The Waters of Mars fast-tracked to Australia - Updated

Monday, 2 November 2009 - Reported by Adam Kirk

TV Tonight blog reports The Waters of Mars will make its Australian debut on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation during the week beginning Sunday 6 December 2009 on ABC1. This follows the ABC 'fast-tracking' the last two Doctor Who specials broadcast in the UK.

TV Tonight also reports that Torchwood: Children of Earth will make its Australian free-to-air debut during the week beginning Sunday 3 January 2010 on ABC2.

Update 8 Nov: TV Tonight has since confirmed that 'The Waters of Mars' will indeed debut on ABC1 on Sunday 6 December 2009 at 7.30pm.

Thanks to TV Tonight.

FILTER: - Torchwood - Specials - Series 4/30 - Children of Earth (Series 3) - Broadcasting

Waters of Mars American Airdates

Saturday, 31 October 2009 - Reported by Marcus

Following the release of the UK transmission date, BBC America has confirmed The Waters of Mars will air in the US on Saturday December 19 at 9:00pm ET/PT.

Tennant's final two stories will then air over the holiday season as a two-part special. Airdates will be released in early December.

The BBC will release The Waters of Mars and the two-part finale on DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 both as individual releases and also as part of a 5 disc specials collection including The Next Doctor and Planet of the Dead.

FILTER: - Specials - USA - Series 4/30 Specials - Broadcasting

Christmas preview on Children in Need

Friday, 23 October 2009 - Reported by Anthony Weight

The BBC Press Office has published details of the line-up for this year's BBC Children in Need charity appeal, with which Doctor Who has long had an association. This year the programme is once again featured, with what the release describes as "An exclusive preview of the Doctor Who Christmas special." Last year there was a similar preview for the 2008 Christmas special, "The Next Doctor", with the pre-titles sequence for this episode being shown, a month in advance of its broadcast.

This year's Children in Need night takes place on Friday 20th November, broadcasting from 7pm on BBC One.

FILTER: - Specials - Special Events - Series 4/30 Specials - Broadcasting

Sarah Jane dates Confirmed

Thursday, 24 September 2009 - Reported by Marcus

The BBC has confirmed that Series Three of The Sarah Jane Adventures will start on BBC1 at 4.35pm on Thursday 15th October. Part Two will follow on the Friday afternoon.

Investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith, one-time companion to The Doctor, is back for a third series of alien-busting adventures, from creator Russell T Davies, which also features a special appearance from The Doctor himself, David Tennant, who stars in two episodes.

Sarah Jane is accompanied by her adopted son, Luke, his streetwise pal, Clyde Langer, their schoolmate, Rani, who lives opposite and has aspirations to become a journalist like Sarah Jane, and their Xylok super computer in the attic, Mr Smith. Sarah Jane's robot dog, K-9, also joins the gang on their adventures.

In the first of this two-part adventure, Sarah Jane and the gang face the most dangerous day of their lives, as the rhino-like Judoon return. When prisoner Androvax the Destroyer crash-lands on Earth, a Veil is set free and starts to turn Earth's technology against itself. And his next intended victim is Sarah Jane.

The series also features an extraterrestrial girl who can make people play games against their will; a living painting; the inhabitants of a supposedly haunted house; and monsters who want to infect Earth with a strangely aggressive weed. Finally, there is a chance for Sarah Jane to find personal happiness with someone who could be the perfect person to complete her family.

A brand-new website accompanies the third series, complete with a trailer maker, monster hunt, video diaries from the cast, web games and exclusive behind-the-scenes videos.

You can now follow the Doctor Who News Page on

FILTER: - Sarah Jane - Broadcasting

Sarah Jane in October

Tuesday, 1 September 2009 - Reported by Marcus

The BBC has confirmed that Series Three of The Sarah Jane Adventures will premiere in the UK during October. The exact start date is unknown but sources indicate that Thursday 15th is the most likely day.

The information came in promotional literature issued by CBBC on Saturday.

Sarah Jane and her gang, Clyde, Luke and Rani, are back on TV this autumn for brand new escapades. They'll be battling Judoon, Slitheen and Blathereen non-stop in what's set to be endless action and adventure. And watch out for a very special guest star this series!

Brand new series starts this October, only on CBBC.

