| Torchwood | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Russell T Davies |
| Showrunners |
|
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Murray Gold |
| Composers | |
| Country of origin |
|
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 41(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | |
| Running time | 45–60 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Three |
| Release | 22 October 2006 (2006-10-22) – 21 March 2008 (2008-03-21) |
| Network | BBC Two |
| Release | 16 January (2008-01-16) – 4 April 2008 (2008-04-04) |
| Network | BBC One |
| Release | 6 July 2009 (2009-07-06) – 15 September 2011 (2011-09-15) |
| Network | Starz |
| Release | 8 July (2011-07-08) – 9 September 2011 (2011-09-09) |
| Related | |
| Torchwood Declassified Doctor Who The Sarah Jane Adventures Class | |
Torchwood is a Britishscience fiction television programme created byRussell T Davies. Aspin-off of the 2005 revival ofDoctor Who, it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from BBC Three to BBC Two to BBC One, and acquiring American financing in its fourth series when it became a co-production of BBC One and Starz.Torchwood is aimed at adults and older teenagers, in contrast toDoctor Who's target audience of both adults and children. As well as science fiction, the show explores a number of themes, includingexistentialism, LGBTQ+ sexuality, and human corruptibility.
Torchwood follows the exploits of a small team of alien-hunters who make up theCardiff-based, fictionalTorchwood Institute, which deals mainly with investigating incidents involving extraterrestrials. Its central character is CaptainJack Harkness (John Barrowman), an immortal con-man from the distant future; Jack originally appeared in the2005 series ofDoctor Who. The initial main cast of the series consisted ofGareth David-Lloyd,Burn Gorman,Naoko Mori, andEve Myles. Their characters are specialists for the Torchwood team, often tracking down aliens and defending the planet from alien and human threats. In its first two series, the show uses atime rift in Cardiff as its primaryplot generator, accounting for the unusual preponderance of alien beings in Cardiff. In the third and fourth series, Torchwood operate as fugitives. Gorman and Mori's characters were written out of the story at the end of the second series. Recurring actorKai Owen was promoted to the main cast in series three, in which David-Lloyd was written out. Subsequently, American actorsMekhi Phifer,Alexa Havins andBill Pullman joined the cast of the show for its fourth series.
The first series premiered onBBC Three and onBBC HD in 2006 to mixed reviews but viewing figures broke records for the digital channel. It returned in 2008 where it aired first onBBC Two, receiving a higher budget; its uneven tone, a criticism of the first series, was largely smoothed out, and the show attracted higher ratings and better reviews. The third series' episodes worked with a higher budget, and it was transferred to the network's flagship channel,BBC One, as a five-episode serial titledTorchwood: Children of Earth. AlthoughChildren of Earth was broadcast over a period of five consecutive summer weeknights, the series received high ratings in the United Kingdom and overseas. A fourth series, co-produced byBBC Wales,BBC Worldwide and American premium entertainment networkStarz aired in 2011 under the titleTorchwood: Miracle Day. Set both in Wales and the United States,Miracle Day fared less well with critics thanChildren of Earth, although it was applauded by some for its ambition. The series entered anindefinite hiatus afterMiracle Day due to Davies' personal circumstances.
All four televised series have been broadcast in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and North America. Owing to the early popularity ofTorchwood, various tie-in media were produced,[6] including audio dramas, novels and comic strips. From its inception, the BBC invested in a heavy online presence for the series, with analternate reality game running alongside the show's first two series, and an animatedWeb series running alongside its fourth. The BBC continued to approve and commission licensed spin-offs after the show's conclusion, including anaudio series continuation fromBig Finish Productions (2015–present).
On 21 February 2020, all 41 televised episodes returned to theBBC's online streaming service,BBC iPlayer. In theUnited States, the entire series was made available onHBO's new streaming service,HBO Max, upon its launch in May 2020 until July 26, 2025.
Before the revival ofDoctor Who,Russell T Davies began to develop an idea for a science-fiction/crime drama in the style of American dramas, in particular those created byJoss Whedon likeBuffy the Vampire Slayer andAngel.[7][8] This idea, originally titledExcalibur, was abandoned until 2005, when BBC Three Controller Stuart Murphy invited Davies to develop an after-watershed science fiction series for the channel.[8] During the production of the 2005 series ofDoctor Who, the word "Torchwood", ananagram of "Doctor Who", had been used as atitle ruse for the series while filming its first few episodes to ensure they were not intercepted.[9] Davies connected the word "Torchwood" to his earlierExcalibur idea and decided to make the series aDoctor Who spin-off.[8] Subsequently, the word "Torchwood" was seeded inDoctor Who episodes and other media that aired in 2005 and 2006.
BecauseTorchwood is shown after thewatershed – that is, after 9 pm – it has more mature content thanDoctor Who. Davies toldSFX:
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, andTorchwood is going to be smarter than that. But it's the essential difference betweenBBC One at 7 pm, andBBC Three at, say, 9 pm. That says it all – instinctively, every viewer can see the huge difference there.[10][11]
According to Barrowman: "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."[12] Davies also joked to aBBC Radio Wales interviewer that he was "not allowed" to refer to the programme as "Doctor Who for grown-ups".[13] The first series includes content rarely seen or heard in theDoctor Who franchise, including sex scenes and use ofprofanity in several episodes.[14][15]
BBC Three describedTorchwood as the centrepiece of its autumn 2006 schedule,[16] and the successful first series led to a second series on BBC Two and a third on BBC One in 2009.[17]
Although Torchwood was originally intended to be sci-fi aimed at adults, the characterCaptain Jack Harkness, who had previously been introduced inDoctor Who, proved popular with young audiences. Davies decided to create alternative edits of the second series to be "child-friendly", removing overt sexuality and swearing. These edits to the shows enabled it to be broadcast at 7 pm (pre-watershed).[18][19]
The first three series ofTorchwood were produced in-house byBBC Wales. The Head of Drama at the time of the first series,Julie Gardner, served as executive producer alongside Davies. The first two episodes of series 1 ofTorchwood premiered on 22 October 2006 onBBC Three andBBC HD. Series 2 premiered onBBC Two and BBC HD on 16 January 2008.[20] The third series,Torchwood: Children of Earth, began shooting on 18 August 2008 and comprised a five-episode mini-series that aired over five consecutive days at 9 pm on BBC One from 6 July 2009,[21][22][23][24] and 9 pm onBBC America HD andBBC America from 20 July 2009.[25] Davies and Gardner stayed on as executive producers andPeter Bennett produced the series.[26][27]
