attempt to look at internal evidence given on screen, then evidence from the production team at the time (from the script, say, or from contemporary publicity material), then branch out to cross-referencing it with other stories, noting where other people who’ve come up with Doctor Who chronologies have placed it. What we’re attempting to do is accurately list all the evidence given for dating the stories and other references in as an objective way as possible, then weigh it to reach a conclusion.
For a good example of this process at its most complicated, look for The Seeds of Death or The Wheel in Space . You may not agree with the years we’ve set, it might make your blood boil, but you’ll see how we’ve reached our answer.
This book is one attempt, then, to retroactively create a consistent framework for the history of the Doctor Who universe. It is essentially a game, not a scientific endeavour to discover “the right answer”.
All games have to follow a consistent set of rules, and as we attempt to fit all the pieces of information we are given, we have to lay some groundwork and prioritise. If a line of dialogue from a story broadcast in 1983 flatly contradicts what was said in one from 1968, which is “right”? Some people would suggest that the newer story “got it wrong”, that the later production team didn’t pay enough attention to what came before. Others might argue that the new information “corrects” what we were told before. In practice, most fans are inconsistent, choosing the facts that best support their arguments or preferences. The Discontinuity Guide (1995) has some very healthy advice regarding continuity: “Take what you want and ignore what you don’t. Future continuity cops will just have to adapt to your version”.
Basic Principles
For the purposes of this book, we have worked from the following assumptions:
• Every Doctor Who story takes place in the same universe, unless explicitly stated otherwise. The same individual fought the Daleks with Jo on Spiridon (on TV), Beep the Meep with Sharon (in the Doctor Who Magazine comics), the Ice Warriors with Benny in London (in the Virgin novels), became Zagreus in the Antiverse (in the audios), blew up Gallifrey to prevent Faction Paradox taking over the universe (in the BBC Books novels), saved Rose from the Autons and married River Song (on TV, again).
For legal, marketing or artistic reasons, it should be noted that some of the people making Doctor Who have occasionally stated that they don’t feel this to be the case. However there are innumerable cross references (say, Romana being president of Gallifrey in both the books and the audios) and in-jokes that suggest very strongly that, for example, the eighth Doctor of the books is the same individual as the eighth Doctor of the Big Finish audios - or at the very least, they’ve both got almost-identical histories.
• The universe has one, true “established history”. Nothing (short of a being with godlike powers) can significantly change the course of history with any degree of permanency within that universe. The Mars attacked by the Fendahl is the Mars of the Ice Warriors.
• We have noted where each date we have assigned comes from. Usually it is from dialogue (in which case, it’s quoted), but often it comes from behind-the-scenes sources such as scripts, publicity material and the like. It is up to the individual reader whether a date from a BBC Press release or draft script is as “valid” as one given on screen.
• In many cases, no date was ever given for a story. In such instances, we pick a year and explain our reasons. Often, we will assign a date that is consistent with information given in other stories. (So, it’s suggested that the Cyber War mentioned in Revenge of the Cybermen must take place after The Tomb of the Cybermen , and probably after Earthshock because of what is said in those other stories.) These dates are marked as arbitrary and
For a good example of this process at its most complicated, look for The Seeds of Death or The Wheel in Space . You may not agree with the years we’ve set, it might make your blood boil, but you’ll see how we’ve reached our answer.
This book is one attempt, then, to retroactively create a consistent framework for the history of the Doctor Who universe. It is essentially a game, not a scientific endeavour to discover “the right answer”.
All games have to follow a consistent set of rules, and as we attempt to fit all the pieces of information we are given, we have to lay some groundwork and prioritise. If a line of dialogue from a story broadcast in 1983 flatly contradicts what was said in one from 1968, which is “right”? Some people would suggest that the newer story “got it wrong”, that the later production team didn’t pay enough attention to what came before. Others might argue that the new information “corrects” what we were told before. In practice, most fans are inconsistent, choosing the facts that best support their arguments or preferences. The Discontinuity Guide (1995) has some very healthy advice regarding continuity: “Take what you want and ignore what you don’t. Future continuity cops will just have to adapt to your version”.
Basic Principles
For the purposes of this book, we have worked from the following assumptions:
• Every Doctor Who story takes place in the same universe, unless explicitly stated otherwise. The same individual fought the Daleks with Jo on Spiridon (on TV), Beep the Meep with Sharon (in the Doctor Who Magazine comics), the Ice Warriors with Benny in London (in the Virgin novels), became Zagreus in the Antiverse (in the audios), blew up Gallifrey to prevent Faction Paradox taking over the universe (in the BBC Books novels), saved Rose from the Autons and married River Song (on TV, again).
For legal, marketing or artistic reasons, it should be noted that some of the people making Doctor Who have occasionally stated that they don’t feel this to be the case. However there are innumerable cross references (say, Romana being president of Gallifrey in both the books and the audios) and in-jokes that suggest very strongly that, for example, the eighth Doctor of the books is the same individual as the eighth Doctor of the Big Finish audios - or at the very least, they’ve both got almost-identical histories.
• The universe has one, true “established history”. Nothing (short of a being with godlike powers) can significantly change the course of history with any degree of permanency within that universe. The Mars attacked by the Fendahl is the Mars of the Ice Warriors.
• We have noted where each date we have assigned comes from. Usually it is from dialogue (in which case, it’s quoted), but often it comes from behind-the-scenes sources such as scripts, publicity material and the like. It is up to the individual reader whether a date from a BBC Press release or draft script is as “valid” as one given on screen.
• In many cases, no date was ever given for a story. In such instances, we pick a year and explain our reasons. Often, we will assign a date that is consistent with information given in other stories. (So, it’s suggested that the Cyber War mentioned in Revenge of the Cybermen must take place after The Tomb of the Cybermen , and probably after Earthshock because of what is said in those other stories.) These dates are marked as arbitrary and
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