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The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ today releases the first image of the animated Doctor as he will appear in the new animation, Dreamland, which is due for broadcast later this year.

The six-part series will be premièred via the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Red Button on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ One and the Doctor Who website (bbc.co.uk/doctorwho).

The 45-minute long animation will be broadcast in its entirety on C³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Two this autumn and also on the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ HD channel.

Written by Phil Ford (Doctor Who, Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures) Dreamland will see the Doctor – played by David Tennant – arrive at the infamous alien hot spot, Roswell.

During a visit to a local diner he stumbles upon a mysterious alien artefact that leads him on a mission to rescue Rivesh Mantilax from the threat of the Viperox and the clutches of the American military.

Joining David Tennant will be Georgia Moffett (Doctor Who, Spooks) in the role of Cassie Rice – the Doctor's new animated companion.

David Warner (Wallander, Hogfather) also stars as the leader of the ruthless Viperox.

In the run-up to the animation, fans will be able to visit the Doctor Who website (bbc.co.uk/doctorwho) to follow a behind-the-scenes production blog on the making of Dreamland, giving the opportunity to follow the progress of the animation as it develops.

Dreamland was commissioned by ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Drama Multiplatform and will be produced for the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ by Brighton-based animation company Littleloud.

It is being executive produced by Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and Piers Wenger, with Gary Russell as director.

Russell T Davies said: "Dreamland is a remarkable project and I'm thrilled with it. Phil Ford is a wonderful writer and promises to send the Doctor into a whole new visual dimension."

Rosie Allimonos, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Drama Multiplatform Commissioner, said: "I‘m extremely excited about Dreamland. It presents an amazing opportunity to expand the multiplatform storytelling potential of Doctor Who.

"To offer the ability to watch this brand new Doctor Who animation on so many different ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ platforms is a real treat for our audience."

Richard Deverell, Controller, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Children's, said: "This is a wonderful addition to the already fantastic portfolio of C³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ programming. Having talent like Russell T Davies and Phil Ford at the helm of this project will no doubt ensure it captures the imagination of C³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ viewers."

Award-winning channel C³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ also further reinforced its commitment to British animation as it announced that online portal Cartoon Works is expanding to become a new destination to première short-form content from the UK animation industry.

C³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ has also commissioned brand new animation Muddle Earth, based on the much-loved children's books by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, and Shaun The Sheep returns to screens this autumn in a series of new exploits.

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Red Button has provided interactive services on digital TV for the past 10 years and is now reaching an average audience of 11 million viewers a week accessing a whole range of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ content.

It provides audiences with access to the latest news, weather and other general information, while also enabling the delivery of an enhanced experience across major sporting and entertainment events.

AF2