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Mr Copper was an employee aboard the Titanic who met the Tenth Doctor and Astrid Peth. After the near-destruction of the bessel, the Doctor allowed him to live in 21st century England.
Biography
Mr Copper was a travelling salesman. He reached retirement with little to show for a life's work. He pretended to have a first class degree in "Earthonomics" to get the job of Ship Historian. In reality he had been a student at Mrs Golightly's Happy Travelling University and Dry Cleaners. Copper helped the Tenth Doctor defeat the Host. After this adventure, he was stranded on Earth with nothing save the clothes on his back and a million-pound credit card. He had been issued this by the Capricorn Cruise Lines for purchasing trinkets from the local life forms, including samples of their local delicacy, beef.
After being refused an opportunity to travel with the Doctor (because the Doctor did not want a new companion at the time), the Doctor told him that the credit card he had was worth the local equivalent of 50,000,056 Credits. Ecstatic at his newfound wealth, he planned to make a life on Earth so he wouldn't spend the rest of his life in prison on Sto for fraud. (DW: Voyage of the Damned)
Personality
Mr Copper pretended to be knowledgeable about Earth but often made mistakes describing the Earth. Copper had been a travelling salesman but felt that he had not been able to accomplish anything in his life and lied to get a place on the Titanic. Nevertheless he was a kind-hearted man, following the Doctor loyally and hoping to travel with him. He also tried to comfort the Doctor about the death of Astrid Peth, telling him to let her go. Mr Copper was ecstatic to find out he was a millionaire and promised to make the Doctor proud. (DW: Voyage of the Damned)
Behind the scenes
- American actor Dennis Hopper was considered for the role of Mr. Copper and was later offered the part of Max Capricorn. The actor was interested in appearing in the show, but Hopper's availability proved insurmountable. Nevertheless, the eventual prominence of the character, originally envisaged as a much smaller part, is a direct result of trying to get Hopper to play the role. (REF: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale
- A Mr Copper Foundation developed the Sub-wave communication network used by Harriet Jones. (DW: The Stolen Earth) Though the script for The Stolen Earth does not make clear it is this Mr Copper who started the foundation, REF: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale certainly does.
- Mr Copper presumably would have been one of the few individuals on Earth not to turn into the Master, because he was not human. (DW: The End of Time) However, the fact that the Master did not detect him indicates that Copper could have been off-Earth at the time.
- Clive Swift, who portrays Copper, originally appeared in the Sixth Doctor story Revelation of the Daleks as a character named Jobel.