Posted in: BBC, Books, Disney+, Doctor Who, Pop Culture, TV | Tagged: Andrew Cartmel, David Aaronovitch, doctor who, mark gatiss, paul cornell, russell t davies, steven moffat, Virgin New Adventures

Doctor Who: How The 90's Virgin Novels Deeply Influenced The Series

Virgin's Doctor Who "The New Adventures" novels of the 1990s have had a lasting impact, from the show's return through the Disney+ era.

Everyone who still watches Doctor Who would agree it's a very different show from the classic version that ran from 1963 to 1989. The original series was a product of production and writing dynamics of the time: procedural stories, plot-driven with character development kept in the background, often even an afterthought. The series that was revived by Russell T. Davies has been a post-Buffy, internet-era, fandom-forward version that's more emotional, more character-centred as much as plot, and the Disney+ era is even more so. That shift in tone and dynamic is part of how television storytelling has evolved over the decades, but the influence comes from the Virgin "The New Adventures" novels that were published from 1991 to 1997.

The Roots of New "Doctor Who"

The real roots of what fans call NuWho really came from the final two seasons of the classic Doctor Who. By that time, story editor Andrew Cartmel, who was effectively the No. 2 showrunner by today's definitions, had begun to take the show in a direction that included more mystery, emotion, even more overt political commentary, and character development. The series was cancelled in 1989, and Virgin Books got the license to publish original full-length novels set after the end of the series that with stories "too broad and deep for the small screen." The writers of the line were all fans of Cartmel's era of the show, and the range also commissioned writers from Cartmel's era, including Ben Aaronovitch, Marc Platt, and even Cartmel himself. Virgin's "The New Adventures" would continue the adventures of the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and, initially, Ace before she has a falling out with him and leaves, to be replaced by several new companions that have been fleetingly referenced by the modern TV series. The new writers of the range were fans of what Cartmel started in the series and have since become writers on the modern TV series. They included Paul Cornell, Mark Gatiss, and future showrunners Davies and Steven Moffat. Davies' first and only novel was a Virgin "The New Adventures" novel, "Damaged Goods," which takes place in a South London estate and features a family named the Tylers. It contained a darker, adult tone but also the early version of many ideas he would carry over into his revival of the TV series in 2005.

From Virgin Adventues to NuWho

When Davies was showrunner, he commissioned Paul Cornell to adapt his Virgin New Adventures novel "Human Nature" into the two-parter "Human Nature" and "Family of Blood". Cornell also wrote an ambitious arc called "Timewyrm" that revealed that past Doctors lingered in the Doctor's psyche, which Chris Chibnall depicted in his final TV story "The Power of the Doctor." Moffat's one Doctor Who short story in the Virgin New Adventures "Continuity Errors" was adapted into his 2010 Christmas Special "A Christmas Carol." If you're a diehard fan who read the Virgin novels, you can probably find even more ideas and images from the books that were referenced or written into the modern series. Davies' "Bad Wolf" arc and Moffat's season-long arcs were influenced by the long and complex story arcs in the Virgin novels, as are the long-running season-long arcs of the Disney+ era, the mysteries of Ruby's mother and He Who Waits were influenced by the Virgin novels, and Davies has pushed the emotionality of the series and the Doctor even further. The Virgin novels are out of print, but several have been adapted into audio dramas by Big Finish, including Davies' novel "Damaged Goods," starring McCoy as the Seventh Doctor.

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