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{{Infobox Story | {{Infobox Story SMW | ||
|image=players cover.jpg | |image = <gallery> | ||
|series=[[BBC Past Doctor Adventures]] | players cover.jpg|1999 edition | ||
|number= | Doctor Who Players 50th.jpg|2013 edition | ||
|doctor=Sixth Doctor | </gallery> | ||
|companions= [[Peri Brown|Peri]] | |range = BBC Past Doctor Adventures | ||
|featuring=[[Second Doctor]] | |number in range = 20 | ||
|enemy= [[Player|The Players]] | |series = [[BBC Past Doctor Adventures]] | ||
|setting= [[South Africa]], [[1899]], [[France]], [[1915]], [[London]], [[1936]] | |number = 20 | ||
|writer= | |doctor = Sixth Doctor | ||
|publisher= BBC Books | |companions = [[Peri Brown|Peri]] | ||
|release date= | |featuring = [[Second Doctor]], [[Winston Churchill]], [[Tom Dekker]] | ||
|format= Paperback Book; 34 Chapters, 251 Pages | |enemy = [[Player|The Players]] | ||
|isbn= ISBN 0-563-55573-4 | |setting = [[South Africa]], [[1899]], [[France]], [[1915]], [[London]], [[1936]] | ||
|prev=Deep Blue (novel) | |writer = Terrance Dicks | ||
|next=Millennium Shock (novel) | |publisher = BBC Books | ||
|release date = 6 April 1999 | |||
|format = Paperback Book; 34 Chapters, 251 Pages | |||
|isbn = ISBN 0-563-55573-4 | |||
|prev = Deep Blue (novel) | |||
|next = Millennium Shock (novel) | |||
}}{{prose stub}} | }}{{prose stub}} | ||
'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the | '''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the twentieth novel in the [[BBC Past Doctor Adventures]] series. It was written by [[Terrance Dicks]], released [[6 April (releases)|6 April]] [[1999 (releases)|1999]] and featured the [[Sixth Doctor]] and [[Peri Brown]]. | ||
It was the first novel to mention and feature [[Season 6B]] — the period between the end of ''[[The War Games (TV story)|The War Games]]'' and ''[[Spearhead from Space (TV story)|Spearhead from Space]]'' — and the first to feature the [[Player]]s. | |||
This was also the first story to feature [[Winston Churchill]] in a prominent role and detailed some of his encounters with [[the Doctor]]. The relationship between the two became firmly established when it was carried over into the [[Doctor Who|TV series]] over a decade [[2010 (releases)|later]] in ''[[Victory of the Daleks (TV story)|Victory of the Daleks]]''. | |||
== Publisher's summary == | == Publisher's summary == | ||
=== 1999 BBC Books summary === | === 1999 BBC Books summary === | ||
''Promising his companion, [[Peri]], high society elegance in fin-de-siecle [[London]], | ''Promising his companion, [[Peri Brown|Peri]], high society elegance in fin-de-siecle [[London]], [[Sixth Doctor|the Doctor]] manages to hit the right time, but the wrong place...'' | ||
[[The Doctor's TARDIS|The TARDIS]] has landed on the sun-baked veldt in the middle of a [[Boer War]] skirmish. And soon the Doctor and Peri are involved in the adventures of a struggling politician and war correspondent who they know is destined for greater things — a certain [[Winston Churchill]]. But mysterious forces seem to be interfering in his potentially great career... | [[The Doctor's TARDIS|The TARDIS]] has landed on [[the Sun|the sun]]-baked veldt in the middle of a [[Boer War]] skirmish. And soon the Doctor and Peri are involved in the adventures of a struggling [[politician]] and [[war]] correspondent who they know is destined for [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|greater things]] — a certain [[Winston Churchill]]. But mysterious forces seem to be interfering in his potentially great career... | ||
Arriving in London, the Doctor and Peri enter high society but find themselves in a world of intrigue populated by notorious figures from [[Wallis Simpson]] to [[Joachim von Ribbentrop]]. And behind everything, the Doctor senses the hidden hand of the [[Player]]s — mysterious beings who regard [[human]] history as no more than a [[chess]] board. Can the Doctor and Peri find the right moves to defeat them — before it's too late? | Arriving in London, the Doctor and Peri enter high society but find themselves in a world of intrigue populated by notorious figures from [[Wallis Simpson]] to [[Joachim von Ribbentrop]]. And behind everything, the Doctor senses the hidden hand of the [[Player]]s — mysterious beings who regard [[human]] [[history]] as no more than a [[chess]] board. Can the Doctor and Peri find the right moves to defeat them — before it's too late? | ||
