Jamie McCrimmon: The Highlander Who Became the Doctor’s Greatest Friend

Frazer Hines, the Second Doctor, and one of the most enduring partnerships in Doctor Who history

There are many ways to measure the success of a Doctor Who companion. Some are remembered for their courage, others for their intelligence, their humour, their emotional connection with the Doctor or the stories in which they appeared. A few become so closely associated with a particular Doctor that it is difficult to imagine one without the other.

Jamie McCrimmon belongs firmly in that last category.

Played by Frazer Hines, Jamie was a young Scottish Highlander from the eighteenth century who joined the Second Doctor, played by Patrick Troughton, in 1966. He remained a regular companion for more than three years, travelling through an extraordinary variety of adventures before his departure in 1969. He was present during one of the programme’s most creative and influential periods, and his relationship with the Second Doctor became one of the defining friendships in the series.

What makes Jamie so special is that he was not a scientist, an academic or somebody with any particular understanding of technology. He was a man from another time, with a practical outlook, a strong sense of loyalty and a rather different way of understanding the universe. He could be brave, stubborn, impulsive and occasionally bewildered, but he was also warm-hearted, dependable and capable of remarkable courage.

His relationship with the Doctor was particularly important. The Second Doctor was eccentric, mischievous, secretive and sometimes seemingly helpless. Jamie often acted as his protector, but the Doctor also guided and looked after him. Their friendship developed into something much deeper than the conventional relationship between an adventurer and a travelling companion. They became a team, and their affection for one another was evident even when they were arguing.

Jamie was also unusually fortunate in the quality of the stories in which he appeared. His television career included historical adventures, science-fiction mysteries, encounters with the Cybermen, the Ice Warriors and the Great Intelligence, and some of the most celebrated stories of the classic era. He returned in the anniversary special The Five Doctors and later in The Two Doctors, while Frazer Hines continued to play him in audio adventures and other productions.

This article looks at Jamie’s creation, his characterisation, his relationship with the Second Doctor, his popularity with audiences and fans, and every one of his significant television story appearances. It also considers whether his portrayal has stood the test of time, and why a young Highlander from the 1740s remains one of the most beloved companions in the programme’s history.

1. The creation of Jamie McCrimmon

Jamie first appeared in “The Highlanders”, broadcast in December 1966. The story was set in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden in 1746, and introduced the Doctor, Ben and Polly to a young Scotsman whose life had been turned upside down by the defeat of the Jacobite forces.

The character was created by writer Elwyn Jones and producer Innes Lloyd, with contributions from the production team developing the story. Frazer Hines was cast in the role, bringing a mixture of youthful energy, physical confidence and comic timing.

Jamie was not initially intended to become a permanent companion. His first story was a historical adventure, and his presence was designed to give the audience a character who could represent the defeated Highlanders and their experience of the aftermath of Culloden.

But Hines made an immediate impression. His performance had an appealing directness, and Jamie’s combination of bravery, innocence and stubbornness worked extremely well alongside Patrick Troughton’s Doctor.

The production team recognised that the character had potential beyond the story in which he was introduced. Jamie was therefore invited to join the TARDIS crew, becoming the first companion from the eighteenth century to travel regularly with the Doctor.

That was a particularly good decision. Jamie’s historical background gave the programme an opportunity to explore the differences between his understanding of the world and the strange technological environments into which the Doctor took him.

He was not an ordinary contemporary companion who needed to be introduced to the existence of time travel. His entire understanding of life was shaped by a very different period, and he often responded to modern technology with understandable confusion.

This gave the programme a reliable source of humour, but it also provided a useful way of explaining extraordinary concepts to the audience. Jamie could ask questions that a modern character might not have needed to ask, and his reactions helped make the Doctor’s universe accessible.

Yet Jamie was never simply the programme’s comic innocent. He was a Highlander who had survived a violent and traumatic historical period. He was physically capable, courageous and loyal, and he possessed a strong sense of honour.

The contrast between those qualities and the Doctor’s eccentricity was one of the foundations of their relationship.

2. Frazer Hines: the performance that made Jamie work

It is difficult to discuss Jamie without recognising how much Frazer Hines contributed to the character’s success.

Hines had already appeared in television and film before joining Doctor Who, and he brought considerable experience to the role. He was physically expressive, had a natural sense of comic timing and could convey emotion without relying on lengthy speeches.

Jamie needed all of those qualities.

He was frequently required to react to situations he could not understand. The programme could have made him seem foolish, but Hines generally avoided that. Jamie might be confused by a machine, an alien custom or a scientific explanation, but he was not unintelligent. He simply came from a different world.

Hines also gave Jamie a distinctive physical presence. His movement, posture and expressions helped establish the character as somebody who was accustomed to physical activity and practical action. Jamie was not a modern young man dressed in a kilt; he was a person whose instincts and outlook had been shaped by eighteenth-century Highland life.

His accent and mannerisms were important parts of the character, too. They gave Jamie a strong identity, but Hines avoided turning him into a collection of Scottish stereotypes. He could be funny, but he was also serious, proud and emotionally sincere.

The chemistry between Hines and Troughton was particularly impressive. Both actors had strong comic instincts, and they developed a rhythm which made the Doctor and Jamie’s exchanges feel spontaneous. The Doctor’s eccentricity and Jamie’s bewilderment could produce comedy, but their performances also communicated genuine affection.

