Torchwood: John barrowman and Bill Pullman interviews

Source - Dr who news page

Torchwood: Miracle Day Poster

Torchwood: Week Twelve Production

Production: Week Twelve:
Times cited within reports below are in Los Angeles local time, except where indicated

Monday - Tuesday
Filming for the first couple of days wasn't clear, but indications were that preparations for episode seven were well under way to commence with a night shoot on Tuesday evening. This was also Cris D'Annunzio's first evening, who seemed quite taken with John Barrowman!

28 10:07 ST Monday morning beautiful sunny day.
All is peaceful as we shoot and continue to prep biggest ep yet!!!
28 10:24 ST That could mean so many things...explosives? Very emotional? Special effects?
All of the above?
Yes yes yes
28 13:28 CDA Costume fitting for Torchwood.
29 09:32 JE Watching Torchwood dailies. Oh my. Oh my my my.
29 16:45 CDA Night shoot on set of Torchwood where I will have it out with the
talented and handsome, John Barrowman.
30 08:20 CDA Great first night on set of Torchwood. What a terrific group of people!
And yes, John Barrowman is dreamy.
30 11:02 CDA Seems I'm not alone in my warm feelings for Mr. Barrowman.
Not Surprising. I'm upgrading him from dreamy to luscious. Uh-oh!!


Wednesday
Documentation for today indicated that a three-day shoot was planned at 1335 Willow Street, the address being home to the Willow Studios, which provide a number of pre-designed sets for the filming profession (bars, restaurants, apartments, etc.) - the studios had also played hot to a photo-shoot a few weeks before.


BBC Production Office (via img.mu)
The BBC Production Office praised costume designer Shawna Trpcic for her episode seven costumes by the BBC:
13:34 Costume Designer Shawna Trpcic, has yet again kicked ass
as seen in her designs from EP7. You Go Girl!
13:36 You can't help but love her, trust us, the feeling
doesn't go away.

Meanwhile, the weather in Los Angeles was keeping other members of the team happy!
16:02 KO Oh my lord it's lovely in LA.
The weather is outstanding.
I'm having an iced tea! Could get used to this life.
16:12 BBC Kai Bring some tea to the office would ya?!
Enjoy the day.
21:23 KO Tonights snack is good old fashioned Beef Jerky.
I bought it from the farmers Market today, it immense,
addictive as hell.
21:28 DE First warm evening here in ages leads to gaudy sunset.
http://twitpic.com/4f6st9
22:01 KO How's the family? did you bring the little one to the set?
We're all great thank you, he's not been on set yet!! Maybe one day.

Another night shoot beckons ...
17:03 BBC We're going deep into the night this week... deep into the night.


Thursday
Thursday's shoot included filming somewhere close to the Dodger's Stadium, according to Cris D'Annunzio, whilst Allyson Floyd indicated somewhere dim, dank and cold underground - with multiple shoots in progress these could be completely different locations, of course!

The Wales Screen Commission also commented on filming: "Just heard from one of the Torchwood crew that's seen the first episode, and they say it looks AMAZING, like a tourist video for Wales!!!"


On the Torchwood set, by Cris D'Annunzio (via yfrog)
04:19 AF OMG, calltime at 6:30 AM! For some reason,
I thought it was PM! O_O No sleep! Gaaaaaaah!
07:51 CDA I may be able to hear the game as our Torchwood set
is on location today next to Dodger's Stadium.
Or at least hear the crowd.
09:28 CDA It's always exciting working with John Barrowman,
so I probably won't be thinking about the game at all!
11:06 AF Dim, dank and cold underground while
the sun shines outside. Must... stay... awake. >_<
12:54 CDA I will be seen in Torchwood: Miracle Day, episode 7.
Will post more details later. Thanks!
16:14 CDA Dodgers open in 45 min. and already signs of bonehead
mngmt decisions. Russell Martin? Hello?
01:01 CDA Sure, Katie, I will pass along your love to John
01:17 CDA @Katie Just wrapped filming for tonight.
Home to sleep!
01:19 CDA @Katie - And JB appreciates your love & support.
Me too! G'night!


Friday
Filming for Friday was documented as 590 South Santa Fe Avenue, which turned out to be a lot and warehouses just around the corner to the Willow Studios!

However, it was a production office 'tour' from Shawna Trpcic for today's TW-Spy!

What can you see in my photo?
Thats how we work so many hours :-)
(via Twitpic)

View from my desk beautiful California summer weather
(via Twitpic)


Weekend

Photo: Kai Owen
(via yfrog)
It would seem that Tom Price has arrived in L.A.!

01 20:20 KO A cracking week! Now for a few beers and some Thai food.
Big game for United this weekend, HAVE to win -
no messing at all.
03 09:50 TP Reading TW scripts. AWESOME. Sadly no mention of what
an immortal populace would do to the charity shop industry.
03 15:30 KO Look who's in my house playing with my childs toy!!!
03 18:37 TP Jane, I am distracted from learning your writing

by your tweets. How META am I?!

Source - Doctor who news page

Torchwood- Miracle Day Official Teaser Trailer.

Visit my channel Here

Torchwood: Week Ten/Eleven Production

Monday 14th March
Back to the beach! The production returned to Venice Beach for further filming during the day, this time along Westminster Avenue; scenes involved John Barrowman, Mekhi Phifer and Alexa Havins, with action including Rex being taken away in the back of an ambulance.

Jeremy Burleson was visiting the beach that day and saw some of the activity, even ending up in the background for a shot!
14:56 At this movie shoot on Venice Beach!!!!!!!! Wow
14:57 Literally at a Movie shoot right now.
15:01 They bout to start filmin.
15:11 Mann!! We get to be In the Background of this movie..
15:16 Torch 1..
16:31 Naww its a Tv Show
17:16 haha naww it was some white actors.. We was in the background tho
21:21 I still can't believe we got to be in the Background of this TV show
  they was filming in LA today.

Other filming-related tweets include:
14:11 CF Walking down Venice and ran into the #Torchwood team filming
a scene there! So random and cool :)
15:18 SBA I just went to get coffee on westminster in venicebeach venice beach
#losangeles and walking into the torchwood Scifi set filming today lol
16:55 BBC We're having our first spotting session for Episode #1 RIGHT NOW!
While the crew films at the beach. Here's to great Mondays.
17:09 AS Life's a beach. http://twitpic.com/49kgv3

Tuesday 15th March - Friday 18th March
Documentation reported that filming would be taking place at Angels Gate Park at San Pedro for the rest of the week, though little was to be heard of the crew whilst there, Kai Owen also indicated further work at Venice Beach on Wednesday, though of course he could just have visited as a tourist!

Jane Espenson revealed on Tuesday that Brad Bell, aka "Cheeks", would be guesting on the show; an artist who experiments in the world of music, art and the media, he has become a popular icon on the Internet. This will be one of his first television roles.

On Wednesday the BBC Production Office reported that Greg Nicotero was on board to build an alien for the show - the first indication that there is more to the mysterious 'immortality' that pervades the 'Miracle Day' than meets the eye!

