Ghost of Christmas Past

"Why can't it just be Christmas Day?"

Writer: Scott Handcock
Format: Short Story
Released: October 2016
Printed in: Twelve Doctors of Christmas 08

Featuring: Eighth Doctor

Synopsis

The Time War is raging but the Doctor wants nothing to do with it. He helps where he can, but he's just feeling a bit lonely. The TARDIS gets ensnared between two timelines that are competing for dominance as the Time War continues its damage and the Doctor gets trapped in a time loop the second before Christmas Day begins. A message from an old face sets him straight.

Verdict

Ghost of Christmas Past was a wonderful continuation of the Twelve Doctors of Christmas story collection! I think this was definitely one of my favourites of the book and is probably only second to The Christmas Inversion. This saw the Eighth Doctor during the early days of the Time War which I was surprised about, but definitely pleased with. I liked how it was reiterated that he wanted nothing to do with the Time Lords in their battle against the Daleks and just helped where he could. Even then though that was difficult because of how extensive the War had got. Time was being rewritten everywhere and all around him and the difficulties this produced for the TARDIS were palpable. It had gotten ensnared between two competing timelines and ended up trapped in a time loop in the last second of Christmas Eve 2016. The Doctor's irritation and anger at wanting time to move forward and for it to just be Christmas Day was fantastic when he realised how he must feel like a child does on Christmas Eve. I can safely say from experience that this is exactly the case! I used to struggle to get to sleep on Christmas Eve until I was a good 14 or 15 years old because the excitement was just palpable so for the Doctor to stop and acknowledge that during the days of the Time War was a lovely moment. He soon grew bored in the TARDIS and had been counting each and every second for hours. But then a knock came from outside, except nobody was there. The Doctor's frustration was obvious and this is where I thought the characterisation of Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor was very good indeed. It captured his likeness from both The Movie and what he's done on audio since. I was impressed with that. I liked the descriptions of his unique TARDIS interior and his reaction when he found a letter hovering about was great. The letter being a hypercube from Susan was an unexpected pleasure. He'd gone around the TARDIS following the ghostly noise that was inside and gone past several of the old rooms of former companions, but he wouldn't disturb their memory and reminisce in the nostalgia. I thought that was quite sad really. It was lovely to get an update about Susan though following her departure in The Dalek Invasion of Earth and the message just being an invitation for Christmas Dinner was lovely. I just really wish he took her up on the offer! We didn't even need to have that encounter (although I'd have loved it) but just some indication that there is where he would be heading would've possibly made this story perfect. I liked though that the TARDIS and the Doctor being telepathically linked was explored a bit and each could feel when the other was down. The former had orchestrated all the events here to show the Doctor that he was loved. Maybe it was hinting that he needed a companion? It was very nice regardless. Overall, a lovely little story and it was nice to get more Eighth Doctor!

Rating: 9/10