Following the broadcast of the Doctor Who Christmas Special, the TARDISblend returns, as we not only review A Christmas Carol, but discuss the new teaser trailer for Doctor Who Series 6, and discover a couple of bits and pieces you may have missed!

To kick off the show, we dissect the new trailer, discussing the elements we enjoyed seeing the most, and then highlight a couple of minor pieces of footage included in the trailer that connect to a stand-alone episode in Series 5 called The Lodger. We dive into reviewing A Christmas Carol, and examine the excellent performance of Michael Gambon in the show.

Later, we review some of the related Doctor Who news floating around the web — including information about new cast members for Torchwood, and a free Doctor Who e-book released by the BBC.

See below for the podcast player to listen to TARDISblend Episode 18.

The Torchwood news continues to trickle onto the web, with the announcement that Mekhi Phifer from the series Lie To Me, will be joining the cast of Torchwood: The New World. He will be set as a lead character to act opposite John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness) and Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper) in the upcoming fourth series.

Phifer will be playing a CIA agent named Rex Matheson, who Deadline points out is “a fast-tracked high-flyer with a lethal sense of humor who starts to feel his mortality when his life is put in danger.” It is unclear at this point whether he is allied with Torchwood or otherwise.

Torchwood: The New World is a joint venture between BBC and Starz USA that will see the series move out from its Cardiff, Wales, setting into a more international focus. Filming and production is said to include the UK, the United States, and Canada, under direction from showrunner Russell T. Davies.