According to the Twelfth Doctor, every story ever told really happened and stories were where memories went when they were forgotten. (TV: Hell Bent [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who series 9 (BBC One, 2015).) In contrast, the Narvin of the Warrior's universe claimed that almost no stories were true. (AUDIO: Dust Devil [+]John Dorney, Genesis (Doctor of War, Big Finish Productions, 2022).)
History[]
In the summer of 2004, GPW dismissed their children's claims about "lizard people" that the Ninth Doctor had rescued them from as "silly stories". In March 2005, Sarah Jane Smith, by now working for The Daily Mail, sought information on the Doctor through Clive Finch's conspiracy website, Doctor Who?, in order to arrange an interview with him. (PROSE: Have You Seen This Man? [+]various authors, Who is Doctor Who? (BBC, 2005).)
After the Dummy Massacre on 26 March 2005, (PROSE: The Doctor Was Involved in the Dummy Massacre [+]BBC webteam, Who is Doctor Who? (BBC, 2005)., Operation Mannequin [+]BBC webteam, U.N.I.T. (BBC, 2005).) a new webmaster took over Who is Doctor Who? and posted the stories of some of the site's readers who survived the attack, as well as leaving a section open for more stories to be submitted. (PROSE: Dummy Massacre [+]BBC webteam, Who is Doctor Who? (BBC, 2005).)
After the crash of an alien spaceship in Central London, Mx asked his readers for their stories of the crash. (PROSE: Alien landing confirmed [+]BBC webteam, Who is Doctor Who? (BBC, 2005).) After the defeat of the Slitheen family the the following day, Mickey (TV: World War Three [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 1 (BBC One, 2005).) wrote on his website the following morning, where he asked his readers, once again, for their stories about the aliens. (PROSE: Hoax This! [+]BBC webteam, Who is Doctor Who? (BBC, 2005).)
In late 2006, Mickey Smith wrote on Who is Doctor Who? that Rose Tyler's bouts of not contacting him or Jackie while travelling with the Ninth Doctor, was the "usual story", when he wrote about the final time her saw her (PROSE: Mars [+]BBC webteam, Who is Doctor Who? (BBC, 2005).) when the Ninth Doctor sent her back to Earth from the Game Station for her protection, until Rose broke into the heart of the TARDIS, transcending into the Bad Wolf, and left to help the Doctor. (TV: The Parting of the Ways [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 1 (BBC One, 2005).)
As most people who worked for the press, referred to as "Fleet Street", were in holiday cottages in the Cotswalds over Christmas 2006, only a skeleton crew of office juniors were actually working, so when UNIT's Sgt A. Frederick had to brief the press on (PROSE: Project Rooftop [+]BBC webteam, U.N.I.T. (BBC, 2005).) the Sycorax invasion of Earth (TV: The Christmas Invasion [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who Christmas special (BBC One, 2005)., PROSE: The Final Darkness [+]Stephen Cole, Doctor Who Files 4: The Sycorax (Doctor Who Files, 2006)., The Christmas Invasion [+]Jenny T Colgan, adapted from The Christmas Invasion (Russell T Davies), Target novelisations (Target Books, 2018).) she had issues, as they were more concerned about trying to put out the "biggest story of their lives." (PROSE: Project Rooftop [+]BBC webteam, U.N.I.T. (BBC, 2005).)
In the 2010s, when the Eleventh Doctor mentioned in a letter to a group of humans that had an adventure involving the Elysium, he said that him accidentally taking Dolly to the Moon instead of Bognor was "a whole other story". (PROSE: Hello! [+]Tom MacRae, The Crash of the Elysium tie-ins (Punchdrunk and BBC, 2011).)
On 1 December 2023, before she was interviewed by Davina McCall, Ruby Sunday was told by her mother Carla to not let anyone tell her story for her, as it was hers. (PROSE: The Church on Ruby Road [+]Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, adapted from The Church on Ruby Road (Russell T Davies), BBC Books novelisations (BBC Books, 2024).)
Shortly after Big Bang Two, the Eleventh Doctor told Amelia Pond in 1996 that "[they were] all stories in the end", encouraging her to "make [her's] a good story". (TV: The Big Bang [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who series 5 (BBC One, 2010).) When facing Akhaten, the Doctor decided to tell the entity a story, nearly overwhelming Akhaten with the weight of all his memories. (TV: The Rings of Akhaten [+]Neil Cross, Doctor Who series 7 (BBC One, 2013).)
The Pyromeths were said to have given fire to every sentient race in the universe so they could keep their benefactors entertained with stories. The Doctor warned every companion he took on about the Pyromeths and their love for stories, telling them how to lead him to the Pyrometh realm. When Martha Jones was abducted, she told the Pyromeths stories of the Doctor, allowing him to rescue her. Understanding that they had been listening to facts, the Pyromeths were weakened enough that the Doctor was unobstructed in leaving with Martha. (COMIC: Firelight [+]Dan Slott, Doctor Who Comic (Titan Publishing Group, 2023).)