WHO REVIEW: Regenerations

The Time War is perhaps the perfect backdrop for Doctor Who fanfic. It provides enormous scope and possibility, the highest of stakes and a constant background threat. More than that, though, is the very nature of time as the field of war means that characters from any era of the series' history can justifiably appear, and continuity needn't be a burden if a story can't quite “fit.” If there's any time to break the rules, it's during a time war.

Regenerations from Chinbeard Books, (publisher of Seasons of War) returns to the Time War in the midst of its darkest hour, and uses it as a way to look at the Doctor's lives through different lenses. When the possibility of Dalek victory in the War becomes too likely, Rassilon sanctions a desperate gambit: change the Doctor's history to prevent the War from beginning. By preventing what Lance Parkin called “Last Contact” - the first meeting between the Doctor and the Daleks – the malevolent pepperpots will never become obsessed with alien life and time travel and the War will never come to pass.

Naturally, things do not go as simply as planned. Regenerations sees the Doctor's timeline unravel, presenting us with well-remembered stories from the series twisted into new forms. As history is altered, there isn't even a consistent timeline between these stories – they may follow on, or they may contradict each other, but each one sees a classic story bent out of shape by the manipulation of history.

Kenton Hall edits the collection and also writes the overarching story, which follows the War Doctor as he moves from a galactic crisis to dealing with his own past unravelling. A triplicate story starts the collection off, with “The Shallow Stage” setting the cosmic scene before we're wrenched back to the very beginning in “The Untrustworthy Child,” an ingenious rewriting of the very first Doctor Who story, before the consequences are explored in “The Hidden Well.” Hall takes us back to the War Doctor's travails several throughout the book, and also introduces two new characters, the young Time Lords Jelsillon and Dyliss. These two become honorary companions for the collection, their stories woven into the Doctor's timeline at the outset with dire consequences for all of them.

From there we move along the Doctor's mangled timeline, stopping first with the Second Doctor in “Time of the Cybermen” by Dan Barratt. A clever reversal of the central conceit of The Tomb of the Cybermen, Barratt's story gives us a glimpse of the Cyberwars we often heard about but so rarely saw on the series, in a gripping adventure. Things get more peculiar in “The Paradoxical Affair at Styles,”a new take on Day of the Daleks by Andrew Lawston. To begin with, while the details are different, the overall story seems much the same as the classic serial, perhaps with more of a side of humour. But as it progresses, the Time War encroaches upon it as Gallifrey attempts to intervene in the Daleks' history.

The Doctor's role in Dalek history is very much the focus of Alan Ronald's story, “Terminus of the Daleks,” which presents a reality where the Fourth Doctor decided he very much did have the right. At least, that's what the Time Lords believe, so much so that on Gallifrey they hold theatrical productions of the their own version of Genesis of the Daleks. The fictionalisation of history is just as much a theme in the collection as its outright rewriting, and “Terminus” balances both to become my favourite story in the book. I couldn't help but imagine the faux Doctor as played by John Culshaw.

“Shockwave” by duo Simon A. Brett and Lee Rawlings is another nifty tale of changing history, giving us a reality where Adric managed to die in a completely different way in Earthshock. The consequences are a version of Time-Flight that is, shockingly, really very good, as timelines converge at Heathrow with Tegan baring the brunt of the chaos. After all, had the freighter not crashed circa 65 million BC, Earth's history would be very different indeed. It's a very funny story but it has a nasty sting in the tail.

Christine Grit's story “Revelation,” is, as you might guess, a reworking of Revelation of the Daleks, somehow even nastier than the original. By this point things are becoming very odd, and the story sees the Sixth Doctor and Adric arrive on Necros. The Doctor can feel something's wrong with his timeline by now but is powerless to do anything about it. “Revelation” becomes even more Sixey when the Rani shows up, her story continuing in “Enter the Rani” by Target Trawler Nick Mellish. This story takes the infamously dreadful Time and the Rani and turns it into something that's honestly brilliant – more than that, it turns it into something that makes sense. With a wicked sense of humour, a truly vicious examination of the Rani's cruelty and better-written Mel than I've ever seen, it's another highlight for me.

The further along we go, the more the War Doctor's central story comes into focus, and we learn that the villain behind the masterplan isn't who we expected (but is utterly in keeping with the themes of the book). A diversion back to the Eighth Doctor's first and last moments keeps the experiment running. “The Edge of the War” is this broken universe's equivalent of the TV Movie, one that spends far more time looking at things from the Master's and Grace's point of view. This version of the story moves in a very different and brilliant direction, and the Doctor gets absolutely owned for laying kisses on unwary surgeons. “The Flight of the Doctor” sees the Eighth Doctor's arrival on the War's outskirts and on Karn play out differently, with Barnaby Eaton-Jones telling a different story to Moffat, albeit one with just as many brilliant lines.

Hall comes back to wrap things up in “The Weight of the Doctor,” which storms through the new series – the future, of course, from the protagonist's point of view – bringing the timeline as up-to-date as you could possibly want as the Doctor rights the wrongs of his own reality. Regenerations is based on a very clever concept, but without such a strong selection of stories the idea would be wasted. An excellent fanthology. 

The Regenerations ebook can be purchased from Chinbeard Books here, with all proceeds going to Invest in ME.

WHO REVIEW: "Seasons of War: Gallifrey" by Paul Driscoll and Kara Dennison

Declan May's Seasons of War was a triumph of fan fiction. Multiple authors came together to create a story of the Time War from start to finish, affording glimpses of how the Time Lord formerly known as the Doctor resorted to acting in the universe-threatening conflict. It was a big enough success that further explorations of the Time War under its banner were welcome and inevitable.

The first such release – is it a spin-off? A sequel? - is Gallifrey, the hugely impressive debut novel from Paul Driscoll (The Black Archive, A Clockwork Iris, The Hybrid, the original Seasons of War) and Kara Dennison (The Hybrid zine, Crunchyroll, Owl's Flower). Together, they create a version of Gallifrey that is at once steeped in Doctor Who lore, and entirely original. It's always been difficult to reconcile the different images of Gallifrey we've seen over the years, from the aloof demigods of The War Games to the agrarian homesteads of The Day of the Doctor and Hell Bent, but that's exactly as it should be when catching glimpses of a whole planet and an ancient civilisation. The authors present a vision of a Gallifrey torn apart by caste divisions, riddled with distrust, but home to decent, real people who just want to get on with their lives.

Although ostensibly a Doctor Who story, Gallifrey focuses on a cast of four new characters, living on the Time Lord planet at the outbreak of war. We follow the intertwined stories of Savalia, a poet living in the outlands of Gallifrey; her cousin Kendo, a newly inducted Time Lord senator; Tor Fasa, an ancient Time Lord on his penultimate regeneration; and his protege Mordicai, the Engineer, and idealistic young man who shares a strained romance with Savalia. They are all fascinating, well drawn characters; as the novel progresses, their paths diverge and cross repeatedly, and we see the same events from different perspectives. How the characters present themselves to each other and how they really feel about their actions are frequently at odds, and the same actions take on very different colours when seen from inside and outside.

Of the core characters, I enjoyed Tor Fasa the most. An old contemporary of the Doctor – who even asked Fasa to travel with him when he left Gallifrey – he's an elderly, idealistic but pragmatic schemer, whose one consistent physical feature across his regenerations is a vicious scar across his face. His manipulations drive much of the plot forward, but events are forever out of his control. While the Doctor appears only sparingly, his fingerprints are all over the book, not just in his obvious influence on the character of Fasa but particularly as the inspiration of Mordicai's philosophy. Easily the most naïve of the four main characters, Mordicai is also the most noble, and takes the Doctor's transformation into a soldier as a personal betrayal. The War has irreversible consequences on all the characters, though, with perhaps Savalia changed the most, dragged into the war effort and finding herself surprisingly suited to it.

The bizarre realities of Gallifrey are explored in depth. Regeneration, and its chaotic consequences, is a theme running throughout the novel. The authors take the concept to its extreme, exploring just how devastating such a transformation could be, even if it went to plan. There's a character suffering from a regeneration sickness, perpetually cycling through all her incarnations, while one of my favourite characters, Commander Bez, has regenerated from a hulking male soldier to a hyperactive little girl. The Death Zone is a major location, taking on critical importance to the plot, and explored in far more conceptual detail than it was ever afforded on television.

Perhaps the most fascinating element is how the Time War is presented itself. There's a divide between the very physical warfare seen on screen and the nightmarish temporal warfare spoken about. Gallifrey uses this contradiction well, with the more esoteric warfare happening on the front lines, distant from Gallifrey itself, while the physical soldiery existing as the last line of defence should the War reach its shores. Intriguingly, there's the clear suggestion that the War is progressing faster on the front lines than on Gallifrey, with the constant threat that the future is going to come crashing down on the present. Given the litigousness of the Nation estate, the Daleks don't feature, being only briefly alluded to, but this works in the story's favour. The Daleks hitting Gallifrey is the final event of the War, while for the most part they act through their slaves and allies, both alien and Gallifreyan.

