Chris Chibnall and Richard Stokes talk to Classic Horror about what we can expect in the next series of Torchwood.
Work on series two is well underway now, and as head writer Chris Chibnall points out: "If I say too much now, it'll be old news by the time it comes out."
The pair did, however, share some great little tidbits about the upcoming series. Read on for more but beware that the following interview does include some spoilers!
"In series one, it's almost like a dysfunctional family," says Chibnall. "It's about these kind of disparate people trying to work together, trying to work each other out. In series two, that family is much more tight-knit, and it's about them going out in the world as a very close-knit team."
Talking about Captain Jack and Gwen's relationship, Chibnall revealed: "A very important part of series two is how does their relationship change their personalities?"
"We have a lovely Toshiko episode in series two," he revealed. "I'm so excited. It's really great. Her emotional awakening that you see in series one plays into series two."
And what about the other characters? Well, Owen's "got some great stuff in series two" and Ianto is a lot more "central to operations".
"He's not just making the coffee... as good as his coffee is! You'll see more of him."
Producer Richard Stokes goes on to talk about Freema Agyeman's guest appearance in the new series.
"She'll join Torchwood for three episodes as a qualified doctor," he says. "She works very closely with Owen, because something happens to someone on the team that requires her attention specifically, and, obviously, she works very well with Captain Jack. We were very keen that when she came in to the team it didn't feel like she and Jack were siding together and the rest of the team were all upset about it. She just blends into the team, in three episodes in a really good way. She's great, and lovely to work with."
"I don't think she does physically," laughs Stokes when asked if Martha and Owen's strong personalities will end up in her giving him a quick slap in the face. "Verbally, there's a little bit of sparring there, yeah."
"By writing the scripts we've found that actually Martha and Gwen have a real sort of similarity," Stokes continued. "The humanist outlook of those two characters, which I suppose makes sense, because when Russell reinvented Doctor Who he always wanted the companion to be the audience's way into the world of Doctor Who. You have this extraordinary science fiction iconic figure of the Doctor and you want a very human companion. In Torchwood there's a similarity there, between Captain Jack and Gwen. When Martha joins, you can see the similarity in how those characters work. They work very well together."
Will there be a bit of a competition between Gwen and Martha? Who can get Jack? "It's very interesting, because the answer is no," reveals Stokes. "We went through several drafts of the script to make sure that it didn't. What we didn't want to do was to make the conflict within the group. We wanted the group to be united in what they were fighting against. But no, they actually all get on very well. I mean, obviously there's conflict there, because this is drama. But they have a discussion relatively early on, basically about Captain Jack, and it clears the air." James Marsters (above) best known as Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will be guest starring in the new series.
"I can tell you he's absolutely brilliant," says Chibnall. "He's a character who's a match for Jack. I've seen all the filming that he's done. I know he's had a great time. He did a gig in Cardiff while he was there, wrote a Torchwood song I believe! An absolutely delightful man, and a brilliant actor. Him and John Barrowman together, on screen, the scenes are fantastic. It's such fun!"
The second series of Torchwood kicks off on BBC Two in the New Year.
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