Scott: Hello! My name is Scott Handcock, I am the director of Torchwood: The Conspiracy, the first of Big Finish's brand new series of audio dramas! um, I'd like to begin today by welcoming the UK cast for this production, Mr. John Sessions
John S: Hello, hello, how are you, Scott?
Scott: I'm very well, very well. We also have Ms. Sarah Ovens!
Sarah: Hello Scott!
Scott: and Mr. Dan Bottomley.
Dan: Hello Scott.
Scott: So, um, open question to you all to begin with. How have you found the recording so far?
John S: It’s all gone marvelously, I think.
Sarah: Yeah!
John S: Um we haven't stopped very much for anecdotes; we've been working hard and it’s all been coming together.
Sarah: Yeah, it’s nice to do, I mean, I think the writing is really great and the relationships are really apparent and uh yeah. Quite a pleasure to be kind of just stood still talking to each other. (John S laughs)
Scott: yes David Llewellyn's written a very tightly paced a very concise script that has a really good rhythm and pace to it (Sarah: yeah) (Dan: its lovely) I think it really gets the Torchwood vibe. We- were you big Torchwood fans before? Were you aware of the series before coming in for this?
Dan: Yeah, I’d-I watched it when it originally came out and I thought it was brilliant. I thought it was really good. I- I wasn’t a massive doctor who person at the time, but it appealed to me. (Sarah: its changed you.) A kind spin off and uh, I's thought the character of Jack Harkness was brilliant. and um, yeah, when I watched it, I thought it was great.
Sarah: I was aware of it cuz I went to drama school in Cardiff and um and that’s where it’s based. isn't it?
Scott: Yes. They, um they've been filming it.
Sarah: Yeah, I think they were. So, I was aware of it but I hadn't watched that much of it. um.
John S: I have tired to boringly say, being a very very old actor, That I-I've not watched any of Torchwood because I tend to listen to the television without pictures called the wireless.
(everyone laughs)
Scott: is science fiction a genre that generally appeals to you John?
John S: um it is n- it’s a bit of a blind spot with me if I'm absolutely honest. But um this I like and as Sarah was saying that the um the uh the dialogue's terrific, it really cracks along and uh it’s great to play some uh a character like George Wilson who's this [mon que?] sort of Martin Sixsmith figure. You know, who um, has broken away from the conventional media. And he's terrifically on top of the whole conspiracy theory culture which is very very tempting and very very addictive. And um, you know whether there’s any truth behind these stories is very hard to tell but um, as a piece of writ- um audio, drama, it’s very compelling.
Scott: And do you think science fiction works well on audio because you have the visuals removed (Sarah: absolutely! and is left-) and you can play with the paranoia of it more?
Sarah: yeah! and left to the listener's imagination which can be a scary and dark place!
(everyone chuckles)
John S: What I think is sad is that as a performer, people can’t see how incredibly youthful and attractive I am. (Sarah laughs)
Scott: You are gorgeous! I- eh we've had to put special curtains up to-
John S: John Barrowman's rather worried apparently, that he's uh, he was sent a picture of me and wa- was- he's really twitchy that he's gonna lose the part to me. (Sarah laughing)
Dan: He can't compete.
Scott: No. (chuckles) And going back to the characters you talking about George being an- a- a big conspiracy theorist and how- his angle and his take in the whole world of Torchwood. Uh Sarah and Dan, what, what do you think your characters, Kate and Sam, bring to The Conspiracy and the world of Torchwood as we know it?
Sarah: I am firstly, chuffed to be playing a baddie, uh and I love the kind of up-beat facade that Kate has throughout the whole thing and then that kind of twists at the end where you realize she's not all she's cracked up to be.
Scott: Amazeballs.
Sarah: Amazeballs, yeah. She learned that word, I think that's convincing. Um yeah, I think uh- I think she's a perfect kind of yeah beard, for the for the conspiracy theory.
Dan: Yeah, well, I uh I really- I really like Sam. he's- he's a, with him being a vlogger he’s a real kind of product of his own society and where we are now. And all that, all the k- kind of conspiracy things I've been watching before doing this really kind of blew my mind. Often not in a, a great way. there's-
Scott: would you like to share any of those conspiracies with us (Dan: Oh, there's some-) whilst you have an open forum?
Dan: There's some marvelous things out there. what I was talking to people about the- the flat earth conspiracy, which eh, was my favorite that I found. Which is people who think that the earth is an even level plane in the center of the universe which is eh- obviously, completely plausible! (Scott and Sarah chuckle) i- its- it its great because, on this particular video, the person who posted it was commenting on everyone’s comments underneath and these people are so- it’s the enthusiasm that was really great to play with Sam and just how, like th- eh- th- its- there’s no kind of two ways about it. That’s it. That is the way these people think.
Scott: And of course, everyone in this story is right about their own beliefs (Dan: Of course!) (Sarah: mm yeah) as well that's the thing.
Dan: Yeah, it’s kind of fun to flesh out that kind of um, that character. uh really enjoyable.
Scott: And of course, Dan and John you both sadly perish (Dan: Indeed) during the course of this um.
Dan: And I don't seem to survive through many Big Finish adventure to be honest.
Scott: But Sarah!
Sarah: Yeah.
Scott: Y- you survive!
Sarah: I know.
Scott: And the conspiracy survives with you!
Sarah: Absolutely!
Scott: They persist, do you reckon they'll be back to fight another day? Where do you see this heading?
Sarah: Ohhhhh, I see uh a- another spin off series to be honest. with Kate leading it.
Scott: Quite right too.
Dan: Yeah.
Scott: um, on which note, we shall hand over to our colleague Mr. Barrowman in the US, but for now I'd like to thank Mr. John Sessions, Sarah Ovens, and Dan Bottomley for speaking with us. Thank you for a brilliant day!
Sarah: Thank You!
John S: Thank you.
Dan: Thank you so much.
Scott: And now we shall pass the baton over to Captain Jack himself. Hello John!
John B: Hello! How are you?
Scott: I’m very well, how are you?
John B: I’m very good, thank you.
Scott: Um what’s it like being back as Captain Jack Harkness?
John B: well I've always said this, and uh I-I- I say, well, I've said it to many people over the course of time, uh getting back with Captain Jack is like putting on an old pair of shoes or a very comfortable coat which, ironically, I am sitting here with the coat on at the moment. (both laugh) (Scott: that image) Just to help me feel- feel the part yeah. But um no, its li- Captain Jack is such a- a core part of me as- as John Barrowman because uh I- I absolutely adore him I- ya know I-I- I could go on and on but it’s great to be back playing him! It is so easy and so comfortable, and I just absolutely love him!
Scott: and an- a bit like Captain Jack, Torchwood is immortal! What- what um, did you ever think when you were filming back in Cardiff Bay almost a decade ago that uh, you’d be playing the part ten years on in Palm springs? in 80-degree heat?
