Torchwood: Exodus Code coverage

Friday, 21 September 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The writing partnership of John and Carole Barrowman have been out and about this week promoting their new, Torchwood-based novel Exodus Code.

John Barrowman in 'serious Jack' mode on This Morning, ITV1, 17 Sep 2012 John and Carole Barrowman on Steve Wright in the Afternoon, BBC Radio 2, 17 Sep 2012 John and Carole Barrowman on Loose Women, ITV1, 20 Sep 2012

Speaking on ITV1's This Morning on Monday, John said:
I had the idea, and also Carole's a huge sci-fi fan, she loves Torchwood. We went to BBC Books and BBC Worldwide and spoke with Russell (T Davies) and sent him the draft, and I said I'd love to do it. And to be honest with you, nobody knows Jack better than myself and Russell and the rest of the team who helped create us.

A little time has passed, but we do reference the last series, Miracle Day. This is what's going on afterwards. We've written Exodus Code specifically to either be lifted from the book - if it were, that could be the next series, it could be a movie - that's me talking, not anyone from the BBC, but that would be my dream.
On missing Torchwood in general, he said:
Of course I do, Jack changed my life, the fans have changed my life, and this book is dedicated to all the fans, and I've always said, if I'm asked to play Jack again of course I would - I would do it at the drop of a hat, it's an amazing character to play!
This Morning is available to watch in the UK until next Monday on the ITV Player (38:05).


Later, he and his sister featured on BBC Radio 2's Steve Wright in the Afternoon, where he spoke a little more on his motives behind the collaboration:
It's been over a year now since Miracle Day. Again, we haven't been told "no" it's not going to happen ever again, but we haven't been told "yes", and consequently that's why I spoke to Carole and we spoke to the BBC. I wanted to keep Jack alive, and that's why we wrote the book.
Carole spoke about feedback from the show's creator, Russell T Davies:
What was really nice was we had to go through all sorts of levels of approval as you can imagine with the BBC and so on, and Russell had to read it, and one of the nice things was when I got an email off my editor saying that Russell really liked the balance between the personal and the big save the world under the world sci-fi thing, he really liked the way we had captured that balance. That meant more to me than the fact that John liked it!
The interview segment can be listened to via the Steve Wright in the Afternoon site.


Red Carpet News TV caught up with the couple for the book launch at London's Forbidden Planet on the 19th September, and asked John about the potential for more Torchwood on the screen:



The couple appeared on ITV1's Loose Women on Thursday, where John explained the writing process between the two:
The collaboration works in the way that we sit down together and we work through the outline, we work through character-building, we work through the imagination of the whole story; we record it all, Carole spends a lot of time with me, but she does the hard work, I do not write it - she goes away, she does all the writing, she's got the gift of putting the word into form on the page, and I will not take credit for because I cannot do it.
Carole talked about writing for a character that was essentially her brother:
The one thing we did do in this book we really brought back the Jack with the sense of humour and the sexy Jack who's got the swagger and he's a little roguish. For me, the hardest part about writing that was when we were writing some of the sexy scenes and it would be like eurgh!
Loose Women is available to watch in the UK until next Thursday via the ITV Player (16:00).


You can keep track of further appearances etc. via John Barrowman's official website.





FILTER: - Torchwood - Books - John Barrowman

BBC Books: Exodus Code

Thursday, 9 August 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
BBC Books have released details on the next book in their hardback range of novels, the first to feature spin-off series Torchwood; The Exodus Code is written by "Captain Jack" himself John Barrowman with his sister Carole, and is due to be published on 13th September.

Exodus Code
By John and Carole Barrowman
Released 13th September 2012 (pre-order)


From Torchwood star John Barrowman, and Carole Barrowman, an epic thriller that finds Captain Jack and Gwen in a race to save humanity itself...

It starts with a series of unexplained events. Earth tremors across the globe. Women being driven insane by their heightened and scrambled senses. And the world is starting to notice – the number one Twitter trend is #realfemmefatales.

Governments and scientists are bewildered and silent. The world needs Torchwood, but there’s not much of Torchwood left.

Captain Jack has tracked the problem to its source: a village in Peru, where he’s uncovered evidence of alien involvement. In Cardiff, Gwen Cooper has discovered something alien and somehow connected to Jack. If the world is to be restored, she has to warn him – but she’s quickly becoming a victim of the madness too...
 

The story is also due to be released as an audiobook in September.