Gallifrey is an excellent exploration of the Doctor's homeworld with some brilliantly drawn characters and some wonderful concepts. There's the occasional bit of clunky dialogue, and it does end rather abruptly, but the ending sets up the possibility of further adventures for some of the characters and further exploration of their universe. This is the best exploration of Gallifrey and the Time Lords since The Infinity Doctors. 

Seasons of War: Gallifrey is available from Altrix Books in both paper and e-book formats, with all proceeds going to Caudwell Children.

Who Novelisation Quest 11: "The Day of the Doctor" by Steven Moffat

Perhaps the most anticipated of the new Target releases, The Day of the Doctor is the first novel by Steven Moffat, surprisingly for a writer who has become so prolific. Although initially asked to novelise Twice Upon a Time, Moffat instead decided that this was the one he absolutely had to write, especially considering the dreadful time he had writing the actual episode. I get the impression that this revisitation was a much more enjoyable experience for him.

If you don't care for Moffat's approach to storytelling, then you won't much like The Day of the Doctor. This is timey-wimey throughout, one of the more complex tellings in the Doctor Who line, certainly the most complex of the novelisations, jumping back and forth in time and between different characters' viewpoints. Well, that's at first glance, but the vast majority of the book is told from the Doctor's perspective, in one of his many incarnations, each chapter being delivered as a separate document by an omniscient narrator with a unique perspective on the overall story. Three guesses as to who that is. There's a chapter that's told from a human perspective, until you realise actually, it's a Zygon, but otherwise this is the Doctor's story through and through. And rightly so, because no other story in the TV series' history has ever been as much about the Doctor's own experiences and his views on his very long, eventful life.

The episode leapt about quite a lot, but the book is even more jumpy, and is presented in an order that never quite makes a logical progression clear. It opens with Chapter Eight, which adapts "The Night of the Doctor," the eighth Doctor's last minutes of life, before continuing with Chapter Eleven, the opening to the actual anniversary episode with Clara and the eleventh Doctor. Focusing on the numbering will lead you astray, though, and it's nothing as simple as chapter = Doctor, although the fact that Chapter Nine is redacted in a pretty funny decision, surely a snub to Christopher Eccleston for declining to appear in the episode. In fact, he's in this even less than the actual broadcast, since one of the very few elements not expanded upon is the War Doctor's regeneration, which is sadly relegated to occurring off-screen.

The broadcast episode was primarily the eleventh Doctor's story, given that Matt Smith was the incumbent star at the time, but Moffat has said that he views this version more as the War Doctor's story. In practice, however, so much more prominence is given to the Elizabeth/Zygon storyline that in effect it becomes the tenth Doctor's story for much of its telling. Things are particularly complicated (but ingeniously told) when all three Doctors are locked away together, with the tenth Doctor sandwiched between his suppressed past and his unwelcome future. Cleverly, Moffat doesn't resort to referring to the Doctors by number, but drops in little descriptors instead, which can be entertaining, albeit a little confusing, when the viewpoint is switching between incarnations. Given that this is original author reworking his own material, the dialogue is surprisingly altered, but what author can resist tinkering with their own work even after it's ostensibly finished?

As with Davies and Rose, Moffat takes the opportunity to expand the story in various ways. Satisfyingly, we find out just why and how the tenth Doctor made his way into Elizabeth's affections, cementing the feeling that the other Doctors barged their way in part way through another adventure. There are a number of extra elements inserted; River Song turns up, perhaps not surprisingly, in a bit of backstory; the twelfth Doctor is made more important to the heavily revised climax; and the thirteenth Doctor makes an appearance. The grand "all thirteen!" finale is very different, but perhaps even more satisfying, with Moffat realising that what works as a surprise and a visual treat onscreen won't work the same way in prose five years later.

The Day of the Doctor is one of the most enjoyable Doctor Who novels I've read, and believe me, I've read a lot. It stands up as one of the very best of the novelisations and makes me hope that someday Moffat will turn his hand to novel writing again.

Some fun observations from the novel:

The Doctor's first two incarnations were apparently colourblind, something the Doctor didn't realise until the Time Lords corrected this with his second regeneration. So, all that time we were watching the episodes as the Doctor would have seen them.

A. M. Thompson's amazing fan cover

Moffat reinstates something he was dying to include in the broadcast episode, but couldn't due to rights issues: the Doctor Who movies starring Peter Cushing exist in-universe as depictions of the "real" Doctor's life. He isn't the first author to suggest this, but he runs with it farther than others, even having the tenth and eleventh Doctors take time out from the proceedings to watch both films and then go back in time to fetch Cushing so he can make another one. It's a pretty hilarious way to explain how he can turn up in a new Star Wars film years after his death...

The potion given to the eighth Doctor by Ohila was just "lemonade and dry ice." So it's true the Doctor was just using this transformation as a way to excuse his behaviour during the War. (I'm still convinced he was cured of his half-human DNA during this regeneration though.) He also mentions Fitz during his companion rundown, fittingly given this is now a prose story.

The War Doctor half recognises Clara from her voice, referencing the later episode "Listen" which had her speak to his childhood self.

Coal Hill headmaster Mr. Armitage is completely in on the Doctor's existence, having been tipped off by governor Ian Chesterton.

Data: 
First published by BBC Books (Target imprint) in 2018
Based on "The Day of the Doctor," first broadcast in 2013
Audiobook read by Nicholas Briggs

WHO REVIEW: The War Master - Only the Good

BENEATH THE VISCOID by Nicholas Briggs

THE GOOD MASTER by Janine H. Jones

THE SKY MAN by James Goss

THE HEAVENLY PARADIGM by Guy Adams

With John Hurt sadly departed, Big Finish has to turn to other avenues to explore the Time War. The eight Doctor boxed set was planned early on, but has now expanded to become another four-box epic series. Gallifrey returns soon to see the Time Lords' efforts in the War. Most interestingly, though, we get to see what happened to the Master, resurrected to fight for Gallifrey, once the War had begun in earnest.

A four-story boxed set of the kind BF likes to make these days for their "event" titles, Only the Good feels like something of a testing ground for the concept of a Master-led series, in spite of wrapping up its own story quite neatly. The big draw is obviously Sir Derek Jacobi, one of our most beloved actors, stepping back into a role that he had for only moments on television. It's a most welcome opportunity to explore the least-known incarnation of Doctor Who's most persistent villain (except, perhaps, for Gordon Tipple). What's interesting with this incarnation of the Master is how much like his alter ego he is. Characterisation in both the writing and performance makes it clear that there's a lot of Yana in the Master, and vice versa. This is a version of the Master who revels in little pleasures and seems to genuinely enjoy the chance to play at being a good guy - even if it is all a means to an end.

The first instalment, Beneath the Viscoid, feels somewhat apart from the rest of the set. Set on the planet Gardezza, a world with a thick, viscous ocean that causes incredible difficulty for the Dalek force that occupies it. This unpleasant environmental feature is the only thing that gives the amphibian natives a sporting chance against the Daleks, but their days are still numbered. Fortunately for them, a Gallifreyan time capsule is found on the ocean bed, and inside is none other than the legendary Doctor.

Except, the Doctor isn't in this set. It's the Master, playing at being the Doctor in order to gain the natives trust and use it for his own ends. This is the second time that Jacobi has sort-of-played the Doctor, after his role in the Unbound story, Deadline, but here he gets to portray the character in a genuinely interesting way. He's incredibly charming and resourceful and full of admiration for the natives's ingenuity, but can switch to becoming cold and callous at a moment's notice. It's clear that the Master enjoys playing the role... until he tires of it, and will dispatch anyone who gets in his way. Jacobi's performance is what makes this episode work. The rest of the cast, although perfectly fine, aren't given much to work with as they play pretty generic aliens, so the episode never really flies.

The Good Master is stronger, and once again sees the Master playing at being the good guy and loving it. The planet Arcking is a safe haven in the War, due to a gravitational event creating a state of grace around the planet. The Daleks can't invade and it's virtually impossible to be harmed there. As such, it's become a hospital planet for those wounded in the War. The Master is there, posing as one Dr. Keller (nice callback to The Mind of Evil), a talented surgeon who takes pride in all the lives he's saved. However, he isn't simply hiding out. There's something on Arcking he needs...

The episode introduces Johnny Green as Cole, an injured pilot who becomes the Master's new companion. There's some excellent interplay between the two characters, and it's easy to see why Cole would join this supposedly trustworthy Time Lord, especially as he's on the Dalek's most wanted list. We know him better, of course, but it's interesting to see the Master doing the right thing, even if it is for his own selfish reasons.

The Sky Man is very much Cole's story. With the Master uncharacteristically citing Time Lord code and refusing to become too involved, he is swayed by Cole's insistence that he could maybe save just one world. Almost immediately we get a powerful scene in which the Master presents him with the impossible decision - of choosing one world among all those plagued by the War to single out for rescue. It's an incredible scene.