John B: Correct. I mean for uh I-I'm obviously I'm in Palm Springs doing all the recordings as everybody else is in the UK and we're doing it kind of over—which is very Torchwood—we’re doing it over the kind of wire across oceans and continents. But its uh, ya know what, I would be lie- I- I uh- I'm gonna- I'm gonna just be honest here. I kn- I knew he was gonna be a part of my life for a very very long time, because I as a little boy who was a very big Doctor Who fan, uh when I was- uh when I got the role of Captain Jack and then also was given uh the tv show Torchwood, um I knew that I was gonna be part of what I call The Whovian World, which uh you're a part of for the rest of your life (Scott: mm) So, whether it was something uh- uh and I know the fans, I know the fans are passionate about it. I just knew they had to keep bringing him back and lo-and- behold, they have. And it’s- it’s great, it’s great to see that they’re finally getting, uh particularly at Big Finish they’re- they’re finally getting that there is an audience out there that is, ya know, hungry for more Torchwood. and I’m so gr- so glad and very grateful to you guys for doing this.
Scott: This isn’t, of course, the first time Torchwood has ventured into the audio world. There were the radio 4 dramas a few years back. (John B: correct there are.) But um how d- how do the mediums differ?
John B: What you have to remember is things have to be more, uh this is gonna sound bizarre i-i-i- things have to be a little more heightened. Because you’re not visual. You have to get it across uh w- eh with your voice or with your- you know like if I was trying- eh- if I was showing that I was a little disturbed or upset with you I might eh- on television just do a look to you but when I’m talking to you on a recording I would do a (exaggerated sigh). And so that’s the- it’s those little nuances that you have to get used to. And what’s really lovely is the team that is involved are able to help you and- and say things like you know uh-um you know do a- a little sigh here and a little sigh there. Particularly Scott, our director (both laugh) (Scott: well the joy-) which funny I'm-(breaks off laughing)
Scott: -of you weirdly being in different continents and uh you know on separate microphones is you have the freedom to react and uh people’s lines which you may not do if you’re all in the same scene round a single microphone and you need to you know get the scissors in so um
John B: Well, I- I think y- that- th-the fact that we're separated because once w- uh you know let's hope this is- this goes phenomenally well and there’s gonna be more down the line. Because I guarantee you, its gonna take twice as long. Because we are crazy, and we love to have a laugh, but we like to get the work done. But that’s what is so wonderful about Torchwood; the people who are involved uh th- the people who played the other characters, you know like um- we- like Ianto and Gwen and uh you know we had um uh Tosh and Owen. All of us, we were a family! And we uh still, when we see each other these days, and if we're at a convention or we're doing something that is related to- still to Torchwood uh we- we come together as a family again and its- its glorious! It’s absolutely glorious! so I hope there’s more to come!
Scott: Absolutely and uh you know it’s no secret that you’re a big fan of Torchwood, you really love it. What do you think is uh the appeal of the series?
John B: I think the appeal of the series uh to the fans and also to me is that we were one of the first shows to represent actually, uh kind of real people with real emotions. And I say that proudly because, Captain Jack was- uh we- we call him omnisexual, but a lot of people have taken- taken that into different realms by saying you know, asexual, bisexual, or he’s gay, dadadadada. Captain Jack is a- is a- is a being who enjoys the company of others and that’s the way I look at it. BUT we opened the doors for so many other people to start talking about so many different things because I’m very proud as an actor to partly be one of the first openly uh gay, uh I mean I know there’s other openly gay actors out there, but, openly gay actors, playing a HERO. (Scott: Hmm.) Who, which is- which is probably one of the first. Because it was in uh-uh-uh Christopher Eccleston, the ninth doctor, uh in the- the first uh time we saw Captain Jack, Empty Child, and the first line that Jack was out of his mouth where you thought "uh-oh this is a different kinda guy" he says to another man in the room, "nice bottom" (chuckles)
Scott: Indeed, and the first male companion to kiss doctor who! So,
John B: Ab- absolutely! But again those are all things. We were groundbreaking. We really didn’t—and I think this is another point—we never ever treated our audience as being dumb. We never dumbed things down. We kept it smart we kept it uh- you know moving fast and we kept it uh- kept it going and the audience appreciated that.
Scott: And we- uh we were talking earlier about how a whole new generation are finding Torchwood now. Those who grew up with Doctor Who uh are now at an age where they can enjoy Torchwood! So, there’s a- a new influx of people discovering the series for the first time!
John B: Yeah, it’s really interesting for me because I- you know I like- well, I'm just gonna toot my own horn here. I’ve been keeping the Torchwood brand alive for quite a long time by going to different conventions. And although I'm now involved in the DC world, uh the Torchwood world led me to the DC world in a way because we- it wa- it was, in fact, because our producers Andrew Kreisberg and Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim were huge fans of Torchwood and they called me up in my home in Palm Springs, offered me the job and I- the same passion they had, I sat and spoke with Phil Collinson and uh Russell T about it and I just said I have to do it. But the the- uh what- what is interesting, I've watched over the last five or so years, five or six years, kids who are getting introduced to the- to Doctor Who are learning about our characters Captain Jack, you know uh, Martha, um you know all the d- all the different you kn- uh Rose all the- all the characters that they’re getting introduced to so they’re- they’re wanting to know more about them which is bringing, the audience then goes back. And they’ve said this to me, they said, we'd saw you on Doctor Who and now we're going back and watching Torchwood because we're now old enough and also, we just were introduced to this through Doctor Who bu- it’s- it’s a cycle of, it’s just never-ending it’s amazing!
Scott: Mm. And you talk about keeping the Torchwood flame alive and you know you’ve been more actively involved than most leading men would be. You even wrote a Torchwood novel with your sister (John B: I did.) about Captain Jack. How was the experience of that?
John B: Uh Exodus Code is the- the novel that we wrote and it- it was amazing because again, for me to uh structure everything with uh my sister Carol and to tell her the stories and to really become, well, to be Jack again, and to put it on a page it was a very interesting process for me but a great process. Great to keep the spirit of jack alive and to keep the character alive! Uh its fans again, they love the novel and also with the comic book that my sister and I wrote, the Torchwood comic book uh which was for Titan Comics, and it was about the selkie. That- uh- that you can’t find! That’s going for hundreds of pounds an dollars on the internet because it was so popular. So, I like to think that I know captain Jack very well and of course there has to be the approval of all the other people who are on board, but I am very much wanting to keep him alive and to keep the legacy and to keep the- the kind of story, and the world of captain Jack and Torchwood alive.
Scott: Indeed. And uh I-I have to ask you mention uh you writing comic books and- and a novel um would you ever be tempted to write an audio adventure for Captain Jack and flesh out the character a bit more?
John B: Well, let’s say it right here on uh with, with you guys all listening. Uh of course! If you speak with my sister and I we will absolutely love, we would love to write something uh for Captain Jack and an adventure, and uh you know even for the team. So, yes! absolutely! No questions Asked!
Scott: Fantastic. And finally, to wrap up this uh this lovely interview to a- a lovely day. What do you think Big Finish fans and Torchwood fans uh generally have to look forward to in future?
John B: I am looking forward to doing a lot more of these. and I know that a lot of the fans ask me all the time “bring Torchwood back” and they say it to me like I am the sole person who can do it (Scott chuckles) you know, but you know what? It’s a team effort and we’re bringing it back and uh showing the support for this and for the- the things that Big Finish are doing with Torchwood, this will mean that there is gonna be more. I want to do more. and I know if I’m saying w- in ONE word, what can fans expect? Torchwood.
