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{{real world}}
{{ImageLink|Gareth Jenkins}}
{{you may|Gareth Jenkins|n1=the Big Finish sound designer}}
{{Infobox Individual
In the 1980s, '''Gareth Jenkins''' was a child who wrote into the [[BBC One]] audience wish-fulfilment programme, ''[[Jim'll Fix It]]'', to ask if they could let him star in his own episode of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. As a part of the request, he demonstrated that he already had a complete [[Sixth Doctor]]'s costume, which had been made for him by his grandmother.
|image          = Gareth Jenkins.jpg
|species        = Human
|affiliation    =
|origin        = [[Earth]]
|first mention  = Fixing a Hole (short story)
|only          = A Fix with Sontarans (home video)
|actor          = Gareth Jenkins (actor)
}}
{{you may|Gareth Jenkins (actor)|n1=his real world counterpart|Gareth Jenkins (sound designer)|n2=the Big Finish sound designer}}
'''Gareth Jenkins''' was a young child from [[20th century]] [[Earth]] who enjoyed watching [[the Doctor]]'s [[Doctor Who (in-universe)|adventures on television]], and found himself helping the [[Sixth Doctor]] defeat a duo of [[Sontaran]]s when he was accidentally [[matter transporter|teleported]] aboard [[the Doctor's TARDIS]].


The producers of ''Jim'll Fix It'' agreed, and worked with [[John Nathan-Turner]]'s staff at ''Doctor Who'' to create the sketch, ''[[A Fix with Sontarans]]''. Jenkins — and his kid-sized Sixth Doctor's costume — did indeed play a major role in it, opposite [[Colin Baker]] and [[Janet Fielding]]. At the conclusion of the episode, Baker presented Jenkins with both a ''Jim'll Fix It'' medal and the "meson gun" prop to keep.
He may have also been the leader of the [[Earth Defence Force]] by the [[21st century]], thwarting the [[2001 Sontaran invasion of Earth|Sontarans' invasion of Earth]] in [[2001]].


Jenkins reunited with Colin Baker at a signing event in January 2013.[http://www.6thdoctorcostume.com/2013/01/close-encounters-of-sixth-kind.html]
== Biography ==
Gareth watched [[Doctor Who (in-universe)|a series about the Doctor]] on [[television]] that taught him the various controls on the [[TARDIS control console]]. He also obtained a replica of the [[Sixth Doctor's coat]]. ([[HOMEVID]]: {{cs|A Fix with Sontarans (home video)}})


He now works as head of campaigns for the [http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/ Save the Children] charity, and still has his ''Jim'll Fix It'' medal. In 2015, he was interviewed by [[Toby Hadoke]] for [[THWR 107|Round 107]] of ''[[Toby Hadoke's Who's Round]]''. He also contributed to the charity reference book ''[[Behind the Sofa: Celebrity Memories of Doctor Who]]''.
=== Meeting the Doctor ===
On [[23 February]] [[1985]], ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Fixing a Hole (short story)}}) Gareth found himself brought aboard [[the Doctor's TARDIS]] in the midst of the [[Sontaran]] [[Group Marshal]] [[Nathan (A Fix with Sontarans)|Nathan]] and [[Turner (A Fix with Sontarans)|his subordinate]] attempting to destroy it with a [[vitrox bomb]], having accidentally been [[matter transporter|teleported]] onboard by [[Tegan Jovanka]] pressing the wrong button on the control console. While the Doctor was reluctant to have Gareth help, he let Gareth help him set a lethal [[trap]] for the Sontarans.  


