Newbies Guide to Doctor Who

Doctor:

The Seventh The seventh Doctor is short, dark-haired, and speaks with a slight scottish accent. He thinks of himself as "Time's Champion", deliberately seeking out situations to "put right". He usually has a plan, and is willing to manipulate everyone - including his companions - to achieve it.

The First The first Doctor looks like a human in his sixties. He is physically quite frail, but has a keen intellect. He is paternalistic towards his companions, and has a degree of arrogance towards others. He sometimes forgets his companions' names.

The Third The third Doctor has white hair, a large nose, and tends to dress as a society dandy. He has a love of technology, historical name-dropping, and vehicles.

The Fourth The fourth Doctor is tall, has curly brown hair, a distinctive smile, a floppy hat, and a ridiculously long scarf. He comes across as otherworldly and bohemian.

The Fifth The fifth Doctor is much younger-looking than his other incarnations. He wears old-style cricketing clothes and a sprig of celery. He is much more vulnerable and innocent than his other incarnations and more like an older brother to his companions.

Companions:

Ace: Ace was a teenaged delinquent in 1980s Perivale. She invented her own homemade explosive called nitro-nine, and prefers her nickname of Ace to her real name of Dorothy. She she was swept away from Perivale by a timestorm, ending up on Iceworld in the far future. Ace met the Seventh Doctor in Dragonfire (Classic Series Season 24) and became his companion. During her travels with the Doctor she has grown up considerably. However, she has been hurt by the way the Doctor has manipulated her. In particular, she was hurt by the way he tricked her in The Curse of Fenric (Classic Series Season 26) and the way he forced her to face the evil she sensed in a house her 13 year old self had burnt down in Ghost Light (Classic Series Season 26). She calls the Doctor "Professor".

Recurring Characters:

The Timewyrm: The Timewyrm is a malevolent creature of immense power from ancient Gallifreyan legend. She was created during Timewyrm: Genesys (Virgin New Adventure) when a cybernetic alien called Ishtar interfaced with the Doctor's TARDIS. In Timewyrm: Exodus (Virgin New Adventure), the Doctor dispersed her form, apparently destroying her. However, she returned in Timewyrm: Apocalypse (Virgin New Adventure) and the Doctor has been hunting her ever since.

Recommended Viewing:

There are lots of minor references to TV stories that may confuse you. In particular, Katarina and Sara Kingdom died in The Daleks' Masterplan (Classic Series Season 3) and Adric died in Earthshock (Classic Series Season 19) All three were companions of the Doctor. The Doctor manipulated Ace in Ghost Light (Classic Series Season 26) and The Curse of Fenric (Classic Series Season 26). The Third Doctor visited a parallel universe ruled by fascists in Inferno (Classic Series Season 7).

Recommended Reading:

This book follows on from Timewyrm: Genesys (Virgin New Adventure), Timewyrm: Exodus (Virgin New Adventure), and Timewyrm: Apocalypse (Virgin New Adventure).

Recommended Listening:

None.