| Gwen Cooper | |
|---|---|
| Torchwood character | |
 | |
| First appearance | "Everything Changes" (2006) |
| Last appearance | Miracle Day: "The Blood Line" (2011) |
| Shared universe appearances | Doctor Who (2008) |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | PC Cooper |
| Affiliation | South Wales Police Torchwood Institute |
| Home era | Early 21st century |
Gwen Elizabeth 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 episode of the show's 2006–2011 run, as well as two 2008 crossover episodes of Doctor Who. Gwen appears in Expanded Universe material such as the Torchwood novels and audiobooks, comic books and radio plays.
Within the series narrative, Gwen is a South Wales Police officer who discovers the mysterious Torchwood Institute, into which she is recruited by Jack Harkness (John Barrowman). Gwen initially operates as a field agent, bringing a humane and rounded approach to the team's investigations of the extraterrestrial. Gwen's work begins to take a toll on her personal life in the first series (2006), but her marriage to Rhys (Kai Owen) keeps her grounded, even as her responsibilities increase in Series 2 (2008). In Children of Earth (2009) and Miracle Day (2011), after Torchwood is destroyed to conceal a government conspiracy, a much hardened Gwen operates under her own mandate as the world undergoes crises linked with unprecedented alien threats.
Gwen is introduced as an audience surrogate, in the mould of the "girl next door" archetype, much like the perennial "companion" character in Doctor Who. However, as the series progressed, the production team chose to emphasise contradictory aspects to her character by having Gwen make ethically dubious decisions. As the show progresses, and even after becoming a mother, Gwen evolves into a more militant action heroine and finds herself willing to make tough decisions to protect those closest to her.
Reviewers have generally responded positively to the complexity of Gwen's character and Eve Myles' portrayal, though critics found fault with her more prosaic characterisation earlier on. Eve Myles' portrayal of Gwen has been cited as effective in both promoting the country of Wales and combating a perceived prejudice against the Welsh accent. Myles received a Welsh BAFTA for the first series of the show and was nominated for several other acting awards across each of Torchwood's four series'.