Nyssa is a fictional character in the long-running British

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

''. She is played by

Sarah Sutton Sarah Sutton (born 12 December 1961) is a British actress. She played the role of Nyssa in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Early life Sutton was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. Sutton studied ballet as ...

. Although Nyssa was created by writer Johnny Byrne for the single

Fourth Doctor The Fourth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Tom Baker. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from ...

serial ''

The Keeper of Traken ''The Keeper of Traken'' is the sixth serial of the Doctor Who (season 18), 18th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC One, BBC1 from 31 January to 21 February ...

'', the production team subsequently decided she should be retained as a continuing character. Nyssa returned in the following serial, ''

Logopolis ''Logopolis'' is the seventh and final serial of the 18th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 28 February to 21 March 1981. The serial is set on th ...

'', in which the Fourth Doctor regenerated, and remained as a

companion Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

of the

Fifth Doctor The Fifth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Peter Davison. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord ...

. She was a regular in the programme from

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

Character history

Nyssa is an

aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

of Traken, the daughter of Tremas (a consul of the Traken Union) and stepdaughter of Kassia. She aids the Doctor and

Adric Adric is a fictional character played by Matthew Waterhouse in the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was a young native of the planet Alzarius, which exists in the parallel universe of E-Space. A compan ...

when the Master wrests control of the Keepership by first manipulating and then murdering her stepmother, but is herself hypnotised and kidnapped by him after he takes control of her father's body. After being freed from the Master's control, she is brought to Logopolis by the Watcher and discovers that Traken has been destroyed as a side effect of the Master's tampering with the Logopolitan's formulae. She subsequently joins Adric and

Tegan Jovanka Tegan Jovanka is a fictional character played by Janet Fielding in the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. An Australian airline stewardess and a native of Brisbane who was a companion of the Fourth and Fift ...

as a companion and member of the

TARDIS The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space") is a fictional hybrid of a time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. While a TARDI ...

crew, and witnesses the Fourth Doctor's

regeneration Regeneration may refer to: Science and technology * Regeneration (biology), the ability to recreate lost or damaged cells, tissues, organs and limbs * Regeneration (ecology), the ability of ecosystems to regenerate biomass, using photosynthesis ...

into the Fifth. During her journeys with Tegan and Adric aboard the TARDIS, Nyssa finds herself trapped in a mathematical equation by the Master – whom she hates as he is now using her father's face. She also encounters a race of

android Android most commonly refers to: *Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), a mobile operating system primarily developed by Google * Android TV, a operating system developed ...

s and their insane ruler, helps foil the genocidal plans of a wounded

Terileptil The List of longest-running British television programmes, long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' has an extensive Fictional universe, universe inhabited by a continuously expanding gallery of creatures and Extraterres ...

and incidentally starts the

Great Fire of London The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Wednesday 5 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old London Wall, Roman city wall, while also extendi ...

, and discovers her uncanny resemblance to a 1920s English socialite Ann Talbot. Adric's death while battling the

Cybermen The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. The Cybermen are a species of space-faring cyborgs who often forcefully and painfully convert human beings ...

affects the TARDIS crew deeply. When confronted by an illusion of him created by the Master shortly afterwards, both Nyssa and Tegan are initially taken aback, until Nyssa notices Adric is still wearing his now-destroyed badge. During this adventure, Nyssa also displays a previously unseen psychic ability when she is contacted by the Xeraphin. After Tegan is accidentally left at

Heathrow Heathrow Airport , also colloquially known as London Heathrow Airport and named ''London Airport'' until 1966, is the primary and largest international airport serving London, the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdo ...

at the end of the events in ''Time Flight'', Nyssa travels alone with the Doctor for an unspecified period. Nyssa and the Doctor are reunited with Tegan while fighting

Omega Omega (, ; uppercase Ω, lowercase ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and last letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numerals, Greek numeric system/isopsephy (gematria), it has a value ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

and on

Gallifrey The Time Lords are a fictional ancient race of extraterrestrial people in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Time Lords are so named for their command of time travel technology and their non-linear perception of t ...

