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:''For the in-story organization, see [[Torchwood Institute]]''
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[[Image:The Torchwood Team.jpg|300px|right|thumb|The Torchwood Team]]
{{Infobox Merchandise
'''''Torchwood''''' is a British television science fiction and crime drama created by [[Russell T. Davies]] and commissioned by the [[BBC]] as a [[Doctor Who spin-offs|spin-off]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. 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]]'' in [[1981]] and the first to be commissioned for a full 13-part series. The title "Torchwood" is an anagram of "Doctor Who."
|image        = Torchwood title.jpg
|publisher    = BBC Wales
|publisher2  = Starz
|publisher3  = Big Finish Productions
|type        = TV, prose, audio, and comic series
|release date = [[22 October (releases)|22 October]] [[2006 (releases)|2006]] - [[9 September (releases)|9 September]] [[2011 (releases)|2011]], [[10 August (releases)|10 August]] [[2017 (releases)|2017]] -
|trailer      = Torchwood Season 1 Trailer
|trailer2    = Torchwood Children of Earth Trailer - BBC One
|bts          = Torchwood At 10
}}{{dab page|Torchwood (disambiguation)}}'''''Torchwood''''' was a multi-media ''[[Doctor Who]]'' [[Doctor Who spin-offs|spin-off]] series about the adventures of [[Jack Harkness]] and the [[Torchwood Institute]].


The spin-off series has not yet featured the Doctor as such, though in the first series [[Jack Harkness|Captain Jack]] tries to protect a hand suspended in liquid — the Doctor's hand, severed during [[The Christmas Invasion]] — and the TARDIS is heard materializing in the final episode of season one. The Doctor's companion, [[Martha Jones]], appears in the second series.  
Originally created as a television show by [[Russell T Davies]] in [[2005 (production)|2005]], ''Torchwood'' was the first TV spin-off of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' to be commissioned for a full 13-part series. The first four series, produced by [[BBC Wales]], were supplemented by [[BBC Books]] [[BBC Torchwood novels|novels]], [[BBC Audio]] [[BBC Torchwood audio stories|audio stories]], and [[Titan Publishing Group]] [[Torchwood comic stories|comics]] and [[Torchwood short stories|short stories]]. The [[Series 4 (Torchwood)|fourth series]], released in [[2011 (releases)|2011]], was co-produced with the American cable network [[Starz]] and was accompanied by [[Web of Lies|an animated online serial]].


In [[2015 (releases)|2015]], [[Big Finish Productions]] began an [[Torchwood - Monthly Range|series of monthly ''Torchwood'' audio dramas]], and in [[2017 (releases)|2017]] they began an official continuation of the television show under the title ''[[Torchwood: The Story Continues]]''.


==Overview==
== History ==
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. During the production of the 2005 series of Doctor Who, the word "Torchwood" (an anagram of "Doctor Who") had been used as a "code name" 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. Subsequently, the word "Torchwood" was seeded in Doctor Who episodes and other media which aired in 2005 and 2006.
In [[2002 (production)|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 fantasy drama series like ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' and its spin-off series, ''Angel''.{{fact}}


The series is set in Cardiff and follows the Welsh branch of a covert agency called the Torchwood Institute which investigates extraterrestrial incidents on Earth and scavenges alien technology for its own use (its origins are outlined in the Doctor Who episode "[[Tooth and Claw]]"). 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 events of the first series take place some time after the Doctor Who series two finale, in which Torchwood's London headquarters was destroyed, and just before the series three finale.
This idea, originally titled ''Excalibur'', was abandoned until [[2005 (production)|2005]], when BBC Three Controller [[Stuart Murphy]] invited Davies to develop a post-{{w|watershed (television)|watershed}} science fiction series for the channel. The word "Torchwood" (an [[anagram]] of "Doctor Who") 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 as they were being sent to [[London]]. Davies thought that this was a clever idea and remembered the name.


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.
Davies connected the word Torchwood to his earlier ''Excalibur'' idea and decided to make the series a ''Doctor Who'' spin-off.{{fact}} Subsequently, the word Torchwood was seeded in several ''Doctor Who'' episodes and other media which aired in 2005 and 2006.


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."  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." [6] According to Barrowman:
The series was set in contemporary [[Cardiff]] and followed the Welsh branch of a covert agency called the [[Torchwood Institute]], which investigates extraterrestrial incidents on Earth and scavenges alien technology for its own use. As established in the ''Doctor Who'' episodes ''[[Tooth and Claw (TV story)|Tooth and Claw]]'' and ''[[Army of Ghosts (TV story)|Army of Ghosts]]'', the Institute had been formed by [[Victoria|Queen Victoria]] following an incident involving the [[Tenth Doctor]] and a [[Lupine Wavelength Haemovariform|werewolf]], ostensibly to protect the [[British Empire]] from aliens and other creatures — as well as from [[the Doctor]] himself.


"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]  
To paraphrase [[Torchwood Three|Torchwood Three's]] commander-in-chief, [[Jack Harkness]], the organisation was separate from the government, outside the police, and beyond the [[United Nations]] (the last reference thereby placing Torchwood in a different realm than [[UNIT]]).
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] The first series includes content never before seen or heard in the Doctor Who franchise, including lovemaking scenes (in episodes such as "Day One" and "Out of Time"), same-sex kissing in a romantic/sexual context, and use of extreme profanity in several episodes.


BBC Three described Torchwood as the centrepiece of their autumn 2006 schedule.[13]
Although a secret organisation, the existence of Torchwood was known by the public, and Torchwood operatives made no secret of their identity when on duty. Their public perception was as merely a "special ops" group, with their true responsibilities kept secret to all but a select few. Regular characters included [[Gwen Cooper]], [[Jack Harkness]], [[Ianto Jones]], [[Toshiko Sato]], [[Owen Harper]], [[Rex Matheson]] and [[Esther Drummond]]. [[Martha Jones]], [[Suzie Costello]], and [[Vera Juarez]] have also been portrayed as part of the Torchwood team led by Harkness. Semi-regulars [[Rhys Williams]] and [[Andy Davidson|Sgt Andy Davidson]] are the only non-Torchwood members who recurred across all televised series.


