Martha Jones

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Doctor Who character

Dr. Martha Jones
Affiliated with Tenth Doctor
UNIT
Race Human
Home planet Earth
Home era Early 21st century
First appearance "Smith and Jones"
Portrayed by Freema Agyeman

Dr. Martha Jones is a fictional character played by Freema Agyeman in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. She is a companion of the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, replacing Rose Tyler in the primary companion role. She made her debut in Series 3's "Smith and Jones", broadcast in the UK on 31 March 2007.

Within the series' narrative, Martha begins as a medical student who becomes the Doctor's time travelling companion after an incident at the hospital where she works. After well over a year of service at his side, facing the end of the world, Martha leaves the Doctor's side as she cannot bear her own unrequited love for him. After parting his company, becoming engaged and finishing her medical degree, Martha finds a newfound level of independence when she is recruited into the paranormal military organisations UNIT, and briefly Torchwood. Having faced the end of the world single-handedly during her time with the Doctor, Martha is recognised for her skills both in the field and in medicine.

Contents

[edit] Appearances

[edit] Television

Martha Jones is introduced in the 2007 series of Doctor Who, first appearing in the episode "Smith and Jones". When the hospital she works at is teleported to the Moon, medical student Martha helps save the day alongside an alien time traveller known only as the Doctor (David Tennant). To thank her for her help, the Doctor invites her to join him for a supposed single trip in his time machine the TARDIS,[1] but later accepts her as his full-time "companion", admitting that she was "never just a passenger",[2] and he even gives her the key to the TARDIS.[3] Nevertheless, she becomes frustrated because the Doctor is oblivious to her feelings for him, and she expresses concern that she is simply a rebound after the Doctor's painful loss of his previous companion, Rose (Billie Piper). When the amnesiac Doctor falls in love in the "Human Nature"/"The Family of Blood" two-parter, a pained Martha claims "You had to go and fall in love with a human... and it wasn't me".[4][5] In the series finale, in which the Doctor's nemesis the Master (John Simm) takes over planet Earth, capturing both the Doctor and fellow companion Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), Martha is left alone to save the world. On the run from the Master, she spends a year travelling the world in a plan which restores the incapacitated Doctor and reverses time, undoing the Master's actions. Martha then leaves the TARDIS of her own accord, telling the Doctor that she cannot waste her life pining after someone who doesn't feel the same way, but promises that she will see him again.[6]

The character reappears in the 2008 series of the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, which focuses on occasional Doctor Who companion Jack Harkness. First appearing in the episode "Reset" as part of a three-episode story arc, Martha has been temporarily drafted to the Torchwood organisation of alien-hunters by Captain Jack, requiring a medical expert on alien life. Through exposition, it is revealed that Martha has become a "medical officer" for international paranormal investigations agency UNIT since qualifying as a Doctor of Medicine. Martha briefly joins the Cardiff-based Torchwood Three as its medical officer following the death of Owen Harper (Burn Gorman), but later leaves the organisation in the episode "A Day in the Death" once she is satisfied that Owen is fit to return to duty following his resurrection. Later in 2008, Martha returns to Doctor Who for a three-episode arc beginning with "The Sontaran Stratagem" and ending with "The Doctor's Daughter",[7] in which she meets the Doctor's new companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate); in the first episode, a more assertive Martha summons the Doctor to Earth to help uncover a plot by the Sontarans. After this story arc, Agyeman will appear in the role again for the series finale.[8][9]

[edit] Literature

Aside from television appearances, the character of Martha also appears in Doctor Who novels and comic books, some of which are ambiguous in terms of their canonicity in relationship to the television series.

In books, Martha appears in the "New Series Adventures" series of Doctor Who novels, published by BBC Books. The first book published was a "Quick Reads" novel, Made of Steel by Terence Dicks (published prior to her first television appearance), and the character subsequently appeared in all novels in the series, starting with Sting of the Zygons by Stephen Cole and most recently in The Many Hands by Dale Smith. Freema Aygeman physically represents the character on the cover of every novel. l. In late 2008 The Story of Martha, a collection of stories focusing on Martha's adventures between "The Sound of Drums" and "Last of the Time Lords", will be published.[10].

In terms of comic book appearances, Martha has appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine strips from #381 onwards and the Doctor Who Adventures comics from #28 onwards. The character also appears in the Battles in Time series of comic books periodically. In 2007, American comic book publisher IDW Publishing (publisher of various Angel, Star Trek and The Transformers comic titles) announced their plans to do a devoted series of Tenth Doctor and Martha comics for an American audience.[11] When asked about canonicity, IDW executive editor Chris Ryall dodged the issue by saying all the comics are "blessed" by Russell T Davies but it is up to the individual how canonical each story is.

