Torchwood - Children of The Earth... Series 3... Our heroes' swansong?

 

Children of the Earth... Torchwood's next outing on BBC1 & BBC HD.

We're all excited and ready to watch... but will be the last time the crew hit our screens?

Torchwood does return fairly soon, but my friends over in Llandaf & Upper Boat seem genuinely not to know when it's going to be aired, certainly on BBC1 & BBC HD, and certainly at 9pm, but that's as far as I know.

Early spring was the first expected airing, but that certainly seems to have slipped, probably as a result of some internal wrangling about schedules, or perhaps nervousness of the network with a show originally made for digital TV going mainstream. One thing is sure > all five episodes are definitely in the can, and are literally ready to roll, and they'll all be shown continuously over 5 days. Not something I like, but there you have it.

 

Eve Myles & some of the filming crew near to Cardiff City's old ground in Leckwith, Cardiff.

What I have found out is that Torchwood 3 will not be what you expect to see. For a start, my friends tell me the famous Hub will be totally destroyed DURING episode 1.. whether it's rebuilt, I know not. Then, Jack, Gwen & Ianto are DISMISSED by Torchwood as the Organization is ripped apart by leaks & subterfuge from a spy or mole on the inside.

I hear that the crew are reduced to using stolen cash & credit cards to survive - abd they become wanted people as a massive threat against humanity & the planet looms on the horizon.

What's going on? I haven't got a clue, but I hope those juicy morsels get you interested. I can't wait, personally!

 

 

John Barrowman in the guise of Captain Jack during filming for Series 3. Curious onlookers take pictures!

What does worry me is that will be just the 5 episodes, that we're down to Jack, Gwen & Ianto, that scheduling definitely has been messed around, that the hub is destroyed - and Torchwood spends the whole of Series 3 falling apart.

I may be wrong, but the BBC is trying to cut corners & costs... and I feel this may well be the final time our team are given the opportunity to protect us from what ever is out there. I really hope I'm wrong! If anyone out there knows anything ... please reassure me!!

RTD???

Cheers,
Chris

 

Hmm... the future's bright for Torchwood?

I don't know. Let's hope my natural instincts are wrong. RTD! Speak to me!!

Doctor Who - Easter Special 2009

The fantastic Easter special of Doctor Who is just over - and what a feast of television it was! The only sad thing was seeing the gorgeously nice David Tennant reminded me his days as the Doctor are so very sadly limited. What a bloody pity!

The Doctor and a group of unwitting, accidental travellers were on the Number 200 bus, heading to Brixton. In reality, they were in Cardiff Bay heading for the Bute tunnels which constantly close due to maintenance requirements. But let's not dwell on detail! How I kicked myself for not seeing that being filmed. I use the Bute tunnels every day, and can remember an odd closure, but never guessed what was happening!

As if by magic, and the immense special effects trickery of BBC Cymru / Wales and The Mill, the bus is dragged thru a wormhole and ends up on a planet on the far side of the universe, otherwise known as Dubai. The planet is made totally of sand, an odd sort of sand, but sand non the less.

Strange fly-like creatures soon emerge from the sand, but they're not the baddies: these are a swarm of rayfish-like creatures which roam from planet to planet, stripping things bare and taking the minerals, etc with them. It turns out that when they've finished with a planet - they leave it as desert, create a wormhole & head off to wreak havoc elsewhere.

Michelle Ryan plays a fanatastic role as a jewel thief, caught accidentally on the bus. Would be nice to see her as a companion, but who knows! In the end, she escapes into space on the Number 200, turbo-charged with anti-gravity clamps. I think she'll be making a return. Hope so!

Lee Evans plays Malcolm, a mad scientist with UNIT who helps the doctor to save the day. Great to see  Lee in the show, shame his Welslh accent was so awful! It was good to to see him professing undying love for the doctor at the end of the action! Also good to see UNIT for the first time in Doctor Who or Torchwood since the original show went off air in the 1980s. They'll be back in Torchwood later this year too.

The ending was a bit bleak - with a gifted soothsayer warning the Doctor his days are numbered, and 'his song is nearly over' David looks worried. Indeed, David Tennant will appear in three more shows in 2009, ending with this year's Christmas special. Filming continues in Cardiff throughout July with David working on the rest of the specials.

The uninspiring and sexually-unattractive Matt Smith takes over as the 11th Time Lord in Series 5, which films this summer, and which airs in 13 parts in the UK during 2010. Can't wait. Meh.

Overall, a GREAT show today. More familiar faces & stars than you can shake a stick at, a fantastic musical score written as ever by Murray Gold and performed by the National Orchestra of Wales, loads of fun, a number of in-jokes, a few thrills and quite a clever plot, co-written by the lovely Russell T. Davies.

I really loved it - and it was AWESOME to watch the show in FULL 1080 HD! Wow.. what a difference full high definition made!!

The uncertainty is over! Torchwood will return with a mini-series, later this year.

In one epic story told over five nights the new series, to be broadcast for the first time on BBC One THIS SUMMER, promises to be Torchwood's greatest adrenalin-fuelled, high octane adventure yet.

Torchwood: Children of Earth re-joins Captain Jack (John Barrowman), Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) and Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd) who are still coming to terms with the death of two of their closest friends. Despite their pain, they have a job to do.

This time they are faced with their fiercest threat to date - one which throws the future of Torchwood and the entire human race spiralling into danger. They battle against the odds but do they stand a chance of saving mankind?

Sure, it's only a 5-episode mini-series, and perhaps it'll be their last adventure, but it does provide some televisual excitement for the summer!!

If you're in the UK, check out Torchwood's website for exclusive clips & information!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/torchwood/