Children of Earth
Encyclopedia
Children of Earth is the banner title of the third series of the British television science fiction
series Torchwood
, which broadcast for five episodes on BBC One
in 2009. The series had new producer Peter Bennett
and was directed by Euros Lyn
, who had considerable experience on the revived Doctor Who
. Torchwood is a series about an organisation known as Torchwood
which defends the Earth against alien threats. The plot of Children of Earth deals with aliens demanding the Earth's children, and a related earlier conspiracy; as such, Torchwood is pitted against the British government
when it attempts to conceal its past actions and concede to the present-day aliens' demands. The first, third, and fifth episodes of the serial were written by executive producer Russell T Davies, who also conceived its overall storyline. The third episode was co-written by James Moran
whilst the second and fourth were penned by newcomer John Fay
.
Because the BBC was not awarded the increase in the licence fee
they requested, Torchwood (like Doctor Who the same year) faced budget cuts. As part of Davies' agreement with the BBC, Torchwood was stripped across the network's premiere channel, BBC One, every weeknight for one week in July 2009. Despite the move to BBC One, the show was cut from a standard thirteen episode run to just five, something that lead actor John Barrowman
felt was almost like a "punishment" from the BBC. Production on the mini-series began in August 2008, and Barrowman along with actors Eve Myles
, Gareth David-Lloyd
, and Kai Owen
(now given co-star billing) all returned. The serial significantly features new actors to the series over the course of its five episodes, most prominently Peter Capaldi
. Russell T Davies had to substantially rewrite parts of the serial to accommodate the unavailability of actors Freema Agyeman
and Noel Clarke
, whose presence in the serial had been set up in the 2008 Doctor Who finale
.
When the series defied expectations by achieving good ratings (peaking at 6.76 million), Davies stated that a surprised BBC Controller rang to congratulate him. Mid-summer evenings are typically considered a graveyard slot
for television series. The serial also received very positive reviews, particularly in comparison to the programme's previous two series, as well as a BAFTA Cymru
award, a Saturn award and Celtic media award, all for best serial. Some fans were upset by the death of a main character in the fourth episode of the serial. A collective of these fans called for the writers to bring back the character in a future episode but Davies, his co-writers and the programme's actors stated that doing so would damage the integrity of the serial. On the back of Children of Earth' s success, a fourth series was commissioned in 2010 in conjunction with the US network Starz. The new series, entitled Torchwood: Miracle Day was screened in 2011.
Permanent Secretary
John Frobisher is aware these events are tied to an alien race known as the 456, named after the wavelength they communicate on. The 456 appeared in 1965, secretly offering the British government a cure to a new strain of Indonesian flu
destined to wipe out 25 million people, in exchange for 12 children. Captain Jack Harkness
was one of four soldiers who were chosen to give the children to the 456. As public knowledge of the exchange would be disastrous for the British government, Frobisher orders, through troops under Agent Johnson's command, the assassination of those involved in the previous contact. Johnson plants a bomb in Jack's stomach, which goes off inside of the Torchwood
Hub in Cardiff and destroys it. Aware of Jack's regenerative abilities, Johnson's troops collect Jack's remains and lock them in a secure facility, monitoring the reforming of his body. Gwen Cooper
, her husband Rhys
and Ianto Jones
, due to their association with Jack, become fugitives from the law. Frobisher also orders construction of an isolation tank inside Thames House
to receive the 456 when they arrive.
The remaining Torchwood team make contact with Lois Habiba, a new personal assistant in Frobisher's office who has seen his classified files. Lois helps the others to locate and rescue Jack; they, in turn, provide her with special Torchwood contact lenses that will allow them to see what she sees, hoping she will help them learn the cause of these events. Torchwood also has identified and rescued Clement McDonald, originally one of the twelve children to be taken away but left behind by the 456. Clement went mad due to the experience and has been institutionalized the last 40 some odd years, but still responds in the same way as the children to the new 456 signal.
On the third day, the 456 arrive on a column of fire over Thames House before appearing in the isolation tank. Frobisher and his staff, including Lois who has worn the Torchwood contact lenses, hold confidential meetings with the 456 to understand why they have returned. The 456 demand that 10% of the world's population of children be handed over to them, or else they will destroy the human race. Children around the world begin to chant (still in English) a number equal to 10% of their country's child population. Torchwood, with Lois's help, announce themselves and insist they intervene in the situation, threatening to reveal the 456's demands, recorded through the contact lens, to the world. Jack and Ianto approach the 456 and demand that they leave or else they will face a war. In response, the 456 trigger a lockdown of Thames House and inject it with a lethal virus, killing everyone inside, including Jack and Ianto. At the same time, they send an auditory signal to Clement, killing him. When Jack revives, he and Gwen mourn over their loss.
With Torchwood's failure, and Lois in prison for charges of espionage, the governments of the world secretly make plans to deliver the children as promised. Prime Minister
Brian Green, along with his Cabinet and one member from both the US military and UNIT
, decide to cover up the United Kingdom's actions as inoculation shots given at schools. After refusing a random lottery to select the children out of fear that their own children might be selected, they choose to use the schools at the bottom of the league tables to give to the 456. In discussions the 456 reveal they use the children as their bodies produce a chemical that acts as a recreational drug to them. Green orders Frobisher to submit his children as part of those that have been selected, in order to keep up the pretence to the rest of the country. Frobisher agrees, returns home and kills his two daughters to save them from this fate, his wife and then himself. As some parents have kept children at home from school, Green orders military measures to secure the remaining children. While Gwen and Rhys help to protect Ianto's sister Rhiannon's daughter and several other local children from capture, Jack and Johnson consider a means of stopping the 456. They realise that the audio signal used to kill Clement could be used against the 456. However, it requires that one child act as the focal point for the transmission, likely killing him or her. Jack is left with no choice but to use his daughter Alice's son, Steven, who is the only child immediately available to them. Jack and Johnson successfully send the signal, amplified through all the other children, and the 456 suffer in pain before withdrawing from the earth. Steven dies and Alice becomes enraged with Jack.
