The official website today reports that the Doctor Who Confidential production team have created a documentary calledDoctor Who: The Ultimate Guide, which will be aired prior to the final episode of this season, "The Parting of the Ways," on Saturday June 18 at 6.15pm. Says the press release: "From a council estate to a battle in space, Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide, will take us behind the scenes of the new series, to talk to cast and crew and celebrate all the triumphs and tears, smiles and trials shared between the Doctor, Rose and millions of fans, who have turned on to see a new Who at his alien best. The Ultimate Guide is just what the Doctor ordered."

The final ratings are in for The Doctor Dances, broadcast 28 May: 6.86 million viewers tuned in for the episode according to BARB, including time-shifted viewers, for the series to end the week at #18 in all broadcasts (including multiple-day airings) and eighth in series. It's important to remember that it was a bank holiday weekend; even so, "Doctor Who" was the highest-rated program that Saturday. (The overnights for "Boom Town" were higher than these final totals, suggesting the drop was because of the date...)

No Daleks next year? Russell T Davies suggests so in an interview today with the UK Press Association (and reproduced in such papers as the Birmingham Post): "'Oh no, we've done them.. Because of what happens... I'm not sure we can take the Daleks anywhere else after that." The article is mostly a farewell to the series for this year (it ends a week from Saturday) and interviews Davies and the emotional dimension of the series: "Well, that's what I write. That's what you're getting when you employ me, quite frankly. Otherwise you might as well ask someone else." Davies says that the series is "everything I wanted it to be - the music is brilliant, the effects are brilliant. A lot of series don't reach a climax - I thought the last episode of Desperate Housewives was quite relaxed in the knowledge it was coming back - and I think that's a mistake. You want to leave people punching the air and I think we've pulled that off. ... We just have to get on with it. And because we've got a new Doctor coming up it makes us worried all over again. But I think it's very healthy in that we don't rest on our laurels. There hasn't actually been a moment of, 'Hooray, it's a success!' because now it has to be a success again next year. It's still as scary as it ever was." He confirms Tennant will be in the Christmas special (the Doctor is reported to regenerate at the end of "The Parting of the Ways"): "Having changes in the cast so early on is always a worry. But at the same time it's one of the things that keeps us on our toes. Just by casting David we're not becoming complacent because it's his face on screen and we've got to make it every bit as good, if not better, for his sake." And as for alien planets: "We're going to see some alien planets next time round. I've been cautious about that in the first series because we want to get it right. It's one of those science fiction things that can go horribly wrong if it doesn't actually look like an alien planet. But I'm very confident we can do that now. And the Cybermen are going to come back. Hooray! We like them. After the Daleks it was inevitable really. The old elements work very nicely. There's a bit of nostalgia and they appeal to the new viewers as well. But there will be plenty of new stuff as well.

Thursday's Guardian has its priorities in order. "Extraordinary at this stage of one's life to be rushing back from the coast on Saturday evening so as not to miss even the opening credits of Doctor Who," says an article on Saturday television. "Not only because Russell T Davies's reinvention with Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper is such an exhilarating (if sometimes baffling) ride, but because, while it lasts, Doctor Who is once again one of the rituals which make Saturday."

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, James Lindsay)

Doctor Who û What's he doing with Anne Robinson and Trinny and Susannah? asks the cover of the new Radio Times, published today (Tuesday). As always, this weekend's episode features in "RT recommendsà the week's best television" (page 4): "There's plenty of fun poked at TV, including Jack getting a What Not to Wear makeover from a robotic version of Trinny and Susannah." The weekly "Doctor Who Watch" is a double-page spread entitled "Reality can be a killer" (pages 16û17), with five photos from Bad Wolf, the next new series episode, that concentrate on Captain Jack and the various TV show parodies in the episode. The article itself comprises another interview with Russell T Davies, looking at his vision of reality television in 200,000 years from now and how the show has secured the rights to use authentic sets and logos from Big Brother, The Weakest Link and other programmes, as well as the guest contributions of the likes of Anne Robinson: "The new Doctor Who series has a pretty good record in guest names [à] Not one C-lister among them." Davies comments that "There is something about Doctor Who that opens doors," referring both to guest stars and to the availability of various locations, some of which have previously refused other television programmes. He is also asked whether he has included any Simpsons-style lines about Anne Robinson: "No, there's nothing quite like that. Although the fact that she is killing off the contestants is a bit of a comment." This week's films on television are detailed from page 47, this week including Shaun of the Dead on Sky One (starring new series stars Simon Pegg and Penelope Wilton alongside the Daily Mail's Ninth Doctor, Bill Nighy) and Carry On Sergeant with William Hartnell on Channel 4. "Bad Wolf" is Pick of the Day in "Saturday's Choices" (page 64), a photograph of the Doctor with the Game Station Controller accompanying a write-up that again focuses on Anne Robinson and comments that "there's a corker of a cliffhanger as the most deadly enemy of all marshals its forces." There's another Eccleston photo at the head of Saturday night's listings (page 66), the episode listing reading, "The entire human race has been blinded to a threat on its doorstep. With Armageddon fast approaching, the Doctor must act immediately. The star-studded episode û and series û concludes next Saturday." The listing also promotes the first two DVD volumes and the three new novels, as well as an appearance by Christopher Eccleston's on BBC2's Top Gear at 8pm on Sunday evening. The listing for Doctor Who Confidential says "As the series prepares for its climax next week, has the Doctor got what it takes to prevail in his showdown with the ultimate foe? As well as Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper, there are contributions from Russell T Davies and Noel Clarke, who plays Mickey." The Radio section (page 121) includes comment from David Tennant on his role in Dixon of Dock Green next Wednesday morning on Radio 4. Also of note in the television listings: BBC3's Saturday midnight repeat of "Bad Wolf" will this week be at 10.55pm, with a second showing for Confidential immediately afterwards; while the Sunday showings are as usual at 7pm and 7.45pm, there is also a third repeat for the episode on BBC3 on Friday 17 June at 9pm, with another outing for Sunday's Confidential Cut Down edition following at 9.45pm, in preparation for Episode 13 on Saturday 18 Juneà

