The
Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the
protagonistThe Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
of the long-running
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television science-fictionScience fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...
series
Doctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. He was portrayed by
Paul McGannPaul McGann is an English actor who made his name on the BBC serial The Monocled Mutineer, in which he played the lead role...
. Though he appeared in only one TV film, his adventures are extensively portrayed in
other mediaDoctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
.
Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien, a
Time LordThe Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
from the planet
GallifreyGallifrey is a fictional planet in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and is the homeworld of the Doctor and the Time Lords...
, who
travels in timeTime travel is a common theme in science fiction and is depicted in a variety of media. It simply means either going forward in time or backward, to experience the future, or the past.-Literature:...
in his
TARDISThe TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
, frequently with
companionIn the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, and shares the adventures of the Doctor. In most Doctor Who stories, the primary companion acts as both deuteragonist and audience surrogate...
s. When the Doctor is critically injured, he can
regenerateRegeneration, in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, is a biological ability exhibited by Time Lords, a race of fictional humanoids originating on the planet Gallifrey. This process allows a Time Lord who is old or mortally wounded to undergo a transformation into a new...
his body but in doing so gains a new physical appearance and with it, a distinct new personality. McGann portrays the eighth such incarnation, a passionate, enthusiastic and eccentric character. His only companion in the television movie is
Grace HollowayDr. Grace Holloway is a fictional character played by Daphne Ashbrook in the 1996 television movie Doctor Who, a continuation of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
(
Daphne AshbrookDaphne Lee Ashbrook is an American actress.-Personal life:Daphne Ashbrook was raised in the San Diego, CA area. Her parents are San Diego theatre actress D'Ann Paton and late actor/Director Buddy Ashbrook...
), a medical doctor whose surgery is responsible for triggering his regeneration. In the continued adventures of the character depicted in audio dramas, novels and comic books he travels alongside numerous other companions, including self styled "Edwardian Adventuress"
CharleyCharlotte Elspeth Pollard, or simply Charley, is a fictional character played by India Fisher in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions, many of which were broadcast on BBC Radio 7, based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A young woman...
, the alien
DestriiDestrii, or to give her full title, the Primatrix Destriianatos, is a fictional character who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She was a companion of the Eighth Doctor...
and present-day humans
LucieLucie Miller is a character in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions for BBC7 based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
and
SamSamantha Angeline Jones, or simply Sam, is a fictional character in the Eighth Doctor Adventures novels based upon the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The Eighth Doctor first met her in the novel The Eight Doctors by Terrance Dicks, and she went on to become one of his...
.
The Eighth Doctor is the first since the
original incarnationThe First Doctor is the initial incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966. Hartnell reprised the role in the tenth anniversary story The Three Doctors in 1973 - albeit in a...
(portrayed by the late
William HartnellWilliam Henry Hartnell was an English actor. During 1963-66, he was the first actor to play the Doctor in the long-running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Early life:...
) not to have his face appear in the opening title sequence. This trend would continue throughout the revived series with the
NinthThe Ninth Doctor is the ninth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by Christopher Eccleston....
,
TenthThe Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...
and
Eleventh DoctorThe Eleventh Doctor is the eleventh incarnation of the protagonist of the BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. Matt Smith plays this incarnation, replacing David Tennant's Tenth Doctor in the 2010 episode "The End of Time, Part Two"...
s.
Overview
The Eighth Doctor made his first television appearance in the 1996
Doctor Who television movie, the first time the Doctor had returned to television screens since the end of the original series in 1989. Intended as a backdoor pilot for a new television series on the Fox Network, the movie managed to draw 5.5% of the US audience, according to Nielsen Ratings. In the
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, it was received well, attracting over 9 million viewers and generally positive reviews. It was also generally well received in Australia.
Although the movie failed to spark a new television series, the Eighth Doctor's adventures continued in various licensed
spin-offDoctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
media, notably
BBC BooksBBC Books is an imprint majority owned and managed by Random House. The minority shareholder is BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation...
'
Eighth Doctor AdventuresThe Eighth Doctor Adventures are a series of spin off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint. 73 books were published overall...
novels, audio plays from
Big Finish ProductionsBig Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
, and the
Doctor Who MagazineDoctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
comic strip. As these stories spanned the nine years between 1996 and the debut of the new television series in 2005, some consider the Eighth Doctor one of the longest-serving of the Doctors. He is unarguably the longest-serving Doctor in the
Doctor Who Magazine comic strip. In the wake of the positive reaction to the revived television series in 2005, several of the Eighth Doctor's Big Finish audio dramas were also broadcast on BBC7 radio in an edited form. The trailers for these broadcasts explained that these adventures took place before the destruction of Gallifrey as described in the revived TV series. In 2007, BBC7 aired a new series of Eighth Doctor audio adventures, created specifically for radio broadcast. Paul McGann has continued to portray the Eighth Doctor in the various audio spinoffs.
The canonicity of the spin-off media with respect to the television series and to each other is open to interpretation (the "Beginner's Guide to Doctor Who" on the BBC's classic
Doctor Who website suggests this may be due to the
Time WarThe Time War, more specifically called The Last Great Time War, is a conflict within the fictional universe of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
). It has been suggested that the Eighth Doctor's adventures in three different forms (novels, audio, and comics) take place in three separate continuities. The discontinuities were made explicit in the audio drama
ZagreusZagreus is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This audio drama was presented on three compact discs, and was made by Big Finish as their primary release to celebrate forty years of Doctor Who.-Plot:Following directly...
. In response, it has become increasingly common to consider the three ranges separately. The final Eighth Doctor Adventures novel,
The Gallifrey Chronicles, obliquely references this split in timelines, even suggesting that the split results in the three alternative forms of the
Ninth DoctorThe Ninth Doctor is the ninth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by Christopher Eccleston....
(a reference to the fact three different versions of the incarnation have appeared in various media). Even so, all matters of canonicity remain typically unclear.
