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“For these I weep. Streams of tears
flow from my eyes because of the destruction of my people”
This IS the inscription on the memorial
to the Holocaust victims of World War II in Hyde
Park. It was placed there in June 2000 and officially dedicated
by HM The Queen. And rightly so. It comes from the book of Lamentations, Chapter
one, verse 16. The quote The Doctor adds to the memorial in memory of
those who died in the Dalek holocaust are from the Second Book of Kings,
“I
have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you.”
 No
disrespect is intended towards real victims of a real holocaust in this
story that explores what happened to the survivors of a fictional holocaust.
But I wanted to do something that went into what happened immediately
after the Dalek invasion. I also wanted to do a story that focussed on
Michael
Grahams, the Lœngbǽrrow
family butler who has played a supporting role from time to time. The
Doctor takes him back to find out what happened to his two friends who
grew up with him in the Buckingham
Palace orphanage
after the war. And a story enfolds about a very bitter young boy who cannot
let go of what happened to his family. A boy The Doctor identifies with
fully. He knows that sort of bitterness, of course.
Buckingham Palace as an orphanage,
The Albert Hall a ruin, Hyde Park overgrown,
young children playing games in which they attack the Daleks. These
are some of the legacies of the Dalek invasion I wanted to emphasise.
Life going on, but ever so much changed.
History was changed again, here. This time, it was The Doctor
who changed it, though unintentionally. He had stepped in and helped the
young Michael, mending his wounds.
As a result, he wasn’t in hospital that night, and followed his
two friends to the Albert
Hall and prevented Danny from being killed. A happy ending of sorts was
thus brought about.
Now, it does seem as if we get away with this too often in
these stories. It happened in Christmas Past, when Brian
changed his ways and didn’t die. It happened here. But when Rose tried to save her father in Father’s Day,
it caused trouble. The DIFFERENCE is indirect action. Brian
mended his ways after being given a hint by The Doctor that he was in
trouble if he didn’t. The Doctor didn’t rescue him from the
sea in Spain
which would have been the same as Rose
rescuing her father. He didn’t directly stop Danny
from dying. It was his indirect actions that changed history. A VERY subtle
difference which I think we can get away with.
http://www.london-footprints.co.uk/wkknightsbridgeadd.htm
http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/versions.pl?book=Lam&chapter=1&verse=16&version=KJV#16
http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/versions.pl?book=2Ki&chapter=20&verse=5&version=KJV#5
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