Doctor Who – Waters of Mars

The following previews of the next episode of Doctor Who have been released.  It is expected that this episode will air sometime in the fall 2009 – possible dates October 31st or November 14th.

From Wikipedia:  “The story is set on Mars^[10] and the Doctor will be joined by a new companion named Adelaide, played by Lindsay Duncan, who is head of the Mars base.^[3] Producer Nikki Wilson described the character as “the Doctor’s cleverest and most strong-minded companion yet.”^[6] The most recent trailer shows a massive Terrarium of life on the planet’s surface, and a mysterious alien which infects its victims using a water compound it creates.

In the BBC trailer, the Doctor says that the events ongoing on Mars are a fixed point in time and must not be changed.

This promises to be a darker episode.

Torchwood – Season 3

For once, Torchwood episodes will be shown in North America at the same time as in Great Britain.  Season 3 (5 episodes) start on Monday July 20 and run for 5 nights.  That’s all we get, hopefully there will be more Torchwood soon.

Children of Earth

Day One An ordinary day becomes one of terror, as every single child in the world stops and delivers a message to all the governments of Earth: “We are coming.” As a trap closes around Captain Jack, the sins of the past are returning and long-forgotten events threaten to reveal an awful truth. Captain Jack, Gwen and Ianto are helpless as events escalate to such a degree that mankind faces the end of civilization itself.

Day Two As the new Torchwood adventure continues, members of the team are hunted down, Britain risks becoming a rogue state, and only one person holds the key to Torchwood’s salvation.

Day Three The eyes of the world turn to Britain and members of Torchwood must battle to protect their own families, as the fight gets personal.

Day Four The eyes of the world turn to Britain and members of Torchwood must battle to protect their own families, as the fight gets personal.

Day Five As violence erupts and anarchy reigns, an ordinary housing estate becomes a battleground where the future will be decided. Torchwood is defenseless – can Gwen Cooper save the day?

The Torchwood Team

Gwen

Jack and Gwen try to find out what is causing the children to behave as they are.

Like other families with children, Ianto’s sister and her family are powerless in the face of the 456.

Every single child on Earth stops and unbeknownst to them, become messengers for an alien race.

Doctor Who – Planet of the Dead

The Easter Special of Doctor Who was a hoot.  If you want to view a synopsis of the story you can go here.  I think these specials are meant to be fun and keep us involved in the Doctor Who franchise.  It’s got a few good lines like “you look human” and the Doctor responds “you look time lord”.    Malcolm was a good bumbling genius sort of what you expect for someone who must think outside the box.  The U.N.I.T. Captain seemed a bit extreme but she did her job.  Lady Christina was a good foil for the Doctor and demonstrated brains and beauty.  Some of the more serious viewers were disapointed by the story but to me it was more interesting than the Christmas special.

 

If you want to follow some Torchwood news you can go here:  http://torchwoodtv.blogspot.com/

Torchwood 2009 – Preview? from DigitalSpy.

2009 TV Preview: ‘Torchwood’ returns

 

 

 

 

 

As you’ll no doubt be aware, the third series brings with it some mighty changes. Not only has the show been upgraded from BBC Two to primetime BBC One, but for the first time the team will contend with one major storyline over the course of the series. The run has been shortened from 13 to just five episodes, but in a major gift to fans the entire series will be stripped across five consecutive days.

That’s not to mention a few casting changes too! Torchwood producer Peter Bennett gives us a preview of what else series three – codenamed Torchwood: Children of Earth- has in store.

The title for this series is somewhat intriguing. What does it mean?
“Basically from a concept, we wanted to go down the children dilemma route. Because this storyline is a subject that’s going to affect all the children of Earth, it was a natural title to come up with.”

What’s the plotline of this series?
“It’s different to every other year. It’s not a story about spaceships, but it’s about a government that did a deal with aliens back in the ’60s, and they’re now dealing with the consequences of that deal when the sins of their past come back to haunt them.”

What was the thinking behind switching to doing a five-episode serial?
“Having done 26 standalone stories, we kind of wanted to take this series to another level and by making it one story over five nights, we feel we’ve done that. It’s big, it’s epic, and it’s very different.”

It’s also changed channels. How has the move to BBC One affected the tone of the show?
“Taking over a week of primetime BBC One is a big responsibility, and something none of us have done before. So we had to approach everything differently, from the way we storylined the series, to the scripting and filming, then right through to the editing. The script has a big cliffhanger and a few unexpected twists along the way. Telling one story has also given us the opportunity to have one director across the whole series, Euros Lyn, who’s been incredible and taken the show to a new level.”

