Prologue

01. Detours

02. Meetings at the Antioch Hotel

03. Distractions

04. Burning

05. Realisation

06. Answers

07. Time and a Game

08. Follower

09. Tea Break

10. Enemy Inside

11. Explanations

12. Into the Ship

13. Together We Stand

14. Demon Within

15. Awful Revelation

16. Two-Faced

17. Double Trap

18. The Rupture

19. Frenzy

Epilogue



If you’ve ever wondered about the earliest beginnings of Doctor Who: The Legacy and how it came to be, wonder no more. Starting Sunday, July 6, Andie Frankham’s e-novel Vrarg Vnutry, which was originally written in 1997, and is the original inspiration behind Doctor Who: The Legacy, will be published in monthly installments.

But, as to what the story Vrarg Vnutry is actually about and what the title means, Andie eagerly begins this way: ‘Back when I first wrote this I knew this woman and her son, who had joined my Church in London. They were from the Ukraine, and I had a Russian character in the book, so I thought it would be quite nice to have a Russian title for the book. One of the titles often associated with Doctor Who is "Enemy Within", but it is a title that has never quite been used. So I did the Russian version. Vrarg Vnutry means "enemy inside".’

The phrase “write what you know” is almost a cliche and Andie occasionally uses aspects of his own life in his writing, ‘Yes, I certainly do. I think it is fair to say that most authors, if not all, use their own lives to inform their work.’

So, with a Russian title and a Russian character in this book, just what is the plot of Vrarg Vnutry and at what point with the TV show would it correspond with? Andie replies quickly, ‘It's set during two points in the show's history. For the Doctor and Ace it set mere hours after "Dragonfire", taking up a slot that to this day has never been filled by an original novel. It was my intention to tell the story of why by the start of "Remembrance of the Daleks" the Doctor and Ace are so close. It also set after "Survival" from the point of view of the Master (it is no secret that he is in it since he was responsible for The Legacy). As for the story... It's about this woman who arrives in a small coastal town in England with a secret agenda. An agenda that includes the Doctor.’ Andie pauses briefly and adds, ‘can’t really say much more with giving the plot away. It is quite a complicated plot, and one that relies a lot on Doctor Who history - one of the reasons it was rejected by the BBC. What they call “fanwank” nowadays.’

Asked to get a little more specific about the main characters, Andie reveals a little more about his story, ‘The main protagonists are: Rusalka. She's a woman from Russia with a hidden past. Her name comes from a Russian myth, as revealed to me in the book by Stephen Gallagher called "The Boat House". Others include Terrance Saville, a journalist who returns to his hometown for Christmas and encounters Rusalka along the way. He finds himself drawn to her, which conflicts somewhat with his faith. There are loads of others, but the Doctor, Ace, Terrance, Rusalka and the Master are the main players.’


Cover by Si Hunt

Since this is a full-length novel (on paper around 300 pages) Andie spent a long time writing and revising it. ‘I wrote it a total of three times, before I was happy enough to send it off. Overall it took me a year, although it took me three months for each draft with a month off to let it rest.’ Then he admits that he still has the rejection letter from the editor, Stephen Cole.

  • The text of the letter is as follows:

    13 August 1997
    Dear Andie,

    Thanks for sending in both lots of "Vrarg Vnutry".

    Unfortunately, I can't see it really working out for a range of books. Due to the large amount of unsolicited manuscripts we receive it is sadly impossible to go into really specific details as to why you have been unsuccessful, but I will mention that alternate Doctors are a big no-no in our "Doctor Who" universe.

    It is clear that the character of Terrance in particularly important to you, as is his relationship with the Russian agent. I am sorry you have actually gone so far as to finish the novel before hearing back from us, but I'm sure writing it was cathartic for you in any case.

    Yours sincerely,
    Stephen Cole,
    Project Editor, Doctor Who

Discussing the letter now, six years later, what prompted Andie to put Vrarg Vnutry on line, and what does he think of it now? ‘Since near the end of season three of The Legacy I had an idea for putting it online - give The Legacy a proper beginning. And now that we are nearing the new season and anniversary year, I figured why not now? Seems a good a time as any. And besides, I hope regular readers of The Legacy have an interest in seeing how it all began.’ With his customary forthrightness, Andie gives his honest assessment of his own writing, ‘As for how I feel about it... well, it's not my best work. But it has potential. I think there is a good story amongst all the mess contained within. It could definitely do with a re-write.’ A re-write? Does that mean he’s tempted at all to rework anything as he prepares it for readers? ‘It is very tempting,’ He allows truthfully, ‘but to be honest, it's enough work having to type it all out again (since I only have a copy on paper). But I'm finding that as I type it out I am changing some things - just the odd bit of grammar, mind. I have every intention of showing the story the way it was written back in 1997. Warts and all.’*

Perhaps Vrarg Vnutry has a few warts, or perhaps it doesn’t. Either way, if it’s a story that shows the genesis of Doctor Who: The Legacy, it most likely will be interesting just to read how it all began. For fans and readers of The Legacy, the prospect of that is very intriguing indeed.



*"Since this interview was first conducted I have had the chance to rethink a few things, and have decided that this is the perfect opportunity to clean up Vrarg Vnutry. So to that end, I am working on the prose, to make it more in line with the work I do now. The dialogue and scenes will remain the scene, but the prose will be, hopefully, more polished. As well as a clean up, it will also serve to remove a lot of the preaching prose, since back then I was heavily into Christianity and was always trying to win people over, and as a result my writing was like some salvation mission. The changes will take effect from chapter three, which goes online today. The rest of the story shall follow chapter by chapter over the next few months." - Andie J. P. Frankham, 13 Nov 2003.