The First Doctor #15

'Seven to One' (2011) from Short Trips - Volume III.

A comical little story, showcasing each of the seven Doctors in a unique way. My first multi-Doctor story in my First Doctor adventures list and I'm glad that it didn't really matter if you know them all or not, as the story gives you the key vibe and details of each of them and their respective companions. Big fan of how the First Doctor manages to past the test, and the Grey Space location and The Entity are fun elements. A touch repetitive but hearing every single Doctor go "aaaAAAHHHHHH" was entertaining enough.

As linking material goes, this is pretty good. However, it is only linking material: short 2-3 minute segments between the "proper" stories of its set. As such, it isn't the most exciting or interesting thing ever. However, it is good for what it is. The idea is interesting and the way the different Doctors encounter the threat is good fun.

This story at this point in the time line is a fun little story showing whats to come for the doctors future. Counting down the doctors is a fun little short story vibe, the bouncing between Tardis teams during the story is very well done. Each doctor is written perfectly as they get enough time to shine in this 20 min story, it doesn't feel rushed.

Overall this story is a fun little romp with the doctor doing a test and failing but the younger 1st doctor passes its kind of funny.

I enjoyed this short trip well enough. It is a pretty creative use of a multi-doctor adventure. I feel as though Briggs and Russell did a pretty impressive job with such a sprawling cast, and I like the quirky, disjointed nature of the narrative. It had a fun, poetic, desperate feel to it, as if more and more of the Doctor's lives were being shaved away. The monsters were pretty interesting and I enjoyed the ending with them, it feeling very Doctor Who. It reminds me a bit of some of the other Doctor crossovers I've read in prose - the more light, shorter narratives that really just give each Doctor a bit of lip service and fanfare. It's hardly offensive by any standards, in that regard, but the unusual narrative goes a long way to helping keep it feeling pretty fresh.

In such a large franchise, you could do a lot worse. All told, this one yields a solid recommendation from me, though it really benefits from being familiar with the first seven incarnations.