No Fun at the Fair (short story)

No Fun at the Fair was a story featured in Doctor Who Files 3: The Slitheen. It was written by Jacqueline Rayner.

Summary
Enjoying all the fun of a funfair on a Saturday in summer (hot dogs, chips, ice cream, candy floss, ring toss, merry-go-round, dodgems, test your weight, duck hook and coconut shies) the Tenth Doctor and Rose split up – the Doctor heading to the water-slide and Rose the ghost train. While going through the train ride, Rose is sure she spots a Slitheen, but when she tries to go back her way is blocked by the operator a burly moustached man in a cap, who informs her that the ride is now closed for the night.

When she meets up with a very wet Doctor he isn't convinced but when the fair is closed he uses his sonic screwdriver to break into the ride. Spotting a Slitheen, they split up with the Doctor searching for others and Rose following the Slitheen she had seen earlier. As she watches she begins to feel sorry for the alien as it moves around the fair, trying out the rides and having fun.

But when she follows the Slitheen into a parked up trailer – she changes her mind. All around her are plans for a new attraction “Coming Soon: Super Slitheen Space Spectacular” – a funfair for the Slitheen where the fun is in using humans – shies with human heads instead of coconuts, dodgem cars with the purpose of running into as many humans as possible, ring toss where humans are the replacement for soft toys and cheap vases. All of the attractions culminating in a great human hunt water slide.

Spotted by the Slitheen, Rose is chased through the fun fair through the Tunnel of Love, to the top of the water slide where she realises the Slitheen has been guiding her along, like a test subject for its own pleasure. The Doctor is waiting calmly for her at the foot of the water slide and, followed closely behind by the Slitheen they ride to the bottom, where because the Doctor has tainted the water with vinegar from a chip van, the Slitheen explodes, leaving a green mess. As they prepare to leave the fun fair the Doctor hands Rose a photo–souvenir of her and the Slitheen taken when they passed through the Tunnel of Love.

Characters

 * Tenth Doctor
 * Rose Tyler
 * A Slitheen

Worldbuilding

 * References are made to Rose's previous travels with the Doctor with mention of: identifying a Raxacoricofallapatorian (aka Slitheen) identifiable by their disguise using large human bodies and a zip across their forehead.

Continuity
to be added