Nonetheless, a planet is found, and the Master and Cole make it their home for a time. A peaceful agrarian world whose inhabitants have deliberately shunned high technology to steer clear of the attention of the belligerents in the War, it is unfortunately still affected when some kind of temporal fallout causes illness to spread amongst the inhabitants.The Master basically takes a holiday and takes up viticulture, while keeping his eye on Cole. 

Cole, though, lives among the people he means to save, gaining respect and distrust in equal measures as he makes small improvements to their lives. He falls for a young woman named Elidh - played beautifully by Emily Barber. The actors give their characters very believable chemistry, and Cole's increasingly desperate attempts to save the locals from the effects of the fallout become more and more galling. Without wanting to spoil the story too much, his eventual solution calls to mind the creation of the Cybermen, an event with equal tragedy, only this time we see all of it through the eyes of the man who was inadvertently responsible. Thanks to some excellent writing and a wonderful performance by Green, the results are heartbreaking. The undisputed highlight of the set.

Finally, The Heavenly Paradigm brings events to a climactic, if rather unexpectedly stylised, end. It turns out that one of the greatest weapons in the Time Lords' arsenal, with the power to restructure whole timelines and shape reality to its bearer's will, is hidden in a house in the Stamford Bridge area in the seventies. Oh, and it's guarded by Nerys Hughes. Not quite how I expected one of the most significant events of the Time War to start.

While we might have believed the Master had developed some real affection for Cole in their time together, it certainly isn't enough to stop him using the boy for his own ends. You see, Cole is a temporal anomaly who should never have survived crashing on Arcking, and now, with a little direction from the Master, he's created even bigger, more devastating paradoxes of his own. This the Master can use to power the Heavenly Paradigm to such a degree that he can rewrite the entire universe, and end the Time War for good.

What's so satisfying about the Master's behaviour in this story is that, while he is utterly ruthless and opportunistic, he honestly thinks he's doing the right thing. After all, he doesn't want to see the Daleks dominate the universe of everything fall into hell, anymore than anyone does. This could be the only way out for the people of the universe. Unfortunately, he's bitten off rather more than he can chew, and things go badly wrong. Leaving the Time War somehow even worse than he found it, the Master powers up his chameleon arch and goes on the run, bringing the story to where we will pick it up, years later, in "Utopia." A satisfying conclusion to a set that proves that the Master can have diverting adventures even when the Doctor isn't around.

WHO REVIEW: Titan Eleventh Doctor comics - Year Two

A belated review of the most recent complete run of Doctor Who comics to feature the eleventh Doctor (I may cover Ten and Twelve later, we'll see). Titan Publishing's "Eleventh Doctor, Year Two" ran from late 2015 to the end of 2016, but I've been catching up via the UK reprints in Tales from the Tardis, which appear on stands about six or seven months later. The storyline has also been published in a series of trade paperbacks: The Then and the Now, The One, and The Malignant Truth, so there's no shortage of ways to read the story.

And a truly excellent story it is. The full "year" comprises a fifteen issue storyline, from "The Then and the Now, Part One" through to "Physician, Heal Thyself," charting an epic adventure that crosses the Doctor's timeline from the depths of the Time War to the high times of the eleventh Doctor. Written by Rob Williams and Si Spurrier, the series features a number of artists, although for me, Simon Fraser's idiosyncratic style suits the story best. Regardless, there's a consistency to the story's art in spite of the mix of artists, a rare feat for an ongoing strip with different artistic contributors. It's a story that deserves a strong visual style, as it demands that the story sticks in the mind.

If you're not a fan of the Time War mythos that has become so important in modern Doctor Who, you won't enjoy this series. Although the Time War was an essential part of the backstory of the ninth and tenth Doctors, the series moved on from it during the time of the eleventh, only for it to become the driving force of the fiftieth anniversary special. The comic series revives this focus, bringing the eleventh Doctor and his comic strip companion Alice Obiefune into contact with the his war crimes. The Doctor doesn't even remember the apparent genocide at his own hands, and it is most certainly impossible for elements to be spilling out from time-locked events into his relative present. Nonetheless, the Doctor and Alice are pursued through time and space by the eponymous Then and the Now, a warping ripple in humanoid shape that is both a bounty hunter and a walking temporal paradox.

It isn't only Alice that joins the Doctor. On the course of his travels he is joined by various other adventurers, not least of whom is Abslom Daak, Dalek Killer! Anyone who's read my reviews of the seventh Doctor comics will know that I'm not a fan of Daak. He's a one-note joke on the sort of macho 90s antihero that is unbearable unless written with considerable finesse. Thankfully, then, here he is written with finesse, becoming a far better foil for the eleventh Doctor than he ever was for the seventh. It actually works very well, since the eleventh Doctor can be just as manipulative as the seventh, and has no qualms in using Daak as a blunt instrument.


Another blunt instrument the Doctor is fond of is River Song, whom he breaks out of prison to ehlp him on his mission to track down the truth of his own past. Then there's the Squire, a frankly wonderful new creation. The Squire is an elderly space knight who supposedly acted as companion to the Doctor during the War. The Doctor, however, has no memory of her, and the truth behind his faithful companion's past is just one of the mysteries he has to explore.

Events conspire to drag the Doctor and his team throughout the continuum, from a Sontaran battlefield to the prison asteroid Shada. The current crisis is entwined with the Doctor's past, and two whole issues go by without the eleventh Doctor's appaearing at all. Alice is drawn back, in an apparently impossible manoeuvre, to the depths of the Time War, to come face-to-face with the War Doctor, who then leads the storyline until future and past catch up. The War incarnation is not alone, however. Needs must as the devil drives, and he has allied himself with the Master, here presented in a previously unseen incarnation that appears as dark-haired young boy, which is even more sinister than it sounds.

Where we find the Time War, we find Daleks, and this story presents the worst, most monstrous Daleks ever. The Volatix Cabal are an elite group of Dalek mutants created to fight the Time Lords, not unlike the Cult of Skaro, except that these Daleks have taken creativity and individuality to its extremes. Twisting their bodies and minds into horrific shapes, they have driven themselves insane, and seek to spread pain and fear throughout time, screaming "ExterminHATE!" wherever they go. They are an absolutely absolutely terrifying creation, and their distorted forms are the enduring image of this story. However, Abslom Daak was born to kill Daleks.

In a story that twists and turns into paradox after anomaly, the Doctor faces consequences of his hardest choices. I often felt during the early 21st century series that there was scope for more exploration of the fallout of the Time War and the Doctor's actions within in, and these comics are a perfect example of the stories this approach can generate. Showing the Doctor in his worst but most interesting light, Titan's "Eleventh Doctor, Year Two " is a superior Doctor Who comic.

WHO REVIEW: The War Doctor: Only the Monstrous

THE INNOCENT 

THE THOUSAND WORLDS 

THE HEART OF THE BATTLE

Big Finish isn't being coy about having gained the rights to the new series properties, storming straight in with something quite momentous: the very first Time War boxed set. We all thought this would happen someday, but we expected Paul McGann's Doctor to continue his long-standing audio career into the Time War era. 2013, though, introduced the previously unknown War Doctor to unsuspecting fans, changing the landscape for the War altogether and giving us our first glimpses of how it was actually fought. And so, Big Finish manages a tremendous coup and gets Sir John bloody Hurt back to play the lead in this new batch of audio adventures.

It's perhaps impossible to ever truly tell the story of the Time War, spreading temporal chaos across the Universe and leaving cause and effect in ruins. However, there were clearly some more physical, worldly battles in the great temporal conflict, with Dalek fleets and gunships encroaching on each others' worlds. Nicholas Briggs takes a wise approach with his take on the Time War, joining the conflict after a decisive battle has left the Daleks devastated, and following it up with a story based on the planet Keska. The Doctor - sorry, John Smith - first finds Keska as a beautiful, peaceful place, only to be summoned away, and returns to it in the iron grip of the militant Talians. What to us would be a gargantuan catastrophe - the conquest of an entire civilisation - is but a tiny, proxy war for the Time Lords and Daleks. It's a fine way to explore such a gigantic conflict; the Time War in microcosm.

John Hurt is as brilliant as expected, his unmistakable voice perfectly suited to audio drama. The story is fundamentally melodrama and Hurt isn't afraid to occasionally go over the top, and there's some speechifying, but it fits the character and the story perfectly. This is never anything less than gorgeous to listen to. Also excellent is Lucy Briggs-Owen, who plays the young Keskan woman Rejoice, a character who's such perfect companion material that it's heartbreaking when the Doctor, in spite of his fondness for her, pushes her away. He meets her again, later, played now by Carolyn Seymour, bringing gravity, world-wearniness and maturity to what is still recognisably the same character. As above, so below; Rejoice's journey reflects the Doctor's as the war on Keska reflects the Time War.

