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Torchwood

"Torchwood. Outside the government, beyond the police. Tracking down alien life on earth and arming the human race against the future. The 21st century is when everything changes... and you've gotta be ready."

On the 17th October 2005, the BBC announced a new science-fiction series called Torchwood. A Doctor Who spin-off created by Russell T Davies, and starring recurring Doctor Who character Captain Jack played by John Barrowman.

The high-octane sci-fi thriller follows a team of modern-day investigators as they use alien technology to solve crime both alien and human.

Separate from the Government, outside police jurisdiction and beyond the United Nations, the Torchwood Institute sets its own rules. Based in Cardiff, the Torchwood team delves into the unknown, battling against the impossible in a highly volatile underworld of savage aliens and monsters whilst trying to maintain their everyday lives.
 
index
main cast
CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS (John Barrowman)
Character Profile: The origins of Torchwood's team leader, Jack, are obscure and he likes it that way. However, he has vast practical experience of working with aliens and dealing with crisis situations. He has come through a lot of scrapes intact and is unafraid of dangerous situations. In fact, he's usually ready with a flirtatious quip whatever the threat.
jack
GWEN COOPER (Eve Myles)
Character Profile: A former police officer, Gwen brings procedural skills to the team and a sensitivity that helps them greatly in dealing with victims. She is grounded, straightforward, and very determined, and, in the murky world of Torchwood, she often acts as the team's conscience. Her ability to coordinate activity has led to her being recognized as the team's deputy leader.
gwen
OWEN HARPER (Burn Gorman)
Character Profile: Owen trained as a medical doctor, but since joining Torchwood has expanded his expertise massively. As well as attending to the team's emergency medical needs and working on the human victims of alien activity, he has gained much expertise in alien anatomy. He is very confident in his abilities - some would say over-confident - but his commitment to his duty has never been doubted.
owen
TOSHIKO SATO (Naoko Mori)
Character Profile: The team's technical expert is quiet but highly intelligent. One of the main purposes of Torchwood is to assess the potential application of alien technology for humanity's use, and this is Toshiko's job. She also has a keen understanding of practical physics, which makes her useful as a field agent. She is focused and intensely professional, though sensitive.
toshiko
IANTO JONES (Gareth David-Lloyd)
Character Profile: Ianto deals with all the team's administrative issues. His knowledge is eclectic, his attention to detail unrivalled and his ability to anticipate the team's needs before they have arisen is uncanny. He dislikes it when his remarkable efficiency is taken for granted, however, and when required, he is also more than capable of undertaking field work for the team.
ianto
episode guide - SERIES one (2006)
+OPEN/CLOSE
101. EVERYTHING CHANGES
Broadcast: 22/10/06
Writer: Russell T. Davies
Director: Brian Kelly
Viewers: 2.52m

When Torchwood arrives on the scene of a brutal murder, WPC Gwen Cooper's burning curiosity is challenged. Their attitude, their approach and their technology is at odds with everything she believes in. But investigating the investigators leads her into a dark, paranoid world she never imagined existed.

102. DAY ONE
Broadcast: 22/10/06
Writer: Chris Chibnall
Director: Brian Kelly
Viewers: 2.50m

An alien addicted to sex is let loose on Cardiff's nightlife. Torchwood must track down the creature's new host and in doing so, confront a violent new form of love in the 21st century.


103. GHOST MACHINE
Broadcast: 29/10/06
Writer: Helen Raynor
Director: Colin Teague
Viewers: 1.77m

Torchwood discovers a machine that allows them to view the ghosts that walk among us. Using it, prompts Owen to investigate an unsolved crime - one that could change all their futures.


104. CYBERWOMAN
Broadcast: 05/11/06
Writer: Chris Chibnall
Director: James Strong
Viewers: 1.39m

There's a dark secret in the basement of the Hub. Even Jack is unaware of it, but Ianto knows. And he'll go to any lengths, sacrifice anything and anyone, to protect what's down there.
105. SMALL WORLDS
Broadcast: 12/11/06
Writer: PJ Hammond
Director: Alice Troughton
Viewers: 1.26m

Jasmine is a withdrawn but intelligent child whose new 'friends' exploit her suppressed anger, and while investigating this, Jack encounters elemental enemies from his past that are determined to harm those closest to him.

106. COUNTRYCIDE
Broadcast: 19/11/06
Writer: Chris Chibnall
Director: Andy Goddard
Viewers: 1.22m

Upon entering an apparently deserted village in the Brecon Becons, the Torchwood team is separated. Finding his people are the prey in a savage game of cat and mouse Jack faces a team of ruthless hunters far more skilled in surviving outside the confines of the city than he.


