The Torchwood Institute

Eleventh Hour clip

2010-04-10T17:49:00.000-05:00

I'm very happy with Matt Smith's performance as the Doctor..

More BBC Promotion for #11

2010-03-31T17:33:00.002-05:00

It really is nice to see that BBC America is putting together some nice things for the 11th Doctor launch on BBC America in a little over two weeks.

DOCTOR WHO STARS TO LAUNCH NEW SERIES IN NYC

2010-03-31T15:42:00.000-05:00

I got this press release from BBC America -- I'm very jealous and wish I could go!

BBC AMERICA announced today the stars of its new Doctor Who series will make their first U.S. visit together to New York the week of April 12, ahead of the broadcast premiere on Saturday, April 17.

Launching the new era of the iconic series from BAFTA-winning writer Steven Moffat (Steven Spielberg's upcoming Tintin, Jekyll, Coupling), Matt Smith (The Doctor) and Karen Gillan (Amy Pond) will join Steven in New York for press interviews and a series of events. The launch kicks off on April 12, with a Paley Center for Media and BAFTA East Coast member screening and discussion moderated by Entertainment Weekly’s senior writer Clark Collis. On April 14, fans can join Matt, Karen and Steven at the Village East Cinema for the official premiere screening followed immediately by a Q&A moderated by USA Today’s pop culture columnist Whitney Matheson, author of the Pop Candy blog.

Wednesday, April 14

7:00 PM: A special premiere screening event of the new Doctor Who series, immediately followed by a Q&A with actors Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat at the Village East Cinema. The Q&A session will be moderated by USA Today’s Pop Culture Columnist Whitney Matheson, author of the Pop Candy blog. The event is open to the public and seating is on a first-come, first served basis on the day of the event. Facebook Event Page.

Minute One of The Eleventh Hour

2010-03-27T14:57:00.002-05:00

This blog has moved

2010-03-25T19:29:00.001-05:00

This blog is now located at http://torchwoodblog.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://torchwoodblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

All of Time and Space...Follow Me

2010-03-22T18:36:00.000-05:00

I'm very excited by the BBC America trailer... looks excellent. It's different from the previous era of Doctor Who -- but still very much recognizably Doctor Who. Should be great!

Series Fnarg trailer

2010-03-19T18:18:00.000-05:00

Looks like everything is well in hand.

Doctor Who Theme on Player Piano

2010-03-09T22:48:00.002-06:00

I'm constantly amused by different versions of the Doctor Who theme.

Chicks Dig Time Lords (among others!)

2010-03-03T19:18:00.000-06:00

One of the more interesting Doctor Who non-fiction books to come out in a long time is Chicks Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love It.

What makes this book very exciting is not just a book that proves that Doctor Who has female fans -- this has always been true in my experience -- but that it proves how varied Doctor Who fandom really is. It is especially nice to see stories about American fandom -- my Doctor Who story sits right besides Kathy Sullivan's and Jennifer Adams Kelley's. But there are also stories about UK fandom, Canadian fandom, and Australian fandom.

This book also isn't just covering Doctor Who fans that have discovered Doctor Who in its latest incarnation, but fans from the "Wilderness Years" and during the original run.

This is a book that feels free to be critical about Doctor Who, but in the way that only fans can be.

I like this book not just for Doctor Who fans, but anyone interested in understanding fandom in all of its complexity and diversity. Definitely recommended!

New Doctor Who Trailer

2010-02-20T13:51:00.001-06:00

Kind of obviously designed for 3D!

Caught in a Bad Romance

2010-02-07T10:24:00.000-06:00

Writer with Minnesota connections writing for Doctor Who

2010-02-06T23:27:00.000-06:00

Ok, obvious he grew up in the UK, and he's pretty much everywhere at this point in his career, but we still will claim him as a local to the Twin Cities area.

And as someone who has been a fan since Sandman originally came out two decades (eeeek!) ago, I'm very excited to see that it is extremely likely that in 2011, we will have a Doctor Who story by Neil Gaiman.

One of the most exciting things about Doctor Who at the moment isn't just that it is getting guest star actors like Timothy Dalton or Bill Nighy, but guest star writers like Richard Curtis, Simon Nye, and now Neil Gaiman. That is something that I really like that is in the show's DNA, that the writer is one of the key 'stars' of the show.

David Tennant Says Farewell

2010-02-04T20:57:00.000-06:00

The final David Tennant Doctor Who box set is out, and with that we have a couple of clips from the set from BBC America.

Doctor Who Fan Music (Chameleon Circuit)

2010-01-26T17:17:00.000-06:00

I think one of the more amusing things about the internet era is that music like Chameleon Circuit has more of an opportunity than ever to get out into the public. In the past, at best, this would be a novelty single or something that you'd end up getting a scratchy, tenth generation tape copy of. Now, you can go right to Amazon.com and pick it up.

Or you can find a video on YouTube:

American Torchwood

2010-01-19T21:38:00.000-06:00

I can see how Torchwood could possibly get American treatment, especially with Julie Gardner, Russell T Davies and Jane Tranter all based in California now.

And honestly, I'd so much rather have an American Torchwood than an American Doctor Who remake. Which is something that really does scare me, after all. Especially if it is one not also trying to serve the UK market, which the 1996 TV movie did.

I really don't have a massive opinion about it. After all, it's a genre show on FOX -- it will get canceled after at most a dozen episodes anyways.

Doctor Who success on BBC America

2010-01-05T21:07:00.001-06:00

According to the Doctor Who News page The End of Time Part 2 set another record for BBC America, with about 1.47 million viewers across the three showings.

We've also seen The End of Time do well on iTunes, with both parts being in the top ten for the last day or two.

Even more promising than all of this is seeing that they're promoting the future of Doctor Who as well -- with the new series trailer prominently displayed promising new Doctor Who for us this spring, with the pages already getting updated with the new look.

I'll miss David Tennant as the Doctor -- but, well, Geronimo!

About The Weeping Angels

2010-01-03T11:18:00.000-06:00

This is a short little clip about the Weeping Angels. Interesting!

The Beginning

2010-01-02T21:00:00.005-06:00

Our first look at the start of the next era of Doctor Who.

It's the end, but the moment has been prepared for

2010-01-01T09:37:00.000-06:00

Just reading the BBC Doctor Who website thank you to the outgoing Doctor Who team made me think about the change of era that we're about to have, and what has happened with my favorite creative franchise over the last five years.

