Peter Revell

Peter Revell is Fran Revell’s husband, and his financial dependence on Jack Harkness becomes a source of guilt when Fran disappears. He arrives at Don Challenor’s office in visible distress, bringing the personal cost of Harkness’s influence into the investigation of Fran’s disappearance.

Appearance and Introduction

Peter is tall and about Don’s age, with centre-parted grey hair, round horn-rimmed glasses, and a prominent chin. When he enters, his hair and clothes are disordered; his eyes skitter and his hands twitch. Don speaks slowly in an effort to reach him, while Peter’s agitation makes plain that Fran’s absence has overwhelmed his composure.

Fran’s Disappearance

Fran had travelled to Cornwall on the Sunday-night sleeper to arrange the sale of Wortalleth West after dismissing Don. She saw the house and met Robin Pawley, then told Peter that the arrangements were going smoothly. After spending Monday night at the Polurrian Bay Hotel, she told him on Tuesday morning that she would return her hire car and take the 4.40 train from Truro to London, due into Paddington at 9.30.

The expected return never happened. Fran failed to meet Pawley, could not be reached on her mobile, and did not return the hire car on time. The agency contacted her office; Peter then tried calling and texting her. She was on neither the expected train nor the one after it. Confronted with this chain of missed contacts, he tells Don that Fran has disappeared and immediately connects the crisis to Harkness.

Debts, Guilt, and Harkness

Peter says Harkness paid off some of his debts after he had got in over his head. The debt was from gambling. In return, Harkness expected Fran to do his bidding. Peter says Fran does not know that he understands this arrangement, but he does; he interprets her disappearance as a consequence of Harkness having gained influence over her and calls the situation his fault.

His distress is mixed with shame. When Don asks how the situation is Peter’s fault, Peter initially dismisses the question, then discloses the debts and their origin. Don’s disapproving reaction is checked before it becomes an accusation, and Peter acknowledges that he does not feel good about himself. The scene leaves him as a worried, compromised figure: he has not explained what happened to Fran, but his admission establishes the debt and Harkness’s expectation as part of the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.