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Ianto Jones was a member of Torchwood Three, initially serving as more a "support man" or "tea boy", but later taking a more active role in missions.
Biography
Early Life
Ianto was born on 19th August 1983 in Cardiff. (TW: Fragments, From Out of the Rain) Ianto's father, worked in Debenhams. (TW: Children of Earth) Ianto told the team that his father enjoyed taking Ianto to the cinema, (TW: From Out of the Rain) though his sister, Rhiannon implied that their relationship was not as strong as he made out. She told Gwen that his father pushed Ianto too hard while on the swings during his childhood, which caused him to break his leg. (TW: Children of Earth: Day Five)
Ianto's father died sometime before he went off to university and Ianto left quickly after, something his sister has not been proud of him for, saying he "couldn't wait to leave", suggesting by that time his relationship with his whole family had hit a sour note.
He had no criminal record apart from one minor conviction for shoplifting in his teens. An able, but not exceptionally gifted student, Ianto took a series of temporary jobs, eventually ending up a Junior Researcher at Torchwood One. (TW: Fragments)
His sister, with whom he was on good terms, was somewhat distant, probably due to his job.
Torchwood Operative
Torchwood 1
For some time prior to the Battle of Canary Wharf, Ianto worked in Torchwood One, based in Canary Wharf, London. During the Battle of Canary Wharf, as Cybermen looked for reinforcements to fight off the Daleks, Ianto's girlfriend Lisa Hallett was partly converted into a Cyberman. Hoping that the cyber-conversion process could be reversed, Ianto smuggled Lisa to Torchwood Three, hiding her in an unused basement until a "cure" for the partial cyber-conversion could be found. She was still attached to a cyber-conversion unit, which acted as her life support. (TW: Cyberwoman)
Torchwood Three
Back in his native Cardiff, Ianto tracked down Jack Harkness to try to find work with Torchwood Three. Despite Harkness' initial reluctance, Ianto so impressed Jack during the capture of a stray pteranodon that he was eventually offered a job. (TW: Fragments)
Understaffed and poorly understood, Torchwood Three was an ideal place to hide a partially-converted Cyberwoman. Unfortunately, Lisa's Cyberman conditioning slowly won over her Humanity. She laid siege to the Hub from inside and killed several people, including an innocent pizza delivery girl whose body she appropriated, before being killed. (TW: Cyberwoman)
The others appeared at this time to have taken the quietly efficient Ianto for granted. They paid little attention to him before the mayhem started. Ianto was "temporarily suspended from active duty" but returned to work four weeks later, with Jack's tacit approval. [1]
Ianto began to take a more active role in field work, though he still disliked the day-to-day Torchwood operations. He once described to Toshiko Sato his inability to comprehend the adrenaline rush she and the other Torchwood members shared in the face of danger. (TW: Countrycide)
With both Jack and Tosh both temporarily trapped in 1941, Ianto and Owen sparred for leadership of the team, although Owen asserted that, with Suzie Costello dead, he was now second-in-command. However, Ianto displayed authority in Jack's absence that Owen was not aware he had, and even went as far as to shoot Owen in the shoulder to prevent him using the Rift Manipulator. (TW: Captain Jack Harkness)
During the months that Jack was gone, Ianto, along with the rest of the Torchwood Three, was dispatched on a "wild goose chase" to the Himalayas by Mr. Saxon. (DW: The Sound of Drums)
Ianto kept a paper diary, which he used to write down interesting Rift activity as well as more personal concerns. When he confronted Adam Smith about his role in the Torchwood team, Adam forcibly gave Ianto false memories of killing three women, which affected him deeply. Ianto strangely appeared to have more resistance to Adam than the others, though this may be because he never fully trusted him. When he did succumb
to Adam's influence it appeared, as with the rest of the team, that dormant or unused parts of his psyche were awakened. In Ianto's case, a darker, more malevolent side of his personality was awoken which enjoyed killing and violence. Ianto was eventually able to rid himself of these memories when Jack used retcon on the team in order to purge Adam's influence. (TW: Adam)
The Medusa Cascade Incident
When Earth was stolen by Davros and the New Dalek Empire and transported to the Medusa Cascade, Ianto, Gwen, and Jack, with help from alien supercomputer Mr Smith, were able to use the Rift Manipulator to boost the signal of Martha Jones' superphone and enable her to contact the Doctor. Jack obtained the missing digit of a code for his Time Agency wrist strap and teleported away from the Hub to meet with the Doctor. After he had left, Gwen and Ianto were confronted by a Dalek entering the Hub and opened fire with assault rifles, vowing to die fighting. (DW: The Stolen Earth) This proved unnecessary as a time-lock, devised by Tosh before her death, protected them. Eventually the Dalek was destroyed along with the rest of its race, and Ianto and Gwen helped tow Earth back to where it
