Hey, I didn’t say it! And I know my sweetie didn’t either, these words came from the man himself, in a forthcoming print interview for the UK magazine stage.
Sadly the link doesn’t allow Tennant to expound on that statement but he does talk about his upcoming theatrical run as Hamlet, fame, and of course Doctor Who.

“You could find yourself in the present or hundreds of years in the past – or five billion years in the future. And the standard of the writing and of the stories is extremely high. I might tweak the odd line here or there, but I’d never dream of pointing out to the writers, in that hackneyed phrase, that my character wouldn’t say this or do that. Russell [T Davies] is the best, so why play around with the best?”

Not long now until his return as our favorite Time Lord!

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The annual pantomime is very big in the UK, presented at the Birmingham Hippodrome, and Torchwood star John Barrowman is walking the floorboards this year in the production of Aladdin in the lead role. But things aren’t going to be all wishes and ‘whole new worlds’ apparently as the universe’s most feared enemy will be appearing on stage opposite Barrowman.

That’s right, the Daleks are making their first pantomime appearance in this year’s production! I don’t know the size of the role they play in the story, or how they’ve been cast, but apparently they are involved!

The website can be found Here

The Daleks themselves were unavailable for comment.

What do you guys think of that? Are any of you in the UK and planning to attend?

Let us know!

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Out of Time is a wonderful and gentle episode especially after some of the material that has come before it. A plane, the Sky Gypsy flies out of the rift, and upon landing is met by Torchwood who inform them that they have traveled into the future, almost 45 years into the future.

As the three travelers are introduced to the 21st century world each of them responds in a different way, and affects those around them in profound ways.

Owen, Jack and Gwen each have to deal with the repercussions of the past intruding on their present.
The story itself is very bittersweet, and wonderfully presented, giving very human reactions for those from the past, and those in the present. This is the first episode that I finally started to like the character of Owen, and it’s about time as the first series is drawing to a close.

I also like how things are beginning to really fracture for Gwen and live-in boyfriend Rhys, as well as how Jack deals with John, one of the visitors from the past, it’s a bold move and executed incredibly well.

While not my favorite episode of the series, it still stands out as a high point.

Torchwood airs Saturdays on BBCAmerica, and Fridays on CBC

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A classic enemy returns to the Doctor Who fold, along with Martha Jones!

The Sontarans first squared off against Doctor No. 3, Jon Pertwee in The Time Warrior, and now they return to face off against No. 10! The episode will also feature the return of Martha Jones to the Doctor’s side, after her three episode stint on Torchwood.

“Martha Jones returns in a fantastic storyline and the fans will get to see her in a whole new light!” Freema Agyeman says.
The article and a few promotional pictures can be found on the BBC site and the official Doctor Who site.

The next series is shaping up nicely, we have Agatha Christie, as well as the return of the Ood and the Sontarans, not to mention any other surprises that may be up the writers’ sleeves.

Not that far off now…

What other classic enemies or allies would you like to see come back?

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As the Christmas episode (not to mention the Children In Need mini-ep) grow closer, it’s getting harder to sidestep spoilers, though I am doing my best (I like to remain spoiler free). But this must be one of the oddest hints of spoilers that I’ve come across.

There are some geeks, I’m counting myself very prominently in this category, who not only love their shows or movies or what-have-you, but love the music that goes with it, I have a huge soundtrack collection, of which John Williams is the star. Well, here’s one more area for me to avoid spoilers for the coming Christmas Special.

The next soundtrack for the Doctor Who series (love the first one, especially the Love Don’t Roam track), featuring music from Series 3, will also contain a song performed by Yamit Mamo that will be featured in the Christmas Episode, Voyage Of The Damned.

The song itself is called The Stowaway, and can be found on the Silva Screen Record’s MySpace page

I haven’t listened to myself, but there is a warning of potential spoilers, so listen at your own risk.

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Hmmm.

What to think of this episode. It kinda feels like a standard X-files episode with a bit of a Scooby-Doo ending. Kinda.
The Torchwood team is investigating the roadside murder of a UFO crank, who also had a bit of a thing for Gwen, who in turn feels driven to figure out what actually happened to the dead man, Eugene by name, and all she has are the pieces of his life left behind, and some snaps of, as the episode title suggests, random shoes.

Helping her, or at least watching her help him, is Eugene’s spirit, who is trying, along with Gwen to figure out why he was murdered… It all seems to have something to do with an alien artifact, which Jack identifies as a Dogon Sixth Eye.

Overall, this is a bit of a lighter episode than has been seen of late, though still carries through with the themes seen in the entire series. I do like how the mystery unwinds, and the revelation of the baddie at the climax of the episode.

