Out with the old...

Now that it's spring how about we follow tradition and give this place a nice big 'ol spring clean? Yep, that's right - following in the steps of sister site TORCHWOOD.tv, SJ.tv is about to roll out a brand spanking new look!

Over the next couple of hours bear with us as a number of changes are made - and know that by the end of the process you'll have a mighty prettier (and slightly less pink...) SARAH-JANE.tv coming your way.

+

10PM UPDATE - There we have it, we're up and running again! Thanks for your patience guys and gals, as you can see it was most definitely worth it.

+

The new layout includes a handy Google newsreel with up to the minute SJA related updates, a weekly poll that offers you the reader to voice your opinions, and last but not least the chance to become a follower of this very site!

+

Let us know what you think of the changes below!

The Quiet Corner of Television

I'm an angry young man when it comes to the current state of television, because it's something I'm so passionate about but right now it's dying a death. Reality television isn't really the problem... no, the reasons why programme commissioners have crafted that particular genre into such a mainstream phenomenon are what's wrong with the state of television today.

It's all about money. Programmes are made to sell, and in return, they should be cheap to make. Drama costs a lot, yes - so they're first to go. We're left with a television schedule chock-a-block full of reality television, that's cheap, sensational (so newspapers are willing to give coverage) and above all, so easy to sell to the audience.

All that means that television drama suffers, and like I commented yesterday one of the key losses being children's drama - the keystone of children's television.

Russell T Davies shares my beliefs, and outlines them all in this quite magnificent BAFTA produced video conference. Everybody reading this site, you enjoy watching the SJA. If you're a 12 year old boy, or 45 year old woman, whatever, you have a duty as a fan to watch the video and show your support of kid's television.

That link again, because it's so important that people take notice and fight for the future of children's broadcasting.

(Whilst we're at it, you'd do well to catch Charlie Brooker's Newswipe on BBC Four, every Wednesday at 10:30pm - it's a pretty good look at the British television news, and how it fails us every single day)

***

Elsewhere, is Tom Baker due to make a return to the show that made him famous over thirty years ago...?

Won't somebody please think of the children?!

You know, I grew up during the 1990's with the likes of Byker Grove, Grange Hill, Ghost Hunter, Pig Heart Boy, the Demon Headmaster and Aquilla on the air. Of course, long before that you had Children's Ward and Press Gang, too. Lots of diverse programming there, I think you'll agree. Nowadays, children's television is dying a slow death - as every year the amount of hours devoted to it drops further, and the budget shrinks faster than a guy's manhood during a cold winter's day.

Russell T Davies isn't happy about the changes, and he makes that clear during an interview with Licensing.biz (reported here via DigitalSpy). He cries, "Children's TV has all but disappeared from ITV, literally vanished from the schedules, and it's not coming back any time soon. We need to embrace what the BBC has. Something massive needs to be done - children's programming needs more money and it needs to urgently. Nothing is more important than our children. It is not nostalgic to remember something that was brilliant. It is remembering something that you loved."

Let's hope more shows like The Sarah Jane Adventures manage to make it on the air and carry the tradition forward.

***

Oh, and better late than never - the Comic Relief mini-episode of the SJA was watched by 8.3 million viewers. More people watched Ronnie Corbett the Slitheen than ITV1's Emmerdale. Hooray!

Third Time Lucky

Stansted C of E Primary School will be lucky enough to play host to a Tommy Knight signing this June! The SJA actor will be making an appearance at the school's Summer Fete to sign autographs for, as well as take photos with, his many young fans. The event is, however, open to the general public and according to organiser Trisha Broszek, the more the merrier!

Half the money raised by Tommy will go toward benefitting the school, whilst the other half will be donated to his favoured charity, the Demelza House Children's Hospice. If you'll recall, Tommy gave a sizeable amount to Demelza last August following a signing in Gloucester two months prior. To show our support for his cause, SARAH-JANE.tv even organised an SJA auction on eBay and donated the proceeds to Demelza for his 16th birthday! We hope to see Tom raise another considerable sum for his charity this year, so if you're in the vicinity of Kent on Saturday, June 6th between 2-5pm, be sure to pop down to the Stansted Village Green! Photos and autographs shouldn't be more than a fiver each, and there are plenty of other stalls and activities to keep you [and the rest of your family] amused for the day.

Speaking of public appearances, our very own Lis Sladen will be presenting a sci-fi concert at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic next month! The Music from Outer Space event promises to be 'a mind-blowing journey through time with a spectacular programme of 'space inspired' science fiction music.' Come to the concert in sci-fi inspired fancy dress, and you may be in with a chance to win a family ticket to Spaceport! The exciting evening kicks off at 6pm on Saturday, April 18th - so book your tickets pronto before they sell out!

And lastly, The Sarah Jane Adventures has recently been nominated for an RTS award for a second year running. Last year, the show lost out to My Life As A Popat in the Children's Drama category. We expect SJA may stand a better chance against fellow nominees MI High and Summerhill during this year's ceremony, taking place tomorrow evening. After missing out on a BAFTA to Alistair Fury last November, here's hopin' third time's the charm!

