h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You look so lonely sitting, standing, hovering here on your own. Are you all right there? Is something getting you down? Why am I saying these things is a wonder to me too before you ask. Now how did I know that you might ask me that question?

Are you any of the three things mentioned? Do you need some cheering up or are you generally fine and complacent with the way everything is working out?

Here's an 'exciting' topic- if you were doing a regeneration story, how would you approach the acting, the story- everything ala Nicholas Briggs?

You are the Doctor, Director, composer, writer. How would you write a first step?

I 'look' lonely eh? Was that you hiding the rose bush, with the binoculars and the "101 different ways to say Telos" guidebook?

I once wrote a followup to the BBC novel "Interference" (where, if you haven't read it SPOILER ALERT, LOOK AWAY NOW! the third Doctor 'dies' on the planet Dust instead of Metebelis 3 - "Planet of Spiders" never happens!), showing an alternate Fourth Doctor waking up on Dust, a slightly darker character than the one we have on telly.

He was still described as the Tom Baker incarnation (and as such had the same basic habits, such as the Jellybabies and the Scarf), but he was generally nasty to Sarah instead of welcoming. And he wore a slightly different costume too - For instance, I brought in the Question Marks from the offset!

(Luckily for you lot, it was a rubbish story and I deleted it without ever posting it.)

That is a shame, you might have made the Unbound series with that idea. Doesn't matter with Faction Paradox- don't understand it or The ancestor cell; all I know is that from the moment go certain aspects of Who have just gone down the plughole and into the lug-hole of every twitcher with a 'GREAT IDEA' Eh- Mr Segal?

Rosebush? Are you blind- it's Holly I'm standing behind. Oh blast!

Though Lance I have wondered why you of all people have not tried to submit a story to the Powers of be that are BF?

You'd be great out there, writing off Mr Briggs with a dozen scripts involving jellybabies, Quacks and tea.

Or Jellicoe, Quarks and Time Lords?

The way how you've written stories has often made me wonder if you're the 'you're' the CHOSEN one, the new blood to lead us to new Who without loosing the old?

Oh yes and you've got to get Sympathy for the Devil too- the best Unbound around and Mr Warner might be doing another one...

I believe the Faction were an attempt by Lawence Miles to explain away why only the Eighth Doctor is half human (evidenced by the fact that in the TVM itself McCoy clearly says "I'm not human, I'm not like you", so the Regeneration must have done something to change that) - That his entire Time Line was messed up.

The Ancestor Cell was pants - It really failed to follow up on these ideas, instead it brought up a silly 'alternate' explanation for the Third Doctor dying on Dust instead of Metebelis. Totally false.

David Warner is such a great actor in almost everything he does (Star Trek 5 aside), I'd merely be honoured to have him play a bit part in a script written by me. If he was playing the lead ... all the better!

I just got lost starting Interference and from then on didn't pick up until The Burning, even now I'm on and off through the range, last one I read was Domino Effect and I wasn't happy either- SPOILER: Alternate Worlds etc.

Done before, the authors are simply loosing a new direction to proceed in.

Though to come back to Sympathy, it might be right up your alley where Mr Warner is the alt-Pertwee with the Brig by his side and it's very much SPOILER in style then SPOILER was.

Also Mr Kisgart stands out in a league of his own as Ke Le, the villainous defecter at the heart of the story, though hearing this story again and agains makes me want to wwrite alternate stuff featuring his Doctor. I do hope that BF live up to Warner's wish? He lives and breathes the Doctor also it has mentions of Yates, Stahlman, Silurians, Invasion of in its story.

Sorry, sounds like I'm trying to sell you a used car but this is Doctor Who, not convoluted Faction paradox nonsense but easy listening for everyone.


What would you write a story about- using the What If situation and who would would be the Doctor?