Despite the fact the Eighth Doctor appeared on television only once, he is the most prolific of all the Doctors (to date) in terms of number of individual stories published in novel, novella, short story and audio form. In 2007, the Eighth Doctor finally made a second appearance (of sorts) within the television series' continuity. In the episode "
Human Nature"Human Nature" is the eighth episode of the third series of the revived British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the first episode of a two-part story written by Paul Cornell adapted from his 1995 Doctor Who novel Human Nature...
" he appears on-screen as a sketch (alongside other incarnations) in the book
A Journal of Impossible Things by John Smith. In 2008 and 2010 he appeared again as a brief image in "The Next Doctor" and "
The Eleventh Hour"The Eleventh Hour" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One and BBC HD on 3 April 2010....
" along with every other incarnation up to that time and "
The Lodger"The Lodger" is the eleventh episode of the fifth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on BBC One on 12 June 2010...
" with his first, second, third, fourth, ninth and tenth incarnations.
Personality
The Eighth Doctor encouraged those around him to seize life instead of withdrawing from it. He also seemed to enjoy giving people hints of their own futures, probably to prod them into making the right decisions. It is unclear if the eighth Doctor's knowledge of people's futures comes from historical expertise, psychic power or precognitive ability.
As with the
Fifth DoctorThe Fifth Doctor is the fifth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Peter Davison....
, the debonair Eighth Doctor's youthful, wide-eyed enthusiasm actually hid a very old soul with perhaps a darker side. In fact, whereas the Eighth Doctor of the audio plays (voiced by McGann) and the comic strip hew closely to the television movie Doctor, the Eighth Doctor of the novels exhibited what was, at times, a much darker personality, perhaps due to the rather traumatic adventures that he underwent.
The Eighth Doctor also attracted controversy in the television movie, breaking the long-standing taboo against romantic involvement with his
companionsIn the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, and shares the adventures of the Doctor. In most Doctor Who stories, the primary companion acts as both deuteragonist and audience surrogate...
by kissing
Grace HollowayDr. Grace Holloway is a fictional character played by Daphne Ashbrook in the 1996 television movie Doctor Who, a continuation of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
. Fans were extremely divided on this. In the spin-off media that followed, the Eighth Doctor has often been the object of romantic interest, but has shown little to no romantic inclinations of his own.
Fans have also been divided on the Eighth Doctor revealing that he is apparently half-human on his mother's side. However, "
Journey's End"Journey's End" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who first broadcast on BBC One on 5 July 2008. It is the second episode of a two-part crossover story featuring the characters of spin-off shows Torchwood and The Sarah Jane...
", an episode of the revived television series, sees the
Tenth DoctorThe Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...
accidentally creating a half-human, physically identical second Doctor, and his reaction to the situation implies this is a new experience for him. Also, in the episode
The Doctor's Daughter"The Doctor's Daughter" is the sixth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 10 May 2008.- Synopsis :...
, Jenny, who was created using a skin sample of the
Tenth DoctorThe Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...
, is initially dismissed by him since she is not a complete Time Lord, and according to him, "You're an echo, that's all. A Time Lord is so much more. A sum of knowledge, a code, shared history, shared suffering".
In the comic storyline 'The Forgotten' it is revealed that the Doctor's claim that he was half human was in fact nothing more than a ruse.
In all his iterations, the Eighth Doctor has proven extremely prone to bouts of amnesia, a tendency apparently inspired by the plot of his sole television appearance. He also demonstrates, in his first and only televised appearance, a penchant for sleight of hand. He manages to "lift" or pickpocket various items from certain people he meets during his first adventure.
Outfit
The Eighth Doctor wears an outfit that consists of a dark green velvet
frock coatA frock coat is a man's coat characterised by knee-length skirts all around the base, popular during the Victorian and Edwardian periods. The double-breasted style is sometimes called a Prince Albert . The frock coat is a fitted, long-sleeved coat with a centre vent at the back, and some features...
, a silver
waistcoatA waistcoat or vest is a sleeveless upper-body garment worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear, and as the third piece of the three-piece male business suit.-Characteristics and use:...
and a
cravatThe cravat is a neckband, the forerunner of the modern tailored necktie and bow tie, originating from 17th-century Croatia.From the end of the 16th century, the term band applied to any long-strip neckcloth that was not a ruff...
, which he finds in the hospital after regenerating. He also wears a pair of dress shoes given to him by Grace Halloway.
Paul McGannPaul McGann is an English actor who made his name on the BBC serial The Monocled Mutineer, in which he played the lead role...
wore a
wigA wig is a head of hair made from horsehair, human hair, wool, feathers, yak hair, buffalo hair, or synthetic materials which is worn on the head for fashion or various other aesthetic and stylistic reasons, including cultural and religious observance. The word wig is short for periwig and first...
for his portrayal of the doctor, which he reportedly found unpleasant. McGann suggested that the character keep the short hair and the leather jacket combo but was overruled by producers; despite the overruling, his ideas were later incorporated into the Ninth Doctor's outfit. McGann did however appear at the Armageddon Pop Culture Expo convention in Auckland, New Zealand, in October 2010. He was photographed sporting a blue leather jacket, brown satchel and sporting a modified wooden handled sonic screwdriver.. However, the BBC and Big Finish Productions have never used this costume in their artwork.
Television
After the
Seventh DoctorThe Seventh Doctor is the seventh incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor Sylvester McCoy....
was caught in the crossfire of a gang shoot-out in 1999 San Francisco's Chinatown, USA, he was taken to a hospital where surgeons, confused by his double heartbeat, attempted to correct a non-existent
fibrillationFibrillation is the rapid, irregular, and unsynchronized contraction of muscle fibers. An important occurrence is with regards to the heart.-Cardiology:There are two major classes of cardiac fibrillation: atrial fibrillation and ventricular fibrillation....
. Their efforts instead "killed" the Doctor. He was taken to a morgue and after several hours (due to the anaesthetic almost destroying the regenerative process), he finally regenerated into his eighth incarnation. At the time of his injury, the Doctor had been transporting the remains of his long-time nemesis
the MasterThe Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....
from the planet
SkaroSkaro is a fictional planet from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who created by the writer Terry Nation as the home planet of the Daleks and, at times, the centre of the Dalek Empire....
to
GallifreyGallifrey is a fictional planet in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and is the homeworld of the Doctor and the Time Lords...
. (It's interesting to note, though, that in
Remembrance of the DaleksRemembrance of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 October to 26 October 1988....
, featuring the Seventh Doctor, Skaro was destroyed by the Hand of Omega.) The Master, however, was not completely dead, and was able to possess a human form, a married ambulance paramedic named Bruce. After murdering Bruce's wife, the Master (now in Bruce's body) attempted to steal the Doctor's remaining lives, by opening the
Eye of HarmonyThe Eye of Harmony is an artificial black hole created by the Time Lords to provide energy for their home world of Gallifrey and their time travel technology in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-First appearances:...
within the
TARDISThe TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
, and nearly destroying the planet Earth, as people celebrated the end of the
millenniumA millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
. However, with the aid of Dr
Grace HollowayDr. Grace Holloway is a fictional character played by Daphne Ashbrook in the 1996 television movie Doctor Who, a continuation of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, the Doctor was able to stop the Master's plan; the Master was sucked into the Eye, apparently dying once and for all. The Master would, however, return in "
Utopia"Utopia" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 16 June 2007 and is the eleventh episode of series three of the revived Doctor Who series...
."
Novels
Almost as soon as he'd left San Francisco, the Doctor had another brief attack of amnesia, caused by a final trap of the Master's. To regain his memories, the Doctor was forced to visit all seven of his past selves and help them out with some crisis or another, at the same time acknowledging the responsibility his role gave him. Having regained his memories, the Doctor met a late twentieth-century
Coal Hill SchoolCoal Hill School is a fictional school in the television series Doctor Who. It is a comprehensive school located in the Shoreditch area of London....
student named
Samantha JonesSamantha Angeline Jones, or simply Sam, is a fictional character in the Eighth Doctor Adventures novels based upon the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The Eighth Doctor first met her in the novel The Eight Doctors by Terrance Dicks, and she went on to become one of his...
; shortly after their encounter, the Doctor left her alone at a
GreenpeaceGreenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
rally.
For a time, the Doctor adventured with an
Ice WarriorThe Ice Warriors are a fictional extraterrestrial race of reptilian-like humanoids in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The race originated on Mars, and first appeared in the 1967 serial The Ice Warriors where they encountered the Second Doctor and his...
named
SsardSsard is a fictional character in the Radio Times comic strips based upon the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. The Eighth Doctor and Stacy Townsend first met the Ice Warrior in the comic strip Descendance by Gary Russell, and he went on to become one of his companions...
and a human woman named
Stacy TownsendStacy Townsend, or simply Stacy, is a fictional character in the Radio Times comic strips based upon the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. The Eighth Doctor first met her in the comic strip Dreadnought by Gary Russell, and she went on to become one of his companions...
, who fell in love with each other; some while after they parted ways with the Doctor, the two invited him to serve as best man at their wedding (
Placebo EffectPlacebo Effect is an original novel written by Gary Russell and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
). He also, at some point, teamed up with his old companion
Bernice SummerfieldBernice Surprise Summerfield is a fictional character created by author Paul Cornell as a new companion of the Seventh Doctor in Virgin Publishing's range of original full-length Doctor Who novels, the New Adventures...
,
Brigadier Lethbridge-StewartBrigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, generally referred to simply as the Brigadier, is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Nicholas Courtney...
and
UNITUNIT is a fictional military organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures...
to combat
an Ice Warrior occupation of Great BritainThe Dying Days is an original novel written by Lance Parkin and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was last of that range to feature the Doctor and the only one of that range to feature Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor. Thereafter the series centred around...
.
Faction Paradox
Eventually, three years after his departure and one hour after he left, the Doctor returned to the Greenpeace rally. With Sam collected, the pair spent a great period wandering together, facing dozens of adventures. During their travels, Sam and the Doctor became aware of a great War, looming in the future of Gallifrey – a war between the Time Lords and an as-yet-unidentified Enemy, with dramatic and disturbing consequences. While exploring the subject, the Doctor discovered that his Sam was not the original Samantha Jones; rather, her biodata had been manipulated by an outside agency with the intent to mould her into a prosaic distraction for him (
Alien BodiesAlien Bodies is an original novel written by Lawrence Miles and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor and Sam. This story marks the first appearance of Faction Paradox, a time travelling Gallifreyan voodoo cult...
). Ultimately this plan proved a failure, as Sam developed into a much more strongly-willed companion than intended; at one point she spent three years avoiding the Doctor, so as to cope with a crush she had developed on him.
The close dynamic between the pair was shifted with the introduction of
Fitz KreinerFitzgerald Michael Kreiner, or simply Fitz, is a fictional character in the Eighth Doctor Adventures novels based upon the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. The Eighth Doctor first met him in the novel The Taint by Michael Collier — the character was co-created by Stephen Cole...
, a sixties bar singer incorrectly suspected of matricide. Fitz took on the role of a sort of younger brother to the Doctor, placing the Time Lord on as high a pedestal as Fitz had ever known. Eventually Fitz found himself abducted by
Faction ParadoxFaction Paradox is a fictional time travelling cult/rebel group/organized crime syndicate, originally created by the author Lawrence Miles. The Faction's belief-system as portrayed has some similarities to voodoo, and is sometimes described as such...
, a "time-travelling voodoo cult", and brainwashed into their legions. When the Doctor realised that a Faction member he had encountered was a biomass copy of Fitz, he used the TARDIS's telepathic circuits to restore Fitz's memories and identity to the clone, believing that the original Fitz was dead and reasoning that the clone would essentially be the real Fitz in every way that mattered.
With both Sam and Fitz gone – Sam's creators having been established as the Faction – the Doctor continued his travels with the clone Fitz and
CompassionCompassion is a fictional character in the Eighth Doctor Adventures novels based upon the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Compassion was originally from a people known as the Remote, a splinter group of the time travelling voodoo cult Faction Paradox...
, an ex-Faction agent implanted with an interface that the Doctor found compatible with his TARDIS. Unbeknownst to the Doctor, the Faction – with the aid of the original Fitz – had changed his history, triggering the
Third DoctorThe Third Doctor is the third incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by actor Jon Pertwee....
