Ninth Doctor (Scream of the Shalka)
The Ninth Doctor was a possible future incarnation of the Eighth Doctor.
Biography
The Doctor had been involved in circumstances which had led to the death of his previous companion. During these events, he also gave the Master a chance to redeem himself by somehow placing him in an android body confined to his TARDIS. The Doctor implied that something had happened to the Time Lords.
Arriving in the small Lancashire town called Lannet, seemingly against his own will, he cursed the unknown people he served, telling them "[he] won't do it". The melancholic Doctor met a barmaid Alison Cheney. Together, they fought to save the world, and won against the silicon-based Shalka. Afterwards, Alison left with the Doctor in the TARDIS. (WC: Scream of the Shalka)
The two, along with the android Master, shared at least one more adventure together, involving vampires. (WC: The Feast of the Stone)
Characteristics
This Doctor was serious, and often angry, but wasn't averse to the odd bit of fun. He kept an android version of the Master in his TARDIS.
Habits and quirks
- This Doctor was known to drink alcohol. (WC: The Feast of the Stone)
- He carried a mobile phone, taken from a charging cradle hidden behind the telephone panel in the TARDIS' police box shell. Shaped like the TARDIS, the phone was in fact part of the TARDIS itself.
- This Doctor displayed a fondness for singing, and had a repertoire of showtunes.
Behind the scenes
Canonicity
Just after the revived series was announced with the official Ninth Doctor, the BBC webcast starring the "new" Doctor, Scream of the Shalka, was released onto the BBC website. This caused this Doctor to be shunted into "unofficial" status.
Paul Cornell, who wrote Scream of the Shalka, has since referred to this Doctor as his "unbound."[1]
EDA: The Tomorrow Windows briefly presents a possible future incarnation of the Eighth Doctor which may be taken to fit the description of this one. Similarly, in EDA: The Gallifrey Chronicles, there is a passing reference to the Doctor having "three ninth incarnations", which is probably a reference to the canonical Ninth Doctor played by Christopher Eccleston, this Ninth Doctor played by Richard E. Grant, and the parodic Ninth Doctor from The Curse of Fatal Death played by Rowan Atkinson.
Casting
Richard E. Grant previously played another non-canonical Doctor, the short-lived Tenth Doctor in The Curse of Fatal Death.
Possible appearance
There is a similarity between the unspecified incarnation of the Doctor seen in the Telos Novella The Cabinet of Light and the Shalka version due to them having a similar apperance and wearing identical clothing. However it has not been confirmed which incarnation featured in the story, and the writing of the novella and its publication predated the broadcast of Scream of the Shalka, rendering any similarity coincidental.
