New series of Dr Who, tonight on BBC.
In the new series, the Doctor and his new assistant travel back in time and meet William Shakespeare and come across Daleks in 1930s Manhattan.....
Fans mad for Doctor's new companion
By Tim Masters
Entertainment editor, BBC News
Agyeman replaces Billie Piper in the hit sci-fi show
New Doctor Who companion Freema Agyeman says she has been overwhelmed by the positive response she's received from fans of the long-running sci-fi series.
Her character Martha Jones, a trainee doctor, will be seen stepping into the Tardis when Doctor Who returns to BBC One tonight.
Speaking after being mobbed by autograph hunters and photographers at the series launch in London, Agyeman said: "I'm so bowled over at how encouraging the fans have been from day one."
The BBC has confirmed that Doctor Who, which stars David Tennant as the Time Lord, will be returning for a fourth series next year.
Russell T Davies, the show's executive producer, said he couldn't wait for viewers to meet Martha Jones, who joins the Doctor following the departure of his previous assistant Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper.
"I just think people will open their hearts and let her in - they'll love it."
Asked about the chemistry between Martha and the Doctor, Davies said: "She's working flat out as a medical student, then in walks the most amazing man who saves the world in front of her, so you can't blame her if her heart goes pitter patter..."
Cousin
Agyeman (right) had a cameo role in the last series of Doctor Who
The opening episode - Smith and Jones - sees the Doctor meet Martha in a London hospital, which is dramatically transported to the Moon. There they battle a blood-sucking alien and the Judoon - a clan of galactic stormtroopers.
As you would expect from a Russell T Davies-penned episode, it's full of witty one-liners, some nasty bits to scare the younger viewers and breathtaking special effects.
Agyeman first appeared in a Doctor Who episode last year as a minor character, who is later revealed to be a cousin of Martha.
But now she's back as a bona fide passenger in the Tardis, has she had any advice from any former Doctor Who companions?
"I got messages from Billie and Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith).
I'm companion number 32 or 33 so it's nice to hear former companions say 'just do it your way' - it means the world to me," she told the BBC News website.
MONSTER MAKE-UP
Series three of Doctor Who required:
20 gallons of latex rubber
40 gallons of silicon rubber
Four tonnes of clay
10 litres of prosthetic adherent
Three sets of prosthetic dentures
And she thanked fans for making her feel so welcome.
"I'm so grateful. Not a lot of people like change, but the fact they are embracing it is great for me."
Agyeman acknowledged there are a few similarities between Martha and Rose.
"They are both fiery and feisty, but you need those qualities to be a Doctor Who assistant. You can't be a shrinking violet and go to the Moon.
"But Martha is more independent, more academic. She can see that the Doctor is a man with a broken heart."
Actor David Tennant hinted at interesting developments in their relationship.
"The Doctor thinks he's moved on and that he's terribly strong, but Martha realises that he needs her more than he realises. That story will twist and turn over 13 episodes - so stay tuned," he said.
Monsters
Doctor Who returns to BBC One on 31 March
Doctor Who, which is made by BBC Wales, will feature a host of guest actors over the coming weeks, including Sir Derek Jacobi, comedian Ardal O'Hanlon, Michelle Collins and John Simm.
John Barrowman will be returning in the role of Captain Jack Harkness - seen most recently in spin-off series Torchwood.
And there will be plenty of new monsters, including the witch-like Carrionites and the return of the Daleks.
Tennant did let slip that a monster from the 1960s Patrick Troughton era of Doctor Who would also be making a comeback.
But Russell T Davies wasn't giving anything way. "It's not the yeti - that's all I'm telling you!" he said.
EPISODE GUIDE
301. SMITH AND JONES
Broadcast: 31/03/07
Writer: Russell T. Davies
Director: Charles Palmer
Viewers:
The Doctor investigates when a hospital is transported to the moon. He soon meets Martha Jones and the Judoon, fearsome rhino like creatures.
------------------------------------
302. THE SHAKESPEARE CODE
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Gareth Roberts
Director: Charles Palmer
Viewers:
Tudor London 1599, The Doctor and Martha meet William Shakespeare.
---------------------------
303. GRIDLOCK
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Russell T. Davies
Director: Richard Clarke
Viewers:
The Doctor finds himself back at New Earth.
------------------------------
304. DALEKS IN MANHATTAN (1)
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Helen Raynor
Director: James Strong
Viewers:
The Doctor and Martha arrive in 1930's New York where the Doctors oldest enemy is about to be reborn.
---------------------------
305. EVOLUTION OF THE DALEKS (2)
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Helen Raynor
Director: James Strong
Viewers:
--------------------------
Part two. 306. THE LAZARUS EXPERIMENT
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Stephen Greenhorn
Director: Richard Clarke
Viewers:
A scientist discovers a way to reverse the aging process with devastating consequences.
