Various papers over the past two days have been reporting several spoiler items and a few pictures of the aliens appearing in this year's Christmas special. To keep the surprise, we've put them in the spoiler tag at the end of this report.

Doctor Who has received another mention in Matthew Norman's 'Media Diary' column in The Independent, having regularly cropped up in the column's 'Guardian' days - Norman has a young child who is a passionate fan, and was the columnist who famously suggested in September 2003 that there were "rumours Christopher Eccleston" was interested in the role, purely in an attempt to wind up the actor whose perceived seriousness he often pokes fun at. This time his reference to the show comes in a story about Welsh BBC newsreader Huw Edwards. "It seems my friend Huw Edwards, the bashful BBC newsreader, may be less thick-skinned than we imagined. A colleague of his reports once sending Huw a very courteous e-mail correcting his mispronunciation of a leading dictator's name. Huw responded that this was 'the rudest e-mail' he's ever received, and that he'd take lessons from 'Bush House types' only when they stopped mangling Welsh names. (Doctor Who fans will be reminded of Russell T Davies' typically brilliant self-parody of Welsh hypersensitivity at being ignored by London types in 'Boom Town', the episode involving Margaret Blaine, the Slitheen Mayor of Cardiff.) Anyway, Huw then misdirected to the same person an e-mail intended for someone else, describing his correspondent as 'effing rude', and in need of being told where to get off. Doubtless this was ironic in intent, and we won't countenance another word on the matter for at least seven days."

The Western Mail reports that "Santa Claus is coming to town for Doctor Who". "It may be the middle of summer, but Cardiff has been decked out in its Christmas finery as Doctor Who returns. Billie Piper ditched her summer gear for winter warmers yesterday to film the Doctor Who Christmas Special in the middle of a summer sunshine. Shop windows were given a Christmas makeover and a giant Christmas Tree was installed near the Central Library. The Doctor's pin-up sidekick pulled on a fur-lined jacket despite the balmy August weather. She was filmed in the city centre which was turned into a winter wonderland with Christmas trees and fairy lights. Billie and Noel Clarke, who plays her on-screen boyfriend Mickey, recorded several scenes in Cardiff's shopping centres. ... An onlooker said, 'It was a warm night but Billie was wrapped up for winter. They filmed right through the night and Billie seemed to be really enjoying herself. She looked stunning even if she was just in jacket and jeans'." There are also brief mentions in the Daily Record andNews24.com amongst others.

BBC News discusses the work of Mike Collins, the artist drawing the strip in Doctor Who Magazine. "Christopher Eccleston's decision to leave Doctor Who may have shocked most of the show's fans, but it also meant a pile more work for artist Mike Collins. As the man who draws the show's official comic strip, the switch to David Tennant sent Collins back to the drawing board. The Cardiff-based artist is currently preparing images of the new Timelord. It is the latest challenge for the man who has drawn everything from Superman and Star Trek to Harry Potter. As you might have guessed, Collins is a massive sci-fi fan, and he admitted he was shocked at Eccleston's decision to leave the Tardis after just one series. He has nearly finished his last story involving Christopher Eccleston. 'I had just got to the stage when I can draw Christopher Eccleston quite comfortably,' he said. 'But I have no problems, he has made a decision that was interesting for the show. It is a fresh new broom - David Tennant has a great face, and I have to get it right as he is a big fan and is going to read it.' Collins is currently waiting on his Tennant drawings to be approved, but said it helped that he has already started working on assistant Billie Piper, who plays the Doctor's assistant Rose. 'Billie Piper is fine - it took me a little while until I was happy, but one day you just understand how their face comes together. ... You are working with likenesses, and you have to be fairly accurate - it has to be [enough like the characters] to be recognisable, but different so they can work in a comic. "If you do a comic strip, you are the director, the lighting man and all the actors - you have to make it work.' The monthly comic strips are mostly written by the same team who write the TV show, overseen by Russell T Davies, who Collins says is 'very hands-on'."

In yesterday's The Age (Australia), a review of the season one finale, "The Parting of the Ways": "The episode, titled The Parting of the Ways, features the best devices of the series in spades. It's overflowing with deadpan one-liners - among the best, Rose's exclamation 'He's fighting for us, for the whole planet, and I'm just sitting here eating chips'... And let's not forget the salty elan Ecclestone brings to the title role. This isn't his finest work since Michael Winterbottom's Jude, but it's a pity he's pissing off now that episodes one to 13 have taken care of the mortgage. The unresolved sexual tension between Ecclestone and Billie Piper as sidekick Rose - who manages this week to do a very good job of being kidnapped by Daleks while wearing a tight red sweater - might not be so easily replicated by Tennant's indie-geek, pasty charms. There's a lot about this series of Doctor Who that amuses, whether intentionally or not. The sets appear to have been constructed by first-year University of Cardiff science students for an O-week project, the terrifyingly homicidal Daleks are reliant on vast amounts of Mr Sheen to keep their bonded polycarbide armour shiny, and some of the storylines have been quirky at best. Trainspotters - and boy, this show does attract them - will have a ball analysing subtle contradictions and inconsistencies in this episode and the fact that the denouement comes via a near-perfect example of the deus ex machina. But who cares? It's Doctor Who, not Chekhov. "

