This year sees Doctor Who premiere at 5:30pm on BBC1, with competition for the time slot coming in the form of Emmerdale on ITV and The Morecambe and Wise 1977 Christmas Show on BBC2: if you feel a little deja-vu it's understandable as these were up against Doctor Who last year - and Channel 4 is even showing the same film, Home Alone, on Channel 4!

In fact, looking at this year's Christmas line-up in the evening, you might think you are watching last year, as there is little difference between this year's and last year's offerings on the main two UK channels - both BBC1 and ITV's evening line-up is nigh-on identical apart from broadcast time, with just the 9:00pm ITV drama slot being Jenna Coleman's Victoria this time around.

The bookies' favourite is also familiar, with Strictly Come Dancing once again taking the top slot; however, second place belongs firmly to the departure of Peter Capaldi, with Doctor Who at 4/1. Bake Off is also in the 'mix', though this time at prime-time on Channel 4.

            BBC1                        ITV                           Channel 4
 3:00  24/1 The Queen
 3:10  66/1 Cinderella             66/1 The Prisoner of Azkaban
 4:45  50/1 The Highway Rat
 5:50                              25/1 Emmerdale
 5:15       BBC News
 5:30   4/1 Doctor Who
 6:30   3/4 Strictly Come Dancing
 6:50                                   ITV News
 7:00                              12/1 For The Love of Dogs
 7:40   6/1 Call The Midwife                                     20/1 The Great Christmas Bake Off
 8:00                              21/1 Coronation Street
 9:00   14/1 Eastenders            12/1 Victoria
10:00    7/1 Mrs Brown's Boys
10:35   33/1 French and Saunders

Predict The Ratings Competition

With Christmas just around the corner it can mean only one (other) thing - it's time for our annual Predict the Ratings competition! This year readers have the chance to win the latest series of adventures featuring the Doctor, Pearl and Nardole, and culminating in two Doctors' final swansongs!

As always, the aim is to predict the final consolidated viewing figure for Twice Upon A Time as reported by BARB, to the nearest 10,000 viewers (i.e. two decimal places). In addition, we'd like you to predict Doctor Who's position in the weekly chart (which will be used in the case of a tie-break).

The ratings and positions for 2015 and 2016 are presented here for comparison - recent years have seen a decline in television viewing over Christmas Day across all channels, with none of the programmes achieving the heady heights of several years ago.

To enter our competition, please send the following details to comp-xmasratings@doctorwhonews.net:

• Your name and preferred email address
• Your country of entry (full details will be requested only if you are the winner)
• Your guess at the final viewing figure to the nearest 10,000 (eg.9.99m)
• Your guess at the final position in the chart (eg. 1st) - this will only be used in the event of a tie-break

Terms and Conditions:

• The competition closes at 08:00 GMT, 26th December 2017.
• Only one entry will be accepted per person.
• The competition is open worldwide.
• BARB final figures are expected in early 2018 we will contact the winner once they have been published
• The prize is a copy of The Complete Tenth Series and Twice Upon A Time releases on DVD or Bluray; we will confirm the format with the winner at time of notification.

Twice Around The World

Doctor Who has its debut in the United Kingdom on BBC1 at 5:30pm ... but will also be seen in the Middle East at the same time as, with previous years, BBC First simulcast the episode. This will be closely followed by ABC in Australia making it available online via iView immediately after its UK broadcast, and will then be shown in Australian cinemas in the afternoon (01:00 GMT). North America get to see it next, with both BBC America in the United States and SPACE in Canada showing the episode at 9:00pm EST (02:00 GMT).

Boxing Day broadcasts include Prime in New Zealand and ABC in Australia at 7:30pm local time (06:30 and 08:30 GMT respectively), and in the afternoon the episode will be shown on the big screen in Denmark. Viewers in Finland will be able to watch Twice Upon A Time on YLE2 in the evening on the Wednesday, and a British signed version airs in the early hours of Saturday morning on BBC2.

Heading into the new year, and FOX in Germany will be showing the episode dubbed into German on the 10th January, and Sony SciFi in Russia will show it on the 13th. It is expected that RAI4 in Italy and France4 in France will broadcast it in their native languages later in the Spring.

You can keep up with Doctor Who around the world via This Week in Doctor Who

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It was inevitable that within moments of Peter Capaldi's announcement of his departure from Doctor Who fans and media would speculate on who would take over as lead actor on the show across social media - and commercial betting would begin!

This morning, William Hill currently place Ben Whishaw as favourite, at 6/1: the actor is probably best known worldwide as the character of Q in the Daniel Craig era of James Bond films, or for the younger audience as the voice of Paddington Bear in the 2014 film (and this year's sequel), and on recent television in London Spy . Next up is Richard Ayaode at 8/1, the quirky comic actor/director is best known in the UK for The IT Crowd, his travels around the world in Travel Man, and will be the host of the revived series of The Crystal Maze this year. Also at 8/1 is another name long-associated with Who-odds, Rory Kinnear (another modern James Bond stalwart as Bill Tanner), and Rupert Grint (or as most people know him, Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films!). The first actress on their list is Broadchurch's Olivia Colman at 20/1 - though ITV's Good Morning Britain reported that Miranda Hart was in fourth place at 8/1. The current list can be found via William Hill's special bet "To Replace Peter Capaldi as the next Doctor Who?".

Both Betfair and Paddy Power offer up Sherlock's Moriarty, Andrew Scott, as their joint favourite, alongside Ben Daniels (Law and Order UK, House of Cards, Star Wars: Rogue One), and Lara Pulver (Spooks, Sherlock).

During an item on the departure of Capaldi on BBC's Breakfast this morning, viewers' suggestions were read out, including names such as Hayley Attwell or Eddie Redmayne, Colin Salmon, David Harewood, Helena Bonham Carter, Gillian Anderson, and Danny Dyer.


Anticipation will of course continue until the eventual new Doctor is announced by the BBC - how and when this might be is unknown at present (Capaldi's announcement in 2013 took place on a special live television programme!), but may be held off until the last series starring Capaldi has been broadcast - it will be on air between 15th April and 1st July (barring pre-emptions such as for the Eurovision Song Contest), with filming for the next series under the helm of new lead writer Chris Chibnall expected to commence not long afterwards.

Update 1st Feb: the Radio Times has reported that filming for Series 11 would not commence until Spring 2018, so an announcement of a new Doctor might not occur until next year!

Related Articles: Peter Capaldi is the Twelfth Doctor (4 Aug 2013); Odds on Who (4 Aug 2013); Odds on Who (3 Jun 2013); Odds on Who (3 Jan 2009)

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Christmas Day: a time of festive presents, festive food, and festive telly!

For us, of course, the placement of the annual Doctor Who Christmas Special in the schedules is always eagerly anticipated, with this year's episode slotted into the late afternoon/early evening slot of 5:45pm. Previous years have seen it as early as 5:15pm last year to 7:30pm in 2013, but this year it is (hopefully!) bolstered by two of the BBC's other highest rated programmes, The Great British Bake-Off beforehand and Strictly Come Dancing afterwards.