There was a practical reason why the pairing worked so well: Hines was able to respond to Troughton’s performance with a flexibility that made their scenes feel alive. The Doctor might suddenly become distracted, mischievous or apparently incompetent, and Jamie would react with a mixture of exasperation and loyalty.

The result was one of the most convincing friendships in the programme’s history.

3. A companion who was different from the Doctor

One of the reasons Jamie worked so well was that he was not a miniature version of the Doctor.

Some companions are introduced because they have a particular interest in science, history or exploration. Others are simply curious about the world beyond their own lives. Jamie’s motivation was rather different. He had been caught up in the aftermath of a historical disaster, had narrowly escaped death and had been offered the opportunity to travel with a strange man who seemed to know far more about the universe than anybody he had ever encountered.

He did not join the TARDIS because he wanted to become a scientist or because he had an ambition to see the future. He joined because he trusted the Doctor, because he was curious, and because the alternative was returning to a life which had been irrevocably changed by Culloden.

His lack of scientific knowledge was often used for comedy. He could be baffled by a computer, a spaceship or an unfamiliar piece of technology. But this was not the same as being stupid.

Jamie possessed a different kind of intelligence: practical intelligence. He could assess a dangerous situation, understand people’s motives, recognise when somebody was behaving suspiciously and respond quickly when physical action was needed. He was often the first to put himself between danger and one of his friends.

The official character biography makes a similar distinction, describing him as somebody whose strength, charm and instinct compensated for his lack of scientific knowledge.

 

I would go further. Jamie’s intelligence was simply not the kind of intelligence that the Doctor possessed. The Doctor could understand alien technology and complicated scientific theories, but he was not always particularly good at understanding ordinary people. Jamie frequently provided a more direct, human response to situations.

He was also a useful contrast to the Doctor’s tendency to manipulate events. The Doctor could be secretive, evasive and sometimes rather pleased with himself. Jamie was generally straightforward. If he thought something was wrong, he said so. If somebody needed help, he tried to help them. If the Doctor was being unreasonable, Jamie was quite capable of telling him.

That straightforwardness gave their relationship a useful balance.

A man of his time, but not a prisoner of it

Jamie was a product of eighteenth-century Scotland. He had grown up in a society shaped by clan loyalty, religious and political divisions, and the aftermath of the Jacobite struggle. His ideas about honour, loyalty and personal responsibility were rooted in that world.

The programme occasionally used his historical background to create misunderstandings. He could be astonished by modern conveniences, confused by social customs and suspicious of things which the Doctor regarded as perfectly ordinary.

But Jamie adapted remarkably well.

He did not spend every adventure complaining that the universe was strange. He accepted that the Doctor’s world was extraordinary and learned to function within it. He might not understand how the TARDIS worked, but he understood that it could take him to places where people needed help.

That willingness to adapt is one of his most attractive qualities.

There is also something rather appealing about the fact that Jamie never seems particularly interested in becoming more sophisticated. He learns enough to survive, but he retains his own outlook. He does not need to become a modern man in order to be a valuable member of the TARDIS crew.

He is allowed to be himself.

4. The bond between Jamie and the Second Doctor

The relationship between Jamie and the Second Doctor is, in my view, one of the greatest companion relationships in Doctor Who.

It is also one of the reasons the Second Doctor’s era remains so fondly remembered.

Patrick Troughton’s Doctor was a very different character from William Hartnell’s First Doctor. Hartnell had initially been an irascible, distant and sometimes rather frightening figure. Troughton transformed the character into somebody who appeared much more vulnerable and approachable, but whose apparent helplessness often concealed considerable intelligence.

He was a clown, a trickster and an improviser. He could appear to be distracted by something insignificant while quietly working out how to defeat an enemy. He was also capable of being frightened, confused and genuinely upset.

Jamie was an excellent companion for that Doctor.

He could be the strong, dependable person who protected the Doctor when necessary, but he was also frequently the person who needed the Doctor’s guidance. Their relationship was not simply that of a teacher and pupil. It was much more reciprocal.

The Doctor as Jamie’s guide

The Doctor introduced Jamie to a universe which was almost unimaginably different from the one he had known. He showed him places, civilisations and technologies that Jamie could never have encountered in eighteenth-century Scotland.

There was an educational aspect to their relationship, but the Doctor did not treat Jamie as somebody who needed to be constantly lectured. He generally allowed him to learn through experience.

That is important. Jamie was not a schoolboy being taken on an educational trip. He was an adult who had made a decision to travel with the Doctor, and the relationship developed through their shared adventures.

The Doctor also showed considerable affection for Jamie. He trusted him, relied on him and was often prepared to let him take responsibility for difficult situations.

The Doctor’s eccentricity could sometimes make him seem almost childlike, but Jamie understood that there was a serious and compassionate person underneath the performance.

Jamie as the Doctor’s protector

Jamie was physically courageous, and the Doctor often benefited from having somebody around who was prepared to confront danger directly.

He was not a conventional action hero. He did not possess extraordinary strength or special powers. He was simply a brave young man who was willing to stand up for his friends.

That mattered because the Second Doctor was not particularly physically imposing. Troughton played him as a rather scruffy, unassuming figure, and Jamie’s presence gave the pair an interesting visual contrast.

There were times when Jamie could be protective to the point of recklessness. He was prepared to fight when he believed somebody was threatening the Doctor or one of their companions. His loyalty could make him impulsive, but it also made him dependable.

The Doctor, in turn, did not simply exploit that loyalty. He genuinely cared about Jamie, and the audience could see that.

