The Dark Dimension (unproduced TV story): Difference between revisions

{{Unprod}}

{{Infobox Story

| image          = The Dark Dimension-Cyberman Redesign.jpg  

| enemy          = [[Cybercommander]], [[Cyberman (Mondas)|Cybermen]], [[Dalek]]s, [[Ice Warrior]]s and [[Robot Yeti|Yeti]]

| writer          = [[Adrian Rigelsford]]

| format          = Unproduced direct-to-video film

''The Dark Dimension'' (later known as ''Lost in the Dark Dimension''<ref name="TSV">[http://nzdwfc.tetrap.com/archive/tsv44/darkdimension.html NZDWFC - TSV 44: "Inside the Dark Dimension" by Jon Preddle] </ref>) ran into obstacles which prevented it from being produced.

Some of the actors, particularly Jon Pertwee and Colin Baker, were not pleased that their roles were so small (the script featured the Fourth Doctor prominently while the others had small scenes). <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20070714054815/http://www.msoe.edu/library/dr_who/on_with_the_show.htm On With The Show: Doctor Who's Legacy After Cancellation] via [http://www.archive.org/web/web.php Internet Archive: Wayback Machine] <small>accessed 17th March 2010</small></ref>

The main cancellation of the project fell to a miscalculation in the cost of the program. A large sum of money had not been added to both the cost and revenue of the project — that of the cost of putting the show on the air. When the calculations were corrected, it became clear that it was no longer viable to produce the film financially.

Attempts were made afterward to lighten the cost of the film by cutting key scenes and restructuring the film entirely - but these eventually fell through. Some minor elements of the scripts - such as characters not being able to be visible because of being in another level of time — were later used in the television story ''[[Dimensions in Time (TV story)|Dimensions in Time]]''.

Far in the future of Earth, most humans have been wiped out. The Earth is left in ruins, the only people left on the planet being a resistance group which has been trying to hunt the creature that has done this to the planet. The group is searching an area, and their leader, Summerfield, suddenly finds a body. It is the [[Seventh Doctor]] — murdered by the creature. The Doctor is given a funeral which Summerfield finds fitting, as they are sent floating into sea and lit aflame. With the Doctor gone, Summerfield tells the others that they have to finish what the Doctor started on their own.

The story would have centred on an older version of the [[Fourth Doctor]], [[the Brigadier]] and [[Ace]] with shorter appearances by the other surviving Doctors, though in more minor roles. Classic monsters would have included the [[Cyberman (Mondas)|Cybermen]], [[Dalek]]s, the [[Ice Warrior]]s and the [[Robot Yeti|Yeti]].

The central idea to the story was that of the alteration of time by an evil creature so that the Fourth Doctor would have died instead of [[regenerate|regenerating]] after falling from the [[Pharos Project]] (as seen in ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]''). In doing so, the creature created a "Dark Dimension". The Doctor had to revert back the timeline before he and his future incarnations were erased from time by the effect.

The production would have also featured "Summerfield", who would have been the [[Seventh Doctor]]'s [[companion]] [[Bernice Summerfield]] from the [[New Adventures]] book series. Although, the character being owned by its creator [[Paul Cornell]], BBC could not feature it without his permission.

Furthermore [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart]]'s son [[Alexander Stewart]] would have an appearance in the film. In the alternative timeline he would have been the boyfriend of [[Ace]]. The couple would have had several children. In the later restored timeline Alexander would have died in [[1979]] at the age of ten.<ref name=":0">[[The Nth Doctor]]</ref>

Along with the inclusion of almost all the classic monsters, many of them were to be redesigned or feature totally new developments of the original design. In the original script, the episode was to introduce a new type of cyberman, the Cybercommander.

 

:"'The Cybermen were not like any we've ever seen before,' says Rigelsford. 'There was a specific Cyberman who was being made by the people at Henson's Creature Workshop. The guy who designed it was Chris Fitzgerald . It had holes in its knuckles and there was a point where it held up its hand, made a fist, and six-inch blades shot out of its knuckles! It was like Wolverine out of the X-Men comics; Cyberrine!'"<ref name="TSV" />

The Daleks also were to have featured a redesign featuring a one-off new special weapons Dalek by BBC Workshop under Tony Harding supervison.<ref name=":0" /> A design of this "Special Weapons Dalek" was passed by BBC visual FX assistant [[Alan Marshall]].<ref name=":1">Scifinow #37 (March 2010)</ref>

:"'The Daleks were going to have laser-guns that were going to be done with computer animation so the laser bolts would be in 3-D rather than just going 'Zap!' with a blue line. The bolts were going to be like spears coming out in 3-D.'" - BBC Visual effects assistant Mike Tucker<ref name="TSV" />

* [[Bernice Summerfield|Summerfield]]

* [[Alexander Stewart]]

* Prof. Oliver Hawkspur - Rik Mayall<ref name=":1" />

:"About three weeks worth of test filming was done including model and titles effects, and some location filming was also undertaken. 'We were going to go down to [[Shepperton Studios|Shepperton film studios]],' says Rigelsford, 'and have it shot on film on one of the largest sound-stages on Shepperton.'"<ref name="TSV" />

*Written by [[Adrian Rigelsford]]

*Director: [[Graeme Harper]]

*Producer: [[David Jackson]]

*Executive Producers:

**Penelope Mills

**[[Tony Greenwood]]

*Assistant Director: Kevan Van Thompson

*Script Editor: Joanna McCaul

*Production Manager: Nick Jagels

*Location Manager: Stanislaw Fus

*Costume Design: Bridget Tudor Evans

*Visual Effects Supervisor: [[Tony Harding]]

*Visual Effects Assistants:

**[[Mike Tucker]]

**[[Alan Marshall]]

*Video Effects Designer: [[Dave Chapman]]

*Post Production Effects: Kevin Jon Davies

*Special Effects Prosthetics: Chris Fitzgerald

*Title Sequence: William Latham<ref name=":1" />