Children of Earth: Day One (20 Jul. 2009)

At 8.40am, every child in the world suddenly stops, chanting the words "we are coming" again and again. Whilst investigating, the remaining Torchwood team face greater personal and ... See full summary »

Director:

Euros Lyn

Writers:

Russell T. Davies (creator), Russell T. Davies

Stars:

John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
John Barrowman	...	Captain Jack Harkness
Eve Myles	...	Gwen Cooper
Gareth David-Lloyd	...	Ianto Jones
Kai Owen	...	Rhys Williams
Peter Capaldi	...	John Frobisher
Paul Copley	...	Clement McDonald
Nicholas Farrell	...	Brian Green
Susan Brown	...	Bridget Spears
Lucy Cohu	...	Alice Carter
Ian Gelder	...	Mr. Dekker
Cush Jumbo	...	Lois Habiba
Liz May Brice	...	Johnson
Charles Abomeli	...	Colonel Oduya
Rik Makarem	...	Rupesh Patanjali
Katy Wix	...	Rhiannon Davies

Storyline

At 8.40am, every child in the world suddenly stops, chanting the words "we are coming" again and again. Whilst investigating, the remaining Torchwood team face greater personal and professional challenges than ever before, having to work with their numbers depleted.

---

Plot Keywords:

prime minister | television news broadcast | year 1965 | family relationships | alien organism | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

---

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 July 2009 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Wales

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gwen disparagingly calls Jack and Ianto "the Chuckle brothers". This is a BBC children's slapstick comedy for which writer Russell T. Davies wrote 3 episodes early in his career.

---

Goofs

The Government Information Network page on Torchwood refers to "HRH Queen Victoria". The Queen is referred to as Her Majesty (HM), not Her Royal Highness (HRH).

---

Quotes

[repeated line]
Children of Earth: [chanting in unison] We are coming.

---

Connections

Featured in Torchwood Declassified: Children of Earth (2009)

User Reviews

intriguing plot opener

As a piece of sci-fi, 'Torchwood' is pitched at a slightly more adult audience than 'Doctor Who' although there have been crossovers of character and plot between the two.

'Children of Earth' is a new departure for the series - a five-part story developing on BBC1, the UK channel with the biggest ratings. Therefore the production values have gone up a notch and the plot feels tighter than in some of the earlier editions.

The plot is, on the face of it, simple. At 8.45 GMT, every child in the world stopped whatever they were doing, sat or stood still, and there was a deathly quiet - later, the same stopping happens again with the children chanting in unison 'we are coming'. But who is coming, why are the Home Office so interested, and who is the solitary man also affected by the same force that is affecting the children? Captain Jack and his team at Torchwood intend to find out. The plot opener deals with past secrets, family backgrounds, and - the weakest aspect of the episode IMO - the developing relationship between Jack and Ianto. There's also a weird angle involving the NHS, and some revelations which weren't flagged up in previous series.

In look and feel this new episode of Torchwood feels like a film (although seeing it on a big screen in high definition probably helps reinforce that impression) rather than a run of the mill TV production. Clearly made with bigger things in mind than prime time TV, it remains to be seen whether the story will develop and grip in the same way that this opener will to Torchwood fanatics and general followers of sci-fi alike.