That Wacky Redhead

[stevep]

Brainbin

Making my decision to include Doctor Who as part of this timeline in hopes of drawing a larger audience was definitely a double-edged sword! One amusing anecdote in the eternal Star Trek vs. Doctor Who wars is that the good number of Star Trek fans who have been following this thread were far more receptive to the show's development ITTL. I'm not sure whether it's because of my very precisely chosen POD (all that's good and familiar about the OTL show, with virtually all changes made for the better, in as close a sense to objective as is possible), or whether it's because there's some intrinsic difference to the culture of Star Trek fandom.

Replying on this, as a fan of both series I think the difference is that with ST you have dramatically extended its duration, for the original series and also improved the quality. Even the 5th season TTL seems to be substantially better than the turd season of OTL.

With the Doctor you have removed two significant characters who each have prominent fan bases so there's bound to be some disquiet. Coupled with that adding what sounds like a very weak companion, although I hope Dale and Seymour would make a strong combination for the next stage. It would be a bit like re-casting a couple of the core cast of ST with different actors for reasons other than possibly death. True that is less likely in ST because, running for only 3 or 5 series there was no pressing need to replace the central characters but its the best comparison I can think of.

Why do you always advocate such violent solutions to problems?

Don't you know the 1st rule when talking to the man with the glazed expression and big axe is never to upset him.

Steve

 

[Lizzie_Harrison]

The “Yank Years” of Doctor Who are, in retrospect, easy to define – those four seasons during which the show aired on American television: from September 13, 1971, through March 10, 1975.

I hope that's prime-time airing and not ever because they'll really miss out otherwise.

Australia, by contrast, took the opportunity to catch up with the UK in the early 1970s, having previously been rather far behind themselves; by the beginning of the 1973 season they were only a few weeks behind, largely the result of physical limitations (tapes having to be shipped halfway across the world proved cumbersome)

Seriously, I know it's pre-internet but they couldn't fax or telegraph it? They had to physically record a tape like a reel or VHS, put in a box and practically post it to Australia who then unpacked it, put it in a slot and played it? The past really is a different planet.

However, “The Three Doctors” performed well overall, as it represented Connie Booth’s swan song in the role of Linda Johnson; both Desilu and NBC agreed to pay the (much larger) salary that Booth demanded to appear in the arc (having left the program after her two-season contract had expired), which was commensurate with that of Pertwee himself. Booth had only made such an outlandish demand in an attempt to dissuade the BBC from agreeing to it, but (as is often the case) she was obliged to accede when it was met.

Sounds more like a scene her husband would write than reality (even alt-reality.) Maybe gives him some inspiration... which reminds me we are well past 1971 and you are yet to tell us if the Gleneagles Hotel, Torquay even received its most famous visitors. Booth's companion dates shouldn't cause too many butterflies. They visited in May 1971, which could overlap with early filming but Cleese had enough company to bounce off; he works better in a writing duo with Fawlty Towers originally airing in 1975 after its second submission to the BBC.

The selection of Angela Bowie as the new companion – who was named Claire Barnett (her real-life maiden name) – was considerably more risky than that of Booth, but it also had potential advantages.

Having the portrayer/creator's name for a character name gives worrying lack of the fourth wall. Lack of acting credit on her OTL wiki page is very telling.

However, Bowie was neither as talented nor as disciplined as Booth, and her character was far more empty-headed than the competent Linda Johnson. [5] However, she did generate good publicity, and remained as the principal companion for the remainder of the Third Doctor

"Publicity" among teenage boys, I assume?

From a long list of candidates, the final choice was 39-year-old Jim Dale, over fifteen years the junior of Pertwee. He became the youngest-ever actor cast as the Doctor. Desilu very specifically had nothing to do with his casting; the BBC believed that a youthful Doctor would appeal to the ever-younger audience of the program. [8] Chosen as his principal companion was the first unambiguously British young woman to take the role since Caroline John in 1970: 23-year-old Jane Seymour, as Londoner Alice Evans.

Lovely choices, Brainbin. It would be nice to hear from Baker and Sladen if only in passing. Does Linda Johnson take the place of feisty, feminist Sarah Jane in the public consciousness or is she closer to Jo Grant who she is the alternative of?

