I Am A TV Junkie

Okay, All Right, I'll Write About the Doctor Who Finale (and show you the trailer for series five)

And because you've all seen it by now, beware for spoilers.

In fact, if you haven't seen it yet you should just stop reading this now (and go watch it and then come right back here, natch).

And, to help you do that, I'm putting the rest of this post after the jump.

More Doctor Who News -- Billie, Freema, Donna On Board For Tennant's Finale

Yes, they are all on board, and, according to the Coventry Telegraph, their inside source says, "Anything can happen in Doctor Who. His assistants are always recurring and Donna is no exception. When you're a Time Lord you can go back to any point in history and meet whoever you want."

It's in a story about Tate getting a co-starring role in the Jack Black Gulliver's Travels, which I wrote about here.

So, all that talk about Billie never coming back? That wasn't true. I think the Matt Smith call reported on the other day from every point on the Internet was actually a back-door attempt to get her in, and it worked.

So, all that talk about the Doctor Who crew being all aggro about Freema moving over to ITV's Law & Order UK was just a story, huh?

So, Donna can come back without her brain exploding into a million pieces or melting down and pouring out her ears. Lovely.

Oh, and my fave Bernard Cribbins (above right) comes back as Donna's grandfather, love this guy. And John Simm, too. The Master returns.

This is the episode with the regeneration. From proper Doctor to Intern Who.

Yeah, yeah, I know, I should wait and see. But sheesh, do I hate that hair.

Some Doctor/Rose/Donna moments from Journey's End and series four , in a fanvid after the jump.

PBS Schedules BBC Little Dorrit, Starts Sunday March 29

The UK Guardian says, "The BBC has dramatised a fable for our times."

Of course, they got a little lucky with that. This series started in Britain not long after the begin of our economic meltdown and both the financial and entertainment press noticed that congruence.

Here's the trailer for Little Dorrit, based on the Dickens novel, starting March 29 on PBS, though you should check your own TV listings as there are occasionally variations.

The cast is major, MAJOR indeed, and readers of this blog will recognize Eve Myles from Torchwood, Ruth Jones (how I love me some Ruth Jones) from Gavin & Stacy, Freema Agyeman from Doctor Who, Russell Tovey from Being Human (soon on BBC America), Judy Parfitt, Matthew Macfayden and Tom Courtney, among others.

Click here for full cast. Clip after the jump. Behind the scenes image above from BBC.com.

Doctor Who News -- Freema Agyeman Returns to the Tardis, How Close Was Clunes?

See, so all that talk about the BBC being mad (a corporation being mad?) about Freema ducking out of Torchwood to do Law & Order UK (which I am dying to see, n0 premiere date set per the ITV site for the show).

I can't imagine that anyone at the Beeb wanted to stand in the way of Freema taking this very high profile role on a show that will be seen internationally.

And how can one be mad at Freema anyway? Look at her (above), just the act of gazing upon her makes you smile. So fabulous!

So, the next thing to find out is how many, if any, of the specials are going to be shot here in the US. Because that's the current rumor I'm chasing. Can you help? I'm at Joe (at) IAmATVJunkie.com. And you of course know that the (at) means @.

But there's more news today in the Whoniverse. News that Martin Clunes (Men Behaving Badly and the excellent "if you haven't seen it, you MUST" Sex 'n' Death) was just about to snap his fingers and open that Tardis door when money got in the way.

Press Association via Google:

The Men Behaving Badly star had signed up to appear in the Christmas special, The Daily Mirror reports, and producers wanted him to take over from David Tennant this year. But four days before filming, the deal allegedly collapsed after they failed to agree terms.

A source said: "Producers wanted Martin to take over Tennant's job full-time and were desperate to see him in the Christmas episode. They saw it as a trial for the main job but they found the whole casting process very frustrating. Talent comes at a price and the show could simply not afford Martin. It's a shame as he would have been perfect."

Martin's agent admitted he had been approached for the Doctor Who Christmas special but denied there was a dispute over cash and that the deal collapsed four days before filming.

Interesting. 