Davies expressed concern that the third series was aired in a summer eveninggraveyard slot.[28] Lead actor John Barrowman felt that the show had been mistreated by BBC executives, despite what he felt was the programme's proven popularity and success.[17]
In August 2009, Davies stated that the fourth series was "ready to go",[29] and that he had the next series planned out, stating, "I know exactly how to pick it up. I've got a shape in mind, and I've got stories. I know where you'd find Gwen and Rhys, and their baby, and Jack, and I know how you'd go forward with a new form of Torchwood." At the time, he stated he would prefer for series four to be another mini-series, though he had no qualms about doing another thirteen-episode run.[30] A November 2009 article posted on Eve Myles's website stated that shooting for the fourth series was to begin in January 2011.[31]
Subsequently, Davies looked to American networks to finance future series of the programme. He was turned down by one of the United States'major television networks,Fox;[32] some had speculated the Fox project could have been a spin-off or areboot.[33] Later, Davies succeeded in striking a deal with Americanpremium cable networkStarz.[34] The production of the fourth series was not officially announced until June 2010:[35][36] a ten-episode mini-series co-produced between BBC Wales, Starz andBBC Worldwide,[35] airing summer 2011.[37]
As with the third, the fourth series was given its own title:Torchwood: Miracle Day.[38] Shortly after the broadcast ofMiracle Day in March 2012, the chief executive officer of Starz,Chris Albrecht, announced that he was remaining in touch with the BBC regarding a further series ofTorchwood, though it would depend on Davies being free from his other commitments.[39] However, by 2012 the show had entered anindefinite hiatus due to Davies' return to the UK after his partner became ill.[40][41][42]
In the first series, the main writer alongside Russell T Davies wasChris Chibnall, creator of the BBC light drama showsBorn and Bred and futureDoctor Who showrunner. Other writers includeP.J. Hammond,Toby Whithouse,Doctor Whoscript editorHelen Raynor,Catherine Tregenna andDoctor Who cast memberNoel Clarke. Of the first two series, Russell T Davies wrote only the première episode.[11][43] Helen Raynor and Brian Minchin were the programme's script editors.[44]
Series one ofTorchwood was filmed from May 2006 until November 2006. For the second series,[20] lead writer Chris Chibnall wrote the opening episode and the three final episodes.[45][citation needed] Both Catherine Tregenna and Helen Raynor wrote two episodes for the second series.[46] The other episodes were written byJames Moran,Matt Jones,J. C. Wilsher,Joseph Lidster,P.J. Hammond andPhil Ford. Russell T Davies was initially announced as writing two episodes, but due to commitments toDoctor Who, he no longer anticipated writing anyTorchwood episodes.[47] For series three, Davies returned and wrote the first and last episodes, co-wrote episode three with James Moran and plotted the overall story arc himself.[27]John Fay wrote episodes two and four.[48]
For the fourth series,Miracle Day, Davies secured several popular American television writers, includingBuffy the Vampire Slayer writerJane Espenson;The X-Files,Star Trek: Enterprise andSupernatural writerJohn Shiban; andHouse writerDoris Egan. Additionally, both Davies and John Fay returned to write episodes.[38] In continuing the series Davies chose to keepTorchwood more focused on thehuman condition than its science fiction backdrop. He drew inspiration fromBuffy the Vampire Slayer, noting that "the best metaphors in Buffy came down to, 'What's it like to be in high school, as a kid?'" He felt the fourth series ofTorchwood to be "about us and our decisions and our lives, and how we live with each other and how we die with each other".[49] The depiction of human nature in the fourth series led to a sequence which many felt to be evocative ofthe Holocaust. Jane Espenson noted that as a seriesTorchwood "is willing to go to horrible places". She stated that in storyliningMiracle Day, the writers "didn't want to flinch away from what mankind can do."[50]
The first block of series two, consisting of episodes by Raynor and Tregenna, was directed byAndy Goddard.Colin Teague directed the second block, which consists ofepisode two by Moran andepisode four by Tregenna, with Ashley Way directing the third block, consisting ofthe series two premiere by Chibnall and thesixth episode of the series, by JC Wilsher.[45]Euros Lyn directed all five episodes of the third series,Children of Earth.[27]
In June 2010, a BBC News report confirmed that the fourth series would have 10 episodes.[51] Filming began in January 2011. Unlike the previous series, this series' directors did not direct in blocks but in specific episodes.[52] The series four directors includedBharat Nalluri,[53]Billy Gierhart,[53]Guy Ferland[53] andGwyneth Horder-Payton.[53]
Richard Stokes produced series 1 and 2 of Torchwood; Originally,James Hawes (aDoctor Who director) was lined up as the producer, but he later withdrew from this project.[44][54] Series 3 was produced byPeter Bennett.[55] Series 4 was produced by Kelly A Manners,[56] with UK filming produced by Brian Minchin, producer of Series 4 and 5 ofThe Sarah Jane Adventures.[57][58] The series also sharesDoctor Who's production designer, Edward Thomas.[59][60] Music for the series was composed byBen Foster[61] andDoctor Who's composerMurray Gold,[62] with composer Stu Kennedy assisting on Series 4.[63]
Episodes of the show's first two series are preceded by avoice-over monologue by Barrowman as Harkness, establishing the show's premise.[64] The show's theme tune plays over this monologue and the title sequence.[65] The theme was written byDoctor Who composerMurray Gold.[62]
The opening sequence was re-done specifically for series 2, episode 5 "Adam", adding the titular character to the existing scenes. This reflected the in-universe story of Adam psychically inserting himself into the team members' memories as a long-standing member of the team.[66]
ForChildren of Earth, a recap of the last episode was played at the beginning of each episode, followed by a title card. The theme was not featured in this, instead only featuring over the end credits.
A new theme arrangement and opening credit sequence was introduced with Series 4 (though a musical motif, or "sting", from the original theme is still audible in numerous scenes). Although each episode ofMiracle Day has a published individual title,Torchwood: Miracle Day is the only on-screen title used.
The series is set inCardiff,Wales, and follows a rogue covert agency called Torchwood which investigates extraterrestrial incidents on Earth and scavenges alien technology for its own use. This Torchwood, led byCaptain Jack Harkness, is a small, independent organisation, but began as the Cardiff branch of the largerTorchwood Institute, then-defunct, which began in theVictorian era. (Its origins were outlined in theDoctor Who episode "Tooth and Claw", and Harkness's long connection to it is covered in flashback scenes in aTorchwood series 2 episode.) As the opening monologue explains, 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 sometime after theDoctor Whoseries two finale, in which the Torchwood Institute's London headquarters was destroyed. This format was maintained for the first two series.
