The maker's of the legendary AIRFIX KITS, HORNBY are sticking (sorry..!) their heads out this Christmas with a range of self-assembly DOCTOR WHO figures such as the TARDIS and Daleks.

BBC NEWS report

There no prototype designs revealed as yet but if the quality is a stunning as CHARACTER OPTIONS then the range will be a hit.

As previously reported, BBC AUDIO are releasing the CLASSIC SERIES story, featuring William Hartnell as the definitive Doctor, THE WAR MACHINES, on 6 August 2007.

The preview of the audio is now online.

Preview Mpeg - courtesy of BBC AUDIO.

First Broadcast on BBC1 in 1966, THE WAR MACHINES sees the TARDIS returning to Earth in the present day. The Doctor detects strange vibrations coming from the newly - erected Post Office Tower, and sure enough it is discovered to be the centre of operations for WOTAN, a super-computer with designs on taking over the world. The Doctor enlists the help of Sixties swingers Ben and Polly, who then become his traveling companions.

The Doctor's traveling companions for this story are Jackie Lane as Dodo, Anneke Wills as Polly and Michael Craze as Ben.

Linking narration will be provided by Anneke Wills. Duration 1 hour 55 minutes. RRP £13.99.

DOCTOR WHO - THE WAR MACHINES will be available from all good bookshops, online at www.bbcshop.com or by BBC Audiobooks direct mail on 0800 136 919.

DOCTOR WHO - THE INFINITE QUEST will be release on DVD on 12 November 2007. RRP £11.99

The single-disc presentation includes THE MAKING OF THE INFINITE QUEST documentary featuring David Tennant and Freema Agyeman.

Character Options has designed a fully interactive - bar the dematerialisation, of course - TARDIS for the superb range of action figures.

At 8" tall, FLIGHT CONTROL TARDIS is carefully designed and comes with sound effect and flashing light.

The toy is released on 10 August 2007 for £14.99.

Releasing for the first time too is a deluxe action figure from FATHER'S DAY - A Repear. RRP £14.99.

Pre-order at www.play.com - see link at the bottom of this page. The search the online shop for "TARDIS" and/or "Reaper".

As part of the DALEKS IN MANHATTAN gift set, a Pigman will be released in September.

24 September 2007 sees the release of the 1978 Tom Baker CLASSIC themed-season, DOCTOR WHO - THE KEY TO TIME. An essential DVD boxset.

THE RIBOS OPERATION The Doctor and Romana trace the first segment of the Key to Time to the planet Ribos, where they encounter two con artists who are engaged in a scam to sell the entire planet to the Graff Vynda-K, deposed ruler of Levithia.

Extras include:

• Commentary with Tom Baker and Mary Tamm.
• A MATTER WITH TIME - the flagship documentary of this box set explores Graham Williams' three year tenure as Doctor Who's producer.
• THE RIBOS FILE - cast and crew look back at the making of this story.
• Continuities - off-air continuity links from the story's original BBC1 transmission.
• Season 16 Trailer + Photo Gallery + Coming Soon + Radio Times Listings + Programme subtitles +Subtitle Production Notes.

THE PIRATE PLANET Douglas Adams penned this episode in which the tracer detects the second segment on the planet Calufrax. The TARDIS makes a bumpy landing, and the Doctor and Romana soon discover that they are not on Calufrax at all.

Extras Include:

• Commentary 1 - With Bruce Purchase and director Pennant Roberts.
• Commentary 2 -With Tom Baker, Mary Tamm and script editor Anthony Read.
• PARROT FASHION - cast and crew look back at the making of this story.
• Film Inserts, Deleted Scenes and Outtakes - a collection of extra material from the story's production.
• WEIRD SCIENCE - a spoof seventies schools science show looks at some the science seen in 'The Key to Time'.
• Continuities - off-air continuity links from the story's original BBC1 transmission + Photo Gallery + Coming Soon + Radio Times Listings
• Programme subtitles. Subtitle Production Notes.

THE STONE OF BLOOD The search for the third segment of the Key leads the Doctor and Romana to the English countryside and an ancient stone circle called The Nine Travellers. But the third segment is nowhere to be found.

Extras Include:

• Commentary 1 - With Mary Tamm and director Darrol Blake.
• Commentary 2 - With Tom Baker, Mary Tamm, Susan Engel and writer David Fisher.
• GETTING BLOOD FROM THE STONES - cast and crew look back at the making of this story.
• MAMMER HORROR - looks at the influences of horror films on Doctor Who stories down the years.
• STONES FREE - Mary Tamm visits the Rollright Stones location used in the story to meet local experts on this ancient stone circle.
• Deleted Scenes - deleted scenes from episode two.
• Continuities - off-air continuity links from the story's original BBC1 transmission.
• Model World - an excerpt from The Model World of Robert Symes looks at the model work for this story, with designer Mat Irvine.
• Blue Peter - the famous children's show looks back at the history of Doctor Who on the show's fifteen anniversary.
• Nationwide - the BBC1 news magazine programme looks back on 15 years of Doctor Who.
• Photo Gallery + Coming Soon + Radio Times Listings + Programme subtitles + Subtitle Production Notes.

