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Torchwood watch

post #1 of 24
3/5/06 at 3:11pm
Thread Starter 
A friend of mine sent this out recently...I don't think there's anything in here that would interest Devin for a THUD newsbreak, so it's going straight here.

Those following the earlier Doctor Who thread already know the show is coming, but for those who don't know about it, it's a new show for the BBC that's an adult-oriented crime drama...where the investigators use alien tech found on earth to solve crimes both terrestial and alien. It's set in the same universe as Doctor Who, but has a completely different flavor and feel (despite Captain Jack, a companion from Eccleston's Doctor Who, as the lead), and will not directly cross over with the original show. (Torchwood was mentioned and made a tech cameo in the recent Christmas special, but we never saw anyone from Torchwood.)

What was sent to me:

News on the spinoff series from Doctor Who:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4349120.stm

Audio: http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/sounds/torchwood.mp3

From the BBC webpage: Torchwood will debut on BBC Three late [this] year. Created by Russell T Davies it stars John Barrowman as Captain Jack. "Torchwood will be a dark, clever, wild, sexy, British crime/sci-fi paranoid thriller cop show with a sense of humour - the X Files meets This Life," says Russell T Davies.
"It's a renegade bunch of investigators charged by the British government to find alien technology that has fallen to Earth," BBC Three controller Stuart Murphy told The Independent.
The show will be set in Cardiff, and will be 13 45-minute episodes, transmitting between series of Doctor Who. Confirmed writers include Sapphire and Steel creator PJ Hammond.



The female lead from last year's 3rd ep of Doctor Who, "The Unquiet Dead," has been tapped to play opposite John Barrowman: http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2006/02/24/29846.shtml
(I'm noticing a pattern in names, here)
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post #2 of 24
3/5/06 at 3:34pm
I think it's too early in the Who revival to be launching a spin-off, and the concept sounds shit.
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post #3 of 24
3/5/06 at 7:56pm
I agree.
I liked the Captain Jack character well enough but i don't see any real reason for this just yet, and the scenario sounds pretty shitty.
I rewatched the new series on DVD and it's pretty clear Russel T. Davies is not the series strongest writer, so with any luck he will devote more time to Torchwood and let other people write for Who.
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post #4 of 24
3/5/06 at 8:11pm
As long as the overall arc of the series is dealing with the memories that the time cops or whatever they were erased from Jack I think the show could work. I'm also curious about how they explain him getting from Platform 5/The Game Station after the Dalek invasion back to contemporary earth.
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post #5 of 24
3/6/06 at 12:48am
Thread Starter 
The show's based out of Cardiff (in story, as well as in the real world), and there's this little time rift in Cardif itself that could be a factor....

As for sounding like shit, the very concept of Doctor Who sounds like shit. It's all in the execution....the Fox movie was utter tripe, as were several episodes in the original run, whereas this past series (and several stories from the original) was very well done. I think what's really against this project is the weight of history...the previous two spinoff ideas crashed and burned.

Given the series has been greenlit, however, and given what Davies did with The Doctor, I'm curious to see what he puts out.
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post #6 of 24
3/6/06 at 1:18am
I think the concept for Dr Who sounds infintely more interesting than the concept for Torchwood, which, at this stage, sounds just like an X-Files clone.
I hope to christ it will be good as i could do with some more good sci fi on the box and i really liked the Captain Jack character and was disapointed when he was booted off the show in the last episode the way he was.

You mentioned there were 2 spin offs to Doctor Who that failed. I recall the shit house K9 and company, which was a shit idea because the robot dog was only really a diverting novelty at the best of times, but what was the other one? Or did you mean the limp wristed Fox movie?
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post #7 of 24
3/6/06 at 4:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Masked Muppet
As for sounding like shit, the very concept of Doctor Who sounds like shit.
When it was first created, Doctor Who was original and innovative.

Pitching Torchwood as "X-Files meets This Life" just shows how devoid of imagination the idea is. It's a combination of two shows that were in vogue ten years ago? Oooh, sounds exciting.

And I really don't see the point in doing a spin-off show if the show in question isn't going to have any crossover or on-going connection with the series that spawned it.

The fact that they're making a point of distancing Torchwood from the new Who continuity suggests they don't want this to go down in flames and tarnish their shiny new franchise.

Hence, too soon for a spin-off. Wait until there's a character or concept worth spinning off, where the main Who series can't fit in a story that really needs to be told.
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post #8 of 24
3/6/06 at 1:04pm
Thread Starter 
The feeling I'm getting is that Davies wanted to do a show with Barrowman (Capt. Jack is apparently a larger-than-life version of the actual actor) after working with him in the last series, had an idea, and ran with it.
I've never seen "This Life," so I can't make comparrisons on that score, but it sounds more like Davies is tossing the X meets Y hollywood comparison out there to avoid going into details. YMMV...my only exposure to Davies has been Doctor Who, and I live in the US, so you may know alot more to worry about.

The other failed spinoff died before the pilot was shot, spun off from The Talons of Weng Chiang, following Jargo & Lightfoot.
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post #9 of 24
10/15/06 at 9:03pm
There are four Torchwood trailers up on Google video, Youtube seems to be bogged down so I couldn't check there.

