Doctor Who: 10 Greatest Chris Chibnall Episodes

We've already looked at the best of Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat, so now its time to count down the greatest episodes of Doctor Who's newest showrunner - Chris Chibnall.

Doctor Who: 10 Greatest Steven Moffat Episodes

Now that Doctor Who is getting a new showrunner in the near future, it's time to look at the best work of the previous incumbents of the job. Last month, it was Russell T Davies' turn. Today, it's the man who has overseen more Doctors than anybody- Steven Moffat...

Doctor Who: 10 Best TARDIS Teams

With Pearl Mackie's Bill joining Peter Capaldi for Doctor Who Series Ten, we have a brand-new 'TARDIS Team' for the first time since 2012. So what are the best Doctor-companion groups ever? Let's take a look...

New Doctor Who is coming to Big Finish!

Today brings the exciting announcement that the independent audio drama company, Big Finish, that makes classic Doctor Who adventures is doing the same for new Who!

This thrilling news has been a long time coming - for years, the new series was completely off limits to the people of Big Finish, until they recently announced spin-off series featuring Kate Stewart and Osgood of the TV series' UNIT and Captain Jack Harkness himself in a new Torchwood continuation. But now - finally - it looks like all kinds of heroes and villains from post-2005 Who can interact with classic characters.

Firstly, the head-lining event is that River Song will be meeting the Eighth Doctor, in a sequel to the Doom Coalition series which will be released next year. Personally, I think Alex Kingston and Paul McGann will make a brilliant pair, as McGann's Doctor is so much like the modern incarnations that he'll be right at home with River.

 

Clearly Big Finish can't get enough of River as the Doctor's wife will also star in her own series, The Diary of River Song, which will see Professor Song travel 'across space and time, seeking out the secret rulers of the universe.'

The inclusion of River into the world of classic Who should be loads of fun - I would particularly like to see the flirtatious River meet her future husband in his first, crotchety, incarnation. And, as Big Finish also have John Barrowman onbaord, why not have a Captain Jack-River Song team-up?

But, wait, that's not all. Also heading his own series will be that favourite Doctor Who character... Winston Churchill! Narrated by the TV show's Ian McNiece, Winnie's adventures will see him meet the Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Doctors. And Daleks by the look of it.

Bizarrely, The Churchill Years will also feature a guest appearance by Danny Horn, reprising his role of the Scrooge-like Kazran Sardick from 2010's A Christmas Carol. As a character who had such a transformative story arc in his sole television outing, he seems an unlikely returning figure but I'm intrigued to find out why he's back - and teaming up with Churchill.

And that's still not all. The announcement that brings the most fannish thrill to the hearts of whovians is the Classic Doctors, New Monsters series which will see - yep, you guessed it - Doctors Five, Six, Seven and Eight facing foes of the 21st century era. Namely, the Weeping Angels (not quite sure how these silent creatures'll work on audio), the Sycorax (always thought they deserved a second go on the show), the Judoon (their booming voice is well suited to radio drama) and apparently Sontarans from the Time War. Which it seems Big Finish may be able to document now...

I, for one, am very excited for these new adventures - as it suggests such a wealth more to come. Who's to say they can't tempt modern Doctors and companions - even, dare I say it, Christopher Eccleston - to record some full-cast adventures? Or can they get Georgia Moffet onboard to create a spin-off series for the Doctor's daughter, Jenny? Or how about doing that Paternoster Gang spin-off that is such a popular idea? Or what about...

In short, this is exciting news.

Monthly Mini-Reviews: June - TV Special

Continuing on with the resurrected Monthly Mini-Reviews feature, this time around there's a cornucopia of goggle-box-based goodies for you to feast your eyes on. In other, less purple, terms - it's the Monthly Mini-Review TV Special! First up, speaking of resurrections...