I had heard that Clunes was considered. He's a very good actor that can do just about everything. Seriously, if you haven't seen Sex 'n' Death, find a way to see it. He is amazing as a TV show host that does the most despicable things to his guests and studio audience, all in the chase for the big rating number.

And I loved Men Behaving Badly, even the US version with Ron Eldard in '96.

Okay, maybe BECAUSE of Ron Eldard.

BBC's Survivors -- 50% of Your Whoniverse Favorites Already Dead, Guy From Glitter Still Alive

I figure that was safe to say. It was ruined for me even before I saw the first episode by one of my Google News Alerts.

So, it's a pretty bleak story, huh? In fact, you can trace the bleakness of the story with the faux BBC News reports that run through the first half hour of the show. I have a photo feature after the jump just to demonstrate.

Yeah, it's depressing, but tell me the last time you watched an upbeat, zazzy kind of post-apocalyptic drama. I've tried to keep the research to a minimum and just enjoy the story as it unfolds, as usual, and it is dark and compelling and makes your head swim with all kinds of scenarios (including, for me, "What? These people don't have pets? None? Really?").

The breakout for me in this piece is Julie Graham (left), who I've never seen before on TV or film. And can I say thank God for British actresses who don't pump their faces full of Botox and stretch them bey0nd recognition. Julie Graham is a beautiful woman who is exactly her age (whatever that age is) and has enough talent that she doesn't have to pay doctors to cut into her skin and pull it back to make her marketable. Good for her. Bad for the women who buy into this shit -- I'm talkin' to you (fill in name of whatever Hollywood actress you can think of)!

Graham plays Abby Grant, a woman who's son is off on some sort of organized camping adventure when the virus hits and she hits the road to find him after recovering from the virus and finding her husband killed himself during her illness. She is, in fact, the only one so far that we've seen recover and I'm sure we will see the consequences of that forthcoming.

Despite the fact that I keep ripping on Max Beesley's appearance with Mariah in Glitter, he's very good here as a prisoner that gets another chance when the 90% of the world dies from this influenza virus. It appears however, the Beesley's Tom Price character is still trying to decide what to do with the opportunity.

Of course, as a Doctor Who fan, I have been taking special notice of Paterson Joseph who plays it close to the chest as Greg Preston, the guy who just wants to go off on his own but doesn't at Abby's pleading.

(And of course, it would be a riot to find out that Greg Preston won all the supplies tied to the roof of his Land Rover in a game of Numberwang, but ... well, I just can't help but mention Numberwang when I can!)

Nikki Amuka-Bird from season two of Torchwood also very good and reminiscent of Viola Davis as the British health minister trying to keep it together against insurmountable odds.

Much better script from Adrian Hodges than Primeval. Frankly, for me Primeval was a special effects showcase that they built a show around. That doesn't work for me.

Of course, I am told by my contemporaries all over the web that the original story by Terry Nation was followed pretty closely, even using some of the same dialogue, so that might have something to do with it.

More as the story progresses. Preview clip of next episode after the jump. and, the promised photo spread.

The BBC has done some additional buildout of the Survivors website as well. Non-Brits still cannot access the video content, but there's a game, and it's at this link.

And finally, because I know that some of us US readers are always amazed that good TV is beaten in the ratings by utter shit, there's this from BroadcastNow.co.uk:

Overnights: BBC1's new apocalyptic drama Survivors got off to a fine start last night at 9pm with a strong 6.5m viewers (25.4%) but the show was no match for ITV1's I'm a Celebrity.

The opening 90-minute episode began with 7.1m (26.5%) but saw its audience steadily decline to 6.3m (27.5%) in the final quarter of an hour.

The drama, featuring Julie Graham and Max Beesley, was up by 35.4% on the channel's slot average for the year so far of 4.8m (20.5%).

Despite the strong showing for the terrestrial channel it was still below its commercial rival ITV1 at the time by 1.1m.

The last few minutes of the first stanza lead you to the second, and I think we might find out that there's nothing usual and customary about the way this virus spread through the populus. Treachery is indeed afoot. Keep watching.