Shame the wave of "Sarah-Jane"s currently in their mid-30s will be butterflied: Alices and Lindas are so much harder to track. How else will Doctor Who fans ever express their love? Long scarves perhaps? Or conventions/fanzines getting a foothold in Britain? Tom Baker's long scarf is very easy to butterfly. The knitter was given many rolls of wool and vague instructions so used them all. Better production and budgeting gives better instructions, I presume. I really hope not.

Has Doctor Who maintained its strong links with Blue Peter? Is Blue Peter the anchor of BBC children's shows? There must be British butterflies...

 

[phx1138]

The past really is a different planet.

You young whippersnappers have no idea how bad it was. No cable. No microwave ovens. Dial-up modems. No AH.com. (How did we manage?)

I'm reminded of the "NCIS" episode where they lose power & are sent back to the stone age: 1977. Who's the only one who knows how to function...?

lucky to stumble on her as early as I did.

Stumble? Can I ask about your selection process? In general terms, as opposed to this case, if you'd rather.

whether it's because there's some intrinsic difference to the culture of Star Trek fandom.

From reading the thread (being ignorant in the main of the Doc's fandom otherwise), I'm left with the sense there are favorites in casting. "ST" fandom, I sense, is about the show, rather than the casting itself. Also, I'll wager you can't find a Trekker who wouldn't have done something different.

Nobody ever dies for good in fiction.

So House isn't really dead?

You're unfortunately right...even when they should. (Not because I disliked Jeannie...but because I did.) Then there are others who should, too.

Indeed, you said by August! Though if I hit 200,000 subscribers by the end of the month, I'll eat my hat.

If I'm wrong, I just won't tear the page off my calendar til you hit 200. Nobody will ever know. Or offer some tasty hot sauce for your filet of Stetson.
I saw that... And I feel like Kraus.

Why do you always advocate such violent solutions to problems?

I have a nasty streak? It's just fiction, not like he's really getting hurt. Besides, as I think I said, falling UFOs & such prevent comeback tours. And if I didn't like him to begin with, I'm unlikely to change... (That said, I've been wrong about René Auberjonois, Andrew Robinson, & John Travolta....)

Which she will get back in spades for being a Doctor Who companion.

Now that would be telling

I can wait.

This is something that the Star Trek Franchise itself touched on in DS9 with such things as Section 31.

Indeed, but of course that was decades later, Roddenberry would never have allowed it while he lived, which is sort of the point.

I honestly wonder how that show would have developed if Roddenberry had lived to see it, and how he would have reacted.

IMO, if Gene had been alive, "DS9" would be next to unrecognizable to us. There's just no way he'd have allowed the religious themes, & certainly not making his star character a religious figure. Section 31 would never happen. The whole idea of the Federation, the whole basis of "ST", was humanity solving its problems other ways, more compassionate ways. (Yes, I know, it's a utopian fantasy. Along with the idea of "no money"...which does make me wonder how they exchange value for service or measure cost, 'cause even in a barter economy, that gets done. I also wonder why Fort Knox was still under such heavy guard after, what, 200yr of "no money". And why Dax collected so much latinum from beating Quark at Tongo... And how they played poker, with no money at stake... And...
(BTW, "no money" doesn't have to mean "no measure of value": you measure it in energy consumption. Which, when, if, we ever establish habitats in space, is the sensible way: the amount of sunlight required to do anything will be the measure of cost. David Gerrold called them "caseys": kilocalories.)

 

[Glen]

Ah the Doctor Who update I have been waiting for and dreading. Very well handled Brainbin, as usual. I find the way you depict the Yank Years here fairly likely. The Angela Bowie casting while not ideal seems reasonable - and we get David Bowie Who cameos, huzzah! Maybe he will return to the serial some day as a mysterious all powerful leader of a shadowy criminal organization hiding an ancient secret....

Nice that Delgado lives and gets to do his exit with Pertwee. I do hope we get glimpses of their careers in future. I personally would have preferred NBC still helping to foot the bill for the Third Doctor send off but it happens. Like that Troughton's Doctor gets a boost from the Three Doctors 10th Anniversary special.

I of course feel bad for the loss of Baker and Sladen from the serial, but your alternate Doctor is intriguing (the wife is a big fan of Pushing Up Daisies - and Jim Dale was the narrator for that show). The Carry On - Doctor Who link continues! And if I can't have Lis Sladen....Jane Seymour is QUITE the consolation! In fact, I can see Seymour growing into the quintessential companion of TTL much as Lis was for ours! It must be done!!!

