K9 RETURNS TO THE SJA IN 2009

"We've already got 10 scripts at first draft stage, and I can now announce that K9 is going to make a return to Sarah Jane's attic! He's been locked away in that safe, saving the world from a Black Hole, for far too long now. And he's so loved, especially by children, that we wanted him back. Many thanks to his co-creator, Bob Baker, and the estate of the late Dave Martin, for allowing this to happen."
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She continues, "K9 won't be in every single episode - right now, we estimate he'll appear in approximately six of the 12 episodes. And I can promise that the fun is only just beginning - just wait 'til he gets to meet Mr. Smith properly!"+
The production team are supposedly awaiting to hear from Nicholas Courtney with the intention of his Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart character returning. Also slated for guest spots, but still unconfirmed, are Yasmin Paige, Joseph Millson and Juliet Cowan - aka the Jackson family, in a storyline that wraps up their current character arcs, possibly at the wedding of Chrissie Jackson to current bit on the side Ivan...
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(That news comes direct from a trusted source, and not DWM)+
Doctor Who Magazine issue 405 also reveals news on the Gareth Roberts/Russell T Davies scribed Doctor Who easter special, "Planet of the Dead" which guest stars Michelle Ryan (of The Bionic Woman, Jekyll and Merlin fame) and comedian Lee Evans. The episode marks the first time that Doctor Who will have been filmed in High-Definition.
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There's also a neat article on why the general public never seem to remember the many invasion attempts made by alien menaces over the years (including a look back at many classic era Sarah Jane stories, featuring Zygons, Dinosaurs and Loch Ness Monsters!).+
Part time producer Susie Liggat also talks exclusively to Dan Berry about her Doctor Who experiences - but us Smithies will also remember her involvement with the "Invasion of the Bane" pilot episode that helped to launch the SJA back in 2007. Sadly Liggat doesn't discuss the SJA in her interview, which also covers Russell T Davies' 2005 Casanova remount.
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This month's The Fact of Fiction feature investigates 1975's "Planet of Evil", starring Elisabeth Sladen and Tom Baker - in an adventure recently released onto DVD.+
And finally, Dave Owen reviews the entire second series in a page, calling the Brigadier's return a triumph, and the arrival of the Chandra family as something that needs "a bit of work" in order to perfect the formula.
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DWM issue 405 is out tomorrow priced a very reasonable £3.99.+
Apparerently there's somebody called Matt Smith on the cover, and interviewed inside...