Cyberwoman
Encyclopedia
"Cyberwoman" is the fourth episode of the first series of the British
science fiction television
series Torchwood
. Written by Chris Chibnall
and directed by James Strong
, the episode was first broadcast on the digital channel BBC Three
on 5 November 2006, and later repeated on terrestrial channel BBC Two
on 8 November.
In the episode, Ianto Jones
(Gareth David-Lloyd
) is revealed to secretly house his girlfriend, Lisa Hallett (Caroline Chikezie
), a half-converted Cyberman
, in the basement of the Torchwood Hub. Ianto wants to turn her into a human again, but by doing so her Cyberman influence takes control, and the rest of the team must stop her before she could become a threat to Earth
. However, Ianto still believes she can be saved.
The episode was among the first pitched for the series, as creator Russell T Davies saw a potential to continue the story from the Doctor Who
episodes "Army of Ghosts
" and "Doomsday
". Episode writer originally intended the episode to appear sometime midway through the series, but was ultimately brought forward to the fourth slot. It was filmed in the third production block. Because of the limited number of filming locations and cast members, it was among the cheapest episodes in the first series. It was seen by almost 1.4 million viewers after its original broadcast and received generally mixed reactions from critics, though the producers regard the episode as one of their favourites in the series.
expert Dr. Tanizaki (Togo Igawa
) down to a basement deep inside, home to Lisa Hallet, Ianto's girlfriend. They both worked in Torchwood One during the events of Doctor Who
"Doomsday
", when Cybermen
partially converted Lisa before the invasion ended. Ianto has since cared for her by placing her in the basement with a conversion unit to keep her alive. Ianto wants Tanizaki to reverse the process. Tanazaki is able to make her breathe on her own again, but by that time, the team is recalled back to deal with a rogue unidentified flying object
. When Tanizaki brings Lisa back down to the basement, her Cyberman influence takes over and she kills him by attempting to "upgrade" him.
This causes a power flicker in the Hub; Ianto makes an excuse to look into it himself and finds Tanizaki's body. As he leaves Lisa to hide the body, she drains even more power by re-entering the conversion unit. Believing the Hub is under attack, team leader Jack Harkness
(John Barrowman
) sends Gwen Cooper
(Eve Myles
) and Owen Harper
(Burn Gorman
) to the basement where they find the abandoned conversion unit. Jack runs down to find Owen unconscious and Gwen about to be converted. He stops the process and attempts to shoot Lisa, but Ianto stops him, allowing Lisa to escape. Ianto pleads with Jack that they try save her, but Jack affirms that there is no cure.
Ianto approaches Lisa to reason with her, only to end up being knocked unconscious. Jack buys technical expert Toshiko Sato
(Naoko Mori
) time to go to the surface to recharge the emergency power cells by allowing him self to be "deleted" (death from electrocution by a Cyberman's touch) twice by Lisa, though he would survive due to his immortality
. To allow the rest of the team to escape, Jack sprays Lisa with a special "barbecue sauce" that summons the pet pterodactyl; as it attacks her, the team escapes by the invisible lift. Ianto punches Jack for his actions, uttering he is "the biggest monster of them all." Meanwhile, a pizza
delivery girl (Bethan Walker) unwittingly enters the Hub to find a seriously injured Lisa. Ianto runs back to the Hub, but is stopped by Jack, who threatens him at gunpoint with an ultimatum; either he will execute Lisa, or if he does not do so in ten minutes, Jack will enter and kill them both.
Ianto returns to basement and is devastated to find Lisa dead. He then sees the delivery girl, who has a large cut across her forehead; Lisa implanted her brain into the delivery girl. At first reluctant, Ianto aims his gun at her, but cannot bring himself to shoot her. The girl tries to explain she did this for Ianto, but then promises that they can be upgraded together. The rest of the Torchwood team, arriving to hear that, open fire and kill her, leaving Ianto to mourn.
episodes "Army of Ghosts
" and "Doomsday
"; in the episodes, Cybermen
from a parallel universe
invade Earth
to assimilate the human population. They were ultimately defeated when the Doctor
(David Tennant
) banishes them to the void, a space between universes, to be imprisoned. "Cyberwoman" was among the first episodes pitched for the first series. When Chris Chibnall
was appointed head writer for Torchwood, Davies asked him to write an episode about a cyber girl in the basement of the Hub.
