Outpost Gallifrey has received the cover illustrations for the forthcoming late-summer North American DVD releases ofEarthshock and Pyramids of Mars; click on each cover for a larger version. "Earthshock" bears the Warner Home Video catalog #E2022 while "Pyramids of Mars" bears catalog #E2023.

The new Dreamwatch features an interview with Sylvester McCoy conducted by Sophie Aldred! Also, Russell Davies shares his thoughts on the new series; pick up a copy today at your local newsstand.

Today's press clips update, with thanks to Steve Tribe, Andrew Harvey, Paul Engelberg, Mark Healey and Roger Anderson:

Today both BBC News Online and The Register gauge fan reaction to the casting of Billie Piper. "Doctor Who fans are apparently beside themselves with excitement at the news that former popstress Billie Piper will become Doctor Who's new assistant for the scheduled return of the roving Time Lord," says the Register article, which quotes DWAS spokesman Antony Wainer: "She's a very pretty lady, her acting credentials have been proven and she will have a wide appeal." The articles also discuss fan reaction while referring to posts on Outpost Gallifrey's Forum (referred to as "Gallifreyone.net"), showing both sides of fan reaction: fantastic casting versus publicity stunt casting.

Yesterday's Belfast Telegraph has more about Christopher Eccleston's forthcoming gig with the band I Am Kloot. Says the article, Eccleston "was so taken by I Am Kloot, that he approached the band and asked if he could work with them. He stars in the clip for forthcoming single Proof. 'I haven't actually met him,' says a disappointed [frontman John] Bramwell. 'He's been to a few gigs and he got in touch. We came up with the idea for the video and we were very flattered he agreed because he's a great actor. In the video, he just stares at the camera and doesn't mime or anything. His expression just changes ever so slightly from tearful to joyous - it's very simple and intense, just small changes and it's fascinating to watch.' I Am Kloot head to the Empire in Belfast on June 6 as part of a brief Irish tour."

The Billie Piper coverage is slowing down, though there were some letters in Metro, the free newspaper on Britain's trains, in response to their article on Tuesday. However, today's BBC News Online weekly quiz of the past week's news includes a passing mention of Piper in question 2, "A colourless, viscous liquid which gradually turns red, then brown and then plastic-like has been in the news. What is it?" Answer option D is "An alien-busting weapon to be handed to Dr Who's new assistant, Billie Piper."

World Entertainment News Network on May 27 published the following story: "Elizabeth star Christopher Eccleston is constantly teased by his pals since landing the role of Doctor Who in the latest TV series about the time-traveller. The English actor, 40, is delighted to have won the coveted role in the BBC series, which hits TV screens next year (05). But Eccleston says, 'I've had so many phone messages from mates, all drunk as monkeys, doing the theme tune for me.'"

Amazon.co.uk has story blurbs up for two forthcoming Doctor Who novels, The Sleep of Reason by Martin Day (due in August) and The Algebra of Ice by Lloyd Rose (due in September). They are as follows. Update: story blurb for "The Sleep of Reason" has been removed, as Outpost Gallifrey has received the actually BBC Books cover blurb; see story on June 2.

According to This Week in Doctor Who, Sky One will air the 1960's Dalek film Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150ADstarring Peter Cushing late Saturday, May 29. Meanwhile, Showtime Greats in Australia has added a note to the info on the May 24th airing of the film, indicating that it was the final appearance of the movie on their channel. The movie had aired a number of times on the network since last year, back when it was Encore Australia. (Thanks to Benjamin Elliott)

The new DWM has information about both BBC Books' plans for 2005 as well as the rest of the year's Big Finish anthologies. On the BBC Books front, March through May will feature the frist three tie-in novels with the new series' characters, while Lance Parkin's book is due out in June and now has a name, The Gallifrey Chronicles. Barry Letts pens The Island of Death in July, a Third Doctor/Sarah novel, while August sees the Sixth Doctor book Future Nostalgia by Gary Russell. Richards tells DWM that they're still in the planning stages of the "ninth Doctor adventures," working with the production team to make sure the characterizations are correct; they will be distinct from the regular series for both fans and new viewers, but may have elements from the regular series crop up within them.