's regeneration ahead of schedule and infecting him with a virus that, in his eighth incarnation- his immune system being too strong to allow the virus to infect him directly while allowing it to gain a hold on him each time he regenerated-, would transform him into a Faction member (
Interference: Book OneInterference: Book One is an original novel written by Lawrence Miles and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
and TwoInterference: Book Two is an original novel written by Lawrence Miles and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
).
Eventually, Compassion's implant triggered her unexpected mutation into a sentient Type 102 TARDIS, specifically the "mother" of the TARDISes that would be used in the pending War. With this knowledge, The Time Lords – led by
RomanaRomana, short for Romanadvoratrelundar, is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, now in her third incarnation – attempted to capture Compassion, for use as breeding stock in preparation for the War. In response, and in light of the apparent destruction of his old TARDIS, the Doctor and Fitz retreated into Compassion (
The Shadows of AvalonThe Shadows of Avalon is a BBC Books original novel written by Paul Cornell and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
).
The Doctor and Fitz travelled in Compassion for some time, until the machinations of Faction Paradox came to a head back on Gallifrey. As it turned out, in the new timeline triggered by the Doctor's infection, the Doctor was destined to become "
Grandfather ParadoxThe grandfather paradox is a proposed paradox of time travel first described by the science fiction writer René Barjavel in his 1943 book Le Voyageur Imprudent . The paradox is this: suppose a man traveled back in time and killed his biological grandfather before the latter met the traveler's...
", the mythical founder of Faction Paradox. The only factor keeping the original sequence of events in play was the Doctor's TARDIS – which had rebuilt itself after its apparent destruction on Avalon, and had now materialised in a twisted form above Gallifrey, holding within itself the Doctor's original reality.
In a final confrontation with his future self, the Doctor resolved the timeline conflict by channelling the TARDIS's built-up energies through its weapon systems, thereby destroying both the Faction Paradox fleet and Gallifrey itself. In so doing, the TARDIS was able to rewrite the altered timeline with the original one that it "remembered"; no longer able to contain both timelines as a result of its energy drain, one reality had to become 'real'. As a side effect, however, the Doctor’s entire memory was erased – apparently from the trauma of the event (
The Ancestor CellThe Ancestor Cell is a novel by Peter Anghelides and Stephen Cole, based on the science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor, Fitz Kreiner, Compassion and Romana III- as well as a brief appearance of the Third Doctor in a ghost-like state due to the Faction's...
).
Amnesia on Earth
To give the Doctor time to recover and the TARDIS time to regenerate from the extensive damage it had suffered, Compassion dropped the Doctor off on Earth in the year 1889; she then delivered Fitz to 2001, with the intent that he wait for the Doctor to catch up to him. With that, Compassion departed for parts unknown. Back in 1889, meanwhile, the Doctor awoke in a railway carriage to discover no memory as to his real identity, and no possessions save a small, shapeless box – what was left of the TARDIS after its power loss— and a note, simply stating "Meet me in
St. LouisSt. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
', 8 February 2001. Fitz".
Despite his amnesia, the Doctor retained a wide general knowledge. However, he also showed an uncharacteristic callous streak – easily allowing others to die, if the situations demanded it. (
The BurningThe Burning is a BBC Books original novel written by Justin Richards and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor...
). To contrast, he was capable of feeling unusually poignant warmth, even dating a woman in the 1980s, and adopting a young girl named
MirandaMiranda is a fictional character from the Eighth Doctor Adventures novel series published by BBC Books; based upon the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. She was, for a time, the adopted daughter and companion of the Eighth Doctor...
, a Time Lady from the future (
Father TimeFather Time is a BBC Books original novel written by Lance Parkin and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor and introduces the Doctor's adopted daughter Miranda.-External links:*...
).
Unsure what "St Louis" was intended by the note, the Doctor created his own in London: the St Louis Bar and Restaurant. As 2001 rolled around, Fitz indeed turned up there to meet him. With the aid of new companion
Anji KapoorAnji Kapoor, or simply Anji, is a fictional character in the Eighth Doctor Adventures, a novel series based upon the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. The Eighth Doctor first met her in the novel Escape Velocity by Colin Brake, and she went on to become one of his companions....
, the Doctor and Fitz completed the TARDIS's regeneration, dealt with a race of invading aliens, then set back again to exploring time and space (
Escape VelocityEscape Velocity is a BBC Books original novel written by Colin Brake and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor and Fitz and introduces the new companion of Anji Kapoor...
).
With his freedom restored, the Doctor chose to counteract his extended exile by seeking as much non-human company as possible. During this period, the Doctor encountered all manner of unusual beings – from a species that at cursory glance resembled the Earth tiger (
The Year of Intelligent TigersThe Year of Intelligent Tigers is a BBC Books original novel written by Kate Orman and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor, Fitz and Anji.-Synopsis:...
), to water spirits, to talking apes from another dimension. Though at times the Doctor seemed somewhat cold – as when he seemed more concerned about damaged plums than a dead man (
Eater of WaspsEater of Wasps is a BBC Books original novel written by Trevor Baxendale and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor, Fitz and Anji.-External links:*...
) – he retained his passion for life in all forms. Although his amnesia remained a bother, the Doctor acknowledged that whatever had happened to him had happened for a reason, and he might as well make use of the advantages it offered.
Sabbath and parallel times
Only a few months after resuming his old lifestyle, the Doctor faced another radical change: the loss of his second heart. As it happened, the heart served as a bond with Gallifrey; with the planet gone, the heart had begun to fester within the Doctor's body, pumping it with poison.
A man named
SabbathSabbath is the name of a recurring villain from the Eighth Doctor Adventures — spin-off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. The character was created by Lawrence Miles and first appeared in The Adventuress of Henrietta Street...
