To celebrate John Barrowman’s 50th birthday, we asked the lovely Catherine Tregenna a few questions about Jack Harkness, herself and her writing! Cath has written several episodes for Torchwood – namely Out of Time; Captain Jack Harkness; Meat and Adam. More recently, she also penned The Woman Who Lived for Doctor Who!
Were you a fan of Doctor Who or sci-fi before writing for Torchwood?
Not especially. I enjoy certain offbeat character driven sci-fi films such as Moon by Duncan Jones, anything that reflects the human condition really. I loved the way Russell T Davies had reinvented Doctor Who with his brilliant attention to character as well as his endless inventiveness and social commentary but it would not have occurred to me to volunteer my writing services. Luckily, it did occur to them!
What attracted you to Torchwood?
Working closely with Russell knowing he had such clarity of vision for the show. He always said sci-fi was a way to tell a bigger human epic story. Also, I liked that it was more uncertain, like a brooding enigmatic cousin to the more family orientated Doctor Who. The characters were new and we could take them in challenging directions. You could bring your own preferred genre to the story of the week.
Out of Time was a more intimate and emotional exploration of time travel. What influences contributed to its concepts and tone?
The first story Out of Time had great emotional potential despite its very simple premise – three random people leave Bristol in a small plane in 1953 and land in modern day Cardiff. It was a way to tell an epic human story without aliens, just about three lost souls and how they survived. Lots of people refer to it as ‘lovely’ which is nice but it is also dark, dealing with euthanasia and the suicide of a patriarchal man who feels he has no place in the modern world. I loved the characters, their pathos and courage. The female pilot, Diane Holmes, was influenced by the empowering wartime actresses of the 1940s as well as the actual Spitfire women who tapped into their inner adventurers. The young girl Emma was very much inspired by my mother who bravely left her small Welsh home town at 15 for London. What intrigued me was how they’d affect our regulars, mainly Gwen, Jack and Owen.
Given the cynicism of Owen Harper in previous episodes, was it a challenge to convincingly reveal his vulnerable side in Out of Time?
It was great fun. It was yelling out to be done. Here he was, the cocky Casanova and this woman ran rings round him and eventually ditched him on the runway. Burn Gorman was brilliant as was Louise Delamere and it turned into a surprising love story where attitudes to chivalry and sex could be explored. Diane was a modern woman through and through.
When writing Captain Jack Harkness and Adam, were you given any guidelines or constraints regarding what you could reveal or explore about Jack’s character?
No, it was up for grabs. And the fascinating thing about Captain Jack Harkness is that you end up knowing less about him by the end. You just know he stole someone else’s name. Again, this was a chance to show two men kissing passionately in a context where that could never happen – in a dance hall in 1942, and I’m really proud of that scene. As for Adam, I wanted Jack’s tragedy to be personal. He’d seen and conquered terrifying aliens so what could be his human Achilles heel? Then it came to me that he failed to save his brother when under attack, he let go of his hand and has never forgiven himself. The memory he craved was his family alive and happy before tragedy struck. It had to be something very tempting for him to be strong enough to resist.
How did writing for Doctor Who compare to writing for Torchwood?
I was a lot more nervous as I do think it’s a difficult genre appealing to all ages BUT it could not have been a more delightful process. Steven Moffat was hugely helpful and supportive and of course we had his genius at our disposal throughout the process. The subject was right up my street, a woman who has lived for 500 years but has a normal size memory. There was a lot to explore there.
To varying degrees, the characters of Lady Me/Ashildr and Jack Harkness seem to parallel the Doctor. What, if anything, do you feel the Doctor learned about himself from these two characters?
In my episode he says that people like him ‘go on too long’ and can sometimes lose sight of the gift of life, precisely because it is fleeting. I think it’s why he needs a companion, a spokesperson from the human race to remind him to be compassionate and have a conscience.
Which character from Torchwood or Doctor Who was your favourite to write and why?
Apart from the amazing Diane Holmes (pilot in Out of Time), I had a lot of fun with Rhys played by Kai Owen. I loved the posturing between him and Jack and his very real response to finding out about Torchwood. And his relationship with Gwen was a touchstone to reality with a lot of comedic potential and heart.
Would you be open to writing for Doctor Who again?
If the story was something I feel I could run with and mine for all its emotional worth, yes!
Would you recommend any Torchwood episodes to the society?
Everything Changes is a classic. It’s the opener and it is witty, assured and dynamic. There is a beautiful episode in my opinion called Adrift by Chris Chibnall which I remember to be really moving. My personal favourite of mine is probably Out of Time although Adam comes a close second. I had always wanted to explore memory after reading a quote by DM Thomas after his wife died. Asked if he missed her, he replied, ‘I miss what she knew of me’. That’s why Rhys questions whether Gwen would or could fall for him again after losing her memories of their relationship.
Finally, are you working on any Torchwood- or Who-related projects now or soon?
I am not as stands. I am developing my own show about a particularly interesting and disturbing time in American History but that’s probably all I’m allowed to say. But my memories of writing on both shows are some of the high-lights of my career – you never know what you can do unless you try!
Our thanks to Cath for taking the time to answer our questions!