Theory:Timeline - Jo Grant

This page lists appearances of Jo Grant in the order in which she experienced them. This timeline is based upon observations of the Doctor Who universe and the events that occur during each of these stories. From these observations we have attempted to build a concise timeline. It is assumed, much like its TV story counterparts that for each novel or audio series their published/numbered order is the order they occur in. This does not apply to short stories which are often ambiguous about their placement. There are also many gaps between stories.

The layout of this timeline is in part based on the observations on Doctor Who Reference Guide and Doctor Who - The Complete Adventures, as well as Lance Parkin's AHistory and other sources that allow us to make observations, such as DocOhoReviews, The History of Doctor Who, The Discontinuity Guide, Clive Banks Databank, Big Finish forums, The Whoniverse and The Divergent Universe forums. None of these sources should be used solely as a source or considered a "true" timeline for stories.

Additionally there are statements on the back of Virgin Missing Adventures and many BBC Past Doctor Adventures novels that state between which TV stories the novel takes place between. These can be used to narrow the field, and should be viewed as the only placing for these novels.

Assistant to the Doctor

 * AUDIO: Taken For Granted
 * Set shortly before Terror of the Autons. The Doctor reprimands Sergeant Benton outside Jack Canning's office when he sees him dressed up like him.


 * TV: Terror of the Autons
 * Jo Grant joins UNIT as the Doctor's new assistant, just in time for UNIT's first open battle with . The Doctor steals a dematerialisation circuit from the Master's TARDIS, stranding his new enemy on Earth with him.


 * AUDIO: The Doll of Death
 * Though the audio's blurb places it between The Dæmons and Day of the Daleks, Jo is still quite new to UNIT, and is unaware of the true nature of the TARDIS, setting this before The Claws of Axos.


 * PROSE: Dark Intruders


 * PROSE: War in the Abyss


 * PROSE: Hunt to the Death


 * PROSE: Doorway into Nowhere
 * The Master is still trapped on Earth, setting this before The Mind of Evil.


 * PROSE: The Claw


 * PROSE: Saucer of Fate


 * PROSE: The Phaser Aliens


 * AUDIO: Damascus


 * TV: The Mind of Evil
 * The Master reclaims his dematerialisation circuit, and promptly leaves in his TARDIS.


 * PROSE: Deadly Reunion
 * The Master has a working TARDIS, setting this after The Mind of Evil.


 * PROSE: Angel
 * The Doctor is visibly chafing at his confinement to 20th century Earth.


 * PROSE: UNIT Christmas Parties: Christmas Truce
 * The Doctor hasn't seen the Master since Deadly Reunion.


 * TV: The Claws of Axos
 * From a deal with the Master, the Doctor is able to restore his TARDIS back to working order, only to discover the Time Lords have programmed it to always return him to 20th century Earth.


 * PROSE: The Thousand Years of Christmas
 * The Doctor has just discovered that even if he can now depart with the TARDIS, he will be drawn back to Earth, setting this shortly after The Claws of Axos.


 * AUDIO: The Mega
 * The Mega received advice from the Master, setting this after he got his TARDIS working in The Mind of Evil. The Nuton Power Complex is referenced, setting this after The Claws of Axos.


 * TV: Colony in Space
 * Jo visits her first alien planet.


 * TV: The Dæmons
 * After his failed escape attempt upon his defeat in Devil's End, the Master is arrested by UNIT.


 * PROSE: Freedom
 * Set after the Master's arrest in The Dæmons.


 * AUDIO: Still Life
 * The TARDIS is not in working order, setting this before The Three Doctos. Jo is absent from UNIT for several weeks due to the effects of the Time Keeper. Shortly afterwards, her father passes away.


 * AUDIO: Gardeners' Worlds


 * AUDIO: The Magician's Oath
 * Set between The Dæmons and Day of the Daleks.

Missions in time

 * TV: Day of the Daleks


 * AUDIO: Horrors of War
 * Set between The Dæmons and The Sea Devils, as the Master is still imprisoned.


