#Bernice Summerfield - The Inside Story

[intuitive-revelations]

Remember this post?

While researching for another post, TIL I'm not the only one to have had this thought, connecting Louise to Brax and Maggie.

From Simon Guerrier, in Bernice Summerfield - The Inside Story:

["Oh, and we should have called Maggie in The Empire State (p.255) "Louise" - the name of Dr Who's niece in the 1966 film Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D."]

Silly thought I just had writing the tags to that last post... does the existence of Dr. Who's neice "Louise" in Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. imply the existence of an "Irving Who"?

Or for that matter, another niece other than Maggie in the main timeline, either via Brax or by some other sibling, like Ulysses and Anne's half-Time Lord/Human daughter?

[adventure-showdown]

What has been nominated so far

Note, just because something has been nominated, and so is listed here, does not mean it will be included, I will include the absolute most I can but if I can't find it on TARDIS wiki its not getting in because i can't verify its a piece of who media

Also note, there might be some mistakes on here, I'm copying the nominations across directly, there might be some stories that are listed twice without me realising, because of alternate titles, or I just didn't spot it, or stuff that was spelt wrong when it was nominated, feel free to tell me

I've done my best to spot when nominations of a series were intended to enter the individual parts rather than the series as a unit, if I've got this wrong let me know and I will fix it. (if a story is on one line its currently being considered as a unit)

Final note, a couple of things got nominated under multiple mediums, usually full length TV story and minisode, so if you can't find your nomination, maybe check one of the other mediums

You can make further nominations here, there are basically no limits so long as its set in the Whoniverse (or its about Doctor Who, eg An Adventure in Space and Time or The 5 (ish) Doctors Reboot)

the list is under the cut (I will endeavour to keep it up to date)

Audio

Main Range

The Marian Conspiracy

The Apocalyse Element

The Shadow of the Scourge

The Holy Terror

Storm Warning

Minuet in Hell

Loups-Garoux

The Chimes of Midnight

Seasons of Fear

The Time of the Daleks

Jubilee

Neverland

Spare Parts

Creatures of Beauty

Doctor Who and the Pirates

Omega

Master (Main Range 49)

Zagreus

Scherzo

The Natural History of Fear

Arrangements for War

The Harvest

Faith Stealer

Caerdroia

Terror Firma

Singularity

Other Lives

The Kingmaker

The Girl Who Never Was

The Condemned

The Doomwood Curse

The Magic Mousetrap

The Company of Friends: Benny's Story

The Company of Friends: Fitz's Stroy

The Company of Friends: Izzy's Story

The Company of Friends: Mary's Story

A Death in the Family

Robophobia

The Silver Turk

1963: The Assassination Games

The Widow's Assassin

Dalek Soul

The Grey Man of the Mountain

The Eighth Doctor Adventures

The Blood of the Daleks

Horror of Glam Rock

Immortal Beloved

Phobos

No More Lies

Human Resources

To the Death

Doom Coalition

The Eleven

The Red Lady

The Galileo Trap

The Gift

The Sonomancer

Absent Friends

The Eighth Piece

The Doomsday Chronometer

The Crucible of Souls

Ship in a Bottle

Songs of Love

The Side of the Angels

Stop the Clock

Ravenous

Escape from Kaldor

Better Watch Out/Fairytale in Salzburg

Companion Piece

Day of the Master

Stranded

Stranded as a Whole (I think, I couldn't find a story called Stranded)

UNIT Dating

What Lies Inside

Paradox of the Daleks

Connections

Here Lies Drax

The Love Vampires

Albie's Angels

Special Releases

Living Legend

Out of Time

Out of Time (individual story)

Wink

The Companion Chronicles

Solitaire

Peri and the Piscon Paradox

The Cold Equations

The Last Post

The Scorchies

The Tenth Doctor Adventures

Death and the Queen

The Sword of the Chevalier

No Place

The Creeping Death

The Tenth Doctor and River Song

Expiry Dating

Ghosts

Once and Future

The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50

The Diary of River Song

The Bekdel Test

The Lost Stories

The Queen of Time

Paradise 5

The Elite

Short Trips

I am the Master

Forever Fallen

A Full Life

Bernice Summerfield

Oh No It Isn't

The Faction Paradox Protocols

The Eleven Day Empire/The Shadow Play

Torchwood

The Last Beacon

Serenity

Rhys and Ianto's Excellent Barbecue

Gallifrey

Square One

First Days of Phaidon

Gallifrey IV

Warfare

Unity

Missy

A Spoonful of Mayhem

The Lumiat

Too Many Masters

The Paternoster Gang: Heritage

The Cars That Ate London!

A Photograph to Remember

Destiny of the Doctor

Smoke and Mirrors

Novel Adaptations

Nightshade

Fifth Doctor Box Set

Psychodrome

Iterations of I

Psychodrome

Iterations of I

Counter-Measures

The Fifth Citadel

The Forgotten Village

Peshka

The Concrete Cage

The New Counter Measures

Troubled Waters

The Hollow King

The Eighth of March

Inside Every Warrior

Comics

TV Comic

Time in Reverse

Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor

Space in Dimension Relative and Time

Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor

Old Friends

Doctor Who Magazine

The Star Beast

Voyager

The World Shapers

Ground Zero

The Flood

The Fallen

The Land of Happy Endings

Direct to Home Media Films

PROBE

PROBE: The Zero Imperative

PROBE: The Devil of Winterborne

PROBE: Unnatural Selection

PROBE: Ghosts of Winterborne

PROBE: When to Die

The Stranger

The Stranger: Summoned by Shadows

The Stranger: More than a Messiah

The Stranger: In Memory Alone

The Stranger: The Terror Game

The Stranger: Breach of the Peace

The Stranger: Eye of the Beholder

Other

Downtime

Shada (1992) - version with linking narration

Sil and the Devil Seeds of Arodor

Wartime

K9 (spinoff series)

Regeneration/Liberation/The Korven

The Bounty Hunter

Sirens of Ceres

Fear Itself

The Fall of the House of Gryffen

Jays of Orthrus

Dream-Eaters

Curse of Anubis

Oroborus

Alien Avatar

Aeolian

The Last Oak Tree

Black Hunger

The Cambridge Spy

Lost Library of Ukko

Mutant Copper

The Custodians

Taphony and the Time Loop

Robot Gladiators

Mind Snap/Angel of the North/The Last Precinct/Hounds of the Korven/The Eclipse of the Korven

Minisodes

A Fix with Sontarans

Born Again

Clara and the TARDIS

Dimensions in Time

Emperor of the Daleks (More than 30 Years in the TARDIS)

famine appeal 1986

Merry Christmas Doctor Who

P.S.

