'Torchwood' gets new title

By Alan Sepinwall

At TCA press tour, Torchwood creator Russell T. Davies just spilled that the international version of the show is getting a new title, and revealed the show’s plot.

First, the title. Gone is Torchwood: The New World. Now it’s Torchwood: Miracle Day.

"Torchwood" has a new network, a new country and new castmembers, and on Friday at press tour, we learned that the new Starz version of the show has a different subtitle.

When Starz acquired the "Doctor Who" spin-off from the BBC, the new season (which is set to begin filming next week) was tentatively titled "Torchwood: The New World," but creator Russell T. Davies explained that that was always a working title. The actual title will be "Torchwood: Miracle Day."

As Davies explained, "The premise is a miracle that happens to the world. That one day, on Earth, no one dies. Not a single person on Earth dies. The next day, no one dies. The next day, no one dies. And on and on and on. Now, the sick stay sick, the old keep getting older, the dying keep dying, but no one quite dies."

And at first, this seems a wonderful thing, "But globally, it's an instant overnight population boom. The Earth relies on people dying."

Davies understandably didn't want to offer too many details on how and why "Torchwood" hero Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman, who couldn't appear at the press tour session because he was acting in a play in England) comes back to our planet after running away at the end of the "Torchwood: Children of Earth" miniseries. But he did say that the notion of a world where no one can die would prove very intriguing to a man who suffers from immortality.

Of course, death has visited "Torchwood" very frequently, with Captain Jack and Eve Myles' Gwen Cooper the only original characters still extant at the start of the new season. That's much to the consternation of fans of the bumped-off characters, but Davies says he always wanted that to be a key part of "Torchwood."

On American network science fiction shows, he said, "You have a cast of 12 and they're under contract and they stay together for 7 years... If you don't know who will survive, that raises the stakes for everyone."

Also, he joked of his new American co-stars, "I thought, 'Oh, I'll get Bill Pullman in the end; I just have to make room for it."

Pullman will play a convicted murderer and pedophile named Oswald who, near the start of the 10-episode series, is due to be executed but, due to the miracle day, doesn't die. Phifer will be CIA agent Rex Matheson, a cocky guy who doesn't know much about Torchwood (and sounds very much like the role Phifer had on "Lie to Me").

Phifer had never seen the show, but Davies' people sent him the five episodes of "Children of Earth," which he watched all in one sitting. "Reading the script," he said, "was definitely a very exciting thing for me. It read like a film, felt like an action movie, and it was easy to want to be a part of it."

Sci-fi veteran Pullman, meanwhile, "First heard about it from a Comp Lit professor. That's a good credential, isn't it? He was kind of slumming it with his love for 'Torchwood.'"

I asked Davies what lessons he learned from "Children of Earth," which was several orders of magnitude better than the first two seasons of "Torchwood," and whether the Starz version would be built on those lessons.

"What we got rid of was the format of Monster of the Week," he said. "It's a great format, has worked on a lot of shows, but in Britain, it was slightly in 'Doctor Who's shadow as a result.. When we got to do 'Children of Earth,' it became what it is now: one story with a beginning, a middle and an end. By episode 10 (of 'Miracle Day'), there's a massive, shattering climax to the whole thing, you find out who lives, who dies, whether they can stop it or not. With 'Children of Earth,' 'Torchwood' found its legs. You get those pictures of things evolving, a hominid turning into a man standing erect. It feels like we've stood up tall now, and I can't wait for you to see it. It's a really rigorous premise. There's some shocking episodes to come: not only shocking visuals, but some shocking things about people... It feels exciting, it feels new."

The Lost TV Episodes Collection (two) cover, plus a pick of the blogs and reviews

Editor's bit...

Todays picture is The Master by Paul Hanley, the Master, as he appeared in the Tom Baker years.

Our Google Calendar has been updated with next weeks 'Whovian' UK TV and Radio Guide, to get the best view click the agenda tab.

Todays Release....

