Big news for Doctor Who and Torchwood fans today, as Starz USA announced that the fourth series of Torchwood will launch its premiere episode on Friday, July 8, 2011 at 10pm ET/PT. Starz has also released some new poster artwork for the new series, which you can view here at right. Entitled Torchwood: Miracle Day, the series originally from the BBC, will feature the return of John Barrowman and Eve Myles who will be reprising their roles as Captain Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper respectively.

New to the world of Torchwood are Mekhi Phifer, Bill Pullman, Lauren Ambrose, Alexa Havins, and Arlene Tur. Phifer is said to have a major role in Miracle Day, portraying Rex Matheson, a CIA agent investigating a global conspiracy behind what could be a serious threat to humanity.

The official announcement from Starz elaborates on the plot of Miracle Day:

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!

Entertainment Weekly and The Doctor Who News Page are reporting that Lauren Ambrose from Six Feet Under has joined the cast of Torchwood: Miracle Day, and will be portraying a character named Jilly Kitzinger. According to the EW report the character is “a sweet-talking PR genius with a heart of stone who’s just cornered the most important client of her career… and maybe of all time”.

Filming and production has officially begun on Torchwood: Miracle Day in Los Angeles, and Ambrose now joins a cast that includes John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Mekhi Phifer, and Bill Pullman. The new season is expected to be broadcast on BBC and Starz in July 2011.

The BBC has released a lot of new information concerning the upcoming fourth series of Torchwood, which has been renamed from Torchwood: The New World to the new title of Torchwood: Miracle Day. Some of the information included could be seen as spoilers, so bear this in mind if you’re trying to remain spoiler-free for the new season!

Along with new cast member Mekhi Phifer who will be acting as CIA operative Rex Matheson, John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness) and Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper) have been joined by Bill Pullman (Independence Day) portraying protagonist Oswald Danes, Arlene Tur (Crash) portraying Dr. Vera Juarez, and Alexa Havins portraying Agent Esther Drummond.

As indicated by the character descriptions released by the BBC, the events that bring Captain Jack back to Earth and draw Gwen Cooper back into the world of Torchwood surround a mysterious event that would become known as Miracle Day — forcing the heroes, notably Gwen, to make some very challenging and “terrible decisions” for humankind. Essentially, Miracle Day ties into a global conspiracy being scrutinized by Rex Matheson and Esther Drummond.