The world recovers from the events. Green suggests that they simply cover it up and place the blame on the United States, but Bridget Spears, Frobisher's direct assistant and Lois's superior, reveals that she is wearing the contact lenses that Lois used and has recorded this conversation and will release it, putting an end to Green's political career. Six months after the events, Gwen and Rhys meet with Jack, who had been travelling the world on his own, trying to rid himself of his guilt over his grandson's death and the loss of Ianto, who was also his lover. Jack states he needs to make a new life for himself and plans to travel into the stars. Gwen brings Jack his vortex manipulator, found in the wreckage of Torchwood, as a departing gift as he teleports away.
in August 2008, with a week's filming taking place in London
. Additional filming took place in the Maindee area of Newport for the pub scene, and on the set of BBC
's Casualty
in Bristol
, which doubled as the fictional St. Helen's Hospital in Cardiff. The set for Floor 13 was the largest ever built at Upper Boat Studios
. However, many of the scenes set in the corridors of the same building (supposedly Thames House
in London) were shot in the corridors of the Guild Hall, Swansea
.
, Eve Myles
, Gareth David Lloyd, Kai Owen
and Tom Price
all reprise their respective Torchwood
roles for the serial. David-Lloyd had first concluded that Ianto was being killed off when his agent told him he was only needed for four out of five episodes.
Peter Capaldi
and Nick Briggs
had both previously been involved in Doctor Who
Productions prior to Children of Earth. Capaldi, who portrays Home Office Permanent Secretary John Frobisher, previously played Lucius Caecilius Iucundus
in the Doctor Who
episode "The Fires of Pompeii
". Briggs, the voice actor who provides voices in the revived series of Doctor Who
, including the Dalek
s, appears as Rick Yates, a member of Brian Green's Cabinet. He had also previously played many roles in the Big Finish
range of officially licensed Audio dramas. Having been set up to do so by the conclusion of their storylines in "Journey's End
", Doctor Who
Alumni Freema Agyeman
and Noel Clarke
were due to reprise their roles as Martha Jones
and Mickey Smith
respectively, but were unable to participate due to "scheduling issues". Davies explains that Agyeman was cast in Law & Order: UK before Children of Earth had been officially commissioned. Because Law & Order offered her 13 episodes a year, she went with that over Torchwood which had been reduced to 5. In response, Davies introduced the character of Lois Habiba, played by Cush Jumbo, to be a "kind of a Martha figure", one with added innocence who is out of her depth. Agyeman doesn't rule out returning to the show at a later date, however, and Davies has also expressed interest in her returning to the role. Jack and Gwen explain Martha's absence by saying that she is on her honeymoon, and the Doctor Who episode The End of Time
reveals that she married Mickey rather than her previous fiancé Thomas Milligan.
Children of Earth
featured a largely new supporting cast for the duration of the five-episode serial. Further new characters included Clem McDonald (Paul Copley
), senior Home Office official Bridget Spears (Susan Brown
), Prime Minister Brian Green (Nicholas Farrell
), and ruthless operative Agent Johnson (Liz May Brice
). Katy Wix and Rhodri Lewis play Rhiannon and Johnny Davies, Ianto's sister and brother-in-law respectively. Lucy Cohu
plays Captain Jack Harkness's daughter Alice.
on 12 June 2009.
over five nights from 6 July to 10 July 2009. It was the programme's first transmission on BBC One, after its first series debuted on BBC Three
in 2006 and its second series moved to BBC Two
in 2008.
Internationally, it was broadcast in Australia
from 7 July 2009 on UKTV Australia, and was shown from 20 July 2009 on Space in Canada and BBC America
in the U.S.
(the air date was set to coincide with the launch of BBC America's HD simulcast).
. Music for the fifth episode differed from the original broadcast version. The Region 4 DVD release became available on 1 October 2009.
, an American review aggregator website, gives Children of Earth a normalised rating of 80 out of 100 (based on a sample of 12 reviews), indicating "generally favourable reviews", with the highest score being a 91 from Time
and the lowest a 60 from The New York Times
.
Daniel Martin ran a day-by-day review of the show on guardian.co.uk
which culminated in a positive assessment of the mini-series as a whole: " ... what an incredible week. From its hideous Sex Alien vs Cyberwoman beginnings, Torchwood
has become a true treasure." He speculated on the programme's thematic implication that "as people realise their potential in this world, they die", and remarked: "If the same thing does happen to the series it would be awful. But God, it would be poetic."
Ben Rawson-Jones of Digital Spy
gave a very favourable pre-review to the first three episodes of the serial. He particularly praised Davies' script for its "economical" and "seamless" re-establishment of the show's returning trio for new viewers whilst not alienating fans. The inter-weaving of the stories for "credible and appealing" supporting characters Rupesh, Clement and Lois was praised; as were the performances from Paul Copley and Liz May Brice. He did however feel that the second episode paled after the explosiveness of the first episode, on which they "failed to capitalise". Summing up the series, Rawson-Jones described Children of Earth as "a powerful human drama, reliant not on special effects but incredible acting, direction and writing" that was a "massive success."
