Ghost Machine (TV story)


 * 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
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 sees a brief vision of the past, a young lost boy wandering the train station. Gwen remembers a name tag worn by the boy, and the team tracks down the name to a old man in Cardiff. He admits that during the World War II evacuation, he was sent to Cardiff. With no one to meet him, he wandered through the train station. The group determines from further analysis that the nanotechnology of the "Ghost device" lets people see moments of the past spurred by strong human emotions, and try to learn how their suspect came upon such technology.

They find the suspect is Sean "Bernie" Harris, a petty thief from Splott, and go there to find him. Unsuccessful, they return to the train station to try the device again. Owen activates it while under a bridge, where he witnesses the rape and murder of a young woman named Lizzie Lewis in the 1960s by a man named Ed Morgan. Returning to the Hub, the team researches the crime to confirm what Owen saw. Ed was interrogated but never accused of the crime. Owen insists on trying to bring Ed to justice despite the case being long closed, and tracked Ed on his own. He confronts the elderly Ed but gets no information out of him; leaving his house, he catches Bernie. He takes Bernie to a pub 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. He wonders if the team wants the "other half". Torchwood follows Bernie to his home to retrieve the other objects in the tin, all alien objects that fell from the Rift. Bernie used the other half once. 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 to calm Gwen, claiming it may be only a possible future.

As the team reassembles, they realise that Ed is paranoid and depressed. Based on Owen's conversation with him, they conclude he was being blackmailed by Bernie to have Bernie remain quiet about Lizzie's murder; Jack is 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 before he stabs Bernie. Owen gives the knife to Gwen, when suddenly Ed rushes Gwen, stating "I knew you'd come for me", and impales himself on it. As Gwen experiences the future she saw, Jack and Owen try CPR on Ed but fail to revive him. Jack tries to comfort Gwen. He tells 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

Music

 * Can't Stand me Now - The Libertines
 * Feeling a Moment - Feeder
 * Sing - Travis

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

 * BBC3 - 1.8 million viewers
 * BBC2 - 2.5 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

 * 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.