Doctor Who: rumours, gossip and assorted piffle

Take everything below with a fistful of salt, but rumours have started to circle about Doctor Who's Christmas special and sixth series. Who knows, some of this might even be true, or a lucky guess...

The 2010 festive episode is written by Steven Moffat (confirmed), the cast will apparently include one famous Hollywood actor with a familiar face from EastEnders, and "The Silence" threat will be mentioned and its voice heard again. No facts are known about what the special concerns, although some people believe series 5's coda (mentioning an Egyptian goddess loose on the Orient Express, in space) was a sly tease. But that doesn't feel very "Christmassy" to me, and Matt Smith has already said the special is incredibly festive. Another rumour had the action taking place in the 1500s on Christmas Day, which sounds more likely.

There's also a bizarre rumour that the Christmas special's plot will be a loose remake of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, with three incarnations of The Doctor representing the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann and David Tennant are names being bandied about to guest-star, but I can't see it happening. It's too early for Tennant to reprise his role, and I'm sure he's too busy this year.

Series 6 gossip includes Rory being given a larger role, perhaps meaning The Doctor will have two companions aboard the TARDIS all year, which I'd be happy with. The Doctor's attire will be amended, primarily to make it warmer for Matt Smith while filming in the colder months. Amy will also reveal a big secret, apparently, and the next time we meet River Song it will be the first time SHE has met The Doctor in her timeline. If true, he'll be wearing a suit (as she mentioned in "The Silence In The Library"), right? His wedding day suit from the series 5 finale, perhaps?

Guest writers supposedly lined up for next year are Neil Gaiman (confirmed, most likely episode 3), Paul Cornell (although he's denied this on Twitter), Tom MacRae ("Rise Of The Cybermen"), Phil Ford (doing the year's mid-series two-parter), and Rob Shearman ("Dalek"). I personally think all of that's just fan speculation, but it would be nice to see Cornell and Shearman back.