In terms of direct competition, ITV is serving up its traditional slice of country life in Emmerdale, and Sky One is premiering its heavily trailed The Last Dragonslayer; on other channels BBC2 has the 1976 Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show (5:40pm), Channel 4 has We're Going On A Bear Hunt and the film Home Alone (from 6pm), Channel 5 has Singin' in the Rain and then a repeat of Britain's Favourite Christmas Songs (from 6:15pm).

As of today, the odds of Doctor Who making the top spot sits at 22/1; unsurprisingly, Mrs Brown's Boys leads the way, being it has been the most popular show three out of the last four years (only beaten into second place last year by the finale of Downton Abbey!).

               BBC1                                       ITV     
 3:00pm   16/1 The Queen                             40/1 The Queen
 3:10pm    9/1 Frozen                                46/1 The Lion King
 4:45pm    5/1 The Great Christmas Bake Off
 4:55pm                                                   ITV News
 5:15pm                                              66/1 You've Been Framed
 5:45pm   22/1 Doctor Who                            60/1 Emmerdale
 6:45pm    2/1 Strictly Come Dancing                 50/1 For the Love of Dogs
 7:45pm                                                   ITV News
 8:00pm    6/1 Call the Midwife                      25/1 Coronation Street
 9:00pm                                              25/1 Maigret's Dead Man
 9:30pm    8/1 Eastenders
10:30pm    2/1 Mrs Brown's Boys
11:00pm  100/1 The Best of Tracey Ullman's Show     100/1 Love Actually

Predict the Ratings Competition

It's also time for our 'legendary' Predict the Ratings competition, which this year will give readers the chance to win The Return of Doctor Mysterio on DVD/Bluray upon its release, plus a copy of the BBC Book The Whoniverse by Justin Richards and George Mann.

As always, the aim is to predict the final consolidated viewing figure for The Return of Doctor Mysterio as reported by BARB, to the nearest 10,000 viewers (i.e. two decimal places). In addition, we'd like you to predict Doctor Who's position in the weekly chart (which will be used in the case of a tie-break).

The ratings and positions for 2014 and 2015 are presented here for comparison - recent years have seen a decline in television viewing over Christmas Day, with none of the programmes achieving the heady heights of several years ago.

To enter our competition, please send the following details to comp-ratings@doctorwhonews.net:

• Your name and preferred email address
• Your country of entry (full details will be requested only if you are the winner)
• Your guess at the final viewing figure to the nearest 10,000 (eg.9.99m)
• Your guess at the final position in the chart (eg. 1st) - this will only be used in the event of a tie-break

Terms and Conditions:

• The competition closes at 08:30 GMT, 26th December 2016.
• Only one entry will be accepted per person.
• The competition is open worldwide.
• BARB final figures are expected in early 2016; we will contact the winner once they have been published.

Superheroes around the World unite...

Of course it isn't just the United Kingdom that will enjoy the Doctor's latest adventure this festive period, as the episode will be broadcast in a number of countries within a couple of days of the British premiere:

The Return of Doctor Mysterio: known first broadcast details
United Kingdom	BBC One	Sun 25 Dec 2016	5:45pm GMT
Middle East	BBC First	Sun 25 Dec 2016	8:45pm AST	(5:45pm GMT) simulcast!
Australia (online)	ABC iView	Mon 26 Dec 2016	5:45am AEDT	(6:45pm GMT)
Brazil	Syfy	Sun 25 Dec 2016	10:30pm BRST	(12:30am GMT)
United States of America	BBC America	Sun 25 Dec 2016	9:00pm EST	(2:00am GMT)
Canada	SPACE	Sun 25 Dec 2016	9:00pm EST	(2:00am GMT)
Latin America	Syfy	Sun 25 Dec 2016	10:00pm CST	(04:00am GMT)
New Zealand	Prime	Mon 26 Dec 2016	7:30pm NZDT	(6:30am GMT)
Australia	ABC	Mon 26 Dec 2016	7:30pm AEDT	(8:30am GMT) also on ABC ME
Finland	YLE TV2	Mon 26 Dec 2016	7:00pm EET	(5:00pm GMT)
South Africa	BBC First	Wed 27 Dec 2016	8:00pm SAST	(6:00pm GMT)
United Kingdom	BBC Two	Fri 30 Dec 2016	2:30am GMT	(British Sign Language)

As well as television, The Return of Doctor Mysterio will also get big screen outings in Australia (26th December), New Zealand (26th December), Denmark (26th and 28th December), Canada (26th and 28th December), and the United States (27th and 29th December).

Various channels will celebrate the series during the next couple of weeks. BBC America kick off a mammoth repeat run dominating the channel from Tuesday 20th December, showing the majority of episodes since David Tennant took over the role in the lead up to the Christmas Special (and also including the premiere broadcast of The Power of the Daleks in colour on Christmas Day!). On Christmas Eve/Christmas Day, BBC Prime in Latin America will show the two series starring Peter Capaldi, whilst Prime in New Zealand repeat the most recent series. On Christmas Day, SPACE in Canada will show preceeding Christmas adventures. BBC HD in Poland doesn't have Mysterio scheduled for the immediate future, but will be running through the Doctor's regular adventures from Rose on the 23rd December through to the New Year.

Readers can always keep up with the ongoing adventures of the Doctor (and pals!) via This Week in Doctor Who.

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It's time for our traditional "Predict the Ratings" competition, and this year you will be in with a chance to win The Husbands of River Song on Blu-ray or DVD ... alongside the latest adventures of the twelfth Doctor when The Complete Ninth Series is released next year!

The aim is to guess the final consolidated viewing figure of The Husbands of River Song, as reported by BARB, to the nearest 10,000 viewers (i.e. two decimal places). This figure includes all those watching the episode within a week of broadcast via television, but does not include independent streaming devices.

Last year ratings on television were down across the board, with none of the Christmas Day shows managing to break the 10 million mark - Last Christmas ended up in sixth place with 8.28m viewers. In previous years, you can view the final ratings for The Christmas Invasion, The Runaway Bride, Voyage of the Damned, The Next Doctor, The End of Time part one, A Christmas Carol, The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe, The Snowmen and The Time of the Doctor via This Week in Doctor Who.

The show's best position occured in 2009 when The End Of Time (part one) arguably achieved the top spot with 12.05m viewers (11.57m on BBC One and 0.47m on BBC HD). However, it was the 2007 special, Voyage of the Damned that achieved the best rating in the decade of specials, reaching 13.31m viewers (but pipped at the post by Eastenders at 14.38m!).



To enter the competition, please send the following details to comp-ratings@doctorwhonews.net:

• Your name and preferred email address
• Your country of entry (full details will be requested only if you are the winner)
• Your guess at the final rating to the nearest 10,000 (eg.9.99m)
• Tie breaker: also send your guess as to what the final rating for the BBC3 repeat on Boxing Day might be - this figure will only be used in the event of a tie!

Terms and Conditions:

• The competition closes at 08:30 GMT, 26th December 2015.
• Only one entry will be accepted per person.
• The competition is open worldwide.
• BARB final figures are expected in early 2016; we will contact the winner once they have been published.
• The winner will be able to confirm the region and format of the boxed set they'd like nearer release date.

