I will admit I’m not as big a fan of Doctor Who as I am of Torchwood. I guess I just like my TV shows with more snogging, shagging and swearing. Still, you can’t deny the enduring popularity of Doctor Who, even as it goes through many actors playing the title character. Audiences love it and it shows no signs of slowing down.

Good news then for fans in the U.S. then as the BBC has announced the new season, featuring Matt Smith as the Doctor and Karen Gillan as his sidekick Amy Pond, will make its U.S. television debut on Saturday, April 17 on BBC America. This will come soon after the show’s UK. debut, which won’t really be soon enough for the show’s U.S. fans I’m sure.

After seeing the trailers and all the other bits and pieces about this new series and the new Doctor, I may have to give this show another chance. It looks like they make be trying to take the show in a slightly more mature direction, which might help it reach an even broader audience — and convert on-the-fence Torchwood fans like myself. Hey, it could happen.

When David Tennant and Russell T. Davies left Doctor Who this past Christmas, many fans vowed that they would not like the newest incarnation of the good Doctor, especially the new actor, Matt Smith, who would be taking on the role.

The first promo, which aired right after the Christmas special, got us interested, showing us some cool new stuff like the new eleventh doctor with a gun, a cute new companion, and lots of big action sequences.

With the newest promo that was released just this week, we get a bit of a different spin. BBC has been known to do their own promos for their original programming lately, such as Misfits and last season of Doctor Who. That’s exactly what we get with this newest TV spot, as it doesn’t really show any new footage, but rather gives us a glimpse at what we may see this season, while doing it in a quirky and artistic way.

Check out the new spot after the jump, and catch the all new season of Doctor Who, starring Matt Smith and Karen Gillam, will start up this Easter on the BBC.

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If you’ve been hoping for more Torchwood, the quirky and sexy British series about a group of investigators who fight aliens, you might be in luck – sorta. In the fine tradition of bringing British TV shows to the U.S. market, Fox has announced they are developing a version of Torchwood with original series creator Russell T. Davies.

According to the article, fans of the original series need not worry it will be somehow ruined by coming to the States because the original producing team is on board. In addition to Davies, exec producers include Julie Gardner (former head of drama at BBC Wales for the show’s first season) and Jane Tranter are going to be there to ensure the new show stays true to its origins.

Also, some of the current cast, which most likely will include John Barrowman (who plays the immortal Capt. Jack Harkness), might star if Fox decides to order a Torchwood pilot. No word yet on Eve Myles or Gareth David-Lloyd, but hopefully they would be involved as well. The U.S. version will involve a global story line compared to the more localized one of the first two BBC seasons. In addition, you can expect the budget to be higher as well, which will allow for more cool aliens and such.

So what do we think of this? Good idea or terrible idea?

With the ending of last year also came the end of an era for fans of the BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who. January 1st was the second half of the season 4 finale, in which David Tennant hung up his trenchcoat and sonic screwdriver to make way for the next actor to take on the titular role.

Though the end of the episode meant that Tennant and showrunner Russel T. Davies would be leaving, it also means that new writer Stephen Moffat and unknown actor Matt Smith will now be picking up the slack. The Tennant era started in 2006, while Davies was the brains behind the show’s relaunch back in 2005.

Now, with a new Doctor, comes all new adventures. Smith made his on-screen debut in the final moments of the finale, but this is the first time we’ll be seeing him in action (albeit in under 90 seconds). Check out the first preview of Doctor Who season 5 after the jump. The new season hits the BBC and BBC America this Spring.

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Not many people in the US are aware at the power two simple words carry over in the United Kingdom. Just uttering the words “Doctor Who” can stir up a conversation with about 75% of Britain’s population, as that’s how many viewers watch each episode on average.

The show is so popular that one of it’s highest rated yearly specials takes place on Christmas night. That’s right. While we get together to see whether or not Sanjaya is going to make it to the next round, over half of the UK is watching David Tennant get his way out of another impossible (and impossibly brilliant) situation.

With that said, the Internets are all a twitter about a new clip that aired during the BBC’s Children in Need special (think Comic Relief with less Whoopi). The scene involved the good Doctor having a conversation with one of the Ood that has been summoning him. There are a few interesting tidbits in the dialogue, including mention of a marriage to “Queen Bess.”

Check out the clip after the jump, and be sure to catch Doctor Who and “The End of Time” on December 26th only on BBC America.

