What would you do for Torchwood: Series 5?

AbominationAbomination Posts: 6,483
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Inspired by another thread, I've had a sudden spike of interest in Torchwood again...it's been a while after all. :)

So here's the pitch;
The Beeb are wanting a fifth series of Torchwood which will go out in Spring 2014 and want you to come up with an idea for the series. If it were in your hands, what would you do with it (don't say 'axe' :p )

The main things to consider are...
- Who is your leading cast? John Barrowman and Eve Myles? Will they be joined by a new team or will they go solo again? Any returning Torchwood characters?
- Back on British soil, or another American series? Or perhaps an all new direction?
- How many episodes and what format will you take - standalone storylines or an overarching storyline?
- Any story ideas? Which writers would you like to get writing for your series? :)


The only conditions are...
- All previous series of Torchwood are considered to be canon (yes, that includes Miracle Day, no matter how much you might not like it :p ). If you can, make reference to the unexplained "Plan B" mentioned at the end of Miracle Day - be it a passing reference or the focus of your story arc. If necessary, explain away the absence of characters from Miracle Day should you choose to not include them.
- You must, at your best if necessary comply with the continuity of Doctor Who which will have recently seen the exit of Matt Smith, but has not yet properly welcomed his successor.
- You may not include a Doctor crossover, or a crossover with his current travelling companion. Nor may crucial or recurring aliens from Doctor Who become the focal point of your idea. The Doctor himself, as well as the TARDIS and all the aliens will be limited to passing mentions. Of course, feel free to resurrect an obscure alien or character from Doctor Who's past if you want to.
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Comments

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 120
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    Nowt.
  • tiggerpoohtiggerpooh Posts: 4,182
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    cylob49 wrote: »
    Nowt.

    Don't be silly. That's not being fair now, is it? Tut! Tut!

    The least you can do is come up with a sensible answer, instead of wasting your time by only saying one word.

    If you cannot give a sensible answer, then go away and leave DS alone! :mad:
  • tiggerpoohtiggerpooh Posts: 4,182
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    I'd have TW back in Cardiff. I'd have Jack mention to Gwen that Toshiko has got a sister, and that she wants to join. I'd also have Martha Jones and Mickey Smith join as well.

    The hub would be refurbished and looking new again, too.

    I'd have Matt Smith in this too. Well, certainly the first episode, so that Jack has the chance to see the 11th Doctor visisting TW in Cardiff, just before going off someone and regenerating.

    Also, Rex from TW:MD would be back too, working for Jack and Gwen. Gwen's husband Rhys would feature a lot too.

    That's about all I can think of for now. Sounds good, huh? :cool:
  • JohnnyForgetJohnnyForget Posts: 24,061
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    Pull the plug on it.
  • Dr. LinusDr. Linus Posts: 6,445
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    I honestly think the only possible way back would be to have some sort of reset button and carry on just after COE. I admire your passion, OP, but I really do think Miracle Day killed the show utterly and completely.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 611
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    One of the things that always disappointed me about Torchwood was that there was never any actual villain. Yes, there were monsters of the week, but no recurring threat that acted as Torchwood's primary antagonist. The closest we got to the was Suzie.

    One of the things I liked about Miracle Day was that The Family seemed as though they could fill this slot. The last time we saw them, there was mention of a Plan B, so I think this could be something good.

    However, I think if they continue to be the primary villains, I think we should get someone to associate with them, someone we can label as the clear villain, as opposed to random members like before.
  • ryanellisryanellis Posts: 183
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    Torchwood: Series 5 would be 10 episodes split into two 5-episode arcs.

    Starring:
    John Barrowman
    Eve Myles
    Kai Owen
    Mekhi Phifer
    Noel Clarke
    Freema Agyeman

    Torchwood: Resurrection
    Torchwood is rebuilt in Cardiff. These five episodes are a collection of "monster of the week" stories but all with connections, a soft arc linking them. Leading to a cliffhanger of...

    Torchwood: Extinction
    An alien contagion spreads across the Earth with only 24 hours from contraction to death. And Torchwood are back on the run after being framed of treason and having their hub taken over by UNIT...

