K9 comes to the UK this weekend when the new Park Entertainment series launches on the Disney XD channel at 6pm this Saturday.

The series was made in Australia and features the return of John Leeson as the voice of a new CGI version of the robot dog. The series was developed by one of K9's original creators, Bob Baker, along with the show's associate producer Paul Tams.

The Saturday showing is described as a sneak preview of the series, which will start properly in the new year.

Disney XD can be seen in the UK on Sky Channel 607 and Virgin 707.

Park Entertainment, distributors of the forthcoming K9 series, have released a new trailer for the programme. In the trailer, John Leeson can be heard as the voice of K9, a part he originated in the 1970s.

K9 is planned to air in early 2010 on Australia's Network Ten and on Disney XD in Europe.

View the trailer

Issue 411 of Doctor Who Magazine reveals that K9 veteran, John Leeson, will once more voice the robot dog in the upcoming series of adventures produced in Australia. Not only will Leeson voice the original character in the opening episode, he will also voice the redesigned model throughout the 26-episode series. The programme is due for transmission in Australia in the spring of 2010.

The magazine features more details of the return of Tom Baker to the role of the Doctor, as the veteran actor gives a rare interview explaining his decision to return to the character after nearly thirty years. Baker has recorded a series of five audio plays, under the banner Hornets' Nest, for BBC Audio. He plays the Fourth Doctor, alongside Richard Franklin who returns to the character of Captain Mike Yates, a character he first played in the television series in the early '70s. The first story will be available as a CD or download from 3rd September.

DWM is out now across the United Kingdom.

A preliminary trailer for the forthcoming K9 series has been released on YouTube and can be seen below.

The trailer was made to promote the series at the MIPTV festival in Cannes. Series co-creator and associate producerPaul Tams notes that "All music and titles and K9's voice are for demo purposes only and [are] not the actual voice, etc. that will be used in the programme." Tams also says that monsters designed for the series remain "under wraps".

The trailer shows the first glimpses of the redesigned K9 in action, as well as revealing the series' human characters. Filming for K9 continues in Australia through April; the BBC is not involved in the series' production. K9 is expected to air on Australia's Network Ten and UK digital channel Jetix/Disney XD in the autumn.

The official website of K9 creator Bob Baker has revealed a new promotional image for the forthcoming series. The image  shows the new K9 prop in clearer detail, as well as three characters from the series (presumably "Starkey", "Jorjie" and "Darius", as described in Park Entertainment's summaryof the series).

The image appears to have been created for promotional use at MIPTV in Cannes. Earlier reports indicated that K9 will air on Australia's Network Ten and on digital channel Jetix in the UK; Jetix recently announced that it will be rebranded under the name Disney XD later in 2009.

K9 creator Bob Baker has revealed more details about the forthcoming K9 TV series. Of K9's appearance, Baker said that he and associate producer Paul Tams are "very pleased with the new look and especialy with his CGI movement."

Baker confirmed that in his first appearance in the series, K9 will look "identical to the one Leela had on Gallifrey", before regenerating into his new form.

Replying to a question about whether John Leeson would be performing K9's voice, Baker said, "There is great debate about the voice, I take your point about using John, but, it being a co-production we have many masters to please, but I'm sure you and all K9 fans will like what we eventually come up with since new K9 is the same character and his speech patterns are the same."

Baker said that K9 will contain "a menagerie of super monster 'uglies'." He also noted that more images from the series will be released soon, probably atMIPTV in Cannes (which will be held from March 30 to April 3 this year). Baker's posting can be read in full at his forum.

The series' premise has changed from earlier plans. Details, from the website of production company Park Entertainment, can be seen by clicking on the spoiler box below.

A partial list of episode titles is also available, at the Metal Mutt production site. Australian actor Remi Broadway will appear as Robin Hood in episode 4, titled "The Last Oak Tree in England".

Thanks to "NewtonDKC" of the Doctor Who Forum.
From the writer of Wallace and Gromit, Bob Baker, comes…

K9 – The Series

GENRE: Comedy
Running Time: 26 x 1/2 hr episodes

PREMISE
Somewhere in the future...

COMING SOON

Originally created for the 1970s DOCTOR WHO series by Bob Baker and Dave Martin, K9 has long been an iconic television character. Now comes a brand new adventure series featuring everyone’s favourite robot dog!

K9 is a children’s sci-fi/adventure series combining comedy, action and suspense "X Files" meets "Men in Black" with a zany dash of "Ghostbusters". K9 mixes live action characters with stunning visual-effects.

London, in the future: STARKEY (14) orphan and rebel ultimately plans to bring down the system but for the time being he is prepared to simply slip through the cracks. While evading the police he takes refuge in a large detached house, now the residence of reclusive scientist, Professor GRYFFEN. He is followed by JORJIE (14) an adventurous girl who partly admires Starkey’s dissident stance, but mostly wants to share whatever excitement is afoot.

