Country of the Blind (short story)

 was a Brief Encounter short story published in the Doctor Who Yearbook 1993. It provided an explanation of Liz Shaw's departure from UNIT.

Her departure has also been shown and/or explained in the stories The Scales of Injustice, Reconnaissance and Prisoners of the Sun. Country of the Blind was the only one of these stories that stated that Liz did not leave UNIT to work at the University of Cambridge.

It was also notable for showing the Other's influence on the Doctor.

Publisher's summary
Companion Liz Shaw, exasperated by his attitudes, has decided to say goodbye to the Third Doctor. A new story by Paul Cornell, author of Doctor Who: The New Adventures novel Revelation. Illustration by Paul Vyse.

Plot
To boost morale, the Brigadier has decided that the Doctor's laboratory should be repainted. He has assigned this task to the newly recruited Captain Michael Yates. Unfortunately, this annoys the Third Doctor, as he is using his lab for a "very important thought experiment". The aforementioned experiment concerns the fact that since regenerating the Doctor has become an expert in martial arts. The Doctor theorises that his body isn't gaining new skills, but remembering them.

As the Doctor stubbornly accepts that his lab will be redecorated, Liz Shaw walks into the room with a nervous look on her face. The Doctor greets her by asking if she believes in reincarnation. Liz quietly responds that she doesn't, and begins to tell the Doctor that she has received an offer from the Queen Mary University of London to work at CERN. Liz clarifies that accepting the offer would mean leaving UNIT. The Doctor condescendingly replies, "Well, you don't want to do that, do you?", angering Liz. She tells the Doctor:""I was considering leaving, but now you've convinced me. I have a brilliant career in front of me, Doctor. I have to put that first."

- - Liz Shaw

The soldiers doing the redecorating accidentally bump into some of the Doctor's equipment, leading to him being temporarily distracted. He turns around to ask Liz to share a final glass of wine, but she has already left.

Characters

 * Third Doctor
 * Liz Shaw
 * Mike Yates
 * Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart

Worldbuilding

 * The Doctor mentions that Queen Mary once asked him to be her court physician.
 * The Doctor has never been taught Venusian aikido, he theorises that he learned it in a previous life.

Continuity

 * The Doctor has been considering his new incarnation, (TV: Spearhead from Space) and his newfound prowess at martial arts. (TV: Inferno)
 * The Brigadier notes that some of his past encounters with the Doctor have been aggressive. (TV: Doctor Who and the Silurians; PROSE: The Straw that Broke the Camel's Back)