Doctor Who
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Part One: Doctor Who?:

“It was odd how it started when you think about it. I mean, it seems so obvious now that it would have happened but it only did so because of a comment about eight years before it all happened. John was working with the BBC then, light hearted series, music, songs, comedy, that sort of thing. During it, he actually managed to watch a few Troughton episodes and loved the whole thing. “Oh man!” He’d say “I love it!” He then managed to watch a few episodes with Pertwee and his eyes would light up when he saw the cars and the action “I’d love to be a part of something like that!” He said, right in the middle of the BBC canteen. He was talking to some of his people about it and it became a bit of a running gag throughout the year but when the time came for a decision to be made, the words came back to me…”
- Extract from interview with Johnathan Nathan-Turner, 1992 (1)

“It was the Armageddon Factor which did it. God knows what the argument was about now. Tom heard some comment from someone which probably was just them commenting on what Nathan said about him at some point but it doesn’t really matter. Tom had been worse on set, his demands reaching a high point and whatever the comment was, it set him off in a terrible way. Even Graham wasn’t able to calm him down and that, it seemed, was that. After five years in the role, Tom announced there and then he was leaving it, determined to quit. I think the fact that Nathan was going to get the job as head of the show at some point played into it, those two never did see eye to eye over things. After some desperate re-writing and re-shooting, the Armageddon Factor was finished, the entire series ending with Tom going into regeneration and without any idea of who’d be next to take up the role. Considering what followed afterwards, I confess to being in two minds over whether or not leaving was a good thing after all.”
- Extract from interview with Mary Tamm, 1988

[Scene: Inside the TARDIS. Romana and the Doctor are looking to the screen where the Black Guardian has been revealed in an attempt to steal the Key of Time.]

BLACK GUARDIAN:
Doctor! You shall die for this!

DOCTOR:
For exposing a rather shallow ruse? [To Romana] A bit of an overreaction you must admit.​

[The TARDIS suddenly shakes as the Black Guardian lets out a scream of rage, lights flickering and steam coming from the console as Romana and the Doctor start to look over it. After a few seconds, the Doctor gets down and opens up the console, blinding lights greeting him.]

ROMANA:
The Heart of the TARDIS! What’s he doing to it Doctor?

DOCTOR:
He’s… Yes, he’s overloading it seems. It’ll blow us to pieces and tear a hole in the Galaxy at this rate!

ROMANA:
Is there anything we can do?​

[The Doctor looks to Romana, his expression going off into the distance as he realises what he must do.]

DOCTOR:
Well, I’ve had a good run I suppose, time for a fresh start.

ROMANA:
You don’t mean…

DOCTOR:
I can absorb the excess energy, see to it that the TARDIS will be inert, harmless until you and whoever comes after me thinks of a long term solution.

ROMANA:
Wait Doctor, let me…​

[Not letting her finish, the Doctor reaches into the Heart of the TARDIS, letting out a scream as the energy overwhelms him as he absorbs it. The lights in the TARDIS darken, leaving only a pale glow as the Doctor falls back onto the floor, Romana catching him as he does so.]

ROMANA:
Doctor! Try to hang on, I’ll do what I can!

DOCTOR:
No, it’s far too late for that. This incarnation’s spent. Oh, what a life, what an end… Goodbye, Romana.​

[A glow envelops the Doctor as the regeneration kicks in. The camera cuts to Romana as we see her react to this change, the light fading as she sees the new Doctor, but the audience can’t.]

ROMANA:
… Doctor?​

[Cut to credits and end theme.]

- Final scene from ‘The Armageddon Factor’, the final serial featuring the Fourth Doctor

After the storming off set and the entire series as a whole by Tom Baker, Graham Williams decided to call it a day, retiring from Doctor Who as he freely admitted that this was probably just the logical conclusion to him being unable to stand up to Baker. John Nathan-Turner was promoted, although not without some reluctance. Rumours swirled about that he had been responsible for the argument that saw Baker leave the show and Turner had to make a lot of promises to make sure he could secure the spot. One of these was an expansion of Doctor Who’s popularity, both at home and abroad. It was a big promise, but one that secured Turner the role of producer for the show just as he was making some very desperate phone calls to a man he’d overheard making a comment in the BBC canteen eight years ago.
- Extract from ‘The First Forty Years in The TARDIS: Doctor Who, 1963 – 2003’

“The BBC wants John for what?!”
- Jerry Weintraub, on the phone to John Nathan-Turner, 1979

