John Hallam

Dr John B. Hallam was a historian and Melanie Bush's uncle.

Biography
John B. Hallam (AUDIO: Catch-1782) was the son of Mr and Mrs Hallam and brother of Christine Bush. (PROSE: Spiral Scratch) When Mr Hallam inherited Hallam House, he decided not to move the family out of their semi and leased it to the National Foundation for Scientific Research. John became a historian, a "dabbler" in chemistry and an expert on carbon dating, joining the Foundation and moving into Hallam House where he lived with his cat, Jupiter. (AUDIO: Catch-1782)

John was close to Mel and sent her and Anabel presents for Christmas. Whilst Anabel received dolls, Mel received chemistry sets and books on African wildlife and dinosaurs. (PROSE: Spiral Scratch) He regularly took Mel on trips to museums and was responsible for her developing her interest in science at an early age which led to her studying computer science at university. (AUDIO: Catch-1782, The Wrong Doctors) He tended not to use "Dr" before his name and spent a lot of time researching the history of the Hallam family, learning of the mysterious Eleanor Hallam.

In 2003, John sent Mel an invitation to a centenary celebration for a scientific foundation in Berkshire, called the National Foundation for Scientific Research. Mel and the Doctor consequently met up with Hallam and attended the event on 12 December 2003.

In addition to his scientific investigations, Hallam was also the "Bush family historian", a hobby in which Mel was also interested. This knowledge of the past got him a "ticket" for a ride in the Doctor's TARDIS, when Mel was accidentally transported back in time to the Hallam home in 1782. The Doctor needed John's help, because John was the only available expert in the particulars of Hallam family history. In order to avoid changing Mel's personal past, the duo had to very carefully rescue Mel from John's house in the past, when it was the residence of their mutual ancestor, Henry Hallam. (AUDIO: Catch-1782)