[edit] Characterisation

[edit] Conception

The introduction of Martha as the next companion after Billie Piper's Rose Tyler was announced by the BBC in a 5 July 2006 press release.[12][13] The character is a 23-year-old medical student from 2008,[14][15] although earlier in the conception process she had been meant to come from the year 1913.[16] Like Rose, Martha has family members who are seen in the programme: Adjoa Andoh plays her mother Francine, with Trevor Laird as her father Clive (divorced from Francine), Gugu Mbatha-Raw as her sister Tish and Reggie Yates as her brother, Leo.[17] Her cousin, Adeola Oshodi, is deceased, as Martha revealed to the Doctor in "Smith and Jones". Nevertheless, Agyeman notes that Martha is "very independent"; living alone and having almost completed her medical qualifications.[18] She does not have an ex-boyfriend, but writer Russell T Davies has stated that she is not a lesbian, as had been rumoured in some quarters.[15] An article in The Times speculated that, since Agyeman has martial arts skills, she may have "a more physical approach" to the role.[19]

Freema Agyeman told the school publication The Newspaper that Martha is older and more secure than Rose.[20] Martha, by contrast, travels with the Doctor for the adventure, rather than because of a need for guidance or education (Agyeman also told The Newspaper that Martha hopes to eventually go back to Earth and finish her medical education).[20] In addition, Martha's family appears to be of a higher social class than Rose; whereas Rose's family was fairly typically working class, Martha's family appears to be wealthier (her father owns what appears to be a late model Mercedes-Benz convertible, and the clothes worn by her family are substantially more in line with fashion), probably middle to upper middle class.

Drawing from her creator's pool of recurring names, Martha and her family share the last name "Jones" with many other Russell T Davies-penned characters. Foremost among them are Harriet Jones in Doctor Who, Ianto Jones and Eugene Jones in Torchwood, Yanto Jones in Mine All Mine and Stuart Allen Jones in Queer as Folk. Davies states that reusing names (such as Tyler, Smith, Harper, Harkness and Jones) allows him to get a grip of the character on the blank page.[21] In casting Martha, the actress Freema Aygeman was reused from her minor role as Adeola Oshodi, in the Series 2 episode "Army of Ghosts". Acknowledging this, the resemblance of the two characters was touched upon in "Smith and Jones" when Martha makes reference to her deceased cousin, also serving to connect Martha to the larger Doctor Who universe.

[edit] Character development

Throughout Doctor Who series three, Martha pined for the Doctor's affection. In its final story — "Last of the Time Lords", Martha was separated from the Doctor for a year, and after saving the world she decided to return to Earth to allow herself to qualify as a medical doctor and get over her crush on the Doctor. Following the airdate of "Last of the Time Lords", the BBC announced that the character would return to screens in three episodes of Torchwood Series 2, before rejoining David Tennant's Tenth Doctor alongside new companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) for five episodes in the fourth series of Doctor Who.[22][23] Appearing in Torchwood, it is explained through exposition that Martha is a medical specialist for UNIT,[24] a qualified doctor and bona fide expert on alien life.[24] First appearing on the spin-off series in Torchwood episode "Reset", fellow companion Jack Harkness establishes Martha's credibility to her new peers, slyly commenting upon her vast experience. In the same episode, Martha notes that an "impeccable source" recommended her employment to UNIT, implying the Doctor holds the highest level of faith in Martha's capability. Seeing Martha in action with UNIT in "The Sontaran Stratagem", Donna reacts with shock asking derisively if the Doctor turns all of his companions into "soldiers".

[edit] Social issues

Martha has been described in newspaper reports as the "first ethnic-minority companion in the 43-year television history of Doctor Who"[19] or the Doctor's "first black assistant"[25] (Agyeman herself was born to Ghanaian and Iranian parents). These comments were erroneous, with Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke) becoming the Doctor's first black companion the year before (although Martha was the first in the role of "primary companion", the position previously held by Rose). As a black time traveller, the series' writers have used the character's presence as a means of injecting social commentary, tackling social issues such as racism in both bygone eras as well as the present day.

In the episode "The Shakespeare Code", Martha wonders if she is safe in an era before emancipation, but the Doctor is blasé, pointing out that he's not even human – when she prompts: "[I'm] not exactly white, if you hadn't noticed", he is nonplussed, ethnicity being irrelevant to him. Martha soon reacts with surprise and possible offence to Shakespeare's use of Elizabethan terms for black people such as "blackamoor" and "ethiop". For a moment, she thinks these terms could be racist (the Doctor quips that it is "political correctness gone mad"), but realises Shakespeare is actually enamoured of her. At the end of the episode, he refers to her as his "Dark Lady" – to whom the real Shakespeare dedicated a number of his sonnets. Other episodes such as "Human Nature"/"The Family of Blood", set in 1913, depict the racism that Martha encounters in different eras – here, public school boys exhibit casual bigotry, which she is forced to rise above, and even decent people are seen to be products of their time.

