Today's "Monkey" column in MediaGuardian alludes to the departure ofChristopher Eccleston, which seemed strangely ironic given the news of the BBC's about face that would come only hours later. Written before the BBC announced that it had, in fact, been in error referring to Eccleston fearing typecasting, the column featured the following on Eccleston and David Tennant: "It was an example of tactical cunning worthy of Davros himself. The BBC has known for three months that Christopher Eccleston wouldn't do a second series of Doctor Who, but played dumb for fear the star's imminent departure would puncture the hype around the show's return. The BBC's favourite to succeed him, David Tennant, can be expected to stick around a little longer - when he was three years old the Casanova star used to run around his garden pretending to be the doctor, and says his earliest memory is watching Jon Pertwee regenerate into Tom Baker. Such devotion. Whisper it quietly, but he also collects Doctor Who DVDs. Christopher Eccleston says he quit Doctor Who because he was worried about being typecast. You shouldn't have worried about that, Chris - you'll always be DCI Bilborough to us."

Director Joe Ahearne, who's helmed five episodes this season, has some strong words in support of Eccleston in today's MediaGuardian. "How dare Chris Eccleston have a life and ambitions (Who's next as new Doctor quits, March 31). So he's pulled off a staggering performance on a punishing schedule (with unfailing good humour and grace on set) revitalising the Doctor for a new generation. He's only done a mere 10 hours of thrilling television. God forbid we should give him a round of applause." "Bravo, Joe," we say!

Doctor Who Confidential episode two's ratings have been released; according to ViewingFigures, an average of 761,341 viewers watched the Saturday night BBC3 documentary that aired after episode two of the new series, with a peak of 813,217 viewers. These continue to be excellent ratings for BBC3.

With regard to the ratings of The End of the World itself, despite the positive spin on it all weekend as it came in first in its time slot, the general tone seems to be shifting now toward "Doctor Who losing viewers." Says theic Network, "Viewing figures for Doctor Who has dropped more than two-and-a-half million since Christopher Eccleston announced he was quitting," focusing on the expected drop rather than the fact that it beat Ant + Dec by more than a million viewers. Other papers that discussed the ratings situation today were the Guardian, Media Week, Daily Record, and The Mirror.

All this week, the CBBC Channel is running a jokey campaign to get presenter Devon Anderson (from kid's comedy series "Kerching") made the new Doctor. CBBC Producer Guy Lambert told Outpost Gallifrey that this mock campaign will run until Thursday morning, "every morning on the live links during the programmes."

Tomorrow's Southland Echo carries a story about Albert Valentine, the seven-year-old who stars in the forthcoming two-parter "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances" as Outpost Gallifrey first reported several months ago. The article, written by Simon Bishop, notes that Albert spent almost three weeks in January shooting alongside stars Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper. "Despite having his dad, Dean, along for the duration of the filming, in Cardiff, Albert admitted: 'I still missed my mum.' ... But as long as the youngster, from Grays, is doing well in his lessons at Stifford Clays Junior School, his mum Alison doesnÆt mind. Dean said he had to remain tight-lipped about what happened in the episodes, but he did reveal a little about his sonÆs part: ... spoiler protection here, run your mouse over it: heÆs actually an intergalactic time traveller whose presence on earth puts the human race in danger. Says Dean, "The episodes are set in wartime London and Albert is found in a bombed-out house. HeÆs a mysterious time child and whatever happens to him happens to everyone else. In the filming, he has plenty of lines with both Billie and the Doctor. It was quite touching at the end of his last scene, because all the crew clapped and congratulated him on doing so well. And we got to keep the special mask that he had to wear for part of the show." "Albert and his two brothers Harry, 12, and Arthur, nine, are no strangers to television, all of them having appeared in adverts. Albert was most recently seen as the boy who says 'I hate fish' in the Kelloggs Muggles ad. Mum Alison has also been through the child star experience herself û she played Fay in "Grange Hill" between 1982 and 1987." Albert admitted he didn't know too much about Doctor Who before the cameras started to roll û hardly surprising, given the long-running sci-fi series has been off our screens since 1989. "My mum and dad told me a bit about what he was like. I told my teacher about the part and she thought that it was exciting."

The Newsround website today carries the story about Christopher Eccleston's leather jacket causing a surge in the purchase of jackets across the country. (On the "Newsround" homepage click on the picture of Doctor Who which is in the section on celebrity gossip and this takes you to the very brief story and the other Doctor Who-related items including a Behind-The-Scenes report on "The End Of The World".) The story was also picked up by the Sun andAnanova.

