Torchwood reaches for Starz

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Torchwood reaches for Starz
June 2010
Jesse Whittock
C21


US-based Starz Entertainment has come onboard Torchwood, the BBC science fiction drama written by former Doctor Who scribe Russell T Davies, rescuing it from development hell.

Entertainment specialist Starz has acquired the US television rights and will jointly fund a 10-part fourth season with the BBC. The show will air on BBC1 and cablenet Starz in summer 2011.

A new season had seemed unlikely after the third, which ran on UK pubcaster BBC1, was cut from 13 episodes to five and looked set to be cancelled. Davies then took the Doctor Who spin-off to Fox in the US to develop a pilot, but this never materialised.

The new season will have a more international flavour, with Starz coproducing it with BBC Wales and BBC Worldwide Productions (BBCWW), the latter of which is headed by former BBC fiction chief Jane Tranter.

Stars John Barrowman and Eve Myles return to their roles, joining new cast members who have yet to be named. Davies executive produces with BBCWW Productions' senior VP Julie Gardner. BBCWW keeps international distribution rights outside of the US.

"Russell, Jane and Julie came to us with a compelling vision for the evolution of the Torchwood saga that really takes the story into entirely new areas," said Carmi Zlotnik, MD of Starz Media, the group's production and development division.

Ben Stephenson, controller of BBC drama commissioning, said: "We have a long history of working with many US networks, but it is incredibly exciting to be working with Starz for the first time, as well as to be reunited with the best of British in Russell, Jane and Julie."

Torchwood will return with "a shocking and moving story with global stakes and locations that will make it feel bigger and bolder than ever," he added.