Interveiw With Eve Myles

Who’s new in time travelling?

Doctor Who? Well, no, but there is a new time traveller in town and he’s got a fresh-faced heroine by his side. Actually, he’s got a small gang to back him up, too.

What on earth are they doing? Or should that be, what are they doing on Earth?

Answer: Tackling crime, alien and other, with a bucketload of futuristic gadgets to help them out and keep us entertained.

Say hello to the boys and girls of TV’s Torchwood, headed up by Captain Jack Harkness (actor John Barrowman) and the plucky PC Gwen Cooper, the raven haired Eve Myles.

And if you’re any sort of a puzzle buff, play around with that name Torchwood and . . . hey presto, Doctor Who appears.

Torchwood is one of a bright new breed of British TV shows, "a kind of humorous, yet dark, sexy thriller" is how Myles describes it, made for adults, not children, so expect some strong language and some sexual content on the side. More of that later.

Myles has had to step into big shoes. They are original shoes given that Torchwood is a new program but they are also time-honoured footwear because she is a time agent’s assistant and as fans of Doctor Who will know, his earthly helper has always carried half the show, the half viewers most relate to.

Russell T. Davies, the Welsh chap hailed as something of a creative genius for breathing new life into the original iconic sci-fi series starring David Tennant has apparently done it again, scoring a smash hit with this spin-off that airs for the first time in Australia tonight.

Myles is a fresh-faced Welsh beauty with a raw honesty that charms the camera. Her character, Gwen, is no carbon copy of Rose, (Billie Piper) Doctor Who’s sidekick for the past two seasons.

No one feels that more strongly than the 29-year-old Myles, for whom Davies wrote the part after she had a small role in the first season of Dr Who with Christopher Eccleston. Davies called the young thespian, who has worked predominantly on Welsh TV and on stage "Wales’ best kept secret". Not any more.

"It was inevitable that I would be compared with Billie in the character of Rose," said Myles in her disarming lilting accent "Well, they are similar characters in that they are both ordinary girls who fall into something extraordinary but I think from there on, they are completely different.

"For me, to have a character written for you in any circumstances is such a huge compliment.

"It’s incredibly overwhelming. But one written by Russell T. Davies . . . it’s just something I’ll always hold dear to me."

Myles confesses she had no idea of how big a deal Doctor Who was and she certainly had no clue that Torchwood would do the same for her as the mothership program did for Piper. That is, transform both actresses into UK household names.

"Never did I think that it was going to be the success that it is," she said from the massive new purpose-built Welsh studio that houses the sets of both sci-fi programs (located almost 5km from the birthplace of Tom Jones, no less).

"I never expected the show would be bought all over the world."

In fact, Torchwood has sold to 15 countries including the US, Canada, Spain, Italy and New Zealand. Ratings in the UK on a repeat outing of the first series peaked at three million, exceeding expectations.

Now back to the relationship between Gwen and Captain Jack. Fans will remember that Dr Who’s Tennant undoubtedly gave Rose the glad eye more than once and that frisson seems set to continue with Who’s new girl Freema Agyeman, who can be seen when series three starts on the ABC on June 30.

Early on in series one of Torchwood ( the cast are now six weeks into series two) it is apparent that there are more than UFOs flying around Jack and Gwen. There is big time URST (unresolved sexual tension).

Myles has a ready, gutsy laugh as she’s encouraged to offer a sexual spoiler.

"Well, there’s a palpable love there," she said.

"I think it’s not so much physical sex in the first series because there’s other characters in there that we have affairs with . . . yes, naughty Gwen, but I think it’s the extremity of her job with all the tensions of work and not being able to share her world with anybody.

"But with Jack and Gwen, it’s the real thing and they’re going to make you wait for that.

" Which Who knows isn’t so bad given the two have until eternity.

HELEN CROMPTON Torchwood, Mondays, Ten, 9.40pm

This interveiw was done on 18th June 2007

sources: thewest.com