View source for Tegan Jovanka

{{short description|Fictional character from Doctor Who}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Tegan Jovanka
| series = [[Doctor Who]]
| image = [[Image:Tegan Jovanka.jpg|200px]]
| caption = [[Janet Fielding]] as Tegan in a publicity shot from the serial ''[[Resurrection of the Daleks]]''
| first = ''[[Logopolis]]'' (1981)
| last = "[[The Power of the Doctor]]" (2022)
| portrayer = [[Janet Fielding]]<br />Sian Pattenden (young; uncredited)<ref>Jean- Marc Lofficer 'Doctor Who Programme Guide' New Edition. Virgin Publishing 1994 {{ISBN|0-426-20342-9}}</ref>
| full_name = Tegan Jovanka
| species = [[Human]]
| gender = Female
| affiliation = [[Fourth Doctor]]<br />[[Fifth Doctor]]<br>[[Thirteenth Doctor]]<br>[[UNIT]]
| home = [[Earth]]
| origin = [[Brisbane]], [[Queensland]], Australia
| lbl21 = Home era
| data21 = 20th and 21st centuries
| relatives = Andrew Verney (grandfather)<br>Vanessa (aunt)<br>Colin Frazer (cousin)
Adopted Son
| lbl3 = Duration
| data3 = 1981–1985, 2022
| occupation = Flight attendant
}}
'''Tegan Jovanka''' is a fictional character played by [[Janet Fielding]] in the long-running British [[science fiction on television|science fiction television]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]''. An Australian airline stewardess and a native of [[Brisbane]] who was a [[companion (Doctor Who)|companion]] of the [[Fourth Doctor|Fourth]] and [[Fifth Doctor]]s, she was a regular in the programme from 1981 to 1984. Tegan appeared in 20 stories (65 episodes).

According to producer [[John Nathan-Turner]], when he was thinking of a name for the character, it was either going to be [[Tegan]], after [[Gary Downie|his partner's]] niece in Australia, or Jovanka, after [[Jovanka Broz]], the widow of [[President of Yugoslavia|Yugoslav president]] [[Josip Broz Tito]], so he wrote both down on a piece of paper. Script editor [[Christopher H. Bidmead]] mistakenly believed that Jovanka was the character's last name rather than an alternative, and so christened her ''Tegan Jovanka''.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=John Nathan-Turner |title=Brighton Beach Memoirs |magazine=Doctor Who Magazine |issue=234 |page=20 |location=United Kingdom |publisher=Marvel Comics UK Ltd. |date=17 January 1996}}</ref>

==Character history==
Tegan first appears in the Fourth Doctor's last serial, ''[[Logopolis]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/season18.shtml|work=BBC|title=Doctor Who {{!}} THE CLASSIC SERIES {{!}} SEASON 18|access-date=30 October 2022|archive-date=4 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204204716/https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/season18.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> En route to [[London Heathrow Airport|Heathrow Airport]] to start her new job as a stewardess with Air Australia, her aunt Vanessa's vehicle (in which she is riding) suffers a flat tyre. Tegan enters a roadside [[police box]] to seek help, not knowing that it is actually [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|the Doctor]]'s disguised [[TARDIS]]. She is present when the Fourth Doctor falls from the Pharos Project [[radio telescope]] and [[Regeneration (Doctor Who)|regenerates]] into his fifth incarnation, and continues to journey with the Doctor and his other companions. She travels with the Doctor initially because her aunt was killed by [[The Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]], although she still wants to get to Heathrow Airport to start her new job, as soon as the Doctor can get her there.