=== 2013 BBC Books summary === | === 2013 BBC Books summary === | ||
| Line 39: | Line 48: | ||
* [[Peri Brown]] | * [[Peri Brown]] | ||
* [[Winston Churchill]] | * [[Winston Churchill]] | ||
* [[ | * [[Tom Dekker]] | ||
* [[Joachim von Ribbentrop]] | * [[Joachim von Ribbentrop]] | ||
* [[Jeremy Carstairs]] | * [[Jeremy Carstairs]] | ||
* [[Jennifer Buckingham]] | * [[Jennifer Buckingham]] | ||
* [[Count (Players)|Count]] | * [[Count (Players)|Count]] | ||
* [[Countess (Players)|Countess]] | * [[Countess (Players)|Countess]] | ||
* [[Edward VIII]] | |||
* [[Adolf Hitler]] | |||
* [[Wallis Simpson]] | |||
* Colonel [[Rodney Fitzsimmons]] | |||
* [[Commandant (Players)|Commandant]] | * [[Commandant (Players)|Commandant]] | ||
* [[ | * Captain [[Aylmer Haldane]] | ||
* [[John Reith]] | * Sir [[John Reith]] | ||
* [[Reitz]] | * Captain [[Reitz]] | ||
* [[Stanley Baldwin]] | * [[Stanley Baldwin]] | ||
* [[Marcos]] | |||
* [[Rye (Players)|Rye]] | |||
* [[Jimmy (Players)|Jimmy]] | |||
* [[Martin Bormann]] | |||
* Lieutenant [[von Schultz]] | |||
* Chief Inspector [[Harris (Players)|Harris]] | |||
* [[First Time Lord (The War Games)|First Time Lord]] | |||
* [[Second Time Lord (The War Games)|Second Time Lord]] | |||
* [[Socra (The War Games)|Third Time Lord]] | |||
== | == Worldbuilding == | ||
* Count [[Ludwig Kroner]] and Countess [[Malika Treszka]] are aliases of certain Players. | * Count [[Ludwig Kroner]] and Countess [[Malika Treszka]] are aliases of certain Players. | ||
* The Second Doctor claims with complete sincerity that he had met Count [[Dracula (fictional character)|Dracula]]. | * The Second Doctor claims with complete sincerity that he had met Count [[Dracula (fictional character)|Dracula]]. | ||
* Peri read ''[[Swamp Thing]]'' as a child. | |||
* The Doctor considers taking Peri to [[Metebelis III]]. | |||
* [[Adelebert]] was the king of [[Rigel Seven]]. | |||
== Notes == | == Notes == | ||
* The novel was reprinted on [[7 March (releases)|7 March]] [[2013 (releases)|2013]] with a new cover to celebrate the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' 50th anniversary. | * The novel was reprinted on [[7 March (releases)|7 March]] [[2013 (releases)|2013]] with a new cover to celebrate the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' 50th anniversary. | ||
* The [[December]] [[1936]] sequences take place contemporaneously with the events of the novel ''[[Wolfsbane (novel)|Wolfsbane]]''. | * The [[December]] [[1936]] sequences take place contemporaneously with the events of the novel ''[[Wolfsbane (novel)|Wolfsbane]]''. | ||
* This story is placed between ''[[The Mark of the Rani (TV story)|The Mark of the Rani]]'' and ''[[The Two Doctors (TV story)|The Two Doctors]]''. | |||
* This novel contains references to the previous novels written by Terrance Dicks - ''[[Blood Harvest (novel)|Blood Harvest]]'' and ''[[Timewyrm: Exodus (novel)|Timewyrm: Exodus]]''. | |||
== Continuity == | == Continuity == | ||
* The Doctor uses a [[Gallifreyan Army knife]] to escape a dungeon on [[Rigel Seven]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Timewyrm: Exodus]]'', ''[[Blood Harvest]]'') | * The Doctor uses a [[Gallifreyan Army knife]] to escape a dungeon on [[Rigel Seven]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Timewyrm: Exodus (novel)|Timewyrm: Exodus]]'', ''[[Blood Harvest (novel)|Blood Harvest]]'') | ||
* Peri complains about "lousy caves", ([[TV]]: ''[[The Caves of Androzani]]'') "paranoid gastropods", ([[TV]]: ''[[The Twin Dilemma (TV story)|The Twin Dilemma]]'') the [[Cyberman (Mondas)|Cybermen]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Attack of the Cybermen]]'') and "a punishment dome dedicated to torture and death". ([[TV]]: ''[[Vengeance on Varos]]'') | * Peri complains about "lousy caves", ([[TV]]: ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'') "paranoid gastropods", ([[TV]]: ''[[The Twin Dilemma (TV story)|The Twin Dilemma]]'') the [[Cyberman (Mondas)|Cybermen]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Attack of the Cybermen (TV story)|Attack of the Cybermen]]'') and "a punishment dome dedicated to torture and death". ([[TV]]: ''[[Vengeance on Varos (TV story)|Vengeance on Varos]]'') | ||
