Joan Redfern

Joan Redfern was a widow who lived and worked at a school in Farringham. In the early 20th century, she fell in love with John Smith, who was really the Doctor. By one account, it was the Seventh Doctor; (PROSE: Human Nature) by another account, it was the Tenth. (TV: Human Nature, The Family of Blood)

Biography
Joan's husband died in combat (PROSE: Human Nature) at the Battle of Spion Kop in January 1900. (TV: Human Nature)

Meeting the Tenth Doctor
By one account, Joan worked as a nurse at Farringham School for Boys from September to November 1913. (TV: Human Nature)

While at Farringham, John Smith fell in love with her. He showed her a journal in which he had written down his dreams, which were his adventures with Rose and Martha before he was human. After John Smith became the Tenth Doctor again, she asked him if he could change back into John. He said yes, but when she asked if he would he said no. When he asked her to join him as a companion, she dismissed the idea immediately, saying that John Smith was dead and the Doctor just looked like him. She then asked the Doctor, "If you hadn't decided to come here on a whim, would any of these people have died?" He looked at her without answering. She dismissed him and, after he left, broke down, clutching John's journal. (TV: Human Nature, The Family of Blood)

Many years later, Joan's diary was found by her great-granddaughter Verity Newman. Verity published A Journal of Impossible Things, the story of Joan's romance with the Doctor which Verity told people who bought the book. As his regeneration into the Eleventh Doctor approached, the Doctor bought Joan's book and asked Verity, who realised who he was, if Joan was happy in the end. Verity confirmed that Joan did live a happy life after the Doctor left, but the Doctor left without answering when Verity asked if he too had been happy. (TV: The End of Time)

Meeting the Seventh Doctor
By another account, she worked at Hulton College as a science teacher in April 1914. At this time, she was 48 years old. She and John Smith played whist together.

Following her encounter with the Seventh Doctor, she gave her cat Wolsey to Bernice Summerfield. (PROSE: Human Nature)

Alternate timeline
In an alternative future viewed by Joan and John Smith, she became his wife. They had two children and a number of grandchildren as they lived long, happy lives together. (TV: The Family of Blood)