The official BBC Doctor Who website has been updated with a theme previewing "Bad Wolf". There may be a few spoilers present, as usual. (Also, note that the 'bison' password no longer works to access the whoisdoctorwho website there.)

Heat magazine says of "Bad Wolf," "Conclusive evidence that Doctor Who fan, chief writer and exec producer Russell T Davies is quite rightly behaving like a sweet-toothed kid in the world's best candy shop, comes with this two-part story that ends the first series. ... If you have hairs on the back of your neck, prepare for them to stand erect." The article (which has spoilers, removed from this report) gives the episode 5 out of 5 stars. Also, the Daily Telegraphsays of the episode, "Bad wolf is, ultimately, proof that the writers of Dr Who have really thought about what they are doing; have worked to give a real, satisfying and complex shape to Saturday-night schlock. They're ambitious. As Clive James once remarked: good schlock is always better than bad art. The new Dr Who - ahead of any possible expectations - is a triumph. Funny, scary, moving, silly and above all really, really well crafted, it is as good a piece of popular entertainment as television has lately produced. It serves - and for this we must surely thank it - as a standing rebuke to the notion that the unplanned formats of reality TV and docudrama are the way forward." And says today's Media Guardian, "Close watchers of Doctor Who will have noticed the numerous unexplained references to "Bad Wolf" - sprayed on the side of the Tardis, that kind of thing. The web is abuzz with what it all means. One theory - spoiler alert! - is that the Doctor has been the unwitting star of a Big Brother-style reality show. Is nothing sacred? No word yet, though, on whether the climactic episode features the scariest Doctor Who monster yet - the Bazalgette." Also, about last week's episode, says the Herald, "BBC Wales is having some fun with Doctor Who. ... All of a sudden, it's alive, and telepathic to boot. Stare into its heart and you cease instantly to be a satirical symbol of New Labour. It could only happen in science-fiction."

David Tennant has picked up the Best Actor Award at the Critics Awards for Theatre in a Scotland ceremony. Tennant was honoured for his outstanding performance as Jimmy Porter in the revival by the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Edinburgh, of John Osborne's Look Back in Anger. Accepting the honour from Vicky Featherstone, the new National Theatre of Scotland artistic director, the actor said his remarkable rise in film and television did not mean he would be abandoning the stage. He said: "I'm supremely chuffed to win this award. It's a part I've wanted to play for such a long time. Theatre work is part of what I do and I don't see it as something you leave behind." The story has been covered atTimes Online, Scotsman, Daily Record, Dundee Courier, The Herald, icNews.

Christopher Eccleston will appear on this Sunday's "Top Gear," June 12 at 8.00pm on BBC2, in their "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" feature, where celebrities do one circuit of a track in as fast a time as possible in a Suzuki Liana.