Pond Life

Rain Gods

Space/Time

Tardisodes

The Battle of Demons Run: Two Days Later

The Bells of Saint John: A Prequel

The Doctor's Meditation

The Great Detective

The Last Day

The Naked Truth

The Shrink

Time Crash

Wall's Sky Ray lollies advertisment

Seret Message from the Time Lords (Weetabix advert)

Novels & Short Stories

Short Stories and Short Story Collections

12 Doctors, 12 Stories

Grey Matter

Lepidoptery for Beginners

Something Borrowed

Nothing at the End of the Lane

The Room With All the Doors

Standalone

Harvest of Time

Scratchman

The Stranger

Engines of War

The Eighth Doctor Adventures

Vampire Science

Alien Bodies

Seeing I

The Scarlet Empress

Unnatural History

Interference

The Blue Angel

The Burning

The Turing Test

The Year of Intelligent Tigers

The City of the Dead

The Adventuress of Henrietta Street

Mad Dogs and Englishmen

Anachrophobia

The Book of the Still

The Crooked World

Camera Obscura

The Gallifrey Chronicles

The Past Doctor Adventures

Divided Loyalties

Fear of the Dark

Fear Itself

Novelisations

Doctor Who and Shada (fan novelisation)

Virgin New Adventures

The Left-Handed Hummingbird

Human Nature

Lungbarrow

Faction Paradox

The Book of War

This Town Will Never Let Us Go

Of the City of the Saved

The New Series Adventures

The Blood Cell

Other

Step Into the 80s!/On Through the 80's! (adverts)

Ronald Rat continuity announcement

Zygon: When Being you Just isn't Enough (Porno)

The Man From MI5

The Infinite Quest

Dooms Day hour 1

Songs

Doctor in Distress

Doctorin' the TARDIS by the Timelords

I'm gonna Spend my Christmas with a Dalek

TV (this category is less about if it was televised and more about the length to distinguish it from minisodes)

Dreamland

Search Out Space

Webcasts

Real Time

Shada (2 nominations)

[thebraxiatelcollection]

Hey April, I feel so behind. I only started following you for your fun Big Finish takes, not realizing you actually write for Big Finish too. 🙈 I'm just now reading your bio. I've always wanted to be an author, so I'm utterly fascinated. How did you get involved with them?

Hi! *Waves!*

So a couple of years ago, big finish ran a Bernice Summerfield competition for people to write a short story for the Bernice Summerfield: True Stories Collection (Winner ended up being Xanna Eve Chown. I'm sure it was rigged as Xanna had already written for the company before).

I entered it for fun and when the winner of the competition was announced, I thought that was that and I would try again for the Paul Spragg writing competition they do every year. A few months went by, and I received an email from the lovely James Goss saying they loved my entry and if I would be interested in pitching to write for an episode of the next boxset that was released in 2019.

Of course, after fangirling about for the rest of the day and rereading, and double re-reading to make sure I hadn't entered a scam, I said yes, absolutely.

I sent a couple of pitches in, but none felt right but then I had an idea of dead and breakfast came and sent that into James and he loved the idea and he paired me with the lovely Simon Guerrier.

I got on well with Simon and we had the opportunity to meet at Gallifrey one and discuss the idea together at the convention as well as hanging out with Lance Parkin and Paul Morris who said lovely things about my writing and sounded thrilled by my idea. (I still can't believe I got to hang out with Lance Parkin and he was so lovely and kind to me).

I have never written a script before, so I did a lot of research about script writing. At the same time, @doctress was also on a writing project as we both kept vaguely posting about our WIPs but until the boxset was actually announced, we both didn't realize that in fact, we had been working on the same boxset! They wrote Burrowed Time, the last story on the boxset.

After I completed my script, and sent it to Simon for edits and we checked it over a few times, we had a deadline of August and sent the script over to James. James responded a few days back saying it's one of the best-drafted scripts he has seen and hardly needed any editing at all.

I was lucky enough to be invited down to the studio to see the whole thing recorded, and it's still one of my favourite moments. Everyone was so kind to me, and I have met David and Lisa a few times before and Jacqueline King once a long time ago at a convention, but it was my first time meeting Sam Hallion and Zaraah Abrahams who were playing my side characters. I will always remember the surreal moment of James leading me into the recording booth and there's David and Lisa, reading the words from my script. Actors I have both admired and respected for years and there they were. It's something I will never forget.

My only regret was that I didn't ask for any of the folks to sign the script, but I was a little shy and the nerves of being around such talented people kicked in. (And yes, I did get to try the famous big finish lunch!).

Writing Dead and Breakfast has been a huge honour and a great learning curve for me, and everyone has been so lovely and kind about my story it makes me proud at the fact that actually, I can write and this is where all those years of writing fanfiction can lead you too.

Never give up, and just keep writing. You can do it. People have stories inside of them that are just waiting to be told and read by others.

[lucascecil]

Seventh Doctor - Project: Blue Box

TV Stories

◆ Time and the Rani

◆ Paradise Towers

◆ Delta and the Bannerman

◆  Dragonfire

◆ Remembrance of the Daleks

◆ The Hapiness Patrol

◆ Silver Nemesis

◆ The Greatest Show in the Galaxy

◆ Battlefield

◆ Ghost Light

◆ The Curse of Fenric

◆ Survival

Audio Adventures

- 7th Doctor Adventures

◆ Last of the Titans

◆ Return of the Daleks

◆ Dominion

◆ The Trial of a Time Machine

◆ Vanguard

◆ The Jabari Countdown

◆ The Dread of Night

◆ Bad Day in Tinseltown

◆ The Ribos Inheritance

◆ London Orbital

◆ Scream of the Daleks

◆ Operation Dusk

◆ Naomi’s Ark

- Main Range

◆ Unregenerate!

◆ Bang-Bang-a-Boom

◆ Flip-Flop

◆ The Fires of Vulcan

◆ Red

◆ We Are the Daleks

◆ The Warehouse

◆ Terror of the Sontarans

◆ 1963: The Assassination Games

◆ The Defectors

◆ The Sirens of Time

◆ The Genocide Machine

◆ The Grey Man of the Mountain - ★★★☆☆

◆ The Fearmonger - ★★★★☆

The Fearmonger is a story with a lot of say about the social politic scenario it was made and that uses of its themes to work perfectly with the regulars and their relationship - that brings them closer by putting the trust Ace and Seven have in each on check. A good start for their ternure in audio.

Complete review: here.

