Harry Sullivan (Doctor Who) facts for kids

Harry Sullivan is a fictional character from the British science-fiction TV show Doctor Who. He was a special friend and helper, known as a companion, to the Fourth Doctor. The actor Ian Marter played Harry Sullivan. Harry was a regular character in the show's twelfth season, which aired in 1974–1975.

Who is Harry Sullivan?

Harry Sullivan is a doctor in the Royal Navy. He also works as a medical officer for the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, often called UNIT. UNIT is a military group that works with the Doctor as his scientific advisor.

Harry is first mentioned in an episode called Planet of the Spiders. In this story, the Brigadier, a leader at UNIT, thinks the Third Doctor is in a coma. He calls for "Doctor Sullivan" to help.

In the next story, Robot, the Doctor has just changed his appearance and personality, which is called regeneration. Harry is called in to help him recover. He soon finds himself traveling through space and time in the TARDIS with the Fourth Doctor and another companion, Sarah Jane Smith (played by Elisabeth Sladen). They share many exciting adventures together.

Why Harry Was Created

The people who made Doctor Who first thought the new Doctor would be played by an older actor. So, they created Harry to handle any action scenes that needed running or fighting. Sarah Jane even joked that Harry was like James Bond because he was so good at action.

However, when Tom Baker, who was only forty, was chosen to play the Doctor, they didn't need Harry for action scenes anymore. So, they decided to write him out of the show. Later, the show's producer, Philip Hinchcliffe, said this was probably a mistake. Harry was a very likable and popular character. He worked well with both the Doctor and Sarah Jane.

Harry's Last Adventures

Harry's last regular appearance was in Terror of the Zygons. This episode was actually filmed at the end of the twelfth season but was shown at the start of the thirteenth season. At the end of this story, Harry decides to go back to London by train. The Doctor and Sarah Jane continue their adventures in the TARDIS without him.

However, Harry does appear again in The Android Invasion, which aired three stories later. In this episode, you see both the real Harry and a robot copy of him. This is the last time Harry Sullivan appears in the Doctor Who TV show.

Later, a picture of Harry can be seen in Sarah Jane Smith's attic in her own spin-off show, The Sarah-Jane Adventures. In one episode, "Invasion of the Bane", Sarah Jane even thought about naming her newly adopted son after Harry before choosing the name Luke.

Harry Sullivan's Appearances

Harry Sullivan appeared in several Doctor Who stories.

Television Episodes

Season 12

• Robot
• The Ark in Space
• The Sontaran Experiment
• Genesis of the Daleks
• Revenge of the Cybermen

Season 13

• Terror of the Zygons
• The Android Invasion

Books and Comics

Harry Sullivan also appeared in many Doctor Who books and comic stories. Some of these include:

• The Companions of Doctor Who
• Harry Sullivan's War by Ian Marter (the actor who played him!)
• Blood Heat by Jim Mortimore (a story about a different version of Harry)
• System Shock by Justin Richards
• The Face of the Enemy by David A. McIntee
• The Psychic Jungle (a comic story from Doctor Who Annual 1976)

See also

In Spanish: Harry Sullivan para niños