Tweets over the next couple of days:
15 18:17 KO Beautiful LA evening off out for a burger and beers with @natiejay.
16 10:32 WK Finished Shooting Torchwood in L.A. and its a buuuuzzz. I feel this is my
best role since Nedry. Your in for a treat folks! watch this space
16 12:02 NS Working background on Torchwood today.
But we talk about Doctor Who, not Torchwood.
16 16:03 AF Torchwood tomorrow!
17 01:03 AF Ah, but you shall not see me for I be but a stand-in. :)
16 18:50 KO Been down Venice Beach today! Crazy place.
16 20:11 ST Crazy busy day Started on location two hours away
Raced back to WB for fitting with JB,new ep to break down, budget meetings
I <3 my job :-)
16 20:13 ST Late call tomorrow so I get to drive my kids to school. Bonus :-)
16 20:52 BBC Looks like tomorrow is the start of our late night shooting.
Team Torchwood, nocturnal entertainment like you've never seen before...

Back in Week Five, Shawna Trpcic posted this photo via Twitpic of a 'mystery man' posing alongside herself and John Barrowman. Filming on the day (11th February) had revolved around a bar, with the storyline reported of Jack picking up a barman for the evening. The man of mystery has now been revealed as actor Dillon Casey, who talked about his experiences with Torchwood and John Barrowman in his blogging video:

As reported above, night shoots were on the way, with schedules indicating long production days of 09:00-04:00 (17th) and 09:00-05:00 (18th), the final evening this week assuming its usual 'Fraturday' designation!
17 21:45 ST Moulin rouge inspiration
17 22:48 ST A visiting DP asked us to cover red soles of shoes huh...
Any one know why NOT!
17 23:25 JE Production meeting in the morning. So it's time to put what's left
of the pies back in the fridge and close my eyes. Z!
18 09:43 ST Concept meeting with @JaneEspenson and the dept heads
for episode 8. This show is amazing!!
18 12:01 AS Tree trimming outside my hotel room at 8am (on the morning
I get to sleep in) makes me not a very happy camper. Happy Friday!

After late nights, it's early calls for next week!
19 07:37 ST Monday call for 3 of my crew is 4:30am @ location 2 hours away
rest of us in at 6:42am we r shooting in rain possibly laced w/ radiation :-/
19 07:37 ST Love my job though. :-)

Monday 21st March
Monday saw filming return (according to schedules) to Angels Gate Park, with Brad Bell filming his first scene and rumours of Greg Nicotero's creation being on set too!


"Arriving at location. So pretty!" - Jane Espenson, via Twitpic
06:08 BB Long drive. Rain. Aliens.
06:28 JE Arriving at location. So pretty!
06:41 JE Luckily, California is not playing
the role of Wales today.
07:47 JE Rumors of more rain on the way.
But right now, #torchwood set is dry
and dramatic. And cheeky.
09:07 JE Torchwood shooting going so well.
Ep 5 hits hard.
10:06 JE Pouring rain can't dampen
our torchthusiasm!
10:39 AS Omfg... Seriously, miserable does not
begin to describe this.
11:08 BB The set is incredible! ...and drenched.
Shot my scene with @Mekhi_Phifer.
Awesomely nice dude.
Chatting w/ Alexa Havins.
Trying to stay dry.
11:13 BB You're gonna DIE for the new season!
It's unreal!
So excited for the fans & as a fan,
I'm quite excited to see it myself!
11:26 BB Already asked what I could share.
"The fans are gonna wanna know!"
Answer: Top Secret.
Gotta wait til summer...
13:06 ST Wow @JaneEspenson LOVE!! The rewrites on episode 7. Really really love it.
Wow. Powerful stuff!
13:12 JE Thank you much @Trpcic ! The last polish was the work of RTD,
and it put the frosting on it. I'm so proud of it!

Tuesday 22nd March
Tuesday was another quiet day, believed again to be the park; meanwhile, plans for the next photoshoot for Captain Jack were also unveiled ...

10:29 KO Just been for a run around the park. Great way to start the day.
16:43 BBC We can't say who yet but we're prepping for some serious publicity for
tomorrow's shoot. We're finally all back on the lot!
18:07 JE We are sharing the writing credit on episode ten.
It's still very much his baby-- he'll do all the final writing on it.
18:10 ST One crew working 5am to 5pm one crew working 3pm to 3am.
And a promo shoot with Captain Jack headed for a TV near you. Busy costume dept :-)

Wednesday 23rd March
Today it was reported that filming would be taking place at the Alexandria Hotel, though the famous iconic site may have been used for the Captain Jack promotional shoot mentioned on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Jane Espenson further elaborated on Russell T Davies's importance to the show:
12:46 Torchwood does not require prepping with Doctor Who.
13:37 Jane Espenson: It's Russell's show. I'm just riding on top and enjoying the breeze!
14:14 Worry not. Original producers with hands firmly on wheel. Feels like same show.

And of course, todsy was when Starz unveiled the launch date for Miracle Day for the United States - 107 days and counting!

Thursday 24th - Friday 25th March

Production Meeting, BBC, via img.mu
Back to the backlot it seems, and at least Kai Owen sounded happy: "On set today with some fine WELSH talent."

Meanwhile, production meetings continued apace:
13:35 BBC Production meeting for Episode 7
happening upstairs! @JaneEspenson it
sounds fun up there what's happening??
13:54 JE @BBC_Torchwood it IS fun! Ironing out
all the production details
for eps 7 and 8.
14:16 BBC A look inside our production meeting!
#Torchwood. Going to set, will
report with more news soon.
Plenty of faces to recognise around that table!

Onto Friday, and two views from Torchwoodland, courtesy of Shawna Trpcic:
View outside torchwood offices misty California morning.
Photo: Shawna Trpcic, via Twitpic
Sunset near the Torchwood set.
Photo: Shawna Trpcic, via Twitpic


08:08 All TW offices are in "houses" that are used on lot as sets.
14:06 Wow running like wild today, 2 units costumes in every one.
Background as well as actors all new. My cutter/fitter is going crazy Sew sew sew
21:18 1st and 2nd units still shooting. Been here since 6:30 I'm starting to drag :-)
waiting to move on to next big scene to establish new looks
00:18 JB is awesome!!
00:21 Still going @Team_Barrowman just encouraged the crew got applause

And after a long night, Kai Owen sums up:

23:12 Good night/morning. X

Source - Doctor who news page

Torchwood: Miracle Day fast-tracked to Australia

TV Tonight blog reports Torchwood: Miracle Day will be fast-tracked to Australia on UKTV Australia in early July, immediately following its global premiere on Starz.

Jana Bennett, the new President for BBC Worldwide Networks and Global iPlayer, said:
Torchwood: Miracle Day is a courageous and exciting piece of drama which will resonate with audiences all over the world. I’m genuinely delighted that Torchwood will add to UKTV’s compelling selection of first-run drama in 2011.
Julie Dowding, Sales Director for BBC Worldwide Australia, added:

Torchwood: Miracle Day is set to be one of the most exciting dramas we’ve brought to Australia this year. UKTV audiences and Torchwood fans alike are in for a huge treat with this latest chapter from Captain Jack and the team.

Source

John Barrowman and Bill Pullman to launch - Torchwood: Miracle Day at MIPTV 2011

John Barrowman and Bill Pullman will be heading to Cannes to promote the new series of hit sci-fi drama Torchwood at MIPTV 2011.

The fourth instalment, titled Torchwood: Miracle Day, is distributed by BBC Worldwide, and will be launched to buyers on Monday 4th April with the two stars attending the event alongside executive producer Julie Gardner.

Barrowman returns to lead the cast in his iconic role as Captain Jack Harkness, and is joined in the new series by film star Pullman, whose credits include Independence Day, While You Were Sleeping and Lost Highway.