The Daily Star today claims Billie Piper "Billie Piper looked close to a breakdown as she felt the pressure of her punishing work schedule for the hit show. [Billie] is filming from 11pm to 5am every night as sexy sidekick Rose Tyler while the streets of Cardiff are deserted. But the strain showed on Billie's face yesterday as she took a rest. She suffered a mini breakdown on set last year during a split from husband Chris Evans, 39. And she seemed close to tears again as the Who team, said to be 'rallying round' to keep Billie's spirits up, worked through the night. An insider said: 'Billie is sleeping all day and working all night. She was fine for a couple of nights but it gets to you.'" There has also been plenty of comment online the past few days from various papers about Spirit Trap, her new movie, meeting mostly lackluster reviews.

Radio Times reports that "Following the success of his weekday afternoon chat show, Paul O'Grady is being groomed to star in a new Saturday-night variety show. Paul O'Grady's Got Talent is still being planned but will feature ordinary members of the public, ventriloquists and apparently dancing dogs. A pilot is being filmed and the series is hoped to revitalise ITV's Saturday nights, which took a beating in the ratings from Doctor Who."

A BBC Worldwide press release notes that, "In an unprecedented deal, BBC Worldwide has appointed Buzzworthy Licensing + Entertainment as the merchandising agent for the Doctor Who brand in Canada. This is the first time an agent has been appointed solely for the territory. As part of the three-year agreement, secured by Anna Hewitt, BBC Worldwide's Head of International Licensing, Buzzworthy will actively seek partner companies to produce and distribute new and existing Doctor Who products. These will include toys, clothing and gift items from both the first and second series. In addition, Buzzworthy will also work closely with BBC Worldwide Canada to secure ongoing promotional opportunities for the series. Hilary Read, COO, BBC Worldwide Canada Ltd, said: 'I'm very excited about this opportunity to lead North America with this unique property. I look forward to working with Buzzworthy who were appointed due to their knowledge and enthusiasm for the Doctor Who brand.' Kevin Durkee, Managing Director, Buzzworthy Licensing + Entertainment, said: 'We've seen Doctor Who enjoy decades of awareness in Canada and are therefore thrilled to be part of the ongoing development of such a terrific brand. The quality and success of the new series is also being reflected in the level of interest from local partners. We're excited to be working with BBC Worldwide, who recognize the importance of managing this business locally.'"

According to a story at Piranet, "British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Worldwide will apply security labels to its Doctor Who merchandise to deter counterfeiting. No details were provided at this time on the launch date of the merchandise, which is based on the latest series of Doctor Who. The security labels will most likely, be holographic and will be applied to packaging and hang tags. The supplier of the tags and labels cannot be named. ... BBC brand protection manager Rick McEwen says the corporation believes security labels will help protect the Doctor Who brand. He says a security label is useful because it helps consumers by confirming they are buying a legitimate item, rather than a copy or rip-off, and it protects the market for retailers and their suppliers, as well as confirming the brand ownerÆs desire to protect the property. McEwen also believes the tags will help Trading Standards, or other enforcement bodies, to make instant identification of genuine items in the field. ... The BBC anticipates that counterfeiters will try to take advantage of the showÆs popularity. 'Obviously counterfeit Doctor Who merchandise would damage legitimate sales and tarnish the brandÆs image,' McEwen says."

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Paul Hayes, Graeme Burk, Peter Weaver)

The BBC has registered torchwood.org.uk, leading to speculation that the term Torchwood -- metnioned in "Bad Wolf" during the "Weakest Link" game segments -- will feature in the next season of the series.

Transmission of the new series has now concluded in South Korea. There is currently no word on any repeat broadcasts.

Regarding this week's story about the Radio Times advert, our correspondents have let us know that you can download the ad, containing Doctor Who references, from the Radio Times website.

A "Doctor Who" reference appeared in the syndicated comic strip "Sheldon" this week, seen at the website of the strip's syndicators,United Media.

Doctor Who was mentioned on the US chat show "Conan O'Brien" on Wednesday, as the show did a piece on a recent Stargate SG-1 convention -- but a Doctor Who fan made an appearance dressed in a Tom Baker outfit, explaining the regeneration process.

The Toys R Us chain of stores has confirmed that they will be introducing the Doctor Who range of toys in early September, including the radio controlled Daleks, sonic screwdrivers, TARDIS money banks and walkie-talkies.

