Radio Play Wrap-Up

Well folks, in just a few more hours those lucky people in the UK will be watching the opening credits of Torchwood: Children of Earth's first episode.

But until that time, why not have a discussion of the three most recent radio plays? I have a feeling that any and all coverage from herein on will focus on CoE, but before that let's give the audio dramas a bit of love, hmmm?

So leave a comment or two (or twelve) in this post.

What did you love (or not) about the shows? How did they stack up against Lost Souls waaay back in September? Do you think that CoE will address some of the new canon (especially in regards to Asylum?) Which, if any, do you wish had been made into an actual episode?

And a spoiler-lite refresher:
Asylum: In which it is revealed that Captain Jack's Torchwood eventually becomes firefighters.
Golden Age: Colonialism is most efficient when run with people-power.

The Dead Line: Don't blink answer the phone! Blink Answer the phone, and you're dead.

Thin Dead Line

Right, that's two down - one to go! By now you've no doubt listened to the two brand spanking new Torchwood radio adventures, that have been airing on BBC's Radio 4 station (Wednesday's "Asylum" and yesterday's "Golden Age"). Well, today's there's one final story to round off the series - "The Dead Line" and from the sounds of things, it's a corker!

Don't forget, ahead of Children of Earth next week various media outlets are running stories regarding the series. SFX Magazine, for example, have published a lengthy interview with the show's creator, Russell T Davies (who, as ever, positively shines during it). Digitalpy have also been previewing the series, and here's just one example of their coverage.

The DVD and Blu-Ray release of CoE has been pushed forward a couple of weeks, to July 13th - meaning that there's an ever so slight chance some fans who have pre-ordered the release will get the boxset ahead of transmission for Friday's finale (depending on when the discs are shipped - there may well be an embargo for even shipping releases until, say, Thursday afternoon).

The Blu-Ray release of series 2 has also hit UK stores, and those across Europe.

More developments surrounding CoE over the weekend, and across next week.

(You can read a 'making of' for the three audio adventures here - thanks to reader J. M. Ferretti)

Takin' Over the Asylum

Right now, at the very second I'm writing this, the first of three new Torchwood radio adventures is about to go out to listeners in the UK. It's called "Asylum" and it's by award winning playwright Anita Sullivan, and stars John, Eve and Gareth - reuniting them with Tom Price as the returning PC Andy Davidson.

The official synopsis:

When PC Andy arrests a teenager for shoplifting, he thinks it is going to be a routine case. Then he sees the weapon she is carrying and decides to call in the Torchwood team. Under questioning from Gwen, the girl remembers her name but little else, and when she speaks it is in a strange mix of English and Scandinavian, but with a Cardiff accent. Then the girl's blood tests come through and the team is faced with a dilemma.

I'm hearing a little time travel is involved...

You can download the episode over the next 7 days on BBC's iPlayer service, and after that it'll be available through iTunes and on CD release sometime over the next few months.

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Don't forget that the latest issue of Torchwood: The Official Magazine is out now - with previews of Children of Earth, as well as interviews with the cast and crew, and various pieces of original fiction. You can pick it up from all good newsagents, priced £4.99.

T Minus 7 Days!

It's only a week to go now until Torchwood: Children of Earth debuts on British television - and the good news for Australian fans is that the episodes show Down Under the exact same day (8:30pm on UKTV, don't you know). In the build up to launch, the BBC have released another trailer for the serial, that has been running inbetween a hell of a lot of post-watershed programming.

Tomorrow's edition of the Radio Times is expected to have a Torchwood themed cover, and will have interviews with the cast and crew. Check back here tomorrow for a full report on what you'll find inside it.

After that, Wednesday/Thursday/Friday see (well, not technically...) the three brand spanking new Torchwood audio adventures air on Radio 4. They are:

Asylum (Weds @ 2:15pm)
Written by Anita Sullivan, directed by Kate McAll.

When PC Andy arrests a teenager for shoplifting, he thinks it is going to be a routine case. Then he sees the weapon she is carrying and decides to call in the Torchwood team. Under questioning from Gwen, the girl remembers her name but little else, and when she speaks it is in a strange mix of English and Scandinavian, but with a Cardiff accent. Then the girl's blood tests come through and the team is faced with a dilemma.

