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'''Torchwood''' is a science fiction drama television programme, created by Russell T. Davies and starring John Barrowman and Eve Myles. It deals with the machinations and activities of the Cardiff branch of the fictional Torchwood Institute, who deal with supernatural occurrences. An initial 13-part series was commissioned by the BBC as a spin-off from the long-running science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' with which it is closely interlinked. On 12 December 2006, the BBC announced that it was commissioning a second series.[1] The programme is produced in-house by BBC Wales, whose Head of Drama Julie Gardner serves as executive producer alongside Davies.
The first two episodes of ''Torchwood'' premiered on 22 October 2006 at 9 p.m. on BBC Three and BBC HD with all subsequent episodes of the first series shown at 10 p.m. every Sunday evening; each episode was repeated on BBC Two every Wednesday at 9 p.m. The post-watershed airings provide more adult content than found in the traditionally family-oriented ''Doctor Who''. The second series started filming in Spring 2007 and will premiere exclusively on BBC Two in early 2008.1[2]
| Contents |
| Overview |
| Cast and crew |
| Characters |
| Crew |
| Production |
| International broadcasts |
| Setting |
| Reception |
| Themes |
| Episodes |
| Spin-offs |
| Merchandise |
| DVD releases |
| References |
| See also |
| External links |
Overview
In 2002, before the revival of ''Doctor Who'', Russell T. Davies began to develop an idea for a science-fiction/crime drama in the style of American dramas like ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel''.[3][4] This idea, originally titled ''Excalibur'', was abandoned until 2005, when BBC Three Controller Stuart Murphy invited Davies to develop a post-watershed science-fiction series for the channel.4 During the production of the 2005 series of ''Doctor Who'', the word "Torchwood" (an anagram of ''Doctor Who'') had been used as a "codename" for the series while filming its first few episodes and on the 'rushes' tapes to ensure they were not intercepted.[5] Davies connected the word "Torchwood" to his earlier ''Excalibur'' idea and decided to make the series a ''Doctor Who'' spin-off.4 Subsequently, the word "Torchwood" was seeded in ''Doctor Who'' episodes and other media which aired in 2005 and 2006.
The series is set in Cardiff, some time after the ''Doctor Who'' series two finale, setting it in 2007 and later in early 2008 ahead of its actual air date. It follows the Wales branch of a covert agency called the Torchwood Institute which investigates extraterrestrial incidents on Earth and scavenges alien technology for its own use. To paraphrase Torchwood Three's commander-in-chief, Captain Jack Harkness, the organisation is separate from the government, outside the police, and beyond the United Nations. Their public perception is as merely a 'special ops' group.
The main writer alongside Davies is Chris Chibnall, creator of the BBC light drama show ''Born and Bred''. Other writers include P.J. Hammond, Toby Whithouse, ''Doctor Who'' script editor Helen Raynor, Cath Tregenna, and ''Doctor Who'' cast member Noel Clarke, who gained acclaim for his screenplay for the film ''Kidulthood''. Russell T. Davies wrote just the first episode.[6][7]
In a 17 October 2005 announcement, Stuart Murphy described Torchwood as "sinister and psychological...As well as being very British and modern and real." Davies further described it as "a British sci-fi paranoid thriller, a cop show with a sense of humour. [...] Dark, wild and sexy, it's ''The X-Files'' meets ''This Life''." [8][9] Davies later denied ever making this comparison, instead describing the show as "alleyways, rain, the city".[10]
As ''Torchwood'' is a post-watershed show — that is, after 9 p.m. — it has more mature content than ''Doctor Who''. Davies told ''SFX'': "We can be a bit more visceral, more violent, and more sexual, if we want to. Though bear in mind that it's very teenage to indulge yourself in blood and gore, and ''Torchwood'' is going to be smarter than that. But it’s the essential difference between BBC One at 7 pm, and BBC Three at, say, 9 pm. That says it all — instinctively, every viewer can see the huge difference there."
According to Barrowman:
: "I don't do any nude scenes in series one; they're saving that for the next series! I don't have a problem with getting my kit off. As long as they pay me the right money, I'm ready to get out my cock and balls." [11]
Davies also joked to a BBC Radio Wales interviewer that he was "not allowed" to refer to the programme as "''Doctor Who'' for grown-ups".[12]
BBC Three described ''Torchwood'' as the centrepiece of their autumn 2006 schedule.[13]
Cast and crew
Characters
The series two cast, including Freema Agyeman as special guest star Martha Jones
''Torchwood'', unlike its parent programme, centres on a team instead of a single character and companion(s). The show is based around Torchwood Three, the Cardiff branch of the Torchwood Institute, (created by Queen Victoria to defend the realm against 'supernatural and alien' threats after her meeting with the Doctor and a werewolf at a house named Torchwood in the Scottish Highlands),[14] tasked (among other things) to keep an eye on the space/time Rift that runs through the city, and whatever washes through it. Torchwood Three is a team of five operatives, led by Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), with Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) as the "new girl" who joins in the first episode and acts as a point-of-view character for the viewer. Aside from the team, one recurring character is Rhys Williams, Gwen's live-in boyfriend, who is unaware of the nature of Gwen's new job.
