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Series 1 of Torchwood ran between 22 October 2006 and 1 January 2007. It starred John Barrowman as Jack Harkness, Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper, Burn Gorman as Owen Harper, Naoko Mori as Toshiko Sato, Indira Varma as Suzie Costello (only star credited for the pilot episode), and Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto Jones. The series opened with Everything Changes and concluded with End of Days.
Overview[]
It consisted of thirteen stories and episodes. The series saw the introduction of Torchwood Three and its respective team. It ties into series 1, 2, and 3 of Doctor Who, with references to the Bad Wolf meme and Harold Saxon, as well as the presence of the severed hand which once belonged to the Tenth Doctor, and the emblem of the Preachers briefly appearing among graffiti. Most of the stories are contemporary, but the series delves into flashbacks and the occasional time travel adventures centred mainly around Captain Jack Harkness.
Indira Varma's character, Suzie Costello, was noteworthy for being billed as a main character in a ruse to deceive audiences into thinking she would be integral to the team and the series itself, only for writers to blindside the viewers with her sudden death and set the more dangerous atmosphere and tone Torchwood exhibited than Doctor Who.
Torchwood also took full advantage of its post-watershed time slot, establishing a much grittier and adult nature than its parent series with the use of material which would be unsuitable or otherwise immoral for younger viewers and not intended to be perceived as family-friendly. These attributes include intense sexual elements, strong profane language, heavily pessimistic themes, and gratuitous violence. Later series would somewhat downplay these controversial elements.
Starting with the second story of the first series, every episode opened up with an introductory sequence featuring an opening narration by Jack Harkness: "Outside the Government, beyond the police. Tracking down alien life on Earth, arming the human race against the future. The 21st century is when everything changes, and you've got to be ready."
The 22nd October 2016 marked the 10th Anniversary of Torchwood. In celebration of that, and due to its popularity, cast and crew were invited to the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, and a special screening of the very first ever episode was shown.[1]
Cast[]
- Jack Harkness - John Barrowman
- Gwen Cooper - Eve Myles
- Owen Harper - Burn Gorman
- Toshiko Sato - Naoko Mori
- Ianto Jones - Gareth David-Lloyd
- Suzie Costello - Indira Varma
Recurring[]
- Rhys Williams - Kai Owen
- Andy Davidson - Tom Price
- Weevil - Paul Kasey
- Bilis Manger - Murray Melvin
- Lisa Hallett - Caroline Chikezie
- Diane Holmes - Louise Delamere
Guest[]
- Carys Fletcher - Sara Lloyd Gregory
- Ed Morgan — Gareth Thomas
- Bernie Harris — Ben McKay
- Estelle Cole - Eve Pearce
- Jasmine Pierce - Lara Phillipart
- Evan Sherman - Owen Teale
- Mary - Daniela Denby-Ashe
- Eugene Jones — Paul Chequer
- John Ellis - Mark Lewis Jones
- Emma-Louise Cowell - Olivia Hallinan
- Mark Lynch - Alex Hassell
- Real Jack Harkness - Matt Rippy
Television stories[]
| Episode Number | Title | Writer(s) | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everything Changes | Russell T Davies | Brian Kelly | Reintroductions of Jack Harkness and Toshiko Sato. First appearances of Gwen Cooper, Owen Harper, Ianto Jones, Rhys Williams, Andy Davidson, Suzie Costello and the Weevils. Gwen joins Torchwood after Suzie dies from shooting herself. |
| 2 | Day One | Chris Chibnall | ||
| 3 | Ghost Machine | Helen Raynor | Colin Teague | |
| 4 | Cyberwoman | Chris Chibnall | James Strong | Reintroduction of the Cybermen (albeit partially converted). |
| 5 | Small Worlds | Peter J. Hammond | Alice Troughton | |
| 6 | Countrycide | Chris Chibnall | Andy Goddard | Gwen enters a sexual affair with Owen. |
| 7 | Greeks Bearing Gifts | Toby Whithouse | Colin Teague | First appearance of the Arcateenians. Gwen and Owen's affair becomes known to the rest of the Torchwood team. |
| 8 | They Keep Killing Suzie | Paul Tomalin Dan McCulloch |
James Strong | Resurrection and second death of Suzie Costello. |
| 9 | Random Shoes | Jacquetta May | James Erskine | |
| 10 | Out of Time | Catherine Tregenna | Alice Troughton | |
| 11 | Combat | Noel Clarke | Andy Goddard | Introduction to the mythos behind the Weevils and Owen's unique relationship with them. Owen ends the affair with Gwen. |
| 12 | Captain Jack Harkness | Catherine Tregenna | Ashley Way | Jack is revealed to be using an alias. First appearance of Bilis Manger. |
| 13 | End of Days | Chris Chibnall | Torchwood Three turns on one another out of distrust, but later reconciles. Owen murders Jack and he revives, revealing his immortality to the whole team. Temporary death of Rhys. Jack disappears. |
Digital availability[]
Series 1 of Torchwood is available for purchase and/or as part of a subscription on:
- iTunes in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK and US,
- Amazon Video in Austria, Germany, the UK and US,
- Netflix in 70 countries, which do not include Austria, Canada, France, Germany or the UK.
- Stan (Australian Streaming Service).
Series 1 of Torchwood is available for free on:
- BBC iPlayer in the UK (with a TV licence)
Novels[]
Footnotes[]
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