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 the LGBT community was leaving behind its image of victimhood. [18][19][20], BBC Three described Torchwood as the centrepiece of its autumn 2006 schedule,[21] and the successful first series led to a second series on BBC Two and a third on BBC One in 2009. The magazine was discontinued in early 2011, after two-dozen issues. fighting together against the Daleks and Cybermen, Episodes - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - Mission Report #2008/043, https://tardis.fandom.com/wiki/Torchwood_Institute?oldid=3023605. (TV: Fragments) Tosh was sent to London to investigate the alien lifeform recovered from a crashed spacecraft. Though largely set in the US, Wales remains a key setting. Originally created as a television show by Russell T Davies in 2005, Torchwood was the first spin-off of Doctor Who to be commissioned for a full 13-part series. On 2 April 2007, BBC America had acquired the rights to broadcast the series in the United States. The arc focuses on the death and partial resurrection of main character Owen Harper, and how he copes as a dead man. [source needed]. After Victoria killed the creature by exploiting its weakness against the elderly, both she and Jack declined their offers to each other to take command of Torchwood London, with the Queen retiring from public life while Jack returned to Torchwood in Cardiff. British writer John Fay also returned to write for the series, under Davies as head writer. Again, initial ratings were respectable, and the first episode garnered 4.22 million viewers. Upon landing, Rex and his colleague Esther find that they have been framed as traitors by an unknown party. [27], In June 2010, a BBC News report confirmed that the fourth series would have 10 episodes. [65] Additionally, James Marsters portrays Captain John Hart, Jack's villainous former lover and Time Agent partner. Ever. Hammond, Toby Whithouse, Doctor Who script editor Helen Raynor, Cath Tregenna, and Doctor Who cast member Noel Clarke. The series focuses on the consequences of appeasement policy; having been given 12 children as a tribute in 1965, aliens called the 4-5-6 arrive in the present demanding a greater share of the Earth's population. Torchwood won Best Drama Series at the BAFTA Cymru awards in 2007. Torchwood is aimed at adults and older teenagers, in contrast to Doctor Who's target audience of both adults and children. (COMIC: The Time Machination) The man was found not to be the Doctor when he was dissected. Gorman and Mori's characters were written out of the story at the end of the second series. [...] Dark, wild and sexy, it's The X-Files meets This Life. The episode also sets up Jack's return in the Doctor Who episode "Utopia". Professor Hugh was returned home by the Tenth Doctor. The third series, Children of Earth, was conceived as a five part mini-series and was further promoted from BBC2 to BBC1. "[133], Although fewer in number than Doctor Who spoofs, there have been a number of parodies of Torchwood in various media. [213] Torchwood now airs on UKTV in Australia. But it's the essential difference between BBC One at 7 pm, and BBC Three at, say, 9 pm. Its central character is Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), an immortal con-man from the distant future; Jack originally appeared in the 2005 series of Doctor Who. 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. With assistance from his lover Angelo Colasanto, Jack succeeded in eliminating the parasite. The name of the Institute was drawn from the Torchwood Estate, where most of the adventure took place. Davies thought that this was a clever idea and remembered the name. [147], 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. He felt the fourth series of Torchwood to be "about us and our decisions and our lives, and how we live with each other and how we die with each other. 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 of Yvonne Hartman (Tracy Ann Oberman). [211] At this time they had a team of five, the leader being a man called Gerald Carter. The piece comments on the level of swearing present in Torchwood and the role of Rhys Williams, whom the piece describes as "Barry Backstory". [6][7] This idea, originally titled Excalibur, was abandoned until 2005, when BBC Three Controller Stuart Murphy invited Davies to develop an after-watershed science fiction series for the channel. In Australia, after the ABC[210] 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.