A few months ago, it was announced by the BBC that 1970s Dr. Who companions Sarah Jane Smith and K-9 would return to the revived series in 2006. They were the subjects of the only Dr. Who spin-off program ever made — although that program survived for exactly one episode.
Now it seems that their return to the series has created a bit of an eddy in the time-space continuum, as the BBC has just announced another attempt at a spin-off!
Captain Jack to get his own series in new Russell T Davies drama for BBC THREE
Russell T Davies is to write a sci-fi paranoid thriller in a major new drama commission for BBC THREE, it was announced today by Stuart Murphy, Controller of BBC THREE.Torchwood is a 13-part drama series aimed at a post-watershed audience and has an organic link to Doctor Who.
“Torchwood is a British sci-fi paranoid thriller, a cop show with a sense of humour,” says Davies.
“It’s dark, wild and sexy, it’s the X Files meets This Life. It’s a stand-alone series for adult audiences which will have its own unique identity.
“I have just begun working on the scripts with a team of writers and cannot wait to see the results.”
Set in modern-day Cardiff, Torchwood stars John Barrowman as Captain Jack from Doctor Who; it’s in the Christmas special and second series of Doctor Who that the story of Torchwood – a renegade group of investigators – is seeded.
However, no stories will cross over between Torchwood and Doctor Who.
The drama series is produced by BBC Wales and will be transmitted later next year.
“The renegades investigate human and alien crime, as well as alien technology that has fallen to Earth,” says Murphy.
“Torchwood is sinister and psychological – Russell was really keen to play with your head – as well as being very British and modern and real.
“But at the centre of the drama are warm, human relationships and the overcoming of adversity.”
“I’m absolutely thrilled about Torchwood,” says John Barrowman. “It’s going to be a dark, wild and sexy roller-coaster ride.
“Working again with Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and the BBC is like hooking up with family again. I can’t wait to explore Captain Jack even more.”
“Torchwood is a massive coup for BBC THREE, and a major commitment – it’s the biggest drama we’ve ever had on the channel,” adds Murphy.
“It introduces a different tone into our drama, just as Russell’s Casanova earlier this year brought warmth and humour.
“He’s an absolute genius – you look at what he has done with Doctor Who – we said to him, ‘What would you do with a post-watershed sci-fi?’ Its subject and tone is a perfect fit for BBC THREE.”
Wow… I was hoping for more Captain Jack, the unabashedly bisexual — and hot — companion. But his own series? That’s just another reason to fire up the internet and download episodes that no American broadcaster has the foresight to purchase.
