Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off from the 2005 revival of long-running science fiction programme
Doctor Who,
Torchwood aired four series between 2006 and 2011. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from BBC Three to BBC Two to BBC One, and acquiring US financing in its fourth series when it became a co-production of BBC One and Starz. In contrast to
Doctor Who, whose target audience includes both adults and children,
Torchwood is aimed at an older audience. Over its run, the show explored a number of themes, prominent among these were existentialism, gay and bisexual relationships, and explorations of human corruptibility.
Torchwood follows the exploits of a small team of alien hunters, who make up the Cardiff branch of the fictional Torchwood Institute, which deals mainly with incidents involving extraterrestrials. Its central character is Captain Jack Harkness, an immortal former con-man from the distant future; Jack originally appeared in the 2005 series of
Doctor Who.