Jamie McCrimmon

Jamie McCrimmon
Place of origin:	Earth
Appearances:	Full List of Appearances
Main actor:	[[actor::Frazer Hines|Frazer Hines]]

James Robert McCrimmon, son of Donald, piper like his father and his father's father, was one of the longest serving companions to travel with the Doctor. When he first met the Second Doctor, he was fighting the British in the Jacobite Rebellion, at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. He was only forced to return to his own people when the Time Lords exiled the Doctor to Earth.

Biography

Perhaps typical of his era, Jamie was simple and straightforward. He was also intelligent, and full of common sense. Although he didn't understand the TARDIS, he was enthusiastic about it. His journey was a voyage of discovery, and almost everything he experienced was new to him. He struggled to understand many things, yet he battled against this, and thoroughly enjoyed his adventures.

Where possible, Jamie tried to understand his new experiences in terms of his life in 1746. When he encountered a Cyberman, whilst on his sickbed on the Moonbase, he believed that it was his clan's legend of the Phantom Piper - and that he was dying. This natural acceptance, and attempt to rationalise things, helped Jamie to grasp the worlds he saw. Aeroplanes, which he saw at Gatwick, were 'flying beasts' to Jamie. He was fascinated by them - and the airport - and stole a ticket from Samantha Briggs so that he could take a flight, and find out more about them. Having never experienced anything like this, Jamie, quite naturally, was airsick. In a later adventure he was also space sick when travelling in a space cruiser.

Jamie's rationalisation didn't mean he always had to find an analogy of the new thing he was seeing. If he couldn't find one, he simply accepted the thing with wonder. Amazingly, he never worried about his new experiences. The only time Jamie ever showed any worry, or concern, was when his companions were in danger - particularly Victoria Waterfield, who he was very fond of - and when he didn't understand that the Doctor was trying to infect the Daleks with the human factor. At this time he thought that the Doctor was working with the Daleks to save his own skin.

Jamie faced many surprised on his travels, such as discovering that - at that time - the Doctor was 450 years old. Many of these were nice surprises, like finding some bagpipes in the TARDIS - which he planned to mend. This natural link with his home allowed Jamie to be lured out of the TARDIS when he heard bagpipes and saw Scotland on the scanner (The Mind Robber).

He may have been simple, yet Jamie coud read. Sometimes with a little trouble, but he could still manage. He was also practical. It was this simplicity which often put him ahead of his companions. Rago assessed Jamie, and discovered that his simple brain showed signs of rapid learning,and it was his simple idea to dig through to a borehole and intercept the seed device which saved the travellers. The Doctor stated that only Jamie could have thought of such a simple idea. Later in his travels, while the Doctor and Zoe Herriot were revelling in thier saving of Dulkis with only a minor volcanic eruption it was Jamie who pointed out that they happened to be standing on the island that would erupt.

Brave and never one to shirk a fight, it was Jamie who captured a Yeti. Facing danger knowingly, and despite the teasing of Isobel and Zoe, he accompanied them into the sewers of London on their Cyberman hunt.

Jamie saw the Doctor as a friend, and mentor. He loved travelling, and enjoyed his adventures. He learnt a lot through his experiences, but also believed the Doctor needed his help. When Ben and Polly left the TARDIS, Jamie reassured them that he would look after the Doctor. In the end, he was sent back to Scotland by the Time Lords, and despite the his promise to always remember the Doctor, his memory was wiped and he forgot all of his travels.

Quotes

"Can you not exactly make it go where you meant it to?"

"If I wanted to. It's just that I've never wanted to."

-- Jamie and the Doctor speaking of the TARDIS in The Underwater Menace

"Why do you call it the Highland Fling?"

"Because we finish the dance by flinging ourselves out the door."

-- Cheerleader and Jamie in The Macra Terror

"I'm sad to see them go."

-- Speaking of Ben & Polly in The Faceless Ones

"Me? Foreign? You're the one that's foreign - I'm Scottish."

"Anyone would think this was a little game... People have died. The Daleks are all over the place, fir to murder the lot of us, and all you can say is you've had a good night's work... Look, I'm telling you this. You and me - we're finished. You're just too callous for me. Anything goes by the board, anything at all... You don't give that much for a living soul except yourself."

The Evil of the Daleks

"Aye, well, I've not had much exercise lately."

The Tomb of the Cybermen

"I telly you, I'm a Highlander, the cold doesn't affect me."

The Abominable Snowmen

"Let's get out of here. I feel as if something evil is lurking down there."

Fury from the Deep

"It's just a flesh wound, but he's furious, because the army doctor won't let him walk on it."

-- Zoe speaking of Jamie in The Invasion

"I won't forget you, you know."

The War Games