Doctor Who - Welcome To The Whoniverse (Warning: Spoilers Ahead)

It's November and that officially means that it's the month of Doctor Who. 

Strap in, because there's a lot to cover here. It's gonna be a fun time.

BBC iPlayer have kitted out an entire Whoniverse section for fans (UK mainly, boo rights issues) to enjoy multiple eras concerning the show.

This includes ....

Doctor Who (1963-1996)*

Doctor Who (2005-2022)

Tales Of The TARDIS

Doctor Who Confidential 

Torchwood

The Sarah Jane Adventures

Class

K9 & Company: A Girl's Best Friend 

Doctor Who: The Infinity Quest

Doctor Who: Dreamland

Delia Derbyshire: The Myths And The Legendary Tapes

The Science Of Doctor Who

Doctor Who At The Proms

Whose Doctor Who

An Adventure In Space And Time (coming soon)

A fantastic selection with over 800 hours worth of content. Sadly due to a certain petty manchild, An Unearthly Child is omitted from this otherwise impressive amount of content. Also keep an eye on a 75 minute colourised version of The Daleks, due to air on BBC4 on November 23rd.

Released this morning, we got the six part series called Tales Of The TARDIS. An interesting format in which former Doctors and companions reminisce over past adventures within the confines of a memory TARDIS. 

Steven Taylor (Peter Purves)/Vicki Pallister (Maureen O'Brien) - The Time Meddler.

Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines)/Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury) - The Mind Robber

Jo Jones (Katy Manning)/Clyde Langer (Daniel Anthony) - The Three Doctors

Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison)/Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) - Earthshock

Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker)/Peri Brown (Nicola Bryant) - Vengeance On Varos

Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy)/Ace McShane (Sophie Alfred) - The Curse Of Fenric

Having seen most of these scenes through certain means, I will admit they're all brilliant. Expertly written by Russell T. Davies, Pete McTighe and Phil Ford and directed by Scott Handcock, it's a wonderful concept and one I hope is revisited with other former Doctors, companions and spin off characters. 

Meanwhile SFX Magazine have all the goods in relation to the 60th anniversary specials and beyond that. A 28 page special with Russell T. Davies spilling the beans over some very interesting stuff.

In relation to the anniversary specials, we can expect a flashback to the original Toymaker (Michael Gough) himself, Wild Blue Yonder being "weird" and "the most astonishing barricade you'll ever see". The three specials are not a three parter and while there are plans for spin-off's, a UNIT one isn't one of them. As for beyond, ooh, there's a lot to get excited for.

In a move that will be stoking debate for years to come, expect a number resetting with Ncuti Gatwa's first two series being referred to as Season 1 and 2. Russell T. Davies also confirmed his plans for four series of Doctor Who with stories he's been wanting to tell for 40-20 years and even yesterday so to speak. The first episode will also feature nine babies as part of its plot. 

However with filming for Series 15/Season 2 now started, some guest cast have already been spotted on set. Filming for Christmas 2024 has revealed both Nicola Coughlan (Derry Girls, Bridgerton) and Joel Fry (Game Of Thrones, Cruella) both on set. Nicola Coughlan already appeared with Ncuti Gatwa in Barbie this year and was rumoured for the show for a while now. Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday has yet to be confirmed for the second series for the 15th Doctor. 

Also be sure to catch David Tennant on BBC4 tonight in Talking Doctor Who with the 60th Anniversary Concert, hosted by Jo Wiley while the show will have a crossover with Bargain Hunt on November 23rd. Not to mention that Series 4 marathon this weekend on BBCAmerica and there's this year's Children In Need on November 17th, which will feature a new sketch for David Tennant's 14th Doctor. 

It really is the bestest time to be a Doctor Who fan.

The 60th anniversary specials will air on BBC1 and stream on Disney+ from November 25th to December 9th as well as getting physical releases from December 11th.

K9 Gets (Another) Spin-Off

How many times can one character get a spin-off? Once if they're lucky but if you're a certain metal dog, then it's at least four times as such.

The Mirror (yeah, I know not always a great source of information but anything concerning Doctor Who, they do seem to be oddly spot on with) revealed that K9 (John Leeson) will be heading up another as of yet untitled spin-off aimed for children but there's a bit of a caveat though.

It seems that two production companies might be bidding for this upcoming series, which means this could go the same way that the Australian spin-off (2009-2010) went and not be a BBC production, though that series did manage to slip in references to things such as Axons. Originally we were meant to be getting a movie called K9: Timequake featuring the title character going up against Omega in a space war but that has clearly been shelved in favour of this idea.

