"Phil won't leave his room" - A Doctor Who Production History
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Part 38 - The 1998 Series continued
This is a shorter chapter than usual, but I think it's better I leave one bit of info at the end hanging before continuing.
In their Discontinuity Guide Vol 2 Paul Cornell, Martin Day and Keith Topping had to create a new subsection for the 1998 series "Deliberate Inconsistencies".
At first, there were letters to DWM about how the new series wasn't respecting continuity when it made incorrect references to past adventures. Then a few more attentive viewers noticed there were then things being said that contradicted the contradictions. Then The Doctor mentions the Brigadier retiring in 1992 under something of a cloud. But in episode 1, she'd said he was still in active service and had attained the rank of General.
The episode The Cowboy In Trafalgar Square explains things in terms of time disruptions that cause the sudden appearance of anachronistic things in Britain in 1998, not least the aforementioned cowboy who appears in Trafalgar Square, horse and all. While Robin Nedwell's accent isn't the greatest, he has a wonderful chemistry with Selina Cadell and Camilla Power. I don't think I was the only one who was hoping that he might become a new companion or a recurring character like Max Bolton (PI)…
AND THEN
While The Doctor and company have been chasing anachronisms and spouting temporal physics, a few more contemporary items have appeared out of nowhere. Confidential documents that topple political careers, cause the UK's foreign relations to sour and generally make Britain look foolish. The show then looks at its main character and launches a strange, meta-fictional attack, delivered by Robin Nedwell without any kind of American accent, wobbly or otherwise.
The Cowboy: Why have you spent so much of this decade away from your second home? I like to keep abreast of events, so I noticed all that messy business in Los Angeles and I just knew that had to be you. But then I looked back at your timeline before that. You haven't been around here since about 1992. You deserted Old Blighty in the 90s and I saw that left me a new canvas to paint on. I wanted you to be here to see my masterpiece, so I thought a few "time disruptions" would get your attention. I call this "the decline and fall of the British Empire". And all this is before the world finds out every picture in the National Gallery is a fake!
The Doctor: It's you!
The Cowboy: Of course it's me! Sorry, didn't I make it easy for you by calling myself Mr Abbott? Or maybe an anagram, Ken Moth, Tom Henk? Or perhaps I should have just made it obvious and run around in a habit and keep calling myself The Monk. Anyway, it's too late. I've ruined your pet country and you've only yourself to blame. By the way, before I go, I had some little hand in helping UNIT shape its policies after I convinced them to put Brigadier Knight out to pasture. They're a bit hostile to you now. I've told them where to find your TARDIS, I imagine it'll be impounded by now. Bye!
And that had been why we'd seen inconsistencies. It's also why The Sign had a strange little scene about other Time Lords approach to the web of time, with particular mention of The Monk. It was an arc. Why can't The Doctor change some things? No reason at all says The Meddler. But we still have three episodes left in the season, so it's not going to end there.
AND THEN
Linda is killed.
- Niahm Bakewell, Doctor Who, The Compact Guide: The Late 90s
In their Discontinuity Guide Vol 2 Paul Cornell, Martin Day and Keith Topping had to create a new subsection for the 1998 series "Deliberate Inconsistencies".
At first, there were letters to DWM about how the new series wasn't respecting continuity when it made incorrect references to past adventures. Then a few more attentive viewers noticed there were then things being said that contradicted the contradictions. Then The Doctor mentions the Brigadier retiring in 1992 under something of a cloud. But in episode 1, she'd said he was still in active service and had attained the rank of General.
The episode The Cowboy In Trafalgar Square explains things in terms of time disruptions that cause the sudden appearance of anachronistic things in Britain in 1998, not least the aforementioned cowboy who appears in Trafalgar Square, horse and all. While Robin Nedwell's accent isn't the greatest, he has a wonderful chemistry with Selina Cadell and Camilla Power. I don't think I was the only one who was hoping that he might become a new companion or a recurring character like Max Bolton (PI)…
AND THEN
While The Doctor and company have been chasing anachronisms and spouting temporal physics, a few more contemporary items have appeared out of nowhere. Confidential documents that topple political careers, cause the UK's foreign relations to sour and generally make Britain look foolish. The show then looks at its main character and launches a strange, meta-fictional attack, delivered by Robin Nedwell without any kind of American accent, wobbly or otherwise.
