Date set for Doctor Who spin-off

Captain Jack has been a character in Doctor Who since 2005

A sci-fi spin-off of Doctor Who will launch on BBC Three in late autumn, the BBC has confirmed.

Torchwood focuses on a squad of secret agents facing human and alien enemies, with actor John Barrowman reprising his role as time traveller Captain Jack.

Jonathan Ross and Anthea Turner will return to the channel's new season line-up with series on Japanese culture and how to be the perfect housewife.

Celebrities will become hairdressers to raise money for Children in Need.

A top beauty expert will train the contestants - whose names have yet to be revealed - in all elements of hairstyling, make-up and beauty techniques.

They will then put their skills to the test in the dressing rooms of other big names as they prepare to appear on the charity fund-raising programme in November.

Comedy pilots

BBC Three's autumn schedule also offers four brand new comedy series, including Pulling, co-created by Harry Thompson, the late producer of topical quiz Have I Got News For You.

It tells the story of a woman who splits up with her boyfriend shortly before their planned wedding.

Jonathan Ross will examine life in East Asia as part of Japanorama

Imelda Staunton and Kevin Whateley will also make cameo appearances in a series with the working title Dogtown, which tells of an eccentric fictional coastal town.

Work by satirist Armando Iannucci is among a season entitled Behind Closed Doors, which features several pre-watershed comedies.

And Max Beesley stars in a feature-length final episode of the drama Bodies.

The human body is the subject of a number of current affairs programmes on the digital channel.

Documentaries include 34-Stone Teenager and Too Ugly for Love, and there are programmes chronicling the lives of people dominated by eating disorders and binge-drinking.

Grime Scene Investigation - the title parodying forensic drama Crime Scene Investigation - promises that "flushing the toilet, brushing your teeth and combing your hair will never be the same again".