IGN
writer Ahsan Haque gave the miniseries a rating of 9.5 out of 10, also awarding it their Editor's Choice Award. John Barrowman's performance was highly praised, saying that he handled "these gut-wrenching moments with poise, yet manages to give us just enough to know how much his choices are tearing him up inside. He might not be able to die physically, but emotionally, what Jack has to suffer and live with is a fate far worse than death." Also, Haque felt that the additions of Rhiannon and Johnny "supply a lot of the grounded humanizing moments that really help the story stay grounded to the human condition, and not turn into a mindless sci-fi action-fest." However, Haque pointed out the "slightly campy feel" as well as technobabble as faults. The review ended with: "Best. Torchwood. Ever. Really, we mean it!"
Mike Hale of The New York Times
was more mixed in his review, noting that the mini-series pays tribute to the 1960 British sci-fi film Village Of The Damned
, and sums up by saying "Children of Earth is still good fun, if not good, exactly." Hale also mentioned the problem with maintaining a 5-hour mini-series over 5 nights, a sentiment echoed by L.A. Times reviewer Robert Lloyd who felt that the format led to an inevitable lag in the middle.
Not all reviews were positive. Jim Shelley of The Daily Mirror
gave the mini-series an unfavourable review, commenting that "Torchwood is the modern-day Blake's Seven: ludicrous plot, hammy acting, an adolescent penchant for 'Issues'. This week's plot was plagiarised from 50s sci-fi classic, The Midwich Cuckoos
. Contrary to its scheduling, Torchwood always seems to me like Dr Who lite." He went on to say that he felt a large part of the problem was with lead actor John Barrowman: "Unlike David Tennant
's Doctor, Barrowman's endless appearances on friendly drivel like Tonight's the Night
, The Kids Are All Right and Any Dream Will Do
, is so over-exposed, 'Captain Jack' is about as intriguing or alien as a Weetabix
and twice as irritating. Unlike Tennant, as an actor he is just not good enough."
community was leaving behind its image of victimhood.
award for best drama series, a Saturn Award
for Best Television Presentation during the 36th Saturn Awards
and a 2010 Celtic Media Festival Award for best drama series. It was also nominated for a GLAAD Media Award
by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation for "Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series" during the 21st GLAAD Media Awards
and for a Television Critics Association
Award for Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials. Lead actress Eve Myles won the 'Best Actress" award in the SFX
Reader's awards poll, and was crowned best actress in the 11th annual Airlock Alpha Portal Awards. Myles was also nominated for a 2010 BAFTA Cymru
Best Actress award, whilst John Barrowman
made the shortlist of the 2010 TV Choice Awards, where he was up against Eleventh Doctor
actor Matt Smith.
British television science fiction
British television science fiction began when the broadcast medium was in its infancy. Despite an occasionally chequered history, popular programmes in the genre have been produced by both the BBC and the largest commercial channel, ITV...
series Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
, which broadcast for five episodes on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in 2009. The series had new producer Peter Bennett
Peter Bennett (producer)
Peter Bennett is a British television producer, although he has predominantly worked as a first assistant director. His credits as a first AD include numerous feature films, such as The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, Alexander and Syriana, as well as the television series Minder, Agatha Christie's...
and was directed by Euros Lyn
Euros Lyn
Euros Lyn is a television director. He was born in 1971 and educated at Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera and the University of Manchester.To date, he has directed nine episodes of Doctor Who. He won the BAFTA Cymru award for Best Director for "Silence in the Library" and the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic...
, who had considerable experience on the revived Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. Torchwood is a series about an organisation known as Torchwood
Torchwood Institute
The Torchwood Institute is a fictional secret organization from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torchwood. It was established in 1879 by Queen Victoria after the events of "Tooth and Claw". Its prime directive, is to defend the earth against...
which defends the Earth against alien threats. The plot of Children of Earth deals with aliens demanding the Earth's children, and a related earlier conspiracy; as such, Torchwood is pitted against the British government
Government of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Government is the central government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Government is led by the Prime Minister, who selects all the remaining Ministers...
when it attempts to conceal its past actions and concede to the present-day aliens' demands. The first, third, and fifth episodes of the serial were written by executive producer Russell T Davies, who also conceived its overall storyline. The third episode was co-written by James Moran
James Moran (writer)
James Moran is a British screenwriter for television and film, who wrote the horror-comedy Severance. He works in the horror, comedy, science-fiction, historical fiction and spy thriller genres.-Breaking in:...
whilst the second and fourth were penned by newcomer John Fay
John Fay (writer)
John Fay is an award-winning British television writer, and playwright from Merseyside. He is known for his work on television soap operas Brookside and Coronation Street as well as his later work on original dramatic production.-Television career:...
.
Because the BBC was not awarded the increase in the licence fee
Television licence
A television licence is an official licence required in many countries for the reception of television broadcasts...
they requested, Torchwood (like Doctor Who the same year) faced budget cuts. As part of Davies' agreement with the BBC, Torchwood was stripped across the network's premiere channel, BBC One, every weeknight for one week in July 2009. Despite the move to BBC One, the show was cut from a standard thirteen episode run to just five, something that lead actor John Barrowman
John Barrowman
John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...
felt was almost like a "punishment" from the BBC. Production on the mini-series began in August 2008, and Barrowman along with actors Eve Myles
Eve Myles
Eve Myles is an award winning Welsh actress of stage and screen. She is best known to Welsh audiences for her portrayal of Ceri Owen in the BBC Wales drama Belonging, and to audiences worldwide for her role as Gwen Cooper in the science fiction show Torchwood, a spin-off from Doctor Who.-Personal...
, Gareth David-Lloyd
Gareth David-Lloyd
Gareth David-Lloyd is a Welsh actor best known for his role as Ianto Jones in the British science fiction television programme Torchwood.- Early life :...
, and Kai Owen
Kai Owen
Kai Owen is a Welsh actor of stage and screen, known to Welsh audiences for his numerous roles on Welsh-language television and to worldwide audiences for his portrayal of Rhys Williams in Torchwood....
