With the latest Doctor Who series having hit our screens last Saturday, we thought it’d be interesting to take a look at the Doctors of years gone by. Give you a little lowdown.

William Hartnell, 1963-66

When the first Doctor Who was originally pitched to William Hartnell as a children’s programme, the actor was reluctant to accept. It wasn’t hard to see why – the 55-year old was known for his portrayals of military men with the quintessential stiff upper lip. But with a couple of grandchildren of his own, Hartnell came to love the role. In fact, it was only when his health began to fail that the show’s producers came up with the idea of transforming the Doctor into another man. In episode four of the fourth series, the first Doctor regenerated into Patrick Troughton’s second.

With the sad passing of Neil Armstrong last month, we thought it would be nice to take a look at the famous Apollo 11 mission. But because you can hop onto Wikipedia for the full rundown, we’re going for more of an overview. We’re thinking the kind of depth that’ll allow kids to copy and paste for their homework. That’s right, kids, feel free to plagiarise, but on one condition… you read it all first. Learn something and try to appreciate just what a feat it was.

Background

By 1961 America’s Cold War with the Soviet Union was nearing its height and President John F. Kennedy was becoming increasingly concerned that the USA was falling behind their foe in technology and prestige. So in May that year, JFK gave a speech before his country’s Congress in which outlined America’s goal of, “… landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth” by the end of the decade. Eight years later and six years after his assassination, JFK’s ambition was realised when, on July 21st 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon…

It’s now been nearly two months since I was presented with a Kindle reading device for my birthday. Previously, I hadn’t been sceptical as such, but I wasn’t convinced they offered enough to do away with an ‘old-fashioned’ paperback. I thought they were cool for sure, but the initial £89 outlay seemed steep.

I was wrong. They’re worth every penny.

First off, they look really smart. They’re no iPad, granted, but the simplicity of the design ties in perfectly with the pastime. There’s nothing particularly snazzy about a paperback, so why overcomplicate the Kindle’s design? It hasn’t been and it works.

The 15th April marks the centenary of the Titanic’s sinking. Since then, it’s fascinated both historians and the general public, thanks to its combination of famous victims, the resulting changes in maritime law and the discovery of the wreck in 1985.

But perhaps more than anything else, people remain interested in the stories of tragedy, heroism, sacrifice and survival – all of which are covered in our fascinating Titanic Newspaper Book. It’s not hard to see why this interest persists – having hit the iceberg, nearly 50,000 tonnes of cutting-edge liner sunk in less than three hours, taking with it 1,517 lives and leaving only 706 survivors.

The room’s split. We’re more divided than the Gaza Strip… for two reasons. First off, on the Eurovision Song Contest as a whole. And secondly, because of the recent news that for this year’s competition, OAP crooner, Engelbert Humperdinck, has been chosen to represent the UK.

Clearly, we weren’t alone in our division. Within hours of the announcement, the big E began trending on Twitter, while #Eurovision was also going big guns. Even the bookies were slashing the UK’s odds from 25/1 down to 16s, behind only Denmark, Ireland and Norway.

That’s no mean feat, given he’s best known for his 1967 hit, ‘Please Release Me’ and hasn’t had a top-20 record since 1972. And let’s not forget that by the time the big night rolls round, he’ll be 76. That’s a C-major short of a stroke. Certainly it’s fair to say that on the face of it, not an awful lot about the decision stacks up.

It’s been a tough old time of late for those folk on the Corrie cobbles. We’ve seen Becky jet off to Barbados with her new chap, but not before leaving a path of destruction in her wake. And super-baddie Frank Foster got away with his horrible crime – the arse. Little wonder, then, that we keep coming back for more. And little wonder the classic programme continues to scoop up awards quicker than a cheeky pint at the Rovers. As an ode to the classic soap, we take a look back at some of our favourite Corrie moments from the not-too-distant past…

For this week’s set of Friday videos, we thought it’d be fun to keep it simple. Classic, if you please. That’s why we’ve put together a collection of properly epic fails for your viewing pleasure. If you’re not a fan of the Jackass school of humour, wiggle your mouse and hit the Back button now. But for those of you who, like us, can't help but chuckle at people falling off things and looking stupid, these little beauties should see you nicely through to home time. Enjoy!

