Doctor Who
Character
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Herbert Smith

superstitious intellectually curious initially fearful quickly adaptable loquacious
Victorian gentleman and amateur spiritualist whose skepticism is shattered by an alien encounter
11 appearances
Victorian spiritualism and amateur investigation
Also known as: Herbert

Herbert Smith's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

11 moments
S22E10 · Timelash Part 1
Vena materializes in desperation

A mix of detached amusement while conducting the ritual, rapidly shifting to surprise and alarm at the inexplicable appearance of Vena, and then to urgent concern upon hearing her plea

Herbert conducts a séance with focused concentration, letting go of the glass so it glides unassisted across the alphabet cards. His attention is fixed on the glass’s motion until Vena …

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S22E10 · Timelash Part 1
Vena pleads for aid against pursuit

Amused and intrigued at first—his tone light and fanciful—until the TARDIS materializes, flipping his composure into defensive superstition. Despite feigning ritual authority, his cooperation with Vena shows budding acceptance of the unknowable.

Herbert remains seated at the cottage table, engrossed in his makeshift Ouija board, initially mistaking Vena’s alien appearance for a supernatural visitation. His automatic courtesy dissolves into playful speculation about …

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S22E10 · Timelash Part 1
Vena demands Herbert’s aid for the amulet

Skeptical amusement curdling into sudden tension when faced with the TARDIS, then resolving into determined defiance.

Herbert initially engages Vena with playful skepticism, oscillating between gallant curiosity and spiritual panic. He mechanically grabs a crucifix and bible, yet his abrupt shift to aiding her—while awkwardly brandishing …

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S22E10 · Timelash Part 1
Doctor and Herbert clash over Vena

Terrified of the unnatural yet impelled to confront it with blind zeal

Herbert greets the Doctor’s arrival with terror, brandishing a crucifix and backing into the cottage while spouting archaic warnings of spirits. He attempts to strike the Doctor with a spiritualist …

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S22E10 · Timelash Part 1
Doctor and Vena first meet under duress

Terrified and confrontational, operating from a place of deep-seated religious superstition

Herbert reacts with immediate terror on discovering the Doctor outside his cottage, brandishing a crucifix in defense. After retreating into the cottage, he escalates to calling the Doctor supernatural invective, …

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S22E10 · Timelash Part 1
Doctor warns Vena of danger

Visceral terror blended with aggressive denial, treating the alien as a supernatural menace

Herbert backs into the cottage while clutching a crucifix and reciting incantations, initially calling the Doctor a 'foul fanged fiend' and a 'spirit of the glass.' When thwarted in attacking …

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S22E10 · Timelash Part 1
Vena commits to the Doctor's mission

N/A (not physically present)

Herbert’s absence creates a pivotal quietude in which Vena’s and the Doctor’s negotiation over agency and fate unfolds. Though physically departed, his prior presence lingers as a catalyst for the …

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S22E10 · Timelash Part 1
Doctor denies Peri’s request to join him

Initially excited by the prospect of time travel, then crestfallen at rejection, masking his emotions with resigned politeness.

Herbert enthusiastically requests to join the Doctor, pleading his case despite the immediate danger. His excitement quickly fades into disappointment when refused, illustrating his limited understanding of the risks involved.

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S22E10 · Timelash Part 1
Vena recounts Borad’s terror to the Doctor

Thrilled amusement and shock at the impossible, rapidly pivoting to sincere apology and nervous compliance when authority is exerted.

Herbert bursts in with unabashed awe, scribbling in a notebook and marveling at the TARDIS’s paradoxical scale. He transitions from breathless excitement to penitent stowaway, making frantic apologies and vowing …

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S22E10 · Timelash Part 1
TARDIS launches into time vortex to escape Borad

Nervous excitement masking deep-seated fear of the unknown, shattering his Victorian worldview as he reluctantly accepts the reality unfolding around him.

Herbert backs hesitantly into the interior from an adjoining space, marvelling at the TARDIS's paradoxical scale with obsessive documentation in a small notebook. His terror of the supernatural transforms into …

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S22E10 · Timelash Part 1
Forced amulet handover under threat

Fear mingling with morbid fascination

Herbert observes the confrontation from a distance, his superstitious worldview challenged by Vena’s sudden materialization. Though not physically involved, his presence underscores the regime’s extraterritorial reach and the exposure of …

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Affiliation

Royal Geographical Society
Legitimization and credentialization of occult field research and artifact authentication