SFX Magazine has an online treat: the first visualization of the TARDIS interior (requires QuickTime to view)! "Travel with us, readers, back through the mists of time, to the Spring of 2004, long before filming started on the new series of Doctor Who. Acclaimed comics artist and chum of SFX Bryan Hitch was desperate to work on the series. When he told us as much, we put him touch with Russell T Davies - who turned out to be a huge fan of Bryan's work. A few weeks later, contracts were signed, and Bryan was the concept artist for the series. Hurray! But before Bryan even had any meetings with the BBC, he'd already started sketching out his ideas for the TARDIS interior. Bryan recalls his thinking as follows: 'The simple up front determination was that it needed to be big. Huge. From the earliest sketch I did, before I was even offered a job of the series, I was going for the big dome shape. The central section changed as we went and adapted to comments and requirements and we were constantly reworking it in the finish. My friend Niel Bushnell, who has a vibrant young graphic and CG company up North, kindly rendered an animated 3D turnaround of that initial thought, which I took along to my first meeting. It helped show the space as it could be used, and even though it underwent massive changes as we went through months of work, that basic idea remained intact.'" You can visit the website and see the visualization for yourself.

Meanwhile, the latest issue of SFX contains a ten-page feature on the new Doctor Who series, which includes an interview with Executive Producer Russell T. Davies, who is already making plans for Series 2, and is determined to hold onto the Saturday night audience that have made the series a weekend ratings hit for the BBC: "I can't yet see us doing a hard sci-fi episode. The essence of [an early Saturday slot] is to keep it simple. Which doesn't mean dumb. Look at [æDalek'] û it's completely pure and simple, and because of that, massively strong, and then underneath that simplicity is a whole storm of complex emotions and ideas. But the important thing on Saturdays is to shout the headline. Dalek! Dickens! Blitz! Big Brother! A headline shouting 'Interesting Exploration of Temporal Physics!' isn't gonna work the same way. We need to hold on to that new audience and not take them for granted. Let's face it, if [Terrestrial TV broadcaster ITV] introduce a Saturday [episode of the popular soap, Coronation Street], and that's not such a mad idea, then were in trouble. So we've got to keep it strong and clean, emphasise the drama above the sci-fi. Feel free to disagree, of course. Feel free to disagree and yet get these viewing figures, ha ha! Expect the 'same old mix' of stories for Series 2, 'some darker, some lighter. Some traditional û although if anything, the traditional stories are BBC Drama's least favourite, but I love them, so I'm gonna keep them in there. We're keeping the same mix of singles and two-parters, that seems to work.' To be blunt, this show is a success, and it's our job to maintain that success, not wander away from it. Fans might study each episode 20 times, and therefore demand something different, but ordinary viewers are still getting used to this concept û not just the show, but its slot, its feel, its place in their viewing habits û and there is a genuine strength in consolidating that...[there's one story in Series 2] that could be pure horror....and there's one episode which could be very, very funny. And a brand new Doctor will automatically make it a brand new show." Speaking of the new Doctor, "[David Tennant] can do anything! And he will! This is the wonderful legacy of Chris Ecclestion, he's made the part available for and desirable to our finest actors....the clothes [for the new Doc] will be different, because it'll be David's preferences." Thanks to The Great Link website for posting the quotes; you can pick up the issue on the stands now.

BBC1's Points of View this past weekend featured a short piece about the new series, including a couple of letters praising the show, especially Chris Eccleston's portrayal, and a couple of letters complaining about the level of scariness (in particular, "The Empty Child"), and also complaining about the imminent departure of both the leads. This was followed by a short interview with Julie Gardner, featuring clips from "Dalek," "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances". Gardner defended the show against the usual complaints of too much violence, stressing that they were always careful not to show gratuitous violence or too much blood, especially bearing in mind the 9.00pm watershed. She also said that the Moffat two-parter would be about as far as they would be prepared to go in terms of scariness. Gardner was coy on the subject of Billie Piper's departure, saying only that she was coming back for season two, and stressing that there were exciting storylines still left to tie up season one (including a few spoilers we won't reprint for the final episode.) Points of View host Terry Wogan ended the piece by mentioning the Christmas special.

The JoongAng Daily of South Korea writes "Sci-fi reigns at the Queen's birthday ball," noting that the celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's birthday at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul last Saturday featured a TARDIS, which served as an entrance to the ballroom, a six-foot-tall "Dalek" and black-and-white footage of the series... all to celebrate the start of the new series in that country. Sue Hollands, the president of the British Association of Seoul, said in her opening address that Doctor Who was not only "quintessentially British" but also "familiar to expatriates." Dai Billington, the first secretary and head of the commercial section of the British Embassy, the evening's master of ceremonies, appeared on stage the Doctor himself, complete with wig and costume, saying he remembered as a four-year-old child being scared by the Daleks. Read the full story for further details.