== Gareth Jenkins, the "character" ==
After the Sontarans arrived, they recognised Gareth's name as belonging to the leader of the [[Earth Defence Force]] who thwarted [[2001 Sontaran invasion of Earth|their invasion]] in the year [[2001]], and Nathan instructed his subordinate to kill Gareth to ensure that the future invasion would be successful, not even yielding when the Doctor suggested that their names may just be a [[coincidence]]. Faced with no other choice, the Doctor told Gareth to unleash the trap they had set up, releasing [[gas]] that brutally killed the Sontarans. While Tegan and the Doctor congratulated Gareth, the victory was short lived, as Tegan pointed out that the [[TARDIS scanner]] had turned on, revealing a [[Sontaran scout ship|fleet of ships]] from the [[Tenth Sontaran Battle Brigade]], with the Doctor telling them "[it was] only the beginning." ([[HOMEVID]]: {{cs|A Fix with Sontarans (home video)}}) Within the space of a few [[hour]]s, the Doctor and Tegan returned Gareth to his correct [[time-stream]]. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Fixing a Hole (short story)}})
[[File:Gareth_Jenkins_(A_Fix_with_Sontarans).jpg|thumb|left|Gareth Jenkins as a character in the TARDIS. ([[NOTVALID]]: ''[[A Fix with Sontarans]]'')]]
Since the ending of ''[[A Fix with Sontarans]]'' breaks the fourth wall so thoroughly, the Wiki does not consider it a [[Tardis:Valid sources|valid source]], and consequently does not recognise its events (and the in-universe Gareth Jenkins) to be part of the [[Doctor Who universe|''Doctor Who'' universe]] as we define it.


Within the narrative segment of ''A Fix with Sontarans'', Jenkins gets transported from [[Earth]] to [[the Doctor's TARDIS]] by accident, and is observed by the Doctor to wear a boy-sized version of the Doctor's outfit; he knows how to operate the TARDIS's controls from having watched the Doctor do so [[The Doctor in popular culture and mythology|on television]]. This includes knowledge of switches which release a gas lethal to [[Sontaran]]s, interestingly a discrepancy between [[Doctor Who (N-Space)|the in-universe ''Doctor Who'' series]] and the real programme, as this feature of the [[TARDIS control console]] was never seen in the TV series proper.
=== Possible future ===
If Nathan was correct in his assumption, then Gareth grew up to join the [[Earth Defence Force]]. becoming its leader by the time of the [[2001 Sontaran invasion of Earth]], which he played a major part in thwarting. ([[HOMEVID]]: {{cs|A Fix with Sontarans (home video)}})


Further detail is given about the in-universe Jenkins when Group Marshall [[Nathan (A Fix with Sontarans)|Nathan]] explains that in the year [[2001]], when Sontarans attempt to invade Earth, a man called Gareth Jenkins will lead the Earth defence force which defeats the invasion fleet. The Doctor points out that this future, heroic Jenkins could conceivably be a namesake, though the Sontarans decide they can't take the risk and try to kill Gareth anyway, hence his pressing the aforementioned death-switch on the console.
== Personality ==
If the Sixth Doctor was correct in his assumption that Gareth was like himself, then Gareth embodied traits of [[courage]], [[intellect]] and [[perspicacity]]. Gareth also seemed to be fairly reserved, although he did have fun in making the Doctor and Tegan jump by shouting "boo" at them. ([[HOMEVID]]: {{cs|A Fix with Sontarans (home video)}})