◆ Dust Breeding

◆ Colditz - ★★★☆☆

◆ The Rapture

◆ The Shadow of the Scourge

◆ The Dark Flame

◆ The Harvest

◆ Dreamtime

◆ LIVE 34

◆ Night Thoughts

◆ No Man’s Land

◆ Nocturne

◆ The Dark Husband

◆ Forty-Five

◆ Shadow Planet/World Apart

◆ Muse of Fire

◆ The Flying Dutchman/Displaced

◆ The Magic Mousetrap

◆ Enemy of the World

◆ The Angel of Scutari

◆ Project: Destiny

◆ A Death in the Family

◆ Lurkers at Sunlight’s Edge

◆ Protect and Survive

◆ Robophobia

◆ The Doomsday Quatrain

◆ House of Blue Fire

◆ Black and White

◆ Gods and Monsters

◆ Afterlife

◆ Revenge of the Swarm

◆ Mask of Tragedy

◆ Signs and Wonders

◆ You Are the Doctor and Other Stories

◆ A Life of Crime

◆ Fiesta of the Damned

◆ Maker of Demons

◆ The High Price of Parking

◆ The Blood Furnace

◆ The Silurian Candidate

◆ Red Planets

◆ The Dispossessed

◆ The Quantum Possibility Engine

◆ Project: Lazarus

◆ Master

◆ Valhalla

◆ Frozen Time

◆ The Death Collectors/Spider’s Shadow

◆ Kingdom of Silver/Keepsake

◆ A Thousand Tiny Wings

◆ Klein’s Story/Survival of the Fittest

◆ The Architects of History

◆ The Shadow Heart

◆ The Psychic Circus

◆ The Monsters of Gokroth

◆ The Moons of Vulpana

◆ An Alien Werewolf in London

◆ Persuasion

◆ Starlight Robbery

◆ Daleks Among Us

◆ The Two Masters

◆ Warlock’s Cross

◆ Subterfuge

◆ The End of the Beginning

◆ Dark Universe

- The Companion Chronicles

◆ Bernice Summerfield and the Criminal Code

◆ The Prisoner’s Dilemma

◆ Project: Nirvana

- The Lost Stories

◆ Thin Ice

◆ Crime of the Century

◆ Animal

◆ Earth Aid

- Classic Doctor, New Mosnters

◆ Harvest of the Sycorax

- Short Trips

◆ The Devil’s Footprints

◆ Dark Convoy

◆ Doctors and Dragons

◆ The Riparian Ripper

◆ Inside Story

◆ The Shadow Trader

◆ Crystal Ball

◆ The Shrine of Sorrows

◆ Dead Woman Walking

◆ Critical Mass

◆ Washington Burns

◆ Forever Fallen

◆ Police and Shreeves

◆ The Hesitation Deviation

◆ Twilight’s End

◆ The Night Before Christmas

Books

◆ Timewyrm: Genesis

◆ Timewyrm: Exodus

◆ Timewyrm: Apocalypse

◆ Timewyrm: Revelation

◆ Cat’s Cradle: Time’s Crucible

◆ Cat’s Cradle: Warhead

◆ Cat’s Cradle: Witch Mark

◆ Nightshade

◆ Love and War

◆ Transit

◆ The Highest Science

◆ The Pit

◆ Deceit

◆ Lucifer Rising

◆ White Darkness

◆ Shadowmind

◆ Birthright

◆ Iceberg

◆ Blood Heat

◆ The Dimension Riders

◆ The Left-Handed Hummingbird

◆ Conundrum

◆ No Future

◆ Tragedy Day

◆ Legacy

◆ Theatre of War

◆ All-Consuming Fire

◆ Blood Harvest

◆ Strange England

◆ First Frontier

◆ St Anthony’s Fire

◆ Falls the Shadow

◆ Parasite

◆ Warlock

◆ Set Piece

◆ Infinite Requiem

◆ Sanctuary

◆ Human Nature

◆ Original Sin

◆ Sky Pirates!

◆ Zamper

◆ Toy Soldiers

◆ Head Games

◆ The Also People

◆ Shakedown

◆ Just War

◆ Warchild

◆ SLEEPY

◆ Death and Diplomacy

◆ Happy Endings

◆ GodEngine

◆ Christmas on a Rational Planet

◆ Return of the Living Dad

◆ The Death of Art

◆ Damaged Goods

◆ So Vile a Sin

◆ Bad Therapy

◆ Eternity Weeps

◆ The Room With no Doors

◆ Lungbarrow

◆ The Dying Days

◆ Illegal Alien

◆ The Hollow Men

◆ Matrix

◆ Storm Harvest

◆ Prime Time

◆ Independence Day

◆ Bullet Time

◆ Relative Time

◆ Heritage

◆ Loving the Alien

◆ The Algebra of Ice

◆ Atom Bomb Blues

[doctorwho2022]

Doctor Who episodes that aired on the 15th of October…

In 1966, The Tenth Planet Episode 2

In 1977, The Invisible Enemy Part Three

[stillthesunkenstars]

So true however dangerous ill advised and convoluted the situation is, brax’s plans will be even more dangerous ill advised and convoluted

[ivqks159]

Rat bastard

[doctornolonger]

In 1998, [Jim Mortimore] said he thought I looked fat, and this affected me so much that I started taking daily walks. Which is why I found Kurt Vonnegut's "Hocus Pocus" lying in a gutter, and thus why "Dead Romance" exists. I wondered if it'd be possible to apply the same storytelling techniques to something as straightforward as the NA range. Two years later, I had the satisfaction of presenting Jim with a copy, and watching him look overawed while reading it. Ha-ha, the big sod. He's much fatter than I am.

Lawrence Miles on the writing of Dead Romance, in Bernice Summerfield: The Inside Story

[danbenzvi]

Recently listened to: “Doctor Who: The Eighth Of March”

Scattered through all of space and time, there are many women whose paths have crossed that of the Doctor.

Some were once fellow TARDIS travellers, some staunch allies defending the Earth, and one was the Doctor’s wife…

From Victorian London, to an intergalactic convention, from the offices of UNIT, to an impossible university library – on the 8th of March, four very different adventures will unfold.

Featuring the following stories:

The Diary Of River Song: Emancipation by Lisa McMullin

When River Song crashes a Galactic Heritage convention, posing as the wrong Time Lord, Leela is sent by Gallifrey to investigate.

But before the canapés are cold and the champagne becomes warm, they find themselves embroiled in a royal kidnapping.

Starring Alex Kingston as Professor River Song and Louise Jameson as Leela.

Also starring Lucy Pickles as The Hanovari, Julie Teal as The Royal Magnificat, Catherine Skinner as Princess Myrahla and Lewis Rae as Compere.  All other parts played by members of the cast.

  Doctor Who - The New Adventures: The Big Blue Book by Lizzie Hopley

With the Doctor AWOL, Benny and Ace are left to their own devices, going native in a Liverpool university.

Benny accepts an invitation she really shouldn’t, and Ace meets a very strange collector.

