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TORCHWOOD TIMELINE

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Doctor Who viewers have heard the name before...

11 Jure 2005 In the series one episode It may be a spin-off, but Torchwood Sad Wolf, Torchwood is an is very much its own beast, says answer on Weakest Link with Anne-droid (pictured above). % Jack's back. But he's changed - he's of course, their leader, and two of the other angrier. The last we saw of Captain actors have also appeared in Doctor Who: Eve 25 December 2005 , at the tail end of the Myles, who played Victorian maid Gwyneth In The Christmas Invasion, Prime Minister rejuvenated Doctor Who series one, he'd in ; and continues reveals she knows about top- been exterminated by (see picture to play the role of Dr , last seen secret Torchwood - and orders below), been brought back to life and then examining a pig in a spacesuit in Aliens of . it to destroy the Sycorax ship. abandoned by to fend for himself. As you'll see from the cover and our profile on What does a flirtatious, sexy-beast Time Agent page 14, they're a glamorous bunch. Or, as 22 April 2006 from the 51 st century, understandably miffed at Myles puts it, "It's a very sexy world." In Tooth and Claw, set in being dumped, do next? Easy: he joins Torchwood. Their objective? Nothing less than keeping the Torchwood House, Queen Doctor Who fans - and there are a few - will world safe from alien threat. There's technology, Victoria is so disturbed by know the name. Torchwood has been referenced both real and other-worldly, there are souped-up the Doctor that she founds repeatedly in the show. Now it comes to life, kicking cars, ostentatious guns, aliens such as the scary-faced the Torchwood Institute. off with a double bill on BBC3, repeated on BBC2. Weevils (whom Davies describes as "the sewer rats of Torchwood") and fairies at the bottom of the ^' "I first had the idea for the series while I was 29 April 2006 working on Casanova Past year's BBC serial] three garden who aren't as cute as you might think. In School Reunion, Mickey or four years ago, before Doctor Who was even Though there are Doctor Who artefacts in the finds the message "Torchwood mentioned," says creator Russell T Davies. "I'd Hub and the show returns the references, this is a Access Denied" on websites. been watching shows like Buffy and Angel, and very different series. For a start, it goes out at 9pm. I said to [the on If younger Who fans beg parents to let them watch, 15 May 2006 Casanova, Doctor Who and Torchwood], 'Why says Davies, "I think they just have to be honest On the parallel Earth of Rise don't we make a series like that?'" with them. And kids are so savvy about television; of the Cybermen, Torchwood Institute research is mentioned they know what a post- programme is." on Rose's phone. Then her "dad" he firstinciden t you see in Torchwood Torchwood may not be for children - but it's right asks a friend how is the one that Davies first outlined to up 's street. "It's not every day you get things are going at Torchwood. Gardner: policewoman to do an alien autopsy in the morning, get snogged comes across a crime scene. by a gorgeous girl before lunch, and then be TThere's a dead body, cordoned off, around which transported to another dimension in time for tea," 27 iiay 2006 In The Idiot's Lantern set in 50s the Torchwood team is gathered. They bring the he notes. "That's my kind of job!" Nick Griffiths London, the police dread getting <%N corpse back to life. It's not Torchwood "on our backs". JTE your average crime drama. yA When the show was first FACE OF EVIL Your first glimpse of 10 June 2006 announced, Davies was a (left)-just one In The Satan Pit, the human crew widely quoted describing it of the aliens encountered of Base represents as "a dark, clever, wild, sexy, by Captain Jack who, the the Torchwood Archive. British crime/sci-fi paranoid last time we saw him, was cop show with a being exterminated by Daleks in Doctor Who 17 June 2006 sense of humour - The (below) before his revival We discover Peter Kay has X-Files meets This Life". studied the Torchwood files Now he denies referencing in Love & Monsters. those two cult hits, perhaps keen to portray Torchwood 24 June 2006 as its own beast. Instead, he talks of "alleyways, London 2012: Newsreader Huw rain, the city". Think bleak. Edwards mentions it in . CARRYING THE TORCH Gwen (Eve Myles) and The Torchwood team is based in Cardiff outside Captain Jack Harkness 1, 8 Julv 2006 () of the city's very real Millennium Centre in the entirely and Earth defence force fictional underground Hub, more of which overleaf. are set in Torchwood Tower. Torchwood take the There are six in the team, each a specialist in their battle to the aliens own field. Captain Jack (John Barrowman) is,

