John Debney, who composed the music for the 1996 Doctor Who film starring Paul McGann, will be composing the score for the forthcoming Columbia Pictures film "Zathura," based on the book by Chris van Allsburg, as well as the upcoming animated comedy "Chicken Little" and co-composing the score with Graeme Revell for "The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl", according to Cinescape.

The BBC's official site has had its weekly refurbishment and now has a Long Game theme. The front page comprises sixteen 'screens', each cycling through a series of images which at various stages form complete larger images of the Doctor, the Editor, Rose or Adam. At different times, the individual screens form links to other areas of the site and to the Clive/Mickey site and the spoof Geocomtex site launched last weekend. Intriguingly, the screen in the bottom right corner, when highlighted, turns red, with an image of a wolf and the text "badwolf, badwolf, badwolf..." This seems to be a link to a forthcoming area of the site or possibly to another spoof site we have yet to see. The Episode Guide section has been updated for The Long Game and, as usual, currently offers the 'Next time...' trailer from Episode 6 and a photo gallery - this with sixteen new photos, mostly of the TARDIS crew. Also promised for after the episode has broadcast are the usual photo stories and video diaries, including one from Bruno Langley.

Today's edition of Radio Times is published today, and promotes this weekend's episode The Long Game, although there is slightly more Dalek content. The second token for the giant Dalek poster is on page 3 (and a bonus token is apparently on the Radio Times website). As ever, this week's episode is the top choice for Saturday in the week's best television (page 4) - a photo of the Doctor and Adam, and a brief blurb: "A lively, if haphazard, outing for the Time Lord (and a shifty new 'companion', Adam) takes a gruesome peak at the future of journalism." There's a letter from a Slitheen (page 9), as Elizabeth Frost corrects the impression that there were only two performers inside the costumes: "In fact there three! Two six-foot men and me, a five-foot-seven woman. Although my contribution was small, I would like to think it makes a tiny stand for intergalactic girl power!" This week's behind the scenes feature (page 17) concentrates on the inside of a Dalek and includes three photos of the "cuddly creation"; only a quarter of the page is given to The Long Game and concentrates on guest star Simon Pegg and the trouble he had saying one of his lines. There's also another plug for the forthcoming Monsters and Villains book. A large feature on VE Day includes comments from Christopher Eccleston and Richard E Grant, both of whom are contributing to the concert on Sunday. Alison Graham has Tamsin Greig as "This Week's One to Watch" (page 63) noting that she is playing "a neurosurgeon of the future in this week's Doctor Who story." Which is, again, one of Saturday's choices (page 64), although with a rather mixed view: "... a slavering nightmare of which Gerald Scarfe would be proud (send tots to bed though). But despite bubbling with great ideas, the story doesn't quite hang together, and with a dateline that far away, you'd expect a greater leap of imagination from the design department." Saturday's BBC1 listing is headed with a photo of Bruno Langley as Adam ("Milky Way kid", apparently; page 66). The episode blurb reads "Simon Pegg guest-stars as teh sinister Editor. In the future, he oversees the entire Earth Empire. But who is he working for?" The listing for Doctor Who Confidential says that "The evil genius has been a feature of Doctor Who throughout the years, and he made a welcome return to the series earlier this evening, in the form of the Editor, alias Simon Pegg. Here, he discusses the role he's always wanted to play." Also, "One Final Question" (page 146) this week interviews David Warner and asks about his Doctor Who connections - he gives a plug for the Big Finish Unbound CD Sympathy for the Devil, in which he played the Doctor, and is asked whether he was interested in replacing Christopher Eccleston on television: "No, no. It was never mooted for me. I'm 63 and these are issues I don't think about much - it's not as if I'm trying to establish a career! Would I accept Doctor Who? I don't know. I should be so lucky to be asked - then I could consider it." Meanwhile, the Radio Times website is running a competition to win a cardboard life-size cut-out TARDIS and new Doctor Who books - UK readers only can simply submit their details and vote in a poll for best villain (Dalek, Darth Vader, etc) before 10 May and the first names out of the hat will win. The competition is on the website here.

Regarding Doctor Who Confidential, Radio Times listing confirms the Sunday timeslot for the second repeat of the documentary is only fifteen minutes, so "Doctor Who Confidential Cut Down" (not the official title, of course) would seem to be the format for Sundays from now on. Last weekend's "Confidential" aired as normal on Saturday but was cut to 15 minutes on the Sunday repeat for the first time in order to fill a one hour slot on BBC3.

Film Focus had a brief interview chat with David Tennant last night at the European premiere of "Kingdom of Heaven." They first chatted about his latest film project: "I'm playing Barty Crouch Jr. in the new Harry Potter film," he told Film Focus. "it should be good. I think I've done all my stuff, as far as I know, but I'm really looking forward to seeing it." He then turned his attention to the current series of Doctor Who: "It's very exciting and very daunting, in equal measures. Just the amount of attention it gets is quite overwhelming. But there's no better show in the world. We start shooting in July." The article says (perhaps their own speculation) that Eccleston will return for the Christmas special that will introduce Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, but Tennant has no plans to outdo Eccleston's Doctor. "Christopher Eccleston was so brilliant. I shan't be trying to steal his thunder. I'll be trying to do something different."

Book Update: The "Doctor Who: The Shooting Scripts" hardback from BBC Books that we reported on yesterday will actually be published on October 6, not the 31st.

