Today marks five years since ‘Hell Bent’ first aired, the episode that bade farewell to Clara Oswald on Doctor Who and opened up a whole universe of possibilities in the imaginations of its viewers. In doing so, it also kick-started this project. The Untold Adventures was conceived by a small group of fans who were captivated by this premise and the storytelling potential it offered. It began as a modest fan-fiction concept involving only a handful of people, but over time has evolved into something much, much bigger. Artists were brought on to illustrate the series, the episodes expanded from short stories into entire novellas, and we as creators grew in our experience and ambition. Today, it’s a veritable behemoth: 225,000+ words and counting; over 50 illustrations along with countless pieces of promotional and conceptual artwork; an original title sequence and theme tune plus numerous other goodies in the works.
Back when we first announced TUA, we could never have anticipated how huge an undertaking it would become. As with any large scale project, it’s been a massive challenge, and you’re all well aware that we’ve faced more than our fair share of setbacks over the course of the series’ production, not least during a year that has been especially difficult for everyone. But throughout all of the ups and downs, our passion for the character of Clara and for bringing her new adventures to fruition remains as strong as ever. So what’s next? Our plan remains as we announced earlier this year: in the interest of avoiding further delays we’re taking our time until we’re totally confident that we can comfortably launch the project without complication. Our progress has been gradual but steady in recent months as we’ve adapted to everything that’s been thrown at us, and in the new year we should be able to offer a clear roadmap.
In the meantime, we’re celebrating the 5th of December and Hell Bent with this fabulous poster by Ryan Rigby, along with a special tribute animation.
The Untold Adventures team
Poster by Ryan Rigby
Animation by Ruth Long
