Theory:Timeline - Susan Foreman

This page lists appearances of Susan Foreman in the order in which she experienced them. This timeline is based upon observations of the Doctor Who universe and the events that occur during each of these stories. From these observations we have attempted to build a concise timeline. It is assumed, much like its TV story counterparts that for each novel, comic story and audio series their published/numbered order is the order they occur in. This does not apply to short stories which are often ambiguous about their placement. There are also many gaps between stories.

The layout of this timeline is in part based on the observations on Doctor Who Reference Guide and Doctor Who - The Complete Adventures, as well as information in Lance Parkin's AHistory which allow us to make observations on placement of stories, such as Doctor Who Reviews, The History of Doctor Who, The Discontinuity Guide, Clive Banks Databank, the Big Finnish forums, The Whoniverse and the Divergent Universe forums. None of these sources should be used solely as a source or considered a "true" timeline for stories.

Additionally there are statements on the back of Virgin Missing Adventures and BBC Past Doctor Adventures novels that state between which TV stories the novel takes place between. These can be used to narrow the field, and should be viewed as the only placing for these novels.

Life on Gallifrey

 * AUDIO: The Toy
 * The Doctor brings Susan to watch him and a group of Prydonians performed a ritual in Arcadia.


 * COMIC: Flashback
 * The Doctor still has superior ranking on Gallifrey.


 * PROSE: Cold Fusion
 * Traveling back in time, the Doctor rescues Patience and her granddaughter from a danger on Gallifrey.

Leaving Gallifrey

 * Due to conflicting accounts, each telling of the Doctor's fateful escape have been listed in order of release.


 * PROSE: Birth of a Renegade
 * In a story told by, the Doctor decides to leave Gallifrey in the midst of a civil war. He enters a TARDIS alone, and finds a young lady inside, who he adopts as his granddaughter.


 * COMIC: Time & Time Again
 * The Doctor and Susan escape from an explosion on Gallifrey, determent to keep the Hand of Omega safe.


 * PROSE: Lungbarrow
 * After an argument with his cousin, Glospin, the Doctor leaves Gallifrey with the Hand of Omega, and travels back to the Old Time, where he adopts Susan, the granddaughter of the Other.


 * TV: The Name of the Doctor
 * Set during The Beginning: The First Flight, after Susan step inside the first TARDIS, and before the Doctor takes her into a second one.


 * AUDIO: The Beginning
 * The Doctor, already with Susan and wearing Victorian era clothing, is being pursued by the Chancellery Guard whilst fleeing Gallifrey with a flying trunk containing the Hand of Omega.

First flight

 * PROSE: The Exiles
 * The Doctor has just escaped Gallifrey. Susan is exploring the TARDIS for the first time.


 * PROSE: Frayed
 * This is the Doctor and Susan's first experience with humanity. Controversially, it even sees them take the names of "the Doctor" and "Susan".


 * AUDIO: The Beginning
 * Already going by "the Doctor" and "Susan", the wanderers have their first experience with humanity during their first trip to the Solar system.

Wanderers in the fourth dimension

 * PROSE: First Meetings
 * "El Jefe" has quickly become disillusioned after leaving the "Lords Temporal", but after " Alison" steals Iris Wildthyme's diaries, he is inspired.


 * PROSE: The Five O'Clock Shadow
 * The Doctor is telling a bedtime story to Susan.


 * AUDIO: The Sleeping Blood
 * Susan feels enough familiarity with the TARDIS to begin calling it home.


 * AUDIO: Seven to One


 * COMIC: Time Trick


 * PROSE: The Arboreals
 * The chameleon circuit is operational.


 * PROSE: Dr. First
 * The Doctor and Susan land in London, much to the Doctor's chagrin. The Doctor recognises the Cybermen.


 * PROSE: Indian Summer


 * PROSE: All-Consuming Fire
 * The Doctor and Susan visit Jabalhabad.


 * PROSE: Childhood Living
 * The Doctor and Susan are familiar enough with Earth to debate whether or not the Great Wall of China is visible from space.


 * PROSE: Categorical Imperative
 * Learning that a dictator would cause Earth's destruction, the Doctor and Susan go back in time to kill the dictator as a baby. However, the Doctor drops his weapon and is forced to flee before he even sees the baby.


 * PROSE: Life from Lifelessness
 * The chameleon circuit is operational.


 * PROSE: The Price of Conviction
 * The chameleon circuit is operational. The Doctor and Susan have been on Earth several times by now.


 * PROSE: The Gift


 * PROSE: A Big Hand for the Doctor
 * The Doctor is familiar enough with human pop culture to reference Harry Potter, Blake's 7 and Artemis Fowl.


 * PROSE: Bide-a-Wee
 * The Doctor is relatively familiar and comfortable with humanity, but he and Susan have not yet settled in 1960s London.


 * PROSE: Losing the Audience


 * COMIC: Where's the Doctor?
 * The Doctor and Susan attend the coronation of Elizabeth II.


