Dr Owen James Harper is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life perso ...

played by

Burn Gorman Burn Hugh Winchester Gorman (born 1 September 1974) is an English actor and musician. He is known for his roles as Owen Harper in the BBC series '' Torchwood'' (2006–2008), Phillip Stryver in '' The Dark Knight Rises'' (2012), Karl Tanner in t ...

, and a regular in the BBC

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growin ...

'', a

spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gov ...

from the long-running series ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

''. The character last appeared onscreen in the Series 2 finale, "

Exit Wounds ''Exit Wounds'' is a 2001 American action film directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak, and starring Steven Seagal and DMX. The film is based on the book of the same name by John Westermann. The book takes place on Long Island, while the film is set in D ...

". Within the series'

narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional ( memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional ( fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc ...

, Owen is the medical officer and a field agent for Torchwood Three, a team of alien-hunters based in Cardiff. In his private life, Owen is a

narcissistic Narcissism is a self-centered personality style characterized as having an excessive interest in one's physical appearance or image and an excessive preoccupation with one's own needs, often at the expense of others. Narcissism exists on a co ...

womanizer Womanizer may refer to: * "Womanizer" (term), a promiscuous heterosexual man * "Womanizer" (song), a 2008 song by Britney Spears * "Womanizer", a 1977 song by Blood, Sweat & Tears from '' Brand New Day'' * ''Womanizer'', a 2004 album by Absolut ...

with a long history of

sexual partner Sexual partners are people who engage in sexual activity together. The sexual partners may be in a committed relationship, either on an exclusive basis or not, or engage in the sexual activity on a casual basis. They may be on intimate terms ...

s, including colleagues

Gwen Cooper Gwen Cooper is a fictional character portrayed by Welsh actress Eve Myles in the BBC science-fiction television programme ''Torchwood'', a spin-off of the long-running series ''Doctor Who''. The lead female character, Gwen featured in every ep ...

(

Eve Myles Eve Myles (born 26 July 1978) is a Welsh actress. She is best known for her television roles portraying Ceri Lewis in the long-running BBC Wales drama series '' Belonging'' (2000–2009), Gwen Cooper in the BBC science-fiction series ''Torchw ...

) and

Suzie Costello This is a list of characters from the British science fiction television programme ''Torchwood'', created by Russell T Davies. This list includes main characters, recurring characters and important guest characters. The main characters typicall ...

( Indira Varma), but remained indifferent to the affections of colleague

Toshiko Sato is a fictional character from the television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-off ''Torchwood'', played by Naoko Mori. After a one-off appearance in the ''Doctor Who'' episode "Aliens of London" (2005), Toshiko is re-introduced as a series re ...

(

Naoko Mori (born 29 November 1971) is a Japanese actress based in the United Kingdom. She is known for her roles as Toshiko Sato in ''Doctor Who'' and ''Torchwood'', Yasuko Namba in ''Everest'', Sarah in ''Absolutely Fabulous'' and Nicola in '' Spice Wor ...

). The show's second series would see Owen experience death, only to be resurrected and forced to adjust to the uncertainty of his

undead The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if alive. Most commonly the term refers to corporeal forms of formerly-alive humans, such as mummies, vampires, and zombies, who have been reanimated b ...

existence, before ultimately being destroyed in his final appearance.

Appearances

Television

Owen is introduced in the

first episode A series premiere is the first aired installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. In the United States, many series premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or ...

of ''Torchwood'' in 2006, as the sarcastic and womanising medical officer for Torchwood Three; the first episode sees him recreationally use alien technology to get a woman and her boyfriend to sleep with him. Owen's first centric episode comes in "

Ghost Machine Ghost Machine was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, known for featuring two members from Motograter, vocalist Ivan Moody, also vocalist for Five Finger Death Punch, and drummer Chris "Crispy" Binns, as well as John Stevens ...