Series three, a miniseries, saw the Cardiff headquarters destroyed and the team temporarily operating as fugitives in England's capital city of London, its membership declining and the organisation thoroughly broken over the course of the serial. Series four starts with Torchwood fully disbanded. Jack has left Earth after the events of series three, and a pregnant Gwen has retired to be with her family. The group is then unofficially reformed, this time operating primarily in the United States, joined by two fugitive CIA agents who have been framed for treason, during Miracle Day.
| Actor | Character | Series | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||||
| John Barrowman | Jack Harkness | Main | |||||
| Eve Myles | Gwen Cooper | Main | |||||
| Burn Gorman | Owen Harper | Main | Does not appear | ||||
| Naoko Mori | Toshiko Sato | Main | Does not appear | ||||
| Indira Varma | Suzie Costello | Featured[b] | Does not appear | ||||
| Gareth David-Lloyd | Ianto Jones | Main | Does not appear | ||||
| Freema Agyeman | Martha Jones | Does not appear | Main[c] | Does not appear | |||
| Kai Owen | Rhys Williams | Recurring | Main | ||||
| Mekhi Phifer | Rex Matheson | Does not appear | Main | ||||
| Alexa Havins | Esther Drummond | Does not appear | Main | ||||
| Bill Pullman | Oswald Danes | Does not appear | Main | ||||
Unlike its parent programme,Torchwood centres on a team instead of a single character with companions. The show initially depicts a small team of alien-hunters known as Torchwood Three, based in Cardiff. The team is made up of five operatives led byCaptain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), formerly atime-traveling "Time Agent" and con man from the distant future who has lived on Earth as an immortal since the 19th century.Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles), the female lead, joins the team in the first episode; she is originally anaudience surrogate, but later grows into a more morally complicated character. The original cast is filled out by Torchwood medical officerOwen Harper (Burn Gorman), computer specialistToshiko Sato (Naoko Mori), and generalfactotum-cum-administratorIanto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd). Toshiko and Owen arekilled off in thesecond series finale, as is Ianto in the show's third series. Recurring characters areRhys Williams (Kai Owen), Gwen's live-in boyfriend and later husband; andAndy Davidson (Tom Price), Gwen's former police partner. Kai Owen becomes a main cast member in the programme beginning with the third series; his character is initially unaware of Gwen's activities with Torchwood but later becomes her close confidant and the team's ally. Price appears in all four series.
Prior to the programme's debut, publicity materials featuredIndira Varma asSuzie Costello among the regular cast members, giving the impression that she would appear throughout the series. However, Suzie was killed off at the end of thefirst episode with Gwen taking her place on the team,[67] Suzie reappearing onlyonce more as anantagonist. In the first two series,Paul Kasey regularly appears under heavy prosthetics, portraying, as inDoctor Who, a number of aliens on the series, such as humanoidWeevils andBlowfishes. Other recurring characters includeDoctor Who'sMartha Jones (Freema Agyeman)—like Jack, a former time-traveller, and now medical officer for the militaristic alien-investigating organisationUNIT—who crosses over intoTorchwood for three episodes in series two.[68] Additionally,James Marsters portraysCaptain John Hart, Jack's villainous former lover and Time Agent partner.[69][70] Others in the second series, recurring in a minor capacity, include a mysteriously age-immunelittle girl (Skye Bennett) andVictorian-era Torchwood memberAlice Guppy (Amy Manson). The second series also introduces Gwen's parents, Geraint (William Thomas) and Mary Cooper (Sharon Morgan), who later reappear in the show's fourth series.
Children of Earth featured a largely new supporting cast for the duration of the five-episode serial, such asPermanent SecretaryJohn Frobisher (Peter Capaldi),Clem McDonald (Paul Copley), Frobisher's personal assistantBridget Spears (Susan Brown),Prime Minister Brian Green (Nicholas Farrell), ruthless operativeAgent Johnson (Liz May Brice), Jack's middle-aged daughterAlice (Lucy Cohu), her sonSteven (Bear McCausland) and Ianto's sister Rhiannon (Katy Wix).Cush Jumbo was cast as Frobisher's personal assistantLois Habiba; Habiba was written into the story after Agyeman was unavailable to return to portray Martha.[71]
The fourth series,Miracle Day, features an expanded cast of eight.[72] Barrowman, Myles and Owen all return to the series. New to the Torchwood team areCIA agentsRex Matheson (Mekhi Phifer),[73][74] andEsther Drummond (Alexa Havins),[75] and surgeonVera Juarez (Arlene Tur).[76] American film starBill Pullman joins asOswald Danes, a highly intelligent child murderer,[77][78][79] andLauren Ambrose playsJilly Kitzinger, a ruthlessPR woman who takes on Danes as a client.[80] Tur's character is killed off in the fifth episode, whilst Pullman and Havins last until episode ten. Recurring characters include CIA directorsBrian Friedkin (Wayne Knight) andAllen Shapiro (John de Lancie), San Pedro camp managerColin Maloney (Marc Vann), Esther's sisterSarah Drummond (Candace Brown), and CIA watch analystsCharlotte Willis (Marina Benedict) andNoah Vickers (Paul James).Nana Visitor playsOlivia Colasanto, who directs the team toward their real enemies;Frances Fisher andTeddy Sears portray recurring villains.
| Series | Episodes | Originally released (UK) | Average viewers (millions) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | ||||
| 1 | 13 | 22 October 2006 (2006-10-22) | 1 January 2007 (2007-01-01) | BBC Three | 1.42 | |
| 2 | 13 | 16 January 2008 (2008-01-16) | 4 April 2008 (2008-04-04) | BBC Two[d] | 3.27 | |
| 3:Children of Earth | 5 | 6 July 2009 (2009-07-06) | 10 July 2009 (2009-07-10) | BBC One | 6.47 | |
| 4:Miracle Day | 10 | 14 July 2011 (2011-07-14)[e] | 15 September 2011 (2011-09-15)[e] | Starz / BBC One | 5.17 | |
The premiere episode "Everything Changes" was written by Russell T Davies and introduces the main characters and roles within the series, using newcomer Gwen as theaudience surrogate in a similar style to the introduction of thecompanion characters inDoctor Who. The second episode, titled "Day One", aired immediately after the first. It continues Gwen's neophyte role and includes a "sex monster" science fiction storyline.[81] The first 13-episode series ended with a two-parter on 1 January 2007. The first part, entitled "Captain Jack Harkness", is a love story set in wartime Britain, with a subplot which pushes the setting toward an apocalypse for the 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 present day Cardiff. The episode also sets up Jack's return in theDoctor Who episode "Utopia".
2008's second 13-episode series ofTorchwood begins with Jack's return from the previousDoctor Who episode, "Last of the Time Lords" with the series premiere, "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang". The series introduces Jack's ex-partnerCaptain 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 starsDoctor Who actressFreema Agyeman asMartha Jones, temporarily drafted into Torchwood. The arc focuses on the death and partial resurrection of main character Owen Harper, and how he copes as a dead man. The second series finale, "Exit Wounds", features the departures of main characters Owen and Tosh, whose deaths at the hands of Jack's long-lost brotherGray reduced the cast to Barrowman, Myles and David-Lloyd in its closing scenes. The Torchwood Three team made a crossover appearance in theseries four finale ofDoctor Who, "The Stolen Earth"/"Journey's End", which featured Jack Harkness leaving the Doctor at the close of the story, accompanied by Martha Jones andMickey Smith (Noel Clarke).
