TV Hell! (comic story)

The Doctor, Amy Pond and Rory Williams arrive on the TV studio set of the long running soap ‘EarthEnders’. The interruption causes broadcast to be suspended and in a bustle of activity the TARDIS crew find themselves signing contracts to appear on the show. The other actors warn them but is too late. The small print in the contract ties them to appear in unlimited repeats – not a problem in itself but they are apparently unable to record any kind of video of the show since the solar flares hit Earth. The same 90 episodes have been re-shot for the past 20 years with the cast having to adopt some heavy make-up and extensive wigs! Fifteen minutes of drama is followed by an ad break in which the Doctor finds recording is once again possible using Amy’s mobile phone. Using his sonic screwdriver to get out of the TV studio for the first time in decades the cast find a barren, sun scorched planet. Bundling the cast into the TARDIS the Doctor takes them to meet their audience. Arriving in the sitting room of the Arr'Chorrs - a race of technologically ignorant creatures who can’t even work a video recorder! Their entire planet had become bankrupt and they had become dependent on ‘EarthEnders’ for their entertainment. With a quick demonstration of filming using her mobile phone the Arr'Chorrs have a means of making new programmes helped by the cast who after all the years have learnt all about making a TV show.

Named characters

‘EarthEnders’ was a long running soap of only 90 episodes broadcast for the entertainment of the Arr'Chorrs for twenty years!

‘EarthEnders’ is a spin on the BBC’s long running popular soap EastEnders which featured in-universe in Army of Ghosts.
The recording studio for ‘EarthEnders’ appears to be a copy of the BBC’s headquarters known as the doughnut.