Well, not “news”. Sorry to get your hopes up. But there wasn’t a film called “Broadcast Speculation” so it didn’t really work as a punning headline.

Anyway. The cover of the next issue of Doctor Who And The Monthly Celebratory Funtime Pamphlet has hit the internets, and despite the lack of solicitation copy (so far), with Smith and Gillan on the cover, noted Flatmate Of The Site Julian Hazeldine (who is, unlike myself, the sort of person who thinks about this sort of thing) has speculated that this could be the “first few eps preview” edition. Even though it wasn’t touted as such in last issue’s “next issue” box.

Indeed, the absence of such touting had led to pessimism on the Hazeldine-o-Meter that Series Fnarg wouldn’t get underway until early April; because it’s The Law that episodes have to be previewed by DWM, and if they’re not previewed in the issue hitting stands in early March, it’d have to be the one hitting stands in early April instead. So we were expecting that Easter Weekend would be at best the first time we’d see Matt Smith roll out of the TARDIS doors. However, if this is the preview issue, then that all changes – but given that nothing was mentioned in issue 418, one can’t help but wonder if there’s been a late change of heart, with the start date brought forward from whatever was originally planned. It certainly seems to be the established form in Who-land to keep everyone guessing about the transmission date until pretty darned close to the fact.

Obviously it’ll be much easier to get a handle on this once the actual solicitation copy for the issue is released – but for the moment, we could even be looking at seeing “The Eleventh Hour” within six weeks from now. Excited yet?