Other characters who have appeared in more than one episode include Tom Price as PC Andy, Caroline Chikezie as Lisa Hallett, and Louise Delamere as Diane Holmes. Toward the end of the first series, the character of Bilis Manger was introduced as a villain. It has not been indicated whether these characters will reappear in the second series.
Prior to the programme's debut, publicity materials prominently featured Indira Varma as Suzie Costello among the other regular cast members, giving the impression that she would appear beyond the first episode. However, Suzie was unexpectedly killed off at the end of the first episode, though she has appeared once since as a villain.
Series Two is set to feature ''Doctor Who''
| Actor | Character | Position |
|---|---|---|
| John Barrowman | Captain Jack Harkness | Leader, Torchwood Three |
| Eve Myles | Gwen Cooper | Police liaison |
| Burn Gorman | Dr. Owen Harper | Medical Officer; second-in-command |
| Naoko Mori | Toshiko Sato | Computer specialist |
| Gareth David-Lloyd | Ianto Jones | General support |
Crew
Richard Stokes produces ''Torchwood''. Originally, ''Doctor Who'' director James Hawes was lined up as producer. After directing the BBC Four drama ''The Chatterley Affair'', Hawes backed out of the project. Davies told ''Doctor Who Magazine'' that Hawes "has been having such a good time... that he's decided directing is his greatest passion, and as a result, he's stepped down." [19][20]
Helen Raynor and Brian Minchin are the programme's script editors.19 The series also shares ''Doctor Who's production designer, Edward Thomas. The show's theme tune is written by ''Doctor Who''
Production
''Torchwood'' began filming on May 1 2006 and the first series filmed until October 2006.[21]
The writers for the second series have been announced.2 Lead Writer Chris Chibnall will write the opening episode[22] and two further episodes[23] Catherine Tregenna will write two. Helen Raynor has also written two episodes[24], James Moran, Matt Jones, JC Wilsher, Joseph Lidster and PJ Hammond are all believed to be writing one episode each. Russell T Davies was initially announced as writing two episodes, but due to commitments to Doctor Who this was reduced to one. That was intended to be the opening episode, but since Chibnall is writing that it is unclear whether Davies will write any episodes.23 Block One, which consists of episodes by Rayner and Tregenna and is directed by Andy Goddard, has now finished shooting. Colin Teague is directing Block Two, which consists of Episode 2 by Moran and Episode 4 by Tregenna, with Ashley Way helming Block Three, consisting of Episode 1 by Chibnall and Episode 6 by JC Wilsher[22].
International broadcasts
The Canadian network CBC is co-producer of the series, [26] and will air the show starting in October 2007.[27][28] The show will air for French-speaking Canadian audiences on Ztélé.
The first series will be broadcast on TV2 [29] in New Zealand, and on Cuatro TV [30] in Spain in 2007.
In Australia, after ABC
[31]
and SBS passed on the series, Network Ten acquired the rights to air it.
[32]
After its premiere on 18 June 2007, the show was well received. The Sydney Morning Herald's 'The Guide''s reviewer said ''"The appeal of Torchwood is not so much that it's gloriously implausible sci-fi pulp, but that it knows it's gloriously implausible, sci-fi pulp."''
[33] Ten's press release cites rival programming in their decision to move the show to a Wednesday 12 am timeslot.[34]
On April 2 2007 it was announced that BBC America had acquired the rights to broadcast the series in the United States.[35] The series is scheduled to start on September 8 2007[36]; the broadcast of the series is tied-in to a "radical makeover" of the channel that is to occur later in 2007.35 Furthermore, HDNet has acquired the US HD rights for the first 26 episodes (Series 1 and 2) and will be airing Series 1 episodes on Monday evenings, starting September 17, 2007[13].
In Sweden, ''Torchwood'' premiered on 24th June 2007 on TV4 Plus. In Mexico ''Torchwood'' premiered on July 9th 2007 on XEIMT-TV Canal 22. In Spain it premiered on August 5th 2007 on Cuatro.
The show is set to run in France on NRJ 12. It will also air on KNN in South Korea and on TRT in Turkey.
