To be blunt: I am not happy about this casting change at all. I adored former pop star Billie Piper, who played sales clerk Rose Tyler, the first companion in the re-imagination of Doctor Who that debuted in 2005 with Heroes player Christopher Eccleston in the title role. Although I was sad to learn Piper planned to leave at the end of the second season, my grief was quickly allayed by the news that Freema Agyeman would join new Doctor David Tennant as the next companion in the current third season.

Agyeman fared very well among fans of the sci-fi series during her lone season, especially considering that she followed in the footsteps of an extremely popular predecessor. Consequently, not even the promise that Agyeman will reprise her role of medical student Martha Jones in the forthcoming second season of the successful Doctor Who spinoff Torchwood is enough to appease me since I don’t see the justification for dismissing her from the classic series.

In any case, American Doctor Who fans will meet Martha Jones in the second episode to premiere tonight, “Smith and Jones,” which airs immediately after the ninety-minute “Runaway Bride” episode at 9:30pm EST. Enjoy Agyeman while she lasts.

Related News: Doctor Who: Another Prime Sci-Fi Series to Bite the Dust

Doctor Who will air Fridays on the Sci Fi Channel at 8 or 9pm EST

Doctor Who photos courtesy of the BBC

Tags: Catherine Tate, Doctor Who, Freema Agyeman, Russell T. Davies, television, tv

In scandals worthy of the most base tabloids, first an impressionist and registered sex offender (for the possible “feet tickling” of a minor, whatever that means—more British slang or euphemisms, perhaps?) named Richard Bates withdrew from the program after he was outed for his past trespasses, and then three transvestite singers and alleged prostitutes from the drag queen musical act Kit Kat Dolls were exposed (no pun intended), forcing the dismissal of the entire nine-member pop group.

With all of the hardcore criminals out of the way, South Wales carphone salesman Paul Potts managed to slay the remaining competition—including utterly adorable six-year-old crooner Connie Talbot—with his operatic performances inspired by his idol Luciano Pavarotti, ultimately winning the £100,000 grand prize during the live finale on Sunday, June 17.

In addition to the cash booty, Potts will have the amazing opportunity to perform live before Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the Royal Family during the annual Royal Variety Performance later this year, and he received a coveted recording contract with American Idol judge Cowell’s record company.

Now, listen and enjoy, keeping in mind that 36-year-old Potts claims he sang opera for the first time just eight years ago … in a karaoke contest! What a great excuse to run to the nearest bar, like right now, and get hogwild drunk before belting out a few. Maybe you could get some Potts-sized talent then, too.

Take a look here or jump to the video.

Britain’s Got Talent logo courtesy of ITV

Tags: Britain’s Got Talent, ITV, Paul Potts, television, tv

The current doctor is played by David Tennant, who stepped into the role after a highly successful one-season premiere run by respected actor Christopher Eccleston. Eccleston, of course, is recently most notable in the United States for bringing invisible man Claude Raines to life in NBC’s breakout hit Heroes earlier this year.

Doctor Who photo courtesy of the BBC

Tags: television, tv, BBC, Doctor Who, Russell T. Davies

Tonight’s fourth-season opener, titled “As One Flew Out of the Cuckoo’s Nest, One Flew In” in the United Kingdom but simply “Episode 19” on AMC, finds the pack of always eager criminals heading to Los Angeles in the States to ply their trade for a spell. Now sans their former trusted leader Mickey Stone (played by Adrian Lester, who has left the show after a three-year stint), the first mark they set their sights on is none other than another dapper American, the spectacular Robert Wagner, an enthusiastic yet grating memorabilia collector to whom the ridiculously ambitious group of professional swindlers will literally try to sell the Hollywood sign. Yes, that one. The ensuing plot twists will be all the more interesting since Vaughn and Wagner just happen to be longtime friends in real life, making for the most auspicious beginning to yet another excellent season of one of TV’s most entertaining series right now.

Hustle currently airs Wednesdays on AMC at 10pm EST

Hustle photo courtesy of BBC One

Tags: Hustle, television, tv

The lead role is played by Ireland’s Jonathan Rhys Meyers, a more than capable actor who won a Golden Globe award and Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Elvis Presley in the 2005 CBS miniseries Elvis. His costars include fellow Ireland native Maria Doyle Kennedy as Henry’s first wife Catherine of Aragon; Brit Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn, who was to become the king’s infamous second wife, beheaded on charges of adultery, amongst others, while just in her early thirties; and New Zealand’s Sam Neill as Thomas Cardinal Wolsey, an initial confidant of Henry VIII who lost his stature after the king’s request for an annulment of his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon in order to marry Boleyn was not honored forthright.

