Come on readers, we’ve got work to do. It’s time to take a look at Doctor Who’s most unabashedly 80s companion, Dorothy “Ace” McShane–the last companion of the Classic years. Her episodes had an undeniable impact on the style and tone of modern Doctor Who. As the Nexus’ resident Ace-ologist, I’ve been recruited to give a bit of a tour of Ace’s appearances in Doctor Who from the serials, novels, comics, and audio dramas. This week I’ll just be giving an overview of the character, and from then on out I’ll focus on specific stories.
If you’re unfamiliar with Classic Who and are intimidated by the sheer volume of material you have to explore–understandable for a show that’s been going for over 50 years–Ace’s run is a great place to start. It has an easily accessible, through unfortunately short, run of nine serials. They range from the delightful and charming camp of Dragonfire, where the seventh Doctor deliberately hangs off the edge of a cliff by his umbrella in order to create a…well…literal cliffhanger. To the political commentary of The Happiness Patrol, where the Doctor and Ace must rebel against a stand in for the Thatcher era. To the character-driven drama of Ace’s overcoming her childhood trauma, which is sprinkled throughout all the serials.
She’s an interesting companion–one of the youngest on the show. In her first episodes she is a sixteen year old, and ends the series at nineteen. She’s matched in the show only by Vicki Pallister, Zoe Heriot, and the Doctor’s granddaughter Susan. (They’re all beaten by Victoria Waterfield who was fourteen when the Doctor took her in.) All of the teenagers bring something interesting to the show. Susan is the most innocent of them all, learning to live in societies very different from her home space/time and growing up and apart from her grandfather. Victoria is aptly named, coming from the Victorian era–sweet, clever, and quite proper as long as there isn’t a lock that needs picking. Vicki and Zoe are both geniuses hailing from the far future, though Vicki’s excitement and puckish humor is contrasted by Zoe’s occasional smug attitude.
What sets Ace apart among the other teens is that she’s also a “modern-day” companion, hailing from the same year the episodes aired. She’s a hot-headed, rebellious punk of a teen dressed up in a bomber jacket covered in pins and patches with her name emblazoned on the back in big, bold letters. She’s not a genius like Zoe or Vicki. She’s got street smarts, or what Ace herself would call Street Cred. Highly inventive, she can make explosives out of deodorant cans. She flunked right out of high school–before she got caught up in a Time Storm that sent her to Iceworld. Instead of getting involved in any exciting space adventure, she has to make a living as a waitress. On a planet filled with pirates and mercenaries, Ace finds herself serving milkshakes to tourists.
Her entrance is unique, which you can say for every companion, but Ace has always stood out to me. Ace inserts herself into the Doctor’s adventures. Pulling up a chair when he and current companion Melanie Bush show up in her diner, she doesn’t even bother to learn their names before telling them all about the legend of the dragon that stalks the passages of Iceworld, and asking to join them on a hunt for treasure. She’s dynamic and brash, stealing the show as she calls one of the Doctor’s friends a “male chauvinist bilgebag” for suggesting she stay behind. Even after being turned away, she refuses to give in, teaming up with Mel to solve the mystery of the week and earns herself a spot in the TARDIS.
This love of adventure and dogged determination became her hallmark. She would refuse to stay wherever the Doctor put her, for her own safety, so often that he starts making plans based on the knowledge that Ace will charge in soon enough. Even when the threats became so dire that Ace is willing to admit she’s frightened, she turns down every opportunity to sit it out. The TARDIS is her home, the Doctor is her mentor, and she never intends on giving up the dangerous life they lead.
Ace closed out classic Doctor Who when the show was abruptly cancelled, and as such she was the companion who never really left. Instead of writing in a goodbye, they chose to end Ace’s last episode with her and the Doctor walking off into the sunset, talking about all the adventures they still have before them.
These adventures continue to this day–in novels, comics, and audio dramas. Even as those stories have taken her away from the Doctor, in various ways–becoming Time’s Vigilante in 18th Century France, or going to the Time Lord Academy on the Doctor’s home planet of Gallifrey and earning a TARDIS of her own–she’s always barging in on the Doctor’s adventures, just like she did in that diner on Iceworld.
Speaking of Iceworld, we’ll be spending some more time there in the next article where I’ll be talking more in depth about Ace’s first episode, Dragonfire.
Nicole Petit
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Yay! Ace, Victoria and Polly are my faves. Their not popular I think. I’m excited when people love them. This is great! I’m ready for next week!! Ace!
Excellent! Now the Nexus has some street cred! It fascinates me that only classic Who, really, cracked the code on how to make enjoyable, not-obnoxious children characters. All of the teen companions are either the same age as, or younger than, Wesley Crusher.
Ace! I remember those episodes with Sophie Aldred well…