By the third chapter, the Daleks and Time Lords are openly at odds on Keska, with one group of Time Lords attempting to forge a peace with the Skaroene monsters. At odds with his usual character, the Doctor dismisses any idea of truce or appeasement, having been fully turned to the cause of war. For all this, though, the War Doctor remains recognisably the Doctor, still fundamentally decent and heroic. He may be jaded, self-flagellating and war-weary, but there's still very little there that suggests an incarnation shunned by his other selves. This is a fine first step in the dramatisation of the Time War, but I hope that in the future we get to see the Doctor truly show us just what he had to do in order to win the War. 

WHO REVIEW: Seasons of War

Since John Hurt's one-off appearance in the 50^th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor, Doctor Who fans have been eager to see more of this mysterious incarnation of their hero. All we've had are the aforementioned special, a brief appearance in the preceding episode, a post-regenerative glimpse in mini-ep The Night of the Doctor, and a single novel, George Mann's Engines of War. Until now.


Declan May, in association with Chinbeard Books, has developed Seasons of War, a grand undertaking bringing together both new and established authors to create a host of new stories featuring Hurt's War Doctor. The unofficial Doctor Who anthology is something of a tradition, from such old favourites as Missing Pieces through Walking in Eternity and up to Shelf Life. Seasons of War follows this grand tradition but takes it further, crafting a multimedia experience to go along with the, frankly exemplary, short fiction anthology. A quick visit to the website will allow you to not only learn more about the background of the project, but also view a specially shot short film, starring one Tom Menary as the man once called Doctor. Plus, you can visit the site of Caudwell Children, the charity May has chosen to benefit from the sales of his book. An organisation dedicated to improving the lives of children with disabilities and life-threatening conditions, Caudwell Children is an established national charity that does remarkable work. I don't think May could have chosen a more deserving cause.


The anthology itself boasts a huge collection of stories, and is sure to be a hefty tome once the physical paperback version of the book is released (as of writing it is available in Kindle and PDF formats). Doctor Who fans will recognise many of the names attached to the project: there are stories by acclaimed novelists including Paul Magrs, Lance Parkin, Kate Orman, George Mann and Jenny Colgan, as well as Who stalwarts such as Gary Russell and John Peel. The excellent Matt Fitton takes a moment out from his Big Finish work to pen the opening story – the Epilogue, of course – while the writer of 1981's Full Circle, Andrew Smith, also provides an adventure. As a Doctor Who fan, however, the most affecting part of this publication is the preface by the great Nick Briggs, speaking about Paul Spragg, to whom this book is dedicated. For those who don't know, Spragg was a vital member of Big Finish's team who was a beloved figure in fan circles, and his sudden death last year was a shock to us all. As Declan May points out, even those of us who never really knew him well were hit by his loss. I'd scarcely even communicated with the man, but he was such a part of Big Finish that his loss is felt any time I listen to one of their regular, much-adored podcasts. One of the last projects Mr Spragg worked on was this very anthology, setting much of it in motion, and so Seasons of War stands as a lasting tribute to him.


And no finer tribute could he have had. Seasons of War is a truly excellent piece of work. As noted, it begins with an epilogue and ends with a prologue, as befits a book concerning war across time, but for the most part, the stories are arranged in chronological order from the Doctor's point of view. Between the main stories lie vignettes, uncredited but presumably written by May, which lend context to the individual tales. Taking the War Doctor's life from his first moments on Karn to his final fateful decision on the eve of the Last Day, there's a definite evolution of the character. While each author has his of her own take on the character, there is certainly a consistency across the collection. For the most part, the War Doctor begins hardened and callous, but gradually his compassion resurfaces as he grows older. Nonetheless, he grows more desperate as the War grinds on, and both suffers and commits terrible cruelties. We see him at his most ruthless, almost unidentifiable as the Doctor, in “Here Comes the Doctor” by Christopher Bryant, but his most questionable actions are always followed by regret. There are companions, from time to time, most notably the Girl with the Purple Hair, whose relationship with the Doctor is just as timey-wimey as anything in Steven Moffat's episodes and just as beautiful and tragic. While some stories take place on the front lines of the War, many of them occur on its fringes, exploring the effects on individuals and cultures that exist in the sphere of conflict.


There's a great mix of material in here. When the harder, uncompromising war stories threaten to become a bit much, a lighter interlude pops up. There's some genuinely funny material amongst all the horrors of war. Often, the quieter moments between battles allow more exploration of the War Doctor's character. It's not all prose, either. Matthew Sweet's “An Historical Curiosity” takes a twisted, Whovian look at Shakespeare and makes some fun pokes at continuity and canon while it's at it. Jenny Colgan provides a sonnet. Jim Mortimore and Simon A. Brett provide a glorious comic strip account of the War, and Paul Hanley provides excellent artwork throughout. While, as with any anthology, some stories are better than others (or simply more to my individual taste), the overall standard of the work is extremely high. I'm not reluctant to say that Seasons of War contains some of the best Who fiction I have read in a very long time. There's also, as one might expect, some exploration of the mythology of the series, including not only terms we've heard in relation to the War such as the Nightmare Child and the Horde of Travesties, but elements from other eras of the series. The Corsair makes and appearance, as does the Land of Fiction. George Mann provides a missing scene from his own War Doctor novel. Strands are connected, but it's never overbearing or to the detriment of the stories. One small quibble is that some elements can become a little repetitive in the early part when the character is still being established. The War Doctor's dislike of being called the Doctor is handled better by some authors than by others, for instance, and it becomes a little gimmicky on occasion. That is a very minor complaint, though, in a collection of such quality.


Many of the best stories are by authors who are new to me. I'm not going to go into detail on every entry in the collection, but certain stories to warrant particular praise. Christopher Bryant's aforementioned “Here Comes the Doctor” is a highlight of the early part of the book. “The Holdover” by Daniel Wealands is a powerful exploration of the lengths to which authorities will go in times of war, and shows us better than any other story how low the Time Lords have sunk. With “Making Endings” Nick Mellish weaves an affecting tale with a genuinely clever twist, while Alan Ronald's “The Ingenious Gentleman” provides a welcome respite from the War with a meeting of two improbable men. Jon Arnold's “Always Face the Curtain With a Bow” is a wickedly funny but ultimately haunting tale that affects the Doctor deeply, something that is not forgotten later in the collection. Matt Barber's story, “The Fall,” seems especially pertinent as I write this on the 22^nd of February, the anniversary of the death of Doctor Who' old soldier, Nicholas Courtney.



For me, however, the strongest story in the collection is Paul Driscoll's “The Time Lord Who Came to Tea,” an incredibly moving portrait of the life of one girl in the slums of wartorn Gallifrey. While the details of the horrors she experiences are imaginative and fantastical, it reflects the hard truth of reality; that the people who suffer the most during wartime are often the ones who are not involved in the fighting at all, but ordinary people struggling to survive. A truly affecting, remarkable story. While I pick out these few stories as particular favourites, the whole collection really is excellent. Plans are already afoot for volumes two and three of Seasons of War. There's even a cliffhanger.

Life During Wartime

That marvellous colouriser, Stuart Humphreyes aka Babelcolour, has created the latest in his series of Doctor Who tributes. This latest one is an absolute belter, celebrating the War Doctor, as played by John Hurt in The Name of the Doctor, The Day of the Doctor and The Night of the Doctor. Babel's done amazing work with very little material, using some shots from other films to add some glimpses of this Doctor's younger days, before the grey hair and the beard. Amazing stuff, and with a beautiful choice of music.

 

WHO REVIEW: Engines of War by George Mann

This is a particularly exciting release for Doctor Who fans. The first full length adventure for John Hurt's lost incarnation of the Time Lord. Whether more will be forthcoming has yet to be seen, but considering the reception this book has had, I think it is very likely. Whether this is a good idea is another question.


George Mann is a fine choice for a book such as this, adept at crafting an action-packed tale. His prose is clear and straightforward, pacey and easy to enjoy. Just the sort of writer for a war-time tale of Time Lords and Daleks. Taking place in the final days of the Time War, this sees the War Doctor pit himself not only against the Daleks, but the High Council of the Time Lords. Both sides are making moves to end the War, contemplating appalling acts to ensure their own survival. It's a story of the Doctor's last stand at the moral high ground, with the events of this book finally convincing him that there must be “no more.”


Nonetheless, this is a Doctor Who book through and through, and anyone hoping for something unique Who adventure all the same. As such, it has its own one-off companion figure, the young fighter Cinder, who the Doctor picks up from the Dalek-occupied planet Moldox. While she could easily have fallen into a stereotypical character of the tough kid shaped by war, Cinder is likeable enough, and recognisable enough, to become a strong protagonist. Someone we can care about amongst the cosmic battles going on around her, even if her final fate is inevitable.
should look elsewhere. This is a high stakes and emotionally charged adventure, but it's a


It's a continuity-heavy book – not Craig Hinton levels of fanwank, but considerable references to the past of the series. This is natural enough for a Gallifrey-centric story, and it never reaches the point where it becomes a distraction. New series fans tempted by this tie-in to The Day of the Doctor may come away somewhat confused by some of the references, but for the most part they help push the story along. If anything, the numerous references to Gallifrey's past help sell the concept that this is an ancient and rigid culture, even as we see its decay. I hadn't expected it to be quite such a tie-in to The Five Doctors, though, by far the most referenced story over the course of the book.


