Doctor's Dilemma

Readers' questions relating to all matters of Doctor Who continuity are welcomed for this column. Queries pertaining to Season Sixteen would be particularly appropriate for next issue's Key to Time theme.

In which stories does the Fifth Doctor say 'Brave heart' to Tegan?

The phrase 'Brave heart, Tegan' was ad-libbed by Peter Davison during rehearsals for Earthshock. The phrase has been said seven times in the series but only four of these by the Fifth Doctor:

• Earthshock Part One: The soldiers' power-packs are almost finished to which Tegan replies 'So are we.' The Doctor answers with 'Brave heart, Tegan'.
• Enlightenment Part One: The Doctor says it to reassure Tegan, who is feeling seasick on the Shadow [novel p33].
• Warriors of the Deep Part Two: said at the cliffhanger by both the Doctor and Tegan as the Myrka approaches [novel p71].
• The Awakening Part Two: The trooper is cut down by the phantom Roundheads. Tegan cries and the Doctor says it to comfort her [novel p132].
• Resurrection of the Daleks Part Two: Tegan says, 'Brave heart, Tegan. Doctor, I will miss you,' at the end of the story.
• The Caves of Androzani Part Four: As the Doctor dies, Tegan's face swims into view, 'What was it you always told me, Doctor? Brave heart. You'll survive.' [novel p134].
• The Twin Dilemma Part One: The newly regenerated Sixth Doctor says it when he mistakes Peri for Tegan.

The phrase also appears twice in Missing Adventures novel The Crystal Bucephalus [p227, 283].

At the end of The Invasion of Time the Doctor looks straight at the camera and laughs (to the viewers). Have there been any other instances where the Doctor has done this?

The Doctor has only actually addressed viewers in a five instances that I can recall (if anyone knows of others please write in):

• The Daleks' Master Plan: The Feast of Steven: The Doctor turns to the camera and wishes everyone at home a Merry Christmas.
• The Face of Evil Part One: The Doctor looks at the camera and decides to take a look around.
• The Invasion of Time Part Two: The Doctor fails to open Borusa's secret door with his screwdriver. He turns to the camera and says, 'Even the sonic screwdriver won't get me out of this one.'
• The Invasion of Time Part Six: The Doctor pulls out the box containing the new K9 and grins to the camera.
• Remembrance of the Daleks Part Three: At the cliffhanger ending the Doctor looks to camera and says "I think I might have miscalculated".

There have been moments when the Doctor has looked to camera without speaking: The Chase, The Smugglers, Inferno, Image of the Fendahl, The Leisure Hive, Logopolis, Kinda, The Caves of Androzani, and Revelation of the Daleks. In The Deadly Assassin and the 1996 TV Movie he actually narrates part of the story. Even the singer in The Gunfighters narrates part of the story for the viewers. Other characters also look or talk directly to camera, such as Tlotoxl (The Aztecs); Ian Chesterton (The Crusade); Ben and Polly (The Smugglers); a Cyberman (The Tenth Planet); Alex MacIntosh (Day of the Daleks); the Master (The Sea Devils); Eldrad (The Hand of Fear); the Graff Vynda K (The Ribos Operation); Vivien Fay (The Stones of Blood); Count Scarlioni (City of Death); Wrack (Enlightenment); Morgus (The Caves of Androzani); a Cryon (Attack of the Cybermen); the Valeyard (The Trial of a Time Lord); Mags (The Greatest Show in the Galaxy); and Grace Holloway (the TV Movie). In all of these cases it is purely for dramatic reasons as opposed to any other reason.

In Time-Flight the Doctor tells Tegan and Nyssa to 'watch out for the odd brontosaurus'. We now know that there was no such dinosaur so why did he use the name? [Brett Simpson].

I assume you are referring to the recent knowledge that the 'brontosaurus' is actually called an apatosaurus. The answer to this could come from Earthshock. While in the caves where the TARDIS lands the Doctor and his friends find fossilised bones. Off-screen they could have had a conversation about the many different types of dinosaur and the Doctor could have told both girls about the misnomer. Later, the Doctor is seen to draw the shape of a 'brontosaurus' in the sand possibly to illustrate his point. So, in Time-Flight when he mentions the brontosaurus, he is probably joking to the girls in reference to their earlier talk on the subject. Mind you, since the name apatosaurus has only recently become common knowledge it could be that the Doctor was unaware of the change of name.