Cho-Je was an incarnation of a Time Lord who, as a projection, assisted his former incarnation in running a Buddhist meditation centre on late 20th century Earth. After regeneration, he took on his predecessor's title, "K'anpo Rimpoche". (TV: Planet of the Spiders)
Earlier in his life, this Time Lord was also known as the Hermit (TV: The Time Monster, et al.) and Ansillon. (AUDIO: Blood of the Time Lords)
Biography[]
Cho-Je assists his prior self. (TV: Planet of the Spiders)
When K'anpo was struck down by the Eight Legs possessing his own meditation students as human hosts, Cho Je faded into nothingness and then re-appeared, taking K'anpo's place. He had regenerated. He corrected Tommy when he addressed him as "Cho-Je", maintaining that he was K'anpo (TV: Planet of the Spiders) – "or, if you prefer, I am both!" (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Planet of the Spiders) He did continue to use the name Cho-Je in this incarnation, although Sarah Jane Smith was unsure whether to call him K'anpo Rinpoche or Cho-Je. (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Planet of the Spiders, Doctor Who and the Giant Robot)
After the Doctor's confrontation with the Great One in her cave, he began to die from the radiation there. Once the Doctor had returned in the TARDIS to UNIT HQ, Cho-Je teleported to him to give the Doctor "a little push" enabling his regeneration into a new incarnation. (TV: Planet of the Spiders)
Behind the scenes[]
- Cho-Je appeared before the mechanics of regeneration were well-established, and his denial of the name "Cho-Je" after merging with K'anpo mirrors the Second Doctor's past-tense commentary on "the Doctor" immediately after his "renewal" in The Power of the Daleks.
- Over a decade later, the Watcher played a similar role in Logopolis, merging with the Fourth Doctor at the moment of his regeneration. However, K'anpo actually becomes Cho-Je, rather than just merging with him.
- While George Cormack appeared as K'anpo Rimpoche as a Caucasian, as Cho-Je, Kevin Lindsay wore makeup and adopted a faint accent to portray him as apparently Tibetan. As the new regeneration of K'anpo Rimpoche, Kevin Lindsay continued to wear the makeup and employ the accent. This is the first time a Time Lord is shown to change ethnicity upon regeneration.