", when an alien device makes him experience the rape and murder of a girl in the 1950s, which drives him to seek revenge for her. The next episode sees him kiss teammate

Gwen Gwen may refer to: * Gwen (given name), including a list of people with the name * ''Gwen, or the Book of Sand'', a 1985 animated film * Gwen (film), a 2018 horror film * Tropical Storm Gwen, several storms with the name Acronyms * AN/URC-117 Grou ...

(

) in the midst of a

Cyberman The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. The Cybermen are a species of space-faring cyborgs who often forcefully and painfully convert human beings ...

attack on the Hub, and as the series continues they continue a destructive affair which Gwen conceals from boyfriend Rhys Williams (

Kai Owen Kai Owen (born 4 September 1975) is a Welsh actor of stage and screen, known to Welsh audiences for his numerous roles on Welsh language television and to worldwide audiences for his portrayal of Rhys Williams in '' Torchwood'' and Pete Bucha ...

). Owen remains oblivious to the devotion of teammate Toshiko (

), but experiences real love with a time-lost 1953 pilot Diane ( Louise Delamere) and is distraught when she disappears in an attempt to return to her time, and despondent over this, Owen ends the affair with Gwen. Owen investigates a men's 'fight club' which uses alien Weevils, and Owen attempts to allow one to almost devour him; in the episode's

dénouement Dramatic structure (also known as dramaturgical structure) is the structure of a dramatic work such as a book, play, or film. There are different kinds of dramatic structures worldwide which have been hypothesized by critics, writers and schola ...

, however, Torchwood's captive Weevil mysteriously cowers in fear from Owen. When

Captain Jack Captain Jack may refer to: People * Calico Jack (1683–1720), a pirate in the 18th century * Captain Jack (Hawaiian) (died 1831), Naihekukui, commander of Kamehameha's fleet and father of Kalama * Captain Jack (fl. 1830s on), Kaurna man in c ...

(

John Barrowman John Scot Barrowman (born 11 March 1967) is a Scottish-American actor, author, presenter, singer and comic book writer. He is known for his role as Captain Jack Harkness in ''Doctor Who'' and '' Torchwood'', and as Malcolm Merlyn in the Arrowv ...

) and Toshiko are lost to the past, Owen as second-in-command takes control and fights with Ianto (

Gareth David-Lloyd Gareth David Lloyd (born 28 March 1981), known professionally as Gareth David-Lloyd, is a Welsh actor and writer best known for his role as Ianto Jones in the British science fiction series ''Torchwood.'' Early life He was born in Bettws, Newp ...

) over whether to open the

Rift In geology, a rift is a linear zone where the lithosphere is being pulled apart and is an example of extensional tectonics. Typical rift features are a central linear downfaulted depression, called a graben, or more commonly a half-grabe ...

and 'rescue them'; Owen truly intends to rescue Diane, and is successful in opening the Rift and saving his teammates, but with consequences, for which Jack fires him. In the

series finale A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, or ...

, the opened Rift causes global chaos. An apparition of Diane sent by Bilis Manger ( Murray Melvin) convinces Owen to lead a

mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among memb ...

against Jack to open the Rift yet again; Owen goes so far as to shoot Jack twice in the head. Having unwittingly released the demon

Abaddon The Hebrew term Abaddon ( he, אֲבַדּוֹן ''’Ăḇaddōn'', meaning "destruction", "doom"), and its Greek equivalent Apollyon ( grc-koi, Ἀπολλύων, ''Apollúōn'' meaning "Destroyer") appear in the Bible as both a place of de ...

, who is eventually defeated by a resurrected Jack, Owen is shocked to discover that Jack offers Owen his forgiveness. The second series begins with Gwen now acting as the team's leader following Jack's mysterious disappearance, and the team now work more closely on field missions in an effort to compensate for this shortfall. Toshiko finds the courage to ask Owen on a date, and he does eventually accept. Shortly afterwards however, on a mission assisted by Dr Martha Jones (

Freema Agyeman Freema Agyeman (; born Frema Agyeman; 20 March 1979) is a British actress. She rose to fame with her role as the Doctor's companion Martha Jones in the BBC science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' (2007–2010), and received further recognition f ...

) of

UNIT Unit may refer to: Arts and entertainment * UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' * Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation Music * ''Unit'' (a ...

