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Samantha Angeline "Sam" Jones is a
fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
in the ''
Eighth Doctor Adventures The ''Eighth Doctor Adventures'' (sometimes abbreviated as EDA or referred to as the EDAs) are a series of Doctor Who spin-offs, spin off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and published unde ...
'' novels based upon the British
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
''. The
Eighth Doctor The Eighth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Paul McGann. The character was introduced in the 1996 TV film ''Doctor Who'', a back-door pilo ...
first met her in the novel ''
The Eight Doctors ''The Eight Doctors'' is a BBC Books original novel written by Terrance Dicks and based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was the first of the Eighth Doctor Adventures range and features the Eighth ...
'' by
Terrance Dicks Terrance William Dicks (14 April 1935 – 29 August 2019) was an English people, English author and television screenwriter, script editor and Television producer, producer. In television, he had a long association with the BBC science-fictio ...
, and she went on to become one of his companions.


Character history

Sam is born on 15 April 1980, making her 16 years old when she first meets the Eighth Doctor in 1997. She attends
Coal Hill School Coal Hill School is a fictional school in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-off series ''Class''. It is located on Coal Hill Road in the Shoreditch area of London. The school first appeared in the first ...
, the same school the
First Doctor The First Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor William Hartnell. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time L ...
's granddaughter Susan attends in 1963. She is described as thin and wiry, with blue eyes and close-cropped blonde hair. She is a clean-living person, not drinking or taking drugs, and a vegetarian. She is also a supporter of
Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...
and
gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 3 ...
. In ''The Eight Doctors'' the Doctor rescues her from drug dealers, after which she travels with him for many adventures. The novel ''
Seeing I ''Seeing I'' is an original novel written by Jonathan Blum and Kate Orman and based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It features the Eighth Doctor and Sam. Continuity *The I also appear in the B ...
'' is deliberately ambiguous as to the possibility that Sam is
bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...
. ''
Alien Bodies ''Alien Bodies'' is an original novel written by Lawrence Miles and based on the long-running British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It features the Eighth Doctor and Sam. This story marks the first appearance of Faction Pa ...
'' by
Lawrence Miles Lawrence Miles (born 15 March 1972 in Middlesex) is a science fiction author known for his work on original ''Doctor Who'' novels (for both the Virgin New Adventures and BBC Books series) and the subsequent spin-off Faction Paradox. He is also ...
introduces the idea of "Dark Sam". It is revealed that Sam has two sets of biodata — the information that defines a person's personal history. One set, "Blonde Sam", is the one who travels with the Doctor. The other, "Dark Sam", never traveled with the Doctor and became a drug user. The four novels '' Longest Day'' by Michael Collier, ''
Legacy of the Daleks ''Legacy of the Daleks'' is an original novel written by John Peel and based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It features the Eighth Doctor, Susan, the Master - as the Roger Delgado incarnation - and ...
'' by
John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
, ''
Dreamstone Moon ''Dreamstone Moon'' is an original novel written by Paul Leonard and based on the long-running British science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden A ...
'' by Paul Leonard and ''Seeing I'' by Jonathan Blum and
Kate Orman Kate Orman (born 1968 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) is an Australian author, best known for her books connected to the British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Biography Orman was born in Sydney, but grew up in Canberr ...
form a story arc. Initially, Sam flees from the Doctor after she finds herself kissing him passionately when giving him
CPR Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure consisting of chest compressions often combined with artificial ventilation in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore sponta ...
and the two became separated. Although the Doctor eventually tracks her down, he is arrested and imprisoned for
espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...
. After three years, Sam discovers the Doctor's imprisonment and helps him to escape, realizing that her relationship with the Doctor will never be anything other than
platonic Plato's influence on Western culture was so profound that several different concepts are linked by being called Platonic or Platonist, for accepting some assumptions of Platonism, but which do not imply acceptance of that philosophy as a whole. It ...
. In ''The Janus Conjunction'' by
Trevor Baxendale Trevor Baxendale is a writer. His first ''Doctor Who'' novel ''The Janus Conjunction'' was published by BBC Books in 1998. He has also written novels for ''Torchwood'' and ''Blake's 7'', as well as short stories, comic strips and audio drama scri ...
, Sam dies when she becomes poisoned by radiation on the planet Janus Prime. The Doctor puts the
TARDIS The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space") is a fictional hybrid of the time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. Its exterior ap ...
into a temporal orbit, devises a serum, then returns to a time before she dies and administers the serum. In '' The Taint'' by Michael Collier, Sam and the Doctor meet
Fitz Kreiner This is a list of fictional characters who were companion (Doctor Who), companions of the Doctor (Doctor Who), Doctor, in various Doctor Who spin-offs, spin-off media based on the long-running British science fiction on television, science fict ...
. In the same story, Sam also survives having an alien leech implanted in her head by a robot called Azoth, who notes Sam's special DNA, due to the Blonde Sam/Dark Sam duality. The Dark Sam storyline reaches its conclusion in '' Unnatural History'' by Jonathan Blum and Kate Orman. When the Doctor, Sam, and Fitz travel to
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
in the year 2002, they find a dimensional scar, a remnant of the events in the 1996 ''Doctor Who'' television movie. When Sam is drawn into the rift, the Doctor seeks out Dark Sam, whom he finds living in a London
bedsit A bedsit, bedsitter, or bed-sitting room is a form of accommodation common in some parts of the United Kingdom which consists of a single room per occupant with all occupants typically sharing a bathroom. Bedsits are included in a legal category ...
. He brings her to San Francisco, but Dark Sam realizes what the Doctor's plan is — if she were to fall into the rift, Blonde Sam can be restored. When the Doctor is trapped by an extradimensional entity, Griffin the Unnaturalist, Dark Sam saves him by sacrificing herself to the rift, restoring Blonde Sam. One of Griffin's specimens, a
Faction Paradox ''Faction Paradox'' is a series of novels, audio stories, short story anthologies, and comics set in and around a "War in Heaven", a history-spanning conflict between godlike "Great Houses" and their mysterious enemy. The series is named after a ...
agent, reveals that Blonde Sam was created when Dark Sam touched the Doctor's biodata in the rift, causing a paradox and thus playing into the Faction's hands. During this novel, Dark Sam also has sex with Fitz, even though Blonde Sam had shown no interest in him. Dark Sam also flirts with and kisses the Doctor, but without his interest. Sam finally departs the TARDIS after the events of the two-novel story ''
Interference Interference is the act of interfering, invading, or poaching. Interference may also refer to: Communications * Interference (communication), anything which alters, modifies, or disrupts a message * Adjacent-channel interference, caused by extr ...
'' by
Lawrence Miles Lawrence Miles (born 15 March 1972 in Middlesex) is a science fiction author known for his work on original ''Doctor Who'' novels (for both the Virgin New Adventures and BBC Books series) and the subsequent spin-off Faction Paradox. He is also ...
, staying hidden in 1996 with the Doctor's former companion
Sarah Jane Smith Sarah Jane Smith is a fictional character played by Elisabeth Sladen in the long-running BBC Television science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' and two of its spin-offs. Sarah Jane is a dogged investigative journalist who first encounters alien t ...
until her younger self first leaves with the Doctor. In a possible future glimpsed in ''Interference'', Sam lives to a ripe old age, although the Doctor is evasive about her destiny in the novel '' The Bodysnatchers'' by Mark Morris. Eventually, Sam becomes a political activist is shot and killed in 2002 in the novel '' Sometime Never...'' by
Justin Richards Justin Richards (born 14 September 1961) is a British writer. He has written science fiction and fantasy novels, including series set in Victorian or early-20th-century London, and also adventure stories set in the present day. He has written ...
when a group called the Council of Eight eliminates the Doctor's previous companions from the timeline. Although the Council is defeated and several companions are restored to history, the Doctor finds what appears to be Sam's grave in a
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
churchyard in 2005 during the last Eighth Doctor Adventures novel, '' The Gallifrey Chronicles'' by
Lance Parkin Lance Parkin is a British author. He is best known for writing fiction and reference books for television series, in particular '' Doctor Who'' (and spin-offs including the Virgin New Adventures and Faction Paradox) and as a storyliner on ''Emmerd ...
. However, the grave is bait for a trap for the Doctor, and the name on the grave is "Samantha Lynn Jones", a name used briefly by an alternative version of Dark Sam seen in ''Unnatural History''. Accordingly, the grave's authenticity, and Sam's ultimate fate, become open to question. Jonathan Blum theorized that perhaps the Council undid the event that turned Dark Sam into Blonde Sam and then arranged for Dark Sam to die instead. However, although referencing Blum's theory in another
forum Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to: Common uses * Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example *Internet ...
post, Parkin notes in his ''Doctor Who'' chronology book ''A History'' that, despite the reversing of several of the Council's actions, it is "clear that Sam died in 2002 and 'stayed dead'."


