Other Shows That Are Awesome

Believe or not, the twenty-first series of modern classic automotive show, Top Gear, is airing this month. (It started this week in the UK and will make its way Stateside beginning February 10 on BBC America. And, yes,Top Gear is really that old.)

According to the 2013 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records,the series is “the most widely watched factual TV programme”; however; the Top Gear of today is a far cry from its regional motoring magazine beginnings. Did you know, for example, that the show originally began in 1977? And that it used to look quite a bit different from it current incarnation?

In fact, you might be surprised by just how much has changed

Read on for a bit of a history lesson - and a look at some of the show's best moments!

There’s good news and bad news for fans of dark and gritty crime drama Luther this week. Good news: US audiences will finally get the chance to see the series’ third season as part of a special multi-night viewing marathon on BBC America beginning September 3 (that's tonight!) at 10pm. Bad news: Creator Neil Cross seems quite adamant about the fact that there won’t be a Series 4, due to the increasingly busy schedule of star Idris Elba.

“The show’s finished,” Cross told an audience at the Edinburg Television Festival. “Idris, as he should be, he’s gone on to be a big movie star.”

This is very upsetting, when one considers that Luther is definitely one of the best and most well-made crime dramas on television currently, though there’s probably something to be said for going out on top. But, that doesn't mean we've seen the last of DCI John Luther though - a feature film may be in the works. Read on.

E4 has confirmed which cast members will return for the final series of its groundbreaking teen drama Skins. The show will bow out with three two-part specials, each focused on a different character and their journey into adulthood.

The finale specials will primarily feature Kaya Scodelario’s Effy, Jack O’Connell’s Cook and Hannah Murray’s Cassie, though it’s looking likely that several of the other regular Skins cast members will make appearances in each of these episodes. For example, Lily Loveless and Kat Prescott are set to appear as fan favorites Naomi and Emily, though none of the specials will technically be centered on their characters.

The episodes – titled Skins Pure, Skins Rise and Skins Fire - will be written by series creators Brian Elsley and Jamie Brittain, with some help from Jess Brittain. Series 7 is described by producers as being “more adult” and “more uncompromising” than previous installments, since the teens are now young adults facing real-world problems. Well, well, well, huh? Click through some for some plot details about each of these new episodes and my thoughts on all this madness. (Spoiler: It’s a mixed bag.)

Fantasy drama Merlin returns for a fifth series this autumn and the BBC has released the first trailer for the upcoming episodes, which features lots of sword fights, dragons, BFF moments and, of course, lots of magic. It looks really, really good! Bonus: The trailer is set to a really awesome Muse song.

Click through to take a look at the first Series 5 promo for yourself, as well as get some details about the direction of the new season.

The very first official Doctor Who Convention took place over the weekend in Cardiff. Though I personally was engaged in some fairly active wailing and gnashing of teeth over the fact that I wasn’t there to be part of what I assume to be the most awesome event ever, something good did come out of it those of us who couldn’t take part.

As a special sneak peek for fans attending the convention, the first trailer for Series 7 was premiered – and it’s now online! In case you were curious, it also looks awesome (and is so much longer than I expected!). There’s lots of footage from the upcoming Wild West episode, some creepy new monsters, Amy wielding a gun, and a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot of Sherlock’s Rupert Graves, who is guest starring this season.

Click through to see the brand new teaser for yourself and take a look at the first official photo of new Companion Jenna-Louise Coleman while you’re at it!

We’ve known for a while now that current Doctor Who companions Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill would be exiting the TARDIS at some point during this upcoming season and ever since their departure was confirmed rumors have been flying about who their replacement(s) might be.

For a couple of weeks, the consensus online has been that former Who guest star Sophia Myles (better known to many as Madame de Pompadour from Series 4 episode The Girl in the Fireplace) was the frontrunner to replace Gillan, however, as it turns out, that’s not the case.

Click through for more details on the newest addition to the Who family – the good stuff’s under the cut in a (probably vain) attempt to protect those that don’t want to see any spoilers. This news has been everywhere the past 24 hours though, so if you’re one of those people, proceed with caution online for a bit. Onward!

Crime drama Whitechapel recently concluded its third season run in the UK, but Americans won’t have to wait very long to see the series’ new cases for themselves. BBC America has announced that Series 3 will premiere on the cable network as part of their Wednesday night “Dramaville” block starting on March 28.

If you’ve never seen Whitechapel before, it’s an extremely well put together crime series that features modern-day murder cases which are “inspired” by famous cases of the past and played out over multiple episodes. (Series 1 was Jack the Ripper and Series 2 was the Kray twins.) The format of Series 3 has undergone a bit of a shakeup – now we’re getting six episodes split into three two-part stories, rather than one single mystery spread over three episodes. Bit of an adjustment, but the quality of this show is so high that I think that giving them more episodes to work with can only lead to good things.

Click through for a look at BBC America’s new trailer, which gives us a pretty good idea of what sorts of cases Series 3 will focus on (read: still extremely creepy and scary).

E4 has decide to end its groundbreaking teen drama Skins next year. The series, however, will go out with a bang – its seventh season will consist of three two-hour specials that are slated to screen next year and bring back several former cast members, in what Channel 4 is promising will be a “celebration of a truly iconic series.”

Created by the father-and-son writing team of Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain, Skins’ first season aired in 2007 and the show received both critical acclaim and complaints for its dedication to realistically depicting the issues facing modern teens, including family problems, sexuality, drugs, eating disorders, mental illness, death and, of course, loads of relationship drama. The cast was also regularly changed from series to series.

Click through for details on what familiar faces we might see as the popular series signs off.

Earlier this week, filming for Doctor Who Series 7 officially kicked off in Cardiff, Wales. This series will see the last days of the Ponds in the TARDIS, as Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill return for their final season alongside Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor.

Click through for a first look at stars Smith, Gillan and Darvill in costume on the set, as well as an update on some confirmed upcoming guest stars many of you will probably be excited about – particularly if you’re Sherlock or Harry Potter fans.

Everyone remembers incredible BBC documentaries Planet Earth and Life, yes? Full of so much beautiful footage and so many amazing animals that even people who don’t like nature documentaries (cough cough yours truly cough) loved them?

If so, then you’ll probably be equally excited for the premiere of Frozen Planet, the next massive and presumably amazing documentary from the creators of Planet Earth that focuses on our planet’s polar regions. This seven part series aired on BBC One last year and we Americans can finally see what all the fuss is about for ourselves when it premieres on the Discovery Channel starting March 18.

Click through to watch the Discovery trailer– it will give you chills (I mean, the baby polar bear, just…my heart)!