FILTER: - Merchandise - Torchwood - Books

AudioGo: September Releases

Wednesday, 1 August 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
AudioGo have released details on audio titles in their spoken word range due to be released in September.

The latest adventure for the Eleventh Doctor will be The Empty House, written by Simon Guerrier and read by Raquel Cassidy; meanwhile, Torchwood continues with The Exodus Code written by Captain Jack himself, John Barrowman with his sister Carole. For the classic series, this month's Target novelisation will be The Highlanders read by Anneke Wills, whilst the soundtrack release of Horror of Fang Rock will include linking narration by Louise Jameson. Finally, the complete series of Serpents Quest starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor is to be released as a boxed set.

The Doctor Who adventures will be released on CD from 6th September, and can also be purchased as downloads from AudioGo from 1st September; Torchwood: The Exodus Code will be released in both formats from 13th September.

The Empty House
Written by Simon Guerrier
Read by Raquel Cassidy
Released 6th September 2012 (CD) (pre-order)

An exciting audio exclusive adventure for the 11th Doctor (as played by Matt Smith) and his companions Amy and Rory. When the TARDIS materialises in rural England in the 1920s, the Doctor and his friends discover a crashed spaceship nearby. It’s the beginning of a nightmarish adventure for them.

The story is read by Raquel Cassidy, who played Miranda Cleaves in the TV story The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People, with original sound design.
 
Torchwood: The Exodus Code
Written by John and Carole Barrowman
Reader tbc
Released 6th September 2012 (CD) (pre-order)

A brand new novel written by John Barrowman (Captain Jack in the hit BBC TV series) and Carole E. Barrowman. It starts with a series of unexplained events - earth tremors across the globe and people being driven insane by their heightened and scrambled senses. Then the world starts to notice - the number one Twitter trend is #TheLoco. Governments and scientists are bewildered and silent. The world needs Torchwood, but there's not much of Torchwood left. Captain Jack has tracked the problem to its source: a village in Peru, where he's uncovered evidence of alien involvement. Back in Cardiff, Gwen Cooper has discovered something lurking inside the Torchwood software - something alien and somehow connected to Jack. If the world is to be restored, she has to warn him - but she's quickly becoming a victim of the madness, too!
 
The Highlanders
Written by Gerry Davis
Read by Anneke Wills
Released 6th September 2012 (CD) (pre-order)

An unabridged reading of a classic Doctor Who novelisation, the Second Doctor (as played by Patrick Troughton) and his companions Ben and Polly find that the TARDIS have brought them to Culloden in 1746, during the famous battle between the Scots and the English. There they become embroiled in events and meet a new friend: Jamie McCrimmon.

The story is read by Anneke Wills, who played Polly in the original TV episodes, with original sound design.
 
Horror of Fang Rock
Written by Terrance Dicks
Narrated by Louise Jameson
Released 6th September 2012 (CD) (pre-order)

A narrated full-cast TV soundtrack of a classic 1977 adventure, starring Tom Baker as the Doctor. The TARDIS arrives on Fang Rock, somewhere off the South Coast of England in the early 1900s, just as the lighthouse comes under attack by an unseen force. The Doctor and Leela join the lighthouse keepers in a battle for survival through the night.

Louise Jameson, who played Leela in the TV series, provides linking narration, and recalls her time on Doctor Who in a 20 minute bonus interview. Also included are pdf files of the original TV camera scripts.
 
Serpent Quest - The Complete Series
Written by Paul Magrs
Released 6th September 2012 (CD)

A handsome box set containing five multi-voice adventures for the 4th Doctor, played by Tom Baker, with his companions Mrs Wibbsey and Mike Yates. The guest cast includes Susan Jameson, David Troughton, Richard Franklin, Michael Jayston, Simon Shepherd, Terrence Hardiman, Joanna David, Sophie Ward, Andrew Sachs, and Nerys Hughes. Written by Paul Magrs, with full sound design.
 




FILTER: - Merchandise - Torchwood - Audio - Classic Series

TV Choice Awards Shortlist

Tuesday, 10 July 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
The shortlist for this year's TV Choice Awards has been announced, with Doctor Who making it through to the final cut in the three categories for which it had originally been nominated.

The show is up for Best Family Drama against Glee, Merlin, and Waterloo Road. The Sarah Jane Adventures had been included in the initial round but didn't get enough votes to make the shortlist.

Matt Smith goes head to head with Martin Clunes, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Colin Morgan for Best Actor - a category that had also included Mad Dogs stars John Simm and Marc Warren in the qualifying round - while Karen Gillan will be pitted against Miranda Hart, Jaye Jacobs, and Freya Mavor for Best Actress, with Freema Agyeman, star of Law and Order: UK, falling by the wayside following the first round of voting.