So do the Yank Years make week long story arcs more palatable in the US for syndication in other shows in the US? Does the previous higher budgets and great post production shame the BBC into at least somwhat stronger financial support of the serial? And does Doctor Who completely conquer Canada and Australia?

 

[Glen]

It shows you how close Doctor Who is to a religion when people act like it's blasphemy for you to change thngs, even though that's, you know, the point of AH

Good update. It strikes me that, because of the factors Vultan mentioned, Doctor Who in TTL will be be regarded a bit like James Bond in OTL--still British, but viewed as presenting an exaggerated cartoon version of British sensibilities to appeal to the American market, with obvious pandering like working American characters (Felix Leiter in Bond's case) into stories even if their presence is superfluous.

Because of this, while Doctor Who will still be popular in TTL, it probably won't be te beloved quintessentially British institution as OTL due to being perceived as selling out. This public attachment may partly transfer to a deliberately counter-American, less mainstream rival show. For a music analogy, Doctor Who is the Beatles or Rolling Stones and this other show is the Kinks. I could see an alt Blake's 7 taking this role, thanks to that show being founded upon a critique of Star Trek.

An interesting thought Thande but I suspect not. Who has survived worse than The Yank Years, and I think Dale and Seymour will quickly reestablish Doctor Who's British street cred - and in fact the yanks cancelling the serial overseas will as well - may make the Brits cling to it all the more - pearls before swine, eh?

 

[Glen]

But if Jim Dale is the Doctor, will he still do the Harry Potter books?


Will there still be Harry Potter books? You leave Harry alone you monster. Heh.

And now Harry Potter as reead by the Fourth Doctor Jim Dale!

 

[Orville_third]

There is still the chance that other companions (or actresses) may come in. (You do know that you may have deprived Richard Dawkins of a happy marriage, right? He met Lalla Ward thanks to Douglas Adams, who met her on Doctor Who. (I don't think you've deprived us of Hitchhiker's Guide...I can see that coming along soon.))

Would "Leela" still get in the show, either as a concept, or a name? (She was named for Lelia Khaled, the Palestinian Terrorist, BTW...)

Perhaps Tom Baker plays The Master? He did play Rasputin and an evil Sorceror before his role...

Please tell us how Blue Peter is doing! While I've only seen a few bits over the years since I'm an American, I do like what I've seen.

As for my age, I was born in 1979, saw Doctor Who on reruns in the 1980's on PBS (Not as often as I liked- SCETV dropped it and UNCTV was hard to get on our set), along with Star Trek on our local independent station.

 

[Glen]

Please also do something nice with the ATL career and life of Lis Sladen (and maybe still have her do a one story arc role in TTL's Who as many British actors do) and do something fun with Tom Baker's career (more movies maybe - or maybe tap him as the next actor to play a regenerated Master!).

 

[NCW8]

For those who aren't aware, I've actually asked this question before, though quite some time ago. I think I might try to conduct a proper survey as we approach the first anniversary of this thread in November, but I was inspired to do some preliminary checking. I have 23 data points, based on everyone who has commented to this thread, whose age is either visible on their profile or has been provided to me within this thread (or elsewhere). The mean year of birth is 1975, the median is 1974, and there are three modes: 1969, 1971, and 1990, though they each have a frequency of only two (as opposed to zero or one). The oldest known commenter was born in 1950; the youngest was born in 1991. Three were born in the 1950s, six in the 1960s, four in the 1970s, seven in the 1980s, and three in the 1990s.

I'll fess-up - 1964, which means that I'm almost as old as Doctor Who !

Yes, definitely. The Master will probably fall off a cliff or down a chasm or what have you. Nobody ever dies for good in fiction.

IOTL, he came back after falling into a volcano.

I've just found this description of how Pertwee's last episode would have been if Delgado hadn't died:

The Final Game was an unproduced serial intended to end Season 11. It would have revealed that the Third Doctor and the Master were actually brothers, explaining why the Master never sought to actually kill the Doctor. It would have ended with the Master sacrificing his life for the Doctor, followed by the Doctor regenerating. However, the episode was never produced due to the death of Roger Delgado and Planet of the Spiders replaced this story as the final episode for Jon Pertwee.

No, it never went anywhere. No real market for the Daleks in the US, because they're obviously unfamiliar with those salt-and-pepper-shakers.

