Prepare for Doom’s Day, with our checklist of everything to expect from this summer’s Doctor Who event
This year’s Doctor Who multimedia event is almost here. And the BBC Studios team have revealed details of exactly what to expect from Doctor Who: Doom’s Day. The action follows Doom, the self described ‘greatest assassin in the universe,’ as she lives the worst, and very possibly last, day of her life. Her adventures will see her encounter times, places, characters and monsters from across all six decades of Doctor Who. From guest starring roles for the original companion team of Ian and Barbara, to the Ninth Doctor, the Ood and more, the epic will form a key part of the 60th Anniversary celebrations. As the assassin’s 24 hours to live tick by, the story will weave between comics, books, audios, and even games. Big Finish, Titan Comics, BBC Books, BBC Audio, and Doctor Who Magazine all have a role to play.
Compared to the previous such crossover, Time Lord Victorious, Doom’s Day is relatively straightforward. TLV was assembled like a jigsaw made of string. It followed different characters on different paths through a narrative which was also released out of sequence. In contrast, Doom’s adventures move in a complete circle like the hands of a clock. Release order matches narrative order, so you’ll always be able to pick up the next chapter in the story and know where it fits. Meanwhile, the outline seems largely episodic. So you should be able to skip over any given piece while still following the arc.
And Blogtor Who has created this handy graphic to illustrate exactly that.
The first eight hours of Doom’s quest take place in comic book form this June and July in the pages of Doctor Who Magazine and Titan Comics
The action kicks off on the Doctor Who social media channels on the 5th of June with a prelude set during the 1am-2am time frame. The adventure continues in comic book form in Doctor Who Magazine 592 out the 22nd of June. Set between 2am and 6am on Doom’s Day, a special supplement features four stories by Jacqueline Rayner and Russ Leach. Here’s where the assassin’s released from prison and realizes that Death itself is coming for her. Between them, Target Selected, The Plastic Population, High Noon in Hollywood, and The Horn of a Dilemma include appearances by the Doctor, the Autons, and Stormcage.
We stay in the world of comics in July as Titan Comics release A Doctor in the House. Covering between 6am and 10am on Doom’s Day, the two issues by Jody Houser and Roberta Ingranata sees Doom’s quest to find the Doctor bring her face to face with the most dangerous Time Lord of all: Missy. Part One arrives on the 5th of July, with the conclusion a few weeks later on the 25th.
The action moves to books and audio in August and September, with a novel, short story collection and a climactic Big Finish box set
August brings Penguin Random House’s and BBC Audio’s contribution to the event. Covering the period from 11am to 3pm, MG Harris’ novel Extraction Point is out on the 10th of August certain to be one of the most epic parts of Doom’s Day. Not only does she meet the Second and Ninth Doctors (both the ‘wrong’ ones) but she encounters the deadly Slitheen! On the 25th of August an audiobook of four short stories, Four from Doom’s Day, arrives from BBC Audio. The stories, The Steel Cascade, The Martian Dilemma, An Ood Halloween, and Dark Space, are all written by Darren Jones. There are readings performed by Doom herself, actor and comedian Sooz Kempner, along with Silas Carson (the Ood), and Jaye Griffiths (Jac). Four from Doom’s Day brings us from 3pm up to 8pm, and will be available as a download, CD, and even vinyl record!
The climax of Doom’s Day belongs to Big Finish in September. A boxset of four full cast audio dramas starring Sooz Kempner as Doom take place between 8pm and midnight on Doom’s Day. Will she finally catch up to her ‘right’ Doctor, and who will be playing them when she does? Will she defeat Death, and what price will she pay? Dawn of Everlasting Peace by Jacqueline Rayner, A Date with Destiny by Robert Valentine, The Howling Wolves of Xan-Phear by Simon Clark, and The Crowd by Lizzie Hopley bring Doom at last face to face with possible salvation… and the Silence.
Finally, the story returns to the Doctor Who social media channels with a post-midnight finale. It’s a new day. But will Doom be there to see it?
Doom’s Day will also feature in storylines in the Lost in Time mobile game
Doom’s Day will also be supported by two special Events in the Doctor Who: Lost in Time mobile game. AI am the Doctor is set between 10am and 11am and sees the assassin cross paths with K9 on a world populated entirely by robots. Meanwhile The Wrong Place at the Right Time sees Doom turn bodyguard for the hour from 3pm to 4pm. This will also allow you to add Doom as a playable character in your collection. Dates for the events to go live have yet to be confirmed, but given how tidily laid out the timetable is elsewhere, we can expect them to be probably be in late July/early August and later in August respectively.
With appearances by Ian, Barbara, K9, around five different Doctors, and enemies like the Autons, Silence, Ice Warriors, Missy and more, it’s clear that this is one 60th Anniversary celebration to watch. Blogtor Who will, of course, be giving you full details and reviews as the action unfolds this summer!
