Torchwood News, Articles, Cast and Crew Interviews (Spoilers)

[LaCroix]

Same old bs. Sorry just venting.

[Alan]

Oct 22 2010 04:44 PM ET

'Torchwood' Exclusive: 'Dollhouse,' 'Greek, 'One Tree Hill' stars eye key roles
by Michael Ausiello and Andy Patrick


Remember way back in June, when I told you that when Torchwood makes its Starz debut this coming summer, there would be a couple of new characters on board? Well, now I can tell you not only who they are but also who’s likely to play them (hint: you know and like all three).

• Rex Matheson is a sharp-as-nails, funny-as-hell, tough-as-rawhide CIA agent who cares less about making a good impression than he does making a lasting one. Sounds juicy, right? So no wonder my sources tell me that both Dollhouse alum Enver Gjokaj and One Tree Hill grad Chad Michael Murray are eyeing the role.

• Esther Katusi is a CIA Watch Analyst — in other words, a grunt — who, against all odds, has both an unshakable faith in human nature and a monster crush on Rex. Greek goddess Amber Stevens is said to be the frontrunner for this part.

So what do you think about the names being bandied? You got someone(s) better in mind? Lemme hear it below.

The original article here which includes photos of the proposed actors to play Rex and Esther : http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/10/...amber-stevens/

[Krystal]

Looking forward to this, the new characters sounds very interesting. I don't know any of the ones mention. Hopefully they'll cast the best.

[Alan]

Davies confirms new 'Torchwood' details
Friday, November 5 2010, 11:33am EDT
By Morgan Jeffery, TV Reporter

Warning: This article contains spoilers that some readers may prefer to avoid.

Spoiler:

Torchwood creator Russell T Davies has revealed more details about the upcoming fourth series, subtitled The New World.

The writer told Collider that previous mini-series Children of Earth was being used as "the template of the new Torchwood."

"Children of Earth left things almost format-less," he said. "They had no base, no authority and no mission... except to survive. They're very much underground [now] and trying to survive. They've taken extreme actions. They have friends, they have enemies and they have betrayals."

He continued: "We've got one script and very concrete storylines, so we know there are new regulars, new occasional guest stars and relatives of those characters."

Davies also confirmed that The New World would take place two years after the events of the previous series.

"Torchwood will have been off-air for two years, so I think it will feel like two years have passed," he explained. "The script isn't that specific about it, but I think that two-year gap feels right."

He added that plans to shoot on location in Los Angeles were "yet to be confirmed".

"Any place can double up as a number of places," he suggested. "There will be scenes set in Washington, certainly, but we won't go to Washington to shoot."

Torchwood: The New World is expected to air on Starz in the US and on BBC One in the UK next summer.

Original article here: http://www.digitalspy.com/cult/s8/to...d-details.html

[Alan]

Executive Producer’s Russell T. Davies & Julie Gardner Exclusive Interview TORCHWOOD: THE NEW WORLD
by Christina Radish
Posted:November 5th, 2010 at 8:09 am

In 2003, highly-regarded UK television writer Russell T. Davies and his producing partner Julie Gardner reinvented Doctor Who for a new audience. This regeneration of the sci-fi series led to huge ratings success and the creation of two new series, The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood, which is now in development for its fourth season, and its first on the pay cable channel Starz.

In this exclusive interview with Collider, executive producer/creator/show runner Russell T. Davies and executive producer Julie Gardner talked about their new partnership with Starz, giving the much-beloved series a more global feel, and how science fiction is the perfect means with which to examine the human race. They also hinted at some story ideas and new characters for Season 4, discussed the strength of their new writing staff and revealed that they hope to take the show to the San Diego Comic-Con for 2011. Check out what they had to say after the jump:

The events of Season 3’s five-part mini-series Torchwood: Children of Earth, where the team faced their fiercest threat to date, resulted in the survival of only two of its members – former Police Officer Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles), who has since disappeared with her husband and child, and the mysterious Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), whose history spans across the centuries. When Season 4 returns in the Summer of 2011, it will have a bigger, more international feel, as C.I.A. agent Rex Matheson is investigating a global conspiracy that will challenge the entire human race. When he discovers that the answers seem to lie within the secret Torchwood institute, he comes under attack in both the U.S. and U.K. and realizes that there are forces at work within every level of society that are determined to stop Torchwood’s return.

Here’s what they had to say:

Question: How did this collaboration with Starz come about for Season 4? Why now?

RUSSELL T. DAVIES: Well, Torchwood is a show that’s always stayed lively on its feet and always expanded, and this is just about as far as it can expand now. It’s a brand new audience and a brand new continent.

JULIE GARDNER: We moved out to L.A. a year ago, with BBC Worldwide Productions, so we were here just when the viewing figures were coming in from the U.K. for Children of Earth, and we were really excited by the reception that the title was getting. Russell had one particular story in mind, which we can’t talk about, that he was burning to tell, and it fit in incredibly well, within the framework of what Torchwood was going to be for Season 4. It just felt right, with us being in L.A. and since Children of Earth was straining to be more global. There were American characters in there and there was a big society throughout. It was a natural extension of everything we’ve done with the title.