But did the Daleks themselves return to Dr Who ? They do have quite a fandom of their own and are very much a cultural icon. It wouldn't be Who without them.

One hired to increase popularity among growing American fans, one to increase popularity among nerds/geeks. Was she as unpopular with the target demographic as everyone else (like Adric was)? And was she redeemed?

Adric was redeemed by his death, followed by the silent credits. With Pertwee leaving the show in the same episode, I doubt that they would be able to do the same for Angie Bowie.

Seriously, I know it's pre-internet but they couldn't fax or telegraph it? They had to physically record a tape like a reel or VHS, put in a box and practically post it to Australia who then unpacked it, put it in a slot and played it? The past really is a different planet.

If you go back to the fifties, recordings of The Goon Show were sent around the world on 78 records, each holding only a couple of minutes fo the show so they had to be played in sequence and faded one into the next.

From reading the thread (being ignorant in the main of the Doc's fandom otherwise), I'm left with the sense there are favorites in casting. "ST" fandom, I sense, is about the show, rather than the casting itself.

That's basically it. Partly because the original series went on for so many years and you had no chance to watch all of the episodes from the beginning, people generally got attached to the Doctor that they first remember seeing (in my case it was Pertwee, although I do have vague memories of a couple of Troughton's episodes) and usually refer to him as "their" doctor. There's almost always been some resistance to a new actor taking over the role (even Tom Baker !) but then another generation comes along and says that the new one is the best.

Perhaps Tom Baker plays The Master? He did play Rasputin and an evil Sorceror before his role...

Now that is a great idea !

Please tell us how Blue Peter is doing! While I've only seen a few bits over the years since I'm an American, I do like what I've seen.

In the late sixties/early seventies, Blue Peter did show some SF, namely the "cartoon" Bleep and Booster. Maybe with the greater interest in Space, this could actually get made as an animated cartoon, rather than the panning over a still picture that was used.

Cheers,
Nigel.

 

[phx1138]

Partly because the original series went on for so many years and you had no chance to watch all of the episodes from the beginning, people generally got attached to the Doctor that they first remember seeing

I get that. I don't think it's as much because of inability to see the older examples, tho. I think we've got some genetic programming to like first exposures better.

Consider: have you ever liked a cover record better than the one you heard first? Have you ever liked an original record less than a cover because you heard the cover first? I've done it a few times. The only case I can think of where I liked the cover better, after hearing the original, was Sammy Kershaw's cover of "Angie" on Stone Country. (It's an exceptional cut, & a really decent album with some fine covers on it.) Kershaw captured the feel better. Others? Having heard Linda Ronstadt's "You're No Good", I don't think I'd like Betty Everett's original at all... Having heard Linda Ronstadt's "That'll be the Day", I've never liked Buddy Holly's version... Having heard Linda Ronstadt's "When Will I Be Loved?", I never liked the Everly Brothers' version... And truth to tell, after Nazareth's version, I really don't want to hear Joni Mitchell do "This Flight Tonight". (It is strange, tho: "Vinyl Tap" broadcast the demo Joni made of "Woodstock", & except for the phrasing, it's uncanny how close it is to the Matthews Southern Comfort version. Needless to say, I've always loved that one. {What a melody.})

 

[NCW8]

I get that. I don't think it's as much because of inability to see the older examples, tho. I think we've got some genetic programming to like first exposures better.

Inability is probably the wrong word. However in the UK in the eighties, most viewers would see far more of the current doctor than the previous incarnations, and in the seventies it was worse with only one rerun of selected episodes for the fifteenth anniversary.

Consider: have you ever liked a cover record better than the one you heard first? Have you ever liked an original record less than a cover because you heard the cover first?

Let's see, I prefered Roxy Music's version of Jealous Guy to John Lennon's, the Flying Pickets' version of Only You to the Eurythmics' and I certainly liked Rolf Harris' version of Stairway to Heaven, although in that case I wouldn't say that I prefered it to Led Zep.

Cheers,
Nigel.

 

[NCW8]

Please also do something nice with the ATL career and life of Lis Sladen (and maybe still have her do a one story arc role in TTL's Who as many British actors do) and do something fun with Tom Baker's career (more movies maybe - or maybe tap him as the next actor to play a regenerated Master!).

If there's more attention being paid to the early episodes, then maybe we could see a return of the Meddling Monk. Tom Baker might be good for that role. Maybe Liz Sladen could be cast as the Rani.

