The BBC have confirmed that Torchwood is to return for a second series but this time it will premiere exclusively on BBC Two. Filming will start in Spring 2007.

BBC2 Controller, Roly Keating said the show had been: "Inventive, intelligent and unpredictable.Torchwood is a brilliant piece of 21st century fantasy drama. I'm delighted that its second series will be premiering on the channel."

Julian Bellamy, Controller of BBC Three, said: "Breaking all records on BBC Three is no mean feat and we've been proud to help build Torchwood into one of the most talked-about and eagerly-anticipated series of recent years."

Jane Tranter, the Controller of BBC Fiction, said: "Torchwood is a modern and innovative drama that has truly captured the imagination of its audience, and we are very excited that there will be more of the adrenaline-fuelled, action-packed adventures of our team of Torchwood heroes."

Russell T Davies said: "The whole team is bristling with ideas and we are delighted that Cardiff is going to be home to more monsters and mayhem."

For reaction to this news, and to add your own, please visit this thread in our forum.

BBC3's Torchwood pulled ahead of Sky One's Lost in the big digital multichannel ratings battle last night, according toMedia Guardian.

The 10pm slot saw Torchwood being watched by 971,000 viewers, while big US import Lost attracted only 863,000 viewers. This was the first showing in the UK for both episodes.

Rival BBC channels are fighting for screening rights to a second series of Cardiff-based sci-fi hit Torchwood, according to a report from the South Wales Echo.

The report points out that a second series has not been officially commissioned for the Doctor Who spin-off, but claims that scripts are already being prepared and that "both BBC Two and BBC Three are fighting for the right to screen it first - with writer Russell T Davies pushing for a slot on BBC One."

Helen Raynor has donated an autographed copy of her script for Torchwood episode three, Ghost Machine, to theCardiff and District Samaritans. The script is signed by Raynor, John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Burn Gorman,Naoko Mori and Gareth David-Lloyd. It is being auctioned on eBay, and all proceeds will go towards running costs at the Cardiff Samaritans.

The BBC is set to release a series of three Tie-In Novels based on its hit series Torchwood. Due out on January 11th, 2007, the novels will be published in the same format as the Doctor Who book series and will carry a similar price tag. The first three releases are:

Slow Decay by Andrew Lane
A friend of Gwen's has recently done an impressive bit of slimming, thanks to a new Cardiff weight-loss clinic with a incredibly simple system, and now Rhys wants to give it a try. Elsewhere in the city, an ordinary woman with superhuman strength and a rapacious appetite attacks a group of teenagers. Eight women have disappeared over the past few days, and the police fear they may have a serial killer on their hands, but as the body count rises and the hungers grow, the Torchwood team realise there may be something much more dangerous than a serial killer at work.

Border Princes by Dan Abnett
Something is here that shouldn't be here. Something is watching. In Cardiff's secret heart, the members of the Torchwood team struggle to define and locate the intruder, and contain it before anyone gets hurt. But this time, they are out of their depth. How do you unlock a secret that can't be broken? How do you assess the facts when the facts change to cover all traces? How do you cope if people are already hurt and no one realises it? What do you do if you're one of them? The Border Princes are watching, and they play for keeps ...

Another Life by Peter Anghelides
A storm is brewing - the water levels of the Bristol Channel are inexplicably rising, and Cardiff Bay is under threat from the worst flooding in years. In the midst of the climate chaos, Torchwood is called to investigate a series of gruesome murders - vagrants found dead around Cardiff with their heads partially eaten. When Owen goes missing following a session on a virtual reality game, Jack, Gwen and the team must discover what's really going on before the water claims them all. And they must face the terror that lies at the bottom of the bay - waiting, feeding, controlling ...This work features characters from BBC's "Torchwood", as played by John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Naoko Mori, Burn Gorman and Gareth David-Lloyd.

Doctor Who Magazine reports that there are still regular cast members for Torchwood that have not been announced yet, beyond the four credited cast members (John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Naoko Mori and Burn Gorman). Filming progresses, and at DWM's press time was soon to begin for the second production block, which indludes the third episode, The Ghost Machine by Helen Raynor, and the eighth episode, Greeks Bearing Gifts by Toby Whithouse; both are to be directed by Colin Teague. Block Three is beginning pre-production, with James Strong (The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit) directing.

Also, the BBC currently owns the site at torchwood.org.uk, which simply shows a flashing "Access Denied" message!

DWM also has a brief update on progress in the making of the Torchwoodspinoff series. According to the issue, the readthrough for episodes one and two took place on Wednesday 26 April before location filming began on Monday 1 May. Colin Teague will direct Block Two, comprising episodes by Toby Whithouse and Helen Raynor, the latter titledThe Ghost Machine.