Real Time was a six-episode webcast animated adventure featuring the Sixth Doctor, which was available via the BBCI website in 2002. Real Time was one of a few animated webcasts produced featuring various incarnations of the Doctor in the years prior to the revival of the series.
This serial is notable for including the character of Evelyn Smythe, marking the first time a character created for the Big Finish Productions audio dramas had appeared in a BBC-sponsored production. It also marked the final (active) appearance, to date, of the original version of the Cybermen in a BBC-sponsored production before the advent of the Cybus Cybermen in 2006.
Synopsis
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Plot
Episode 1
Two humans, Hoyer and Fantham, manage to evade the Cybermen searching for them and reach their destination, the Chronosphere. The Doctor is already locked into its matrix, and they send him from 1951 to a nexus point in the year 3286. If all goes well, the Doctor will change the web of Time, and Hoyer and Fantham will cease to exist.
A human survey team lands on a deserted planet to find out what happened to two other, missing survey teams. Exactly one day after the previous disappearance, Osborn contacts the mothership to report that his team has found nothing -- but then a wave of temporal energy washes out of the structure which Osborn believes to be an ancient temple. As the signal begins to break up, the desperate Osborn warns his contact, Krueger, that there’s a Cyberman at the heart of the temporal wave...
The mention of Cybermen naturally causes concern, and soon another expedition has arrived on the planet, accompanied by the Doctor and Evelyn. Administrator David Isherwood isn’t pleased to have been saddled with strangers, and he turns Evelyn over to another man he’s been stuck with -- Doctor Reece Goddard, an expert on Cybermen who seems awed to learn that Evelyn is a companion of the legendary Doctor. Evelyn modestly dismisses her own exploits and inquires about the Cybermen, and Dr. Goddard gives her a potted history of the race, from their origins on Mondas through to their colonisation of other worlds, the destruction of Mondas, and the Orion wars. The Cybermen have learned from each defeat, and have constantly adapted their design to overcome their early weaknesses, such as radiation and gold dust. However, they haven’t been heard from in centuries, which is why Central became so worried when Osborn went missing after he reported seeing a Cyberman...
Inside the “temple”, the Doctor is studying the hieroglyphs on the walls while Renchard and Carey, unable to find any sign of the missing expeditions, amuse themselves by generating an echo field to block the transmissions from their subcutaneous transponders. The Doctor points out certain architectural oddities which suggest that this building was meant to be easier to get into than out of, and a large stone doorway which is much thinner than the others. Scans indicate a solid stone wall on the other side, which suggests that this stone is not a door but a cover. Savage sends Renchard back to fetch vacuum cylinders, with which to preserve whatever lies behind the covering, and she, Carey and the Doctor attempt to move it aside. However, the Doctor then notices scratches which suggest that the cover has been moved before; perhaps this is what unleashed the temporal wave in the first place. Savage’s professionalism slips, as she believes her missing friends and colleagues may be trapped behind the cover, and she feels the Doctor is risking their lives with unnecessary caution. As they argue, however, the covering vanishes to be replaced by a translucent membrane, behind which they can see a room too large to fit into the small space behind the covering. The Doctor realizes the truth, but Savage again ignores his pleas for caution and sticks her hand through the membrane -- and is yanked through, screaming, by something on the other side.
As Goddard and Evelyn discuss her spirit of adventure and his apparent fascination with the Cybermen, Isherwood informs them that Savage’s transponder has ceased signalling. Inside, the membrane has gone dark, and three Cybermen step out -- including one who is still recognisable as Nicola Savage. Her conversion has taken place remarkably quickly, and the Doctor realizes that the membrane is a time portal under Cyber control. And now he and Carey are prisoners of the Cybermen...
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Cast & Characters
- The Doctor - Colin Baker
- Evelyn Smythe - Maggie Stables
- Administrator Isherwood - Christopher Scott
- Doctor Reece Goddard - Yee Jee Tso
- Nicola Savage - Jane Goddard
- Cyber-Controller - Nicholas Briggs
- Taylor Renchard - Richard Herring
- Ryan Carey - Stewart Lee
- Hoyer - Alistair Lock
- Fantham - Andrew Hair
- Krueger - William Johnston
- Professor Osborn - Nicholas Briggs
References
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Story Notes
- Episodes 4 through 6 had warnings that "this week's episode contains scenes that may not be suitable for younger children".
- Yee Jee Tso played Chang Lee in Doctor Who.
Original Website Release/Broadcast
- Episode 1 - 2nd August, 2002
- Episode 2 - 9th August, 2002
- Episode 3 - 16th August, 2002
- Episode 4 - 23rd August, 2002
- Episode 5 - 30th August, 2002
- Episode 6 - 6th September, 2002
Myths
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Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors
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Continuity
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CD and Other Releases
- Big Finish released an extended release on CD, see Real Time (audio release) for more information.
See also
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External Links
- BBC Official Website - Real Time Webcast
- Real Time Webcast at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- The Discontinuity Guide Real Time Webcast page
