Justin Richards > Quotes

“Whatever humanity inflicts on itself, nature can always go one better.”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: The Deviant Strain

“The guards had asked the Doctor to please wait in the hallway until Mr McCavity had time to see him. So it seemed only polite, the Doctor thought, to wait until they had gone before he wandered off to explore the house.”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: The Resurrection Casket

“Heroes can be found in the most unlikely places. Perhaps we all have it within us to do great things, but may simply lack the circumstances or the reasons to be heoric.”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: Time Lord Fairytales

“I discovered to my relief and delight that it "was" a gun in his pocket.”
― Justin Richards, The Angel's Kiss: A Melody Malone Mystery

“I'm pretty good with a screwdriver. I don't mean the drink, though actually, now I come to think of it…”
― Justin Richards, The Angel's Kiss: A Melody Malone Mystery

“Four days after his own funeral, Albert Wilkes came home for Tea.”
― Justin Richards, The Death Collector

“Hey, tell me, when did this conversation go completely whoosh?”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: The Resurrection Casket

“Magic is just a term people use for things they’re too primitive to understand properly.”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: Silhouette

“He ain’t my friend,’ Harry said. ‘Not no more, he ain’t.’
Strax leaned across to Jenny. ‘At what age do these cubs become grammatical?’ he demanded.
‘Depends,’ she told him. ‘At what age do Sontarans become pacifists?”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: Devil in the Smoke

“You are blessed with luck, small one', he told Harry. 'Rejoice and give thanks - - someone wants you dead.”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: Devil in the Smoke

“Anything´s possible. Anything at all. Especially when it´s driven by love.”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: Time Lord Fairytales

“The Doctor's plan, such as it was, was to escape from Barinska without being shot.”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: The Deviant Strain

“Shoes made of glass? That wouldn't be very safe,' the man said. 'They're actually midnight crystal. Much tougher than glass and, thanks to a clear polymer lining that adapts to the shape of your foot, a lot softer too. Glass shoes would just be silly.”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: Time Lord Fairytales

“When the townsfolk emerged from their homes a couple of hours later to raise their faces to the golden sun rising briefly above the distant mountains, they were greeted not with the usual whisper of falling snow, but with clanks and thumps and what may have been Gallifreyan swearwords drifting from the upper section of the Clock Tower. Distracted”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: Tales of Trenzalore: The Eleventh Doctor's Last Stand

“The Doctor snorted. 'Wimp!' He squared his shoulders and turned towards the fire, grinning. 'Race you.' And he was off, running. Jack hesitated, sighed, swore, and ran after him. Levin and Krylek, Catherine and the villagers stared after them in astonishment. Two dark figures running though fire...”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: The Deviant Strain

“Strax gave a snort of amusement. ‘It is surely a very simple choice. One option is for a quiet life with honest work amongst other humans paying a living wage and with prospects of promotion within a distinguished household. The other... ‘ He drew himself up to his full height and looked up at them, ‘is the prospect of constant danger, fear and risk. No chance of ever seeing your friends again, or making new ones. The knowledge that death waits around the next corner and you are unlikely to see the end of the next week without at the very least a serious injury. A glorious alternative.”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: Devil in the Smoke

“Strax slammed his fist into the open palm of his other hand. ‘At last,’ he pronounced. ‘We strike for the greater glory of the Sontaran Empire. Sontar-Ha!’ His brow furrowed slightly as he saw the others’ expressions. ‘That is. For the greater glory of Paternoster Row, of course. Pater-Nos-Ta!”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: Devil in the Smoke

“Eddie sighed. Clearly they weren't going to realise who he was without help. He dropped his mouth open in an expression of horror and fear. "Oh my good God," he said loudly.
The men stared at him, mildly surprised at this outburst.
"Oh my cripes," Eddie went on quickly. "It's you, isn't it? You're the ones Lorimore's sent to find me, ain't you?!”
― Justin Richards, The Death Collector

“We're as safe here as anywhere, I suppose," Liz admitted.
"That's true enough," George agreed. "Like you said, this is the last place anyone would expect to find us."
He froze as behind them in the fog, someone cleared their throat.
"I must beg to differ," a voice said.
George turned so fast he sent the fog swirling. Liz gave a gasp of astonishment, and Eddie scrambled for cover.
"I'm so sorry," Sir William Protheroe said, "did I startle you?”
― Justin Richards, The Death Collector