    Something like that. I might elaborate later!
  • YosheeYoshee Posts: 407
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    Dr. Linus wrote: »
    I honestly think the only possible way back would be to have some sort of reset button and carry on just after COE. I admire your passion, OP, but I really do think Miracle Day killed the show utterly and completely.

    This, to be quite honest. I have no problem with it as a standalone series - judged that way, it's not as bad as most people say, even with all the dragging out and the plot points that went nowhere. But as part of the overall series, it just doesn't fit if you ask me. Torchwood is still supposed to be part of the Whoniverse, but Miracle Day just doesn't fit in at all. Plus it seemed to rewrite bits of the show like Jack's immortality, which now apparently has something to do with his blood and makes no sense whatsoever...

    I think this post sums it up really:
    lordo350 wrote: »
    It all slotted in nicely up until Miracle Day. Children of Earth takes place over 5 days, and one of its main themes was the realization the Doctor is not always around to save the day. So many times in COE you can't help wishing he's going to show up at the last minute. But, he doesn't, and things go from bad, to worse, to worse still. And, having Jack appear in the End of Time getting drunk in a bar somewhere in space followed on nicely from COE's ending.

    Miracle Day, basically, botched all that up. It takes place over several months, is a massive world wide event that would have shaken it to the core, and not a single mention is made in DW. The very slim argument as to the Doctor's absence is that, while Miracle Day is going on, he's looking for River and ignoring all his calls. But, come on. He's ignoring Amy's calls because he feels guilty. There's no way in hell he'd ignore a call for help from Martha, or Sarah-Jane, both of whom, presumably, experienced Miracle Day as well. And all it took to get him back to Earth was a crop circle. Try nobody being able to die, Doctor. That not serious enough for you?

    Tbh, it's very hard to slot Miracle Day into DW canon, and I'm not entirely sure we are supposed to, at least until the day comes Jack appears in DW again. In which case, don't be surprised if none of the events of Miracle Day are referenced. Tbh, Miracle Day was pretty crap, so I can quite easily pretend it never happened.

    ---

    So if I were to write or create another series of Torchwood, it would be another "Series 4" and would retcon Miracle Day from the series to be honest. It can be a standalone series in a parallel world where the Doctor doesn't exist or something...

    As tiggerpooh suggested, I'd have Torchwood be back in Cardiff, the original base would be rebuilt and the set designers could have a field day making it look new and as cool or cooler than the first base. Jack and Gwen would return. I would also add Martha to the series. Mickey could make a few cameos, but to me he just wouldn't really fit in Torchwood. :/ Rhys would be heavily involved in the series like in Children of Earth and Miracle Day too. Ooh, maybe Alonso could be part of the team too, since Jack met up with him wherever he was in The End of Time. It'd be cool to have a human-looking-but-not-human character, as Alonso is from Sto, so that could be interesting. A new character would also be introduced.

    So Jack, Gwen, Martha, Alonso, new character, and Rhys (even if he's still not "officially" a part of the team)? That could work... :)

    As for series structure, an overarching storyline like Children of Earth would be great, but I would like another full series similar to series 2, so I'd probably go with that. There should be some two or even three part stories though.

    That's what I've got for now...
  • AbominationAbomination Posts: 6,483
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    Personally, I'd have created what would essentially have been a spin-off/prequel to the contemporary Torchwood.

    As someone else already said, Miracle Day largely killed off a lot of support and enthusiasm for the main series. I'm sure someone here could come up with something truly amazing for a successor series, and I hope to hear it, but if it were me I'd have gone for something a bit different.

    Victorian Torchwood based in Cardiff, so Torchwood Three, perhaps even using that as the title of the series rather than just 'Torchwood'. (Alternately, a Torchwood Two...based on the missing institute from Glasgow which Jack said would "turn up someday"...would be up the Beeb's street, what with them trying to utilise Scotland more these days for their output).
    Drawing inspiration from particular scenes in Torchwood gone by, and more recently from the Paternoster Gang in Doctor Who...I would love a fully fledged period-drama sci-fi. Spanning ten episodes, we start afresh with a new team in Cardiff during the Victorian era. The episodes are standalone in nature, but build towards a wider arc. It doesn't take itself as seriously as CoE or MD, but isn't as ridiculous as the sex alien stuff either.

