John Frobisher John Frobisher ( 1958 - 2009 ) was the Permanent Secretary to the Home Office and Torchwood Three ' s liaison to the British government . ( TV : " " ) He was later appointed informal ambassador to the 456 . His job became increasingly difficult when everyone around him began to shirk any responsibility for the disaster that was unfolding . Biography . Early life . John Frobisher was born in Glasgow in 1958 . He was educated at Gordonstoun and read PPE at Oxford . John Frobisher started working for the Civil Service in 1980 , according to his service biography . He worked in various departments within the Home Office , including as Director General for School s and under - secretary at the Crime Reduction and Community Secretary Group . He was promoted to become Permanent Secretary to the Home Office in 2003 . ( TV : " " ) Personal life . Frobisher had a wife named Anna and two daughters , Holly and Lilly . ( TV : " " ) His assistant Bridget Spears implied that he had had at least one extramarital affair with other members of his staff . ( TV : " " ) As Permanent Secretary to the Home Office . As Permanent Secretary , Frobisher chaired the Home Office Board and sat on the Civil Service Steering Board . He was also a member of the Senior Leadership Committee . ( TV : " " ) 456 incident . As a civil servant , he followed the Prime Minister ' s orders . In 2009 , then - Prime Minister Brian Green thought of Frobisher as a tool to absolve himself of blame should the British government ' s past dealings with the 456 become known . He considered Frobisher " expendable " and made no secret of his unconcern for his wellbeing . Based on his comments to UNIT ' s Colonel Oduya , Frobisher had prior experience with alien s ; comments made by Gwen Cooper suggested that Frobisher , or his office , oversaw Torchwood Three . Jack Harkness tried to contact him early in the 456 incident . In order to keep secret the 1965 deal with the 456 , Frobisher ordered a " blank page " assassination order against everyone involved , including Jack Harkness . This led to the bombing by Johnson and her team of the Hub under Cardiff Bay . Other individuals were also murdered , and at least two people ( one of whom appeared to have been collateral damage ) were killed in the implanting of a bomb into Harkness . ( TV : " " ) Brian Green wanted a scapegoat in case events went badly . He persuaded representatives to have Frobisher , an unelected civil servant , serve as representative to the 456 . ( TV : " " ) Frobisher witnessed the 456 arrival on Earth in Thames House along with Dekker . He represented Earth in diplomatic arrangements with the 456 as an expendable middleman . Jack Harkness contacted Frobisher for access to Thames House . Frobisher declined and told him that he would harm his daughter Alice Carter and his grandson Steven Carter if he went public . Harkness suggested he would kidnap Frobisher ' s wife , but Frobisher knew that Harkness was a better man than he and would not carry out his threat . ( TV : " " ) During an emergency meeting of COBRA ( Cabinet Office Briefing Room A ) to determine the handover of one tenth of British children , Green tasked Frobisher with the selection and transport for the children , although the method by which children were selected was decided by the Cabinet of the United Kingdom . Frobisher invented the cover story suggesting the children would be inoculated against 456 control . The government actually took them to hand over to the 456 . ( TV : " " ) The next day , the Prime Minister told Frobisher that his children would be publicly handed over for " inoculation " . This was an attempt by the government to portray themselves as victims , reassure the public regarding their cover story and implicate the 456 as the true villains . Frobisher threatened to reveal to the press the true nature of the inoculations . Green dissuaded him from this , noting that Frobisher ' s children would know their fate . Wanting to spare his daughters their fate at the hands of the 456 and his wife the grief , Frobisher decided to murder his family and commit suicide . He kissed his ever - loyal PA Bridget Spears on the cheek when they met for the final time . Spears , realising Frobisher ' s intentions , made clear to Lois Habiba , that " John Frobisher was a good man , " and that " it wasn ' t his fault . " Spears then proceeded to record incriminating evidence against Green . ( TV : " " )