, an eighteenth-century secret agent gifted with time travel abilities, excised the blackened organ, both saving the Doctor's life and robbing the Doctor of some of his higher Time Lord abilities (his respiratory bypass system and his ability to metabolise toxins). It transpired that Sabbath was actually after the heart for his own purposes: when implanted into Sabbath's own chest, it imparted upon him those same Time Lord powers. An unexpected side effect of this experiment was that so long as the Doctor's heart remained within Sabbath's chest, the Doctor himself remained practically invulnerable to harm (though any injury sustained by the Doctor would weaken Sabbath).
Eventually, after a woman Sabbath loved sacrificed herself to save the Doctor from a malfunctioning time machine, Sabbath tore out the Doctor's second heart, allowing the Doctor to begin growing a new one.
Shortly after the restoration of his heart, the Doctor found himself locked in a desperate struggle with Sabbath as, along with his mysterious business associates, Sabbath hatched a plan to destroy all alternate realities. Sabbath believed that time travellers like the Doctor, every time they landed somewhere, created an alternate reality where they didn't show up, and that the universe was unable to support so many alternates without suffering damage; therefore, he attempted to trigger an explosion at Event One – the
Big BangThe Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in...
– that would erase all alternate universes and leaving only one possible timeline. However, Sabbath's allies had been lying to him; in reality, Time would only split if absolutely necessary, and even then, it was nearly impossible to travel between alternate realities. Effectively, all that would be wiped out was free will itself...
The explosion at Event One was averted, but instead, what occurred was reality starting to 'slide' between histories, each reality fighting to become the dominant one. Along with new companion
TrixBeatrix MacMillan, or simply Trix, is a fictional character in the Eighth Doctor Adventures novels based upon the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. The Eighth Doctor first met her in the novel Time Zero by Justin Richards, but it was not until the novel Timeless by Stephen Cole...
, the Doctor, Fitz and Anji travelled through the realities, the Doctor being forced to erase at least two of them in order to restore the original reality. During this adventure, the Doctor appeared to become a bit more cold and calculating, sacrificing an innocent man to escape a pocket universe and even leaving alternate versions of Fitz and Anji to die in order to preserve continuity. However, in the end, their sacrifices paid off, the Doctor managing to stabilise reality by resolving a paradox that had been hanging over them since the beginning of the crisis, and then, with Sabbath's help, they confronted his masters; the Council of Eight, mysterious beings who gained power by foreseeing likely future events and then ensuring that they came to pass. The Doctor, as a rogue element existing outside of Time, was the only unpredictable factor in their universe, and was thus the only person who could stop them. Ironically, it was Sabbath himself who gave the Doctor the edge needed to stop the Council; realising that one of the Council members expected Sabbath to shoot him with a weapon designed to send the subject into the Time Vortex, Sabbath instead shot himself, condemning himself to eternal agony in the Time Vortex, but completely undoing the Council's plan and destroying their space station, simultaneously restoring the possibility of parallel worlds to the universe.
The Gallifrey Chronicles
Some while after this, the Doctor was captured by Marnal, one of the few surviving Gallifreyans, and accused of destroying Gallifrey. Although Gallifrey had been all but wiped from history by the Doctor's actions, Marnal was able to jury-rig a Time Space Visualiser in order to witness the Doctor actually push the button as he faced off against the Grandfather, although there were about three minutes where the Doctor's activities in the TARDIS were unaccounted for. Reflecting on his discoveries in the TARDIS, the Doctor, along with the aid of K9 (who had been transported into a hidden area of the TARDIS and trapped there following Gallifrey's destruction) realised that his memory loss hadn't been caused by the trauma of destroying Gallifrey; in fact, the Doctor had wiped his memories in order to give his mind space to store the contents of the
MatrixThe Matrix, in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, is a massive computer system on the planet Gallifrey that acts as the repository of the combined knowledge of the Time Lords....
within his brain, compressed down so he wouldn't be driven mad by the voices of all the dead Time Lords within him, his own memories presumably stored somewhere else in his mind, given his occasional flashes from his past. However, right then, the Doctor had more immediate worries; namely, saving Earth from a species of massive fly-like aliens called the Vore, who would soon have the power to devour the planet. As
The Gallifrey ChroniclesFor the John Peel book of the same name, see: The Gallifrey Chronicles The Gallifrey Chronicles is a BBC Books original novel written by Lance Parkin and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
ended, the Doctor, Fitz, and Trix dove into the Vore mountain, the Doctor equipped with a plan to stop the Vore and save the world.
Audio dramas
Sometime after the events in San Francisco, the Doctor found himself wandering alone through the Vortex. In the wake of a Vortisaur attack, he was forced to land on Earth, in October 1930, aboard the doomed
R101R101 was one of a pair of British rigid airship completed in 1929 as part of a British government programme to develop civil airships capable of service on long-distance routes within the British Empire. It was designed and built by an Air Ministry-appointed team and was effectively in competition...
airship. Aboard the vessel, the Doctor met a young adventuress by the name of
Charley PollardCharlotte Elspeth Pollard, or simply Charley, is a fictional character played by India Fisher in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions, many of which were broadcast on BBC Radio 7, based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A young woman...
. In the course of his adventure, the Doctor saved Charley's life and took her aboard the TARDIS as his latest companion (
Storm Warning). Though done in good faith, the Doctor soon understood that Charley's rescue would have much greater impact upon the timestream.
For two "seasons" of audio adventures, Charley's continued existence despite established history being in part contingent on her death on the R101 formed a rough plot arc in which the universe became infected with "anti-time", culminating in a conflict with the wraithlike Never People and the Doctor choosing to sacrifice himself and his TARDIS by absorbing anti-time energy and transforming into the bogeyman Zagreus. This was only resolved when, restored to sanity but still infected with anti-time, the Doctor chose to sacrifice himself for the sake of Charley and the universe as a whole by removing himself from space and time, plunging into a divergent universe, of which he had no knowledge or frame of reference and in which there was no concept of linear time (
ZagreusZagreus is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This audio drama was presented on three compact discs, and was made by Big Finish as their primary release to celebrate forty years of Doctor Who.-Plot:Following directly...
). Charley stowed away on his TARDIS, in a sense nullifying the Doctor's sacrifice by again placing herself in danger; for a time, this fact caused great friction between the characters and personal angst for the Doctor.
