Transmat:Torchwood

Chris Chibnall

File:Doctor Who 'The Power of Three' - Behind the Scenes - Series 7 2012 Episode 4 - BBC One

Chris Chibnall was co-producer and effective head writer of the first two series of Torchwood, also writing for its parent series Doctor Who. He wrote in total eight episodes of Torchwood penning both series finales and series 2's opening. Prior to coming to Doctor Who he created the series Born and Bred, which had numerous behind-the-scenes connections with the 2005 revival of Who. As of 2013, his biggest success is undoubtedly Broadchurch, starring David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker, Arthur Darvill and David Bradley.

The two Torchwoods

Categorisation of our Torchwood material is done in two categories, because Torchwood is both the name of the series and the name of the central organisation within the series. If you're looking for information about the Torchwood Institute, go to Torchwood. If you want behind-the-scenes information, the top-level category is category:Torchwood (TV series).

So many branches, so many opportunities for sex with co-workers

From the time when it became apparent that aliens on Torchwood would be trying to take over the world using sex gas, it was apparent that Torchwood was a little different from Doctor Who. But did you know that Torchwood is about more than just Captain Jack's little gang in Cardiff? That's just Torchwood Three. It's got multiple branches around Britain, and even an Indian subsidiary.

Bookworms

Just like its parent programme, Torchwood has spawned a range of novels and short stories. Writers known for their work with the classic version of Doctor Who have even written some of these prose stories, including former script editor Andrew Cartmel and prolific 1990s author Kate Orman.

The difference between personnel and crew

People who work for the fictional Torchwood Institute are called Torchwood personnel. People who work on Torchwood are called Torchwood crew.

It's all about the arc

Critics and audiences agreed that the Children of Earth storyline rocked

Torchwood has a unique record in DWU history: all of its series (or, if you like, seasons) have had strong continuing story lines. While there have been occasional standalone episodes, each series is narratively continuous, and leads to a payoff of some kind. Whether those payoffs are actually satisfying is, of course, nobody's business but your own.

Cool kit

Want to check out all the killer tech Torchwood gets to play with? Head on over to Torchwood Three's items and look inside the toybox!

Fans and their lists...

If you've been around any kind of fandom, you know that people who are really into a programme love to make lists. It's not everybody's bag, of course — but if it's yours, we can provide a few. A common type of list you'll find on this site is the "list of appearances". These pages provide a quick reference sheet for the stories that featured a particular character. Torchwood's is at Category:lists of appearances by Torchwood regular characters.

Yeah, there are comics

A scene from The Legacy of Torchwood One

It may surprise you to know that the more "adult" Torchwood did have some comic adventures. Most of them were in the pages of Torchwood Magazine, a short-lived companion of Doctor Who Magazine. The longest of these stories even made it into a trade paperback, Rift War. And some of the show's stars, like John Barrowman and Gareth David-Lloyd even wrote a few comic stories.