Friendship rather than romance

It is worth emphasising that the Jamie–Doctor relationship is not dependent on romantic tension. It is an affectionate friendship, built through trust, shared danger and years of travelling together.

There is a particular warmth to their exchanges. They can bicker, misunderstand one another and become exasperated, but there is never much doubt that they care deeply about one another.

The relationship also feels unusually equal for a companion dynamic. The Doctor is the more knowledgeable of the two, but Jamie is not simply there to admire him. He challenges him, questions his decisions and occasionally refuses to do what he is told.

The actors’ real-life relationship helped enormously. Frazer Hines has repeatedly spoken about how well he and Patrick Troughton got on, and described their time working together as some of the happiest years of his professional life. He recalled that Troughton welcomed his ideas and treated him as a creative collaborator rather than somebody who should simply follow instructions.

 

That mutual respect is apparent in the performances.

Hines has also spoken about Troughton as something of a father figure, a description which helps explain the warmth and affection associated with their partnership.

 

It is important not to confuse the actors’ friendship with the fictional relationship, but in this case the two seem to have reinforced one another. They clearly enjoyed working together, and that enjoyment translated into something special on screen.

Jamie and the Doctor’s other companions

Jamie also worked well with the other people who travelled in the TARDIS.

His relationship with Ben and Polly was initially that of a newcomer joining an established team. He was the eighteenth-century Highlander, while they were contemporary Londoners. Their different backgrounds created opportunities for humour and misunderstandings, but there was also a sense of mutual support.

After Ben and Polly left, Jamie became the Doctor’s principal companion. Victoria Waterfield then joined them, followed by Zoe Heriot.

His relationship with Victoria was particularly affectionate. She was a young woman from the nineteenth century whose life had been devastated by the events of “The Evil of the Daleks”. Jamie was protective towards her, and the two developed a gentle friendship.

With Zoe, the dynamic was rather different. Zoe was highly intelligent, logical and scientifically knowledgeable. Jamie was practical, impulsive and sometimes bewildered by her explanations. Their exchanges could be funny, but they also formed a convincing friendship.

Jamie did not resent Zoe’s intelligence. He could be exasperated by her sometimes superior attitude, but he recognised her abilities and trusted her.

That is one of the strengths of Jamie’s character. He was not threatened by people who were cleverer than him in particular areas. He understood that a team needed different kinds of ability.

5. Was Jamie well written?

For the most part, yes. He is one of the more consistently successful companions of the classic era, although his characterisation was not perfect.

The most important achievement is that Jamie was given a clear identity which remained recognisable across several years of television. His loyalty, courage, humour, practical intelligence and historical outlook were established early and developed through his adventures.

He also had a distinctive relationship with the Doctor which was not simply repeated with every other companion.

However, there were some limitations.

The danger of making him the comic innocent

Jamie was often used to provide humour through his inability to understand modern technology. That was understandable, but the joke could become repetitive.

There were occasions when he seemed to be included simply so that the Doctor could explain something to him. This was useful for the audience, but it occasionally reduced Jamie to an exposition device.

The writing was strongest when his lack of knowledge was contrasted with his practical intelligence. It was weaker when he was simply made to look foolish.

The danger of making him the muscle

Jamie was also frequently the person who fought, carried people or confronted physical threats. His bravery was central to the character, but there were stories where he was given little to do beyond being captured or placed in danger.

This was not unique to Jamie. Companions in classic Doctor Who were often required to become prisoners or hostages, giving the Doctor an additional problem to solve.

But Jamie deserved more stories in which his own judgement was central to the resolution.

The value of consistency

The great advantage of Jamie’s long run was that the writers had time to establish his character and use it in different ways.

He could be funny in one story, courageous in another, emotionally vulnerable in a third and unexpectedly perceptive in a fourth. He did not need to be reinvented every time the Doctor arrived somewhere new.

The character’s consistency was also supported by Hines’s performance. Even when the scripts were less impressive, he maintained a convincing sense of who Jamie was.

That is one reason he remains so recognisable.

6. Jamie’s popularity with fans

Jamie is widely regarded as one of the most popular companions in the history of Doctor Who. He is regularly mentioned alongside Sarah Jane Smith, Jo Grant, Ace and other major favourites.

The BBC’s own character page describes him as one of the programme’s most popular companions, which is a notable acknowledgement.

 

However, it is worth being precise about what popularity means. There is no single definitive measurement of fan opinion, and different polls have produced different results.

A Radio Times reader poll in 2010, involving more than 3,000 voters, placed Jamie twelfth in its list of favourite companions. That was a strong result, particularly given the number of characters competing and the popularity of the revived series at the time.

 

A separate Radio Times poll in 2013, with more than 21,000 valid votes, placed Jamie fourth among companions, receiving 4.1 per cent of the vote. That is a different poll with a different voting pool, so the two rankings should not be treated as a direct measure of a rise or fall in popularity.

 

What these results demonstrate is that Jamie has retained a substantial following across generations.

There are several reasons for that.

His relationship with the Doctor. The partnership between Troughton and Hines is one of the most affectionate and entertaining in the programme. Fans who love the Second Doctor often regard Jamie as an essential part of that era.

His personality. Jamie is brave, funny, loyal and approachable. He has a strong identity without being defined by a complicated backstory or an elaborate mythology.

The length of his run. He travelled with the Second Doctor for most of Troughton’s television tenure. The audience had time to become familiar with him and to see the relationship develop.

