Ghost Machine is an episode of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. It is the third episode of the first series, which was broadcast on 29 October 2006. Helen Raynor (born March 27, 1972) is a British television and theatre writer and script editor. ... Richard Stokes is a British Television and Film executive producer and producer. ... Chris Chibnall is a British television writer. ... Russell T. Davies, pictured in 2003. ... She was born on September 3, 1981 in Richmond, Virginia. ... This following is an episode list for the science fiction drama television series Torchwood. ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... This following is an episode list for the science fiction drama television series Torchwood. ... Cyberwoman is an episode of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. ... This following is an episode list for the science fiction drama television series Torchwood. ... A broadcast of the long-running and popular British science-fiction series Doctor Who. ... For the eponymous fictional institute, see Torchwood Institute. ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Synopsis

Torchwood comes into possession of a device that can tap into the hidden energy left behind by strong emotions, creating ghostly recreations of the events that left them there. When Owen accidentally uses the device at the scene of an unsolved murder, he becomes obsessed with bringing the killer to justice.

Plot

Owen encounters a very violent vision from the past.

Jack, Owen and Gwen pursue a man through the Cardiff streets, while Toshiko tracks his alien energy signature through the CCTV network. Gwen is separated from the others when she chases the man through a closing shop door, catching up with him outside a train station. However, he gets away, leaving Gwen with his jacket — which is what is giving out the alien signature. Gwen retrieves a small device from the jacket. Activating it, she has a vision of the station as it was in the past, empty except for a young boy coming out, saying he is lost and wants to go home. He is wearing a tag that identifies him as Thomas Erasmus Flanagan. Gwen calls out to him, but he does not seem to hear her. The vision ends, and when Jack and Owen arrive, she tells them she has seen a ghost. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Jack Harkness, also known as Captain Jack (an alias; his real name is, as yet, unrevealed), is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood. ... Doctor Owen Harper is a fictional character from the television series Torchwood, played by Burn Gorman. ... Gwen Cooper is a fictional character in the BBC television series Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. ... Cardiff (English:  Welsh: ) is the capital, largest and core city of Wales. ... Toshiko Sato is a fictional character from the television series Doctor Who and Torchwood played by Naoko Mori. ... Closed-circuit cameras are often used to discourage crime Closed-circuit television (CCTV), as a collection surveillance cameras doing video surveillance, is the use of television cameras for surveillance. ...

Back at the Hub, the CCTV footage just shows Gwen standing still at the scene, with other people around her but no sign of any boy. Jack orders Toshiko to search the databases for the boy's name, but Owen beats everyone to it by checking the Cardiff telephone book. Gwen and Owen go to Flanagan's home and find him an old man. Flanagan tells Gwen how he was evacuated to Cardiff when he was eight, during World War II, but due to a mix-up, there was no one to greet him at the station. He wandered for a while, lost, until someone found him. He was taken in by a couple and remained in Cardiff after the war. As they leave, Gwen receives a call from her boyfriend, Rhys, and they have a slight argument when he discovers she does not know if she is going home for dinner. // In the 1930s, aerial bombing became an ever larger spectre in the minds of the government and the public (see Trenchard, Douhet, Spain). ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The following is a list of minor characters in the BBC science fiction television series Torchwood, including supporting characters, and important human villains. ...

Jack identifies the man they were chasing earlier: one Sean "Bernie" Harris, a petty criminal from Splott. An analysis of the device confirms it as alien and filled with nanotechnology. Looking for Harries, however, they only find a bad reputation and bad debts. On the way back to the station to try and replicate the vision, Owen manages to activate the device under a bridge. He sees a young woman, Lizzie Lewis, dressed in 1960s-era clothes being confronted by a young man named Ed Morgan. While Owen watches helplessly, Morgan attacks Lizzie. The vision leaves Owen badly shaken. Wilson Street, Splott (photo by Linda Bailey) Splott (Welsh: ) is a district of the city of Cardiff, Wales, east of the city centre. ... Buckminsterfullerene C60, also known as the buckyball, is the simplest of the carbon structures known as fullerenes. ...

At the Hub, the team discover that Lizzie was raped and murdered under the bridge in 1963. Her killer was never found, but Owen insists that Toshiko look up the name Ed Morgan and other records about Lizzie. Jack discovers that the device contains a quantum transducer, converting human emotion into "ghosts". As Owen gets more insistent about reopening Lizzie's murder case, Jack reminds Owen that he merely saw the echo of a moment, amplified by alien technology. Their priority is to find Harris and discover what he knows about this "ghost machine". A transducer is a device, usually electrical or electronic, that converts one type of energy to another. ... Doctor Who, see List of Doctor Who items. ...