Here's the Wikipedia page, the BBC website videos are only accessible in the UK.
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post #10 of 24
10/16/06 at 4:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Whitehead
I think it's too early in the Who revival to be launching a spin-off, and the concept sounds shit.
Well apparently it's not the only one as there is talk of spinoffs featuring Sarah Jane and K-9.
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post #11 of 24
10/16/06 at 4:37am
The Sarah-Kane/K9 spin-off that's been talked about is a kids' TV show, most likely animated. So I think there may be room for something in that vein. It's certainly more viable idea that TORCHWOOD.
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post #12 of 24
10/16/06 at 8:55am
Sarah Jane Investigates is shooting now, i believe. Not sure that its a kids show. There were plans for a Rose Tyler: Defender of the Earth show - but those have been (thankfully) scrapped. There is a CGI K9 cartoon on its way too.

Torchwood is the third spin-off we'll be getting in the next year adn could be the best as it shares writers with Dr Who.

They are aiming to target a more adult audience as it is being shown at 10 and not 7, mentions of sex, horror and violence have peaked my interest too. My concern is the 'shared wealth' arguent. It was when Seth Macfarlane started American Dad that Family Guy got a worse. Why not just improve Dr Who - it was never meant to be for kids anyway.
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post #13 of 24
10/24/06 at 7:31pm
Has anyone seen this? I read that the first few episodes have played in the UK so just curious if anyone has seen it.
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post #14 of 24
10/24/06 at 10:43pm
The first two episodes aired Sunday. It's alright, has some potential, though the second episode was a pretty blatant ripoff of an episode of The Chronicle. Captain Jack Harkness seems more subdued than he did when he was on Doctor Who, but there seems to be good reason for it. Still no explanation of how he got back to the present day.
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post #15 of 24
11/6/06 at 9:32pm
It's worth watching just for Gwen.

There's not a lot I wouldn't do with her.

And I bet there was some parents of young Doctor Who fans who didn't know where to look in the second episode when that girl gets screwed in the niteclub bog with the guy watching on CCTV giving himself a hand shandy.
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post #16 of 24
11/12/06 at 1:00pm
Not a bad show - owes more to X files than Dr Who.

First episode was pretty well made and let us into the overview of what they do - as well as providing a twist or two.

Second episode was a rip-off of one of Chronicl - but mainly its Species on a budget.

Third episode was very well acted but a little boring.

Fourth episode has a female cyberman and is fairly silly but well acted again.

I would say its a good show with excellant and ridiculous moments in each episode. Worth downloading/watching.

Anyone notice the subtle Dr Who cameo in the second episode?
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post #17 of 24
11/12/06 at 4:04pm
Was that the doctor's hand in the jar then? I thought as much when Jack freaked out over it being smashed.
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post #18 of 24
11/12/06 at 4:47pm
Full points to Nate K! That was indeed, from the Christmas Invasion. The thing that gave it away was the light threading in of Murray Gold's 'Tennant Dr' Theme tune.

Such a subtle moment, I loved it. Its always good when a programme awards your keen eyes and intelligence.
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post #19 of 24
11/12/06 at 7:48pm
Anyone else slightly annoyed by the show's constant need to be "outrageous", many times to the detriment of decent plot progression and basic storytelling?

Oh and yes I'd watch just for Gwen, she's a tasty bit of cake.
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post #20 of 24
11/13/06 at 10:46am
Last nights episode could be one of the best - wish theyd used it for Dr Who.

There have been far less dud episodes of Torchwood than Dr Who by episode 5 in both series. Wonder if RTD was holding back some of his better story ideas for Torchwood?

The tone and the general way the story unfolded, and especially ended was far riskier than something they wouldve attempted on Who, or even Xfiles. Torchwood is indeed dark and I think from the story they told last night - it was a wise decision to spin off.

John Barrowman (who was interviewed on Jonathon Ross and is unbelievably gay 'Loads of cock, I should be so lucky!!') has really changed in the role. Im glad, Harkness was far too 2d on Who - i like the damaged feeling to this character and he himself is doing well setting a tone for the show.

Here are some toys from season 2 of Dr Who - including the worlds first John Barrowman action figure on the left.

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post #21 of 24
11/27/06 at 3:04pm
Now that was excellent, that's the level of quality I expected from this series and it finally fucking delivered, excellent villain, great resolution, and nice insights into Toshiko and Jack. And how! Man Ianto is a whiny bitch.
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post #22 of 24
12/4/06 at 9:22am
Ghost Machine is up on Youtube here.
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post #23 of 24
12/4/06 at 6:50pm
so after watching "They Keep Killing Suzie" I'm forced to the conclusion that everybody in Wales is bi-sexual. Is this true?
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post #24 of 24
12/4/06 at 8:41pm
See I don't get that stopwatch gag either, was that a sexual thing? And if so why does Ianto also have to be bisexual?

I'm just glad we've had three decent episodes in a row, it's as if this was the point when the writers figured out the main characters. Although they still have no clue what to do with Gwen. I mean Suzie was a female Moriarty as written by Alan Moore, Gwen is PC Plod.

I did love that they brought back the actress who played Jabe on Doctor Who and gave her a meaty role, she's actually better written than Gwen.
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