The quality of the stories. Jamie appeared in many highly regarded adventures, including “The Tomb of the Cybermen”, “The Enemy of the World”, “The Web of Fear”, “The Mind Robber” and “The War Games”.

Frazer Hines’s continued involvement. Hines has remained closely associated with the programme through conventions, interviews and audio productions. His enthusiasm for Jamie has helped keep the character alive.

His continuing presence at fan conventions is also significant. Gallifrey One’s 2026 guest biography describes him as a much-loved regular guest who has become an annual tradition at the convention, while noting his continuing work as Jamie for Big Finish.

 

That kind of sustained affection is not something every former companion enjoys.

Jamie has also become an important part of the popular image of the Second Doctor. If somebody imagines Troughton’s Doctor, there is a good chance they will picture him alongside Jamie.

7. Jamie McCrimmon: every television story appearance

Jamie appeared in 20 regular television stories with the Second Doctor, from “The Highlanders” to “The War Games”. He also returned in The Five Doctors and The Two Doctors.

There is one unusual qualification: Frazer Hines contracted chickenpox during the production of “The Mind Robber”, so actor Hamish Wilson played Jamie in two episodes. The story cleverly incorporates the change into its plot, with Jamie’s face being altered and later restored.

 

The following guide covers Jamie’s television adventures in broadcast order, including what he contributes to each story.

Series 4: the arrival of Jamie (1966–1967)

The Second Doctor, Ben, Polly and the introduction of Jamie.

1. “The Highlanders” — 17 December 1966 to 7 January 1967

Jamie is introduced in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden in 1746. He is a young Highland piper who has survived the defeat of the Jacobite forces and is caught up in the attempts of the victorious authorities to capture and punish the remaining Highlanders.

The Doctor, Ben and Polly become involved in helping a group of Scotsmen escape. Jamie initially encounters the travellers with suspicion, but eventually comes to trust them.

He helps them navigate the dangerous situation and becomes a valuable ally. At the end of the story, Polly suggests that he should join them in the TARDIS.

It is a very effective introduction. Jamie is brave, loyal and resourceful, and his background immediately gives him a distinctive perspective.

The story is also historically important because it is the programme’s final purely historical adventure without a science-fiction or supernatural element. The official episode guide confirms the setting, Jamie’s role and his subsequent status as a popular companion.

 

2. “The Underwater Menace” — 14 January to 4 February 1967

Jamie joins the TARDIS crew and is immediately taken to the lost civilisation of Atlantis.

The Doctor, Ben, Polly and Jamie discover Professor Zaroff’s plan to drain the oceans and raise Atlantis to the surface. Jamie helps investigate the underwater society and becomes involved in the effort to stop Zaroff.

His contribution is largely practical. He is still learning about the world into which he has entered, but he is willing to act when danger arises.

This is an important story because it establishes how quickly Jamie begins to adapt to life with the Doctor. He does not need to understand everything before he is prepared to help.

3. “The Moonbase” — 11 February to 4 March 1967

The TARDIS arrives at a lunar base in the year 2070, where the crew are suffering from a mysterious illness.

Jamie is one of the travellers who becomes infected, leaving him seriously ill. The Doctor eventually discovers that the Cybermen are responsible for the deaths and are attempting to take control of the base.

Jamie is not the central investigator, but his illness helps establish the danger. His presence also gives the Doctor a personal reason to act quickly.

The story is particularly important because it marks Jamie’s first encounter with the Cybermen, one of the programme’s most enduring enemies.

 

4. “The Macra Terror” — 11 March to 1 April 1967

The Doctor and his companions arrive in a seemingly pleasant human colony where everyone appears cheerful and obedient.

Jamie is suspicious of the society’s strange rules and the way its inhabitants behave. He helps the Doctor investigate the truth behind the colony and the giant Macra creatures controlling it.

His natural distrust of people who demand unquestioning obedience is useful here. He is not particularly impressed by the colony’s manufactured happiness and recognises that something is wrong.

This story also demonstrates that Jamie can function as more than the Doctor’s physical protector. He can observe human behaviour and recognise when something does not make sense.

5. “The Faceless Ones” — 8 April to 13 May 1967

The TARDIS lands at Gatwick Airport, where Polly witnesses a murder and then disappears. The Doctor and Jamie investigate Chameleon Tours and discover that alien creatures are stealing the identities of young travellers.

Jamie is central to the investigation. He works with the Doctor to uncover the Chameleons’ operation and help rescue Polly and Ben.

He also encounters Samantha Briggs, a resourceful young woman who becomes involved in the investigation. Jamie’s straightforward manner makes him an effective partner in the search for the missing travellers.

This is a good example of his loyalty. He does not simply accept that his friends have disappeared; he is determined to find them.

6. “The Evil of the Daleks” — 20 May to 1 July 1967

The Doctor and Jamie discover that the TARDIS has been stolen. Their search leads them to Edward Waterfield, a Victorian scientist who has become involved in a Dalek experiment.

Jamie is drawn into the Daleks’ plan to isolate the Human Factor, and he becomes particularly important when he encounters Victoria Waterfield.

The Daleks use Jamie’s loyalty and compassion as part of their experiment. He is encouraged to form a friendship with Victoria, whose father has been taken hostage by the Daleks.

The story gives Jamie one of his first significant emotional relationships outside the Doctor. His concern for Victoria is genuine, and he becomes protective of her.

It is also a major Dalek adventure, involving the Emperor Dalek and the destruction of the Daleks’ plans on Skaro. Jamie’s role is important to the Human Factor experiment, and his natural kindness becomes part of the story’s central argument about what makes human beings different.