What do you feel Starz will bring to Torchwood that fans of the show haven’t yet been able to see?

DAVIES: There’s a great ambition behind Starz to have contemporary pieces that are saying a lot about the world. As a drama, Torchwood is very ambitious. Starz is not after plain, domestic pieces, and we’d already started to do that with Children of Earth. That had a lot to say about society, and that’s what Starz latched on to. In terms of what we can do that’s new is that we can tell stuff on an international basis and have great American stories. A lot of it is going to be set in America and it’s going to have an examination of America, an ambition that’s American and a thrust that goes with this nation that’s very exciting and truly contemporary. Let’s be honest, certainly in the West, America is the dominant culture. It sends shockwaves across the whole of Europe. It’s a really interesting place to take the story, once you see what the story is. We’re coming to the story’s heartland by bringing it here. Starz offers an enormous stage, and the confidence and freedom to tell the story that we want.

Will it change the look and feel of the show at all, or will fans of the show still recognize what they loved?

GARDNER: They’ll completely recognize it, but we’re building on the work that we’ve done before. When you look at it season by season, the show moved from channel to channel every year. It’s always reinvented itself and always stayed lively on its feet. You can still recognize it. Even though from Season 1 to where we are now is a very, very different show, there’s a flavor there that is very consistent.

What can you say about Season 4 and where you’re going to take the series?

DAVIES: It’s just heartfelt, really. What I mean by that is that the central issue goes to the heart of every one of us and every family. The questions it asks will cut right beneath your everyday life of work, sleep, food and family, and goes right to the heart of who we are and why we’re here. I think we’ll challenge you and disturb you. It’s the intensity of that ambition that’s the most fascinating thing. That sounds really vague, but the moment you know the initial core concept, everything I’m saying will make sense and start to click into place in your brain. You’ll say, “Oh, right, I see where this is heading.” The questions never really stop. That’s the fun of it. A whole 10 hours is a long time for a story to roll, but there’s that much power behind it. It’s self-generating, really. It’s very exciting. It’s a proper, intelligent examination of some very big issues.

Are you going to do anything to allow for the fact that you could have people tuning in now, who haven’t ever seen the show before?

DAVIES: Absolutely! I’ve done it before. Children of Earth moved channels in Britain, so that was a new introduction for a whole primetime audience. And, I actually got experience doing that with Doctor Who, which I brought back after 16 years, for a new audience. I’m the perfect person to do it, really. I’m used to relaunching things and keeping the audience from the past, but always looking for a new audience. Every show should always do that. Every new season of a show should go out there and look for a new audience because all people should be watching.

Have you figured out how you’re going to do that?

DAVIES: The first episode was written last October, and that is the episode that Starz read and bought, so it very clearly didn’t push them away. We went into the meeting with Starz with them knowing nothing about the history and mythology of Torchwood, and it did not push them away. They came to it as new viewers, new readers and new producers, and leapt on board straight away. We’re delighted. It’s going to work, I promise.

CONTINUED IN POST BELOW

[Alan]

Executive Producer’s Russell T. Davies & Julie Gardner Exclusive Interview TORCHWOOD: THE NEW WORLD
by Christina Radish
Posted:November 5th, 2010 at 8:09 am

CONTINUED FROM POST ABOVE

What do you think it is about Captain Jack Harkness, and John Barrowman as an actor, that makes people want to follow him from season to season and network to network?

GARDNER: He’s just so charming. He’s fun and he’s got such a glint in his eye. He’s a proper swash-buckling hero.

DAVIES: He is an unusual mix of being matinee idol handsome and, at the same time, very modern. He’s an openly gay man, playing an openly omni-sexual character. You can’t say that of many shows, and he does that with such a glint in his eye, and so much cheek and charm.

GARDNER: There’s so much relish to him.

DAVIES: He does the role with so much joy that prejudice can’t even enter the room for a second. It’s just glorious.

How international will the story be this season? Will a lot of it be in America?

GARDNER: Yes, a lot will be. We have some U.K. settings and stories, and then a lot of it moves to America. That’s what we mean by international. There’s a big global threat at the heart of it, and we see the implications play out in those two countries, predominantly.

Are you going to be very specific to the locations you’re using in the States?

DAVIES: I hope so. The ambition is to shoot in Los Angeles, but that is yet to be confirmed. Any place can double up as a number of places. There will be scenes set in Washington, certainly, but we won’t go to Washington to shoot. No one does that anymore. But, we have a very experienced production and design team, so we’ll be able to do that. It’s exciting.

Often on this show, the humans are much more monstrous than the monsters are. Will that continue this season?

