The Time Lords of the planet Gallifrey. High-collared curmudgeons who pledged to do nothing more than observe other, lower races, looking down upon them and mostly wagging their fingers. No one ever dared leave this domed cradle of civilisation until one day when this one troublesome sort had the audacity to do something that no onehad ever done. He and his granddaughter stole a TARDIS and ran…

There’s a scene not far from the end of The War Games where the Doctor makes a phone call. It’s not exactly a phone call – it’s a telepathic link, established with a curious ritual involving a self-assembling cube – but the consequence of this singular moment would ultimately change Doctor Who forever. The Doctor is a prodigal son who is wallowing amongst his own metaphorical swine, and who has…