Ianto Jones
Encyclopedia
Ianto Jones is a fictional character
in the BBC
television series Torchwood
, played by Welsh actor Gareth David-Lloyd
. A series regular, Ianto appears in every episode of the programme's first three series, as well as two crossover episodes
of Torchwoods parent show
, Doctor Who
. Additionally, Ianto appears in Expanded Universe
material such as the Torchwood novels and audiobooks, comic books and radio plays. Within the narrative
of the series, Ianto serves as general support officer for Torchwood Three
, a team of alien hunters stationed in Cardiff
. Initially the regular character with the least screen time, Ianto's role expanded in response to growing cult appeal
.
Reserved and efficient, Ianto was often used by writers to add humorous asides to the episodes' scripts. The character is notable for being the main romantic interest of Captain Jack Harkness
(John Barrowman
), who is the lead male of the series. Established to have had heterosexual relationships prior to the series, Ianto's story forms a part of the show's ongoing exploration of human sexuality
. Expanded Universe material develops on Ianto's sexual orientation
and the nature of the relationship with Jack, describing Ianto as bisexual
and his feelings for Jack as genuine love. The romantic relationship with Jack proved very popular with gay
and straight viewers alike. Additionally, writers have used these other media to explore Ianto's characterisation; for example, some stories elaborate on Ianto's backstory
, or provide insight into his feelings.
Beginning as a casual relationship
, with little on-screen definition given, the characters' relationship deepened over the first three series of the programme. The character's creator Russell T Davies chose to kill off
Ianto in the third television series. Professional critics by and large gave the story extremely positive reviews. A number of fans, however, were upset by the death of the character, particularly with regards to the romantic storyline's abrupt ending. Artistically, Davies felt that the relationship's unexplored potential maximised the viewer's sense of grief. Subsequent to the departure, fans set up websites in the character's honour, petitioning the writers to resurrect him in future episodes of the series, raising money for charity. Torchwood writers and actors have expressed an unwillingness to cheapen the death scene by bringing the character back, though David-Lloyd penned a Torchwood comic book wherein an alternate universe
Ianto survives.
of Torchwood, in 2006. Introduced as a mild-mannered and quiet administrator working for Torchwood Three, his first centric appearance was the episode "Cyberwoman
" which dealt with both his backstory and motivations. In the episode, Ianto is revealed as a former employee of Torchwood One in London (first seen in parent series Doctor Who), whose girlfriend, Lisa (Caroline Chikezie
), has been partially converted into a Cyberman
, a cyborg species first seen in Doctor Who in 1966. Ianto has been keeping her alive, concealed in the basement of the Hub, but she eventually breaks loose, and kills two civilians. Ianto is forced into confrontation with team leader Captain Jack Harkness
(John Barrowman
), who is later able to revive Ianto with a kiss when Lisa knocks him unconscious. Ultimately, the rest of Ianto's team is forced to kill Lisa. Although Ianto's thoughts continue to be concerned with Lisa, mid-series he begins to develop a sexual relationship with Jack. By the penultimate episode of the series, Ianto is willing to shoot colleague Owen Harper
(Burn Gorman
) to protect Jack, and refutes claims he is merely his "part time shag." In the series finale
, an image of what appears to be Lisa's ghost is used to bring Ianto to mutiny against Jack, but still later when an immortal Jack rises from the dead, he and Ianto immediately kiss one another.
Torchwoods second series (2008) begins with the team working without Jack, who departed the Hub at the end of series one to reunite with the mysterious "Doctor
" from his past. Ianto's role within the team now more frequently includes field missions, to accommodate Jack's absence. When Jack returns in the series two premiere
, having seen the end of the world
, he attempts to formalise his romantic relationship with Ianto, successfully asking him on a date. Jack and Ianto's relationship becomes more overt, and Ianto's character becomes less burdened by secrets and happier, beginning to express a newfound confidence and dour sense of humour. The penultimate episode of the series, "Fragments
" explores Ianto's backstory, specifically how he was recruited into Torchwood Three two years prior; Ianto is persistent that Jack hire him after the destruction of Torchwood One
, but only succeeds once he is able to aid Jack in capturing a stray pterodactyl. In the second series finale
, Ianto and the team face Jack's 51st-century ex
Captain John Hart (James Marsters
) and younger brother Gray (Lachlan Nieboer), who has vengefully sought to destroy Jack's world. After Gray kills his teammates Toshiko
(Naoko Mori
) and Owen, the Torchwood team is left with a membership of only three. Following from this, Ianto makes his first crossover appearance in Doctor Who alongside Gwen
(Eve Myles
) and Jack in its 2008 series
' two-part finale, where Torchwood is called on to help contact series protagonist the Doctor
(David Tennant
) during a Dalek
invasion.
Torchwoods third series (2009) is a five-part miniseries broadcast over one week, called Children of Earth. In part one, Ianto starts to express insecurity to Jack about their status as couple. The audience are introduced to Ianto's sister Rhiannon (Katy Wix
) and brother-in-law Johnny Davies (Rhodri Lewis), who confront Ianto about sightings of him on a date with Jack. Ianto eventually admits to being involved with Jack, but concedes that he is not sure where he stands. When aliens called the 456 return to Earth, John Frobisher (Peter Capaldi
) puts a hit on Torchwood's lives to cover a conspiracy. In part two, Ianto and Gwen survive a Hub explosion that obliterates Jack. Once regenerated, Jack is sealed in cement by agent Johnson (Liz May Brice
) until Ianto rescues him with a forklift truck. In part three, the group watch helplessly as the 456 demand a tribute
: 10% of the Earth's children; the government appears willing to comply. In part four, Ianto and Jack storm the Thames House
to confront the 456. The pair refuse to sacrifice any lives to the alien demands. In response, the aliens release a fatal virus into the atmosphere. Thames House locks down, and Ianto dies in Jack's arms, telling him that he loved him and begging Jack never to forget about him, to which Jack replies he never could.
. The first wave, Another Life
by Peter Anghelides
, Border Princes
by Dan Abnett
, and Slow Decay
by Andy Lane
, were published in January 2007. Published in March 2008, and tying in with the concurrently airing second series of Torchwood, Ianto appears in the novels Trace Memory
by David Llewellyn
, The Twilight Streets
by Gary Russell
, and Something in the Water
by Trevor Baxendale
. October 2008 saw the release of three more Torchwood books by Peter Anghelides, series writer Phil Ford
and writer for the Doctor Who and Torchwood websites, James Goss, the latter's cover for Almost Perfect
reflecting changes to the cast after the episode 2008 finale episode "Exit Wounds". The character next appears in Into the Silence
, Bay of the Dead
and The House that Jack Built
in June 2009, and Risk Assessment
, The Undertaker's Gift
and the short story anthology Consequences
in October of that year.
First published in January 2008, the monthly Torchwood Magazine
began occasionally including Torchwood comic strips, in which Ianto also appears. In 2010, Shrouded is one such two-part comic, written by Gareth David-Lloyd. The comic posits a "what-if" scenario wherein Ianto, "who struggles with his feelings for Jack from the offset", sees a face from the future and embarks on a mission that could change the course of his life (from that of his eventual death in Children of Earth). David Lloyd comments that he "knows [the] character implicitly". In the first part, Ianto (originating from the timeframe of Season Two) is approached by Rhys and Captain John, both post-Children of Earth, who warn Ianto not to believe the offer made by a seductive, time-travelling woman; they do not tell him that their mission is to preserve the timeline in which he dies. In part two, the woman, Mairwyn, informs Ianto of the events of "Exit Wounds" and Children of Earth, and of Jack's departure. Ianto tearfully watches the scene where Jack learns of Gwen's engagement, and sleeps with Mairwyn. After learning of the devastating consequences of assisting Mairwyn, he defeats her and later "retcons" himself. However, in a divergent timeline Ianto appears with Mairwyn, observing his funeral, saying "I can't believe there's a reality where I said no." In 2010, "Shrouded" was republished in Titan
's dedicated Torchwood comic book.
During series two, the Torchwood website,
. Updated weekly with the airing of the new episodes, the website features specially shot footage with Gareth David-Lloyd in character as Ianto debriefing and informing the 'player' with regards to their mission. Throughout both series one and two, the interactive websites co-written by James Goss featured electronic literature
content (such as fictitious internet messaging conversations and letters) which depict aspects of Ianto and the other Torchwood characters' work and personal lives. The Torchwood Archives by Gary Russell
collects much of this online literature in hardback form, along with new original material, some of which expands on what we know of Ianto. For example, it introduces his sister, Rhiannon and brother-in-law Johnny; Rhiannon and Johnny later appear in 2009's third televised series.
Spin-off media has tried to fill in the gaps of Ianto's character history from before he began working at Torchwood Three; Ianto's first week at Torchwood One is shown in a flashback
in the novel Trace Memory
. The segment also depicts his budding relationship with Lisa Hallett. Also expanding on Jones's time living in London, the comic The Legacy of Torchwood One! (Torchwood #1) shows how Ianto was taken under the wing of Rupert Howarth, a senior researcher, during his first few weeks at Torchwood One. Ianto's characterisation
is explored in The Twilight Streets, in which Ianto sheds some light on the difficulty he had "coming out
" as a teenager; Ianto's mother tried to have a conversation with him about it, but he remarks "She didn't work me out, Gwen. No one has. And if I ever do, I'll let you know." He then engages in a diatribe with Gwen about what it means to him to be bisexual after Gwen jokes to him that he has the "best of both worlds". A scene in David-Lloyd's "Shrouded", in which Ianto is emailing his sister, Owen is seen to wrestle control of the computer and tries to write to her that "I've recently discovered that I'm a Big Old Gay"; Ianto rebukes him. In the storyline's conclusion, an alternate timeline is created where Ianto did not die in the events of Children of Earth.
However, as with all Doctor Who and Torchwood spin-off media, the canonicity
in relation to the television series is unclear.
written by Steven Savile
and narrated by Naoko Mori, Everyone Says Hello
written by Dan Abnett and narrated by Burn Gorman, released February 2008, and In the Shadows
by Joseph Lidster
, released in September 2008. Joseph Lidster also wrote a BBC Radio 4
Torchwood drama, "Lost Souls
" which aired in Summer 2008 as an Afternoon Play featuring the voices of John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd and Freema Agyeman
(Martha
). Set after the events of the 2008 series, Ianto and the team make their first international adventure to CERN
in Geneva
, as part of Radio 4's special celebration of the Large Hadron Collider
being switched on. The special radio episode's plot focuses on the Large Hadron Collider's activation and the doomsday scenario some predicted it might incite, as well as the team's mourning of Toshiko and Owen's recent deaths.
