Gideon Lyme
Gideon Lyme was a reporter and Norton Folgate's partner.
Biography
Early life
Gideon Lyme was born in Tobago and was given his name by his mother, who chose it from the Bible and whom he would later remark got most of her best ideas from the book. Their house had rats living under the floorboard, resulting in him having no fear of them later in life. He had an aunt who had a London biscuit tin and an uncle who gave him a gold tooth as a present.
Lyme was gay but never invited any men back to his home. He found the British Empire embarrassing and once saw the man who ran the island, who was wearing a three-piece suit in a heatwave, faint in the middle of a speech and require his guards to prop him up. The crowd politely applauded after an awkward pause. (AUDIO: Parasite)
Move to London
Lyme worked as a journalist for the Tobago Times and attached clippings of his work to a job application for a newspaper in London, choosing it due to its liberal stance on equality and race relations. He received a job offer which he chose to accept, making arrangements to travel to England by boat and stay with Mrs Fortescue at 14 Lancaster Gardens.
The boat was full of rats, which did not bother Lyme. He spoke with a nun in steerage who had woken up with one on her pillow. Upon arriving in England, he was told that his luggage had gone missing, had his job offer retracted once the editor saw that he was black and was turned away by Mrs Fortescue for the same reason. In despair, he chose to remain in the path of a taxi in the smog. (AUDIO: Parasite)
Original timeline
Lyme suicide attempt was successful; he was hit by the taxi and died.
Norton set an alert on the Torchwood computer saying that his own timeline would collapse unless Lyme's life was saved, his plan being to ensure that he had somebody who was a paradox so that they could access the Parnaeum or, as Plan B, expose Torchwood. (AUDIO: Parasite)
New timeline
Meeting Norton
Lyme was saved by Andy Davidson, using a vortex manipulator, and Norton, using the same manipulator but later in its timeline, left him a briefcase containing documents on Torchwood. He took the briefcase to the newspaper, which resulted in him getting his job back, before receiving a call from Mrs Fortescue telling him that she had reconsidered and finding that his luggage had turned up with a note inviting him to Lavendish Tea Rooms.
Going to the tea rooms, Lyme met Norton and developed something of a relationship with him whilst also trying to learn about Torchwood. He found Norton and Andy naked in his room, resulting in Mrs Fortescue kicking him out, and he joined them in investigating the mushroom creatures. After Norton left him and Andy in the Stagnant Pond, he removed the Parnaeum to power Andy's manipulator, killing all those within the pub. Norton invited Lyme to live with him, to help him rebuild Torchwood and to write the story of what had happened. (AUDIO: Parasite)
Possession
Lyme went to Ashenden with Norton and enjoyed walking around the town whilst Norton met with Professor Sidney Ornadel and Isla Satterthwaite. When he learnt of the space eels and Norton's role in the creation of Ashenden, he was disgusted and told Norton that he had had enough, leaving him. Soon after, he was possessed by a space eel and become part of the Arrivals Bureau.
The possessed Lyme hunted Norton and had Andy and Lizbeth Hayhoe detained in Pinkerton's Lodging Rooms. After they and Norton visited Ashenden and subsequently escaped to London, Lyme brought them back from 10 Downing Street and attempted to use Norton's feelings for Lyme to gain his loyalty. The eel possessing him was returned home when Lizbeth and Andy served as a time cone converter, snapping the rift through which the eels arrived shut.
As Lyme came to, Norton waited with him, unsure of whether he would be restored or if he would be left hollow. He told Lyme that there was only room in the relationship for one hollow man, meaning himself. (AUDIO: Ashenden)
Fate
Lyme believed that he would be dead by Andy's time, his happily-ever-after long gone from Andy's point of view. (AUDIO: Parasite)
Personality
Lyme hated sitting on the sidelines, particularly as he was a reporter. He liked tea and ham sandwiches, but did not like scrambled eggs.
He was unafraid to address and confront others' racist attitudes. He was gay and, unlike Norton, was not comfortable with having sex behind a bush in a park. He was unafraid of rats due to growing up with them under the floorboards and was thus unaffected by them on the ship to England. (AUDIO: Parasite)
Appearance
Lyme was black and called "pretty boy" by Belle Epoch. He had a gold tooth, which Norton thought suited him and which was given to him as a present by his uncle. (AUDIO: Parasite)