Showtime is giving anyone with fast Internet access the opportunity to watch the first two episodes of The Tudors in their entirety prior to the series’ premiere next Sunday, April 1. Simply visit the show’s Web site, sit back, and enjoy.

The Tudors premieres Sunday on Showtime at 10pm EST

The Tudors photo courtesy of Showtime

In the first installment, “Will You Tolerate This?,” future outlaw Robin of Locksley (Jonas Armstrong) reunites with his longtime friend and servant Much (Sam Troughton) upon returning to Nottingham after fighting in the Crusades. Following several misadventures on the way to Locksley, the pair finally arrive, and Robin visits Edward (Michael Elwyn), the man whom he knows not only as the respectable Sheriff of Nottingham, but the father of Marian (Lucy Griffiths), the fiancée Robin left in order to join the Crusades. Our protagonist learns at this point that Edward is no longer in charge of enforcing the law and that a despotic new Sheriff (Keith Allen) is instead governing his homeland with an iron fist. Robin immediately resolves to turn things around by speaking the only language the Sheriff seems capable of understanding—forceful resistance. Thus begins his campaign of rebellion on behalf of the “little people” when he first saves several men from a harrowing fate and then heads into Sherwood Forest, where his band of Merry Men will eventually come together.

The modernized Robin Hood received mixed reviews in the United Kingdom, where some critics questioned whether the series would prove entertaining for the entire family, from younger members experiencing the classic legend for the first time, to older members already well-versed in the story from earlier filmed versions and books. Whether positive or negative, however, a substantial number of commentators appreciated the performances of those actors who portray the villains in the cast. Since no legend is worth the time if the bad apples can’t get our juices flowing by being downright rotten, the notable antagonists alone make Robin Hood worth checking out.

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Other Good Stuff on TV Tonight:

• Building a Dream: The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy: If you and/or your family missed the original telecast on Monday at the late hour of 10pm (at least for some children), ABC kindly repeats its 60-minute documentary about the establishment of South Africa’s new Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls at a more kid-friendly time. [ABC/8:00]
• Designer to the Stars: Kari Whitman: The latest cable design show spotlights the talents of interior decorator Kari Whitman, who also just happens to be a former Playboy model and actress, in case you were wondering. In the premiere episode, Whitman tackles remodeling a kitchen that belongs to the parents of another gal that guys—and some girls—love to love, Jessica Alba. [WE/10:00]
• Dog Show: Another day, another dog show, this time Portland, Oregon’s very own Eukanuba Tournament of Champions 2007. [Animal Planet/8:00]
• Gladiator: For those who need a testosterone boost—or just a smidgen of Roman history—to cap their night off, this five-Oscar flick starring manly Aussie Russell Crowe and smaller but no less accomplished American Joaquin Phoenix should do the trick. [TNT/8:00]
• My Music: The British Beat: The wonders of videotaped footage allow viewers to travel back in time all the way to the 1960s for music’s first British Invasion. [PBS/9:00*]
• Sacrifices of the Heart: A family copes with the patriarch’s early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in a drama penned by Patti Davis, daughter of former U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who passed away from the disease in 2004. [Hallmark/9:00]

*PBS times may vary—Check your local listings to verify them
  All times are PM and EST/Eastern Standard Time
  Robin Hood photo courtesy of BBC America

Tennison was by no means perfect herself, however, and it was the frequent glimpses of her very human shortcomings and disappointments that endeared viewers, both female and male, to a character that was essentially a rather cold and inflexible workaholic much of the time. Aside from the fact that the show’s writing and acting were consistently outstanding, I love and admire Tennison because no matter how many personal and professional barriers she encountered or how many times she misstepped or misspoke, she refused to neglect her duties or take the easy way out of difficulties. Of course it’s a cliché, but remaining true to herself allowed her to rise above her flaws.

Over the years, Mirren has delivered numerous acclaimed performances, including in last year’s HBO mini-series Elizabeth I, for which she received an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Emmy, and the recently released The Queen, which many feel should garner her a third Academy Award nomination, this time in the Best Actress category. Yet Prime Suspect remains the basic production that longstanding fans identify her with the most, as demonstrated by the diverse nominations and awards she has acquired in the lead role, including four Emmy nominations and one 1996 win in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special category for 1995′s Prime Suspect 4: Scent of Darkness.

Tonight, PBS’ Masterpiece Theatre will feature Mirren in her last performance as Jane Tennison in the two-part Prime Suspect: The Final Act. The four-hour swan song concludes next Sunday. If you’ve never had the good fortune to see Mirren at work, now is the time to sample her considerable talent in one of television’s most definitive and satisfying series ever in any genre.

For more on Mirren and Prime Suspect: The Final Act, read Tim Goodman’s excellent homage, Farewell, Detective Tennison.

For more on the Prime Suspect series, refer to the PBS Web site.

