Gareth Jenkins (in-universe)

In the 1980s, Gareth Jenkins was a child who wrote into the BBC One audience wish-fulfilment programme, Jim'll Fix It, to ask if they could let him star in his own episode of Doctor Who. As a part of the request, he demonstrated that he already had a complete Sixth Doctor's costume, which had been made for him by his grandmother.

The producers of Jim'll Fix It agreed, and worked with John Nathan-Turner's staff at Doctor Who to create the sketch, A Fix with Sontarans. Jenkins — and his kid-sized Sixth Doctor's costume — did indeed play a major role in it, opposite Colin Baker and Janet Fielding. At the conclusion of the episode, Baker presented Jenkins with both a Jim'll Fix It medal and the "meson gun" prop to keep.

Jenkins reunited with Colin Baker at a signing event in January 2013.

He now works as head of campaigns for the Save the Children charity. He still has the medal. In 2015, he was interviewed by Toby Hadoke for Round 107 of Toby Hadoke's Who's Round. He also contributed to the charity reference book Behind the Sofa: Celebrity Memories of Doctor Who.

Gareth Jenkins, the "character"
Since A Fix with Sontarans so thoroughly breaks the fourth wall, it's difficult to consider Gareth Jenkins a character within the televised Doctor Who continuity — especially since the script called for him to say that he had watched Doctor Who on television. However, it is possible to give a few details about the Jenkins 'character'.


 * He gets transported from Earth to the Doctor's TARDIS by accident.
 * He wears a boy-sized version of the Doctor's outfit.
 * He knows how to operate the TARDIS' controls from watching the Doctor do so on Doctor Who
 * He kills the two Sontarans, because his Doctor Who viewings have told him which switches to press to kill the two Sontarans.
 * Group Marshall Nathan says that in the year 2001, when Sontarans invade, the adult Gareth will lead the Earth defence force which defeated the invasion fleet.

Although, it is still possible to dismiss that line as still being in-universe canon given that Doctor Who, as a programme, is referenced on-screen; namely Remembrance of the Daleks (television) and In the Forest of the Night (poster).