Odds on Who

At the time of writing, the (average) betting odds for the main channels are as follows:

Time       BBC One                                Odds    ITV                                Odds 
 3:00pm    The Queen                                                                         34/1
 3:10pm    Brave                                  69/1    Cameraman to the Queen               -
 4:10pm                                                   Countrywise Winter Wonderland     100/1
 4:35pm    BBC News and Weather                     -
 4:45pm    Stick Man                             100/1
 5:00pm                                                   For The Love Of Dogs              130/1
 5:15pm    Doctor Who                             28/1
 6:00pm                                                   ITV Evening News                     -
 6:15pm    Strictly Come Dancing                   9/1    You've Been Framed With Bells On  100/1
 6:45pm                                                   Emmerdale                         109/1
 7:30pm    Call The Midwife                       14/1 
 7:45pm                                                   Coronation Street                  77/2
 8:45pm    Eastenders                              9/2    Downton Abbey                       9/2
 9:45pm    Mrs Browns Boys                         7/10
10:45pm    Michael McIntyre's Big Christmas Show  62/1    Our Cilla                          91/1

Having been in the top spot three years running, Mrs Brown's Boys remains the favourite for this year. Eastenders, which topped the charts in 2010 and 2011, and the final episode of Downton Abbey are currently joint second, followed by Strictly Come Dancing and Doctor Who.

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As we enter the last few days before Christmas Day, the battle over which show will top the overnight ratings continue apace. Out of ten bookmakers currently offering odds on the winning programme, Doctor Who is currently fifth-placed at 11/1; Mrs Browns Boys is the favourite at the time of writing at 6/5, followed by Eastenders at 5/2, Miranda at 4/1 and The Queen's Speech at 6/1.

The full evening line-up for BBC1 and ITV show the following odds:

BBC1  5:00pm Strictly Come Dancing   35/1    ITV  5:20pm You've Been Framed                 100/1
BBC1  6:15pm Doctor Who              11/1    ITV  5:50pm Paul O'Grady For The Love Of Dogs  100/1
BBC1  7:15pm Miranda                  4/1    ITV  7:00pm Emmerdale                           96/1
BBC1  7:50pm Call The Midwife        19/1    ITV  8:00pm Coronation Street                   26/1
BBC1  9:00pm Eastenders               5/2    ITV  9:00pm Downton Abbey                       47/1
BBC1 10:05pm Mrs Browns Boys          6/5

The winning programme will be the one that achieves the highest BARB overnight rating.

Doctor Who News: Predict The Ratings Competition

The prizes for this competition have been updated.

Another tradition at Christmas is our "Predict the Ratings" competition, and we are once again proud to be running the competition in association with Big Finish Productions, who this year offer a year's free subscription to their main range of Doctor Who audio adventures, now approaching its 200th story! Also this year we have a prize for the runner up of a copy of Jago and Litefoot 5 signed by its stars, Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter, plus three additional signed scripts from recent productions. In addition we will also include a copy of Last Christmas when released on DVD or Blu-ray for the winners.

The aim is to guess the final consolidated viewing figure, as reported by BARB to the nearest 10,000 viewers (i.e. two decimal places). This figure includes all those watching the episode within a week of broadcast, but does not include those watching on iPlayer.

For comparison with previous years, you can view the final ratings for The Christmas Invasion, The Runaway Bride, Voyage of the Damned, The Next Doctor, The End of Time part one, A Christmas Carol, The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe, The Snowmen and The Time of the Doctor via This Week in Doctor Who.

To enter the competition, please send the following details to comp-ratings@doctorwhonews.net:

• Your name and preferred email address
• Your country of entry (full details will be requested only if you are the winner)
• Your guess at the final rating to the nearest 10,000 (eg. 15.31m)

Terms and Conditions:

• The competition closes at 6:15pm GMT, 25th December 2014.
• Only one entry will be accepted per person.
• The competition is open worldwide.
• BARB figures are expected around 10 days after transmission; we will contact the winner once they have been published.

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It's Christmas Day, and for most bookies bets are now closed on which show will make the top of the (overnight) charts today. Unlike previous years, the positions have hardly changed over the last fortnight or so, with Doctor Who remaining their fourth favourite to win overall at 21/1; Eastenders remains the firm favourite throughout with odds reaching 1/10, though Mrs Browns's Boys and Coronation Street have traded places, with the BBC comedy now second at 8/1 and the long-running ITV soap at 17/1.

The winning programme will be the one that achieves the highest BARB overnight rating.

                              Ladbrokes  Coral  William Hill  Betfair  BetVictor  StanJames  Bet365

BBC1 5:00 Strictly Come Dancing  33/1     50/1       25/1      123/1      22/1       20/1     25/1
ITV  5:15 Paul O'Grady          100/1    100/1      100/1         -      100/1         -        -
BBC1 6:15 Call The Midwife       33/1    100/1       50/1      199/1      40/1       50/1     50/1
ITV  6:15 Emmerdale             100/1    100/1      100/1         -       66/1         -     125/1
BBC1 7:30 Doctor Who             20/1     16/1       16/1       51/1      16/1       14/1     16/1
ITV  7:30 Coronation Street      20/1     16/1       14/1       31/1      10/1       14/1     14/1
BBC1 8:30 EastEnders              1/8      1/9        1/12       2/15      1/10       1/8      1/12
ITV  8:30 Downton Abbey          50/1     33/1       25/1       31/1      10/1       20/1     33/1
BBC1 9:30 Mrs Brown's Boys        7/1      8/1        8/1       57/5       7/1        8/1      8/1

Don't forget our Christmas "Guess the Consolidated BARB Rating" competition, which is open worldwide and continues until 7:30pm tonight in the United Kingdom.

Related Articles: Odds (12 Dec 2013); Odds in 2011 (10 Dec 2011); Odds update (16 Dec 2011)

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With less than a fortnight to go until Christmas Day, bets over which show will top the overnight ratings for the day are well under way, with Doctor Who currently placed as fourth most likely to be most popular at 11/1. EastEnders is the bookies' runaway favourite at present at 1/2, with Coronation Street at 5 3/4, closely followed by Mrs Brown's Boys at 5 4/5.

                                   Ladbrokes  Coral   William Hill   Betfair

BBC1  5:00 Strictly Come Dancing     14/1     25/1       16/1         69/5
ITV   5:15 Paul O'Grady             100/1    100/1      100/1           -
BBC1  6:15 Call The Midwife          33/1     20/1       20/1         35/1 
ITV   6:15 Emmerdale                100/1     66/1       33/1           -
BBC1  7:30 Doctor Who                16/1      8/1       10/1         10/1
ITV   7:30 Coronation Street          6/1      5/1        6/1         73/12
BBC1  8:30 EastEnders                 2/5      4/6        4/7         10/21
ITV   8:30 Downton Abbey             25/1      6/1       12/1         19/1
BBC1  9:30 Mrs Brown's Boys           6/1      6/1        5/1         69/11

The winning programme will be the one that achieves the highest BARB overnight rating.

