You look... different

Tube Talk is back! Sorry for the extended absence but you can thank Big Brother and a host of summer reality shows for that. A big announcement on that front at the end of this week's edition, which also boasts a super sneak preview of Dexter and news on the returns of several major US series.

Hyde hi
Don't miss the launch of Jekyll, a new serialised drama beginning on BBC One this Saturday. Full details in the spoiler spot on page three... Plus - if you have any questions for writer Steven Moffat - who, as I'm sure many of you are aware, is also a key scripting force on Doctor Who - get them into me at the usual place!

Prison Break jumps ship
For those who haven't heard, Prison Break is headed to Sky One. That's good news for those of you suitably equipped, who will be able to view it in HD and much earlier than Five would show it - but not for those of you without Sky One, who have now lost yet another major US show to Mr Murdoch's bulging wallet.

Dexter is coming
A show I've been asked about a lot in the last six months, Dexter finally makes it to British shores next month on FX. Click play below for a preview of what to expect!



Bonus Clickables
> Tube Talk MySpace - bonus Doctor Who hint!
> Premiere List page

Ready for the questions to begin? Excellent. Just click on to the next page and we'll get started!

Nam: "Hey Neil! Do you know when channel 4 will premiere Brothers & Sisters? And also if livingtv have plans to show Private Practice (Greys spinoff)? And when will Sky One premiere Hidden Palms? thanks!"

Neil: Brothers & Sisters launches next Wednesday (June 20) with two episodes - as is the custom, sandwiched between Big Brother - from 8.30pm. Bidding for Private Practice is still ongoing, but Living and Five are both frontrunners. Hidden Palms lands on Sky One this September. I've now seen most of this series and it's shaping up to be a good one (despite being ditched by The CW in the US) but more on that next time.

Charlotte: "When is Rome coming to BBC 2?? I heard May but obviously that hasn't happened."

Neil: Rome also returns next Wednesday (June 20) but you need to be extra vigilant this seaosn because it goes out twice a week, with new episodes on Wednesday and Sunday nights.

Aisha: "Hey neil, I was wondering if you knew when The Shield would be returning to channel five? It frankly was the best thing on TV last year!"

Neil: Only a couple weeks to go now: all-new episodes begin Friday, June 29. It's still in an 11pm slot though, I'm afraid.

JT is cool: "Has E-Ring definitely been shelved? The last episode left a serious cliffhanger to resolve. It even said 'to be continued..' as the guys were going to be shot at. Or have I missed an episode?"

Neil: E-Ring is definitely dead, dead, DEAD!

Claire: "Hi Neil. Great to hear Primeval has got a second series. It got better week on week and ended a great show. Are all the cast definitely back for the new series? After the cliffhanger it leaves us wondering....!"

Neil: I haven't unloaded my scoops for a while so in honesty, they're bulging right now. Lots of Primeval gossip down in the spoiler spot!

Lizzie: "I've really been enjoying season 3 of Veronica Mars. Do you know if there are any plans for a DVD boxset of season 1 or 2 in the UK? Also are there any plans for a 4th season?"

Neil: No immediate plans for a DVD release of Vera (although it should be noted, a release was originally planned for earlier this year). As for a fourth season, fans were finally put out of their misery this week. Mars bar, anyone?

Mark: "Hey neil do you know if they plan to release another season 6 DVD box set of sopranos, after the last 8 episodes have been shown, or do you think they will release them seperately"

Neil: There will be a "second half of series six" set (although given that the first half was labelled "series six", maybe they'll chear and label it "series seven" instead) after the show has wrapped on E4 this autumn. So you could wait then or you could just save yourself the trouble now and click here to find out how it all ends.

Nick H: "I recently caught an episode of Canadian fake-psychic show Psych on Emirates. I understand that the show is currently on Hallmark which is all well and good for those on $ky or Vmedia. Those of us with Freeview however are wondering if or when the show is due to appear on BBC2. Also, is it me or did Medium on BBC2 skip ahead a whole series when it came back? what happened to series 2?"

Neil: It's coming to BBC Two later this year. As for Medium season two, it has already aired so you must have missed it.

Suzi Barnes: "Great website! Do you know how the current series of Shipwrecked has done in the ratings and is another series planned?"

Neil: The show reaches a cumulative audience of about 2 million each week, enough to convince Channel 4 to bring it back for an extended run of thirty - yes, thirty! - weeks next year.

Richard Sutton: "Hi neil loving Tube talk, just wondering if one tree hill is going to be a full season of 22 episodes or will it just be 13? Secondly will any current shows on channel 5 like csi new york, prison break be moving to different channels like sky? thanks!!!"