Several news sources are now (finally) reporting on the return to the series next year of another famous group of Doctor Who monsters... the Cybermen. The Sun quotes Doctor Who Magazine, which in turn quotes producer Phil Collinson: "The Cybermen exist in that category of classics, as monsters just about everyone of a certain age knows. They were a work of genius back in the 1960s. It will be a loving recreation [sic] of an old foe." Among the online locations mentioning it are Female First, Contact Music. (Note: we can't keep this a spoiler/surprise any longer, considering DWM printed it as a major news story and it's now making the rounds in all the media, as well as other websites)

In Germany, the TV and Film Festival Cologne will include screenings of two episodes of the new series, likely "Rose" and "The End of the World". The festival will be held from June 30 to July 6; more information is available at theirwebsite.

The Sun yesterday stated in the parliamentary gossip column The Whip that its Westminster mole was near Lambeth Bridge in London "and bumped into about half a dozen of those classic, evil Doctor Who villains the Daleks. The police blocked off the road so the little fellows could be filmed in peace". No word on what the filming was for.

Other items: I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (Radio 4, 6th June) featured a brief "Doctor Who" sketch involving the Daleks and computers, revolving around the proverb "An apple a day keeps the Doctor away"; BBC News, CBBC,Police.uk all cover the theft of a Dalek stolen from storage near Wookey Hole, which had been stored in preparation for a forthcoming convention; and the Western Mail talks about the appearance of the newspaper in "Boom Town" last weekend.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Chuck Foster, Jamie Austin, Peter Weaver, John Bowman, Andrew Norris, Cameron Yarde Jnr, Andrew Frueh, Harald Gehlen, David Traynier, Paul Blewett, Kendal Mills, Stephen Dray, Steve Manfred, Matthew Kilburn, Chris Howell/The Great Link and Ian Berriman/SFX)

The overnight figures for Boom Town show 7.13 million viewers tuned in for the eleventh episode of the series, with a 36.95% audience share; "Doctor Who" was first in its time slot. This is the first time it's been back over seven million viewers in the initial overnights in three weeks (because of the early start time for "The Empty Child" and the bank holiday weekend affecting "The Doctor Dances"). More precise data should be in tomorrow.

Geoffrey Toone, who played Temnossus in the film "Dr Who and the Daleks" and Hepesh in "The Curse of Peladon", passed away on June 1. He was 94. One of "the last surviving members of the glorious company venture of John Gielgud's 1934-35 season at the New Theatre," Toone was acting by the 1930's on stage, interrupted by wartime service, according to an obituary in yesterday's "The Independent". He worked in both Britain and America and his films included "The King and I," "Zero Hour" and "Once More With Feeling," as well as appearances in "Jeeves and Wooster" and "War and Remembrance". (Thanks to Ben Jolly, William Duffy)

For the last time until Christmas, the BBC Press Office's weekly Programme Information release previews the new series, covering The Parting of the Ways in its Saturday Highlights (note: PDF file). "The Doctor's travels reach a terrifying conclusion as the Earth is plunged into all-out war, in the final episode of the popular series written by Russell T Davies. Rose Tyler has faced danger and seen wonders alongside The Doctor, but now their friendship is put to the test as Earth plunges into an epic war. With the human race being slaughtered, The Doctor is forced into terrible action. Will the time-travellers ever be reunited? Christopher Eccleston is The Doctor, Billie Piper is Rose, John Barrowman is Captain Jack Harkness, Camille Coduri is Jackie Tyler and Noel Clarke is Mickey Smith."

On Thursday, the Press Office also released official confirmation of the sale of the series to Korea television, as reported on Outpost Gallifrey and in various UK newspapers: "Pagishikinda! Pagishikinda! Now the Daleks take on Doctor Who in Korea. In the first deal of its kind, BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, has concluded a contract with Korea's biggest public television station, KBS, for the smash hit BBC One series, Doctor Who. This is the first time a UK drama series has been sold to a Korean public station, and KBS will launch Doctor Who on KBS 2 in a primetime, two-hour slot on Sunday 5 June. Viewers will be introduced to 'Dacter Who' (Doctor Who), his companion Rose, and enemy, the Daleks, who blast, 'Pagishikinda!' ('Exterminate!'). KBS will broadcast two episodes per week, and the series will be dubbed for the Korean audience. Russell T. Davies, writer and executive producer of Doctor Who said, 'The Doctor has travelled far and wide and knows no boundary and now the programme is doing much the same! We are delighted that Korea has embraced this wonderful adventure.' Jungwon Lee, Executive Director, KBS Media, said: 'We are very excited to launch Doctor Who on our network. For the first time in a primetime weekend slot, we are bringing the latest hit BBC drama to our Korean audience and anticipate a great reaction from all age groups.' Linfield Ng, Korea and Taiwan Territory Manager, BBC Worldwide (Asia) added: 'We are delighted that one of Asia's largest public broadcasters, KBS, is supporting one of the most recognised BBC brands. We thank KBS for being so ambitious in launching Doctor Who in such a great time slot.'"

