Five years ago, in one of the most memorable episodes of Jodie Whittaker’s era of Doctor Who, the Doctor encountered a version of herself from a past that Who fans had never really understood. And now, in the latest episode of Doctor Who, “The Story & the Engine,” written by Inua Ellams, Ncuti Gatwa’s 13th Doctor revisits that exact same storyline. In a unique episode full of big ideas, Doctor Who makes a casual assertion about the unfolding — and sometimes contradictory —nature of the Doctor’s past.
So, what did this cameo mean? And how does it change our knowledge of the Doctor’s secret lives? Let’s talk about the wibbly-wobbly retroactive canon of the various Doctors before the existence of Doctor Who.
