Top Five Writers: Torchwood

Unlike Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures, Torchwood never had much of a collection of regularly-used writers.  There are a couple who wrote a decent chunk of episodes (Chris Chibnall in the first two seasons, Russell T. Davies and Jane Espenson in the latter two,) a smattering who wrote a few here and there, and a number who only penned a single story.  As such, some of these picks are incredibly episode-specific.

Catherine Tregenna – Probably my favorite Torchwood writer of the lot, and she made a wonderful showing on Who last season with “The Woman Who Lived.”  Tregenna has a really nice feel for the characters and a talent for packing a good emotional punch.  She’s also come up with some pretty creative time-based plots.

Best episode:  “Captain Jack Harkness”

Helen Raynor – Another writer who went on to Who (the Dalek two-parter from series 3 and the Sontaran two-parter from series 4.)  Raynor wrote two Torchwood stories, “Ghost Machine” and “To the Last Man.”  Like Tregenna, she’s great at plugging into the emotional core of a story and coming up with interesting plots; her stories are notable for showing the characters fighting the caprices of the Rift more so than alien invaders, or even humans using found alien tech for their own benefit.

Best episode:  “To the Last Man”

James Moran – First Torchwood, then Who (he wrote the amazing “The Fires of Pompeii.”)  With “Sleeper” and “Children of Earth:  Day Three,” the latter of which is probably my favorite from that storyline, Moran handles the characters with a skillful hand and is good at examining how all this Rift/alien madness affects the everyday people with whom Torchwood comes into contact.

Best episode:  “Sleeper”

Toby Whithouse – I’m a big fan of Whithouse’s work on Who, and while I wouldn’t rank “Greeks Bearing Gifts” among his best, it would definitely be in my Top Five episodes for series 1.  An interesting story, a compelling villain, and a great vehicle for Tosh – all good things in my book.

Best episode:  “Greeks Bearing Gifts”

Joseph Lidster – The only non-Who writer on the list, although Lidster also wrote some excellent stories for The Sarah Jane Adventures.  “A Day in the Death” does a really good job with Owen’s mid-season-2 arc, particularly after the preceding episode, “Dead Man Walking,” was a bit of a mess.  It offers a fine narrative throughline, some really strong material for Owen, and a thoughtful contemplation of how his situation is affecting him.

Best episode:  “A Day in the Death”