In ‘Players’, he marries his interest in Winston Churchill to the Who universe, weaving Six and Peri into a grand tale of political intrigue and beings who play with the flow of history for sport.
We first encounter the great man as a war correspondent, hoping to see some action in the Boer conflict and make his name. This young Churchill is far from the familiar image we have of the cigar smoking wartime PM; he is earnest, stubborn and somewhat reckless. It soon becomes clear that although that this is Churchill’s first meeting with the Doctor, it is not the first for the Time Lord. On this occasion, the Doctor saves him from assassination and aids his escapes from a South African prison.
Later, we learn more of the Doctor’s history with Churchill. Utilising the infamous Season 6b theory, which suggests the Second Doctor worked for the Time Lords before his exile, we relive a meeting in No Mans Land during WWI.
With the Doctor’s interest piqued by the attacks on Churchill, he decides to set himself up in polite 1930’s society. It is unusual to see the Time Lord moving in such circles, yet somehow it seems plausible with the larger than life Sixth. Events move from the Ritz to Mayfair, to Churchill’s Sussex home of Chartwell and even a garden party at Buckingham Palace.
There is plenty of history on offer, with not only Churchill but the political situation too, as the plot begins to coalesce around the 1936 abdication crisis. Dicks employs an uncontroversial take, casting Wallis Simpson as a German sympathiser, and plays fast and loose with the timeframe too, but let’s face it – you don’t come to Doctor Who for historical accuracy!
The characterisations of the TARDIS crew are good, with Dicks wilfully admitting his desire to get the Doctor out his “clown suit” in the book’s forward. Peri gets plenty to do and her outsider position as an American allows for a plenty of explanation and mirth regarding the etiquette of royal life. With a handful of cheeky references to his other works, as well as some returning characters, the author also provides an added dimension for fans of continuity.
The Players themselves remain very much in the background, often in interludes between the chapters where we learn very little about them and the rules of their game. Their reaction to the Doctor is most interesting though, as they regard him as both a rogue element and a shape-shifter.
‘Players’ is not high art, nor does it push the boundaries of Doctor Who prose. However, it is an entertaining slice of fiction from a master of his craft, who skilfully inserts the time travellers into real life events to create a thoroughly enjoyable tale.
Published on Thursday 7 March 2013 by BBC Books.
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