Politics: The statement promoting Labour featuring David Tennant, as we reported yesterday, has been reported inBrand Republic, while the Labourofficial site quotes Tennant's statement ("voting will take you 30 seconds and will last five years"). The Labour Party election broadcast featuring Tennant in two brief clips did indeed go out Tuesday; it also featured Richard Wilson (who appears as Dr. Constantine in "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances" later in the season). Finally, an article at the Milton Keynes website notes that the 2005 General Election "has had a much-needed boost with the emergence of the Dalek Party. The metal monsters chose Central Milton Keynes to launch their campaign wooing would-be voters at the Collectormania event at the weekend. Their local candidate told the Tuesday Citizen, in a quavering screech, their policies included free space travel for pensioners, home rule for Skaro and zero tax on sink plungers. More controversial are strict controls on Time Lords, and the conquest of the galaxy. 'This election we aim to put the X in ex-ter-min-ation,' he said before checking behind sofas in John Lewis for floating voters."


Ratings: Several sources are reporting on this past Saturday's "ratings disaster" for ITV. "ITV had a disastrous Saturday night after all of their five main evening shows failed to attract even a fifth of viewers," reported theDaily Record. "More than 800,000 deserted Celebrity Wrestling as ratings slumped to three million after just two weeks. The BBC triumphed as 7.8 million people watched Dr Who take on the Daleks. ITV have been unable to find a replacement for Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, which regularly pulled in up to eight million viewers." The Daily Record quoted an "insider" as saying "'Saturday nights have turned into a total disaster and there's pressure for big changes to be made" although an ITV spokesman said "There are no plans to reschedule Saturday nights. It just isn't happening." The editor of Broadcast magazine said: "It's very bad news for ITV1. How long can they keep it in that slot? They would do better with a movie. ITV is clearly under a lot of pressure on Saturday nights. Doctor Who is absolutely trouncing them." This was also reported in Media Guardian (and again in a second article), the Scotsman, and Broadcast Now (registration required). However, to redress the balance, Broadcast Now have reported that the ratings for BBC on Monday were their worst audience share ever: "BBC1 suffered its worst overall share for a day's viewing yesterday with an average of 2.4 million (18.8%) from 9.30am - 12.59am. It was also its second worst peak time share this year of 21.2%."

More reviews of Dalek today. The Mirror says that "Before its recent return to our screens, there were two legacies of Dr Who's 42-year history that remained universally loved - the Daleks and the theme tune... The theme tune remains flawless. As for the Daleks, I'm not so sure. As is the way with television these days, the Daleks were given a makeover. ... The comeback series has been a success because it has been fun. It has been bold and vigorous and - if you're seven - even quite scary. The scripts have been witty and knowing, choc-full of references to everything from Star Wars, ET and Alien, right up to The X Files and Buffy generation. ... The much-heralded chase scene, in which the Dalek got to float upstairs, was so slow it was a damp squib." The Western Daily Press: "Daleks never frightened me, although I knew the BBC meant us to be terrified by these curious motorised dustbins adorned with plastic balls. ... So I had a queer turn when I saw the new hightech, digitally-enhanced, super de deluxe Dalek... I'm also warming to Christopher Eccleston's doctor, although he does have annoying mannerisms, including breaking into a dopey Stan Laurel smile when the tension lags. Meanwhile the special effects are getting better and Billie Piper's transformation from sultry popette to nothalf-bad actress is remarkable to behold. The stories are good, too, and Saturday's drama held my attention from start to finish as the doctor took on the Daleks deep below Utah." In theSentinel: "On Saturday night, in a King Kong-esque kind of way, I couldn't help but be moved by the plight of the last [Dalek] around. ... Hang on, this isn't an episode of Dr Who, it's an advert for the Welsh Tourist Board. In the end, overcome by the futility of its existence alone, it topped itself. I wasn't crying. I'd just poked myself in my eye."

Other press stories today: continued discussion of the Davison-disses-Eccleston story at Manchester Online; and theDVD Times weblog discusses "Dalek".

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Chuck Foster, Paul Hayes, John Bowman, Cameron Yarde Jr., Gregg Smith, Scott Andrews)

Author Kim Newman, who wrote the first Doctor Who novella "Time and Relative" for Telos Publishing, has penned BFITV Classics: Doctor Who for British Film Institute Publishing. The book is due out in October. Says Amazon.co.uk: "From 1963 to 1989, for the most part at teatime on Saturdays on BBC1, Doctor Who was a British TV institution. The series had its roots in British science fiction but grew to take in many other influences: historical drama, Hammer horror, satire, conspiracy thriller, even pantomime. Over the years it developed a uniquely eccentric style, at once cosily familiar and cosmically terrifying, and many of its characters, creatures and objects have become indelibly iconic - the Doctors and his assistants, the TARDIS, the Time Lords, and a nightmarish universe of monsters and villians: Cybermen, Ice Warriors, the Master and, of course, the Daleks. The idea that the Doctor should have the power of regeneration was forced on the show's makers when William Hartnell, the original star, could not carry on. But the changing face of the Doctor became key to the evolution of the series and, for many, whole phases of life are summed up in the casting changes: Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and, in a one-off incarnation, Paul McGann. Even now, in the shape of Christopher Eccleston, the Doctor is set to return. In this comprehensive study, Kim Newman follows the Doctor's travels through time, examining outstanding stories, as well as prominent themes, recurrent character and monster types and the show's generic positioning between Quatermass and Star Trek, to assess the show as television masterpiece and cultural phenomenon." The cover for the book can be seen on Amazon. (Thanks to Dan O'Malley andTimelash)

The long-awaited radio adaptation of former Doctor Who writer/script editorDouglas Adams' fourth and fifthHitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxynovels, "So Long and Thanks For All The Fish" and "Mostly Harmless," billed as the Quandary and Quintessential Phases, begins tomorrow, May 3. The eight-part radio serial follows on from the previous three radio series (eighteen episodes of the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Phases, available on CD fromAmazon.co.uk) and airs every Tuesday starting May 3 at 6.30pm on BBC Radio 4. The BBC Cult site also has information about it as well as links to listen live to Radio 4 online as well as their "Listen Again" feature and trailer downloads.

