Myles to go?

Has Eve Myles really quit playing the role of Gwen Cooper?

Reports last month suggested she had, after the actress posted a number of tweets stating as much.

Since then Eve has remained pretty quiet about the whole thing. It leaves me to wonder, however, exactly what she means. Has she ended her association with Torchwood completely (i.e. no more TV, Big Finish, etc.) - or is she merely suggesting that, five years on from her last appearance in Miracle Day, Eve no longer wants to play the role of Eve in a live-action capacity, but is willing to continue with the Big Finsh audios?

At the moment, it looks like the first option is more likely, which is a shame. Big Finish has a great reputation amongst its actors - Hell, they even managed to lure Tom Baker back! If Eve *has* quit them (which we don't know for certain)... did something happen behind the scenes?

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I'm aware we've been away for a while. I'll slowly start to catch up on news throughout the rest of this week.

Janet's Papa

Those watching Doctor Who's new season opener The Magician's Apprentice got a surprise last night, as a couple of very familiar alien foes made surprise reappearances...

I'm talking about a Weevil and Blowfish, of course. Spotted early on, at the Maldovarium bar, they drank alongside Sycorax, Hath, Ood and many other oddities. TORCHWOOD.tv can exclusively reveal that the Weevil shown is actually the father of Torchwood captive Janet, and he's named Julian. After Janet was lost through the rift (and thrown back through time) Julian turned to alcohol, and the rest, as they say, is now history.

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In more serious news, Big Finish have announced the titles of the final two releases in their initial cycle of Torchwood audio dramas:

Release#5 is Uncanny Valley. It stars John Barrowman as Captain Jack, and is written by David Llewllyn. Big Finish confirm it "sees Jack still on his quest to find out more about the mysterious Committee. What is their involvement in the life of a reclusive billionaire?" There's no indication as to where this play takes place chronologically (aside from the fact it must be set after The Conspiracy from Jack's P.O.V.)

Release#6 (and the final adventure in this "Committee" arc) is called More Than This, and is by Guy Adams. It stars Eve Myles as Gwen on "a very special mission". From previous Big Finish teases, we know that this adventure will also feature other Torchwood stars too. Most likely Jack and Ianto.

For those interested, the company has also put out a full trailer for their new UNIT series, featuring Jemma Redgrave. No doubt it'll crossover with Torchwood at some point...

Gwen & Rhys Reunited!

Gwen Cooper and husband Rhys Williams will return this November, Big Finish Productions has announced.

The pair will star in the company's third Torchwood release - Forgotten Lives, by Emma Reeves - who says, 'I still can’t believe that I’ve been asked to write a story for the brilliant characters of Gwen and Rhys, I’ve been lucky enough to write for Eve before, on Belonging, and I know that she has a unique gift of imbuing every syllable with the deepest meaning. Getting Eve Myles and Kai Owen, too, is basically like winning the writer lottery.'

The announcement confirms the pair's storyline is set in the days following Miracle Day. It also confirms that Gwen will return later on in the series; most likely the finale? 

You can read the full news article on Big Finish.com, and pre-order the release here.

Whilst We Were Sleeping...

Just for fun, here's a rundown of the news this site missed between our last regular updates, and its 2015 revival.

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MAY 2010

Indira Varma stars alongside Idris Elba in BBC's global hit, Luther.

JUNE 2010

Naoko Mori stars opposite Christopher Eccleston in BBC Four's Lennon Naked. She plays Yoko Ono, to Eccleston's Lennon.

NOVEMBER 2010

Gareth David-Lloyd marries his girlfriend Gemma James.

DECEMBER 2010

Torchwood: The Official Magazine is cancelled. This is rumoured to be due to complications with the Torchwood license, following Miracle Day.

JANUARY 2011

Eve Myles headlines BBC Wales' Baker Boys.

FEBRUARY 2011

Former showrunner Chris Chibnall launches Camelot on the Starz network.

JUNE 2011

Russell T Davies is interviewed by the Guardian, about Torchwood: Miracle Day.

