Firstly, I'm not going to use the word "canon", as I believe it's a controversial one around here.

However, I wondered how you guys view the stories from the other forms of media, for example the novels. Do you like to fit them into the TV continuinity or not?

I personally only follow the official TV stories, and I've always classed everything else not made by the BBC as essentially fanfic. For example, I read that a companion named Liz Shaw (I'm not much of a Classic Who watcher) died in one of the books, but that this was contradicted in a SJA story.

Obviously, everybody can take the stories how they wish and form their own views on where to fit them, but I like to essentially disregard anything that isn't part of the narrative that the BBC provides us with. I basically view them in a way similar to how many fans of the Alien series views the AVP films - alternate takes on the story.

I never stand on mine.

My stance is similar to that of most: what I like counts and what I don't like doesn't

This, with just a dash of 'Anything OK'd by the BBC (books, the video games, etc) definitely happened in the DW universe unless otherwise contradicted by the TV show'.

By the way, everyone should read 'Touched by an Angel'. It's fantastic.

I think they are frivolous fun, and a good compliment to it. But they cannot, ever, take precedence over the main continuity of the show. If something that has been written in any other media gets contradicted by the show, then that is what the main continuity is.

And, of course, we owe a debt of gratitude for keeping things ticking over when the Who fare was a little more sparse than it is now.

I don't think many of the people who used to argue strongly about it are around much. I think it's become something of a forum in joke. I mostly see people just agreeing to let anyone include or discount what they choose.

I think people who bought the New Adventures novels and stuck with the show, spending money, have every reason to hold those stories as part of their official history and not be told by forum members they don't count. They were dedicated fans who didn't let a little thing like cancellation deter them. And the books were officially sanctioned by the BBC.

That's just one aspect.

I pretty much go with: if it is broadcast on a BBC channel, tv or radio, then its in. Anything else is "other stuff". And some of it is good.

But I'm not overly fussed about continuity. It's fun trying to square contradictions or loose ends. And nice when people who know the audios and books introduce something.

I don't think the writers should be criticised for failing to take into account things that happen in novels etc though. They should just try not to make too much of a mess of the telly continuity. But if others think they should. Fine.

I do have a peculiar medical condition, though. Whenever my brain senses anyone is going to say "half human", my ears stop working and I think of cool clear water and butterflies for a few moments. Until the feeling passes.

On that one I put it down to the Doctor still suffering from post regeneration confusion.

That'll do! If only I'd thought of that at the time it would have saved me one telly out the window and the stamp money for all those letters to Points of View.

I like how the Torchwood novels adhere to the television continuity and use the television stories as a reference for the characterisation of the main characters. (In most circumstances - good examples are Pack Animals, Skypoint, the post-CoE novels and now Exodus Code).

I haven't read much of the Doctor Who novels since the Tenth Doctor Adventures but the only ones that I was really impressed with where the first six NSA's with Rose and the Ninth Doctor, (supporting appearances from Mickey, Jackie, and Jack), The Story of Martha and Beautiful Chaos (with Ten, Wilf and Donna).

Put it short, I like my novels how I like my television episodes. They need to tell us something about the people we are supposed to identify with to be entertaining.

Anything Eighth Doctor is canon, simply because it has been ignored by the 'true' media form of the TV. Anything else I welcome as an ad-on but it doesn't take precedence over anything shown on TV

I like that radio seven made some eighth doctor stories (now Radio Four Extra). Fits my "broadcast" preference. It's a pity the BBC don't broadcast more eighth audios on radio. To atone for not having mccann on telly enough.

Everything is canon unless I don't like it. Also, my fan ideas that explain things are canon!

I mean, weird Jenny stretchy thing in the Rebel Flesh isn't canon, or is the Doctor saying he needs human cells to live in Cold Blood, like some sort of creepy parasite.

But lots of books and Audios are canon in my opinion useless negated by more canon-y things, or if a better idea comes along. Such as Gallifrey having red grass which isn't in the Five Doctors. Also, I think the Who Is the Doctor stories are canon and so is the Brilliant Book of Doctor Who. Although I haven't read it.

My canon is quite practically confusing and biased. But isn't everyones?

I like to think it can all be fitted in one way or another.

But as I'm sure we're all agreed, what's on TV leads the way for me.
This is closely follwed by the audio plays, mostly because the BBC have allowed them to be made and the same actors play the parts - again, just my thought process, not forcing my opinion on anyone.