An alien library is about to gain a big, blue book… but where’s the TARDIS?

Starring Sophie Aldred as Ace and Lisa Bowerman as Professor Bernice Summerfield.

Special Guest Star Sylvester McCoy as The Seventh Doctor.

Also starring Orlando Gibbs as Harvey, Rosemary Ashe as Vassa and Robert Gill as Lycurgus.  All other parts played by members of the cast.

  The Patnernoster Gang: Inside Every Warrior by Gemma Langford

The Great Detective, Madame Vastra, aided by her resourceful spouse, Jenny Flint, and loyal valet, Strax, is looking into a series of mysterious break-ins.

An eccentric scientist and his put-upon assistant are the latest victims. Evidence mounts, with animal footprints and a trail of destruction.

Starring Neve McIntosh as Madame Vastra, Catrin Stewart as Jenny Flint and Dan Starkey as Strax.

Also starring Julie Atherton as Hodge, Nigel Fairs as Dr. Cornelius Pinch, Tom Bell as Percy and Louise Faulkner as Laeticia.  All other parts played by members of the cast.

  U.N.I.T.: Narcissus by Sarah Grochala

When one of their own goes missing, Kate Stewart and the two Osgoods decide to investigate.

Narcissus is interested only in the most beautiful people, but as the UNIT operatives are about to discover, its true purpose is something far from desirable.

Starring Jemma Regdrave as Kate Stewart, Ingrid Oliver as Osgood, James Joyce as Josh Carter and Tracy Wiles as Jacqui McGee.

Also starring Alix Dunmore as Female-Jordan Love and Dan Blaskey as Male-Jordan Love.  All other parts played by members of the cast

Plus a bonus disc of Behind the Scenes interviews. 

All stories directed by Helen Goldwyn.

[searingdestiny]

Braxiatel short story

I wrote a thing! A braxiatel story of sorts so please feel free to read! 

Keep in mind I am not the best story writer in the world I love description and dialogue is not my strong point. I hope you like it anyway! Also forgive my spacing? I know its weird X~X

Tagging a few people forgive me: (hope you like it sorry for bugging you!)

@alyona11 @stillthesunkenstars @loombarrow @devilfromthestars @volucris-liga @thebraxiatelcollection

                              Dark hearts and Dark souls                                          

Bernice was annoyed. Beyond annoyed actually! She had wanted Brax to collect a specific type of manuscript for her and what did he do instead? Made a balls of it is what he did! He not only had it already he had sent Bernice and her crew on a wild goose chase and she was furious. She was definitely going to give Brax a piece of her mind as she stood before his office door on the collection. She was about to enter when something stopped her dead in her tracks.

A clink sound.

The sound of ice hitting the edge of glass and she knew someone was in there as she pushed the door open ever so slightly.  She noticed that Brax’s office arm chair was empty however his guest armchair had someone sitting in it. The person had their lanky arm stretched over the side holding a shimmering whiskey glass. Inside was the liquid and sitting in the center was a perfectly sculptured spherical ice. Bernice was about to speak but then she froze in place as the man leaned over to glance back at her.

The eyes that glanced back at her from beneath tar like black hair were nothing like she had ever seen. Sure Brax shared a similarly contemplative appearance however this was no pensive gaze. This cold stare send a shiver down her spine and she knew in her heart if she did not vacate the vicinity that this man would not hesitate to kill her. The eyes were a hollow dark blue almost like the depths of the oceans on Galasicia 12 but harsher like a monsoon was brewing in those waters. Ready to swallow the planet whole.

She carefully and with a slow movement stepped backwards out of the room closing the door after her. That look was enough to make her sweat and her breathe to freeze in her throat. Once the door was close she could still feel those eyes etched into her soul before she abruptly turned around only to be greeted by Braxiatel. When she bumped into him she let out a shrill yelp and leaped away without realizing. She was panting heavily as if she had forgotten to breathe for the last few minutes as she gazed up at similarly dangerous yet comfortingly less dagger like eyes.

Braxiatel found this both confusing and amusing as a smile danced across his lips “Well Bernice I did not expect my appearance to cause such a fright! Whatever must you think of me?” he asked her whimsically. He was about to follow it up with another piece of whit but he stopped himself. Something was off and the way she looked at him made him pause “Bernice?” he asked her now concerned. The look she gave him he had seen a million times before but nothing this extreme and not on the Collection. She looked shaken and visibly was trying to compose herself but failing miserably. He felt his chest tighten in anger for a moment before he calmed it wondering what had caused her such a scare.

“Oh! oh...Brax...it’s just you” she finally said between nervous breathes finally realizing she could breathe. “I came looking for you but...well...” her earlier anger had now been completely quenched by the dark tidal wave that hide behind that door. She inhaled and slowly exhaled relaxing herself “I...well...Brax?” she asked hesitatingly looking into his face to make sure he was her Brax. She was pale and felt uneasy still standing close to his office door.

Brax sighed a little becoming a little irritated with this odd behaviour of hers “Bernice...please...you know me well enough now to know that I hate when you do this” she stated clearly “Just ask me. I will either answer or not it is as simple as that” he shrugged at her. He was using a calm voice however he did not want her to feel rushed or pressured she was already nervous enough as it was. “What is it you wish you ask me?” he looked at her now curious as to what the question would be.

“Well” she began closing her eyes as she asked the question not wanting to see his reaction “You know the Doctor? I know the Doctor and well...at times he can be eccentric and  moody, well that’s putting it lightly he’s a nightmare on legs. However I have only ever seen him get angry once or twice and not even mad enough to cause a reaction...” she trailed off again something catching in her mind. “Have you ever seen the Doctor have a look that could kill?” she asked him honestly her voice catching in her throat as she asked. “It’s ridiculous right? He is an idiot and a dork but he would never give someone a look of death...would he?” she began to question herself then and there.

“Bernice! Now hold on just a moment! What exactly are you implying?” he asked folding his arms at these weirdly absurd accusations. “I know of the Doctor naturally and he is a good natured, albeit a bit mislead, dolt who would never harm a fly...well...not intentionally and without good reason” he rationalized. “Also if you don’t mind my asking...why the Doctor of all people? Why ask about him?” he was put of a little by her accusations and a little hurt by them. He would never openly admit that to her however. “Listen Bernice why don’t you take this” he offered her the manuscript “You can lecture me about your mission later and go have some tea...try to relax” he said to her with a sleek voice.

She shook her head coming back around and easing herself out of her anxious state “You are right” she took the manuscript and was about to leave “Brax” she turned to him. “Be careful” she swallowed nervously “You have a guest in there and...if I am honest I never want to see him again” she said as she walked off trying to keep that look out of her mind.