Ratings News

Great news for Doctor Who and BBC3. Saturday night's Doctor Who Confidential had 504,051 viewers according to ViewingFigures, with 175,740 viewers tuning into the 12.15am repeat of Dalek early Sunday morning and 105,800 viewers watching the 1.00am repeat. "Confidential" once again performed excellently on BBC, being number one in the multi-channel timeslot with a viewing share of 4.1%, beating the previous week's winner "The Simpsons" by over 200,000 viewers.

On Sunday night, 543,960 viewers tuned in for the 7.00pm repeat of "Dalek," with a 4.6% viewing share, and 339,970 viewers were watching the Sunday night repeat of episode 6 of "Confidential".

"Father's Day" Spoilers

The Daily Star today posted information on the episode airing on May 14, "Father's Day," written by Paul Cornell. This includes some major spoilers about the storyline and the names of the aliens involved; click on theSPOILERS tag at the bottom of this article to see them!

"Dalek" Reviews

In the Daily Mirror by TV critic Ian Hyland: "Yes. The Daleks were back. And for 30 pant-sh*ttingly wonderful minutes, BBC1's new Doctor Who was the best thing on telly. Ever. Then they went and spoilt it with a load of symbolic, sentimental, one world, one-universe, war-what-is-it-good-for nonsense. But before the meddling, it was getting crowded behind the sofa."

DigitalSpy: "The return of Doctor Who has been far more successful than I imagined but I had been harbouring reservations as to why they needed to saddle the show with a Dalek episode. ... Robert Shearman was the writer tasked with coming up with a story that would live up to the status of what is, however tarnished, a cultural icon and he seems to have pulled it off. Had we got an episode steeped in Dalek mythology I think I'd have been bored to tears; what we actually got was something akin to Beauty and the Beast via Silence of The Lambs and it turned out to be the best episode so far. The idea of having the Dalek being tortured by its human captures helped to turn the relationship between the audience and the creature on its head and by the episode's end, our sympathy lay with it rather than the Doctor in fine piece of storytelling."

The Independent: "I'm not sure that anyone has ever created a less frightening monster than the Dalek, the homicidal bumper car that can only invade planets that are in full compliance with disability access legislation. In fact, the only thing that gets even close for risible lack of threat is a Cyberman, the implacable enemy of humanity that comes with its own built-in carrying handle. And yet, both of them apparently stirred the viewers so deeply that they can do the television equivalent of a comeback concert. Which is the bigger news for the coming week: the general election or the return of the Daleks in Doctor Who? Radio Times just couldn't call it, so they split the difference with a 'Vote Dalek' cover, the Houses of Parliament providing a backdrop for the latest model, which comes in a rather chavvy bronze and copper colourway.... Robert Shearman, who scripted this episode, had some fun with the robot's famous limitations as a killing machine. 'What are you going to do, sucker me to death?' scoffed a museum curator when menaced with the rubber plunger, which then shot out and fixed on his face with a prehensile grip. He also did the staircase gag, with the fleeing humans gratefully scampering up a set of steps only to discover that this Dalek could levitate."

The Times: "Was anyone ever truly frightened by the monsters in Doctor Who? Even giving them names such as the Giant Spiders of Metebelis III didn't work when they still looked like something you'd get from the joke shop to scare your little sister. Yet the return of the Doctor's old foe, the Daleks, on Saturday, was clearly a major television event -it doesn't get any bigger than having a Radio Times fold-out front cover. ... All the Daleks' dubious design features were gleefully addressed by Robert Shearman's script for Saturday's story. So there were references to 'space dustbins,' the Dalek's sink plunger sucked someone to death, and there was no escape in running upstairs because it took to the air. No wonder the body count was alarmingly high. Shearman also continued to strike the right balance between the respect and renovation displayed by the series... Instead we got a surprisingly poignant story. And Eccleston's combination of blokiness and otherworldly intensity came into its own here, but I can still see why he's already decided to leave the show. Just look at the Daleks -you don't see them in any other line of work."

Garry Bushell, writing in The People, was full of praise for Dalek. "An old familiar menace has returned to haunt Saturday night telly. Cold, full of hatred for humanity and armed with tired old catchphrases, everything about this creature is joyless and old hat. But enough about Julian Clary... wasn"t that Dalek terrific on Doctor Who? Anyone who ever loved this show as a kid must have cheered the roof off when the chained killer realised who it was up against." He noted that the episode "worked in a way most of the previous ones didn't. It was well-written, not pointlessly camp, with a decent story". His piece was accompanied by a small pic of the Dalek. Elsewhere on his two-page TV round-up, he lists the Dalek as being "hot on TV", although, strangely, he also says "shame he didn't exterminate Russell T Davies". The feature also quotes Andrew Alexander as saying "Dr Who: Designed for young people, enjoyed by adults. Just like Billie Piper."

The Guardian: "The Daleks are back on BBC1, Ian McKellen is starring in Coronation Street and beautiful people are ripping each other's clothes off for our entertainment on ITV1. If this isn't the golden age of TV, then what is? After all the build-up, the return of everyone's favourite squawking pepperpot to Doctor Who (Saturday) could have been an anti-climax, and in truth it was a curiously subdued affair. But who could have guessed that ... it would turn into a sci-fi Socratic dialogue?"