 * PROSE: The Monster in the Woods
 * The Doctor refers to the events of Day of the Daleks.


 * PROSE: Harvest of Time
 * Set between The Dæmons and The Sea Devils, as the Master is still in prison. The Brigadier mentions the Daleks, setting this after Day of the Daleks.


 * PROSE: The Face of the Enemy: Prologue
 * The Doctor and Jo leave for Peladon, setting this during The Curse of Peladon: Episode 1.


 * TV: The Curse of Peladon
 * The Doctor visits Peladon for the first time, while taking the TARDIS on its first test run since he "got it working again". Jo encounters the Ice Warriors for the first time.


 * PROSE: The Sommerton Fetch
 * The Doctor and Jo have the same outfits they wore in The Curse of Peladon.


 * PROSE: Spoilsport


 * PROSE: The Face of the Enemy: Epilogue
 * The Doctor and Jo return to UNIT almost immediately after The Curse of Peladon.


 * PROSE: Honest Living
 * Set shortly after The Curse of Peladon.


 * PROSE: The Switching
 * The Master changes the internal configuration of the Doctor's TARDIS, setting this after The Curse of Peladon, and before The Sea Devils, as the Master is sent to Fortress Island.


 * COMIC: The Forgotten
 * The Master is said to be locked up on a secure island, setting this shortly before The Sea Devils.


 * TV: The Sea Devils
 * Aided by the Sea Devils, whom the Doctor encounters for the first time, the Master is able to escape his prison sentence on Fortress Island.


 * PROSE: The Eight Doctors
 * Set immediately after The Sea Devils.


 * AUDIO: Find and Replace
 * Set after The Sea Devils, as the Doctor is making a device to track the Master and Jo has encountered the Daleks.


 * PROSE: The Seismologist's Story


 * COMIC: Under Pressure
 * Jo fails to recognise the Fourth Doctor, setting this before The Touch of the Nurazh.


 * TV: The Mutants


 * AUDIO: The Other Woman
 * Set after The Mutants, as Jo hasn't been in the TARDIS very often, the Master is free and the Doctor is anticipating being freed from his exile soon.


 * PROSE: Doctor Who Fights Masterplan "Q"


 * AUDIO: Prisoners of the Lake
 * Authorial intent places this between Day of the Daleks and The Time Monster.


 * AUDIO: Storm of the Horofax
 * The Doctor is still in exile, and refers to the events of Colony in Space and The Mutants.


 * PROSE: The Touch of the Nurazh
 * The events of The Mutants are mentioned.


 * PROSE: Where the Heart Is
 * Set three years after Spearhead from Space. The Doctor lists his work for the Time Lords, with The Mutants being the last one he mentions. This is also where UNIT acquires the manor house seen in The Three Doctors.


 * AUDIO: Primord
 * Jo recalls the events of The Sea Devils. Jo and Liz meet for the first time, and the Doctor and Liz last saw each other in The Sentinels of the New Dawn.


 * AUDIO: The Scream of Ghosts
 * Jo recalls her recent encounter with Liz, setting this shortly after Primord.


 * AUDIO: Poison of the Daleks
 * The Doctor mentions Peladon, setting this after The Curse of Peladon.


 * AUDIO: Operation: Hellfire
 * Jo recalls the events of The Daemons


 * WC: U.N.I.T. On Call
 * Jo implies she's been with the Doctor for a while, and it must be set prior to The Three Doctors, otherwise the Doctor could simply come to the future and cure COVID-19.


 * PROSE: Rags
 * Jo recalls the Daleks and Ogrons, setting this after Day of the Daleks. Likewise, the Doctor confesses that sheep have never filled him with dread before, setting this before Verdigris.


 * TV: The Time Monster
 * Jo comments on the TARDIS's new interior design, which the Doctor dismisses as a "redecoration".