NOW TURN OVER FOR RT' GUIDE TO THE TORCHWOOD SET • RITI EW nC.OLD STORAGES l THE AUTOPSY ROOM hr This is where you v \ HjJ INSIDE THE HUB bring in your alien V bodies and hold them in cold in Production designer Edward Thomas gives us a storage. If they die they would go I guided tour of Torchwood's Cardiff headguarters on to the morgue, m m which is another m \ m z: _ M BASKETBALL HOOP RAILWAY TUNNEL big set we've got. ^HF^I \ 1 > r h-°j We've got two areas of This area and the autopsy room (right) are remnants of recreation. This is a movable 's Torchwood Institute (referred to in the basketball hoop that they Doctor Who story Tooth and Claw - see page 10). It was can move around the Hub, once a secret underground railway tunnel that linked and at the back they have London, and Cardiff. a Space Invaders machine.

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This is in case the team it* * need to abandon the 1 Hub and flood the entire chamber *- THE WALLS 1* «1 • very quickly. / It took about 11 weeks to „ come up with the designs and TOSHIKO'S to conceptualise WORK STATION the whole series, A lift brings you here from Toshiko's the Then it took five reception. The big disc door is computer and weeks to build a floodgate that can be sealed in CONTAINER communications the actual metal case of emergency, and beyond That's the Doctor's hand that expert. She's structure and that is the metal cage that they the Sycorax leader cut off in organised and about another use to trap anybody who comes the Christmas episode of likes mind games. six to clad it through who they don't want Doctor Who last year. She's got a Rubik's and paint it. to get into the Hub. cube on her desk. OWEN'S WORK STATION BOARDROOM e office [which Owen, the doctor, is much It's built to take bombs u can see in full in more laid-back than the and blasts - it's the Ixt week's RT] is others. On his desk he's bunker, if you like. ;t in front of a got lots of experiments If they were in icked-up arch, going on: he's growing there they would lere there used I things, working with be totally safe . be a railway / algae... He's also got against any rift I e leading a lot of personal props or invasion. It London in there: pictures of has an original family, rave posters, Art Deco and there's a picture boardroom table. of Al Pacino there ( somewhere.

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NTRAL I There are a lot of Doctor LUMN I Who props in there: here's a magnet clamps, ntain I guns, side the \ Sycorax staffs... Millennium \ entre in Cardiff, \ id it's supposed * > go straight down to the Torchwood jb. There are SUZIE AND orboards, like GWEN'S AREA PAVING-STONE LIFT Suzie's an engineer so king, by the real THE INTERROGATION ROOM This is the lift that comes out she has a lot of tools. ling and already There's a two-way mirror looking directly in front of the fountain Being a policewoman, eople have been into it, and a gallery above where outside the Millennium Centre. IVW Gwen uses the old n, on their hands you can look down and watch When you're on it you can't police methods so nd knees, trying anybody being interrogated - be seen. Only when you step off it she has lots of > see if there's but they can't see you. do you become visible. thing below it. paperwork and stuff. OVERLEAF: MEET THE TORCHWOOD TEAM • 13 EST TJHlEl IjElAlLi|

