{alltv} 'Torchwood,' 'Dr. Who' shine on DVD

The finest British television -- ruling out popular soap operas such as Coronation Street -- often has a dexterity and wit lacking in too many American series. Call me an Anglophone or worse, but three new DVD and/or Blu-ray releases from the BBC this month prove my point.

Two because they are witty, imaginative and brilliant. One because it is not. In fact, it is surprisingly dull ... and so self-consciously American.

The two great releases are Torchwood and the latest incarnation of the 48-year-old supernatural science-fiction series Doctor Who, starring Matt Smith as the new Doctor. Given that Torchwood was a self-contained spin-off series from Doctor Who during the David Tennant era, there is no big surprise about the quality.

The bad release is Top Gear. I am talking about the U.S. remake, not the clever UK original, now up to Series 15 for home entertainment: 14 and 15 were issued on DVD and Blu-ray in February with 16 set for Aug. 9. I enthusiastically endorse them all. The U.S. version? The Americans failed to capture the same lightning in a windshield.

- Doctor Who: Series Six, Part One: Smith is so different from Tennant that the time-travelling Doctor becomes a new character -- again. Smith's first episode conquers another challenge: It is launched in the U.S. southwest and involves outer space. Trying to explain the plot would be a bittersweet spoiler. But it is ingenious, creepy and mind-blowing.

Both the DVD and Blu-ray are two-disc sets with seven episodes and identical basic extras, a doc called Monster Files. Expect more sophisticated and extensive sets later, but this budget-priced items are excellent for now. The Blu-ray transfers are gobsmackingly beautiful.

- Torchwood: The Complete Original U.K. Series: The three British seasons (2006-2009) are offered in two sturdy hardbound sets, either in a 14-disc DVD box or a 12-disc Blu-ray box. Both have the same extras, including an insightful documentary on the one immortal life and many deaths of Captain Jack Harkness (played by John Barrowman, born in Glasgow, Scotland, raised in Joliet, Ill., making him a perfect bi-cultural bridge for Torchwood).

In trying to explain the Captain's history as a time-travelling mercenary who suddenly finds himself in Cardiff, Wales, in contemporary times, executive producer Russell T. Davies explains that the character lives "throughout the 20th century."

Davies smiles and adds: "So you've got like an empty canvas. He's been anywhere, done anything, and we can have a bit of a laugh about it."

But the crime-solving adventures are serious, too, and so are Jack's vulnerability issues. He may not be able to die, but those around him can.

The controversial final series -- the one before Davies & Co. transplanted Torchwood to the U.S. this year to launch a new phase in Captain Jack's supernatural adventures -- makes him do just that. Held to just five episodes because of BBC budget cuts, the season defied ratings logic and proved itself to many, despite a change of mood and storyline.

- Top Gear: The Complete First Season (U.S. version): In comparison to what UK co-hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May do -- with gearhead help from Ben Collins as The Stig -- the U.S. co-hosts are lame. Adam Ferrara, Tanner Foust and Rutledge Wood lack chemistry and they're not rudely funny.

The Americanization of the series just doesn't work for those of us who seek out entertainment and not just information for car junkies.

They also miss the point: That the UK series was a truly international spectacle, such as the landmark Planet Earth series with motor vehicles instead of animals.

The American series is just roadkill.