'Short Trips': 'Not Forgotten' (1 Part) by Benjamin Holland-Smith

While following a trail of chronon energy and anachronistic gaming events, the Doctor and Peri stop off in a diner in 1950s New York. Here they meet a man whom no-one else can see, who is suffering from amnesia. When the stranger leaves money for his meal, the Doctor discovers the coins are from each of the times and places he and Peri have recently visited. On finding a photograph of a young woman in his backpack, the man regains his memory: recalling that he is a student named Jacob from the year 5209, he sheepishly admits that he has spent his gap-year travelling through time, partying hard and ‘inventing’ some of his favourite games. On one such trip to the American Wild West, Jacob rescued a girl, Dorothy, from a burning barn; his backpack was damaged in the fire, and its final jump brought him to New York. When Jacob becomes unwell, the Doctor explains that by saving Dorothy Jacob has altered his own timeline, and now the Web of Time is trying to fix itself by removing him from history. The Doctor offers to bend the rules by taking Jacob back to 1897 to fix things, but this would mean the death of Dorothy; Jacob refuses to let this happen, and, accepting his fate, he fades from existence. As the Doctor and Peri make to leave, the diner waitress spots the picture of Dorothy - her grandmother, who was rescued from a fire by a brave stranger…

Stephen Critchlow (Narrator)

Release Date:
March 2020

Notes:

*Featuring the Sixth Doctor and Peri

*A Big Finish Audio Production

*Time-placing: The Doctor and Peri still argue, so I’m placing this early in their travels together