The BBC has opened up their new Bad Wolf website at www.badwolf.org.uk. Beware spoilers... this website brings together all of the clues and information about the Bad Wolf in the first series of Doctor Who along with theories and even a surprise or two (look around and highlight things...) Meanwhile, the official site's "Last Dalek" game has reached half a million players; Yorkshire Today covers that story.

There are a few spoilers for the next two episodes in the spoiler tags below! Read at your own risk!

Today's Western Mail says of Boom Town: "The Western Mail is making headlines again, but of a slightly different kind. Tonight, Wales' national newspaper will feature in the latest installment of Doctor Who on BBC1. In an episode called Boom Town, the Doctor is seen reading the paper... [the] front-page coverage by the newspaper which tells the Doctor an alien is in town. Writer Russell T Davies said he wanted to include a copy of the newspaper in the show to prove the modern version of the cult classic is made in Wales. When the Swansea-born writer drew the blinds and shut himself away to write Doctor Who in his Cardiff Bay flat, he wanted to feature something that he felt summed up Wales - so he chose the Western Mail. He said, 'I read the Western Mail and I used it to make the show as Welsh as possible. We have had hundreds of people from Cardiff working on the programme, hosting venues, feeding the crew and appearing on camera and when a city works that hard, I like it to try and feature as much of it as I can.'"

Meanwhile, the episode was promoted on BBC1 with a short trailer. The trailer opens with the TARDIS in the vortex, before shots of the Doctor and Rose in the TARDIS. Finally the Slitheen is seen removing her human guise. Over these clips the Doctor is heard: "I've travelled to all sorts of places... done things you couldn't even imagine." The trailer ends with the Doctor and Rose standing in the TARDIS from the specially shot season promotion and aired on 3rd June at approximately 5.35pm, immediately prior to "Neighbours".

Yahoo News says that Brookside actress Jennifer Sprang wants to take over for Billie Piper next year. "At the start of last year, rumours were rife that ex-Brookie actress Anna Friel was about to be whisked off around the universe by an eccentric time-traveller who's over 900-years old. With news that Christopher Eccleston had been cast as the ninth Doctor Who, speculation mounted that Anna would play the character of Rose Tyler. The feisty shop assistant role was eventually taken by Billie Piper. But now Piper is said to be leaving the show half way through 2006's run, the rumour mills are working overtime with suggestions as to her possible successor - and once again a former Brookside star is in the frame. Jennifer Ellison sprang to fame as bad girl Emily Shadwick in the scouse soap, and is said to be desperate to land the job. Her spokesman told the Daily Star: 'She would love the role - she'd be ideal.' But Jennifer is not the only ex-Brookie resident to step on board the Tardis. In 2004, it was announced that Philip Olivier - better known as her onscreen husband, Tinhead - was to join Sylvester McCoy's Doctor for a series of audio-only adventures available on CD. Over the years the TARDIS has also dropped off a number of Doctor Who alumni in the now deserted Brookside Close. ... So will the Brookside connection prove strong enough to secure Jennifer her place onboard the Tardis? Appropriately enough, time will tellà"

Peter Davison wants to be in the new series. "I would love to do a cameo visit as my old self," says Davison. "I'm disappointed that Eccleston is only doing one series but Tennant is a genuine Doctor Who fan and a great actor. He'll bring a real sincerity to the role." The news story has been reported byContact Music, FemaleFirst.

John Barrowman will appear on June 25 at the London Film and Comic Con in Earl's Court. The event also has Blake's Seven alumni and Doctor Who guest stars Paul Darrow, Jacqueline Pearce, Peter Tuddenham and Michael Keating. Further details are available at the Collectormania website. Barrowman will also be doing the Walk For Life, an annual 10k sponsored walk through London, on June 19 for the national UK HIV charity Crusaid; information and registration details for the day can be found at the Walk For Life website.

Writer Rob Shearman ("Dalek") has penned Afternoon Play - Teacher's Pet, a radio play set for broadcast on Tuesday, June 28 from 2.15pm to 3.00pm on BBC Radio 4. "When schoolmaster Peter bumps into his old French teacher, Mrs Townsend, it becomes clear they have a shared secret, and there may still be some surprising lessons to be learned. Twenty years ago, Peter, a teenager, develops a æcrushÆ on Stephanie Townsend, a female teacher at his school, and determines to æwinÆ her. Now a teacher himself, he is approached by Stephanie many years later. In the past, and horrified at the compromising situation in which she finds herself, she rejects him and in a fit of pique, young Peter ensures the school is informed that heÆs had an inappropriate liaison. Forced to resign quietly because of the hint of scandal, Mrs TownsendÆs marriage, already rocky, founders and peters out. In the present day, when Stephanie Townsend seeks Peter out, it is unclear what she wants û revenge or reconciliation. Carolyn Seymour stars as Stephanie with Simon Templeman as Peter and Steven Geller as both Young Peter and Philip." Martin Jarvis ("Vengeance on Varos," "Jubilee") produces along with his wife, Rosalind Ayres. BBC Radio 4 will also revive Dixon of Dock Green this summer, with David Tennant (the new Doctor) playing Andy Crawford; more details on that soon.

