Pop Culture: The David Burton 'Doctor Who'
- Thread starter DValdron
- Start date
This timeline is wrapped up, but for a few post scripts.
For those coming late to the party, this Timeline is about a man named David Burton, who in 1992, claimed to be the Next Doctor Who, on the basis of a secret project to launch a private bid. His story is generally considered to be a hoax, but during that time, the BBC was actually attempting to privatize the series, and there were several private bids, none of which went anywhere.
This chronicle is a 'what if' - what if Burton's story was true, what if there was a successful consortium to put a private Doctor Who series and license it for the BBC, and they managed to make a ten episode season. This is the story of that season, of the people involved in making it, with detailed descriptions of the adventures, both onscreen and off. I'm pretty happy with it - please feel free to take a few moments to look through it.
If you're a Doctor Who fan, interested in alternate histories of the Doctor, let me make a couple of further recommendations.
The Peter Cushing Doctor - an exploration of Peter Cushing's extended career playing the Doctor in movies and on radio, by myself, DValdron
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=332783
The Nelvana Doctor: Doctor Who as an 80's Saturday morning cartoon? It almost happened, by myself, DValdron
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=308056
The Cushing, Burton and Nelvana Doctors form a kind of trilogy of mine.
I would be remiss in not recommending Dav's wonderful "Who's the Doctor" about Tom Baker quitting early and being replaced with... John Denver?
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=302923
Chimera Virus also did the briefer, but quite interesting "The Ribos Divergence - an Alternate Fifth Doctor" about Tom Baker quitting early and being replaced by Richard Griffiths. Check it out.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=306669
Lord Vetinari goes in a different direction, with "The Yankee Doctor - the Story of the American Doctor Who Series, 1964 to the Present" full of familiar names. Most intriguing and quite enjoyable.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=304968
Sadly, that's all I can find for Doctor Who 'show based' alternate histories. There are actually quite a few pages started for the Doctor, but most of them don't go further than a small handful of superficial posts. It's a pity. I find alternate portraits of the Doctor quite intriguing.
However, there's a couple more links I'll reference:
BrainBin's gigantic and astonishing pop culture timeline, immense, intensively researched, wonderfully creative "That Wacky Redhead" - it focuses on a Lucille Ball who decides to keep control of production, and the many many outcomes - including a continuing Star Trek series, new paths for Doctor Who, including a cross over with Star Trek, and many others. I honestly have trouble keeping up. Brainbin, like Jared, has one of those seminal timelines, showing us possible avenues of exploration we never dreamed of, inspiring and inspiriting. The Doctor Who component is a small thread, but quite interesting, and the timeline is a work of fascination. Go check it out:
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=220395
Finally, for Who fans, there's The Official Doctor Who News Thread, which is pretty descriptive. 287 pages, dating back all the way to July, 2007, comprising a living record of fan reviews, commentary, rumour-mongering, backbiting, flirtation, epiphany, celebration, gossip, trolling, analysis, breaking news and everything base and wonderful in between.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=67785&page=287
If I've missed a really good Doctor Who alternate history thread, please throw it in here. If any of this inspires anyone to go at it and create their own, then I'll be happy. Read, Think, Write...
For those coming late to the party, this Timeline is about a man named David Burton, who in 1992, claimed to be the Next Doctor Who, on the basis of a secret project to launch a private bid. His story is generally considered to be a hoax, but during that time, the BBC was actually attempting to privatize the series, and there were several private bids, none of which went anywhere.
This chronicle is a 'what if' - what if Burton's story was true, what if there was a successful consortium to put a private Doctor Who series and license it for the BBC, and they managed to make a ten episode season. This is the story of that season, of the people involved in making it, with detailed descriptions of the adventures, both onscreen and off. I'm pretty happy with it - please feel free to take a few moments to look through it.
If you're a Doctor Who fan, interested in alternate histories of the Doctor, let me make a couple of further recommendations.
