Sharon (Doctor Who)
Encyclopedia
Sharon is a fictional character
who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine
comic strip based on the long-running British
science fiction television
series Doctor Who
. She was a companion
of the Fourth Doctor
. The canonicity
of the comic strips, like other Doctor Who spin-off
media, is unclear.
Sharon was introduced in Doctor Who and the Star Beast, which ran in issues #19-#26 of Doctor Who Weekly (as it then was), written by Pat Mills
and John Wagner
, and drawn by Dave Gibbons
. She was a secondary school
student living in the city of Blackcastle, England
. She was the first non-white
companion, albeit not on television.
crash-landed in Blackcastle, bringing with it the intergalactic tyrant Beep the Meep
. The Meep was fleeing the galactic law enforcers called the Wrarth, but he used his appearance as a cute, furry alien to gain Sharon's sympathy. Sharon sheltered Beep for a time, and it was while doing this that she met the Doctor
. Beep's ruse was eventually uncovered and he was handed over to the Wrarth, and the Doctor prepared to take Sharon back to Earth
.
However, at this time the TARDIS
was being particularly unreliable, so the Doctor and Sharon shared several adventures on the way. Together with the Doctor, Sharon faced the Dalek
s, the Sontaran
s and Brimo the Time Witch, among others. During the encounter with Brimo, a fault in the TARDIS's chrono-compensator made everyone in the time machine age four years in an instant while passing through a time rift. While this did not affect the Doctor significantly, Sharon was suddenly in her early twenties. Not having been fond of being an adolescent, however, she was quite pleased with the results.
Eventually, Sharon and the Doctor arrived on the planet Unicepter IV. Since the Doctor's last visit, a new fad of dreaming had arisen, with professional dreamers who would construct dream worlds in which groups of people could participate in a shared fantasy. This was facilitated by the Slinth, telepathic sloth-like creatures that perched on the dreamers' shoulders and made it possible to connect multiple minds to a single dreamer. It transpired, however, that the Slinth were actually psychic vampire
s, and had been leeching energy off the minds of the dreamers until they were strong enough to mass for an attack. During these events, Sharon met a dreamer named Vernor, and after the Doctor defeated the Slinth, she chose to remain behind on Unicepter IV to be with him.
comic strip A Life of Matter and Death (DWM #250).
In the comic book Incomplete Death's Head
#5, as part of the profile on "Doctor Who", her name was given as Sharon Davies. The accuracy of this information is not known.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
comic strip 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...
. She was 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 Fourth Doctor
Fourth Doctor
The Fourth Doctor is the fourth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC British television science-fiction series Doctor Who....
. The canonicity
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
of the comic strips, like other Doctor Who 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....
media, is unclear.
Sharon was introduced in Doctor Who and the Star Beast, which ran in issues #19-#26 of Doctor Who Weekly (as it then was), written by Pat Mills
Pat Mills
Pat Mills, nicknamed 'the godfather of British comics', is a comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since....
and John Wagner
John Wagner
John Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since.He is best known for his work on...
, and drawn by Dave Gibbons
Dave Gibbons
Dave Gibbons is an English comic book artist, writer and sometime letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries Watchmen and the Superman story "For the Man Who Has Everything"...
. She was a secondary school
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
student living in the city of Blackcastle, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She was the first non-white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
companion, albeit not on television.
Character history
One night, a spacecraftSpacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
crash-landed in Blackcastle, bringing with it the intergalactic tyrant Beep the Meep
Beep the Meep
Beep the Meep is a fictional alien who appeared in the Doctor Who Weekly comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The cute and cuddly appearance of Beep the Meep — a round, furry biped with large, expressive eyes and long ears — belies...
. The Meep was fleeing the galactic law enforcers called the Wrarth, but he used his appearance as a cute, furry alien to gain Sharon's sympathy. Sharon sheltered Beep for a time, and it was while doing this that she met 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....
. Beep's ruse was eventually uncovered and he was handed over to the Wrarth, and the Doctor prepared to take Sharon 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...
.
However, at this time the TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
was being particularly unreliable, so the Doctor and Sharon shared several adventures on the way. Together with the Doctor, Sharon faced 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, the Sontaran
Sontaran
The Sontarans are a fictional extraterrestrial race of humanoids from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and also seen in spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures. They were created by writer Robert Holmes.-Culture:...
s and Brimo the Time Witch, among others. During the encounter with Brimo, a fault in the TARDIS's chrono-compensator made everyone in the time machine age four years in an instant while passing through a time rift. While this did not affect the Doctor significantly, Sharon was suddenly in her early twenties. Not having been fond of being an adolescent, however, she was quite pleased with the results.
Eventually, Sharon and the Doctor arrived on the planet Unicepter IV. Since the Doctor's last visit, a new fad of dreaming had arisen, with professional dreamers who would construct dream worlds in which groups of people could participate in a shared fantasy. This was facilitated by the Slinth, telepathic sloth-like creatures that perched on the dreamers' shoulders and made it possible to connect multiple minds to a single dreamer. It transpired, however, that the Slinth were actually psychic vampire
Psychic vampire
A psychic vampire is a person or being who claims to feed off the "life force" of other living creatures. Psychic vampires are represented in the occult beliefs of various cultures and in fiction...
s, and had been leeching energy off the minds of the dreamers until they were strong enough to mass for an attack. During these events, Sharon met a dreamer named Vernor, and after the Doctor defeated the Slinth, she chose to remain behind on Unicepter IV to be with him.
Other appearances
Sharon's life after that is not known. The Doctor did intend to return to Unicepter IV to attend her wedding but ended up landing in Blackcastle instead, where he once again encountered Beep the Meep (The Star Beast II, Doctor Who Magazine Yearbook 1996). An image of Sharon constructed by the TARDIS to help destroy a Vortex parasite appeared in the Eighth DoctorEighth Doctor
The Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...
comic strip A Life of Matter and Death (DWM #250).
In the comic book Incomplete Death's Head
Death's Head
Death's Head is a fictional comic book character, a robotic bounty hunter appearing in the books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Simon Furman and artist Geoff Senior for the company's Marvel UK imprint...
#5, as part of the profile on "Doctor Who", her name was given as Sharon Davies. The accuracy of this information is not known.
External links
- blackcastle.co.uk — a fan site devoted to Sharon’s life on Unicepter IV featuring many other Doctor Who comic characters