Other appearances

In the
Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on cult science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'', the ...
audio play Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...
''
Minuet in Hell ''Minuet in Hell'' is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Unlike the other Eighth Doctor audio plays from this "season", ''Minuet in Hell'' was not broadcast ...
'' (2001), a litany of the Doctor's previous companions includes the name "Sam". At the time, fans believed that this was an intentional reference to Sam Jones and therefore placed the books and the audios in the same continuity. However, producer
Gary Russell Gary Russell (born 18 September 1963) is a British freelance writer, producer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs in other media. As an a ...
in the behind-the-scenes book ''Doctor Who - The New Audio Adventures'' later denied that "Sam" referred to Sam Jones. The 2005 play ''
Terror Firma ''Terror Firma'' is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The story follows on directly from the previous Eighth Doctor audio drama '' The Next Life'' and flash ...
'' introduces two previously unknown companions for the Eighth Doctor, a brother and sister pair named Samson and Gemma Griffin. This now provides the possibility that "Sam" was a reference to Samson, although the Doctor never calls Samson this to his face. The description of an unnamed character that appears in the short story "Repercussions" by
Gary Russell Gary Russell (born 18 September 1963) is a British freelance writer, producer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs in other media. As an a ...
(in the Big Finish-published anthology '' Short Trips: Repercussions'') resembles Sam. This character is a passenger onboard an airship traveling through the time vortex that is carrying various people whom the Doctor had placed there to stop them from being a danger to the Web of Time. If that was Sam, it may indicate that, as far as the Big Finish continuity is concerned, she was written out of history.


References

* Pearson, Lars (1999). ''I, Who: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who Novels'' US: Mad Norwegian Press, * Parkin, Lance with additional material by Lars Pearson (2006). ''AHistory: An Unauthorized History of the Doctor Who Universe'' US: Mad Norwegian Press,


External links


Footnotes


Jonathan Blum's theory as posted on Outpost Gallifrey, correct as of the 4th of March 2006
Free registration required to view.
Lance Parkin post on Outpost Gallifrey, correct as of the 4th of March 2006
Free registration required to view. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Sam Literary characters introduced in 1997 Doctor Who book characters Doctor Who spin-off companions Female characters in literature Fictional people from London