Related Articles: Odds in 2011 (10 Dec 2011); Odds update (16 Dec 2011)

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We're now into the final hour before the live programme that will introduce the World to the new Doctor, following on from a day of intense speculation over who it might be. Peter Capaldi has remained the bookies' favourite, with odds at the time of writing hovering between 2/5 and 1/2 (at one point reaching 1/4) - however, the "runners up" have bounced about between the known suspects throughout the afternoon, with Daniel Rigby, Andrew Scott, Aneurin Barnard and Damien Molony sharing the top spots between them - plus 'newcomer' to the party today being Sam Troughton, a grandson of former Doctor Patrick Troughton.

As one might expect, a number of Internet sources have claimed to already know who it might be, with some taking advantage of the default landing page of the BBC's Doctor Who site to 'reveal' "Peter-Capaldi-is-the-Twelfth-Doctor" and the like - suffice it to say these are not legitimate links! Meanwhile, comic actor Chris O'Dowd continued to play to the rumours of his casting, tweeting: "Anyone know a good breakfast place in Cardiff? ... gonna be spending quite a bit of time here.". Supernatural's Misha Collins also continued his own 'campaign' when he followed up last night's comment with "Yesterday I said I had an announcement regarding the UK & phone booths. Well, the announcement is... (see photo)".

The person to play the Doctor is apparently ready and waiting (and well hidden) at Elstree, with photographer Rankin reporting that he'd taken the official photo for publicity tonight. Cloudbass Graphics reported on the studio itself: "Quiet in BBC Elstree Studio D gallery. Live graphics on Dr Who Live: The Next Doctor at 7 pm tonight on BBC1".

Meanwhile, outside the studios, the huge queue for tonight's programme has continued to grow, with fan Jacqui Connell tweeting "This is the scene outside as we wait to be let in!! Excitement mounting", with Kier Husband observing "a queue for Who at BBC Elstree" as it weaves around the street corner! Entertainment correspondent Lizo Mzimba was on hand to report on the event and some of the more colourful characters in the queue!

With the doors opening imminently, it won't be long until the next Doctor is unveiled ...

Update 6:30pm: photos from the studio, with thanks to Doctor Who Magazine on Twitter

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With less than twelve hours to go, the odds on who will portray the next Doctor have entered 'temporal grace', with nigh on all betting shops having closed their books on the actors over the last couple of days after it became clear that Peter Capaldi was clearly the favourite for the role. William Hill spokesman Joe Crilly reported:

There is no point putting the market back out because as far as we and our punters are concerned, Peter Capaldi has almost certainly bagged himself the Doctor Who gig, and we will already be paying out more than enough should that be the case.

As betting proceeded, a flurry of activity saw some new names gain popularity. The IT Crowd actor Chris O'Dowd became a focus of Internet discussion, causing the actor himself to tweet: "has anyone seen my scarf? #WinkWink". Billie Piper's cousin-in-law Freddie Fox became popular on Friday afternoon, with his odds dropping to 12/1 before bets were suspended. Eddie Redmayne was another new contender at 25/1. However, when asked about the possibility of him becoming the next Doctor tonight on this morning's Sunday Brunch, John Hannah seemed surprised, saying "Well, it will come as a surprise to me if I get named tonight!" Finally, Supernatural actor Misha Collins caused more heated debate on Saturday after he tweeted: "also, in totally unrelated news, i'll have a very exciting announcement tomorrow. Hint: it has something to do with the UK and phone booths." Whether such claims have any substance is debatable at present, but they certainly indicate the widespread interest and impact the casting of the Doctor has across the world!

A summary of odds was given on this morning's BBC Breakfast, with Capaldi at 6/4, followed by Daniel Rigby (9/2), Ben Daniels (4/1), Andrew Scott (10/1), Russell Tovey (10/1), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12/1), Idris Elba (12/1), Rory Kinnear (15/1), and Olivia Colman (20/1). Entertainment correspondent Liza Mzimba reported on how the interest in a new Doctor has changed over the years, with his main contenders being Capaldi, Harewood, Rigby and Ejiofor. Doctor Who Magazine editor Tom Spilsbury was also in the studio to chat about the atmosphere surrounding the impending announcement and the enduring popularity of the show.

Newsround explored younger viewers' expectations in Friday's edition of the children's news programme, with names suggested including Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint, James Bond actor Daniel Craig, footballer David Beckham, Blackadder Rowan Atkinson, and actrss Helena Bonham-Carter. CBBC presenter Chris Johnson said that his favourite for the role would be Idris Elba, though he felt it would more likely be an unknown actor. As for the favourite, he noted that though Capaldi had been in the show before, that hadn't stopped actors coming back again!

At the time of writing, Betfair have indicated all change on the popularity front. Though they continue to report Peter Capaldi as favourite at 10/12, Karen Gillan's We'll Take Manhattan co-star Aneurin Barnard has now jumped to second at 94/11, and they are followed by Rigby (119/10), Elba (161/10), Kinnear (31/1), Martin Freeman (47/1), Daniels (51/1), and Scott, Damian Moloney and John Hurt at 56/1.

Someone in the know is director James Hawes, who tweeted yesterday: "I have just found out who the new Doctor is... Didn't guess that!!" BBC News has reported that only ten people know the true identity of who it will be - for the rest of us all will be revealed tonight on Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor!

Media Thoughts: BBC News; Lizo's BBC News Report; Wales Online; Independent; Observer; Mirror; Telegraph; MTV; STV

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As this year's Christmas Special moves into production, speculation continues as to who will replace Matt Smith as the Doctor by the end of the festive adventure. This week saw a surge of interest in Peter Capaldi, with odds on the actor rapidly dropping to now make him the favourite to continue in the TARDIS.

Joe Crilly, a spokesman for betting company William Hill, said:

Peter Capaldi was not even in our list a few days ago but he has been the subject of a lot of betting interest recently and this gamble would suggest that if he does not have the part already, he is almost certainly on the shortlist.

Capaldi is best known as the acerbic Malcolm Tucker from The Thick Of It, though he has appeared in Doctor Who before as Roman merchant Lucius Caecilius in The Fires of Pompeii, and more prominently as the Home Office Permanent Secretary John Frobisher in Torchwood: Children of Earth.

The actor revealed he was a fan of the show back in 2008 when he spoke to SFX about his forthcoming appearance in Pompeii:

When I was a kid, being a huge fan, I wrote numerous letters to the Doctor Who office largely inquiring about how the show was made. I was thrilled to have delivered to me a large package from the BBC containing two full studio scripts for the Jon Pertwee serial The Mutants, which they were making at the time. The package also contained set designs and studio floor plans for these episodes and a delightful letter from Barry Letts giving me an idea what all this stuff was. It was a fantastic exciting insight into both Doctor Who and television production generally. I had never seen a script in any form whatsoever before then and was immediately fascinated by the documents. And of course Barry’s kindness was a trigger to my ambition to work somehow (I didn’t know how) in TV. The scripts are still sitting on my bookshelf downstairs.

In light of his sudden association with the role, the Radio Times has also found an archive letter from a 15-year old Peter Capaldi congratulating them on the 10th Anniversary Special!

