Hex (Doctor Who)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Hector Schofield, nicknamed Hex, is a fictional character
played by Philip Olivier
in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions
based on the long-running British
science fiction television
series Doctor Who
. A staff nurse working for St. Gart's Hospital in London
in the year 2021, he is a companion
of the Seventh Doctor
. The canonicity of the audio dramas with respect to the television series, like other Doctor Who spin-offs
, is open to interpretation.
(2004), where he met the Doctor
and Ace
while the two were investigating signs of alien
activity at St. Gart's. Ace was going by her real name of McShane and working in Human Resources, striking up a conversation with Hex to gain information on the mysterious C-programme. When Hex gave Ace a ride to her "lodgings" in Shoreditch
, he spied her going into a police box
at Totter's Lane. As Hex was hammering on the door and demanding to know what was going on, Ace let him inside the TARDIS
, and Hex's world was transformed forever.
Hex aided the Doctor and Ace in their investigations at St. Gart's, uncovering the latest invasion scheme of the Cybermen
and helping the two time travellers defeat their old foes. At the adventure's conclusion, Hex asked if he could accompany them in their travels. The Doctor did not seem surprised that he should ask, and accepted him as his newest companion.
Schofield, who hated his real name and preferred to go by Hex, was incredulous of the strange things he saw, but was able to adjust rapidly and accept the evidence of his eyes. As a result, although he admitted that he did not know what he was getting into when he asked to join the Doctor, both the Doctor and Ace seemed confident that he would be able to cope.
Hex's first real trip in the TARDIS was to an Earth
city floating in deep space, centred around Uluru
, where he not only encountered beings from the mythical Dreamtime, but also the alien Galyari
. Once again, despite initial culture shock, he adapted quickly to his circumstances and, together with Ace, ably assisted the Doctor in persuading the Dreaming to stop consuming the human inhabitants of the city (Dreamtime
, 2005). He went on to aid the Doctor in overthrowing a corrupt regime in LIVE 34
and uncovering the truth behind supernatural murders in Night Thoughts
, developing a slightly flirtatious relationship with Ace.
However, after his first trip into Earth's past involved him directly in the events of the Siege of Drogheda
and the Sack of Wexford
(The Settling
, 2006), the traumatic events he experienced caused him to realise that things do not automatically get better because the Doctor shows up and also placed him in a situation where he had to kill for the first time. He became unsure of whether he wanted to continue his travels in the TARDIS, and asked Ace if she would join him if he ever left.
It was revealed in Thicker than Water
(2005) that the Seventh Doctor knew that Hex was actually the son of Cassandra, a young woman whom the Sixth Doctor
and Evelyn Smythe
met in the late 1990s. Cassie left her son (whom she called Tommy) with her mother while she set off for London to find her fortune. Cassie then became involved in a blood feud between the owners of the vampire
-owned club "The Dusk" and Nimrod
, an agent from a covert organisation known as the Forge
. On the advice of the Sixth Doctor, Cassie reluctantly abandoned the young Tommy when she became a human-vampire
hybrid (Project: Twilight
, 2001) until the Doctor could find a cure for her; before he could, she was hunted down, captured and brainwashed by Nimrod to become his replacement in the field, code-name Artemis. However, when her conditioning was broken by Evelyn, Cassie turned against the Forge and was killed by Nimrod. (Project: Lazarus
, 2003). The Angel of Scutari
(2009) finds Hex meeting his hero Florence Nightingale
. But at the end of the story, he gets shot and the Doctor rushes him into the TARDIS to take him back to where they met, St. Gart's. When they arrive, they encounter Nimrod, who finally reveals to Hex that the Doctor knew his mother and watched her die. (Project Destiny
, 2010). Angered by this, he chooses to stop traveling in the TARDIS. But in the next story, A Death in the Family
, the Doctor apologizes to Hex and takes him to meet Evelyn, who tells him everything she knows about his mother.
At this time, the circumstances of his parting from the Doctor have not been revealed.
Short Stories =
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
played by Philip Olivier
Philip Olivier
Philip Olivier is an English actor, model and stage performer best known for playing the role of Tim O'Leary in the soap opera Brookside.-Early life:...
in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
based on the long-running British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction television
Science fiction on television
Science fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...
series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. A staff nurse working for St. Gart's Hospital in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the year 2021, he is a companion
Companion (Doctor Who)
In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, and shares the adventures of the Doctor. In most Doctor Who stories, the primary companion acts as both deuteragonist and audience surrogate...
of the Seventh Doctor
Seventh Doctor
The Seventh Doctor is the seventh incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor Sylvester McCoy....
. The canonicity of the audio dramas with respect to the television series, like other Doctor Who spin-offs
Doctor Who spin-offs
Doctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
, is open to interpretation.
