Muriel Frost
Encyclopedia
Muriel Frost is a fictional character
who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine
comic strip based on the long-running British
science fiction television
series Doctor Who
. An officer in the British Army
, she worked for UNIT
(United Nations Intelligence Taskforce), an international organisation that defends the Earth from alien
threats. The canonicity
of the comic strips, like other Doctor Who spin-off
media, is unclear.
A fiery redhead, both in hair colour and temperament, Frost was a no-nonsense and efficient UNIT operative who nonetheless had problems maintaining personal relationships. She first appeared, with the rank of Captain, in the comic strip story The Mark of Mandragora, published in DWM #169-#172, written by Dan Abnett
and drawn by Lee Sullivan and Mark Farmer
. Frost was working undercover and investigating Stranks, the owner of a night club suspected of selling a potent street drug called Mandrake.
At the same time, the Seventh Doctor
and Ace
had been drawn to Earth at the close of the 20th century by the alien energy structure known as the Mandragora Helix
, which the Doctor
had last encountered 500 years before. When told of Frost's investigation, the Doctor pointed out that another name for Mandrake was Mandragora. The similarity in names was no coincidence — the Mandragora Helix had contacted Stranks and used him to produce Mandrake, which sapped the will of its users, making them susceptible to the Helix's influence. Together with Frost, the Doctor and Ace thwarted the Helix once again.
Frost next appeared in the Andrew Cartmel
-penned Evening's Empire (Doctor Who Holiday Special 1993), where she was now a Colonel
(the result of a field promotion towards the end of Mark of Mandragora), and investigating the crash of a World War II
fighter plane. With the help of the Seventh Doctor, Frost entered the mind of the dead pilot and discovered that the crash was a result of a collision with an alien spacecraft
. The local records clerk, Alex Evening, had taken possession of the miniature alien craft and was using its abilities to turn fantasy into reality to kidnap beautiful women, placing them in an imaginary empire of his own creation. The Doctor and Frost entered Evening's empire with UNIT troops and managed to destroy the illusion, sending Evening into an irrecoverable coma.
An alternate universe version of Colonel Frost appeared in the comic strip Final Genesis (DWM #203-#206), in a world where humans and Silurians
were working together. There, she was a member of URIC, the United Races Intelligence Command, UNIT's equivalent in that alternate world.
media. She made a brief appearance (holding the rank of Captain in 1980) in the Big Finish Productions
audio play The Fires of Vulcan
(voiced by Karen Henson).
In a link to the 2005 episode "Aliens of London
", a page from the "official" UNIT website created by the BBC
for the 2005 series of Doctor Who mentioned a formidable female UNIT officer named Frost, who was stationed in Geneva as of the year 2006.
In the episode itself, a female Major in a United States
military uniform, wearing a tag with the name "Frost" was among a group of "alien experts" killed by the Slitheen
. According to the Series One Companion, early drafts of the script had the Ninth Doctor
refer to her explicitly as "Muriel Frost", but the line never made it to screen. The situation is muddled somewhat by the use of Muriel Frost as a narrator of the episode guide in the children's Doctor Who Classified! 3D Dossier, which would suggest that she is still alive.
Ultimately, however, given the uniform, the rank and the young age of the officer, whether or not the Frost that was killed (or at least incapacitated) was definitively the Muriel Frost of the comic strips is debatable.
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...
who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
comic strip 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...
. An officer in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, she worked for UNIT
United Nations Intelligence Taskforce
UNIT is a fictional military organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures...
(United Nations Intelligence Taskforce), an international organisation that defends the Earth from alien
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
threats. The canonicity
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
of the comic strips, like other Doctor Who spin-off
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....
media, is unclear.
A fiery redhead, both in hair colour and temperament, Frost was a no-nonsense and efficient UNIT operative who nonetheless had problems maintaining personal relationships. She first appeared, with the rank of Captain, in the comic strip story The Mark of Mandragora, published in DWM #169-#172, written by Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett is a British comic book writer and novelist. He is a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since the 1990s, including 2000 AD...
and drawn by Lee Sullivan and Mark Farmer
Mark Farmer
Mark Farmer is a British comic book artist. He is best known as an inker, often working with Alan Davis.-Biography:Farmer got his start in the UK comics industry before becoming part of the British Invasion, the wave of UK creators that were an integral part of the DC Comics "new look" of the...