The Daily Express: "I think it's fair to say that this was the one we'd all been waiting for... A splendidly scary but rather sad (and politically laboured) story ended with the Dalek exterminating itself because it had taken on human characteristics and was no longer motivated to kill everything that moved. As usual, the script fizzed with good jokes. ... Now, bring on the Cybermen. But go easy on the anti-war rhetoric, please." (Incidentally, cheers to the Daily Express which noted that "Daleks have surmounted the problem of stairs before - See Remembrance Of The Daleks, 1988.")

Newsquest Media Group: "In the old days, these metal creatures rattled around pointing that egg whisk they call a weapon at people and screaming 'exterminate, exterminate'. This new story showed their softer side. ... Christopher Eccleston's Doctor is a troubled time lord. It's becoming increasingly clear that his relationship with Rose, a girl young enough to be his daughter, is not the usual Doctor and travelling companion one. His feelings towards her seem more than paternal. I look forward to seeing how they develop."

The Socialist Review, the monthy political magazine of the Socialist Workers Party, has a review of the return of Doctor Who in its May issue. The review is online here

People in the News

New series star David Tennant is to co-star in a BBC Radio 4 revival of the classic BBC Television police series Dixon of Dock Green. The series, which originally starred the late Jack Warner, ran on BBC Television from 1955 to 1976, and was a spin-off from the 1949 feature film "The Blue Lamp", with Dixon recovering from the notable obstacle of having been killed-off in the movie. Says the report: "The new shows will feature Bramwell actor David Calder as George Dixon, and the forthcoming Doctor Who and Casanova star David Tennant as his sidekick Andy Crawford." Many sites covered this today; the BBC News site ironically didn't mention Doctor Who at all, but others did, including the Scotsman, UTV,WaveGuide, The Independent, and The Guardian.

The Sunday Mirror renewed the Eccleston leaving debate this week. "He quit Doctor Who to head for Hollywood û but is Christopher Eccleston too miserable to be famous? When the BBC announced Christopher Eccleston was quitting Doctor Who after just one series, it caused shock waves. Only one episode of the new series had been screened, to huge ratings and critical acclaim, and his departure took the gloss off the success for the BBC. It also means all the merchandise planned for Christmas will be saddled with a previous incarnation of the Time Lord û by then, Casanova star David Tennant will be the man accompanying Billie Piper through space and time. Chris is rumoured to have rejected huge cash offers û a large advance on his ú1 million salary û but his decision to leave may have been a smart move after all. ... He could simply be being honest, or maybe he's just being awkward. Christopher did once admit, æI am not known for my charm... I think I'm seen as a grumpy old sod.' Born in Salford, Christopher went to the prestigious Central School of Speech and Drama in London, but after leaving, worked on building sites, in between periods of signing on the dole and working as an artist's model. A few years ago, he moved back to Manchester from London, saying, æThe beer's better up here, the women are better looking û and the football is better. United is in my blood.' Christopher has always passionately professed his loathing of the showbiz establishment and associated actor-type pretensions. æI'm not into the celebrity circus û I'm close to my family and prefer time with them,' he says. A friend says, æChris takes his work seriously, but he also takes his roots seriously.' Or could it be he just takes himself very seriously? After all, this is the man who spoke of bringing a æweight and ambiguity' to the role of the Doctor, and said, æEverything about the daleks tells you about the duality of people'. Rather æluvvie' comments for this most non-æactorish' of actors. As for how the star will cope with the gaze of the world on his Salford retreat, only time will tell."

The Times yesterday made some interesting observations about Eccleston's departure: "According to a mole within BBC Wales (which makes Doctor Who), however, Eccleston quit after being presented with a fait accompli: the unappetising choice of starring in only half the next series (not enough) or another two full series (far too big a commitment). Who knows what really happened? The show's executive producer, Julie Gardner, wouldn't comment."

The People had a full-page interview with Camille Coduri, headlined "I've got the hots for DR WHO . . but I want to flirt with DR NEW". No prizes for guessing the angle of that piece. The paper calls her "telly's dalektable flirty mum" but the feature does settle down from time to time to include a bit more insight, with comments from Coduri such as: "Christopher Eccleston was superb. Sometimes I'd have to look away because he'd make me laugh so much. It's a shame he's not doing the second series but people forget he'd been working on it for practically a year. I don't blame him for wanting to move on." She adds: "David Tennant will bring a different dimension to it and he and Billie Piper will work brilliantly together." Later in the piece, Coduri says: "Billie really shines. She's one of the leading actresses of her generation - divine, funny and witty." Elsewhere in The People, it is reported that Simon Callow gave a repeat performance as Charles Dickens from Doctor Who to shoppers at a London store last Sunday, although the Sunday Express merely says he was reciting from his show The Mystery of Charles Dickens while at upmarket grocers Melrose and Morgan.

