Page "Retroactive continuity" Paragraph 32

The revived series of British science fiction television program Doctor Who, and its television spin-offs, heavily and playfully uses retroactive continuity plot devices.

For example, in Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, created by Russell T Davies, a drug used to erase the memory of characters is called " retcon "; the use of the drug is often referred to by characters as " retconning ".

The nod to retroactive continuity is a joke meant to be shared between the writers and the viewers as a way of pointing out that anything done throughout the course of the series can easily be undone with a simple plot device ; it also points to parent show Doctor Whos frequent use of the device in its several-decade run.

For example, Davies introduced the Time War in the backstory to Doctor Whos 2005 revival to account for discrepancies between the classic series and the revamp.

When Steven Moffat took over in 2010, he introduced cracks in the universe which erase events and individuals from history ; using this device, he ' undid ' the events of " Journey's End " and " The Next Doctor " so that in the series ' narrative, the people of Earth would be ( once again ) unaware of alien life.

Moffat's fifth series finale provided a similar device when the Doctor " rebooted " the universe.

In answer to a fan's question, Moffat tweeted: " The whole universe came exactly as it was.

Except for any continuity errors I need to explain away.

" And in the sixth series, Moffat introduces new aliens the Silence, who erase your memory of them the moment you look away.

Creative use of the device is mined for new kinds of television suspense.

In the episode " Day of the Moon ", characters were shown to have had dozens of ( unseen ) encounters with the creatures in the space of a few seconds in viewer's time.

Commenting on this device, writer MaryAnn Johanson writes, " That could be happening throughout this story ... indeed, through the entire history of Doctor Who.

Moffat has just created a pretty much unassailable narratively sound reason for inserting retcons anywhere throughout the half-century history of the show.