Torchwood action figures- series 2 (click to see the full size images):

Here are the new pictures (Sadly not including one of the Cyberwoman);

Torchwood new action figures

SERIES FIVE RUMOURS
The rumours are flying thick and fast for Doctor Who series 5, which will be shown in 2010 after the 2009 specials. There will be 14 episodes in 2010, namely a 13 episode series and a Christmas special, which, word has it, will feature David Tennant’s regeneration into the 11th Doctor. I’m taking this with a pinch of salt as there are a dozen rumours of the 11th Doctor every day. The film rumours are growing in strength, and they are having further fuel poured onto the fire by execs seemingly trying to sweep the idea under the carpet for the time being. That said, we all know Tennant is wanting to do more film work and a movie would be a great sendoff. New boss Steven Moffatt has stated there will be no arc to series five. What is interesting is that RTD, in his new book, has stated that there will definitely be more classic series monsters coming back in series five, and not who we would expect. We’ll keep an eye out for more news!

TORCHWOOD: LOST SOULS REVIEW
I missed the original broadcast of the Torchwood audio adventure, Lost Souls, but the BBC kindly put it up on their website for download for a while and thus I snagged it to see what happens when Torchwood go and visit CERN. Well, quite a lot more than has happened in real life! The story, about the Torchwood team being called to the LHC facility in Switzerland by Martha Jones to help with a case involving missing staff, is a bit of fluff, truth be told. That said, it is a fun story that fills the 45 minutes of audio that it has at it’s disposal. Some things that couldn’t really be done on TV were handled nicely, but the drawbacks of audio were also underlined, with characters repeatedly having to narrate what was going on in front of them. The cast handle the transition to a different medium in fine style, with John Barrowman, Eve Miles and Gareth David-Lloyd offering excellent performances as their much loved characters.

The only drawback, sadly, is Freema Agyeman’s performance as Martha Jones. Something tells me Freema hasn’t done much in the way of voice acting before (aside from the Doctor Who ‘Infinite Quest’ project) as her lines come across as a bit wooden and very noticeably read from the page. This is a shame, as it takes you out of the story a little too much for my liking. Still, ‘Lost Souls’ is a great little story that sits nicely in with the Torchwood canon. The nods towards the lost characters, Tosh and Owen, are a bit syrupy and out of place, but they are a nice addition for hardcore fans of the series. A flawed gem.

NEW COMIC DAY

Our favourite day of the week is upon us once again! New comic day is something we all look forward to, and is always our busiest weekday. The whole process of new comic day, and the days leading up to it, will be outlined in a forthcoming episode of our new Podcast series, STARSTORECAST, the first episode of which will soon be available for download FREE! There is something about New Comic Day that never gets boring for us- new titles in, new stuff to display, the return of our weekly regulars and new faces, all eager to check out what happens next. I love that. It never gets old. New comic day is a learning experience too, telling us what people are eager to get hold of as well as the title that aren’t so hot, and the titles in both of those categories are regularly surprising.

Comics and graphic novels are enjoying something of a resurgence in popularity the likes of which we haven’t seen in the UK since the heady days of the early 90s when titles such as Deadline and Tripwire brought us cutting edge tales of SF and cyberpunk. While the UK comic industry is all but dead (there’s only 2000ad hanging onto its regular spot), the hunger for comics is stronger than it has been for years in this country, which is great to see. It does, however, beg the question: Where are our home-grown comics titles? We have the audience, there’s more than enough talent out there, so why isn’t a sizeable publisher offering us a new, more mature anthology title at the very least?

THE DARK KNIGHT: LARGE SCALE JOKER BUST ON THE WAY

DC Direct have unveiled the new 1:2 scale Joker bust they will be releasing in March 2009. This enormous creation features the Joker as portrayed by the late Heath Ledger in the blockbuster movie The Dark Knight, and looks set to be one of the most collectible items released in conjunction with the batman sequel thus far. Set in cold-cast porcelain, the piece is to feature a fabric costume closely matching that seen onscreen. Did I mention the size? This premium format Joker bust is due to stand approximately 15 inches tall and will be limited to just 2,500 pieces in total. While the colouring of the hair and the facial sculpt don’t seem perfect, I’m sure the finished pieces will be suitably impressive.