“It worked better than she had hoped. Even husband Gerald gasped in surprise, and seemed to be trying to push the table back down—into the floor. George too seemed taken in, bless him.”
― Justin Richards, The Death Collector

“Can I help you?" the man asked. His tone implied that he doubted very much that he could.
"Yeah," Eddie told him from several steps lower down, "I'm meeting me mates here."
"Mates?" The man's nose wrinkled.
"George and Liz," Eddie said. The man seemed unmoved. "And Sir William Something-or-other."
This had an effect. The man came down the steps to meet him. "You're with Sir William's party?" he asked quietly, looking round to make sure no one could hear them.
Eddie nodded, surprised at the change in the man's attitude.
The doorman sniffed, and made a face. "Yes," he said, "Now you mention it, I can tell that you are.”
― Justin Richards, The Death Collector

“The Doctor did not answer. He was looking down at the floor, as if depressed, as if ready to accept the inevitable. But Rose could see what he was looking at. She realised what he was thinking, what he was planning to do. And ducked.”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: The Clockwise Man

“Madame Vastra and the others made their return to Paternoster Row by a circumspect route. Strax in particular was keen to intercept any individual he suspected might be following and forcibly remove a variety of their limbs and appendages. But Jenny prevailed upon him that most of the people he singled out were merely walking past. Given the lateness of the hour there were, thankfully, not many.
‘What about him?’ Strax said, pointing to a figure shambling slowly along on the opposite pavement.
‘That old lady is selling lucky heather, and she’s heading in a different direction so she’s unlikely to be following us.’
‘She could be bluffing. And who is this Lucky Heather anyway?’
‘It’s heather – it’s a plant not a person. It’s supposed to be lucky.’
‘Not if I catch her, it won’t be.’
‘Strax,’ Vastra said simply. ‘No.”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: Devil in the Smoke

“There was excitement and anticipation in her steps as she hurtled down the stairs full pelt. Not too late then, not yet. She had to get to Repple. Save Freddie, and the world. Simple.”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: The Clockwise Man

“You're not Shade Vassily,' the Doctor said. 'You just think you are.' And he reached up and took off Repple's face. 'Sorry.' He stepped aside, allowing Repple to see his own reflection.”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: The Clockwise Man

“That,’ said Benny, ‘is about as convincing an argument as the works of those historians who claim there was a fifth Teletubby.”
― Justin Richards, The Medusa Effect

“Explain,’ the troll hissed.
‘Explain what? I was just…’ Harry pointed back the way he’d come. ‘Let me go, please, sir. I won’t breathe a word about what I seen. Not about you nor the dead body.’
‘Explain the dead body,’ the troll said, shaking Harry so violently that his teeth rattled.
‘It’s a body,’ he said when he could finally draw breath. ‘And it’s dead. A woman, in a coat, bleeding.’
‘What colour fur?’ the troll demanded.
‘It’s not fur, it’s probably wool.’
The creature’s eyes narrowed even further. ‘Not the coat,’ it rasped. ‘On its head – what colour was the fur on the female’s head?’
Harry frowned, struggling to understand. ‘You mean her hair?’
‘Hair, fur, protective cranial grafting – whatever term you use on this primitive planet. What colour was it?’
‘Sort of… brownish.’
‘Brownish.’
‘And quite long. I think.’ Despite the tight grip that the troll maintained on his shoulders, Harry managed to get one hand up high enough to show how long the dead woman’s hair had been. ‘About this long.’
The grip on his shoulders loosened and Harry felt himself sag. Then he stumbled forwards under a near-crippling slap on his back.
‘Good lad,’ the troll said. ‘Your observational skills are adequate. You would make a good forward sniper.’
‘Oh, um, thank you, sir.’ Harry swallowed. ‘Can I go now?”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: Devil in the Smoke

“Ah, my dear. Let me introduce Miss Tyler and Doctor umm...' He glanced at the Doctor, but got no help. 'And the Doctor,' he finished.”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: The Clockwise Man

“He had a finger raised in the air for silence even before Rose saw him, but she had no doubt it was for her benefit.”
― Justin Richards, Doctor Who: The Clockwise Man

“Sir William frowned. "Where did you get that jacket?" he asked. Immediately he shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. "No, don't tell me. I've a feeling I don't want to know. Some washing line or laundry basket between here and Marylebone, no doubt.”
― Justin Richards, The Death Collector