In The Flesh (Series Two)

After the cancellation of Being Human, I was left bereft over the lack of interesting supernatural dramas on British TV - for about a month, that is, as right around the corner came In The Flesh, another BBC Three show which had a similar melding of the monsters with the mundane. Set in a small Northern village after the Zombie Apocalypse, it saw Zombies (or Partially-Deceased Syndrome sufferers) return home, having been treated for their conditions, only to be met with prejudice and hostility.
The second series really comes into its own, expanding the mythology of the show and deepening the characters. Luke Newberry as the put-upon Kieran continues to be a talented find, ably supported by Emily Bevan as the (ironically) lively zombie Amy and the obligatory brooding Irishman (I'm thinking Being Human's Mitchell) in Emmett Scanlan's Simon.
Despite the impending death-knell of BBC Three itself, as the series has just won a BAFTA and has been met with positive responsive and garnered a strong fanbase, I suspect that this Zombie show won't be easy to kill off...

Penny Dreadful: 'Night Work'

Since hearing about the upcoming Victorian gothic series, helmed by John Logan and Sam Mendes (the writer-director team behind the recent excellent Bond film Skyfall) I've been very intrigued. And, although, I've only got around to watching the pilot episode so far I would say that intrigue was justified.
In its premise, it's a dark and heady blend of the 19th century's most famous macabre works, featuring Dr Frankenstein and his monster, Dorian Gray, a hunt for a vampiric Mina Murray and an Egyptian curse, however, whereas previous riffs on this idea, namely Van Helsing, went all-action, from what I've seen so far Penny Dreadful sees itself as a good old-fashioned supernatural soap opera.
The stonking, and positively Bond-laden cast, is headed by Eva Green as seer Vanessa Ives, Timothy Dalton as game hunter Malcolm Murray and Josh Hartnett as American cowboy Ethan Chandler who all get a chunk of the action, or rather dialogue, in this opening hour which neatly sets up several threads of the series. Channelling the lurid, melodramatic stylings of its namesake but marrying it with a somewhat sombre, contemplative feel, Penny Dreadful is certainly one to watch.

Torchwood: Children of Earth

As easily the best instalment of the wildly uneven Torchwood (although don't tell my younger self I said that, he was obsessed with it), and one of my favourite individual television series ever, I was due a rewatch of 2009's Torchwood: Children of Earth for the first time in several years. Thankfully it did not disappoint.
To my mind, this is the Torchwood series which most satisfactorily reaches its mandate of being Doctor Who's mature sister show, examining the political and social effects of alien incursion far more than Who ever could or should. It also isn't afraid to push the boundaries far further than can be done on Doctor Who, producing some truly shocking, gut-wrenching, tear-jerking moments across its tightly-plotted five episodes. The main three cast members - John Barrowman, Eve Myles and Gareth David-Lloyd - are all on top form but Peter Capaldi (hey, whatever happened to him?) steals the show as pressured politician John Frobisher, a man who is forced to make difficult choices when placed as the ambassador of the human race. This is simply science fiction drama at its best.     

Bates Motel (Season Two)

While it is by no means needed, a prequel series to Hitchcock's seminal thriller./horror film Psycho that focussed on the teenage years of the crazed cross-dressing killer Norman Bates was something that caught my interest.
The best parts of the series are undoubtedly those that feature Norman and Norma, played rather solidly by Vera Famiga, who are embellished significantly beyond Hitchcock's, literally, 'psycho' characterisation to become three-dimensional people, with good and, in particular, bad points. Particular praise should be given to Freddie Highmore (once the innocent Charlie Bucket from Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) who siphons off several of Anthony Perkins', the original Bates, mannerisms while giving the character his own spin. Inspired by Twin Peaks in its presentation of a suburban town full of secrets, it can be hit-and-miss but this second series improved upon the first, taking Norman further down the dark path. You wouldn't think it to look at him, would you? Why, he wouldn't even hurt a fly... 

You can read more of my televisual ramblings over on Whatculture where I chose 8 TV Finales That Left Major Unanswered Questions.

Doctor Who: Step Back in Time - Series Four

Our look back at the past series of Doctor Who - in time for the Twelfth Doctor himself's début series coming in a few months time - this month materialises on the final full-series of the last Scottish Doctor to play the part (fun fact: there's been three); the series that's never a bore and leaves us wanting more, that's Series Four.

Starring: David Tennant (the Doctor), Catherine Tate (Donna Noble), Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones), Billie Piper (Rose Tyler) with John Barrowman (Captain Jack) and Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith). 

