Strangers on a Train

Right, this is being reported left, right and centre - so it's about time we follow suit. Here's the experiences of one Outpost Gallifrey reader, "Unearthly Steve":

"On Monday this week I met Richard Stokes, the producer of 'Torchwood' on a train to Cardiff! This is how it happened

I was sat on the train reading a copy of SFX magazine on the way to Bristol, where I work. It was quite a busy train so I had to sit next to another passenger. About halfway through the journey I glanced over and noticed that the man sat next to me was reading through a pile of yellow papers. As you do, I started to read a few words. I noticed the words 'Jack' and 'Owen' first of all and thought 'oooo- that's a coincidence- Jack and Own are both characters in Torchwood. Then I noticed the words 'Captain' and 'Gwen'. And then it clicked! O my god- This was Torchwood stuff- a schedule for filming I think!.

So I sat there for a further 10 minutes thinking, 'shall I say something to this man'??? In the end I decided that I should say something because otherwise I'd regret not doing so. I was keen not to look too 'fan-boyish'. So I turned to him and said 'Oh, excuse me, are you working on Torchwood there- I couldn't help noticing'. He said yes, and then said he was the producer.

I nearly fainted with shock; of all people to bump into! Anyway, we had a nice chat and he was very kind. I congratulated him on the episodes so far, paying particular compliments to the Helen Raynor episode 'Ghost Machine' and the opening scene of ep1 with the guy being brought back to life. We talked about the differences in tone and content between Torchwood and Doctor Who. We also talked about how good 'The Royal Family' had been on Sunday !

News-wise, he said they hadn't been given a series 2 yet but there were plans being worked on. He said that the BBC would probably make a decision in a few weeks. He said that they were finishing filming this week. He also said that Sarah-Jane was being filmed at the moment. When I mentioned how much I liked the first scene of episode 1 with the murder victim being bought back to life he said that the themes of 'life' and 'death' were running themes throughout the 13 episodes.

He also said the series would get darker as it went on.Anyway- that's about it- But how exciting!!!"

Btw, did I ever tell you about the time I took a taxi and Russell T Davies was sat on the roof...?