It’s been previously remarked that this new format represents a “resetting” of the show. Is that accurate?
“I guess so. This series takes Torchwood on a much darker journey, but it’s stillTorchwood. It’s exciting, action-packed, and we’ve still got a lot of fun running through it.”

At the end of series two we lost two of the regular cast, Owen and Tosh. How much are they missed?
“On set Burn and Naoko are missed, because they were a terrific part of the team socially and for morale. As far as the storylines are concerned, it’s allowed us to see a whole new side of what’s left of our regular characters and learn a whole lot more about their lives. Also we’ve got new characters, people like Peter Capaldi, who’s fantastic as the government middle man caught up in the storm, Liz May Brice as a covert government agent and Paul Copely as a damaged man.”

And are there any direct additions to the Torchwood team?
“We sort of bring in Gwen’s husband Rhys (Kai Owen). He was always on the fringes anyway but he takes a much more active part in the storyline now. And we’ve got a new young lady who helps the team – I wouldn’t say she’s part of the team but she kind of helps them out. She’s played by a new actress called Cush Jumbo, who’s a very pretty young lady and who I’m sure is going to go on to bigger things.”

John Barrowman has previously hinted that he might quit the show after this series. Do you think that’s true? What do you think Torchwood would be like without Captain Jack?
“I think it would be very difficult without John. I’ve not heard him say he wouldn’t want to stick around after a third series, so I’m not sure where that’s come from. But he certainly never mentioned it to us or on set. It wouldn’t be the same without him obviously. Captain Jack is a star in his own right!”

Are there individual episode titles on this series?
“No, it’s just the one main title running through this year.”

Who do you have writing this series?
“We’ve got James Moran, who wrote for the last series of Torchwood, and we’ve got a guy called John Fay who previously wrote all sorts of things. Russell was a fan of his, so he’s come and written episode two, which is brilliant. Russell did one, John did two, James did three and then Russell did four and five.”

Are you nervous about how the audience will take to the new format?
“Yes, of course. It’s something none of us has done before so we’re all a bit nervous of it. I’ve got the bonus of having seen the material we’ve shot and I can assure you, we’ve got some absolutely fantastic material with some amazing acting. It’s stunning and I would defy anybody not to be impressed by it.”

Where are you at with production on the series right now?
“We’ve just started our second week of post editing and we’re in a position to have a look at our first episode. We’ve just shown our executive producers the first cut version of the first episode and this week we’re hoping to show them the first cut of the second episode. It’s a very very tough post schedule. We’ve only got one director, but we’ve got three cutting rooms running simultaneously and he’s literally running between all three. We have to deliver the whole thing, with all effects and music, by March. So to do five one-hours is a real tough schedule, particularly because we’ve got so much amazing material. I’d guess we’r

 

The Next Doctor – Christmas Special

Christmas Eve, 1851, and Cybermen stalk the snow of Victorian London. But when the Doctor meets another Doctor, the two must combine forces to stop the rise of the CyberKing.

Rosita and the 2 Doctors

Cybermen

The 2 Doctors

Rosita

Cyberleaders, Doctor, Miss Hartigan and Doctor 2

Mr Scoones and young slaves

Miss Hartigan, The 2 Doctors, Cyberleader and Rosita

Cybershades

Miss Hartigan flipping the switch with the Cybermen

Miss Hartigan confronts the establishment at the graveyard

The Cybermen take over the graveyard

Miss Hartigan and the Cybermen

This was a fun episode.  The Doctor arrives in 1851 London to be greeted by the Doctor who knows all about The Doctor but doesn’t know about our Doctor.  There is trouble afoot with the Cybermen looking to create the CyberKing.  They have an ally in Miss Hartigan who has a lot to prove and a lot of revenge to extract on the people of London.  Overall the episode was entertaining and light.

Doctor Who Christmas Special

The episode of “The Next Doctor” is expected to be broadcast by BBC One in the UK on Christmas Day.

This year’s Children in Need Telethon is to feature an exclusive preview of the forthcoming Doctor Who Christmas Special.

The clip, from the Christmas Special entitled The Next Doctor, will show the first two minutes of a brand new episode for the Time Lord, played by David Tennant.

This never seen before footage, is a worldwide exclusive, and will keep fans all over the globe wondering what’s in store for the Doctor’s next adventure.