Series three is only five episodes long and was broadcast over consecutive nights as a single story,Children of Earth (2009). The series focuses on the consequences of appeasement policy; having been given 12 children as atribute in 1965, aliens called the4-5-6 arrive in the present demanding a greater share of the Earth's child population. For the first time in the series, the majority of the action takes place outside Wales; Torchwood's base of operations is destroyed in the premiere and the remainder of the Torchwood team have relocated toLondon.Kai Owen is promoted to a regular cast member, while a new cast of political figures are introduced alongside family members of main characters Jack and Ianto.Nicholas Farrell plays Prime Minister Brian Green whose intent is to give in rather than fight the 4–5–6, leaving Torchwood to stand against the government and the aliens. David-Lloyd departs the cast when Ianto is killed by the aliens in episode four, leaving Jack distraught. In the series closing scenes, with Gwen pregnant and Jack abandoning Earth, Torchwood effectively disbands.
Series four,Torchwood: Miracle Day (2011), comprising ten episodes, sees Torchwood having been reduced to the status of legend followingChildren of Earth. The narrative follows twoCIA agents (Mekhi Phifer andAlexa Havins) who discover Torchwood on the same day death ceases to occur, due to an event known as Miracle Day. The agents join Gwen and Jack as they seek to restore death to the world. While primarily aconspiracy thriller, the series also examines the depths humanity can sink to under pressure. ActressArlene Tur portrays a surgeon who challenges the failing medical system and shifting government legislation. The characters ofOswald Danes (Bill Pullman) andJilly Kitzinger (Lauren Ambrose) are used to highlight the precariousness of fame and the amorality of the media. TheGreat Recession is implicated as another element of the Miracle Day conspiracy. Though largely set in the US, Wales remains a key setting. The origins of the Miracle Day conspiracy are revealed in a 1920s flashback in "Immortal Sins", as the worldwide scale of the story takes the protagonists to Shanghai andBuenos Aires in the finale "The Blood Line". In the epilogue, Gwen questions Jack whether he will stay to reform Torchwood; he does not provide an answer.
"WithDoctor Who we often had to pretend that bits of Cardiff were London, orUtah, or the planet Zog. Whereas this series is going to be honest-to-God Cardiff. We will happily walk past theMillennium Centre and say, 'Look, there's the Millennium Centre'."
The first two series ofTorchwood were both filmed and set inCardiff. The makers ofTorchwood 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 ControllerMenna Richards.[83]Conservative MPMichael Gove described the debut ofTorchwood as the moment confirming "Wales' move from overlooked celtic cousin to underwired erotic coquette".[84][85] Filming has also taken place outside of Cardiff, including inMerthyr Tydfil.[86]
The team's headquarters during the first two series, referred to asthe Hub, was beneathRoald Dahl Plass inCardiff Bay – formerly known as the Oval Basin. This is where theTARDIS landed in theDoctor Who episodes "Boom Town" and "Utopia" to refuel, and is the location of thespacetime rift first seen in "The Unquiet Dead". The Cardiff Rift becomes "the first of several phenomena or technologies in the newDr.Who associated with the interface between different places, dimensions, or states of being."[87] The Rift becomes a plot device to present threats to the characters and the world,[88] with danger awaiting on the other side.[89] In "The House of the Dead" the Cardiff Rift is closed through the actions of a ghost,Ianto Jones.[90]
The Hub itself was around three storeys high, with a large column running through the middle that was an extension of the fountain above; at its base lay the rift machine. The Hub had two means of access: a lift that rose to the plass next to the fountain (camouflaged by a perception filter), and a more mundane entrance hidden in a tourism office. Production crew were keen to use everything Wales had to offer in filming the series; for example, the military base scenes in "Sleeper" and the booby-trapped abandoned warehouse scenes in "Fragments" were filmed atRAF Caerwent, near Chepstow.[91]
The third series opened in the traditional setting, but in the first episode the Hub was destroyed; the show adapted to a conventional London setting, with many scenes filmed and set at real-life Britishintelligence agency headquartersThames House. For the show's fourth series, the programme was largely filmed and set in the United States, but parts were filmed in Wales and other locations.[35]
Torchwood Declassified is a "making-of" programme similar toDoctor Who Confidential. EachDeclassified episode runs under ten minutes, in contrast toConfidential's 45 (formerly 30).[92]Torchwood Declassified aired on BBC Three (series 1) and BBC Two (series 2), and was also available online through the BBC'siPlayer and dedicatedTorchwood site. Installments were produced for each episode of the first two series, with a single installment produced for theChildren of Earth DVD release.
In 2007,Titan Magazines launchedTorchwood Magazine,[93] which was released on 24 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. The magazine emulatedDoctor Who Magazine in combining behind-the-scenes features with original story content in the form of a serialised comic strip and short stories; as the magazine's run progressed, the original fiction became more predominant. The magazine was discontinued in early 2011, after two-dozen issues.[94]
Titan published six issues of a monthlyTorchwood comic book in 2009 for North American markets; the comic consisted of reprints of the magazine's comic strips and short stories and was cancelled in the wake of the parent publication folding.[95]Following the cancellation ofTorchwood Magazine,Doctor Who Magazine and its American counterpart, Doctor Who Insider, ran articles on the series.[96]
Torchwood has "a heavy online presence".[97] At theEdinburgh International Television Festival, BBC Director of TelevisionJana Bennett originally promised that the series' online tie-ins were to include the ability to explore the Hub, an imaginary desktop, weekly 10-minute behind-the-scenesvodcasts. "You can join the corporation of Torchwood and be one of its employees," said Bennett.[98] The Adobe Flash-based interactive website, including the Hub Tour, debuted on 12 October 2006.[99] Due to digital media rights restrictions most video content on the BBC Three websites is onlyaccessible to users within the UK.
Torchwood's many tie-in websites amount to analternate reality game; the show's online presence was an example ofelectronic literature. On the first website (for series 1), the alternate reality game was mostly composed of weekly updates to the site in the form of fictional intercepted blogs, newspaper cutouts and confidential letters and IM conversations between members of the Torchwood Three crew.Convergence: the International Journal of Research into New Media commented onDoctor Who andTorchwood's foray into "convergence culture" as an achievement "on an unprecedented scale, with the BBC currently using the series to trial a plethora of new technologies, including: mini-episodes on mobile phones, podcast commentaries, interactive red-button adventures, video blogs, companion programming, and 'fake' metatextual websites."[100] For the second series in 2008, a second interactiveTorchwood online game was devised, scripted by series writerPhil Ford;[101] this more heavily featured the actors of the series, particularly Gareth David-Lloyd, andSiwan Morris was cast as apirate radio jockey investigatingTorchwood.
