Tills ring to keep Dr alive - The Sun

THE BBC bombards kids with Doctor Who merchandise because it cannot afford to make the show without it, the boss of the sci-fi series has revealed.

Steven Moffat said cash from toys, DVDs and the Doctor Who Experience was "partly to raise money to make the show". Each episode costs about 1million but the Beeb, under pressure to cut costs, puts in just 700,000.

The rest is raised from merchandising.

Moffat added: "It isn't possible to give Doctor Who enough money. We could spend Avatar's budget." Who returns to BBC1 tomorrow.