Alex Kingston in Who Do You Think You Are?

It has been announced that Alex Kingston – the Royal Shakespeare Company actress who plays The Doctor’s time-travelling companion River Song – will be one of ten celebrities to be featured in the ninth series of genealogy programme Who Do You Think You Are?

It's that time again: the names of the ten celebrities set to embark on genealogical journeys have been revealed. Scroll down to find out more about what's in store (in no particular order!) in this year's series of Who Do You Think You Are?, which features Doctor Who and ER actor Alex Kingston's discovery of some strong-willed – and inspirational – kin.

Musician and political activist Annie Lennox uncovers Scottish links, including relationships marked by illegitimacy and poverty.

MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace gets his teeth into a tale of tragedy and misfortune...

Comedian and actor Hugh Dennis traces two very different experiences of the First World War.

Coronation Street stalwart William Roache swaps the cobbles for the coast in for his episode, as he learns more about entrepreneurial ancestors and a formidable matriarch.

Comic actor Celia Imrie tracks down connections to key events in history (and links to the aristocracy) in her episode.

Shakespearean actor Patrick Stewart explores the story of his father, Alfred, who kept many of his experiences in the Second World War secret from his family.

Comedian John Bishop finds a host of colourful characters in his tree, including local celebrities and Crimean War fighters.

Former footballer John Barnes travels to Jamaica to discover more about his kin's involvement in the country's struggle for independence.

Finally, EastEnders' actress Samantha Womack – formerly Janus – encounters stories of estrangement and abandonment in her bid to understand a family enigma.

Who Do You Think You Are? Series 9 will begin (in the UK) with Alex Kingston’s episode on BBC One on Wednesday 15th August.

Sherlock VS Spock? - Star Trek filming commences

WARNING: this post may contain spoilers.

Filming is well underway on the new Star Trek film  in the franchise’s ‘reboot series’. Renound actor Benedict Cumberbatch has been cast as a big bad villain in the new film, and recent filming reports show photos of the Sherlock star shooting a fight scene between his character and Spock (played by Zachary Quinto, Heroes) and Lieutenant Uhura (played by Zoe Saldana, Avatar).

Director JJ Abrams was seen on set choreographing and directing this epic fight scene, which took place on top of a 180-degree-rotating Space Barge set with a green screen backdrop. Interestingly, Cumberbatch appears to be wearing a variation of the Star Fleet uniform, with black shirt instead of the usual red, blue and yellows.

Click the images to enlarge…

Zoe Saldana said of the leaked on-set pictures: “J.J. was very upset, I have to say that. It's not going to stop people from intruding, but they are, and it's such a bummer because it only hurts them by stealing away the surprise.”

The next Star Trek movie is due for release in 2013 and also stars Simon Pegg as “Scotty” (previoulsy played The Editor in Doctor Who ‘The Long Game’, Shaun of the Dead, Paul) and Chris Pine (ER, CSI Miami).

Star Trek & Doctor Who Crossover Confirmed

Tony Lee has confirmed that a new official crossover between Doctor Who and Star Trek is in production as a fully-licensed graphic novel. You may know Tony Lee’s name as one of the significant writers for the North American Doctor Who graphic novel series by IDW publishing, which began with Tenth Doctor stories and now covers Eleventh Doctor adventures.

The writer has confirmed that the crossover comic will be titled Star Trek: The Next Generation / Doctor Who: ‘Assimilation²’ and will feature the Cybermen and Star Trek’s Borg enemies in an alliance against Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise and the Eleventh Doctor with his companions.

PRESS RELEASE:

Star Trek: The Next Generation® crew and the Doctor face off against the Borg and the Cybermen

In conjunction with BBC Worldwide Consumer Products and CBS Consumer Products, IDW Publishing will make history when two of the greatest science-fiction properties of all time come together in a comic book for the first time. The world’s most popular time traveler teams up with the U.S.S. Enterprise crew in STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION/DOCTOR WHO: ASSIMILATION², taking fans on an adventure where no man has gone before.

“By joining these two sci-fi powerhouses, fans will be taken on the ultimate adventure through time and space,” said Liz Kalodner, executive vice president and general manager of CBS Consumer Products.

Launching in May, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION/DOCTOR WHO: ASSIMILATION2 will feature fan-favorite villains the Borg and the Cybermen as they create an unholy alliance resulting in potential disaster for all humanity. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise find themselves joining forces with the Doctor and his companions, with the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance.

“We are excited about this new adventure for the Doctor and the fact that he will be traveling with Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his iconic crew. This is a perfect partnership for not only Doctor Who’s incredible fans, but also for the brand. We have just celebrated our most successful year yet. Doctor Who’s latest season delivered record ratings for BBC AMERICA and it was most downloaded full TV seasons of 2011 in the U.S. on the iTunes Store,” says Soumya Sriraman, executive vice president Home Entertainment and Licensing.

This eight-issue series will be written by Scott and David Tipton, the authors of critically acclaimed Star Trek: Infestation, with a helping hand from longtime Doctor Who writer Tony Lee, and will feature fully painted artwork by J.K. Woodward (Fallen Angel).

Fans are encouraged to ask their retailers about the rare wraparound photo cover. Plus, artist Joe Corroney (Star Trek Ongoing) will provide a variant cover featuring the Doctor and friends aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise.

Doctor Who and Star Trek are two hugely successful franchises that began as television series, and have expanded into a number of other media, including comic books, which continue to captivate fans all over the world. Nearly five decades and 1,500 episodes in the making, this is the moment that both Trekkers and Whovians have waited for all their lives!

Star Trek: The Next Generation / Doctor Who ‘Assimilation²’ will be available to buy in North American stores (and online for other countries) for $3.99 full-colour 32-pages for each instalment of the eight-issue series in May 2012.

> Tony Lee’s blog