In Brazil the series premiered on 28th August 2007 on People+Arts[38]
Setting
Roald Dahl Plass, the exterior of the Hub.
''Torchwood'' is filmed and set in Cardiff. Russell T. Davies told the ''South Wales Echo'', "With ''Doctor Who'' we often had to pretend that bits of Cardiff were London, or Utah, or the planet Zog. Where as this series is going to be honest-to-God Cardiff. We will happily walk past the Millennium Centre and say, 'Look, there's the Millennium Centre'." [39]
The makers of ''Torchwood'' deliberately portray Cardiff as a modern urban centre, contrasting with past stereotypical portrayals of Wales. "There's not a male voice choir ... or a miner in sight," said BBC Wales Controller Menna Richards.[40] Conservative MP Michael Gove described the debut of ''Torchwood'' as the moment confirming "Wales' move from overlooked Celtic cousin to underwired erotic coquette." [41][42]
The team's headquarters, referred to as ''the Hub'', is beneath Roald Dahl Plass in Cardiff Bay — formerly known as the Oval Basin. This is where the TARDIS landed in the ''Doctor Who'' episodes "Boom Town" and "Utopia" to refuel, and is the location of the spacetime Rift first seen in "The Unquiet Dead". The Hub itself is around 3 storeys high, with a large column running through the middle that is an extension of the fountain above (which in turn acts as an emergency escape route from the Hub).
Reception
Main articles: Criticism of Torchwood
As a spin-off of long-running British cultural artifact ''Doctor Who'', ''Torchwood''
In April 2007, ''Torchwood'' beat its parent series to win the Best Drama Series category at the BAFTA Cymru Awards. The awards, given by the Welsh branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, celebrate the achievements of film and television productions made in Wales. Eve Myles won the Best Actress category at the same awards, ahead of ''Doctor Who'' 's Billie Piper.[45]
Themes
Main articles: Themes in Torchwood
Torchwood explores several themes in its narrative, in particular LGBT themes. Various characters are portrayed as sexually fluid; through those characters, the series examines homosexual and bisexual relationships, and their problems. Although the nature of their sexual flexibility is not explicitly discussed, characters like Jack, Ianto, and Toshiko offer varying perspectives on orientation.
Through the use of repetition, in particular of thematically important lines and by drawing parallels between characters, the show also delves somewhat into existentialism, the value of human life, and the corrupting nature of power.
Episodes
Main articles: List of Torchwood episodes
The premiere episode "Everything Changes" was written by Russell T. Davies and served to introduce the main characters and roles within the series, using newcomer Gwen as the audience surrogate in a similar style to the introduction of the companion characters in ''Doctor Who''. The second episode, aired immediately afterwards followed on with Gwen's neophyte role, titled "Day One", with a classic "sex monster" science fiction storyline[13] in the vein of ''The Outer Limits'' episode "Caught in the Act" and ''Angel's second episode "Lonely Hearts".
The 13 episode series similarly ended with a two-parter on January 1 2007. The first part entitled "Captain Jack Harkness" was a love story set in wartime Britain, with a subplot which served to push the setting towards an "apocalypse" for series finale "End of Days" which dealt with the ramifications of diseases and persons from throughout history falling through time and across the universe, arriving in the present day, its focal point in Cardiff. The episode also set up Jack's return in the ''Doctor Who'' episode "Utopia". The second series of ''Torchwood'' will also comprise 13 episodes, and will feature "Torchwood's encounter with a rogue Time Agent; a tragic time-slip from World War One; and a memory-thief who uncovers long-forgotten secrets among the entire team."2
Spin-offs
''Torchwood'' has "a heavy online presence".[47] At the Edinburgh International Television Festival, BBC Director of Television Jana Bennett said that the online features will include the ability to explore the Hub, an imaginary desktop, weekly 10-minute behind-the-scenes vodcasts. Due to digital media rights restrictions most video content on the BBC3 websites is only accessible to users within the UK. "You can join the corporation of Torchwood and be one of its employees," said Bennett.[48] The Flash-based interactive website, including the Hub Tour, debuted on 12 October 2006.[49]
BBC Three is airing ''Torchwood Declassified'', a making-of program not unlike ''Doctor Who Confidential''. Each ''Declassified'' episode runs under ten minutes, in contrast to ''Confidential'' 's 45 (formerly 30).[50] ''Torchwood Declassified'' is also available online at the BBC's ''Torchwood'' site.
