Theory:Timeline - Jo Grant

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This page lists appearances of Jo Grant in the order in which she experienced them. This timeline is based upon observations of the Doctor Who universe and the events that occur during each of these stories. From these observations we have attempted to build a concise timeline. It is assumed, much like its TV story counterparts that for each novel or audio series their published/numbered order is the order they occur in. This does not apply to short stories which are often ambiguous about their placement. There are also many gaps between stories.

The layout of this timeline is in part based on the observations on Doctor Who Reference Guide and Doctor Who - The Complete Adventures, as well as Lance Parkin's AHistory and other sources that allow us to make observations, such as DocOhoReviews, The History of Doctor Who, The Discontinuity Guide, Clive Banks Databank, Big Finish forums, The Whoniverse and The Divergent Universe forums. None of these sources should be used solely as a source or considered a "true" timeline for stories.

Additionally there are statements on the back of Virgin Missing Adventures and many BBC Past Doctor Adventures novels that state between which TV stories the novel takes place between. These can be used to narrow the field, and should be viewed as the only placing for these novels.

Timeline[[edit source]]

Assistant to the Doctor[[edit source]]

Set shortly before Terror of the Autons. The Doctor reprimands Sergeant Benton outside Jack Canning's office when he sees him dressed up like him.
Jo Grant joins UNIT as the Doctor's new assistant, just in time for UNIT's first open battle with the Master. The Doctor steals a dematerialisation circuit from the Master's TARDIS, stranding his new enemy on Earth with him.
Though the audio's blurb places it between The Dæmons and Day of the Daleks, Jo is still quite new to UNIT, and is unaware of the true nature of the TARDIS, setting this before The Claws of Axos.
The Master is still trapped on Earth, setting this before The Mind of Evil.
The Master reclaims his dematerialisation circuit, and promptly leaves in his TARDIS.
The Master has a working TARDIS, setting this after The Mind of Evil.
The Doctor is visibly chafing at his confinement to 20th century Earth.
The Doctor hasn't seen the Master since Deadly Reunion.
From a deal with the Master, the Doctor is able to restore his TARDIS back to working order, only to discover the Time Lords have programmed it to always return him to 20th century Earth.
The Doctor has just discovered that even if he can now depart with the TARDIS, he will be drawn back to Earth, setting this shortly after The Claws of Axos.
The Mega received advice from the Master, setting this after he got his TARDIS working in The Mind of Evil. The Nuton Power Complex is referenced, setting this after The Claws of Axos.
Jo visits her first alien planet.
After his failed escape attempt upon his defeat in Devil's End, the Master is arrested by UNIT.
Set after the Master's arrest in The Dæmons.
The TARDIS is not in working order, setting this before The Three Doctos. Jo is absent from UNIT for several weeks due to the effects of the Time Keeper. Shortly afterwards, her father passes away.
Set between The Dæmons and Day of the Daleks.[source needed]

Missions in time[[edit source]]