During the fourth series of the revival ofDoctor Who, a crossover webcast production calledCaptain Jack's Monster Files was launched, featuring Barrowman, in character as Jack, hosting a series of shorts profiling various monsters and aliens featured onDoctor Who. These segments, posted to the BBC's officialDoctor Who website, included specially shot footage of Jack in the Hub. After Series 4, the segments were produced less frequently, with the last featuring Jack, released in December 2009, taking the form of Jack narrating a mini-episode featuring theWeeping Angels entitled "A Ghost Story for Christmas". SubsequentMonster Files webcasts released since 2010 have been hosted byDoctor Who co-starAlex Kingston as her character,River Song. As with most other online video content from the BBC,Captain Jack's Monster Files are not viewable outside the UK and to date (2011) have never been included on a DVD or Blu-ray release of eitherDoctor Who orTorchwood.[102]The Torchwood Archives by Gary Russell collects much of this online literature for the first two series in hardback form, including the Captain's Blog section of the BBC AmericaTorchwood website.[103]
To promote its rebroadcasts ofTorchwood, the British digital channelWatch has twice commissioned the creative team of theTorchwood Magazine comic strip to produce brief online-exclusive comic strip stories for the Watch website. The first of these,The Return of the Vostok, was uploaded in February 2009, with a follow-up,Ma and Par, appearing in February 2010.[104]
Tying in with the launch ofTorchwood: Miracle Day, Starz produced a 2011Torchwood webseries entitledTorchwood: Web of Lies, which starred American actressEliza Dushku.[105]
Set between the end of Series Two and the beginning of Series Three, the BBC aired four Torchwood radio dramas featuring the cast of the series. As a tie in withRadio 4'sCERN-themed day on 10 September 2008, a CERN-themed radio episode of Torchwood written byJoseph Lidster, entitled "Lost Souls", aired as the day'sAfternoon Play.[106] This was the first Torchwood drama not to feature Burn Gorman and Naoko Mori.[107] Three further episodes were broadcast on 1–3 July 2009: "Asylum",[108] "Golden Age"[109] and "The Dead Line".[110][111][112]
In May 2011, the BBC Radio Drama newsletter announced that a further threeTorchwood radio plays had entered production.[113] The new plays, titled "Torchwood: The Lost Files", Part 1: "The Devil and Miss Carew", Part 2: "Submission" & Part 3: "The House of the Dead" were broadcast on 11, 12 & 13 July 2011 in the Afternoon Play slot at 14.15 BST and were available to listen to in theiPlayer for one week after the broadcast. (By 2019 the BBC made radio dramas available on demand for one month to one year; about 25 radio plays were usually available, including 29 Nov. 2019 these three Torchwood episodes.[114]) While "The Devil and Miss Carew" & "Submission" were set before "Children of Earth" with Gareth David-Lloyd reprising the role of Ianto, "The House of the Dead" on the other hand was set an unspecified time after "Children of Earth" and saw the return of Ianto this time as a ghost.[115]
In January 2015, Barrowman stated thatTorchwood would return, for the first time sinceMiracle Day, in the form of several BBC radio plays.[116]
Accompanying the main series ofTorchwood are a series of novels. The books are published in paperback-sized hardcover format, the same format BBC Books uses for itsNew Series Adventures line forDoctor Who.[117][118] The first three novels were later released, abridged, as audiobooks, along with other audiobook that have not been novels. To date all of the core cast members from the first two series have narrated at least one abridged or audio-exclusive reading.[119][120][121][122][123][124]
On 3 May 2015, it was announced thatBig Finish Productions would produce a series of sixTorchwood audio adventures starring John Barrowman as Jack. The new series of audio dramas will each focus on different members of the Torchwood team, exploring the impact that a mysterious event has on them, taking place at various times in and around the TV episodes. Starting off the range was John Barrowman, who stars inThe Conspiracy byDavid Llewellyn, which was released September 2015.[125]
Big Finish later released shows billed as a continuation ofTorchwood, or "series five",[126] featuring a regular cast of nine. Barrowman, Myles, Owen, and Price returned to voice their characters. New to the series were civil servant St John Colchester (Paul Clayton), Ng (Alexandria Riley), news reporter Tyler Steele (Jonny Green), shapeshifting alien Orr (Samantha Béart), and a parallel universe version ofYvonne Hartman (Tracy-Ann Oberman).
| Torchwood: Original Television Soundtrack | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 5 August 2008 (download) 22 September 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2006–2008 | |||
| Genre | Soundtrack | |||
| Length | 78:35 | |||
| Label | Silva Screen Records | |||
| Producer | Ben Foster | |||
| Torchwood soundtrack chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [127] |
The soundtrack album which was released on 22 September 2008, containing 32 tracks of incidental music composed byBen Foster andMurray Gold and used in thefirst andsecond series.
Ahead of the CD release, the album became available fordownload on the AmericaniTunes Store on 5 August 2008, and on the Silva Screen website on 8 August 2008.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Everything Changes" | 1:22 |
| 2. | "The Chase" | 3:26 |
| 3. | "Ghosts" | 1:58 |
| 4. | "Sleepers, Awake!" | 1:12 |
| 5. | "Toshiko & Tommy" | 3:05 |
| 6. | "Into the Hub" | 2:05 |
| 7. | "The Mission" | 2:32 |
| 8. | "Gray's Theme" | 2:41 |
| 9. | "Jack's Love Theme" | 1:50 |
| 10. | "Another Day, Another Death" | 2:45 |
| 11. | "Look Right, Then Leave" | 2:48 |
| 12. | "Welcome to Planet Earth" | 1:51 |
| 13. | "The Plot" | 3:21 |
| 14. | "Out of Time" | 1:27 |
| 15. | "The Death of Dr. Owen Harper" | 2:11 |
| 16. | "King of the Weevils" | 4:09 |
| 17. | "Owen Fights Death" | 1:50 |
| 18. | "The Woman on the Roof" | 2:22 |
| 19. | "Owen's Theme" | 3:10 |
| 20. | "Pearl & the Ghostmaker" | 2:24 |
| 21. | "Flat Holm Island" | 2:08 |
| 22. | "A Boy Called Jonah" | 4:53 |
| 23. | "Toshiko Sato – Betrayal and Redemption" | 3:46 |
| 24. | "Gwen & Rhys" | 1:14 |
| 25. | "Jack Joins Torchwood" | 1:34 |
| 26. | "Captain Jack's Theme" | 3:16 |
| 27. | "I Believe in Him" | 1:31 |
| 28. | "Memories of Gray" | 2:29 |
| 29. | "Goodbyes" | 2:20 |
| 30. | "Death of Toshiko" | 2:19 |
| 31. | "The End Is Where We Start From" | 2:24 |
| 32. | "Torchwood Theme" | 1:46 |
