Anji Kapoor
Encyclopedia
Anji Kapoor, or simply Anji, is a fictional character
in the Eighth Doctor Adventures
, a novel series based upon the British
science fiction
television series, Doctor Who
. The Eighth Doctor
first met her in the novel Escape Velocity
by Colin Brake
, and she went on to become one of his companions
. She is the first significant Asian recurring character in Doctor Who. The relationship of the novels with respect to the television series, like other Doctor Who spin-offs
, is open to interpretation.
and Fitz Kreiner
in 2001. She is a third-generation British-Asian and worked as a futures trader. She spent a year studying in Boston
and loved being a stockbroker, viewing it like playing a game of chess
. Anji thrived on making money, but also understood that possessions only gave one so much happiness.
The series is contradictory as to whether her parents are India
n or Pakistan
i. Not counting herself among hardcore feminists
, she favoured the sciences over religion, preferring rational explanations and not adhering to her parents' beliefs in the Hindu
gods. As a result, she rarely went to temple and never wore a sari
. She considered her inner self as Asian, although she regarded George
as her patron saint
. The Doctor reminded Anji of her father, whom she was close with when she was growing up but who had grown distant from her in later years.
She speaks some French
, does not like boats, is calm in a crisis and took rape defence classes in University. Although she had travelled through Europe
and the United States
, she felt the experience too much like home and longed to go somewhere truly new — a wish that was fulfilled when she began to travel with the Doctor.
Her boyfriend, science fiction
fan Dave, dies at the end of Escape Velocity and how Anji comes to terms with his memory is a recurring theme in the character's development, notably in the novel Hope
in which Anji causes a clone of Dave to be born.
Anji left the TARDIS in Timeless
by Stephen Cole
, becoming the legal guardian of Chloe, a young, time-sensitive girl. Anji returned to her old profession and used some of the knowledge of future trends to make a tidy profit for herself in the futures markets. When she next appeared in The Gallifrey Chronicles
by Lance Parkin
, Anji was engaged to a man named Greg. It was also revealed that she had kept in touch with the Doctor's latest companion, Trix
, who continued to feed Anji stock tips. In exchange, Anji placed a share of the money aside in an account for Trix.
In an article in Doctor Who Magazine
#294 (with accompanying illustration), Eighth Doctor Adventures editor Justin Richards
mentioned that people had asked if Anji was based on Milly, a similar character from the television series This Life
, portrayed by Amita Dhiri
. Richards noted that although any similarities were unintended, companions were archetypal "to a degree".
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...
in the Eighth Doctor Adventures
Eighth Doctor Adventures
The Eighth Doctor Adventures are a series of spin off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint. 73 books were published overall...
, a novel series based upon the 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
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television 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...
. The Eighth Doctor
Eighth Doctor
The Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...
first met her in the novel Escape Velocity
Escape Velocity (Doctor Who)
Escape Velocity is a BBC Books original novel written by Colin Brake and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor and Fitz and introduces the new companion of Anji Kapoor...
by Colin Brake
Colin Brake
Colin Brake is an English television writer and script editor best known for his work for the BBC on programs such as Bugs and EastEnders. He has also written spin-offs from the BBC series Doctor Who...
, and she went on to become one of his companions
Companion (Doctor Who)
In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, and shares the adventures of the Doctor. In most Doctor Who stories, the primary companion acts as both deuteragonist and audience surrogate...
. She is the first significant Asian recurring character in Doctor Who. The relationship of the novels with respect to the television series, like other Doctor Who spin-offs
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....
, is open to interpretation.
Character biography
Anji was born in 1973 and was 28 years old when she first met the Eighth DoctorEighth Doctor
The Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...
and Fitz Kreiner
Fitz Kreiner
Fitzgerald Michael Kreiner, or simply Fitz, is a fictional character in the Eighth Doctor Adventures novels based upon the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. The Eighth Doctor first met him in the novel The Taint by Michael Collier — the character was co-created by Stephen Cole...
in 2001. She is a third-generation British-Asian and worked as a futures trader. She spent a year studying in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and loved being a stockbroker, viewing it like playing a game of chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
. Anji thrived on making money, but also understood that possessions only gave one so much happiness.
