Torchwood had a little more to offer in terms of substance and story-telling last night, offering a tale of ghosts and murder in a more X-Files-stylee. It was a fine performance of torment from Gareth Thomas (best known – to me at least – for his role in Blake’s 7 as Roj Blake) – who most recently appeared alongside the Doctor in the Big Finish production Storm Warning – with Paul McGann as the 8th Doctor. The rest of the cast had there moments, with a focus on Gwen and Owen – but Jack still doesn’t have a stable enough character to make it really work, and Ianto doesn’t really exist just yet. I know he’s due an episode of his own later in the season, but neight he nor Toshiko work just yet. The characters come across as something less than stereotypes… I don’t even think we’ve quite established them enough for even that yet.

The episode leaves a dangling plot thread in the form of an evacuee from the Blitz, which built up the basis of the storyline without actually going anywhere – and it makes me wonder whether this will for some season arc. Who knows. As of now, my opinion of the series still hangs in the balance – as no single episode has really worked for me so far in terms of balance, characterisation and story.

Why not visit Torchwood House, next time you’re taking a trip through the Highlands!

A double bill of Torchwood on BBC Three this evening, and every sign that Russell T might have pitched this series a little too… darkly. Cardiff comes under threat from an alien entity that feeds off the high of sexual climax. Torchwood accidentally release the alien from fallen space debris and the amorphous alien sets out on a murderous rampage of orgasms.

Now, Torchwood was never billed for kids… Russell T made it pretty clear that the series was for adults. Heck, the BBC have chosen a standard timeslot of 10pm on a Sunday night… firmly within the confines of the watershed set up as a fair guide to parents that programming herein could contain material of a violent or explicit nature.

But… Doctor Who spread Torchwood throughout the whole of the last series. Kids will have seen the adverts… they will be raving about it… and parents will no doubt let them stay up without a second thought. I have to say that isn’t clever and inspired parenting… but, I can’t do anything about that. The BBC will get complaints. People will complain that about the sex, the shagging in the toilets. People will make out like the BBC are to blame. Perhaps, just perhaps, Russell T shouldn’t have made such an effort to get people interested in Torchwood. Or at least set this episode later in the series when the tone could have been more formally established.

Does Terry Wogan still do Points of View?