Graham Dilley Saves the World (short story): Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox Story SMW
{{Infobox Story
|range                  = Short Trips (series)
|name=Graham Dilley Saves the World
|series in range        = Short Trips: Past Tense
|series=[[Short Trips (series)#In print|ST short stories]]
|series number in range = 6
|doctor=Fifth Doctor
|number in series      = 8
|companions=[[Peri]], [[Erimem]]
|doctor                 = Fifth Doctor
|year=[[Leeds]], [[1981]]
|companions             = [[Peri Brown|Peri]], [[Erimem]]
|writer=[[Iain McLaughlin]] and [[Claire Bartlett (writer)|Claire Bartlett]]
|featuring              = Tegan Jovanka
|anthology=''[[Short Trips: Past Tense]]''
|featuring2            = Vislor Turlough
|prev=Come Friendly Bombs... (short story)
|featuring3            = Polly Wright
|next=Bide-a-Wee (short story)
|setting                = [[Edinburgh]], [[31 December]] [[1999]], [[Leeds]], [[1981]]
|writer                 = Iain McLaughlin, Claire Bartlett (writer)
|anthology              = Short Trips: Past Tense
|release date          = 9 April 2004
|series                = ''[[Short Trips (series)|Short Trips]]''
|prev                   = Come Friendly Bombs... (short story)
|next                   = Bide-a-Wee (short story)
}}
}}
'''''Graham Dilley Saves the World''''' was the eighth short story in the [[Short Trips (series)|Short Trips]] anthology ''[[Short Trips: Past Tense]]''. It was written by [[Iain McLaughlin]] and [[Claire Bartlett (writer)|Claire Bartlett]]. It featured the [[Fifth Doctor]], [[Peri]] and [[Erimem]].
'''''Graham Dilley Saves the World''''' was the eighth short story in the [[Short Trips (series)|Short Trips]] anthology ''[[Short Trips: Past Tense]]''. It was written by [[Iain McLaughlin]] and [[Claire Bartlett (writer)|Claire Bartlett]]. It featured the [[Fifth Doctor]], [[Peri Brown]], [[Erimem]], [[Tegan Jovanka]] and [[Vislor Turlough|Turlough]].
 
== Summary ==
== Summary ==
Having escaped incarceration at the hands of the insane monarch of [[Edinburgh]] in the early [[2000]]s, the [[Fifth Doctor|Doctor]], [[Peri]] and [[Erimem]] reach the safety of the TARDIS. Puzzled that things in modern-day Britain should not be as they have just witnessed, the Doctor realises that history has diverged; he traces the disruption back to an event in [[1981]]: a game of cricket at the Third Test of the Ashes Series in Leeds.  
The Doctor, Peri and Erimem barely make it back to [[the Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]]. The Doctor had promised that [[Edinburgh]] would be a great place to celebrate the millennium, but instead they were captured, thrown in a dungeon and, upon escaping, shot at by angry men. Inside the TARDIS, Peri and Erimem take the Doctor to task, but he realises that somehow history has been changed. He uses the [[TARDIS scanner|scanner]] to narrow down the source of the change: during the [[1981 Ashes series]], [[Graham Dilley]], who was supposed to make a catch that kept [[the Ashes]] in [[England]], instead gets distracted and drops the ball, allowing [[Australia (cricket side)|Australia]] the win. When the Doctor scans the crowd for the source of the distraction, he finds that it is...[[Tegan Jovanka]].
 
The Doctor explains to the girls that he and his [[companion]]s were at the match. He works out that when Dilley dropped the catch, riots broke out, and times were already tense. The riots led to the assassination of Queen [[Elizabeth II]] and several other heads of state. This is the world in which the Doctor and the girls found themselves.
 
The TARDIS materialises in the commentary box at the match, to the surprise of no one. The commentators, [[Brian (Graham Dilley Saves the World)|Brian]] and [[William Jenkins-Wells|Digger]], are used to the Doctor popping in and out of cricket matches. The Doctor gives Peri and Erimem the task of stopping Tegan; since an earlier version of him is already at the match, he cannot leave the box. Instead he will stay and watch the match.
 
Peri and Erimem head towards Tegan, but suddenly Peri pulls Erimem into hiding: she has seen [[Vislor Turlough|Turlough]], and he mustn't see her. The Doctor soon joins Turlough, and the girls have to find another way to Tegan. On the way, they (literally) run into a [[policeman]], who intends to take them to the station, but changes his mind when they give him their full names.