Cheers,
Nigel.

 

[vultan]

I will also point out this, regardless of my personal feeling on the subject of an alternate Blake's 7 (or indeed, any science fiction TV series coming out for the rest of the 1970's- really, any large-scale scripted series), one affect that will almost certainly come as a result of your alternate Star Trek is some serious budget inflation on TV shows during the decade.

After all, you had the budget-per-episode on an average episode of Star Trek to be $500,000 by the final season. If I'm correct, adjusted for inflation that's around $1,400,000 in 1987 dollars (the reason I use that year for comparison is to point out that, adjusted for inflation, that it's more than was the average budget per episode in the early seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation). And Trek was not only more popular here than in our timeline, but wildly so. Studios are going to feel a lot more comfortable dolling out huge budgets than here than in our timeline.

Come the late 1970's, we may see some truly massively-budgeted shows (perhaps even one or two that regularly break the million-dollar mark). Of course, there may be one massive flop of a series that brings the trend back down to Earth, but the precedent is set. The only comparison in real life I can think of is this trend we've been having as of late with huge-budgeted shows (Terra Nova, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, etc).

Just thought it'd be interesting to note.

Though if push comes to shove, I'd gladly take Kubrick's LOTR over Blake's 7

 

[Thande]

I'm from 1984 (insert Orwell joke here). However, it was 1984 in the Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire, which is more like the 70s anywhere else. You know you come from an economically depressed region when you work with a chap a few years older than you who grew up in Romania under Communism, and you can reminisce about owning the same computers and VCRs etc

Seriously, I know it's pre-internet but they couldn't fax or telegraph it? They had to physically record a tape like a reel or VHS, put in a box and practically post it to Australia who then unpacked it, put it in a slot and played it? The past really is a different planet.

Waaaay too much data. If you try and digitise an analogue VHS tape, for instance (which wasn't an option back then anyway) it comes out as over 4 gigabytes of data--so interestingly a DVD actually carries about the same amount of data as a VHS tape. Obviously trying to transmit that kind of data over phone lines etc was not an option until something like five years ago.

It was this problem coupled to data storage issues that delayed the MP3 player: the technology existed back in the 1970s and there was an attempt to get them going back then, but it took an hour to download one song and that was about all the primitive players back then could carry, so the Walkman was obviously a better option back then. (See the first part of this Cracked article).

I can remember back in the 90s when companies started introducing this newfangled thing where you could download patches and expansions to games and other software rather than having to send off for the disc to be posted to you. At the time, we all thought it was just a clever scheme on their part to charge you the same while not having to pay for packaging, and to be honest I'm not totally certain we weren't wrong.

Perhaps Tom Baker plays The Master? He did play Rasputin and an evil Sorceror before his role...

He actually said a few years ago that while he wasn't interested in coming back as the Doctor for a cameo, he liked the idea of playing the Master, the idea being that the Master had stolen one of the Doctor's old faces and the potential for the creepy WTF factor to the viewers. It would be interesting to have him play the Master from the start, a dark twist on his eccentrically alien performance as the Doctor.

 

[Brainbin]

More To Come... Right After These Messages

The "present date" is December 27, 1975 (a Saturday). In the United Kingdom, the first episode of the thirteenth season of Doctor Who, starring Jim Dale as the Fourth Doctor and introducing Jane Seymour as his companion, Alice Evans, is airing on the BBC this evening. The producers of the program are hoping that they can move beyond the controversial "Yank Years" era. Meanwhile, in the United States, their former creative partner, Desilu Productions, is going from strength to strength. Their own programming continues to see ratings success at levels matched only by the studio's heyday in the 1950s, and their post-production house is rapidly accruing a reputation as one of the finest in Hollywood, home to some of the best film editors and visual effects artists in the business. With the responsibility of working on Doctor Who behind them, they have ever more resources at their disposal to truly capitalize on their success in new and innovative ways, and they do have some rather intriguing ideas in the ether...

So, what can we expect next, and all on account of that wacky redhead?

We'll be taking our usual general overview of the next production and broadcast season: 1975-76.

And just as the 2012 Olympics finally come to an end in reality, we'll prolong the hysteria by covering how the 1976 Olympics will unfold!

It will finally be time to cover the epic science-fiction story devised by Glen Larson (with help from the late Gene L. Coon), as it finally becomes a television series.