-------------------------------------
307. 42
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Chris Chibnall
Director: Graeme Harper
Viewers:
The Doctor and Martha are trapped on a spaceship heading towards the sun.
-----------------------------------
308. HUMAN NATURE (1)
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Paul Cornell
Director: Charles Palmer
Viewers:
The Doctor decides to give up his Timelord persona and experience life as a human.
-----------------------------
309. THE FAMILY OF BLOOD (2)
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Paul Cornell
Director: Charles Palmer
Viewers:
-----------------------------
Part Two. 310. BLINK
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Steven Moffat
Director: Hettie MacDonald
--------------------------
Viewers: 311. UTOPIA
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Russell T. Davies
Director: Graeme Harper
---------------------------
Viewers: 312. THE SOUND OF DRUMS
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Russell T. Davies
Director: Colin Teague
--------------------------
Viewers: 313. LAST OF THE TIMELORDS
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Russell T. Davies
Director: Colin Teague
Viewers:
PICTURES FROM TONIGHT'S EPISODE
The first episode of the new series starts at the Royal Hope Hospital, where the Doctor's new assistant Martha (Freema Agyeman) is a medical student.
----------------------
Looks like Martha's found something that's not quite right, but what could it be?
----------------------------
Maybe she'll have more luck working it out when she teams up with the Doctor (David Tennant).
-------------------------
Then again.....here they are making a run for it through the hospital corridors. But what are they running from?
-----------------------
Surely it's not this slightly
-----------------------
She might look all sweet and innocent, but is she all she seems?
----------------------------
The Doctor certainly doesn't look too happy anymore.....
----------------------------
Uh-oh, he's been caught. But who, or what, is that sinister-looking character behind him?
--------------------------------------
Whatever it is, it's done something to take the Doctor by surprise!
-----------------------------
Is that Florence who's walked in on them? Maybe she'll try to help......
-------------------------------
Oh, hang on.... she doesn't look that friendly anymore does she?
----------------------------
Thank goodness the hospital consultant, Mr Stoker (Roy Marsden), seems to be keeping an eye on things.
-----------------------------
But he forgot to look over his shoulder! Now the sinister characters in black have got him too.
--------------------------
What on earth's going on? You'll have to wait to catch the full episode on BBC1, on Saturday 31 March, to find out.
news.bbc.co.uk
In the new series, the Doctor and his new assistant travel back in time and meet William Shakespeare and come across Daleks in 1930s Manhattan.....
Fans mad for Doctor's new companion
By Tim Masters
Entertainment editor, BBC News
Agyeman replaces Billie Piper in the hit sci-fi show
New Doctor Who companion Freema Agyeman says she has been overwhelmed by the positive response she's received from fans of the long-running sci-fi series.
Her character Martha Jones, a trainee doctor, will be seen stepping into the Tardis when Doctor Who returns to BBC One tonight.
Speaking after being mobbed by autograph hunters and photographers at the series launch in London, Agyeman said: "I'm so bowled over at how encouraging the fans have been from day one."
The BBC has confirmed that Doctor Who, which stars David Tennant as the Time Lord, will be returning for a fourth series next year.
Russell T Davies, the show's executive producer, said he couldn't wait for viewers to meet Martha Jones, who joins the Doctor following the departure of his previous assistant Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper.
"I just think people will open their hearts and let her in - they'll love it."
Asked about the chemistry between Martha and the Doctor, Davies said: "She's working flat out as a medical student, then in walks the most amazing man who saves the world in front of her, so you can't blame her if her heart goes pitter patter..."
Cousin
Agyeman (right) had a cameo role in the last series of Doctor Who
The opening episode - Smith and Jones - sees the Doctor meet Martha in a London hospital, which is dramatically transported to the Moon. There they battle a blood-sucking alien and the Judoon - a clan of galactic stormtroopers.
As you would expect from a Russell T Davies-penned episode, it's full of witty one-liners, some nasty bits to scare the younger viewers and breathtaking special effects.
Agyeman first appeared in a Doctor Who episode last year as a minor character, who is later revealed to be a cousin of Martha.
But now she's back as a bona fide passenger in the Tardis, has she had any advice from any former Doctor Who companions?
"I got messages from Billie and Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith).
I'm companion number 32 or 33 so it's nice to hear former companions say 'just do it your way' - it means the world to me," she told the BBC News website.
Series three of Doctor Who required:
20 gallons of latex rubber
40 gallons of silicon rubber
Four tonnes of clay
10 litres of prosthetic adherent
Three sets of prosthetic dentures
And she thanked fans for making her feel so welcome.
"I'm so grateful. Not a lot of people like change, but the fact they are embracing it is great for me."