. Later, they help Tegan battle her inner demons (personified by the Mara), and in the events of ''

Mawdryn Undead ''Mawdryn Undead'' is the third serial of the 20th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was originally broadcast in four twice weekly parts on BBC1 from 1 to 9 February 1983. The serial is set in an English ...

'' they meet the Doctor's old friend and ally

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, generally referred to simply as the Brigadier, is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', created by writers Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln and played by Ni ...

. It is during this adventure that the TARDIS crew adopts Turlough, an alien posing as a pupil at an English boarding school, who has secretly entered into a bargain with the

Black Guardian The long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' has an extensive universe inhabited by a continuously expanding gallery of creatures and Extraterrestrial life, aliens. The series first aired on BBC in 1963 until its cance ...

to assassinate the Doctor. His interference with the TARDIS infrastructure destabilises it and it locks onto a seemingly derelict

space station A space station (or orbital station) is a spacecraft which remains orbital spaceflight, in orbit and human spaceflight, hosts humans for extended periods of time. It therefore is an artificial satellite featuring space habitat (facility), habitat ...

Terminus Terminus may refer to: Ancient Rome *Terminus (god), a Roman deity who protected boundary markers Transport *Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination *Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end des ...

, separating Nyssa from the others. Nyssa's adventures with the Doctor come to an end here, as – to Tegan's horror – she elects to stay to help free the enslaved guards and turn the station into a real hospital. The Doctor is moved by this noble gesture and parts saying that he thinks she is very brave. Nyssa's deep affection for the Doctor is demonstrated at this point when she kisses the Doctor goodbye. The Fifth Doctor hallucinates Nyssa warning him not to die during his regeneration at the end of ''

The Caves of Androzani ''The Caves of Androzani'' is the sixth serial of the 21st season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 8 to 16 March 1984. In the serial, the Doctor b ...

'' and the character appears alongside the Fifth Doctor and

Peri Brown Perpugilliam "Peri" Brown is a fictional character played by Nicola Bryant in the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. An American botany major from Fell's Point in Baltimore, Maryland, Peri is a companion of ...

in the 1993 charity special ''

Dimensions in Time ''Dimensions in Time'' is a charity special crossover between the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and the soap opera ''EastEnders.'' The special was broadcast in two parts on 26 and 27 November 1993 and was filmed on lo ...

''. Nyssa is last mentioned by the

Tenth Doctor The Tenth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is played by David Tennant in three series and nine specials. The character has also appeared in other ''Docto ...

in the 2007 Children in Need episode "

Time Crash "Time Crash" is a mini-episode of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was broadcast on 16 November 2007, as part of the BBC One telethon for the children's charity Children in Need. Written by Steven Moffat, it sta ...

" when he asks his Fifth incarnation where he is in his own relative timeline. A 2020 short published to the official Doctor Who

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channel and titled ''Farewell, Sarah Jane'', written by former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies, revealed that Nyssa was in a relationship with fellow traveler

Appearances in other media

Although Nyssa's fate after the TARDIS is not certain, the

spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...

novel ''

Asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea * ...

'' by

Peter Darvill-Evans Peter Darvill-Evans (born 1954) is an English writer and editor. Early life He was born and lived in Buckinghamshire until he went to university, graduating in 1975 from University College, London with a degree in History. Career In 1976 Darvil ...

, relates that she left Terminus and settled down as an academic in a university on an unspecified planet. In ''Asylum'', Nyssa encounters the

from a time before he met her while he is investigating a historical anomaly. This meeting leaves the Doctor with the knowledge that he will have to be extremely careful dealing with Nyssa when he eventually meets her younger self to avoid changing history. Since then Nyssa has appeared in several audio plays, still voiced by Sarah Sutton alongside

Peter Davison Peter Malcolm Gordon Moffett (born 13 April 1951), known professionally as Peter Davison, is an English actor. He made his television acting debut in 1975 and became famous in 1978 as Tristan Farnon in the BBC's television adaptation of Jame ...

as the Fifth Doctor, produced by

Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and radio drama, audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'' ...

