It’s an all new Torchwood comic and you can read it online right now at Watch! The comic is part of Alien Invasion Week on the UK network and that means good stuff for all (even us Yanks in the US.) My favorite goodie is a quick interview with John Barrowman where he giggles his way through an explanation of how Captain Jack became the Face of Boe.

If you’re in the UK, you’ll get to watch a great scifi lineup on Watch starting on February 13. It includes Doctor Who, Torchwood and Sci Fi movies like Starship Troopers and Terminator 3. The latest Torchwood series; Children of Earth will air every weeknight at 9pm and each segment will include a personal introduction by John Barrowman.

Not in the UK? You can still enjoy the new Torchwood comic from Titan and Watch.

Photo: Titan

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James Hibberd of The Hollywood Reporter

There are several good things in that statement. One, that Davies, the man who created Torchwood in the UK is the one adapting it for US TV. And two, that it’s going to Fox. Fox is the only network, outside of Syfy, who could handle the project. Yes, they’ve taken some flack for the handling of Dollhouse and a few other shows – but face it – Torchwood on The CW or on CBS simply wouldn’t fly.

Hibberd also notes that John Barrowman could come along for the ride. It’s not clear if the series would revolve around him or if he might be the catalyst that unites the US and UK branches of Torchwood.

The downside of all this is that it’s a US remake (or spin-off) of Torchwood. We haven’t had a lot of luck with remakes of foreign series. Look at Life on Mars and Kath and Kim. But The Office has worked out for us, so there’s that.

I think if we look at Torchwood like a CSI franchise, an entity that has a different personality depending on the city it’s set in. If they go with Torchwood as it would be if the agency existed on US soil as opposed to “remaking” the UK Torchwood, we could be alright.

The comments on Hibberd’s post have been pretty harsh overall. Actually, I think harsh doesn’t begin to cover it.  No love for the idea at all?

Photo: BBC America

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In honor of David Tennant’s retirement from Who-ville

Here’s what’s included:

The Eclectic Gypsy by Dave Thompson which takes you through the history of Doctor Who in a very unusual way.

Next we have two Primeval novels – Shadow of the Jaguar by Steven Saville (my personal favorite) and The Lost Island by Paul Kearney.

Plus three Torchwood novels – Slow Decay by Andy Lane, Border Princes by Dan Abnett and Another Life by Peter Anghelides.

It’s a fun collection of books for Brit scifi fans from three of my favorite shows. Want to win? Leave a comment on this post preferably with the title of your favorite TV Tie-in book.

US only please.

Deadline to enter is December 11, 2009 at midnight PST.

This is a hefty lot of books so it will be sent media mail, thus I can’t promise delivery in time for the holidays in case you were planning to share.

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John Barrowman

He says that the whens and hows are still being talked about but they’re looking at another 13 episode run, not 5 which is extra great news.

As for appearing with the new Doctor Who, John says it hasn’t been discussed but followed with, “I’m prepared that it won’t happen.”

If you’re a John Barrowman fan, you’ll want to listen to the full interview which does play here in the US. Visit the Steve Wright in the Afternoon webpage for the streaming link. John comes on at the 2.23.35 mark but if you have time, listen to the whole thing. They play some great music and there’s nothing like a UK traffic report. (Can someone explain “the anticlockwise” to me? Is that the UK version of a traffic circle?)

During the interview, John talks about filming the special, he speaks fondly of his parents and his first “public” appearance when he was 4-years old performing on the counter of a record store.

When asked about where he gets his inspiration, he had this to say, “People should be inspired by what they do themselves.”

I like that. It doesn’t appear that the DVD is available yet in the US, but you can buy John’s brand new autobiography I am What I am.

Photo: Newscom

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Thanks to Small Screen Scoop and my Twitter buddy Jessica Rae for the tip.