The Peter Cushing Doctor - an exploration of Peter Cushing's extended career playing the Doctor in movies and on radio, by myself, DValdron
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=332783
The Nelvana Doctor: Doctor Who as an 80's Saturday morning cartoon? It almost happened, by myself, DValdron
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=308056
The Cushing, Burton and Nelvana Doctors form a kind of trilogy of mine.
I would be remiss in not recommending Dav's wonderful "Who's the Doctor" about Tom Baker quitting early and being replaced with... John Denver?
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=302923
Chimera Virus also did the briefer, but quite interesting "The Ribos Divergence - an Alternate Fifth Doctor" about Tom Baker quitting early and being replaced by Richard Griffiths. Check it out.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=306669
Lord Vetinari goes in a different direction, with "The Yankee Doctor - the Story of the American Doctor Who Series, 1964 to the Present" full of familiar names. Most intriguing and quite enjoyable.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=304968
Sadly, that's all I can find for Doctor Who 'show based' alternate histories. There are actually quite a few pages started for the Doctor, but most of them don't go further than a small handful of superficial posts. It's a pity. I find alternate portraits of the Doctor quite intriguing.
However, there's a couple more links I'll reference:
BrainBin's gigantic and astonishing pop culture timeline, immense, intensively researched, wonderfully creative "That Wacky Redhead" - it focuses on a Lucille Ball who decides to keep control of production, and the many many outcomes - including a continuing Star Trek series, new paths for Doctor Who, including a cross over with Star Trek, and many others. I honestly have trouble keeping up. Brainbin, like Jared, has one of those seminal timelines, showing us possible avenues of exploration we never dreamed of, inspiring and inspiriting. The Doctor Who component is a small thread, but quite interesting, and the timeline is a work of fascination. Go check it out:
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=220395
Finally, for Who fans, there's The Official Doctor Who News Thread, which is pretty descriptive. 287 pages, dating back all the way to July, 2007, comprising a living record of fan reviews, commentary, rumour-mongering, backbiting, flirtation, epiphany, celebration, gossip, trolling, analysis, breaking news and everything base and wonderful in between.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=67785&page=287
If I've missed a really good Doctor Who alternate history thread, please throw it in here. If any of this inspires anyone to go at it and create their own, then I'll be happy. Read, Think, Write...
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No, there's a feature on him in the Inferno DVD where he's speaking. It also shows him in various stills and publicity shots from his roles and projects. You can also find some interviews with him on youtube, although it overlaps strongly. And if you poke around, you can find his Actor's resume on line, with accents, 'stock character' preferences, and parts for the last fifteen years. He's also got a facebook profile.
Obviously, I didn't know any of the principals personally. Ian Levine's showed up several times on documentaries on the DVD's or in specials, and he has a thorough background that can be dug up on places like imdb.com, Wikipedia, etc.
Barry Letts and Paul Bernard are less well documented. But there was information about them.
There's a degree of fictionalization at work here. David Burton in this timeline may or may not resemble the real David Burton. He's certainly the inspiration. His face was in my mind's eye when I was writing him, and his voice from youtube or the DVD feature rang in my ear as I wrote him. My researches informed the person I created. The David Burton of this work of fiction is inspired directly from the material available about him, but more than that, I cannot say.
For the purposes of the timeline, the David Burton in here needed to be genuinely charismatic. Charismatic enough to walk into a room in the Grosvenor Hotel, and leave Bernard, Levine and some investors feeling "We've found the next Doctor" and willing to bet money on that.
He also needed to be talented enough that Millenium wouldn't just burn the footage of Monsters of Ness, but would be willing to take it to the BBC, and the BBC might be willing to take a chance on it. If David's story actually had any truth, he might not have been that good.
In the timeline, David is a bit of a ham, that's an impression I took from the research that I did on him. How much of a ham, I can't say. But it seemed like a critical aspect of the character, and fundamental to the 'charisma.'
