A Letter from the Doctor (DWM 8 short story)

A Letter from the Doctor was a short story printed in DWM 8, and was the eighth in the A Letter from the Doctor series. It was structured as a letter "written" by the Fourth Doctor to the readers of Doctor Who Weekly.

	Fourth Doctor
	Altair 4, Metaluna, Farfaraway
	Marvel Comics
	Dez Skinn
	DWM 8
	29 November 1979
A Letter from the Doctor
← Previous	A Letter from the Doctor 7
Next →	A Letter from the Doctor 9

The story was actually written by Dez Skinn, a fact he kept concealed for many years until he revealed it on his website.

Plot

In his latest letter, the Fourth Doctor notes that as evidenced by the letters column readers' mail has started "pouring in". However, he explains that he is unable to reply to correspondence as British, Australian and American postage stamps cannot reach the parts of the Universe he has been visiting lately. He also mentions Romana is "away" and that K-9 is still unable to take shorthand meaning he doesn't have the time to write back either. Despite this, the Doctor states he has instructed his magazine editors to print as many readers' questions as possible and encourages the readers to keep them coming, contemplating the addition of a separate section for them if enough are received.

In other news, the Doctor tells of his hope for a break with the conclusion of his first magazine adventure but notes that the random TARDIS controls mean a restful fortnight in Benidorm seems highly unlikely. Indeed, he feels he may be in for "another hectic time" in a week on account of being at the mercy of the Mills, Wagner and Gibbons creative team.

Characters

• Fourth Doctor

Worldbuilding

• Most of the letters received have included stamped addressed envelopes for the Doctor to reply with.
• The Doctor thinks "Who knows" could be a "catchy little title" for a section where readers' questions are answered.

Notes

• This story was one of the first to place the Fourth Doctor's stewardship of Doctor Who Weekly in the context of his televised adventures. The Doctor suggests he is currently travelling with K-9 while Romana is temporarily "away" at an unspecified time and location. The randomiser is also apparently active, setting this after TV: The Armageddon Factor ^[+]Loading...["The Armageddon Factor (TV story)"] at the earliest.
• Unlike many instalments of A Letter from the Doctor, the Doctor's letter is not dated in this story.

Continuity

• The Doctor mentions Benidorm which he planned to visit at the end of COMIC: Doctor Who and the Iron Legion ^[+]Loading...["Doctor Who and the Iron Legion (comic story)"]. His prediction here that he was unlikely to enjoy a holiday there was proved accurate in COMIC: City of the Damned ^[+]Loading...["City of the Damned (comic story)"].
• The Doctor mentions the "random TARDIS controls". He installed the randomiser as protection against the Black Guardian in TV: The Armageddon Factor ^[+]Loading...["The Armageddon Factor (TV story)"].
• The Doctor had previously referred to Dave Gibbons by his full name in PROSE: A Letter from the Doctor 1 ^[+]Loading...["A Letter from the Doctor (DWM 1 short story)"].