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The news will come as a tonic to fans of the show, which enjoyed runaway success in the ratings when the latest series Children of Earth screened over five nights in July this year. The dramatic finale and the death of much-loved team member Ianto Jones had fans fearing the worst for the future of the show, but Davies’ positive comments will re-ignite hopes that Torchwood will once again return to television screens.

Davies is also confident of writing another compelling series of Torchwood, regardless of the format the BBC decides to choose for the show.

“If the BBC asked for another 13 one-part stories, that’s what we’d do,” ‘Davies goes on to explain to Torchwood Magazine. “I”m ready for anything, but I think it works well as one continuous story. But if the BBC decide they want 13 one-offs, I’ll suddenly decide that’s the best format in the world!”

The prolific writer, widely credited with sparking the recent revival of parent show Doctor Who, goes on to talk candidly about the origins of Torchwood, and why he thinks the timing was all important for the success of the show.

“It’s been a very intelligent decision to make hay while the sun shines,” he says. “Look at the recession that’s sweeping in now. If I’d tried to get Torchwood off the ground now, they would say there’s no money for it. So while we had one very successful show, we made a strategic decision to push our advantage. Julie [Gardner, then Head of Drama at BBC Wales] passionately wanted a big, strong Welsh drama department ­ but one show is not a drama department, You’ve got to have more, so we did it while those doors were open to us.”

The full interview with Russell T Davies appears in Torchwood Magazine Issue #17 which goes on sale here in the US on September 15, 2009 and on August 20 in the UK.

Source: Torchwood Magazine

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Let’s turn the clock back to Day Two. Even though the action was up, I wasn’t any happier with the plot twists of Two than I was with One. What it comes down to is simply this — I like my team as a team. I like how one is when the other two are around. I like the banter and I miss all of that when they spend an entire episode apart.

And minor point of confusion. Who was the third dead body at the facility where they were holding Jack? I got the doc, but who was in the other body bag? One of the paramedics that tried to apprehend Gwen?

Jumping to the end, yes, having Ianto rip that cement block out of the building and smash it in a ravine was delightfully huge but it was a little too crazy and humorous for the tone of this episode. End of Day Two and I still wasn’t completely sold.

Then Day Three came around and I was hooked. The plot twists from that point forward were all exceptional and so many were unexpected. (Jack’s involvement in the original incident — never saw that coming.) It makes me wonder if five hours was simply too long a period for the story they wanted to tell.

By the time we get deeply into the request for the children this becomes a sci fi show unlike anything we’re used to seeing. Watching Jack reassure those children as he sends them off to certain death was chilling, as was the shot of the mutated child attached to the creature in the tank. But even more chilling was the reference to “units” instead of “children.” It’s how we’d have to do it, right? Dehumanize the thought, make it about numbers and facts. It is how we get through these things.

Once the politicians even think about negotiating with the 456, the parallels to terrorism become abundantly clear. Do we capitulate and risk being held hostage time and time again, or do we fight and face even greater casualites?

And then to the discussion of who deserves to live and who is expendable. It almost makes sense, doesn’t it? To cull the weakest links, to sacrifice the less capable in order to protect the strong? And yet, the thought of handing over a child, any child is so repugnant. I wonder if it would play out differently if they’d asked for ten percent of the adults in the world?

So the politicians are up against it and for the first time you see them not as the archeticts of this mess, but as average people charged with a monumental decision. Now, I don’t think any government on Earth has been faced with an alien ultimatum, but I do think that we have people running our planet who have had to make some grave decisions. Decisions that have likely ended in deathes and you gotta wonder how they sleep at night.

Enter Jack Harkness, who already has so much to answer for, he’s not going to let fear get in the way — not this time. He blackmails the officials into letting him handle the situation and if this was a 1950’s alien invasion movie then it would all turn out fine. But it isn’t and it doesn’t and Jack’s decision to fight gets Ianto and dozens of others killed.