Jack ...... John Barrowman
Gwen ...... Eve Myles
Ianto ...... Gareth David-Lloyd
PC Andy ...... Tom Price
Freda ...... Erin Richards
Security Guard ...... Matthew Gravelle
Policewoman ...... Sara McGaughey
Dog Walker ...... Dick Bradnum
Girl ...... Isabel Lewis

Golden Age (Thursday @ 2:15pm)
Written by James Goss, directed by Kate McAll.

The Torchwood team are led to Delhi on the trail of a dangerous energy field. As the field grows, they witness the simultaneous disappearance of hundreds of people. Jack discovers that the field centres on an old colonial mansion, Torchwood India. Shocked to find that Torchwood India is still going strong after he shut it down himself over 80 years ago, he is even more surprised to find that its members, including his old flame the Duchess, haven't aged a day.

Jack ...... John Barrowman
Gwen ...... Eve Myles
Ianto ...... Gareth David-Lloyd
The Duchess ...... Jasmine Hyde
Mr Daz ...... Amerjit Dew
Mahajan ...... Ravin J Ganatra
Gissing ...... Richard Mitchley

The Dead Line (Friday @ 2:15pm)
Written by Phil Ford, directed by Kate McAll.

When a Cardiff hospital is inundated with patients who have fallen into coma -like trances, Torchwood move in to investigate. The trances appear to have been triggered by phone calls, all received on retro phones and made from a number that hadn't been active for over 30 years. Determined to find out who has been calling the unfortunate victims, Jack rings the mysterious number, but the line is dead. But then it calls Jack back.

Jack ...... John Barrowman
Gwen ...... Eve Myles
Ianto ...... Gareth David-Lloyd
Rhys ...... Kai Owen
Stella ...... Dona Croll
Jan ...... Eiry Thomas
Bob ...... Matthew Gravelle
Tyler ...... Brendan Charleson

Also, don't forget to check out the new series of Torchwood original fiction novels from BBC Books - which include The House that Jack Built, Bay of the Dead and Into the Silence. Amazon currently has them for around a fiver, or alternatively you can pick them up in Waterstones' current summer 3 For 2 offer. (Thanks to Katie from eBury for this, and apologies it's taken so long for me to report!)

Finally, a sneaky ten hints as to what to expect from next Monday night onwards.

More from us throughout the week!!

Torchwood Radio Drama Dates

The BBC Press Office has just released the lineup highlights for the week of June 27-July 3, which includes the latest installment of Torchwood radio plays. While these dates have been set in stone for some time (see Audio Dates), we have yet to get an official statement on when Children of Earth will be airing.

There is still much speculation as to whether or not the simulcast between the US and the UK will happen. With the days counting down to the US release date (July 20th on BBC America) and the preview showing wrapping up as I writing this at the British Film Institute in London, there is little time left, I believe, before we get our final answers.

Audio Dates

News on the Torchwood front keeps pouring in. Thanks to Doctor Who Online for the breaking info.

"Torchwood, the series created by Russell T Davies, is returning to BBC Radio 4 with three brand new extraterrestrial investigations, starring John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness, Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper, and Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto Jones."

Asylum, written by Anita Sullivan: Wednesday 1st July - 2:15pm-3:00pm With PC Andy!

Golden Age, written by James Goss: Thursday, 2nd July - 2:15pm-3:00pm Some of you may know James Goss from his Torchwood novel, "Almost Perfect."

The Dead Line written by Phil Ford: Friday 3rd July - 2:15pm-3-00pm Phil Ford also wrote the Torchwood episode "Something Borrowed" and the novel "Skypoint."

After all this release date fiasco, I refuse to hope that this could mean a Monday July 6th kick off date for Children of Earth in the UK. Wouldn't that be nice, though?

Golden Age!

We've known for a while now that three brand new Torchwood audio dramas were coming our way, that'd be in the same vein as last year's "Lost Souls". Now Torchwood - the Official Magazine has revealed exclusive details about the forthcoming episodes - which includes story titles, and who's writing them.

