Torchwood
Torchwood is a
British television science fiction and crime drama created by
Russell T. Davies and starring
John Barrowman and
Eve Myles dealing with the machinations and activities of the fictional
Torchwood Institute. An initial 13-part series was commissioned by the BBC as a
spin-off from the long-running science fiction series
Doctor Who is a long-running British [i] science fiction television [i] ...
.
An in-house BBC Wales production for digital television station
BBC Three, it is the first television spin-off of
Doctor Who since the unsuccessful pilot of
K-9 and Company was a televised spin-off [i] of the original series run of
Doctor Who [i]. ...
in 1981 and the first to be commissioned for a full series.
Quotations
:Diane: The thing about love is that you're always at its mercy.
:Diane: When you take off together, it's the next best thing to flying...
:Ianto: That's the thing about gloves - they come in pairs...
:Jack: That one's for Ianto. Risen Mitten, Life Knife, and that old classic...Stun Gun.
:Jack: The twenty-first century is when everything changes.
:Jack: about Abaddon If he feeds on life, then I'm an all-you-can-eat buffet.
More Quotes >>
Encyclopedia
- For plants known as torchwood, see Burseraceae. For the Doctor Who institute, see Torchwood Institute
Torchwood is a
British television science fiction and crime drama created by
Russell T. Davies and starring
John Barrowman and
Eve Myles dealing with the machinations and activities of the fictional
Torchwood Institute. An initial 13-part series was commissioned by the BBC as a
spin-off from the long-running science fiction series
Doctor Who is a long-running British [i] science fiction television [i] ...
.
An in-house BBC Wales production for digital television station
BBC Three, it is the first television spin-off of
Doctor Who since the unsuccessful pilot of
K-9 and Company was a televised spin-off [i] of the original series run of
Doctor Who [i]. ...
in 1981 and the first to be commissioned for a full series. The
Canadian network CBC is co-producer of the series, with exclusive rights to broadcast the
North American première of the show.
The title "
Torchwood" is an anagram of "
Doctor Who". BBC Wales Head of Drama Julie Gardner will serve as executive producer alongside Davies.
Torchwood is set to première in October 2006 on BBC Three.
Overview
Torchwood is to be set in contemporary
Cardiff, and features a group of "renegade" criminal investigators. Aside from investigating human and
alien crime, they are also charged by the British government to covertly investigate alien technology without the knowledge of the
United Nations. The
Doctor Who episode
Tooth and Claw establishes that the fictional
Torchwood Institute was commissioned in 1879 by
Queen Victoria. The episode
Army of Ghosts is an episode [i] of the British [i] science fiction television [i] ...
introduces the modern-day Torchwood Institute.
The main writer alongside Davies will be Chris Chibnall, creator of the BBC light drama series
Born and Bred. Other confirmed writers include P.J. Hammond, creator of the cult
1980s ATV series
Sapphire & Steel is a British [i] television science-fiction [i] ...
, Toby Whithouse ,
Doctor Who script editor Helen Raynor, Si Spencer, Cath Tregenna, Andrew Rattenbury, and
Doctor Who cast member
Noel Clarke , who gained acclaim for his screenplay for the film
Kidulthood. Russell T. Davies will write just two of the thirteen episodes, including the first.
In the announcement, on October 17 2005, BBC Three controller Stuart Murphy said, "Torchwood is sinister and psychological... as well as being very British and modern and real." Davies himself has characterised the series concept as "a dark, clever, wild, sexy, British crime/sci-fi paranoid thriller cop show with a sense of humour —
The X-Files is an American [i] television [i] series create...
meets
This Life was a BBC television drama [i], produced by World Productions [i] and screened on BBC Two [i]...
."
According to Davies, the name originated during production of the new
Doctor Who series, when television pirates were eager to get their hands on the tapes. Someone in the production office suggested that the tapes be labelled "Torchwood" instead of "
Doctor Who" to disguise their contents en route to
London. Davies thought it was a good idea and remembered the name.
As
Torchwood is scheduled to be shown post-watershed — that is, after 9.00 pm — it is also expected to have more mature content than the parent series. Davies told
SFX is a British [i] magazine [i] devoted to science fiction [i] and fantasy [i] subj ...
:
- "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 7pm, and BBC Three at say, 9pm. That says it all — instinctively, every viewer can see the huge difference there."
BBC Three has announced that
Torchwood will form the "centrepiece" of their autumn 2006 schedule.
Cast and crew
The series will star
John Barrowman as
Jack Harkness, one of the
Ninth Doctor's from the 2005 season of
Doctor Who. Police officer
Gwen Cooper will be played by
Eve Myles, who previously appeared as Gwyneth in the
Doctor Who episode
The Unquiet Dead is an episode [i] in the British [i] science-fiction television [i] ...
.
It remains to be seen if Myles's two similarly named characters are linked in any way.
Commenting in
The Western Mail is a daily newspaper [i] published by Western Mail and Echo Ltd in Cardiff [i], Wales [i] ...
, Myles describes her character:
- "Gwen starts off as a police officer in Cardiff and then gets involved in the Torchwood team. She's a very down-to-earth girl, kind and generous, but extremely ambitious, feisty, intelligent and witty. But she's also very human - she's really the girl next door. Because I'm playing her, I put a lot of me into it and I take a lot of my own characteristics."
Burn Gorman will play Torchwood medic Owen Harper. Naoko Mori will reprise the role of Toshiko Sato that she originally played in the
Doctor Who episode
Aliens of London is an episode [i] in the British [i] science fiction television [i] ...
.
Doctor Who Magazine #273, published in August 2006, announced another regular character, Suzie Costello, to be played by
Indira Varma. Additionally, an actor named 'Kai' will play the role of Rhys in at least the first episode .
Doctor Who director James Hawes was originally lined up to produce the programme, but backed out after directing the
BBC Four drama
The Chatterley Affair. Davies told
Doctor Who Magazine, "James 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." Richard Stokes will produce
Torchwood instead.n Raynor and Brian Minchin are the programme's script editors.
Three books are due on 4 January 2007: "Border Princes" by Dan Abnett, "Another Life" by Peter Anghelides and "Slow Decay" by Andrew Lane.
Footnotes
References
See also
External links