ITV will revive a quiz show to regain its prominence on Saturday night. "The Big Call," a studio-based general knowledge quiz presented by former Pop Idol judge Neil Fox, matches six members of the public with six celebrities competing to win either a cash prize of ú20,000 or 100,000 tickets for that evening's lottery. Interestingly, "ITV said it had yet to decide on a definitive time slot, but a 'mid-evening' target for the 60-minute show, which launches on June 18, suggests it will be avoiding a clash with the last episode in the current series of BBC1's Doctor Who," says a report. ITV was the dominant force on Saturday nights until Doctor Who came back to television.

Some press mentions: The Sun (3rd June) featured an item covering Anne Robinson's upcoming appearance in "Doctor Who". The brief article (entitled "Anne-Droid") included a large photograph from the episode showing a "Weakest Link" contestant being 'zapped' by Anne's character. ITV Teletext (4th June) had "Doctor Who" as a TV Pick, under the title "Is it time to Dai for Dr Who?". The item opened with: "Chief Doctor Who scribe Russell T Davies takes a full-blown writing credit in this episode set in his beloved Cardiff..." before moving on to plot details. The Daily Star (4th June) ran an item entitled "###' fight to finish" regarding the return to "Doctor Who" of some old nasties in the very near future (we've taken out the name of the aliens, but you probably know what's coming if you see the trailer for next week...) The item was accompanied by a large photograph of Billie Piper and a smaller picture of flying saucers in space. The Star TV Mag listed "Boom Town" as 5-Star 'HOT': "It's common for alarm bells to ring when plans are announced to build a nuclear power station. But the Doctor finds out this week that the proposal to build one in Cardiff is a little more controversial than most. Since it's hiding an alien plot to destroy Planet Earth, the local residents are going to be really cross." And Have I Got News For You...? (BBC1, 3rd June) closed its final episode of this series with a culmination of the running gag of Ian Hislop being the new Doctor Who as his face was morphed over a picture of Chris and Billie, accompanied by the TARDIS sound effect.

More references: Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive (Radio 4, 1st June) discussed the influence of television on teenage behaviour and featured a curious reference to "Doctor Who", with one participant noting:"There's no doubting that teenagers do copy what they see on TV, though. There's a kid on my street...all last week he was time-travelling and gurning!". The Sun (2nd June) featured numerous "Doctor Who" references. The story told by Russell T Davies in the "Radio Times" about the man involved in the car accident was covered under the title "I need a Doctor...". A centre-page feature on scientists opinions of what aliens would look like featured a Dalek. David Tennant's new role in ITV1's "Secret Smile" was covered in "Who's A Psycho" while one of the "Random TV Irritations was "Dr Who's fixation with London" (although the same person does describe "Doctor Who" as "TV Gold"). ITV Telextext (2nd June) ran an item on ITV1's new show "The Big Call" which will spearhead their Saturday night schedules from 18 June. The item noted: "ITV has lost viewers this spring since the arrival of Doctor Who on BBC1. Celebrity Wrestling and Hit Me Baby One More Time failed to take off." While it featured no actual "Doctor Who" content Dead Ringers (BBC2, 2nd June) was trailed with a 'Christopher Eccleston' complaining "Doctor this, Doctor that...".

Empire Magazine briefly, but rather positively, reviews the DVD release of Russell T Davies' Casanova this week, devoting approximately half its wordcount to telling readers that "the series is most notable for the first team-up of TV's hottest celebrity scribe - Dr Who's Russell T. Davies - and the man set to take over the Tardis in the next series.... Judging by this, Who 2005 v.2 is going to fly."

Other news items: The Mirror, the Daily Record and Hello Magazine talk about Anne Robinson's appearance in next weekend's "Bad Wolf"; theSydney Morning Herald discusses "The Unquiet Dead," soon to be broadcast on ABC in Australia; "Unquiet Dead" writer Mark Gatiss and his fellow "League of Gentlemen" folk are interviewed byicHuddersfield; "I really need a Doctor..." says a man to The Sun, when a driver trapped in his car after a crash asked a paramedic for a mobile to phone his wife and get her to video Dr Who; TV Quick has a poll for top TV in the UK, with Eccleston in the Best Actor section, Piper in Best Actress and the series in Best New Drama.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Mark Stammers, Jamie Austin, Matt Kimpton, Stuart from Showmasters, Elizabeth Hyder, Dan McGrath)

Amazon.co.uk has published the cover illustrations for the forthcoming BBC Books novel The Deviant Strain by Justin Richards, due out in September, as well as two of Penguin Publishing's Doctor Who tie-in books, the Intergalactic Activity Book and the Sticker Guide. Click on the thumbnails below for larger versions of each image. Also revealed on Amazon are the cover blurbs for the other two Doctor Who new series novels due out in September, Only Humanand The Stealers of Dreams, which are reproduced below (we previously posted the blurb for "Deviant Strain" and you can find it in our Releases guide.)

