Portrayed by: Camille Coduri
Doctor: Ninth Doctor, Tenth Doctor
Story: 4 stories, from “The Parting of the Ways” (June, 2005) to “Journey’s End” (July, 2008), though she appears in several other stories as Rose’s mother or Pete’s wife, separate from the adventure of the week.
Background: Jackie is the single mother of the teenaged Rose when her life is turned upside down by Rose joining the Doctor in the TARDIS. She ends up embroiled in several of the Doctor’s adventures. Despite her (comparatively) lengthy association with the series, we know very little about her outside of her relationship with her daughter.
Family/Friends: Jackie married Pete Tyler and the two had a somewhat contentious relationship, despite caring for each other deeply. When Rose was a baby, Pete died after being hit by a car. An adult version of Rose was there at the time and held Pete while he passed, which was something of a comfort to Jackie. Jackie’s own father is also dead, but that’s all we know about her extended family. When we first meet her, she seems to have an extended circle of friends, but this decreases over time and it’s implied her association (by proxy) with the Doctor has put her into greater danger and her habit of dropping everything to help them has hampered her social life significantly. Though she initially distrusts and dislikes the Doctor, she grows to be very fond of him, particularly after he keeps his promise to her and sends Rose home and out of danger in “The Parting of the Ways”. She also seems to get along better with the Tenth Doctor than his predecessor. Jackie has a number of boyfriends and romantic relationships, but they never seem to last and, when she eventually meets Pete (from Pete’s World, whose own Jackie had recently died), the two start a relationship quickly and eventually have a child, Tony.
Personality: When we first meet her, Jackie is loud, a bit abrasive, and rather self-centered. She has led a somewhat disappointing life, having devoted most of it to the difficult task of raising Rose and providing for her on a single salary (and given her limited skill set, undoubtedly not a particularly high one), and this has shaped her tremendously. Over time, though, she becomes a selfless, clever, and courageous defender of the Earth and later the universe. She is a fiercely protective mother and friend and by the final time we see her, she seems happy and content with her life in Pete’s World.
Special Skills: Determination, protectiveness
Highlights: Taking the Doctor to task for Rose disappearing for a year in “Aliens of London”/“World War Three”, her date with Elton in “Love & Monsters”, showing up to save the day in “Journey’s End”, and the arc of her relationship with Mickey, from antagonistic (when she thought he was responsible for Rose’s disappearance) to being close friends
Lowlights: Jackie’s earliest scenes are not the most flattering, making her come across as a rather self-involved, shallow person. As soon as the show starts to give the character a bit more time and exploration, however, she becomes incredibly interesting.
Memorable quotes:
“I’m gonna be killed by a Christmas tree!” “The Christmas Invasion”
“If we end up on Mars, I’m gonna kill you.” “Army of Ghosts”
“Jackie Tyler, Rose’s mum. Now where the hell is my daughter?” “Journey’s End”
Other notes: Jackie is the first family member of a Companion to recur on the series and one of only a handful to ever appear. We meet family members of Nyssa, Adric, Peri, and Tegan in their first stories (and Tegan’s cousin in one of her mid-run stories), but they only appear once and aren’t particularly explored as characters. Jackie would be followed up by the Jones family, Wilf, Donna’s mother Sylvia, and Kate Stewart, but the exploration of her character and how she’s affected by her daughter’s decision to travel with the Doctor sets the tone for the new norm of the modern Companions.