Bruno Langley spoke to April 30's Daily Post. "Not everyone can claim to have been chased down a corridor by a Dalek screaming 'Exterminate!', but for Bruno Langley - best known for his role as Todd Grimshaw in Coronation Street - it was all in a day's work on the set of Doctor Who. 'When they brought the Dalek onto the set, it was really exciting and everyone was taking photos,' the 22-year-old remembers, though he admits he missed out on seeing the Doctor's legendary adversaries in action the first time around. 'I do remember Doctor Who being on, but it was a bit before my time. I liked Alien and Terminator and stuff like that.' And while it wouldn't be Doctor Who without the appearance of a Dalek, fans will be pleased to hear that the creatures are now more than a match for more recent alien counterparts - especially when it comes to tackling stairs. 'When you watch it, it's a bit like the Terminator films, when something's chasing after you and you can't stop it. You can use that as a metaphor for a lot of different things,' says Bruno of the scene in which his character, boy genius Adam Mitchell discovers that stairs are definitely not a problem for the evil oversized pepperpots. In fact, it's also rumoured that Adam, who helps the Doctor and his assistant Rose through their traumatic Dalek encounter, may also develop an evil streak. 'I do end up on the wrong side of the tracks,' admits Bruno of the inquisitive Adam. 'I get the Doctor and Rose into a bit of trouble because I like meddling with things. Him thinking he's a genius gets him into bother.' But, while Christopher Eccleston has confirmed he won't be returning to play the Doctor, Bruno reveals that the door is left open for Adam. 'There's a chance of me coming back if the storyline allows it. I'd love to do it,' he smiles, having clearly relished his two months on the Doctor Who's Welsh set And he readily admits that flirting with Billie Piper was a high point: 'We got on great - I was working with her for two months. 'She's a great girl. I think she's really got a lot going for her. She should probably make her way to America soon,' he says of his famous co-star, though he's quick to add that there was no romance either off or onscreen for the duo. I think Adam's more interested in the technology side of things,' he adds. 'Of course he fancies Rose, she's a gorgeous girl, but he's got more on his mind.'"

The SF Crows Nest website has posted five interviews conducted by Jessica Martin, who has previously conducted interviews with cast members. They include writer Rob Shearman, actor Bruno Langley (Adam), Dalek vocalistNicholas Briggs, writer Mark Gatiss, and actor Simon Callow(Charles Dickens).

Several reports in today that David Tennant has joined the mix of celebrities promoting Labour for this week's elections. "I will be voting Labour this time because the alternative is a disaster area," Tennant says, and also notes that it takes only 30 seconds to vote while the consequences last for five years... The story's covered by icScotland (and indeed all of the iC network websites), the Mirror and Scotsman.

Miscellaneous Coverage

The BBC's Doctor Who website front page has changed. Before, it showed the Dalek in chains; now it shows the Dalek having broken free and pointing its weapon at us.

The Observer yesterday noted that "The BBC was braced for viewer complaints last night after screening possibly the most terrifying Doctor Who episode ever. In the story, shown on BBC One before the watershed, Time Lord Christopher Eccleston came face to face with his arch-enemy, a Dalek, which then went on a killing spree. In one scene the Doctor was shown half-naked being tortured with electric shocks. Four viewers complained to Ofcom after an earlier episode, claiming it was too scary for children, but the media watchdog chose not to investigate."

The Daily Star Sunday (May 1) ran an article titled "Who's For Starters..." which previewed next week's episode and opened with: "Doctor Who looks a bit tied up to fight off his latest enemy. But the Time Lord, played by Christopher Eccleston, is living out every fella's fantasy - being chained up to sexy sidekick Rose, actress Billie Piper." The article was accompanied by a large photograph from the episode. Also in the same newspaper "The Biz" reveals: "Current Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston has kept the leather jacket he wears in the BBC1 series. But he says he is too scared to wear it in the street in case a show-worshipping geek attacks him for it. He adds: "It could be in the cupboard for a while yet."" A less than favourable review of "Dalek" also featured (titled "D-aargh-lek's wimpy ending").

Says correspondent Rowan Bridge, West of England reporter for BBC Five Live, on our previous report on Nick Briggs' interview: "I was the one who suggested that they cover it. Yeah it was indeed Nick Briggs that did the continuity announcements. There was also an interview with him where he turned himself into a Dalek mid-way through the interview (modulation and all) and back again. It went out twice, just before 0630 (the programme now starts at 0600 on Saturdays) and again at about 0850 or so (just after, in fact, my piece on the M4 motorway protest) You can hear both that interview and Robert Shearman's on the listen again function of the Five Live sitehere."

In the run up to the General Election as part of it's pro-Labour Party stance the Daily Mirror is running an ongoing item called "EXTORY-MINATE!" in which a marginal Conservative Party member is pictured in the sights of a 60s Dalek with details of his/her slim majority. The "Daily Mirror" also ran a similar campaign in the last General Election called "Exterminate A Tory" which had the dome of a Dalek replaced by Conservative Party Leader William Hague's head (complete with eye-stalk protruding from his forehead!).

The Sunday Mirror's page three lead was a picture exclusive of Billie Piper - headlined "Thrillie Piper" - while filming her role as Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing on the south coast for the BBC, but with the wind catching her skirt and revealing more than we're used to seeing. It was likened to the famous picture of Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch. The paper also had a piece about David Walliams writing for the next series of Doctor Who, which is on the website here

The Sunday Express lampooned the forthcoming general election by tapping into the topicality of the Daleks and having a near-half-page cartoon of the three main party leaders as Daleks chasing a terrified Britannia-type figure to a polling station. Meanwhile, its TV reviewer, David Stephenson, asked if the Dalek had "gone all touchy-feely". Calling Doctor Who "the hit of the year so far", his piece, in which he said he felt sorry for the creature, was illustrated with a decent-sized photo of Rose touching the Dalek. His Quote of the Week, at the bottom of the page, was "Elevate!" from the episode.

Saturday night's Phil Williams show on BBC Radio 5 Live featured (very positive) listener reaction to the Dalek episode plus an interview with former Dalek voice artist Roy Skelton. Skelton talked about his extensive career in voice work, including his years on Doctor Who and Rainbow, and refuted the suggestion that the new episode was the first instance of a Dalek going up stairs. He spoke of his appreciation for the new series and for the work of current voice of the Daleks Nicky (sic) Briggs. The interview, which took place just after midnight, can still be heard by following the link to the Phil Williams show from the 5 Live website.

