Over four seasons of Torchwood, we were introduced to 20 members of the Torchwood Three team operating in Cardiff — later the United States. Torchwood was the first spinoff from Doctor Who released after the series’ revival in 2005, exploring more mature and grounded themes than the parent show, including LGBTQ+ sexuality, existentialism, mortality, and human corruptibility. Between 2006 and 2011, Torchwood was a popular addition to the Whoniverse among older audiences, and the show’s fantastic cast of characters helped make it so successful.
When Torchwood first debuted in 2006 with “Everything Changes,” we were introduced to Gwen Cooper, Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato, and Ianto Jones, who became the central Torchwood team under the leadership of Captain Jack Harkness. While allegations surrounding John Barrowman’s on-set behavior may have soured some against the actor, Torchwood still delivers fantastic Doctor Who-adjacent adventures focusing on the Torchwood team, and several different characters become associated with them over the years. For this list, we’re avoiding the staff of Torchwood One, featured in Doctor Who, and focusing just on the members of Jack Harkness’ Torchwood team.
20) Captain Jack Harkness
We first met Time Agent and con-man Jack Harkness in Doctor Who’s “The Empty Child,” set during World War II, where Jack crossed paths with the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). After the Doctor and Rose saved Jack, he traveled with them until his death at the hands of the Daleks. Rose absorbed the TARDIS’ power and gave Jack eternal life, and he used his Vortex Manipulator to travel into the past after the Doctor and Rose abandoned him. He landed in Cardiff in the 1800s, where he was found and recruited by the Torchwood team.
Jack remained in Cardiff in the hopes that the Doctor would return one day to refuel the TARDIS from the Rift — which did happen in “Utopia” in 2007. While initially an operative of the Torchwood team in the 19th century, Jack eventually worked his way up to become his own team’s leader after his former team was killed. Jack’s team went through many changes, eventually taking them to the United States, where he and Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) formed a new roster. It’s unlikely Jack will be involved with any future Torchwood media given serious allegations against him.
19) Gwen Cooper
Welsh police officer Gwen Cooper is recruited to the Torchwood team after she catches them using the Resurrection Gauntlet in Torchwood’s premiere, “Everything Changes.” She regularly uses her police training to investigate cases and the humans involved with aliens in extreme detail, which quickly makes her a central team member. Gwen is confident, skilled, thoughtful, and entertaining, and her talents have allowed her to become the only other surviving member of the original team alongside Jack. She is now a wife and mother, and, off-screen (so perhaps not in the canon), later becomes the leader to her own Torchwood team.
18) Owen Harper
Owen Harper (Burn Gorman) was recruited to the Torchwood team after his fiancée was killed by an alien parasite that attached itself to her brain. He acted as the team’s medical officer, examining alien bodies to uncover their mysteries, and he also regularly found himself embroiled in sexual relationships with other teammates, including Gwen Cooper and Suzie Costello (Indira Varma). Owen was killed in “Reset,” but was brought back with the Resurrection Gauntlet, inadvertently reviving him as a dead man permanently. His body was ultimately destroyed when he sacrificed himself in “Exit Wounds” to prevent a nuclear meltdown.
17) Toshiko Sato
Another member of the Torchwood team during the 2000s was Toshiko Sato (Naoko Mori). We’d previously seen Tosh (unnamed) in Doctor Who’s “Aliens of London,” where she investigated the modified pig that crashed into Big Ben on a Slitheen ship. Prior to this, Tosh had been imprisoned by UNIT for stealing designs for a sonic modulator and recreating it perfectly. This caught Jack Harkness’ attention. Tosh harbored a deep love for Owen, which was never reciprocated, but which she finally admitted while she died after being shot by Jack’s long-lost brother, Gray (Ethan Brooke) in “Exit Wounds.”
16) Ianto Jones
Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd) rounded out Torchwood in 2006. Ianto and his girlfriend, Lisa (Bethan Walker), worked for Torchwood One in London, where Lisa was partially converted into a Cyberman during “Army of Ghosts” and “Doomsday.” Ianto joined Jack Harkness’ team to find a cure for Lisa’s condition, but she was too far gone. Ianto later took a more hands-on role as a team member, and became a fan-favorite thanks to his wit, sarcasm, and fun chemistry with Jack Harkness. He tragically died when the 456 ambassador flooded Thames House with a lethal virus during Torchwood: Children of Men.