U.S. Viewers First Look at Law & Order: UK Now Up at ITV Site

However, I didn't find it at the ITV.com site, I found it in NewSeasonNewHorizons.com, the dedicated ITV site for their upcoming shows.

If you click on the Law & Order: UK link and then click the "view clip" link that is under the image that I have glommed from them and added here you will see what looks like some action from the pilot.

A big story in the Saturday UK Telegraph on Freema Agyeman talks about the show as well, and Freema's attempts to widen her experience playing outside of the scifi genre:

When Agyeman was cast in Doctor Who, producers said she had the potential to be a British Halle Berry. Agyeman is certainly beautiful: with no make-up and her hair pulled back she has the regal profile of Nefertiti, but she seems unself-conscious about her looks. Her childlike enthusiasm and curiosity are combined with a calm intelligence and an athletic toughness – more like a British Sandra Bullock than sex kitten Berry – and that’s something both Martha Jones and her role in ITV’s forthcoming Law & Order: UK tap in to. Agyeman, a fan of the original NBC series, describes her character, prosecutor Alesha Phillips, as a “confident, capable, authoritative woman. She’s passionate but she empathises with the people.”

Go hurry up and watch this clip before ITV figures out it's viewable outside the US and fixes the situation.

And yes, I looked for some comments from Jamie Bamber but I came up empty.

Video -- I Dream of Freema, She Premieres Sunday on BBC One in Survivors Remake

I had a dream last night that Freema Agyeman was in. She was an acquaintance of my dad's in the dream and we were all at a house party and she wouldn't immediately admit it was her, and then she relented.

In the dream, she comes to the US to relax because almost no one knows her here. Of course, that's not true at all.

So, she's in the recesses of my brain and I come across my Freema Google alert and it all comes back.

Anyhow, this show, the remake of the Terry Nation BBC series from the 70s premieres Sunday night at 9 with a 90-minute premiere.

And hopefully I'll get to see it and let you know what I think. In the meantime, here's some comments from Daniel Martin at the Guardian TV/Radio blog:

Political dystopias like Brave New World imagine systems of government taken to scary extremes – Survivors asks what we would do were all of that to be stripped away, leaving us with just a blank slate. On top of that, Survivors has no villain to speak of, no immediate sign of a conspiracy (although we're told that's coming) and no sign of a Big Bad. You wonder where it can go, which means it can go anywhere. The programme doesn't feel much like a genre piece at all, which makes it all the more chilling.

Ah, dontcha love a post-apocalyptic drama during the holiday season? I KNOW!!!

After the jump, cast members Julie Graham, Zoe Tapper and Phillip Rhys and Chahak Patel discuss the project in an interview with WhatsOnTV.co.uk.

BBC Survivors Series Website Live, Trailer Up (but not for us Yanks!)

Damn! But that's okay, I have some video here for those of us Stateside (and nearby) from YouTube. Thank you, user named "futurecloud."

LINK

I don't know about you, but every day when I see my Google News Alert for Freema Agyeman I'm reminded that this remake of the Terry Nation (the man who invented the Daleks) series from the 70s is coming back, and to BBC One, which I'm pretty sure means it's top notch.

(Not tha shows that air on BBC Two, Three or Four aren't. I just know that their shows that are for a broad audience and well done show up on One.)

And there's already a Wordpress blog dedicated to the series. Click here for that, it'll open in a new window.

From the BBC Site:

Imagine being the only survivor of a disease that kills every member of your family, that kills lovers, strangers, friends, nearly everyone you've ever met.

You are among the lonely few to live and now you must start over in a strange new world where everything that was once safe and familiar is now strange and dangerous.

Set in the present day, Survivors focuses on the world in the aftermath of a devastating virus which wipes out most of the world's population. What would we do? How would any of us cope in a brave new world where all traditional 21st Century comforts - electricity, clean running water, advanced technology - have disappeared?

These are the questions faced by the bewildered but resilient group of survivors at the centre of the drama. It is an opportunity for new beginnings, but with no society, no police and no law and order, they now face terrible dangers - not just the daily struggle for food and water but also the deadly threat from other survivors.