Today's edition of Blue Peter featured Christopher Eccleston, in costume/character as Doctor Who, in a brief, pre-recorded item about two young fans who had constructed a Dalek out of a compost bin. Konnie Huq presented the item, during which Christopher Eccleston appeared (much to the amazement of the young fans), and vanquished the "Dalek" with the aid of his Blue Peter badge (the Sonic Screwdriver being absent)! There were no detailed instructions on how to make the Dalek compost bin, but these currently appear on the "Blue Peter" website.

TodayÆs Daily Express has a review of The End of the World by their resident TV critic Charlie Catchpole on page 13. Accompanied by a promo photo of Rose and the Doctor, and under the heading "Forget the laughs, Doc, give us fear", it notes that "guest of honour was the last æpure humanÆ in the galaxy, Lady Cassandra, who consisted of two eyes and a mouth in the middle of a piece of tightly stretched skin. I was thinking that she reminded me of someone, when she announced that sheÆd had 708 operations and didnÆt look a day over 2,000. Yes, of course. Anne Robinson." The reviewer noted that the episode was "a bit too jokey and not scary enough for my liking."

MSN Entertainment are doing a "Vote for your choice for the next Doctor Who"webpage; the choices are between David Tennant, Richard E. Grant, Alan Davies, Bill Nighy and Paul McGann, all of whom have either been or been linked to the role of the Doctor. Meanwhile, the SciFi ChannelÆs Science Fiction Weekly is covering the new show here: "Many things are the same and yet everything is different. Gone are the wobbly sets, woefully bad FX and rather unconvincing aliens. But the most astonishing change is that instead of casting an actor who is basically playing a version of himself, the ninth Doctor Who is a serious, intense character actor. ... There's even room for in-jokes."

Today's Norwich Evening News ran a story on brothers Angus and Duncan Cameron entering the next London Marathon running as Cybermen; theBirmingham Evening Mail discusses Doctor Who memorabilia; theExpressnotes that OK!'s Celebrity Charts today have at #7 Christopher Eccleston: "Salfordborn thespian tells BBC bosses he won't film another series of Doctor Who despite rave reviews"; the Daleks will be "invading Weston" soon according to the Weston Mercury, which discusses the forthcomingGalaxy of Stars event; the Guardian has a list of Doctors with links to notes about them; the Times published a Viewing Guide reference for David Tennant; the Swindon Evening Advertiser discussed the recent reports that Chris Evans blames "Doctor Who" for his breakup with Billie Piper; and theManchester Online discusses Web Film Studios in Salford, Manchester, co-owner Bob Horsefield's plans to develop the site. And which particular production does he want to bring there: "Our aim is to get the new series of Doctor Who filmed here," he says. "It is written by Manchester's Russell T Davies after all."

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Chuck Foster, Simon Bishop, Andy Parish, Paul Hayes, Vince Stadon, Andy Hinton, Faiz Rehman, Jamie Austin, David Rafer, Steven Perry, Robert Booth, and Guy Lambert)

The other shoe finally begins to drop... According to BBC News, the BBC "admits it broke an agreement with" actor Christopher Eccleston in the controversial issue that led to Eccleston not returning for a second year. "The BBC failed to speak to actor Christopher Eccleston before revealing he was going to quit Dr Who after the first series, it has admitted. It was originally claimed the actor feared being typecast if he stayed on. In a statement, the BBC quoted Eccleston as saying 'he hoped viewers continued to enjoy the series.' But the BBC has admitted it did not consult him about that statement and also broke its agreement not to reveal he planned to film just one series." The news report suggests that the BBC regrets not having spoken to Eccleston before responding to the press enquiries after word of Eccleston not returning was broken by the Mirror and the Sun on March 30. "The BBC regrets not speaking to Christopher before it responded to the press questions on Wednesday 30 March," said BBC Head of Drama and Commissioning Jane Tranter. "The BBC further regrets that it falsely attributed a statement to Christopher and apologises to him." A further report onYahoo! News adds an additional quote from Tranter: "Contrary to press statements Christopher did not leave for fear of being typecast or because of the gruelling filming schedule." A BBC spokesman said a mutual agreement was made between the corporation and Eccleston in January that the fact he was not making a second series would not be made public. But after journalists questioned the press office, the news was confirmed. The news reports also mention the second season and that David Tennant is still in negotiations to star. (Thanks to Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg, Matt Kimpton, Benjamin Elliott)

Editor's Note: Sorry for the brief couple of days away... I'll be updating my weblog soon about that. In the meanwhile, here's what we've missed the past three days:

The End of the World continued Doctor Who's strong lead over the main ITV competition, "Ant + Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway", with "Doctor Who" being watched by 7,254,214 million viewers according to ViewingFigures, versus 6,021,897 viewers for Ant + Dec, and receiving a 36.05% share versus Ant + Dec's 30.86% share. "Doctor Who" also had a higher audience share than last night's "Casualty." The figures suggest that viewing figures on BBC One and ITV1 were significantly lower last night across the board, and that Episode 2 still performed very strongly despite the lower performance against the first episode. The Daily Record notes today that the Doctor beat his rivals "despite a 2.6million drop in viewers. Saturday's second episode of the new series, starring Christopher Eccleston, attracted an average of 7.3million viewers, compared with 9.9million last week. But the Timelord's adventures still beat Ant and Dec, whose show featuring Tony Blair was watched by six million viewers." CBBC Newsround has an article about the making of this weekend's episode online, noting that the filming done last summer at the Temple of Peace in Cardiff was for the interior photography on this episode.

