bbc-related stories
Posted Jul 1st 2009 10:05AM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, OpEd, Doctor Who, Celebrities, Reality-Free, British TV
With the premiere of
Torchwood: Children of Earth closing in at BBC America, John Barrowman is picking an unusual time to kick BBC executives in the pants.
The leading man and variety host told the British papers that he feels like the
BBC is punishing him and Torchwood by cutting the show down to a week-long, five-episode mini-series run.
Barrowman's timing is odd, as there were no reports of dissatisfaction before, during or after filming on the short run. Meanwhile, there's plenty of positive publicity buzzing around the new season, and there was no desperate need to get people interested via a complaint.
Continue reading Barrowman blasts BBC for Torchwood miniseries
Posted Jun 22nd 2009 2:04PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Watercooler Talk, Reality-Free
So...who watched
Merlin last night? Is it fair or unfair to say that this was a Harry Potter-ish version of the classic tale (or, at the very least, the reason this ran on BBC and now on NBC is because of the success of the Potter books)? It's the younger years of Merlin. What did everyone think of it?
Posted Jun 14th 2009 10:03AM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Programming, TV on DVD, Reality-Free, British TV
Torchwood creator and executive producer Russell T. Davies told the British press Friday that the fourth season of the sci-fi show is ready and waiting, depending on how the show's third mini-season ("Children of Earth") performs.
During a screening of the third series' premiere episode ("Day One"), Davies said he knows where he wants to go in
Torchwood's next run. That's good news for fans, as there's every reason to expect that "Children of Earth" will do well both in the U.K. and in the U.S. -- where it out-rates the show that inspired it (
Doctor Who) on BBC America.
Davies, the former executive producer of
Who, also gave
Torchwood fans reason to rejoice when he said he'd be willing to keep knocking the show out for 10 years if the viewers stay tuned. No word if show stars like John Barrowman and Eve Myles would be willing to stay on board into their middle age.
Continue reading Davies says Torchwood's season four is ready to go
Posted Jun 3rd 2009 6:03PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Reality-Free
Anthony Stewart Head, who played the character of Rupert Giles on
Buffy the Vampire Slayer a long, long time ago, has hinted that the British spin-off
Ripper (which would star the character of Giles) is
not outside the realm of possibility.
Granted, there are a few pitfalls in the way. Creator Joss Whedon is busy with his series
Dollhouse and his upcoming movie
Cabin in the Woods. Plus there may be some confusion regarding the character if they get that
Whedon-less Buffy movie made.
There is definitely still life left in the
Buffy franchise (look at all the successful series and movies out there involving vampires with a female protagonist). I'm sorry Joss didn't use that Eliza Dushku contract to make a series about the character of Faith rather than
Dollhouse, although I understand his creative need to spread his wings. In my mind, there is only a matter of time before they make a feature film that is a direct spin-off from the television series that involves Joss Whedon and doesn't suck. Fingers crossed.
Posted Jun 2nd 2009 5:05PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: TV on DVD, OpEd, Doctor Who, Reality-Free
BBC Video will be releasing some new DVDs in North America come July that includes
Torchwood: Children of Earth and
Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead. I immediately took note of the fact that nobody mentioned releasing the last
Doctor Who Christmas special which was broadcast in England in December 2008,
The Next Doctor.
Way back in 1996, the BBC co-produced a
Doctor Who television movie with Fox in the United States which starred Paul McGann as the Doctor. Since then, the rights regarding reproduction or broadcast of that movie in North America has been somewhat convoluted at best. In the last Christmas special, a clip of Paul McGann from that TV movie was shown, and I cannot help but wonder if that clip is holding up release of the video.
Of course, it could simply be a case of the BBC waiting until Christmas or any one of a dozen other reasons. But I have a suspicious mind and I cannot help but think that it was a mistake for the BBC to ever co-produce
Doctor Who with an American company if it is such a hindrance to the American release of their own DVDs.
