The series is set in Cardiff, some time after the Doctor Who (2005) series two finale, setting it in 2007 and later in early 2008 ahead of its actual air date. It follows the Wales branch of a covert agency called the Torchwood Institute which investigate extraterrestrial incidents on Earth and scavenges alien technology for its own use. To paraphrase Torchwood Three's commander-in-chief, Captain Jack Harkness, the organisation is beyond the government, the police, and the United Nations. Their public perception is as merely a 'special ops' group.