The events of the first series took place some time after the ''Doctor Who'' ''[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]]'' series two finale, in which Torchwood's London headquarters was destroyed, and just before the series three finale. Though the series has not yet featured [[the Doctor]] himself, the materialisation sound of [[the Doctor's TARDIS]] was heard in the final episode of season one, which led directly into the ''Doctor Who'' episode ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'', and other dialogue references have been made, notably in the ''[[Torchwood: Miracle Day]]'' arc. Likewise, the appearance of [[Martha Jones]] in the second series provided vital continuity between [[Series 3 (Doctor Who 2005)|third]] and [[Series 4 (Doctor Who 2005)|fourth series]] of ''Doctor Who''. Conversely, Jack, as well as his team of [[Gwen Cooper]] and [[Ianto Jones]] featured (and former team members [[Owen Harper]] and [[Toshiko Sato]] are mentioned) in the last two episodes of [[Series 4 (Doctor Who 2005)|the fourth series]] of ''Doctor Who''.


Cast and crew
The initial main writer alongside Davies was [[Chris Chibnall]], creator of the BBC light drama show {{wi|Born and Bred}} (who later moved over to work on {{wi|Law & Order: UK}}). Other writers include [[P.J. Hammond]], [[Toby Whithouse]], ''Doctor Who'' [[script editor]] [[Helen Raynor]], [[Catherine Tregenna]], and ''Doctor Who'' cast member [[Noel Clarke]].
The series two cast, including special guest star Freema Agyeman as Martha JonesTorchwood, unlike its parent programme, centres on a team instead of a single character and companion(s). The show is oriented on Torchwood Three, the Cardiff branch of the Torchwood Institute, tasked (among other things) with keeping an eye on the space/[[time Rift]]
that runs through the city, and on 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 up 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 (Kai Owen), Gwen's live-in boyfriend and later husband, who is initially unaware of the nature of Gwen's mysterious new job. Also regularly recurring is PC Andy Davidson (Tom Price), Gwen's former police partner and occasional comic relief.


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. The character reappeared once more in the role of a villain.
In a [[17 October (production)|17 October]] [[2005 (production)|2005]] announcement unveiling the series, BBC Three controller [[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 {{wi|This Life}}."<ref>Frame, Anna (2006-10-25). The X-Files meets This Life. Daily Express p. 49. [note: potentially originated in a RadioTimes piece]</ref> Davies later denied ever making this comparison, instead describing the show as "alleyways, rain, the city".{{fact}}


Other characters who have appeared in more than one episode include 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. Paul Kasey regularly portrays aliens on the series, as in Doctor Who, under heavy prosthetics, such as the alien Weevils and Blowfishes. Toshiko's mother, portrayed by Noriko Aida, appears once in each series. Doctor Who's Martha Jones[14] — played by Freema Agyeman — crossed over to Torchwood for three episodes in the second series (from "Reset" onwards) before returning to Doctor Who midway through its fourth series. Another guest star in Torchwood's second series is former Buffy and Angel star James Marsters who plays recurring role Captain John Hart, a villainous Time Agent and Jack's former lover. Introduced in the episode "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang", he reappears later in the series finale, once more the villain.[15][16] Making minor recurring appearances in the second series is the mysterious little girl portrayed by child actress Skye Bennett, Dr. Angela Connolly portrayed by Golda Rosheuvel and 20th century Torchwood member Alice Guppy, portrayed by Amy Manson.
As ''Torchwood'' was a post-{{w|watershed (television)|watershed}} show — that is, after 9 p.m. — it had more mature content than ''Doctor Who''. Davies told ''[[SFX (magazine)|SFX]]'': "We can be a bit more visceral, more violent, and more [[sexuality|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."{{fact}}


Davies also joked to a [[BBC Radio|BBC Radio Wales]] interviewer that he was "not allowed" to refer to the programme as "''Doctor Who'' for grown-ups".{{fact}} The first and second series included content never before seen or heard in televised ''Doctor Who'', including intense [[sex]] scenes (e.g. ''[[Day One (TV story)|Day One]]'', ''[[Out of Time (TV story)|Out of Time]]'', ''[[Dead of Night (TV story)|Dead of Night]]''), [[homosexuality|same-sex]] kissing in a romantic/sexual context (e.g. ''[[Cyberwoman (TV story)|Cyberwoman]]'', ''[[Captain Jack Harkness (TV story)|Captain Jack Harkness]]''), and use of extreme profanity in several episodes. Such content was controversial,{{fact}} and, as the series progressed, such scenes were minimised, to the point where, by [[series 3 (Torchwood)|series 3]], relatively little of this content remained.


The show's first two series shared the format used by ''Doctor Who'' at the time, thirteen episodes aired weekly over a span of months. However, the format changed in the third season, which was one five-part story, ''[[Children of Earth]]'', written by Russell T. Davies and released over the course of a week in [[July (releases)|July]] [[2009 (releases)|2009]]. The fourth season, a 2011 coproduction between [[BBC Wales]] and [[Starz]], similarly took the form of one long story, '' [[Torchwood: Miracle Day|Miracle Day]]'', but stretched across ten episodes. No fifth series followed on television.


