THEORIES OF RELATEEVEETY - "DOCTOR WHO" & "OUTLANDER"

With my theories of “relateeveety,” I make familial connections between two TV characters from different TV series which normally don’t have any connection to each other.  These family trees then provide that theoretical connection.  I usually make these connections between two characters who were portrayed by the same actor.  If those characters share the same period in the timeline, I usually suggest my own version of that television trope of the “identical cousins”.  But for my darker vision of that concept, it’s not like ‘The Patty Duke Show’, where Patty and Cathy Lane were identical cousins because their fathers were identical twins (Martin and Kenneth Lane.)  Usually in Toobworld, the reason goes back a generation for examples of infidelity – most times a cheating husband, but sometimes a wife who strays as well. 

And in Toobworld, telegenetics is strong; exact combinations of DNA strands can repeat several times over in a family’s lineage.  (This was made television fact with one episode of ‘Simon And Simon’, as we saw ancestors of Rick and AJ Simon down through the ages and each pair of them looked exactly like the Simon brothers.

But I don’t always have to use exact duplicates because of the actor playing both roles to come up with such a theory.  There could be just a hint of a resemblance between two characters, or even just the same surname for me to find such inspiration.

And so it is in this case….

From the ‘Outlander’ wiki:
William Ransom is the son of Geneva Dunsany and Jamie Fraser. Legally, he is the son and heir of Ludovic Ransom, Eighth Earl of Ellesmere, who was his mother's husband at the time of his birth.  (Both of his parents – meaning Ludovic Ransom and not Jamie Fraser - died soon after William’s birth.)

Since the age of six, William has been raised by Lord John Grey, his legal guardian and husband of Geneva's sister, Isobel Dunsany.

Full name
William Clarence Henry George Ransom

Born
January 9, 1758

Also known as
Willie
William James
Lord Ellesmere

Titles
Ninth Earl of Ellesmere
Viscount Ashness
Master of Helwater
Baron Derwent

As a child he was spoiled and hotheaded, as perhaps befits a young earl.  

Actor Clark Butler portrays Young Willie in the Season Three episode, “Of Lost Things”, in the ‘Outlander’ television adaptation. Oliver Finnegan portrays Willie in the Season Four episode, “Blood of My Blood”.  

Before we move on to who might be the descendants of young Lord Ellsmere, let’s take a look along the family tree’s past.

One of those titles jumps out at me which could serve as a theoretical link to another TV series.  Granted, young William is not related by blood to the character, but he has inherited the title which may have come from him.

For Toobworld Central, the official version of the legend of Robin Hood is from the 1950s series ‘The Adventures Of Robin Hood’ (despite the fact Richard Greene’s title outlaw looks like he went to a 1950s barbershop for that hairstyle.  (I’m still open to the idea that his Robin of Locksley was indeed a time traveler.)

In his band of Merry Men, there was the de rigeur comic relief – Cedric Derwent, of whom I’ve written about in the past.  (If you’re interested, click here.)

This is just a conjectural theory, mind, (but then that’s what most of Toobworld is!), but it could be that after King Richard came home from the Crusades he absolved all of Robin’s band of Merry Men and appointed them with titles when he returned Robin to his rightful place as the hair to the Locksley estate.

If so, the then title of Baron Derwent has been an honorific passed down from Cedric Derwent in the 12th Century to Ludovic Ransom in the 18th Century and now it has passed on to his son.

In the TV series of ‘Outlander’, we’ve only seen William Ransom as a baby and as a twelve year old.  We may yet see him again as a 21 year old should the series continue through the run of Diana Gabaldon’s book series.  (And I see no reason why Starz would discontinue it.)  I don’t know what the future holds for the Master of Helwater, but even should he die young, William might still have planted his seed somewhere to insure a continuation of the family tree.  (Just as is the case with the saloon gals of the wild, wild West, it is for genealogical situations such as this when serving wenches and scullery maids come in handy for televisiological research.)