== Behind the scenes ==
{{main|Gareth Jenkins (actor)}}
[[Gareth Jenkins (actor)|Gareth Jenkins]], who lived in [[Milton Keynes]], wrote into the wish-fulfilment programme ''[[Jim'll Fix It]]'' in around [[1985 (production)|1985]], to ask if he could meet Colin Baker and go inside the TARDIS; his request was approved, and {{cs|A Fix with Sontarans (TV story)}} was formed, a [[mini-episode]] wherein Gareth got to do just what he asked.
However, after the death of [[Jimmy Savile]] in [[2011 (people)|2011]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-15053431|title=Obituary: Sir Jimmy Savile|date of source=29 October 2011|website name=BBC News|accessdate=24 November 2016}}</ref>, the individal who hosted ''Jim'll Fix It'', was exposed as a serial paedophile<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/oct/24/jimmy-savile-bbc-story-so-far Rushe, Dominic. "Jimmy Saville and the BBC: the story so far". ''The Guardian''. 24 October 2012.]</ref>, and ''A Fix with Sontarans'' was removed from later pressings of the DVD release of ''[[The Two Doctors (TV story)|The Two Doctors]]'', which had included it since the DVD's original 2003 release.<ref>[http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2014/09/two-doctors-revised-release.html Doctor Who News, "The Two Doctors: revised release clarification"], 22 September, 2014; accessed 22 September, 2014</ref> However, it was clarified by Jenkins himself that Savile had not taken an interest in him.<ref>[http://www.6thdoctorcostume.com/2013/01/close-encounters-of-sixth-kind.html Close Encounters Of The Sixth Kind]</ref> In [[2022 (releases)|2022]], the ''[[Doctor Who (TV series)|Doctor Who]]'': ''[[The Collection]]'' — ''[[Season 22 (Doctor Who 1963)|Season 22]]'' [[blu-ray]] boxset was released, including a newly-recut edition of {{cs|A Fix with Sontarans (home video)}}, which entirely removed two minutes of footage of Savile, replacing it with a new CG scene with ADR as a new ending to the story.
As the original version of ''A Fix with Sontarans'' broke the [[fourth wall]] so thoroughly — essentially dissolving into the real world — this Wiki never considered it a [[Tardis:Valid sources|valid source]] for writing "in-universe" articles with. It was only in coverage of {{cs|Fixing a Hole (short story)}} — a short story that acted as a sequel to ''A Fix with Sontarans'' and as the the thematic and conceptual concluding bookend to Tegan's journey with the Doctor — did references come to ''A Fix with Sontarns'' in valid media, albeit vaguely. ''Fixing a Hole'' notably ignored the ending of the original ''A Fix with Sontarans'', long prior to the crimes committed by Savile came to public attention. The 2022 recut edition, as it omitted the original fourth wall breaking ending, is a valid source, however due to the ending being changed, the references to [[Gareth Jenkins's grandmother|Gareth's Nan]] and the naming of the [[meson gun]] remain in the orignal, and thus, as invalid source articles.
=== Information from invalid sources ===
According to one account, after Gareth killed the Sontarans, [[Jimmy Savile]] entered the TARDIS, and asked the Doctor if "[Gareth] passed the [[test]]". After the Doctor confirmed so, Savile asked Gareth where he got his coat, and Gareth told him that [[Gareth Jenkins's grandmother|his Nan]] had made it for him. Savile asked the Doctor to place a ''[[Jim'll Fix It]]'' [[medal]] over Gareth's bonce, and as the Doctor did so, he told Gareth that he was "well and truly fixed." ([[TV]]: {{cs|A Fix with Sontarans (TV story)}})
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist|2}}
{{Companions of the Sixth Doctor}}
{{Doctor Who individuals}}
{{NameSort}}
{{NameSort}}
 
[[Category:Humans who met the Doctor as children]]
[[Category:Doctor Who actors who played themselves]]
[[Category:Human Sixth Doctor companions]]
[[Category:Non-DWU individuals]]
[[Category:Doctor Who (N-Space) fans]]
[[Category:Actors interviewed on Toby Hadoke's Who's Round]]
[[Category:20th century individuals]]
[[Category:Behind the Sofa contributors]]
[[Category:21st century individuals]]
[[Category:Human leaders]]
[[Category:People from the real world encountered by the Sixth Doctor]]

Revision as of 20:04, 22 April 2024

You may be looking for his real world counterpart or the Big Finish sound designer.

Gareth Jenkins was a young child from 20th century Earth who enjoyed watching the Doctor's adventures on television, and found himself helping the Sixth Doctor defeat a duo of Sontarans when he was accidentally teleported aboard the Doctor's TARDIS.

He may have also been the leader of the Earth Defence Force by the 21st century, thwarting the Sontarans' invasion of Earth in 2001.

Biography

Gareth watched a series about the Doctor on television that taught him the various controls on the TARDIS control console. He also obtained a replica of the Sixth Doctor's coat. (HOMEVID: A Fix with Sontarans [+]Loading...["A Fix with Sontarans (home video)"])

Meeting the Doctor

On 23 February 1985, (PROSE: Fixing a Hole [+]Loading...["Fixing a Hole (short story)"]) Gareth found himself brought aboard the Doctor's TARDIS in the midst of the Sontaran Group Marshal Nathan and his subordinate attempting to destroy it with a vitrox bomb, having accidentally been teleported onboard by Tegan Jovanka pressing the wrong button on the control console. While the Doctor was reluctant to have Gareth help, he let Gareth help him set a lethal trap for the Sontarans.

