2008 TV Preview
Now that we've got all that Christmas and New Year business out of the way it's time to look ahead to the programmes that will be brightening up those long, dark winter evenings.
There are some very familiar faces popping up among the influx of big new US shows. Leading the pack is former EastEnder Michelle Ryan who stars in the title role of ITV2's The Bionic Woman. Ryan plays Jaime Sommers, a young woman who is saved from death after receiving pioneering medical implants (no, not those sort of implants). These implants then give her extraordinary powers and she becomes - ta-dah - the bionic woman.
Another former soap star popping up in a big new US drama is Anna Friel, who stars in Pushing Daisies - also coming to ITV2.
Friel plays Chuck, the childhood sweetheart of Ned, a man who possesses the ability to bring people back from the dead simply by touching them. When Chuck is murdered, he brings her back to life however, the downside of his gift is that if he ever touches her again she will die - permanently. Bit of a downer that one!
More stars on the comeback trail include Jason Donovan and Martine McCutcheon in ITV's new soap, Echo Beach and its sister show, Moving Wallpaper, which is a fictional account of the making of the series.
Echo Beach centres around Susan (played by McCutcheon) and her ex-lover Daniel (played by Donovan) and other well-known faces in the show include The Full Monty's Hugo Speer, Corrie's Johnny Brigg and Footballers' Wives Susie Amy.
Meanwhile, on Moving Wallpaper Ben Miller stars as Jonathan Pope, the fictional producer of Echo Beach. This all might sound a bit confusing, but with former EastEnders' supremo Tony Jordan at the helm and the team behind Spooks and Life On Mars on board this is definitely one to watch.
Speaking of Life On Mars, the eagerly-awaited follow-up to that series, Ashes To Ashes comes to BBC1 over the coming months.
This time around the action is moved forward to the 80s where DCI Gene Hunt is teamed up with female detective DI Alex Drake, who is stranded in 1981 following an accident.
Life On Mars was a massive ratings and critical hit so Ashes To Ashes has a lot to live up to. Let's hope it succeeds!
BBC2's The House Of Saddam has been described as a Sopranos style take on the life of the former Iraqi dictator and there's more historical drama in Channel 4's City Of Vice which looks at the founding of the police in London. Glenn Close transfers to the small screen as a devious lawyer in the hotly-tipped US drama Damages on BBC1.
Other new drama series to look out for include ITV2's Gossip Girl, E4's Reaper, BBC1's Mistresses and Virgin 1's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Returning favourites include Torchwood, Desperate Housewives, Wild At Heart and Primeval.
The big reality shows for the winter months include the return of Dancing On Ice, with a line-up that includes Gareth Gates, Samantha Mumba, Hear'Say's Suzanne Shaw and Greg Rusedski. over on BBC1, Graham Norton will be presenting The One And Only, which is searching for the UK's best tribute act - Stars In Their Eyes reborn! Graham Norton will also be hosting I'd Do Anything later in the year which sees Andrew Lloyd-Webber search for the cast for a new West End production of Oliver.
If you like your reality shows with a bit more bite then look no further than Channel 4's Vanity Lair. Claws will be sharpened for this series as ten "self-declared attractive people" move into a luxury mansion and then must decide who should stay and who should go as new recruits turn up at the house. Alexa Chung will be presenting the weekly update shows and the winner will walk off with £10,000.
New BBC3 reality series, Upstaged, challenges contestants to keep an audience entertained for eight hours in whatever way possible. The action will be screened online, with highlights on TV, from a perspex box in Bristol.
And last of all, TV will finally eat itself, if he hasn't done so already, with ITV1's drama reality series, Rock Rivals. This new show, from the makers of Footballers' Wives, is based loosely on The X Factor format and viewers will get to vote at the end of the series for which of the fictional acts they want to win - and yes, they will go on to release a single. Let's just hope there are no problems with the voting lines!
Take a look at the gallery below for images from some of the season's big new shows...
