"Countrycide" is the sixth episode of the first series of the British

science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...

series ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of '' Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growin ...

'', which was originally broadcast on the digital television channel

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, cov ...

on 19 November 2006. Set in a small Welsh village, the episode involves a village full of cannibals harvesting and butchering passing travellers every ten years. It was viewed by 1.22 million people. (select BBC3, 2006, November, 13 Nov - 19 Nov)

Plot

responds to reports of 17 people missing within a 20-mile radius in the

Brecon Beacons The Brecon Beacons ( cy, Bannau Brycheiniog, ) are a mountain range in South Wales. In a narrow sense, the name refers to the range of Old Red Sandstone peaks which lie to the south of Brecon. Sometimes referred to as "the central Beacons" t ...

, using the mobile phone signal from the last disappearance as their starting point. While getting some firewood for the camp, Gwen and Owen encounter two hooded figures. They chase the figures but instead find a corpse. As the team investigates it, their

SUV A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon defini ...

is stolen. Ianto tracks the vehicle to a nearby village;

Jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...

believes the corpse was a lure to make them come to the village. Jack, Gwen, and Owen search the pub and nearby homes, finding two more corpses. They also find a young man, Kieran, who accidentally shoots Gwen with a shotgun, believing "they" came back for him. They learn about the victims from Kieran, still unsure whether they are dealing with aliens. Suddenly the lights go out and movement comes from both the cellar and outside the pub. Kieran is dragged away, and Gwen and Owen try to follow him, against Jack's orders. Jack interrogates Martin, the man he shot from the cellar.

Toshiko Toshiko is a feminine Japanese given name. Possible writings *敏子 "agile/clever, child" *俊子 "genius, child" *淑子 "graceful/polite, child" *寿子 "longevity, child" *年子 "year/age, child" *歳子 "age/time, child" *稔子 "humble, ch ...

and Ianto attempt to find the SUV, but are captured and awaken in a cellar full of old clothes and shoes, and a refrigerator full of human body parts; Toshiko realises they are to be food. A scared woman named Helen enters the room holding a shotgun, and learns from them of the other Torchwood members, then tells them that she cannot help them; she is collecting them for the "Harvest" that happens every ten years. They are taken into a kitchen filled with body parts and corpses. Helen is revealed to be one of the cannibals as a man named Evan handcuffs them to be butchered. Ianto headbutts Evan, allowing Toshiko to escape into the woods. Evan catches up to Toshiko and strangles her, but Owen and Gwen arrive with a policeman named Huw. Huw reveals himself to be Evan's nephew, and the two lead the Torchwood members back to the village. Just before Ianto is cut open and bled, Jack bursts through the building on a tractor and wounds the assembled cannibals with a shotgun. They spare Evan's life to try to learn the truth: every ten years, the village targets travellers and butchers them. When Gwen demands to know why, Evan claims it makes him happy. The villagers are taken into custody by the police.

References

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External links

"Countrycide" episode guide entry on the BBC website
{{Torchwood Torchwood episodes 2006 British television episodes Cannibalism in fiction Television episodes written by Chris Chibnall ru:Сельская местность (Торчвуд)