Agyeman acknowledged there are a few similarities between Martha and Rose.
"They are both fiery and feisty, but you need those qualities to be a Doctor Who assistant. You can't be a shrinking violet and go to the Moon.
"But Martha is more independent, more academic. She can see that the Doctor is a man with a broken heart."
Actor David Tennant hinted at interesting developments in their relationship.
"The Doctor thinks he's moved on and that he's terribly strong, but Martha realises that he needs her more than he realises. That story will twist and turn over 13 episodes - so stay tuned," he said.
Monsters
Doctor Who returns to BBC One on 31 March
Doctor Who, which is made by BBC Wales, will feature a host of guest actors over the coming weeks, including Sir Derek Jacobi, comedian Ardal O'Hanlon, Michelle Collins and John Simm.
John Barrowman will be returning in the role of Captain Jack Harkness - seen most recently in spin-off series Torchwood.
And there will be plenty of new monsters, including the witch-like Carrionites and the return of the Daleks.
Tennant did let slip that a monster from the 1960s Patrick Troughton era of Doctor Who would also be making a comeback.
But Russell T Davies wasn't giving anything way. "It's not the yeti - that's all I'm telling you!" he said.
EPISODE GUIDE
301. SMITH AND JONES
Broadcast: 31/03/07
Writer: Russell T. Davies
Director: Charles Palmer
Viewers:
The Doctor investigates when a hospital is transported to the moon. He soon meets Martha Jones and the Judoon, fearsome rhino like creatures.
------------------------------------
302. THE SHAKESPEARE CODE
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Gareth Roberts
Director: Charles Palmer
Viewers:
Tudor London 1599, The Doctor and Martha meet William Shakespeare.
---------------------------
303. GRIDLOCK
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Russell T. Davies
Director: Richard Clarke
Viewers:
The Doctor finds himself back at New Earth.
------------------------------
304. DALEKS IN MANHATTAN (1)
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Helen Raynor
Director: James Strong
Viewers:
The Doctor and Martha arrive in 1930's New York where the Doctors oldest enemy is about to be reborn.
---------------------------
305. EVOLUTION OF THE DALEKS (2)
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Helen Raynor
Director: James Strong
Viewers:
--------------------------
Part two. 306. THE LAZARUS EXPERIMENT
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Stephen Greenhorn
Director: Richard Clarke
Viewers:
A scientist discovers a way to reverse the aging process with devastating consequences.
-------------------------------------
307. 42
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Chris Chibnall
Director: Graeme Harper
Viewers:
The Doctor and Martha are trapped on a spaceship heading towards the sun.
-----------------------------------
308. HUMAN NATURE (1)
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Paul Cornell
Director: Charles Palmer
Viewers:
The Doctor decides to give up his Timelord persona and experience life as a human.
-----------------------------
309. THE FAMILY OF BLOOD (2)
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Paul Cornell
Director: Charles Palmer
Viewers:
-----------------------------
Part Two. 310. BLINK
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Steven Moffat
Director: Hettie MacDonald
--------------------------
Viewers: 311. UTOPIA
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Russell T. Davies
Director: Graeme Harper
---------------------------
Viewers: 312. THE SOUND OF DRUMS
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Russell T. Davies
Director: Colin Teague
--------------------------
Viewers: 313. LAST OF THE TIMELORDS
Broadcast: 07
Writer: Russell T. Davies
Director: Colin Teague
Viewers:
PICTURES FROM TONIGHT'S EPISODE
The first episode of the new series starts at the Royal Hope Hospital, where the Doctor's new assistant Martha (Freema Agyeman) is a medical student.
----------------------
Looks like Martha's found something that's not quite right, but what could it be?
----------------------------
Maybe she'll have more luck working it out when she teams up with the Doctor (David Tennant).
-------------------------
Then again.....here they are making a run for it through the hospital corridors. But what are they running from?
-----------------------
Surely it's not this slightly
-----------------------
She might look all sweet and innocent, but is she all she seems?
----------------------------
The Doctor certainly doesn't look too happy anymore.....
----------------------------
Uh-oh, he's been caught. But who, or what, is that sinister-looking character behind him?
--------------------------------------
Whatever it is, it's done something to take the Doctor by surprise!
-----------------------------
Is that Florence who's walked in on them? Maybe she'll try to help......
-------------------------------
Oh, hang on.... she doesn't look that friendly anymore does she?
----------------------------
Thank goodness the hospital consultant, Mr Stoker (Roy Marsden), seems to be keeping an eye on things.
-----------------------------
But he forgot to look over his shoulder! Now the sinister characters in black have got him too.
--------------------------
What on earth's going on? You'll have to wait to catch the full episode on BBC1, on Saturday 31 March, to find out.
news.bbc.co.uk
Last edited: