'Circuit Breaker': 11-'The Kaleidoscope' by Jo Martin

"I didn't bury my past. Someone mugged me for it and left me holding the bill."

When memories lie, the truth can be fatal. In the aftermath of an improbable mission, the Fugitive Doctor and Martha realise that something is interfering with their minds. Something that doesn’t want to be found.

Their investigation leads to a curious artefact in the British Museum: an apparently medieval toy known as the Kaleidoscope. But the object refuses to stay in one place, one time – or one identity. And when the Doctor is repeatedly mistaken for someone she’s never met, fragments of unfamiliar memories begin to surface.

Across Earth, a hidden pattern emerges; evidence of a secret that someone has gone to extraordinary lengths to conceal. As ancient enemies close in and innocent lives are put at risk, the Doctor learns the hard way that some truths were buried for a reason…

A key instalment of Doctor Who: Circuit Breaker, this novel is written by the Fugitive Doctor herself, Jo Martin – and also features Martha Jones (as played by Freema Agyeman), Osgood (as played by Ingrid Oliver) and Andrew (as played by Omari Douglas).

Publication Date:
3rd September 2026

Notes:

*Featuring the Fugitive Doctor, Martha, Osgood, Andrew and UNIT

*This story was part of the multi-platform 'Doctor Who' project 'Circuit Breaker'; BBC Books was just one of many media companies partnering for this epic tale, including BBC Studios, BBC Audio, Big Finish Productions, 'Doctor Who Magazine', East Side Games, Penguin Random House and Titan Comics