The Doctor Rules!!!!!! discussion

If you've never read this book, it has an interesting history. This was supposed to be an actual Sylvester McCoy episode, which would finally tell the Doctor's origin tale. The new show has its own direction, but what are your thoughts?

Personally, I would love if they kept this as the Doctor's back-story. It has just the right amount of originality and other-worldiness.

Haven't read it, but in my general opinion there are Two separate canons The Televised Episodes and the Novels (although arguments could be said there are quite a few individual Novel canons).

The Televised Episodes are the TV episodes and they also include the 2006 Movie, but not the 1960s movies. Also not including the audio plays, or straight to video one-off (or one-of) movies/shows.

The Novels Canon are all the books, well maybe about 3 different Canons as separate series of books (1980s/90s New Adventures, 1990s BBC Books, Current BBC Books Novels) or more.

It is similar to Star Trek having 3 different Canons now: The TV episodes and the TOS and Next Generation movies, The Books, and now the new Movie series.

My biggest reasons for the separations is the televised episodes rarely reference anything that has gone on in the books (it would be a very big challenge to coordinate everything) and often the books will contradict something that may have already been televised. Also if the televised episodes ignore their own continuity then how do you tack on everything in the books?

As far as the BBC is concerned I think they are sort of making the Audio recordings/plays part of the main canon. Not sure on this as the only one I have ever listened to or bought (in the early 80s) is the Tom Baker Era "Doctor Who And The Pescatons". Which if I recall correctly was the first Doctor Who Audio play later novelized.

Right - but this book was planned originally as a 7th Doctor story before (80's producer) Jon Nathan Turner got cold feet. And as of yet, even though it's a novel, it's all we have as far as an origin story goes.

I love that book. I do consider it canon myself but the last I knew the BBC does not. As far as I know the BBC does not consider any of the novels or audios to be canon. A show like this cannot maintain a solid fluid continuity so for me the books fit right in with no problems. The exception to that are the 7th Dr novels. The Virgin and BBC 7th Dr novels are so different that they really don't mesh together well at all. I prefer the Virgin line but there are a lot more 7th DR novels by Virgin and he is still my favorite Doctor. I loved the storytelling and the direction of those books. One day if I find the time I will go back and re-read them.

I had read something somewhere that said the BBC cannot reference the books or audios on TV because that would be seen as the BBC forcing their audience to buy other products tied into their TV show and I guess that is against some sort of law or contract or something. As a result the BBC can release them but they cannot be canon or referenced they are just extra. I do not remember exactly what the reasoning was I just remember the gist of it. Maybe someone from England can expand on that.

Myself I consider the books to be canon just like I do for Star Wars and Star Trek. Some books fit better than others but that can be some of the fun when you are done reading them, making sense of them in the bigger picture.

Thomas wrote: "I love that book. I do consider it canon myself but the last I knew the BBC does not. As far as I know the BBC does not consider any of the novels or audios to be canon. A show like this cannot mai..."

Incorrect. The BBC not only says bupkis on the very existence of a Doctor Who canon, this novel was on the BBC Doctor Who website as an ebook available to the public while the New Series was in full swing. 2006 I believe. Also the New Series has already taken from the novels all the way back to The Long Game. The rule is that the TV series must be all inclusive, so no viewer is required to go to another medium, like novels, websites, etc. to get the story. Lungbarrow is TV tie in. The TV show sets the stage, the novels flesh it out. Cheers!