In 2015, [[Big Finish Productions]] began [[Torchwood - Monthly Range|monthly ''Torchwood'' audios]], including some set following the events of ''Miracle Day''. This led to their 2017 announcement that, with the cooperation of Russell T. Davies, they would be releasing a fifth series of ''Torchwood'' on audio.<ref>[https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/russell-t-davies-season-5-torchwood-audio-drama Season 5 of Torchwood is finally coming, just as an audio drama]</ref> Like series 3 and 4, it was marketed under a new subtitle, ''[[Aliens Among Us]]''. It was followed by series 6, ''[[God Among Us]]'', in 2018, and ''[[Torchwood: The Story Continues#Among Us|Among Us]]'', in 2023.<ref>[https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/cult/a860252/torchwood-big-finish-series-6/ Torchwood returning for official series 6 at Big Finish]</ref><ref>[https://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/torchwood-is-among-us Torchwood is Among Us!]</ref>


Actor Character Position
[[12 October (production)|12 October]] [[2016 (production)|2016]] marked the 10th anniversary of ''Torchwood''. In celebration, cast and crew were invited to the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, and a special screening of [[Everything Changes (TV story)|the first episode]] was shown for the fans.<ref>http://www.bafta.org/wales/whats-on/special-screening-10-years-of-torchwood</ref> [[Big Finish]] also produced a special audio story to celebrate the show's anniversary, entitled ''[[The Torchwood Archive (audio story)|The Torchwood Archive]]''.
John Barrowman Captain Jack Harkness Leader, Torchwood Three
Eve Myles Gwen Cooper Police Liaison
Burn Gorman Dr. Owen Harper Medical Officer
Naoko Mori Toshiko Sato Computer Specialist
Gareth David-Lloyd Ianto Jones General Support


== Cast ==
=== Main cast ===
* [[Jack Harkness]] - [[John Barrowman]]
* [[Gwen Cooper]] - [[Eve Myles]]
* [[Rhys Williams]] - [[Kai Owen]]
* [[Owen Harper]] - [[Burn Gorman]] (series 1-2)
* [[Toshiko Sato]] - [[Naoko Mori]] (series 1-2)
* [[Ianto Jones]] - [[Gareth David-Lloyd]] (series 1-3)
* [[Rex Matheson]] - [[Mekhi Phifer]] (series 4)
* [[Esther Drummond]] - [[Alexa Havins]] (series 4)
* [[Oswald Danes]] - [[Bill Pullman]] (series 4)


[edit] Crew
=== Secondary cast ===
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." [17][18]
* [[Andy Davidson]] - [[Tom Price]]
* [[Martha Jones]] - [[Freema Agyeman]] (series 2)
* [[Lois Habiba]] - [[Cush Jumbo]] (series 3)
* [[John Frobisher]] - [[Peter Capaldi]] (series 3)
* [[Vera Juarez]] - [[Arlene Tur]] (series 4)
* [[Jillian Kitzinger]] - [[Lauren Ambrose]] (series 4)


Helen Raynor and Brian Minchin are the programme's script editors.[17] The series also shares Doctor Who's production designer, Edward Thomas. The show's theme tune is written by Doctor Who's composer Murray Gold, and music for the series is composed by Ben Foster and Murray Gold.
== Main series ==
=== Series 1 - 2006-2007 ===
{{main|Series 1 (Torchwood)}}


=== Series 2 - 2008 ===
{{main|Series 2 (Torchwood)}}


[edit] Production
=== Series 3 - 2009 ===
Series 1 of Torchwood was filmed from May 2006 until November 2006.
{{main|Torchwood: Children of Earth}}


For the second series[2] Lead Writer Chris Chibnall wrote the opening episode[19] and two further episodes.[20] Both Catherine Tregenna and Helen Raynor have written two episodes for the new series.[21] The other episodes were written by James Moran, Matt Jones, J. C. Wilsher, Joseph Lidster, PJ Hammond & Phil Ford. Russell T Davies was initially announced as writing two episodes, but due to commitments to Doctor Who he is no longer writing any episodes.[20] Block One, which consists of episodes by Raynor and Tregenna and is directed by Andy Goddard. Colin Teague is directing Block Two, which consists of Episode 2 by Moran and Episode 4 by Tregenna, with Ashley Way directing Block Three, consisting of Episode 1 by Chibnall and Episode 6 by JC Wilsher[22]. An edited repeat of the second series episodes, suitable for children to view, was shown on BBC Two at 7pm.
=== Series 4 - 2011 ===
{{main|Torchwood: Miracle Day}}


=== Series 5 - 2017-2018 ===
{{main|Aliens Among Us}}


[edit] International broadcasts
=== Series 6 - 2018-2019 ===
The Canadian network CBC was a co-producer series one, [23] and premiered in October 2007.[24][25] The show airs for French-speaking Canadian audiences on Ztélé. The first series is scheduled to screen on TV2 [26] in New Zealand on July 9 2008, and on Cuatro TV [27] in Spain in 2007.
{{main|God Among Us}}


In Australia, after the ABC [28] and SBS passed on the series, Network Ten acquired the rights to air it. [29] After its premiere on 18 June 2007, a reviewer for The Sydney Morning Herald's The Guide 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." [30] Ten's press release cites rival programming in their decision to move the show to a Wednesday 12 am timeslot.[31]. Torchwood now airs on UKTV in Australia.[32]. Series one was played on Imparja, but as of 3 February 2008 the station is no longer affiliated with Ten and will not screen more [33].
=== Series 7 - 2023 ===
{{main|Among Us}}


On April 2, 2007 it was announced that BBC America had acquired the rights to broadcast the series in the United States.[34] The series started on September 8, 2007[35]; the broadcast of the series is tied-in to a "radical makeover" of the channel that is to occur later in 2007. [34] The second series started on BBC America January 26, 2008 [36]. Torchwood has become one of the biggest hits for BBC America with its first series premiere in September 2007 attracting an audience of almost half a million viewers. [37]. Episodes on BBC America are generally less edited than Doctor Who episodes on Sci Fi Channel, allowing for harsher language and more-suggestive sexual content (while some words are still muted for broadcast).
== Other media ==
=== Prose ===
==== Novels ====
''[[BBC Torchwood novels|See list of Torchwood novels]]''


Furthermore, HDNet has acquired the US high definition rights for the first 26 episodes (Series 1 and 2) and began airing Series 1 episodes on Monday evenings, starting September 17, 2007[38]. On Monday February 11, 2008 HDNet began showing Series 2 episodes.
==== Short stories ====
''[[Torchwood short stories|See list of Torchwood short stories]]''


In Sweden, Torchwood premiered on 24 June 2007 on TV4 Plus. In Mexico Torchwood premiered on July 9, 2007 on XEIMT-TV Canal 22. In Spain it premiered on 5 August 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 Latin America the series premiered on 28 August 2007 on People+Arts[39]
=== Video games ===
* ''[[Torchwood Mission Game (video game)|Torchwood Mission Game]]''