Scott: Mr. John Barrowman, Thank you very much for a lovely day.
John B: You’re very welcome, thank you.
Scott: Uh listeners, thank you for listening well be back with you very soon! Take care, buh-bye!
Jack: The 21st century is when everything changes. and you've got to be ready
(theme ends)
(crowd of people talking amongst themselves)
George: People often ask me, they say George how come you know all this? Who gave you this information? And do you know what I tell them? I say the information is there! It is right there! You only have to open your eyes! You see people think their eyes are open to the world around them but they’re not. The world we see is the world they want us to see (audio shifts and is now heard through a speaker) and it is a fiction! (applause) No more real than a fairytale! or a dream! (applause continues)
Jack(narrating): (chuckles) (a mouse clicks and the audio through the speaker stops) Conspiracy nuts. Don’t you just love ‘em? Of course, being a conspiracy theorist is like any other line of work you have you enthusiastic amateurs: blogging and vlogging away in the small hours, and then there are the professionals, the superstars! George Wilson was one of the pros but let’s rewind the clock a little. Let’s go back to a time when George made a living by reading the evening news.
(a news theme plays through a speaker)
George: Good evening. America has declared that the air war against Iraq will continue for quite some time. Speaking at the white house earlier today, the US president told reporters (pause) I'm sorry I can’t read this, "this is all bull-bleep-it" (growing agitated) Look, I’m saying this as if the man has any say in the matter. Does anyone really think it’s the president or the prime minister who’s running the show? Of course not! It’s the oil companies and the multi-nationals! The politicians of this world are just marionettes! And we’re sending young men over to foreign countries where they fight and die to preserve business interests! and it’s insane and I can’t (pause) I can’t carry on being a spokesperson for this (mic feedback) (chair scraping on floor) fu-bleep- this I’m done.
Jack (narrating): It didn’t take long for him to resurface.
George: The world we see is the world they want us to see and it is a fiction! (applause) It’s no more real than a fairytale! or a dream! (applause dies out) The committee. That’s what they like to call themselves. The committee are experts at going incognito. Undercover. They look just like you or me. They are not little green men and they didn't come here in flying saucers. Make no mistake about it, they are here, and they control everything. where did they come from you ask? They come from the planet Erebus!
(mouse click)
Jack (narrating): woah woah woah, yeah. Let’s stop right there. You see sometimes even the craziest people in the world won’t just say something interesting, they'll tell the truth.
(Torchwood theme plays in full)
(audio is heard through a speaker again)
Interviewer: now George you’ve made a number of statements recently in the press and elsewhere (audio changes to be heard "live") that have caused quite a few people, myself included, to worry about you.
George: worry? Why are you worried about me?
Interviewer: w- um, much of what you’ve said has been a little, shall we say eccentric.
George: Listen if people can’t handle the truth of what is around us that’s their problem not mine. No one should worry about me, its themselves they should worry about and the world. We are choking this planet with pollution and committing violence upon one another and the planet is unhappy. You see, the powers that be want us to think they’re all separate self-serving entities and that’s where most of the world’s problems stem from. If people saw the truth, they would realize that we're all one we’re all interconnected
Interviewer: and this relates to your belief in reincarnation?
George: Reincarnation is a part of it, yes. You see, it was only through meditation that I realized, this is not the first life cycle that I have enjoyed. This person, this George Wilson, that you see before you is simply the latest manifestation of a single branch of the united human consciousness.
(variation on the Torchwood theme plays lowly in the background)
Jack (narrating): I’d been onto him for some time. We keep an eye on most of these characters. So, when they announced that George Wilson’s road show was coming to Cardiff I decided to act. Of course, if Wilson knew Torchwood was in the house he’d have security show me the door and it really isn’t good to cause a scene so early on. That’s where Plexus magazine came in handy. You may have heard of it. A million subscriber worldwide. the usual mix of conspiracies, cryptozoology and unsolved mysteries. Mayan calendars, the chupacabra, whatever happened to Jimmy Hoffa (chuckle), you get the idea. Established in Patchogue, New York, 1975—The golden age of paranoia—and funded entirely by an anonymous benefactor. Ie, Torchwood. soon enough I was the proud owner of a press pass and a complimentary ticket to the George Wilson experience. Of course, the only problem in a situation like that, you can’t pick the person you’re sitting next to.
(theme variation ends)
Sam: Do I... Do I know you?
Jack: I’m sorry?
Sam: You are really familiar. Are you on tv?
Jack: (chuckling) uh, no.
Sam: aw, I could swear I know you from somewhere. oh, I’m Sam by the way. Sam Hallett. I write a blog, “Eye of Providence”. You may have heard of it. I've got a youtube channel!
Jack: sorry, can't say I have.
Jack (narrating): I was lying. Like I say, we keep tabs on these people.
Sam: oh, uh. I see. um what is it you do?
Jack: I work for plexus magazine
Sam: Wow! R-really! Oh, you must know my mate! uh Zach, he makes videos for- (mic feedback) oo
Jack: (whispering) I think it’s starting.
Sam: (whispering) oh, right. (more mic feedback) yeah.
Jack: shhh.
Kate: ladies and gentlemen, prepare to open your eyes and expand your minds in the presence of the one, the only, George Wilson!
(applause)
Jack (narrating): He sold the place out. Three nights in a row. Seven thousand seats and not one of them empty.
George: Thank you, Cardiff! Diolch yn fawr! Thank you. Wow! It really is great to be here. (applause dies out) You know outside this room there are some very cynical people. You've no doubt met them. they're your friends, your colleagues, members of your family and they'll tell you you're crazy for coming here today. They'll say, “why do you want to listen to George Wilson? That man’s a crackpot. He’s a loony.” It took a lot of guts for you to come here. For you to stand up and be counted and say I will no longer follow the herd. I will no longer be a compliant drone to the committee. So, give yourselves a round of applause.
(applause)
George: because that's what those other people are. (applause dies out). They are drones. You see, there are three types of person on this planet. Right at the top running everything there's the committee. Then, there are the enablers. The people who know what the committee is up to but help them achieve their goals out of personal greed. And then, there are the drones. The ones who are clueless and blind. Now, if this is your first time hearing me speak and you haven't read any of my books perhaps you're wondering, “what exactly is the committee?” Well, to put it simply, they're the puppet masters. They're the ones running the show. They've been here throughout human history. Every war, every famine, every genocide, they have orchestrated. They look like you or me. In fact, every time you turn on the TV or open a newspaper they are staring you in the face but they are most definitely not human.
(a few seconds of silence)
(cheering and yelling from a distance)
George: hey, hey, one at a time. one at a time! yes? who should I make this out to? is that with or without an e? without. to (unitelligible) there you go.
Jack: Hi, Kate? Kate Wilson.
Kate: Yes?
Jack: I'm Jack Harkness. plexus magazine I emailed you about thepress pass.
Kate: Oh, Hi! Yes! Of course, Jack, Hi!
Jack: I was wondering if maybe I could interview your father?
Kate: wha- today?
Jack: welllll, yeah.
Kate: oh, gosh um he’s a bit busy right now and we've got an American telly thing this evening. Did I say you could have an interview?
Jack: We didn't confirm anything.
