'Children of Earth' (Part 3: 'Day Three') by Russell T Davies and James Moran

“We are here.” – the children of Earth

As the entire world awaits the meaning of the 456’s last message, the Prime Minister closes all schools in Britain and imposes a curfew on the under-eighteens. Meanwhile, Jack, Ianto, Gwen and Rhys set up their new headquarters in an abandoned Torchwood holding facility. After Ianto gets a message to Johnny and Rhiannon via a neighbour, he and the others take stock of their resources; with very little in their pockets, Gen proposes that if the government are treating them like criminals, then they should behave as such. Heading out onto the streets Ianto, Gwen and Rhys proceed to steal money, phones and a laptop – while Jack gets himself a shiny sports car. Using a passer-by’s mobile phone, Alice contacts Cardiff Police station in an effort to get news of her father, however, the call alerts an operative in MI5, and it is only seconds before Johnson has Alice’s G.P.S. location, live C.C.T.V. footage of her house, and details of her parents, James and Mary Sangster. When these names are flagged as fake I.D.s, Johnson orders an investigation… As the Torchwood team settle into their newly furbished base, christened ‘Hub 2’ by Rhys, Ianto arrives with fresh clothes, including an army surplus greatcoat for Jack. Elsewhere, Clem steals a wallet and hides out in a pub; however, his strange behaviour and talk of the 456 returning worries the landlady, who calls the police and has the man arrested. Bach at Hub 2, Ianto and Gwen use their newly-acquired laptops and connectivity to search for Clem, and to find out about the list of assassinated people that Lois provided. Gwen then tracks Lois to a café and asks for her help, giving her a pair of special contact lenses with inbuilt cameras, lip-reading software and messaging system to use inside Thames House; however, Lois is unsure, worried that she is committing treason. After Ianto locates Clem in Camden Police Station and sends Gwen to retrieve him, Jack sees his colleague’s information on the orphanage Clem grew up in; Jack immediately demands to see pictures of the people recently assassinated, and, realising that he knew them, he then rushes out of the Hub without any further explanation. Jackson calls Frobisher with the news that she has located Jack’s daughter, whose mother, real name Lucia Moretti, was a Torchwood operative. When the Parliamentary Secretary orders Bridget to transfer their operation to Thames House, Lois seizes her opportunity, and ensures that she accompanies them. After calling in help from P.C. Andy, Gwen arrives at Camden Police Station and releases Clem, who is overjoyed to see her. Elsewhere, Alice and her son come under attack from Johnson and a squad of soldiers; Alice tries bravely to evade capture, but she and Stephen are soon captured at gunpoint. Just then Stephen freezes on the spot, pointing at the sky. As reports come in from across the world, Torchwood realise that all the children of Earth are pointing towards London – at Thames House. At that moment the clouds over London open and a massive pillar of fire descends from the sky; as Frobisher and Dekker watch, the light flows into the huge, toxic gas-filled tank constructed on Floor 13 – the 456 have arrived. With the aid of the communications system connected to the chamber, the Parliamentary Secretary engages in a dialogue with the bizarre, three-headed creature within. Adopting the name of ‘456’, the alien enigmatically announces that it wants to speak to the world, but Frobisher manages to gain agreement for it to talk to representatives from the United Nations first. Frobisher also manages to persuade the 456 to keep their earlier visit a secret, to “aid diplomatic relations”… While Thames House is cordoned off from the public, U.N.I.T.’s Colonel Oduya and General Pierce of the U.S. Allied Forces meet with the Prime Minister to voice their concerns over the arrival of the alien ambassador; the P.M. overrules their request to take over the operation, insisting that the Civil Service, headed by the Parliamentary Secretary, handle negotiations. Elsewhere, Gwen and Clem try to get out of London, but the streets are gridlocked; when Clem experiences a flashback that unlocks more of the events of 1965, Gwen goes ‘off road’ so she can return to Hub 2. Jack sneaks into the Frobisher household and steals Anna’s phone; he then calls the Parliamentary Secretary and demands to know if the 456 have returned, threatening to expose past events unless he is allowed inside Thames House; however, Frobisher refuses, warning Jack that he has his daughter and grandson captive. Knowing that Jack will not retaliate against his wife and children, Frobisher ends the call, and then sets off for Floor 13 for his historical moment, accompanied by Bridget and Lois. Back at Hub 2, Gwen, Ianto, Rhys and Clem are excited to see the inside of Thames House suddenly appear on their laptop, and message their thanks to Lois for putting on her contact lenses; watching through the secretary’s eyes, the Torchwood team see the inside of Floor 13, and the massive, gas-filled tank within. The summit meeting is also being watched by the P.M and the assembled representatives from the armed forces, from the safety of Downing Street. As Frobisher addresses the 456 on behalf of the world, Lois scribbles the creature’s response in shorthand on a notepad for Torchwood’s benefit. The 456 announce that they want a gift: ten percent of the world’s children. Back in the Hub, Clem suddenly senses that someone from 1965 has returned – just as Jack enters the room; to his colleagues’ horror, Jack reveals that it was he who led the orphans into the light, as a gift for the 456...

John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness), Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper), Gareth David-Lloyd (Ianto Jones), Kai Owen (Rhys Williams), Peter Capaldi (John Frobisher), Paul Copley (Clement ‘Clem’ McDonald), Nicholas Farrell (Prime Minister Brian Green), Susan Brown (Bridget Spears), Lucy Cohu (Alice Carter), Ian Gelder (Mr Dekker), Colin McFarlane (General Pierce), Tom Price (P.C. Andy Davidson), Cush Jumbo (Lois Habiba), Liz May Brice (Johnson), Charles Abomeli (Colonel Augustus Oduya), Katy Wix (Rhiannon Davies), Rhodri Lewis (Johnny Davies), Hilary Maclean (Anna Frobisher), Anna Lawson (Nurse), Rachel Keriani (Parliamentary Secretary), Christopher James (Press Officer), Phylip Harries (Wales Taxi Driver), Ben Lloyd-Holmes (Operative), Luke Perry (David Davies), Aimee Davies (Mica Davies), Bear McCausland (Steven Carter), Julia Joyce (Holly Frobisher), Madeline Rakic-Platt (Lily Frobisher), Patrice Etienne (Sandwich Shop Man), Simon Poland (456 Voice), Gregory Ferguson (Young Clem), Louise Minchin (Newsreader), Anthony Debaeck (French Newsreader), Lachele Carl (Trinity Wells)

Directed by Euros Lyn
Produced by Peter Bennett
Executive Producers Russell T. Davies and Julie Gardner
A BBC Wales production

TX (BBC 1):
8th July 2009 @ 9:00 pm

Notes:
*Featuring Captain Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones

*Unlike previous seasons, the episodes in Season Three have a running time of sixty minutes each, and were shown over five consectutive days

*This episode was simulcast in High Definition on the BBC's HD Channel