The new edition of Doctor Who Magazine says that recording on the new series was completed on Monday 14 March, but post-production work will continue "almost for the entire duration of the series’ transmission". It is also confirmed that Rose is the only episode of the run that does not feature a pre-titles opening sequence! There is casting news for episodes 11, 12 and 13. "Boom Town" will feature Mali Harries as Cathy Salt. Episodes 12 and 13 include a cameo appearance from Jenna Russell, as well as Jo Stone-Fewings as the Male Programmer, Jo Joyner as Lynda Moss,Nisha Nayaras the Female Programmer, Martha Cope as the Controller and Sam Callisas the Security Guard.

The BBC Press office has a new Features document up (a PDF copy is here) on behind-the-scenes stuff, largely (possibly entirely) drawn from the Phase 2 press pack of a week or two back. Also, the Highlights for Saturday (PDF again) has photos and a brief write-up for Aliens of London: "The Doctor takes Rose home in Aliens of London, the first of a two-part story. But when a spaceship crash-land in the Thames, London is closed off and the whole world goes on Red Alert. While the Doctor investigates the alien survivor, Rose discovers that her home is no longer a safe haven. Who are the Slitheen?"

The cover illustration for the new Doctor Who series first DVD set is now out; click on the thumbnail at right for a larger version. This cover illustration was found on the BBC Shop website, and the cover suggests that it will indeed carry the first three episodes, "Rose," "The End of the World" and "The Unquiet Dead." These "vanilla" DVD releases of Series One are, according to Doctor Who Magazine, confirmed for May, June, August and September, as is the November box set in TARDIS packaging. As previously reported on OG and elsewhere, only the box set will contain extra material – details remain unconfirmed, but DWM cites Russell T Davies suggesting at the press launch that there will be commentaries, interviews and deleted and alternate scenes, while elsewhere in the issue it is revealed that RTD was using "a state-of-the-art camcorder" throughout filming to capture behind-the-scenes footage for the DVD set. BBC Video stress that it is a deliberate strategy to publicise both the box set and the separate releases at this point, so that "fans will be aware that this is coming out in plenty of time". Also confirmed for this summer: the Penguin range of Funfax, Stickerbook, and Activity Book which is described as containing "a pull-out board game, wordsearches, spot-the-difference games and other puzzles".

Character Options have revealed details of some of the 24 different toys and gifts the company is to release over the next few months. There are provisional illustrations of the radio-controlled Dalek and the Sonic Screwdriver (with flashing lights and sound effects), as well as of a couple of coffee mugs, one of which apparently says "Exterminate!", and the other seemingly makes a TARDIS noise (with luck, only when you pick them up, rather than while they’re sat in the cupboard). The Doctor/Slitheen character walkie-talkies shown recently on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross are also mentioned, as are a "Dalek-killer" LCD game, a TARDIS moneybox that plays sounds when coins are dropped in, key-rings and bottle-openers that make Dalek noises, and "a TARDIS phone-alert desk-flasher". Whatever that is.

Doctor Who debuts this week in Canada with a showing of "Rose" on Tuesday, April 5 at 8:00pm on the CBC Network. CBC now has a dedicatedDoctor Who website featuring news items and downloads, as well as a six-part Doctor Who documentary series, Planet of the Doctor which will feature interviews with Doctor Who stars and comments about the return of the series. (Incidentally, the entire trailer for "Planet of the Doctor" seems to have been shot at our ownGallifrey 2005 convention!)

Blue Peter on Monday, April 4 will focus on Doctor Who: "Simon Thomas and Zoe Salmon try out Britain's newest rollercoaster, and the team demonstrate how to make a Dalek out of a compost bin. Plus, the results of the mural competition."

The BBC4 programme "Timeshift" will be focussing on Russell T Davies for one of it editions (11th April @ 22:00, repeated 12th April @01:10 and 03:25). "Russell T Davies Unscripted" is a "pofile of TV dramatist Russell T Davies, who talks frankly about his controversial career. He began in children's BBC and achieved fame through his C4 series Queer As Folk. Russell is now the main write and executive producer on two key BBC series - Casanova and the relaunch of Dr Who. Contributors include Christopher Eccleston, broadcaster and TV critic Mark Lawson and children's presenter Andi Peters."