Out of the entire first series, "Cyberwoman" is the biggest nod to Doctor Who, there was little to no mention of the series, despite being a spin-off, which was made deliberate to send out "confusing signals" to the audience about what the series is. Chibnall wanted to include a base description of what a Cyberman is for any viewer who had not seen Doctor Who. The episode was the first to centre on Ianto, who in the first three episodes was more or less a background character, and what John Barrowman described as like Torchwoods version of Alfred Pennyworth
in Batman
. Chibnall originally intended for the episode to become the sixth or seventh in the series, but was brought forward to the fourth because some of the other scripts were not yet completed. It also became one of Chibnall's harder episodes to write. Before settling on the current title, Chibnall went through numerous working title
s, including "The Trouble with Lisa" and "The Long Night of Ianto". "Cyberwoman" was ultimately chosen because the title "says it all."
", as to show Gwen knowing all the protocols and how to handle weapons, where as in the last episode, Gwen was still considered a rookie. Despite the episode being about stopping Lisa, Chibnall still wanted the beginning to be a love story between her and Ianto, and show the audience that a half-converted Lisa is still human and the girlfriend Ianto loves. Also, because Ianto is "fundamentally wrong" about thinking Lisa can be saved, Chibnall wanted the audience to sympathise with the character and his motives.
The idea of having Lisa fight the pterodactyl, named Myfanwy by the producers, made them laugh, and felt they had to include it. The line where Ianto calls Jack the "biggest monster" was intended to be cut out, but Chibnall decided to keep it because of its impact to the audience. The scene where the team lines up to execute Lisa towards the end was the first scene Chibnall had in mind for the episode, though in the first draft, it was Ianto who killed her. After the episode was written and filmed, Chibnall discovered two main plot hole
s in the story. The first is that he did not make clear that everything about Lisa, including the scene where she acted human was all part of her plan for her Cyberman-influence to take over, and reflected to adding at least two lines of dialogue to explain her motives clearly. The second was Jack having a cut lip in the end, even though he is immortal and all his wounds would have healed quickly. In the audio commentary
for the episode, both Chibnall and actor Gareth David-Lloyd stated the reasoning behind the cut being there is because Jack's immortal powers would only deal with life-threatening wounds and not minor injuries.
Before filming took place, David-Lloyd met with Caroline Chikezie and got to know each other to help give their respective characters their chemistry. The episode was filmed as part of the third production block of the first series, along with eighth episode "They Keep Killing Suzie
". Director James Strong
wanted to film the episode in a sort of real time format. Filming largely took place at the Upper Boat Studios
outside Pontypridd
, where the Torchwood Hub set is located. The scene where Jack threatens to kill Ianto if he does not kill Lisa was the first scene to be shot. The flashback scene where Ianto finds a half-converted Lisa in Canary Wharf
took a full day to film; it was originally supposed to take only a few hours, but the camera failed to record the scene. It was replaced, but the second camera failed to record also. Eve Myles and Burn Gorman were both trained how to handle guns and a torch like a "secret agent." Strong noted that they both held the gun and torch in each hand like professionals.
The external shots of the Hub were filmed at Roald Dahl Plass
in Cardiff
, which is what exists above the Hub in the series. Filming the scenes at the Plass took place during the middle of the night, and were disrupted by hooligans
. The basement where Ianto holds Lisa was filmed at a cellar in Tredegar House
, Newport
. The original ending to the episode is where Toshiko hands Ianto coffee
while he is cleaning the Hub. However, after it was filmed, Strong decided to cut that scene out, as he felt the overhead shot of the Hub before that scene would have made a more suitable ending. Because it was filmed in only a handful of locations, mostly in the Hub set, and there were only a few guest cast members, "Cyberwoman" was considered one of the cheapest episodes in the first series.
