Chang Lee

Chang Lee was an Asian-American gangster living in San Francisco in the last part of the 20th century. On 30th December, 1999, Lee and his friends thought they had made a successful getaway from a rival gang, when suddenly they were beset by several members of that gang, eager for revenge. The rival gang members picked off Lee's friends one by one. Just when it appeared that Lee would follow his friends into death, the TARDIS suddenly appeared in front of Lee, and the Doctor emerged. Confused, the rival gang members opened fire on the Doctor, then fled. Lee managed to get an ambulance for the Doctor and get him to a hospital, where he "died" and later regenerated into his next incarnation.

Later, Lee met and became enthralled by the Master, who convinced the young man that the Doctor was evil. For a time he collaborated with the Master, even when not under active hypnosis. However, the Doctor did manage to reveal the Master's stories as lies, and Lee actively resisted the Master's commands. Rather than dispense any energy re-converting him, however, the Master immediately snapped Lee's neck and killed him. Fortunately the Doctor was able to reverse time and resurrect Lee and Grace Holloway, whom the Master had also killed. After the Master's defeat the Doctor bade Chang farewell, warning him that he shouldn't be in San Francisco next Christmas. (DW: Doctor Who)

Behind the scenes

 * Some fans consider Chang Lee to be a companion of the Doctor, perhaps based on the fact that the TARDIS saves his life. Other fans consider him one of the few companions of the Master. In fact, he's both — and neither. He became a willing participant in the Master's plans, but only after a dash of hypnosis. Then he sided with the Doctor, and was killed for it. When resurrected, he showed no interest in staying with the Doctor on any sort of long-term basis.
 * The novelization of the Doctor Who telefilm suggests other details about Lee's life. In particular, it names his brother, Chang Ho, as the determinative factor in Lee getting involved with gangs. The novel posits the notion that Lee's parents were industrious, law-abiding shop owners. Ho, two years Lee's senior, wanted to use the shop as a front for selling crack for the gang. When his parents refused, they eventually got killed by a rival gang. This left Lee in Ho's protection, and he brought Lee into the protection of his gang. Inter-gang rivalry then greatly intensified in Chinatown, and Ho was knifed down in 1996. The book also names the friends that were with him on the night he met the Doctor. One was called Lin Wang. However, the book claims that one, Pik Sim, was a woman with long hair — something that obviously didn't obtain in the final cut of the film. This discrepancy reveals the difficulty inherent in relying on Gary Russell's novel for accurate details, as it was written without the benefit of seeing the final film, and apparently even before casting had been completed.