(Thanks to Darren Pickles, Baysan Tulu, Ian O'Brien, Cameron Dixon, Paul Hardwick, Jon Sheehan, Ben Jordan)

Broadcast Magazine reports this month that Doctor Who will be one of the first shows to be filmed in high definition television, says the Doctor Who Appreciation Society. Simon Walker, BBC Controller of Corporate Strategy, said that HD "is a priority at the BBC, where commissioners are urging program suppliers to shoot future productions in HD, especially for flagship programs such as Dr Who." The BBC is aiming to be completely HD by 2010, though Walker has warned that this may be limited only to commercially funded platforms (such as Sky or NTL) as current Freeview bandwidth is too limited.

Telos Publishing has issued the cover illustration for the limited hardcover edition of Back to the Vortex, the unofficial and unauthorized guide to Doctor Who 2005 by Outpost Gallifrey editor Shaun Lyon. The cover illustration is by Lee Binding, among whose other illustrations are various covers for Big Finish. "The edition will have coloured endpapers and a silk ribbon, and is a signed and numbered limited edition of 500 copies," says Telos editor David Howe. The paperback edition's cover has been widely seen in print magazines (and is on our releases page).

BBC America's webshop have announced the final two Doctor Who DVD releases this year: City of Death starring Tom Baker and Lalla Ward, and The Claws of Axos starring Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning. Both discs will be out on November 1. More details and cover illustrations when available.

David Tennant will be on the 17 August edition of Blue Peter, the daily BBC television series. From the website: "David Tennant from 'Doctor Who' will be on the show. Are you a 'Doctor Who' fan? Did you enter the 'Doctor Who' Monster competition? The new Doctor, David Tennant, will be in the studio on August 17th to announce the winner! If you'd like to ask David a question or send him a message, get in touch and your question or message could be read out on the show! If you'd prefer to text in your question or message from your mobile phone, text 'BP' and then start your message with 'Doctor'. Send to 62222. Operators' standard text rates apply. Ask permission before sending us a text message." Radio Times also confirmed that the results would be revealed by Tennant along with Russell T Davies. The show is on at 5pm on Wednesday 17 August on BBC One, with another showing on the digital CBBC channel at 6pm. (Thanks to John Leivers, Steve Tribe)

Set to coincide with the broadcast of the special "The Christmas Invasion" during the holidays, BBC Radio 2 will once again produce a new Doctor Who radio documentary, Outpost Gallifrey has learned. Entitled Doctor Who: Regenerations, the one-hour programme will assess the impact the new series made when it returned to BBC 1 this year. Featuring interviews with the cast and crew, the documentary will also consider how the production team dealt with the need to regenerate the character of the Doctor after just thirteen episodes. Key interviews will take place in September in Cardiff and London. The presenter is still to be announced; the documentary is produced by Malcolm Prince, who also produced Radio 2's "Project: WHO" documentary earlier in the year.

Outpost Gallifrey has two collections of photographs today from filming: one batch of six photos from this week's production in Cardiff (Monday and Tuesday nights) courtesy Mark Davies, the other a collection of shots from the filming at the Brandon Estate in London early this month from our "Cosmic Correspondent". Click on each image below for a larger version. Also included, in the spoilertag, is a very brief set report by Matthew Spencer from the filming in Cardiff on Monday night.

Radio Times has been running a new advertising campaign on UK television. "Basically it has loads of fed-up people stuck in their cars at roadworks. They start honking their horns, a dog starts barking and a baby starts crying - all of which adds up to a recognisable rendition of the 'Doctor Who' theme tune!" says our report. "Near the end, the passenger in one of the cars turns to the driver and says (approximately) 'Did you know that there have been ten Doctor Who's, The Daleks was originally called The Mutants and that TARDIS stands for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space?'"

Paul Cornell ("Father's Day") will be writing another audio play for Big Finish for 2006, due out next September, according to an announcement by Big Finish at the recent 2005 World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow. "Circular Time" will likely feature the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa.

There's a rebuttal in today's Scotsman by David Bickerstaff, reacting to the earlier comments about David Tennant's forthcoming tenure in the TARDIS. "I should ask him, politely, to reserve any form of judgment until David Tennant makes his debut as Doctor Who at Christmas in The Christmas Invasion," he writes. "Having been a lifelong devotee of Doctor Who, I am absolutely thrilled that an actor of his standing has accepted the role. He has a real passion for the character and will, I am sure, give it 101 per cent commitment. As for the costume, perhaps George Kerevan should look around at the dress sense of today and see that the Doctor mirrors the fashion sense of society. Patrick Troughton mirrored the style of the Beatles, Jon Pertwee had the smoking jacket of Bob Dylan in the Seventies and Tom Baker reflected the Bohemian style of students in the mid-Seventies. Mr Tennant's costume is a mish-mash of all that is smart in our fashion-conscious male."

(Thanks to Kieran Seymour, Peter Sneddon, Jonathan Melville, David Bickerstaff)