. Frost was working undercover and investigating Stranks, the owner of a night club suspected of selling a potent street drug called Mandrake.
At the same time, 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....
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...
had been drawn to Earth at the close of the 20th century by the alien energy structure known as the Mandragora Helix
The Masque of Mandragora
The Masque of Mandragora is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 4 September to 25 September 1976. It opened Season 14 of the series.-Synopsis:...
, which 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....
had last encountered 500 years before. When told of Frost's investigation, the Doctor pointed out that another name for Mandrake was Mandragora. The similarity in names was no coincidence — the Mandragora Helix had contacted Stranks and used him to produce Mandrake, which sapped the will of its users, making them susceptible to the Helix's influence. Together with Frost, the Doctor and Ace thwarted the Helix once again.
Frost next appeared in the Andrew Cartmel
Andrew Cartmel
Andrew Cartmel is a British science fiction writer and journalist, and former script editor of Doctor Who. He has also worked as a script editor on other television series, as a magazine editor, a film studies lecturer and as a novelist.-Biography:...
-penned Evening's Empire (Doctor Who Holiday Special 1993), where she was now a Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
(the result of a field promotion towards the end of Mark of Mandragora), and investigating the crash of a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
fighter plane. With the help of the Seventh Doctor, Frost entered the mind of the dead pilot and discovered that the crash was a result of a collision with an alien spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
. The local records clerk, Alex Evening, had taken possession of the miniature alien craft and was using its abilities to turn fantasy into reality to kidnap beautiful women, placing them in an imaginary empire of his own creation. The Doctor and Frost entered Evening's empire with UNIT troops and managed to destroy the illusion, sending Evening into an irrecoverable coma.
An alternate universe version of Colonel Frost appeared in the comic strip Final Genesis (DWM #203-#206), in a world where humans and Silurians
Silurian (Doctor Who)
The Silurians are a fictional race of reptile-like humanoids in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The species first appeared in Doctor Who in the 1970 serial Doctor Who and the Silurians...
were working together. There, she was a member of URIC, the United Races Intelligence Command, UNIT's equivalent in that alternate world.
Other appearances
Frost is one of the few characters from the comic strip that has made the cross-over into the other spin-offDoctor 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....
media. She made a brief appearance (holding the rank of Captain in 1980) in the 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...
audio play The Fires of Vulcan
The Fires of Vulcan
The Fires of Vulcan is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:The Seventh Doctor and Mel visit ancient Pompeii just before the Vesuvius tragedy is due to occur.-Cast:...
(voiced by Karen Henson).
In a link to the 2005 episode "Aliens of London
Aliens of London
"Aliens of London" is the fourth episode of the first series of the British science fiction television show Doctor Who that was first broadcast on 16 April 2005. The Doctor takes Rose back to 21st century London, just in time to witness a spaceship crashing into the River Thames, triggering a...
", a page from the "official" UNIT website created by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
for the 2005 series of Doctor Who mentioned a formidable female UNIT officer named Frost, who was stationed in Geneva as of the year 2006.
In the episode itself, a female Major in a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military uniform, wearing a tag with the name "Frost" was among a group of "alien experts" killed by the Slitheen
Slitheen
The Slitheen are a family of massive, bipedal extraterrestrials from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and they are adversaries of the Doctor. They first appeared in the 2005 series episodes "Aliens of London" and "World War Three", and subsequently recur in later episodes of...
. According to the Series One Companion, early drafts of the script had the Ninth Doctor
Ninth Doctor
The Ninth Doctor is the ninth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by Christopher Eccleston....
refer to her explicitly as "Muriel Frost", but the line never made it to screen. The situation is muddled somewhat by the use of Muriel Frost as a narrator of the episode guide in the children's Doctor Who Classified! 3D Dossier, which would suggest that she is still alive.
Ultimately, however, given the uniform, the rank and the young age of the officer, whether or not the Frost that was killed (or at least incapacitated) was definitively the Muriel Frost of the comic strips is debatable.