30 Years in the TARDIS

Thirty Years in the TARDIS was a television documentary which aired in 1993 as part of the thirtieth anniversary celebration of Doctor Who.

When an extended cut version was released on BBC Video in 1994, it was retitled More than Thirty Years in the TARDIS.

The documentary featured appearances by the surviving Doctor actors, including Jon Pertwee, and numerous companions. Nicholas Courtney hosted the documentary, partially in character as the Brigadier. The documentary also included a section on the 1960s Peter Cushing films.

Dalek on a Hoverbout.

Towards the end several notable scenes occur:

• A demonstration of how modern-day (for 1993) special effects could be applied to Doctor Who as the camera follows a boy into the TARDIS from outside, with the effects seamlessly moving from location to studio interior. Carole Ann Ford, possibly in character as an adult Susan Foreman, awaits him inside.
• The same boy takes part in a rather sinister, cliffhanger-like sequence in which Elisabeth Sladen appears to be taken over by an alien influence. This is followed by Courtney being driven away in a limousine -- driven by an Auton.
  

  Daleks surrounding Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling.
• Following the closing credits of the VHS release, BBC controller Alan Yentob is captured on video being evasive when asked by an interviewer about rumours of a new Doctor Who production being imminent. This is followed by a multi-layered vision sequence featuring multiple Daleks achieved through real Daleks, models and animated images. Such a high concentration of Daleks appearing on screen would not be achieved until many years later in such stories as TV: The Parting of the Ways.

Partial list of interviews

• Nicholas Courtney
• Ben Aaronovitch
• Douglas Adams
• Sophie Aldred
• Gerry Anderson and his son
• Colin Baker
• Tom Baker (in previously filmed interview footage)
• Stephen Bayley
• Nicola Bryant
• Jessica Carney (granddaughter and biographer of William Hartnell)
• Raymond Cusick
• Peter Davison (archive interview footage)
• Terrance Dicks
• Carole Ann Ford
• Mike Gatting
• Philip Hinchcliffe
• Frazer Hines
• Mat Irvine
• Verity Lambert
• Barry Letts
• Ian Levine
• Jennie Linden
• Ken Livingstone
• Sylvester McCoy
• John Nathan-Turner
• Terry Nation
• Jon Pertwee
• Gary Russell
• Eric Saward
• Elisabeth Sladen
• Roberta Tovey
• Deborah Watling
• Mary Whitehouse
• Toyah Willcox

DVD Release

The special will be released in a DVD box set, The Legacy, alongside Shada, on 7 January, 2013.

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  Region 1 cover

Footnotes