It’s a horrendous final scene when Jack wakes up among the bodies. And I know from the comments that I’ve kept back until today, that people were not happy about this turn of events. But Torchwood has always been about consequences and taking responsibility. From Suzie and the glove to Ianto and the cyberwoman — good intentions aren’t good enough.

“An injury to one is an injury to all,” says Jack. That means its time for the human race to fight back.

Tomorrow night is the big finish. Day Five of Torchwood Children of Earth on BBC America. I can’t wait to see how it all turns out.

Photo: BBC America

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I gotta wonder, can the series actually live up to the hype? After watching Day One, I’m not so sure it can.

I wish I hadn’t gone into this with such high expectations – not that the show wasn’t entertaining or exciting, but there were moments where, frankly, I was bored, or worse annoyed.

Before I dissect this puppy, let me say that Torchwood always puts on a good performance. The characters are wonderful, the actors are perfect in their roles and the production values can’t be beat. Even more than ever, this looks like a feature film with those sweeping crane shots of Cardiff and the sheer magnitude of the events. Given all of that, anything negative I say from here on in is probably being picky, but I think Torchwood can take it. (SPOILERS FOR DAY ONE FROM HERE ON IN)

WE ARE. . .

Fabulous. Creepy. Intriguing and beautifully shot. It’s 1965. There’s a school bus traveling down a lonely, foggy road at night. It stops in the middle of nowhere and the kids get out. This can’t be good. Slowly the children walk off screen toward a mysterious glow, all except for one but don’t worry, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing him again and soon.

Jump to the present and something’s not quite right. Children everywhere have frozen in their tracks and it’s Village of the Damned all over again. But then we jump to the hospital scene and that sense of classic movie making falls away into a near slapstick routine with Ianto and Jack conning their way in to see a patient who has a “hitchhiker” in his body.

This entire scene is too cavalier. Particularly when the doctor, Rupesh, sees what they’re doing. Then there was all that “couples” banter. Look, I’m a great lover of Ianto / Jack, but this stuff between them was painful to watch. This is Torchwood not EastEnders, but you wouldn’t know it if you came in on the scene with Ianto and his sister or even the one between Jack and his daughter (in-law?). This is the first time we’ve seen these people, right? And yet their introductions were so matter of fact, I felt like I was supposed to know these people. I know it’s a five hour mini-series, but do we really need so many new characters introduced right up front, because by my count we now have about eight new people with significant roles to play in the first hour.

WE ARE. . . COMING

Meanwhile, back at the plot, the children have stopped again and this time they have a message, “we are coming. . . back.” (okay, so they don’t actually say back until the very end of the hour, but we still know that the opening scene and the current predicament are related. . . right?)

Now, civil servant John Frobisher (Peter Capaldi – who is perfect in his role) is in a panic as he tries to erase all previous references to the “456,” which includes erasing Jack Harkness and Torchwood. Ah, but a lowly temp, Lois Habiba, has her boss’ classified documents password so it’s easy for the audience to find out exactly what these government people are up to!

Meanwhile, Gwen has found an anomaly in the whole zombie children effect. One grown man also stopped to chant. He, of course, is the one child who escaped at the start of the show and now he has the ability to smell trouble – no really – and he can smell the fact that Gwen is pregnant which is creepy on a whole different level.

WE ARE COMING. . . BACK

This is one of those plot points that bothers me. Timothy, aka Clement McDonald lives in a mental institution and his care is presumably paid for by the government. And yet, the same government who has been so careful to keep the details of the 456 off the record, have no idea who he is or where he is until Gwen does a computer search on the name?

Then Jack, who is knee deep in the zombie children investigation, decides to take a side trip to the hospital to see a body that Rupesh claims is related to a series of missing corpses. Turns out it’s a trap! Jack is shot by the doc, the doc is shot by Helen Cutter (come on, the similarities. . . ) and then everyone leaves the room so when Jack wakes up he can go back to Torchwood like nothing ever happened. (Can you say contrived?)