Three further BBC radio dramas were produced in 2009 for the Afternoon Play slot on Radio 4, each of which feature Ianto Jones. Chronologically, these occur between the second and third televised series but after "Lost Souls". Transmitted in July 2009, the first drama is "Asylum
", the second is "Golden Age
", and the third is "The Dead Line
". "The Dead Line" in particular focuses on Ianto's characterisation, particularly with respect to his relationship with Jack. AfterElton reviewers stated that the radio drama "delivers for Janto [a portmanteau used by the shipping fandom
] fans"; David-Lloyd delivers a monologue as Ianto, verbalising his insecurities to a comatose Jack. When Jack awakens from his coma, he promises "You will never be just a blip in time, Ianto Jones."
After his character was written out of the televised series, David-Lloyd still lends his voice 2011 audio drama series The Lost Files
, tying into the televised fourth series, Torchwood: Miracle Day. Of these, "The House of the Dead" by James Goss focuses the most on Ianto. Ianto encounters the spirit of his father, with the claim that he, Ianto's mother, Owen, Toshiko and Lisa will all be resurrected if Ianto betrays Jack. Exploiting its radio format, the drama reveals that Ianto too is a spirit, and that the story is a Jack solo mission set after series three. Jack and Ianto say a final goodbye and tell each other they love one another for the first time. Jack attempts to return to the land of the living alongside Ianto, but Ianto stays behind to close the Cardiff Rift forever with Jack's device.
" as Margaret Blaine's (Annette Badland
) personal assistant. Writer Stephen James Walker wonders if Russell T Davies intended Idris to become a major character on Torchwood in the same way as Toshiko Sato, who originated in Doctor Who' s "Aliens of London
". Idris Hopper has since appeared in Gary Russell
's Torchwood novel The Twilight Streets
. Initially, Ianto is introduced as a quiet worker and the least active character in the supporting cast. David-Lloyd started the role believing Ianto would be killed off at the end of the first series, and was surprised when they "worked the character to become more popular, and it started growing from there."
When Gareth David-Lloyd was cast in the role, the character was renamed Ianto Jones. This was inspired by the character of Yanto Jones, also played by David-Lloyd, in Russell T Davies's 2004 comedy-drama Mine All Mine
. Ianto shares the surname "Jones" with Doctor Who characters Martha Jones
and family as well as Harriet Jones
, Torchwood character Eugene Jones ("Random Shoes
"), and Stuart Allen Jones in Davies's earlier Queer as Folk
; Davies states that reusing names (such as Tyler, Smith, Harper, Harkness and Jones) allows him to get a grip of the character on the blank page. In developing the character's attire, costume designer Ray Holman comments: "Ianto has a very distinct look but his suits actually vary quite a lot. He started off with some nice but boring Marks and Spencers
suits in series one, which were top-end fitted ones but always very sober. Towards the end of series one, I also got him into a waistcoat, and everyone thought that looked really good.
Appearing in series two, Ianto assists the team in field missions and is used by the writers as a vehicle for one-liner joke
s. Commenting on this, portrayer Gareth David-Lloyd notes that "This season it's much more relaxed and he's not all about keeping secrets, he's about Torchwood and Jack — he's found his meaning and his place so his dry humour comes out a lot more and he's happier." The developments in Ianto's character were also reflected in the wardrobe choice. "For series two," comments Ray Holman, "we evolved the look quite a lot, and now his suits come from all over the place. It's just a question of where I see something that looks right for Gareth, so I've brought him a suit from Savile Row
and suits from Zara
and Next. We realised we could be a bit more flash with Ianto now he's come out of the background and started to assert himself a bit more. So we moved him into coloured shirts and snazzier ties. He started off in white and grey shirts but we realised his skin tones can take the extra colour and now he's evolving into something much sharper, which looks really good filmed in high definition
."
In Torchwood Magazine
, actor Gareth David-Lloyd comments on some original character developments intended for Ianto. Originally, his character was the one supposed to die at the end of series two episode "Reset
". Davies's plan had originally intended for Ianto to be revived, as Owen eventually was, in episode seven. From this point on, the character was intended to be "the Living Dead - pale, but still sexy". The night before filming, however, Davies changed his mind and seven scripts began a process of being rewritten. New lines had to be handed to the actors on the day of filming. Davies also called a discussion with the actors involved to explain the change in the storyline. In the discussion with executive producer Russell T Davies and Burn Gorman, who portrays Owen, it was decided that Owen would experience the zombification
storyline as he is a character who more overtly enjoys life, making it more interesting from a narrative
perspective.
David-Lloyd described the character's development in the third series as "really exciting". He felt that it was "great to be a fully-fledged member of the team now rather than just the administration man." He felt flattered to have the writer and producers put so much confidence in him. In this series, the writers also explore Jones's background; David-Lloyd was happy with the execution of this backstory, through meeting Ianto's sister, and commented that it was quite beautifully written. Through meeting his family, we discover that his father has died and that Ianto has grown very distant from his relatives as per the demands of his job. David-Lloyd first concluded that Ianto was being killed off when his agent told him he was only needed for four out of five episodes. Although there was "a bit of disappointment", he considers himself "lucky" for lasting so long on the series, especially since Ianto was supposed to die in series two. He believed the character's death was justified by "the impact and the drama, and to keep the dangerous reality of Torchwood ever present". Although it was "a tragedy that [Ianto] died", David-Lloyd felt that the series had "addressed everything about him that needed to be said".
Creator Russell T Davies felt that killing off Ianto was necessary for Children of Earth; it was his first decision to create a "horrible war casualty" for the story, because it would be unrealistic to have a great threat and have the main characters all come out unscathed. Ianto's death also precedes the death of Captain Jack's grandson Steven (Bear McCausland), and for that scene to occur it necessitated making Jack "badly, badly damaged". Ianto's death caused "maximum damage" to Jack, and the loss of his lover (and grandson) makes Children of Earth a tale of retribution, as Jack had given away twelve children to the same aliens in 1965. Davies has said that Ianto is "absolutely dead". He explains his reasoning; because it's a "much more real world in Torchwood", it wouldn't work to "regenerate
or go to a parallel universe
." Davies feels that Barrowman and David-Lloyd would both be dismayed were that to happen. He stated "it would devalue the entire plot if we brought him back". Wired magazine
described Ianto's arc, ending in the third series, as an "evolution from meek office assistant to heroic warrior".
Comparing Jack's relationship with Ianto to his romantic tension with Gwen, David-Lloyd states "I think [there are] different sorts of love or lust, as it might be, and I think that's an ongoing thing ... At the moment, I think there's two different sorts of love going on there." He also states that he feels that Ianto's relationship with Jack is his first same-sex relationship
, and doesn't feel that Ianto would be a "labelist", but were he, he would identify as bisexual, but that he "wouldn't regard himself the same way as Jack does because they're from different times." Author Stephen James Walker feels sorry for Ianto, perceiving his relationship with Jack as a one-sided one. To him, Ianto views the relationship as "serious and committed", as seen in "A Day in the Death
" where he tells Owen that it is not just about sex. However, from dialogue in "Something Borrowed
", Walker believes that Jack appears to equate his relationship with Ianto to nothing more than a "recreational activity". Walker also notes how important it was for Ianto when he cut in to dance with Jack, as this is the first time that his relationship with Jack is presented before the rest of the crew. The novel The House that Jack Built includes a scene where Gwen tries to clarify whether Ianto understands the nature of his relationship with Jack, saying "You do know he's ...", which Ianto finishes "Just a shag?" before adding "Yes I know. I can't help it, though. I've never been much good at casual." In radio play "The Dead Line
", set just prior to series three, Ianto expounds his insecurities to Jack, who refutes them, confirming that his feelings for Ianto are real. When asked if the relationship will continue in series three, executive producer Julie Gardner replied, "Yes, I like seeing them as a couple", while director Euros Lyn stated that "the love story between Captain Jack and Ianto [would continue] to unfold" in the third series. While Gareth David-Lloyd feels that the love story between Jack and Ianto was not fully resolved, which is "part of the tragedy", the character and his relationship with Jack had been sufficiently explored in the third series for David-Lloyd to be "happy to walk away from it."
Ianto makes a post-death appearance in 2011 audio drama "The House of the Dead". Encountering Ianto's spirit at a haunted location in Wales, Jack and Ianto are permitted a final goodbye. Without Ianto in his life, Jack wishes to be swept up into the Rift as it closes in an attempt at suicide. Ianto tricks Jack into leaving the House of the Dead, however, despite the possibility of resurrection. As they are forced to part forever by the closing of the Rift, the couple declare their love for one another for the first and last time.
describes him as a "cult legend
", citing his dour demeanour, one-liners and "eye candy
" label. Gay
men's website AfterElton placed Ianto as their seventh best gay and bisexual character in modern science fiction (encompassing television, film and comic books), with Torchwood' s Jack, Ianto's love interest, receiving first place. Wired magazine was impressed with the way Ianto's romantic storyline was handled in the third series, and praised Davies's writing for the "deft, sympathetic handling" of the Harkness-Jones romance, compared with the "clumsiness" of the show's homoerotic overtones in previous series. Because Ianto's storyline grows out of the reality of the show, "it plays with such genuine sympathy and pathos that Jones's eventual fate is easily the miniseries' most powerful moment." Wired describes David-Lloyd's performance as Jones as "a key element in the success of the five-episode story arc." One AfterElton contributor disliked the death scene partially for the loss of a "beloved gay character", and because Ianto's death was caused by Jack's stupidity, goading on the aliens. They compared the death scene to that of Tara
(Amber Benson
) in Joss Whedon
's Buffy the Vampire Slayer which he felt was more satisfying, although "unbearably sad" because of its pivotal role in the character arc for Willow
(Alyson Hannigan
), and as being "possibly the single most significant event in the whole seven-season series." He feels that both Joss Whedon and Russell T Davies toyed with their LGBT
fans' affections, and claim "neither Whedon nor Davies seem aware of the impact that these characters were having on viewers starved for such representations." Later, AfterElton published an opposing view, which analysed the character's death in view of the character's earlier refusal to admit to his relationship with a man, and claimed that, instead of being an expression of homophobia, the death was a sign that the LGBT community was leaving behind its image of victimhood.
The website Den of Geek praised Davies's writing of Ianto's death, and likened the tough story-driven decision to those used in critically acclaimed shows The Sopranos
, Battlestar Galactica
and The Wire
. Den of Geek felt the real tension of knowing any character could die, however popular, was "refreshing" in comparison to impossibly death-defying characters such as 24
' s Jack Bauer
(Kiefer Sutherland
). In 2010, Davies's replacement as Doctor Who executive producer, Steven Moffat
, commented saying "I thought his death scene was brilliant." When the series screened in New Zealand, GayNZ
compared the two contending perspectives, comparing those who viewed Ianto's death from the perspective of "dramatic necessity" to those who disparaged it as the result of thoughtlessness on the part of the series creators about the relative absence of representations of enduring lesbian and gay couples within television series. Ianto's death was compared to that of Tara as in the above critiques, but also contrasted to other television series where lesbian and gay couples were able to have enduring relationships, such as Six Feet Unders David Fisher
(Michael C. Hall
) and Keith Charles (Mathew St. Patrick
) and Bad Girls
' Nikki Wade (Mandana Jones
) and Helen Stewart (Simone Lahbib
).
