Dr. Who fanfic recs and one (possible) bit of great news

[selenak]

There has been a delightful Dr. Who ficathon, unit_family, giving us a look as to what several Old Who characters (specifically those working for and with UNIT) are doing during New Who and Torchwood events. Even if you're a New Who only fan and don't know these people, you should take a look at some of those stories.

Perfect for New Who and Torchwood only watchers: Occupation, which takes place after the first season of Torchwood ended, and is narrated from Tosh's point of view - and Tosh doesn't know the people swooping in to take over Torchwood III after the series of disasters culminating with the disappearance of a certain someone, either. It shall be my eternal regret that the second season of Torchwood won't open like this, because it would make so much sense. After all, UNIT has been referenced on the show (by Jack, on the phone) several times, and being the competent lot they are... Extra bonus for adding a certain Ms McShane to UNIT'S civilian staff and letting her bond with Tosh. (Dorothy McShane is Ace's real name.)


My Way is trickier to read without Old Who background knowledge, but I think it could be done; after all, New Whovians know who Sarah Jane is, too, and the point of view character, Harry Sullivan (who used to be a companion of the Fourth Doctor), is so engagingly written that you understand what's essential about him very quickly. In this story, Harry comes across a girl named Ace and a certain odd little man. "Former companion meets Doctor in new regeneration with new companion" will never get old, and again, since we're in Harry's pov, you don't need to know more than he sees about Ace and the (Seventh) Doctor.


Old Soldiers is a wonderful take on the events of the New Who episodes "World War Three", "The Christmas Invasion" and "Army of Ghosts" through the eyes of the Brigadier. Old Whovians: it's a perfect Brig, and it made me misty eyed. New Whovians: the Brigadier is a kind of UberCompanion, having worked with several of the Doctors on screen and with the rest of them in the audios and books. That's all you need to know. astrogirl2 writes him so well that you'll feel as if you've watched him for years by the time you finish reading.


Lastly: While Rome Burned, which takes on Liz Shaw, Sgt. Benton, the Brigadier, Jo Grant, Harry, Sarah Jane and Yates during The Christmas Invasion is something that probably does not work for newbies. But Old School fen should love it.

***

And speaking of Old and New Who intermingling: . According to the Independent, John Simm, aka Sam Tyler in Life on Mars, has been cast as, wait for it, THE MASTER. Considering The Independent should be a bit more reliable than The Sun, this could actually be genuine. Simm as the Master to Tennant's Doctor... excuse me while I drool...!!!

Comments

[st-aurafina.livejournal.com]

OMG! John Simm as the Master? OMG! *flails*

Thank you for those recs - I'm going to go read some Brigadier fic.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I'm flailing right here with you. *swoons*

Brigadier fic is far too rare, so I was thrilled to find this ficathon and the great results!

[lizamanynames.livejournal.com]

O_o

THE MASTER!!!!

WE HAVE CONFIRMED MASTER!!!!! *dies of happy*

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I was hoping the fact the Doctor mentions Gallifrey on screen in The Runaway Bride would mean another Time Lord in the next season, but this is best. (No offense to Romana fans; I like her, too, but dramatically speaking, an arch-nemesis showing up as the other member of the previously assumed wiped out race is just more juicy than a friend....) Going by the patterns of the last two seasons, that should mean the Master will first show up, or make his presence known, mid-season (aka Dalek and Age of Steel), and then will return for the season finale for the big showdown.*g*

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

I still hope that my spec is right and it's his TARDIS Jack innocently jumped into at the end of Torchwood. Did you hear about the "Mister Saxon" thing?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

No, I haven't. Explain?

Also, yes, I hope so too ever since reading your theory, that would be a great twist.

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

Explanation of past Who: during the 1980s when Anthony Ainley played the Master there was a tendency to use joke anagrams for the names of "actors" "playing" characters who turned out to be the Master in disguise. E.g. "Neil Toynay", "Leon Ny Taiy" (both = "Tony Ainley") and "James Stoker" (= "Master's Joke"). Hence anagrams for "Master" have a precedent.