Julie Gardner, Senior Vice President, Scripted, BBC Worldwide Productions, has worked on all four series of Torchwood, and her other credits include Life on Mars, Doctor Who and Casanova.

Her producing partner is Torchwood creator Russell T. Davies, who has scripted Miracle Day with an A-list team of writers including John Shiban (Breaking Bad, The X-Files), Doris Egan (House) and Jane Espenson (Game of Thrones, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer).

Torchwood: Miracle Day is produced by BBC Worldwide Productions for Starz Entertainment, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Worldwide.

Featuring locations in the US and around the world, the plot sees a C.I.A operative (played by ER’s Mekhi Phifer) join forces with the team to investigate a global conspiracy that has put an end to human death, causing a population boom and resource crisis.

Pullman plays Oswald Danes, a convicted child killer who survives his own execution, and Eve Myles reprises her role as Gwen Cooper.

Steve Macallister, Managing Director of BBC Worldwide Sales & Distribution, commented, "We’re thrilled to have John Barrowman and Bill Pullman with us at MIPTV.

The fact that Torchwood: Miracle Day is able to attract such a high-calibre, international cast reflects the quality of the production – so it’s sure to prove popular with buyers again, along with the rest of our exciting drama slate."

In addition to Torchwood: Miracle Day, BBC Worldwide will also be presenting popular returning series Doctor Who (S6), the critically-acclaimed Luther (S2), series three of Being Erica, Primeval (S4 &5), and the second series of the BAFTA winning Misfits.

New dramas on this year’s MIPTV slate include ratings hit Upstairs Downstairs, which has already been re-commissioned for an extended second series; South Riding, starring David Morrissey and Anna Maxwell Martin; an adaptation of Sarah Waters’ best-selling novel, The Night Watch; star-studded sci-fi series Outcasts; and the Will Young-starring supernatural thriller Bedlam.

Source BBC press office

Torchwood: Miracle Day for 8th July (Starz)

Torchwood: Miracle Day will make its stateside debut on Starz on Friday, July 8.

Source

Torchwood: Week Nine Production

Production: Week Nine:

Monday
Torchwood hits the beach! It was one of those rare occasions when the production was in an open place, with members of the public appearing in the background if they so wished (as long as they agreed to the conditions laid out on the notices!).

Eve Myles and Mekhi Phifer were on location today, with filming taking place by the DogTown skate park on Venice Beach. Tweets from Dichen Lachman suggested she was enjoying the beach, too!
16:00 AF After thinking it was going to rain all weekend,
the sun today feels SO good. :)
11:03 AF Hard at work! http://t.co/yTJcP8P
11:08 AF http://t.co/LVMiLg7
11:18 MP shooting on venice beach right now...
was supposed to rain but we been blessed with sunshine.
11:45 AF The sun is warm and lovely, but wind is a bit chilly. :)
14:53 AF GAH! Sandstorm! O_O
14:55 AF Pre-sandstorm! http://t.co/fgdTHQB
17:52 AS Cold, sun and wind burnt. Still its so beautiful. Yay for the beach.
18:37 AF I miraculously managed to get thru it without any kamikaze grains
going for my contact lenses! :D
18:47 AF I think this is my favorite photo I took of Venice Beach while down
at the #Torchwood shoot today. ALIEN SEAGULLS! :-) http://t.co/sxZMt3r

Paul Sauser was also on hand to see some of the action at the skate park, including Eve Myles apparently being filmed as Gwen on her mobile. Additional photos of her were published by Caught on Set.
 

Tuesday - Wednesday

Chazz Sutton, via Plixi
After such a public location on Monday, the production disappeared into relative obscurity once more. However, it was possible to infer that one of the units was present at the Inglewood Forum based on snatches of conversation on Twitter:
07 20:48 CS Working a show for Starz called Torchwood
tomorrow in Inglewood. I just Google searched
it... seems very intriguing
*scratches fake goatee*
08 18:01 CS I just shook Lonestar's hand #Winning
08 20:13 CS The end to a long ass day which I so needed.
It's good to be paid.
So grateful to be called back for tomorrow.
08 23:11 CS Yeah 14 hours on set was no joke.
So exhausting but was awesome to be part of
somethin so hush hush.
Also met great new peeps. Recall baby!
09 13:07 CS Adventures in extras holding. So exciting.

Allyson Floyd chatted a little bit about the life of a stand-in:
08 14:53 AF I spent more time wrangling with UPS today than I spent on set! :P Oy.
08 23:07 AF I'm literally not there at all, lol! Stand-ins are only used to set up
camera angles and lighting!
08 23:19 AF I've done kind of a ridiculous amount of extra work though...
if you knew where to look, you'd see the back of my head everywhere!
08 23:20 AF And a few places where I'm pretty recognizable, but it would be
too tedious to look up all the episode #'s and movies.
11 01:15 AF I generally stand in for one of the main cast, so that usually puts me
there several days a week.

Meanwhile, the BBC Production Office were prepping for two kinds of activity later in the week ...
08 14:45 BBC We have a birthday coming up soon, 3 days to be exact.
Mission #3 get JB the perfect gift. Are surprises still classy?
Oh the possibilities!
09 18:38 BBC Wonderfully productive day! RTD is typing away and we're prepping two units.
Phones are ringing! Carpal tunnel arising! Action galore.

Thursday

Matthew Arnold, via YFrog
Two locations were listed for activity Thursday, the James Oviatt Building (home to the Cicada Restaurant), and the Yard, a kick-boxing club - however, reports indicated other locations were visited throughout the day, with at least two units operating! Matthew Arnold reported that filming was taking place on a street at his uncle's, and this unit included Alexa Havins.

Meanwhile, another unit had to contend with a minor disaster on set:
09 17:18 AF Then it's back to work on the set of
#Torchwood: MD tomorrow!
10 09:56 AS Another early morning. Yawn!
But I have my honey with me today. :)
10 12:22 AS A water main just broken now there's a river
running thru set. Too bad the waters nasty or
I would run thru it like the 10 yr old I am. LOL
11 13:00 BBC A water main broke at our 2nd Unit location,
a cool looking salvage yard. Awesome location
11 13:04 BBC The water leak had nothing to do with us!!
It was just a crazy random event.
11 14:27 AF I missed out on that! I had a later calltime. ^_^ 

BBC, via Twitpic
Another location in use turned out to be the Los Angeles City Hall again, with John Barrowman and Ernie Hudson present; John was later to receive two big cakes for his birthday on Friday (celebrated UK time!)
10 17:43 ST A bit quiet here shooting a 6 page scene.
Amazing actor with John today.
Both are intense. Really great writing too.
Beautiful location too.
10 19:01 ST Entire crew just sang @Team_Barrowman happy birthday
and presented him a cake with candles.
Lots of joy and laughter. Now we r on the move.
10 19:16 ST A glimpse of vintage LA I love this city :-)
10 20:00 ST I can't say where til tomorrow when we r gone :-)
12 08:00 ST LA City Hall

10 23:02 BBC Mission #3 SUCCESS! A surprise TWO cakes
and we gave John the day off tomorrow.
Happy Birthday!
10 23:54 JB Hello from LA
10 23:55 JB Thanks for all the birthday wishes..
6 more minutes till the actual bday
10 23:57 JB Going to bed then of to Palm Springs tomorrow
for celebrations with Mom and dad and family.
10 23:59 JB been very busy filming and feel bad
I have not tweeted. hope to rectify that.
11 00:00 JB Dont ask Torchwood questions as I cant answer...
DUH!!!
But get to Comic con if you can..

