Torchwood's team leader. Jack's origins are obscure and he likes it that way. However, he has vast practical experience of working with aliens and dealing with crisis situations. He has come through a lot of scrapes intact, and is unafraid of dangerous situations. In fact, he's usually ready with a flirtatious quip whatever the threat.
A former police officer, Gwen brings procedural skills to the team and a sensitivity that helps them greatly in dealing with victims. She is grounded, straightforward and very determined, and in the murky world of Torchwood she often acts as the team's conscience. Her ability to co-ordinate activity has led to her being recognised as the team's deputy leader.
Owen trained as a medical doctor, but since joining Torchwood has expanded his expertise massively. As well as attending to the team's emergency medical needs and working on the human victims of alien activity, he has gained much expertise in alien anatomy. He is very confident in his abilities - some would say over-confident - but his commitment to his duty has never been doubted.
The team's technical expert is quiet but highly intelligent. One of the main purposes of Torchwood is to assess the potential application of alien technology for humanity's use, and this is Toshiko's job. She also has a keen understanding of practical physics, which makes her useful as a field agent. She is focused and intensely professional, though sensitive.
Ianto deals with all the team's administrative issues. His knowledge is eclectic, his attention to detail unrivalled and his ability to anticipate the team's needs before they have arisen is uncanny. He dislikes it when his remarkable efficiency is taken for granted, however, and when required, he is also more than capable of undertaking field work for the team.
Series Three - News
Filming for the third series of the smash hit drama Torchwood, created by Doctor Who writer Russell T Davies, has begun in Cardiff.
Due to transmit in 2009 on BBC One, the series - called Torchwood: Children Of Earth - sees the team embarking on a single action-packed adventure as they battle for the future of the human race against the most fierce force they have encountered.
The highly motivated Torchwood team are John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness, Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper, and Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto Jones.
Other regular cast involved in their high-octane adventure are Kai Owen as Rhys Williams, Gwen's husband, and Tom Price as PC Andy.
Special guests in the five part series are Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who, The Thick of It, Skins), who plays the role of Mr Frobisher - a civil servant who's hiding a terrible secret; Paul Copely (Coronation Street, The Bill) as Clem - the survivor still haunted by his past and Liz May Brice (Bad Girls, The Bill) as Johnson - the cynical covert government agent determined to expose Torchwood.
Russell T Davies said: "The new series of Torchwood is hugely bold and promises to be bigger and better than ever - the audience is in for an amazing ride. This series is one big serial and the most ambitious story we've ever made, and we've got plenty of surprises in store."