The official episode guide specifically identifies Jamie’s involvement in the plan and his meeting with Victoria as major elements of the story.

 

Series 5: Jamie, Victoria and the great adventures of the Second Doctor (1967–1968)

7. “The Tomb of the Cybermen” — 2 to 23 September 1967

The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria arrive on Telos with an archaeological expedition searching for the tombs of the Cybermen.

Jamie is initially sceptical of the expedition and distrustful of some of its members. His practical instincts help him recognise that the archaeologists are not necessarily as trustworthy as they appear.

When the Cybermen are reactivated, Jamie helps the Doctor and the others fight for survival.

His contribution is a mixture of physical courage and common sense. He is not especially interested in the expedition’s scientific ambitions, but he understands that the group is putting itself in danger.

It is one of the classic Cyberman stories and a good showcase for the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria as a team.

 

8. “The Abominable Snowmen” — 30 September to 4 November 1967

The TARDIS arrives in Tibet, where the Doctor is recognised by members of a Buddhist monastery as a returning visitor.

The travellers discover that the Great Intelligence is once again attempting to take control of the world, using the Yeti as its physical servants.

Jamie is keen to help confront the threat. His courage and physical abilities are particularly useful in the dangerous environment of the monastery, while his loyalty to the Doctor helps him remain committed to the investigation.

The story also gives Jamie an opportunity to work alongside Victoria, whose curiosity frequently places her in danger.

9. “The Ice Warriors” — 11 November to 16 December 1967

The Doctor and his companions arrive at a human research base during a new ice age. They discover a Martian warrior buried in the ice and become involved in a struggle against the Ice Warriors.

Jamie helps the Doctor and the scientists investigate the threat. His practical approach is useful in a situation where the human characters are struggling to understand what they have uncovered.

The story also establishes the Ice Warriors as a major recurring enemy.

10. “The Enemy of the World” — 23 December 1967 to 27 January 1968

The Doctor and his companions arrive in a future Earth where the Doctor is mistaken for Salamander, a powerful political figure planning to take control of the world.

Jamie becomes involved in the espionage plot and helps the Doctor expose Salamander’s plans.

This story is particularly interesting because it gives Patrick Troughton the opportunity to play two very different characters: the Doctor and Salamander. Jamie’s loyalty and familiarity with the Doctor become important because he is one of the people who knows that the apparent resemblance hides a dangerous deception.

Jamie also provides a useful contrast to the political intrigue. He is a straightforward man caught up in a world of manipulation and secrecy.

11. “The Web of Fear” — 3 February to 9 March 1968

The Great Intelligence returns, this time using the Yeti to invade the London Underground.

Jamie is separated from the Doctor at various points and becomes involved in the struggle to survive within the underground tunnels.

He works alongside the soldiers and civilian survivors, helping them understand the threat and resist the Yeti. He also meets Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart, who would later become one of the programme’s most important recurring characters.

Jamie is particularly useful because he is comfortable with practical action. He does not need to understand the Great Intelligence’s entire plan to know that the people around him are in danger and need help.

The story also marks an important stage in the history of UNIT and the Brigadier.

12. “Fury from the Deep” — 16 March to 20 April 1968

The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria arrive on the east coast of England, where a mysterious living seaweed is interfering with gas supplies and taking control of human beings.

Jamie helps investigate the strange events and works with the Doctor to uncover the source of the threat.

This is another story where his practical instincts are valuable, although the main focus is on the Doctor’s investigation and the danger posed by the seaweed.

The adventure is also significant because it marks Victoria’s departure. She has become increasingly unsettled by the dangers of travelling with the Doctor and decides to remain on Earth.

Jamie loses a close friend, and the story gives the audience an opportunity to see how much he cares about the people who travel with him.

13. “The Wheel in Space” — 27 April to 1 June 1968

The Doctor and Jamie arrive aboard a space station called the Wheel, where the Cybermen are preparing another invasion of Earth.

Jamie meets Zoe Heriot, a highly intelligent young woman working aboard the station. She becomes involved in the effort to defeat the Cybermen and eventually joins the TARDIS crew.

Jamie has to adjust to a companion who is far more scientifically knowledgeable than he is. Their contrasting abilities create a new dynamic, and he is sometimes bewildered by Zoe’s technical explanations.

But he is also welcoming and protective, and the two quickly establish a strong friendship.

This story is an important transition. Victoria has left, and Zoe becomes Jamie’s new travelling companion.

 

Series 6: Jamie and Zoe (1968–1969)

14. “The Dominators” — 10 August to 7 September 1968

The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe arrive on the planet Dulkis, where the peaceful Dulcians have been invaded by the Dominators and their robotic Quarks.

Jamie is initially puzzled by the Dulcians’ refusal to defend themselves. His background makes him instinctively suspicious of a society which seems unwilling to resist an aggressor.

He helps the Doctor and Zoe oppose the Dominators and plays a role in the effort to prevent the planet from being destroyed.

The story makes effective use of the contrast between Jamie’s practical attitude and the Dulcians’ pacifism. He understands the need to defend people who are unable or unwilling to defend themselves.

 

15. “The Mind Robber” — 14 September to 12 October 1968

The TARDIS is forced out of normal time and space and enters a mysterious world of fiction.

Jamie encounters characters from literature and fantasy, including Rapunzel, Gulliver and the Karkus. The travellers eventually discover that the world is controlled by a mysterious Master and a computer system which has the power to turn fiction into reality.

