I am a dentist. I am not Rambo.

DS at the Baftas
British TV's biggest night of the year finally arrived last weekend as the stars came out in force for the BAFTAs. I was there too.

Having donned my tux, I arrived in style - straight down the Bakerloo line - and made my way down the red carpet with my date for the evening, DS soaps editor Kris Green. Ignoring the screams from the paparazzi and calls for autographs from the assembled throng, I had a brief pit stop with the DS camera crew (didn't they do well?) then made a slow walk into the auditorium behind a severely crippled Ruby Wax.

The ceremony itself passed by fairly reasonably, and largely without incident - although with some surprises (Casualty taking best soap and Ross Kemp On Gangs winning best factal stand out) and a hilarious foul-mouthed tirade from award presenter Joan Rivers that almost certainly didn't make the final edit.

The Pioneer Audience Award - which, lest we forget, was voted for by you - went to Life On Mars, and I couldn't have been happier, following its snubs in the panel-chosen categories. Later I was told that it won by a very significant margin, and that it was down in large part to readers of Tube Talk and the DS forums! Hurrah! Don't we have great taste?

On to the extravagant after-party at the Natural History Museum. Thanks to someone not telling me that the glasses and glasses of Ribena I was consuming were actually red wine, things got hazy quite quickly, but I did make a few noteworthy observations:
* Margaret off of The Apprentice spent a good long time chatting on to Moira Stewart
* On the other side of the room, Pam St. Clement had a little boogie, a sight that has successfully burned an indelible image in my retina
* A certain ex-EastEnders star is quite a rude person - even when confronted with a perfectly affable soaps editor
* Graham Norton is surprisingly uncamp on-demand
* The two new X Factor judges have been decided upon for quite some time - but won't be confirmed until the first day of auditions next month

More from the ceremony in Kris Green's Soap Scoop.

Prison Break bonus
Next up, a Prison Break exclusive. Last week we got some time with Robert Knepper, aka everyone's favourite homicidal maniac, Theodore 'T-Bag' Bagwell. Click here to read what he had to tell us about the show and, if you've already seen the season two ender or just fancy being spoiled, hit play in the window below to see what Robert has to say about season three. (Incidentally, that sprightly young thing doing the interview is our entertainment reporter Nick Levine. Everybody say hello to Nick, now.)



The week's headlines
UK buyers were out in Los Angeles this week for the LA Screenings - their chance to view next season's new fare - but after last year's "feeding frenzy", the wallets were buried much deeper in their pockets. That didn't stop Five making the first swoop, however, picking up a new David Duchovny sitcom, Californication. The BBC also did some nice business, forking out an estimated £9 million for the exclusive UK rights to Heroes season two (good news for BBC Three, not so good for Sci Fi). Back here, Life On Mars star John Simm signed up for a curious new one-off drama being filmed over the next five years (I can relate: that's almost as long as it takes me to write this column). Meanwhile, plans were unveiled for an ambitious new series about humanity's plans to colonise another planet.

Bonus Clickables
> Tube Talk MySpace - bonus Doctor Who hint!
> Premiere List page
> Interview with Lost star Marsha Thomason (that girl Naomi who parachuted onto the island)

A longer intro than usual, eh? Hmm, I must just be chatty this week. Good job, because your questions begin in earnest - all on the next page...

Darren: "Being as the Lost Finale is coming up, this doesn't necessarily mean the show is over for good does it??"

Neil: No, there are another three seasons to go before we're put out of our misery: Lost will finally end in 2010. Hopefully with every question we've ever been asked nicely answered.

Beccs: "Hi Neil. Do you know if there's going to be a 2nd series of the fantastic Tripping Over? The last episode of the current series seemed to suggest there's more to come?"

Neil: Better than that, I'm told there are another two seasons in the pipeline.

Ben: "Are [cough and splutter!] leaving greys anatomy? Because the finale suggests they are?"

Neil: The first is definitely staying, but for the second the future is not so bright.

Russel Guppy: "Why no mention of Medium season 3 - it's not on the premiere page and it starts tomorrow night (May 20) on BBC1 at 10:20pm - do a stop press, add it it the premiere page, make people aware of it, goddamn it!! ;) Other than that you do a great job - keep up the good work"

Neil: A shocking omission on my part. My sincere apologies!

bupesh: "hi neil... you said we should look out for Pushing Daisies... i certainly agree... a maintstream zombie show?! been looking forward to it since it was announced... but i read that in the upfronts its network didnt pick it up...."

Neil: It most certainly has been picked up. It gets an 8pm Wednesdays slot on ABC, airing just before the new Grey's spinoff Private Practice. More on this - and the many other new series - in the coming weeks!

Lauren: "My friend and I have happily been watching 3lbs and then, if im not mistaken, it just vanished and we didnt get to see the last 2 episodes. You know what happened?"

Neil: BBC One has now aired the full series but if you missed any of the eps, fear not, because it gets a rerun on the frightfully inappropriate US block of programming on UKTV Gold later this year. In the US, the final 2 eps never aired on CBS but will be made available on innertube, if they ever get round to it.

