Doctor Who: Whatever happened to Jenny?

Over a decade since she made her initial appearance in The Doctor’s Daughter, Jenny has yet to make a return appearance in Doctor Who. Why is that?

A decade ago, during Series Four of Doctor Who, The Doctors Daughter aired. The events that transpired led to the creation of a biological daughter of the Doctor. Christened as ‘Jenny’, the Doctor became a family man again, albeit unwittingly.

Whilst originally stand-offish towards her presence and her military-induced thinking, the Doctor eventually embraced her. Dancing with death upon being shot, Jenny unbeknownst to the Doctor revived herself due to the regenerative energy she’d “inherited”. The show has not given Jenny another appearance since.

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A portion of the Doctor Who fandom have been calling for a comeback for years. Plus it would seem there’s ample room for potential.

Here we’ll look at why she hasn’t re-appeared on television.

Familial Problems

The earliest possible chance to have seen Jenny in action would have been after Series Four, during the specials in 2009. If there was to be a return, this would have been a sensible point. It would have given the Tenth Doctor a chance to see her again before he regenerated.

Obviously this didn’t happen, but guesswork points to the idea that David Tennant and Georgia Moffet were romantically involved at this particular time. So this would have made a return a tad awkward. A couple acting as father and daughter would be offputting for many.

This could arguably be over thinking, but it’s not beyond the realms of possibility. After all, the personal relationship status between the two actors could have very well hindered a return. Whilst Jenny will be getting an audio series soon, it will be without David Tennant’s Doctor, further adding credence to the idea that they may not want to work together.

In over a decade, Jenny has yet to make a return appearance. Why is that?

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC. Image obtained from: BBC Press.)

Moffat’s Fresh Era

When Steven Moffat took over the mantle of head writer from Russell T. Davies in 2010, a completely different era was to begin. A new Doctor, a new companion, a new TARDIS interior and exterior, a new theme tune, a new logo and even newly designed Daleks.

As a result of all this, the inception of Moffat’s era was instantly marked with freshness. This was also reflected in the storytelling choices and, in turn, the characters that were brought back.

The first few years of Moffat’s era were to stamp his own identity and atmosphere onto the brand. The decision was made to largely stay fresh and to resist bringing elements of RTD’s tenure back into the show; even references were kept to a minimum.

In so doing, Steven Moffat forged a paradigm where connections to the past remained small. If fan-favourite Captain Jack wasn’t to make an appearance (at the time, he was the character audiences considered the most likely to return), then the chances of Jenny returning were monumentally thin.

Reluctance

There was a reluctance to pursue any further stories with Jenny from both Steven Moffat and Russell T. Davies. The original plan was for Jenny to stay dead. It was a one and done idea.

Many cite the fact Moffat requested RTD to keep Jenny alive as proof he had plans to bring back the character. However, this does not seem to be the case. After all, it was only a casual off the cuff remark where he said “Oh, don’t kill her at the end, that’s the Star Trek thing to do”. In fact, RTD, half-jokingly told Moffat that “she flew straight into the moon”.

Clearly both head writers had a reluctance to do anything further with Jenny’s character. Characters and concepts can be treated as onetime scenarios. Perhaps Jenny was one such case.

Re-introduction for audiences

Jenny would be a difficult and problematic character to re-introduce to audiences, even more so now after ten years. It undoubtedly could be pulled off with a combination of the right story and clever writing, she seems like a complicated character to re-establish.

As writers want to flourish with stories they’re confident in, a Jenny story could be off-putting and stacked with fan pressure. As the years have gone by, she too has probably been lost to the winds of the time vortex alongside loose family members established during Moffat’s era such as the Ponds and River Song.

Next: Doctor Who review: Prisoner of the Sun (Eighth Doctor audio)

Do you want Jenny to return? Do you think it’s even possible she could return? Or are you focusing on the upcoming Jenny audio series? Please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments below.