A Letter from the Doctor (DWAN 2024 short story): Difference between revisions

|setting        = [[The Doctor's TARDIS]]

The short story, also forming part of the ''[[A Letter from the Doctor (series)|A Letter from the Doctor]]'' series that originated in the [[DWM 1|first issue]] of ''[[Doctor Who Weekly]]'' in [[1979 (releases)|1979]], was stylised as a letter written by the [[Fourteenth Doctor]] to the readers of the annual.

Writing [[Letter (A Letter from the Doctor)|a letter]] to the readers of [[Doctor Who The Official Annual 2024 (in-universe)|an annual]], the [[Fourteenth Doctor]] asks his recipients if they had a good [[year]] after he realises it has been a whole year since he last wrote to them, going on to tell them about his own year being full of ups and downs.

The Doctor tells of how he recently died on [[Cliff (The Power of the Doctor)|a cliff]] in a [[beauty|beautiful]] fashion with their [[arm]]s outstretched while the [[sun]] [[sunrise|rose]]. However, while they should have [[Regeneration|regenerated]] into a a new body, this time the Doctor has regenerated back into [[Tenth Doctor|an old one]], which he realised after running his [[tongue]] over his [[teeth]]. Returning to [[the Doctor's TARDIS|his TARDIS]] to write the letter, the Doctor realises that, despite having the body of one of his previous selves, he does have new [[braincell]]s, after remembering that he has a [[custard-cream dispenser]] in the TARDIS.  

Explaining that he didn't think he would've missed his hands until [[Tenth Doctor's regeneration|he lost them]], he hopes he would be able to keep them attached for more than [[15 (number)|fifteen]] [[hour]]s, dismissing the possibility that he would encounter the [[Sycorax]] again and get into another [[sword]][[fight]] on his "first day" as "quite unlikely". Continuing, he questions why this face has returned and is surprised by how his [[clothes]] also changed, but, after he notices [[Automated Protocol Epsilon Delta Rho|something]] making "a right old racket" on the other side of [[TARDIS control console|the console]], he goes to investigate and concludes the letter by writing:

* The Doctor likens the acts of regenerating to letting out a [[sneeze]] after holding it in.

* The Doctor writes that he won't be keeping his teeth if he starts eating too many [[custard cream]]s.

* The Doctor mentions that his [[clothes]] changing hasn't happened for "[[First Doctor's renewal|absolutely ages]]".

* The Doctor incorrectly writes, "they Sycorax", instead of, "the Sycorax", when remembering how the [[Tenth Doctor's hand]] was cut off.

* The Doctor continuously references [[Thirteenth Doctor|his predecessor]]'s [[Thirteenth Doctor's regeneration|regeneration]] from ''[[The Power of the Doctor (TV story)|The Power of the Doctor]]''. He also mentions walking back into the TARDIS, which was briefly seen in ''[[Liberation of the Daleks (comic story)|Liberation of the Daleks]]''.

* The Doctor takes note of the [[Custard cream]] [[Biscuit dispenser]] on the [[TARDIS control console]], which was a detail highlighted in the crystal console's debut in ''[[The Ghost Monument (TV story)|The Ghost Monument]]''.

* The Doctor jokingly wonders if he'll be able to keep both his hands this time, slyly referencing how the Tenth Doctor lost [[Tenth Doctor's hand|a hand]] during ''[[The Christmas Invasion (TV story)|The Christmas Invasion]]'', but then concludes that he is unlikely the be sword-fighting the [[Sycorax]] again, alluding to [[Fadros Pallujikaa (The Christmas Invasion)|the Sycorax leader]] that had cut his hand off.

* The Doctor mentions his clothes having changed during the regeneration, and subtly recalls it happening when the [[First Doctor]] regenerated into the [[Second Doctor]] during ''[[The Tenth Planet (TV story)|The Tenth Planet]]''.

* At the end of the letter, the Doctor notices "something making a right old racket over the other side of the console" and goes to have a look, signing off with, ''"All right then, universe — what have you got for me today?"'', leading directly into  ''[[Liberation of the Daleks (comic story)|Liberation of the Daleks]]''.