The Torchwood Experience

Tuesday, 9 June 2009 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Experience Design, the team behind the Doctor Who Up Close exhibition in Cardiff Bay, have announced plans to open a Torchwood-themed exhibition in the Bay area.

The ambitious plan aims to reconstruct sets from the Torchwood Hub seen in the series, based across two levels, including an upstairs recreation of the Cardiff Bay watertower with lift to the "hub" below! It is also hoped that costumes from the series will also be on show.

Head designer of Experience Design, Martin Wilkie, said: "A Torchwood Exhibition would be a great addition to the Bay area. We have looked at several sites for a Torchwood Exhibition but we are hoping that this one might be available soon. The appeal of Torchwood brings many visitors to Cardiff Bay, especially to see the Torchwood Water Tower. The building we are hoping to use for the Torchwood Exhibition is near this famous TV landmark."

A Georgian building in Bute Crescent has been identified as a possible location for the exhibition, and Cardiff council are currently reviewing the application, which is hoped to open in July.

In the news: BBC South Wales, South Wales Echo.




FILTER: - Torchwood - Special Events - UK

New Torchwood radio plays

Thursday, 14 May 2009 - Reported by Josiah Rowe
The BBC's Torchwood website has confirmed that three new Torchwood radio plays have been recorded, and will air on BBC Radio 4's Afternoon Play prior to the television broadcast of Torchwood: Children of Earth. A previous Torchwood radio drama, "Lost Souls" by Joseph Lidster, was broadcast on Radio 4 last September, and is now available for purchase on CD and download. The BBC says that the new plays will "bridge the gap between Torchwood: Lost Souls and the upcoming Torchwood: Children of Earthtelevision series."

The new plays star John Barrowman as Captain Jack, Eve Myles as Gwen and Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto. Each play will be 45 minutes long, and will air at 2:15 pm in the "Afternoon Play" slot. They will also be available as downloads and on iPlayer for 7 days after their initial broadcast. Broadcast dates have not yet been announced.

Titles, authors and summaries for the three plays are as follows:
Asylum by Anita Sullivan
The story of a teen runaway called Freda who is brought to the attention of Torchwood by PC Andy. As Gwen, Jack and Ianto investigate where this troubled girl has come from, Andy finds himself drawn closer than ever before into the world of Torchwood.

Golden Age by James Goss
Torchwood go to India to investigate the disappearance of hundreds of people. The trail leads them to an old colonial club which seems strangely stuck in the past as does its young and beautiful owner, the Duchess.

The Dead Line by Phil Ford
A series of mysterious phone calls lead Jack into danger, and result in 'a very emotional moment for Ianto'.




FILTER: - Torchwood - Radio - Children of Earth (Series 3)

Children of Earth on BBC America

Friday, 8 May 2009 - Reported by Jeremy Bement
BBC America has begun airing short commercials promoting their airing of the new Torchwood series, Children of Earth. According to their commercial, Children of the Earth will be broadcast in July, although specific dates have not been revealed. This seems to indicate that they will not be showing it simultaneously with its airing in the UK.




FILTER: - Torchwood - Children of Earth (Series 3)

Watch's Schedule Suggested UK Airdate for Children Of Earth (But Not Anymore)

Tuesday, 5 May 2009 - Reported by Benjamin Elliott
May 9 - UK Cable/Satellite network Watch has removed the paragraphs discussing their Torchwood plans for June. The following paragraphs were originally in the June Monthly Highlights, giving fans momentary hope that the BBC had decided on the UK airdate for Torchwood. The BBC has made no announcement on the UK airdate.

--------

Torchwood
Weeknights, 10pm (from Monday 15th June)
With brand-new Torchwood on BBC One, Watch continues the Torchwood flavour with stripped episodes every week night. ...

In the first episode, a brutal murder leads WPC Gwen Cooper to Torchwood, a journey that will change their lives forever. With four more episodes from series one across the week, fans can enjoy brand-new Torchwood on BBC One, as well as classic Torchwood on Watch straight afterwards.




FILTER: - Torchwood - Children of Earth (Series 3)

Torchwood: Children of Earth teaser and preview screening

Tuesday, 28 April 2009 - Reported by Josiah Rowe
A new teaser for Torchwood: Children of Earth was broadcast on Australia's UKTV today, in conjunction with the final episode of Torchwood Series Two. UK readers can see the teaser on the BBC's Torchwood site.

"Torchwood: Children of Earth" is a five-part miniseries, which will air this summer on BBC One and BBC America. An official air date has not yet been announced, but the British Film Institute will host a preview of the first episode in London on Friday, 12 June, at BFI Southbank(formerly known as the National Film Theatre). This preview will be followed by a question and answer session with members of the cast and crew.

The BFI has released a summary of the preview, which can be seen in the spoiler box below.

