# Torchwood 1.1 and 1.2 (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 22, 2006, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torchwood-1-1-and-1-2-open-spoilers/377491 "2006-10-22T23:17:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torchwood-1-1-and-1-2-open-spoilers/377491/21 "2006-10-25T15:13:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Welsh-sounding people walking around Cardiff in a BBC Wales production… that’s not saying “Canada” to me, sorry. In fact, why are CBC co-producing it? Aren’t they supposed to be public service, promoting indigenous culture and all that? IIRC, John Barrowman is Canadian. Maybe that’s the link? ---
**Author:** ![Daffyd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daffyd/32/8923_2.png) [@Daffyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daffyd)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torchwood-1-1-and-1-2-open-spoilers/377491/22 "2006-10-25T15:22:59Z")
[QUOTE=Smapti] IIRC, John Barrowman is Canadian. Maybe that’s the link? [/QUOTE] As much as I’d like to say Barrowman is Canadian, he’s not… He’s from Illinois… ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torchwood-1-1-and-1-2-open-spoilers/377491/23 "2006-10-25T17:08:25Z")
[QUOTE=Charlie Tan] And I think “The girl in the fireplace” is the best of these two new seasons. [/quote] Not sure about the best - the last episode comes to mind - but way up there. > [@](#): > > Billie Piper will be missed, though. Yes indeed. ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torchwood-1-1-and-1-2-open-spoilers/377491/24 "2006-10-25T19:09:03Z")
[QUOTE=Daffyd] As much as I’d like to say Barrowman is Canadian, he’s not… He’s from Illinois… [/QUOTE] Depends what you mean by _from_. He was born in Glasgow and whenever he’s back in Blighty he reverts to his native Jock accent. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torchwood-1-1-and-1-2-open-spoilers/377491/25 "2006-10-25T20:11:53Z")
[QUOTE=Daffyd] Wow… MUCH darker than Dr. Who… and I hope I can get over the fact that Gwen is the same actress who played “Gwenyth” in the Charles Dickens episode… **intense** [/QUOTE] It makes me wonder if that’s going to be a plot point at some stage. The building that Gwenyth blew up was on the rift. Torchwood is now located on the rift. ---
**Author:** ![Daffyd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daffyd/32/8923_2.png) [@Daffyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daffyd)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torchwood-1-1-and-1-2-open-spoilers/377491/26 "2006-10-26T00:41:56Z")
[QUOTE=seosamh] Depends what you mean by _from_. He was born in Glasgow and whenever he’s back in Blighty he reverts to his native Jock accent. [/QUOTE] Oh my God… I’m not sure why I thought he was from Illinois… Somehow I knew he was Scottish, but blocked it out in the excitement of making him a Yank :smack: ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torchwood-1-1-and-1-2-open-spoilers/377491/27 "2006-10-26T03:31:36Z")
I have now watched the first two episodes. Quite enjoyable (and the orgasm cloud is fine by me. 🙂 I asked my mate why they chose ‘Torchwood’, and he gently pointed out that it is an anagram of ‘Doctor Who’. :o ---
**Author:** ![Daffyd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daffyd/32/8923_2.png) [@Daffyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daffyd)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torchwood-1-1-and-1-2-open-spoilers/377491/28 "2006-10-26T04:15:55Z")
[QUOTE=glee] I asked my mate why they chose ‘Torchwood’, and he gently pointed out that it is an anagram of ‘Doctor Who’. :o [/QUOTE] Oh my GOD. While we were watching, my husband asked why it was called Torchwood, and all I could tell him was “It just is, I don’t know” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![amijane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@amijane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amijane)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torchwood-1-1-and-1-2-open-spoilers/377491/29 "2006-10-26T13:49:42Z")
Finally caught up with Torchwood last night, and happily so. Much more grown up than the Doctors but still nice and silly - loved all the MIB references and “CSI - Cardiff”, gently poking fun at the location (Not far from where I live). As a lifelong Doctor fan it’s been something of a personal sadness that I haven’t been able to get past the ‘kiddie TV’ cheese factor of the new Doctors. Plus I’ve liked Barrowman since he was be-sweatered, pretty and cheerfully American-accented (no hint of Scots) on Saturday morning children’s BBC show [Live&Kicking](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_%26_Kicking), at which point I had a slight teeny crush on him. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torchwood-1-1-and-1-2-open-spoilers/377491/30 "2006-10-26T13:56:18Z")
I liked it. It was a bit lightweight, plodding and linear in places, and contrived in others, but I can forgive all of that for the sake of entertainment. So far, I \ like it better than the new Doctor Who series’ - although to be fair, I haven’t seen all of those. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torchwood-1-1-and-1-2-open-spoilers/377491/31 "2006-10-26T13:58:14Z")
[QUOTE=Daffyd] Oh my GOD. While we were watching, my husband asked why it was called Torchwood, and all I could tell him was “It just is, I don’t know” :smack: [/QUOTE] I think I’m right in saying that ‘Torchwood’ was the code name and cover story, contrived for the new Doctor Who series in order to keep it under wraps whilst in development, but that somewhere along the line, someone decided the cover story was worthy of development in its own right. ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torchwood-1-1-and-1-2-open-spoilers/377491/32 "2006-10-26T15:36:22Z")
[QUOTE=Daffyd] Oh my God… I’m not sure why I thought he was from Illinois… Somehow I knew he was Scottish, but blocked it out in the excitement of making him a Yank :smack: [/QUOTE] Unsmack that head just a little. I believe he spent part of his childhood in Illinois, having been born in Scotchland. But does that mean that his attempt at an American accent is passable? ---
**Author:** ![Daffyd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daffyd/32/8923_2.png) [@Daffyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daffyd)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torchwood-1-1-and-1-2-open-spoilers/377491/33 "2006-10-26T17:43:47Z")
[QUOTE=seosamh] Unsmack that head just a little. I believe he spent part of his childhood in Illinois, having been born in Scotchland. But does that mean that his attempt at an American accent is passable? [/QUOTE] Well, coming from California, I’m not an expert on Illinois accents, but it sounds fine to me as a generic American accent… The times I notice, strangely enough were when he would suddenly say throw in British phrases… I can’t think of any that stood out, but I remember thinking, “Huh? Why is an American saying THAT?”… So that means he certainly has me picturing him as an American and not Scottish… It’s kind of like watching Rachel Griffiths on Six Feet Under… I got totally used to her with her “American” accent - even after seeing her years ago in Mariel’s Wedding with her normal Australian accent…Whenever I see her being interviewed on television using her real accent, it feels wrong… I guess that’s a sign of a good actor… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torchwood-1-1-and-1-2-open-spoilers/377491.md?page=1)