Sunday was more aimed at kids, with the Children’s Film festival, Nickelodeon, the premiere of the new Scooby Doo movie and more being the main attractions for youngsters. Aside from those shenanigans, there was still plenty going on for older fans to enjoy.

Doctor Who and Torchwood panel

Russell T Davies, David Tennant, John Barrowman and Julie Gardner were on hand to talk about the future of the two shows (This was wrongly reported as taking place on saturday-oops!). According to Tennant, the tenth Doctor’s final episodes are ‘very emotional indeed’. Russell T Davies said that new Doctor Who series boss Steven Moffatt probably wouldn’t be using the established Davies-era characters such as Martha, Mickey, etc in favour of building his own new characters. The Lucy Saxon character will be returning in the finale (makes sense when you think about who the villain is…). Torchwood series 4 will be made, but it is not clear as yet what form it will continue in. Intriguing…

Ghost Whisperer

The next season of the Ghost Whisperer, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, was previewed to an appreciative audience. The cast and executive producers teased fans with clips that gave clues as to the new direction the series is taking. New characters are changing everything in the show, and it looks like fans are in for quite a ride.

There was also a very popular Harry Potter fan panel featuring prominent figures in the world of HP fandom and a showing of the latest installment of Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight. The event closed with a huge singalong screening of the famous Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode ‘Once More With Feeling’.

As ever, the San Diego Comic Con has left the fan world brimming with excitement for the delights to come, and people are already looking forward to the 2010 event. Who knows what SDCC 2010 will have in store? We’ll let you know as soon as we do…

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The new series of Doctor Who has started production today! The first photo of eleventh Doctor Matt Smith and Karen Gillan (as new companion Amy Pond) in costume has been released online, as you can see here. The reaction online has been mixed, with some fans unimpressed and others loving the new look.

Personally I think it is a bold move to put the Doctor in a rather traditional outfit (which actually reminds me of Peter Cushing’s outfit from the Doctor Who big screen movies from the 1960s) instead of a trendy outfit more akin to the tenth Doctor. Many of us were fearing some awful emo/goth outfit, but the geography teacher/hobo look is very much in keeping with the character of the Doctor.

In a press release from the BBC, new show runner Steven Moffat tells fans: “And here it is, the big moment – the new Doctor, and his new best friend. And here’s me, with the job I wanted since I was seven. 40 years to here! If I could go back in time and tell that little boy that one day all this would happen, he’d scream, call for his Mum and I’d be talking to you now from a prison cell in 1969. So probably best not then. Matt and Karen are going to be incredible, and Doctor Who is going to come alive on Saturday nights in a whole new way – and best of all, somewhere out there, a seven-year-old is going to see them, fall in love, and start making a forty year plan…”

So then, welcome to Matt Smith as the eleventh Doctor Who! Good luck mate. The universe is counting on you.

Until the eleventh Doctor arrives onscreen, there are galaxies of Doctor Who DVDs and Merchandise to enjoy!

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Doctor Who Finale Screen Grab Reveals Guests

The big Doctor Who news right now is a leaked picture from the filming of the final 2009 specials, in which the tenth Doctor (David Tennant) will finally be beaten by a certain returning bad guy and regenerate into the eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith). The photo was taken during a break in filming when the main Doctor Who Finale cast were having a bit of a joke.

The story of the final 2009 Doctor Who specials apparently has the Doctor put on trial by the Time Lords for his past misdeeds. Erm, isn’t that a retread of The Trial of A Time Lord from Colin Baker’s era? Perhaps, but check out the guest stars in the leaked Doctor Who finale picture for something to get excited about. Plus, since when were the Time Lords still alive? Intriguing.

Once again featuring Catherine Tate and Bernard Cribbins in their DW roles as Donna Noble and Wilf, the final two part story for David Tennant will be preceded by the already announced special episode ‘The waters of Mars’, which is due to be shown in November (and this was teased on the end of Planet of the Dead). Series five, which is now shooting, will then follow in the spring of 2010 with Matt Smith established as the eleventh Doctor and Karen Gillan as the latest companion.