Biography
Hex first appeared in the play The HarvestThe Harvest (Doctor Who audio)
The Harvest is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It introduces new companion Hex. It was retroactively made the final part of a trilogy with The Reaping and The Gathering, with all three sporting similar designs for...
(2004), where he met the Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
and Ace
Ace (Doctor Who)
Dorothy Gale McShane, better known by her nickname Ace, is a fictional character played by Sophie Aldred in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
while the two were investigating signs of alien
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
activity at St. Gart's. Ace was going by her real name of McShane and working in Human Resources, striking up a conversation with Hex to gain information on the mysterious C-programme. When Hex gave Ace a ride to her "lodgings" in Shoreditch
Shoreditch
Shoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney in England. It is a built-up part of the inner city immediately to the north of the City of London, located east-northeast of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...
, he spied her going into a police box
Police box
A police box is a British telephone kiosk or callbox located in a public place for the use of members of the police, or for members of the public to contact the police...
at Totter's Lane. As Hex was hammering on the door and demanding to know what was going on, Ace let him inside the TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
, and Hex's world was transformed forever.
Hex aided the Doctor and Ace in their investigations at St. Gart's, uncovering the latest invasion scheme of the Cybermen
Cyberman
The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs who are amongst the most persistent enemies of the Doctor in the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet Mondas that began to implant more...
and helping the two time travellers defeat their old foes. At the adventure's conclusion, Hex asked if he could accompany them in their travels. The Doctor did not seem surprised that he should ask, and accepted him as his newest companion.
Schofield, who hated his real name and preferred to go by Hex, was incredulous of the strange things he saw, but was able to adjust rapidly and accept the evidence of his eyes. As a result, although he admitted that he did not know what he was getting into when he asked to join the Doctor, both the Doctor and Ace seemed confident that he would be able to cope.
Hex's first real trip in the TARDIS was to an Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
city floating in deep space, centred around Uluru
Uluru
Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
, where he not only encountered beings from the mythical Dreamtime, but also the alien Galyari
The Sandman (Doctor Who audio)
The Sandman is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
. Once again, despite initial culture shock, he adapted quickly to his circumstances and, together with Ace, ably assisted the Doctor in persuading the Dreaming to stop consuming the human inhabitants of the city (Dreamtime
Dreamtime (Doctor Who audio)
Dreamtime is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
, 2005). He went on to aid the Doctor in overthrowing a corrupt regime in LIVE 34
LIVE 34
LIVE 34 is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:On Colony 34, LIVE 34 is a news station delivering news every hour of every day...
and uncovering the truth behind supernatural murders in Night Thoughts
Night Thoughts
Night-Thoughts is an 18th-century poem by Edward Young.Night-Thoughts may also refer to:*"Night-Thoughts" , a composition by Aaron Copland*Night Thoughts , a 2006 Doctor Who audio drama...
, developing a slightly flirtatious relationship with Ace.
However, after his first trip into Earth's past involved him directly in the events of the Siege of Drogheda
Siege of Drogheda
The siege of Drogheda at the outset of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The town of Drogheda in eastern Ireland was held by a combined English Royalist and Irish Catholic garrison when it was besieged and stormed by English Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell...
and the Sack of Wexford
Sack of Wexford
The Sack of Wexford took place in October 1649, during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, when the New Model Army under Oliver Cromwell took Wexford town in south-eastern Ireland. The English Parliamentarian troops broke into the town while the commander of the garrison was trying to negotiate a...
(The Settling
The Settling
The Settling is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
, 2006), the traumatic events he experienced caused him to realise that things do not automatically get better because the Doctor shows up and also placed him in a situation where he had to kill for the first time. He became unsure of whether he wanted to continue his travels in the TARDIS, and asked Ace if she would join him if he ever left.
It was revealed in Thicker than Water
Thicker than Water (Doctor Who audio)
Thicker than Water is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is a sequel to the earlier audio play Arrangements for War.-Plot:...
(2005) that the Seventh Doctor knew that Hex was actually the son of Cassandra, a young woman whom the Sixth Doctor
Sixth Doctor
The Sixth Doctor is the sixth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Colin Baker...
and Evelyn Smythe
Evelyn Smythe
Dr. Evelyn Smythe is a fictional character played by Maggie Stables in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A professor of history from the 20th century with a fondness for chocolate, she is a...
