Torchwood: Are we looking forward to it or not?

[SamuelAWilkinson]

Wasn't the Torchwood when in Who a massive place filled with UFO's etc...

Why is it now in a bunker?

That at least was satisfactorily explained. The Who Torchwood was the London HQ, whereas the Cardiff one is a distant outpost that wouldn't even be there at all if not for the magic plot-and-solution-generating rift. I think they're investigating its Deus Ex Machina capabilities.

[Adrian Bamforth]

I haven't been watching Torchwood, or even the later Doctor Whos, but if the rift is such a world-changing thing that brings alien threats from other dimensions there more than anywhere else, why not move more of the operation there and not leave it to a handful of people holed away seemingly more interested in each other?

ADE

[Quirkafleeg]

Below is from a review of the year's TV in the Guardian


---
Russell T Davies, writer of Doctor Who and Torchwood

I wish I'd had time to write more Torchwoods, because I only wrote the first one. We're hitting a great stretch now with four scripts in a row by women, which in science fiction is practically unheard of. It's been less than a year since David Tennant became the doctor. It was scary this time last year: Chris Ecclestone was brilliant, then he left and there was this big hole. But have you seen the BBC schedules? It's like a Doctor Who christmas. I'm very pleased, obviously, but it's a bit barmy.

I thought The Royle Family Queen of Sheba episode was the most blinding thing I've seen on telly this year. Big Brother was sensational. I love it unironically - it's some of the best storytelling you'll see. My friend Simon's wedding was the high spot of the year. It was a Buddhist wedding. Cardiff Buddhists. I went along ready to have a right old laugh, and it turned out to be beautiful.

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv_and_radio/story/0,,1971759,00.html" target="_blank">Original article

[Jim_Campbell]

"Confession time, I was on a TV viewing figures panel"

Fair enough ... so, now, I sort of vaguely know one person who's actually participated.

And that's in 20 years of intermittently bringing this up in conversation with people.

Consider: a statistically significant sample (for example, in general election polling) is around 1000 people. 1000 to 1500 people in the sample gives a margin of +/- about 5%.

1000 people per week, over 20 years gives a figure of 1,040,000 people polled over the total period. That's about 1 in 6 of the total population of Britain, regardless of age (and I'm assuming that the under 5s, for example, don't figure that largely in the poll sample).

I'm sorry, but I know more than six people. If I ask twelve people and no-one has ever even heard of anyone who's been involved, then the sample size has to be less than 500. As near as I can figure, the average sample size per week is probably less than 100 people.

Statistically speaking, that's completely fucking worthless.

Sorry, whoever compiles these figures can stick them up their arse!

Cheers

Jim

[paulvonscott]

I have to say I feel really good having got it out of my system, keep working through it chaps, you'll get to a zen like state of harmony eventually.

Repeat the following mantra...

"Torchwood is shite, Russel T Davies is an arse, Doctor Who is a twat."

I've seen lots of my favourite things pissed against a wall over the years.  Mid-late 80's Doctor Who, Star Wars new trilogy, post 80's 2000AD, New Who.  There's always such a sense of frustration and dissapointment watching anything that you've invested more than a healthy amount of enthusiasm in, fuck up before your eyes.

Still, I can't let the man waste any more of my time.  Going to try and stop watching Torchwood now I know it has a second season.  

I saw the first two episodes of series three of Lost... now there is potential to get annoyed and waste more time :)

[JimBob]

 I don't know why they dont just go the whole hog with torchwood with a recast for the second season, Chico as Captain Jack, Sue Pollard as Gewn, the reanimated corpse of Sid James as rapey Owen. then they could have a "you have been watching" end credits where they all wink to camera.
 Ibncidently the Village has Eyes cannibal shlockahaust  episode was the least coherent biggest plot holed pile of crap I've seen, and I've seen 2 episodes of Andromeda.  

[Steve Green]

I thought Charlie Brooker's latest review was quite good.

- Steve

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguide/columnists/story/0,,1971948,00.html" target="_blank">Year's Most Jarring Show

[Floyd-the-k]

thanks to the interweb, I`ve just watched the first episode of Torchwood here in futuristic Japan. I thought it was okay, despite the cliche (oriental woman is computer genius = shock!).  Gad, but that`s a strong Welsh accent the new woman`s got.

yours unfashionably,

Floyd

[DavidXBrunt]

Nah, there are stronger Welsh accents than that Eff Jay. If anything, that's a mild one.

[Quirkafleeg]

I think Windsor Davis should be in the next series, boyo.

[petemaskreplica]

Dare I whisper that it was actually not bad last night?

[Wils]

there are stronger Welsh accents than that Eff Jay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2VPOWQFjfM" target="_blank">Like these for instance. ;)

[Quirkafleeg]

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSjtBkdMM1U

[Huey2]

"Dare I whisper that it was actually not bad last night?"

You could, but I wouldn't agree with you.
Every week there's a story idea with potential written all over it and every week they piss that potential away.

This week's idea: 3 people from the '50s end up in 2006. Rather than spend time fully exploring the problems these characters would encounter 5 minutes is spent on this aspect as they walk into a supermarket. The rest of the time? Some lame soap style drama about Owen falling for the pilot and spouting THE worst dialogue of the series so far.

None of the characters' stories were wrapped up satisfactorily: Jack helps one commit suicide after a week rather than help him to adjust, the youngster just gets a job and buggers off and the pilot just assumes that this rift will turn up again, despite it not claiming any other planes ever.

This wasn't sci-fi. It wasn't even an interesting drama. It was crap written by somebody who has never actually spoken to a real person and doesn't understand how real people act.

This should be a great series. Who the hell hired these writers?

- Huey

[Tiplodocus]

I've seem one episode so far (the "ooh, I can hear people's thoughts" episode).

It was pretty much pants and was enough to convince me the best course of action was to pretend TORCHWOOD does not exist.