For another two seasons, the Doctor, Charley, and a new companion by the name of
C'rizzC'rizz is a fictional character played by Conrad Westmaas in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A Eutermesan from the planet Bortresoye, which exists in a parallel universe, he is a companion of...
, explored the divergent universe, gradually unravelling a deep plot designed around the Doctor by
RassilonRassilon is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. In the backstory of the programme, he was the founder of Time Lord society on the planet Gallifrey...
, founder of Time Lord society. Eventually, with the aid of his companions, the Doctor escaped the trap built for him, overcame his emotional burden, learned that he had been purged of Zagreus and returned to his normal universe with Charley and C'Rizz in tow (
The Next LifeThe Next Life is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the culmination of the "Divergent Universe" saga.-Plot:...
).
Following that point, which coincided with the end of the official Big Finish "seasons" in light of the return of
Doctor Who to television in 2005, the trio wandered freely. The only continuing plot element involved C'rizz and his unusual, potentially destructive psychological development. This culminated in C'rizz's death (
Absolution) which led Charley to also wish to leave the Doctor's company. Due to an episode of amnesia, brought on by a healing coma induced by a cyber planner, the Eighth Doctor believes Charley has left him (
The Girl Who Never WasThe Girl Who Never Was is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It takes place in Singapore in 1942 & 2008.-Plot:After the loss of C'rizz, Charley demands to be taken home...
), when she was in fact stuck in the year 500002, where she is rescued by the
Sixth DoctorThe Sixth Doctor is the sixth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Colin Baker...
(
The CondemnedThe Condemned is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. -Plot:...
) suggesting that when the Eighth Doctor first met Charley he already knew her in some form. However, in a Big Finish Productions podcast, executive producer Nick Briggs , when speaking on this development, confirmed that the Eighth Doctor in fact does not know Charley at "their" first meeting, which itself strongly suggested that when the Sixth Doctor and Charley ultimately part company any memory on his part of their adventures will either be altered or erased. This was later confirmed when Charley departed after she was replaced for a while with a woman called Mila who assumed her appearance; before Charley's final departure, she had an alien race called the Viyrans alter the Sixth Doctor's memories to replace his memories of her with Mila's true face and name in order to preserve the timeline, telling the Sixth Doctor that he had died before she left him so that he would 'accept' the new memories (Although this assumption was a mistake on Charley's part, the Eighth Doctor having merely fallen into a healing coma after an attack).
It has also been revealed (in
Terror FirmaTerror Firma is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The story follows on directly from the previous Eighth Doctor audio drama The Next Life and flashes back to scenes that takes place before the first Eighth Doctor...
) that prior to meeting Charley, the Doctor travelled with at least two other companions – a brother-and-sister pair (Samson and Gemma Griffin) – of whom the Doctor's memories had been erased by
DavrosDavros is a character from the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Davros is an archenemy of the Doctor and is the creator of the Doctor's deadliest enemies, the Daleks...
, as part of an elaborate revenge plot.
RomanaRomana, short for Romanadvoratrelundar, is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
and
K-9K-9, or K9, is the name of several fictional robotic canines in the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who, first appearing in 1977...
briefly travelled with the Eighth Doctor in the 2003 remake of
ShadaShada is an unaired serial of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was intended to be the final serial of the 1979-80 season , but was never completed due to a strike at the BBC during filming...
.
In September 2006,
Doctor Who MagazineDoctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
announced a new audio miniseries featuring the Eighth Doctor and new companion
Lucie MillerLucie Miller is a character in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions for BBC7 based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
(played by
Sheridan SmithSheridan Smith is an English actress and singer who is best known for her contributions to the British sitcoms Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Gavin & Stacey and Benidorm. She has also become a recognised face in West End theatre, where she has appeared in Little Shop of Horrors,...
), set later in the character's chronology, after he has parted ways with Charley and C'rizz. Produced by
Big Finish ProductionsBig Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
, the miniseries was broadcast on BBC7; they began on New Year's Eve 2006 and ended on the 18 February 2007. The miniseries consisted of eight episodes, constituting six stories (the first and last stories having two parts). These are
Blood of the DaleksBlood of the Daleks is an audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This audio drama was produced by Big Finish Productions; the first of two 50-minute parts was broadcast on BBC 7 on 31 December 2006, and the second was aired on 7 January 2007...
,
Horror of Glam RockHorror of Glam Rock is an audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This audio drama was produced by Big Finish Productions and was broadcast on BBC 7 on 14 January 2007.-Plot:...
,
Immortal BelovedImmortal Beloved is an audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This audio drama was produced by Big Finish Productions and was broadcast on BBC 7 on 21 January 2007.-Plot:...
,
PhobosPhobos is an audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This audio drama was produced by Big Finish Productions and was broadcast on BBC 7 on 28 January 2007.-Plot:...
,
No More LiesNo More Lies is an audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This audio drama was produced by Big Finish Productions and was broadcast on BBC 7 on 4 February 2007.-Plot:...
and
Human ResourcesHuman Resources is an audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This audio drama was produced by Big Finish Productions and was broadcast in two parts on BBC 7 on 11 February and 18 February 2007 and was the last to use David Arnold's arrangement of...
. In this series, the Time Lords have placed Lucie Miller in the Doctor's care as part of a "witness protection programme", contrary to the wishes of either the Doctor or Lucie. A second series of adventures featured the Doctor and Lucie and ended on a cliffhanger, and a third season was streamed from the Big Finish website, as well as being available on CD. A fourth season started in 2009 with the Christmas episode
Death in BlackpoolDeath in Blackpool is an audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This audio drama was produced by Big Finish Productions.-Plot:...
which dealt with the departure of Lucie Miller. In
Situation VacantSituation Vacant is an audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This audio drama was produced by Big Finish Productions.-Cast:*The Doctor - Paul McGann*Hugh Bainbridge/Drusus - James Bachman...
the Doctor gained a new companion, Tamsin Drew - drawn from four prospective companions. This season puts the Eighth Doctor up against a new incarnation of the Meddling Monk - who is now travelling with Lucie Miller. However in the course of the season Tamsin is seduced to the Meddling Monk's way of thinking, while Lucie Miller - having no taste for his violent methods - resumes travelling with the Doctor.
