What Ever Happened To… Jamie?

Guest contributor Gustaff wonders what became of the Second Doctor companion played by Frazer Hines.

“I tell you, I’m a Highlander, the cold doesn’t affect me.” – Jamie McCrimmon

James Robert “Jamie” McCrimmon was a Highlander from the mid-18th century. He is perhaps the most loyal companion the Doctor has ever had, treading close behind K-9 because dogs are man’s best friend.

At the end of The War Games, the Doctor and his companions tried to escape the Time Lords, but ultimately failed and were captured. Because of the Doctor’s trial and subsequent punishment, the Time Lords erased Jamie and Zoe’s memories of the Doctor, erasing all but their first encounter with him. Afterwards, they were transported back to their respective time zones. Jamie returned to the Battle of Culloden in 1746 where he was seen charging towards a redcoat much to the amusement of the Doctor and that was the last time we would see Jamie, apart from an illusion in The Five Doctors and a guest appearance alongside the Doctor and Peri in The Two Doctors.

As with most of these ‘WHAT EVER HAPPENED’ articles, there are conflicting accounts of what actually happened to Jamie McCrimmon after his travels with the Doctor ended and the television series in itself only add to these problems. I am of course referring to Season 6b, but more on that a bit later.

The novel World Game tells us that after the Doctor agreed to work for the CIA, he insisted on having Jamie by his side and so, the Scot was returned with his memories restored, altered to make him think he had never left the Doctor’s side.

Jamie would accompany the Doctor on several missions, growing into an adult. One of these missions was to the Space Station Chimera in The Two Doctors. It was here that he met the Sixth Doctor and Peri and helped them rescue his Doctor from the Sontarans. Sometime after this encounter, the Time Lords de-aged Jamie back to his 22-year old self and transported him to his time and erased his memories again.

According to audio The Glorious Revolution, Jamie married a woman named Kirsty McLaren and had more than seven children with her.

Jamie, in his old age and living as a pariah, would go on to meet the Sixth Doctor one last time in The Worldshaper. By this time, he had managed to remember all their adventures together by using memory techniques that the Doctor showed him while they were still travelling together. Jamie assisted the Doctor, Peri and Frobisher and defeated the Cybermen by destroying the Worldshaper. Unfortunately, the backlash from the Worldshaper device aged Jamie to death.

SO WHICH IS THE JAMIE McCRIMMON?

As you’ll have noticed, there are two routes to take here. The short one where Jamie was sent back to 1746 and lived out his life with no knowledge of the Doctor or the long one where in the end, he managed to unlock the secret memories the Time Lords kept from him. Thanks to Season 6b, which creates a multitude of other issues, it is possible to accept either one of these accounts and still have it fit into the canon.

THIS AUTHOR’S TAKE

Because of the mess that Season 6b seems to generate, this author is going to step onto the long route and accept the fact that Jamie eventually died saving the Doctor one last time and unlocked his forgotten memories.

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to comment on which account you prefer. The short route or the long one?