2009

Here is a summary of some of the things we can expect this year in the world of television.

ITV1 has been hard at work with a new program called Demons. It is about a young Van Helsing, aided by his Godfather Rupert Galvin (played by Philip Glenister), who must keep the living dead from taking over London. For more info click here. Demons will also launch with an online game (to read more click here). Demons airs tonight (Saturday 3 January) at 19:20 on ITV1.

Hustle is coming back with a fifth series this year. However, Marc Warren (who plays Danny Blue) is not reprising his role and neither is Jamie Murray (who plays Stacie Monroe) who is filming her role in Dexter, instead Adrian Lester is back. Adrian plays the character of Mickey "Bricks" Stone who is keen on getting the old crew back together after they have all gone their separate ways. For more info click here and for an interview with creator Tony Jordan click here. But that is not all. There are also plans for a Hustle movie. Hustle airs Thursday 8 January, at 21:00 on BBC 1.

Doctor Who will not see a full series this year and neither will its' spin-off Torchwood. Doctor Who will have 3 to 5 episodes this year, allowing for David Tennant to star in his stage productions, with the full series returning in 2010. It is unknown as of yet as to when these episodes will air and whether they will be longer than the usual 45 minutes. Torchwood will only get 5 episodes, which will be aired on BBC 1 within one week. These changes are most likely due to a change around in staff. Within Doctor Who, producer and head writer Russell T Davies is stepping down and Steven Moffat is taking control. Where as with Torchwood a new producer and director will be coming on board. Torchwood should be airing sometime in March on BBC1. There are also plans in the works for K9 the series.

There are reports about the possibility for another spin-off of some form to run along side Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. However, with ratings being very low throughout season 2 and the show on the verge of cancellation at one point, it seems unlikely that anything will come of this.

America does it all the time with our shows. They buy one of our shows and instead of showing it as it is, they remake it with an American cast. This has been done with many shows including The Office and Life On Mars. But this time it is the other way around. Law & Order has been a popular American TV show, and ITV1 seems to think so too and so are making a UK version. Trouble is, are people used to watching the American version on channel Five. For more info click here.

From Dexter's executive producer Sara Colleton comes Exterminators, a new series based on a comic. According to http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/, "Created by Simon Oliver and Tony Moore, the comic centers on an ex-con who joins an exterminator company, working with a freakish supporting cast of characters. A mystery surrounding his girlfriend and the manufacturer of an insect poison percolates on the periphery, and the insects are much more dangerous than they seem." For more info click here.

Miranda Hart's Joke Shop is six 30-minute episodes written and starring Miranda Hart, and will be shown later this year. The BBC's description of the show is as follows, "Meet Miranda. She's desperate to fit in, but can't. She has never managed to flirt successfully; has never fitted in with "the girls" (not least because she's a foot taller than them) and, due to years of agoraphobic tendencies, she doesn't know how to behave socially or how to avoid embarrassment, especially around men. Also she is a constant disappointment to her mother Penny. Miranda Hart's Joke Shop (working title) is a farcical, affectionate and thoroughly modern comedy about being the odd one out."

If you saw the Being Human pilot earlier this year then you might be interested to know that BBC3 has been hard at work turning it into a full series. The pilot episode will not be airing again though. Instead the original pilot is being ignored and a new pilot has been written due to there being some casting changes. This also will allow for new viewers to watch the show from the start and understand the full story. Being Human should air later this month. I you wish to know more about the show click here.