As a spin-off of long-running British cultural artefactDoctor Who,Torchwood's launch into British popular culture has received many positive and negative reviews, commentary and parody following the hype of its inception, especially regarding its status as an "adult"Doctor Who spin-off as well as its characterisation and portrayal of sex. Reviews for the first series were largely negative, with sites such asBehind the Sofa giving many more negative reviews than positive ones. Reviews of the second series were more positive. The third series, which took the form of a five-part story arc with the blanket title ofChildren of Earth, received a number of positive reviews. Critics described it separately as a "powerful human drama";[128] "Best. Torchwood. Ever.";[129] and "... against all expectations, a work of Proper Drama".[130] Conversely,The Daily Mirror gave the mini-series a negative review, describing it as "the modern-dayBlake's 7: ludicrous plot, hammy acting, an adolescent penchant for 'Issues'".[131]Metacritic, an American review aggregator website, givesTorchwood series one a rating of 73 out of 100, indicating "generally favourable reviews".[132] The show's second series rates above the first, scoring an aggregated 80 out of 100.[133] The third series rated higher, at 81, indicating "universal acclaim". Its highest scores were a 100 fromTV Guide and a 91 fromTIME; the lowest was a 60 fromThe New York Times.[134] The fourth series had an average rating of 70, based on 24 critics.[135]
Thedeath of character Ianto Jones inChildren of Earth triggered protests from fans of the show, among them the "Save Ianto Jones" campaign which collected more than £10,000 for the BritishChildren in Need annual charity event.[136] Other fans resorted to abuse and threats, causing writer James Moran to fire off an angry missive in a blog post.[137] 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 in the character to have that reaction."[138] The plot point attracted more controversy from some commentators, additionally, because it depicted the death of a main character involved in a same-sex relationship. This led several writers to analyse the death in view of the character's earlier refusal to admit to his relationship with a man, and claimed that the death was a sign that theLGBT community was leaving behind its image of victimhood.[139]
Positive and negative attention has been given to the portrayal of same-sex relationships inTorchwood. Maria Boyd of theUniversity of Texas at Austin published her paper at a conference, "Gay Sex and Aliens! How the Press frames Russell T Davies'Torchwood." She argues through "a discourse analysis of 109 reviews of the Series 1 and Series 2 premiere episodes" how "TV critics are more concerned with the depictions of bisexuality among the principal characters onTorchwood." Furthermore, she argues that the show's reviews "highlight the same-sex interactions depicted on the show utilising sensationalist, assimilationist, or condemnatory language" and that the "hegemonic, heterosexist language used by TV critics coveringTorchwood has framed the program in such a way that it limits audience's ability to make meaning of the text themselves."[140]
Although fewer in number thanDoctor Who spoofs, there have been a number ofparodies ofTorchwood in various media.Verity Stob, a technology columnist for online newspaperThe Register, wrote a parody ofTorchwood calledUnder Torch Wood. The piece is in the style ofUnder Milk Wood, aDylan Thomas radio play. The piece comments on the level of swearing present inTorchwood and the role ofRhys Williams, whom the piece describes as "BarryBackstory".[141] In its third series, theDoctor Who parodyNebulous also began to parodyTorchwood, with references to "baby dinosaurs falling through a hole in time" and "the sheer amount of paranormal activity in the Cardiff area alone ... starting to threaten the Earth's plausibility shield".[142]
Satiricalimpressionist television seriesDead Ringers also parodiedTorchwood, withJon Culshaw playing Captain Jack andJan Ravens as Gwen Cooper. The sketches parodied the level of sex inTorchwood, claiming "we never deal with an alien unless at least one [of the team] has shagged it", and describing the lack ofmotivations of the characters. It also parodies the bisexuality of the characters and the melodramatic personality of Jack, who in the sketch walks extremely dramatically, swinging his coat about himself.[143][144] Barrowman is described as a "pound shopTom Cruise", and reference is made to the perceived low-budget of the show, with Owen describing theTorchwood equipment as "anApple Mac with stickers on the case".[145] Later spoofs in the final episode of the 2007 series ofDead Ringers featured Jack Harkness in athreesome with twoAttack of the Cybermen-eraCybermen, and an elderly version calledDriftwood, which claims to be "separate from the Post Office, beyond thebingo hall and outside theOxfam", a parody ofTorchwood's opening narration. It also featured Albert Steptoe ofSteptoe and Son as the leader of the team, claiming "a terrible event in my past means that I can't die. It's calledUK Gold", and parodied its use of amnesia pills (unnecessary for this team due to the onset of senile amnesia).[citation needed]
The first episodes ofTorchwood on BBC Three gave the channel its highest-ever ratings and the highest ratings of anydigital-only non-sports channel at the time with 2.519 million viewers (though this has since been surpassed byBionic Woman onITV2, which gained 2.553 million in March 2008[146]). The audience share was 12.7%, increasing to 13.8% for the second episode (shown immediately after the first episode on the same day), despite viewership dropping to 2.498 million.[147]
Ratings for later episodes dropped to around 1.1 to 1.2 million viewers during the first showing on BBC Three (the lowest being 0.8 million for week ending 24 December 2006), but nevertheless, the show remained the most-viewed programme on BBC Three by a wide margin.[148] Viewing figures for the repeat screenings on BBC Two later the same week were around 2.2 to 2.3 million (dropping to under 1.1 and 1.8 respectively for the weeks ending 03/12/06 and 10/12/06).
For its second series, which began in January 2008, Torchwood was moved to the more established channelBBC Two. Again, initial ratings were respectable, and the first episode garnered 4.22 million viewers. However, the series again began to decline and had lost a million viewers by its fourth episode. It dropped to a low of 2.52 million viewers towards the end of its run,[146] even after the BBC had moved it from its usual Wednesday-night slot (where it was being consistently beaten byITV's programming andChannel 4's number-one series,Grand Designs) to Friday nights. The second series had an overall average rating of 3.26 million viewers on BBC Two.