Jack takes Gwen to the Hub's shooting range and shows her Torchwood's collection of exotic firearms, telling her she needs to know how to use them. He teaches her the basics of shooting, and she finds herself being attracted to him. Gwen realises the time and has to leave. She asks Jack where he sleeps, and discovers not only that he does not leave the Hub, he also does not sleep. Gwen returns home to find Rhys has gone out with friends. She uses the ghost machine and sees happy scenes from her life with Rhys. When Rhys returns home minutes later, Gwen makes up with him. An outdoor shooting range with a sheltered shooting stand and several other unsheltered stands. ... The Torchwood Institute is a fictional organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. ...

Owen, meanwhile, is being haunted by the vision of Lizzie Lewis, staying up all night to try to find her killer. He discovers that Ed Morgan was questioned concerning the murder but was released. Owen tracks Morgan down to his present-day home and confronts him. When Owen mentions Lizzie and that he knows what Morgan did, the old man demands that Owen leave, saying that he will get nothing out of him. As Owen does so, he spots "Bernie" Harris and gives chase, eventually catching him. Instead of hurting him like Bernie expects, Owen takes him to a pub instead.

When the rest of the team arrive, Bernie explains that he found the ghost machine in a biscuit tin kept in a lock up belonging to a crazy old man. The machine showed him a woman leaving her dead baby in a canal; when Bernie found the woman living nearby, she paid him not to reveal her secret. He mentions seeing Lizzie's murder, which affects Owen. As the team turns to leave, Bernie asks them if they want the "other half".

At Bernie's house, they find, in addition to the other half of the machine, a biscuit tin with alien rocks and alien money; debris that washed up through the Rift. The two halves click together easily. Bernie tells Gwen he only used the other half once, and it showed him dead, bleeding on the road outside his house, but as he is now. He is worried he will die before his next birthday. Catching up with the others, Gwen accidentally activates the machine, and sees herself holding a bloody knife. Her future self says, "I was too late… I couldn't stop it… He's dead… Owen had the knife… he wanted to kill him… I couldn't stop him." The Rift is a fictional wormhole in the science fiction television series Doctor Who and Torchwood, one end of which is located in Cardiff Bay, Wales. ...

At the Hub, Jack suggests that what Gwen saw was merely a possible future, and neither that nor Bernie's death might come to pass. In a pub, Toshiko tells Owen that she found Morgan's medical records, showing that he is claustrophobic, paranoid and depressed, with a few recorded suicide attempts. Owen tells Toshiko about his own visit, and realises that Morgan thought Owen wanted money. He then realises that Bernie had been trying to blackmail Morgan. Meanwhile, Morgan telephones Bernie. Claustrophobia is an anxiety disorder that involves the fear of enclosed or confined spaces. ... For other senses of this word, see paranoia (disambiguation). ... Look up depression in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Toshiko and Owen return to the Hub and tell Jack what they have figured out, and Jack calls Gwen. Finding out she is at Bernie's to tell him that what he saw might not be his fate, Jack and Owen rush over. Toshiko stays behind to keep an eye on the CCTV, and she sees Morgan heading for Bernie's flat.

When Bernie sees Morgan outside and rushes out of the house, Gwen realises that Bernie's vision of the future might come true, and follows him. Morgan threatens Bernie and Gwen with a knife, and is about to kill them to keep his secret when Owen and Jack arrive and disarm him. Owen gets the knife, and, still angry at the fate of Lizzie Lewis, seems about to kill Morgan before he regains his senses and gives the knife to Gwen.

Gwen is relieved that no one died, but Morgan lunges at her saying, "I knew you'd come for me." The knife in Gwen's hand plunges into Morgan's stomach, and he falls. Owen attempts CPR, but Morgan dies. Gwen, in shock, her hands bloody, tells Jack, "I was so close… I couldn't stop it…" Wikibooks has more about this subject: First Aid/CPR Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency first aid procedure for a victim of cardiac arrest. ...

Back at the Hub, the others tell Gwen that Morgan was already suicidal, and that his death is not her fault. Jack notes that the problem with the machine is that it makes people want to change things, make it happen differently. They agree that it is not meant for humanity, and Ianto places the device in the secure archives. Ianto Jones (IPA: ) is a fictional character and a regular in the BBC television series Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who, played by Gareth David-Lloyd. ...

Gwen watches the dawn over the bay, still shaken by the night's events and feeling responsible for Morgan's death. As the sun comes up on a new day, Jack tells her that the ghosts are all around, a million shadows of human emotion… they just have to learn to live with them.

Cast

• Captain Jack Harkness — John Barrowman
• Gwen Cooper — Eve Myles
• Owen Harper — Burn Gorman
• Toshiko Sato — Naoko Mori
• Ianto Jones — Gareth David-Lloyd
• Rhys Williams — Kai Owen
• Ed Morgan — Gareth Thomas
• Bernie — Ben McKay
• Eleri — Llinos Daniel
• Tom Flanagan — John Normington
• Lizzie Lewis — Emily Evans
• Young Ed Morgan — Christopher Elson
• Young Tom Flanagan — Christopher Greene
• Bernie's Mum — Julie Gibbs
• Snooker Player — Ian Kay
• Kid in arcade — Ryan Conway
• Woman in shop — Kathryn Howard