(Thanks to "xanderl" of the Doctor Who Forum.)
1965: Twelve children are gathered on a deserted moor, before being surrounded by a harsh, bright light .... and then they are gone!

Today: all over Earth, children stop moving. Stop playing, stop laughing. Then, as one, they begin to speak with the same voice, announcing the imminent arrival of a new alien threat. "We are coming...".

As the British government closes ranks, it issues a death warrant against Captain Jack and Torchwood...




FILTER: - Torchwood - Children of Earth (Series 3)

Euros Lyn Talks Torchwood, Tennant Farewell

Friday, 6 March 2009 - Reported by R Alan Siler
Director Euros Lyn speaks exclusively to Wired.com about his two upcoming directorial projects: Torchwood: Children of Earth and the two-part finale for the Tenth Doctor.

Speaking of the Torchwood shoot, Lyn said: "It's been an endurance test. It was a 16-week shoot for the Torchwood season - longer than most feature films. But the intensity keeps you focused on the work."

"For the first time, we'll see Torchwood facing a threat from home while they're also investigating an alien invasion. When they try to discover why all the children in the world have suddenly stopped at the same time, Torchwood also has to deal with human beings who are trying to hide a past mistake."

Work on the Doctor Who specials begins immediately after the work on Torchwood wraps. "I've seen the scripts, and they're amazing," he said. "I'm being very careful not to give anything away, but I think fans will be thrilled with David's farewell and how we set up the 11th Doctor."

The article includes the first look at the BBC promo poster for Torchwood (pictured below; click for larger view) as well as a video of the trailer.




FILTER: - Torchwood - Specials - Production - Series 4/30 Specials - Children of Earth (Series 3)

Torchwood comic strip online

Friday, 20 February 2009 - Reported by Chuck Foster
To tie in with the broadcast of Series Two of Torchwood on UK digital channel Watch, the broadcaster has teamed up with Torchwood Magazineto present a special online comic strip.

Ice Monsters sees Captain Jack and the Torchwood team battling Ice Monster creatures who have the ability to change the weather. It is written by Torchwood's script editor/assistant producer Brian Minchin and illustrated by former Doctor Who Magazine comic artist Adrian Salmon.

You can find the comic strip on the UKTV Watch website.




FILTER: - Torchwood

Captain Jack and the Selkie

Wednesday, 18 February 2009 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Maintaining the comic theme, Titan Publishing have provided details on the John and Carole Barrowman-penned comic strip Captain Jack and the Selkie, which appears in Issue 14 of Torchwood Magazine (due out at the shops in the UK on 19th February and the US on 17th March).

Carole E. Barrowman explains how the project took off: "When John and I were working on [John's autobiography] Anything Goes, we spent a lot of time together on the Torchwood set. In between our storytelling and moments of inspired silliness (maybe one or two), we decided we’d like to work on a project together that involved Captain Jack. The role of myth in a culture’s zeitgeist has always intrigued John and I (it probably intrigues all sci-fi fans) so I when I got back to the US, I sent John a short story I’d written, 'The Tale of the Selkie.' Almost immediately he called and said, 'This should be our first Captain Jack tale.'”

John Barrowman picks up the story: "Fast forward to ComicCon 2008 in San Diego, where we met the artists Tommy Lee Edwards and Trevor Goring. Tommy and Trevor had drawn a brilliant poster of my face super-imposed over the Face of Boe, which I think is the best piece of Captain Jack art I've seen. The four of us hit it off immediately and I asked if they’d ever be interested in working with us on a Captain Jack project. They thought about it for, oh, about 30 seconds, and so 'Captain Jack and the Selkie' was born!"

Media coverage of the comic strip: Metro, Press Association, Metro, io9, and Fear Net.


Titan have also provided a mini-interview between the two writers, which is reproduced in the spoiler section below.
From screen to strip! John Barrowman reveals all about his new comic strip creation. Here, John Barrowman discusses the strip in a special interview conducted by his sister, Carole.

CB: Ready to chat about our Torchwood Magazine comic?
JB: Wait. Shouldn’t we have some sound effects if we’re making this read like a scene from '24'?

CB: Do you even know how to write sound effects? You're the worst speller.
JB: I blame the doctor for that because when I was a kid I'd stay up late on Sunday nights when the classic DOCTOR WHO was on WTTW in Chicago so I'd never study for my Monday morning spelling tests. Add the sound effects later.

CB: Do you remember when we first got the idea to collaborate on a Captain Jack story?
JB: The summer when we were working together on Anything Goes. We were on location for Torchwood in a warehouse in Cardiff. I was filming the "Meat" episode.

CB: Wasn’t that the same shoot where the pigeon pooped on Jack's shoulder? Now that was hilarious.
JB: That was good luck . . . the shoot was taking forever. Lots of green screen shots. I think I started making up ways that Jack could end the scene and we could all get home. Now that I think about it, we came up with some funny stuff . . . I still think we should do something someday with the idea of Jack and the–

CB: Shush!! . . . Can we tease shamelessly like that?
JB [laughing] I think we just did. Anyway, I remember the endings we made up got more ridiculous the longer we all sat in that cold damp warehouse . . . you and I kept playing on the way home in the car.

