Torchwood and Doctor Who Time Line – When to Watch What Episodes
So this isn’t a chronology timeline, but more of a viewing guide on when to watch the TV episodes as they tie together with Torchwood. This is the order I believed they originally aired the episodes and watching them in that order works well.
- Doctor Who S1 Rose
- Doctor Who Christmas Special 2005 Rose
- Doctor Who S2 Rose
- Doctor Who Christmas Special 2006 Donna
- Torchwood S1
- Doctor Who S3 Martha
- “Time Crash” – a mini-episode (only a few minutes) from a children’s fund raiser (BBC’s Children In Need) starring David Tennant and Peter Davidson The Doctor
- Doctor Who Christmas Special 2007 Astrid
- Torchwood S2
- Doctor Who S4 Donna
- Doctor Who Christmas Special 2008 The Doctor
- Doctor Who Easter Special 2009 Christina
- Torchwood Radio Plays (July 2009)
- Torchwood Season 3 (Children of Earth)
- Doctor Who November Special 2010: Waters of Mars
- Doctor Who December 2-part Special 2010: The End of Time
If you read on, I’ll be giving you some spoilers, but I can’t really talk about continuity without talking about it. If you watch them in the above order you don’t need to read on.
I only mentioned the radio plays since they were just released and definitely take place after season two. I’ve listened to the first two and so far it doesn’t seem significant that they need to take place before they should be listened to before the Children of Earth mini-series (no plot ramifications, but they chronologically take place before the 3rd series).
The Sarah Jane Adventures can be watched any time but after her guest appearance in season 2 of Doctor Who would be best (especially if you don’t know who she is) and as long as you’ve started them before the before the end of season four of Doctor Who.
Torchwood Season 1 could be watched any time after the first Doctor Who Christmas episode (but before the end of Season 3 of DW). I don’t think the other Doctor Who specials (or 2009 DW specials) make any difference to watching Torchwood, at least they haven’t yet; but you do want to watch them in order just for continuity of Doctor Who. There are lots of Torchwood references in DW season 2 that might be better if you see them all before watching Torchwood, but I don’t think these tie directly to Torchwood Cardiff (many were just more hints to get you into the new series). Later on, other guest appearances make more sense if you catch them in order, but you’ll probably figure them out, Martha makes appearances on TW and Jack is on DW three different seasons (1, 3, 4) for multiple episodes all at the end of the season. I’m sure someone will disagree with me on some of the significance of some of the references, but I’ll defer back to the original broadcast order listed above.
I think I originally watched parts of Doctor Who season two and caught up on DW season one and saw many episodes out of order and the different actors were distracting, but then I got it all when I finally caught the end of season one and the first Christmas special. This causes me to mix up Christopher Echelson and David Tennant when I think back about past episodes. Also, I think I was watching Torchwood before I watched most of season two of Doctor Who so some of the references came after the fact.
By the time I watched Torchwood, I knew it was the same actor for Jack, but didn’t remember they were using the same character for him. I didn’t even realize it was SciFi at first, the Torchwood pilot seemed more mystical (think of they way the glove worked) until they explained it. Then I realized it was the same guy.
Update: These aren’t all relevant for Torchwood, but it rounds out the David Tennant part of the series (although for that I should add the cartoons and Srah Jane’s Wedding).
Also see these (similar) items:
After watching Torchwood S3, yes, you DO need to listen to the radio plays first. Listening to them afterward, you’ll recognize that they’re out of place.
That’s true. I’m modifying the original post to reflect that detail.
Thank you!
Gary
Been looking for a viewing list for awhile now, keep running into chronological ones and running into spoilers. Thanks for the list!
Ah thanks so much for this! I’m just starting to watch both of these series so I def needed this!
I have a question.. Is it really necessary to watch The Sarah Jane Adventures? Does it incorporate any of the events of Doctor Who into the plot line like Torchwood did? Because if not than I’d rather not be bothered with it.
It’s not necessary at all. Not really incorporated the same way as Torchwood. And while Torchwood refers to The Doctor (often), Doctor Who doesn’t really reference (Jack’s) Torchwood at all.
EXCEPT you might want to catch the 2 part wedding episode, “The Wedding of Sarah Jane”, where David Tennant plays The Doctor (mostly in the part 2 of the story).
Gotcha, thank you Gary
!
