Prelude Human Nature (short story)

 was, as the name suggested, a prelude to Human Nature by Paul Cornell. It was a short scene which did not appear in the published novel. and featured Alexander Shuttleworth and Joan Redfern. It was notable for introducing the character of Wolsey, a cat who travelled with the Seventh Doctor in the Virgin New Adventures series.

Summary
Alexander Shuttleworth has come to give a lecture to Joan Redfern's WI group in Farringham on the subject of bronze age archaeology. Before he does so, however, he enjoys a bit of cake, and a bit of scrutiny, provided by the other women in the group. Meanwhile, an off-hand comment by one of the women about Joan's widowhood sends Joan into deep thought about her lost husband. This then triggers another thought — one of a dream she had about her new colleague, the mercurial Dr. John Smith.

Characters

 * Alexander Shuttleworth
 * Joan Redfern
 * Several unnamed women of the WI
 * Wolsey the cat

Continuity

 * Shuttleworth knows Wolsey by name, and the cat displays affection for him.
 * It's here, and not in the the main book itself, that we find out that Joan's husband died in the Boer War.
 * We directly find out here that Joan hates being a science teacher.
 * Cornell's depiction of John Smith refers to his "charmingly mobile face" — a valid way of describing an obvious trait Sylvester McCoy gave the Seventh Doctor.

Timeline
Though called a "prelude", the events actually take place during NA: Human Nature

External link

 * The entire text of the piece at the Doctor Who Reference Guide