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Shirley Anne Bingham was UNIT's fifty-sixth scientific adviser. While she could stand and walk for a limited time, she was primarily a wheelchair user due to spina bifida. She also had a northern accent. She was born 4th of August.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Shirley Anne Bingham hailed from Manchester. She had a distinguished background in neurosurgery and conducted personal research into folate fortification to further the study of spina bifida (PROSE: The Star Beast [+]Gary Russell, adapted from The Star Beast (Russell T Davies), 60th Anniversary Novels (Target Books, 2023).) which she herself was diagnosed with. (TV: Wish World [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 15 (BBC One and Disney+, 2025).)
Joining UNIT[]
When her work on MOMS trials in Nashville, USA proved impressive, Shirley was recruited by Kate Lethbridge-Stewart into UNIT as a scientific advisor on Malcolm Taylor's team. Shortly after being recruited, she utilised her skills and theories to test the PNS of a number of alien species that were known to UNIT and agreed to join the organisation on a full-time basis to continue her research. Kate assigned her to support Colonel Chan's field team in the south east region of the United Kingdom for two months, under the callsign Trap Two. (PROSE: The Star Beast [+]Gary Russell, adapted from The Star Beast (Russell T Davies), 60th Anniversary Novels (Target Books, 2023).) She later became UNIT's chief scientific advisor in the UK. (PROSE: The Giggle [+]James Goss, adapted from The Giggle (Russell T Davies), 60th Anniversary Novels (Target Books, 2023).)
Shirley read the files about the Doctor and their ability to regenerate; she at least knew the appearances of the Doctor's tenth, eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth incarnations. (TV: The Star Beast [+]Russell T Davies, adapted from Doctor Who and the Star Beast (Pat Mills and John Wagner), Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials (BBC One and Disney+, 2023).)
Fighting the Meep[]
In November 2023, (PROSE: The Star Beast [+]Gary Russell, adapted from The Star Beast (Russell T Davies), 60th Anniversary Novels (Target Books, 2023).) Shirley was tasked with evaluating the Meep's ship after it crashed at the Millson Wagner Steelworks, where she realised that, though the collision started out genuine, the landing at the steelworks had been on purpose. When she found the Fourteenth Doctor snooping around the facility and conducting an investigation of his own, Shirley approached the Doctor, and the two shared data on the crash while formally introducing themselves to one another. Due to Shirley thinking he was the Tenth Doctor, he explained that he was a new incarnation who had inexplicably regained the face of his tenth incarnation and also shared his fears of his familiar face being a threat to his old friend Donna Noble becoming the DoctorDonna again. A soldier then informed Shirley and the Doctor that the ship's escape pod had been located, prompting the Doctor to leave with them while Shirley remained at the Steelworks. Because the ship's controls where only accessible by stairs, Shirley stayed on the ground when Colonel Chan lead a team to investigate a pulse emitting from the ship, which enabled her to avoid being possessed by the Psychedelic sun and enslaved by the Meep.
When the Doctor returned to the Steelworks with Donna Noble, Sylvia Noble, Rose Noble and Shaun Temple while detained by the Meep's Soldiers of the Psychedelic Sun, Shirley rescued them by incapacitating the soldiers with darts hidden within her wheelchair. She then assisted the Doctor by firing missiles at the wall, allowing him to access the Meep's ship. Shirley was later in attendance as the Wrarth Warriors formally sentenced the Meep and teleported the Meep away to prison, and watched as Donna and Rose underwent letting go of the Human-Time Lord Meta-Crisis within them, playfully blowing at some regeneration energy that went passed her. (TV: The Star Beast [+]Russell T Davies, adapted from Doctor Who and the Star Beast (Pat Mills and John Wagner), Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials (BBC One and Disney+, 2023).)
Combating the Giggle[]
Two days later, Shirley was present at UNIT's London HQ when the Doctor and Donna arrived to assist Kate Lethbridge-Stewart with combatting the Giggle. Shirley and all UNIT personnel wore Zeedex armbands which shielded them from the Giggle's worst effects. When Kate deactivated her Zeedex to demonstrate the Giggle's effects on her psyche, she quickly grew conspiratorial and accused Shirley of not needing to use a wheelchair, among other things. After UNIT soldiers forcefully placed the Zeedex back on her arm, Kate apologised for her outburst, and Shirley, although shocked, accepted the apology.
Shirley was in attendance when the Toymaker terrorised UNIT while dancing to Spice Up Your Life. She also witnessed the Fourteenth Doctor bi-generate into the Fifteenth Doctor, and their subsequent triumph over the Toymaker in a game of catch. When the Fifteenth Doctor exploited the lingering powers of the Toymaker's domain to duplicate the TARDIS, the Fourteenth Doctor showed Shirley that the new TARDIS was wheelchair-accessible, much to her pleasure. (TV: The Giggle [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials (BBC One and Disney+, 2023).)
Later events[]
When the Fifteenth Doctor enlisted UNIT's help in 2024, Shirley had been replaced by Morris Gibbons as UNIT's Chief Scientific Advisor. (TV: The Legend of Ruby Sunday [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 14 (BBC One and Disney+, 2024).)
Shirley was once again serving as UNIT's Chief Scientific Advisor in 2025 when the organization came under threat of being shut down due to Conrad Clark. When Kate released the Shreek on Conrad, Shirley urged her to do something and gave Ruby a taser once Conrad confessed to lying about everything. Afterwards, Shirley monitored the better public perception of UNIT and jokingly wondered if the #HotTaserLady referred to her or Ruby. (TV: Lucky Day [+]Pete McTighe, Doctor Who series 15 (BBC One and Disney+, 2025).)
When the Rani and Conrad changed the world using the powers of Desidirium, Shirley was left homeless due to her spina bifida and the prejudice against disabled people in this new world. However, Shirley noticed things not adding up such as her having a high-tech wheelchair despite being homeless. Shirley met Ruby and invited her to her homeless encampment where the two women shared an instinctual distrust of Conrad, remembering some of his previous actions. Ruby and Shirley teamed up together to stop the Rani and Conrad, only to have the world start disintegrating around them as the Rani began to release Omega. (TV: Wish World [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 15 (BBC One and Disney+, 2025).)
After time was reset again, the Doctor was able to restore the memories of everyone in UNIT Tower by exposing them to real time with the help of Anita Benn. Kate recalled all UNIT employees within a ten mile radius which included Shirley who had rockets attached to her wheelchair. When the Bone Beasts attacked the tower, Shirley operated the parallax cannons and monitored the Bone Palace's Threshold for Ruby so that she could transmat in. After the correct reality was restored, Shirley reported on the minor "glitches" in reality that existed now. Along with everyone but Ruby, Shirley had no memory of Poppy. (TV: The Reality War [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 15 (BBC One and Disney+, 2025).)
Behind the scenes[]
Actress Ruth Madeley previously played the Sixth Doctor's companion Hebe Harrison in Big Finish audio stories.
