The Clockwise Man ( novel ) The Clockwise Man was the first BBC New Series Adventures novel released . It was written by Justin Richards and featured the Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler . Publisher ' s summary . In 1920s London , the Doctor and Rose find themselves caught up in the hunt for a mysterious murderer . But not everything is what it seems . Secrets lie behind locked doors and inhuman killers roam the streets . Who is the Painted Lady and why is she so interested in the Doctor ? How can a cat return from the dead ? Can anyone be trusted to tell — or even to know — the truth ? With the faceless killers closing in , the Doctor and Rose must solve the mystery of the Clockwise Man before London itself is destroyed . . . Plot . Peter Dickson can see the black cat from where he is standing , and recalls how superstitious his mother was . He watches it as it disappears . He is heading back to where he works . Inside the TARDIS , the Ninth Doctor says that they are heading for 1924 , England . Rose is worried about her choice of clothes as she prepares for the new sights outside . Dickson is sure he can hear something now , coming from all around him . A mystery figure pounces on him and he begins to choke . Exiting the TARDIS , Rose sees the Doctor trying to open a locked gate that blocks their way out of an enclosed space . They can hear a man struggling for his life , choking and shouting in terror . They open the gate to see two figures locked in a fight . The Doctor charges at the attacker , but is winded by the collision . When Rose arrives , the assailant decides to leave . Dickson thanks them and with the help of the newcomers , leads them to his work place . Two figures watch from the shadows as they walk down a street . Sir George Harding and his wife , Lady Anna are preparing for their party tonight . Sir George is having trouble with his clothes . His wife just laughs . The maid arrives , flustered , and says that Dickson has been hurt . The Doctor and Rose help Dickson into the house to the drawing room . There he explains to them and Sir George , about the assailant . He was asking about the evening ' s guests . His master orders him to gain some rest , but he is stubborn and wishes to help Rose find the lavatory to wash her hands after falling and drawing blood . All the guests are present except for the Painted Lady . Rose loses her way in the corridors and finds a small boy called Freddie to help her to the library . He takes her to a gallery and explains who all the guests are . There ' s Colonel Oblonsky , a regular visitor ; Uncle Alex and Auntie Nadia ; and a Lord Chitterington who works for the government . There are also two characters Freddie didn ' t know : Major Aske and Repple . After returning Freddie to his room , Rose finds her way to the library and tells the Doctor about all the people Freddie has named . Feeling out of place , they head back to the TARDIS . It has disappeared . They are searching for the TARDIS , when the Doctor realises that it was probably stolen . They should return to the house for dinner . A black car arrives at the house and Dickson appears on the threshold with an umbrella . He holds it for the woman from the car . She is obviously the Painted Lady . She announces that she is Melissa Heart . They enter the house . Dessert is being served . Lord Chitterington and the Koznyshevs have left . The Doctor seems keen to talk about the conspiracy . The room falls silent . Colonel Oblonsky thinks that the Doctor is an agent . Repple says he would know if the Doctor is an agent . To Major Aske ' s disappointment he announces that he wants his rightful country returned to him , some place called Dastaria . Melissa Heart seems to be enjoying herself . The others are talking about Russia and how they can regain their titles , how Lady Anna returned from there with her first husband and child , Freddie . Rose concludes that the small boy is actually the Tsar of Russia . Everything comes out now . Anna is actually Anastasia , a relative of Tsar Nicholas II and Queen Victoria . Her first husband was related to the late Tsarina . With the Tsar and others in his family dead , Freddie is the next in line . Colonel Oblonsky is head of the Tsar ' s personal guard , the Koznyshevs are supporters and Lord Chitterington gives help from the government , but merely diplomatic help . Repple is just another supporter who hopes to regain his title . Everyone moves to the drawing room . As Melissa Heart leaves , Rose notices Freddie wave to her and Melissa Heart return the wave . In the drawing room , Rose decides the revolution is hopeless . Repple is talking with Oblonsky . Aske asks for a quiet chat with Sir George . Dickson arrives and the Doctor asks about the assailant . He is about to describe a noise when his master and Aske return . Suddenly there ' s a ticking noise . Dickson says it is the same as when he was attacked . The Doctor heads into the hallway and says two Latin words : " Tempus fugit " . The Doctor is displeased to note that he has lost his leather jacket . Rose and Dickson agree that it has probably been tidied up by accident , so he is forced to walk to the Imperial Club , without an overall . Aske explains that if he and Rose are going to stay for a few nights , they will have to have proof that they are of noble birth . Inside , they are led by Repple and Aske to a larger room where a man is sitting . This is Lord Wyse . Lord Wyse is playing a chess game against himself and asks for the visitors to sit down . He explains that Crowther will sort out the rooms for The Doctor and Rose . There ' s a cat sitting on another chair nearby , which has a triangular patch of lighter fur under its chin . Repple is beginning to feel sleepy and Wyse offers to take him to his quarters . Aske explains that it is his condition . The Doctor is curious . First off , there is no Dastaria . Apparently , after performing in a play , Repple fainted . After waking , he was slightly mad and claimed that he was rightful King of Dastaria . Aske explains that he had to agree . Crowther arrives and says that the rooms are prepared . The Doctor and Rose find their rooms comfortable and look very expensive . After Crowther leaves , they hear a knock on the door . Repple is there , not looking tired at all . He says he needed to get away from Aske . He is the King of Dastaria , but he is also Aske ' s prisoner . Aske apparently carries a gun or a knife with him . The Doctor asks what the flag of Dastaria is . Repple says that it ' s a white triangle . He leaves and Rose notices the cat with a white triangle under its chin . Either he is lying or completely out of his head . The Doctor and Rose decide they need to get some sleep . The was leaning on the window sill , looking out at the 20th century London , which won ' t change that much . He stays awake all night , taking everything in , the buildings that would survive another century . Morning comes and he decides it ' s time to get some answers . Rose is awakened by a maid who appears very apologetic as she realises that Rose is still in bed . She guesses it was the Doctor ' s idea of waking her up . The maid is Beth who answers Rose ' s questions thoroughly . She talks about a mysterious figure who strangles people for information on people they work with and so on . Rose remembers the night before and shudders . She then heads down for breakfast . Rose arrives in the lounge to find the Doctor is playing Wyse in a chess game . She has missed breakfast , to her disappointment , but Wyse offers her bacon and eggs and leaves , realising he ' s about to lose . While Rose enjoys her breakfast , Wyse explains that he believes neither Repple or Aske are speaking the truth . He also believes that Aske is the one with delusions and not Repple . Being qualified as a psychiatrist is the delusional part of his story . Wyse then leaves the room . Crowther enters and says that a Melissa Heart is requesting the Doctor ' s presence in the gallery . The Doctor and Rose both leave . Melissa Heart has come because she was given the Doctor ' s leather jacket by Lady Anna . The Doctor cries happily as he puts it on . When the Doctor announces that he would thank Sir George and his wife for retrieving it , Heart hesitates enough for Rose and the Doctor to notice that it was not them that had found it . Inside her car , Heart relays some instruction to a blank - faced figure sitting next to her . The only sound is a ticking mechanism from within him . WHen out for a stroll , Wyse finds another body , lying next to an upturned dustbin . It is Beth . He calls for Crowther to get the Doctor , knowing that he would know what to do . After inspecting the body , the Doctor still doesn ' t seem to know much . To cheer up Rose , after seeing the body , he decides that they should see the British Empire Exhibition after all . Wyse comments that it is very good . They decide to stop by Harding ' s first . The Doctor and Rose return to Sir George ' s and find Freddie who joins them for a short chat . He explains that he overheard the adults ' conversation and knows nothing of his royalty . He remembers the time though , when his real father was killed . His mother arrives and practically explains the same thing and is worried about how Freddie would feel about the whole situation . Rose offers to take him to the Exhibition , but being worried , Anna says that he is only allowed in the car journey to Wembley . Freddie enjoys the car ride . Rose enquires about the lack of cars in the area . The Doctor explains that there will be more cars soon . He then talks of the war and how the 1919 flu took many lives . When they arrive , Rose promises to Freddie that she will tell him of everything . Inside the exhibition , Rose is interested by some things , but other she is completely bored . The final part of the exhibition brings them both to large building , which turned out to be Wembley Stadium , formally known as Empire Stadium . Rose is completely overwhelmed . Ronald Cheshunt and Matty Black are being employed by a mysterious woman who is wearing a mask . She is keen for them to discover all the information they can on the Doctor and Rose Tyler . They are to search the imperial club also for any security measures as they enter . The men seem a bit uneasy about it , but when they are threatened , they start immediately . They don ' t notice the black cat , sprawled on the ground across the street . The Doctor and Rose return from their journey in the exhibition . The Doctor , of course , is keen to play a little