* Later in his personal timeline, the [[Seventh Doctor]] would meet Tom Dekker in [[Chicago]] in [[1929]]. When Dekker mentions that he knew a "funny little fella" called the Doctor who ran a speakeasy with a girl named [[Ace]], Peri speculates that he may be referring to a future incarnation of the Doctor. The Sixth Doctor dismisses the idea out of hand. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Blood Harvest]]'') | * Later in his personal timeline, the [[Seventh Doctor]] would meet Tom Dekker in [[Chicago]] in [[1929]]. When Dekker mentions that he knew a "funny little fella" called the Doctor who ran a speakeasy with a girl named [[Ace]], Peri speculates that he may be referring to a future incarnation of the Doctor. The Sixth Doctor dismisses the idea out of hand. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Blood Harvest (novel)|Blood Harvest]]'') | ||
* Winston Churchill meets the Doctor for the first time in his personal timeline in [[1899]] while he is in his [[Sixth Doctor|sixth incarnation]]. He later meets the [[Second Doctor]] in [[November]] [[1915]] and the Sixth Doctor again in [[December]] [[1936]]. He would later meet the Sixth Doctor for a third time in [[1942]] ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Shadow in the Glass]]'') and the [[Eleventh Doctor]] in [[1941]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Victory of the Daleks]]'') | * Winston Churchill meets the Doctor for the first time in his personal timeline in [[1899]] while he is in his [[Sixth Doctor|sixth incarnation]]. He later meets the [[Second Doctor]] in [[November]] [[1915]] and the Sixth Doctor again in [[December]] [[1936]]. He would later meet the Sixth Doctor for a third time in [[1942]] ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Shadow in the Glass (novel)|The Shadow in the Glass]]''), the [[Third Doctor]] in the unidentified period of time ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Operation: Hellfire (audio story)|Operation: Hellfire]]''), and the [[Eleventh Doctor]] in [[1941]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Victory of the Daleks (TV story)|Victory of the Daleks]]'') along with an encounter with the [[Ninth Doctor]] in London in [[1939]], ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Oncoming Storm (audio story)|The Oncoming Storm]]'') which sees Churchill learn about the Doctor's true nature, as well as the [[Seventh Doctor]] at the end of his career in [[1945]] ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Subterfuge (audio story)|Subterfuge]]''). Furthermore, the Eleventh Doctor would later meet a version of Churchill who existed in an [[alternate timeline|alternative timeline]] in which all of history was occurring at once. In that timeline, Churchill was the [[Holy Roman Emperor]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Wedding of River Song (TV story)|The Wedding of River Song]]'') | ||
* [[Martin Bormann]] notes that [[Hitler]] is becoming more prone to fits of uncontrollable rage and places a call to [[ | * [[Martin Bormann]] notes that [[Hitler]] is becoming more prone to fits of uncontrollable rage and places a call to [[Felix Kriegslieter|Doctor Kriegsleiter]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Timewyrm: Exodus (novel)|Timewyrm: Exodus]]'') | ||
* The Seventh Doctor would later meet [[Joachim von Ribbentrop]] once again in [[1939]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Timewyrm: Exodus]]'') | * The Seventh Doctor would later meet [[Joachim von Ribbentrop]] once again in [[1939]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Timewyrm: Exodus (novel)|Timewyrm: Exodus]]'') | ||