In contrast, I wrote Ian Levine as rather resistant to David's humour and ham. My impression from the research is that Ian took Doctor Who quite seriously, who embraced the 'epic' 'dark' 'complex' aspects. So I visualized him clashing hard. That's a take on Levine. It's possible that the real man would have loved David's approach completely, whatever that would have been.
Sometimes, my dear, you just make shit up for the sake of telling a good story.
Obviously, I didn't know any of the principals personally. Ian Levine's showed up several times on documentaries on the DVD's or in specials, and he has a thorough background that can be dug up on places like imdb.com, Wikipedia, etc.
Barry Letts and Paul Bernard are less well documented. But there was information about them.
There's a degree of fictionalization at work here. David Burton in this timeline may or may not resemble the real David Burton. He's certainly the inspiration. His face was in my mind's eye when I was writing him, and his voice from youtube or the DVD feature rang in my ear as I wrote him. My researches informed the person I created. The David Burton of this work of fiction is inspired directly from the material available about him, but more than that, I cannot say.
For the purposes of the timeline, the David Burton in here needed to be genuinely charismatic. Charismatic enough to walk into a room in the Grosvenor Hotel, and leave Bernard, Levine and some investors feeling "We've found the next Doctor" and willing to bet money on that.
He also needed to be talented enough that Millenium wouldn't just burn the footage of Monsters of Ness, but would be willing to take it to the BBC, and the BBC might be willing to take a chance on it. If David's story actually had any truth, he might not have been that good.
In the timeline, David is a bit of a ham, that's an impression I took from the research that I did on him. How much of a ham, I can't say. But it seemed like a critical aspect of the character, and fundamental to the 'charisma.'
In contrast, I wrote Ian Levine as rather resistant to David's humour and ham. My impression from the research is that Ian took Doctor Who quite seriously, who embraced the 'epic' 'dark' 'complex' aspects. So I visualized him clashing hard. That's a take on Levine. It's possible that the real man would have loved David's approach completely, whatever that would have been.
Sometimes, my dear, you just make shit up for the sake of telling a good story.
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I don't know that I've butterflied Ecclestone. I may have reinforced him a bit actually. The perception of the BBC on David's approach would have been light, hammy and not the way to go. So they might well have gone in Ecclestone's direction.
Or if you wanted to get fun, the David Burton Doctor might have inspired a lightening and livening up of Richard E. Grant's excessively grim Doctor in Scream of the Shalka. This might have given Russell T. Davies a better view of Grant, and made him a viable candidate.
So we might have seen the progression from a Richard E. Grant Doctor, to a Hugh Grant Doctor, rather than an Ecclestone/Tennant combo.
For my purposes, I just took the view that the butterflies simply would not be strong enough.
Oh, and by the way, what happened to the "promising young choreographer" that Carole Todd found? Is it this guy, by any chance?
Well dammit, he's just perfect. Right age, right time, right talent.
I didn't have a specific person in mind, just my own experience with extras, where you spend a lot of time sitting around, being bored, trying to think of ways to amuse yourself. I imagine a talented young man playing with the ideas while waiting, and having an inspiration. He'd go on to a successful career. That was about it.
I have a dr who thread as well. It shows how the show could have developed from 1970 onwards:
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=310658
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=310658
There is a cemetary. A man sits on a bench, smoking a cigarette, staring at a tombstone. It’s autumn, winds blow dried leaves around in capering little dust devils. The man ignores it, staring and not staring at the tombstone, watching it, the way you might watch something dull on television, expecting nothing, but having nowhere else to look.
He’s older, late into middle age. There’s lines on his face, the remains of scars, which show hard living. He’s draped in a trench coat.
Eventually, someone sits beside him. This new man is young and old, bright blond hair, thinning slightly, his eyes are sharp, his posture genial. His wardrobe is just slightly outlandish, he wears a white suit of casual cut. He sits and waits.
"It must be strange to be the last man on Earth," he says at last.
