Steven Moffat isn’t taking things lying down.  Over the past few days, ‘Torchwood’ star John Barrowman has caused quite a stir when addressing the reason why the ‘Doctor Who’ spinoff series ‘Torchwood’ hasn’t returned after being dormant for five years.

Though not naming names, in an interview with Radio Times, Barrowman expressed:

“I find it really a little disheartening that a company like the BBC can’t just say… Put your egos aside, we’re gonna go forward with this.  I travel all over the world and I see the popularity of ‘Torchwood.  But when it comes down that it’s not being done because of people’s egos, I find that really difficult.”

In a separate appearance, he was recorded saying basically the same thing:

In the video clip, it certainly sounds as if Barrowman is hinting that someone departing and someone “nicer” taking over could increase the chances of ‘Torchwood’ returning.

Moffat– who created Barrowman’s character Captain Jack Harkness– announced in January that he was departing ‘Doctor Who’ for which he has served as showrunner since the departure of Russell T. Davies in 2008.  Taking his place is Chris Chibnall, the co-producer of the first two seasons of ‘Torchwood’.  Depending on how you look at this move, it could be good or bad for ‘Torchwood’.  Chibnall wrote the Season Two episode ‘Exit Wounds’ in which Tosh and Owen were killed off.  He wasn’t involved in the poorly-received ‘Miracle Day’ season and like most viewers, was not pleased with it.  He may seek to bring back ‘Torchwood’ in an effort to redeem it.  Then again, he might just kill everyone off, so there’s that possibility too.

Moffat issued a statement to Doctor Who News to refute Barrowman’s accusations saying:

“You may be aware that John Barrowman has been saying, publicly, that I’ve been blocking a new series of Torchwood. To be very clear – I haven’t blocked it; I wouldn’t block it; I wouldn’t even be ABLE to block it. I didn’t even know a revival had been mooted till I read about it on the Internet. As John perfectly well knows, it’s not my show and I could no more prevent it happening that he could cancel Sherlock. I am bewildered, and a little cross, even to be included in this conversation. For the record, I really liked the show (especially the third series) and would be very happy to see more – monsters and mayhem, why not? But the fact is, it has nothing to do with me. Please pass this on to the anxious and the angry – I’ve had enough hate mail now.”

So there you have it.  Moffat is not blocking the return of ‘Torchwood’.  But if he doesn’t have the power to block it, presumably that means that Chibnall doesn’t have the power to make it happen either.  And BBC would probably wait and see how his first season of ‘Doctor Who’ goes before greenlighting any new tie-in projects.  For now, a different ‘Who’ spinoff ‘Class’ is due to launch this fall.

Are you still holding out hope for a ‘Torchwood’ revival?  How would you like to see it handled going forward?

Source: Doctor Who News via Radio Times