Torchwood: Are we looking forward to it or not?

[Adrian Bamforth]

"It's such a great format for a show"

I always felt that even in the old show, whenever I've caught old episodes, there was more they could do with the premise, and specifically the Time Lords. In the stories I've seen you never really get to find out much about them or why they travel in time (I've just looked at Wikipedia which seems to confirm this), yet it is this that I think should have provided The Doctor with his motivation. He seems to be a rebel but we don't really know what from. Though the time travel aspect of the show means you can potentially go anywhere and do anything, you also need to rein that freedom in and provide some reasons to not make it look like he's just inanely wandering - or in the case of the new series being a kind of time tourist. There was a whole opportunity to create some real politics and continuity in the show, so you can imagine my disappointment that the first thing they did when bringing it back was to simply wipe out the most promising aspect in the show (rather non-sensical itself, since they would exist all across time, and they could surely go back and change things anyway), never to refer to it again.

ADE

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

The time lords invented time travel and set about "helping" (USA style) more backward civilizations. Then one lot got nukes from them and wiped out themselves and a lot of others (See the Tom Baker story Underworld). The time lords then decided to go all pacifist and stop others getting or using time travel.

The is what the Doctor rebelled against.

[Jim_Campbell]

"Don't be daft. Everyone who saw this remembers it. And it's out on DVD now."

Ah ... when I mentioned it on another thread, I was met with a deafening silence, hence my comment.

I'm well-chuffed that it's out on DVD. I think that may well make my Christmas wish-list!


Cheers

Jim

[Jim_Campbell]

"Jim, I believe your fine dose of bile belongs on Outpost Gallifrey as well...?"

Be my guest. I'm already signed up to more forums than I can manage, but if anyone wants to copy 'n' paste then feel free!

Cheers

Jim

[Huey2]

I'm not sure that all that's bad in Torchwood is RTD's fault. Okay it's his idea and his characters an' all, but most of his time will be taken up with Doctor Who and setting up the next spin off; Sarah Jane Smith investigates.

The re-vamped Doctor Who has had some real bad moments, but it has also had some great ones too (Mostly in the first series). Torchwood hasn't had any great moments, simply some okaaay ones and some real crap ones.

the show-runner for Torchwood is Chris Chibnall. He's the fella responsible for getting the other writers, putting a story framework together and re-writing all the scripts. What's more, the 3 episodes that have REALLY sucked : the Cyberwoman one, the hicks one and the sex monster one were all written by him. He's also responsible for the season finale which will undoubtably suck.

- Huey

[Steve Green]

I just found an interview with him where he lists RTD as one of the writers he admires

"his versatility, vision and voice are unparalleled in the history of TV drama"

Ick.

His wikipedia entry also states that he's going to be writing for the third series of the new Who.

- Steve

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/bornandbred/chris_chibnall_writers.shtml" target="_blank">Chris Chibnall Admires...

[Leigh S]

"but most of his time will be taken up with Doctor Who and setting up the next spin off; Sarah Jane Smith investigates."


Really?  I thought most of his time was taken up with self aggrandising interviews.

[The Amstor Computer]

*znort!*

;-)

So, did Chibnall get the job because he's an arselicker, or is he is arselicking because he got the job? And "unparalleled in the history of TV drama"? What a fucking insult to the generations of fantastic writers who've worked at the Beeb...

[SamuelAWilkinson]

This just in: RTD's house of sham now officially out of ideas: allegations of dusting off and recycling an episode of New Who not even one year old bandied about. Davies yet to comment.

[Huey2]

"Really? I thought most of his time was taken up with self aggrandising interviews."

Oh yeah, that too.

[paulvonscott]

Someone at BBC3 has a sense of humour as the show had the CBBC logo on it for the first ten minutes.

I'm not going to launch into a dissection of this show, it seemed to be Torchwood's version of the Doctor Who geek story (the one with Peter Kay and the fellating paving slab), and it unsurpirsingly had the same effect on me.  

I didn't mind it, despite all the attempts to get the digs in against those dreaded geeks.  Torchwood barely figured in it, so hey.

Damned by faint praise perhaps, but that's all it can hope for.  Because damned it surely is.

[Bico]

So Chibnall is being groomed as the sacrificial goat when BBC management have to make note of adverse critical and viewer reaction to S3 of Who and Torchwood is what you're saying?

I'm of the opinion that a turd can shine, but it can't be polished and it's still just a turd.  Torchwood is exhibit A: shiny, but not good, and all the reviews that have been positive and make actual critical examination of the show (as opposed to fawning bandwagon-jumping) seem to be of the opinion that it's good BECAUSE it's so compellingly awful.  Lots of horrible shows run and run, though - Smallville, The OC, That Dancing Thing Before Robin Hood, Anything Made By ITV, etc...

[Jim_Campbell]

"Damned by faint praise perhaps, but that's all it can hope for. Because damned it surely is."

I have to admit, I have no idea how this show is playing beyond the confines of this message board!

Does anyone know what the wider opinion is? Viewing figures? Googling 'Torchwood review" seems to get pages of stuff pre-launch or about the first episode, so I'm curious as to how opinion has developed as the series has gone on ...

Cheers!

Jim

[paulvonscott]

Stolen from www.unitnews.co.uk

01. Everything Changes
Written by...............Russell T. Davies
Original UK Airdate.........Sunday 22 Oct 2006
Final ratings (BBC3)............2.52 million
Final ratings (BBC2)............3.03 million (shown as doublebill)

02. Day One
Written by...............Chris Chibnall
Original UK Airdate.........Sunday 22 Oct 2006
Final ratings (BBC3)............2.49 million
Final ratings (BBC2)............3.03 million (shown as doublebill)

03. Ghost Machine
Written by...............Helen Raynor
Original UK Airdate.........Sunday 29 October 2006
Final ratings (BBC3)............1.78 million
Final ratings (BBC2)............2.49 million

04. Cyberwoman
Written by...............Chris Chibnall
Original UK Airdate.........Sunday 5 November 2006
Final ratings (BBC3)............1.39 million
Final ratings (BBC2)............2.16 million

05. Small Worlds
Original UK Airdate.........Sunday 12 November 2006
Final ratings (BBC3)............1.26 million

[Steve Green]

From the wikipedia page, viewing figures are around 1.2 million for BBC Three, and around 2.2 million for the BBC Two showing.

I've not seen many positive comments about it, usually it's derivative, cheesy nonsense with fairly unlikeable and inconsistent characterisation.

For me, it often feels like an inverse airline edit of a film, basically a kids show, but with added gore, swearing and sex to jazz it up.

- Steve