It's been incredible. Doctor Who managed to come back, be successful, and still fundamentally be the same show. My TV moment of the decade was when we saw Christopher Eccleston stand in front of the TARDIS in Rose for the first time, because it was clear that this was the same show, but one willing to take risks as well, and truly be a Doctor Who of the first decade of the 21st century.

Thank You David, for portraying the Doctor so brilliantly for the last few years.

Thank You Julie, for helping make Doctor Who not just for those of us that waited years for it to come back, but for those people that didn't even know that they missed it.

Thank You Russell. For everything. When Doctor Who came back in 2005, I'm sure that some thought that this may be it for Doctor Who, especially after the false start in the 1990s. And the best part of your legacy with the show is that you've given Doctor Who one thing that I'm especially thankful for.

A future.

Happy Holidays from Doctor Who!

2009-12-24T11:30:00.001-06:00

And the wait for The End of Time is almost over!

BBC America Success!

2009-12-22T19:40:00.000-06:00

It's good to see that BBC America has had success with Waters of Mars.

And here are some clips from them in support of The End of Time which are coming the next two Saturdays on BBC America. I'm quite excited at this point!

The End of an Era

2009-12-21T19:37:00.004-06:00

One thing that it just dawned on me is that this is the first time in a very long time that Doctor Who has had such a clear end of an era like the one that we're getting this New Years. And arguably, it is the most complete end-of-era ever where the show was still carrying on.

The Ninth Doctor to Tenth Doctor change wasn't really changing the era -- while when you look at the Christopher Eccleston year it's incredible to see how the production team has matured, it wasn't really a different era when David Tennant took over -- I look at it as the successful reestablishment of the series.

Doctors Six through Eight never really had that end-of-an-era element to it -- none of them can really be looked at as having successful complete runs.

While Caves of Androzani is one of the high water marks of the series -- and Doctor Who wouldn't be that good again until the 2005 revival -- it was really only the Doctor and companion that changed in that time. In fact, it could be argued that by not changing out the creative staff at this point, it was what led to the decline of the series.

I'm tempted to say that Logopolis was an end-of-an-era - and in many ways, if you look at Season 18 as a transition year, the series is radically different between the end of Season 17 and the start of Season 19. But it is difficult to say that Logopolis is as complete a change as we are going to be witnessing now with the show. After all, Logopolis was really the middle chapter of the three part reintroduction of the Master. I'm a big fan of Logopolis -- and you don't need to read any spoilers to feel comfortable in saying that it will be an influence on The End of Time.

The change between Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker is much more like this change is. Liz Sladen stays as Sarah Jane, but that is it. Barry Letts moves on and is replaced by Philip Hinchcliffe, and Terrance Dicks is replaced by Robert Homes.

The War Games shares some of this end-of-era feel; but it is really the rise of the Terrance Dicks era of Doctor Who -- the cast changes completely when Patrick Troughton and his companions depart; and the change to color is absolutely a major change. But it isn't until Doctor Who and the Silurians that Barry Letts is producer.

And while the change between the First and Second Doctors was the radical change that created a format that could last forever, the production staff didn't change at that time. One of the convincing parts of Lawrence Miles and Tat Wood's About Time 1 is that the story of the William Hartnell era is how the pieces of the Doctor Who concept really come together over that whole era; and in many ways, you don't get the definitive Doctor until Patrick Troughton takes over from William Hartnell.

One thing that I realized as I have been writing this all up is that the change of eras happen over a more extended period of time in the past -- a much more gradual change. That change happened over an extended time this time as well -- but there wasn't a full year of Doctor Who to see that change evolve on screen; instead we will see one series end and a completely new Doctor Who begin in 2010.

So it's going to be very exciting to see The End of Time -- and if stories like Logopolis, War Games, and Caves of Androzani can be taken as precedent, we should be in for some very good Doctor Who over the next two weeks.

New BBC America End of Time Trailer!

2009-12-18T19:26:00.002-06:00

The Waters of Mars airs on BBC America tomorrow, and after that, one week later, we have The End of Time. Here is a new BBC America trailer.

And here is a really good clip about how David Tennant found playing the Doctor, given that he was a fan growing up.

David Tennant Discusses the Cybermen

2009-12-17T06:00:00.001-06:00

More of BBC America's Doctor Who Mythology Videos

2009-12-16T18:00:00.002-06:00

Here are some more clips from BBC America promoting the final three David Tennant specials

Doctor Who 101: What is the TARDIS? And then the End of Time

2009-12-16T17:50:00.003-06:00

David Tennant explains the TARDIS for a new American audience. I suppose those of us -- even Americans -- that have watched the show forever take it for granted. But not everyone.

If you're an old hand to the series, this trailer [thanks Blogtor Who] will be even more exciting, as we count the days until The Waters of Mars airs this week, and the first part of The End of Time next week!

Doctor Who Mythology: The Loneliness of a Timelord

2009-12-16T06:00:00.001-06:00

Our countdown to the Waters of Mars airing on BBC America on Saturday, December 18th continues.

David Tennant Discusses the Daleks

2009-12-15T22:24:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas from Doctor Who and BBC

2009-12-06T12:05:00.000-06:00

David Tennant in Review

2009-12-01T17:57:00.002-06:00

Here we have a new clip from BBC America about David Tennant -- one thing that is especially clear after seeing something like this is how much Tennant has made this role his own over the last four years and has been quite an achievement. This might very well be the sort of ephemera that I would send back to the teenage David Tennant to see as a clip where it says that he'll be Doctor Who and Hamlet and work with Derek Jacobi would almost certainly be the sort of thing that would mess with young David McDonald

Inside the TARDIS

2009-11-24T19:43:00.003-06:00

One of the things that I find interesting about this clip is that it's an introduction to the TARDIS for a "new" audience. One thing that the new series hasn't had a lot of is very good *specific* American marketing or materials in the past -- it has always been aired, but there hasn't been any solid attempt to expand the audience of the series besides the natural expansion that it would normally have.

EU incoming Foreign Minister's has connections with Skaro

2009-11-21T08:23:00.000-06:00

Paul Krugman's Blog points out that the new foreign minister of the EU has a Dalek.

The End of Time - on BBC America December 26th!

