Vivien Rook was a reporter for the Sunday Mirror who investigated Harold Saxon.
Biography[[edit] | [edit source]]
On 3 September 2006, she wrote an article praising Harriet Jones's actions during the Slitheen invasion and destruction of 10 Downing Street. (PROSE: Judge, Jury and Executioner [+]Loading...["Judge, Jury and Executioner (short story)"])
In 2008, she was called by her friend James Curtis, deputy head of Mildfields School, after Harold Saxon gave a Commemoration Speech at the school. Curtis voiced his concerns about Saxon and his supposed background at Mildfields. Rook did some background research but didn't find anything. When she called Curtis back, he told her he had been having a "senior moment" and now perfectly remembered Saxon's time at the school. Vivien noticed he sounded off in his response, particularly after he ended with a remark about "Who could forget Harry Saxon?" (PROSE: Speech Day [+]Loading...["Speech Day (short story)"])
Her second interview with Harriet Jones came after Saxon's election. While it was mostly about Jones's return to prominence as a local hospital campaigner, the former PM said that Saxon's background didn't add up. (PROSE: Judge, Jury and Executioner [+]Loading...["Judge, Jury and Executioner (short story)"])
After doing more research, Rook turned up at 10 Downing Street claiming to be seeking an interview with Lucy Saxon. She told Lucy the truth about Saxon, explaining that he had only been in existence since Harriet Jones's downfall. However, Saxon had already told Lucy about his true identity and intentions, and Saxon himself came in and ordered four Toclafane to kill Rook.
However, Rook had prepared a contingency plan, and when she didn't return to her desk by 10pm, an email was automatically sent to Torchwood. It was retrieved by Jack Harkness, the Tenth Doctor, and Martha Jones on Martha's laptop. Vivien had attached the Saxon files, including the Archangel document, which allowed the three to find out how Saxon had mind-controlled most of the world and use it against Saxon. (TV: The Sound of Drums [+]Loading...["The Sound of Drums (TV story)"])
Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The script for The Sound of Drums identifies Vivien Rook as a "Fleet Street columnist, 50, all fur collar & rough edges, unstoppable".[1]
- Russell T Davies reused the name Vivien Rook, albeit spelt Vivienne Rook, in his 2019 television series Years and Years. Played by Emma Thompson, this Vivienne Rook is a controversial populist politician, and the main antagonist of the series.