January 30, 2020
The Thirteenth Doctor encounters one of her former companions, Ace, in the upcoming novel At Childhood’s End.
You can order At Childhood's End here.
Don’t know anything about her? Need a refresher? We’ve got you covered!
Before you dive into this long overdue reunion, here are seven key things you need to know about one of the Seventh Doctor’s dearest friends.
1. Ace is not her real name
The Doctor’s real name is a dark and terrible secret that must never be said. Ace’s real name is also a secret, one that she has only told a handful of people. Saying her name won’t destroy the universe, but it will bring her wrath down on you because she hates it! Her real name is Dorothy, but don’t go round telling other people that, otherwise you’ll have to explain yourself to Ace…
2. We learn about her backstory through her adventures
Throughout her on-screen stories, Ace’s life slowly unfolds before us. While travelling with the Doctor, she met her own grandmother as a young woman, re-visited a house she burnt down, even met some of her childhood friends! Admittedly, she then had to save her friends from the Planet of the Cheetah People, but that’s life with the Doctor for you!
3. She’s an action-packed companion
When people travel with the Doctor, they have very different reactions to the nasties of the universe. Some run. Some scream. Ace, on the other hand, smacks them with a cosmically enhanced baseball bat. Ace took an active role in fighting the Doctor’s foes, holding her own against a Dalek, a task-force of Cybermen and even turning the contents of the Kandyman’s kitchen against him.
4. She was part of an ancient evil plot, unwittingly!
Don’t you hate it when it feels like someone is pulling your strings? For Ace, that was her whole life. Pulled from her life on Earth and thrust onto an alien world by a time-storm, it turned out that an evil entity known as Fenric had purposefully put Ace into the Doctor’s life as a trap! The Doctor managed to thwart Fenric’s scheme, but the methods he used forever strained Ace and the Doctor’s friendship.
5. The Doctor destroys her stuff
Poor Ace. Not only has the Doctor messed with her life, he’s also been responsible for the destruction of several of her possessions. Her baseball bat? Broken destroying a Dalek transmat. Her boombox? Exterminated by a Dalek. The Doctor did build her a replacement, which was just as well, as it become a vital part of repelling an invasion by the Cybermen!
6. She collects badges!
Ace’s jacket is as unique as she is. It’s covered in a collection of badges, pins and patches, revealing an interest in everything from Charlton Athletic football club to the works of Gerry Anderson! Ace acquires a few additions across her travels including a Red Army badge given to her by Russian soldiers in The Curse of Fenric and an earring from Flowerchild in The Greatest Show in the Galaxy.
7. “Come on Ace! We’ve got work to do!”
Ace is unique among Doctor Who companions in that we never see her departure on-screen. While her final story, Survival, took place in Ace’s hometown of Perivale, she elected to continue travelling with the Doctor. The two of them headed back to the TARDIS to fight the evils of the universe.
Where do her adventures lead her? You can find out in the book At Childhood’s End, coming out on the 6th February 2020.
Get ready to meet her! You can order At Childhood's End, the story of a later Ace, written by actor Sophie Aldred, here