Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction . Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality.
149-421: Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies . A spin-off of the 2005 revival of Doctor Who , it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from BBC Three to BBC Two to BBC One, and acquiring American financing in its fourth series when it became a co-production of BBC One and Starz. Torchwood
298-573: A time-traveling "Time Agent" and con man from the distant future who has lived on Earth as an immortal since the 19th century. Gwen Cooper ( Eve Myles ), the female lead, joins the team in the first episode; she is originally an audience surrogate , but later grows into a more morally complicated character. The original cast is filled out by Torchwood medical officer Owen Harper ( Burn Gorman ), computer specialist Toshiko Sato ( Naoko Mori ), and general factotum -cum-administrator Ianto Jones ( Gareth David-Lloyd ). Toshiko and Owen are killed off in
447-556: A combination of techniques; a ray gun might require a pyrotechnic during filming, and then an optical glowing line added to the film image in post-production. Stunts are another important category of physical effects. In general, all kinds of special effects must be carefully planned during pre-production . Babylon 5 was the first series to use computer-generated imagery , or "CGI", for all exterior space scenes, even those with characters in space suits. The technology has made this more practical, so that today models are rarely used. In
596-528: A female superhero, wears traditional folkloric clothes and tries to save traditional elements of Dutch society against the factory owners. Italian TV shows include A come Andromeda (1972) which was a remake of 1962 BBC serial, A for Andromeda (from the novels of Hoyle and Elliott), Geminus (1968), Il segno del comando (1971), Gamma (1974) and La traccia verde (1975). French series are Highlander: The Series , French science-fiction/fantasy television series (both co-produced with Canada) and
745-403: A five-episode mini-series that aired over five consecutive days at 9 pm on BBC One from 6 July 2009, and 9 pm on BBC America HD and BBC America from 20 July 2009. Davies and Gardner stayed on as executive producers and Peter Bennett produced the series. Davies expressed concern that the third series was aired in a summer evening graveyard slot . Lead actor John Barrowman felt that
894-415: A five-month trial by five thousand broadband users until 28 February 2006. iPlayer was heavily criticised for the delay in its launch, rebranding and cost to BBC licence-fee payers because no finished product had been released after four years of development. A new improved iPlayer service then had another very limited user trial, which began on 15 November 2006. At various times during its development iPlayer
1043-449: A group of Dutch space explorers and their adventures, De duivelsgrot (The devil's cave), broadcast from 1963 to 1964, about a scientist who finds the map of a cave that leads to the center of the Earth and Treinreis naar de Toekomst (Train journey to the future) about two young children who are taken to the future by robots who try to recreate humanity, but are unable to give the cloned humans
1192-611: A growing number of followers. The British series, Doctor Who , has similarly attracted a devoted following. In the late 1990s, a market for celebrity autographs emerged on eBay , which created a new source of income for actors, who began to charge money for autographs that they had previously been doing for free. This became significant enough that lesser-known actors would come to conventions without requesting any appearance fee, simply to be allowed to sell their own autographs (commonly on publicity photos). Today most events with actor appearances are organized by commercial promoters, though
1341-499: A higher budget, and it was transferred to the network's flagship channel, BBC One , as a five-episode serial titled Torchwood: Children of Earth . Although Children of Earth was broadcast over a period of five consecutive summer weeknights, the series received high ratings in the United Kingdom and overseas. A fourth series, co-produced by BBC Wales , BBC Worldwide and US premium entertainment network Starz aired in 2011 under
1490-661: A highly intelligent child murderer, and Lauren Ambrose plays Jilly Kitzinger , a ruthless PR woman who takes on Danes as a client. Tur's character is killed off in the fifth episode, whilst Pullman and Havins last until episode ten. Recurring characters include CIA directors Brian Friedkin ( Wayne Knight ) and Allen Shapiro ( John de Lancie ), San Pedro camp manager Colin Maloney ( Marc Vann ), Esther's sister Sarah Drummond ( Candace Brown ), and CIA watch analysts Charlotte Willis ( Marina Benedict ) and Noah Vickers ( Paul James ). Nana Visitor plays Olivia Colasanto , who directs
1639-470: A kid?'" He felt the fourth series of Torchwood to be "about us and our decisions and our lives, and how we live with each other and how we die with each other". The depiction of human nature in the fourth series led to a sequence which many felt to be evocative of the Holocaust . Jane Espenson noted that as a series Torchwood "is willing to go to horrible places". She stated that in storylining Miracle Day ,
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#17328527333481788-470: A large amount of superhero -themed animation, much of this adapted from comics series, while the impossible characters and settings allowed in animation made this a preferred medium for both fantasy and for series aimed at young audiences. Originally, animation was all hand-drawn by artists, though in the 1980s, beginning with Captain Power , computers began to automate the task of creating repeated images; by
1937-445: A licence fee." BBC Radio services delivered via iPlayer were relaunched on 8 October 2012 under the BBC iPlayer Radio brand. The rebranded service offered different functionality from the main iPlayer interface and a BBC iPlayer Radio smartphone app was also launched. On 26 September 2013, BBC iPlayer Desktop was replaced by BBC iPlayer Downloads, which was no longer based on Adobe AIR. On
2086-626: A man who becomes trapped in a telephone booth, while passersby seem unable to help him, won the 1973 International Emmy Award for Fiction. The series Plutón B.R.B. Nero (2008) was a brutal SF comedy by Álex de la Iglesia , in the line of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy , Red Dwarf , or Doctor Who , with 26 episodes of 35 minutes. Other series of the 2010s were Los protegidos (2010-2012), El barco (2011-2013), and El internado (2007-2010), all three inspired by North American productions, with minor SF elements. The latest success
2235-691: A mini-episode featuring the Weeping Angels entitled "A Ghost Story for Christmas". Subsequent Monster Files webcasts released since 2010 have been hosted by Doctor Who co-star Alex Kingston as her character, River Song . As with most other online video content from the BBC, Captain Jack's Monster Files are not viewable outside the UK and to date (2011) have never been included on a DVD or Blu-ray release of either Doctor Who or Torchwood . The Torchwood Archives by Gary Russell collects much of this online literature for
2384-525: A modern urban centre, contrasting with past stereotypical portrayals of Wales. "There's not a male voice choir ... or a miner in sight." said BBC Wales Controller Menna Richards . Conservative MP Michael Gove described the debut of Torchwood as the moment confirming "Wales' move from overlooked celtic cousin to underwired erotic coquette". Filming has also taken place outside of Cardiff, including in Merthyr Tydfil . The team's headquarters during
2533-572: A musical motif, or "sting", from the original theme is still audible in numerous scenes). Although each episode of Miracle Day has a published individual title, Torchwood: Miracle Day is the only on-screen title used. The series is set in Cardiff , Wales , and follows a rogue covert agency called Torchwood which investigates extraterrestrial incidents on Earth and scavenges alien technology for its own use. This Torchwood, led by Captain Jack Harkness ,
2682-467: A new form of Torchwood." At the time, he stated he would prefer for series four to be another mini-series, though he had no qualms about doing another thirteen-episode run. A November 2009 article posted on Eve Myles's website stated that shooting for the fourth series was to begin in January 2011. Subsequently, Davies looked to US networks to finance future series of the programme. He was turned down by one of
