Doctor Who: Why Narvin is one of the best characters of the expanded universe

Narvin has been a major character in Gallifrey since the spin-off’s very beginning. But who is he, and what makes him such a great character?

(Image credit: Gallifrey/Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

One of the greatest characters in the Doctor Who universe has to be Narvin, from the spin-off series Gallifrey. But who is he, and what truly makes him stand out?

I remember when I first started getting interested in Gallifrey. It was back during Doctor Who‘s fiftieth anniversary year, in 2013. Big Finish had released the cover for the sixth series, and it was incredibly exciting: Daleks! And bronze Daleks, too! Were we going to get a Time War story?

The answer to that question of course was “no”, at least not with that series. But it still got me interested in catching up on Gallifrey from the very beginning. I had a lot of questions. What kind of stories did the series tell? How well do Romana and Leela get on? And, perhaps most important of all, who the heck was the guy on the covers?

That was something that really drew my attention with some of the covers for the spin-off, especially for the later series. You could see him on the cover for series six, but it’s with series five that it really stands out. On that particular cover, you can clearly see the faces of Romana and Leela, two incredibly iconic companions from Doctor Who…and some random guy.

Seriously, it was very surprising to see, and it made me ask the question: who was this particular character? And why was he important enough to be on the same cover as two instantly recognizable Doctor Who legends?

As I started listening to Gallifrey, I slowly began to find out exactly what made this character – Narvin – so important. Not at first, admittedly. But over time, it became clearer and clearer why he definitely deserved that cover space…

Over time, Narvin grew to become a close friend to Leela and Romana. But he wasn’t always like that, especially in his early days…

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Narvin’s beginnings

We’re introduced to Narvin from the very beginning of Gallifrey in the episode Weapon of Choice. As the Coordinator of the C.I.A. (Celestial Intervention Agency), he doesn’t exactly come across as a hero. In fact, he’s someone that no one trusts, especially the other regular characters.

And there’s a good reason for that. There are many good reasons for it, thanks to Narvin himself. He constantly makes it clear that he hates Romana and her policies, and considers her to be far too liberal for Gallifrey. From the very first episode, he makes it clear that he’d like nothing more than to see Romana out of a job and Leela off the planet. In some ways, he’s almost an antagonist in the first series.

What changes? Not much, at least for a long while. During much of series two, Narvin still believes that a Gallifrey without aliens is far better than a Gallifrey with them. He also still strongly disagrees with Romana over many issues.

But at the same time, while he’s not loyal to her, he is extremely loyal to her office, and to Gallifrey itself. That’s a key point that makes Narvin, even during his early days, so respectable as a character. He’s not out for power, or at least, not politically. He just wants what’s best for his home planet. And that viewpoint remains true for the rest of the series. It’s just his methods and, indeed, his character that change over the series.

While initially, they started out almost as enemies, Narvin eventually became a strong ally to Leela and Romana.

(Image credit: Gallifrey/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Becoming an ally

What really helps Narvin to develop is, ironically, an antagonist: in this case, Darkel. Unlike Narvin, Darkel is eager for power, and she wants to get it by any means necessary, legally or otherwise. And Narvin gradually starts to learn that, while he might disagree with Romana over many key issues, Darkel would be far, far worse for Gallifrey.

As a result, he starts to help both Romana and Leela more and more. Especially when Gallifrey’s plunged into a civil war. He makes sure that he’s on the same side as Romana and Leela. As a result, the reluctant loyalty he had for the two gradually became a strong bond. And by the end of series three, Narvin was arguably more loyal to Romana than he was to the presidency.

This major character growth is exactly what makes Narvin such a brilliant and believable character. There are very few characters in the Doctor Who universe – with the possible exception of the First Doctor – who developed and changed so significantly over the course of a few years. It’s incredibly satisfying to see someone change from being something of an antagonist to being one of the major protagonists, especially with a character as well-written and fleshed out as Narvin.

The Quantum Possibility Engine is just one of several stories where Narvin meets the Doctor.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Meeting the Doctor

Narvin has proven so popular with both fans of Gallifrey and with the writers at Big Finish, that the character has cropped up several times in the Doctor Who audios. He first appeared in the third volume of Eighth Doctor series Dark Eyes, in which he helped the Doctor hunt down the Master.

The Doctor didn’t initially trust him, which is unsurprising. Especially since the Doctor’s had bad experiences with the C.I.A. in the past. But this is Narvin after the first six series of Gallifrey at least, so it’s quite interesting when some of the audience know more about a character than the Doctor does.

Narvin meeting the Doctor is a real thrill to hear, especially when you’ve got Alex Macqueen’s amazing Master thrown into the mix. It’s a combination so good, in fact, that we’ve had a couple more stories of Narvin meeting the Doctor, from earlier points in both their lives.

(This does admittedly create a slight discrepancy with Dark Eyes 3, as Narvin claims that he and the Doctor have never met before that box set. Still, I’m sure Big Finish will eventually resolve that at a later point. I hope so, anyway. It’s Narvin, so I’m sure memory erasure and lying must be involved somehow.)

Erasure is a fantastic little short story that anyone should listen to. Not only is it a well-written story, but it’s a perfect introduction to the character. It’s a story that highlights exactly how cold-hearted he used to be, but at the same time, due to the story being told by Narvin after series six of Gallifrey, it also highlights how much the character has changed since his early days.

We’ve also had The Quantum Possibility Engine from just last year. I really love this story, especially as we have the Seventh Doctor being really annoyed with Narvin from the start, and vice versa. It’s also early Narvin, so he’s less bothered by the idea of destroying another world if it means that Gallifrey is kept safe. Like I said: the character has changed a lot over the years.

Across many stories, Sean Carlsen has consistently given a brilliant performance as Narvin.

(Image credit: Gallifrey/Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Seán Carlsen

Lastly, a key reason why Narvin has proved to be so popular with the fans is Seán Carlsen’s perfect performance. He pitches it just right, containing just the right amount of restraint and pompousness that you’d expect from a Time Lord. Especially one in the C.I.A.

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But even better than that is how he gradually plays more sides to the character over time and showing Narvin warm up more, without overdoing it or betraying the character. There are a number of moments when Narvin is clearly emotional in a way that only Narvin could be.

The best examples are in Erasure, when he’s feeling extremely guilty over an action he once made long ago, and The Devil You Know, when he becomes incredibly angry with Romana after a mission goes badly wrong. These are major scenes for the character, and Carlsen plays it exactly right.

Next month, the character is set to return in the second series of Gallifrey: Time War, which I’m sure a lot of us fans are excited about. Looking back, it’s weird to think that Narvin has been around for fifteen years now. We’ve seen him change and develop a lot over the years, but Seán Carlsen has always played him consistently and brilliantly. And I hope he continues to play the role for a long time to come.

Have you heard of Narvin before? Are you more curious about the character? Or are you a fan of Narvin already? If so, what do you enjoy most about the character? Let us know in the comments below.