The Prisoner

Best taken with some bacon or a rollmop herring:

Doctor Who

• It was the press screening of The Christmas Invasion yesterday, so news and spoilers are all over the place:
  • BBC One controller Peter Fincham says that the show has a long future ahead of it. The Beeb still hasn’t confirmed a fourth series, though.
  • The OTT blog has a review of the press screening itself, including a couple of spoilers.
  • Which are as nothing compared with the Daily Mail’s spoilers.
• Colin Baker is to appear in one of Big Finish’s Sapphire and Steel audio plays. League of Gentleman star, future Who guest star and current Who author Mark Gatiss will be returning to the series as Gold. Sarah Douglas from Superman II will be appearing in the season’s (and likely the series’) final episode.

British TV

• I was wondering a while back what was happening about that remake of The Prisoner, given that Chris Nolan was making a film as well. Turns out, as suspected, that there are two versions going ahead now. Universal, which is behind Nolan’s flick, have the film rights and are still going ahead with a movie. But now US network AMC has come on board with Granada and Sky One to co-produce at least six episodes of a TV version. Production will begin in Spring, with the first episodes airing in the US and the UK in January 2008. It’s going to be an ‘entirely new reinterpretation’. Um…
• There’s going to be a ratings system for British television, although it’s going to debut in Channel’s 4oD online service.
• The big ratings winners on digital TV are the networks that spun off from the terrestrial channels.
• The Hogfather has stolen Torchwood‘s record to become the highest ever rated digital TV show, with 2.8 million viewers. Meanwhile, Torchwood‘s ratings have dropped below Lost‘s again, bringing in 900,000 viewers for BBC3.

US TV

• Raines has had its order of episodes cut to just seven, even though it won’t air until March. That doesn’t sound promising, does it?
• E!’s Watch With Kristin has notable news and spoilers, including:
  • Paul Reubens will be appearing in 30 Rock.
  • The BSG spin-off, Caprica, now has a script and is waiting for network approval
  • My Boys has had another nine episodes commissioned
• Frank Skinner’s British sitcom, Shane, is being remade for the US by its British producers, Avalon. Avalon also has some other comedies up its sleeve, including Evil Genius, about a super-villain who takes over the world and realises it’s bit harder to run than he first thought.
• The L Word is launching a social networking site.
• There are format changes ahead for The Class as attempts are made to make the sitcom more conventional. Curses. However, some of its themes of suicide, infidelity, etc will be preserved.
• One of The Nine‘s producers tries to explain why the show flopped.