1993 novel by Nigel Robinson
Birthright
is a novel by
Nigel Robinson
from the
Virgin New Adventures
. The New Adventures were a spin-off from the long-running British
science fiction television
series
Doctor Who
. Although part of the main run of New Adventures featuring the
Seventh Doctor
, the Doctor only appears in the beginning and end of the novel; most of the story involves his companions
Bernice Summerfield
and
Ace
. The events in this book occur simultaneously (from the point of view of the characters) to those in the New Adventure
Iceberg
, which was written by former
Doctor Who
actor
David Banks
. A prelude to this novel was published in
Doctor Who Magazine
#203, penned by the author.
Plot
[
edit
]
After the TARDIS malfunctions and then explodes, the Doctor's companions find themselves in two different time zones. Bernice is stranded in the
East End of London
of 1909, where a series of grisly murders is occurring blamed on
Spring Heeled Jack
, while Ace is trapped on the planet Ant'ykhon fighting alongside guerrilla fighters against alien oppressors.
Ace discovers that Ant'ykhon is actually the planet Earth, 22,000 years in the future and devastated by rising temperatures. The Charrl, an insect-like race, now inhabit Earth. They have been using an unstable trans-dimensional link called the "Great Divide" to travel to Earth's past in order to escape from the dying planet. Once there they implant humans with their eggs, but inadvertently kill them, causing the murders blamed on Spring-Heeled Jack. Since the Great Divide is unstable, any Charrl that travels to the past eventually crumbles into dust.
Back in 1909, Benny is scratched by one of the time-travelling Charrls and is implanted with an egg. This has the effect of placing her under the control of the Charrl, causing her to replace the missing Time Vector Generator in the TARDIS and reunite it with its other half in the future. This also stabilizes the Great Divide and allows Jared Khan, a Charrel agent, to attempt to use the Great Divide to give him immortality. The TARDIS time rams its other half and sends it and Khan back to Siberia 1908, where it explodes, causing the
Tunguska event
.
In the far future, Ace and Benny are aided by Muldwych, a mysterious hermit and former ally of the Charrl. He uses the TARDIS to entrap the Charrl inside one its interior dimensions, then sweeps the Great Divide over London, clearing it of Charrl and their eggs (and curing Benny). But when he tries to use the TARDIS to escape from his exile on Earth, the TARDIS expels him from the ship and returns him to Ant'ykhon. The Doctor emerges from the interior of the TARDIS, claiming to have been asleep in his room the entire time (but see
Iceberg
for details).
Production before Adaption
[
edit
]
Peter Grimwade
wrote the story as a Sixth Doctor adventure story entitled “League of the Tancreds” in mid-1985 for Season 23. It was abandoned due to the show put on a 18-month hiatus.
Continuity
[
edit
]
Benny lives with Margaret Waterfield, the sister of Edward Waterfield (
The Evil of the Daleks
) and the aunt of companion
Victoria Waterfield
. Benny also makes use of a bank account set up by the Doctor under the name R.J. Smith, Esq. Benny is a co-signatory, along with
Susan Foreman
, Victoria,
Sarah Jane Smith
, and
Melanie Bush
.
The Time Vector Generator first appeared in
The Wheel in Space
.
It also appears in the
Virgin Missing Adventures
novel
Invasion of the Cat-People
.
Reception
[
edit
]
In 1994,
Science Fiction Chronicle
'
s
Don D'Ammassa
critiqued the novel as "this one's a bit of a mixed bag" but remarked "Unlike many in the series, this one is much closer to the tone of the show."
[1]
Audio adaptation
[
edit
]
In 1999,
Birthright
was adapted by
Big Finish Productions
into an audio drama
audio drama
starring
Lisa Bowerman
as Bernice. The plot was changed to fit in with the run of Bernice audio dramas, with alterations to the plot including the use of Time Rings, and Ace's role being replaced by Bernice's ex-husband
Jason Kane
. Big Finish had no license to do
Doctor Who
stories at the time and had been adapting later Benny-led New Adventures, before then converting the
Doctor Who
stories
Birthright
and
Just War
in this manner.
The audio drama also features
Colin Baker
, better known for playing the
Sixth Doctor
in the
Doctor Who
television series.
Cast
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
D'Ammassa, Don (January 1994). "Review: Birthright by Nigel Robinson".
Science Fiction Chronicle
. New York, NY: Algol Press.
- ^
"Jonathan Reason"
.
IMDb
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
|
---|
Season 1
| |
---|
Season 2
| |
---|
Season 3
| |
---|
Season 4
| |
---|
Season 5
| |
---|
Season 6
| |
---|
Season 7
| |
---|
Season 8
| |
---|
Season 9
| |
---|
Season 10
| |
---|
Season 11
| |
---|
Other
| |
---|
|
|
|