“It was the work of a few desperate weeks, but we managed to get John out to the UK and have an audition. I suppose it’s damn lucky that he met with Doug when he first entered the BBC, him being the new script editor had him eager to meet the new Doctor. John had been away from the UK for a long time and he’d been catching up with the controversy the show had been having over its violence. Meeting with Doug from the get go calmed his nerves though as the idea of taking Doctor Who into a lighter, more comedic tone suited John down to a T. They sat down and talked for about an hour over ideas regarding the series and John was more confident than ever he’d do it. At the audition, he actually read extracts from Hitchhiker’s, as well as scripts we were desperately trying to complete and managed to find a good take on the role, remembering what Troughton was like and taking some of the quirks from him, while adding some of the country boy charm he was famous for. It was a good take on the character considering what we were aiming for, although I will admit that criticisms that we may have gone too far with it weren’t entirely unjustified.”
- Extract from interview with Johnathan Nathan-Turner, 1992

One unexpected effect of the casting was the opening of doors in the US for Doctor Who. John Nathan-Turner’s ambitions for expanding the show’s popularity in the US, particularly with the showing of episodes on PBS, got a boost when the casting of the Fifth Doctor opened all new doors for him. The hasty promises Turner had made in order to secure his job were coming to fruition as the newly cast Doctor was able to use his contacts in the industry to start his role in a blaze of publicity. Viewing figures for Doctor Who steadily climbed in the US before the new Doctor even appeared. When he did, publicity around the casting, as well as the show itself, helped it get solid ratings. A triumph for Turner, but one that simply acted as a stay of execution.
- Extract from 'The Silver Age of Science Fiction: 1983 – 1993'

“It was one of the most peculiar letters I’ve ever had to write, that much is true. But upon Her Majesty’s instructions, I did indeed send correspondence to the Head of the BBC at the time, expressing Her Majesty’s confusion regarding the announcement of the newest man to the role of Doctor Who. She had enjoyed the programme for some years and expressed reservations over the casting choices in private, and the letter which I penned. The BBC responded politely, as they insisted in having faith in the choice as it promised a new era for the show. As Her Majesty commented to me at a later point, this was certainly true, but not really in the manner in which they expected it to.”
- Extract from interview with Sir Phillip Moore, former Private Secretary to the Sovereign (1977 – 1986), 1993

“I will admit, it’s certainly a Hell of a lot nicer than the rest of the fan mail we’ve been getting.”
- Comment Douglas Adams made towards John Nathan-Turner over Queen Elizabeth II's letter regarding the casting choice made for the Fifth Doctor

“The BBC can announce that John Denver shall be the fifth person to take on the role of Doctor Who. The famous singer and actor has stated he’s looking forward to taking part in the television show and welcomes the challenge that comes from being part of such a historical series. Filming on the new series is expected to start in May with the series starting in September.”
- Extract from the BBC announcement regarding John Denver’s casting to be the Fifth Doctor. Note the lack of overly glowing terms one would expect from this sort of thing.

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- Photo of John Denver, taken in between takes of ‘Redemption of The Daleks’ May, 1979. The lack of question mark guitar stands out, it being one of the few things Denver actively disliked while filming his first series of Doctor Who.

“Now I’ve been a part of a lot of nerd wars, I can still smell the blood on the streets from the Ghostbusters vs. Star Trek riots of ’87. But they all pale in comparison to two things, Tolkien purists who’d throw themselves into the Grand Canyon rather than watch the Disney trilogy and English people who hear the opening notes to Country Roads. Now you might think that English people are a bunch of tea drinking, crumpet eating whiners who still can’t admit how awesome George Washington is, but you’ve never seen those guys go full berserker mode on some poor bastard who thinks that the Sixth Doctor wasn’t all that good compared to the country singer.”
- Extract from ‘The Ultima Movie Reboot: A Review’, a video posted on the Schwoony Experiment

1: The actual POD. Since I have no idea if John Denver liked Doctor Who, watched Doctor Who, or was even aware of Doctor Who’s existence, it’s a pretty broad POD. But what the Hell, this timeline’s for fun more than anything else. Comments are welcome as in all things, as are question and possible suggestions on improving the format if needed.
 