"Not on this Earth," the man replies at length.
"But you are the last man from your Earth."
"I know what you meant."
They sit quietly for a moment.
"How did he die?" the Man in the White Suit asks, finally.
"Trolly accident," the trench coated man says. He lights another cigarette. Takes a deep drag, lets it out slowly, watching the smoke. "I looked it up. Just an accident. Could have happened to anyone, just some random thing."
The Man in the White Suit nods.
"I figured he had to have been gone. I couldn’t have taken you across otherwise."
"Is that how it works?"
Nod.
"What if he’d been alive?"
"I don’t know. The Tardis wouldn’t have worked. Or maybe it would have blown up. Something would have happened."
"You took a chance on me."
"A whole world was dying. I had to try and save someone."
"Thanks."
The Man in the White Suit shrugged.
"He’s alive in this world," the Man said abruptly. "My son..." He gestured at the tombstone. "His son. In my world, my son died ten years ago, before it all happened. Ran afoul of the Security Directorate. Here, he’s alive and well. I think that’s a fair trade."
"Have you seen him?"
"What would I say to him? No. But I’ve looked him up. He’s good, it seems. Got a career, some kind of military intelligence. Very hush hush, whatever it is."
"That’s good then."
"It is. It’s good."
A long pause.
"So how are you getting along. Adjusting nicely."
"No."
"No?"
The man took one more furious puff. He stared at his cigarette and then flung it angrily towards the tombstone. The name on the tombstone reads "John Benton, Sr."
"This world," he said harshly, "it’s a better world. A kinder world. A world that didn’t make the mistakes mine did. A world with elections and politicians and without knocks on the door in the middle of the night. A world where starvation in africa is something to be fought, rather than something you inflict. It’s a world of decency and compassion."
"I don’t belong in a world like this. Over there, I tried my best. But it was a hard world, and I’m a hard man, I make no bones about it. It’s just the way it is. So you ask me if I’m adjusting? No. I wake up every morning, and I know I don’t belong here."
"I’m sorry."
"Don’t be sorry. You’re a decent man, Doctor, for a decent world. I wouldn’t be alive, but for you. I can’t really complain about that."
The Doctor nodded.
"Do you know why I’m here?"
"He’s alive, isn’t he," he pulled out a packet of cigarettes, shook it, reconsidered and tucked it back. "He made it through, just like we did. He survived. He and his creatures."
"Yes."
The man nodded.
"I suspected. I’ve seen newspaper reports of things that sounded like his creatures. Like the creatures from... from when it ended. I figured if they’re here, there’s a good chance he’s knocking around."
"He needs to be stopped."
"I imagine he does."
"I have no right to ask..."
Commander Benton threw back his head and laughed humourslessly.
"Doctor, I’ve gone to bed every night praying and wishing that you would show up and ask."
"It’s going to be dangerous."
"What are we waiting for?" Commander Benton asked. "I’ve got a score to settle. A whole world of scores."
He’s older, late into middle age. There’s lines on his face, the remains of scars, which show hard living. He’s draped in a trench coat.
Eventually, someone sits beside him. This new man is young and old, bright blond hair, thinning slightly, his eyes are sharp, his posture genial. His wardrobe is just slightly outlandish, he wears a white suit of casual cut. He sits and waits.
"It must be strange to be the last man on Earth," he says at last.
"Not on this Earth," the man replies at length.
"But you are the last man from your Earth."
"I know what you meant."
They sit quietly for a moment.
"How did he die?" the Man in the White Suit asks, finally.
"Trolly accident," the trench coated man says. He lights another cigarette. Takes a deep drag, lets it out slowly, watching the smoke. "I looked it up. Just an accident. Could have happened to anyone, just some random thing."
The Man in the White Suit nods.
"I figured he had to have been gone. I couldn’t have taken you across otherwise."
"Is that how it works?"
Nod.
"What if he’d been alive?"
