website.

BBCi also report that former 'enemy' of the Doctor, BBC chairman Michael Grade, has become a fan of the new series! "It has been a memorable year in terms of the BBC showcasing strong Welsh productions for the whole UK audience to enjoy: Casanova, Tribe, A Year at Kew - and, of course, my favourite, Doctor Who. We will not dwell on the fact that I - in an earlier incarnation - took Doctor Who off the air. You live. You learn... especially in Wales, you learn."

The DWAS site won't be posting any spoilers for the episode in the clear at any time during the week, so you can safely visit our site - if you want to read them then follow links off our site or click on the spoiler links such as the one below!

The BBC home page now have a banner counting down the days before The Parting of the Ways premieres on BBC1 next Saturday; the banner also reports that there will be a clip broadcast just before Eastenders tonight, at 8:00pm. You can also watch the clip online via their website. (The link on the homepage was pulled later in the afternoon, which might well have been down to so many attempts to access the trailer!)

Also, Brendan Sheppard, content producer for CBBCi, has advised us that there will be a new selection of Doctor Who related content available via the children's section of BBCi this coming Friday, including a clip that has not been shown elsewhere. CBBCi is available to digital TV viewers in the UK by pressing the red button your remote. The Doctor Who content is likely to be available on page 560.

• You can also see Christopher Eccleston in Top Gear on Tuesday evening, BBC2 at 7:00pm (repeat of Sunday evening's broadcast at 8:00pm).
• Saturday's The Weakest Link also has a Who flavour, with Colin Baker appearing on the show which features Doctors, both real and imaginary!
• Saturday's Doctor Who Confidential 45 minute special on BBC1 before The Parting of the Ways has been listed as The Last Battle, the same name as the 'usual' half-hour programme on BBC3 at 7:45pm. It seems likely that this is a mistake on the site (otherwise we are scheduled will see 45, 30, and 15 minute versions of the same show!) (Weds: The mistake has since been corrected back to The Ultimate Guide)

Plenty to read from The Guardian today; as well as a glowing review of Bad Wolf, there is also an interview with Russell T Davies on how returning back to his 'first love' of Doctor Who was not a bad thing to do! And as for the Christmas special: "just wait til you see what we do with Santa!". There are also related articles on the ITV problems against Who, with Granada boss Simon Shap saying that ,"there is no need to panic", and ITV entertainment chief Claudia Rosencrantz saying that the channel "is not in crisis"; Shaps comments that ITV was trying out new shows, whereas the BBC's biggest hits, Strictly Come Dancing and Doctor Who, were revivals.

Also in the news:

• The Guardian's Diary roundup mentions the Wookey Hole dalek theft from the 8th June.
  
• The Bath Chronicle reports on how Doctor Who scriptwriters must have had Bath in mind for the plot of Boom Town!
• SyFyPortal had an article on Doctor Who, and how it should be a real success in the States when it eventually arrives there!

New Doctor David Tennant is reported in the Sunday Mail as being inspired to be an actor by former Doctor Tom Baker. Tom, in turn, has said that he is proud of the fact, saying "'I have caught a glimpse of Tennant and he has a kind of mercurial quality. I suppose it's star quality. You can believe