2009-11-20T15:28:00.003-06:00

And we have a special, new sneak preview of it for you here:

The final two specials, Doctor Who: The End of Time, Part One and The End of Time, Part Two, will premiere over the holiday season starting December 26 on BBC AMERICA. Guest stars John Simm, Timothy Dalton, Catherine Tate and Bernard Cribbins join Tennant on his final journey.

Doctor Who: The End of Time, Part One premieres Saturday December 26, 9:00pm ET/PT on BBC AMERICA. The End of Time, Part Two premiere date will be announced very soon.
The finale to the era of David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, is one of the most eagerly anticipated adventures in the history of Doctor Who. As previously announced, the next special, Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars premieres Saturday December 19, 9:00pm ET/PT on BBC AMERICA.

More on BBC America's December Doctor Who Airing

2009-11-17T10:31:00.004-06:00

I've heard a bit more about what BBC America plans to do when Waters of Mars and The End of Time air in the upcoming month or two.

Television’s longest-running science fiction series, shot in HD, has just three episodes to go before a new Doctor arrives on screen next year!

The next special, Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars airs on BBC AMERICA, Saturday December 19th at 9pm/8c. All will be revealed as the Doctor and his companion Adelaide face terror on the Red Planet in one of the scariest adventures yet. It stars David Tennant and British stage and screen actress Lindsay Duncan (Rome, Langford) as Adelaide, his cleverest and most strong-minded companion.

An extended inside-look and other bonus content will air immediately after Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars. Immediately preceding the special, BBC AMERICA will be airing Inside The Tardis (8/7c), a catch-up special on the series through the eyes of the Doctor’s companions.

Doctor Who: The End of Time, Part 1 and The End of Time, Part 2 will air on BBC AMERICA during the holiday season.

And here are some trailers:

Doctor Who DVDs on sale today!

2009-11-13T07:50:00.001-06:00

Today's Gold Box Deal of the Day is any Christopher Eccleston or David Tennant Doctor Who season at 60% off!

Fantastic RTD and David Tennant Interview

2009-08-24T23:30:00.001-05:00

If you haven't seen it already... good stuff.

Sorry

2009-07-26T12:52:00.000-05:00

i09's video to David Tennant is very amusing

Closing the Window

2009-07-21T21:26:00.005-05:00

I'm impressed about how quick Torchwood:Children of Earth is showing up on iTunes. And considering that it is showing up the day after it airs on BBC America -- which is only a couple of weeks after it aired in the UK -- I hope that this trend continues with the rest of the David Tennant specials and the new Matt Smith episodes in 2010.

Speaking of Matt Smith, my favorite collection of pictures from the first public days of shooting are at blogtorwho. There is something magical about seeing the show renew itself yet again....

And I'm really interested to hear what comes out of San Diego Comic C0n this weekend; as this will probably be the biggest promotional appearance Doctor Who has ever had in the US.

Doctor Who Meets Dallas

2009-06-02T19:22:00.000-05:00

This is awesome.

Karen Gillan

2009-05-29T18:05:00.000-05:00

I'm a little late noting that Karen Gillan has been cast as the 11th Doctor's Companion in the 2010.

This makes Karen the third companion in a row to be cast as a companion after appearing in the previous series.

1) Freema Agyeman appeared in Series 2
2) Catherine Tate appeared in Series 3
3) Karen Gillan appeared in Series 4

She looks like a good choice to me!

I wonder what her character's name will be....

Doctor Who: Animated Series On The Way - Den of Geek

2009-05-25T14:07:00.000-05:00

Doctor Who: Animated Series On The Way - Den of Geek

So not so much the "year off" that people thought...

Tainted Dalek Love

2009-04-25T11:22:00.000-05:00

Found and had to post a link to it...

Today's Disturbing Matt Smith Revelation

2009-02-25T18:19:00.002-06:00

Ok. I'm somewhat adjusted for an actor playing the Doctor being younger than me, and well, just about everyone I know. I trust that Steven Moffat knows what he's doing.

But then in the latest Doctor Who Magazine, they point out that not only is Matt Smith "younger" than DWM, but they give enough information for me to determine that the issue of DWM that was out when he was born was probably the first issue of DWM I ever got...

Blink Music Video

2009-01-18T20:59:00.002-06:00

One of the great things I love is when one creative work leads to another one -- and that is always true of Doctor Who.

So something like the music video -- with new original fan-created music -- for Chameleon Circuit's Blink is fantastic. It's a really good song, and one that I can't wait to find a way to get a copy of.

Dalek War Boxset

2009-01-13T18:13:00.000-06:00

One of the incredible parts of Doctor Who fandom is the application of technology to preserve and restore the series past. And seeing the story about how episode three of Planet of the Daleks on the Dalek War Boxset is incredible.

It's fascinating if you are interested in film and television restoration -- above and beyond what it does for our Doctor Who libraries.

Guess I was wrong on that one!

2009-01-03T12:08:00.000-06:00

Matt Smith is the Eleventh Doctor -- and he's someone that wasn't on my radar at all. I'm surprised. And a bit disturbed, because I was alright seeing the Doctor being played by someone my age... but now the Doctor will be younger than just about everyone I know that isn't a kid....

Making A Prediction

2009-01-02T15:35:00.003-06:00

Since it looks like the BBC will be making an announcement tomorrow, I figure it's my last chance to make a prediction. I think Number 11 is going to be Patterson Joseph.

It feels right to me that it would be a non-white actor to play the Doctor at this point -- and he's got a personality that feels Doctorish to me. He's also got a career that makes sense to be a Doctor -- he's worked with Steven Moffat on Jekyll, a history of working on (and interest in) telefantasy projects like Neverwhere and the new Survivors. He's not too big of an actor -- he's someone that I can see committing several years to a televison role --

By posting this, I'm sure to be wrong -- but he makes a lot of sense to me. And if I'm wrong, I'll be surprised, which isn't bad either!

The Writer's Tale

2008-12-02T21:49:00.003-06:00

I picked up Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale over the weekend at Chicago TARDIS and I devoured it almost immediately. It's an incredibly detailed look at the creation of the fourth series of Doctor Who through a series of e-mails between Russell and Ben Cook.

There are a lot of things that you realize very quickly -- first of all, that yes, the complete set of departures and gap year have all been part of the plan for quite some time -- down to even Tennant's departure. It felt that way when you watched Series Four -- it felt like RTD had wrapped up almost everything that started all the way back in 'Rose', after all.

