A Journal of Impossible Things (Human Nature): Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 13:52, 13 April 2023

This article needs to be updated.

Information from PROSE: A Journal of Impossible Things.

These omissions are so great that the article's factual accuracy has been compromised. Check out the discussion page and revision history for further clues about what needs to be updated in this article.

A Journal of Impossible Things was a journal kept by John Smith of his strange dreams. In reality, the book was comprised of events he'd experienced as the Doctor. All but Martha Jones, the only person who knew his actual identity, believed these to be products of John Smith's imagination.

You may be looking for the book by Verity Newman.

History[[edit] | [edit source]]

After turning himself human to hide from the Family of Blood, John Smith began to experience dreams of his adventures as the Doctor. He scribbled these down, adding detailed sketches throughout.

Smith gave the book to Joan Redfern, (TV: Human Nature) who apparently annotated it with a detailed chronicle of her love story with a strange visitor from beyond the stars. In the 21st century, this annotated version of the book fell in possession of her great-granddaughter, Verity Newman, who used it as the basis for own book of the same name. (TV: The End of Time)

Illustrations[[edit] | [edit source]]

Among the many illustrations Smith made in his journal were:

The TARDIS
The TARDIS Console
Steaming TARDIS Console
Sonic screwdrivers
TARDIS Crystal
New Gallifreyan words
Torchwood Institute logo
Empty People
Gas mask
Dalek top
Dalek Saucer
Dalek
Cybermen
Cyberman Faceplate
Vortex Reapers

The sketch of the Doctor's incarnations. (TV: Human Nature)

The Doctor's first nine incarnations (aside from the War Doctor)
Rose Tyler
Family of Blood
Fob watch
The Moxx of Balhoon
Autons
Raxacoricofallapatorian
Big Ben
Raxacoricofallapatorian Inter-Stellar Transporter
Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe
Satellite Five (The Game Station)
Cat Nurses
Lupine Wavelength Haemovariform
K9
Clockwork Droid
Martha Jones
Joan Redfern
Dalek Emperor
Anne Droid
Captain Jack Harkness
Pilot fish
Fadros Pallujikaa
London Eye
London Eye Capsule
Rose's face on television set
Ood
The Beast
Toby Zed
Tenth Doctor
Empire State Building
William Shakespeare
Shayde (PROSE: "Extract from 'A Journal of Impossible Things'")
War Doctor, only partial as if burnt from the page (PROSE: "Extract from 'A Journal of Impossible Things'")
Special Weapons Dalek (PROSE: "Extract from 'A Journal of Impossible Things'")

Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]

An actual, intricately-illustrated prop book was created for the filming by artist Kellyanne Walker. Later, Character Options, which held some of the rights to release toys and merchandise based upon the series, issued a faux leather-bound reproduction of the book. The CO journal is not as big as the one in the episode.
The images of the Doctor appearing in the journal were taken from a collage of past incarnations used as the illustration for the Wikipedia article on the Doctor, though they were inverted.
In the original novel Human Nature, John Smith did not write a journal, but a children's story, The Old Man and the Police Box, which similarly echoed events in the Doctor's life; however, that story contained more radical implications that the Doctor was originally a Victorian human who had single-handedly invented the TARDIS, discovered Gallifrey and founded Time Lord civilisation, none of which is suggested in A Journal of Impossible Things.