The BBC South East Wales site has launched a Doctor Who Locations Guide, which will be updated each week (after TX of the appropriate episode) with details of Welsh locations used on Doctor Who, as well as behind-the-scenes images from the locations, which you can access here. And South East also has a website about their three-part documentary Back In Time about Welsh connections with Doctor Who, previewing the new series, and of course, the Daleks!

The big story of the week, overshadowing the second series and Christmas special, was the resignation of Christopher Eccleston at the end of the first series. The Times reports that "Casanova star David Tennant is the corporation's choice to become the 10th Doctor Who after the sudden departure of Christopher Eccleston" (p.23). The Daily Mirror says that "Christopher Eccleston was ordered back on set to re-shoot crucial final scenes after his decision to quit Doctor Who" (p.11) and has a profile of David Tennant (pp.26–7). "BBC bosses are furious over Christopher Eccleston's decision to quit as Doctor Who after spending millions on merchandising carrying his image," according to the Daily Mail (p.12), and The Sun agrees that "Fury erupted at Christopher Eccleston's decision to quit as Doctor Who" (p.9). There was a ton of coverage including many newspaper and online articles including Reuters, Scifi.com, Cinescape, Sci-Fi Online,Megastar, ContactMusic, Evening Times, Scotsman,Register, BreakingNews, BigNewsNetwork,Pittsburgh Live,SyFyPortal, DeHavilland, RealityTVWorld, Macleans, The Great Link, CBC TV, Monsters And Critics, Victoria Herald Sun, Xtra MSN,The Edge, Filmforce/IGN, Gulf Daily News, Express News Line, theNew York Times, Yorkshire Today, Dark Horizons, Canoe.ca,ProFindPages, Yabedo, Canada.com and many other news and print sources.

The Western Mail says that "Dr Who actor's departure will unfold on screen," noting that "the news Christopher Eccleston has quit as Doctor Who just days after the new series started may have come as a shock to fans, but the show's writer says the actor had never intended to stay long term. And Russell T Davies says he wrote the scripts for the 13-part series around Eccleston's decision to leave once it had been filmed. 'This had all been planned,' said Swansea-born Davies, pictured, about the announcement Eccleston is leaving. 'You will see the story [of his departure] unfold on screen and it's brilliant. We've got 13 episodes of the best Doctor in the world - he [Eccleston] worked himself to death on the show.' There has been speculation about who should replace Eccleston as the Time Lord and one of the early favourites is actor David Tennant, the star of BBC3's Casanova, also penned by Davies. The BBC has confirmed it is in talks with Tennant. But the Doctor Who writer is remaining tight-lipped on who he wants to take over. 'I couldn't possibly comment but there are talks going on. It's very exciting.'" The article also mentions the second series and Christmas special, quoting Davies: "I'm delighted the show is working. It's wonderful there will be more work for people in Cardiff. Everyone thinks we already secretly knew there would be another series but we didn't."

sThe Sun dealt Eccleston him a severe bashing following his decision to quit with a page nine lead, "Dr Who Do You Think You Are?" with the subhead "Viewers and Beeb furious at Eccleston exit". The story focuses on the backlash among fans, while a Beeb "insider" is quoted as saying: "The BBC has shot itself in the foot. It spent considerable money and energy on him as the new Doctor." The paper claimed that questions were being asked as to why Eccleston wasn't contracted for a second series. Sun TV Editor Emily Smith adds a footnote saying: "It's a huge slap in the face for ten million fans who eagerly awaited the big-budget new series . . . He's Time Lord-ing it over us." It was illustrated with a picture of Eccleston with a superimposed Dalek exclaiming: "Well, that Doctor didn't put up much of a fight. We barely got to say 'Exterminate!' and he was off. And I thought some of his performances were a bit mechanical." The piece also said David Tennant was the most likely replacement, and had a picture of him as well. Page 11, meanwhile, which is devoted to columnist Richard Littlejohn's various rants, has a cartoon of Prime Minister Tony Blair, dressed in Tom Baker costume of hat and scarf, stepping out of the Tardis while clutching a piece of paper and saying: "And the date of the election is . . . ". The piece is about how Blair is beyond parody in relation to his media campaign. It finishes by mockingly suggesting that Blair might put himself forward for the role of the Doctor, and says: "And don't be surprised if Blair turns up on Monday in a long scarf on the doorstep of the Tardis and announces the election will be held on May 5 in the year 2525."