You also get a feeling for the insecurities of Russell T Davies -- and how it people that focus on how the "other" writers are better than Russell miss the point -- Russell rewrites almost everyone, and his fingerprints are all over the series as a whole. There's a notable piece where Russell feels sorry for himself for people not giving him any credit for his work on Human Nature, when he certainly helped on it. (Paul, in fact, has mentioned Russell's contributions.) That doesn't discredit that Human Nature is fundamentally Paul's story -- the novel, after all, is proof of that.

One of the best things is that part of Russell's strategy is clear -- there is certainly a risk that the new Doctor Who became so strongly associated with Russell, or the current cast, that when they inevitably leave, the show can continue -- but even that, it's part of the set up that the show may go away for a year or two -- but then will come back. Doctor Who becomes something that comes back; so we'll have Doctor Who now, and there will be Doctor Who for the fiftieth anniversary, and it will come back and regenerate itself again, and again.

And one part of the Writer's Tale is that it's part of one very strong strand of Doctor Who history. One of the reasons why Doctor Who was successfully revived is that people like Russell T Davies, David Tennant, and Steven Moffat learned about how televison was made by reading old Doctor Who magazines or books like 'The Making of Doctor Who'. This book will be read by people who will write for Doctor Who twenty years from now. They'll write other things as well -- just like RTD and Moffat have written wonderful things like Bob & Rose and Coupling -- but future writers will also continue to contribute to their favorite television show; the reason why they got into the business to begin with.

I can't recommend the book enough. It is a fascinating insight into this era of Doctor Who, and the writing process of Russell T Davies. It's accompanied by some wonderful sketches -- I'd love read a full Russell T Davies Doctor Who comic strip as well.

Dr. Lazer Rage

2008-11-21T17:43:00.003-06:00

Christopher Eccleston on the Sarah Silverman Show. I need to see the episode in question.

The Sarah Silverman ProgramThursdays 10:30p/9:30c

Odds 'N' Ends - Dr. Lazer Rage

Black God
Alternative Comedy

Abortion Song
Stoner Humor

Oh, and here is a relevant clip...

The Sarah Silverman ProgramThursdays 10:30p/9:30c

Brian's Blastoff

Black God
Alternative Comedy

Abortion Song
Stoner Humor

It turns out that this is the episode that it airing this week, and it is on iTunes!

Paradox

2008-11-16T00:22:00.000-06:00

This episode of the cartoon show Ben 10 is very suspicious. An eccentric thousand year old time traveling Doctor that likes to give sweets? Very suspicious....

The Price Is Right

2008-11-13T16:40:00.001-06:00

Thank You David Tennant

2008-10-29T22:50:00.001-05:00

It's a year before we see his last story as the Doctor, but he is moving on at the end of 2009. I'd expected one more year, to be honest, but it'll be nice to see a reinvigorated series from scratch in 2010 as well.

Because that's how the series works...

Interesting Doctor Who vids

2008-08-24T08:14:00.003-05:00

I'm not a huge follower of the fan music video tradition -- every now and then one pops up and I watch it. I think it's a great form -- and one of my concerns about all of the copyright battles that are going out is that it's pushed so far underground that fans can't do it. I know that some creators are certainly in favor of the form, especially the ones who are of fandom in the first place.

This video is particularly interesting, especially as a commentary on the series:

dw_handlebars - Flummery

Blink

2008-08-09T23:42:00.001-05:00

It is not terribly surprising to see Blink win the Hugo for Dramatic Presentation, Short Form. I was pulling for Paul Cornell, but that was as much because Moffat already has two of them and not anything against Blink in particular -- I think the Human Nature/Blink combination is probably the best single DVD of Doctor Who in existence -- and possibly even the best possible Doctor Who DVD in existence.

Of course, it'll be interesting to see if Moffat will be able to keep winning Hugos once he is the showrunner...

Doctor Who on iTunes [US]

2008-07-22T20:57:00.001-05:00

Doctor Who has shown up on iTunes -- the first three series are all available. And at $1.99 an episode, it is perhaps your cheapest way to get new Doctor Who if you haven't gotten it on DVD yet.

Torchwood has been on iTunes for a while now, but it's good to see Doctor Who show up there..

Delia Revealed

2008-07-18T18:57:00.001-05:00

I can't help be impressed by how ahead of her time Delia Derbyshire was -- and in these recently revealed archives we get an idea about how advanced she was -- making sounds without synths or keyboards -- frequently cutting up and splicing together tapes and other strange things.

Cool Britannia

2008-07-16T21:35:00.001-05:00

In my general blog I posted about some of the various UK TV shows we talked about in our Cool Britannia panel at CONvegence. I think I mentioned that it'd be in one or the other of the two blogs, and so, well, I'll mention it in both.

Most of the shows, of course, have some connection to Doctor Who, since Doctor Who is the center of genre tv in the UK.

CONvergence

2008-06-30T17:54:00.003-05:00

As always, there will be a bunch of Doctor Who and related panels at Minnesota's Science Fiction convention CONvergence this weekend. I'll be on a few.

Since this convention has an additional day, one of the ideas is to have one panel for each decade of the show -- usually, when you cover Doctor Who, you don't really cover the whole history as much as you would really like.