It’s been a while since we last posted some videos on a Friday. And with things suitably library-like in the office, we thought it’d be not only good, but also very wise to pop something up to help pass the time. Enjoy…

Juliet

Proof, if proof were needed, that the Aussie rock scene is healthier than ever and that Juliet really loves Robert…

Slam Dunk

Frankly, we don’t care if Eddie was a ‘plant’ – it’s still pretty darned cool. “On the cell phone?!”

Fish Paintings

If you didn’t watch the guy painting them, you’d swear the fish are real. Talk about insane detail…

Natalie Cassidy

Natalie Cassidy is best known for her character Sonia Jackson in ‘EastEnders’, a role for which she won Best Actress at the 2001 British Soap Awards. She left Walford in 2007, before fronting ‘Natalie Cassidy Goes Wild in Australia’ and, having dropped to a size 8, a mini-series called ‘Natalie Cassidy’s Diet Secrets’. Her subsequent fitness DVD was the biggest ever seller of its kind, while off screen she has appeared on stage in ‘The Vagina Monologues’, ‘Bedroom Farce’ and ‘The Cherry Orchard’.

Frankie Cocozza

Frankie Cocozza, the skinny jeaned, talentless X Factor contestant and all-round ‘bad boy’, is best summed up by removing the last four letters from his surname.

I don’t know about you, but I get so tired of the same old cheesy Christmas songs being endlessly repeated weeks in advance of the big day. It’s not like they were even that great in the first place, so after 20-plus years, they really start to grate. Well not anymore! Here, we’ve cobbled together seven Christmas songs with a distinctly alternative twist. Give ‘em a whirl and see what you think…

The Ramones – Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)

Amy Winehouse – I Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus

Jack Johnson – Someday At Christmas

It’s snowing. Or rather, it was. Now it’s more like sleet. And even when it was snow, it wasn’t settling. Not that this makes much difference in this country, when even a dusting seems to bring the place to a grinding halt. Nevertheless, there are some fun things about the white stuff, so on this basis we surveyed GoneDigging Towers to ask everyone what they like best about the snow.

Tom

For Tom it’s all about wrapping up warm and heading somewhere slopey with a snowboard. After all, it’s not every day you get to hightail it across to the Dunstable Downs with your board in tow. Despite using the trip to shake off the boarding cobwebs, Toms assures us he, “shredded it mate, shredded it.”

Oceania. According to our Maddie, it’s the world’s largest continent. It’s actually the smallest, but if you assume it’s the term given to all of Earth’s oceans...

Listing the seven continents in order of size was just one of the questions in the latest of GoneDigging’s weekly Friday quizzes, which we recently inducted into our end-of-week routine. The idea’s a simple one – to see in the weekend with something light-hearted and fun.

And it works. In fact, the only problem comes in trying to make it as fair for everyone as possible. Example – about half the floor are pretty clued up when it comes to pop culture and TV. They know all about X Factor and Corrie, but less about geography or Churchill. Others know exactly when the Spanish Civil War broke out, but wouldn’t know Amelia Lily if she smacked ‘em in the face.

We’ve got a copy of The Times folded under our arms. And we’re all suited and booted ready to discuss Greece and the Eurozone crisis.

Nah, are we heck! It’s Guy Fawkes tomorrow! That means fireworks, bonfires and supervised use of sparklers! Rock on!

To commemorate the country’s original anarchist, GoneDigging thought it’d be smashing to compile our top five Guy Fawkes films ever made, before embedding the trailers for you lovely folk to enjoy.

Brilliant we thought. Tried. Tested. And classic. We Googled it. Problem. It turns out the dystopian ‘V For Vendetta’ is basically the only one. What to do? Easy – we made up our own.

