Guests
All guests appear subject to work commitments
We regret that due to work commitments Alan Dale, Chris Chibnall and Cath Tregenna will not be able to join us at The Rift.
James Marsters
Captain John Hart, Torchwood
JAMES Marsters is one of sci-fi's most sought after actors and a fan favourite. Best known for his portrayal of the iconic vampire Spike in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and spinoff series Angel, he has also appeared as a guest star in Smallville, Andromeda and now Torchwood, where his character, renegade time agent Captain John, stole the show in the first episode of Series Two.
James was recently featured in box office smash hit chick flick PS I Love You and is currently filming in Mexico for this summer's blockbuster film, Dragonball, in which he plays the lead villain, Piccolo.
With Captain John set to recur in future episodes of Torchwood, James has made many friends on the set and this event brings some of them to you.
One autograph with James is included in the ticket to the event. Time permitting additional autographs will be available to purchase at the event. Photograph session tickets will be available on the day.
Eve Myles
Gwen Cooper, Torchwood
Born in Ystradgynlais, Wales, Eve Myles is a star of stage and screen. Her television roles have included appearances in EastEnders, the television film Score, and the Doctor Who episode 'The Unquiet Dead'. However, she is currently best known for her roles as Gwen Cooper in the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood and as Ceri Lewis in the BBC Wales drama Belonging.
In 2007 Eve won Best Actress in the BAFTA Cymru Awards for her role in Torchwood, having been nominated in 2002 and 2003 for Belonging. She also played Lavinia in the 2003 Royal Shakespeare Company production of Titus Andronicus. In 2005, she appeared opposite Michael Gambon in Henry IV. Michael Gove MP once called her "the Celtic Rossellini".
Russell T. Davies says that he is a great admirer of her work. Of her appearance in Doctor Who he said "It just confirmed to me that she was one of Wales's best-kept secrets. The part of Gwen in Torchwood was written especially for her so it's a good thing she said yes!"
Eve's autograph will be available to purchase at the event (not included in ticket). Photograph session tickets will be available on the day.
Gareth David-Lloyd
Ianto Jones, Torchwood
Gareth David-Lloyd plays Torchwood's Ianto Jones; office manager, sharp dresser and lover of Captain Jack Harkness.
Gareth's previous screen appearances include Absolute Power, Casualty, Rosemary & Thyme and The Bill. He previously worked on Russell T Davies' comedy Mine All Mine and has recorded a number of M.R. James Ghost Stories entitled Tales of the Supernatural.
Gareth lives in Newport and is lead singer with a band, Blue Gillespie.
Official website: garethdavid-lloyd.co.uk.
One autograph with Gareth is included in the ticket to the event. Time permitting additional autographs will be available to purchase at the event. Photograph session tickets will be available on the day.
Kai Owen
Rhys Williams, Torchwood
Kai Owen, who plays Rhys Williams in Torchwood, was born in Conwy, Wales and is a native Welsh speaker. He has appeared in a number of programmes for BBC Wales as well as having been the obligatory Casualty victim.
He has also appeared in numerous stage plays for Theatre Clwyd, the renowned Welsh theatre company, from Shakespeare to Dylan Thomas.
Kai's autograph will be available to purchase at the event (not included in ticket). Photograph session tickets will be available on the day.
Richard Stokes
Producer, Torchwood
Richard Stokes has been the series producer for Torchwood since its inception. He started as a researcher for the BBC light entertainment department before going to EastEnders, where he moved through the ranks of script editor, series editor and then on to producer.
He produced Murder In Mind and Holby City before becoming an Executive Producer overseeing Holby, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries and single films, including Magnificent 7. He is featured in a number of commentaries in the DVD set for the first series of Torchwood.
Autographs with Richard are included in the ticket to the event.
James Moran
Writer, Torchwood
James Moran started out writing short stories while working in the computer industry. He won the UK Sci-Fi Channel Sci Fi Shorts competition with his script Cheap Rate Gravity, which was made into a short film. His first full feature was Severance, a horror movie starring Laura Harris and Danny Dyer. James' Doctor Who episode, The Fires of Pompeii, will be broadcast this year as part of the 4th season, and his Torchwood episode, Sleeper, was shown in January 2008 as part of the 2nd season. He is currently working on other TV and movie projects in various stages of development.
Website: jamesmoran.blogspot.com
Autographs with James are included in the ticket to the event.
Gary Russell
Script editor, Torchwood
Gary Russell is Torchwood's script editor and an author and actor. His on-screen acting career included playing Dick in ITV's adaptations of Enid Blyton's Famous Five novels.
He was the producer for the Doctor Who licensed audio drama tie-ins at Big Finish Productions from its inception in 1998 until July 2006, when he stepped down to work for BBC Wales on Doctor Who and Torchwood. His behind-the-scenes book Doctor Who: The Inside Story was published in October 2006, coinciding with his joining the Doctor Who production team. His most recent reference work was also for Doctor Who; published in 2007 by BBC Books, The Doctor Who Encyclopedia is an a-z of everything that has appeared onscreen in the current Doctor Who series (2005 - present).
Gary was also the editor of the Doctor Who magazine between 1992 and 1995.
He has a morbid fear of cows due to a filming incident on "The Famous Five".
Phil Ford
Writer, Torchwood
Phil Ford has been a writer on Coronation Street (1998), The Bill (2001-2), Bad Girls (1997-2006) and The Sarah Jane Adventures (4 episodes in 2007) before joining Torchwood to write the comic wedding episode "Something Borrowed".
The man who (almost) put Ianto in a wedding dress is also the creator of the Torchwood online ARG (alternative reality game) for the official site.
Keith Topping
Author and journalist
Keith Topping is a freelance author, journalist and broadcaster with a bibliography of over 40 books. He was co-editor of two editions of The Guinness Book of Classic British TV and has written books on TV series as diverse as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, The X-Files, Star Trek, The Avengers, 24 and Stargate SG-1 as well as volumes of music and film critique. He authored four Doctor Who novels (including the award-winning The Hollow Men, co-written with Martin Day) and a novella (Ghost Ship). His books include two editions of the acclaimed West Wing guide Inside Bartlet's White House, Slayer, Hollywood Vampire, A Vault of Horror and Doctor Who: The Discontinuity Guide (with Paul Cornell and Martin Day).
He is also a regular contributor to numerous TV and genre magazines, including TV Zone, Xposé and Shivers and is a former Contributing Editor of DreamWatch. Keith is widely considered one of Britain's foremost experts on the bewildering complexities of US network television. No, he has the faintest idea why either.
Keith is the presenter of a daily TV review slot on BBC Radio Newcastle. He contributed to the BBC television series I Love the 70s (wearing a particularly nasty green shirt for which he wholeheartedly apologises to viewer). Keith has also written radio comedy and a TV pilot that is, currently, stuck in "Development Hell." A failed pop star at the age of fourteen as bass guitarist in (the never-legendary) Slime, he lives, works and occasionally sleeps on Tyneside. He still dines out on the story of how he and some friends once stalked George Harrison down the entire length of Oxford Street.
Keith will be moderating a writers' panel with Chris Chibnall, James Moran and Cath Tregenna. He will also be available to chat about his Buffy and Doctor Who books with fans.
With thanks to Wikipedia for additional biographical information.