Tegan is stubborn,<ref name="RadioTimes">{{cite web |last=Knight |first=Lewis |date=2 December 2023 |title=Doctor Who companions in order: From Susan Foreman to Ruby Sunday |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-companions-in-order/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114224305/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-companions-in-order/ |archive-date=14 November 2022 |access-date=14 November 2022 |website=Radio Times}}</ref> loud, and direct, with a no-nonsense manner and not afraid to speak her mind (in ''[[Earthshock]]'' she describes herself as "just a mouth on legs").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/earthshock/detail.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224034346/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/earthshock/detail.shtml|archive-date=24 February 2020|work=BBC|title=EARTHSHOCK}}</ref> Her time in the TARDIS coincides with that of [[Adric]], [[Nyssa (Doctor Who)|Nyssa]], [[Vislor Turlough|Turlough]] and Kamelion. While she often bickers with them (particularly with Adric) as well as with the Doctor, her strength of character keeps them together and her loyalty and affection to her crewmates is unquestionable. She is close to Nyssa,<ref name="RadioTimes"/> and is especially saddened at her leaving. She is initially very suspicious of Turlough, frequently referring to him as a "brat" at first, though they gradually become friends. The Doctor notes that she is a good coordinator, and often encourages her with the words, "Brave heart, Tegan."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/rG4WFM8XC1PdPhVbMt1dG7/the-fourth-dimension | title=BBC One - Doctor Who, Series 7, the Crimson Horror - the Fourth Dimension | access-date=14 November 2022 | archive-date=13 October 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013235432/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/rG4WFM8XC1PdPhVbMt1dG7/the-fourth-dimension | url-status=live }}</ref> She is apparently able to speak at least one [[Indigenous Australian]] language<ref>{{cite web |last=McArdell |first=Ian |date=7 September 2022 |title=The Davison era at Forty: Janet Fielding interview |url=https://cultbox.co.uk/interviews/the-davison-era-at-forty-janet-fielding-interview |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114223807/https://cultbox.co.uk/interviews/the-davison-era-at-forty-janet-fielding-interview |archive-date=14 November 2022 |access-date=14 November 2022 |website=CultBox}}</ref> fluently, and shows an ability to use [[firearm]]s.

Despite her strong front, however, her adventures with the Doctor, both thrilling and terrifying, eventually take a psychological toll. She is deeply upset by the death of Adric in ''[[Earthshock]]''. After being left behind in Heathrow due to a misunderstanding at the end of ''[[Time-Flight]]'', she returns to the TARDIS in the next adventure ''[[Arc of Infinity]]'', which is set about a year later in Earth time (Although the Doctor and Nyssa have been depicted having several adventures in that time frame in the audio adventures). During that period, Tegan had worked as a stewardess, but had been subsequently fired. Soon after, she is once again possessed by the [[extraterrestrial life|alien]] intelligence known as [[Snakedance|the Mara]]. Eventually, the carnage surrounding the events of ''[[Resurrection of the Daleks]]'' proves too much<ref name="RadioTimes"/> and she bids an emotional good-bye to both the Doctor and Turlough in 1984 London.

Tegan Jovanka is one of the few companions of the classic series to be seen to have an extended family. She had an Australian aunt in the UK named Vanessa (Dolore Whiteman). In [[Logopolis]] it is said that Tegan's father owned an Australian farm. Tegan's English maternal grandfather Andrew Verney (Frederick Hall) was a local historian who had a cottage in the English village of Little Hodcombe in [[The Awakening (Doctor Who)|''The Awakening'']], and her cousin Colin Frazer (Alastair Cumming) lived in Brisbane but was terrorised by [[Omega (Doctor Who)|Omega]] whilst back-packing in [[Amsterdam]] during ''[[Arc of Infinity]]''.

Tegan appeared in "[[The Power of the Doctor]]" celebrating the BBC Centenary, alongside the returning former companion [[Ace (Doctor Who)|Ace]] and the [[Thirteenth Doctor]] portrayed by [[Jodie Whittaker]] in her final outing as The Doctor.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/tv/doctor-who-trailer-jodie-whittaker-final-episode/|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|title=The trailer for Jodie Whittaker's final episode of ''Doctor Who'' reveals returning cast members|first=Clark|last=Collis|date=17 April 2022|access-date=30 October 2022|archive-date=30 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030190245/https://ew.com/tv/doctor-who-trailer-jodie-whittaker-final-episode/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Other mentions==
An illusory image of Tegan is seen during the Fifth Doctor's [[Regeneration (Doctor Who)|regeneration]] into the [[Sixth Doctor|Sixth]] in ''[[The Caves of Androzani]]'' (1984).