And Freema? She plays Jenny Collins. "Jenny is a bright and lively young teacher in a primary school. Overwhelmed by the chaos she sees all around her, she is determined to save the life of her dying flatmate Patricia. Nothing will stop her taking her friend to the hospital and saving her life."

Three other actors who have stopped by the Whoniverse are also involved. Nikki Amuka-Bird who appeared in the second season of Torchwood, Paterson Joseph who is being talked about with Colin Salmon as possibilities for the first black Doctor appeared previously in the Bad Wolf and Parting of the Ways episodes in 2005, and Shaun Dingwall who was, is and will always be Rose's dad Pete Tyler.

Neil Wilkes at Digital Spy:

Last night I went to a screening of the extended 90-minute premiere of BBC One's new apocalyptic drama Survivors feeling slightly worried.

Slightly worried that perhaps I'd built my hopes up too much and that I might fall victim to the very hype I'd helped create. Disappointment seemed inevitable, and I would spend the latter part of the evening crying into a bowl of cold miso soup.

As it turns out, I needn't have worried. Survivors - or at least, the premiere of Survivors - is great. It ain't faultless, it ain't the best thing ever to have graced the small screen but you can safely allow yourself to get excited without fear of being let down.

Relieved? I hope so. It premieres in the UK on Nov. 23. It looks like it could be something that would end up on Masterpiece Contemporary here in the States. Cross your fingers.

I Just Finished Part One of Little Dorrit, Am I Blowing Your Mind?

Am I? Blowing your mind? Because usually the closest I get to Dickens these days is rewatching The Unquiet Dead episode of Doctor Who to see Eve Myles pre-Torchwood.

(And the Gelth, of course.)

And the closest I usually get to the classics on TV is vintage Bewitched (not the black and white years but anything after that, and especially Serena episodes, that's what I call a classic).

Instead of my usual Sunday morn ritual of watching SNL before I get out of bed even (thank the Gods of Tech for DVRs) I sat at my desk and watched the first of the fourteen-part Dickens adaptation of Little Dorrit .

Why? Well, a lot of my UK TV faves, first of all. Especially Ruth Brown (above), who is upcoming in episode two. In this the first stanza we spend a lot of time with Doctor Who companion Freema Agyeman (top) as Tattycorum (image above). 

Later on we get to see the aforementioned Myles as Maggy, which should be interesting. She plays a very Dickensian character, a life-long resident of the debtor's prison whose childhood illness brought developmental disorders. She has the capacity of a 10-year-old.

Brown plays Flora, the kind but somewhat overbearing childhood love of Arthur Clennam (Matthew Macfayden from Spooks, known in the US as MI-5).

I can't promise I'll see the whole thing through. Or, maybe I'm not as shallow as I think.

As this is a WGBH-Boston Co-Production, I presume we will see this on Masterpiece Theatre next year.

And given the current financial condition of the country, Little Dorrit is especially prescient, per Toby Young at the Independent:

So far, the only unqualified beneficiary of the credit crunch has been Little Dorrit, the BBC's new 14-part costume drama. When this serial was given the go-ahead, the head of BBC Drama Productions couldn't possibly have known just how relevant a story about a young woman raised in a debtors' jail would be.

Watch the BBC trailer after the jump.

New Links Addition, TV & Radio Blog at the Guardian UK

Frankly, I didn't know they had a TV and radio blog until today. I was looking through my Freema Agyeman Google News Alert when I came across a post at this blog by Diane Shipley regarding the new Law & Order UK. She's not excited about this, and that's a bit of an understatement:

She remarks:

Although Dick Wolf, creator of the original series, has pledged that his company will co-produce the British version, I can't see it giving the American show any competition in the ratings stakes, even on this side of the pond.

In fact, it only shows how far ITV is behind the BBC. Instead of original content like Life on Mars, ITV is trying to re-work an American stalwart without the acting talent or production values to back it up.

And you can read my response on that page, but basically I said, "What?" Because the show just started production. How could she know?

