Doctor Who: An introduction to Kamelion – the companion who never was
By James Aggas
Of Doctor Who’s many companions, one of the most curious was Kamelion. With only two stories on television, the companion didn’t have much of an era. But why?
Kamelion is a bit of a strange oddity in Doctor Who history. In some ways, he was kind of a companion of the Fifth Doctor’s era. And yet at the same time, he was hardly a companion at all.
His story began in the last story of season twenty, The King’s Demons. A pseudo-historical, the Fifth Doctor, Tegan and Turlough arrive at a castle in 1215, during the time of King John. Initially, things appear to be normal, at least by Medieval England standards, and the Doctor and his friends even meet King John himself. Or so they initially think.
However, when the Doctor realizes the date, he also realizes that King John is in completely the wrong place at this point in history. Therefore, whoever’s making orders and ordering executions at the castle, it is definitely not King John. His suspicions are confirmed when the King’s champion is revealed to be none other than the Master.
Eventually, he finally sees King John’s true form – a shape-shifting robot called Kamelion. Part of an unnamed alien invasion force, Kamelion was a weapon designed to act as a decoy. It could not only change to any appearance physically, but also adapt its personality, too.
At the end of The King’s Demons, the Doctor gains control of Kamelion and takes the machine along with him on his travels. And thus began Kamelion’s long era as a companion!
Well, that was the plan, anyway…
Sudden tragedy
The most remarkable thing about Kamelion was that it wasn’t just a man in a suit. It really was a fully-functioning robot, and quite the achievement for the time it was made. If Kamelion had been able to be a full-time companion in the next season, it would have been seen as a truly memorable achivement.
Unfortunately, tragedy prevented that from happening. Not long after The King’s Demons had completed filming, Mike Power, who had designed the software for Kamelion, had died in a boating accident. No one else was able to operate the robot, and so, it was quietly ignored for most of the next season.
Kamelion did eventually return in Planet of Fire, still as part of the TARDIS crew. In that story, the Master had regained control of it and was once again an antagonist for the Doctor. At the end of the story, after Kamelion is damaged and begs for the Doctor to destroy him, the Doctor helps to end Kamelion’s life with the Master’s Tissue Compression Eliminator.
Devils in the Mist features the long overdue return of Kamelion this month!
(Image credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.
Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)
A life off-screen
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It’s a shame that Kamelion wasn’t able to be a true, full-time companion for the Doctor on-screen. But, like a great deal of lost potential in Doctor Who, the expanded universe at least has given us a few stories with Kamelion as a companion.
The Crystal Bucephalus by Craig Hinton features a prominent use of Kamelion, and Christopher Bulis’s books Imperial Moon and The Ultimate Treasure also featured the character, to an extent.
However, perhaps the most exciting use of the character begins this month – today, in fact – when a brand new Fifth Doctor season by Big Finish finally features the character.
Even better, the character will be voiced by Jon Culshaw, which is just perfect. After all, if you’re going to have a shape-shifting robot that is able to look and sound like anyone, having an impressionist voice that character is definitely fitting. (This won’t be the only companion Culshaw will be voicing, as he’ll also be playing the Brigadier in The Third Doctor Adventures later this year.)
How well will the character be used? Will we finally have a fitting era for Kamelion as a companion? We can’t wait to find out.
Next. Why Master stories without the Doctor are so fun. dark
Have you seen Kamelion’s stories? What did you make of the character? Do you think it could have been a popular companion if circumstances had been different? Let us know in the comments below.