In what could be argued as a coincidental nod to Douglas Adams' famous answer to the ultimate question, Russell T. Davies has brought back the Doctor Who series 42 years after its premiere in 1963. Since its resurrection in 2005 North American audiences have been treated to two new incarnations of The Doctor (Christopher Ecceleston and David Tennant), a new Companion (Billie Piper), and a stunning collection of new and fantastic adventures. The reintroduction of the franchise has brought back many of The Doctor's old adversaries like the Daleks and the Cybermen. They have also introduced us to many new and engaging characters as well.

In the second season episode, "Tooth and Claw," The Doctor and Rose travel back to 1879 Balmoral, Scotland and find themselves saving Queen Victoria from a malicious alien intelligence. As the adage goes, no good deed goes unpunished and despite earning their reward for saving the Monarch's life, their efforts set in motion plans for a special agency to monitor and protect England from alien influence. Thus, by Royal Decree, the home and namesake of this organization is born: Torchwood. As a humorous bit of trivia, the name Torchwood is an anagram of Doctor Who. In order to keep episodes of the first new Doctor Who series under wraps from television pirates, all the material was shipped to the BBC under the label of Torchwood.

The Torchwood team is led by Captain Jack Harkness. Fans of Doctor Who were introduced to Capt. Jack in the episode "The Empty Child" and the character made four subsequent appearances, eventually parting ways in the episode "Bad Wolf." The team consists of Gwen Cooper, former Police Constable; Owen Harper, resident genius; Toshiko Sato, technology expert; and Jack's second-in-command and hardware specialist Suzie Costello. Together they protect England, and the world itself, from alien influence and dangers beyond the comprehension of everyday people. 

Where Doctor Who roams time and space in his adventures, the Torchwood team is centered in the Welsh city of Cardiff. According to an interview given to BBC, Russell Davies said "Cardiff would be used more often as a location than in Doctor Who. With Doctor Who we often had to pretend that bits of Cardiff were London, or Utah, or the planet Zog," he said, "Whereas this series is going to be 'honest-to-god Cardiff.' We will happily walk past the Millennium Centre and say, 'Look, there's the Millennium Centre.' It's nice to be able to say this is the city, and this is how good it looks."

Russell also says that this will be a sexier, funnier and very different series than Doctor Who that is focused for a more adult audience. Torchwood will be a series that will stand on its own characters and stories. While the stories are in a similar vein as the Doctor Who stories, Russell states that there will be no crossover between the two shows.

  
Never let it be said that Russell is limited in his ambitions. In 2007, British audiences will be treated to yet another series based on characters from Doctor Who. Aimed at a youth audience and being broadcast on CBBC (Children's BBC) The Sarah Jane Adventures will introduce a whole new generation to the Doctor Who universe. Fans of the earlier series will remember Sarah Jane Smith as one of the most popular Companions to two different incarnations of The Doctor (John Pertwee and Tom Baker) and most recently in the recent episode "School Reunion," which also featured her special friend K-9. Much to the delight of many fans, Elizabeth Sladen returns to reprise her role as the cunning and resourceful Sarah Jane Smith.

The Sarah Jane Adventures will begin with a 60 minute special to air in Great Britain early in 2007 with regular episodes to begin at a date yet to be announced. Russell Davis spoke with the BBC Press Office and said that, "Children's TV has a fine history of fantasy thrillers--I loved them as a kid, and they were the very first things I ever wrote. So it's brilliant to return to such a vivid and imaginative area of television."

Assisting Sarah Jane in her investigations is her 13-year-old neighbor Maria, played by Yasmin Paige. In the special they are brought together during Sarah Jane's investigation of an addictive new drink called Bubbleshock. The special will also feature what is reported to be the one and only appearance of K-9, The Doctor's parting gift to Sarah Jane.

Russell T. Davis will be at the helm of both shows as Executive Producer and will also be providing his considerable writing talents as well. As of this date there is no information available as to when either of these series will be aired in North America.