After the Sontarans arrived, they recognised Gareth's name as belonging to the leader of the Earth Defence Force who thwarted their invasion in the year 2001, and Nathan instructed his subordinate to kill Gareth to ensure that the future invasion would be successful, not even yielding when the Doctor suggested that their names may just be a coincidence. Faced with no other choice, the Doctor told Gareth to unleash the trap they had set up, releasing gas that brutally killed the Sontarans. While Tegan and the Doctor congratulated Gareth, the victory was short lived, as Tegan pointed out that the TARDIS scanner had turned on, revealing a fleet of ships from the Tenth Sontaran Battle Brigade, with the Doctor telling them "[it was] only the beginning." (HOMEVID: A Fix with Sontarans [+]Loading...["A Fix with Sontarans (home video)"]) Within the space of a few hours, the Doctor and Tegan returned Gareth to his correct time-stream. (PROSE: Fixing a Hole [+]Loading...["Fixing a Hole (short story)"])

Possible future

If Nathan was correct in his assumption, then Gareth grew up to join the Earth Defence Force. becoming its leader by the time of the 2001 Sontaran invasion of Earth, which he played a major part in thwarting. (HOMEVID: A Fix with Sontarans [+]Loading...["A Fix with Sontarans (home video)"])

Personality

If the Sixth Doctor was correct in his assumption that Gareth was like himself, then Gareth embodied traits of courage, intellect and perspicacity. Gareth also seemed to be fairly reserved, although he did have fun in making the Doctor and Tegan jump by shouting "boo" at them. (HOMEVID: A Fix with Sontarans [+]Loading...["A Fix with Sontarans (home video)"])

Behind the scenes

Main article: Gareth Jenkins (actor)

Gareth Jenkins, who lived in Milton Keynes, wrote into the wish-fulfilment programme Jim'll Fix It in around 1985, to ask if he could meet Colin Baker and go inside the TARDIS; his request was approved, and A Fix with Sontarans [+]Loading...["A Fix with Sontarans (TV story)"] was formed, a mini-episode wherein Gareth got to do just what he asked.

However, after the death of Jimmy Savile in 2011[1], the individal who hosted Jim'll Fix It, was exposed as a serial paedophile[2], and A Fix with Sontarans was removed from later pressings of the DVD release of The Two Doctors, which had included it since the DVD's original 2003 release.[3] However, it was clarified by Jenkins himself that Savile had not taken an interest in him.[4] In 2022, the Doctor Who: The Collection — Season 22 blu-ray boxset was released, including a newly-recut edition of A Fix with Sontarans [+]Loading...["A Fix with Sontarans (home video)"], which entirely removed two minutes of footage of Savile, replacing it with a new CG scene with ADR as a new ending to the story.

As the original version of A Fix with Sontarans broke the fourth wall so thoroughly — essentially dissolving into the real world — this Wiki never considered it a valid source for writing "in-universe" articles with. It was only in coverage of Fixing a Hole [+]Loading...["Fixing a Hole (short story)"] — a short story that acted as a sequel to A Fix with Sontarans and as the the thematic and conceptual concluding bookend to Tegan's journey with the Doctor — did references come to A Fix with Sontarns in valid media, albeit vaguely. Fixing a Hole notably ignored the ending of the original A Fix with Sontarans, long prior to the crimes committed by Savile came to public attention. The 2022 recut edition, as it omitted the original fourth wall breaking ending, is a valid source, however due to the ending being changed, the references to Gareth's Nan and the naming of the meson gun remain in the orignal, and thus, as invalid source articles.

Information from invalid sources

According to one account, after Gareth killed the Sontarans, Jimmy Savile entered the TARDIS, and asked the Doctor if "[Gareth] passed the test". After the Doctor confirmed so, Savile asked Gareth where he got his coat, and Gareth told him that his Nan had made it for him. Savile asked the Doctor to place a Jim'll Fix It medal over Gareth's bonce, and as the Doctor did so, he told Gareth that he was "well and truly fixed." (TV: A Fix with Sontarans [+]Loading...["A Fix with Sontarans (TV story)"])

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Obituary: Sir Jimmy Savile. BBC News (29 October 2011). Retrieved on 24 November 2016.
  2. ↑ Rushe, Dominic. "Jimmy Saville and the BBC: the story so far". The Guardian. 24 October 2012.
  3. ↑ Doctor Who News, "The Two Doctors: revised release clarification", 22 September, 2014; accessed 22 September, 2014
  4. ↑ Close Encounters Of The Sixth Kind
v • e
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