1999 Throughout 1999 , much concern was raised on Earth over a feared computer glitch known as Y2K bug or the Millennium Bug . This had the potential to cause technological havoc as clock s changed from 1999 to 2000 ( the " 00 " in the date being expected to cause problems for many computer systems ) . The concern ended up being unfounded , though not without some help from one , or possibly two incarnations of the Doctor . ( PROSE : " Millennium Shock " ) Terry Brooks was serving as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during this year . ( PROSE : " Millennium Shock " ) On 12 May , Adelaide Brooke was born . ( TV : " The Waters of Mars " ) April MacLean , ( TV : " Nightvisiting " , " Detained " ) Matteusz Andrzejewski , ( TV : " Co - Owner of a Lonely Heart " ) and Ram Singh ( PROSE : " Joyride " ) were born this year . Jack Harkness met Neil Redmond in Miami . ( AUDIO : " Uncanny Valley " ) The Seventh Doctor and Ace fought the Mandragora Helix in London . ( COMIC : " The Mark of Mandragora " ) Johnny Chess ' first novel " Neurotic Boy Outsider " was published . ( PROSE : " The King of Terror " ) New Year ' s Eve . On 30 December , the Seventh Doctor , en route to Gallifrey with the remains of the Master , was forced to land the TARDIS in San Francisco and was caught in the crossfire of a gangland shooting . Ignorance of the Time Lord form meant that his surgeon , Grace Holloway , accidentally killed him . The Master escaped into the city . ( TV : " Doctor Who " ) On the same day the Sixth Doctor and Melanie Bush arrived in London . Mel visited her class reunion , while the Doctor reintroduced himself to Anne Travers . ( PROSE : " Millennial Rites " ) Several things happened on 31 December . The Seventh Doctor regenerate d into his eighth incarnation . The Master took Bruce as a host . With the assistance of Chang Lee and Grace , opened the Eye of Harmony . Opening the Eye destabilised Earth ' s physics and the Master used it to begin stealing the Doctor ' s lives . The Doctor helped Grace put the TARDIS in a temporal orbit , draining the power from the Eye and thwarting the Master . After the Master killed Grace and Lee , the Master fought the Doctor and fell into the Eye . The TARDIS reversed Lee and Grace ' s deaths and closed the Eye . ( TV : " Doctor Who " ) The Seventh Doctor and Melanie Bush crashed a party hosted by the Auton Alisha Hammerson and prevented another invasion by the Nestene Consciousness . ( COMIC : " Plastic Millennium " ) The Fourth Doctor stopped the millennium bug just as the New Year arrived . ( PROSE : " Millennium Shock " ) While Jack Harkness fought a " Millennium Bug " of his own , Alex Hopkins killed the rest of his Torchwood Three team , then himself after Jack returned , just as the New Year arrived in Cardiff ' s time zone . Harkness subsequently took over Torchwood Three . ( TV : " Fragments " ) Alex also spoke to Yvonne Hartman at Torchwood One of his epiphany beforehand on the phone , as he shot the team . This incident made her realise that the Torchwood Institute needed a stronger leader to face the 21st century . ( AUDIO : " One Rule " ) Dave Young spent the entire evening trying to convince his girlfriend , Anji Kapoor , that the millennium would not actually begin for another year . Kapoor , for her part , thought this extreme pedantry meant their relationship was in trouble . This incident led to her insisting on New Year ' s Eve 2000 that the two of them spend 2001 doing " Wild and Spontaneous Things ' — the result of which was the couple spontaneously going to Belgium in February 2001 . There , she met the Eighth Doctor and began travelling with him . ( PROSE : " Escape Velocity " ) The renegade Time Lady Iris Wildthyme and her companion Panda arrived in San Francisco in her TARDIS . Immediately after their arrival , Iris spilled gin into the bus ' control and out into Time Vortex , resulting in various different versions of Panda from alternative realities crossing over into the primary universe . With the assistance of Dr . George Strangeways , Iris was able to close the rift , though not before the Panda from the primary universe had been dragged into it . ( AUDIO : " The Panda Invasion " ) At midnight Ashley Chapel summoned Saraquazel , a being from after the universe . Anne Travers summoned the Great Intelligence at the exact same time leading to the two multi - dimensional entities colliding . This created the Great Kingdom . ( PROSE : " Millennial Rites " ) Alternate Timelines . In an alternative timeline , the Fifth Doctor , Peri Brown and Erimem visited Edinburgh on 31 December . ( PROSE : " Graham Dilley Saves the World " ) Unknown dates . Iris Wildthyme and Panda visited Hyspero ' s desert and built sand castles . Panda drew a sketch of Iris while she was resting . ( PROSE : " Iris at the V & A " )