More updates on this startling (well, startling to me but also great as I thoroughly enjoyed John Barrowman's Captain Jack last season and definitely think he can carry a show as lead) development of the new 13 part companion series to Dr.Who season II. And still, no US station has picked up the Chris Eccleston run. Uggh, short-minded fools.

1) Anyway, with the wonderful web as it is, as soon as the shows are aired in the UK, it'll be possible to file-share so don't despair if you haven't seen any or worry about missing UK broadcast stuff.

Here is the link fro news updates and the latest on the Christmas Special, Season II and Torchwood.

http://www.cuttingsarchive.org.uk/newseries.htm


Note: I should point out that Russell Davies has somehow managed to engage the services of legendary sci-fi writer P J Hammond, creator and mastermind behind Sapphire and Steel as part of the Torchwood writing team. It is being posited as a modern British show, grounded in reality but dealing with the dark psychologial aspects of the contact with aliens and dealing with a team of investigators and Captain Jack himself, operating out of modern Cardiff.

This is huge news and definitely a very positive step forward for british tv and science fiction especially.


2) God, the more I dig, the more I find. The news is flying in faster than one can blink and it appears any fears of Season II being anything less than spectacularly brilliant and a true continuation of the Dr.Who legacy are misplaced. Here's some recent words from Russell Davies on one of the episodes which features the return of Sarah Jane Smith and K9 and also the ever-excellent Anthony Stewart Head from Buffy and Little Britain.

SFX Magazine has a feature interview online with Russell T Davies from their next issue. Davies notes that this year has "a whole different feel, with David now at the centre of things - a different energy, a different Doctor, which makes it a different show. But at the same time, it's still good old Doctor Who." Davies notes that he thinks that part of last year's success was "that we didn't fiddle with the basic format too much. They got it right in 1963!" Using K9, he says, left everyone in awe, "but really, K-9 didn't stand a chance, because [Elisabeth Sladen] stole everyone's reactions... I thought Stephen Fry was going to faint. ... And it was the same, walking on set, seeing her with David and Billie. And it's hell of a ride, cos one minute you're remembering the past, but as soon as Toby Whithouse's blistering dialogue rips out, then you know immediately that this isn't nostalgia, it's a great, new story to tell about the Doctor's life. Then you add Anthony Head, who's just brilliant. Then the new Krillitanes! It's a hell of a mix; I'm very excited by that episode." Davies characterises this season as "not presuming anything, we're just battling to make it as good as it can be. And there is a temptation for sci-fi shows, more than any other, to get very wrapped up in mythology and back-story, and I'm guarding against that. ... We're bringing back some old elements, like Lady Cassandra, partly to shore up the show and ease the changeover of Doctor. At the same time, there's only a fleeting mention of her escapades on Platform One, so brand new viewers can start from scratch. But actually, the most powerful reason for bringing Cassandra back is that I thought she was the most amazing piece of CGI, voiced by one of the UK's best actors and, crucially, I thought of a brand new story for her. That's the clincher, that's all that matters, the story." He doesn't specify anything on Tennant's accent, and briefly mentions the Sad Tony petition (see separate story). Finally, for the third series, he notes that he's got "one or two... not threads as such... just a couple of hints and mentions which might pay off in 2007. Or not, if I change my mind. But again, nothing crippling or binding, we're keeping the mythology and continuity light. Which fits the Doctor, a man who flits from place to place without ever stopping. It's hard to tie him down with a continuous story, and that's one of the elements I love about the show. But a lot of plans are in place for series three. I was just talking to Julie Gardner this morning, and we realised that we've probably got about ten of next year's episodes nailed down already. Including that episode in Nobby's Circus Tent with the talking gay elephants. I think we'll transmit that live." Read the full interview at the SFX website.


3) And in what sounds like a slavering fan dream come to life- this little possible spoiler piece promises a climax to top Season I at the end of the second series:

Doctor Who Update!
12/10/2005, 14:56pm GMT

A bit of Doctor Who news for you today. Firstly The Sun are reporting that there will be a 'Robot War' in the next series' finale, with a battle between the Cybermen and the Daleks. Whether or not this will materialise remains to be seen, we'll have to wait until next Spring to find out!

*

And in the latest news from the Whovian world, Captain Jack has proven popular enough to get his own series!

Doctor Who will return in December 2005 to BBC ONE in an hour long Christmas special, starring David Tennant as The Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose; this will be followed by Season 2 (or Season 28...) in early 2006. A second Christmas special (December 2006) and third season for early 2007 have also been commissioned.

Torchwood, a 13-part 'spin-off' adult drama series aimed at a post-watershed audience is to air on BBC THREE in Summer 2006. It stars John Barrowman as Captain Jack from Doctor Who and will be written by Doctor Who Executive Producer and writer Russell T Davies. Davies describes the series as "a British sci-fi paranoid thriller"; the Doctor Who Christmas special and second series will introduce the concept of Torchwood to audiences prior to it's debut later in the year.