Editing Dimensions in Time (TV story)

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{{Infobox Story
|image           = 1993 Doctors-3-6-7 Dimensions in Time.jpg
|doctor          = Seventh Doctor
|featuring       = {{il|[[Third Doctor]], [[Fourth Doctor]], [[Fifth Doctor]], [[Sixth Doctor]],|[[Susan Foreman|Susan]], [[Victoria Waterfield|Victoria]], [[the Brig]], [[Liz Shaw|Liz]], [[Mike Yates|Yates]], [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]], [[Leela]], [[Romana II]], [[Nyssa]], [[Peri Brown|Peri]], [[Melanie Bush|Mel]]}}
|companions      = [[Ace]], [[K9]]
|enemy           = [[The Rani]], [[Cyrian]]
|setting         = [[London]], [[1973]], [[1993]] and [[2013]] 
|writer          = [[John Nathan-Turner]], [[David Roden]] 
|director        = [[Stuart McDonald]] 
|producer        = [[John Nathan-Turner]] 
|broadcast date  = [[26 November (releases)|26]]-[[27 November (releases)|27 November]] [[1993 (releases)|1993]] 
|network         = [[BBC1]]
|format          = 1x7 and 1x5 minute episodes
|production code = C280X
|made prev       = Search Out Space 
|made next       = Doctor Who (TV story)
|series3         = Children in Need 
|prev3           = Children in Need 1985 (TV story) 
|next3           = Dead Ringers meets Doctor Who (TV story)
}}{{you may|The Dimensions of Time}}{{big toc}}
'''''Dimensions in Time''''' was a two-part story broadcast in [[1993 (releases)|1993]] as a part of that year's [[Children in Need]] appeal. It featured [[Kate O'Mara]]'s last televised performance as [[the Rani]]. It was the first two-part serial since ''[[Revelation of the Daleks (TV story)|Revelation of the Daleks]]'' in [[1985 (releases)|1985]] and the last until ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'' in [[2010 (releases)|2010]].

It was a nominal "celebration" of the thirtieth anniversary of ''[[Doctor Who]]'', made primarily due to the cancellation of the [[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]]'s original idea for a thirtieth anniversary story, ''[[The Dark Dimension]]''. Since the BBC had already obtained, at least in principle, agreement from most of the ex-[[the Doctor|Doctors]] to do some sort of anniversary programme, they went ahead with a charity sketch. ([[DOC]]: ''[[The Seven Year Hitch]]'') ''Dimensions'' [[#Children in Need notes|raised over £101,000]] for Children in Need according to presenter, [[Noel Edmonds]].

A major narrative feature of the piece was that it featured a crossover between the ''[[EastEnders]]'' and [[Doctor Who universe|''Doctor Who'' universes]]; that is, the characters were narratively implied to be a part of the ''same'' universe. As the years have gone by, this narrative choice has caused the piece to be disregarded by many fans. Largely ignored by both ''Doctor Who'' and ''EastEnders'' writers, ''Dimensions'' became widely irrelevant to both series. However, there have been several prose stories in the DWU which have referenced ''Dimensions''. [[Steven Moffat]]'s [[National Television Awards Sketch 2011|''Doctor Who'' National Television Awards Sketch]] is the only televised narrative to come close to acknowledging the story, implying that {{iw|eastenders|Dot Cotton}} had met [[the Doctor]] before.

''Dimensions'' was a milestone production in many ways. It was the first and only time that [[John Nathan-Turner]] received a writing credit on a televised story, and it attracted the biggest audience of anything he had [[producer|produced]]. It was also the final [[BBC1]] appearance for most of the ''Doctor Who'' characters involved, the first time in ''[[Doctor Who]]'' history that 3D technology had been used in the recording and broadcast of a television story and the first time that the televised audience were able to affect the outcome of a ''Doctor Who'' story by telephone vote.