 * AUDIO: Quinnis
 * Set "4 or 5 journeys" before The Edge of Destruction. The chameleon circuit is operational. The Doctor believes Susan needs friends her own age, stability and teachers.


 * PROSE: Urrozdinee
 * The chameleon circuit is operational. At the end of the story, the Doctor says that he and Susan will "put down some roots" for a while, implying that the next stop may be 1963.


 * AUDIO: The Alchemists
 * The Doctor and Susan have already had many adventures in the 20th century, but have not seen much of the latter half of the century. The Doctor is looking for a place for him and Susan to settle down for a while.


 * PROSE:  The Little Things
 * The Doctor takes a brief trip to 1997 to check if the United Kingdom will remain a safe place to stay in the times to come.

Hiding on Earth

 * PROSE: The Rag & Bone Man's Story
 * The Doctor arrives in 1960s London, and Susan begins attending Coal Hill School. The TARDIS is damaged by the Blessing Star.


 * PROSE: Echoes of Future Past
 * The Doctor has only recently arrived in London 1963, and Susan is already in education.


 * PROSE: Time and Relative
 * Set on 1 April 1963. The Doctor and Susan have been on Earth for some time, Susan is attending school and something breaks when the Doctor journeys in the TARDIS, forcing him to fix it using 20th century parts. The Doctor begins to take an interest in protecting the human race.


 * COMIC: Time & Time Again
 * As the Doctor walks through 1963 Shoreditch, he thinks of where to hide the Hand of Omega, setting this before he buried it during late October.


 * PROSE: The Juror's Story
 * The Doctor begins calling himself "Dr. Foreman".


 * PROSE: Ash


 * COMIC: Operation Proteus
 * Set on 22 October 1963.


 * AUDIO: Hunters of Earth
 * The Doctor and Susan have been on Earth for four months, setting it one month prior to the events of An Unearthly Child.

Meeting Ian and Barbara

 * COMIC: Supremacy of the Cybermen (comic story) Prologue: The First Doctor
 * In an alternate timeline created by Rassilon and the Cybermen, the Doctor is captured by the Cyberman immediately before the events of An Unearthly Child.


 * TV: An Unearthly Child
 * On 22 November 1963, Susan's curious teachers, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, follow her home and force themselves into the TARDIS, and the Doctor flies the ship in a panic, bringing the teachers with him and Susan to 100,000 BC. Ending leads directly into The Daleks.


 * TV: The Daleks
 * The Doctor encounters the Daleks and the Thals for the first time. He also explains that he can't properly fly the TARDIS and can't return to 76 Totter's Lane. Ending leads directly into The Edge of Destruction.


 * TV: The Edge of Destruction
 * The TARDIS' sentience is brought up for the first time. After realising that his paranoia got the best of him, the Doctor makes amends to better himself in the future. Ending leads directly into Marco Polo.


 * COMIC: The Secrets of the Tardis
 * The Doctor explains how the TARDIS works to Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, setting this during The Edge of Destruction: The Brink of Disaster .

Further adventures

 * TV: Marco Polo
 * The TARDIS crew venture on a trek through China with Marco Polo in 1289. The Doctor receives a cane from Kublai Khan.


 * PROSE: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
 * The TARDIS crew have just left China, setting this immediately after Marco Polo.


 * COMIC: The Forgotten
 * The Doctor is using the cane he received in Marco Polo. Ian has changed out of his Chinese gown.


 * PROSE: The Ruins of Time
 * Ian and Barbara are still trying to grasp some of the more alien concepts in their travels, and the Doctor is not yet on a first name basis with them.


 * COMIC: The Path of Skulls
 * The Doctor is still unfamiliar with the layout of the TARDIS interior, and is still learning about most of the universe.


 * AUDIO: A Small Semblance of Home
 * Barbara recalls the recent events of The Daleks.


 * PROSE: Who Discovered America?


 * TV: The Keys of Marinus


 * TV: The Aztecs
 * The Doctor warns Barbara about the consequences of altering the course of history.


 * TV: The Sensorites
 * Susan unlocks a deeper telepathic ability than the Doctor thought she had. Barbara has fully recovered from her ordeal from The Aztecs. When Ian makes a snide comment about the Doctor's piloting, the enraged Doctor claims he will leave Ian at the next stop, leading into The Reign of Terror.


 * AUDIO: The Transit of Venus
 * Set between The Sensorites and The Reign of Terror, with the Doctor preparing to throw Ian and Barbara out of the TARDIS.


 * TV: The Reign of Terror
 * Starts from where The Sensorites left off, with the Doctor still arguing with Ian and Barbara.


 * AUDIO: Rise and Fall
 * Ian refers to the events from The Reign of Terror as the travellers' latest trip.


 * AUDIO: The Destination Wars
 * Authorial intent places this during Season 1. The crew are a close unit, and Ian wonders if they are still on Earth, indicating this takes place after The Reign of Terror. The Doctor spends two years on Destination fixing the damage caused by the Master. Ending leads directly into The Great White Hurricane.