"I don’t know. The Tardis wouldn’t have worked. Or maybe it would have blown up. Something would have happened."
"You took a chance on me."
"A whole world was dying. I had to try and save someone."
"Thanks."
The Man in the White Suit shrugged.
"He’s alive in this world," the Man said abruptly. "My son..." He gestured at the tombstone. "His son. In my world, my son died ten years ago, before it all happened. Ran afoul of the Security Directorate. Here, he’s alive and well. I think that’s a fair trade."
"Have you seen him?"
"What would I say to him? No. But I’ve looked him up. He’s good, it seems. Got a career, some kind of military intelligence. Very hush hush, whatever it is."
"That’s good then."
"It is. It’s good."
A long pause.
"So how are you getting along. Adjusting nicely."
"No."
"No?"
The man took one more furious puff. He stared at his cigarette and then flung it angrily towards the tombstone. The name on the tombstone reads "John Benton, Sr."
"This world," he said harshly, "it’s a better world. A kinder world. A world that didn’t make the mistakes mine did. A world with elections and politicians and without knocks on the door in the middle of the night. A world where starvation in africa is something to be fought, rather than something you inflict. It’s a world of decency and compassion."
"I don’t belong in a world like this. Over there, I tried my best. But it was a hard world, and I’m a hard man, I make no bones about it. It’s just the way it is. So you ask me if I’m adjusting? No. I wake up every morning, and I know I don’t belong here."
"I’m sorry."
"Don’t be sorry. You’re a decent man, Doctor, for a decent world. I wouldn’t be alive, but for you. I can’t really complain about that."
The Doctor nodded.
"Do you know why I’m here?"
"He’s alive, isn’t he," he pulled out a packet of cigarettes, shook it, reconsidered and tucked it back. "He made it through, just like we did. He survived. He and his creatures."
"Yes."
The man nodded.
"I suspected. I’ve seen newspaper reports of things that sounded like his creatures. Like the creatures from... from when it ended. I figured if they’re here, there’s a good chance he’s knocking around."
"He needs to be stopped."
"I imagine he does."
"I have no right to ask..."
Commander Benton threw back his head and laughed humourslessly.
"Doctor, I’ve gone to bed every night praying and wishing that you would show up and ask."
"It’s going to be dangerous."
"What are we waiting for?" Commander Benton asked. "I’ve got a score to settle. A whole world of scores."
Assuming that Big Finish hasn't been butterflied away (and I can't see any reason why they should be), I wonder how they'll react to David Burton's Doctor. Would they be interested in adding him to their stable of Doctors ? For that matter, how would Burton do in a non-visual medium ?
Also, I can imagine that Big Finish could pick up a few things from Nelvana'a Doctor Who - after all, they've had a couple of stories featuring Frobisher . So they might have a story or two with the Quarks or Trods and I can see them having fun with the Mutants.
Cheers,
Nigel.
Also, I can imagine that Big Finish could pick up a few things from Nelvana'a Doctor Who - after all, they've had a couple of stories featuring Frobisher . So they might have a story or two with the Quarks or Trods and I can see them having fun with the Mutants.
Cheers,
Nigel.
It's quite likely. They're fond of 'events', they sell well. And there's the 'Lost Seasons' of the New Doctor. Whether there'd be more than that? Possibly. I think Burton might do better in a non-visual medium, he'd be more controlled in that format. I suspect that the continuing adventures of the New Doctor would be kind of a side continuity.
Just a quick note. I've retroactively welded this thread to my Doctor Who: Change of Life (aka Last Man Standing) thread, about a female Doctor, Barbara Benedetti, from 1985-1991. It can be found here:
https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/doctor-who-a-change-of-life.414705/
Also, my Nelvana Timeline, here...
https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/nelvanas-doctor-who.308056/
The three constitute an 'Alternate Doctors' Trilogy.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/doctor-who-a-change-of-life.414705/
Also, my Nelvana Timeline, here...
https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/nelvanas-doctor-who.308056/
The three constitute an 'Alternate Doctors' Trilogy.