Thirdly the books, but I got quite upset recently when I listened to the audio play 'The Elite' which picks up just after Tegan started travelling with the Doctor again after the events of the Arc of Infinity.... I believe there was a book that started in the same place but with different events, I think it's called 'Fear of the Dark '

Maybe upset is a bit too strong of a word , but there's no way I can reconcile the two stories!! Arghhhh!

'Downtime'

Discuss. No rush.....

The Master must have been as well then since he confirms it.

Plus the Doctor being half human explains so much, why his attitude is so different to most Time Lords, why he spends so much time on Earth, why he's so crap at regeneration compared to other Time Lords etc...

Time Lords are telepathic so the Doctor transmitted his confused thoughts to the Master who was also confused have just taken over the body of a Human.

Me too

I also have moments like that when the cringeworthy phrase "Time Lord Victorious" and other such utterings that should have remained within the confines of production notes) are mentioned.

I like to believe that all the Virgin/BBC books/Big Finish adventures are canon. The fact that they sometimes contradict each other I just gloss over in my mind.

The Missing Adventures / Past Doctor Adventures tend to stick closely to the TV show. For example I've just read The Murder Game which is set in between The Power of the Daleks and The Highlanders. It reads just like a 60's TV show and nothing out of canon happens, in fact the Doctor is shown making a rudimentary sonic device, tying into the TV show canon.

The New Adventures / Eight Doctor Adventures are a cause for the most cries of non canon. The 7th Doctor in particular is prone to this. In my eyes the Doctor did continue to travel after the TV show ended, the fact Ace isn't present at the start of the TV movie goes to confirm this. Eight Doctor wise, the novels should be canon as they followed on from the movie and were released by BBC books and no TV footage was made to make them non-canon. Where the 8th Doctor stories do get confusing is when you take the Big Finish stories into account. These don't slot into the novels but instead follow a totally different timeline for the 8th Doctor. This then raises the tried and tested excuse of "its scifi alternative timelines and dimensions are commonplace". Which means everything can be canon really.

I just enjoy the stories.

On the old Half Human debate, I like to think it was a temporary change brought on by human medicines in his body. This caused the regenerative process to not work correctly and so his body needed emergency bio-energy (or some crap like that) so it was absorbed from near by life forms, i.e. humans. This rarely happens, is dangerous and is only temporary. It is only used as an emergency measure. Anyway, across the adventure he is still in his first 15 hours of regeneration so has perfect time to fight off the human drugs, repair his regenerative process, create some bio-energy of his own and transition from half human back to full TimeLord.

Was it explained in a comic somewhere that it was a half broken chameleon arc that made him look half human, so to trick the Master?

Is this the story which features

As long as it doesn't directly affect a plot, I couldn't care less. It's not a problem when watching the show - only when someone uses something that has never been supported or is directly contradicted in the TV series as the basis for a strongly argued opinion does it become difficult for other people.

Overall, what really matters is the current episode or series and I don't believe that there's ever been anything canon-related that seriously detracted from the entertainment value of the show or franchise for the vast majority of viewers - or "fans".

In odd cases where there has been something that has raised a lot of eyebrows - like the "half-human" line - it has actually added to the fun for fans by giving them something to bang on about for the next twenty years

Anything on TV is canon, anything on radio is canon.

Anything else is individual opinion, including some things that happen on DVD extras (The 11th Doctor taking River to Darillium? Nonsense! It was the 10th). Or occur in the mind of the writers (the Woman in White the Doctor's Mother? Never! Of course it was Susan!)

Re the h*lf h*m*n thing. The Doctor lies. I daresay the Master does, too. Probably even more so.

There is no canon. The TV series has probably contradicted itself more times that even the tie-in books have!

I really enjoy the Big Finish audio stories, & as I'm in the car a lot these days, they're ideal.

As for what may or not be canon, I don't pay the blindest bit of notice & just take them as stories I enjoy.

As a kid I remember borrowing target & other books from the library, mostly of the Baker/Pertwee era, invariably they seemed to be novelisations of TV stories anyway.

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised in some ways. I imagine many of the books are written by fans with much knowledge and the benefit of audio and video to check.

Whereas the telly was knocked out more or less ad hoc by "non fan" writers on an era where not many people could prove on you tube that something Pertwee said is contradicted by something Hartnell said.

or, indeed , in an environment where obeying it overrode the desire to get the episodes knocked out.

Is that fair do you think? or guff.