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Those of us who have been following the BBC series Doctor Who since it’s reboot back in 2005 know that the series has always been about change, going back to it’s roots in 1963. Once in a while, the show will change it’s lead actor, writing in a “regeneration” for the good Doctor. It’s happened 10 times in the past 50 years, and it’s about to happen again.

It was announced earlier this year that British actor Matt Smith would be taking over the role as the 11th Doctor when the series starts up again in 2010, after Davin Tennant resigns from his 4 year position in December. We now get word that not only will the main protagonist be “regenerating”, but we’ll be getting a brand new logo as well.

Steven Moffat, new head writer for the show, even had some new things to say about the branding change.

“A new logo. The eleventh logo for the eleventh Doctor – those grand old words, Doctor Who, suddenly looking newer than ever.  And look at that, something really new – an insignia!   DW in TARDIS form!  Simple and beautiful, and most important of all, a completely irresistible doodle.  I apologize to school notebooks everywhere, because in 2010 that’s what they’re going to be wearing.”

Check out the reveal video after the jump, and the new series of Doctor Who will premiere in spring 2010. The final three episodes featuring David Tennant will be broadcast later this year on BBC and BBC America.

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Of the mid season shows kicking off on NBC this year, one has seemed to stick out above the rest. Done in the vein of Smallville or Muppet Babies, Merlin is the episodic adventures of the great English wizard when he was only a teen, coming to terms with the mystical world he would one day rule.

The series was created by the same team that brought the witch drama Hex to the BBC a few years back. In fact, Merlin originally aired on the BBC back in September of 2008, and now NBC is bypassing BBC America to bring it straight to primetime network television. Merilin airs on NBC every Sunday night, with episode 9 hitting this weekend.

Check out a brand new clip from the series after the jump.

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Not many people are ready for David Tennant, the current Doctor Who, to leave the show and pass the baton to youngster Matt Smith, but people have to embrace change, and with it comes a new picture of Smith and a fun new set video. One of the big changes is the new look of The Doctor: a tweed jacket, bow tie, rolled up trousers and black boots, which seems a bit timely for a character that is supposed to be thousands of years old.

Alongside Smith is Karen Gillan, who will be playing the 11th doctors traveling companion. With Gillan only 21 and Smith 26, there is a lot of harsh feelings that the new doctor/companion relationship will be more like Twilight rather than the series that has been airing on and off since the 50s. Check out the set video from BBC News after the jump.

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Even though its already started in the UK, the third season of the Doctor Who spinoff Torchwood is still something we have to wait for and look forward to here in the States. Sadly, even with the wait, we won’t get very many episodes this time around because of the BBC’s decision to only produce a five episode mini-series instead of a full season.

We’re not sure of the logic behind that decision, but at least we’ll still get a new adventure featuring some of our favorite Torchwood characters like Ianto, Gwen and the man himself, Captain jack Harkness. We’ve covered the show before and brought you the first trailer. And now, thanks to the BBC, we’ve got another longer clip to show you — which is about two minute and near the end, pretty creepy and cool.

In case you’re not familiar with the story arc of this season of Torchwood, it concerns all the children on Earth who suddenly stop moving as if paralyzed, and Torchwood discovers that, big surprise, an alien threat is behind this sinister plot. Capt. Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles), Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd), Rhys (Kai Owen) and even PC Andy (Tom Price) all return to help discover the truth and save the day.

Torchwood: Children of Earth is on the BBC in the UK now and comes to BBC America on July 20. Check out the new clip after the jump.

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Truth be told I’ve never been a huge fan of the BBC sci-fi series phenomenon Dr. Who. I always found it a bit too campy and a bit too much on the cheesy side for my taste. So, when a spin-off series called Torchwood was announced, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t care for that one either. Still, I gave it a try.

Much to my surprise, Torchwood turned out to be great fun and filled with action, romance, monsters, a great cast and pretty quickly I was hooked. The show’s second season finished up earlier this year and I’ve been awaiting its return since then. Now, much to my happiness, a new trailer has gone live for Torchwood: Children of Earth, the new, shorter five episode season which debuts on BBC America in July.

In case you’re not a fan of the show as I am, here’s a bit of info for you. Torchwood centers on the adventures of the paranormal investigators of the Cardiff, Wales, branch of the Torchwood Institute. Led by Capt. Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), he and his teammates Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) and Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd) take on monsters, aliens, time travelers and pretty much anything else you can imagine that comes out of the rift in space Cardiff happens to be on.

Check out the trailer to see why I love this show after the jump.

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