more chess with Wyse , who obliges . Rose heads up to her room , where she can ' t go to sleep even though she ' s tired . While living inside a very concerning dream featuring Aske trapped inside a box , she is awoken by a knocking sound from above her . She guessed it was Mr Pooter was back from his travels . After realising that the Doctor has not returned she finds some clothes to put on . While playing chess , the Doctor and Wyse discuss how the empire is not working for the British people . The Doctor somehow , after losing his queen , succeeds once again in checkmate . Cheshunt and Black are walking towards the imperial club . Due to the fact that the lights are out , they believe that everyone has gone to sleep . They are wrong when they realise that two men are playing a game in large chamber . They decide to search the corridor first and find a wooden chest , but they didn ' t count on the cat that came after them . It tears at their clothes like a mad thing and they are forced to scream out in terror . The two men appear , but are distracted by a young girl who calls for a Doctor . They take their chance and run for it . Rose tries to follow the men , but they are too fast . Instead , she watches as they drop the bag containing the black cat they have kidnapped into the Thames . She returns to the imperial club , where Crowther offers her tea . After telling him , he explains that Mr Pooter has not returned from his travels . Rose decides to tell the Doctor , but finds him stroking the black cat with his hand . The Doctor returns to George Hardin ' s house and finds Dickson . He tells the butler that he wishes to see Freddie and tell him about his and Rose ' s experience at the exhibition . Freddie enjoyed listening to the Doctor ' s endless explanations and was also keen to answer a few questions afterwards . It was about Melissa Heart and how Freddie had seen her take the Doctor ' s coat . Explaining that she discovered the sonic screwdriver , the Doctor grimly finds this displeasing . He thanks Freddie and sends him back to bed . Deciding it would be good to find the elusive Mr Pooter , Rose deduce s , the only way to see him inside the boardroom , where a meeting is being held , is to walk carefully down the fire escape . She manages to see Mr Pooter through a window and finds him stroking the same cat . Almost falling backwards on the gantry , the cat spots Rose , for just a second and then turns away . Rose breaths a sigh of relief . Rose finds the Doctor in the lobby , who decides it is time to pay a visit to Melissa Heart , explaining that she has mentioned her address a few times in passing . They head to her house and she answers the door without a hint of surprise at their arrival . A figure watches from the shadows as the Doctor and Rose enter Melissa ' s house . They think . Melissa makes tea for them as Rose examines the many lined masks on a nearby table . The Doctor points out that there ' s one for every occasion . Melissa begins to comment on things , believing that the Doctor and Rose are ' exceptions ' to the time zone . The Doctor asks what her job is . She explains that she is there to kill them both . After clicking her fingers , a knight comes alive from the far wall and charges for the Doctor and Rose . The Doctor discovers that the knight is a Clockwork Mechanical . They start dodging it , avoiding its large sword . Freddie arrives outside a window and opens it enough so that The Doctor and Rose can escape . The knight is unable to follow . They thank Freddie for his quick actions , but tell him to return home . He reluctantly complies . Rose and the Doctor return to the Imperial Club , where the Doctor is determined to explain the whole story to the residents . Rose goes to find Mr Pooter . She knocks on the door to his room , but no one answers . It finally opens to reveal the black cat , which turns on her . It bares its teeth and blows red hot lasers from its eyes at Rose and she is forced to protect herself . Down in the main room , the Doctor tells the story of the killer clockwork robots and a mysterious figure who is searching for someone important . Some residents leave the room , but others stay , not enough for an army , the Doctor points out . Wyse is to leave too , claiming that he is playing a chess game with a friend of his , and does it every Wednesday . The Doctor is disappointed by his departure , believing that he would have been a formidable ally . Rose is still fighting the cat , discovering that it is actually clockwork . She slams the creature against the wall , and it slowly decreases to cogs and wheels , its fur tearing . Leaving only bits left , she escapes down the stairs . Another cat materialises from within Mr Pooter ' s room and follows her down . Freddie has secretly followed the Doctor and Rose to the Imperial Club and is watching their progress as they prepare for the killers to arrive . Wyse now leaves , unaware of the black cat behind him . He hums to himself in the darkness . Unknown to him , he passes bylarge figures in armour that are actually clockwork knights heading toward the Imperial Club . The front door begins to splinter under the weight of the knights . The Doctor gathers everyone to prepare for battle , one that he believes they can ' t win . He is very