In Italy it premiered on 3 September 2007 on Jimmy. In Hong Kong, it premiered on 8 November 2007 on ATV World. In Finland, it premiered on 3 December 2007 on YLE TV2. In Belgium and the Netherlands, it premiered on 8 January 2008 on Sci-Fi Channel.
=== Comics ===
''[[Torchwood comic stories|See list of Torchwood comic strips]]''


=== Reference books ===
* ''[[Torchwood: The Encyclopedia]]''
* ''[[The Torchwood Archives]]''


[edit] Setting
=== Audio ===
==== Audiobooks ====
"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'."
* ''[[Another Life (novel)|Another Life]]'' Read by [[John Barrowman]] (abridged)
Russell T Davies, "Dr Who spin-off based in Bay", South Wales Echo, 17 April 2006. 
* ''[[Border Princes (novel)|Border Princes]]'' Read by [[Eve Myles]] (abridged)
* ''[[Slow Decay (novel)|Slow Decay]]'' Read by [[Burn Gorman]] (abridged)
Roald Dahl Plass, outside the Millennium Centre, acts as the exterior of the Hub.Torchwood is filmed and set in Cardiff. 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] Filming has also taken place in areas outside of Cardiff, including Merthyr Tydfil.[43]


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 stories 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) and at the base of which lies the rift machine.
==== Audio stories ====
* ''[[Hidden (audio story)|Hidden]]'' Read by [[Naoko Mori]]
* ''[[Everyone Says Hello (audio story)|Everyone Says Hello]]'' Read by [[Burn Gorman]]
* ''[[In the Shadows (audio story)|In the Shadows]]'' Read by [[Eve Myles]]


The military base scenes in "Sleeper" and the booby-trapped abandoned warehouse scenes in "Fragments" were filmed at RAF Caerwent, near Chepstow, South Wales.
* ''[[The Sin Eaters (audio story)|The Sin Eaters]]'' Read by [[Gareth David-Lloyd]]
* ''[[Department X (audio story)|Department X]]'' by [[James Goss]]
* ''[[Ghost Train (audio story)|Ghost Train]]'' by [[James Goss]]


* ''[[Army of One (audio story)|Army of One]]'' by [[Ian Edginton]]
* ''[[Fallout (audio story)|Fallout]]'' by [[David Llewellyn]]
* ''[[Red Skies (audio story)|Red Skies]]'' by [[Joseph Lidster]]
* ''[[Mr Invincible (audio story)|Mr Invincible]]'' by [[Mark Morris]]


[edit] Reception
==== Torchwood ====
Main article: Criticism of Torchwood
{{Main|Big Finish Torchwood series }}
As a spin-off of long-running British cultural artifact Doctor Who, Torchwood's launch into British popular culture has received much positive and negative review, commentary and parody following the hype of its inception, especially in regards to its status as an "adult" Doctor Who spin-off as well as its characterisation and portrayal of sex. The series initially attracted record high ratings, [44] which later fell, [45] but ensured the programme at least a second series.


In April 2007, Torchwood beat its parent series, which is also made in Wales, 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.[46]
==== Radio ====
* ''[[Lost Souls (audio story)|Lost Souls]]''
* ''[[Asylum (audio story)|Asylum]]''
* ''[[Golden Age (audio story)|Golden Age]]''
* ''[[The Dead Line (audio story)|The Dead Line]]''
* ''[[The Devil and Miss Carew (audio story)|The Devil and Miss Carew]]''
* ''[[Submission (audio story)|Submission]]''
* ''[[The House of the Dead (audio story)|The House of the Dead]]''


In 2008, the episode "Captain Jack Harkness" was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.[47]
=== Web series ===
''[[Web of Lies (webcast)|Web of Lies]]''


=== Magazines ===
''[[Torchwood The Official Magazine]]'' was a title launched in 2008 and published by [[Titan Publishing Group]], that ran for twenty-five issues. The licence expired as a consequence of a realignment of ''Torchwood'' merchandising in response to the [[BBC]]'s co-production agreement with [[Starz]].


