John Barrowman has defended Torchwood saying it's not gonna be a sexy show, but like Britain's version of the X-Files.

Where did the "sexy" tag come from? I thought it had always been mooted as a darker show than DW - but never "sexy"?

I do get nervous however when people start comparing their work to other highly successful pieces. The X-Files was huge and comparisons may not help Torchwood.

Or it could be fabulous of course...

EDIT: Sorry link here

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds28145.html

I think people have jumped on the "post watershed" aspect of the show and likened it to some of RTD's other programmes.

I have to agree with you there. When I read the article I couldn't help but wonder how such a comparison is any better - if anything it's more of a curse. Doctor Who has proven over time to be an infinitely versatile format that has survived 40 years, numerous cast changes, and come back from a 15 year absence stronger than ever before. The X-Files proved rather the opposite getting stale rather quickly and unlike Doctor Who its success ended once the cast started to jump ship. That's not to say I don't see Barrowman's point of view - far from it I think that if Torchwood is to become more than a footnote in a Doctor Who coffee table companion book it has to prove that it has something tangible to offer that its parent show lacks - but if originality is off the menu and all we have to choose from is X-rated Who or Brit X-Files I'd take the former.

In a related note you have to feel a little sorry for the folks behind The 4400 who spent so much time trying to downplay the similarities between their show and The X-Files only to have Paramount stick a quote on the DVD cover claiming it to be "The X-Files for a new generation" a matter made worse by the fact that the offending quote came from the quality publication that is Zoo magazine. What's more that quote did cause confusion - I once served a guy who was under the impression that some strange decision had lead to The X-Files DVDs being remarketed as The 4400 and who couldn't get to grips with the idea that it's a totally different show.

It's for similar reasons I'm sure that Patrick Stewart is strenuously denying any similarity between Doctor Who and The Eleventh Hour - "similarities" drawn by journalists/whoever trying to "pigeon hole" a progamme can be damaging - as comparisons are invitably drawn.

Especially when in the case of The Eleventh Hour there seem to be very few similarities at all. In fact - from the little we know, there may be more similarities between it and Torchwood...

My reservations about Torchwood is that I'd prefer to see other writers/producers make sci-fi. RTD has already got his thumb in a large pie. BBC3 had a good opportunity to try something fresh - instead they've opted to get RTD in his spare moments to derive something unoriginal with gun-up-his-arse boy as lead.

Well RTD is certainly adept at giving a show a new lick of paint, but when it comes to writing sci-fi, he does appear a little out of his depth.

Recall the "sexy" quote being in all the Torchwood descriptions when it was announced. May even have been RTD who said it?

I was just wondering if Patrick Stewart had anything to do with the production/writing of 11th Hour? If so, can we look forward to moments when 'all her clothes fall off and he gets to see everything'...

K

I was going to ask what that was from but I've just remembered - it was Extras, wasn't it?

Yep



K

I believe it was described as being sexy and covering themes that could not be explored in DW by the very same RTD. If you start to put a spin on things, these things can come bite to haunt you or bite JB's bum!

I'm all for doing that!

I think it's a little early to start pigeon holing Torchwood yet. Even RTD (in TCI commentary) said he didn't know what it was going to be like.

Be my guest!

It was RTD who actually did that though with his comments that Torchwood was going to be sexy and going to embrace themes that couldn't be covered in DW as it would be aimed at a different audience. I am looking forward to seeing if JB can carry a series by himself.

I'm really looking forward to Torchwood, mainly because PJ Hammond (creator of the excellent Sapphire and Steel) is one of the writers.

Ditto! Some of the stories that featured in Sapphire and Steel were well written and quite creepy..in particular the one with the photographs.

I'm hoping Hammond will play a major role in creating Torchwood. S&S is pure class.

Hmm - I'd say that someone is backtracking and John Barrowman has got the task of saying so.

Heck - why would he have to 'defend' Torchwood if we haven't even seen an episode yet? Nothing has aired. There simply is nothing to defend.

Think carefully about the words chosen here, people!

RTD has obviously had to tone down the 'sexy' angle - not that I'm bothered either way.

And if you're still not convinced, here is a link to the original article announcing 'Torchwood.'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4349120.stm
Last edited by DenWatts : 14-01-2006 at 23:18

I suspect RTD didn't mean for sexy to be literally translated as meaning lots of sex.

I think that's very sensible! And I didn't know it had been described by anyone as any type of Dr Who! RTD has described it as a cross between The X Files and This Life. JB stressed it had no cross over connection to Dr Who on R&J.

I still can't understand why anyone would have to 'defend' something that hasn't even had the first episode aired yet!

We haven't even seen the first frame - let alone an episode.

What is to defend?

I smell back-tracking.

I agree about why defend, den, but what do you mean about back tracking?

It seems people have possibly read too much into the 'sexy' aspect mentioned by RTD - and now he wants to back away from that.

Why should anyone have to defend a series we haven't even *seen* yet? There aren't even any screencaps or photos of it - let alone any episodes aired that we might make a decision about.

Too little is known about this series for someone to have to 'defend' it before it has even had the first episode aired.

The 'sex aspect' of Torchwood might just mean that Captain Jack might take more attention to girls than the Doctor does.

Ah! I see. Yeah. I don't understand it all about somethinh we haven't seen yet.

I apologise Den if it seemed I was attacking it. I was merely raising the point that it's often unwise to try and compare different programmes. The new show could be far superior to The X Files, but comparisons may mean that certain aspects don't therefore quite fit with a lot of people's preconceptions.

Look at it this way - Torchwood is going to be to Who what Angel was to Buffy. I'm not saying that Torchwood is going to be anything like Angel, but it's going to be a darker spinoff show running at the same time as Who, featuring a character from Who as it's main character. Russell T Davies has stated that Buffy has been an influence on him.