15) Rhys Williams
Originally oblivious to his girlfriend-turned-wife’s new career, Rhys Williams (Kai Owen) eventually became an associate of Torchwood alongside Gwen Cooper, and could easily be considered a firm member of the team. Rhys’ first real experience with Torchwood happened during “Meat,” where he helped the team stop the exploitation of the Cash Cow, and Gwen ultimately refused to retcon his memory. Rhys helped Torchwood on his own wedding day, during the fight against Gray and Captain John (James Marsters), during Children of Earth, and again during Torchwood: Miracle Day, despite his protests against Gwen rejoining Torchwood after becoming parents.
14) Adam Smith
Described as a Memeovore, Adam Smith (Rhys Myers) was a memory-altering alien who implanted himself into the Torchwood team to feed off their memories during “Adam.” He inserted himself into the memories of each Torchwood member as a key part of the team dating back years. He made Tosh fall in love with him, made Owen more gentle and meek, and made Gwen see him as a friend, which inadvertently erased Rhys from her mind. Ianto and Jack soon unravelled Adam’s infiltration and killed him, wiping everyone’s memories of him, though some evidence of his existence remained in the Hub.
13) Suzie Costello
When Torchwood first debuted in 2006, Suzie Costello was a core member of the Torchwood team as she was Jack Harkness’ second-in-command. However, Gwen’s investigation into a serial killer in Cardiff revealed that the murders were carried out by Suzie, who had become obsessed with the Resurrection Gauntlet and with cheating death. Suzie ultimately killed herself after Jack revealed his immortality, allowing Gwen to replace her, and she was later resurrected and killed again in “They Keep Killing Suzie.” Her body and all possessions were kept in cold-storage in the Torchwood Hub, which was destroyed in Children of Earth.
12) Gerald Kneale
Featured in “To the Last Man,” which focused on Toshiko’s relationship with time-displaced World War I soldier Tommy Brockless (Anthony Lewis), Gerald Kneale was the leader of Torchwood Three during 1918. It was Kneale’s order that Brockless should be woken up once every year on June 21st, which ultimately gifted Tosh one day with him annually until his return to his own time. Kneale was explored in tie-in comics, revealing he joined Torchwood Three in 1907, and ultimately stepped down after a teammate’s death, and died in 1942 — one of the few members not to die on active service.
11) Harriet Derbyshire
It was Harriet Derbyshire’s death that pushed Kneale to step down as Torchwood’s leader, as she was his closest confidant during his time with Torchwood. Derbyshire (Siobhán Hewlett) worked alongside Kneale to recover Tommy Brockless in 1918 while they were investigating ghostly happenings and time shifts at St. Teilo’s Hospital in Cardiff. After working alongside Jack Harkness in the Rift War! tie-in comic, Harriet Derbyshire died in 1919 at the age of 26, making her demise one of Torchwood history’s most tragic.
10) Alex Hopkins
We caught a glimpse of Jack Harkness’ team preceding Torchwood’s primary line-up during flashback sequences in “Fragments.” Jack’s last team was led by Alex Hopkins (Julian Lewis Jones), who opened the mysterious Object 1 shortly before the Torchwood team celebrated the New Year of 2000. Object 1 showed Hopkins harrowing visions of Torchwood’s future, including the 456 and Miracle Day, leading him to believe the team just isn’t ready for the 21st century, so he kills them all. He is caught by an emotional Jack Harkness, whom Alex hands command to before killing himself.
In Doctor Who canon, Hopkins called Yvonne Hartman (Tracy-Ann Oberman) and told her what he’d done after killing his team. He warned Hartman that Torchwood isn’t ready for what’s coming, and this call empowered her to rise through Torchwood’s ranks to lead the organization to make sure it was ready. Yvonne Hartman fell victim to the Cyberman in “Army of Ghosts” and “Doomsday,” but her dedication to her role saw her true personality break through the modifications — ultimately proving Alex Hopkins wrong.
9) Alice Guppy
“Fragments” and other Torchwood episodes also took us back to the 19th century when Jack Harkness was discovered by Cardiff’s original Torchwood team. Alice Guppy (Amy Manson) was a core member of this team who recruited Jack after learning of his immortality and history with the Doctor. Torchwood was established by Queen Victoria (Deborah Watling) in 1879 after the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) and Rose showed her what dangers exist among the stars. In the Torchwood Charter, she listed the Doctor as an enemy of the Crown, so it made sense that 19th century Torchwood wanted to find him.
8) Emily Holroyd
Emily Holroyd (Heather Craney) worked alongside Alice Guppy — and was also in a romantic relationship with her — to recruit Jack Harkness to Torchwood Cardiff in 1899. In the 1900s, Holroyd wrote a manifesto that dictated for future Torchwood teams that in the absence of a leader, the longest-serving member of the team would assume the position. This ultimately say Holroyd command that, should the official Torchwood leader be killed or retire, Jack Harkness would take over, as he would clearly be the longest-serving member. This showed just how much faith and trust she had in Jack.