Time	Room	Panel
Thu 5:00pm - 6:00pm	Edina TV	Doctor Who by Decade: The Sixties Covering the 1960's era Dr. Who, this is the first in a series of four panels exploring the rich and varied history of the classic British science-fiction series, focusing on the Hartnell and Troughton eras. Ben Ellis, Steven Manfred, Charlie Paulsen, Michael Scott Shappe, Michael D. Thomas
Fri 5:00pm - 6:00pm	Edina TV	Doctor Who by Decade: The Seventies Covering the 1970's era Dr. Who, this is the second in a series of four panels exploring the rich and varied history of the classic British science-fiction series, focusing on the Pertwee and T. Baker eras. Ben Ellis, Brian Jonas, Michael Lee, Emily Stewart, Michael Zecca
Fri 6:30pm - 7:30pm	Edina TV	Doctor Who: Series Four This panel discusses Donna Noble's year aboard the TARDIS and will contain spoilers and speculation around Series Four of Doctor Who and beyond. Also, what can we look forward to during the "gap year?" Michael Lee, Steven Manfred, Kelly McCullough, Lynne Thomas, Michael Zecca
Fri 9:30pm - 10:30pm	Edina TV	Torchwood Beyond the government, yada yada yada. Basically, this is an hour long opportunity to squee over Ianto, Captain Jack, and Captain John. Oh and talk about how much an improvement the second series was over the first as well. Christa Dickson, James Gottfried, Mara Kapp, Charlie Paulsen, Lynne Thomas, Dayna Jean Wolter
Sat 3:30pm - 4:30pm	A4 HotDish	What Does Franchise Continuity Mean to You? Continuity, or what is canon, is a very personal thing. Which Buffy Season 8 do you count - the comic version, the novels, or both? Do you consider animated Trek the last two years of the 5-year mission? Where do Doctor Who audios fit in? What about the Babylon 5 comic books or Star Wars video games? Or does it even matter at all? Remember - no one is "right" or "wrong" - come and share some of your more inventive and interesting canon theories in this respectful round-table discussion. Dave Benhart, Paul Harmeyer, Christopher Jones, Michael Lee, Video Team, Michael D. Thomas, Greg Weisman
Sat 3:30pm - 4:30pm	Edina TV	Reimagining of TV Shows It seems like the movie-remake craze of the past several years has filtered down to our television sets. What makes a remake successful? When should a show be rebooted (BSG) vs. making it a continuation (Trek: Next Gen, Doctor Who)? Daren Dochterman, Derek Mahr, Joan Marie Verba
Sat 5:00pm - 6:00pm	Edina TV	Doctor Who by Decade: The Eighties Covering the 1980's era Dr. Who, this is the third in a series of four panels exploring the rich and varied history of the classic British science-fiction series, focusing on the Davison, C. Baker, and McCoy eras. It probably would have been easier to say the JNT era, huh? Michael Lee, Charlie Paulsen, Lars Pearson, Michael Scott Shappe, Michael D. Thomas
Sat 11:00pm - 11:59pm	Edina TV	Cool Britannia Doctor Who isn't the only British import worth checking out. There has been a resurgence of sci-fi in the UK recently. Come learn about other series worth your while, like Primeval, Life on Mars, Hyperdrive, Jekyll, and many others. Ben Ellis, Brian Jonas, Michael Lee, Michael Zecca
Sun 9:30am - 10:30am	Edina TV	Sarah Jane Adventures It may be the least talked about/acknowledged of the current run of Doctor Who spin-offs, but it's definitely worth discussion. Is The Sarah Jane Adventures far better than it has any right to be? Rob Callahan, Heidi Johnson, Steven Manfred, Lynne Thomas, Michael D. Thomas
Sun 2:00pm - 3:00pm	Edina TV	Doctor Who by Decade: The Nineties Covering the 1990's era Dr. Who, this is the fourth in a series of four panels exploring the rich and varied history of the classic British science-fiction series, focusing on the expanded universe (audios, books, comics) and the 1996 McGann TV Movie. Heidi Johnson, Lars Pearson, Michael D. Thomas

I read it in the Times

2008-06-15T08:26:00.001-05:00

Today's new york times has a profile of Russell T Davies.

Sir Russell?

2008-06-13T16:42:00.000-05:00

Not yet -- but congratulations to Russell T Davies for being made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Very impressive!

Meet The New Boss

2008-06-13T13:38:00.000-05:00

I found a website devoted specifically to Steven Moffat, which I'd link to in any case.

I've got all of Coupling -- one of my favorite comedies, as well as the easy-to-recommend Jekyll. I haven't seen much of the rest of his work -- not being easily available here -- but it's interesting to read up on his career as he moves to his biggest job...

Impossible Things

2008-06-10T18:17:00.000-05:00

For me, one of the other improbable events if you sent this cartoon five years back in time is that it's now not unthinkable for there to be a Doctor Who reference in a modern American political cartoon...and it isn't Tom Baker.

That's as great a shock as any of the rest of it!

Hanging Out With The Dream King

2008-05-27T23:31:00.001-05:00

Unsurprisingly, the rumor that superstar Neil Gaiman might write for the 2010 series of Doctor Who is starting to make the rounds.

It's no secret that Neil is a fan of the series -- including the new series, and of new showrunner Steven Moffat's episodes in particular. So he's obviously on the short list of plausible writers for Doctor Who.

I figure it is one of those things that if it is meant to happen, it will -- but Neil is obviously a very busy individual, and he'd be difficult to work out a schedule on, especially given that he's primarily based in the US.

Would this be something to get excited about? You bet. Is it something that I can see happening? Sure. Less likely things in the history of Doctor Who have happened, after all.

But there is a long path until the episode gets in front of a camera -- and so even if he's a possible candidate to write an episode, there are a number of things that can make it fall through. It has happened in Doctor Who history many times in the past, after all.

I dream, quite frequently...

2008-05-23T17:53:00.000-05:00

io9 justified its existence this week with a set of survey results comparing Doctor Who fans and Star Trek fans.

I think the age breakdown is very interesting as well.

I'd also be interested to see some other long-running franchises -- how would Star Wars or Battlestar Galactica fit into this mix?

Grand Moff

2008-05-20T17:24:00.003-05:00

Well, it is official. Steven Moffat will be the new Doctor Who show runner.

And really, it could never be anyone else -- he's more than proven his capabilities with his previous Doctor Who contributions. With Curse of Fatal Death he managed the best televised Doctor Who of the 1990s without even having official status, and The Empty Child, Girl in the Fireplace, and Blink have all been highlights of the revived series.

It has been apparent that we were heading to the end of an era for some time now -- and it is a statement to Russell T Davies contribution to the series that his replacement is taking the same sort of recognition that a change of cast would have. Obviously, there are people that have had criticisms of Russell's era of the show -- but it is undeniable that he's made Doctor Who more successful than anyone could have reasonably managed.

Thanks to everyone involved with the current era of Doctor Who -- Russell, Phil, and Julie. It's been a fantastic run, and one everyone can and should be proud of.

And the best part is, we know that there will be great Doctor Who in the future -- it is a format bigger than any one person behind or in front of the camera. It's always capable of changing -- but still having that continuing thread.

Congratulations and good luck. The moment has been prepared for.

