In 1953, three people set
off on a journey that would take them, not home, but through the Rift into
2006, and a life without their family or their loved ones. John Ellis found his
son Alan in a home for dementia patients. A man who used to be a fireman in his
younger days, now could barely remember a thing – until a chance moment when he
remembered a football match he and his dad had been to see.
But the reality was too
much to bear, that Alan had not married, had no children of his own, and the
family name would be lost. With no family left, John Ellis took his own life,
with Captain Jack by his side till the end.
Diane Holmes discovered
that in order to fly her own plane anywhere would need to apply for a new
flying licence, but the paperwork would likely take far longer than she planned
to stick around for. Accepting that she was not able to return to her own era,
took to the skies once more for another adventure, leaving a heartbroken Owen
Harper behind.
Emma, the youngest of the
three, dreamed of working in fashion, and accepting that she would never see
her family any more, moved forward with her life, learning a lot more about the
youth of today and with Gwen’s help and that of Torchwood’s, set off for her
new life in London. I wonder if she made a success of her life in the end?
Mark Lewis Jones
‘John Ellis’
‘Matthews
did three set-ups in twenty minutes, then Bill Perry cracked home the winner.
You said he had wings on his feet and that's why he was called a winger. You
used to say clever things like that.’
‘Blackpool
won.’ Alan replies.
‘Yes!
Alan, it's me, your dad. I bought you that football annual you wanted for
Christmas, Alan. It was in my desk drawer. Alan, please.’
John Ellis was a broken
man when he left the nursing home, after seeing his son Alan. Knowing his
family line had reached a natural end, it was time to draw a close to his own
life.
Since his role in
Torchwood, Mark Lewis Jones hasn’t looked back. His career has taken him to
many popular television series’ including his latest role as Steve Baldini in
S4C’s and BBC Wales production of Keeping Faith & Un Bore Mercher. Mark
also played Canady, the evil Captain of a space ship at the start of the new
Star Wars film The Last Jedi (oh how I punched the air when I saw him).
Since his role as John
Ellis, Mark moved up the ranks of each television film episode of The Commander
from DI to DCI Doug James a year after Torchwood, then onward to playing Chief
Constable Bryan Jones in 5 episodes of Y Pris in the same year. Jumping ahead
to 2009, Mark played King Olaf in Merlin and Stone Mason Longstride in Robin
Hood a year later. In Silent Witness in 2011, he played D.I. Frank Skipper. I’m
seeing a trend here.
In the video game The
Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, he voiced Letho of Gulet, and Ser Emeric/Veld
and Paivel in Dragon Age II. Was the voice of Kublai for Ni no Kuni: Wrath of
the White Witch and Nemeroth and Thrax in Warhammer 40, 000: Space Marine, as
well as additional voices in Star Wars: The Old Republic in 2011.
As well as his role as
Shagga in Game of Thrones in 2011, Mark was back playing another DCI in Talking
to the Dead, television mini series in 2013, and David Lloyd George in the
television series 37 days in 2014.
More recently of course,
Mark has played Gerry in National Treasure in 2016, Dylan in Byw Celwydd in
2017, for 16 episodes. As Rob Morgan in Stella for 28 episodes. Mark is
currently filming The Good Liar where he plays Bryn, which is out in 2019,
along with Apostle, Gwen, Carnival Row, of which two are in post production and
one is in pre production.
Louise Delamere
‘Diane’
‘Because
when you take off together, it's the next best thing to flying.’
Owen Harper had met plenty
of women before, but when Diane Holmes came through the Rift, he had no idea at
the time, just how much he was going to miss her when she finally left in her
plane, the Sky Gypsy.
Since Torchwood Louise,
who is married to comedy actor Stephen Mangan since 2007, has played characters
in Doc Martin, Scott & Bailey, Waterloo Road as Marion James, Casualty as a
series of characters from 1999 – 2013, to playing Colette Sheward in Holby City
for 36 episodes from 2013 – 2014. Her last credits were as Sarah Rushton in the
television mini series In the Dark in 2017.
Olivia Hallinan
‘Emma’
‘Only
my dad gets to talk to me like that, and I'm never going to see him again, am
I? Or my mum, or my best friend, or my dog. And I miss them. And I hate this
filthy, stinking place!’
For Emma, landing in 2006,
in Cardiff, was a bit of a culture shock, especially where boys were concerned.
The upbringing of a young girl in 1953 was much different to how it was 53
years later, and Gwen Cooper knew she had to help Emma adjust, pretty quickly.
Olivia began her career in
television a year before Torchwood, in a television series called Sugar Rush,
playing Kim for 20 episodes. Since Torchwood she has played various characters
for popular television dramas from Trial & Retribution and Casualty in 2007, Moving On as Ruth in
2010, and her notably larger role in Lark Rise to Candleford from 2008 - 2011
as Laura Timmins for 40 episodes. Since 2014 where she played Grace in Grace
Under Pressure, a short film, there is no mention of any further acting
credits.