7) Charles Gaskell
A former sailor in the Royal Navy, Charles Gaskell (Cornelius Macarthy) also worked for Torchwood Cardiff in 1899 alongside the newly-recruited Jack Harkness. In 1901, Gaskell and Guppy found a future version of Jack buried in a 20ft grave, put there by his brother in “Exit Wounds.” It was Gaskell who discovered the alien cryosleep technology that allowed Torchwood Cardiff to keep individuals on ice for long periods at a time. Nothing is known about the careers of Alice Guppy, Emily Holroyd, or Charles Gaskell after they found Jack in 1899 and recovered his older version in 1901.
6) Lois Habiba
Torchwood: Children of Earth revitalized the series by exploring a major event in which an alien species, the 456, demanded 10% of the world’s children to use as recreational drugs. Home Office staff member Lois Habiba (Cush Jumbo) worked with Torchwood during this to be their eyes and ears inside negotiations with the 456, which Jack met years prior. Lois’ work with Torchwood led to her being imprisoned for espionage, despite having a hand in saving millions of children. She was presumably released by her ally and boss, Bridget Spears (Susan Brown), though her connection to Torchwood was severed.
5) Rex Matheson
After the success of Children of Earth, Torchwood: Miracle Day explored another worldwide event, Miracle Day, in which everyone on Earth became immortal, but Jack became mortal. CIA agent Rex Matheson (Mekhi Phifer) extradited Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper to the United States to investigate “the Miracle,” but then joined them on the run as a member of the new Torchwood team. Rex received a blood transfusion with Jack’s empowered blood, allowing the Blessing to be destroyed, but making him immortal, too. Rex eventually became Deputy Director of the CIA, and he continued to work clearing up the Three Families.
4) Esther Drummond
CIA analyst Esther Drummond (Alexa Havins) also joined the relocated Torchwood team investigating the Miracle alongside Rex Matheson. She worked with the Torchwood team to expose the Three Families and end the Miracle, and it was her idea to transfuse Jack’s blood into Rex to keep it safe. It was this that eventually allowed the Blessing to be destroyed from both Shanghai and Buenos Aires, so the Miracle wouldn’t have ended without Esther. Unfortunately, Esther was subsequently shot and killed by The Cousin (Chris Butler), who protected the Blessing in Argentina.
3) Oswald Danes
Perhaps the most reluctant recruit Jack and Gwen ever made to the Torchwood team was former teacher and convicted sex offender Oswald Danes (the legendary Bill Pullman). Danes was set to be killed by lethal injection, but was saved by the Miracle, and he became something of a prophet figure and PhiCorp’s spokesperson, despite his heinous past. Eventually, Danes grew tired of his life, so helped Torchwood destroy the Blessing and bring back death. He killed himself and The Mother (Frances Fisher) with a bomb-vest, subsequently destroying the Shanghai site of the Blessing, ensuring the Miracle could never occur again.
2) Dr. Vera Juarez
Few Torchwood characters had as gruesome a death as Dr. Vera Juarez (Arlene Tur). Juarez was a gifted surgeon who became an expert voice during the initial response to the Miracle, and her advice eventually snowballed into the establishment of “overflow camps.” In these camps, “dead” citizens were categorized by how dead they were, and Category 1s were burned alive in furnaces. Juarez herself met this fate after she threatened to expose Colin Maloney (Marc Vann), who had been mislabelling individuals at his camp. Maloney leaves Juarez to burn in a furnace, which is filmed by Rex Matheson for posterity.
1) Dr. Martha Jones
After traveling with the Tenth Doctor in the TARDIS and saving the world with Jack Harkness during the “Year That Never Was,” Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) briefly worked with the Torchwood team in “Reset.” She helped the team infiltrate the Pharm and investigate the Mayfly deaths, which culminated in Owen Harper’s death. Martha momentarily took over as Torchwood’s medical officer, but left once Owen was resurrected and she was no longer needed. Martha ultimately returned to work for UNIT, and later teamed up with the Doctor and Jack again in “The Stolen Earth” and “Journey’s End.”
During the Tenth Doctor’s farewell tour in “The End of Time — Part 2,” Martha was revealed to now be freelancing, fighting Sontarans with new husband Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke), and this is the last time she was seen in the Whoniverse. In novels, comics, and other Doctor Who media, Martha was revealed to have become friends with Sarah Jane Smith (the later Elisabeth Sladen), and later attended her memorial. She also met the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) and the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), and was celebrated as one of the Doctor’s most legendary and influential past companions.
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