Set between The Dæmons and The Sea Devils, as the Master is still imprisoned.
The Doctor refers to the events of Day of the Daleks.
Set between The Dæmons and The Sea Devils, as the Master is still in prison. The Brigadier mentions the Daleks, setting this after Day of the Daleks.
The Doctor and Jo leave for Peladon, setting this during The Curse of Peladon: Episode 1.
The Doctor visits Peladon for the first time, while taking the TARDIS on its first test run since he "got it working again". Jo encounters the Ice Warriors for the first time.
The Doctor and Jo have the same outfits they wore in The Curse of Peladon.
The Doctor and Jo return to UNIT almost immediately after The Curse of Peladon.
Set shortly after The Curse of Peladon.
The Master changes the internal configuration of the Doctor's TARDIS, setting this after The Curse of Peladon, and before The Sea Devils, as the Master is sent to Fortress Island.
The Master is said to be locked up on a secure island, setting this shortly before The Sea Devils.
Aided by the Sea Devils, whom the Doctor encounters for the first time, the Master is able to escape his prison sentence on Fortress Island.
Set immediately after The Sea Devils.
Set after The Sea Devils, as the Doctor is making a device to track the Master and Jo has encountered the Daleks.
Jo fails to recognise the Fourth Doctor, setting this before The Touch of the Nurazh.
Set after The Mutants, as Jo hasn't been in the TARDIS very often, the Master is free and the Doctor is anticipating being freed from his exile soon.
Authorial intent places this between Day of the Daleks and The Time Monster.[source needed]
The Doctor is still in exile, and refers to the events of Colony in Space and The Mutants.
The events of The Mutants are mentioned.
Set three years after Spearhead from Space. The Doctor lists his work for the Time Lords, with The Mutants being the last one he mentions. This is also where UNIT acquires the manor house seen in The Three Doctors.
Jo recalls the events of The Sea Devils. Jo and Liz meet for the first time, and the Doctor and Liz last saw each other in The Sentinels of the New Dawn.
Jo recalls her recent encounter with Liz, setting this shortly after Primord.
The Doctor mentions Peladon, setting this after The Curse of Peladon.
Jo recalls the events of The Daemons.
Jo implies she's been with the Doctor for a while, and it must be set prior to The Three Doctors, otherwise the Doctor could simply come to the future and cure COVID-19.
Jo recalls the Daleks and Ogrons, setting this after Day of the Daleks. Likewise, the Doctor confesses that sheep have never filled him with dread before, setting this before Verdigris.
Jo comments on the TARDIS's new interior design, which the Doctor dismisses as a "redecoration".
The Doctor notes that the TARDIS "took a bit of a tumble during our recent battle against the Master." A footnote attached to this sentence states that this refers to The Time Monster, thus this story takes place after it.
The Doctor and Jo attend the coronation of Elizabeth II in Bessie.
The Doctor investigates a mysterious infantryman's jacket. (AUDIO: Tales from the Vault)
Set shortly before Verdigris.
Ending leads directly into The Three Doctors.

The Doctor's freedom[[edit source]]

The Doctor's knowledge of time travel is restored to him as a reward for defeating Omega. However, he doesn't leave immediately, as he needs to fix up the TARDIS further.
The Scorchies song mentions the Gell guards, setting this after The Three Doctors. The Doctor is still working on the TARDIS.
The Doctor is switched with his seventh incarnation by the Monk. Jo refers to the crisis of The Three Doctors, but acts as if she hasn't travelled in the TARDIS yet, setting this shortly after that story.
The Doctor goes on his first test flight into the past since his time travel knowledge was returned in The Three Doctors, taking Liz and Jo with him.
The Doctor's exile has been recently lifted, but he still feels uneasy when it is mentioned, setting this shortly after The Three Doctors.
In the first artificial scenario, the Brigadier refers to the Doctor recently being released from his exile on Earth by the Time Lords, setting this shortly after The Three Doctors.
The Doctor has had his ability to pilot the TARDIS returned to him recently, setting this shortly after The Three Doctors.
Jo is still new to time travel, but the Doctor has complete control of the TARDIS, setting this after The Three Doctors.
The Doctor admits to Jo that he has come to find comfort in Earth since his exile was lifted, and that he reason he keeps returning is to see his friends there. Some of his abilities that were previously blocked by the Time Lords are still returning, setting this shortly after The Three Doctors.
The Doctor's exile has been rescinded recently by the Time Lords, setting this shortly after The Three Doctors. Jo and Mike plan to take trips into history for their dates, and Mike has accompanied the Doctor and Jo to other planets before, but is treating time travel as a new experience.
The Doctor's exile has been recently lifted, setting this shortly after The Three Doctors.