Watching a television transmission, the Doctor is stunned to watch Graham Dilley fumble a catch that history records he caught, the Doctor’s concern increases when the object of Dilly’s distraction is then shown on camera: his former companion [[Tegan]], standing up in the crowd, directly in Dilley’s eye line. Reading from the [[TARDIS]] databanks, the Doctor tells Peri and Erimem that after England was defeated by Australia, gangs of angry supporters began to riot, and the fighting quickly escalated out of control; martial law was introduced in an effort to quell the violence, but the demonstrations and riots resulted in deaths on both sides, and things finally came to a head when an assassination attempt at the royal wedding resulted in the deaths of Prince Charles, Lady Diana, and several heads of state.  
When they reach Tegan, Erimem puts a hand on her shoulder, but suddenly can't think of anything to say. Peri blurts out, "Nice shoes?" and the three girls begin a conversation. However, they are interrupted by an [[Simon (Graham Dilley Saves the World)|irate man]] in the crowd and his [[Polly Wright|pregnant wife]], and the five are soon in a heated argument. Their argument attracts the attention of many, including Graham Dilley, who fails to notice the ball is heading his way. Peri and Erimem despair that they failed, but Tegan yells to Dilley, "Watch the ball, you muppet." Dilley catches the ball, [[England (cricket side)|England]] win, and history is restored.


Within ten years, law and order had completely broken down… The Doctor takes the TARDIS back in time to the start of the test match, a time that he had previously visited with Tegan and Turlough. The Doctor instructs Peri and Erimem to find Tegan before she can distract Dilley, and to make sure that they avoid his earlier self and Turlough in case a paradox is caused by meeting them earlier than they really did.  
The three girls head for a pub. Later, Peri and Erimem, very drunk, arrive back at the TARDIS. The Doctor scolds them, then suddenly remembers the last time he was at this match, Tegan was hungover the next morning.


The two girls set off, and manage to reach Tegan just before the batsman hits the ball that Dilley will catch / miss. However, an argument immediately breaks out between the three girls and two members of the audience; realising that Dilley will still be distracted, Peri inadvertently causes Tegan to shout at Dilley to pay attention, and the player catches the ball. Pleased that history is back on course, Peri and Erimem head off for a drink with Tegan; they return to the TARDIS some time later, both extremely drunk - much to the Doctor’s disapproval.
The girls search for munchies, and some time later the Doctor finds them, fast asleep, in one of the TARDIS gardens. He decides he has a little time for some cricket practice.


== Characters ==
== Characters ==
* [[Fifth Doctor]]
* [[Fifth Doctor]]
* [[Peri]]
* [[Peri Brown]]
* [[Erimem]]
* [[Erimem]]
* [[Tegan Jovanka]]
* [[Tegan Jovanka]]
* [[Turlough]]
* [[Vislor Turlough|Turlough]]
* [[Graham Dilley]]
* [[Graham Dilley]]
* [[Brian (Graham Dilley Saves the World)|Brian]]
* [[Brian (Graham Dilley Saves the World)|Brian]]
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* [[Polly Wright|Pregnant woman]]
* [[Polly Wright|Pregnant woman]]


== References ==
== Worldbuilding ==
* Peri has introduced Erimem to boots, which are still a novelty for her.
* [[Geoffrey Boycott]]'s hundredth [[hundred]] is mentioned.
* The TARDIS contains several gardens as well as some [[cricket]] nets.
* Erimem likes [[haggis]].
* The Doctor, Peri and Erimem briefly participate in a British equivalent to {{w|Abbot and Costello}}'s famous "{{w|Who's on First?}}" routine, in which comic confusion ensues over double meanings inherent in cricketing terms. Amongst those terms mentioned are: [[third man]], [[first slip]], [[second slip]], [[silly point]], [[gulley]] and [[backward square leg]].
* Digger and Brian offer the Doctor [[tea]].
* Turlough is eating a [[burger]].
* Peri tells the [[policeman]] that she is from [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]]. Erimem tells him that she is from [[Thebes]] in [[Egypt]].
* At the pub, Tegan drinks [[vodka]]. Erimem and Peri drink [[cider]].
* When Tegan realises that she gave the victory to England, she says, "[[Rabbits!]]", one of her favourite expressions.