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“It was the Armageddon Factor which did it. God knows what the argument was about now. Tom heard some comment from someone which probably was just them commenting on what Nathan said about him at some point but it doesn’t really matter. Tom had been worse on set, his demands reaching a high point and whatever the comment was, it set him off in a terrible way. Even Graham wasn’t able to calm him down and that, it seemed, was that. After five years in the role, Tom announced there and then he was leaving it, determined to quit. I think the fact that Nathan was going to get the job as head of the show at some point played into it, those two never did see eye to eye over things. After some desperate re-writing and re-shooting, the Armageddon Factor was finished, the entire series ending with Tom going into regeneration and without any idea of who’d be next to take up the role. Considering what followed afterwards, I confess to being in two minds over whether or not leaving was a good thing after all.”
- Extract from interview with Mary Tamm, 1988

It's not a bad time for Tom Baker to step down from the role. I'm guessing that ITTL he doesn't get involved with Lalla Ward, which IOTL may have encouraged him to stay on the show for such a long span.

I suspect that there might be attempts to persuade Mary Tamm to remain on the show for at least the start of the next season. During the classic series it was actually very unusual for the actors playing the Doctor and his companions to leave the show at the same time - it helped provide continuity. Even when Wendy Panbury and Frazer Hines left at the same time as Troughton, the Brigadier had already been introduced as an occasional character.

Denver is an interesting choice for the role. I'm looking forward to seeing where you'll take this.

Cheers,
Nigel.
 
Sounds like fun, look forward to seeing where you go with this.

It's still somewhat underdeveloped at the moment, stuff will be filled out as it goes along. Glad you've enjoyed it so far.

John Denver as Doctor Who? Oh dear... I'm looking forward to this. :D

Blame the BBC for showing a documentary about him the night before the 50th Doctor Who special. Hope I don't let down expectations.

It's not a bad time for Tom Baker to step down from the role. I'm guessing that ITTL he doesn't get involved with Lalla Ward, which IOTL may have encouraged him to stay on the show for such a long span.

I suspect that there might be attempts to persuade Mary Tamm to remain on the show for at least the start of the next season. During the classic series it was actually very unusual for the actors playing the Doctor and his companions to leave the show at the same time - it helped provide continuity. Even when Wendy Panbury and Frazer Hines left at the same time as Troughton, the Brigadier had already been introduced as an occasional character.

Denver is an interesting choice for the role. I'm looking forward to seeing where you'll take this.

Cheers,
Nigel.

I was on the fence about Tamm at first but she'll stick around for now, if only to provide a familiar face for viewers in the next series.

._.
...
...okay. (subscribes)

Hopefully that won't be because you're a car crash enthusiast. :p
 
Strangely enough, I *can* see Denver as a Doctor... His public persona was a gentle, slightly shy, 'sensitive' guy - which is a decent match to Peter Davison as well.

Denver's interactions with the Muppets will put him in good stead for interacting with K-9. There's still going to be the problem of Doctor + Romana + K-9 = Any Bad guy on the planet should just stop now an evacuate.
 
I could see John Denver, who was a major fan of spaceflight and Buckminster Fuller and aviation being the Doctor. BTW, he did work with the Muppets a lot.
One problem with Mary Tamm. OTL she left- but at the time Romana II was introduced, she was pregnant with her daughter. (My mom was likely pregnant with me at the time, which is one reason why I remember.)
 
John Denver as the Doctor? Interesting.

(I've really only seen part of the Tenth and most of the Eleventh. I have no idea what the Twelfth[or Thirteenth if you count War Doctor as the real Ninth] is gonna be like).
 
I could see John Denver, who was a major fan of spaceflight and Buckminster Fuller and aviation being the Doctor. BTW, he did work with the Muppets a lot.
One problem with Mary Tamm. OTL she left- but at the time Romana II was introduced, she was pregnant with her daughter. (My mom was likely pregnant with me at the time, which is one reason why I remember.)

If Tamm has to leave at the same time (the power surge could go though her as well, forcing her to also regenerate -- she's a Time Lord too) due to her pregnancy, then the only continuity character is Kid-favorite K-9.
 
Fifth Doctor Starts
Part Two: The Fifth Doctor:

Profile:

Like his previous incarnations, the Fifth Doctor possessed a wander lust and thirst for justice that took him across the Universe. Like the Second Doctor, he had an anti-authority streak built into him along with a sense of humour, although Five’s was far less malicious than Two’s. He was a musician like Two, but preferred the guitar over the recorder and like Three, had an affinity with vehicles with an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of planes in particular. The Fifth Doctor was a great deal more laid back than any of his predecessors though, always looking to talk and talk rather than go to violent means, being a borderline pacifist in many of his episodes. Despite that though, he was still a threat to the terrors of the Universe, managing to outwit or distract them before they were eliminated by other means. Questions remained over how much of his persona, giving the impression of a ‘good old boy’ to use an American expression, was genuine or faked. Looking through his adventures and interactions with others, the conclusion of the Fifth Doctor being the one without any deception in him can be reached. He is largely considered to be the Doctor who tried to find the lightest side of a situation, never failing to act to help people and cheer them up as well.

