The Doctor In The TARDIS

The Doctor meets a young child then encounters her again at random intervals throughout her life. Little does he know that while he has only been gone for a few minutes at a time, often weeks, months or years have passed for the little girl, who thinks of him as a sort of imaginary friend, although they know he is isn't. At the end of the story, realising the potential (or whatever) in the girl, he offers her a place in the TARDIS.

There are things in each story that make them different, but the bones of it is pretty much the same. Coincidence? Or do you think Moff was reusing one of his popular stories because he knew it would go over well with the audience as it had before?

I think it probably comes down to a bit of laziness mixed in with a bit of 'using what works'. That isn't a jab at Moff though because he managed to make The Eleventh Hour so much better than TGITF and the majority of the story is so different that you don't even really notice the connections and it certainly doesn't come accross as a rip off.

I must admit, that hadn't occurred to me, but it is a close parallel.  I agree with Exterminate, though, that he used the idea in such different ways in the two stories that it doesn't really bother me.

I'm the same as Nyki. I can't say I'd ever noticed it before but its definately very similar. I don't think the link has or would damage either story though because although when it's pointed out it becomes obvious, they aren't so similar that they feel like a rip off of each other.

I'm sure there is a discussion about this on the forum somewhere already. I definately read about it somewhere which is how I was familiar with the similarities, but as everyone else has said, I don't think either story was brought down by them and I don't think they are obvious enough that it seems like a rip-off. Moff knew there was a lot riding on TEH so more than likely he took the bones of an already popular story and then rewrote it so that it had familiarity and a plot people would like but ultimately be very different to the earlier story. The fact that many people didn't even notice shows that it works imo.

I don't think Moff was using it because it was popular before. The links are so subtle, although at the same time they now seem glaringly obvious, that most people weren't even aware and so wouldn't have made the link anyway. Unless of course Moff was doing some subconscious stuff with his writing, which I doubt. Either way though both stories work well and they don't seem like carbon copies of each other so whatever the reasons, I don't think they are issues.

I have to be honest, this isn't something that I had picked up on and unless it's something you really look out for I don't think average Joe Public will have either. It's a cool link but I don't think the similarities make much difference or harm the stories in any way.

It seems so obvious now its all written down in front of me but I have to be honest after watching both I had never noticed. I love both stories but I think that TEH is much better.