[edit] Themes
In 2010, Titan began publishing a monthly comic book for the North American market, ''[[Torchwood The Official Comic]]'', reprinting comic strips and short stories from the UK magazine. Material from the magazine was also used in the [[Torchwood The Official Magazine Yearbook (2008)]] and the [[Torchwood The Official Magazine Yearbook (2009)]].
Main article: 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. Although the nature of their sexual flexibility is not explicitly discussed, the characters 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.
== Continuity ==
* In ''Torchwood'' [[Series 1 (Torchwood)|Series 1]], the episodes [[TV]]: ''[[Everything Changes (TV story)|Everything Changes]]'' and [[TV]]: ''[[Cyberwoman (TV story)|Cyberwoman]]'' make direct reference to the [[Cyberman (Pete's World)|Cybermen]] in [[TV]]: ''[[Army of Ghosts (TV story)|Army of Ghosts]]'' and [[TV]]: ''[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]]'' as well as the [[Battle of Canary Wharf]].
* The presence of [[the Doctor's hand]] in [[the Hub]] alludes to his losing it in [[TV]]: ''[[The Christmas Invasion (TV story)|The Christmas Invasion]]''.
* Graffiti seen in [[the Ritz]] in [[TV]]: ''[[Captain Jack Harkness (TV story)|Captain Jack Harkness]]'' continues the presence of the [[Bad Wolf meme]] and [[Harold Saxon]] posters are seen on the walls.
* ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'' continues directly from the closing moments of the "Torchwood" [[Series 1 (Torchwood)|Series 1]] finale [[TV]]: ''[[End of Days (TV story)|End of Days]]'', in which both Jack Harkness and the audience hear the sound of [[the Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]].
* [[Abaddon]] from [[TV]]: ''[[End of Days (TV story)|End of Days]]'' is referred to as the son of [[The Beast (The Impossible Planet)|the great Beast]] from [[TV]]: ''[[The Impossible Planet (TV story)|The Impossible Planet]]'' and [[TV]]: ''[[The Satan Pit (TV story)|The Satan Pit]]''.
* In "Torchwood" [[Series 2 (Torchwood)|Series 2]], [[Freema Agyeman]] reprised her role of [[Martha Jones]] in the episode [[TV]]: ''[[Reset (TV story)|Reset]]''. Her alias [[Sam Jones]] references a companion of the [[Eighth Doctor]].
* [[UNIT]], an organisation closely associated with the [[Third Doctor]] in particular, appears in a flashback in [[TV]]: ''[[Fragments (TV story)|Fragments]]'' as well as throughout ''[[Series 3 (Torchwood)|Torchwood: Children of Earth]]''.
* [[Toshiko Sato]] explains her appearance as the doctor in [[TV]]: ''[[Aliens of London (TV story)|Aliens of London]]'' as her filling in for Owen, who had a hangover.
* A [[Hoix]] makes a small appearance in [[TV]]: ''[[Exit Wounds (TV story)|Exit Wounds]]''. The Hoix first appeared in [[TV]]: ''[[Love & Monsters (TV story)|Love & Monsters]]''.
* The episode [[TV]]: ''[[Turn Left (TV story)|Turn Left]]'' presents [[parallel world (Turn Left)|a parallel world]], where, by saving the Earth from [[Sontaran invasion of Earth|a Sontaran invasion]] (an event shown in the usual timeline in [[TV]]: ''[[The Sontaran Stratagem (TV story)|The Sontaran Stratagem]]'' and [[TV]]: ''[[The Poison Sky (TV story)|The Poison Sky]]''), [[Gwen Cooper]] and [[Ianto Jones]] die, while [[Jack Harkness]] is captured and taken to [[Sontar]]. (In this parallel world, as in the normal one, [[Toshiko Sato]] and [[Owen Harper]] have already died.)
* In [[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'' and [[TV]]: ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'', the surviving Torchwood team and [[the Hub]] appear. While Jack goes off to save the [[Tenth Doctor]], Gwen and Ianto remain in the Hub to fight off a [[Dalek]]. [[TV]]: ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'' concludes with Jack offering Martha a job with Torchwood.
* After leaving Earth in [[TV]]: '' [[Children of Earth: Day Five (TV story)|Day Five]]'', following all the deaths he's claimed responsibility for up to and including [[Ianto Jones|Ianto]] and [[Steven Carter|Steven]], Jack Harkness is seen at a [[Zaggit Zagoo bar|bar]] drinking his sorrows. ([[TV]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'')
* [[Captain John Hart]] makes a cameo appearance in [[TV]]: ''[[Time Heist (TV story)|Time Heist]]'', his image appearing alongside other criminals.


=== Crossover characters/aliens ===
==== ''Doctor Who'' ====
===== From ''Doctor Who'' =====
* [[Toshiko Sato]] ''(Series 1 and 2)''
* Captain [[Jack Harkness]] ''(Series 1 through 4)''
* [[Cyberman (Pete's World)|Cyberman]] (partially converted) ''([[Cyberwoman (TV story)|Cyberwoman]])''
* [[Hoix]] ''([[Exit Wounds (TV story)|Exit Wounds]])''
* [[Martha Jones]] ''([[Reset (TV story)|Reset]], [[Dead Man Walking (TV story)|Dead Man Walking]], [[A Day in the Death (TV story)|A Day in the Death]])''


[edit] Episodes
===== To ''Doctor Who'' =====
Main article: List of Torchwood episodes
* [[Gwen Cooper]] ''([[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]], [[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]])''
The premiere episode "Everything Changes" was written by Russell T. Davies and serves 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, titled "Day One", aired immediately after the first. It continues Gwen's neophyte role and includes a classic "sex monster" science fiction storyline[48] in the vein of The Outer Limits episode "Caught in the Act" and Angel's second episode "Lonely Hearts". The first 13-episode series ended with a two-parter on January 1, 2007. The first part, entitled "Captain Jack Harkness", is a love story set in wartime Britain, with a subplot which serves to push the setting towards an "apocalypse" for series finale "End of Days". It deals with the ramifications of diseases and persons from throughout history falling through time and across the universe to arrive in the present day, and particularly in Cardiff. The episode also sets up Jack's return in the Doctor Who episode "Utopia".
* [[Ianto Jones]] ''([[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]], [[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]])''
* [[Weevil]]s ''([[The Pandorica Opens (TV story)|The Pandorica Opens]])''
* [[Blowfish]] ''([[The Pandorica Opens (TV story)|The Pandorica Opens]]'', ''[[Nightmare in Silver (TV story)|Nightmare in Silver]]'', ''[[The Magician's Apprentice (TV story)|The Magician's Apprentice]]'')


The second 13-episode series of Torchwood begins by following on with Jack's return from the previous Doctor Who episode, "Last of the Time Lords" with the series premiere, "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang", which aired January 16, 2008. The series introduces Jack's ex-partner Captain John Hart in its premiere, reveals flashbacks to Jack's childhood in "Adam" and shows how each member joined Torchwood in the penultimate episode "Fragments". A three-episode arc ("Reset", "Dead Man Walking" and "A Day in the Death") in the middle of the series guest stars Doctor Who actress Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones, temporarily drafted into Torchwood. The arc focuses upon the death and partial resurrection of main character Owen Harper, and how he coped as a dead man. The second series' finale, "Exit Wounds" (which aired 4 April 2008) features the departures of main characters Owen and Tosh, whose deaths at the hands of Jack's long-lost brother Gray reduced the series' cast to Barrowman, Myles and David-Lloyd in its closing scenes.
==== ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' ====
===== To ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' =====
* [[Arcateenian]] ''([[Invasion of the Bane (TV story)|Invasion of the Bane]])''


===== From ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' =====
* [[Trickster's Brigade]] ''([[Immortal Sins (TV story)|Immortal Sins]])''


[edit] Spin-offs
== Future ==
BBC Two is airing Torchwood Declassified, a making-of programme similar to Doctor Who Confidential. Each Declassified episode runs under ten minutes, in contrast to Confidential's 45 (formerly 30).[49] Torchwood Declassified is also available online at the BBC's Torchwood site.
John Barrowman, in an 2010 interview with ''The Scottish Sun'', said that he expected Torchwood to run until 2017.<ref>http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/torchwood-2017-13416.htm</ref>