GayNZ placed Ianto, like Buffy' s Tara, in a larger literary tradition, commenting "just as Iphigenia's sacrifice at the hands of Agamemnon
was necessary to set in train the events of Aeschylus
' Oresteia... just as Ophelia
's madness, suicide and accidental death led to the climatic duel between Hamlet and Laertes
... Ianto's death can be argued to be a dramatic necessity which adds to character and narrative development." The article acknowledged there being some validity in criticisms of modern TV dramas which uphold that it is frequently the gay relationships which "can never be seen to have long-term, fulfilled relationships". However, GayNZ questioned whether the pattern was solely gay, noting the equally tragic outcomes of homosexual and heterosexual relationships in American shows Buffy and Nip/Tuck
. The website also took note of Ianto fans' displeasure when Jack was introduced to a new romantic partner in Alonso Frame (Russell Tovey
) in Doctor Who episode The End of Time
(2010), mirroring Willow's romance with Kennedy (Iyari Limon
) in Season Seven of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The article intentionally avoided making a definitive conclusion as to which "side" of the argument was correct.
was so inundated with messages to his Twitter
account that he posted a number of impassioned pleas to tone down the vitriol." End of Show writer Kirsty Walker comments that fans on Twitter accused Moran of "deliberately egging on the 'shippers
'." Moran noted in his blog that of the thousands of messages from viewers, the "vast majority" were extremely positive, managing to express that they were "upset, angry and shocked" without making personal attacks. Moran declared the response from other commentators to be unacceptable, describing their conduct as the spewing of insults and "passive aggressive nonsense". He noted that fans had accused him of deliberately trying to "mislead", "lie" and "hurt" them, said that he hated them, was "laughing at them" and "slapping [them] in the face", and claimed that he had "killed the show", had attempted to drive away existing fans to court newer and "cooler" viewers, and had deliberately hurt depressed people "with dark storylines." In a poll conducted by Digital Spy shortly after Ianto's death, 27.4% of voters claimed that they would no longer watch Torchwood. Responding to these results, Gareth David-Lloyd thanked the fans for their dedication to the show and the character but urged them to have faith in the writers. On the show's Facebook
groups, fans expressed anger towards creator Russell T Davies and some claimed they would stop watching the show. Walker herself had felt that the end of Jack's relationship with Ianto could "change the show beyond all recognition."
io9
commented that fans on Moran's blog accused him of homophobia
; one quoted fan likened it to 50s
-style homophobia "where all the queer folks died ... and the straight people walk away completely unscathed." io9 writer Charlie Jane Sanders comments however that "as people have had a bit more time to consider the new series, more thoughtful discussions have arisen." One such cited notes that it is unlikely that Children of Earth was intentionally homophobic since the writer (Davies) and lead actor (John Barrowman) are both openly gay. The same reviewer notes that however, "especially when viewed on its own, Children of Earth looks a lot like the same heteronormative
, homophobic, biphobic
and gratuitous
tropes
that appear in so many bad representations of queer people in popular culture." In response to the accusations of "de-gaying" Torchwood, Davies advised those people do some research into his career (creator of Queer as Folk
) and "stop riding on a bandwagon that they actually don't know anything about". Asked to respond to viewers who felt "cheated" that Jack and Ianto's relationship did not come to fruition, Davies said:
Soon after the death of Ianto Jones during Torchwood' s third series, a campaign to bring him back was started through networking sites such as LiveJournal, Twitter and Facebook. The resulting website,
in honour of the character. The fundraising site states that "Though we, his devoted fans, still hope that he'll come back ... we mourn him. In the series, he died saving the children of Earth; so it seems fitting to honour his memory by helping the Children in Need." Torchwood Magazine
reported that the site had raised nearly £4,000, with individual donations ranging from £2 to £50. John Barrowman described the charity campaign as "a fun way to mourn Ianto" and stated that it was "the kind of thing that's really appreciated". Gareth David-Lloyd was flattered by the strong fan reaction, saying it is "satisfying in drama when you create such an emotional response, because that's what you set out to do in the first place". He praised the fan donations, claiming "So far, they've raised about £3,000 for Children in Need, and £1,000 for Lluest Horse and Pony Trust in West Wales, which I'm a patron of, so that's got to be a good thing". Coventry Telegraph records that by 21 July 2009, £4,172 had been donated in Ianto's name.
In an interview with io9 on 28 July 2009, creator Russell T Davies was asked about the controversy surrounding Ianto's death and the consequential campaign. He replied "There's a campaign, because he was a coffee boy. But do you know how many packets of coffee they've received so far? Nine. So I think people writing online might sound like thousands of people, but they are nine." However, those involved in the movement believe that this number is much higher due to a post tallying the coffee sent within the community. When asked about the backlash in a separate interview with Michael Ausiello
, Russell T Davies said "It's not particularly a backlash. What's actually happening is, well, nothing really to be honest. It's a few people posting online and getting fans upset". He also stated that the character was gone for good, and that his resurrection would devalue the "entire plot." He recommended that fans who wish to stop watching the show should watch Supernatural
"because those boys are beautiful", or "look at poetry" if they "can't handle drama". Following these statements, the Save Ianto Jones website encouraged fans to contact BBC Wales
rather than Davies, and temporarily presented on its front page the message "Mr Davies has made it clear in recent interviews that he views his fans with contempt, and as disposable, which saddens us" and asked not to be "abused". At Comic-Con 2009, a fan claimed that Davies "hurt" a lot of internet fans with his decision to kill Ianto, which she called "out of line." Davies replied that he would not change his mind regarding the decision, adding, "I've got to be blunt about this, there have been campaigns to send packets of coffee to BBC Wales in protest. There have been nine packets sent. I'm not taking the mickey, but that's a very small number." Executive producer Julie Gardner
stated "We want people to be engaged, discuss and not always agree with us. At the end of the day, I make drama to support each author's vision. It's not a democracy. Whether people like it or not, it's storytelling." Simon Brew of Den of Geek has criticised the Internet campaigns to resurrect the character, citing that the show would "lose far more credibility" if he were brought back. Brew also expressed doubt that the fans stating they would boycott a fourth series will do so. He summarised: "Torchwood now needs to continue to have the courage of its convictions, and for that to happen, the reset switch
simply isn't an option."
On 31 July 2009, Digital Spy conducted a poll asking if it was "time to move on" from Ianto. However, a week later the website did not immediately publish the results, announcing "unfortunately it seems that this particular Poll was the subject of a campaign by diehard fans to distort the outcome
". Neil Wilkes opined that this action by the fans "suggests the answer to the question 'Have people overreacted to Ianto's death?' is quite obvious". Later, a footnote amendment noted that 31.4% said it was time to move on, "while the remainder demanded RTD's head on a plate", a reference to his own wording of the original poll, which gave readers the option of moving on from Ianto, or the executive producer's head on a plate. James McCarthy of Wales Online described the reaction from some fans as "sickening" and quoted "crazed" fans on DeviantArt
and Facebook who made explicit death threat
s against the Children of Earth writers. Gareth David-Lloyd stated he was very disappointed in those fans, whose message board
conduct he does not support at all and called "completely unacceptable". David-Lloyd added that he "would hope the writers would be able to ignore comments like that". A number of fans were upset by the tone of the first Wales Online article, and their response prompted a follow up from McCarthy. In their comments, fans pointed out that his article disproportionately highlights what they called the "ill-conceived, knee-jerk reactions" of a few individuals, and stressed that these reactions in no way represent the movement to bring Ianto Jones back, which they hold as fundamentally respectful towards the show's actors and writers. Fans have distanced themselves from the small minority of extremists, and have been keen to stress their peaceful activism, described as "thousands of fans who are raising money for charity, sending polite letters, and doing what we can to be supportive of the character and actor". In 2010, Doctor Who executive producer Steven Moffat told fans who contacted him that he wouldn't want to resurrect Ianto even if he could: "Not reversing it. Stop asking." In a 2011 poll published by the Liverpool Daily Post as part of a live Interview with writer John Fay, 70% of respondents replied that the decision to kill Ianto had been the right one, with 19% responding "indifferent" and only 11% stating that it had been the wrong decision, contrasting with the initial fan response. In response to a question, Fay also stated that he had not been affected by the "scary" fan reaction, maintaining that "a universe in which fictional characters aren't 'allowed' to die is ridiculous and limiting".
The public reaction to the death of Ianto has had a wider-reaching impact than simply the Torchwood fan community. For example, comic book writer Peter David
cited the reaction to Ianto Jones's death when reflecting on where to go with the gay relationship between the Marvel Comics
characters Rictor
and Shatterstar
in X-Factor
v. 3. He opined that in "virtually any happy relationship", one of the characters has to die to "provide angst" to the more major character. His concern was "being tagged as against gay people", the way Russell T Davies was, even though Davies is himself gay.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television series Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
, played by Welsh actor Gareth David-Lloyd
Gareth David-Lloyd
Gareth David-Lloyd is a Welsh actor best known for his role as Ianto Jones in the British science fiction television programme Torchwood.- Early life :...
. A series regular, Ianto appears in every episode of the programme's first three series, as well as two crossover episodes
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
of Torchwoods parent show
Parent show
Refers to a TV series that has spawned a spin-off. For example, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the parent show of Angel....
, Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. Additionally, Ianto appears in Expanded Universe
Expanded Universe
The term Expanded Universe is generally used to denote the 'extension' of a media franchise with other media...
material such as the Torchwood novels and audiobooks, comic books and radio plays. Within the narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
of the series, Ianto serves as general support officer for Torchwood Three
Torchwood Institute
The Torchwood Institute is a fictional secret organization from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torchwood. It was established in 1879 by Queen Victoria after the events of "Tooth and Claw". Its prime directive, is to defend the earth against...
, a team of alien hunters stationed in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. Initially the regular character with the least screen time, Ianto's role expanded in response to growing cult appeal
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
.
Reserved and efficient, Ianto was often used by writers to add humorous asides to the episodes' scripts. The character is notable for being the main romantic interest of Captain Jack Harkness
Jack Harkness
Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. He first appeared in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" and reappeared in the remaining episodes of the 2005 series as a companion of the ninth incarnation of the...
(John Barrowman
John Barrowman
John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...
), who is the lead male of the series. Established to have had heterosexual relationships prior to the series, Ianto's story forms a part of the show's ongoing exploration of human sexuality
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
. Expanded Universe material develops on Ianto's sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
and the nature of the relationship with Jack, describing Ianto as bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
and his feelings for Jack as genuine love. The romantic relationship with Jack proved very popular with gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and straight viewers alike. Additionally, writers have used these other media to explore Ianto's characterisation; for example, some stories elaborate on Ianto's backstory
Back-story
A back-story, background story, or backstory is the literary device of a narrative chronologically earlier than, and related to, a narrative of primary interest. Generally, it is the history of characters or other elements that underlie the situation existing at the main narrative's start...
