The Greys

A little late to the party, we’ve both managed to catch up with this serial over the weekend. In short, it proved to be one of the best sci-fi dramas to have aired on British TV in a long time.

Earlier series of Torchwood seemed to relish the post-watershed timing as an opportunity to push innuendo and sex. All that was missing was a poster on the wall of The Hub saying “You don’t have to be bisexual to work here… actually, you do”. Not so much “Dr Who for adults” as “Dr Who written by hormonal teenagers”.

Children of Earth, however, seriously toned down the sexuality and cranked up the drama, conspiracy and threat – and it was all the better for it. Yes, there were some plot holes – but nothing disastrous. Yes, some of the special effects could have been a little better in parts – but they were still worlds ahead of the wobbly-walls of BBC sci-fi from the past. But taking it as a whole demonstrated that the BBC can still create gritty and powerful sci-fi drama.

One thing I’ve disliked about the renaissance of Dr Who has been the move from deep, episodic stories to simplistic “must wrap it up in 45 minutes” plots. Hopefully someone at the BBC will take on board the generally positive reaction to Torchwood: Children of Earth and re-think that decision. There’s room for both types of storytelling, and a few more two- or even three-part episodes certainly wouldn’t go amiss.