David Tennant joins John Barrowman for Torchwood audio adventure

For the first time ever, David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor will be crossing over from Doctor Who to Torchwood. But why did it take so long?

Did you enjoy the Doctor Who New Year’s Day special? We certainly did. The episode was packed with great moments: not only did we get to see a brand new army of Daleks, but we finally saw the Doctor reunited with Captain Jack Harkness! While he appeared in last year’s major episode “Fugitive of the Judoon,” we didn’t get to see him meet Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor, so this was long overdue.

However, on the same day this special was broadcast, we learned of another meeting between Captain Jack and the Doctor, but not the current Doctor. Instead, for the first time ever, David Tennant’s iconic Tenth Doctor will be crossing over into Torchwood, the Doctor Who spinoff show where Captain Jack was a main character, in the upcoming audio release Torchwood: Absent Friends.

This is a major first. While Torchwood as an organization has appeared in Doctor Who several times — most notably in 2008, when the whole team (at the time) appeared in the season 4 finale — the Doctor has never appeared in the spin-off itself, even in audio form, so this is a huge step.

Why this didn’t happen sooner

This leads to an obvious question: why didn’t Ten appear on Torchwood back when it was on television? Well, at the time, showrunner Russell T Davies was very keen on keeping Doctor Who family-friendly, while he wanted Torchwood to be darker and more mature. The two weren’t meant to mix.

It’s easy to see why, too — while a character like Captain Jack suits a more “adult” sci-fi show perfectly, the Doctor has often been a major hero to millions of children, at least in the UK. This is why the Doctor didn’t appear in Torchwood during the time it was on the air, but he did appear in Russell T Davies’s other Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures, a show that was much more focused on a younger audience.

So why now?

For one thing, Absent Friends will be Big Finish’s 50th Torchwood story (excluding specials) since the audio rage began back in 2015. 2021 also marks the 15th anniversary of Torchwood’s creation, and a story featuring the Tenth Doctor is a great way to mark the occasion.

But there’s also the fact that, after 15 years, children who watched David Tennant’s era on television will likely be in their early twenties or later. Some of them would also have gone back and watched Torchwood during that time, too.

So the Doctor finally appearing in a Torchwood story now makes perfect sense, especially with Tennant’s Doctor. Absent Friends will have that clear late-00s nostalgia for many, especially since Torchwood star Gareth David-Lloyd (Ianto Jones ) is also a part of it. But it’ll also be a story for those that grew up with this Doctor, in a very literal way.

Torchwood: Absent Friends comes out in May. Are you excited to listen to the Tenth Doctor entering the world of Torchwood? Do you think this should have happened sooner, or is it the right time for this audio?

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