Starring David Tennant and David Morrissey, the clip from The Next Doctor will be broadcast as part of the BBC Children in Need show on 14 November, BBC One from 7pm.

The Next Doctor Episode

Torchwood – Intelligence Update

Here in the lazy (wet) days of summer, news about Torchwood is sparse and hard to find.  I found an entry on Torchwood.tv dated July 26, 2008 that speculates about some changes.  At the end of “Journeys End” we got the impression that Martha Jones and Mickey Smith were going to join with Captain Jack at Torchwood to replace Owen and Toshiko, but it seems that Freema Agyeman has signed on for another TV series on ITV.

So it seems we can look forward to only 5 episodes next season to be run on consecutive nights sometime in Spring 2009.  Only 5 episode, come on BBC – smarten up.

With a new producer who will likely want to make his own mark on the franchise it is now quite possible to have new characters joining Torchwood for the upcoming episodes.  The 3rd Series will follow one story line and put the main characters in harms way and they have to make choices and with choices there are consequences.

So we have a long wait to see the new episodes and anything can happen.

Doctor Who – S04E13 – Journey’s End Review

What can I say but well done.  Things got tied up with a bow and we know that come Christmas 2008 we will see the return of the Cybermen.

Cliff hangers were resolved.  There were many linkages to past facts and story lines.  You have to be on your toes to keep up with things although there were some new questions to keep things interesting.  To get it all you have to view it multiple times.

The hand did play an important role in the regeneration/repair and the final trick to solving the Dalek problem.  With the Tardis and Donna seconds away from being destroyed she touched the hand and there was an instantaneous biological meta crisis and we had another Doctor who was half human/half timelord.  Everyone thinks the Tardis and Donna were destroyed but we know better.

It’s rather funny to hear the Doctor talk like Donna or as he says “disgusting”.  The Doctor(2) only has one heart and that’s the sound that has been linking him to Donna.

Davros was following Dalek Caan’s predictions and they sought to destroy reality but the children of time worked to stop it.  Davros shows the Doctor how he has been responsible for many deaths and then we flash through the many characters that have died in these episodes, Davros succeeds in exposing the Doctor’s soul. 

The osterhagen key is a nasty piece of work but it wasn’t to be.  Then Sarah Jane’s warp star was wired into the mainframe by Jack but the Daleks captured all of them except for Donna and The Doctor(2) who appear with the Tardis just before the weapon is fired.

Davros zaps the Doctor(2) and stops him for using his DNA weapon, he zaps Donna when she tries and then they destroy the weapon.  Zapping Donna awakened the human-time lord meta crisis Donna who now has the mind of the Doctor and she sets about to make things right as Doctor Donna as per the prediction earlier this season. 

They deactivate the Daleks and it turns out that Dalek Caan didn’t like what he saw about the Daleks and manipulated time to get to this point.  They manage to get 26 of the 27 planets back to their original location but the supreme Dalek destroys the magnetron before they can get Earth back.  The Doctor sets about to use the Tardis to bring Earth back but The Doctor(2) realizes that the Daleks must be destroyed which he accomplishes.

The whole group boards the Tardis to bring Earth back and they have enough pilots to do just that, seems it takes 6 pilots to run the Tardis properly.  Even K-9 gets into the act to provide information the Mr. Smith.  In the end Earth is returned.

The Doctor says goodbye to Jack and Martha, Mickey joins them and it looks like Jack has asked them to join Torchwood so that answers part of the Torchwood question.

The Doctor takes Rose back to her alternate universe and the Doctor(2) has to sta there as well since he is dangerous.  Rose is confused but in the end Doctor(2) whispers the right words and accept the since he only has one heart, he will grow old with her.

Doctor Donna (sound familiar) has a breakdown because Human/Time Lord meta crisis isn’t supposed to be so he removes all memory of him and their adventures and takes her home to Wilfred and her mom.  She wakes and doesn’t remember and can’t remember if she is to survive.  The Doctor tells Wilfred and her mom that Donna Noble was the most important woman in the universe and her mother says she still is.  Donna must go back to her life as a temp and the Doctor is off on a new adventure.

The preview for Christmas shows the Cybermen in victorian times.

Doctor Who – S04E13 – Journeys End

The entire universe is in danger as the Daleks activate their masterplan, in the concluding episode of Russell T Davies’s Bafta Award-winning time-travelling drama. The Doctor is helpless, and even the Tardis faces destruction. The only hope lies with the Doctor’s secret army of companions – but as they join forces to battle Davros himself, the prophecy declares that one of them will die.  This is the final episode of the trilogy.

