What’s Torchwood?

Literally, Torchwood is an anagram and spin-off of Doctor Who, the longest running science fiction TV show that spans 43 years and 723 episodes, according to the Guinness Book of Records 2007.

Torchwood is an unorthodox and highly classified organisation that specialises in alien crimes and technologies. The Torchwood Institute was started by Queen Victoria to safeguard the security and safety of the British Empire from extraterrestrial threats.

The secret organisation is responsible for covering up supernatural crimes so that the public would never know of the alien existence, which is an implausible topic to the society anyway. They manage to maintain this through the administration of memory-altering drugs or computer network interception to obliterate all traces of their existence to people who’re accidentally exposed to their operations. Torchwood takes precedence over the national police force when it comes to solving extraterrestrial related crimes. In the words of Captain Jack Harkness, Torchwood is “outside the government, beyond the police”. Due to its conspiracy theories and exclusive job scope, it’s manned by a group of society mavericks who believe in aliens.

On a trivial note, the mysterious Torchwood quarters, also known as the Hub, is situated right underneath Norwegian plaza Roald Dahl Plass, which was named after the late Cardiff-born author, whose parents were Norwegian.

Who’s in Torchwood?


Besides its riveting storylines, Torchwood also boasts of an incredibly good-looking cast to keep the viewers’ attention glued to the screen. In season 1, Torchwood comprises a team of 5 people, where every member takes on a differentiated role; each one has a different expertise to contribute to the team.

At the top of the line is Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), the dashing and charismatic leader of Torchwood. He’s an American who belongs to the 51st century and has time-travelled to our era to protect civilians from supernatural crimes.

Dr. Owen Harper (Burn Gorman) is the boyish-looking medical officer in charge of conducting laboratory researches and unravelling the causes of supernatural occurrences. Arrogant and flirtatious, Harper’s a woman charmer.

Toshiko Sato (Naoko Mori) is the Asian face in the team. She’s the bespectacled computer specialist who handles massive and complex data processing.

Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd) is the reserved gentleman in a suit who takes charge of all administrative work at Torchwood. He’s not involved in crime solving and takes a rather peripheral role in Torchwood.

Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) is the newest addition to the group after Suzie Costello (Indira Varma) committed suicide in the first episode of season 1. Gwen was in the police force when she discovered the operations of Torchwood at a crime scene and her workplace before becoming a part of the team. She’s the only normal person who’s attached to a boyfriend and capable of empathising with the human conditions when her colleagues are too busy guarding their identities and working for Torchwood. She’s easily the viewer’s favourite character as she gives a human perspective into team, thus striking a chord with people.

For mature audiences only!

Created by Russell T. Davies, the brain behind controversial TV programmes like Queer as Folk and The Second Coming that contain homosexual and atheistic material, it’s almost inevitable that Torchwood has Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgendered (LBGT) themes.

There’re scenes of passionate kissing between Owen and a man in season 1 episode 1. There are similar scenes between Gwen and a woman in episode 2 . Within the Torchwood team itself, there’s speculation among members about the sexual orientation of Captain Jack Harkness as being possibly gay or bisexual.

Produced by BBC Wales, Torchwood is made with the adult target audience in mind as it’s meant to be aired after 9 pm. As such, it’s liberal in its treatment of adult content and serves up as darker and racier than Doctor Who, which is children-friendly.

The controversy gets more intense with every episode. The second episode features a case of a teenager possessed by a succubus and shows a scene of steamy love making between the unwitting girl and a random guy in the ladies at a bar.

Set in charming modern day Cardiff, Wales, there’s an intriguing case to solve in every episode. Torchwood promises to keep you on the edge of your seat with its superb cast and witty humour. It’s favourably sexy and chilling, without being distasteful or trying. You’ll enjoy this show even if science fiction is not your cup of tea.

Rating: 7.5/10

Torchwood (Series 1) premieres Jul 7 from 8.05pm to 9:00pm (Singapore Time) on BBC Entertainment, Starhub Cable Channel 76.

All pictures via TV.com