 * PROSE: Morphology
 * A footnote states that this story takes place after The Time Monster.


 * COMIC: Target Practice


 * COMIC: Where's the Doctor?
 * The Doctor and Jo attend the coronation of Elizabeth II in Bessie.


 * The Doctor investigates a mysterious infantryman's jacket. (AUDIO: Tales from the Vault)


 * PROSE: Jigsaw
 * Set shortly before Verdigris.


 * PROSE: Verdigris
 * Ending leads directly into The Three Doctors.

The Doctor's freedom

 * TV: The Three Doctors
 * The Doctor's knowledge of time travel is restored to him as a reward for defeating Omega. However, he doesn't leave immediately, as he needs to fix up the TARDIS further.


 * AUDIO: The Scorchies
 * The Scorchies song mentions the Gell guards, setting this after The Three Doctors. The Doctor is still working on the TARDIS.


 * AUDIO: The Defectors
 * The Doctor is switched with his seventh incarnation by . Jo refers to the crisis of The Three Doctors, but acts as if she hasn't travelled in the TARDIS yet, setting this shortly after that story.


 * PROSE: The Wages of Sin
 * The Doctor goes on his first test flight into the past since his time travel knowledge was returned in The Three Doctors, taking Liz and Jo with him.


 * PROSE: Deep Stretch
 * The Doctor's exile has been recently lifted, but he still feels uneasy when it is mentioned, setting this shortly after The Three Doctors.


 * AUDIO: The Many Deaths of Jo Grant
 * In the first artificial scenario, the Brigadier refers to the Doctor recently being released from his exile on Earth by the Time Lords, setting this shortly after The Three Doctors.


 * PROSE: The Spear of Destiny
 * The Doctor has had his ability to pilot the TARDIS returned to him recently, setting this shortly after The Three Doctors.


 * PROSE: Losing Track of Time
 * Jo is still new to time travel, but the Doctor has complete control of the TARDIS, setting this after The Three Doctors.


 * COMIC: The Heralds of Destruction
 * The Doctor admits to Jo that he has come to find comfort in Earth since his exile was lifted, and that he reason he keeps returning is to see his friends there. Some of his abilities that were previously blocked by the Time Lords are still returning, setting this shortly after The Three Doctors.


 * AUDIO: The Havoc of Empires
 * The Doctor's exile has been rescinded recently by the Time Lords, setting this shortly after The Three Doctors. Jo and Mike plan to take trips into history for their dates, and Mike has accompanied the Doctor and Jo to other planets before, but is treating time travel as a new experience.


 * PROSE: Listen - The Stars


 * PROSE: Out of the Green Mist


 * COMIC: The Time Thief


 * PROSE: The Fathom Trap
 * The Doctor's exile has been recently lifted, setting this shortly after The Three Doctors.


 * COMIC: Menace of the Molags


 * PROSE: Talons of Terror


 * PROSE: Old Father Saturn


 * PROSE: Galactic Gangster

Continued voyages

 * AUDIO: The Same Face
 * Jo recalls the events of The Three Doctors.


 * TV: Carnival of Monsters


 * PROSE: The Suns of Caresh
 * The Doctor tries to recalibrate the TARDIS' navigational system and Jo mentions the events of Carnival of Monsters.


 * PROSE: The House That Jack Built


 * PROSE: Revenge of the Phantoms


 * COMIC: Dead on Arrival


 * PROSE: Fugitives from Chance


 * COMIC: After the Revolution


 * PROSE: The Battle Within
 * The Doctor and Jo have been traveling in the TARDIS for some time, but Jo is not familiar with the Doctor's trances, setting this before Frontier in Space.


 * AUDIO: The Mists of Time
 * Due to her memory trouble, Jo erroneously thinks this story happens immediately after The Doll of Death, but she later recalls the events of Day of the Daleks. As the TARDIS is free from Earth exile, this story must be set at least after The Three Doctors.


 * PROSE: Rock Star
 * Set between Carnival of Monsters and Frontier in Space.


