The Mark of... The Doctor!!

[Andrew Curnow]

Little Miss got a 5" Billie Piper figure for her birthday yesterday, and on closer examination (ie, looking at the rear view) we noticed this:



Clearly the Doctor, given his great age, fears committing the awful social faux pas of getting somebody's name wrong. It's fair enough, we've all done it, and it is embarassing. So to avoid it, he quite obviously writes the names of his companions names on their backs, to aid his memory.

But here's what we got a-wondering - it looks like, for Rose, the Doctor went to the trouble of sewing her name into the back of her favourite top. Who else would he do that for? Which companions got the full sewing, and which only got a quick scribble with permanent marker? Did the Doctor care so little for any companion that he made do with just a post-it note?

[SiHart]

K9 got his name put on the side. Just watch you can see the Doctor only ever talks to him when he can see that side, just in case...

Si xx

[Andrew Curnow]

Good point, Si - or 'conclusive evidence' as I shall call it from now on.

[Simon R]

Ace has her name on the back of her jacket too.

More to the point why on earth did the (Celestial?) toymakers give the Rose figure this name on the back business? Was it in something to do with the mysterious legal situation concerning Billie Piper's likeness that prevents a Rose doll?

[Jeff]

Adric had a special badge to let everyone know he was a dork...

[Pip Madeley]

Reminds me of Gov. William J. Le Petomane from Blazing Saddles:

[Dave Tudor]

For some reason, I doubt that Dodo got little more than a note in biro on the back of the First Doctor's hand.

[Stuart Wallis]

I was sure that there was a reason why Mel kept going round introducing herself "Melanie, known as Mel"!

Doctor: "Ah, now which one were you again, Ginger...?"

[Dirk Gently]

May be she thought that if she introduced herself as Mel people would confuse her with Mel Smith?

[Stuart Wallis]

"And this is Griff, known as Doctor."

[Rob McCow]

May be she thought that if she introduced herself as Mel people would confuse her with Mel Smith?

Then her introduction story could have been 'Smith and Smith'.

Doesn't the Mel Bush Dapol model have a copyright notice stamped on her somewhere? Also, the glue that held her hair on wasn't very good, leading to the possibility of freaky adventures where the Mentors implant their minds into her body.

[Andrew Curnow]

Thinking about it, it's probably also why Turlough always looks behind him before leaving anywhere - it's to make sure that the name tag safety-pinned to the back of his jacket is still there.

It might also explain why in the 80s the companions rarely changed their outfits - clearly the Doctor was very insistent that "I'm only embroidering your name on one top"!

[Rob McCow]

That's the real reason Tegan left.
"Doctor, I'm tired of all the sewing. It's stopped being fun!"
"Wait, come back... er... whatever your name was."

[Andrew Curnow]

It's also, quite obviously, the reason why the Doctor has companions with such short names - Mel, Ace, Tegan, Jo, Liz. Sarah-Jane must have been a special case, and please note that Perpugilliam would never have got a foot aboard the TARDIS unless she went by the name 'Peri' instead.

It all makes complete and perfect sense!!!

[The Secretive Bus]

The Doctor put a post it note on Kamelion's bulge. That's why he's always staring at it, thinking "It must have fallen off somewhere."