Torchwood actor John Barrowman has confirmed that a new, US version of the Doctor Who spin-off will continue to feature lesbian, gay and bisexual scenes.

“I knew they would be true to the show and not change drastically. If it was watered down, I wouldn’t have done it,” Barrowman told Entertainment Weekly. “For those people who are our stanch fans, it’s going to have the heart and soul of Torchwood which we’ve always had, plus the energy and excitement of a show that’s bigger and better.”

Most of the characters in the original British incarnation of Torchwood were arguably bisexual, although gay scenes within the show typically revolved around the activities of Captain Jack Harkness (played by Barrowman).

However, lesbian themes were also explored in the programme. In one episode, IT expert Toshiko Sato began a sexual relationship with an alien woman.

Showrunner Russell T. Davies argued that the US television environment is a positive one for LGBT characters. “The portrayal of gay, bisexual, and lesbian characters [in the USA] is currently way ahead of Britain,” he said. “The kids on Glee, the beauty and detail of that couple of Modern Family. We’ve got nothing like that.”

“Even a nice Republican sitcom like Shit My Dad Says, a show I quite liked, was stacked with intelligent gay-friendly stories, and that’s in a corner where you’d never expect to find them. Of course, it’s all the gay men and women sat on the writing teams pushing their stories forward, and I think that’s wonderful.”

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