    Essentially, it's alien crime in a 19th Century setting. Extra-terrestrial encounters in a Dickensian England. With a steampunk edge, the series would compliment the continuity of Doctor Who but would not star The Doctor, his companions or his most infamous foes. At a stretch, John Barrowman could perhaps turn up as Captain Jack Harkness on special occasions if the demand was there for it - we know he existed within that timeline. Maybe even Gwyneth could appear once or twice, pre-Gelth of course :)
  • YosheeYoshee Posts: 407
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    Personally, I'd have created what would essentially have been a spin-off/prequel to the contemporary Torchwood.

    As someone else already said, Miracle Day largely killed off a lot of support and enthusiasm for the main series. I'm sure someone here could come up with something truly amazing for a successor series, and I hope to hear it, but if it were me I'd have gone for something a bit different.

    Victorian Torchwood based in Cardiff, so Torchwood Three, perhaps even using that as the title of the series rather than just 'Torchwood'. (Alternately, a Torchwood Two...based on the missing institute from Glasgow which Jack said would "turn up someday"...would be up the Beeb's street, what with them trying to utilise Scotland more these days for their output).
    Drawing inspiration from particular scenes in Torchwood gone by, and more recently from the Paternoster Gang in Doctor Who...I would love a fully fledged period-drama sci-fi. Spanning ten episodes, we start afresh with a new team in Cardiff during the Victorian era. The episodes are standalone in nature, but build towards a wider arc. It doesn't take itself as seriously as CoE or MD, but isn't as ridiculous as the sex alien stuff either.

    Essentially, it's alien crime in a 19th Century setting. Extra-terrestrial encounters in a Dickensian England. With a steampunk edge, the series would compliment the continuity of Doctor Who but would not star The Doctor, his companions or his most infamous foes. At a stretch, John Barrowman could perhaps turn up as Captain Jack Harkness on special occasions if the demand was there for it - we know he existed within that timeline. Maybe even Gwyneth could appear once or twice, pre-Gelth of course :)

    Ooh, that's a really good idea actually. I would include Jack as part of the series though, as he was part of Torchwood then too, and it would be interesting to see him before the 21st century "when everything changes". I would also like the idea of an appearance by the Paternoster gang too... not every episode, but the occasional appearance and role in an episode or two would be great. We could see some of what they do when the Doctor isn't there, and they could team up with Victorian Torchwood. :D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 400
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    I wouldn't care what they did or who they brought back - I wouldn't even care if it wasn't classed as canon any more - just never ever ever ever let America take the tiniest bit of control over it.

    For anyone who ever says 'Oh, I don't know, Doctor Who might be good being American' someone needs to hand them Torchwood: Miracle Day and give them a moment to think about what they just said.

    Torchwood would have to relocate back to Cardiff, forget they ever went to America and pretend Miracle Day was just a crazy dream, whilst bringing in some likeable characters and new story lines and the Torchwood Hub.
  • rioniarionia Posts: 1,657
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    Victorian Torchwood based in Cardiff, so Torchwood Three, perhaps even using that as the title of the series rather than just 'Torchwood'. (Alternately, a Torchwood Two...based on the missing institute from Glasgow which Jack said would "turn up someday"...would be up the Beeb's street, what with them trying to utilise Scotland more these days for their output).

    It was Torchwood 4 that went missing
  • CD93CD93 Posts: 13,939
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    Either back to the original format or a shorter COE style series.

    Establishment of a new team around Jack & Gwen - with the Torchwood Institute resurrected. No running from the Government / military.

