The Twilight Streets
Encyclopedia
The Twilight Streets is a BBC Books
original novel written by Gary Russell
and based on the British
science fiction television
, Doctor Who
spin-off
series Torchwood
. It features all the regular cast of the show. It was published on 6 March 2008.
is being renovated and opened with street parties
and entertainers
out in force to advertise the new area. All seems well until Toshiko
recognises the sponsor of the event: Bilis Manger.
Martin Luther King's
famous speech
.
BBC Books
BBC Books is an imprint majority owned and managed by Random House. The minority shareholder is BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation...
original novel written by Gary Russell
Gary Russell
Gary James Russell is a freelance writer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs in other media...
and based on the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction television
Science fiction on television
Science fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...
, Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
series Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
. It features all the regular cast of the show. It was published on 6 March 2008.
Plot introduction
Jack Harkness receives a message in 1941 which simply reads "Revenge for the Future". There's a part of the modern city that no one much goes to, a collection of rundown old houses and gloomy streets. No one stays there long, and no one can explain why - something's not quite right there. Even Jack himself seems unable to enter the area, feeling physically ill when he tries. Now the district of CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
is being renovated and opened with street parties
Street party
A street party can mean any type of social event taking place on a road.In Britain, these have historically been held to commemorate momentous events, such as VE Day or the Queen's Silver Jubilee, with "bunting, trestle tables covered with sandwiches and cakes, and children playing in the street"...
and entertainers
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
out in force to advertise the new area. All seems well until Toshiko
Toshiko Sato
is a fictional character from the television series Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood, played by Naoko Mori. After a one-off appearance in the Doctor Who episode "Aliens of London" , Toshiko is re-introduced as a series regular in the Torchwood 2006 premiere episode "Everything Changes"...
recognises the sponsor of the event: Bilis Manger.
Continuity
- Bilis Manger last featured in the episodes "Captain Jack Harkness" and "End of DaysEnd of Days (Torchwood)"End of Days" is the thirteenth episode and the first series finale of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. It originally aired on BBC Three on 1 January 2007, alongside the previous episode, "Captain Jack Harkness". The episode was written by Chris Chibnall and directed by...
". - Idris Hopper, a character from the Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
episode, "Boom TownBoom Town (Doctor Who)"Boom Town" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 4 June 2005. The Doctor, Rose and Jack travel to modern-day Cardiff and meet up with Rose's boyfriend, Mickey...
", appears in this novel. The events of the episode are referenced heavily in a flashback sequence, explaining how Jack stopped the team from getting involved to prevent them from unintentionally interacting with his past self. - The cream sofa RhysRhys Williams (Torchwood)Rhys Alun Williams, portrayed by Kai Owen, is a fictional character in the BBC television programme Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. The character is introduced in the premiere episode as the co-habiting boyfriend of principal character Gwen Cooper...
and Gwen were considering buying in Something in the WaterSomething in the WaterSomething in the Water is a BBC Books original novel written by Trevor Baxendale and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It features all the regular cast of the show. It was published on 6 March 2008...
is referenced. - Rhys saving Gwen's life with the Singularity Scalpel in "Something BorrowedSomething Borrowed (Torchwood)"Something Borrowed" is the ninth episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood. It was broadcast by BBC Three on 5 March 2008 and repeated on BBC Two one week later.-Synopsis:...
" is referenced in Gwen's vision of a possible future. - The way in which Torchwood staff applaud Rhys and Gwen is reminiscent of their applause for The DoctorDoctor (Doctor Who)The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
in the Doctor Who episode "Army of GhostsArmy of Ghosts"Army of Ghosts" is the twelfth and penultimate episode in the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who which was first broadcast on 1 July 2006...
". - Owen and Tosh have both "moved recently to new apartments" explaining their differing appearance between series.
- Jack remembers a time he was stalked by a Hoix, a monster seen in the Doctor Who episode "Love & MonstersLove & Monsters"Love & Monsters" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. In this episode, an ordinary man named Elton Pope becomes obsessed with a man called the Doctor and his strange blue box, and joins a group of like-minded people in hopes of finding him...
" and later in the Torchwood episode "Exit WoundsExit Wounds (Torchwood)"Exit Wounds" is the thirteenth and final episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, and was broadcast on BBC Two on 4 April 2008.-Synopsis:...
". - Gwen references the Torchwood procedure of storing the bodies of ex-employees and storing all of their personal belongings in a garage, a practice last shown with Suzie Costello's death in "They Keep Killing SuzieThey Keep Killing Suzie"They Keep Killing Suzie" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Torchwood. It is the eighth episode of the first series, which was broadcast on 3 December 2006.-Synopsis:...
". - In a possible future Owen makes reference to his conditionDead Man Walking (Torchwood)"Dead Man Walking" is the seventh episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood. It was broadcast by BBC Three and BBC HD on 20 February 2008; it made its terrestrial debut on BBC Two on 27 February.-Synopsis:...
and how it will not allow him to have a child with Toshiko, whom he plans to marry. Later on, he references his permanently broken handA Day in the Death"A Day in the Death" is the eighth episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was broadcast by BBC Three on 27 February 2008...
. In this possible future, Owen has a robotic left hand which Jack apparently gave him as the "best birthday present ever". - When Owen holds Jack at gunpoint, Jack references the coupCoup d'étatA coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
Owen last held against Jack in "End of Days". - As Toshiko and Owen are both dead as of "Exit WoundsExit Wounds (Torchwood)"Exit Wounds" is the thirteenth and final episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, and was broadcast on BBC Two on 4 April 2008.-Synopsis:...
", it is unlikely this future will come to pass. - Jack attempts to contact "Archie", the "strange man" he mentions in "Everything ChangesEverything Changes (Torchwood)"Everything Changes" is the first episode of the British science fiction television programme Torchwood, which was first broadcast on 22 October 2006.-Synopsis:Police constable Gwen Cooper comes across the mysterious organisation known as Torchwood...
" as the only member of Torchwood Two in Glasgow. - The character of Ianto Jones was originally going to be called Idris Hopper but was changed when Gareth David-LloydGareth David-LloydGareth David-Lloyd is a Welsh actor best known for his role as Ianto Jones in the British science fiction television programme Torchwood.- Early life :...
got the part. - When Owen and Toshiko trap Jack in amber, Owen says "Every few hours you'll suffocate. And then come back to life". Jack then thinks "Wasn't the first time that trick had been tried".
Outside references
- When the forces of Light and Dark are advancing on 6 Coburg Street, Idris Hopper is forcibly reminded of the video to Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's "ThrillerThriller (music video)Michael Jackson's Thriller is a 14-minute music video for the song of the same name released on December 2, 1983 and directed by John Landis, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jackson....
". - When Ianto is telling Jack that he "had a dream," Idris is reminded of
Martin Luther King's
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
famous speech
I Have a Dream
"I Have a Dream" is a 17-minute public speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered on August 28, 1963, in which he called for racial equality and an end to discrimination...
.
- When Idris is infected by The Dark, Ianto hopes "his head doesn't swivel and start talking about [Ianto's] mother", a reference to The ExorcistThe Exorcist (film)The Exorcist is a 1973 American horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty and based on the exorcism case of Robbie Mannheim, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her...
. - Idris is hoping to have a choice between The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
and FrasierFrasierFrasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
as the in-flight entertainment whilst flying to Berlin. Gary Russell, under the pseudonym Warren Martyn, wrote unofficial guidebooks for both of these series.