Ood enough

2008-05-09T23:13:00.001-05:00

I'm disappointed to see that the BBC is being a little over zealous in protecting their trademarks when they ask to removes a Doctor Who fan’s knitting patterns from the Web.

It's this sort of fan activity that kept Doctor Who alive for the period of time between 1989 and 2005 -- and it was this sort of fan activity that encouraged people like Paul Cornell, Mark Gatiss, Gary Russell, and lots of other people that have now worked on the new television series.

I'm sure it's some over enthusiastic person somewhere in the BBC -- and I certainly respect that the BBC needs to protect their property -- but I think there should be a way for people to celebrate their love for the show in creative ways -- and to share that amongst other fans.

Very sad to see.

[found from Boing Boing]

Here Comes the Commentary!

2008-04-10T21:24:00.000-05:00

It is nice to see that the commentary track dropped at the last minute on the US DVDs for Series three is now available on the BBC America website.

I can't imagine anyone listening -- and pausing -- with it while it's actually airing on BBC America. (Especially in case they make any sort of episode cuts -- the episode was heavily cut on Sci Fi, after all...)

But, really, very very cool.

It's just the way my brain works...

2008-04-10T21:09:00.003-05:00

Ok. Sometimes, I think there are some times that I can't escape Doctor Who.

I'm watching the following video of Jonathan Coulton performing his song Still Alive in the UK, and well, they've got a bunch of faces on sheets of paper... and one is clearly Colin Baker from when he was playing the Doctor... why, I don't pretend to understand.

I think there's some fine tuned "Doctor Who" sense that goes off whenever there's something with a connection to the series...

You know, for Kids!

2008-04-09T17:13:00.000-05:00

I think the advertising for the Sarah Jane Adventures on Sci Fi has made it clear that this spin-off is much more a children's show than Doctor Who is.

The main reason why I was skeptical about an American distribution was that I couldn't quite see how it would get sold here -- but the teenage cast should make it clear that it's target audience.

It's an enjoyable show -- but really, the intended audience is completely different than something like Battlestar Galactica -- and that is one of the things views of the show have to be aware enough to realize.

Russell T Davies Interview To Read

2008-04-06T10:48:00.001-05:00

This interview with Russell T Davies has some interesting little spoilers and cameo reports that I'm sure will be very interesting to some of you.

Shocking - Merlin on NBC!

2008-04-03T23:00:00.001-05:00

It's probably because of the recent writers strike, but it is highly unusual that something like Merlin would get a first run on one of the major american networks like NBC. Obviously, NBC and the BBC have an existing relationship, in fact, that's probably one of the reasons why Doctor Who ended up on NBC's Sci Fi channel.

In a way, I can only imagine that it's because of the success of Doctor Who on Sci Fi that something like this would even be possible. It's obvious that Merlin is being done "for the Doctor Who slot" on the BBC -- all the more important with the year off for the series -- but I suspect that it also helped make it easier for NBC to take the risk of airing a first run UK program like this. (Though it's probably less of a risk than repeats due to the lack of development.)

Very, very interesting.

Amusing Doctor Who is everywhere...

2008-03-24T00:06:00.001-05:00

This might not be meaningful for everyone, but I'm terribly amused that Neil Gaiman can make jokes about the depths of Steve Manfred's Doctor Who knowledge.

Next Month!

2008-03-20T20:30:00.000-05:00

We've got the shortest delay between the UK airing of Doctor Who and the Sci Fi channel airing of the series.

It'll start on BBC One in April 5th, and it'll be on Sci Fi by the end of the month.

Why Father's Day was ahead of its time...

2008-03-18T23:17:00.002-05:00

It got here before everyone else on the internet did.

a twenty year plan

2008-03-10T21:47:00.000-05:00

One of the things that Russell says in an upcoming interview with SFX is that there's literally a 20 year plan for Doctor Who. That doesn't mean that Russell will be Executive Producer for life -- that's not what he said -- just that he's well aware that Doctor Who is a 45 year old franchise, and really *should* be around forever. And it is worth the BBC making plans now about how to continually keep it fresh.

I'd be curious how other franchises that could well be around several decades from now are managed, and if that sort of thought is given -- we can assume there will be a Superman or Spider-Man in twenty years. The Disney characters will still be around in twenty years. There will probably be a Star Trek and a James Bond.

I think what's unusual is that this is one of the few times I've heard the story runner actually think about how to keep the concept fresh over that long sort of run -- perhaps that's because of the BBC's public ownership, but it's still something that I think is fascinating to think about.

Primeval bought by BBC America

2008-02-27T08:33:00.001-06:00

It has been called the ITV answer to Doctor Who, and I've heard good things about it, so I'm happy to see that it has been bought by BBC America.

There's one episode by Paul Cornell in the bunch, and I've heard some positive reviews -- so I'm happy to see it cross over as well.

The Sarah Jane Adventures on SCIFI

2008-02-27T08:26:00.001-06:00

The Sci Fi channel has a web page up with the press release about the The Sarah Jane Adventures starting on Sci Fi in April. Apparently they've also purchased some little known program called Doctor Who to air in April as well.

From what I understand Sarah Jane starts on April 11th and the new series of Doctor Who starts on April 18th.

The Time Lord Regenerates To Mate

2008-02-21T18:42:00.004-06:00

One of the fascinating panel discussions at this year's Gallifrey One convention was about how sexuality has been placed into the new series, as well as in the original series. There certainly was a time where the first fact we learn about the Doctor -- that he is a grandfather -- is disputed as controversial. That's less so in the modern era, as there has been more sexual tension in the foreground of the series.

But one of the things that this discussion led into meant that it looks like Time Lords regenerate to match in their surroundings. Someone described it as a "mating form", and that's not entirely wrong. It was partially led into with the realization that despite there being some sexual tension between the first Romana and the Doctor, there's certainly a whole new level of tension between the second and the Doctor, and it almost appears that she deliberately regenerated into a form (and personality) *more* like and compatible with the Fourth Doctor.

But this isn't the only case of this -- almost every other regeneration we've seen on screen has been some sort of reaction to the people around them. Going backwards, we've got the Master -- where the Saxon Master is very much one that is a mirror image of the Tenth Doctor. The Master even says that the goal of his regeneration is to be just like the Doctor, after all.

But it's not also about two of the regenerations outside the Doctor -- almost every regeneration of the Doctor qualifies as well. The Tenth Doctor regenerates to be more compatible with Rose -- in a deleted scene, it's pointed out that his new incarnation takes his accent from Rose.