(now given co-star billing) all returned. The serial significantly features new actors to the series over the course of its five episodes, most prominently Peter Capaldi
Peter Capaldi
Peter Dougan Capaldi is an Academy Award and BAFTA award winning Scottish actor and film director. In 1995, his short film Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life won the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film...
. Russell T Davies had to substantially rewrite parts of the serial to accommodate the unavailability of actors Freema Agyeman
Freema Agyeman
Freema Agyeman is a British actress who is best known for playing Martha Jones, former companion of the Tenth Doctor in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, and itsspin-off series Torchwood...
and Noel Clarke
Noel Clarke
Noel Anthony Clarke is an English actor, director and screenwriter from London. He is best known for playing Wyman Norris in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Mickey Smith in Doctor Who...
, whose presence in the serial had been set up in the 2008 Doctor Who finale
Journey's End (Doctor Who)
"Journey's End" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who first broadcast on BBC One on 5 July 2008. It is the second episode of a two-part crossover story featuring the characters of spin-off shows Torchwood and The Sarah Jane...
.
When the series defied expectations by achieving good ratings (peaking at 6.76 million), Davies stated that a surprised BBC Controller rang to congratulate him. Mid-summer evenings are typically considered a graveyard slot
Graveyard slot
A graveyard slot is a time period in which a television audience is very small compared to other times of the day, and therefore broadcast programming is considered far less important. Graveyard slots are usually in the early morning hours of each day, when most people are asleep...
for television series. The serial also received very positive reviews, particularly in comparison to the programme's previous two series, as well as a BAFTA Cymru
BAFTA Cymru
BAFTA Cymru is the Welsh branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.Formed in 1991, they hold an annual awards ceremony to recognise achievement by performers and production staff in Welsh-made films and television programmes...
award, a Saturn award and Celtic media award, all for best serial. Some fans were upset by the death of a main character in the fourth episode of the serial. A collective of these fans called for the writers to bring back the character in a future episode but Davies, his co-writers and the programme's actors stated that doing so would damage the integrity of the serial. On the back of Children of Earth
Plot
Over the course of two days, all the children in the world stop in their tracks, and speak, in unison and in English, "We are coming." Home OfficeHome Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
Permanent Secretary
Permanent Secretary
The Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
John Frobisher is aware these events are tied to an alien race known as the 456, named after the wavelength they communicate on. The 456 appeared in 1965, secretly offering the British government a cure to a new strain of Indonesian flu
Influenza pandemic
An influenza pandemic is an epidemic of an influenza virus that spreads on a worldwide scale and infects a large proportion of the human population. In contrast to the regular seasonal epidemics of influenza, these pandemics occur irregularly, with the 1918 Spanish flu the most serious pandemic in...
destined to wipe out 25 million people, in exchange for 12 children. Captain Jack Harkness
Jack Harkness
Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. He first appeared in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" and reappeared in the remaining episodes of the 2005 series as a companion of the ninth incarnation of the...
was one of four soldiers who were chosen to give the children to the 456. As public knowledge of the exchange would be disastrous for the British government, Frobisher orders, through troops under Agent Johnson's command, the assassination of those involved in the previous contact. Johnson plants a bomb in Jack's stomach, which goes off inside of the Torchwood
Torchwood Institute
The Torchwood Institute is a fictional secret organization from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torchwood. It was established in 1879 by Queen Victoria after the events of "Tooth and Claw". Its prime directive, is to defend the earth against...
Hub in Cardiff and destroys it. Aware of Jack's regenerative abilities, Johnson's troops collect Jack's remains and lock them in a secure facility, monitoring the reforming of his body. Gwen Cooper
Gwen Cooper
Gwen Cooper is a fictional character in the BBC television programme Torchwood, a spin-off to the long-running show Doctor Who, portrayed by Welsh actress Eve Myles. The series' lead female character, Gwen has featured in every episode of the sci-fi programme to date as well as two crossover...
, her husband Rhys
Rhys Williams (Torchwood)
Rhys Alun Williams, portrayed by Kai Owen, is a fictional character in the BBC television programme Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. The character is introduced in the premiere episode as the co-habiting boyfriend of principal character Gwen Cooper...
and Ianto Jones
Ianto Jones
Ianto Jones is a fictional character in the BBC television series Torchwood, played by Welsh actor Gareth David-Lloyd. A series regular, Ianto appears in every episode of the programme's first three series, as well as two crossover episodes of Torchwoods parent show, Doctor Who...
, due to their association with Jack, become fugitives from the law. Frobisher also orders construction of an isolation tank inside Thames House
Thames House
Thames House is an office development in Millbank, London, on the north bank of the River Thames adjacent to Lambeth Bridge, designed originally as commercial head offices...
to receive the 456 when they arrive.
The remaining Torchwood team make contact with Lois Habiba, a new personal assistant in Frobisher's office who has seen his classified files. Lois helps the others to locate and rescue Jack; they, in turn, provide her with special Torchwood contact lenses that will allow them to see what she sees, hoping she will help them learn the cause of these events. Torchwood also has identified and rescued Clement McDonald, originally one of the twelve children to be taken away but left behind by the 456. Clement went mad due to the experience and has been institutionalized the last 40 some odd years, but still responds in the same way as the children to the new 456 signal.
On the third day, the 456 arrive on a column of fire over Thames House before appearing in the isolation tank. Frobisher and his staff, including Lois who has worn the Torchwood contact lenses, hold confidential meetings with the 456 to understand why they have returned. The 456 demand that 10% of the world's population of children be handed over to them, or else they will destroy the human race. Children around the world begin to chant (still in English) a number equal to 10% of their country's child population. Torchwood, with Lois's help, announce themselves and insist they intervene in the situation, threatening to reveal the 456's demands, recorded through the contact lens, to the world. Jack and Ianto approach the 456 and demand that they leave or else they will face a war. In response, the 456 trigger a lockdown of Thames House and inject it with a lethal virus, killing everyone inside, including Jack and Ianto. At the same time, they send an auditory signal to Clement, killing him. When Jack revives, he and Gwen mourn over their loss.