Jamie is separated from the Doctor and Zoe, and his face is altered as part of the story’s bizarre manipulation of identity.

This is the adventure in which Frazer Hines contracted chickenpox and had to be temporarily replaced by Hamish Wilson. The production team incorporated the change into the plot, making the altered appearance of Jamie part of the Land of Fiction’s strange powers.

It is an unusual production story, but it also demonstrates how flexible the programme could be. Rather than simply recasting Jamie without explanation, it turned a practical problem into an imaginative plot development.

16. “The Invasion” — 2 November to 21 December 1968

The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe investigate the disappearance of a scientist and become involved in a Cyberman plot involving the electronics company International Electromatics.

They encounter Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart and UNIT, and Jamie becomes part of the effort to prevent the Cybermen from invading Earth.

The story gives him a useful role in the action, particularly when the Doctor and his companions work alongside the military organisation.

Jamie is also an effective link between the Doctor’s eccentricity and the more disciplined approach of the soldiers. He understands the need for practical action and is comfortable working with people who are prepared to confront danger.

17. “The Krotons” — 28 December 1968 to 18 January 1969

The TARDIS arrives on a planet inhabited by the Gonds, a people enslaved by the Krotons.

The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe discover that the most intelligent Gonds are selected to serve the Krotons and are never seen again.

Jamie helps the Doctor investigate the system and supports the Gonds in their attempt to free themselves.

His contribution is mainly practical, but he is also important to the story’s emotional centre. He understands the injustice of a society which exploits people and is naturally inclined to support those who are being oppressed.

18. “The Seeds of Death” — 25 January to 1 March 1969

The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe arrive in a future where humanity relies on the T-Mat transport system.

They discover that the Ice Warriors are planning to use the system to invade Earth, spreading deadly seed pods across the planet.

Jamie is particularly useful because he has encountered the Ice Warriors before. He recognises them as an old enemy and understands that the Doctor’s suspicions are justified.

The story makes good use of his previous experience, allowing him to contribute knowledge rather than simply reacting to a new threat.

 

19. “The Space Pirates” — 8 March to 12 April 1969

The TARDIS materialises on a space beacon just before it is destroyed by pirates. The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe become separated from the TARDIS and must find a way to reunite with it.

Jamie travels with the Doctor and Zoe through a series of encounters involving the Interstellar Space Corps, the pirates and the eccentric prospector Milo Clancey.

His role is again practical. He helps the Doctor survive the dangerous situation and contributes to the effort to uncover the truth behind the attacks on the beacons.

It is not generally regarded as one of the strongest stories of the era, and Jamie is not given a particularly major character moment. Nevertheless, he remains a dependable member of the team.

20. “The War Games” — 19 April to 21 June 1969

Jamie and Zoe’s final regular television adventure with the Doctor is also one of the most important stories in the history of Doctor Who.

The TARDIS arrives in what appears to be the First World War, where the Doctor and his companions become involved in a mysterious military operation. They discover that soldiers from different historical periods are being transported to a series of battle zones and forced to fight.

Jamie is captured, separated from the Doctor and placed in danger. He eventually helps the Doctor investigate the operation and uncover the truth: the War Lord is using time travel to create an army for conquest.

The Doctor realises that the only way to stop the scheme is to contact the Time Lords, despite knowing that doing so will expose him to punishment for his own interference in the universe.

The Time Lords eventually intervene, defeat the War Lord and bring the operation to an end. But they also put the Doctor on trial.

The Doctor is sentenced to exile on Earth and forced to regenerate. Jamie and Zoe are returned to their own times, with their memories of their adventures erased apart from their first meetings with the Doctor.

For Jamie, that means being returned to Scotland in 1746, on the day he originally left. He is once again facing a Redcoat soldier, apparently unaware of everything that has happened to him.

It is a heartbreaking conclusion. Jamie has spent years travelling with the Doctor, but the Time Lords take those memories away.

The official story guide confirms the companions’ forced return and the central role of the Time Lords in ending the Doctor’s travels.

 

The final image of Jamie charging towards the Redcoat is particularly effective. He is back where he began, but the audience knows what he has lost.

It is one of the most memorable companion departures in the programme’s history.

8. The returns: The Five Doctors and The Two Doctors

Jamie had a very definite ending in “The War Games”, but that did not prevent Frazer Hines from returning to the role. Indeed, his two television returns are especially interesting because they offer two very different ways of revisiting a much-loved companion.

21. “The Five Doctors” — 25 November 1983

The twentieth-anniversary special brings together several Doctors and companions for a story set in the Death Zone on Gallifrey.

The First, Second, Third and Fifth Doctors are drawn into a mysterious game, with the Fourth Doctor also caught up in the events, although Tom Baker’s appearance is represented through footage from the unfinished Shada story.

Jamie appears alongside Zoe Heriot, played by Wendy Padbury. However, it is important to explain that this is not a conventional return in which Jamie has been reunited with the Doctor and resumed travelling with him.

Jamie and Zoe appear as phantoms or illusions from the Doctor’s past. They are among the familiar figures encountered during the challenges in the Death Zone, and their appearance is intended to evoke memories of the Second Doctor’s adventures.

It is a relatively brief appearance, but it is a welcome one. The anniversary story recognises that the Doctor’s past is not made up solely of different incarnations. It is also made up of the people who travelled with him.