Certain elements of the story work especially well, exploring the untold details of the Time War. Throwaway terms such as the Skaro Degradations are brought to life. The horrific details of the Dalek war machine evoke a terrifying conflict, and particularly effective in the first third of the book, which focuses on the human cost of the War. We see the War from the viewpoint of the “lesser species,” as their worlds are dominated by Daleks or sacrificed by the Time Lords to further an advancement or defence. Also well characterised is Rassilon, here in his Timothy Dalton incarnation, and we see the depths he is capable of sinking to in order to further his endless life.


It's in the portrayal of the Doctor that the book is constrained however. At the end of the day, the Doctor is the hero of the book, and can't get his hands too dirty. However appalling his decision to destroy Gallifrey was, it was something the later Doctors admitted to. There must have been far worse sins committed during his time on the front line, but little of that is explored here. We get plenty of combat fatigue and broken faith, but little of what would cause the Doctor to abandon this incarnation as “the one who broke the promise.” Indeed, he introduces himself as someone who used to be called the Doctor, and this is the name he is called throughout the book. I understand that this is a practical choice, but it hammers home that this is still the Doctor being Doctorish, and not the terrible warrior he would later try to forget. Only the Daleks seem to have the appropriate fear and reverence for this incarnation; they, in contrast, refer to him as the Predator.



Mann excels at portraying the more visceral side of the conflict, and makes a good stab at exploring the effects of temporal warfare, something that is never easy to develop in detail. While this is an exhilarating read – it's easy to imagine this as a Doctor Who movie with a huge budget – the Time War is just too horrific and too alien to be explored in too much depth. Engines of War works, but too much War Doctor could weaken his impact. 

Above illustration by Paul Hanley.

Doctor by Doctor #11

A Madman with a Box

Matt Smith, 2010-13

In 2010, Doctor Who underwent one of the greatest reinventions in its long history, with almost the entire cast and the bulk of the core creative team changing. Steven Moffat built on the foundation laid down by Russell T. Davies, but simultaneously wiped the slate clean and imposed his own unique vision on the series. From the outset, with brand new opening titles and an idiosyncratic, up-tempo arrangement of the theme music, the series boldly declared that it had changed. Into this stepped a new Doctor, starting his life afresh with a wholly new set of supporting characters. Even his TARDIS regenerated along with him.


Following the massively popular David Tennant was the most difficult task for any Doctor since Peter Davison took over from Tom Baker in 1981. Yet even Davison had fame on his side to ease the transition. Of all the names bandied about by speculative fans and columnists, no one predicted Matt Smith. While he had already garnered critical praise for his screen work, Smith was a relative unknown in 2010. I don't think anyone expected the new lead of the BBC's premier fantasy series to be a 26-year-old footballer, let alone that he would so successfully come to inhabit the part and make it his own.


Again paralleling Davison's time in the role, Smith was criticised initially for being too young. At twenty-six when he began filming, Smith is the youngest of the Doctors by several years, still only in his early thirties now that he has left the role. And yet, he embodies the great age of the Doctor like no one else. Given his youth, Smith has further to go to convince viewers of his character's age, and so he puts his all into it. And yet, he is simultaneously so fresh and childlike. He brings many ages to his performance, but never his own. He is both the old man in the young man's body, and the enthusiastic child dressing up as an adult.


While he put his own stamp on the part, Smith nonetheless embraced his predecessors' performances. Being a child of the Wilderness Years, he had not grown up with Doctor Who, and instead threw himself into research. Like all right-minded individuals, he became particularly enamoured of Patrick Troughton's performance, and much of this shows through in his own. A very physical actor, Smith has a sort of graceful clumsiness that allows him to capture the Troughton-like quality of appearing more foolish and less capable than he really is.


Smith's costume also carries hints of Troughton's. Moffat came up with several suggestions for the Doctor's new look, most of which were self-consciously modern and cool, and nothing like what the Doctor would wear. Smith instead suggested a tweed jacket, adding braces and a bowtie. Moffat disliked the look, thinking it to be old-fashioned and a fancy dress version of the Doctor's costume. Smith, on the other hand, was immediately comfortable, realising that his Doctor was, unlike his predecessor, not cool at all. While the braces and bowtie, not to mention the succession of ridiculous hats, recalls the second Doctor's outfit, there is also both a hint of both the professor and the student about it, a touch of Henry Jones Jr. Such was its success, that 2010 saw a sudden increase in sales of both Harris tweeds and bowties, as young men took up the new fashion.


Later variations in the costume are more obviously dressy, with the eleventh Doctor clearly having an everyday look and a smarter look for special occasions. His little seen green peacoat added a touch of flare in the latter half of the sixth season, while his white tie ensemble only came out for the most important events, such as weddings or his own imminent death. For the final half of season seven, the Doctor reverted to a Victorian look, with both an everyday pseudo-Victorian version that combines the classic and modern, and a plusher winter variation for the 19^th century itself (his Christmas outfit, in fact). The purplish frock coat, combined with the braces and bowtie, give this ensemble hints of both the second and third Doctors. More obviously, though, is that the gradual return to old-fashioned outfits belies a series becoming evermore comfortable with its own past, an approach that would reach its culmination in the fiftieth anniversary year celebrations.

The face of William Hartnell was seen no fewer than four times in Smith's first season, as the series began to explore its own background once more. As we learned about the Doctor's latest life, we learned more about his past selves. There have been brief insights into the Doctor's past over the years, but suddenly we got a stream of information, adding to and rewriting the Time Lord's past. As well as the astonishing revelation of a hidden incarnation, we learned of his old friends and influences like the Corsair, saw his infant cot (why was he carrying it around with him?), and even saw him, in his first body, about to leave Gallifrey with Susan.

Most surprising, though, was The Doctor's Wife, an episode that amounts to an origin story for the TARDIS. It's easy to imagine the eleventh Doctor calling the TARDIS “the most beautiful thing [he's] ever seen,” but a little harder to imagine it coming from the first Doctor. Still, it fits with how we've seen the Doctor act towards the TARDIS through his lives. Over the years, the time-and-space machine has developed from a mere machine, albeit a remarkable one, to a living entity, to mathematics embodied, to a true character in her own right. It was only a matter of time before the Doctor came face to face with his longest, truest, most faithful companion. Having the soul of the Ship in the body of Suranne Jones helps articulate it, but we've always known that the Doctor loved his Ship, and his Ship loved her thief. It's a love story between a bloke and his car, told across time and space.

The latest phase of Doctor Who has proved to be one of its most controversial, hitting new heights of worldwide popularity while also attracting great criticism. Showrunner Steven Moffat has built on the foundations set by Russell T. Davies and sculpted a version of Doctor Who unique to his own sensibilities. The series has undoubtedly become more complex, with ongoing storylines playing out over the four years of Matt Smith's tenure. Numerous mysteries are raised and explored throughout the series, with their ultimate explanations deferred. Whether this approach is successful depends on the individual viewer. Certainly, it is an approach that has divided fans.


Moffat's Doctor Who is one of fairytale logic, in which lives are stories to be written and rewritten. This is a version of the universe in which people can be erased from history, and then wished back into existence. In which a man who lives on a cloud can be accessed by climbing an invisible staricase, and a mysterious caretaker can drop round for Christmas with a world in a box. Time travel works like magic, and consequences occur before events; but it's a magic without defined rules, and often events seem to just happen, with little explanation. There's a clear sense that both the Doctor's past and future are catching up with him, converging at his present. Indeed, every major event in the eleventh Doctor's life is a result of his final battle. The events on Trenzalore rebound back down his timeline, with the “endless, bitter war” of the Kovarian chapter leading to the destruction of the TARDIS, itself causing the cracks in time that release Prisoner Zero into the world to become the first foe the eleventh Doctor faces.


Doctor Who has changed vastly over the fifty years of its history. Once a long-running serial, it developed into a series of enclosed serials, and then returned from cancellation as a series of one and two episode adventures. By the end of its fiftieth year it was comprised of short runs of singular episode stories, linked together in a narrative spanning years, both more and less serialised than it has ever been. The series had, by now, developed from one in which the Doctor was a peripheral character, to one in which he was the star, and now to one in which he was the centre of the universe. There had been stories which revolved around the Doctor before, but in the eleventh Doctor's run, very few episodes involve the Doctor simply dropping in somewhere and finding a problem. He is summoned, pursued and targeted.

There has been a great deal of hyperbole over Doctor Who's diminishing ratings. Overnight ratings for television have been dropping across the board, not only for Doctor Who as more and more viewers turn to catch-up and time-shifted services. How many of these views are from unique viewers is unknown, though, but what is clear is that the way in which we watch television is changing. The series, then, has changed with it, embracing the possibilities of the medium with a plethora of mini-episodes that range from throwaway extras to essential chapters in the story. Even the arena of video games, a format that Doctor Who has never quite managed to succeed in, has finally opened up, with Smith voicing the Doctor for online Adventure Games and Nintendo console games. Even the jerky animation of the sprites works in its favour – Smith actually does walk like that.

