Torchwood series two - pre and post watershed

As a not-so-closet Doctor Who fan, it’s good to hear a few more details about the Torchwood spin-off that’s starts screening its second series on BBC Two in mid-January.

Amongst the thirteen episodes, expect more shenanigans from Captain Jack, Gwen (now engaged), Owen, Toshiko and the understated tea boy Ianto in and around the murky world of Cardiff Bay. Martha Jones pops in to help out in three episodes, slightly older and wiser since we last saw her in the Tardis, having now completed her medical studies. (Spoilers ahoy!)

The first series originally aired post-watershed on BBC Three, repeated on BBC Two.

This time around, the main show goes out on BBC Two. Satellite viewers with access to the BBC HD channel will again get to see Torchwood in its full high-definition g(l)ory. And a special family-friendly repeat will be shown - unsure whether on BBC2 or CBBC - eliminating the worst excesses of language, sexuality and violence in a slightly shorter show.

It’ll be interesting to see the variation in the edits, and whether major plotlines are eliminated from younger-pitched version. At Monday’s press launch, creator Russel T Davies was reported as saying:

“We’ll cut the swearing and cut the violence, but no we will not be cutting the kissing, so no story there.”

Linnea Dobson over in Firefox News wonders about the US version too. To make room for ad breaks, the first series was severely hacked to shorten each episode, removing a lot of the depth of the narrative. And will the US audiences see the child-friendly version? Or a third edit?

Update: Check out other posts that mention Torchwood ...