Sarah Lancashire will feature in the first episode of Doctor Who Series Four alongside David Tennant and new companion Catherine Tate.

The ex-Coronation Street actress will play Miss Foster, described as an "enigmatic and powerful businesswoman".

She told the Press Association: "I'm absolutely thrilled to be in Doctor Who. It's a brilliant episode and I'm looking forward to taking the Time Lord on."

According to the TV Shows on DVD website, it was announced today by the BBC and Warner that the Season One (as it is labeled for its US and Canadian release) DVD Box set ofTorchwood will be released on Tuesday, January 22nd, rather than January 8th as originally reported.

In additional news, it is also reported that fans of the show will be able to choose the cover art for the boxset. The studio will soon launch an online poll that will allow fans to vote for their favourite cover art for the set.

More details forthcoming. Below is the product description for the boxset.

Today's Daily Star reports on a major end-of-season showdown for the Doctor and companions versus an old adversary. The story ties together several other rumours that have been circulating in recent weeks over who/what may be appearing in the 2008 series, but there is no official announcement for the Star's speculation.

David Tennant is among the many stars in the Extras Christmas special trailer that has been released.

The 80-minute final offering of the comedy series by Ricky Gervais andStephen Merchant, for which Tennant has been signed up, will be shown in the UK by the BBC.

A number of sites are hosting the item, including Digital Spy. Scroll about halfway down the story for the feature. Blink, though, and you may miss both of Tennant's non-speaking appearances in the trailer!

NB: The 2' 26" item contains adult language and references.

UPDATE (10 OCT): The item is now at the bottom of the first page of the site. It will, presumably, soon be shunted on to the next page and continue down as other stories are added at the top.

Telos Publishing has released the cover to the deluxe release of Third Dimension: the Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who 2007 byStephen James Walker. The hardback should be available along with the paperback edition, currently expected in November.

'The book has been, as usual, complex to prepare,' said Telos' David J Howe. 'As well as the text, which Stephen James Walker has painstakingly prepared, we have an 8 page colour photographic section as well. Therefore the availability date has slipped slightly from October to November. We're confident that the title will be as warmly welcomed as the first two books looking at the new series of Doctor Who.'

In a recent interview with The Belfast Telegraph, James Nesbittdenied rumors that he was next in line to play the Doctor. Nesbitt admitted to hearing the rumors but stated that "there is no truth in it at all".

"David (Tennant) and Chris (Eccleston) were so good I don't think I could follow them. I think I would be found out!" he joked.

When asked if he would consider the role if approached, he said: "I think not."

David Tennant has said on numerous occasions that playing the Doctor is his dream job. Well, an enterprising individual known asderooftrouser on LiveJournal hasdiscovered proof that Tennant held that opinion as long ago as 1988. Click here to see an excerpt from a 1988 edition of "The Grammarian", a publication of Tennant's alma mater, Paisley Grammar School. Drooftrouser has a transcript of the articlehere, and a photocopy of the original article here. The article refers to Tennant as David MacDonald, his birth name; he adopted Tennant as a stage name because there was another David MacDonald in Actors' Equity.

In the article, Tennant says that he has two screen idols: John Cleese andDerek Jacobi. (Cleese made a cameo appearance in the 1979 Doctor Who story City of Death, and Jacobi appeared opposite Tennant as the mysterious Professor Yana in the episode Utopia earlier this year.)

The "Grammarian" article says: "There is however one particular role which David would love to play – Dr. WHO. The reason? 'I have a fettish [sic] about men dressed in plastic suits !!!!' " It concludes: "Who knows, maybe one day David will be as famous as Peter Howitt (Joey, from "BREAD") who was also a pupil at Paisley Grammar School."

Peter who?

(Thanks to The Researcher on the Doctor Who Forum at Outpost Gallifrey.)

A new Video On Demand Channel dedicated to science fiction and fantasy,Illusion On-Demand, has launched in North America. Currently available in twenty states and is free to all digital subscribers. Illusion has announced that the Classic Doctor Who series is slated to be on the channel starting in January 2008. November sees the updated release ofThe Quatermass Experiment starring Mark Gatiss and David Tennant.

Rumors are circulating through the media of a forthcoming Doctor Who movie. Billie Piper, rumored to be set to return as Rose for series four, is now being cited as starring alongside current Doctor David Tennant in the film. "It's all been hushed up ... but yes, it's definitely happening," a source reportedly told the Daily Star. "David and Billie were a superb combination on the small screen, so it seems only right that they appear in the film."

These reports are coming out following a statement made by BBC Head of FictionJane Tranter,who recently told Media Guardian that she is keeping the possibility of a Doctor Who film open. Tranter is quoted as saying, "I would not rule out a film version of Doctor Who, no." There has been no announcements regarding the return of Piper or a forthcoming film released by the BBC.