Accompanying the main series of ''Torchwood'' are several pieces of adult-focused [51] spin-off media including novels and audiobooks. On 4 January 2007, BBC Books published the first three original novels based upon ''Torchwood'' - ''Another Life'' by Peter Anghelides, ''Border Princes'' by Dan Abnett, and ''Slow Decay'' by Andrew Lane. The books were published in paperback-sized hardcover format, the same format BBC Books uses for its New Series Adventures line for ''Doctor Who''. These novels were later released, abridged, as audiobooks. Eight more ''Torchwood'' books are confirmed to accompany the second series.[52]
On 11 July 2007, Steven Savile revealed that he has been approached to write the first original audiobook for ''Torchwood'', entitled ''Hidden''. [53]
February 2008 will see a trio of ''Torchwood'' audios released; ''In The Shadows'', ''Hidden'', and ''Everyone Says Hello'' are all listed for release on February 4th. No further plot or narration information is available at this time.
Merchandise
Titan Magazines are offering subscriptions to a ''Torchwood'' magazine[54] which is expected to launch in January 2008. According to Titan's website, the magazine will feature interviews, behind the scenes features and original fiction.
DVD releases
| DVD Name | Release Date |
|---|---|
| ''Series One'' | Part One (Episodes 1-5): 26 December 2006 |
| Part Two (Episodes 6-9): 26 February 2007 | |
| Part Three (Episodes 10-13): 26 March 2007 | |
| Complete (Episodes 1-13): 19 November 2007 |
References
1.
2.
3. Davies: 'Buffy', 'Angel' inspired 'Torchwood' Ben Rawson-Jones
4. Inside the Hub: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Torchwood Series One, , Stephen James, Walker, Telos, 2007,
5. Doctor Who spin-off made in Wales
6. Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies talks about Torchwood spin-off series
7. Torchwood takes off!, , C., Hickman, Doctor Who Magazine,
8.
9. BBC to screen 'Dr Who for adults' as new spin-off show Ian Burrell
10. The Torchwood Files, , Nick, Griffiths, Radio Times,
11. 60 Second Interview : John Barrowman Andrew Williams
12. Russell T. Davies talks about ''Torchwood''
13.
14.
15. More Martha!
16. ''Spike from 'Buffy' and 'Torchwood's Captain Jack Harkness - Yowza!'', Chicago Tribune
17. ''John Barrowman rocks the TCA house ''AfterElton.com
18.
19. Torchwood Tales!, , Clayton, Hickman, Doctor Who Magazine,
20.
21. John Barrowman at LFCC: 2 July 2006 Q&A Transcript
22. Doctor Who Magazine 384
23. [1] - Scroll to making history paragraph three
24. Helen Raynor's agency
25. Doctor Who Magazine 384
26. BBC sci-fi thriller finds partner Akyuz, Gün
27. CBC's 'new direction': more drama, reality TV MacDonald, Gayle
28. Fall TV Preview Dertzo, Randi A.
29. BBC Drama and Factual Titles Head to TVNZ
30. Cuatro stocks up on U.S. fare Emiliano De Pablos
31. 2007 from the couch Michael Idato
32. Ten signs BBC's hit Dr Who spin-off
33. Torchwood: Think Men in Black, but without the budget Jim Pembri, June 18, 2007, accessed June 19, 2007 Sydney Morning Herald
34. Doctor Who and Torchwood schedule as of July 31 2007 August 7, 2007, accessed August 7, 2007
35.
36. Torchwood Secrets To Be Revealed
37.
38. Torchwood This Week - August 25, 2007 Volume 1, Number 42 August 25, 2007, accessed September 4, 2007
39. Dr Who spin-off based in Bay David James
40. Action, aliens - and it's filmed in Wales Karen Price
41. What could be sexier than South Wales? Michael Gove
42. What could be sexier than South Wales?
43. Torchwood scores record audience
44. Weekly Multichannel Top 10 programmes, ''BARB''. Accessed 7 December 2006
45. Dr Who sweeps Bafta Cymru board
46.
47. BBC chief sees future in computer generation James Robinson
48. BBC goes interactive with 'Torchwood' Neil Wilkes
49. Torchwood Videos
50. Torchwood Declassified
51. Justin Richards Talk - Birmingham
52. Russell T Davies interview with The Telegraph
53. Steven Savile Torchwood audiobook, ‘Hidden’, due from BBC
54. Torchwood (subscription page)
See also
★ Doctor Who tie-in websites
★ Doctor Who spin-offs
★ List of Torchwood episodes
★ List of Torchwood Writers
External links
★ Official site - BBC - 'Passcode = submitted'
★ Torchwood - BBC South East Wales
★ Torchwood organisation (BBC mini-site)
★ Network TEN - Torchwood - Official broadcaster site (Australia)
★ HDNet - American broadcaster
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