The Doctor has been a mass of contradictions and mysteries throughout all his lives, and the eleventh Doctor is no exception. Physically the youngest we have ever seen him, the Doctor is now older than ever. Indeed, this incarnation lives for an unusually long time, with decades-long gaps between the adventures we see. While this has been supposed for his earlier incarnations, the eleventh Doctor's era makes it explicit, deliberately providing openings for unseen adventures. Even before his exceptionally long experiences in his final episode, the eleventh Doctor lasts for centuries, ageing from 906 to over 1200 during his three seasons. Even if we accept that the Doctor loses track of his age – he does say that he can't even remember if he's lying about his age – centuries must pass from his perspective. Yet he remains physically young throughout.

Doctor by Doctor #10

Earth's Champion

David Tennant, 2005-10

There's only been one actor who has threatened to knock Tom Baker off the top spot and gain the title of Most Popular Doctor, and that's David Tennant. In this fiftieth anniversary year, every media site and newspaper has run a poll to find readers' favourite Time Lord, and it's invariably one of those two that come out on top. Something about Tennant's performance has propelled him to superstar status among Doctor Who fans. Certainly, it was during his tenure that the series truly took off and became a must-see fixture of television. For its first series, Doctor Who was a surprise success; during its second, it became a runaway triumph, and no little part of that is down to David Tennant.


Perhaps the aspect that comes through most in Tennant's performance is his sheer joy at being the Doctor. Young David McDonald grew up watching the show, developing an ambition to become an actor due to his enthusiasm for television like Doctor Who. Indeed, he has admitted himself that he became an actor basically because, one day, he wanted to be the Doctor. Taking the stage name of Tennant – pinched from Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys, proving his eighties geek credentials – David McDonald began a slow rise to stardom. The usual small parts led to his breakthrough performance in BBC's Blackpool, and from then, to Russell T. Davies's first production for the Beeb, Casanova. Indeed, Tennant's turn as Giacomo Casanova can easily be viewed as a dry run for his time as the Doctor. He plays the part of the Doctor much the same, minus the shagging and the swearing. The bravado, the mad sense of adventure, the romantic streak, it's all there. Davies made no secret of the fact that his new star was an unabashed Who-head. When Christopher Eccleston's quitting the series was announced, the identity of his replacement was no mystery. Tennant was a shoe-in.


It's tempting to see the tenth Doctor and his era as the purer version of Davies's vision for the series. While Davies remained careful to drip-feed the sci-fi and myth elements into the series for fear of scaring off the Saturday night audience, the second season began to reveal more elements of the Doctor's universe. The ninth Doctor never even said the name Gallifrey, skirted around references to the original series, and never even left the Earth and its immediate environs. In his first year, the tenth Doctor went off planet, named dropped the Kaleds and Daemons and met Sarah Jane Smith and K-9. By series four, he was making off the cuff references to The Sensorites in high-concept sci-fi episodes. Tennant pours out his love for Peter Davison's performance face-to-face during Time Crash, but he also incorporates little hints of other Doctors. He rubs his neck like Pertwee and makes some distinctly Tom Baker-ish faces.


Set against that traditionalism, though, is the new, more likeable, more romantic version of the Doctor. The tenth Doctor is handsome, sexy and charming. For the first time, the Doctor was cool. You only have to look at the outfit. While it's got a hint of geek-chic and Britpop, it's a very modern take on the old-fashioned look of the earlier Doctors. It's recognisably a Doctorish look, but one that young men could, and soon did, take to emulating themselves. The pinstripe suit with the long coat and trainers is a look that works for a skinny younger man. It was a little annoying when the Doctor pinched it off me (actually, the tenth Doctor's look was apparently inspired by an outfit worn by TV chef Jamie Oliver, for which we should both feel ashamed). The in-universe origin of this snappy new Doctor is clear though: he's made for Rose.



It's inarguable that the tenth Doctor is more suited to being a partner for Rose than the ninth was. The ninth Doctor was as much a father figure as a potential love interest for Rose, and until the closing episodes of the first series Rose didn't seem to feel the same way about the Doctor as he did for her. The Bad Wolf event changes this, however; Rose falls for the Doctor when it seems that she is to be separated from him. Saving him, and the universe, against all odds, seals the deal for both of them. Each prepared to sacrifice themselves for the other, Rose and the Doctor are now inseparable. Then the Doctor changes, and the somewhat dour, damaged, older ninth Doctor becomes Rose's perfect boyfriend. He's still, physically, older than her, but not too old. He's handsome, but not in a classic, Hollywood, Captain Jack kind of way. The humour of his previous life comes easier, the snark is toned down, and the enthusiasm that once bubbled through now overflows. He's still the Doctor she came to love, but refined for the tastes of a young woman not quite out of her teens. It's no wonder the fangurls love him.


The new Doctor, unlike his predecessor, emphatically does “do domestic.” The first thing he does after the events of the Sycorax invasion, after he's picked out his outfit, is to settle down for Christmas dinner with Rose, Mickey and Jackie. It's impossible to imagine the ninth Doctor doing that. While this Doctor has flashes of eccentricity and antisocial behaviour – sticking his fingers in a pot of marmalade in a stranger's house, or occasionally being blunt to the point of rudeness – he is far more relatable, far more human, than almost any of his predecessors. The weirdest he gets is tasting things to determine their chemical make-up, a tendency not unlike his, similarly likeable, fifth incarnation's trick of smelling things out. He's a Doctor Rose can take home to her mum. Imagine her trying to take the eleventh Doctor home; he'd break things, set up experiments on the dinner table, spit wine on the floor. The tenth Doctor, for all his wanderlust, is thoroughly domesticated. He's even picked up Rose's estuary accent, all the better to help him fit in with her and her family. (It's a big change from either the heavily northern ninth Doctor or his posh predecessors, and notably the same mockney drawl Tennant used as Casanova.) He's not the only Doctor we've seen hanging around a council estate, but he's the only one we've seen who actually looks comfortable there. It all points to one thing: the Doctor has adapted to become the perfect partner for Rose. He's Doctor Tyler.

As an aside, there's a definite sense that the Doctor has finally developed some control over his regenerations. While his previous transformations often seemed to be a reaction against the version of the Doctor who was dying, it never seemed as though the Doctor was controlling the outcome, even though he showed no surprise when Kanpo or Romana picked their new forms. He clearly hasn't got it quite nailed yet – if he had, he'd be ginger – but the tenth Doctor really seems to have modelled his new appearance to deliberately become a better fit for Rose. It may not be conscious, but it's the definite implication. The modern process of regeneration is very different from its classic series counterpart, though. For one thing, it's far more uniform; previous regenerations varied hugely in appearance and effect, but from now on, all the Doctor's regenerations are of a kind, as are River's and the Master's. The first regeneration of this type that we see is that from the eighth Doctor to the War Doctor, which suggests that either it's something to do with the Sisterhood's special methods, or that it's some kind of upgrade given to Time Lords in the Time War.


The Doctor is even more formidable than before, able to shrug off a bolt of lightning or excrete Roentgen radiation through his toe, and to perform Spock-style mind melds. The regeneration itself doesn't go well – it can hardly have been designed to deal with chronic exposure to the time vortex – but even when the Doctor is recovering from his renewal, he is a force to be reckoned with. Then he goes and gets his hand hacked off, only to grow a new one, due to a hitherto unmentioned ability of Time Lords who are within the first fifteen hours of their regeneration. And his new hand - “it's a fightin' hand!” It all smacks of a wartime upgrade. Of course, the lost hand will come back to play a part in the Doctor's future. The tenth Doctor is fleet-footed and bursting with energy. And as for his hair – well, the Doctor's hair always manages, somehow, to style itself during regeneration, but how the hell does it gel itself up?


One aspect of the new Doctor that divides viewers is his attitude to the Time War, and his actions during it. On the surface, certainly, he appears to have gotten over the War at last. It no longer defines him the way it did in his ninth life. Watching closely, though, and this is clearly a front. The tenth Doctor is as pained by his actions in the War as the ninth was. Now we have a little more information, including the revelation that the ninth Doctor was, in fact, the tenth, and the tenth is really the eleventh. While this Doctor never mentions his forbidden incarnation – naturally – he refers to his actions in the War, to the Fall of Arcadia, to the final decision to end Gallifrey for the sake of the universe. By The Day of the Doctor, there's no pretending. He is still subsumed by the guilt of it all, and full of bitterness at the fact the Daleks keep returning, again and again. All the enthusiasm, the jokes, the endless, non-stop jabber – it's all another mask.