, and wanted to "tap into that." To make the cyberwoman costume, the props department wanted to make it as "sexy" as they can. Director James Strong
wanted to make the costume look "amazing," but threatening and scary as well. There were discussions about which parts of Lisa would be human, and which parts would be cyborg. Made out of rubber, it was custom made to fit Chikezie as much as possible. It took an entire day for the actress to get her body cast. After the costume was completed, it would take an hour to apply each morning, and an hour to remove by lunch break. Chikezie found it difficult to hear anything from the helmet while shooting scenes. It was also uncomfortable for her, but the producers noted she remained stoic throughout filming.
The fight scene between Lisa and Myfanwy was difficult to shoot, as the actress had to interact with a visual effect creature that would not be added until post-production. The producers added a plastic green beak stuck on the end of a stick to be used as a guide. The scene where the team go up on the invisible lift was made by making the platform stationary, but the camera below it would descend, giving the illusion the platform is ascending. The visual effect of the tools used to create Cybermen were reused from the Doctor Who episode "The Age of Steel
", while the UFO footage when the Torchwood team return from the drinks was a tin foil
-covered frisbee on a fishing line.
during the 10 pm time slot on Sunday 5 November 2006. The episode was seen by 1.391 million viewers, the highest viewing on the channel the week it was broadcast. The repeat on terrestrial channel BBC Two
on 8 November 2010, was seen by 2.1 million viewers with a 10% audience share. It was given an Appreciation Index
of 84.
Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy of Den of Geek reacted positively towards the episode, stating "surprisingly, it was absolutely brilliant – a mini-tragedy of sorts about secrets, obsession and corruption that finally gave both Gareth David-Lloyd something interesting to do and the series some much-needed focus. Plus, they totally played a Mogwai
song
! How often does that happen on television?" Montesinos-Donaghy felt it was "a step in the right direction," adding that it has "everything I could have wanted from a Torchwood episode."
Ian Hyland
of News of the World
disliked the episode, stating "After this week's 'Cyberwoman' nonsense, 'Torch Script' would be a better idea." Androzani.com said of the episode, "It's awful. It's horrific. It seriously, seriously sucks," adding "the single nice thing we can find to say is that the concept had potential." Seb Patrick of Noise to Signal thought, "despite a strong - and somewhat morally ambiguous - ending [the episode] really should have delivered in more spectacular fashion than this." Patrick also criticised Jack's personality throughout the episode, stating "we wanted a spinoff series about him because he was cocky, cool and downright entertaining - Buzz Lightyear
meets Ace Rimmer meets James Bond
. We didn't want some grumpy immortal bastard with a chip on his shoulder." Despite the mixed reviews however, the series producers and BBC
controller of fiction Jane Tranter
regard the episode as one of their favourites from the first series.
argues that in "Cyberwoman", "we see the first female Cyber character on screen; unable to control her programming she attempts to assimilate her ex-boyfriend and his teammates. Like Maria in Metropolis
and the suburban threat seen in The Stepford Wives
(1975), technology is seen here as even more threatening when linked with the possibility of female reproduction."
Neil Perryman of the University of Sunderland
feels this episode is a prime example of transmedia storytelling in Doctor Who and Torchwood, describing the episode and ancillary online material released after its airing being in part an attempt at continuity management. He describes "...these metasites have also been used to correct continuity errors that have appeared within the television show. For example, following the broadcast of the Torchwood episode ‘Cyberwoman’ (13 November 2006), the official Torchwood website provided information about ‘The Fall of Torchwood One’ that attempted to correct – via ‘additive comprehension’ – what some fans had regarded as a glaring error in the plot. Fans had asked how the eponymous Cyberwoman was not sucked into the void along with the rest of her kin during the climax to the Doctor Who episode ‘Doomsday’ (8 July 2006) and the site retroactively explained away the problem: ‘The only exceptions were those being converted with material entirely derived from this side of the void’, which allowed the events of ‘Cyberwoman’ to take place without contradicting what viewers originally saw in the episode."
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction television
Science fiction on television
Science fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...
series Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
. Written by Chris Chibnall
Chris Chibnall
Chris Chibnall is a British playwright, television writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the science-fiction series Torchwood....
and directed by James Strong
James Strong (director)
James Strong is a British television director and writer. He has directed episodes of the shows Holby City and Doctors, as well as six episodes of Doctor Who and two episodes of its spin-off series Torchwood...
