John Barrowman Talks Torchwood: Children of Earth

It’s once more into the breach, as John Barrowman slips into his great coat and takes off after another alien threat in Torchwood: Children of Earth. It’s technically the third season, but this time around it’s merely a five-part mini. Still, John’s excited about bringing Captain Jack back to TV in another thrilling adventure.

Q: How is Torchwood: Children of Earth different from the previous seasons?

Barrowman: This storyline is one of the darker Torchwood storylines. Every time you turn a corner you don’t know what’s going to happen. And when you watch episode one you’re going to want to see two, and when you’ve seen two you’ll want to see three. You’re just going to want more and more and more. The new threat faced by the team takes on a sinister theme, using the children of Earth as a conduit. And anything that involves children doing stuff they are not supposed to be doing is creepy!

Q: Jack, Gwen and Ianto have had to deal with so much these past two years. Where do they go from here?

Barrowman: The characters have evolved in ways because we’re learning new things about them. It makes it really interesting for us to play as actors and for the audience every episode will bring a new revelation. If you like relationships then you’re going to see the difference in Jack and Ianto’s relationship and Gwen and Rhys’ – but you’re also going to see the similarities.

Q: Any spoilers you’d like to clue us in on?

Barrowman: One of the team is hiding a secret that will be a revelation to a lot of people – not only to the viewers watching but to the team itself. It will be very uncomfortable for the characters. And people watching it will question why they did it. Will they be able to understand why they did it?

I let my parents watch episode one and two with me. I watched their reaction. Normally they would get up during a show and have a drink or go to the bathroom. But they didn’t move. My mom and dad – who are my biggest critics – were glued to the screen. We finished watching it and the following morning my dad turned to me and said “When are we watching three?” If they don’t like something I do then they will say it. They absolutely loved this.

Torchwood: Children of Earth premieres on Monday, July 20, 9:00 – 10:15 p.m. ET/PT. A new episode premieres each night from Monday, July 20 through Friday, July 24, 9:00 – 10:15 p.m. ET/PT. The previous night’s episode will encore at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Photo: Newscom