Produced by: Phil Collinson and Susie Liggat

Executive Produced by: Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and Phil Collinson

Best Episodes

The Unicorn and the Wasp by Gareth Roberts
After Series Three's 'The Shakespeare Code', Roberts proves himself as Doctor Who's wittiest and certainly funniest writer with a cracker of a pastiche on Agatha Christie mysteries, starring the queen of detective stories herself. Due to its whimsicality and breezy tone, it's an adventure that might not have the blockbuster factor of other episodes this series but should be equally celebrated none the less.

Turn Left by Russell T Davies
It is rare in Doctor Who that we ever see things get too bad as the Doctor is always on hand to save the day - although, not in 'Turn Left' he's not. One of the show's bleakest ever episodes, 'Turn Left' gives us a skewered version of the Whoniverse wherein every alien invasion goes right, delivering a number of striking scenes, great emotion and Catherine Tate's finest performance as Donna.

Midnight by Russell T Davies
Series Three arguably showcases RTD's greatest work on Doctor Who and that is no better demonstrated than in this chilling stage play of an episode. Bravely taking place largely in just one set, Davies cranks up the claustrophobia with the unseen entity that mimics its prey before possessing them. This is a Doctor Who that isn't afraid to be different and daring and is all the better for it.

 TARDIS Team

To counteract his past two companions who had both harboured romantic feelings for him, the Doctor was now simply after 'a mate' - something he found when remeeting his old acquaintance Donna Noble. 

As with Rose and Martha, Donna's journey aboard the TARDIS is one of maturity and self-discovery as well as one around time and space. Although where they came to appreciate their own worth and skills, Donna is forever racked with a lack of self-confidence which bubbles under her fiery façade. Something which tragically comes to a head when she reaches the 'Journey's End'...

This being the last full series of the RTD era, the series finale has a suitably celebratory feel, bringing together not only Doctor Who with its offspring, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, in the return of Captain Jack and Sarah Jane, but also rounding up all the major characters from the past four years. However, the show still has Donna at its heart, providing the revived series stand-out saddest moment. Previous friends of the Doctor have exited the TARDIS, if not always of their own accord, then with a wealth of wonderful experiences behind them and as better people. The tragedy of Donna's story is that she has her entire time with the Doctor erased, as if it had never happened. Even though he has the biggest family on Earth, the Doctor ends the series alone once again. As he would be until the end of his life. Which was actually, right around the corner.  

Story Arc

Series Four has by far the loosest story arc of these first four series, completing the trend that had begun with Series Two's lighter approach to a linking narrative than Series One. In lieu of shadowy mentions of 'Torchwood' or 'Mr Saxon', we have ominous remarks about the Medusa Cascade, the bees disappearing, 'there is something on your back' and the like which all reference something to come later in the series. However, the recurring motif here is really more of a visual one. Across the series we see, hidden on screens that the Doctor doesn't see, the face of Rose Tyler, the Doctor's tragically lost best friend, screaming out the Time Lord's name. This is kicked off in the series opener when Donna inadvertently speaks to Rose on a street corner and builds to the series' penultimate episode 'The Stolen Earth' where the Doctor and Rose are finally reunited, just in time to face the Daleks yet again. This time, however, returning for the first time since the classic series, they also come head-to-horribly-scared-head-with-a-third-eye with Davros, the original creator of the Daleks, who plots to destroy the whole of reality. Just another day for the Doctor...
With the series basking in and drawing to a close its own mythology that had developed over the past few years, Series Four has a certain valedictory feel, and thankfully goes out with a bang. Ready for a brand-new incarnation of the show. Because the journey never ends...


Next month: Series Five - Doctor Who may have regenerated but it's still got legs...

Doctor Who: Step Back in Time - Series Three

Well, it's that time again!

Time for you to actually post something?

Hey, who said that? No, it's time to take our TARDISes back through the time vortex to a bygone Doctor Who series. In this third instalment of our ongoing series, it's, well, Series Three...

Starring: David Tennant (the Doctor), Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones) and John Barrowman (Captain Jack).

