In honour of this being Torchwood Week here at TV Today, to get the ball rolling I thought I’d take a quick look at the nicely executed Torchwood website - the beginning of the Children of Earth experience for viewers ahead of next Monday’s launch.
What I like about the Torchwood website is its lack of fuss - it’s very much a what you see is what you get affair that has the latest BBC1 trailer front and centre for your viewing pleasure (a second trailer having gone live today). There are no fancy flash animations here, just a clearly designed site that doesn’t overload the senses
From here, you can then click through to separate sections covering Characters, Behind the Scenes, Gallery and a section on the previous series for new fans to catch up with the adventures of Capt Jack and co.
What you get from the website is a fairly comprehensive feel for the look and tone of Children and Earth, the key characters, and extensive behind the scenes material that will be released day by day throughout the week of broadcast. Access to these clips is currently denied, and will become available at 10pm after the broadcast of each new episode. It’s a nice touch that creates a sense of viewer loyalty and encourages return visits to the website.
The BBC is putting increasing emphasis on the role of a programme’s web presence. Going right back to Doctor Who’s 2005 rebirth, this family of shows has been at the forefront of the Beeb’s plans to create more synergy between web and audience. Experiments with Tardisodes (60 second exclusive teaser scenes for the next episode downloaded to your phone), highly playable on-line games, and the rather addictive Trailer Maker.
In Doctor Who’s case especially, considering the younger skewing audience, the show’s website is an important tool for enhancing the viewing experience (and for older fans who might think a game where K9 chases Autons is good for work avoidance… ahem).
The Torchwood site is a nicely polished portal for a sci-fi drama that certainly, on the surface, looks like it’s going to deliver the goods. Keep popping by for updates as Children of Earth proceeds throughout next week. And if you look in the Gallery section, there’s a fantastic action wallpaper of Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper that might just be my new favourite thing…
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