The Ravenswode family gets a bad press through all my stories. They are a thorn in the side of Marion and Kristoph in the previous generation and they are mentioned more than once in the Unfinished Business stories when The Doctor looks back on his life.

The name Ravenswode did raise some queries from readers. Some asked if he was based on the character Rookwood in Harry Potter. The answer is no. It is vaguely inspired by the sort of names the aristocracy of Ankh Morpork have in Terry Pratchett, although there is no name like Ravenswode in there. Obviously it is a variation on Ravenwood, which was just a bit too rural.

An army of clones, created by Ravenswode to defeat what armies Gallifrey actually has plays a little on the idea that Time Lords ARE cloned, which is favoured by some writers. Me, I prefer them to be real people with real families, who find the idea of cloning abhorrent and unnatural.

The battle is a dark one. There is an implication that there are a lot of casualties. Chrístõ watching the battle on a graphic where the two sides appear as coloured dots not only dehumanises the battle, but at the same time enforces the horror of it when he reminds himself of the reality.

When he and Penne go into action, it isn’t pretty, either. Theta Sigma DOES push the PG envelope. There is a huge body count when they blow up the bunker, even if these ARE clones.

Valena again comes into her own in this story. I originally depicted her as a society wife, with the right pedigree. But in two stories, now, she has proved herself made of sterner stuff than a women who simply gives dinner parties. She stood up for herself in Kohbran’s Cabinet, and here, she virtually commands the Chancellery Guard.

And when the smoke died down, the High Council decided to reward Penne for his actions by restoring his House. But he refuses. The House of Dúre is installed, instead, as a House of Gallifrey.