interested in the reproductive cat , and how he appears from behind a panel in Mr Pooter ' s room . Rose goes to show him . Freddie watches everything from outside and is surprised by the sudden arrival of Melissa Heart who grabs and pulls him by the shoulder . The Doctor tries opening the door with his sonic screwdriver , but forgets that Heart has removed the battery . He , Repple and Aske then barge through the door and find a metal box room behind . There ' s a camera that travels throughout the Imperial Club , watching everything . There ' s also a line of cats . The Doctor has an idea and prepares something . The two knights arrive outside the door and ask for the Doctor to surrender . The Doctor in reply , sends sparks into one of the knights ' bodies and it pauses for a moment . Then , Melissa Heart arrives with Freddie and threatens to kill him if the Doctor doesn ' t give up . Repple tries telling her that he is Shade Vassily , the criminal she is looking for . She doesn ' t believe him , but takes precautions , ordering the Doctor to put down the sparking cable . Using her electrical weapon , Melissa blasts the console , rendering it useless . Trying to protect Repple , Major Aske steps in front of him , claiming he is delirious . She kills him using her weapon . She then explains how she came to Earth and explains why she is known as ' the painted lady ' telling them that her transformation operation went wrong . She removes her mask . Wensleydale isn ' t sure about waiting while the Doctor suffers at the hands of the evil intruders . Preparing his firearm , he heads to find Crowther . They discuss something in private . Back in the console room , Freddie is the first to notice Wensleydale and Crowther creeping up behind the clockwork knights . They sense them and soon turn , but too late as Wensleydale holds the pistol up to Melissa ' s face . He tells everyone to escape , but is distracted when Melissa attacks him with her electrifying weapon . He falls to the ground in honour . Melissa then explains that she will take both the Doctor and Repple for execution on Katuria . While inside her house , they manage to escape the grasp of her mechanical servants , and find themselves in an underground passageway . The Doctor suddenly realises something and removes Repple ' s fake face to reveal a mechanical interior . In order to escape persecution , the Doctor uses Repple ' s head to smash through the glass and they tumble into the Thames . Rose returns Freddie to his rightful home , where they were worried sick about him . She then leaves again to try and find the mysterious cat . The creature leads her to the clock tower where she is greeted by Wyse , who explains that he is the real Shade Vassily , the mass killer and murderer . Freddie finds the Doctor and Repple with Melissa Heart , now working together . He tells them about what he saw Rose and how Wyse has captured her . All three climb onto the roof to get to the small window . Freddie is worried about being cut on the broken mesh , but lets the Doctor lower him through . He cannot open the door , so he goes upstairs to find Rose , and sees blood on the steps . Melissa returns the sonic screwdriver power pack , and the Doctor uses it and parts from one of the Mechanicals to fix the broken cat and use its eyes to open the door . The Doctor , Melissa and Repple go through , followed by the last Mechanical . Freddie hides as Rose and Wyse exit the room to go upstairs , but then Wyse slips slightly and sees the blood on the steps as the door below bangs open . Rose and Freddie try to escape , but are caught and taken to the clock room . Wyse tells the Doctor that the mechanism will activate when the clock strikes 10 . The Doctor asks , " What if it doesn ' t ? " , and goes back to the room below , with Wyse following . Rose notices that Freddie is bleeding , realises that he is a haemophiliac , and starts yelling for help . Melissa and the Doctor work on stopping Wyse , and Repple helps . The Doctor sends Repple to see what Rose is shouting about , and he puts a tourniquet on Freddie ' s leg . It helps , but the wound must be cauterised to stop the bleeding . Rose realises she needs the sonic screwdriver , and runs to find the Doctor . The Doctor had given Melissa the sonic screwdriver to disable the mechanism while he tries to keep Wyse away . Rose finds them , and tells Melissa she needs the sonic screwdriver to save Freddie , but Melissa says that they will all die if she doesn ' t finish . She finishes and gives Rose the screwdriver , but Wyse snatches it and throws it into the mechanism . When Rose goes to save it , she is nearly crushed between two cog wheels . Repple saves her life by using his arm to jam the wheels , but loses his arm in the effort . The Doctor and Wyse get into a fight , and Wyse manages to restart the mechanism . Realising something more substantial is needed to destroy it , Repple tries to throw himself inside , but the Mechanical knocks him out and sacrifices itself in his steed . Wyse is attacked by the broken cat , and falls from the tower . Freddie loses a lot of blood , but is fine , and Melissa returns the TARDIS . Repple ' s broken arm was replaced by the Doctor with one from the broken Mechanical , and he has another of the cats for company .