Description:
Like John Denver’s real life appearance, the Fifth Doctor tended to wear jeans with long boots. Floral shirts were the order of the day, as well as dark waistcoats, but the patterns always had a question mark or several embedded in the pattern. A question mark was always noticeable over the Doctor’s waistcoat pocket in particular. A pair of glasses completed the ensemble as far as an outright outfit was concerned. As for equipment, after the destruction of the sonic screwdriver in the first episode of ‘Regeneration on Ramos’, it wouldn’t be seen throughout the Fifth Doctor’s run. The most iconic items in the Fifth Doctor’s possession were his guitars which he was seem strumming along with in various episodes. One that stood out in particular was a guitar with a headstock crafted in the shape of a question mark. It was the only one ever seen on screen that was never played, John Denver politely refusing to even carry it on various occasions.
- Extract from the Heart of The TARDIS: A Doctor Who Wiki

“Seriously Nathan, how am I even supposed to tune it?”
- Comment by John Denver to John Nathan-Turner regarding the infamous ‘question guitar’.

[Scene: The opening credits end, cutting to the scene with Romana leaning over the Doctor, still dressed as the Fourth, her eyes open wide with surprise as she takes in the new regeneration. The lights are still dim as the Doctor stirs, letting out a small groan.]

ROMANA:
… Doctor?​

[The Doctor slowly sits up, blinking heavily as he tries to get his bearings. He peers into the dim light before reaching into several of his pockets, eventually managing to pull out a pair of glasses that he puts on, looking around more keenly now.]

DOCTOR:
Much better… Wait, what? [Puts hand to his throat] Was that me? I sound like that? Alright, quite the change. Guess I’ll have to get used to it. Rather like it already in fact.

ROMANA:
It’s certainly a bit different from the rest. Can you stand?

DOCTOR:
Let’s see now…​

[With Romana’s help, the Doctor gets to his feet, leaning on the console as he looks right into the Heart of the TARDIS.]

DOCTOR:
Oh yeah, Black Guardian guy. We’re kinda stranded, aren’t we?

ROMANA:
Unless we can think of something rather quick, yes.​

[The Doctor rummages through his pockets pulling out his Sonic Screwdriver. He looks at it and gives a sigh.]

DOCTOR:
Well, nice while it lasted I guess. I’ll manage without though. [Starts fiddling with the controls]

ROMANA:
You’re overloading it?

DOCTOR:
Yup! Should give us the kick start needed to land somewhere before we find a way to power it back up.​

[After pressing a few buttons more, the Doctor lays the Sonic Screwdriver down beside the Heart of the TARDIS, a sharp flash of light appearing as the lights return, sending the TARDIS onwards. Romana rushes over to the console, punching a few of the buttons to set it on its course.]

ROMANA:
We’re on our way Doctor, we’ll be landing soon.

DOCTOR:
Just as planned. Now Romana, you take care of the driving, I’ve got something very important to do.

ROMANA:
What’s that Doctor?

DOCTOR:
Pass out.​

[The Doctor falls to the floor, unconscious.]
- Opening scene of ‘Regeneration on Ramos’, the first episode of Doctor Who’s seventeenth series.

The first of five four-episode serials that were to make up the seventeenth series of Doctor Who, ‘Regeneration on Ramos’ was to set the tone for the episodes to come. Light hearted, fast pacing and full of humour. This, along with the casting of John Denver, led to help alienate the core fans of the show, claiming that Doctor Who was being ruined by the changes. Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time such accusations had been laid at the show’s feet but they were heard more keenly than ever at this point. Despite the complaints though, ratings actually rose slightly, the loss of core fans being offset by older people getting into the show due to John Denver himself, and families who were more at ease with the show’s lighter tone. It seemed that John Denver was actually a success as the Doctor in the UK, albeit an understated one. Over in the US, the success was magnified greatly as John Denver’s contacts in the entertainment industry had provided great publicity for the show, bringing in fans that a British Sci-Fi franchise normally wouldn’t have reached. Rating on PBS for his episodes (First screened in January, 1980) were solid and continued throughout the year, helping kick start the later Sci-Fi revival later in the decade.
- Extract from ‘The First Forty Years in The TARDIS: Doctor Who, 1963 – 2003’

