Planet Gallifrey: miracleday

Saturday, August 20

Torchwood - Episode 8 trailer

It looks good!

Friday, August 19

Pick of the Podcasts

Following last night's Torchwood extravaganza, here are some recent fan podcasts that we recommend you listen to...

'Miracle Day' suffers ratings drop

Torchwood has experienced its biggest drop in viewing figures this series, with only 3.4 million people tuning in to The Middle Men last night. Channel 5's revival of Big Brother seemingly stole the audience share with 5.1 million viewers.



Watch: Episode 7's trailer and teaser

Thursday, August 18

Torchwood - Episode 7 Trailer & Previews

The trailer:



Exclusive preview:

Sunday, August 7

Is America good for Torchwood?

Since its premiere in October 2006, Torchwood has been a runaway success. With its initial viewing ratings of 2.5 million and critical acclaim, Torchwood made a giant move to BBC Two, where it provided yet another amazing series (with ratings reaching 4.3 million.) The added success moved the show yet again to its best slot at BBC One - and all in three years.

Alongside a new budget and a tighter storyline, Children Of Earth smashed Torchwood's previous successes with an average of 6 million people tuning into the series. With a new schedule and a new feel, Torchwood was on top of its game, with critics acclaiming it as a "true treasure" and not a "mindless sci-fi action-fest."

But then the came the announcement that Torchwood was moving to America.



Arguably, one of things which made Torchwood so unique and successful was its fixed British-ness. The Welsh surroundings, the locality, the settings and who were affected all remained grounded, becoming a pivotal part of the show and creating a strong connection between the viewer and the story. Even Children of Earth focused strongly on this, despite bringing the whole world into danger.

But has Torchwood's trip to America taken this away? The whole world is affected, again, but we don't see Wales any more. Instead, Miracle Day is littered with shots and scenes which look like haphazard cuttings from various American thrillers. Leaving Gwen as the only real connector between Miracle Day and Torchwood's previous series has made her seem isolated in this new setting, perhaps underlining what many viewers back home also feel.



Even though the ratings are dropping in the UK, they seem to be hesitantly rising in the US. It must be noted that Torchwood is, ironically, alien in America and this new format is their first encounter of it. But this begs the question - is Torchwood trying too hard to get into America's good books? That is a possibility; but Torchwood was picked up by Starz which helped produce it, so the American-ness was inevitable. Further, cracking the American market is gradually becoming easier and more frequent for homegrown UK shows (Sherlock, Doctor Who) so there is more to gain from it.

Let's say Torchwood stuck to the UK and did not budge. It is possible that Russell and his team would have eventually run out of ideas and hopelessly given up. The tight boundaries which Torchwood rigged itself with in the first two series could have led to its downfall. It can also be argued that the next step was to take Torchwood across the Atlantic - after all, it would be awkward to reduce it to its roots after Children of Earth. One reason why Torchwood is being received less enthusiastically in the UK could be due to its drastic change of setting: maybe the British audience wasn't ready for it yet.



So America for Torchwood may not have been a bad idea after all. But with ratings dropping in the UK, Russell and Co might have to think hard about the next series.

What do you think?



Friday, August 5

Viewers escape Torchwood's 'Escape to L.A.'

Viewing figures went below 4 million during yesterday's airing of Torchwood - Miracle Day, a  drop from 4.2 million a week earlier. It did, however, win its timeslot against ITV1's Single Handed (2.7 million) and Sky One's Trollied (1.1 million).

Figures are expected to rise, however, with the iPlayer ratings being counted in the next ten days.

Sunday, July 24

Torchwood at Comic Con! [Updated]

[UPDATED]

Here's the entire thing, thanks to Starz!:


Torchwood SDCC 2011 Panel from treena on Vimeo.





Enjoy!

Thursday, July 21

Torchwood - Episode 3 preview

Wednesday, July 20

Torchwood Round o' News

Spoilers ahead...!


Monday, July 18

Watch: Torchwood - Miracle Day Episode 2

Enjoy!

Friday, July 15

Torchwood - Miracle or Hysterical?

The ratings are in, and the first episode of Miracle Day clocked in 4.4 million viewers in last night's premiere on BBC One. It gained 21% of the audience share, and was the fifth most watched programme of the day.

In Canada, The New World gained a respectable 2 million viewers altogether.




>> Our review

10 Teasers for Miracle Day #2

Spoil yourselves under the cut...




Thursday, July 14

Whovians UK, are you ready for Miracle Day?

Miracle Day airs tonight on BBC One at 9.00pm!



Monday, July 11

Torchwood - Web of Lies #1

Here is the first in a mini web series by Starz to be seen alongside Miracle Day.

Saturday, July 9

The New World - A Review

Spoilers inside...

Watch: Torchwood - Miracle Day Episode 1

Watch it here.


Enjoy!

Coming up on Torchwood - Miracle Day...

Spoilers below...


Wednesday, July 6

Miracle Day clips

Cameron, king of Blogtor Who, has kindly uploaded some clips from the new series of Torchwood.



Spoilers after the cut!


Tuesday, July 5

Torchwood Roundup!

Lots happening on the Torchwood front, so here's a news roundup.