Kate: oh, right. Okay. right. well (breath intake)
Jack (narrating): I gave her my best puppy dog eyes.
Kate: Listen, we’ll sort something out. I mean Plexus Magazine right? I'm sure we can squeeze you in.
Jack: If you could that would be great I just- My editor said it would help the feature I'm writing. And I flew over here from the states. I just thought-
Kate: you flew over from America just to hear dad speak?
Jack: I did.
Kate: Well, in that case. Listen, here's my card, call me in the morning and we'll arrange something then. is that cool?
Jack: perfect. Thank you.
(footsteps walking away)
Jack (narrating): I was on my way back to the car when I realized I was being followed. Not by one of Wilson's entourage, but by the kid, who'd sat next to me during the show, Sam. Probably thought he was being subtle but I knew he was there. The moment he’d started talking to me I’d seen it in his eyes the recognition. But how could he know me? And why was he following me? I was seconds away from going over there and asking him when-
(phone beeps)
Jack: Gwen? Weevils? How many? And that’s just the lingerie department? Okay I'll be right there.
Jack (narrating): The kid, whoever he was, would have to wait.
(Torchwood theme snippet)
Jack(narrating): The next day I paid a visit to George Wilson at his hotel. His daughter met me in the lobby and showed me to their suite.
Kate: Soo, Mr. Harkness.
Jack: Jack. Please.
Kate: Right, yes, Jack. How long have you been writing for plexus?
Jack: Only a few months. This is my first big feature for them
Kate: Great! you Americans love this sort of thing don’t you? Dad and I were there a year or so back for a college lecture tour. And the kids he spoke to just lapped it up. How about you? Do you believe in all that stuff?
Jack: you say that as if you don’t?
Kate: Well, look, he’s my dad and I love him but, seriously? Some of the stuff he says! Please don’t quote me on that by the way.
Jack (narrating): I didn’t need to. She was already a youtube star herself.
(mouse click)
(audio is now through a speaker again)
Kate: Well, this is all bollocks space aliens and- I mean who believes that shit?
(mouse click)
(audio returns to normal)
Jack: (laughs) I won’t say a word. I promise.
Kate: Thanks. but yeah, over in the states the students loved him. I mean, of course partly that’s to do with the English accent, I think. Now, you can ask him pretty much anything. Anything at all. The only two subjects I like people to avoid: his drinking and his and mum's divorce. Dad’s a recovering alcoholic. Every day is a challenge. Especially when we’re on tour. Reminding him of the fact just makes that journey so much harder.
Jack: I understand.
Kate: and, as for mum- well if you get him talking about her, you'll never hear the end of it. This is us!
(door unlocking and opening)
Kate: Dad?
George: Oh, hi love!
Kate: I'd like you to meet Jack Harkness the guy I was telling you about? he writes for Plexus Magazine.
George: Marvelous. (grunts while getting up) Hello! Mr. Harkness, pleasure to meet you!
Jack: Likewise.
George: Come on in and sit yourself down. Drink?
Jack: oh uh, oh I'm- I'm fine, thank you.
George: sensible man. The coffee tastes instant and the tea tastes like piss.
Kate: Dad, I said I'd give Jerry a ring about Hayden White so I'll just leave the two of you to get started yeah?
George: Of course. You still going back this evening?
Kate: possibly, I’ll find out.
George: Oh, and tell him I haven't forgotten about our game of squash on Tuesday!
Kate: Will do!
(door closes)
George: So, plexus magazine you say?
Jack: That's right.
George: interesting. I’ve read a few issues over the years. Some fascinating stuff in there, but you don't half print a load of rubbish sometimes. All that stuff about chemtrails. Pull the other one. (breath intake) But, generally, I must say, I'm impressed.
Jack: Thanks!
George: No seriously, If I wasn't you wouldn't be here. We get all sorts asking for interviews.
Jack: (chuckles) I can imagine.
George: Had that fellow from the BBC, what was his name? The one with the glasses. Wanting to do an hour long feature on me a few years back. I told him where he could stick his hour long feature. I’ve seen a few of the ones he’s done before and they're all hatchet jobs made to make the subjects look like idiots. I told him—well I told his producer—but I said, if you think I’m willing to look like a complete prat on national television you've got another thing coming! Christ, if wanted to do that I’d go on “I’m A Celebrity” at least then you get a holiday in Australia to show for it. And I’ve heard the money's no too bad. I'm sorry am I racing ahead here?
Jack: No no no, not at all. I just have to make sure this thing is working. Okay, testing, testing. That’s fine.
Jack (narrating): He thought it was a dictaphone but I was actually scanning the room for evidence of extraterrestrial life. hm. It was clean.
George: Great. Well, fire away.
Jack: Okay! Well, maybe we could start by talking about the committee?
George: Blimey, you don't beat around the bush.
Jack: I thought we could dispense with the small talk.
George: hmm. I like it. Direct. No faffing about.
Jack: How did you learn their name?
George: It was um, told to me in the strictest confidence by one of the contacts. An enabler, in the CIA. That’s The Central intelligence-
Jack: I know what it stands for. and this CIA contact of yours, do they have a name?
George: If I was to tell you their name it wouldn’t be in the strictest confidence, now would it? Besides, I have friends and acquaintances from more than one intelligence agency. And several of them are aware of the committee and what they're doing here.
(variation on the Torchwood theme plays)
Sam (voice lowered and edited to add a heavy echo): the eye of providence
Sam (over a speaker): okay, so, earlier on I went to see George Wilson, yeah? Now, I don't know how much you guys know about him, but he is the dude. He’s like the high priest of truth telling. That man has got his finger on the pulse as far I'm concerned. And, well, it was a great honor, seeing him in the flesh. but while I’m sitting there, right, I’ve got this guy next to me. and I’m thinking I know this guy. Real deja vu type stuff, yeah?
Jack: In your book The Great Conspiracy you said the committee's been interfering with human affairs for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years.
George: That is true, yes.
Jack: Well, why are they called The Committee? Why not buh- shh- I don't know the- The Erebusians?
George: Well, I didn't pick the name Mr. Harkness, it’s just what they’re called. Obviously, they have their own language but the name they call themselves translates into english as just that. the committee.
Jack: Sounds bureaucratic.
George: Oh, and they are. Business-like. Ruthless. It’s what Hannah Arendt said of Eichman “the banality of evil.” Though of course the nazis themselves were just stooges of the committee. As were the allied forces. The whole war, was a fabrication.
Jack: (scoffs) A fabrication? uh, I'm sorry?
George: Oh, don’t get me wrong. The war happened, people died. But the narrative of the war, the causes of the war were a work of fiction. Another phase in the committee's long term project to wipe out mankind.
Jack: Right. But that didn't happen.
George: What do you mean?
Jack: The world’s population has doubled in the last 50 years alone. if their aim was to- to wipe us out? They've done a pretty bad job of it.
George: And perhaps allowing the population to reach such ridiculous proportions was all part of the plan. Besides, the technology to obliterate every last soul on the planet didn't exist before 1945. The war, as I've said, was phase one. And by the end of it? We had the atomic bomb.