* The [[Eighth Doctor]] will meet the Players and the Countess again ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Endgame (novel)|Endgame]]'') | * The [[Eighth Doctor]] will meet the Players and the Countess again, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Endgame (novel)|Endgame]]'') and the [[Second Doctor]] will encounter the Countess after these events from her perspective while investigating her role in the Napoleonic Wars. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[World Game (novel)|World Game]]'') | ||
* The [[Tenth Doctor]] would later meet Edward VIII's great-grandmother, [[Victoria|Queen Victoria]], in [[1879]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Tooth and Claw (TV story)|Tooth and Claw]]'') and his grandfather, [[Edward VII]], in [[1902]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Revenge of the Judoon]]'') | * The [[Tenth Doctor]] would later meet Edward VIII's great-grandmother, [[Victoria|Queen Victoria]], in [[1879]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Tooth and Claw (TV story)|Tooth and Claw]]'') and his grandfather, [[Edward VII]], in [[1902]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Revenge of the Judoon (novel)|Revenge of the Judoon]]'') | ||
== Additional cover images == | |||
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true"> | |||
Doctor Who Players 50th.jpg|2013 edition. Cover by [[Two Associates]]. | |||
</gallery> | |||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
* {{Penguin|1093762/doctor-who--players/}} | |||
{{dwrefguide|whobbk21.htm|Players}} | {{dwrefguide|whobbk21.htm|Players}} | ||
* {{whoniverse|pd21|Players}} | * {{whoniverse|pd21|Players}} | ||
| Line 80: | Line 108: | ||
{{PDA}} | {{PDA}} | ||
{{TitleSort}} | {{TitleSort}} | ||
[[Category:PDA novels]] | [[Category:PDA novels]] | ||
[[Category:Sixth Doctor novels]] | [[Category:Sixth Doctor novels]] | ||
| Line 86: | Line 115: | ||
[[Category:Stories set in 1915]] | [[Category:Stories set in 1915]] | ||
[[Category:Stories set in 1936]] | [[Category:Stories set in 1936]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Novels set in Africa]] | ||
[[Category:Stories set in France]] | [[Category:Stories set in France]] | ||
[[Category:Stories set in London]] | [[Category:Stories set in London]] | ||
[[Category:Second Doctor novels]] | [[Category:Second Doctor novels]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Novels in which the Doctor is on a mission for the Time Lords]] | ||
[[Category:Multi-Doctor novels]] | [[Category:Multi-Doctor novels]] | ||
[[Category:Winston Churchill novels]] | [[Category:Winston Churchill novels]] | ||
[[Category:50th Anniversary Collection PDA reprints]] | |||
Latest revision as of 19:51, 26 May 2024
Players was the twentieth novel in the BBC Past Doctor Adventures series. It was written by Terrance Dicks, released 6 April 1999 and featured the Sixth Doctor and Peri Brown.
It was the first novel to mention and feature Season 6B — the period between the end of The War Games and Spearhead from Space — and the first to feature the Players.
This was also the first story to feature Winston Churchill in a prominent role and detailed some of his encounters with the Doctor. The relationship between the two became firmly established when it was carried over into the TV series over a decade later in Victory of the Daleks.
Publisher's summary[[edit] | [edit source]]
1999 BBC Books summary[[edit] | [edit source]]
Promising his companion, Peri, high society elegance in fin-de-siecle London, the Doctor manages to hit the right time, but the wrong place...
The TARDIS has landed on the sun-baked veldt in the middle of a Boer War skirmish. And soon the Doctor and Peri are involved in the adventures of a struggling politician and war correspondent who they know is destined for greater things — a certain Winston Churchill. But mysterious forces seem to be interfering in his potentially great career...
Arriving in London, the Doctor and Peri enter high society but find themselves in a world of intrigue populated by notorious figures from Wallis Simpson to Joachim von Ribbentrop. And behind everything, the Doctor senses the hidden hand of the Players — mysterious beings who regard human history as no more than a chess board. Can the Doctor and Peri find the right moves to defeat them — before it's too late?
