alternatehistory.com

- John Nathan-Turner on the casting of Season 22 of Doctor Who.


The first question that was clear for the producers when making the new Doctor Who series with NBC was where it was to be in the canon. The BBC were adamant that any show needed to be a continuation, but there were those at NBC who wanted to do a more American reboot. Eventually, a compromise was reached, the show would be a continuation, and the Doctor was to be played by a British actor, but any companions were to be played by Americans, at least to start.

It was decided that two companions would be best, a dynamic not uncommon in the Classic series. One would be male, and the other female. The male companion, Jim, would act as an ‘everyman’ similar to Marty McFly from the films. He would, however, be older, to appeal to a slightly wider audience.

The female character, Ace, was the brainchild of British producer John Nathan-Turner, who was to take the reins as head writer once more. Ace was a more action-oriented companion, with something of a rebellious and adventurous streak. She would act as a subversion of the ‘damsel-in-distress’ companion that was more common in the earlier series. [1]


As casting began, focus was placed on finding the actor to play the Seventh Doctor. The BBC already had a shortlist of actors who they felt would fit the part, so they reached out to those on the list. The list included primarily actors known for comedy in the UK, but who had shown promise of being able to handle the darker side of the Doctor. Names on the list included Stephen Fry, Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Laurie and Anthony Head. [2]

Most on the list expressed interest, and many were invited to BBC studios to give an audition. From this, the BBC were able narrow down the field, and invited Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie in to screen test with stand-ins for the companions. Fry’s performance was judged as “good, but clearly acting”, whereas Laurie’s was “impressive, just fitting into the role perfectly”. Hugh Laurie was offered the role as the Seventh Doctor, which he accepted. [3]

The Seventh Doctor was the first major character to be cast, and the timing allowed for two scenes to be filmed for Doctor Who: The Mad Dog Gang, one showing the regeneration from the Sixth to the Seventh Doctor, and another to give closure to the characters of Marty and Elsye, also showing the Seventh Doctor off for the first time.


For the character of Ace, the producers at NBC had an idea as to the sort of actress they wanted. They wanted a Sigourney Weaver-type, a woman who was strong in her own right, and could fend for herself without relying on the Doctor for protection. However, the actresses who came in to audition rarely fit that bill, and producers were left worried that they may need to rewrite the character.

However, in partway through the production of the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Denise Crosby left the show, citing lack of character development. She was offered the part of Ace, and told that she would have a large say in how the character changed over the season(s). Whilst initially hesitant to join another science fiction franchise after her experience with Star Trek, she did eventually sign on. [4]


Tom Hanks was having a string of bad luck at the box office. While he was a relatively well known actor, having had moderate success with films like Splash and Dragnet, he was unable to secure the “big break” he had been hoping for. Hanks was also an avid fan of Doctor Who, having watched the Classic series in syndication on various networks in his childhood. [5]

When he was made aware of the casting call for the new male companion, he was eager to audition. Hanks’ name was recognised by the producers, with many feeling that he would fit the ‘everyman’ role very well. Upon auditioning, Hanks was offered the part of Jim, which he accepted.


The 22nd Season would also see the 25th anniversary of the show, and the writers came up with an idea to bring one of the old Doctors back to commemorate the occasion, and establish continuity with the classic series. The writers agreed that the best to bring back would be Patrick Troughton, though following his heart attack in early 1987, he would have to sit out much of the action scenes for the story, which was to be titled “The Two Doctors”. [6]

Troughton, who had much enjoyed his return for The Five Doctors some four years prior, was eager to reprise his role. The story would also see the return of Fraiser Hines as companion Jamie McCrimmon, a fan favourite.


At 26 45-minute episodes, the BBC were hesitant to air the entire season in one run, as British seasons tended to be half of that length. It was decided to air the season in two halves, known as 22A and 22B, with a break of at least a month in between. This would result in America getting half of the episodes earlier than in Britain. [7]

The budget for the new season was much greater than the BBC producers had enjoyed previously. The new season had a budget of approximately $1 million per episode, similar to that of Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, this was a budget for the entire season, unlike TNG’s “use it or lose it” budget for each episode. With a much increased budget, many of the special effects and wild story ideas that had hitherto been undreamed of by the BBC staff were now possible. [8]

Things were looking bright for the future.


[1] A really well though out companion in my opinion. While I'm going to try and do mainly original stuff with Doctor Who, there will be some things that do still happen in spite of a nail.
[2] All actors I considered while planning this update. And yes, Anthony Head isn't a comedic actor, he's one of the few that isn't under that primarily bracket. My inner pedant needs to make that distinction.
[3] This has implications. There is no A Bit of Fry and Laurie, no Jeeves and Worcester and no Laurie in Blackadder Goes Forth. But Laurie won't be the only one of the Footlights lot be be seen in Doctor Who in the near future. Ah well, such is the curse of alternate history.
[4] This will be just the first instance of actors appearing in both franchises. Corsby strikes me as the sort of person who could pull of an American Ace. While I think she would be reluctant to join "the enemy", her say over what happens with the character is what I beleive would sell her on the role.
[5] Again, another OTL fan getting a job in Doctor Who. This butterflies Big, and most of Hanks' work in the near future. He'll be seen as a TV actor for a little while.
[6] This is the heart attack that kills him IOTL. We haven't seen the last of Troughton. While the 25th anniversary was Silver Nemesis IOTL, I think The Two Doctors will be more fitting. The story will be different though, with Holmes not writing it.
[7] The BBC will show the series in Britain, and 26 episodes in one run just isn't how we do things here. Therefore, this split is devised. Also, with no on-demmand services or VPNs at the time due to well, technology, this is no real issue. It will be in years to come though.
[8] I think that this budget is reasonable. NBC really want to blow TNG out of the water with this show. For various reasons, I think that Doctor Who is going to look like it has a bigger budget to audiences though. But that's a story for another time.
[9] Am I allowed to be proud of this? I've had this planned for a long while, and this is such a stellar crew that I can't wait to write the show. I've been waiting for so long to get this update out, and now I can really get to flexing my creative muscles with Part II. See you soon.