Our exploration of pop culture will continue with Blaxploitation, along with breakthroughs into mainstream film, and how they appeal to mainstream audiences.

And, finally, we'll revisit Appendix B, as we take a look at the 1976 American Elections, and determine the identity of the 38th President of the United States...

All this and more, coming up on... That Wacky Redhead!

Acknowledgements

Now is the time for me to give special thanks to the following consultants, who have provided me with valuable assistance (and may yet continue to do so, if all goes well) over the course of the development of this timeline: Chipperback, e of pi, truth is life, vultan, Electric Monk, and Thande.

Remember that you can find a complete list of Official, Canonical Updates on the Alternate History Wiki page for this timeline. I highly recommend it for those of you who suffer from Archive Panic. I've made over 200 posts to this thread, about one-quarter of which can be considered "content". Which reminds me: thank you all for 1,500 replies! I'm especially grateful for the increasing variety of posters (recently, the top four commenters fell below the threshold of having made 50% of the posts for the first time).

But most of all, my sincerest thanks to all of you for your praise, your criticism, your many and varied opinions, and your continued readership!

And, of course, I'll be sure to respond to your replies shortly

 

[Pyro]

And just as the 2012 Olympics finally come to an end in reality, we'll prolong the hysteria by covering how the 1976 Olympics will unfold!

Are they still in Montreal, and will the city still be paying for them well into the 31st century?

 

[phx1138]

Inability is probably the wrong word.

I was thinking "predisposition" as opposed to "lack of access".

Let's see, I prefered Roxy Music's version of Jealous Guy to John Lennon's, the Flying Pickets' version of Only You to the Eurythmics' and I certainly liked Rolf Harris' version of Stairway to Heaven, although in that case I wouldn't say that I prefered it to Led Zep.

And in each case, I presume, the cover was also heard later? If so, maybe it's just me. (Which, by now, will surprise nobody.)

Studios are going to feel a lot more comfortable dolling out huge budgets than here than in our timeline.

Come the late 1970's, we may see some truly massively-budgeted shows (perhaps even one or two that regularly break the million-dollar mark).

Indeed. Which makes me wonder, will they be spending it on effects, as they did OTL on "BG", or on flash, as they did on "Miami Vice", or will it go to better writing, directing, & casting? Yes, some is bound to go to production values, which would help the likes of OTL's "Starlost" (tho it's evidently not getting made TTL, & I won't miss it). The pernicious effects could be bad, but the improved quality could mean better TV generally. As I think of it, tho, it could also reduce the diversity of producers, since not all could afford it... If shows are more expensive, do networks switch to more game shows or talk shows to cover the difference? Or do they devise reality TV (much) earlier than OTL

 

[Thande]

I do like your method of putting a list of links to updates on the wiki page, it neatly sidesteps the issue of finding the updates in the midst of all our acerbically witty and extremely helpful p) comments.

 

[unclepatrick]

Great idea. I, for one, would love to see a Blake's 7 with a decent budget, perhaps enough to muster a proper Star Wars-style space battle once a season.

Love the American Year Segment

I agree with Vulcan. Blake Seven with better budget would be very interesting.

 

[unclepatrick]

It shows you how close Doctor Who is to a religion when people act like it's blasphemy for you to change thngs, even though that's, you know, the point of AH

Good update. It strikes me that, because of the factors Vultan mentioned, Doctor Who in TTL will be be regarded a bit like James Bond in OTL--still British, but viewed as presenting an exaggerated cartoon version of British sensibilities to appeal to the American market, with obvious pandering like working American characters (Felix Leiter in Bond's case) into stories even if their presence is superfluous.

Because of this, while Doctor Who will still be popular in TTL, it probably won't be te beloved quintessentially British institution as OTL due to being perceived as selling out. This public attachment may partly transfer to a deliberately counter-American, less mainstream rival show. For a music analogy, Doctor Who is the Beatles or Rolling Stones and this other show is the Kinks. I could see an alt Blake's 7 taking this role, thanks to that show being founded upon a critique of Star Trek.

I am Married to one of the US biggest Star Trek fan. I am more a Doctor Who fan. We joke with each other that our marriage works despite the religion different .

Yes Changing Tom Baker is a shock. But It not my timeline. It interesting.
And I interested in what is done with Blake Seven. Also Please tell us what Tom Baker is up to since he not doing Doctor Who.