CB: I'd forgotten about that . . . do you remember what we called the game?
JB: "What Would Jack Do?" . . . but the actual comic didn’t really take shape until Comic Con last summer in San Diego when we met Tommy Lee Edwards and Trevor Goring.

CB: It was the 'Face of Boe' poster that did it.
JB: The poster they created of Jack superimposed on the 'Face of Boe' still amazes me when I look at it. I framed it as soon as I got back to London. It's on the wall in my office and I think it’s the best illustrated characterization of Jack that I’ve come across . . . until our comic is released that is.

CB: And you see a lot of images of Jack.
JB: Oh, yeah . . . so after Tommy, Trevor and I signed a batch of the posters, I asked them if they'd ever be interested in working with us on a graphic novel about Captain Jack.

CB: We had a graphic novel in our head because we had both recently read Neil Gaiman’s MARVEL 1602. You’d bought it to send home with me for Turner [my son], but we each ended up reading it first.
JB: Was that the one where the X-Men face the Spanish Inquisition?

CB: Uh, huh . . . they're in Elizabethan England. Very clever stuff.
JB: Trevor and Tommy thought a collaboration sounded like a great idea and on the way home from Comic Con I knew that if we didn’t pursue the idea of the four of us working together right away, we'd all get busy with our individual work and it would never happen.

CB: Torchwood Magazine didn’t necessarily have a comic in mind did they?
JB: I don’t think so . . . but given that we’d just hooked up with two of the best artists in the comic world, as far as I was concerned, it made sense to pitch a comic . . . and then later when you and I were brainstorming on a story, I remembered you’d written something before about the myth of the selkie, and I thought it'd be a perfect plot to adapt for what, in my head, I was already calling a "Captain Jack Tale."

CB: Except that my story had nothing to do with Torchwood or Captain Jack.
JB: Not then it didn’t but we worked that out between us . . . I'd always wanted to do something that put Jack in Scotland and your original story was set on an island off the Orkneys. Plus we’d already agreed to tell a story that showed a side of Jack and a part of his history that hadn’t been explored too much in other media . . . I wanted to give fans something original about Jack.

CB: What side of Jack do you think our comic foregrounds?
JB: I think we see Jack’s compassion . . . maybe his guilt. Plus his wicked skills with a harpoon!

CB: You've always been a comic fan, haven't you?
JB: Oh, yeah. Love Spiderman, Batman, and definitely Captain America. . . I think it has something to do with when we immigrated to the States in the late 70s and I was trying hard to be an American kid. Couldn’t get enough of comics and Captain America . . . but I also love Superman–all the Justice League heroes for that matter.

CB: Do you remember the first mint condition comic you ever bought me when you could afford one?
SOUNDS OF SILENCE
CB: You haven’t got a clue, have you?
JB: A TIN TIN comic . . . plus a bunch of first edition 'Noddy' books.

CB: Nice save . . . so what do you think of 'Captain Jack and The Selkie' now that you’ve seen the finished product?
JB: I'm astonished. It's brilliant work. The panels with the selkie are completely breathtaking . . . and Jack looks so damn good.

CB: When Tommy and Trevor sent the first colored panels, I just stared at them in stunned admiration.
JB: Tommy Lee, Trevor, John Workman on the lettering, Martin Eden at Torchwood Magazine, everyone worked really hard, but Tommy Lee especially, given the tight deadlines and budget constraints.

CB: Are you game for another one?
JB: !bOng! !bOng! !bOng!




FILTER: - Torchwood

Torchwood Trailer

Thursday, 5 February 2009 - Reported by Marcus
As revealed below, the BBC has now released the trailer for the forthcoming Torchwood series.

Children Of Earth will air over five consecutive nights on BBC One later this year. Captain Jack (John Barrowman), Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) and Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd) are still coming to terms with the death of two of their closest friends. Despite their pain, they have a job to do. This time they are faced with their fiercest threat to date, one which throws the future of Torchwood and the entire human race spiralling into danger. They battle against the odds but do they stand a chance of saving mankind?

The series will also be shown on BBC America. Trailer content may be unavailable outside the United Kingdom.




FILTER: - Torchwood - Children of Earth (Series 3)

Children of Earth trailer this Thursday

Monday, 2 February 2009 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have announced that a 60 second trailer for the forthcoming mini-seriesChildren of Earth will be shown at the New York Comic Con on Thursday 5th February at 4:00pm local time; this will be made available simultaneously in the United Kingdom (9:00pm GMT) on the official Torchwoodweb site.




FILTER: - Torchwood - Children of Earth (Series 3)