Regeneration on Ramos:
The first serial of the seventeenth series and the first to feature the Fifth Doctor. After regenerating from the Black Guardian’s attack, the Doctor is comatose for a while as Romana lands the TARDIS on Ramos, a Planet on the brink of reaching the Stars with fully functional spaceships. The Prime Minister of the Planet is looking to spread the people of the Planet peacefully while the Marshall of the armed forces (A thin pastiche of Margaret Thatcher) looks to use them for outright conquest and prepares for a coup. The Doctor and Romana land amid the Marshall’s plans, the Doctor doing his best to work against her. With Romana and K-9 at his side, the Doctor unravels the Marshall’s plans, turns her subordinates against her and finally gets her to lash out in public, revealing her role in the coup attempt. The Marshall attempts to shoot the Doctor, only to hit Romana instead, causing her to Regenerate. This causes the Marshall to get arrested and the Prime Minister thanks the Doctor for allowing his people to explore the Universe in peace. The Doctor, Romana and K-9 leave Ramos behind them, the Doctor gently strumming on a newly purchased guitar.

Peril in Paris:
Settling for some time off in Paris to recuperate and fully get to grips with their new Regenerations, the Doctor visits the Louvre, Romana at his side as the two discover a plot by an alien named Scaroth to steal the entirety of the Louvre’s treasures before blowing up all of Paris. The aim of this being that the destruction of a city from orbit would attract attention from other races and drive up the prices such artefacts from a ‘quaint’ people could sell for. Posing as the affluent Iago Scarlioni, his disguise as a Human art curator almost perfect. Armed with automatons who capture those who come close to unveiling the scheme in order to serve as slaves to maintain the art while Scaroth replaces it all with copies before enacting his plan to destroy Paris. Uncovering this, the Doctor and Romana go into a race for time as they manage to render all the explosives under Paris inert before switching the real art from the Louvre with the fakes, vandalising them first. As Scaroth starts his auction, the Doctor and Romana rescue the slaves before Scaroth’s vandalised art is revealed, utterly ruining him. As a result, Scaroth is marooned on a Planet for his actions while the Doctor restores everything to normal in Paris, presenting Romana with one of the pieces of art he changed himself, the Mona Lisa, but with Romana sat in model’s chair.

Shada:
The prison of Shada is home to the attempted conquerors of the Universe, sent there by the Time Lords to keep them from destroying the peace. A would be conqueror by the name of Skagra looks to break into this prison to gain the assistance of one of the inmates, only to realise that almost no one knows where Shada is anymore. The only one who can point Skagra in the right direction is a Time Lord by the name of Chronotis, currently living on Earth as a professor in Cambridge. Skagra looks to kidnap Chronotis, only to run up against the Doctor who’s visiting his old friend at the time. So begins a chase as Skagra throws any obstacle he can against the Doctor and Romana, mercenaries, deflecting whatever he can in the path of the TARDIS. Despite all this, the Doctor remains hot on his trail until they reach Shada, Skagra looking to force Chronotis on how to open the prison. The aged Time Lord actually gives the password to Skagra, being forced into the prison until the Doctor makes an appearance. He and Romana manage to rescue Chronotis, the Time Lord then using the password to seal Skagra away in the prison, calmly explaining that was his plan all along as he knew the Doctor would be following right behind them. With Shada safe for now, Chronotis invites the two to attend his lectures, causing the Doctor to hurriedly making excuses before leaving.

The Creature From The Pit:
Receiving a distress call while on board the TARDIS, the Doctor, Romana and K-9 touch down on the Planet of Chloris. A former jungle world, deforestation has pushed the ecology Planet to the brink of collapse. Ruled by Lady Adrasta, the Planet is under her iron-clad control, seeing to it that most of the remaining resources are at her disposal. After escaping from an attempt by Adrasta to seize K-9, the Doctor and Romana make their way to the source of the distress signal, revealing a scientist hiding deep within some caverns. The scientist reveals a creature giving out spores which could help bring back the forests of Chloris. The scientist hides the creature, for fear of what Adrasta would do to it, either kill it or force it to create spores simply to use the plants and trees for her own gain. Realising that he needs to step in, the Doctor enacts a plan whereby the creature uses its spores to help undermine Adrasta’s rule by causing plants to sprout in areas she denies having any to increase dissent against her rule. As her control over resources is undermined, the Doctor spreads further dissent, pointing out that the forests could return simply if they moderated their wants rather than consuming everything as Adrasta encouraged them to do. The boiling point comes when Adrasta brings tries to rally a crowd against the Doctor and Romana in a bid to steal K-9, only for the Doctor to turn the people against her in a speech that lambasts her tyranny and misuse of the environment, showing people the wasteland their entire world will turn into unless they stop. People turn against Adrasta at this, her threatening them all with death unless they obey her making her position even shakier. It ends with Adrasta being arrested by her second-in-command as the Doctor aids the creature to start its mission of spreading the spores around the Planet. As the Doctor says to end the serial, it’ll take a lot of work and for the people to learn how to work with nature before the damage can be repaired.