Doctor Who and Philosophy (Popular Culture and Philosophy), famous throughout the world, the "Doctor Who" series is the longest-running sci-fi TV show in history. Now it's making its U.S. transition from dedicated cult following to mass viewership, with the new series starring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor breaking all records. In "Doctor Who and Philosophy", a team of mostly human philosophers (who are also fans) looks at the deeper issues raised by the Doctor's mind-blowing adventures. Among the topics covered are the Doctor's philosophy of science, the ethics of a universe with millions of intelligent species, what makes one life-form more important than another, whether time travellers can change history, and how the "Doctor Who" TV show is changing the world we live in. The chapters draw freely on both the classic series (1963-1989) and the new series.

The News...


TARDIS Shop has the cover and details for Doctor Who: The Lost TV Episodes Collection: (1965-1966) No. 2, travel back to the early days of Doctor Who with these four adventures starring William Hartnell as the first Doctor - plus a bonus programme, absent from the television archives, each of these stories survives only as a soundtrack recording, now remastered, with additional linking narration, you can enjoy the adventures once more - and learn what happened to the missing episodes with a special bonus disc.....

• "The Daleks' Master Plan" (13 episodes, first broadcast October 1965-January 1966): The Daleks have stolen the Time Destructor, and are threatening to destroy the fabric of Time itself. In a bid to stop them, the Doctor steals the taranium core which powers the weapon. Pursued across Time and Space, the TARDIS crew are in grave danger...
• "The Massacre" (4 episodes, first broadcast February 1966): The TARDIS materialises in Paris in 1572, a time of great danger and religious strife. When Steven witnesses the execution of a man who uncannily resembles the Doctor, he is horrified. Can the Doctor really have been killed in front of his eyes?
• "The Celestial Toymaker" (4 episodes, first broadcast April 1966): The travellers arrive in the dangerous domain of the Toymaker, where their failure to win at a series of games could result in them becoming his playthings for eternity.
• "The Savages" (4 episodes, first broadcast May-June 1966): The TARDIS has arrived on a distant and seemingly idyllic world, but the Doctor, Steven and Dodo discover that it hides a terrible secret...
• "Doctor Who - The Lost Episodes" (First broadcast December 2009): What happened to the 108 missing episodes of "Doctor Who" from the 1960s? Shaun Ley investigates in this edition of "Archive on 4", plus: linking narration by Peter Purves; bonus interviews with Peter Purves; and, high quality scans, presented as PDF files, of the original BBC TV camera scripts.

Pick of the Blogs...


Siskoid Blog of Geekery has Doctor Who RPG: Voyagers Edition, ...allows you to run time travel games via a TARDIS, but there are other possibilities. What about Voyagers!, the terrible little time travel show that aired on NBC in the '82-'83 season? Yes, it was badly put together, but the concept can still be used as the foundation for a "time agents" series....

Podcasts...


The Bad Wilf Podcast has Quiz, this is the first and maybe only Quiz from The Bad Wilf podcast, it's due to Martyn's dad buying him quiz book's from the charity shop, the questions were easy, so it doesn't last long.

Tid-Bits...


M&S has Doctor Who Outfit, fans of Doctor Who will love dressing up in this mock layer costume (Editor thanks to terrylightfoot for heads up).



Review's Roundup...


DVD Talk has Doctor Who: Meglos, a story taken from Tom Baker's final season playing The Doctor, Meglos is solid four-part story that stands the test of time fairly well.  Revisiting some common themes (religion vs. science as well as a villain impersonating The Doctor) the show manages to avoid feeling stale through the use of some nice (if a bit crude) special effects and creature makeup that actually looks very good.  While it does have some flaws that keep it from the top tier of Who stories, the adventure is well worth watching....


Tea with Morbius has Survival of the Fittest, by Jonathan Clements (Big Finish Audio), the Seventh Doctor shows Klein the universe, but can they stay friends?, this is the second part of the Klein trilogy, which sees the Seventh Doctor taking the unusual companion, Elizabeth Klein on a voyage to discover the universe. Klein is a Nazi scientist from an alternate timeline in which the Nazis won the war. This timeline was wiped out by the Doctor, leaving Klein stranded in real history.....


