Doctor Who: 10 Things You Never Knew About Series 3 Of NuWho

3. From Page To Screen

On the topic of Series 3 episodes that were adapted from a previous story, Human Nature and The Family of Blood, the heartbreaking tale of morality, love and war written by Paul Cornell, were based on a novel he had previously written for the New Virgin Adventures range back in 1995. Obviously the Tenth Doctor was just a twinkle in the titular Time Lord's eye back then so it originally featured Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor and his companion Bernice Summerfield who had to adjust to life in a small English village in the early 1900's when the Doctor decided that he wanted to experience what it's like to be a human. The events of the TV version were much more dramatic, of course (and thank God they were!), as the Tenth Doctor was forced to disguise himself as John Smith in order to escape the grasp of the ensuing Family of Blood, or the Aubertide, as they were named in the book. Several other elements and characters from the original story did manage to make it onto the screen, however. Like John Smith, the Seventh Doctor took up post as a teacher at a school for boys and, while Martha posed as the Doctor's maid, Bernice took on the guise of his niece who was also left with a list of instructions of things to prevent him from doing. Rather annoyingly, he didn't mention what to do if he fell in love in that one, either!