Ianto Jones
Ianto Jones (1983-2009) was a member of the 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. (TW: Fragments) He was from Cardiff. (TW:From Out of the Rain) Ianto's father, worked in Debenhams (TW: Children of Earth), he enjoyed taking his Ianto to the cinema (TW: From Out of the Rain) In one instance, his father pushed him too hard while on the swings during his childhood, which caused him to break his leg. (TW: Children of Earth)
His 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, "You just couldn't wait to leave us," suggesting by that time his relationship with his father and perhaps his whole family had hit a sour note.
- More evidence from the second chapter of Children of Earth would suggest that Ianto had a falling out with his father or perceived that there was a problem between them because his father was always pushing him. He even said his father broke his leg on the swings at a park when he was a child even when his sister pointed out it was a clear accident.
A decent if not exceptionally gifted student, Ianto took a series of temporary jobs after university, eventually ending up a Junior Researcher at Torchwood One. (TW: Fragments)
His sister is Rhiannon Davies (TW: Children of Earth) with whom he seems to be on good terms, although he is somewhat distant with her, 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 now 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)
:Jack had, at this time, already recruited Suzie Costello, Owen Harper and Toshiko Sato, though not Gwen Cooper.
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)
During 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 machine guns, 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. (DW: Journey's End)
456 and Death
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 toxin into the air. Reacting to the toxin, 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 toxin 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)
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
Relationship with 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)
Relationship with 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 caight 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 Jack's office, angry about the secrets Jack was keeping from her. After their conversation, Jack calls Ianto back into his office 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 is 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 poison 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.
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 afterwards. 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 afterwards that he was glad Ianto was a bad shot; in response Ianto stared at him darkly, saying that he should be lucky that he wasn't trying to kill him.
Alternate Realities
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)
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 20 August 2009, over £6,500 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."