FILTER: - Sarah Jane - Broadcasting

SJA Series Three Titles revealed

Wednesday, 19 August 2009 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The new issue of Doctor Who Magazine has revealed the episode titles for the forthcoming third series of The Sarah Jane Adventures, due to air this coming Autumn on BBC1/CBBC.

Prisoner of the Judoon, by Phil Ford
The Mad Woman in the Attic, by Joseph Lidster
The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, by Gareth Roberts
The Eternity Trip, by Phil Ford
Mona Lisa's Revenge, Phil Ford
The Gift, by Rupert Laight

The magazine also confirms that the fourth series is in pre-production, but that it has yet to be formally commissioned.

FILTER: - Sarah Jane - Broadcasting

Postcards from America

Tuesday, 11 August 2009 - Reported by Josiah Rowe

Left to right: Davies, Tennant, Lyn, Gardner.
Image source:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jtrummer/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

As previously reported, David Tennant, Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and Euros Lyn have sent two "audio postcards" from America to BBC Radio Wales. An extended version of the first postcard can be heard here, and the second postcard can be heard here. In the second postcard, David Tennant discusses driving in Los Angeles and his first Hollywood audition, Euros Lyn and Russell T Davies chat about Muscle Beach, and Julie Gardner explains the dangers of doggie bag culture.

FILTER: - Russell T Davies - Production - David Tennant - Radio - Julie Gardner - Broadcasting

BBC America press release: Best week, more Who

Tuesday, 11 August 2009 - Reported by Josiah Rowe

BBC America has announced in a press release that Torchwood: Children of Earth and Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead helped the cable channel to its best ratings week:

Torchwood: Children of Earth is BBC AMERICA's most successful series ever, reaching 3.3m in Live+SD across the week. It delivered an average audience of 705,000 viewers per episode, with Friday's finale attracting 847,000, the largest average audience in the channel's history. Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead also performed strongly with 657,000 viewers in Live+SD.

In the Monday-Friday, 9-10P hour among A25-54, BBC AMERICA ranked #13 in coverage rating (.51) and #22 in delivery (380k) among the 75 Nielsen-rated ad supported cable networks. For the week, July 20, in the 9-10P hour, the channel - available in 64 million homes - outperformed, in Live+SD A25-54 delivery several nets with significantly higher distribution, such as MSNBC, Animal Planet, Bravo, BET, Travel, Oxygen, Hallmark, TV Land, Soap, MTV, E!, WE, and Headline News.

The press release also confirms that BBC America has acquired the next season of Doctor Who, starring Matt Smith as the Doctor. The series will air on BBC America in "Q2, 2010 following soon after its UK premiere"; "Q2" refers to the second quarter of the year, or April, May and March.

FILTER: - USA - Children of Earth (Series 3) - Series 5/31 - Broadcasting

Tennant/Davies on BBC Radio Wales

Friday, 7 August 2009 - Reported by Chuck Foster

BBC Radio Wales featured one of its regular "radio postcard" broadcasts from Russell T Davies in Los Angeles this morning, and was joined by Julie Gardner, David Tennant and Euros Lyn to discuss the recent ComicCon. The broadcast will be available from BBC's iplayer for the next seven days (approx 2hrs 20min into the show).

There will be another 'postcard' on Monday.

See: BBC Wales Press Release

FILTER: - Russell T Davies - David Tennant - Radio - Broadcasting

Torchwood and Doctor Who come to North America

Sunday, 19 July 2009 - Reported by Marcus

Torchwood: Children of Earth comes to North America this week, with the series being broadcast in Canada and the United States.

BBC America will be screening the series at 9pm Eastern time from Monday to Friday. The series has been given a 75 minute slot, meaning American viewers will see the full version of the episodes. The 10pm showing of BBC World News America has been shortened to accommodate the series. As well as the main episodes, BBC America will be showing a number of documentaries going behind the scenes of Torchwood. Each episode will be repeated several times throughout the day.

In Canada, The Space Channel, will be broadcasting the series at 10pm Eastern time, also in a 75 minute slot. The series is repeated at 2.15am the following day.

In addition Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead comes to Canada on Saturday, with The Space Channel broadcasting the episode at 9pm Eastern, followed by a repeat of The Next Doctor.

Planet of the Dead also comes to BBC America on Sunday, showing at 8pm ET.

FILTER: - Canada - Torchwood - Specials - USA - Children of Earth (Series 3) - Broadcasting

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