. '' Primeval'', set in Traken's past, provides an explanation for Nyssa's sudden collapse at the end of ''

Four to Doomsday ''Four to Doomsday'' is the second serial of the Doctor Who (season 19), 19th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC One, BBC1 from 18 to 26 January 1982. ...

'' and her apparent development of psychic abilities in ''

Time-Flight ''Time-Flight'' is the seventh and final serial of the Doctor Who (season 19), 19th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC One, BBC1 from 22 to 30 March ...

'', as she was manipulated by an ancient entity that ruled Traken in the distant past as part of a complex plan to trick the Doctor into giving him access to the Source. Other stories in this time frame include new temporary companions Thomas Brewster and Hannah Bartholemew. The 'Winter' segment of '' Circular Time'', by

Paul Cornell Paul Douglas Cornell (born 18 July 1967) is a British writer. He has worked in television drama and ''Doctor Who'' fiction, being the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield. Other British television dramas f ...

and Mike Maddox, is set some years after ''Asylum'' and shows her with a husband, Lasarti, and a baby daughter, Nica. In '' Heroes of Sontar'', Nyssa tells Tegan that she has two children named Adric and Tegan (although it is later confirmed that she mis-identified her daughter's name as she was delirious due to infection with a biological weapon). When she sees the regenerating Fifth Doctor in her dreams and believes this may be the last time she sees him, Nyssa accepts that he is still travelling and having adventures somewhere. However, fifty years after leaving them, Nyssa meets the Doctor, Tegan and Turlough (a short while after they left her from their perspective) in ''

Cobwebs A spider web, spiderweb, spider's web, or cobweb (from the archaic word '' coppe'', meaning 'spider') is a structure created by a spider out of proteinaceous spider silk extruded from its spinnerets, generally meant to catch its prey. Spider w ...

''. She begins travelling with them again to research a cure for a lethal plague, which was deliberately engineered to be more dangerous so that a corporation could provide the engineered cure; a chain of events leave Nyssa with a valid sample of the cure for the virus in its early stages, but this sample will not treat the mutated strain that is currently active in her time over twenty years later. In the course of her travels Nyssa is physically de-aged back to the same age she was when she originally left the crew (''The Emerald Tiger''). In '' Prisoners of Fate'', the TARDIS is drawn to a planet where the Doctor's original TARDIS (the Type 50 he owned on Gallifrey before he stole the familiar Type 40 on impulse to leave the planet) has crash-landed, and the crew end up meeting Nyssa's son, Adric, over two decades after Nyssa resumed her travels with the Doctor, preventing her from simply picking up her life once again now that she knows she ''didn't'' go back. Nyssa and her son are able to combine their research to cure the plague, with Nyssa's cure for the original disease being mapped onto the research Adric has undertaken of how the virus subsequently mutated, but Nyssa is prevented from reuniting with Adric when the TARDIS is caught in a CVE while en route to the next planet and is sent back to E-space. Nyssa ultimately sacrifices her own chance to escape so that her fellow travelers can return home, remaining in E-Space to power the equipment needed to open a final portal back to N-Space that the TARDIS can travel through. The audio ends with Nyssa, now an old woman, tending a garden in E-Space after spending the last decade teaching others how to treat the sick, observing that E-Space is showing new signs of life after the Doctor expressed concern that this world would only have a few centuries of life left. Nyssa appears in the Short Trips audio "A Heart on Both Sides", where she is depicted running a medical ship during the Time War, unknowingly aided in her efforts by the

Eighth Doctor The Eighth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Paul McGann. The character was introduced in the 1996 TV film ''Doctor Who'', a back-door p ...

(who assists Nyssa under the alias of 'Doctor Foster' to avert a rumour he heard in the future of a ship matching the description of Nyssa's being destroyed).

List of appearances

Television

;Season 18 *''

'' *''

'' (Parts 2–4) ;Season 19 *'' Castrovalva'' *''

'' *''

Kinda Kinda or Kindah may refer to: People Given name * Kinda Alloush (born 1982), Syrian actress * Kinda El-Khatib (born 1996 or 1997), Lebanese activist Surname * Chris Kinda (born 1999), Namibian para-athlete * Gadi Kinda (1994–2025), ...