The Little Metal Dog Show has Doctor Who: The Time Wars review, "I was initially excited – after all, it’s a trivia game about Doctor Who! I know loads about Doctor Who! Well, actually, it’s only about the latest season of the show (which saw the introduction of Matt Smith as the Doctor and Amy Pond as his assistant), so Mystery Designer X has limited themselves from the start there. At the start of the game, players are assigned a target amount of monsters to collect by taking a card – this will be a combination of Weeping Angels, Silurians and Daleks. Answering a question correctly will win you one, two or three monster cards which (hopefully) will have the monsters you’re looking for – collect the set and you’re a winner. The main selling point of the game is the ‘innovative’ board which flips over......"


Shadowlocked reviews Mawdryn Undead, the Black Guardian is at the centre of what's loosely known as the 'Guardian Trilogy', a term that's maybe overstating it a bit, since Big G only crops up here and there to bellow at Turlough. And it's only in Enlightenment that the White Guardian appears to deliver some ambiguous warning to The Doctor while impersonating a malfunctioning Digibox.....


The Edwardian Adventurer has Invasion (The Web Planet Part 5), The disparate characters begin their own plans to finally rid Vortis of The Animus, The Doctor through infiltration, Barbara leading the invasion survivors, and Ian leading the Optera from below, this episode is fairly straight forward.  All the pieces are being moved into place for the finale where we will finally see The Animus and its destruction.  So much mystery has been given to this creature....


Doc Oho's Big Finish audios reviews has Helicon Prime written by Jake Elliot and directed by Nigel Fairs, it's been a long time since Jamie McCrimmon remembered anything about his travels with the Doctor, but his visit to Helicon Prime just won't stay hidden... but why remember their murder investigation now?, the introductory scene suggests that this is going to be a revelatory story about Jamie getting his memory back and remembering the Doctor and his travels in the TARDIS but it just sort of…fizzles out....
He also has Old Soldiers written by James Swallow and directed by Nigel Fairs, the Brigadier saw many fall during his years with UNIT, but perhaps none more tragically than those at Kreigskind. Called to help when a friend falls ill, how can Lethbridge-Stewart fight an enemy that can breach every defence?, for ages now this is a story that has demanded to be told, one that delves into the Brigadier’s character psychologically and reveals something of his military past. Old Soldiers is everything that Deadly Reunion should have been for the BBC Books range, dark, gritty and revealing for Lethbridge-Stewart....

Podcast Review's...


The Cloister Room has 014 - Shark of Wonder, Shark of Light, we talk about Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol and do a commentary. Well, not a REAL commentary. We only do a commentary of the trailer for series six....

Outer Space Book and a Pick of the Tweets...

Planet of the Ming Mongs  More avatars added to the growing collection! Nice to see some people using them. Some very strange people.

bigfinish Jago and Litefoot download announcement - http://bigf.eu/?r=180

RadioTimes There's another chance to see last year's Doctor Who Prom on BBC3 tonight... http://bit.ly/hd7Exn

Doctor Who - The Ark (DVD) Cover and Details

Amplify’d from astore.amazon.co.uk

DVD Description The TARDIS arrives some ten million years in the future on a giant spaceship carrying all the Earth's surviving plant, animal and human life (much of it miniaturised and in suspended animation) on a 700 year voyage to a new home on the planet Refusis II. Dodo is suffering from a cold - an unknown affliction in this era - and as the human Guardians of the ship and their servant race the Monoids have no resistance, a plague breaks out. The Guardians place the travellers on trial and Steven is forced to defend them against allegations that they spread the disease deliberately. Fortunately, the Doctor finds a cure. The TARDIS leaves the spaceship, which Dodo has nicknamed the Ark, only to arrive back there as it is approaching the end of its voyage. Partly as a result of the earlier plague, the Monoids have now grown strong and enslaved the humans. They plan to make Refusis II their own but, with the help of the invisible Refusians, the Doctor is able to persuade the two races to live together in peace.

Special Features Commentary with cast and crew Documentaries and behind-the-scenes footage Photo gallery Digitally remastered picture and sound quality Order from the TARDIS Shop here

Doctor Who Adventures, Issue 199, is out now (6 January).