JULY 2011

Starz CEO Chris Albrecht states his channel is willing to wait until Russell T Davies is ready to deliver Torchwood season 5.

Meanwhile an original Torchwood novel, First Born (by James Goss) is released.

Chris Chibnall's Camelot series is cancelled by Starz, after a single season.

Captain Jack was suppose to feature in Doctor Who's 'A Good Man Goes to War'.

AUGUST 2011

Another Torchwood novel is released - Long Time Dead, by Sarah Pinborough.

SEPTEMBER 2011

The final episode of Torchwood airs on Starz, 9th September 2011.

Guy Adams' The Men Who Sold The World original novel is released.

Jane Espenson's web series Husbands premieres.

OCTOBER 2011

Johnny English Reborn releases in cinemas. It features Burn Gorman in a minor role.

NOVEMBER 2011

Miracle Day is released on DVD/Blu Ray.

DECEMBER 2011

Russell T Davies announces he's returning to the UK, to care for his boyfriend Andrew Smith.

FEBRUARY 2012

John Barrowman and Carole E Barrowman release the first in their Young Adult/Fantasy series, Hollow Earth.

MAY 2012

Gareth David-Lloyd's second album with rock band Blue Gillespie (Seven Rages of Man) is released.

JUNE 2012

4th June - Gareth David-Lloyd's daughter (Lily Christina Lloyd) is born.

A day earlier, John was helping BBC One present the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Even better, he's crowned Rear of the Year.

JULY 2012

Burn Gorman features in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, released this month.

John Barrowman presents a Channel 5 documentary about TNT's Dallas revival.

AUGUST 2012

Lauren Ambrose gives birth to her second child.

'Sleeper' writer James Moran releases his film Cockneys VS Zombies. A month later Tower Block, another film scripted by him, is released in cinemas. Both play that year's Frightfest.

SEPTEMBER 2012

John Barrowman and his sister Carole collaborate on Exodus Code - an original Torchwood novel, set post-Miracle day. It's released this month in book form, and as an unabridged audio reading (read by Daniel Pirrie)

Gareth David-Lloyd joins the cast of BBC One's Holby City. He reoccurs in the series on a semi regular basis, before departing in January 2013.

Chris Chibnall contributes two further episodes to Doctor Who ('Dinosaurs on a Spaceship' and 'The Power of Three')

OCTOBER 2012

John Barrowman makes his first appearance on the CW's Arrow series. He's soon promoted to a series regular role - and is still a part of the show's ensemble to this day.

DECEMBER 2012

John Barrowman features in a minor role within Zero Dark Thirty (which went on to be nominated  for the Best Picture Oscar)

FEBRUARY 2013

John and Carole E Barrowman release Bone Quill - the second in their Young Adult/Fantasy series.

Chris Chibnall has his say about Torchwood: Miracle Day.

'Reset' guest star (and Doctor Who's Chief Caretaker) Richard Briers dies.

MARCH 2013

Chris Chibnall's ITV series Broadchurch makes its debut. It stars a number of Doctor Who alum, but most notably David Tennant, and is frequently directed by Torchwood's James Strong.

MAY 2013

Eve Myles marries her boyfriend Bradley Freeguard.

She lands another lead role - in BBC's Frankie.

JUNE 2013

Naoko Mori is part of the cast taking Avenue Q to South Korea.

JULY 2013

John Barrowman marries boyfriend Scott Gill.

Burn Gorman stars in Pacific Rim (Currently in post-production, he's also a part of director Guillermo Del Toro's supernatural horror Crimson Peak, playing 'Holly').

Indira Varma joins HBO's Game of Thrones.

AUGUST 2013

Children of Earth's Peter Capaldi is announced as the Twelfth Doctor!

SEPTEMBER 2013

Miracle Day debuts on BBC America.

NOVEMBER 2013

John Barrowman appears during Doctor Who's 50th anniversary celebrations, as himself in Peter Davison's short film The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot.