Sam (over a speaker): So, when the whole things finished I follow this guy out of the arena, right. And I manage to get a few pics of him. Oh, if any of you follow me on instagram, you can see him there. Oh, I used Valencia because that filter is sick! But anyway this is the guy I’m talking about. So, if any of you, especially anyone in Cardiff like buzzsaw59 orrrrrr pikachuthebarbarian, if you guys recognize him, message me yeah?
Jack: So, if that was phase one, where would you say we are now?
George: I believe we’re at the beginning of phase two. Terrorism, economic collapse, overpopulation, food shortages, global pandemics. It makes for a heady cocktail, I think you’ll agree.
Jack: and phase three?
George: After all that I don’t there'd be any need for a third phase, do you?
Jack: Okay. If we could just go back to your time as a journalist?
George: If we must.
Jack: You found yourself in some crazy situations. Saw some pretty terrible things, traumatic things. It would be perfectly understandable if someone suffered psychologically after witnessing some of the things you’ve seen.
George: where is this um, heading, Mr. Harkness?
Jack: weh- I suppose I’m trying to establish your frame of mind around the time you quit journalism, began talking about conspiracies. (door opens) The Committee.(door closes)
Kate: hello again. we've got a green light on Hayden which is amazeballs by the way, and Jerry says hi. I said I'd drive down there tonight sort some things out with him, hash ou the contracts, then come back first thing tomorrow before we leave for manchester. which also means I can pick up the suits from the dry cleaners. How are you two getting along?
George: fine! Mr. Harkness here was just asking about my time as a journalist.
Kate: was he? Bit awkward. I thought we said you'd avoid all that stuff?
Jack: We agreed his marriage to your mother and his drinking were off limits. You didn't mention anything about his career.
Kate: well, it is. That was a difficult time for him. wasn't it dad?
George: No, let’s talk about it. Let’s have it out. I have nothing to hide. Yes, Mr. Harkness, the things I saw were upsetting, yes I drank, yes it destroyed my marriage. But let me just say this. Like many recovering addicts will tell you, coming out of an experience like that brings your world into a much sharper focus. You see things as they really are. It’s what William Burroughs meant when he called his book The Naked Lunch. The moment when everyone sees what is on the end of their fork.
Jack: And what did you see?
George: I saw shadows. moving behind the set dressing of the world.
Jack (narrating): I was no closer to understanding George Wilson, but he wasn't crazy. A little deluded perhaps, but not quite crazy. (chuckle) Wish I could say the same for Sam.
Sam: (from a distance) Hey! (now closer) it’s you again!
Jack: Oh, hi. Uh, Sam isn’t it?
Sam: Thats right! So, what're you doing here? You visiting George Wilson?
Jack: I was interviewing him
Sam: They- they gave you and interview?
Jack: yes.
Sam: what the- (speechless pause) I emailed his pa like about a hundred times and they didn't give me an interview!
Jack: Maybe because you emailed them a hundred times.
Sam: ugh that sucks! I can’t believe they gave you an interview and not me. Except you weren’t really interviewing him were ya?
Jack: (scoffs) I'm sorry?
Sam: Ahuh, I knew it! Here. (drops bag onto the ground) (unzips bag) This, (paper wrinkling) is a picture I took outside the Brampton Hotel on Cathedral Road, June, last year. Um, when they had that poltergeist. See. And that, unless I’m very much mistaken, is you.
Jack: Well, it looks like me, I’ll give you that.
Sam: Oh, yeah, because there are loads of men who look like you walking around Cardiff in army surplus greatcoats. Besides, here, another picture that a friend of mine took in Penarth during the mermaid sights in November. and baboom! There you are again.
Jack: And baboom! So, you got a few pictures of me, doesn’t prove a thing, except perhaps that you’re stalking me. are you stalking me Sam?
Sam: pfft, (scoffs) as if! Uh, though, actually, who's the brunette?
Jack: A friend.
Sam: Because she it fit as.
Jack: I’ll pass on your compliment I’m sure she’ll be thrilled
Sam: But there’s only one explanation for why you’d be in all these places.
Jack: Which is?
Sam: Torchwood.
Jack: Torchwood?
Sam: (scoffs) Seriously? You drive around Cardiff in a black four-wheel-drive with flashing blue lights. (scoffs) I mean, us bloggers might not know what it is you do exactly but Torchwood? You are up there with MKultra and The Bilderberg Group man.
Jack: Wow. I feel honored.
Sam: Oh, you should! Those guys are like, well famous.
Jack: Okay, well, if we're done. (car unlocks)
Sam: oh my god it the four-wheel-drive! It’s the actual four-wheel-drive!
Jack: uh, we actually call it the SUV. You can put that in your blog. Actually, scratch that. If you put this, any of this, in your blog, I'll have you transported to a Siberian zinc mine by lunch time tomorrow.
Sam: ha ha, classic!
Jack: Do I look like I’m joking?
Sam: You mean, you’d actually do that?
Jack: try me. (car door shuts) (engine starts)
Jack (narrating): I was lying of course. I don’t even know if they have zinc mines in Siberia. but Sam didn’t know that.
(the hub door rolls open. electric current can be heard)
Jack: hello? (pause) anybody home? (pause) just me then. (sigh) good.
Jack (narrating): I spent most of that night watching the same video clips over and over.
(mouse clicks twice)
George (through a speaker): The Committee aren't after our oil. Their civilization hasn't relied on fossil fuels in (audio switches to "live") over half a million years. They want our helium-3, on earth, it’s rare, but the moon is drenched in the stuff. right now, we’re like he Arabian Bedouin of old traversing oil fields without ever knowing it. The Committee knows it’s only a matter of time before they’re able to go up there and claim what’s ours and they’ll do everything they can to stop us. But people, know this, that in the early 80s NASA began drawing up plans for a second wave of apollo missions. That is, until a certain shuttle disaster put the whole space program on hold. Ten years later they began talking about the mission again, and wouldn’t you know it? Another shuttle exploded! Coincidence? I think not! You have to ask yourself, why did the Russians never go there? Indeed, why is it almost 40 years now since anyone last set foot on the moon. Now, the enablers, these are the ones working in intelligence agencies and law enforcement. When you see people being tear gassed or hit with batons at anti-government rallies, the ones hitting them, the ones tear gassing them? They’re the enablers.
Jack (narrating): Sometimes, he would get something right.
George: Erebus exists on a dimensional plane that’s invisible to earth.
Jack: And sometimes he’d get it very wrong.
George: And of course, we know what happened the last time an American president discovered the truth about The Committee, don't we?
Jack (narrating): Like all good conspiracy theories, some parts of it were strangely persuasive.
George: Doesn’t it often feel to you as if this word is being run by a cabal of middle managers? That human progress is being slowed down by the jobsworths? By the pencil pushers?
Jack (narrating): Some parts? Not so much.
George: This is Paul McCartney in 1967, and this is him or someone claiming to be him in 1970. (audio now over a speaker again) and I think you’ll agree that is not the same person.
Jack (narrating): I listened back over our interview.
(dictaphone clicks a few times and the recording starts)
Jack: You say your contacts wish to remain anonymous because they fear for their lives. Yet, you talk about this stuff, in the show, in your books, online, in the films you make, and you haven’t been killed?
George: No, not yet.
Jack: But you think the committee might one day have you assassinated?
George: It’s a very real possibility.
Kate: Dad! Do we really have to talk about this? (George sighs) It freaks me out!