Posted Jun 1st 2009 5:04PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: TV Royalty, Programming, Doctor Who, Celebrities, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Reality-Free
I may be getting a little obsessed. Most of the
posts I've written recently have been about the soon-to-be-departing
Doctor Who lead David Tennant. I'm also quite disappointed that a lack of time and funds did not permit me to take a trip to England to see Tennant in the RSC production of
Hamlet. Thankfully, the BBC has come to the rescue.
For those like me, the BBC is
reassembling the cast and filming that production of
Hamlet for broadcast in late 2009, with American and Japanese broadcasts to occur in 2010 (I wonder which channel would show it in the States? BBC America? PBS?). To sweeten the deal for us nerds, former
Star Trek: The Next Generation captain Patrick Stewart plays Claudius.
Perhaps they'll even let Tennant improvise the role a bit. I would love it if he could throw a little script that
Neil Gaiman wrote for him upon hearing of his participation in the role.
Posted May 30th 2009 9:05AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: TV on the Bigscreen, OpEd, Doctor Who, Reality-Free, British TV
The rumors flow like wine. Once again, "news" has surfaced that
a Doctor Who movie is in the works. Supposedly this one has a bit more merit because the BBC has confirmed that one is in development, yet they don't link to a press release of any kind. Forgive me if I have some doubts.
If true, which Doctor is it? Will it be David Tennant or Matt Smith? And which showrunner is it? Russell T. Davies or Steven Moffat? Or is the answer none of the above?
There has been
a lot of recent developments in the
Doctor Who world. A movie is the next logical step.
If I had my druthers, the movie would be about the Time War (the Daleks being the obvious choice for the alien enemy of the movie). It would star Paul McGann and fill the gap between the 1996 television movie and the 2005 relaunch. The odds are so astronomically against as to be incalculable, but I can dream.
Posted May 29th 2009 2:02PM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Doctor Who, Reality-Free, British TV
The new cast of 2010's next full season of the world's longest running sci-fi show is looking a lot like "Jim Henson's
Doctor Who Babies" with the announcement of the new companion for Matt Smith's 11th Doctor.
Twenty-one-year-old Karen Gillan will become the show's first "ginger" companion when the red-head steps into the Tardis for executive producer Steven Moffat next year. When standing alongside 26-year-old Smith, the pair could look disturbingly like a
Twilight book cover.
While it's not fair to say she got the part because she's Scottish, it couldn't hurt that her boss (Moffat) hails from the same part of the world. She studied acting at Telford College in Edinburgh and already has a short list of credits, including
Outcast (a film with
Jekyll star, James Nesbitt).
Continue reading Doctor Who gets younger, redder with new companion
Posted May 28th 2009 12:02PM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Reality-Free, British TV
This has already been a big week for series announcements in the UK. There was a time when that would be a big "Who cares?" for American viewers. Why worry about shows they couldn't see anywhere near their first run air dates?
But with US networks importing Brit shows regularly in original and remade forms, it won't be long before these shows air on screens on both sides of the Atlantic.
Yesterday, the BBC announced the arrival of the
new thriller comedy Psychoville. Created by
League of Gentlemen stars Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton,
Psychoville brings together "a misguided midwife, a lovestruck telekinetic dwarf, a blind avaricious collector and a serial-killer-obsessed man-child," as each receives a mysterious card reading: "I know what you did..."
Suffice to say, if this new show shares even a little of the hyper-creative weirdness of
League of Gentlemen, you'll be entertained. But, you may need a couple of aspirin when you're done watching.
Continue reading Psychoville, Occupation lead the march of new series to BBC networks
Posted May 28th 2009 10:34AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Doctor Who, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
The good Doctor is going home...sort of. BBC America has
acquired first-run American rights for this year's
Doctor Who specials. David Tennant's final episodes will appear on BBCA and not on Sy Fy.
This makes perfect sense, of course. Despite having science-fiction trappings,
Doctor Who is, at its core, a British show. BBCA also runs other Brit science-fiction programs like
Torchwood and
Primeval (which runs on BBC rival ITV, but is still British), so having
Doctor Who on it is a no-brainer.