Peter Capaldi makes his debut appearance as the Doctor in Day of the Doctor (which also includes a reference to Captain Jack).

FEBRUARY 2014

11th February, Eve Myles' second child, a daughter called Siena, is born.

MARCH 2014

Mekhi Phifer stars as Max in Summit Entertainment's hit movie Divergent.

APRIL 2014

Starfury: Miracle Day convention is held, with Eve, Kai, Naoko and Gareth present.

MAY 2014

It's announced that Lauren Ambrose has joined the cast of USA Network's Dig series. It eventually launches March 2015.

Miracle Day co-star Mekhi Phifer, meanwhile, files for bankruptcy.

JUNE 2014

John Barrowman releases his latest album, You Raise Me Up. You can download it now, or listen to it on Spotify.

He's also made an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.

JULY 2014

The third book in John and Carole E Barrowman's Hollow Earth series, titled The Book of Beasts, is released.

John plays a pivotal role in the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, taking place in Scotland.

Big Finish announce plans to adapt the New Adventures novel Damaged Goods (originally published in the 1990s by Virgin). It eventually releases in May 2014. Check it out - it's great!

AUGUST 2014

Congratulations to Gareth David-Lloyd who's son, Eli Andrew Lloyd, is born on the 14th of this month.

SEPTEMBER 2014

Captain John Hart features in a blink and you'll miss it cameo, in Doctor Who's Eighth Season episode 'Time Heist'.

OCTOBER 2014

Released in cinemas this month is Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. It features Burn Gorman, and is probably the most junior film/TV programme ever listed on this site!

An American remake of Chris Chibnall's Broadchurch, entitled Gracepoint, launches.

NOVEMBER 2014

Fox greenlights an Indepedence Day sequel, Resurgence, starring Bill Pullman. It's released June 2016.

DECEMBER 2014

Ridley Scott's Exodus: Gods and Kings is released in cinemas. It features Indira Varma.

JANUARY 2015

The second series of Chris Chibnall's Broadchurch premieres on ITV. The new series features Eve Myles.

Russell T Davies returns to TV with dual-dramas Cucumber (Channel 4) and Banana (E4). It's reported that his CBBC series Wizards VS Aliens may have been cancelled (this is later confirmed).

Gareth David-Lloyd plus Juror#12 in the 2015 tour of play 12 Angry Men. The run concludes in May.

Netflix confirm that BBC shows (including Doctor Who and Torchwood) will remain on its services.

FEBRUARY 2015

Eve Myles talks about a Torchwood revival.

ITV officially announce a third series of Broadchurch - to air in 2017.

For no particular reason, the Radio Times website lists all the best references to Torchwood in its parent show.

MARCH 2015

Mekhi Phifer returns to cinemas in the second film in the Divergent series - Insurgent.

Gareth David-Lloyd stars in the final 4 episodes of the BBC's school soap Waterloo Road.

APRIL 2015

James Marsters talks about the differences between Buffy and Torchwood.

MAY 2015

Starfury: Mircale Day 2 convention takes place.

BBC America asks: Where are the cast of Torchwood now?

JUNE 2015

It's announced that Russell T Davies, Steven Moffat and Peter Capaldi are to speak at the Radio Time Festival 2015.

Kai Owen joins Channel 4's teen soap Hollyoaks. He's currently leading a controversial storyline. He plays manipulative paedophile Pete Buchanan, in a plot hailed by child abuse charities.

Universal Pictures launches the official trailer for Everest (featuring Naoko Mori).

Eve Myles is raising money for Dewi James, who is in need of a life saving operation.

JULY 2015

WalesOnline reports that Ianto's shrine in Cardiff Bay is still going strong - 6 years on from the events of Children of Earth.

Former BBC Execs Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter launch production company Bad Wolf in Cardiff.

Lauren Ambrose joins the cast of the forthcoming X Files revival.

John Barrowman attends San Diego Comic Con, and sings the Doctor Who theme tune!

James Moran's latest short film, Ghosting, will play at this year's Frightfest in London.

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Phew! All caught up.