 * PROSE: Lost and Founded
 * Set before Frontier in Space.


 * PROSE: Once upon a Time Machine
 * Set before Frontier in Space.


 * AUDIO: Pop-Up


 * TV: Frontier in Space


 * TV: Planet of the Daleks
 * Set immediately after Frontier in Space. After leaving Spiridon, Jo asks the Doctor to take them back to Earth.

After Spiridon

 * AUDIO: The Conquest of Far
 * The Doctor and Jo have just left Spiridon, setting this immediately after Planet of the Daleks.


 * PROSE: Catastrophea
 * Continues immediately on from Planet of the Daleks.


 * AUDIO: The Tyrants of Logic
 * The Doctor is still adjusting to his newfound freedom, but speaks fondly of his time in exile. He has promised to get Jo back to Earth and gives her his TARDIS key, setting this shortly after Planet of the Daleks.


 * The Doctor and Jo eventually return to Earth from Spiridon.


 * PROSE: The Piper
 * The Doctor has recently been to Spiridon, setting this after Planet of the Daleks.


 * PROSE: Nightdreamers
 * Jo is still musing on her romance with Latep from Planet of the Daleks, and begins to think about how her days with the Doctor might be coming to an end.


 * AUDIO: The Transcendence of Ephros
 * The Doctor refers to the recent events of Frontier in Space.


 * PROSE: Hidden Talent
 * Latep from Planet of the Daleks is mentioned, and Jo has been back on Earth for "a bit."


 * COMIC: Death to the Doctor!


 * PROSE: Dancing the Code
 * Set a week after Planet of the Daleks. The Doctor and Jo have spent the past few weeks trying and failing to get to Metebelis III.


 * AUDIO: The Hidden Realm
 * Jo is aware of the Doctor regenerative abilities, setting this after The Three Doctors, but the TARDIS is not currently operational, implying that the damage done in Dancing the Code is to blame.


 * PROSE: Dr. Third
 * Jo knows the Ice Warriors, setting this after The Curse of Peledon. Liz is in the same area as the UNIT HQ, and is acquainted with Jo, setting this after The Wages of Sin.


 * AUDIO: The Rise of the New Humans
 * The Doctor mentions Lava Worms, setting this after The Transcendence of Ephros.


 * PROSE: Salt of the Earth
 * Jo has pale skin from spending lots of time inside the Doctor's lab.


 * AUDIO: Lost in the Wakefield Triangle


 * AUDIO: Time Tunnel
 * Jo is familiar with the Doctor entering comas, setting this after Planet of the Daleks.


 * PROSE: Speed of Flight
 * The Doctor is attempting to take Jo and Mike to Karfel, leading into of Timelash.


 * The Doctor, Jo and Mike take a trip to Karfel, where they prevent the experiments of a scientist named Megelen on a local life form called Morloxes. (TV: Timelash)


 * PROSE: The Bad Guy
 * Set immediately after Timelash.


 * PROSE: /Carpenter/Butterfly/Baronet


 * AUDIO: Ghost in the Machine
 * Jo refers to the events of Planet of the Daleks.


 * AUDIO: The Light at the End
 * The Doctor and Jo briefly encounter an apparition of a Charley Pollard from an alternate timeline.


 * PROSE: Legacy
 * The Doctor and Jo visit Pakha. The Doctor notices for the first time that Jo has grown up a lot since their first meeting.


 * PROSE: Come Friendly Bombs...
 * The Doctor can control his TARDIS' flight, and Jo has apparently taken numerous lengthy trips in the TARDIS, setting this after The Three Doctors. This story also demonstrates her awakening social conscience, which leads into The Green Death.


 * PROSE: The Clean Air Act
 * Jo demonstrates her growing environmental awareness, setting this after Come Friendly Bombs....


 * PROSE: Hide and Seek
 * The Doctor notes that Jo is beginning to grow up.