Redemption of The Daleks:
The final serial of the series sees the Doctor & Co. touch down on the Planet of Nizor, a world under threat from a Dalek incursion. Leaping into action, the Doctor manages to hold off the Daleks’ first attack as K-9 manages to sneak into the Dalek holding, discovering that several of the Daleks have been corrupted as far as their DNA has gone due to a faulty generating process, allowing them to have emotions beyond hate. With Romana joining K-9 as she tries to contact with the mutant Daleks and Nizor’s, the Doctor stalls for time, promising that he’d happily hand himself over towards the Daleks if only they could convince him of the superiority of their culture through a battle of music. With Romana encouraging the mutant Daleks to help the Doctor stall for time, the contest is agreed upon, allowing the Doctor to co-ordinate with Romana, K-9 and the mutant Daleks to end the threat to Nizor. Taking place over a screen, the Doctor starts off with his own rendition of a song called ‘Galactic Roads’, detailing the Doctor’s love for exploration. The Dalek’s retort with the ‘Extermination Song’ before instantly claiming victory. The Doctor turns this around, revealing he’d just been playing for time as the Mutant Daleks attack, destroying the others as they help Nizor soldiers defeat the threat. With the mutant Daleks free to live as they choose, they leave Nizor to find a home of their own, the Doctor & Co. also make their way in the TARDIS, the Doctor commenting that he has some hope that the Daleks could change from this, but only time would tell.
- Synopsis of the five serials that made up the seventeenth series of Doctor Who, a sixth was planned, but industrial action prevented any filming on it whatsoever.

“Although John was a delight to work with and I would have loved to have worked with him more, I felt that the role of Romana was really just another one of the assistant’s that the character of the Doctor picked up on a whim. I agreed to stick around for a few episodes to film my transition and I don’t regret my time on the show and Lalla Ward did a wonderful job with the character afterwards. Although, looking back, I think I should have been more proactive considering the direction the show was going to take. Despite the complaints by fans later, John never really tried to make the show all about him, I honestly don’t think he ever realised how much influence he had. When he was finished with his engagements in the US, he came to start filming and looking over the scripts, he’d always say “That’s good, but I think folks back home would like it more if…” Just little things like that. There was no intent to turn it all about him, it’s just that John seemed to miss the idea of how important horror was as an element of Doctor Who. It went along with the idea that since he was in the show, he may as well make the most of his talents while on there. With Douglas Adams always eager to add more humour to the show, it led to the series taking on the form it did in the seventeenth series. Despite the changes, it certainly didn’t warrant all the backlash it got, I rather enjoyed it myself.”
- Extract from interview with Mary Tamm, 1988

8-dalek-full.jpg

- The infamous ‘Dalek concert’ scene from the fourth episode of 'Redemption of The Daleks’, first aired 12th January, 1980.

“We’ll fill up all your senses, with horror and terror
We’ll burn you to ashes, we’ll incinerate your skin,
You will scream when we kill you, you will scream when we come near,
We’ll exterminate your family, we’ll kill all your kin.”

- Lyrics to the ‘Dalek Song’

“Through the Heavens, through the wonder,
From Gallifrey, to the starry yonder,
Life is special, wonderful and grand,
Going in my TARDIS, lookin’ soon to land.”

- Lyrics to ‘Galactic Roads’

“You want to know why no one likes the Fifth Doctor? F****** English icon turned American and ACAPELLA DALEKS.”
- Quote from No. 6, member of the Doctor Who Fan Forums, 2004

“Y’know, a lot of people criticise that serial but I actually saw the numbers and the ratings and it remained pretty strong throughout. What the fans who complained didn’t realise that we were looking beyond the kind of audience that they themselves thought of as being the core of the show. We had people who’d never tuned into Doctor Who before suddenly switching on their sets to catch the show. I was doing a lot of publicity work around the US that really got people excited over it. We were looking towards the large market in the US to try and capture their interest. The scriptwriters really did a good job in helping the brand appeal to as many people as possible. It was a shame that it turned off some viewers, but in the UK and the US, we were doing great ratings that really showed what we could do.”
- Extract from interview with John Denver, 1993

“The final score for 'Redemption of The Daleks' is six out of ten. Now remember all scores are relative to their series and this is no different. Despite the harsh backlash it received, Redemption isn’t a bad story. The writing’s good, the Doctor shows off some good thinking, Romana herself gets a good chance to shine and the jokes are funny. What hurts the episode is the fact that it was the Daleks they had included in what was an extremely light hearted story. If it had been a new kind of villain or creature for the Doctor to face, I doubt the backlash would have been as strong as it was. The worst thing to come from the episode wasn’t the quality itself but the impact it would have on the show.”

