Ianto Jones

Ianto Jones was a member of the Torchwood 3, initially serving as more a "support man" or "tea boy" but later taking a more active role in missions.

Early life
Ianto was born on 19th August 1983. (TW: Fragments) He is from Cardiff. (TW:From Out of the Rain) Ianto's father, a master tailor, had a shop in Cardiff (TW:Something Borrowed); he enjoyed taking his son to the cinema (TW: From Out of the Rain)

At Torchwood 1
Originally, Ianto worked in Torchwood 1, based in Canary Wharf, London. During the Battle of Canary Wharf, as Cybermen looked for reinforcements to fight off the Daleks Lisa Hallett, was partly converted into a Cyberman. Hoping that her cyber-conversion process could be reversed, Ianto smuggled Lisa to Torchwood Three, hiding her in the basement, until a "cure" for the partial cyber-conversion could be found. (TW: Cyberwoman)

Joining Torchwood 3
Now in Cardiff, Ianto tracked down Jack Harkness to try to find work with Torchwood 3, despite the latter's reluctance. He assisted Jack in capturing a stray Pteranodon. (TW: Fragments)


 * Jack had, at this time, already recruited Suzie Costello, Owen Harper and Toshiko Sato, though not Gwen Cooper.

Duties
Ianto acted to support the main team. He staffed the mock tourist information booth located above the Hub and in general acted to "clean up their shit... no questions asked". (TW: Cyberwoman) For example, he hacked into Gwen Cooper's computer and erased a document containing information about Torchwood. (TW: Everything Changes) Though not precisely one of his duties, he also kept a detailed journal of day-to-day operations (TW: Adam)

Prior to Jack's disappearance
Secretly, Ianto continued to hide his former lover, Lisa Hallett, now attached to a cyber-conversion unit, which acted as her life support, in the basement of the Hub. Lisa's Cyberman conditioning caused her to lay siege to the Hub from inside, and to threaten Torchwood 3, and, indirectly, any Human she could convert into a Cyberman. Lisa, who had transplanted her brain into the body of a pizza delivery girl, died. (TW: Cyberwoman).

The others appear at this time to have taken the quietly efficient Ianto for granted; they pay little attention to him before the mayhem starts. Ianto was "temporarily suspended from active duty" and is allowed to return to work four weeks later with Jack's tacit approval. ("The Captain's Blog" BBCAmerica)

Ianto started to take a more active role. He described to Toshiko Sato his inability to comprehend the adrenaline rush she and the other Torchwood members shared in the face of danger. (TW: Countrycide)

With both Jack and Tosh both temporarily trapped in 1941 Ianto and Owen sparred for leadership of the team, although Owen asserted that, with Suzie Costello dead, he was now second-in-command. However, Ianto displayed authority in Jack's absence that Owen was not aware he had. Ianto went as far as to shoot Owen in the shoulder to prevent him using the Rift Manipulator. (TW: Captain Jack Harkness) Following the revival of Abaddon and his own death, Jack revived and vanished (TW: End of Days) with the TARDIS (DW: Utopia)

Jack's return
After Jack's disappearance he, along with the rest of the Torchwood 3, was dispatched on a "wild goose chase" to the Himalayas by Mr. Saxon. (DW: The Sound of Drums) Ianto took on a more active role in the Torchwood team, taking part in field missions to compensate for the absence of Captain Jack. (TW: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang)

Ianto kept a paper diary, which he used to write down interesting Rift activity as well as more personal concerns. When he confronted Adam about his role in the Torchwood team, Adam forcibly gave Ianto false memories of killing three women, which affected him deeply. Ianto was eventually able to rid himself of these memories when Jack used retcon on the team in order to purge out Adam's influence. (TW: Adam)

Ianto tells Gwen and Owen that he used to go to the Electro movie theatre with his father as a child. (TW: From Out of the Rain)

When the team was lured to an abandoned warehouse, it is soon discovered to be a trap laid by John Hart and the team ends up trapped. (TW: Fragments) The team eventually escaped alive and makes it back to the Hub where rift activity is located in three separate locations. He and Toshiko make their way to the central server building for a phone company where they are confronted by three cloaked men with scythes who advance on the duo of Torchwood agents. Toshiko and Ianto quickly dispose of them with their pistols and later make their way to the roof of the building to observe a series of explosions rock Cardiff. When it is revealed that the city's nuclear power station is entering a meltdown, Ianto and Toshiko were originally on their way to intervene until a group of Weevils swarmed past them and Owen decided to take up that task himself, allowing the duo to return to the Hub where they were subsequently locked in Weevil cells by Gray. They are later freed following Gray's capture at Jack's hands and Ianto later discovers the final logout of Toshiko following her death at Gray's hands and mourns for the loss of both Owen and Toshiko. (TW: Exit Wounds)

When the Earth was stolen by Davros and the New Dalek Empire and transported to the Medusa Cascade. Ianto ended up assisting Gwen and Jack utilise the Rift Manipulator in conjunction with Mr Smith to boost the signal of Martha Jones' superphone in order to contact the Doctor. This plan suceeds and the Doctor makes his way to the Earth. At this point, Jack obtains the missing digit of a code for his Time Agency wrist strap and leaves Ianto and Gwen to meet with the Doctor. After he had left, Gwen and Ianto are confronted by a Dalek entering the Hub and open fire with machine guns. (DW: The Stolen Earth)

Relationship with Lisa Hallett
As mentioned above, Ianto and Lisa had a close relationship. Pain over her death still lingered later (TW: Countrycide) He explained he would not use a second resurrection gauntlet. (TW: They Keep Killing Suzie) An apparition of Lisa, in her Human form, convinced Ianto to side with Owen against Jack and open the Rift. (TW: End of Days)

Relationship with Jack
In an attempt to show he has put the incident behind him, Jack tried to be friendly and even patted Ianto on the back (TW: Small Worlds). Although the conversation about the teams' last kisses reveals that there is still some lingering tension between the two over the incident. (TW: Countrycide)

It was hinted that Ianto might be having a sexual relationship with Jack. This was supported by his instant messenger conversation between with Jack that suggested that like teammates Jack, Toshiko and possibly Owen and Gwen, Ianto was bisexual (Torchwood website). Gwen catches onto the relationship and Ianto explicitly refers to being bisexual (TWN: The Twilight Streets).

Owem made remarks about the sexual nature of Ianto and Jack's relationship and, after believing Jack was dead, a distraught Ianto breathed in the scent of his coat. The two kissed upon reunion. (TW: Captain Jack Harkness) (TW: Captain Jack Harkness, End of Days)

When Jack returned to the Hub, he asked Ianto out on a date, which Ianto accepted. This is followed by another kiss between the pair. (TW: To the Last Man). The existence of the relationship was confirmed verbally in a conversation Ianto has with Martha Jones (TW: Reset) and in another conversation Ianto has with Owen Harper (TW: A Day in the Death). The first public display of Ianto and Jack's relationship, when they dance together at Gwen's wedding. (TW: Something Borrowed)



Donna's World
In an alternate timeline in which Donna Noble never met the Doctor, Ianto died along with Gwen while trying to defeat the Sontaran invasion of Earth. (DW: Turn Left)