DOCTOR WHO SEASON 3: MARCH 31, 2007

Crank up your bit torrents and Gnutella search engines because Doctor Who returns to the BBC at 7PM on March 31, 2007. You can check out some trailers here. Following last years tearful goodbye to Rose (Billie Piper) and a new Christmas Special, The Runaway Bride, season one of the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood and a sneak peek at The Sarah Jane Adventures, it might seem to many that the Doctor, played by David Tennant, has never really left... but the best sci-fi show on television (take that, Battlestar Galactica drones) is returning with an all new companion (played by Freema Agyeman) and promises the return this year of one of the Doctor's greatest foes, The Master.

Anyone who watched Torchwood also remembers that series ended on a cliffhanger of sorts. After Jack Harkness saved the world he was picked up by the TARDIS and disappeared, leaving the team leaderless and adrift. His story will pick up towards the end of season three, and then, presumably, carry over back into Torchwood season 2.

This new idea, of turning Doctor Who into a cottage industry of BBC shows, The Sarah Jane Adventures for kids, Torchwood for adults and Doctor Who for everyone, is simply brilliant, and long overdue. The genius of the new shows is how perfectly they captures the essence of what made the old show so great yet still bring a fresh, modern sensibility to it.

Do yourself a favor and watch it.