Today sees the launch of the Morgan Stanley Great Britons 2005 Awards, the second such event created to celebrate British success and acknowledge outstanding achievements.

As with last year, they are inviting public nominations for those who have achieved such success in a particularly "British" way during the past year.

Vote for DOCTOR WHO 'show runner', Russell T Davies in the Arts category for his achievement in challenging and populist television (for CASANOVA and DOCTOR WHO, and a legacy of thought-provoking productions such as QUEER AS FOLK and THE SECOND COMING).

UK webzine, KASTERBOROUS, has an exclusive and all-new interview with former CLASSIC SERIES companion, Peter Purves (he played Steven Taylor).

A fascinating interview includes the actor/presenter's views on the NEW SERIES, his time with the series and which actor could have produced the closest performance to that of the definitive First Doctor, William Hartnell.

And it's not who you would think it is!

Leaked by THE MIRROR last night (and just confirmed by the BBC late this morning), more casting news.

ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES star Roger Lloyd-Pack (far right) is to join the cast of DOCTOR WHO for the new series. The actor - Trigger who always called Rodney "Dave" in the classic BBC sitcom - will be a baddie (known as John Lumic. Hint.) in a two-part story with the Time Lord's long-standing enemies the Cybermen.

This story co-stars Tracey-Ann Oberman (EASTENDERS).

THE MIRROR report

The highly successful DOCTOR WHO exhibition on BRIGHTON PIER closes on 6 November, but there's good news for fans!

BBC WORLDWIDE is planning a special exhibition to coincide with David Tennant's first (full) episode, THE CHRISTMAS INVASION. The location, so far, is top secret - but will not be in Brighton.

eyeofhorus.org.uk expects the exhibition to be located in London, with the expectation that this will be the central, long term home for the NEW SERIES props and costumes. At it's launch, organiser's of the Brighton Pier told eyeofhorus.org.uk that a Central London location "fell through" and Brighton was then sought as a host.

Friday, 28 October 2005

So, it wasn't London - but somewhere better! The new location for the DOCTOR WHO EXHIBITION is The National Space Centre (Leicester) - which is a FANTASTIC home for the series. As the blurb says:

"Dr Who's Grotto lands at the National Space Centre, bring the family along to meet the Daleks and visit our space themed Christmas shopping market (loads of great gifts) and workshop area making Christmas gifts for all the family. Launch day: 10-11 December 2005."

Located south of Nottingham, east of Birmingham, north of Luton and west of Norwich it is perfect travelling distance of most people in the UK. Tickets range from £9.95 downwards.

As part of the BRAND LICENSING expo this week, CHARACTER OPTIONS has announced as range of SERIES 1 + 2 action figures and toys. Interestingly it contains characters from SERIES 1, THE END OF THE WORLD (are we to assume that along with Cassandra that Moxx is returning?) and ALIENS OF LONDON (will the Slitheen family - or another family - return to SERIES 2?).

As follows:

• New five-inch action figures - in line with the currently released Dalek
• Pack 1 - The Tenth Doctor (in his 'signature' outfit) with long overcoat and Sonic Screwdriver accessory
• Pack 2 - Rose Tyler and K-9
• Pack 3- Intergalactic Warlord, the Sycorax Warrior complete with two weapons
• Pack 4 - A double pack of Lady Cassandra and Moxx of Balhoon
• Pack 5 - A Slitheen action figure - with extendable claws that can be slid out from its finger ends
• Pack 6 - Radio controlled K-9 (with SFX and light-up eye) and Tenth Doctor double pack
• Pack 7 - TARDIS console room playset. Six buttons control around ten sound effects plus chair, hat stand and lift-out access panels in the floor to reveal the TARDIS mechanisms and circuitry.

All of the above will be launched, of course, in 2006 to coincide with SERIES 2.

The BBC has announced additional merchandise ranges (from Ackroyds TDP, Mag Mouch, Misirli UK, Pyramid Posters, Toybrokers, Wesco, Zap) to include:

• Greetings cards featuring Tennant, Piper and K-9
• T-shirts
• Watches and Clocks
• Posters
• Men's accessories
• Childrenswear - including socks!
• Bedding, Cushions and Towels.

28 October 2005

Following our exclusive report on the 26th, BBC WORLDWIDE has released full details of DOCTOR WHO merchandise for 2005/06. The official BBC website has a downloadable PDF document with all the details.