The character of K9 debuted back in 1977 during the Fourth Doctor's (Tom Baker) tenure in The Invisible Enemy before departing with Romana 2 (Lalla Ward) in Warrior's Gate. The character returned to the show in 1983 for the 20th anniversary special, The Five Doctors and has appeared in the modern series in the episodes School Reunion and Journey's End.

Spin off wise, K9 did head up the very short lived K9 And Company (1981) with Elisabeth Sladen's Sarah Jane Smith as well as having a recurring role in The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007-2011) and there was the Australian spin-off series, K9 (2009-2010). Assuming this show goes ahead, this will be the character's fourth time in a spin-off show and if by some miracle the BBC actually decide they want to be involved with this one, it might be a good idea to reintroduce the character into the main series or have Jodie Whittaker appear in the new spin-off as well.

In general, I'm mixed on the idea of yet another spin-off centering on K9, although I would absolutely love to see the character reappear on the main show itself.

Press Release: http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/new-k9-tv-spin-off-reportedly-in-the-works-91032.htm

So, thoughts on this potential spin-off, anyone? Is it a good idea or not?

Torchwood - Series 5 Is A Go (Courtesy of Big Finish)

Yeah, not quite the Series 5 I imagine most of us were hoping for but life post Miracle Day for Jack and Gwen is still happening, at least in audio form for now.

A twelve part series with the subtitle of Aliens Among Us, Torchwood's return will see both Jack and Gwen (with support from Rhys and Andy) rebuild Torchwood back in Cardiff and they won't be alone either. Joining them for the new series will be Mr Colchester (Paul Clayton), Ng (Alexandria Riley), Tyler (Jonny Green) and the enigmatic Orr (Sam Béart).

It seems that things are getting much darker in Cardiff these days and the new recruits will play some role within Torchwood's future as the city has become much different since the last time we've seen it. Other potential surprises include the return of a character that should be dead and considering the amount that have died, it really could be anyone, right?

The first volume, comprising of the first four stories are titled Changes Everything, Aliens & Sex & Chips & Gravy, Orr (by Juno Dawson) and Superiority Complex (by AK Benedict) and will be released from August while the second and third volumes will be released from October and February 2018.

On one hand, I'm happy to see Torchwood getting a fifth series and I love the idea of it bringing it back to the Hub with new recruits alongside Jack and Gwen and given that the series will be overseen by Russell T. Davies, it's certainly canonical for now but I'm still hoping at some point, the show does make a television return.

Meanwhile an official picture has been released of the not so newly redesigned K9 (John Leeson) from the upcoming movie, K9: Timequake - or the one where our favourite metal dog faces off Omega supposedly. I had completely even forgotten about this movie to be honest and the redesign doesn't look that much different from the K9 series we had back in 2010. I think this movie is meant to be released sometime this year to mark the 40th anniversary of K9's debut but finding information on this has been scarce.

Torchwood - Series 5 News: https://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/new-series-5-of-torchwood-aliens-among-us

So, thoughts anyone on the Torchwood audio series or the K9 redesign?

K9 - Series 2 Development

The Sarah Jane Adventures may no longer be with us and Torchwood may be stuck in some kind of limbo (I wish RTD/BBC would put us out of our misery and confirm something on that show's future) but it seems that the Australian filmed K9 series will actually be coming back for a second series after all, despite it being nearly two years since the first one aired.

According to producer Paul Tams, both him and Bob Baker are entering a new partnership as the show heads into production. Once again, there'll be 26 half hour episodes with the original cast again and K9 himself has been tweaked, following some criticism from fans on how the robot dog looked in the first series.

The first series wasn't that bad (at some point, I'll do a Series 1 review), so hopefully the second one will be a little tighter in terms of writing and cohesion.

Press Release: http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2012/06/dwn1306104508-k9-series-update.html

K9's first series is currently available on DVD and will air for Canadian viewers on BBC Kids along with The Sarah Jane Adventures from September.

Top 40 TV Characters Part 3

And here is the third part of my rundown of favourite TV characters.

26: Atia (Polly Walker) - Rome

Oh, Atia. Now here's a woman who would give Cersei Lannister a run for her money when it comes to devious/sociopathic matriarchal characters. No matter what crazy antics this woman pulled - pimping out her children, torturing/ruining her enemies, Atia remained a fascinating character to watch in the show's two year run.

