The Ninth Doctor once created a computer virus to erase himself off the Internet. It was on a CD disc.
History[]
On 7 March 2006, after defeating the Slitheen family, the Ninth Doctor gave Mickey Smith the virus on a disc while talking (TV: World War Three [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 1 (BBC One, 2005).) on Maddock Way (TV: The Christmas Invasion [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who Christmas special (BBC One, 2005)., The End of Time [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who Christmas Special 2009 and New Year Special 2010 (BBC One, 2009-2010).) in the Powell Estate, which he pulled from one of his pockets. The Doctor explained that, if Mickey was to put it online as he instructed, it would erase every mention of himself off the Internet, making him "cease to exist"; the Doctor agreed with Mickey that he was dangerous and therefore didn't want people following him. (TV: World War Three [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 1 (BBC One, 2005).)
The following morning, however, Mickey admitted to the readers of his website, Who is Doctor Who?, in an editorial that he couldn't bring himself to use the virus. Mickey felt that the Doctor shouldn't be making decisions on behalf of mankind, and felt that it was "enough" that he even had the virus in his possession. Although, if the Doctor was really too dangerous, Mickey was prepared to use it. (PROSE: Hoax This! [+]BBC webteam, Who is Doctor Who? (BBC, 2005).)
According to another account, in which Mickey didn't run Who is Doctor Who? but instead a blog, on 7 November 2006 at 11:42PM, Mickey pondered using the virus after having written about his visits to Jackie Tyler in her flat and the discovery that the Doctor had taken Rose to be with her father when he died. (PROSE: Mickey's Blog [+]James Goss and Steve Tribe, The Doctor: His Lives and Times (BBC Books, 2013). Page 176.)
Behind the scenes[]
- While Mickey was given the virus in World War Three, there is never any evidence — on-screen or off — that Mickey goes through with using the virus. In the short stories Hoax This! and Mickey's Blog (both similar but distinct accounts of Mickey's perspective of series one of Doctor Who) Mickey considers using the virus, but seemingly doesn't got through with it.
- In the second series of Doctor Who, in the episode Love & Monsters, "Victor Kennedy" mentions that the Torchwood Institute's files on Rose Tyler have been corrupted due to the Bad Wolf virus. However, it is unlikely that the computer virus in World War Three and the Bad Wolf virus are one and the same due to the viruses having different effects and Mickey's seeming refusal to use the former.
