“Steady on…..’old girl!'” Harry [to Sarah-Jane] Ark In Space – 1974.
Bumbling uppercrust UNIT medical officer.
Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter) was an Army Medical Doctor – who was working with UNIT, during the events of Robot – 1974, when he met and cared for the newly regenerated Fourth Doctor – and also met companion; Sarah-Jane Smith.
The character was originally introduced – as the “action” element counterpoint, to an ‘intended’ older new Doctor but when the part went to Tom Baker – (the then youngest Doctor cast – at 39) – Harry was surplus to requirements.
However, Harry was still a likeable and able foil to the Fourth Doctor and Sarah-Jane and completed the duo with a nice dynamic, he should of stayed in the show – much longer, than he did.
Harry was a posh, ‘stiff upper-lip’ type Englishman and he was particularly fond of Sarah-Jane, who he referred to as – “old girl”. Whilst the Fourth Doctor, sometimes referred to Harry as “an imbecile!”.
This was due, to Harry being a bit of a clumsy oaf. Sometimes accidentally getting the trio into danger, such as in The Ark In Space – 1975 when he accidentally switched on a deadly robotic self-defence guard, on Space Station Nerva.
Harry’s reward for being clumsy, was to lose his shoes; as the Doctor used them to distract the robotic guard; whilst he turned it off – and Harry’s shoes were vapourised.
In Robot – 1974, a mad scientist had created an artificially intelligent robot; which became self-aware and grew to 100-foot tall and went on the rampage – and Harry helped the Doctor – and UNIT stop it.
In reward, the Doctor took Harry on a trip to the moon and back – but Harry being clumsy, accidentally sent the Tardis a millennia into the future in The Ark in Space – 1974.
The human race were in hibernation on space-station Nerva, whilst the Earth recovered from solar bombardment.
Harry not only had to contend with the reality of time-travel – but also alien life; as he met and fought against the horrific insect Wirrn – who were eating and impregnating the human survivors.
Harry made it back to Earth in another UNIT adventure – Terror Of The Zygon’s – 1975. This serial was notable, as Harry was captured and duplicated by a Zygon. The Harry duplicate then terrorised Sarah-Jane in a barn, before it fell to it’s death from the roofspace – whilst lunging at Sarah-Jane with a pitchfork.
Harry appeared again in the Android Invasion – 1976, having been duplicated again by androids, intent on invading Earth.
Once the threat was defeated. The real Harry decided to stay on Earth, having had enough excitement with the Doctor and Sarah-Jane – to last a lifetime.
Harry didn’t appear again in the series, which was a shame – as he was an interesting and able character; who complimented the Fourth Doctor and Sarah-Jane.