'' (Parts 1 & 4) *'' The Visitation'' *'' Black Orchid'' *''

Earthshock ''Earthshock'' is the sixth serial of the 19th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 8 to 16 March 1982. This serial marks the final regular appeara ...

'' *''

'' ;Season 20 *''

Arc of Infinity ''Arc of Infinity'' is the first serial of the 20th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 3 to 12 January 1983. The serial is set in Amsterdam a ...

'' *''

Snakedance ''Snakedance'' is the second serial of the 20th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 18 to 26 January 1983. The serial is set on the planet Ma ...

'' *''

'' ;Season 21 *''

'' (cameo in part 4) ;30th anniversary special *''

Audio dramas

; Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures *'' The Land of the Dead'' *''

Winter for the Adept ''Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures'', formerly subtitled as the ''Main Range'', is a series that consists of full-cast audio dramas based on the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They are produced by Big Finish Prod ...

'' *''

The Mutant Phase ''The Mutant Phase'' is a Big Finish Productions List of Doctor Who audio plays by Big Finish, audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It forms the third ser ...

'' *'' Primeval'' *''Spare Parts'' *'' Creatures of Beauty'' *'' The Game'' *'' Circular Time'' *'' Renaissance of the Daleks'' *''

The Haunting of Thomas Brewster ''Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures'', formerly subtitled as the ''Main Range'', is a series that consists of full-cast audio dramas based on the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They are produced by Big Finish Prod ...

'' *''

The Boy That Time Forgot ''Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures'', formerly subtitled as the ''Main Range'', is a series that consists of full-cast audio dramas based on the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They are produced by Big Finish Prod ...

'' *''

Time Reef ''Time Reef'' is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It is a three part adventure, released with the single episode story that follows it, ''A Perfect World''. ...

A Perfect World ''A Perfect World'' is a 1993 American thriller crime drama film directed by Clint Eastwood. It stars Kevin Costner as an escaped convict who takes a young boy ( T. J. Lowther) hostage and attempts to escape on the road with the child. Eastwo ...

'' *''Castle of Fear'' *'' The Eternal Summer'' *'' Plague of the Daleks'' *''

'' *'' The Whispering Forest'' *''

The Cradle of the Snake ''Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures'', formerly subtitled as the ''Main Range'', is a series that consists of full-cast audio dramas based on the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They are produced by Big Finish Prod ...

'' *''

The Demons of Red Lodge and Other Stories ''The Demons of Red Lodge and Other Stories'' is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It features the winner of Big Finish's Opportunity for New Writers contest ...

'' *'' Heroes of Sontar'' *'' Kiss of Death'' *''

Rat Trap "Rat Trap" is a song by the Boomtown Rats, released in October 1978 as the third and final single from the band's second album '' A Tonic for the Troops''. It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in November 1978, the first sing ...

'' *'' The Emerald Tiger'' *''

The Jupiter Conjunction ''The Jupiter Conjunction'' is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Plot The TARDIS arrives on comet 8/Q Panenka, passing between Earth and Jupiter, in the year ...

'' *''

The Butcher of Brisbane ''The Butcher of Brisbane'' is a Big Finish Productions List of Doctor Who audio plays by Big Finish, audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It's the second ...

'' *''

1001 Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights'', from the first English-language edition () ...