The series is contradictory as to whether her parents are India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n or Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i. Not counting herself among hardcore feminists
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
, she favoured the sciences over religion, preferring rational explanations and not adhering to her parents' beliefs in the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
gods. As a result, she rarely went to temple and never wore a sari
Sari
A sari or sareeThe name of the garment in various regional languages include: , , , , , , , , , , , , , is a strip of unstitched cloth, worn by females, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. It is popular in India, Bangladesh, Nepal,...
. She considered her inner self as Asian, although she regarded George
Saint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
as her patron saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
. The Doctor reminded Anji of her father, whom she was close with when she was growing up but who had grown distant from her in later years.
She speaks some French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, does not like boats, is calm in a crisis and took rape defence classes in University. Although she had travelled through Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, she felt the experience too much like home and longed to go somewhere truly new — a wish that was fulfilled when she began to travel with the Doctor.
Her boyfriend, science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
fan Dave, dies at the end of Escape Velocity and how Anji comes to terms with his memory is a recurring theme in the character's development, notably in the novel Hope
Hope (Doctor Who)
Hope is a BBC Books original novel written by Mark Clapham and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor, Fitz and Anji.-Plot:...
in which Anji causes a clone of Dave to be born.
Anji left the TARDIS in Timeless
Timeless (Doctor Who)
Timeless is a BBC Books original novel written by Stephen Cole and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor, Fitz, Anji and Trix.-External links:*...
by Stephen Cole
Stephen Cole (writer)
Stephen Cole is an author of children's books and science fiction. He was also in charge of BBC Worldwide's merchandising of the BBC Television series Doctor Who between 1997 and 1999: this was a role which found him deciding on which stories should be released on video, commissioning and editing...
, becoming the legal guardian of Chloe, a young, time-sensitive girl. Anji returned to her old profession and used some of the knowledge of future trends to make a tidy profit for herself in the futures markets. When she next appeared in The Gallifrey Chronicles
The Gallifrey Chronicles (2005 novel)
For the John Peel book of the same name, see: The Gallifrey Chronicles The Gallifrey Chronicles is a BBC Books original novel written by Lance Parkin and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
by Lance Parkin
Lance Parkin
Lance Parkin is a British author, best known for writing fiction and reference books for television series, in particular Doctor Who and Emmerdale...
, Anji was engaged to a man named Greg. It was also revealed that she had kept in touch with the Doctor's latest companion, Trix
Trix MacMillan
Beatrix MacMillan, or simply Trix, is a fictional character in the Eighth Doctor Adventures novels based upon the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. The Eighth Doctor first met her in the novel Time Zero by Justin Richards, but it was not until the novel Timeless by Stephen Cole...
, who continued to feed Anji stock tips. In exchange, Anji placed a share of the money aside in an account for Trix.
In an article in Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
#294 (with accompanying illustration), Eighth Doctor Adventures editor Justin Richards
Justin Richards
Justin Richards is a British writer. He has written science fiction and fantasy novels, including series set in Victorian or early-20th-century London, and also adventure stories set in the present day...
mentioned that people had asked if Anji was based on Milly, a similar character from the television series This Life
This Life
This Life is a BBC television drama that was produced by World Productions and screened on BBC Two. Two series were broadcast in 1996 and 1997 and a reunion special in 2007....
, portrayed by Amita Dhiri
Amita Dhiri
Amita Emmanuelle Dhiri is an Anglo-Indian actress. She has two younger brothers, Viney and Sanjay. She speaks fluent French and Hindi. She has also performed ballet, contemporary and modern dance.- Career:...
. Richards noted that although any similarities were unintended, companions were archetypal "to a degree".