, the episode was first broadcast on the digital channel BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
on 5 November 2006, and later repeated on terrestrial channel BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
on 8 November.
In the episode, Ianto Jones
Ianto Jones
Ianto Jones is a fictional character in the BBC television series Torchwood, played by Welsh actor Gareth David-Lloyd. A series regular, Ianto appears in every episode of the programme's first three series, as well as two crossover episodes of Torchwoods parent show, Doctor Who...
(Gareth David-Lloyd
Gareth David-Lloyd
Gareth David-Lloyd is a Welsh actor best known for his role as Ianto Jones in the British science fiction television programme Torchwood.- Early life :...
) is revealed to secretly house his girlfriend, Lisa Hallett (Caroline Chikezie
Caroline Chikezie
Caroline Chikezie is a British actress, born of Nigerian heritage. She is probably most famous for playing the role of 'Sasha Williams' in the British teen soap As If from 2001 to 2004...
), a half-converted Cyberman
Cyberman
The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs who are amongst the most persistent enemies of the Doctor in the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet Mondas that began to implant more...
, in the basement of the Torchwood Hub. Ianto wants to turn her into a human again, but by doing so her Cyberman influence takes control, and the rest of the team must stop her before she could become a threat to Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. However, Ianto still believes she can be saved.
The episode was among the first pitched for the series, as creator Russell T Davies saw a potential to continue the story from the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
episodes "Army of Ghosts
Army of Ghosts
"Army of Ghosts" is the twelfth and penultimate episode in the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who which was first broadcast on 1 July 2006...
" and "Doomsday
Doomsday (Doctor Who)
"Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the revival of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006...
". Episode writer originally intended the episode to appear sometime midway through the series, but was ultimately brought forward to the fourth slot. It was filmed in the third production block. Because of the limited number of filming locations and cast members, it was among the cheapest episodes in the first series. It was seen by almost 1.4 million viewers after its original broadcast and received generally mixed reactions from critics, though the producers regard the episode as one of their favourites in the series.
Plot
The Torchwood Three team, sans Ianto Jones (who remains behind), go out for a drink. Alone in the hub, Ianto brings in Japanese cyberneticsCybernetics
Cybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to information theory, control theory and systems theory, at least in its first-order form...
expert Dr. Tanizaki (Togo Igawa
Togo Igawa
, born in Tokyo on 26 September 1946, is a Japanese actor who works primarily in British films and television.In recent years he has had roles in major motion pictures such as Revolver, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Last Samurai, and Sunshine...
) down to a basement deep inside, home to Lisa Hallet, Ianto's girlfriend. They both worked in Torchwood One during the events of Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
"Doomsday
Doomsday (Doctor Who)
"Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the revival of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006...
", when Cybermen
Cyberman
The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs who are amongst the most persistent enemies of the Doctor in the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet Mondas that began to implant more...
partially converted Lisa before the invasion ended. Ianto has since cared for her by placing her in the basement with a conversion unit to keep her alive. Ianto wants Tanizaki to reverse the process. Tanazaki is able to make her breathe on her own again, but by that time, the team is recalled back to deal with a rogue unidentified flying object
Unidentified flying object
A term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...
. When Tanizaki brings Lisa back down to the basement, her Cyberman influence takes over and she kills him by attempting to "upgrade" him.
This causes a power flicker in the Hub; Ianto makes an excuse to look into it himself and finds Tanizaki's body. As he leaves Lisa to hide the body, she drains even more power by re-entering the conversion unit. Believing the Hub is under attack, team leader Jack Harkness
Jack Harkness
Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. He first appeared in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" and reappeared in the remaining episodes of the 2005 series as a companion of the ninth incarnation of the...
(John Barrowman
John Barrowman
John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...
) sends Gwen Cooper
Gwen Cooper
Gwen Cooper is a fictional character in the BBC television programme Torchwood, a spin-off to the long-running show Doctor Who, portrayed by Welsh actress Eve Myles. The series' lead female character, Gwen has featured in every episode of the sci-fi programme to date as well as two crossover...
(Eve Myles
Eve Myles
Eve Myles is an award winning Welsh actress of stage and screen. She is best known to Welsh audiences for her portrayal of Ceri Owen in the BBC Wales drama Belonging, and to audiences worldwide for her role as Gwen Cooper in the science fiction show Torchwood, a spin-off from Doctor Who.-Personal...