DAVIES: That’s very true! Yes, I think the show works very well as an examination of the human race because there’s not really many other races we can examine. So, yeah, it is about us. I think all great science fiction comes down to that, in the end. The best metaphors in Buffy came down to, “What’s it like to be in high school, as a kid?” It’s the same with Torchwood: The New World. It’s about us and our decisions and our lives, and how we live with each other and how we die with each other. That forms the core of the story.

With Captain Jack left in such a dark place at the end of Children of Earth, how much will that affect him now? Has he recovered from what he went through?

DAVIES: Yeah. He’s a man who’s lived for thousands of years, and he’s seen the beginning and the end of the universe. We will deal with it properly, sensibly and intelligently, but at the same time, the most important thing is to move on, as you would want for any of your friends. If your friend had suffered through a terrible time, you don’t want to be the friend who sits there and says, “Tell us about your terrible time, all over again.” Move on, look up, start a new relationship, and look towards the horizon and the dawn. There will be a lot of that with Jack as well.

How much time will have passed?

DAVIES: Torchwood will have been off-air for two years, so I think it will feel like two years have passed. The script isn’t that specific about it, but I think that two-year gap feels right.

How are the events of Season 3 affecting the writing of Season 4? Does it feel like you have a new canvas to write on?

DAVIES: It does. Children of Earth left things almost formatless. They had no base, no authority and no mission, a lot of the time, except to survive. I thought that was very successful, and that is very much the template of the new Torchwood. They’re not working for the government. They’re not working for the police. They’re very much underground and trying to survive. They’ve taken extreme actions. They have friends, they have enemies and they have betrayals. I love that. What you saw in Children of Earth is the format now.

Do you know what sort of additions you’re looking to make to the cast?

DAVIES: We’ve got one script and very concrete storylines, so we know there are new regulars, new occasional guest stars and relatives of those characters. It’s all laid out, but we’re keeping it a secret. We’re keeping it close to our chests.

Being such a fan favorite for so many people, do you have any plans to ever bring James Marsters back to the show?

DAVIES: We love him! It could happen, but I’d have to say it’s not going to happen. I don’t want to raise any false hopes of people expecting that lovely man back on our screen. He’s so in-demand, he’ll be back in someone’s screen, any day now. He’s simply not in this story, but we love him.

GARDNER: He’s fantastic.

DAVIES: The fact that he’s willing to come back is just a huge compliment because the man is gorgeous.

GARDNER: In every way.

Can you talk about the writing staff that you’ve put together for this?

GARDNER: It’s exciting. It’s a good staff.

DAVIES: They’re just about the top names in the industry.

GARDNER: We started with Jane Espenson. We have such a shared viewership with Jane. We love all the work that she’s done, and she’s watched Torchwood in previous years. Then, we were able to get Doris Egan, who we loved from Smallville and House. I was working with John Shiban over here already. I’m a big fan of Breaking Bad and all his work on The X-Files. And, we invited John Fay back, who had done such good work for us on Children of Earth. There’s a mix of British writers and American writers for the next season.

How are you splitting up the writing?

DAVIES: The episodes are divvied up. I wrote the first episode. That’s all I can definitely say.

Do you plan out the over-arcing story, and then the staff splits up the individual episodes?

GARDNER: Yes. We spent four weeks with them, working through all of the stories. The way the episodes divide up is that you can see writers’ interests in particular characters or moments, so it’s very organic.

What are the advantages that the mini-series format gives you, in telling an ongoing story, as opposed to doing individual episodes?

DAVIES: I love it. I simply prefer it. The monster-of-the-week stories were brilliant, in their day, in Torchwood, but having discovered this new format, I think it’s more ambitious and intelligent. It allows you to stop and take pause and look at the world. Those ambitions are admirable. While I’m on the show, that will never stop. While the show keeps running, we’ll never go back to the week-to-week stories.

Does that help keep things more fresh for you?

DAVIES: Yes, it does, that’s true. When I was working on Doctor Who, it was always one-off stories every week and I wanted to do something different, so I started working on The Sarah Jane Adventures, which is the children’s spin-off of Doctor Who, and that’s one-off stories. I want different things on my plate and on my palate.

Are you going to take Torchwood: The New World to San Diego Comic-Con in 2011?

DAVIES: I would think so. We can’t promise anything, but yes.

GARDNER: We love going to Comic-Con, so we’d love to go.

What do you get from that kind of feedback?

DAVIES: It’s like nothing else in the world. It’s an enormous buzz.

GARDNER: It’s just fun. And, there’s such love of the titles. It’s lovely to be there.

DAVIES: They’re like us. We love these shows. They’re fellow geeks. That’s the brilliant thing. It’s a celebration of it. It’s fantastic.

Original article here: http://www.collider.com/2010/11/05/r...the-new-world/

[Alan]

Torchwood Casts Crash Star
First new cast member joins the new version of the series.
November 9, 2010
by Eric Goldman

Torchwood: The New World has its first new actor. Deadline is reporting that Arlene Tur has been cast on the series in a new recurring role. It's not clear who Tur will play, as Deadline says it is not the new series-regular CIA agent that Greek's Amber Stevens has been in talks for.

