The Bleeding Heart

Ninth Doctor Chronicles #1.1

Released: 4 May 2017

Listened: 9/5/22

This story is from the "Ninth Doctor Chronicles" collection, which means that like most Chronicles stories, it’s narrated and only has two actors. Nick Briggs does most of the narrating duties, which means we’re treated to his version of the Ninth Doctor, which sounds a bit more like Nick Briggs with a head cold than it does Christopher Eccleston, but we’ll take what we can get. The story itself takes place a while after his regeneration, but not too long, because he’s still carrying the War Doctor’s red-tipped sonic, but that ends in this story. However, the psychic wounds of the Time War are still fresh, which is why he visits Galen, planet of peace, to try to find some forgiveness for what he’s done. The planet is also used to host peace conferences, because it has a calming effect on everyone on it. In this case, the Harrigain, the hippo-like aliens seen in the comics and in “Devil in the Mist,” are seeking peace with a group of jellyfish-like aliens. Which is hard enough, but then people start turning up dead. The other primary character is a reporter played by Claire Wyatt, who does well enough as a substitute companion, but we know she won’t be sticking around. What I didn’t expect was how much this story affects the Doctor, personally, and just how hard it hits. You can almost see the Doctor growing the emotional protective shell he’ll have by the time he meets Rose.