) and Owen Harper
Owen Harper
Owen Harper is a fictional character played by Burn Gorman, and a regular in the BBC television series Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. The character last appeared onscreen in the Series 2 finale, "Exit Wounds"....
(Burn Gorman
Burn Gorman
Burn Hugh Gorman is an American-born English actor and musician. Burn is best known for his roles as Owen Harper in Torchwood and as William Guppy in Bleak House.-Personal life:...
) to the basement where they find the abandoned conversion unit. Jack runs down to find Owen unconscious and Gwen about to be converted. He stops the process and attempts to shoot Lisa, but Ianto stops him, allowing Lisa to escape. Ianto pleads with Jack that they try save her, but Jack affirms that there is no cure.
Ianto approaches Lisa to reason with her, only to end up being knocked unconscious. Jack buys technical expert Toshiko Sato
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" , Toshiko is re-introduced as a series regular in the Torchwood 2006 premiere episode "Everything Changes"...
(Naoko Mori
Naoko Mori
is a British-Japanese actress known for roles as Sarah, Saffron's "odd" friend in Absolutely Fabulous, Mie Nishikawa in Casualty, and Toshiko Sato in Doctor Who and Torchwood.-Early life:...
) time to go to the surface to recharge the emergency power cells by allowing him self to be "deleted" (death from electrocution by a Cyberman's touch) twice by Lisa, though he would survive due to his immortality
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
. To allow the rest of the team to escape, Jack sprays Lisa with a special "barbecue sauce" that summons the pet pterodactyl; as it attacks her, the team escapes by the invisible lift. Ianto punches Jack for his actions, uttering he is "the biggest monster of them all." Meanwhile, a pizza
Pizza
Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...
delivery girl (Bethan Walker) unwittingly enters the Hub to find a seriously injured Lisa. Ianto runs back to the Hub, but is stopped by Jack, who threatens him at gunpoint with an ultimatum; either he will execute Lisa, or if he does not do so in ten minutes, Jack will enter and kill them both.
Ianto returns to basement and is devastated to find Lisa dead. He then sees the delivery girl, who has a large cut across her forehead; Lisa implanted her brain into the delivery girl. At first reluctant, Ianto aims his gun at her, but cannot bring himself to shoot her. The girl tries to explain she did this for Ianto, but then promises that they can be upgraded together. The rest of the Torchwood team, arriving to hear that, open fire and kill her, leaving Ianto to mourn.
Background
The idea behind the episode came from series creator Russell T Davies, who realised there was a story "begging to be told" after the Doctor WhoDoctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
episodes "Army of Ghosts
Army of Ghosts
"Army of Ghosts" is the twelfth and penultimate episode in the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who which was first broadcast on 1 July 2006...
" and "Doomsday
Doomsday (Doctor Who)
"Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the revival of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006...
"; in the episodes, Cybermen
Cyberman
The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs who are amongst the most persistent enemies of the Doctor in the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet Mondas that began to implant more...
from a parallel universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
invade Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
to assimilate the human population. They were ultimately defeated when the Doctor
Tenth Doctor
The Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...
(David Tennant
David Tennant
David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
) banishes them to the void, a space between universes, to be imprisoned. "Cyberwoman" was among the first episodes pitched for the first series. When Chris Chibnall
Chris Chibnall
Chris Chibnall is a British playwright, television writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the science-fiction series Torchwood....
was appointed head writer for Torchwood, Davies asked him to write an episode about a cyber girl in the basement of the Hub.
Out of the entire first series, "Cyberwoman" is the biggest nod to Doctor Who, there was little to no mention of the series, despite being a spin-off, which was made deliberate to send out "confusing signals" to the audience about what the series is. Chibnall wanted to include a base description of what a Cyberman is for any viewer who had not seen Doctor Who. The episode was the first to centre on Ianto, who in the first three episodes was more or less a background character, and what John Barrowman described as like Torchwoods version of Alfred Pennyworth
Alfred Pennyworth
Alfred Pennyworth is a fictional character that appears throughout the DC Comics franchise. The character first appears in Batman #16 , and was created by writer Bob Kane and artist Jerry Robinson. Alfred serves as Batman’s tireless butler, assistant, confidant, and surrogate father figure...
in Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
. Chibnall originally intended for the episode to become the sixth or seventh in the series, but was brought forward to the fourth because some of the other scripts were not yet completed. It also became one of Chibnall's harder episodes to write. Before settling on the current title, Chibnall went through numerous working title
Working title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
s, including "The Trouble with Lisa" and "The Long Night of Ianto". "Cyberwoman" was ultimately chosen because the title "says it all."