Reading this timeline through and I really like the mix of storyline and production notes- defiantly shows how hard TV production can be and what sort of hell it makes of the lives who do it.
The stories are really good- even if the sets, monsters, and acting had been less than stellar, the plots are very interesting. Vienna, 1913 and Secret of the Sontarans sound like a lot of fun. Time Parasite is a clever bottle show that sets up Volcano nicely. Volcano def sounds like the Doctor Who I like.
I feel for the protagonists in this story- the show sounds like hell, but I am guessing the passage of time will make the New Doctor years seem a lot less painful.
The stories are really good- even if the sets, monsters, and acting had been less than stellar, the plots are very interesting. Vienna, 1913 and Secret of the Sontarans sound like a lot of fun. Time Parasite is a clever bottle show that sets up Volcano nicely. Volcano def sounds like the Doctor Who I like.
I feel for the protagonists in this story- the show sounds like hell, but I am guessing the passage of time will make the New Doctor years seem a lot less painful.
Linking this timeline to the Benedetti Doctor actually raises some interesting questions - primarily in how it would things have gone down with BBC Enterprises who will have just had the experience of the Benedetti Doctor Who series and understand how much a Who series brings in- I would see them being much more open to a 2nd season, even if the rating were low. Failing Enterprises convincing the BBC - I could see a quicker video release, and related merchandise opportunities. Possibly David Burton even being counted as 'canon' if they can use it to bring in coin.
The production troubles, are likely to remain the same - even with a recent series, I cant see it being easier to make- though its not impossible they might have got some help from the Sarah Jane and K-9 series people. The Sontarans might be an issue, but I can see the Estate licensing them to Millennium as by the time they are making their show K-9 is probably done with the potato-heads.
With Jonathan Nathan-Turner gone earlier in the Benedetti years, and on better terms, the bad mouthing of his term is probably not there; the fight with McCoy is unlikely to happen after his performance as The Monk. Also given Benedetti's recent performance as the Doctor I could see Burton playing things a little more straight from the start given the legacy he is stepping into, and Barbara's own 70/80's inspired performance.
With the Bendedetti years already playing in the US (bootleg or not) I could see Burton being accepted and picked up faster over there than in the original timeline. I could see comparisons between him and Maurice LaMarche's cartoon Doctor among the American audience. British fans are likely to be less stuffy post the Bendedetti years than with the original timelines hiatus gap- esp if less bashing of JNT happens.
A very interesting timeline in a very interesting trilogy of timelines.
The production troubles, are likely to remain the same - even with a recent series, I cant see it being easier to make- though its not impossible they might have got some help from the Sarah Jane and K-9 series people. The Sontarans might be an issue, but I can see the Estate licensing them to Millennium as by the time they are making their show K-9 is probably done with the potato-heads.
With Jonathan Nathan-Turner gone earlier in the Benedetti years, and on better terms, the bad mouthing of his term is probably not there; the fight with McCoy is unlikely to happen after his performance as The Monk. Also given Benedetti's recent performance as the Doctor I could see Burton playing things a little more straight from the start given the legacy he is stepping into, and Barbara's own 70/80's inspired performance.
With the Bendedetti years already playing in the US (bootleg or not) I could see Burton being accepted and picked up faster over there than in the original timeline. I could see comparisons between him and Maurice LaMarche's cartoon Doctor among the American audience. British fans are likely to be less stuffy post the Bendedetti years than with the original timelines hiatus gap- esp if less bashing of JNT happens.
A very interesting timeline in a very interesting trilogy of timelines.
Great thread. If you're looking for more DW TL's here's mine:
https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/who-did-you-say-the-doctor-is.413564/
https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/who-did-you-say-the-doctor-is.413564/
I keep overlooking you. I am sorry about that. You've done a lot of Doctor work, and I'm glad to see you posting links.