Big Finish plan to release a boxed set of audio dramas taking place after To the Death in 2012.
The first season, second series and some of the third series of the Eighth Doctor Adventures have been broadcast on BBC7. Currently only the episodes of the third season not featuring returning monsters have been broadcast due to the BBC allowing their rights to lapse.
An
alternateA parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
version of the Eighth Doctor, from a timeline where the Seventh Doctor regenerated after being shot by the Nazis in the 1950s, was first mentioned in the audio drama
Colditz, and appears (played by McGann) in
Klein’s Story. Under the name Schmidt he taught Klein how to pilot the TARDIS, thereby putting her in a position to inadvertently assist the Seventh Doctor in preventing this timeline from occurring.
The Doctor's relationship with Mary Shelley will be explored in three regular range stories in fall 2011 with The Silver Turk in October, The Witch from the Well in November, and Army of Death in December. This will be The Eighth Doctor's return to the regular range after an extended absence since 2005 other than a special for part.
Unfinished Business
In the
Doctor Who MagazineDoctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
comic strips, at an unstated time after his regeneration (and after an adventure in the 1930s involving
Fey Truscott-SadeFey Truscott-Sade, also known as Fey or Feyde, is a fictional character who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She was a companion of the Eighth Doctor...
and psychic weasels), the Doctor revisited the town of Stockbridge. After being caught up in the games of the
Celestial ToymakerThe Celestial Toymaker is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. He was played by Michael Gough, and featured in the 1966 story The Celestial Toymaker by Brian Hayles.-Character overview:...
, he picked up a new companion in lively sci-fi fan
Izzy SinclairIsabelle "Izzy" Sinclair, is a fictional character who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She was a companion of the Eighth Doctor...
. The two of them were soon caught up in the machinations of the Doctor's old enemies the Threshold, a mercenary organisation. The Threshold attempted to manipulate the Doctor into stopping the Daleks gaining access to the multiverse (which would kill an artificial solar system as a side effect) and dying in the attempt, but were outmaneuvered. Unknown to him, they implanted a device in Fey Truscott-Sade so that they could use her as an unwilling spy when she next encountered the Doctor. She did so in 1939, assisting him and Izzy against the vampiric Varney; the Doctor was left infected with a deadly bacillus, and he had to be taken to Gallifrey to be cured, luring him into a battle against a Time Lord cult called the Final Chapter.
Working out that the Threshold were using Fey as a spy, the Doctor and his old comrade
ShaydeShayde is a fictional character who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
faked a regeneration. The Threshold was conned into believing they were facing a vulnerable new Doctor (Shayde in disguise), allowing the real Doctor to infiltrate their base. While he and his friends were too late to stop the Threshold from destroying every single spacecraft in the universe, they were able to bring about the organisation's destruction before it could profit. Fey returned to her time, having also bonded with Shayde to save his life.
Unknowingly, the TARDIS had been taken over by the Master, who was manipulating events to gain the power of the omniversal Glory. The Doctor was specifically sent to times and places that would undermine him - discovering he had upset the course of Grace Holloway's life in 2001, encountering an alien race with motivations uncomfortably similar to his which caused death and horror in 17th Century Japan, and almost killing the benevolent
KrotonKroton is a fictional character who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was a companion of the Eighth Doctor. The canonicity of the comic strip with respect to the television series, like other Doctor Who...
by mistake. (A slight diversion between events saw the Doctor and Izzy team up with the actor
Tom BakerThomas Stewart "Tom" Baker is a British actor. He is best known for playing the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who, a role he played from 1974 to 1981.-Early life:...
and other 1970s television actors against
Beep the MeepBeep the Meep is a fictional alien who appeared in the Doctor Who Weekly comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The cute and cuddly appearance of Beep the Meep — a round, furry biped with large, expressive eyes and long ears — belies...
in 1979.)
In 17th Century Japan, the Doctor's attempt to save the life of samurai Katsura Sato, a friend of Izzy, left the man inadvertently immortal and thus robbed of both an honourable death and any sense of empathy. The Master later came for Sato, when he was mentally vulnerable, and gave him a fake religion to focus his mind on; Earth's history was altered as Sato, renamed Lord Morningstar, and his Church of the Glorious Dead conquered the planet, creating a technological advanced, highly brutal planet of jihadists. The Doctor, Izzy and Kroton wandered into their invasion of the museum planet Paradost; while the Doctor faced the Master over the Glory, Izzy and Kroton spent weeks on the occupied world. The Doctor was defeated, only for the Master discover he was not able to access the Glory, as instead Kroton and Sato had been the ones prophesised to battle for it. Kroton won the Glory, the Master was purged from the TARDIS and history was reverted, and the Doctor and Izzy took a well-earned break.
Destrii
During a battle against the body-stealing Ophidians and their gigantic snake-shaped techno-organic warship, the Doctor and Izzy encountered a brash and adventurous fish-woman called
DestriiDestrii, or to give her full title, the Primatrix Destriianatos, is a fictional character who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She was a companion of the Eighth Doctor...
. While seemingly friendly and bonding with Izzy, Destrii was secretly on the run and she swapped bodies with Izzy to cover her escape; when Destrii was seemingly killed, Izzy seemed trapped within an alien body. The Doctor's next few journeys were spent trying to help her in this situation, both in coming to terms with the change and finding out what her new body's abilities were.
Frida KahloFrida Kahlo de Rivera was a Mexican painter, born in Coyoacán, and perhaps best known for her self-portraits....
helped Izzy mentally deal with the change, but the attempt at testing Izzy's abilities led her and the Doctor into a turbulent encounter with the humanised Daleks he had created in his second incarnation. Unable to prevent their tragic end - self-destructing to escape the machinations of the malevolent psychic Kata-Phobus -, the two of them were distracted and caught off-guard when Helioth and Hassana, two of the energy-beings called the Horde, abducted Izzy thinking she was Destrii.