Produced by: Phil Collinson

Executive Produced by: Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner 

Best Episodes

The Shakespeare Code by Gareth Roberts

One of Doctor Who's cleverest and funniest ever adventures, full of tongue-in-cheek references from everything to Shakespearean works to Back to The Future. As with the rest of Roberts' episodes, this is the perfect story to watch if you like your Doctor Who smartly-plotted and chock-a-block with laughs. 

Human Nature/Family of Blood by Paul Cornell

'What if the Doctor was human?' is the simple yet ingenious premise of this emotional pseudo-historical two-parter, the only Who story to be based on a novel. David Tennant gets to play an entirely different character in school teacher John Smith and the Family of Blood themselves are chilling monsters. As polished and accomplished an adventure as any you'll find in fifty years.  

Sound of Drums/The Last of the Time Lords by Russell T Davies

The most all-round entertaining Who finale thus far, with a quasi-political thriller feel, a post-apocalyptic Earth and the greatest villain in all of space and time, John Simm's deliciously demented The Master. While the resolution, featuring a magical messianic Doctor, may be a little hard to swallow it thankfully does not detract from the rest of this corking adventure. 

Read a brief write-up of my thoughts on Series Three's other great episode, Blink, here. 

TARDIS Team

After Billie Piper's Rose Tyler, a character as integral to the success of the show as the two Doctors she starred with and arguably the companion to make the most emotional impact on the Doctor, the series was hard-pressed to find a replacement. Cleverly, they decided to go for the exact opposite of shopgirl Rose in trainee doctor Martha Jones, whom the Doctor first meets while saving the Royal Hope Hospital from the swift justice of the Judoon.
Whereas the Doctor and Rose, for the first time in the series, shared more than just a friendly bond but a romantic attraction, Martha and the Doctor's relationship also breaks new ground by being one of unrequited love, with the lovelorn Doctor oblivious to Martha's feelings. More so than Rose, Martha's arc across the series is one of maturation and self-discovery. By the end of the series, she realises that she no longer needs the Doctor and returns to her everyday life a much stronger woman.
Conversely, the Doctor has perhaps never been so human. Dejected after the loss of Rose, he never seems to recover as he has with other companions, regularly comparing Martha to her predecessor. With Martha's help, however, by the end of the series the Doctor begins to move on...

Story Arc

Following on from the previous series smatterings here and there of the enigmatic organisation 'Torchwood', Series Three tones this down even more with the even-less regular mentions of 'Mr Saxon', a mysterious individual with political power. From 2006 Christmas special, 'The Runaway Bride', Mr Saxon seems to be behind a lot of the nefarious plots that the Doctor foils. Just who is Mr Saxon?
Harold Saxon it turns out is the newly-elected prime minister and, of course, the Doctor's ancient enemy the Master. As the revitalised series had done an excellent job of updating the classic series' biggest foes in the Daleks and the Cybermen it was a no-brainer that the Professor Moriarty to the Doctor's Holmes would be reintroduced. In many ways, the drama of the Doctor's character is never sharper than when pitted against his exact antithesis in the Master. With such an enemy back in the series, and with such a strong batch of stories as those on show here, Doctor Who was really claiming mastery over all television.

P.S. Mister Saxon is an anagram of Master No Six (as Simm is the sixth actor to the play the character). Oh, those fiendish writers.

Next month: Series Four - The Most Important Series in The Whole of Creation...

Doctor Who: Step Back in Time - Series One

With Doctor Who's eighth series starring Peter Capaldi's brand-new incarnation of the Doctor in a few short months, it's time to start a retrospective look at the Doctor Who of years gone by. First up, it's 2005 and the show has been off the air for 16 years. Until one Saturday teatime nine years ago yesterday, Doctor Who returned, triumphant. The rest is history... and the future and occasionally the present.

Starring: Christopher Eccleston (the Doctor), Billie Piper (Rose Tyler), John Barrowman (Captain Jack), Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith) and Camille Coduri (Jackie Tyler). 

Produced by: Phil Collinson

Executive Produced by: Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and Mal Young

Best Episodes

Rose by Russell T Davies

The episode that relaunched Doctor Who for the 21st century serves as a tremendous introduction to all the elements that define the Davies era; the root in the contemporary world, the Doctor's brooding nature and the companion at the heart of the story. A rollocking adventure that promises a whole lot more to come...

