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Welcome to "Torchwood" (1 Viewer)

Tony J Case

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Well, damn - if this isnt a kick in the pants:

In a stunning announcement on Monday (including a BBC press release), BBC Television announced a new television series spun off from "Doctor Who" to be aired next year on BBC Three. Torchwood, a thirteen-part drama/sci-fi hybrid, will be executive produced by Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner -- the executive producers of Doctor Who currently -- and will star John Barrowman, who reprises his role as Captain Jack Harkness from the first Doctor Who series earlier this year. Said to have an "organic link" to Doctor Who, Davies says that "Torchwood is a British sci-fi paranoid thriller, a cop show with a sense of humour. It's dark, wild and sexy, it's the X Files meets This Life. It's a stand-alone series for adult audiences which will have its own unique identity. I have just begun working on the scripts with a team of writers and cannot wait to see the results."

The series will be set in modern-day Cardiff and will segue from events seen in the Doctor Who Christmas special and second series next year; the upcoming Doctor Who episodes will feature stories involving Torchwood, "a renegade group of investigators" (and also an anagram of "Doctor Who," but that isn't a plot point) and though the new show will use these concepts, it will be independent and no stories will cross over between the two series. Says Stuart Murphy, Controller of BBC Three, "The renegades investigate human and alien crime, as well as alien technology that has fallen to Earth. Torchwood is sinister and psychological – Russell was really keen to play with your head – as well as being very British and modern and real. But at the centre of the drama are warm, human relationships and the overcoming of adversity. ... Torchwood is a massive coup for BBC Three, and a major commitment – it's the biggest drama we've ever had on the channel. It introduces a different tone into our drama, just as Russell's Casanova earlier this year brought warmth and humour. He's an absolute genius – you look at what he has done with Doctor Who - we said to him, 'What would you do with a post-watershed sci-fi?' Its subject and tone is a perfect fit for BBC Three." Says Barrowman of returning to the role, "I'm absolutely thrilled about Torchwood. It's going to be a dark, wild and sexy roller-coaster ride. Working again with Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and the BBC is like hooking up with family again. I can't wait to explore Captain Jack even more."

"Torchwood" will be aimed at adults; says Davies, "Doctor Who has a completely different feel to this kind of thing. This is set in the same place every week. It's a different sort of fun to Doctor Who ... "It's an urban series, very much set on earth. It's a Welsh series that I'm very, very proud of." He said Cardiff would be used more often as a location than in Doctor Who, and that he hoped the series would provide work for Welsh actors and directors. "With Doctor Who we often had to pretend that bits of Cardiff were London, or Utah, or the planet Zog. Whereas 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. It's nice to be able to say this is the city, and this is how good it looks." Davies noted that the name Torchwood was used as a security measure during the production of Doctor Who to disguise preview tapes of the first episodes: "When we were making the first Doctor Who series, television pirates were desperate to get their hands on a tape. One of the people in the office had the idea of calling the tapes of episodes, as they went from Cardiff to London, Torchwood, instead of putting Doctor Who on it. I thought: 'That's clever!' I've had that taped away at the back of my head for a good six months, and now here it is as a show.'" Davies also spoke today about Torchwood to BBC Wales (audio link: HERE).

PJ Hammond (creator of Sapphire and Steel) and Chris Chibnall (Born and Bred, Life on Mars) are both confirmed as writers for the series. There are rumors that director James Hawes may be involved, but nothing definite yet. Filming begins in January on the thirteen 45-minute episodes, with transmission expected for the autumn on BBC Three.

-=and=-

According to an appearance today by John Barrowman on the chat show "Loose Women" on ITV, a couple of interesting items were revealed about Torchwood... including the fact that it might be repeated on BBC One after its BBC Three run, and that "nobody will know how Jack gets back from the future" to present-day Cardiff (building on the fact that he's stranded at the end of the first Doctor Who series). Today's Daily Star ran a picture of a Dalek, with the caption: "Steamy: Even Daleks might hit trouble with the new hero" (though who knows if they'd ever appear in the show!)
 

Mikel_Cooperman

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You might want to retitle the show so people know it's a Doctor Who thread. I didnt at first.

Good news. Let's hope they explore Jacks sexuality a bit more.

Here's more news about the new season of Doctor who and Torchwood plus release of season one in Canada:

Some more news about the series here:

http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=21571

It says that there are rumors of a special appearance in Episode twelve of an old foe but they wont say who.


And word is that in addition to picking up the second season of the new series in Canada, BBC Video is planning to release series one on DVD in Canada on February 14, 2006 -- presumably, a box set of the entire season. Nothing about a US release, but obviously, picking up the Canadian set will be no problem for anyone who has mastered the art of Internet shopping.
 

MatthewLouwrens

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Especially since it sounds more like a spin-off series from Deadwood than Doctor Who.

Perhaps a thread title like "Doctor Who spin-off announced - 'Torchwood'"

Anyway, it's an interesting idea - and surprising. While it was generally known that the word "Torchwood" would be important in the second season, as far as I am aware, no-one was expecting an entire seperate series.

I'm a bit uncomfortable with this idea of an adult spin-off from a family show, but we'll see how it works out. It's certainly exciting, and shows just what a phenomenal success the new Who has been. Two years ago, while Doctor Who was still alive in fan circles, with the books, audios, etc, it had pretty much fallen out of the general consciousness. Now we have a hit TV show, with more two series guaranteed, and a spin-off show. It's incredible.
 

