New Doctor Who TV series

Doctor Who is coming back to BBC One in 2005. It will be a new live-action series, written by Russell T Davies.

Late last night we received the following surprise official statement from BBC Publicity:

Lorraine Heggessey, Controller of BBC One, has confirmed that all rights issues regarding Doctor Who have been resolved and has green-lit scripts from writer Russell T Davies.

The statement notes that it is far too early in the day to discuss possible storylines, characters, villains or who might play the Doctor. It also states that it is unlikely anything will be on screen for at least two years.

It will be a family show, but no details are available on when it will be scheduled.

Doctor Who will be produced by BBC Wales in conjunction with Mal Young, Controller of BBC Continuing Series. The executive producers will be Mal Young, Russell T. Davies and Julie Gardner, Head of Drama BBC Wales. Russell T. Davies's writing credits include Bob and Rose, Queer as Folk, The Second Coming, Touching Evil (with Paul Abbott) and The Grand.

Mal Young says: "Doctor Who is a much-loved, truly iconic piece of television history. It's time to crank up the TARDIS and find out what lies in store for the Doctor. We're thrilled to have a writer of Russell's calibre to take us on this journey. However, we're at the very early stages of development and further details, including casting, will not be available for some time."

Award-winning writer Russell T. Davies says: "I grew up watching Doctor Who, hiding behind the sofa like so many others. Doctor Who is one of the BBC's most exciting and original characters. He's had a good rest and now it's time to bring him back!

"The new series will be fun, exciting, contemporary and scary. Although I'm only in the early stages of development, I'm aiming to write a full-blooded drama which embraces the Doctor Who heritage, at the same time as introducing the character to a modern audience."

A report in the Telegraph mentions that six episodes have been commissioned, but there is no information on this in the BBC statement.

A BBCi animated series starring Richard E Grant as the Doctor launches to celebrate the show's 40th anniversary. His adventures will keep you entertained while you're waiting for the new TV series to arrive.

We hope to have more news on this story later today.

PS: Please do not email us about this fabulous news. We've told you all we know. We've set up a special "It's coming back!" messageboard. It's a place for speculation, gossip, and lengthy demands for the return of your favourite actor/monster/intricate piece of continuity.