Drop a comment below if I've missed anything.

The Miracle!

Starz has had a successful launch of the new Torchwood series, Miracle Day. New episodes of Torchwood: Miracle Day air Friday nights at 10:00.

Recently, Starz brought the cast of Torchwood to San Diego Comic Con where they participated in a screening of the third episode as well as a panel. You can take a look at that panel here:

There were also plenty of wonderful interviews that happened over the course of the Comic Con weekend. If you're interested, leave a comment saying so, and I'll gather a collection of them in an upcoming blog post.

For those lucky viewers who have Ipads or Iphones, you can check out the original motion comic Torchwood: Web of Lies. The series is written by Jane Espenson and features the voice talents of John Barrowman, Eve Myles, and Eliza Dushku. Web of Lies is an interactive, enhanced story that gives away clues to the sinister forces behind the "miracle" of Miracle Day. Go check out the first episode on You Tube here:

For more information on Web of Lies, including how to download each new episode that will be released in tandem with new episode airings of Miracle Day, check out this website.

For those of you who still pine for some more traditional Torchwood tales, there are three BBC Radio Plays that take place just before and just after the Children of Earth mini series. There are also three new novels in the works. Stay tuned for more information on those.

Starz Brings in the Next Chapter of Torchwood

The internet is full of buzz this morning about Starz' acquisition of Torchwood! The US cable network is teaming up with show runner Russel T. Davies and the BBC to produce a 10 episode season to air summer 2011 on both Starz and on BBC One. The new series will star John Barrowman as Captain Jack and Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper along with other new characters.

The End of Time (and Captain Jack?)

While news on the "Torchwood" front has been conspicuously absent recently, the same cannot be said for its parent program. Just over two hours ago, BBC One transmitted the final moments of David Tennant's run as the Tenth Doctor in the two-part "Doctor Who" special finale, "The End of Time".

The finale saw the return of several of the Tenth Doctor's friends and foes, and -- since we can always link things back 'round to Torchwood SOMEHOW -- it's no surprise that Captain Jack made an appearance!

(We posted back in April that John Barrowman had been spotted in costume as the Captain around the Who set. He later denied those claims, but his explanations sounded fishier than, well, a Blowfish driving a sports car.)

For non-Brits, you can catch "The End of Time" on BBCAmerica and/or Space Channel Canada tomorrow, January 2, 2010. (Thus ensuring your New Year's festivities will end with you watching television and grabbing furiously for a box of tissues by your side.)

As a result of this delay, I won't divulge any further spoilers regarding Captain Jack's role in the special, but feel free to discuss the events of the show in the comments below.

And if you're a Torchwood fan who has never seen "Doctor Who", why not take advantage of this TW-free period to start watching the series that brought us Captain Jack and Torchwood in the first place? The two shows are inextricably linked!

If you begin with Series 1, starring Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor, you can even catch a couple Torchwood cast members (BESIDES Captain Jack!) in before-they-were-famous roles!

Episode 1x03, "The Unquiet Dead", guest-stars Eve Myles/'Gwen' as a 19th century English maid with unusual powers, and the following episode 1x04, "Aliens of London", features Naoko Mori/'Toshiko' in a bit part as "Dr. Sato" (and it also explains the origins of the "space pig" comments Tosh and Owen made in their last minutes of 2x12 "Exit Wounds"). And yes, episodes 1x09 and 1x10, "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances", introduced the world to Captain Jack Harkness (perhaps you've heard of him?).

When Tennant took over as the Tenth Doctor the following year, the second series' theme was "Torchwood", as Russell T. Davies was in the process of developing our favourite spin-off at the time. That finale even included the Doctor visiting the doomed Torchwood One in London, aka the previous workplace of Ianto Jones (although he is not seen or mentioned on-screen).

Series 3 of "Doctor Who" featured Martha as the Companion, and its three-part finale saw Captain Jack return to help out the time-travelling duo. The episodes 3x11/3x12/3x13, aka "Utopia"/"The Sound of Drums"/"Last of the Time Lords", took place between the end of Torchwood's first series and the beginning of its second, and also gives context to Jack and Martha's cryptic inside jokes when she visits Torchwood halfway through TW Series 2.

