Jennifer Marsh - Profile
Winona Ryder as Jennifer Marsh, taken from Season 28 story "When You Go"
Jennifer Marsh, played by American actress Winona Ryder, was a companion of the Ninth Doctor. Ryder was best known for her appearance in the 1988 Tim Burton film
Beetlejuice. Since then, she had largely taken smaller roles, though she did audition for some other films (most notably
Heathers (1989) and
Edward Scissorhands, the latter of which featured
Doctor Who alumnus Tom Hanks in the title role).
In contrast to the Ninth Doctor, Jennifer proved to be popular among fans from the beginning, providing a more clear audience surrogate than any of the other revival companions to that point. Her popularity is further compounded by being the first cast member to win a BAFTA from her work on the show, winning in the Best Actress category during the 1995 awards for her work on the twenty-eighth season. That same year, the show won its first Best Drama Series award.
The portrayal of Jennifer as being a female studying for a degree in a traditionally male-dominated discipline was praised by many, especially many institutes of higher education. Her time on the show is associated with a marginal increase in applications to the University of Washington, the institution she attended.
Unlike many previous companions, Jennifer’s time with the Doctor did not see her “moving into” the TARDIS, as she continued her studies alongside her adventures. In addition, her relationship to the Doctor was very different to previous Doctor-companion relationships, as the Ninth Doctor and Jennifer had more of a mentor-mentee dynamic.
Often in her travels with the Doctor, she would act as a middle-man between the Doctor and the people they encountered, as he had a tendency to act more impersonal. Though this would sometimes put the two at odds with each other, over time the Ninth Doctor would begin to open up more with her.
Eventually, during the events of “The Other”, the Season 29 finale, Jennifer would decide to leave the Doctor, in order to properly focus on her studies and live “a human life”. Jennifer would not appear in main canon again until 2008, when she reunited with the Doctor, as they land at the University of Washington once more, where she now lectures.
Grey-canon sources after her departure from the show would often feature her teaming up with Dr. Rachel Vance, a companion of the Eighth Doctor, and tended to feature UNIT heavily. Ryder did not make any appearances in the Big Finish audios until relatively recently, making her debut in the Ninth Doctor’s fiftieth anniversary story in 2013.
Doctor Who reinvigorated Ryder’s career in many ways, as she began appearing in more films and television shows, having clearly broken her image of being “the goth girl from
Beetlejuice”. In addition, it launched a career in production, as she began working in more behind-the-scenes roles. Most notably, this would include the 1998 film
Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Kenneth Branagh, a script she brought to Branagh’s attention in the first of many collaborations.
Ryder has often spoken fondly of her time on the show, though is critical of the circumstances surrounding hers and Brooks’ departures. Jennifer Marsh remains a popular companion to this day, especially given Ryder’s position as one of many people to have received their “big break” from the show.