Tur has a history with Starz, who will now be airing Torchwood, having starred in their Crash TV series.

Meanwhile, the role of the new male CIA agent character, who will team with Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles), is still being cast. Deadline says that the two actors previously mentioned as having been considered, Enver Gjokaj (Dollhouse) and Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill), are no longer in contention, while James Wolk (Lone Star) passed on the role.

Link to original article and a photo of actress Arlene Tur here: http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/113/1133250p1.html

[Alan]

Torchwood: What to Expect From The New World
We talk to the Torchwood producers about next year's re-launch of the series.
November 11, 2010
by Eric Goldman

Torchwood will be returning next year in a revamped incarnation that will see the series taking on a more international feel, as Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) team with two new characters, CIA agents Rex and Ester, to take on a threat that… Well, for now, the creators of Torchwood are keeping those specifics under wraps.

We're beginning to hear rumblings about casting for the new characters, as actress Arlene Tur joins the series in a recurring role. All of which is to say: I realized hey, now is probably the right time for me to run an interview I did with Torchwood executive producers Russell T. Davies and Julie Gardner this summer, in which we discussed the direction of the series, as it debuts on Starz.

Just how much is this new season, called Torchwood: The New World, going to wipe the slate clean for new viewers? Will the content change, now that the series is on Starz, known for the graphic Spartacus? And what does Davies have to say about Doctor Who, now that he's moved on from that series?

IGN TV: You were originally developing this new iteration of Torchwood at FOX. How different would it have been there, both in terms of content, and also since they'd probably want more episodes?

Julie Gardner: We had a really good time with FOX. They treated us really well. They were really respectful of the source material, because it's not like starting a new show with them. They could see what we had done. But definitely doing it 10 episodes for a premium cable channel is much more what [Russell's] vision was and it does allow you to be darker in places and gives you more flexibility in the storytelling in the way that we wanted to take this particular season. And we're doing full hours, so that's a big thing for the audience. We wanted to get back to 54 minutes, which of course we could have never had done on a network.

IGN: Are you looking at this as Series 4 or Season 4 of Torchwood? Or is it a new project with characters we know?

Russell T. Davies: It's funny, you can't deny it's Series 4. There's a whole fan base and a whole legacy and a whole mythology that I would hate to contradict. Fortunately I have sort of done this before with Doctor Who, when I re-launched that in 2005. It was absolutely imperative to keep everyone who loved Doctor Who on board and to bring in a new audience - it was an even bigger task than this, to be honest. And frankly, I think that went very successfully. I'm an old hand at this. I do know how to do it.

I think these subtitles help, because we don't actually refer to it as series 4. And we didn't actually refer to Children of Earth as Series 3. We referred to it as Children of Earth. Now this is The New World, so that takes the curse off of it sounding old. Obviously, you know your stuff – you know your television and I imagine your readership knows their stuff, so we can freely talk about the past. If this was an interview with, say, a more general and generic site, I would avoid talking about the past. So you [move] in-between those points. Because there's nothing worse than reading an interview and thinking, "Well, I won't watch that, because it's on Series 4."

Gardner: Also, if you look at the history of Torchwood in the UK, it's moved three channels in three years. It started on the digital channel BBC3 and moved to BBC2 and finally Children of Earth moved to BBC1 which is like the UK's network channel. Each time, particularly with Children of Earth, Russell reinvented it for a new audience. We didn't go into Children of Earth thinking that everyone had seen what had gone on before, but very much with that title, it would reward the audience that was there before. There would be references and nuances that they would pick up on that a new audience wouldn't, but it was done very very much to welcome in people.

Davies: Frankly, it's gotten bigger and better with every series, and if we ever get to a Series 10, mankind would have to live on the moon to make room for it. So it's a good plan. [Laughs]

IGN: We've heard this new CIA character, Rex, is somewhat the entry point of The New World. Will we get to Jack and Gwen pretty quickly?

Davies: Too soon to say, but I'm very aware of that. I will enjoy playing with that and I can see already that a slight myth is going to build up of sorts, saying that Rex is our only entry point. When we first see Gwen, you will see what it essentially was in the series [before]. There are no super powers, there's no credits, no money, no special privileges. You'll see an ordinary woman whose life is about to take an extraordinary turn. So there will be an awful lot of new viewers where if you've never seen Gwen Cooper in your life, you will see a woman with a husband, a baby, thrown into a threat and you'll latch onto her immediately. Even the way that Captain Jack is introduced is written so that you'll latch onto that as well.

IGN: With Jack, I would guess it's one of those delicate balancing acts, because as you're well aware, there is a portion of the fandom still mourning Ianto, some of whom will want Jack to still be mourning him. But of course, you want to move forward and not have the character be stuck in sadness.

