H. G. Wells

Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 - 13 August 1946), better known as H. G. Wells, was an author native to 19th and 20th century Earth. After a life-changing encounter with the Sixth Doctor, he coined the phrase "science fiction" and began to write novels in that genre. Two of his novels in particular — The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds — would later have both subtle and significant impact upon the Doctor's life.

Adventures with the Doctor
While holidaying in Scotland during the summer of 1885, a young H.G. Wells experimented with magic and believed he had summoned both Vena, who had appeared via the Timelash, and the Sixth Doctor, whose TARDIS seemed to follow her. Though the Doctor found Wells somewhat irritating, he accompanied the Doctor to the planet Karfel in 2113 and helped him defeat the despotic Borad. Along the way, Wells found inspiration for the fiction he would write and publish. Thanks to the Doctor, Wells also inadvertently coined the phrase "science fiction". (TV: Timelash)



However, Wells did not begin writing these adventures until after another meeting with the Doctor, this time in his tenth incarnation, in 1889. Wells assisted the Doctor against both the time traveller Jonathan Smith and members of the Torchwood Institute. (COMIC: The Time Machination) After the Doctor's departure, Wells witnessed the arrival of a past incarnation of the Doctor and Leela, but did not make himself known to them. (COMIC: The Time Machination)

The Third Doctor had earlier claimed to have lent Bertie Wells his ion-focusing coil for an invisibility experiment. (AUDIO: The Ghosts of N-Space)


 * As his future self expected another meeting later in Wells' timeline, it seems that this occurred during a third or later meeting (from Wells' point of view).

While in Ostend, Belgium in 1913, the Sixth Doctor's companion Peri Brown intended to send a postcard to Wells but never actually got around to doing so. (AUDIO: Year of the Pig)

Other information
Theophilus Tolliver, a friend of Wells, told him about his adventures travelling in time. (COMIC: The Eternal Present)


 * It is implied that Tolliver is the protagonist of Wells' The Time Machine. However, it seemed equally plausible that the Doctor himself had provided that inspiration.

Other references

 * Disbelieving in time machines, Laurence Scarman compared the Fourth Doctor's assertions to the "scientific romances of Mr. Wells." (TV: Pyramids of Mars) Other scoffers have made similar statements. (TV: Horror of Fang Rock, TV: Black Orchid)
 * As a child, Ian Chesterton loved the works of both Wells and Jules Verne. Their stories inspired him to pursue a career in science. (PROSE: The Eleventh Tiger)
 * Sarah Jane Smith had a copy of a volume of Wells' short stories in her library. (TV: Invasion of the Bane)
 * The Eighth Doctor once noted that Wells was an enthusiast, "especially for the ladies." (PROSE: The Eight Doctors)
 * On 30 October 1938, actor Orson Welles mounted a radio production of Wells' The War of the Worlds, which was presented as a news broadcast; the resulting production sparked a nationwide panic. Unknown to the public at large, however, an actual invasion attempt occurred during this time which was thwarted by the Eighth Doctor. (AUDIO: Invaders from Mars)
 * The Eighth Doctor once noted that Wells had "possesse[d] a most passionate concern for Man and Society". (PROSE: Casualties of War)
 * The Master once met the titular character of The Invisible Man in the Land of Fiction. (COMIC: Character Assassin)
 * When Balmoral Castle was taken by the Judoon in 1902, Captain Carruthers compared the Doctor's explanation to the works of Wells. (PROSE: Revenge of the Judoon)


 * For references to The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds, specifically, see entries on those novels.

Behind the scenes

 * Doctor Who owes an obvious debt to Wells, The idea of a time machine originated in Wells' The Time Machine and plot of The Daleks has a lot of similarity to George Pál's movie adaptation of The Time Machine. The Daleks themselves resemble the Martians of The War of the Worlds. So unsurprisingly, a number of affectionate references to H. G. Wells have found their way into the series.
 * Though Timelash suggests otherwise, H. G. Wells did not, in reality, coin the term "science fiction," which, after one recorded anonymous use in the 1850s, was coined by Hugo Gernsback in 1929. By this time, Wells was no longer writing science fiction on a regular basis.