Tip of the Tongue was the fifth Puffin eshort released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. It featured the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa.
It was later published in the short stories anthologies 11 Doctors, 11 Stories, 12 Doctors, 12 Stories and Thirteen Doctors, 13 Stories.
Publisher's summary[]
In 1945, a strange new craze for Truth Tellers is sweeping the kids of small-town America. The Fifth Doctor and Nyssa soon arrive to investigate the phenomenon, only to discover that the actual truth behind the Truth Tellers is far more sinister than anyone could have imagined...
Plot[]
to be added
Characters[]
- Fifth Doctor
- Nyssa
- Jonny Heftklammern
- Nettie Washington
- Marisa Channing
- Mr Acklin
- Mrs Acklin
- Annabelle Acklin
- Principal Marshall
- Virginia Watson
- Edith Magee
- Mr Finnegan
Worldbuilding[]
- Nettie at first believes that the Truth Tellers originated in "Europe or South America or something" as a chemical experiment for use in the war.
- Nyssa speculates that the Dipthodat practice of building houses from secreted polymers similar to sugar could be the origin of some of the candy houses in Earth folklore.
- Slavery is illegal in Earth's solar system and "every neighbouring system between here and the Dipthodat homeworld," according to the Doctor.
- The Dipthodat are a xenophobic species who feed off of negative energy. They enslaved the Truth Tellers — actually known as Veritans — to help create that energy.
- The Doctor asks Jonny and Nettie to be his companions, but they decline.
Notes[]
- An audiobook of the story was read by Nicholas Pegg.
Continuity[]
- The Doctor says "brave heart" to Nettie, a phrase he would often say to Tegan. (TV: Earthshock et al.)
- The Doctor references Adric's death (TV: Earthshock) and Tegan's departure. (TV: Time-Flight)
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