The logo for 'Torchwood: The Fence'
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Torchwood: The Fence was a 2011 mini-series published on Doctor Who Online and written by Jockie. The series featured the return of numerous characters from the popular Doctor Who spin-off, Torchwood, including Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) and Rhys Williams (Kai Owen). It was published in 5 episodes between 23rd September and 2nd October 2011.
The plot revolved around Britain being imprisoned within gigantic prison-like walls, nicknamed 'The Fence'. The series revolved around a brand new Torchwood team investigating 'The Fence' and its origins. Alongside the regulars of Jack, Gwen and Rhys, the team employed Bryce Owen (Joseph Morgan), Domitila (Penelope Cruz) and Jenny Cratchett (Rita Simons).
Pre-Production[]
The series was first announced on 10th August 2011 on DWO. After its initial announcement, creator Jockie said of the series, 'we're going to see how cruel the human race can be when backed into a corner'. The first promotional image for the series was released shortly after, with the tagline, 'One Nation, One Threat, One Hope'.
The initial promotional image also confirmed the principal casting, confirming the return of John Barrowman, Eve Myles and Kai Owen as lead roles Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper and Rhys Williams respectively. In addition, Bill Nighy, Penelope Cruz, Joseph Morgan, Annette Badland and Rita Simons were confirmed to appear, though their roles in the series were not disclosed. Character names were confirmed later that evening, with Badland and Nighy playing Ruth Herridge and Henry Cratchett respectively. No further details about their characters were given.
The first official poster for 'The Fence'
On 11th August 2011, the title of the first episode was confirmed as 'The Lies of Mr. Cratchett' and the series was scheduled for an autumn/winter publication. On 13th August, the second episode's title was announced as 'The Faithful'. On 14th August 2011, the first official poster confirming the new team was released, officially stating Cruz, Morgan and Simons' roles as the new members of Torchwood.
On 15th August 2011, the first official poster of Bill Nighy as Henry Cratchett was released, along with an image of the Faitthful, depicted as red, skeletal-like creatures. The first official trailer for the series was released on 16th August 2011, which also confirmed some additional cast members, such as Nicholas Briggs, Ralph Fiennes and Kari Molder. On 26th August 2011, it was also announced that Sharon Morgan and Tom Price would be reprising their roles as Mary Cooper and Sgt. Andy Davidson respectively. On the same day, the title of the third episode was confirmed as 'The Cleansing'.
An official synopsis was released for 'The Lies of Mr. Cratchett' on 27th August 2011, along with the official cast list for the episode. Along with the previously announced cast members, the episode would also star William Roache, Joanna Page, Simon Callow, Simon Gregson and Danny Trejo. An official poster on 29th August also confirmed the titles of the remaining two episodes in the series as 'The Day That Britain Burned' and 'Children of War'.
The same poster also confirmed the publication dates for the series, showing it would be published every two days between 23rd September 2011 and 1st October 2011. Ultimately, scheduling difficulties led to the final episode being published on 2nd October 2011.
The first prequel for the series was published on 2nd September 2011 and starred Kai Owen as Rhys Williams and Joanna Page as Cerys Harvey, revealing her to be Rhys' fiancee. The second prequel was released the following week on 9th September, featuring Bill Nighy and William Roache. On 11th September 2011, the second official trailer for the series was released, before the final prequel was published on 16th September 2011, which saw John Barrowman and Eve Myles reprise their roles as Jack and Gwen for the first time.
A promotional campaign subsequently followed in the build-up to the first episode, with teasers, character posters and script extracts being posted.
List of 'The Fence' episodes[]
| No | Title | Writer | Synopsis | DWO publication date | AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "The Lies of Mr. Cratchett" | Jockie | With their government against them, their country against them and their lives in danger, is the Fence too much for Torchwood to topple? | 23 September 2011 | 96.1 |
| 02 | "The Faithful" | Jockie | Prime Minister Henry Cratchett has called for his most loyal followers, the Faithful, to return to London in order to seek out the fugitives known as Torchwood. | 25 September 2011 | 98.9 |
| 03 | "The Cleansing" | Jockie | Bryce and a distraught Gwen return to Cardiff, whilst the rest of the team infiltrate the London Cleansing Facility, but nothing can prepare them for the horrors they find inside. | 27 September 2011 | 97 |
| 04 | "The Day That Britain Burned" | Jockie | As the team reels from the devastating events of the night before, Domitila is forced to rescue Jack from the brink of destruction. | 29 September 2011 | 95.2 |
| 05 | "Children of War" | Jockie | Gwen Cooper faces the most heartbreaking choice of her life - and the decision she makes will have severe implications for the future of Britain and indeed, the world. | 2 October 2011 | 98.8 |