Torchwood: Day One
First Broadcast October 22nd 2006 @ 9.50pm on BBC3 (2.50m viewers)
Today marks TEN years since Torchwood first burst onto our screens. But that doesn’t just mean the first episode. It also includes the debut of the second episode in the series, ‘Day One’. This is a bold move. Confident that the opening salvo would grab the attention, the second story was scheduled to follow immediately afterwards. On first viewing, it presented Torchwood as something, unlike anything that had been seen before. And it was brilliant. As a viewer ‘Day One’ cemented Torchwood as a series I wanted to watch every week. Until we got to ‘Miracle Day’ but that’s a different issue.
Anyway, Gwen Cooper’s first day on the job begins with a faux pas which releases the wonderfully ludicrous events that follow. A ‘sex gas’ monster. It is madness. Superbly imaginative and a bit British, but ridiculous. But before the viewer loses themselves in a fit of childish giggles, Gwen Cooper grabs them by the scruff of the neck and punches them in the face with the reality of the situation. There is an innocent girl stuck in the middle of all this nonsense and she needs help…
Memorable Moment (Spoiler Warning)
Eve Myles’ Gwen Cooper brought heart to the Torchwood team. For example, in ‘Everything Changes’ she brings a fresh perspective on the death of the hospital porter. Whilst Tosh efficiently alters the hospital rota it is only Gwen who seems to comprehend that this man was a person. He had a family. The same occurs in this episode. Last week at the BATFA Cymru event celebrating Ten Years of Torchwood, writer Joseph Lidster picked up on this point too. In one scene Jack, Owen and Tosh point their guns at Carys but Gwen goes to her aid. She sees the person behind the alien anomaly, this extends to piecing together her life to get an understanding of her life. Ultimately this emotional connection helps Gwen save the day and Carys.
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Cast:
Captain Jack Harkness – John Barrowman
Gwen Cooper – Eve Myles
Owen Harper – Burn Gorman
Director – Brian Kelly
Toshiko Sato – Naoko Mori
Ianto Jones – Gareth David-Lloyd
Rhys Williams – Kai Owen
Private Moriarty – Adrian Christopher
Sgt. Johnson – Ross O’Hennessy
Carys Fletcher – Sara Lloyd-Gregory
Banksy – Ceri Mears
Crew:
Writer – Chris Chibnall
Director – Brian Kelly
Producer – Richard Stokes
Also First Aired On This Day…
- The Tenth Planet: Episode 3
- The Invisible Enemy: Part Four
- Torchwood: Everything Changes
- The Sarah Jane Adventures: Warriors of Kudlak
- The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Mad Woman in the Attic