Neil: Prison Break has gone to Sky One, but the likes of House, Grey's and the Law & Order franchise are all safe. You can bet Five will pay whatever it takes to keep hold of CSI. One Tree Hill has a full season order but won't appear until mid-season: when it does, however, it will be "dramatically retooled" and set four years in the future.

Jason: "Any supernatural gossip... Will it be coming back for a 3rd season and are itv2 picking it up for us over in uk, Also what are viewing figures in uk and usa??? P.s please post this question!"

Neil: A third season is confirmed, so worry not. It dropped quite a bit in the US last season, but that's mostly because of its horrendous new slot up against Grey's Anatomy and CSI. Over here it's still doing the biz - more than 600,000 viewers for ITV2 each Sunday.

Montrose: "Hi Neil, could you please tell me when the new series of C.S.I Miami will be aired on Five?"

Neil: It's back July 17, 9pm.

Michael G: "Just came accross the trailer for the new CW series 'Gossip Girl' and it looks good. Your thoughts on the show? It's produced by Josh Schwartz so hopefully there'll be some of the O.C. drama in it and it looks as if Schwartz has made the transition from West to East Coast. Any news on a UK pick up? E4 or Sky One possibly?"

Neil: Haven't seen it yet so I can't comment but I'd imagine E4 would be interested. The frontrunner is actually Richard Branson with Virgin, for their new 'Virgin One' channel.

Jon Sharkey: "I have heard that the complete series of The Wire from season 1 will be showing on FX. Can you confirm this and tell me when it starts??"

Neil: Yes, seasons one to four will play out in their entirety, one episode a week, beginning Monday, July 23 at 10pm.

Liam: "when will ugly betty start filming agin"

Neil: Filming will begin within the next month or two for a September premiere in the US and a likely January premiere on Channel 4 here.

Natalie: "Hi, now that sky have nabbed Prison Break from five, any idea if they will show season 3 a few days after they see it in the US like they did with Lost/24? Also, why don't more UK channels air programmes so soon after the US airing instead of waiting months and months...and months?"

Neil: It's yet to be confirmed but I'd imagine Sky won't hang around in showing it. For the most part UK channels wait until January to air US shows so they can air them without interruption (in the US, new episodes air between September and May, interspersed with repeats).

Rubia Malik: "When will the new bionic woman be shown on UK TV ?"

Neil: Depends on who shows it - maybe October, if not January time.

Warbo: "I read in the paper that Doctor Who will end in 2008. How can Russell T Davies and his team do this? If he quits, surely others could replace them. But, I must admit he is a good producer. Please tell me the paper's wrong."

Neil: Even if Russell and co quit, that almost certainly wouldn't spell the end for the show, assuming ratings hold up when the new Doctor takes over.

Robert Duffin: "Hi Neil, do we have any confirmation on C4 showing Sorkin's Studio 60? I heard maybe More4? Thanks, Robert."

Neil: It airs on More4 from the end of July. A Channel 4 screening is planned but nothing definitive, date-wise, just yet.

What to expect from new cult series Jekyll, plus gossip on the return of Primeval - all in the spoiler spot over on the next page...

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

Jekyll: A very strong start to a new series I'm sure many of you will instantly fall in love with. James Nesbitt plays the title role in a very modern take on the familiar tale (as if to prove it, our hapless doctor keeps track of his darker side using a dictaphone, a digital recorder and GPS). Helping him out is Michelle Ryan - soon to be seen on the other side of the Atlantic in The Bionic Woman - as Katherine Reimer, a friend to both Dr Jackman and Dr Hyde. We don't actually see Jekyll until away halfway through the first episode, when he makes some cracking (or should that be neck-cracking?) moves on an albeit nasty young kid. Don't miss it! Jekyll airs Saturdays at 9pm on BBC One

Primeval: Good news: ALL of the cast are back for series two, airing early next year. Plus there are some new additions to the team in the form of Karl Theobold (Green Wing) and Naomi Bentley (The Mark Of Cain). Meanwhile, Claudia Brown - a member of the original team - has never existed and the others have no idea who she was. With Helen gone AWOL, Nick alone must convince them their actions have inadvertently altered the course of nature, with the ever-present threat of Helen's return playing on his mind... Primeval returns to ITV in 2008

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

With Big Brother now on air - and coincidentally most major non-reality shows off air for the summer - Tube Talk will be updated less frequently. For the next few months Tube Talk will instead be published every fortnight, meaning the next new edition will be out on Friday, June 22. Keep the questions coming to the usual place!


Additional reporting by Kris Green and Nick Levine