On BBC One at 6:40 July 5th, 2008.

BBC Trailer for Journeys End?

The Regeneration

Looking around the net it seems that there is some speculation that the 11th Doctor may be David Tennant himself.  Remember in the last episode they showed the severed hand as if it was just background but it may be the key to keeping Number 10’s body.  It would make sense to keep the current Doctor since he loves playing the character and he is very good at it, but then is Rose vulnerable?

Opening credits – no help here and then again maybe there is a clue here.

Doctor Who – S04E12 – The Stolen Earth

This is an excellent episode.  By the end of it I just said “wow”.  Just watched it again and it was excellent.

The children of time were able to find out what was going on and to communicate with the assistance of Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister and are starting to work on the solution to Davros.  The story was well set up and the next episode should be exciting.  The Doctor finally finds Rose and we get a big surprise when the Doctor was “exterminated”.  Time to regenerate.  Who will he be?

Another review: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/a105038/s04e12-the-stolen-earth.html

The Davros Clip

The trailer for The Stolen Earth

Episode Preview:  http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/a102605/s04e12-the-stolen-earth.html

Doctor Who – S04E11 – Turn Left

A review of Turn Left: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/a102599/s04e11-turn-left.html

I think this episode is a red herring.  It explores what would have happened had Donna turned right instead of left and not meet the Doctor.  Not a pretty picture.  It was a painful trip to the end of time.  Rose was used as a vehicle to move Donna’s story from one disaster after another and to help her get the timeline back on their track.  Donna wasn’t the nicest person through these incidents.  It was almost like a filler episode using snippets from the season except where the Doctor had succeeded  in stopping something from happening, they explored the opposite result.

In the end, Donna manages to get herself to Turn Left and things return to normal but nothing has really changed.  The end is coming – the darkness is approaching.  It was an interesting episode but like eating Chinese Food – you are quickly hungry after you’ve finished watching.

—————–Previous Pre Episode Post below ————————-

Source: Wikipedia

Turn Left“^[1] is the eleventh episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It will be broadcast on BBC One on June 21, 2008 This episode marks the return of former companion Rose Tyler following brief cameo appearances in “Partners in Crime“, “The Poison Sky” and “Midnight“. It also features the organisation UNIT, last seen in “The Poison Sky“.^[2]

Attending a carnival on the “Chino-planet of Shan Shen” exposes the Doctor and Donna to flags, pagodas, and local colour. Donna is cajoled to have her fortune read for free, and her past is carefully examined for a specific single event. Meanwhile, something creeps towards Donna’s back^. When the Doctor suddenly goes missing, Donna must work with Rose, a traveller from a parallel universe, to prevent the darkness from encompassing the whole of creation.

Source: Tradis and Torchwood Treasures

Donna’s entire world collapses, but there’s no sign of the Doctor, as Russell T Davies’s Bafta Award-winning time-travelling drama continues. Instead, she finds help from a mysterious blonde woman – a traveller from a parallel universe. But, as Donna and Rose Tyler combine forces, are they too late to save the whole of creation from the approaching darkness?

******SPOILER ALERT********

A Newspaper has revealed the Doctor Who Spoiler.  See it here.

Doctor Who – S04E10 – “Midnight”

*updated

The Doctor goes on a trip to see a waterfall on the planet Midnight. What could possibly go wrong? The answer was an excellent examination of what people will do under pressure, how you can have fear spread like wildfire and have a mob mentality take over rational people.

There was no final answer to what it was or who it was but that wasn’t the point. The tour participants were reacting to a difficult situation and not doing all that well. In the end the Doctor was bothered by what happened and he had little control over the situation. Lesley Sharp as Sky Silvestry was excellent and demonstrated great skill speaking at the same time, the same words as everyone else. It had to be a real challenge.

They were saved by the Hostess yet nobody knew her name. The end of the danger was brought on by her spur of the moment decision to act – like any true hero, acting without thinking of the consequences.

The Doctor has to really digest this one.

Another review of this episode; http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/a100129/s04e10-midnight.html?rss

Doctor Who/Torchwood – Rumours and Wishes

http://www.denofgeek.com/television/63652/torchwood_season_three_just_one_week_long.html

This one says that John B. will be back for the 5 episodes in season 3.  We hope.

From TVGUIDE.COM – June 2, 2008

“Tired of all the rumors surrounding Torchwood’s future, TVGuide.com went directly to the rift, er, Cardiff, Wales, to learn if the truth was out there.

