A completely packed room were incredibly excited for the Torchwood panel at New York Comic Con today. Such was their fandom, that the only thing that got a boo instead of a cheer was the news that an exact date is still to be confirmed for the BBC America debut of Season 3 of the show.

The trailer for the new season was shown, along with a behind-the-scenes featurette in which one of the many times the crowd cheered occurred when John Barrowman ("Jack Harkness") was seen saying that the character of Rhys "is being brought into the team more" this year.

Called Children of Earth, Season 3 of Torchwood is actually a bit different in that it's a five-episode miniseries. Euros Lyn, a veteran of many Doctor Who episodes, is directing the entire season and said going into it he was "Really keen to do something different. It was an opportunity to tell a story in a way we haven't before. " He promised that Children of Earth is "Grander and more epic. By the end of the season, you'll be holding onto your seats. "

Also on hand was Torchwood star Eva Myles, who declared, "There's so much in store for you guys. This series is absolutely epic. It's been written and directed and performed beautifully." She said that the theme of the season was "How the past comes back and bites you in the behind" and that there was 'this force coming back to try and mess with the Torchwood gang."

Season 2 ended with the death of two of the main characters, Owen and Tosh, on Torchwood, and Myles noted, "The grief that the characters feel for the characters we lost is very real, but this is a new story. We're moving on, we're telling a brand new tale." She said that Owen and Tosh's death remains "A huge symbol of how life is so short sometimes and how dangerous the organization of Torchwood is to be working for." She said that though they may be smaller, the Torchwood team "has to get stronger. They have to get more powerful. They have to work together."

Myles had a lot of praise for her costar Barrowman, who was clearly beloved by the audience, but then got huge laughs revealing "John farts though a lot." As the audience cracked up, she added, "Sorry John, but you do!"

There had been rumors that Doctor Who characters Martha Jones and Mickey Smith might appear in Season 3, and asked about that, Lyn said "We were really keen to get them back." However, he said that the actors that play them are very busy and that ultimately, "It just didn't work out. It was a scheduling thing. However, we have some fantastic characters for you to meet."

One of these new characters is Mr. Frobisher, played by Peter Capaldi. Lyn said Capaldi "Plays the grayest ranking civil servant. He finds himself in the middle of the biggest terror to face the Earth so far. So he's a very reluctant protagonist… or antagonist. He's somewhere in the middle!"