K9 (TV series)
- For the character of the same name, see K-9.
Overview
When the world needs saving, the right person for the job is a dog... A ROBOT DOG!
K-9 is a spin-off television series featuring the robotic dog K-9, that has been produced in Australia by Jetix Europe, Park Entertainment and Stewart Wall Entertainment.
School Reunion led to near-immediate plans to launch the Sarah Jane Adventures spin-off. However the rights to K-9 were obtained by other parties, for the purposes of creating a separate spinoff. According to news reports in mid-2007, the K-9 series will "feature a blend of live-action and CGI: K9 himself would be a CGI creation, but the show would otherwise be recorded in front of cameras." [1]
In June 2008 it was announced that production would begin on the series in July 2008, with all or some of the episodes being written by the co-creator of K-9, Bob Baker. Other announced writers include Shane Krause and Shayne Armstrong. The series will be produced by Simon Barnes, Richard Stewart and Penny Wall. Due to licencing issues, the robot dog has been extensively redesigned. The series was initially not expected to have any obvious connection to the Doctor Who universe.[2], but a 2009 update to the Park Entertainment website revealed that the series would explicitly star K-9 Mark I, and that he would initially appear to be of the same design seen on Doctor Who.[3] It will be the first Doctor Who-related series to not be produced or co-produced by the BBC. Aside from the 1996 telefilm, it will be the first time a Doctor Who-related production will not be based in Great Britain.
These licensing issues also prevented the K-9 Mark IV from making more than cameo appearances in The Sarah Jane Adventures. As of April 2009, Sarah's K-9 has only appeared briefly, in SJA. Two cameos were seen in the 2007 episodes, Invasion of the Bane and The Lost Boy. These have been followed by a 2008 cameo on Doctor Who in Journey's End, and a larger role in the mini-episode, From Raxacoricofallapatorius With Love. Possibly due to the announcement that the new series is to feature a different model, the Mark IV is set to make a more robust appearance in Series 3 of The Sarah Jane Adventures, at roughly the same time the Mark I's series is due to air in the UK. (It is expected Mark IV may appear in as many as half the episodes, though as of May 2009 only two have been confirmed.[4])
The first season of the series is planned for 26 episodes of 30 minutes apiece, which would give it a similar runtime to an average series of Doctor Who. It will more than double the runtime of an average season of The Sarah Jane Adventures, however.
The first episode of the series will air for the first time in the UK on the cable network Disney XD as a special on 31st October 2009, with the series itself expected to commence airing there in 2010.[5]
The canonicity of the series as it relates to the "Whoniverse"
Characters
Series 1
- K-9 - John Leeson [6]
- Starkey - Keegan Joyce
- Jorjie - Philippa Coulthard
- Darius - Daniel Webber
- Professor Gryffen - Robert Moloney
See also
External Links
to be added
Footnotes
- ↑ Lyon, Shaun (2006-07-18). More on K9 Series. Outpost Gallifrey News Page. Retrieved on 24-06-07
- ↑ K9 Series Production Latest, Outpost Gallifrey, 17 June 2008
- ↑ Park Entertainment expanded synopsis of the premise.
- ↑ BBC Press Office - The Doctor to appear in CBBC drama The Sarah Jane Adventures
- ↑ Doctor Who News Page Report
- ↑ Doctor Who Magazine issue 411 reports that John Leeson returns to voice K-9 for all 26 episodes
