Comments on: Torchwood: “Children of the Earth” – was that the intended audience? http://www.patrickjames.co.uk/blog/2009/07/14/torchwood-children-of-the-earth/ I see madness all around Mon, 14 Feb 2011 10:34:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Simon McGuinness http://www.patrickjames.co.uk/blog/2009/07/14/torchwood-children-of-the-earth/comment-page-1/#comment-95 Simon McGuinness Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:12:58 +0000 http://www.patrickjames.co.uk/blog/?p=449#comment-95 Hello Patrick, Your criticism is sound and you have picked out some glaring holes. I too noted them. However I DID enjoy Children of the Earth. Torchwood is targeted for adults, it is after all a spin-off from Doctor Who that has a general public following, i.e. families. Torchwood's audience are those who were childhood fans of Dr Who, notably Tom Baker and before. Although the use of CGi it is really a character driven topical format. It is the writing and the commentary on where we are at today. The relationship between Cptn Jack and Ianto did play a meaningful part in the story. It normalises a gay relationship that you rightfully found to be boring and that should be the same for everyone watching it. I get bored with love interests in films where it is about the action. Watching a couple take time out to exchange fluids and pillow talk for any coupling is superfluous. Russell T Davies os making a point, heavy as it appears to you, but I believe he is saying 'get over it' for the puritans and homophobic viewers. Peter Capaldi gave an excellent performance in a production that was evidently on a very very tight budget. So it was the story. The writing was what I enjoyed, the premises, the observation on today's reasoning and personal and national politics. I especially loved the Whitehall meetings. The line about what school league tables are really for, when having to choose the children to be sacrificed. Loved it. As someone who came to this country to widen participation in higher education it was a howler. The big issue is Torchwood has a simple format. Something that tries to be sophisticated and thoughtful, like a lower quality version of House of Cards, directed by Paul Seed (who was coincidentally originally an actor, well known to Doctor Who fans for his portrayal of the Graff Vinda-K in the Tom Baker story, The Ribos Operation) So who is the real audience it is targeted at. The American market. There the audiences are bigger, more involved (with their Torchwood Conferences) and they spend millions of $ on this sh*t. The BBC are securing a source of income when the Tories/New Labour eventually pull the licence fee on them. To emphasise my point.. www.bbcamerica.com/content/262/index.jsp compare it to the bbc.co.uk website on Torchwood Now the American audience are diverse and require a big common denominator, simplify the plot and the story. Although I do enjoy the quality US stuff like Scrubs and The Wire. Both on HBO not general terrestrial (sic) tv. I liked Torchwood. But I appreciate and agree with some of your criticisms and the obvious flaws. But the more they produce programmes where the things audiences today are surprised or note same sex couples involving the protagonist, or throw our language and subtexts into our ears and reveal our hypocrisies, and where help for London can come from Wales can't be a bad thing. Besides the English (or British, if you like) love to grumble and whinge. Read Jeremy Paxmen's "The English" or Dara O'Briain's "Tickling the English". It is in your blood. :-) All the best Simon PS: By the way, I enjoyed your website. Hello Patrick,
Your criticism is sound and you have picked out some glaring holes. I too noted them. However I DID enjoy Children of the Earth. Torchwood is targeted for adults, it is after all a spin-off from Doctor Who that has a general public following, i.e. families. Torchwood’s audience are those who were childhood fans of Dr Who, notably Tom Baker and before.

Although the use of CGi it is really a character driven topical format. It is the writing and the commentary on where we are at today. The relationship between Cptn Jack and Ianto did play a meaningful part in the story. It normalises a gay relationship that you rightfully found to be boring and that should be the same for everyone watching it. I get bored with love interests in films where it is about the action. Watching a couple take time out to exchange fluids and pillow talk for any coupling is superfluous. Russell T Davies os making a point, heavy as it appears to you, but I believe he is saying ‘get over it’ for the puritans and homophobic viewers.

Peter Capaldi gave an excellent performance in a production that was evidently on a very very tight budget. So it was the story. The writing was what I enjoyed, the premises, the observation on today’s reasoning and personal and national politics. I especially loved the Whitehall meetings. The line about what school league tables are really for, when having to choose the children to be sacrificed. Loved it. As someone who came to this country to widen participation in higher education it was a howler.

The big issue is Torchwood has a simple format. Something that tries to be sophisticated and thoughtful, like a lower quality version of House of Cards, directed by Paul Seed (who was coincidentally originally an actor, well known to Doctor Who fans for his portrayal of the Graff Vinda-K in the Tom Baker story, The Ribos Operation)
So who is the real audience it is targeted at. The American market. There the audiences are bigger, more involved (with their Torchwood Conferences) and they spend millions of $ on this sh*t. The BBC are securing a source of income when the Tories/New Labour eventually pull the licence fee on them.
To emphasise my point..
http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/262/index.jsp
compare it to the bbc.co.uk website on Torchwood
Now the American audience are diverse and require a big common denominator, simplify the plot and the story. Although I do enjoy the quality US stuff like Scrubs and The Wire. Both on HBO not general terrestrial (sic) tv.

I liked Torchwood. But I appreciate and agree with some of your criticisms and the obvious flaws. But the more they produce programmes where the things audiences today are surprised or note same sex couples involving the protagonist, or throw our language and subtexts into our ears and reveal our hypocrisies, and where help for London can come from Wales can’t be a bad thing. Besides the English (or British, if you like) love to grumble and whinge. Read Jeremy Paxmen’s “The English” or Dara O’Briain’s “Tickling the English”. It is in your blood. :-)

All the best

Simon

PS: By the way, I enjoyed your website.

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