AirLockAlpha.com

It's no secret that there has been some trouble in the Torchwood Hub after the recent cast shakeup that left two characters dead, and a heavily reduced episode order.

Well, now there appears to be more problems as BBC bosses axe former "Doctor Who" companion Freema Agyeman from the season three cast.

The Sun is reporting that after spending the summer writing the five-part story for the third season, "Torchwood" scribes have been forced to go back and re-draft their work to exclude Agyeman's Martha Jones character. What prompted the decision? Apparently, it was the result of a little old-school channel rivalry.

The tabloid claims that Agyeman (who also narrates "Bizarre E.R." for BBC Three) has been axed from the series after accepting a position on a new ITV drama based on the long-running U.S. series, "Law And Order." The new show, "Law And Order: London," has been given a 12-episode green light which is an unusually long commitment for a U.K. series.

ITV has long been considered the BBC's biggest rival and was the first "free" channel to be launched in the UK with broadcast expenses covered by commercial advertising.

"They're the Beeb's bitter rival," a source told the paper. "So the fact she's going over there to star in a big new project has not gone down well at all."

The BBC has remained tight-lipped surrounding the reports, however an official statement has been release stating that "as with any drama in the early stages of production, scripts evolve and change on a daily basis before being finalized."

"Torchwood" begins filming its third season in August and will eventually be broadcast in 2009 on BBC One.

Feeling a little horrific? Get your daily dose of horror news straight from The Doll, Rabid Doll that is at www.RabidDoll.com.

Hear Michael Hinman on SyFy Radio every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT at www.BlogTalkRadio.com/SyFyRadio.