Meanwhile, Big Finish's Short Trips: Monsters, due out this summer and edited by Ian Farrington, features the following short stories: "Feeding Time" by Samantha Baker, "How I Stopped Trying to Kill the Doctor and Learned to Love Myself" by Nev Fountain, "The Secret of Fire" by Matt Grady, "Categorical Imperative" by Simon Guerrier, "The Touch of the Nurazh" by Stephen Hatcher, "Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life" by Anthony Keetch, "Trapped" by Joseph Lidster, "The Colour of Monsters" by Steve Lyons, "Best Seller" by Ian Mond & Danny Heap, "Chiaroscuro" by Jim Mortimore, "The Last Rites" by Marc Platt," and "Screamager" by Jacqueline Rayner. Meanwhile, the next Short Trips folume after that will be Short Trips: 2040 edited by John Binns, with stories by David Bailey, John Binns, Andy Campbell, Xanna Eve Chown, Matthew Griffiths, Alexander Leithes, Rebecca Levene, Kate Orman, Lance Parkin, Marc Platt, Jacqueline Rayner, Richard Salter, Tara Samms, Gareth Wigmore and Huw Wilkins. Finally, Short Trips: A Christmas Treasury is due out in December and is edited by Paul Cornell, with the author list to be announced soon.

The new issue of DWM features an interview with new series production designer Edward Thomas. "As Production Designer," Thomas tells DWM, "I will be responsible for the overall look and feel of all 13 episodes... I will have lots of help in the form of art directors, illustrators, set designers, CGI and a whole host of other creative people who will assist me in introducing a brand new look, whilst retainging a few of the most unforgettable features." He also talks about what the TARDIS will be like ("Big ... On the inside that is!") and about the interior of the time ship.

Also in the issue, Russell T. Davies gets to the bottom of whether or not the Eccleston Doctor is the ninth incarnation. "Of course he bloody is!" writes Eccleston. "There is no official, co-ordinated BBC policy on this, and never will be; but ... Chris is number nine." He also discusses the number of the episode (it will start with #1) and season ("it's Series One"), and says that he's just finished writing the fourth episode. On the subject of production codes, Davies says, "Because the forthcoming series has shifted base to BBC Wales - and on a simpler level, because no one involved in the production would even stop to worry about this - then the Production Codes are brand new. They don't continue from the 1996 movie, or the 1989 series. The new series is not called Season Twenty-Seven on any documents, it's Series One. And the first episode is officially episode one, not episode 697." However, he goes on to suggest that time, reference books, fans, etc "will take care of this and simplify... see you here in 20 years." For more details and to read the full interviews with Davies and Thomas, check out DWM #345 which hits newsstands tomorrow.

Today's Daily Mirror features an interesting spoiler "exclusive" (reprinted on the Daily Record site later in the day) about the Doctor battling a rather famous sport celebrity and many others. You can read it at the Mirror and Daily Recordsites.) (Thanks to Andrew Harvey, Stephen Norris, Steve Tribe, Paul Engelberg)etails.

Several of our readers have forwarded a story from the NME website, which discusses the Billie Piper casting... and also describes the character Rose Tyler as a "feisty barmaid". While we're not totally sure of this, the fact that the character of Alison Cheney, played by Sophie Okonedo in the BBCi webcast "The Scream of the Shalka", was a feisty barmaid leads us to believe that NME got their wires crossed. We'll keep you posted.

Unregenerate Productions Presents two new fan-published audio adventures. The Maltese Video of Doom by James Potter and John Claydon is promised to be "the first ever audio comedy made entirely in black and white" while The Five Directors of Doom by Stuart Robinson is said to contain "the worst pun ever heard in a civilised country." These two Doctor Who "sitcom audios" featuer special guest appearances by Rob Shearman, Jason Haigh-Ellery, Alistair Lock, Mark Donovan, Rupert Booth, militant Lobsters and Super intelligent, genetically engineered Kangaroos. (No, really!) For details visit www.vspace.co.uk.