Among other announcements, the BBC press office have announced that the Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures has been renewed for a third series ("series" is the British word for "season"). It is scheduled to return in Autumn 2009.

The Sarah Jane Adventures is more geared for younger children than its originator, but some of the episodes are pretty cute. I haven't been able to catch season two yet (I've watched season one). It's more a case of not having the time to catch them rather than a lack of interest (although admittedly I find Doctor Who itself more exciting than its spin-off, but I'm not the target audience. I think). I do want to see the episode in which Nicholas Courtney once again plays his Doctor Who character Brigadier Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart.

I just realized via the press release that one of Sarah Jane's child companions is called "Rani". One of the Doctor's nemeses was a Time Lady named the Rani. Is that a reference back to the original series?

(S04E13) The latest season of Doctor Who gets resolved with a story that seems rushed, confusing and filled with self-love on the part of showrunner Russell T. Davies. But that doesn't necessarily mean it was bad.

To begin, the CGI and special effects are quite possibly the best ever seen on the show. Despite being in charge of the specials that will be airing next year, it seems that this episode was treated as the last that Davies will ever run. As a result, he wrapped up most every storyline he could think of going back to the first season.

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In the No Duh News category, Sci Fi Channel has reported that they've acquired the fourth series (or season) of Doctor Who for air beginning in April. What's great additional news is that they've also picked up The Sarah Jane Adventures as well. The latter series focuses on Elisabeth Sladen's Sarah Jane, one of the most popular and famous "companions" in Who History, as she battles to keep Britain and the world save from alien encounters and invasions.

Sarah Jane is aided by a small group of children in her quest. And while the series has a lower budget than Who and is geared more towards a children's audience, I still found it to be tremendously fun. And any opportunity to see K-9 is worth it in my book!