, or provide insight into his feelings.
Beginning as a casual relationship
Casual relationship
A casual relationship, colloquially known as a fling, is a physical and emotional relationship between two people who may have a sexual relationship or a near-sexual relationship without necessarily demanding or expecting the extra commitments of a more formal romantic relationship...
, with little on-screen definition given, the characters' relationship deepened over the first three series of the programme. The character's creator Russell T Davies chose to kill off
Kill off
The killing off of a character is a device in fiction, whereby a major character dies but the story continues. The term, frequently applied to television, film and chronological series, often denotes an untimely or unexpected death motivated by factors beyond the storyline...
Ianto in the third television series. Professional critics by and large gave the story extremely positive reviews. A number of fans, however, were upset by the death of the character, particularly with regards to the romantic storyline's abrupt ending. Artistically, Davies felt that the relationship's unexplored potential maximised the viewer's sense of grief. Subsequent to the departure, fans set up websites in the character's honour, petitioning the writers to resurrect him in future episodes of the series, raising money for charity. Torchwood writers and actors have expressed an unwillingness to cheapen the death scene by bringing the character back, though David-Lloyd penned a Torchwood comic book wherein an alternate universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
Ianto survives.
Television
The character of Ianto Jones is introduced in the first episodeEverything Changes (Torchwood)
"Everything Changes" is the first episode of the British science fiction television programme Torchwood, which was first broadcast on 22 October 2006.-Synopsis:Police constable Gwen Cooper comes across the mysterious organisation known as Torchwood...
of Torchwood, in 2006. Introduced as a mild-mannered and quiet administrator working for Torchwood Three, his first centric appearance was the episode "Cyberwoman
Cyberwoman
"Cyberwoman" is the fourth episode of the first series of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. Written by Chris Chibnall and directed by James Strong, the episode was first broadcast on the digital channel BBC Three on 5 November 2006, and later repeated on terrestrial channel...
" which dealt with both his backstory and motivations. In the episode, Ianto is revealed as a former employee of Torchwood One in London (first seen in parent series Doctor Who), whose girlfriend, Lisa (Caroline Chikezie
Caroline Chikezie
Caroline Chikezie is a British actress, born of Nigerian heritage. She is probably most famous for playing the role of 'Sasha Williams' in the British teen soap As If from 2001 to 2004...
), has been partially converted into a Cyberman
Cyberman
The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs who are amongst the most persistent enemies of the Doctor in the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet Mondas that began to implant more...
, a cyborg species first seen in Doctor Who in 1966. Ianto has been keeping her alive, concealed in the basement of the Hub, but she eventually breaks loose, and kills two civilians. Ianto is forced into confrontation with team leader Captain Jack Harkness
Jack Harkness
Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. He first appeared in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" and reappeared in the remaining episodes of the 2005 series as a companion of the ninth incarnation of the...
(John Barrowman
John Barrowman
John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...
), who is later able to revive Ianto with a kiss when Lisa knocks him unconscious. Ultimately, the rest of Ianto's team is forced to kill Lisa. Although Ianto's thoughts continue to be concerned with Lisa, mid-series he begins to develop a sexual relationship with Jack. By the penultimate episode of the series, Ianto is willing to shoot colleague Owen Harper
Owen Harper
Owen Harper is a fictional character played by Burn Gorman, and a regular in the BBC television series Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. The character last appeared onscreen in the Series 2 finale, "Exit Wounds"....
(Burn Gorman
Burn Gorman
Burn Hugh Gorman is an American-born English actor and musician. Burn is best known for his roles as Owen Harper in Torchwood and as William Guppy in Bleak House.-Personal life:...
) to protect Jack, and refutes claims he is merely his "part time shag." In the series finale
End of Days (Torchwood)
"End of Days" is the thirteenth episode and the first series finale of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. It originally aired on BBC Three on 1 January 2007, alongside the previous episode, "Captain Jack Harkness". The episode was written by Chris Chibnall and directed by...
, an image of what appears to be Lisa's ghost is used to bring Ianto to mutiny against Jack, but still later when an immortal Jack rises from the dead, he and Ianto immediately kiss one another.
Torchwoods second series (2008) begins with the team working without Jack, who departed the Hub at the end of series one to reunite with the mysterious "Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
" from his past. Ianto's role within the team now more frequently includes field missions, to accommodate Jack's absence. When Jack returns in the series two premiere
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (Torchwood)
"Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" is the first episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was broadcast by BBC Two on 16 January 2008....
, having seen the end of the world
Last of the Time Lords
"Last of the Time Lords" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 30 June 2007, and is the thirteenth and final episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series...
, he attempts to formalise his romantic relationship with Ianto, successfully asking him on a date. Jack and Ianto's relationship becomes more overt, and Ianto's character becomes less burdened by secrets and happier, beginning to express a newfound confidence and dour sense of humour. The penultimate episode of the series, "Fragments
Fragments (Torchwood)
"Fragments" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was broadcast by BBC Three on 21 March 2008.-Synopsis:...
" explores Ianto's backstory, specifically how he was recruited into Torchwood Three two years prior; Ianto is persistent that Jack hire him after the destruction of Torchwood One
Doomsday (Doctor Who)
"Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the revival of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006...
, but only succeeds once he is able to aid Jack in capturing a stray pterodactyl. In the second series finale
Exit Wounds (Torchwood)
"Exit Wounds" is the thirteenth and final episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, and was broadcast on BBC Two on 4 April 2008.-Synopsis:...
, Ianto and the team face Jack's 51st-century ex
Ex (relationship)
In social relationships, an ex is someone with whom a person was once associated. As a prefix, ex- can refer to a variety of different relationships; for example, one might refer to a music group's ex-guitarist, or someone's ex-friend...
Captain John Hart (James Marsters
James Marsters
James Wesley Marsters is an American actor and musician. Marsters first came to the attention of the general public playing the popular character Spike, a platinum-blond yobbish English vampire in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series, Angel from 1997 to 2004...
) and younger brother Gray (Lachlan Nieboer), who has vengefully sought to destroy Jack's world. After Gray kills his teammates Toshiko
Toshiko Sato
is a fictional character from the television series Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood, played by Naoko Mori. After a one-off appearance in the Doctor Who episode "Aliens of London" , Toshiko is re-introduced as a series regular in the Torchwood 2006 premiere episode "Everything Changes"...
(Naoko Mori
Naoko Mori
is a British-Japanese actress known for roles as Sarah, Saffron's "odd" friend in Absolutely Fabulous, Mie Nishikawa in Casualty, and Toshiko Sato in Doctor Who and Torchwood.-Early life:...
) and Owen, the Torchwood team is left with a membership of only three. Following from this, Ianto makes his first crossover appearance in Doctor Who alongside Gwen
Gwen Cooper
Gwen Cooper is a fictional character in the BBC television programme Torchwood, a spin-off to the long-running show Doctor Who, portrayed by Welsh actress Eve Myles. The series' lead female character, Gwen has featured in every episode of the sci-fi programme to date as well as two crossover...
(Eve Myles
Eve Myles
Eve Myles is an award winning Welsh actress of stage and screen. She is best known to Welsh audiences for her portrayal of Ceri Owen in the BBC Wales drama Belonging, and to audiences worldwide for her role as Gwen Cooper in the science fiction show Torchwood, a spin-off from Doctor Who.-Personal...
) and Jack in its 2008 series
Doctor Who (series 4)
The fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 25 December 2007 with the Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned". Following the special, a regular series of thirteen episodes aired, starting with "Partners in Crime" on 5 April 2008 and ending with "Journey's End"...
' two-part finale, where Torchwood is called on to help contact series protagonist the Doctor
Tenth Doctor
The Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...
(David Tennant
David Tennant
David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
) during a Dalek
Dalek
The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
invasion.
Torchwoods third series (2009) is a five-part miniseries broadcast over one week, called Children of Earth. In part one, Ianto starts to express insecurity to Jack about their status as couple. The audience are introduced to Ianto's sister Rhiannon (Katy Wix
Katy Wix
Katy Wix is a Welsh actress who has appeared in Not Going Out, Comic Relief Special, Rush Hour, Miranda and Torchwood.She also has numerous recurring roles in Horrible Histories...
) and brother-in-law Johnny Davies (Rhodri Lewis), who confront Ianto about sightings of him on a date with Jack. Ianto eventually admits to being involved with Jack, but concedes that he is not sure where he stands. When aliens called the 456 return to Earth, John Frobisher (Peter Capaldi
Peter Capaldi
Peter Dougan Capaldi is an Academy Award and BAFTA award winning Scottish actor and film director. In 1995, his short film Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life won the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film...
) puts a hit on Torchwood's lives to cover a conspiracy. In part two, Ianto and Gwen survive a Hub explosion that obliterates Jack. Once regenerated, Jack is sealed in cement by agent Johnson (Liz May Brice
Liz May Brice
Elizabeth May Brice is an English actress. She is known for roles such as the convicted murderer Pat Kerrigan on ITV1's Bad Girls. To international audiences she may be more familiar as a minor cast member of the horror films Resident Evil and AVP: Alien vs Predator.-Career:Brice was born in...
) until Ianto rescues him with a forklift truck. In part three, the group watch helplessly as the 456 demand a tribute
Tribute
A tribute is wealth, often in kind, that one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often the case in historical contexts, of submission or allegiance. Various ancient states, which could be called suzerains, exacted tribute from areas they had conquered or threatened to conquer...
: 10% of the Earth's children; the government appears willing to comply. In part four, Ianto and Jack storm the Thames House
Thames House
Thames House is an office development in Millbank, London, on the north bank of the River Thames adjacent to Lambeth Bridge, designed originally as commercial head offices...
to confront the 456. The pair refuse to sacrifice any lives to the alien demands. In response, the aliens release a fatal virus into the atmosphere. Thames House locks down, and Ianto dies in Jack's arms, telling him that he loved him and begging Jack never to forget about him, to which Jack replies he never could.
Literature
Ianto appears in the first six of the Torchwood novels, published by BBC BooksBBC Books
BBC Books is an imprint majority owned and managed by Random House. The minority shareholder is BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation...
. The first wave, Another Life
Another Life (Torchwood)
Another Life is a BBC Books original novel written by Peter Anghelides and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It features all the regular cast of the show.-Plot summary:...
by Peter Anghelides
Peter Anghelides
Peter Anghelides is an English author and dramatist best known for his work on various spin-offs related to the BBC television series Doctor Who.-Work:...
, Border Princes
Border Princes
Border Princes is a BBC Books original novel written by Dan Abnett and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It features all the regular cast of the show.-Plot summary:October, 8:00 pm...
by Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett is a British comic book writer and novelist. He is a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since the 1990s, including 2000 AD...
