Torchwood star John Barrowman has revealed that the sci-fi spin-off will be back with a 13-episode fourth season.

Barrowman, who plays Captain Jack Harkness, today said they won’t be repeating the format of Season 3, which aired as a five-episode miniseries called Children of Earth over five consecutive nights.

The 42-year-old actor, speaking on the BBC’s Steve Wright in the Afternoon, admitted Doctor Who had changed the course of his career and Captain Jack changed his life.

He said: “We are discussing the future of Torchwood because most definitely Torchwood will come back to the BBC.

“We are not sure when because we have to work out the logistics of filming and it’s already been said that it will be 13 episodes rather than five.”

Asked if he’d be appearing in the next Doctor Who series, starring new Time Lord Matt Smith, he said: “I don’t know about Captain Jack’s future in Doctor Who because nothing has been said or I haven’t been asked. I am kind of prepared that I won’t be in any of it, which is fine.”

The Steve Wright in the Afternoon show can be heard on the BBC iPlayer.

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The Royal Mint has unveiled a new series of medals inspired by Doctor Who and featuring David Tennant’s likeness.

The limited edition medals, which have just gone on sale, also feature the Doctor’s robot dog K-9, the Tardis and his infamous enemies – the Daleks.

They mark the first time that television characters have featured on a Royal Mint medal.

Dave Knight, Director of Commemorative Coin, praised the show’s “enduring appeal”, calling the Doctor “timeless”.

Head of UK Licensing at BBC Worldwide Richard Hollis said: “David Tennant’s performance as the Doctor has been applauded and celebrated across the country and these medals are a fantastic way for fans to collect a lasting memento.”

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David Tennant’s final two episodes of Doctor Who will air on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, the BBC has confirmed.

Provisional schedules for the Christmas period will see ‘The End Of Time, Part One’ air from 7.30pm to 8.30pm on BBC One on Christmas Day, sandwiched between episodes of EastEnders.

‘The End Of Time, Part Two’, in which Tennant’s Doctor will regenerate into a new incarnation played by Matt Smith, will air on New Year’s Day. The hour-long episode will go out at 7.30pm, again sandwiched between episodes of EastEnders and also ahead of the last ever episode of Gavin & Stacey.

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Actor Matt Smith, who will become the next Doctor Who in forthcoming special The End of Time, has stepped in to help a childhood friend’s donor campaign.

Matt Herbert, 15, from Northampton, has leukaemia and urgently needs a bone marrow transplant.

The Matt’s Match campaign involves health clinics recruiting people to the donor register in the hope a suitable candidate can be found.

It has gained the support of top sporting stars as well as the new Doctor Who, Matt Smith.

The actor, writing on the Matt’s Match website, said: “Matthew and I grew up in the same street in Northampton just three houses apart.

“Although he is younger, we both played ball games in that same street but his was a rugby ball and mine a football. We went to the same junior school and secondary school.

“Matthew is such a kind, intelligent and fun-loving young man and so it is extremely important to me that he has all the support and help he deserves with his illness.

“He desperately needs a compatible bone marrow donor and I would ask you please to support him by taking a simple saliva test to see if you are the one who may be able to help him.”

The campaign has also been backed by rugby hero Jonny Wilkinson and England rugby manager Martin Johnson.

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Salford’s Christopher Ecclestone is set to take on arguably one of the biggest roles of his acting career to date, with the news that he has been confirmed to star as John Lennon in a major new BBC Four production entitled Lennon Naked.

The former Doctor Who star takes the lead in the 90 minute film spanning the years 1967-71 and Lennon’s evolution from a member of The Beatles to a global icon in his own right.

Ben Stephenson, the controller of BBC Drama commissioning, said that the fact that the actor had been secured for the role was “testament to the calibre of drama on BBC Four.”

Lennon Naked, which will air next year, focuses on a turbulent period in the musician’s life – taking in the death of Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein in 1967, his relationship with his father Freddie, his divorce from his ‘long-suffering’ wife Cynthia and his meeting with Yoko Ono.

Alongside Ecclestone Christopher Fairbank stars as Freddie Lennon, Naoko Mori as Yoko Ono, Claudie Blakley as Cynthia Lennon, Rory Kinnear as Brian Epstein and Andrew Scott as Paul McCartney.

The drama has been written by Robert Jones (The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, Party Animals) and is currently being filmed in London.

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Doctor Who star David Tennant is to regenerate as a kids’ storyteller this Christmas.

The actor, who will also be seen this Christmas in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet, is to swap the Tardis for the Bedtime Story chair on CBeebies.

Tennant, soon to be seen bowing out of his role as a Time Lord, will read five stories during the festive season.

On Christmas Eve he will be seen reading The Christmas Bear by Henrietta and Paul Stickland.

Tennant’s acclaimed portrayal of Hamlet, which was lauded on stage, will be screened on BBC2.

And viewers will see him bow out as BBC1′s Doctor Who this Christmas when he appears in a two-part story The End Of Time.

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The finale to the era of David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, is one of the most eagerly anticipated adventures in the history of Doctor Who.

As previously announced, the next special, Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars premieres Saturday December 19, 9:00pm ET/PT on BBC AMERICA. The final two specials, Doctor Who: The End of Time, Part One and Doctor Who: The End of Time, Part Two, will premiere over the holiday season starting December 26 on BBC AMERICA.

Guest stars John Simm, Timothy Dalton, Catherine Tate and Bernard Cribbins join Tennant on his final journey. Doctor Who: The End of Time, Part One premieres Saturday December 26, 9:00pm ET/PT on BBC AMERICA. The End of Time, Part Two premiere date will be announced very soon.

BBCAmerica.com/DoctorWho has exclusive Doctor Who clips including a sneak peek to The Waters of Mars, which The Times says is “a big-budget, knock-yer-socks-off blockbuster” and the Guardian exclaimed “it’s a belter, a watery nightmare – scary, moving, relevant, believable.”

The site also has a new world premiere clip from The End of Time, Part One, with never-before seen footage that will keep fans all over the globe wondering what’s in store for the Doctor.

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Hi!!, my name is Ryan, I am the new General Staff Member on the site. I will be working with Christine to help update the site with the latest news, update the gallery and update other pages around the site. I hope you enjoy having me around and I look forward to be working here for a while. Thanks

I’m pleased to announce that The Medusa Cascade has a new staff member! Ryan will be helping out as a General Staff Member, meaning that, much as I do, he will be overseeing the many different aspects of the site as a whole and not just one section. Please give him an amazing welcome and treat him with respect as he learns the ropes and helps me to bring you new and exciting additions and updates to the site!

In other, less happy, site news, The Medusa Cascade is currently in the middle of changing hosts. Right now the actual transfer and making sure everything is running correctly is about 99% done. Unfortunately, during the transfer it was necessary to delete every single image in the gallery so once everything is running smoothly, I will be working on reuploading all 300,000 plus images. If you have different categories, albums, or images bookmarked, do not worry, the links will not be changing thanks to the database having been moved in its entirety.

Thank you so much for your understanding during this time! I hope to have the gallery back to normal before Christmas, especially now that I have Ryan to help me update and bring other aspects of the site to life.

I would like to apologize for any convenience that may be caused due to the fact that the gallery is down. Unfortunately I do not know when it will be back up. As of the time I’m typing this, it has been down for approximately eight hours already. I will let you know as soon as I have any information.

Once again, I apologize for this, especially as The Waters of Mars aired less than 48 hours ago but I promise to do my best to get it up and running again soon!