The Sixth Doctor regenerates into a personality bright and obnoxious -- maybe not with an American accent -- but more compatible with Peri (in a bizarre, twisted way) -- and while it might not be successful, you can see the connection between the sixth Doctor and Peri.

And then the Fifth Doctor -- a younger form to match the very much younger companions around him.

And the Fourth Doctor has a remarkable compatibility with Sarah Jane Smith -- into one of the most successful Doctor and companion pairings in the series.

The only other regeneration that we see is the one from the First to Second Doctor -- and while the full nature of this regeneration is difficult to see with the loss of the Tenth Planet and Power of the Daleks -- you've got a feeling that the younger, more whimsical Second Doctor was because of his proximity to Ben and Polly. We get someone who regenerates into a Beatle haircut around the two companions the most of the 1960s.

And this perhaps explains why we get so many old, dry men whenever we go to Gallifrey -- they all regenerate to be *like each other* -- where the only Time Lords that have real personalties like Drax or the Meddling Monk get them once they leave -- and even more so once they regenerate.

One of the best things, in my mind, about Doctor Who is that I doubt that much of this was explicitly thought of -- most of the compatibilities between Doctor and Companion (and the Master) come about due to the requirements of good drama. But as you look at it, one of the incredible things is how well it all ties together.

So, is “Captain Britain and MI:13” the Marvel version of Torchwood?

2008-02-19T23:43:00.002-06:00

Like Torchwood, it looks like we've got another project that started as Excalibur changing into something else -- Paul Cornell's new book for Marvel will be called “Captain Britain and MI:13”.

And of course, Paul has to include Alistaire Stuart -- a name instantly recognizable to Doctor Who fans.

It really goes without saying that this is going to be appealing to the Doctor Who and Torchwood audience. I can't wait to read it.

The American Success of Doctor Who

2008-02-10T08:19:00.000-06:00

Considering how long it took the first season to cross over -- Doctor Who fans have long memories, after all -- it's very nice to see an article about the success of the Doctor Who franchise in the US.

It's interesting that the success of Torchwood on BBC America is what led The Sarah Jane Adventures to Sci Fi. When it first was in production, we were led to believe that Sarah Jane wouldn't be exported at all, and certainly a children's show is going to be an interesting sell on Sci Fi.

My favorite quote from the article is that Doctor Who has "a loyal viewership so fanatical that most of the show's entry on Wikipedia actually appears to be correct".

The other big part is that like Torchwood series two, the window between the UK and US airings of the next year of Doctor Who has shrunk a great deal. This is certainly a good thing -- for example, the window means that the cover of Doctor Who magazine won't be a spoiler, as it takes DWM a couple of weeks to get on the shelves over here.

Kevin Stoney

2008-02-04T18:00:00.000-06:00

I'm sad to hear about the passing of Kevin Stoney. He's really the main force driving both The Dalek's Master Plan and The Invasion. I watched The Invasion fairly recently, and it's his performance that is by far the most memorable, and one that is one of the greats in the entire history of the series. It's an intense, larger-than-life villain in the James Bond mold, and really he was the model of this sort of villain in the show.

Poll Campaigning

2008-02-01T16:50:00.000-06:00

i09 is having a poll about What's The Most Underrated TV Show? Since Torchwood is on the list, you know what to do...

I mean, it's either that or Flash Gordon....

Moving On Up

2008-02-01T14:59:00.000-06:00

I think one of the exciting things about the new Doctor Who's success is how it is positively impacting the careers of many of the people involved. Where in the 1980s Doctor Who might have been a career dead-end, seeing Phil Collinson getting promoted to Head of Drama at BBC Manchester is very nice.

Also, it is incredible to see the reports that The Sarah Jane Adventures will be airing on Sci Fi this spring along with the next episodes of Doctor Who. I'll be interested to see how a show that is targeted for younger audiences is marketed here, because I think that while it is generally a good show, it's definitely targeted for a younger audience.

But it is still incredible to see how well Doctor Who is doing right now, as well as the people attached to it.

Today's Messed Up YouTube Video

2008-01-25T19:11:00.000-06:00

This is very, very strange....

James Marsters on Torchwood

2008-01-25T18:56:00.000-06:00

James Marsters makes his first appearance when Torchwood premiers on BBC America tomorrow. Good, interesting interview about his experiences.

Torchwood Series Two In US --- Tommorow!

2008-01-25T07:27:00.000-06:00

In the shortest difference in the Doctor Who television franchise since the new series started up, new episodes of Torchwood start tomorrow on BBC America. The first episode is the James Marsters episode, to make the episode especially appealing to Buffy, Angel, and slash fiction fans.

My impression is that this series of Torchwood will be an improvement on last years -- so if you were one of those people that found the first series a disappointment, it might be worth trying again. And if you liked the first series, you'll probably continue to do so...

Downloadable

2008-01-18T21:40:00.000-06:00

I imagine this was not as easy as it might first seem, so I'm quite excited that Big Finish is switching to having their (quite frequently excellent) Doctor Who audios available for download soon).

While it is nice to have a collection of CDs -- it's really less and less important as audio gets delivered by the internet. And I think this will open up the Doctor Who audios to an even wider audience before, especially with the success of the new series.

WANT

2008-01-15T19:59:00.000-06:00

I figured that it was an obvious collectible after it showed up in the awesome Human Nature story from Doctor Who last year, and there is going to be a Fob Watch toy is fantastic news and something that I think will be very popular.

I know what you're looking for

2008-01-09T00:46:00.000-06:00

Lots of people are hitting out site recently looking for James Marsters information -- and with him scheduled to appear in the first episode of Torchwood Series Two soon, we've got our first clip.

And really, we know that there won't be any need for slash fiction in this case, because the television show is definitely going there, presumably to the great enjoyment of the women (and presumably the gay men) watching the show...

I don't think this is what Doctor Who fans of five years ago would have expected though!

Torchwood Series Two starts airing in the UK next week and on BBC America at the end of the month.

US Airing Times and Editing for Content

2008-01-07T00:14:00.000-06:00

Torchwood.TV put together a handly listing of the stateside Torchwood airings.