Braxiatel watched her leave a sense of curiosity overcame him as he glanced at his offices ornate door. What person could cause Bernice Summerfield, of all people, to act like someone had threatened her with a stare! He collected himself as he approached the door. He was thinking of who could be behind this door as he knew it couldn’t be another of his alternative selves. She had asked about Theta, The Doctor, instead of about him. Why? What did this person have to do with the Doctor and he hoped desperately it wasn’t the Valeyard. Last thing he wanted to contend with was a Doctor with a negative attitude. As he touched the door knob to go into his office he heard it.

A clink sound.

He knew the sound all to well as it was one of his glasses he used for Brandy or Whiskey whichever mood he was in. He felt intruded upon now as he realized someone had helped themselves to his liquor cabinet. He opened the door and instantly he felt the room become ever so slightly colder. Not due to temperature drop just from the presence in the room. He locked the door behind him making sure the Collection was safe and this person had no where else to go. He saw the same lanky, pale and gaunt had that Bernice had seen holding the same whiskey glass with ice. It was half drank.

Before Braxiatel could get a word in the man spoke and the voice made Braxiatels hearts race and then sink all at once. “I am afraid...I scared your pet” was all he said in a hoarse voice that sounded like someone sharpening a sword with another. As the man peeked around the side of the chair. His smile was cruel and his eyes had a look to them that you just could not shake. Slowly and with careful consideration he got up standing tall with a very defensive stance. His eyes were trained on Braxiatel and had not left him since he had entered the room. “This is your office is it not?” he asked nonchalantly despite his cold empty words “Why not come in and make yourself at home like you always do” he suggested with an eerie smile.

Braxiatel felt his soul shudder and his hearts want to stop in his chest as the man that stood before him was Theta! A twisted, demonic and dangerous version of his younger brothers first incarnation long before either of them had changed. However this version definitely had changed and for the worse it seemed. He reminded Braxiatel of stories that Bernice had found in manuscripts depicting demons or those who worshiped a demon of the underworld. He was frozen to the spot unsure of what his next words should be but he knew he had to ask. “T-theta?” he asked him his own words tripping him up as he asked them.

The other man narrowed his eyes at him with a look of distrust and pure resonated hatred. “I was once” he started turning to face Braxiatel “Then I became one of you, not by choice mind you, one of you killed my Braxiatel” he said this so casually it was almost funny. If he was not dead serious about it. “So I took his mantel instead. None of you seem to care as long as I keep to my universe however I believe the memo was not passed on to you” he frowned which looked even worse on his face. “So to answer your question Braxiatel” he said the name with spite “Yes and no” he offered as an explanation “I am what I am and that is all I can be” he smirked enjoying playing games with words. “Now!” he said eyeing the other “We have important matters to discuss and I would rather we not stand like idiots...” he said waiting for the other to move.

It took several moments for Theta’s words to hit him hard as he realized what this Theta had been through. He knew other versions of himself had killed others but he had not even considered what those Theta’s must have gone through. He realized the other was staring at him impatiently as he coughed “That is a lot of information to take in” he stated walking very delicately to his office chair. As he sat the other mimicked him which made Brax shudder a little in just how much like him he was. He could tell from looking into those eyes that this Theta had been to hell and back a few times over. His once cheerful face gone and replaced with someone who hated everyone and everything living or dead. “Wait...what important information could you possibly want to ask me about?” he asked realizing this situation was bizarre enough. “What brings you to my universe?” he asked seriously although he was still wrapping his head around all of this.

Theta watched him with predator like eyes and it amused him how Braxiatel took on the role of another predator. He had cunning there was not doubt about that and he would have made a great adversary if it weren’t for the agreement. He sat at the same time as him and it made him chuckle inside seeing Brax outwardly shudder at the mirroring. “I am in your universe because I have misplaced a person, well I didn’t, the moon of Gallifrey misplaced someone” he ex-posited before looking serious. “My universe version of what you call the Master” he simplified “My version is not this Master but she is incredibly unhinged and dangerous” he answered thinking of how to make her sound. “Imagine if your Master managed to win constantly with whatever hair brained schemes they came up with! Universal catastrophe on a grand scale” he exaggerated for flavour. “That is what mine is capable of” he said with a sneer on his lips as he hated having to explain her to others. “I need her back and I tracked her somewhere here...in this universe” he made a gesture to the air.

Braxiatel paused and listened carefully to every word he spoke as he did not want to miss information. “So you are saying your people managed to lose a sociopath in our universe?” he asked arching an eyebrow in disbelief. “How?” he finally managed to ask as it did seem ludicrous.

“She is a sociopath yes but she is quite deceptive and incredibly intelligent” he hated talking about her it annoyed him “She managed to steal a particular device, of which I am forbidden to discuss with you, thus ended up here” he answered. “My tardis tracked her here but due to your universe’s strict laws, of which I have to adhere, I cannot use my Tardis here” he sounded incredibly indignant at that but kept his cool. “I am a hunter after all and I cannot, I shall not, let my pray escape no matter the costs” a twisted smile covered his face. “My tardis has its tracking ability but your tardis do not” he simply said “I am unable to use my tardis’ for its abilities so I must ask for help...from you” he said non to impressed.

Braxiatel went silent as he contemplated all the information, his mind working a mile a minute, then finally he spoke. “I shall help you but it means you and I shall be working together” he stated seriously “I do not want you wandering about this universe and meeting this universes Theta, rassilon only knows what that would do, I also assume you came to me because I am the only one who can help you” he stated that as a fact not a question. “If this is the case I will help you in whatever you need but you must listen to me. The rules of this universe are set and they are not like yours” he offered as an explanation.

Theta gave him a glare but he nodded in agreement as he knew the stakes were too high for him to go out on his own. “Speaking of your Theta, The Doctor, my Madame will probably target him if she knows what she is about” he folded his arms and looked irritated. “You will need to talk to your brother about this.” he said to him frankly “I cannot” he said simply.

