Is Torchwood PR for TV-Glamour Gaydom?

February 2010
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(*Warning: This post discusses homosexuality [with brief mentions to omnisexuality] and includes videos relating thereof. This post contains NO nudity and videos have been noted. IF this subject matter offends you, you should stop reading. Remember, the Little Pink Book strives to create an open space for numerous and varied POVs, so please be respectful.*)

First there was Ellen, then some Queer as Folk, Will & Grace, The L Word – and now there is Torchwood?

I’ve been reading a lot of buzz lately about the UK’s hit sci-fi drama, which airs on BBC America. A spin-off of the infamous Doctor-Who, Torchwood features a romantic gay couple as the hero and hero.

I like to think of the show as a slapstick version of The X-files-drugged-up-on-Roswell meeting in the middle of some sort of Star-Trek-Doctor-Who hybrid.

Clip of Series 3, Torchwood: Children of Earth, from BBC:-

It’s rather interesting actually (”notes” starts after the cut and are in RED) --

What makes the talk around Torchwood, deliciously intriguing is the fan response, or more like stake burning, of the show recently.

In the mini-series special, considered its Series (Season) 3, Torchwood: Children of Earth, the main hero, Dr. Jack Harkness played by John Barrowman, loses his boyfriend, Ianto Jones, played by Gareth David-Lloyd, to poisonous fumes released by an alien.

In case you weren’t keeping up, Ianto is a lead character – so talk about drama!

Torchwood%2009 Is Torchwood PR for TV Glamour Gaydom?

Torchwood%2010 Is Torchwood PR for TV Glamour Gaydom?

Well, the pitchforks went up and fans of the show, maybe even some lack thereof, were calling the show’s creators and the BBC homophobic. They were feeling that it was all too convenient and all too common that the gay character must be the one to die.

Torchwood%2007 Is Torchwood PR for TV Glamour Gaydom?

Why not Gwen? Some asked. Why not a straight woman, played by straight woman (Eve Myles) instead?

I ask:-

The BBC, a homophobic network that broadcasts a television show on prime time with two homosexuals in the lead?
A homophobic creator, who was part of the original set of brains behind Queer as Folk?

Really. Really! Really?

The irony.

~*~

Torchwood%2006 Is Torchwood PR for TV Glamour Gaydom?

Interestingly enough, growing out of Torchwood’s Series Three finale from less aggressive spheres, is a Save Ianto Jones online petition. Basically, aiming to bribe the show’s producers into bringing the lead character back – their bribe consists of raising money for the BBC’s Children in Need. They’ve raised around $6,000 so far, donated on behalf of the character.

Well, now that’s a new level of social-media-socially-aware-give-me-what-I-want if I’ve ever seen it!

[Save Ianto Jones] Would you believe it’s gotten over 50,000 hits in a matter of days?

~*~

In some circles, Torchwood has gained much press due to a couple of things, but there are two of which I find to be extremely important in acknowledging, and even dissecting, the future of homosexuality on prime time television:-

1) Jack Harkness, our hero, is the first openly gay man, to play an openly gay role, in a not-so openly gay arena.

Let’s be blunt and say it for what it is – traditional Great Britain.

Welcome to the land of OFCOM!

OFCOM is one of the world’s most notorious watchdog organizations for communications up-keeping. Torchwood hasn’t exactly gotten flamed by OFCOM, and that little tidbit has gone in its favour.

The same could be said for the other British dramedy, Queer as Folk. OFCOM didn’t get the half the flames for either of these shows as they recieved about the Agent Provocateur advertisements featuring Kylie Minogue, that’s for sure.

Therefore, is homosexuality becoming more acceptable to mainstream audiences versus pure heterosexual entendres?

What does this mean for the future of gay television? With Britain, seemingly, leading in the forefront, will the US follow suit?

Will tamer versions of HBO and Showtime extravaganzas be relocated to ABC or NBC in the future?

Take a look at these videos, OFCOM barely got feedback on the Torchwood scene.

Imagine, if this aired on NBC or CBS — what do you think the reaction would be? Then imagine, this same scene, as if it were heterosexual — what do you think the reaction would be?

Is there a difference? If so, what is it?

Torchwood
(Warning: this video contains male snogging & shirtlessness. If this offends you, do not watch.)

“Raunchy” Kylie Minogue

2) Jack Harkness is a strong male lead.

Torchwood%2008 Is Torchwood PR for TV Glamour Gaydom?