Most obviously, Tennant's fourth season finale involved the first official Torchwood/Doctor Who crossover, as Ianto and Gwen both spoke with the Doctor, and Captain Jack again re-joined him in the TARDIS, in the epic battle to realign the planets and destroy the Daleks.

Now that David Tennant and Russell T. Davies have both left the TARDIS, and a new showrunner and production team has taken over "Doctor Who", it remains to be seen whether future episodes of "Who" will involve Torchwood and/or Captain Jack. Today's final Tenth Doctor episode may very well be the last time Captain Jack Harkness and his team of Cardiff-based alien-fighters are included in the world of the Doctor.

Today's "Doctor Who" episode truly marked the end of an era.

And now I will try to stop tearing up every time I think of the Tenth Doctor, and shall instead try to keep a positive attitude towards the future of our favourite sci-fi characters and shows.

In the words of the Tenth Doctor: "Allons-y!"

Bang Bang Boom!

Now, that was explosive...

So, Torchwood has blasted back onto our screens at last. Hooray, it's been worth the wait! One of the things I noticed about this opening episode is just how mature it feels. Every season the show grows up that little bit more, and it's working in its favour. Back in 2006 we had brash episodes about sex-addicted aliens, and now instead we have quieter moments with the team and a general intelligence injected into the scripts.

In other words, based off what I've seen so far, I approve of Children of Earth!

What did you make of the episode? Reactions in the comments section below!

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Catch a trailer for Day Two at the BBCi site (plus an interview with Eve Myles).

Meanwhile, a couple of interviews with the show's cast that ran earlier today:

Eve Myles and Gareth David-Lloyd on BBC Breakfast.

John Barrowman on his favourite chat show, Loose Women.

As ever, if you're new to the site, welcome! Hope you feel at home here, and within the Torchwood community as a whole.

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Why don't you follow this blog for all the latest, up-to-date Torchwood news?

BFI: Russell T. Davies on the Future of Torchwood

News abound from the preview screening at the BFI this evening in London. Reviews have begun sparking up as well as chatter about what's to come. The screening of the first of five episodes of Children of Earth was followed by a Q&A with actors John Barrowman and Eve Myles as well as Russell T. Davies himself.

According to this article among other sources, when asked about the future of Torchwood, Russell T. Davies stated that Series 4 is "ready to go". He also has hopes for further crossover with the parent show, Doctor Who. Davies was still tight lipped about the official air date for the series, saying they have it set, but it is still to early for it to go public.

Get it while it's hot (and cheap!)

Various online retailers have put up Torchwood: Children of Earth (DVD & also Blu-Ray) on their sites, ready for your pre-orders. Amazon has the series available on DVD for £19.99, and for some strange reason has the Blu-Ray at just £17.59 - they have a pre-order guarentee, so if you place an order at this price, they have to go through with the sale (unlike Play.com, who last year cancelled thousands of orders for series two after they put it up at £17.99 by mistake...).

Be warned! Amazon will likely increase the price, to £24.99 probably, when they realise the mistake they've made - so you've only got a limited time to put the pre-order in at this price.

The cover for the Blu-Ray can be seen below...

In other news, the latest issue of SFX Magazine (number #184) contains a preview of the series, which includes an interview with writer Russell T Davies. There's also a talk with John Barrowman and Eve Myles. You can pick the magazine up now, for £3.99.

Finally, now that it's been confirmed that Torchwood: Children of Earth will air at some point in July across the UK, US and Australia I think that it makes sense that I bid adieu to this site at the end of that month, once all five episodes have aired. So, July 31st it is (aptly, that's the day that Outpost Gallifrey and Doctor Who Forum close their doors for the last time too...)

Rest assured, the site will live on, through the very brilliant team of writers that it has aquired the services of over the last few months.

Oh, Baby!