“John Nathan-Turner had got the job as producer of Doctor Who with the intent to make people take it seriously again and reign in any egos that might wreck it. But with the hiring of John Denver to really establish the show in the US, something that was successful, he went on to make the same mistakes he’d wanted to avoid. The Doctor was light hearted and fun, the episodes humorous rather than serious and John Denver, depending on which source you believe, tried to keep the show that way or edged it towards that unknowingly. To make matters worse, Turner felt that Denver was deliberately undermining him by going with the scriptwriters to work over ideas and make the episodes more suitable for family viewing. ‘The Creature From The Pit’ was one such example which Denver had re-written to help give it a pro-environment message. The backlash from core Doctor Who fans just seemed to echo Turner’s own thoughts, that he’d turned a series he’d wanted people to take seriously, and made it more of a joke than ever with a folksy Doctor whose actor seemed to control the creative direction it went in.”

“But regardless of what the fans say, the seventeenth season of Doctor Who wasn’t a disaster. Ratings remained strong and the show’s popularity in the states shot up. Such was the hype for the show before it even aired that Steven Spielberg actually travelled to the set where the episodes were being filmed to visit. But Turner didn’t see the strong ratings, he didn’t see the growing popularity of the show overseas and with casual audiences, all he saw was Douglas Adams and John Denver turning his show into the kind of joke he’d wanted to avoid, hardcore fans expressing their disgust the entire time.”

“So when John Denver was away on US talk shows to hype up Doctor Who, Turner made his move, forcing Douglas Adams, one of Denver’s closest associates behind the scenes, off the show and establishing his own rules on how the show would now be written. John Denver’s input would be politely disregarded from now on and his suggestions would be ignored. Turner had allowed Denver the freedom to have creative input because he felt his role in going into the US market was a necessity but the fan reaction in the UK made Turner determined that he would be the final voice on the show’s direction. From now on, Doctor Who would be serious, it would be gritty and an American Doctor, one of the points about Denver that core Who fans really hated, would turn to a boon rather than a detriment. Turner was determined that Doctor Who would go back to the way it should be, danger everywhere and unafraid to show the consequences of what would happen in dire situations. It was a decision that almost killed Doctor Who completely.”
- Extract from ‘Redemption of The Daleks’ A review by SFDebris, 2012
 
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Hope you enjoy.

Strangely enough, I *can* see Denver as a Doctor... His public persona was a gentle, slightly shy, 'sensitive' guy - which is a decent match to Peter Davison as well.

Denver's interactions with the Muppets will put him in good stead for interacting with K-9. There's still going to be the problem of Doctor + Romana + K-9 = Any Bad guy on the planet should just stop now an evacuate.

Denver certainly has a good track record with that sort of interaction and his take on the Doctor does have several of his own personality traits about it.

I could see John Denver, who was a major fan of spaceflight and Buckminster Fuller and aviation being the Doctor. BTW, he did work with the Muppets a lot.
One problem with Mary Tamm. OTL she left- but at the time Romana II was introduced, she was pregnant with her daughter. (My mom was likely pregnant with me at the time, which is one reason why I remember.)

From what I can understand, the reason behind her leaving wasn't her pregnancy as dissatisfaction with the role becoming just another Companion.

John Denver as the Doctor? Interesting.

(I've really only seen part of the Tenth and most of the Eleventh. I have no idea what the Twelfth[or Thirteenth if you count War Doctor as the real Ninth] is gonna be like).

Should be interesting, new Doctor tends to mean a new Era of the show.

Hey now, give me a LITTLE more credit that that!

We'll see. :p

If Tamm has to leave at the same time (the power surge could go though her as well, forcing her to also regenerate -- she's a Time Lord too) due to her pregnancy, then the only continuity character is Kid-favorite K-9.

There's a point, which probably doesn't help the way in which Denver's role as the Doctor has been received ITTL as Romana has changed and the Doctor's gone through something more radical than before.
 
