While we wait for the concluding part of Ashildr’s story, ‘The Woman Who Lived’, here are our tips for a few other related Doctor Who tales worth digging out…
‘The Fires of Pompeii’ (2008)
After Ashildr’s death, the Doctor finally remembered where he had seen his new face before. Of course, it was from ‘The Fires of Pompeii’, Donna Noble’s first foray into the past which found her and the Doctor at odds over the fate of Pompeii’s citizens on “Volcano Day”, as he felt unable to interfere in established events.
Eventually, she prevailed on him to rescue a single family including the rather familiar looking marble trader Lobus Caecilius.
Obviously, we will now be waiting (but not holding our breath) for the link to John Frobisher from Torchwood: Children of Earth…
…and the in-universe reasoning for the Doctor choosing Maxil’s face for his Sixth incarnation.
‘Utopia’ (2007)
With Ashildr now functionally immortal, she shares a certain similarity to Captain Jack Harkness, sometime companion of the Doctor and head of Torchwood Cardiff. Whether she will gain her own spin-off show is another matter, but we fully expect the ramifications of her new condition to be explored next time.
It took a good couple of seasons for the Doctor to finally confront what “Bad Wolf” Rose had done to Jack in ‘The Parting of the Ways’, but the scene in ‘Utopia’ when they finally had the conversation is fantastic.
Of course, there’s plenty more going on in ‘Utopia’ thanks to Professor Yana finally realising the significance of his fob watch too… thanks for that, Martha!
> Buy Season 9 on DVD on Amazon.
> Buy Season 9 on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Which other stories would you recommend? Let us know below…