TBC

[ocmerunaway]

First Lines Meme

I was tagged by @asirensrage over on @stone-hearted-seymour so here we go. Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories. (If you have less than 20, just list them all!) See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line. Tag some people to play the next round! Tagging: @randomestfandoms-ocs , @ocfairygodmother and whoever else wants to take part. 1.  Kat Greylek always grew up as ‘the mistake’, she was forgotten, pushed aside and hated. - 'Cause of you, I forgot the smart ways to lie//Because of you, I'm running out of reasons to cry… , Kat Greylek/Rafael Barba, Law and Order SVU. 2. “Jenna?” – You can't play on broken strings//You can't feel anything//That your heart don't want to feel… , Jenna/Katarin, The Vampire Diaries 3. Sacajawea frowns when she tries to speak and fails, her eyes clouding even as Vanessa moves closer, her smile softly reassuring as she starts to draw Sacajawea closer, her touch soft at Sacajawea’s waist. – In The Silence, Sacajawea/Vanessa Stern, Night At The Museum 4. At first he thinks the thing left on his doorstep is just a bundle of ragged women’s clothing, and then it breathes. - When everything's meant to be broken//I just want you to know who I am… , Kingpin/Moll, Daredevil 5. The past comes back to haunt even when Ellie least expects it, simple comments from others spark memories and she stills, then bolts.  - And I wish you all the love in the world//But most of all, I wish it from myself… , Captain/Secretary (James/Ellie), Ghosts 6. “You still love me?” - I can't change, even if I tried//Even if I wanted to//My love, my love, my love, my love//She keeps me warm… , Kate Argent/Juliet Andrews (Childhood Friends AU), Teen Wolf 7. Kate finds Juliet pacing, almost muttering with the stress of it all.  - And her eyes are just//Helpless… , Kate Argent/Juliet Andrews, Teen Wolf 8. “I’m not you Connie… I’m not…” – Talk To Me (Like Lovers Do), Connie Hackle/Rachel Dawson, Heartbeat 9. Ella knows the moment Grace arrives on her doorstep, bags packed, that everything has fallen apart. – Home Is A Feeling (I Buried In You), Ella Hodiak/Grace Karn, Aquarius 10. Jules is still whimpering even as Kitty pushes herself upright, eyes blown wide at the sudden realisation. - The story has just begun//And darling what's done is done//It's time to change and leave the past behind… , Jules/Kitty Mayson, The Vampire Diaries 11. Lorelai’s breathing is raspy as she slides to the floor of the hall, not caring that she’s bleeding in the hall, merely needing time to rest.  - Beaten, Broken, Beloved, Lady Fanny Button/Lorelai Swallow, Ghosts 12. “Wait for me Love…” – Wait For Me Love…, Thomas Thorne/Ailith Ainslie, Ghosts 13. “There’s something I’ve forgotten… I just know it…” - If only you read my mind//You'd see I was hurt inside… , Julian Fawcett/Nes O’Callahan, Ghosts 14. “That’s it, I give up…” – A Safe Place To Cry (Just Don’t Give Up), Amelia Earhart/Venus Stern, Night At The Museum 15. “Come Back… please… come back?” – Lost Without You, Benny/Mari, Doctor Who (Bernice Summerfield Audiobooks) 16. “Natalie?” - I'm broken//Save me… , Natalie Engler/Emily Newton, You 17. “Cap…” - I know I can't take one more step towards you//'Cause all that's waiting is regret//Don't you know I'm not your ghost anymore… , Captain/Secretary (James/Ellie), Ghosts 18. “Jules please… it’s not safe…” – Danger In Her Eyes, Jules/Diana, The Vampire Diaries 19. “ ‘Belle? Love…” – Beauty In The Eye Of Her Beast, Isabelle ‘Belle’ McCoy/Hank ‘Beast’ McCoy, X-Men 20. Antiope makes it four steps into the home she’s made with Astrid before her knees buckle. – Someone To Come Home To, Antiope/Astrid, Wonder Woman Patterns: Lots of opening speech apparently? I didn’t know I did it that often.

Fave line?: Probably “At first he thinks the thing left on his doorstep is just a bundle of ragged women’s clothing, and then it breathes. “

[esonetwork]

Timestamp #208: Dreamland

New Post has been published on https://esonetwork.com/timestamp-208-dreamland/

Timestamp #208: Dreamland

Doctor Who: Dreamland (Animated Special, 2009)

“Always count your steps, Seruba Velak. You never know when you might need to escape in a box.”

One ship is pursued across the sky by two others. In a hail of laser fire, it crashes into the New Mexico desert, outside Roswell, on June 13, 1947.

Eleven years later, the Doctor arrives at a diner in Dry Springs, Nevada. He meets Cassie Rice, a customer named Jimmy, and a mysterious artifact that lights up under sonic screwdriver. While Cassie and Jimmy marvel over the technology, a man in a black suit arrives and demands it. He assaults them for it, and they make haste for the ranch where Jimmy works.

When they arrive, they find a large Viperox battle drone which has been eating the cattle. A helicopter arrives with soldiers on board, and after they blow up the Viperox, they tell the Doctor that he’s wanted at Area 51.

Also known as Dreamland.

Accompanied by Jimmy and Cassie, the Doctor is taken below ground to meet Colonel Stark. He tells them that he plans to wipe their minds, straps them to some operating tables, taunts them for a few minutes, and turns on the amnesia gas. The Doctor wriggles free, turns off the gas, and helps his companions escape through the ventilation shafts.

As alarms echo through the facility, the trio takes flight, ending up in Lab 51. Inside the lab, they discover an alien behind a glass partition. Force to run again, the team takes a lift to a hangar where they are immediately captured.

The Doctor’s entourage are shepherded toward the alien craft that crashed in Roswell. Using his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor hijacks the ship and takes it for a spin. Pursued by Air Force fighters, he crashes the ship in the desert. They take refuge in a ghost town called Solitude.

Meanwhile, Colonel Stark is confronted by a Viperox named Lord Azlok, demanding that he not disappoint the Viperox forces. Azlok is also very interested in the Doctor and his skills.

The Doctor and his companions find a Viperox that pulls Jimmy underground. Lord Azlok interrogates Jimmy and meets the Doctor, whom he pegs as an alien because of his two heartbeats. Cassie frees Jimmy and stages a diversion, and although the Doctor is upset that he didn’t figure out the master plan, they discover it soon enough. Lord Azlok brought the Viperox Queen to Earth, and she’s laying eggs Aliens-style to hatch an invasion force.

The trio runs again, this time taking an Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom mining cart ride into the blinding desert. There, they meet four men in black suits. The head Man in Black, Mr. Dread, demands the the ionic fusion bar from the diner. When the Doctor stalls, the MiBs reveal themselves as robots. They are saved by Jimmy’s grandfather, Night Eagle, and a hail of arrows.

Night Eagle reveals that he found another of the gray aliens from the crashed ship and kept him safe. Rivesh Mantilax wants to go home, but first he needs to find Seruba Velak, his wife and the alien in the base. His wife was an ambassador who was trying to build an alliance against the Viperox, but was attacked by hired mercenaries.

Colonel Stark arrives and takes everyone into custody. Back at Area 51, the Doctor discovers that Stark has allied with Azlok. They watch as the gray aliens are reunited, then discuss how Rivesh was developing a genetic weapon to destroy the Viperox. Joined by Mr. Dread, Stark reveals his plan to use the ionic fusion bar as a weapon to destroy the Soviet Union.

