Sunday Mercury - Anorak City

Torchwood : the new Charlie's Angels?

2009-07-11T11:31:24Z

Depressing, wasn't it?

The Torchwood : Children Of Earth finale was grim viewing from start to finish.

Gripping, yes, but ultimately disappointing.

From the rounding up of the frightened children to Jack's sacrifice of his own grandson, this was an uncomfortable hour.

Russell T Davies had warned that it would be tough, saying that atrocities happen every day around the world but that here in the UK we are insulated from them.

My main beef was the rapid resolution of the problem.

Hey, here's a thought, 456 was a frequency. Why don't we send a signal back at them? Wire up the kid, push the button and Bob's your uncle. All over.

And they'd not considered this in the 44 years since the first encounter?

So, what's left for Torchwood.

Of the original team, only Gwen is left. Jack's done a runner to the stars and all the others are dead.

Will there be another series?

It certainly felt like this was the curtains closing in the crematorium, but those surprising 6 million-plus ratings will have the Beeb excited.

If it does return, then Gwen might well be joined by Lois Habiba. And how about a place for action woman Johnson, the government killer turned good?

And maybe Martha Jones will return to lead the team.

Strewth, it's Charlie's Angels all over again ...

Torchwood : the milk of human kindness

2009-07-10T13:00:50Z

It's all coming down to milk.

Mark my words.

My guess is that the 456 will be beaten by a pint of milk.

Just like the way the Martians died from the common cold in HG Wells The War Of The Worlds.

Twice now, Russell T has gone out of his way to reference milk.

There was the pointed warning that one of the girls at the party was lactose-intolerant.

Then there was the remark over breakfast that milk was good for you.

Why? There must be a reason to the remarks.

Russell T Davies does nothing without having a purpose.

Lactose intolerance is the inability to metabolize lactose, a sugar found in milk and other dairy products, because the required enzyme lactase is absent in the intestinal system, or its availability is lowered.

It is estimated that 75% of adults worldwide show some decrease in lactase activity during adulthood - so perhaps that's why they need the kids.

Lactose intolerance has been studied as an aid in understanding ancient diets and population movement in prehistoric societies.

Milking an animal vastly increases the calories that may be extracted from the animal as compared to the consumption of its meat alone.

Torchwood episode 4 : that what school league tables are for.

2009-07-10T12:49:07Z

It just gets better and better.

Episode 4 of Torchwood : Children Of Earth was the best yet.

Russell T went for chills rather than thrills as first, we got to see inside the aliens' containment tank and then heard the Cabinet discussing which children to sacrifice.

The meeting at No 10 was the centre-piece of the episode as first the Ministers excepted their own kids from the cull, then excused pupils at the 'better' schools.

In the end they decided to surrender children from sink estates and bad schools to the 456.

"That's what school league tables are for ... " said one of the worthies.

Cue Torchwood to the rescue (and a fat lot of good it was, too). The aliens hit back, killing almost everyone in Thames House with a virus including Ianto.

To take part in a live Torchwod blog at SciFi Love (one of our favourite sites) tonight click here.

You can have your say as the plot unfolds!

Meanwhile, here's the trailer for tonight's concluding hour.

Join in the Torchwood live blog spectacular!

2009-07-09T18:37:04Z

Sci-Fi Love one of Anorak City's favourite blogs is hosting the third in a series of Torchwood live blogs tonight - join the fun below.

Torchwood: Children of Earth

Torchwood episode 3 : Captain Jack Harkness dark secret

2009-07-09T10:47:09Z

Well, didn't see that one coming ...

The third episode of Torchwood : Children Of Earth was slower paced than the first two, instead building the tension and general feel of unease.

The confrontation between scheming Frobisher and the 456 was brilliantly played.

Just hope that the aliens (if indeed they are aliens, rather than the kids who were kidnapped back in 1965) don't look rubbish once they emerge from their tank.

And, just a thought, wouldn't that be similar to the way the last remnants of the human race came back as killer orbs to serve the Master?

But the masterstroke was the final scene, in which we learned Captain Jack's dark secret.

(Not saying exactly what in case any of you are still playing catch up out there).

Turned the whole thing on its head, and set up tonight's fourth outing well.

Here's the trailer for Episode 4.

New District 9 trailer

2009-07-09T07:27:20Z

This South African sci-fi is already being heralded as our last, best hope of a classic film this summer.

And the second glimpse certainly leaves you wanting more...

Expect a Torchwood cliffhanger

2009-07-08T10:17:28Z

Torchwood's mini third season is proving to be quite a ride and a little bird tells me tonight's episode is an absolute cracker.

And we're told to expect a huge cliffhanger on Day Three as the shift in tone gets even darker.

While the cast are not impressed with the new, shorter format, the BBC are probably patting themselves on the back.

The opener attracted 5.9 million viewers, compared to between 2.5 and 4.2 million average audience of series two.