[1]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{retitle|''A Journal of Impossible Things'' (Human Nature)}}
+{{update|Information from [[PROSE]]: ''[[A Journal of Impossible Things (reference book)|A Journal of Impossible Things]]''.}}
 {{Infobox Object
-|image       = [[Image:Human_Nature_TV_story_sketchbook.jpg|250px]]
+|image       = Human Nature TV story sketchbook.jpg
-|object name = Journal of Impossible Things
 |type        = Book
-|origin      = [[John Smith (Tenth Doctor)|John Smith]]
+|origin      = [[England]]
-|appearances = <ul><li>[[DW]]: ''[[Human Nature (TV story)|Human Nature]]'' / ''[[The Family of Blood]]''</li><li>[[DW]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]''</li><li>[[VG]]: ''[[TARDIS (The Adventure Games)|TARDIS]]''</li></ul>
+|first        = Human Nature (TV story)
-}}
+|appearances = {{il|[[TV]]: ''[[The Family of Blood (TV story)|The Family of Blood]]''|[[PROSE]]: ''[[A Journal of Impossible Things (reference book)|A Journal of Impossible Things]]''|[[PROSE]]: ''[[The Doctor: His Lives and Times|Extract from 'A Journal of Impossible Things']]}}
-The '''Journal of Impossible Things''' was a journal kept by [[John Smith (Tenth Doctor)|John Smith]] of his strange [[dream]]s - actually memories from his life as [[the Doctor]]'s [[Tenth Doctor|tenth incarnation]], with some memories of previous incarnations' appearances. All but [[Martha Jones]] believed these to be products of John Smith's imagination.
+|clip        = The Journal of Impossible Things - Human Nature - Doctor Who - BBC
+}}{{you may|A Journal of Impossible Things (The End of Time)|n1=the book by Verity Newman}}
+'''''A Journal of Impossible Things''''' was a journal kept by [[John Smith (Tenth Doctor)|John Smith]] of his strange [[dream]]s. In reality, the book was comprised of events he'd experienced as [[the Doctor]]. All but [[Martha Jones]], the only person who knew his actual identity, believed these to be products of John Smith's imagination.
 == History ==
-===With [[John Smith (Tenth Doctor)|John Smith]]===
+After [[Chameleon arch|turning himself human]] to hide from the [[Family of Blood]], John Smith began to experience dreams of his adventures as the Doctor. He scribbled these down, adding detailed sketches throughout.
-''to be added''
-===After John Smith===
-John Smith gave the book to [[Joan Redfern (TV character)|Joan Redfern]], who apparently annotated it with a detailed chronicle of [[Human Nature (TV story)|her love story]] with [[Tenth Doctor|a strange visitor from beyond the stars.]] In the [[21st century]], this annotated version of the book fell in possession of her great grand daughter, [[Verity Newman]], who published it, again titled ''Journal of Impossible Things'' as a partial biography of Joan herself. The Doctor, slowly dying from radiation sickness, attended a book signing by Newman, giving away his identity by naming himself as "The Doctor" (Verity recognized the name used by John Smith). He then asked Verity about Joan, going away to meet [[Regeneration|his final fate]] after being assured of Joan's ultimate happiness in life. ([[DW]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time, Part Two]]'') He then kept the book in his TARDIS's drawing room. ([[VG]]: ''[[TARDIS (The Adventure Games)|TARDIS]]'')
-==Illustrations==
+Smith gave the book to [[Joan Redfern (TV character)|Joan Redfern]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Human Nature (TV story)|Human Nature]]'') who apparently annotated it with a detailed chronicle of [[Human Nature (TV story)|her love story]] with a [[Tenth Doctor|strange visitor]] from beyond the stars. In the [[21st century]], this annotated version of the book fell in possession of her great-granddaughter, [[Verity Newman]], who used it as the basis for [[A Journal of Impossible Things (The End of Time)|own book of the same name]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'')
+== Illustrations ==
 Among the many illustrations Smith made in his journal were:
-{| width="100%" border="%"
+* [[The Doctor's TARDIS|The TARDIS]]
-|
+* The TARDIS Console
-*[[The Doctor's TARDIS|The TARDIS]]
+* Steaming TARDIS Console
-*The TARDIS Console
+* [[the Doctor's sonic screwdriver|Sonic screwdrivers]]
-*Steaming TARDIS Console
+* TARDIS Crystal
-*[[Sonic screwdriver]]s
+* [[Gallifreyan (language)|New Gallifreyan]] words
-*TARDIS Crystal
+* [[Torchwood Institute]] logo
-*[[Gallifreyan (language)|New Gallifreyan]] words
+* [[Empty Child|Empty People]]
-*[[Torchwood Institute]] logo
+* Gas mask
-*[[Empty Child|Empty People]]
+* Dalek top
-*Gas Mask