 * AUDIO: The Great White Hurricane
 * This is Ian's first time in New York City. Susan admits that she sees Ian and Barbara as family. After their adventure in New York City, the Doctor claims to have found a way to return Ian and Barbara home.


 * AUDIO: The Invention of Death
 * Follows directly on from The Great White Hurricane, with the Doctor failing to return the TARDIS to 1963. The Doctor refers to the recent events of The Reign of Terror.


 * AUDIO: The Barbarians and the Samurai


 * AUDIO: The Phoenicians
 * Follows directly on from The Barbarians and the Samurai, with Ian, Barbara, and Susan wondering where the TARDIS will take them next. Ian and Barbara learn that the TARDIS has a library.


 * AUDIO: Tick-Tock World
 * Follows directly on from The Phoenicians. Susan mentions that she is a little bit telepathic. The Doctor realised that he needs to give Susan more independence.


 * AUDIO: The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance


 * AUDIO: Farewell, Great Macedon
 * Authorial intent places this between The Reign of Terror and Here There Be Monsters. Barbara knows that history cannot be changed, but Ian isn't convinced.


 * AUDIO: The Masters of Luxor
 * Set directly after Farewell, Great Macedon, with the events from The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance being mentioned.


 * PROSE: The Last Days
 * Barbara refers to the events of The Aztecs.


 * PROSE: Mire and Clay


 * PROSE: The Duke's Folly
 * Barbara refers to the Doctor's warning about interfering with history from The Aztecs.


 * PROSE: The Mother Road
 * Susan knows of Barbara's familiarity with Cortez and the Mexican civilisations, setting this after The Aztecs.


 * PROSE: Tell Me You Love Me


 * PROSE: The Reign Makers
 * Barbara believes that history cannot be changed, setting this after The Aztecs.


 * AUDIO: A Star is Born


 * AUDIO: The Wanderer
 * Ian remembers the Doctor saying that the travellers' "destiny is in the stars", which he said in The Reign of Terror. Barbara and Ian still believe that history can't be changed.


 * AUDIO: The Alchemists
 * Susan is writing a letter for Ian and Barbara to read after she's gone. She mentions the Doctor's warning of the immutability of history from The Aztecs, but feels the need to explain that it's wrong, presumably setting this before The Library of Alexandria and The Flames of Cadiz.


 * AUDIO: The Library of Alexandria
 * Ian refers to the events from The Transit of Venus. He and Barbara begin to think that the Doctor has been deceitful with them about changing history.


 * AUDIO: The Flames of Cadiz
 * Ian refers to his encounter with Captain James Cook from The Transit of Venus. He and Barbara aren't surprised when the Doctor thinks that history can be changed.


 * PROSE: Rennigan's Record


 * AUDIO: The Light at the End


 * AUDIO: Domain of the Voord
 * Sequel story to The Keys of Marinus.


 * AUDIO: The Age of Endurance


 * AUDIO: Here There Be Monsters
 * Susan is beginning to realise she will need to leave the Doctor soon and make her own life.


 * PROSE: City at World's End
 * Susan mentions the human-colonised planet from The Sorcerer's Apprentice. The removal of the life pod from the TARDIS begins to affect its dimensional stability, setting this shortly before Planet of Giants.


 * PROSE: The Witch Hunters
 * Susan is still troubled with the telepathic powers she demonstrated in The Sensorites, Barbara is still regretful for the events of The Aztecs, and she and Ian recall the events of The Reign of Terror. After leaving 1692, the Doctor pilots the TARDIS to 1742, and makes further plans to jump from the 18th century to the 20th century, leading into Planet of Giants.


 * PROSE: The Thief of Sherwood
 * The TARDIS begins suffering from space pressure, leading directly into Planet of Giants.


 * TV: Planet of Giants


 * PROSE: The Time Travellers
 * Set immediately after Planet of Giants.


 * TV: The Dalek Invasion of Earth
 * The Doctor encounters the Daleks for the first time since The Daleks. Susan falls in love with rebel David Campbell, and the Doctor decides to leave her behind so she can grow into her own person.

Post-Invasion

 * TV: The Five Doctors
 * An older Susan is briefly reunited with the First Doctor as well as meeting three future incarnations.


 * PROSE: Legacy of the Daleks
 * Susan meets the Eighth Doctor.


 * AUDIO: An Earthly Child
 * Returning to Earth, the Doctor finds that Susan has a son, Alex Campbell.


 * AUDIO: Relative Dimensions
 * Susan and Alex have Christmas dinner with the Doctor and Lucie Miller in the TARDIS.


 * AUDIO: Lucie Miller / To the Death
 * Susan is caught up in a second Dalek invasion in which Alex and Lucie are killed.


 * AUDIO: All Hands on Deck
 * Susan is living in a block of flats Coal Hill School eventually became when she discovers Hypercube messages left by the Time Lords, who are fighting a great war against the Daleks. Despite the Doctor's attempt to distract and convince her not to leave, Susan answers the call and is picked up by a TARDIS.