, and Slow Decay
Slow Decay
Slow Decay is a BBC Books original novel written by Andy Lane and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood...
by Andy Lane
Andy Lane
Andrew Lane , who also writes as Andy Lane, is a British author and journalist. He has written a number of spin-off novels in the Virgin New Adventures range and audio dramas for Big Finish based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who , as well as assorted non fiction books based...
, were published in January 2007. Published in March 2008, and tying in with the concurrently airing second series of Torchwood, Ianto appears in the novels Trace Memory
Trace Memory (Torchwood)
Trace Memory is a BBC Books original novel written by David Llewellyn and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It features all the regular cast of the show...
by David Llewellyn
David Llewellyn (author)
David Llewellyn , is a Welsh novelist. He grew up in Pontypool and graduated from Dartington College of Arts in 2000. His first novel, Eleven, was published by Seren Press in 2006. His second novel, Trace Memory, a spin-off of the BBC drama series Torchwood was published in March 2008. Everything...
, The Twilight Streets
The Twilight Streets
The Twilight Streets is a BBC Books original novel written by Gary Russell and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It features all the regular cast of the show. It was published on 6 March 2008....
by Gary Russell
Gary Russell
Gary James Russell is a freelance writer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs in other media...
, and Something in the Water
Something in the Water
Something in the Water is a BBC Books original novel written by Trevor Baxendale and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It features all the regular cast of the show. It was published on 6 March 2008...
by Trevor Baxendale
Trevor Baxendale
Trevor Baxendale is a novelist who has penned several Doctor Who tie-in novels and audio dramas.*The Janus Conjunction *Out of the Darkness *Coldheart *Eater of Wasps *Fear of the Dark...
. October 2008 saw the release of three more Torchwood books by Peter Anghelides, series writer Phil Ford
Phil Ford (writer)
Phil Ford is a British television writer. He was the head writer for the second series of The Sarah Jane Adventures, broadcast in 2008, and wrote "The Waters of Mars", one of the 2009 special episodes of Doctor Who, with Russell T Davies.-Television:...
and writer for the Doctor Who and Torchwood websites, James Goss, the latter's cover for Almost Perfect
Almost Perfect (Torchwood)
Almost Perfect is a BBC Books original novel written by James Goss and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It is set after the conclusion of the second series. It only features the characters of Captain Jack, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones.-Plot...
reflecting changes to the cast after the episode 2008 finale episode "Exit Wounds". The character next appears in Into the Silence
Into the Silence (Torchwood)
Into the Silence is a BBC Books original novel written by Sarah Pinborough and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It is set after the conclusion of the second series...
, Bay of the Dead
Bay of the Dead
Bay of the Dead is a BBC Books original novel written by Mark Morris and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It is set after the conclusion of the second series...
and The House that Jack Built
The House that Jack Built (Torchwood)
The House that Jack Built is a BBC Books original novel written by Guy Adams and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It is set after the conclusion of the second series...
in June 2009, and Risk Assessment
Risk Assessment (Torchwood)
Risk Assessment is a BBC Books original novel written by James Goss and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood and set after the conclusion of the second series. It only features the characters of Captain Jack, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones.-Plot:Coffins...
, The Undertaker's Gift
The Undertaker's Gift
The Undertaker's Gift is a BBC Books original novel written by Trevor Baxendale and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood and is set after the conclusion of the second series...
and the short story anthology Consequences
Consequences (Torchwood)
Consequences is an anthology set after the conclusion of the second series. It features the characters of Captain Jack, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones on the cover, but the stories within include several former Torchwood members.-Stories:...
in October of that year.
First published in January 2008, the monthly Torchwood Magazine
Torchwood Magazine
Torchwood - The Official Magazine is a British magazine devoted to the BBC science fiction television series Torchwood. The first issue was released on 24 January 2008. The United States version was due to be launched in February 2008...
began occasionally including Torchwood comic strips, in which Ianto also appears. In 2010, Shrouded is one such two-part comic, written by Gareth David-Lloyd. The comic posits a "what-if" scenario wherein Ianto, "who struggles with his feelings for Jack from the offset", sees a face from the future and embarks on a mission that could change the course of his life (from that of his eventual death in Children of Earth). David Lloyd comments that he "knows [the] character implicitly". In the first part, Ianto (originating from the timeframe of Season Two) is approached by Rhys and Captain John, both post-Children of Earth, who warn Ianto not to believe the offer made by a seductive, time-travelling woman; they do not tell him that their mission is to preserve the timeline in which he dies. In part two, the woman, Mairwyn, informs Ianto of the events of "Exit Wounds" and Children of Earth, and of Jack's departure. Ianto tearfully watches the scene where Jack learns of Gwen's engagement, and sleeps with Mairwyn. After learning of the devastating consequences of assisting Mairwyn, he defeats her and later "retcons" himself. However, in a divergent timeline Ianto appears with Mairwyn, observing his funeral, saying "I can't believe there's a reality where I said no." In 2010, "Shrouded" was republished in Titan
Titan Books
Titan Publishing Group is an independently owned publishing company, established in 1981. It is based at offices in London, England's Bankside area. The Books Division has two main areas of publishing: film & TV tie-ins/cinema reference books; and graphic novels and comics reference/art titles. The...
's dedicated Torchwood comic book.
During series two, the Torchwood website,
www.torchwood.org.uk also hosted an interactive online game written by series writer Phil FordPhil Ford (writer)
Phil Ford is a British television writer. He was the head writer for the second series of The Sarah Jane Adventures, broadcast in 2008, and wrote "The Waters of Mars", one of the 2009 special episodes of Doctor Who, with Russell T Davies.-Television:...
. Updated weekly with the airing of the new episodes, the website features specially shot footage with Gareth David-Lloyd in character as Ianto debriefing and informing the 'player' with regards to their mission. Throughout both series one and two, the interactive websites co-written by James Goss featured electronic literature
Electronic literature
Electronic literature is a literary genre consisting of works of literature that originate within digital environments.-Definitions:N. Katherine Hayles discusses the topic in the online article...
content (such as fictitious internet messaging conversations and letters) which depict aspects of Ianto and the other Torchwood characters' work and personal lives. The Torchwood Archives by Gary Russell
Gary Russell
Gary James Russell is a freelance writer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs in other media...
collects much of this online literature in hardback form, along with new original material, some of which expands on what we know of Ianto. For example, it introduces his sister, Rhiannon and brother-in-law Johnny; Rhiannon and Johnny later appear in 2009's third televised series.
Spin-off media has tried to fill in the gaps of Ianto's character history from before he began working at Torchwood Three; Ianto's first week at Torchwood One is shown in a flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
in the novel Trace Memory
Trace Memory (Torchwood)
Trace Memory is a BBC Books original novel written by David Llewellyn and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It features all the regular cast of the show...
. The segment also depicts his budding relationship with Lisa Hallett. Also expanding on Jones's time living in London, the comic The Legacy of Torchwood One! (Torchwood #1) shows how Ianto was taken under the wing of Rupert Howarth, a senior researcher, during his first few weeks at Torchwood One. Ianto's characterisation
Characterisation
Characterization or characterisation is the art of creating characters for a narrative, including the process of conveying information about them. It may be employed in dramatic works of art or everyday conversation...
is explored in The Twilight Streets, in which Ianto sheds some light on the difficulty he had "coming out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
" as a teenager; Ianto's mother tried to have a conversation with him about it, but he remarks "She didn't work me out, Gwen. No one has. And if I ever do, I'll let you know." He then engages in a diatribe with Gwen about what it means to him to be bisexual after Gwen jokes to him that he has the "best of both worlds". A scene in David-Lloyd's "Shrouded", in which Ianto is emailing his sister, Owen is seen to wrestle control of the computer and tries to write to her that "I've recently discovered that I'm a Big Old Gay"; Ianto rebukes him. In the storyline's conclusion, an alternate timeline is created where Ianto did not die in the events of Children of Earth.
However, as with all Doctor Who and Torchwood spin-off media, the canonicity
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
in relation to the television series is unclear.
Audio drama
Ianto also appears in Torchwood audio books, the first two being HiddenHidden (Torchwood)
Hidden is a BBC Audio original audiobook written by Steven Savile and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It was released on 4 February 2008. The story is set during the first series of the show...
written by Steven Savile
Steven Savile
Steven Savile is a British fantasy, horror and thriller writer, and editor living in Stockholm, Sweden...
and narrated by Naoko Mori, Everyone Says Hello
Everyone Says Hello
Everyone Says Hello is a BBC Audiobooks original audiobook written by Dan Abnett and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood...
written by Dan Abnett and narrated by Burn Gorman, released February 2008, and In the Shadows
In The Shadows (Torchwood)
In The Shadows is a BBC Audiobooks original audiobook written by Joseph Lidster and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood...
by Joseph Lidster
Joseph Lidster
Joseph Lidster is an English television writer best known for his work on the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.-Biography:His debut work was the audio play The Rapture for Big Finish Productions in 2002...
, released in September 2008. Joseph Lidster also wrote a BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
Torchwood drama, "Lost Souls
Lost Souls (Torchwood)
"Lost Souls" is an original BBC Radio 4 audio play written by Joseph Lidster and is a spin-off from the British science fiction television series Torchwood, itself a spin-off from Doctor Who. It aired on 10 September 2008 in the Afternoon Play slot as part of Radio 4's Big Bang Day which celebrated...
" which aired in Summer 2008 as an Afternoon Play featuring the voices of John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd and Freema Agyeman
Freema Agyeman
Freema Agyeman is a British actress who is best known for playing Martha Jones, former companion of the Tenth Doctor in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, and itsspin-off series Torchwood...
(Martha
Martha Jones
Martha Jones is a fictional character played by Freema Agyeman in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. She is a companion of the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, replacing Rose Tyler...
). Set after the events of the 2008 series, Ianto and the team make their first international adventure to CERN
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, as part of Radio 4's special celebration of the Large Hadron Collider
Large Hadron Collider
The Large Hadron Collider is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator. It is expected to address some of the most fundamental questions of physics, advancing the understanding of the deepest laws of nature....
being switched on. The special radio episode's plot focuses on the Large Hadron Collider's activation and the doomsday scenario some predicted it might incite, as well as the team's mourning of Toshiko and Owen's recent deaths.
Three further BBC radio dramas were produced in 2009 for the Afternoon Play slot on Radio 4, each of which feature Ianto Jones. Chronologically, these occur between the second and third televised series but after "Lost Souls". Transmitted in July 2009, the first drama is "Asylum
Asylum (Torchwood)
"Asylum" is an original BBC Radio 4 audio play written by Anita Sullivan and is a spin-off from the British science fiction television series Torchwood, itself a spin-off from Doctor Who. This episode aired on the 1 July 2009 on BBC Radio 4...
", the second is "Golden Age
Golden Age (Torchwood)
"Golden Age" is an original BBC Radio 4 audio play written by James Goss and is a spin-off from the British science fiction television series Torchwood, itself a spin-off from Doctor Who. This episode aired on the 2 July 2009 on BBC Radio 4...