Dissing Freema or Bamber here is a non-starter. Didn't she see Jamie Bamber on BSG defending Gaius Balter? I'm pretty sure both of these actors can handle their duties, and certainly Dick Wolf is not gonna let ITV skimp on the production values, so I don't quite get her point.

Still, she's not the only person who posts there, so I've added the blog to my links in the left column. If nothing else, US readers will get an idea of what's going on over there as I think we'll be seeing a lot more European formats here in the future.

Some Doctor Who Morning News -- TV Choice Awards, Freema's New Role, Zeta-Jones?

What the hell am I writing about Catherine Zeta-Jones for?

I'll tell you why. NO, I'll let the Sun tell you why (read at your own peril):

Doctor Who creator Russell T Davies is desperate for Welsh beauty Catherine Zeta Jones to star in a film version of the BBC1 hit.

The award-winning writer, 45, said he would love Catherine, 38, to be David Tennant’s sidekick on the big screen. He added: “Being from Wales myself, I’d love to have Catherine Zeta Jones as a companion for the Doctor.”

But he insisted no one could replace David Tennant, 37, as the Time Lord.

He said: “To have anyone else would be inconceivable.”

How to interest Zeta-Jones in the role? Tell her the tardis is real and could actually take her back in time so that she could be sleeping with a man more age appropriate.

Speaking of appropriate, the get-up illustrated above would certainly not be appropriate for the Planet of the Ood now, would it.

After the jump, a doppelganger for the Swansea beauty (but not THE Swansea beauty, in my world that's Eve Myles) in a clip from the Channel 4 UK series Star Stories, which is running right now on BBC America.

But first ...

The Press Association (UK):

Doctor Who and EastEnders were the big winners at a TV awards ceremony.

David Tennant, 37, won Best Actor for the second consecutive year for his role as the Time Lord. And Catherine Tate, 40, picked up Best Actress for her turn as the Doctor's companion Donna Noble and the BBC One sci-fi show itself was named Best Loved Drama for the third year.

EastEnders beat its ITV rivals Coronation Street and Emmerdale to Best Soap at the TVQuick and TVChoice awards, hosted by comedian and actor Ben Miller.

Kinda like their People's Choice Awards, I guess.

And, finally, about a departing member of the Whoniverse, finally the official announcement on casting for Law & Order: UK, featuring the lovely Freema Agyeman from the Daily Mirror:

Doctor Who beauty Freema Agyeman is to head a British cast for ITV's remake of hit US crime show Law & Order.

Former Corrie star Bradley Walsh and Battlestar Galactica's Jamie Bamber are also on board.

Freema is to play "hardworking, strong-willed" prosecutor Alesha Phillips in the 13-part first series, which starts filming later this month.

So it's official. I'll miss Martha Jones, but this is a huge opportunity for her (and for Jamie Bamber) and I'll try to check her out on that show.

Clip after the jump.

Freema Agyeman Stirs Controversy With Move to ITV's Law & Order: London

You would think she broke up with Prince Harry on the eve of his Afghanistan tour. Give it a rest, people. Certainly, you have to see the advantage to one's career to taking the role of the prosecutor in ITV's adaptation of the US Law & Order.

Let's see, five episodes of Torchwood that will all be seen in one week, or 13 episodes of a series that has a great chance of getting remarkable amounts of international exposure, including a run in the US, I'm hoping on NBC next Summer.

So, you're a 29-year-old actress with your entire life ahead of you, what to do? You sign with ITV, I don't care how much I love Doctor Who and love Freema in it and was looking forward to her moving over to Torchwood, but I'd be calling Russell and apologizing for having to do all those rewrites and insisting that this is the opportunity of a lifetime.

A lifetime.

And, she gets to act with Jamie Bamber from BSG and she gets to work for Chris Chibnall.

It's a no lose situation, and she'd be foolish to say no.

In the meantime she's working on two other BBC projects right now, according to this fansite. Plenty of Freema out there to see.

And get off her back.

London Gay Pride Includes Freema-Hosted Doctor Who Finale Screening

Now that's cool, and it's also something I would never go to. I have a thing about crowds. Someday I'll tell the story.