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Suzie Costello lanto Jones Gwen Cooper Capt Jack Harkness Toshiko Sato () (Gareth David-Lloyd) (Eve Myles) (John Barrowman) (Naoko Mori) (Burn Gorman) Role Second in command Role Receptionist Role The "heart" Role Leader Role Technical Role Medic Special skills Special skills "lanto's Special skills "Gwen's Special skills "Jack's the Special skills "Anything Special skills "Owen's "She makes the team's brilliant with figures," a copper," says Myles. glue that keeps everybody to do with surveillance, a trained doctor," says hardware," says Varma. says David-Lloyd, "at "She brings that police together," explains gadgetry or computer Gorman. "He will look "For instance, she makes applying maths and background into Barrowman. "Suzie's technology," says Mori. after anything brought this special glove logic to problems." Torchwood." second in command, "She really is up there in that's living-alien [pictured] that can bring Personality "He tries Personality "She's lots Gwen is the heart of the at the cutting edge." or otherwise." people back from the to be the strong silent of fun. But she's very organisation, Toshiko is Personality "Tosh is Personality "He likes dead. So she's pretty type, but he's probably strong-minded and the brains, Owen is the the geekiest and most the ladies, he likes a talented. She's a really more childlike than he feisty, and incredibly doctor, and lanto is the reserved member of the good drink, he lives fast. mean welder." likes to show." empathetic with the piece of tart on the side." team. Actually, she's just But actually he's a deep Personality "She's Strengths/weaknesses people she's working Personality "He's still fun, professional and she's thinker and is affected incredibly ambitious. She "He can give in to with. She's a good girl." still loves action, he's still a private person." by a lot that he sees." I seriously does want to temptation in one way Strengths/weaknesses flirtatious and sexy, as he Strengths/weaknesses Strengths/weaknesse: rid the world of aliens." or another. And there's "Strengths? Her outlook was in Doctor Who, but he'"Problem-solvings : she "Owen has a temper am Strengths/weaknesses a secret he's hiding from on life: she's very focused also darker. He was broughtlove s using her mind and an attitude. He's incredil "She can be a bit the Torchwood team. and quite powerful. back to life and he ran to belogi c to solve things. inappropriate. But he's possessive, which is Strengths: efficiency, Gwen's weakness is that with the Doctor and Rose - Weaknesses? She's just also bloody hard-workir a weakness. And her lanto's always there she always has to push but they left without him. a little bit too guarded." and has an open mind. strengths? When Captain when needed." the boundaries." Really upset, really angry!" Reaction to Weevils And he's loyal to the lasl Jack's not around, Suzie's Reaction to Weevils Reaction to Weevils Strengths/weaknesses "First, there's obviously Reaction to Weevils Number One, so she has "He sees them as lab "The first time "Strengths: he deals with fear, but she has a very "In a sense, he's their leadership qualities. And specimens, nothing to be I encounter a Weevil, situations on the spot open mind. They have zookeeper; he's the one probably the welding!" loved or to feel sorry for." I think it's a man in a and gets the job done. such personality and trying to find out where Reaction to Weevils Fancies "lanto has a mask. Why on earth Weaknesses: doesn't listen although they're scary- they're from. He has a "I think she takes it in partner, which I'm not would I think it's an alien?"t o people very much, and looking and threatening, love/hate relationship her stride. She's allowed to talk about. Fancies "Gwen's in a does his own thing." there's actually a lot with them." ultra-efficient." But there's definitely an long-term relationship, Reaction to Weevils more to them. I think Fancies "Owen's pretty Fancies "There's attraction there, for Jack. but she can't help "Jack has already met the she recognises that." cocky. He'll try it on witl something about Jack, And possibly for Gwen." herself. The team are all Weevils [pre-Torchwood]. Fancies "She has a real whoever comes along." but I don't think she incredibly individual and They're no big deal to him. soft spot for Owen. It's fancies him. I think so talented-she finds He knows how to contain a love/hate thing." she's jealous of him." them all very sexy. It's and control them." a very sexy world." Fancies "I think Captain Jack fancies everybody."

14 NEXT WEEK: RT EXPLORES CAPTAIN JACK'S OFFICE RadioTimes 21-27 October 200