That’s right, Captain Jack Harkness is NOT Jack McFarlane or Will Truman from Will & Grace.

No, he’s a rugged, excruciatingly handsome, omnisexual from the 51st century who wears a trench coat and is pretty much super bad @$$.

Oh, how the times have changed. In recent memory, I simply cannot recall a leading male character, homosexual (omnisexual for that matter) quite like him.

Does this set forth footsteps towards something similar?

I’m not talking the likes of Brokeback Mountain. I’m talking about the equivalent of a gay Batman or – dare I even suggest a parallel – a gay James Bond equivalent? (Stan Lee is supposedly creating a “gay” superhero for Marvel named Thom Creed. But I think they’re forgetting, they created Northstar for X-Men.)

Albus Dumbledore is gay and he’s the Millennial reinvention of Merlin. Therefore, is the archetype alpha male, “guy’s guy” next?

The same look, the same feel, the same mannerisms – different sexual preference?

Again, another video — it’s a scene between a man and man. But how similar is it in contrast to the scene below it from Grey’s Anatomy? This does go against the stereotype, does it not?
If not, then why?

Torchwood
(Warning: this video contains more male snogging with no shirtlessness. If that offends you, do not watch.)

Grey’s Anatomy

Pushing the boundaries with what is known

Spike%20Buffy Is Torchwood PR for TV Glamour Gaydom?

Do you remember a little show called Buffy: The Vampire Slayer? It was on the WB for what felt like a decade? Basically, it has a major cult following and is still one of the talks of the town in Comic-Cons…

Do you remember in Buffy there was this breakout character – a vampire with peroxide blonde hair, nicknamed ‘William the Bloody,’ killed a slayer, had a psycho girlfriend named Drusilla, then crossed over to Angel?

Yes, that one, the guy from Bones used to be in it.

I give you Spike (aka Captain John Hart) vs. Captain Jack Harkness…

But think about the anti-stereotype.
(You need to watch past 1:21 to see what I am talking about. Same warning as previous two (2), male snogging, no shirtlessness.)

Public Relations Insight

Torchwood%2011 Is Torchwood PR for TV Glamour Gaydom?

It should be a known fact that not all gay men are in same stereotype as The Birdcage. However, that’s the way many have been illustrated for ages. Think about how not all lesbian women are the equivalent of some maid named Helga with arms as beefy as one of my legs…on a good day.

With the legalizations of Gay Marriage in many states as a major hurdle crossed, I cannot help but think of Torchwood as one of the stepping stones to moving homosexuality forward into mainstream acceptance…or something like it.

The ground work has been paved and this is just building upon the already cemented blocks.

But will the building tumble before it’s built?

I don’t know. But it does seem to be growing higher.

Thoughts???

For more Torchwood, minus the romance, bromance and such -- check out the sci-fi scenes from Gwen’s wedding involving a nutty shape-shifter via the BBC.

�
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Sasha Muradali runs the ‘Little Pink Book’ . She holds a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Florida (’07) and an M.A. in International Administration from the University of Miami(’08). She loves Twitter and all things social media, so you should find her @SashaHalima.

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Name

Interesting comments. We watched this on the BBC in the UK, and I have to say I never thought of it as a 'gay drama'. I thought of it as a gripping, adult sci-fi drama, a great thriller, a disturbing edge-of-your-seat action drama, a pointed political commentary drama, and whole lot of other things besides, but the fact that the main characters happenned to be gay didn't make much of an impact. I would have cried when Ianto died regardless of the gender of the person holding him in their arms.

Reducing Torchwood to a 'gay drama' I think does it a disservice.

Sasha H. Muradali

Hi Helen,

Thank you so much for your feedback. I absolutely love your brief analysis because to be honest, when I saw the show for the first time here in the United States – I thought the same thing as you.

However, that being said, I think you and I are a minority in our thought process OR the categorization of the show in the UK is vastly different than what it is here in the US to mainstream audiences.

In the United States, in most television circles, it’s considered a sci-fi television show with large gay themes.

And while, it is broadcast on the BBC and BBC Three – you will not find a show like “Torchwood” on primetime television in the United States.

All shoes of similar content are on HBO, Showtime, BBC America and Logo. While, you have shows like Will & Grace, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and even Dawson’s Creek (back in the day) that had homosexual characters – they were secondary characters, not leading. The ones that were leading – ie) Will & Grace – fell into the common “Birdcage” stereotype.

I think you comment is an excellent example of the differences in society’s perception based on location.

I really appreciate your feedback!