Big congratulations to Eve Myles who has just announced she is three months pregnant. The very busy actress has wanted to have a child for quite some time and finally decided with her partner to start trying after filming Children of Earth. "I thought, if I put this off any more I'm going to be 65." She said in the What's on TV article. "My partner and I decided this year was going to be the year, and we were blessed that it happened so quickly."

Does this mean she is done with Torchwood? Well, not according to her. "I hope we get a new series. I'd really like to play Gwen as a mother. It's not like I have to really save the world – I just have to sit in make-up!"

Makes you wonder if Gwen may have her own contribution to the "Children of Earth" on the way by the end of the third series.

Blink, and you're dead! Er, I mean, "and you'll miss it".

If you thought the last Torchwood teaser clip was minimalist, wait 'til you see what those crazy Australians have come up with now!

The show's official website in the land down under has just posted another 10-second promo for CoE. Spoiler-phobes can watch this one guilt-free, because, well... see for yourself.

Imagine having that come on your telly during the commercials! Run and hide behind the couch indeed...

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The latest issue of UK-based SciFiNow magazine, with plastic-y looking Chris Pine on the cover, features new interviews with Eve Myles and director Euros Lynn, in which they talk about -what else?- Children of Earth.

For those of us unable (or too cheap!) to purchase the magazine, SciFiPulse.net has kindly excerpted parts of Eve's interview, which you can read here.

She reveals that although time has passed since "Exit Wounds", Tosh and Owen have not been forgotten: "There’s a beautiful moment where [their] pictures are still there and Gwen says good morning to them every morning, so they’re still a very strong symbol of life and death in Torchwood.” (Even the most anti-Gwen fans have to admit that's cute.)

And what else can eager fans look forward to in June? "They can expect to see the Torchwood heroes becoming even more heroic. They’ll see devastation, but they’ll also see a huge bit of comedy and the best Torchwood that we’ve ever produced to date. They’re going to get it all, and I dare anybody not to enjoy it."

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?

What The Dickens?

The fabulous Freema Agyeman was a guest on The Paul O'Grady Show last Thursday, March 26th. After the obligatory promotion of her new show Law & Order: UK, the topic changed to what the audience really wanted to hear about: "Everybody loves Doctor Who!".

Miss Martha Jones herself recounted the tale of her strange audition process for the show, which involved the producers having her read for the part of Gwen on Torchwood!

Until the clip goes up on the official O'Grady website, YouTube has it here.