Chris Dugger

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As this show is about to air it finale this week, anyone out there got any views on how the first season went?

IMO it looks to have gotten better each week, yet it is tough to know where "Torchwood" falls into the Doctor Who methodology....

Dugger
 

Francois Caron

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From my perspective, Torchwood has done very well. While it owes a lot to the Doctor Who franchise for its creation, it's definitely a show that stands on its own. The most significant difference when compared with other sci-fi/fantasy shows is that it often breaks the more common storytelling rules such as "Thou Shalt Have a Happy Ending" or "Thou Main Characters' Professional Lives Shalt Not Interfere With Their Personal Lives". The show presents plausible consequences to the team's actions and decisions, and I really like that.

As for a North American broadcast, I not sure we'll ever see that happen with the possible exception of the CBC (they're a co-producer), and I'm not even sure they'll present it with all the original sex, violence and foul language left intact. This show's best bet would probably be to air on HBO on one of their high-definition channels.
 

David_Blackwell

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I have watched the first five episodes (wiating for more to arrive). I love the character interaction. It's fantastic.
 

Andrew M

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HDNet Delves into the Supernatural with the Smash-Hit BBC Series “TORCHWOOD” – Premiering Monday, September 17
Provocative Sci-Fi Thriller Set to Air Every Monday in High Definition on HDNet Beginning September 17 at 7:00 p.m. ET

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HDNet announced today that it has acquired the high definition rights to the first 26 episodes of TORCHWOOD, the hit sci-fi drama that the BBC describes as “inventive, intelligent and unpredictable.”

Set in Cardiff, Wales, TORCHWOOD is the name given to a renegade group of investigators who scavenge alien technology to solve crime, both alien and human. Led by Captain Jack Harkness, the Torchwood Institute is a group onto themselves, “separate from the government, outside the police and beyond the United Nations.” The series delves into the unknown, with the characters battling against the impossible and highly volatile world of savage aliens and monsters while still trying to maintain their own lives.

In what the BBC called an "incredible achievement," the first two installments of TORCHWOOD set a ratings record in the U.K., scoring higher than “LOST” when the two programs went head-to-head.

“We’re thrilled to be airing TORCHWOOD in HD,” said Mark Cuban, president and co-founder of HDNet. “This is certainly a Russell T. Davies signature show. TORCHWOOD explores adult themes and doesn't shy away from anything. Whether it’s the diverse storylines or the hero’s ambivalence to sexual boundaries, this is not your typical show, and I love it.”

TORCHWOOD is a spin-off of the long running science fiction hit DR. WHO. HDNet will premiere TORCHWOOD on Monday, September 17, at 7:00 p.m. ET with encore airings scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET, and 1:00 a.m. ET to accommodate West Coast prime time.
 

Matt Fig

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If you are referring to HDNet, I don't think they will edit the language. They seem to leave most of the "bad" language in. I believe Torchwood is also going to air on BBC America. They may edit it on that channel.
 

Kevin Hewell

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It starts on that channel on Sept. 8. Aside from editing out the f word BBC America is pretty good about not editing for content. They might trim a couple of minutes for time but that's about it. I'm glad they picked this up. I never could see this on SciFi without so much editing that it would be unrecognizable.

I'm also glad that I picked this up on DVD from Amazon.co.uk. The picture quality is gorgeous.
 

LarryDavenport

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BBC America trimmed about 8-11 minutes from Life On Mars, but the complete episodes were shown on On Demand a day later.
 

Scott-S

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Yea, BBCA is very bad about ripping out 1/4 of the show to fit in commercials.

They also edit out more than the "f" word. they remove any and all nudity even if only a side boob.

I don't have access to BBCA on demand. So I do not watch any "hour" long shows that I would normally love to watch.

This is another show that I will have to end up renting via Netflix. I would buy it, but the BBCA shows are too expensive. Look at the new Dr. Who seasons. They want $69 for 13 episodes. I am sure this one will be just as bad.
 

Kevin Hewell

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Russell T Davies is pretty good at keeping his shows around 45 minutes so those of us without the proper BBC won't be too deprived. "Life on Mars" had longer episodes so more was cut.
 

Mikel_Cooperman

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I found the show disappointing over all. The last few episodes were decent but the rest were just so-so. The character of Jack was changed from the happy go lucky hero that he played on Doctor Who to this serious and unlikable character. The other characters were boring and the sexuality seemed to be there for titilation more than anything else.
Let's hope they improve for season 2.
 

Garrett Adams

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BBC America heads-up. Torchwood starts its run tomorrow night (Saturday 9/8/07). I'm going to DVR it but hold off viewing to see if the Comcast BBCA On Demand is running a longer version (without or reduced number of commercials).
 

Mary_P

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According to Comcast's website, it is supposed to be available on its OnDemand service, with a running time of 51 minutes. Doesn't say when availability starts (I'm assuming tomorrow), but the first episode is scheduled to be available through October 7. There's a preview -- about the first 3/4 of the first episode -- on OnDemand now, along with some behind-the-scenes type featurettes.
 

Tony J Case

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As I understand it, the production was kind of rushed and they didnt have time to polish the scripts as much as they would have liked. So hopefuly they'll find their feet in season 2, realize that they dont have to push as hard at "Look! We're not being Doctor Who! We're ADULT and EDGY!" as they did, and now that Captain Jack has lost some of his angsty baggage, he'll be back to the lighter Jack that we all know and love.
 

Brian^K

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Unfortunately, yet-again BBC On Demand forgot to apply the closed captions. :frowning:
 

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