Writing
In writing the beginning, Chibnall envisaged Ianto meeting Tanizaki at an airport and then escorting him to a hotel before entering the Hub, however that was cut from the final draft as it would be an expensive sequence to film. Chibnall wanted the episode to take place several weeks after the previous episode, "Ghost MachineGhost Machine (Torchwood)
"Ghost Machine" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. It is the third episode of the first series, which was broadcast on 29 October 2006.-Synopsis:...
", as to show Gwen knowing all the protocols and how to handle weapons, where as in the last episode, Gwen was still considered a rookie. Despite the episode being about stopping Lisa, Chibnall still wanted the beginning to be a love story between her and Ianto, and show the audience that a half-converted Lisa is still human and the girlfriend Ianto loves. Also, because Ianto is "fundamentally wrong" about thinking Lisa can be saved, Chibnall wanted the audience to sympathise with the character and his motives.
The idea of having Lisa fight the pterodactyl, named Myfanwy by the producers, made them laugh, and felt they had to include it. The line where Ianto calls Jack the "biggest monster" was intended to be cut out, but Chibnall decided to keep it because of its impact to the audience. The scene where the team lines up to execute Lisa towards the end was the first scene Chibnall had in mind for the episode, though in the first draft, it was Ianto who killed her. After the episode was written and filmed, Chibnall discovered two main plot hole
Plot hole
A plot hole, or plothole, is a gap or inconsistency in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic established by the story's plot, or constitutes a blatant omission of relevant information regarding the plot...
s in the story. The first is that he did not make clear that everything about Lisa, including the scene where she acted human was all part of her plan for her Cyberman-influence to take over, and reflected to adding at least two lines of dialogue to explain her motives clearly. The second was Jack having a cut lip in the end, even though he is immortal and all his wounds would have healed quickly. In the audio commentary
Audio commentary
On disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video...
for the episode, both Chibnall and actor Gareth David-Lloyd stated the reasoning behind the cut being there is because Jack's immortal powers would only deal with life-threatening wounds and not minor injuries.
Filming
They Keep Killing Suzie
"They Keep Killing Suzie" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Torchwood. It is the eighth episode of the first series, which was broadcast on 3 December 2006.-Synopsis:...
". Director James Strong
James Strong (director)
James Strong is a British television director and writer. He has directed episodes of the shows Holby City and Doctors, as well as six episodes of Doctor Who and two episodes of its spin-off series Torchwood...
wanted to film the episode in a sort of real time format. Filming largely took place at the Upper Boat Studios
Upper Boat Studios
Upper Boat Studios is a television studio complex operated by BBC Wales and based in Upper Boat, a village on the outskirts of Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales. The studios were officially opened on 27 July 2006 by Welsh Enterprise Minister Andrew Davies, for the purpose of producing Doctor...
outside Pontypridd
Pontypridd
Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...
, where the Torchwood Hub set is located. The scene where Jack threatens to kill Ianto if he does not kill Lisa was the first scene to be shot. The flashback scene where Ianto finds a half-converted Lisa in Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is a major business district located in London, United Kingdom. It is one of London's two main financial centres, alongside the traditional City of London, and contains many of the UK's tallest buildings, including the second-tallest , One Canada Square...
took a full day to film; it was originally supposed to take only a few hours, but the camera failed to record the scene. It was replaced, but the second camera failed to record also. Eve Myles and Burn Gorman were both trained how to handle guns and a torch like a "secret agent." Strong noted that they both held the gun and torch in each hand like professionals.