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Odds had been temporarily suspended on 9th June, with betting company Coral informing Doctor Who News that "We've suspended betting on the next Doctor Who, following a rush of bets on Rory Kinnear in the last 24 hours.". This came about after Sunday newspapers such as the Telegraph had reported that the actor had been offered the role. Kinnear strongly denied this, saying:

I don’t know where it came from and how these things evolve - I haven’t been, and I am totally certain that I will not, be asked to be the next Doctor Who. If I was an actor who was really longing to play Doctor Who, then this would be torturous, but it’s a programme I’ve never watched, so I don’t even really know what it is.

Any likelihood of his casting seems to have been quashed this morning after the announcement of his lead role in ITV's Lucan, which films next month.

June also saw another favourite emerge with Capaldi's co-star in The Thick of It, Chris Addison, causing William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams to observe:

We have seen a good old fashioned gamble on Chris Addison today, with a number of three figure bets placed. Gambles such as these normally have some substance and I would think he is on the shortlist.

It is believed that the flurry of interest in the actor came about after singer Paloma Faith tweeted "A friend who works on Doctor Who says that Chris Addison is replacing Matt Smith - WOW". Acknowledging the interest in his potential as the Doctor, the comic actor appeared during the recording of the comedy news panel show Mock The Week in suitable attire (however this was not shown on its transmission on 13th June).

Another suggestion via the media has been Green Wing actor Julian Rhind-Tutt, which The Sun reported was on the shortlist after missing out on the role last time around to Matt Smith. The same article also suggests that Torchwood actor Burn Gorman (Owen Harper) is another contender for the role.

Luther star Idris Elba ruled himself out of the running, with the Radio Times reporting that when asked at the preview (20 June) he joked: "I’d look silly in a bow tie!". Meanwhile, on television David Harewood told Loose Women (ITV, 18 June): "It would be really difficult to turn down, it would be very exciting if the phone rang - but I doubt it!"

Former companion Bonnie Langford was asked on The Wright Stuff (C5, 28 June), if she thought the show would work with a female lead:

The thing about Doctor Who, the reason it's been successful is that it has no limits, and basically it's a story about good overcoming evil - and to be honest you could probably do anything with it. As long as it's written well - they've proved in this new series it is the writing and the production and the casting that makes it good - so to be honest as long as you write it with a certain sense of integrity and fun, I think it could survive anything.

John Barrowman commented at the recent San Diego Comic Con:

I think it's about time that we have a female Doctor, because the majority of the fans are girls, let's have a girl and see what happens - because if it doesn't work, the beauty of Doctor Who is that (they can use) regeneration and out you go!

However, Helen Mirren flatly denied that she would be the first female Doctor when asked on Daybreak (ITV, 3 July):

I'm not going to be the first female Doctor, absolutely not. I wouldn't contemplate that. But, I do think it's time to have a female Doctor - I think a gay, black, female Doctor Who would be the best of all!

Current Odds:

The Independent give odds on Capaldi as the Doctor at 2/1, followed by Ben Daniels (4/1), Rory Kinnear (6/1), Ben Whishaw (10/1), and David Harewood (10/1). Meanwhile, at the time of writing online betting site Unibet give odds for Capaldi at 3/1, Daniels (also 3/1), Kinnear (7/2), Harewood and Chiwetel Ejiofor (both 9/1), and Wishaw and Colin Salmon (both 11/1); Betfair offer Capaldi at 19/10, Colin Morgan (47/11), Daniels and Julian Rhind-Tutt (both 19/4), Kinnear (57/10), Chris Addison (113/17), and Wishaw, Russell Tovey, Tom Ellis, Bill Bailey, Anthony Head and Idris Elba (all at 94/11).

Related Articles: Odds on Who (8 Jun 2013)

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Over the course of this week everybody has had an opinion over who should be the next Doctor, it seems! Debates about whether the next owner of the TARDIS should be played by a woman popped up in several newspapers on Monday, picked up by shows like Lorraine (ITV) and The Wright Stuff (Channel 5). The Daily Star ran a front page item on Paris Jackson (daughter of the late singer Michael) being in the running on Wednesday, and Thursday saw more comment on Russell Howard's Good News (BBC3) and 10 O'Clock Live (Channel 4) - with the latter offering up David Mitchell himself. The ongoing speculation even led to politics show This Week running a Doctor Who-themed introduction. As reported yesterday, star Jenna-Louise Coleman has been inundated by questions as to who it might be, but she replied that "it's going to be a long, long search."

Meanwhile, bookmakers have consistently presented the favourite for the role to be Ben Daniels all week, with the actor's odds hovering around the 2-1 mark (though dropped to evens mid-week). However, a surprise newcomer appeared from Wednesday in the form of Skins and The Thick of It actor Chris Addison (which may have been due to this tweet from Paloma Faith), who has since then remained second favourite at 3-1. The other favourites tend to differ between bookmakers, with David Harwood 7-2 from Ladbrokes, Richard Armitage 37-13 from Betfair, and Chiwetel Ejiofor 10-1 from Coral, 13-1 from Paddy Power, and 16-1 from SkyBet. Of the other favourites reported at the beginning of the week, both Russell Tovey and Rory Kinnear had slipped to a 16-1 average.

For a feminine incarnation, Billie Piper and Jennifer Saunders averaged 25-1, with Sue Perkins (subject of a publicised campaign over the last couple of months) at 33-1, Olivia Coleman between 20-1 (Paddy Power) and 50-1 (Ladbrokes), Helen Mirren between 25-1 (Ladbrokes) and 80-1 (Coral), and Miranda Hart between 33-1 (Paddy Power) and 80-1 (Coral). Odds on a female twelfth Doctor hovers at 7-1 with Paddy Power and Coral), and 5-1 from William Hill (the male odds given by the first two are 1-20 and 1-16 respectively!).

Other names with favourable odds include: Damien Moloney (Being Human) at 14-1, Alexander Vlahos (Merlin) at 16-1, Andrew Scott (Sherlock) at 16-1, Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) at 16-1/20-1, Daniel Rigby (Eric and Ernie) at 20-1, and James Frain (True Blood) also at 20-1.

Related Articles: Odds On Who: Day One (3 Jun 2013)

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As expected, bookmakers have begun the process of offering odds on who will take on the role of the Doctor after Matt Smith hangs up his bow-tie at Christmas.

Early Sunday morning forecasts from William Hill placed the former Midshipman Frame Russell Tovey and Harry Potter star Rupert Grint as initial favourites at 10-1, with Hobbit and Sherlock star Martin Freeman next at 12-1. As one might expect the usual suspects were also present, with stars such as David Morrissey at 16-1, Paterson Joseph at 20-1, plus Alan Davies and James Nesbitt at 25-1. The favourite female contender was Billie Piper at 16-1, followed by Tilda Swinton at 20-1, and both 2013 BAFTA multi-award winner Olivia Colman and Jonathan Creek co-star (and audio 8th Doctor companion) Sheridan Smith at 25-1. More eccentric choices included footballer David Beckham, reality talent producer Simon Cowell and actor Tom Cruise at 250-1, plus footballer John Terry at 500-1.

Meanwhile Sky-Bet offered up a similar selection. Their top names included Damien Molony at 8-1, David Harewood, James Frain and Russell Tovey at 10-1, and others such as Rupert Grint, Olivia Coleman and Merlin star Colin Morgan at 20-1, Miranda Hart at 40-1, Patterson Joseph at 50-1, plus the return of David Tennant at 33-1! Also to be found on their list was Sherlock aka Benedict Cumberbatch at 40-1.