WHO-DUNNIT? Of course, we did! Mass, coordinated voting.

But we don't care.

Best Drama. Finally! Best Actress. Naturally! Best Actor. No contest!

And the Soap fans were annoyed by Eccleston winning judging by the 'booooing'.

THE SUN reports that Billie Piper wants to stay until SERIES 3?

The NEW SERIES has been sold to the German - one of Europe's biggest markets (though the country is in the economic doldrums at the moment) - commercial broadcaster, ProSieben.

ProSieben have licensed both the first series, which starred Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper, and the second series, which is currently in production. Russell T Davies' first series of DOCTOR WHO attracted huge ratings and received critical acclaim when it aired on BBC ONE earlier this year.

Announcing the deal, Isabelle Helle, Head of Germany, BBC Worldwide, said: "The series has gained iconic status outside of the UK as well and has already been licensed to broadcasters in sixteen countries worldwide. We are excited that DOCTOR WHO's time travelling will now take him to ProSieben so that viewers in Germany can also enjoy the adventures of the Time Lord and his companions."

ProSieben Head of Programming, Thomas Schultheis, said about the deal: "DOCTOR WHO is one of the most clever and entertaining series to come from Great Britain. The production values are visibly high and Russell T Davies' scripts provide top quality entertainment for a wide range of viewers: from science fiction fans to family audiences."

The DAILY STAR announces the coup in it's own inevitable style.

Jonathan Ross' TV MOMENT OF THE YEAR poll returns at the end of the year (surprisingly...) and will give an opportunity for all DOCTOR WHO fans to, yet again, fix the results through an organised mass online poll. (By the way, you have cast your 100 online votes in the NTA poll?)

The DOCTOR WHO 'moment' (in the category of May-June 2005) comes in episode 13, THE PARTING OF THE WAYS, as the Doctor and Rose kiss. Contenders include:

10 May, ITV 1 - DEEP JUNGLE - the moth which has been predicted more than 100 years ago by Darwin but never been caught on camera.

25 May, ITV 1 - Champions League Final - Liverpool win on penalties after going down 3-0.

21 June, ITV 1 - EMMERDALE- Zoe injects Scott.

18 June, BBC ONE - DOCTOR WHO - the kiss between Rose and The Doctor.

Vote here (from 25 October) - link to the official BBC website.

The Price War continues between SENDIT.COM and PLAY.COM.

The former has all DOCTOR WHO DVDs on sale for £7.99, whilst the latter has a selection on sale at the same price.

Both have all this year's releases (except THE WEB PLANET) in the offer. Grab a bargain or a Christmas gift.

The BBC Press Office has been doing a lot of overtime recently!

Fresh from the typewriter are details of Billie Piper's guest-starring role as Hero in SHAKESPEARE RETOLD - MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (BBC ONE Time to be confirmed).

Piper co-stars with Damian BAND OF BROTHERS Lewis. Billie’s research for the role, a new recruit to the regional news studio, included a visit to the home of a real-life weather girl.

The main challenge shared by both Billie and Hero was wrapping their tongues around mind-boggling meteorological terms. And the most difficult word to pronounce?“Altostratus castellanus,” fires back Billie with crisp expertise. (That’s something to do with clouds, by the way).

With a practical outlook on the future climate of her career, she declares:

“Sometimes I get itchy and need to experience some life that isn’t just strictly entertainment. It’s fantastic, it really is great, but I’ve worked like a crazy person when I was younger and I’m keen to strike more of a balance now.”

The same Press release features an article on the forthcoming twice-weekly episodic, BLEAK HOUSE (Charles Dickens) which co-stars DOCTOR WHO guest-star, Pauline Collins, as Mrs Flite.

Pauline is amused that her latest role also meant she had to don another period costume. She has just finished filming on the set of DOCTOR WHO, where she played Queen Victoria in an episode to be screened next spring. It’s not her first appearance in the classic series, though. She played Samantha Briggs, almost companion to Patrick Troughton’s Doctor,
in 1967’s THE FACELESS ONES.

“I can’t divulge too much from the episode but it’s a wonderful script and I had a wonderful time on set. There is a great atmosphere and the chemistry between David [Tennant] and Billie [Piper] is terrific. You really can see they are great pals.”

