Remembering Jacqueline Hill AKA Barbara Wright
Guest contributor James Parry looks back on one of Doctor Who’s earliest companions.
On the 18th of February, 1993, too soon did another of Doctor Who’s stars blink out of the sky. Jacqueline Hill, best known for her wonderful portrayal of one of Doctor Who’s best and brightest, Barbara Wright, died on this day, 23 years ago.
In memory of her passing, this article celebrates the accomplishments of Jacqueline Hill during her time on Doctor Who, in which she defeated the Daleks, outwitted the Aztecs, escaped from the Zarbi and even stood up to the Doctor himself. With such a strong character that Jacqueline brought to life, Barbara’s courage and independence set the stonework for the modern Doctor Who companion.
Barbara Wright was among the first companions to set foot in the TARDIS, travelling with the Doctor from the very first episode, An Unearthly Child (1963), to Season 2’s penultimate story, The Chase (1965). In 16 stories and 77 individual episodes, Jacqueline shared the TARDIS with William Hartnell’s Doctor, Susan, the Doctor’s Granddaughter, Vicki Pallister, an orphan from the 25th century, but most importantly, Ian Chesterton, her partner in crime. Previously colleagues from Coal Hill School, before they were kidnapped by the Doctor and whisked off to various alien planets. These two, frightened and unsure of the world they stumbled into, stuck together through thick and thin, building the foundations of their relationship.
Continuing that analogy, those foundations soon become a house by the third story, The Edge of Destruction, which (as a budget episode) set the four travellers (Ian, Barbara, the Doctor and Susan) alone in the TARDIS for two 25 minute episodes and whilst a little lacking in terms of plot, The Edge of Destruction is praised not often enough to be the story that really pulled the travellers together, from being four untrusting companions to becoming a family and this is where Barbara really shines. From her friendly banter with the Doctor and her teacher-like attitude towards Susan and Vicki, to her deep friendship (hinted to be something more) with Ian, Barbara displays her kind, caring personality, something Jacqueline pulls off excellently.
There is a common opinion that Doctor Who, whilst in its earliest years, featured only female companions known to scream far too much and do far too little else, but Barbara easily does not fit that bill. With only a few screams during her entire run (which when done, struck terror for that very reason), Barbara is a display of strong female independence, a rare sight in 1960s Sci-Fi, standing up to various enemies and the Doctor many times. Most notably as an example of this: Jacqueline’s performance in The Aztecs, but also an example of pure acting brilliance. In performing, Jacqueline lights up the room, – or rather, the set – bringing redeemable values to even the poorest quality stories (I’m looking at you Web Planet) and, I found, episodes without her presence lacked some gravitas in the performances, not to insult other members of the main cast, but rather the extras, who are known to be generally rubbish in 60s Who.
Beautiful, clever, compassionate, loving and strong-willed, Jacqueline Hill perfectly portrayed the character of Barbara Wright, whose acting accomplishments remain to this day to be enjoyed over and over again or for the first time and aided Doctor Who to get on to its feet in its beginning, bringing enjoyment to even the worst episodes, and bringing much, much more to the very best. If Hartnell’s frosty but loveable Doctor and amazing story telling aren’t enough to convince you the Hartnell era is worth your time, Barbara Wright is sure to be that.
Jacqueline Hill, while gone, is definitely not forgotten, providing the template for all companions to follow, her legacy echoing endlessly throughout Doctor Who.