TORCHWOOD: LOST SOULS OUT TODAY!

The special one-off audio episode of Doctor Who spinoff show TORCHWOOD is released by the BBC as a download and a CD edition today. The special 45 minute episode, Torchwood: Lost Souls was broadcast on Radio 4 on the 10^th of September to coincide with the experiments over at CERN, which, thus far, haven’t ripped the universe apart. The audio play features Doctor Who star (and now Torchwood regular) Freema Agyeman joining the cast for the adventure. The CD version of the release features half an hour of additional material including interviews and production audio!

SIDESHOW COLLECTIBLES UNVEIL LEONIDIS FIGURE

Licensed collectibles experts Sideshow have unveiled their forthcoming premium format figure of King Leonidis from the Frank Miller adaptation 300, and the piece looks incredible. You can check out a review of its specs and promo images over on our dedicated Sideshow Collectibles  Blog.

Its official- the third series of Torchwood has now started shooting! The five-part serial, ‘Children of Earth’ is to be ‘Hugely bold’ according to creator Russell T Davies. The story is to see the return of the surviving central characters played by John Barrowman, Eve Miles and Gareth David-Lloyd, along with recurring guests Kai Owen and Tom price. New additions to the cast include Peter Capaldi (seen in Doctor Who- the Fortes of Pompeii), Paul Copely and Liz May Brice.

“This series is one big serial,” says Davies, “And the most ambitious story we’ve ever made. We’ve got plenty of surprises in store.”

Whether we will be seeing the two new permanent additions to the Torchwood team, or indeed the annihilation of the team altogether is as yet unknown. Many fans are still speculating that this five-part tale will spell the end for the series, and with the plot apparently pushing Jack and the whole team beyond their limits, it may well be that ‘Children of Earth’ is the grand finale of what would be the Torchwood trilogy. Hopefully, the team will live to fight another day. We know Jack will, but the rest of them? Who knows?

TORCHWOOD ACTION FIGURES
They are very nearly here and available to order! The Torchwood figures are already up on our site and can be pre-ordered. Not long to go now! We are still looking into whether the delay of series one is going to affect the release of the second wave of Torchwood action figures, which are due for release in November.

SERIES THREE TITLE
The official story title for the third series of Torchwood has now been announced by the BBC and Torchwood magazine! The five part story, set to be broadcast over the space of one week, is to be called Children of Earth. The series starts shooting on August 18th, and the whole thing is to be directed by Euros Lyn.

JOHN BARROWMAN MAKES PERSONAL APPEARANCE
Captain Jack Harkness himself, actor John Barrowman, is set to make a personal appearance alongside Torchwood creator and Doctor Who luminary Russell T Davies at this year’s Times Cheltenham Literature Festival at the Cheltenham Racecourse.

AUDIO EPISODE- ALMOST HERE!
Remember- The highly anticipated audio episode of Torchwood is scheduled to air on Radio 4 on September the 10th at 2.15pm as part of their afternoon play series. The story, entitled ‘Lost Souls’ is to be part of the material broadcast surrounding the CERN experiment to recreate the effects of the Big Bang. It is set to feature the Torchwood regulars as well as Martha Jones and takes place shortly after the events of ‘Exit Wounds’, the heartbreaking finale to series two.

TORCHWOOD ACTION FIGURES
No other news has been forthcoming about the Torchwood action figures range- they are still on target for release next month, after the announcement that they have been delayed from their original August release. Remember, you can already pre-order the action figures online.

When it was announced that Catherine Tate would be returning to Doctor Who for the whole of series four, fandom was pretty much unanimous in its shock and derision. Could this actress, known mostly for her comedy work, bring back her character from the 2006 Christmas special ‘The Runaway Bride’ and make her less irritating? Would she ruin the show that BBC Wales had worked so hard on to resurrect? Or, would she surprise us all and actually be really good? A bit of all of them, really, but mostly the last one. Millions of Doctor Who fans, myself included, are eating our own words as Catherine’s portrayal of Donna Noble this time came across as more or less a real person, and not just that, but a person we actually cared about by the end of the series. Who would have thought it was possible? This was certainly a series that brought many surprises along with it.