They have promised 'tighter security' (after the internet debacle back in March) and have been rewarded with a second series of DOCTOR WHO.

According to BBC WORLDWIDE, CBC(Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) is to broadcast Series 2 in 2006 and the forthcoming THE CHRISTMAS INVASION (one-hour special) -which will be shown on Boxing Day (26th December) (on CBC and not BBC, we assume).

The Press Release continues: "The deal includes a Christmas special, hosted by Billie Piper exclusively for CBC viewers that air on Boxing Day. The new 13 part adventure is currently filming in Wales and is due to air on CBC in 2006. BBC VIDEO is planning to release Series one on DVD in February 2006. BBC WORLDWIDE has also recently appointed Buzzworthy as the merchandising agent for the DOCTOR WHO brand in Canada. This is the first time an agent has been appointed solely for the territory."

UNIT NEWS (Thanks to Martin Hoscik for the heads-up).

Additionally, yesterday, an eyeofhorus.org.uk Source told us that (North) America rights for the series have been acquired by HBO (HOME BOX OFFICE) company. It will broadcast from Fall 2006 DOCTOR WHO Series 1 and 2 back-to-back.

We are awaiting OFFICIAL confirmation of this.

Finally, the TORCHWOOD has been revealed.

It's a new 2006 BBC WALES tv series (for BBC THREE), starring Jack Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness (and devised by Russell T Davies) for a post-watershed audience.

"Torchwood is a British sci-fi paranoid thriller, a cop show with a sense of humour," says Davies. "It's dark, wild and sexy, it's THE X-FILES meets THIS LIFE. It's a stand-alone series for adult audiences which will have its own unique identity. I have just begun working on the scripts with a team of writers and cannot wait to see the results."

Set in modern-day Cardiff, TORCHWOOD in the DOCTOR WHO Christmas special and second series that the story of Torchwood - a renegade group of investigators - is seeded.

However, no stories will cross over between TORCHWOOD and DOCTOR WHO. Writers announced so far include: PJ Hammond, Chris Chibnall and Russell T Davies (we expect).

Read the official Press Release. The TORCHWOOD micro-website will be online on Christmas Day.

So, it's a reincarnation of the USA series spin-off, THE LONE GUNMEN (from THE X-FILES).

Read THE INDEPENDENT newspaper coverage.

Eagle-eyed readers of the new DOCTOR WHO ANNUAL will have read the profile of the Doctor, and the revelations of "the invisible war" (i.e. the Time War, and who survived).

It seems that "Doctor, you are not alone".

Will all be revealed in the Spring?

Later this month, Christopher Eccleston returns to the stage of the OLD VIC in a one-night production, NIGHT SKY by Rachel Wagstaff.

The special production aims to raise money for Index on Censorship. NIGHT SKY is a tale of love, lies and cockroaches, it charts the fates of a group of artists thrown together in the chaos of a dictatorial government.

The cast includes: David Warner, Navin Chowdhry, Bruno Langley and Saffron Burrows. Show date: 30 October 2005.

THE OLD VIC

THE SUN are reporting that the Daleks and Cybermen are about to fight the Doctor.

No.

Well, not on 'telly' at least.

Read more

Celebrate the Doctor's female companions in the latest issue of DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE

With filming for the NEWS SERIES underway, news is leaking from the set that new DOCTOR WHO, David Tennant could be playing 'dual roles' (i.e. a doppelganger).

And that's it. No episode was mentioned or within which filming block the scenario will be.

And as this site will be home to the original "PLOTLINE FREE SPOILERS" campaign (which other sites thankfully signed-up to), we would not reveal the episode. Where would the thrill be?

There's nothing like manipulating voting, is there?

And DOCTOR WHO fans have certainly made their mark by 'rigging' (by mass multiple voting) the finalists for the UK's NATIONAL TELEVISION AWARDS. The series has three contenders in the 13 categories.

• BEST DRAMA SERIES
• BEST MALE ACTOR - ECCLESTON
• BEST FEMALE ACTOR - PIPER

And there's time, until October 21, to continue to fix the final result. Carry on voting by clicking on the NTA logo.

There's been more delays than on an EASYJET schedule flight but finally the PRODUCT ENTERPRISE much awaited TALKING MOVIE DALEKS are finally available.

The pack shots have been released. £29.99 and available in three colours.

More details.