In an article recapping the experiences with filming on set, [[Sophie Aldred]] recounted the rushed environment but otherwise noted that it still felt like ''Doctor Who''; going as far as to lement that the story was not the start to a new season. (''[[Doctor Who Yearbook 1995]]'') However, many were not satisfied with the story, especially under the context of a celebration of 30 years of the program. [[Stephen J. Walker]], [[David J. Howe]] and [[Mark Stammers]] gave it a 0/10 and called it "a dreadful travesty of a ''Doctor Who'' story". ([[REF]]: ''[[The Second Doctor Handbook]]'') Many concluded that the story was one of the many "oddities" which was not within the main "canon" of ''Doctor Who'' stories.

In response to this, many of those involved began to attempt to justify the special. In his contemporary ''post mortem'' in ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'', [[Nick Briggs]] said that in his opinion, "...this was not ''Doctor Who'', just a charity get-together for a very good cause." ([[DWM 209]]) Nathan-Turner, 4 years later, directly attacked those that took the stories production so personally; mocking the supposed ''need'' for him to justify the story's validity, alongside the concept of the supposed "''Doctor Who'' mythos." ([[DWM 249]])

== Publisher's summary ==
The Rani traps the Doctor in Albert Square.

== Plot ==
=== Part one ===
[[The Rani]] has captured the [[First Doctor|First]] and [[Second Doctor]]s as part of her plan to assemble a menagerie of all sentient life-forms from throughout [[space]] and [[time]], hoping to use them to gain control of all individual minds in the [[universe]]. She requires only one more specimen, a [[human]] from [[Earth]]. Knowing that [[the Doctor]] will act to stop her, she creates a temporal trap to ensnare the Doctor in all his incarnations.

While the [[Fourth Doctor]] attempts to send a warning to his previous and future incarnations, alerting them to her threat, the [[Renegade Time Lord|renegade]] [[Time Lord]] seizes control of [[the Doctor's TARDIS]], knocking it off course. The [[Seventh Doctor]] and [[Ace]], en route to [[China]], find themselves instead materialising in [[Cutty Sark Gardens]] in [[1973]]. As they walk, Ace is shocked to see the Doctor turn into [[Sixth Doctor|his sixth incarnation]]. He explains they must have encountered a "groove" in time. Continuing their search, Ace finds a clothing stand and is offered a discount by its [[Sanjay Kapoor|owner]], much to the annoyance of [[Gita Kapoor|his wife]]. The Doctor is shocked to discover that they have moved to [[1993]].

[[File:Dimensions_in_Time_news_clip_2013.jpg|thumb|The Doctor and Mel meet Pauline Fowler and Kathy Beale.|160x160px]]
Suddenly, Ace is replaced by [[Melanie Bush|Mel]] and the Sixth Doctor becomes the [[Third Doctor|Third]]. The Doctor explains to Mel that someone has been going through his timeline, pulling out early versions of himself and his companions. He meets [[Pauline Fowler|two old]] [[Kathy Beale|shop owners]] who are selling what he sees as over-priced fruit. The Doctor learns that the year is [[2013]] just before he jumps in time again.

They find themselves jumping [[time track]]s between the years 1973, 1993 and 2013, in an area within a few miles of [[Albert Square]] in [[London]]'s [[East End]]. The Doctor is also changing back and forth between his Third, [[Fifth Doctor|Fifth]] Sixth and Seventh incarnations, while Ace keeps being replaced by varied past [[companion]]s. Worse, the Rani has released her menagerie — including an [[Aldeberian]], an [[Argolin]], a [[Dragon (biomechanoid)|biomechanoid]], a [[Cyberman (Mondas)|Cyberman]], a [[Stigorax]], a [[Mentor]], an [[Ogron]], a [[Sandminer robot]], a [[Sea Devil]], a [[Tetrap]], a [[Time Lord]], a [[Tractator]], a [[Vanir]] and a [[Vervoid]]  — to attack the Doctors and their companions. The Rani tells the Doctors that they're all going on a journey — a very long journey!

=== Part two ===
The Rani is confronted by the Fifth Doctor, who psychically summons the Third Doctor to take his place. [[Liz Shaw|Liz]] attempts to disarm her, but flees when the Time Lady is distracted by [[Mandy Salter|a young woman]].

The Third Doctor is fortuitously rescued by [[Bessie]], being driven by [[Mike Yates]], who shoots the Rani's gun out of her hand and takes the Third Doctor to a helicopter, where he meets [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|the Brigadier]]. After turning into the Sixth Doctor, he departs to find his companions.

