'Dr. Who' keeps feet grounded for 2007

LONDON, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- The head writer for the popular British TV series "Dr. Who" says he would rather keep the action earthbound than use cheesy looking alien landscapes.

Russell T. Davies said budget constraints kept The Doctor and his cohorts grounded during the most recent series and he told Doctor Who magazine that viewers can expect the trend to spill over into the next series as well.

"People will say, 'Why doesn't he visit alien planets more often?'" Davies said. "But that's because they are expensive. They're hugely expensive."

Although the original "Dr. Who" series often turned to Britain's forests and quarries for alien landscapes, that is no longer an option, Davies said.

"The mockery we would get walking into a forest and saying that we're on the planet Zagfon!" the BBC quoted him as saying.

He said to expect a lot of the action to take place around London, which is good for "its big vistas and things."

Davies has a "Dr. Who" Christmas special ready to air with the third series scheduled to hit the BBC in spring 2007.