George Edward Challenger

George Edward Challenger is a a literary character who features in The Lost World

Biography

George Edward Challenger was a bushy-bearded scientist and explorer who claimed to have found proof of living dinosaurs on an isolated plateau in the jungles of South America after stumbling upon the diary of his missing colleague Maple White.

He was laughed at by the scientific community of London, but challenged his chief destractor Professor Summerlee to prove him wrong. Thus an expedition was mounted, consisting of Challenger and Summerlee, reporter Edward Malone (who had earned Challenger's respect despite the fact the scientist hated reporters), Maple's daughter White, Paula, famed hunter-explorer Sir John Roxton, Challenger's servant Austin, and guide Zambo.

In July 1908, Malone joins Challenger, the 66-year-old Mr Summerlee (c. 1842–1925), Professor of Comparative Anatomy, and the explorer and mountaineer Lord John Roxton, third son of the Duke of Pomfret and then in his mid-forties, on an expedition to the Amazon Basin, where Challenger claims to have observed creatures from the Jurassic Age two years previously. On reaching the mouth of the Amazon River in Pará state, the expedition hires local guides and servants Mojo, José, Fernando, Gomez, Manuel and Zambo. From Manaus the expedition continues up-river to reach an unnamed tributary, which they follow by canoe until by late August the explorers arrive in the Guiana Highlands and the table-top mountain (tepui) that is the Lost World. The expedition camps at the foot of the basalt cliffs of the tepui, which they name Maple White Land in honour of the plateau’s discoverer some four years earlier

The majority of the party became stranded on the prehistoric plateau when a living Brontosaurus knocked down the log bridge that provided the only way out. Challenger and his party endured all manner of dangers, including an attack from an Allosaurus, several encounters with a ferocious Ape-Man, and, worst of all, a volcanic eruption. Ultimately they all escaped thanks to ingenuity of Austin and Zambo (who had remained in the encampment at the base of the plateau), and were found by Brazilian surveyor Major Hibbard.

As proof of his theories, Challenger brought back a captive Brontosaurus that they'd managed to capture after it became stuck in a mudhole. Unfortunately, the beast broke free and ran amok throughout London until it finally fell off of the Tower Bridge and into the Thames, swimming out to sea. Challenger was left simultaneously cleared of all charges of fraud, and publicly embarrassed.

Notes

• Professor Challenger was created by Arthur Conan Doyle where he featured in the setting of The Lost World universe.
• The character was based on a real person—in this case, two people: an explorer named Percy Fawcett, who was Doyle's friend; and a professor of physiology named William Rutherford, who had lectured at the University of Edinburgh while Conan Doyle studied medicine there

In other media

Television

• In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, Professor Challenger appeared in the setting of the live-action television series where he was portrayed by actor Peter McCauley. Whilst journeying in the Plateau, Challenger along with Roxton and Margeuritte discovered an ancient temple. Outside the temple was a large raised dial which Margeuritte believed was a representation of the solar system but a shocked Challenger said it was a sketch of an atom. A surprised Margueritte stated that the temple was thousands of years old and that the civilization should not have even known of the atom. After observing the diagram, he found a spherical piece which he conluded was a missing piece of the puzzle and placed it in the centre. He was then engulfed by light and seemingly went unconscious. Whilst his comrades rushed him back to the Treehouse, Challenger witnessed a dream of the future and learnt that he had been given god-like powers by the light. He used his abilities to save Veronica only to later kill her for defying him as he believed himself a god and sought to change the world. His ego grew as did his desire for worship and he learnt that he had the ability to manipulate the universe through quantum reality and that the means to do this was through the temples atom sketching as it was a device constructed by Atlantis but they were consumed by its power as Challenger was. Ultimately, this future meant he destroyed his friends and left alone. Upon being awoken he warned them of an impending slaver attack that would capture Veronica and then journeyed to the temple in order to destroy the atom device to prevent its power from being used again. (EP: Absolute Power)

Appearances

• The Lost World:

External Links

• Wikipedia Entry

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