Back at the hub, Gwen is performing an ultrasound on herself and sure enough, she’s with child – which, given the nature of this episode should fill her with dread, not joy. Lucky for her, Jack puts his hand over hers and the scan is smart enough to reveal that he too is carrying – a bomb – in his chest.

Gwen runs for the sake of the baby. Ianto gets gob smacked with the kiss of all kisses and the hub goes boom. Nice effect and nice cliffhanger cause, come on, even though we know Jack is immortal, he can’t possibly recover from being torn limb from limb! Right?

Guess we’ll find out on Day Two of Torchwood Children of Earth which airs tomorrow night at 9:00 on BBC America.

Photos: BBC America

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Matt asked: Was there a turning point in Torchwood for you? A scene where you felt like you’d hit your stride and really knew who Ianto was?

Gareth: Probably, I’d say, episode 5 of Season 1.  It was actually a scene we did after we finished, but we went back to do it because it felt like there was a gap in Ianto’s recovery. There’s a moment when Jack comes and puts his hand on [Ianto's] back and its almost like- it’s like forgiving and starts the healing process, and starts the relationship with Jack and I think that’s where the character you see now, that’s the point where he’s really grown from.

Matt asks: At what point in your work on the first series did someone tell you that Jack and Ianto were going to be a bona fide romantic pair?

Gareth: It was always there, all the flirtation in the first episode, so I knew there was some type of chemistry there. But I had no idea they were going to embark on a pretty close relationship, but it’s been great for me because it involves a relationship with the leading man which means I get more lines. (Laughs)

Charmaine asked: Did the character play out the way you expected it too?

Gareth: Yeah, absolutely, it’s been great for me. I’m out and about with the team and on field missions and on the run actually. I got to do a lot more action stuff, which I’ve never done before on TV or film so it’s a new experience for me and I enjoy the work.

Boston asked: So now we know you can play the piano; and apparently you’re trained in dance (according to the publicity for “Boogie Nights”). Any other secret talents should we know about?

Gareth: Not really. I mean I never really saw my dancing as a talent, though… so there may be things, hobbies that I do that other people might regard as talents, but none that I can pinpoint myself.

Susan asked: Any new info on possible U.S. tour dates for Blue Gillespie? (Gareth’s band)

Gareth: We’d love to come to the US but at the moment we’re unrepresented. It’s partly to do with my busy schedule and the fact that the band is really on the sideline and we haven’t really pushed to get proper representation, but things are happening, slowly, but surely. We’re going a bit into the field and touring the north of Britain beginning of next year and hopefully that expansion will eventually lead across the pond.

Tracy asked: What would you have done if acting had not paid off?

Gareth: One of my memories from junior school, I think that’s sixth or seventh grade for you guys over there, they asked us to sit down and draw a picture of what you see yourself doing when you grow up and I drew myself as a singer with a microphone on stage with lots of people. So I’ve always been into music and I first got into the drama and the acting when I was about ten or eleven in a school play and I’ve been dead set on it since then. But if not that direction than it probably would have been some type of musical performer.

Deborah says: We know that you are game for most things when it comes to acting, like playing a serial killer (your scenes from Adam were fab!) or messing about with sexuality (Ianto or your role as the shady boyfriend of a transvestite) but is there any character you wouldn’t play on screen?

Gareth: Only one I don’t believe in, really; I suppose. When I look at a script, if I can’t believe in the character or believe in the story or don’t think I’m gonna get anything from it artistically then probably not. [There's nothing I would do] if the role requires it. If I understood it properly and it comes from a sincere place, for me, then I don’t think there’s anything that I’d object to.

Cynthia (hey, I get to ask questions too) asked: With Torchwood being as fantastical as it is, it’s still very human. So how do you keep reality when there’s a fish guy walking by?

Gareth: I think you said it. It’s the humanity of Torchwood and the very real relationships between the cast members; that’s what makes the sci fi more believable I suppose, makes the danger more scary- is the fact that these are real people and they live in the same situations that you or I do. Gwen goes home to her husband, you know, Ianto’s got family; the extraordinary one, I suppose, the superhero, is Jack and I think the whole tone of the show requires those domestic real relationships to keep it grounded and to keep it believable.