, Owen is shot dead by Dr Aaron Copley (

Alan Dale Alan Hugh Dale (born 6 May 1947) is a New Zealand actor. As a child, Dale enjoyed theatre and rugby. After retiring from the sport, he took on a number of occupations, before deciding to become a professional actor at age 27. Dale subsequent ...

). Not willing to let Owen die, Jack tracks down and uses the mysterious resurrection gauntlet to restore Owen to life: however, this glove works differently from the one from previous episodes, and Owen is left in a permanent state of living death. Owen is left to despair at his inability to eat, to drink, to enjoy sex and feel the beat of his own heart or heal from wounds, with the final point becoming a logistical concern after he breaks a finger on one of his hands, rendering that hand permanently limited as the bones will never mend. Despite being dead, he is forced to exercise regularly to avoid the onset of

rigor mortis Rigor mortis (Latin: ''rigor'' "stiffness", and ''mortis'' "of death"), or postmortem rigidity, is the third stage of death. It is one of the recognizable signs of death, characterized by stiffening of the limbs of the corpse caused by chemic ...

. His despair at his undead state causes Owen to become severely depressed and even attempt suicide, via drowning, only to find that he has no breath so it doesn't work. Mysteriously, Weevils also begin to follow Owen as if in worship. Owen is discharged again from Torchwood, but returns to his position after proving his sustained value as a field agent, with certain stealth advantages due to not feeling pain or having a heat signature. In subsequent episodes, two alien species ignore Owen's presence as being dead makes him of no use to them. The flashback-centric episode " Fragments" sheds light on how Owen came to join Torchwood: Owen's fiancée Katie (

Andrea Lowe Andrea Lowe (born 1 May 1975 in Arnold, Nottinghamshire) is an English actress. Career She started her theatre career at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre in the play '' The Birthday Party'' by Harold Pinter.BMBS degree of British physicians, Owen holds a dissertation-based MD. Despite his existential angst in facing life after death, the second series finale sees Owen die a second time, when he is caught in a

nuclear meltdown A nuclear meltdown (core meltdown, core melt accident, meltdown or partial core melt) is a severe nuclear reactor accident that results in core damage from overheating. The term ''nuclear meltdown'' is not officially defined by the Internatio ...

caused by Jack's brother

Gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be compose ...

(Lachlan Nieboer). This occurs at the same time as Toshiko is dying from a

gunshot wound A gunshot wound (GSW) is a penetrating injury caused by a projectile (e.g. a bullet) from a gun (typically firearm or air gun). Damages may include bleeding, bone fractures, organ damage, wound infection, loss of the ability to move pa ...

, and she and Owen spend their last minutes lamenting that they never formed a relationship. Though Owen does not appear again, in the 2008 ''Doctor Who''/''Torchwood'' crossover " The Stolen Earth", Gwen vows to keep fighting in the face of a

Dalek The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrials in fiction, extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by write ...

, for Tosh and Owen's memory, and in the miniseries ''

Children of Earth ''Children of Earth'' is the banner title of the third and penultimate series of the British television science fiction programme ''Torchwood'', which broadcast for five episodes on BBC One from 6 to 10 July 2009. The series had new producer ...

'' (2009) it is shown that Gwen keeps a photograph of Tosh and Owen on her desk. In 2011 episode " The New World", from '' Torchwood: Miracle Day'', Jack uses the alias of "Owen Harper, FBI" in an American hospital.

Literature

Owen appears in the first six of the ''Torchwood'' novels, published by

BBC Books BBC Books (also formerly known as BBC Publishing) is an imprint majority-owned and managed by Penguin Random House through its Ebury Publishing division. The minority shareholder is BBC Studios, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasti ...

. The first wave, '' Another Life'' by Peter Anghelides, '' Border Princes'' by

Dan Abnett Dan Abnett (born 12 October 1965) is an English comic book writer and novelist. He has been a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, si ...

, and ''

Slow Decay ''Slow Decay'' is the tenth studio album by American metal band the Acacia Strain. It was released on July 24, 2020, through Rise Records, though originally scheduled for release a week earlier, on July 17. The songs in the album were all relea ...