Now there have been at least three references to a person called "Saxon" in recent Who - in "The Runaway Bride" the soldiers at the end ask a "Mr. Saxon" for orders, in "Torchwood:Captain Jack Harkness" there are "VOTE SAXON" posters at the derelict dancehall and in "Love and Monsters" the Absorbaloff's newspaper supposedly has a headline referring to "Saxon". RTD has apparently confirmed that "Saxon" has a relevance to next season's ongoing plot arc.

Now if you write out "MISTER SAXON" in full it's an anagram of "MASTER NO. SIX". Five actors have previously played the Master: Roger Delgado ("Terror of the Autons" to "Frontier In Space"), Peter Pratt ("The Deadly Assassin"), Geoffrey Beevers ("The Keeper of Traken"), Anthony Ainley ("The Keeper of Traken" to "Survival"), and Eric Roberts (the McGann TVM). Hence could it be that we'll see "Master number six?"

The main theory derived from this is that there is a political figure called Saxon who will appear this year (possibly the new Prime Minister after the Doctor brought down Harriet Jones) and that he will eventually be revealed to be a new version of the Master.

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

And of course "Tremas" in "Keeper of Traken" is the name of the character played by Anthony Ainley who the Master kills and possesses the body of.

[lizamanynames.livejournal.com]

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, it tingles.

Though this means Tony Head is NOT the master. *sad panda* Oh well.

...*blinks*

Wait, I can't remember - did Love and Monsters happen *after* school reunion? because...

Doctor (or rather K9) blows up Headmaster, he regenerates - forcing him to remember himself after having been absorbed into the krillitain after they ate the cheeta people from survival (TV movie canon? WHAT tv movie canon? ;)) - and Mister Saxon appears on the scene. ;)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Love and Monsters was broadcast way after School Reunion, but our trusty narrator Elton never tells us when exactly it happens, so I suppose it could have at any point.*g*

Doctor (or rather K9) blows up Headmaster, he regenerates - forcing him to remember himself after having been absorbed into the krillitain after they ate the cheeta people from survival (TV movie canon? WHAT tv movie canon? ;)) - and Mister Saxon appears on the scene. ;)

Works for me!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Hmmmmm, I like this. *is hoping*

[miladygrey.livejournal.com]

I'm still playing catch-up on past Doctors and their nemeses, but--the Master? Seriously? YES!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

*high-fives*

[lizamanynames.livejournal.com]

To paraphrase a favourite DS9 quote of mine: bless you, child. The fandom needs more people like you.

[leia-naberrie.livejournal.com]

I have zilch knowledge about the New Doctor Who but I do remember the Master vaguely. Was he an out and out baddie or a Time Lord turned bad?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Both. He was a Time Lord turned bad and the Doctor's arch nemesis, the closest thing the show had to a chief villain...

[leia-naberrie.livejournal.com]

Oh good. My memory isn't that bad. *g* I can't wait for the new series to start locally. I take it that it's good? Although if the lj spoilers are anything to go by [and they usually are] the Doctor goes out/is romantically involved with a Companion? ::scratches head:: I take it that the Doctor doesn't look anything like Tom Baker?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Ah, that's not easy to answer. It wasn't an explicit romance, i.e. no kissing unless one of them was possessed (otoh, there was a kiss with a guest star sans possession), and he didn't say "I love you", but especially new fans who hadn't seen him in any of the former incarnations and with any of the former companions tended to automatically classify this as a romantic relationship and 'shipped them like mad. When one of the earlier companions - Sarah Jane - showed up, it was a bit of a blow for both the new Companions and some of the new viewers to discover that she was actually Companion No. YZY...

As far as the Doctor is concerned, it's clear he loves her, but then he arguably loved all his companions in varying degrees; she, otoh, comes to love him in a more traditional sense which can cause friction.

Tom Baker: hey, his Doctor gets 'shipped a lot, too (with Companion Romana aka Lalla Ward, whom Baker was married to at the time).

As for the Doctor's looks, well, he looks either like Christopher Eccleston or Barty Crouch, Junior. *veg* (If you haven't seen the Harry Potter movies, David Tennant. He's also visible on the icon I'm using for this reply.)