2831-424: A new-look iPlayer was launched, originally as a beta-test version alongside the earlier version. The site tagline was "Catch up on the last 7 days of BBC TV & Radio", reflecting that programmes were unavailable on iPlayer after this time (with some exceptions). The BBC states on its website that this is for copyright reasons. The marketing slogan was later changed to "Making the unmissable, unmissable". In May 2010
2980-468: A newly designed website and mobile apps. On 8 December 2020, chief content officer Charlotte Moore stated that the BBC would realign the leadership structure of its television services in April 2021 to prioritise the iPlayer, under which iPlayer Controller Dan McGolpin would become Portfolio Director for the iPlayer and the main BBC channels, and the role of Controller for each BBC channel would be replaced by
3129-464: A number of fan-run conventions still exist, such as Toronto Trek and Shore Leave . The 1985 series Robotech is most often credited as the catalyst for the Western interest in anime. The series inspired a few fanzines such as Protoculture Addicts and Animag both of which in turn promoted interest in the wide world of anime in general. Anime's first notable appearance at SF or comic book conventions
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#17328527333483278-428: A number of smaller fiction/fantasy television series, including Tang in 1971, about a secret organization that attempts to control the world with a new super weapon, "Les atomistes" and 1970 miniseries "La brigade des maléfices". Another French-produced science fiction series was the new age animated series Il était une fois... l'espace (English: Once upon a time...space ). Anime-influenced animation includes
3427-402: A programme by another broadcaster they are redirected to the relevant broadcaster's catch-up service (either ITV Player , 4oD or Demand Five ). In April 2014, BBC iPlayer was once again relaunched with a new look and a different user interface. From October 2014 the BBC extended the programme availability for programmes on iPlayer from 7 days to 30 days. The COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 and
3576-412: A programme is downloaded, a user had thirty days to start watching it; after starting to watch, a programme remained available for the next seven days. Using the online streaming service, most programmes became unavailable from the website after seven days. Criticism was levelled at the iPlayer's use of KService from Kontiki , the peer-to-peer application which continued to use users' bandwidth even after
3725-674: A science fiction television series based upon Zoran Živković's story, winner of a World Fantasy Award . Návštěvníci (The Visitors) was a Czechoslovak (and Federal German, Swiss and French) TV series produced in 1981 to 1983. The family show aired in a larger number of European countries. For a list of notable science fiction series and programs on television, see: List of science fiction television programs . People who have influenced science fiction on television include: [REDACTED] Media related to Science fiction television programmes at Wikimedia Commons BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER )
3874-466: A science-fiction/crime drama in the style of American dramas, in particular those created by Joss Whedon like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel . This idea, originally titled Excalibur , was abandoned until 2005, when BBC Three Controller Stuart Murphy invited Davies to develop an after- watershed science fiction series for the channel. During the production of the 2005 series of Doctor Who ,
4023-400: A series of French-Japanese cartoons / anime , including such titles as Ulysses 31 (1981), The Mysterious Cities of Gold (1982), and Ōban Star-Racers (2006). The first Spanish SF series was Diego Valor , a 22 episode TV adaption of a radio show hero of the same name based on Dan Dare , aired weekly between 1958 and 1959. Nothing was survived of this series, not a single still; it
4172-427: A small number of dedicated craft practitioners, while the reusability of props, models, effects, or animation techniques made it easier to keep using them. The combination of high initial cost and lower maintenance cost pushed producers into building these techniques into the basic concept of a series, influencing all the artistic choices. By the late 1990s, improved technology and more training and cross-training within
4321-456: A soul. All three of these television series were aimed mostly at children. Later television series were Professor Vreemdeling (1977) about a strange professor who wants to make plants speak and Zeeuws Meisje [ nl ] (1997) a nationalistic post-apocalyptic series where the Netherlands has been built full of housing and the highways are filled with traffic jams. The protagonist,
4470-485: A staggering array of models; the USS Enterprise had to be built in several different scales for different needs. Models fell out of use in filming in the 1990s as CGI became more affordable and practical, but even today, designers sometimes construct scale models which are then digitized for use in animation software. Models of characters are puppets . Gerry Anderson created a series of shows using puppets living in
4619-407: A team of "portfolio editors" who would select programmes commissioned by the BBC's genre directors to be carried on the iPlayer and BBC channels. Before September 2016, a television licence was not required to stream either BBC television or radio programmes from the iPlayer that had already been broadcast, though a licence was still required in order to watch live content. Since 1 September 2016,
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4768-401: A television licence has been required to view any iPlayer content, regardless of whether it is live or on-demand. Despite the requirement, the enforcement of this measure uses only a trust system , under which users must acknowledge a pop-up window warning of the new requirements. Neither the BBC nor TV Licensing announced any specific plans to implement detection measures. In September 2016,
4917-549: A universe of models and miniature sets, notably Thunderbirds . ALF depicted an alien living in a family, while Farscape included two puppets as regular characters. In Stargate SG-1 , the Asgard characters are puppets in scenes where they are sitting, standing, or lying down. In Mystery Science Theater 3000 , the characters of Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo , two of the show's main (and most iconic) characters, are puppets constructed from random household items. As animation
5066-702: A valid TV Licence is required by law. In 2015, the BBC reported that it was moving towards playing audio and video content via open HTML5 standards in web browsers rather than via Flash or its Media Player mobile app. On 17 October 2018, the BBC iPlayer Radio brand was replaced with BBC Sounds . On 20 October 2021, the BBC announced that BBC iPlayer would be given a new logo which would involve being rebranded as "iPLAYER". Currently, some programs can be watched in UHD on iPlayer as part of an ongoing trial, as well as streaming major live events in 4K on iPlayer The concept for
5215-499: Is El ministerio del tiempo ( The ministry of time ), premiered on February 24, 2015 on TVE 's main channel La 1 . The series follows the exploits of a patrol of the fictional Ministry of Time, which deals with incidents caused by time travel. It has garnered several national prizes in 2015, like the Ondas Prize , and has a thick following on-line, called los ministéricos . Serbia produced The Collector ( Sakupljač ),
5364-542: Is Captain Jack Harkness ( John Barrowman ), an immortal con-man from the distant future; Jack originally appeared in the 2005 series of Doctor Who . The initial main cast of the series consisted of Gareth David-Lloyd , Burn Gorman , Naoko Mori , and Eve Myles . Their characters are specialists for the Torchwood team, often tracking down aliens and defending the planet from alien and human threats. In its first two series,
5513-406: Is a video on demand service from the BBC . The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services delivered to UK-based viewers are free from commercial advertising. The terms BBC iPlayer, iPlayer, and BBC Media Player refer to various methods of viewing or listening to the same content. To use the service,
