Evelyn Smythe
Encyclopedia
Dr. Evelyn Smythe is a fictional character played by Maggie Stables
Maggie Stables
Maggie Stables is a British actress who plays the part of the companion Evelyn Smythe in a range of audio dramas by Big Finish Productions based on the BBC television series Doctor Who.-Career:...

 in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...

 based on the long-running British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 science fiction television
Science fiction on television
Science fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...

 series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...

. A professor of history from the 20th century with a fondness for chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...

, she is a companion
Companion (Doctor Who)
In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, and shares the adventures of the Doctor. In most Doctor Who stories, the primary companion acts as both deuteragonist and audience surrogate...

 of the Sixth Doctor
Sixth Doctor
The Sixth Doctor is the sixth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Colin Baker...

. The canonicity of the audio dramas with respect to the television series, like other Doctor Who spin-offs
Doctor Who spin-offs
Doctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....

, is open to interpretation.

Character history

Evelyn first appeared in the play The Marian Conspiracy
The Marian Conspiracy
The Marian Conspiracy is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...

(2000), when the Sixth Doctor found her while searching for a temporal nexus point. Travelling with the Doctor back to 1554, she became involved with the turmoil surrounding the reign of Queen Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...

, which would soon give way to that of her half-sister Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...

. At the end of that adventure, she insisted on accompanying the Doctor further, because as an historian, the chance to travel in a time machine
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...

 was irresistible.

Evelyn was fifty-five when she began her travels with the Doctor. Being more mature than most of the Doctor's other companions, she was more than a match for the more abrasive Sixth Doctor, often questioning his decisions and even counselling him on them. In turn, the Sixth Doctor recognized Evelyn's wisdom
Wisdom
Wisdom is a deep understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to apply perceptions, judgements and actions in keeping with this understanding. It often requires control of one's emotional reactions so that universal principles, reason and...

 and ability and respected her advice
Advice (opinion)
Advice is a form of relating personal or institutional opinions, belief systems, values, recommendations or guidance about certain situations relayed in some context to another person, group or party often offered as a guide to action and/or conduct...

.

Their relationship was not always smooth. Evelyn had a heart condition which she kept from the Doctor, fearing that he would return her home if he found out. She also blamed the Doctor for his inability to save a young woman named Cassie in Project: Lazarus
Project Lazarus
Project: Lazarus is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is a sequel to Project: Twilight and a predecessor to Project: Destiny.-Plot:...

(2003), something the Seventh Doctor
Seventh Doctor
The Seventh Doctor is the seventh incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor Sylvester McCoy....

 said she never forgave him for, even when she parted ways with him.

While visiting the planet Világ and helping repel an alien invasion by an aggressive humanoid canid
Canidae
Canidae is the biological family of carnivorous and omnivorous mammals that includes wolves, foxes, jackals, coyotes, and domestic dogs. A member of this family is called a canid . The Canidae family is divided into two tribes: Canini and Vulpini...

 species known as the Killorans, Evelyn met and fell in love with Governor Rossiter, who eventually became the political head of the union of three nations (Arrangements for War
Arrangements for War
Arrangements for War is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Synopsis:The Sixth Doctor and Evelyn become involved in a tricky political situation on the planet Világ....

, 2004). When she and the Doctor returned a year later, Evelyn decided to stay and marry Rossiter. She subsequently became involved in the politics of Világ and underwent surgery for her heart. The surgery, however, did not actually correct her heart condition; without her knowledge, she was injected during the surgery with blood extracted from Killoran prisoners. The infusion disguised Evelyn's heart condition, but also caused her to suffer from headaches, increased aggressiveness and irritability.

Two years later, the Sixth Doctor brought his new companion Mel
Melanie Bush
Mel, also sometimes referred to as Melanie, is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A computer programmer from the 20th Century who is a companion of the Sixth and Seventh Doctors, she was a regular in the programme from 1986 to 1987...

 to visit Evelyn on Világ. During their visit, Evelyn was kidnapped by a political enemy, and during the ordeal she became seriously ill as a result of the Killoran blood in her system. With the Doctor's aid, Rossiter's daughter Sofia, a physician, corrected the effects of the Killoran blood. During her recovery, Evelyn was secretly paid a visit by the Seventh Doctor
Seventh Doctor
The Seventh Doctor is the seventh incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor Sylvester McCoy....

 as well. The Seventh Doctor wanted to tell Evelyn that Cassie's son, Hex
Hex (Doctor Who)
Thomas Hector Schofield, nicknamed Hex, is a fictional character played by Philip Olivier in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A staff nurse working for St. Gart's Hospital in London in the year...

