Doctor Bear: Difference between revisions

'''Doctor Bear''' was a [[teddy bear]] belonging to [[Gerry Billing]]. To Gerry, who from [[November]] [[1963]] to [[29 February]] [[1968]] was [[Psychic link|psychically linked]] to [[the Doctor's TARDIS]], the bear came to represent [[the Doctor]]. The original bear was destroyed in [[July]] [[1967]] after Gerry was kidnapped by [[Mark Forester]] and [[Kenneth Meadows]], whose secrets Gerry had seen in his visions. The [[Third Doctor]] found out about Gerry and, after breaking the psychic link, procured an identical replacement bear from the same toyshop. Afterwards, the Doctor sent Gerry and his [[Billing family|family]] new sets of clothes for the bear every few [[year]]s, representing most of the Doctor's subsequent [[regeneration]]s.

The bear was purchased from a [[Barringdean]] [[Barringdean toyshop|toyshop]] by [[Claire Billing]] in early [[1964]]. [[Gerry Billing]] became fascinated by the bear upon seeing it, as the outfit it came in — checked [[trousers]], a [[waistcoat]], and a [[black]] [[ribbon]] tied around its [[neck]] — resembled that of the [[First Doctor]], whose adventures Gerry saw in his [[dream]]s due to a [[psychic link]] unwittingly established between Gerry, the Doctor, and [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] in [[November]] [[1963]].

Inspired by his favourite book, ''[[Winnie the Pooh]]'', Gerry tied Doctor Bear to a [[balloon]] and set him loose with a note asking for help, which led to the arrest of Forester and Meadows, and the shutdown of the factory. However, Doctor Bear was in unrepairable condition, and Claire and Ray did not let Gerry see the state of his beloved toy.

Some years after 1967, the [[Third Doctor]] found out about Gerry after hearing of Claire's phone call to Gatwick, and arranged to meet Gerry at the future [[UNIT HQ]] on [[29 February]], [[1968]]. Upon hearing Gerry's story, the Doctor realized what had happened, and broke Gerry's link to the TARDIS after catching him up on some of his later adventures. Hearing of the Billings' troubles, the Doctor left and arranged for the family to get a new start in [[Shoreditch]]. He also acquired a twin to the original Doctor Bear from the toyshop — one Claire had looked into, but been unable to find. [[Ian Chesterton]], summoned by the Doctor to the future headquarters by letter, found the package containing the new bear and handed it to Gerry, who unwrapped it to find the replacement wearing a replica of the Third Doctor's clothing. Attached was a note, reminding Gerry that, since Doctor Bear was a [[Time Lord]] bear, he had regenerated.