From what I can understand, the reason behind her leaving wasn't her pregnancy as dissatisfaction with the role becoming just another Companion.
True- but you may have misread. The pregnancy was why she didn't REGENERATE on screen. (At least, so I've heard.) I knew Mary was not a fan of how her character was turning out (though, to be fair, she was one of the few classic companions to have any character development- Other than "The Power of Kroll", her character was improving over the typical companion model, culminating in her urging the Doctor NOT to rescue her in order to preserve the Key of Time).
Of course, at least three things would be very different had Lalla not become Romana II- she might not marry Tom Baker, she might not marry Richard Dawkins, and she might not play Ophelia in the BBC's "Hamlet". (And the latter would mean no interesting conversation with Patrick Stewart...)
 
True- but you may have misread. The pregnancy was why she didn't REGENERATE on screen. (At least, so I've heard.) I knew Mary was not a fan of how her character was turning out (though, to be fair, she was one of the few classic companions to have any character development- Other than "The Power of Kroll", her character was improving over the typical companion model, culminating in her urging the Doctor NOT to rescue her in order to preserve the Key of Time).
Of course, at least three things would be very different had Lalla not become Romana II- she might not marry Tom Baker, she might not marry Richard Dawkins, and she might not play Ophelia in the BBC's "Hamlet". (And the latter would mean no interesting conversation with Patrick Stewart...)

Well Lalla's still Romana II ITTL, but without Tom Baker on set. Plus, from what I've read, she was willing to doa regeneration scene, but was turned down for reasons that weren't made clear.
 
Gonna take this to today?

John Denver as Doctor Who?!?

Interesting.

It'll be going up until 2000, have a nice chunk then. And yeah, John Denver as the Doctor comes from when the BBC has a John Denver documentary before the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary.
 
It'll be going up until 2000
Aw, why? I thought it would end with the 50th anniversary...

“So when John Denver was away on US talk shows to hype up Doctor Who, Turner made his move, forcing Douglas Adams, one of Denver’s closest associates behind the scenes, off the show and establishing his own rules on how the show would now be written. John Denver’s input would be politely disregarded from now on and his suggestions would be ignored. Turner had allowed Denver the freedom to have creative input because he felt his role in going into the US market was a necessity but the fan reaction in the UK made Turner determined that he would be the final voice on the show’s direction. From now on, Doctor Who would be serious, it would be gritty and an American Doctor, one of the points about Denver that core Who fans really hated, would turn to a boon rather than a detriment. Turner was determined that Doctor Who would go back to the way it should be, danger everywhere and unafraid to show the consequences of what would happen in dire situations. It was a decision that almost killed Doctor Who completely.
- Extract from ‘Redemption of The Daleks’ A review by SFDebris, 2012

O_O ... Never mind; I think I have an idea as to why...
 
Peril in Paris:
Settling for some time off in Paris to recuperate and fully get to grips with their new Regenerations, the Doctor visits the Louvre, Romana at his side as the two discover a plot by an alien named Scaroth to steal the entirety of the Louvre’s treasures before blowing up all of Paris.

Sounds like TTL's version of City of Death, but without Douglas Adams' plot point of Scaroth wanting to travel back in time to stop the explosion that triggered the start of life on Earth. Since Adams liked this idea enough to reuse it in Dirk Gently, I'm not sure that he would be happy that it was dropped from this story.

Redemption of The Daleks:
With Romana joining K-9 as she tries to contact with the mutant Daleks and Nizor’s, the Doctor stalls for time, promising that he’d happily hand himself over towards the Daleks if only they could convince him of the superiority of their culture through a battle of music. With Romana encouraging the mutant Daleks to help the Doctor stall for time, the contest is agreed upon, allowing the Doctor to co-ordinate with Romana, K-9 and the mutant Daleks to end the threat to Nizor. Taking place over a screen, the Doctor starts off with his own rendition of a song called ‘Galactic Roads’, detailing the Doctor’s love for exploration. The Dalek’s retort with the ‘Extermination Song’ before instantly claiming victory.

A Singing Doctor ! Oh My !!

I suspect that it is the singing Daleks that is the real fandom base breaker. Mind you, by this time IOTL the Daleks were only making occasional appearances in the series - after Genesis of the Daleks, apart from cameos, they only appeared in four stories, and those were more focussed on Davros than the Daleks. So it's not surprising that they might be phased out a bit quicker ITTL by putting them in a comedy episode.


Cheers,
Nigel.
 
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