5662-557: Is a small, independent organisation, but began as the Cardiff branch of the larger Torchwood Institute , then-defunct, which began in the Victorian era . (Its origins were outlined in the Doctor Who episode " Tooth and Claw ", and Harkness's long connection to it is covered in flashback scenes in a Torchwood series 2 episode.) As the opening monologue explains, the organisation is separate from
5811-477: Is aimed at adults and older teenagers, in contrast to Doctor Who ' s target audience of both adults and children. As well as science fiction, the show explores a number of themes, including existentialism , LGBTQ+ sexuality, and human corruptibility. Torchwood follows the exploits of a small team of alien-hunters who make up the Cardiff -based, fictional Torchwood Institute , which deals mainly with incidents involving extraterrestrials. Its central character
5960-523: Is available for the long term. Select live programmes such as Saturday Mash-Up! are available for up to a week after broadcast, whilst others are available for up to a month. Specific applications for mobile platforms were launched in February 2011, initially for iOS and Android devices, where the launch would have the biggest impact. The original iPlayer service was launched in October 2005, undergoing
6109-469: Is completely free of the constraints of gravity, momentum, and physical reality, it is an ideal technique for science fiction and fantasy on television. In a sense, virtually all animated series allow characters and objects to perform in unrealistic ways, so they are almost all considered to fit within the broadest category of speculative fiction (in the context of awards, criticism, marketing, etc.) The artistic affinity of animation to comic books has led to
Torchwood - Misplaced Pages Continue
6258-401: Is destroyed in the premiere and the remainder of the Torchwood team have relocated to London . Kai Owen is promoted to a regular cast member, while a new cast of political figures are introduced alongside family members of main characters Jack and Ianto. Nicholas Farrell plays Prime Minister Brian Green whose intent is to give in rather than fight the 4–5–6, leaving Torchwood to stand against
6407-438: Is not known if the show was even recorded or just a live broadcast. The 60s were dominated by Chicho Ibáñez Serrador and Narciso Ibáñez Menta , who adapted SF works from Golden Age authors and others to a series titled Mañana puede ser verdad . Only 11 episodes were filmed. The 70s saw three important television films, Los pajaritos (1974), La Gioconda está triste (1977), and La cabina (1972), this last one, about
6556-404: Is on screen at once. In general, science fiction series are subject to the same financial constraints as other television shows. However, high production costs increase the financial risk, while limited audiences further complicate the business case for continuing production. Star Trek was the first television series to cost more than $ 100,000 per episode, while Star Trek: The Next Generation
6705-437: Is only accessible to users within the UK . Torchwood 's many tie-in websites amount to an alternate reality game ; the show's online presence was an example of electronic literature . On the first website (for series 1), the alternate reality game was mostly composed of weekly updates to the site in the form of fictional intercepted blogs, newspaper cutouts and confidential letters and IM conversations between members of
6854-460: Is only five episodes long, and was broadcast over consecutive nights as a single story, Children of Earth (2009). The series focuses on the consequences of appeasement policy; having been given 12 children as a tribute in 1965, aliens called the 4-5-6 arrive in the present demanding a greater share of the Earth's child population. For the first time in the series, the majority of the action takes place outside Wales; Torchwood's base of operations
7003-411: Is restricted). At the end of 2008, a newer platform was launched which facilitated use of the new BBC iPlayer Desktop (replacement for Download Manager) and other "BBC iPlayer Labs" features such as adjustable video windows and user feedback options. In March 2009, the BBC launched a streaming version of the player which needs a 1500 kbit/s minimum connection. On 1 April 2010, this Desktop Manager
7152-505: Is shown after the watershed – that is, after 9 pm – it has more mature content than Doctor Who . Davies told SFX : We can be a bit more visceral, more violent, and more sexual, if we want to. Though bear in mind that it's very teenage to indulge yourself in blood and gore, and Torchwood is going to be smarter than that. But it's the essential difference between BBC One at 7 pm, and BBC Three at, say, 9 pm. That says it all – instinctively, every viewer can see
7301-458: Is unavailable due to the closure of the Wii Shop Channel. On 28 July 2011, BBC Worldwide released an international version of the iPlayer. Speaking in 2012, Ralph Rivera, BBC Director of Future Media, said: "In the same way as the BBC has a role in making sure there is a healthy TV ecosystem, the BBC should be playing the same sort of role in the digital sector. It's part of why we have
7450-513: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Later series made in the 1960s included The Interpretaris (1966) Vega 4 (1967), and Phoenix Five (1970). The country's best known Science Fiction series was Farscape ; an American co-production, it ran from 1999 to 2003. A significant proportion of Australian produced Science Fiction programmes are made for the teens/young Adults market, including The Girl from Tomorrow ,
7599-521: The Doctor Who franchise, including sex scenes and use of profanity in several episodes. BBC Three described Torchwood as the centrepiece of its autumn 2006 schedule, and the successful first series led to a second series on BBC Two and a third on BBC One in 2009. Although Torchwood was originally intended to be sci-fi aimed at adults, the character Captain Jack Harkness , who had previously been introduced in Doctor Who , proved popular with young audiences. Davies decided to create alternative edits of
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#17328527333487748-620: The PlayStation 3 was announced by Sony in August 2009 and was released on 1 September 2009 along with the Firmware 3.0 update to coincide with the launch of the slimline PlayStation 3. Another version of iPlayer was released in late 2009 as a 'channel' for the Nintendo Wii . This shows only low-definition videos of BBC shows up to seven days after their release on television. As of 2019, this version
7897-717: The Super Robots such as Mitsuteru Yokoyama 's Tetsujin 28-go ( Gigantor ) and Go Nagai 's Mazinger Z , and the Real Robots such as Yoshiyuki Tomino 's Gundam series and Shōji Kawamori 's Macross series. Other primary aspects of Japanese science fiction television are the superhero tokusatsu (a term literally meaning special effects ) series, pioneered by programs such as Moonlight Mask and Planet Prince . The suitmation technique has been used in long running franchises include Eiji Tsuburaya 's Ultra Series , Shotaro Ishinomori 's Kamen Rider Series , and
8046-610: The Super Sentai Series. In addition, several dramas utilize science fiction elements as framing devices, but are not labeled as "tokusatsu" as they do not utilize actors in full body suits and other special effects. Among the notable German language productions are: Danish television broadcast the children's TV-series Crash in 1984 about a boy who finds out that his room is a space ship. Early Dutch television series were Morgen gebeurt het [ nl ] (Tomorrow it will happen), broadcast from 1957 to 1959, about
8195-431: The second series finale , as is Ianto in the show's third series. Recurring characters are Rhys Williams ( Kai Owen ), Gwen's live-in boyfriend and later husband; and Andy Davidson ( Tom Price ), Gwen's former police partner. Kai Owen becomes a main cast member in the programme beginning with the third series; his character is initially unaware of Gwen's activities with Torchwood, but later becomes her close confidant and
8344-580: The 1950s". Doctor Who , which launched in 1963 and ran until 1989, then was revived in 2005, was listed in the Guinness World Records in 2006 as the longest-running science fiction television show in the world and as the "most successful" science fiction series of all time. Other cult British series in the science fiction genre include The Tomorrow People , Space: 1999 , Blake's 7 , Star Cops and Red Dwarf . Science fiction in Canada
