The Three Families

The Three Families (also known as the Families) were a powerful organisation derived from three different families: Frines, Costerdane, and Ablemarch. They systematically manipulated the human race over the 20th century for their own purposes. It was believed that one family was centred on politics, one had entered into the economic world and the other had gone into media. (TV: The Gathering)

According to Jack Harkness, the Families were actually being controlled by the Committee, a group of aliens from the planet Erebus. (AUDIO: Forgotten Lives)

History
In 1928, Little Italy, men belonging to the Ablemarch, Costerdane, and Frines families purchased the immortal Jack Harkness and took samples of his blood. He later escaped their custody, thanks to the man who had first kidnapped him, Angelo Colasanto. (TV: Immortal Sins) Colasanto's granddaughter Olivia Colasanto later stated the families refused to work with Colasanto because of his homosexual relationship with Harkness. Despite this, he would keep a close eye on the families and Harkness throughout his life, up until he slipped into a permanent coma. (TV: End of the Road)

Through the 20th Century, the Families would remain hidden, but would manipulate events on a global scale. Their influence was so large that they altered and erased data on a global scale. All factual reference to the families disappeared. (TV: End of the Road)

In 1998, when technology had developed so numerous records could be analysed quickly, they found people living within a two-mile radius of the Blessing in Shanghai lived the exact average lifespan of the rest of the world. The Families discovered and gained control of the Blessing, a secondary pole running through the centre of the Earth, connecting Shanghai to Buenos Aires. (TV: The Middle Men, End of the Road, The Blood Line)

In 2007, a family agent kidnapped Jack Harkness and took him to Chernobyl, testing his immortality several times along the way. The agent removed a significant quantity of Jack's blood before the appearance of Gwen Cooper allowed Jack to kill the agent. The Families subsequently used retcon gas to erase Jack and Gwen's memories of the experience. (WC: Web of Lies)

Having discovered the Blessing, the Families set about planning to cause and control what would come to be known as the Miracle, stopping people from dying over the entire planet.

They caused the Miracle in 2011 by simultaneously putting Harkness' immortal blood into both ends of the Blessing. This was only the beginning however; they planned to use their influence and wealth to control the human race. The same day, they sent an email to the Central Intelligence Agency consisting of just one word: "Torchwood". Harkness erased all records of the Torchwood Institute and all of its living members to protect Gwen Cooper. (TV: The New World)

Through PhiCorp, they employed Jilly Kitzinger to tell history the way the Families wanted.

In September of that year, they intended to seal the Blessing by collapsing the caves at each end, stopping anyone from interfering with it again and rendering the Miracle permanent. This was interrupted by members of Torchwood. After a standoff, Harkness and Rex Matheson released Harkness' blood (now mortal due to the Miracle) into the Blessing again, reversing its effects.

The "Mother" of the Families was subsequently killed by Oswald Danes, who blew up himself and the Shanghai complex while holding onto her, in Buenos Aires Rex Matheson killed the "Cousin" by throwing him down into the Blessing. The Families didn't see this as a defeat, more as a trial run; they had a Plan B. (TV: The Blood Line)

Before Miracle Day, their plot was discovered by conspiracy theorist Miles Mokri. Miles' best friend Nick was an agent to a rival group to the Families who wished to snatch the key to the Miracle from the Families so that his own group could get the power the Families had. Using clues left by Miles, Holly Mokri found the key to the Miracle: vats of Jack's blood stored on Comey Island by the Families in case the Miracle was negated. With the vats of blood, the Families could restart the Miracle if something happened. The blood was destroyed by Holly which prevented the Families from ever using it in the future. (WC: Web of Lies)

Influence
The Families were able to operate without the PhiCorp CEO, Stuart Owens, learning of their existence. His own attempts to discover who was manipulating his company were largely fruitless.

The family had high-ranking moles in many organisations, including at least three within the Central Intelligence Agency. (TV: The New World, End of the Road)

Members and employees
The Three Families originated from Frines, Costerdane and Ablemarch. (TV: Immortal Sins)

During the outbreak of the Miracle, key members of the Family included The Cousin and The Mother (TV: Escape to LA, The Gathering) Other members during this included: Brian Friedkin (TV: Rendition), the Gentleman (TV: Escape to LA), the Blue-eyed man (TV: The Categories of Life), the Young Man (TV: The Gathering) and Charlotte Wills. (TV: The New World, The Blood Line)

During the events of the Miracle, the Families recruited Jilly Kitzinger, who was later asked to participate in their "Plan B". (TV: End of the Road, The Blood Line)