The series continues to entertain and I’m looking forward to seeing what they do with the second series (don’t be afraid to be dark, that’s my recommendation!).

Torchwood airs Saturday nights on BBCAmerica, and Fridays (though a bit behind) on CBC

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Murder! Seemingly unconnected except that at each homicide site is one word scrawled on the wall… Torchwood! Claiming the bodies, Jack and company go to work on trying to solve their mystery, finding that there are large doses of recton in one of them… recton is used in their amnesia pills (think Men In Black’s neuralyzer). To find out what exactly is going on, Jack authorizes the use of the resurrection glove, last seen in the first episode. Gwen uses it to bring back the victims one at a time, but they never last long, until they use it on Susie, a late Torchwood member.
And despite the fact that the murder weapon is sticking out of her chest…

she doesn’t die again. In fact there seems to be something connecting her and Gwen as they go in search of the murderer.
These are the Torchwood stories I like, dark and moody, so unlike it’s parent series Doctor Who (which I love!), there are actions, repercussions, and threats of future darkness… “There’s something moving in the darkness…”

Now, not as enjoyable as the two previous episodes, at least in my opinion, the series has now found it’s legs, and is beginning to carve out it’s own little niche in the Who-verse.

Both Barrowman and Myles, Jack and Gwen respectively, turn in excellent performances, accepting responsibility for the things they’ve done, and Myles especially as she begins to grow weaker over the course of the episode.

At this point I’m eager to see what series 2 will bring, but that’s a long ways off…

Sigh, at least the Doctor Who Christmas Special is drawing closer, as is the mini-ep for the Children in Need Special…

Torchwood airs Saturday nights on BBCAmerica, and Friday nights (a few eps behind) on CBC

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Well it seems it’s official now, and the pics are great The Registerhas one, as does The Sun. As mentioned in a previous post in August, there were rumors that a previous Doctor would join the current Doctor in the Children in Need special that airs in the UK. It’s now been confirmed with press photos of Tennant and previous Doctor Peter Davison posing together in costume.
Further good news is that the mini-ep, called Time Crash, is being penned by Steve Moffat who has of course written some of my fave episodes of the current Doctor (Blink and Girl In The Fireplace being my top two!).

Davison had this to say “It is an honour for me to be able to make the connection between the fifth Doctor and the tenth Doctor. However, now is not the time for sound-bites. I can feel the hand of history on my shoulder, even if I can’t do the buttons up.” (the buttons up reference is due to the fact that Davison, now 56, couldn’t fit into his costume that he wore in his slimmer 30s).

Sounds great, BUT… the only thing that gives me pause is the phrase mini-ep, as it’s only run about 10 to 15 minutes max.

Something like this needs to be at least a full episode if not a two parter. Sigh.

Maybe they’ll revisit previous Doctors future episodes…

What do you guys think?

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Naoko Mori’s Tosh takes center stage this week and turns on a very enjoyable performance, I tend to like her more than Gwen. In fact she may be my second fave character on the series after Jack. After meeting a woman named Mary, Tosh is suddenly empowered with the ability to read minds, which quickly becomes as much of a curse as it is a blessing. Whether you’ve noticed or not, Tosh has had the hots for Owen since the beginning of the series, and as she tunes in on his and Gwen’s thoughts, Naoko shows us how much this hurts her character.

This ep feels like a bit more of a character piece, and a nice breather after the tension of last week’s visit to the country, and I was very happy to see Tosh take center stage, and hope we see more of it in the future.

It’s hard in ensemble shows to give every character their moment in the sun, and sometimes it takes a while, but sometimes they’re worth the wait, and this one is.

At this point in the series everyone has found their footing with their characters, and whether you like them or not (I’m still kinda looking at you Owen) they are all beginning to fit into the structure that forms Torchwood, most of them (I’m definitely looking at you Ianto), and I’m looking forward to more such eps in the second series.

The episode was scripted by Toby Whitehouse, who penned the second series ep of Doctor Who called School Reunion, which saw the return of Sarah Jane Smith (who now has her own spinoff series - anyone seen it?), and K-9 (who I hear also has his own series - anyone seen THAT?) and of course Tony Head as the villainous school master, and he keeps the story moving while balancing it with humorous dialog and putting Tosh through her paces.

Torchwood airs Saturdays on BBCAmerica, and Fridays (though a few eps behind) on CBC

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Take all of this with a grain of salt.

The Sun has a quick article about this year’s Doctor Who Christmas Special which could be construed as spoiler heavy. If it’s accurate. The Sun has been hit and miss with their Doctor Who articles, so it’s hard to know for sure if what’s contained in this article is correct.

