The Doctor is In for a 5th series

• Martin Clunes will return as the curmudgeonly GP, Dr. Martin Ellingham, terrorizing the residents of the picturesque Cornish fishing village of Portwenn (or vice versa) for a 5th series of the hit ITV comedy/drama, Doc Martin. Also returning will be the great Caroline Catz (Louisa Glasson) and Ian McNeice (Bert Large) along with Joe Absolom (Al Large) and John Marquez as the village policeman. Dame Eileen Atkins  (Upstairs Downstairs) joins the regular cast along with an impressive line-up of guest stars. Filming is now completed for an upcoming 8 episodes and set for UK transmission sometime this fall followed by a U.S. public television broadcast in early 2012.

John Sullivan: Comic Genius – BBC One

• Since it’s probably best to spend Friday the 13th indoors, timing is everything, especially for those in the UK where it’s a must-see-TV Friday the 13th evening. The Comedy Genius of John Sullivan will air tonight at 8:30pm on BBC One, paying tribute to the genius of comedy writer John Sullivan, creator of Only Fools And Horses. The documentary will, most likely, be quite clip-filled along with tributes from the likes of David Jason and Nicholas Lindhurst.

Dark Shadows filming begins, I think

• Ok, Johnny Depp is from Kentucky, Tim Burton’s from Burbank (but he lives in London) so you’re wondering about the British connection here. Not to worry. Word is that production has just begun at Pinewood Studios. That’s all you need for a British connection in my book. Scheduled for a 2012 release, this has all the makings for greatness. Will be hard not to compare to the campy greatness of  the live aspect of the original 60’s series with the shaky walls and periodic glimpses of a production crew member, but it will definitely be another Depp/Burton original worth seeing.