By Sunday evening, however, there was a clear leader in the form of Law & Order UK star Ben Daniels, appearing as favourite for Sky-Bet, Paddy Power, and Coral at 6-1, and with Betfair at 37-19. Other popular names included Chiwetel Ejiofor (Sky-Bet/Coral/Paddy-Power at 8-1), Russell Tovey (Coral at 8-1, Paddy-Power at 9-1, Sky-Bet/Betfair/William Hill's favourite at 10-1), and Skyfall's Rory Kinnear (Betfair at 41/9, Sky-Bet at 9-1, Paddy-Power at 11-1, Coral/William Hill at 12-1).

For a female acquisition of the TARDIS, William Hill offered 8-1 on this likelihood, with individual favourites being Billie Piper (William Hill, 16-1), Olivia Colman (Coral, 14-1, Paddy-Power, 20-1), Helen Mirren (Betfair, 27-1), and Miranda Hart (Sky-Bet, 50-1).

Whether additional contenders will challenge the current favourites remains to be seen as the week progresses.

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This week has seen Doctor Who become the favourite with bookies for being the Top Show on Christmas Day, as speculation continues over the impact of Downton Abbey and Eastenders going head-to-head later in the evening...

                                           William Hill   Betfair   Oddsbet    SkyBet    Bet365
comb  3:00 The Queens Speech                 100/1                   100/1       80/1     100/1
ITV1  6:00 Emmerdale                          80/1                   100/1       66/1     100/1
BBC1  6:30 The Gruffalo's Child               14/1          16/1      16/1       12/1      16/1
BBC1  7:00 Doctor Who                          5/4           5/4       7/4        6/4       5/4
ITV1  7:00 All Stars Family Fortunes         100/1                   150/1      100/1     150/1
BBC1  8:00 Strictly Come Dancing              20/1                    16/1       25/1      16/1
ITV1  8:00 Coronation Street                  16/1          55/1      20/1       16/1      20/1
BBC1  9:00 Eastenders                          5/4          13/5       5/4        7/4       5/4
ITV1  9:00 Downton Abbey                       5/1          27/5       5/1        4/1       5/1
BBC1 10:00 Absolutely Fabulous                25/1                    25/1       33/1      25/1

The winning programme will be the one that achieves the highest BARB overnight rating.

Related Articles: Odds on a Who Christmas 2011 (10 Dec 2011)

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Christmas has always been a traditional time for betting companies, with the odds of snow on Christmas Day a perennial favourite, the Christmas Number One (the X-Factor winner again? never!), and of course which programme will be most popular on television for the turkey-fuelled captive audience!

Doctor Who has been a feature of the Christmas line-up for the last six years and has always performed well: The Christmas Invasion (2005, 9.84m, 2nd); The Runaway Bride (2006, 9.35m, 5th); Voyage of the Damned (2007, 13.31m, 2nd); The Next Doctor (2008, 13.1m, 2nd); The End of Time (pt 1) (2009, 11.57m, 3rd) [arguably, it actually won the ratings battle with a combined BBC1/BBCHD audience of 12.04m, but this doesn't count for the bookies!]; and A Christmas Carol (2010, 12.11m, 3rd).

But what are the odds for this year ...

The Top Television Show for Christmas Day

With all the recent debate over what constitutes real ratings with current television viewing patterns, the bookies are stating that their payouts are based on the BARB overnight viewing figures and not the consolidated ones that come out in the new year.

As can be seen below, at this stage the top five shows are pretty much the same throughout, with just the likelihood of which will win out of Doctor Who, Eastenders, Downton Abbey, Coronation Street and The Gruffalo's Child.

                                           William Hill   Betfair   Oddsbet
comb  3:00 The Queens Speech                 100/1                   100/1
ITV1  6:00 Emmerdale                          66/1                   100/1
BBC1  6:30 The Gruffalo's Child               16/1          12/1      20/1
BBC1  7:00 Doctor Who                         11/8           2/1       7/4
ITV1  7:00 All Stars Family Fortunes          80/1                   150/1
BBC1  8:00 Strictly Come Dancing              25/1                    28/1
ITV1  8:00 Coronation Street                  25/1          12/1      20/1
BBC1  9:00 Eastenders                         evens         11/5      11/10
ITV1  9:00 Downton Abbey                       9/2          11/2      11/4
BBC1 10:00 Absolutely Fabulous                25/1                    25/1

OLBG have also provided a Top Christmas Day TV page which indicates the best odds given for a particular programme, and also what their tipsters think is most likely.

Related Articles: Odds on a Who Christmas (18 Dec 2010)

The Top DVD at Christmas

Paddy Power have provided odds on which DVD is likely to be the best seller for Christmas week, which sees Doctor Who: The Complete Series Six at joint second favourite alongside Cars 2 at 7/2. The current favourite for Christmas is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part two).

Competition Time!

Doctor Who News is pleased to once again invite our readers to guess the final consolidated rating for Doctor Who this Christmas - visit our Competitions Page for full details!

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Since the announcement by director David Yates on the development of a movie version of Doctor Who, the casting of an actor for the role has attracted speculation through the media.

The Radio Times suggests a variety of potential Doctors, ranging from young popstar Justin Bieber through to another sci-fi stalwart William Shatner! Other names include Hugh Laurie, Colin Firth, Ricky Gervais, Lady Gaga and Morgan Freeman.

IGN ran a poll in which some 7000 readers voted Hugh Laurie as their favourite choice, with the runners up being Gary Oldman, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy and Ewan McGregor. Entertainment Editor Chris Tilly said: "As one of the UK's most celebrated TV characters of all-time, fans are thrilled about the prospect of a 'Doctor Who' movie, with talk immediately turning to who should play the lead role. And with his combination of wit, intelligence, charm and eccentricity, Hugh Laurie was the runaway winner of our poll, with fans believing the Brit to be the perfect man to play the Time Lord on the big screen."

Betting firm William Hill have placed David Morrissey as their favourite - in the lead-up to 2008's The Next Doctor the actor was the firm favourite to take over from David Tennant as the eleventh Doctor; another contender for the role as the announcement of who would replace Tennant in early 2009 was Chiwetel Ejiofor who is currently William Hill's second favourite.

IndieWire also offers up Chiwetel Ejiofor as a potential big-screen Doctor, with other suggestions including Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch, Toby Kebbell, Tom Hardy and Andrew Garfield.

Movie odds aren't a new thing, of course; back in 2010 Paddy Power were offering 2/1 on Pirates of the Caribbean actor Johnny Depp as becoming a movie Doctor!

