Part II, Chapter LVIII: "'Cause There Isn't Much Down Here on Earth"
“I was saddened to find that NBC weren’t going to renew my contract. I was enjoying the role, as it wasn’t quite like any other one on television at that point. The Doctor is an interesting character, and we all bring something new and brilliant to the role. My issue was never with the people on the show, which is why I’ve come back to the role so often. I do try to live in the ‘now’, but that is a franchise that always gives you an opportunity to try something new. That’s part of the reason why I love working with Nick. He’s always up for trying something strange and new.”
- Avery Brooks on his leaving
Doctor Who. [1]
Season 29 was here, and the fans eagerly awaited the conclusion of the “Other” story arc. The fact that this would be the last season to feature Avery Brooks as the Ninth Doctor, Winona Ryder as Jennifer Marsh or feature the writing of Andrew Cartmel would bring many older fans back to see how this era of the show would end.
The multitude of guest stars in this season would also help to bring old fans back, with many fans of the classic series eager to see how the Ninth Doctor would interact with old friends and enemies, and to see him reunite with his companion Peri Brown, whom the Doctor had pledged to come back for, but never had. [2]
Season 29 of
Doctor Who began airing on Sunday 14th May 1995, it was the eighth season of the revival series.
List of Episodes of Season 29 of Doctor Who: [3]
- Time Travel 101 (Part 1)
- Time Travel 101 (Part 2)
- Moving On (Part 1)*
- Moving On (Part 2)*
- The Orlok Inheritance (Part 1)
- The Orlok Inheritance (Part 2)
- Outsiders (Part 1)
- Outsiders (Part 2)
- Death on the Thames (Part 1)
- Death on the Thames (Part 2)
- In Plain Sight (Part 1)
- In Plain Sight (Part 2)
- Pedigree (Part 1)
- Pedigree (Part 2)
- The Crooner (Part 1)
- The Crooner (Part 2)
- The Man Behind the Mask (Part 1)
- The Man Behind the Mask (Part 2)
- The Man Behind the Mask (Part 3)
- Keep Your Enemies Close (Part 1)*
- Keep Your Enemies Close (Part 2)*
- Every Little Bit Helps (Part 1)
- Every Little Bit Helps (Part 2)
- The Other (Part 1)
- The Other (Part 2)
- The Other (Part 3)
Bold denotes a story by @The Chimera Virus, underlining denotes a story by @Drorac, italics denote a story by @tornadobusdriver, while stories with an asterisk denote a story which has been titled, but not written, by me.
Cast of Season 29 of Doctor Who:
- The Ninth Doctor – Avery Brooks
- Jennifer Marsh – Winona Ryder
- The Master – Sir Derek Jacobi
- The Monk – Eric Idle
- Romana – Lalla Ward
- Leela – Louise Jameson
- Voice of K9 – John Leeson
- Susan Campbell-Foreman – Carole Ann Ford
Much like its immediate predecessor, Season 29 would, on first release, be met with many mixed reviews. Although the stories themselves were largely praised, many fans and critics felt that the season revealed “too much too quick”, which many attributed to the rushed production on some of the stories. However, recent reviews have been more kind, appreciating that Cartmel had little time to finalise the story before it entered production. [4]
The continued appearance of former allies and enemies, most notably the reappearance of Davros and the Daleks, who had only one appearance in Brooks’ entire run, and the return of Susan Campbell-Foreman, who had last been seen in
The Five Doctors, and was the Doctor’s granddaughter.
With the reveal of the new Doctor, there was real excitement for what Season 30 would bring the following year. Once more, there would be a new Doctor, companion, and head writer. The future was uncertain, but there could well be great things in the future for
Doctor Who. [5]
[1] "Nick" will be important. That's why I haven't told you who he is.
[2] Peri was just sort of left there, so I've decided to give a bit of closure to that.
[3] Astute readers may pick up on the fact that I only write three stories this season. I'm loving how many of you are submitting stories.
[4] This is an accusation levelled mainly at "The Other", which takes some inspiration from the VNA Lungbarrow.
[5] You'll find out who they are very soon. Stay tuned.