Neighbours, hey.  Everybody needs good Neighbours – including Russell T. Davies who has signed up former Ramsey Street resident Dichen Lachman (Dollhouse, pictured right) to the denizens of Torchwood: The New World.

The stunning actress will be making a guest appearance in the premiere as a CIA Agent who’s believed to be an agent in the CIA (okay, so there aren’t a lot of facts about this role forthcoming yet.)

Also announced by Michael Ausiello from TVLine is the casting of Alexa Havins (All My Children) as Esther Katusi, a CIA Watch Analyst with ‘an unshakable faith in humanity’ and a monster crush on impossibly named colleague Rex Matheson, played by fellow Torchwood nubie Mekhi Phifer (ER)

As reported before, Greek actress Amber Stevens had been the front runner for the role of Esther until Russell T. Davies made the two fight to the death in his fabulously decorated Thunderdome.

The two newly minted ‘Wood stars will also be joined by Bill Pullman (Independence Day) as convicted murderer Oswald Jones (another Davies character with the surname “Jones”) a repellent, lustful beast who gets embroiled in a worldwide event, and Arlene Tur (Crash) who’ll be playing Surgeon Vera Juarez.

Torchwood: The New World is a co-production between BBC Worldwide and the Starz Network and will air both here and in the states simultaneously this summer.

(via Gather)