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John Smith is a minor but significant character in Doctor Who, serving as the main protagonist of the novel Human Nature, and it's TV adaptation Human Nature/The Family of Blood. He is the human identity of the Doctor, with his name being taken from his main alias, who acts as a teacher in pre World War I England, whose simple life would become irreversibly disrupted when aliens seeking the Doctor's Time Lord DNA invade.
He is portrayed by David Tennant in Human Nature/The Family of Blood (2007) and portrayed by Ncuti Gatwa in the two part season two finale of Wish World and The Reality War (2025).
History[]
According to the mini-sode Shadow of a Doubt the story of Human Nature, and thus of John Smith occurred multiple times in different ways.
Virgin New Adventures[]
The Seventh Doctor decided to take on a human identity after Bernice Summerfield lost the Medieval Knight Guy de Carnac, who she had fallen in love with, due to being unable to connect with her grief on a human level. He bought a biodata pod from an interplanetary flea market, in the hope that the experience would help him better understand his friends and humanity. Having written a note for Benny detailing a list of things that she shouldn’t allow his human self to do, the Doctor took on the persona of John Smith. According to these new memories, John Smith was a Scotsman from Aberdeen, who became a history teacher, specifically that of the Bronze Age, at Hulton College in Farringham, Norfolk in 1914, alongside his niece Bernice.
John Smith was as eccentric as the Doctor, but far more emotionally available, being far less calculating. He fell in love with teacher Joan Redfern, and wrote a story called The Old Man in the Police Box, about a Victorian scientist who helped a civilisation learn time travel. However the Aubertides, whom had sold the Doctor the pod, invaded, planning to steal the ability to regenerate, and John learned about his connection with the Doctor. Even amid his confusion and fear over his identity, Smith found himself incapable of firing back against the Aubertides in anger even after they killed one of the boys in his House right in front of him. Smith attempted to do what he could to stop them, briefly contemplating handing the pod over to the Aubertides to make them leave before discovering they planned to reproduce and conquer Gallifrey, quickly changing his mind even though it wouldn’t affect him
In the end, John was communicated with "Verity", who he remembered as his first love and was in fact based on the TARDIS, who made him accept that he and the Doctor were essentially the same person, both possessing the same refusal to be cruel or cowardly. When the Doctor was restored, he tricked one of the Aubertides into activating the pod, transforming him into John Smith. Smith sacrificed himself to defeat the Aubertides, and he and the Doctor had a brief conversation where the Doctor assured Smith that he was a good Doctor, before Smith was taken by the Eternal Death. Saying goodbye to Joan on Smith’s behalf, The Doctor assured her that Smith had genuinely cared for her even if he couldn’t feel that way himself, Joan giving him her cat Wolsey as a reminder.
Doctor Who[]
The Tenth Doctor takes on the identity of John Smith in Human Nature due to being pursued by the Family of Blood, who wish to use his Time Lord DNA to extend their lives. He uses a Time Lord device, the Chameleon Arch, to transform his biology, entrusting his companion Martha Jones to look after his essence, stored in a fobwatch, and the TARDIS creating a history and setting for John. According to these faked memories, John was born in the 1880s to Sydney and Verity. He was raised in the Radford Parade district of Nottingham, on Broadmarsh Street. The Smith family retained a maid, Martha Jones, who continued to serve John after his parents' deaths. John received an excellent classical education and became a schoolteacher himself. He studied art in Ireland, in an area known as "Gallifrey".
Under the Rani's Influence[]
During May 24 and 25th of 2025, The Fifteenth Doctor goes under the Alias of John Smith with no memory of his life, but living a life with Belinda and her daughter, Poppy. He also works in UNIT now used for national insurance. In this world there are no doubts as this is caused by the Rani, Conrad, and Desiderium. However with disruptions from Susan Foreman and Rogue, he is now aware that he is in the wrong version of reality. He then observes this proof by doubting, causing items to fall through solid objects. Belinda calls the police on John and is also arrested with him. The Police officer is revealed to be Mrs. Flood in disguise and takes them to the bone palace. The new bi-generated Rani then takes John and taunts him of his memories, ultimately ending up on a balcony. As reality crumbles, John gathers his memories back together and regains his memory that he is the Doctor as he falls to the crumbled earth below. However he is saved by Anita pulling him into the time hotel. John then learns that the entire Earth and its events are in a timeloop from the wish Conrad had made. John smith became The Doctor again after removing his tie and then with the help of Anita, they use the time hotels doors to restore everyone's memories.
Gallery[]
_kisses_Joan_Redfern.jpeg "John Smith (Tenth Doctor) kisses Joan Redfern.jpeg (336 KB)")
Trivia[]
- The Old Man and the Police Box is heavily implied to be based on the Other, a founding father of Gallifrey from the New Adventures, who is indicated to have been reincarnated as the Doctor.
- The name John Smith, as of 2013, is now an unintentional Easter egg in the list of actors who play the Doctor
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