Jo Grant
Josephine Grant was placed in UNIT, against the Brigadier's wishes, by her Uncle - a high-ranking official in the UN. The Brigadier decided that Jo could replace Liz Shaw, who had returned to Cambridge, as the Doctor's research assistant. Secretly hoping that the Doctor's attitude would put Jo off UNIT, the Brigadier told the Doctor that Jo would be an admirable assitant.
Biography
Jo's first meeting with the Doctor didn't bode well for the future, as she mistook an important experiment for a fire and ruined it by dousing it with a fire extinguisher. Despite this initial clumsiness, her failures fueled her enthusiasm, and she became more determined to prove people wrong about her. So much so, that, after recovering from being hypnotised by the Master to kill the Doctor, she disobeyed orders and followed the Doctor to Rossini's Circus, and was able to rescue him. Having been hypnotised by the Master once, Jo was able to resist his hypnosis on further encounters by reciting nursery rhymes. One such time, she reacted to the hypno-sound by seeing a Drashig, a Mutant and a Sea Devil.
Jo claimed to be a qualified agent, but she may have exaggerated about this, in the same way she exaggerated the extent of her A-Levels. After saying she took an A-Level in Science, she later revealed that "I didn't say I passed." That said, there can be no doubt of Jo's escapology abilities. She could ride a motorbike, use karate, pick locks, abseil, and even pilot a helicopter - all of which came in very useful during her time as the Doctor's assistant. These abilities combined with her enthusiasm proved Jo to be an asset to UNIT.
Once the Doctor regained his knowledge of time travel, Jo was persuaded to take a short trip in the TARDIS. On one particular evening Jo was dressed up ready for a night on the town with Captain Mike Yates, which proved to be fortunate as she and the Doctor landed on the planet of Peladon. The Doctor was mistaken for the Earth chairman of the committee assessing Peladon's application to join the Galactic Federation. Jo was introduced as an Earth Princess, as she was dressed in an appropriate manner - and only those of Royal blood were allowed to enter the conference chamber. King Peladon was smitten, and later proposed marriage, but Jo wasn't impressed. Over the time she and the Doctor were on Peladon, Jo did grow to like the King, but decided that she really must return to her own planet.
Jo learnt well with the Doctor, and when he was unwilling to complete the Time Ram, it was she who finished building it. She realised why the Doctor was reluctant, but saw the potential outcome of not completing it.
Wilst Jo was certainly a member of the team, her individualism made her stand out in UNIT, and her desire to follow her own instincts and speak her mind brought Jo and the Doctor close. They were both very different from the norm in UNIT. Nearing the end of her time with UNIT, Jo told the Brigadier that she was going to Llanfairfach even if it meant resigning. Ironically he had orders for her to go there anyway, so her threats were unneccessary.
Once Jo arrived in Llanfairfach, she met Professor Clifford Jones. She was already aware of him, having read reports of his work, and ideals, in various newspapers. Jo already admired Cliff before she met him, and as she was telling the Doctor about him she said that he reminded her of a younger version of the Doctor. Over the short time that UNIT were in Llanfairfach, Jo and Cliff fell in love. Jo agreed to marry him, and leave UNIT. This came as something of a disappointment to Mike Yates, who had always hoped to be involved romantically with Jo himself. Despite his sadness, Mike did attend Jo and Cliff's celebration party, and put on a brave face. The Doctor, on the other hand, was devestated, drank his champagne in one, and left on his own, after giving Jo a blue crystal from Metebelis III. Before Jo and Cliff left for the Amazon, she asked her Uncle to get UN status for the Wholeweal community. A few months later the couple returned the crystal to the Doctor, as it was bringing them bad luck.
Cliff and Jo later had a son, however they then divorced. (EDA: Genocide)
Quotes
"I've really got off to a terrific start haven't I? I find the man everybody's looking for, I forget where he is, and I end up by trying to blow you all sky-high."
Doctor: "I think the current jargon is schizoid dissociation. Because she was forced to do something against her will and her concious mind refuses to accept the fact. The result is a deep trauma."
"Well, what have you got in there anyway?" -- refering to the TARDIS in Colony in Space
King Peladon: "You bring a welcome beauty to a serious occasion"
"I'm very, very fond of you. But I can't stay, really."
"Think of all those millions of people who will die. Think of all those millions of people who will never be born."
"It seems to me we have a choice of being shot by those idiots on the ship, or eaten by those horrors out there."
"All we've got to do is find out what's going on, who's behind the Ogrons, where they've taken the TARDIS, go and get it back, and then we can all go home... I don't know what I've been worrying about."
"If I hadn't asked my Uncle to pull those strings and get me this job, I'd never have landed up in this mess in the first place..."
"He's fighting for everything that's important - for everything you've fought for. In a funny way he reminds me of a sort of younger you."
"I am a member of UNIT - orders, court martials and all that. But unless you arrest me, I mean unless you actually seize me and fling me into a dungeon..."
