Josiah Samuel Smith

Josiah Samuel Smith is the secondary antagonist of the Doctor Who story "Ghost Light".

He was portrayed by Ian Hogg.

Biography[]

Josiah Samuel Smith, also known as Survey, was one of two creatures brought to Earth by Light in order to catalogue its species. Josiah was sent out to conduct a survey, programmed to adapt to the environment and thus evolve into the highest lifeform on the planet, with his counterpart, Control, kept on the group's ship unchanging. Light fell into hibernation, allowing Josiah to dominate the situation. At various points, he resembled both an insect and fish creature, casting off these forms as husks that he maintained some control over.

By 1881, he had evolved into a mostly human form, but retained certain weaknesses, notably an extreme sensitivity to light. He took over the house of Gabriel Chase, gaining mental control over the mistress of the house, Lady Pritchard, and her daughter Gwendolyn, who he had kill her own father, Sir George. When a policeman, Inspector Mackenzie, came to the house to investigate Sir George's disappearance, Josiah placed him in a form of suspended animation. Light's ship was located underneath the house, where Josiah kept Control imprisoned, seeing both of them as a threat to his existence. He turned Lady Pritchard into the housekeeper and Gwendolyn into his ward, also releasing Nimrod, a Neanderthal kept in Light's ship, to act as his butler. He retained some control over the night maids, with the day staff having little or no contact with him.

Over the course of the next two years, Josiah plotted to complete his evolution by becoming the ruler of the British Empire. He brought an explorer, Redvers Fenn-Cooper, to the house, driving him mad with exposure to Light and hoping that he would take him to Buckingham Palace as his guest, where he planned to assassinate Queen Victoria and take over the Empire. He also began publicly endorsing new theories of evolution, earning the ire of the creationist Reverend Matthews.

The Doctor and Ace arrived at Gabriel Chase as Josiah's plans were reaching their climax and discovered the stone spaceship. Josiah had invited Matthews to the house, where he de-evolved him into a monkeylike creature and then had Gwendolyn kill him. His plans began to go wrong when Control got loose and began to become more humanlike. Josiah in turn evolved into a more refined human form, losing his sensitivity to light and discarding his previous form as another husk.

The Doctor tried to disrupt Josiah's plans, reviving first Mackenzie and then Light. Light's murderous behaviour, and determination to wipe out all life on Earth to end evolution, proved a greater threat than Josiah, who still attempted to complete his plan. However, with Control now resembling a Victorian woman, Redvers gave the invitation to the palace to her and she promptly burned it. As the Doctor and the other survivors of the household descended to Light's ship to stop his programme, Josiah followed them but discovered Control had now evolved beyond him. She gained mental dominance, destroying his husks and reducing Josiah to a cowed creature similar to how she had been. Josiah was chained up, with Control, Nimrod and Redvers taking him with them as they departed Earth in Light's ship.

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Josiah Samuel Smith

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