What about Peter Cushing? Although I suppose technically that's an OTL "Doctor" given more life.
In the end, they all reconciled with it. The birthing pains and troubles receded into the past, and they could start to like and respect each other. Ian Levine is kind of the hero, or one of the heroes of the piece. Arguably a giant pain in the ass, and not well respected as it goes on, but when you look past that... he's pivotal. The denouement is Levine finally getting enough space from the pain and anger and the squabbles to recognise his own accomplishment and achievement.
I think that Burton will eventually get some canonicity respect. As for BBC Enterprises, they've become a little more savvy and hands on through this. They dipped their toe in supporting minor productions with Benedetti in the spring of 1991. Not much money, but there was some experience and involvement. With this one, they had vacillating management and outside pressures, including from Powell and from the Daltenreys. But they also had a first hand window on working with or dealing with a production under license. It's going to give them more practical experience and more competence when the Dark Dimension rolls around.
Robert Holmes is dead, and Doctor Who's future is suspect, so basically its pretty thin and the estate is pretty much willing to work with anyone who approaches them. So it was by no means exclusive use. Sarah Jane and K-9 I believe have moved off to Australia for their third and fourth seasons, so there's not a lot of conflict, even if they do license the Sontarans for more. You'll note that in the Adrenal Gang in the final Benedetti series, they used a Sontaran. With the Daleks, Cybermen and Master definitely off the table they're the 'go to' monster.
Well, yes and no. One thing to keep in mind is that by the end of the Benedetti years, the Benedetti crew is pretty much entirely one. Barbara and Peter Grimwade are deceased. Christopher Ryan has moved on from the show years before. Prowse's experience wasn't good enough that he wants to be a standard bearer. No one likes Archer. Barbara Clegg is retired. Paula Burdon is getting as far away from Who as she can. Who is left? Chris Boucher, but for him, it was a gig, he was well known already, and really, he did caretaking. So there's really no one to speak for or represent the Benedetti era.... except for two men.
John Nathan-Turner who has returned from the wilderness to fan circles, all his sins forgotten. He's the guy showing up at Conventions, guest starring, holding Court, etc. etc., and he's got a legitimate argument that he created/recruited the Female Doctor and launched her. He discovered her, recruited Barbara personally, put her in the Nightmare Fair and the Ultimate Foe, chose her as the next Doctor, and commissioned Pip and Jane to write her first solo adventure. He's not actually taking credit for the entire Benedetti era.... But if you go to the conventions, or read the articles, you would kind of had the impression that he set out the blueprints that they followed.
The other guy is Sylvester McCoy, retroactively the Monk over three seasons, the Time Lord nemesis. Prowse, Ryan, Archer are all history. But he's right in there, and he's very invested in the classic series - literally as if he had been the Doctor himself. So he's definitely got a small feud going with David Burton. Hell, Burton's project helped kill his own spin off. So there'd be a tiny grudge there.
David Burton is warmly embraced by American fans. Count on it.
It was a fun timeline. I almost considered going for a second season of Burton adventures. But I felt that I'd done everything I needed to and said everything fun. Still, the idea of a slightly darker Burton Doctor, losing Heart and Diamond, recruiting Commander Benton and in a protected struggle with Citizen Vise did have some cachet. Enough to write an intro.
Yeah. About that. Cushing was fun. The idea that I had there was that the second Doctor Who movie was really really dark for a family/children theatrical audience. The first one had been very colourful and child friendly and all that and had been a raging success, but the second one they spent hugely on was dark the and essentially killed the movie franchise. But what if they stuck with it, and decided, from the example of the first, to go back to being light, colourful, family adventure.
The other part was the prospective material for the third movie would have been the chase, which was nigh unfilmable. The TV serial isn't really a story, just a succession of set pieces. How do you make that into a coherent movie, and make it child friendly. What do you cut out, what do you keep in?