The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver to disable Mr. Dread, then runs to the roof with the alien weapon. On the edge of the roof, held at gunpoint by Stark, the Doctor pleads for the colonel’s help. Stark listens to reason, but his plan to arrest Azlok is interrupted by the Viperox leader himself and the promise to tear Earth to shreds.

Down below, Cassie finds Rivesh has been critically injured by Azlok. Once freed, Seruba says that she can save her husband, but only with her ship. Stark takes the group to the Area 51 Vault where all of the ship’s contents were stored in the final scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark. While the Doctor and Seruba start searching, he sends Cassie and Jimmy to retrieve the TARDIS.

As the sun sets, the Viperox emerge from the desert and start their rampage while Seruba finds the component and the Doctor finds a swarm of hungry Skorpius Flies.

Stark deploys his army against the Viperox while Seruba and the Doctor play hide-and-go-seek with the flies. The army is no match for the invasion, and as Stark’s operations center is overrun by Azlok, the Doctor is reunited with the TARDIS. Jimmy, Cassie, and Seruba step aboard and they travel to Rivesh’s side. Once Rivesh is revived, the Doctor asks him to activate the device but to stop before destroying the Viperox. The Doctor connects the device into the TARDIS console and it broadcasts a signal that drives the Viperox off the planet entirely.

The Doctor let them live because, one day, they are destined to evolve into something better.

The Doctor entrusts the device to Colonel Stark for the protection of Earth. They bid farewell to Seruba and Rivesh, and the Doctor takes off as Cassie and Jimmy hold hands.

Admittedly, it is a function of its form, but this story moved like a squirrel binging energy drinks. This piece was originally planned as seven six-minute episodes for the BBC’s Red Button service. As a result, we got a story that has a plot climax every five or six minutes.

It was kind of tiring.

I could point out the technical inaccuracies, but the fact that this was a cartoon developed for a charity event gives the writers a considerable amount of grace in my eyes. Some of the errors are animation shortcuts, others concern United States history, but overall they are inconsequential to the plot on the whole.

So, I’ll revel in the character and cast lists.

Like, the return of Georgia Moffett – daughter of Peter Davison and wife of David Tennant – who we last heard (and saw) in The Doctor’s Daughter and who I really enjoy seeing/hearing on the show.

Or Lisa Bowerman as Seruba Velak. Big Finish fans know Lisa Bowerman as Bernice Summerfield, and classic era fans might remember her as Karra from Survival.

Or the first Native American companion (however briefly) in Doctor Who, Jimmy Stalkingwolf, portrayed by Canadian born English actor and singer Tim Howar. It would have been nice to a Native American actor in either this role or Night Eagle’s role, but I’ll take this advancement as progress. I mean, we’ve come quite the distance from An Unearthly Child when the First Doctor referred to “Red Indians” as having “savage minds”.

Or… How about Doctor Who getting David Warner as Lord Azlok. Emmy-award winning film, television, and theatre actor David Warner from The Omen, Time After Time, Time Bandits, Tron, Titanic, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and so much more.

I mean… wow. Just, wow.

Of course, we first heard of Dreamland from Prisoner of the Judoon, which is where we first saw the ship designs seen in this tale. We get plenty of continuity from the Doctor abhorring salutes (previously The Sontaran Stratagem and Planet of the Dead) and outright despising the nickname “Doc” (referencing The Time Meddler, The Five Doctors, The Twin Dilemma, The Ultimate Foe, and more I’m sure).

I also enjoyed seeing Doctor Who outright embrace the Roswell mythos, from the “grays” of typical close encounter accounts to the legendary Men in Black.

Production-wise, this marked the first six-part story on television since The Armageddon Factor and the first six-part story produced since Shada, which was finally completed in 2017 (but not yet reviewed in that form by this humble Whovian… although there’s always hope).

But, all of that awesomeness considered, I keep coming back to that over-caffeinated squirrel of story pacing. Like I said, it was tiring, and it really pulled me away from the adventure because I was trying to keep up with what was going on with otherwise thinly developed characters.

And that is truly a shame for a tale with so many other groundbreaking elements.

Rating: 3/5 – “Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow.

UP NEXT – Doctor Who: The End of Time

The Timestamps Project is an adventure through the televised universe of Doctor Who, story by story, from the beginning of the franchise. For more reviews like this one, please visit the project’s page at Creative Criticality.

[theheroheart]

god damn that dw stuff is interesting. i haven't watched for years but it has such a complex and amazing history behind it.

Honestly a good 60% of the fun of DW is that obscure shit that is just completely off the wall. And I’m really into the Gallifrey stuff personally, the epic backstory behind the universe, but in addition to that there’s so much weird shit hidden everywhere.

Like, are you familiar with Iris Wildthyme? She’s a renegade Time Lady (probably from a parallell universe), and she’s basically a female parody of the Doctor, but way more sexual, and also more ridiculous. Her TARDIS is disguised as a red double-decker bus, which is smaller on the inside, and one of her companions is a stuffed toy panda. 

There’s a story where she creates robot maids/sexbots with the likeness of the Fourth Doctor, and sells them. River Song is kinda like 50% Iris and 50% Bernice Summerfield (time-traveling archaeologist with own spinoffs).

The Sixth Doctor has a companion named Frobisher, who’s a shapeshifting alien penguin private detective with a 1920s American accent.

The Eighth Doctor has a companion named Compassion, a human lady clone who at one point - after the TARDIS gets destroyed - evolves into a TARDIS that the Doctor and the other companions travel inside of.

I could probably keep going.

All this stuff is why I still have a fondness for Doctor Who, even if I don’t care enough to watch the actual show.

[thebraxiatelcollection]

I love the idea of Benny going off, having adventures and coming home to hubby in the evening. "I've saved the galaxy and I picked up your shirts from the laundry!

