Part II, Chapter XLVII: "Nine Lives"
“We, well I, took the story in a bit of a different direction during Avery’s run, and I think that’s a big part of why it’s so divisive. Anyway, I took it the way I wanted to, and not everybody liked that, certainly not the higher ups at NBC. So that’s why things ended the way that they did.”
- Andrew Cartmel, showrunner for season 28 of
Doctor Who, taken from
An Adventure in Space and Time.
The position that the producers of
Doctor Who were in now was not an unfamiliar one. A new Doctor, new companion, and a new direction for the show. They had all dealt with this three years prior, to mixed results. However, their actors were more proven now, and they were coming off the back of their most successful story yet. Worries about the audience leaving were far lower than they had been during the beginning of Siddig’s run.
Once more, showrunner Andrew Cartmel would attempt to delve into the past of the Gallifreyans once more, after his failed attempt during Season 25. It was his hope that with a pairing that worked better together, his ideas would be better received by the fans and producers. He was hesitantly given the go-ahead by the executives at NBC, and got to work on these new stories. [1]
There would be some major differences over past seasons. Firstly, while the Doctor had just regenerated, he would not be dealing with post-regenerative trauma in his debut story. The reason for this would not be explained, but various sources in a state of “grey-canonicity” would offer explanations in the following years. Secondly, the season would feature a slight return to the educational origins of the show, as the Doctor takes Jennifer on board to help with her education. [2]
As a result, many scenes in this season would take place at the University of Washington in Seattle, where the Doctor is posing as a Professor of Physics. This would, in part, be due to Seattle being built over a “rift”, which allowed for an ease of travel through time and space. [3]
Following the success of Season 27, the writers decided to bring back more characters from previous seasons, with many old friends and foes making appearances once more. Gallifrey playing a more central role would mean that Romana would continue to make guest appearances, after she returned there at the end of “Closed Circle”. The Monk would also appear in this season, also pretending to be a Professor.
The Master would make a return, but J. E. Freeman was uninterested in continuing in the role if he was not working with Siddig El-Fadil. As both the Doctor and companion were now being portrayed by American actors, the BBC producers insisted on casting a British actor as the Master. They eventually settled on veteran stage actor Sir Derek Jacobi, who agreed to take on the role. [4]
Avery Brooks, who was to play the Ninth Doctor, was relatively well known among American audiences at the time of his casting, unlike his two immediate predecessors. Likewise, Winona Ryder, who would play his companion Jennifer, was also well known. As a result, executives were more confident in their ability to keep the audience hooked, and hoped that their names would draw in some people who had not seen the show before.
It was clear from pre-season interviews that the two would work well together, though the hype for the new season would be tempered somewhat by allegations of a falling out between showrunner Andrew Cartmel and much of the writing staff over the direction that
Doctor Who was to take in the future. This was not the first time such a clash had occurred, but given that they had led to the poor Season 25, many fans worried about the future of the show. [5]
And so 1994 would see
Doctor Who beginning to fall into chaos. [6]
[1] So, the Cartmel Masterplan is back. But the executives aren't too keen on the idea, given how it went last time.
[2] By "grey-canon", I mean stuff like TTL's books and audio stuff, if it ever gets made. The two major explanations will be; 1: Time has passed since The Dark Dimension, and so the Doctor is recovered; 2: As the Doctor's regeneration was voluntary, and he did not need to "repair" his body, he just doesn't go through it (per Romana's regeneration).
[3] I'll explain more when I get to the episodes. It will be like a cross between "School Reunion" and the job the Twelfth Doctor had during Series 10.
[4] I've always wanted to see more of a Jacobi Master on screen since the little bit we saw in "Utopia". He's active and gets a knighthood in 1994, so that's something.
[5] I see Cartmel's plans clashing with what a lot of the writers want to do. So this happens.
[6] More on this next time.