Part II, Chapter XXXIX: "The Moment Has Been Prepared For"
“1993 was without a doubt, the biggest year for my career. After all, I got offers from both of the big science fiction franchises of the time to play the lead character in a television show. In the end, Doctor Who got in first, so I took them up. I had a good time there, even is a lot of the other cast and crew didn’t. That’s one of the reasons that I’ve revisited the character so much. I always felt like he had unfinished business.”
- Avery Brooks, taken from
An Adventure in Space and Time. [1]
When Siddig El-Fadil announced his intention to leave
Doctor Who following its twenty-seventh season, the fans began speculating as to who would replace him. Taking inspiration from the casting of Siddig, some fans believed that the Ninth Doctor would be played by an actor who had guest starred in the show. Others thought that the producers would opt for another actor from a minority background, to further promote the show’s themes of diversity.
This latter group’s theorising would be confirmed when the announcement was made in mid-1993 that the Ninth Doctor would be portrayed by Avery Brooks, an African-American actor. Brooks’s name had been floated as a possibility during the casting of the Eighth Doctor, so many fans were unsurprised by his casting. Prior to his work in
Doctor Who, Brooks was best known for his role as “Hawk” in the
Spenser television series, and its spinoff,
A Man Called Hawk.
It was the hope of the producers that by casting an African-American actor in the role of the Doctor, they could continue to explore the themes of prejudice and racism that they had begun to with the Eighth Doctor. [2]
In contrast to the casting of the Seventh or Eighth Doctors, Brooks was offered the role without auditioning. In fact, no auditions for the character were held, as the producers had already settled on Brooks as a first choice. Andrew Cartmel, head writer, was particularly keen on Brooks, as he saw that Brooks was capable of bringing the mix of humour and seriousness that the role of the Doctor so often demanded.
It was Cartmel’s hope that Brooks could bring a darker, but still well-humoured, version of the Doctor to the screen, as he intended to continue with his plans of exploring the past of the Doctor and Time Lord society. [3]
But every Doctor needs a companion, and Gillian Anderson had also made it clear that if Siddig was leaving, she would be too. As a result, a new companion needed to be written and cast. Cartmel created the character of Jennifer Davies, a student at the University of Washington. Making the companion a student would, it was the writers’ hope, allow for the show to make a soft return to its roots as an educational program.
In casting the role of Jennifer, Cartmel decided that he wanted a young American woman, as had been the case with the previous three female companions. Many actresses auditioned, but eventually the role was won by actress Winona Ryder. Ryder was best known for her role as Lydia Deets in the 1988 film
Beetlejuice, but had fallen into relative obscurity since then. [4]
From a more technical standpoint, Season 27 of
Doctor Who would also be the final season to feature musician Lindsey Buckingham as the composer for the show. Buckingham was hoping to get back into mainstream music, and felt that his work with
Doctor Who was holding him back in that regard.
Buckingham’s past with Fleetwood Mac had lent the show’s music a different feel, and the producers were keen to get another musician with a background in popular music on board to replace him. Initially, they approached Hans Zimmer, who had recently begun working in popular music, but was busy with
The Lion King, an upcoming Disney film.
In fact, the new composers would approach the producers on the show, offering their services. Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert, both members of the recently disbanded New Order, were fans of the show, and upon hearing of Buckingham’s departure, were interested in taking his place. The producers agreed to bring them on, and they would begin scoring with Season 28, to be released in 1994. [5]
As 1994 came,
Doctor Who was fresh off of a successful anniversary story, with a new Doctor and companion. The fandom seemed more excited than ever for the next season of the show, and it looked as though nothing could go wrong. [6]
[1] There was a time not too long ago when I wouldn't dare hinting as strongly as to what will happen as I am in this update.
[2] The Ninth Doctor's skin colour will by no means be his defining feature, but it will be important at some points, because well, this is a show involving time travel where the characters often go the the past.
[3] The Cartmel Masterplan is BACK! Coincidentally, that is also the name of the document where I plan who will be the Doctor and their companions, but for different reasons.
[4] I'll make this clear in another update, but Heathers ITTL has two different leads to OTL. While in OTL we got Ryder and Slater, ITTL we have Brad Pitt and Jennifer Connelly. As a result, Ryder's film career hasn't taken off like it has in OTL, which has some other surprisingly major effects down the line.
[5] I must thank @Time Enough for bringing these two to my attention. He suggested them right at the beginning of this timeline, and I've finally found a way to use them.
[6] As I said in the first footnote. I'm hinting much more strongly now than I used to. Helps to build suspense in the story. Nice.