Since PBS broadcast channels and schedules differ by region, check your local listings for the correct station and the exact air times of Prime Suspect: The Final Act.

Prime Suspect: The Final Act photo courtesy of Granada Television and WGBH Boston.

Nothing is better than the ability to watch such quality and highly interesting detective shows for free, as opposed to shelling out extra dough for cable channel BBC America, which airs similar fare sporadically. So while everyone else who follows television is getting excited about the slew of fall shows debuting or returning in the following weeks, yours truly is beside herself with joy over the latest four installments of the compelling Inspector Lynley Mysteries beginning on PBS tonight. It sure is going to be good reuniting with dapper Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley (Nathaniel Parker) and his headstrong partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers (Sharon Small).

The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, adapted from the bestselling novels of American author Elizabeth George, follow the personal and professional circumstances of Inspector Lynley and Sergeant Havers as they solve crimes out of Scotland Yard. Their relationship is an often contentious affair that has matured and strengthened somewhat over the years, despite their extremely different backgrounds and frequent antagonistic disagreements. Lynley is a man of good breeding, in the classic British nobility sense (he’s the eighth Earl of Asherton), while Havers is unmistakably working class in every respect, from her demeanor to her outlook. Originally partnered because no one else wanted to work with either of them, the two could not be more distinct yet still oddly alike.

The end of the previous season saw Havers’ career in jeopardy after she was shot on the job and Lynley facing separation not only from his partner, but his longtime love and wife, Helen (Emma Fielding), as well. Fresh tales of intrigue will explore the ramifications of those developments as the newest four 90-minute, commercial-free episodes, all of which originally aired in the United Kingdom during March and April 2005, unfold on four consecutive Sundays, from September 10 to October 1. If you already identify as a fan of British detective shows or simply seek a change of pace in your viewing habits, the forthcoming Inspector Lynley Mysteries could very well be just the type of must-see TV you need.

Schedule*

• Sunday, September 10: In Divine Proportion
• Sunday, September 17: In the Guise of Death
• Sunday, September 24: The Seed of Cunning
• Sunday, October 1: The Word of God

*All PBS times may vary—Check your local listings to verify them

Inspector Lynley Mysteries photo courtesy of the BBC

In case you don’t already know—and I’m fairly sure that’s the case—Garth Marenghi is the hammy alter ego of British actor/comedian/writer Matthew Holness. A famous and prolific horror writer by his own account, Marenghi was nonplussed to see his groundbreaking television series Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace banned from the tube in the mid-1980s because network execs were too cowardly to air material “so radical, so risky, so dangerous, so goddamn crazy.” However, twenty years and one “artistic drought” later, this buried masterpiece finally gets the chance to debut in all its glory.

The plot of the 1980s horror soap opera is fairly tame for a spooky show. Doctors Rick Dagless (Holness), Lucien Sanchez (Matt Berry), and Liz Asher (Alice Lowe), the last of whom is also psychic (and we all know you can never have too many mind-reading MDs), unite to thwart an ancient evil force that surfaces at Darkplace Hospital, intent on bringing utter devastation to mankind. Yet, their quest to rid the world of this formidable threat is often hampered by the intervening hand of their stalwart boss, Thornton Reed (Richard Ayoade).

The kicker of the series—the real series, not the show in the show—is that each of the four main players has dual roles as the assorted Darkplace Hospital employees in the resurrected series and as the actors who portray them. Thus, the “action” that unfolds on the show-within-the-show is spliced with mock interview footage of the characters’ actor counterparts providing “insightful” commentary on the inner series’ creation.

The honor of Most Deadpan and Dead Funny goes to the brooding author Marenghi. His earnest observations effortlessly evoke amusement as he expresses his conviction that his masterwork was the victim of a malevolent, Big Brother-ish conspiracy determined to keep its dark genius from the gullible public, rather than the target of smart TV executives doing their job by saving unsuspecting viewers from the cruelty of a badly written piece of schlock filled with abominable acting, directing, dialogue, wardrobe, sound effects, special effects, and everything else.

Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, which was canceled in the UK after just six episodes due to poor ratings, emerged from the twisted minds of Holness and Richard Ayoade as a send-up of the horror genre, the pulp fiction writers who have traditionally populated the field, and those beloved 1980s television shows that we are so pleased to call cheesy today. The parody consequently provides three layers of potential entertainment.

If the premise of the series is not your cup of tea, then you’ll likely remain busy while identifying which classic ’80s-era TV shows are being spoofed at any given moment or deciding which genre writers Marenghi reminds you of most. No matter which way you go, however, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace is certain to tickle your funny bone in one spot or another.

The Verdict: A

Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace currently airs Thursdays at 10pm and 10:30pm EST on Sci Fi

Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace photo courtesy of Channel 4 (United Kingdom)