Perpetual Doctor Who AH Challenge!

Glen

Moderator
Okay, how do you have a Doctor Who that never had the interregnum?

For the purpose of this exercise, hiatuses are allowed, but should not exceed two years in length, and should not be frequent.
 
Ratings stay good?:D
I dunno, this is tough. Maybe A Darker Dimension gets produced instead of that shitty "comedy" special that crossed over with the Eastenders, ratings are good, and the show is brought back less than two years after it was cancelled, although it still was.
 

Glen

Moderator
Of course, the mechanics depend on where we put the POD (or PODs). Personally, I'd like to see us find a Doctor Who sympathizer we could install as the Controller of BBC1 in the late 1980s.

If we want to keep as much of the original history as possible, a change in regime sometime after the end of the 26th season seems in order.

Oddly enough, I think there is some plausibility to an earlier introduction of Russell T. Davies to Doctor Who. His Dark Seasons in 1991 might inspire someone to bring him into Doctor Who in 1992. He's even got a propensity for doing variations on a theme and reusing names, so we might see under his influence something very similar to the 21st century resumption of Doctor Who (though not the same cast and not the same effects). Hmmm...Kate Winslet as a companion?
 
Of course, the mechanics depend on where we put the POD (or PODs). Personally, I'd like to see us find a Doctor Who sympathizer we could install as the Controller of BBC1 in the late 1980s.

If we want to keep as much of the original history as possible, a change in regime sometime after the end of the 26th season seems in order.

Oddly enough, I think there is some plausibility to an earlier introduction of Russell T. Davies to Doctor Who. His Dark Seasons in 1991 might inspire someone to bring him into Doctor Who in 1992. He's even got a propensity for doing variations on a theme and reusing names, so we might see under his influence something very similar to the 21st century resumption of Doctor Who (though not the same cast and not the same effects). Hmmm...Kate Winslet as a companion?
Isn't this kind of what I suggested?
 
Planning for the 1990 season was already under way when the show "was placed on hold" in 1989.
It was also going to see the end of the "Cartmel master-plan" regards to the Doctors history, which had started in the last 3 seasons....
It was going to be McCoys last season and was going to regenerate after killing himself after mental torture.... Ace was going to be written out by sent to Gallifrey to join the time lord acedemy.
The names that the prdouction team where looking at for the 8th Doctor where Richard Griffiths and Ian Richardson.....(good choices).
They where also planning to get the show back on Saturday nights, which would have helped rather than being up against Cornation Street mid-week.
If they can get the show to 1993 without cancellation, then expect a massive 30th annivsery.....
so just for fun....
7th Doctor Sysveter McCoy (1987-1990)
8th Doctor Richard Griffiths (1991-1994)
9th Doctor Ian Richardson (1995-1999)
10th Doctor Paul McGann (1999-2003)
11th Doctor Christopher Eccleston (2005)
12th Doctor David Tennenat (2005-2010)
 
Beckham quits football after the 1998 World Cup (and being sent off), takes up acting, and stars in the Doctor Who movie!
 

Glen

Moderator
Planning for the 1990 season was already under way when the show "was placed on hold" in 1989.
It was also going to see the end of the "Cartmel master-plan" regards to the Doctors history, which had started in the last 3 seasons....
It was going to be McCoys last season and was going to regenerate after killing himself after mental torture.... Ace was going to be written out by sent to Gallifrey to join the time lord acedemy.
The names that the prdouction team where looking at for the 8th Doctor where Richard Griffiths and Ian Richardson.....(good choices).
They where also planning to get the show back on Saturday nights, which would have helped rather than being up against Cornation Street mid-week.
If they can get the show to 1993 without cancellation, then expect a massive 30th annivsery.....
so just for fun....
7th Doctor Sysveter McCoy (1987-1990)
8th Doctor Richard Griffiths (1991-1994)
9th Doctor Ian Richardson (1995-1999)
10th Doctor Paul McGann (1999-2003)
11th Doctor Christopher Eccleston (2005)
12th Doctor David Tennenat (2005-2010)

I've seen most of that and thought about it, too, but I think it unlikely that it would go forward straight on. I suspect it would have a longer hiatus, but I think a restart in 1992-3 would be viable, and especially if we posit Russell Davies coming in 12 years earlier....actually, the timing for that would be about right.

I don't think we'd see these gentlemen playing the Doctor in a timeline where we didn't have a 12 year interregnum, that would be a bit unlikely. Different history of the show, different needs. If Davies was starting over only after 3 or 4 year hiatus (yes, I'm already violating my own initial premise), then would he do a regeneration show, and would he cast a transitional Doctor or go straight for 'his' Doctor? Interesting to ponder.

