Adric
Adric | |
---|---|
Doctor Who character | |
First appearance | Full Circle (1980) |
Last appearance | The Caves of Androzani (1984) |
Portrayed by | Matthew Waterhouse Andrew Sachs (one Big Finish production) |
Duration | 1980–1982, 1984 |
In-universe information | |
Species | Alzarian |
Affiliation | Fourth Doctor Fifth Doctor |
Home | Alzarius |
Adric
Character history
Adric first appears in the Fourth Doctor serial
With a brilliant mathematical mind and wearing a star-shaped badge for mathematical excellence, Adric is well aware of his own intelligence. This, coupled with his relative immaturity, leads to a personality that is abrasive and occasionally crosses over into arrogance.[1] As a result, Adric is one of the least popular, or even "most hated", of the Doctor's companions among fans of the programme.[2][3] However, Adric also seeks validation from the Doctor and those around him, and is often hurt and resentful if he feels he is being sidelined or unable to contribute. As an Alzarian, Adric is a member of a highly adaptable species, theoretically capable of genetically evolving to suit any environment, although it is unknown whether his particular substrain is capable of this. It is known that he possesses an inhumanly rapid rate of healing, though not to the extent he can regenerate amputated body parts.
Adric is present when, during the events of
Adric's death affects his companions deeply. In
Decades later, in The Power of the Doctor, Tegan works to help UNIT fight back an invasion of Cybermen. An artificial intelligence projection of the Thirteenth Doctor appears before assuming the form of the Fifth Doctor. The two reconcile, with the Doctor assuring Tegan he has not forgotten about any of his companions. Tegan asks what the Doctor thinks is on her mind when surrounded by Cybermen. "Adric," the Doctor responds.
Appearances in other media
Adric's sole appearance in the
Adric appears in the
In the IDW Publishing comic Doctor Who: The Forgotten by Tony Lee, a manifestation of Adric appears in the TARDIS Matrix, saving the Tenth Doctor's life and, in the process, dying a second time. This time, however, Adric is aware of his sacrifice, stating that "it's not a pointless death".
Adric appears in Magic: the Gathering's Universes Beyond: Doctor Who as "Adric, Mathematical Genius." He is identified as a human, and the card references his "ultimate sacrifice."[5]
Other mentions
A vision of Adric is seen, along with every other companion aside from Leela, on the scanner screen in Resurrection of the Daleks.[6]
Adric's death is discussed between an older Tegan and a hologram projection of the Fifth Doctor in "The Power of the Doctor" after the former is reunited with the Cybermen.
Adric's death is mentioned by the
Concept and creation
During the production of Doctor Who's eighteenth season it became clear that Romana (Lalla Ward) and K9 would be leaving the series and that Tom Baker would depart his role as the Doctor at the conclusion of the season. To give viewers a sense of continuity it was decided that new companions should be introduced during the series, with the first, Adric being added as early as possible so he would be well established by the season's climax.[7] He was described as a "cosmic Artful Dodger" by producer John Nathan-Turner who intended him to be "a roguish roughneck", whose charm would offset the criminal tendencies which emerged from his upbringing. However Waterhouse later noted that the Adric was written differently in each story and thus the character suffered from a lack of development.[8]
Unimpressed by Waterhouse's acting ability, Tom Baker suggested that, "Because of his amazing appearance, Matthew should have played Adric like Sabu – a little wild boy who couldn't speak. I would talk to him rather like Basil Fawlty talks to Manuel, and he'd just nod or shake his head. But John [Nathan-Turner] didn't like that idea."[9] Andrew Sachs, who played Manuel, would later portray Adric in a single story for Big Finish Productions.
List of appearances
Television
- Season 18
- Season 19
- Castrovalva
- Four to Doomsday
- Kinda
- The Visitation
- Black Orchid
- Earthshock
- Time-Flight (illusion in episode 2)
- Season 21
- The Caves of Androzani (illusion in episode 4)
Audio dramas
- The Boy That Time Forgot (played by Andrew Sachs)
- The Star Men
- The Contingency Club
- Zaltys
- Kingdom of Lies
- Ghost Walk
- Serpent in the Silver Mask
- Purgatory 12
- Chase the Night
- The Planet of Witches
- The Quest of the Engineer
- The Fifth Doctor Box Set
- Psychodrome
- Iterations of I
- The Lost Resort and Other Stories
- The Lost Resort
- Forty 1
- God of War
- Forty 2
- The Auton Infinity
- Dream Team
- The Merfolk Murders
- Dream Team
- Destiny of the Doctor: Smoke and Mirrors
- The Darkening Eye (narrated by Nyssa)
- The Invasion of E-Space (narrated by Romana II)
- The Toy
- A Full Life
- The Ingenious Adric of Alzarius
- Erasure
- Messages from the Dead
- Watchers
Novels
Short stories
- "Short Trips: Companions)
- "Hearts of Stone" by Steve Lyons (Short Trips: Companions)
- "Simon A Forward(Short Trips: Companions)
- "The Immortals" by Short Trips: Past Tense)
- "Mauritz" by Short Trips: A Universe of Terrors)
- "Short Trips: Steel Skies)
- "Short Trips: A Christmas Treasury)
- "First Born" by Short Trips: The Centenarian)
- "Short Trips: Christmas Around the World)
- "Steve Hatcher(Shelf Life)
Comics
- "Plague World" by Mel Powell (Doctor Who Annual 1982)
- "On The Planet Isopterus" by Glenn Rix (Doctor Who Annual 1983)
- "Planet of the Dead" by Lee Sullivan and John Freeman (Doctor Who Magazine 141-142) - although technically that is not Adric, but someone pretending to be him.
References
- ^ a b "A Companion To The Doctor's Companions: Adric | BBC America".
- ^ Adric: The Boy Who We Love To Hate Review The Who article by Alexander Wilkinson
- ^ a b September 2012, Will Salmon 27 (27 September 2012). "10 Best Doctor Who Companion Departures (And 5 Worst)". SFX Magazine.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "BBC - Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide - Time Flight - Details". www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ ""Adric, Mathematical Genius"". Magic: the Gathering Gatherer. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ "BBC - Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide - Resurrection of the Daleks - Details". www.bbc.co.uk.
- ISBN 1-85227-582-0.
- ISBN 1-85227-582-0.
- ^ Cook, Benjamin (July 2016). "Tom Baker: The Ultimate Interview". Doctor Who Magazine (501).