    Or, something entirely different - a prequel or a revamp in a new setting and/or time period.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 666
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    I think if Torchwood were to come back it would need a stronger Doctor Who connection. Miracle Day, to me, separated itself from the 'Whoniverse', I was going to say that it may be due to RTD leaving Who but The Sarah Jane Adventures still worked!
    The Victorian Torchwood would be a great idea, they could have Vastra, Jenny and Strax as a way of enticing people to watch like they did initially with Captain Jack. Now that UNIT has had its little revamp within the show I don't think 21st century Torchwood would work as well, it's not really needed, especially if the rift in Cardiff isn't even there/active/whatever anymore... I don't really know what to do about Gwen. Her story needs some form of closure! Oh, just bring her into Doctor Who again as a special guest, I don't know :sleep:
    Anyway...
    - Cast: Jack, Vastra, Jenny and Strax as recurring characters, the main cast should be new!
    - British soil, rifty Victorian Cardiff.
    - I liked both the mini-series and monster of the week. Let's alternate each year :p
    - RTD and Chris Chibnall seem to be the main Torchwood writers (well, according to Wikipedia) so bring 'em back too!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 88
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    Why bring it back when you can watch Fringe. Exactly what Torchwood should have been. It balances the horror with a lot of comedy. It is grounded in US recent history too.

    Doctor Who works for us because it is very British and has all that Jules Verne exploring stuff (it seems to falter when it isn't doing that). It also has shades of Empire stitched into it's fabric.

    Blakes 7 only worked because it was not simply a Star Trek clone, it is almost the exact opposite. We are following the bad guys who are being oppressed by the dudes from Star Trek (sorta!).

    We are dystopian, our best writers are dystopian. Space 1999 is another example. 70s misery with flares!

    Doctor Who, Blakes 7 and Space 1999 are soap, costume drama and lots of running. We seem to like that.

    Torchwood has actually been done in the US more times than I can count. Why would they want it? Why would we want it? It certainly had it's moments and I appreciate what it was trying to do but it is too dark and the comedy camp rather than cutting.

    We're doing some good detective and spy stories just now, we could copy one of them into a sci-fi context for better results I think.

    I would rather find out more about the time agents. I'd like to see something akin to Farscape with puppet aliens and a set up similar to The Guardians in the Green Lantern stories: representatives of all races and cultures brought to a place to work as protectors in a flawed society that is doomed to fail. Doomed because it feels that way in Who and Torchwood and because it is rarely mentioned so must be small plus if we know it is doomed from the start it creates an interesting plot device for ending the show when the money runs out.
  • Gill PGill P Posts: 21,569
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    Pull the plug on it.

    The OP did ask you not to say "axe"! :eek:
  • Gill PGill P Posts: 21,569
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    I would like a prequel of some sort with Ianto still alive! The Victorian idea is good too.
  • andy1231andy1231 Posts: 5,100
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    Def back in Cardiff with Jack, Gwen, Micky and Martha plus a new team member. We can surely forget about Miracle Day because The Doctor reset the universe to a time before that happened didn't he ?
  • FacepalmerFacepalmer Posts: 435
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    Base it in the 'real world' setting of CoE but I'd throw a little bit of time-travel in. Or just try to incorporate the successful elements from each series.

    A perfect cube is found during an archeological dig. Obviously doesn't belong there, alien in origin. (Due to the big bang partial reset in Who, aliens are more of a mystery to the general public again.)
    The only alien artifact experts left are the remaining Torchwood members so the team needs to be put back together. Via history. The cube is slowly growing in size and gives off some sort of energy. This provides the ultimate clean energy to power a new Hub and makes Jacks vortex manipulator spring back to life, giving an opportunity to go back in time to retrieve the dead team members Tosh and Ianto, just after the point of their deaths and Owen, just before the explosion. History still sees them as dead so no paradox to worry about. The deceased members are then revived by new member Strax, who has been collected from Victorian London along with Jenny and Mme Vastra. I'd also throw in a future member that Jack has collected after knowing them from his time in the Agency who obviously knows more than he lets on. Could be a mysterious man/woman or someone we've met like Cpt John Hart.
    There's the new Torchwood team. Jack, Gwen, Tosh, Ianto, Vastra, Jenny, Strax and Hart. All outside of their time and 'dead' to the universe.
    I'd keep Miracle Day members down to cameos, e.g. Rex is now head of Torchwood US and appears via screen to offer any help. 'The Blessing' is referred to as being caused by the vacuum left after The Doctor destroyed The Racnoss ship that was the Earths core. The responsibility for that whole series then is laid at the door of the Doctor for destroying them in his anger and with Torchwood who dug that tunnel in the first place.