Tardis & Torchwood Treasures reports:

The BBC have confirmed that Journey's End will be screened at 7pm in Trafalgar Square tommorrow. The screening will be introduced by Martha Jones herself, Freema Agyeman, and is part of the Pride 2008 festival. It should be noted however that the BBC have stressed times and line-ups for the screening are subject to change.

Pride London website is at this link.

Haven't been to Pride in years. Makes me crazyinsane! I'm okay at a ballgame or anywhere where there is assigned seating, but I don't do crowds.

Freema girl, you know we love ya because you're just so damn fabulous!

Freema Agyeman's New BBC One Job, Surviving a Plague with the Male Lead From Glitter

It's called Survivors, it's an update of a 1975 BBC series that ran for 38 eps in the mid-70s, and although it seems to indicate that Freema will be busy playing with a different bunch of folk than usual, it looks like something fans of hers will just eat up. 

Though I was really hoping that Freema would just step into Owen's job at the Torchwood Hub.

That guy's name, as you'll remember was Max Beesley. And don't blame him for Glitter, there is a lot of blame to cast but I don't think you can fault this guy, he was just doing a job (with a very green pop star in the lead and a script from ... Uranus?).

BBC Press Office reports that Nikki-Amuka Bird (you remember her from the Torchwood ep Sleeper, playing the woman whose arms turned into swords) and Patterson Joseph, Jekyll co-star and Numberwang enthusiast, are also included.

Notice how many people of color are being cast in this one series, this one genre series.

America, get a clue!!!

From the BBC release:

Imagine being the only survivor of a disease that kills every member of your family, that kills lovers, friends, nearly everyone you've ever met.

You are among the lonely few to live and now you must start again in a strange new world where everything that was once safe and familiar is now strange and dangerous.

Set in the present day, the drama series focuses on the world in the aftermath of a devastating virus which wipes out most of the world's population.

What would we do? How would any of us cope in a brave new world where all traditional 21st Century comforts – electricity, clean running water, advanced technology – have disappeared?

These are the questions faced by the bewildered but resilient group of survivors at the centre of the drama.

It is an opportunity for new beginnings, but with no society, no police and no law and order, they now face terrible dangers – not just the daily struggle for food and water but also the deadly threat from other survivors.

Sounds good, right?

More after the jump.

Hey, Look Who's Calling From UNIT for Help From The Doctor

And, only three minutes into the episode. She looks great. Do you think she knows Owen and Tosh died?

This is actually a question for Toby from Tubeworld. He specializes in this kind of thing.

But for me, let me just say something really gay. Her hair -- said in my best Karen Walker -- it's good, right?

Okay, gotta go.

"Give Me One Good Reason Why I Shouldn't Keep Screaming!"

And Tosh says to Owen, " Because you're breaking my heart." And that's when I lost it. And if you felt the same way, you can experience it again all over as I've posted the clip after the jump.

What Torchwood does better than any show I've seen recently on the tube is that they get you all wrapped up in thrills and then on a dime they turn and just make you sooooo sad. Catherine Tregenna did it in this season's Meat episode and here it is again in this ep from Chris Chibnall.

(This is the last of Chris Chibnall in Torchwood's writer's room for a while, he'll be showrunner for the Law & Order UK franchise upcoming, and he turned in a fine final scene to a good if not great episode. I wasn't so keen on the brother storyline, it seemed a little forced and they certainly didn't let us know Gray much besides that he was tortured after Jack lost him and was awfully pissed off. And I guess bringing back Marsters was fine but I prefer the episodes where its just the crew and the residents of Cardiff dealing with that nasty li'l rift.)

So we have Jack, Ianto, Gwen, and Rhys left, and this certainly does leave the door open for the return of Martha Jones to the Torchwood hub (close your eyes real tight and wish really hard for Freema's return) and the need for Ianto to upgrade his skills or pick up a new tech person.

I am accepting all rumors about new cast members in the comment section. And click over the jump for the clip.

Doctor Who News: #11 Robert Carlyle? Scripts Leaked to the Press? And, Torchwood Scoop

Word this AM from my pal John in Ireland and the website Den of Geek about who the tenth Doctor may transform into.