The Rani, now in [[The Rani's TARDIS|her TARDIS]], proclaims she only needs one more human to complete her menagerie, and sets a course for the [[Greenwich Meridian]]. Discovered by a pair of men, Romana II leaves her hiding place to find the Doctor, but is instead dragged into the [[Queen Vic]] pub.

The Third Doctor makes it to the TARDIS with [[Victoria Waterfield|Victoria]], and, emerging from the TARDIS in his seventh incarnation, sees the Rani's TARDIS materialising and witnesses [[Leela]] escaping from it. Leela tells him about the Rani's menagerie of clones, and he explains how the Rani is attempting to transfer a massive [[Time contour|Time Tunnel]] to the [[Greenwich Meridian]]. Realising that the Rani is attempting to gain control of evolution, he asks Leela what form she was in when the Rani cloned her, and realises that, given the fact that the Rani cloned Romana, there are now two [[time brain]]s in the Rani's computer.

The Seventh Doctor sets out to override the Rani's computer, and harness the power of the Time Tunnel to pull in the Rani's TARDIS instead of his own. He uses his psychic powers to join with his earlier incarnations, then uses a converter linked to the dual time brains in the Rani's computers to propel her TARDIS into her own trap. Having freed himself, his past incarnations and all their companions, the Doctor and Ace depart.

== Cast ==
* [[Seventh Doctor]] - [[Sylvester McCoy]]
* [[Sixth Doctor]] - [[Colin Baker]]
* [[Fifth Doctor]] - [[Peter Davison]]
* [[Fourth Doctor]] - [[Tom Baker]]
* [[Third Doctor]] - [[Jon Pertwee]]
* [[The Rani]] - [[Kate O'Mara]]
* [[Ace]] - [[Sophie Aldred]]
* [[Susan Foreman]] - [[Carole Ann Ford]]
* [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]] - [[Nicholas Courtney]]
* [[Romana II]] - [[Lalla Ward]]
* [[Sarah Jane Smith]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]
* [[Nyssa]] - [[Sarah Sutton]]
* [[Leela]] - [[Louise Jameson]]
* [[Peri Brown]] - [[Nicola Bryant]]
* [[Melanie Bush]] - [[Bonnie Langford]]
* Voice of [[K9]] - [[John Leeson]]
* K9 Operator - [[Matt Irvine]]
* [[Liz Shaw]] - [[Caroline John]]
* [[Mike Yates]] - [[Richard Franklin]]
* [[Victoria Waterfield]] - [[Deborah Watling]]
* [[Gita Kapoor]] - [[Shobu Kapoor]]
* [[Grant Mitchell]] - [[Ross Kemp]]
* [[Phil Mitchell]] - [[Steve McFadden]]
* [[Sharon Watts]] - [[Letitia Dean]]
* [[Frank Butcher]] - [[Mike Reid]]
* [[Pauline Fowler]] - [[Wendy Richard]]
* [[Vanir]] - [[John Frank Rosenblum]]
* [[Mandy Salter]] - [[Nicola Stapleton]]
* [[Pat Butcher]] - [[Pam St. Clement]]
* [[Kathy Beale]] - [[Gillian Taylforth]]
* [[Sanjay Kapoor]] - [[Deepak Verma]]
* [[Big Ron]] - [[Ron Tarr]] ''(scenes not shown in televised version)''
* [[Cyrian]] - [[Samuel West|Sam West]]
* [[Ian Beale]] - [[Adam Woodyatt]], [[Tim Handel]]
* [[Sea Devil]] - [[Michael Fillis]]
* [[Ogron]] - [[Derek Handley]]
* [[Tractator]]/[[Tetrap]]/[[Zog (Face Value)|Zog]]/[[Dragon (biomechanoid)|Dragon]] Operator - [[Martin Wilkie]]
* [[Argolin]] - [[Anthony Hopkinson]]
* [[Cyberman (Mondas)|Cybermen]] - [[Tony Kirke]], [[David Miller]]
* [[Fifi]] operator - [[Stephen Mansfield]]
* [[Kiv]] - [[Philip Newman]]
* [[Mawdryn]] mutant - [[Paul Lunn]]
* [[Mogarian]] - [[Steven Coats]]
* [[Ogron]] - [[Derek Handley]]
* [[Plasmaton]] - [[Tim Packham]]
* [[Ruffian]] - [[Alan Cave]]
* [[Sea Devil]] - [[Mike Fillis]]
* [[Time Lord]] - [[Andrew Beech]]
* [[Vanir]] - [[J.F. Rosenblum]]
* [[Vervoid]] - [[Anthony Clark]]
* Robot - [[Ilona MacDonald]]