8493-425: The 1990s, CGI required expensive processors and customized applications, but by the 2000s (decade), computing power has pushed capabilities down to personal laptops running a wide array of software. Models have been an essential tool in science fiction television since the beginning, when Buck Rogers took flight in spark-scattering spaceships wheeling across a matte backdrop sky. The original Star Trek required
8642-592: The 1990s, hand-drawn animation became defunct. In recent years as technology has improved, this has become more common, notably since the development of the Massive software application permits producers to include hordes of non-human characters to storm a city or space station. The robotic Cylons in the new version of Battlestar Galactica are usually animated characters, while the Asgard in Stargate SG-1 are animated when they are shown walking around or more than one
8791-439: The BBC also announced that users would eventually be required to sign in with a BBC ID account to access non-children's content on the service. In May 2017, the iPlayer began to encourage users to login with a BBC ID in preparation for this change. Media outlets suggested that the account requirement was intended to help the BBC collect personal information that could be used to trace those who were evading TV Licensing whilst using
8940-514: The BBC iPlayer was dreamt up by Ben Lavender in 2005, a BBC employee frustrated by attempting to BitTorrent Buffy the Vampire Slayer . He went on a 'road-show' around the BBC to sell the concept and was told by the Director General that he had "saved the BBC". BBC Redux was developed as a proof of concept for a cross-platform, Flash Video -based streaming system. BBC iPlayer left beta and went live on 25 December 2007. On 25 June 2008
9089-470: The BBC moved to an Adobe AIR -based client that downloaded content via HTTP rather than P2P. The new system replaced the Windows DRM system with Adobe's own. DRM software prevents it from being directly copied to another medium (e.g. another computer or CD-ROM) and allowed the BBC to control how long the programmes remain watchable. Programmes were available for download for seven days following broadcast. Once
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#17328527333489238-461: The BBC that would require it to discontinue or factor some of its services, the BBC planned to offer third-party content through iPlayer in the future, as well as launch a spin-off, iPlay, which would be tailored towards children's content. In September 2016, support for older Freeview and Freesat receivers manufactured between 2010 and 2014 was dropped. On 30 October 2018, the BBC relaunched its iPlayer Radio services as BBC Sounds , including
9387-476: The BBC's progress on this every six months and publish the findings. On 16 October 2007, the BBC announced a strategic relationship with Adobe that would bring a limited streaming-only version of the iPlayer to Mac and Linux users and Windows users who cannot or do not wish to use the iPlayer download service, such as Windows 9x users. The streaming service was launched on 13 December 2007. Most programmes can be viewed for up to seven days after broadcast, unlike
9536-461: The Christmas week with plugs for the iPlayer. The streaming version of the iPlayer offered replays of programmes broadcast on all national BBC TV channels and S4C during the last seven days. Due to licensing agreements, all international and some privately produced TV shows and movies are not available on the iPlayer. On 25 June 2008, the BBC announced that they had been developing a new version of
9685-501: The Government was: .. the Trust noted the strong public demand for the service to be available on a variety of operating systems. The BBC Trust made it a condition of approval for the BBC's on-demand services that the iPlayer is available to users of a range of operating systems and has given a commitment that it will ensure that the BBC meets this demand as soon as possible. They will measure
9834-599: The Torchwood Three crew. Convergence: the International Journal of Research into New Media commented on Doctor Who and Torchwood 's foray into "convergence culture" as an achievement "on an unprecedented scale, with the BBC currently using the series to trial a plethora of new technologies, including: mini-episodes on mobile phones, podcast commentaries, interactive red-button adventures, video blogs, companion programming, and 'fake' metatextual websites." For
9983-433: The UK after his partner became ill. In the first series, the main writer alongside Russell T Davies was Chris Chibnall , creator of the BBC light drama show Born and Bred and future Doctor Who showrunner. Other writers include P.J. Hammond , Toby Whithouse , Doctor Who script editor Helen Raynor , Catherine Tregenna and Doctor Who cast member Noel Clarke . Of the first two series, Russell T Davies wrote only
10132-514: The United States' major television networks , Fox ; some had speculated the Fox project could have been a spin-off or a reboot . Later, Davies succeeded in striking a deal with US premium cable network Starz . The production of the fourth series was not officially announced until June 2010: a ten-episode mini-series co-produced between BBC Wales, Starz and BBC Worldwide , airing summer 2011. As with
10281-414: The United States, joined by two fugitive CIA agents who have been framed for treason, during Miracle Day. Unlike its parent programme, Torchwood centres on a team instead of a single character with companions. The show initially depicts a small team of alien-hunters known as Torchwood Three, based in Cardiff. The team is made up of five operatives led by Captain Jack Harkness ( John Barrowman ), formerly
10430-560: The Vampire Slayer writer Jane Espenson ; The X-Files , Star Trek: Enterprise and Supernatural writer John Shiban ; and House writer Doris Egan . Additionally, both Davies and John Fay returned to write episodes. In continuing the series Davies chose to keep Torchwood more focused on the human condition than its science fiction backdrop. He drew inspiration from Buffy the Vampire Slayer , noting that "the best metaphors in Buffy came down to, 'What's it like to be in high school, as
10579-478: The ability to continue watching a programme on one device from where it was left off on another. One of the key features of the original iPlayer download service was the use of peer-to-peer (P2P) technology to enable the distribution of large video files (i.e. TV programmes) to scale effectively. Once downloaded, the content was only playable within the iPlayer itself or Windows Media Player 10 or 11, and subject to digital rights management . In December 2008,
10728-443: The cast of the show for its fourth series. The first series premiered on BBC Three and on BBC HD in 2006 to mixed reviews, but viewing figures broke records for the digital channel. It returned in 2008 where it aired first on BBC Two , receiving a higher budget; its uneven tone, a criticism of the first series, was largely smoothed out, and the show attracted higher ratings and better reviews. The third series' episodes worked with
10877-545: The comic consisted of reprints of the magazine's comic strips and short stories, and was cancelled in the wake of the parent publication folding. Following the cancellation of Torchwood Magazine , Doctor Who Magazine and its US counterpart, Doctor Who Insider, ran articles on the series. Torchwood has "a heavy online presence". At the Edinburgh International Television Festival , BBC Director of Television Jana Bennett originally promised that
11026-526: The departures of main characters Owen and Tosh, whose deaths at the hands of Jack's long-lost brother Gray reduced the cast to Barrowman, Myles and David-Lloyd in its closing scenes. The Torchwood Three team made a crossover appearance in the series four finale of Doctor Who , " The Stolen Earth "/" Journey's End ", which featured Jack Harkness leaving the Doctor at the close of the story, accompanied by Martha Jones and Mickey Smith ( Noel Clarke ). Series three