Torchwood: Miracle Day had been nominated for Best Drama Series in the opening round but failed to get any further, although Sherlock, co-created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, is a contender.

Voting in the shortlisted categories is open until midnight on Friday 13th July, with the winners being announced at a ceremony at The Dorchester in London on Monday 10th September.





FILTER: - Steven Moffat - Torchwood - UK - Karen Gillan - Matt Smith - Awards/Nominations - Sarah Jane

Torchwood Update

Friday, 30 March 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Chris Albrecht, CEO of Starz, has re-iterated to Multichannel News that the potential future of Torchwood on the channel rests with its creator, Russell T Davies:
You know, Russell is so busy. Obviously, we're in touch with the BBC all the time. They are our partners on DaVinci's Demons and the Harem project. We told them, we stand by ready for any news, but I think it would be a while before Russell came back to Torchwood.
In terms of the show's principal players, Russell T Davies himself is currently writing new CBBC series Wizards vs Aliens, John Barrowman has a leading role in the pilot for a potential new series Gilded Lilys, Eve Myles is currently appearing in the stage play All New People, Kai Owen has just finished performing in As You Like It, and Mekhi Phifer had also recently finished a stsge stint in Stick Fly.

Wizards vs Aliens:

As mentioned above, Russell T Davies's new series is Wizards vs Aliens, which is about to go into production. The name has recently changed, as Davies explained to Roy Noble on BBC Radio Wales:
Coming up now we’ve got a children’s drama that we’re making out these new Roath Lock Studios called Wizards vs. Aliens. it was called Aliens vs. Wizards until a lawyer stepped in, but there we go. By Easter it will probably be called Chickens vs. Rabbits or something! It’s a great big, fun series for Children’s BBC that will be out in the Autumn.
Speaking to Cultbox, script editor Derek Ritchie described the style of the show:
It's going to be similar to The Sarah Jane Adventures only in the respect of being an adventure show with strong character-driven narratives, and big moral themes. But this is a new universe, and the conflict between science and magic, ray guns and spell books, is already inspiring very different stories from SJA, and giving us a lot of scope in a very, very rich new fictional universe!
The full interview can be read on the Cultbox website.





FILTER: - Torchwood - Russell T Davies

People Roundup

Sunday, 29 January 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Arthur Darvill stars in a new three-part radio dramatisation of Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift. The Radio 4 series, which will feature all four of Gulliver's voyages, starts on Sunday 5th February at 3pm. Also appearing in the adaptation are Matthew Gravelle, Richard Nichols, Claire Cage, and Ewan Bailey.

Eve Myles is returning to the stage in the play All New People, by and co-starring Zach Braff. It will be at the Manchester Opera House from 8th to 11th February, the King's Theatre, Glasgow, from 14th to 18th February, and the Duke of York's Theatre, London, from 22nd February to 28th April. Meanwhile, in an interview with Cultbox, she told of her hopes that Torchwood will be back in some form or another. "Nothing's going to happen in 2012, I know that much for sure. But who knows what will happen in 2013? Maybe a movie, to kinda draw a line under it. We've got such an outstanding loyal fan base. They deserve Torchwood to go ahead with something else to draw a line under it, for the fans to have a bit of closure," she said. Myles's previous stage appearance was some six and a half years ago at the National in Henry IV with Michael Gambon.

John Barrowman is a guest on the final edition of the current series of Channel 4's topical entertainment show Chris Moyles' Quiz Night on Friday 3rd February. It airs at 10.30pm - half an hour after the end of the episode of the BBC One series Hustle in which he also appears, as previously reported by this site.

Sylvester McCoy lends his vocal talents to a new release from The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing; the actor has provided a spoken introduction to the album This May Be The Reason Why The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing Cannot Be Killed by Conventional Weapons, setting the tone for "the parallel Victorian past imagined on the eleven tracks". [Alison Bateman/Work Hard PR]

Nicolas Winding Refn, director of the movie Drive, commented: I would have loved to direct Doctor Who but they didn’t want me — they turned me down last year. Maybe if they revive Blake’s 7 I could do that. I love it. It’s great. That could be fun to update. [Shortlist, 27 Jan 2012]