, was now travelling with him, and assured her that some good had come out of the tragedy after all (Thicker than Water
Thicker than Water (Doctor Who audio)
Thicker than Water is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is a sequel to the earlier audio play Arrangements for War.-Plot:...

, 2005).

This version of events, showing Mel and Evelyn meeting for the first time, contradicts the account of their first meeting in the spin-off
Doctor Who spin-offs
Doctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....

 novel Instruments of Darkness
Instruments of Darkness
Instruments of Darkness is a BBC Books original novel written by Gary Russell and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Sixth Doctor and Mel....

by Gary Russell
Gary Russell
Gary James Russell is a freelance writer 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...

.

Evelyn continues to appear alongside the Sixth Doctor in new audio releases, set before her departure.

The end of her life is chronicled in A Death in the Family
A Death in the Family (Doctor Who audio)
A Death in the Family is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. -Plot:...

. A decade after her husband Rossiter died, Evelyn took part in an archaeological dig of alien technology, which resulted in her being accidentally transported to a planet called Pelicham, billions of years in the past. A few years later, Hex is dropped off on Pelicham after the Seventh Doctor dies fighting a pan-dimensional enemy called Nobody No-One
Nobody No-One
Nobody No-One is a character in the Big Finish Productions audio plays Forty-Five: The Word Lord and A Death in the Family written by Steven Hall, which are based on the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is an original character and does not appear in the television series...

. Evelyn takes Hex in as her ward
Ward (law)
In law, a ward is someone placed under the protection of a legal guardian. A court may take responsibility for the legal protection of an individual, usually either a child or incapacitated person, in which case the ward is known as a ward of the court, or a ward of the state, in the United States,...

 for several months and she tells him all about his mother, Cassie. The Doctor's other companion, Ace
Ace (Doctor Who)
Dorothy Gale McShane, better known by her nickname Ace, is a fictional character played by Sophie Aldred in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...

, manages to resurrect the Doctor and he travels to Pelicham on the day Evelyn dies of a heart attack. With her consent, he traps Nobody No-one in her mind and they die together.

Other appearances

In Instruments of Darkness, it was stated that the Doctor did eventually bring Evelyn back to Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...

, albeit ten years before she actually left, forcing her to lie low so as not to interfere with the life of her younger self. At the end of Instruments, the Doctor (at this point travelling with Mel) agreed to take Evelyn back to her proper time, and to take the "scenic route", implying further adventures. The novel also featured the first meeting between Evelyn and Mel. How these events can be reconciled with those in Thicker than Water is not clear, and supports the proposition that the novels and audios take place in separate continuities.
Evelyn also appeared in the webcast Sixth Doctor story Real Time, which ended on a cliffhanger where Evelyn was infected by a technovirus that would eventually turn her into the Cybermen
Cyberman
The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs who are amongst the most persistent enemies of the Doctor in the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet Mondas that began to implant more...

's Cybercontroller. The story was produced for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 website by Big Finish, but due to BBC moving its webcast production in-house, it is unlikely that the cliffhanger will ever be resolved. Big Finish producer Gary Russell
Gary Russell
Gary James Russell is a freelance writer 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...

, who wrote the story, has also stated that he has no firm plans for continuing the story and it should, for the moment, be regarded as "unofficial". Real Time has, however, been released on CD by Big Finish, so leaves an unresolved contradiction within the Big Finish Whoniverse
Whoniverse
Whoniverse, a portmanteau of the words "Who" and "universe", is a word used to describe the fictional setting of the television series Doctor Who, K-9 and Company, Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures and K-9, as well as other related stories...

 regarding Evelyn's eventual fate between Real Time and A Death in The Family.

Audio dramas

  • The Marian Conspiracy
    The Marian Conspiracy
    The Marian Conspiracy is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...

  • The Spectre of Lanyon Moor
    The Spectre of Lanyon Moor
    The Spectre of Lanyon Moor is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:The Sixth Doctor and Evelyn team up with the Brigadier to defeat an ancient evil in Cornwall....

  • The Apocalypse Element
    The Apocalypse Element
    The Apocalypse Element is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It forms the second serial in the Dalek Empire arc, following on from events in The Genocide Machine...

  • Bloodtide
  • Project: Twilight
    Project Twilight
    Project: Twilight is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...

