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Doctor Who: Continuity – when does it work, and why?

By James Aggas

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Continuity was very much a key part of the episode School Reunion. How well was it used in this key episode?

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: BBC.)

Continuing from yesterday’s post on how too much continuity in Doctor Who can be a bad thing, we look at the other side of the argument, and show when continuity can work well in a story.

Yesterday, we looked at the number of times when continuity can be a bad thing. Particularly, when it’s used too much, or used so badly that it does nothing but alienate an audience.

Sometimes, though, a little continuity can work wonders. It can add texture and allow for so much more depth, when done right.

One key way to use continuity well is to use it as development. Particularly by showing how a character, or even a world, has changed since they last appeared on the show.

The episode School Reunion, for example, was very keen to show us what happened to both Sarah Jane Smith and K9 after they left. Now while New Series fans may not have been aware of either character, the episode was very good at introducing them to a new audience.

It didn’t do this just by simple exposition, either. A key scene in the episode is Sarah Jane and the Doctor talking about when he left her decades before in The Hand of Fear. For Classic Series fans, it’s a great scene.

But it also works for newer fans, too. Not just because of the context it provided, but the sheer emotion that the scene gives us, too. Sarah Jane makes it very clear exactly how she felt at being left behind, which gives that scene so much power.

So continuity can work wonders when it’s character based, especially when it comes to drama. It shouldn’t be used for every episode, but it can be nicely done.

Present old as new

Another way continuity can work is when the general audience isn’t even aware that it’s continuity. For example, for the very first episode of the New Series, Rose, Russell T Davies made sure to bring back the Autons. However, he didn’t make a big thing about it. In fact, many people assumed that it was a completely original monster.

And that’s what made it work. People didn’t worry about catching up on the show. They didn’t worry about needing to watch the monster’s previous appearances. They just jumped on board and enjoyed a good story. It was a great nod to fans of the Classic Series, but also a great new monster for first-time viewers.

After almost four decades, the Dalek Emperor returned. How well was his return handled?

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: BBC.)

The Dalek Emperor

There’s also the Emperor of the Daleks. His appearance in The Parting of the Ways was surprising in a big way, as he hadn’t appeared in the TV series in decades.

In fact, he had only made one previous appearance, in the 1967 serial The Evil of the Daleks. (A story that I highly recommend as one of the greatest Dalek stories ever made.)

But again, the reason this worked while the Cyber-Controller’s return in Attack of the Cybermen didn’t was that the Emperor was virtually presented to the audience as new. They weren’t made to feel like they needed to know about his previous appearances. As a result, it was easy for the audience to accept the Emperor very easily.

Easter eggs

There is one more way that continuity can be used: in incredibly small doses. Or more accurately put: as Easter eggs. Little nods to the fans, but nothing that the audience will feel that they’ll have missed.

A key example of this: in The Fires of Pompeii, the Tenth Doctor makes a very quick reference to the fire in ancient Rome. This little moment is such a casual reference to First Doctor story The Romans that it’s easy for the audience to miss.

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And even if they caught it, they’d just take it as a reference to one of the Doctor’s previous adventures. After all, he’s had so many that we’re at least as likely to hear about his off-screen stories as much as his on-screen ones. So it doesn’t contribute anything to the plot. It’s just a nice little moment for fans to quickly catch.

Overall, continuity is best used when it’s used in very small amounts. You can use it as the focus in a story, for example. Just make sure that you focus on one particular element, and that you use it for drama instead of just being a part of the plot. Or you can use it as a mere Easter egg.

Either way, the key trick at bringing the audience in is to ensure that the story itself feels fresh and easily accessible. Not that they need to feel completely stand-alone, but there should always be something that draws the more casual audience member into the show. Continuity can be great at enhancing a story, but it shouldn’t be the story itself.

Next. Review: Class: The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo. dark

Do you agree with this analysis? Can you think of any other instances when continuity was used extremely well? Let us know in the comments below.

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