GLAAD to BeTorchwood? Bisexuality and the BBC

Abstract

The article argues that the BBC's Torchwood is not as radical as its numerous accolades imply. By making sexuality incidental to the narrative, the show is important in attracting viewers who would not watch queer television through choice, thereby exposing them to different values and creating a space to promote understanding of difference. Yet from the outset, bisexuality is cast as 'alien,' and in the move from the narrowcast channel BBC Three to mainstream BBC One, the scope for characters to explore their bi potential is restricted and sexual normativity progressively reasserts its privileged position.