With the Sci Fi Channel's "reimagining" to Sy Fy, I can even see why it would pass on the show this year and probably future years. No doubt Sy Fy wants to own future programming and not broadcast someone else's stuff (particularly something that could be perceived as the competition).
In short, it's another reason to call your cable company and request BBC America if you don't already have it. Believe me, I've tried.
Posted May 27th 2009 10:02AM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Doctor Who, British TV
The success of
Doctor Who at the BBC opened up the doors to new sci-fi shows across the broadcaster's various networks. Now, a new BBC American co-production explores the difficult problems of being a teenage monster in today's society.
Being Human examines the lives of three 20-somethings and their secret double-lives as a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost.
Starring
Doctor Who guest stars Russell Tovey and Lenora Crichlow with Aidan Turner (
The Clinic), each episode features housemates trying to live normal lives, despite their bizarre secrets.
Continue reading Being Human revels in Brits being inhuman
Posted May 26th 2009 8:45PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Doctor Who, Celebrities, Reality-Free, British TV
It's not enough to have a
cameo appearance on
Tonight's The Night. Now, David Tennant is once again
reprising his role as everyone's favorite Time Lord in two episodes of the spin-off
The Sarah Jane Adventures.
He is also reprising the role for a
second animated adventure before the year is done.
I can tell he already misses the role. When they do some sort of multiple Doctors story in a future
Doctor Who, I'm sure with a minimum of coaxing (perhaps for a bag of crisps) he could be convinced to play the role again.
The third season of the series will broadcast in September, which would occur before the broadcast of Tennant's final bow and would well fit into the continuity of the series (loose as that continuity is).
As far as I'm concerned, Tennant is (to borrow a phrase from his predecessor) fantastic and couldn't appear as the Doctor enough times. I think he should have remained in the role for another couple of years, but that's just me.
Posted May 26th 2009 8:02PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Programming, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
While the second season launch of
Merlin is set to debut on BBC One this fall, in the UK, we're still waiting for the first season on NBC in the US. Finally, it's coming to NBC starting June 21 with a two-hour debut. Considering this went from a winter premiere in the states to a summer debut now doesn't make me feel NBC has a lot of faith in it.
Or maybe NBC is actually seeing
Merlin as a quality scripted summer program and truly embracing a twelve-month programming schedule. The shorter thirteen-episode run fits better in the three-month season between seasons. So maybe that second season will make it to NBC in summer 2010? Or at least BBC America if NBC loses faith in it completely.
Continue reading Merlin season two coming this fall, while season one hits the US in June
Posted May 25th 2009 11:02AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Doctor Who, Celebrities, Reality-Free
John Barrowman isn't just Captain Jack Harkness on Doctor Who and Torchwood. He also is a variety show host for a BBC series called Tonight's The Night which allows contestants to live out their performance dreams. Using his association with the former, he actually gave a contestant on the latter the chance to live out his dream of appearing on Doctor Who.
It's a cute scene which obviously doesn't fit into any sort of show continuity (or as much continuity as Doctor Who can have). David Tennant himself makes a special appearance in the episode and steals the show. Watching Tennant's brief cameo in this show, I'm even more convinced that Matt Smith has big shoes to fill when he eventually takes over the role.
On the other hand, if your dream is to appear on an episode of Doctor Who, why would you allow your face to be covered by a blue mask? Watch the video after the jump.
Continue reading Captain Jack stars in a very special Doctor Who episode
Posted May 25th 2009 9:02AM by Danny Gallagher
Filed under: Industry, Web, Reality-Free
A lot of readers outside of the United States regularly express their disgust with us over our use of Hulu's videos on some of our posts.
Well, I've got some good news ... for 1/100ths of the rest of the world.
Hulu could be coming to the United Kingdom and include more programming than what's available in the States. So if you Brits have been hankering for some
Facts of Life but don't feel like the necessary humiliation of having people see you buy it at the local video store, you're in luck.
Continue reading Could the rest of the world get Hulu... or at least the U.K.?
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