Tick-Tock

With just a few short hours to go, the BBC have released a behind the scenes video to whet our appetites for tonights SJA special! It confirms previously-disclosed spoilers regarding Ronnie Corbett playing an intergalactic ambassador...who isn't all that he seems(!) The video goes on to interview co-writers Gareth Roberts and Clayton Hickman, who express their fanboy-ish joy at having a patriarch of comedy like Ronnie acting out their words.

'It's a fantastic opportunity for us to contribute to the charity, which is such a worthy cause,' states producer, Nikki Wilson. 'It's good to be able to reach a wider audience for our show, as well. So it's good all 'round!'

Indeed, airing the special at such a prime-time slot featuring such a well-known celebrity is bound to get some fantastic exposure for the show. It's even managed to get a mention on the front cover of the Radio Times; which is a first, I think! Be sure to tune in to the special on BBC1 tonight, which kicks off at around 7pm. However, don't be surprised if you don't spot any Rednosicles during the 5-minute short! We've received word that this is actually a false rumour the BBC have been circulating to prevent plot leaks, clever folk that they are. So SARAH-JANE.tv humbly retract said statement, and apologise for any confusion. Bum leads like these seem to be part of a bigger BBC initiative to keep SJA plot details under wraps until they choose to disclose the information. So any rumours we receive outside of confirmed set reports and reliable contacts will be taken with a pinch of salt.

In other news, a new branch of the Doctor Who Exhibition is opening up in Coventry today. Hosted by the Coventry Transport Museum, the exhibition may be featuring a little corner of SJA material! Yaay. I'll be popping down for the grand opening later, so stay tuned for a report of my findings!

Hands in Y'er Pockets!

This Red Nose Day is shaping up to be something rather magical, I think you'll agree. This time last week I was in Teddington, watching a very special Comic Relief episode of Harry Hill's TV Burp being filmed (it contains a Torchwood gag, yay!) and as well as that we've had celebrities climbing up mountains, and hundreds of thousands of envitable fancy dress parties organised before the week is out.

But forget about all that, because the highlight of the evening - for me - is watching the SJA team in action, in a special mini episode guest starring Ronnie Corbett. There's a special 15 second clip from the episode available to view on the Red Nose Day website, or via the official Sarah Jane BBCi page.

Only a couple of days to go, now. Don't forget to donate to the programme (guest hosted by the incredible David Tennant) and do your bit for the charity, by whatever means you can.

***

In other news, the first image of the new K9 model from Channel Ten's K9 spin-off series has been released. Click here to view the metal mutt in full!

Finally, I know there's been rumblings on the internet about a certain high profile actress (*cough cough* Anna Friel) appearing on the show during the third series, but so far as I can see, these rumblings are nothing more than rumour. At the moment. And that's the key thing to remember here; nothing is fact until the BBC or DWM have announced it as such.

Grampa Slitheen

Thanks to the efforts of one reader I've been made aware of an interview that Ronnie Corbett conducted with the Daily Express newspaper, where the star reported the following about the upcoming SJA Comic Relief special, "They sent me the script and it really appealed, I play a bowler-hatted ambassador from outer space who visits Sarah Jane's attic. I'm beamed down in a bright green light and it's all very intriguing. We filmed it all in one very long and tiring day and K-9 was there along with the Slitheen. It was great fun."

Hmmm.... Corbett as an aged Slitheen, perhaps?!

The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine talks to Russell T Davies about the special, where he says, "This was a real honour, because Comic Relief actually approached us to include The Sarah Jane Adventures in the night's celebrations!" He goes on to confirm that the mini-adventure was be directed by Joss Agnew and produced by Brian Minchin (presumably because regular producer Nikki Smith - here acting as Executive Producer - is busy over on Doctor Who's specials). It was filmed on my birthday, February 19th, at Upper Boat.

Meanwhile, during an interview with the magazine one of the special's writers, Gareth Roberts drops a hint as to an old Doctor Who villain who may, or may not, be making their way to Bannerman Road during this third series...

"The other Hand of Fear is still out there," He reckons, "And one day it will come knocking on Sarah Jane's door..."

On one of his series three script, Gareth has this to say: "I'm writing a series three story as we speak, and I keep having to pinch myself. It was an idea I offered up thinking that nobody would ever go for it. If you thought The Stolen Earth was mad... As I was writing the cliffhanger to the first part I thought 'Is this real, or is it all a drug-induced and electronic dream?' If you'd told me ten years ago that I'd be writing this scene, and it would be going out on BBC One, I'd have exploded into dust!"

DWM reveals the writers for the third series as:
Phil Ford (2x stories; 4x actual episodes)
Gareth Roberts (1x story; 2x actual episodes)
Joseph Lidster (1x story; 2x actual episodes)
Brian Dooley (1x story; 2x actual episodes)
Rupert Laight (1x story; 2x actual episodes)

Laight has wrote several of the SJA novelisations, whereas readers might know of Dooley's previous work on The Smoking Room and BBC Three's new hit Being Human.

For more Doctor Who goodness, check out Doctor Who Magazine issue 406, priced £3.99.