An investigation by the British broadcasting industry regulator OfCom has found that Doctor Who star Catherine Tate was unfairly denied the People's Choice Award at the 2005 British Comedy Awards, screened on the ITV network. The recipient of the award was to have been decided by a telephone vote from viewers.

BBC News reports that even though Tate won the most votes in the category, the prize was given to presenting duoAnt and Dec. This was done because pop star Robbie Williams had agreed to attend the ceremony and present a prize, but would only do so if it could be for Ant and Dec. As they had not won any of the jury-decided categories, it was decided that they should win the audience award to ensure Williams's attendance.

The Times quotes a spokesman for Tate as saying that the actress was an "innocent bystander" in the matter, and had no desire to comment. Ant and Dec have said that they will return their award, which will presumably now be given to Tate.

Posted By John Bowman

David Tennant and Catherine Tate will be star speakers later this year at the Times Cheltenham Literary Festival, it was announced today.

They will talk about working with the Royal Shakespeare Company as well as on Doctor Who.

The event runs from October 10 to 19. Precise dates for appearances have yet to be announced.

Reported by thelondonpaper and the Press Association.

Posted By John Bowman

Catherine Tate will be heard interviewing David Tennant on BBC Radio 4 on February 21 when Chain Reaction returns for a new series.

In it, they talk about working on Doctor Who - as well as playing extras on The Bill.

The show's format sees the interviewee becoming the interviewer of a different guest the following week, with them talking to people whose work they admire and appreciate.

Next week (February 28), Tennant will be interviewing Richard Wilson, who played Dr Constantine in The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances, while Wilson's interviewee the week after that (March 6) will be Arabella Weir, who used to lodge with Tennant and made him godfather to her youngest child.

Weir also played the Doctor in the Big Finish drama Exile - which featured Tennant playing an unnamed Time Lord and a pub landlord. (Weir will round off the series of Chain Reaction by interviewing fellow Fast Show star Paul Whitehouse.)

The half-hour programmes start at 6.30pm. The series was recorded last year.

(With thanks to Jeremy Bentham.)

In an article on BBC News published this morning, Catherine Tate says that the upcoming fourth Doctor Who series will be her last, and that it "could be the last for actor David Tennant" according to comments she made this morning on the Radio 2 Jonathan Ross programme. "I think it's maybe David's last series." The article notes that the BBC refuses to comment on Mr Tennant's future as the show's star. When pressed on whether Tennant would return to play the timelord in special Dr Who shows in future, Tate replied: "Possibly."

To listen to Tate's interview on the Jonathan Ross show, follow this link and click on "Listen again". The Catherine Tate segment begins approximately 2 hours 37 minutes into the program.

The BBC News article also quotes Kylie Minogue in Doctor Who Magazine as saying her appearance in the forthcoming Christmas special is "like stepping back in time. I really felt at home being back in the world of TV. I've definitely got the acting bug again!"

Doctor Who star Catherine Tate is taking action against a Christian group which used catchphrases from her BBC Two sketch show without permission, reports BBC News. Tate is one of a number of British comedy stars, including Matt Lucas and Big Finish / Doctor Who Night actor David Walliams of "Little Britain" fame, taking action against the organisation.

Christian Publishing Outreach (CPO) employed slogans used by Tate's characters, such as "Am I bovvered?" and "How very dare you!", alongside excerpts from the Bible on a series of posters made commercially available to church groups for twenty-five pounds per set. The posters were aimed at attracting the attention of younger people.

Tiger Aspect Productions, the company which produces Tate's award-winning sketch show The Catherine Tate Showfor BBC Two, confirmed to BBC News that they had sought legal proceedings on her behalf. CPO has withdrawn its posters from sale.

The official BBC Doctor Who website has announced that comedienne and actress Catherine Tate, who guest starred in the 2006 Christmas episode The Runaway Bride, is to return to the role of Donna Noble as a full-time companion of the Doctor throughout the fourth series of Doctor Who in 2008.

Executive producer Russell T Davies is quoted by the site as saying: "Catherine was an absolute star in The Runaway Bride and we are delighted that one of Britain's greatest talents has agreed to join us for the fourth series. Viewers can expect more ambitious storylines and a whole host of guest stars in 2008."

Tate herself added that: "I am delighted to be returning to Doctor Who. I had a blast last Christmas and look forward to travelling again through time and space with that nice man from Gallifrey."

Tate replaces Freema Agyeman (Martha) as a regular cast member; Agyeman will appear in several episodes later in the season, and three episodes ofTorchwood.

The Press Association today syndicated a story about both Tate and Kylie Minogue appearing in the series.

Update: This story has featured in a number of newspapers today, including The Guardian, The Sun, The Independent, The Times, and The Mirror, as well as BBC News.

David Tennant is reuniting with The Runaway Bride co-star Catherine Tate for Comic Relief but probably not as the Doctor.

The BBC press office says Tate has teamed up with Tennant and Lenny Henry plus other surprise guests for some new sketches.

Red Nose Day 2007 - on Friday, March 16 - will also see Simon Pegg (The Long Game),Davina McCall (Bad Wolf), Trinny Woodall (Bad Wolf), Maureen Lipman (The Idiot's Lantern) and Peter Kay (Love and Monsters) involved in the fund-raising drive to help vulnerable people in the UK and Africa.

It is being screened on BBC1 from 7pm to approximately 3.05am on Saturday, with a 35-minute break for the news at 10pm.

Catherine Tate, who co-stars this Christmas in The Runaway Bride, has won Best TV Comedy Actress at the British Comedy Awards tonight. The ceremony, which celebrates notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year, was broadcast live on ITV. Tate's award was specifically for last year's Catherine Tate Christmas Special, which was repeated this evening on BBC2. The story is reported on both Digital Spy and BBC News, with reaction in our forums.

Today's edition of the Sun says that Catherine Tate was left breathless as Runaway Bride Donna in action scenes for the forthcoming Christmas Day special, The Runaway Bride.

"There was lots of running for the runaway bride. David Tennant ran like a whippet and I was lagging behind," says the actress and comedienne in a short piece in the newspaper's TV biz section.

Catherine Tate, speaking to The Daily Record, says that Billie Piper deserves the credit for Doctor Who's success with girls: "I think Billie is a big part of getting young girls on board as well, because they all kind of idolise the Rose character.

"When I was little I liked Doctor Who but I think boys liked it more. But now it's across the board."

Tate will be playing the Doctor's "rebound companion" Donna in The Runaway Bride this Christmas. The article contains some story information about the Christmas special (taken from the BBC Programme Information press release), so don't click if you want to remain completely unspoiled!