Amplify’d from www.dwamag.com

The story of Rory! He's brave, loyal and clumsy - and married to Amy Pond! Thisweek, Doctor Who Adventures celebrates the life of intrepid TARDIStraveller Rory Williams and catches up on his adventures so far. Wealso go behind the scenes of A Christmas Carol to see how thatamazing stunt of the Doctor falling down the chimney was done. Sarah Jane needs your help to stop a load of monsters invading Bannerman Road in our picture search, and Amy falls through time and space in our amazing comic strip. Plus, we investigate the hideous new monsters coming in the next series, and there's puzzles, prizes and posters galore... As well as all that, there's an amazing FREE heading-spinning Winder toy, plus Doctor Who badges and stickers! We're just too good to you!

Craig Ferguson - Interview with Alex Kingston

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

Torchwood - Miracle Day - Season Premier - Start date

Editor: New World now renamed Torchwood - Miracle Day and will be broadcast in July, the day may yet change.

Episode one is set to premiere on 1st July 2011 on both BBC One in the UK and Starz in the US. Starring John Barrowman & Eve Myles who reprise there role as Captain Jack & Gwen Cooper with her devoted husband (Kai Owen), and baby Anwen...

Friday, July 1 · 9:00pm - 10:00pm

Showing on: BBC One, Starz, BBC iPlayer (Live) only available in UK

BBC Shop Free Prize Draw - Win! Fantastic Doctor Who Prizes Signed by Matt Smith!

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CLOSING DATE 17th January 2011 Win! Fantastic Doctor Who Prizes Signed by Matt Smith! Matt Smith has signed a copy of both Doctor Who: The Complete Series 5 DVD and The Doctor Who Brilliant Book 2011, plus included in the prize is the brand new Doctor Who Christmas Special: A Christmas Special 2010 on DVD! One lucky winner will win the following: A signed copy of Doctor Who Complete Series 5 (DVD) A signed copy of The Brilliant Book of Doctor Who 2011 Doctor who Christmas Special 2010: A Christmas Carol (DVD, including Digital Copy) Click here to enter the competition

Genesis of the Daleks and War Games covers, more blogs and reviews and some spoilers

Editor's bit...

Todays picture is Ice Lady Concept by DarkAngelDTB, "this one was a design for a female Ice Lord as we never saw if the Ice Warriors of Doctor Who had females."

Todays Releases....


Doctor Who: The Jade Pyramid, Matt Smith reads this exclusive audio story featuring the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond. Intercepting a distress call, the TARDIS is drawn to a Shinto shrine in medieval Japan, where the Doctor and Amy are met by village elder Shijo Sada. He explains that the ogre-like mannequins surrounding the holy site are harmless guardians, called Otoroshi.....


Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction (Classic Novels), William Russell reads this exciting novelisation of a classic Doctor Who adventure. In a final bid to regain control of the TARDIS' faulty control system the Doctor is driven to experiment with a dangerous untried combination. With a violent explosion the TARDIS blacks out and the crew find themselves trapped inside. A simple technical fault? Sabotage? Or something even more sinister? Tension mounts as the Doctor and his companions begin to suspect one another....

The News...


CBBC Newsround has What's the worst thing you've left behind?, a massive Dalek, a set of gold teeth and a Bengal kitten were just a few of the odd items people left behind in hotels last year, In one hotel, staff found a whooping £10,000 in one of the room's bins, so we want to know if you have ever lost anything on holiday? Have you ever left something somewhere by accident and not been able to find it again?....


TARDIS Shop has the cover and details for Doctor Who: Genesis of the Daleks (Vintage Beeb), Starring Tom Baker as the Doctor and Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane, this digitally-remastered edition of the classic "Doctor Who" TV episodes features a special vinyl-look CD and original LP sleeve notes. 'Doctor Who, with his travelling companions, Sarah and Harry, has landed on a desolate planet called Skaro. As he surveys the barren landscape, a Time Lord appears and tells him he has been brought there to try and avert the creation of the Daleks, and thus prevent them from being the dominant creature in the Universe...'
and the cover and details for Doctor Who and the War Games (Classic Novels), David Troughton reads this thrilling novelisation of a classic Doctor Who adventure. Mud, barbed wire, the smell of death...The year is 1917 and the TARDIS has materialised on the Western Front during the First World War. Or has it? For very soon the Doctor finds himself pursued by the soldiers of Ancient Rome; and, then he and his companions are reliving the American Civil War of 1863. And is this really Earth, or just a mock-up created by the War Lords? As Doctor Who solves the
mystery, he has to admit he is faced with an evil of such magnitude that he cannot combat it on his own - he has to call for the help of his own people, the Time Lords.