The Doctor went on a relentless search to rescue his friend, with the help of Fey/Shayde and by forcing cooperation from Destrii, still alive in her stolen body. His quest led him to the planet Oblivion, a surreal and brutal world ruled by Destrii's mother, the Matriax. Izzy was rescued and returned to her original form, while Oblivion's court system and the menace of the Horde were both destroyed, leaving Destrii free to leave her world and explore the universe with her rougish uncle Jodafra. However, Izzy had decided she wanted to return home to her family, and the Doctor was left alone.
Feeling slightly morose, the Doctor was cheered up by an unknowing encounter with his old companion
FrobisherFrobisher is a fictional character who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who in the 1980s. He was a companion of the Sixth and Seventh Doctors...
and went on several 'holiday' adventures on his own. He eventually re-encountered Destrii and Jodafra in America during the 19th Century, where the upcoming clash between General Custer and Chief Sitting Bull was interrupted by Jodafra's machinations involving the monstrous
wendigoThe Wendigo is a mythical creature appearing in the mythology of the Algonquian people. It is a malevolent cannibalistic spirit into which humans could transform, or which could possess humans...
. Jodafra had made a deal with the creature: power in exchange for being fed children. Unable to stomach this and with the Doctor urging her to listen to the spark of decency in her, Destrii helped the Doctor stop her uncle. In revenge, she was left beaten and abandoned, and the Doctor took her in as a probationary companion. Together, the two of them teamed up with MI6 and faced an invasion of early 21st Century Earth by time-travelling Cybermen; they were preparing to chemically overload the emotions of humans and thus make them willingly surrender to have their emotions removed by conversion. The Doctor destroyed them through use of the Time Vortex (similar to the later "
The Parting of the Ways"The Parting of the Ways" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 18 June 2005. It was the second episode of the two-part story that featured Christopher Eccleston making his last appearance as the Ninth Doctor...
"), almost surrendering to it but giving up its power to save Destrii.
In 2007, Panini Books published
Doctor Who: The Flood, the final collection of comic strips featuring the Eighth Doctor in
Doctor Who Magazine. The book includes the essay "Flood Barriers" by strip editor Clayton Hickman in which he reveals that Russell T Davies had authorised the comic strip to depict the regeneration of the Eighth Doctor into the
Ninth DoctorThe Ninth Doctor is the ninth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by Christopher Eccleston....
at the end of the 2004–2005 arc,
The Flood. The cause of the regeneration would have been the Doctor's exposure to the Time Vortex in his efforts to destroy the Cybermen (the same cause that triggered the later Ninth to
Tenth DoctorThe Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...
regeneration in
Parting of the Ways). Destrii would have witnessed the regeneration and would have continued to travel with the Ninth Doctor in a proposed
Year One arc. When Davies vetoed the
Year One arc and indicated the Ninth Doctor could only be shown travelling with
Rose TylerRose Marion Tyler is a fictional character portrayed by Billie Piper in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was created by series producer Russell T Davies...
, Hickman and writer Scott Gray eventually decided not to depict the regeneration as they would have been unable to give Destrii a proper departure. The Panini collection includes the original script for the regeneration sequence, as well as never before published art showing the regeneration itself.
Past Doctor Adventures
- Wolfsbane
Wolfsbane is a BBC Books original novel written by Jacqueline Rayner and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
by Jacqueline RaynerJacqueline Rayner is a best selling British author, best known for her work with the licensed fiction based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
(Also features the Fourth DoctorThe Fourth Doctor is the fourth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC British television science-fiction series Doctor Who....
, although neither Doctor meets the other; the Eighth spends time working with his old companion Harry SullivanHarry Sullivan is a fictional character from the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who and is a companion of the Fourth Doctor...
)
- Fear Itself by Nick Wallace
Nick Wallace is a novelist and short story writer based in Tunbridge Wells, best known for his work in Doctor Who spin-offs. He is the author of Fear Itself, the only BBC novel to date featuring solely the Eighth Doctor not to be published as part of the ongoing Eighth Doctor Adventures line;...
Telos Doctor Who novellas
- Rip Tide
Rip Tide is an original novella written by Louise Cooper and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor. It was released both as a standard edition hardback and a deluxe edition featuring a frontispiece by Fred Gambino. Both...
by Louise CooperLouise Cooper was a British fantasy writer who lived in Cornwall with her husband, Cas Sandall.Cooper was born in Hertfordshire. She began writing stories when she was at school to entertain her friends. She continued to write and her first full-length novel was published at the age of twenty...
- Fallen Gods
Fallen Gods is an original novella written by Jonathan Blum and Kate Orman and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor. It was released both as a standard edition hardback and a deluxe edition featuring a frontispiece by Daryl...
by Jonathan BlumJonathan Blum is an American writer most known for his work for various Doctor Who spin-offs, usually with his wife Kate Orman although he has also been published on his own...
and Kate OrmanKate Orman is an Australian author, best known for her books connected to the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who.-Biography:...
- The Eye of the Tyger
The Eye of the Tyger is an original novella written by Paul J. McAuley and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor. It was released as a standard edition hardback, a deluxe edition featuring a frontispiece by Jim Burns, and...
by Paul J. McAuley
Doctor Who Magazine
- End Game
- The Keep
- A Matter of Life and Death
- Fire and Brimstone
- By Hook or By Crook
- Tooth and Claw
- The Final Chapter
- Wormwood
- Happy Deathday
- The Fallen
- Unnatural Born Killers
- The Road to Hell
- TV Action!
- The Company of Thieves
- The Glorious Dead
- The Autonomy Bug
- Ophidius
- Beautiful Freaks
- The Way of All Flesh
- Children of the Revolution
- Me and My Shadows
- Uroburus
- Oblivion
- Where Nobody Knows Your Name
- Doctor Who and the Nightmare Game
- The Power of Thoueris
- The Curious Tale of Spring-Heeled Jack
- The Land of Happy Endings
- Bad Blood
- Sins of the Father
- The Flood
Short Trips audios
- Running Out of Time
- Letting Go
- All the Fun of the Fair
- Quantum Heresy
External links