Gaiman Goes Back to the Void

Neil Gaiman has learnt well from Steven Moffat. The Series 6 writer has revealed some intriguing, yet vague, new teasers from his episode.

He explained in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine: “It all starts in void-space, with something or someone we have not seen since The War Games, and a knock on the Tardis door.”

The War Games was Doctor Who story from way back in 1969. It starred the second Doctor, Patrick Troughton and also marked his final regular appearance before regenerating. Below is the synopsis from the BBC.

The TARDIS arrives on a planet where a race known only as the Aliens have gathered soldiers from a number of different wars in Earth’s history, brainwashed them and put them to battle. Their aim is to form an invincible army from the survivors and use this to take over the galaxy.

The War Lord is assisted by a Security Chief and a War Chief, the latter of whom the Doctor quickly recognises as a member of his own race, the Time Lords. The War Chief has provided the Aliens with the time vessels, SIDRATs, that are essential to their scheme; but he secretly plans to double-cross them and seize power for himself.

When the War Lord learns of the War Chief’s duplicity he has him shot down by guards. By this time, however, the Doctor, aided by a band of human resistance fighters who have shaken off the Aliens’ control, has already managed to put a stop to the war games. Unfortunately he has no way of returning all the human soldiers to their proper times and places and so has to call on the Time Lords for help.

Having thus revealed his position to them, he is taken prisoner, placed on trial for the crime of interfering in the affairs of other races and subsequently sentenced to a period of exile on Earth. Jamie and Zoe, meanwhile, are sent back to their own respective points of origin. Before being dispatched to begin his exile, the Doctor is told that he must again take on a new appearance…

Curiously, Neil Gaiman wrote a lengthy blog entry about The War Games in 2007. We wonder if anything can be taken from that…

Gaiman also mentions that, “Suranne Jones, plays someone who is beautiful and who bites. She might just turn out to be an old acquaintance with a new face.”

The last part we’ve already heard, but it’s worth noting again.

The more we hear about this episode, the more exciting it gets! Now, it’s time to go back and watch The War Games.