Ghost Machine (TV story)

Ghost Machine
Main character(s):	Jack Harkness Gwen Cooper Toshiko Sato Owen Harper Ianto Jones
Main enemy:	Ed Morgan
Main setting:	Cardiff, 2007 Cardiff, 1963 (quantum transducer echo) Cardiff, 1940s (quantum transducer echo)
Key crew
Writer:	Helen Raynor
Director:	Colin Teague
Producer:	Richard Stokes
Release details
Premiere broadcast:	29 October 2006
Torchwood
← Previous	Day One
Next →	Cyberwoman

For the titular device, see Quantum transducer.

Ghost Machine was the third episode of series one of Torchwood. Although the plot revolved around the titular device, there were several branching story lines.

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

to be added

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

Created by Russell T Davies

Executive Producers   Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and Marcus Prince

Written by Helen Raynor	Produced by Richard Stokes	Directed by Colin Teague	Director of Photography Mark Waters	Production Designer Edward Thomas	Visual Effects The Mill
Make-up Designer Marrie Dorris	Casting Director Andy Pryor	Music Ben Foster Murray Gold	Costume Designer Ray Holman	Edited by Mike Hopkins

General production staff Co-producer - Chris Chibnall Associate Producer - Terry Reeve Assistant Producer - Sophie Fante Location Manager - Paul Davies Unit Manager - Geraint Havard Jones Production Co-ordinator - Carmelina Palumbo Senior Production Accountant - Endaf Emyr Williams Production Accountant - Ceri Tothill Script department Script Editor - Brian Minchin Camera and lighting department 1st Assistant Director - Nick Rae 2nd Assistant Director - Lynsey Muir 3rd Assistant Director - Rhian Salisbury Continuity - Vicky Cole Camera Operator - Gareth Huges Focus Puller - Duncan Fowlie Grip - Dai Hopkins Camera Assistant - Mani Paliwala-Blaxter Boom Operator - Jeff Welch Gaffer - Dave Fowler Best Boy - Steve Slocombe	Art department Chief Supervising Art Director - Stephen Nicholas Art Department Co-ordinator - Matthew North Production Buyer - Catherine Samuel Concept Artist - Peter McKinstry Standby Props - Brian Henry Standby Art Director - Leonie Rintler Property Master - Nick Thomas Construction Manager - Matthew Hywel-Davies Costume department Costume Supervisor - Debra Haggett Costume Assistants - Sam Benbow, Bobbie Peach	Make-up and prosthetics Make-up Supervisor - Claire Pritchard Make-up Artists - Sarah Astley, Kate Roberts Movement Stunt Co-ordinator - Tom Lucy Stunt Performers - Gary Hoptrough, Jo McLaren, Curtis Rivers Casting Casting Associate - Andy Brierley General post-production staff Post-production Supervisors - Chris Blatchford, Helen Vallis Post-production Co-ordinator - Marie Brown Assistant Editor - Matt Mullins On-line Editor - Matthew Clarke Special and visual effects Visual FX Producers - Will Cohen, Marie A. Jones Visual FX Supervisor - Dave Houghton On-set VFX Supervisor - Barney Curnow 2D Artists - Astrid Busser-Casas, Joseph Courtis Sound Sound Recordist - Jeff Matthews Dubbing Mixer - Tim Ricketts Sound Effects Editor - Howard Eaves

Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources.

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 being a possible future. Similarly, it appears that Bernie's vision of his own death was also averted.
• As Owen flips through his various fake ID cards, one can be seen for UNIT.
• Tom Flanagan was evacuated during World War II.

Story notes

• John Normington (Tom Flanagan) previously played Morgus in DW: The Caves of Androzani and Trevor Sigma in DW: The Happiness Patrol.
• Gareth Thomas (Ed Morgan) previously played Lord Tamworth in BFA: Storm Warning and Kalendorf in the first two series of the Big Finish Dalek Empire audio series. He would later reprise his role as Kalendorf in BFA: Return of the Daleks.

Ratings

• 1.8 million viewers

Myths

to be added

Filming locations

• The Friary, Cardiff (Gwen and Owen chase the signal.)
• Queen Street, Cardiff (Gwen and Owen chase the signal.)
• High Street, Cardiff (Bernie is pursued into the arcade.)
• High Street Arcade, Cardiff (The chase through the arcade)
• Hayes Island, Cardiff (Gwen and Owen chase the signal.)
• Cardiff Central Station, Cardiff (Gwen first shifts time.)
• Adamsdown Place, Cardiff (Bernie's Mum's House.)
• Barry Shooting Rang, Cardiff (Gwen's shooting lesson.)
• St. David's Hotel, Cardiff (Owen's Flat.)
• Adamsdown Squre, Cardiff (Owen Chases Bernie.)
• Kames Place, Cardiff (Owen Chases Bernie.)
• Inchmarnock Street, Cardiff (Owen Chases Bernie.)
• Lady Margret's Place, Cardiff (Owen Chases Bernie.)
• Gwendoline Place, Cardiff (Owen Chases Bernie.)
• Taff Meed Embankment, Cardiff(Owen witnesses an old murder.)
• Royal Close, Cardiff (Bernie's estate.)
• Cardiff Bay Barrage, Cardiff (Jack and Gwen on the waterfront.)
• Upper Boat Studios, Cardiff

Production errors

• Tosh tells Owen that Ed Morgan is claustrophobic, but when she checks his records on the computer, she says he is agoraphobic. Since one is a fear of enclosed spaces and the other a fear of open spaces, it seems Ed would not be comfortable anywhere!

Continuity

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.

• 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 after TW: Day One.
• Ghost Machine occurs before TWN: Another Life.

Home video releases

This episode was first released on DVD, with four other episodes, entitled Torchwood: Series 1, part 1 on 26 December 2006. It was later released in Torchwood: The Complete First Series on 19th November 2007.

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