The Swashbuckler: Another Dr Who ATL

"It had become unbearable. Tom was being an absolute arsehole on set and his demands were getting increasingly ridiculous. He was always pissed on set and treated everyone like dirt.

Things came to a head when we were shooting the external scenes. That infamous scene where the Doctor's head was held underwater. Bernard (Horsfall) was simply doing as he was told. We shouted "cut". Tom shot up from under the water, grabbed Bernard by his tunic and yelled:

"What the fuck are you trying to do to me you cunt!"

I had to rush in and pull Tom off otherwise he could have done some serious damage.

The decision was made at that point. Tom would have to go.

Philip Hinchcliffe 1981
 
SYNOPSIS OF "THE DEADLY ASSASSIN"

The Doctor reconnects the Eye Of Harmony and the earthquake stops. Spandrell and a group of guards race into the chamber as the Master makes good his escape. As The Master's TARDIS dematerialises Spandrell reaches the doctor who is lying on his stomach. As Spandrell rolls the Doctor over he sees the regeneration sequence has begun...
 
To be honest I didn't know whether he'd accept the role. He had the experience of being involved in science fiction television and was something of a heart-throb but he'd never had extended lengths of time on TV. There were of course other options. John Nettles was one possibility. Paul Darrow was another but I felt that given the uproar that followed after Tom's departure we needed a actor who could be both emollient and calm. When it was put to him I was shocked when he said yes.

The fifth doctor was to be Robert Powell

Philip Hinchcliffe.
 
Well, that probably butterflies his work with Jasper Carrot on 'The Detectives' and his later decades on that hospital soap...

Uh, didn't he also star in a Biblical thing ??

( I don't watch *any* soaps, after spending far too long in my youth sat in front of 'Corrie' by aunt / baby-sitter... Okay, I was reading but-- AYYY, IT'S THAT THEME TUNE !!! )
 
From The Radio Times:

(Ok its from a different show :)
 

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The Fifth Doctor.

This doctor starts his incarnation as someone who has been reduced to a shell of his former self. The sheer force and trauma of the events of his battles with the Master and Goth as well and the absorption of a large amount of energy from the eye of Rassilion have combined to strip him of everything except his will to survive.

In the immediate aftermath of his regeneration the Doctor resembles less of a time lord and more of a man recovering from a severe physical and mental breakdown. We see him recovering in a Time lord health pod and it is shocking to us seeing him as a dynamic and forceful personality.

As well as shocking it is also ironic. Here we see the Doctor. The ultimate time lord renegade now dependent on the very people he swore never to have anything to do with...
 
SYNOPSIS OF 'Reconnection'

The Fifth Doctor is still in a health pod being cared for by medical technicians and treated for PRSD (Post Regenerative Stress Disorder). He has being in a virtual coma for days only waking briefly and muttering about past events.

Meanwhile Borusa who has become president is expecting a guest...

"Ahh Lady Romana, please sit down

"My Lord President I really must protest. I am engaged in important work for the High Council...

" I understand and I really am sorry to have called you here but I need your help"

"My help?"

"You are aware of the situation regarding the Doctor"

"Yes and so is all of Gallifrey"

"You are an expert in many areas including the effects of traumatic regeneration...based on your knowledge what do you think the prognosis is?

"To be honest It is not favourable. The Doctor took a huge impact from the Eye Of Harmony and despite his and our ability to withstand pain he has been ripped to pieces. I am surprised he was able to regenerate"

"And if he is able to recover from this... what are his chances of survival?

"If? My Lord President I doubt very much the doctor can survive"
 
The tone of the show shifted with Robert's arrival. The violence that had been prevalent during Tom's tenure had got us into hot water with the likes of Mary Whitehouse. What we did with Bob was to make the doctor more ethereal and less volatile. Indeed it was Bob's idea to have the Doctor post regeneration as a christ like figure.

Philip Hinchcliffe 1981
 

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CAST LIST

The Doctor: Robert Powell
Romana: Mary Tamm

Boursa: Angus Mckay
Engin: Erik Chitty
Spandrel: George Pravda
 
Well, that's butterflied away probably the most perfect Doctor Who story ever: Chris Boucher's The Robots of Death.

Always wanted Robert Powell as the Doctor. Intrigued as to where you'll take him.
 
During the Doctor's recovery his TARDIS has been given something of a sprucing up. The simple wooden console of the 4th Doctor's reign has been expanded into a more genteel room with bookshelves and a 2 piece suite
 

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EPISODE LIST

Reconnection: 2x45 mins

The Doctor in an attempt to repair his mental state re-enters the matrix to come to terms with the violence of his regeneration

Full Fathom Five 4x30 mins

The Doctor and Romana land on Mestor 95 as the Doctor recovery progresses. During their sojourn a new threat to the galaxy appears. The Hydrax. A water based lifeform seeks to enslave the population.

The Robots of Death 4x30 mins

As OTL

Hatchery

4x30 mins

The Doctor and Romana find a Dalek outpost where they find a new version of the enemy in prototype form. The Doctor faces a similar situation to his previous incarnation on Skaro (Genesis Of The Daleks)
 
The new series got off to a shaky start. The displacement of Baker by Powell led to ratings dropping to around 5 million. However viewers had got used to the quiet man of action persona of the new Doctor halfway through the second adventure. By the end of Hatchery ratings had gone up to 8 million.

With the crisis over Powell and Hinchliffe along with Tamm started to discuss the future of the series...
 
Powell's second series was the one where the new format came to the fore:

The meta-theme running through the series was one of the Doctor being more Gallifreyan than ever before. His recovery has led to him being "reintegrated" into time-lord society. Romana is more than just his companion she is his equal as well as being a direct link to the time-lords. During Powell's first series we saw Romana in contact with Borusa updating him with the doctor's condition as well as keeping Gallifrey warned about the threats posed (especially the Hydrax).

The Doctor was unaware of this until the end of Hatchery. The script extract below explains the fallout from the revelation:

DOCTOR: You've been spying for them!

ROMANA: I was under orders to do so.

BORUSA: Doctor you don't seem to realise. Your regeneration came close to killing you. We were concerned that you would be too fragile to cope.

DOCTOR: Fragile?! I'll have you know I'm at the peak of my powers. No, you were intent on getting me back under your control.

ROMANA: No, Doctor. We monitored you because we knew what happened before was a mistake

DOCTOR: Mistake?

BORUSA: When you told us that Earth was a vulnerable planet we knew that you had seen the dangers posed to the universe. Dangers that we in our arrogance ignored. When the Master nearly destroyed the Eye Of Harmony and with it Gallifrey, that to us was a realisation that we must act. The threat of the Hydrax as well as the Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans amongst others means we need to monitor the universe and where possible act.
 
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