We had the return of the Ood, the classic Sontarans, the Daleks and Davros. Along the way we met the Doctor’s Daughter, Agatha Christie, the Adipose and we became reacquainted with many old friends. Russell T Davies promised us that this series would be the biggest ever, and he has seen his final series as the showrunner out in fine style. While it did have its weaker moments, such as ‘The Unicorn and the Wasp’ and ‘Midnight’, it also brought us some genuine classics, such as ‘Silence in the Library’, ‘Forest of the Dead’ and the ingenious ‘Turn Left’. It brought us a cloned Doctor, a Doctor/Donna hybrid, an utterance of the Doctor’s name and more. While fans always find something to complain about, it has been the general opinion that this has been the best series so far, although nothing will top the final moments of series two’s ‘Doomsday’ or ‘Blink’ or even ‘Dalek’ for a long time to come. As a coherent whole it has been very satisfying.

The scale has indeed been epic on many occasions, with FX gurus The Mill going above and beyond the call of duty, bringing us CG that has been absolutely incredible for the most part, and even their weaker moments have been excellent. Of the multi part stories this year, it has been the Steven Moffatt penned ‘Silence in the Library’ and ‘Forest of the Dead’ double header that has been the most impressive story of the lot. This two part extravaganza was perfect on almost every level. The script, the cast, the production, the effects were all fabulous, and Donna in particular really came of age with that story and won over many of the naysayers. David Tennant continued his excellent run as the Doctor with some of the most gripping scenes he has had to perform in the role. Of course, the big news was the return of Billie Piper as Rose Tyler for the series finale (and flashes throughout the series), and while she didn’t quite recapture the character that made her hugely famous as an actress, she was still marvellous in the role and the fans were ecstatic to see her back and battling Daleks. Much was made over the possible regeneration of the Doctor into his 11th incarnation, and aside from a glorious regeneration cliffhanger at the end of episode 12, it didn’t happen, and won’t do for some time yet! The main event other than that was the return of Davros. Julian Bleach was perfectly cast as the Doctor’s most terrifying foe, and while the final story was full of plotholes and some very dodgy jumps in logic, it was extremely entertaining. That really sums up series four as a whole- imperfect, but fantastic television.

Missed any of our series of Doctor Who features? Check them all out at the links below…

TARDISWATCH 2008 FEATURE REVIEWS
(Click each title to read the episode feature!)

PARTNERS IN CRIME, THE FIRES OF POMPEII, PLANET OF THE OOD, THE SONTARAN STRATAGEM, THE POISON SKY, THE DOCTOR’S DAUGHTER, THE UNICORN AND THE WASP, SILENCE IN THE LIBRARY, FOREST OF THE DEAD, MIDNIGHT, TURN LEFT, THE STOLEN EARTH, JOURNEY’S END

THE FUTURE OF DOCTOR WHO AND TORCHWOOD
So what next? The Cybermen are back in the Christmas special, and there are another four specials to come in 2009. Torchwood is to return with an audio episode this summer and then a new five part TV series next year. Sarah Jane is also to have another series of adventures on the BBC, and of course there will be another series of Doctor Who in 2010, helmed by Steven Moffatt. The adventures are far from over…

THE FUTURE OF TARDISWATCH
Our Tardiswatch features will continue even though Doctor Who has finished until Christmas. Our features will run weekly as ever, and our Torchwatch features will ontinue to bring you the latest on the Torchwood universe too.

We now have a new internet Monkey colleague in the form of Jon, who out-geeks most of the rest of us by being an avid WoW player. Thankfully he isn’t quite so knowledgeable on comics and movies, so the balance is steady, for now at least. Anyway, the nerdometer is about ready to explode as it is right now, thanks to me frothing at the mouth with glee at the current series of Doctor Who (See our regular TARDISWATCH and TORCHWATCH features for proof of that), so my crown is still residing safely upon my shiny head. Anyway, welcome Jon!

