Its always said that the greatest enemy of making television shows in Britain is time.

It kind of works.

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This is the first show Ive made extensively in the US.

The UK has longer prep time, less crew, slightly more hours, and slightly more shooting days.

Because you have to prepare for almost any eventuality.

No, neithers ideal.

An ideal would be some kind of hybrid, which Id hope weve kind of almost got withTorchwood.

The usual twenty-two-part series.

We had a writers room for five weeks.

We sent them off in quite a freelance way to write their own episodes.

We then script edited them down, in a very British way.

In terms of the shoot, it was a mix.

Our lead director is Bharat Nalluri, whos very experienced in the UK, has also worked in America.

We never thought like that.

It was always about the story.

Thats what led absolutely everything.

Where is the story taking these characters?

Where are the plot beats moving for these characters?

It made the global threat feel broader and more significant.

How would you identify whatTorchwoodis?

Ive come to think thatTorchwoodis three things.

I think its, obviously, Russell T Davies.

Having him as a lead writer and full time exec on the show, that defines it.

Its wonderful to see a new, odd, international team form.

But at the heart of it,Torchwoodis that relationship, built across years.

Youve got a kind of infrastructure to realise areas of the world, without leaving.

Can you try and encapsulate what must be a manic almost-decade for you.

Because you started onDoctor Who

in 2005!

I was working on it eighteen months before.

So, thats nearly ten years.

Oh, my God, age me!

When you look at whats gone on the screen as a result of that, though?

Its been an amazing time.

Im so enormously grateful and proud of the time.

I look back and think its always been such a laugh.

Weve tried to make it as much fun for people as we can.

I take the job ferociously serious.

I think TV is important.

I think TV drama is important.

Its been an amazing rollercoaster.

I cant quite believe weve done all the things weve done.

But then, theres more to do.

Russells view is very much my own.

You have a moment of success and you either enjoy that and relax, or you capitalise on it.

It was the creative.

It was about doing three different forms of sci-fi that would appeal across a wide spectrum of age range.

But it was also practical.

We had a great crew working with us, and we wanted to keep them.

For us,Doctor Whowas a year-long job.

Its an absolute stonker of a script.

So, I hope to get that away.

That would be my dream for the next thing.

But Im working with other writers on all kinds of things.

I think you need that yin and yang, that mix to keep you nimble.

And theres a growing boldness, particularly in the cable sector in America?

Yes, there is.

I wouldnt say its lacking from Britain, exactly.

But cable in the US is offering a lot more sensational stuff?

Rejoicing for the output of the BBC.

Going to America presumably cements that view?

The grass is not greener in one country.

The casting of the show was one of the great joys.

It took me quite a while to learn American casting and get the landscape of it.

With Mekhi Phifer, Alexa Havens, people like that were a real joy on set.

There were no egos and it was really good fun.

It was lovely, then, to bring some of the American cast to the UK.

If it drops to fifty degrees in L.A., youve got a row of heaters!

Mekhi started at an exterior Cardiff airport and it was freezing.

He had no thermal underwear on, thinking it was going to be easy.

By the end of two hours, he had seven layers.

He had bulked up to the most ludicrous degree, and he couldnt fathom it!

Julie Gardner, thank you very much!

Read more about Torchwood: Miracle Day here.