107. GREEKS BEARING GIFTS
Broadcast: 25/11/06
Writer: Toby Whitehouse
Director: Colin Teague
Viewers: 1.31m

Tosh gains the ability to read the minds of those closest to her but as she becomes party to their darkest secrets, she realises not only is this is a powerful curse, but one impossible to break.


108. THEY KEEP KILLING SUZIE
Broadcast: 03/12/06
Writer: Dan McCulloch & Paul Tomalin
Director: James Strong
Viewers: 1.12m

Using alien technology to interrogate the victims of a serial killer, Gwen learns that the common link is dangerously close to home. And the resurrection device has a deadly secret of its own.
109. RANDOM SHOES
Broadcast: 10/12//06
Writer: Jacquetta May
Director: James Erskine
Viewers: 1.08m

A hit-and-run victim, Eugene, was a bit of a nobody, and always convinced that aliens were coming to Earth, specifically to retrieve technology in his possession. Now Gwen finds herself drawn into his world and realises Eugene may still be helping her locate the 'aliens' - despite him being dead.
110. OUT OF TIME
Broadcast: 17/12/06
Writer: Cath Tregenna
Director: Alice Troughton
Viewers: 1.03m

A small passenger plane from the 1950's flies through the rift and lands in Cardiff 2006. Torchwood is drawn into strong personal relationships as they help the three temporal immigrants adapt to contemporary life.
111. COMBAT
Broadcast: 24/12/06
Writer: Noel Clarke
Director: Andy Goddard
Viewers: 0.83m

The team discovers a ring who are kidnapping Weevils - wild alien creatures that have come through the Rift and are hiding on Earth - which leads Owen down a dark path to confront the future of his own existence.
112. CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS
Broadcast: 01/01/07
Writer: Cath Tregenna
Director: Ashley Way
Viewers: 1.23m

Transported back to the Blitz, Jack and Tosh find themselves facing a dark secret from Jack's past, one he hoped and believed had been buried for good.
113. END OF DAYS
Broadcast: 01/01/07
Writer: Chris Chibnall
Director: Ashley Way
Viewers: 1.23m

The Rift is violently fracturing further, and Jack realises that Torchwood is destined to be drawn into one vast battle that will leave nothing and no one at Torchwood unchanged...
episode guide - SERIES two (2008)
+OPEN/CLOSE
201. KISS KISS, BANG BANG
Broadcast: 16/01/08
Writer: Chris Chibnall
Director: Ashley Way
Viewers: 4.22m

Captain Jack returns, as the Torchwood team reunite to fight a rogue Time Agent. The mysterious Captain John Hart is determined to wreak havoc, and needs to find something hidden on Earth. But with Gwen's life in danger, and cluster bombs scattered across the city, whose side is Jack on?
202. SLEEPER
Broadcast: 23/01/08
Writer: James Moran
Director: Colin Teague
Viewers: 3.78m

When a burglary turns into a slaughter, Torchwood suspect alien involvement. Who is Beth, and can she be as innocent as she seems? However, when the investigation escalates into a city-wide assault, Captain Jack realises that the whole planet is in danger.
203. TO THE LAST MAN
Broadcast: 30/01/08
Writer: Helen Raynor
Director: Andy Goddard
Viewers: 3.51m

Toshiko falls for a handsome soldier trapped out of his time, who unwittingly holds the key to saving the world. With an old hospital haunted by ghosts from 1918, a crisis foreseen by Torchwood 90 years ago is about to reach its climax. Time zones are colliding, but, with life-and-death decisions to be made, will Torchwood be able to stop an explosive end for the city of Cardiff?


204. MEAT
Broadcast: 06/02/08
Writer: Catherine Tregenna
Director: Colin Teague
Viewers: 3.2m

Rhys discovers the truth about Torchwood and becomes part of the team as they investigate a mysterious alien meat supply. With Rhys in increasing danger Gwen is under pressure like never before. Will Rhys go too far? Will Jack ask too much of him? And can Torchwood save the alien from being used as cheap meat?
205. ADAM
Broadcast: 13/02/08
Writer: Catherine Tregenna
Director: Andy Goddard
Viewers: 3.79m

An alien with the power to change memories infiltrates Torchwood - can the team save themselves before it's too late? With Captain Jack caught up in memories of his lost family, and Gwen struggling to remember Rhys, it takes Jack's love of Ianto to reveal the truth. But there's always a price to pay.
206. RESET
Broadcast: 13/02/08 (BBC3), 20/02/08
Writer: JC Wilsher
Director: Ashley Way
Viewers: 3.22m

