What If? (feature)

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What If? was a piece of fiction with a collection of accompanying images published in Doctor Who Magazine. It explicitly depicted a "what if?", almost unbound situation, showing what a potential world with a different Eighth Doctor was like.

It also showed the set up to the Eighth Doctor’s tenure by depicting the final days of the Seventh Doctor. This feature uses a blend of planned content for the future of Doctor Who and completely made up stuff to create a meta-fictional world. The title “what if” confirms the idea this is set in a world different to our own.

While some illustrations were completely in-universe the feature itself was completely meta-fictional, in the same vein as The Thief of Sherwood.

The main illustration doesn’t depict a scene from a planned unproduced story, but instead shows a view into new story. The Griffiths Doctor would go onto feature in another illustration in DWM 265.

This feature is followed by a non-fiction piece called “27 Up”. Some illustrations of “What If?” are placed on those pages. Those illustrations are covered here, but the non fiction article is not.

Synopsis

Having survived Survival, Doctor Who’s fortunes took an upward turn in the early nineties. Here Dave Owen refreshes our memories of those great days…

Plot

The Last of the Daleks

The Eighth Doctor and companion Kate are surrounded by Daleks. The Eighth Doctor stands proud and protective of his friend while hope is lost. Daleks on hoverbouts appear at the edge of the ship.

Feature

Seventh Doctor

Dave Owen tells readers how close Doctor Who came close to cancellation and the show was lucky to continue airing until the 30th anniversary. The latest two season defined the series and without them the show may have been cancelled after Survival with viewers left wanting more as well as audiences being deprived of the crucial story The Last of the Daleks: Part One which the Eighth Doctor and Kate find themselves surrounded by Daleks.

Owen takes us back into the Seventh Doctor era of the nineties. Michael Checkland and John Birt are business minded BBC executives who are seen as what is wrong with British broadcasting in the nineties by corporation employees and rival broadcasters. Yet it was cost politics that persuaded Jonathan Powell to continue Doctor Who for one more year. Even though it was performing poorly to the likes of Coronation Street and cost lost to make, the series paid for itself with merchandise and overseas sales.

Season 27 captured the public’s imagination, but its roots can be found in the failures and successes of the previous two years. The production team realised the Doctor and young female companion was a winning formula, as well as the design of the sets in stories set in the past bringing out the best in the BBC and exploring the dark side of human nature is a safe option without being compared to blockbuster science-fiction films.

Ben Aaronovitch’s three part Earth Aid became the norm with more stories being action based space operas in the Douglas Adams mould. This story’s pre-title sequence got the series’ fourth decade off to a memorable start. Featuring space pirates, the theme of events being in motion before the Doctor got there (with the Doctor having built Stonehenge to send a message) and a data vampire. There were apparently too many themes to fit into three parts.

The insectoid Metatraxi, made by Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel for the unmade version of The Ultimate Adventure, made their debut and their military honour was mocked in a Monty Python way.

Image

Julia Sawalha as Kate Tollinger at her Hammersmith Park photocall.

Feature

Marc Platt, who penned Ghost Light, penned Ice Time which was like Remembrance of the Daleks as it has two factions of a classic race fighting. This time the Ice Warriors. They battled in sixties London. The story introduced bearded Tom Georgeson as young Sam Tollinger who became a familiar face in Doctor Who. Ice Time saw the departure of Sophie Aldred as Ace.

Ice Time continued directly into Crime of the Century and was the second Season 27 story by Ben Aaronovitch. An aged Sam Collinger requests the help of the Seventh Doctor when he gets into trouble. This story had drug smuggling, sieges and near enough no science fiction. It was directed by Alan Wareing who made it look like the series Edge of Darkness. Crime of the Century was as significant as Spearhead from Space. It introduced new companion, daughter of Sam Collinger, Kate Collinger. She was a safecracker and lock picker. Her mansion house served as base for the Seventh Doctor where he met new contacts.

Since Survival, Doctor Who had become more realistic taking inspiration from The Bill, Casualty and London’s Burning. Sam and Kate Tollinger were very nineties characters and reflected real people with real problems. Kate was a little less realistic because of her experience in a Swiss school, rather than Prydonian. Due to her mix of posh and crime she was called the Emma Peel of the nineties by the press. This was thought to be a harmless cliché.

The final story Alixion was written by Robert Mukherjee. Despite it being basic, with numerous chases down corridors on the titular asteroid Alixion, it was considered the darkest story of the year. Bob Monkhouse played a villain, despite that not being his usual field, known as the Manager.

