Torchwood (TV Series)

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Torchwood
Genre	Science fiction Drama
Created by	Russell T Davies
Starring	John Barrowman Eve Myles Burn Gorman Naoko Mori Gareth David-Lloyd Kai Owen Mekhi Phifer Alexa Havins Bill Pullman
Theme music composer	Murray Gold
Composer(s)	Ben Foster Murray Gold
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of Seasons	4
No. of episodes	41 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Russell T Davies Julie Gardner Jane Tranter
Running time	50 minutes (series 1–2) 60 minutes (series 3) 55 minutes (series 4)
Production company(s)	BBC Wales Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (2006) BBC Worldwide (2010–11) / Starz Entertainment (2010–11)
Distributor	BBC Worldwide
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC Three (series 1) BBC Two (series 2) BBC One (series 3–4) []Starz HD (Television Channel)|Starz HD]] (series 4)
Picture format	1080i HDTV (2009–present)
Original release	22 October 2006 – 15 September 2011
Chronology
Related shows	Torchwood Declassified Doctor Who The Sarah Jane Adventures
External links
Website

Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off from the 2005 revival of long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who, Torchwood aired four seasons between 2006 and 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each season to reflect its growing audience, moving from BBC Three to BBC Two to BBC One, and acquiring US financing in its fourth season when it became a co-production of BBC One and Starz. In contrast to Doctor Who, whose target audience includes both adults and children, Torchwood is aimed at an older audience. Over its run, the show explored a number of themes; prominent among these were existentialism, homosexual and bisexual relationships, and explorations of human corruptibility.

Torchwood follows the exploits of a small team of alien hunters, who make up the Cardiff-based, fictional Torchwood Institute, which deals mainly with incidents involving extraterrestrials. Its central character is Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), an immortal former con-man from the distant future; Jack originally appeared in the 2005 season of Doctor Who. Other than Barrowman, the initial main cast of the series consisted of Eve Myles, Burn Gorman, Naoko Mori, and Gareth David-Lloyd. Their characters are specialists for the Torchwood team, often tracking down aliens and defending the planet from alien and nefarious human threats. In its first two seasons, the show uses a time rift in Cardiff as its primary plot generator, accounting for the unusual preponderance of alien beings in Cardiff. In the third and fourth seasons, Torchwood operate as fugitives. Gorman and Mori's characters were written out of the story at the end of the second season. Recurring actor Kai Owen was promoted to the main cast in season three, in which David-Lloyd too was written out. Subsequently, American actors Mekhi Phifer, Alexa Havins, and Bill Pullman joined the cast of the show for its fourth season; the latter two were written out at the end of its run.

The first season premiered on BBC Three and on BBC HD in 2006 to mixed reviews, but viewing figures which broke records for the digital channel. It returned in 2008 where it aired first on BBC Two, receiving a higher budget; its uneven tone, a criticism of the first season, was largely smoothed out, and the show attracted higher ratings and better reviews. The third season episodes worked on a higher budget and transferred to the network's flagship channel, BBC One, as a five episode serial, entitled Torchwood: Children of Earth. Although Children of Earth was broadcast over a period of five consecutive summer weeknights, the show received high ratings in the United Kingdom and overseas. A fourth season, co-produced by BBC Wales, BBC Worldwide, and US premium entertainment network Starz aired in 2011 under the title Torchwood: Miracle Day. Set both in Wales and the United States, Miracle Day fared less well with critics than the previous season, though was applauded by some for its ambition. In October 2012, Davies announced that for personal reasons the show would enter indefinite hiatus.

All four seasons have been broadcast in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and North America. Owing to the early popularity of Torchwood, various tie-in media were produced, including audio dramas, novels and comic strips. From its inception, the BBC invested in a heavy online presence for the series, with an alternate reality game running alongside the show's first two seasons, and an animated Web series running alongside its fourth. The BBC continued to approve and commission licensed spin-offs after the show's conclusion, including a 2015 radio series from Big Finish Productions.

Contents 1 Production 1.1 Early development 1.2 Later development 1.3 Writing 1.4 Directing 1.5 Crew 1.6 Opening sequence 2 Overview 2.1 Cast 2.2 Episodes 2.3 Setting 2.4 Themes 3 Spin-offs 3.1 Companion programme 3.2 Companion magazine 3.3 Electronic literature, webcasts, web series 3.4 Radio plays 3.5 Novels and audiobooks 3.6 Big Finish 3.7 Original soundtrack 4 Programme information 4.1 Critical reception 4.2 In other works 4.3 Ratings 4.4 Awards 5 Home media releases 5.1 DVD 5.2 HD DVD 5.3 Blu-ray 6 International broadcasts and syndication 6.1 List of broadcasters 6.2 Asia 6.3 Australia 6.4 New Zealand 6.5 Europe 6.6 North America 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Production

[edit] Early development

[edit] Later development

[edit] Writing

[edit] Directing

[edit] Crew

[edit] Opening sequence

[edit] Overview

[edit] Cast

Main article: List of Torchwood characters

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of Torchwood episodes

[edit] Setting

[edit] Themes

Main article: Themes in Torchwood

[edit] Spin-offs

[edit] Companion programme

[edit] Companion magazine

[edit] Electronic literature, webcasts, web series

[edit] Radio plays

[edit] Novels and audiobooks

Main article: List of Torchwood novels and audio books

[edit] Big Finish

Main article: Torchwood (Big Finish series)

[edit] Original soundtrack

Main article: Torchwood: Original Television Soundtrack

[edit] Programme information

[edit] Critical reception

[edit] In other works

[edit] Ratings

[edit] Awards

[edit] Home media releases

[edit] DVD

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)

[edit] HD DVD

HD DVD release name	UK release date (region free)

[edit] Blu-ray

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)

[edit] International broadcasts and syndication

[edit] List of broadcasters

Country	TV Network(s)

[edit] Asia

[edit] Australia

[edit] New Zealand

[edit] Europe

[edit] North America

[edit] See also

• Doctor Who spin-offs
• Doctor Who tie-in websites
• List of Torchwood episodes
• List of Torchwood novels
• List of Torchwood writers

[edit] References

[edit] External links