Gatecrashers

"It's a locked world, where girls can die and no one will know."

Writer: Joy Wilkinson
Format: Short Story
Released: October 2019
Printed in: The Target Storybook 01

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

"We're all stories in the end..."

In this exciting collection you'll find all-new stories spinning off from some of your favourite Doctor Who moments across the history of the series.

Discover what happened next, what went on before, and what occurred off-screen in an inventive selection of sequels, side-trips, foreshadowings and first-hand accounts – and look forward too, with a brand new adventure for the Thirteenth Doctor.

Each story expands in thrilling ways upon aspects of Doctor Who's enduring legend. With contributions from show luminaries past and present – including Colin Baker, Matthew Waterhouse, Vinay Patel, Joy Wilkinson and Terrance Dicks – The Target Storybook is a once-in-a-lifetime tour around the wonders of the Whoniverse.

Verdict

Gatecrashers was a good way to kick off The Target Storybook! I was delighted to receive this collection of short stories as a Christmas present and it clearly hasn't taken me long to get going. I was very excited about the prospect of this book with it promising sequels, spinoffs and what have you from past adventures, so I was a little let down that the continuity from The Witchfinders simply seemed to be the fact that it was written by the same writer! I am completely fine with this story taking place immediately after that episode, but there really ought to have been a mention. I was expecting a little more in terms of linkage or following on, but I now know to lower my expectations for the remaining adventures in this book. Now, enough of my negativity! I still really liked this story and it was a nice addition to the Series 11 chronology with it absolutely fitting into its era. The characterisation of all of Team TARDIS was excellent and I guess the benefits of having written for them on television will be partly responsible for that. I liked that Wilkinson paired the Doctor and Graham up following their Witchfinder General humour and they really do work so well together. I was a big fan and I'd love for there to be more teamwork between the pair in Series 12. Even though I have just finished rewatching the previous series, I think this was a good way to prepare for the new series as a new adventure with the quartet was most welcomed! The use of the codes to set the scene for each passage of text worked well and it broke up the story very nicely. This made for easy reading and just an enjoyable pace. I thought the use of sperantium was excellent and trying to harness imagination is a superb concept. I think that could work perfectly for an extended story. Ryan was written well with his mannerisms captured well and he was not a fan of the system that was in place on this mysterious and locked planet. A life contained within four walls with no windows seems horrendous! I start going barmy if I stay inside for the whole day so how Iz managed going from work to home to work and back again is beyond me. Arriving with her dead was a good starting point for the adventure and I liked how the Doctor and her companions just wanted to help and put things right. The use of the TARDIS for the Doctor and Graham to get around the different coded locations got a little overused, but I did like the humour that came from the latter not wanting to go to the power plant via the Doctor's ship. The mystery of the grey man and the plummeting down the lift for Yaz and Ryan seemed to come a bit quick, but that made for excitement and I liked that a lot. The revelation that he was actually the mayor of New Port City was a little surprising, but the Doctor seemed to have it all worked out as she so often does! Her intelligence is often on display at times like this. The image in my head coming from the story's illustration with Graham and the Doctor on a moped was sublime and I liked how they literally crashed in to save the pair of companions. The idea of a planet where teleportation came first and society was built around it was fantastic. The Doctor using a backscratcher and cheese to evade forcefields was also a very humorous and typically Thirteenth Doctor moment. The fate of the mayor was unfortunate and I was surprised that the Doctor didn't show more remorse. The ending with the remembrance for Iz and her imagination levels was a nice touch. Overall, a great little story!

Rating: 8/10