Plenty of coverage about the merchandising chaos caused by Eccleston's departure, too. The Daily Mail says that "a Who collectors item featuring Christopher Eccleston will still be made available for sci-fans - even though the Salford actor may not be in the role by the time they are released. ... The BBC, who are planning A Doctor Who Christmas special with Eccleston, have already developed a range of toys - including a remote controlled Dalek - which are expected to take the High Street by storm. Toy distributors Character Options, based in Lees near Oldham, who have worked on the innovative new range, say the decision by Eccleston to quit Doctor Who will not affect them. A spokesman said: 'We're involved in producing everything from themed Doctor Who mugs and key rings to a remote-controlled Dalek, and it doesn't really matter who is playing Doctor Who. The remote-controlled Dalek we're working on is just awesome. We're going ahead with an image of Christopher Eccleston as Doctor Who which will be available at Christmas. This can always be updated if there is someone else playing the character.'"

David Tennant was in the news this weekend after his name was linked to the new series... and the possibilities are open that Tennant may be in place by the end of the first season. The Times profiled Tennant in an article that notes that "from Bathgate, West Lothian, Tennant previously took a lead role in the BBC One musical drama Blackpool, appeared in the Stephen Fry movie Bright Young Things and on stage in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet. A BBC insider said: 'Tennant was the only name in the frame to take over. It is a matter of agreeing terms with his agent at this stage.' A long-time fan of Doctor Who, Tennant voiced a role in an internet episode, Scream of the Shalka, in 2003 and claims that his earliest memory was of seeing the Doctor Who actor Jon Pertwee regenerate into Tom Baker. The BBC wants Tennant in place to shoot a 'regeneration' scene at the climax of the 13th and final episode of the revived sciencefiction classic. He is then expected to make his first appearance as the Doctor in a Christmas special, in which he will team up with Billie Piper, who plays his assistant, Rose. The BBC wants to secure Tennant for the high-profile role before his film career takes off. He is playing the part of Barty Crouch Jr in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which will be released this autumn."

The Mirror, meanwhile, has an article on David Tennant's career, and his thoughts on maybe being Doctor: "'It would be a great role to play,' he declared this week," says the article. "It would also have another, less obvious benefit for David - no sex scenes. Because if there's one thing he hates, it's stripping off for the cameras... 'All the time, you're worrying about what the other person is thinking,' he said. 'When you finish, you think: 'Is that what everybody else does, or is it just me?' ... I do get told I'm nice quite a lot and I'm happy about it. But you do wonder if it makes you a little bland, a little unsexy. I have my dark moments but basically I'm content.' Playing Doctor Who may be a strange transition for him - off the chaise longue and into the Tardis - but there is little doubt that, even as the chaste Doctor, his appeal to female viewers will be as strong as ever. ... It was highly unlikely before but if, as expected, the BBC unveils David as its next Doctor Who, it is certain he'll never need to contemplate an alternative career."

But will they actually refilm the end of the first season? The Mirror says that "Christopher Eccleston was ordered back on set to re-shoot crucial final scenes, following his shock decision to quit as Dr Who after just one series. The 41-year-old actor had already filmed one dramatic ending (span for spoiler content) in which the Time Lord escaped unscathed from the Daleks. But after Eccleston's surprise announcement, BBC1 bosses hastily scheduled a specially re-written climax to pave the way for a new star to take his place in the next series. The alternative ending is believed (spoilers) to show the doctor disappearing into the ether - watched by his horrified assistant Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper. An insider said yesterday: "The doctor and Rose escape to the Tardis and launch themselves into the Universe. Then he tells her, 'I've taught you all you need to know - now you can do it yourself'. The Doctor is then sucked out of the control room into space. But, of course, given his alien powers, he can always come back in another form." A Beeb spokeswoman confirmed: 'We have filmed two different endings for the series finale, but we don't want to give anything away. You'll just have to wait and see.'" TheSunday Independent says that "Doctor Who fans who don't like to have their plots spoilt should look away now. But the fact is that the writing was on the wall for Christopher Eccleston (pictured) in his brief stint as the Time Lord even before he announced he was quitting. The final episode of the new series already gives something of a clue, with the title "The Parting of the Ways". ... The word is that the plot is open for his assistant to revive him in another guise when the show returns for a Christmas special." This contradicts a statement on the BBC Doctor Who website as it says "His last appearance as the Doctor will be in a sixty minute Christmas special," although to be fair this may simply be what the site editors were told.

Christopher Eccleston's departure from "Doctor Who" was covered in an item on March 31's children's show Newsroundat 5.25pm. Eccleston's departure was described as "...a big surprise because the new TV show is proving such a big hit". The reasons for his departure are cited as him wanting to leave to pursue other projects "...and he also confessed to us ("Newsround") he found the filming hard work". In a brief on-set interview Chris' comment is: "...Working six day weeks, fourteen hour days, for nine months and I'm finding... finding that really tough". The report goes on to state that the new Doctor hasn't been chosen "...but the rumours are...": David Tennant, Bill Nighy, Richard E Grant, David Thewlis or Alan Davies. Also of note is that the report was well represented by clips from unscreened episodes and included a plug for Saturday's behind the scenes show. On the "Newsround" website, children have been suggesting who they believe should be the next Doctor. Also on the website are picture galleries of new monsters and the Doctor/Rose. It's also possible to watch an 8 minute "Newsround" showbiz special from last Saturday introducing "Doctor Who" to a new generation.