Friday

Daryl Crittenden, via YFrog
As mentioned above, Friday was a day off for John Barrowman as it was his birthday, but work continued for the rest of the cast and crew as usual.

10:32 ST Concept meeting for episode 7.
Creativity is not only coming up with a brilliant story
it's bringing it to life on a budget. Oye!!
14:28 DC Heading to set on #Torchwood today....
time to make the doughnuts!
17:08 ST Hint pink flamingo
18:50 DC This is a light post. Only a lightpost. #Torchwood
18:51 DC Ps had a blueberry doughnut yum. #Torchwood

Filming also continued around the Yard, as observed by Dina Kampmeyer:
11 19:01 Okay, trying not freak out, but torchwood is filming 20 feet away from me.
If my bf can get me on set, i may just freak.
12 14:45 I was having a drink at Villains & they were filming next door.
They were packing up, but I was there!
12 14:47 The set was all dark & dank. Looks like maybe a basement or tunnels
where creepy aliens would hide.

Finally, we're pleased to include a special report on life as an extra, courtesy of Maria Zambrana:
Read Maria's Report:
I worked on the second unit of "Torchwood: Miracle Day" last night, (Ep5, I believe?), as one of about 150 people for the night shoot. We didn't have to sign a confidentiality agreement like I did in Episode 1 (two months ago), but common sense dictates that it'd be wise not to go into extreme detail, no?

We were shooting on "French Street" on the Warner Bros. lot (that's a street name not the location setting!), and our holding was this empty building on the corner. The room filled up pretty quickly so, despite it being a bit chilly, others took their folding chairs and lined up along the sidewalks. I found that the "store" next to this one was empty, so I simply went in there and had the place to myself. A props cart was set up right outside the door where we picked up a few items.

There were some background people there that performed two or three different roles and got there around 3pm or so, and another lump of people brought in just for the one scene (7:45pm., 8pm., etc.). We were ostensibly broken up into groups (Group A, Group B, etc.) but that's just a basic early-stage organizational thing; by the time filming takes place, you're just swept up en masse into the action. The only thing that matters is your call time... as in, the 3pm. call time allowed the earlier people to be dismissed earlier. Also, they got lunch - we didn't get any food on set, save for some people who scavenged their leftovers before catering threw them away (this food-raid done at the encouragement of one of the A.D.s, incidentally, who was rather put off by the fact that catering was not available to everyone).

(This is why I always make sure to eat before I go to a set, and to bring my own water. You can't rely on a production to take care of you. I was on the set of final episode of "24" and the entire building ran out of toilet paper. Guess who the only extra was that brought their own roll that day?)

Eve Myles was the only main cast member on our part of the lot; there were two units, ours and another over at Warner Ranch, but I've no idea what they were shooting or who with. At one point, upon finding out that one of our number was a big "Doctor Who" and "Torchwood" fan, she took a few minutes to pose with and take photos with the guy, which put him on Cloud 9! So sweet of her to do that.

All in all, though, the shoot went well. We all did one rehearsal walking around the block, past our holding area, and back to our starting positions. Then we made three or four more circles, wearing and carrying our props (aw, c'mon, why should I spoil what they were?). And we were done! Check-in to sign-out was about six hours, and a good four of those hours was wasted at wardrobe and holding.

Source - Dr who news page

Torchwood: Week Eight production

Production: Week Eight:

Monday
Another week and another early start, for costume designer Shawna Trpcic, who later on discussed aspects of Captain Jack's new jacket:
06:20 Torchwood at 4:12 am. Funny thing is I woke up before my alarm. :-)
now I'm yawning and eating too much trying to stay alert. :-)
06:23 what is CJ coat Y u chose fabric?
Wool w/ tiny bit of cashmere to keep it soft with goodBody.
11:29 Thought JB was allergic to wool?
Old Coat was cotton - the wool im using is thin and
super soft no allergic reactions.
12:41 costume was made of moleskin to simulate wool as JB allergic
does it qualify as cotton?
i suppose might b an UK/US word thing
19:59 Can't wait to see our captain in NEW hero coat!
I wonder if he wears the silver aeroplane cufflinks this series too?
Yes!
Other Twitter-chat for the day included:
07:54 ST Ice cold but sunny & clear beautiful
rained for 10hours during fri night shoot :-/
09:02 AS Week 8 of Torchwood aka 80s revival week!
19:13 MC Abby singer! For those of you who don't know that means the
second to the last shot is up.
19:19 MC Wrap
21:21 AS @trpcic lol Ralph? DWtS!!! That's amazing! Watching fo sho!
80s revival week rules! I'm so rocking legwarmers this week.

Tuesday
Back out and about, filming at two locations; a parking garage at 524 South Flower St, just around the corner from the major shoot at the US Bank Tower - the tallest building in Los Angeles! - and several photos from Shawna Trpcic and Michael Colbert showed off its views across the city!

Michael Colbert
(via Twitpic)
The view today. "Heroes" fans might note Kirby plaza where the orange thing is.
Michael Colbert
(via Twitpic)
Another view
Shawna Trpcic
(via Twitpic)
Never seen LA like this :-)
Shawna Trpcic
(via Twitpic)
Top of historic mens club in downtown



Shawna Trpcic, via Plixi


Michael Colbert, via Twitpic
"TW-Spy!" today reveals John and Eve's comfy chairs, and an intriguing logo that promises "from better to best"! Meanwhile, the cast and crew go wobbly at the knees with guest star Ernie Hudson filming scenes alongside John Barrowman!

09:08 ST TV crews work sooooo hard we have units all over this
morning have not stopped running and my crew
are literary out of breath!!
09:47 MC Poop on a stick! It's only 9:45!
15:26 ST Publicity photos for Torchwood on the way
Shooting this weekend with 7 members of the cast :-)
15:37 ST John said his undercover pants were a bit tight but
he likes them. I told him Im famous for
"Captain Tight Pants" gotta keep up tradition


Wednesday - Friday
Wednesday saw filming continue with two units, though it wasn't clear if this was back at the US Bank Tower or elsewhere; production was to return to the Warner Brothers lot for the rest of the week, though it would seem that adjacent activities would cause quite some excitement!
02 23:58 DC Shooting #y&r and #torchwood next week.... Busy busy.
02 21:58 AF Shooting #Torchwood back at good 'ol WB tomorrow. ^_^ |
02 22:28 ST I am soooo exhausted but gotta tell you working on torchwood is such a
luv fest I am very happy two units today shopping and early fit in am
03 13:05 AF Having now read the latest script, I take that back! :D
03 15:41 AS Note: This is not Torchwood but J. Edgar is shooting on the lot near us.
Looking for Leo! http://twitpic.com/45t09j
03 16:09 BBC Just spent a lovely afternoon with some of our fellow UK crew.
We're also still floating on the Ernie Hudson cloud, the rumors are true.
03 17:15 JE It is almost all written, yes! All episodes but last one are in
the pipeline at some stage. No word on next season yet.
03 17:56 ST Clint Eastwood and Leo dicaprio r here -
squeeeel in amazing Hoover era costumes
03 21:01 ST Don't jump ship on us from Torchwood to a fancy movie set, please!
Never! I have never giggled & blushed so much! Like teenage luv
04 16:08 AF More "Torchwood" (@ Warner Bros. Pictures)
04 17:39 BBC Eve Myles wants everyone to make her a promise,
HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND! That seems manageable right?
04 17:39 AF Conan O'Brien and Leo DiCaprio are somewhere on this lot.
When am I going to conveniently happen across them?? ;D
04 17:46 AF I realized that one of the two main Torchwood stages is right
next door to Two and a Half Men. Ground 0 for recent Hollywood drama! :P
04 17:48 BBC Also, we're prepping for a photo shoot this Saturday.
Publicity stills, can't wait!
04 19:51 ST All packed & prepared for first PR shoot w/ the cast. Yay!!
Crew shooting into the weeee hours then up for Morning shoot.
Pray all sleep well
04 23:17 BBC We've got Bill and Lauren on this late night of shooting.
The lot is empty... Mission #2 - Private Party on the
"Two and A Half Men" set!
05 01:25 BBC Mission #2, FAIL. We're having too much fun on our own set.
Such a great cast and crew. Good Morning Everyone!