Torchwood Air date

The third series of Torchwood, the five-part Torchwood: Children of Earth story, is confirmed to be airing over five nights from the 4th of July on BBC1. New Torchwood merchandise is on the way to coincide with the showing, and rumours are rife about the future of the franchise as this appears to be the final story for the team…

Personally we feel that a series of two-hour TV movies (say, three a year) would be a great way to keep Torchwood going, as it seems to suit a shorter run more than it does full seasons (The multi-part stories have always been much stronger). Any way we can have more of Eve Miles on TV is a good thing.
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So then, Futurama is coming back for 26 brand spanking new episodes, which are to play as two seasons of 13. This is quite frankly awesome. If there was a show that had potential to continue, then it was Futurama.

Granted, the ratings were down when the show was originally taken off the air, but isn’t that how things usually go for franchises that start off huge? There tends to be a lull before the series picks up a regular, larger audience, just as the Futurama series was doing..

This was proved when the Futurama DVD movies started coming out. They may not have been quite as good as getting a new series, but they did meet the needs of a rapidly growing fanbase that was just getting into Futurama, and also showed the network that there was certainly call for more.

The original voice cast are said to be returning, along with many of the original writers. Futurama is back- Bite my shiny metal ass!

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Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Remember how Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars wrapped everything up after the series was cancelled? That sort of thing would be great to bookend the Terminator Sarah Connor Chronicles series.

It is also bad news for genre television as a whole, as this series was pretty much the only pure Science Fiction show currently being shown. A weird thought that genre TV has never been more influential, and yet there isn’t a single pure SF show on the air. Correct me if I’m wrong.

As a side note of interest, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles stars Lena Headey and Thomas Dekker both appear in the new indie horror movie Laid to Rest, which is actually really cool.

So, will Matt Smith’s eleventh Doctor be facing off against the Rani in 2010? I doubt it, but stranger things have happened, and with all of the major villains already having made an appearance, it does kind of make sense. Until anything is confirmed, treat this rumour with a liberal dose of salt.

The Rani, for those of you that aren’t familiar with the classic series of Doctor Who, was originally played by actress Kate O’Mara in the sixth Doctor story Mark of the Rani and the Seventh Doctor story Time and The Rani. An evil Time Lord scientist, she is even more cold an calculating than the Master. A new incarnation could be interesting.

This is bad news for fans of the show, which, after a lukewarm response to the first chunk of the second season, had started to pick up steam again and regain lost ground. The show, which starred Summer Glau and Lena Headey, had been a point of much conversation and debate since its acclaimed 2008 debut. I kinda liked it. I felt it kept hold of the feel of the first couple of Terminator flicks quite well, while still moving its alternate universe story along nicely. I for one will miss it.

Hey all, time for a roundup of some of today’s big stories from the world of geekery. While I’m excited at all four of these stories, I must say that it does kinda say something about the state of the entertainment industry that most of the big stories of late all relate to old or reimagined franchises and ideas. Still, with such talented people behind them, we should at least be in for some quality entertainment.

GHOSTBUSTERS 3
More confirmation from Harold Ramis surrounding GB3. He has stated that the film will indeed feature all of the original Ghostbusters stars (Including Bill Murray) as they train up the next generation of Ghostbusters to take over from them in the spook-snatching trade. What pleases me greatly is the fact that the script, which is being written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, is being overseen by Ramis, Dan Aykroyd and original Ghostbusters director, Ivan Reitman.

MONTY PYTHON REUNITE FOR DOCUMENTARY
The remaining Monty Python members are to reunite for a new documentary series that chronicles the whole of the Monty Python story. The legendary akternative comedy pioneers will be back onscreen together in Monty Python: Almost the Truth (the Lawyer’s Cut), a new six- part documentary series that Terry Jones describes as “Something so complete and faithful to the truth that I don’t need to watch it.” High praise indeed.

STAR TREK XII SCRIPT ON THE STARTING BLOCK
The next Star Trek film is already being prepped and plotted, according to JJ Abrams. The first movie in the new era of Trek isn’t even out yet, and execs are eager to get the first sequel underway as soon as possible. The new franchise, essentially an alternate universe retelling of the Star Trek franchise (depending on who you talk to- but it does seem to ring true). Abrams will be writing the script alongside the scribes of the first film, and also producing, but not directing.