With Torchwood's failure, and Lois in prison for charges of espionage, the governments of the world secretly make plans to deliver the children as promised. Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Brian Green, along with his Cabinet and one member from both the US military and UNIT
UNIT
UNIT is a fictional military organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures...
, decide to cover up the United Kingdom's actions as inoculation shots given at schools. After refusing a random lottery to select the children out of fear that their own children might be selected, they choose to use the schools at the bottom of the league tables to give to the 456. In discussions the 456 reveal they use the children as their bodies produce a chemical that acts as a recreational drug to them. Green orders Frobisher to submit his children as part of those that have been selected, in order to keep up the pretence to the rest of the country. Frobisher agrees, returns home and kills his two daughters to save them from this fate, his wife and then himself. As some parents have kept children at home from school, Green orders military measures to secure the remaining children. While Gwen and Rhys help to protect Ianto's sister Rhiannon's daughter and several other local children from capture, Jack and Johnson consider a means of stopping the 456. They realise that the audio signal used to kill Clement could be used against the 456. However, it requires that one child act as the focal point for the transmission, likely killing him or her. Jack is left with no choice but to use his daughter Alice's son, Steven, who is the only child immediately available to them. Jack and Johnson successfully send the signal, amplified through all the other children, and the 456 suffer in pain before withdrawing from the earth. Steven dies and Alice becomes enraged with Jack.
The world recovers from the events. Green suggests that they simply cover it up and place the blame on the United States, but Bridget Spears, Frobisher's direct assistant and Lois's superior, reveals that she is wearing the contact lenses that Lois used and has recorded this conversation and will release it, putting an end to Green's political career. Six months after the events, Gwen and Rhys meet with Jack, who had been travelling the world on his own, trying to rid himself of his guilt over his grandson's death and the loss of Ianto, who was also his lover. Jack states he needs to make a new life for himself and plans to travel into the stars. Gwen brings Jack his vortex manipulator, found in the wreckage of Torchwood, as a departing gift as he teleports away.
Continuity
- When the team watch the persistent Dr. Rupesh Patanjali topside in Roald Dahl PlassRoald Dahl PlassRoald Dahl Plass is a public plaza in Cardiff Bay, part of Cardiff, Wales. It is named after Cardiff-born author Roald Dahl, and is located on the coast along the south of the city centre. The square is home to the Senedd and the Wales Millennium Centre, a performing arts centre...
and discuss hiring him, Gwen likens the scene to when she was recruited in a similar manner in "Everything ChangesEverything Changes (Torchwood)"Everything Changes" is the first episode of the British science fiction television programme Torchwood, which was first broadcast on 22 October 2006.-Synopsis:Police constable Gwen Cooper comes across the mysterious organisation known as Torchwood...
". Jack states they need a doctor, owing to Owen Harper's death in "Exit WoundsExit Wounds (Torchwood)"Exit Wounds" is the thirteenth and final episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, and was broadcast on BBC Two on 4 April 2008.-Synopsis:...
". - The Home Office's computer file which Lois reads about the Torchwood Institute refers to its charter by Queen Victoria in 1879, an event depicted in "Tooth and ClawTooth and Claw (Doctor Who)"Tooth and Claw" is the second episode in the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and was first broadcast on 22 April 2006. In 1879 Scotland, the Doctor and Rose meet Queen Victoria...
"; and states that Torchwood One in London was destroyed in the Battle of Canary Wharf, as shown in "Army of GhostsArmy of Ghosts"Army of Ghosts" is the twelfth and penultimate episode in the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who which was first broadcast on 1 July 2006...
" / "DoomsdayDoomsday (Doctor Who)"Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the revival of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006...
" (and briefly in "CyberwomanCyberwoman"Cyberwoman" is the fourth episode of the first series of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. Written by Chris Chibnall and directed by James Strong, the episode was first broadcast on the digital channel BBC Three on 5 November 2006, and later repeated on terrestrial channel...
"). - Lois uses the same sort of lenses previously used by Martha JonesMartha JonesMartha Jones is a fictional character played by Freema Agyeman in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. She is a companion of the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, replacing Rose Tyler...
in "ResetReset (Torchwood)"Reset" is the sixth episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was first broadcast by BBC Three on 13 February 2008, immediately after the broadcast of "Adam" on BBC Two...
". - Jack tells Ianto that the DoctorDoctor (Doctor Who)The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
explained that Jack is a fixed point in time and space, a conversation which occurred in "UtopiaUtopia (Doctor Who)"Utopia" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 16 June 2007 and is the eleventh episode of series three of the revived Doctor Who series...
".
Production
Locations
Filming for the series started in CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
in August 2008, with a week's filming taking place in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Additional filming took place in the Maindee area of Newport for the pub scene, and on the set of BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, which doubled as the fictional St. Helen's Hospital in Cardiff. The set for Floor 13 was the largest ever built at Upper Boat Studios
Upper Boat Studios
Upper Boat Studios is a television studio complex operated by BBC Wales and based in Upper Boat, a village on the outskirts of Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales. The studios were officially opened on 27 July 2006 by Welsh Enterprise Minister Andrew Davies, for the purpose of producing Doctor...
. However, many of the scenes set in the corridors of the same building (supposedly Thames House
Thames House
Thames House is an office development in Millbank, London, on the north bank of the River Thames adjacent to Lambeth Bridge, designed originally as commercial head offices...
in London) were shot in the corridors of the Guild Hall, Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
.