One thing is does mention, like we didn’t see this coming, is that Kylie gets to plant one on the Doctor. Like the article says… “Dr Who is one lucky, lucky, lucky time traveller. Who wouldn’t want to be snogged by Kylie?”

Only click the link if you’re willing to venture into spoiler territory.

Soon enough, I won’t be venturing down spoiler-territory, I hate to ruin things for myself
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This and last week’s episode, Small Worlds, were by far my favorite eps of the series, which is saying something, as the show continues to improve with each episode, and is beginning to find sure footing.
I don’t wish to give away much in the way of plot, but it was tightly scripted, and actually scary on a number of levels.
Sure most of the ideas we’ve seen in this episode are staples of horror movies, but at this point, we’re a fair ways into the first series, and perhaps we even care for these characters by now, unlike any horror movie of late, so there seems to be a real sense of threat.

The Torchwood gang go north to investigate a series of missing person reports and the threat they come up against may be one of the most terrifying they have ever encountered.

The entire cast is in top form this week, and everything about this ep is top-notch, though with the gore and the themes, it may not be for everyone.

Torchwood airs Saturdays on BBCAmerica, and Fridays (though a number of eps behind now) on CBC

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It seems the BBC
is seeding ideas of a possible Doctor Who feature film that would see Billie Piper’s Rose re-uniting with the current Doctor, David Tennant, on the big screen.

The BBC controller of fiction (that just sounds like a propaganda job for the government - but that’s just me) Jane Tranter had this to say, “I would not rule out a film version of Doctor Who, no.”

The Doctor has been seen on the big screen twice before as portrayed by Peter Cushing, though neither of these films are considered to be BBC Who Canon. This film, if it has Tennant as the Doctor, and the BBC’s support would definitely be!

While I like the idea of a Doctor Who movie, I tend to think that it would have to be a really, really, really, really, really AWESOME story to warrant doing it as a feature film. With the caliber of the stories, writing, and effects we’ve seen on the show to date, a film, for any reason at all, would need to be something very special. I mean we’ve seen the Daleks, the Cybermen, there’s rumors of Davros returning to the series this year, the Master has appeared…

A Doctor Who movie would have to be very big, and very special….

What do you think?

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Jack confronts part of his past, and gives a new take on the Cottingley Fairies. It’s the first of my two fave eps of the series so far.

Captain Jack is suffering from nightmares from his past, while a young girl’s friends may be more than imaginary, and an old friend of Jack’s may have the answers to both. As they investigate some of what happened to Jack after he was left in the future by The Doctor (No.9) and Rose is revealed, and the concepts of fairies gets tilted on it’s head a bit.

This was one of the best eps yet in my opinion. The story is in turns sad and spooky, striking a perfect balance, giving us more background on Jack while advancing the plot. The fairies, when they reveal their true purpose, are an intriguing creation, and tie in nicely with the legendary Cottingley Fairies (a series of five photographs taken in the early 20th century of “actual” fairies that swept the nation of England, and found support as the real thing from none other than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (though of course they were later proven to be fakes)).

The tag of the episode with Gwen examining one of these classic photos is a nice touch.

A highly enjoyable character driven episode in my book, and next week, my fave episode that features a trip to the country…

Torchwood airs Saturdays on BBCAmerica, and on CBC Fridays.

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BBC News reports that former Doctor Who companion Billie Piper’s (Rose) new series The Secret Diary of a Call Girl has wowed the UK, drawing huge numbers for it’s debut.

The drama is based on an online diary, written under the pseudonym Belle de Jour, which became a best-selling book.

Well that sounds like a winning story idea to me, especially with lots of naughty underwear and the like (I’m a guy, what do you expect :P). I haven’t had the opportunity to see it myself yet, has anyone else?

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So here it is folks, the end of Series 3 of Doctor Who. I can’t really talk about it without having the word SPOILERS plastered all over it, something I did for the original broadcast of the episode, and it’s in our archives here so seek that one out if you’d like.

I will say that it is a very satisfying conclusion to this series, and it’s awesome to see Tennant’s Doctor, and Simm’s Master go toe to toe (please sir, can I have some more?). I can say that Captain Jack dies a couple of times, and Martha gets to save the world.

I loved this series, and if possible, I believe it just gets better and better. Tennant is completly comfortable in the role, and I’m eager to see where he takes us in the next series, and beyond.

This episode ties up the series quite nicely while leaving us with a cliffhanger of sorts, much like last year, to leap into the Christmas Episode, Voyage Of The Damned, which isn’t so very far off now, YAY!

Cos watch: classic whites baby!