", and the third is "The Dead Line
The Dead Line
"The Dead Line" is the last of four radio dramas released prior to the third series of Torchwood, a British science fiction television series which airs on the BBC...
". "The Dead Line" in particular focuses on Ianto's characterisation, particularly with respect to his relationship with Jack. AfterElton reviewers stated that the radio drama "delivers for Janto [a portmanteau used by the shipping fandom
Shipping (fandom)
Shipping, derived from the word relationship, is the belief that two fictional characters, typically from the same series, are in an intimate relationship, or have romantic feelings that could potentially lead to a relationship. It is considered a general term for fans' emotional involvement with...
] fans"; David-Lloyd delivers a monologue as Ianto, verbalising his insecurities to a comatose Jack. When Jack awakens from his coma, he promises "You will never be just a blip in time, Ianto Jones."
After his character was written out of the televised series, David-Lloyd still lends his voice 2011 audio drama series The Lost Files
The Lost Files (Torchwood)
The Lost Files is a series of three radio dramas released prior to the fourth series of Torchwood, a British science fiction television series which airs on the BBC. These dramas aired as BBC Radio 4's Afternoon Play on the 11,12 and 13 July 2011 and feature the regular cast.-External links:**...
, tying into the televised fourth series, Torchwood: Miracle Day. Of these, "The House of the Dead" by James Goss focuses the most on Ianto. Ianto encounters the spirit of his father, with the claim that he, Ianto's mother, Owen, Toshiko and Lisa will all be resurrected if Ianto betrays Jack. Exploiting its radio format, the drama reveals that Ianto too is a spirit, and that the story is a Jack solo mission set after series three. Jack and Ianto say a final goodbye and tell each other they love one another for the first time. Jack attempts to return to the land of the living alongside Ianto, but Ianto stays behind to close the Cardiff Rift forever with Jack's device.
Conception
Gareth David-Lloyd has revealed that his character was originally named Idris Hopper. This has led to speculation that he was the same Idris Hopper played by Aled Pedrick who appeared in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "Boom TownBoom Town (Doctor Who)
"Boom Town" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 4 June 2005. The Doctor, Rose and Jack travel to modern-day Cardiff and meet up with Rose's boyfriend, Mickey...
" as Margaret Blaine's (Annette Badland
Annette Badland
Annette Badland is an English actress best known for her work in children's television.-Biography:Her training took place at East 15 Acting School, London...
) personal assistant. Writer Stephen James Walker wonders if Russell T Davies intended Idris to become a major character on Torchwood in the same way as Toshiko Sato, who originated in Doctor Who
Aliens of London
"Aliens of London" is the fourth episode of the first series of the British science fiction television show Doctor Who that was first broadcast on 16 April 2005. The Doctor takes Rose back to 21st century London, just in time to witness a spaceship crashing into the River Thames, triggering a...
". Idris Hopper has since appeared in Gary Russell
Gary Russell
Gary James Russell is a freelance writer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs in other media...
's Torchwood novel The Twilight Streets
The Twilight Streets
The Twilight Streets is a BBC Books original novel written by Gary Russell and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It features all the regular cast of the show. It was published on 6 March 2008....
. Initially, Ianto is introduced as a quiet worker and the least active character in the supporting cast. David-Lloyd started the role believing Ianto would be killed off at the end of the first series, and was surprised when they "worked the character to become more popular, and it started growing from there."
When Gareth David-Lloyd was cast in the role, the character was renamed Ianto Jones. This was inspired by the character of Yanto Jones, also played by David-Lloyd, in Russell T Davies's 2004 comedy-drama Mine All Mine
Mine All Mine
Mine All Mine is a British television series produced by Red Production Company for ITV. It was written by Russell T Davies and starred Griff Rhys Jones...
. Ianto shares the surname "Jones" with Doctor Who characters Martha Jones
Martha Jones
Martha Jones is a fictional character played by Freema Agyeman in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. She is a companion of the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, replacing Rose Tyler...
and family as well as Harriet Jones
Harriet Jones
Harriet Jones MP is a recurring fictional character played by Penelope Wilton in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. With the revival of Doctor Who in 2005, Jones was introduced in the two-part story "Aliens of London" and "World War Three" as an MP who aids the...
, Torchwood character Eugene Jones ("Random Shoes
Random Shoes
"Random Shoes" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was broadcast on 10 December 2006. It is the ninth episode of the first series.-Synopsis:...
"), and Stuart Allen Jones in Davies's earlier Queer as Folk
Queer as Folk (UK TV series)
Queer as Folk is a 1999 British television series that chronicles the lives of three gay men living in Manchester's gay village around Canal Street. Both Queer as Folk and Queer as Folk 2 were written by Russell T Davies...
; Davies states that reusing names (such as Tyler, Smith, Harper, Harkness and Jones) allows him to get a grip of the character on the blank page. In developing the character's attire, costume designer Ray Holman comments: "Ianto has a very distinct look but his suits actually vary quite a lot. He started off with some nice but boring Marks and Spencers
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
suits in series one, which were top-end fitted ones but always very sober. Towards the end of series one, I also got him into a waistcoat, and everyone thought that looked really good.
Development
On how he views the character, David-Lloyd says that "outwardly, he's strait-laced, but there's a darker side to him and a very playful side too." Initially, in series one, Ianto is a quiet and more reserved character. Throughout the first series, Ianto's secrets are exposed to the team, particularly in "Cyberwoman" when his motives for joining Torchwood Three are exposed. David-Lloyd was "bowled over" by the Ianto-centric script for "Cyberwoman" and the "wide range of emotions" it allowed him to play. From this point, Ianto's focus changes and he begins more and more to come out of his shell.Appearing in series two, Ianto assists the team in field missions and is used by the writers as a vehicle for one-liner joke
One-liner joke
A one-liner is a joke that is delivered in a single line. A good one-liner is said to be pithy.Comedians and actors use this comedic method as part of their act, e.g...
s. Commenting on this, portrayer Gareth David-Lloyd notes that "This season it's much more relaxed and he's not all about keeping secrets, he's about Torchwood and Jack — he's found his meaning and his place so his dry humour comes out a lot more and he's happier." The developments in Ianto's character were also reflected in the wardrobe choice. "For series two," comments Ray Holman, "we evolved the look quite a lot, and now his suits come from all over the place. It's just a question of where I see something that looks right for Gareth, so I've brought him a suit from Savile Row
Savile Row
Savile Row is a shopping street in Mayfair, central London, famous for its traditional men's bespoke tailoring. The term "bespoke" is understood to have originated in Savile Row when cloth for a suit was said to "be spoken for" by individual customers...
and suits from Zara
Zara (clothing)
Zara is a Spanish clothing and accessories retailer based in Arteixo, Galicia, and founded in 1975 by Amancio Ortega and Rosalía Mera. It is the flagship chain store of the Inditex group; the fashion group also owns brands such as Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Oysho, Uterqüe, Stradivarius and...
and Next. We realised we could be a bit more flash with Ianto now he's come out of the background and started to assert himself a bit more. So we moved him into coloured shirts and snazzier ties. He started off in white and grey shirts but we realised his skin tones can take the extra colour and now he's evolving into something much sharper, which looks really good filmed in high definition
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
."
In Torchwood Magazine
Torchwood Magazine
Torchwood - The Official Magazine is a British magazine devoted to the BBC science fiction television series Torchwood. The first issue was released on 24 January 2008. The United States version was due to be launched in February 2008...
, actor Gareth David-Lloyd comments on some original character developments intended for Ianto. Originally, his character was the one supposed to die at the end of series two episode "Reset
Reset (Torchwood)
"Reset" is the sixth episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was first broadcast by BBC Three on 13 February 2008, immediately after the broadcast of "Adam" on BBC Two...
". Davies's plan had originally intended for Ianto to be revived, as Owen eventually was, in episode seven. From this point on, the character was intended to be "the Living Dead - pale, but still sexy". The night before filming, however, Davies changed his mind and seven scripts began a process of being rewritten. New lines had to be handed to the actors on the day of filming. Davies also called a discussion with the actors involved to explain the change in the storyline. In the discussion with executive producer Russell T Davies and Burn Gorman, who portrays Owen, it was decided that Owen would experience the zombification
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
storyline as he is a character who more overtly enjoys life, making it more interesting from a narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
perspective.
David-Lloyd described the character's development in the third series as "really exciting". He felt that it was "great to be a fully-fledged member of the team now rather than just the administration man." He felt flattered to have the writer and producers put so much confidence in him. In this series, the writers also explore Jones's background; David-Lloyd was happy with the execution of this backstory, through meeting Ianto's sister, and commented that it was quite beautifully written. Through meeting his family, we discover that his father has died and that Ianto has grown very distant from his relatives as per the demands of his job. David-Lloyd first concluded that Ianto was being killed off when his agent told him he was only needed for four out of five episodes. Although there was "a bit of disappointment", he considers himself "lucky" for lasting so long on the series, especially since Ianto was supposed to die in series two. He believed the character's death was justified by "the impact and the drama, and to keep the dangerous reality of Torchwood ever present". Although it was "a tragedy that [Ianto] died", David-Lloyd felt that the series had "addressed everything about him that needed to be said".
Creator Russell T Davies felt that killing off Ianto was necessary for Children of Earth; it was his first decision to create a "horrible war casualty" for the story, because it would be unrealistic to have a great threat and have the main characters all come out unscathed. Ianto's death also precedes the death of Captain Jack's grandson Steven (Bear McCausland), and for that scene to occur it necessitated making Jack "badly, badly damaged". Ianto's death caused "maximum damage" to Jack, and the loss of his lover (and grandson) makes Children of Earth a tale of retribution, as Jack had given away twelve children to the same aliens in 1965. Davies has said that Ianto is "absolutely dead". He explains his reasoning; because it's a "much more real world in Torchwood", it wouldn't work to "regenerate
Regeneration (Doctor Who)
Regeneration, in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, is a biological ability exhibited by Time Lords, a race of fictional humanoids originating on the planet Gallifrey. This process allows a Time Lord who is old or mortally wounded to undergo a transformation into a new...
or go to a parallel universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
." Davies feels that Barrowman and David-Lloyd would both be dismayed were that to happen. He stated "it would devalue the entire plot if we brought him back". Wired magazine
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
described Ianto's arc, ending in the third series, as an "evolution from meek office assistant to heroic warrior".