The Daily Mail said that "BBC bosses are furious over Christopher Eccleston's decision to quit as Doctor Who after spending millions on merchandising which carries his image. They had hoped to cash in on the show's popularity by exploiting the lucrative Christmas market with toys and other merchandise with the actor's distinctive features." The article noted that "BBC Worldwide licensed Manchester firm Character Options to design more than 20 items. And a 12in action figurine of him is ready to be in the shops by October. But by Christmas, Eccleston will have already been long departed as the Doctor - his last appearance on television being in June - and will have already been replaced by a new Docousfor the second series, rendering the merchandising obsolete." The article also hints at other reasons why he left: "Last night friends said one reason Eccleston decided to quit Doctor Who was because he thought the part was 'too effeminate'. They said he had grown uncomfortable playing such a 'fey' Doctor and was concerned that if he continued, he would lose out on gritty serious roles later in his career. One source close to the actor said: "Chris thought playing such a flamboyant Doctor was a laugh for a while and a real challenge. "But he soon realised that being so outrageously camp in such a mainstream popular show was going to kill his career as a seritor-actor. 'Russell wrote a very fluffy, effeminate script, which is great for the show, but where does an actor go after that? Chris didn't want to be typecast as the camp Doctor Who.'" Other sources carrying the news about BBC 'furor' include Sky News, Ananova,InTheNews, The Observer, theTimes ("Who the hell does he think he is?"), and the Sunday Mirror, which quotes a 'BBC insider' as saying, "Bosses were fuming about Christopher walking out. He had made a gentleman's agreement to stay for at least another series. It leaves a bitter taste in the mouth."

The Express and Star called for a new Doctor to have a little more forethought. "Despite universal acclaim, new Dr Who Christopher Eccleston has announced he is to quit after just one series. He is worried about typecasting. Which makes one wonder why he took such a high profile job in the first place. Perhaps, as a highly strung actor, he got the willies from those nasty Daleks - after all, the new models have apparently learned to get up and down the stairs. Whatever his reasons, Mr Eccleston will now have to join the rest of us, cowering behind the settee, as someone else takes up the mantle of the nation's favourite Time Lord. Let's hope that this time the good people at the BBC use their brains and realise it just might be a good idea to sign up the next candidate for more than one series."

Last Thursday's "PM" on Radio 4, about 53'45" in, featured a piece about Eccleston leaving, ostensibly about actors' fears of typecasting. They interviewed Jonathon Morris (Snakedance), George Jessel (in the US), and Julie Goodyear (British Soap Star from Coronation Street) about typecasting. Jonathon Morris (they say) was considered for the role as the Doctor. Also, on this weekend's "Now Show," Mitch Benn performed a song about Eccleston leaving the show as well as being the voice of a Dalek in some of the sketches. And on April 1, GMTV had a brief chat about Eccleston going, and then a preview of End of the World ("pick of the day"); while BBC Breakfast news had an article on the live Quatermass for Saturday, with Mark Gatiss in studio and also talking about Who!

While Ladbrokes mentioned odds earlier in the day, William Hill won't accept any as they believe the role of the next Doctor will be David Tennant's if he wants it! Spokesman Graham Sharpe says at the William Hill website: "I'm afraid that it is a question of Dr No for Dr Who punters. It appears that the BBC has moved quickly to secure David Tennant's services following the departure of Eccleston - and it seems that the role is his should he want it, which makes it impossible for us to open a book."

Outpost Gallifrey was itself part of the news cycle over the weekend; theMirror ran an article noting that the site's Forum had closed for two days "after fans fell out about the show's star quitting the role. Popular online forum Outpost Gallifrey was swamped with strongly worded emails from fans furious over Christopher Eccleston's shock departure from the programme. As fans accused the actor of using the show to boost his profile, his supporters defended him, leading to bitter clashes on the forum. Website editor Shaun Lyon said: 'Tempers have become incredibly heated. Perspective on the subject has been lost and some incredibly poor- spirited exchanges have taken place. Sometimes emotion and sentiment boil over to extremes. Many Doctor Who fans who should have been rejoicing in the renewal of the series have instead found themselves dealing with the news that Eccleston isn't returning to the role. Some of what's transpired in the past two days has been an embarrassment. It's the first time we've had to do this.'" The story was also covered by the Daily Record.