The external shots of the Hub were filmed at Roald Dahl Plass
Roald Dahl Plass
Roald Dahl Plass is a public plaza in Cardiff Bay, part of Cardiff, Wales. It is named after Cardiff-born author Roald Dahl, and is located on the coast along the south of the city centre. The square is home to the Senedd and the Wales Millennium Centre, a performing arts centre...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, which is what exists above the Hub in the series. Filming the scenes at the Plass took place during the middle of the night, and were disrupted by hooligans
Hooliganism
Hooliganism refers to unruly, destructive, aggressive and bullying behaviour. Such behaviour is commonly associated with sports fans. The term can also apply to general rowdy behaviour and vandalism, often under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs....
. The basement where Ianto holds Lisa was filmed at a cellar in Tredegar House
Tredegar House
Tredegar House in Newport, set in the 90 acre Tredegar Park, is one of the best examples of a 17th century Charles II country house mansion in the United Kingdom.-History of the Building:...
, Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
. The original ending to the episode is where Toshiko hands Ianto coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
while he is cleaning the Hub. However, after it was filmed, Strong decided to cut that scene out, as he felt the overhead shot of the Hub before that scene would have made a more suitable ending. Because it was filmed in only a handful of locations, mostly in the Hub set, and there were only a few guest cast members, "Cyberwoman" was considered one of the cheapest episodes in the first series.
Costume and effects
The producers noted there were a history of "sexy, pneumatic, hydraulic women" in science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, and wanted to "tap into that." To make the cyberwoman costume, the props department wanted to make it as "sexy" as they can. Director James Strong
James Strong (director)
James Strong is a British television director and writer. He has directed episodes of the shows Holby City and Doctors, as well as six episodes of Doctor Who and two episodes of its spin-off series Torchwood...
wanted to make the costume look "amazing," but threatening and scary as well. There were discussions about which parts of Lisa would be human, and which parts would be cyborg. Made out of rubber, it was custom made to fit Chikezie as much as possible. It took an entire day for the actress to get her body cast. After the costume was completed, it would take an hour to apply each morning, and an hour to remove by lunch break. Chikezie found it difficult to hear anything from the helmet while shooting scenes. It was also uncomfortable for her, but the producers noted she remained stoic throughout filming.
The fight scene between Lisa and Myfanwy was difficult to shoot, as the actress had to interact with a visual effect creature that would not be added until post-production. The producers added a plastic green beak stuck on the end of a stick to be used as a guide. The scene where the team go up on the invisible lift was made by making the platform stationary, but the camera below it would descend, giving the illusion the platform is ascending. The visual effect of the tools used to create Cybermen were reused from the Doctor Who episode "The Age of Steel
The Age of Steel
"The Age of Steel" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 20 May 2006 and is the second part of a two-part story that was the first to feature the Cybermen since Silver Nemesis in 1988. The first part, "Rise of the Cybermen", was...
", while the UFO footage when the Torchwood team return from the drinks was a tin foil
Tin foil
Tin foil, also spelled tinfoil, is a thin foil made of tin. Actual tin foil was superseded by cheaper and more durable aluminium foil after World War II, and aluminium foil is sometimes confused with "tin foil" because of its similarity to the former material.-History:Foil made from a thin leaf of...
-covered frisbee on a fishing line.
Ratings and critical reception
"Cyberwoman" was first broadcast on BBC ThreeBBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
during the 10 pm time slot on Sunday 5 November 2006. The episode was seen by 1.391 million viewers, the highest viewing on the channel the week it was broadcast. The repeat on terrestrial channel BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
on 8 November 2010, was seen by 2.1 million viewers with a 10% audience share. It was given an Appreciation Index
Appreciation Index
The Audience Appreciation Index is a score out of 100 which is used as an indicator of the public's appreciation for a television or radio programme, or broadcast service, in the United Kingdom. Until 2002, the AI of a programme was calculated by BARB, the organisation that compiles television...
of 84.
Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy of Den of Geek reacted positively towards the episode, stating "surprisingly, it was absolutely brilliant – a mini-tragedy of sorts about secrets, obsession and corruption that finally gave both Gareth David-Lloyd something interesting to do and the series some much-needed focus. Plus, they totally played a Mogwai
Mogwai
The word mogwai is the transliteration of the Cantonese word 魔怪 meaning "monster", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon".-Mogwai/Mogui in Chinese culture:...
song
We're No Here
"We're No Here" is a song by Glaswegian Post-rock band, Mogwai.-Overview:It is one of the more basic, heavier, rock-oriented songs from Mr...