05 01:35 AF Yet another Happy Fraturday to all! ;)

Source - Dr who news page

Torchwood writer John Fay discusses Series 4

Writer John Fay (Torchwood: Children Of Earth, Robin Hood) has spoken about his work on Torchwood's upcoming fourth series.

Fay wrote two episodes of the show's third series, which aired in 2009, and has written Episode 9 of Torchwood: Miracle Day, which will begin this July on BBC One and the Starz channel in the US.

Answering questions earlier today in a web chat for the Liverpool Daily Post & Echo, Fay revealed: "I can tell you a lot of my ep is set in Wales, and has already been shot."

Asked how he found the Miracle Day writers' room, he replied: "Daunting! The other writers in the room were phenomenal."

Questioned about how the new series will differ from the first three series, he commented: "Russell and Julie Gardner remain in charge, so I think it'll still have the same basic tone. There are more American characters in it, so obviously it'll probably feel more American."

Fay went on to discuss working with Torchwood creator Russell T Davies and how he feels about Davies' notorious rewrites: "Ep 2 of [Children Of Earth] is all mine I think. He moved a bit of his Ep 5 onto the back of my Ep 4, and wrote an extra scene between the PM and his adviser, but that was pretty much it. I can't speak for the new series yet because I haven't seen it."

He added: "With RTD it's not a problem. Apart from anything else, he's a great writer and he's the boss. I have been re-written by some lesser writers in the past though. And that does piss you off!"

Source - Cultbox

Who you gonna call?... Torchwood casting news

Ernie Hudson has today been reported as having a role in Torchwood: Miracle Day:

Alana Stone: Who you gonna call?

Michael Colbert: The one and only Ernie Hudson is guest starring on this ep.

The actor has had a prolific career in films and television, having recently appeared in recent television series like Transformers Prime (voice of Agent Fowler), The Secret Life of an American Teenager (Dr Field), Law and Order (Frank Gibson), and Desperate Housewives (Detective Ridley). His sci-fi credentials include appearances in Heroes, Stargate SG-1, as Sergeant Albrecht in The Crow, and Washington in the film Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone.

But he will always be best known as Winston Zeddemore, the fourth member of the team in the extremely successful Ghostbusters, and its followup Ghostbusters II. (A third film has been mooted for production shortly!)

More at - Doctor who news page

Torchwood: Week Seven Production

Production: Week Seven:

Tuesday

Photo: Jane Espenson, via Twitpic
Back to Warner Bros for another long day's shoot. Filming continued on episode three, with John Barrowman, Eve Myles and Mekhi Phifer shooting scenes.

Writer Jane Espsenson reported that there would be a production meeting for episode four that lunch time; she also clarified that the final three episodes were still in the process of being tweaked.

Meanwhile, Shawna Trpcic also explained that no date had been set as yet for the release of the publicity photos.

Jane also provided the first "TW-Spy!" photo of the week, giving us a glimpse of how studio backdrop looks on-set!

Twitter gossip for the day included:
07:34 MC 6am call. Sick as a dog. God I want to sleep for 12 hours straight.
07:52 MP Just got on set of Torchwood.. Cold LA morning and I am going shirtless!!
Not complaining though, just need some ideas on how to stay warm??
09:06 JE Just got good morning hugs from John and Eve on set. Love this cast!
09:08 ST Hello faux Monday. Had an amazing fitting with eve at 630 am and
she was still amazing :-)
09:51 KO Back to LA tomorrow for a few days filming. |
12:47 JE Tour group of UK tourists just spotted John Barrowman on lot.
Apparently there was much excitement! |
14:48 MP having a great time working on Torchwood...
great cast and great people to work with. lots of action/intensity

Wednesday

Photo: Alana Stone, via Twitpic
Today's "TW-Spy!" is from Alana Stone, who teased us with this shot of a set interior. This evoked a number of ideas, including: "ooohhh...is this at the new Hub?", "Now I really want to know what's behind the door.", "could the 'June 45' be significant?".

The day also saw Kai Owen setting out to return to Los Angeles for some more filming; his time at Heathrow awaiting the flight turned out to be quite a 'happy hour'! (UK time)
14:10 Having a very large vodka tonic at Heathrow,
Los Angeles beware!!
a drunk Welshman will be arriving shortly.
14:54 @JaneEspenson I just hope they let me on the plane!!
theses 'Large' vodkas are getting Larger by
the minute!!! Cant wait to see you x
14:56 Thats's it I'm starting to do typos!1
i'm drumk and have too bored this plain!!
see you on the other side peeple xx
05:48 Hello Los Angeles!!!!!

Other Twitter chat included:
10:51 JE In scene that shot yesterday. Gwen: "I got you this."
10:51 AS In awe! That's all.
12:03 AF They are filming at WB, but I'm not there today.
Maybe tomorrow! It is very day-to-day for me. ^_^ |
15:02 AF Torchwood tomorrow! It is confirmed. ^_^ |
15:10 MP on set on the Warner bros lot in between shots watching short films on
thirdREEL.com. Definitely a cure for boredom!! Check it out!

The Doctor Who News report on Torchwood last week also seemed to generate a bit of interest!
16:19 AF @doctor_who_news It's strange to see stuff I worked on posted as "news"!
16:21 ST Wow great reporting! @alanastone u should read - lots of fun
RT @doctor_who_news: Torchwood: Week Six... last week.

Thursday

Photo: Michael Colbert, via Twitpic
Torchwood takes to the roads today! However, in reality this was to actually remain on-set at Warner Bros rather than out and about on the streets of Los Angeles! Whether there would be some "low-loader" shots later in filming is unclear, though scenes were filmed this way back in the UK along the M4.

This was to be a late-nighter for filming in the (cold) studio, eventually wrapping around 3:00am.

Meanwhile production meetings continued, with Jane Espenson heard to say: "Where does the reality end?", whilst the production office reported that prepping for episodes five and six were about to start as filming for episodes three and four continued.