+* [[Dalek Saucer]]
-*Dalek Top
+* [[Dalek]]
-*[[Dalek Saucer]]
+* [[Cyberman (Pete's World)|Cybermen]]
-*[[Dalek]]
+* Cyberman Faceplate
-*[[Cyberman (Pete's World)|Cybermen]]
+* [[Time Vortex|Vortex]] [[Reaper]]s
-*Cyberman Faceplate
+[[File:JOIT9and10page.jpg|thumb|right|The sketch of the Doctor's incarnations. ([[TV]]: ''[[Human Nature (TV story)|Human Nature]]'')]]
-*[[Time Vortex|Vortex]] [[Reaper]]s
+* The Doctor's first nine incarnations (aside from the [[War Doctor]])
-*The Doctor's first nine incarnations
+* [[Rose Tyler]]
-*[[Rose Tyler]]
+* [[Family of Blood]]
-*[[Family of Blood]]
+* [[Fob watch]]
-*Fob Watch
+* The [[Moxx of Balhoon]]
-*The [[Moxx of Balhoon]]
+* [[Auton]]s
-*Wired-People
+* [[Raxacoricofallapatorian]]
-*[[Auton]]s
+* [[Big Ben]]
-*[[Raxacoricofallapatorian]]
+* [[Teleportation|Raxacoricofallapatorian Inter-Stellar Transporter]]
-*[[Big Ben]]
+* [[Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe]]
-*[[Teleportation|Raxacoricofallapatorian Inter-Steller Transporter]]
+* [[Satellite Five]] (The Game Station)
-|
+* [[Sisters of Plenitude|Cat Nurses]]
-*References to the Doctor's family
+* [[Lupine Wavelength Haemovariform]]
-*[[Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe]]
+* [[K9]]
-*[[Satellite Five]] (The Game Station)
+* [[Clockwork Droid]]
-*[[Sisters of Plenitude|Cat Nurses]]
+* [[Martha Jones]]
-*[[The Host|Lupine-Wavelength-Haemovariform]]
+* [[Joan Redfern (TV character)|Joan Redfern]]
-*[[K9]]
+* [[Dalek Emperor]]
-*[[Clockwork Droid]]
+* [[Anne Droid]]
-*[[Martha Jones]]
+* Captain [[Jack Harkness]]
-*[[Joan Redfern (TV character)|Joan Redfern]]
+* [[Pilot fish]]
-*[[Dalek Emperor]]
+* [[Fadros Pallujikaa]]
-*[[Anne Droid]]
+* [[London Eye]]
-*Captain [[Jack Harkness]]
+* London Eye Capsule
-*[[Pilot fish]]
+* [[Rose Tyler|Rose]]'s face on television set
-*[[Fadros Pallujikaa]]
+* [[Ood]]
-*[[London Eye]]
+* [[The Beast (The Impossible Planet)|The Beast]]
-*London Eye Capsule
+* [[Toby Zed]]
-*[[Rose Tyler|Rose]]'s face on television set
+* [[Tenth Doctor]]
-*[[Ood]]
+* [[Empire State Building]]
-*[[The Beast]]
+* [[William Shakespeare]]
-*[[Toby Zed]]
+* [[Shayde]] ([[PROSE]]: "''[[The Doctor: His Lives and Times|Extract from 'A Journal of Impossible Things']]''")
-*[[Tenth Doctor]]
+* [[War Doctor]], only partial as if burnt from the page ([[PROSE]]: "''[[The Doctor: His Lives and Times|Extract from 'A Journal of Impossible Things']]''")
-*Nottingham?
+* [[Special Weapons Dalek]] ([[PROSE]]: "''[[The Doctor: His Lives and Times|Extract from 'A Journal of Impossible Things']]''")
-*[[Empire State Building]]
-*[[William Shakespeare]]
+== Behind the scenes ==
-|}
+* An actual, intricately-illustrated prop book was created for the filming by artist Kellyanne Walker. Later, [[Character Options]], which held some of the rights to release toys and merchandise based upon the series, issued a faux leather-bound reproduction of the book. The CO journal is not as big as the one in the episode.
+* The images of the Doctor appearing in the journal were taken from a collage of past incarnations used as the illustration for the Wikipedia article on the Doctor, though they were inverted.
+* In the original novel ''[[Human Nature (novel)|Human Nature]]'', [[John Smith (Seventh Doctor)|John Smith]] did not write a journal, but a children's story, ''[[The Old Man and the Police Box]]'', which similarly echoed events in the Doctor's life; however, that story contained more radical implications that the Doctor was originally a [[Victorian]] human who had single-handedly invented the TARDIS, discovered Gallifrey and founded Time Lord civilisation, none of which is suggested in ''A Journal of Impossible Things''.
+[https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/File_talk:Versions_of_the_Doctor.jpg#BBC.27s_use_of_this_image]
+{{TitleSort}}
-==Behind the scenes==
+[[Category:Journals and diaries]]
-*An actual, intricately-illustrated prop book was created for the filming. Later, [[Character Options]], which held some of the rights to release toys and merchandise based upon the series, issued a faux leather-bound reproduction of the book. The CO journal it is not as big as the one in the episode.
+[[Category:The Doctor's books]]
-*The images of the Doctor appearing in the journal were taken from a collage of past incarnations used as the illustration for the Wikipedia article on the Doctor, though they were inverted. [https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/File_talk:Versions_of_the_Doctor.jpg#BBC.27s_use_of_this_image]
-[[Category:Books]]
-[[Category:The Doctor's items]]