Casting
John BarrowmanJohn Barrowman
John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...
, Eve Myles
Eve Myles
Eve Myles is an award winning Welsh actress of stage and screen. She is best known to Welsh audiences for her portrayal of Ceri Owen in the BBC Wales drama Belonging, and to audiences worldwide for her role as Gwen Cooper in the science fiction show Torchwood, a spin-off from Doctor Who.-Personal...
, Gareth David Lloyd, Kai Owen
Kai Owen
Kai Owen is a Welsh actor of stage and screen, known to Welsh audiences for his numerous roles on Welsh-language television and to worldwide audiences for his portrayal of Rhys Williams in Torchwood....
and Tom Price
Tom Price (actor)
Tom Price is a British actor, voice over artist and stand up comedian. He is married to TV producer Beth Morrey, who is most noted for being the creator of hit Channel 4 quiz format Wogan's Perfect Recall.-TV and Film Career:...
all reprise their respective Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
roles for the serial. David-Lloyd had first concluded that Ianto was being killed off when his agent told him he was only needed for four out of five episodes.
Peter Capaldi
Peter Capaldi
Peter Dougan Capaldi is an Academy Award and BAFTA award winning Scottish actor and film director. In 1995, his short film Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life won the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film...
and Nick Briggs
Nicholas Briggs
Nicholas Briggs is a British actor and writer, predominantly associated with the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and its various spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Daleks. Briggs sometimes uses the pseudonym Arthur Wallis...
had both previously been involved in Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
Productions prior to Children of Earth. Capaldi, who portrays Home Office Permanent Secretary John Frobisher, previously played Lucius Caecilius Iucundus
Lucius Caecilius Iucundus
Lucius Caecilius Iucundus was a banker who lived in the Roman town of Pompeii around 20 - 62 AD. His house still stands and can be seen in the ruins of the city Pompeii. It was partially destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79...
in the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
episode "The Fires of Pompeii
The Fires of Pompeii
"The Fires of Pompeii" is the second episode of the fourth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 12 April 2008....
". Briggs, the voice actor who provides voices in the revived series of Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, including the Dalek
Dalek
The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
s, appears as Rick Yates, a member of Brian Green's Cabinet. He had also previously played many roles in the Big Finish
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
range of officially licensed Audio dramas. Having been set up to do so by the conclusion of their storylines in "Journey's End
Journey's End (Doctor Who)
"Journey's End" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who first broadcast on BBC One on 5 July 2008. It is the second episode of a two-part crossover story featuring the characters of spin-off shows Torchwood and The Sarah Jane...
", Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
Alumni Freema Agyeman
Freema Agyeman
Freema Agyeman is a British actress who is best known for playing Martha Jones, former companion of the Tenth Doctor in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, and itsspin-off series Torchwood...
and Noel Clarke
Noel Clarke
Noel Anthony Clarke is an English actor, director and screenwriter from London. He is best known for playing Wyman Norris in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Mickey Smith in Doctor Who...
were due to reprise their roles as Martha Jones
Martha Jones
Martha Jones is a fictional character played by Freema Agyeman in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. She is a companion of the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, replacing Rose Tyler...
and Mickey Smith
Mickey Smith
Mickey Smith is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Noel Clarke.Mickey is introduced as the boyfriend of the Ninth and Tenth Doctor's companion Rose Tyler, and a recurring character on the programme...
respectively, but were unable to participate due to "scheduling issues". Davies explains that Agyeman was cast in Law & Order: UK before Children of Earth had been officially commissioned. Because Law & Order offered her 13 episodes a year, she went with that over Torchwood which had been reduced to 5. In response, Davies introduced the character of Lois Habiba, played by Cush Jumbo, to be a "kind of a Martha figure", one with added innocence who is out of her depth. Agyeman doesn't rule out returning to the show at a later date, however, and Davies has also expressed interest in her returning to the role. Jack and Gwen explain Martha's absence by saying that she is on her honeymoon, and the Doctor Who episode The End of Time
The End of Time
The End of Time: The Next Revolution in Our Understanding of the Universe, also sold with the alternate subtitle The Next Revolution in Physics, is a 1999 science book in which the author Julian Barbour argues that time exists merely as an illusion.-Auto-biography:The book begins by describing how...
reveals that she married Mickey rather than her previous fiancé Thomas Milligan.
Children of Earth
Children of Earth
Children of Earth is the banner title of the third series of the British television science fiction series Torchwood, which broadcast for five episodes on BBC One in 2009. The series had new producer Peter Bennett and was directed by Euros Lyn, who had considerable experience on the revived Doctor...
featured a largely new supporting cast for the duration of the five-episode serial. Further new characters included Clem McDonald (Paul Copley
Paul Copley
Paul Mackriell Copley is an award-winning English actor and voice-over artist.-Early life:Copley was born in Denby Dale, West Yorkshire, and grew up beside a dairy farm there. His father, Harold, was involved with local amateur dramatic productions, as were the rest of his family...
), senior Home Office official Bridget Spears (Susan Brown
Susan Brown (actress)
Susan Brown is a British actress of the stage and screen.-Theatre:She has appeared in numerous theatre productions including: The Wild Duck , Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, Playing with Fire, Cardiff East and The Hour We Knew Nothing Of Each Other, Easter, Romeo and Juliet, Richard III and Bad Weather...
), Prime Minister Brian Green (Nicholas Farrell
Nicholas Farrell
Nicholas Farrell is an English stage, film and television actor. His early screen career included the role of Aubrey Montague in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. In 1983, he starred as Edmund Bertram in a television adaptation of the Jane Austen novel, Mansfield Park...