Best wishes,
Sasha

GP Harris

I haven't watched TorchWOOD but now I'm curious - pun intended -. I don't know whats the fuss about a gay superhero, aren't they all GAY??? Batman, hello a middle aged bachelor with no known girlfriend that lives with this ephebo like pretty boy that uses a girls name (Robin) and Superman who is practically a 40 year old virgin with a muscle daddy body and how about He-man who can be more of a Chelsea muscle queen than him? he owns a cat and runs around in a loincloth, hello? and Peter PArker and his alter ego Spidey? this is a guy with a latex and mask fetish for crying out loud! so whats the big deal? Greeks and Romans used to play swords with their school buddies it was only through the manipulation of Christianity that being omnisexual became taboo, funny as this is a male dominated club peppered with pedophilia incidents so whos to blame for this? The gay self haters that founded the Catholic church who then spawned American closseted self hating protestant white right wing republicans who preach at the altar next to their wifes but cuddle at night with their son's school mates... and sure we need to get over all this hypocrisy and start humping everyone in broad daylight like Capt. Jack Hardness - DAYUM!!!!

Sasha H. Muradali

Hi Glen,

First – LMAO. Oh my goodness, your feedback made me choke on my morning coffee, poorly attempting not to laugh.

Okay – moving on…

I don’t think it’s a big deal, personally. I think it’s more of modern society’s doing. And by modern society, I mean the rise of religion and the fall of the Roman Empire.

We all know Caligula, Alexander the Great etc., to be bisexuals. It’s not uncommon when you delve back into any ancient culture. Period.

But the fact of the matter is, that it is now a “big deal” in our modern culture because we made it this way.

I definitely see your point about the Marvel superheroes…and actually, some of the lesser known Marvel superheroes are, in fact, gay. But the thing about that is, they are lesser known.

Interestingly enough, “Northstar” from X-men is gay. But you never hear about him, unless you know the comic books series.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northstar

Actually, on top of that Marvel doesn’t quite acknowledge his existence as they are prepping to “unveil” the world’s “first gay superhero.” His name will be Thom Creed.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/north...

Sasha

Jennifer Wilbur

I'm offended and disgusted that Jack is... and American! ;)

The videos are not loading well for me, so I didn't get a chance to see all. I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, so doubt I'll watch it.

I think the interesting thing here isn't just that the main characters are gay, but the show shares the sex part. Even in the shows today where gay characters are front and center, their sexuality is definitely not shown (or is demonstrated through comedic lines).

As an American who watches BBC America, though, I thing of the Brits has being more open to gay programming. Can you imagine Graham Norton on NBC?

Going back to your original line about people upset about the writer killing off a gay character. Don't you think that had to happen? Often times it's the main love story that sees something bad happen (especially in a drama). Does the woman in the show have a love interest in the story? I'm guessing "no." So what would be the point to kill off her or her lover?

Sasha H. Muradali

Hi Jenn,

Haha, would you believe John Barrowman is actually Scottish? I believe I read online when I was researching the article, that he grew up in the States. And when he’s with his family, apparently a very thick Scottish accent rears its head. But, also when he is acting – he makes a point to speak in an American accent as well.

The videos? Argh, maybe it’s YouTube. They are all streamed directly from there.

The shows sharing the sex portion is a very good observation. I overlooked that to a certain extent. Good catch! And the comedic lines are definitely seen in shows like Will & Grace – or even movies like Sweet Home Alabama. Etc.

I could NEVER imagine Graham Norton on NBC. I think the execs would die of ratings-fright!....well, at least not yet. As Helen illustrated in the above comment. I think a huge part of the issue here is culture. American versus other countries, in this case Great Britain.

While, we too, have openly gay programming, it’s on the likes of cable television or individual channels like Logo. We have yet to see something of this nature in the United States on prime network television.

About the show killing of Ianto – I’m not sure. I don’t think it needed to happen. The way Children of Earth panned out – was that Gwen was pregnant and she’s married.

They could have easily killed of her husband, who plays a less valuable role on television. I mean I look back at shows like The X-files – where Scully was pregnant with Mulder’s baby and for the first few months of the child’s life…Mulder was gone. Heck, Mulder wasn’t in the final season of the X-files.

So in my opinion, I’m not sure what the writers were doing by killing off Ianto. It makes no sense to me. Unless it’s a PR ploy to gain more viewers in Season 4 and bring him back from the dead – something very easy to do in a television show. Especially one that has no limits as it is only restricted by the writers imaginations.