13:21 MC Back at work FYI I did sleep for almost 20 hours straight. Feel better.
15:18 MC Complicated multiple-department car gag happening right now
15:28 MC Light car gag http://twitpic.com/43dnu7
16:20 AF Driving shots. To simulate motion, rotate fake streetlights on
a contraption resembling a ceiling fan. :-)
15:42 JE Just uttered at Torchwood production meeting: "Where does the reality end?"
Work stops as we ponder.
16:32 ST @JaneEspenson Should b a tshirt
21:05 AF Torchwood night shoot later tonight. Freezing outside.
Did not bring furry boots. My toes will be sad indeed. T_T
23:11 BBC Getting wild tonight with the #Torchwood nocturnal crew! Stay warm everyone.
Also, @KaiKaiOwen we're not going to let you leave...
23:13 BBC Tomorrow, prepping for EP 5&6 while shooting EP3&4.
Perhaps a second coffee maker is in order. Go team go!!
00:52 AF Non-stop for 2 days: commercial -> DJ gig ->
chilly #Torchwood night shoot ->
no sleep and on to an 8AM calltime at The Bachelor. Oy. T_T
01:31 AF I was just fantasizing about the bananas foster-flavored coffee
I'm going to make when we're wrapped at #Torchwood. :-)
03:03 MC Just past 3 am and finally Martini is called.

Friday
Back out on location for today, with scenes for episode four involving Kai Owen taking place in a hospital - this may have been a return to the Linda Vista Hospital where they filmed previously (a well-used film location), but wasn't confirmed. Another location mentioned by Michael Colbert was described being the "Lethal Weapon House"! The day was interrupted by rain (though fortunately not the snow that beset Los Angeles at the weekend!).

Meanwhile, amidst concerns on Twitter about possible alterations to Jack's character, Jane Espenson reassured: "Not all 'straightening' Jack! Jack is very much still Jack! Fans will be pleased."

04:06 KO Damn! I'm wide awake, wide awake!! It's 4am here. I'm on set all day.
Espresso's all day I reckon! Have a good Friday everyone. X
06:45 KO I'm shooting at a hospital today. Scenes from Ep 4.
08:05 ST Early call on first unit late call on second unit
we are taking over LA units everywhere :-)
16:57 MC Ugly rainy night with super cold (for southern Cal) temps.
All outside and goin till probably 5 in the morning.
This is what we do for you.
17:00 KO There's no official wrap time here, so it could be anything really,
you finish when you finish. Longest for me so far 15 hours.
17:05 MC Sitting in the lethal weapon house.
Can smell still smell Joe Pechi even with the rain.
17:30 KO It raining in LA!!
18:50 AS I'm such a geek. Hehe
20:58 AF Looks like it'll be several days before I'm back working on #Torchwood.
On the flip side, I'm working on #Glee on Monday!
21:09 KO Back at the bar!! Great crew on #Torchwood. It's gonna be one helm of a show.
Back to blighty tomorrow.
21:18 KO One HELL of a show, not one Helm of a show!!
21:21 AF My job on TW isn't quite as exciting as you think tho!
I'm just standing in for now; hopefully more jobs with lines to come.
21:37 MC Were WAY past suck tonight already and still have hours to go.
07:34 BBC We're not going to let a torrential downpour stop us from
shooting all night. Bring it.
Also, @KaiKaiOwen safe travels back see you soon!
00:50 ST @KaiKaiOwen gave Kai a welcome kiss so glad to have him here feels right
05:54 MC Finally going home 16 hours later

As usual no filming took place at the weekend, though this doesn't apply to writers, as Jane Espenson observed on Sunday:
14:12 Working hard today on #Torchwood episode 8. How much can I get done before #Oscars?
14:27 Russell is incredibly positive! I've been lucky to work with a number of
visionaries and he's up with best of 'em!

Key to initials: AF - Allyson Floyd (stand-in); AS - Alana Stone (fashion designer); BBC - BBC Torchwood (production office); JE - Jane Espenson (writer); KO - Kai Owen (Rhys); MC - Michael Colbert; MP - Mekhi Phifer (Rex Matheson); ST - Shawna Trpcic (costume designer)


Kai Owen is due back to L.A. for three months of filming from the 12th March, and tweets intimated that he'll be joined by Tom Price too!
23 14:53(UK) Im back on Sunday, Then on the 12th March we all head out for three months!!
26 14:41(LA) Tom, Where are you? I'm sitting in the lounge at LAX,

don't let me come here alone again.

Source - Doctor who news page

Jane Esbenson and Doris Egan panel (Torchwood)

Also watch on Youtube.com and Here

Torchwood: Week Six Filming

Monday
Monday saw the Torchwood team at another airport, this time the Ontario International Airport in Los Angeles (filming took place at Cardiff International Airport three weeks previously). Mekhi Phifer and Dichen Lachman were reported to be on location. Meanwhile, Jane Espenson clarified some differences between the UK and US film schedules.

07:25 AS Had to be at work at 4:12am in Ontario. I have my Valentine,
Dichen Lachman, with me tho so that makes things a little better.
11:52 BBC Big day at the Airport location today. We're Also beginning prep for
a 2nd Unit tomorrow = DOUBLE the #Torchwood fun. Happy Valentine's day
13:24 JE I think they shoot on Saturdays in the UK,
but have shorter working days. We def. have Sat/Sun off. Yay weekends!
19:00 ST Past the 2000 mark for followers. Welcome all - hope to keep u entertained
with stories of costume life on the set of torchwood :-) Peace
06:12 MP Could use a few more hours of sleep.
On the phone for 2hrs with moms last night...
If I just had half her strength!

Tuesday
Eve Myles returned to production in the US, which sounded to be another 'bloody' affair according to Mekhi Phifer. Scenes today were back on the Warner Bros lot. As previously reported, whilst exteriors may have been filmed in Wales, the respective interiors have been shot back in the States, something Jane Espenson reports as meeting the Welsh cast's approval!

10:55 ST Beautiful Eve back with us today. Even slimmer after all the action
and -10 weather. Glad to have her back on set.
13:20 BBC Going to have an exciting reunion with wonderfully effervescent Eve Myles
this afternoon. Lets see what she's up to...
15:54 MP Shooting Torchwood and I'm all bloodied up right now!
Rain machines, green screen, u name it, we got it!! Dope ass show!
16:25 JE The Welsh people haven't objected to the interiors,
so I think they must be good!
16:38 JE The current thiller / arc / connected-story feel of TW is working
really well and is best done in shorter runs.
18:24 BBC "I'm terrified of Twitter because computers hate me, but
(Cowgirl Voice) Howdy Partners I'm having a blast on set today" - Eve Myles

Wednesday

Shawna Trpic, via Twitpic

BBC Torchwood, via Yfrog


Kim Evey, via ImgMu
After a few days absence, a welcome return to "TW-Spy!" today as we get to see the inside of the costume truck (Captain Jack, Simpsons-style!), Russell T Davies with a (very!) large cheese, and a set visit by actress/producer Kim Evey.

Kai Owen also revealed that he'll be heading back to L.A. next week, which indicates that the return to the UK for filming wasn't to happen after all.

07:43 ST One of the walls in the costume truck :-)
that's our set crew!
11:50 KO Nate: Hey mate! What's happening?
Just having a glass of red and thinking of you!!
Nice to be home? I'm back with you next Wednesday.
Looking forward to have a burger with you!! Kai x
12:46 DL Mekhi Phifer has just been showing me his website
called 'thirdreel' on the torchwood set.
Check it out.
14:47 BBC Russell stands proud with the mystery cheese sent
to us from the UK. Who's the culprit???
15:42 KE Got to visit this set today thanks to Shawna
15:51 Sarann: Are you doing exciting costume
related things on the Torchwood set today?
ST Always :-)
20:25 DE Just back from the Torchwood set, where I forced
John Barrowman and Eve Myles to look at pictures
of my dogs.