), and ruthless operative Agent Johnson (Liz May Brice
Liz May Brice
Elizabeth May Brice is an English actress. She is known for roles such as the convicted murderer Pat Kerrigan on ITV1's Bad Girls. To international audiences she may be more familiar as a minor cast member of the horror films Resident Evil and AVP: Alien vs Predator.-Career:Brice was born in...
). Katy Wix and Rhodri Lewis play Rhiannon and Johnny Davies, Ianto's sister and brother-in-law respectively. Lucy Cohu
Lucy Cohu
Lucy Cohu is an award-winning English stage and film actress, known for portraying Princess Margaret in The Queen's Sister, Evelyn Brogan in Cape Wrath and Alice Carter in Torchwood: Children of Earth.-Background:...
plays Captain Jack Harkness's daughter Alice.
Preview
A preview of Children of Earth was screened at the National Film TheatreBFI Southbank
BFI Southbank is the leading repertory cinema in the UK specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films and is operated by the British Film Institute.-History:...
on 12 June 2009.
Broadcast
Children of Earth was first broadcast on BBC OneBBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
over five nights from 6 July to 10 July 2009. It was the programme's first transmission on BBC One, after its first series debuted on BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
in 2006 and its second series moved to BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
in 2008.
Internationally, it was broadcast in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
from 7 July 2009 on UKTV Australia, and was shown from 20 July 2009 on Space in Canada and BBC America
BBC America
BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:The channel launched on March 29, 1998, broadcasting comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters like ITV and...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(the air date was set to coincide with the launch of BBC America's HD simulcast).
Soundtrack
Silva Screen released the soundtrack via MP3 on 10 July, and CD on 27 July. The CD features 40 tracks, 38 tracks divided between the five 'days' of the programme, the other two being the opening and closing theme.DVD release
The Region 2 DVD release was released on 13 July 2009, followed by the Region 1 release on both DVD and Blu-ray on 28 July 2009. The Best Buy limited edition included the CD for the audio drama Lost SoulsLost Souls (Torchwood)
"Lost Souls" is an original BBC Radio 4 audio play written by Joseph Lidster and is a spin-off from the British science fiction television series Torchwood, itself a spin-off from Doctor Who. It aired on 10 September 2008 in the Afternoon Play slot as part of Radio 4's Big Bang Day which celebrated...
. Music for the fifth episode differed from the original broadcast version. The Region 4 DVD release became available on 1 October 2009.
Episodes
| Children of Earth | Run time | Writer | Director | Original airdate | Viewers (including HD) in millions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Day One" | 1 hour | Russell T Davies | Euros Lyn Euros Lyn Euros Lyn is a television director. He was born in 1971 and educated at Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera and the University of Manchester.To date, he has directed nine episodes of Doctor Who. He won the BAFTA Cymru award for Best Director for "Silence in the Library" and the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic... |
6 July 2009 | 6.472 (6.601) |
| "Day Two" | 1 hour | John Fay John Fay (writer) John Fay is an award-winning British television writer, and playwright from Merseyside. He is known for his work on television soap operas Brookside and Coronation Street as well as his later work on original dramatic production.-Television career:... |
7 July 2009 | 6.136 (6.248) | |
| "Day Three" | 1 hour | Russell T Davies and James Moran | 8 July 2009 | 6.397 (6.557) | |
| "Day Four" | 1 hour | John Fay | 9 July 2009 | 6.756 (6.883) | |
| "Day Five" | 1 hour | Russell T Davies | 10 July 2009 | 6.581 (6.732) |
Reviews
Reviews of the third-season serial have been predominantly positive. MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, an American review aggregator website, gives Children of Earth a normalised rating of 80 out of 100 (based on a sample of 12 reviews), indicating "generally favourable reviews", with the highest score being a 91 from Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
and the lowest a 60 from The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
.
Daniel Martin ran a day-by-day review of the show on guardian.co.uk
Guardian.co.uk
guardian.co.uk, formerly known as Guardian Unlimited, is a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. Georgina Henry is the editor...
which culminated in a positive assessment of the mini-series as a whole: " ... what an incredible week. From its hideous Sex Alien vs Cyberwoman beginnings, Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
has become a true treasure." He speculated on the programme's thematic implication that "as people realise their potential in this world, they die", and remarked: "If the same thing does happen to the series it would be awful. But God, it would be poetic."
Ben Rawson-Jones of Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
gave a very favourable pre-review to the first three episodes of the serial. He particularly praised Davies' script for its "economical" and "seamless" re-establishment of the show's returning trio for new viewers whilst not alienating fans. The inter-weaving of the stories for "credible and appealing" supporting characters Rupesh, Clement and Lois was praised; as were the performances from Paul Copley and Liz May Brice. He did however feel that the second episode paled after the explosiveness of the first episode, on which they "failed to capitalise". Summing up the series, Rawson-Jones described Children of Earth as "a powerful human drama, reliant not on special effects but incredible acting, direction and writing" that was a "massive success."
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
writer Ahsan Haque gave the miniseries a rating of 9.5 out of 10, also awarding it their Editor's Choice Award. John Barrowman's performance was highly praised, saying that he handled "these gut-wrenching moments with poise, yet manages to give us just enough to know how much his choices are tearing him up inside. He might not be able to die physically, but emotionally, what Jack has to suffer and live with is a fate far worse than death." Also, Haque felt that the additions of Rhiannon and Johnny "supply a lot of the grounded humanizing moments that really help the story stay grounded to the human condition, and not turn into a mindless sci-fi action-fest." However, Haque pointed out the "slightly campy feel" as well as technobabble as faults. The review ended with: "Best. Torchwood. Ever. Really, we mean it!"
