Torchwood (Big Finish series)
| Genre | Science fiction |
|---|---|
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station |
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| TV adaptations | Torchwood |
| Starring | |
| Editor(s) | Steve Tribe |
| Producer(s) | James Goss |
| Exec. producer(s) |
Nicholas Briggs Jason Haigh-Ellery |
| Recording studio |
|
| Air dates | September 2015 to present |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 9 |
| Audio format | Stereophonic sound |
| Website | Big Finish' Torchwood homepage |
Torchwood is a series of audio dramas produced by Big Finish Productions, based on the television series of the same name. Torchwood, an adult-oriented spin-off of the science fiction drama Doctor Who which ran from 2006 to 2011. Executive producers on the audio series are Nicholas Briggs and Jason Haigh-Ellery, with James Goss as producer.
The series focuses on a mysterious event that affects the entire Torchwood team, with each instalment focusing on a different character. The series premiered via Big Finish on September 10, 2015; as of February 2016, the first series has been released; an additional 6 more are expected to follow, forming the second series.
Background
The fourth series of Torchwood a ten-episode miniseries co-produced between BBC Wales, Starz and BBC Worldwide,[1] aired summer 2011.[2] Shortly after the broadcast of the series, the chief executive officer of Starz, Chris Albrecht, announced that he was remaining in touch with the BBC regarding a further series of Torchwood, though it would depend on executive producer Russell T Davies being free from his other commitments.[3] In 2011, Davies was brought back to the United Kingdom due to circumstances in his personal life, and despite his prior willingness to continue Torchwood, the series was left in indefinite hiatus.[4]
In January 2015 the series lead of Torchwood, John Barrowman, mentioned that there were plans for Torchwood to return in the form of several BBC radio plays that could potentially lead to another series. He stated that both Davies and Julie Gardner had been involved in the discussion behind the audio series, and he and his sister, Carole Barrowman, had been approached about the possibility of writing one of the plays.[5] In May 2015 the audio series was confirmed as a production of Big Finish Productions as part of a licensing deal with BBC Worldwide.[6]
On 11 September 2015, coinciding with the release of The Conspiracy, Big Finish announced that a second series of Torchwood audios, consisting of another six releases, will be released beginning in March 2016, one month after the first series’ concluding instalment.
Installments
Series 1 (2015-16)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Release Date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Conspiracy" | Scott Handcock | David Llewellyn | Jack Harkness | September 15, 2015 | BFPTWCD01 |
| 2 | "Fall to Earth" | Scott Handcock | James Goss | Ianto Jones | October 19, 2015 | BFPTWCD02 |
| 3 | "Forgotten Lives" | Scott Handcock | Emma Reeves | Gwen Cooper, Rhys Williams | November 5, 2015 | BFPTWCD03 |
| 4 | "One Rule" | Barnaby Edwards | Joseph Lidster | Yvonne Hartman | December 7, 2015 | BFPTWCD04 |
| 5 | "Uncanny Valley" | Neil Gardner | David Llewellyn | Jack Harkness | January 18, 2016 | BFPTWCD05 |
| 6 | "More Than This" | Scott Handcock | Guy Adams | Gwen Cooper | February 10, 2016 | BFPTWCD06 |
Series 2 (2016)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Release Date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Victorian Age" | Scott Handcock | AK Benedict | Jack Harkness, Queen Victoria | March 10, 2016 | BFPTWCD07 |
| 2 | "Zone 10" | Scott Handcock | David Llewellyn | Toshiko Sato | April 5, 2016 | BFPTWCD08 |
| 3 | "Ghost Mission" | Scott Handcock | James Goss | Andy Davidson | May 3, 2016 | BFPTWCD09 |
| 4 | "Moving Targets" | Scott Handcock | Guy Adams | Suzie Costello | June 2016 | BFPTWCD10 |
| 5 | "Broken" | Scott Handcock | Joseph Lidster | Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones | July 2016 | BFPTWCD11 |
| 6 | "Made You Look" | Scott Handcock | Guy Adams | Gwen Cooper | August 2016 | BFPTWCD12 |
Production
Russell T Davies, who revived Doctor Who in 2005 and created Torchwood in 2006, stated that he felt the new audio dramas would bring Torchwood back "home".[6] The series is produced by James Goss, who stated he was pleased to be continuing the series; mentioning Torchwood's previous successful airings as in the radio play format which had topped the BBC Radio Iplayer charts in 2009 and 2011.[6] The series is produced by Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs, both of whom felt that the Torchwood universe, and the character of Jack Harkness provided the potential for additional stories.[6] The series will explore a mysterious event that affects all members of the Torchwood team.[6] Briggs stated that the intention was to start the series off with character-focused installments, before telling bigger stories with a wider scope. Briggs enjoyed liaising with Davies, and also stated that Goss' "tangible enthusiasm" had been a source of inspiration for the creative team.[6]