"ASYLUM"
By ANITA SULLIVAN
The story of a troubled teen runaway called Freda, who is brought to the attention of Torchwood by PC Andy (played by Tom Price).

"GOLDEN AGE"
By JAMES GOSS
"A story with a twist" according to producer Kate McAll, 'Golden Age' is set in present day India and features a character called the Duchess.

"THE DEAD LINE"
By PHIL FORD
"A series of mysterious phone calls lead Jack into danger, and result in 'a very emotional moment for Ianto'. Listen out for familiar voices! (One possibility is that David Tennant guest stars as one of the callers, using his natural Scottish accent, but that's speculation on my behalf.)

The episodes are all 45 minutes long and will air as part of Radio 4's Afternoon Play slot from 2:15pm (it's likely they'll air all in the same week, in June). It's stated that they're set after "Lost Souls" and before "Children of Earth" - which airs a week or so after the radio series concludes.

(Sorry about the "Children of Time" typo!)

They'll be available through iPlayer and as a podcast. After that, expect a CD release of all three stories some point later in the year.

Meanwhile, two more Torchwood audio books are arriving pretty soon. "In the Shadows" is out on May 7th, and features a script by Joseph Lidster ("A Day in the Death") and will be read by none other than Eve Myles. On June 4th that's followed by another adventure, "The Sin Eaters" written by script editor Brian Minchin and likely to be read by Gareth David-Lloyd.

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Completing this round of merchandise updating, it's now confirmed that Torchwood's second series will be released on the Blu Ray platform on June 22nd.

News direct from Torchwood - the Official Magazine issue 15, out now!

Marathon Man

At the recent the Hub 2 convention Kai Owen revealed that he will be running this year's London Marathon, and he's looking to YOU for support. His aim is to raise at least £2000 for his chosen charity, CLIC Sargent (the Cancer & Leukemia In Children charity).

As Kai himself explains, "... As you may know I am running the London marathon on the 26th April this year. It's for a wonderful charity called CLIC Sargent, they care for children living with cancer. It's a charity that's very close to my heart, my beautiful cousin Michaela has undergone 9 operations to remove tumours from her brain. She is an absolute superstar and is so brave and inspirational, I love Michaela and with the help of CLIC Sargent Michaela continues to live a wonderful life with her wonderful family. CLIC is an amazing charity and I hope to raise a nice sum of money to help them continue their phenomenal work."

You can donate via this page. The marathon takes place Sunday 26th April.

Best of luck to Kai during this training!

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During his March '09 online Q&A session, Gareth David-Lloyd confirms that he records the latest Torchwood audio book - "The Sin Eaters" by series script editor Brian Minchin - on Monday 31st March. This will be followed at a later date when he joins the rest of the cast for three follow-up dramas to last year's "Lost Souls".

(Incidentally GDL also talks about HBO's incredible tour de force The Wire, which starts tomorrow night - for the benefit of British readers - on BBC Two at 11:20pm. Don't miss it if you haven't already seen the show)

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Spooky! Victorian ghost on Google Earth's UK street map..?

Somebody call in the Torchwood team!!

New Radio Drama Series and Audiobooks

Play.com are now listing three new Torchwood Audiobooks for presale, all with seperate release dates in July, August and September. They would appear to be part of a "Torchwood: Radio 4 Drama 2009" series, which means we will most likely be hearing these on the radio before they are actually released in shops.

What is sure to cause mass speculation amongst Torchwood fans is the current cast listing the site gives:

"A Brand new, made-for-radio episode of Torchwood, starring John Barrowman, Freema Agyeman and other members of the TV cast (all details TBC)".

While it looks like we'll be seeing (Or indeed hearing) the delightful Martha Jones in these new audiobooks, is this a hint towards Agyeman being added to the Torchwood cast in the show's future TV escapdes? Or is it just a guest stint for the audiodramas? Or is it actually a simple matter of Play.com being lazy and copy/pasting the cast list from the "Lost Souls" special Torchwood did in conjunction with BBC's coverage of the CERN experiment last year?

Only time will tell.....