David Tennant quits Doctor Who. I'm depressed.

David Tennant sensationally announced that he was quitting Doctor Who at the end of filming the current specials here in Cardiff.

Tennant made this shock announcement as he was given Actor of the Year Award a the National Television Awards on Wednesday evening, during which Doctor Who got the award for best TV Drama - for the fourth year running.

By far the best Doctor Who ever, the Scottish actor who plays the tenth Time Lord confirmed that he was to remain in place for all of the four specials, to be aired at Christmas, and thru'out 2009. Tennant, who addressed the awards ceremony during the interval at his stage show, where he is playing in Hamlet, then dramatically announced he'd not be appearing in the fifth series.

Tennant was reputedly offered £3 million ($4.5 million) to play the Time Lord for two more series, yet he disappointed millions of adoring fans, including myself, using that age old cherry - that he felt it was time to move on, and that he didn't want to end up "being wheeled out of the Tardis in his carpet slippers". Maybe it's just greed - with gargantuan offers allegedly having been made for lucrative projects in the US.

But, who'll be holding the Tardis keys in 2010?

Cold Feet star James Nesbitt has often been mentioned as the actor in the frame to become the 11th timelord, but bookmakers Paddy Power favour Paterson Joseph as the favourite to take over the role, offering odds of 3-1 on him becoming the first black doctor. He is so wrong for the role. Unlike Tennant, there's no humor, no sex appeal, no mystery - just a steely stereotype of.. himself.

Nesbitt appeared in two earlier episodes of the show playing Roderick alongside previous doctor, Christopher Eccleston.

Joseph, 44, trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and is probably most familiar to television viewers as Mark Grace in Casualty, and he also starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Hollywood film The Beach. Talent? Yes. Sex appeal? For me, not really.

Life on Mars star John Simm and his co-star David Morrisey (who looks like a jacket potato) in political drama State of Play are also given odds of 8-1 and 5-1 respectively to pick up the keys to the Tardis. He'd be a disaster - and for me at least, a total turn-off.

All of these, with the exception perhaps of the enigmatic John Simm (who previously played the Master) are dull and uninspiring. More shocking - and for me, a killer, is the rumor that the BBC Wales' producers are even considering a woman for the role. No issues with women - but definitely NOT as Doctor Who!

Watch this space - I have my ear to the ground!

Disappointed - and a depressing time in my life has now become unbearable. I really, really really do need a new life.

Chris@Torchwood, CF

Powerizers rock!

Great day down Cardiff Bay. Was totally fascinated by a load of guys leaping around - seemingly 6 to 12 feet into the air on these strange, kangaroo-leg devices called 'Powerizers'.

These are clearly awesome, must-have devices, though I'm told they're hard to impossible to learn to use. Kneepads clearly essential - the prospect of landing on knees at full force from these heights makes the happiest of faces grimmace.

Still, at about £200, Powerizers seem like real fun, and Cardiff Bay, with its many promenades, piers & boardwalks, plus ample stappage is the ideal place to own & use them!

Other highlights: A visit to Cadwaladr's Ice Cream parlor - with a delicious vanilla, chocolate, mint chip & crunchy caramel ice cream (massive, ant total, unmitigated greed) and a group of 60+ year old women singing "nice & easy" songs on the Tesco's Stage at the Millennium Center. Unforgettable! (Who were they?)

Settled down to TV now... The Real ER on DMAX... What a way to end the day!

Chris@TW in Cardiff

The search for a quiet breakfast!

Isn't life strange? You set out for breakfast on a quiet Saturday morning, and you just want somewhere quiet to relax & engulf approximately 2,000 calories of delicious saturated fats, for a cost of somewhat less than three squid.

There's a choice of options... Morrisons & IKEA being about the best, PitStop Cafe being a clost third. Then there's the caravan club: great breakfast, £3.50: but sour service from a total misery!

