Celebrating “The Highlander” and “The Bad Wolf”
Connor Johnston pays tribute to the companions played by Frazer Hines and Billie Piper on their shared day of birth.
Today marks the birthday of not one – but two of the most loved and most influential names in Doctor Who history. Clocking up an incredible 152 individual episodes between them (More than the the entire total of New Who), making them some of the longest-serving companions for Classic and New Who separately. Both Frazer Hines and Billie Piper with their characters of Jamie McCrimmon and Rose Tyler respectfully have defined different eras of the show and acted to inspire and earn the love of fans across many generations. Today, as Frazer celebrates his 70th and Billie her 32nd, we pay tribute to and remember the Highlander and the Bad Wolf.
Jamie McCrimmon
Armed with hairy legs and a Scottish kilt, Frazer Hines’ Jamie McCrimmon will forever be regarded as not only one of Doctor Who’s greatest and most loved companions, but also one of the Doctor’s greatest and best friends. Frazer Hines once said that “A good companion should be more than just a witness, an object of jeopardy or a convenient dramatic device for the explanation of some weird scientific plot or other, he or she should feel like part of the team.” – An apt if not completely accurate description of Jamie’s character if ever there was one!
Regarded in the same esteem as companions like Sarah Jane Smith and Donna Noble; Jamie’s courage, passion, bravery and ultimately his unchallenged chemistry and such an equal, genuine and mutual deep respect with the Doctor is what he will always be remembered for. Appearing in 117 individual episodes initially between 1966 and 1969, then returning for specials in 1983 and 1985, Jamie McCrimmon stands as not only the longest serving companion of Classic Who, but of Doctor Who history (in terms of individual episodes). Here’s 5 of his best….
“The Highlanders”
How could one ignore what is essentially the birth of a Doctor Who legend in Jamie’s first appearance – the unfortunately lost serial: “The Highlanders”. While all 4 parts of the visual story itself is “Missing in Action” – the beauty that is essentially Doctor Who’s very last historical can still be enjoyed for all it’s worth in reconstructions and novelizations. Ironically given the legend the character was set to become, Jamie has quite a small amount to do during his debut – but what makes “The Highlanders” such a crucial addition to his legacy is the fact that the initial potential seen by the Doctor Who Production Team that lead to their decision to take Jamie on as a full time companion is overly evident. Frazer’s consistently engaging performances as Jamie would rightly make the Scotsman one of the most popular companions in Doctor Who’s history.
“Tomb of the Cybermen”
Into his seventh serial, Jamie is now a seasoned time traveller which is apparent from his confidence and his presence – taking on the “alpha male role” of sorts behind the Doctor after Ben and Polly’s departure 2 serials earlier. Jamie is a much more experienced companion at this point, and is very open to the different experiences life of the TARDIS throws at him. With this experience also entails a certain reconcilability to not only guide Victoria in her still relatively new role as companion, but to also come across quite protective of her. The interaction between the Doctor and Jamie also shows that a friendship and trust has developed over time. “Tomb” is a perfect example of how inseparable the fun pairing is through both their ability to work together extremely effectively and their lack of fear to give each other lip – motivated by a genuine affection between the two rather than malicious intentions.
“The Invasion”
The Invasion is one that brilliantly depicts Jamie’s fundamental character traits through his reckless, rash, and sometimes quick thinking behaviour, which remains very human and realistic. As always his portrayal is full of unmistaken charm! Separated from Zoe for the majority of the serial, Jamie’s relationship with the Doctor is once again highlighted through the “Comedic Double Act” the two seem to channel. “The Invasion” also acted to show off more of the Scotsman history – by stressing “Jamie the Warrior” through his lack of fear in tackling enemies to the ground. It’s this part of Jamie’s character proved valuable, at all times acting as a guard for the Doctor and resorted to action in order to deal with enemies that threatened the Time Lord more than once (of course preceded by a novelty “CREAG AN TUIRE!!”)