Related Articles: Doctor Who film in the works? (14 Nov 2011)

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Last month we listed odds on shows broadcasting over Christmas Day from betting company Paddy Power; with one week to go before the festive programmes go head-to-head once more for the largest audience of the day, here's a sample of the odds you can find online as of tonight:

 
                                      Paddy Power    Ladbrokes      William Hill    Odds Bet
                                       On the Day   For the Week    For the Week   On the Day
BBC1  2:00  Top of the Pops             100/1         100/1            66/1            -
comb  3:00  The Queen                    33/1            -             20/1          33/1
BBC1  4:30  The Gruffalo                   -             -               -          100/1
BBC1  5:00  The One Ronnie               50/1          50/1            50/1         125/1
BBC1  6:00  Doctor Who                    9/2           9/4             4/1           5/1
ITV1  6:00  Emmerdale                    16/1          33/1            25/1         125/1
BBC1  7:00  Strictly Come Dancing        50/1            -               -          125/1
BBC2  7:00  Top Gear                     33/1          33/1            25/1            -
ITV1  7:00  Coronation Street             7/1           7/1             3/1          25/1
BBC1  8:00  Eastenders                    4/9           2/5             1/2           1/2
ITV1  8:00  All Star Family Fortunes       -             -            100/1         150/1
BBC1  9:00  The Royle Family              4/1           4/1             7/2           7/2
ITV1  9:00  Poirot                         -             -               -          150/1
BBC1 10:00  Come Fly With Me             10/1          20/1            16/1          28/1
BBC1 10:30  BBC News                     33/1           -                -             -

Other programmes are also under consideration for the Christmas week, which include Upstairs, Downstairs, The Nativity, Harry Hill's Christmas TV Burp, and Rock and Chips.

It is quite clear from the charts that the top four programmes for Christmas Day are consistently Doctor Who, Coronation Street, The Royle Family and Eastenders, with the latter ranked highest by all companies! All four performed well last year; though the Doctor Who top spot was 'muddied' by BBC1/BBCHD rating considerations, this year the results should be clear ...

... tell everyone you know to watch A Christmas Carol!

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Betting company Paddy Power have collated odds on which television programme will top the Christmas Day ratings this year; as of today Doctor Who is currently believed to be the fourth most likely show to claim the coveted spot.

Paddy Power Odds (30 Nov)
2/5   Eastenders
5/1   The Royle Family
      Coronation Street
8/1   Doctor Who
12/1  Emmerdale
      Upstairs Downstairs
14/1  Queen's Speech
      Top Gear
16/1  Strictly Come Dancing
20/1  The One Ronnie
25/1  Come Fly With Me
      BBC News
33/1  Rock and Chips
      Harry Hill's TV Burp
40/1  Top of the Pops
50/1  The Nativity

Last year saw similar expectations for the shows vying for the top; however the final result was controversial in terms of the ratings, as the launch of BBCHD gave viewers a choice of channel to watch the show on - thus Doctor Who was the most watched programme overall on television that day, but third in individual channel ratings (see our chart for details).

Not so much a problem in previous years, with clear-cut ratings breakdowns showing:

2005: Eastenders, 10.60m(1)
      The Christmas Invasion, 9.84m(2)
2006: The Vicar of Dibley, 12.39m(1)
      Eastenders, 9.40m/11.56m(3/2)
      The Runaway Bride, 9.35m(4)
2007: Eastenders, 14.38m(1)
      Voyage of the Damned 13.31m(2)
2008: Wallace and Gromit, 16.15m(1)
      The Next Doctor, 13.10m(2)

 

How will Doctor Who fare this year? The HD division should not be an issue this year (BBC1 and BBC1HD are considered to be the same channel, and not separate like the BBCHD channel), but the traditional competition is on hand to give us a good fight for the top spot on the day!

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Every year there is speculation on which show will top the British TV ratings on Christmas Day. Fans and media commentators also speculate how well Doctor Who will fare against other festive programmes.

This year, the odds given by online betting company Skybet place Doctor Who as coming in second place at 6/4, with the top spot expected to be Eastenders with its usual 'explosive' Christmas storyline, at 4/6. Third place is given to the other perennial soap Coronation Street, at 12/1.

Most popular programme of the year (so far!) has been the ITV juggernaut The X-Factor, which saw a peak of some 19m+ viewers tune in to the final last weekend. In terms of average ratings for the entire programme, the final Britain's Got Talent, also on ITV1, in May, is currently the top-rated show of 2009.

Doctor Who's success on Christmas Day for previous years:
2005: The Christmas Invasion, 9.84m(2); Eastenders, 10.60m(1)
2006: The Runaway Bride, 9.35m(4); Eastenders, 9.40m/11.56m(3/2); The Vicar of Dibley, 12.39m(1)
2007: Voyage of the Damned, 13.31m(2); Eastenders, 14.38m(1)
2008: The Next Doctor, 13.10m(2); Wallace and Gromit, 16.15m(1)

Tune in for The End of Time part one on Christmas Day, BBC1/HD, 6:00pm!

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The announcement yesterday of this afternoon's Doctor Who Confidential: The 11th Doctor brings to an end some nine weeks of speculation in the media as to who the next Doctor will be! Throughout those weeks a large number of names have been bandied about, not least in the last month leading up to the broadcast of The Next Doctor on Christmas Day.

Ever since Tom Baker first mentioned the possibility of a woman as his successor, it has arisen whenever casting has been the subject of media attention. In December the debate opened further as UKRC, a group consisting of women working in science, engineering and technology, put forward their view on why the Doctor should be played by a woman. "There is a distinct lack of role models of female scientists in the media and recent research shows that this contributes to the under-representation of women in the field. The UKRC believes that making a high-profile sci-fi character with a following like Doctor Who female would help to raise the profile of women in science and bring the issue of the important contribution women can and should make to science in the public domain." Suggestions from the group included Sandi Toksvig, Alex Kingston, Helen Mirren, Jenny Eclair and Bond girl Olga Kurylenko. (Covered by Telegraph, CBC,Escapist Magazine)

Head writer Russell T Davies threw his own suggestions into the frame at the press screening of The Next Doctor, mentioning actresses Catherine Zeta Jones and Lesley Sharp. (Press Association, Guardian,Telegraph, Western Mail) The Sun suggested Catherine Tate or Meera Syal, and reported an insider as saying:"The BBC really wants to shake things up. There is no reason storyline wise why the Doctor cannot be a woman and from any ethnic background.The Doctor has morphed before and will do so again. To keep the edge they need to change and update the show otherwise there is a danger it will look tired."

Writer Mark Smith, however, was not so convinced: "The problem is every time there's been a change of Doctor since, the idea of a woman has been mooted - even though it is a terrible idea. I mean, why would you bother? Russell T Davies has had success with the Doctor Who revival over the last four years because he understands the concept and has not tinkered with the basics: the character of the Doctor, his relationship with his companion, the Tardis and the baddies. I suspect Russell is just being a little naughty; he remembered Tom Baker's joke and thought it would be a good idea to do it again. We Doctor Who fans do take it all terribly seriously, so he probably could not resist being a bit mischievous."
(Herald)

However, the official BBC press release isn't giving anything away: "... the new Doctor will be giving his or her initial reaction to being the new, 11th incarnation of one of television's most loved characters."

In the lead-up to The Next Doctor, interest inevitably turned to David Morrissey, though he refused to be drawn in the many interviews he undertook in the show publicity. However, since broadcast of the episode the odds on the actor have, unsurprisingly, tailed off.