The choice is made. It's Morrisons: get in before 10.00, and it'll be quiet. Service will be quick.. and the bacon will be CRISPY!

Then... where to sit?? Avoid the Chav table... bound to be vulgar. Avoid the high chair area - bound to be babies. (though cute - some might scream- and I need peace!).

Hmm... the area near to the newspaper corner looks cool - there's no one there, and who' s likely to want to read the Times?? After sitting down, somewhat satisfied that you actually made it for breakfast.. one quickly becomes aware of a snoring sound from behind.

Then moaning... then the sound of demented words, being spoken, appearently to nobody. Then shouting, and the smell of alocohol. Finally, the sight of that old, grey crumpled suit. CURSES! You've been joined by the village idiot - the token nuisance, found in every breakfast cafe, every day!!!

Blast! I tried so hard to find the right place... but it's all gone wrong! Subtle plan: The Change of Table routine. This is done by pretending you've forgotten something, say milk for the tea. Carefully, grab your breakfast, lift your coat and head stealthily for a distant table, picking up the milk as you go. A table is found... peace & tranquility is restored.

For 30 seconds.

The sight of McKenzie trackpants, a dodgy baseball cap (Nike, of course) and K-Swiss trainers. You've been joined by the CHAV FAMILY FROM HELL (or more probably, Barry).

Fortunately, after taking a fw moments to snigger & the idea of someone wearing Converse & Skinny jeans (hysterical, I know)... The family of Welsh Vicki Pollards move on... to smoke outside the store.

Life is good!
Torchwood CF

Fantastic weekend, doing very little in Cardiff. At last, we had three days of late summer, and it brought everyone out - the town full of loads of different accents, proving that half of Swansea, Bridgend, Newport, The valleys and apparently Lithuania had hit the town to make the most of this far too rare weather - 26'C at is't peak - the hottest October day in Wales for over ten years! ( I love this global warming!)

Saturday saw Wales play Liechtenstein in the fantastic Millennium stadium, in the World Cup Football early qualifiers. - apparently the country has only TEN professional footballers, so they had to train some more up just for the match. Oddly enough - Wales won, though to be honest - they played poorly, and didn't really deserve it.

Great to see flag sellers, the usual (screaming) Sons of Jesus, the sad guy with the plastic microphone & tin pot full of copper coins, and... direct from Hot Fuzz (great film!).. one of those CURSED moving statues!

Saturday afternoon - the park, sunbathing & watching some free-runners do impossible things which defied gravity... God knows how that was possible! Fascinating - very entertaining, and incredibly brave! Good also to see several ice cream vans & a Hot Dog van (they're common over here) adding to that 'fiesta' atmosphere!

Sunday - as ever, FAR too big a lunch (pork this time) plus a 6 mile walk from Penarth, over the Barrage to Cardiff Bay and its many attractions. Great views of ships in the channel, WSM looking close enough to touch - but still an agonizing 70 minute drive away in reality, and a number of jetskis flirting around. Managed a sleep on the Barrage - always a pleasure AND a 400 kilogram ice cream from Cadwaladr's Ice Cream Parlor. Awesome stuff - totally & utterly addictive!

Then it was Monday.... the rest... you can guess!

Summer-like October day in Central Cardiff. A view of the National Museum of Wales from the park.

Lots of sun, quite a few people and the odd Liechtensteiner looking very out of place.

We've even got shouting religious maniacs and a cursed moving statue a la Hot Fuzz - everyone's out today!!

"Velcome to Three! how may I make your day a misery??"

The familiar sound of Three Customer Services.... guaranteed to make even the nicest, calmest, sanest of us decline into absolute misery, and even the most saintly individual collapse into a rabid fit of four-letter profanities, rather reminiscant of a 1970's Sex Pistols concert. (Man... they were good!)

