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.

I'll try to make this a good one...

I hate to have to follow the previous post, which contains pretty much the most exciting news Torchwood fans have heard in a long time. So, regardless of what I post, it will not be as awesome as the recently-confirmed air dates. Sorry.

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First off, Torchwood Magazine #16 was released today in the UK. The issue is available with either regular or 'collectible' covers, the latter of which features a tribute to the Rift War comic strip. The content of both editions is the same inside, though, with exclusive interviews, photos, and spoiler-ific articles in their countdown to CoE. More details on their site here.

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John Barrowman is interviewed in the latest issue of Radio Times, speaking about the three upcoming Torchwood audio dramas. "Tardis And Torchwood Treasures" has excerpts from the article, including another reference to Captain Jack and supermarkets. Ha.

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And just to check up on Torchwood's departed medical team... (Get it? "Check up"? Because they're doctors?! I'll stop now.)

Burn Gorman, who is currently playing the villainous Bill Sikes in the West End hit musical Oliver!, has plenty to sing about: due to record-breaking ticket sales, the production has been extended for another full year, until February 2011.

And good news for Freema Agyeman, who turned down more Who-related gigs for a leading role in Law & Order: UK. Although fans had feared the worst, ITV has just renewed the show for a second full 13-episode series. (And for those of us still waiting with bated breath for the second half of series one, the channel has confirmed that the episodes will air "at a later date". Argh! I need to know now!)

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Aaaaand to bring this post back around to CoE, there have been some very cool new TV promos recently. The newest one from Australia, an extended preview of Gwen's "this is how the world ended" video, is eerily Cloverfield-esque. BBC America has also come up with a minute-long "behind the scenes" effort, featuring short snippets of the cast (including RTD as his usual humble and modest self! :D)

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!

15 of the Best

Hmmm. I'm sure I posted this story yesterday, but according to Blogger it was only ever saved as a draft entry. Thing is, the entry was in my "blogs I follow" stream last time I looked. The mystery deepens...

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Issue 15 of Torchwood - the Official Magazine is out now, and it's a blinder! Honest to God, it's improved ten fold over the last couple of issues. There's still some room for improvement beyond this, but for now it'll do quite nicely.

TORCHWOOD - THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE#15

It's the last issue before Children of Earth launches mid-June, so there's a number of articles to tie-in with the new series, including an interview with John Barrowman that I'll be reporting upon in further detail later this week (if all goes to plan). Then there's an exclusive preview of the five new shows by Russell T Davies, as he comments upon five new photographs released from the show to its official magazine. He states:

Episode One - a picture of Jack and Gwen with a parent, and her child: "Torchwood: Children of Earth begins with every parent's worst nightmare: what if something happened to the kids? Luckily Jack and Gwen are quickly on the case."

Episode Two - a picture of Ianto in a hard hat and builder's get-up: "Who's this rugged fellow in a hard hat and hi-vis jacket? Is it the Health and Safety Village People? No! It's Ianto Jones sporting a rather nasty gash on his cheek, and far from the comforts of good coffee and master tailoring. Curiouser and curiouser..."

Episode Three - shows Rhys in a smart dinner jacket: "Now things are really getting weird! First Ianto is looking like a docker, and now Rhys is all dressed up with no place to go! As his wife puts everything on the line to save the world again, is it time for him to enter the frontline with the rest of the Torchwood team? Some things are always worth fighting for..."

Episode Four - Jack and Ianto, guns blazing, on Floor 13: "Red alert! As Children of Earth moves towards its jaw-dropping climax, Jack and Ianto face off against an unseen opponent in the mysterious Floor 13. As the international situation escalates, UNIT is also on the scene - but will the military taskforce help or hinder Torchwood in their mission?"

Episode Five - Gwen rescuing a child: "The future of the entire human race is in the balence, and the situation is spiralling out of control. Everything depends on the children, but with Torchwood battered and bruised, can Gwen still make a difference, and will it be enough to save the day?"

There's an exclusive set report, taken from last November's filming (so it's likely from the final two episodes) and an interview with Rik Makarem, who plays Doctor Rupesh Patanjali in the specials.

Also in the magazine is a look at the monsters and aliens that the team has faced over the course of the last two seasons, and during its numerous spin-offs; a familiar face (SPOILER!) Bilis Manger returns in part one of a new five-part comic strip, "Broken" by creative team Gary Russell (writer) and Adrian Salmon (artist); and there's a peak at series one adventure "Greeks Bearing Gifts" which includes an interview with guest star Daniela Denby-Ashe.

Other features include a talk with the show's sound mixer, an investigation into whether the show's Pterodactyl could really exist, and a fan inquisition with Eve Myles.

Oh, and for some bizarre reason an index of the first 13 issues of the magazine, just in case you might have missed them...

And lots of adverts for other Titan products - but thankfully this time a good chunk of them are in some way related to the show. Hooray!

More from the magazine and some exclusive news it spills throughout the week. You can pick up the real thing yourself from all good newsagents, for £4.99.

Lets hope they keep up the trend next issue, huh?

Please sign my...erm, you know

On Saturday 25th April the Forbidden Planet store on Shaftesbury Avenue in London will be holding a special signing, to commemorate the release of the very first Torchwood graphic novel - "Rift War", released by Titan Publishing, and extracted from the pages of their official Torchwood Magazine.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JOHN RIVERS

Much of the comic's original creative team will be there on the day, as well as other members of the Torchwood Magazine team. These include D'Israeli, Simon Furman, Paul Grist, Ian Edgington and Brian Williamson. No doubt TW Magazine will run a feature on how the day turned out in a future issue.

It's a great chance to meet some of the extended Torchwood creative team, and meet up with other fans during the day, also. If you wanna know more, clicky here.

(Thanks to John Rivers at the Doctor Who Forum for bringing this to my attention.)

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In other news, ahead of the Blu-Ray release of Torchwood's second series UK Woodies can see the entire series in glorious HD by downloading the episodes direct from iTunes, at £2.49 a pop (so around £33 for the entire series, then).