Relationship with Jack
Much of Ianto's character development is centred on the character's relationship with Captain Jack. On the character's evolution from minor character to romantic interest, Gareth David-Lloyd has commented that "To have a storyline where you're involved with the leading character for any actor is awesome." On the character's development, David-Lloyd has said that through Jack's relationship, "he's found his meaning and ... he's happier." Asked what it is that Ianto receives from Jack, David-Lloyd responds "Support, meaning. I think he lost meaning. He was tortured and Jack gave him that meaning back. And reliability that he'll always be there, I think." John Barrowman and Gareth David-Lloyd have also opined that Jack's relationship with Ianto has however brought out Jack's empathy, and helped to ground him, with John Barrowman reported as saying that Ianto "brings out the 'human' in him, it brings out more of the empathy because he's actually fallen for someone and he really cares about somebody. So, it's really great and I think that's what makes him warm to other people. It makes him more approachable." In the same interview, Gareth David-Lloyd said of the relationship and his character that "I think Ianto's always made him care and that is really the heart of the show. Ianto's always bearing his emotional side and vulnerable side and keeping his feet on the ground. I think of all the characters, he's the one who tries to keep everyone else's feet on the ground. He brings everyone back to reality, often with a dry, witty remark or taking a dig at somebody just to sort of bring people back down."Comparing Jack's relationship with Ianto to his romantic tension with Gwen, David-Lloyd states "I think [there are] different sorts of love or lust, as it might be, and I think that's an ongoing thing ... At the moment, I think there's two different sorts of love going on there." He also states that he feels that Ianto's relationship with Jack is his first same-sex relationship
Same-sex relationship
A same-sex relationship is a relationship between two persons of the same sex and can take many forms, from romantic and sexual, to non-romantic close relationships. The term is mainly associated with gay and lesbian people...
, and doesn't feel that Ianto would be a "labelist", but were he, he would identify as bisexual, but that he "wouldn't regard himself the same way as Jack does because they're from different times." Author Stephen James Walker feels sorry for Ianto, perceiving his relationship with Jack as a one-sided one. To him, Ianto views the relationship as "serious and committed", as seen in "A Day in the Death
A Day in the Death
"A Day in the Death" is the eighth episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was broadcast by BBC Three on 27 February 2008...
" where he tells Owen that it is not just about sex. However, from dialogue in "Something Borrowed
Something Borrowed (Torchwood)
"Something Borrowed" is the ninth episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood. It was broadcast by BBC Three on 5 March 2008 and repeated on BBC Two one week later.-Synopsis:...
", Walker believes that Jack appears to equate his relationship with Ianto to nothing more than a "recreational activity". Walker also notes how important it was for Ianto when he cut in to dance with Jack, as this is the first time that his relationship with Jack is presented before the rest of the crew. The novel The House that Jack Built includes a scene where Gwen tries to clarify whether Ianto understands the nature of his relationship with Jack, saying "You do know he's ...", which Ianto finishes "Just a shag?" before adding "Yes I know. I can't help it, though. I've never been much good at casual." In radio play "The Dead Line
The Dead Line
"The Dead Line" is the last of four radio dramas released prior to the third series of Torchwood, a British science fiction television series which airs on the BBC...
", set just prior to series three, Ianto expounds his insecurities to Jack, who refutes them, confirming that his feelings for Ianto are real. When asked if the relationship will continue in series three, executive producer Julie Gardner replied, "Yes, I like seeing them as a couple", while director Euros Lyn stated that "the love story between Captain Jack and Ianto [would continue] to unfold" in the third series. While Gareth David-Lloyd feels that the love story between Jack and Ianto was not fully resolved, which is "part of the tragedy", the character and his relationship with Jack had been sufficiently explored in the third series for David-Lloyd to be "happy to walk away from it."
Ianto makes a post-death appearance in 2011 audio drama "The House of the Dead". Encountering Ianto's spirit at a haunted location in Wales, Jack and Ianto are permitted a final goodbye. Without Ianto in his life, Jack wishes to be swept up into the Rift as it closes in an attempt at suicide. Ianto tricks Jack into leaving the House of the Dead, however, despite the possibility of resurrection. As they are forced to part forever by the closing of the Rift, the couple declare their love for one another for the first and last time.
Critical reception
Awarding the character of Ianto the status of "Cult Spy Icon", British entertainment news website Digital SpyDigital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
describes him as a "cult legend
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
", citing his dour demeanour, one-liners and "eye candy
Attractiveness
Attractiveness or attraction refers to a quality that causes an interest or desire in something or someone. The term attraction may also refer to the object of the attraction itself, as in tourist attraction.-Visual attractiveness:...
" label. Gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
men's website AfterElton placed Ianto as their seventh best gay and bisexual character in modern science fiction (encompassing television, film and comic books), with Torchwood
Tara Maclay
Tara Maclay is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed by Amber Benson from the fourth to the sixth season until the character's death. Tara is a shy young woman with magical talents who falls in love...
(Amber Benson
Amber Benson
Amber Nicole Benson is an American actress, writer, film director, and film producer. She is best known for her role as Tara Maclay on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but has also directed, produced and starred in her own films Chance and Lovers, Liars & Lunatics...
) in Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
's Buffy the Vampire Slayer which he felt was more satisfying, although "unbearably sad" because of its pivotal role in the character arc for Willow
Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan...
(Alyson Hannigan
Alyson Hannigan
Alyson Lee Hannigan is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Willow Rosenberg in the cult classic television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Michelle Flaherty in three American Pie films, and Lily Aldrin on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother.-Early life:Hannigan was born in...
), and as being "possibly the single most significant event in the whole seven-season series." He feels that both Joss Whedon and Russell T Davies toyed with their LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
fans' affections, and claim "neither Whedon nor Davies seem aware of the impact that these characters were having on viewers starved for such representations." Later, AfterElton published an opposing view, which analysed the character's death in view of the character's earlier refusal to admit to his relationship with a man, and claimed that, instead of being an expression of homophobia, the death was a sign that the LGBT community was leaving behind its image of victimhood.
The website Den of Geek praised Davies's writing of Ianto's death, and likened the tough story-driven decision to those used in critically acclaimed shows The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
and The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
. Den of Geek felt the real tension of knowing any character could die, however popular, was "refreshing" in comparison to impossibly death-defying characters such as 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
Jack Bauer
Jack Bauer is the main protagonist of the American television series 24. His character has worked in various capacities on the show, often as a member of the fictional Counter Terrorist Unit based in Los Angeles, and working with the FBI in Washington, D.C...
(Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland is an English-born Canadian actor, producer and director, best known for his portrayal of Jack Bauer on the Fox thriller drama series 24 for which he has won an Emmy Award , a Golden Globe award , two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Satellite...
). In 2010, Davies's replacement as Doctor Who executive producer, Steven Moffat
Steven Moffat
Steven Moffat is a Scottish television writer and producer.Moffat's first television work was the teen drama series Press Gang. His first sitcom, Joking Apart, was inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage; conversely, his later sitcom Coupling was based upon the development of his...
, commented saying "I thought his death scene was brilliant." When the series screened in New Zealand, GayNZ
GayNZ.com
GayNZ.com is the leading Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community news website for New Zealand.It posts daily local and international news stories, monitors fundamentalist Christian politics in New Zealand and associated anti-gay pressure groups, reports on political developments related...
compared the two contending perspectives, comparing those who viewed Ianto's death from the perspective of "dramatic necessity" to those who disparaged it as the result of thoughtlessness on the part of the series creators about the relative absence of representations of enduring lesbian and gay couples within television series. Ianto's death was compared to that of Tara as in the above critiques, but also contrasted to other television series where lesbian and gay couples were able to have enduring relationships, such as Six Feet Unders David Fisher
David Fisher (Six Feet Under)
David James Fisher is a fictional character played by Michael C. Hall on the HBO television series Six Feet Under. The character is the middle child of three and is a third-generation funeral director. Initially, the character is portrayed as socially conservative , dutiful to his family,...
(Michael C. Hall
Michael C. Hall
Michael Carlyle Hall is an American actor whose television roles include David Fisher on the HBO drama series Six Feet Under and Dexter Morgan on the Showtime series Dexter. In 2009, Hall won a Golden Globe award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his role in Dexter.-Early life:Hall was born in...
) and Keith Charles (Mathew St. Patrick
Mathew St. Patrick
Mathew St. Patrick is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Keith Charles on the HBO drama television series Six Feet Under.He was born and raised in Philadelphia and graduated from Olney High School....
) and Bad Girls
Bad Girls (TV series)
Bad Girls is an award-winning British television drama series that was broadcast on ITV from 1999 to 2006. It is produced by Shed Productions, the company which later produced Footballers' Wives and Waterloo Road...
Mandana Jones
Mandana Jones is a British actress best known for her role as prisoner Nikki Wade on the British television series Bad Girls.-Biography:Mandana Jones was born on 26 February 1967 to a Welsh father and an Iranian mother. She is the youngest of three, having two older brothers...
) and Helen Stewart (Simone Lahbib
Simone Lahbib
Simone Lahbib , born 6 February 1965 in Stirling, Scotland is a Scottish actor who has received widespread recognition for her portrayal of strong, emotionally charged characters....
).
GayNZ placed Ianto, like Buffy
Agamemnon
In Greek mythology, Agamemnon was the son of King Atreus and Queen Aerope of Mycenae, the brother of Menelaus, the husband of Clytemnestra, and the father of Electra and Orestes. Mythical legends make him the king of Mycenae or Argos, thought to be different names for the same area...
was necessary to set in train the events of Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
' Oresteia... just as Ophelia
Ophelia
Ophelia is a fictional character in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and potential wife of Prince Hamlet.-Plot:...
's madness, suicide and accidental death led to the climatic duel between Hamlet and Laertes
Laertes
In Greek mythology, Laërtes was the son of Arcesius and Chalcomedusa. He was the father of Odysseus and Ctimene by his wife Anticlea, daughter of the thief Autolycus. Laërtes was an Argonaut and participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar...
... Ianto's death can be argued to be a dramatic necessity which adds to character and narrative development." The article acknowledged there being some validity in criticisms of modern TV dramas which uphold that it is frequently the gay relationships which "can never be seen to have long-term, fulfilled relationships". However, GayNZ questioned whether the pattern was solely gay, noting the equally tragic outcomes of homosexual and heterosexual relationships in American shows Buffy and Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy...
. The website also took note of Ianto fans' displeasure when Jack was introduced to a new romantic partner in Alonso Frame (Russell Tovey
Russell Tovey
Russell George Tovey is an English actor with numerous television, film and stage credits. Tovey is best known for playing the role of werewolf George Sands in the BBC's supernatural drama Being Human which started in 2008...
) in Doctor Who episode The End of Time
The End of Time
The End of Time: The Next Revolution in Our Understanding of the Universe, also sold with the alternate subtitle The Next Revolution in Physics, is a 1999 science book in which the author Julian Barbour argues that time exists merely as an illusion.-Auto-biography:The book begins by describing how...
(2010), mirroring Willow's romance with Kennedy (Iyari Limon
Iyari Limon
Iyari Pérez Limón is an actress best known for her supporting role as Potential Slayer Kennedy on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.-Career:Limón has appeared in numerous TV commercials, both in Spanish and English...
) in Season Seven of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The article intentionally avoided making a definitive conclusion as to which "side" of the argument was correct.
