Antecedent

The Doctor takes Jess to Luar, a paradise planet

Antecedent is an 8 minute mini-episode of the BloodLoomis Productions' Lego Doctor Who Series. It was written by James Stone and directed by Cameron Hughes. It was uploaded on 18th November 2016. It was the first of a series of specials featuring the Ninth Doctor and his companion Jessica Hampton.

In the episode, the Doctor returns to Earth to pick up Jess after her holiday, only to find she doesn't remember him. Concerned, he takes her to the planet Luar, where he realises he has created a temporal paradox.

## Plot

The Doctor arrives in the alleyway where he first met Jess, and makes his way to her house. However, upon coming face to face with the Doctor, Jess claims to not recognise him. Even more strange, Joe, Jess' dead boyfriend, is still alive.

The Doctor, worried, takes Jess to the TARDIS, where he sets the coordinates for Luar, a paradise planet where he believes they will be undetected from whatever he believes has manipulated Jess's memories. However, upon arrival, he quizzes Jess and discovers that he's arrived three years too early, therefore Jess does not know the Doctor yet. Frightened, Jess runs off, with the Doctor following.

The two sit on a bench and talk about the complex effects of time travel. The Doctor assures her that in three years she will travel with him and see the universe, and she is comforted by the thought. She reveals that she is afraid of Joe, as he is often angry and aggressive towards her, even assaulting Jess when drunk. The Doctor says that he will make sure she's safe, and once back in the TARDIS, wipes her memories so as to avert a paradox. He takes her back to the house, where he tells Joe to take care of her. Back in the TARDIS, the Doctor tries once more to reach Jess in the proper time.

### Continuity

The alleyway at the start of the story is the alleyway the Doctor arrived in during 'The Minus Men'. Joe is seen here alive for the first time since that story. The Doctor mentions a race of creatures known as the Reapers who appear at the site of temporal paradoxes. He says that a friend of his from UNIT will keep an eye on the house to ensure Joe isn't violent. When returning Jess to the house, the Doctor wears a cloak so as to hide his identity from Joe and prevent any other anomalies.

## Production

### Writing

James said that he would like to write a short special episode for the series that would address why Jess so readily accepted the Doctor's offer of seeing the universe, particularly after Joe's death. He sought to retcon Joe's persona, recasting him as a violent bully. This made it more understandable why Jess would choose to leave so easily. When the story idea was pitched, it was suggested that it would be made into a Children in Need Special, a semi-regular staple of Doctor Who's history.

### Filming

The story was filmed and edited in one day. The sets were fairly simple; the alleyway set however had to be rebuilt using reference pictures from the story it appeared in previously.

## Trivia

* The title sequence seen here is the Season 1 title sequence sped up, with the *Dimensions in Time* theme added as a nod to Doctor Who's history with Children in Need.
* The Doctor's grey costume makes its final appearance here.
* The story was uploaded on the exact same night as the Children in Need telethon itself.