Davies: Of course, we're aware of that. It's a love of a great actor and a great performance. It's not just the love of Ianto, I think it's probably the love of Gareth David-Lloyd, which is a wonderful thing to see. Even Gareth now has done interviews now, saying, "It's time to move on." He's very kind and respectful. Of course, it's not a blank slate for Jack. Of course that past haunts him. Not just Ianto, but the terrible events that he took after Ianto's death with his own grandson will haunt him. Nonetheless the story is at least two years later. And with any fictional character, if they walked into scene one dragging their baggage behind him… If you sit down and someone starts telling you their whole family history, you don't want to spend any time with them. So that's true of Jack and everyone in life. So you've got to be aware of that. We'll handle it delicately and suitably and with a great deal of respect, but nonetheless, the imperative is to move on.

[Alan]

Torchwood: What to Expect From The New World
We talk to the Torchwood producers about next year's re-launch of the series.
November 11, 2010
by Eric Goldman

CONTINUED FROM POST ABOVE.

IGN: What is the dynamic with Rex and the other new character, Ester? What kind of sensibilities do they bring to Torchwood?

Davies: I don't want to give away too much. Rex certainly brings dynamism and energy and hostility towards Torchwood. He wants to know who the hell they are and why the hell they're so important and they can get out of his way… at first. There's a great, fun, sparky, sexy sort of antagonism to the whole thing. Ester is much calmer, but through the course of the story, she suffers some great, powerful, emotional stories as it goes on. In some ways, she's a bit of an innocent abroad and soon learns not to be. And that plays off Gwen's experience with these things. The fact that Gwen still is the most ordinary woman in the world, and Jack's huge perspective of things, having lived for thousands of years… Just telling Rex that he can't die is a hilarious scene. There's a lot of fresh material there that we'll mine, but again the new story will always move us forward.

IGN: Is there room going forward for Jack to have a new love interest? Or will that wait awhile?

Davies: He's not one to wait, is he? And again, that's touching on an area where you don't want to cheapen it and you want to respect it, but at the same time, no one wants to deny Jack his life. As with your friends in real life; If you are unlucky enough or sad enough to know people in these circumstances, you do not want the remaining partner's life to end. So no matter how much he loved Ianto, that love has to become a really positive and enabling thing that will allow Jack to move forward.

IGN: You have a wonderful writing staff for The New World…

Gardner: We were so lucky! Oh my god, they were brilliant together.

IGN: Were you just looking down a list, pondering, "Can we get this person and this person?"

Gardner: We just worked really hard at it. I think Jane Espenson came to us first of all. We had known her work, obviously, in incredible detail. So many shows. So we started talking to her about it and she had worked with and liked working with Doris Egan a lot. Of course, I'm an avid viewer of House, and we'd watched her episodes of Smallville.

Davies: And it turned out she'd watched Torchwood.

Gardner: Yeah, and then you meet people. You're not talking about the job at that point. You start to meet them and you realize you talk about drama in a similar way…

Davies: It's a great compliment to realize they've watched our shows in the same way we've watched theirs. We usually go into the room thinking, "You won't have heard of us," but especially the science fiction community, they're so global and so welcoming.

Gardner: I worked a little bit with John Shiban over here and it was just delightful. It was just great putting them together with John Fay, who brought such a British perspective on some of the storytelling and brilliant experience from Children of Earth. It was a real laugh and really good work done.

IGN: Now that Doctor Who has done its latest big reinvention with Matt Smith, do you think the two series have completely split off at this point, or do you think another crossover is possible?

Davies: Steven [Moffat] knows the plot of The New World. As a courtesy, I sent him a synopsis and said, "Is that going to clash with anything you're doing?" We both have enough awareness of each other's worlds to avoid that. And I still executive produce The Sarah Jane Adventures in Britain. I'm still working on that, and that works in synch with Doctor Who. So we are still very much aware of each plans, without spoiling each other's news. We're very careful to make sure that we behave within the Doctor Who world, while still being completely free to tell our own stories.

IGN: I think the curiosity fans have is how Jack would react to this Doctor, since he had a specific relationship with the previous one.

Davies: Well, Steven said he'd love to see Jack in Doctor Who. So if Steven says that, Steven will make it happen, I would think. That's not inside information, but I bet one day it will happen. I'd love to see it. It would be marvelous.

IGN: What has it been like for you to take a step away from Doctor Who? Obviously, it was a big transition time for the show in general, so it's not like you left in the middle of a big story. But has it been interesting for you to watch it now and see it from the perspective of a viewer?

Davies: Absolutely. I think it's lovely and I did get the chance to work with Matt Smith because I've written the story for The Sarah Jane Adventures, in which Sarah Jane Smith gets to meet the Eleventh Doctor. So I feel it's not a mystery to me. It's not a stranger and I still feel family in that sense and I still feel like I can have a little say in things. So that feels good. It doesn't feel like you've divorced. It's not a horrible divorce or something. It's a proper family.

IGN: One thing that's really interesting about these series is that they share the same universe, but have such different sensibilities.

