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1965: Twelve children are gathered together on a deserted moorland before being surrounded by a harsh, bright light… and then they are gone.
Today: All over planet Earth, children stop moving. Stop playing. Stop laughing. Stop everything. Then, as one, they begin to speak with the same voice, announcing to the governments of the world the imminent arrival of a new alien threat. “We Are Coming, We Are Coming…” As the British Government closes ranks, it issues a death warrant against Captain Jack and Torchwood. Now forced to flee for their lives, it becomes clear to the Torchwood team that this isn’t the aliens’ first visit to Earth, and a terrible price is going to be paid for sins of the past…
This July, BBC proudly brings to DVD and Blu-ray the much-anticipated new installment of Torchwood – BBC AMERICA’s highest rated television series – with the release of Torchwood: Children of Earth. Premiering July 20 – 24 on BBC AMERICA – this epic five part television event rejoins Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman, Doctor Who) and his alien fighting team – Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles, Little Dorrit,
Merlin) and Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd, Doctor Who) – who are still coping with the death of two of their closest friends. Now they are faced with their fiercest threat to date – one that sends the future of Torchwood and the human race spiraling into danger. Special guests include Peter Capaldi (In The Loop, Skins, The Thick of It), who plays the role of Mr. Frobisher – a civil servant who is hiding a terrible secret; Paul Coply (Coronation Street, The Bill) as Clem – the survivor still haunted by his past; and Liz May Brice (Bad Girls, Hustle, The Bill) as Johnson – the cynical covert government agent determined to expose Torchwood. Boasting the entire 5-part series, the 2-disc set also contains the Torchwood Declassified – a look behind the scenes featuring cast and crew.
This is an alien invasion story, but not one like we’ve seen before. Without spoiling the surprise, the sins of the past come back to haunt a number of people. What blew me away was how shocking, yet realistic, the behavior of the individuals in positions of power seem to be. These are men and women in the highest echelons of government and the military who are making impossibly difficult moral choices.
At the beginning of Children of Earth, children around the world suddenly stop where they are and begin screaming. A few moments later, they go back to normal like nothing had happened, with no memory of the event. This action repeats itself several times until all the children chant “We are coming.”
That’s why this series is so groundbreaking. This isn’t one of those “comfortable” alien invasions that we’ve seen time and time again. It’s so far from Close Encounters of the Third Kind and The 4400 that it is an almost entirely different genre.
Included in this two disc collection is the special “Children of Earth Declassified,” which aired on BBC America alongside the mini-season. It goes into the production utilizing interviews with producers, writers, cast, and crew.
Watch the trailer:
If you love good science fiction, you can’t get much better than Torchwood and Torchwood: Children of Earth continues their amazing run with a great story and some shocking revelations about the past.
