So what's the schedule, when do things start

[Brent]

Ignorant American here, give me the lo-down on what's happening in regards to nuWho as well as Torchwood.

I heard Doctor Who is going short mini-series or something, or at least a series of a few episodes, then going to take a break?

When does it all start and what's the schedule? Will there be a Christmas special?

How about Torchwood, what's the skinny on new Torchwood?

Will there be a big lag between when it airs over seas and when BBC America will show them?

Thanks!

 

[danjamesb]

I heard Doctor Who is going short mini-series or something, or at least a series of a few episodes, then going to take a break?

Sort of.

After Series Four, which aired in 2008, there was a 2008 Christmas Special (The Next Doctor), followed by a 2009 Easter Special (Planet of the Dead), and three 2009 Winter Specials (The Waters of Mars, The End of Time - Part One and The End of Time - Part Two). The last of these Specials is 75 minutes long; the others are all one hour.

When does it all start and what's the schedule? Will there be a Christmas special?

Of the specials, The Next Doctor and Planet of the Dead have aired on both sides of the pond. The Waters of Mars just aired in the UK, and will hit America shortly. Both parts of The End of Time will be shown in the UK over Christmas and New Year.

Then, in Spring 2010, there's a new thirteen-part series. Which will be awesome.

How about Torchwood, what's the skinny on new Torchwood?

A fourth series is in pre-production, but hasn't been officially greenlit yet.

 

[23skidoo]

My colleague covers the major points above, but here are a few other bits of info:

In addition to the live-action specials, there's also a 7-part animated serial called Dreamland being shown in the UK as well, with David Tennant and Chancellor Gorkon from Star Trek VI doing voices. The running time is about an hour total and it's assumed it'll be released to DVD eventually. This starts tomorrow (Nov. 21). Although technically only viewable in the UK, I would assume someone will be naughty and post it elsewhere.

The Waters of Mars is scheduled to air in the US on BBC America on Dec. 19, followed soon after (around Christmas) by the final two specials featuring David Tennant). We won't know the exact dates until closer to broadcast, based on when the BBC decides to air them (presumably Christmas Day for the first, and then either Boxing Day (Dec. 26) or around New Years for the second). The Waters of Mars aired in the UK last weekend so there's about a month's lag, but the last two specials appear set to air around the same time in both the UK and US. The last two David Tennant specials are called The End of Time Part One and The End of Time Part Two; the former is technically considered the Christmas special but it's doubtful that it'll have the same festive atmosphere of the first three.

(And one thing to note - the show has moved to BBC America and won't be on Syfy anymore. If this is a problem, all the specials will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray in February. The Next Doctor is already available on standard DVD (including an hour-long music concert extra that includes a never-broadcast-in-America mini-episode called Music of the Spheres), while Planet of the Dead, the first DW to be shot in HD, is available on both DVD and Blu-Ray. There are mixed reports as to whether Next Doctor will be included on Blu-Ray in February or remain standard DVD.)

As for the next full season, which introduces Matt Smith as the new Doctor, we won't know for certain until the spring when it will air (again on BBC America), and there's talk they might split the season into two halves due to some major sporting events the BBC is covering in 2010.

The new season is seeing regime change, with Stephen Moffat (who has won 3 Hugo Awards for the show) taking over from Russell T. Davies. RTD has stated that he will continue with Torchwood, however. As noted, though, there's been no timeframe given for a 4th season, and odds are it won't be for awhile as the BBC will probably want to focus on launching Matt Smith as the Doctor. In the UK it's not uncommon for gaps of several years to occur between seasons, so there's no pressure to get the show on by such-and-such a time. The fact there is no filming for Torchwood going on at the moment would suggest we won't see anything until at least the fall of 2010. John Barrowman is shopping around for US TV roles -- apparently he's joining Desperate Housewives for a bit -- so that tells me they won't be rolling on Torchwood S4 in the immediate future.

Alex

 

[Kolrad]

As a U.S. fan, I'd like to add that The Next Doctor and Planet of the Dead are available on iTunes for $2 each. They're under the series title "Doctor Who: The David Tennant Specials," and that's how I've been able to keep (almost) up to date legally, since I don't get BBC America.

I really hope they don't delay too long in making the other three specials available. I have no idea how iTunes decides when to put them up, but I imagine they probably have to air in the U.S. first.

 

[Captain Dago]

Has anybody heard anything about The Sarah Jane Adventures, series 2 & 3, being shown in the US?

 

[23skidoo]

Has anybody heard anything about The Sarah Jane Adventures, series 2 & 3, being shown in the US?

I haven't heard anything. The fact Syfy never showed SJA Season 2 would suggest they lost interest. I haven't heard any indication that BBC America has picked it up.

Now that SJA Season 2 is on DVD in North America I'd say the odds are slim that it'll get a major showing. I recommend just buying (or Netflixing) the DVD set, or checking to see if the iTunes deal mentioned above is in place.

As for Series 3, I would assume DVD release next fall, although the BBC seems to be shortening the gap between broadcast and release, so it could be much sooner unless a US broadcaster jumps in.

No word on any US or Canadian broadcasts of the new K-9 spinoff series, either.