Russell T Davies (writing the new children's series Aliens vs Wizards) comments on television output for children: "I am passionate about children's television, but it is, as ever, an endangered species, under threat. The most shocking thing I have seen is that, apparently unnoticed, five years ago ITV dropped children's programmes. There is now the complete absence of children's programmes made by ITV on CITV. It is amazing to me, when I contrast it with all those people who were furious about cuts to BBC local radio, and they were immediately reversed. I am also amazed that people don't recognise the talent, genius, of children's writers, for example, Andrew Davenport. The creator behind Teletubbies and In the Night Garden is up there, in my opinion, with Tom Stoppard, Samuel Beckett, but no one puts him there. It's the same with Jacqueline Wilson, whose books have led to the wonderful Tracy Beaker dramas." [Guardian, 28 Jan 2012]

Writer Rob Shearman will be interviewed at the Writers and Readers Week in Wellington, New Zealand on 12th March, which forms part of the International Arts Festival. Organiser Anne Chamberlain said: "He wrote the Dr Who episode that re-introduced the Daleks. So, we're screening that episode and then we're going to have Robert talk. That will draw a completely different audience, I suspect, to the usual Writers and Readers audience." [Stuff, 26 Jan 2012]

Mark Sheppard (Canton, The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon) is due to present the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular in Melbourne, Australia next weekend; speaking on the music, the actor said: "I've been connected with several shows that have had fabulous incidental music as well as score, and it's such an important part of the package as a whole. You watch a show like Doctor Who without music and there's a big difference. And what's amazing is when you isolate the music and hear it performed, it's even grander. It adds another dimension." [Herald Sun, 30 Jan 2012]

A trailer for the new David Tennant film The Decoy Bride has now been released; the film goes on release from 9th March. [IFC Films]





FILTER: - People - Torchwood - Arthur Darvill - Audio - Theatre - David Tennant - Radio - John Barrowman

Miracle Day Premieres On Ztélé

Tuesday, 24 January 2012 - Reported by Harry Ward
Torchwood: Miracle Day premiered on the Canadian French-language channel Ztélé on Monday. The series originally premiered in Canada on SPACE in July 2011.

Premiere dates:
Episode 2: Le transfert - 30 January, 9pm
Episode 3: Phicorp - 6 February, 9pm
Episode 4: Mort, c'est mort - 13 February, 9pm
Episode 5: Les modules - 20 February, 9pm
Episode 6: Les témoins - 27 February, 9pm
Episode 7: Péchés immortels - 5 March, 9pm
Episode 8: Le bout du tunnel - 12 March, 9pm
Episode 9: Le rendez-vous - 19 March, 9pm
Episode 10: La fin du miracle - 26 March, 9pm

You can view the full schedule including repeats at This Week in Doctor Who.

Ztélé are also showing Torchwood: Web of Lies - the animated web series companion to Miracle Day - on their website.




FILTER: - Canada - Torchwood - Miracle Day (Series 4)

Torchwood nominated for GLAAD Award

Thursday, 19 January 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Torchwood: Miracle Day has been nominated in the Outstanding Drama Series category of the 23rd Annual GLAAD Awards. The Starz series is up against Degrassi (TeenNick), Grey's Anatomy (ABC), Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family), Shameless (Showtime).

The GLAAD Media Awards honor outstanding media images of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community that inspire change. The GLAAD Media Awards serve as a benchmark for the media industry and complement GLAAD’s work to bring LGBT images and stories to Americans.

The Awards ceremonies take place at the Marriott Marquis (New York, 24 Mar), the Westin Bonadventure (Los Angeles, 21 Apr), and at the Marriott Marquis (San Francisco, 2 Jun).




FILTER: - Torchwood - Awards/Nominations - Miracle Day (Series 4)

The Wedding of River Song: New Zealand ratings

Saturday, 22 October 2011 - Reported by Adam Kirk
In New Zealand, The Wedding of River Song and Torchwood: Miracle Day, End of the Road (both on Prime) rated 80,490 viewers and 58,320 viewers respectively.

Thanks to Hazz.




FILTER: - Torchwood - Ratings - Series 6/32 - New Zealand - Broadcasting

Closing Time: New Zealand ratings

Sunday, 16 October 2011 - Reported by Adam Kirk

In New Zealand, both Doctor Who and Torchwood: Miracle Day have enjoyed a boost in ratings. Closing Time and Immortal Sins (both on Prime) rated 171,280 viewers and 89,710 viewers respectively. Closing Time was Prime's highest rating program of the week.

Thanks to Hazz.




FILTER: - Torchwood - Ratings - Series 6/32 - New Zealand - Broadcasting