There’s a split in GoneDigging Towers. It’s the Grand Canyon of office splits. On the one side are the youngsters – veritable whippersnappers full of the joys of spring. On the other are the curmudgeonly and the wise.

Over the past few weeks, there have been musical disagreements between the two blocs that have slowly built to a crescendo of either fast beats and ‘streetz’, or guitar strums and drums.

Diplomacy has failed, battle lines have been drawn and innocent bystanders evacuated. When these two tribes go to war it’ll be to decide, once and for all, who holds sway over the music played on the middle floor.

A couple of months back, a popular member of GD Towers left for pastures new. Just weeks later, and having established that his new role was rubbish, he’s returning. When the office found out, there were smiles all round. Except, that is, from Hannah, who took considerably longer to pick up the less-than-subtle clues our director was giving. “He’s currently working in Letchworth,” our director said. People twigged. Big grins. “Isn’t that ironic,” observed Hannah. “For a window company,” Mr Director continued. “Oh yay, Tim?” replied Hannah, as the penny finally dropped. Anyway, it got us thinking about other, more famous, comebacks. Here are our top five…

It’s Friday afternoon and the boys and girls at GoneDigging have been clock-watching for the last six hours. So to help kill the last hour or so, we’ve cobbled together this week’s round of daft vids. Enjoy…

Cat on the Head

Proof, if proof were needed, that cats will make themselves comfy anywhere...

Korea’s Got Talent

It’s got the emotional music like our version. It’s got Korea’s versions of Ant and Dec. It’s even got the tearful judges. Thankfully, it’s also got talent…

Latest Simon’s Cat

Just because GoneDigging love Simon’s Cat, here’s the lastest video from Bedfordshire’s finest…

12:17 and the mercury continues to rise in GoneDigging Towers. In fact, the office is fast turning into oven full of staff being basted in their own juices. Okay, so that sounds a bit gross, but when you’re working up a sweat while sat at a desk, you know you’re in for a scorcher.

Temperatures around country soared to record breaking levels yesterday, as they smashed the previous September 29th high of 27.8°C, set in 1895. It was, according to reports, hotter than the Bahamas. And with news that the sun’s keeping his hat on over the weekend, people are hotfooting it to their nearest beach, park or river to soak up the rays. Makes sense.

The boys and girls at GoneDigging love Karl Pilkington. We love his isms, his philosophies and his perspectives on life. Little wonder, then, that we’re really looking forward to tonight’s new series, An Idiot Abroad 2. So in honour of the Salford native, we thought we’d cobble together some classic Pilkington lines, throw in some video footage from An Idiot Abroad’s first series, stick it all online and let you guys enjoy…

Karl on biology…

“Why didn’t evolution make a giraffe good at carpentry so it could build a ladder?” Xfm, 2005.

Karl on the Elephant Man…

“The first time you watch it you’ll probably cry a bit. The second time you watch it you’ll probably think – boy that would be bad having a head like that being picked on. The third time you’re probably thinking, err, how does he get his jumper on? Err, then dunno, probably bored of it the fourth time. But… but it’s well worth watching.” Xfm, 2002.

It’s Friday afternoon and GoneDigging are gagging for the weekend to start. To help kill the last hour or so, we’ve cobbled together this week’s round of daft vids. Enjoy…

Beanbag Bang

Isn’t it amazing what bored people in an office get up to…

Earth’s Voice

Apparently this is what Earth sounds like, according to radio waves converted into audio by a very clever computer…

Flying Over Earth…

Sticking with our planet, here’s a rather beautiful scene…

Purring Cougar

Pretty self explanatory really…

Ow, Ow and Ow

Here’s a fun compilation of fails. Not necessarily for the fainthearted, mind…

It’s been a good few weeks since we gave you some Friday videos to help you through to the weekend. We wish we could say it’s back by popular demand, but the reality is it’s a nice, easy thing to put together before home time. So without further ado, here are five vids that GoneDigging really enjoyed watching. We hope you do too…

