anyone here what Torchwood? Scifi addict that I am, you know I have been checking it out. So far, I think this season is better than last season.
Exclusive: 'Torchwood' Hub Means A New Martha By ALAN STANLEY BLAIR Source: SyFy Portal Feb-20-2008 This story contains MODERATE SPOILERS for Season 2 of "Torchwood" and the upcoming fourth season of "Doctor Who." Her name is Martha Jones, and last year she saved the world. But at the end of her 13-episode stint as The Doctor’s companion, BBC bosses announced that Freema Agyeman would be giving up her full-time role on the series to make way for the return of Catherine Tate. The news both disheartened and elated Martha Jones fans, because although the character will have a reduced part in the upcoming fourth season of "Doctor Who," she will have an additional three-episode run on the adult-themed spinoff for BBC Two and BBC America, "Torchwood." This announcement caused quite a media stir within the British press as tabloids had already made a variety of outlandish claims about her future with the series. However, in an exclusive interview with SyFy Portal, Agyeman set the record straight as to why she’ll be stepping into the Hub instead of the Tardis. "The decision was character based 100 percent," Agyeman told SyFy Portal’s Alan Stanley Blair. "In this business, no one has to do anyone any favors, and if they weren’t happy, I’d be completely away. The rumors of my departure came five weeks before the press announcement on the future of the series and it happened without any of the facts. I was hugely pleased with the decision to go to ‘Torchwood.’ And gosh, going back to ‘Who’ as well. There was no scandal, no ill feelings in any way. The tabloids put two and two together and came up with five and a half." So, beginning with the sixth episode of “Torchwood,” the now fully qualified Dr. Martha Jones will take on the weird, the wacky and the paranormal from Cardiff Bay as part of Team Torchwood. But don’t expect to see a darker Martha, especially since the BBC believes she’ll attract a slightly younger audience. "They are very mindful that I’ll be going between the two shows," Agyeman said. "We know Martha has a large youth following so we’ve been mindful that we’re not having sex or swearing in case some of the younger fans tune in. Even though there is a pre-watershed edit we can’t control who will tune in." In the episode, Martha (who is now working for alien specialists UNIT that was established in the original run of "Doctor Who") receives a call from Capt. Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) following a string of unexplained deaths. As a UNIT operative, she has also been looking into the events and has more information than Torchwood does making her a valuable asset to solving the case. "There is a really nice arc in those three episodes actually," she said. "Jack calls Martha to give them a hand in Episode 6 and because Martha is in UNIT now, she has a little bit more information that he needs. And the consequences of that ends in a great cliff-hanger leading into episode seven so it’s really like a good two-parter. By the end of Episode 8, she’s part of the team. It is a very natural progression of the character that I’m really pleased with.” Of course, with both shows being such different entities, how much of the old “Doctor Who” dynamic crosses over with Martha? When Barrowman initially returned to “Doctor Who” for its final three episodes last season, we saw a lighter side to him than what was the norm for the Torchwood leader. And Agyeman confirmed that the same holds true for Martha. “You take this character into a different environment and you wonder how people take to that,” she said. “These are all new experiences for an all-new character in a new environment. She’s harder, more qualified and able to do things alone without looking to The Doctor. She’s very different and she’ll be very different again when she’s about him. Because when you are with different people you behave differently. That’s how I perceived it and that’s how I tried to play it.” And as a result, fans can only expect a few references to their history over the three-episode arc. "It’s touched on but not discussed -- mostly in a lovely moment between the two characters,” she hinted. “It would be weird if they didn’t talk about it, but the team don’t even know where he [Jack] went when he vanished. In ‘Torchwood’ he is a much more mysterious character and the team aren’t privy to all the details of his past. They don’t know how he knows Martha. But the audience do and so can enjoy it.” When she joined the series, Agyeman felt she had a good idea of what to expect with regards to production, writing and acting – unfortunately she wasn’t quite prepared for John “The Prankster” Barrowman who welcomed her to the series in his own special way. And he did it with a song. “There is always something with John, but half of it is rude so I won’t go into it,” Agyeman said with a laugh. “I don’t know anyone with such a natural energy like him. For my first day he prepared a lovely song about Martha preaching about The Doctor and traveling the world. And then after a year she was doing it with a banjo. They are all just so witty on the show with a lot of laughter on the set and I feel so fortunate to be a part of it.” Following her adventures in Cardiff, Martha will again travel in space and time with The Doctor and his new companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate). “In ‘Torchwood,’ Jack calls her up as they are looking into the same deaths and they join forces to work. And then in ‘Doctor Who’ Martha calls The Doctor for help using the phone he left her last year," she said. The BBC advertising campaign for the return of the series is already well in motion with a rather epic trailer attached to almost every film currently being shown in British cinemas. The footage shows plenty of action including a naked Martha coming out of a pod covered in goo, the return of Billie Piper, and also Catherine Tate behind bars. What is it all about? Not even Agyeman knows the full story. "I haven’t seen it [the trailer] myself but that sounds like a brilliant montage," Agyeman exclaimed with a touch of laughter. "I don’t know what it’s about … I know what my bit is about. I haven’t worked with Billie yet but I’m a huge fan of the 'Catherine Tate Show' and I wasn’t disappointed. She’s such a warm, funny and generous person and was actually the only thing different between working on Seasons 3 and 4. It was actually like she’d never gone after the Christmas episode and there is a great dynamic between the three of us and she’s doing a fabulous job. "The two seasons aren’t hugely apart. I met a lot of people doing Season 2 and I met lots on my first stay, carving out a little niche if you like. Coming back was surprisingly easier because nothing is different apart from Catherine. It was great seeing David [Tennant] again, the crew again and the whole thing is like going back to school after the holidays. Never did it feel overwhelming and I was overjoyed to be back. Despite confirmation from the showrunners that fan favorites The Ood will make a comeback -- as well as classic series villains The Sontarans -- there are rumors circulating via the increasingly unreliable British tabloids that all of the Doctors will be coming together for a single purpose: to fight Davros (who will apparently be played by Sir Ben Kingsley). Nothing has been confirmed by the Beeb and all signs point toward another fabrication by the papers to grab some headlines. As for the true plot of the final episodes, Agyeman remains coy and says fans will just need to wait and see. "I hadn’t read the script for Episode 13 until recently and I’ve been asked so many things about it. But now I’ve read it and I’m going to have to flat out lie to you – I’m going to let you wait and see.” Agyeman was able to provide a few exclusive spoilers about what to expect from the series when she returns that you won’t find anywhere else – we might be seeing a slightly different looking Martha at some point thanks to some interesting makeup effects. "I get to use prosthetics and that was quite exciting,” she said. “There are two different sets on two different body parts. One is on the torso area, which was quite ticklish, and one on the face. That really made me have a high admiration for those boys who do it every day on ‘Doctor Who.’ “I love working in that family and it’s been such a great opportunity … there might be more from Martha." “Doctor Who” is still a while away, but for now fans can catch her on BBC Three’s documentary "Bizarre ER," a show that has a "nice little Doctor link and is all about weird things that happen in the ER.” Agyeman is doing the voiceover for the series and will take a look at some of the more interesting things that have been seen in accident and emergency units. And no, Judoon invasions aren’t included. “I’d like to leave a message for the fans and say I’m so grateful for all their support and I really hope they like the transition Martha has gone through and that they get some enjoyment out of it,” Agyeman added. http://www.syfyportal.com/