All, excellent point and great observations Jen.

Thanks for your feedback :)

Sasha

Jennifer Wilbur

Maybe there was a contract dispute with David-Lloyd, and the producers didn't want to try and put in another actor? ;)

Sasha H. Muradali

That's probable...and lousy!

It'll be like Grey's Anatomy all over again, ugh.

LOL

Dominick

I think you hit the nail on the head. Homophobia is a modern issue. In the past, it wasn't an issue. Religion plays an extremely huge role in all of this. The U.S. tries to be holier than thou and even the networks know this.

When gay characters were first being allowed on television (even as early as Billy Crystal's portrayal on Soap), gay men were those 'Birdcage' stereotypes. It's almost as if it was okay to have a gay character on television as long as he fit the stereotype. Even today on Network television in the U.S. you'll be hard pressed to find a gay character that isn't effeminate, wimpy, fairy-like, etc.

I have many many many gay male friends and yes, the community has plenty of these guys who almost seem to overemphasize their gayness, but not all gays are created equal. I know some guys next door, I played quarterback in HS, had all the girls after me, type of homosexual men, too. I know the big, burly lumberjack gays, the surfer gays, pretty much gays from all walks of life.

I think Queer as Folk opened up doors on the Showtime/HBO channels for honesty about the diversity of those within the community, and now Torchwood is striving to take things a step further. The James Bond type can very well be gay and still be suave, charming, resourceful and someone all guys can look up to as a hero/role model.

I think that it's going to take longer in the U.S. for this to happen on Network television merely because the U.S. networks don't want to 'offend' anyone. They'll play Dexter (edited) on CBS, but could never envision a tamer 'Queer as Folk' on the network. Why? $$ - They fear losing viewers and in turn $$ if they become 'too pro gay,' which is just ridiculous in my mind, but what can you do?

They need to get some balls, because I believe once they do take the leap (whichever network does it first), they'll be pleasantly surprised by the results and it won't be such a big issue anymore.

Sasha H. Muradali

Hi Dominick,

I definitely agree wit you about religion, based on history alone. As I mentioned to someone earlier, pre-fall of the Roman Empire, a lot of things were different. I think the Dark Ages and the emergence of religion changed a lot things.

So how far away do you think the prime American markets are from taking a jump on this?

I mean, could you envision Torchwood or something similar on NBC, unedited (except for the mild course language) in the near future?

Or is that still in the distant future in your mind?

Best wishes,

Sasha

KristaLinn

As much as I would love to see more gay characters on network television, the one thing I worry about is invasion of the gay token. If there is a positive response to strong main characters who happen to be homosexual, I could see it becoming "trendy" for network shows to introduce a character as gay, basically so producers and executives can pat themselves on the back, saying "See? We got ourselves a gay guy! That makes us edgy and relevant!"
There's a pretty significant precedent that has already been established with other minority groups (See: Law & Order SVU's Tutuola, Star War's Mace Windu, X-Men's Storm, and basically every sitcom of the late 1980s and 1990s). And it makes sense: a token gay character is much easier to control than a whole bevy of gay characters, wherein most would have naturally differing worldviews. It's much safer to have one character, one voice that can act as a soapbox for whatever politically correct and completely vanilla message the networks feels compelled to send than actually tackling real, complex issues that affect not only the gay community, but the community as a whole and could perhaps highlight similarities between the two groups and foster coexistence. Torchwood portrays homosexuality/omnisexuality as a naturally-occurring fact rather than a tacked-on tidbit meant as a cheap way of making a character interesting. And Queer as Folk illustrates the diversity of personalities, opinions, and outlooks within the gay community. As much as I applaud both of these shows, I'm not holding my breath when it comes to mainstream network television continuing this trend. Given its history, somehow I think it may fall flat.

Sasha H. Muradali

Hi Krista,

Thank you for your comment :)

Do you see the "gay token" as what the token "black person" was? Or a certain extent, still is?

A good observation, one I caught on to and appreciate myself, is where you said, Torchwood portrays homosexuality "as a naturally-occurring fact rather than a tacked-on tidbit meant as a cheap way of making a character interesting."

I think too often people tend to forget that. I mean I posted "warnings" on this post, because I understand, especially being in PR, how some of the masses can really be.

While, I consider myself very laid back and pretty much open to just about everything -- everyone is free to live as they please and make their own choices etc. -- I know not everyone is like that.

Case and point -- I am my own example -- I didn't want to offen anyone.

