 A
science teacher at Coal Hill School, Ian Chesterton is persuaded
by fellow schoolteacher Barbara
Wright to investigate Susan who
is one of their pupils at the school. This leads them to investigating
her home which it appears, by the address she has given, to
be a junkyard. Ian is very doubtful that they should be prying
into Susan's private life but like Barbara he too curious about
her strange behaviour in the classroom. It is because of this
that the both of them find themselves inside the TARDIS with
The Doctor and Susan. Fearing that his secret will be revealed
The Doctor kidnaps them both by dematerialising the TARDIS.
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| An Unearthly Child |
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Ian
finds it hard to believe The Doctor and Susan's explanation of the
TARDIS as what he sees and what they tell him is at odds with his
scientific background. ‘This doesn’t roll around on wheels,
you know.’ an exasperated Doctor tells Ian when he disagrees
that the ‘Police Box’ he has just entered is in fact
a space and time machine. Ian took sometime to come to terms with
the concept of time travel and he is still unconvinced that The Doctor
and Susan are telling the truth even after the TARDIS materialises
in a strange alien environment ("An
Unearthly Child"), continuing to sometimes have difficulty
processing the complexities of time travel on some occasions. A particular
example of this was when he took some time to register how far back
in time he’d gone during a trip to Venus, believing that the
natives intended to invade Earth before he fully recognised that
he was over three billion years in the past ("Venusian
Lullaby"), while on another occasion he was attacked by
a group of people on a visit to China, prompting The Doctor to conclude
- much to Ian’s confusion - that the attack was the result
of actions Ian would take in his future on a trip to the past (Although
it was later revealed that the men had actually mistaken Ian for
his own great-grandfather rather than his future self) ("The
Eleventh Tiger").
He
also took longer than Barbara to trust The Doctor and was initially
at odds with him. However, as the series progressed Ian settled into
the idea of being a 'wander in the fourth dimension' and he even
started to enjoy himself, commenting once that the only thing he
didn’t actually enjoy about his time in the TARDIS was that
he hadn’t had a choice in starting his journey ("Venusian
Lullaby"). Ian was the classic old-established mould of the
British gentleman and one of a breed of heroes who had courage in
abundance, as seen most evidently on his first trip to another planet
when he actually entered a Dalek casing
to pose as a Dalek while attempting to escape ("The
Daleks"). Whether aiding the resistance against the Daleks
("The
Dalek Invasion of Earth"), or posing as Robin Hood to ensure
that history unfolded as it should after Robin was killed ("The
Thief of Sherwood"), Ian did his duty, showing great respect,
to those around him and especially Barbara and Susan who he regarded
as his duty to protect.
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| The Aztecs |
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Even
though he had a good sense of humour he did have a tendency on a
number of occasions to lapse into juvenile behaviour. Ian though
wasn't stupid or gullible. His feelings for his fellow travellers
were always a vital motivation in his willingness to become involved,
even coming to respect The Doctor even if his attitude sometimes
frustrated him. He cared deeply for Barbara and certainly they seemed
destined for each other, if only because of the many of their shared
experiences, but there was never any sign of any romance between
the two of them in the television series (Although the novels featured
such moments as the two consummating their relationship during their
time in ancient Rome ("Romans Cutaway") and Ian agreeing
to marry Barbara when they finally got home ("The Eleventh
Tiger")).
Ian's
most predominant characteristic though was his narrow-mindedness
and inability to see things from a more liberal point of view. This
did though improve with time. Even though he was fairly easygoing
it was very difficult for anyone to get the better of him. Despite
not being naturally heroic he saved the lives of his fellow time
travellers on many occasions, such as when he dived into a swimming-pool
to save the currently drowning Susan despite the gunfire taking
place around them ("City
at World's End"). He would always become well involved
in the adventures he found himself in and often became peacemaker.
He frequently saved the day proving that he could use both his athleticism
and intellect to great use when needed, such as when he deduced
that the time travellers find the tomb of the First Emperor of China
- the location where the alien intelligence known as the Mandragora
Helix would arrive on Earth - by finding a nearby water well on
the grounds that the builders would have needed water ("The
Eleventh Tiger"). Fittingly, with his training as a teacher,
Ian was practically minded and he did not resort to using violence
unless it was justified in difficult situations, although he did
acquire some training in areas of combat such as sword -fighting
over time. He relied on thinking of a logical way out of a sticky
situation. This was well demonstrated in "The Dalek Invasion
of Earth" where he used his brain and ended up playing a vital
role in defeating the Daleks.
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Ian
Chesterton
(1963 - 1965) |
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William
Russell
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Born in 1924 as Russell Enoch
he began acting from the age of 8. Sometimes using
the acting name "William Russell" he appeared
in a number of films including, in 1954, One
Good Turn alongside Norman Wisdom. Further film
roles followed including the 1957 film Nicholas
Nickleby and the television series The Adventures
of Lancelot. After Doctor Who he continued
acting in the theatre and in the late eighties he
became a regular in Coronation Street. He
then became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
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| The Chase |
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Despite
the increase in his knowledge and understanding due to the many
varied locations that the TARDIS took him to, like Barbara,
he really wanted to be able to return home as they felt it was
time to get back to Earth to resume a normal lifestyle. It was
therefore no surprise when the opportunity arose, in the form
of a Dalek time machine, that he and Barbara did not hesitate
to persuaded The Doctor to make it possible for them to use
it to return home to London even though it is clear The Doctor
wanted them stay. The fact that they arrived two years after
they had left did not worry them in the slightest. Like Barbara
he was just glad to be back home ("The
Chase").
Ian
and Barbara were later indirectly reunited with The Doctor when
Ian was hired by UNIT to serve as a substitute scientific advisor
while the Third
Doctor was away ("The
Face of the Enemy"), where it was revealed that Ian
had taken a lecturing position at the Royal Aircraft Establishment's
technical college at Farnborough after his return to Earth,
as well as participating in a year-long exchange with NASA,
during which he did some consulting work on the US stealth project;
his time with UNIT saw him working with fellow companion The
Brigadier and The Doctor’s old enemy The
Master to prevent the invasion of an alternate Earth. The
Seventh
Doctor and Ace encountered alternate versions of Ian
and Barbara during their brief arrival in an alternate 1963
where the actions of The
Valeyard had released the Dark Matrix upon Earth, the alternate
Barbara helping The Doctor track down the point where history
had diverged before his departure ("Matrix").
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