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Speaking of Freema, you can catch both her and Eve Myles in the excellent BBC adaptation of Dickens' classic novel "Little Dorrit". Both actors wear the latest in Victorian-era dresses while navigating this tale of society, scandal, and, um, debtor's prison? The mini-series aired in the U.K. a few months ago, but American viewers can watch it on PBS, and stream it online, through this April.

~~~~

And while we're on the subject of Dickens, the current West End revival of Oliver!, featuring Burn Gorman as the dastardly villain Bill Sikes, released its official cast album on March 15th.

Burn appears in several of the songs, most notably "It's A Fine Life", as well as his deliciously creepy solo "My Name".

Give it a listen here at Amazon.co.uk, and let us know what you think about Dr. Owen Harper's surprising career change.

When You Have Nothing Useful To Say (You Resort To This)

The past few days have been very quiet for Torchwood news. So much so the tumbleweed just blew past as I type. Well, I'm sure I can still find a reason to blog despite this fact!

THE 'FANTASTIC' EVE MYLES MAKES HER DEBUT IN "THE UNQUIET DEAD"

Anyhoo and anyways, Sci-fi channel airs "The Unquiet Dead" tonight, and for many Americans it will be their first chance to see the wonderful Eve Myles in action. Eve plays Gwynth (no realation to Gwen apparently), a young Victorian maid, living slap bang on top of "The Rift" (don't ask) in central Cardiff. As the Rift plays a major role in Torchwood (according to a Barrowman interview) it would be a perfect stepping-on point for future members of The Innuendo Squad, so watch it!

This week the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine hits news-stands everywhere, and as well as previews for the first couple of episodes of Doctor Who series two, we're promised a list at long (long) last of ALL the writers of Torchwood. So, when I get the magazine myself (on Wednesday probably) I'll fill you guys in with all the relevent information. Let's just hope the Steven Moffat rumours from a while back are true.

Introducing Bachelorette #1

Our first lovely contestant tonight is wearing all black and hails from Ystradgynlais! This typical girl-next-door likes moonlight walks on the beach and says her hobbies include Yeti tracking in Cardiff. Ms. Eve Myles!

In October she was listed as #7 in Western Mail's list of sexiest Welsh lasses, now just a few months later she has been awarded the position of Bachelorette of the Year 2006. Announced today in Wales on Sunday. I'm not sure if there is a trophy of a blow-up guy included with this honor but obviously the selection process is very rigorous and only arrived at after extensive scientific research.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk

I will lose my bachelor's status in just a few months, but for the rest of you studly Woodies, I'm sure you are just what she is looking for. You just have to somehow persuade Eve to take time off for a date from her grueling shooting schedule this year for both Torchwood and Belonging. I'm sure you could soon become Mr. Myles, just so long as you don't have her pay for dinner on the first date and then ask for a copy of the credit card slip in order to get her autograph.

All about Eve, chalk and cheese

For the first and last time, Eve Myles will be playing the female lead on Torchwood, not Doctor Who! I am not sure why the tabloids find this information so hard to comprehend. Literally, the second the Gwen Cooper announcement was made the rags were claiming she would be replacing Billie Piper on the parent show. It's a bit difficult to trust journalism that doesn't even get the character's name correct, in both of these articles they refer to Eve's character as Gwen Davies! The Mirror, The Daily Record.

Who knows what the future holds, but as John Barrowman said on the Richard and Judy chat show in January, one of the difficulties they were having with Torchwood was in finding how far into adult territory Captain Jack could go and still be allowed to return to the family-friendly WHO for season 29. JB said (I'm paraphrasing here) that it looked like the Captain would be the biggest prude on the staff, and the others at the institute would be up to the majority of the mischief.

His statement could be interpreted to mean that Gwen will get a bit too naughty in the spinoff to ever be accepted by the BBC brass as a companion for the Doctor. Not to mention that from a programming standpoint, spinoffs generally only share one character with their parent show and try to differentiate themselves enough to add new audience members to the franchise.

To further remove her from WHO companion speculation, we also have the "chalk and cheese" quote that Myles made in response to comparisons between her character Gwen with Rose. Nope, Eve will be exclusively ours' on Torchwood and for the next several months the tabloids will just have to go back to guessing which Welsh pop star will replace Billie.

Happy Saint David's Day To All Our Welsh Readers!

Yes, today, March 1st is a very special day for any folk living in Wales. Today is St. David's day, (St.David being the patron saint of Wales). It's a day of national pride across all of Wales, and a day of celebration. Throughout the land all are celebrating what makes Wales so great. So, everyone at torchwoodtv wishes the Doctor Who and Torchwood offices a happy March 1st. Have a great day guys! For more info on St. David click here.

THE FLAG OF SAINT DAVID (AND WELSH PRIDE)

