Theory:Timeline - Tenth Doctor

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This page lists appearances of the Tenth Doctor in the order in which he experienced them. This timeline is based upon observations of the Doctor Who universe and the events that occur during each of these stories. From these observations we have attempted to build a concise timeline. It is assumed that for each novel, comic, audio or television series, their published, broadcast or numbered order is the order they occur in.[1]

Fan sources like the Doctor Who Reference Guide should not be used solely as a source or considered a "true" timeline for stories.

Limiting factors

Though multiple stories that predate TV: Journey's End, in particular DWBIT comic stories, feature the Doctor travelling alone, TV: Smith and Jones and TV: Partners in Crime have the Doctor state or strongly imply that it hasn't been long since Rose Tyler and Martha Jones have departed (respectively in TV: Doomsday and TV: Last of the Time Lords).

Any story with Rose Tyler travelling must be after TV: The Christmas Invasion and before TV: Army of Ghosts. Any story with Martha Jones travelling must be after TV: Smith and Jones and before TV: Utopia. Any story with Donna Noble must be after TV: Partners in Crime and before TV: Turn Left.

Series basics

There are two notable divisions in the varying Tenth Doctor media, those where he is almost constantly travelling with a companion and those, set after his hearts were broken by all his losses in TV: Journey's End, where he spends most of the time travelling alone.

The era while he constantly travels with someone can be further divided into adventures with original to television companions:

There are also the original to comics companions:

His adventures with Matthew and Emily are said to take place towards the end of his time alone. The Doctor's refusal to take on companions such as Christina de Souza along after Donna makes the placement of Heather and Wolfgang's travels with him, which span over 50 stories, uncertain.

Timeline

The Doctor regenerates from his previous incarnation.
Children in Need Special and The Christmas Invasion both involve the Doctor in the early stages after his regeneration.
The Doctor and Rose return to the Powell Estate
The Doctor and Rose leave the Powell Estate.
The Doctor and Rose fight off the Lupine Wavelength Haemovariform.
Rose mentions meeting a werewolf to Sarah Jane in School Reunion, clearly placing it after Tooth and Claw. The final scene of A Dog's Life takes place during the scene where the Doctor awakens K9 Mark III in School Reunion. At the end of School Reunion, Mickey joins the TARDIS crew.
Mickey's first trip in the TARDIS.
Mickey is still travelling in the TARDIS.
Mickey stays behind in a parallel universe with the walls closed behind him.
Rose mentions being a dinner lady but Mickey isn't present, placing this after School Reunion, The Girl in the Fireplace, Rise of the Cybermen and The Age of Steel.
Second part to The Impossible Planet. Rose's "death" is foreshadowed by the Beast, implying not much time passes between this story and Army of Ghosts.
Rose is still stopping off to see her mother, but is no longer with Mickey, placing this after The Age of Steel.
Rose and Jackie are trapped on the parallel Earth. Donna Noble appears in the TARDIS.
The Doctor is returning Donna to Earth after Donna was pulled into the TARDIS by mistake.
The events of Smith and Jones through Gridlock flow into one another. Martha's intended "single trip" in the TARDIS during The Shakespeare Code is postponed to an uncertain length between Gridlock and The Lazarus Experiment.
Martha officially joins the TARDIS full-time.
The events of the book must take place after The Lazarus Experiment as Martha says something about facing mad scientists again. Martha is forced to wait outside the TARDIS in the Doctor's absence, placing this story before 42, when Martha receives a key to the TARDIS.
Immediately follows 42 Prologue.
Sally gives the Doctor the transcript his future self has already read to her.
Time Crash occurs during the final scene of Last of the Time Lords and ends on the same cliffhanger.
Continues the cliffhanger that occurs in both Last of the Time Lords and Time Crash.
Donna's first trip to an alien planet.
Sylvia and Wilf find out about the Doctor, and the Doctor and Donna meet UNIT. Martha is accidentally taken aboard the TARDIS.
The TARDIS is suddenly pulled towards Jenny. Martha returns home at the end of this story.
Martha and UNIT are mentioned, placing it after The Doctor's Daughter.
Donna contacts Wilf from Midnight not long before the events of The Stolen Earth.
The Stolen Earth picks up where Turn Left left off. The Doctor meets Luke Smith over the Sub-Wave. The Doctor begins travelling on his own full-time after Journey's End.
Set directly after Journey's End.
Carmen prophesies the Doctor's death.
The end of this story leads into The Waters of Mars.
The Doctor meets, sleeps with, and marries Queen Elizabeth I. These events are directly mentioned at the start of The End of Time.
At the end of the story, the Doctor decides that after all of his adventuring, his time is up.
Set during the final scenes of The End of Time.
The Doctor regenerates into his next incarnation.

Unplaced

Set some time after Journey's End, as the Doctor recognises Luke and is on his own.
Set after The Lazarus Experiment, but before Utopia.
This is Rose's first trip to the Moon.

Footnotes

  1. A notable exception is PROSE: The Story of Martha, which features Martha Jones as an occupant of the TARDIS, despite being published on the same day as a Donna Noble novel and a post-Donna novel.
  2. There are clear signs of Rose travelling alone before and after Mickey, notably mentioning events of TV: Tooth and Claw in TV: School Reunion and references to Mickey staying on Pete's World in TV: Love & Monsters and Army of Ghosts / Doomsday.