Time & Time Again ( comic story ) Time & Time Again was a one - issue comic story in " Doctor Who Magazine " # 207 which celebrated the 30th anniversary of " Doctor Who " . When published , it was a significant , widely publicised " event " . At ten pages , it was longer than the then - standard comic in " DWM " , and was also " originally " printed in colour — something that did not regularly occur in " DWM " until the late 1990s . Narratively , " Time " was a celebratory multi - Doctor story , whose panels were filled with many visual references to the past , much like " The Five Doctors " . As with the earlier Terrance Dicks script , the narrative was less involved in plot and character , and primarily about building a structure that allowed meetings between the various Doctors . The story took place almost exclusively in an alternate timeline in which the First Doctor had been prevented from leaving Gallifrey by the Black Guardian . However , the story ends back in the " normal " universe , with what is ostensibly a genuine account of the First Doctor and Susan ' s original departure from Gallifrey . It was the only time in which the event has been depicted in a visual medium , until the series 7 episode " The Name of the Doctor " . Summary . The Black Guardian has changed time so that the Doctor never left Gallifrey . This causes chaos amongst the stars . The Doctor must revisit his past and hunt for the Key to Time , which will put time back on track and defeat the Black Guardian . Plot . Having decided to visit London , 1993 for a vacation , the Seventh Doctor , Ace and Benny find themselves in a city in ruins , with various aliens species such as Cyberman , Draconian s , Ice Warrior s , Silurian s , Robot Yeti and Zygon s roaming the streets . As the TARDIS crew are shot at by a Sontaran , a Sea Devil and a Dalek , the Black Guardian laughs at their misfortune , saying , " Die , Doctor . Die ! " . The White Guardian appears behind the Doctor and friends and explains what ' s going on ; the Black Guardian has changed history as revenge for the Doctor foiling his plans . In this new timeline , the First Doctor never left Gallifrey and became President of the Time Lord s . The Time Lords now fear the massive Dalek Empire and Earth has been invaded a dozen times for its tactical importance . The Guardian explains that to fix this the Doctor must once again find the segments of the Key to Time , and provides them with a set of ring s to help them . The segments have been dispersed along the Doctor ' s time track , meaning the TARDIS crew will have to go into the Doctor ' s past . Benny begins to ask how they ' ll recognise the segments , but is teleported mid - sentence . Arriving in a gleaming corridor , Benny discovers that her ring is talking to her . Realising that the object she seeks is a hat , she overhears the Second Doctor and Jamie McCrimmon discussing the fact that they are in the Land of Fiction . Posing as a fictional character , " the famous Hat Collector , straight out of Dr . Seuss " , she asks the Doctor for his hat . Zoe Heriot warns him that it might be a trap , but the Doctor dismisses her , and hands Benny the hat , and she dematerialises . Having arrived in a mansion , Ace grabs a sword mounted on the wall , as per her ring ' s instructions . However , before she can leave , the Third Doctor approaches , asking her whether she is the ghost seen by Sir Reginald Styles . Hoisting the sword ' s twin from the wall , he begins to duel with her . Ace disarms him , and , now with the correct sword , dematerialises . Having arrived beside a river , the Seventh Doctor encounters his sixth incarnation , who is fishing with Frobisher . Discussing what difference it would make if they hadn ' t left Gallifrey , the Seventh Doctor is unable to convince his previous incarnation of their importance to the cosmos , but acquires his sixth incarnation ' s cat brooch , and leaves . Arriving in a jungle , Benny attempts to get the attention of the Fourth Doctor , who is fleeing from Mandrel s . Unable to get through to him , she despairs , but , to her good fortune , he offers her a jelly baby for her silence . Choosing a green one with a missing leg , she departs . Encountering Adric amongst a group of people in fancy dress , Ace quickly get into position and catches a cricket ball hit by the Fifth Doctor before vanishing , leaving him stumped over whether or not he is out . In a dark London alleyway , the Seventh Doctor observes his first incarnation talking to himself about his granddaughter Susan and the Hand of Omega . Tripping him up just in time to avoid him being hit by a Dalek death ray , the Doctor shoves the Dalek into the path of an oncoming bus and picks up a book dropped by his first incarnation . Returning to the White Guardian , the trio hand over their items , with the Doctor expressing regret over having to lose his original TARDIS Instruction Manual . With time restored to normal , the White Guradian reassures him that he did the right thing . On Gallifrey , long ago , the First Doctor and Susan narrowly dodge an explosion . Telling her that they must remove the Hand of Omega from Gallifrey due to the current chaos , the Doctor manages to convince Susan that they must break the rules and leave the planet . She asks him whether they will ever return , to which he responds with the affirmative , but not until the time is right . Until then , they must try their best to create a legacy that will continue long after they have departed .