Kate Orman about Bernice Summerfield in Bernice: The Inside Story

[doctorwhonews]

Doctor Who: The 8th of March

Latest from the news site: Big Finish is to produce an audio adventure in celebration of all the strong female characters from the Doctor Who universe. The 8th of March launches on International Women’s Day 2019 with a female lead cast, along with female writers, producer and director. Starring Ace (Sophie Aldred) and Professor Bernice Summerfield (Lisa Bowerman), Professor River Song (Alex Kingston) and Leela (Louise Jameson), UNIT-team Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) and Osgood (Ingrid Oliver) and, in a Big Finish first together, Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh) and her wife Jenny (Catrin Stewart). This box set celebrates these powerful, multifaceted characters in stories very unique to the Doctor Who universe. Four adventures set on the 8th of March will see some of the strongest women in the universe working together… * The Big Blue Book by Lizzie Hopley (starring Ace and Bernice Summerfield) * Inside Every Warrior by Gemma Langford (starring the Paternoster Gang) * Emancipation by Lisa McMullin (starring River Song and Leela) * Narcissus by Sarah Grochala (starring Kate Stewart, Osgood and… the other Osgood!) Big Finish Productions was formed 20 years ago in 1998 with its first release being a tale from one of the Doctor’s companions, Bernice Summerfield, and it continues to this day to create new empowering female heroes in their own series. The 8th of March is not only a celebration of many great female characters (including the Thirteenth Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker), but a reminder that one of the great virtues of Big Finish is that it is able to explore and add to the mythology of characters that we have more to learn from. Director Helen Goldwyn told us more about this new audio projectIt seems very timely to celebrate some of the women of Doctor Who, especially as the female characters in the series have evolved over the years to reflect how women's roles have changed in society too; from assistants and inferiors to equals and adversaries! And what's it been like, working with all these wonderful, legendary Doctor Who actors (not to mention all the fantastic guest actors too)? Well it could only ever be a delight and a privilege really, couldn't it? How fantastic to be part of a series that not only brings the women of Doctor Who to the forefront, but which also celebrates Big Finish's commitment to represent and nurture female creatives like myself who have, for so long, been in the minority. This production brings us another step forward and I'm proud to be part of that. Producer Emma Haigh told us about uniting these creatives together.It’s been a real thrill to be part of this exciting project which once again shows off the creativity of Big Finish. It’s a privilege to work with these iconic actresses and our incredibly talented director and writers. The different combination of characters from across the series and years’ work brilliantly and has been quite inspiring. From the worlds of Doctor Who, The 8th of March is available for pre-order now ahead of its release on International Women’s Day, 8th March 2019, at £25 on CD or £20 on download from www.bigfinish.com and it will remain at this price until general release when it will be available for £30 on CD or £25 on download. Doctor Who News http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2018/10/doctor-who-8th-of-march.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

[storiescanberewritten]

#8 Nightshade by Mark Gatiss

THIS BLOG MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR OBSCURE 25 YEAR OLD DOCTOR WHO BOOKS!!

Christmas 1968 in the little Yorkshire village of Crook Marsham. Retired actor Edmund Trevithick revels in the fact that the BBC are repeating his Saturday night science fiction detective serial ‘Nightshade’. Soon though, he starts being terrorised by some very familiar looking monsters. In fact many of the locals are also starting to glimpse figures from their past. Relatives, friends and acquaintances that should be long gone are suddenly returning and trying to tempt people away with promises of better times. Impossible, surely? But what’s the harm in a little nostalgia?

Nightshade is an absolute joy. Written by Mark Gatiss (who will of course have a lot more to do with Doctor Who when it returns to television a good 13 years later), the story is packed with interesting characters who I really came to care about as I progressed through the book. The aforementioned Edmund Trevithick starts off as seeming old and bitter, wanting nothing more than to return to his glory days back on the TV as Inspector Nightshade, but as he begins to find himself playing the hero in a real life monster movie he becomes a lot more personable and selfless, almost becoming the character that he so desperately wanted to return to. Upon investigation, the bulk of the strange sightings of people that shouldn't be there seem to have started after the building of a huge radio telescope on the nearby moor, tended to devotedly by Dr. Cooper, Professor Hawthorne, Vijay and Holly. All of them have a worthwhile part to play in the story and the interplay between the characters creates an intriguing dynamic, with Holly and Vijay having recently started a romantic relationship, Dr Hawthorne being a massive 60s racist who is opposed to Vijay having a job at the site, and Dr Cooper trying to keep everything as professional as possible within the team. Things get a lot more serious in the village when people start to go missing and bodies are discovered. Enter, the Doctor and Ace.

Funnily enough the Doctor is also feeling nostalgic and Ace is worried about him. She sees the Doctor becoming short tempered and irritable, snapping unnecessarily over things she doesn’t understand. He’s pining over his granddaughter Susan’s old Coal Hill school uniform and questioning whether anything he has ever done to help really made a difference. Arriving in Crook Marsham he begins to wonder if it’s time to finally retire to a place like this, putting his weary battles with countless enemies behind him. Although the Doctor does have some frankly outrageous moments of mean spiritedness towards Ace that could seem out of character, Gatiss works hard to ensure that outside of these moments the Doctor still comes across as a likeable hero. And as we have come to expect with Sylvester McCoy’s Doctor, he probably has good reason for doing the things that he does in the long run.

Gatiss freely admits to drawing on many of his own experiences in the process of writing the book, and you can feel this coming through strongly as we read passages where the characters remember elements of their childhood. Whether it’s the rituals they followed with their families on a Christmas morning, or the memories they have of wolfing down their tea, having a bath, and then settling down to watch Nightshade on the TV on a Saturday night, the descriptions are so vivid and steeped in nostalgia you can tell they are Gatiss’ own memories. Gatiss even goes so far as to name characters and places after things in his own life, with Dr Shearsmith and Old Man Pemberton sticking out in particular for any League of Gentlemen fans out there. And yes, getting a little bit meta about things, 'Nightshade’ the fictional TV series in this book is an obvious stand-in for Doctor Who itself. With the series no longer on the air and these books being the only official continuation at this point, they are starting to become nostalgic for the good old days of Doctor Who being the main attraction on Saturday night telly!

For a book that is so obviously fuelled by nostalgia its ironic that the overall message of the story is to not trust those feelings. The apparitions appearing to the residents of Crook Marsham are all a part of one larger entity, living inside the moor and awoken by the activity of the radio telescope, and upon tricking its targets into giving in to the tempting vision of the past they see before them the entity drains their life force and leaves behind an empty husk. A neat allegory for living in the past I suppose, so intent on looking back on what was, never grasping the opportunities available to you in the present, and ultimately becoming an empty, miserable creature. Taking things to the extreme there of course, but it’s effective nevertheless.

Upon outsmarting the creature by managing to confront demons in the Doctor’s own past, Ace decides she wants to stay behind in 1968 with Robin, a dashing young man she grows close to over the course of the novel. The Doctor reluctantly feigns happiness for Ace but manages to convince her to take one last ride in the TARDIS to watch the entity get swallowed up by a black hole. The Doctor ponders to himself that under normal circumstances he would let Ace go as he has done with countless other companions, but that there is “more at stake now”. He withdraws into the TARDIS, leaving Ace pleading for freedom in the console room. Our hero has now kidnapped his young female companion! I feel this may have something to do with that pesky demon particle that infected the TARDIS and quite possibly the Doctor himself back in Cat’s Cradle: Witch Mark, but we’ll have to wait and see how things pan out from here!

Next week we’ll meet Professor Bernice Summerfield for the first time ever in Paul Cornell’s Love and War!