'' *''Eldrad Must Die!'' *''The Lady of Mercia'' *''Prisoners of Fate'' *''1963: Fanfare for the Common Men'' *''Moonflesh'' *''Tomb Ship'' *''Masquerade'' *''Mistfall'' *''Equilibrium'' *''The Entropy Plague'' *''The Waters of Amsterdam'' *''Aquitaine'' *''The Peterloo Massacre'' *''The Star Men'' *''The Contingency Club'' *''Zaltys'' *''Alien Heart / Dalek Soul'' *''Kingdom of Lies'' *''Ghost Walk'' *''Serpent in the Silver Mask'' *''Tartarus'' *''Interstitial / Feast of Fear'' *''Warzone / Conversion'' *''Madquake'' ; Doctor Who: The Lost Stories *''The Elite'' *''Hexagora'' *''The Children of Seth'' ; Doctor Who: The Fifth Doctor Adventures *''Return to the Web Planet'' *''The Fifth Doctor Box Set'' **''Psychodrome'' **''Iterations of I'' *''The Lost Resort and Other Stories'' **''The Lost Resort'' **''The Perils of Nellie Bly'' **''Nightmare of the Daleks'' *''Forty 1'' **''Secrets of Telos'' **''God of War'' *''Forty 2'' **''The Auton Infinity'' *''Conflicts of Interest'' **''Friendly Fire'' **''The Edge of the War'' *''In the Night'' **''Pursuit of the Nightjar'' **''Resistor'' *''The Dream Team'' **''The Merfolk Murders'' **''Dream Team'' ; Doctor Who: Novel Adaptations *''

Cold Fusion Cold fusion is a hypothesized type of nuclear reaction that would occur at, or near, room temperature. It would contrast starkly with the nuclear fusion, "hot" fusion that is known to take place naturally within Main sequence, stars and artific ...

'' *''

Goth Opera ''Goth Opera'' is an original ''Doctor Who'' novel, published by Virgin Publishing in their '' Missing Adventures'' range of ''Doctor Who'' novels. It was the first book in that series and a sequel to the '' New Adventure'' book '' Blood Harvest' ...

'' ; Doctor Who: Special Releases *''

The Five Companions ''The Five Companions'' is a Big Finish Productions List of Doctor Who audio plays by Big Finish, audiobook based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It is free to subscribers and released with ''Army of ...

'' *'' Destiny of the Doctor: Smoke and Mirrors'' *'' The Light at the End'' ; Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles *''The Darkening Eye'' ; Doctor Who: Short Trips *''The Deep'' *''Seven to One'' *''The Lions of Trafalgar'' *''The King of the Dead'' *''The Toy'' *''Gardens of the Dead'' *''The Monkey House'' *''A Heart on Both Sides'' *''The Ingenious Adric of Alzarius'' *''The Mistpuddle Murders'' *''The Second Oldest Question'' *''Downward Spiral'' ; The War Master *''Killing Time'' **''The Orphan''

Novels

;

Virgin Missing Adventures The ''Virgin Missing Adventures'' were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which had been cancelled in 1989, featuring stories set between televised episodes of the pr ...

*''

'' by

*'' The Sands of Time'' by

Justin Richards Justin Richards (born 14 September 1961) 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. He has written ...

*''

'' by

Lance Parkin Lance Parkin is a British author. He is best known for writing fiction and reference books for television series, in particular ''Doctor Who'' (and spin-offs including the Virgin New Adventures and Faction Paradox) and as a storyliner on ''Emmerda ...

(also features the

Seventh Doctor The Seventh Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Scottish actor Sylvester McCoy. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-o ...

, Roz Forrester and

Chris Cwej This is a list of fictional characters who were companion (Doctor Who), companions of the Doctor (Doctor Who), Doctor, in various Doctor Who spinoffs, spinoff media based on the long-running British science fiction on television, science ficti ...

) ;

Past Doctor Adventures The ''Past Doctor Adventures'' (sometimes known by the abbreviation ''PDA'' or ''PDAs'') were 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. ...

*'' Zeta Major'' by Simon Messingham *'' Divided Loyalties'' by

Gary Russell Gary Russell (born 18 September 1963) is a British freelance writer, producer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs in other media. As an ac ...

*''

'' by

(features Nyssa after she left the Fifth Doctor and an early version of the

) *''

Fear of the Dark Fear of the dark is a common fear or phobia among Toddler, toddlers, children and, to a varying degree, adults. A fear of the dark does not always concern darkness itself; it can also be a fear of possible or imagined dangers concealed by darknes ...

'' by

Trevor Baxendale Trevor Baxendale is a writer. His first ''Doctor Who'' novel ''The Janus Conjunction'' was published by BBC Books in 1998. He has also written novels for ''Torchwood'' and ''Blake's 7'', as well as short stories, comic strips and audio drama scr ...

