Next Time: Dead of Night

Friday, 22 July 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Next Thursday (28th July) sees the third episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day premiering in the UK, with Dead of Night being broadcast at 9:00pm on BBC1/BBC1HD. The episode will also be repeated on BBC2/BBCHD the following Monday at 11:20pm, and available to watch online in the UK via the BBC iPlayer until 23rd September.

The following is the plot synopsis for Dead of Night which might be considered a spoiler

Torchwood goes on the run, and finds a new enemy. But as they launch a raid on PhiCorp headquarters, Jack must confront the mysterious Oswald Danes.

The BBC trailer for the episode is now available online:

Torchwood episode 3 trailer, BBC, via iPlayer - may not play outside of the United Kingdom
Alternatively there is a YouTube version.

A preview clip from the episode is also available to watch:

Torchwood Dead of Night preview, BBC, via iPlayer - may not play outside of the United Kingdom

Coming Soon

The BBC Press Office has released details for the next couple of episodes of Miracle Day:

The following are plot synopses for episodes yet to be aired, and may be considered spoilers.

Escape to L.A.

The fight against PhiCorp takes the Torchwood team to California, where a trap is waiting, while Oswald and Jilly find themselves with an enemy of their own.

The Categories of Life

Torchwood goes undercover and discovers the terrible truth behind the "miracle"; but the enemy is closing in, and death is about to make a shocking return.

FILTER: - Torchwood - UK - Online - Miracle Day (Series 4)

Rendition: UK overnight viewing figures

Friday, 22 July 2011 - Reported by Marcus

Torchwood: Rendition achieved an average audience of 4.4 million viewers on BBC One and BBC One HD, according to unofficial overnight figures.

The second in the series had 19.1% of the audience share and was the 6th most watched programme of the day. It won the 9pm timeslot, with Single Handed on ITV1 watched by 3.3 million viewers.

The figure was down on the series premiere, which scored an average of 4.8 million. The episode saw a slight drop in viewers during the hour from 4.7 million in the first quarter to 4.0 million in the final quarter, although the final quarter is depressed as the programme finished earlier than the timeslot allocated.

The final ratings for Rendition will be released next week, and be based on the actual running time of the programme and include those who record the programme and watch it within seven days.

Mondays late night repeat of the series opener, The New World had 0.5 million watching.

FILTER: - Torchwood - Ratings - UK - Miracle Day (Series 4)

Series Six: Part 1 - International DVD/Blu-ray release

Friday, 22 July 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

This week saw BBC/Warner Home Video release of the first half of Series Six on DVD(R1) and Blu-ray(A) in North America; as with the UK release the two-disc set features the seven episodes broadcast from April, and includes the two Monster Files covering The Gangers and The Silence.

More details on the release can be found at the BBC America Shop, and WHV have also provided links to three preview clips from Doctor Who Insider presenting Inside Look At The Enemies Point Of View, an Inside Look With Steven Moffat, and an Inside Look At Rory.

The DVD(R2) and Blu-ray(B) versions were released in the UK last week, and are available to buy via our Amazon store.
(with thanks to Bridget Murphy Groller/BBC/WHV)

The Australian versions (R4/B) will be released on 4th August and will be available in New Zealand on 17th August.

FILTER: - USA - Series 6/32 - Blu-ray/DVD

New Executive Producer Announced

Thursday, 21 July 2011 - Reported by Marcus

The BBC has announced that Caroline Skinner will join Steven Moffat as Executive Producer on Doctor Who.

Skinner has recently been working as producer on Five Days, a serial for BBC One. She has previously been script editor on productions such as House of Saddam, The Shadow in the North, The Ruby in the Smoke and Bleak House.

Skinner will start work on the series immediately, working alongside departing Executive Producer Piers Wenger on the 2011 Christmas special, before taking charge for the fourteen episodes which form the next series of the show, which leads up to the programme's 50th Anniversary.

Speaking about the appointment, Moffat told the official website:

The exec joining me on Doctor Who is Caroline Skinner - fresh from the wonderful Five Days, and still finishing up on a brand new show called The Fades (a fantasy horror series, written by Jack Thorne - I've seen episode 1, and it's BRILLIANT.) Somewhere between me laughing in a basement and choosing planets to invade, and Marcus Wilson raising armies, there has to be a Prime Minister actually running the whole thing. That's the job Piers Wenger and Beth Willis have been doing so wonderfully for the last few years. Now that Piers is off to movie land, that's the furnace Caroline will be walking into.

FILTER: - Steven Moffat - Production - Caroline Skinner - Series 7/33 - BBC

Colony in Space DVD release for October

Thursday, 21 July 2011 - Reported by Marcus

The 1971 Jon Pertwee story Colony in Space, has been scheduled for release on DVD in the UK on 3rd October this year.

The story by Malcolm Hulke, sees the third Doctor, along with companion Jo Grant, sent to the planet Uxarieus by the Time Lords, where they discover a struggling colony being terrorised by giant reptiles.