In ''[[The Twin Dilemma]]'' and ''[[Attack of the Cybermen]]'' (1985), The [[Sixth Doctor]] calls his companion Peri 'Tegan', which leads into Peri telling the Doctor that he has called her 'Tegan' amongst many other names.

In the 2007 ''Children in Need'' special episode "[[Time Crash]]", the [[Tenth Doctor]] asks his fifth incarnation if he is still travelling with Tegan in his own relative timeline.

In ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' two-parter ''[[Death of the Doctor]]'' (2010), Tegan is mentioned as having campaigned for the rights of [[Australian Aborigines|Indigenous Australians]].

In "[[The Crimson Horror]]" (2013), the [[Eleventh Doctor]] tells [[Clara Oswald]] that he spent a long time trying to get a "gobby Australian" to Heathrow Airports. A scream is then heard, and he says "Brave heart, Clara."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p018fzmm€|work=[[BBC iPlayer]]|title=Doctor Who: The Crimson Horror... Preview Clip 1|date=1 May 2013|access-date=30 October 2022}}</ref>

A 2020 short published to the official Doctor Who [[YouTube]] channel and titled "[[Farewell, Sarah Jane]]", written by then-former Doctor Who showrunner [[Russell T Davies|Russell T. Davies]], revealed that Tegan was in a relationship with fellow traveller Nyssa.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8sU45ax2Hs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/F8sU45ax2Hs| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Farewell, Sarah Jane|website=[[YouTube]]|date=19 April 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Other appearances==
Fielding reprised the role in a 1985 sketch ("[[A Fix with Sontarans]]") for the children's show ''[[Jim'll Fix It]]'' alongside [[Colin Baker]] as the [[Sixth Doctor]]. This sketch suggests Tegan returns to the life of a flight attendant and has also frosted her hair blonde, before being accidentally returned to the TARDIS by the Sixth Doctor.

Tegan's life after journeying with the Doctor is investigated in the [[Big Finish Productions]] 2006 audio drama ''[[The Gathering (Doctor Who audio)|The Gathering]]''. Although she finds it difficult to enter into relationships and is suffering from a terminal illness, she tells the Doctor that she has no regrets about her time with him, and now appreciates her life to the full.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2005/09/16/24683.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060915173455/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2005/09/16/24683.shtml|archive-date=15 September 2006|work=BBC {{!}} Doctor Who {{!}} News|title=Big mouth strikes again|date= 16 September 2005}}</ref>

The [[Doctor Who spin-offs#Original fiction|spin-off fiction]] suggests that she was briefly married to pop star Johnny Chester (also known as Johnny Chess), the son of the [[First Doctor]]'s companions [[Ian Chesterton]] and [[Barbara Wright (Doctor Who)|Barbara Wright]]. In the [[Doctor Who spin-offs|spin-off]] short story "Good Companions" by Peter Anghelides Tegan has suffered a nervous breakdown and convinced herself that her time with the Doctor was a delusion.

In the promotional video for the season 19 Blu-ray box set, Fielding reprised her role as Tegan, this time appearing as the owner and Chief Executive Officer of ''Jovanka Airlines'', parodying flight take off instructions for passengers once they have boarded, with Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton playing the passengers.