I’m eager to hear what you all thought of the revelations, wins and losses that our heroes suffered through to reach the episode’s conclusion Doctor Who Series 3 concludes Monday on CBC

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In an interview with This Is North Scotland Jean-Luc Picard himself, the stalwart Patrick Stewart (ha! Stalwart Stewart!… anyway) has revealed that he loves Doctor Who and would love to show up on the show…

“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.

Since he and the current Doctor, David Tennant, will be working together next summer on Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company perhaps he’ll get his wish for Series 5!

That would be alright in my book! How about you guys?

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Peter J Hammond one of the writers has revealed some of the extra scare he’s bringing to his episode of Torchwood Series 2 this year.

SFX Blog reveals one of the plot points that will feature in his episode. Don’t visit it if you want to avoid spoilers!

I personally read it, it’s still early enough that it only gives a snippet of plot so it’s not like it gives away the whole thing (those kind of spoilers are ok in my book, just hints of plot and the like. Nothing major like… Spock dies! or Vader is Luke’s Father! - Hope I didn’t just ruin anything for anyone ) and I like the idea, if done right it could be very spooky. The vfx of both Who and Torchwood have been first rate so far, and I think the idea could be pulled off nicely.

Boy effects have come a long way baby!

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The official Doctor Who site has posted the revelation that the Doctor and Donna will be traveling back to Pompeii on the eve of it’s destruction by Mount Vesuvius and debate on whether or not to warn the inhabitants.

Russell T Davis, the showrunner, says,

“Donna is stunned to find herself in the midst of history’s most famous volcanic eruption. Viewers can expect many more ambitious storylines and a whole host of guest stars in 2008.”

Filming of the episode was ambitious, involving a production relocation to Rome itself to the Cinecitta Studios there.

Sounds like Series 4 is shaping up nicely! Who am I kidding? I’m gonna watch it regardless!

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God, I’m craving me some new Doctor Who. Christmas is so far away, and it’s not that I want presents (although I do!), I just want new Doctor Who eps!

So how does one keep busy filling that need for new Who? Well here’s what I did! I went back to uncover the previous Whos. Sure I grew up with Tom Baker, K-9 and that awesome long scarf, but back then, I just didn’t get the regeneration thing. If it wasn’t Tom it wasn’t the Doctor.

Now, happily I know better, and I have 8 regenerations to go through! And while this is a website based on the visual media of television, and all it’s wonderful byproducts (DVD boxsets anyone?), I’ve discovered books!!!

And through them I’ve discovered the 8th Doctor, Paul McGann, who’s run was confined to the not quite so stellar tv movie from 1996 where he faced off against a regeneration of The Master portrayed by perennial bad guy favorite Eric Roberts.

Paul McGann got the short stick of the Doctor Who universe by only being allowed to play the Doctor in one story (he and other past Doctors have done a number of official audio dramas for the BBC though). But his adventures live on in novel form, a whole gambit of them, and unlike say Star Trek books, which are merely seen as stories, these novels are considered cannon in the Who-Universe!

So now, I have a ton of new adventures, that are new to me! Doctor Who goodness to see me into the new year, and beyond!!

How about you folks? Needy for Doctor Who? How are you filling the time?

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Ghosts, ghosts, and more ghosts. They’re everywhere in this Owen-centric episode. Torchwood recovers a machine that allows them to view ghosts that walk among us as well as brief flashes of the past and future, which Gwen discovers alarmingly. Citing that it is too dangerous to use, they lock it away, Owen however has other plans and is witness to a murder that occurred 40 years ago. Owen is driven, almost consumed by the need to discover the murderer and see that justice is served almost a half century later.

This story I liked, and definitely got away from the fun, but decidedly cheesy orgasm alien of last week’s ep. This lets the series venture into darker territory, the first step on a dark journey. I love that the series isn’t afraid of showing a darker side, I love the light and excitement that personifies the Doctor Who series, but occasionally I like my brooding darkness as well, and this one does it. I liked how the story was put together and executed. Sure we’ve seen stories like this done before, but it was executed very well, especially when Gwen uses the machine which shows her the past and a very troubling future with a bloody knife.

There is humor to lighten the story, but overall, it’s a dark story, showing once again that Torchwood is really not for the kiddies.

My only point of contention this early in the series, and it did change later on, is Burn Gorman as Owen. I’m just not sure I care for the actor in the role, or perhaps the actor himself. Sure at this point we’re only 3 episodes into a 13 episode series, but there was just something about him that didn’t sit well with me. I don’t know. What do you guys think?

Torchwood airs Saturdays on BBCAmerica (and eventually (?) on CBC)

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