The Cowboy: Why have you spent so much of this decade away from your second home? I like to keep abreast of events, so I noticed all that messy business in Los Angeles and I just knew that had to be you. But then I looked back at your timeline before that. You haven't been around here since about 1992. You deserted Old Blighty in the 90s and I saw that left me a new canvas to paint on. I wanted you to be here to see my masterpiece, so I thought a few "time disruptions" would get your attention. I call this "the decline and fall of the British Empire". And all this is before the world finds out every picture in the National Gallery is a fake!
The Doctor: It's you!
The Cowboy: Of course it's me! Sorry, didn't I make it easy for you by calling myself Mr Abbott? Or maybe an anagram, Ken Moth, Tom Henk? Or perhaps I should have just made it obvious and run around in a habit and keep calling myself The Monk. Anyway, it's too late. I've ruined your pet country and you've only yourself to blame. By the way, before I go, I had some little hand in helping UNIT shape its policies after I convinced them to put Brigadier Knight out to pasture. They're a bit hostile to you now. I've told them where to find your TARDIS, I imagine it'll be impounded by now. Bye!
And that had been why we'd seen inconsistencies. It's also why The Sign had a strange little scene about other Time Lords approach to the web of time, with particular mention of The Monk. It was an arc. Why can't The Doctor change some things? No reason at all says The Meddler. But we still have three episodes left in the season, so it's not going to end there.
AND THEN
Linda is killed.
- Niahm Bakewell, Doctor Who, The Compact Guide: The Late 90s
1. Nice to see you're giving a thorough in universe reasoning of the show's infamous canon inconsistencies.
2. Have there been any other appearances from the Monk between 66' and now?
3. OH MY GOD, YOU KILLED LINDA! YOU BASTARD!!!
2. Have there been any other appearances from the Monk between 66' and now?
3. OH MY GOD, YOU KILLED LINDA! YOU BASTARD!!!
1. It's not really that, it's purely foreshadowing that history is being interfered with
2. No, hence the heavy mention in The Sign. Maybe there's been a BBC2 repeat of The Time Meddler, I'm not really going to go in depth on repeats unless it's germane to the larger story.
3. It wasn't me, it was a [redacted].
2. No, hence the heavy mention in The Sign. Maybe there's been a BBC2 repeat of The Time Meddler, I'm not really going to go in depth on repeats unless it's germane to the larger story.
3. It wasn't me, it was a [redacted].
Sheesh, I finally get my wits back about me, come to check on this for the first time in a couple months, and you've gone and changed the Doctor again and murdered the companion!
And good lord, do I ever love it. More, please!
And good lord, do I ever love it. More, please!
Many thanks, WHC.
I probably have no way of interpolating into the thread, but I think ITTL Roger is in The Whales Of August playing the part played by Vincent Price IOTL.
I've got a mild case of writer's block at the moment. I know what happens next but actually doing the typing is a big drag. Also, my friend Gary is working on the political landscape of the 90s ITTL.
I probably have no way of interpolating into the thread, but I think ITTL Roger is in The Whales Of August playing the part played by Vincent Price IOTL.
I've got a mild case of writer's block at the moment. I know what happens next but actually doing the typing is a big drag. Also, my friend Gary is working on the political landscape of the 90s ITTL.
Ihave a feeling he's also probably in Britannia Hospital (in the Peter Jeffrey role), and that's where he meets Anderson...
In my headcanon, Delgado is in Richard Lester's Cuba, as Don Pulido (Walter gotell in this world).
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One role that I think Delgado might be good for, is Ed Concannon in The Verdict. Perhaps (TL similarities permitting), he might get an Oscar nomination for his performance, like James Mason IOTL.
Someone needs to create a Delgado lives timeline and work out his career.
We would have gotten "The Final Game " as the final story for the Third Doctor.
It been suggested that He have played Hercules Poirot in "Death on the Nile" and "Evil under the Sun"
What else could he have done?
Whovian Holmesian Chap devised this thread, but I guess there are two different TLs at work. In my timeline, Delgado is spared because he never played The Master and personnel moves mean there's no Final Game. Another thread to take is one that's OTL up to c.1973, but has Delgado live beyond June.
I prefer the latter . I can not imagine a timeline that does not Delgado as the Master.
