Bruno, Arlene and the gang from Torchwood

Bruno… should I go see what all the fuss is about?

So that pesky Sacha Baron Cohen is back, and again creating a stir with his newest film Bruno. Like Borat, Bruno is based on one of his old characters from The Ali G show. And also like Borat the reviews for the film are mixed. Metacritic gave the film a pretty average 55 scoring, but over on Rotten Tomatoes, the film recieved a much better 70% fresh rating, leaving me wondering whether I should part with my hard earn cash to see it in the cinema or wait for the DVD release…

Arlene replaced by Alisha Dixon?

The idiots over at the Beeb have decided to replace Arlene Philips with pop wannabe and one time winner of Strictly Come Dancing Alesha Dixon. Personally I don’t see what qualifies Dixon to judge dancing, but I will guess it is probably the same thing that qualified Cheryl Cole to judge singing.

Some commentators are saying the Beeb are trying to attract a “younger” audience, but I don’t think Alesha Dixon is hip with the kids, but who am I to judge saying things like “hip with the kids”.

Personally though I would prefer to have kept Arlene (who is one of the sexiest pensioners in the country) and dumped that annoying Craig.

Torchwood… Catch it while you can!

For those of you who failed to watch this weeks epic 5 part Torchwoodseries, Children of Earth, I can’t urge you enough to jump over to the BBC website and watch it on the iPlayer. It was a truly fantastic, fun piece of television. Admittedly a bit far-fetched, but it is science-fiction after all!

T in the Park

And finally those of you not brave enough to battle the elements to get to Scotland, can pop over to the BBC website and get your fill of everything you have missed this weekend from the T in the Park music festival… The Beeb have done a good job of bringing you enough stuff from the festival that you can fool your friends into thinking you were there!

The good and the bad for Torchwood Fans

There is plenty of news for fans of the Doctor Who spin-off, Torchwood. Some of it is good, and some of it is not so good, but I will report it all…

First the good news as reported by the BBC Press Office – The new series of Torchwood has been given the green light and has begun filming in Cardiff. It is also reported that the show is going to switch from BBC2 to BBC1, not bad for a show that started on BBC3. The change of transmission platforms means the show should receive better viewing number and a higher profile in the media, which should ensure the show’s future, which is good news for fans.

The last bit of good news for the show comes from the show’s creator Russell T Davies. According the ex-Doctor Who guru, the new series of Torchwood will “feature some fantastic guest stars, which should make this unmissable TV.”

Now for the not so good news – The new series of Torchwood will be cut from 13 episodes to just 5 and all five episodes will be shown in one week! The series – called Torchwood: Children Of Earth – sees the team embarking on a single action-packed adventure as they battle for the future of the human race against the fiercest force they have encountered.

The new series of Torchwood will air in 2009.

Torchwood – Revelations and good-byes

Torchwood season two ended this week in order to make space in the BBC’s sci-fi quota for Dr Who, but what an ending it was!

This weeks episode was the second half of last weeks, so being the geek that I am I watched them both at the same time (thank you Sky+). I will try not to give too much away in case you are still planning on watching it via the BBC iPlayer or using some other method, but I can’t promise anything, so beware this entry may contain unintentional spoilers.

The first half of the double episode saw the team minus Gwen, who slept in, involved in a huge blast which left them all trapped under rubble waiting to be rescued. During these scenes we finally after two seasons get the back story of all the characters and how they got mixed up with Torchwood. So what did we learn from these revelations? Glad you asked…

• We learned that Toshiko was sprung from a secure military prison where she was held for making a Dr Who style sonic screw driver from plans she stole from some military facility that she worked at.
• We learned that Jack Harkness was recruited by two mysterious ladies. The ladies arrested/captured Jack who was just hit by a falling bomb. The ladies then threatened Jack with death (though Jack cannot be killed) for communicating with “the doctor”. Jack agreed to join Torchwood.
• We learned how Ianto Jones found Jack Harkness and begged for a job. Jack kept refusing until Ianto helps Jack capture a Pterodactyl??? Don’t ask, it’s Torchwood not real life;)
• Finally we learned about Owen, who was recruited after Jack and his team came and harvested an alien from his girlfriends brain… OK, actually they took the whole brain.

The episode then ended with Captain John, who we met earlier in the series (he’s the character played by James Marsters, aka Spike from Buffy) who appears to have captured Jack’s long lost brother Gray.

The second part of this story which is available to watch still on the BBC iPlayer, was a great conclusion to season two, and not to spoil it for those who have not seen it, I will only say it had a pretty shocking ending… and a whole lot of the wonderful James Marsters, who hopefully will be back for season three.

Torchwood… like Dr Who, but for grown-ups

My mate Lenny is the biggest Dr Who fan that I know, which is why I was so surprised when he told me that he had never watched Torchwood… after my suggestion that he should check the show out, Lenny is now a fan. He owns the first season on DVD and is addicted to the second series which is currently running on BBC2.

If you are a “Lenny” and have never watched Torchwood, I really suggest that you make time in your busy schedule and do so… especially if you are a Dr Who fan to any degree, for Torchwood is the kind of fun television experience that Dr Who is… but for grown-ups.

Sort of a spin-off from Dr Who, (characters from the show have appeared in episodes of Dr Who and vice versa) Torchwood is a cross between that show and Scooby Doo (but without the dog). The show is based around a team of five people (pesky kids) brought together to help rid the world from an assortment of aliens, creepy crawlies, and other strange shit that threatens our planet (a la Dr Who). The team includes a doctor, a police woman, a technical expert and an administration geek, all led by the mysterious Captain Jack Harkness, played by the wonderful John Barrowman. Pretty standard Dr Who type stuff, but Torchwood has a bit more of an adult nature to it. The series is darker, scarier, and weirder then the Doctor’s show, and really should not be viewed by our young and impressionable youth. After all series one not only included fairies who steal children but also a monster who fed off of orgasms. Not really stuff for kiddies.

If your kids are the persistent type though, there is a edited more child friendly of the show which is being aired a day later then the original airing of each episode on BBC2, but I would still suggest that parents use their discretion.

Fans of the show who please note:

 Torchwood

has been switched from it’s Wednesday slot

to Fridays at 9:00pm