The first installment in the series is The Conspiracy written by David Llewellyn and released in September 2015. The story stars John Barrowman in a central role as Jack Harkness, with supporting cast members including John Sessions, Sarah Ovens, and Dan Bottomley.[7] Additional casting for the series will be revealed at a later date.[6]
The second installment in the series is Fall to Earth written by James Goss and released in October 2015. The story stars Gareth David-Lloyd in a central role as Ianto Jones, with supporting cast member Lisa Zahra.[8]
The third installment in the series is Forgotten Lives written by Emma Reeves and released in November 2015. The story stars Eve Myles and Kai Owen in central roles as Gwen Cooper and Rhys Williams, respectively, with supporting cast members including Phillip Bond, Valmai Jones, Seán Carlsen, and writer Emma Reeves.[9]
The fourth installment in the series is One Rule written by Joseph Lidster and released in December 2015. The story stars Tracy-Ann Oberman in a central role as Yvonne Hartman, the head of London’s Torchwood One from Series 2 of Doctor Who, with supporting cast members including Gareth Armstrong, Rebecca Lacey, Dan Starkey, and Catrin Stewart (the latter two famously portraying Strax and Jenny Flint, respectively, as members of The Paternoster Gang in Doctor Who; though they are not portraying their well-known Doctor Who roles in the Torchwood audio series).[10]
The fifth installment in the series will be Uncanny Valley written by David Llewellyn and will be released in January 2016. The story stars John Barrowman in a central role as Jack Harkness, with supporting cast members including Steven Cree and Emma Reeves.[11]
The sixth and final installment of the first series is More Than This written by Guy Adams and was released in February 2016. The story stars Eve Myles in a central role as Gwen Cooper, with Richard Nicols and the story's writer, Guy Adams.[12] Tom Price reprised his role of Andy Davidson for this installment.[13]
The second series, of six episodes, debuted with The Victorian Age in March 2016; written by AK Benedict. This story stars John Barrowman as Jack Harkness also cast in this story are Rowena Cooper as Queen Victoria[13] with Youssef Kerkour, Louisa Jameson and Aaron Neil.
The second installment of the second series is Zone 10 written by David Llewellyn. It starred Naoko Mori in the featured role, reprising her role of Toshiko Sato.[13] Also featured in this installment are Krystian Godlewski, Ella Garland and Geoffrey Breton.
The third installment released in May 2016 is Ghost Mission written by James Goss. In the featured role is Tom Price as Andy Davidson. This installment also features Samuel Barnett, David Warner, Lisa Bowerman, Laura Doddington and Aaron Neil.
For June 2016 is the story, Moving Target written by Guy Adams. The story stars Indira Varma reprising her role of Suzie Costello, a character featured in two episodes of the first season of the television series. Also featured in this story are Naomi McDonald and Nicholas Burns.
The fifth story of the second series is Broken written by Joseph Lidster. The story reunites John Barrowman and Gareth David-Lloyd as Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones, respectively. The story also stars Melanie Walters, Eiry Thomas and Ross Ford.
References
- ↑ "International partnership secures new series of Torchwood". BBC. 7 June 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
- ↑ Michael Ausiello (7 June 2010). "Breaking: Starz acquires 'Torchwood'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
- ↑ Reynolds, Mike (26 March 2012). "Q&A: Starz's Albrecht on the Alchemy of 'Magic City'". Multichannel news. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
- ↑ "'Torchwood' Creator Says Season 5 is in Limbo, May Debut in 10 or 20 Years".
- ↑ http://communityvoices.post-gazette.com/arts-entertainment-living/tuned-in/item/38693-press-tour-more-torchwood-in-the-works
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Torchwood". Big Finish Productions. 3 May 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ↑ "1.1. The Conspiracy". 3 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ↑ "1.2. Fall to Earth". 16 July 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ↑ "1.3. Forgotten Lives". 8 September 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ↑ "1.4. One Rule". 17 September 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
- ↑ "1.5. Uncanny Valley". Retrieved 19 November 2015.
- ↑ "1.6. More Than This". Retrieved 7 December 2015.
- 1 2 3 "BFD8: Torchwood – Toshiko Sato will return!". Retrieved 16 January 2016.
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