Buying a new phone is always an awesome experience, especially for those of us just a little too far over on the geeky side of life (GUILTY and well proud!). Nothing beats the excitement of a new Nokia, or even the sheer unmitigated pleasure of the iPhone 3G (excuse me, I feel feint!!).... the sheer ecstasy of opening the box & peering at the new beast for the first time.... Sigh!

However, delight soon turns to unbelieving disappointment when after dialling 333 and encountering Three Customer (Dis)Services for the first time, perhaps to ask the simplest of questions, or just to speak to someone (vaguely) human cuz you're sad & bored, you realise in an instant.... you should have stuck with 0-range, Vodaclone, O-god or Nearly Mobile - or anyone other than Three!

Those famous words... "Velcome to Three, Mr....... How ken I help yeeuw" start off the conversation that soon turns to an abject shambles. "Ken you help me with your pahs vord"... then, soon after... "Vell, I am wery sorry, but that is not the pahs vord I have vritten down for you"...

Things quickly go from bad to worse, and it becomes crystal clear that what ever you want, you ain't going to get it. Whatever you ask. the reply comes straight from a screen prompt - you're actually talking to a robot.... Frustration builds! To save the day, and to help keep you calm, you ask for a supervisor.

"Vill you kindly vait, Mr. **** vile I get the superwiser for you" At last , hopes rise, as you're about to be addressed by a higher life form... then, all of a sudden, and totally out of the blue... MEEP MEEP MEEP!! The call hasdropped... they cut you off....

You queued for 40 minutes to get thru first time... and had to make 1,000 choices to speak to an allegedly-living human... Your heart sinks, your energy drains... and the only thing that can save the day is.... hot chocolate... rieki massage... aromatherapy... and that classic McFly video!

The future's bright!

Have a nice day!

Torchwood, Cardiff!

In the interests of balance...

Having just published the hideous image of the Indonesian Treeman, I feel compelled to restore karma by adding a supplementary image - this time, something nice. What comes immediately to mind is Andrew van Wijngaarden - of MGMT.

Great band - check them out on YouTube, or buy their excellent 'electro' album, 'Oracular Spectacular'. The best tracks to sample are 'Time to Pretend'; 'Kids' and 'Pieces of What'.

Check it out!!

Torchwood!

The Treeman & Shizz...

Got home after a LONG day at HQ and a meeting which was as long as a giraffe's neck, but not quite as hairy.

My first action was to put on Kerrang! - as I needed rock therapy to put me in the mood to attack a mountain of dishes, which had somehow grown massively over the past few days. I'm sure the neighbor is creeping in with extra ones, just to add extra pain to the misery!

Dishes done - the next task was to put on the TV - perhaps for something light & cheerful, like Buzzcocks, or Torchwood. Sadly - my fingers found Channel 254, Discovery Home & Health, a channel I've previously banned myself from watching. Instantly - I was hooked on the story of the Indonesian Tree Man, a sad guy who's body has been infested with fungus & warts, giving him, suprisingly, the appearance of a tree.

His hands look like bark, with foot-long branch things coming out, and tangled 'roots' everywhere. Pretty sick - but addictive TV, and fascinating science! They were just about to use a saw to remove some of the 'branches' when those fatal words sounded out: "Next week on Extraordinary People!"

Curses!! I'll have to wait till Thursday now!

No real news - but did bang into John Barrowman on Sunday afternoon, almost literally. I was out shopping in Windsor Road, Penarth, (the seaside suburb of Cardiff) - when I noticed two guys - one in jeans & a brown leather jacket. The accent gave it away - it was John.

He was out with his partner, trying not to get recognised. He seemed largely to get away with it. I did resist the temptation to speak...(or am I not totally telling the truth on this minor point!!)

Gotta go....time for The Real E.R!!!

Have a cool week!

Torchwood CF

Testing out Shozu!

Just testing an iPhone app called Shozu. Seems to offer a lot - but can I get it to work?!

I'll let you know in a month!

Just a test from Shozu, I think!

Trying to work out how to use Shozu