belonged by sending the Rift power to the TARDIS after being contacted by the Doctor. He also refers to The Doctor as "sir". Ironically being something The Doctor finds irritating. (DW: Journey's End)
456 Incident
Ianto and the rest of Torchwood investigated when all the children on Earth started chanting "We are coming". He and Jack wanted to take a child and study them. Ianto went to his sister Rhiannon Davies to see if he could use his niece or nephew, but she refused. Later that night, Torchwood was attacked by MI5 agents led by Agent Johnson and was blown up - with Jack inside. (TW: Children of Earth: Day One)
That night, Ianto escaped while under attack from Johnson and her men. He contacted his sister and told her to keep a watch on the government. He also found out where MI5 was keeping the remains of Jack Harkness, who had now healed himself. Ianto saved him and also found Gwen Cooper and her husband Rhys Williams. (TW: Children of Earth: Day Two)
He and the team headed over to an old Torchwood One warehouse and set up a base there. He and the team found out what the 456 were and what their intentions were. (TW: Children of Earth: Day Three) That night, Torchwood came up with a plan to blackmail the government. If the government did not follow their exact orders to counteract the 456, they would release information about what happened in 1965 to the public. The next day, Ianto and Jack got into Thames House. When they went up to the room, they threatened the 456 Ambassador, telling it to back away from Earth or else they would tell the whole planet about its intentions, fuelling the whole of Earth's population to fight back against the alien in a war. The 456 accepted their threat, but chose going to war instead of leaving the planet. To give them a 'taste of war', the 456 released a virus into the air. Reacting to the virus, Thames House shut itself down, leaving everybody trapped inside. It sent out an
incredibly high-pitched shriek directly into Clem MacDonald's brain, killing him. Jack and Ianto attempted to fight the 456, but their efforts were fruitless. Ianto slowly died from the virus while being held in Jack's arms. Jack also collapsed, and the next day woke up next to Ianto's body with Gwen. (TW: Children of Earth: Day Four)
Alternate Timeline
Donna's World
In an alternate timeline in which Donna Noble never met the Doctor, Ianto died along with Gwen while trying to defeat the Sontaran invasion of Earth. (DW: Turn Left)
Mairwyn's World
Ianto once noticed an attractive coffee saleswoman who introduced herself as Mairwyn, a time-traveller who had come to manipulate Ianto into travelling back in time and acquiring some vital technology from Torchwood One with which she could enslave the world. She had chosen Ianto because of his access to Torchwood One security and because, with the knowledge of Torchwood Three's destruction, Tosh and Owen's deaths, (TW: Exit Wounds) Ianto's own demise, (TW: Children of Earth: Day Four) and Jack's abandonment of Earth, (TW: Children of Earth: Day Five) he was exploitable. He was later visited by Rhys Williams and John Hart, who had travelled from the future to stop Mairwyn, who knew John Hart by the name "Beatrice", and stole a vortex manipulator from him.
Despite this, when Mairwyn next drops by Ianto, she uses a device to show him his future and comments to him that Captain Jack is not a loyal lover, and is a heartbreaker, and won't take very long to get over Ianto's death. Ianto is later seen viewing Hub CCTV footage of Jack's attempt to romance Gwen in TW: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, where he discovers her engagement, not long before Jack formally asked Ianto out. Jack comments "I don't know what I'd do without you" when he recommends Ianto get on with his computer work; his wonted coldness leaving Ianto visibly upset. When Mairwyn next appears to Ianto, he immediately kisses her, and takes her home and has sex with her. When he uses her device again to see the future he would be responsible for creating, he refuses her original offer and eventually knifes her. After saying goodbye to John and Rhys, he sends his sister Rhiannon Davies an uncharacteristically friendly email saying he loves her before retconning himself. The timeline restored, we see Gwen and Jack at Ianto's funeral, watched from afar by Captain John. Further afar are alternate universe doppelgängers of Ianto and Mairwyn; Ianto comments "I can't believe there's a reality where I said no." (TWM: Shrouded)
- This means that an evil, time-travelling, dimension-hopping alternate version of Ianto exists in the main universe.