“The War Games”
And now we get to the big one. You will very rarely find a list showcasing episodes from the Second Doctor’s era and not see the magnificently epic 10 parter – “The War Games” – mentioned in one way or another. Aside from being Patrick Troughton’s regeneration episode (and possibly this writers favourite episode of all time) – The War Games acts as the final regular appearance of both Frazer Hines as Jamie McCrimmon and Wendy Padbury as Zoe Heriot. Focusing on the companions of this serial alone (in an attempt to contain the praise from destroying my keyboard), Jamie and Zoe are as always exemplary in their performance – bringing to an end an extraordinary run of Who. Their heartbreaking exits in a way act indirectly to serve as possible inspiration for the eventual exit of Donna Noble almost 40 years later as the pair have their history wiped by the Time Lords, with only their first adventure with the Doctor being retained in their memories. With a handshake, and a tragic “Goodbye Doctor”; so ends the story of the greatest TARDIS team known to Who.
“The Two Doctors”
Was there any doubt that when the second Doctor returned for a multi Doctor story alone with the Sixth Doctor that the sensational chemistry with Jamie McCrimmon also wouldn’t be revisited? Granted, this addition gets points more for nostalgia rather than any merit in the plot department, it still succeeds in including the much welcomed return of both the Second Doctor and Jamie. This friendship and bond Jamie shares with the Second Doctor is easily extended to the sixth incarnation but the real dynamic for this serial is between the Scotsman and Peri Brown – as the two find their mutual confusion and teeth grinding tolerance of their Doctors as platforms of which to relate to each other on. “Your Doctor’s worse than mine!” Alas what a classic “The Two Doctors” would have been if the brilliant quality of acting and character work between the four principals would have been constant with the otherwise shabby script. We’ve included a tribute to Frazer’s time on Doctor Who below.
NOT TO BE IGNORED:
The Enemy of the World, The Ice Warriors and The Mind Robber – (Well at least half of it)
Rose Tyler
2005 saw the rebirth of a legend, and with that the debut of one of the most talked about companions in Doctor Who history. The reintroduction of Doctor Who to a new, modern audience posed the question: “How would the show immediately connect to its audience?” – The answer of course being the character of Rose Tyler. Love her or hate her, there is no denying how instrumental the character of Rose (and consequently Billie Piper herself) was on the grand narrative of Doctor Who and particularly its success post 2005.
Rose is the true essence of humanity. She exhibits all that is honest about mankind: The perfect example of a human being – Especially one chosen to represent the 20th Century. Now, Rose herself isn’t perfect, but neither is humanity. She represents humankind’s positive and negative attributes. She is compassionate, brave, assured and strong-willed, whilst sometimes also being selfish and naive. It is this honest imperfection that makes Rose too easy for a vast majority of audience members to relate to.
For many viewers, the character of Rose acts as a window into the universe of the Doctor though both her relatability and her genuine, perfectly depicted personality. Appearing in 35 individual episodes; initially between 2005 and 2006, then returning for cameos in 2008, 2010 and 2013, Rose Tyler stands as one of the longest-serving companions of New Who for the time being. It’s not known how long she will hold this title however with Amy Pond only being one cameo away from drawing with her, and Clara having the potential to put both their records to shame if she returns in Series 9. Back onto the topic at hand, here’s 5 of Rose’s best….
“Dalek”
“Dalek” is essentially Doctor Who storytelling at its finest, and arguably also Rose Tyler at her best. You’ll notice I’ve chosen to bypass her first 5 episodes while constructing this list, and this is not due to levels of fondness or quality, but rather that I’m aiming to pick out the cream of the crop when it comes to Rose’s ground-breaking run of Doctor Who. “Dalek” is an episode that does not fall into your classic Dalek outing, or even your classic “Base Under siege story” – rather it dedicates most of its purpose to being a character piece for both Rose and the Doctor. For Rose, it highlights her compassion and her humanity – funnily enough in her interactions with a Dalek – but also towards the Doctor. She sympathises with him, cares for him and most importantly prevents him from acting in a way he would always regrets. Rose Tyler, an unimportant earth girl from the twentieth century shows us you don’t need a weapon or a fancy rank to make a difference… she takes this war torn, war hardened hero, opens his eyes and saves him.
“Father’s Day”
One of the most heartbreaking episodes in Doctor Who history is Series One’s eighth episode; which sees the Doctor unexpectedly agree to travel back along Rose’s personal timeline. In “Father’s Day” we see Rose faced with one of the most potentially destroying experiences of her life: watching her father sacrifice himself for the universe. Gone is the pop-princess, and instead we have the realistic, genuinely thoughtful and moving performance that again manages to tug at the heartstrings without being too cloying or mushy. This is an instrumental episode for not only Rose’s personal character development, but also the development of the companion for the better. Looking at the history of Doctor Who pre-2005, you’d never expected a companion to actively defy the Doctor. It’s through this that RTD and Cornell destroy any old fashion authority the Doctor may have had over his companions once and for all, as Rose does so and tries to save her father. It’s both her defiance and her admittance/ownership of her mistakes that suddenly turned her so Technicolor and added so much depth to Rose in my eyes.