Now, Kurly's look at the life and times of Eve Myles is due any day now, so I thought today would be the ideal time to print some recent comments the star made to ICWales following her casting. Eve Myles says:

"I'm a huge fan of Billie. I think she's absolutely amazing - she's just fantastic. But mine is a very different character to Rose - they're pretty much like chalk and cheese.Gwen starts off as a police officer in Cardiff and then gets involved in the Torchwood team.She's a very down-to-earth girl, kind and generous, but extremely ambitious, feisty, intelligent and witty. But she's also very human - she's really the girl next door. Because I'm playing her, I put a lot of me into it and I take a lot of my own characteristics.She's a brave girl and you have to be brave in this kind of business, and take risks and be ambitious - not too ambitious though, because there's nothing worse than that.But she's very level-headed and in that sense I'm like her, although she's probably a bit braver and more inquisitive."

So, Gwen definately isn't Gwynth from last year's Doctor Who episode "The Unquiet Dead". She's a modern day police office working in Cardiff who sometimes gets caught up in the antics of Jack Harkness. The girl falls for Jack? Typical!

See you guys soon.

Anything happen while I was gone?

Of course, as luck would have it, on the day that the first official BBC announcement regarding Torchwood was made since October I was on a tropical island, far from the internet, relaxing on the beach with my fiancé. Thank goodness jackharkness was at his post in Cardiff and able to keep you abreast of the big news.

I was at Puerto Galera in the Philippines this past weekend (One of my photos above) where suprisingly nobody was discussing the new revelations made about the Doctor Who spinoff. I am back in Seattle now, where the Gwen Cooper news is obviously all the talk around the water cooler. The Western Mail seems to have the most lengthy interview with Eve Myles.

Welcome all new readers to the page, we are getting noticed more and more everyday. We've been running strong since October. So new Woodies can go read the archives if you need to see for yourself how much time I wasted on writing posts about Charlotte Church and Rachel Stevens over the fall and winter. I know you old-time members of the Innuendo Squad are not that shocked about the Eve Myles announcement. SFX Magazine was the first with this information, and we covered it in December.

After I get over this jetlag, in the days to come I will fill you in more on newly announced producer Richard Stokes, writer Toby Whithouse and more on Ms. Myles of course.

Torchwood Overload (What A Fantastic Way To Celebrate 100 Posts!)

We've reached a milestone; here we are - still going strong after 100 posts.

Kurly we all owe you so much. This little website which you founded months ago is quickly becoming the web-community for Woodies everywhere, and on behalf of everyone I have one thing to say:

Thank you.

I had planned to celebrate somewhat differently with today's column, but to hell with it: for the first time in months we have real news about the series, and I think today would be the ideal time to share it with you all. Gear up, because Torchwood is coming...

www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho

We've got a lot of new information, so here goes:

Gwen's full name is Gwen Cooper, suggesting that Myles isn't playing the same role she played on "Doctor Who". Here's what Eve Myles thinks of playing the role of Gwen Cooper, "I'm thrilled to be playing the part of Gwen. To get the chance to do a 13-part series under the watchful pen of Russell is amazing," says Eve, "It's such a compliment to have been chosen for the part - I can't wait. I'm also looking forward to working with John. It'll be the perfect opportunity for the both of us to show everyone what we've got."

Russell. T. Davies says, "I've admired Eve's work for years, and when she was able to guest-star in Doctor Who last year, it just confirmed to me that she was one of Wales's best-kept secrets. The part of Gwen in Torchwood was written specially for her - so it's a good thing she said yes! Eve and John Barrowman have already met up, and the combination is going to be electrifying."

Meanwhile our old friend John Barrowman confesses:"I'm really looking forward to working with Eve. We've had a good laugh on the occasions we've met and the fact that she's already been in Doctor Who means she knows what she's getting into."

Head of BBC Wales Drama, Julie Gardner, says: "We are delighted to announce the casting of Eve Myles in the central role of Gwen, alongside John Barrowman's Captain Jack in Torchwood. Eve is an intelligent and versatile actress, who has done exceptional work in a number of BBC dramas, including our local series Belonging."

Our little nuggets of information revealled during the BBC press release include:

+Toby Whithouse (writer of the Doctor Who episode "School Reunion") is set to write one episode of the new series.

+Chris Chibnall seems to be contributing more than we originally thought. In the BBC press release he's not listed as a 'contributor', but with RTD as one of the show's main writers. Does this mean he's writing multiple episodes, or is this simply a typo?

+The show's new producer is Richard Stokes (a past producer on British soaps Holby City and Eastenders). He replaces James Hawes, who has been forced to drop out after the filming shedule moved from early 2006 to around April/May.

So much new information, so little time to process it all! If anymore information is released through the day you can bet myself and Kurly will be on the front line to receive it...