The programme information for Spooks series 9 has officially been revealed!

The BBC Press Office have released this information alongside an interview with Richard Armitage who plays Lucas North in the show.

The date and time of airing has yet to be confirmed but it will be in the week of September 18-24 and we will keep you posted with all the latest Spooks developments!

• Spooks episode 1 of 8
• Spooks Feature

The plot is thickening. All messageboard members know about the report from someone who had spotted Sophia Myles on set of her top secret project last Sunday and now The Daily Mail seems to confirm the information: Sophia Myles is joining UK’s BAFTA-winning TV Show Spooks, which comes back for it’s 9th season this autumn on BBC1. The show is described as TV thriller and is also airing in the US on PBS, although under the name MI-5.

Some information about her role from the article: She’s the new all-action counter terrorism operative and she’ll be in all 8 episodes of the new season. (Scan sent in by Lorna – thank you!) She’s re-united with Richard Armitage, with whom she shared the stage back in 1999 for a few weeks. This is terribly exciting news and I can’t wait to hear more!

• Sophia’s ready to be Spooked, The Daily Mail, March 19

Exciting news: Sophia Myles has a new job! Congratulations! Of course we all can’t wait to see Sophia Myles back in action and I’m sure we would all love to know what it is. But her job is top secret at the moment and will be announced as soon as possible.

In the meantime, look at some pictures of Sophia Myles leaving the Royal Haymarket Theatre in London with her good friend Anna Friel after seeing her on stage in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s‘ on November 30, 2009.

016 Leaving the theatre after seeing ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’

As an upgrade of the existing podcast feature I’m very proud to say that thanks to the wonders of technology Absolutely Sophia Myles has its own radio station now. It’s called In Sync With Sophia. And now the most fabulous news: Sophia Myles has agreed to come on the show as our very first – and of course extra special – guest as a Christmas treat for the Absolutely Sophia Myles members! This took place earlier tonight and you can listen to it now! I edited it slightly to cut out the times when we unsuccessfully tried to bring people on the air.

• Live version on BlogTalkRadio

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments on the new layout! Luna and I really appreciated it. Speaking of which, Sophia Myles has sent a message to the website:

The new layout is beautiful Mia. My thanks to you and to the fantastic fans for giving life to such a wonderful site. Love Sophia

Thank you. How exciting! And to showcase how much life you guys are giving to the site I added some more fanart.

117 Icons – by Maike
008 Icons – by Luna
001 Banner, by Chrissy
001 Fanart, by moviefnatic
003 Wallpaper (1024 x 768), by Natalie
001 Wallpaper (1280 x 1024), by Chrissy

Wondering what Sophia Myles is up to at the moment? The Daily Mail has the scoop:

• Lady Penelope leaves her pink Rolls behind as she goes on a backpacking adventure

‘I have ticked a lot of those material aspiration boxes – I’ve been in big movies, I’ve bought a house. But at the end of the day inner peace is the most important thing,’ says vicar’s daughter Sophia, 29, who appeared in the 2004 Thunderbirds film.

‘I’m going backpacking to Thailand on my own, and I hope to get across to Cambodia. I haven’t planned anything. I’ve just booked a ticket, and I’ll see what happens.

‘I would have been quite scared to do it ten years ago, but now is the time. I’m doing it on my own. It could be a really liberating adventure’

Isn’t this fabulous?! It makes me want to go on a similar adventure myself!

This is to let you know that Sophia’s scheduled appearance at the Oxford Union next Monday has been postponed to somewhen later in the year. Further details will be posted here on the site when available.

Mark your calendars UK fans! Sophia Myles will speak on the evening of Monday, May 4, 2009 at the world renowned Oxford Union at, where else, Oxford University!

Previous speakers included statesmen, leading figures from the world of sport, stars from films and theatre as well as other people to debate today’s issues. Expect further details on tickets and exact times on the official Oxford Union website in the near future. Here some background information about the debating society:

The Union attracts figures from all walks of life and continues to maintain its unparalleled reputation for international guests and speakers. To name a few, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama and even Kermit the Frog have all found the time to come and speak at the Oxford Union. Every term, every year, the Union has a tremendous range of high-profile speakers unlike anywhere else in Britain, or indeed the world.

The world of film, television and theatre has always played a major role in the Union – speakers included Dianna Rigg from ‘the Avengers’ in the 1960s to Charlton Heston in the 1970s. Recently actors ranging from Sir Ian McKellen to Nigel Hawthorne, Peter O’Toole to Julia Ormond have addressed the Union. For the more light hearted, members have heard from Stephen Fry, Leonard ‘Spock’ Nimoy and John Sessions. Such events give members an opportunity to hear, question and challenge in a relaxed atmosphere. Few other places can offer students the chance to meet the real person behind the famous face.

IGN got the exclusive on the press release about the ‘Outlander‘ DVD. It will be released on May 19th.

The Outlander DVD will retail for $19.97 and include the following bonus features:

• Deleted Scenes
• Commentary by Writer/Director Howard McCain, Writer Dirk Blackman, and Producer Chris Roberts and John Schimmel
• Visual Effects Tests
• Animatics
• Production Design Galleries

And The AD noticed that the Weinstein Company has officially moved ‘Outlander‘ out of the “Now Playing” listing and to the DVD listing on their website. No luck in getting to see it on the big screen in the US now if you’ve missed it so far, I guess.

Remember, before ‘Outlander‘ is released on DVD in the States, it will be released on French DVDs April 2, hit cinemas in Turkey April 10 and in the UK April 24.

The French DVD/Blue Ray will be a 2-disc edition and feature the following extras:

• Making Of
• 27 deleted scenes
• 14 scenes (animated version)
• Special Effects

I have no other information about release plans for Canada or Australia. Look out for news on the Outlander fansite as this will likely be the first place to have new info.

The official ‘Outlander’ blog has been updated by the movie’s co-writer Dirk Blackman. Straight from The Weinstein Company he has the locations where ‘Outlander‘ will be released on January 23:

San Francisco, CA
Chicago, IL
Philadelphia, PA
Washington D.C.
Dallas, TX
Atlanta, GA
Boston, MA
Houston, TX
Seattle, WA
Miami, FL
San Diego, CA
Detroit, MI
Sacramento, CA
Orlando, FL
Tampa, FL

Finally, after too many years to count, the movie will be out there. So do what you can, oh ye faithful – email your buds in those cities, make some noise. If we do well, we might even get the recalcitrant folks at TWC to roll it out further.

And one last thing: go see it yourself and have a good time. I hope you enjoy it.