The most exciting Doctor Who story this year won't be on TV at all, but instead in print and elsewhere. It's been a strange year for Doctor Who fans; while season 12 can't be faulted on its ambition, the execution left a lot to be desired. The Timeless Child retcon, in particular, opens up a lot of story possibilities, but it also clashes significantly with the show's canon and lore. The fanbase is divided, between those who are critical and others who remain cautiously optimistic about Doctor Who's future.

It will be some time before Doctor Who returns to the small screen. For all that's the case, though, the BBC has officially announced an ambitious new initiative called "Time Lord Victorious," featuring Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, and David Tennant as various incarnations of the Doctor. Set at the dawn of time, during the Dark Times of ancient Gallifrey, this will be a true transmedia adventure. The story is being produced as a joint venture of Penguin Random House, BBC Books, Titan Comics, Doctor Who Magazine, Big Finish productions, BBC Audio, Eaglemoss Hero Collector, Immersive Everywhere, Maze Theory, and Escape Hunt.

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Doctor Who has a long history of embracing different mediums, running all the way back to the popular Target novelizations penned by the late Terrance Dicks. Indeed, after the classic Doctor Who series was canceled in 1989, these other mediums essentially kept the franchise alive until Russell T. Davies relaunched the show in 2005. For all that's the case, though, the Doctor Who franchise has never done anything quite so ambitious. This is an actual transmedia story, a single narrative that runs across different platforms. It's clearly going to embrace novels, audiobooks, comics, fan magazines, and even interactive escape rooms, much like other science fiction franchises in entertainment.

The Tenth Doctor and Rose smiling for the camera in Doctor Who

It's as yet unknown how involved actors Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, and David Tennant will be in the project; although both Tennant and McGann have worked with Big Finish, Eccleston was burned by his experience working on Doctor Who, and as a result he's unlikely to return. It's possible he'll once again be voiced by Nicholas Briggs on any audiobooks.

The big disappointment, of course, is that the boldest experiment in Doctor Who history doesn't involve the TV series at all. It is possible, however, that there will be a connection; the Timeless Child was the base genetic code for the entire Time Lord race, and pre-Hartnell incarnations of the Doctor were present throughout the history of Gallifrey. "Time Lord Victorious" is set during the Dark Times of Gallifrey, before the Time Lords retreated and swore to cease intervening in the affairs of other races. Hopefully, Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall will allow some clues to the Doctor's secret history in this transmedia event, which could then be explored in Doctor Who season 13 (or later).

More: Classic Doctor Who May Have Revealed The Timeless Child's Fate