John Barrowman, confirmed as one of the actors in the new Doctor Who series, spent time on Richard Bacon's late-night chat show on BBC Radio Five over the weekend and was asked about his pending appearance on the show. Barrowman was initially very cautious when being quizzed by Bacon, refusing to say even what length his hair would be, but he did finally relate that he wouldn't start filming until November and that his character was "something of an intergalactic rogue" who would become a companion to the Doctor. We should add that this isn't confirmation that his role -- known only as Captain Jack -- will be a traditional "companion" but will certainly have time with the Doctor and Rose late in the season. (Thanks to Mark Gardiner)

As reported elsewhere, the DVD release of Ghost Light has been moved back one week, and will now take place on September 20. According to Steve Roberts of the Restoration Team, this is just due to "technical reasons," likely something to do with the pressing of the DVDs, and nothing to be concerned about; the extra week is just to give time to make sure they're done before release.

While not specifically Doctor Who related, Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream" has been stolen... something postulated in the Big Finish audio story Dust Breeding. Coincidence....?

Outpost Gallifrey has learned that the new series production is now back in Cardiff, having taken a trip to London early in the month to do some location photography, and then (we presume) into the studio. There are signs that the production will be filming in public areas of Cardiff this coming week; we have a set report from Jez Connolly who was in Cardiff today (click on the spoiler tag for more details).

The BBC Press Office has announced here that the forthcoming third Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy radio series, based on the work of Douglas Adams, will be out on CD and cassette on October 28. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)

Author Mags Halliday ("History 101") is working with a charity event this coming weekend at the Discworld convention to raise money for the Sudan Emergency Appeal... involving a Buffy musical! Click here for details!

SFX Magazine is asking readers to send in designs for the new Daleks... what fans think they'd like to see. Click hereto be taken to SFX Magazine's website, where you can find out details about how to submit your design. (Thanks to Ian Berriman at SFX)

The Empire of Glass, Andy Lane's First Doctor, Vicki & Steven novel published originally by Virgin, will be the next e-book given the treatment (later this year) on the official site... which has just undergone a spiffy refit and features some brand new design work.

Andrew Morgan, director of "Remembrance of the Daleks" and "Time and the Rani," had some choice words for the Times on August 14. "As the director most recently embroiled with the Daleks... I have some inside knowledge of their anatomy -in particular their means of propulsion. While castors are quite efficient on studio floors, I felt we were courting disaster when one of the 1988 locations for a major battle was to be a cobbled street near Waterloo. However, the designer produced some all-terrain Daleks equipped with wheelbarrow wheels. I was delighted with this solution until filming began and the Dalek "operators" experienced great difficulty in climbing inside. There was no room for their feet and the enlarged wheels. The Daleks were completely and very effectively immobilised. Thankfully I was much more successful in a later scene, when I managed to film them going upstairs." That should take care of any doubts that the Daleks are incapable of stair travel... although it certainly might present an out for the Doctor at a later date!

Big Finish has announced some new projects coming up later this year and early 2005, both on their website and in the new issue of DWM. The tenth Short Trips volume, called Short Trips: 2040 edited by John Binns features short fiction including "Nuclear Option" by Richard Salter, "Separation" by Tara Samms, "Thinking Warrior" by Huw Wilkins, "Cateogorical Imperative" by Simon Guerrier, "Observer Effect" by Lance Parkin, "The Baron Wastes" by Alexander Leithes, "Daisy Chain" by Xanna Eve Chown, "Sustainable Energy" by Matthew Griffits, "Culture War" by Kate Orman, "Artificial Intelligence" by Andy Campbell, "/Carpenter/Butterfly/Baronet" by Gareth Wigmore, "Outsourcing" by Marc Platt, "Anteus" by Rebecca Levene, "The Last Emperor" by Jacqueline Rayner and "The Ethereal" by John Binns. The cover and cover blurb are below. Due out at the end of the year, in December, is Her Final Flight by Julian Shortman, a Seventh Doctor story that will be sent exclusively to Big Finish subscribers (much in the same way "The Maltese Penguin" was done two years ago). We also have cover illustrations and back cover blurbs for Caerdroia, the third Paul McGann serial of the new batch; and The Scripts Volume 4 featuring scripts from "Omega," "Davros," "Master" and "Zagreus".

The eleventh Short Trips volume, Short Trips: A Christmas Treasury edited by Paul Cornell, features short stories by Peter Adamson, Peter Anghelides, Paul Beardsley, Vanessa Bishop, Andy Campbell, Stephen Cole, Paul Condon, Martin Day, Terrance Dicks, Val Douglas, Karen Dunn, Stephen Fewell, Matthew Griffiths, Simon Guerrier, Shaun Lyon, Juliet McKenna, Jackie Marshall, Mark Michalowski, Lawrence Miles, Jonathan Morris, Neil Perryman, Marc Platt, Ian Potter, Cavan Scott, Darren Sellars, Dave Stone, Nick Wallace and Mark Wright. Editor Cornell told Outpost Gallifrey, "It's going to be quite a hefty collection, perhaps not quite as big as some of BF's recent 100,000 word anthologies, but large nevertheless, and packed full of Christmassy goodness! There's stuff that's bouncy and merry, stuff that's bittersweet, a bit of stuff that's actually pretty bleak, and some stuff that explores that M.R.James 'Ghost Story at Christmas' kind of feel. I won't pick more than one favourite here, but Steve Cole's story is like something out of Brecht, and it just blew me away. I'm trying for that comfortable, warm feeling that Who fans of a certain age associate with autumn, and it's not all fiction: it really is a treasury. There's a 'suitable for all ages' tag on it, too, because I think something with 'Christmas' on the cover should only run the risk of boring children (through prose that's too adult) rather than exposing them to stuff that's too mature for them. And there's a pattern to it that should reveal itself gradually if you dip in, or as a shape if you read it right through."

Meanwhile, a new batch of audios has been announced for 2005. April sees the release of Three's A Crowd by Colin Brake ("Escape Velocity"), a Fifth Doctor story; May features Catch-1782, a Sixth Doctor story; and John Ostrander's delayed Seventh Doctor tale Dead Man's Hand with Ace and Hex is due in June. July features two Eighth Doctor serials, entitled Terror Firma and Clockwerks; and August sees the release of Caroline Symcox's The Council of Nicea, a Fifth Doctor story. According to the new DWM, a story called The Time Sprite by Alison Lawson is on the schedule in May; it's likely that "Catch-1782" is the same story with a new title. The Gallifrey serials, previously mentioned here, also now have a release date: April through August 2005. Mary Tamm is, as rumored, reprising the role of Romana I alongside Lalla Ward (Romana II), John Leeson (K9) and Louise Jameson (Leela); you can visit the Big Finish website for more details. (Thanks to Big Finish, DWM, Steve Tribe)