Image

Script extract

The space cruiser IC-MEL navigates in space. The decks of the ship can be seen. Human bridge officers were busy navigating and communicating. The final shot is of the captain’s chair used by Ace in captain’s uniform. Ace asks Mr Mariko to take over as she leaves to her ready room. Mariko says he will. Ace leaves through an automatic door. In the briefing room she notices the Doctor’s TARDIS and the Seventh Doctor sat playing chess. He looks up as he is expecting her. Ace tells him it isn’t going to work out.

- from Earth Aid.

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Script extract

In the Celestial Intervention Agency briefing room Ace awaits becoming a Time Lord. She tells the Seventh Doctor she sometimes quite likes him. The Doctor is amused by the “sometimes” remark, but admits it’s a start. He then tells her to keep up with her homework, referring to her as Dorothy, and to send him a letter from time to time.

Ace says the Doctor sounds like her mother which he finds offensive. He then asks Ace if she’s sure this is what she wants. Ace assures her professor it is and states she can take over from him when he retires. The Doctor then looks thoughtful, kisses Ace on the head and walks out the briefing room door as Ace turns to face the waiting Time Lords.

The Doctor appears out of nowhere at a canal towpath in the daytime. He is slowly approaching his parked TARDIS. He then looks at his watch concerned his is late for something.

- from Ice Time.

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Eighth Doctor

Alixion was the final story to feature Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor. John Nathan-Turner and Andrew Cartmel departed the series to make adaptations of Derek Tanguye novels. John Nathan-Turner's final action as showrunner was to cast Richard Griffiths as the Eighth Doctor who he'd wanted for the role for a decade. The Head of Series and Serials confirmed that there would be no hiatus so Cartmel and Mukherjee added a regeneration to Alixion. The writing team created an idea that the Seventh Doctor would regenerate due to losing his mind while in a straight jacket and gagged. It proved moving.

The Eighth Doctor titles.

Andrew Cartmel hadn't found a successor to himself so Aaronovitch temporarily stood in as acting script editor. Nathan Turner wished his successor success. On 3 December 1990 past production manager Ian Fraser took over as the tenth and final producer. The series was a success and the BBC wanted the show to return to its Saturday slot, but wouldn't be able to do so until January 1992. There was no Doctor Who broadcast in 1992. So interest didn't fade in the gap year Fraser asked Aaronovitch to pen a Dalek serial introducing the new Doctor. Season 28 consisted of six stories and twenty episodes the show being granted more episodes due to the popularity of Season 27.

Fraser having worked under Nathan-Turner felt little need to modify the series. Musicians submitted versions of the theme tune using the Seventh Doctor titles as a visual cue. Fraser hired Mark Ayres to compose the theme and CAL to design the title sequence at fraction of the price. The Eighth Doctor and new logo were added to the titles.

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Title sequence

The titles first used in 1987 now depict the Eighth Doctor. Also depicted in the title sequence is the new logo.

Feature

Ken Trew designed the Eighth Doctor’s costume. He was given a more off-the-peg look than other incarnations with a morning suit and red silk scarf. Griffiths and Sawalha were described as "the most sartorially elegant Doctor and companion ever". The first part of The Last of the Daleks aired at 7.35pm Saturday 4 January 1992. Since the regeneration there was a timejump for the Eighth Doctor and Kate. This Eighth Doctor would often drift off into a world of his own thoughts. He'd often hum a song and claim to have assisted in the composition. This serial was compared to James Bond film Goldeneye due to it being a soft reboot.

New writer Ed Young penned Night Thoughts which was a three part story compared to Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. It was criticised by parents for usage of dream imagery and hallucinations especially when the Doctor and Kate See each other's corpses lying in the snow. Night Thoughts signposted what new Doctor Who was about showcasing explorations of morality rather than just science fiction.

Andrew Cartmel penned Animal which was set on present day Earth and marked the return of Sam Collinger. In this story Kate is convinced by old friends turned animal rights activists Jack and Shell to raid an animal testing laboratory. The episode had a "no animals were harmed in the making of this programme disclaimer which Owen deemed unnecessary. The sound effects in the laboratory were deemed too realistic for the early evening slot. The scene where the Eighth Doctor takes a psychedelic drug to communicate with the tested animals was removed due to fears it'd be too controversial.

Visual effects man Mike Tucker and co-writer Robert Perry wrote Illegal Alien set in wartime London of ration books and air raid warnings. Tucker wrote new design flying Cybermats in his story and then had to realise them on screen. Tracey Wilson did a Vera Lynn impression in the story to accompany the Keff McCulloch soundtrack.

Tony Etchells' story A School for Glory deliberately contrasted the setting of Illegal Alien. It was set during the World War I and Tony Robinson guest starred so the story was compared to Blackadder Goes Forth. The story also criticised upper-class officers and their treatment of working class soldiers. The first two parts were a pure historical whereas part three, set in the titular school, introduced an alien feeding off death. Fans praised the scene where the Eighth Doctor impersonated a British commanding officer while wearing a monocle.