When the TARDIS crew are nationally branded as terrorists in "The Sound of Drums", the Master says that the Doctor's current companions "tick every demographic box" – referring to Martha's ethnicity and Jack's sexual orientation. He later refers to Jack and Martha as "the girlie and the freak", adding to the insult by claiming he is not sure which is which.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Smith and Jones". Writer Russell T. Davies, Director Charles Palmer, Producer Phil Collinson. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One, Cardiff. 2007-03-31.
  2. ^ "The Lazarus Experiment". Writer Stephen Greenhorn, Director Richard Clark, Producer Phil Collinson. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One, Cardiff. 2007-05-05.
  3. ^ "42". Writer Chris Chibnall, Director Graeme Harper, Producer Phil Collinson. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One, Cardiff. 2007-05-19.
  4. ^ "Human Nature". Writer Paul Cornell, Director Charles Palmer, Producer Susie Liggat. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One, Cardiff. 2007-05-26.
  5. ^ "The Family of Blood". Writer Paul Cornell, Director Charles Palmer, Producer Susie Liggat. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One, Cardiff. 2007-06-02.
  6. ^ "Last of the Time Lords". Writer Russell T. Davies, Director Colin Teague, Producer Phil Collinson. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One, Cardiff. 2007-06-30.
  7. ^ “"3O reasons to be excited about Series 30!"”, Doctor Who Magazine (no. 393): p.11, 2008-03-06 
  8. ^ 'Doctor Who' & 'Torchwood' series producer Julie Gardner teases next seasons of each show. iF Magazine (2007-07-30). Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
  9. ^ "'Freema Agyeman", Digital Spy, 2008-02-19. Retrieved on 2008-02-19. 
  10. ^ www.gallifreyone.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?id=EkEkyVyuFAkLljcpKZ&tmpl=newsrss&style=feedstyle
  11. ^ Talking Dr. Who With IDW
  12. ^ "Freema Agyeman confirmed as new companion to Doctor Who", BBC, 2006-07-05. Retrieved on 2006-07-05. 
  13. ^ "Doctor's next assistant is named", BBC News, 2006-07-05. Retrieved on 2006-07-05. 
  14. ^ Who's new. bbc.co.uk (2006-08-10). Retrieved on 2006-08-10..
  15. ^ a b Cook, Benjamin (2006-09-13 cover date). "BRAVE NEW WORLDS". Doctor Who Magazine (373): 28–35. 
  16. ^ Paul Cornell. eBooks - Human Nature - Adaptation. Doctor Who - the Classic Series. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-06-07.
  17. ^ Meet the Joneses. bbc.co.uk (2006-09-03). Retrieved on 2006-09-03.
  18. ^ Lone Jones. bbc.co.uk (2007-03-08). Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
  19. ^ a b Adam Sherwin. "Sidekick whose time has come", The Times, 2006-07-05. Retrieved on 2006-07-05. 
  20. ^ a b Turbervill, Huw. "Who's that girl?", The Newspaper, 2007-01-30. Retrieved on 2007-01-30. 
  21. ^ Pryor, Cathy. "Russell T Davies: One of Britain's foremost television writers", The Independent, 2006-10-22. Retrieved on 2006-10-22. 
  22. ^ More Martha!. bbc.co.uk (2007-07-02). Retrieved on 2007-07-02.
  23. ^ Elliott, Sean (2007-07-30). Exclusive interview: 'Doctor Who' & 'Torchwood' series producer Julie Gardner teases next seasons of each show. iF Magazine. Electric Entertainment. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
  24. ^ a b Spilsbury, Tom (2008-03-05 (Cover Date)). "Best of Both Worlds". Doctor Who Magazine (392): 19. Panini Comics. 
  25. ^ Richard Simpson. "Doctor Who gets first black assistant", Daily Mail, 2006-07-05. Retrieved on 2006-07-05. 

[edit] External links

The TARDIS Index File has information related to:


v • d • e
Companions of the Tenth Doctor
Series Specials Series 2 Specials Series 3 Specials Series 4
Serials CIN 171 172 - 173 174 - 176B 177 - 181B 182 183 - 190 191A - 191C 192 193 - 195 196A - 197 198 - 200 201 202A / B
Companions ← Rose Donna Martha Astrid Donna
Mickey (←) Jack Martha Rose Martha
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