Adrift (TV story)

Adrift was the eleventh episode in the second series of Torchwood. It was an unusually Gwen-heavy plot that also featured a larger-than-normal role for PC Andy Davidson. For contemporary audiences, it would also have been notable for its use of Ruth Jones, a then-prominent Welsh actor.

Synopsis
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 Jack is 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.

Plot
to be added

Cast

 * Captain Jack Harkness - John Barrowman
 * Gwen Cooper - Eve Myles
 * Toshiko Sato - Naoko Mori
 * Ianto Jones - Gareth David-Lloyd
 * Owen Harper - Burn Gorman
 * Rhys Williams — Kai Owen
 * PC Andy Davidson — Tom Price
 * Nikki Bevan — Ruth Jones
 * Jonah Bevan — Robert Pugh
 * Young Jonah — Oliver Ferriman
 * Helen — Lorna Gayle
 * Fisherman - Peter Carney

Story notes

 * Robert Pugh later appeared in DW: The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood as Tony Mack.

Ratings
to be added

Myths

 * There is belief among fans that the burning planet that Jonah was saved from was Gallifrey, the man who pulled him from the flames was in fact, the Eighth Doctor and the destruction of the entire solar system was part of the Last Great Time War. As it was shown that Dalek Caan was able to break the time lock, but at the cost of his sanity, it seems possible that the Rift is able to bypass it also, affecting Jonah's sanity as well. The reason the Doctor wouldn't have saved the Time Lords was explained in DW: The End of Time, which also shows that some of the Time Lords were driven insane by the events. The climax of the 2009 specials further supports the theory in that it describes Gallifrey as going to burn in the war.

Filming locations

 * The Island seen in this episode is Flat Holm (Ynys Echni), 5 miles off the coast of Cardiff. Although the facility seen in Adrift is, of course, fictional, Flat Holm was for some years in fact the site of a similar "isolation hospital".
 * Llwyn Passat, Penarth Marina

Production errors
to be added

Continuity

 * PC Andy Davidson last appeared in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.
 * Gwen mentions her wedding, which occurred in Something Borrowed.

DVD releases

 * This story, along with the rest of Torchwood Series 2, has been released in a complete series box set (on both DVD and Blu Ray). It is on the same disc as Fragments and Exit Wounds.