27: Oliver Queen/Green Arrow (Justin Hartley) - Smallville

Yes, I was tempted to pick either Clark/Lois/Chloe/Tess/Lex but I guess Oliver wins out, simply from evolving into a rogue-ish typical playboy character into an incredibly honourable and interesting hero, especially in the show's final two seasons. As allies go, Oliver was definitely one of the best when it came to having Clark's back.

28: K9 (John Leeson) - K9

Come on - it's a metal dog and while this K9 isn't quite as interesting as the ones we've seen in both Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures, he's still interesting enough to merit being on my list. Long live the metal dog, no matter what show he ends up on.

29: Bridget Kelly (Sarah Michelle Gellar) - Ringer

This show might have many problems in it's way but the one consistently well written and brilliant character has been Bridget Kelly - the former stripper/alcoholic whose been spending the last few months pretending to be her bitchier sister Siobhan Martin whilst falling for Andrew and trying to avoid Bodaway like the plague. That role alone has been interesting for Gellar.

30: Tess Roberts (Fiona Button) - Lip Service

Anyone should've seen this one coming. After all, I chose Alice when the first part of my list touched on The L Word and Tess certainly has similar endearing characteristics to that infamous Chart creator and here's hoping in the show's upcoming second run, she's a little less unlucky in love.

Part 4 should be up on Sunday or Monday.

Top TV Pairings Part 1

Okay, so I've decided to pick thirty shows I'm currently watching in various ways and picked some of my favourite pairings. A lot of the pairings are romantic, a few quasi-romantic or platonic. Hope you enjoy the first part of this.

K9 - Alistair Gryffen/June Turner

Falls into the category of a non romantic pairing but if this show actually goes from having a second season in development to a second season on the air, who knows? There's certainly a nice rapport between Department lady June Turner and now not so agoraphobic Professor Alistair Gryffen.

Sugar Rush - Kim Daniels/Saint

I've been watching repeats of the second season on 4Music (and I'll be doing some blogs relating to the series soon) and I realise that I really did love Kim and Saint as a couple. They certainly weren't perfect but they were interesting though and it's a shame the show was cut so shortly as well.

Carnivale - Ben Hawkins/Sofie Agnesh Bojakshiya

Something of an odd pairing this one, it's kind of a shame that the writers didn't explore them further but their scenes together on TV were quite good. I wish we had seen more between Ben and Sofie.

Sex And The City - Miranda Hobbes/Steve Brady

This show has always been a mixed bag with couples but somehow, the writers (if you ignore the subsequent movies in 2008/2010) got it right with Miranda and Steve. Great chemistry with the actors and far more believable than the Carrie/Big rubbish that's bogged the show down as well.

Modern Family - Phil Dunphy/Claire Dunphy

I know I should talk about this show a lot more than I do, so I'm adding Phil and Claire to this as well. A great couple, brilliant rapport between the respective actors portraying them but also rather believable as well, though this show excels with all the couples.

K9 - Another Spin-Off

There used to be a time when a Doctor Who spin-off would only result in a failed pilot episode (K9 And Company's A Girl's Best Friend) but with Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures both sating the older and younger audiences as well, can the metal dog strike out on his own? Well, K9 clearly made an attempt with this Australian produced spin-off that aired last year on a digital channel before making it's debut on Five last month.

The premise centred on a London set in 2050 with man's best friend, K9 coming back and undergoing a regeneration as he helped to protect the world from various alien threats. Helping him included Professor Alistair Gryffen (Robert Moloney) and his teenage assistant Darius Pike (Daniel Webber), rebellious orphan, Starkey (Keegan Joyce) as well as the intrepid, Jorjie Turner (Philippa Coulthard). Add in a secret government known as the Department, involving Jorjie's mother, June Turner (Robyn Moore) and the villainous Thorne (Jared Robinsen) and the Korvin and you've got quite a series to go.

Unlike, The Sarah Jane Adventures, the first season of this series ran for 26 episodes, mixing both arc storylines with the occassional standalone episode as well. The characters are reasonably likeable but the acting's choppy in parts and it doesn't grab quite as quickly, plus there's no official anything as to how canonical this actually is with the Doctor Who universe, in spite of the references that occured throughout the first season. I should also point out that over the next while, I'll review the first season as it gets a UK release. A second season is supposed to be in production but little is actually known about it yet. Either way, the series is definitely worth looking into at the very least.

Official Site: http://www.thedoctorwhosite.co.uk/k9/

Season 1 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8uqKLA6ObU

Season 1 of K9 is available on DVD now from Region 4 but is being released in two separate sets in the UK from January 31st and March 7th.