11175-466: The domestic television market, most Canadian productions involve partnerships with production studios based in the United States and Europe. However, in recent years, new partnership arrangements are allowing Canadian investors a growing share of control of projects produced in Canada and elsewhere. Australia's first locally produced Science Fiction series was The Stranger (1964–65) produced and screened by
11324-427: The download of BBC Television content by computers assigned to a United Kingdom-based IP address , for use up to thirty days after broadcast. However, it was available only to users of Windows XP. This was a controversial decision by the BBC and led to a petition against the decision being posted on 10 Downing Street 's e-petition website. The petition reached 16,082 signatures on 20 August 2007. The response from
11473-449: The duration of the five-episode serial, such as Permanent Secretary John Frobisher ( Peter Capaldi ), Clem McDonald ( Paul Copley ), Frobisher's personal assistant Bridget Spears ( Susan Brown ), Prime Minister Brian Green ( Nicholas Farrell ), ruthless operative Agent Johnson ( Liz May Brice ), Jack's middle-aged daughter Alice ( Lucy Cohu ), her son Steven (Bear McCausland) and Ianto's sister Rhiannon ( Katy Wix ). Cush Jumbo
11622-425: The early 1990s had become one of the most popular dramas on American television. Star Trek fans continued to grow in number, and first began organizing conventions in the 1970s. No other show attracted a large organized following until the 1990s, when Babylon 5 attracted both Star Trek fans and a large number of literary SF fans who previously had not been involved in media fandom. Other series began to attract
11771-409: The early popularity of Torchwood , various tie-in media were produced, including audio dramas, novels and comic strips. From its inception, the BBC invested in a heavy online presence for the series, with an alternate reality game running alongside the show's first two series, and an animated Web series running alongside its fourth. The BBC continued to approve and commission licensed spin-offs after
11920-418: The existing site until 3 July 2008, when a new version replaced it. Later versions have implemented an option of streaming videos in high quality in H.264 . A special version of the BBC iPlayer was launched on 19 December 2008. It was designed for children aged 6 to 12, allowing them to choose from series such as Blue Peter , M.I. High , The Sarah Jane Adventures and more (non-children's programming
12069-685: The finale " The Blood Line ". In the epilogue, Gwen questions Jack whether he will stay to reform Torchwood; he does not provide an answer. "With Doctor Who we often had to pretend that bits of Cardiff were London, or Utah , or the planet Zog. Whereas this series is going to be honest-to-God Cardiff. We will happily walk past the Millennium Centre and say, 'Look, there's the Millennium Centre'." Russell T Davies The first two series of Torchwood were both filmed and set in Cardiff . The makers of Torchwood deliberately portray Cardiff as
12218-451: The first decade of the 21st century, changes in provincial tax legislation prompted many production companies to move from Toronto to Vancouver . Recent popular series produced in Vancouver include The Dead Zone , Smallville , Andromeda , Stargate Atlantis , Stargate Universe , The 4400 , Sanctuary and the reimagined Battlestar Galactica . Because of the small size of
12367-572: The first two series in hardback form, including the Captain's Blog section of the BBC America Torchwood website. Science fiction on television The need to portray imaginary settings or characters with properties and abilities beyond the reach of current reality obliges producers to make extensive use of specialized techniques of television production. Through most of the 20th century, many of these techniques were expensive and involved
12516-698: The first two series, Paul Kasey regularly appears under heavy prosthetics, portraying, as in Doctor Who , a number of aliens on the series, such as humanoid Weevils and Blowfishes . Other recurring characters include Doctor Who ' s Martha Jones ( Freema Agyeman )—like Jack, a former time-traveller, and now medical officer for the militaristic alien-investigating organisation UNIT —who crosses over into Torchwood for three episodes in series two. Additionally, James Marsters portrays Captain John Hart , Jack's villainous former lover and Time Agent partner. Others in
12665-630: The first two series, referred to as the Hub , was beneath Roald Dahl Plass in Cardiff Bay – formerly known as the Oval Basin. This is where the TARDIS landed in the Doctor Who episodes " Boom Town " and " Utopia " to refuel, and is the location of the spacetime rift first seen in " The Unquiet Dead ". The Cardiff Rift becomes "the first of several phenomena or technologies in the new Dr.Who associated with
12814-468: The first. It continues Gwen's neophyte role and includes a "sex monster" science fiction storyline. The first 13-episode series ended with a two-parter on 1 January 2007. The first part, entitled " Captain Jack Harkness ", is a love story set in wartime Britain, with a subplot which pushes the setting toward an apocalypse for the finale " End of Days ". It deals with the ramifications of diseases and persons from throughout history falling through time and across
12963-511: The fountain above; at its base lay the rift machine. The Hub had two means of access: a lift that rose to the plass next to the fountain (camouflaged by a perception filter), and a more mundane entrance hidden in a tourism office. Production crew were keen to use everything Wales had to offer in filming the series; for example, the military base scenes in " Sleeper " and the booby-trapped abandoned warehouse scenes in " Fragments " were filmed at RAF Caerwent , near Chepstow. The third series opened in
13112-510: The government and the aliens. David-Lloyd departs the cast when Ianto is killed by the aliens in episode four, leaving Jack distraught. In the series closing scenes, with Gwen pregnant and Jack abandoning Earth, Torchwood effectively disbands. Series four, Torchwood: Miracle Day (2011), comprising ten episodes, sees Torchwood having been reduced to the status of legend following Children of Earth . The narrative follows two CIA agents ( Mekhi Phifer and Alexa Havins ) who discover Torchwood on
13261-538: The government, outside the police, and beyond the United Nations. Their public perception is as merely a ' special ops ' group. The events of the first series take place sometime after the Doctor Who series two finale , in which the Torchwood Institute's London headquarters was destroyed. This format was maintained for the first two series. Series three, a miniseries, saw the Cardiff headquarters destroyed and
13410-420: The huge difference there. According to Barrowman: "I don't do any nude scenes in series one; they're saving that for the next series! I don't have a problem with getting my kit off, as long as they pay me the right money." Davies also joked to a BBC Radio Wales interviewer that he was "not allowed" to refer to the programme as " Doctor Who for grown-ups". The first series includes content rarely seen or heard in
13559-565: The iPlayer Labs feature, iPlayer Desktop for OS X and Linux operating systems. This moved the download service away from the previous P2P-based distribution model and onto an HTTP download model. On 20 April 2009, the BBC incorporated high-definition streams and downloads of some content on the iPlayer. There are plans to roll out the HD streams to devices such as the Virgin Set Top Box but no date has yet been set. An iPlayer application for
13708-412: The iPlayer based on user feedback – it was then called "BBC iPlayer 2.0". New features included combining the normal television iPlayer with the radio iPlayer, schedules of programmes due to be on the iPlayer, automatic resumption of the last programme watched, an increase in the size of the screen by 25% to 640 pixels wide, RSS feeds of iPlayer data, and a "Yesterday's TV" function. The beta ran alongside
13857-525: The iPlayer had been shut down. However, the Kontiki P2P system was not used after the new client was introduced in December 2008. The client offered an electronic programme guide (EPG) with listings for both the previous seven and next seven days' programmes; selecting a programme which had already been broadcast began downloading it immediately, while those not yet shown would be downloaded when available. It
