Writer's Commentary

Epilogue: January 1996

Stevens details what has happened in the intervening quarter of a century. He is reconciled with his son William, who is now grown up and a partner in a publishing law firm. William was originally called Grant but Virgin thought that name was too common for the grandson of landed gentry, no doubt influenced by the character of Grant Mitchell, then a balding bruiser on BBC soap Eastenders.

Cleary never recovers from his ordeal but his hospital bills are funded from an account at Coutts Bank in the name of R J Smith. The Doctor set up this account during the New Adventure Birthright.

Lethbridge-Stewart retires to teach mathematics at a minor public school, as seen in Mawdryn Undead. Stevens becomes a journalism tutor. His favourite students are Sarah Jane (Smith, a companion of the Third and Fourth Doctors) and Ruby (Duvall, a character in the New Adventure Iceberg). Rather a crass piece of continuity shoe-horning there, something now usually known as 'fanwank'.

Who Killed Kennedy ends with Stevens revealing he saw an older version of himself assassinate JFK in 1963. The journalist finishes his book, all set to travel back in time and fulfil this destiny. It's left open whether Stevens will ever return from that mission. When Virgin lost its licence to published original Doctor Who fiction, Stevens was one of the characters listed as being available for use by prospective authors for the Doctor-less New Adventures Starring Bernice. Unsurprisingly, I don't think anyone took up that opportunity!

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