George: Well, it’s true love. I’m sure they’re only biding their time. Right now, if they were to kill me it would only make me a martyr! They don’t yet exert absolute control over the media. I mean the mainstream media, yes, they control that from top to bottom. But just you mark my words! The day when they dictate every last thing that people see, read, and hear about, will be the day a sniper trains his sights on yours truly.
Jack: Huh, you sound quite calm about it.
George: If it happens it happens. We all have to die someday.
(recording clicks and stops)
Jack (narrating): I was just about to call it a night when-
(cellphone rings) (phone beeps three times)
Jack: hello?
Sam (over the phone): Jack? Jack Harkness!
Jack: Who is this?
Sam (over the phone): It’s Sam! Sam Hallett.
Jack: Ugh.
Sam: Look, these people came to my flat. I don’t know who they are. I was sleeping. They- they broke in. They said they want to speak to you Jack.
Jack: Well put them on.
Sam: Oh I- I can’t. They said you have to come here.
Jack: And where are you?
Sam: In the bay. It’s a new tower block they’re building. The Skypoint. They want you to come here.
Jack: It’s okay Sam, I’m on my way.
(snippet of the Torchwood theme plays)
Jack(narrating): Skypoint was gonna be the tallest building in the city. But back then? It was only half built. A spire of (car tires squeal in the background) Girders and concrete reaching several hundred feet into the night sky.
(car does opens and closes) (footsteps crunch on gravel)
Jack (narrating): Once I cleared the gate it took me a while to find him. How they got him up there? I'll never know. But he was standing on a narrow ledge maybe 60, 70 feet above the ground. A rope around his neck and his hands tied behind his back.
Jack: (yelling) Sam! Where are they?
Sam: (terrified) hnngk I can't, see 'em. But I think they’re still here.
Jack:(still yelling) I'm gonna come up there and get you down. ok?
Sam: (on the verge of tears) no! no don’t do that. They said if you try and help me they'll kill us both!
Jack: (to himself) damn it! (yelling) why don’t you show your faces whoever the hell you are?
Sam: They told me to give you a message, Jack. (sniffs) They said you (thud) (choking noises) (another thud)
Jack: NO!
Jack (narrating): I don't know if he was pushed or if he fell, but within seconds I could hear the sound of sirens. (sirens are heard in the background along with the creaking strain of a rope) I got their message. Loud and clear. But if they thought it was gonna stop me? Well, they were very much mistaken. What I didn’t know at the time was that half an hour before Sam's death, a video had appeared online. His last testament. (sirens fade)
Sam (over a speaker): (takes a deep breath) (shakily through tears) My name is Sam Hallett. If you're watching this, it means that I'm (whimpers) dead. I've taken my own life because it is no longer worth living. For years I've wasted my time spreading nothing but fantasies and lies. (deep breath) I did this because I wanted the attention. But I am still alone. and that loneliness has become too much to bear. (coughs) (pause) I- uh, I hope my family will forgive me. (cries quietly) I am so so (sobbing) sorry (continues sobbing).
Jack (narrating): No one would've found it convincing and, of course, when I told him not to say a word about Torchwood, I was way too late. He'd already done it. In about half a dozen emails and text messages and blogs.
(one phone rings followed by another then more in rapid succession)
Jack (narrating): (phones still ringing in the background) when I got back to the hub, so many phone lines, so much voicemail, so many messages. The agencies and ministries you’re not supposed to know about. All those anonymous men and women in Whitehall who don't appreciate being woke up with bad news in the early hours of the morning. I let them go unanswered. I had some questions of my own.
(dramatic music drowns out phones then fades out)
(grandfather clock can be heard ticking in the background)
Jack: (angrily) Wake up. (George grunts sleepily) I said wake up!
(sheets rustling)
George: What? (tinkling noise like ice in a glass followed by the sound of a squeaking wheel) Jesus Christ.
Jack: Close, but no cigar.
George: Harkness? What the hell are you doing here?
Jack: I wouldn't make any sudden moves if I were you.
George: But why?
Jack: Do you know someone named Sam Hallet?
George: Who?
Jack: (aggressively) Don't play games with me!
George: I swear to God I don’t know who you’re talking about!
Jack: he writes a blog “Eye of providence”. He came to hear you speak yesterday, said he tried getting an interview with you.
George: Honestly, I’ve never heard of him.
Jack: Well, he’d heard of you and now he’s dead.
George: What?
Jack: Hanged by the neck. Made to look like the kind of suicide that looks like a murder if you know what I mean. Hands bound, unconvincing suicide note. I think you and I should have a little talk.
George: What about? About your friend?
Jack: (aggressively) Who told you about the committee?
George: We uh- We went through this in the interview. Didn't we?
Jack: Tell me the name of your contact!
George: I can't.
Jack: George, I am pointing a gun at your head. So, tell me the name of your contact.
George: I- (pause) I can't!
Jack: It’s a case of you telling me their name or you dying! Which is it gonna be?
George: I can't tell you their name!
Jack: (aggressively) Why not George?
George: Because they don't exist!
Jack: (flabbergasted) What?
George: They don’t exist! They’re not real! There is no CIA contact! I have no contact in the CIA, or MI6, or the SVR, or Mossad or ISI or BND or any of them. I made them all up
Jack: You’re lying!
George: You think I’d lie at a time like this? You think this is the lie?
Jack: but that doesn’t make any sense!
George: Oh, this is hilarious. You- you break into my hotel room in the middle of the night. You point a gun at me. And when I tell you the truth—the actual truth—you say it doesn't make any sense! (laughs) Oh, that is priceless.
Jack: You think this is a joke?
George: No. This isn’t a joke. But I’ll tell you what is. You, conspiracy nutters. When I started doing this if anyone had told me about you people I’d have thought twice. There isn’t a moment’s rest. The letters and the emails, and the funny thing is its never the really far-fetched stuff that people bring you up on! Oh, you can tell them that JFK was assassinated by aliens from outer space, and they'll believe every word of it, but mention frame 207 of the Zapruder footage when you really mean 208? (pause) And you'll never hear the end of it!
Jack: Are you honestly telling me, you made all this up?
George: What, you think there really is a plot by aliens from the planet Erebus to plunder the moon? (chuckles to himself) No, that is ridiculous. Listen, I know you guys can get pretty intense about this sort of thing—and uh, you seem to have some issues of your own—so I'll try and let you down gently, but it isn't true. Trust me, it’s not. and I’ll happily tell you everything, if you’d just lower that gun? okay?
Jack: Okay.
George: Now, if it’s alright with you I’m going to get out of bed, go to the minibar and get myself a miniature [alcohol name] yes? (refrigerator opens)
Jack: I thought you were in recovery?
George: Well, if anyone asks I'm blaming you for my relapse.
(refrigerator closes, bottles clink, and one fizzes as it is opened)
George: (takes a long drink) Ahhhh. (sets bottle down) Oh my word. (refrigerator opens) That is good! (bottles clink again) Care for one? No? (another bottle fizzes and opens) Marvelous! More for me!
Jack: slow down. (George drinking) And tell me everything. Right from the start.