There are two TV characters who may be descended from William Ransom, one legitimately and the other from an extramarital liaison.  Let’s deal with the “official” offspring first.  It’s kind of boring so let’s get it out of the way.

Since William Ransom did return to the American colonies, it could be that he did put down some roots there.  If so, one of his descendants could have been Hope Ransome,

‘INSPECTOR LEWIS’
“THE POINT OF VANISHING”

While investigating the deaths of two men and the possible suicide of another, Lewis had to talk with Hope Ransome, the daughter of the American Secretary of State.
If William Ransom did have descendants in the later United States, it could be that – while not of royalty, O’Bviously – the family maintained their high placement in society with the wealth and influence that might garner.  And along the way, they altered the family surname as well, adding the “e” (perhaps to differentiate it from the common usage of such an unpleasant word.)

As you can see from this picture of Hope Ransome with Inspector Lewis, she still showed some slight evidence of Jamie Fraser’s contribution to the Ransom bloodline.

One other O’Bservation – “The Vanishing Point” was broadcast in April of 2009.  By that point in the timelines for both Earth Prime and Earth Prime-Time, Hilary Clinton was the American Secretary of State.  Had she been more invisible to public scrutiny, we might have been able to ignore this discrepancy between the two universes.  But her position in the world was referenced in other TV shows, so we have to accept that she was the Secretary of State in the main Toobworld. (In the alternate dimension of ‘Madam Secretary’, we have no choice in the matter – Mrs. Clinton showed up as her own televersion, now a former Secretary of State, along with Colin Powell and Madeline Albright.)

Now.  Let’s get to why we’re running this theory of relateeveety in the ‘Who’s On First’ blogathon!

‘DOCTOR WHO’
“HUMAN NATURE”
In 1913, Martha watches in jealousy from afar as The Doctor learns what it is to be human and to fall in love with the local school nurse, Joan Redfern. 

“FAMILY OF BLOOD”
The Doctor must deal with the repercussions of his decision to become human, as The Family Of Blood unveil themselves...  

(Summaries from the IMDb)

Among the people encountered by the Doctor and his Companion Dr. Martha Jones was Master Tim Latimer, a student at that school.  And I’m making the claim that he is descended from William Ransom as well.

From the TARDIS wiki:
Tim Latimer was a schoolboy who attended Farringham School for Boys in 1913. His history master was John Smith.

The fob watch containing the Tenth Doctor's Time Lord essence communicated with him and instructed him. It could do this because Latimer had low level telepathic abilities it could access. It also granted him a vision of the First World War which he used to escape a shell at a critical moment. After the Family of Blood was defeated, the Doctor let Latimer have his watch to look after and for good luck. He fought in World War I and survived. Like the Doctor, he did not like violence and refused to use a gun when the Scarecrows attacked, responding to a call of "Coward!" with "Yes sir! Every time!" an echo of the Doctor's answer to the question "Are you coward or killer?".

As a boy during his school days, Tim feared being bullied for his intellect, so he made sure to make his grades just good enough. He shared a similar belief in not fighting others, especially if they were poorly armed to combat him, just like the Doctor. He respected the Doctor thanks to what he learned of him, yet still feared the darkness within him.

Many years later, the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones saw him again as an old man, a veteran at a Remembrance Day ceremony. He still recognized them and silently acknowledged them, with tears in his eyes. (TV: Human Nature / The Family of Blood)

This was a theory of relateeveety that came to me because Lord William kind of resembles young Master Latimer.  They are hardly identical cousins but I think there is some similarity in the facial features of the actors Oliver Finnegan (William) and Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Tim).

I also can see a slight resemblance to Chip Douglas whose 'My Three Sons' family has Scottish roots.  But that's a blog post for another day.

Any other TV characters – as long as they are located in the main Toobworld – by the names of Ransom/Ransome and Latimer could be deemed kin to Lord William Ransom.

That’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.

Allonsy!