Continued voyages[[edit source]]

Jo recalls the events of The Three Doctors.
The Doctor tries to recalibrate the TARDIS' navigational system and Jo mentions the events of Carnival of Monsters.
The Doctor and Jo have been traveling in the TARDIS for some time, but Jo is not familiar with the Doctor's trances, setting this before Frontier in Space.
Due to her memory trouble, Jo erroneously thinks this story happens immediately after The Doll of Death, but she later recalls the events of Day of the Daleks. As the TARDIS is free from Earth exile, this story must be set at least after The Three Doctors.
Set between Carnival of Monsters and Frontier in Space.[source needed]
Set before Frontier in Space.[source needed]
Set before Frontier in Space.[source needed]
Set immediately after Frontier in Space. After leaving Spiridon, Jo asks the Doctor to take them back to Earth.

After Spiridon[[edit source]]

The Doctor and Jo have just left Spiridon, setting this immediately after Planet of the Daleks.
Continues immediately on from Planet of the Daleks.
The Doctor is still adjusting to his newfound freedom, but speaks fondly of his time in exile. He has promised to get Jo back to Earth and gives her his TARDIS key, setting this shortly after Planet of the Daleks.
(NOTE)
The Doctor and Jo eventually return to Earth from Spiridon.
The Doctor claims he’s been keeping an eye out for the Master coming to Earth since their return from Spiridon.
The Doctor has recently been to Spiridon, setting this after Planet of the Daleks.
Jo is still musing on her romance with Latep from Planet of the Daleks, and begins to think about how her days with the Doctor might be coming to an end.
The Doctor refers to the recent events of Frontier in Space.
Latep from Planet of the Daleks is mentioned, and Jo has been back on Earth for "a bit."
Set a week after Planet of the Daleks. The Doctor and Jo have spent the past few weeks trying and failing to get to Metebelis III.
Jo is aware of the Doctor regenerative abilities, setting this after The Three Doctors, but the TARDIS is not currently operational, implying that the damage done in Dancing the Code is to blame.
Jo knows the Ice Warriors, setting this after The Curse of Peledon. Liz is in the same area as the UNIT HQ, and is acquainted with Jo, setting this after The Wages of Sin.
The Doctor mentions Lava Worms, setting this after The Transcendence of Ephros.
Jo has pale skin from spending lots of time inside the Doctor's lab.
Jo is familiar with the Doctor entering comas, setting this after Planet of the Daleks.
The Doctor is attempting to take Jo and Mike to Karfel, leading into of Timelash.
(REFERENCE)
The Doctor, Jo and Mike take a trip to Karfel, where they prevent the experiments of a scientist named Megelen on a local life form called Morloxes. (TV: Timelash)
Set immediately after Timelash.
Jo refers to the events of Planet of the Daleks.
The Doctor and Jo briefly encounter an apparition of a Charley Pollard from an alternate timeline.
The Doctor and Jo visit Pakha. The Doctor notices for the first time that Jo has grown up a lot since their first meeting.
The Doctor can control his TARDIS' flight, and Jo has apparently taken numerous lengthy trips in the TARDIS, setting this after The Three Doctors. This story also demonstrates her awakening social conscience, which leads into The Green Death.
Jo demonstrates her growing environmental awareness, setting this after Come Friendly Bombs....
The Doctor notes that Jo is beginning to grow up.
Mike is displeased to find himself traveling in the TARDIS, suggesting he has already travelled within it. The Doctor tells Jo that she will leave him when she feels the time is right.
Jo is familiar with the Doctor's trances that make his skin ice-cold, setting this after Planet of the Daleks.
The Doctor and Jo go back in time to kill a dictator as a baby. However, the Doctor sees his sixth incarnation doing the same, and leaves him to do it.
Set between Planet of the Daleks and The Green Death.[source needed]
Jo leaves UNIT, and the Doctor's company, to marry ecologist Professor Clifford Jones.