DenOfGeek.com:

The latest name to be linked with the keys to the Tardis is Robert Carlyle, the very same Robert Carlyle from The Full Monty, Trainspotting and that Bond film that he was an unthreatening villain in.

In an interview given to the Radio Times, the actor – who, to be fair, we think would make a fine Doctor – denied that anyone had even spoken to him about becoming Doctor Who. He did go on to say, however, that were someone to approach him about the role, that it’s the kind of thing he’d possibly do.

In other Doctor Who news, a couple of scripts for the upcoming fourth series – due to start broadcasting in April – have been leaked to The Sun. We won’t be reproducing any spoilers here, but the BBC isn’t believed to be best pleased.

Who am I to tell you you can't spoil some of the story if you so choose. If you want, click here and read what The Sun has to say, but know that they have often been wrong in the past.

A recent Carlyle interview with the Guardian is at this link.

More after the jump.

Promoted From the Comments ... Plans For Freema? Plans For Martha Jones?

Our pal Toby at Toobworld commented here this morning about the future for Freema Agyeman in the world of Russell Davies' Doctor Who / Torchwood / UNIT (?!?) and I thought we should examine the issues at hand.

He says (with paragraph breaks by me):

No spoilers, just one of my O'Bservations..... It occurs to me that we might be getting set up for yet another spin-off from 'Doctor Who' by having Martha show up here on 'Torchwood'.

Her character gets introduced on the original series; she's then shipped over to the spin-off but with an added element to her character - she works for UNIT now. She spends the next batch of episodes with the crew from Cardiff to show that she can stand on her own (at least without the Doctor's help, if not the team) and then she shows up again on 'Doctor Who' in time for that big season finale in the coming season.

After that, with her established as a member of UNIT, they can now do a show about that old 'Who' standby with Martha at its center. Maybe bring back the Brigadier occasionally as a consultant. (The character retired in the old series.) And maybe bring in Sgt. Benten and even a reformed Captain Yates as well.

That's my idea of what we might expect.

Click over to Toby's blog for a very interesting post on Captain Jack's Christopher Isherwood reference from last night's episode as well.

More, including a clip, after the jump.

It's a Martha Jones World and We All Just Wander It Hoping to Bump Into Her

Dontcha think?

Word from those who had seen Torchwood's upcoming Reset episode at the convention and the online world says that Freema Agyeman's entry into the hub and her intro to the gang is, well ... WOW!

Interesting thing that they're doing on BBC starting with this episode. Because the kiddies have some experience with Martha from series three of Doctor Who and they know that the kids will be wanting to see Martha and her friend Captain Jack (ya know, mum, that bloke who snogs everybody) so they're cutting up a child-friendly pre-watershed version of the show for them.

More, and a clip, and a harbinger of doom, if you click (you know what to do by now).

Confirmed! Doctor Who Series Four Premieres in April

And where did you read it first? That's right, it was...

... right here!

And to paraphrase Liz Lemon from 30 Rock (one of my favorite quotes at Facebook), "Yeah, suck it, I do read every email that comes in." And you know why, because you never know what you might find out.

Click over to my post of January 17 at this link.

Also, SciFi has picked up rights to series one of The Sarah Jane Adventures, the spin-off starring former companion Elisabeth Sladen, her friend K9 and a cast of young actors (see above right).

A special still from series four and a clip after the jump.

New Season on BBC America Gives Me a Torchwoody

(Yes, I realize that this is a pic of the Torchwood cast with Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones, and she doesn't show up till later in the season, but I saw it and I couldn't resist posting it. I'm very excited about this season, so excuse my getting a little ahead of things.)

Yeah, nothin' like two hot men approaching each other like it's the shootout at the OK Corral then sticking their tongues down each other's throats, and then beating the crap out of each other before pulling weapons (unfortunately actual guns and not the other thing that shoots) on each other.

(And if any of you big strong heterosexuals got squirmy about it, all I can say is, "See how it feels?")

Yes, Torchwood got off (I said got off, hehehehe) to a great start Saturday. Captain Jack returns from his vacation with the Doctor and Martha with renewed vigor, and once again having the sense of humor he forgot about last season.

