The Doctor's Journal was a set of short stories which were published in the the first issue Doctor Who Weekly. The stories essentially feature the Doctor giving a brief synopsis of a recent adventure, accompanied by fully coloured illustrations which were meant to directly tie-into transfers included with the first four issues of the magazine. Printed on the back of the front cover, the story was the first narrative printed in the magazine. The stories second and third parts were published more than 36 years apart, as the feature returned for the celebratory 500th issue.
In the first issue, a series of transfers were included which could be added to the illustrations by the owners of the magazine. For instance, the illustration for Entry 3512/A-7 featured a group of tribesmen gathered in a circle with a gap in the center for the transfer of the Fourth Doctor. DWM 500 followed in this tradition by including stickers which could be applied to the page. Both issues included guides for where to place the images.
Summary
Entry 2481/B-3
The Doctor lands on a Vorgan Space Platform, and the TARDIS is captured by the Vorgs as the Doctor escapes into the depths of the complex. The Doctor manages to steal a field generator from a sleeping guard, and uses this to deflect the Vorg's laser blasts. Making his way back to the TARDIS, the Doctor is spotted by a squad of Vorgs who summon a Mobile Neutron Cannon to shatter the Doctor's force shield. At that very moment, a fleet of battle cruisers arrive out of a white hole and begin attacking the platform, as they seek to reclaim ships captured by the Vorgs. The ensuing chaos creates enough of a diversion for the Doctor to escape in the TARDIS. (DWM 1)
Entry 3512/A-7
The Doctor lands on Magnon 5 to stretch his legs, but a malfunction in the TARDIS causes it to dematerialize without him. The natives become convinced that the Doctor is a devil-being and tries to hunt him down with their tamed Tyrannasaurs. What the Doctor is not aware of it that their pet Pteranodons are watching him from the air as well, and he is soon trapped in a natural arena.
As the dinosaurs draw nearer, the tribe's chief appears and orders the Doctor's death. At this moment, the TARDIS reappears and the Doctor swiftly leaves, noting that he had left the door open. (DWM 1)
Entry 15234/C-4
The Doctor lands on the planet Sigma to visit his old friend Ivan Asimoff, but a malfunction in the TARDIS causes him to arrive half-a-million-years early; when the planet was still overrun by bog-monsters. The Doctor manages to distract them with his Venusian marble collection and he escapes. (DWM 500)
Characters
Entry 2481/B-3
Entry 3512/A-7
- Fourth Doctor
- Tyrannasaurs
- Pteranodons
- Tribe
- Tribe's chief
Entry 3512/A-7
- Twelfth Doctor
- Bog-monsters
References
to be added
Notes
The full colour illustrations, with transfers applied exactly where the guide suggests.
- While the first two stories in this series blatantly represent the Fourth Doctor in some aspect on the page, the celebratory third story leaves the page blank while leaving the reader with a series of stickers to pin to the background. While there is a guide as to where to place these, the same guide notes that it is truly up to the reader. Despite this, the guide clearly shows that the story is meant to feature the Twelfth Doctor.
Continuity
to be added