Father's Day by Paul Cornell

Although more gung-ho adventures such as 'Dalek' usually get all the attention, 'Father's Day' is an equally terrific episode, and perhaps the first that shows how much the Doctor Who of 2000s is built around its characters. If you like your timey-wimey monster mayhem tinged with touching human drama, this is the Who for you.  

The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances by Steven Moffat
No list of the best of Series One would be complete without this wondrous two-parter. Moffat really shows us what he's made of here with his customary mix of humour, scares and cleverness being sharper than ever. Starring the creepiest 'monster' in years, 'The Empty Child' proved that Doctor Who still had fangs...


TARDIS Team

From the opening credits of 'Rose' we know that the traditional dynamic of Doctor Who has changed. No longer will the companion, though the original run produced many bright and shining ones, be reduced to needing the Doctor to save them or handily asking all the right questions. This show was all about the Doctor and Rose Tyler, his latest time-travelling companion. Though don't tell her there's been others.
Steven Moffat has gone on record saying that the first two series of the revived show 'belonged' to Billie Piper and in many ways it's hard to argue. Though the tortured yet barnstorming Ninth Doctor is undoubtedly our hero (and as much as I love his fellow Time Lords, Christopher Eccleston offers perhaps the most robust performance of any Doctor) Rose is our eyes and ears. We learn about the Doctor as she does. Who he is, his mysterious, war torn past and, by the end, his little 'trick for cheating death'...
Throughout the series, the Doctor and Rose are also joined on their travels by Adam Mitchell, the companion who was kicked out the TARDIS after one episode, and the whole lot more loveable Captain Jack Harkness who has, of course, since gone on to helm his own spin-off series in Torchwood. Mention must also be given to Rose's mother, Jackie, and her ex-boyfriend, Mickey, who serve to anchor the show to the real world. Though one would get his turn in the TARDIS eventually...


Story arc

Doctor Who had properly materialised in the 21st century with this innovation for the series itself but beloved motif of every other contemporary television show; the story arc. The linking narrative of Series One is slight on the ground but rightly so as something more direct would have detracted from the easing-in to the world of Doctor Who that the series aimed for. The message of 'Bad Wolf' littered through space and time is a neat device and one which is still referenced in the show now, think last November's 'The Day of the Doctor.' Paradoxes have since become a fixture of Doctor Who, particularly in Moffat stories, but the 'Bad Wolf' meme (created by a god-like Rose only after seeing the phrase already) proved that the show was fresher and more imaginative than ever. Doctor Who was back. But it wasn't staying still.
Did someone say 'Barcelona'?


 Next month: Series Two... New Doctor, that's weird.

Top Five Fictional Characters With No Name

After fifty years of mystery, it has been promised that this Saturday in the current series finale of Doctor Who, the Doctor's name will be revealed in the aptly-titled 'The Name of the Doctor.' To celebrate the occasion I thought I would draw up a list of other fictional characters that remain nameless (one of whom the Doctor may cease to be come Saturday). It's not so much a definitive list than a few characters from disparate strands of fiction that, I think, use their namelessness effectively. So, please, read on, whatever your name is.


Nobody Owens
Appeared in: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The protagonist of Neil Gaiman's excellent young adult novel The Graveyard Book, Nobody Owens, known as 'Bod', was made an orphan as a baby after a mysterious killer murdered his family. Instead, Bod was raised, naturally, by the resident ghosts of a graveyard he called home, with the novel following his adventures in and out of the cemetery. Technically, Bod may not count for this list as he is given a name by his surrogate spook-relatives but Nobody is only called such as his adopted mother says 'he looks like nobody but himself.' That's hardly a name now, is it?


 Captain Jack Harkness
Appeared in: Doctor Who and Torchwood, played by John Barrowman

If you only know of John Barrowman's flighty adventurer Captain Jack from Doctor Who, you may be a bit surprised by his placement on this list due to the fact that, well, he has a name. However, in his own spin-off series Torchwood, it is revealed that Jack stole the identity of the real Captain Jack Harkness, an American WW2 soldier, back in the days when he was a bad'un. It's a clear attempt to make Jack more like the Doctor and perhaps isn't mined to too large a degree but it does add to the character's enigmatic and very long life (he's immortal, remember).