Other Information
Duties
Ianto acted to support the main team. He staffed the mock tourist information booth located above the Hub and in general acted to "clean up their shit... no questions asked". (TW: Cyberwoman) For example, he hacked into Gwen Cooper's computer and erased a document containing information about Torchwood. (TW: Everything Changes) Though not precisely one of his duties, he also kept a detailed journal of day-to-day operations (TW: Adam)
Relationships
Lisa Hallett
Ianto and Lisa had a close relationship. Pain over her death still lingered. (TW: Countrycide) He explained he would not use a second resurrection gauntlet. (TW: They Keep Killing Suzie) An apparition of Lisa, in her Human form, convinced Ianto to side with Owen against Jack and open the Rift. (TW: End of Days) Lisa's death affected Ianto deeply. He promised that if he ever got the chance he would leave Jack for dead. The two men later developed a sexual and romantic relationship. (TW: They Keep Killing Suzie was the first indication of this; the relationship went deeper and more exclusive during the next two series)
Jack Harkness
In an attempt to show he has put the incident behind him, Jack tried to be friendly and even patted Ianto on the back. (TW: Small Worlds), although the conversation about the team's last kisses reveals that there is still some lingering tension between the two over the incident. (TW: Countrycide)
It was hinted that Ianto might be having a sexual relationship with Jack. One instant messenger conversation between Ianto and Jack suggested that, like teammates Jack, Toshiko and possibly Owen and Gwen, Ianto was bisexual. (WEB: Torchwood website) Gwen caught on to the relationship and Ianto explicitly referred to being bisexual. (TWN: The Twilight Streets)
Owen made remarks about the sexual nature of Ianto and Jack's relationship and, after believing Jack was dead, a distraught Ianto breathed in the scent of his coat. The two kissed upon reunion. (TW: Captain Jack Harkness, End of Days)
When Jack returned to the Hub, he asked Ianto out on a date, which Ianto accepted. This was followed by another kiss between the pair. (TW: To the Last Man) The existence of the relationship was confirmed verbally in a conversation Ianto had with Martha Jones (TW: Reset) and in another conversation Ianto had with Owen Harper. (TW: A Day in the Death) The first public display of Ianto and Jack's relationship was when they danced together at Gwen's wedding. (TW: Something Borrowed)
Gwen accidentally walked in on Jack and Ianto in a decidedly sexual scene when she stormed into the Torchwood greenhouse, angry about the secrets Jack was keeping from her. After their conversation, Jack calls Ianto back into the greenhouse to finish what they started. (TW: Adrift) Later, Ianto expressed a little jealousy when Jack mentions having learned about Project Indigo by meeting a soldier in a bar; Jack had to reassure Ianto that it was strictly business. (DW: The Stolen Earth)
When his sister confronted him about rumours that he was gay, he reluctantly acknowledged his relationship with Jack. He tries to explain however that Jack is the first man he has ever taken to in this way, and also that he is insecure about the exact status of his relationship with Jack. His brother-in-law, Johnny, takes a more simplistic view of Ianto's sexual ambiguity, crassly concluding "ey ey, gayboy." (TW: Children of Earth) After Ianto collapsed from the virus the 456 released, Jack cradled him in his arms and the two cried. Ianto then told Jack "I love you," showing that he took the relationship seriously.
Personality
Ianto was at first quite distant and reserved in the company of the other Torchwood members, with a quiet and dutiful nature similar to a typical butler. However, when the discovery of his girlfriend was made, Ianto revealed a tormented and passionate side of himself that would do anything to help and save Lisa even if it destroyed him. His behaviour during a conversation with Doctor Tanasaki about Torchwood One suggested that there was some mental scarring from the incident, as he quickly and abruptly changed the subject. A sign of this scarring appears to be an occasional lapse in speech during a conversation, and also the odd "twitch" before he continue speaking, usually in a different tone and in a manner that changed the subject.
Though not much of Ianto's childhood is known, evidence from season 2 suggests that he had a strong relationship with his father and throughout the series he spoke rather fondly of him. However, in Children of Earth, conversations with his sister suggested that their relationship was difficult or became difficult. Once such conversation about Ianto breaking his leg in an accident showed Ianto perceived his father as antagonistic because he was always pushing him. However, his sister pointed out that his father cared about him and was only trying to bring out the best in him and maybe Ianto should have "held on tighter" instead of buckling. This suggests that Ianto was rather withdrawn as a child and his father attempted to get him to come out of his shell a bit more, but the results seemed to have caused more problems than solutions.