When the final story of Season 28 aired Ian Fraser knew it could be the final Doctor Who story ever with more and more established series being outsourced to independent programme makers. Fraser asked Platt and Aaronovitch to write a story that could well be the series' last, but to leave it open ended too.

Marc Platt wrote Network set in a university. It featured Kate O'Mara as the Rani. The Time Lady posed as vice chancellor in the university. Angela Bruce, from Battlefield, returned as Winifred Bambera and Tom Georgeson returned as Sam Collinger. Having defeated an evil computer virus the Doctor vanished from screens on 16 May 1992.

The fate of the series after Network was uncertain. The BBC's statements were vague, but it was obvious they didn't want to put effort into an in house production when so many of its series were made independently. Fans instead had the Virgin Publishing New Adventures books to look forward to. The range began in 1992 with Neil Penswick's unmade Season 28 story Hostage being expanded into a novel The Pit. This was followed by David A. McIntee's Avatar novel. The grim nature of the books showed the Virgin range was aimed at a more adult audience than the Target books.

Fans protested at the series' cancellation especially after the series' increased quality in the last few years. Fans should be grateful that the last regular story wasn't Survival and instead Network which allowed the Doctor's final words to be, said to Kate, "nothing lasts forever".

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Magazine

The Eighth Doctor graces the cover of Doctor Who Magazine specifically DWM 166 which was released on 31 October 1990. The magazine announced Richard Griffiths as the Doctor.

It had a preview of Alixion within as well as a special video competition to win Curse of Fenric. Nicola Bryant was also interviewed in the magazine.

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Schedule

A magazine preview ahead of broadcast of The Last of the Daleks listed the cast.

Richard Griffiths as the Doctor and Kate O’Mara as the Rani in Network.

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The Other Eighth Doctor

An in character shot depicting Richard Griffiths as the Doctor.

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Network

The magazine showcased a VHS cover of Network which starred Richard Griffiths as the Doctor and Kate O'Mara as the Rani. It featured the logo that was introduced with the Eighth Doctor and was rated PG. This would be the official release of the final ever Doctor Who episode.

Image

New Companion Kate

An in character shot Julia Sawalha as Kate Tollinger sitting her safecracking exam.

DWM 265 illustration

DWM 265 illustration

The following year, Doctor Who Magazine would publish another illustration of the Richard Griffiths Doctor in DWM 265. It was drawn by the late Phil Bevan for DWM 255. The full image was reproduced in The Art of Phil Bevan and Vworp Vworp! issue 5.

It depicted the Eighth Doctor wearing the same outfit he previously had in The Last of the Daleks illustration paired with the What If? feature. This time he was seen carrying his sonic screwdriver and his TARDIS exterior was shown.

Characters

In-universe

The Doctor

Companions

Other individuals

Species

Meta-fictional

Worldbuilding

The Doctor’s universe

The Doctor

Seventh Doctor
  • The Seventh Doctor built Stonehenge to send a message.
  • The Seventh Doctor plays chess.
  • In his later years events were in motion before the Doctor got there.
  • This Doctor battled the Ice Warriors in sixties London with Ace.
  • An aged Sam Collinger requests the help of the Seventh Doctor when he gets into trouble.
  • The Seventh Doctor regenerated after an adventure on the asteroid Alixion.
  • During his final adventure he encountered the Manager.
  • The Seventh Doctor visits a canal towpath in the daytime where he parked his TARDIS.
Eighth Doctor
  • The Eighth Doctor wears red and pink neckwear.
  • The Eighth Doctor wears a question mark pocket watch.

Ace

  • Ace captained the space cruiser IC-MEL.
  • She left the Seventh Doctor to become a Time Lord.
  • Ace waits for the Seventh Doctor in the Celestial Intervention Agency briefing room.
  • The Seventh Doctor calls Ace Dorothy.
  • Ace says the Seventh Doctor sounds like her mother which he finds offensive.
  • Ace suggests taking over from the Doctor after he retires.

Kate Tollinger

  • Kate Tollinger was the daughter of Sam Tollinger.
  • She was a safecracker and lock picker.
  • Her mansion house served as base for the Seventh Doctor where he met new contacts.
  • Kate had experience in a Swiss school.

Species

Meta-fictional world

Doctor Who stories

Earth Aid
Ice Time
Crime of the Century
Alixion
  • Alixion was written by Robert Mukherjee.
  • It was considered basic, with numerous chases down corridors on the titular asteroid Alixion, but also considered the darkest story of the year.

Cast

Other

Other

Notes

Continuity

External links

to be added

Footnotes

  1. ↑ DWM 255
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