The Lambeth Group Origins and Characters

The Lambeth Group

Origins
During the 1990s, progress in science brought increasing public fears that science was galloping out of control. UK politicians became concerned that rapid advances in science and technology could damage business and endanger human life.

They recognised the need for a doomwatch policing strategy to protect the country from the dangers of fraudulent, unethical, unprincipled rogue scientists at the cutting-edge of scientific research.

The Lambeth Group came into being when a group of twenty-six university vice-chancellors from elite universities met secretly with Home Office mandarins at the Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, London. They agreed the need for teams of expert investigators to monitor and investigate scientific research, public or private, which could be harmful to the country and its people.

A secret imperative brought unanimous agreement from the politicians and the university academics. The Lambeth Group would be covert, and it should aim to protect tens of billions of foreign investment into British research by preventing exposure of fraud and unethical or dangerous research, which would destroy global confidence in UK research.

Formed as a covert government department attached to the Centre for Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI), and the Home Office; the Lambeth Group had successfully prevented the most damaging university and private research disasters from becoming public knowledge.

Characters

Leading and coordinating the Group, Sir Christopher Aden-Brown resides in a traditional office on the third floor of Peel Building at the Home Office in Marsham Street, London. He served as an investigator since 2001, and has led the Lambeth Group for six years. He serves as expert liaison and counsel between the Home Office and all the university vice-chancellors in the UK and Commonwealth. A wise old owl, he balances the pressures and expectations from government and academia.

A leading biochemist, Gavin Shawlens has gained a great deal of experience over the past six years as an investigator for the Lambeth Group. As a natural cover agent, Gavin uses his genuine profession as cover for clandestine work on behalf of the Lambeth Group. In return for his expertise on investigations, he receives government funding for his enzyme technology research team based in the University of Kinmalcolm, Scotland. A loner, reluctant, sceptical and lacking confidence in the world outside of his academic subject; Gavin is the weak link in the team.

Seconded from the Security Service (MI5), Zoe Tampsin, an ex-army captain had joined the OTC at her university and went on to receive the coveted Sword of Honour at Sandhurst as the best officer cadet. She served with the SAS in Bosnia and Afghanistan and more recently on special government security operations at home and abroad. Her CO wrote into her record; 'Zoe Tampsin protects her troop like a lioness protecting her cubs, powerful, determined and completely ruthless.'.