The six part story was originally shown between 10th April and 15th May 1971. Katy Manning plays Jo Grant and Roger Delgado appears as the Master.

Other members of the cast include John Ringham in his third role in the series, Helen Worth, who went on to play Gail McIntyre on the soap opera Coronation Street, Bernard Kay and Tony Caunter.

The single disc release will contain 4 seconds which were missing from VHS & US masters of the story and which restores 2 lines of dialogue.

FILTER: - Jon Pertwee - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD

Let's Kill Hitler: UK preview screening

Thursday, 21 July 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The British Film Institute are to show a special preview screening of the Series Six second half opener Let's Kill Hitler. The screening will take place on the 15th August 2011 from 6:20pm, and will be accompanied by a Q&A session (guests to be confirmed).

As with previous Doctor Who/Torchwood events, it was fully booked by 2:30pm within hours of being announced; some return tickets might be available from the Box Office in due course.

Following the game-changing mid-series finale in June, The Doctor returns for the first of six new episodes to be broadcast on BBC One this autumn. Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill and Alex Kingston star in this new adventure written by Steven Moffat and directed by Richard Senior. Join us for the chance to see this opener to the autumn series followed by a Q&A with some special guests (to be announced nearer the time). We regret that due to the pressures of time, autographs will not be possible.

FILTER: - Doctor Who - Special Events - UK - Series 6/32

Next Time: Rendition

Tuesday, 19 July 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

This Thursday (21st July) sees the second episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day premiering in the UK, with Rendition being broadcast at 9:00pm on BBC1/BBC1HD. The episode will also be repeated on BBC2/BBCHD the following Monday at 11:20pm, and available to watch online in the UK via the BBC iPlayer until 23rd September.

The following is the plot synopsis for Rendition which might be considered a spoiler

As the Torchwood team is reunited, Jack realises he's the most vulnerable man on Earth; and a flight to the USA turns into a desperate battle for survival.

The BBC trailer for the episode is now available online:

Torchwood online Rendition trailer, BBC, via iPlayer - may not play outside of the United Kingdom

A preview clip from the episode is also available to watch:

Torchwood episode 2 preview clip, BBC, via iPlayer - may not play outside of the United Kingdom
Alternatively there is a YouTube version.

FILTER: - Torchwood - UK - Online - Miracle Day (Series 4)

Rendition: Starz ratings

Tuesday, 19 July 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Initial audience figures have been released for the second episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day shown on Starz, and indicate that an average of 1.4m viewers watched Rendition over its airings across the weekend. The premiere broadcast on Friday at 10:00pm was watched by 609,000 viewers. This compares with 819,000 viewers for The New World on its premier broadcast, and an average of 2m across the opening weekend.

Starz have also reported that the total audience for The New World reached 2.7m viewers once the additional weekday airings and the Live+3 DVR data have been included.

FILTER: - Torchwood - USA - Ratings - Miracle Day (Series 4)

The New World: Appreciation Index

Sunday, 17 July 2011 - Reported by Marcus

The UK premier of Torchwood: The New World had an Appreciation Index score of 85.

The Appreciation Index or AI score measures how much the audience enjoyed the programme. The scores are based on the comments of a panel of around 5,000 people who rate and comment on programmes.

A score of 85 is regarded as excellent.

FILTER: - Torchwood - Ratings - UK - Miracle Day (Series 4)

The Tom Baker Years on Sci Fi in Australia

Sunday, 17 July 2011 - Reported by Harry Ward

The Australian Sci Fi Channel is to air Doctor Who episodes from the Tom Baker era, starting with his first story, Robot on 17 August.

In 1974 an unknown actor called Tom Baker was cast in the lead role of Doctor Who, and turned an already popular show into a phenomenon. For a generation, the Fourth Doctor is the definite article– warm, witty, clever and sometimes very strange indeed. Clad in his trademark overlong scarf and with a bag of jelly babies to hand, he strode confidently through some of the show’s most memorable adventures. Over seven exciting years this Doctor met old adversaries - like the Daleks, Cybermen and Sontarans –with some help from much-loved friends like Sarah Jane Smith, Leela, Romana and the faithful K-9.

If you’re a fan of the incredible new series of Doctor Who, then this is a great chance to check out where the legend began. If you saw it back in the day then you won’t need reminding what awesome fun it was to go travelling with the Fourth Doctor every weeknight. Get on board the TARDIS and have yourself some all-time classic adventures in time and space with Doctor Who: The Tom Baker Years – only on SCI FI!

Schedule for Robot
Wednesday, August 17
06:30-06:55 - Episode 1
06:55-07:20 - Episode 2

Thursday, August 18
06:30-06:55 - Episode 3
06:55-07:20 - Episode 4
(times are shown in AEST)

A full schedule for the rest of Season 12, including repeats can be found here.
(with thanks to Matthew See)

FILTER: - Tom Baker - Classic Series - Broadcasting - Australia

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