George (narrating): (birdsong in the background) (footsteps, pacing) I'd been a journalist for, oh, 25 years? And all I saw were the same stories repeating themselves over and over. Everything felt like a remake. Biafra in 1968, Ethiopia in '84, same problems. Just being shifted around the globe from one country to the next. When they offered me the studio job, I grabbed it with both hands! No more shanty towns, no more war zones. Except of course, in the studio it was intensified. Now, I wasn’t covering one story at a time, I was covering 8 or 9 a day! War, famine, pestilence, death, war, famine, pestilence, death. Like the four horsemen of the apocalypse in a bloody carousel! Something had to snap. Sooner or later. And yes, at the time a part of me was convinced there was something sinister going on behind the scenes. But it was just paranoia, that’s all. I got better. Sobered up. Wrote a book about my time as a reporter. And no one wanted it. Not one publisher showed any interest. They said, "how can readers take anything that man says seriously?" I was (pause) a joke. Well, when life gives you lemons- (sigh)
Kate: dad. Dad. Can you sit down? You're making me anxious.
(chair drags on the floor)
George: We need to think of something though. It’s gotta be something original, something that makes people sit up and pay attention.
Kate: Are you really sure about this?
George: What do you mean?
Kate: I just wonder if putting yourself out there in the limelight again-
George: Darling! I'm sure.
Kate: But a book about aliens?
George: You were the one who suggested it!
Kate: I was joking!
George: And it’s a brilliant idea Kate! Go online! Look how well this stuff sells! Besides, you might as well put that creative writing degree to some use.
Kate: Thanks, dad.
George: But we need a name for them, these uh aliens.
Kate: What sort of a name?
George: I don't know. Something different. Something ominous!
Kate: Ooo! The Varangians!
George: Where did that come from?
Kate: Ninth century Russian Vikings. I always thought they sounded like something out of Star Trek.
George: No, don’t want anything like that.
Kate: You’re right it has to be something bit I don’t know cool. like, The Bureau or The Committee.
George: The Committee! Oooo I like that!
Kate: Really? I mean that was just me thinking out loud.
George: No, no, that’s good! They sound faceless, oppressive! Exactly what we're looking for! The Committee.
(birdsong stops)
(grandfather clock ticking)
Jack: What if I told you, it was all true?
George: Oh, this again. I'd suggest you’re desperately in need of professional help. But to be honest, I think we’ve already established that. (refrigerator opens, bottles clink, refrigerator closes, bottle fizzes as it opens, George drinks it) Ahhhh, ooo I've missed this stuff! You know in one of my books—I can’t even remember which one it was—I-I claim that alcohol is a plot by the committee to keep humans compliant. Hilarious! (chuckle) Yeah, and now I get thousands of fan letters of people saying they’ve gone teetotal so they won’t become drones just like everyone else. Talk about irony. So, go on, The Committee is real, Erebus is real, is that the gist of what you’re trying to tell me?
Jack: More or less.
George: Brilliant! Well, in that case I’ll carry on doing what I’m doing then. Because if what you say is true then it turns out I’ve been doing the world a great big favor all along. I get to keep my book royalties and my share of the box office and save the world at the same time! Excellent!
Jack: It is not that simple.
George: No?
Jack: You’ve forgotten about Sam Hallett?
George: Is this the lad you say was killed?
Jack: (sighs) that’s right.
George: And like I said, never heard of him! You could still be making it up for all I know.
Jack: I watched him die.
George: So you’re telling me. (refrigerator opens, bottles clink, refrigerator closes, bottlecap unscrews, George drinks) Ahhh, who on earth but schnapps in a minibar? So, what exactly do you want me to do Mr. Harkness? You want me to carry on? You want me to quit? To be honest, at my age, retirement sounds wonderful.
Jack: And you would do that?
George: I think Kate might miss the traveling and she’d probably have to find herself a "proper" job, but otherwise yes, I will bugger off to somewhere sunny and you will never hear from me again. This lad, Sam, was it? how old was he?
Jack: I don't know. twenty, twenty one.
George: Christ. not much younger than Kate. You play around with the truth, with people’s thoughts, with their perceptions like that? (sighs) Sooner or later you'll suffer the consequences. Maybe it is time I quit.
Jack: But still I don’t understand. If you just made it all up, how could you get so much of it right? I mean, did any of this come to you in I- I don’t know a dream?
George: What? (laughs)
Jack: A vision?
George: Like the vision of St Eustace? NO! There was no divine flash! Just a lot of sitting around and talking and writing down funny little names and silly ideas and working out which ones were the most marketable. Sorry if that’s’ a crushing disappointment to you. Cheers.
(foreboding music plays then cuts off abruptly)
Jack (narrating): (sounds of reckless driving in the background) It was possible. Seven billion people in the world. Get enough of them to tell a lie and one of them might accidentally tell the truth. But that didn’t change what happened to Sam Hallett. The kid was still dead. And a lot of people wanted to know what Torchwood had to do with it.
(engine noise fades out)
(dining room chatter is heard in the background, footsteps approach)
Kate: Morning dad!
George: ugh, Kate. you're early.
Kate: thought I'd get out of London before rush hour. Good thing I did. The M4 was empty most of the way here, and if you time it wrong that junction by Heathrow can be a nightmare. (pause) You look terrible! You feeling okay?
George: Not particularly.
Kate: Well, what’s wrong? Are you ill?
George: Not as such.
Kate: Oh no. (sighs)
George: Look, love, I'm sorry.
Kate: I knew I shouldn’t have gone to London! I should've had Jerry drive up here and meet us for supper! At least then I could’ve kept an eye on you!
George: I’m not a child!
Kate: And yet, the second I'm not here you drink the bar dry!
George: It was the minibar actually.
Kate: oh, of course! I should've had them empty it as soon as we got here! Or at least put a padlock on it. (sigh) look Dad It’s okay, we've been here before remember? You got through it then; you'll get through it this time. You're strong.
George: This, was different.
Kate: Please Dad, you don't have to make excuses, not with me.
George: No, no, I mean, this is how it happened. There was a man here. The one who interviewed me yesterday. Harkness. He broke into the hotel room.
Kate: Hang on, what?
George: He had a gun.
Kate: Dad, that’s not funny.
George: He told me it’s all true Kate. He said that some blogger, this young (pause) lad, got himself killed. When I turned on the tv this morning, he was right. This boy, they said he hanged himself but everything else about it- Harkness said it was murder.
Kate: And you, believed him?
George: Didn’t know what to do! Or think. I was scared. He had a gun!
Kate: Did you call the police?
George: I couldn’t. By the time he'd left, well, I was too drunk to do anything.
Kate: And it was Harkness who told you all this?
George: Yes.
Kate: Okay. Well, why don’t you finish your coffee and then we'll go upstairs and we'll talk about what we do next. yeah?
George: Yes.
(dining room background noise fades out)
Jack (narrating): I had no reason to doubt George Wilson’s version of events, but I had to makes sure. I hacked into his hotel’s security system and watched their CCTV feed. Killing two birds with one stone, I looped some earlier footage to remove all evidence I was ever there, then skimmed through the next few hours. Wilson left his room at 8 and went downstairs for breakfast where he was joined by his daughter. I zoomed in on their conversation, and though I couldn’t hear what was being said, it was clear. He was telling her what had happened. He had his hands over his eyes. He looked ashamed. And so he didn’t notice her expression. But I did. Her well-rehearsed sympathy vanished in a fraction of a second. And that was when the phone rang.