THE ANDROIDS OF TARA The tracer brings the TARDIS to the planet Tara. Romana finds the fourth segment disguised as part of a statue, but is then taken prisoner by Count Grendel of Gracht.

Extras Include:

• Commentary - With Tom Baker, Mary Tamm and director Michael Hayes.
• THE HUMANS OF TARA - cast and crew look back at the making of this story.
• NOW AND THEN - The Androids of Tara - comparing and contrasting present day locations as they are now with how they appeared in the story.
• DOUBLE TROUBLE - a brief history of 'doubles' in Doctor Who.
• Photo Gallery.
• Coming Soon + Radio Times Listings + Programme subtitles + Subtitle Production Notes.

THE POWER OF KROLL The search for the fifth segment of the Key to Time lands the Doctor and Romana in danger. The Doctor is shot and Romana is kidnapped.

Extras Include:

• Commentary - With Tom Baker and John Leeson.
• In Studio - a fascinating glimpse inside the studio recording of the story, recovered from timecoded monochrome production recordings.
• VARIATIONS - a BBC local news programme visits the story location during filming.
• THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY - Mary Tamm looks back at her single-season starring role as the Doctor's companion.
• Philip Madoc - A Villain for All Seasons - a retrospective of actor Philip Madoc's numerous roles as a Doctor Who villain down the years.
• Continuities - off-air continuity links from the story's original BBC1 transmission.
• Photo Gallery - design, production and publicity stills for the story.
• Coming Soon + Radio Times Listings + Programme subtitles. Subtitle Production Notes.

THE ARMAGEDDON FACTOR The search for the Sixth (and last) Segment of the Key to Time bring the Doctor, Romana and K9 to the planet Atrios, where they encounter a interplanetary war and Princess Astra. A two-disc story presentation.

Extras Include:

Disc 1

• Commentary 1 -With Mary Tamm, John Woodvine and director Michael Hayes.
• Commentary 2 - With Tom Baker, Mary Tamm and John Leeson.
• Coming Soon.
• 1979 Doctor Who Annual.
• Radio Times Listings.
• Programme subtitles. Subtitle Production Notes.

Disc 2

• Defining Shadows - cast and crew look back at the making of this story.
• Alternative / Extended Scene - taken from a timecoded monochrome studio recording.
• DIRECTING WHO - Michael Hayes looks back on his directing career on Doctor Who.
• ROGUE TIME LORDS - a potted history of errant Time Lords.
• Pebble Mill at One - Tom Baker interviewed on the long-running lunchtime magazine show in 1978.
• Radiophonic Feature - a Pebble Mill at One interview with Dick Mills and Brian Hodgson looking at Radiophonic music and effects in Doctor Who.
• The New Sound of Music - sound effects supremo Dick Mills talks about creating a Doctor Who sound effects in this extract.
• Merry Christmas, Doctor Who- a special Christmas sketch, recorded on the set of 'The Armageddon Factor' for the BBC Christmas Tape that year.
• Continuities - off-air continuity links from the story's original BBC1 transmission.
• Photo Gallery.
• Late Night Story - Tom Baker reads five spine-chilling stories from this 1978 series - The Photograph, The Emissary, Nursery Tea, The End of the Party and Sredni Vashtar.
• Easter Egg.

15 October 2007 sees the release of the 1975 Tom Baker CLASSIC story, DOCTOR WHO - PLANET OF EVIL.

The disc features a commentary from Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen and Series Producer, Phillip Hinchcliffe.

"Here on Zeta Minor is the boundary between existence as you know it and the other universe which you just don't understand!"

A distress call from the last planet in the known universe forces the TARDIS to commence emergency materialisation on Zeta Minor. Simultaneous with the Doctor's arrival, is the landing of a spacecraft from the planet Morestra on a rescue mission to recover a missing group of scientists. An expeditionary force from the spacecraft soon uncovers their gruesome remains, but who or what has caused their sinister deaths?

Only one scientist, Professor Sorenson has survived. He is hell-bent on tapping the powerful resources within Zeta Minor to save his own planet which is slowly dying. But he and his compatriots cannot possibly realise the full extent of the dark forces at work. And so it is left to the Doctor to convince them that Zeta Minor is indeed, the Planet of Evil...

It scared the living daylights out of this jaded DOCTOR WHO site Editor, and it seems that the SERIES 3 VOLUME 4 cover will be displayed in brown paper when it goes on sale in HMV later this year.

