Today marks a sad day around the universe for Doctor Who fans. Long-time cast member Nicholas Courtney has passed away at the age of 81. Courtney portrayed the famous Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, otherwise referred to as the Brigadier, alongside eight of the eleven Doctors. His first role as Lethbridge-Stewart was in The Web of Fear opposite Patrick Troughton‘s Second Doctor, and his final role in the Doctor Who universe was along with Elisabeth Sladen in a 2008 episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures entitled Enemy of the Bane.

Aside from Doctor Who, Courtney has made his mark in other television series over the years, including Escape, The Avengers, All Creatures Great and Small, and Yes Prime Minister. Despite his acting in other shows, he is forever known as the Brigadier, an aspect of his career Courtney was openly proud of.

News has been a little quiet on the Doctor Who front lately, but we do know that production is continuing on the three main shows, Doctor Who, Torchwood: Miracle Day, and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Meanwhile, we came across some cool info on the web that the official TARDIS prop is on display in front of a classic medieval castle in Wales.

In South East Wales, the Doctor’s TARDIS will be on display in front of Raglan Castle during the February half-term (for those of us not in the UK, half-term is a little vacation halfway through the school term — thanks, Terr, for the clarification).

Episode 19 of the TARDISblend crashes into Geeks of Doom, as we wait impatiently for the upcoming seasons of Doctor Who, Torchwood, and the Sarah Jane Adventures. For this edition, we review some of the recent news and rumors about everyone’s favorite Time Lord, and look forward to the new developments coming in Torchwood: Miracle Day.

We kick off the show discussing the news of Tenth Doctor David Tennant getting engaged to The Doctor’s Daughter Georgia Moffett, in addition to the news that the couple are expecting a baby. We also take a look at the new Classic Doctor Who Channel at YouTube set up by the BBC, which is a wonderful experience for fans old and new.

Additionally, we dive into the recent developments for the upcoming Torchwood season, taking a look at the new American cast lined up to join forces either with or against Captain Jack and Gwen (John Barrowman and Eve Myles respectively), as well as speculating about what Miracle Day may hold for the show’s heroes while we review the official plot synopsis.

All this and more on the latest TARDISblend!

Doctor Who fans, as well as some of our younger readers, might be interested in a new online Flash game released at the BBC website. The game focuses on The Sarah Jane Adventures, and is entitled Defending Bannerman Road.

Essentially, the game is like Angry Birds, with the exception that you’re shooting out rocks and objects to squash aliens from the Doctor Who universe including the Sontarans, the Judoon, and the Slitheen.

In addition, there’s also an online motion comic that follows the story of the game, as well as a video of tips from Daniel Anthony, who plays Clyde Langer in The Sarah Jane Adventures.

The TARDISblend returns to GeeksOfDoom.com and we take the opportunity to talk about further views of Doctor Who Series 5 and The Sarah Jane Adventures Series 4; as well as discussing some of the news and rumors floating around the web.

Listen to Episode 17 of the TARDISblend here below in our podcast player.

Co-host Tom Cheredar gives us the rundown of what you can expect in the new Doctor Who Series 5 Box Set. We discuss some of the cool extras thrown in, including some new footage Steven Moffat filmed with Matt Smith and Karen Gillan specifically for this DVD release.

Later, co-host Greg Davies takes a look back at Series Four of The Sarah Jane Adventures, and delivers his evaluation of the season. We take a look at the special episode from this series that featured Matt Smith, as well as Katy Manning reprising her role as former companion Jo Grant for The Death of the Doctor, and discuss the special revelations of Time Lord lore and Doctor Who continuity that came out.