Jamie McCrimmon
James Robert "Jamie" 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.
Biography
Travels
Jamie first met the Doctor as he was fighting the English in the Jacobite Rebellion, at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. (DW: The Highlanders)
Where possible, Jamie tried to understand his new experiences in terms of his life in 1746. When he encountered a Cyberman whilst on his sick bed on the Moonbase, he believed that it was his clan's legend of the Phantom Piper and that he was dying. (DW: The Moonbase)
This natural acceptance, and attempt to rationalise things, helped Jamie to grasp the worlds he saw. Airplanes, which he saw at Gatwick, were "flying beasts" to Jamie. He was fascinated by them and by 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, got airsick. A Chameleon, who spoke with an English rather than Scots accent, assumed Jamie's form during this adventure, taking Jamie's place. (DW: The Faceless Ones)
Jamie was temporarily left in 1967 and began working at a Scottish radar station. He assisted the Doctor in battle against the ruthless Quarks, (TVC: Invasion of the Quarks) and went on to join him in numerous clashes with Quarks and Cybermen.
The placing of the TV Comic strips here is conjuncture, based on the lack of either Victoria or Zoe in the strips.
Shortly after in an adventure concerning the Daleks and their quest for the Human Factor, the Doctor's manipulation of those around him caused Jamie to decide to have nothing more to do with him, at this time he thought that the Doctor was working with the Daleks to save his own skin. Humanised Daleks and regular Daleks having destroyed each other and with her father, a Dalek collaborator, dead, the Doctor and Jamie "adopted" the young Victoria Waterfield. (DW: The Evil of the Daleks)
Jamie evidenced strong, though unspoken feelings for "Vicky" which often showed themselves in his teasing her about her new, more revealing style of clothes. (DW: The Tomb of the Cybermen) He also showed bursts of bravery and bravado at anyone who would harm her. When Victoria decided to leave and stay on 20th century Earth (DW: Fury from the Deep), Jamie felt inconsolate, and temporarily lost interest in anything. (DW: The Wheel in Space)
Shortly after, Zoe Heriot joined the Doctor and Jamie (DW: The Wheel in Space). Jamie got along very well with her even though Zoe came from a 21st century background very much unlike his own. In the Land of Fiction, Jamie temporarily changed into a different youth of the same age. (DW: The Mind Robber)
The return
Finally, Jamie was forced to return to his own people after the Doctor asked the Time Lords to intercede in a situation outside of his control. A tribunal of Time Lords told the Doctor that they would return Zoe and Jamie to their homes. They would also alter Zoe and Jamie's memories, allowing them to remember their first adventure with the Doctor but have no recall of ever travelling with the Doctor in the TARDIS. The Doctor watched Jamie wake up from sleep, back in 1746, then spot a Redcoat and run after him. (DW: The War Games)
New travels
- See also Season 6B
The Doctor then underwent a mission for the Time Lords and requested that for his next assignment to have Jamie by this side. The Time Lords consented (PDA: World Game)
The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria travelled again for at least another journey before Jamie went with the Doctor on a diplomatic mission to Space Station Chimera.
Here, Jamie believed he saw the Doctor killed in a massacre by Sontarans and hid in crawl spaces in the station and over the next few days, reverted to a feral condition. At this point, a future Doctor and Peri appeared and Jamie, wielding a knife, made as to attack him. Subsequently, Jamie helped to rescue "his" Doctor, who had not died at all, gotten captured himself and when this adventure had concluded, left with him his TARDIS. (DW: The Two Doctors)
- After this, the Time Lords presumably did return Jamie to his own time period and did attempt to erase most of his memories of the Doctor. Also in "The 2 Doctors, he began to flirt with Peri and the end he kisses her on the lips before heading to "His" Doctor's TARDIS.
The death of Jamie
When the Sixth Doctor next met him, Jamie lived as an elderly pariah in his village. Jamie had managed (using tricks the Doctor had taught him and because the Time Lords had a less than perfect understanding of the Human mind) to retain memories of his travels. After he told others about them, the locals believed that his wartime experiences had driven him slightly mad. Jamie vindicated himself by vanishing in the TARDIS before the whole village and then helped the Doctor, Peri and Frobisher fight the Cybermen on Marinus. He saved the universe by using his sword to destroy the Worldshaper device, this let out a blast that aged him to death. (DWM: The World Shapers), Although this is often classed as non-canon by fans and doctor who staff
Differing accounts exist regarding Jamie's later years (CC: The Companion Chronicles).
Characteristics
Appearance
Shortly after he met the Doctor, Jamie changed out of his 18th century clothes but then, after changing to another style during the course of an adventure (DW: The Underwater Menace), wore more modern clothes, usually a dark turtleneck sweater. Except when he absolutely needed to do it, as when wearing a space suit for instance (DW: The Seeds of Death) or sometimes in disguise (DW: The Enemy of the World) Jamie always wore a kilt.
Later, he reverted to his 18th century dress when visiting Space Station Chimera. (DW: The Two Doctors). Much later, back in his old time, he let himself grow a long beard and carried a cutlass. (DWM: The World Shapers)
Personality
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.
Jamie's didn't always have to find an analogy of the new thing he was seeing, such as comparing Space Station Chimera to "twenty castles in the sky" or calling the Sontarans "knights in armour" or "potato heads". (DW: The Two Doctors). 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, of whom he was very fond.