met in the late 1990s. Cassie left her son (whom she called Tommy) with her mother while she set off for London to find her fortune. Cassie then became involved in a blood feud between the owners of the vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
-owned club "The Dusk" and Nimrod
Nimrod (Doctor Who)
Nimrod is a character in the Big Finish Productions audio plays Project: Twilight, Project: Lazarus and Project: Destiny written by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright, which are based on the British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, an agent from a covert organisation known as the Forge
Forge (Doctor Who)
The Forge is a fictional black operations organisation from the Big Finish Productions audio plays based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
. On the advice of the Sixth Doctor, Cassie reluctantly abandoned the young Tommy when she became a human-vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
hybrid (Project: Twilight
Project Twilight
Project: Twilight is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, 2001) until the Doctor could find a cure for her; before he could, she was hunted down, captured and brainwashed by Nimrod to become his replacement in the field, code-name Artemis. However, when her conditioning was broken by Evelyn, Cassie turned against the Forge and was killed by Nimrod. (Project: Lazarus
Project Lazarus
Project: Lazarus is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is a sequel to Project: Twilight and a predecessor to Project: Destiny.-Plot:...
, 2003). The Angel of Scutari
The Angel of Scutari
The Angel of Scutari is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
(2009) finds Hex meeting his hero Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
. But at the end of the story, he gets shot and the Doctor rushes him into the TARDIS to take him back to where they met, St. Gart's. When they arrive, they encounter Nimrod, who finally reveals to Hex that the Doctor knew his mother and watched her die. (Project Destiny
Project Destiny (Doctor Who audio)
Project: Destiny is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is a sequel to Project: Twilight and Project: Lazarus.-Plot:...
, 2010). Angered by this, he chooses to stop traveling in the TARDIS. But in the next story, A Death in the Family
A Death in the Family (Doctor Who audio)
A Death in the Family is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. -Plot:...
, the Doctor apologizes to Hex and takes him to meet Evelyn, who tells him everything she knows about his mother.
At this time, the circumstances of his parting from the Doctor have not been revealed.
Audios
- The HarvestThe Harvest (Doctor Who audio)The Harvest is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It introduces new companion Hex. It was retroactively made the final part of a trilogy with The Reaping and The Gathering, with all three sporting similar designs for...
- DreamtimeDreamtime (Doctor Who audio)Dreamtime is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
- LIVE 34LIVE 34LIVE 34 is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:On Colony 34, LIVE 34 is a news station delivering news every hour of every day...
- Night ThoughtsNight Thoughts (Doctor Who audio)Night Thoughts is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
- The Veiled LeopardThe Veiled LeopardThe Veiled Leopard is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
- The SettlingThe SettlingThe Settling is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
- No Man's LandNo Man's Land (Doctor Who audio)No Man's Land is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Synopsis:The Seventh Doctor, Ace and Hex land in Northern France in 1917 during World War I...
- NocturneNocturne (Doctor Who audio)Nocturne is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:The Seventh Doctor, Ace and Hex arrive on a human colony world beloved by the Doctor for its art and music.-Cast:...
- The Dark HusbandThe Dark HusbandThe Dark Husband is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. -Cast:*Seventh Doctor - Sylvester McCoy*Ace - Sophie Aldred*Hex - Philip Olivier*Ori - Danny Webb...
- Forty FiveForty Five (Doctor Who audio)Forty-five is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. As the play released at the forty-fifth anniversary of the first episode of Doctor Who, it is made of four one-part stories, by different authors, rather than the...
- The Magic MousetrapThe Magic MousetrapThe Magic Mousetrap is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
- Enemy of the DaleksEnemy of the DaleksEnemy of the Daleks is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
- The Angel of ScutariThe Angel of ScutariThe Angel of Scutari is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
- Project DestinyProject Destiny (Doctor Who audio)Project: Destiny is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is a sequel to Project: Twilight and Project: Lazarus.-Plot:...
- A Death in the FamilyA Death in the Family (Doctor Who audio)A Death in the Family is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. -Plot:...
- Lurkers at Sunlight's EdgeLurkers at Sunlight's EdgeLurkers at Sunlight's Edge is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. -Plot:...
Short Stories =
- "These Things Take Time" by Samantha Baker (Short Trips: MonstersShort Trips: MonstersShort Trips: Monsters is a Big Finish original anthology edited by Ian Farrington and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The collection's theme is monsters.-Stories:-External links:*...
) - "Natalie's Diary" by Joseph LidsterJoseph LidsterJoseph Lidster is an English television writer best known for his work on the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.-Biography:His debut work was the audio play The Rapture for Big Finish Productions in 2002...
(Short Trips: Dalek EmpireShort Trips: Dalek EmpireShort Trips: Dalek Empire is a Big Finish original anthology edited by Nicholas Briggs with Simon Guerrier and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The collection explores characters and events from the Dalek Empire audio series.-Stories:-External links:*...
) - "The Report" by Gary RussellGary RussellGary James Russell is a freelance writer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs in other media...
(Short Trips: SnapshotsShort Trips: SnapshotsShort Trips: Snapshots is a Big Finish original anthology edited by Joseph Lidster and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
)