Humming Bird

Here’s one guy’s video diary of his quest to nurse a young humming bird back to health…

Josie Charlwood

GoneDigging like having a listen to brilliant musicians we’ve never heard of. Here’s another – introducing Josie Charlwood…

A lot of our videos feature animals. But seeing as GoneDigging’s mascot is a dog, we thought it was about time we had a week dedicated to man’s best friend. Here goes…

Rock n’ Roll

Get rock, drop rock, roll. Get rock, drop rock, roll. And repeat…

So Happy To See You

Take one soldier arriving home from a tour of duty. Take one very loving, loyal dog. Put them both together and…

Volleyball

The dog’s got talent…

Grab Me a Beer

Now we’re talking! EVERYONE needs to train their canine buddy to do this…

Blimey! Even by Celebrity Big Brother standards we’re scraping a very deep barrel with this lot. And yet there we were hearing whispers of Charlie Sheen and Pamela Anderson! C’est la vie I suppose. No point in dwelling. And on that note GoneDigging takes a look at the Z-listers in store for 2011, so in no particular order…

Lucien Laviscount

Yeah, that’s right, Lucien Laviscount. What do you mean you’ve never heard of him?! It’s Lucien. Lucien! You know, from that thingy. Oh you don’t? Nope, neither did we in fairness. Apparently 19-year old Lucien is an actor who first appeared on our screens in the Disney Channel’s ‘Life Bites’, before popping up in ‘Grange Hill’. After that he played Ben Richardson, Sophie Webster’s love interest in Corrie, and Jonah Kirby in BBC1’s ‘Waterloo Road’. He’s also a former model who appeared in David Beckham’s DB 07 campaign.

We’ve been thinking. The cogs have been whirling. And we’ve decided that this week’s videos don’t really lend themselves to making you giggle like a schoolgirl. For that we apologise*. But it’s still Friday (get in!) and we’re still determined to bring you something to break in the weekend. Enjoy!

Very mad, fat man

Is this guy for real? Do people like this really exist? Or is he an actor? Either way, it’s pretty funny. We particularly like his Princess Leia ‘bikini’ poster…

There’s a sickness behind you, David!

Everyone saw the riots. And every decent person thought they were appalling. But from even the most depressing examples of human life comes a bit of humour…

TFI Friday and all that. Here’s our latest batch of videos to ease you into the weekend. Enjoy!

Determined dog

Ignore Ellen and watch as this clever canine retrieves his ball from a dirty swimming pool.

Mark Hamill’s still got it

Strong with the force Skywalker is, even after 30 years…

Foxy love

Take one injured fox. Lovingly nurse him back to health. And voila, it’s a feel-good bonanza…

Face in the clouds

You know sometimes you see a cloud that looks like a bear or a map of Europe? And it’s almost perfect but not quite? Well here’s one that looks positively sculpted…

Earlier this week, we saw Alex Reid and Chantelle Houghton ‘fessing up their love for each other on daytime TV. Sitting hand-in-hand on This Morning’s sofa, Reid suggested, “Love has many degrees. This feels real. This feel relaxed. I was very nervous when I first met Chantelle not to go straight in because my heart was still a bit broken back then, but she’s mended it.” Chantelle then chipped in, “I always call him The Hurricane. When he walks in, he lights up the room and makes everyone feel good about themselves and I haven’t felt good about myself in a long time. I’ve got a lot going on personally, but Alex has been amazing.” Acting like a couple of horny teenagers, they were quick to dismiss the notion of a ‘showmance’, but it still got us thinking about other reality TV couples for whom it could only ever end one way.

We’re not going to lie, it’s been a slow week in the world of funny videos. Don’t get us wrong, we’ve trawled and we’ve trawled, but we’re not happy to simply include lots of rednecks falling off things. On that basis we’ve gone for a different approach this week. So make yourselves comfy and behold five musically themed videos that are all very impressive in their own little ways. Drum roll please…

Androp

We doubt you’ve heard of Japanese outfit, Androp. We certainly hadn’t before yesterday, but what we’ve got here is their video for the song, ‘Bright Siren’. It’s a properly brilliant piece of work to go with a song that we really, really like – even if we don’t understand a word!