He encountered many surprises on his travels. Many of these were nice surprises, like finding some bagpipes in the TARDIS - which he planned to mend. (DW: The Abominable Snowmen) 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 (DW: The Mind Robber).
Jamie was also practical, and it was this simplicity which often put him ahead of his companions. Rago assessed Jamie, and discovered that his brain showed signs of recent rapid learning, and it was his idea to dig through to a borehole and intercept the seed device which saved the travellers. Later while the Doctor and Zoe Heriot were revelling in their rescue 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. (DW: The Dominators)
Brave and never one to shirk a fight, it was Jamie who captured a Robot Yeti. (DW: The Abominable Snowmen) Facing danger knowingly, and despite the teasing of Isobel and Zoe, he accompanied them into the sewers of London on their Cyberman hunt. (DW: The Invasion)
Jamie saw the Doctor as a friend, and mentor. He loved to travel, 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. (DW: The Faceless Ones)
Habits and quirks
Jamie had a habit of pretending to understand technology beyond his ken with a shrug and a feigned non-chalant, "Oh, aye." As noted before, he also tended to invent his own names for things he had never seen before.
After Jamie made to clean himself up after living rough in the ducts of Space Station Chimera, the Doctor unkindly suggested to Jamie that perhaps he could use a bath a bit more often in general. (DW:The Two Doctors)
- This may well have to do with the standards of hygiene in 18th century Scotland rather than a failing of Jamie himself.
He carried a small knife though he rarely ever used it and then only in self-defense (DW: The Mind Robber, The Two Doctors)
He enjoyed a high degree of familliar physical contact, such as friendly shoving, prodding, pulling, and hugging. When stressed for any reason he would often grab on to his companions for reassurance, with a marked preference for grabbing the Doctor. When no one was available, he would attempt to hold on to himself.
Skills and abilities
Jamie had the ability to sense danger (DW: Fury from the Deep) and of course, musical ability, though he rarely displayed it.
Mysteries and discrepancies
- How many other adventures did the Second Doctor and Jamie after their reunion?
- Did Jamie ever eventually reveal his feelings to Victoria? Or the Doctor?
- Why didn't Jamie appear as one of the Doctor's companions whose death he had caused.
- The Doctor encountered these companions in his own mind. (NA: Timewyrm: Revelation)
Key Life Events
- Fighting the English at Culloden, Jamie meets the Doctor and decides to go travelling with him. (DW: The Highlanders)
- The Time Lords return Jamie to his own time. (DW: The War Games)
- Jamie re-unites with the Doctor and has at least one more adventure onboard the TARDIS. (DW: The Two Doctors)
- Decades later, the Doctor asks for Jamie's help. Jamie dies on Marinus defeating the Cybermen. (DWM: The World Shapers) (For the Doctor, this meeting occurred before his re-union in City of Spires.)
Quotes
References and minor appearances
- Illusions of Jamie and Zoe appeared before the Second Doctor and the Brigadier in the Death Zone. (DW: The Five Doctors)
- When under the influence of a Dalek mind-draining device, the Fifth Doctor recalled Jamie among other companions. (DW: Resurrection of the Daleks)
- Before she had ever met him, Peri mentioned that the Sixth Doctor had absent-mindedly called her Jamie. (DW: Attack of the Cybermen)
- After this death, a shapeshifting Ganzalum took the form of the youthful Jamie to trick the Seventh Doctor. (DWM: Planet of the Dead)
- Izzy tried on one of Jamie's sweaters and kilts, which she had found in the TARDIS wardrobe. (DWM: Ophidius)
- When introducing himself to Queen Victoria, the Tenth Doctor used the alias Doctor James McCrimmon. (DW: Tooth and Claw)
Behind the scenes
- Jamie joined in the Second Doctor's second adventure and had one of the longest runs of any on-screen companion of the Doctor. Frazer Hines said he played the part as if he had fallen in love with Victoria, though no reference to this ever appeared on-screen.
- Jamie was the first (and for many years, only) television companion to appear in the comic strips.
- Jamie is the first established TV companion to be killed off in licensed spin-off media.
- When, during the making of The Mind Robber, Frazer Hines fell ill, Hamish Wilson, who looked very unlike him, filled in for him. The justification for this formed part of the plot of the story. A persistent myth describes the latter actor as Frazer Hines' cousin, however, according to the episode notes for The Mind Robber, this is a myth. However, Frazer's brother Ian Hines has a small background role in the story. Discounting the special case of Romana and of actors recreating roles for the cinema films, Jamie remains the only companion to have been been played by two different actors.
- Jamie would have also had had a cameo in The Three Doctors, except that Frazer Hines had prior work commitments.
- Jamie's supposed death occurred in The World Shapers comic strip in Doctor Who Magazine. Comic strips are of uncertain canoncity and as such may be contradicted by other productions. Since the Jamie depicted in The World Shapers is considerably older than the Jamie expected to be featured in the 2010 audio dramas, unless he's killed off in those productions the fate depicted in The World Shapers may still occur.
- It was confirmed in DWM Issue 412 that Frazer Hines would be joining Colin Baker's Sixth Doctor as Jamie as a companion in several upcoming Big Finish Doctor Who Audio Dramas.
External links
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