The New Doctor Who

The powers that be may still be faffing over bringing Doctor Who to the big screen, but fans of the Time Lord can take refuge in a new animated web series appearing exclusively on the BBC website. Scream of the Shalka, was supposed to be premiering this lunchtime, but the first four episodes can be downloaded right now. The series stars Richard E Grant as the Doctor and Derek Jacobi as the Master. The Shalka in question is apparently 'a snake-like alien species with a deadly scream'. You'll have to watch the episodes to find out what happens after the Tardis lands in Lancashire, but we can tell you that Grant is on record as describing his incarnation of the Doctor as 'something of a Sherlock Holmes in space'. As for the movie version, according to the BBC, the Doctor Who film is still in development, 'the new TV series has not impacted on the production of the film,' is the official word. 'We can confirm that the BBC is developing a film, but it should be stressed the project is still in its very 'early' stages.'