14006-522: The iPlayer, calling it the iPlayer 3.0 release, on 6 September 2010. It brought integration with various social networking sites to the TV on-demand service, through deals with Facebook, Twitter, Reddit , Delicious , Digg and StumbleUpon . BBC ID was also added to allow users to access their iPlayer settings from a variety of devices and Favourite shows so the users get notified when new episodes of their favourited shows are available. The only other feature of
14155-415: The iPlayer; Andrew Scott, launch director of the ongoing myBBC initiative, stated that the BBC might use account email addresses, along with existing methods, to help identify iPlayer users who did not hold a television licence. However, he repeatedly said that the account system was primarily intended to provide personalization features across BBC properties, such as content recommendations on the iPlayer, and
14304-430: The in-universe story of Adam psychically inserting himself into the team members' memories as a long-standing member of the team. For Children of Earth , a recap of the last episode was played at the beginning of each episode, followed by a title card. The theme was not featured in this, instead only featuring over the end credits. A new theme arrangement and opening credit sequence was introduced with Series 4 (though
14453-458: The industry made all of these techniques easier to use, so that directors of individual episodes could make decisions to use one or more methods, so such artistic choices no longer needed to be baked into the series concept. Special effects (or "SPFX") have been an essential tool throughout the history of science fiction on television: small explosives to simulate the effects of various rayguns , squibs of blood and gruesome prosthetics to simulate
14602-518: The interface between different places, dimensions, or states of being." The Rift becomes a plot device to present threats to the characters and the world, with danger awaiting on the other side. In "The House of the Dead" the Cardiff Rift is closed through the actions of a ghost, Ianto Jones . The Hub itself was around three storeys high, with a large column running through the middle that was an extension of
14751-500: The long-running Mr. Squiggle , Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left , Ocean Girl , Crash Zone , Watch This Space and Spellbinder . Other series like Time Trax , Roar , and Space: Above and Beyond were filmed in Australia, but used mostly US crew and actors. Japan has a long history of producing science fiction series for television. Some of the most famous are anime such as Osamu Tezuka 's Astro Boy ,
14900-413: The majority of science fiction media fandom has been represented by males of all ages and for most of its modern existence, a fairly diverse racial demographic. The most highly publicized demographic for science fiction fans is the male adolescent; roughly the same demographic for American comic books . Female fans, while always present, were far fewer in number and less conspicuously present in fandom. With
15049-525: The monsters and victims in horror series, and the wire-flying entrances and exits of George Reeves as Superman . The broad term "special effects" includes all the techniques here, but more commonly there are two categories of effects. Visual effects ("VFX") involve photographic or digital manipulation of the onscreen image, usually done in post-production . Mechanical or physical effects involve props, pyrotechnics, and other physical methods used during principal photography itself. Some effects involved
15198-605: The nature of human life and the absence of a traditional afterlife, and the corrupting nature of power. The program is also notable in its portrayal of LGBT characters and the degree to which its various characters are sexually fluid; through those characters, the series examines homosexual and bisexual relationships. Torchwood Declassified is a "making-of" programme similar to Doctor Who Confidential . Each Declassified episode runs under ten minutes, in contrast to Confidential 's 45 (formerly 30). Torchwood Declassified aired on BBC Three (series 1) and BBC Two (series 2), and
15347-454: The network to demand the show remain on the air. Network executives were overwhelmed by an unprecedented wave of correspondence, and they kept the show on the air. Although the series continued to receive low ratings and was canceled a year later, the enduring popularity of the series resulted in Paramount creating a set of movies, and then a new series Star Trek: The Next Generation , which by
15496-515: The new-look iPlayer discussed was a new embeddable video player, being rolled out across the whole of the BBC's online presence. On 19 June 2012 on the live TV channels, it added a rewind to start button. The BBC reported iPlayer users had technical problems with the release of Adobe AIR 3.5, and another with Google Chrome . The iPlayer Desktop application was replaced with the simpler iPlayer Downloads application, from which some features were dropped, for example, live streaming. In February 2024,
15645-469: The penultimate episode " Fragments ". A three-episode arc (" Reset ", " Dead Man Walking " and " A Day in the Death ") in the middle of the series guest stars Doctor Who actress Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones , temporarily drafted into Torchwood. The arc focuses on the death and partial resurrection of main character Owen Harper, and how he copes as a dead man. The second series finale, " Exit Wounds ", features
15794-505: The precariousness of fame and the amorality of the media. The late-2000s global recession is implicated as another element of the Miracle Day conspiracy. Though largely set in the US, Wales remains a key setting. The origins of the Miracle Day conspiracy are revealed in a 1920s flashback in " Immortal Sins ", as the worldwide scale of the story takes the protagonists to Shanghai and Buenos Aires in
15943-500: The première episode. Helen Raynor and Brian Minchin were the programme's script editors. Series one of Torchwood was filmed from May 2006 until November 2006. For the second series, lead writer Chris Chibnall wrote the opening episode and the three final episodes. Both Catherine Tregenna and Helen Raynor wrote two episodes for the second series. The other episodes were written by James Moran , Matt Jones , J. C. Wilsher , Joseph Lidster , P.J. Hammond and Phil Ford . Russell T Davies
16092-404: The rising popularity of fanfiction , a large majority of which is categorized as slash fanfiction . Female fans comprise the majority of fanfiction writers. U.S. television science fiction has produced Lost In Space , Star Trek , The Twilight Zone , and The X-Files , among others. British television science fiction began in 1938 when the broadcast medium was in its infancy with
16241-424: The rising popularity of fanzines, female fans became increasingly vocal. Starting in the 2000s (decade), genre series began to offer more prominent female characters. Many series featured women as the main characters with males as supporting characters. True Blood is an example. Also, such shows premises moved away from heroic action-adventure and focused more on characters and their relationships. This has caused
16390-565: The same date, the BBC stopped making programmes available to download in WMV format. The BBC discontinued the RSS feed for iPlayer TV content in October 2014. This stopped some third-party tools such as the get_iplayer content downloader from working. In March 2016, an unofficial site restored access to this information. In September 2015, it was revealed that as part of Tony Hall 's "open BBC" strategy, coming primarily in response to budget cuts across
16539-540: The same day death ceases to occur, due to an event known as Miracle Day. The agents join Gwen and Jack as they seek to restore death to the world. While primarily a conspiracy thriller , the series also examines the depths humanity can sink to under pressure. Actress Arlene Tur portrays a surgeon who challenges the failing medical system and shifting government legislation. The characters of Oswald Danes ( Bill Pullman ) and Jilly Kitzinger ( Lauren Ambrose ) are used to highlight
16688-418: The second series in 2008, a second interactive Torchwood online game was devised, scripted by series writer Phil Ford ; this more heavily featured the actors of the series, particularly Gareth David-Lloyd, and Siwan Morris was cast as a pirate radio jockey investigating Torchwood . During the fourth series of the revival of Doctor Who , a crossover webcast production called Captain Jack's Monster Files