Davies: Oh yeah. I think that's important. I don't want to criticize another franchise, but personally I never saw enough difference between Next Generation and Voyager. I saw enough difference in the format, but there wasn't a difference in tone. I thought they were all essentially the same show. Maybe that drained the empire dry, and that's a fine show that should still be on television. So we were very keen to sort of say these are for very different audiences, with very different styles. Sarah Jane has got to be absolutely transmittable for a 6 year old. And that's a really specific thing. It's about a young age group, with very specific demands and I take a real pride in meeting those demands. Whereas Doctor Who is for everyone, and Torchwood is for adults.

IGN: It's got to be cool for you to see the Captain Jack Harkness, Doctor Who action figure and things like that…

Gardner: We love it. It's fun!

Davies: Absolutely. And to see kids embracing Doctor Who... It's just a joy. It's really a joy. And I know it does really well on BBC America here, but it's seriously a part of the culture in Britain. It's the number one show. IT's the number one rated show. It's the kids number one show. It's the Christmas special. It's massive, Doctor Who! It's in its seventh year now and that's amazing – to stay at the top for that long is a proper phenomenon and is a lot of hard work. I'm really proud of that.

IGN: Because Starz went pretty far with Spartacus, some have wondered whether you'd completely overhaul Torchwood, in the sense of adding nudity or more graphic violence.

Davies: No, it will be absolutely recognizable. It should really be the same show in that sense. Starz didn't get us in to say, "Make another Spartacus." It's not Spartacus. They brought us in because they like us. They liked our judgment and our imagination, so that's what we're giving them.

Three page article. Link to Page 1: http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/113/1133422p1.html

Link to Page 2: http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/113/1133422p2.html

Link to Page 3: http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/113/1133422p3.html

[Alan]

The BBC have begun an official Twitter account has been opened which is dedicated to Torchwood's fourth series, The New World. Check it out here: http://twitter.com/TW_TheNewWorld

[Alan]

Torchwood writer John Fay excited by The New World, plus why killing Ianto was ‘right thing to do’
By
xxnapoleonsolo
– September 9, 2010

TORCHWOOD screenwriter John Fay says he is very excited about the new series, which is ‘more ambitious’ than Children of Earth.

Fay, from Merseyside, wrote two episodes of Cof E - including the one where Ianto Jones died – and is the only British writer that showrunner Russell T Davies has brought into Torchwood:The New World’s creative team.

We met for a pint in a Liverpool pub to chat about Torchwood old and new, and why he offed everyone’s favourite Welsh tea boy. I must say too how grateful I was to John for the interview and being so generous with his time.

The New World
John recently returned from three weeks in Los Angeles, where he worked to storyline the 10-episode series alongside Davies, producer Julie Gardner and fellow writers Jane Espenson, John Shiban and Doris Egan.

It was an exerience that clearly left an impression on him, and has given him high hopes for TNW.

He said: “I’m very excited about The New World.

“Like anything in life you can rest on your laurels, or you can try to push on again and achieve something new. That is what Russell has done. On Children of Earth he had a very clear and defined vision, but what he has outlined for The New World is equally, if not more ambitious than before.

“I’m very proud of CofE and it was one of the few things I have been involved with when I watched the DVDs and thought ‘this is good’. Normally I look for flaws.

“It is early days for The New World, but having met the other writers and talked to Russell, I’ve every reason to think we’ll get somewhere close to where we were before.”

Torchwood’s American Dream?
John added he has no concerns about any possible Americanisation on the show after it became a co-production between the BBC and Starz.

“I was concerned when there was talk of the Torchwood going to Fox,” he said. “Then when Julie asked me if I wanted to write for the show again, she said they were working with Starz.

“To be honest I’d never heard of Starz, like most people I expect, but after looking into it I saw that the guy who runs the network used to run HBO. That was all I needed to know.

“He has to be ambitious but has one hell of a track record of producing adult and intelligent drama, just like Torchwood. What’s more Julie and Russell are still in charge. I’m sure it will stay as people would hope.”

Meeting his fellow writers in Los Angeles was a daunting experience John said. It also gave him his first taste of the American -style production process, as the writing team worked from 9-5 each day to hammer out the elements of each episode.

He added: “I mean, ****ing hell, Russell has assembled one hell of a team and then there’s me! I was very impressed by the other writers when I went in to meet them.

“I knew Jane Espenson’s work from Battlestar Galactica, while I was delighted to talk to John Shiban too because Breaking Bad is one of my favourite shows at the moment. They all really know their stuff and that kind of expertise means everyone raises their game.

“We worked from 9-5 each day to storyline the show, but in much greater detail than I was used to from working in England. For instance in Children of Earth I was in Cardiff for three days with Russell, Julie, James Moran, Euros Lyn, Peter Bennet and Brian Minchin to work out the episodes from Russell’s vision.

“That was more ‘we want it to be kind of like this’, a looser structure, whereas in America we beat out every detail of each episode and went one step at a time. It was fascinating to see that approach.”