But who can blame him, really. Would you have a sense of humor if you spent every day trying to micromanage the rift in time over Cardiff, you were a single horny guy like Jack without an outlet and you spent your days giving orders, but not fun orders, to Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd), who looks like he'd be a lot of fun out on the town (and at home as well).

Well, Jack takes care of that rather quickly.

Video after the jump.

Will There Be a Doctor Who Movie with David Tennant?

Lotsa talk, but nothing concrete.

The Guardian:

This could see a follow-up to the two previous Doctor Who movies: Dr Who and the Daleks, and Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150AD. Both of these films starred Peter Cushing as the doctor - a part he never filled for television.

Ms Tranter also hinted that actor David Tennant, who plays the current doctor, was likely to return to the role for a fifth series, even though he has agreed to play Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company next year.

His decision means that the fifth series will not be shown until 2010, two years after the fourth series airs next year, effectively creating a "gap year" filled by three Doctor Who specials starring Tennant and overseen by head writer and executive producer Russell T Davies.

Ms Tranter also refused to be drawn on speculation that Steven Moffat was being lined up as a replacement for Davies - who is believed to be on the verge of leaving the show - or that actor James Nesbitt was being lined up take over from Tennant.

"All we can say is that David is a fantastic doctor and that he is doing Hamlet," she said.

Doctor Who's last series ended in July with 8 million viewers, a 39% share of the audience.

For the uninitiated, let me try to put the whole Doctor Who thing in context. The show is a national treasure in England. People around the globe adore the show with the ferocity of your high-end Star Trek fan. Its return in 2005 was like waking your favorite relative from the dead. People cheered, had parties ... I betcha a couple marriages got back together because Doctor Who was back.

Can you think of any show in the US that gets a 39 share anymore? Numbers like that are reserved for much-loved series finales, major sporting events, TV car chases. Okay, it bigger than your average TV car chase, but certainly up there with the OJ Simpson car chase in viewers.

David Tennant seems to be very well-accepted as the doctor, and there is talk that former cast member Billie Piper's character Rose Tyler may be written into the film. The current traveling companion for the doctor is Martha Jones, played by Freema Agyeman.

The other big Doctor Who news is about who will take over the reigns of the show when Russell T. Davies leaves the show. Steve Moffat, who's written some great episodes and as you know is the creator of Coupling has been mentioned, but there's certainly nothing written in stone as of yet.

Moffat would be a great choice. Of course, I'm a big fan of his.

I also think it would be kind of cool to see Richard Coyle (Jeff from Coupling -- above right) follow in Tennant's footsteps, eventually.

Patrick Stewart Interested in a Doctor Who Guest Shot

Or maybe more than that.

MSN.com:

The 67-year-old Star Trek star, who is currently playing Macbeth at London's Gielgud Theatre, said he was a fan of the long-running time travelling show, but was sad he had never been involved.

"I have been (a fan) actually yes, and deeply dismayed that I was never asked to be in it! I think it's a terrific series," he said.

I've been watching lots of Doctor Who on the weekends between the episodes that are currently running on BBC America with David Tennant and Billie Piper and the Eccleston episodes that are still running on my local PBS affiliate, KOCE here in The OC.

And what's funny is that I think of Patrick Stewart as an American actor, because I never saw him perform until TNG hit the airwaves. And how does my brain explain away the accent? I guess I tell myself that Picard was British so of course he would have an accent. Of course, Stewart is from Yorkshire.

What's really going to throw me off for the next few weeks is that our cabler SciFi is jumping into the mix with episodes from series 3 featuring Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones and an appearance by Captain Jack himself, John Barrowman.

If I had "all the money in the world" (a game Jennifer and I used to play, BTW) I would just buy the DVDs and make sure to watch them in order. But in the meantime, I'm doing more time travelling than the Doctor, Rose, Martha, and Sarah Jane put together, and all from my recliner.

One more thing, check out all the regenerations of the Doctor at this YouTube clip (it will open in a new window, but embedding disabled, unfortunately) by user CyberDalek.