== Crew ==
* Theme Music composed by - [[Ron Grainer]]
* Theme Music arranged by - [[Cybertech]]
* Incidental Music - [[Keff McCulloch]]
* Production Manager - [[Gary Downie]]
* Assistant Floor Manager - [[Jenny Drewett]]
* Visual Effects Designer - [[Mike Tucker]]
* Video Effects - [[Dave Chapman]]
* Graphic Designer - [[Oliver Elmes]]
* Costume Designer - [[Ken Trew]]
* Make-Up Designer - [[Leslie Smith]]
* Designer - [[Derek Evans]]
* Producer - [[John Nathan-Turner]]
* Director - [[Stuart McDonald]]

== References ==
''to be added''

== Notes ==
* ''Dimensions in Time'' featured the final non-archival [[BBC1]] appearance of every [[companion]] and incarnation of [[the Doctor]] in its cast, except for [[K9]], [[Sarah Jane Smith]], the [[Fifth Doctor]], and the [[Seventh Doctor]]. It was [[Tom Baker]]'s only onscreen performance as the Doctor since leaving the series until 2013, when he played [[The Curator (The Day of the Doctor)|a character assumed to be the Doctor]] in'' [[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]''.
* Since airing, various prose stories have made reference to the story or set themselves within its universe. In ''[[First Frontier (novel)|First Frontier]]'', the Seventh Doctor says "I once had [a nightmare] where all my old foes chased me round a [[soap opera]]," vaguely referencing the fan theory that the story was little more than a dream. ''[[Rescue (short story)|Rescue]]'' served as a prequel, showing the Rani meeting her new companion. ''[[Storm in a Tikka (short story)|Storm in a Tikka]]'' is set directly after the story and links the events of the story to ''[[Search Out Space]]''.
* Because [[William Hartnell]] and [[Patrick Troughton]] were both deceased (as was Hartnell's ''Five Doctors'' replacement [[Richard Hurndall]]) by the time the story was produced, the idea was developed to use still images of them, already caught in [[the Rani]]'s temporal trap. Because the stills could not be made to look three-dimensional, busts of the actors' heads were fashioned and filmed.
* For scenes set inside the Rani's [[TARDIS]], the Doctor's console from the original series was set inside a TARDIS console room mock-up constructed for a recent fan convention, the original console room for the series had already been destroyed. It would later be re-created for the docu-drama [[An Adventure in Space and Time]].
* Ace, Leela, Romana, Victoria, Mel, Mike and Sarah Jane are seen wearing clothes similar to (or at least suggested by) what they wore in the series; Sarah Jane, for example, is wearing her Andy Pandy overalls from her final regular serial, ''[[The Hand of Fear]]'' despite having since adopted a more mature wardrobe in ''[[K9 and Company]]'' and ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]''. While Leela's primitive garb is evocative of her typical series costume, she is without her standard boots and is instead barefoot which was previously the case only when swimming in the [[TARDIS swimming pool]] at the start of her final regular serial, ''[[The Invasion of Time (TV story)|The Invasion of Time]]''. Liz and Peri are wearing clothes of a type they could have worn. Nyssa is shown wearing a regular Earth-style blouse rather than something closer to what she might have worn during her time with the Doctor.
* [[Lalla Ward]], as [[Romana II]], gets the honour of referencing the play on the name ''Doctor Who''. She is also the only ''Doctor Who'' character seen on her own during the story.
* This story has the only televised meeting between the [[Sixth Doctor]] and [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]].
* According to [[Louise Jameson]], [[Sylvester McCoy]] arrived slightly late and slightly hung over for location filming, having had "a bit of a first night" the previous evening. During his absence, the other actors playing the Doctors reassigned several lines of "[[technobabble|techno-speak]]" to him, saying "Sylvester can do this bit". ([[DCOM]]: ''[[The Talons of Weng-Chiang (TV story)|The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]'')
* This story has been somewhat dismissed by both ''[[EastEnders]]'' and ''[[Doctor Who]]'' fans alike, as the continuity problems posed for both franchises are quite notable. For ''EastEnders'' fans, one of the bigger issues is that [[Pauline Fowler]] is depicted as being alive in [[2013]], when ''EastEnders'' continuity has her dead in [[2006]]. For ''Doctor Who'' fans, ''EastEnders'' is firmly shown to be a television programme in ''[[Army of Ghosts]]'', and implied to be so in ''[[The Impossible Planet]]'' and ''[[Night Terrors]]'', making it difficult to explain Albert Square's existence as a "real" place in ''Dimensions''.
* This story was broadcast as a segment of the ''Children In Need'' charity telethon, with part one being introduced by Noel Edmonds and [[Jon Pertwee]] (in character as [[the Doctor]]), and part two being broadcast as part of Edmond's {{wi|Noel Edmond's House Party|House Party}} programme.
* The story raised money for Children in Need, principally because viewers were encouraged to call in on a pay telephone line to vote for one of two ''[[EastEnders]]'' characters to help [[the Doctor]]. In the competition, between [[Big Ron]] and [[Mandy Salter]], Mandy won with 53% of the vote.