==List of appearances==

===Television===
;Season 18
*''[[Logopolis]]''
;Season 19
{{colbegin}}
*''[[Castrovalva (Doctor Who)|Castrovalva]]''
*''[[Four to Doomsday]]''
*''[[Kinda (Doctor Who)|Kinda]]''
*''[[The Visitation (Doctor Who)|The Visitation]]''
*''[[Black Orchid (Doctor Who)|Black Orchid]]''
*''[[Earthshock]]''
*''[[Time-Flight]]''
{{colend}}
;Season 20
{{colbegin}}
*''[[Arc of Infinity]]'' (Parts 2–4)
*''[[Snakedance]]''
*''[[Mawdryn Undead]]''
*''[[Terminus (Doctor Who)|Terminus]]''
*''[[Enlightenment (Doctor Who)|Enlightenment]]''
*''[[The King's Demons]]''
{{colend}}
;20th anniversary special
*"[[The Five Doctors]]"
;Season 21
{{colbegin}}
*''[[Warriors of the Deep]]''
*''[[The Awakening (Doctor Who)|The Awakening]]''
*''[[Frontios]]''
*''[[Resurrection of the Daleks]]''
*''[[The Caves of Androzani]]'' (cameo in part 4)
{{colend}}
;2022 specials 
* "[[The Power of the Doctor]]"
;2023 specials
*''[[Tales of the TARDIS]]: Earthshock''

===Audio dramas===
;[[Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures]]
{{colbegin}}
*''[[The Gathering (audio drama)|The Gathering]]''
*''[[Cobwebs (audio drama)|Cobwebs]]''
*''[[The Whispering Forest]]''
*''[[The Cradle of the Snake]]''
*''[[Heroes of Sontar]]''
*''[[Kiss of Death (audio drama)|Kiss of Death]]''
*''[[Rat Trap (audio drama)|Rat Trap]]''
*''[[The Emerald Tiger]]''
*''[[The Jupiter Conjunction]]''
*''[[The Butcher of Brisbane]]''
*''Eldrad Must Die!''
*''The Lady of Mercia''
*''Prisoners of Fate''
*''Mistfall''
*''Equilibrium''
*''The Entropy Plague''
*''The Waters of Amsterdam''
*''Aquitaine''
*''The Peterloo Massacre''
*''The Star Men''
*''The Contingency Club''
*''Zaltys''
*''Time in Office''
*''Kingdom of Lies''
*''Ghost Walk''
*''Serpent in the Silver Mask''
*''Devil in the Mist''
*''Black Thursday / Power Game''
*''The Kamelion Empire''
*''Tartarus''
*''Interstitial / Feast of Fear''
*''Warzone / Conversion''
*''Madquake''
{{colend}}

;[[Doctor Who: The Lost Stories]]
{{colbegin}}
*''The Elite''
*''Hexagora''
*''The Children of Seth''
*''Nightmare Country''
{{colend}}

;[[Doctor Who: The Fifth Doctor Adventures]]
{{colbegin}}
*''The Fifth Doctor Box Set''
**''Psychodrome'' 
**''Iterations of I''
*''The Lost Resort and Other Stories''
**''The Lost Resort''
**''The Perils of Nellie Bly''
**''Nightmare of the Daleks''
*''Forty 1''
**''Secrets of Telos''
**''God of War''
*''Forty 2''
**''The Auton Infinity''
*''Conflicts of Interest''
**''Friendly Fire''
**''The Edge of the War''
*''In the Night''
**''Pursuit of the Nightjar''
**''Resistor''
*''The Dream Team''
**''The Merfolk Murders''
**''Dream Team''
**''Interlude: Meanwhile Turlough''
{{colend}}

;[[List of Doctor Who audio plays by Big Finish#Novel Adaptations (2012–2016)|Doctor Who: Novel Adaptations]]
{{colbegin}}
*''[[Cold Fusion (novel)#Audio adaptation|Cold Fusion]]''
*''[[Goth Opera]]''
{{colend}}

;[[List of Doctor Who audio plays by Big Finish#Special Releases (2001–present)|Doctor Who: Special Releases]]
{{colbegin}}
*''[[Doctor Who: Destiny of the Doctor|Destiny of the Doctor]]: Smoke and Mirrors''
*''[[The Light at the End (audio drama)|The Light at the End]]''
{{colend}}

;[[Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles]]
{{colbegin}}
*''The Darkening Eye'' (narrated by Nyssa)
*''Ringpullworld'' (narrated by Turlough)
*''Freakshow'' (narrated by Turlough)
{{colend}}