Pick of the Blogs...


The Spoof (satire) has Dr who marries his daughter!, in a bizarre turn of events, it has emerged that David Tennant, who played the 10th Doctor Who is to get married to the daughter of Peter Davidson, who played the 5th Doctor Who. In effect, he is marrying his own daughter. One would ask the question: "is it legal?".....


This Week In Doctor Who by Benjamin Elliott has Section A, Section B, and Torchwood This Week all dated January 6, 2011.



Making My 5th Doctor Costume has Planet of Fire Waistcoat, "so far I have made the front panels of the waistcoat (see right); now I need to concentrate on the back and then bringing everything together, the back is made from a linen fabric lined with cotton. For the purposes of my test garment I am using washed calico for the outside, lined with a cheap cotton to give me a feel for the contrast between the two in the finished thing....



Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf has posted his Forthcoming Tour Dates for 2011....

• Friday 28 January 7.30pm
  Michael Croft Theatre, Alleyn's School
  Dulwich, London
  020 8557 1500
  boxoffice@alleyns.org.uk
• Friday 4 & Saturday 5 February 8pm
  Hull Truck Theatre
  01482 323 638
  www.hulltruck.co.uk
• Friday 18 February 8pm
  Chorley Little Theatre
  01257 264 362
  www.chorleytheatre.org.uk
• Saturday 19 February 7.30pm
  The Pound, Corsham
  01249 701 628
  www.poundarts.org.uk
  

Podcasts...


Geekshow has The Doctor’s Companion Ep. 33 – Things To Come, series 6 is quickly approaching and Scott and Randy take time to discuss and dissect the new trailer. What’s with the chained up, bearded Doctor? Who’s TARDIS could that be? What exactly is a “Jammy Dodger”? Find out in the newest episode of The Doctor’s Companion! And remember, BEWARE OF POSSIBLE SPOILERS as we do a lot of speculation. Who knows? We could be right about some of this stuff (probably not)....


Gallifrey Embassy has Sonic Newsdriver (06 January 2011) - Doctor Who News, in this episode: Besotted, DVR Alert, YouTube Goes Classic, Ambassadors of Restoration, The End of Time Begot A Christmas Carol, Ashes to Ashes - Sherlock to Sherlock - Doctor to Doctor, Torching the US and the UK, Where's the TARDIS, and more!

Tid-Bits...


SFX has Mindcandy, Oh, they were fiends, those Daleks. Utter fiends. Not content with stealing the Earth’s magnetic core in 2150 AD, they also came for our kids with their candy fags. “GO ON, SON-NY,” they croaked. “HAVE YER-SELF A CRAF-TY GAS-PER.” The very definition of evil.


Craft has Stained Glass TARDIS Clock, "Rob Emery created this awesome stained glass TARDIS clock for the Doctor Who Round 4 swap over on Craftster. Talk about a lucky swap recipient! (Editor: thanks to pandoricast for the heads up)

Review's Roundup...


Doc Oho's Big Finish audios reviews has The Beautiful People written by Jonathan Morris and directed by Mark J Thompson, put all your worries behind you. Situated in fifty acres of relaxing sculpted gardens, the Vita Novus Health Spa offers a sanctuary from the stresses and strains of 32nd century life. Our exclusive programme of weight loss therapy is celebrated throughout the galaxy for its ease, simplicity and one-hundred-per-cent success rate. No matter how full-figured you may be, we can make you slimmer, healthier - and happier. In fact, you will leave Vita Novus feeling like an entirely new person. And that's guaranteed. We cater for all endoskeletal carbon-based life-forms. All major credit cards accepted. Parties welcome.....
He has also posted Mother Russia written by Marc Platt and directed by Nigel Fairs, it's 1812 and the Doctor, Steven and Dodo get ready to spend their winter in a Russian village. The French are on their way, but that's not the only invasion the travellers will have to deal with, "I am a huge fan of Steven Taylor and think Peter Purves is extremely underrated as an actor. People readily remember his career as a presenter but I think if they took the time to study the remnants of the excellent season three they would find a fine dramatic performer. His desperation to save Katerina, his solemn look back at the death toll in Daleks’ Masterplan, his decision to leave the Doctor because he finds his researches into the past too cold…some of the finest moments in Doctor Who have been channelled through this companion. Peter Purves proves to be a terrific narrator, managing to capture the poignancy of the character drama and the evocation of history with real style. This is the first companion chronicle I have listened to whilst never once looking at how long it had to go since Frostfire and that’s mostly down to Purves’ stunning narration...."


