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Jackson Lake was a 19th century mathematics teacher who briefly believed himself to be an incarnation of the Doctor after his memories were altered by a Cyberman infostamp, leading him to become more dashing and courageous. However, as the Tenth Doctor told him, the infostamp that backfired had only given him information about the Doctor, with all his bravery and invention of a different kind of TARDIS being attributes that he was already capable of doing on his own.
Biography
Early life
Jackson was a mathematics teacher. In December 1851, he moved from Sussex to London with his wife, Caroline, and their son, Frederic. They soon encountered the Cybusmen, who killed Caroline and abducted Frederick. He somehow used an infostamp to defend himself, but the device backfired, filling his mind with information the Cybermen had gathered on the Doctor. In his anguish over the loss of his family, his mind cracked. He entered a fugue state in which he believed he was the latest incarnation of the Doctor, newly regenerated and amnesiac due to the Cybermen's attack.
Convinced he was a Time Lord, Jackson rescued a woman named Rosita Farisi from the Cybermen and made her his companion. He also began to work on his own TARDIS, a hot air balloon he dubbed the "Tethered Aerial Release Developed In Style," and hired Jed to keep watch over it. (TV: The Next Doctor [+]Loading...["The Next Doctor (TV story)"])
Meeting the Doctor
Jackson continued to act as the Doctor would, investigating the kidnapping of local children as well as his own "disappearance". His exploits soon bought him into contact with the Tenth Doctor. At first, the Doctor believed Jackson to be one of his own future incarnations, but began to suspect that this was not the case when Jackson attempted to use an ordinary screwdriver to ward off an attacking Cybershade. After uncovering enough evidence, he deduced Jackson's true identity, and revealed it to him. With the sudden knowledge that he was not who he thought he was, Jackson had a breakdown and told Rosita to accompany the Doctor as he confronted Mercy Hartigan.
The Doctor and Rosita discovered the location of the kidnapped children, as Jackson struggled with the devastating truth. Having recovered most his memory, but unable to remember what the Cybermen "took" from him, he found the courage to join Rosita and the Doctor, arming himself with a bandolier full of infostamps. Using the devices to attack the Cybermen, Jackson, Rosita, and the Doctor fought their way under the River Thames, where the kidnapped children were used as slave labour, forced to construct the CyberKing Dreadnought, a massive weapon and Cyber-conversion factory, created for an invasion of Earth. As the Doctor and Rosita evacuated the rescued children, Jackson recovered his memory completely, remembering that the Cybermen had taken Frederic.
Finding his son in the factory, but too paralysed with fear to save him, Jackson marvelled as the Doctor leaped into action and rescued the boy. Taking Frederic to safety with Rosita, Jackson watched from the streets as the Doctor took his balloon TARDIS to confront Hartigan and end the threat of the Cybermen. Having shared memories of the Doctor from the infostamp, he knew that the Doctor was rarely ever thanked for his exploits, and so he rallied the assembled masses to cheer for the Doctor after he sent the CyberKing into the Time Vortex.
With the crisis averted, Jackson and the Doctor met near the real TARDIS. With Jackson now a widower looking after a young son, there was no question of the Doctor inviting Jackson to join him in his travels. Still, Jackson begged for a look inside the TARDIS, to which the Doctor agreed. Overcome by the unbelievability, Jackson forced himself to exit, ecstatic to have finally seen the ship. Having been reunited with his son, and appointing Rosita as his nanny, Jackson invited the Doctor to a Christmas dinner, an offer that the Doctor refused, even when Jackson suggested it be "in honour of those we have lost". However, when Jackson insisted, the Doctor finally accepted. (TV: The Next Doctor [+]Loading...["The Next Doctor (TV story)"])
Later life
Information from Dark Waters needs to be added.
Jackson went on to write a novel based on his experience with the Doctor called A Man of Two Minds, featuring "the Doctor", "Mr Smith" and the Cybermen, and published in 1860. Though presented as fictional, some accurately speculated that the book was an autobiographical account of his true experiences. (PROSE: The Secret Lives of Monsters [+]Loading...["The Secret Lives of Monsters (novel)"])
Personality
Originally, Jackson was a somewhat shy and average man. However, due to the effect of the infostamp making him believe that he was the Doctor, Jackson became a brave, dashing hero. Once his memories returned, his confidence waned, but, as the threat of the Cybermen loomed, he found true bravery deep within himself. The Doctor informed Jackson that his heroics were his own doing, not a direct effect of the infostamp, as it had only provided him with the inspiration. Even after his true identity reasserted itself, Jackson retained much of the knowledge he had obtained through his brief experience as the Doctor, which left him feeling giddy, although he found it hard to accept the reality of the Doctor's TARDIS, as he had instead misconstrued it as a hot air balloon before he was allowed in the genuine article.
The Doctor also noted that Jackson was incredibly brilliant in his own right, as he was able to take knowledge centuries ahead of the Victorian era to create his own traveling vehicle in the form of the Tethered Aerial Release Developed In Style, which he based on the TARDIS.
Jackson also proved capable of compassion, as shown when he risked much to help Rosita, felt sorry for all the Cybermen destroyed, and understood the Doctor's pain from loss. (TV: The Next Doctor [+]Loading...["The Next Doctor (TV story)"])
Clothing
When Jackson met the Doctor, he wore a dijon yellow tweed overcoat with a dark tan overcheck, an ivory shirt under a burgundy-and-teal paisley waistcoat, a gold cravat tie, black trousers, and black shoes. He also carried an ordinary fob watch on the waistcoat, though one that had his initials engraved on for personalisation, which the Doctor mistook for a Chameleon Arch biodata module. When in the outdoors, especially at night, he sported a long brown Inverness coat.
Jackson also carried his own version of a sonic screwdriver, though it was an ordinary screwdriver. When asked how it was "sonic," he said it made a sound, demonstrated by tapping it against a doorframe. (TV: The Next Doctor [+]Loading...["The Next Doctor (TV story)"])
Behind the scenes
- As recorded in The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter, Russell T Davies briefly considered including Jackson among those visited by the Tenth Doctor during his farewell tour in The End of Time [+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"].
- Jackson is sometimes considered a companion of the Tenth Doctor by fans, but, as mentioned in the episode, the Doctor is actually a companion to Jackson. However, unlike the likes of Christina de Souza, the BBC has not officially declared him to be one.
- Jackson's residence was at Number 15, Latimer St. Tim Latimer was another character who accidentally obtained some of the Doctor's memories.
- To avoid giving away the plot surprise for The Next Doctor, David Morrissey was credited as "The Doctor" in Radio Times, and on the episode page on the official Doctor Who website; and only credited as "Jackson Lake" in the closing credits.
- Martin Clunes was originally cast in the role of Jackson Lake, but pulled out.