This marks the highest ratings recorded for the Doctor Who spin-off show since it first came on to the scene in 2007. At that time when it was on BBC Three, it peaked at just under one million for its highest viewed episode.

Torchwood episode 2 : the abbreviated version

2009-07-07T21:02:32Z

Captain Jack overdid the new diet ...

Torchwood in ruins, Ianto & Gwen on the run, Jack in bits (literally), Gwen & Rhys flee in potato truck, I'm pregnant, Whitehall PA spills beans, Jack grows new body, Jack encased in concrete, creepy kids chanting, Ianto drives forklift, drops Jack over quarry. Jack back in the buff, we are coming tomorrow, boffins build gas tank, creepy janitor hisses.

Roll on Wednesday. See next page for the trailer...

The countdown has begun ... but to what?

2009-07-07T13:41:25Z

Make a note in your diary.

On August 7th 2009 ...

At 34 minutes and 56 seconds past 12 ...

the time and date will read

12:34:56 07/08/09

Better than Hurley's numbers. Or Sylar's ticker.

Someone tell Torchwood!

What to wear under your Anorak this summer

2009-07-07T13:09:51Z

To mark the 25th anniversary of Ghostbusters and the launch of the new Ghostbusters Video Game the folks at French Connection have come up with these t-shirts.

The T-shirts retail at £25...

Star Trek like you have never seen it before...

2009-07-07T13:09:51Z

Turkish style! Sorry I know I said I would stop. It is nearly out of my system...

Dr Who, Girls Aloud and the saucy schoolgirls

2009-07-07T13:05:43Z

SO now we know why David Tennant had to hang up his coat.

He'll be playing the villain in the new St Trinian's movie.

Tennant, 38, will appear as the evil Pomfrey in St Trinian's: The Legend of Fritton's Gold, which hits UK cinemas on or around December 18.

He'll be alongside Girls Aloud's Sarah Harding, Colin Firth and Rupert Everett - who all appeared in 2007's St Trinian's.

Ashes to Ashes actress Montserrat Lombard will also appear.

In the new movie, the girls of St. Trinian's are on the hunt for buried treasure after discovering headmistress Miss Fritton is related to a famous pirate.

The original 1950s St Trinian's films - including The Belles of St Trinian's and Blue Murder at St Trinian's - featured stars including Joan Sims and Barbara Windsor as naughty schoolgirls.

The 2007 reworking, which also starred Gemma Arterton and Russell Brand, breathed new life into the franchise, and took £15m at the UK box office.

Lost : stars reveal how it may all end

2009-07-07T11:44:45Z

Stateside mag TV Guide has been quizzing the stars of Lost about how they think it might all end.

Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet)

"Like the end of Stephen King's The Dark Tower, I think something will happen where we all go back to where we were.

"Juliet was never brought to the island. The plane never crashes. These people have never met.

"But because of the odd nature of time, we keep on getting drawn back into the same situation again.

"So basically, the ending is just another beginning."

Read on for more ...

Dominic Monaghan (Charlie)

"The remaining cast decides whether to walk the path of good or bad, and an epic battle reigns. Evangeline Lilly puts in the performance of the year and wins a Golden Globe."

Josh Holloway (Sawyer)

"There's got to be a big blow-out war among everybody, and they're all going to kill each other.

"There'll be a few stragglers who have to make a choice, like the way 'On the Beach' ended, where the threat blows itself up and people will have to decide whether to stay or go."

Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond)

"The resurrection of the dead--with someone singing [Hawaiian farewell song] 'Aloha 'Oe.'"

Daniel Dae Kim (Jin)

"We all settle into Dharmaville, build our own homes and develop the island into a tourist destination and make millions of dollars."

Torchwood : Dr Who spin-off tribute to Twin Peaks

2009-07-07T09:38:14Z

OK, so this really is Anorak City territory.

But the first episode of the new Torchwood had a hidden nod to Twin Peaks.

In the scene where Rhys was on the phone to Gwen from the street, he was standing in front of a house that was up for sale.

The name of the estate agents on the board? FROST LYNCH.

If you're a Twin Peaks fan you'll recall that the series was written by Mark Frost and David Lynch.

Another entry for the Russell T Davies catalogue of influences.

Meanwhile, here's the trailer for tonight's second episode.

Torchwood : explosive start to the series

2009-07-06T21:08:57Z

Good start to the new Torchwood tonight.

Here it is in a sentence:

Creepy kids chanting, government covering up 1965 close encounter, creepy kids stop chanting, new doc for the team turns out to be double agent, dodgy scotsman sniffs gwen's hand, gwen pregnant, aliens called 456, creepy kids start chanting again, jack dies (twice) and has bomb implanted in his body, Torchwood blows up, creepy kids chanting.

What more could you ask for?

Watch tonight and join in the live blog at SciFi Love, one of our fave sites.

Click here to take part!

See you there.