Martha Jones

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

History

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. The character is a 23-year-old medical student. 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. Nevertheless, Agyeman notes that Martha is "very independent"; living alone and having almost completed her medical qualifications. She does not have an ex-boyfriend, but writer Russell T. Davies notes that she is not a lesbian, as had been rumoured in some quarters. An article in The Times speculated that, since Agyeman has martial arts skills, she may have "a more physical approach" to the role. Freema Agyeman told the school publication The Newspaper that Martha is older and more secure than Rose (whose paternal issues contributed to the subtext of her relationship with the Doctor, particularly in his ninth incarnation). 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).

Agyeman previously played Adeola Oshodi, a minor character who was killed in the Series 2 episode "Army of Ghosts". The resemblance of the two characters was acknowledged in "Smith and Jones" when Martha makes reference to her deceased cousin. The "Quick Reads" novel Made of Steel, written by Terrance Dicks, which was released on 1 March 2007, also referenced their family connection.

Televised History

Martha met the Doctor in the Royal Hope Hospital, where he was investigating strange anomalies, seen in the episode "Smith and Jones" and subsequently saved his life whereupon he then saved her, all those present in the hospital and half of Earth from imminent destruction. In need of a new friend, though not willing to admit it to himself, he later invited Martha to join him for "just one trip" in order to thank her. After extending her trip at least twice more, he ultimately came to appreciate her value and indicated that she has become a true companion to him. The Doctor initially displayed a rather conflicted attitude to her presence, having clearly being impressed by her intelligence, intuition, resourcefulness and compassion in their first meeting and in their subsequent adventures but was blatantly unwilling to fully move forward from the loss of Rose. When Martha finally called him on his treatment of her, not willing to be taken for granted, he (not in so many words) admitted that she was more than just a passenger he felt like showing off his abilities to. In "42", he gave her mobile phone the "Superphone" upgrade and also gifted her with her own TARDIS key. The Doctor also constantly thanks her for taking care of him, such as when she saves him and the crew of a future spacecraft during "42" and when he becomes the human John Smith in "Human Nature/The Family of Blood".

Martha has so far expressed a certain romantic interest in the Doctor, who either doesn't notice or share the affection. By her third episode, Martha somewhat knew that she was a "rebound" companion and has found the Doctor's repeated references to Rose frustrating and somewhat demeaning. In "Evolution of the Daleks", she stated that the Doctor would often see Rose instead of her during their interactions. In "Human Nature", Martha expresses disappointment that the Doctor as John Smith falls for another woman and admits her affection for the Time Lord to his human persona in "The Family of Blood", although she later retracts it to avoid uncomfortableness when Smith becomes the Doctor again.

Martha's family have also become embroiled in her new life, unknowingly as pawns in the game being played by Mr Saxon against the Doctor. Tish was employed by Professor Richard Lazarus, whose experiments on human cellular manipulation were funded by Saxon. In the same episode, one of his aides was successful in turning Francine Jones against the Doctor, telling her who he "really was" and convincing her that he was dangerous and not to be trusted with Martha's safety. In "42", when Martha used her phone's new trans-temporal capabilities to call her mother, Francine knowingly had her calls tapped by a woman she knew to also be working for Saxon.

First ethnic minority companion?

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The Doctor and Martha in Evolution of the Daleks

Martha has been described in newspaper reports as the "first ethnic minority companion in the 43-year television history of Doctor Who" or "first black assistant" (Agyeman herself was born to Ghanaian and Iranian parents.)

Martha is not the first, however, as Mickey Smith, played by Noel Clarke, appeared in various 2005 and 2006 episodes and even travelled with the Doctor for a few episodes. Although not considered a true companion of the Doctor, Chinese-American Chang Lee appeared in the television movie. Since he was tricked into helping the Master for most of the episode, and didn't travel in the TARDIS or appear in multiple episodes, he is not considered a companion. Many other types of Doctor Who media have included other characters with different ethnicity: Sharon, who accompanied the Fourth Doctor in the late 70's comic strip adventures; Roz Forrester, an Adjudicator from the future who features in the New Adventures novels; Anji Kapoor, the Eighth Doctor's companion for a number of print adventures; Alison Cheney, who appeared in the webcast Scream of the Shalka and the comic strip companion Destrii, an alien who later took the form of a black woman. It is debateable if these companions are considered 'canon'.

In the episode "The Shakespeare Code", Martha reacts with surprise and perhaps offence to Shakespeare's use of Elizabethan terms for black people such as "blackamoor" and "ethiop". For a moment, she thinks the terms could be racist but realises Shakespeare is clearly 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" touch lightly upon the racism that Martha encounters in a variety of eras.

Appearances

Television

2007 series

• "Smith and Jones"
• "The Shakespeare Code"
• "Gridlock"
• "Daleks in Manhattan"/"Evolution of the Daleks"
• "The Lazarus Experiment"
• "42"
• "Human Nature"/"The Family of Blood"
• "Blink"
• "Utopia"/"The Sound of Drums"/"Last of the Time Lords"
• The Infinite Quest (2007 animated serial)

Other appearances

Martha appears as a regular character in a number of Tenth Doctor Adventures novels. She initially appears in Made of Steel by Terrance Dicks, but later appears in Sting of the Zygons by Stephen Cole, The Last Dodo by Jacqueline Rayner, Wooden Heart by Martin Day, Wetworld by Mark Michalowski, Forever Autumn by Mark Morris and Sick Building by Paul Magrs.

Martha has also appeared in Doctor Who Magazine story "The Woman Who Sold The World" (#381-384)and Doctor Who Adventures two-parter "The Skrawn Inheritance" (#28-29) and "The Green, the Bad and the Ugly" (#30-31).

External links

• Martha Jones on the BBC's Doctor Who website
• Martha Jones on FreemaAgyeman.com
• Martha Jones' Myspace page