Torchwood's five-part third series, entitledChildren of Earth, premiered onBBC One in July 2009, with an estimated 5.9 million viewers, according to overnight figures.[149] Ratings for the second episode dropped to 5.58m,[150] but rose to a high of 6.24m for the fourth episode.[151] According to the overnight figures, the mini-series garnered an average rating of 5.88 million viewers.[152] According to official figures, published byBroadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB), all five episodes of the mini-series garnered more than 6 million viewers, with the fourth episode gaining the largest audience.[152]
The first episode of series four,Miracle Day, attracted a consolidated audience of 6.59 million, which was slightly higher than the figure for the opening episode of the previous series, as well as an AI rating of 85 out of 100, considered "excellent".[153] However, viewing figures steadily declined as the series continued, dropping to a low of 4.48 for the seventh episode, though figures picked up slightly with 4.85 million viewers for the final episode.[154]
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Episode | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airlock Alpha Portal Awards | 2010 | Best Actress – Television | Eve Myles | — | Won | [155] |
| Best Actor – Television | John Barrowman | — | Nominated | |||
| Best Series – Television | Torchwood | — | Nominated | |||
| Best Episode – Television | Torchwood: Children of Earth | Nominated | ||||
| ASTRA Awards | 2012 | Favourite Program – International Drama | Torchwood: Miracle Day | — | Nominated | [156] |
| BAFTA Cymru Awards | 2007 | Best Drama Series/Serial | Richard Stokes | "Everything Changes" | Won | [157] |
| Best Actress | Eve Myles | Won | ||||
| Best Director of Photography – Drama | Mark Waters | Won | ||||
| Best Design | Edward Thomas | Won | ||||
| Best Actor | John Barrowman | Nominated | ||||
| Best Sound | Team Torchwood | Nominated | ||||
| Best Make Up | Marie Doris | "They Keep Killing Suzie" | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Music Soundtrack | Murray Gold | "Out of Time" | Nominated | |||
| 2008 | Best Costume | Ray Holman | "Captain Jack Harkness" | Won | [158] | |
| Best Drama Series/Serial | Richard Stokes | "End of Days" | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Eve Myles | Nominated | ||||
| Best Original Music Soundtrack | Ben Foster | Nominated | ||||
| 2009 | Best Costume | Ray Holman | "From Out of the Rain" | Nominated | [159] | |
| Best Design | Edward Thomas | "Adrift" | Nominated | |||
| 2010 | Best Drama Series/Serial | Peter Bennett | "Children of Earth: Day One" | Won | [160] | |
| Best Editor | Will Oswald | Won | ||||
| Best Actress | Eve Myles | Nominated | ||||
| Best Screenwriter | Russell T Davies | Nominated | ||||
| Best Original Music Soundtrack | Ben Foster | Nominated | ||||
| Best Sound | Howard Eaves, Julian Howarth, Tim Ricketts, Doug Sinclair | Nominated | ||||
| Best Costume | Ray Holman | Nominated | ||||
| Celtic Media Festival Awards | 2010 | Best Drama Series | Torchwood: Children of Earth | Won | [161] | |
| Constellation Awards | 2008 | Outstanding Canadian Contribution to Science Fiction Film or Television in 2007 | Torchwood | — | Nominated | [162] |
| Best Female Performance in a 2007 Science Fiction Television Episode | Naoko Mori | "Greeks Bearing Gifts" | Nominated | |||
| 2010 | Best Male Performance in a 2009 Science Fiction Television Episode | Gareth David-Lloyd | "Children of Earth: Day Four" | Nominated | ||
| GLAAD Media Awards | 2009 | Outstanding Drama Series | Torchwood | — | Nominated | [163] |
| 2010 | Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series | Torchwood: Children of Earth | Nominated | [164] | ||
| 2012 | Outstanding Drama Series | Torchwood: Miracle Day | — | Nominated | [165] | |
| Hugo Awards | 2008 | Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form | Catherine Tregenna | "Captain Jack Harkness" | Nominated | [166] |
| National Television Awards | 2012 | Outstanding Drama Performance (Male) | John Barrowman | — | Nominated | [167] |
| Outstanding Drama Performance (Female) | Eve Myles | — | Nominated | |||
| Most Popular Drama | Torchwood | — | Longlisted | |||
| NewNowNext Awards | 2008 | Best Kiss | Jack (John Barrowman) andIanto (Gareth David-Lloyd) | Unknown | Won | [168] |
| Satellite Awards | 2011 | Best Television Series – Genre | Torchwood | — | Nominated | [169] |
| Best Actress in a Series – Drama | Eve Myles | — | Nominated | |||
| Saturn Awards | 2008 | Best International Series | Torchwood | — | Nominated | [170][failed verification] |
| 2009 | Best Television DVD Release | Torchwood: Series 2 | — | Nominated | ||
| 2010 | Best Television Presentation | Torchwood: Children of Earth | Won | [171] | ||
| Best Television DVD Release | Nominated | |||||
| 2012 | Best Television Presentation | Torchwood: Miracle Day | — | Nominated | [172] | |
| Best Actress on Television | Eve Myles | — | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor on Television | Bill Pullman | — | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress on Television | Lauren Ambrose | — | Nominated | |||
| SFX Awards | 2007 | Best TV Actress | Eve Myles | — | Nominated | |
| 2008 | Best TV Show | Torchwood | — | Nominated | [173] | |
| Best TV Episode | Chris Chibnall | "Fragments" | Nominated | [173] | ||
| "Exit Wounds" | Nominated | [173] | ||||
| Best TV Actor | John Barrowman | — | Nominated | [174] | ||
| Sexiest Man | — | Nominated | [175] | |||
| Gareth David-Lloyd | — | Nominated | [175] | |||
| Sexiest Woman | Eve Myles | — | Nominated | [175] | ||
| Best TV Actress | — | Nominated | [173] | |||
| 2010 | Best Actress | Children of Earth | Won | [176][177] | ||
| Sexiest Female | Nominated | [177] | ||||
| Sexiest Male | John Barrowman | Nominated | [177] | |||
| Gareth David-Lloyd | Nominated | [177] | ||||
| Cult Hero | Won | [178] | ||||
| Best Actor | Nominated | [179] | ||||
| Peter Capaldi | Nominated | [179] | ||||
| Best Monster/Villain | The 456 | Won | [178] | |||
| Best Death Scene | Ianto is killed by the 456 | "Children of Earth: Day Four" | Won | [176][178] | ||
| Best Plot Twist | Captain Jack sacrifices his grandson | "Children of Earth: Day Five" | Won | [176][180] | ||
| Best TV Episode | Russell T Davies | Won | [181][182] | |||
| Best Fight Scene | PC Andygets stuck in | Won | [180] | |||
| Best TV Show | Torchwood: Children of Earth | Nominated | [182] | |||
| 2012 | Torchwood: Miracle Day | — | Nominated | [183] | ||
| Best Actress | Eve Myles | — | Nominated | [184][185] | ||
| Sexiest Woman | — | Nominated | [186] | |||
| Sexiest Man | John Barrowman | — | Nominated | [186] | ||
| Biggest Disappointment | Jack's arse being censored in UKTorchwood | Unknown | Nominated | [185] | ||
| TCA Awards | 2010 | Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials | Torchwood: Children of Earth | Nominated | [187] | |
The complete first series has been released onRegion 2 DVD in the UK.[188] A North AmericanRegion 1 release occurred 22 January 2008,[189] following the broadcast of Series 1 onBBC America in the United States and the CBC in Canada. Series One Part One,[190] Two[191] and Three[192] have been released in AustraliaRegion 4, The complete series 1 sets released in the UK and US also include the episodes of the behind-the-scenes seriesTorchwood Declassified.[188][193] The Complete Second Series was released on 30 June 2008 (Region 2),[194] along with the Complete First series onBlu-ray[195] andHD DVD.[196] Series One,[197] Two,[198] Three[199] and Four[200] episodes are currently available for download through iTunes, Amazon, and Netflix.