*'' Empire of Death'' by David Bishop

Short stories

*"Lackaday Express" by Paul Cornell ('' Decalog'') *"Lonely Days" by

Daniel Blythe Daniel Blythe (born 1969 in Maidstone) is a British author, who studied Modern Languages at St John's College, Oxford. After several years writing stories for the small press, Blythe began his professional career writing for the Virgin New Adven ...

('' Decalog 2: Lost Property'') *"Past Reckoning" by Jackie Marshall ('' Decalog 3: Consequences'') *"The Parliament of Rats" by

Daniel O'Mahony Daniel O'Mahony (born 24 July 1973) is a half-British half-Irish author, born in Croydon. He is the oldest of five children, his siblings including Eoin O'Mahony of the band Hamfatter, and Madeleine O'Mahony, who has designed and made hats for C ...

('' Short Trips'') *"The Eternity Contract" by Steve Lyons (''

More Short Trips The BBC ''Short Trips'' books are a collection of short story anthologies published by BBC Books based on the television series ''Doctor Who'', following a pattern established by Virgin Publishing's '' Decalog'' collections. Three volumes were ...

'') *"Hearts of Stone" by Steve Lyons ('' Short Trips: Companions'') *"Soul Mate" by

David Bailey David Royston Bailey (born 2 January 1938) is an English photographer and director, most widely known for his fashion photography and portraiture, and role in shaping the image of the Swinging Sixties. Bailey has also directed several televisio ...

('' Short Trips: A Universe of Terrors'') *"Confabula" by

Ian Potter Sir William Ian Potter (25 August 190224 October 1994), known as Ian Potter, was an Australian stockbroker, businessman and philanthropist. Potter was knighted in 1962. The Ian Potter Foundation, which he established in 1964, has made grants to ...

('' Short Trips: The Muses'') *"No Exit" by Kate Orman ('' Short Trips: Steel Skies'') *"The Immortals" by

Simon Guerrier Simon Guerrier (born June 1976) is a British science fiction author and dramatist, closely associated with the fictional universe of ''Doctor Who'' and its Doctor Who spin-offs, spinoffs. Although he has written three ''Doctor Who'' novels, fo ...

('' Short Trips: Past Tense'') *"Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life" by Anthony Keetch ('' Short Trips: Monsters'') *"In the TARDIS: Christmas Day" by

Val Douglas Val may refer to: Military equipment * Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies * AS Val, a Soviet assault rifle Music *''Val'', album by Val Doonican *VAL (band), Belarusian pop duo People * Val (given ...

('' Short Trips: A Christmas Treasury'') *"The 57th" by John Binns ('' Short Trips: Seven Deadly Sins'') *"Saturn" by Alison Lawson ('' Short Trips: The Solar System'') *"The Church of Saint Sebastian" by Robert Smith ('' Short Trips: The History of Christmas'') *"Goths and Robbers" by

Diane Duane Diane Duane (born May 18, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy author, long based in Ireland. Her works include the ''Young Wizards'' young adult fantasy series and the ''Rihannsu'' Star Trek novels. Biography Born in New York C ...

('' Short Trips: The Quality of Leadership'') *"God Send Me Well to Keep" by Linnea Dodson (''Short Trips: The Quality of Leadership'') *"Tweaker" by

Dan Abnett Daniel P. Abnett ( ; born 12 October 1965) is an English comic book writer and novelist. He has been a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and has worked on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since ...

('' Short Trips: Transmissions'')

Comics

*"On The Planet Isopterus" by Glenn Rix (''Doctor Who Annual 1983'') *"Blood Invocation" by

and John Ridgway (''

Doctor Who Magazine ''Doctor Who Magazine'' (abbreviated as ''DWM'') is a magazine devoted to the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Launched in 1979 as ''Doctor Who Weekly'', the magazine became a monthly publication the following year. In ...

'' Yearbook 1995)

References

External links

Nyssa on the BBC's ''Doctor Who'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nyssa Television characters introduced in 1981 Doctor Who companions Female characters in television Doctor Who aliens Fictional nobility