16837-621: The second series to be "child-friendly", removing overt sexuality and swearing. These edits to the shows enabled it to be broadcast at 7 pm (pre-watershed). The first three series of Torchwood were produced in-house by BBC Wales . The Head of Drama at the time of the first series, Julie Gardner , served as executive producer alongside Davies. The first two episodes of series 1 of Torchwood premiered on 22 October 2006 on BBC Three and BBC HD . Series 2 premiered on BBC Two and BBC HD on 16 January 2008. The third series, Torchwood: Children of Earth , began shooting on 18 August 2008 and comprised
16986-406: The second series, recurring in a minor capacity, include a mysteriously age-immune little girl (Skye Bennett) and Victorian-era Torchwood member Alice Guppy ( Amy Manson ). The second series also introduces Gwen's parents, Geraint ( William Thomas ) and Mary Cooper ( Sharon Morgan ), who later reappear in the show's fourth series. Children of Earth featured a largely new supporting cast for
17135-420: The series had ended, with a limit of thirteen weeks after first broadcast. Not all programmes will form part of the stack, however. The BBC Trust permitted 15% of content to be offered as part of the stacking service; soaps, news bulletins and review-based programmes will not be stacked, nor programmes containing material of a legal nature, such as Crimewatch . On 19 December 2008, the BBC released, as part of
17284-514: The series' online tie-ins were to include the ability to explore the Hub, an imaginary desktop, weekly 10-minute behind-the-scenes vodcasts . "You can join the corporation of Torchwood and be one of its employees," said Bennett. The Adobe Flash-based interactive website, including the Hub Tour, debuted on 12 October 2006. Due to digital media rights restrictions most video content on the BBC Three websites
17433-554: The series, by JC Wilsher. Euros Lyn directed all five episodes of the third series, Children of Earth . In June 2010, a BBC News report confirmed that the fourth series would have 10 episodes. Filming began in January 2011. Unlike the previous series, this series' directors did not direct in blocks but in specific episodes. The series four directors included Bharat Nalluri , Billy Gierhart , Guy Ferland and Gwyneth Horder-Payton . Richard Stokes produced series 1 and 2 of Torchwood; Originally, James Hawes (a Doctor Who director)
17582-432: The show had been mistreated by BBC executives, despite what he felt was the programme's proven popularity and success. In August 2009, Davies stated that the fourth series was "ready to go", and that he had the next series planned out, stating, "I know exactly how to pick it up. I've got a shape in mind, and I've got stories. I know where you'd find Gwen and Rhys, and their baby, and Jack, and I know how you'd go forward with
17731-495: The show uses a time rift in Cardiff as its primary plot generator , accounting for the unusual preponderance of alien beings in Cardiff. In the third and fourth series, Torchwood operate as fugitives. Gorman and Mori's characters were written out of the story at the end of the second series. Recurring actor Kai Owen was promoted to the main cast in series three, in which David-Lloyd was written out. Subsequently, American actors Mekhi Phifer , Alexa Havins and Bill Pullman joined
17880-545: The show's conclusion, including an audio series continuation from Big Finish Productions (2015–present). On 21 February 2020, all 41 televised episodes returned to the BBC 's online streaming service, BBC iPlayer . In the United States , the entire series was made available on HBO 's new streaming service, HBO Max , upon its launch in May 2020. Before the revival of Doctor Who , Russell T Davies began to develop an idea for
18029-411: The show's first two series are preceded by a voice-over monologue by Barrowman as Harkness, establishing the show's premise. The show's theme tune plays over this monologue and the title sequence. The theme was written by Doctor Who composer Murray Gold . The opening sequence was re-done specifically for series 2, episode 5 " Adam ", adding the titular character to the existing scenes. This reflected
18178-417: The site was updated again to include a recommendations feature and a "social makeover". In February 2011, the BBC iPlayer was once again modified to include links to programmes from other broadcasters, including ITV , ITV2 , ITV3 , ITV4 , Channel 4 , E4 , More4 , Film4 , Channel 5 , 5Star , 5USA and S4C . The feature was added to the search function and the channels function. When users click on
18327-567: The subsequent lockdowns have changed this; many programmes are available for more than a year, and entire series - for example, Peaky Blinders , Top Gear , and Killing Eve - are available in their entirety going back to the first episode. However, for legal reasons, most news bulletins are available for only 24 hours after the initial broadcast (with the exception of World Business Report , Business Live , Victoria Derbyshire , Daily Politics , Politics Europe , Sunday Politics and Newsnight ) . Some archive programming, such as Timewatch,
18476-546: The summer. The BBC had been criticised for saying that the iPlayer would 'launch' on 27 July 2007, when what was on offer was simply an extension of the beta to an open beta, admitting more users in a controlled manner. This was done reportedly to allow British ISPs and the BBC to gauge the effect of the iPlayer traffic on the Internet within the UK. The open beta incorporated a media player , an electronic programme guide (EPG) and specially designed download client and allowed
18625-459: The team temporarily operating as fugitives in England's capital city of London, its membership declining and the organisation thoroughly broken over the course of the serial. Series four starts with Torchwood fully disbanded. Jack has left Earth after the events of series three, and a pregnant Gwen has retired to be with her family. The group is then unofficially reformed, this time operating primarily in
18774-438: The team toward their real enemies; Frances Fisher and Teddy Sears portray recurring villains. The premiere episode " Everything Changes " was written by Russell T Davies and introduces the main characters and roles within the series, using newcomer Gwen as the audience surrogate in a similar style to the introduction of the companion characters in Doctor Who . The second episode, titled " Day One ", aired immediately after
18923-409: The team's ally. Price appears in all four series. Prior to the programme's debut, publicity materials featured Indira Varma as Suzie Costello among the regular cast members, giving the impression that she would appear throughout the series. However, Suzie was killed off at the end of the first episode with Gwen taking her place on the team, Suzie reappearing only once more as an antagonist . In
19072-500: The third, the fourth series was given its own title: Torchwood: Miracle Day . Shortly after the broadcast of Miracle Day in March 2012, the chief executive officer of Starz, Chris Albrecht , announced that he was remaining in touch with the BBC regarding a further series of Torchwood , though it would depend on Davies being free from his other commitments. However, by 2012 the show had entered an indefinite hiatus due to Davies' return to
19221-471: The thirty days provided by the download service. Since January 2008, iPlayer has supported Mozilla Firefox under the Microsoft Windows platform for downloading content. Before the iPlayer had even launched it was announced that the BBC, alongside ITV and Channel 4 , was intending to launch a new video-on-demand platform, provisionally named Kangaroo . It was intended that Kangaroo would complement
19370-511: The title Torchwood: Miracle Day . Set both in Wales and the United States, Miracle Day fared less well with critics than Children of Earth , although it was applauded by some for its ambition. The series entered an indefinite hiatus after Miracle Day due to Davies' personal circumstances. All four televised series have been broadcast in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and North America. Owing to
19519-470: The traditional setting, but in the first episode the Hub was destroyed; the show adapted to a conventional London setting, with many scenes filmed and set at real-life British intelligence agency headquarters Thames House . For the show's fourth series, the programme was largely filmed and set in the United States, but parts were filmed in Wales and other locations. Torchwood explores various themes in its narrative , including issues around existentialism ,
