CoE Launch Month Announced!

Well, chalk this one up to the fans. The BBC recently sent out a press release confirming what most diehard Woodies have already guessed: June 2009 will be the month we finally get to see "Children of Earth".

We're still(!) waiting for the exact date to be confirmed. However, the British Film Institute will host a star-studded preview of the first episode on Friday, June 12 in London. (Wow, way to snub Wales.) And not to get too far ahead of myself, but that date seems to make June 15, the following Monday, the best candidate for CoE's transmission.

The BFI has also sent out a spoiler-lite summary of Episode 1:

1965: Twelve children are gathered on a deserted moor, before being surrounded by a harsh, bright light .... and then they are gone!
Today: all over Earth, children stop moving. Stop playing, stop laughing. Then, as one, they begin to speak with the same voice, announcing the imminent arrival of a new alien threat. "We are coming...". As the British government closes ranks, it issues a death warrant against Captain Jack and Torchwood...

In this case, it seems like being "outside the government" isn't exactly something to brag about, hmmmm Captain Jack?

(full news article here)

Anything but exclusive launch details

Barring any last minute delays, Torchwood: Children of Earth launches here in the UK on BBC One on June 15 and runs through that week, ending June 19th.

For a while I've been saying that there's no way the series can begin until the second series of Ashes to Ashes (which started last Monday) has concluded its run. That series is scheduled to end June 8th - and with comments by John Barrowman on the Jonathan Ross Radio 2 show recently - presented by David Tennant and Catherine Tate - that Torchwood airs sometime in June, that leaves either a June 15th, June 22nd or June 29th launch.

Add into the mix that the current issue of Torchwood Magazine, out today, is full of previews for Children of Earth and that its next issue is out June 25th, with a very spoilery interview with Russell T Davies and set reports from the series, including a look at the mysterious 456, one can deduce that the series is expected to have concluded its run by then.

The only way that'd be possible is a June 15th launch - because obviously June 29th is after that new issue is out (so would completely ruin the series a whole week before transmission) and even June 22nd is a bit of a danger area, as subscribers receive copies of their magazines early. June 15th-19th would be fine, and have concluded by the time the magazine is out.

(The case could be made that the series launch could occur June 22nd, and the contents of that new issue only cover the first half of the series - at this point I've chosen the June 15th launch date because it's the most likely. It's 80/20 in its favour)

Also, you have the June 22nd launch of the Blu Ray, to tie in with hype that the series will have gathered by that point, to maximise sales.

People are under the assumption that the schedules are made up on a whim a couple of weeks before transmission. If you know anything about scheduling, you'll know that's simply not true. It's a very complex affair, and programmes are sometimes slotted into schedule a whole year before transmission - look at Doctor Who, with its traditional Christmas Special, and then following Easter series launch. Of course, though it's that complex, changes are still being made here and there, until the day that listings magazines are given the schedules to print (at which point changes are rarely made).

No doubt some readers will attack me online and in the comments section below for making such a guess with regards to series lauch. So what. Go ahead. Do your worst. I'm merely communicating with you what is now a very educated guess, based upon several truths and realities that we know to be fact.

Pencil in June 15th (and June 22nd to be on the safe side - but it's definitely one of those two dates)!

Protect the endangered watershed

Like others in the USA, I had to use the context clues to figure out what on earth the BBC was talking about when they said Torchwood would be shown post-watershed. I have since learned that it is similar to the "safe harbor" period here in the States. According to the UK office of Communications the Watershed is between 9:00pm and 5:30am.


Source: Doctor Who Confidential BBC3

While the watershed is not exactly anything goes, the BBC states that parents should know that after 9pm programming is only suitable for adults. While there is an official "safe harbor" in the USA for "indecent" programming, our current FCC and administration is doing their best to not promote it and scare broadcasters. Any adult's-only window might as well be nonexistant, TV now has to be suitable for everybody 24-7.

Recent news reports say indecency complaints are slowing down in the States, but I maintain this is only because broadcasters aren't pushing the envelope anymore. If things don't get better and the BBC has any intentions of selling Torchwood to the USA, and I'm certainly not saying that should be their priority, they may only be able to sell it to folks like HBO who are currently out of the FCC's reach.

Russell T Davies said he was not allowed to refer to Torchwood as Doctor Who for grownups but lets hope that the show will indeed push the envelope, since good art always does.