Thursday
Alana Stone reveals plane activity, a vague comment which mean a interior set reproduction of an interior or even a real plane at the airport! No other clues forthcoming, unfortunately!
09:31 ST Eve Myles told Kim Evey that she is the voice of one of the
characters on the DragonAge II game. Small world
11:01 ST Forgot to wear my hearing aid today Driving my crew crazy. Huh?
11:36 AS I'm on a plane!
16:49 NG Kai: can't wait to see ya. Give the baba a kiss fer me.
00:16 DL LOVE Torchwood peeps. Having so much fun.

Friday

BBC Torchwood, via ImgMu
Another day on set, and more mysterious items that may or may not be what they seem! With conventions and holidays on the way nobody wanted another late night Friday, though Bill Pullman continued to keep everybody entertained as production completed for another week.

13:42 BBC It seems the line between salad dressing and
chocolate custard is little hazy today.
You only live once!
22:47 ST The rain makes me tired well that, prepping 3 episodes
while shooting two, cleaning house, feeding the kids..
Time for a meeting & chocolate
17:30 AS Is it really Friday?
18:44 ST Alana: should not be a fraterday I hope :-)
22:19 BBC We're coming to set, Shawna, Alana,
its dark and lonely over here.
22:25 AS BBC_Torchwood: yay!!! Can't wait for your visit!
Bill is being awesome as usual.

Speaking of Bill Pullman, his fan site published a photo of him with John Barrowman in their Jack/Oswald mode!

Saturday
Friday brought an end to filming for the week, and an extended weekend was due with a holiday on Monday for Presidents Day, not to mention Jane Espenson and Doris Egan attending the GallifreyOne convention over the weekend too!

However, it wasn't a complete halt to proceedings:

01:20 BBC We're location scouting in a couple of hours!
That's right we work Saturday's in the US too!
(But let's be honest not a full days work)

Director of Photography Nate Goodman also commented on Torchwood so far ...

19:26 NG One week back from Wales. Saw some of Ep 1 cut together. Epic.

Not your mother's Torchwood...

Doctor who news page

Torchwood: Week Four/Five Filming (UK)

Monday 31st January
Two teams were active during the course of the day, almost at opposite ends of the South Wales coast!

The morning saw a base set up at Magor, in which various vehicles were assembled that would later be taken out onto the M4 for scenes set travelling on the motorway. Doug Williams was on hand to see the set-up:
09:04 Confirmed TW setting up filming now in Hampton Hotel Carpark
09:44 Defo TW one burt tree van, one security guard and a small crew.
Oh and a police traffic car
09:54 They are setting up for a rolling motorway chase.
Car on back of low loader type filming truck
10:18 Not long now and they will be on M4.
Police ready. No sign of JB or anyone we know
10:30 looks like just base and setup for motorway scenes
10:44 Had to leave :( been told they have carpark and conference room booked all day so if your in the area!!


The afternoon saw action resume in Swansea, this time at a recently closed butchers, which the production crew had skillfully transformed into a pharmacy. Chris Williams takes up the story over there:
Report from Chris Williams: 


The Swansea shoot was dramatic, and potentially explosive, but in the interest of maintaining a 'tease but don't spoil' policy, I'm restricted as to what I can reveal. For me, the most interesting thing was the work of the BBC Cymru Art Department, who I had a long and pleasant chat with. They'd acquired an old, closed and mouldy butcher's shop in Frogmore Avenue and transformed it into an old-fashioned, but pristine family pharmacy.

The pharmacy, complete with leaded glass windows, each costing over £800 to produce, gave the shop a totally authentic feel. Fully stocked with 'chemistry' goods, each item polished and positioned to perfection, the pharmacy was so convincingly real, potential customers had actually tried to buy things, and one elderly lady had actually attempted to collect her doctor's prescription!

The idea of 'big budget' comes to mind here, as this lovingly created on-street set would appear in Torchwood for a matter of minutes, and would not (possibly!) survive the evening's shoot!

One thing was confirmed: the UK filming is all largely based on exterior shots. Most of the interior shooting will happen in LA, as one of the production team told me, you'll see Captain Jack go through an aged wooden door into a rustic Welsh cottage, and when he's inside - the identical closed door you'll see will be on a studio set in LA, as will Jack!

Lots of American voices were around today. A silver haired woman who seemed to work closely with RTD and BM, a guy in a silly hat and a large guy dressed in his Arctic survival coat. It'd be nice to get them all identified! As ever, RTD was present, pleasant and personable, happily signing autographs and posing for pictures with fans. I'm impressed he takes the time to do this.

As for the shoot, it happened when Swansea was at its coldest, ie, after dark and at about -4°C. The team from REAL SFX (experts in ka-boom pyrotechnics) turned up, along with a trailer marked 'Animals For Filming'. I expected a lion or something ridiculous to get out, but instead, it was Spike, a Jack Russell terrier who was the star of the shoot.

There were multiple takes of a scene involving a car, some very bad driving and some near collisions. Each was highly choreographed, and repeated ad infinitum, with Spike and his on-screen owner dutifully acting out their roles. The last thing we heard was an enormous CRASH, accompanied by a stack of smoke and dust, and the Art Department's skillful work was gone, forever, and ambulances and police cars were ready for action... all in the interests of Torchwood, of course!


Tuesday 1st February
Torchwood returned to its spiritual home, with filming taking place in the evening at Roald Dahl Plass - though shot from an angle away from the old "Hub" Water Tower! The daytime saw activity in another familiar location, outside the Old Natwest Bank which has served as Gwen and Andy's police headquarters ever since the first episode, Everything Changes. A third location was also in use today, the exterior of the Coal Exchange (the interior of which was used during Children of Earth).

With such high-profile locations, fans were clearly able to witness the activity for once! A few reports and photos follow.

Report from Chris Williams: 

I arrived in town at about 10am, and headed right for Mount Stuart Square, a 'classic' square of 'government-style' Victorian architecture used several times in Doctor Who, previous Torchwood episodes and even Upstairs Downstairs. There were two locations, one, an old bank dressed to resemble perfectly a Cardiff police station, and the Coal Exchange, transformed into a modern city hospital. The amount of work done by BBC Cymru's art department was phenomenal.

The police station now had blue doors, frosted glass with the words 'POLICE' and 'HEDDLU' in frosted glass, and a shambles of real-looking police cars and vans parked outside it, and 'Crimestoppers' etc posters shabbily on some external windows. It really looked 100%

The Coal Exchange too, as a hospital, a tribute to its creators, a total transformation having been achieved in just 24 hours. Both of the oak entrance doors had been removed and been replaced with glass swing doors and modern 'foyer' architecture, and the signage was perfect for a contemporary hospital. We had an Emergency Admissions door, no smoking signs, hospital department signposts, gurneys, parked up ambulances, etc. You'd easily have been fooled it was real if you were a passer by!

Slightly eerily, a shrine had been set out in front of the hospital. Hundreds of cards reading such stuff as 'Another day with our precious Emily', and 'Come home soon, dad!' I notice one rather cheeky one which simply said 'We love you, Russell!' - with a happy smiley underneath. RTD would indeed be touched! The shrine was adorned with candles, burning incense and flowers, and looked real - and well established!

Several scenes were filmed here, the major one involving Eve, Kai and the baby in front of the hospital. Other scenes involved ambulances racing to and from the hospital. Amazingly, though on TV it will look as though they moved at speed, perhaps for hundreds of meters, in reality they moved for less than 20 meters before the scene was cut, and the next section of it filmed separately.

