Ian Chesterton
Portrayed by: William RussellTravelled with: First Doctor
Series: Classic
Ian Chesterton was an unwilling companion of the First Doctor after being abducted by the Time Lord, becoming one of the first companions to the Doctor. Ian was a teacher at fellow companion, Susan Foreman’s school, Coal Hill School in London. Ian taught science at the school, but was always intrigued by Susan’s, his student, advanced scientific knowledge. When he discussed this with fellow teacher and companion, Barbara Wright, he discovered that he was not the only one who thought the strange knowledge Susan appeared to have. Concerned about her, Ian and Barbara chose to follow Susan to her home, entering I.M. Foreman’s junkyard in Totter’s Lane, where they discovered Susan entering a small police box. Concerned for her safety, the duo entered the police box after a brief scuffle with the Doctor to discover the interior of the TARDIS in An Unearthly Child (Classic Series). Because of his scientific mind, Ian was sceptical of anything he had no proof to confirm. Because of this, he was doubtful that the TARDIS was a space-time vessel until the Doctor proved it, at which point he accepted the fact that such things existed and would become the most practical of the four TARDIS travellers. It didn’t take long for Ian to show his practical side, “discovering” fire to free the group from a tribe of Humans from Earth’s Stone Age in their first adventure.
Ian was curious about the TARDIS and how it worked and would constantly quiz the Doctor about it. Despite his obvious interest in science and the practical applications it held, Ian did not lock common sense, being acutely aware of Barbara’s discomfort when they were on Skaro for the first time. When Barbara was captured by the Daleks, Ian insisted that the Doctor and Susan could not leave until they had rescued her. Ian was headstrong and stubborn, insisting that he returned to the TARDIS for anti-radiation drugs the TARDIS crew needed, despite only the Doctor or Susan being able to open the TARDIS doors, and the fact his legs had been paralysed after an encounter with a Dalek. This stubbornness prompted Ian to warn the Thals, at risk to his own life, about the Dalek ambush, and persuaded them to give up their pacifist ways and fight for their survival in The Daleks (Classic Series). Full of both bravery and courage, Ian did eventually gain the Doctor’s respect and was treated as an equal, almost as a friend, by the Time Lord.
Ian enjoyed his life as a companion on the TARDIS, revelling in the new experiences he faced. During an adventure in the 12th century in Palestine, Ian was knighted as Sir Ian of Jaffa after Barbara was abducted and given the mission to find and rescue her, developing his skills as a swordsman and unarmed combat here and in many other adventures. During his travels with the Doctor, Ian was made to face his fears on numerous occasions, including his fear of swimming. Not being a great swimmer, Ian was forced to confront this when he was sold as a galley slave in Rome in 64 A.D, after his galley sank in a storm. However, his fear of ants may have heightened after he was also captured in Palestine and daubed in honey to attract the creatures. Despite his enjoyment of his adventures, Ian didn’t lost sight of returning home in London in the 1960’s. When the opportunity finally arose in The Chase (Classic Series), Ian and Barbara both departed the TARDIS crew, risking travel in a Dalek time ship to do so and were both delighted at returning, even after finding that two years had passed since they had left. Sarah Jane Smith noted in the Sarah Jane Adventures story, Death of the Doctor, that a rumour said both Ian and Barbara had become professors at Cambridge by 2010, though they had not appeared to have aged since the 1960’s.