The result of all that hard work is a story told over 10 episodes with a worldwide focus John said, while not giving anything else away. That focus will inevitably shift from Cof E given the scorched earth fashion that series ended in with the Hub destroyed and the Torchwood team split up – seemingly for good.

John said: “We are starting from scratch to some degree, but what helps us is we have got such well established characters in Jack and Gwen that people know and love.

“We will be bringing new characters in too for a new audience, and telling a story that encompasses and could affect the whole world. Children of Earth was the same, but we will see more of the world this time than then.

“Obviously Torchwood is an established show with an clear history which we will refer too, but we have to embrace people who maybe haven’t seen any Torchwood before. If you get too self-referential it can get dull, so what’s gone before will be referenced, but in a subtle way.”

Killing Ianto Jones
For John, what’s gone before includes the death of one of the show’s most popular characters, Ianto Jones, in episode four of Children of Earth.

Ianto’s murder at the hands of The 456 represented one of the most dramatic moments in the Torchwood history and prompted a massive backlash from the show’s fans, demanding he was resurrected.In fact I kept looking around the Liverpool pub we met in to watch out for irate Ianto-ites massing in a corner.

John saw this loyalty as he puts it first hand when he attended Gallifrey One is Los Angeles earlier this year, but still believes the decision to kill him was the correct one.

“Russell wanted that to happen, although they are my words,” he said. “It was absolutely the right thing to do though from the point of view of the story and what it gave to the last episode.

“The strength of Torchwood and Russell’s vision is that you don’t know the heroes are going to survive. That’s been well established now!

“That adds a sense of jeopardy to the show which leaves everyone wondering what will happen next.”

He added Ianto’s death also allowed him to illustrate one of the costs of immortality for Captain Jack.

“In my mind, I was always aware that Jack had gone through this situation many times before, and that was really interesting to me. How do you have a relationship and fall in love with someone when you know – absolutely know – you will be around to see them die?

“That’s a real tragedy that Jack has to carry around with him, as well as a fascinating weight to hang around a character’s shoulders.”

And yet despite the reaction that scene generated, John still feels it was missing … something.

“At the time, Children of Earth was the first thing I had written after my dad died and I wonder if I feel that way because I was writing about my dad in some way through that time,” he mused.

“I still think I didn’t quite nail it. There is a line there that I never managed to put my finger on, or maybe didn’t want to.”

He added: “The line people quote back to me from Children of Earth was from the scene around the Cabinet table, where one of them says ‘if we can’t identify the least intelligent 10% of children, then what are league tables for?’

“When you get something right it stays with you, and I think that line of dialogue does. In the death scene, I wish there was something like that, but the scene and episode had a very strong reaction and I’m pleased about that.

“Maybe that’s the perfectionist in me talking too. They say you should never be completely satisfied with your work because that’s when it’s time to retire, so maybe it’s a good thing I feel that way.”

John’s quest towards perfection has already started when we spoke, with the first draft of his TNW work already with Russell T Davies in Los Angeles.

What that will become is for the future though, and as we sat in the pub, I leant forward to ask him my final question, the question I’m sure every Torchwood fan would ask given the chance.

Will you bring Ianto back, John?

He pauses, takes a drink from his pint, then leans forward, pondering ………

“I’m not going to answer that Neil, you’ll just have to watch and see,” he said.

• Torchwood The New World will begin filming later this year and broadcast in 2011.

Link to original site with interview here: http://scyfilove.com/3862/torchwood-...t-thing-to-do/

[Alan]

Eve Myles: From Torchwood to Hollywood

Nov 28 2010 Karen Price, Wales On Sunday

She's staunchly proud of her Welsh roots but Eve Myles is about to become an all-American girl – by moving into an Austin Powers-style house in the Hollywood Hills.

The Torchwood actress this week signed a contract on the three-bedroom retro home, with the essential swimming pool, where she will live for the next seven months.

And her new pad is within spitting distance of the famous Hollywood sign.

“We nailed the house this morning,” revealed the mum-of- one, who is heading to the States to record the US version of the hit BBC Wales sci-fi series.

“We are going to be living in the Hollywood Hills, literally underneath the Hollywood sign. It looks like something out of Austin Powers,” she says referring to the film franchise starring Mike Myers as a ’60s secret agent.

“It’s a step back in time to Hollywood in the 1960s. It’s really, really retro. It’s had one owner and it’s been kept exactly as it was.”

She says it’s a far cry from the traditional Cardiff home she currently shares with her partner, actor Bradley Freegard, their one-year-old daughter Matilda and pet dog, Honeysuckle.

“I’m much more of a traditional Laura Ashley girl but if we are going to be there for seven months, we have to go for old-fashioned Hollywood and enjoy the full experience,” she said.

Eve, who is originally from Ystradgynlais, Powys, is taking all of the family to California – even Honeysuckle, her beloved pet pooch, who has now got a dog passport.

“The dog park around the corner from the new house really appealed to me,” laughed Eve. “And it’s got a lovely pool for the baby.”