The Joker
Appeared in: Batman comics and numerous film and TV adaptations

I'm sure you're all familiar with this fellow. Mad as a box of frogs, the Joker is Batman's arch-nemesis. Sometimes a fairly harmless trickster others a psychotic killer, whatever version of the character it is his past is reliably convoluted and unknowable. Apart from in Tim Burton's Batman where Jack Nicholson's Clown Prince of Crime is called, um, Jack, and in Alan Moore's The Killing Joke graphic novel, where his name is ... also Jack. Well, apart from those examples, the Joker is made all the more threatening due to his namelessness as the less we know of his origins and motives, the more we wonder. Which is far more potent; a large reason why he is such an effective and popular character.


Number Six
Appeared in: The Prisoner, played by Patrick MacGoohan

In the superb sixties series, The Prisoner, a man resigns from his (unknown) job returns to his London flat where he is gassed and wakes up in the Village. A surreal, remote town full of brainwashed individuals and run by the face-changing Number Two, he seems to have been brought there so 'they' may find out the reason why indeed he resigned. As each inhabitant of the Village is assigned a number, we never find out our protagonist's name as he, each episode, tries to escape the Village. The importance of Number Six's lack of a name and his constant refusal to back down to the powers behind the Village is summed up in his famous phrase: 'I am not a number, I am a free man!' The series itself I highly recommend; it's truly iconic and has influenced such modern successful series such as Lost and Life on Mars.


The Creature
Appeared in: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and numerous film, TV, literature and theatre adaptations

The greatest nameless character from all of fiction surely has to be Mary Shelley's sorrowful, passionate and volatile creation. We're all familiar with his story: the outcome of an experiment to create life by Victor Frankenstein, the Creature is shunned by his 'father' and forced to fend for himself upon which he learns humanity's best and worst qualities. Played by Benedict Cumberbatch, pictured left, who shared the role with Johnny Lee Miller in the fantastic Danny Boyle stage production, the Creature is defined by his lack of identity; constantly searching for his place in the world rather than being the inhuman monster that the people he encounters take him for. The Creature's story perfectly encapsulates why our names and identity, things we take for granted, are so important to how the world perceives us and how we view ourselves.


Talking of fictional characters.... Before we get too philosophical, this post acts as a forebear for an upcoming small blogathon I'm hosting concerning our Favourite Fictional Characters. If this interests you, have a read about it here.

Torchwood: Did the Miracle continue?

Apologies for that rather laboured title but as you've probably guessed it's time for another Torchwood post! Over the intervening weeks since my last update on the show's fourth run, the series has developed...well, that's sort of the problem; I'm not sure it has. As I find with those American series which go on for several episodes, it just sort of keeps going. The main characters are still likeable (although the writers have a tendency of sidelining Jack) with Oswald remaining the most intriguing. Exactly how does he fit into the Miracle?
I'm just off to watch the final episode; 'The Blood Line', and I'll report back here ASAP. As the Miracle now has Jack at the centre of it I'll see if he survives. Good luck, soldier!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Well, all I can say is: bravo! I was so worried the series would just limp out but the finale was fantastic. Excitement, emotional pull and unexpected twists, this so comes close to Children of Earth: Day Five on the Satisfying Conclusion Scale. Well done, Miracle Day, I pray their will be another one on soon.

Miracle Day - Dead or Alive?

A few weeks ago the fourth series of Torchwood, entitled Miracle Day, premiered to the world and -a first for a Doctor Who related programme - was broadcast first in the US. That's right, if you couldn't tell just from watching it, Torchwood is now made in America. But is it actually up to scratch?
Simple answer: Definitely!
Although the production of the show has hoisted itself across the pond, the writing and production team are still largely the same which means we still have the genius of Russel T Davies (the creator of Torchwood and Executive Producer of Doctor Who during Doctors Eccleston and Tennant) guiding the series. Plus, on the acting side our main heroes are still the indomitable Captain Jack and Gwen Cooper.
So let's start with the plot.