Torchwood has "a heavy online presence".[50] 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.[51] The Flash-based interactive website, including the Hub Tour, debuted on 12 October 2006.[52]
However, Russell T Davies stated in October 2012 that for personal reasons the show was on an indefinite hiatus.<ref>http://www.denofgeek.us/tv/russell-t-davies-on-the-future-of-torchwood/22566/russell-t-davies-on-the-future-of-torchwood</ref><ref>http://screenrant.com/torchwood-season-5-delay-scott-163133/</ref>


To tie in to Radio 4's CERN themed day in June or July of 2008, a CERN-themed radio episode of Torchwood written by Joseph Lidster will air as the day's Afternoon Play. This will be the first Torchwood drama not to feature Burn Gorman and Naoko Mori. [53]
=== Video game ===
In an interview with Robert Nashak of BBC Worldwide, it was revealed that the BBC were looking into creating a game for ''Torchwood''. Whether these would be in the form of [[The Adventure Games]], or for retail on platforms, is unknown. <ref>http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/torchwood-the-game-8995.htm</ref>


== Aborted ideas ==
=== Musical ===
According to Russell T Davies in ''[[The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter]]'', two former members of the pop group [[ABBA]] issued a proposal for a stage musical based upon ''Torchwood''. The proposal was rejected, and in his book Davies strongly indicates that the idea was never taken seriously.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8441444.stm BBC News - Abba duo linked to Torchwood musical] <small>accessed 22nd March 2010</small></ref>


[edit] Merchandise
=== American series ===
Titan Magazines have launched a Torchwood Magazine[54] which was released on 24th January 2008 in the United Kingdom. The United States version was launched in February 2008. The Australia/New Zealand version was launched in April 2008.
In January 2010 US media reported that Davies, [[Julie Gardner]] and [[Jane Tranter]] were planning a US version of ''Torchwood'' for the Fox network, which had previously aired the [[Doctor Who (TV story)|1996 ''Doctor Who'' TV movie]]. According to the reports, Barrowman and other original cast members may have appeared. The media coverage did not indicate whether or not the series was expected to be a remake/standalone, or if it would tie in with existing Whoniverse continuity. On the 20th January 2010 it was announced that Fox had ordered a pilot script for a US version of ''Torchwood'' from BBC Worldwide.<ref>http://www.c21media.net/news/detail.asp?area=1&article=53791 C21Media - Fox ignites Torchwood pilot script <small>accessed 22nd March 2010</small></ref>
On 21st April 2010, however, BBC Worldwide announced that Fox had chosen not to proceed with the series, which according to the BBC was to have been a 13-episode, serialised programme, similar to the UK original.<ref>[http://gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com/2010/04/american-torchwood-on-hold.html Doctor Who News Page - Fox Withdraw from American Torchwood] <small>accessed 22nd April 2010</small></ref>


The show was later picked up by the American network Starz, which co-produced the [[Series 4 (Torchwood)|fourth series]].


[edit] DVD releases
== Merchandising ==
''Torchwood''-themed product ranges included:
The UK series one, part one (Episodes 1-5) DVD boxThe complete first series has been released on Region 2 DVD in the UK. A North American Region 1 release occurred 22 January 2008, following the broadcast of Series 1 on BBC America in the United States and the CBC in Canada. Series One Part One, Two and Three have been released In Australia Region 4, with the Complete First Series released in February 2008. The complete series 1 sets released in the UK and US also include the episodes of the behind-the-scenes series Torchwood Declassified. The Complete Second Series will be released on 30 June 2008 (Region 2), along with the Complete First series on Blu Ray. Series 1 and 2 episodes are currently available for download through iTunes in the US.[55]
* [[Torchwood merchandise|calendars]]
* [[Torchwood - Series 1 and 2 (soundtrack)|a soundtrack release]] for series 1 and 2
* [[SciFi Collector Torchwood action figures|an action figure line]]


DVD Name UK Release Date North American Release Date Australian Release Date
== External links ==
Series One Part One (Episodes 1-5): 26 December 2006 Complete (Episodes 1-13): 22 January 2008 Part One (Episodes 1-5): 31 July 2007
{{official website|www.bbc.co.uk/torchwood/}}
Part Two (Episodes 6-9): 26 February 2007 Part Two (Episodes 6-9): 6 September 2007
{{YouTube|channel/UC8EY2Nlow8wdUMCBucHEaOg}}
Part Three (Episodes 10-13): 26 March 2007 Part Three (Episodes 10-13): 2 October 2007
{{youtube|torchwoodofficial}}
Complete (Episodes 1-13): 19 November 2007[56] Complete (Episodes 1-13): 6 February 2008


== Footnotes ==
{{reflist|2}}
{{TWTV}}
{{Spin-offs}}


[edit] Books
[[de:Torchwood (TV-Serie)]]
Accompanying the main series of Torchwood are a series of novels. On 4 January 2007, BBC Books published the first three original novels based upon Torchwood.
[[fr:Torchwood]]
[[it:Torchwood]]
[[pt:Torchwood]]
[[ro:Torchwood (TV)]]
[[ru:Торчвуд]]


Another Life by Peter Anghelides
[[Category:Torchwood (TV series)| *]]
Border Princes by Dan Abnett
[[Category:Television overviews]]
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.
 
BBC Books released a second trio of Torchwood books in March 2008.
 
Something In The Water by Trevor Baxendale
Trace Memory by David Llewellyn
The Twilight Streets by Gary Russell
A third set of books has been announced, to be released 2nd October 2008[57]:
 
Pack Animals by Peter Anghelides
SkyPoint by Phil Ford
Almost Perfect by James Goss
 
[edit] Original Audiobooks
4 February 2008 saw two Torchwood audiobooks released not based on previously released novels[58]; Hidden by Steven Savile, and Everyone Says Hello by Dan Abnett. A third, In The Shadows by Joseph Lidster, is listed for release in September 2008.
 
