» Doctor Who Info |
There
are dozens of sites out there which provide comprehensive information
on all aspects of Doctor Who, from detailed episode lists to character
biographies, monster information and gadget specifications.
We don't see the need to duplicate those efforts, and intend
to concentrate on one thing and do it well: current news and
discussion. However, here is a brief intro to each of the
three shows for those who really haven't a clue!
 Doctor
Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the
BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien
time-traveller known as "the Doctor" who travels in his space and
time-ship, the TARDIS, which appears from the exterior to be a blue
1950s police box. With his companions, he explores time and space,
solving problems, facing monsters and righting wrongs.The
programme is listed in Guinness World Records as the longest-running
science fiction television show in the world and is also a significant
part of British popular culture. In the United Kingdom and elsewhere,
the show has become a cult television favourite and has influenced
generations of British television professionals, many of whom grew up
watching the series. It has received recognition from critics and the
public as one of the finest British television programmes, including
the BAFTA Award for Best Drama Series in 2006.The Doctor (the main
character) is a 900+ year-old Time Lord. Throughout the
years, he is accompanied by various companions. As a Time
Lord, he is able to regenerate his body when he nears death, and has
thus been played by ten different actors so far, the current
incarnation being played by David Tennant.
| 
 Torchwood
deals with the machinations and activities of the Cardiff branch of the
fictional Torchwood Institute, who deal mainly with incidents involving
extraterrestrials. An initial 13-part series was commissioned by the
BBC as a spin-off from the 2005 revival of Doctor Who, with which it is
closely interlinked. It is intended to be a more adult show
than Doctor Who, with more mature themes.Torchwood, the organisation,
is said to be "separate from the government, outside the police, and
beyond the United Nations"."Torchwood Three" (the Cardiff
branch of the organisation) is run by Captain Jack Harkness, played by
John Barrowman. The character first appeared as a short-term
companion in Doctor Who before deciding to remain on Earth and head up
what was left of the Torchwood Institute after its main headquarters
was
destroyed in the Doctor Who two-parter, "Army of Ghosts/Doomsday".
Captain Jack's team consists
of Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones. Two other members, Owen
Harper and Toshiko Sato, were killed in the second series. |
 The
Sarah Jane Adventures is a spin-off of the long-running BBC science
fiction programme Doctor Who and focuses on the adventures of
investigative journalist and former companion of The Doctor, Sarah Jane
Smith. The series debuted on BBC One with a 60-minute special, entitled
"Invasion of the Bane", on 1 January 2007. A full series of ten
25-minute episodes followed, beginning on 24 September 2007. The first
series consisted of five two-part stories, and a second series,
comprising six two-part stories, began airing on 29 September 2008. In
2008, The Sarah Jane Adventures was nominated for a British Academy
Children's Award (Children's BAFTA) in the Drama category. A third
twelve-episode series, produced by Russell T Davies, will air in Autumn
2009.The role of Sarah jane Smith
is played by Elisabeth Sladen, assisted by three children: her adopted
son Luke, his best friend Clyde Langer, and Rani Chandra, a girl who
lives on the same street as Sarah Jane. They are assisted by
the alien-supercomputer, Mr. Smith (actually a type of crystalline
alien called a Xylok), and, very occasionally, by brief appearances of
K9. |
Other Doctor Who Related Things
(For want of a better title...)
Big
Finish Productions is a company that produces books and audio plays
(released straight to compact disc and for download in mp3 format)
based on British cult science fiction properties. They are best known
for their Doctor Who
line; other properties include 2000 AD characters Judge Dredd and
Strontium Dog; Dark Shadows; The Tomorrow People; Sapphire &
Steel;
The Adventures of Luther Arkwright; and Stargate.
The
Doctor Who audio plays feature four of the surviving lead actors to
play the character of the Doctor (Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester
McCoy, and Paul McGann) as well as many of the regular supporting
actors over the many years of the programme. The late Jon Pertwee's
voice is featured in the 40th Anniversary story Zagreus. His part in
the story was pieced together from snippets of dialogue (from the
fan-produced Doctor Who video "Devious") recorded prior to his death.
Of
the other surviving Doctors, Tom Baker has declined invitations to
return to the role, and Big Finish's licence, which has been extended
to 2010, only covers the original Doctor Who series. Big Finish are
therefore unable to feature any material from or references to the new
series, which prohibits Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant from
appearing as the Ninth and Tenth Doctors respectively.
| New Series Adventures
There have been
many series of Doctor Who novels over the years. The current
range, known to fans as the New
Series Adventures, is published under the BBC Books
imprint, which cover non-televised adventures of the Ninth and Tenth
Doctors. The current publishing
schedule for the line, which has been in effect since publishing began
in 2005, is three books released simultaneously in the spring, followed
by three simultaneous publications in the autumn.
This
range of novels replaces the previously published ranges, Eighth Doctor Adventures
and Past Doctor
Adventures.
As of August 2009, there
were 36 books in the New Series Adventures line.
| Doctor Who on the Web
Official
BBC Doctor Who Site
Official
BBC "Classic Series" Site
Doctor
Who on Wikipedia
Outpost
Gallifrey's Episode Guide
Official
BBC Torchwood Site
Official BBC
Sarah Jane Adventures Site
Big Finish
Productions |
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