The plot revolves around a simple but brilliantly earth-shattering idea: what if no one dies?

Around the world at exactly the same time, everyone stops dying. Hospitals are quickly overflowing with patients, prisons overflowing with convicts who can't be executed (this is America after all) and the biggest population boom in history. Its thought the human race only has four months until it descends into chaos.

It seems only the long-defunct Torchwood Institute can save the world.

The idea is  tremendous one as on the cerebral side, it leads to an exploration of the outcomes of such a 'miracle' on the world, from the social effect of hospital overcrowding to the religious/political; Hindus losing their faith in reincarnation and stopping their was with Pakistan.  Also, it makes for some good old-fashioned gore. Some of the worst-best examples including the woman with a broken neck able to adopt 'The Exorcist' like head turns and a disembodied arm that can still move around but the best is the bomber at the heart of an explosion who, despite just being a skeleton with a detached skull, is still conscious! Blurgh!

Gradually through the series (or the three episodes we have seen already) we learn that the FBI know something about the origin of the miracle and that its is inextricably linked to international pharmaceutical company, Phicorps. Could they be trying to make a bomb on prescription drugs?

It's a big, huge idea which is also very, very silly. Perfect for Torchwood.

But it's not only the plot that's great, the cast are also fantastic. John Barrowman and Eve Myles are on top form as Jack and Gwen while Alexa Havins and Mekhi Pfifer also shine as CIA- turned- Torchwood- members Esther and Rex.

Still attired in his great blue trench coat (earning him the nickname 'World War Two' from Rex), Captain Jack is now back on Earth after leaving it after the sad death of his lover, Ianto, in the last series of Torchwood.

At the moment of the last recorded death, the CIA get a sudden alert of Torchwood on their screens and it is this that leads Jack to forcibly unearth the dead organisation.

The writers and Barrowman have obviously sought to mature Jack a bit this series as he makes some very Doctorish speeches at times. Then again, it wouldn't be Jack if he gave up the flirting. And he still gets up to plenty of his favourite hobby this series.

Ever since the cataclysmic events of 'Children of Earth' that closed down Torchwood seemingly for good, Gwen, her husband, Rhys, and her baby girl, Anwen, moved from Cardiff to a reclusive cottage by the sea, desperate to get away from the dangers of Gwen's job.
However, when the whole of the world stops dying, the CIA's Rex Matheson knows this is business for Torchwood and so forces Gwen to once again take up the mantle of world-hero.
Just like Jack, the Gwen of this series has also matured. Still feisty, brave and bolshy, Gwen no has a baby to take care of and so her every thought is for her baby's safety who is back in Wales under Rhys' care.



  

CIA agent Rex Matheson is on the phone to his assistant, Esther, while driving when - CRASH - a pole goes through his chest. But he's picked a good day to get injured. With a constant pain in his chest - he should be dead after all, Rex is a very reluctant Torchwood member, only becoming one after his own bosses conspire against him.
Personally, it took me a while to warm to Rex - not at all the fault of Mekhi Pfifer - but because the character is a bit unlikeable in the first two episodes: hoisting Gwen from her family in Wales all the way to New York and his general disagreeable attitude. However, once Rex becomes an outlaw like the others he mellows slightly. His sparring with Jack for leadership echoes that of Owen way back in Series One and the confusion between him and Gwen over Welshisms/ Americanisms add a bit of light to the more serious scenes.

Now, Esther I liked straight away. Dr Who companion-like in her resoluteness over discovering Torchwood (similar to Gwen in Series One), Esther is an ordinary woman, a not-very-important - but very bright -analyst for the CIA, who becomes embroiled in Torchwood's mad world not through much choice of her own. Something of a tech expert, it is also easy to see how she's useful to the team. Here's hoping she stays!

But enough about the heroes, every good show needs a villain. Miracle Day's got two thoroughly nasty pieces of work. Let's meet them.