Eve and Kai were fluent and comfortable in their roles, though the baby was rather odd. On occasions - it was a real human baby, looking perhaps a year old. I other scenes, it was a mere bundle of perfectly-folded rags, lovingly taken out of a box marked 'Anwen'. What a way to transport a young child! Several people, by the way, thought raggy Anwen looked about half the size of real Anwen, but I guess we'll see if the cameras correct this apparent discrepancy!

We first saw Tom Price outside the mock police station, ex-Nat West police station. In full uniform, he was immediately personable, and actually played up for the crowd. At one point, he started photographing us with his white iPhone whist in character, and then made rather amusing faces. He posed for pictures, obligingly wearing his hat on request, and happily signed at least a million autographs. He's a cool guy. His shoot was ruined countless times by two rather noisy seagulls which, I think deliberately, decided to squawk immediately upon hearing the
word 'Action'!

The evening shoot started late, at around 10.30pm. We had our first glimpse of John Barrowman and Mekhi Phifer, who I was previously certain had returned to the US. Eve, in huge hair curlers, Kai, Rhys and plastic Anwen were on set too, all arriving in their own separate cars.

Eve, Kai, John and Mekhi were involved in the filming. Loads of goofs, John and Eve cracking up, some cartoon running meant we had at least 20 takes. After each one, John and Eve would 'let their hair down' and treat us to dancing, hand and thigh slapping and general JB tomfoolery. It really was funny to watch - they have awesome chemistry between them!

I loved it when John moved into his car to warm up between takes. Each time, he's smile, pose for more fan photos and would exchange a few words with us. He also enjoyed more than the odd laugh with other cast members, at one point dragging Tom Price into his car, and slepping him firmly across the buttocks! Tom immediately announced that he's enjoyed the experience!

Poor Mekhi appeared frozen to the marrow, was wrapped up like Scott of the Antarctic and was constantly drinking coffee in an attempt to stave off hypothermia!

Later scenes involved car chases, SWAT assaults, shooting and a kidnap... but here we're heading into spoiler territory!

You can find more photos from the day from both Chris Williams and Iris Halliez on Facebook.


Report from Ryan Farrell:

The two scenes I saw yesterday were Gwen and Rhys meeting Andy outside the hospital, and Gwen, Rhys and Jack getting cornered by Rex and the Police, led by Andy.

During the first scene, Andy meets Gwen and Rhys (who is holding baby Anwen), smiles and says "long time no see", so this is their first meeting of the series by the looks of it. They then have a short exchange which ends in Andy saying to Rhys "Gwen Cooper was the best Police officer we ever had!"

Second scene was Jack, Rhys (again, with Anwen) and Gwen, sitting on the steps on the Plas. Rex seems to be with them, too. Jack is explaining something to Gwen. She asks him something, and he shows her his wrist, which has a red cut/scar on it, and no vortex manipulator. Rex, who is beside the trio, and has a white shirt with a gunshot wound and blood on, says something to Jack. Presumably he's asking him what's wrong, and Jack yells "It doesn't concern you!". Then he says "You there, CIA, do something useful!". Rhys then shouts "She's just a kid, Jack!", gesturing to Anwen. Then Police cars surround them from all angles, and Andy emerges.
Gwen: Hold it there! [to Andy]
Did you call them!? [the CIA]
Andy: They're in charge.
Jack: Say's who!?
Rhys: He can't arrest us, he's American!
Rex: This isn't an arrest (he then goes on to say
something about it being a plead for help)
Now get me out of here! Get me home, go!
That was it, more or less. At the end John made a little speech about how he was glad Torchwood was moving on to do bigger and better things, so looks like that's the end of the filming in Wales.

Wednesday 2nd - Tuesday 8th February
After all the high visibility of the previous days, Torchwood disappears behind fences once more as filming moves to MOD St Athan - using the same hangars that featured in Children of Earth!


As such this meant that we were back to the tantalising tidbits that Twitter would have to offer, as Kai Owen and Tom Price 'assaulted' us with banter! Further cast tweets came from a couple of supporting artists, Bay Radio presenter Jay Curtis and extra Laura Morgan.


(via yfrog)
Thu 14:04 Kai: Tom get back to work you!!
You've got a lot of pressure on your shoulders.
Thu 16:35 Kai: I will be in a lorry for the next 11 hours.
Thu 17:03 Kai: Tom back to work!!!
You've got massive pressure on your shoulders.
I'm surprised you can sleep at night.
Thu 22:08 Kai: I'm glad I'm stuck in this lorry.
It's freezing and blowing a gale outside.
Our crew are immense.
Fri 11:58 LM: Just been booked for work on Torchwood on Monday...
Hands up who wants a piece of John Barrowman?
Fri 11:59 Jay: En route to location! Heavy winds and rain today
so I've got my thermals on for a very late finish.
Fri 14:35 Kai: My blood is boiling already!!! COME ON WALES!!!!
I'm still on nights so will miss it.
Bloody Torchwood shite.
Fri 15:40 Kai: We're actually back in Cardiff filming this week!
I'm on nights and filming up the road from the game!
Typical!
Fri 20:43 Jay: Yey, a break from filming.
All cast and crew trying to catch some of the
Wales Match. So it doesn't look good for us then :(
Sat 00:51 Jay: That's a wrap on Torchwood, now the drive
back to Swansea in these crazy winds!
Sat 01:03 Jay: The team are here for a few more weeks,
some great scenes too! Series will be out in July
Sat 01:47 BBC: Eve and Kai have a wonderful production day Saturday.
We're missing you over here in the US production office.
Sat 02:05 Jay: Wicked night filming Torchwood tonight with Kai Owen and Eve Myles on set!
Can't wait to see it in the new series.
Sun 14:46 LM: Slightly nervous about making it to set on time tomorrow morning...
Sounds like its in the middle of nowhere!
Mon 10:15 Kai: Tom hasn't stopped eating or complaining.
This "promotion" has gone to his head. I don't like the guy at all.
Mon 11:49 Kai: Turd. (photo of Tom Price)
Mon 13:11 Tom: Doggers Anonymous. (photo of Kai Owen)
Mon 14:52 LM: So cold! Out in pyjamas and only just broke for lunch!
Tue 18:51 Kai: I'm all wrapped here in the UK.
It's been the best two weeks I've ever had on TW. (so far!)
Cast and Crew are phenomenal and all deserve to get plastered tonight.
Wed 09:08 Kai: Had the UK shoot wrap party last night.

I don't feel well at all.

Source - Doctor who news page

Wayne Knight to guest star in Torchwood?

According to clues left by the Torchwood production office, actor Wayne Knight is to guest star in an episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day.

Knight is most notable for playing Dennis Nedry in Jurassic Park and Newman in Seinfeld.

A twitter message posted by the BBC Torchwood account on Monday evening gave us our first clue:
We've got Alexa Havins here with us today with a special guest, here's a clue "uh uh uh didn't say the magic word".

Costumer Alana Stone later tweeted another:

"Dodgson! Dodgson! We've got Dodgson here! See? Nobody cares. Nice hat!"

Source - Doctor who newpage

Torchwood: Miracle Day filming - This doesn't concern you!

Watch on Youtube.com

Torchwood: Miracle Day filming - Andy meets Gwen and Rhys

Watch on Youtube.com

Here come the Torchwood crew – armed and dangerous

Wales Online has posted two great photos of a dramatic helicopter beach chase which has recently been filmed for Miracle Day!

Source - Here and Here