Steve: "Have Dexter and Psych been picked up for a second series?"

Neil: Yes to both! And for all those who have been asking, I can now finally confirm that Dexter makes its UK premiere on FX, Sunday, July 8 at 10pm.

Mark Gould: "Please help, i am obsessed by Shark on Channel five, but I am hearing rumblings that this may not be renewed,as you are the font of all knowledge is this true??"

Neil: NOT TRUE!

Laura: "Any info on Sugar Rush? When the next series starts and if there are plans to repeat the previous series at all?"

Neil: There is no next series, sorry to break it to you. Series one and two are out on DVD, though.

Rubia Malik: "Please can you let me know when Smallville will be shown in the Uk?"

Neil: Depends what season you're after. Season five finally wings its way to Channel 4 next Sunday (June 3) but as for season six, it's likely you'll have to wait until the end of August for it to come out of hiding. Still, there's Big Brother to enjoy in the meantime, right?

Philip: "Hey Neil, I was just wondering if you could clear something up for me. I started watching Bad Girls on Five Life, but have recently discovered that it is still playing on ITV3. The one's on ITV seem to be from an earlier series to that on Five. Will ITV stop airing Bad Girls after the current series finishes it's run ? I'm just confused as to how to try and follow it best !! =)"

Neil: As many a Scrubs fan will tell you, this is the well-documented problem of a series airing on multiple channels. In the case of Bad Girls, Five Life has from series four while ITV3 has the earlier seasons. As far as Scrubs goes, your guess is as good as mine.

Alex: "Hi, love TUBETALK why did you stop tttv? Anyway I have seen the finale of Desperate Housewives via a torrent and ... [cough! splutter! ACHOO!!] Please help!! I can't wait till October"

Neil: It certainly looks that way, doesn't it? My guess is that she won't, though. And Tube Talk In Video had to end, if only for health reasons. Apparently people across the country were passing out through swooning too much.

Jon: "I am currently enjoying Friday Night Lights on ITV4 but it seems to have stopped showing. Is this a mid-season break or has it been cut??"

Neil: It's still there, Wednesdays at 8. The pesky football does interfere now and again though, so be extra vigilant if you use Sky+ series link.

Calvin: "Will the BBC be making the most of Heroes, and show it in HD?"

Neil: I haven't been able to get confirmation on this - but I'm about 90% certain it will get the treatment Sci Fi couldn't afford it.

Jack Wilkins: "Just wondering,when finally after endless trails for it,'Touch Me I'm Karen Taylor' will come to BBC3? The pilot was great and I am hopeful that there is going to be a series this time?? (Apologies for the Gaz from Supergrass commment!)"

Neil: Despite the childish insults, your wish is granted. A six-part series starts Tuesday, June 12 at 10.30pm.

Roger Rabbit: "How long has NBC/Sci-Fi show "Heroes" been commissioned for?"

Neil: So far, for a second season plus a six-episode spinoff, Heroes: Origins, for broadcast next summer. And unless it takes a severe ratings tumble next season, you can rest easy that it will be around for a while yet.

News on the next Doctor Who, plus the US season finales reviewed - all on the next page!

Some spoiler-free thoughts on the four big finales from the US this past week. Agree or disagree? Let me know in the usual manner.

Desperate Housewives: You'd be forgiven for thinking that this was just another run-of-the-mill episode, but the final few moments will send your jaw careening for the floor. 4/5 (Airs Wednesday at 10.15pm on Channel 4)

Heroes: The tension and excitement are evident as the season-long storyline builds to its climax - but when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, it feels a little rushed. The preview of volume 2 is exactly the sort of cliffhanger needed for a season finale: intriguing, but not excruciating. 3/5 (Airs July 10 on Sci Fi)

24: The worst 24 ender ever, unfortunately. An unsatisfying "pay-off", lots of untied loose ends and a bizarre cliffhanger ending. 1/5 (Airs Sunday on Sky One)

Lost: Not much answered in overall plot terms, but resolve is brought to many of the season's character-led stories, with a nicely executed end for one long-standing cast member. And a final moment revelation that makes the nine-month wait for season four all the less tolerable... 4/5

As always, select the area to the right of each programme to read the text - but be warned that you may well be spoiled.

Doctor Who: It's back to business after a simply stunning episode last week. The denouement falls flat relative to its build-up but still surpasses most of what we've seen this season thusfar. Most of the episode is spent waiting for the boy to open the damn watch and let the Doctor out - but ultimately it's John Smith who has to make the call whether to sacrifice himself. We all know what choice he must inevitably make, but a touching "alternative" allows us to see what life would have been like for the Doctor had he chosen to live out his human days. Once again we see a different side to the Doc - with his punishment of the family, his apparent disregard for a confession from Martha and a surprising offer he makes to the Matron. Doctor Who airs Saturday evenings on BBC One

Send your requests for shows to be featured in the Spoiler Spot to the usual place.

That's it for this week - more next!


Additional reporting by Kris Green and Nick Levine