The last SERIES 3 DVD will be released on 20 August and has been designed by the creative team at PEACOCK.

See above AMAZON.CO.UK link above for purchase details.

Former CLASSIC SERIES actors, Nicholas Courtney (the legendary Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart - come on NEW SERIES write the character back into the programme before Tennant leaves!) and Terry Molloy (Davros) appear on BBC7 in August as part of THE SCARIFYERS (produced by Cosmic Hobo).

THE NAZAD CONSPIRACY is a tale of supernatural derring-do set in 1930s London. Christmas 1936. Ghost story writer Professor Dunning (Terry Molloy) doesn't believe in the supernatural. So he's more than surprised when an invisible winged demon appears in his drawing room.

The Metropolitan Police's longest-serving officer, Inspector Lionheart (Nicholas Courtney), doesn't believe in the supernatural either, wings or no wings. So he's less than impressed when Russian emigres begin dying impossible deaths all over London.

Together, Lionheart and Dunning must face quarrelsome Generals, sinister clowns and Russian demons as they unravel THE NAZAD CONSPIRACY.

The first episode will be broadcast 1800-1830 on Saturday 25th August in BBC 7's 7th Dimension sci-fi slot, and the following two Saturdays.

The boxset sleeve and the covers for ARC OF INFINITY and TIME-FLIGHT have been revealed.

Releasing on 6 August 2007. RRP: £29.99 (See AMAZON.CO.UK for best price).

The Clayton DWM Writer Hickman design is hardly inspiring - a bit fan-boy. Perhaps, the designers of the NEW SERIES DVD covers, PEACOCK DESIGN, could be more creative?

More news from CHARACTER OPTIONS, and the release of the Capsule from THE SATAN PIT, complete with the survival-suited Doctor.

RRP: £17.99 and released in September 2007.

Fans of the CLASSIC SERIES will be pleased to hear that the SERIES 4 CHRISTMAS DAY SPECIAL, VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED, will include veteran actors, Geoffrey Palmer and Clive Swift.

Palmer has starred opposite Jon Pertwee in DOCTOR WHO AND THE SILURIANS (1971) and THE MUTANTS (1972).

Swift has starred opposite Colin Baker in REVELATION OF THE DALEKS (1985).

Kylie Minogue appears as Astrid (a Waitress on RMS Titanic). Other members of the cast include: Gray O'Brien, Debbie Chazen, Clive Rowe, Russell Tovey, George Costigan and SERIES 1's Moxx of Balhoon/"hybrid" spacepig and SERIES 2's interactive alien, GRASKE, Jimmy Vee.

Continuing the success of their current SERIES 3 releases, CHARACTER OPTIONS are releasing (in September 2007) 5" designs of Brannigan (GRIDLOCK) and a Scarecrow (HUMAN NATURE). There is a "John Smith" on the Drawing Board too.

Further designs will include two variants Statues from BLINK, The Master from UPTOPIA and THE SOUND OF DRUMS, and alien-possessed man from 42.

The large 12" action figure from SERIES 3 is Lazarus creature (THE LAZARUS EXPERIMENT) which will be in shops by December 2007.

In the guise of the Doctor, David Tennant has saved the planet many times and, now as himself he has joined Al Gore's attempt to save the planet again as part of LIVE EARTH.

20:43 BST - He introduced the rock-pop band, Pussycat Dolls at London's Wembley Stadium.

His appearance was not televised live on BBC1, though he was interviewed by Jonathan Ross in the studio.

Congratulations to BBC WALES for casting Catherine Tate as a "full-time" DOCTOR WHO companion for SERIES 4, as Donna Noble.

And congratulations for keeping it secret.

BBC NEWS ONLINE - The official report

BBC DOCTOR WHO site

Having been afflicted by more leaks than a damaged Titanic, BBC WALES DOCTOR WHO press office has announced the unsurprising casting of Kylie Minogue in VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED (Christmas Day 2007).

BBC NEWS ONLINE (with photo of Tennant and Minogue)

The ever reliable "Fleet Street" rags have been scurrying to "out-do-one-another" (like most fan websites!) with DOCTOR WHO as filming begins on SERIES 4.

THE MIRROR - Martha returns - two companions for SERIES 4.

THE SUN - New Freema sacked story (2 July 2007).

BBC NEWS ONLINE - Official announcement by BBC WALES

icWales online report that David Tennant is not resigning. Just yet.

icWALES online

You may like to read more comment on the "quitting" story.

THE TIMES - Yes, he's off!

BBC NEWS - No, he ain't!

The episode title for the Christmas Day special will be called: VOYAGE AND THE DAMNED - and set on the RMS Titanic. Or is it the "real" passenger ship?

At the end of SERIES 3, Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) stays on Earth as the TARDIS dematerialises.

THE TIMES preview for LAST OF THE TIME LORDS - worth reading