So that was a fun challenge. Which lead to the next one, and the next one. And then there was Peter Cushing's radio pilot, and that lead somewhere.... Anyway, I liked the idea of Doctor Who in the movies going off in a different direction from the television series, as an increasingly child oriented, light adventure.
But I didn't go into it with any kind of master plan. I was just playing and throwing stuff around, so the Timeline became a bit of a mess, really. It got a bit embarrassing, particularly in light of more coherent work on Nelvana and Burton. I once tried to reboot it, you'll find that fragment if you look hard enough. But it didn't really take off. Maybe I'll go back to it sometime. But until then, the official trilogy is LaMarche, Benedetti and Burton.
Oh and in terms of other Doctors, in the Benedetti Timeline, I played with the idea of an American Doctor Who for a page or two. That's not 'canon' to the trilogy. I suppose it might be, or could be made to be, but I'd worry about butterflies. While the idea was fun to play with for a page or two, there wasn't any special story or arc that I wanted to explore, as I did with the trilogy.
By the way, if you want, check out Amicus 'They Came From Beyond Space' which has just incredible similarities to Pertwee's Spearhead from Space, and feels like a Doctor Who movie - down to the irascible Pertwee-like American Doctor, meteors landing in formation, aliens subverting society, an antique roadster and a compassionate ending.... and reusing a lot of props and sets from the Dalek movies.
And there's Peter Cushing in At The Earth's Core, which feels like an outing of the Cushing Doctor. Mark Gatiss feels that this is the unacknowledged third Peter Cushing Doctor Who movie. And who am I to argue.
And there's a few sections on the 'Lenny Henry Doctor' - in which he has several comedic skits as the Doctor, and becomes a sort of semi-official Doctor. That's canon to the Trilogy.
I think all three timelines. Nelvana, Burton and Benedetti all kind of deal with the same underlying concept. It's about how the Doctor and his/her adventures are shaped by outside forces - the producers, the audience, the requirements and necessities of production. It's a grand adventure, in front of and behind the camera. But the behind camera stuff both compromises and creates the Doctor's myth and mythology.
I think what distinguishes mine from the other Who timelines is that I focus much more on the underlying shaping forces. If Doctor Who is a Saturday morning cartoon series, how does that reshape the show - what are the requirements of Saturday morning television, how are the stories told, what are the opportunities and restrictions in that format? If Doctor Who was an American television series made in the 1960's... what are the television conventions in America in that era that would define the show?
One of the most 'fun' pieces of writing was a drunken house party where a group of talented people have inherited the show at the last minute, and are trying to come to terms with the freight train bearing down on them.
Other writers have tended to emphasise the mythology internal to the show. Chimera Virus is quite good at this, and he's done some fascinating things, particularly with his most recent timeline. Dav is similar, though his take on a John Denver Doctor was clearly shaped to the point that his Doctor has a guitar battle with a Dalek. In the end, we all just follow the star that interests us most, and that's cool.
I think what distinguishes mine from the other Who timelines is that I focus much more on the underlying shaping forces. If Doctor Who is a Saturday morning cartoon series, how does that reshape the show - what are the requirements of Saturday morning television, how are the stories told, what are the opportunities and restrictions in that format? If Doctor Who was an American television series made in the 1960's... what are the television conventions in America in that era that would define the show?
One of the most 'fun' pieces of writing was a drunken house party where a group of talented people have inherited the show at the last minute, and are trying to come to terms with the freight train bearing down on them.
Other writers have tended to emphasise the mythology internal to the show. Chimera Virus is quite good at this, and he's done some fascinating things, particularly with his most recent timeline. Dav is similar, though his take on a John Denver Doctor was clearly shaped to the point that his Doctor has a guitar battle with a Dalek. In the end, we all just follow the star that interests us most, and that's cool.
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Yeah - who on Earth would do a story featuring singing Daleks.
OK, apart from Rob Shearman, who would do a story about singing Daleks.