Fan reaction to death
Some fans expressed their displeasure following Ianto's death in the third series. The website End of Show comments that "writer James MoranJames Moran (writer)
James Moran is a British screenwriter for television and film, who wrote the horror-comedy Severance. He works in the horror, comedy, science-fiction, historical fiction and spy thriller genres.-Breaking in:...
was so inundated with messages to his Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account that he posted a number of impassioned pleas to tone down the vitriol." End of Show writer Kirsty Walker comments that fans on Twitter accused Moran of "deliberately egging on the 'shippers
Shipping (fandom)
Shipping, derived from the word relationship, is the belief that two fictional characters, typically from the same series, are in an intimate relationship, or have romantic feelings that could potentially lead to a relationship. It is considered a general term for fans' emotional involvement with...
'." Moran noted in his blog that of the thousands of messages from viewers, the "vast majority" were extremely positive, managing to express that they were "upset, angry and shocked" without making personal attacks. Moran declared the response from other commentators to be unacceptable, describing their conduct as the spewing of insults and "passive aggressive nonsense". He noted that fans had accused him of deliberately trying to "mislead", "lie" and "hurt" them, said that he hated them, was "laughing at them" and "slapping [them] in the face", and claimed that he had "killed the show", had attempted to drive away existing fans to court newer and "cooler" viewers, and had deliberately hurt depressed people "with dark storylines." In a poll conducted by Digital Spy shortly after Ianto's death, 27.4% of voters claimed that they would no longer watch Torchwood. Responding to these results, Gareth David-Lloyd thanked the fans for their dedication to the show and the character but urged them to have faith in the writers. On the show's Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
groups, fans expressed anger towards creator Russell T Davies and some claimed they would stop watching the show. Walker herself had felt that the end of Jack's relationship with Ianto could "change the show beyond all recognition."
io9
Io9
io9 is a blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The blog focuses on the subjects of science fiction, futurism, and advancements in the fields of science and technology....
commented that fans on Moran's blog accused him of homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
; one quoted fan likened it to 50s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
-style homophobia "where all the queer folks died ... and the straight people walk away completely unscathed." io9 writer Charlie Jane Sanders comments however that "as people have had a bit more time to consider the new series, more thoughtful discussions have arisen." One such cited notes that it is unlikely that Children of Earth was intentionally homophobic since the writer (Davies) and lead actor (John Barrowman) are both openly gay. The same reviewer notes that however, "especially when viewed on its own, Children of Earth looks a lot like the same heteronormative
Heteronormativity
Heteronormativity is a term invented in 1991 to describe any of a set of lifestyle norms that hold that people fall into distinct and complementary genders with natural roles in life. It also holds that heterosexuality is the normal sexual orientation, and states that sexual and marital relations...
, homophobic, biphobic
Biphobia
Biphobia is a term used to describe aversion felt toward bisexuality and bisexuals as a social group or as individuals. People of any sexual orientation can experience such feelings of aversion...
and gratuitous
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
tropes
Trope (literature)
A literary trope is the usage of figurative language in literature, or a figure of speech in which words are used in a sense different from their literal meaning...
that appear in so many bad representations of queer people in popular culture." In response to the accusations of "de-gaying" Torchwood, Davies advised those people do some research into his career (creator of Queer as Folk
Queer as Folk (UK TV series)
Queer as Folk is a 1999 British television series that chronicles the lives of three gay men living in Manchester's gay village around Canal Street. Both Queer as Folk and Queer as Folk 2 were written by Russell T Davies...
) and "stop riding on a bandwagon that they actually don't know anything about". Asked to respond to viewers who felt "cheated" that Jack and Ianto's relationship did not come to fruition, Davies said:
Soon after the death of Ianto Jones during Torchwood
www.saveiantojones.com, has organised a protest which encourages fans to send coffee, along with postcards and letters of complaint, to the BBC, a reference to Ianto's status as the "coffee boy". Via the Save Ianto Jones website, fans are also campaigning to raise money for the BBC charity Children in NeedChildren in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
in honour of the character. The fundraising site states that "Though we, his devoted fans, still hope that he'll come back ... we mourn him. In the series, he died saving the children of Earth; so it seems fitting to honour his memory by helping the Children in Need." Torchwood Magazine
Torchwood Magazine
Torchwood - The Official Magazine is a British magazine devoted to the BBC science fiction television series Torchwood. The first issue was released on 24 January 2008. The United States version was due to be launched in February 2008...
reported that the site had raised nearly £4,000, with individual donations ranging from £2 to £50. John Barrowman described the charity campaign as "a fun way to mourn Ianto" and stated that it was "the kind of thing that's really appreciated". Gareth David-Lloyd was flattered by the strong fan reaction, saying it is "satisfying in drama when you create such an emotional response, because that's what you set out to do in the first place". He praised the fan donations, claiming "So far, they've raised about £3,000 for Children in Need, and £1,000 for Lluest Horse and Pony Trust in West Wales, which I'm a patron of, so that's got to be a good thing". Coventry Telegraph records that by 21 July 2009, £4,172 had been donated in Ianto's name.
In an interview with io9 on 28 July 2009, creator Russell T Davies was asked about the controversy surrounding Ianto's death and the consequential campaign. He replied "There's a campaign, because he was a coffee boy. But do you know how many packets of coffee they've received so far? Nine. So I think people writing online might sound like thousands of people, but they are nine." However, those involved in the movement believe that this number is much higher due to a post tallying the coffee sent within the community. When asked about the backlash in a separate interview with Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello is an American television industry journalist and actor. He was a Senior Writer at TV Guide and its companion website, TVGuide.com. On May 28, 2008, Ausiello left TV Guide for Entertainment Weekly and posted his first blog for Entertainment Weekly on July 2, 2008...
, Russell T Davies said "It's not particularly a backlash. What's actually happening is, well, nothing really to be honest. It's a few people posting online and getting fans upset". He also stated that the character was gone for good, and that his resurrection would devalue the "entire plot." He recommended that fans who wish to stop watching the show should watch Supernatural
Supernatural (TV series)
Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
"because those boys are beautiful", or "look at poetry" if they "can't handle drama". Following these statements, the Save Ianto Jones website encouraged fans to contact BBC Wales
BBC Wales
BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation for Wales. Based at Broadcasting House in the Llandaff area of Cardiff, it directly employs over 1200 people, and produces a broad range of television, radio and online services in both the Welsh and English languages.Outside...
rather than Davies, and temporarily presented on its front page the message "Mr Davies has made it clear in recent interviews that he views his fans with contempt, and as disposable, which saddens us" and asked not to be "abused". At Comic-Con 2009, a fan claimed that Davies "hurt" a lot of internet fans with his decision to kill Ianto, which she called "out of line." Davies replied that he would not change his mind regarding the decision, adding, "I've got to be blunt about this, there have been campaigns to send packets of coffee to BBC Wales in protest. There have been nine packets sent. I'm not taking the mickey, but that's a very small number." Executive producer Julie Gardner
Julie Gardner
Julie Gardner is a Welsh television producer. Her most prominent work has been serving as executive producer on the 2005 revival of Doctor Who and its spin-off shows Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures...
stated "We want people to be engaged, discuss and not always agree with us. At the end of the day, I make drama to support each author's vision. It's not a democracy. Whether people like it or not, it's storytelling." Simon Brew of Den of Geek has criticised the Internet campaigns to resurrect the character, citing that the show would "lose far more credibility" if he were brought back. Brew also expressed doubt that the fans stating they would boycott a fourth series will do so. He summarised: "Torchwood now needs to continue to have the courage of its convictions, and for that to happen, the reset switch
Reset button technique
The reset button technique is a plot device that interrupts continuity in works of fiction. Simply put, use of a reset button device returns all characters and situations to the status quo they held before a major change of some sort was introduced...
simply isn't an option."
On 31 July 2009, Digital Spy conducted a poll asking if it was "time to move on" from Ianto. However, a week later the website did not immediately publish the results, announcing "unfortunately it seems that this particular Poll was the subject of a campaign by diehard fans to distort the outcome
Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
". Neil Wilkes opined that this action by the fans "suggests the answer to the question 'Have people overreacted to Ianto's death?' is quite obvious". Later, a footnote amendment noted that 31.4% said it was time to move on, "while the remainder demanded RTD's head on a plate", a reference to his own wording of the original poll, which gave readers the option of moving on from Ianto, or the executive producer's head on a plate. James McCarthy of Wales Online described the reaction from some fans as "sickening" and quoted "crazed" fans on DeviantArt
DeviantArt
deviantART is an online community showcasing various forms of user-made artwork. It was first launched on August 7, 2000 by Scott Jarkoff, Matthew Stephens, Angelo Sotira and others. deviantArt, Inc...
and Facebook who made explicit death threat
Death threat
A death threat is a threat of death, often made anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or groups of people. These threats are usually designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behavior, thus a death threat is a form of coercion...
s against the Children of Earth writers. Gareth David-Lloyd stated he was very disappointed in those fans, whose message board
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
conduct he does not support at all and called "completely unacceptable". David-Lloyd added that he "would hope the writers would be able to ignore comments like that". A number of fans were upset by the tone of the first Wales Online article, and their response prompted a follow up from McCarthy. In their comments, fans pointed out that his article disproportionately highlights what they called the "ill-conceived, knee-jerk reactions" of a few individuals, and stressed that these reactions in no way represent the movement to bring Ianto Jones back, which they hold as fundamentally respectful towards the show's actors and writers. Fans have distanced themselves from the small minority of extremists, and have been keen to stress their peaceful activism, described as "thousands of fans who are raising money for charity, sending polite letters, and doing what we can to be supportive of the character and actor". In 2010, Doctor Who executive producer Steven Moffat told fans who contacted him that he wouldn't want to resurrect Ianto even if he could: "Not reversing it. Stop asking." In a 2011 poll published by the Liverpool Daily Post as part of a live Interview with writer John Fay, 70% of respondents replied that the decision to kill Ianto had been the right one, with 19% responding "indifferent" and only 11% stating that it had been the wrong decision, contrasting with the initial fan response. In response to a question, Fay also stated that he had not been affected by the "scary" fan reaction, maintaining that "a universe in which fictional characters aren't 'allowed' to die is ridiculous and limiting".
The public reaction to the death of Ianto has had a wider-reaching impact than simply the Torchwood fan community. For example, comic book writer Peter David
Peter David
Peter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
cited the reaction to Ianto Jones's death when reflecting on where to go with the gay relationship between the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
characters Rictor
Rictor
Rictor is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe, who appears in the X-Men family of books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Walt Simonson and first appeared in X-Factor vol.1 #17...
and Shatterstar
Shatterstar
Shatterstar is a fictional character, a mutant superhero in the .-Publication history:Shatterstar first appeared in The New Mutants vol. 1 #99 , and was created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld. Since his debut Shatterstar has mainly appeared in the original X-Force title, with some issues...
in X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
v. 3. He opined that in "virtually any happy relationship", one of the characters has to die to "provide angst" to the more major character. His concern was "being tagged as against gay people", the way Russell T Davies was, even though Davies is himself gay.