I'm not sure if will fall flat -- I just think it'll take more time...I don't think the state of American prime network television has reached the stage of the BBC or ITV in the United Kingdom.

Best wishes,

Sasha

Andrew J Talcott

This post is uncanny, its a pop-PR-sci-fi-comic book-sexuality-in-society extravaganza. The questions raised here are worth talking about in all these arenas and you have managed to bring them all under one roof. I believe that it is good for shows to bring attention to certain things going on in our day-to-day lives, but I wonder if it detracts from the actual purpose of the show, which in the case of most science fiction shows, is to entertain.

Sasha H. Muradali

Hi Andrew,

haha, nice description, "a pop-PR-sci-fi-comic book-sexuality-in-society extravaganza." :)

Oh I completely agree with you -- I saw Torchwood and I saw it as a great science fiction drama with some comedy and I absolutely loved it. Granted the first time I ever saw it was on BBC American and "Children of Earth" -- but I enjoyed it nonethless.

That being said, when I visited the various website online, after Google searching the show, I came across an ample amount of tidbits and rants and all sorts of different POVs.

I definitely would have never considered Torchwood a "gay" show in the same way that I would consider Queer as Folk, for example. But there are a lot of people out there, as I found out recently, who simply disagree with the mind set, you and I have.

I think Torchwood, like all other good shows, serves its purpose and entertains -- however, it has also become what I look at as a stepping stone to open more lead-gay friendly roles on the television market. Especially, in the United States.

Have you visited Amazon recently or Barnes & Noble online? If you haven't, you should. It's really something because Torchwood 3 is in the top 10 DVDs. That means people are seeing it on American television and buying it.

I highly doubt all of those people are buying it to see/look at it as a gay show. They are probably sci-fi, action, dramedy television fans and enjoy a really good show.

I guess when it comes to this, there are just sooo many different things that can be said.

Anyway, thank you for your feedback,
Best regards,

Sasha

ashleyellene

Well said Sasha.

I wish that the U.S. Networks would be brave enough to have Torchwood-like characters during primetime.

Yes Showtime and HBO has lead the way for the gay community but it is about time that NBC, ABC, and CBS had real non-sterotypical gay lead characters featured.

My only thought is that middle-America is not as open as the television viewers across the pond. Would a Torchwood-like show go over well in primetime? Would there be mainstream acceptance or will it be a major set back?

Sasha H. Muradali

Hello Ashely,

Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed reading the article. Not going to lie, once I first Googled Torchwood and found all of this info, I definitely Googled to find more.

There are so many interesting and unique facets revolving around the fan base and audience for this show I found it very interesting.

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said, "middle America."

My thoughts exactly.

:) Sasha

JetKL

As an active advocate and member of the LBGTQ community, I've been watching gay relationships in the media for as long as I can remember. I must say that I don't consider Torchwood a 'gay' series. It's a sci-fi series branching from Doctor Who that happened to have a gay lead couple. I think that it’s one of the better portrayed gay relationships; in fact, because being gay wasn’t the point of the show.

As has been stated before, in shows like Will & Grace, and goodness knows how many movies, gay men have been made to seem harmless and docile, something that entertains but with no clear connection to sex. I think the first big break was Queer As Folk, a story about a generation of men that are just as sexualized, angry, diabolical, sexy and masculine as any straight men. However, even this series failed to address the elder and now younger generation of gay men. The club scene is a very new thing to the gay community and often it is overlooked that the first real outlet for the gay community is right here. The internet was the first real place where gay men could achieve anonymity and therefore equality. Suddenly it becomes clearer that yes not all gay men are perky twinks, but not all gay men are sexy beasts either… where are the series about Bears, about privately gay men, about closet gay men? It’s simple while the UK is arguably more groundbreaking in terms of socialism (they were the first to introduce Queer as Folk and other commonly loved gay media) it is not perfect.

I think that this issue is really only gaining attention because a gay man died in the series.... when Angel left Buffy for the final time the following was sad but moved on. It's a tv show. The death wasn't hyped up or arbitrary, it was part of the series. To be honest, there is no anti-gay leg to stand on here. I think that if anything, our lead man's death proves the opposite. There is a huge propensity to glamorize relationships and sometimes… people die… people who are loved. The character was a man that died… making it about a gay man that died is a mistake and just plain silly.

As a member of the community, I’m tired of listening to how we’re being fucked over, or misinterpreted by the media. All people are misinterpreted by the media. Because media can only show you so much… its fake, manufactured, or in the least manipulated to a point. Unless this actor claims he's been wrongfully fired, there is no point to this arguement. It’s time everyone stopped screaming oppression and got on with their lives.