 
==Story arcs in The Torchwood Series==
Like [[Doctor Who]], Torchwood has used arc words which appear throughout the season and take a leading role in the finale. Arch words for Doctor Who have also appeared in Torchwood, most notably the appearance of "[[Mr Saxon]]" posters.
 
Doctor Who Arcs
 
S1=Bad Wolf
 
S2=Torchwood Institute
 
S3=Mr Saxon
 
S4=Medusa Cascade,Rose Returning and Missing Planets
 
In Series 1 the recurring theme was death and something being in the "darkness", which was revealed to be the release of Abbadon in the series finale; it has remained a recurring theme in the show in Series 2 as part of the arch involving Owen. In Series 2, the story arc was "Gray" refers to Captain Jack's lost brother, who returns in the series finale.Lord Clapsar
is Jack's greatest foe
 
Torchwood Arcs
 
S1="Something in the Darkness"
 
S2=Gray
 
S3=Lord Clapsar
 
 
 
 
==References in Doctor Who==
 
The word "Torchwood" first occured in the 2005 ''Doctor Who'' episode ''[[Bad Wolf (TV story)|Bad Wolf]]'', during a deadly version of the game show, ''[[The Weakest Link]]''. One of the answers was that the [[Great Cobalt Pyramid]] was built on the ruins of the famous Old Earth [[Torchwood Institute]].
 
In the episode [[Tooth and Claw ]] it is revealed at the very end that [[Queen Victoria]] founded the [[Torchwood Institute]], taking the name from the estate, with a remit to investigate paranormal events such as the werewolf in this episode.
 
In the [[Series 2 (Doctor Who)|Series 2]], "[[Rise of the Cybermen]]", [[Pete Tyler]] asks a guest (off camera) at [[Jackie Tyler]]'s birthday party how things are in Torchwood. This story is set on a parallel [[Earth]], and [[Pete's World]] Torchwood Institute later features in "[[Doomsday]]."

Latest revision as of 20:17, 3 November 2024

RealWorld.png

You may wish to consult Torchwood (disambiguation) for other, similarly-named pages.

Torchwood was a multi-media Doctor Who spin-off series about the adventures of Jack Harkness and the Torchwood Institute.

Originally created as a television show by Russell T Davies in 2005, Torchwood was the first TV spin-off of Doctor Who to be commissioned for a full 13-part series. The first four series, produced by BBC Wales, were supplemented by BBC Books novels, BBC Audio audio stories, and Titan Publishing Group comics and short stories. The fourth series, released in 2011, was co-produced with the American cable network Starz and was accompanied by an animated online serial.

In 2015, Big Finish Productions began an series of monthly Torchwood audio dramas, and in 2017 they began an official continuation of the television show under the title Torchwood: The Story Continues.

History[[edit] | [edit source]]

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 fantasy drama series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series, Angel.[source needed]

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. The word "Torchwood" (an anagram of "Doctor Who") 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 as they were being sent to London. Davies thought that this was a clever idea and remembered the name.

Davies connected the word Torchwood to his earlier Excalibur idea and decided to make the series a Doctor Who spin-off.[source needed] Subsequently, the word Torchwood was seeded in several Doctor Who episodes and other media which aired in 2005 and 2006.

The series was set in contemporary Cardiff and followed the Welsh branch of a covert agency called the Torchwood Institute, which investigates extraterrestrial incidents on Earth and scavenges alien technology for its own use. As established in the Doctor Who episodes Tooth and Claw and Army of Ghosts, the Institute had been formed by Queen Victoria following an incident involving the Tenth Doctor and a werewolf, ostensibly to protect the British Empire from aliens and other creatures — as well as from the Doctor himself.

To paraphrase Torchwood Three's commander-in-chief, Jack Harkness, the organisation was separate from the government, outside the police, and beyond the United Nations (the last reference thereby placing Torchwood in a different realm than UNIT).

Although a secret organisation, the existence of Torchwood was known by the public, and Torchwood operatives made no secret of their identity when on duty. Their public perception was as merely a "special ops" group, with their true responsibilities kept secret to all but a select few. Regular characters included Gwen Cooper, Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, Toshiko Sato, Owen Harper, Rex Matheson and Esther Drummond. Martha Jones, Suzie Costello, and Vera Juarez have also been portrayed as part of the Torchwood team led by Harkness. Semi-regulars Rhys Williams and Sgt Andy Davidson are the only non-Torchwood members who recurred across all televised series.

The events of the first series took place some time after the Doctor Who Doomsday series two finale, in which Torchwood's London headquarters was destroyed, and just before the series three finale. Though the series has not yet featured the Doctor himself, the materialisation sound of the Doctor's TARDIS was heard in the final episode of season one, which led directly into the Doctor Who episode Utopia, and other dialogue references have been made, notably in the Torchwood: Miracle Day arc. Likewise, the appearance of Martha Jones in the second series provided vital continuity between third and fourth series of Doctor Who. Conversely, Jack, as well as his team of Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones featured (and former team members Owen Harper and Toshiko Sato are mentioned) in the last two episodes of the fourth series of Doctor Who.

The initial main writer alongside Davies was Chris Chibnall, creator of the BBC light drama show Born and Bred (who later moved over to work on Law & Order: UK). Other writers include P.J. Hammond, Toby Whithouse, Doctor Who script editor Helen Raynor, Catherine Tregenna, and Doctor Who cast member Noel Clarke.

In a 17 October 2005 announcement unveiling the series, BBC Three controller 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."[1] Davies later denied ever making this comparison, instead describing the show as "alleyways, rain, the city".[source needed]

As Torchwood was a post-watershed show — that is, after 9 p.m. — it had 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."[source needed]

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".[source needed] The first and second series included content never before seen or heard in televised Doctor Who, including intense sex scenes (e.g. Day One, Out of Time, Dead of Night), same-sex kissing in a romantic/sexual context (e.g. Cyberwoman, Captain Jack Harkness), and use of extreme profanity in several episodes. Such content was controversial,[source needed] and, as the series progressed, such scenes were minimised, to the point where, by series 3, relatively little of this content remained.