19668-455: The transmission of a partial adaptation of Karel Čapek 's play R.U.R. . Despite an occasionally chequered history, programmes in the genre have been produced by both the BBC and the largest commercial channel, ITV . Nigel Kneale 's The Quatermass Experiment (1953) and its sequels have been called "one of BBC Television's earliest audience successes" and Kneale became "one of the most influential television and film writers to emerge in
19817-546: The universe to arrive in present day Cardiff. The episode also sets up Jack's return in the Doctor Who episode " Utopia ". 2008's second 13-episode series of Torchwood begins with Jack's return from the previous Doctor Who episode, " Last of the Time Lords " with the series premiere, " Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang ". The series introduces Jack's ex-partner Captain John Hart in its premiere, reveals flashbacks to Jack's childhood in " Adam " and shows how each member joined Torchwood in
19966-514: The video-on-demand services that these channels were already offering, including the iPlayer, by making programmes available once their 'catch-up' period had expired. The Kangaroo project was eventually abandoned and sold to Arqiva after being blocked by the Competition Commission early in 2009. Following a deal between the BBC and cable television provider Virgin Media , the iPlayer service
20115-435: The word "Torchwood", an anagram of "Doctor Who", had been used as a title ruse for the series while filming its first few episodes to ensure they were not intercepted. Davies connected the word "Torchwood" to his earlier Excalibur idea and decided to make the series a Doctor Who spin-off. Subsequently, the word "Torchwood" was seeded in Doctor Who episodes and other media that aired in 2005 and 2006. Because Torchwood
20264-464: The writers "didn't want to flinch away from what mankind can do." The first block of series two, consisting of episodes by Raynor and Tregenna, was directed by Andy Goddard . Colin Teague directed the second block, which consists of episode two by Moran and episode four by Tregenna, with Ashley Way directing the third block, consisting of the series two premiere by Chibnall and the sixth episode of
20413-494: Was also available online through the BBC's iPlayer and dedicated Torchwood site. Installments were produced for each episode of the first two series, with a single installment produced for the Children of Earth DVD release. In 2007, Titan Magazines launched Torchwood Magazine , which was released on 24 January 2008 in the United Kingdom. The United States version was launched in February 2008. The Australia/New Zealand version
20562-491: Was cast as Frobisher's personal assistant Lois Habiba ; Habiba was written into the story after Agyeman was unavailable to return to portray Martha. The fourth series, Miracle Day , features an expanded cast of eight. Barrowman, Myles and Owen all return to the series. New to the Torchwood team are CIA agents Rex Matheson ( Mekhi Phifer ), and Esther Drummond ( Alexa Havins ), and surgeon Vera Juarez ( Arlene Tur ). American film star Bill Pullman joins as Oswald Danes ,
20711-588: Was in the form of video showings of popular anime, untranslated and often low quality VHS bootlegs. Starting in the 1990s, anime fans began organizing conventions. These quickly grew to sizes much larger than other science fiction and media conventions in the same communities; many cities now have anime conventions attracting five to ten thousand attendees. Many anime conventions are a hybrid between non-profit and commercial events, with volunteer organizers handling large revenue streams and dealing with commercial suppliers and professional marketing campaigns. For decades,
20860-455: Was initially announced as writing two episodes, but due to commitments to Doctor Who , he no longer anticipated writing any Torchwood episodes. For series three, Davies returned and wrote the first and last episodes, co-wrote episode three with James Moran and plotted the overall story arc himself. John Fay wrote episodes two and four. For the fourth series, Miracle Day , Davies secured several popular US television writers, including Buffy
21009-525: Was known as the Integrated Media Player (iMP), Interactive Media Player, and MyBBCPlayer. The iPlayer received the approval of the BBC Trust on 30 April 2007 and an open beta for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 was launched at midnight on 27 July 2007, when it was announced that only a fixed number of people would be able to sign up for the service, with a controlled increase in users over
21158-450: Was launched in April 2008. The magazine emulated Doctor Who Magazine in combining behind-the-scenes features with original story content in the form of a serialised comic strip and short stories; as the magazine's run progressed, the original fiction became more predominant. The magazine was discontinued in early 2011, after two-dozen issues. Titan published six issues of a monthly Torchwood comic book in 2009 for North American markets;
21307-417: Was launched, featuring Barrowman, in character as Jack, hosting a series of shorts profiling various monsters and aliens featured on Doctor Who . These segments, posted to the BBC's official Doctor Who website, included specially shot footage of Jack in the Hub. After Series 4, the segments were produced less frequently, with the last featuring Jack, released in December 2009, taking the form of Jack narrating
21456-488: Was lined up as the producer, but he later withdrew from this project. Series 3 was produced by Peter Bennett . Series 4 was produced by Kelly A Manners, with UK filming produced by Brian Minchin, producer of Series 4 and 5 of The Sarah Jane Adventures . The series also shares Doctor Who 's production designer, Edward Thomas. Music for the series was composed by Ben Foster and Doctor Who 's composer Murray Gold , with composer Stu Kennedy assisting on Series 4. Episodes of
21605-503: Was made available through the provider's on-demand service. The cable service launched on 30 April 2008, and keeps the look and feel of the BBC iPlayer programme. In response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the BBC revealed that by 8 April 2008, the iPlayer had cost £6 million to develop. On 23 August 2008, a new feature, Series Stacking , was announced. This feature was rolled out on 13 September 2008 and allowed viewers to watch previous programmes from selected series until
21754-459: Was not possible to schedule a series to be automatically downloaded when the next episode becomes available. The BBC's streaming version of the iPlayer, using Adobe Flash software, was launched on 13 December 2007. The BBC made use of the Christmas period to trumpet the new service with the tagline 'Making the unmissable... unmissable', and the service came out of beta on 25 December 2007. Also, seasonal specials were followed routinely throughout
21903-608: Was produced by the CBC as early as the 1950s. In the 1970s, CTV produced The Starlost . In the 1980s, Canadian animation studios including Nelvana , began producing a growing proportion of the world market in animation. In the 1990s, Canada became an important player in live action speculative fiction on television, with dozens of series like Forever Knight , Robocop , and most notably The X-Files and Stargate SG-1 . Many series have been produced for youth and children's markets, including Deepwater Black and MythQuest . In
22052-473: Was the first to cost more than $ 1 million per episode. One of the earliest forms of media fandom was Star Trek fandom . Fans of the series became known to each other through the science fiction fandom . In 1968, NBC decided to cancel Star Trek . Bjo Trimble wrote letters to contacts in the National Fantasy Fan Foundation, asking people to organize their local friends to write to
22201-402: Was updated to version 1.5.15695.18135. The update claimed, amongst other things, optimisation of CPU usage in full screen: 20% to 40% improvement; videos that start to download in the UK should be able to complete downloading abroad; and update to use Adobe Integrated Runtime AIR 1.5.3 which has improved reliability, compatibility and security. The iPlayer team released the next generation of
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