"Torchwood" - season 4

[Rico]

A week isn't really a big wait.  Heck, we used to have to wait months for Doctor Who episodes.  I wouldn't let a little wait put anyone off on the show itself.

[Meds]

Of course a weeks not long but it's s big thing here regarding us funding the BBC. it's a service we HAVE to pay for, we have no choice otherwise we can be fined a huge amount of cash. So if the BBC  co make something they really should play the game regardless of how much they put in.
Now on the plus side we do have a Torchwood special audio drama this week.

[Feathers]

A week isn't really a big wait.  Heck, we used to have to wait months for Doctor Who episodes.  I wouldn't let a little wait put anyone off on the show itself.

I hedn't fully understood the level of US involvement in this series, but now that I do, being put off is exactly the result. Torchwood has never been the strongest of BBC shows (in my opinion) but has been improving slowly over time. Given that we now seem to have lost most of the BBC influence in it's making, I find my level of interest waning rapidly. Hopefully the progress that's been made hasn't been thrown away but I think there's a good chance it may have been.

It's set to record but I'm not guaranteed to watch it on the night of broadcast (although that's actually not much different to my attitude to previous series of Torchwood which I've always fitted in where I can).

[Rico]

Without Starz and their $$$, "Torchwood" season 4 wouldn't have been made.  If this puts you guys off the show, I'm sorry to hear that.  For many years now in the US at least shows have hopped around networks when they get dropped.  Maybe we are more used to this type of thing.  "Sliders" is an example of this, so was "Buffy" and others.  I was always happy when a series got picked up by another network when one canceled it.

[Meds]

Torchwood wasn't that expensive to make compared to say Dr Who so it could easily have been made, makes me wonder why its a joint venture.. Kerching oh right lol. Look I'll watch it but I'm wondering if it will still have the dark thread of the last episodes. If not then I'll switch off.

[Meds]

Also and let me make this clear. My annoyance (borderline anger) is not about American money input I couldn't care less. My annoyance is at the BBC. now we have 5 tv channels ( ignoring Digital) BBC1 BBC2 ITV CHANNEL 4 & CHANNEL 5. now we have to pay for the BBC we have no choice, if I don't pay I can't own a TV in England. If ITV owned Torchwood and did this I wouldn't complain because ITV are a network run on sponsored adverts and product placement etc. I've made no secret my disdain for the BBC at times and this is another stick for me to throw at them.

[Bryancd]

It's amazing the BBC model is even still around. I think there is a place for Public Broadcasting paid for my contributions like our own PBS, but the idea of state sponsored TV is just....wrong. But then again I thin state sponsored anything is just wrong, so I am clearly biased. :)

[Meds]

Oh it gripes every tax payer. The thing is I like what the BBC initially stands for.

Still hey ho back to the topic I feel lol I look forward to saying what I think when we see it on Thursday.

[Rico]

Torchwood wasn't that expensive to make compared to say Dr Who so it could easily have been made, makes me wonder why its a joint venture.. Kerching oh right lol. Look I'll watch it but I'm wondering if it will still have the dark thread of the last episodes. If not then I'll switch off.

Cost is relative.  It's still based on money coming in and money going out.  Obviously to keep the show going they needed funding from elsewhere - and Starz provided that.

[Feathers]

So who owns the show now? It was a BBC property so I don't think being 'picked up' by another network really applies here since we're not talking about an independent production that's shopping itself around (as I understand things).

If it's not still a BBC property, how much did they charge for the sale? If it is still a BBC property then they probably should have done a better job of hanging on to their broadcast rights.

[Rico]

Some interesting stuff here:

http://community.starz.com/t5/Torchwood/How-much-money-did-STARZ-put-into-TW-vs-BBC/td-p/136382

[Meds]

I'm taking Dr Who back lol. Well that forum (bar being slightly irritating with the Brit moaning section) is about right and backs up what i'm saying about the BBC (note and i do keep saying this) Its the situation about the BBC that I am not happy about. The BBC can afford to make Torchwood they just chose not to because they don't like SciFi. Dr Who is still treated badly even though it has made them a hell of a lot of money. The BBC have always been like this, they canned Dr Who, Red Dwarf.

[X]

I'm taking Dr Who back lol. Well that forum (bar being slightly irritating with the Brit moaning section) is about right and backs up what i'm saying about the BBC (note and i do keep saying this) Its the situation about the BBC that I am not happy about. The BBC can afford to make Torchwood they just chose not to because they don't like SciFi. Dr Who is still treated badly even though it has made them a hell of a lot of money. The BBC have always been like this, they canned Dr Who, Red Dwarf.

You do know that the US and UK versions will also have some different scenes. US has some things UK doesn't and vice versa. I'm going to try to see each version to see what has been changed.

[Feathers]

According to the current Radio Times (interview with RTD), Starz has doubled the available funding rather than trebled it but that's against the funding that (I presume) comes from BBC Worldwide (the commercial organisation) rather than the state funded BBC itself.

This doesn't necessarily make things any better but I can now understand the timing thing a bit more although I still think they ought to have made equal first viewing a condition of the license to use the property.

On the up-side, it looks as though Starz did nothing more than supplied money. It suggests that they had (and asked for) no creative input at all, letting the team get on with making the show. This could be a good thing...

[Meds]

Kudos to Starz then. Good to see a network/company do old school tv production eg here you go now get on with it. Lol