Katarina (Doctor Who)
Encyclopedia
Katarina is a fictional character played by Adrienne Hill
in the long-running British
science fiction television
series Doctor Who
appearing in the programme from November to December 1965.
An inhabitant of ancient Troy
, she was a brief companion
of the First Doctor
. The character was devised to act as a companion. However this was re-evaluated by the writers, and Katarina was killed off during the following serial having appeared in just five episodes. As such she was the first companion in the series to die.
, which takes place during the siege of Troy
. She is a handmaiden of the prophetess Cassandra
, and helps the TARDIS
crew survive the events of the siege. When Steven
is wounded, she helps him into the TARDIS as Vicki
decides to stay behind in Troy with the warrior Troilus
.
A sweet, simple young woman who cannot really cope with the concept that the universe has suddenly opened up to her, Katarina believes that she is dead, and that the Doctor
is a god transporting her to the next life
. She refers to the TARDIS as a "temple", and literally worships the Doctor, referring to him as "Lord" (much to his annoyance) and having absolute faith in him.
During The Daleks' Master Plan
, Katarina is taken hostage by the escaped prisoner Kirksen, who demands that the Doctor take him to Kembel, a planet taken over by the Dalek
s. To prevent the Doctor giving in to Kirksen's demands, she chooses to trigger the controls to the airlock
she is being held in, propelling both herself and her captor into the vacuum
of space.
Despite her brief tenure on the series, Katarina is significant for being the first of the Doctor's companions to die on-screen. However, she would not be the last. In some of the tie-in
fiction, her death (and later that of Adric
) is portrayed as weighing heavily on the Doctor's mind.
episodes in the 1970s, and only one episode featuring Katarina, Day of Armageddon (the second episode of The Daleks' Master Plan), exists in its entirety. Also extant is a single clip from each Devil's Planet and The Traitors (the latter being Katarina's death scene).
A brief 8mm clip from the end of The Myth Makers, when matched to the fully extant audio, reveals Katarina talking off-screen to the Doctor.
Adrienne Hill
Adrienne Hill was an English actress.In 1965, she appeared in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who as Katarina, a companion of the Doctor — who at that time was played by William Hartnell...
in 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...
appearing in the programme from November to December 1965.
An inhabitant of ancient Troy
Troy
Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
, she was a brief 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 First Doctor
First Doctor
The First Doctor is the initial incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966. Hartnell reprised the role in the tenth anniversary story The Three Doctors in 1973 - albeit in a...
. The character was devised to act as a companion. However this was re-evaluated by the writers, and Katarina was killed off during the following serial having appeared in just five episodes. As such she was the first companion in the series to die.
Character history
Katarina is introduced in the serial The Myth MakersThe Myth Makers
The Myth Makers is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 16 October to 6 November 1965. The story is set in Homeric Troy, based on Iliad by Homer...
, which takes place during the siege of Troy
Trojan War
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...
. She is a handmaiden of the prophetess Cassandra
Cassandra
In Greek mythology, Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Her beauty caused Apollo to grant her the gift of prophecy...
, and helps the TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
crew survive the events of the siege. When Steven
Steven Taylor (Doctor Who)
Steven Taylor is a fictional character played by Peter Purves in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A space pilot from Earth in the future, he was a companion of the First Doctor and a regular in the programme from 1965 to 1966.-Character history:Steven first...
is wounded, she helps him into the TARDIS as Vicki
Vicki
Vicki is a fictional character played by Maureen O'Brien in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. An orphan from the 25th century, she was a companion of the First Doctor and a regular in the programme in Seasons 2 and 3 in 1965...
decides to stay behind in Troy with the warrior Troilus
Troilus
Troilus is a legendary character associated with the story of the Trojan War...
.
A sweet, simple young woman who cannot really cope with the concept that the universe has suddenly opened up to her, Katarina believes that she is dead, and that the Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
is a god transporting her to the next life
Psychopomp
Psychopomps are creatures, spirits, angels, or deities in many religions whose responsibility is to escort newly deceased souls to the afterlife. Their role is not to judge the deceased, but simply provide safe passage...
. She refers to the TARDIS as a "temple", and literally worships the Doctor, referring to him as "Lord" (much to his annoyance) and having absolute faith in him.
During The Daleks' Master Plan
The Daleks' Master Plan
The Daleks' Master Plan is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The twelve episodes were aired from 13 November 1965 to 29 January 1966...
, Katarina is taken hostage by the escaped prisoner Kirksen, who demands that the Doctor take him to Kembel, a planet taken over by the Dalek
Dalek
The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
s. To prevent the Doctor giving in to Kirksen's demands, she chooses to trigger the controls to the airlock
Airlock
An airlock is a device which permits the passage of people and objects between a pressure vessel and its surroundings while minimizing the change of pressure in the vessel and loss of air from it...
she is being held in, propelling both herself and her captor into the vacuum
Vacuum
In everyday usage, vacuum is a volume of space that is essentially empty of matter, such that its gaseous pressure is much less than atmospheric pressure. The word comes from the Latin term for "empty". A perfect vacuum would be one with no particles in it at all, which is impossible to achieve in...
of space.
Despite her brief tenure on the series, Katarina is significant for being the first of the Doctor's companions to die on-screen. However, she would not be the last. In some of the tie-in
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....
fiction, her death (and later that of Adric
Adric
Adric is a fictional character played by Matthew Waterhouse in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was a young native of the planet Alzarius, which exists in the parallel universe of E-Space. A companion of the Fourth and Fifth Doctors, he was a regular in the...
) is portrayed as weighing heavily on the Doctor's mind.
Surviving footage
Katarina appeared in just five episodes. The BBC junked many Doctor WhoDoctor 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...
episodes in the 1970s, and only one episode featuring Katarina, Day of Armageddon (the second episode of The Daleks' Master Plan), exists in its entirety. Also extant is a single clip from each Devil's Planet and The Traitors (the latter being Katarina's death scene).
A brief 8mm clip from the end of The Myth Makers, when matched to the fully extant audio, reveals Katarina talking off-screen to the Doctor.
Short stories
- "Katarina in the Underworld" by Steve Lyons (Short Trips: The MusesShort Trips: The MusesShort Trips: The Muses is a Big Finish original anthology edited by Jacqueline Rayner and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The stories are based on the nine Muses.-Stories:-External links:*...
) - "Scribbles in Chalk" by Gareth Wigmore (Short Trips: Life ScienceShort Trips: Life ScienceShort Trips: Life Science is a Big Finish original anthology edited by John Binns and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The collection's theme is the nature of life.-Stories:-Notes:...
)
Comics
- "Planet of the Dead" by Lee SullivanLee SullivanLee Terence Sullivan is the drummer for the London based alternative rock band Bôa. Lee is the son of Terry Sullivan, the drummer for the rock band Renaissance.-References:...
and John FreemanJohn FreemanJohn Freeman may refer to:*John Freeman , character animator for Disney, Marvel Studios and others*John Freeman , Australian politician*John Freeman , writer and literary critic...
(Doctor Who MagazineDoctor Who MagazineDoctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
141-142) (imposter)
Audio drama
- The Last (with Paul McGannPaul McGannPaul McGann is an English actor who made his name on the BBC serial The Monocled Mutineer, in which he played the lead role...
as the Doctor, appears as an image the Doctor encounters along with AdricAdricAdric is a fictional character played by Matthew Waterhouse in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was a young native of the planet Alzarius, which exists in the parallel universe of E-Space. A companion of the Fourth and Fifth Doctors, he was a regular in the...
)