It’s Friday and GoneDigging are taking an executive decision. Down your tools, save your work, or do whatever it is you have to in order to give these videos your undivided attention. You all set? Good, then let’s roll…

Best Strike Ever!

Pretty sure we could do this…

Moonwalk Fail

This guy likes himself way too much. Shame…

One Small Step for Man. One Giant Leap for an iPhone

It’s nerdy, no doubt about that. But here’s what happens when you attach a camera and an iPhone to a weather balloon and send it into space…

That’s right you gorgeous people, it’s Friday again. And that means two things. One, it’s very nearly the weekend. And two, the boys and girls at GoneDigging have an excuse to trawl the ‘net looking for entertaining videos on your behalf. Better yet, we get to call it ‘work’! Anyroad, here’s this week’s little selection. Enjoy…

Dred Scott

“Who?” we hear you ask. Well, apparently he’s a homeless guy from Denver. That’s already pretty sad, but then you see how talented he is and it becomes a little bit sadder still. Here’s hoping he does a ‘Seasick Steve’. Check out Scott’s rendition of ‘Purple Rain’…

Earlier this week some lucky soul netted £161,000,000 on the EuroMillions draw. They were the only jackpot winner and they live in the UK. At the time of writing they’re about to go public, and they do it in the knowledge that they’re now worth twice as much as the Beckhams. They’ll also be going straight onto The Times rich list. Alright for some.

Unsurprisingly, it got the office chins wagging over what we’d do if we won that kind of money, with all the usual things coming up – you know, stuff like houses, cars, charity, helping family and whatnot. But in among the clichés, we also came up with some real blinders. Now admittedly no research has gone into the actual costs involved, but who cares?! It’s all in the name of fun…

Earlier this week we got a sneak peak at Season 4 of ‘Sons of Anarchy’. It was only a brief video, frantically edited to the Chili Pepper’s ‘Californication’, but there was one thing that really struck us – Jax’s new haircut. Now for any of you who haven’t caught ‘Sons’ yet, Jax is the lead character played by British actor, Charlie Hunnam, who previously had long blonde hair. Well not anymore!

It got us thinking about celebs who have changed the lay of their locks. Here’s our Top 10…

Charlie Hunnam

You might recognise Charlie Hunnam from the film ‘Green Street’. But to most of us, the Geordie native is best known for his turn as Jax Teller, a Californian biker, in the brilliant ‘Sons of Anarchy’. For the first three seasons he donned long blonde locks, but for Season 4…

Right then, hands up who watched The Killing on BBC4 earlier this year. For those of you like me and Mrs GoneDigging who did, you’ll know what an absolute treat it was. Made and then aired in Denmark during 2007, the first series follows the investigation into the murder of a young woman, Nanna Birk Larsen, and the subsequent familial, social and political fallout.

Detective Inspector Sarah Lund – along with her brilliant Angolan sweaters – is the star of the piece. She’s in her last days with the Copenhagen Police Department, before moving to Sweden with her fiancé. But everything changes when 19-year old Nanna Birk Larsen is found raped and murdered in the boot of a submerged car. Along with her reluctant partner, Jan Meyer, Sarah begins an investigation that throws them on the trail of a very intelligent and dangerous killer.

It’s that time of the week again, when GoneDigging warm up for the weekend with some amusing videos. We’ve only got seven for you here, although we’ve still managed to cover off animals, pranks, babies, old people and something that’s just really, really pretty. Enjoy.

Did You Hear A Click?

Right then, the first one is a video starring the endearing Rita and Frank. They’re an elderly couple trying to get to grips with online video messaging on their Mac. And struggling...