'' by

Andy Lane Andrew Lane (born 17 April 1963), as Andy Lane, is a British author and journalist best known for the Young Sherlock Holmes series of Young Adult novels. He has written novels in the Virgin New Adventures range and audio dramas for Big Fin ...

, were published in January 2007. Published in March 2008, and tying in with the concurrently airing second series of ''Torchwood'', Owen appears in the novels '' Trace Memory'' by David Llewellyn, ''

The Twilight Streets ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' by

Gary Russell Gary Russell (born 18 September 1963) is a British freelance writer, producer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs in other media. As an a ...

, and '' Something in the Water'' by Trevor Baxendale. The novel ''Another Life'' reveals that Owen once had a relationship with a fellow medical student, Megan Tegg, in London. When he split up with her in 2001, he moved to Cardiff to continue his medical course. In the novel ''Trace Memory'', Owen is seen on the verge of completing his medical course in Cardiff in 2003. These appearances are consistent with his history shown in "Fragments". As with all ''Doctor Who'' and ''Torchwood'' spin-off media, the canonicity in relation to the television series is unclear. Owen also appears in the first two ''Torchwood'' audio books, '' Hidden'' by

Steven Savile Steven Savile (born 12 October 1969) is a British fantasy, horror and thriller writer and editor living in Sweden. His published work includes novels and numerous short stories in magazines and anthologies. Career Steven Savile started out ...

, narrated by

(who plays Toshiko). and '' Everyone Says Hello'' by

, narrated by Burn Gorman.

Audio drama

Gorman has reprised the role of Owen for various Torchwood audio dramas with

Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on cult science fiction properties. These include '' Doctor Who'', th ...

, beginning with 2017's ''Corpse Day''.

Concept and creation

Owen was initially conceived as "a bit of a lad" and was going to be "more of a conventional

leading man A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...

". However, as Russell T Davies and

Chris Chibnall Christopher Antony Chibnall (born 21 March 1970) is an English television writer and producer, best known as the creator and writer of the award-winning ITV mystery-crime drama ''Broadchurch'' and as a showrunner of the long-running BBC sci ...

developed the series, they decided they wanted the character to be "more interesting". Casting director Andy Pryor reveals that they originally looked at "hunky" actors to play the part, but realised that they needed somebody more "complex" and who would contrast against John Barrowman who plays Captain Jack. Burn Gorman was eventually cast in the role because Pryor had been impressed with his work in ''

Bleak House ''Bleak House'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode serial between March 1852 and September 1853. The novel has many characters and several sub-plots, and is told partly by the novel's heroine, Esther Summerson, and ...

'' and on stage; Pryor claims that Gorman "always brings an edgy, slightly dangerous energy to his work. He's sexy in a very individual way."

Reception

The character was negatively received by some commentators. For example,

Verity Stob Verity Stob is the pseudonym of a British satirical columnist. Stob is an anonymous software developer, the author of humorous and satirical articles about information technology, particularly software development. Since 1988, she has written her ...

's parody of the 2006 series of ''Torchwood'', entitled ''Under Torch Wood'' (in the style of

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems " Do not go gentle into that good night" and " And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Und ...

' ''

Under Milk Wood ''Under Milk Wood'' is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, commissioned by the BBC and later adapted for the stage. A film version, ''Under Milk Wood'' directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released in 1972, and another adaptation of ...

''), comments on Owen's unlikeable personality and behaviour over the course of series one. In ''Under Torch Wood'', Owen introduces himself "Doctor Owen Harper. By dint of great effort, I have made myself even less sympathetic and more unlikeable than the other characters."

References

External links

Owen Harper on the BBC's ''Torchwood'' website

Owen Harper on the BBC-created Torchwood Institute website

The Torchwood website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Owen Torchwood characters Fictional physicians Fictional people from London Fictional secret agents and spies Fictional surgeons Fictional undead Television characters introduced in 2006 Male characters in television Fictional bisexual males Fictional LGBT characters in television