Voyages Extraordinaires has Transit of Venus (2009), whatever happened to Ian Chesterton? The special introductions filmed for The Crusade brought William Russell back to home video, and then Big Finish Productions followed up with the fifth of their Companion Chronicles audio-dramas starring a companion of the First Doctor. Transit of Venus is also the second to focus on one of the original companions.....


The Edwardian Adventurer has 061 – The Crater of Needles (The Web Planet Part 4), Ian and Vrestin never make it to The Crater of Needles. They are attacked by The Zarbi and found by The Optera, a race of grubs that live underground. The Optera know nothing but hate and death from the surface dwellers, so their first thought is to kill Ian and Vrestin. The two prisoners attempt to reason with The Optera, but eventually discover that The Optera are devolved from The Menoptera.....

Podcast Review's...


Pharos Project has released 34: Captain Stabley Does Some Homework, this week the Projecteers take on the abomination that is Time-Flight, you know, the one with the concordes, the Master dressed as a Chinese Demis Roussos impersonator and the best employee British Airways never had, Captain Stapley, also, there's a look at Biggles, Tina Turner makes an appearance in the Pleasure Dome and Little Pete proves that he has turd magnets for hands as he pulls another shocker from Manilow's bag.


US WhoCast has Episode 028: Review of S1E13 Parting of Ways, Matt is joined by Donald to talk about and around S1E13 "Parting Of Ways"....


The Doctor Who Podcast has Episode 57, "well, its certainly turning into a busy week at the DWP Campervan, Trevor is back, and he has some things to say about the Christmas Special, stay tuned also later this week for an episode devoted to your feedback on the Christmas Special....


The Bad Wilf Podcast has Episode 15: It's learning time, in which Martyn and Imran discuss A Christmas Carol....


Outer Space Book and a Pick of the Tweets...

Gallifrey One We proudly present the Gallifrey 2011 Tentative Schedule of Events, available now on the Gallifrey One website. All the interviews, discussion panels, Q&As, evening programs, science & costume events, live commentaries, podcast tapings and more - check it out at gallifreyone.com!

steven_moffat Early train to Cardiff, read through. In a couple of hours I'll be reading stage directions REALLY FAST.

bigfinish Jago and Litefoot - Series 2 Release - http://bigf.eu/?r=179

Markgatiss I hate the rain. Like Annie Wilkes, it makes me blue...

DW_Experience Only six weeks until we open our doors! Feb tickets nearly sold out, so book soon if you want to be first in: www.doctorwhoexperience.com

Spoiler Alert...


The Doctor Who News Page has Doctor Who: Casting News, filming for the Matthew Graham-penned episodes returned to Cardiff Castle today, where three of its guest stars were spotted on-site in the story being directed by Julian Simpson, as previously reported, Sarah Smart is playing a character named Jennifer Lucas, Leon Vickers is a new actor, having just graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and
Mark Bonnar, his credits include timey-wimey series Paradox (D.S. Ben Holt), and recurring roles in Casualty (Bruno Jenkins) and The Bill (Ray Moore). His role in Doctor Who is currently unknown....


Spoiler TV has Torchwood - A New World - More Casting Details, Captain Jack is putting the finishing touches on his new Torchwood team, sources confirm to me exclusively that All My Children starlet (and upcoming Grey’s Anatomy guest star) Alexa Havins has joined the upcoming fourth season of the cult smash as a series regular, additionally, Dollhouse beauty Dichen Lachman has signed on to guest star in the premiere, havins will play Esther Katusi, a CIA Watch Analyst who possesses an unshakable faith in human nature and a monster crush on colleague Rex (played by fellow T’wood rookie Mekhi Phifer). Greek‘s Amber Stevens had been circling the role.....