Digital Spy says "Daleks may not be back for second 'Dr Who'". "BBC bosses have yet to secure a deal allowing the Daleks to appear in the next series of Doctor Who. Daleks creator Terry Nation negotiated a deal with the BBC for the latest series, and the Doctor's scariest enemies will be back soon. However, a spokesperson for The Terry Nation Estate has revealed that the BBC will have to negotiate another deal for the second series. 'We decided to see how this first run goes before deciding anything,' the spokesperson told The Sun. The BBC will now be left to decide whether to reach an agreement for the next series, or continue the show without the Daleks next year."

The latest edition of Cult Times has an interview with Russell T Davies, in which he discusses pretty much the same things as he has in every other interview. Although it's now something of an academic issue, he does though clarify his thoughts on a McGann-Eccleston regeneration: [...] Was there ever the intention to do a regeneration scene? "Absolutely none. I didn't even consider it for a second. Do you know, we never even discussed it at the BBC either..." [...] How about going back at some point and showing it? "No, to be honest. I think that'd be weird. If it ever happens on screen, for a new audience, it's new... for a new audience that would be a phenomenal event. To flash back to another actor saying 'I was once someone else' just doesn't make sense. That would never happen - not when I'm on it anyway."

Yesterday's Daily Express on the possibility of Eddie Izzard being the 10th Doctor (we've been down this road before, haven't we?): "Comic Eddie Izzard has claimed that former Doctor Who actor Tom Baker wants him to take the role of the Time Lord. The cross-dressing comedian said yesterday: 'Tom Baker said it would be a fun idea.' ... He told BBC1's Friday Night With Jonathan Ross yesterday: 'There isn't enough time and I'm not being asked.'" Of course, we were looking at Izzard as a rumored Doctor more than a year ago!

On the official Doctor Who site, there's some small updates to the site itself, plus the "Who is Doctor Who?" website (click on "Lies" at the bottom) has also been updated. The planned live chat with Russell T Daviesscheduled for this past Saturday was abruptly canceled, with no explanation offered. Today's edition of Heaven and Earth, which was to feature Doctor Who coverage, was also rescheduled to 11.30am due to continuing coverage of the death of the Pope.

Anthony Stewart Head spoke to the SciFind website, which asked him if he'd ever take the role of the Doctor if asked. "I think there have been rumors of me doing it since, well for a long time. I think it is very unlikely that they will ask me as I was the readers choice in the 'Radio Times' and that is enough to put any producer off actually coming to me to ask if I'll do it. I don't know to be honest. I've done one character in a 'cult' series [in Buffy] and I don't want to get a reputation for doing that. But then never say never."

The April 1 Canterbury Adscene said that "bosses at Marks & Spencer have been forced to remove window dum mies from their Canterbury store after last Saturday's Doctor Who TV show. More than 50 worried parents contacted the city centre store this week after their children said they were terrified of going inside. They claimed the opening episode of the new Time Lord's adventures, which showed plastic mannequins coming to life and attacking humans, had given their children nightmares." April fools, anyone? Or maybe not...

A rather harsh article on Spiked Online says that "the Tardis has been knocked off course by 'fanwankery'." "I'm a lifelong fan of the science fiction series Doctor Who. Yes, that kind of fan - the kind who revels in the minutiae and trivia of the Doctor Who mythos, who goes to conventions (although I draw the line at dressing up), and who as a youth once wrote a letter to the BBC demanding that it resurrect the programme. Now us fans have had our wish granted - a new season of Doctor Who is now showing on BBC1, and a follow-up season has already been announced, albeit with a different lead actor. What to make of all of this?" It notes that "Audience figures for the first episode of the new series were high, while the fan reaction was largely favourable. Personally, I don't care for this approach at all. I prefer to willingly suspend my disbelief, rather than being corralled into an ironic perspective by some insecure smartarse. And I like it when programme makers have the good grace to take material like Doctor Who seriously in its own terms, regardless of how ridiculous those terms are. But maybe I'm just a curmudgeon, who's spent too much of his life absorbed in fanwank. Apparently, it can make you blind. In any case, the series still has potential. It always will. With a premise as flexible as 'alien travels through time and space righting wrongs', the possibilities for making either brilliant or dire TV are pretty much unlimited."

The Globe and Mail features an article about the series' return to Canada. "It's a new beginning that will be scrutinized closely by Doctor Who fans in Canada -- although perhaps not as closely as it was in the U.K. where the show is an institution. (This is a country that issued a postage stamp in the 1990s featuring a Dalek, a favourite Doctor Who villain shaped like a life-sized salt shaker and intent on exterminating everything in its path.)"