 * PROSE: The Christmas Inversion
 * Mike is displeased to find himself traveling in the TARDIS, suggesting he has already travelled within it. The Doctor tells Jo that she will leave him when she feels the time is right.


 * PROSE: ...And Eternity in an Hour
 * Jo is familiar with the Doctor's trances that make his skin ice-cold, setting this after Planet of the Daleks.


 * PROSE: Categorical Imperative
 * The Doctor and Jo go back in time to kill a dictator as a baby. However, the Doctor sees his sixth incarnation doing the same, and leaves him to do it.


 * PROSE: Last of the Gaderene
 * Set between Planet of the Daleks and The Green Death.


 * AUDIO: Sphinx Lightning


 * PROSE: The Dragon of Hyacinth Lodge


 * TV: The Green Death
 * Jo leaves UNIT, and the Doctor's company, to marry ecologist Professor Clifford Jones.

After the Doctor
While in the Amazon, Jo sends the Metebelis crystal back to the Doctor after it keeps bringing her and Cliff bad luck (TV: Planet of the Spiders)


 * COMIC: The Choice
 * Jo is kidnapped by Adam Mitchell among companions of the Doctor but is soon freed by Frobisher. Leads into Endgame.


 * COMIC: Endgame
 * The first eleven Doctors rescue their companions from Adam and.


 * PROSE: Girls' Night In
 * Set in the 90s, this story depicts an alternative meeting between Sarah Jane and Jo than depicted in Death of the the Doctor.


 * PROSE: Genocide
 * Set in the 90s. This story depicts an alternate take on Jo's life with Cliff than depicted in Death of the Doctor.


 * TV: Death of the Doctor
 * An older Jo, now a grandmother, meets Sarah Jane Smith and the Eleventh Doctor in 2010.

Travelling with Iris Wildthyme

 * AUDIO: Find and Replace
 * Meets Iris in December 2010.


 * AUDIO: The Elixir of Doom

Later Life

 * PROSE:  Shroud of Sorrow 
 * Jo attends the Brigadier's funeral. The year is 2012.


 * AUDIO: The Infinite Today
 * Jo meets the Eleventh Doctor again, setting this after Death of the Doctor. Jo mentions that the Brigadier passed away the previous December, suggesting a 2012 setting.


 * AUDIO: Tidal Wave
 * Jo recalls recently meeting a younger-looking Doctor.


 * AUDIO: United


 * AUDIO: The Green Life
 * Jo visits Llanfairfach and teams up with Jack Harkness to defeat another outbreak of the giant maggots. The events of Death of the Doctor are alluded to. Possibly leads into Hello Boys.


 * NOTVALID: Hello Boys
 * Jo and Cliff are still in Llanfairfach and deal with the last remaining giant maggots.

Jo and Cliff visit Mike Yates in Devil's End as he is "having trouble" there (NOTVALID: Hello Boys)


 * AUDIO: The Sacrifice of Jo Grant
 * Jo has thirteen grandchildren, setting this after Death of the Doctor. She is also good friends with Petronella Osgood, setting this after Tidal Wave.


 * NOTVALID: Visitors to the Vault
 * In 2017, Jo and Sarah Jane visit the Twelfth Doctor at St Luke's University.


 * WC: Farewell, Sarah Jane
 * Jo attends the funeral of Sarah Jane Smith.


 * WC: Return of the Autons
 * Jo and Cliff are accosted by Autons outside their home.


 * Jo dies in a house fire in 2028, aged 77. (PROSE: Carpenter/Butterfly/Baronet)

Currently unplaced

 * AUDIO: Companion Piece
 * Jo is kidnapped by the Nine, she expects the Doctor to save her, implying that this is set before The Green Death.


 * AUDIO: Masterful
 * Jo is pushed into a time scoop by The Master and becomes embroiled in an adventure with his other selves. She recalls the events of The Daemons and came from an encounter with the Master, suggesting this is set after The Sea Devils.