I’ve never written a Reddit thread but I wanted to say my piece. I was a Torchwood fan back when it aired and rediscovering it through Big Finish (yes I’m a sucker for Torchwood Monthly Range, and only just given The Story Continues series a go). Torchwood was nothing like anything on tv at the time, an adult-orientated sci-fi show.
But I remember how some episodes were absolute duds. Big Finish has delivered so much good content after the fact, but at the time I felt too many people knew it as ‘Captain Jack’s edgy little show with swearing and sex ghosts’. And yeah, there were some were poorly written or just plain crap (From Out the Rain and Small Worlds come to mind).
Here’s my scenario: Torchwood gets greenlit for a reboot or remake Series One. The same characters and setting remains, and observing The Rift is still the mission. Gwen Cooper, Torchwood Three, Weevils, Cardiff, etc. Recasted or original actors, doesn’t matter. But there are a few ground rules:
It cannot have any connection or copyright to Doctor Who, with the exception of Capt. Jack Harkness. Torchwood can hold its own as a series without crossover references. Martha Jones, UNIT, Time Agency, all of that. Maybe Captain Jack Harkness has another reason for his immortality? And I absolutely love Yvonne Hartman but her appearance in DW’s Army of Ghosts would make her ineligible. As a copyrighted named character, would you reinvent her or recreate the fantastic Tracy-Ann Oberman in spirit?
You can keep the best episodes or ditch the worst, and any changes to arcs or characters are welcome. But keep to an episodic format with a through line, rather than one epic story. This is a Series One rebuild, from Everything Changes to End of Days.
Big Finish creations or stories are fair game, including characters like Norton or Colchester as well as Monthly Range stories. Bear in mind that elements like Orr and the Sorvix are heavily tied to The Story Continues.
Torchwood is adult, not immature. Be faithful. Remember why some episodes failed and dated, while others are long remembered.
What do you think? My example would changing two major things in the pilot Everything Changes: the active existence of Torchwood One as this corporate giant located in London, and Suzie Costello surviving her suicide either by a rude intervention or happenstance, becoming a recurring anti-villain.
Edit: I did use AI to help write the detailed original post I placed on Reddit, but I think it gave the wrong impression to the community. My bad I used it as a tool to give structure, not generate clickbait.
