Gwen was an officer on the Cardiff Police force prior to joining Torchwood. She discovered Torchwood after seeing a Weevil loose in a hospital and attacking a hospital staffer. While investigating the name Jack Harkness, she gains access to the Hub and meets the team. She and Jack leave and she is retconned (given an amnesia pill).Gwen becomes the voice of empathy on the team. She tries to get the team to think of the victims as people with real lives. As time goes on, she assumes a greater leadership role on the team. Gwen is the only member of Torchwood to have a steady relationship outside work, with her boyfriend Rhys.It is believed that she first appeared in the Doctor Who universe as that dealt with the rift in Cardiff.