There is something rather appropriate about Jamie being included. His relationship with the Second Doctor was one of the most important partnerships of the classic era, and his presence helps make the anniversary celebration feel like a celebration of the programme’s history rather than simply a meeting of the Doctors.

The official BBC feature on The Five Doctors explicitly identifies Jamie and Zoe as appearances by phantoms of the past.

 

It is also worth remembering that the story was produced after Patrick Troughton’s death in 1987? No — correction: Troughton was alive at the time of The Five Doctors, and appeared as the Second Doctor. He died in 1987, several years after the anniversary special. The reunion therefore brought together Troughton, Hines and Padbury once again, which makes it particularly enjoyable for fans of that era.

22. “The Two Doctors” — 16 February to 2 March 1985

This is the much more substantial return.

Written by Robert Holmes, The Two Doctors brings Patrick Troughton’s Second Doctor together with Colin Baker’s Sixth Doctor. Jamie returns as the Second Doctor’s companion, and the story gives him a proper role rather than a brief cameo.

The Second Doctor and Jamie are sent by the Time Lords to investigate unauthorised time experiments aboard Space Station Camera. The station is involved in genetic research, and the scientists are working with the Sontarans.

The Second Doctor and Jamie become caught up in the conspiracy. The Doctor is apparently killed, leaving Jamie isolated and increasingly desperate. When the Sixth Doctor and Peri arrive, they discover Jamie hiding in the station’s ventilation system.

He tells them that the Doctor has been murdered, and the investigation eventually leads to the revelation that the Second Doctor has been taken to Earth.

The story then moves to Spain, where the Sixth Doctor and Peri become involved in the attempt to rescue their earlier counterparts and stop the experiments.

Jamie is particularly important because he is the link between the two Doctors. He knows the Second Doctor and has a long-established relationship with him, but he is also forced to work with the Sixth Doctor, whose personality is very different.

This produces some enjoyable exchanges. Jamie is understandably uncertain about the Sixth Doctor, and there is a lovely contrast between his familiar relationship with the Second Doctor and his rather more bewildered response to the Sixth.

The official episode guide confirms that the Second Doctor and Jamie are sent to Space Station Camera, that Jamie is later discovered by the Sixth Doctor and Peri, and that he becomes involved in the wider Sontaran conspiracy.

 

It is a particularly enjoyable return because it allows Hines to play Jamie as a proper companion again. He is not merely an image from the past. He is an active participant in the adventure.

There is also an amusing contrast between Jamie and the Sixth Doctor. Colin Baker’s Doctor is flamboyant, argumentative and rather self-important. Jamie is more accustomed to Troughton’s quiet eccentricity, and his reactions to the Sixth Doctor are frequently entertaining.

The story is not universally regarded as one of the strongest Doctor Who adventures. It has a very different tone from the Second Doctor’s original era, and its food-related humour and sometimes unpleasant material can divide opinion. But as a return for Jamie, it is extremely welcome.

It also demonstrates how naturally Hines can slip back into the role. There is no sense that Jamie has been reconstructed from a collection of familiar mannerisms. He still feels like the same person.

9. Tales of the TARDIS: Jamie gets his memories back

There is one further appearance worth including, even though it is not a conventional episode of the original series.

In 2023, Frazer Hines returned as an older Jamie in the BBC’s Tales of the TARDIS.

The series brought together returning actors and companions in a Memory TARDIS, where they revisited classic stories and reflected on their experiences.

Hines appeared alongside Wendy Padbury as Zoe Heriot in the The Mind Robber edition. The two characters discuss their past adventures, and the Memory TARDIS restores memories which had been erased by the Time Lords at the end of “The War Games”.

This is a particularly lovely development because it addresses one of the saddest aspects of Jamie’s original departure.

In the original ending, Jamie was returned to Scotland without remembering the Doctor or the extraordinary adventures they had shared. The Doctor had to watch him return to a life which no longer included the memories of their friendship.

Tales of the TARDIS offers a different perspective. The older Jamie is now able to remember those experiences, and he can talk about them with Zoe.

The programme also provides a glimpse of the life Jamie has lived since returning to Scotland. He describes having a family, including five daughters and nineteen grandchildren, which gives the character a satisfying sense of a life lived beyond the TARDIS.

Radio Times’ coverage of the episode highlighted the emotional reunion between Jamie and Zoe, particularly the tribute to their former co-star Deborah Watling, who played Victoria.

 

It is a small but meaningful addition to the character’s history.

It also gives the audience something the original series could not: the opportunity to see Jamie as an older man, with a lifetime of experiences behind him.

10. Did Jamie grow as a person?

Yes, although his development is more subtle than that of some later companions.

Jamie does not undergo a dramatic transformation in which he becomes a completely different person. He remains loyal, courageous, practical and occasionally stubborn throughout his travels.

But he does become more confident and adaptable.

When he first meets the Doctor, Jamie is a young man whose life has been disrupted by the aftermath of Culloden. He has little understanding of the wider universe and no experience of travelling through time.

By the time he reaches “The War Games”, he has encountered alien civilisations, travelled to the future, fought the Cybermen, encountered the Daleks and faced the Great Intelligence. He has developed friendships with people from different periods and has learned to operate in environments which would have been unimaginable to him.

His development is not measured by how much scientific knowledge he acquires. It is measured by how comfortably he becomes part of a team whose members come from different worlds and different periods.

From suspicion to trust

In “The Highlanders”, Jamie is understandably suspicious of the Doctor and his companions. He does not know who they are, and his immediate concern is survival.