I really hope they don't delay too long in making the other three specials available. I have no idea how iTunes decides when to put them up, but I imagine they probably have to air in the U.S. first.

I would assume so. I can't imagine why iTunes would make such shows available before their broadcast, and certainly not before the BBC airs it. The Region 1 DVD/Blu-Ray release of Waters of Mars and End of Time is set for Feb. 2, 2010, so I would presume iTunes will release around the same time. Was there much of a gap between the DVD releases of Next Doctor and Planet of the Dead and iTunes making them available?

Alex

 

[Captain Dago]

Thanks, 23Skidoo. I didn't realize SJA2 had been released on DVD in the States. It's on my Netflix queue now.

 

[23skidoo]

Thanks, 23Skidoo. I didn't realize SJA2 had been released on DVD in the States. It's on my Netflix queue now.

I'd recommend checking http://gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com/ and http://tvshowsondvd.com/ from time to time, as they're pretty good at keeping track of the various Doctor Who-related DVD releases, with the latter site in particular good for keeping track of US release dates.

Cheers!

Alex

 

[shivkala]

BBC America is airing "The Waters of Mars" on December 19th, followed by "The End of Time, Part I" on December 26th. They are airing both premieres uncut.

 

[Lonemagpie]

As for the next full season, which introduces Matt Smith as the new Doctor, we won't know for certain until the spring when it will air (again on BBC America), and there's talk they might split the season into two halves due to some major sporting events the BBC is covering in 2010.

Very unlikely, actually - to finish the season on the week before the World Cup they need only start the season on March 13th...

 

[23skidoo]

Very unlikely, actually - to finish the season on the week before the World Cup they need only start the season on March 13th...

Except this is the BBC we're talking about, and the rumors that this is planned are still persisting in some pretty high-placed areas. You'd think just starting the show 2 weeks earlier would make sense.

Here were the UK debut dates for the last 4 seasons:

Season 1: March 26
Season 2: April 15
Season 3: March 31
Season 4: April 5

So the BBC seems to like starting the show at the end of March or early-mid April. If they stick to their guns, then the second half of the season will be disrupted. The World Cup starts June 11 and runs to July 11, so if the show debuts on March 27 (assuming they continue alternating between March and April), the season will be disrupted just before the (assumed) two-part finale. If the programmers at the BBC insist on a mid-April start date, the season will be only half finished. Remember a lot depends on when whatever programming is currently in DW's timeslot finishes up and leaves the opening.

The idea of a split season sounds silly with only 13 episodes to play with (maybe 14 if they end up doing another Christmas special). But I wouldn't put it past them. Pressure from BBC America and other international broadcasters could dissuade them from doing this -- or we could end up in the unusual situation of having the complete Season 5 aired in North America months before the UK sees it, which would be deadly. Alternately we could see BBCA, Space, and the others hold off till the fall.

The frustrating thing is it's because of the BBC's policy of not announcing airdates until a week or so before broadcast -- check out their Christmas programming press release which manages to not confirm a single airdate -- that these rumors are abounding.

We may or may not get clarification when End of Time Part 2 airs. It will presumably end with a teaser for the new season, but will it say "Coming Soon"?, "Coming Next Year"?, "Coming in April"? -- if that last, then we know the season will be split.

Alex

 

[Lonemagpie]

I think if they start the season at the end of March they're more likely to shorten it by airing the mid-season two-parter and the finale as double-bills, with both episodes of each story back to back on the same night...

 

[23skidoo]

I think if they start the season at the end of March they're more likely to shorten it by airing the mid-season two-parter and the finale as double-bills, with both episodes of each story back to back on the same night...

The BBC doesn't tend to do that. That's more of a US network thing (a notable exception being the first two episodes of Torchwood which the BBC did indeed air together). The scenario I've heard most often is that the mid-season 2-parter will serve as the season break. I won't go into spoilers, but those who have seen the photos and other reports regarding the first episodes Matt Smith filmed (which are not the first to be aired -- he didn't film his real first episode as the Doctor till months later), can probably make an educated guess as to what the mid-season cliffhanger could involve.

I don't think the scenario of airing 2 episodes a week a la Sarah Jane Adventures will work. For one thing it would severely reduce the promotional window for the BBC and its merchandisers.

I think a lot is going to depend on how much pull BBC America and Space and the other broadcasters have. In this day of YouTube and downloads, will the BBC allow the US, Canada and Australia to see the complete Season 5 months ahead of the UK, knowing its key demographic will download the episodes? Will BBCA and Space and the others tolerate only showing 6 episodes in the spring and then another 6 as late as the fall? Will the foreign broadcasters say to heck with it and wait till later in the year to show any of it? All these questions remain unanswered.

PS. We do know with reasonable certainty that Season 5 will debut in the UK after the first week of March. That's because on March 4 a Tenth Doctor novella, Code of the Krillitanes, is scheduled for release by BBC Books. They wouldn't schedule such a release after Smith's start, not to mention the launch of the new branding which is supposed to even impact the classic series DVD releases. I'm just saying it's unlikely that the BBC will pull a fast one and start Season 5 in February or something.

Alex