Series 3 (Torchwood)

The third series of Torchwood aired on BBC One in July 2009. It consisted of a single, five-episode story arc entitled Torchwood: Children of Earth, broadcast over five consecutive nights from 6 July to 10 July 2009. The series had a new producer, Peter Bennett, and was directed by Euros Lyn, who had considerable experience on the revived Doctor Who.

The first and final episodes were written by Russell T Davies, who also wrote the story arc. The third episode was co-written by Davies and James Moran whilst the second and fourth were by newcomer John Fay, though, according to Moran's blog, all three writers had input into the storyline.

Freema Agyeman and Noel Clarke were originally scheduled to appear as Martha Jones and Mickey Smith, Agyeman appearing throughout the story arc and Clarke in the final two episodes. When Agyeman was signed to co-star in, her appearance was whittled down to a one-scene cameo, which was ultimately cut when she became completely unavailable. Clarke was forced to pull out at a later stage due to film commitments. (REF: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter)

Also, Nicholas Briggs, who has written and acted in many licensed-by-BBC and unlicensed Doctor Who franchise spin-offs since the 1980s, and who is the revived Doctor Who series' resident alien voice-over artist, makes his first on-screen appearance in a televised Who-franchise production.

Production on this series began in August 2008.

In 2010 the Television Critics Association nominated the series for Best TV Movie, Miniseries and Special. This series starred John Barrowman as Jack Harkness, Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper, Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto Jones (in the first four episodes of the season) and Kai Owen as Rhys Williams.

Recurring

 * Captain Jack Harkness - John Barrowman
 * Gwen Cooper - Eve Myles
 * Ianto Jones - Gareth David-Lloyd
 * Rhys Williams - Kai Owen
 * Lois Habiba - Cush Jumbo
 * John Frobisher - Peter Capaldi
 * Clem McDonald - Paul Copley
 * Johnson - Liz May Brice
 * Rhiannon Davies - Katy Wix
 * Alice Carter - Lucy Cohu
 * Mr Dekker - Ian Gelder
 * Prime Minister Green - Nicholas Farrell
 * Bridget Spears - Susan Brown
 * Steven Carter - Bear McCausland
 * Johnny Davies - Rhodri Lewis
 * Andy Davidson - Tom Price
 * Voice of the The 456 - Simon Poland
 * Dr Rupesh Patanjali - Rik Makarem
 * Denise Riley - Deborah Findlay

Guest

 * Rick Yates - Nicholas Briggs

Aliens and enemies

 * The 456 ambassador
 * John Frobisher
 * Brian Green
 * Johnson
 * Rupesh Patanjali
 * Hitchhiker

Digital availability
Series 3 of Torchwood is available for purchase and/or as part of a subscription on:
 * iTunes in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK and US,
 * Amazon Video in Austria, Germany, the UK and US,
 * Netflix in 70 countries, which do not include Austria, Canada, France, Germany or the UK.

Radio

 * Asylum
 * Golden Age
 * The Dead Line