Captain Jack calls in Martha Jones to investigate mysterious deaths. When the trail leads to a sinister medical-testing centre, Martha must go undercover. But has Torchwood underestimated how far the testing centre will go to find medical breakthroughs? And how safe are the members of Torchwood?
207. DEAD MAN WALKING
Broadcast: 20/02/08 (BBC3), 27/02/08
Writer: Matt Jones
Director: Andy Goddard
Viewers: 3.31m

The Torchwood team are in deep shock and must face their darkest hour. In an effort to put things right, however, Captain Jack Harkness unleashes a primal force that uses Torchwood as a conduit to wreck havoc across Earth - aided by the Weevils and their newly-appointed King.
208. A DAY IN THE DEATH
Broadcast: 27/02/08 (BBC3) & 05/03/08
Writer: Joseph Lidster
Director: Andy Goddard
Viewers: 3.08m

A victim of his newfound circumstances, Owen Harper believes he needs absolution. Will the lonely girl on the rooftop help him, or will it be a mission to the retrieve an alien device that is proving more lethal by the second? And how far will Toshiko go to help him?
209. SOMETHING BORROWED
Broadcast: 05/03/08 (BBC3) & 12/03/08
Writer: Phil Ford
Director: Ashley Way
Viewers: 2.76m

The night before her wedding, Gwen is juggling work with her hen night, when an alien shapeshifter leaves her carrying more than she bargained for. As everyone gathers for the ceremony, Jack must destroy her big day, unless one of the three mothers present finds a means to stop him.
210. FROM OUT OF THE RAIN
Broadcast: 12/03/08 (BBC3) & 19/03/08
Writer: PJ Hammond
Director: Jonathan Fox Bassett
Viewers: 2.90m

When an old cinema re-opens, past horrors emerge to stalk the streets of Cardiff. As bodies are found, in a state between life and death, Torchwood must act fast. Who are the Night Travellers? And how can Torchwood capture these mysterious killers?
211. ADRIFT
Broadcast: 19/03/08 (BBC3) & 21/03/08
Writer: Chris Chibnall
Director: Mark Everest
Viewers: 2.52m

When a local teenager disappears Gwen is drawn into an investigation that reveals a darker side of Torchwood. Hundreds of people have disappeared without trace, but why is Jack obstructing attempts to find them? The answer seems to lie in the rift. Literally, and as Gwen follows the trail, she makes a shocking discovery.
212. FRAGMENTS
Broadcast: 21/03/08 (BBC3) & 28/03/08
Writer: Chris Chibnall
Director: Jonathan Fox Bassett
Viewers: 2.98m

A booby-trapped building explodes and knocks the team unconscious. As each team member's life flashes before their eyes, viewers learn how each of them was recruited to Torchwood: Captain Jack was initiated into a shocked Victorian Torchwood in 1899; Toshiko went on a daring mission to trade alien technology for her mother's life; Ianto wooed Jack with coffee and a flair for alien-catching; and Owen had a medical revelation that changed how he saw the world.
213. EXIT WOUNDS
Broadcast: 04/04/08
Writer: Chris Chibnall
Director: Ashley Way
Viewers: 3.13m

Captain John Hart returns to have his revenge on Torchwood. Taking Captain Jack prisoner, he sends him back in time for a long overdue reunion. Without their leader, Torchwood are faced with a city flooded with Weevils, on the brink of destruction. But who is Captain John really working for? Can anyone trust him? And how great a price must Torchwood pay to save the city?
dvd releases
THE COMPLETE FIRST SERIES: BOXSET
Certificate: 15
Released: 19th November 2007
Contains all 13 episodes of the first series.
Extras: Commentaries on every episode; Featurettes: Outtakes; Deleted Scenes; All 14 episodes of Torchwood Declassified
dvdcomplete
THE COMPLETE SECOND SERIES: BOXSET
Certificate: 15
Released: 30th June 2008
Contains all 13 episodes of the second series.
Extras: The Lives and Deaths of Captain Jack, Torchwood Declassified Cut-downs: 13 episodic behind-the-scenes featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Outtakes
dvd s2 complete
SERIES ONE PART ONE
Certificate: 15
Released: 26th December 2006
Extras: Deleted scenes, out-takes, Making of featurette
Contains five episodes:
Everything Changes
Day One
Ghost Machine
Cyberwoman
Small Worlds
dvd1

SERIES ONE PART TWO
Certificate: 15
Released: 26th February 2007
Extras: Deleted scenes, out-takes, Making of featurette
Contains four episodes:
Countrycide
Greeks Bearing Gifts
They Keep Killing Susie
Random Shoes

dvd2
SERIES ONE PART THREE
Certificate: 15
Released: 26th March 2007
Extras: Deleted scenes, out-takes, Making of featurette
Contains four episodes:
Out of Time
Combat
Captain Jack Harkness
End of Days
dvd3
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