- Evidence from the end of Children of Earth would suggest that all he said about himself to the rest of the Torchwood team was a lie. When Gwen mentioned certain facts about Ianto's father to Rhiannon, she is horrified and angrily corrects her about these facts, telling her, "Then you didn't really know him at all!" This shows that Ianto's past as well as much of himself from introduction to death remain surrounded in mystery.
When Tosh received the mind pendant from Mary, she caught a glimpse into his mind, revealing that he was in pain, but, because of his withdrawn nature, he couldn't tell anyone. Ianto gradually came out of his shell a bit more, showing a quick and humorous wit, usually at serious moments. Despite this, it was hinted that there was a darker side within him. Tosh may even have caught a glimpse of his dark side when she read his mind; this is because when she read his mind another darker voice could be heard whispering in a raspy voice in sync with Ianto's pained thoughts.
Ianto's withdrawn nature might have also been the reason he did not experience any initial psychological side effects to Adam's memory alteration while the rest of the team either acted out of character (Tosh and Owen switching places), or had strange memory experiences such has Gwen forgetting Rhys and Jack remembering the day his brother vanished. It could also be possible that aside from making up the scenario where Ianto killed three women, Adam might have deliberately brought Ianto's dark side forward in order to prevent him from telling the rest of the team something was up.
Ianto also had difficulty expressing himself emotionally, acting reserved and stiff during these conversations. He also got uncomfortable around emotional people; in Children of Earth he went rigid around his brother-in-law when he greeted him him with a large bear hug and a slight tease about being gay. When he did lose control of his emotions, the outbursts were quite intense and he seemed to regret his actions and behaviour afterward. When the team chided him about Lisa, he angrily and venomously told them that they had no idea what his life was like and how he put up with cleaning up their mess without question because that was how they liked it. After the incident he became very apologetic and tried to avoid the team whenever possible. When he got into an argument with Owen over whether or not to open the Rift, a more commanding part of Ianto took over and he ended up having to shoot Owen to stop him, an action that shocked both of them. It also hinted at his dark side when Owen joked afterward that he was glad Ianto was a bad shot; in response Ianto stared at him darkly, saying, "I was AIMING for your shoulder", thus implying that if he'd wanted to kill Owen, he could and would have.
It had been originally intended for Ianto have a much darker personality but he was ultimately toned down with only the above mentioned hints that there was a darker side to his character. It should be noted that in "Adam" Ianto told Jack that he always felt that there was something inside of him that wanted to kill. While this could have just been a result of Adam's influence, his sudden violent behaviour in episodes like Countrycide and Meat and the dark voice Toshiko heard suggests there was more to Ianto's character that we had chance to see.
Key Life Events
- Works at Torchwood London
- Helps Jack with the Pterodactyl (TW: Fragments)
- Takes his Cyber-girlfriend after the battle of Canary Wharf and hides it in the basement of Torchwood 3 (TW: Cyberwoman)
- Thinks that he murdered three girls (TW: Adam)
- Meets Martha Jones (TW: Reset)
- Upset by Toshiko Sato's death (TW: Exit Wounds)
- Injured after Torchwood 3's destruction (TW: Children of Earth: Day Two)
- Saves Gwen, Rhys and Jack by using a digger (TW: Children of Earth: Day Two)
- Dies by a virus in Thames House (TW: Children of Earth: Day Four)
Behind the Scenes
- According to Russell T Davies in the January 2008 radio special Torchwood: All Access (released on CD with Lost Souls in September 2008), Ianto Jones' name is based on another character (Yanto Jones) created by Davies for another television production (Mine All Mine); Gareth David-Lloyd played that character, too.
- Ianto's death spurred an online campaign to resurrect the character[2], which branched out into a drive to give to the Children in Need charity "in memory" of Ianto. As of October 2010, over £15,000 has been raised[3]. The slogan used by the online community is "Save the Coffee Boy, Save the World," a takeoff of the Season One slogan for Heroes: "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World."
- Certain fans have expressed a desire that Ianto be brought back as a "ghost" character or a manifestation / hallucination of Jack's guilt over recent events, possibly in response to the idea that bringing Ianto back to life entirely would cheapen his death and possibly death in general for the series.[source needed] However, an alternate universe evil Ianto does in fact survive in Gareth David-Lloyd's comic book "Shrouded".