2013 BBC Books summary[[edit] | [edit source]]
Arriving on the sun-baked veldt in the middle of the Boer War, the Sixth Doctor is soon involved in the adventures of struggling politician and war correspondent Winston Churchill. Of course, he knows Churchill is destined for great things, but unseen forces seem to be interfering with Winston's historic career... The Doctor suspects the hidden hand of the Players, mysterious beings who regard human history as little more than a game. With time running out, can the Doctor find the right moves to defeat them?
Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]
to be added
Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Sixth Doctor
- Second Doctor
- Peri Brown
- Winston Churchill
- Tom Dekker
- Joachim von Ribbentrop
- Jeremy Carstairs
- Jennifer Buckingham
- Count
- Countess
- Edward VIII
- Adolf Hitler
- Wallis Simpson
- Colonel Rodney Fitzsimmons
- Commandant
- Captain Aylmer Haldane
- Sir John Reith
- Captain Reitz
- Stanley Baldwin
- Marcos
- Rye
- Jimmy
- Martin Bormann
- Lieutenant von Schultz
- Chief Inspector Harris
- First Time Lord
- Second Time Lord
- Third Time Lord
Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Count Ludwig Kroner and Countess Malika Treszka are aliases of certain Players.
- The Second Doctor claims with complete sincerity that he had met Count Dracula.
- Peri read Swamp Thing as a child.
- The Doctor considers taking Peri to Metebelis III.
- Adelebert was the king of Rigel Seven.
Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The novel was reprinted on 7 March 2013 with a new cover to celebrate the Doctor Who 50th anniversary.
- The December 1936 sequences take place contemporaneously with the events of the novel Wolfsbane.
- This story is placed between The Mark of the Rani and The Two Doctors.
- This novel contains references to the previous novels written by Terrance Dicks - Blood Harvest and Timewyrm: Exodus.
Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The Doctor uses a Gallifreyan Army knife to escape a dungeon on Rigel Seven. (PROSE: Timewyrm: Exodus, Blood Harvest)
- Peri complains about "lousy caves", (TV: The Caves of Androzani) "paranoid gastropods", (TV: The Twin Dilemma) the Cybermen (TV: Attack of the Cybermen) and "a punishment dome dedicated to torture and death". (TV: Vengeance on Varos)
- Later in his personal timeline, the Seventh Doctor would meet Tom Dekker in Chicago in 1929. When Dekker mentions that he knew a "funny little fella" called the Doctor who ran a speakeasy with a girl named Ace, Peri speculates that he may be referring to a future incarnation of the Doctor. The Sixth Doctor dismisses the idea out of hand. (PROSE: Blood Harvest)
- Winston Churchill meets the Doctor for the first time in his personal timeline in 1899 while he is in his sixth incarnation. He later meets the Second Doctor in November 1915 and the Sixth Doctor again in December 1936. He would later meet the Sixth Doctor for a third time in 1942 (PROSE: The Shadow in the Glass), the Third Doctor in the unidentified period of time (AUDIO: Operation: Hellfire), and the Eleventh Doctor in 1941, (TV: Victory of the Daleks) along with an encounter with the Ninth Doctor in London in 1939, (AUDIO: The Oncoming Storm) which sees Churchill learn about the Doctor's true nature, as well as the Seventh Doctor at the end of his career in 1945 (AUDIO: Subterfuge). Furthermore, the Eleventh Doctor would later meet a version of Churchill who existed in an alternative timeline in which all of history was occurring at once. In that timeline, Churchill was the Holy Roman Emperor. (TV: The Wedding of River Song)
- Martin Bormann notes that Hitler is becoming more prone to fits of uncontrollable rage and places a call to Doctor Kriegsleiter. (PROSE: Timewyrm: Exodus)
- The Seventh Doctor would later meet Joachim von Ribbentrop once again in 1939. (PROSE: Timewyrm: Exodus)
- The Eighth Doctor will meet the Players and the Countess again, (PROSE: Endgame) and the Second Doctor will encounter the Countess after these events from her perspective while investigating her role in the Napoleonic Wars. (PROSE: World Game)
- The Tenth Doctor would later meet Edward VIII's great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, in 1879 (TV: Tooth and Claw) and his grandfather, Edward VII, in 1902. (PROSE: Revenge of the Judoon)
Additional cover images[[edit] | [edit source]]
2013 edition. Cover by Two Associates.
External links[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Official Players page at Penguin Books
- Players at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- The Discontinuity Guide to: Players at The Whoniverse
- The Cloister Library: Players