| DVD release name | UK release date (region 2) | North American release date (region 1) | Australian release date (region 4) | New Zealand release date (region 4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series One | Part One (episodes 1–5): 26 December 2006[201] | Complete (episodes 1–13): 22 January 2008[188] | Part One (episodes 1–5): 31 July 2007[190] | Complete (episodes 1–13): 11 September 2008[202] |
| Part Two (episodes 6–9): 26 February 2007[203] | Part Two (episodes 6–9): 6 September 2007[191] | |||
| Part Three (episodes 10–13): 26 March 2007[188] | Part Three (Episodes 10–13): 2 October 2007[192] | |||
| Complete (episodes 1–13): 19 November 2007[193] | Complete (episodes 1–13): 6 February 2008[204] | |||
| Series Two | Complete (episodes 1–13): 30 June 2008[194] | Complete (episodes 1–13): 16 September 2008[205] | Complete (episodes 1–13): 2 October 2008[206] | Complete (Episodes 1–13): 15 January 2009[207] |
| Complete Series One & Two | Complete (episodes 1–26): 10 November 2008[208] | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Children of Earth (series 3) | Complete (episodes 1–5): 13 July 2009[209] | Complete (episodes 1–5): 28 July 2009[210] | Complete (episodes 1–5): 1 October 2009[211] | Complete (episodes 1–5): 17 March 2010[212] |
| The Complete Series (1–3) | Complete Series (episodes 1–31): 26 October 2009[213] | Complete Series (episodes 1–31): 19 July 2011[214] | Complete Series (episodes 1–31): 5 August 2010[215] | Complete Series (episodes 1–31): 1 September 2010[216] |
| Torchwood — Miracle Day (series 4) | Complete (episodes 1–10): 14 November 2011[217] | Complete (episodes 1–10): 3 April 2012[218] | Complete (episodes 1–10): 1 December 2011[219] | Complete (episodes 1–10): 7 December 2011[220] |
| The Complete Series (1–4) | Complete Series (episodes 1–41): 14 November 2011[221] | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| HD DVD release name | UK release date (region free) |
|---|---|
| The Complete First Series | 30 June 2008[196] |
| Blu-ray release name | UK release date (region B) | North American release date (region A) | Australian release Date (region B) | New Zealand release Date (region B) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Series | 30 June 2008[222] Region-free | 16 September 2008[223] | 1 October 2009[224] | 1 October 2009[225] |
| The Complete Second Series | 22 June 2009[226] Region-free | 7 July 2009[227] | 1 October 2009[228] | 17 March 2010[229] |
| Children of Earth | 13 July 2009[230] Region-free | 28 July 2009[231] | 1 October 2009[232] | 17 March 2010[233] |
| The Complete Series (1–3) | 26 October 2009[234] Region-free | 19 July 2011[235] | 4 November 2010[236] | |
| Miracle Day | 14 November 2011[237] Region-free | 3 April 2012[238] | 1 December 2011[239] | 7 December 2011[240] |
| The Complete Series (1–4) | 14 November 2011[241] Region-free |
In Australia, after theABC[242]andSBS passed on the series,Network Ten acquired the rights to air it.[243]After its première on 18 June 2007, a reviewer forThe Sydney Morning Herald'sThe Guide said, "The appeal ofTorchwood is not so much that it's gloriously implausible sci-fi pulp, but that it knows it's gloriously implausible, sci-fi pulp."[244] Ten's press release cites rival programming in their decision to move the show to a Wednesday 12 am timeslot halfway through the series.[245]Torchwood now airs on UKTV in Australia.[246] Series 1 was played onImparja, but as of 3 February 2008 the station is no longer affiliated with Ten and will not screen more.[247] Series 2 ofTorchwood aired on Ten HD from 1 September 2008. On 19 June 2009,ABC2 began broadcasting series 1, 2 and 3 on Fridays at 8:30 pm. When series 2 started broadcasting on 18 September 2009, ABC2 started broadcastingTorchwood Declassified after each episode. ABC2 began airingChildren of Earth on 8 January 2010 weekly and it was earlier fasttracked by UKTV.Miracle Day was fast tracked by UKTV for July 2011 following the global premiere on Starz.[248]
The first series began screening onTV2[249] in New Zealand on Wednesday, 9 July 2008, starting with series 1 and running straight through to the fourth episode ("Meat") in the second series. Series 2 continued airing on 11 February 2009 and series 3 premiered on 10 February 2010. Repeat screenings of the first two series began on 16 March 2010 after the conclusion ofChildren of Earth during the previous week. On 13 August 2010, Children of Earth began repeated transmission after the conclusion of the second series on 6 August 2010. Repeats also aired onBBC UKTV.[citation needed]
In France, the first series began airing on 12 October 2007 onNRJ 12,[250] and since 13 January 2009 onSyfy.[251] The second series began on 5 September 2008 onNRJ 12[252] and the third series began on 17 November 2009 also onNRJ 12.[253] In Germany,RTL 2 broadcast series 1 to 4.[254][255][256][257] The first series started airing on 28 June 2010 on Icelandic networkStöð 2.[258] In Italy, the first series started airing on 3 September 2007 onJimmy,[259][260] in 2011–12, Rai4 started to broadcast the whole show around 07.00 pm, starting with series 1, and then broadcasting Series 4 on primetime.[261][262]
Portuguese networkSIC Radical started transmitting the first series in January 2009.[263] Subsequently, the complete series was picked up byAXN Black[264] and the PortugueseSyfy channel.[265] The first series premiered on 24 June 2007 and the second series 6 July 2007 on Swedish networkTV4+.[266] Serbia aired the first and second series on the network RTS from 19 August 2009,[267] RTS began showing the third series from 25 March 2010.[260] Bulgaria aired first, second and third series on the AXN Sci-fi channel.[268] InPoland,BBC Entertainment broadcast series 1; premiere: 16 September 2008, 2, 3 and 4 (premiere: 28 October 2012) in censored version.[269][270][271]
TheCanadian Broadcasting Corporation helped to finance the first two series, as they had the revived production ofDoctor Who in 2005. On 2 April 2007,BBC America had acquired the rights to broadcast the series in the United States.[272] The series started on 8 September 2007;[273] the initial broadcast of the series was tied into a "radical makeover" of the channel that was to occur later in 2007.[272] The second series started on BBC America 26 January 2008,[274] and the third on 20 July 2009.[25]Torchwood has become one of the higher rated programmes for BBC America with its first series première in September 2007 attracting an audience of almost half a million viewers.[275]HDNet acquired the UShigh definition rights for the first 26 episodes (series 1 and 2) and began airing series 1 episodes on Monday evenings, starting 17 September 2007.[276] On 11 February 2008, HDNet began showing series 2 episodes.[277]
The Canadian networkCBC was a co-producer of series 1,[278] and premiered in October 2007.[279][280] The show airs for French-speaking Canadian audiences onZtélé.[281]
Series 2 began airing onSpace on 8 August 2008[282][283] and series 3 was aired onSpace over five consecutive nights in 20–24 July 2009.[284]Miracle Day premiered on 9 July 2011 onSpace.[285] on 2 January 2012Space aired a Torchwood marathon of Children of Earth and Miracle Day.[286]Miracle Day was repeated onStarz in Black in a marathon format on Labour Day Weekend 2012.[287]
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