The couple plumped for the house after seeing details online and they are now looking forward to seeing it for themselves when they head to the US next month.

“We’ve had some pictures sent to us and it looks great. Unfortunately every time we look at the pictures we look at each other and say, ‘yeah baby!’ just like on Austin Powers,” she said.

While Eve is shooting Torchwood alongside John Barrowman, Bradley, who has worked in the past with Clwyd Theatr Cymru and the Royal Shakespeare Company, will be full-time dad to Matilda.

But the actress, who shot to fame as single mum Ceri in BBC Wales’ drama Belonging, admitted that she never hankered after the bright lights of Hollywood.

“I always said I didn’t think Hollywood was for me but it just happened,” she said. “I’m not the sort of person to go out there and do networking. I would rather work for the RSC or the National Theatre. I’ve not ticked off a quarter of the boxes I want to fill over here yet.

“But to be out there for this project is just wonderful. What a brilliant little start in life for Matilda.”

Eve is determined that her daughter will not forget her Welsh roots.

“We will be having elocution lessons every morning – I’ll be telling her, ‘It’s not Mom, it’s Mam!’ she laughed.

And she said she was not worried about the whole fame game.

“I’m not going to change – if anything, I will be even more grounded as I will be fiercely protective of Matilda,” she said.

“I’m a very private person and have never been one for the celebrity world.”

Eve, who will be seen on our TV screens early next year in the new BBC Wales drama Baker BoysCOR, is thrilled to be working alongside her old friend Barrowman in the US.

Shooting starts in America on January 11 and then Eve will return home for two weeks at the end of January to film scenes in Gower.

“It’s comforting that he’ll be there too,” she said of her co-star. “I know we’ll be doing something extraordinary out there and I want it to do really well.”

And she will not be short of Welsh neighbours, with actors Matthew Rhys, Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Sheen, Andrew Howard and Owain Yeoman among the actors now based in LA.

In fact, Eve is hoping to get an invite from Gruffudd during the Six Nations.

“Ioan Gruffudd has got a rugby club in his garage so that’s our Six Nations sorted,” she said.

While she never planned a career in the US, Eve said they may stay there after filming for Torchwood finishes.

“We will see what happens. We might go out there and think it’s incredible and then something else might come up,” she said.

“But I’m going out there very realistically with my feet on the ground and work hard and go from there.”

Link to original interview article here: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/showbiz...1466-27731035/

[Alan]

'Torchwood' Adds 'Buffy' Producer, Eyes Debut Date
4:10 PM 11/30/2010 by James Hibberd

Exclu: Starz' upcoming U.S. edition of Torchwood is adding some behind-the-scenes talent with experience on fan-favorite shows.

Whedonverse regular Kelly Manners is joining the eagerly anticipated series as a producer. Manners had producer credits on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dollhouse and other shows.

Also, though Starz has not yet announced a Torchwood: The New World premiere date, sources say the network currently expects to introduce Captain Jack stateside in July (that could still change, mind you, so don't, like, plan your vacation schedule around it or anything). Production begins on the show's 10 episodes next month.

Here's some more new credits for Torchwood, each with plenty of geek-TV cred:

-- Bharat Nalluri - Director - Life On Mars; Outcasts
-- Nathaniel Goodman - Lead DP - Heroes; Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
-- Gregory Melton - Production Designer - The Mist; The Walking Dead
-- Skip Schoolik - Post-production Producer - The Walking Dead; Angel
-- Shawna Trpcic - Costume Designer - The Cabin In the Woods; Angel; Dollhouse
-- Todd McIntosh -Make Up - Buffy; Memoirs of a Geisha
-- Hunter M Via - Film Editor - The Walking Dead; The Mist; The Shield

Link to original article here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blo...cer-eyes-54790

[Alan]

Torchwood: Old Cast for The New World
Friday, December 10, 2010 - Posted by Chuck Foster

A couple of cast members from the previous series of Torchwood have tweeted today on their involvement in the next series, The New World.

Confirmed last month, Kai Owen who plays Gwen's husband Rhys will be returning to the show; in a tweet this afternoon the actor reported:

In about one month from today I'm gonna be putting on my 'Rhys' costume once more!!

Meanwhile, actor and comedian Tom Price, who played Gwen's former colleague in the police Andy Davidson, has hinted that he too will be back in the next series; in response to Owen's comment:

@KaiKaiOwen I look forward to seeing that costume. Jeans and a t-shirt, yeah?
Sorting out a US visa. Now...why would I be doing that?
Doing a little bit of Torching Wood in America next year. Already trying out my Welsh/LA accent. It's SO hot, like.

You can follow both actors on Twitter from their respective accounts, @kaikaiowen and @pricetom; you can also receive updates from both Eve Myles (via her fan-feed @EveMylesFans) and John Barrowman (via his official site feed @Team_Barrowman).

Link to original article: http://gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.co...-cast-for.html

[Blencathra]

It will be good to see PC Andy again.