RUSSELL TOVEY

Below is a piece of fan fiction sent in to me. It is about Kieran, one of the two characters that Russell has so far played in 'The Bill'. Any more fan fiction should be sent to: laura_burnett@btinternet.com

At only 18 years old, my life experience had made me wise beyond my years. For four years, since my granddad moved in next door to him, I’d been in love with Kieran Elcott. He’d started chatting to me over the garden fence one day; I remember it like it was yesterday. The sun was blazing down, I was sitting in a deckchair and I heard a voice saying “Hello?” I’d looked up, to be greeted by a face looking over at me. He looked like a cross between Joshua Herdman, and DJ Tommy B of the Blazing Squad – my two favourite people in the world! My heart skipped a beat, “Hi. I’m Lindsey. Ron’s granddaughter?”

“Kieran.” He’d said, sticking out a grubby hand.

Kieran was special. Of course he was special in the way only a girlfriend can see – great looking and a real laugh – but he was special in another way too. He suffered from a personality disorder. He was forever bugging my granddad, for example he once painted his car! You see, he had this idea in his head that there were tunnels all under London trying to contact him. It probably sounds funny, but to him it was real.

But, there is one day in particular I want to talk about. I’m not proud of it, but my granddad used to beat me up. He’d smack me and punch me for no reason. I used to tell my dad that Kieran did it, when he didn’t recognise me. It seemed like a good idea at the time, no one could argue with it. But then, on that day, granddad went a bit far. He’d lost on the horses and I popped in to see him after visiting Kieran. “I saw you kissing that psycho again!” He said, slapping me across the face.

“He is my boyfriend!” I screamed back.

“And the shame, the shame that brings on the family!” He said, and he kept on hitting me mumbling “the shame, the shame.”

I went home covered in bruises. Dad decided he’d “had enough.” And took me down to the police station, even though I screamed at him and pleaded with him. ”I want to report an assault.”

This unit had to come and interview me, but with dad there, I couldn’t get a word in edgeways “Mr Ryan, if you don’t be quiet I’m going to ask you to leave.” I don’t think dad believed her, because he carried on chatting. True to her word she chucked him out. Then she probed me with questions. “How long have you been seeing Kieran?”

“About four years.”

“And has the abuse been going on all of this time?”

“Yes.” That wasn’t a lie.

“And why don’t you leave him?”

“I love him. He loves me.”

“How can someone who loves you do this to you?”

“He says he does it because he loves me. I go round to his house to visit him. If the slightest thing has upset him, I get it. Like today he lost on the horses, said if I’d been round sooner. But I was busy…”

“Kieran bets on the horses?”

I’d slipped up.

“Um, no, I made a mistake. I’m confused. Can we take a break?”

But I don’t think that my explanation had fooled this detective. “Who did you mean Lindsey? Who lost on the horses?”

“I want my dad.”

“Your dad? Is it him?”

“Of course it isn’t.”

“Look Lindsey, if you don’t tell us we can’t help. We’ll have to bring Kieran in and charge him, even though I don’t think that it’s him. Is that what you want? To put Kieran through that? You love him don’t you?”

“Of course I do, but it’s all his fault!” I snapped, angry at her pushing me.

“Why?”

“He doesn’t approve of our relationship, he called Kieran a psycho. Said I brought shame on the family.”

“Who?”

“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that it WASN’T Kieran. So leave us all alone now. OK?”

But they didn’t leave us alone. In fact, they did the opposite. They went round to see Kieran and his dad. I was next door, getting beaten, so I spotted the police going in. They asked him who it was that beat me up. I said earlier he had personality problems, but he was, as his dad put it, “crazy” about me. He always loved me through and through my problems as I loved him through his. So he told the lady “I’ve seen her granddad, I saw him hit her.”

“The grandfather?”

“Yeah, he lives next door. I can see through that window.”

And they all went over and looked out of the window. They could see into the conservatory, and could see my granddad smacking me across the face. Kieran ran out of the door and down the stairs, with the police running after him asking for backup. He ran in and jumped on my granddad. I was crumpled in a heap on the floor, bleeding and bruised. A policeman ran in and pulled Kieran off him and put handcuffs on my granddad. “Kieran.” I mumbled.

“I’m here.” He replied, coming over and hugging me.

“YOU BASTARD!” It was my dad’s voice coming in, going for Kieran.

“No sir.” A policewoman said holding him back. “We’ve arrested Mr Ryan senior for assault.”

“Dad?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry son, I wasn’t myself.”

“What like Kieran?” I said.

“No! I’m nothing like that freak.” He replied.

“Yeah, he’s kind, generous and most of all he loves her dad. Which is more than I can say for you.”

 

Kieran and I are still together today, and that was two years ago so that’s six years all together. Granddad is in prison, it turns out he used to hit my cousins too and they came forward. I haven’t been to visit him yet, I haven’t had the courage. Dad apologised to Kieran and allowed him back into the house, he’s round all the time now. We are thinking of getting a place together now we are both twenty. Kieran’s dad is a little apprehensive, he doesn’t know if I can cope with Kieran on my own. I’m trying to reassure him – we love each other, and if I’ve coped with a psycho granddad, I’m sure I can cope with Kieran, he’s a pussycat.