    The growing energy cube would be the linking arc for the series which would be primarily a 'threat of the week' like the early series' but with the political and emotional realism of CoE surrounding various governments and companies (including the Three Families from MD and referred to as Plan B by them) attempts to gain ownership of the cube/Plan B for the free energy given off by it. By the end of the series the cube is about the height of the average person and using alien tech gained along the way, they identify that the energy is actually screams of pain from the cube.
    The cube origins are traced to the headless monks and in the finale the cube is opened. It is the Face of Bo/Cpt Jack Harkness.

    How's that for a slice of fried gold?
  • ShevkShevk Posts: 1,134
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    Something in the same vein as Exodus Code.
    Gill P wrote: »
    with Ianto still alive!.

    :yawn::yawn::yawn::yawn::yawn::yawn::yawn::yawn::yawn:
  • TheSilentFezTheSilentFez Posts: 11,103
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    To be honest, I'm not dying to see it return. When it started I was only 10 or 11 so wasn't allowed to watch it. Since then I've watched most of series 2 which was all right, CoE which was pretty good (albeit disturbing) and Miracle Day which was too drawn out, pointless and boring.
    So at the end of the day, I've never really been much of a Torchwood fan and I don't particularly care if it never returns.
    If the BBC did decide to resurrect the show, I'd actually prefer it if they gave Doctor Who the money instead so we can bring back the stability the show desperately needs (although I'm fairly certain television doesn't work this way...)
  • VIP101VIP101 Posts: 1,587
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    From Torchwood series 5 I would like in the opening for Hack to wake up and discover that Miracle Day was all a dream!
  • AdelaideGirlAdelaideGirl Posts: 3,498
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    Retcon Miracle Day - great idea but just not realised and we have Amy's crack reboot to allow it to never have happened.

    Ianto stays dead - I didn't like it but one of the best things about Torchwood is that the staff actually die, there is real danger. (Warehouse 13 I'm looking at you- one permanent main character death in 4 seasons!)

    Bring back Jack occasionally. Not sure about Gwen and Owen - if they came back they'd only end up dead. Go back to Cardiff or Edinburgh somewhere nothing normally happens. Keep it dark and sexy all the things Doctor Who can't do.
  • Shawn_LunnShawn_Lunn Posts: 9,353
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    Regulars: Jack, Gwen, Rhys, Andy, Martha, Mickey and a new female character.

    I'd resolve all the Miracle Day plotlines - reverse Rex's immortality, send him back to the CIA and nuke The Families.

    Then literally bring back the series to Cardiff, back in a newly refurbished Hub.

    Have a villain in a similar manner to Billis, connected to Jack's past but format wise, back to the Series 1 & 2 format for 10 episodes a week.

    Some Doctor Who references here and there and obviously more details on Jack's past.

    Show Jack's relationships with other characters as much as the focus on his relationship with Gwen.

    And inject some fun into the mixture. COE and MD were too grim for their own good.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 400
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    Personally, I'd have created what would essentially have been a spin-off/prequel to the contemporary Torchwood.

    As someone else already said, Miracle Day largely killed off a lot of support and enthusiasm for the main series. I'm sure someone here could come up with something truly amazing for a successor series, and I hope to hear it, but if it were me I'd have gone for something a bit different.

    Victorian Torchwood based in Cardiff, so Torchwood Three, perhaps even using that as the title of the series rather than just 'Torchwood'. (Alternately, a Torchwood Two...based on the missing institute from Glasgow which Jack said would "turn up someday"...would be up the Beeb's street, what with them trying to utilise Scotland more these days for their output).

    Torchwood One was London.
    Torchwood Two was Scotland, which Jack said was run by a crazy man who he hasn't talked too much.
    Torchwood Four was 'missing' but he was sure it would turn up one day.

    Personally, I'd love Torchwood Four to be located in Northern Ireland (we have one in London, Cardiff and Scotland, it's the only park of the UK) missing. Maybe it went missing for a short while through the Troubles, something like that. It would be really interesting for it to come back with a completely different spin and cast, and maybe make them join forces with Torchwood Three.

    Alternatively, make all three remaining Torchwood's join up - Torchwood: United. :p
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