;[[Big Finish Short Trips|Doctor Who: Short Trips]]
{{colbegin}}
*''The Lions of Trafalgar''
*''The King of the Dead''
*''Gardens of the Dead''
*''The Monkey House''
*''The Mistpuddle Murders''
{{colend}}

===Novels===
;[[Virgin Missing Adventures]]
*''[[Goth Opera]]'' by [[Paul Cornell]]
*''[[The Crystal Bucephalus]]'' by [[Craig Hinton]]
*''[[The Sands of Time (Richards novel)|The Sands of Time]]'' by [[Justin Richards]]
*''[[Cold Fusion (novel)|Cold Fusion]]'' by [[Lance Parkin]]
;[[Past Doctor Adventures]]
*''[[Zeta Major]]'' by Simon Messingham
*''[[Deep Blue (novel)|Deep Blue]]'' by [[Mark Morris (writer)|Mark Morris]]
*''[[Divided Loyalties (novel)|Divided Loyalties]]'' by [[Gary Russell]]
*''[[The King of Terror]]'' by [[Keith Topping]]
*''[[Fear of the Dark (novel)|Fear of the Dark]]'' by [[Trevor Baxendale]]

===Short stories===
{{Div col}}
*"Birth of a Renegade" by [[Eric Saward]] (''[[Radio Times]] Doctor Who 20th Anniversary Special'')
*"Lackaday Express" by Paul Cornell (''[[Virgin Decalog#Decalog|Decalog]]'')
*"Hearts of Stone" by Steve Lyons (''[[Short Trips: Companions]]'')
*"Qualia" by [[Stephen Fewell]] (''Short Trips: Companions'')
*"Soul Mate" by [[David Bailey (writer)|David Bailey]] (''[[Short Trips: A Universe of Terrors]]'')
*"No Exit" by [[Kate Orman]] (''[[Short Trips: Steel Skies]]'')
*"The Immortals" by [[Simon Guerrier]] (''[[Short Trips: Past Tense]]'')
*"Fixing a Hole" by [[Samantha Baker]] (''Short Trips: Past Tense'')
*"Lant Land" by [[Jonathan Morris (author)|Jonathan Morris]] (''[[Short Trips: Life Science]]'')
*"The Assassin's Story" by Andrew Collins (''[[Short Trips: Repercussions]]'')
*"Categorical Imperative" by [[Simon Guerrier]] (''[[Short Trips: Monsters]]'')
*"In the TARDIS: Christmas Day" by [[Val Douglas]] (''[[Short Trips: A Christmas Treasury]]'')
*"Last Minute Shopping" by [[Neil Perryman]] (''Short Trips: A Christmas Treasury'')
*"Rome" by [[Marcus Flavin]] (''[[Short Trips: The History of Christmas]]'')
*"Keeping it Real" by [[Joseph Lidster]] (''[[Short Trips: The Ghosts of Christmas]]'')
*"Goths and Robbers" by [[Diane Duane]] (''[[Short Trips: The Quality of Leadership]]'')
*"Gudok" by [[Mags L Halliday]] (''[[Short Trips: Transmissions]]'')
*"The Darkest Corner" by [[Adrian Middleton]] (''Shelf Life'')
{{Div col end}}

===Comics===
* "On the Planet Isopterus" by Glenn Rix (''Doctor Who Annual 1983'')
* "The Lunar Strangers" by [[Gareth Roberts (writer)|Gareth Roberts]] and [[Martin Geraghty]] (''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' 215–217)
* "Blood Invocation" by [[Paul Cornell]] and [[John Ridgway (comic artist)|John Ridgway]] (''Doctor Who Magazine'' Yearbook 1995)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{TardisIndexFile}}
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/companions/page26.shtml Tegan Jovanka on the BBC's ''Doctor Who'' website]

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[[Category:Television characters introduced in 1981]]
[[Category:Doctor Who companions]]
[[Category:Australian female characters in television]]
[[Category:Fictional people from Queensland]]
[[Category:Fictional flight attendants]]