My suspicion is that we'll see a completely different edit on BBC America than either the "adult version" or the "kid-friendly" version that is airing in the UK -- after all, what they'll edit or a kid-friendly version for a UK audience isn't how they would edit it for time on a US network, or indeed, even necessarily to fit the standards of the channel and the time.

Revolutionary Or Tool Of The Man?

2008-01-02T18:42:00.000-06:00

New Sci Fi blog i09 instantly won my love on their first big day by tracking how many revolutions the Doctor has caused. Big surprise, the Sylvester McCoy Doctor caused more of them than Jon Pertwee.

But still -- this site certainly starts off promising.

Skullcrusher Mountain

2008-01-02T07:17:00.000-06:00

This was pointed to me on youtube, and it definitely matches the lyrics...

Wil Wheaton Discovers Doctor Who

2007-12-29T23:50:00.000-06:00

He had the good sense to pick Genesis of the Daleks -- which is, of course, as good as Doctor Who ever gets.

It is kind of interesting to look at the comparisons between Star Trek and Doctor Who, especially in this country, where Doctor Who was originally popular in the period right before Next Generation started, and I've often felt that it wasn't a coincidence that Doctor Who went into decline in this country as Next Generation started up and became more popular.

And I think there is some comparison between Voyager and Enterprise and the Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy eras -- especially when you think about how one of the issues in both was how you had a production staff that were trapped in roles for longer than they should be, and how they sort of continued on autopilot for a while.

I'll be interested to see how Wil reacts to any episodes with Adric, Doctor Who's very own boy genius...

Frustrated Conscience

2007-12-24T00:41:00.000-06:00

I think it is good to be a somewhat cynical Doctor Who fan, even -- or perhaps especially -- with the series as successful as it has ever been.

One recent observation I read complained about some of the guest appearance in Last of the Time Lords. But Ann Widdecombe and Sharon Osbourne weren't Friends of The Doctor -- they were friends of Harold Saxon. That's even funnier the more you think about it -- this is show able to convince real "enemies" to play themselves. It would have only been better if they could have had Fred Thompson playing the President.

But then, I don't know about you -- but I've found the Utopia/Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords to just get better as time passes. I was a bit disappointed with Last of the Time Lords on first viewing -- but no more, now it's just the end of one of a long, brilliant era of Doctor Who.

That all said... it's probably good to be cynical about what Russell does at the same time. His instincts have made Doctor Who bigger and more successful than ever -- even here in the US, where Doctor Who is probably the biggest British television import. And who know what will happen when Series Four starts -- and everything else on television is a repeat, game show, or reality television due to the US writers strike.

The Hopes and Fears of All the Years - Telegraph

2007-12-22T21:51:00.000-06:00

Paul Cornell's Christmas Doctor Who story has been posted on line. It's a nice little story -- very much the new series Doctor Who in a lot of ways.

It is interesting - there have been some complaints about Doctor Who's use of religious imagery, especially as we have the third Christmas Doctor Who special in a row. But that doesn't have to be a religious challenge -- certainly the Jesus of the bible regularly told stories to illustrate moral and religious lessons. So I don't really see that -- by itself -- to be an objection.

I could go on more, but it's really not the season for it....

Hey Kids, Did You Miss Me?

2007-12-19T23:59:00.000-06:00

Some Torchwood trailers have shown up on YouTube -- which I figure isn't any problem linking to, so here goes....

From BBC America you have this one:

From BBC 2 in the UK you have this one:

The Times They Are A Changing

2007-12-11T19:12:00.000-06:00

It certainly is looking like the "gap year" is going to be a transition with Julie Gardner leaving and being replaced by Piers Wenger in a years time.

I suspect that Julie Gardner's role is sometimes underplayed -- but amongst all of the fanboys running the show, she was a vital "new to Who" viewpoint. One of the real ways the new show has been a success is that it's picked up all of the new audiences -- those of us that have been around for a while would have watched it in any case.

One of the reasons why Doctor Who is my favorite show is that it is ever changing. The current era has been wonderful and is a triumph that I'll rewatch for the rest of my life.

But it'll also be exciting to see the next era of Doctor Who start as well -- and hopefully it'll continue on for many years to come, freshly renewed.

Congratulations and thanks to Julie Gardner!

About Time

2007-12-02T16:37:00.000-06:00

I have enjoyed the About Time series published by Mad Norwegian Press from the beginning and have commented on it before.

One of the interesting things is watching the book series evolve along with the new television series -- one thinks that there is nothing new to be said about classic Doctor Who, but this book is identifiably of its time. You can tell -- while reading it -- that the book was finished between The Last of the Time Lords and Time Crash.

The volume that just came out -- Volume Six -- is about the end of the classic series. One change with this book -- as opposed to the others co-written with Lawrence Miles -- is that by having only one voice, it is much more one person's view. And with the end years of John Nathan-Turner on the line, that is definitely something that this volume lacks -- though they try to recover with Rob Shearman rising to the defence of The Two Doctors.

One of my other complaints is that in Tat Wood's desire to demonstrate how much Americans don't know about the UK, he also frequently shows a lack of understanding about the USA. It's a bit odd for a series that was published by a company in the middle of America --- but perhaps that is why this is so present in the book. For example, it was perfectly logical for the producers of the TV Movie to assume that the FOX movie of the week audience wouldn't be familiar with Doctor Who.

Of course, many of the problems with the TV Movie are still very well identified -- and the TV Movie is interesting in so far as it influenced the new series; both in "this is what you do now" -- romantic tension between the leads is more or less inevitable now -- but in also all of the ways that the new series avoided the traps of the TV Movie.

One of the nice things about the new TV series being such a massive success is that both the final phases of the JN-T era and the TV Movie can now be looked at with some perspective -- neither are "the end" of Doctor Who. And this book takes advantage of that perspective -- you can see it pointed out how much the last era of the classic series was struggling to become something not at all unlike the television series made in Cardiff today. While the TV Movie is slated in About Time, I think it shares with the Cartmel era that sort of struggle -- of trying how to make a "modern" Doctor Who series.

One of the things with the modern era of television commentary is that we're of course already seeing loads of commentary on the new series. But the really relevant commentary about the Russell T Davies era of Doctor Who will come when we move on to the next era. I suspect we'll start to see the first works covering multiple years of the new series era after Series Four, or perhaps after the specials to follow. It certainly feels like we'd be moving to a new era after that point, even if both Russell T Davies and David Tennant stay on past the specials.