Doctor Who: 8 Story Arcs Of The Revived Series Explained

7. Torchwood

The word 'Torchwood' is now defined by Jack and Gwen's spin off shenanigans but if you've been following the Doctor's adventures since their 2005 revival you'll know that its origins date further back than the birth of the series which bares its name. The word first came to pass in the Series 1 finale during Rose Tyler's fateful appearance on The Weakest Link but it didn't gain significance until the following year when our time travelling heroes journeyed to Torchwood House in 1879. The clue was in the name, really. Their they joined forces with Queen Victoria as they fought tooth and claw against a terrifying werewolf and Her Majesty's encounter with the formidable fiend (she was so not amused...) was enough to persuade her to found an organisation dedicated to defending the British Empire against its inevitable extraterrestrial excursions - after banishing the human race's chief protector (everybody's favourite Time Lord) that is. There was logic in that plan somewhere. The institution was thereby named after the house in which the Queen's eyes - and almost her veins - had been opened to what's really out there, and thus Torchwood was born. Throughout its years in operation the Torchwood Institute has taken on various guises but it's overall purpose has ultimately remained the same. The Doctor encountered it again on present day Earth at the eye of the Battle of Canary Wharf and after that it was Captain Jack's time to shine - in the form of his very own series, no less - as his Cardiff branch became the forefront of the organisation's Earth-defending escapades. Admittedly most of these took place in South Wales but they did branch out to London in Series 3 and then even further afield for its fourth series Miracle Day, though the less said about that, the better... The 21st century was when everything changed, and Torchwood was ready. Most of the time.