! How often does that happen on television?" Montesinos-Donaghy felt it was "a step in the right direction," adding that it has "everything I could have wanted from a Torchwood episode."
Ian Hyland
Ian Hyland
Ian Hyland is an English television critic.-Journalism career:Hyland wrote a column for the Sunday Mirror from 2000 to 2005. Until 2011 closure of the newspaper, he wrote for the News of the World. He currently writes for the Daily Mail...
of News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
disliked the episode, stating "After this week's 'Cyberwoman' nonsense, 'Torch Script' would be a better idea." Androzani.com said of the episode, "It's awful. It's horrific. It seriously, seriously sucks," adding "the single nice thing we can find to say is that the concept had potential." Seb Patrick of Noise to Signal thought, "despite a strong - and somewhat morally ambiguous - ending [the episode] really should have delivered in more spectacular fashion than this." Patrick also criticised Jack's personality throughout the episode, stating "we wanted a spinoff series about him because he was cocky, cool and downright entertaining - Buzz Lightyear
Buzz Lightyear
Buzz Lightyear is a character and the main deuteragonist of the Toy Story franchise. Buzz is a space ranger action figure and the co-leader of Andy's Room. He has also appeared in the movie Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins and the television series spin-off Buzz Lightyear of...
meets Ace Rimmer meets James Bond
James Bond (character)
Royal Navy Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVR is a fictional character created by journalist and novelist Ian Fleming in 1953. He is the main protagonist of the James Bond series of novels, films, comics and video games...
. We didn't want some grumpy immortal bastard with a chip on his shoulder." Despite the mixed reviews however, the series producers and BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
controller of fiction Jane Tranter
Jane Tranter
Jane Tranter is an English television executive who has been the executive vice-president of programming and production at BBC Worldwide's Los Angeles base since January 2009...
regard the episode as one of their favourites from the first series.
Critical analysis
In an essay on evolving symbolism with the Cybermen, Lincoln Geraghty of the University of PortsmouthUniversity of Portsmouth
The University of Portsmouth is a university in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. The University was ranked 60th out of 122 in The Sunday Times University Guide...
argues that in "Cyberwoman", "we see the first female Cyber character on screen; unable to control her programming she attempts to assimilate her ex-boyfriend and his teammates. Like Maria in Metropolis
Metropolis (film)
Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionist film in the science-fiction genre directed by Fritz Lang. Produced in Germany during a stable period of the Weimar Republic, Metropolis is set in a futuristic urban dystopia and makes use of this context to explore the social crisis between workers and...
and the suburban threat seen in The Stepford Wives
The Stepford Wives (1975 film)
The Stepford Wives is a 1975 science fiction–thriller film based on the 1972 Ira Levin novel of the same name. It was directed by Bryan Forbes with a screenplay by William Goldman, and stars Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter Masterson, Nanette Newman and Tina Louise...
(1975), technology is seen here as even more threatening when linked with the possibility of female reproduction."
Neil Perryman of the University of Sunderland
University of Sunderland
The University of Sunderland is located in Sunderland, north east England. The university has more than 17,500 students, including 7,000-plus international students from some 70 countries....
feels this episode is a prime example of transmedia storytelling in Doctor Who and Torchwood, describing the episode and ancillary online material released after its airing being in part an attempt at continuity management. He describes "...these metasites have also been used to correct continuity errors that have appeared within the television show. For example, following the broadcast of the Torchwood episode ‘Cyberwoman’ (13 November 2006), the official Torchwood website provided information about ‘The Fall of Torchwood One’ that attempted to correct – via ‘additive comprehension’ – what some fans had regarded as a glaring error in the plot. Fans had asked how the eponymous Cyberwoman was not sucked into the void along with the rest of her kin during the climax to the Doctor Who episode ‘Doomsday’ (8 July 2006) and the site retroactively explained away the problem: ‘The only exceptions were those being converted with material entirely derived from this side of the void’, which allowed the events of ‘Cyberwoman’ to take place without contradicting what viewers originally saw in the episode."