Doctor Who and the Nightmare Game (comic story)

 was a 2003 eighth Doctor comic strip in Doctor Who Magazine set when the Doctor was travelling alone between Izzy Sinclair's departure and Destrii's return.

It was notable for pairing the Doctor temporarily with an adolescent human companion — something that hadn't been done since Arnold's departure from the Third Doctor's TARDIS in TVC: The Amateur. From a behind-the-scenes perspective, it was further significant for being only published attempt at the Eighth Doctor for writer Gareth Roberts and penciller Mike Collins.

Summary
When Delchester United's penalty is blocked by the TARDIS, the Doctor ponders who is operating a Para-static Vortex beam, and just what is hidden under Delchester's stadium?

Characters

 * The Doctor
 * Billy Wilkins
 * Ray Stobbs
 * The Morg
 * Blackstone
 * Milo Shakespeare
 * Frank Shakespeare

Continuity

 * The Doctor drives a damaged red London bus, just as he would later in another Gareth Roberts-penned story, Planet of the Dead.
 * The Doctor is very briefly seen wearing a fez, as he had previously done in Silver Nemesis, and as he would do again in The Big Bang.
 * The Shakespeare Brothers are concerned throughout the story that the Doctor will bring down the "galactic police" on them. This notion is reminiscent of an idea permeating the BBC Wales version of Doctor Who, namely, the Shadow Proclamation and their henchmen, the Judoon.
 * In the final panel, the Doctor has a noisemaking football rattle — just as he did when he scared horses in San Martino, (DW: The Masque of Mandragora) and as he would again when trying to attract the attention of Luke, Rani and Clyde. (SJA: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith)

Timeline

 * This story takes place after DWM: Where Nobody Knows Your Name
 * This story takes place before DWM: The Power of Thoueris!