Mike Hale of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
was more mixed in his review, noting that the mini-series pays tribute to the 1960 British sci-fi film Village Of The Damned
Village of the Damned (1960 film)
Village of the Damned is a 1960 British science fiction film by German director Wolf Rilla. The film is a fairly faithful adaptation of the novel The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham. The lead role of Professor Gordon Zellaby was played by George Sanders. This film was #92 on Bravo's 100 Scariest...
, and sums up by saying "Children of Earth is still good fun, if not good, exactly." Hale also mentioned the problem with maintaining a 5-hour mini-series over 5 nights, a sentiment echoed by L.A. Times reviewer Robert Lloyd who felt that the format led to an inevitable lag in the middle.
Not all reviews were positive. Jim Shelley of The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror is a British national daily tabloid newspaper which was founded in 1903. Twice in its history, from 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was changed to read simply The Mirror, which is how the paper is often referred to in popular parlance. It had an...
gave the mini-series an unfavourable review, commenting that "Torchwood is the modern-day Blake's Seven: ludicrous plot, hammy acting, an adolescent penchant for 'Issues'. This week's plot was plagiarised from 50s sci-fi classic, The Midwich Cuckoos
The Midwich Cuckoos
The Midwich Cuckoos is a science fiction novel written by English author John Wyndham, published in 1957. It has been filmed twice as Village of the Damned in 1960 and 1995.-Plot summary:...
. Contrary to its scheduling, Torchwood always seems to me like Dr Who lite." He went on to say that he felt a large part of the problem was with lead actor John Barrowman: "Unlike David Tennant
David Tennant
David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
's Doctor, Barrowman's endless appearances on friendly drivel like Tonight's the Night
Tonight's the Night (TV series)
Tonight's the Night is a BBC Saturday night entertainment television programme which stars on BBC One since 18 April 2009. It is presented by actor and singer John Barrowman.-Format:...
, The Kids Are All Right and Any Dream Will Do
Any Dream Will Do (TV series)
Any Dream Will Do, often known as 'Joseph', was a 2007 talent show-themed television series produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom. It searched for a new, unknown lead to play Joseph in a West End revival of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.The show...
, is so over-exposed, 'Captain Jack' is about as intriguing or alien as a Weetabix
Weetabix
Weetabix is a whole grain wheat breakfast cereal produced by Weetabix Limited of the United Kingdom. It comes in the form of palm-sized biscuits. Variants include organic and Weetabix Minis versions. The UK cereal is manufactured in Burton Latimer, Kettering, United Kingdom and in Canada and...
and twice as irritating. Unlike Tennant, as an actor he is just not good enough."
Fan reaction
The death of Ianto Jones in Children of Earth triggered protests from fans of the show, including the "Save Ianto Jones" campaign, which collected more than £10,000 for the Children In Need charity. Other fans resorted to abuse and threats, causing writer James Moran to fire off an angry missive in a blog post. Showrunner Russell T Davies made no apologies for the decision to kill off the character, saying, "I'm just delighted that the fans are so wrapped up in the character to have that reaction." Writer John Fay, in executing Davies' vision, noted that Ianto's death was a means for the viewer to see the price of Jack's immortality and seeing those he cares for die around him. Ianto's death, for having involved in a same-sex relationship led several fans to accuse the show's creators of subscribing to homophobic narrative conventions. AfterElton, one of the websites critical of the decision to kill off Ianto, later published opposing view analysed the death in view of the character's earlier refusal to admit to his relationship with a man, and claimed that, instead of being an expression of homophobia, the death was a sign that the LGBTLGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
community was leaving behind its image of victimhood.
Awards
In 2010, Children of Earth won the BAFTA CymruBAFTA Cymru
BAFTA Cymru is the Welsh branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.Formed in 1991, they hold an annual awards ceremony to recognise achievement by performers and production staff in Welsh-made films and television programmes...
award for best drama series, a Saturn Award
Saturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
for Best Television Presentation during the 36th Saturn Awards
36th Saturn Awards
The 36th Saturn Awards, honoring the best in science fiction, fantasy and horror film and television in 2009 were presented on June 24, 2010, in Burbank, California. The most awards of the night were won by Avatar, winning all ten of its nominations...
and a 2010 Celtic Media Festival Award for best drama series. It was also nominated for a GLAAD Media Award
GLAAD Media Awards
The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives...
by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation for "Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series" during the 21st GLAAD Media Awards
21st GLAAD Media Awards
The 21st GLAAD Media Awards was the 2010 annual presentation of the media awards presented by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. The awards seek to honor films, television shows, musicians and works of journalism that fairly and accurately represent the LGBT community and issues...
and for a Television Critics Association
Television Critics Association
The Television Critics Association is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canadian journalists and columnists who cover television programming...
Award for Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials. Lead actress Eve Myles won the 'Best Actress" award in the SFX
SFX magazine
SFX is a British magazine covering the topics of science fiction and fantasy.-Description:SFX magazine is published every four weeks by Future Publishing and was founded in 1995. The magazine covers topics in the genres of popular science fiction, fantasy and horror, within the media of films,...
Reader's awards poll, and was crowned best actress in the 11th annual Airlock Alpha Portal Awards. Myles was also nominated for a 2010 BAFTA Cymru
BAFTA Cymru
BAFTA Cymru is the Welsh branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.Formed in 1991, they hold an annual awards ceremony to recognise achievement by performers and production staff in Welsh-made films and television programmes...
Best Actress award, whilst John Barrowman
John Barrowman
John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...
made the shortlist of the 2010 TV Choice Awards, where he was up against Eleventh Doctor
Eleventh Doctor
The Eleventh Doctor is the eleventh incarnation of the protagonist of the BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. Matt Smith plays this incarnation, replacing David Tennant's Tenth Doctor in the 2010 episode "The End of Time, Part Two"...
actor Matt Smith.