The show's first two series shared the format used by Doctor Who at the time, thirteen episodes aired weekly over a span of months. However, the format changed in the third season, which was one five-part story, Children of Earth, written by Russell T. Davies and released over the course of a week in July 2009. The fourth season, a 2011 coproduction between BBC Wales and Starz, similarly took the form of one long story, Miracle Day, but stretched across ten episodes. No fifth series followed on television.

In 2015, Big Finish Productions began monthly Torchwood audios, including some set following the events of Miracle Day. This led to their 2017 announcement that, with the cooperation of Russell T. Davies, they would be releasing a fifth series of Torchwood on audio.[2] Like series 3 and 4, it was marketed under a new subtitle, Aliens Among Us. It was followed by series 6, God Among Us, in 2018, and Among Us, in 2023.[3][4]

12 October 2016 marked the 10th anniversary of Torchwood. In celebration, cast and crew were invited to the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, and a special screening of the first episode was shown for the fans.[5] Big Finish also produced a special audio story to celebrate the show's anniversary, entitled The Torchwood Archive.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Secondary cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main series[[edit] | [edit source]]

Series 1 - 2006-2007[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main article: Series 1 (Torchwood)

Series 2 - 2008[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main article: Series 2 (Torchwood)

Series 3 - 2009[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main article: Torchwood: Children of Earth

Series 4 - 2011[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main article: Torchwood: Miracle Day

Series 5 - 2017-2018[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main article: Aliens Among Us

Series 6 - 2018-2019[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main article: God Among Us

Series 7 - 2023[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main article: Among Us

Other media[[edit] | [edit source]]

Prose[[edit] | [edit source]]

Novels[[edit] | [edit source]]

See list of Torchwood novels

Short stories[[edit] | [edit source]]

See list of Torchwood short stories

Video games[[edit] | [edit source]]

Comics[[edit] | [edit source]]

See list of Torchwood comic strips

Reference books[[edit] | [edit source]]

Audio[[edit] | [edit source]]

Audiobooks[[edit] | [edit source]]

Audio stories[[edit] | [edit source]]

Torchwood[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main article: Big Finish Torchwood series

Radio[[edit] | [edit source]]

Web series[[edit] | [edit source]]

Web of Lies

Magazines[[edit] | [edit source]]

Torchwood The Official Magazine was a title launched in 2008 and published by Titan Publishing Group, that ran for twenty-five issues. The licence expired as a consequence of a realignment of Torchwood merchandising in response to the BBC's co-production agreement with Starz.

In 2010, Titan began publishing a monthly comic book for the North American market, Torchwood The Official Comic, reprinting comic strips and short stories from the UK magazine. Material from the magazine was also used in the Torchwood The Official Magazine Yearbook (2008) and the Torchwood The Official Magazine Yearbook (2009).

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crossover characters/aliens[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

From Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]
To Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Sarah Jane Adventures[[edit] | [edit source]]

To The Sarah Jane Adventures[[edit] | [edit source]]
From The Sarah Jane Adventures[[edit] | [edit source]]

Future[[edit] | [edit source]]

John Barrowman, in an 2010 interview with The Scottish Sun, said that he expected Torchwood to run until 2017.[6]

However, Russell T Davies stated in October 2012 that for personal reasons the show was on an indefinite hiatus.[7][8]

Video game[[edit] | [edit source]]

In an interview with Robert Nashak of BBC Worldwide, it was revealed that the BBC were looking into creating a game for Torchwood. Whether these would be in the form of The Adventure Games, or for retail on platforms, is unknown. [9]

Aborted ideas[[edit] | [edit source]]

Musical[[edit] | [edit source]]

According to Russell T Davies in The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter, two former members of the pop group ABBA issued a proposal for a stage musical based upon Torchwood. The proposal was rejected, and in his book Davies strongly indicates that the idea was never taken seriously.[10]

American series[[edit] | [edit source]]

In January 2010 US media reported that Davies, Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter were planning a US version of Torchwood for the Fox network, which had previously aired the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie. According to the reports, Barrowman and other original cast members may have appeared. The media coverage did not indicate whether or not the series was expected to be a remake/standalone, or if it would tie in with existing Whoniverse continuity. On the 20th January 2010 it was announced that Fox had ordered a pilot script for a US version of Torchwood from BBC Worldwide.[11] On 21st April 2010, however, BBC Worldwide announced that Fox had chosen not to proceed with the series, which according to the BBC was to have been a 13-episode, serialised programme, similar to the UK original.[12]

The show was later picked up by the American network Starz, which co-produced the fourth series.

Merchandising[[edit] | [edit source]]

Torchwood-themed product ranges included:

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ Frame, Anna (2006-10-25). The X-Files meets This Life. Daily Express p. 49. [note: potentially originated in a RadioTimes piece]
  2. ↑ Season 5 of Torchwood is finally coming, just as an audio drama
  3. ↑ Torchwood returning for official series 6 at Big Finish
  4. ↑ Torchwood is Among Us!
  5. ↑ http://www.bafta.org/wales/whats-on/special-screening-10-years-of-torchwood
  6. ↑ http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/torchwood-2017-13416.htm
  7. ↑ http://www.denofgeek.us/tv/russell-t-davies-on-the-future-of-torchwood/22566/russell-t-davies-on-the-future-of-torchwood
  8. ↑ http://screenrant.com/torchwood-season-5-delay-scott-163133/
  9. ↑ http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/torchwood-the-game-8995.htm
  10. ↑ BBC News - Abba duo linked to Torchwood musical accessed 22nd March 2010
  11. ↑ http://www.c21media.net/news/detail.asp?area=1&article=53791 C21Media - Fox ignites Torchwood pilot script accessed 22nd March 2010
  12. ↑ Doctor Who News Page - Fox Withdraw from American Torchwood accessed 22nd April 2010
v • e
Torchwood television stories
Series 1
Series 2
Series 3
Children of Earth: Day One • Day Two • Day Three • Day Four • Day Five
Series 4
Stories listed here are only those that have been officially licensed by the BBC.
v • e
Spin-offs and connected series
 
Licensed by the BBC
TV
PROSE
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