=== Deleted scenes ===
There were multiple deleted scenes:
* The [[Dalek]]s were to have been featured (the segment was shot), but due to disputes with [[Terry Nation]]'s estate, they were removed. ([[DWM 324]])
* Several longer versions of the ending were filmed. One features the Doctor asking Ace where she would like to go now. She states "...when you set the TARDIS to go to the Great Wall of China we end up Albert Square." "Well, in that case," The Doctor states, "Let's head for Albert Square.
* The scene with Big Ron was recorded, but never used, as Mandy won the phone vote.

=== Ratings ===
* Part one - 13.8 million
* Part two - 13.6 million

=== Filming locations ===
* [[BBC Elstree]], [[Borehamwood]], [[Hertfordshire]]
* [[Old Royal Naval College]], [[Greenwich]], [[London]]
* The ''[[Cutty Sark]]'', [[Greenwich]], [[London]]
* [[National Maritime Museum]], [[Greenwich]], [[London]]

=== Production errors ===
*When the Doctors unite to free their first two incarnations, the [[Third Doctor]]'s hair appears to be slightly green, possibly due to a coloring error.{{Discontinuity}}

== Home video ==
* This story was produced especially for ''Children in Need'', and the cast and production crew gave their services free of charge on conditions laid down at the time by the actors' union, [[Equity]]. ''Dimensions in Time'' would receive only one transmission and would never be exploited commercially in any way. Nevertheless, because it was broadcast during a period of time where home [[VHS]] was widely available, it was recorded by many fans. It is now easily, if illegally, available on the [[internet]].

== External links ==
*{{bbcepguideclassic|dimensionstime/|Dimensions in Time}}
{{dwcast}}
{{dwrefguide|dimens.htm|Dimensions in Time}}
* {{briefhistory|serials/dit.html|Dimensions in Time}}
{{TitleSort}}
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    Please do not overcategorise this story.  It's not from a valid source,
    so it does NOT include the First Doctor, Second Doctor,
    Sarah Jane, Silurians, K9, whoever.  It does not occur in
    Walford or Greenwich or wherever.  Only basic, very "safe", 
    "functional" categories about release dates and so forth
    should be included.

    --CzechOut

-->


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[[Category:Non-DWU stories]]
[[Category:1993 television stories]]
[[Category:Doctor Who mini-episodes]]
[[Category:Stories with unique variations of the Doctor Who opening titles]]
[[Category:Stories that crossover with non-DWU series]]
[[Category:Television stories with unique variations of the Doctor Who theme]]