After the Doctor[[edit source]]

(REFERENCE)
While in the Amazon, Jo sends the Metebelis crystal back to the Doctor after it keeps bringing her and Cliff bad luck (TV: Planet of the Spiders)
Jo is kidnapped by Adam Mitchell among companions of the Doctor but is soon freed by Frobisher. Leads into Endgame.
The first eleven Doctors rescue their companions from Adam and the Tremas Master.
Set in the 90s, this story depicts an alternative meeting between Sarah Jane and Jo than depicted in Death of the the Doctor.
Set in the 90s. This story depicts an alternate take on Jo's life with Cliff than depicted in Death of the Doctor.
Jo meets the War Master. He taunts her over the fact that the Doctor never came back for her, suggesting a setting before The Death of the Doctor. She refers to her grandchildren.
An older Jo, now a grandmother, meets Sarah Jane Smith and the Eleventh Doctor in 2010.

Travelling with Iris Wildthyme[[edit source]]

Meets Iris in December 2010.

Defending Earth[[edit source]]

Jo attends the Brigadier's funeral. The year is 2012.
Jo meets the Eleventh Doctor again, setting this after Death of the Doctor. Jo mentions that the Brigadier passed away the previous December, suggesting a 2012 setting.
Jo recalls recently meeting a younger-looking Doctor. She meets Petronella Osgood for the first time and they strike up a friendship. Kate Stewart asks her to return to the UK to continue aiding UNIT with the ongoing Silurian crisis, leading into United.
Jo has arrived at UNIT HQ alongside Mike Yates and John Benton, setting this soon after Tidal Wave. After the defeat of the Silurians, Jo returns to South America with Sam Bishop and Osgood.
Jo has thirteen grandchildren, setting this after Death of the Doctor. She is also good friends with Petronella Osgood, setting this after Tidal Wave.
Jo and Rani meet for the first time since Death of the Doctor, setting this before Farewell, Sarah Jane.
Jo visits Llanfairfach and teams up with Jack Harkness to defeat another outbreak of the giant maggots. The events of Death of the Doctor are alluded to. Jo faces the giant maggots in Llanfairfach for the first time since The Green Death, setting this prior to Hello Boys.
Jo and Cliff are still in Llanfairfach and deal with the last remaining giant maggots. They then head off to Devil's End when Mike calls to tell them he is "having trouble" there.
Jo attends the funeral of Sarah Jane Smith with her granddaughter Rio de Janeiro.
Jo and Cliff are accosted by Autons outside their home.
Jo is celebrating the birthday of one of her great grandchildren. Jo has been called back to UNIT several times by Kate Stewart and has met several different incarnations of the Doctor over the years. She heads off to another UNIT mission after the birthday party, and plans to meet up with Cliff in Norway.
In 2022, Jo meets up with other former companions of the Doctor.

After Cliff's death[[edit source]]

(REFERENCE)
Cliff dies in Nepal. (AUDIO: Supernature)
Jo has Sarah Jane's sonic lipstick, likely setting this after Farewell Sarah Jane. Cliff has passed away after fifty years together. There is a flashback to the events of Return of the Autons.
Jo appears in the remembered TARDIS, where she is reunited with Clyde Langer and recalls the events of The Three Doctors. She has become a great-grandmother, and briefly hears Cliff's spirit when she touches the Metebelis crystal. Jo talks of the Third Doctor as if she has has not seen him since The Green Death, implying a setting prior to Supernature.

Back in the TARDIS[[edit source]]

Nearly fifty years have passed since The Green Death and Jo is reunited with the Third Doctor. Cliff has passed away. The last Doctor that Jo met was the Eleventh Doctor.

Later life[[edit source]]

Jo dies in a house fire in 2028, aged 77. (PROSE: Carpenter/Butterfly/Baronet)

Currently unplaced[[edit source]]

Jo is kidnapped by the Nine, she expects the Doctor to save her, implying that this is set before The Green Death.
Jo is pushed into a time scoop by The Master and becomes embroiled in an adventure with his other selves. She recalls the events of The Daemons and came from an encounter with the Master, suggesting this is set after The Sea Devils.
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