Adam (Dr. Who's Time Tales)

Adam was the husband of Eve. They were believed to be the common ancestors of the whole of the modern human race.

Early life
Their descendants had no concept of humanity's history before Adam and Eve, but according to the Fourth Doctor, they were not actually the first modern man and woman. Instead, they existed in an advanced human civilisation, quite similar to the later human society of the 20th century onwards. Adam was a scientist who invented a serum that allowed him to live for a thousand years without ageing. Because he only managed to create a single dose, his fellow scientists advised him to destroy the sample, lest chaos ensue from a fighter over which individual human being would reap its benefit. However, unable to bear the thought of leaving his life's work unused, Adam instead impulsively drank the sample. He came to regret this decision in the face of the pain of seeing all his friends ageing and dying over the following century. He eventually left his home city and spent his centuries of life travelling from place to place, avoiding forming any close attachments. (COMIC: Dr. Who's Time Tales)

Centuries of boredom
Over the span of his first six hundred years of life, lesser advances in health-care and the end of wars meant that humanity began to deal with overpopulation concerns. Eventually, when Adam was around eight hundred years old, a larger, welcoming planet was discovered by a space probe and a plan was begun for the entire population of Earth to move there to start afresh. Over the subsequent hundred and thirty years, all human activity turned to the construction of the massive fleet of rocket-ships necessary for this endeavour, while cities and other hallmarks of civilisations began to fall into disrepair. Adam intended to remain on Earth, which had been his home for so long; by the time he turned 930, he was beginning to age again as the serum's effects wore thin. (COMIC: Dr. Who's Time Tales)

A fresh start with Eve
While the final preparations for humanity's exodus were underway, Adam met a woman called Eve, the only other person on Earth who did not intend to leave on the ships, in her case because she thought it wrong of humanity to leave its home planet completely deserted. The two fell in love. They watched side by side as the last rocket-ships left Earth, after which Adam proposed to Eve. Eve accepted, and the two, with no wider society to mark the event, considered themselves husband and wife from that moment on. Eve proposed that they treat themselves as a true fresh start for humanity on Earth, laying the foundation for a new civilisation that would be made up of their descendants. Adam agreed, and added that they should not tell their descendants about the humans who came before them and left the planet, instead letting them believe that humanity's story started with the two of them. (COMIC: Dr. Who's Time Tales)

Legacy
Adam's supposition that their descendants would remember "Adam and Eve" was fulfilled. The Fourth Doctor, when telling the time tale of Adam and Eve's true origins, seemed to assume that his audience would be familiar with the principle of Adam and Eve, yet surprised by their origins, just as Adam predicted. (COMIC: Dr. Who's Time Tales) Clyde Langer compared himself and Rani Chandra to Adam and Eve when the rest of the human race disappeared from the Earth, leaving them as the only two. (TV: The Empty Planet)

Their names also entered popular slang, removed from their context. While pretending to be Rose Tyler, Cassandra O'Brien.Δ17 borrowed what she thought was a 21st century colloquialism, and said "I can't Adam and Eve it"?. (TV: New Earth) While pretending to be a native 19th century Londoner, Strax used the phrase "Can you Adam and Eve it?" Jenny had been giving him "assimilation training" lessons, which he was happy to put to use in the subterfuge. (AUDIO: The Cars That Ate London!)

Behind the scenes
and, in the Bible, were the first humans created by God after he created the rest of the world. They lived in the Garden of Eden before getting banished; according to Christian theology, due to original sin.

"Adam and Eve" is also Cockney for "believe".

The Doctor Who Adventures comic story Save the Humans! featured colonists Adam and Steve.