Fictional secret organization in the Doctor Who and Torchwood universe
This article is about the organisation within the Doctor Who universe. For the spin-off programme, see Torchwood.
Torchwood
Torchwood logo, composed of hexagons arranged in the shape of the letter T. Other colored versions occur – for example, a red version appears in the intertitle for Torchwood, and a blue version appears on the show's microsite.
Universe
Whoniverse
In-universe information
Type
Intelligence agency
Founded
Scotland, 1879 by Queen Victoria
Defunct
2009
Location
Various
Torchwood One: London, England
Torchwood Two: Glasgow, Scotland[1]
Torchwood Three: Cardiff, Wales
Torchwood Four: "Missing",[1]
Torchwood India: Delhi, India
Key people
Queen Victoria Yvonne Hartman[2] Captain Jack Harkness Ianto Jones Gwen Cooper Pete Tyler Dr Owen Harper Toshiko Sato
Purpose
Extraterrestrial research Protecting Britain Developing new technologies Arming humanity for the future
Technologies
Dimensional transporter Particle gun Large energy weapon Weight negation clamps Huon particles And more...
Powers
Torchwood is a vastly powerful organisation, as such it possesses:
Wealth to build skyscraper and underground complex as headquarters
Influence beyond Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and UN
Staff given "psychic training", described as "basic mental training, level 1" which includes "psi shielding" as a defense from[3] as well as utilization of telepathy[4][5]
Vast array of alien technology and weaponry
The Torchwood Institute, or simply Torchwood, is a fictional secret organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torchwood. It was established in 1879 by Queen Victoria after the events of "Tooth and Claw". Its prime directive is to defend Earth against supernatural and extraterrestrial threats. It is later revealed in "Army of Ghosts" that the Torchwood Institute has begun to use their findings to restore the British Empire to its former glory. To those ends, the organisation started to acquire and reverse engineer alien technology. Within Torchwood, an unofficial slogan evolved: "If it's alien, it's ours". According to one base director, Yvonne Hartman, its nationalist attitude includes refusing to use metric units.[2]
While described as "beyond the UN",[1] the Torchwood Institute is seen to cooperate with UNIT to some extent.[6] There appears to have been some rapport with the Prime Minister,[6] although it is noted by Harriet Jones in "The Christmas Invasion" that she is not meant to know the existence of Torchwood.[7] Those who have come into contact with Torchwood primarily believe it to be a special forces team.[1][8] Torchwood maintains this illusion by using false witnesses,[9] or by sectioning any journalists who threaten to expose the truth,[10] and via the use of memory-altering drugs.[1] Following a major incident which led to the destruction of Torchwood One,[11] Jack Harkness rebuilds Torchwood to become less confrontational and more secretive in honour of the Doctor.[12]
^ abcdeRussell T Davies, Brian Kelly (22 August 2006). "Everything Changes". Torchwood. BBC Three.
^ abRussell T Davies, Graeme Harper (7 August 2006). "Army of Ghosts". Doctor Who. BBC.
^"Safe handling of alien objects". Torchwood Institute External Hub Interface. Archived from the original (JPG) on 11 January 2007. Retrieved 24 December 2006.
^"Pamela's Brain (pamphlet)" (PNG). Torchwood Institute External Hub Interface. Retrieved 24 December 2006.
^"Instant messenger transcript". Torchwood Institute External Hub Interface. Archived from the original on 8 February 2007. Retrieved 24 December 2006.
^ abRussell T Davies, Toby Whithouse, Colin Teague (26 November 2006). "Greeks Bearing Gifts". Torchwood. BBC Three.
^Cite error: The named reference ChristmasInvasion was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Russell T Davies, Brian Kelly (22 August 2006). "Day One". Torchwood. BBC Three.
^"False witness list". Torchwood External Hub Interface. BBC. Archived from the original on 30 June 2007.
^TARDISODE 12 – Army of Ghosts (RealMedia). BBC. [dead link]
^Russell T Davies, Graeme Harper (8 July 2006). "Doomsday". Doctor Who. BBC.
^Russell T Davies, Colin Teague (23 July 2007). "The Sound of Drums". Doctor Who. BBC.
and 20 Related for: Torchwood Institute information
The TorchwoodInstitute, or simply Torchwood, is a fictional secret organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its...
corruptibility. Torchwood follows the exploits of a small team of alien-hunters who make up the Cardiff-based, fictional TorchwoodInstitute, which deals...
list of characters from the British science fiction television programme Torchwood, created by Russell T Davies. This list includes main characters, recurring...
character played by John Barrowman in Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. The character first appears in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Empty...
she is the regular character with the longest history with the TorchwoodInstitute, having been recruited three years prior to the series. Her characterisation...
Gwen is a South Wales Police officer who discovers the mysterious TorchwoodInstitute, into which she is recruited by Jack Harkness (John Barrowman). Gwen...
in episodes of Doctor Who and is central to Torchwood, which concerns a branch of the TorchwoodInstitute created to monitor activity around the Rift...
following a spherical ship through an interdimensional breach. The TorchwoodInstitute intends to open this breach further for use as an energy source....
millions of pure Daleks, at Canary Wharf due to the actions of the TorchwoodInstitute and Cybermen from a parallel world. This resulted in a Cyberman-Dalek...
Mellor appeared in the Doctor Who episode "Army of Ghosts" in 2006 as TorchwoodInstitute employee Matt in the penultimate episode featuring Billie Piper....
Doctor Who universe creatures and aliens List of Doctor Who robots List of Torchwood characters List of The Sarah Jane Adventures minor characters Banfield-Nwachi...
in "Tooth and Claw", resulting in the creation of the anti-alien TorchwoodInstitute. In "School Reunion", the Doctor shares an adventure with two former...
banishes them as potential threats to the Empire whilst setting up the TorchwoodInstitute, which aims to track alien activity on Earth, including the Doctor's...
the famous Old Earth TorchwoodInstitute, "Torchwood" being an anagram of "Doctor Who". In 2006, a spin-off series titled Torchwood began, set in modern-day...
character played by Burn Gorman, and a regular in the BBC television series Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. The character last...
by the Doctor (now played by David Tennant), Harriet orders the covert Torchwood organisation to destroy the retreating Sycorax ship, arguing that there...
Ianto Jones is a fictional character in the BBC television programme Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who, played by Welsh actor...
land area in Fallout (video game) The Hub, headquarters of TorchwoodInstitute in the Torchwood television series The Hub, name of the fictional cafe from...
long-running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, and spin-offs:Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Class, K-9 and K-9 and Company. This list...
movements. Tenet Movie TorchwoodInstitute A secret organization set up by Queen Victoria in 1879 to combat alien threat Doctor Who Torchwood TV UNIT Unified...
Global Information