Jack Harkness, also known as Captain Jack (an alias; his real name is, as yet, unrevealed), is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood. ... John Barrowman (born 11 March 1967 in Glasgow) is a Scottish-American actor, musical performer, dancer, singer, and TV presenter who has lived and worked both in the United Kingdom and the United States. ... Gwen Cooper is a fictional character in the BBC television series Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. ... Eve Myles (born 1978) is an actress from Ystradgynlais, Wales. ... Doctor Owen Harper is a fictional character from the television series Torchwood, played by Burn Gorman. ... Burn Gorman is an actor and musician,born in Los Angeles but brought up in London, where he lives and works. ... Toshiko Sato is a fictional character from the television series Doctor Who and Torchwood played by Naoko Mori. ... Naoko Mori )[1] (born 1975)[2] is a British actress of Japanese descent. ... Ianto Jones (IPA: ) is a fictional character and a regular in the BBC television series Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who, played by Gareth David-Lloyd. ... Gareth David-Lloyd is a Welsh actor best known for his role as Ianto Jones in the British science fiction television programme Torchwood. ... Kai Owen is a British actor currently appearing as recurring character Rhys Williams in Torchwood, a spin-off from the science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... Gareth Thomas (born February 12, 1945) is a Welsh actor. ... John Normington (born 28 January 1937 in Dukinfield, Cheshire) is a British actor. ...

Continuity

• Gwen's words after Morgan's death do not exactly mirror those in her earlier vision, perhaps indicating that Jack was correct about it merely being a possible future. Similarly, it appears that Bernie's vision of his own death has also been averted.
• The circled "P" emblem of the Preachers from Rise of the Cybermen can be seen as faded graffiti on rusty bins outside Bernie's flat.
• As Owen flips through his various fake ID cards, one can be seen for UNIT.
• An 1886 letter on the Torchwood Institute website suggests that Owen is not the first member of the Institute to feel personally involved with a case.^[1]
• An article dated 2007 on the same website provides some more background on the "crazy old man" in whose lock up the ghost machine was found. The date further confirms that Torchwood takes place in the near future.^[2]
• When Owen and Toshiko are discussing Ed Morgan in the pub, she refers to him as "claustrophobic". But later, when Morgan is heading for Bernie's flat, she refers to him as "agoraphobic".

Rise of the Cybermen is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... The United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (also known as UNIT) is a fictional military organization from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ...

Production

• Gareth Thomas is best known for his role as Roj Blake in the science fiction series Blake's 7 and also appeared in the Doctor Who audio play Storm Warning. John Normington previously appeared in the Doctor Who serials The Caves of Androzani and The Happiness Patrol.

Gareth Thomas (born February 12, 1945) is a Welsh actor. ... Blakes 7 was a BBC science fiction television series created by Terry Nation that ran four seasons from January 2, 1978 to December 21, 1981. ... Blakes 7 was a British science fiction television series made by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for their BBC 1 channel. ... Doctor Who is a long-running British science fiction television programme (and 1996 television movie) produced by the BBC about the adventures of a mysterious time-traveller known as the Doctor, who explores time and space with his companions, solving problems and righting wrongs. ... Storm Warning is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... John Normington (born 28 January 1937 in Dukinfield, Cheshire) is a British actor. ... Doctor Who is a long-running British science fiction television programme (and 1996 television movie) produced by the BBC about the adventures of a mysterious time-traveller known as the Doctor, who explores time and space with his companions, solving problems and righting wrongs. ... The Caves of Androzani is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from March 8 to March 16, 1984. ... The Happiness Patrol is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in three weekly parts from November 2 – November 16, 1988. ...

Music

• The song "Sing" by Travis features briefly when the team questions Bernie at the pub.
• The song "Can't Stand Me Now" by The Libertines features briefly in the scene when Owen and Toshiko are in the bar talking about Ed Morgan.

Sing is the lead single from Travis third studio album, The Invisible Band. ... Travis is an indie rock band from Glasgow, Scotland, comprising Fran Healy, Dougie Payne, Andy Dunlop and Neil Primrose. ... Cant Stand Me Now is the first single from The Libertines self-titled second album. ... For the political and social groups see Libertine The Libertines were an English rock band who gained notoriety in the early 2000s, as part of what was described as the garage rock revival movement of that time. ...

Outside references

• Owen Harper discusses Strictly Come Dancing with Tom Flanagan's daughter, the fourth series of which ran concurrently with the first series of Torchwood. The winner of the show, likely the fifth series due to the time period of the show, is claimed to be a newsreader. BBC newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky won the first series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, shown on BBC One based on ballroom dancing. ... The fourth series of Strictly Come Dancing started on 7 October and will end on 23 December. ... Natasha Kaplinsky (born 9 September 1972) is a British journalist and newsreader, currently working predominantly as a co-presenter of the Six OClock News with George Alagiah. ...

References

External links

• Ghost Machine episode guide entry on the BBC website
• Ghost Machine at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel)
• Ghost Machine at the Doctor Who Reference Guide