The final BARB ratings figure for The Empty Child has been released: 7.11 million viewers watched the episode. The series was eighth in the week's top ten British broadcasts.

Part three of the Canadian network CBC's Planet of the Doctor web documentary is up on their website.

A few Doctor Who related news stories today in the press: the Rainbow Network features a report on the series plus comments about Christopher Eccleston; Playbill discusses John Barrowman's newest endeavour: his UK cabaret debut in July in Knightsbridge; This is London features an update on Billie Piper's housing situation in Hampstead; and theGuardian "Slack Dad" column heaps praise on the new Doctor Who series.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Chuck Foster, Scott Matthewman)

This week's Radio Times is now out, with the customary plug for the next episode, Boom Town on Saturday in "RT recommends... the week's best television" (page 4), describing the episode as "Frenetic fun". This week's letter writers are missing the point about programmes other than Doctor Who, but "Doctor Who Watch" continues (page 18), with photographs of Annette Badland as Margaret Blaine and a Slitheen accompanying an interview with Russell T Davies about the show's success ("we seem to have got it right. That's no reason to sit on your laurels, but it's quite weird"), his expectations for David Tennant ("He'll be different. He'll have his own traits. I'm writing that now.") and what he'd like to achieve with Series 2 ("we've set ourselves a challenge right from the start by having a new Doctor"). He also notes that "The fact that [the Slitheen] are back is dealt with in the first ten minutes, then the episode becomes a character-led piece about the Doctor's lifestyle [...] leaving the consequences of his actions behind him." On the same page, there's a short quote from Christopher Eccleston on Annette Badland: "the performance of the series [...] she just pinions the poor Doctor, in the same way as the Daleks do. It's spellbinding to watch." Once again, this weekend's episode is Saturday's pick of the day (page 64), with a colour photo of Margaret, Mickey and the TARDIS crew and the comment that "the smile count is high and there's plenty of dramatic meat on the bones. But there's no time to develop it [...] That said, it's slick, busy and, above all, great fun." A small photo of the Doctor and Jack heads Saturday evening's BBC1 listing (page 66): "The Doctor encounters an enemy he thought long since dead as a plan to build a nuclear power station conceals an alien plot to destroy the world." In Doctor Who Confidential, Jabe and Gwyneth "are honoured as unsung heroes from the current series who've laid down their lives to aid the Doctor." Lastly, RT Direct, the magazine's home shopping service, is this week promoting a range of digital television and DVD items, on the screens of which are Eccleston and Piper... well, it's what everyone's watching, isn't it?

Panini Books has released the cover illustration for the forthcoming Doctor Who Annual 2006, due out later this year. At right is a thumbnail of the cover illustration (sent to us by Tenth Planet; click on the thumbnail for a larger version.)

The official site has been updated with a "Boom Town" feel. The front page features what appears to be a post-nuclear Cardiff wasteland, in the midst of which is the TARDIS, with some mouse-revealed graffiti... So far, only the photo gallery has been updated for the next episode, although, as ever, video diaries and photo stories are promised for the weekend. Also, icWales previews "Boom Town" today, while Heat magazine previews "Boom Town" and the following episode, "Bad Wolf". Because both are full of spoilers, we've put them in the spoiler tag at the end of today's article.

BBC Worldwide has today issued a press release concerning the properties it is promoting at Licensing International in New York in June, led by Doctor Who. As well as confirming that filming begins for Series Two and the Christmas special this summer, the press release confirms the existing licensing partners as Italy, Holland, Finland, Denmark, Hungary, Korea, Thomsonfly (formerly Britannia Airways), Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The relevant sections of the press release note that "BBC Worldwide is a global leader in the business of entertainment rights management and these new properties, Doctor Who and Charlie and Lola, sit happily within its portfolio of high quality brands."

This week's showing of "The End of the World" in Australia made it into the Australian Top 50, showing at #48... better, in fact, than the debut episode, "Rose". The story rated 1,051,000 in the 5 main capitals (a slight drop in raw numbers from "Rose" but posting higher on the charts.) It was ABC Television's fourth highest rated programme after two editions of ABC News and "Australian Story".