Lisa asked: What’s in your pocket?

Gareth: What’s in my pocket? Um… hang on… a lighter, bottle of eye drops, loose credit card I forgot to put in my wallet, my wallet, and some loose change. (Pauses) And an Uzi. (I’m pretty sure he was kidding about that last part.)

Rebecca asks: What is the strangest thing a fan has ever said, done or given to you?

Gareth: Probably a My Little Pony dressed up as Ianto. It’s staring at me on my shelf now, I still can’t quite get my head around it. But it’s fascinating all the same and it has earned a placeon one of my shelves in the kitchen. It’s brilliant, but just strange.

Hazel asked: How does it make you feel to know that your character and the show in general has been embraced by the fans to such an extent that they are writing their own stories about you?

Gareth: The [fans] are the people that keep the show on television and keep me in a job, and ya know, keep Russell writing great lines for me, so I appreciate that. I like to try and give something back, you know, I wouldn’t wanna shun or ignore the people who are my biggest supporters.

And finally, some talk about Torchwood: Children of Earth vs. the last season of Torchwood.

Gareth: For me personally, it was a hell of a lot more fluid, more organic. Because we had one story, one explosive brilliant story, one director, so everyone was sort of on the same page constantly. You weren’t thrown by shooting episode two and then episode eight out of sequence and you know as an actor it’s your job to keep all the things in perspective and jump between them, but the way we did this it was so much more organic for us and a lot easier. I mean, more difficult physically, a lot of action scenes in it, but they’re fun at the end of the day.

Cynthia: Torchwood always looks like a movie to me, but I was thinking this in particular is going to have a real major motion picture feel.

Gareth: Oh absolutely. I saw the first episode in a cinema and I was really, really proud, it does feel very much like a movie and when you put all five episodes together it’s like one big giant movie. Yeah, so I think what the series lacks for in quantity it makes up for in quality.

And with that, we say goodbye and thanks to Gareth David-Lloyd. And thanks to all of you for asking such great questions. I wish I could have fit more of them in. Maybe next time.

If you want to own Torchwood: Children of Earth in all of its technicolor glory, it is now available on standard and Blu-ray discs. The 2-disc set also contains the Torchwood Declassified featurette so there’s even more to love.

Photos: BBC America

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So before we launch into this monumental week, let’s get our ducks in a row. No spoilers here, so feel free to read on.

As you all know, this new Torchwood mini-series has already aired in the UK which means everyone there and everyone who doesn’t mind a downloaded bootleg has already seen it. To those people I once again ask that you refrain from jumping ahead in the conversation as we go through the week. Speculation if you don’t know the answer is fine, but please don’t post spoilers in the comments.

I’m going to post a review each night after the show airs here, but I’m going to cheat a little and do it from the DVD version that I’ve been sent for review. If you want to own Torchwood: Children of Earth in all of its technicolor glory, it comes out on standard and Blu-ray discs on July 28th . The 2-disc set also contains the Torchwood Declassified featurette so there’s even more to love.

Having said that, I don’t know if the DVD version is the same as the US version that airs on TV on BBC America or the UK version. I was given both and would love to compare them but that’s going to have to wait a few weeks. If anyone knows what’s been edited out of the US versions, I’d love to hear about in the comments for THAT NIGHT’S episode.

Last, but by no means least, I have an interview with Gareth David-Lloyd) which I’ll be publishing later this week. Gareth was kind enough to answer the questions you asked, and he also mentioned a fan gift that is very special to him so I hope we can figure out who that fan was that gave it to him!

Then it’ll be Comic Con and then we all pass out from exhaustion.

So that’s the plan. I hope you’ll stick around here at SFUniverse because Torchwood is coming!

Photo: BBC America

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