Oswald Danes, a convicted child killer, is taken for lethal injection. But as the wardens watch, he survives. Just as everyone else does. Let out on a legal technicality, Danes becomes a celebrity, appearing on talk shows sharing his story, and with the world in such a sorry state some treat him as a messianic figure; including the Soulless, a religious sect who believe that the Miracle has robbed humanity of their souls.
Bill Pullman is terrific - and terrifying - in the role which makes his character's adoration all the more wrong.

Jilly Kitzinger is a ruthless PR Guru who will stop at nothing for power. Lauren Ambrose plays the part with relish as Jilly worms her way in through false niceties when only the audience knows her true intentions.

So, to conclude, three episodes in and Miracle Day is very alive and kicking - much like the whole of the world in fact.

Torchwood is ready...

As I'm a little bit obsessed with Torchwood at the moment, I thought I'd do another mini-guide, akin to my recent 'Being Human' one, on Doctor Who's rebellious older brother spin-off show...

Starring John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Burn Gorman, Naoko Mori and Gareth David-Lloyd

	"Torchwood - 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 Torchwood is ready..."

                                                                                Captain Jack Harkness

What is Torchwood?

After her terrifying experience with the Werewolf in the Scottish Highlands, Queen Victoria set up the Torchwood Institute, named after the house at which the event took place, to counter alien threats to the British Empire. Specifically, that eternal wanderer, the Doctor, who brings destruction in his wake.

Three Torchwood bases were set up: Torchwood One in London, Torchwood Two somewhere in Scotland and Torchwood Three in Cardiff, Wales. The last of these is this series' setting.

Situated above a rift in time and space, Torchwood Three is tasked with dealing with the alien creatures and technology which comes through the rift from anywhere in the universe to Cardiff.

After the Battle of Canary Wharf between the Daleks and the Cybermen (in Doctor Who: Army of Ghosts/ Doomsday) wiped out Torchwood Three became head office and reformed the Torchwood institute. Guided by a heroic captain...

The Characters

Captain Jack Harkness is dashing and charismatic leader of Torchwood. Made immortal by the Bad Wolf (the Doctors companion, Rose, consumed by the Time Vortex), Jack can never die. Which is sort of useful in his line of work.

Jack has worked for Torchwood for over a hundred years once he had arrived on earth to find the Doctor. He rose in position over the years before becoming head in the 2000s. He built his team from the best people he could find and together they have saved the world so many times, even at terrible costs.

For a more information on Captain Jack click here.

Gwen Cooper, a former police officer, is Jack's second in command. She joined Torchwood more by her own will than any former recruitment after she witnessed Torchwood investigating a murder and pursued them to their Hub. With brave, caring and gutsy nature, Gwen will stop at nothing to do what is right.

For more information on Gwen see here.

The dependable Ianto Jones is the man who keeps the team running. No one knows more about Torchwood than Ianto.

A survivor of the Battle of Canary Wharf, Ianto's first role in Torchwood Three was as little more than a butler but he soon took a more active role in the team. Eventually, he would enter into a relationship with Jack until his untimely demise at the hands of the monstrous 456.

For more information on Ianto see here.

Dr Owen Harper was Torchwood Three's medic upon his recruitment after the death of his fiancee at the hands of an alien parasite. Abrasive, regularly rude and highly flirtatious, Owen was sometimes a difficult man to work with but his hard personality covered a deeply caring soul.

After he was killed saving Martha Jones from a gun shot, Jack brought Owen back to life with the Resurrection Gauntlet, a mysterious piece of alien tech. However, he was only half-alive as he had no heart beat or blood flow until he suffered a final death in a radiation plant during a meltdown.

For more information on Owen click here.

Toshiko Sato was Torchwood Three's tech expert and all-round genius. Never comfortable with her emotions, Tosh had a long-running love for Owen which he never reciprocated and she was repeatedly heart-broken when he would have affairs with other female team members (e.g. Gwen) but never herself.
She died after being shot by Jack's vengeful brother Gray and her final moments were spent speaking to Owen as they faced death together.

 For more information on Tosh click here.


And finally, for anyone who was interested by this concise guide to Torchwood and wants to catch the show on television or if you're already a Torchwood fan (or 'Woodie' as John Barrowman calls 'em), Torchwood: Miracle Day, the fourth series, airs this July. See you there!