Torchwood

2 0 0 6 – 2 0 1 1 (UK)
41 x 50 minute episodes

This adult-oriented spin-off from the 2005 revival of Doctor Who debuted on 22 October 2006 and ran for 41 episodes over four series.

The series followed a covert, rogue team of alien hunters operating independently of the government, outside police jurisdiction, and beyond the remit of the United Nations.

Operating from a secret, high-tech underground base outside the Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay, Wales, the team used salvaged alien technology to secure a temporal “rift” in time and space that ran through Cardiff, and defend humanity from extraterrestrial threats

The team was led by the enigmatic Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), an immortal time traveller from the 51st century who originally appeared as a companion in Doctor Who.

The rest of the team comprised former police officer Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles), who discovered the organisation and served as the emotional anchor for the team; cynical, abrasive field agent Dr Owen Harper (Burn Gorman); Toshiko Sato (Naoko Mori), a brilliant, highly technical, quiet computer specialist; and Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd), the team’s general administrator and support officer.

Rhys Williams (Kai Owen) was Gwen’s fiercely devoted, long-suffering partner (and later husband) who struggled with her secret life.

The first two series utilised a traditional “monster-of-the-week” format, dealing with alien technology and episodic sci-fi concepts.

Series three was broadcast as a miniseries called ‘Children of the Earth’ over five consecutive nights. An alien race demanded 10% of the world’s children, and pitted Torchwood against a complicit and desperate British government.

The final series was a 10-episode international co-production between the BBC and the US network Starz, which shifted much of the action to Los Angeles.

The storyline introduced a global crisis where suddenly, no human could die, causing a fracture of the global economy and worldwide medical and resource infrastructure.

Notable guest stars over the run of the show included Richard Briers, James Marsters, Peter Capaldi, Tom Price, Wayne Knight, Freema Agyeman, Ernie Hudson, John de Lancie, Nana Visitor, Frances Fisher and C. Thomas Howell.

The name “Torchwood” is an anagram of “Doctor Who” and was originally used by the BBC as a code word on television master tapes to prevent early footage leaks.

Captain Jack Harkness
John Barrowman
Gwen Cooper
Eve Myles
Rhys Williams
Kai Owen
Ianto Jones
Gareth David-Lloyd
Dr Owen Harper
Burn Gorman
Toshiko Sato
Naoko Mori
Rex Matheson
Mekhi Phifer
Esther Drummond
Alexa Havins
Oswald Danes
Bill Pullman
Jilly Kitzinger
Lauren Ambrose