  • Real Time
  • The Sandman
    The Sandman (Doctor Who audio)
    The Sandman is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...

  • Jubilee
    Jubilee (Doctor Who audio)
    Jubilee is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Elements of the story were reworked by Rob Shearman to create the television episode "Dalek" in the 2005 series.-Plot:...

  • Doctor Who and the Pirates
    Doctor Who and the Pirates
    Doctor Who and the Pirates is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...

  • Project: Lazarus
    Project Lazarus
    Project: Lazarus is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is a sequel to Project: Twilight and a predecessor to Project: Destiny.-Plot:...

  • Arrangements for War
    Arrangements for War
    Arrangements for War is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Synopsis:The Sixth Doctor and Evelyn become involved in a tricky political situation on the planet Világ....

  • Medicinal Purposes
    Medicinal Purposes
    Medicinal Purposes is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:Edinburgh, 1827...

  • Pier Pressure
    Pier Pressure (Doctor Who audio)
    Pier Pressure is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...

  • Thicker than Water
    Thicker than Water (Doctor Who audio)
    Thicker than Water is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is a sequel to the earlier audio play Arrangements for War.-Plot:...

  • The Nowhere Place
    The Nowhere Place
    The Nowhere Place is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...

  • 100
    100 (Doctor Who audio)
    100 is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. As the 100th release, it is made of four one-part stories, by different authors, rather than the usual multi-part serial...

  • Assassin in the Limelight
    Assassin in the Limelight
    Assassin in the Limelight is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:Ford's Theatre, April 14, 1865...

  • A Death in the Family
    A Death in the Family (Doctor Who audio)
    A Death in the Family is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. -Plot:...

     (with the Seventh Doctor)
  • A Town Called Fortune
    A Town Called Fortune
    A Town Called Fortune is a Big Finish Productions audiobook based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....

  • The Crimes of Thomas Brewster
    The Crimes of Thomas Brewster
    The Crimes of Thomas Brewster is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. - Plot :...

  • The Feast of Axos
    The Feast of Axos
    The Feast of Axos is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...

  • Industrial Evolution
    Industrial Evolution
    Industrial Evolution is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...


Short Stories

  • "Mortlake" by Mark Wright (Short Trips: Past Tense
    Short Trips: Past Tense
    Short Trips: Past Tense is a Big Finish original anthology edited by Ian Farrington and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The collection's theme is history with each story being set before the year 2000...

    )
  • "The Diplomat's Story" by Kathryn Sullivan (Short Trips: Repercussions
    Short Trips: Repercussions
    Short Trips: Repercussions is a Big Finish original anthology edited by Gary Russell and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The collection explores the theme of unforeseen consequences.-Stories:...

    )
  • "Jupiter" by Andy Russell (Short Trips: The Solar System
    Short Trips: The Solar System
    Short Trips: The Solar System is a Big Finish original anthology edited by Gary Russell and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The collection features ten stories - one set on each planet in the solar system....

    )
  • "Christmas on the Moon" by Simon Guerrier
    Simon Guerrier
    Simon Guerrier is a British science fiction author and dramatist, closely associated with the fictional universe of Doctor Who and its spinoffs...

     (Short Trips: The History of Christmas
    Short Trips: The History of Christmas
    Short Trips: The History of Christmas is a Big Finish original anthology edited by Simon Guerrier and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the second Christmas anthology released under the Short Trips title.-Stories:-External links:*...

    )
  • "Old Boys" by James Parsons & Andrew Stirling-Brown (Short Trips: The Centenarian
    Short Trips: The Centenarian
    Short Trips: The Centenarian is a Big Finish original anthology edited by Ian Farrington and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The collection follows the life of a man, Edward Grainger, from his birth through to his death and explores the history of the...

    )
  • "The Eighth Wonder of the World" by Simon Guerrier (Short Trips: Dalek Empire
    Short Trips: Dalek Empire
    Short Trips: Dalek Empire is a Big Finish original anthology edited by Nicholas Briggs with Simon Guerrier and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The collection explores characters and events from the Dalek Empire audio series.-Stories:-External links:*...

    )
  • "The Crackers" by Richard Salter (Short Trips: The Ghosts of Christmas
    Short Trips: The Ghosts of Christmas
    Short Trips: The Ghosts of Christmas is a Big Finish original anthology edited by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The collection features stories set at Christmas in the past, present and future...

    )
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