Production has begun in Cardiff on Season Three of Torchwood, which is set to return in 2009 with a limited series event entitled Torchwood: Children of Earth.

In the UK, BBC One will air the five-part season across a single week, while BBC America have not yet indicated what their scheduling of Torchwood: Children of Earth will be. Season Three will follow Torchwood as they "battle for the future of the human race against the fiercest force they have encountered."

"The new series of Torchwood is hugely bold and promises to be bigger and better than ever – the audience is in for an amazing ride," said series creator/executive producer Russell T. Davies. "This series is one big serial and the most ambitious story we've ever made, and we've got plenty of surprises in store."

Returning to Torchwood for Season Three are John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness, Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper, Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto Jones, Kai Owen as Rhys Williams, and Tom Price as PC Andy. (Sorry, Owen and Tosh fans; it does look like dead is dead.)

"We hope to make Torchwood a gripping and surprising TV event with storylines that push our team into greater danger and sacrifice," said Julie Gardner, Head of Drama for BBC Wales. "Joining our main cast are some fantastic guest artists who will only add to making this unmissable TV."

Those guest stars will include Peter Capaldi (The Thick Of It) as Mr. Frobisher, a civil servant hiding a terrible secret, Paul Copely (Coronation Street) as Clem, a survivor haunted by his past, and Liz May Brice (Bad Girls) as Johnson, a cynical covert government agent determined to expose Torchwood.

If you can't wait until 2009 for your Torchwood fix, pick up the DVD set of Torchwood: The Complete Second Season, which hits store in the States on September 16th. (I got my copy a few weeks back from the good folks at BBC Video and it is filled to the brim with extras.)

Stay tuned.