Says the Evening Mail, Bruno Langley who will appear in several episodes of the new series, "will headline this year's Stafford Festival Shakespeare. The 22-year-old will play the part of Romeo in the open air production of Shakespeare's famous tragedy Romeo and Juliet, set against the dramatic backdrop of Stafford Castle. The role will be the first theatre performance from Bruno, who is also due to star in The League of Gentlemen"s film Apocalypse and Brit-Asian Romantic comedy Halal Harry. The play, part of Stafford"s 15th Shakespearean festival, will run from June 30 to July 16 at the impressive venue." For tickets telephone the box office on 01785 254653

During a recent airing of "CSI" on Australia's Channel 9, during one of the ad breaks there was an ad for the ANZ bank - specifically advertising their customer help phone centres and the fact that they are staffed by people and not computers. The ad starts with the Robot from Lost in Space, who picks up the phone and says something like: "Your call is important to us, please hold..." He then passes the phone to the Robot from Forbidden Planet: "Your call has been placed in a queue. Your call is important to us..." Then a Dalek takes over and (by this point i was laughing too much to really hear but): "You will be Exterminated! Exterminate!" The ad then cuts to a human phone operator and the ad launches into its speel about how if you call the ANZ Call Centre you will be helped by a human, not a machine...

Some other web articles from the past couple of days: the Dundee Courierdiscusses a Dalek helping Dee4Life campaign; Terry Wogan makes comments about Doctor Who in this weekend's Telegraph; People discusses Chris Evans' comments blaming Doctor Who for his marriage breakup with Billie Piper, while Billie says precisely the opposite toWales on Sunday and Digital Spycommenting on that; Digital Spy also comments on Eccleston's comments to the MIrror saying he would stay for 3 years on a now-removed BBC website interview; a negative review at Blogcritics and a positive one at DVD Times; the Evening News, on the Eccleston figure remaining as collectors item; Darlington and Stockton Times on the new series measuring up; and "The real Doctor Who is a Welshman", says the Western Mail. And a couple of April Fools comments: Monsters and Critics on Orlando Bloom as the Doctor (with companion Prila Loof - get it?), and WaveGuide on Jordan being in the next series.

(Thanks for this monstrosity of an update goes to Paul Engelberg, Steve Tribe, Chuck Foster, John Bowman, Rick Mawson, Brian at SciFind, Jamie Austin, Andy Parish, Keith Armstrong, Barry Housman, Reverend Kathy Smith, Graeme Burk, Don McKinnon, Paul Jennings, Robert Booth, Matthew Harris, Steve Rogan, Paul Scott Aldred, James Hellyer, Martin Montague, Michael Jones, Robin Shannon, Andrew Wong, Drew Johnston, Kenny Davidson, Paul Rees, Peter Anghelides, Mustafa Hirji, Andrew Flynn, Gareth Drawmer, Simon Bishop, Alan Darlington, Darren Powis, David Traynier, Peter Shaw, Adam Richard)

The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine notes that Big Finish has renewed its licence from the BBC to continue to produce Doctor Who audio plays and Short Trips story collection through to Autumn 2008. Also noted in the issue is their forthcoming schedule of releases. After the next batch of stories, which includes Catch-1782 by Alison Lawson (with Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford), Three's a Crowd by Colin Brake (with Peter Davison) andUnregenerate! by David McIntee (with Sylvester McCoy and Bonnie Langford), the issue confirms that July's release will be The Council of Niceaby Caroline Symcox, starring Peter Davison, to be followed by Terror Firmaby Joseph Lidster, starring Paul McGann, India Fisher and Conrad Westmaas (presumably continuing the cliffhanger at the end of "The Next Life") in August, rescheduled from earlier. Thicker Than Water, which Outpost Gallifrey previously reported was a sequel to Paul Sutton's "Arrangements for War" written by the same author and starring Colin Baker, Maggie Stables and Bonnie Langford together for the first time, is due in "early September," because "late September" features Live 34 by James Parson and Andrew Stirling-Brown, a Seventh Doctor story. Scaredy Cat by Will Shindler is October's audio, starring Paul McGann; November will feature The Kingmaker by Nev Fountain, featuring Peter Davison and bearing both a regular cover as well as a second "special" cover available through Tenth Planet (like last year's "Caerdroia); and December sees the release of Other Lives by Gary Hopkins, starring Paul McGann. The issue also notes thatDeborah Watling, who played Victoria Waterfield during the Patrick Troughton era, will be the special guest star in "Three's a Crowd," playing the role of Auntie; and that David Warner and Nicholas Courtney will return in aneighth "Doctor Who: Unbound" serial written by Jonathan Clements, who penned their first story together, "Sympathy for the Devil".

Hello readers! Due to the extraordinary amount of time the New Series news section has taken the past month, updates to the general Doctor Who page have been sparse... but this week I should have some time to get through a backlog of items (including our regular special events updates!) Thanks for your patience!