It's back! The Cloister Room bursts back onto the scene for Christmas eve in an episode that has... nothing to do with Christmas at all. Ah well. This week, I take a look at the state of genre television on major networks in the United States, looking at the problems posed by shows like Dollhouse and what the American industry can learn from the UK, and, of course, Doctor Who in particular. Feedback is welcome, and one particular question of interest: if an American actor had to play the Doctor, who would you want it to be? Some thoughts are in the episode, but I'd love to hear your opinion on this and other issues in the comments!

The Cloister Room returns! No, it has not been canceled before its time, but this is an episode about television shows that were canceled before their time. The question at stake: Is it worth setting yourself up for disappointment by investing in a show that's already been canceled, or looks like it will be? The answer: Well, you'll just have to listen to find out! Also, the Dune quote of the week. Which is a bit of a misnomer, coming from a podcast that makes no claim to a weekly schedule.

Elsewhere on the Internet:
You can hear Tom as a guest panelist on episode 7 of Bridging the Rift (as soon as it's released anyway, I'll put a link to the episode here once it's out).

And you can also hear Tom, singing! Tom has sort of started a Trock project called Blinovitch, and he sings a song about The Valeyard over at videobloggery. It's called "The Ultimate Foe".

Ha! After a brief dry spell, you thought this rookie podcast didn't have the staying power to last more than two episodes. But you were wrong, buster.

Last time on the Cloister Room, Tom promised a discussion of Star Wars. This week, he deviates from his plans but still fulfills the promise by talking about canonical issues in Star Wars. Also included is a defense of canon in Doctor Who. All this and also the Dune Quote of the Week in the third exciting episode of this rookie podcast.

Have a podcast? Want to run a promo for The Cloister Room? Well, please do!

This week on The Cloister Room, Tom takes a look at Captain Jack Harkness: the background of the character, the major events that have shaken him in Children of Earth, and his thoughts on the character's direction for the future. But that's only one of the four acts in this episode. Tom also discusses the recently unveiled trailers for the upcoming specials and Russell T Davies' attitude on religion in Torchwood: Children of Earth. It's far and away the most jam-packed episode yet, which, Tom admits, is really not saying much, as it's only the second one!

Useful Links:
The Waters of Mars Trailer (youtube)
The End of the World Trailer (youtube)
The Minute Doctor Who Podcast (discussed in this episode)

On Sunday, July 26 at 7:45 PM Eastern, I will be hosting a liveblog during BBC America's first airing of Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead, at my personal blog, tawm.net. You can join me and a bunch of other Doctor Who fans for a live discussion of Planet of the Dead as it happens on air. The chat will open early so people have time to arrive and say hi, then we'll watch the episode until its conclusion at 9:15 and stick around afterward for some discussion.

If you'd like to join us but don't get BBC America, feel free to bring along whatever copy of Planet of the Dead you have and we'll tell you when to start and stop to compensate for the commercial breaks and stay in sync with us.

Thanks to Chip from the Two Minute Time Lord podcast for this lively idea. His Torchwood: Children of Earth liveblogs were great fun. Unlike Chip's liveblogs, this liveblog will take a relaxed attitude toward spoilers as I'm assuming most of us have seen it already. The CoveritLive liveblog service makes it really simple which allows us to focus on having a good time.

I hope you'll join us! Just visit tawm.net at 7:45 and you'll find the liveblog.

There was a massive outcry for mp3 over m4a, and I have obliged. This special mp3 compilation of TCR:001 and TCR:002 contains never-before-heard linking material by Tom Baker. Wait, Dickinson. Did I say Baker? I meant Dickinson.

After a wishy-washy, namby-pamby episode zero, The Cloister Room roars onto the scene with its triumphant episode 001: "The Small Screen, the Big Screen, and the Bigger-on-the-Inside Screen."

In this episode, host Tom Dickinson kicks it off by discussing Doctor Who films: The ones that were made, the ones that were proposed, and the one that's rumored to be in development. All this and more (but not much more) in the exciting premiere of The Cloister Room.

The first, or rather zero-th, episode of The Clositer Room. Characterized by a distinct lack of any kind of content or enjoyability. Mostly just a test since I'm new to this podcasting thing.