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
''to be added''
* The pregnant woman's identity is revealed in [[PROSE]]: ''[[That Time I Nearly Destroyed the World Whilst Looking for a Dress (short story)|That Time I Nearly Destroyed the World Whilst Looking for a Dress]]'', the last story in this volume.


== Continuity ==
== Continuity ==
* The Doctor is worried about the [[Blinovitch Limitation Effect]] if he meets his younger self ([[TV]]: ''[[Mawdryn Undead]]'').
* Peri tells Erimem that Turlough saved her life on [[Lanzarote]] on [[9 May]] [[1984]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of Fire (TV story)|Planet of Fire]]'')
* Peri recalls [[Turlough]] saving her life ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of Fire]]'').
* The Doctor is still saddened by the thought of Tegan's departure. ([[TV]]: ''[[Resurrection of the Daleks (TV story)|Resurrection of the Daleks]]'')
* The Doctor has met several members of the England cricket team ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Goth Opera]]'').
{{ST prose}}
{{TitleSort}}


{{prose stub}}
{{TitleSort}}
[[Category:Fifth Doctor short stories]]
[[Category:Fifth Doctor short stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1981]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1981]]
[[Category:Stories set in Leeds]]
[[Category:Stories set in Leeds]]
[[Category:2004 short stories]]
[[Category:Short Trips: Past Tense short stories]]
[[Category:ST short stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1999]]
[[Category:Stories set in alternate timelines]]
[[Category:Erimem short stories]]

Latest revision as of 23:11, 11 February 2024

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Graham Dilley Saves the World was the eighth short story in the Short Trips anthology Short Trips: Past Tense. It was written by Iain McLaughlin and Claire Bartlett. It featured the Fifth Doctor, Peri Brown, Erimem, Tegan Jovanka and Turlough.

Summary[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor, Peri and Erimem barely make it back to the TARDIS. The Doctor had promised that Edinburgh would be a great place to celebrate the millennium, but instead they were captured, thrown in a dungeon and, upon escaping, shot at by angry men. Inside the TARDIS, Peri and Erimem take the Doctor to task, but he realises that somehow history has been changed. He uses the scanner to narrow down the source of the change: during the 1981 Ashes series, Graham Dilley, who was supposed to make a catch that kept the Ashes in England, instead gets distracted and drops the ball, allowing Australia the win. When the Doctor scans the crowd for the source of the distraction, he finds that it is...Tegan Jovanka.

The Doctor explains to the girls that he and his companions were at the match. He works out that when Dilley dropped the catch, riots broke out, and times were already tense. The riots led to the assassination of Queen Elizabeth II and several other heads of state. This is the world in which the Doctor and the girls found themselves.

The TARDIS materialises in the commentary box at the match, to the surprise of no one. The commentators, Brian and Digger, are used to the Doctor popping in and out of cricket matches. The Doctor gives Peri and Erimem the task of stopping Tegan; since an earlier version of him is already at the match, he cannot leave the box. Instead he will stay and watch the match.

Peri and Erimem head towards Tegan, but suddenly Peri pulls Erimem into hiding: she has seen Turlough, and he mustn't see her. The Doctor soon joins Turlough, and the girls have to find another way to Tegan. On the way, they (literally) run into a policeman, who intends to take them to the station, but changes his mind when they give him their full names.

When they reach Tegan, Erimem puts a hand on her shoulder, but suddenly can't think of anything to say. Peri blurts out, "Nice shoes?" and the three girls begin a conversation. However, they are interrupted by an irate man in the crowd and his pregnant wife, and the five are soon in a heated argument. Their argument attracts the attention of many, including Graham Dilley, who fails to notice the ball is heading his way. Peri and Erimem despair that they failed, but Tegan yells to Dilley, "Watch the ball, you muppet." Dilley catches the ball, England win, and history is restored.

The three girls head for a pub. Later, Peri and Erimem, very drunk, arrive back at the TARDIS. The Doctor scolds them, then suddenly remembers the last time he was at this match, Tegan was hungover the next morning.

The girls search for munchies, and some time later the Doctor finds them, fast asleep, in one of the TARDIS gardens. He decides he has a little time for some cricket practice.

Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]