Rhea Bailey
‘Jade’
‘Sorry
love, I’ll be getting hammered.’
Jade, with Alesha were two
young girls who grew up in care and were staying at the hostel when Emma was
busy putting up paper chains. They thought her idea of going carol singing was
truly hilarious. Jade of course was going to get extremely drunk. When Emma
looks as if the pressure of never returning home to see her parents pushes the
tears to escape, Jade hands her an alcoholic drink.
Before her role in
Torchwood, Rhea was probably better known as Yasmin Deardon in Waterloo Road.
Later on in her career, she played a few different characters in the series
Blue Murder, before playing Stella Parkman and Rebecca Seagrove in the daytime
medical drama Doctors. In 2008 till 2010 Rhea played PC Mel Ryder for the best
(IMO) police drama The Bill for 69 episodes. She played Amanda Shaw for an
episode of The Mentalist in 2012. In 2015 till a year later, she played Caz
Hammond in Corrie for 72 episodes before playing Corrine in the television
series Girlfriends in 2018.
Andrew MacBean
‘Flying Instructor’
‘Best
I can do is Friday the twenty ninth, three o’clock.’
When Owen and Diane
enquired after flying lessons at the small Aviation flying school, Diane was
disappointed to learn that she couldn’t take to the skies any earlier than what
was available in the instructor’s diary.
Since Torchwood, Andrew
MacBean has had roles in theatre and television including Eastenders as Dr
Niall Heaton in 2011, Dr Smith in Keith Lemon’s Fit video in 2010, as well as
Dr Fallus in Keith Lemon: The Film in 2012. He has played a Regimental Sergeant
Major in a television mini series called Our World War in 2014, and although
not mentioned as which character, appeared in National Theatre Live: Twelfth
Night in Ensemble, but also in Amadeus, role not mentioned. Apart from a Short
called The Overcoat, in 2017, there are no further mentions regarding Andrew
MacBean.
Nila Aalia was listed as
flying instructor but I have absolutely no recollection of her in this episode.
The only flying instructor in the episode as far as I was aware was Andrew
MacBean, and for some reason, despite his short speaking role, was listed as
uncredited.
Marion Fenner
‘Nurse’
‘He's
senile. He doesn't remember who he is most of the time. Couldn't live at home
any more. He'd leave hobs on, forget to dress, you know. He never had any
children so there was no one there to look after him.’
A nurse at the Nursing
Home, Marion Fenner’s character looked after many infirm and senile patients.
Before Torchwood, Marion
played Doreen Probert and Bevan in the popular Welsh soap Pobol y Cwm from 1984
– 2002. Since Torchwood, Marion has appeared in further Welsh dramas including
Alys, Y Pris, Gwaith/Cartref, and Teulu Ty Crwn. Since 2012 there are no
further credits.
Ciaran Dowd
 |
‘Sorry,
mate, you can’t smoke in here.’
As John Ellis lit his pipe
at the table with Jack, the barman who had left his post to collect glasses,
reminded John that he couldn’t smoke in the public house.
Since Torchwood, Ciaran
has played characters in popular television dramas and comedies, including The
Shadow Line in 2011 as a Hotel Receptionist, as Guy Grant in Doctors in 2014,
Dr. Stokes in Cuckoo, a large selection of characters in Drunk History: UK from
2016 – 2017, and Ian in GameFace in 2017. As well as acting, Ciaran also wrote
3 episodes of Off Their Rockers in 2016.
Has currently finished
filming Fighting With My Family playing a Douche and Heckler, and as Simon in
Man Band currently in post production.
Sam Beazley aka Sam
Beezely
‘Alan Ellis’
‘When’s
Dad coming, Mam?’
Unable to look after
himself, pensioner Alan Ellis was cared for by the nursing staff in the home he
currently resided in. After years of waiting for his Dad to come home, he was
none the wiser when John Ellis tried to make conversation with his son, only to
find a mere shell of the man he once was.
Sam Beazley has had a long
and distinguished career in television, film and theatre. Although IMDB list
nothing of his Torchwood credits, Wikipedia do, and it was this saving grace
that led me to realise that Sam Beezely was in fact Sam Beazley.
Sam was born on the 29th
March 1916 in Kensington, London. He has played an array of different
characters, but as the years progressed, his roles had a recurring theme – from
playing Lords to Vicars, he played Cyril Toft in Midsomer Murders in 2000, and
an Elderly Man in Johnny English in 2003, playing a Very Old Man in Bridget
Jones: The Edge of Reason in 2014, but aside from playing Walter Bazeley in
Casualty in 2007 and George Woodridge in Foyle’s War, it’s perhaps his role in
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix which would have people wondering
where they last saw him, playing Everard.
Sam Beazley was 101 when
he died, on 12th June, 2017. He was the second oldest living cast
member to reach 100 in the HP franchise as of January 2017 and the 23rd
cast member to die from the Harry Potter franchise.
All these years and I thought
Sam Beezley only ever played Alan Ellis in Torchwood – amazing!
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