Meanwhile Paterson Joseph has remained one of the favourites to be the next Doctor since his name was first cited by the BBC's entertainment correspondant Lizo Mzimba back in October, and maintained the top spot throughout December. Rumours were also fuelled by fellow Survivors actor Phillip Rhys making a sly comment during an interview on E24: "Paterson, who is the next ... possibly Doctor Who ...". The actor himself has remained tight-lipped on his possible succession to David Tennant.

The Sun reported on fans of the comic Bill Bailey signing an online petition for the BBC to consider him for the role.

The Daily Record reported an exclusive comment by actor Robert Carlyle about playing the role: "This has followed me for two years. But no one has ever approached me about it and I never wanted to talk about it because you can't talk about another actor's part. I would treat it with respect and regard it properly, but I would have to be approached about it first."

Next up, comedian David Walliams entered the frame, with the Telegraph reporting: "The Little Britain comedian apparently sparked the betting frenzy after admitting he would accept the role if it was offered." The paper reported the odds on the actor dropping to 8-1. However, the actor seemed surprised at the news when questioned about it on ITV1's daytime chat show Loose Women.

Just after Christmas, the Star reported that chatshow host Jonathan Ross was touting his friend Russell Brand for the role on his blog: "He could go back in time and steal Manuel's ansaphone. His companion would have to be a strong woman. Helen Mirren or Germaine Greer or Maggie Smith."

Bringing us up to date, last night saw the odds on who would be the next Doctor fluctuate as further names came into the fray. Online betting companybetfair dropped the odds on actor Ben Whishaw dramatically, closely followed byJack Davenport and Aiden Gillen.

The Mail is backing the favourite, Paterson Joseph, though suggests that former companion Billie Piper is possible. The Sun doesn't think a woman is likely though, citing the ubiquitous insider: "It was thought it might be a bit tricky trying to explain the sex change bit to the kids so the idea has been parked."

The Guardian agrees: "It is understood that those hoping for the first female doctor will be disappointed. Doctor Who's new executive producers, Coupling creator Steven Moffat and BBC Wales head of drama Piers Wenger, are said to have stuck with tradition and cast a man in the role. However, Moffat and Wenger are thought to have steered away from the more obvious names that have been linked to the role."

BBC Breakfast covered the news, with guests Lizo Mzimba and Moray Laing refusing to speculate on air! A filmed report by Mzimba reiterated possibilitiesCatherine Zeta Jones, Russell Tovey, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Paterson Joseph and a new name to the list, Matt Smith. BBC News has also provided a list of possible contenders for the role. And finally, former Doctor Sylvester McCoy spoke on the BBC News channel, saying that he would like to see comedian Billy Connolly playing the role.

All will be revealed tonight, BBC1, 5.35pm!

ODDS FROM BETFAIR, MIDDAY 3RD JANUARY
Paterson Joseph - 31/10
Chiwetel Ejiofor - 22/5
James Nesbitt - 37/5
David Morrissey - 20/1
Billie Piper - 21/1
Aidan Gillen, Sean Pertwee - 24/1
Jack Davenport - 25/1
Ben Wishaw, Rhys Ifans, Robert Carlyle - 29/1
Colin Salmon - 43/1
Russell Tovey - 47/1
Alan Davies, Jennifer Saunders - 49/1
Richard E Grant - 54/1
John Simm - 59/1
Catherine Tate - 64/1
Richard Coyle - 79/1
Paul McGann, Jason Statham, Rowan Atkinson, Daniel Radcliffe, Stephen Fry - 99/1

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The last week or so has seen odds on Paterson Joseph fall dramatically, with many bookmakers no longer accepting bets on the actor! As of today, Betfair are only offering 7/17! Both Den of Geek and Comic Book Resources suspect that he will soon be named. As reported earlier, the actor won't be drawn on his prospects, telling BBC News: "I'm afraid I can't make any comment on it. I'm not a gambler. And I don't approve of gambling unless it's for the Grand National."

Earlier in the month Colin Salmon (seen as Dr Moon in The Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead) was also being considered by the media;Wiredsuggested that he would be announced on Children in Need, though in the end the only comment on potential casting was made by presenter Terry Wogan on David Morrissey's appearance in the Christmas Special preview. (Further Colin Salmon coverage from Now Magazine, What's on TV, Flick Filosopher and One India).

Michael Deacon from the Telegraph wasn't too keen on Paterson Joseph or David Morrissey as the Doctor, citing Rhys Ifans as his favourite for the role: "He can do funny. He can do charisma. He has a sense of danger about him. He looks good enough to appeal to kids and mums, and he's a serious enough actor to appeal to longstanding Whovians."

The Mirror reports on Spooks actor Rupert Penry-Jones, explaining why the role doesn't appeal: "I haven't been asked to take over in Doctor Who. I took over from someone in Spooks, and I was never quite comfortable with that... so I wouldn't like to take over something else. I'd like to stick with original things."

The Stage is running an occasional look at who could take on the role of the Doctor, and have so far covered Serenity and Inside Man actor Chiwetal Ejiofor,and Benedict Cumberbatch, seen recently playing Stephen Hawking in BBC's Hawking and Stephen Ezard in The Last Enemy. Writer Liz Thomas also considers women in the role.

The Coventry Telegraph has offered up two more choices for the Doctor, picked up from the Birmingham Memorabilia that took place last weekend.Warwick Davis (most recently seen as Professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter films) mentioned that he was interested in the role: "I had a great idea: Doctor Who is going to change, regenerate, but something goes a bit wrong. For just a couple of episodes it would be me as the Doctor, they go in the Tardis and inside it's not vast, it's tiny and they all bang their heads!" Meanwhile, former Davros performer Terry Molloy has a different suggestion: "My idea of the new Doctor is Liz Smith, who plays the grandmother ('Nana') in the comedy The Royle Family. I think we ought to have a really old, crabby woman. She'd be great. Like William Hartnell but female. She'd soon send the Daleks packing."

Other names bandied about in the media include James Frain (Herts and Essex Observer), Robert Pattinson (Chicago Tribune), Dexter Fletcher(Times), and Big Brother winner Pete Bennett (Daily Star). Further articles on casting from Digital Spy, RTD comments from Evening Post, John Simm doesn't want to be the Doctor from The Times, and no decision to be made until next year from tv.com.

ODDS ON WHO MIGHT BE THE NEXT DOCTOR, FROM BETFAIR (26th Nov 2008):
7/17 Patterson Joseph
9/1 Robert Carlyle
19/2 David Morrisey
21/2 Rhys Ifans
11/1 Anthony Head
15/1 Chiwetel Ejiofor, James Nesbitt
24/1 Colin Salmon
29/1 Sean Pertwee, Russell Tovey
31/1 Richard Coyle, Richard E Grant
39/1 Jennifer Saunders, Catherine Tate, John Simm
49/1 Billie Piper
59/1 Alan Davies, Jack Davenport, Stephen Fry
64/1 James Mcavoy
99/1 Aidan Gillen, Paul McGann, Ben Wishaw, Bill Nighy, Harry Lloyd, Jason Statham, John Barrowman, Dexter Fletcher, Julian Walsh, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Broadbent, Tom Ellis, Nigel Harman, Daniel Radcliffe

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