Ian taught science at Coal Hill School, and like Barbara found himself intrigued by Susan's odd behavior in class. To solve the mystery of their unusual pupil, they followed her into a junkyard one evening. Upon hearing Susan's voice inside an old police box, Ian barged past the Doctor and into the TARDIS, and so his voyages began.
Ian is a very adventurous man at heart, and he thoroughly enjoys the opportunities he has to visit historical time periods. His initiative and courage see him through the tough times that inevitably result from such excursions, and he also maintains a sense of optimism, which leads him to tackle tasks which would cause others to despair. Ian possesses a wry sense of humor that serves him equally well, and helps to maintain a fun atmosphere in the TARDIS. He can also be extremely stubborn, and he does not hesitate to voice his thoughts or objections. Sometimes this leads to his butting heads with the first Doctor, but despite their occasional quarrels, both men respect each other greatly.
Ian is extremely protective of his travelling companions, particularly Barbara. He will do whatever is necessary to rescue them if they are in danger, and unlike the Doctor, Ian has the youth and skill to back up his actions with force, if necessary. Ian seems to have had some practice in hand-to-hand combat and the use of simple weapons, or he is just a swift learner. After learning to use a sword in the company of Marco Polo, Ian became quite an adept swordfighter - fortunately, given the number of times he was called upon to use this skill in Earth's past.
Ian is a tall man with brown hair and dark blue eyes. When not dressing up in fancy period clothing, Ian often wears his school clothing - jacket and the Coal Hill School tie, which is black with narrow emerald stripes. He is also fond of coming up with plans that make use of Barbara's cardigans. Probably he is equally fond of Barbara, and they seem to have a very close bond, although whether or not true love is involved, we can only speculate.