Well, ‘Woodies (or Torchies, if you prefer), scripts for Season 3 are currently being developed and filming should start in the middle of August for airing on BBC1 in the spring of 2009. Best news of all, John Barrowman will return as the dashing bi-sexual adventurer. Though keeping more details close to the vest, executive producer Julie Gardner vows that fans “will be pleased with the casting.” That better mean Eve Myles is returning!

Fans, however, may not be so happy with the mere five hours slated for next season. “We’ve decided to do a five-part mini-series, one big story that will run during one week,” says Gardner, adding, “I wanted to make a really big noise about the show.”

So far, the BBC has only green lit these five hours, but there could be more, we’re told. When (or even whether) BBC America will run the mini-series has yet to be decided. — Ileane Rudolph”

Major Changes Ahead For Torchwood & Doctor Who
Source SciFi Pulse
4 March 2008

By Ian M. Cullen

I was chatting to our friend Dr. Phibes today who has been a reliable source to SciFi Pulse over the years for Torchwood and Doctor Who and he has informed me that some pretty big changes are ahead for both shows.

First off on Torchwood things are going to change massively. Leaving the show are Burn Gorman [Owen Harper], Naoko Mori [Toshiko] and John Barrowman [Captain Jack Harkness], though it is likely that Barrowman will return now and then as Captain Jack in a recurring capacity.

Joining the team as a full time member as of season 3 will be Freema Agyeman who will step in as Martha Jones and take over the day to day running of Torchwood from Captain Jack. Remaining with the show will be Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper.

Another big change for Torchwood is the format of the show. Up until now the series has been aimed at a more grown up audience, and has been sold as a Science Fiction series for adults. This has allowed it plenty of latitude with regards to sexual innuendos and humour. Some of the humour may stay, but it will be dumbed down somewhat so as not to alienate the younger audience members.

A third season of Torchwood has indeed been commissioned, but thus far only for five episodes as apposed to the usual 13. Which is something, that has many in the industry somewhat puzzled, especially considering that the show is performing better than Doctor Who in the USA.

The above changes to Torchwoods format are so it can be shown in the Saturday evening slot that is usually occupied by Doctor Who. Producers at the BBC are looking to Torchwood to act as a buffer between seasons of Doctor Who.

So when Doctor Who isn’t on the air. Torchwood will be there to fill that void in time and space that fans have when waiting an entire six months for the DR. Who Christmas special.

While on the subject of Doctor Who there is a good reason why Catherine Tate is leaving after the one season. Much like Martha it was planned from the start. Though the big difference is Donna whom Tate plays in the series will turn out to be a pretty nasty piece of work. Which is why we have a series 4 finale that will include the return of Captain Jack, Sarah Jane Smith, Martha Jones and Rose Tyler.

In addition to this my source has informed me that David Tennant will be leaving the series and will regenerate during the last few minutes of the 2009 Christmas Special.

Apparently for the last few months filming has been underway on the four Doctor Who specials. The first of which will be the 2008 Christmas Special followed by two specials in the year and ending with the 2009 Christmas special which is in its final six weeks of production now. Tennant will officially have left the series in two weeks time when he finishes filming the final moments of the 2009 Christmas Special.

Tipped to take over from Tennant is Full Monty Actor Robert Carlyle though. One insider at the BBC claims that negotiations are currently underway with the actor.

Although the above has come from a pretty reliable source. I ask that you treat the above as you would any other rumour until such times as the BBC actually make some kind of official statement about both series.

If you would like to discuss this or any other story that you see posted at Sci Fi Pulse why not log in and register an account at our new forums, which are located here.

Doctor Who – S04E09 – Forest of the Dead

So now we know why he gave her his sonic screwdriver. Excellent and scary as well.

As the shadows rise, the Doctor forges an alliance with the mysterious River Song. But can anyone stop the Vashta Nerada?

For a recap of the Silence in the Library Episode:

http://galaxycats.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/doctor-who-silence-in-the-library/

For a recap of Forest of the Dead Episode:

http://www.scifiheaven.net/index.php/2008/06/08/doctor-who-series-4-forest-of-the-dead/

Doctor Who – S04E08 – Silence in the Library

So here we have at least a two parter. The Doctor meets someone he’s met before in the future and she has his sonic screwdriver. The Library is a dangerous place to be but I’m sure the Doctor will make it safer since it hurt someone he cares for. Beware of shadows, it could be any shadows.