I Am Reading A Biography Of Terry Nation And Apparently The First 'how Do Daleks Go Up Stairs' Letter

i am reading a biography of terry nation and apparently the first 'how do daleks go up stairs' letter that the bbc received was while the first dalek serial was still airing, fandom culture never changes

Do you think the Doctor ever told anyone what happened in the parallel world? Do you think he ever had nightmares about it? Do you think he ever looked at someone and saw their parallel world counterpart? Do you think he ever accidentally called the Brigadier “Brigade Leader” whenever they had a heated argument, maybe over the Brig’s methods? Do you think he ever looked at Liz with her fair ginger hair and imagined it turning black and burning like Section Leader Shaw's? The Brigadier gets shot in another invasion and as the medics lay him on the ground to be treated the Doctor sees the Brigade Leader on the floor after being shot by the Section Leader.

Do you think the others noticed anything off with the Doctor in the weeks after? Do you think they worried over him? Benton observing that the Doctor seems uneasy around him sometimes when Benton's standing near him with a gun, even though they both know he'd never hurt the Doctor. The Brigadier noticing that the Doctor seems more standoffish with him at times. They've always had their fair share of disagreements but it's like there's another wall between them when they talk now. After the Inferno Project is shut down Liz and the Brigadier, curious, ask the Doctor how he'd known what would happen and what to do, since he'd disappeared for hours and then spent most of the time unconscious and he looks at them with an expression of such grief and despair that they find themselves regretting asking. They never actually get an answer.

Someone tries to restart Project Inferno or start a similar project involving drilling into the Earth and the Doctor explodes and is practically hysterical as he tells them to shut it down and stay away from any attempts at drilling into the Earth. Everyone at UNIT knows the Doctor's always had little patience for human incompetence but even for him this seems overboard. The Brigadier once again asks what's wrong, but the Doctor brushes him off or blusters and gives him a non-answer.

The Doctor tries to move past it. It's not easy and it takes time, but things get better. He doesn't slip up in front of Benton or the Brigadier anymore, doesn't overreact. He's got a new assistant, he's focusing on fixing the TARDIS, and with the Master here pulling a new scheme every Wednesday things are more interesting and he's always being kept busy with something. He thinks that maybe things are all right now, and will be all right. That maybe he can put what he saw and experienced in the parallel world to the back of his mind.

Then he gets strapped to the Keller Machine and the memories and fears are all brought back to the surface again in vivid detail.

happy 60th to one of my lifelong faves🕯️

update: prints now available!! @

blingard

blingard

welcome to my shop of oddities, where you can find prints of my illustrative work ft. the occasional decorative bone. enjoy!

Patrick Troughton, Katy Manning, Tom Baker, Jon And Sean Pertwee At A Party Celebrating 15 Years Of Doctor Who In November 1978.

something something kate stewart seeing her childhood hero who she loves like a second father treat her coworker as completely disposeable and sending him to his death just bc they were distracted by something More Important changing her forever