They’re baaack! Those incomprehensible, powerful and downright ugly puppet-like Dommervoy have returned with a vengeance in the special fortieth anniversary story, The Dommervoy Masterplan. But the Dommervoy aren’t the only ones who are returning when The Legacy officially returns this November 16th. Rumour has it that other familiar faces and races just might turn up too. Prepare to be surprised and surprised again for this story. But does DMP really resolve the mystery of the paradox masters, the Dommervoy, for good? As Andie Frankham says; ‘Well, I am glad to say (as in happy, no sarcasm here) that this wraps up the whole Dommervoy story. After three seasons of them popping up and doing odd things, it is time for the reason to be revealed. Some of it is off the cuff, but most of this has been planned out since… ooooh… season two.’ Then he adds with emphasis, ‘and no, they will not be returning again. The Legacy is like one big novel written by many people, and this story closes another chapter of the story. The next chapter opens with Simon's story in December. Although, I shouldn't say this, but the next chapter is foreshadowed in this story via many elements. So keep your eyes peeled, folks.’ If that statement seems a little vague, he declares, ‘Yes, well, it's what brings the readers back. That and good story telling. Which, I hope, The Legacy contains. Certainly it has picked up a good rep for innovative tales.’ That’s absolutely true, just the three previous stories from this season prove that The Legacy is innovative and imaginative. So, if The Dommervoy Masterplan is indeed the final chapter of the enigmatic Dommervoy, what does Andie think of it? And what are the highlights of the story for him without spoiling it too much? ‘I am a little ambivalent about it,’ he concedes truthfully. ‘So far, from the feedback crew, I've had a good response, so it can't be that bad. But considering how much had to go into it (three and half seasons worth of threads) I'm surprised it has held together so well.’ Then he thinks for a moment. ‘As for highlights, well … no spoilers, eh? OK, a few spoilers. From the cover you can see the Time Lords are involved, and possibly Shada (which was never the intention, but the physical appearance of Shada on the BBCi webcast exactly matched what we had in mind, so it made sense to make use of it. Why create something new if it all ready exists?). So, it was nice to bring the Time Lords back after three and half seasons. The biggest highlight was returning some old faces to the fold - after all, it is anniversary time and that's the staple diet of a “Doctor Who” anniversary.’ He then concludes with a laugh; ‘But the biggest, biggest highlight for me was getting the thing finished. Ah, what a sigh of relief that was!’ Richard Dinnick was originally going to co-write this tale, and he developed the original storyline with Andie. Naturally then, Richard has his own definite opinions about DMP’s highlights and the difficulty of writing a story that integrates so many Legacy elements. ‘Andie and I started brainstorming this one back in January. We both knew we had a lot of bases to cover with the anniversary story if we were going to tie things up as Andie wanted to. I was annoyed that I had to pull out of writing DMP. I wanted to be able to say that I had written the anniversary story two years running (!) and Andie and I have been threatening to work together for ages. Alas it was not to be.’ He explains further; ‘I had a number of other writing projects (paid ones!) that I was offered and the office of Chris Little (J.K. Rowling’s agent) had just been in contact to say that they would be interested to see the book about which I had been in contact with them. So I had to get moving on that, too. However, the news there is that I am disappearing to Shropshire for a week – without wife and child – so I can finish it and send it off. For those who are awaiting the first Frankham & Dinnick writing effort, we are hoping to co-write the opening story of Season five.’ Then, he continues about The Dommervoy Master Plan. ‘I think Andie has done a great job. I actually think it’s better than it would have been as a “double header”. As I say, there were so many bases to cover, it may have been very disjointed to have two people writing it. Andie has hit all the right notes in the right order. In that way I guess my overall impression of this story is that it was like a complicated symphony and Andie has played it magnificently. ‘Particular highlights for me are all the familiar faces (some from a looooong time ago) that turn up. I have a soft spot for at least one and it is always a joy to hear that voice (or rather read it). I also think the Ruby/Doctor relationship is settling down really well and is now on a par with the one shared by Nick and the Doctor, but for different reasons. I am a sucker for “big” stories and DMP certainly fits that bill. It closes the door on many things and after this (to misquote “The Deadly Assassin”), nothing will be the same again. I say this because I know what will be happening in season five and - believe me - the changes start here!’ Andie also insists on disclosing this about DMP: ‘Of course, little known, is that I had another ghost writer on hand for this story… you might know her?’ He’s referring to me. ‘But yeah, the interviewer here should take some credit, for if it wasn't for her then episode four would have been a very different thing. She came up with a rather neat idea that changed the cliffhanger to episode three, and started up an entire new subplot in episode four. So, thanks, Betty.’ (I must respond by saying my only contribution was in some feedback, Andie’s remarkable imagination did the rest.) “The man-like shape continued to stand, watching and waiting.” To see what that man-like shape is, who he’s watching and what the Dommervoy’s plans are, there’s only one way to find out. Read The Dommervoy Master Plan. It’s a very special anniversary story for Doctor Who: The Legacy. Teaser Shutters silently slid open and an image appeared on the scanner. Nebulous clouds swirled, shades of orange and purple merging. In the centre of the nebula was a small shape, little more than a blip on the screen. ‘What’s that?’ Ruby asked. The Doctor checked the instrumentation on the console, rubbing his earlobe all the while. ‘An asteroid of some sort, though these readings are a bit off.’ ‘Off?’ ‘Yes. There are some remarkable qualities to that asteroid. The TARDIS reads it as solid, but it seems to be out of phase with everything around it.’ The Doctor walked around the console, flicking switches in what appeared to be a haphazard way. Finally he reached the panel opposite Ruby, and looked across at her through the glass rotor. ‘Something is shielding it from a complete scan.’ He looked down at the console, his brow furrowed, deep in thought. Ruby turned from the Doctor and looked up at the nebula, and her eyes widened in surprise. The blip was becoming clearer, bigger. ‘Erm, Doctor, I think we’re moving towards it.’ The Doctor spun round. ‘So we are.’ He indicated the book resting on the panel beside Ruby. ‘It is guiding us in.’ Together they watched as the asteroid became clearer. Something had been grafted into the lump of space rock, a circular shape. As the TARDIS drew nearer a pattern could be observed on the surface of the shape. Ruby was the first to notice. ‘Doctor, that’s that seal thingy. The one on top of your cane. The Seal of Russell, right?’ The Doctor glanced at Ruby, his lips twitching into a brief smile. ‘The Seal of Rassilon. Yes, it would seem to be so.’ He turned back to the scanner. ‘So a Gallifreyan artefact guides a Gallifreyan time machine to an asteroid that has the Gallifreyan seal built into it. Hmm.’ ‘What could it mean?’ ‘I do not know, Ruby, but I do have my suspicions.’ With that the Doctor rushed around the console and threw the materialisation switch. The time rotor resumed its movement and the scanner deactivated. ‘I think it is time we dropped in for some coffee.’