THE WORLD’S END FOR PEGG AND WRIGHT
Every British wannabe filmmaker’s heroes, Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz/Spaced) are gearing up to get stuck into the script for THE WORLD’S END, their next project together. Pegg will be seen on screen as Scotty in the new Star Trek movie soon, and Edgar Wright has (as of today) started production on the Scott Pilgrim movie. Good to know these heroes of film geek underdogs everywhere are doing so well

If there was a science fiction TV to be broken, then the much loved Farscape series was more than happy to break it. The show that brought us the adventures of John Crichton (Ben Browder) and a not-so-merry band of aliens first hit screens ten years ago (as of March 19th).

It divided opinions for much of its run, but the fans that stuck with it through its four seasons and the miniseries that ended it (the Peacekeeper wars) were rewarded with one of the most satisfying SF epics ever to grace a TV screen.

With production values that were, erm, out of this world, a cast that was uniformly brilliant and stories that gripped and confused in equal measure, Farscape was utterly unique.

Created and partly produced by the legendary Jim Henson company, Farscape was made in Australia and as such avoided many of the staple actors and plotlines of conventional science fiction television. The plots and interpersonal relationships on show throughout its run were gloriously complicated and believable, despite the outlandish SF setting.

While some viewers took issue with the look of the alien puppets, branding them ‘Muppets in Space’, the fact that these creatures were created with physical effects instead of dated CG means that the show hasn’t aged as much as it could have done by now. It stands up as a powerful and epic tale that has a very personal and emotional centre.

Farscape merchandise and DVD sales proved there was a strong fanbase for the show, and helped the big ending, The Peacekeeper Wars, to be made after the show’s cancellation.

That final miniseries was a perfectly fitting and satisfying ending to a TV franchise, and while the movie may never get made and the show may never return, it’s okay, as it stands perfectly as a whole. Farscape is a rare thing indeed- a science fiction series that can be enjoyed again and again on many levels, and that is one hell of a legacy.

Happy anniversary Farscape- we miss you.

David Tennant said: “I’ve had the most brilliant, bewildering and life changing time working on Doctor Who. I have loved every day of it. It would be very easy to cling on to the TARDIS console forever and I fear that if I don’t take a deep breath and make the decision to move on now, then I simply never will. … I’m still the Doctor all next year but when the time finally comes I’ll be honoured to hand on the best job in the world to the next lucky git – whoever that may be.”

The much loved Scottish actor added that he “always thought the time to leave would be in conjunction with Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner, who have been such a huge part of it all for me. Steven Moffat is the most brilliant and exciting writer, the only possible successor to Russell and it was sorely tempting to be part of his amazing new plans for the show. I will be there, glued to my TV when his stories begin in 2010.”

Thus the speculation over who will be the eleventh Doctor  will now go into overdrive. You can check out our ideas for his successor on our 11th Doctor article. What fans the world over need to remember is that, yes, this is the end of an era, but there are still five specials to come featuring David as the Doctor, and thus we have a proper send-off to look forward to for the Doctor that became a huge fan favourite during his stint in the TARDIS.

We had his awesome first appearance at the end of ‘The Parting of the ways’ in series one, then there was the incredible 2005 Xmas special- The Christmas Invasion. While series 2 had its problems, it was still an incredible series of science fiction adventures. The 2006 Christmas Special, ‘The Runaway Bride’ was flawed but fun, and gave us a glimpse at a very lonely Doctor.  Series 3 saw the character of the Doctor explored even further, climaxing with his final confrontation with the Master. The 2007 Christmas episode, ‘Voyage of the Damned’, was a fun romp that recalled the classic serioes. Series four saw all of the new era’s assistants return (along with a classic era heroine too), to help the Doctor face Davros and the Daleks in their most chilling plan ever.

It has been a rollercoaster of a ride for the tenth Doctor and David Tennant. Millions of new fans flocked to the show as he established himself, and he has seen Doctor Who through its most successful period in its entire history on TV, in books and in Doctor Who merchandise.

From all of us here at Starstore.com and The Last Picture Show, and from Doctor Who fans young and old all over the world, thank you David. Thanks for the adventures, the humour, the energy and your relentless enthusiasm for Doctor Who. We wish you all the very best for your future projects, and are on the edge of our seats already, waiting for your grand finale as our hero.

Recommended Further Reading:

The History of Doctor Who

The Doctor Who 2009 Specials

The Tenth Doctor: A history

TARDISWATCH: Our DOCTOR WHO Series 4 features