“Bad Wolf/ The Parting of Ways”
One would not be mad to see clear parallels between this finale 2 parter and the previous choice of “Father’s Day”. What unites these 2 beauties aside from their stunning quality is the fact that they both highlight Rose’s developed strength through her insecurity, and the effect travelling and admiring the Doctor has had on her life. In “Parting of Ways” we see Rose’s spirit’s fail to falter, never giving up in returning to help the Doctor. It’s here, in a character defining scene, we see the real transition Rose has undertaken:
“But it was. It was a better life. And I don’t mean all the travelling and seeing aliens and spaceships and things. That don’t matter. The Doctor showed me a better way of living your life. You know he showed you too. That you don’t just give up. You don’t just let things happen. You make a stand. You say no. You have the guts to do what’s right when everyone else just runs away, and I just can’t”.
Rose returns, now with the power of the Bad Wolf – and Billie’s presence is unbelievably sensational. This of course leads to a touching scene between her and the Doctor that impacts him quite personally; When Rose says she can feel the universe itself, the Doctor is no longer alone, yet he must take that all away just to save her life – ultimately sacrificing his own.
“The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit”
The defining serial for Series 2 in my mind is always going to be two parter, “The Impossible Planet” and “The Satan Pit”. In terms of Rose’s character it’s ground-breaking. We really see her take charge in the Doctor’s absence, determined to act as he would. Even when faced with death in the closing moments, she spares no more than half a thought on her self – but rather acting completely selflessly only to defeat the beast regardless of sacrificing herself.
ZACH: We’ve still lost the gravity funnel. We can’t escape the black hole.
ROSE: But we stopped him. That’s all that matters. That’s what the Doctor would’ve done.
Yes Rose is at times selfish – But so are we all at times in our lives! One needs to look no further to find character development than this scene. Regardless of what your opinion may be on Rose and Ten’s relationship throughout the series – it’s episodes like this that stress the extremely close bond and exceptional chemistry the two have.
“Army of Ghosts/Doomsday”
Wrapping up my top 5 “Celebrating Rose Episodes” is the initial tear jerking swan song to Rose in the Series Two 2-Parter finale “Army of Ghosts” and “Doomsday”. Rose acts with a sense of purpose and passion, and with a script catered to showcase her evolution through her journeys with the Doctor, it’s difficult for Piper to put a step in the wrong direction. Throughout the entire 2-parter, there is an undoubted sense of forthcoming death throughout the plot, but the payoff, while in some ways rewarding due to Rose’s survival, is in other ways is even more distressing as we watch the Doctor-Rose duo face the most permanent of separations… or so we thought. This leads to the extremely moving final scene where the Doctor finds a way to communicate with Rose by burning up a star and projecting himself onto Bad Wolf Bay. It’s extremely genuine and heartfelt and you really couldn’t ask for a better way to say goodbye. While they are still majorly appreciated, it’s this that somewhat works against future returns of Rose in Series 4 – due to the fact that (in my own opinion) take away from such a perfect, unstoppable end for such a loved character.
SPECIAL MENTION: “The Day of the Doctor”
While technically not portraying Rose Tyler, 2013’s 50th Anniversary Special: “The Day of the Doctor”, saw Billie Piper return to the show as the physical embodiment of the Moment’s conscious. With the incredible task of not being completely overshone by John Hurt, Piper’s performance does one better than just keeping her own, by also taking it one step further in delivering one of the best performances of the special. Combining the cheekiness of Rose Tyler, the presence of the Bad Wolf and the ambiguous spark of the moment, Billie achieves the perfect balance in “The Day of the Doctor” by portraying a role that showcases how far Billie has come in terms of both her capabilities but also her understanding of Rose. We’ve included a tribute to Billie’s legacy below.
NOT TO BE IGNORED:
Rose, The End of the World, The Christmas Invasion, The Idiots Lantern, Turn Left and Journey’s End
Many happy returns, Frazer and Billie!