Comfy Cat

My cats do this. They come into the bedroom during the night, jump up onto the bed and make themselves comfortable by lying on me. It’s not massively comfortable, but I don’t really have the heart to move them. Not sure this guy has a choice.

Every now and again, tennis gifts us something really special. Ask the oldies about the McEnroe-Bjorg final of 1980. Or how about Roger Federer’s 2009 victory over Andy Roddick – how good was that? Not to mention 2010’s Isner-Mahut epic, in which the former eventually triumphed with a record-breaking 70-68 final set. Mental.

Unfortunately, for all its brilliant points, modern-day tennis presents us with a problem. A problem with its roots – dare I say it – in the women’s game. And yes, it’s been covered time and time again, but I don’t care because it really annoys me. The problem is grunting.

It’s that time of the week again, when we sit down and try to think of something fun and topical to ramble on about. Today, however, we’re struggling. Really struggling. But fear not, boring stuff isn’t in the GoneDigging vernacular, especially on a Friday. So sit back, pop your headphones in and get ready to laugh like a nutter at our current crop of favourite videos. Some are clever, some are cute and some are just plain funny.

eHarmony girl who really likes cats

Let’s kick things off with this girl from across the pond. When we first saw it was a video made for a dating website, we did fleetingly wonder if it would be work safe, particularly when we heard her voice. Don’t worry folks, it is. It just turns out she likes cats. A lot.

It’s been all go in Weatherfield this week. And, were told, plenty of it’s going to come to a head in tonight’s episodes. First of all, Graeme’s got to decide who to kick out of his ménage à trios – Xin or Tina. Mrs GoneDigging didn’t look massively impressed when I suggested he should keep them both and enjoy the benefits that would compensate for their unconventional living arrangement.

Anyroad, Xin has given the G-man 24 hours to choose between her and Tina. It’s a tricky one. I think we’d all admit they both look nice, but both are nice people too. Tina’s a bit snappy and feisty at times, granted, but she’s loyal. In fact, it’s this loyalty that’s led to this triple pickle. Xin, on the other hand, is very sweet, but is also prepared to betray the friend who helped her stay in the country. That’s why my vote has to go to Tina. Her only crime was helping a friend in need, so she doesn’t deserve what’s happened since.

I’m annoyed. For the best part of a week now, Mrs GoneDigging and I have been fast-forwarding our way through the live semi-finals of ‘Britain’s Got Talent’. Thankfully, we’d Sky+ed them, so we were at least able to zip through all the painful ‘filler’. This hasn’t, however, dulled my irritation. Here’s why. The majority of this year’s acts have been poo. In fact, I really feel the producers ought to sandwich the word ‘talent’ between a couple of inverted commas.

Sadly, it’s not only the lack of talent that’s left me vexed. On the rare occasions someone with ability is featured, they always seem to get stuck in the same episode as the other rare few with ‘skillz’. Tonight’s episode is a case in point. You’ve got Michael Collings who, despite looking a bit chavy, turned out an awesome version of Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’. Then you’ve got Razy Gogonea whose Matrix-style bodypopping routine was, as the Hoff put it, “… like a real-life video game.” And finally, there’s Frenchman, Michael Moral – another street dancer extraordinaire.

Despite its HBO credentials, Mrs GoneDigging wasn’t convinced. In truth, Lord of the Rings meets The Sopranos was always going to be a hard sell. The blood and gore wasn’t going to help. So as is typically the case, she gave it ten minutes before quietly dozing off under the duvet. I, on the other hand, was hooked on ‘Game of Thrones’ in about the same time.

For anyone who’s not familiar with it, Game of Thrones is a medieval fantasy weaving together multiple storylines from George RR Martin’s ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series. Set in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, where we’re told “… summers span decades and winters can last a lifetime,” GoT chronicles the violent struggle among the kingdom’s seven noble families for control of the Iron Throne. Not just that, but with only the Narrow Sea now separating an evolving Dothraki tribe from the West, and rumoured encounters with the ‘extinct’ White Walkers in Winterfell, war is a ‘when’, not an ‘if’.