As the stories progress, he becomes increasingly willing to trust the Doctor. That trust is not blind, however. Jamie is prepared to question him and occasionally challenge his decisions.

The relationship becomes one of mutual confidence.

Learning to live with uncertainty

Jamie is often placed in situations where he does not understand what is happening. But he learns that he does not need to understand every detail in order to contribute.

This is a surprisingly valuable quality. The Doctor can become absorbed in scientific explanations, but Jamie understands that people sometimes need practical help before they need an explanation.

He becomes comfortable with the idea that the universe is full of things beyond his understanding, without losing his sense of responsibility.

Becoming part of a family

The TARDIS crew becomes Jamie’s family.

His relationship with the Doctor is the central one, but Victoria and Zoe are also important. He is protective towards them, but he also develops genuine friendships.

The departures of Ben and Polly, followed by Victoria, show that the TARDIS is not a permanent home in the conventional sense. People come and go, and Jamie has to adjust to those changes.

By the time Zoe joins, he is already an experienced traveller. He is able to help her adapt to the Doctor’s world, just as he once had to adapt himself.

That is a form of growth, even if it is not always explicitly discussed.

11. Why the Doctor and Jamie are such a successful pairing

It is worth returning to the relationship between the Second Doctor and Jamie, because this is ultimately the central reason the character has endured.

There have been many companions who were cleverer, more technically knowledgeable or more emotionally complicated than Jamie. There have also been companions who have had more dramatic individual storylines.

But few have had such a consistently convincing relationship with their Doctor.

The partnership works because the two characters complement one another.

Neither character is complete without the other in quite the same way.

The Doctor provides Jamie with knowledge and opportunities, while Jamie gives the Doctor loyalty, practical support and a connection to ordinary human feelings.

It is also important that Jamie is not simply a substitute for the Doctor’s conscience. He has his own opinions and can disagree with him. He is not always right, and he is sometimes too quick to act, but he is a genuine individual.

That makes the relationship feel like a friendship rather than a master-and-servant arrangement.

The fact that the actors enjoyed working together so much only strengthens the impression.

There is a warmth to their scenes which is difficult to manufacture. The Doctor and Jamie seem to enjoy each other’s company, even when they are in danger or arguing about something trivial.

That is why their separation in “The War Games” is so affecting.

The Doctor loses somebody who has been part of his life for years, and Jamie loses the person who has shown him the universe.

The Time Lords may erase Jamie’s memories, but they cannot erase the audience’s.

12. Final verdict: one of Doctor Who’s greatest companions

Jamie McCrimmon is one of the great successes of classic Doctor Who.

He was introduced as a young Highlander in the aftermath of Culloden, a character who could easily have become a one-story historical curiosity. Instead, Frazer Hines and the production team created a companion who became central to one of the programme’s most successful eras.

He was not the cleverest companion, the most scientifically knowledgeable or the most sophisticated. But he did not need to be.

His strengths were his courage, loyalty, warmth, practical intelligence and instinctive sense of right and wrong. He could be funny without becoming ridiculous, brave without becoming invulnerable and occasionally bewildered without seeming stupid.

The writing was generally very good, although there were times when Jamie was reduced to comic reactions or physical protection for the Doctor. His strongest stories gave him more to do: “The Evil of the Daleks”, “The Web of Fear”, “The Mind Robber” and “The War Games” are particularly good examples of the character being used effectively.

His popularity is well deserved. Polls have placed him among the programme’s most admired companions, and his continuing presence in audio adventures and at fan events demonstrates that the affection has lasted.

The returns in The Five Doctors and The Two Doctors were welcome, but the latter is especially valuable because it gives Jamie a proper adventure with the Second Doctor again. Tales of the TARDIS then provides an emotional coda, allowing him and Zoe to recover memories which the Time Lords had taken away.

But the most important thing about Jamie is his relationship with the Second Doctor.

Patrick Troughton and Frazer Hines created something very special. Their characters were different in almost every obvious respect, yet they understood one another. The Doctor was the eccentric genius, Jamie the loyal Highlander. One had travelled through time and space for centuries; the other had barely begun to understand the world beyond eighteenth-century Scotland.

Yet they became friends in a way that felt entirely natural.

There is a strong argument that Jamie is the definitive companion of the Second Doctor. He appeared in all but one of Troughton’s television stories, and his presence helped establish the emotional identity of that era. He is so closely associated with the Doctor that it is difficult to imagine those adventures without him.

My final assessment is that Jamie is a near-perfect example of what a companion should be. He is not simply there to admire the Doctor, ask questions or become a victim who needs rescuing. He is part of the team. He has his own abilities, his own opinions and his own emotional relationships.

He also reminds us that a companion does not have to be a scientist, a modern professional or somebody with a complicated personal history to be interesting. Sometimes the most effective companion is simply a good person who is prepared to stand beside the Doctor when things become difficult.

The final scene of “The War Games” remains one of the most poignant moments in classic Doctor Who. Jamie is returned to the battlefield, apparently unaware of the extraordinary life he has lived. The Doctor watches him go, knowing that their friendship has been taken away.

It is a sad ending, but it is also a fitting one. Jamie belongs to his own time, just as the Doctor belongs to the universe.

And yet, through Frazer Hines’s performance and the affection audiences have continued to show him, Jamie has never really been forgotten.

The lasting impression: Jamie may have been the Doctor’s companion, but he was also his friend. And in a programme built around changing faces, changing lives and constant departures, that friendship remains one of its most enduring achievements.