(phone ringing) (phone beeps three times)
Jack: Yes?
Kate (over the phone): Hello Jack.
Jack: How did you get this number.
Kate (over the phone): We have our ways.
Jack: We?
Kate (over the phone): Come now Jack, faux naivety really doesn’t suit you. Seems you and daddy had a little chat last night.
Jack: That’s right.
Kate (over the phone): You told him all about the Hallett boy. Bit hasty. We really were hoping you’d hold out a while. wWe tend to find these things benefit from a longer gestation.
Jack: What are you talking about?
Kate (over the phone): Meet us at the hotel and I’ll explain everything. Come straight to our room and don’t even think about bringing your friends or we'll know.
(phone beeps three times)
Jack (narrating): I ran through the hotel taking the stairs up to Wilson's floor. My gun was drawn by the time I reached the corridor. No time for good manners. I wasn’t gonna knock.
(Jack grunts and kicks the door in something in the room is heard falling over)
(gun fires with a muffled "pew" noise)
Jack: OW! (falls into some furniture) (grunts in pain)
Kate: Oh, really Jack, you literally walked right into that one. (Jack continues grunting in pain) I've just clipped your spinal cord that’s all, it’s quite pointless trying to move. That was a 45-ACP round they’re very effective. I imagine it’ll take even you some time to recover from that. All those shattered bits of bone and nervous tissue blended together like corned beef hash!
George: (long grunt)
Jack (narrating): Wlson was tied to chair. Hands behind his back and a gag in his mouth.
Jack: hyuuh What- What are you doing? (bone cracks)
Kate: Try to stay with me Jack, its important you pay attention.
Jack: You’re one of The Committee!
Kate: Give yourself a gold star!
Jack: But you’re his daughter!
Kate: (Jack breathes heavily in the background) Adopted daughter! Really I thought you might've done a bit more homework. Yes, I’m one of The Committee. What you might call deep cover. Very, deep cover. You know, I think the teenage years were the hardest. all those pretend tantrums! (mockingly) "You're not even my real parents" then, pretending to give a shit when he and Lorraine split up. I should win an Oscar Jack! Really! I should! Now, I won’t bother asking how you know all about us. We never forget a face, Kepri 5, wasn’t it?
Jack (narrating): Let's rewind again and take ourselves to the far side of the known universe, (rain begins in the background) Kepri 5, in the constellation of Fornax. (blaster fire can be heard in the background) How did I get there? Don't ask. Long story short, the government was taken over, infiltrated. Civil war broke out. 90% of the population wiped out overnight. Within a year, the planet's three moons were being stripped of minerals by prospectors from (chuckles) you guessed it Erebus. And Kepri 5 wasn't the only place where this happened. Planets in Cygnus A, Omega Centauri, Andromeda, all fell to the Committee. Back then, I was what George Wilson might have called an enabler. I’m not proud. But you can’t change the past. When The Committee began surveying the Milky Way's Orion arm I lied to them, said there was nothing of interest on earth and sent them off to some mining colony six hundred parsecs away. Population: 2000. (sighs) I thought I’d done the right thing. (massive explosion is heard in the background)
Kate: We kept a file on you Jack, and we seem to remember a certain someone telling us that earth was a, (breath intake) what were your exact words? "a barren wasteland"? "worthless"? Bit of a porky that one wasn't it? We thought we had a deal, Jack. A working relationship. Well, when we found out you were on earth and working for Torchwood it was, well- what’s the local idiom? as if all our Christmases had come at once!
Jack: I don't understand.
Kate: Of course you don’t.
Jack: Why did you tell George everything?
Kate: But I didn’t tell him everything, did I? I fed him details, fragments.
Jack: But why?
Kate: He’s perfect! A Famous face with a reputation in tatters! Exactly what we were looking for. You see, we’ve been studying earth for just over a hundred years and in that time we’ve learned on very important thing about humanity.
Jack: Which is?
Kate: They love a lie. Myths, legends, tall tales, call them what you will. Humans just can’t get enough of them! ANd the lies they love most of all, are the ones they fall for. (George grunts) Hush daddy! Time and time again people fell for the most outlandish stories they were told! The Underground Reich, The Illuminati, JFK. and here’s the best bit. While a certain number believe each conspiracy, most don't. They talk about them and rubbish them and mock anyone who believes in them, but they remain skeptical. George is our very own little boy who cried wolf. And now, so are you. And when the wolf arrives and gobbles up all the sheep, the vast majority won't believe a word of it.
(George grunts again)
Kate (agitated): do you have something to say?
George: (gasping as his gag is removed) oh, darling I don't know why you're doing this but if it’s to-to-to to scare him off, uh we don’t have to do this you know.
Kate: You think this is all play acting? That is, well, that’s just precious.
Jack: But why did you kill Sam?
George: You? Killed that man?
Kate: Yes. Daddy, do try and keep up. (sighs) Why did we kill him? Dramatic flair Jack. It helps if you have the odd mysterious death along the way. Keeps people talking.
Jack: And what does that have to do with Torchwood.
Kate: I'm glad you asked. You see, the Hallett boy's death is already creating quite buzz in online circles but what makes it perfect is that within hours of the story breaking, my father will be discovered dead. (George: What?) and once again Torchwood will have their grubby little fingerprints all over it.
George: Darling, w-what are you talking about?
Jack: (grunts) Stop!
(gun fires with a muffled "pew" noise)
(George gasps and his body falls to the floor)
Jack: (gasps then sighs) You killed him.
Kate: You’re observant Jack, I’ll give you that.
Jack: Why?
Kate: He'd done all that we needed him to do.
Jack: (in pain) Aah! I won’t let you get away with this.
Kate: Oh, Jack! You say that as if you’re expecting a fleet of spaceships to appear over Cardiff any second so you can call your little friends and get them to fire their guns at the nasty aliens! (mocking gasp) Adorable! Now, I don’t know how long you usually take to heal, so, I think I'd best go for a headshot.
(creepy music fades in)
Jack: No! No! No!
(gun fires with a muffled "pew" noise)
(creepy music fades out)
(echo-y surreal music starts and a heartbeat begins to play over it)
Jack(narrating): You ever dived into deep water? There's a moment in those first few seconds when the light above you grows dim. When it shrinks down to a pinpoint. That’s what it’s like. Each and every time.
(music fades out)
(Jack gasps loudly then takes several deep breaths as he revives)
(sirens are approaching)
Jack (narrating): When I woke up, Kate Wilson was gone. It was just me, and George, and a whole lot of blood. And not enough time to cover my tracks. I got out of there before the police could arrive.
(sirens stop)
(variation of the Torchwood theme plays in the background)
Jack (over a speaker): So, that's it guys, Thats why I'm out of here. You’ve all handled things without me in the past so, I'm sure you'll cope. Someone needs to stop them, and I figure that someone, is me. If they’re already on earth, then The Committee is everywhere, in every government, in every boardroom, on every tv screen. (scoffs lightly) And I am coming for them.
(recording ends. high pitched tone plays for a second. a beep follows. the Torchwood theme variation trails off at the same time)
