Round two for Torchwood on BBC2
Round two for Torchwood on BBC2
By Mark Wright
Published Tue 12 December 2006 at 14:53
After a successful first series that saw ratings hold up consistently after a record-breaking opening night on BBC3, the BBC has confirmed that Torchwood, the 'adult' spin-off from Doctor Who, has been awarded a second series - to debut next year on BBC2.
"Woo-hoo!" some of you might say. "Oh no!" another group might shout. TV Today will throw a cautiously muted flag wave into the mix. Torchwood is a show that displayed great promise from the off, but, in all honesty, that early promise has not been built on. There have been some flashes of brilliance, but coupled with some highly inept scripting, direction and acting in places, the product has been very uneven. I’d even go as far as to say that the episode Cyberwoman ranks highly amongst the worst 50 minutes of drama I've ever seen.
Sorry…
For the series to fulfil its potential, the characters must mine a strata of sympathy for an audience to latch on to. At the moment, the ensemble is, to a man and woman, cynical, nasty, cruel and self-serving (the characters, that is!) There is no heart, and that's crucial. The series generally amounts to a group of unpleasant characters investigating the activities of even more unpleasant characters, and that’s quiet wearing. And this is supposed to be spin-off from one the most joyous, life-affirming series on British television…
But there’s a wider issue with the recommissioning of Torchwood and its BBC2 premier. There have been reports of a battle to secure the first run rights to this second series between BBC2 and BBC3, and one wouldn't be surprised if BBC1 has been eyeing up Captain Jack to come to BBC1. And I think that's a shame - BBC3 championed this series, bringing big ratings to the multi-channel world for the premier episodes. And now one of the bigger boys in the playground has come along and stolen BBC3's sweets, depriving an important multi-channel outlet of an opportunity to build bigger audiences, much as happened with Little Britain. But then, BBC1 has been beating up on BBC2 for years, mugging the channel for its most successful shows, so perhaps it’s just payback time…
http://www.thestage.co.uk/tvtoday/2006/12/round_two_for_torchwood_1.php
Comments
At December 12, 2006 05:34 PM, Adam Bowie said:
The difference between what's a BBC2 show and BBC3 show is marginal at best. I don't believe for a second that Torchwood would ever have been made were it not for cash coming from BBC2. The same was true of Little Britain. In the end, it's just internal accounting and an attempt to drive digital television.
At least getting Torchwood on BBC2 first, we won't have to endure a garish green "CBBC" logo for the first ten minutes of the show or a "Brand New" logo which only ever highlight how little is actually new on channels that bear them.
But yes, the characters do have to lighten up a bit and become morepersonable.
At December 15, 2006 02:18 AM, Frank said:
Y-a-w-n ....
Yes Mark, we get you're not keen on Torchwood. The audience figures and AI figures suggest you're out of sync with the rest of the audience though. Couldn't disagree more strongly about "Cyberwoman". It was a terrific, exciting 50 minutes. Get over it, eh?
Yes, the show can improve. All shows can. But it's a distinctive, interesting show that's been renewed, which is a strong achievement. (And reiterates that your opinion doesn't reflect the majority, no matter how many times you repeat it). Programmes like this need support and nurturing or all we'll get is "New Street Law". Cut Torchwood some slack.
At December 15, 2006 10:08 AM, David said:
Frank: the very fact you say "the show can improve" means that you're aware it's not that great right now, surely? And please don't confuse popularity with quality - something can be well liked and watched in great numbers, without actually being *good*.
Also, why on earth should any programme be given 'support and nurturing'? (Another echo of your own belief that Torchwood isn't that great?) What's so hard about a TV drama being good at the start, and staying good?
TV is a case of survival of the fittest. Waste too much time and effort nurturing the runts, and you miss too many opportunities to see good, fresh, strong programmes succeed.
At December 15, 2006 12:38 PM, Lisa said:
Congratulations to the team on the renewal - it's well-deserved. Torchwood has been an interesting, exciting and welcome addition to the BBC's drama output and it's nice to see a British science fiction show pitched at adults that isn't entirely devoid of humour (and yes, I include the dire, but also renewed Hyperdrive in that). There is certainly room for improvement, but SF shows in particular seem to take some time to bed in and find a solid identity, and having had a fairly (though progressively less so) scattershot approach to style and tone in the first season, the creative team should hopefully settle into something more consistent. I'll look forward to seeing how the show develops in the coming year.
Cyberwoman was completely bonkers, and I suspect that's why I loved it - it's likely not one that'll stand up to repeated viewing, but it certainly held my attention for a very enjoyable 50 minutes! I've enjoyed the entire series, though - far more so than the most recent series of the parent show, and I may be unusual, but I really like the entire Torchwood cast of characters, finding them far more interesting, personable and less irritating that the Doctor and Rose in their last outings, where smug moralising and clumsy romance seemed to be the order of the day. Give me hard decisions, questionable activities and heavy weaponry in Cardiff any time!
I am sorry to see it leave BBC3, though - they put a lot of work into promoting the show and had an obvious pride in it. There are times when it seems as though the digital channels are just being used as nursery pools by their terrestrial siblings.