Christina de Souza

Christina de Souza
Place of origin:	Earth
Appearances:	Planet of the Dead
Main actor:	[[actor::Michelle Ryan|Michelle Ryan]]

Biography

Lady Christina de Souza was a notorious thief who stole for the thrill of it, being bored with her aristocrat upbringing. By the time she is introduced to the series, Christina has already built a considerable reputation and is relentlessly pursued by Detective Inspector Macmillan.

In Easter 2010, she stole the prized Cup of Athelstan from the International Gallery in London. However, her calling card (a Japanese lucky cat waving mockingly) alerted the guards to her presence and her associate was quickly found and arrested (without much concern on Christina's part). Unable to find a way to distance herself from the museum, due to the high number of police officers afoot, she was forced to use the 200 bus as an escape vehicle, bribing the driver with her diamond earrings for passage. She soon met the Doctor, initially dismissing him due to his somewhat erratic behaviour; however, once the bus is caught up in a wormhole and deposited on an alien planet (as well as establishing herself as the leader of the group), she deferred to the Doctor's knowledge, as she recognised that he was the most alert of the situation. The many tools in her backpack proved to be of great use to the group, which included a shovel to dig out the bus wheels, a hatchet to cut away the seats (so they could be used as traction for the wheels), a mechanical winch for her heists, and a hammer.

During the time that she spent with the Doctor, Christina became very comfortable with him, and vice-versa, and felt a sense of adventure and excitement with him that exceeded any heist that she had pulled off before. Against the Doctor's wishes, she winched down a shaft in the Tritovore's ship to collect the anti-gravity clamps and their power crystal (nearly electrocuting herself with the ship's defence grid in her haste). She inadvertently woke an inactive alien in the ship's hull with her body heat. Swiftly collecting the clamps, she travelled back up the shaft with the alien at her heels, though she successfully lost it after she reactivated the defence grid on her way up. She attempted to convince the Tritovores to come with them on the 200 bus, saying that they could be found a new home, but was unable to do anything to prevent their death.

Her earlier heist proved to be invaluable as the Cup of Athelstan was made of gold and, with more than a little aversion on her part, served as a perfect conduit for the anti-gravity clamps, as they alone were incompatible with the bus. However, the cup was mangled by the Doctor in the process to make it the right shape, earning some of Christina's ire. With the clamps fixed on the bus, the Doctor piloted the now flying bus through the wormhole and, upon returning to Earth, was kissed by Christina (her previous ire forgotten and forgiven).

After returning to the ground, Christina broke away from UNIT security, expecting to travel with the Doctor as a companion, only for her request to be coldly turned away, as the Doctor revealed he had been too hurt by losing his previous companions and wasn't willing to lose another. Christina was shortly arrested by the police for her previous actions and taken away. However, the Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to unlock her handcuffs and, upon her realising this, Christina escaped the police car and ran to the bus, closing the door before the police could capture her again. Flying the bus to the Doctor, Christina happily told the Doctor that they "could have been so good together", revealing no hard feelings over her rejection, the Doctor similarly replied "Christina, we were", both of them smiling each other off. Christina then flew the bus into the night sky, the passengers on the ground cheering her on, ready to have many adventures on her own. The Doctor leaves soon afterwards.

Lady Christina is one of a very few known individuals to be rejected by the Doctor as an ongoing companion (although not for lack of ability). Others have included Mickey Smith (DW: Boom Town et al), Jack Harkness (per comments in DW: Utopia), Adam Mitchell (DW: The Long Game), and Bayldon Copper (DW: Voyage of the Damned); in all cases except for Copper the individuals either had already travelled with the Doctor (Harkness, Mitchell), had previously been asked (Smith in DW: World War Three) or would later do so (Smith). Copper, however, was refused for much the same reasons as that given Christina; in the wake of losing a companion, he wasn't yet ready to travel with anyone again.

Quotes

• "The aristocracy survives for a reason; we're ready for anything"
• "I only steal things for the adventure and, today with you...I want more days like this!
• "Come on, Doctor, show me the stars!"

Personality

Christina was fiercely independent and was not against going against the Doctor's wishes. She was an expert thief but only stole things for the adrenaline rush. She was bored of her aristocratic life and sometimes showed a high opinion of herself. She also used her obvious charms and good looks to win people over, sometimes for selfish reasons. She showed great enthusiasm in joining the Doctor on his travels, but quickly forgave him when he refused. She could also speak French fluently, which amused the Doctor.

Equipment

• Winch
• Hammer
• Axe
• Spade
• Japanese Lucky Cat ( Her calling card )
• Torch/ Flashlight

Behind the Scenes

Actress Michelle Ryan was reportedly considered for the role of Martha Jones after the departure of Billie Piper from the series in 2006. The announcement of her casting has led to UK media speculation that the character of Christina may continue as the companion of the Eleventh Doctor in 2010; however, as of March 2009 her only announced appearance is in Planet of the Dead as a "one-off" companion, with a different one-off companion appearing in the special that follows. In interviews in April 2009, Ryan indicated that she was not expecting to reprise the role anytime soon. In May 2009 speculation as to whether Ryan, and Lady Christina, were going to become the new companion for the Eleventh Doctor were settled when another actress was named in the position, although that does not preclude the possibility of a future guest appearance or even companion stint (see Catherine Tate for an example of a well-known actress doing a one-off appearance and later returning full time).

Ryan went on to record the BBC Audio exclusive-to-CD Doctor Who story, The Rising Night (her character of Christina does not appear in the story).