Could Jamie Read?

[Rob McCow]

He's the hairy scary kilt-wearing savage from the Highlands of Scotland, Jamie McCrimmon where he used to pipe for his country and 'Murd-der' the English. He believes in folk legends such as The Phantom Piper and when young people are being kidnapped at Gatwick, he's sure they've been eaten by the 'Flying metal beastie!'

But would he have been able to read when he met the Doctor? There's some suggestion that he was from a noble family, but he was only a young piper from a farming community, hardly an educated Prince. The Doctor may have taught him to read in the TARDIS (imagine how much fun that would be!) but would he have been likely to have had the skill before hand?

[Pip Madeley]

Well, he seems to manage alright by The Mind Robber. He also showed signs of 'rapid learning' in The Dominators. So yes, maybe the Doctor was helping him pass his 11+...

[Logo Polish]

I've also seen it suggested that he might have learned the expression "a square meal", which he apparently uses in Wheel In Space, from the Doctor.

Would he have known who Gulliver was? Gulliver's Travels was first published in 1726, only 20 years before when The Highlanders was set, but it was reportedly a favourite book, even for children, from very early on. Even if Jamie couldn't read, someone might have read the Lilliput and Brobdingnag bits to him in childhood maybe? Although I'm not sure how widely the book was circulated in Scotland in the 1720s or 30s, or what kind of reading habits Highland communities had at the time.

IIRC, The Mind Robber hedges its bets by leaving that matter unclear.

[Dirk Gently]

The Mind Robber hedges its bets by leaving that matter unclear.

Always a good stand-by for the BBC. If in doubt, fudge the facts.

[Phillip Culley]

When's the first time Jamie actually reads something? I'm pretty sure in The Evil of the Daleks he can read, as I think he read Perry's card in the first episode.

Although, being picky, there's very little time between episodes for him to be taught - there's no narrative gap between The Highlanders and The Macra Terror, and The Faceless Ones leads straight into The Evil of the Daleks.

[Rob McCow]

He can certainly read by Evil, because he reads Victoria's monogram on her handkerchief (V.W.) Although that might just be spelling out letters.

And in the Mind Robber he's reading ticker tape. Although some would say that the whole of that story was just the Doctor's dream anyway.

[Jeff]

There's an unaired episode somewhere:

"Doctor, how come I know how to read? I've never learned how to read."

"Oh! It's a trick of the TARDIS! It gets inside your head and translates things. Even if you don't know how to read, the TARDIS does so you do too!"

[Captain Tancredi]

He also reads his evacuation tag in 'The Ice Warriors'.

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

There's an unaired episode somewhere:

"Doctor, how come I know how to read? I've never learned how to read."

"Oh! It's a trick of the TARDIS! It gets inside your head and translates things. Even if you don't know how to read, the TARDIS does so you do too!"

Actually as much as I'm a TARDIS fan, this "the TARDIS can translate everything (including writing)" thing is starting to get on my nerves a bit - it didn't work very well in Fenric did it??

As for Jamie well he must have been able to read, otherwise how would he have learnt his script for each episode???

[Si Hunt]

The Fenric ruins were very old, so it makes sense that, as in "The Impossible Planet", translating the scripture was beyond the TARDIS' capabilities.

Si.

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

Do you know, even when I was writing my last post I just knew that someone would say that!!!!

My memory is terrible but I have a vague recollection of the whole 'translating' alien languages being referred to in Masque of Mandragora. I think I can remember the Doctor saying to Sarah that she could understand alien languages because of him, I don't recall the TARDIS being mentioned - although I could be wrong.
I suppose the 'Doctor being part of the circuit' scenario from TCI kind of shuts me up really.
Oh well, back to the drawing board with my posts I think!!!

[Logo Polish]

I think the Fenric runes were only supposed to be about 1200 years old though, weren't they? Whereas the Impossible Planet writing was (it was hinted) so old it dated from before time or something?

That said, though, the whole thing's full of improbablilities if you examine it too closely. After all, why aren't the signs in Paris all in English in City of Death? Then there's the Foamasi's native language...

[The Secretive Bus]

Did someone mention Foamasi?

[Si Hunt]

Quiet you.

Si.

[Jeff]

this "the TARDIS can translate everything (including writing)" thing is starting to get on my nerves a bit - it didn't work very well in Fenric did it??

The Doctor didn't have the 'writing' option ticked in his TARDIS translator back then. Later on he went into Windows and changed the settings.

[Draculasaurus]

Jamie reads Zoe's message written on the wall in "The Invasion" easily enough.

[Rob McCow]

Ah - well spotted! (Welcome to the board!)

It makes it even more of a pain that he probably forgets how to read at the end of The War Games.

[Jonno]

He also reads the name "John Smith" in The Wheel in Space on some box or other and promptly uses it for the Doctor's name - something still referred to on TV 40 years on!

[Jason Thompson]

Other instances: Jamie reads Kemel's name when he writes it in the dust in The Evil Of The Daleks (though earlier he said the Doctor told him the sign above Waterfield's shop said 'Genuine Victorian antiques', so perhaps his reading skills are limited at this point), and in The Web Of Fear he reads the underground map while in the tunnels with Evans. Interestingly Frazer Hines, whether by direction or improvisation, makes Jamie pronounce 'Monument' as though he is piecing the word together syllable by syllable, as if reading it for the first time, so someone somewhere might have been thinking of Jamie's limited learning on the literacy front.

[shada pavlova]

The Fenric ruins were very old, so it makes sense that, as in "The Impossible Planet", translating the scripture was beyond the TARDIS' capabilities.

So what about the Russian top secret documents? How come Ace couldn't read them?

It makes it even more of a pain that he probably forgets how to read at the end of The War Games.

But the CIA restored his memories (and therefore presumably his ability to read) for their mission to Space Station Camera, didn't they?

And he still seems to have all his memories in The World Shapers, so it looks like they didn't wipe his mind again after that.