Monday's Guardian has another in a string of highly positive reviews for the series, describing Doctor Who as one of the two best series of 2005 (the other being a documentary history of Soul music). Reviewer Rupert Smith thinks that The Doctor Dances "elevated an already great series into the realms of art." Likening the episode to the series 1960s/1970s "heyday" and citing various moments, he says that "you just don't get this sort of thing in British TV any more [...] The Tardis really is the fun place to be these days." The full review can be read at the website.

Today's Sun and Star both report on robot versions of Trinny and Susannah from "What Not to Wear," as being seen in the episode "Bad Wolf" in two weeks, along with photos of John Barrowman from the episode.

Issue 132 of SFX Magazine goes on sale on June 8. The issue has "an army of Daleks on the cover, and inside there's a nine page Doctor Who feature, which is a look forward at season two. The spine of the piece is an extensive Q&A with Russell T Davies, but it also includes an exclusive interview with concept designer Bryan Hitch, which includes his very first concept sketch of the TARDIS interior - drawn before he was even hired by the Beeb!; Steven Moffat giving a few hints about his season two episode, which he says will be "sexier" than The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances; an interview with Jack Barrowman (aka Captain Jack Harkness); an interview with Julie Gardner; a great opening spread image of Eccleston morphing into David Tennant (lovely!)" SFX has also posted the extended portion of the Barrowman interview on their website here, and the SFX site will soon be posting a special exclusive clip: an animated 3D visualisation of Bryan's initial concept for the TARDIS interior. The cover illustration is at right.

Australian newspaper The Age discusses the forthcoming Australia/New Zealand touring stage presentation Inside the TARDIS, featuring Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Katy Manning in select cities to promote the new series (see our May 19 story on the general Doctor Who news page here). "Don't expect Shakespeare, but for both hardcore fans and those new to the adventures of the Time Lord, the show will be a celebration of all things Who, with classic BBC clips and insiders' stories from a select group of former cast members."

According to a release from the BBC Press Office, new series writer and prominent fan Mark Gatiss has begun filming a role in BBC Three's new "comic thriller" Funland, which is co-written by his fellow League of Gentlemen member Jeremy Dyson. Set in the northern seaside town of Blackpool, the series is due to show on BBC Three in the autumn, consisting of one 60-minute and eleven 30-minute episodes. "Mark Gatiss (The League of Gentlemen) plays the bizarre and haughty repressed taxidermist Ambrose Chapfel," the press release says.

The Stage today noted that drama commissioning at the BBC is to undergo a "significant overhaul, with executives able to commission two or three series of popular shows at a time, in a bid to retain talent for future productions. In an unprecedented move for the Corporation, multiple runs of programmes such as Spooks, Hustle and Waking the Dead could be commissioned in one block rather than consecutively." Said Jane Tranter of BBC Drama, "Double commissioning is designed to allow independent production companies the creative freedom to think further forward with their development of long-running drama for the BBC. This is a clear commitment from us to secure the very best drama for our audience and another way of making commissioning more nimble." Noted in the article is that the BBC recently came under fire for failing to ensure that Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper were contracted for more than one series of Doctor Who. However the new process only applies to returning dramas that have proved their popularity and would not have kept the pair in their roles for a second run of the show.

Last week's Surrey Comet (a local newspaper) detailed a "win your own Dalek" competition and showed Christopher Eccleston's visit to a local school. "A timelord can turn up wherever he wants, whenever he wants- so school leavers at Great Court School felt honored to meet the latest incarnation of Dr Who. Actor Christopher Eccleston dropped in at the school in Ham Street, Ham to attend their leaving certificate ceremony. The year 11 students whose last day of school before taking GCSEs was on Friday-were also presented with record of achievement folders to mark their progress to date."

Yesterday's Huddersfield Examiner asks, "The wonderful new series of Doctor Who continues to go from strength to strength. So why did they get such basic details of the Blitz wrong? ... The writing, direction, acting and verve of the production was great - so how did they get the blackout so badly wrong? During the war, no light could be shown in case it acted as a guide to attacking bombers. Every window was covered with a blackout curtain and front doors were not opened until interior lights had been turned off. But not in Doctor Who. At the height of a bombing raid, RAF pilots stand on a balcony in the heart of London enjoying a drink with the curtains wide open and the lights blazing out behind them."

Other news: The People, Digital Spy and CBBCNews all report on the Billie Piper/how many episodes in season two? story; there are reviews of recent episodes at The Guardian and the Sydney Morning Herald.

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Adam Kirk, Stuart Ian Burns, Ian Berriman, Robert Simpson, Chuck Foster, Peter Weaver, Ian O'Brien)