Tardis

New to Doctor Who or returning after a break? Check out our guides designed to help you find your way!

READ MORE

Tardis
Advertisement
Tardis
RealWorld
ImagesAvailable

First Day of the Doctor was the fourth short story and thirteenth release exclusively published in Doctor Who The Official Annual 2024 on 7 September 2023 by Penguin Group[1] and written by Paul Lang.

The short story, stylised as diary entries written by a selection of Doctors after their first adventures, was notable for being the first work of fiction released to explicitly feature the Fifteenth Doctor, and the first to mention Ruby Sunday.

Plot[]

The Seventh Doctor[]

The Seventh Doctor writes in his diary that the Sixth Doctor was in the middle of a spin class set up by Mel when the TARDIS was forced to land on the planet Lakertya, causing him to regenerate after the crash landing. His assailant was the First Rani, who was trying to feed geniuses into a giant brain as part of some "preposterous plan" to achieve time manipulation on a large scale while he set about to stop her. The Doctor concludes his entry, not specifying the outcome of the adventure as he deemed it to be "obvious".

The Tenth Doctor[]

The Tenth Doctor writes in his diary about how, after his regeneration, he had a nap in the Powell Estate when a ship containing the Sycorax arrived in London's sky, and Rose Tyler attempted to handle the situation. However, the Doctor was still needed, so, after a cup of tea, he "sent the Sycorax packing with just a well-aimed satsuma". He then ate turkey and stuffing, thanks to Jackie Tyler preparing it, and afterwards he picked out a suit which he hoped not to get it "raggedy".

The Thirteenth Doctor[]

The Thirteenth Doctor writes in her diary that the last thing she wanted to do while wearing in her new pair of feet was to deal with a Stenza warrior travelling to Earth on a hunting expedition, but, thanks to a group of incredible people she met, she was able to save the day with her new "fam". After a regretful joke about them being fam-tastic, she then mentions how Tzim-Sha had teeth embedded in his face and how Grace O'Brien would've been brilliant in the TARDIS.

The Twelfth Doctor[]

The Twelfth Doctor writes in his diary about how his lack of a grin was justified by being swallowed by a dinosaur, riding around on a horse, almost being harvested for his flesh and organs, fighting "a robot with half a face" in a hot-air balloon, and had to deal with the trouble Madame Vastra and her friends got into, following his regeneration.

The Fifteenth Doctor[]

The Fifteenth Doctor's diary entry is obscured, and while most of the text is unintelligible, a quote — "what the h[...] here?" — is visible, as well as a mention of "Ruby S", but her surname is cut off.

Characters[]

Worldbuilding[]

  • The Seventh Doctor mentions there was confusion involving a ginger curly wig after his regeneration.
  • The Thirteenth Doctor believes her tenth incarnation would have found comradery with Tzim-Sha due to their shared fascination with teeth.
  • The Thirteenth Doctor laments that Grace would have been a great companion if she had not died.

Notes[]

Teaser_Trailer_-_60th_Anniversary_Specials_-_Doctor_Who

Teaser Trailer - 60th Anniversary Specials - Doctor Who

The trailer containing the first officially released footage of the Fifteenth Doctor.

  • The portion of the Fifteenth Doctor's entry that reads "what the h[...] here?" is an apparent reference to his appearance in the earliest teaser trailers for the 60th Anniversary Specials, in which he says, in what would have been the first ever line of his to be heard by viewers, "can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?", which would later turn out to be one of the first few lines spoken by him post bi-generation in The Giggle.
  • The Seventh Doctor mentioning some confusion with a ginger curly-haired wig is possibly a reference to the circumstances surrounding the production of Time and the Rani - particularly the fact that Colin Baker, angry about his dismissal from the role as the Sixth Doctor, refused to return to film a regeneration story; subsequently leading to an improvised regeneration sequence where Sylvester McCoy had to don a wig and the Sixth Doctor’s outfit to resemble his predecessor for that scene to be filmed, with CGI effects masking his face until the sequence was complete.

Continuity[]

Gallery[]

to be added

Footnotes[]

Advertisement