CBBC has announced that after a "full" version of Torchwood airs, "a specially-edited repeat... that's suitable for families and kids" will be broadcast on BBC2. "The kid-friendly edited version will be shown a few days after the adult version and is likely to be a few minutes shorter," the press release states.

Torchwood was designed to be the adult spinoff of Doctor Who, and the first season was full of the three post-watershed Ss - snogging, sex, and swearing. With a first-season episode about an alien that shagged men to death and with star John Barrowman on record saying that the second-season introduction of a new guest character in will leave the audience needing to "finish themselves off," speculation is rife that the edited Torchwood will be shorter by a few plotlines as well as minutes.  However, Russel T Davis has been saying that it's not a question of cutting storylines as much as cutting away from the visuals during child-unfriendly moments.

Overseas fans have other unanswered questions regarding the version to air on BBCAmerica. The American reruns were usually edited to fit in advertisements. Will American fans be presented the original version with the usual advertising cuts? Or the "family version"? Or (horrible thought) the child-friendly version with yet more material removed to make room for commercials?

The answer to those questions may not come until it is possible to compare all three aired versions. However, with BBC announcing an American airdate of January 26 for the new season of Torchwood, fans do not have long to wait.