Another aspect that some fans wish to overlook is that the tenth Doctor is, by a country mile, the most arrogant of the Doctors. This is, of course, quite some achievement. Yet not even the sixth Doctor was ever quite so cocky and full of himself. The tenth Doctor, or course, can get away with it. He has an easy charm that makes him very difficult not to like (unless you're his companion's mum). He gets by on sheer charisma. It's no surprise that, during his aborted regeneration, he expresses disdain at the idea of changing form. “Why would I want to?” he asks. “Look at me!” The man is, in spite of his inner turmoil, completely in love with himself. On some occasions, his “I'm brilliant!” self-adoration will get him into trouble, particularly on the planet Midnight. This arrogance is evident from his earliest actions, and will come to overshadow his actions in throughout this incarnation, until, finally, it spells his end.


The Christmas Invasion is a perfect introduction for this new Doctor. One criticism some fans made of Eccleston's Doctor was that he didn't get directly involved; the ninth Doctor preferred to watch from the sidelines, nudging events towards a satisfactory conclusion. Sometimes, this allowed situations to get out of hand, and his interference often had unforeseen negative consequences. In reaction against this criticism, the tenth Doctor's debut has him incapacitated for the bulk of its running time, and shows us how much impact the Doctor has on those around him. With him, even temporarily, out of the picture, Rose goes to pieces and the world is at the mercy of the Sycorax. Harriet Jones broadcasts a desperate plea for the Doctor's help, and all that Rose and her family can do is sit it out. Davies is plainly showing us how much impact the Doctor has on those around him, making them more capable by his mere presence.


And yet, the new Doctor embraces the criticism of standing at the sides, and to react against it. Once finally revitalised (by vapourised tea!) the tenth Doctor leaps into action, loudly working out his new persona while running rings round the Sycorax, before fighting the Chief for the fate of the Earth. Once he's back, he no longer stands on the sidelines; he's in the thick of the action from now on. The Doctor shows the defeated Chief some compassion, but fully anticipates his betrayal, nonchalantly dropping the warrior to his death. “No second chances; I'm that sort of a man.” It's a bold statement of intent.


More questionable, though, is his treatment of Harriet Jones. The Doctor allows the Sycorax to leave the Earth, with the warning that they should not return to Earth, for “it is defended.” From the off, the tenth Doctor declares his ties to his adopted homeworld, yet he seems to have no qualms in letting a shipful of slavers go off and, presumably, enslave someone else. The Prime Minister, however, realises she cannot rely on the fly-by-night Doctor being there at the right time, and orders Torchwood to destroy the ship. The Doctor rounds on her, turning his anger on humanity in general and Harriet in particular. We could argue all day over whether what she did was morally right – it's a blatant take on Thatcher's order to destroy a retreating vessel in the Falklands War, but not really comparable at all. She certainly has a point when she says that the Doctor isn't always there, that he comes and goes. Out of spite, the Doctor lays the seeds to destroy her career, and boasts while he does it. Not only is this a terrible betrayal of someone who trusted him, with Harriet out of office, the door is opened for one Harold Saxon to take power. The tenth Doctor's actions on his first day of life will come back to haunt him.

The Sonic Screwdriver: One element of the tenth Doctor's stories that created consternation amongst some fans is his total reliance on the sonic screwdriver. Whereas the ubiquitous tool was once used for manipulating screws, it has, over the years, developed more and harder to believe abilities. The Doctor probably kept bolting extra bits on. The tenth Doctor is never without it, using it to do everything from opening doors to miraculously fixing rocket engines. Fall all the technobabble, it is essentially a magic wand, performing whatever tasks the plot requires at the time, to the extent that an anti-screwdriver system, the deadlock seal, had to be invented to stop him using it. Often, he uses it in the manner of a Star Trek tricorder, only how he reads the data is anyone's guess. For all the jokes about putting up cabinets, one of the most common uses is being pointed at enemies in threat. What's the point of the Doctor refusing to pick up a gun, if he's just going to use his screwdriver as one?

The tenth Doctor might have occasion to berate humanity, but evidently adores them. He has a particular love of the twentieth century – not surprising, considering how much time he spent in it in earlier lives – and revels in pop culture, from the works of Agatha Christie to Ian Dury and the Blockheads to Ghosbusters. He is frivolous and facetious, throwing himself into adventure. His relationship with Rose becomes on of mutual adoration, and they are totally thick with one another. The one time the Doctor gets truly angry is when Rose is threatened, be it by Cassandra or the Wire, and his normally well-contained anger bubbles over into outright fury. That said, angry shouting Doctor isn't dangerous one, it's just another example of his getting overexcited and emotional. It's when he is finally quiet that you need to be afraid; it means he's just about to hand out the punishments.


There are times when his declaration of “no second chances” fails in light of his better judgment. This Doctor is still capable of compassion; right after his new mission statement, he takes pity on Cassandra and takes her back to her last good night. More often than not, however, the tenth Doctor is more than ready to dole out his own form of justice. “Don't go looking for a higher authority,” he states, “because there isn't one.” As the last of the Time Lords, the Doctor has taken on himself the role of supreme moral guardian of the universe. “I'm so old now,” he tells Mr Finch/Brother Lassar of the Krillitanes. “I used to have so much mercy.” He is tempted by his offer of mastery over time, but then turns on him, setting the Krillitanes up for a massacre. Perhaps the most contentious of actions are against the Family of Blood, where he avoids his self-appointed responsibility before lashing out and administering horrific, albeit poetic, punishments on the aliens. “The Doctor and the monsters, they go together,” says Reinette – but how different are they?

The Doctor's self-importance and zest for adventure rub off on Rose, and they become increasingly alike. Their bantering relationship rubs even their friends the wrong way, let alone those opposed to them. Queen Victoria is grateful for their help in defeating the werewolf, bestowing honours upon them, but then proceeds to banish them from the British Empire, citing their lust for danger as a terminal fault. The Doctor's lust for adventure can appear to be just a further sign of his arrogance, and influences, in this instance, the creation of Torchwood, as an organisation directly opposed to him. It's Rose who comes off worst in these adventures, though. The meeting between the tenth Doctor and Sarah Jane is an absolutely joyous moment for die-hard fans and those who watched the series in the seventies, reuniting the Doctor with one of his best-loved companions. It's also the point at which Rose becomes completely unlikeable, descending into complete bitchery and jealousy at the Doctor's “ex.” From this point out, her selfishness and self-obsession become hard to stomach, and the Doctor's adoration of her harder to fathom.

Sarah Jane Smith: It has to be said, the return of Lis Sladen as Sarah Jane is something of a phenomenon. It was a risk, bringing back a character from the original run of Doctor Who, but it worked, and not only for those viewers who watched the series back in the seventies and the die-hard fans. The kids loved Sarah Jane, for the same reasons they loved her back in 1973 – she's a great character, and Sladen brings her to life beautifully. Having reintroduced both Sarah and K-9 to the viewing public with School Reunion, Davies then went ahead and gave Sladen her own series. The proliferation of spin-offs just is testament to Doctor Who's success in this period – we had The Sarah Jane Adventures, Torchwood, Totally Doctor Who and Doctor Who Confidential, and, unofficially, the K-9 Series. SJA was the undoubtedly the greatest triumph, though, a series that reinvigorated children's television the same way its parent series revived Saturday night family viewing, and so much of that is down to Lis Sladen's performance.

Rose and the Doctor continue to adventure together, with Mickey along for the ride for just long enough to deposit him on the parallel Earth and give him a little closure. Certainly, Mickey's relationship with “the boss” is far easier than with the previous Doctor, due in no small part to his own improved self-confidence, and also the fact that he has finally gotten over Rose. The Doctor also has a far greater respect for the young man, although he does till tease him mercilessly. The happy couple continue on their adventures, despite the overhanging threat that something, somehow, will spit them up. The Doctor doesn't seem to take these vague prophecies too seriously (he'll learn his lesson regarding this later), and is more unnerved about Rose's suggestion that they get a house together when he loses his TARDIS on Krop Tor.

Doctor by Doctor (Sidestep 4)

The Missing Link

John Hurt, 2013

The forgotten Doctor. The War Doctor. The Hurt Doctor. The Renegade. The Warrior. Call him what you will, John Hurt is the Doctor. In a bold move, Steven Moffat has inserted a previously unknown incarnation into the Doctor's timeline. It's strangely appropriate that he is, in fact, the ninth incarnation of the Doctor. There have been so many ninth Doctors now that it's getting tough keeping track, and it's ironic that the official ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston, turns out to actually be the tenth. However, to avoid having to renumber the last three Doctors, Hurt's version is destined to be known as the War Doctor, the only one without a number.







It's impossible to overstate how major a coup the casting of John Hurt is. Hurt is probably the most distinguished and respected actor to ever play the Doctor, even when compared to the likes of Eccleston, Cushing and Troughton. There's a hilariously off-the-mark review of The Day of the Doctor on Amazon that suggests he is “best known as the voice of the dragon on Merlin.” a fabulously ignorant comment that overlooks acclaimed roles in Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Elephant Man, Alien, The Naked Civil Servant and I, Claudius. He holds four BAFTAs and two Oscars. Hurt is a big deal, his husky tones instantly recognisable, bringing an immediate air of authority and gravitas to the role of the Doctor. In story terms, he stands in for the elder Doctors of the series' earliest days; a reminder of when the old man looked like an old man.


