Celestial Toymaker
Encyclopedia
The Celestial Toymaker is a fictional character in the long-running British
science fiction television series, Doctor Who
. He was played by Michael Gough
, and featured in the 1966 story The Celestial Toymaker
by Brian Hayles
.
, having already lived for millions of years. Having been cast out from an alternative universe, he obeys a different set of physical laws. The years of isolation have driven him mad, and he seeks distraction in the playing of games.
If the Toymaker loses a game, his world is destroyed (although he is powerful enough to rebuild it). If a contestant loses, he is added to the game as a toy
, and if he wins, he is destroyed with the world. Either way, the contestant cannot win; the reward for both failure and success is the same: eternal existence at the Toymaker's side. The Toymaker is manipulative and can turn people, as the First Doctor
comments, "into his playthings". As he demonstrates, he is a being of great power, judging from how he effortlessly makes the Doctor
invisible and, for a while, mute
.
He uses his enormous power for self-satisfaction and bullying, such as threatening to break Sergeant Rugg and Mrs Wiggs like a stack of plates.
by Graham Williams
, in a story set in Blackpool
. The Sixth Doctor
and Peri
defeat the Toymaker, and leave him sealed inside a forcefield maintained by his own thoughts, trapped for the remainder of his life.
The Toymaker made his first comic strip appearance in 1981, in a back-up strip titled The Greatest Gamble, written by John Peel and drawn by Mike McMahon, and first published in Doctor Who Magazine
#56. In the story, the Toymaker plays a game of cards against a gambler named Gaylord Lefevre on on a Mississippi riverboat in the late 1800s.
The Toymaker then appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip End Game, written by Alan Barnes and published in DWM #244-#247. In End Game, he took the entire town of Stockbridge as his playing board to try to defeat the Eighth Doctor, using the Ultimate Weapon of a mirror which created clockwork duplicates. However, the Doctor turned this plan on its executor, creating a duplicate of the Toymaker hell-bent on playing games for ever, at which point he was cast into a dimensional void.
The Toymaker next featured in the Past Doctor Adventures
novel Divided Loyalties
by Gary Russell
. Divided Loyalties reveals that he encountered the Doctor prior to the events of The Celestial Toymaker, where he possessed the body of the Doctor's schoolfriend Rallon to use as a permanent host. This story also reveals that the Toymaker is one of the Guardians, representing dreams in the same way as the White Guardian
represents order, and the Black Guardian
represents chaos. The story also features Gaylord Lefevre from The Greatest Gamble. At the conclusion of the story, despite the Toymaker's attempts to turn the Fifth Doctor
's companions against him, he is defeated when Rallon expels the Toymaker from his body by triggering all twelve of his regenerations at once, the Toymaker subsequently being 'possessed' by Rallon's Watcher to keep him in check in future (Hence accounting for the Toymaker's different personality during his appearance in The Nightmare Fair; with Rallon's Watcher now his host rather than Rallon himself, it is as though the Toymaker himself has regenerated, changing minor but crucial aspects of his personality).
The cancelled story The Nightmare Fair was resurrected by Big Finish Productions
, and released November 2009. Colin Baker
and Nicola Bryant
returned as the Doctor and Peri, but as Michael Gough had retired, the part of the Toymaker was played by David Bailie
, who had previously played Dask in the 1977 story The Robots of Death
. However, seven months before Fair's release, The Toymaker makes a surprise appearance against the Seventh Doctor
in the audio story The Magic Mousetrap
, his power having been divided among his last group of opponents when the Doctor manipulated him into playing multiple games at once. In this story, the Toymaker is played by Paul Antony-Barber. David Bailie returns to the role in the Eighth Doctor and Charley Pollard
Companion Chronicles audio story Solitaire
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction television series, Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. He was played by Michael Gough
Michael Gough
Michael Gough was an English character actor who appeared in over 150 films. He is perhaps best known to international audiences for his roles in the Hammer Horror films from 1958, and for his recurring role as Alfred Pennyworth in all four movies of the Burton/Schumacher Batman franchise,...
, and featured in the 1966 story The Celestial Toymaker
The Celestial Toymaker
The Celestial Toymaker is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 2 April to 23 April 1966.-Plot:...
by Brian Hayles
Brian Hayles
Brian Hayles was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. His body of work as a writer for television and film, most notably for the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who, lasted from 1962 to 1978....
.
Character overview
The Toymaker is immortalImmortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
, having already lived for millions of years. Having been cast out from an alternative universe, he obeys a different set of physical laws. The years of isolation have driven him mad, and he seeks distraction in the playing of games.
If the Toymaker loses a game, his world is destroyed (although he is powerful enough to rebuild it). If a contestant loses, he is added to the game as a toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
, and if he wins, he is destroyed with the world. Either way, the contestant cannot win; the reward for both failure and success is the same: eternal existence at the Toymaker's side. The Toymaker is manipulative and can turn people, as the First Doctor
First Doctor
The First Doctor is the initial incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966. Hartnell reprised the role in the tenth anniversary story The Three Doctors in 1973 - albeit in a...
comments, "into his playthings". As he demonstrates, he is a being of great power, judging from how he effortlessly makes the Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
invisible and, for a while, mute
Speech disorder
Speech disorders or speech impediments are a type of communication disorders where 'normal' speech is disrupted. This can mean stuttering, lisps, etc. Someone who is unable to speak due to a speech disorder is considered mute.-Classification:...
