WHO'S SON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM

"I was a father, once......"
The Doctor
'Doctor Who'

The 10th incarnation of the Doctor let slip that information to Rose Tyler in the episode "Fear Her".

This is really no big surprise, as we know the Doctor has a grand-daughter, Susan "Foreman". (That last name was an alias taken from the name of the proprietor of the junkyard where they hid their TARDIS back in the early 1960s.)

During his ninth incarnation, in the episodes "Father's Day" and "The Empty Child", the Doctor also mentioned having a family but that they were all kiilled during the Great Time War. I suppose Rose never considered that such a statement meant that he sired a child, since she appeared shocked by his statement as such in "Fear Her".

Susan traveled with her grandfather in his first incarnation until he abandoned her on Earth in 2164 so that she could find love and personal happiness and put down roots with the young man she loved, David Campbell. That can be find in the story "The Dalek Invasion Of Earth".

So just based on that, we know that the Doctor must have had a child, perhaps a son, maybe a daughter.

The Daily Star claims that there will be a big revelation about the status of the Doctor's lineage by the end of the third new series of 'Doctor Who' (the second year in David Tennant's tenure, the first to feature Freema Agyeman as companion Martha Jones).

Here's part of their story as relayed by the website Ananova:

" 'Doctor Who' bosses have found a way to prevent the much-loved Time Lord from dying out. By giving him a son.

The revelation will be made at the end of series three, which also sees the introduction of actress Freema Agyeman, who replaces Billie Piper as the Doctor's new companion, Martha Jones.

The Doctor, currently played by David Tennant, only has thirteen lives according to lore, and is now on his 10th regeneration. And writer Russell T Davies, who is in charge of the revamped show, decided something needed to be done in order that the programme doesn't die out.

A source told the Daily Express: 'Since there are only two regenerations left, the BBC needs a plan to make sure the show can carry on. Last year in one of the episodes it was hinted that the Doctor had a child following a doomed love affair with someone from a forgotten planet.

Russell will unveil his big bombshell that he really is a dad in next year's series finale.'"

The writer of that piece (or the person being quoted) sucks at math. 10 plus 2 equals 13? How can you trust anything else he says?

The terrific 'Doctor Who' website, Outpost Gallifrey, has been in contact with many people connected to the show who insist that this is just a rumor.

That could be some kind of dissembling in itself. Perhaps only parts of it are rumor; for instance that the revelation will be made in the final episode. That way, all bases are covered in their denial. We'll just have to wait and see how this next season plays out.

Like I said, canon already stipulates that the Doctor must have had at least one child in order to be a grandfather to Susan.

I'd hate to think they'd try to weasel out of that by claiming her use of the term "Grandfather" was an honorific, with no basis in genealogy. Mainly that's because I'm hoping one day we'll meet up with Susan as played by Carole Ann Ford.

I suppose the argument could be made that all of the Gallifreyans perished in the Time War and thus Susan must be dead now. But the eighth incarnation of the Doctor said that his mother was of Earth, making him part human. And if we did take that Daily Star story for truth in all its points, than it appears the Doctor's paramour was from another planet, neither Gallifreyan or Terran. So that would add even more genetic dilution to the mix that would eventually result in the birth of Susan.

It could be that due to that genetic dilution she was spared the fate of the other Gallifreyans.

Since Drax was able to recognize the Doctor in his fourth regeneration as his old schoolmate, I'm sure Susan will have no trouble recognizing her grandfather should they ever meet again.

Even if he does look younger than she must now......

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

"I'm 900 years old.
I think you can assume that at some point I've... danced."
The Doctor
'Doctor Who'