The Sunday Sport ran a double page colour centre-spread yesterday with an adult-themed headline (think the Dalek cry of "Exterminate" but...) featuring 'the star of last night's Doctor Who' - a Dalek - in about a dozen poses with a topless model. The article that accompanied this covered the return of the Daleks the night before, and revealed that in addition to being able to 'Elevate' up stairs, the Dalek could now apparently copulate, as the pictures attempted to prove.

The News of the World says Christopher Eccleston and Siwan Morris are an item again. It pictures them on holiday in Cornwall taking a stroll, hand in hand, and with bikes near Porthleven.

More press coverage: More on David Walliams writing for Doctor Who atDigital Spy; The Sun interviews Ian Clarke, who is "the only person the BBC has licensed to construct and sell Daleks" with his firm, This Planet Earth; and the Daily Record says that "Britain's best bachelor pad" is available for rental next door to Billie Piper's flat in Cardiff.

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, John Bowman, Andy Parish, Jamie Austin, Paul Hayes, Rowan Bridge, Roderick Cobley, Gregg Smith, Steve Hatcher, David Traynier, Mark Gardiner, Rich Kirkpatrick)

Amazon.co.uk has details of the second set of three Doctor Who new series novels being released by BBC Books, mentioned in the last issue of DWM. The novels include The Deviant Strain by Justin Richards, Only Human by Gareth Roberts and Rain of Terror by Mike Tucker. All three books will be released in hardcover and are due out simultaneously on September 5. Amazon has a quick summary of one of the novels, Richards' "The Deviant Strain," as follows: "The Novrosk Peninsula: the Soviet naval base has been abandoned, the nuclear submarines are rusting and rotting. Cold, isolated, forgotten. Until the Russian Special Forces arrive and discover that the Doctor and his companions are here too. But there is something else in Novrosk. Something that predates everything else, even the stone circle on the cliff top. Something that is at last waking, hunting, killing. Can the Doctor and his friends stay alive long enough to learn the truth? With time running out, they must discover who is really responsible for the Deviant Strain Featuring the Doctor as played by Christopher Eccleston, together with Rose and Captain Jack as played by Billie Piper and John Barrowman in the hit series from BBC Television."

Additionally, BBC Books will release Doctor Who: The Shooting Scripts on October 31. Listed as being written by Russell T Davies, it's unclear whether this will include all thirteen episodes of the first season, or merely the episodes Davies wrote himself (eight out of the thirteen.)

A further book, Doctor Who Through Time by Andrew Cartmel (former series script editor during the Sylvester McCoy years) is listed as being published in December 2005 by Continuum Publishing, said to be "an accessible history of the show for casual and hardcore fans."

(Thanks to Fred Harrison, Allan Alexander, Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg)

As Outpost Gallifrey reported some time ago, it has now been confirmed that the Season 22 serial Revelation of the Daleks starring Colin Baker is the July 2005 Doctor Who DVD release for the UK. An article today on theRestoration Team website describes the clean-up work done on the episode and notes that rights could not be obtained to use the Jimi Hendrix track, "Fire", which plays over one of the DJ sequences. "When the VHS version of this story was released it also had to be replaced, but the job was done rather crudely with simple filtering and editing of the original mix," says the article. "This was odd, as the undubbed audio was on the second track of the master video tape. Mark re-dubbed this section from scratch, replacing the music with something hopefully more appropriate than what was used on the VHS, and carefully matching the original ambience and equalisation." Nicola Bryant (Peri), Terry Molloy (Davros), script editor Eric Saward and director Graeme Harper provided the commentary for the episode. Extras includeRevelation Exhumed, a 45-minute documentary featuring interviews with Saward, Harper, Alan Spalding (designer), John Brace (Visual Effects), Roger Limb (incidental music) and Pat Godfrey (costumer designer), plus cast members Trevor Cooper (Takis), Clive Swift (Jobel), Roy Skelton (Dalek voices), Terry Molloy (Davros), William Gaunt (Orcini), Hugh Walters (Vogel) and Colin Spaull (Lilt), as well as archive interview footage with Alexei Sayle;In Studio, a 15-minute look behind the scenes during some of the studio recording sessions, culled from the single-surviving tape of studio material that was originally pulled together for video effects work; Optional Replacement Effects, an alternative (non-default) set of alternate effects ranging from simple replacement of the ray-gun and blaster effects, through to a complex reshoot involving a model Dalek (notes about which are included in the RT article); an isolated music score (mono only); an optional Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround mix; off-air continuity announcements; three short deleted scenes; plus the usual photo gallery, production notes and an easter egg (which is said to be the actors recreating some of their lines for use in the 5.1 remix). (Thanks to the Restoration Team)

According to The Mirror, David Walliams of "Little Britain" fame - and a Doctor Who fan to boot - will be writing a script for the second season of the series, perhaps filling in the gap for the one episode that the last issue of DWM said hadn't yet been assigned. "He was approached after BBC bosses decided his surreal sense of humour would be ideal for the revived show's wacky new storylines," says the Mirror. "A single playboy-about-town who has been linked to Patsy Kensit, Abi Titmuss, Denise Van Outen and Jayne Middlemiss, David took Dr Who star Billie Piper out for dinner to find out more about her character as the Doctor's sidekick Rose Tyler. One TV insider said: 'Russell T. Davies, the chief scriptwriter, is a massive fan of Little Britain. He was impressed by the fact David's comedy writing is always full of really original ideas. David jumped at the chance and is taking it very seriously.'"

The BBC's official site has another spinoff website tieing into the new series:www.geocomtex.net, featuring Harry van Statten's company from "Dalek".