Maddeningly, there are some fans who actually see this as a waste. Some are angry that Moffat has created a new incarnation of the Doctor, seeing it as shortening the Doctor's lifespan by using up one of his regenerations. Never mind that he will surely come up with a get-out clause or some kind of plot development to give the Doctor more lives – these fans are opposed to that too. Yes, there really are fans of Doctor Who who would rather the series end than go against a decades old continuity point. Others see it as wasting John Hurt, by using him for a single special rather than casting him as the Doctor full time. Quite how they expect this to happen is unclear – a seventy-three-year-old man is not going to sign up for thirteen episodes of action drama made to a punishing schedule, let alone one as in demand and as expensive as John Hurt. Getting him in to play a one-off incarnation is a gift, and we should make the most of it.


The Doctor's ninth incarnation came into existence at the decision of the eighth. At the insistence of the Sisterhood of Karn, long-standing rivals of the Time Lords, the Doctor, after who-knows-how-long watching from the sidelines, to become involved in the Time War that was ravaging the universe. The Doctor demands to made into a warrior, his regeneration specifically tailored to make him into a soldier. The regeneration leaves him young, fresh-faced, tousle-haired – not unlike the younger eighth Doctor. A clever use of footage from Hurt's early career – I am reliably informed it is from The Ghoul, which saw him co-star with Peter Cushing – gives us this incarnation's very beginnings in The Night of the Doctor. “Doctor no more,” mutters this new man, gazing at his new face.


When we catch up with him, centuries have passed. We can surmise that the eighth Doctor lasted for a long while, but that's nothing compared to the Warrior. He appears a good forty years older than in his first moments, which for a Time Lord, must have taken hundreds upon hundreds of years. The War Doctor says he's about four hundred years younger than the eleventh Doctor, aged around 1200. This suggests the War Doctor ends his life at around eight hundred years old, which also, unexpectedly, suggests the ninth Doctor spent a whole century travelling before encountering Rose Tyler. We can't surmise the War Doctor's longevity, however, since the ages given in the new series do not correlate at all with those given in the original run. One possibility is that the Doctor started counting his age over from the beginning of his Warrior incarnation, but this is supposition.


His physical appearance reveals his long life; he is silver-haired, grizzled and, unlike most incarnations, proudly sports a beard. He dresses in a fashion that is mostly practical, as one might expect from a man who spends much of his time in a war zone, but there is still a Doctorish flair to his look. He wears a waistcoat and scarf that bring to mind the clothes of his previous self, but topped with a distressed leather jacket. In fact, it appears to be the same jacket as worn by Eccleston, although even more battered. Eccleston's Doctor swapped his for a less fatigued copy as the series progressed, so perhaps he's bought a few in the same style? Or maybe the jacket regenerated with him! The oldest item he wears is a bandolier, which he took from the body of gunship pilot Cass in the first seconds after his regeneration. It's a clear statement: he's a soldier now.


The new Doctor rejects his title from the off, distancing himself from his other incarnations. Really, though, he's lying to himself. The various incarnations of the Doctor are all versions of the same man. “Same software, different casing.” It was the eighth Doctor who decided to become a warrior, and notably, the ninth, tenth and eleventh Doctors all accept responsibility for their actions in the War. The Doctor doesn't claim not to have fought, or not to have destroyed Gallifrey. Yet he buries the version of himself that actually did the deed, refusing to acknowledge him or even refer to him as the Doctor. It's a twisted sort of rationalisation that lets the Doctor absolve himself of some of the guilt – a sort of “It was me, but it wasn't me,” splitting of hairs.

Perhaps the jettisoning of the name “Doctor” allows the War Doctor to act in ways that he wouldn't normally countenance. He can perform terrible acts in battle, half-justifying them to himself by not being the Doctor while he does it. It isn't clear what title he goes by during the War years, although the majority of others involved seem to continue referring to him as Doctor. He gets quite angry when the interface of the Moment refers to him as such, but as she says, that's the name in his head. The Daleks certainly refer to him as such, but then, “Doctor” has always been a dirty word to them. (It's a mystery why the Dalek info-stamp seen in The Next Doctor doesn't include this incarnation. OK the Doctor never refers to him in his own rundowns, but the Daleks would surely recognise this version more than any other.)


We've seen more of the Time War now than we ever expected to see, but the vast majority of it remains lost, time-locked away. We have only snatches of what happened to the Doctor during those long years of war. References to the Nightmare Child, the Fall of the Cruciform, the Meanwhiles and Never-Weres and the Skaro Degradations all sound ominous, but they tell us little. We've only seen the Doctor fight on the very last day of the War, taking down a squadron of Daleks using his TARDIS like a battering ram, before making off into the wilderness with the Moment, ready to doom Gallifrey. On the surface of it, the Doctor's hatred of this incarnation – of himself – is due to his decision to destroy his own people, but there must surely have been other atrocities during the War. This Doctor already has blood on his hands.


It isn't clear how involved the Doctor was with the House Military. He can demand a gun from an overwhelmed soldier at the Battle of Arcadia, but the General of the War Council refers to him as a lunatic and seems to want nothing to do with him. Knowing the Doctor, he wouldn't have taken to following orders with ease. Whatever he has done, by the last day of the War the guilt is clearly bearing down on him. He is tired, angry and even suicidal, admitting that he has “no desire to survive” his actions with the Moment.


Yet, for all his battle-hardened weariness, he is still the Doctor, and still displays many of the Doctor's perennial traits. He is witty, sarcastic, and compassionate. Encountering his future selves brings out his waspish side, but also reignites a spark of hope and joy. As he observes, his future incarnations seem frightened of being grown up, using childish turns of phrase. Following the War incarnation, the Doctor's regenerations make him progressively younger. It's a further distancing of himself from his wartime past. When he made the final, fateful decision to destroy Gallifrey, he was an old man; by becoming younger and younger physically he is trying to prove he is a different man.


Ultimately, the Doctor comes to realise he cannot win the War. Sick of the carnage, of time and space burning, people dying and being resurrected only to die again, the Doctor returns to Gallifrey on the day of its fall. Gallifrey couldn't hope to repel the Daleks. The War Council was hopelessly lost, the High Council turning to more and more terrifying schemes to ensure their own survival. Ultimately, with the Daleks poised to take Gallifrey and Rassilon ready to destroy all of creation to secure his own life, the Doctor took the Moment, Gallifrey's greatest weapon, and withdrew to the wastes of Outer Gallifrey to activate it. The Doctor activated the Moment, destroying the Time Lords and the Daleks and dooming himself to an eternity of regret.

Except, that isn't how it happened. Not any more. The cornerstone of the new series' backstory has been overturned. The Day of the Doctor saw the Moment, its psychic interface taking the form of the Doctor's own saviour, Rose Tyler, save him from having to make this most appalling decision. A vision of his own future gives him strength and hope, and between three of his personae, he comes up with another option. Perhaps having three Doctors present sparked bigger ideas in their head. Perhaps the eleventh Doctor has had centuries to wonder what he could have done differently. Perhaps all the War Doctor needed was some hope. All thirteen extant incarnations of the Doctor cross their own timelines to assist in shunting Gallifrey into a pocket dimension, at the very moment the Dalek fleet launches its final attack. Gallifrey is hidden, somewhere in space and time, kept in stasis, but safe. The Dalek fleet annihilates itself in its own grotesque attack. Gallifrey is saved, and so is the Doctor.


Sadly, due to the effects of crossing his own timestream (and to maintain the narrative of the last eight years of Doctor Who on television), the War Doctor is unable to retain his memory of the new timeline. For the outside universe, it will look as though Gallifrey was destroyed, and it's the same for the Doctor. All he will remember is taking the Moment with the intention of detonating it, and waking up afterwards in the TARDIS, with Gallifrey gone. Yet the guilt he carries with him through his next three incarnations will make him tougher, stronger, and more compassionate. The loss of Gallifrey inspires the Doctor to fight even harder to do the right thing, across the universe. And from the eleventh Doctor's present, with his memory of the intervention intact, he is vindicated. The War Doctor is, truly, the Doctor – just as he always was.



Entering his TARDIS, the War Doctor immediately begins to regenerate. It's not quite clear why this happens. All we get is a self-referential suggestion that he is “wearing a bit thin.” Certainly, he is an old man, but he has seemed in good health so far. Perhaps the cumulative damage of the War was more extensive than it appeared. Or perhaps it's simply time. In the original timeline, the Doctor activated the Moment, and while he was sentenced to live, we can presume the effect was enough to trigger his regeneration. To maintain the Doctor's personal history, he had to regenerate then, as soon as he stepped back into his own timestream. And, gleefully, he does so, ready to leave his life as a warrior behind, and become a new man again. He burns with energy and regenerates into his tenth incarnation – the so-called ninth Doctor. There's even a glimpse of Eccleston amongst the flames. Appropriately, this undreamed of incarnation has granted the Doctor a new past, and prepared him for a new future.