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Massive multi-platform Doctor Who story Time Lord Victorious designed to be 'a fun, inclusive experience'
In just a little over a week, the world of Doctor Who will expand even beyond the reaches of the TARDIS. Starting Sept. 2 in the U.S. and Canada, BBC Studios kicks off Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious, a massive, 12-week, multi-platform narrative that spans across comics, books, audio dramas, CD/Vinyl, toys, and games. Hey, we weren’t kidding when we said this thing was massive.
James Goss, the BBC producer responsible for putting all this together, described Time Lord Victorious exclusively to SYFY WIRE as being not unlike a “massive Doctor Who festival that runs for months” where fans can explore all the different offerings from all of the various licensees “and dash off and have fun” with what looks good to them, whether it be the comics, the books, or the audio dramas. And while there is so much content from so many different licensers — “It is huge,” Goss enthused — it has been designed to be “a fun, inclusive experience.” Just as it’s not necessary to experience every offering at a festival to enjoy it, fans don’t need to consume every offering from Time Lord Victorious to have fun with it. Those that do, however, will have fun finding all the common threads and connections between the stories.
“Every single title has been designed to be standalone, so that every story, no matter what medium you pick it up in, has a beginning, a middle, and an end,” Goss explains. “Every single strand is self-contained, but together, they weave a quilt.”
The giant quilt being weaved tells a story about a time in the Tenth Doctor’s life when he believes he is the Time Lord Victorious — meaning he was the "winner" of the Last Great Time War. He goes back to the Dark Times at the start of the universe, where even the Time Lords don’t go. And because the Tenth Doctor has gotten a little too big for his space britches, he takes on Death and wins, which of course has terrible, terrible consequences. So, this draws in the Eighth and Ninth Doctors, as well as companion Rose Tyler, on an epic adventure through time and space to save the Doctor’s home planet of Gallifrey and set things right.
There will be Daleks. There will be Ood. And there will also be some new space monsters. And it'll be fun.
"It’s not a complicated time paradox adventure,” Goss promises. “It’s very much set in fun mode.”
The whole thing kicks off Sept. 2 in the U.S. and Canada with Titan Comics launching the first of two oversized comic books, with the Tenth Doctor facing off against his oldest enemies, the Daleks, followed by Penguin Random House Children’s releasing Doctor Who: The Official Annual 2021, which ties into the Time Lord Victorious story, on Sept. 3. Then, BBC Books will publish two novels — The Knight, The Fool and The Dead by Steve Cole on Oct. 1 (in which the Tenth Doctor confronts beings that dispense mortality), and All Flesh Is Grass by Una McCormack on Dec. 10 (in which the Tenth Doctor's plan to end Death and bring life to the universe begins to unravel).
And that really is just the start. The project will also unveil collectibles from Eaglemoss Hero Collector (including a first-of-its-kind gold Dalek Emperor figurine), audio dramas from Big Finish, many of which star Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor, a digital download from Big Finish (Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious - Echoes of Distinction) consisting of two separate adventures starring McGann and David Tennant, and a new story available via CD/vinyl/digital download from BBC Audio and Demon Records later this year. Fans in North America can go to BBC Shop’s pages for U.S. and Canada for more details. The full global lineup with all the details is available online at Doctor Who TV.
In addition to the offerings that have been publicized, Goss promises that more is on the way.
“We are still announcing stuff,” he teases. “The gaming aspects have not yet been announced; some of the digital aspects have not been brought forward. But they’re going to be great.”
Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious, BBC Studios' new Doctor Who multi-platform project, launches in the U.S. and Canada on Sept. 2, 2020.