Doctor Who / Torchwood intertwined chronologically (Starting 2005)
1. Doctor Who S01E1 – Rose
2. Doctor Who S01E2 – The End of the World
3. Doctor Who S01E3 – The Unquiet Dead
4. Doctor Who S01E4 – Aliens of London
5. Doctor Who S01E5 – World War Three
6. Doctor Who S01E6 – Dalek
7. Doctor Who S01E7 – The Long Game
8. Doctor Who S01E8 – Father’s Day
9. Doctor Who S01E9 – The Empty Child
10. Doctor Who S01E10 – The Doctor Dances
11. Doctor Who S01E11 – Boom Town
12. Doctor Who S01E12 – Bad Wolf
13. Doctor Who S01E13 – Parting the Ways
14. Doctor Who S01E14 – The Christmas Invasion
15. Doctor Who S02E1 – New Earth
16. Doctor Who S02E2 – Tooth & Claw
17. Doctor Who S02E3 – School Reunion
18. Doctor Who S02E4 – The Girl in the Fireplace
19. Doctor Who S02E5 – Rise of the Cybermen
20. Doctor Who S02E6 – The Age of Steel
21. Doctor Who S02E7 – The Idiot’s Lantern
22. Doctor Who S02E8 – The Impossible Planet
23. Doctor Who S02E9 – The Satin Pit
24. Doctor Who S02E10 – Love & Monsters
25. Doctor Who S02E11 – Fear Her
26. Doctor Who S02E12 – Army of Ghosts
27. Doctor Who S02E13 – Doomsday
28. Doctor Who S02E14 – Christmas Special :The Runaway Bride
29. Torchwood S01E1 – Everything Changes
30. Torchwood S01E2 – Day One
31. Torchwood S01E3 – Ghost Machine
32. Torchwood S01E4 – Cyberwoman
33. Torchwood S01E5 – Small Worlds
34. Torchwood S01E6 – Countrycide
35. Torchwood S01E7 – Greeks Bearing Gifts
36. Torchwood S01E8 – They Keep Killing Susie
37. Doctor Who S03E1 – Smith & Jones
38. Doctor Who S03E2 – The Shakespeare Code
39. Torchwood S01E9 – Random Shoes
40. Doctor Who S03E3 – Gridlock
41. Doctor Who S03E4 – Daleks in Manhattan
42. Doctor Who S03E5 – Evolution of the Daleks
43. Torchwood S01E10 – Out of Time
44. Doctor Who S03E6 – The Lazarus Experiment
45. Torchwood S01E11 – Combat
46. Doctor Who S03E7 – 42
47. Doctor Who S03E8 – Human Nature
48. Doctor Who S03E9 – The Family of Blood
49. Doctor Who prequal- The Infinate Quest
50. Doctor Who S03E10 – Blink
51. Torchwood S01E12 – Captain Jack Harkness
52. Torchwood S01E13 – End of Days
53. Doctor Who S03E11 – Utopia
54. Doctor Who S03E12 – The Sound of the Drums
55. Doctor Who S03E13 – Last of the Time Lords
56. Doctor Who S03E14 – Cristmas Special :Voyage of the Damned
57. Torchwood S02E1 – Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
58. Torchwood S02E2 – Sleeper
59. Torchwood S02E3 – To the Last Man
60. Torchwood S02E4 – Meat
61. Torchwood S02E5 – Adam
62. Torchwood S02E6 – Reset
63. Torchwood S02E7 – Dead Man Walking
64. Torchwood S02E8 – A Day in the Death
65. Torchwood S02E9 – Something Borrowed
66. Torchwood S02E10 – From Out of the Rain
67. Torchwood S02E11 – Adrift
68. Torchwood S02E12 – Fragments
69. Torchwood S02E13 – Exit Wounds
70. Doctor Who S04E1 – Partners in Crime
71. Doctor Who S04E2 – The Fires of Pompeii
72. Doctor Who S04E3 – Planet of the Ood
73. Doctor Who S04E4 – The Sontaran Strategem
74. Doctor Who S04E5 – The Poison Sky
75. Doctor Who S04E6 – The Doctors Daughter
76. Doctor Who S04E7 – The Unicorn & the Wasp
77. Doctor Who S04E8 – Silence in the Libary
78. Doctor Who S04E9 – Forest of the Dead
79. Doctor Who S04E10 – Midnight
80. Doctor Who S04E11 – Turn Left
81. Doctor Who S04E12 – The Stolen Earth
82. Doctor Who S04E13 – Journeys End
83. Doctor Who S04E14 – Christmas Special: The Next Doctor
84. Doctor Who S04E15 – Dreamland
85. Torchwood S03E1 – Children of Earth: Day 1
86. Torchwood S03E2 – Children of Earth: Day 2
87. Torchwood S03E3 – Children of Earth: Day 3
88. Torchwood S03E4 – Children of Earth: Day 4
89. Torchwood S03E5 – Children of Earth: Day 5
90. Doctor Who S04E16 – Planet of the Dead
91. Doctor Who S04E17 – The Waters of Mars
92. Doctor Who S04E19 – The End of Time: Part 1
93. Doctor Who S04E20 – The End of Time: Part 2
Trust me that’s as accurate as you’ll be able to get. i spent a month going back and forth between episodes. initially was going to start torchwood after the episode of Doctor Who’s season 2 where torchwood is instated. but found this order to be better
Zoinks. That’s a pretty complicated process to follow, especially if renting the DVDs.
The intermingling, while (possibly) listing more accurate, is going to offer you minimum continuity differences for Torchwood S1 and Doctor Who S3 (other than just watching Torchwood S1 and then Doctor Who S3). I’ll try it one of these times, but I think it’s just a side reference or two that might tie in. I don’t think the shows actually were broadcast in the order.
The above list does mention the two Dr. Who cartoons: Dreamland and The Infinate Quest which I left out. They were interesting but another cartoon series nonetheless,
oh sorry i just have avi’s of all the episodes so that’s why it was relatively easy to piece the episodes together in a coherent order. the cartoons while being cartoons do bear relevance in the series (i figure) on account of 1 having martha jones and 1 where the doctor is solo. there are significant references in torchwood that prove the episode sequence is necessary in putting the 2 series’ together although they are minute. anyhow, i’m just playing around and not trying to be a doctor nazi or stickler
but if you do watch the two series in the order i suggested, i think you’ll be most satisfied in its continuity.
You also forgot to put the mini episode “Time Crash” in there. I have it labeled as episode 55-B because is only a few minutes long. It does however lead quite nicely from “Last of the Time Lords” into “Voyage of the Damned”