Paydirt (short story)
From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
Paydirt was the nineteenth story in the Bernice Summerfield anthology A Life of Surprises. It was written by Lance Parkin.
Summary
In the 46th century, Stev Grayson, Gould, N-v23 and Professor Kent are excavating a dig site looking for information on Bernice Summerfield.
Later, they discuss the legends they've heard about Benny, and speculate whether an earring they've found belongs to her. Professor Kent tries to explain to the students the nature of fact and legend.
Characters
- Bernice Summerfield ("the Professor")
- Stev Grayson
- Gould
- Professor Kent
- N-v23
References
- A universe exists where the Doctor, as the "last survivor of a race of time travelers," had thirteen half-immortal children with Benny.
- Professor Kent mentions King Arthur, Robin Hood, Beowulf, Jack the Ripper, Lady Macbeth, Catwoman, Sherlock Holmes, Don Quixote, Shakespeare's plays, the Bible and Greek myths.
- Clonodating is banned by the Vatican.
- There are tombs for Benny on Mars, Vremnya and the Kalkravian asteroid belt.
- Benny's eyes are variously described as green, blue and brown.
Notes
- Benny uses "the Professor" as an alias. The Seventh Doctor was often called "Professor" by his companion Ace.
- A version of Benny became "the Supreme Commander of all human space," but never appeared on the "list of Empresses."
Continuity
- Gould knows that Benny got married in 2010. (PROSE: Happy Endings)
Behind the scenes
- In Parkin's charity publication Iris Explains, Iris Wildthyme describes a version of Benny that had thirteen children with the Doctor, before pointedly asking Miranda Dawkins if her mother's name was Benny.
- Two version of Parkin's rejected epilogue for PROSE: The Dying Days, "Valeyard of the Daleks" and "Eulogy of the Daleks," features the 42nd Doctor calling Benny the "Supreme Commander" and "God Empress of All Human Space." He then asserts that he is joking.