I do tend to agree that if the show went forward by some miracle without stopping, we very well could have seen Ace at the Academy and a Griffiths or Richardson Doctor (but not both...I like Richardson for the part more myself).
 

Glen

Moderator
If I wanted to keep within the rules of my original challenge....could have the Doctor get a short reprieve going into the 1990 season, but with even more draconian limits placed on number of stories produced (mostly imposed with short notice). The show goes on Hiatus without being able to do their big send-off episodes at the end of the season (no new Doctor, no Ace to the Time Lord Academy). Show goes 'on hiatus'. In 1991 we get a new controller of BBC1 who is Who-friendly who sees Russell T. Davies Dark Seasons in 1991 and offers him the show in 1992. They announce there will be a new Who, with Sylvester McCoy returning only for the hand-over. (Don't know who the new Who will be yet.) The revival begins with a Christmas special in 1992. 1993 sees the first new season, back on Saturday evenings. Big 1993 Thirtieth Anniversary Episode is a hit (but what is the premise, and which Whos do they bring back, if any?).

Side speculation; could we see Davies cast Kate Winslett as his first Who companion? And would she be named Rose (quite possible)?
 
Interesting. I'm not as up on my older Who or BBC politics as I should be. (I do have an idea for an alternate history in which a BBC effects technician on Doctor Who changes the UK in a drastic way.)
 
I heard a rather frighting rumor that they were going to make a Dr Who movie and for Box office appeal they were going to get Tom Cruise to play the good doctor :eek::eek::(:mad:
 
The problem with postulating an earlier tenure as show runner for The Davies is that the reason he was chosen to fill the role is down, in the main, to two things: Queer as Folk and The Second Coming.

In 1991 neither of these was even on the horizon. In fact, by 1992 he'd only written one series (Dark Season). Hardly the kind of resume you give a young and still developing writer the reins to a major series on.

If you want a contiguous Doctor Who (or as near as makes no difference) after 1989 you're going to have to find a more plausible candidate for producer. To that end I'd like to point out that several independents did offer to produce the show on behalf of the BBC: including Cinema Verite (headed by the very first Who head: Verity Lambert).
 
Iain Richardson won a fan vote in DWM I think in 1993/1994 on who they wanted to be the Doctor Who, if the BBC brought it back as a series. He had of course just done House of Cards, and An Ungentlemany Act (about the Falklands Invasion) in which he won a BAFTA, and was about to the two follow up series of House of Cards in 1993, and 1995.
He had of course already had decent film roles in "Cry Freedom" and "The 4th Protocol". People always judge him on House of Cards and FU, but he had more before and much after. He was a good actor, and did have that "Doctorish" quality which been seen in "Murder Rooms" in the early 2000's.
 

Glen

Moderator
I heard a rather frighting rumor that they were going to make a Dr Who movie and for Box office appeal they were going to get Tom Cruise to play the good doctor :eek::eek::(:mad:

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! IT BURNSSSSS!!!!

For the love of God, please don't let them do this!!:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
 

Glen

Moderator
The problem with postulating an earlier tenure as show runner for The Davies is that the reason he was chosen to fill the role is down, in the main, to two things: Queer as Folk and The Second Coming.

In 1991 neither of these was even on the horizon. In fact, by 1992 he'd only written one series (Dark Season). Hardly the kind of resume you give a young and still developing writer the reins to a major series on.

I think it is at least plausible that Dark Season might have garnered enough interest to make him viable as a choice. But his relative inexperience is a point against it, I agree.

If you want a contiguous Doctor Who (or as near as makes no difference) after 1989 you're going to have to find a more plausible candidate for producer. To that end I'd like to point out that several independents did offer to produce the show on behalf of the BBC: including Cinema Verite (headed by the very first Who head: Verity Lambert).

Really? Hadn't heard that! Verity Lambert riding in to rescue her baby would be poetic....
 

Glen

Moderator
Iain Richardson won a fan vote in DWM I think in 1993/1994 on who they wanted to be the Doctor Who, if the BBC brought it back as a series. He had of course just done House of Cards, and An Ungentlemany Act (about the Falklands Invasion) in which he won a BAFTA, and was about to the two follow up series of House of Cards in 1993, and 1995.
He had of course already had decent film roles in "Cry Freedom" and "The 4th Protocol". People always judge him on House of Cards and FU, but he had more before and much after. He was a good actor, and did have that "Doctorish" quality which been seen in "Murder Rooms" in the early 2000's.

Then again, if it kept going close enough to '89, that might mean that he doesn't do House of Cards.
 
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