Lucas North (AKA John Bateman), born and raised in the country to his Methodist minister father, joined MI5 and became the protege of Harry Pearce. During an operation in Russia, Lucas was betrayed and, his cover blown, ended up being sent to a Russian prison; forced to endure torture and hard labour for 8 years.
Lucas relied on his father's religious teachings to survive his time in Russian custody (ending up having multiple tattoos; including onion domes bearing the three-barred-cross of the Russian Orthodox Church; one for each year of his incarceration, as well as the words "Gnothi Seauton" - translated as "Know Thyself"; are across his stomach, and "Dum Spiro Spero" - translated as "While I breathe, I hope"; are across his shoulders.
Storylines
After spending 8 years in the Russian prison, having previously been Section D's Chief Operative, Lucas returned to the UK in a 'spy-swap' orchestrated by Harry Pearce . Lucas was welcomed back to MI5 with open arms; though Lucas no longer considered Harry his friend and mentor: he had thought Harry was responsible for his ordeal.
Lucas keenly got back to work with Section D; and with Section D's current priority operation having a strong Russian connection, Lucas quickly proved invaluable.
But, it was revealed Lucas had company in prison; Arkady Kachimov; a high-ranking Russian FSB spymaster, and they built a relationship (including the possibility of "Stockholm syndrome") while under imprisonment. The other members of "The Grid", including Harry, raised concerns over this and they even called his loyalty into question. Tensions subsided, however, when Lucas worked to help prove Harry wasn't the FSB's mole in MI5, while at the same time exposing Connie James as the true double agent. Later, Connie died defusing a nuclear bomb planted by the Russians as part of their planned nuclear assault on London, though in her final moments she confessed she was responsible for blowing his cover in Russia in the first place; and was therefore responsible for his imprisonment. While Lucas somewhat accepted this, he later discussed Connie's confession with Ros and they remained unsure over whether what Connie told him was true or simply a last attempt by Connie to make things better.
Lucas acknowledges that, while the life he once knew no longer exists, he nevertheless aspires to regain some of his former glory (most especially still longing for his Russian ex-wife; Elizabeta Starkova). However in Series 8 Lucas starts a relationship with a CIA Liaison Officer Sarah Caulfield.
In Series 9 Lucas takes over as Section Chief (a position he previously held in the 1990s and early 2000s) after the death of Ros Myers. However, a mysterious figure from Lucas' past, Vaughn Edwards, returns and blackmails him into giving him a secret file called Albany. Lucas eventually kills Vaughn but not before it reveals that his real name is John Bateman and he assumed Lucas North's identity after being involved in a bombing in Dakar in the 90s and came to work for MI5 in North's place, following his murder (it is later revealed Bateman killed North, himself). With Vaughn dead, 'Lucas' continues to seek Albany to cut a deal for him to leave the country with his girlfriend Maya, but she is shot after a stand-off between 'Lucas' and other members of the grid. With nothing left to lose, Lucas coaxes Harry onto a London roof to kill him, but after realising he is 'nothing' any more he instead, kills himself, jumping off the building to the street below.
Personal Life and Interests
On a personal level; Lucas has a form of obsession with William Blake; evidence of this is that his chest tattoo is based on Blake's watercolour etching "Ancient of Days", Lucas' flat is decorated with Blake's paintings and (when questioned by Kachimov), Elizabeta stated that Lucas is a devotee of Blake; because like him, Lucas "distrusts systems".
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(?-2001) |
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