The hot merchandise of late has been the Gears of War action figures, the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures, the Halo 3 range. The AVPR range is still proving to be popular, so as long as you guys want the Hybrids, Aliens and Predators, we’ll do our utmost to get them in.

Everyone’s getting stoked for the imminent release of the new Batman film THE DARK KNIGHT, and quite rightly so. The posters and some of the merchandise has started to arrive, and we’re proud to have it on our shelves as we all love what Christopher Nolan has been doing with Batman. Its been quite a year for superheroes so far, what with Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and Batman getting people excited about superhero cinema again. The direction the Marvel movies are taking is really quite brilliant, and things are coming together nicely for a coherent Marvel screen universe, which if course will lead nicely into the AVENGERS movie.

There’s been some shifting around of stock and shelves and the layout of the shop is mutating into something much cooler. The shop layout is something that never really stays still for long- like your home, there’s always something that would look ‘better over there’. We’re trying to get everything displayed nicely and keep the store fully accessible for visitors.

We’ve been trying to figure out which crossover event we’re more into at the moment- Secret Invasion or Dreamwar. It looks like Dreamwar is edging ahead in the Starstore popularity stakes as stuff actually happens in it. Secret Invasion is cool as hell but the pace has been a bit too slow in picking up to keep us guessing. Elsewhere on our comics racks, the new Tank Girl series has been picking up a bunch of new readers and keeping the iconic, foul-mouthed anti-heroine in the public consciousness, so that’s a good thing. On the graphic novels front, the reissue of Batman: The Killing Joke has been flying out, and there’s also the first collected volume of THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY out now for all of those My Chemical Romance fans who suddenly found themselves reading comics and discovering they’re actually rather good. My advice to those new comics fans? Get hold of WATCHMEN so you can be like the rest of us here and know all about the greatest comic series ever released, before the movie comes out next year. That way you get to say ‘I TOLD you it was brilliant’ once Zack Snyder’s adaptation hits the screens.

Anyways, I gotta get back to sorting out the new layout and mocking Greg’s scene kid hair.

Julie Gardner has confirmed in the latest issue of Torchwood magazine that not only is the show to return with a much shorter run, but it is also to move over to BBC1 to be aired. This is quite impressive- remember this is a spinoff show that started life oin BBC3 and has since moved to BBC2 and now BBC1. I’d call that a success. I’m curious to find out why the series will be so short though- surely this spells the end for the team? The five part story idea sounds as though it may be a great big send-off for the series. It looks as though 2009 is going to be very light on Doctor Who and Torchwood action- just four new Doctor Who episodes and five new Torchwood episodes.

Having said that, the shorter runs will enable the makers to concentrate more on the production and not have to spread the budget out for thirteen episodes, meaning those that we do see will look even better than usual. This five-part miniseries starts shooting in August, for broadcast in early 2009. I wonder if there will be any crossover with the Doctor Who specials?

ALL ABOUT THE TORCHWOOD AUDIO EPISODE
One thing that is getting fans excited is the forthcoming audio episode of Torchwood that is set to be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July. Lets take a look at the facts of this new story as it stands so far:

- The episode will be 45 minutes long and be broadcast as the Radio 4 Afternoon Play for that day.

It has been written by none other than Joseph Lidster.

The episode will feature John Barrowman, Eve Miles, Gareth David-Lloyd and Freema Agyeman in their TV roles as the Torchwood team.

The story is said to be based around a Particle Accelerator, and coincides with the opening of the largest accelerator in existence in Switzerland (The Large Hadron Collider, aka the LHC if I remember rightly).

Despite it not having an official title yet, the CD of the play is available to pre-order from Amazon.

We will be keeping an eye on this exciting project as it develops and more news is announced. The audio medium is something that Torchwood is perfectly suited for- I wonder if more will go ahead if this one is a success?

The Torchwood action figures are available to pre-order now, and are due to arrive in August!

COMING SOON: More news on Torchwood series 3, our overviews of the first two seasons, and more on the new merchandise! Remember- the 21st Century is where everything changes.