"Dalek" Reviews Pour In

Says The Times: "Tonight's episode may not have the zany, off-the-wall humour associated with the ones written by Russell T. Davies, but Robert Shearman's script -and I can't believe that I'm about to say this -is strangely moving. It concerns the last surviving Dalek, which is being held in chains in an underground museum in Utah. Daleks, as we know from the lessons of history, are programmed to hate. But, amid all the excitement, tonight's episode manages to sneak in a message about the redemptive power of human kindness and the way in which victims can turn into oppressors. This new Doctor Who is an unqualified triumph."

The Guardian: "Robert Shearman's script bamboozles expectations, offering a fresh take on the famous metal drama queens, here both more formidable and sympathetic than we've ever seen them in the past. Claustrophobic and suitably melodramatic, this should hopefully show 2005's kids what was always so wonderful about the iconic tin-rotters."

The London Evening Standard: "This week's episode title- Dalek- may crush the surprise the script clearly hoped to generate around the return of the killer pepperpot, but that's the only disappointment here. ... At its best, science fiction is supposed to be a metaphor. It's not a theory that always pans out, but here, in the conflict between a murderous intergalactic dustbin and a double-hearted time traveller, we get a powerful look at the way war- whether it's in the Balkans, Iraq or outer space- twists even the best of people. 'If you can't kill, then what are you good for?' the Doctor hisses at the imprisioned Dalek. But by the end, you're left wondering whether it is the Dalek or the Doctor who has been damaged most by the conflict. It's heady, surprising, spiky and occasionally pretentious stuff, but I'll take this over ITV's spandex celeb-grappling any Saturday night."

Ian Hyland in The Mirror: "For 30 pant sh*ttingly wonderful minutes BBC1's new Doctor Who was the best thing on telly. Ever."

Weekend Press

In The Sun Doctor Who is "Watercooler TV": Climb behind your sofa and stay well out of sight - the Daleks are back on TV screens across the nation tonight. Doctor Who's dreaded foe makes his big and much-anticipated return, although as I revealed he turns out to be a big old softy. And there's a truly explosive ending - don't miss it." The accompanying "TV Mag" features a small picture of the Dalek on the cover ("Exterminate. The Daleks Are Back!") and a one-page article, interviewing Mike Tucker, Barnaby Edwards and Bruno Langley. "Doctor Who" is Pick Of The Day.

The Daily Mirror television magazine "We Love Telly!" has a Dalek as pride of place on its cover, standing before an explosion with the line: "Be afraid! Hide behind the sofa as the Doctor's deadly foe returns". Inside is a full-page article ("The Last Dalek") with a "Dalek Databank" (Dr Who trivia), a review of the "Claws Of Axos" DVD ("Time lord-tastic!") and a Reader Rant: "Dear We Love Telly! The new Doctor Who is trendy, infantile and utterly vacuous. Russell T Davies obsession with passing wind is a disgrace to the memory of 26 years of family entertainment".

The Daily Star contains a two-page article ("Exterminate The Wrestlers: Daleks To Floor 'Em") about tonight's ratings war with "Celebrity Wrestling" and how "Doctor Who" is likely to come out on top. "Star TV Mag" features a Dalek on the cover ("Ex-ter-min-ate") with a third-of-a-page article inside (" A Step-Up For Daleks") giving details of the episode and more "Dr Who" trivia. The episode is the TV pick, with a five-star rating. The newspaper also begins a promotion today called "Sci-Fi Saturday" to run for three weeks. As part of this next week the newspaper will contain a free "Sci-Fi Sounds" CD which will feature an arrangement of the "Doctor Who" theme by Mark Ayres.

Says Newsquest Media, "They're back at last! Or rather, it's back. Doctor Who faces his old arch enemy once more with the return of a Dalek to the cult TV series on April 30. There's only one so far, but it's enough to worry the Timelord, as this week's episode sees him trapped in an underground museum with a relic from the past. And there's a twist - this Dalek's had a major upgrade, and doesn't need a stairlift to get off the ground floor. Long-time fan of the show Nick Wade from Sandbanks is a big Dalek fan and is delighted to see one of the megalomaniac rust-buckets square up to the Doctor once more. 'It's what a lot of people have been waiting for. Doctor Who without the Daleks is like Star Trek without Mr Spock,' he said. 'It can work but it's just not the same.' ... But Nick believes this updated Dalek won't be a laughing matter. 'One of the things about Daleks that used to make people laugh was that they couldn't go up stairs. But this time, the Dalek can fly. I'm sure there will be a lot of people watching, especially children. I think it would be good if they brought back some of the other old enemies too.' Nick, who landed a role as an extra in the hugely successful new series starring Christopher Ecclestone and Billie Piper, has also picked up a full-size remote-controlled Dalek built by a special effects designer."

The Scotsman reports that "the BBC is hoping the dreaded Daleks will exterminate the opposition in the ratings war when they make their return to the nationÆs TV screens tonight. ... Although only one of the metal menaces will appear, it is rumoured that more Daleks will return later in the series." The Scotsman reports in another article that the "Daleks Learn to Fly on Their Deadly Return"... "and this time the Daleks are even scarier." Says writer Rob Shearman, "People want to see the Dalek again, in all its glory, being taken seriously and killing rather brutally. I donÆt think itÆs any great spoiler to say thereÆs an awful lot of death in my episode... You wonÆt like what they do with their sink plungers now, I promise you."

Radio and Television

Next Thursday's Dead Ringers: Election Special is being promoted with a trailer that spoofs Eccleston's "Trip of a life time" trailer. The trailer, featuring impressions of the leaders of the three main UK parties, is accompanied by the new Doctor Who theme and has been running on BBC1 from at least the evening of Thursday 28th April.

