Not in My Back Yard (short story)

Not in My Back Yard
Doctor:	Eighth Doctor
Companion(s):	Ayfai
Featuring:	Seventh Doctor, The Brigadier, Doris
Main setting:	Cheldon Bonniface, 2017
Key crew
Writer:	Eddie Robson
Release details
Part of:	Short Trips: The History of Christmas
Short Trips short stories
← Previous	Callahuanca
Next →	She Won't Be Home

Not in My Back Yard was the twenty-first short story in the Short Trips anthology Short Trips: The History of Christmas. It was written by Eddie Robson. It featured the Eighth Doctor.

Summary

The Doctor takes his new companion Ayfai to Cheldon Bonniface for Christmas, hoping to find a place for her to stay. However, tensions are high in the town, as several residents no longer wish to have aliens living among them.

When the Doctor tries to invite both humans and aliens to a church service, there is a disturbance outside. The alien Goilin B has been provoked into fighting Phillip Galt, while conveniently being filmed by reporter Kelly Moore. All the Doctor's hard work to try to reunite the town has been for nothing, and, depressed, he takes refuge in the guest house.

Suddenly his television watching is interrupted when the Chelbil attempt to invade Earth. The Doctor convinces Goilin to pretend to be the ruler of Earth, and Goilin warns the Chelbil away. For Kelly Moore, this is a better story, and the townspeople are now happy to have aliens here.

As the townspeople mingle, the Doctor is joined by his previous self, who admits to sending the Chelbil here in order to get the humans and aliens on the same side. He tells his future self that he won't remember doing so. As his earlier self leaves, the Doctor heads off to join the festivities.

Characters

• Eighth Doctor
• Ayfai
• Goilin B
• Jerry
• Giles Owen
• Maria Owen
• Richard Grayson
• Phillip Galt
• Kelly Moore
• Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart
• Doris Lethbridge-Stewart
• Seventh Doctor
• Mrs Badham
• Annie Trelaw
• Ishtar Hutchings
• Emily Hutchings
• Peter Hutchings
• Carrie O'Grady
• Peter Cooke
• Miss Gjovaag
• Miss Kusinitz
• Mrs Higgins
• Saul

References

• "Merry Xmas Everybody" by Slade is played in the pub.
• The Doctor planned to invite Jason Kane, Bernice Summerfield, Ace and Grace Holloway to Christmas dinner.
• Mrs Badham calls Ayfai "kiwi-fruit woman".
• The Doctor watches Gone With the Wind.
• Goilin is from Ralte.

Notes

to be added

Continuity

• The Doctor mentions that Bernice Summerfield and Jason Kane were married in Cheldon Bonniface on 24 April 2010. (PROSE: Happy Endings)