.
He uses his enormous power for self-satisfaction and bullying, such as threatening to break Sergeant Rugg and Mrs Wiggs like a stack of plates.
Other appearances
The Toymaker appears in the novelisation of the unmade serial The Nightmare FairThe Nightmare Fair
The Nightmare Fair is a story originally written for the 1986 season of Doctor Who, but never filmed. A novelisation based on the script was published in 1989 by Target Books, as the first volume of its Missing Episodes series...
by Graham Williams
Graham Williams
Graham Williams was a British television producer and script editor, whose best known work was on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who....
, in a story set in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
. The Sixth Doctor
Sixth Doctor
The Sixth Doctor is the sixth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Colin Baker...
and Peri
Peri Brown
Peri Brown, full name Perpugilliam Brown, is a fictional character played by Nicola Bryant in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
defeat the Toymaker, and leave him sealed inside a forcefield maintained by his own thoughts, trapped for the remainder of his life.
The Toymaker made his first comic strip appearance in 1981, in a back-up strip titled The Greatest Gamble, written by John Peel and drawn by Mike McMahon, and first published in Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
#56. In the story, the Toymaker plays a game of cards against a gambler named Gaylord Lefevre on on a Mississippi riverboat in the late 1800s.
The Toymaker then appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip End Game, written by Alan Barnes and published in DWM #244-#247. In End Game, he took the entire town of Stockbridge as his playing board to try to defeat the Eighth Doctor, using the Ultimate Weapon of a mirror which created clockwork duplicates. However, the Doctor turned this plan on its executor, creating a duplicate of the Toymaker hell-bent on playing games for ever, at which point he was cast into a dimensional void.
The Toymaker next featured in the Past Doctor Adventures
Past Doctor Adventures
The Past Doctor Adventures were a series of spin-off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint. For most of their existence, they were published side-by-side with the Eighth Doctor Adventures...
novel Divided Loyalties
Divided Loyalties (Doctor Who)
Divided Loyalties is a BBC Books original novel written by Gary Russell and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
by Gary Russell
Gary Russell
Gary James Russell is a freelance writer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs in other media...
. Divided Loyalties reveals that he encountered the Doctor prior to the events of The Celestial Toymaker, where he possessed the body of the Doctor's schoolfriend Rallon to use as a permanent host. This story also reveals that the Toymaker is one of the Guardians, representing dreams in the same way as the White Guardian
White Guardian
The White Guardian is a character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was played by Cyril Luckham, with the exception of a vocal message in The Stones of Blood which was performed by Gerald Cross....
represents order, and the Black Guardian
Black Guardian
The Black Guardian is a character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was played by Valentine Dyall....
represents chaos. The story also features Gaylord Lefevre from The Greatest Gamble. At the conclusion of the story, despite the Toymaker's attempts to turn the Fifth Doctor
Fifth Doctor
The Fifth Doctor is the fifth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Peter Davison....
's companions against him, he is defeated when Rallon expels the Toymaker from his body by triggering all twelve of his regenerations at once, the Toymaker subsequently being 'possessed' by Rallon's Watcher to keep him in check in future (Hence accounting for the Toymaker's different personality during his appearance in The Nightmare Fair; with Rallon's Watcher now his host rather than Rallon himself, it is as though the Toymaker himself has regenerated, changing minor but crucial aspects of his personality).
The cancelled story The Nightmare Fair was resurrected by Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
, and released November 2009. Colin Baker
Colin Baker
Colin Baker is a British actor who is known for playing Paul Merroney in The Brothers from 1974 to 1976 and as the sixth incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who, from 1984 to 1986.- Background:Colin Baker was born in London, but moved north to...
and Nicola Bryant
Nicola Bryant
-External links:** at shillpages.com/dw *...
returned as the Doctor and Peri, but as Michael Gough had retired, the part of the Toymaker was played by David Bailie
David Bailie
David Bailie is a British actor, known for his performances on stage, television and film. In the '60s and '70s he worked for both the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he was an associate artist. On TV he played "Dask" in the 1977 Doctor Who serial The Robots of Death, and...
, who had previously played Dask in the 1977 story The Robots of Death
The Robots of Death
The Robots of Death is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 29 January to 19 February 1977.-Synopsis:...
. However, seven months before Fair's release, The Toymaker makes a surprise appearance against the Seventh Doctor
Seventh Doctor
The Seventh Doctor is the seventh incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor Sylvester McCoy....
in the audio story The Magic Mousetrap
The Magic Mousetrap
The Magic Mousetrap is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, his power having been divided among his last group of opponents when the Doctor manipulated him into playing multiple games at once. In this story, the Toymaker is played by Paul Antony-Barber. David Bailie returns to the role in the Eighth Doctor and Charley Pollard
Charley Pollard
Charlotte Elspeth Pollard, or simply Charley, is a fictional character played by India Fisher in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions, many of which were broadcast on BBC Radio 7, based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A young woman...
Companion Chronicles audio story Solitaire
Solitaire (Doctor Who audio)
Solitaire is a Big Finish Productions audiobook based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:Charley must rescue the Eighth Doctor, after being turned into a ventriloquist's dummy by the Celestial Toymaker....
.