Ghost Machine (TV story)

This article concerns the episode of Torchwood. For the device nicknamed the Ghost Machine, see Quantum transducer.

Ghost Machine
Featuring:	Jack Harkness Gwen Cooper Toshiko Sato Owen Harper Ianto Jones
Main enemy:	Bernie Harris (troubled) Ed Morgan (partially reforms)
Main setting:	Cardiff, 2007
Key crew
Writer:	Helen Raynor
Director:	Colin Teague
Producer:	Richard Stokes Chris Chibnall(Co-producer)
Release details
Release number:	3
Premiere broadcast:	29th October 2006

Synopsis

When Gwen retrieves an alien object from a fleeing hoodie, she's haunted by a vision of a lonely young boy. As the team tracks down the object's owner, the elusive Bernie Harris, Owen experiences an even more terrifying vision and a long-buried crime resurfaces.

Plot

Jack, Owen and Gwen pursue a man through the Cardiff streets, while Toshiko tracks his alien energy signature through the CCTV network. Gwen separates from the group, chasing down the suspect into a train station, and is able to grab the man's jacket but he gets out of it and runs away. Gwen discovers an alien device in the jacket pocket, and when she activates it, she finds herself seeing a brief vision of the past, that of a young lost boy wandering the train station. Gwen remembers a name tag worn by the boy, and the team is able to track the name down to a old man in Cardiff who admits that during the World War II evacuation, he was sent to Cardiff with no one to meet him and wandered lost through the train station. The group determines from further analysis that the nanotechnology of the "Ghost device" allows people to see moments of the past spurred by strong human emotions, and try to learn how their suspect came upon such technology.

They determine the suspect is Sean "Bernie" Harris, a petty thief from Splott, and travel there to find him. Unsuccessful, they return to the train station to try the device again when Owen activates it while under a bridge, where he witnesses the raping and murder of a young woman named Lizzie Lewis in the 1960s by a man named Ed Morgan. Returning to the Hub, the team investigates the crime to confirm what Owen saw, but that Ed was interrogated but never accused of the crime. Owen insists on trying to bring Ed to justice despite that the case has long since closed, and starts to track Ed on his own. Owen confronts the elderly Ed but gets no information out of him; however, upon leaving his house, he spots Bernie and gives chase, catching up with him. Owen takes Bernie to a pub to learn more about the device while the rest of Torchwood is en route. Bernie explains he found the device in a tin of random objects from an old lady, and that he too saw the murder of Lizzie, and wonders if the team wants the "other half". Torchwood follows Bernie back to Bernie's home to retrieve the other half as well as the other objects in the tin, all alien objects that fell out from the Rift. Bernie explains that he only used the other half once, as it showed him bleeding to death outside his home at his current age. As they leave, Gwen accidentally triggers the second half, and has a vision of herself holding a bloody knife, calling out in vain to Owen. Jack tries calms Gwen down, claiming it just may be a possible future.

As the team recollects, they realize that Ed is paranoid and depressed, and that based on Owen's conversation with him, that he was being blackmailed by Bernie to have Bernie remain quiet about Lizzie's murder; Jack becomes concerned that Owen may have triggered Ed to take action. Learning that Ed has left his home and is heading towards Bernie's, Jack, Gwen, and Owen arrive just in time to disarm Ed from stabbing Bernie with a knife. Owen takes the knife and gives to Gwen, when suddenly Ed rushes Gwen, stating "I knew you'd come for me", and impales himself on the knife. As Gwen realizes she is experiencing the future she saw, Jack and Owen attempt CPR on Ed but are unable to revive him. Jack attempts to comfort Gwen, telling her Ed was suicidal and his death was not her fault, and the device makes people act in ways to try to change the future. The team returns to the Hub, and the device is put into the secure archives.

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 Harris — 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

Crew

Executive Producers - Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Marcus Prince Assistant Producer - Sophie Fante Co-Producer – Chris Chibnall Associate Producer – Terry Reeve Script Editor - Brian Minchin Casting Director - Andy Pryor Unit Manager - Geraint Havard Jones Senior Production Accountant - Endaf Emyr Williams Production Accountant – Ceri Tothill Sound Recordist - Jeff Matthews Costume Designer - Ray Holman Make-Up Designer - Marrie Dorris Music – Ben Foster, Murray Gold Visual Effects - The Mill Visual FX Producers - Will Cohen, Marie A. Jones Visual FX Supervisor – Dave Houghton On-Set Visual FX Supervisor - Barney Curnow Production Designer - Edward Thomas Editor - Mike Hopkins Director of Photography – Mark Waters First Assistant Director - Nick Rae Second Assistant Director - Lynsey Muir Third Assistant Director - Rhian Salisbury Location Manager - Paul Davies Production Coordinator - Carmelina Palumbo Continuity - Vicky Cole Camera Operator - Gareth Huges Camera Assistant – Mani Paliwala-Blaxter

Focus Puller - Duncan Fowlie Grip - Dai Hopkins Boom Operator - Jeff Welch Gaffer - Dave Fowler Best Boy - Steve Slocombe Stunt Coordinator - Tom Lucy Stunt Performers - Gary Hoptrough, JoMcLaren Stunt Double – Curtis Rivers for John Barrowman Art Department Coordinator - Matthew North Concept Artist - Peter McKinstry Production Buyer - Catherine Samuel Chief Supervising Art Director - Stephen Nicholas Stand-by Art Director - Leonie Rintler Property Master - Nick Thomas Construction Manager - Matthew Hywel-Davies Stand-by Props - Brian Henry Costume Supervisor - Debra Haggett Costume Assistants – Sam Benbow, Bobbie Peach Make-Up Supervisor - Claire Pritchard Make-Up Artists - Sarah Astley, Kate Roberts Casting Associate - Andy Brierley Assistant Editor - Matt Mullins Post Production Supervisors - Chris Blatchford, Helen Vallis On-Line Editor - Matthew Clarke Colourist - Mick Vincent 2D VFX Artists - Astrid Busser-Casas, Joseph Courtis Dubbing Mixer - Tim Ricketts Sound FX Editor - Howard Eaves

References

• 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.
• As Owen flips through his various fake ID cards, one can be seen for UNIT.

Story Notes

to be added

Ratings

• BBC3 - 1.8 million viewers
• BBC2 - 2.5 million viewers

Myths

to be added

Filming Locations

to be added

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

• 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". You can be both Yes, but claustrophobia would not prevent you from leaving your house. but a strong enough case of agoraphobia would

Continuity

• The circled "P" emblem of the Preachers from DW: Rise of the Cybermen can be seen as faded graffiti on rusty bins outside Bernie's flat.
• The explanation Jack gives for the ghosts matches the one Sarah Jane Smith would later give in SJA: Eye of the Gorgon.

Timeline

• Ghost Machine occurs before: TWN: Another Life

DVD Releases

• Included in the Series 1 DVD box set.

See also

to be added

External Links

• Ghost Machine at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
• Ghost Machine at Shannon Sullivan's A Brief History of Time (Travel)
• Ghost Machine at The Locations Guide

Footnotes