What Has Happened to the Magic of 'Doctor Who'? (short story)

What Has Happened to the Magic of 'Doctor Who'? was the first short story exclusively published in the Short Trips anthology Indefinable Magic in March 2009 by Big Finish Productions and written by Gareth Roberts.
The story took the form of a series of fictional letters to the BBC from fans to complain about Doctor Who. Each letter was interspersed throughout the anthology.
== Plot ==
=== I ===
Mr Raymond Phibbs from Ebbsfleet writes to Verity Lambert about his opinions on the ending of the adventure set on the planet Marinus, which he considered "telly fare" as opposed to the "challenging and dramatic science fiction" of the thirteen previous episodes. He explains how he found those first thirteen episodes to be "strikingly atmospheric and surprisingly mature", giving examples of the music in the Dalek story, as well as the strong morality in those first few episodes. He considers the story where they travel to Cathay with Marco Polo to be the turning point in quality. He goes into much detail about what he considers the pitfalls of the latest serials.
=== II ===
On 19 February 1967, Mrs Janet Trent from Ipswich, Suffolk, writes to Innes Lloyd to complain about how he has drained Doctor Who of its magic since he has been producer. Janet considers the show's storytelling under producers Verity Lambert and John Wiles to be "special" in comparison with Innes Lloyd. Janet gives several examples of what she considers good storytelling, and before contrasting it with counter examples, she demonstrates how she believes the Doctor's character has become butchered with heroism. She even points out that how his companions are essentially pop-stars ("even the boys!"). Coming back to her point about the shift in storytelling, she states that all the series seems to be focused on "B-movie alien invasions - war Machines, Daleks, and those inane Cybermen". She asks Innes to return Doctor Who to its former glory or else the viewers will turn to ITV - Janet admits she already has.
=== III ===
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=== IV ===
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=== V ===
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=== VI ===
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=== VII ===
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=== VIII ===
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== Characters ==
(In order of appearance)
* Raymond Phibbs
* Verity Lambert
* The old Doctor
* Susan
* Marco Polo
* Mr. Chesterton
* Miss Wright
* Kublai Khan
* Innes Lloyd
* Mrs Janet Trent
* John Wiles
* Steven the pilot
* Vicki the space orphan
* Ben
* Polly
== Worldbuilding ==
=== I ===
* The series began with the discovery of the Tardis by the teachers.
* According to Raymond, the stories prior to the one with Marco Polo exemplified an interesting dynamic between the four characters, such as:
** The Doctor's condemnation of the teachers' willingness to kill the caveman,
** The teacher's disagreements over the pacifism of the Thals.
* Raymond also considered the drama to be convincing, whether it be in the cavemen's forest or on the H-bombed planet Skaro.
* Raymond found the Doctor's "aches and pains" meeting of Kublai Khan to be played for strained laughs.
* He believes that Susan has devolved into an ordinary and stupid American schoolgirl, such as the time she walked into the Gobi Desert without telling anyone.
=== II ===
* Janet notes how the series often went from "comedy in the Wild West to high flying space adventures with the Chumblies, from the horrors of the massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve to the jungles of Kembel with the Daleks and their alien alliance".
* Janet believes that the Doctor should only be a scientist and explorer, not a hero.
* Janet believes that Steven and Vicki are actual characters, unlike Ben and Polly whom she considers "decorative sidekicks".
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== Notes ==
* This story parodied the Doctor Who fandom's tendency to moan and complain about the series.
== Continuity ==
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Category:Short Trips: Indefinable Magic short stories
Category:Stories about Doctor Who
Category:Stories set in the 1960s
Category:Stories set in the 2060s