Inside the dilapidated mansion, they see Gryffen absorbed in an experiment with a strange piece of alien technology, a Space Time Manipulator (S/TM). DARIUS (15) an artful dodger who, among his many occupations, runs errands for Gryffen, confronts the pair, but at that moment a portal opens and through the hole torn in the fabric of space/time burst two reptilian warrior JIXEN. The Jixen attack Starkey. The teenager is saved from certain death by a small dog-like robot, K9 Mark I, who follows the Jixen through the portal and places himself between the monsters and boy.

In the ensuing battle, the only way K9 can defeat the Jixen is to blow himself and them to pieces. One surviving Jixen limps out of the mansion. Before expiring, K9 is able to give instructions that allow Starkey to initiate a regeneration program. A new, more sophisticated and futuristically designed K9 is regenerated.

K9 and Starkey, with the assistance of Jorjie, Darius and Gryffen, become the earth’s front line defence against dangers threatening from anywhere and anytime in the galaxy. They will have a lot of fun, action, adventure, and some scares along the way, saving the earth from alien creatures, monsters and more than a few human threats.

Posted By John Bowman

The new logo for spin-off series K9 has been revealed.

Paul Tams, the show's co-creator and co-associate producer, told The Doctor Who News Page: "As eagle-eyed people may spot, I based the new logo on K9's old-type font of Westminster, with an update. The font is also used on K9's new body."

Principal photography on the series is due to finish on May 7 and the show should air on Network Ten in Australia at some point in 2009. The electronic dog - described by Tams as "sleek and different from any previous images seen on the net, etc" - will be on screen as an animatronic prop and in CGI form.

Posted By John Bowman

Production on spin-off series K9 is well under way in Brisbane, with the fourth block of filming due to complete at the end of next week.

Paul Tams, who along with Bob Baker is the show's co-creator and co-associate producer, told The Doctor Who News Page that there would be 13 blocks, each comprising two half-hour episodes, with principal photography set to end on May 7.

Taking the opportunity to put the record straight on various matters regarding the show, he confirmed that the series would be known purely as K9, adding: "Bob and I are pleased with the interest shown and hope K9 will be viewed as a series that Who fans old and new will all find something enjoyable from."

And as a teaser, he said: "I've made sure that hidden in most episodes fans will spot some nod to the past - either a mention or a visual treat."

Regarding the electronic dog itself, he said: "K9 will be seen on screen as both an animatronic prop and in CGI form. The latest design I have done that is being used in the show is sleek and different from any previous images seen on the net, etc. K9 will, however, be recognisable to fans new and old as the K9. And to clear up the identity of which mark K9 this is, to quote Doctor Who itself he is the original you might say!"

Most information - including cast and characters - was being kept under wraps but Tams added: "The show will feature several new races of monsters created by Bob and myself, alongside the Jixen Warriors as reported previously.

"We first planned and created the show back in 1998, so it has taken 11 years to get to the production stage. It has been a long and rocky road and we are working with some very talented people here: actors, artists, sculptors, costume-makers. The schedule is very hectic and full on.

"I have to tip my hat - if I wore one - to the creative teams in the '60s who worked under such pressure to turn monsters, costumes and sets around at such a fast pace on Doctor Who. I now know how they must have felt - exhausted!"

A new logo has been created, which will be revealed in due course, and Tams said that the show would be airing later this year, with Australian broadcaster Network Ten currently lined up to carry it.

Posted By John Bowman

A website dedicated to the production of spin-off series K9 has been launched. There is, however, no indication when the show will start airing.

The website has sections for the series' main credits, a photo gallery, guestbook, casting and crew documents (both of which are currently not allowing access), plus locations and key design (which is not displaying anything at the moment).

(With thanks to Tony Clark.)

UPDATE (November 16): Originally, the site invited people to register for e-mail updates, but a statement on the home page now says that access to the pages is only available to those involved with the show's production, and there is no longer any registration facility.

All but one of the pages on the site are now password-protected. The locations section is currently viewable, although this may, of course, stop being the case at some point.

However, the statement adds that a special fan site will be set up in the near future. In addition, Grant Bradley, of project developer Limelight International Media Entertainment, confirmed to The Doctor Who News Page that the show is in pre-production.

Posted By John Bowman

Production on the long-awaited spin-off series featuring K9 is due to start in Australia next month, according to the Pacific Film and Television Commission.

An article in its June newsletter says that Bob Baker is currently in Queensland, writing the 26-part show. He co-created the character of the robot dog with Dave Martin, who died in March 2007.

According to the PFTC, Baker is working on the spin-off - called simply K9 - with Queensland writers Shane Krause and Shayne Armstrong.

It is being produced by Simon Barnes, and Richard Stewart and Penny Wall from Brisbane company Stewart Wall Entertainment.

A PFTC spokesman told The Doctor Who News Page: "The series certainly is imminent! K9 is in pre-production at present in Queensland. However, exact dates for production have not yet been confirmed."

Outpost Gallifrey reported last July that an unspecified amount of funding had been approved by Australia's Film Finance Corporation.

TV distribution agent Park Entertainment has said the half-hour episodes, to be made by Jetix Europe, will be live action and CGI.

(With thanks to Anacleto.)