Sasha H. Muradali

Hi Bridget,

Wow, thank you for your feedback and comments.

I completely agree with you when you say, "I must say that I don't consider Torchwood a 'gay' series. It's a sci-fi series branching from Doctor Who that happened to have a gay lead couple. I think that it’s one of the better portrayed gay relationships; in fact, because being gay wasn’t the point of the show."

Personally, I consider the show a great sci-fi. I don't think it's a gay show at all. It just happens to have two men in the lead. That being said, however, outside of people who can look past that, actually, people who are "sexual preference blind" etc., -- the show IS considered a "gay" show. I think it's kind of sad that we should label it that way.

You know I was wondering the same thing myself when I came across the articles.

There is one that I didn't post in the article, and I believe it's from After Elton.com that accuses Torchwood of being Homophobic. It was a seperate declaration from some members of the fan base. And when I read that I was confused and shocked, for lack of a better term, because the show's creator was in fact part of the creative team behind Queer as Folk -- so obviously that made no sense to me.

I liked Ianto, I think he was a pretty cool character and he be missed the same way, I'm going to miss seeing George on Grey's Anatomy.

You are absolutely spot on.

The thing is, what I found the most interesting in reading the articles and seeing reactions etc., even before Ianto died -- was that in the UK, in terms of OFCOM -- Torchwood is treated 'normally.' It's not singled out as a "omg, we must get the queer people off television!!!"

This is something the SEC would have a field day with in the United States. I don't see it working out the same way, by any stretch of the imagination.

And I think the underlying issue here, is what Ashely said -- "middle America" and what Dominick point out -- "religion."

Although, not perfect, there are a lot more things Europe has 'accepted' that have yet too...in the masses at least.

Thanks for your feedback, I really appreciate it! Loved the points you brought up as well!

Best wishes,
Sasha

Anuradha Pandey

I haven't seen any of these, but I echo the concern that there is a danger of token gay character becoming stock in TV shows. In Will and Grace, for example, Jack was so over the top flamboyant and ridiculous that his character was pretty counterproductive in my opinion in the process of America accepting homosexuality on television as mainstream...I'll have to check these out, though. Intriguing post.

Joslyn

First and foremost I must say that Torchwood is one of my absolute favorite shows out there. It is probably only second to Doctor Who. One of the reasons that I love Torchwood is simply the fact that they treat relationships as relationships, not as a straight relationship, or gay, two people like each other or love each other, and their together. I think that it is giving excellent PR for the gay community, simply because they are not making Captain Jack a stereotype. He's a man, that loves to love. He doesn't discriminate by who, what or where. He loves who he loves and that's it. The relationship between him and Ianto was sweet and they honestly cared about each other. I am a definite supporter of gay rights, and I think it is wonderful that Torchwood seems to have no qualms about including every type of relationship in their show.

Another thing to point out, the UK has always been less censored than the US in it's television content. What we would relegate to HBO or Showtime, is shown at primetime on our equivalent of ABC, because simply but they aren't as prudish as us. Our country was founded from Puritans who left Europe, who were overly religious, so much show they wanted to cross an ocean to escape the evils of their home lands. As a country we're getting more accepting. The fact that Torchwood is the most watched show on BBC America is evidence of this. If Americans were disgusted by the relationships on the show, they wouldn't watch it.

Overall, Torchwood is a wonderful program because they are never afraid to push the limits, whether it be with relationships or with their crazy stories.

Doc

I'm an old married str8 guy.
I watched one of the Children of Earth shows on BBC America and dug around on the interwebs and managed to download all 13 of the first series. It wasn't 'til #12 that I even realized it was a gay drama.
But you know what? I don't give a ratsass!
I love the show and can't wait to see the rest of the series!
I wanna see the new "gay drama" that the producers are working on. Anyone have a clue what the name's gonna be?

Sasha H. Muradali

Hey Doc,

I have NO idea. But you've just given me something to dig around for.

You know what I find the most interesting? Most of the comments on this
article has acknowledged Torchwood as a "regular" television show, which is
how I view it. The thing is -- it was quite a thing to see/read about when
Ianto died in ep.4 of COE, that people were "calling out" the show by the
masses.

Quite contradicting isn't it?

Well, maybe I'll do a follow up to this post when Series 4 airs...or when
the new show the directors are creating comes out...

Thanks for your feedback :)
Sasha

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