There is British science-fiction television beyond "Doctor Who."

Well, you say, I know that; there’s "Torchwood."

You are right, but there is more, and I’m going to clue you in to some of it.

For the past several years, I’ve been participating in panels on British television at science-fiction conventions, some along with Airlock Alpha’s Michael Hinman. These panels have been well-attended, which lead me to think it was time I shared with you some of what we’ve found on our own and some suggestions other fans gave us.

Patrick Stewart stars in "The Eleventh Hour" as a physics professor who’s called in by the British government to investigate instances of science gone wrong. Intrigue, science and, of course, Patrick Stewart, make this one to add to your queue of must check out shows. I know it’s in mine.

"Life on Mars" and the sequel series "Ashes to Ashes" will appeal to time-travel fanciers. I actually much prefer "Ashes to Ashes," but that could be due to the main character being portrayed by an actress I also liked in "MI-5." In any case, I suggest you give these two a look.

Long before the movie "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy," there was a radio show and then a television series. The television series stars nearly all the same people as the radio program and is somewhat truer to the Douglas Adams style than the recent film. I’m not knocking the film but do give a look at the telly show. It’s really quite brilliant.

"Red Dwarf" is another series that you should see if you haven’t already. The main characters Dave Lister, last known human alive, and Arnold Rimmer, a hologram of Lister’s dead bunkmate, have a relationship that is sometimes Odd Couple and sometimes Laverne and Shirley. Trouble seems not to follow but to catch right up to them and pounce upon them.

The original eight regular-length seasons and a shortened ninth are available at various video outlets. The most recent season filmed last December is not yet available, but I imagine we’ll get a chance at it sometime soon. Word is out there on the Internet that it’s been confirmed that there will be another season filmed in 2012.

"Hyperdrive," which comes up on Netflix as a like if you watch "Red Dwarf," stars Nick Frost, Miranda Hart, Kevin Eldon, Stephen Evans, Dan Antopolski and Petra Massey. The time frame is 2151-52. The crew of the ship Camdon Lock are charged with protecting British interests in an ever-changing galaxy.

In the course of their adventures they meet quite a few odd aliens, my favorite of which are the shiny red robots of Ortis. There are only two six-episode seasons of the show with no third season yet contracted. We know, however, that does not mean the show is forever gone. Just look at what happed to the good Doctor.

If you like going into the vault, you might have a go with "Sapphire and Steel" or "Blake’s 7." The former is readily available on DVD in various formats but the latter seems to be available only in region 2 format, so you need a region free player for it if you are in the United States.

"Sapphire and Steel" is an oldie that has quite a lot of mystery. The intrepid agents Sapphire and Steel are revealed not to be human. There is little explanation of what they are, but you do find out that they are in some way protecting the current time stream.

Apparently, time is a corridor that has been weakened in spots and it takes things from the current time stream to those spots, or something like that. It’s open to interpretation, but this does seem to be the consensus. In any case, it’s got Joanna Lumley and David McCallum in the lead roles. Do I need to say more?

"Sapphire and Steel" hasn’t got the whole market on surrealism. "The Prisoner" showed us in the United States what surreal was in 1968-69 and then in numerous rounds of reruns. Most science-fiction fans have heard the phrase, "I am not a number," but don’t know that it comes from the man called Number Six in "The Prisoner." He cannot seem to quite figure out The Village and why he is there. We can’t either, but it’s fun trying to do so.

"Outcasts" is one of the newer shows that has aired on BBC and BBC America. It’s got that mysterious, quirky thing going on along with some flat out adventure science-fiction.

Some other programs you might want to look for are: "Primeval," "Survivors" (the remake), "The Sarah Jane Adventures," "Merlin," "Camelot," various incarnations of Robin Hood, and "Misfits."

If you have a science-fiction or fantasy show you’d like to tell me about, please drop me a line. I’m always looking for something new to watch. I’ve got a big television and an Internet connection, and I’m not afraid to use them.