The Now Show (Radio 4, 29th April) again featured Doctor Who, including reference to complaints regarding the apparently inappropriate language used in the upcoming Dalek episode.

BBC Ceefax has "Dalek" as its TV Choice for 30th April, running as follows: "So what was it the Doctor promised Rose at the end of last week's episode? Something about a glorious joyride through interstellar space. But here we are back on Earth. Again. Still, the old show often argued that it was more scary to see monsters in England than in outer space somewhere. And it's the monster that matters tonight, as the Doctor meets a Dalek. By the end of the show, you'll no longer think that Daleks are silly and that's quite an achievement."

Doctor Who, and more specifically the return of the Daleks, was a topic of conversation on Weekend Breakfast on BBC Radio 5 Live this Saturday, which runs on the station from 6.30 to 9am. A recorded interview with Robert Shearman was played at around 7.20am and there were regular Dalek continuity announcements telling listeners not to change station or they would be exterminated, which sounded as if they were done by Nick Briggs himself. Also, throughout the show presenters Brian Alexander and Rachel Burden were taking e-mail and text message suggestions from listeners as to what the Dalek's first line to the Doctor should be tonight. As the subject of waiting times to see National Health Service doctors has become an issue in the British General Election campaign over the past couple of days, many suggestions tied in with this, i.e. "It's been years since I last saw you - you must be an NHS doctor!"

Nick Briggs was on BBC 'Breakfast' on Saturday (from 08:53 to 08:56) on BBC 2. He was interviewed by Bill Turnbull behind a large image of the dome of the Dalek from tonights episode. There was a clip from the episode (of troops being exterminated, with the Dalek rotating its mid-section to do so) followed by Nick demonstrating the Dalek voice with the Ring Modulator; firstly, talking normally through the modulator, secondly talking with a 'Dalek voice' his examples being:and There was a brief chat about how the ring modulator worked, then the item ended with Bill Turnbull doing his next link through the ring modulator.

The Blue Peter website contains details of what was on the 27th April edition, in addition to a Dalek picture in the photographs from rehearsals section and a competition for children to win a radio controlled Dalek.

According to the Newsround website "The Doctor Rules In Your Charts". In their online poll "Doctor Who" has been voted the most popular TV show, beating "The Simpsons" into second place after a year of the cartoon reigning supreme. In the TV/Film section of the site is "Exterminate! Check out our new Dalek pics!" which features 8 photographs from today's episode. In addition, yesterday's "Newsround" promoted today's "Newsround Showbiz" on the CBBC channel with clips from "Resurrection Of The Daleks" and "Dalek".

ITV Teletext has "Doctor Who" as a Pick Of The Day.

BBC news 24 on Saturday morning showed clips of "Dalek" from this weekend's episode with an new force field it used to stop an array of bullets in their tracks, and its new trick of moving the centre part of it shell independantly of the rest. Also, the Dalek trailer was played, half-screen over the end of Neighbours on Friday 29th April just before 6pm. Significant as it didn't relate to the programme and wasn't the next programme to be shown, indicating the BBC's increased promotion for the episode.

For once Friday's Newsround didn't manage to crowbar a DW item into the headlines, but did describe WeeMan (a three tonne robot sculpture made of electrical items, representing the amount thrown away by the average Briton in his lifetime) as looking 'like something out of Doctor Who'. It went on to note the people behind the educational display, meant to promote recycling, hoped to 'exterminate' the problem.

ABC TV in Australia has shown its first full length promo for the new series stating "Doctor Who is coming to YOU!". The promo showed clips from "Rose" and "The End of the World"

Other Stories

The May issue of Limelight, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's magazine focusing on the arts, literature, theatre and film has announced that the June issue will feature articles and interviews with the stars, writer and designers of the new series of Dr Who. The magazine will be on sale at newsagents on May 18.

The Mirror notes today that Ray Cusick, "the man who designed the Daleks," was paid just ú80 by the BBC. "Instead, royalty payments go to the family of the late Terry Nation, who wrote the first Dalek script. Raymond Cusick has revealed that he came up with the design for the Daleks over lunch in the BBC staff canteen. Cusick told The Mirror, 'We went to lunch in the canteen and I was scribbling on the back of napkins the ideas of the Daleks. I picked up what could have been a salt pot and moved it around the table. I said, 'It moves like that, without any arms or legs.' The design was already partly on paper and partly in my head at the time.'" The story was also picked up by Digital Spy.

Other stories of note: The Belfast Telegraph has a story about the return of the Daleks, interviewing fans at Forbidden Planet; the Mirror discusses Billie Piper's filming of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing";

(Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Jamie Austin, Paul Hayes, Chuck Foster, Garry J/"Facethemusic", Stewart Carswell, Widya Santoso, John Paul Street, Daniel Lamb, Russ Port, Mark Williams, Ian O'Brien, Michael Davoren, and Matt Kimpton)

The initial overnight ratings are in for Dalek, episode six of the new series broadcast Saturday night... and it's great news! "Dalek" was not only the top of its time slot for the evening, with an average viewership of 7.83 million viewers and a 42.73% viewer share, but was in fact the most watched British television show on Saturday, day or night! The episode peaked at 8.73 million viewers (45.9% share). Its competition on ITV, "Celebrity Wrestling," scores 3.05 million viewers, 17.73% viewer share. The usual Saturday night ratings winner, "Casualty," had 7.3 million viewers, leaving it in second place for the evening. As usual, these ratings will be adjusted next week when the BARB releases its final viewing numbers for the night. (Thanks to Steve Berry, Keith Armstrong, Roger Anderson)